“The stream keeps up a full head.  It must git through ther hills somewhar,” said Jordan.

“True enough,” said Sedgwick.  They followed it to the very base of the hill, to find that there it made a bend at right angles to the south and flowed through a cleft of the mountain not much wider than the stream itself.  Into this they entered, and pursued their way for about 600 yards, when the stream again turned through another mighty fissure to the west, and ran a quarter of a mile farther, when another large valley opened out which was some five miles across.  In this valley the stream sank in the sands and was lost.  The travelers skirted the valley, keeping close to the hills where the ground was hard.  Reaching the other side they found a narrow opening through which the stream had once flowed.  They followed a winding way for two or three miles, the chasm bearing a little west of south, emerging at last into an open country.  A fringe of willows was seen low on the southern horizon.  The Boers said they knew the stream, the course of which was marked by the willows; that it was a big creek, along which their people had stock farms.  They marked the obscure opening through which they had traced their way out of the mountains and started for the creek and possible ranches.  The Boers said that farmers’ roads ran from these ranches out to the main road over the range to the east, the road which they had come up on from Port Natal.  They pressed on another seven or eight miles, and a rude house, half dug-out, came in view, distant a couple of miles.

They approached it, and from the people living there the Boers learned that it was seventeen miles out to the main road, over a good farmers’ road all the way.  They camped at the house, or near the house, all night.  One of the residents brought in a fine young antelope, which they bought and cooked, and they suppered royally on antelope, hard tack and coffee.  Next morning they returned to the mine, reaching there early in the afternoon.  They had been out from Port Natal seventeen days, had found and sampled the mine, and explored a natural pass for a road.

How to proceed was the next question.  Sedgwick’s idea was that both should return to the seashore, proceed to England, and order a mill from San Francisco, because they knew that there were no good patterns for quartz mill machinery on the continent; and both agreed that should the mill be built in England and shipped thence to South Africa, the fact would be published and all their plans would be interfered with.

Jordan was silent for awhile; at last he said:  “Jim, I ken understand thet ther thot uv goin’ back ter London ez mighty enchantin’ ter yo’.  But thet’s a game girl, thet thar young wife o’ yourn; she listed fo’ this wah ez well ez yo,’ er she’d never let yo’ cum away.  Yo’ must go by ther straightest track fer San Francisco and bring ther mill.  I’ll stay and hev some rock ready for crushin’ when ther mill cums.”