Paul nearly fell over in his astonishment but said: "We are here and will get up no matter how far it is!" On comparing notes they found that they could not afford to take the regular wagon that generally consumed twelve days in reaching the fields.

They were told about another town named Port Elizabeth by going to which they could save three hundred miles of overland travel.

Owing to the enormous fares charged in those times, they found it would be cheaper to go from Cape Town direct by ox trains.

It took one of these trains from fifty to sixty days to get up and was anything but a comfortable trip.

While waiting in Cape Town very much perplexed as to how they would get up, Paul made the acquaintance of an agent of Cobb & Co., who were engaged in the transportation business from the coast to the diggings.