for over the water was a thick layer of mist exactly as though

the whole surface had been covered with billows of cotton wool.
By degrees, however, the sun sucked up the mists, and then I

saw that we were afloat upon a glorious sheet of blue water of
which I could not make out the shore. Some eight or ten miles

behind us, however, there stretched as far as the eye could reach
a range of precipitous hills that formed a retaining wall of

the lake, and I have no doubt but that it was through some entrance
in these hills that the subterranean river found its way into

the open water. Indeed, I afterwards ascertained this to be
the fact, and it will be some indication of the extraordinary

strength and directness of the current of the mysterious river
that the canoe, even at this distance, was still answering to

it. Presently, too, I, or rather Umslopogaas, who woke up just
then, discovered another indication, and a very unpleasant one

it was. Perceiving some whitish object upon the water, Umslopogaas
called my attention to it, and with a few strokes of the paddle

brought the canoe to the spot, whereupon we discovered that the
object was the body of a man floating face downwards. This was

bad enough, but imagine my horror when Umslopogaas having turned
him on to his back with the paddle, we recognized in the sunken

features the lineaments of -- whom do you suppose? None other
than our poor servant who had been sucked down two days before

in the waters of the subterranean river. It quite frightened
me. I thought that we had left him behind for ever, and behold!

borne by the current, he had made the awful journey with us,
and with us had reached the end. His appearance also was dreadful,

for he bore traces of having touched the pillar of fire -- one
arm being completely shrivelled up and all his hair being burnt

off. The features were, as I have said, sunken, and yet they
preserved upon them that awful look of despair that I had seen

upon his living face as the poor fellow was sucked down. Really
the sight unnerved me, weary and shaken as I felt with all that

we had gone through, and I was heartily glad when suddenly and
without any warning the body began to sink just as though it

had had a mission, which having been accomplished, it retired;
the real reason no doubt being that turning it on its back allowed

a free passage to the gas. Down it went to the transparent depths
-- fathom after fathom we could trace its course till at last

a long line of bright air-bubbles, swiftly chasing each other
to the surface, alone remained where it had passed. At length

these, too, were gone, and that was an end of our poor servant.
Umslopogaas thoughtfully watched the body vanish.

'What did he follow us for?' he asked. ''Tis an ill omen for
thee and me, Macumazahn.' And he laughed.

I turned on him angrily, for I dislike these unpleasant suggestions.
If people have such ideas, they ought in common decency to keep

them to themselves. I detest individuals who make on the subject
of their disagreeable presentiments, or who, when they dream

that they saw one hanged as a common felon, or some such horror,
will insist upon telling one all about it at breakfast, even

if they have to get up early to do it.
Just then, however, the others woke up and began to rejoice exceedingly

at finding that we were out of that dreadful river and once more
beneath the blue sky. Then followed a babel of talk and suggestions

as to what we were to do next, the upshot of all of which was
that, as we were excessively hungry, and had nothing whatsoever

left to eat except a few scraps of biltong (dried game-flesh),
having abandoned all that remained of our provisions to those

horrible freshwater crabs, we determined to make for the shore.
But a new difficulty arose. We did not know where the shore

was, and, with the exception of the cliffs through which the
subterranean river made its entry, could see nothing but a wide

expanse of sparkling blue water. Observing, however, that the
long flights of aquatic birds kept flying from our left, we concluded

that they were advancing from their feeding-grounds on shore
to pass the day in the lake, and accordingly headed the boat

towards the quarter whence they came, and began to paddle. Before
long, however, a stiffish breezesprang up, blowing directly

in the direction we wanted, so we improvized a sail with a blanket
and the pole, which took us along merrily. This done, we devoured

the remnants of our biltong, washed down with the sweet lake
water, and then lit our pipes and awaited whatever might turn up.

When we had been sailing for an hour, Good, who was searching
the horizon with the spy-glass, suddenly announced joyfully that

he saw land, and pointed out that, from the change in the colour
of the water, he thought we must be approaching the mouth of

a river. In another minute we perceived a great golden dome,
not unlike that of St Paul's, piercing the morning mists, and

while we were wondering what in the world it could be, Good reported
another and still more important discovery, namely, that a small

sailing-boat was advancing towards us. This bit of news, which
we were very shortly able to verify with our own eyes, threw

us into a considerableflutter. That the natives of this unknown
lake should understand the art of sailing seemed to suggest that

they possessed some degree of civilization. In a few more minutes
it became evident that the occupant or occupants of the advancing

boat had made us out. For a moment or two she hung in the wind
as though in doubt, and then came tacking towards us with great

swiftness. In ten more minutes she was within a hundred yards,
and we saw that she was a neat little boat -- not a canoe 'dug

out', but built more or less in the European fashion with planks,
and carrying a singularly large sail for her size. But our attention

was soon diverted from the boat to her crew, which consisted
of a man and a woman, nearly as white as ourselves.

We stared at each other in amazement, thinking that we must be
mistaken; but no, there was no doubt about it. They were not

fair, but the two people in the boat were decidedly of a white
as distinguished from a black race, as white, for instance, as

Spaniards or Italians. It was a patent fact. So it was true,
after all; and, mysteriously led by a Power beyond our own, we

had discovered this wonderful people. I could have shouted for
joy when I thought of the glory and the wonder of the thing;

and as it was, we all shook hands and congratulated each other
on the unexpected success of our wild search. All my life had

I heard rumours of a white race that existed in the highlands
of this vast continent, and longed to put them to the proof,

and now here I saw it with my own eyes, and was dumbfounded.
Truly, as Sir Henry said, the old Roman was right when he wrote

'Ex Africa semper aliquid novi', which he tells me means that
out of Africa there always comes some new thing.

The man in the boat was of a good but not particularly fine physique,
and possessed straight black hair, regular aquiline features,

and an intelligent face. He was dressed in a brown cloth garment,
something like a flannel shirt without the sleeves, and in an

unmistakable kilt of the same material. The legs and feet were
bare. Round the right arm and left leg he wore thick rings of

yellow metal that I judged to be gold. The woman had a sweet
face, wild and shy, with large eyes and curling brown hair.

Her dress was made of the same material as the man's, and consisted,
as we afterwards discovered, first of a linen under-garment that

hung down to her knee, and then of a single long strip of cloth,
about four feet wide by fifteen long, which was wound round the

body in graceful folds and finally flung over the left shoulder
so that the end, which was dyed blue or purple or some other

colour, according to the social standing of the wearer, hung
down in front, the right arm and breast being, however, left

quite bare. A more becoming dress, especially when, as in the
present case, the wearer was young and pretty, it is quite impossible

to conceive. Good (who has an eye for such things) was greatly
struck with it, and so indeed was I. It was so simple and yet