117 



was passing, so much had gone, and I was yet no nearer my aim 

 except that by then I knew without any shadow of doubt that 

 Malan was the only hope, all else would be a waste of time. I must 

 speak to him. The telephoning now ended in the same way as it 

 had done all along, for the Post Office told Shearer that the line 

 to the station nearest the farm of Erasmus was closed until the 

 morrow, so he booked a call for the earliest possible hour, 9 a.m. 

 next day. So there I was, right back at the starting-point, and 

 we went over it all again, only now I no longer had any doubts or 

 reservations, my mind had veered right over, and I knew that we 

 must stake all and go for Malan. Only Malan could help, and after 

 some discussion I said so, firmly; it was too late to wait for others, 

 I was quite convinced. I must speak to him. Shearer again said it 

 would be difficult; but he was more than willing to do whatever 

 was possible, and went off again to the telephone, which was in 

 an adjoining room. We had decided that it would be best first to 

 try Groote Schuur, the Prime Minister's official residence at the 

 Cape. 



Mrs. Shearer had come in, and we sat round the table, silent, 

 concentrating on the conversation at the telephone. 'Dr. Vernon 

 Shearer. Groote Schuur, Cape. Yes, the Prime Minister, a matter 

 of national importance. I must speak to him tonight. Yes, thank 

 you.' And he was back, the Post Office was on the job. I sat 

 steeped in suspense and apprehension, without much hope, for 

 which there was good reason. Prime Minister. H'm ! There was 

 Smuts, whom everyone spoke of and regarded as having a real 

 interest in science, he was even almost a scientist himself some 

 people said, and look how he had reacted in my case, a simple 

 one at that ? He had not only turned it down flat, he had even re- 

 fused to see me at all, quite probably a following-on of his attitude 

 towards the Coelacanth expedition. I had been told that he regarded 

 the views of overseas scientists as sounder than my own. And 

 now this other Prime Minister, Malan, what would he do in almost 

 similar circumstances ? It made me turn cold to realise how very 

 similar they were, for again it was a race against time for fish, 

 and yet this time everything involved was from my side very much 

 worse and very much more difficult. From Smuts I had wanted a 

 plane on what one may term a domestic issue, all within our own 

 borders ; but what I wanted from Malan was so much more, not 



