The ideal prospector is born, not made. He may be versed in geology and mineralogy and excel with the blow-pipe, but unless he has the love of wild places in his bones he will never fulfil his purpose. He must be an “adventurer” in the older and honourable sense of the word; often, unfortunately, he “fills the bill” in the more sordid sense. He should be able to ride, shoot, walk, climb, and swim with the best; indeed, if he still exists in the future, he will probably also need to fly. And the wilds must call him. “Something hid behind the ranges! Go and look behind the ranges!” as Kipling has it. That is the true spirit of the prospector; he must love his work or he will never succeed in it. I have had men out with me who were good enough theoretically, but were quite useless to cope with the misadventures they had to encounter, and soon gave up the life for something easier. I have had others to whom the glamour of a life spent in the wilds, with the sand for a couch and the stars for a ceiling, outweighed all its little disadvantages. FRED C. CORNELL. CAPE TOWN, 1919. CONTENTS CHAPTER I SOME WILD-GOOSE CHASES--DISCOVERY OF DIAMONDS IN GERMAN SOUTH-WEST AFRICA--BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NEW MANDATORY, LUDERITZBUCHT pp. 1-13 CHAPTER II RUMOUR OF “HOTTENTOTS’ PARADISE”--UP THE COAST ON A SEALING CUTTER--WALFISH BAY pp. 14-29 CHAPTER III THE NAMIEB DESERT, “SAM-PANS”--CAPE CROSS--SWAKOPMUND--WINDHUK pp. 30-43 CHAPTER IV MORE DIAMOND RUMOURS--PROSPECTING IN A MOTOR-CAR--VAN RYN’S DORP--PROSPECTING IN EARNEST--A PATRIARCH--NEWS OF BUSHMAN’S PARADISE pp. 44-62 CHAPTER V “ANDERSON’S DIAMONDS”--PRIESKA, UPINGTON--THE SOUTHERN KALAHARI pp. 63-75 CHAPTER VI ZWARTMODDER--THE MOLOPO--RIETFONTEIN--THE GAME RESERVE pp. 76-91 CHAPTER VII KLEIN NAMAQUALAND--RICHTERSFELDT--PORT NOLLOTH AND THE “C.C.C.”--STEINKOPF--WONDERFUL NAMAQUALAND FLOWERS--TREKKING TO RICHTERSFELDT--FLEAS!--MONOTONY OF THE COUNTRY--MOUNTAINS IN SIGHT pp. 92-103 CHAPTER VIII RICHTERSFELDT--ALEXANDER BAY--MOUTH OF THE ORANGE RIVER--“HADJE AIBEEP”--HELL’S KLOOF--A DESERTED COPPER-MINE--ROUGH GOING--A MAGNIFICENT VISTA OF PEAKS--AN OLD GOLD PROSPECT pp. 104-121 CHAPTER IX GOLD CAMP--THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS TO ARIEP--TATAS BERG AND COPPER PROSPECTS--A “MOUNTAIN” OF COPPER--THE GREAT FISH RIVER--THE “GROOT SLANG”--ZENDLING’S DRIFT pp. 122-144 CHAPTER X