Imperturbably.The organization through which Hradsky exercises his

divine powers is referred to with reverently hated breath as "The

Company". In actual fact its full and resounding title is The South

African Mining and Lands Company.

Do you get the picture? Sean nodded smiling and Duff added as an

afterthought, Hradsky is a bastard and he stutters.It was too much for

Francois. He leaned across and caught Duff's arm. Please, man. My

servant understands English, cut it out, Duff. So the Company has

started on these fields, hey? Well, well, it must be pretty big, mused

Duff and Francois followed with relief onto safer ground. It is! You

just wait and see, it's going to make the diamond fields look like a

church bazaar!

Tell me about it, said Duff.They call it the Rotten Reef or the Banket

or the Heidelberg Reef, but in fact there are three reefs, not one. They

run side by side like layers in a sandwich cake. All three have pay

gold? Duff shot the question and Francois shook his head. There was a

light in his eyes; he was happy talking gold and No, you can forget

about the outer reef, just traces there. Then there's the Main Reef.

That's a bit better, it's as much as six feet thick in places and giving

good values, but it's patchy. Francois leaned eagerly across the table;

in his excitement his thick Afrikaans accent was very noticeable.The

bottom reef is the winner, we call it the Leader Reef. It's only a few

inches thick and some places it fades out altogether, but it's rich.

There's gold in it like plums in a pudding. It's rich, Duff, I'm

telling you that you won't believe it until you see itV 'I'll believe

you, said Duff. Now tell me where I can get some of this Leader Reef

for myself. Francois sobered instantly, a shutter dropped over his eyes

and hid the light that had shone there a moment before. It's gone. It's

all gone, he said defensively. It's all been pegged, you've come too

late. Well, that's that, said Duff and a big silence settled on the

gathering. Francois fidgeted on his stool, chewing at the ends of his

mustache and scowling into his mug.

Duff and Sean waited quietly; it was obvious that Francois was wrestling

with himself, two loyalties tearing him down the middle. Once he opened

his mouth and then closed it again; he blew on his coffee to cool it and

the heat came off it in steam.Have you got any money? He fired the

question with startling violence.

Yes, said Duff. Mr Hradsky has gone down to Capetown to raise money. He

has a list of a hundred and forty claims that he will buy when he gets

back. Francois paused guiltily. I'm only telling you this because of

what I owe you. Yes, I know! Duff spoke softly. Francois took an

audible breath and went on. On the top of Mr Hradsky's list is a block

of claims that belongs to a woman. She is willing to sell and they are

the most likely-looking propositions on the whole field. Yes? Duff

encouraged him. This woman has started an eating-house about two miles

from here on the banks of the Natal Spruit. Her name is Mrs Rautenbach,

she serves good food. You could go and have a meal there. Thanks,

Francois. I owed it to you, Francois said gruffly, then his mood

changed quickly and he chuckled. You'll like her, Duff, she's a lot of

woman.

Sean and Duff went to eat lunch at Mrs Rautenbach's.

It was an unpainted corrugated-iron building on a wooden frame and the

sign above the veranda said in letters of red and gold Candy's Hotel.

High-class cuisine. Free toilet facilities. No drunks or horses

admitted. Proprietor Mrs Candella Rautenbach.They washed off the dust

in the enamel basin which stood on the veranda, dried themselves on the

free towel and combed in the free mirror on the wall.

How do I look! asked Duff.

Ravishing, said Sean, but you don't smell so good.

When did you last bath? They went into the dining-room and found it

almost full, but there was an empty table against the far wall.

The room was hot and thick with pipe smoke and the smell of cabbage.

Dusty, bearded men laughed and shouted or ate silently and hungrily.

They crossed the room to the table and a coloured waitress came to them.

Yes? she asked. Her dress was damp at the armpits. May we have the

menu? The girl looked at Duff with faint amusement. Today we got steak

and mashed potatoes with pudding afterwards. We'll have it, Duff

agreed. You sure as hell won't get nothing else, the girl assured him

and trotted back to the kitchen. The service is good, Duff enthused. We

can only hope that the food and the proprietress are of the same high

standard The meat was tough but well flavoured and the coffee was strong

and sweet. They ate with appreciation until Sean who was facing the

kitchen stopped his fork on its way to his mouth. A hush was on the

room.

Here she is, he said.

