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I do not know if my dear- friend. Jack Conyers, will pardon me for mak ‘ ing use of a story which I had from‘ his lips some few weeks ago. But then I have to plead as an excuse that he ought not to be so indiscreet as to confide in a struggling journalist who is ever on the lookout foxJ inter- esting "copy." An introduction is necessary. Suf- fice it to say that Conyers, who is an artist, had entered my diggings on the day in question after having been ab- sent on a sketching tour in the‘ south of Ireland [or a little more than fifâ€" teen months. He came with the ex- traordinary announcement that he was going to be married to an Irish girlâ€"Kathleen O'Neil by name. I he- came 3120 'k ngly interested. My eager questioning elicited the following [note :â€" He had first come across Miss O'Neil in the vicinity of Lismore, it appears. Curiously enough, the cause of his original interest in her was an expres- sion of haunting sadness which was ever on her face; nor had he known her long before he experienced an en- thusiastic desire to have a hand in clearing the sadness away. But how could he learn the cause? By good fortune he was permitted to hear the story from her own lips, although she had spoken to no man before about it. sane." "Good heavens l" He had never entertained that pos- sibility. No wonder the poor girl was sor- rowful. But how bad it happened? "\Ve lived until a year ago in Dub- lin," she answered. “My father was a merchant there. He had had a hard struggle, but at last success came. Not that his balance at the bank. was sufficient of itself; but if he could sell his premises and connection he could retire, which was what he desired, for he was growing old. Fortunately, a purchaser was soon procured in an Irish baronet, Sir Patrick O'Connell by name who wanted it for the pur- pose of establishing his younger sons in business. An agreement was sign- ed. Sir Patrick could not pay cash down, his money was tied up; but' he would have sufficient free in six months' time. He, howeVer, proposed to lodge with my father as security in the meantime, the Iamlly diamonds, vahued at £60,000â€"father, you must understand, had an honorable name. “The pity of what followed. It was at the place of business, on a certain afternoon, that the jewels were hand- ed over, and-father, [or one night only, locked them in his eschitoire, intend- ing next day to take them to the bank Alas! the selfâ€"same night the premâ€" ises were burnt to the groundâ€"noth- ing was rescued. The sudden shock turned. my father's brain. As {or mother and I, after we had paid to the baronet money equivalent to the value of his diamonds, which the in- surance, banking account, etc., enabled us to do, we had just sulficient left to live in simplicity. So we came down to this quiet place. We are allowed to keep Lather, because the form of his disease comes under the heading of melancholia. He is not dangerous, but he does not know even mother and Such is a brief outline of the sad story. Well, this life, they say, is made up of curious cha'nces. As Conyers was nearing his “diggings” afterward, who should. he run up against. but his old ohrum, Charley Manton, who is confi- dential agent in the employment of Gray 8; Helmsley of Lincoln’s lnn Fields. “Hallo! \Vhat are you doing down this way, Charley ‘3" shouted Con- yer; "Searching for a needle in, a hayâ€" atack. my boy. I want Daniel O'Neil, supposed to be residing in this quarâ€" ter, formerly a merchant trading in Dublin. I say, though, what makes you look so excited ?" “Well, that’s cool. Supposing you make a start by telling me why you are so mightin interested in him 3” There are times when you can gain a. great deal by reposing confidence in a. man.» Conyers felt that this was one. Therefore he told all he knew. ' Conyers took his arm and led him to his "digging-s," which were conven- lently near. "wa. I know where to find Mfr. Daniel O'Neil," he said. “But, first, what do you want him [or 8" "In an experience extending over ten years," said Manton. "this is the most extraordinary affair I have ever come across." Taking his brown brief bug. he open- ed it and extracted a flat, oblong lea- ther case. Raising the lid he display- ed. to Conyer‘s astonished eyes a col- lection of gems of the finest water. Really. he confounded the latter when he remarked that they were the iden- tical stones concerning which the Itory had first been told. "But wherever in the world have you got them from 7" cried Conyers. “Kindly give me your attention and I will briefly relate to you an inter- osting