over the land south and west, and had just come in
contact with the Namaquas, a Hottentot race who had come from the
south. The result had been a series of bloody native wars, in which
neither race could for long claim decided advantage. Meanwhile the
aboriginal Bushmen of the country had been almost exterminated,
scattered tribes of them only remaining in the most inaccessible parts
of the country. It was towards these wild people that my path lay, and
the few settlers I met warned me that my trip was likely to be a
dangerous one.

"And you have nothing to gain!" they pointed out, "these Bushmen have
no cattle, no ivory, nothing! They are but vermin, and a poisoned arrow
is all you are likely to get from them." But, secure in my knowledge of
the riches awaiting me, I was not to be deterred; and there came a day
when my wagon, loaded with a goodly stock of "trade" goods, trekked
from the sands of Walfisch Bay towards the then unknown country lying
to the north. Rain had fallen and I found the trek by no means as
difficult as I had expected, for I had good native guides, and for a
time all went well. But gradually the long sandy stretches were left
behind, and the country became extremely difficult. On all sides rose
vast table-topped mountains with almost perpendicular sides, and the
wide valleys between them gradually narrowed till they became nothing
but deep, narrow, precipitous gorges, impassable for a wagon. Deep we
penetrated into this tangle of mountains, endeavoring in vain to find a
way through in the direction I believed the valley to lie, and at
length it became evident that to proceed farther with the wagon was out
of the question. Here, therefore, in a well-wooded kloof, with an
abundance of water, I made my central camp; and from it I proceeded to
explore the country farther north. By this time the wild Bushmen, who
had hitherto fled at our approach, had gained confidence, and came
freely to the camp, and I had guides in plenty. For a time their
extraordinary "click" language was utterly beyond my comprehension, but
at length I learnt enough of it to make them understand what I wished
to find.

But search as I would I could never find the spot--valley after valley
they took me to, krantz after krantz, and kloof after kloof, I
scrambled through and searched, but all in vain. Mineral wealth I found
everywhere, copper and tin in abundance, and in one deep valley rich
nuggets of gold, but still the diamonds