"For three months this went on, till at last I had paid away all, or
very near all, that was left of her little capital in wages and food
for the Kaffirs and ourselves. When I tell you that Boer meal was
sometimes as high as four pounds a bag, you will understand that it
did not take long to run through our banking account.

"At last the crisis came. One Saturday night I had paid the men as
usual, and bought a muid of mealie meal at sixty shillings for them to
fill themselves with, and then I went with my boy Harry and sat on the
edge of the great hole that we had dug in the hill-side, and which we
had in bitter mockery named Eldorado. There we sat in the moonlight
with our feet over the edge of the claim, and were melancholy enough
for anything. Presently I pulled out my purse and emptied its contents
into my hand. There was a half-sovereign, two florins, ninepence in
silver, no coppers--for copper practically does not circulate in South
Africa, which is one of the things that make living so dear there--in
all exactly fourteen and ninepence.

"'There, Harry, my boy!' I said, 'that is the sum total of our worldly
wealth; that hole has swallowed all the rest.'

"'By George!' said Master Harry; 'I say, father, you and I shall have
to let ourselves out to work with the Kaffirs and live on mealie pap,'
and he sniggered at his unpleasant little joke.

"But I was in no mood for joking, for it is not a merry thing to dig
like anything for months and be completely ruined in the process,
especially if you happen to dislike digging, and consequently I
resented Harry's light-heartedness.