The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-29

mine like rat in a trap, and the en-
tire force was organized at once to
keep him there and catch him. . A
dozen armed men, with torches ran
down the steep path while more hur-
ried to guard the other exits.
Farther search was, of course,
abandoned. and the smiling manager,
still trembling a little, handed me a
cigar, as he remarked: There's a rec
d-breaker for you. The diamond was
only missed three hours ago, and al
ready l as good as have it in my hand
But he had hardly vented his first
sigh of relief when up that black shaft
| there came an awful boom, and the
| ground shook under us. Then came
| one long howl of terror, from every
| throat down in the darkness. Then
| men appeared, Scrambling, struggling,
| fighting their way out, or falling to
be trampled down by those rushing
| from deeper in the shaft. The cool
est who came gasped something about
| an awful explosion. They told of
| great shorin- beams splintered and fly
| ing and masses of earth falling every
| where, blocking the passages. Those
| who came later reported the wreck on
fire and were Endorsed by a thin, blue,
suffocating vapor which followed
| them, preventing any possible investi
| cation.
"a matter of a few days was of no
moment to me and l waited to see the
thing through. The injury to the mine
! proved slight. There was little to burn
and endless dampness. The fallen blue
was hosted out, to rot with the rest
in the sun. About 200 dead bodies were
! found and fragments of many more.
Everything was in order and work go
ing on as usual. The diamond was
still temporarily missing. That was
| in brief the managers report when he
had me to lunch, four days later, in
room back of his office.
The explosion was purely acciden-
tai he said. At first 1 thought it
must have been the work of that hunch-
back but it was not. He was some
where near and was undoubtedly kill
| ed with the rest, but one of the search
ers was seen going into the dynamite
| room with his torch and the explosion
followed Immediately
I'm reply 1 simply said, 1t has prov
ed rather tragic and expensive dia-
| mond to you, so far. Pity that after
all it should be lost
LOST he exclaimed. "A diamond is
never lost. True, we estimate, on a
free margin, that a tenth of our out
put is stolen before it reaches us,
which may be and may not be so, but
those are diamonds we have never
seen. l should know this one again
instantly. But it is only in the debris
not outside, and will turn up directly.
| w mere 90 you expect 10 ne one year
from now" he asked, and when
told him on the Nubian
desert. he pulled out his pen
and notebook and said, Let's fix up a
little wager, indicating our opinions.
bet you the largest rough diamond in
our possession al the time against f20.
that this particular stone is recovered
and in the hands of the cutters before
you reach Cairo
g Nail it, l replied, and we left the
lunch room for the office, to learn that
a gang of natives on the way to work
in the Mines met the hunchback, two
days before. alive and well. He told
them of the explosion, and that he was
on his way home to be a great chief,
as he had made d fortune in the mines,
THE manager smiled and remarked:
I have simply to telegraph the COM
mander of the district and have him
taken, diamond and all, before he gets
there. Pm afraid youve>iost your eco
already 1t would have been fol-
ly to tell him so, but 1 knew very
we'll that the hunchback was only send
ing him word that he was safely away
with the diamond and was likely to be
anywhere but toward his home.
When l left Kimberley was thick
with posters Offering a hundred pounds
for the poor little hunchback, dead or
alive. Then the whole incident went out
of my life in the beastly time 1 had of
ii getting north. 1t was IA months be-
fore l reached Nubia and l was so well
worn out that / made for the Nile and
did the rest by dahabiah. We had to
pull up every night, the boatmen are
so in horror of the dark, but l made
the longest days possible by plotting
and bribery. One evening was came on
a fleet of fiat boats that had just moor
ed. They We're loaded with trans
long-distance caravan below the cata-
racts. l made a chance for a free and
early start by forcing my men to pass
them and moor a quarter of a mile be-
low, but it came near costing me my
life"
AT night / always had my sleeping
mat and mosquito net on the rudder
platform, for / was too we'll used to the
free air to endure the fetid, vermin-
haunted cabin, but the boatmen and
even my own servants scrupulously
went below"
That night. without an idea of
what Weakened me, I opened my eyes
on the outline of a head with a long
knife to Its jaws, thrust over the rail
some ten feet away 1t was all that ]
could see, but the fellow evidently To-
Gated me all right.
"The outline disappeared. and ]
heard a faint ripple in the water as
. the fellow worked his way toward me
The river thieves on the Nile are an
internal lot. ready to murder any one
Just as a sportsman shoots deer
simply because he comes within range
/ decided to teach this one a lesson
so l punched my pillow up under my
helmet and mosquito net. and mussed
things together to look as much like
me in the dark as possible. loosened
the long rudder arm for club. slip
ped from the platform and hid in the
shadow.
Il did not lose a second, but the
black ball appeared almost before
was ready. IL came up cautiously bat
steadily, till the head was well over
the RAN and The body supported By Ons
extended arm. The free hand rose
could just catch the line Of the dirk
and n was 80 fascinating watching my
self being murdered shat ! nearly for,
got what ] was there Tor. till the hand
fcll. suddenly. and my club with a.
- natives head is solid stun and
Z struck accordlnGiy without the lees
intention - doing bin any real a.
jury, but ! was nervous anq mevb'
efruck haFsrr than i meant Eeinf
DIRK COO, ! did not see thar BE chif
coo eN was oyer fhe rail-. be fhroa'
resting on a. HF club came aonf