rowing a beard. Otherwise,
he was much as we have seen him in London, save that a ruddier glow of
health shone upon his sunburned face. The life of the diggings appeared
to agree with him.

As he turned down Stockdale Street, a man passed him leading a pair of
horses tired and dusty, with many a strap and buckle hanging down behind
them. After him came another leading a second pair, and after him
another with a third. They were taking them round to the stables.
"Hullo!" cried Ezra, with sudden interest; "what's up?"

"The mail's just in."

"Mail from Capetown?"

"Yes."

Ezra quickened his pace and strode down Stockdale Street into the Main
Street, which, as the name implies, is the chief thoroughfare of
Kimberley. He came out close to the office of the _Vaal River
Advertiser and Diamond Field Gazette_. There was a crowd in front of
the door. This _Vaal River Advertiser_ was a badly conducted newspaper,
badly printed upon bad paper, but selling at sixpence a copy, and
charging from seven shillings and sixpence to a pound for the insertion
of an advertisement. It was edited at present by a certain P. Hector
O'Flaherty, who having been successively a dentist, a clerk, a
provision merchant, an engineer, and a sign painter, and having failed
at each and every one of these employments, had taken to running a
newspaper as an easy and profitable occupation. Indeed, as managed by
Mr. O'Flaherty, the process was simplicity itself. Having secured by
the Monday's mail copies of the London papers of two months before, he
spent Tuesday in cutting extracts from them with the greatest
impartiality, chopping away everything which might be of value to him.
The Wednesday was occupied in cursing at three black boys who helped to
put up the type, and on the Thursday a fresh number of the _Vaal River
Advertiser and Diamond Field Gazette_ was given to the world.
The remaining three days were devoted by Mr. O'Flaherty to intoxication,
but the Monday brought him back once more to soda water and literature.

It was seldom, indeed, that the _Advertiser_ aroused interest enough to
cause any one to assemble round the Office. Ezra's heart gave a quick
flutter at the sight, and he gathered himself together like a runner who
sees his goal in view. Throwing away his cigar, he hurried on ad joined
the little crowd.

"What's the row?" he asked.

"There's news come by the mail," said one or two bystanders.
"Big news."

"What sort