t. A man with
coloured blood in him stood up and told a story which was subsequently
proved to be true. Jacob had employed him to "salt" the mine by mixing
a heavy sprinkling of gold in the gravel we had first washed (which the
coloured man swore he did in innocence), and subsequently had defrauded
him of his wages. That was all. I sank back in my chair overcome. Then
some good fellow in the audience, who had lost money himself in the
affair and whom I scarcely knew, got up and made a noble speech which
went far to restore my belief in human nature.

He said in effect that it was well known that I, Allan Quatermain,
after working like a horse in the interests of the shareholders, had
practically ruined myself over this enterprise, and that the real thief
was Jacob, who had made tracks for the Cape, taking with him a large
cash profit resulting from the sale of shares. Finally he concluded by
calling for "three cheers for our honest friend and fellow sufferer, Mr.
Allan Quatermain."

Strange to say the audience gave them very heartily indeed. I thanked
them with tears in my eyes, saying that I was glad to leave the room as
poor as I had ever been, but with a reputation which my conscience as
well as their kindness assured me was quite unblemished.

Thus the winding-up resolution was passed and that meeting came to
an end. After shaking hands with my deliverer from a most unpleasant
situation, I walked homewards with the lightest heart in the world. My
money was gone, it was true; also my over-confidence in others had led
me to make a fool of myself by accepting as fact, on what I believed
to be the evidence of my eyes, that which I had not sufficient expert
knowledge to verify. But my honour was saved, and as I have again and
again seen in the course of life, money is nothing when compared with
honour, a remark which Shakespeare made long ago, though like many other
truths this is one of which a full appreciation can only be gained by
personal experience.

Not very far from the place where our meeting had been held I passed a
side street then in embryo, for it had only one or two houses situated
in their gardens and a rather large and muddy sluit of water running
down one side at the edge of the footpath. Save for two people this
street was empty, but that pair attracted my attention. They were
a white man, in whom I recognized the stout and half-intoxicated
individual who had accused me of cheating the company and t