It chanced that the ship was short of hands, and the captain and chief engineer were in great straits to get the coal properly "trimmed," or broken up for the furnaces, the few available stokers being in constant requisition at the fires. One day our facetious friend proposed to lay a friendly wager with the captain that he would, before the next day was out, have half the passengers in the fore cabin volunteering to break up coal. He strolled down into the engine room that afternoon, taking care to choose a time when a number of the embryo diggers were loitering about, and carelessly taking up a piece of coal he suddenly started and said: "Good gracious, engineer, where did this coal come from?" The engineer, who was in the plot, said: "Some we brought from Cape Town to last for return trip." "I thought so. Why this is the very same coal in which the diamonds are always found on the fields." "No!" said the engineer. "Yes," repeated our friend, "and I will give you a sovereign to let me overhaul the next lot of coal you get out of the bumpers." "Oh, for the matter of that," said the engineer, "you are welcome to go over the whole lot; it is all in great lumps and isn't trimmed yet." "All right, lend me a coal hammer," and into the bunker stepped our joker, followed by the interested gaze of a score of the emigrants. In less than a quarter of an hour he emerged with five or six rough diamonds in his hand. "Well, boys," said he, "that isn't bad work for the time, is it? Now, I don't care to go working about in a ship's coal bunkers. Besides, I don't care for the stuff. That coal wants breaking up; go and get permission of the captain to let you do it, and I'll wager half of you will be rich before you arrive at Cape Town." No sooner said than done. Permission was granted, and, in less time than it takes to tell it, fifteen or twenty of the diamond seekers were hard at work banging at the coal, and straining their eyes in vain for the diamonds which seemed so easy to find. But their quest was fruitless, and the joker kept them at it by telling them they did not break the coal properly, that it had to be broken across the grain, and so on. Every bit of coal the ship required for her voyage was soon beautifully trimmed for the fires, and no diamonds found. CHAPTER FIVE.