A SOUTH AFRICAN CRIME.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XIX, Issue IX, 21 August 1897, Page 280

A SOUTH AFRICAN CRIME.

* You black rascal, I gave yoa out enough wood to last you two more days ! You've been selling it for snuff. If I find you at such games, the only wood you will get will be about your back.' * You lie, boss 1’ replied the gaunt Kaffir, in a deep, guttural voice. * You lie !' he repeated, with a smile which showed that he meant no offence, but simply used the one English form of denial that he knew. This Kaffir was employed as a digger in one of the South African diamond miner, where all the native labourers are cal'ed

‘boys.* Besides their wages, they receive wood for cooking purposes. Now wood ie very scarce and costly there, henee the * bosses,’ who are usually * Britishers,* are apt to suspect the boys of making away fraudulently with the expensive fire wood. The man who accused this particular Kaffir was the managing partner of a firm of four Englishmen, who supposed themselves to be * gentlemen,* and were commonly regarded as such by their neighbours at the diggings. They had come out some months earlier to seek their fortunes In diamond-mining, but the sequel proved them willing to gain money by almost any means, honest or atrocious, as the case might be.

Up to this time they had suffered that pernicious run of luck which is almost worse than no luck at all. They had put nearly all their capital in one ‘ hole,* from which their boys seldom brought them a diamond till the owners were on the point of giving up in despair. Encouraged by a find at last, the Englishmen would put in more money, only to experience another long succession of profitless days, followed at the last moment by a find that induced them to venture for a month longer. So * the lock * had gone till nearly their whole capital had melted away, and they had come to speak of the * bole' as the ‘sepulchre.* Probably their Kaffirs had been secreting and stealing the diamonds as fast as they found them, shrewdly giving the bosses just enough to keep them investing their money for the benefit of their boys. As the manager continued to accuse and threaten this particular Kaffir violently, and as the Kaffir continued to answer smilingly, * You lie, boss, yon lie !* the three other partners of this firm of ‘ gentlemen ’ came to the sound of the discussion.

* Get back to your work 1* roared the managing partner. As the boy ran away the manager said, petulantly : * I say, yon fellows ! I wish we hadn’t arranged to go on with this beggarly sepulchre for another month. Here’s half the time gone, and the same old game. All the eggs in one basket and no luck. I wish we bad put onr last pile in the wood-cutting business, as the doctor suggested.’ ‘Not too late yet,’ said the doctor, who was one of the quartette. * No, why should it be,? Wood cutting appears to pay those five fellows uncommonly well. I'll bet they’re making sixty pounds a week. I wish some new chums would come along and buy us out, and let ns have a turn in the wood trade.’

Within a range of forty miles not a stick of wood was to be fonnd—nothing but the bare and scorched veldt, or plain. Hence fuel had to be transported' from afar with great labour, and it was in this transportation that the manager and the doctor wished to engage. With them the two others did not agree. * Oh, bother the wood !' said Merwyn. * Get the stuff and make it go as far as possible—that’s all I want to do in the wood trade.’

* There's more in the wood trade than appears,’ said the doctor. *We ought to look into it. I’d like to try it, anyway.’ * What do you mean by there being more -in it than appears ?’ said Merwyn. * Well, I’ve thought about that Wood Supplying Association for a long time. I’ve never been able to make out clearly what they really do for their money. My belief is that wood cutting is not their only occupation.’ ‘ Gammon ! Why ?’

‘ Where do they get their diamonds •* ■aid the doctor, laying bis finger to the side of his nose and looking profound. ‘Do you suppose they have fonnd diggings that they keep to themselves ?’ * I don't know. That’s one possible explanation. But diamonds they certainly get somewhere. They were the first men I met after I came here. I suppose they took me for a globe-trotter, as my garments still bad a twang of Pall Mall. One of them was anxious to supply me with spec! men diamonds. Where do they get those stones ’’ * Buy them for speculation,* said Merwyn. * No, they do not buy. I’ve inquired. They never buy a stone on this Kopje. So

I My again. Where do they get the diamond, ? Well, if things don't change for the better with ns soon, I’ll renew my acquaintance with those wood-dealers, and give them the chance to choose between opposition or taking us into partnership.’ With this the conference ended, and the partner, strolled away to their respective poets for watching their Kaffir,. A, overlookers their duties were principally three : First, to keep the boys at work ; second, to prevent the boy, secreting * find, ’ instead of bringing them to the managing partner; third, to sort the diamonds brought in.

