Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-27

as they were called. each of whom had
onaIs of gang of native digsers. There
was also pretty little villa occupied by
Mr. and Mrs Peter Delby, the former the
official representative of the English men,
Der of the firm of proprietors.
l soon discovered that Mr.. Delby was of
no practical use to the firm at Eenita He
was a little man. with simple and una1fect-
ed manners and no apparent interest IN the
business he represented. He was raptur-
ously in love with his wife, and they de-
voted their entire attention to one another.
being sufficient unto themselves, and rather
resent ting any undue intrusion into their
earthly paradise.
The agent for the German firm, Herr
Schlitz. was a confirmed drunkard. He
occupied a little room at the top OF the
main offices. His face was vacant and
stupid. and his manners, when be mixed
at all with his fellows absolutely boorish
2 1t was therefore very easy to see that
the management of affairs fell almost
wholly upon Howard Forsythe 1t was
he who kept the wheels moving. He arose
early aud passed the day in visiting the
different gangs of laborers and seeing that
the overseers did their duty. Every even
ing he stood behind the little grated win.
dow of his office and received the report OF
each overseer In turn, the man standing
upon the veranda and handing in the re-
suits of his days work
Mr. Forsythe received the diamonds,
placed them In an iron box, thrust that
Into the safe when the returns were all
in and then went to supper. Afterward
he weighed and counted the stones and
recorded them in the firms books. l
watched him often and soon discovered
that he never varied this program. Some
times Mr.. Dolby or Herr Schlitz would
be present when the stones were received,
but oftener they were invisible until after
supper when they were obliged to see the
stones counted and weighed, and to add
their signatures to the daily reports. On
one or two occasions Herr SchlitZ was
reported to be too 'ill' to be present, but
Al1lN .Y1lt h.
ed the operations nervously and listlessly
and hurried back to his wife at The earliest
possible moment.
, Mr.. Forsythe appointed me a room on
the second floor of the main building-a
small. stuffy little apartment, but neatly
furnished. and nearly opposite his own
room. We all ate in the common dining
hall-all, that is, excepting Mr.. and Mrs.
Delby. who lived exclusively by them
selves. All the houses in the settlement
were set up on high posts, and the steps
were raised at night, this being necessary
to guard against the numerous serpents
that infested the promontory, the most
vicious being the slender gray asps, or
Naja HAZE as they are more properly
terror by the natives. and at intervals
each day a pistol shot from some part Of
the diggings would proclaim that an over
seer was protecting himself or his men
from one of these deadly pests.
The very day after my arrival while
Mr. Forsythe was showing me about the
place he suddenly jumped aside and
dashed his heavy heel upon one of these
laughed when he saw the terror written
in my face and remarked quietly:
you'll have to get used to these fell
lows, and to fight them, too. 1 make 1t
4 point to kill every one l set eyes on-its
one the less, anyway, though their num-
bers never seem to grow fewer. Mother
Videaux. l believe, cultivates their ac
quaintance; she has the reputation of be-
a @
nag could charm nothing else; BID. the rest
Of us are In constant fear of receiving a
fatal bite. There is no help Cor you II
the poison once gets into your blood
Otherwise this place is pleasant enough.
and remarkably healthful into the bar
gain"
paid little attention to me. but left me to
roam about at will, and l e1deavored to
get thoroughly acquainted with the set
tlemen. in order that 1 might, If possible
hponds. At the end Of the week I de-
cided that there was not a suspicious per-
son on the promontory who could, by any
means, obtain possession of any stones
that were mined. The inclosure was i'm
preA nable, and was guarded hight and
day by armed men. At evening each over
Seer marched his band of natives into the
Enclosure, where every one was carefully
out again and allowed to dispense to their
nuts at the other side of lie promontory
Each overseer was carefully searched after
he had delivered his precious bur1en--pro-
yided the day had been productive-to
Mr. For~ the; and all visitors-eVen l my
self-were searched whenever leaving the
Enclosure. 1t was an autocratic law, and
no ore, high or low, was permitted to
Naive the ceremony.
spoke of visitors. but besides myself
there was no one. outside those actively
employed. except the native women, who
occasionally came to the end of the In
closure for stores or other assistance and
Mother Videaux. / saw this remarkable