The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1896-04-11
a..,l nv cbamneene since the bo4ls

things. The law il very stringent, ana
there's great difficulty in passing the
st.,nes from the finder TO the i. u. b.
But the profit tempts people-and IN all
classes. too. let me tell you-to engage
directly or indirectly in the traffic
II began very modestly, and as cap
ital increased increased my specula-
tons. At last, suspicion WAS awakened
and 7 was searched when leaving the
fields. But the seareher, though very
pertinacious and clever. had been seen
bV me before | saw him. was smok-
ing a big Dutch pipe, and this gave me
an idea. Sublime tobacco that from
the east to westi' You don't smoke
yet, I suppose? No! oh, you've
missed a good deal of life's pleasures
Well, I popped my four diamonds INTO
the big bowl. covered it with 'baccy, and
went on putting and chatting the search
er, who was burning to distinguish him
self. I knew that this defeat would
make him more pertinacious than ever.
And SO 1t was. Now | had bought or
Kaffir some stones of great value, and
bow to get them out safely puzzled me
not a little. Some fellows under similar
circumstances had recently tried yarl-
Gus lodges which had long been popu-
lar. false boot heels, hollow riding whips,
and so on, and in each case the dla-
monds had been discovered with very
unpleasant consequences. For years OF
compulsory working at the brealkwater,
for instance, may be the result, and
vet | was determined to chance 1t
rather than lose these stones, which |
shall never forget for the trouble they
cost me.
after perplexing myself day and
night-my enemy K always lowering
about near me-a sudden idea flashed
| into nv brain. | had particularly
ugly bulldog who was of a surly disposi-
| ton, and was much laughed at on ac-
count Of my fondness for him. The dog
wore thick collar which was neces-
sity, and that collar gave me the Tip
| removed it, cut slips in the inside and
put the diamonds in them. As | was
| leaving the fields, X, of course, pounced
on me, and I affected certain amount
Of uneasiness, which produced on his
mind corresponding glee.'
Here Downham paused and opened
his pocketbook, and from it he took the
photo OF about as ugly, ferocious and
disreputable bulldog as was ever asso-
ciated with heroes of the Bill Sykes
class
Isn't he beauty?" he said. fondlY
as he handed NE the photo. 81 shall al.
ways love that poor dog; he died on the
voyage home from the absurd preju-
dices of some of the passengers who
didn't appreciate his playful nature-as
I'm pretty sure-and pushed him over.
board; at any rate he disappeared Yes
sir, that dog got my best haul through
Didn't X search him2' I timidly
queried.
search himl Everybody gave hin
as wide a berth as they could-they
were under decisions about him, pretty
creature! No-poor Grip lay down
while the clever X was fussing abou
me, and growled at him. Send that In
fernal dog of yours off, he said, irri
tab1y, and little did he think when
opediently did go that he was sending
off the biggest haul of |. DIS he was
ever likely to find. OF course he found
nothing on me, and his rage was a eau
ton. However, he went off, and some
days later | started homewards by leis
urely stages.
81 felt pretty secure by this time
and carried the diamonds in my pocket
However, as the train left the station
for Capetown, | CHANGED to see one O.
the diamond fields detectives jump in
10 the guard van. That was a sufficien
hint to me to make things snug, blu
how to get rid of the diamonds this tim'
could not see, as Grip wasn't accom-
panying me that journey. Looking
round the carriage, / saw a broker
black bottle under the seat. There wa
my cache, as the Indians say"
"But surely the detective" 1 midi,
interposed, would have looked undo
the seat?'
"Well, suppose he would" duly re
marked Downham, unless he were a
big an idiot as-some people. just wait
my good friend, before you credit mal
with congenital idiocy"
| shranll back silent He locke,
fierce and dagger-like, and on the Who'll
| began to wish I'd gone to Liverpoo
street for some other train.
''What I did" he resumed, twas this
/ wrapped up all the stones in pieces G
newspaper. and carefully put them int
the bottle, filling up the spaces by NOR
paper as tightly as possible. Then
looked carelessly out of the window
smoking, but my eye always on tn
guards van. When | saw nobody looI
ing out--of course the chap thought
! hadn't seen him, and was probably tel
ing The guard what fine haul he wa
going to malSe-I quietly dropped tn
broken bottle clear of the line. markin
the spot-one's eye gets well traine
, out ON the veldt, you know"
"At the next station up came the d,
tective. They have power to search sui
poets, you know, and was accordingl
rummaged again. But this chap,
let's say, was as unsuccessful and 6
, riled as X. OF course, / hadn't a dii
! mond about me. And much indignatio
did display. Some days later WEI
back to the place where I dropped m
black bottle, found it and its content
: intact. After that had no more adver
lures with those stones, and they
: partly--bought my place in the south {
Trance. ..