The wood firm whoee doing, were thus discussed had been the object of much speculation before thia. But all attempts to become familiar with that close society had failed. The camp continued to wonder that five men, evidently broken-down * swells,’ should prefer the steady wood trade to dipping in the diggers' lucky-bag, with the chance of a find that would set them up again in their former style of life. Many men of the camp had volunteered to work for the firm, and others bad suggested that they would like a trip with the wood contractors ‘just for a change, you know.’ But not one of them got either engagement or invitation. The wood-dealing firm had been at first an ordinary hunting party, who looked in at the camp in the course of their wanderings. About four months later they reappeared with waggons, and set in at once to carry out plans which were evidently carefully prepared. Day in and day out, after their discussion about the wood firm, the four diggers worked at their unresponsive claim, s’eadily getting nearer to bankruptcy, and sturdily postponing its announcement in hopes of a change of luck. Indeed the claim was a very provoking one. Every

month it yielded some trifling diamond, just enough to keep them from abandoning the wretched speculation, but never enough to yield a sum that would enable them to cry quits and supply themselves for some other venture.

When the month ended the usual miser, able find turned up and found its way to the Diamond Koo per down the street, just in time to provide the means of struggling on. It was particularly painful to the manager to have to pass a fair proportion of the finds' value over to that strictly business like wood firm, whose representative insisted on eash in advance of delivery. During the previous week the diggers had not bought mneh wood, because their boys had absconded in such numbers that few were left to supply with fuel. Why were the boys running away more frequently than usual* The doctor especially pondered this problem, but he was too inexperienced to hit upon the true reason just yet. The head boy’s story that the absconders were homesick did not appear to be good enough. Certainly the Kaffirs were better fed and warmed at the mines than they were likely to be at home. It did not oeeur to the doctor that they might make home more comfortable with the proceeds of stolen diamonds.

One fine day about this time a visiting waggon-train from beyond the Transvaal brought an unfortunate native into camp. He had been picked up about four days ofl, starving and suffering from a bullet wound in the shoulder. Of this wound he would give no account. When he found out in which direction the party was journeying he had fought hard to get away, half-delirious though he was. When eventually safely landed in the hospital hut, the poor wretch sought the darkest corner, and effaced himself as

much as possible, u though fearful of some impend ids' Danishment. In the course of the day the only doctor on the field—he of the diamond firmheard of the wounded Kaffir, and strolled down to the hospital hut, which waa also the prison, in front of which many a boy bad been flogged for not giving up finds to their masters. Having opened the heavilypadlocked door, the doctor peered round for hie patient. No sooner did the Kaffir eateh sight of the visitor than he started up with a howl of fright, and made a determined rush for the door, where his weakness brought him down insensible.

In a moment the doctor, in his strictest professional capacity, was by the Kaffir’s side. Before the wounded man had re-

covered Mt conaciousnces, the bullet had been cut out from close under the skin of his back. This put the poor wretch in comparative comfort as he lay on the heap of sacks which did duty for a bed. There the doctor left him, and after carefully relocking the door went on his way in search of some medicines which he found would be required. Arrived at his tent the doctor put the bullet on the old packing ease that served as a common table. Then he gathered up what he wanted, and ret out again for the hospital or prison hut. This time the Kaffir did not attempt to escape, though his terrified aspect showed that he expected some awful retribution. ■ Strange!’ thought the doctor. • Perhaps he expects the usual Boer treatment, and thinks that we are uncommonly slow in putting him to torture, or no—perhaps it is the place that frightens him. If he ever worked on these claims he must have seen diamond-stealers flogged outside that door. Oh. now I understand !’

The doctor peered into the Kaffir’s terrified face.