Candy Rautenbach was a tall and bright, shiny blonde and her skin was

Nordic flawlessness as yet unspoiled by the sun. She filled the front

of her blouse and the back of her skirt with a pleasant abundance. She

was well aware of and yet not disconcerted by the fact that every eye in

the room was on one of those areas. She carried a ladle which she

twitched threateningly at the first hand that reached out to pinch her

rump, the hand withdrew and Candy smiled sweetly and moved on among the

tables.

She stopped occasionally to chat with her customers and it was clear

that many of these lonely men came here not only to eat. They watched

her avidly, grinning with pleasure when she spoke to them. She reached

their table and Sean and Duff stood up. Candy blinked with surprise.

Sit down, please. The small courtesy had touched her. You are new

here? We got in yesterday, Duff smiled at her. And the way you cook a

steak makes me feel as though I were home again. Where are you from!

Candy looked at the two of them with perhaps just a shade more than

professional interest. We've come up from Natal to have a look around.

This is Mr Courtney, he is interested in new investments and he thought

that these goldfields might provide an outlet for some of his capital.

Sean just managed to stop his jaw dropping open and then quickly assumed

the slightly superior air of a big financier as Duff went on. My name

is Charleywood. I am Mr Courtney's mining adviser. Pleased to meet

you. I am Candy Rautenbach. She was impressed. Won't you join us for

a few minutes, Mrs Rautenbach?

Duff drew back a chair for her and Candy hesitated. I have to check up

in the kitchen, perhaps later. Do you always lie so smoothly? Sean

spoke with admiration when Candy had gone.

I spoke no untruths, Duff defended himself. No, but the way you tell

the truth! How the hell am I going to play up to the role you have

created for me? You'll learn to live with it, don't worry. just look

wise and keep your mouth shut, Duff advised. "What do you think of her

anyway? Toothsome, said Sean.

Decidedly palatable, agreed Duff.

When Candy came back Duff kept the conversation light and general for a

while, but when Candy started asking some sharp questions it was

immediately apparent that her knowledge of geology and mining was well

above average and Duff remarked on it. Yes, my husband was in the game.

I picked it up from him. She reached into one of the pockets of her

blue and white checked skirt and brought out a small handful of rock

samples. She put them down in front of Duff. Can you name those? she

asked. It was the direct test, she was asking him to prove himself

Kimberlite. Serpentine. Feldspar.

Duff reeled them off and Candy relaxed visibly. As it happens I have a

number of claims pegged along the Heidelberg Reef. Perhaps Mr Courtney

would care to have a look at them. Actually, I am negotiating at the

moment with The South African Mining and Lands Company who are very

interested. Sean made his solitary but valuable contribution to the

conversation. Ah yes, he nodded sagely. Good old Norman. Candy was

shaken, not many men used Hradsky's Christian name. Will tomorrow

morning be convenient?

she asked.

That afternoon they bought a tent from a disillusioned hopeful who had

thrown up his job on the Natal Railways to make the pilgrimage to

Witwatersrand and now needed money to get home. They pitched it near

the Hotel and went down to the Natal Spruit to take a long overdue bath.

That night they held a mild celebration on the half bottle of brandy

that Duff produced from his saddlebag and the next morning Candy took

them out to the claims.

she had twenty of them pegged right along the Banket.

She led them to a spot where the reef out iT leave you two to look

around. If you're interested we can talk about it when you come to the

Hotel. I've got to get back now, there'll be hungry mouths to feed.

Duff escorted Candy to her horse, giving her his arm across the rough

ground and helping her into the saddle in a manner he must have learned

from his father. He watched her ride away then came back to Sean. He

was elated. Tread lightly, Mr Courtney, walk with reverence for beneath

your feet lies our fortune. They went over the ground, Sean like a

friendly bloodhound and Duff cruising with the restless circling of a

tiger shark. They inspected the claim notices paced out the boundaries

and filled their pockets with chips of rock, then they rode back to

their tent and Duff brought out his pestle, mortar and pan. They took

them down to the bank of the Natal Spruit and all afternoon crushed the

rock and worked the pan. When they had tested the last sample Duff gave

his judgement.

Well, theres gold, and I'd say it's payable gold. It's not nearly as

rich as the one we panned at Dundee but that must have been a selected

piece of the Leader Reef! He paused and looked seriously at Sean. I

think it's worth a try. If the Leader Reef is there we'll find it and