The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-09-28
bUCKEIFUL OF DIAMONDS.
Supposed to Have Been Hidden
by a KafTir Chieftan.
SEEN BY CECIL RHODES.

"dIlJ RtteWptS Wdue 10 recover
Them, but lndunas Who Buried
Them Cannot be Made to Tell.
Diamonds Filled a Bucket. Were
OF Finest Color.
A bucketful OF diamonds worth $780,
100000, and hidden by old Chief Maga-
to- who long years ago ruled the Kaf-
fir tribes of Rhodesia, has put all Of
South Africa in turmoil of feverish
excitement. In every part of Cape
Colony and the Transvaal, in Cape
Town and Kimberley, Pretoria, Mafe-
King. johannesburg, Swartzman's kop,
Ladysmith and Pochefstroom venture
some men are making up expeditions
to search Rhodesla and the mysteri.
Gus wilderness lying far north of the
Limpopo river to the Zambesi for
these diamonds. Newspapers in South
Africa are full of the excitement.
Nothing else is talked OF in that end
of the world but Chief Magato and his
| bucketful of diamonds.
Chief Magato is not a myth. Neither
Is the bucketful Of diamonds. Cecil
Rhodes saw the big bucket filled to
the brim with diamonds of the finest
color and perfect luster With Cecil
Rhodes at the time were Sir John
! Willoughby, Justice Lange and ID. G.
de Waal But with all his craftiness,
Cecil Rhodes was unable to make a
bargain with the old chief who was
willing to give away his kingdom,
! larger than the state of Texas, but
who clung tenaclously to his bucket
| full OF diamonds.
The story of the now famous meet
! ing between Cecil Rhodes and old
| Chief Magato, of Rhodesia. dates back
to 1890, when Rhodes. accompanied
by Sir John Willoughby, Justice Lange
and d. c. Waal. NJ l.. A., came to
| the Transvaal from the newly-ac.
! qulred territory now called Rhodesia
Magato long was the terror of the
venturesome Boer pioneers. To set
! foot In his realm was to court death
Across Rhodesia his fearless black
warriors. living hedge with Orist.
! ling spears, barred the way to the
Zambesi river. But IL Magato was
fearless, so was Cecil Rhodes. The
empire builder who had not feared to
go alone to the heart of Lobengula's
country and make a treaty with that
black scourge of the dark continent,
did not hesitate to pay a visit to
Magato.
During the conversation, Magato,
who knew all the great men of South
Africa by reputation, and who was
dazzled by the fame of the great white
chief from Kimberley, became con-
fidential, and as the story has it. ask
ed Mr.. Rhodes if he had ever seen
a bucketful Of diamonds.
Magato thereupon spoke to an indu-
ma, and within a few minutes two
natives arrived on the scene carrying
bucket filled to the brim with pre-.
cious stones of the finest color.
II is stated that after an intimation
from Mr. Rhodes as 10 the diamonds
having been stolen, and the response
of the chief that would require moro
than the Transvaal police to recover
them, Mr.. Rhodes again carefully re.
garded the diamonds and estimated
their value at from sl5,O0OO 900 to 500.
100000.
The story was noised abroad and
several private syndlcates were after
! wards formed to try and obtain the
! diamonds or a portion Of them from
Magato, but notwithstanding large
outlay OF money. none Of these syn
dicates could get Magato to sell the
stones. II he had them, which he in
variably denied, or find out what had
become OF them.
AS a matter Of fact, the narrative
Itself began to be regarded as a myth,
but 1t was resuscitated when, Just be-
fore Magatos death large and val
liable diamond was sold by the chief
himself to a local trader Renewed
efforts were then made to get hold of
! the diamonds, but Magato himself de-
MED having them or ever having had
any There are traders in the Spelon-
ken who have stated more than once
that though they never saw these dia-
monds themselves, they had often
been told about them by Magato's
indunas.
So far the theory has merely DEM
onstrated the possession OF the dia-
monds. AS to the date Of their being
hidden, Of how they we're hidden, and
possibly where-here Is the connec-
tion with the hidden treasure which
has started the various expeditions
on their earnest search.
Just before his death Magato, who
hated his nephew, Mpefu, the heir to
the chieftainship and who hoped to
see one Of his indunas installed in
stead, determined, at any rate, not to
leave him any riches. So when he
felt that his death was near he sent
for four Of his indunas, and, address
ing them solemnly on their duty and
loyalty to himself, requested them to
divide the diamonds INTO parcels and
take them far away and bury them In
some wilderness. This they promised
to do, and the diamonds having been