Chapter 2 Chapter One
"God, it's real thunder!" Jamie McGregor said.He had grown up in the violent storms typical of the Scottish Highlands, but he had never experienced a thunderstorm as violent as this.In the afternoon, sand and rocks suddenly flew in the sky, and day turned into night in an instant.Fiery lightning—shock, as white South Africans call it—cracked the murky sky, followed by thunder and downpours.The downpour, beating barracks-like tents and tin huts, turned the dingy streets of Cripdrift into a series of muddy, swift streams.The sky rang like thunder, one after another, like a cannon firing in heaven.
The hut made of rough bricks suddenly turned into a pile of mud, and Jamie McGregor hurriedly hid aside.He doubted that Cripdrift would survive.
Cripdrift isn't really a town.It's a village of tents in a mess.Numerous tents, tin huts and wagons huddle along the banks of the Waal River, inhabited by avid adventurers from all over the world.They were all drawn to South Africa by the same prey - diamonds.
Jamie McGregor is one of those adventurers.He was not eighteen years old, handsome and tall, with blond hair and strangely light gray eyes. He had an innocent air, charm, and a lovely eagerness to be kind. An optimistic lad.
He left his father's farm in the Scottish Highlands and traveled nearly eight thousand miles, via Edinburgh, London to Cape Town, and now Klipdrift.He has no regrets about giving up his share of the farm with his brother and father.He clearly knew that he would be compensated tens of thousands of times.He had left the only security he had ever known to come to this far and lonely place because he dreamed of becoming a millionaire.Jamie wasn't afraid of hard work, but the rewards for farming the rocky little farm north of Aberdeen were minimal.He and his parents, his sister Mary, and his brother worked in the dark, but saved nothing.Once, he visited a market in Edinburgh and saw many wonderful things that only money can buy.When you are in good health, money can make your life more comfortable; when you are sick, money can solve many of your needs.Jamie has seen many friends and neighbors struggle in poverty and die tragically.
He still vividly remembers his excitement when he first heard about diamonds being unearthed in South Africa.The largest diamond in the world is found there, buried in the sand.Rumor has it that there are treasures all over South Africa just waiting to be discovered.
He broke the news to the family over dinner one Saturday.The whole family sat around an uncleared table in the crude wooden kitchen as Jamie told the news.Jamie's voice was shy, but also smug. "I'm going to South Africa to find diamonds. I'll be on my way next week."
Five pairs of eyes were staring at him as if he had gone mad.
"You're looking for diamonds?" asked his father. "You must be crazy, boy. It's a sheer myth--a way of the devil to keep people from doing their jobs."
"Why don't you tell us where you're going to get your money?" asked his brother Ian. "It's half the world! You have no money."
"If I had the money," retorted Jamie, "I wouldn't have to go looking for diamonds, would I? No one has any money there. I'm a perfect equal with them. I've got brains and I'm strong. I will not fail."
His sister Mary said: "Anne Cord will be sad. She hopes to be your bride one day, Jamie."
Jamie loves his sister very much.She was only twenty-four, but she looked forty.She had never owned a single beautiful thing in her life. "I want to change this situation." Jamie vowed secretly.
Without saying a word, his mother took the platter of offal and walked to the iron sink in the kitchen.
That night, she came to Jamie's bedside, put her hand gently on Jamie's shoulder, and a force poured into his whole body. "Do what you want, son. I don't know if there are diamonds there, but if there are, you'll find them." She drew a battered leather wallet from behind her. "I saved a few pounds. You don't tell anyone else. God bless you, Jamie."
He had fifty pounds in his wallet when he set off for Edinburgh.
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It took Jamie McGregor almost a whole year to complete the journey to South Africa.He first waited in a workingmen's restaurant in Edinburgh, which added another fifty pounds to his purse.Then he came to London.London was a big city, with a large population, a great noise, and a stagecoach traveling five miles an hour, and the sights stunned him at once.It was full of stately cabs with pretty women in them.They wore large hats, long skirts, and beautiful high-buttoned shoes.He watched with curiosity as the ladies and ladies got out of their carriages to do their shopping on Market Street in Burlington.The shops that line the vaulted aisles are filled with gleaming silver, beautiful plates, stylish tops, fine furs and all manner of crockery.The pharmacy was full of bottles and jars of all kinds of strange shapes, all of which surprised him.
