Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-01-10
CAPE DIAMONDS.
a DETECTIVE STORY.

ere rs-one of whom was a small spec.
tacled, inoflensive. looking manned
Girard and myself were the suffering in
mates Of a nondescript vehicle of the
stagc-wagon pattern, drawn 10y SIX
small Cape horses, enroute from tho
Bloemiontcin diamand fields Of south
Africa for Wellington, thence by rail 10
Cape Town.
Twothirds Of the terrible journey
had now been accomplished, yet there
were still some two hundred and fifty
miles of travel over sun beat plain and
arid desert before Us, with the mercury
l02 degrees, in such shade alone as our
tilted conveyance afforded for, in truth
there was no other.
our eyes were blurred and blinded
ly the coasclcss glare Of the sun, whose
rays beat down on the sandy desert
from the unclouded sky. which was as
brass before VA. Our bpdic, were sore
and bruised hy the unccasiur jar and
jolt OF our ruicly hung vehicles. We
were parchod with thirst, which the
lukowarm water along the routcuttcrly
failed ,oslake and though continually
drowsy could neither sleep by day nor
by night, because Of the intense heat,
the sand .lics, swcllod and burning feet.
and intense nervousness engcudercd hy
the foregoing, with the other d,,com-
forts and suiIcriugs incidental to q
stage Journey ofsomc hundreds ofmiles
through South Africa.
The most Of us knew each other by
sight, through having met from day to
day for some months, in and about tho
mining field which We had lef,. But
will venture to state that six more sur.
ly, unsocial fellow passenger than our
dusty. unshorn selves were perhaps
THEORETICALLY thrown together
If Ned and myself were perhaps q
litrle more pronounced In general dis
agrccablcncss than the others We con.
sidered. indeed, that we bad ample pro.
vocation therefor. For thirteen months
We had been toiling aud pcrspirinr.
taking our several turns in the dump.
or in our twenty four foot mining
claim, rs the case might be-. In nearly
If not quite, year Of unrcmitting toll
We had barely succeeded in washing
out small "stones" the invariable
term for diamonds in South Africa
with which to pay our running cx-
penscs and then ono stroke Of the
pick uuearthed a rose diamond Of such
size and purity that for full sixty min
utcs our good fortune was the talk OF
Blocmlontein.
Well, that night, after our frugal sup
per, Ned, without speaking, extended
the precious gem toward me in his open
palm, a. we sat at our rude table, in
our canvas.covcred cabin. ! do not
answer for the scope Of my partners
vision, of course. But in theuncut bril-
liant A. in the magician's stones, I my
self saw but one ohiect--a sweet, wist
ful face framed in wreath ofdark hair,
within the depths Of whose soft eyes
was a look as of patient waiting for the
return Of him who had gone TO seek
his fortune in the far.away diamond
fields.
"Hone?' was Ned's interrogative
query, raising his own eyes, which had
bent upon Che gem, with sort Of FAT.
away look, TO meet my own suddenly
upturned gaze.
alone echoed, with Joyous en-
phasis.
But hardly had the word escaped my
lirs when a tall form dashed through
the door, and, upsetting thc candle by
a sudden blow, seized the diamond from
Ned's still outstretched hand. and was
off in the dafkncss--the whole event
having taken place in far less time than
| have occupied in telling il.
OF course we gave the alarm as quick
ly as VIC could regain our scattered
ideas but, though half the male pop.
ulation Of Bloemfontcin turned out, Il
was to no purpose.
The robber and his booty had disap.
peared, without the slightest clcw.
50 1t Fas that beingin local parlancc !
down on bur luck, Ned and myself |
iisgustcd and discouraged, had sold our /
claim 60 a couple Of newcomers for
aboal f3o0, and with those composing
our present stage coach party, had tax
n passes AL haze said, FOR Wei
IingIon intending to return home even