ferous gravel. Beneath this lay a mass of blue shale, of the
variety known as "floating reef." The latter filled the claim, as well
as several of those adjoining it, to a depth, as it turned out, of
between forty and fifty feet. Below the shale the ground proved to be
rich enough. But within a few weeks of the rush we sold this piece of
ground for 40 pounds.

However, our half claim in No. 9 Road paid very well indeed. For
several months our finds there averaged from three to five diamonds per
diem. None of the stones were large; the heaviest weighed only about
fourteen carats, and the general quality was exceptionally poor.
Nevertheless, we sold the proceeds of about four months' work for
nearly 600 pounds. Of this I received one quarter.

It is curious now to reflect that we, in common with many others, were
convinced that it would never pay to work to a greater depth than about
ten feet. At first every claim holder sank a "paddock," its dimensions
being about eight by twelve feet. The ground lifted out was then sifted
on the yet unbroken portion of the claim. The largest clods were
extracted by means of a sieve with a very wide mesh, and then
pulverized in a very perfunctory manner with clubs and pick-heads. The
result was cleared of sand in a sieve with a fine mesh, the contents of
which were poured on to a table, usually measuring about five feet by
four, and sorted. It was in the course of this sorting that most of the
diamonds weighing from ten carats downward were found. Larger stones
were generally observed either when the ground was loosened in the
claim or else in the large sieve. But there can be no doubt that
millions of pounds' worth of diamonds were thrown away, owing to the
clods not being properly pulverized.

I remember the case of a very old Boer, who was practically a pauper,
finding a 90-carat stone when scratching on the side of a rubbish heap.
The finder's agitation was so great that he picked up his treasure and
bolted incontinently. A few people who saw what had happened gave
chase, and within a few minutes his following had increased to several
hundreds. The old man sped down the street, rushed into Crowder's
store, sprang over the counter, and took refuge among some sugar bags
which lay beneath. For a long time he could not be persuaded that the
crowd was actuated only by curiosity, and had no furtive intent.

As may be imagined, the detritus in the claims soon became a serious
embarrassme