episodu. News to you is the "My father," she said, v~-°v.._,. "I don't know‘ If, as you s: O'Neil is a lunatic, what will good of giving him the jewels certainly will not recognize Can't you suggest something V’ VWBat shall you do w eagerly. bau L yuu DUSHUE\ uvmv v â€" - â€" r g “They do say that when a mam has been robbed of reason by_ a S‘Udden Shock. a sudden shock w111 also re}; store it. Come, let us test the trut of that theory." Mnnton assented engerly,__s_o togeth' ‘ A)- ULtIuLUIA auacuuuu uub‘ . a, 81‘ they proceeded to O'Ne-il's' abode. They were courteoust recenved \by Mrs. O'Neil and her daughter: Manâ€" t0m told his story. The ladies were amaZEd, electrified. ” "You inspire a hope undreamed of, cried Mrs. O’Neil, . .,; unuâ€"u LVLID. v nun. \Vithout another word she darted upstairs to her husband‘ and was fol- lowed no less quickly by the others. O'Neil was found sitting in an ann- rhnir gazing into space. \Vhen, .how- eVer, Manton offered him the Jewel case he took it readily enough: He turned it' over gravely, opened 1t, and then: alas! looked at the jewels w1fh Iar‘k-lusfm‘ eyes. They might have been pebbles. A - ‘ - ,:_. -0:qu Urn“ yo: uura. Mrs. O'Neil sank into a chair with n pifr‘ous moan. Had this momeniary brightness come here to make her more miserable than ever? But her dnughfpr had approached Cnlnyersflnd was putting her hand upon his arm. It gave him joy to think that in the time of crisis she turned to Prim." LlAuv v- »..u... Vuy 4â€", “Can you do anything, Mr. Con- yers ’1" she asked, earnestly. "Yes. I have a plan. I will mesâ€" merize your father, if you will lett me," he said. quietly. ‘ urn-u uuq nuvu . "Buf how can you do what you say?" asked M'rs. O'Neil. uc Bur-Au. \‘UIVKAJ- For all his endeavor he could not prevent a tremor from creeping into his voine. Mrs; O'Neil sprang from her r‘hnir aghast; Manton stared at him with his mouth appn. Conyers had not time to think of them; 1 . unu “UL nun. VV -u..._ “It is a great risk}: ~hie countinuefi : "but is not this a desperate case whlch demands such ?" A uanlu A'Alu. V “V. “I studied it in Paris along with‘ art. I was wry successful with eerriâ€" mPnts which I tried upon my fellow studpnts." "All the better," explained Conyerrs, "his resisting power will be absent. It is impossible to mesmerize a man against his will. Mr. O'Neil's state will b9. of considerable assistance to me. The activity of the ganglion cells of the brain, with whi~h the functions of consciousness are believed to be: sperinlly associated. are almost inhib- ited in his case. You must know that insanity is entirely due to the disorâ€" der of the brain. However, let us make preparations," u, AL m uuruua. "You certainly can't be surcessfu‘l WHh Mr. O'Neil," protested Manton. "His mind is deranged? V '(IAIV ,. V,h....-..~__v Conyers' plan was very simple. 0h- taining permission from Mrs. O'Neil, he went into the adjoining bedroom, and found there a writing desk con- taining drnwrarsâ€"l'o‘ur in alli He plac- ed the jewel casein the bottom drawer. closed it, then returan to his sub- ject. He gazed straight into his eyes for 3 {PW moments, and then Pomâ€" menced making passes with his hands before his face, backward and forward. O'Neil watched him with a kind of grave ruriosify for a little while. and tlhen he put his hands up to his fare and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly he winced slightly and straightened him- .self in his chair. Ah! “'hat was that? Gradually his eyes bevame intent on Co-nyers' until he had lost the power to draw them away. The pupils began to dilate. then the eyeballs to pro- trude, then the eyelids to droop. Re- spiration and r-irnulation became mn- siderahly accelerated. until at length perspiration set in and complete stup- or soon followed. \Vhile in this state of come. the more powerful will could do with him wnat it chose. Conyers threw his head back in ex- ultancy. But he had reckoned with- out his host. The tense feeling of every faculty overstrainnd became al- most unbearable. He would not be able to keep up long. He must. be quick. Accordineg he commanded O'Neil to rise, who did so. Step by step he led h'un to the Writing desk. He had no need: to speakâ€"he had only to think, and the subject obeyed. O'Neil drop- ped on his knees before the “irlting desk. He opened the first drawer. and then the second; all was still in that little room : all four ware bending over him with eager, excited faces: And now he was opening the third drawer. His nostrils were quivarTng. He hastily closed it: then literally dragged open the fourth drawer and n O’Neil and Sir Patrick farmer’s