TWIXT LIFE AND DEATH An Easter Monday in South Africa.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 381, 3 July 1889, Page 6

TWIXT LIFE AND DEATH An Easter Monday in South Africa.

The South African Diamond Mines have been the 3corie of many an unwritten drama, especially in the early days of their develop' ment, but I doubt if the incident I am about to relate, and Avhich is strictly true, has ever been oxceeded in tho intensity of ts horrors. • ' ] Jack Thompson and I were lads together. We went to the.came school, where we had the usual share of quarrels a,nd blows, but beyond the boyish differences of opinions, we always remained fast friend?, and grew up to manhood in amity and concord. Jack's character was a strange ono ; at times he was so lovable ; at other periods when anything crossed him he would grow perloctly frantic in ln^ rage, and comtnifc excesses of which he afterwards bittorly repented. He was an only son, and most of us attributed his varying humour to the amount of petting and spoiling ho always received from his mother. Their place and ours adjoined, and so it was that after leaving school, he and 1 were always together, and, in fact, inseparable. Having tastes and instincts in common, it is not surprising that, when; the battle of life had to commence in real ' earnest, we elected to stand or fall together. The years 1871 and 1872 wore exciting ones in South Africa. The news spread all over the civilised globe that countless wealth had been laid bavo by accident, and everyone who could was flocking to take his share in the ' luck.' How many reaped their harvest it would be impossible to say ; but this much is known, that many died in the then wilderness, brokenhearted and weary of waiting for tho gold which they never reached. In this rush for wealth, how many have succeeded, I should like to know, compared with those who have only found the precious metals to be a snare to death ? This by tho way. The diamond fever somehow got to our pretty Surrey home at Godalming, and set us all dreaming of the countless wealth that would be ours if only we were on the spot. I shall neveriorget the excitement of my poor old father when the rector of our parish called one day and brought a strange-looking newspaper, from which he read how a Mr Er&ms, a wellknown farmer of the district, 'who had emigrated some years before to South Africa, had made some extraordinary • finds,' and was now on his way home a wealthy man. Jack was present at this meeting, and I noticed he seemed to be somewhat silent and absorbed during the recital ol tne luck of our neighbour, but it was not until a few days after that he gavo expression to his thoughts. 'Will,' said he, 'I can't help thinking over what old Johnson read us the other day, and it has> struck me that, if others can make their fortunes diamond-hunting, we might. What do you say t;o' a trip ? It can do no harm, and may probably be the means of making us rich men for life. You know how anxious I am not to lead an aimless life here in this confine 3 sphere, and I am certain mother will let me go when I explain my wishes ; and surely you can persuade your governor to let you accompany me.' After this there were many talks between the t'.ro families, plenty of tears and expostulations, until, finally, Jack and I got our way, and we made ready to depart to ' the land of gold and glitter, never believing but that we should soon amass a fortune. And so at last we were off, having secured our passage in the steamship Celt, which afterwards found a home beneath tho waves outside Port Flizabeth. I need not here enter into details regarding the voyage, except to say it was a delightful ono to us, and we enjoyed the run ashore at Madeira and St. Helena as no two men ever did before. At last, one bright morning in November, we awoke to find ourselves in Table Bay< with the great flat mountain standing out in clear outline in the blue sky, and seeming to me, thinking as I was thon of home, to be setting itself in our front as a barrier over which we were not to pass. We only spent a few days in Cape Town looking round and. getting our traps together, and were soon after on theway to the Diamond Fields in one of those celebrated coaches' of Cobb and Co. For hours and days we journeyed on over trackless prairies, meeting few Europeans, and they mobtly Dutch, who stared at us with astonishment, for they all thought the world had suddenly gone mad, so great was tho rush for tho precious minerals. At last we arrived on the Diamond Fiolds, and Jack and I soon purchased and pegged out a claim, which we, in the excitement of the moment, began to work without the least delay. Never shall I forget the craze for wealth which was apparent on everybody's face. Man, woman, and child spoke of nothing but diamonds, diamonds, diamonds. The fever was upon everyone, and speedily Jack and I fell into the same groove, and we worked away lustily and cravincrly in our search for the precious sparkling gems through the long houis of broiling sunshine. But after several weeks of toil no luck had come to us, and only a few worthless stones had been our reward. Jack wanted to get a Merger claim a b another part of the mine, but I reasoned with him that one was as good as another, and so we worked on, until I noticed he began to grow discontented and quarrelsome over trifle^, and often the day finished and found us bad friends. This was due, I thought, to my obstinacy in not acceding to Jack's wish, and, pained at the idea of any ill-feeling creeping up between us, I one night told him 1 would willingly do us he wished. To my surprise he turned upon me and said, ' You have been so long making up your mind that I this morning concluded a purchaso on my own account. So, tomorrow, I shall clear out from heie and you can pay me what you like for my share of the claim.' ' Very well,' I retorted, somewhat nettled by his want of consideration in failing to consult me, c since you wish it I have no objection,' and I handed to him the small sum due as his share. I saw that the diamond fever was strong upon my friend, and felt the be&t way to retain his confidence and affection was to let him have his own way, for Jack was as stubborn and as obstinate as most of us. I didn't see him for some days after this, until an unusually good find of stones in my claim led me to walk over to his to tell him ot the news. I thought he would be glad, but when I showed him the result of my labour, he merely remarked upon it and then turned the conversation. ' , ' Had no luck. Jack ?' I asked. 'No,' he replied, ' the stories don't seem to come my way.' ' ( ' Each , succeeding day made me a richer man., The deeper I went into the blue ground, the, more diamonds I found, and I was elated at my luck.. Jack, on the contrary, seemed to become more moody and despondbnt than ever, which culminatod in an open rupture. There could be no doubt of the fact that' his non-success had made him Unadly jealous of my' good fortune. '

