What followed was performed with the quick dexterity of a clever
surgeon, the searcher bending down, grasping the great firm muscles of
the Kaffir's right leg about mid-way between hip and knee, and pressing
hard with his two thumbs, when to the surprise of West a small
perpendicular slit opened and a good-sized diamond was forced out, to
fall upon the ground and be received by the under-searcher, while the
wound closed up again with all the elasticity of a cut made in a piece
of indiarubber.
"Bravo!" cried West, and then he held his breath as he saw the clever
manipulation performed upon the Kaffir's other leg, a second diamond
being forced out of the man's elastic muscle, to be secured in turn.
"That will do," said the chief searcher, after a quick glance down the
Kaffir's arms, the man scowling and looking depressed as he was marched
away.
"Almost a pity you didn't back your opinion heavily, Mr Anson, eh?"
added the official.
"Well, I am deceived," said Anson, wrinkling up his forehead. "Who'd
ever have thought of that?"
"The Kaffirs, seemingly," said Ingleborough coolly? and he smiled in
Anson's disconsolate face.
"But it's wicked," cried Anson, "downright wicked for a man to cut
himself like that for the sake of a bit of glittering glass. I say,
mustn't it hurt very much?"
"Can't say," said West merrily. "Try!"
"What, me?" cried Anson, looking startled and involuntarily thrusting
his hands down to touch the parts in question. "Oh no! It's horrible
what people will do for the sake of gain."
"Quite sure you wouldn't like to try, Mr Anson?" said the searcher.
"I'll do it for you if you like. Only wants a very sharp knife and a
good hard pinch to numb the muscle; then it's done in a few minutes--one
good cut, the stone pressed in, and the cold surface makes the skin
contract."
Anson's face seemed to curdle up, and two creases formed, one round each
corner of his mouth, as if putting it between parentheses, as he shook
his head.
"Look here," he said, "what's the good of bantering so? Are you going
to search any more men?"
"No," said the official; "that's the lot."
"But are you going to punish them?"
"Oh yes! They'll have to take their dose for it, sir; you may be sure
of that. We're going to be more and more severe over this
illicit-diamond-dealing."
"Are you?" said Anson innocently.
"We just are. It'll be a shooting matter soon if it can't be stopped
otherwise."
"How horrid!" said Anson. "But I say, these men don't deal illicitly,
do they?"
"They wouldn't if a set of scoundrels did not set them on to steal, so
that they could buy of the poor ignorant savages, giving them shillings
for what they sell for pounds."
"How sad it seems!" said Anson thoughtfully.
"And how innocent you seem!" said West, laughing.
"Yes, it's charming," cried Ingleborough. "Why, you know all about it."
"I?" cried Anson. "Oh, of course I know something about it. I've heard
of the illicit-diamond-dealing, and read about it; but it has all gone
in at one ear and out at the other. You see, I devote so much time to
music. That and my work at the office keep me from taking much notice
of other things. Politics, for instance, and the rumours of war. Do
you think it at all likely that there will be any fighting, West?"
"I can't say," was the reply; "but we're going to be perfectly ready for
the Boers in case there is, and it's quite time we were off,
Ingleborough, if we intend to answer at the roll-call."
"Hah! Yes," cried the young man addressed. "Better come with us,
Anson."
The latter shook his head, and his companions separated from him at the
gate.
"Better come," said Ingleborough again. "Join, and then you'll be on
the spot if we do form a band."
"Oh no!" said Anson, smiling. "You make up your minds at headquarters
to form a band, and then, if you like, I'll come and train it."
"He's a rum fellow," said West, as the two young men fell into step.
"Ah," said Ingleborough roughly, "I am afraid Master Anson's more R.
than F."
"More R. than F?" said West questioningly.
"If you must have it in plain English, more rogue than fool."
"Well, I fancy he isn't quite so simple as he pretends to be."
"Bah! I'm not a quarrelsome fellow, but I always feel as if I must kick
him. He aggravates me."
"Nice soft sort of a fellow to kick," said West, laughing.
"Ugh!" ejaculated Ingleborough, and his foot flew out suddenly as if
aimed at the person of whom they spoke. "Don't know anything about
diamonds! What things people will do for the sake of a bit of
glittering glass! Look here, West, for all his talk I wouldn't trust
him with a consignment of stones any farther than I could see him."
"Don't be prejudiced!" said West. "You don't like him, and so you can
only see his bad side."
"And that's all round," replied Ingleborough laughing. "No; I don't
like him. I never do like a fellow who is an unnatural sort of a prig.
He can't help being fat and pink and smooth, but he can help his
smiling, sneaky manner. I do like a fellow to be manly. Hang him! Put
him in petticoats, with long hair and a bonnet, he'd look like
somebody's cook. But if I had an establishment and he was mine, I
should be afraid he'd put something unpleasant into my soup."
"Never mind about old Anson," said West merrily, "but look here. What
about that illicit-diamond-buying? Do you think that there's much of it
taking place?"
"Much?" cried his companion. "It is tremendous. The company's losing
hundreds of thousands of pounds yearly."
"Nonsense!"
"It's a fact," said Ingleborough earnestly; "and no end of people are
hard at work buying stolen diamonds, in spite of the constant sharp
look-out kept by the police."
"But I should have thought that the licences and the strict supervision
would have checked the greater part of it."
"Then you'd have thought wrong, my boy. I wish it did, for as we are
going on now it makes everyone suspicious and on the look-out. I
declare that for months past I never meet any of our people without
fancying they suspect me of buying and selling diamonds on the sly."
"And that makes you suspicious too," said West quietly.
Ingleborough turned upon him sharply, and looked him through and
through.
"What made you say that?" he said at last.
"Previous conversation," replied West.
"Humph! Well, perhaps so."