oifice arrang- If, as you say, Mr. Us, What will be the him the jewels? He not recognize them. asked ConS’eI'5 'apfured the jewel case. And then Conyera waked him. It took many moments and all watched with fearful anxiousness. \Vhat would happen? It was pleasant to see what did hap- pen. O'Neil snatched up the case, tore it open. laid hold of the jewels, and ran across the room to a far corner. clasping them to his breast and ut- tering little shrieks of joy. It was piiiful to bphold! Not long, and Mrs. O'Neil and Kathleen had darted to hiq side and were holding his hands and murmuring soft words of comfort. Hr) looked into their eyes and rerogâ€" nized them. and great tears stood in his eyes. Then Conyers knew that he had succeeded; but barely by the skin of his teeth. A mist rose before his eyes; he tattered to a couch; he: lost consciousness. He awoke to find Kathleen bending ovar him with n wonderful look in her eyeq. She was holding his hand, and KING SOLOMON’S MINES FOUND? (‘arl l‘elers Afisorls Tlmt Ile Found 0mm- “ here He Looked for It. In Snlllll Ari-Ira. I have this summer explored the country between the Zambesi and the PungWe, in Portuguese East Africa and Eastern Mashonaland. Before I started from England I had acquired geographical information which led me to believe that Fura was near the east- ern entrance of the Lupata Gorge. There I have found it. It is situated on the banks of the Muira River, about fifteen miles south of the Zambesi, and half-way between Sena and Tete. At the time of my discovery I had with me Mr. Puzy and two mining engi- é‘Véll, t‘Ee'vsa‘éall-glqs-sâ€"tuo happen in six months' time. J x L Luuuu n... .._._ him to England. Up to the present his greatest surprise is that he has not seen the sun. This chief subse- quently gave me valuable information regarding the position of the ancient| ruins and workings, which Iat oncel investigated. Going to the spot indicat-l ed, I found ancient ruins of undoubt-I edly Semitic type. I discovered phallic‘ emblems, which have always been con-t nected with the ancient Semitic sun] worship. Fura itself I found to pos- sess a formation of quartzite slate and diorite, between which gold reefs were running. Under the ruins I found d large alluvial tract, in which we dis- covered gold and near it magnificent quartz reefs. The ancient workings which I found were not only surface workings, but there were also shafts and roads. I have built-a station in this district, and also one in Iynanga, both of which are in charge of trustworthy Euro- Ipeans. I intend next summer to fur- ther investigate the traces of dia- monds, coal. white mica and saltpetre which we found. “My theory with regard to Ophir," said the doctor in conclusion, is this: The ancient conquerors heard at the mouth of the Zambesi of rich alluvial gold up river and sailed up to the east- ern entrance of the Lupnta, beyond which rapids made navigation difficult. They then proceeded overland and found, under the very walls, of the for- tifications, ruins of whit-h he have dis~ covered, alluvial and also reef gold. They then settled for a considerable period. and afterward migrated to the west toward the Ruenye. They eventu- ally settled in the (cool climate on In- yanga, conquered all the districts west and southwest as far as the Sanyate River and Tete, and built a great em- pire along the Zambesi and Sabi rivâ€" ers. The ancient Sabaean empire probâ€" ably lasted for thousands of years. Its existence was well known among the Semitic nations, and it is interesting to note that Ophir is always mentioned in the Old Testament without any ex- nu luv V”. s_, planation a; in its locality. I have seen enough to he assured that all the products of the ancient Ophir are to be fuund on the Zambesi. " As a result of my investigation the Arabian and Indian theories. regarding Ophir fall to pieces, and I claim un- hesimtingly to have lovated this year the Golden Ophir of King Solomon and King H HIE\VN INTO THE ROCK 3 see what did hap- ad up the case, tom of the jewels, and m to a far corner. FROM THE TRANSVAAL. STORIES TOLD BY CORRESPON- DENTS AT THE FRONT. flow the Boers Troialml Ihc Blahop of Pro lamaâ€"Tommy Atkins and the Ila" Crown «1 Sergcuul‘s 0plnlon ol‘ the liuers' “gluing Qaullllt-n â€" flow Illl‘ Transvaal Govermm-nt Taxod the I'll- lumh-rs. The bishop of Pretoria, Dr. Bons- field, was summarily ordered from his home and from the Transvaal by Kruâ€" ger. It was a fear trip for the aged prelate to make from Pretoria to Delagoa Bay in an open coal car. But he says he had to get away somehow. He continues: “No Uitlander is per- mitted