Dear McDunphy,¹

My letter of the 25th² was, as it turned out, optimistic. On Wednesday evening everything looked perfectly right for an early departure but on the following morning a new development arose. The result of this we cannot at the moment foresee. It is not a difficulty of ours but of South Africa. At any event, it will certainly keep us here until Wednesday next, but I should say not longer. If this particular difficulty can be satisfactorily got over we look forward to a reasonably successful outcome; if not we may find that our eight weeks have been wasted more or less.

As I anticipate being back before Thursday you can retain my cheque until then. If the situation changes I will write you later.