Jamie settled in a house at 32 Fitzroy Street, which cost ten shillings a week, the cheapest lodging he could find.All day he spent his days on the docks looking for a ship that would take him to South Africa, and at night he wandered about to see the marvelous views of the City of London.One evening he also caught a glimpse of Edward, the Prince of Wales, entering a side door of a hotel near Covent Garden, with a young and pretty lady on his arm.She wore a big hat covered with flowers, and Jamie thought how beautiful it would be on her sister's head.
Jamie also attended a concert at the Crystal Palace, which was built for the Great Exhibition of Nations in 1851.He toured Drury Street, famous for its theatres, and slipped into the Savoy Theater during his break, the first public building in England to be fitted with electric lights.Some streets are also equipped with electric lights.Jamie also heard that through a new magical machine, people can talk to people on the other side of the city!This machine is called a telephone.Jamie felt he saw the future.
Despite all this newness, despite the busyness and vibrancy of life, Britain was in the midst of a worsening economic crisis that winter.The streets were crowded with unemployed and hungry people, and mass demonstrations and street fights occurred from time to time. "I've got to get out of here," thought Jamie, "I'm here to avoid poverty." The next day, Jamie became a steward on the "Wolmer Castle" and set off for Cape Town, South Africa. .
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The sea voyage lasted three weeks.The ships stopped at Madeira and St. Helena to add more coal for fuel.In the harsh winter, the sea is rough and the boat is bumpy.From the moment he set sail, Jamie felt dizzy and vomited, but he always maintained an optimistic mood, because every day of sailing was, for him, one day closer to the treasure.As the ship approached the equator, the climate changed.Winter miraculously turned into summer, and the days and nights became swelteringly hot and humid as they approached the coast of Africa.
The Walmer Castle arrived in Cape Town at dawn, sailed slowly into the narrow channel that separated the leper settlement of Robben Island from the mainland, and anchored in the port of Table Bay.
Jamie was on deck before the sun came up.He was fascinated by the view as he watched the morning mist drift away, looming in front of him the rugged outline of Table Mountain overlooking the city.He's finally here.
※※※
As soon as the ship docked, the deck was filled with the weirdest looking people Jamie had ever seen.They were hotel solicitors—blacks, yellows, browns, and reds—who scrambled to carry their bags.With newspapers, candies and fruits in their hands, the children ran back and forth like a shuttle, hawking.Mulattoes, Indians, and black coachmen shouted, eager for a ride.Small vendors and men with drink carts clamored for business.Big black flies fluttered wildly.Sailors and porters jostled and shouted through the throng, and the passengers who tried to keep watch over their luggage were squeezed helplessly.The voices of speech were mixed together.People were talking in a language Jamie had never heard.
Yulle kom van de kaap, neh?
Het julle mine papa zyn wagen gezien?
Wat bedui'di?
Huistoe!
He couldn't understand a single word.
Cape Town is unlike any other place Jamie has ever seen.Each house has its own character.Next to a warehouse of two or three stories high, built of brick or stone, is a snack shop built of tinplate, and beyond that is a jewelry store with a facade of hand-blown glass sheets. Adjacent to it is the A greengrocer's, and then a crooked tobacconist's.
Jamie is fascinated by the men, women and children who pass by on the street.He saw one in battered 78th Regiment highland tartan trousers and a sack sheet with holes cut for collar and cuffs.The Kafir walks behind two Chinese men, holding hands, in long blue gowns with braids carefully coiled under conical straw hats.Also walking the streets were muscular, flushed peasants, their hair faded by the sun; their wagons laden with potatoes, corn and fresh leafy greens.A man in brown cotton velvet trousers and a jacket, a wide-brimmed velvet hat, and a clay pipe dangling from his mouth, strode ahead of the woman.The women were dressed in black, with thick black veils and black silk sombreroes pushed forward.The Indian washerwoman, with a large bundle of dirty clothes on her head, pushed away the soldiers in red and helmets and hurried forward.It was a marvelous sight indeed.
