King Solomon's Mines

ban. Sometimes, if the landing is bad at East London, where they have not yet made that wonderful harbour they talk so much of, an

saw one case holding four dozen of champagne smashed all to bits, and there was the champagne fizzing and boiling about in the bottom of the dirty cargo boat. It was a wicked waste, and evidently so the Kafirs in the boat thought, for they found a couple of unbroken bottles, and knocking off the necks drank the contents. But they had not allowed for the expansion caused by the fizz in t

on the subject for a day or two, though I told them many hunting yarns, all true ones. There is no need to tell lies about

ou come to Durban there is a peculiar richness about the landscape. There are the sheer kloofs cut in the hills by the rushing rains of centuries, down which the rivers sparkle; there is the deepest green of the bush, growing as God planted it, and the other greens of the mealie gardens and the sugar patches, while now and again a white house, smiling out at the placid sea, puts a finish and gives an air of

eard the gun which told the good folks of Durban that the English Mail was in. It was too late to think of gettin

rom a large brig lying near also came the music of the sailors as they worked at getting the anchor up in order to be ready for the wind. Altogether it was a perfect night, such a night as you sometimes get in Southern Africa, and it threw a garment of peace over everybody as the moon threw a garment of silver over

ptain Good, and myself-went and sat by

r Henry presently, "have you be

pe that you are going to give us the pleasure of your company so far as Sol

moment to decide. Before the burning tobacco had fallen into the sea I had decided; just that little

ll go, and by your leave I will tell you why, and o

vory or other valuables we may get is to b

tart, I undertaking to serve you faithfully till you choose to ab

udying medicine over there in London, at Guy's Hospital, a sum of ￡200 a year for five years, by which time he ought to be a

this project, and would pay more than that for your help, cons

o. First of all, gentlemen, I have been observing you both for the last few days, and if you will not think me impertinent I may say that I like you

is, if we attempt to cross the Suliman Mountains. What was the fate of the old Dom da Silvestra three hundred years ago? What was the fate of his

od looked a little uncomfortable, but Sir Henry's fa

, no doubt, knows His mind about me, so I need not trouble on that point. Secondly, I am a poor man. For nearly forty years I have hunted and traded, but I have never made more than a living. Well, gentlemen, I don't know if you are aware that the average life of an elephant hunter from the time he takes to the trade is between four and five years. So you see I have lived through about

lect a great deal of credit on you. Whether or not you are right, of course time and the event alone can show. But whether you are right or wrong, I may as well tell you at on

r lives in our hands in various ways, so it is no good turning back now. And now I vote we go down to t

e is a good garden with the best loquot trees in it that I know, and some nice young mangoes, of which I hope great things. The curator of the botanical gardens gave them to me. It is looked after by an old hunter of mine named Jack, whose thigh was so badly br

house, and what with the smell of the bloom, and the sight of the green and golden fruit-in Durban you will see all three on the tree togeth

ons. First I secured the deed from Sir Henry, providing for you, my boy, in case of accidents. There was some difficulty about its legal execution, as Sir Henry was a stranger here, and the pro

k, but, in my opinion, all the better for that, for I could see that the wood was well seasoned. If anything is going to give in a wagon, or if there is green wood in it, it will show out on the first trip. This particular vehicle was what we call a "half-tented" wagon, that is to say, only covered in ov

worked all over South Africa, and so had become proof, comparatively speaking, against red water, which so frequently destroys whole teams of oxen when they get on to strange "veldt" or grass country. As for "lung sick," which is a dreadful form of pneumonia, very prevalent in this country, they had all been inoculated against it. This is done by cutting a slit in the tail of an ox, and binding in a piece of the diseased lung of an animal which has died of the sickness. The result is that the ox sickens, takes the disease in a mild form, which causes its tail t

previous career managed to pass through a course of medical and surgical instruction, which he has more or less kept up. He is not, of course, qualified, but he knows more about it than many a man who can write M.D. after his name, as we found out afterwards, and he had a splendid travelling me

that of servants. As to the arms I cannot do better than put down a list of those which we finally decided on from among the ample store th

Two of these were by a well-known London firm, most excellent makers, but I do not know by whom mine, which is not so highly finished, was made. I

eet weapons, and admirable for medium-sized game, such as eland or sable antel

l choke both barrels." This gun proved of the greatest

peating rifles (not

volvers, with the heavier, or

calibre, so that the cartridges were interchangeable, a very important point. I make no apology for detailing it at length

sultation we decided that their number should be limited

n their conduct. At last I secured two, one a Hottentot named Ventv?gel, or "windbird," and one a little Zulu named Khiva, who had the merit of speaking English perfectly. Ventv?gel I had known before; he was one of the most perfect "spoorers," that is, game trackers, I ever had to do

at the time, I told Khiva to bring him in. Presently a tall, handsome-looking man, somewhere about thirty years of age, and very light-coloured for a Zulu, entered, and lifting his knob-stick by way of salute, squatted himself down in the corner on his haunches, and sat silent. I did not take any notice of him for a while, for it is a great mistake to do so. If you rush into conver

at last, "Wha

ed the man in a

en your fa

y face at the place of the Little Hand"-that i

battle. While I was waiting for the cattle to be inspanned I fell into conversation with this man, who held some small command among the native auxiliaries, and he had exp

I said; "what

of the night, or, in vulgar English, he who keeps his eyes open. "I hear that you go on a gre

t

River, a moon's journey beyond the Manic

you?" I answered suspiciously, for the object

at if indeed you travel so f

e of speech, and especially in his use of the words "O whi

res. That is not the way to speak. What is your name, and where i

. I came from the North as a child to Zululand. I was Cetewayo's man in the Nkomabakosi Regiment, serving there under the great Captain, Umslopogaasi of the Axe,[1] who taught my hands to fight. Afterwards I ran away from Zululand and came to Natal because I wante

telling the truth, but somehow he seemed different from the ordinary run of Zulus, and I rather mistrusted his offer

tre and a necklace of lions' claws. Certainly he was a magnificent-looking man; I never saw a finer native. Standing about six foot three high he was broad in proportion, and very shapely. In th

don't they?" said Good;

and I will take you as my serv

"It is well"; and then added, with a glance at the white

e, the reader is referred to the books called