It seemed to me that Arnold’s argument was unanswerable. Before we left San Francisco, every detail had been arranged. This was a plain departure from the plan. I took sides with Arnold. In fact, there was nothing else to do, for he insisted that everything was off unless we conceded to his wishes. Besides, I had every faith in Janin’s ability to pass on the genuineness of the diamond fields. Accordingly a telegram was sent that turned Roberts and his party back. We left the Union Pacific Railroad at a small station near Rawlings Springs. Here we hired the necessary outfit and struck out in the wilderness, Arnold and Slack leading the way. Our course was erratic. At times our leaders seemed to be perplexed, to have lost their way. At times they climbed high peaks, apparently in search of landmarks. The country was wild and inhospitable. We suffered during four days’ travel many inconveniences. The party became cross and quarrelsome. At last, on the fourth day, early in the morning, Arnold set out alone, to get his bearings, as he said. He returned about noon, said everything was all right, and we set out again with high hopes. By four o’clock we pitched camp on the famous diamond fields. The spot was at a high elevation, about 7,000 feet above sea level, I think. Physically, it embraced a small mesa or rather gently sloping basin, littered here and there with rocks comprising about thirty or forty acres, through which a small stream of water ran. It was located in one of the most unfrequented parts of the United States, although, as it afterwards proved, Arnold and Slack in their zig-zag course, had actually brought us nearly parallel with the railroad and not more than twenty or twenty-five miles from it. In fact, once, while we were at the mines, on a very still day, I thought I heard something in the far distance that sounded like the ghost of a whistle. When I mentioned this to Arnold, he merely smiled. The railroad was at least a hundred miles away, he said. But at all events we were mighty glad to reach our destination and now everything was sidetracked to begin the diamond hunt. We barely unsaddled our animals and secured them; then commenced to hunt diamonds. Arnold and Slack were serene and confident. They pointed out several spots where they had previously dug and found the precious stones, already mined and delivered in San Francisco. We all went to work with our primitive mining implements--picks, shovels and pans. Everyone wanted to find the first diamond. After a few minutes Rubery gave a yell. He held up something glittering in his hand. It was a diamond, fast enough. Any fool could see that much. Then we began to have all kinds of luck. For more than an hour, diamonds were being found in profusion, together with occasional rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Why a few pearls weren’t thrown in for good luck I have never yet been able to tell. Probably it was an oversight.