The first thing Jamie did was to find a cheap board hotel of the kind recommended to him by the sailors on board.The shopkeeper was a pudgy, buxom, middle-aged widow.
She looked at Jamie for a while, smiled and asked in local dialect: "Zoek yulle goud?"
He was embarrassed and blushed. "I'm sorry, i do not understand."
"You speak English, don't you? You come here to pan for gold? To dig for diamonds?"
"Digging for diamonds. Yes, ma'am."
She pulled him inside. "You'll like it here. I've got everything for young people like you."
Jamie wondered if she was one of the diamond diggers.He hoped not.
"I'm Mrs. Winster," she said coyly, "but my friends call me 'Titi'." She smiled, showing a gold tooth. "I have a feeling we're going to be great friends. Just ask me if there's anything you want."
"That's very kind of you," said Jamie. "Where can I get a map of the whole city?"
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Map in hand, Jamie wanders around Cape Town.On one end of the city are the landward suburbs of Round Podeck, Claremont, and Weinberg, a nine-mile stretch of thinning plantations and vineyards, and on the other the Sea Point and Green Point districts.Jamie walked through the rich estates, down the Strand and Bree.Jamie was very envious of those spacious two-story buildings.The buildings had flat roofs, stucco fronts, and high terraces jutting out from the street.He kept walking until at last the flies stung him so much that he had to go into the room.The flies seemed to be his enemies.The flies were big and black and bit people in swarms.Jamie returns to his lodging to find the house infested with flies.The walls, table and bed were all black.
He went to the landlady. "Mrs. Winster, is there anything you can do about those flies in my room? They..."
She giggled and pinched Jamie's cheek. "You'll get used to it, my darling. Just wait and see."
※※※
Sanitation in Cape Town is primitive and scant.At sunset, a sickening stench envelops the city like a poisonous blanket and is almost unbearable.But Jamie knew he had to live with it.He must get more money before he leaves. "In the diamond mines, you can't live without money," he was warned. "You breathe the air and they ask you for money."
On his second day in Cape Town, Jamie found a job driving horse-drawn carts for a shipping company.On the third day, he went to work washing dishes in a restaurant after dinner.He hid the leftovers of the cold meals left by the customers and took them home to satisfy their hunger.But the meals tasted strange to him.He craves a meal of his mother's chicken and leek soup, oatcakes, and steaming fresh soft rolls.But he never complains, he saves food and clothing in order to let the bank increase his loan for mining.He had made his choice, and nothing could stop him, not the labor that made his back ache, the stench he breathed, or the flies that kept him awake most of the night.He felt strangely alone.He knew no one in this strange land.He misses his friends and family dearly.He likes to be quiet, but loneliness often makes him ache.
At last the wonderful day came when he had two hundred pounds in his purse, a considerable sum.He has saved enough money.He was leaving Cape Town early the next morning for the diamond mines.
※※※
A cabin near the pier was an inland transportation company, where people could go to order horse-drawn carriage tickets to the Cripdrift mines.When Jamie arrived at the cabin at 7 o'clock in the morning, it was so crowded that Jamie couldn't get near it.Hundreds of wannabes were desperately trying to get a carriage ticket.They come from all over the world, such as Russia, America, Australia, Germany and England.Shouting in a dozen languages, they begged the besieged conductors to find them an empty seat.Jamie watched as a burly Irish man pushed his way out of the office with a grimace, onto the sidewalk, struggling to get away from the crazy crowd.
"I'm sorry," Jamie said, "what happened there?"
"Nothing happened," the Irishman murmured in disgust, "the damned stagecoach is fully booked for six weeks." He saw the look of dismay on Jamie's face. "That's not all, boy, these heartless sons of bitches are charging you fifty pounds a ticket."
It's unbelievable! "There may be other ways to get to the diamond mines."
"There are two ways, take the Holland Express, or simply walk."
"What is the Dutch Express?"
"Bull-drawn cart. Two miles an hour. By the time you get there in one of those wagons, they'll be digging up all the damned diamonds."
