vices of some white man, well acquainted with the country, and the
ways and language of the natives, to act as a sort of general overseer
and factotum, and this view Grosvenor at length somewhat unwillingly
accepted.

Meanwhile, Tom, the injured man, made the most extraordinarily rapid
progress toward recovery, under Dick's skilled treatment, much to the
enhancement of that young gentleman's reputation; and some appreciable
time before the period that Dick had named he was out again and on duty,
very little the worse for his accident save that his right cheek bore a
scar which he would carry with him to his grave.

At length a day arrived when Captain Roberts, having worked out his
observations for the determination of the ship's latitude and longitude,
made the welcome announcement that, if the wind held and all went well,
the passengers, by this time thoroughly weary of the--to most of them--
changeless monotony of sea and sky, might hope to feast their eyes upon
the glowing picture of a South African landscape within the ensuing
twenty-four hours; and at once everybody became cheerfully busy upon the
task of packing up in preparation for the joyous moment when they might
exchange the eternal movement of the rocking deck for terra firma, and
rejoice once more in the sight of trees and grass and flowers, of busy
streets, and of the much-talked-of beauties of suburban Berea. Dick
Maitland's possessions were so few that they needed very little packing
to prepare them for transit from ship to shore, and when he had finished
he adjourned to Grosvenor's cabin to assist that gentleman, who, since
dispensing with the services of a valet, seemed quite incapable of
replacing his possessions in the receptacles from which he had taken
them upon the beginning of the voyage. The remainder of the day was
passed in the animated discussion of future plans and arrangements,
while one effect of the imminent termination of the long ocean voyage
was the sudden development of an amazing access of cordiality between
people who had hitherto manifested but little interest in each other,
accompanied by pressing invitations to "come and stay a few days at my
place whenever you happen to be in the neighbourhood". Also a few of
the more enthusiastic occupants of the cuddy remained on deck until
midnight, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Bluff light before
turning in, only to retire to their cabins, discontented and grumbling,
because