I've got something I'd like you to take a look at, you being a mining

chap and all. Could you spare a minute, sir? Come on, Sean.

Let's see what Charlie's got for us. My guess is it's a beautiful

woman. It's not actually, sir, said Charlie seriously and led the way

through into the back room. Charlie reached up and took a lump of rock

down from one of the shelves. He held it out to Duff. What do you make

of that?

Duff took it and weighed it in his hand, then peered closely at it. It

was glassy grey, blotched with white and dark-red and divided by a broad

black stripe.

Some sort of conglomerate. Duff spoke without enthusiasm. What's the

mystery? Friend of mine brought it down from Kruger's Republic on the

other side of the mountains. He says it's gold bearing.

They've made a big strike at a place called Witwatersrand just outside

Pretoria. Of course, I don't put much store by these rumours cos you

hear them all the time: diamonds and gold, gold and diamonds Charlie

laughed and wiped his hands on his apron.

Anyway my friend says the Boers are selling licences to them as want to

dig for the stuff. Thought I'd just get you to have a look. I'll take

this with me, Charlie, and pan it in the inoming. Right now my friend

and I are drinking. Sean opened his eyes the next morning to find the

sun burning in through the window above his bed. He closed them again

hurriedly and tried to remember where he was. There was a pain in his

head that distracted him and a noise. The noise was a regular croaking

rattle; it sounded as though someone was dying. Sean opened his eyes

and turned his head slowly. Someone was in the bed across the room.

Sean groped for a boot and threw it; there was a snort and Duff's head

came up. For a second he regarded Sean through eyes as red as a winter

sunset and then he subsided gently back into the blankets. Keep it down

to a bellow, whispered Sean. You are in the presence of grave illness.

A long time later a servant brought coffee.

'Send word to my office that I am sick, commanded Duff. I have done so.

The servant clearly understood his master. He went on, There is one

outside who seeks the other Nkosi! He glanced at Sean. He is greatly

worried IMbejane. Tell him to wait, said Sean.

They drank coffee in silence, sitting on the edge of their beds.

How did I get here? asked Sean. Laddie, if you don't know, then nobody

does Duff stood up and crossed the room to find fresh clothing. He was

naked and Sean saw that although he was slim as a boy his body was

finely muscled.

My God, what does Charlie put in his liquor? complained Duff as he

picked up his jacket.

He found the lump of rock in the pocket, brought it out and tossed it

onto the packing-case that served as a table.

He regarded it sourly as he finished dressing then he went to the great

pile of bachelor debris that filled one corner of the room. He

scratched around and came out with a steel pestle-and-mortar and a

battered black gold pan. I feel very old this morning, he said as he

started to crush the rock to powder in the mortar. He poured the powder