Jamie McGregor doesn't want to drag until the diamonds are gone.All that morning he had been looking for something else.Around noon, he found it.He walked past a stable with a postal station sign on it.He walked in on impulse, and saw the thinnest man he had ever seen in his life, loading sacks of mail into the carriage.Jamie watched for a while.
"Excuse me," said Jamie, "do you send mail to Cripdrift?"
"That's right. Isn't this loading the car?"
Jamie suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. "Are you bringing passengers?"
"Sometimes." He looked up and looked at Jamie. "How old are you?"
A quirky question. "Eighteen. What do you ask me for?"
"We don't take passengers over the age of twenty-two. Are you in good health?"
A more outlandish question. "Strong, sir."
The slender man straightened up. "I think you're in good health. I'll be leaving in an hour, and the fare is twenty pounds."
Jamie could hardly believe the good luck. "That's great! I have to take the suitcase and..."
"No suitcases. There's only room for a shirt and a toothbrush."
Jamie walked up to the carriage and took a look. The carriage was small and rough.There was a little well in the coach, in which the mail was piled; and above the little space there was a narrow space for a person to sit with his back against the driver, and the journey, as one can imagine, was not going to be comfortable.
"We've got a deal, then," said Jamie. "I'll get my shirt and my toothbrush right now."
The driver was harnessing the horses to the buggy when Jamie came back.Two young men were also standing beside the carriage: one was short and dark, the other a Swede, tall and blond.They were handing money to the driver.
"Wait a minute," Jamie called to the driver, "you said let me go."
"Go together," said the driver, "get into the car."
"The three of us going together?"
"That's right."
Jamie wondered how the driver could squeeze three people into the small space.But he knew that once the carriage ran away, he would definitely sit in it.
Jamie introduced himself to the two fellow travelers. "I'm Jamie McGregor."
"Walwich," said the short man.
"Pedersen," the tall man replied.
Jamie said: "We were lucky enough to find the car, weren't we? Luckily no one else knew about it."
"Oh, they know," Pedersen said. "A lot of people can't ride in a buggy, they're not strong enough, or they're not crazy enough."
Before Jamie could ask what he meant, the driver said, "Let's go!"
And so they set off.Three men—Jamie in the middle—squeeze into the seat and huddle together, knees together, backs pressed tightly against the wooden back of the driver's seat.There wasn't even a place to move or take a breath in the car. "Not bad." Jamie reassured himself.
"Run!" shouted the driver.In a few moments they were crossing the streets of Cape Town and on their way to the Cripdrift diamond mine.
A cart pulled by a bull is relatively more comfortable.The carriages driving from Cape Town to the diamond mines were tall and spacious, with canopies covering them from the glare of the winter sun.Each carriage carried twelve or thirteen passengers, and was drawn by a herd of horses or mules.At fixed stations, food and drinks are also provided to passengers.The journey will take ten days.
Mail wagons are another matter.It never stops, except to change horses and drivers on the road.It always runs at full speed over rough roads, fields, and rutted trails.There are no shock springs on the car.The car body kept bumping, and every bump was as intense as a horseshoe kicking.Jamie gritted his teeth and thought, "I can bear it until the car stops at night, then I can eat and take a nap, and I'll be fine in the morning." But at night, the car only stops for ten minutes. After changing horses and drivers, he galloped again.
"When do we stop for food?" Jamie asked.
"We don't stop, and we don't eat," replied the coachman impatiently. "We keep going. We have mail, sir."
All through the night, the carriage galloped along the dusty, rough road in the moonlight.Sometimes the car jumped up the hillside, sometimes rushed down the valley, and sometimes crossed the plain.Every part of Jamie's body felt unraveled and sore.He felt extremely tired, but couldn't sleep.Every time he tried to take a nap, he was woken up violently.He felt muscle cramps all over his body, and there was no place to stretch his legs in the car.He was hungry and dizzy, and he didn't know how many days it would take before he could eat the next meal.The journey is six hundred miles.Jamie doesn't know if he'll make it to the end of his journey, or if he wants to.
Two days and two nights passed, and this painful feeling turned into excruciating suffering.Jamie's two traveling companions were also in such a mess that they didn't even have the strength to complain.That's when Jamie understood why the postal station insisted that passengers be young and strong.
