The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1923-01-04

sometimes as hunter and adventurer
on shore.
Then at the end of the forties he found
himself in Australia when the gold fever
was just beginning to rage Soon after,
a party of three people started for Mel
bourne to proceed to the gold districts.
One was Prick, who was the eldest of
them, and two Englishmen, Howell and
Davis
The acquaintanceship of these three
men--they were Adventures, but all of
good family-was net Of long standing /;
but it developed, in the course of the
following ysaI, ints strong friendship
and most faithful eomradeship.
They led the usual life of gold diggers
for many years, and sometimes, when
they were lucky, they would SO off to
Melbourne and spend their money in a
few days time.
Having gone through many ups and
downs in the course of seven years, they
at last came across rich find of gold,
and realized fortune in couple of
months.
The partnership was then dissolved.
Howell, who was the quietest and most
level-headed of thsm, bought large
piece of land and took TO sheep farming
In this way he was able to preserve
his fortune and even to add to it, al
though he had not been one of the most
fortunate.
On ths other hand, Trisk and Davis did
not think they had enough. The money
they had made enabled them to carry
out a plan which Prick had thought of,
and which for q long time they had
been anxious to carry out.
In the middle Of the thirties Prick,
when quite young man. had been in
South Africa He then followed the
settlers who Wekke& to the north across
the Orange River, and who had joined
in raids across the river Vaal, and still
farther to the north.
When on these expeditions Prick him.
self had found diamonds, and had heard
wonderful stories from the natives of
the great quantities of these stones
which were to be found in caverns of a
peculiar fornatsnA eazsasding enc more
of deserted mines than anything else.
Prick had obtained the report through
q source which did not admit of doubt
that there was at least some truth in
it; and the location given with regard
to the place seemed to be efficient. But
ne could not then get any companions
to form an expedition, as the supposed
place lay far away in the desert, blocked
by wild and hostile negro tribes. Nor
had he at that time the means to fit out
an expedition by himself, and he was
therefore obliged to give up all thoughts
of it. These were the diamonds in
search of which Prick and Davis decided
to go,
Davis seemed to me to be just the
right sort of man." remarked old
Prick, when he had gone thus far in his
narrative; The was at least double as
greedy about finding the diamonds as
l."
Now that they were able, the two
companions journeyed at once to the
Cape, bought themselves an excellent
outfit, and hired people sufficient for
large expedition.
The money which they did not spend
on the outfit they sent to the bank in
London.
1t was Davis who managed all that !;
he was the more businessiike of the
two.
This expedition got as far as the Vaal,
but did not return, and this is how it
happened
When they had got so far that. ac-
eording to Tricks and Davis's calcula-
tons, they should be only days jour-
ney from the diamond caves, they let
the natives, with the OK wagons. camp.
while they themselves continued their
journey alone.
They were lucky enough to find what
Prick maintained must have been Solo
mons deserted mines, and they filled a
whole sack with diamonds. But when
they reached the camp they found it had
been plundered. and all the members of
the expedition killed by hostile negro
tribe.
Prick and Davis were also captured
after hard struggle
In the night Davis, who was unin-
jured, succeeded in escaping, but Prick,
who had received an arrow in his thigh,
could not follow him.
Davis, with Tricks consent, took with
him the bag of diamonds, and promised
Immediately on reaching civilization to
prepare new expedition for the release
of Prick.
In the meantime, the blacks dragged
him with them farther and farther in
land, where it was impossible for him to
think of flight, and he lived with them
for three years.
At last gang of Eurspean pioneers
turned up far in the interier Of the dark