My name is Peter Simon Cavendish, only son of Colonel Edward Cavendish of Marks Hall, Taunton. I was born on November 18th 1862. My only sister Elaine was born on February 12th, 1870.

I received an excellent education. My father wanted me to follow him into the army, into his own regiment, if possible, but army life had no appeal for me. I was, in short, a great disappointment to my father and a source of great distress to my mother who found herself witness to the many rows her menfolk inflicted upon her.

The upshot of it was that after a particularly violent altercation, I decided it was time to get out. I was twenty at the time. I rather liked what I had heard of South Africa so I gathered what cash I had and sailed for Cape Town.

For the next six years I made my way in Africa. When I reached it, it was in even more of a ferment than it is now. Cetewayo’s Zulus had not long been defeated. The land was wide open. I operated in Cape Colony, moved to the Transvaal, to Natal, in fact to wherever I felt drawn to. I did everything, risked my neck in various enterprises, some within the law, some outside. I hunted, traded, explored, prospected for gold and diamonds.

Whenever I could I wrote mother or Elaine. I tried to make my letters optimistic, interesting and reassuring and I think I succeeded, judging by the few I received at various accommodation addresses I used.

Occasionally Elaine would slip in photographs of the family. If these pictures did not lie, she was growing into a regular beauty and in her letters I thought I detected traces of the restless spirit that had driven me to South Africa.

I made one trip home, in 1888. Elaine had written me telling me that she was engaged to be married, that the date fixed for the wedding was June 16th, that it would complete her happiness if her brother could be present at the ceremony.

I was flush at the time; in fact I was now very well off. The letter had reached me well in advance of the date. I did want to be present when Elaine was married. I was curious to see the man who was to be her husband. And I did want to see mother again – and father. And so I wrote saying that I would be in London on business around that time.