When dawn came the next day, they arrived at the Great Dry Terrace in South Africa, where the vast, barren, and endless plains of plains were daunting under the scorching sun.The heat, dust and flies nearly suffocated travelers.
Sometimes, through the pervasive miasma, Jamie saw groups of men plodding forward.There was a lone rider on horseback, and a dozen or so carts pulled by 18 or 20 bulls. From time to time, the driver raised a long leather whip and yelled, "Drive! Drive!" The wagon contained about a thousand pounds of goods, goods, tents, digging tools, a wood-burning stove, and flour, coal, and oil lamps, as well as coffee, rice, Russian hemp, sugar, wine, whiskey, boots, and Belfast candles and blanket.These are the necessities of life for anyone who wants Kripdrift to make a fortune mining diamonds.
The silence and monotony of the South African grasslands did not change until after the mail train had passed the Orange River.The shrubs gradually grew taller and took on a layer of green.The color of the land is getting redder, patches of green grass are rippling in the breeze, and dwarf thorny trees are beginning to appear.
"I've got to get it," Jamie thought blankly, "I've got to get it."
He could feel hope pouring into his tired body again.
They traveled on the road for four days and nights, and finally reached the outskirts of Cripdrift.
Young Jamie McGregor had no idea what awaited him, but what his tired, bloodshot eyes saw was something he could never have imagined.Kripdrift is a gigantic landscape of tents and carriages that lines the main street and the banks of the Vaal for as far as the eye can see.The dirty roads were thronged with naked kaffirs in bright jackets, bearded prospectors, butchers, bakers, thieves and schoolteachers.In the center of Cripdrift, there are rows of simple wooden and iron houses, which are shops, canteens, billiard rooms, snack bars, offices for purchasing diamonds, and law offices.Around the corner was the ramshackle Royal Archway Hotel, a row of houses without a single window.
As soon as Jamie stepped out of the carriage, he collapsed to the ground, unable to stand on his cramped legs.He lay there, dizzy.It wasn't until he had enough strength that he stood up, walked through the noisy crowd in the street, and stumbled towards the hotel.The room rented to him was small and stuffy, with flies flying everywhere.There was a cot in the room, and without taking off his clothes, he threw himself on the bed and fell asleep immediately.He slept eighteen hours.
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Jamie woke up stiff and sore, but filled with joy. "I'm finally here. I've achieved this!" He walked out hungry, looking for something to fill his belly.There was nothing to eat in the hotel.There was a small restaurant across the street, but it was crowded.There he gorged himself on pan-fried jerk, a large fish resembling pike, lamb chops grilled on a charcoal spit, and a large piece of venison, and for dessert a molasses cake.
Jamie's stomach, long empty, was beginning to give dire symptoms.He decided to give his stomach a rest before eating.Then his attention turned to his surroundings.All the people sitting around the table discussing the top priority of their hearts - diamonds, their faces are so focused and their emotions are so high.
"...There are still some diamonds around Hopetown that have not been dug out, but Newlash is the main vein..."
"...Kimberley has a much larger population than Joburg..."
"...how about the diamonds found in du Toispan last week? They say there are so many diamonds there that one can't move them..."
"...Christiana has dug out new ore. I'm going to go there tomorrow."
This is indeed the case.There are diamonds everywhere!Young Jamie was so excited he couldn't even drink a cup of coffee.He was taken aback by the bill the waiter brought.Two pounds and three shillings for a meal! "I'll have to save money from now on," he thought, leaving the restaurant and returning to the noisy, crowded streets.
A voice behind him said, "Still trying to get rich, McGregor?"
Jamie turned around.It turned out to be the young Swedish boy Pedersen who rode with him in the mail carriage.
"Of course I want to get rich," Jamie said.
"Then let's go to the place where there are diamonds." He pointed, "towards the Vaal River."
They started walking.
