"All Americans rich--tres riches. Did you ever hear of poor Americans?" Hickey took another drink and snickered. Handsome looked thoughtful. After a pause, he said: "What your boss' name?" "Monsieur Traynor of the Americo-African Mining Co." Handsome started. "What? Kenneth Traynor, of the Americo-African Mining Company--the people who made those sensational finds." "Yes--he's vice-president of the company." Handsome gave a low, expressive whistle. "He's rich--all right! Do you know what those stones are worth?" "Over a million dollairs." "And he came out here to----" The valet nodded. "_Oui_--zat's it--to get ze big diamonds. We're on our way back from ze mines now. He has ze stones in his possession." "And taking them to New York?" gasped Handsome; "a million dollars' worth?" "Yes--taking zem to New York. That's what he came out for. We want to reach ze coast as soon as possible. Again I ask. Will you guide us back to ze trail?" For a few moments Handsome made no answer. The thoughtful expression on his pale, care-worn face showed that he was thinking hard. What was passing in his mind no one knew, but whatever it was it caused the lines about his strong mouth to tighten and the steely blue eyes to flash. A million dollars? God! What will a man not do for a million dollars? Turning to the valet, he said hastily: "Yes, I'm on. Take me to your party. I'll show you the trail. Quick, lead the way." CHAPTER VIII Traveling to and from the diamond fields in the days immediately following the first rush was not an unmixed joy. Express wagons drawn by eight horses or mules and running from Cape Town to Klipdrift once a week charged passengers sixty dollars a head, the journey across the plains taking about eight days. Travelers whose business was so urgent that they could not wait for the regular stage had to hire a team of their own at a much higher expense.