have never seen either of them from that hour to this, and do not think
it probable that I shall. But a month ago I received a letter and two
packets, one of manuscript, and on opening the first found that it was
signed by "Horace Holly," a name that at the moment was not familiar to
me. It ran as follows:--

"---- College, Cambridge, May 1, 18--

"My dear Sir,--You will be surprised, considering the very slight nature
of our acquaintance, to get a letter from me. Indeed, I think I had
better begin by reminding you that we once met, now some five years ago,
when I and my ward Leo Vincey were introduced to you in the street at
Cambridge. To be brief and come to my business. I have recently
read with much interest a book of yours describing a Central African
adventure. I take it that this book is partly true, and partly an effort
of the imagination. However this may be, it has given me an idea. It
happens, how you will see in the accompanying manuscript (which together
with the Scarab, the 'Royal Son of the Sun,' and the original sherd, I
am sending to you by hand), that my ward, or rather my adopted son Leo
Vincey and myself have recently passed through a real African adventure,
of a nature so much more marvellous than the one which you describe,
that to tell the truth I am almost ashamed to submit it to you lest you
should disbelieve my tale. You will see it stated in this manuscript
that I, or rather we, had made up our minds not to make this history
public during our joint lives. Nor should we alter our determination
were it not for a circumstance which has recently arisen. We are for
reasons that, after perusing this manuscript, you may be able to guess,
going away again this time to Central Asia where, if anywhere upon this
earth, wisdom is to be found, and we anticipate that our sojourn there
will be a long one. Possibly we shall not return. Under these altered