to remain in the Transvaal without permits are condemned to 25 lashes and three months‘ ment. As the Uitlanders property is commandeered or stolen by the Boers. The savagery of the Boer to-day is worse than it was be- fore the war broke out. it makes any Christian man‘s blood boil when he reflects that these wretches first rob their victims and then actually apâ€" ply the lash to them because they are British subjects." WHY BULLER‘S PLAN WAS CHANGED. Gen. Buller went to South with fixed intentionâ€"in which the Bri- tish Government concurredâ€"of aban- doning Ladysmith, leaving the British garrison there to the mercy of the Boers, he himself marching in force di- rect upon Bloemfontein and Pretoria, relieving Kimberley en route. Nobody then believed " that Ladysmith could hold out beyond the end of the year, without a permit. People found there ‘ imprison- ; leave their ‘ Africa ' but Buller had not been at the end. of the Cape many days before he cabled the British ministry announcing the ‘ change of policy, largely, no doubt, = because of the bad effect upon the - Cape Dutch and the natives of such a Boer triumph as the surrender of Ladysmith would appear to be. The ’ ministry replied in effect: " Sorry, but - do as you think best.” It was this general concentration of Gen. Buller upon Natal, and not a mere incident of the Tugela river reverse, that decided the cabinet to send out Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener to direct the campaign as a whole from Caipetoywn. ‘ DID NOT KNO\V HER WITH WHISâ€" KERS. The Natal Witness tells a story of how the captain in a regiment in Na- xtal, when paying his company the othâ€" er week, chanced to give a man a Transvaal half crown, which. as one would naturally expect, bears the im- age and superscription of President Kruger. The man brought the coin back to the payâ€"table, and said it was a bad. half-crown. The officer took the 5- coin, and without looking at it_ran'g. r-nflmn ...~,..l_‘- it on the table, and then remarked: “It sounds all right, Atkins; what's wrong with it ?” "You look at it, sir.” was the reply. The captain glanced at the coin, saying, " It’s all right, man; it will pass in the canteen." This apparently satisfied Atkins who walk- ed off, making the remark: “If you say it‘s a’ right, sir, it's a‘ right; but it‘s the first time I‘ve seed the Queen w,i’ whiskers on.” HOW BOER TRAPS ARE PREâ€"l PARED. ‘ An Afrikander in the Paris Matin, writes :-â€""Just you wait until after the capitulation of Ladysmith and Kim- berley, and then you will See. Until the British adopt our way of fighting they will never be able to do anything against us, and we are firmly convinc- ed that they will be killed or captured to a man before forcing us back over our own border. They little know what January has in store for them. We have no more fear of Roberts or Kitchener than we have of Boiler or Methuen. They only make two gen- erals more. \Ve shall hasten to capture Ladysmith and Kimberley before they arrive, and then we shall have our hands free to deal with them each in turn as we did with Methuen and Bul- ler. What the Boers do is to secret- ly and rapidly change their positions after the British scouts have passed, and to mass in force in spots that were previously unoccupied. The result is the British columns inevitably walk into the trap and find themselves met with a murderous fire where they thought there was nobody." A BRITISH SERGEANT OF THE BOERS. Sergeant Saunderson, with Lord Meihuen‘s force, w:ts in the battles of Belmont and Gruspun. Writing from Honey Nest Kloof to his relatives in Hartlepool he says:â€" “People can say what they like about Boers being good fighters, but I consider them a lot of cowards. As soon as Lhey are driven from the hills on the plains, and our men make a charge nL them they Won‘t stand and fight, but simply show the 111213 of truce until they have gained another substathâ€"ial posiiion, ana then they will commence. firing on you, as usual. shooting officers and men.” HO\V SIR REDVERS BULLER \VAS DECEIVED. A correspondent of the Manchester Guardian, says that Sir Redvers Bullet was probably induced to adopt the plan of a frontal attack by the fact that the Boers had not answered our ar- tillery [or two days. and appeared to be few in numbers. The elaborate earthworks which they had construct- Supposing his busmess was the un- pormtion into the Transvaal of any of lhe following articles, he would have to pay, first of all, a customs tariff on beer of 73 cents per gallon; but- ler, $2.21 for every hundred pounds; cheese, the some; coffee, 50 cents per hundred pounds; gunpowder, 73%an per pound; dynamite, $14.58 per case; guns, $2.45 for every barrel, with $1,221 1â€"2 per hundred for cartridges; ironwure, machinery. jewehlery, Pm' ironwnre, machinery,‘jewelley, pre‘ served meats, vegetables, and fresh fruils were charged an indiscriminate 7 1-2 per cent. ad valorem duty; OOm‘ mon soap $1.12 1-2 per hundred pounds; toilet soap, $2.43 for a similar quan- tity; spirits, when from neighboring states $1.46 per gallon, but when from outside South Africa, 82.43, and, it ’ over proof, $4.85 per gallon. ed on the ridges probably dkd not mark the real position they ccoupied. 