Ralph Ballantyne

Oldest son of Zouga Ballantyne, Ralph takes after his father both in courage and stamina. He is also full of adventure as he follows in his father's footsteps, having heard the stories of courage and daring all of his life. He begins with a single wagon and builds a transport company that rapidly becomes the largest and most efficient in Africa and from there develops land holdings, cattle, and mining interests in both coal and gold. When rindepest strikes African wildlife and cattle alike, he quickly sees he will lose everything and in a daring move he cuts the telegraph lines in four places to buy enough time to sell all of his cattle to an eager competitor before the extent of the devastation is known. He tells only his father Zouga who also manages to sell his many cattle just in time to avoid financial devastation...