a simpleton-第67章
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horses flagged; so they thought it best to stop and light a fire
and stand upon their guard。
They did so; and Falcon sat with his rifle cocked; while Staines
boiled coffee; and they drank it; and after two hours' halt; pushed
on; and at last the bushes got more scattered; and they were on the
dreary plain again。 Falcon drew the rein; with a sigh of relief;
and they walked their horses side by side。
〃Well; what has become of the lions?〃 said Falcon jauntily。 He
turned in his saddle; and saw a large animal stealing behind them
with its belly to the very earth; and eyes hot coals; he uttered an
eldrich screech; fired both barrels; with no more aim than a baby;
and spurred away; yelling like a demon。 The animal fled another
way; in equal trepidation at those tongues of flame and loud
reports; and Christopher's horse reared and plunged; and deposited
him promptly on the sward; but he held the bridle; mounted again;
and rode after his companion。 A stern chase is a long chase; and
for that or some other reason he could never catch him again till
sunrise。 Being caught; he ignored the lioness; with cool hauteur:
he said he had ridden on to find comfortable quarters: and craved
thanks。
This was literally the only incident worth recording that the
companions met with in three hundred miles。
On the sixth day out; towards afternoon; they found by inquiring
they were near the diamond washings; and the short route was
pointed out by an exceptionally civil Boer。
But Christopher's eye had lighted upon a sort of chain of knolls;
or little round hills; devoid of vegetation; and he told Falcon he
would like to inspect these; before going farther。
〃Oh;〃 said the Boer; 〃they are not on my farm; thank goodness! they
are on my cousin Bulteel's;〃 and he pointed to a large white house
about four miles distant; and quite off the road。 Nevertheless;
Staines insisted on going to it。 But first they made up to one of
these knolls; and examined it; it was about thirty feet high; and
not a vestige of herbage on it; the surface was composed of sand
and of lumps of gray limestone very hard; diversified with lots of
quartz; mica; and other old formations。
Staines got to the top of it with some difficulty; and examined the
surface all over。 He came down again; and said; 〃All these little
hills mark hot volcanic actionwhy; they are like boiling earth…
bubbleswhich is the very thing; under certain conditions; to turn
carbonate of lime into diamonds。 Now here is plenty of limestone
unnaturally hard; and being in a diamond country; I can fancy no
place more likely to be the matrix than these earth…bubbles。 Let
us tether the horses; and use our shovels。〃
They did so; and found one or two common crystals; and some jasper;
and a piece of chalcedony all in little bubbles; but no diamond。
Falcon said it was wasting time。
Just then the proprietor; a gigantic; pasty colonist; came up; with
his pipe; and stood calmly looking on。 Staines came down; and made
a sort of apology。 Bulteel smiled quietly; and asked what harm
they could do him; raking that rubbish。 〃Rake it all avay; mine
vriends;〃 said he: 〃ve shall thank you moch。〃
He then invited them languidly to his house。 They went with him;
and as he volunteered no more remarks; they questioned him; and
learned his father had been a Hollander; and so had his vrow's。
This accounted for the size and comparative cleanliness of his
place。 It was stuccoed with the lime of the country outside; and
was four times as large as the miserable farmhouses of the
degenerate Boers。 For all this; the street door opened on the
principal room; and that room was kitchen and parlor; only very
large and wholesome。 〃But; Lord;〃 as poor dear Pepys used to blurt
out〃to see how some folk understand cleanliness!〃 The floor was
made of powdered ants' nests; and smeared with fresh cow…dung every
day。 Yet these people were the cleanest Boers in the colony。
The vrow met them; with a snow…white collar and cuffs of Hamburgh
linen; and the brats had pasty faces round as pumpkins; but shone
with soap。 The vrow was also pasty…faced; but gentle; and welcomed
them with a smile; languid; but unequivocal。
The Hottentots took their horses; as a matter of course。 Their
guns were put in a corner。 A clean cloth was spread; and they saw
they were to sup and sleep there; though the words of invitation
were never spoken。
At supper; sun…dried flesh; cabbage; and a savory dish the
travellers returned to with gusto。 Staines asked what it was: the
vrow told himlocusts。 They had stripped her garden; and filled
her very rooms; and fallen in heaps under her walls; so she had
pressed them; by the million; into cakes; had salted them lightly;
and stored them; and they were excellent; baked。
After supper; the accomplished Reginald; observing a wire guitar;
tuned it with some difficulty; and so twanged it; and sang ditties
to it; that the flabby giant's pasty face wore a look of dreamy
content over his everlasting pipe; and in the morning; after a
silent breakfast; he said; 〃Mine vriends; stay here a year or two;
and rake in mine rubbish。 Ven you are tired; here are springbok
and antelopes; and you can shoot mit your rifles; and ve vil cook
them; and you shall zing us zongs of Vaderland。〃
They thanked him heartily; and said they would stay a few days; at
all events。
The placid Boer went a…farming; and the pair shouldered their pick
and shovel; and worked on their heap all day; and found a number of
pretty stones; but no diamond。
〃Come;〃 said Falcon; 〃we must go to the river;〃 and Staines
acquiesced。 〃I bow to experience;〃 said he。
At the threshold they found two of the little Bulteels; playing
with pieces of quartz; crystal; etc。; on the door…stone。 One of
these stones caught Staines's eye directly。 It sparkled in a
different way from the others: he examined it: it was the size of a
white haricot bean; and one side of it polished by friction。 He
looked at it; and looked; and saw that it refracted the light。 He
felt convinced it was a diamond。
〃Give the boy a penny for it;〃 said the ingenious Falcon; on
receiving the information。
〃Oh!〃 said Staines。 〃Take advantage of a child?〃
He borrowed it of the boy; and laid it on the table; after supper。
〃Sir;〃 said he; 〃this is what we were raking in your kopjes for;
and could not find it。 It belongs to little Hans。 Will you sell
it us? We are not experts; but we think it may be a diamond。 We
will risk ten pounds on it。〃
〃Ten pounds!〃 said the farmer。 〃Nay; we rob not travellers; mine
vriend。〃
〃But if it is a diamond; it is worth a hundred。 See how it gains
fire in the dusk。〃
In short; they forced the ten pounds on him; and next day went to
work on another kopje。
But the simple farmer's conscience smote him。 It was a slack time;
so he sent four Hotteatots; with shovels; to help these friendly
maniacs。 These worked away gayly; and the white men set up a
sorting table; and sorted the stuff; and hammered the nodules; and
at last found a little stone as big as a pea that refracted the
light。 Staines showed this to the Hottentots; and their quick eyes
discovered two more that day; only smaller。
Next day; nothing but a splinter or two。
Then Staines determined to dig deeper; contrary to the general
impression。 He gave his reason: 〃Diamonds don't fall from the sky。
They work up from the ground; and clearly the heat must be greater
farther down。〃
Acting on this; they tried the next strata; but found it entirely
barren。 After that; however; they came to a fresh layer of
carbonate; and here; Falcon hammering a large lump of conglomerate;
out leaped; all of a sudden; a diamond big as a nut; that ran along
the earth; gleaming like a star。 It had polished angles and
natural facets; and even a novice; with an eye in his head; could
see it was a diamond of the purest water。 Staines and Falcon
shouted with delight; and made the blacks a present on the spot。
They showed the prize; at night; and begged the farmer to take to
digging。 There was ten times more money beneath his soil than on
it。
Not he。 He was a farmer: did not believ