Smyrna times., 1885-08-05
The Rose Diamond.

With four other masculine fellow
sufferers-one of whom was a small,
specialized, inohensive looking man
Ned Girard and myself were the suf-
ferlng inmates of a nondescript vehicle
OF the stage wagon pattern, drawn by
SIX small horses, en- route from the
BlOemfOntein diamond fields of South
Africa for Wilmington, thence by rail to
Cape Town
Two-thirds of the terrible journey had
already been accomplished, yet there
were still some two hundred and fiftv
miles of travel over the sun-beaten
plain and arid desert before us, with the
mercury at hundred and two in sucb
shade alone as our titled conveyance
atforded-for in truth there was no
other.
Our eyes were blurred by the glare of
the sun, whose rays beat down upon the
desert from an unclouded sky, which
was as brass above us. We were parched
with thirst, which the lukewarm water
on the route failed to shake; and though
continually drowsy, could not sleep at
all because Of the heat, the sand-fies.
burning feet, and intense nervousness
engendered by the foregoing, with the
other discOmforts incidental to stage
journey of some hundreds of miles
\ through South Africa.
Most of us knew each other by sight
having met daily for some months in
and about the mining field which we had
left. But I will venture to state that
six more surly, unsocial fellow
passengers than our dusty, unshorn
selves were perhaps never thrown to-
gether
II Ned and myself were little more
pronounced in general disagreeableness
than the others, we considered that we
had ample prOvocation therefore. For
thirteen months we had been toiling and
persplring, taking turns in the "dump"
OF IN our twenty-fOur-foot mining claim.
as the case might be. In nearly wear
OF unremitting toll we had barely sue
ceeded in washing out enough small
stones'-the African term for
diamonds-with which to meet our RIM.
nlng expenses and then one stroke of
the pick had unearthed rose-diamond
OF such size and purity that for full
sixty minutes our good fortune was the
talk of BlOemfontein.
Well, that night, after our fuool
supper, Ned extended the precious gem
toward me in his open palm, as we sat
ut olr rude table in our canvas covered
cabin. do not answer for the scoDe of /
my partners vision, of course. But in
the uncut brilliant, as in the magician's
stones, myself saw but one obiect-a
sweet, wlstful face framed in a wreath .
OF dark hair, within the depths of whose
soft eyes was look of patient waiting
for the return of him who had gone to
seek his fortune in the diamond fields
Homer" was Ned's interrooative
query, raising his own eyes, (which had
bent upon the gem with sort of far
away look, to meet my own suddenly
upturned gaze.
"Home!" 1 echoed, with Joyous
emphasis
But hardly had the word escaped my
lips when tall form dashed through
the door, and, upsetting the candle bv
a sudden blow, seized the diamond from
Ned's outstretched hand, and was off in
the darkness, the whole event having
taken place in far less time than l have
occupied in telling it.
Of course we gave the alarm as ouiclrIv
as we could regain our scattered ideas:
but though half the male population of
the town turned out it was to no pur-
pose. The rObber and his plunder had
So it was that being III local parlance
"down on our luck" Ned and myself
and discouraged, had sold our
claim to couple of newcomers for
about three hundred pounds, and with
those composing our present stage
coach party had taken passage ms | :
have said, for Wellington, intended to !
return home, even though with heavy I
hearts and light pockets.
Beside the small, specialized man. who I
had represented himself as a sort of |
colporteur for q religious society at '
Cape Town, our fellOw-passengers COM S
posed two diamond brokers, together
with young and very boastiul fellow, g
who called himself MArthur. The
latter had been very successful, and it C
was with feelings of envy we heard him C
relate the result of two weeks work in L
deserted claim, where, as he informed
us with many prOfane asseveratiOns, he s
had struck pocket" from which he h
had taken stones whose value he de-
clared was at least four thouclnd T.
pounds. II
These he carried in u belt about his b
waist, together with considerable sum il
OF money from the sale of his claim, MS i
he said, while girded to either hip was
heavy revolver, as a safeguard against v
attack from road-agents d
After wretchod support Mt small, Il
'arren-looking station in the Hoogboom y
Bottom, the journey was resumed with 5,
fresh relay Of horses and a slight N
liminution of our ill-temper-the heat W
icing degree or two less intense. bv !,
eason of tho declining sun.
The conversation naturally turned !,
Ipon the subject of road-agents some re- f.
ent depredations of these gentry having -,
'een graphically narated by the proprie- n