erance you may
in time succeed in your object."

My grandfather's remarks again raised my hopes of finding my brother.
At first when I discovered that he was not with him, I felt my heart
sink within me.

"I will continue my search for him in spite of pestiferous climates, or
savages, or any other difficulties which I may have to encounter," I
exclaimed, half speaking to myself.

"That is the spirit which will enable you to succeed, my lad," said my
grandfather, putting his hand on my back. "And now I want to know all
about your family at home. You have not yet told me."

I briefly told him all that had occurred, of my father's death, and of
the poverty in which my mother was left. He looked very grave and sad
as I spoke.

"This should not have been," he muttered to himself. "I have been an
unfeeling, unnatural father; wild, reckless, thinking only of myself,
and of gratifying my own roving propensities."

He was silent for some time. "Ralph," he said suddenly, "I have made up
my mind to go home to see your mother. I shall leave my property here
and in the Mauritius under the charge of careful agents, and set off as
soon as I can make the necessary arrangements. I will leave ample means
with you to prosecute your inquiries, and you can return when you have
found your brother, or should you be led to believe that further search
is hopeless."

I need not enter into the particulars of our conversation during the
evening. We had, however, a great deal. My grandfather had numberless
questions to ask, which I had to answer; while I also had much
information to gain from him on a variety of subjects, on which he was
in no way unwilling to satisfy me. I found him, as I had expected,
somewhat eccentric, but at the same time far more kind-hearted,
generous, and liberal, than I had been led to believe he was.

My great anxiety was now to get to Trincomalee as soon as possible, and
I believe that Mr Coventry equally wished to be there. We could not,
however, proceed without letting Mr Fordyce know that I was in safety.
We were on the point of sending off messengers to try and discover his
camp, when a couple of armed natives were seen coming from among the
trees, followed by two laden elephants and a number of bearers, whom, as
they approached, I discovered to belong to Mr Fordyce's party. On
finding who we were, they pitched their tents close to ours, and he
himself very soon afterwards made his appearance.