When I was at Klipdam the miners had congregated at a spot called “New Rush,” where some good finds of diamonds had been reported. The gravel is dug and put into a machine resembling the gold miner’s dolly, where it is rocked and stirred by rakes, with a current of water flowing over it. Here all the fine stuff is washed away and a rough kind of concentration effected. The residual gravel is put on a table and sorted for diamonds--an operation performed by the master. At one of the claims where work was proceeding vigorously I asked the proprietor to let me be present at the sorting out, as I should like to see river diamonds. He willingly consented, but no diamonds were to be found. On my expressing regret, he said he had not seen a diamond for a fortnight! I remarked that the prospect was rather a poor one, but he told me that a fortnight before he picked out one worth £300, “and that,” he said, “will pay for several weeks’ wages of my boys.” This is the kind of speculative gambling that goes on at the river diggings. The miner may toil fruitlessly for months, and then come across a pocket of stones, where they have been swept by some eddy, by which he will net several thousands. Diamonds from the “river washings” are of all kinds, as if contributed by every mine in the neighbourhood. They are much rolled and etched, and contain a good proportion of first-class stones; they are of very good quality, as if only the better and larger stones had survived the ordeal of knocking about. Diamonds from the drift fetch about 40 per cent more than those from Kimberley; taking the yield of the Kimberley and De Beers mines as worth all round, large and small, 26s. 6d. a carat, those from the drift are worth 40s. As a rule the better class of natives--the Zulus, Matabeles, Basutos, and Bechuanas--when well treated, are very honest and loyal to their masters. An amusing instance of the devotion of a Zulu came to my knowledge at Klipdam. He had been superintending a gang of natives on a small claim at the river washings. It yielded but few stones, and the owner--my informant--sold the claim, handing over the plant and small staff, our friend the Zulu remaining to look after the business till the new owner took possession. In the course of a few months the purchaser became dissatisfied with his bargain, not a single diamond having turned up since the transfer. One night the Zulu came to his old master in a mysterious manner, and laying a handful of diamonds on the table, said, “There, Baas, are your diamonds; I was not going to let the new man have any of them!” CHAPTER II KIMBERLEY AND ITS DIAMOND MINES