; now and again it would let him have
a day or two's run, during which he was so cheerful and unclouded that
his doctor was quite hopeful about him. At various times on these
occasions I got from him that when he left the shepherd's hut, he thought
his illness had run itself out, and that he should now reach the port
from which he was to sail for S. Francisco without misadventure. This he
did, and he was able to do all he had to do at the port, though
frequently attacked with passing fits of giddiness. I need not dwell
upon his voyage to S. Francisco, and thence home; it is enough to say
that he was able to travel by himself in spite of gradually, but
continually, increasing failure.

"When," he said, "I reached the port, I telegraphed as you know, for more
money. How puzzled you must have been. I sold my horse to the man from
whom I bought it, at a loss of only about 10 pounds, and I left with him
my saddle, saddle-bags, small hatchet, my hobbles, and in fact everything
that I had taken with me, except what they had impounded in Erewhon.
Yram's rug I dropped into the river when I knew that I should no longer
need it--as also her substitutes for my billy and pannikin; and I burned
her basket. The shepherd would have asked me questions. You will find
an order to deliver everything up to bearer. You need therefore take
nothing from England."

At another time he said, "When you go, for it is plain I cannot, and go
one or other of us must, try and get the horse I had: he will be nine
years old, and he knows all about the rivers: if you leave everything to
him, you may shut your eyes, but do not interfere with him. Give the
shepherd what I said and he will attend to you, but go a day or two too
soon, for the margin of one day was not enough to allow in case of a
fresh in the river; if the water is discoloured you must not cross it--not
even with Doctor. I could not ask George to come up three days running
from Sunch'ston to the statues and back."

Here he became exhausted. Almost the last coherent string of sentences I
got from him was as follows:-

"About George's money if I send him 2000 pounds you will still have
nearly 150,000 pounds left, and Mr. Cathie will not let you try to make
it more. I know you would give him four or five thousand, but the Mayor
and I talked it over, and settled that 2000 pounds in gold would make him
a rich man. Consult our good friend Alfred" (meaning, of course, Mr.
Cathie) "a