d _Amatikulu_," said Gerard, as his ere caught the
black hull and schooner rig of a steamer among these. "We shan't see
the old barkie again, and perhaps the sea either, for many a long day."

Pinetown, as Mr Kingsland had said, was not much of a place, being a
large straggling village, greatly augmented by the huts and tents of a
cavalry regiment then quartered there, and they had no difficulty in
finding John Dawes. Him they ran to earth in the bar-room of an hotel,
where, with three or four cronies, he was drinking success to his trip
in a parting and friendly glass. He was a man of medium height,
straight and well proportioned. His face was tanned to the hue of
copper, and he wore a short sandy beard, cut to a point. He took the
letter which Gerard tendered him, glanced through the contents, then
nodded.

"All right; I start in two hours' time. How's Kingsland?"

Gerard replied that, to the best of his belief, the latter was extremely
well.

"Good chap, Kingsland!" pronounced the transport-rider, decisively.
"Say, mister, what'll you drink?"

"Well--thanks--I think I'll take a lemonade," answered Gerard; not that
he particularly wanted it, but he did not like to seem unfriendly by
refusing.

"Right. And what's yours?"

"Oh--a brandy and soda," said Harry.

"Mister, you ain't one of them Good Templar chaps, are you?" said
another man to Gerard.

"I don't know quite what they are, I'm afraid."

"Why, teetotalers, of course. Chaps who don't drink."

"Oh no. I'm not a teetotaler, but I don't go in much for spirits."

"Quite right, young fellow, quite right," said another. "You stick to
that, and you'll do. There's a sight too many chaps out here who are a
deal too fond of `lifting the elbow.' Take my advice, and let grog
alone, and you'll get along."

"Well, here's luck!" said the transport-rider, nodding over his glass.
"Now, you turn up at my waggon in two hours' time. It's away on the
flat there at the outspan just outside the town; any one'll tell you.
Got any traps?"

"Yes."

"Well, better pick up a couple of boys and trundle them across. And if
I were you I should get a good dinner here before you start. I believe
that's the gong going now. So long!"

Having taken the transport-rider's advice, and with the help of the
landlord procured a couple of native boys as porters, the two were
landed, bag and baggage, at Dawes's waggon. That worthy merely nodded,
with a word of greetin