mean? After all he had broken his vow, then! Had
he not sworn to touch nothing until he had found his little girl and his
fortune? yet the fire of spirits was in his veins and the craving was
tearing him to pieces. Then he remembered! There was no fortune, no
little girl! His dreams were all shattered, the last effort of his life
had been in vain. He caught hold of the tumbler with fingers that shook
as though an ague were upon him, lifted it to his lips and drank. Then
there came the old blankness, and he saw nothing but what seemed to
him the face of a satyr--dark and evil--mocking him through the shadows
which had surely fallen now for ever. Da Souza lifted him up and
conveyed him carefully to a four-wheel cab.

* * * * *

An hour afterwards Da Souza, with a grin of content upon his unshapely
mouth, exchanged his frock coat for a gaudy smoking-jacket, and, with a
freshly-lit cigar in his mouth, took up the letters which had arrived by
the evening post. Seeing amongst them one with an African stamp he tore
it open hastily, and read:--

"MY DEAR HIRAM,--You was in luck now or never, if you really want
to stop that half--witted creature from doing mischief in London. I
sometimes think, my brother, that you would do better to give me even
more of your confidence. You are a very clever man, but you do keep
yourself so secret. If I too were not clever, how would I know to send
you this news, how would I know that it will make you glad? But there,
you will go your way. I know it!

"Now for the news! Monty, as I cabled (I send the bill) has gone
secretly to London. Since Scarlett Trent found our Hausa friend and
the rum flask, there have been no means of getting liquor to him, so I
suppose he has very near regained his senses, anyhow he shipped off
very cunning, not even Missionary Walsh knowing, but he made a very big
mistake, the news of which I send to you knowing it will be good.
Hiram, he stole the money to pay for his passage from the missionary's
cash-box! All one day he stood under a tree looking out to sea, and a
steamer from Capetown called, and when he heard the whistle and saw the
surf boats he seemed to wake up. He walked up and down restlessly for a
long time, muttering to himself. Mrs. Walsh came out to him and he was
still staring at the steamer. She told him to come in out of the sun,
which was very hot, but he shook his head. 'She's calling me,' he kept
on s