Later Sedgwick reported that as he approached the bed, Jordan smiled, and
in a feeble voice said: "Jim, old friend, I'ze mighty weak, but don't
mind it; I shall pull through easy now. But if I don't, I'll be even;
ther world's been thet kind ter me thet I'll keep thankin' God ter all
eternity."
Then in his weakness he wept, but controlling himself at last, he
continued: "I'ze too powerful weak ter make much noise, but if yo' think
a loud invercation is heard sooner nor a weak one, thank God fur me in
your loudest key."
Sedgwick took up his watch by Jordan for the night. He slept much of the
night, and smiles stole over his face as he slept, but he was awfully
prostrated with weakness.
After that, a regular order was prescribed. Sedgwick watched at night,
and the others took turns by day.
Three nights after their arrival, the fever left Jordan. The doctor had
anticipated it, and had told Sedgwick he would remain with him. The fever
left him so utterly prostrated that it was all the doctor and Sedgwick
could do to keep life in him for two or three hours. But the faintness
finally passed, and the patient dropped into a peaceful sleep; and the
doctor, with a sigh of relief, said: "The crisis is passed, Sedgwick. He
is going to pull through."
But it was a wearisome rally. It was several days before the anxiety was
over. It was a week after the coming of Sedgwick before Sedgwick
explained to Browning what he had done; how Jordan was an old gold miner;
and that the reason he had not told Browning much of what he was doing
was because Jordan was the one to test the ore, and was anxious to go;
he, Sedgwick, thought it was a shame to separate Jack and Rose; then he
thought also if Jack knew he had gone to Africa he would worry over it.
Then he told him of the mill, and finally that he had with him $100,000
in bullion, the result of the first month's run of the mill; had fixed
matters so that the mill would be running right along, and that there was
ore enough in the stopes to insure steady crushing for at least four or
five years to come.
"And what now?" asked Jack.
"Now your work must come in," said Sedgwick. "You and your wife must go
to England as soon as Tom is a little better. In your own way, make
arrangements to have announced, so that Hamlin, Jenvie and Stetson will
see it, that there is a good deal of movement in 'The Wedge of Gold';
have substantially the same report, only differently worded, as that
contained in the prospectus which you were caught on; let it be known
through what brokers the stock is being handled, and have copies of the
reports in their hands, only fix the price at L1 per share. If the old
men please to buy, let them have some of the stock. If they do not, we
will try to make them sorry that they did not buy when they could. By the
way, have you still your hand on Emanuel, and can you depend upon him?"
"I think I can," said Jack.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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