Kripdrift is a basin surrounded by mountains.As far as Jamie could see, there was no grass, no bushes.Thick red dust rose in the air, making it difficult to breathe.The Vaal River was a quarter of a mile away, and the air became much cooler as the two of them approached the river.Hundreds of people who wanted to get rich crowded the banks of the river.Some were digging for diamonds, others washed scooped stones in cradles, still others picked stones on makeshift rickety tables.The digging implements range from scientific soil washing machines to pots, wooden boxes and buckets.The men were all brownish red from the sun.They were full of beards, and they wore collarless, striped flannel shirts of various colors, corduroy trousers, rubber boots, breeches, and wide-brimmed fleece hats or steel helmets.They all wore wide leather belts with sewn pockets for diamonds or coins.
Jamie and Pedersen made it to the end of the bank to find a boy and an older man, their shirts soaked with sweat, struggling to move a large iron-bearing gravel, exposing the sand beneath.Nearby, another team was loading gravel into a basket for washing.One diamond digger kept shaking the basket, while another poured water from a bucket to wash away the silt.Then they dumped the large pebbles onto a makeshift table and sifted through them excitedly to see if there were any diamonds in them.
"It looks easy." Jamie smiled.
"Don't expect to get diamonds from this, McGregor. I've talked to the diggers who've been here a while. I think we've been screwed."
"what do you mean?"
"You know how many people in these places try to make a fortune mining diamonds? Damn it, twenty thousand! There ain't enough diamonds around here, man. Even if there were, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it. You winter Baked and cold in summer. You get drenched in that goddamn thunderstorm and you have to live with dust and flies and stench. You don't have a shower and you don't have a decent bed. There's not even a flushing toilet in this goddamn city No. Every week people drown in the Vaal. Some are accidents, but I've been told it's a relief for most people, it's the only way out of this hell. I really don't understand why these people are still here. "
"I see." Jamie glanced at the boy in the stained shirt. "They're pinning their hopes on the next shovel."
But when they walked back to town, Jamie had to admit that Pedersen had a point.As they passed the tent, they saw a mass of rotting carcasses of bulls, sheep, and goats that had been killed. There was a big ditch next to it, and people used it as a toilet. It stinks, Pedersen watched. Jamie. "What are you going to do?"
"Get some mining tools."
※※※
There was a shop in the center of the city with a rusty sign reading Salomon van der Merwe department store.A black man about Jamie's age was unloading in front of the shop.He was strong, tall, and one of the most handsome men Jamie had ever seen.He has a pair of black eyes, a straight nose, a straight chin, and an air of arrogance, calm and indifferent.He slung a large box of rifles over his shoulders, turned and nearly slipped on a cabbage leaf.Jamie instinctively reached out to help him.The Negro, who seemed oblivious to Jamie's presence, turned and walked into the shop.A Boer prospector tied up a mule, spat, and said with disgust: "That man's name is Banda, from the Barolon tribe, and he works for Mr. van der Merwe. I really don't understand him." Why take in this domineering black man. Those nasty Bantus think they own the land."
The shop was cool and dimly lit.Compared with the hot, sun-dazzled streets, it feels relaxed and full of strange smells.Jamie felt that the house was very crowded, almost every inch of open space was filled with goods.He walked around the shop, marveling.The shop was stocked with farm implements, beer, milk cans, sticks of butter, cement, fuses, and dynamite.Crockery, furniture, guns, sewing supplies, oil, paint, bacon, and preserved fruit, saddlery, suet candles, soap, alcohol, stationery, sugar and tea, tobacco, snuff and cigars.A dozen shelves were crammed from top to bottom with flannel shirts and blankets, shoes, sombreros, and slippers.Whoever owns all these things must be a rich man, Jamie thought.
A soft voice behind him asked, "What do you want to buy?"
Jamie turned to find a young girl standing across from him.The girl was about fifteen years old, and had a pleasant face.Her round face was delicately contoured and oval, like a portrait of a girl on a Valentine's Day card, with a sharp nose, deep green eyes, and black, curly hair.Jamie took one look at her figure and decided that the girl was nearly sixteen.
"I'm prospecting," Jamie said solemnly. "I'm here to buy some tools."
"What kind of tools do you want?"
For some reason, Jamie felt he had to impress this girl. "I—you know—want the usual kind."
She smiled, with a mischievous look in her eyes. "What do you mean by the usual tools, sir?"
