these folk, who probably are now all
dead?"

"The first two things are possible enough, father. Some ship will take
me to the Bay. You have Marais's money, and I have that five hundred
pounds which my old aunt in England left me last year. Thank Heaven!
owing to my absence on commando, it still lies untouched in the bank at
Port Elizabeth. That is about eight hundred pounds in all, which would
buy a great many cattle and other things. As for the third, it is not in
our hands, is it? It may be that they cannot be rescued, it may be that
they are dead. I can only go to see."

"But, Allan, Allan, you are my only son, and if you go it is probable
that I shall never see you more."

"I have been through more dangers lately, father, and am still alive
and well. Moreover, if Marie is dead"--I paused, then went on
passionately--"Do not try to stop me, for I tell you, father, I will not
be stopped. Think of the words in that letter and what a shameless hound
I should be if I sat here quiet while Marie is dying yonder. Would you
have done so if Marie had been my mother?"

"No," answered the old gentleman, "I should not. Go, and God be with
you, Allan, and me also, for I never expect to see you again." And he
turned his head aside for a while.

Then we went into matters. The smous was summoned and asked about the
ship which brought the letter from Delagoa. It seemed that she was an
English-owned brig known as the Seven Stars, and that her captain, one
Richardson, proposed to sail back to the Bay on the morrow, that was the
third of July, or in other words, within twenty-four hours.

Twenty-four hours! And Port Elizabeth was one hundred and eighteen miles
away, and the Seven Stars might leave earlier if she had completed her
cargo and wind and weather served. Moreover, if she did leave, it might
be weeks or months before any other ship sailed for Delagoa Bay, for in
those days, of course, there were no mail boats.

I looked at my watch. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and from a
calendar we had, which gave the tides at Port Elizabeth and other South
African harbours, it did not seem probable that the Seven Stars would
sail, if she kept to her date, before about eight on the morrow. One
hundred and twenty miles to be covered in, say, fourteen hours over
rough country with some hills! Well, on the other hand, the roads were
fairly good and dry, with no flooded rivers to cross, although
there might be one to swim, and the