rban. But the Custom House officers had first to be
placated, and Grosvenor disgustedly found himself obliged to disburse a
goodly sum as duty upon his firearms and ammunition before he was
permitted to retain possession of them. At length, however, the Customs
barrier was successfully negotiated; and then Dick in one rickshaw,
Grosvenor in another, and their baggage in a third, the two friends
proceeded in triumph along the bush-bordered road, over the level
crossing of the railway, and so up Smith Street to the Royal Hotel,
where they purposed to put up for a day or two, and where, upon their
arrival, they joined their fellow passengers at a hilarious second
breakfast in accordance with an arrangement made at the cabin table a
few hours earlier.

CHAPTER FIVE.

THE BEGINNING OF THE ADVENTURE.

The second breakfast over, farewells were spoken--with, in some cases,
the promise to meet again speedily--and the voyagers separated, some to
make their way home to their sugar or coffee estates in the
neighbourhood, others to take train to more distant localities, some
three or four being bound as far afield as Johannesburg or Pretoria--and
Dick, with his friend Grosvenor, set out to wander about the town of
Durban, inspect the shops, pass through the aristocratic quarter of the
Berea, per tram, and finally, on a couple of horses hired from the hotel
stable, to ride out to the River Umgeni, and thence to Sea Cow Lake, in
the vain hope of getting a sight of a few of the hippopotami that were
said to still haunt that piece of water; finally returning to the hotel
in time for dinner, hot, tired, but supremely happy, and delighted with
everything that they had seen.

During the progress of the meal they made the acquaintance of a Mr
Gerald Muspratt, a coffee planter, whose estate was situate some twelve
miles distant, in the adjoining county of Victoria; and, the
acquaintance ripening over the after-dinner coffee, with that breathless
celerity which is one of the most charming characteristics of the
Colonies, before retiring for the night the two friends had accepted
Muspratt's very pressing invitation to ride out with him to his place
next morning, and spend a couple of days there with him to look round
the estate and be introduced to Muspratt's two or three neighbours.
This they did in due course, the two days' visit lengthening itself into
four, and ending by the acceptance of another invitation, this time from
a sug