My <, luck was' crowned by a preciou ' find 'of a nearly white stone of over 300| carats, and the camp-w as alive with the news. Diggers, came in .shoals to see my 'find,' and I was offered enormous sums (for my claim, or a share of it, .which I respectfully declined! Having stood by the claim so long, I was determined not to sell any portion of my interest in it. Had Jack asked me to do so I certainly should I have made an exception in his case, but he never did. I had, with the assistance of my Kaffirs, dug to a very considerable depth, and my claim was now a yawning pir, over 70ft. deep. The earth containing the precious minerals was hauled to the surface by buckets, which were al£o used by us to descend and ascend, and they were worked by a windlass. I Ib was Easter Monday, 1873. I sha'l never forget that day, for then it was that the incident of which I spoke occurred. I hnd gone to the mine at sunrise, so as to get the cool of the morning in which to work, and gave directions to the man at the windlass to lower me into the mine. I had not gone down more than; ten feet before the bucket suddenly stopped, and there I was, suspended in a small w'oodjen receptacle, dangling over a deptli of 60tt. I thought ,some aqqident had occurred, and shouted to the Kaffir in charge to haul, me up. But there was'no' response. ' > ' Suddenly a form darkened the top of the claim, and, on looking up, I saw Jack lying with his face overhanging the pit. • What's the matter with the windlass, old man V I asked. ' Tell the boy to pull me up, for I don't like this awkward po&ition, I can tell you.' 'Slowly the reply came, hissed through clenched teeth : ' D you, you have taken my claim from me, and now you shall experience a littie of what I have felt. For months I have been working like a nigger, and finding nothing. You have reaped my harvest, and now I am going to reap yours. Diamonds I must and will have.' ' Jack, what do you mean ? J have done you no injury. You left me of your own aocord. Come, remember our long friendship, and don't be unreasonable.' ( Unreasonable !' And he laughed with a fiendish laugh, and his face was livid. Horror ! Hanging there over certain death, I saw him deliberately open his clasp knife and prepare to cut" the rope by which I was suspended. I shouted and pleaded ; offered him all I had if he would abandon his criminal purpose, but in vain. • Curse you,' baid be, 'you have made ray life a hell, and now you shall suffer as I have.' And he began to saw at the thick rope. My head swam, and it was with difficulty I could support myself in the bucket. Suddenly I heard a shout, which distracted the attention of Jack, who, in turning round to learn the cause — how can I write it ? — by some means lost his balance, and came crashing down, almost upsetting me in his fall, and the last I heard was a dull thud on the rocky ground below. When I awoke to consciousness I found an anxious group around me, and beside me, covered by a cloak, lay the mangled remains of my triend. Poor fellcw ! Ms misfortune had turned his brqin, ib appears, and he had ia his cunning madness watched me descend into the claim, and had told my Kaffir that he would lower me, thus getting rid of my only help. Be had fastened the rope to the windlass, and then proceeded to carry out his sinister purpose, with the result that he lost his life. You will say I have reason to remember Easter Monday.