I admit that it was a shock to such trust in human nature as remained to me when I discovered subsequently that the 1,000 shares which I bought for my L500 had really been the property of Jacob, although they appeared to be sold to me in various other names.
The crisis came at last, for before that battery was delivered our available funds were exhausted, and no one would subscribe another halfpenny.

Debentures, it is true, had been issued and taken up to the extent of about L1,000 out of the L5,000 offered, though who bought them remained at the time a mystery to me.

Ultimately a meeting was called to consider the question of liquidating the company, and at this meeting, after three sleepless nights, I occupied the chair.
When I entered the room, to my amazement I found that of the five directors only one was present besides myself, an honest old retired sea captain who had bought and paid for 300 shares.

Jacob and the two friends who represented his interests had, it appeared, taken ship that morning for Cape Town, whither they were summoned to attend various relatives who had been seized with illness.
It was a stormy meeting at first.

I explained the position to the best of my ability, and when I had finished was assailed with a number of questions which I could not answer to the satisfaction of myself or of anybody else.