* Yes, by Jove, Ido know him 1 If he’s not one of our runaway boys I’m a Dutchman. I suppose he expects me to have him flogged for desertion.’ As the doctor did not resent the man’s flight, he addressed all his skill to the wound. Soon the Kaffir made up his mind that he was not suspected of the robbery which had really been the motive of his desertion. He had taken diamonds from the mine, and sold them. His late employers were too inexperienced to be aware that a * boy ’ seldom decamped without a diamond smuggled away in some tight knot of his waist cloth.

* Digger law * forbade the possession of diamonds to any black man, and cruelly punished every ascertained infraction of this rule.

Possibly the Kaffir was affected to remorse by the compassion which the doctor seemed to bestow ; perhaps he was afraid of being searched, and thought it safer to yield his booty voluntarily. At any rate he tore to pieces a hard knot in his skin girdle, and let fall a noble diamond that flashed a bright course right across the dark clay floor of the hut. In a moment the doctor grasped the situation, and picked up the sparkling beauty so strangely returned to its owners. Then, feeling rather more inclined to shake the thief’s hand than give him over to his floggers, he put him back kindly on the sacks, and hurried off to share the good news with his chums.

He found them in solemn conclave, minutely inspecting some object that they passed from one to the other. * What! Got a stone worth looking at at last?’ cried the doctor, jumping at conclusions. * Then luck is changing with a rush ! See, here’s a beauty for you ! Let me see yours!’ Then, in exchange for the gem he gave them, be received the bullet he had left on the table.

* Why does this interest you ?’ asked the doctor, twiddling the bullet. * So qneer to find it here,’ said Merwyn. * Oh, I put it on the table,’ said the doctor, and told them the story. * Very strange,’ said Merwyn. * The rifle that fired that bullet is an old friend of mine. I’d swear to that ammunition anywhere. Bad times made me sell my shooting gear, and the man who bought the gun that carries that sort of ball is Thompson of the wood firm. Bless him for the lucky shot that brought back that sparkler.’

* If that’s the care, the shot may turn out more lucky still,’ added the doctor, after a few moments’ deep thought, * that is, if you cbaps are not too scrupulous.' * Ready for anything,* said Merwyn. * Well, let me have the stone, the bullet and three days’ leave, and when I return I shall have something that will put us all in fair way of getting on the home visiting lists again.* * What do you mean ?’ * Never mind. Let me alone. Work the stone as capital, and trust to me for a proper investment.’ The issue was not long in doubt. The stone was handed over, ana the next morning the doctor was gone. A week later any one who pleased might jump the deserted * sepulchre.* Its owners bad somehow or other joined the wood-

eutters, and to all appearance deserted diamond-digging for steady industry. So eamp affaire rolled on for upwards of a year, and Kaffirs came and Kaffirs absconded spasmodically re of old. At last a day came when the auctioneer had a grand sale, no less than the entire plant of the dissolving wood firm. This was knocked down at a bargain to some speculative strangers jointly with two of the retiring firm ; and the new lot set in to improve the business if possible. They did so with a vengeance, for in lees than four months the entire staff were in tail with a good chance of being lynched >y claim-holders from all parte. In plain words the firm's real * business ’ had Men discovered. It consisted of waylaying absconding Kaffirs, and relieving them of the diamonds they had stolen, in the certainty that they would not dare to complain. How many * boys ’ the knaves had found it necessary to murder was not to be ascertained.

The trial was a singular one. No charge against the prisoners could be sustained in law. They had certainly robbed black thieves of stolen diamonds, but the gems had never been seen by their true owners. Hence none of these could swear to their property. No Kaffir could be found to appear against the * wood company.’ There-

fore the rascally * gentlemen ’ laughed defiantly at those who arrested them. But though they eeeaped from court, they did not so eaaily gel away from the vigilance committee organized by the camp. A handsome eoat of tar and feathero was given to each rogue, and all were finally fairly kicked out of the company of honeat men. But the original set had long escaped to England, where they thought they would go scot-free. Fortunately the story waa well circulated there, and every man concerned ultimately suffered exposure and disgrace. W. B. Churchward.