I heard from him repeatedly during the first two months of his absence,
and was surprised to find that he had stayed for a week or ten days at
more than one place of call on his outward journey. On November 26 he
wrote from the port whence he was to start for Erewhon, seemingly in good
health and spirits; and on December 27, 1891, he telegraphed for a
hundred pounds to be wired out to him at this same port. This puzzled
both Mr. Cathie and myself, for the interval between November 26 and
December 27 seemed too short to admit of his having paid his visit to
Erewhon and returned; as, moreover, he had added the words, "Coming
home," we rather hoped that he had abandoned his intention of going
there.
We were also surprised at his wanting so much money, for he had taken a
hundred pounds in gold, which from some fancy, he had stowed in a small
silver jewel-box that he had given my mother not long before she died. He
had also taken a hundred pounds worth of gold nuggets, which he had
intended to sell in Erewhon so as to provide himself with money when he
got there.
I should explain that these nuggets would be worth in Erewhon fully ten
times as much as they would in Europe, owing to the great scarcity of
gold in that country. The Erewhonian coinage is entirely silver--which
is abundant, and worth much what it is in England--or copper, which is
also plentiful; but what we should call five pounds' worth of silver
money would not buy more than one of our half-sovereigns in gold.
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