'i‘he heaviest fire cume from the bed of the river. Our bombardment of the ridges was terrific, but pouibly it did um inflict a proportionate loss on the enemy. The coolness with which the enemy lay quiet under the tremend- ous fire was amazing. They waited till exactly the right moment, and their defence is one of the most notable of modern times, for the skill. courage, and judgment displayed. There was an oxiruordinary contrast between the Boers, who were almost invisible. and the British troops marching conspic- uously across absolutely open coun- try. The following statistics Show to what an extent the Uitlander has been taxed by the Transvaal Govern- IIO\V THE UITLANDERS WERE TAJXED. THE BOER PONIES. The celebrated Boer ponies have the blood of the Basuto puny in them. and the Basuto pony is a pure bred Scotchrnan. He is not even a half caste. There were no horses or ponies in Basutoland until 1840, when abut- cher in Gruhamstown named Cawood imported from Scotland a number of Shetland ponies. A lot of them were lost and found their way into Busuto- land, where they multiplied exceed- ingl‘y. They are now the pride of Busutolzind and everybody rides one in that native state. You can buy one there for fifty or seventyâ€"five dollars. They have the same little feet and long mane and tail as their Shetland ancestors, and even more of their sure- footedness. They carry their rider down steep mountain sides, along sheep walxs, by precipice edges, and always walk close to the brink. It is a rather nervous experience at first, but the ,Basuto pony never fails. Mounted on i these the defeated Boer rides off before ‘our troops and is lost among the hills, only to turn up to fight another day According to a. widely-credited la gend, Ercs‘ident Krugar's family orig« inally came from the town of; Mehrin, in the province of Brandenburg. Some people have ewen proiessed to point cm the house whem his forefathers lived. As a. matter of tact. the found- er of the family was really born in Berlin. According to a work just isâ€" sued in Berlin and entitled “Haul Kru- ger, and. Lhe Origin ot the South Afri- can Republic," he traces his descent Lo James Kruger, son of Franz jKru- ger and Elizabeth Kruger, nee Hart- wigs, who was born in Berlin in 1686. This James Kruger enteu‘ed the ser- vice of the Dutch East India Com- pany, and went out to Cape ,Town in 1713. Later on he settlald down at SLeilensbosch. He married Johanna Kemp and by her ihad children, of whom the youngest, Hendrik Kruger, was born on April 8, 1725. 'This Hen- drik had a son, Gert Kruger; who, on Nov. 12, 1768, married Susanna Lacija Boys and resided at Grant Reinat. There a son was born to'him, Steph- anus Johannes Kruger. who was the grandfaiher of the President. Steph- anus Kruger Imarried Sophia Marâ€" garetha Steenkamp on Jan. ‘28, 1798. Of his six children, Casper Jan Hendrik Kruger was born in 18 ‘4, He married Elsie Francine. Steyn of Bulhoek, near Colesberg, and settled down at Bul- hoek. Here a son was born on Oct. 10, 1825, who was christened Stephanus Johannes Paulus, and is now the Prea- ident of the Transvaal Republic. 00M PAUL'S BERLIN FORBEARS THE HEROISM OF A VIENNA PHY- SICIAN. “I doubt: whether the entire history of the world affords a more remark- able example of personal heroism than was exhibited by Dr. Franz Mileller of Vienna, who fell a victim to the dis- ease when it was firs; undm‘ bacterio- Vienna, who fell a victim ease when it was firsi unde logical invgstigation in th J8J7. Dr. Muellnr con ady from the bacilli in find when he became was infected he imm himself in an isolated ed a message on L111 reading thus: do not send a doc“ any event, my end v or five days.’ "A number of his as ions (0 attend him, l admit them and died time he predicted. ] well letter to his [7 against ihe window, be copied from the L burned the origina: hands, fearful it mi‘ and ca Muellm threshc his business was the im- ring it ill pingu ndov at 11] city, in the mal- ‘e tubes ' that he Tl post- pane