Sam and me we talked and talked, until in the early morning we fixed up a company." "What did you do?" "We made a company--that's what--the Dale-Pike Diamon' Mining Company, but lor' bless yer, in the morning the whole thing seemed so blamed ridiklus that we guv up the idea. All the same, Sam he went down to Euphorby Drift, and I smoused over to the old spot where I seed the elephant, and blow me--there was ole Harkins flattened out Yes, sir. He were." "What ailed him?" "He were dead--that's all. That bull elephant must have charged him down soon's I cleared off. We reckoned, Sam and me, that as Harkins were dead that diamon' mine b'longed to us, and we started that company over again. It was quite reg'lar. Sam he studied up a prospectus, and fixed up a capital, he subscribin' two trek oxen, an' me a cow, a bull calf, and a pair o' gobblers. The hull lot came to 16 pounds, and with that we laid in a stock o' powder, lead, blankets, boots, coffee, sugar, tabak, an' a demijohn o' Cango. Then we shut up our homes, both on us being bachelors, and started after that ere blasted bull elephant." "I thought you were after a diamond?" "You ain't got any more thinking machine than a biled rabbit, Sam Topper. That bull elephant were the diamon' mine, in course." "How was that?" "Ain't I tole you? Why, when Harkins made that mistake and fired off that diamon' it went plump into the ole bull. I seed that as soon's Sam Dale told me the yarn, and we started after that property of ourn. That was forty-five year ago, and I guess from the size of his right tusk, the left been broken off, he were then about one hundred years old. I tell you what, chaps, that diamon's still knocking aroun' in the Addo bush." "The company didn't come into possession, then?" said Mr Strong. "Well, do I look as if I had a fortune of one hundred and fifty thousand golding sovereigns, which we reckoned was the value of that stone? Not much! No, sir." "Well, did you ever see the diamond?"