Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1905-09-09
TIE DIAMOND RIVER

~ DAVID MURRAY

got into close quarters with lioa. ard
he was fairly spoiled for life.
II cant tell you half the story. hut
the natives had got fond Of him for
some reason or another. and they nursed
him and they pulled him round In
measure, and they got him down to the
coast again. The beast had spared his
vitals. but he had no use OF either leg
or Of his left arm. I never saw the
man. but I know those who knew him
well. and they have told me he had TO be
carried about. and dressed and undressed
and put to bed and taken out again like
a baby.
"wiley had plenty Of money. and
could have gone home and finished his
career: hut Brazil had got into the soul
of him. ! shall die here. HarvT: shall
have to be in reach Of the mountains
when my time comes. Wiley stuck on.
and he was very queer. lie used TO laugh
| when he talked about Il: hut he told his
tale about the river bed full Of diamonds
to anybody who cared to hear it. and the
majority of people thought that on this
particular point his wits were turned.
"well. now. old Xclkar comes upon
the scene. Zclkar. as I told you. was
n Hungarian Jew. lie had been in trou-
bic with Kossuth ages ago. and he had
been in trouble with Mazzini. and he had
been In half the prisons Of the Continent
for Matching treason Of one sort or an.
other, and at last. by some strange
chance. he drifted out to Brazil. and 80
on until he lighted on Wiley. I knew
Zelkar In his late days, as l shall tell
you when ! come to my own share Ia
the story. Outside his politics he had
only, one interest In the world: II was
the royal game Of chess. do believe
that you might have lii a slow Are under
old Zelkar when once he had fairly set.
tied down to a game--he got 30 aston.
ishingly absorbed. Wiley turned out a
sort Of protector for him, and local
carpenter. who was clever at the lathe.
turned 'cm out a set Of chessmen and a
board; for there was nothing Of that sort
to be bought nearer than Rio Janeiro,
and the two played together every day.
II came out that Zelkar's great passion
was the making Of chess problems. and
Wiley set him to work Mt II. All the
problems you have seen and worked nj
were made by Zelkar. but the old man
was kept In ignorance Of the purpose he
was working for. All he knew was that
his patron would say TO him: 4 want YOU
to invent me problem In which the
black king shall he forced to such and
such n square, Zelkar thought this a
mere caprice. and since Wiley always
gave him gold coin when he had tested
and approved the problem. 1t served his
turn so well that he would have asked
for nothing better all his life
"He was working two or three prob
lens q wcek-it was no sort Of task fol
him. for he had Il perfect genius for the
work-and all on II sudden he made the
discovery that he was working on Il plan
He found one day IN Wiley's room be
tween the title page and the binding OF
n big Bible sheet of cartridge papc,
marked out for q chess board. and each
of its squares marked with letter. The
whole alphabet was used up twice. and
as far again as was needed to cover ev
cry square on the board. He had In hi,
pocketbook the roughly penciled notes Of
his problems, and It occurred to him I,
60 over them. He found that the letters
on the successive squares on which tn,
black king stood In the problems as tlicy
came In order spelled out words In rea
sonable sequence. He took note Of tn,
bonrd, for the letters were distributed nj
about 1t at haphazard. And so 1t cam,
TO pass. as they used to say in old times
that when all the problems were mad,
that Wiley wanted. old Zelkar had 60
the whole inscription. Wiley, ought 4
tell you. professed to have brought ,
score Of the finest stones away will
him, but he lost them when he got maui
ed by the lion. The natives who rescue,
him and took care Of him had no idea O
their value, and left them behind.