hour the fate of the country was nothing to me, and I got no
satisfaction from the thought that Laputa was severed from his army.
My one idea was that the treasure would be lost, the treasure for which
I had risked my life.

There is a kind of courage which springs from bitter anger and
disappointment. I had thought that I had bankrupted my spirit, but I
found that there was a new passion in me to which my past sufferings
taught no lesson. My uneasiness would not let me rest a moment longer.
I rose to my feet, holding on by the bed, and staggered to the tent
pole. I was weak, but not so very weak that I could not make one last
effort. It maddened me that I should have done so much and yet fail at
the end.

From a nail on the tent pole hung a fragment of looking-glass which
Arcoll used for shaving. I caught a glimpse of my face in it, white
and haggard and lined, with blue bags below the eyes. The doctor the
night before had sponged it, but he had not got rid of all the stains
of travel. In particular there was a faint splash of blood on the left
temple. I remembered that this was what I had got from the basin of
goat's blood that night in the cave. I think that the sight of that
splash determined me. Whether I willed it or not, I was sealed of
Laputa's men. I must play the game to the finish, or never again know
peace of mind on earth. These last four days had made me very old.

I found a pair of Arcoll's boots, roomy with much wearing, into which I
thrust my bruised feet. Then I crawled to the door, and shouted for a
boy to bring my horse. A Basuto appeared, and, awed by my appearance,
went off in a hurry to see to the schimmel. It was late afternoon,
about the same time of day as had yesterday seen me escaping from
Machudi's. The Bruderstroom camp was empty, though sentinels were
posted at the approaches. I beckoned the only white man I saw, and
asked where Arcoll was. He told me that he had no news, but added that
the patrols were still on the road as far as Wesselsburg. From this I
gathered that Arcoll must have gone far out into the bush in his chase.
I did not want to see him; above all, I did not want him to find
Laputa. It was my private business that I rode on, and I asked for no
allies.

Somebody brought me a cup of thick coffee, which I could not drink, and
helped me into the saddle. The Schimmel was fresh, and kicked freely
as I cantered off the grass into the dust of the highroad.