ess for me and, at Chittagong, I shall try and get hold of
three or four more trustworthy fellows, to take charge of depots. I
see a big future before us, and that before long. I did well with
those gems of yours--they fetched 3500 pounds, which I used,
besides what you handed over to me--for there was no buying up the
cattle without cash and, as I generally have to wait two months
after they are shipped, before I get paid, ready money was
invaluable and, indeed, I could not have gone into the thing on
anything like the same scale, if it had not been for your money.
The Calcutta people would have helped me, to a certain point; but
they would never have ventured upon such advances as I required.
Your 5000 pounds has doubled itself since I met you at Rangoon. I
calculate that our stores at the different depots are worth 4000
pounds so that, at the present moment, the firm of Pearson & Brooke
have at their command a capital of 14,000 pounds."

A portion of the cargo was landed at Akyah. Stanley went down with
the rest to Martaban, and his uncle sailed for Chittagong. A few
months later, a store was opened at Rangoon. Parsee store-keepers
were sent from Calcutta, by Tom Pearson; and these were placed in
control of the stores there, and at Martaban--Stanley being in
charge of these two stations, and Akyah; and having a native craft
of his own, and a boat for river work similar to that of his uncle.

A year later he received a letter from Harry, saying that his uncle
had died, a month after his return to England; and that he was now
established as one of the pillars of the state.

"As I went through London, on my arrival," he said, "I looked up
your mother at the address you gave me, at Dulwich. I found her
very well, and very comfortable. She was full of your praises and,
as I was equally so, your ears ought to have tingled while we were
together. Of course they wanted to hear all about you, and most of
it was new to them; for you had said nothing of your adventure with
that leopard, and only a few lines about the rescue of your humble
servant; though you had told them that I stood in your way of the
earldom. Your mother said that she was prouder of you than if you
were an earl, only that she would have liked to have you at home. I
told her that you and your uncle were shaking the pagoda tree, and
that you would come home as yellow as a guinea and as rich as a
nabob, in the course of a few years.

"Your sisters are olde