BUSINESS AS BEFORE.

To-day I sit down to write out this strange story. Once I asked the
Cautious Captain and the Doubting Doctor "if they had seen anything
of my pickaxe and the sack of diamonds." But they only smiled at one
another, elevated their eyebrows, then winked, and laughed.

What is their little game?

No matter. I will lie low. My motto is "Diamonds are trumps." I'm not
here as _Aladdin_ for nothing. "Aha!" as the old melodramatic villain
used to say, "a time will come! No mattar!"

RATHER CURRIE-OUS!

I don't know whether it is owing to my voyage in a DONALD CURRIE
steamer--'twas the first opportunity that ever I had of tasting a
DONALD CURRIE, and excellent it is, as of course, was all our "board"
on board--(send this joke to WOLFFY--he'll work it up and make a real
_impromptu_ sparkler of it--and I don't grudge him the _kudos_ of it,
not one little bit)--or to the change of air, but I am bound to say
openly that I do think the G.O.M. has been right about most things,
especially about Majuba (who was _Pa_ JUBA? Send this to DRUMMY
WOLFFY), and--well, I shall have more to say on this subject. If this
meets the eye of any friendly person, will he kindly remember me to my
Uncle? Thanks. That's the ticket. More anon.

[Illustration: (Signature) Grandolph the Explorer.]