"Oh..." He hesitated, "I want a shovel."
"Do you want this?"
Jamie saw that the girl was teasing him.He smiled, and then said the truth, "I'm just here to tell you the truth. I don't know what I need yet."
She smiled at him, a woman's smile. "It depends where you plan to dig. Sir?"
"McGregor. Jamie McGregor."
"My name is Marguerite van der Merwe." She glanced timidly behind the shop.
"Nice to meet you, Miss van der Merwe."
"You just got here?"
"Yes. Arrived yesterday. By mail buggy."
"They should warn you not to ride in that carriage. People have died in it." There was anger in her eyes.
Jamie smiled. "I can't blame them. I'm fine now. Thank you."
"Are you going to find Mooi klippe too?"
"What does Mooi klippe mean?"
"It's Dutch. Diamond. Shining stone."
"Are you Dutch?"
"Our family is from Holland."
"I'm Scotch."
"I can see that." She cast another cautious glance toward the back of the store. "There are diamonds around, Mr. McGregor, but you have to choose the place well. Most diamond diggers are looking blindly, like cats chasing their tails. When one digs, the others rush to collect the rest." Yes. If you're going to get rich, you've got to find the diamonds yourself."
"What should I do?"
"My father might be able to help you with that. He knows everything. He'll be free in an hour."
"I'll be right back," Jamie assured her. "Thank you, Miss van der Merwe."
He went outside, and the sun was shining brightly outside.His heart was filled with joy, and he forgot the pain all over his body.If Salomon van der Merwe could guide him where to look for diamonds, Jamie could not fail anyway.He will be one step ahead of everyone.He laughed loudly, rejoicing that he was young and vigorous, and that he was on the road to making a fortune.
※※※
Jamie walked down Main Street, past a blacksmith's shop, a billiard room, and half a dozen pubs.He stopped when he came to a hotel that looked old and worn out.There is a sign in front of this hotel, which reads: RD Miller, cold and hot showers, open from 6 am to 8 pm, with neat and comfortable changing rooms.
Jamie thought back: "When was the last time I took a shower? Remember, it was on the boat with a bucket. It was—" He suddenly realized that he must be full of stench.He thought of taking a tub bath once a week in the kitchen of his hometown, and heard his mother calling him: "Be sure to wash your lower body too, Jamie."
He turned around and walked into the bathroom. There were two doors inside, one for men and one for women.Jamie went into the men's bathroom and walked up to an elderly waiter. "How much is a shower?"
"Ten shillings for a cold bath, fifteen shillings for a hot bath."
Jamie hesitated.The thought of taking a hot shower after a long journey is irresistible. "Cold shower," he said.He can't afford money, and he can't enjoy himself as much as he wants.He still has to buy some mining tools.
The waiter handed him a small bar of lye soap and a small, riddled towel, and fingered it. “进去吧，伙计。”
杰米走进一个小房间，除了房间中央有一个马口铁的浴盆和墙上有几颗钉子外，空空如也。服务员从一个大木桶舀水倒进浴盆。
“都为你准备好了，先生。你可以把衣服挂在钉子上。”
杰米等到服务员离开后，开始脱衣服。他看到自己污垢满身，便把一只脚伸进浴盆。水像招牌上讲的那样，确实是冷的。他咬紧牙关，钻进水里，从头到脚拼命地搓肥皂。他走出浴盆时，洗澡水已是一片污黑。他用那条破旧不堪的毛巾尽快地擦干身子，穿上衣服。他的裤子和衬衣沾满了尘土，脏得都僵硬了。他讨厌再穿上它们。他应该买些换洗的衣服。但是这件事再次提醒他，他的钱实在少得可怜。现在他又感到饿了。
杰米离开澡堂，挤过拥挤的街道，走进一家名叫日落客的酒吧。他要了一瓶啤酒和一份午餐。有西红柿羊肉片、香肠、土豆色拉和泡菜，他进餐时，注意听着周围兴致勃勃的谈话。
“……我听说，他们在科勒斯伯格附近找到一颗重二十一克拉的钻石。你听着，如果那儿有一颗钻石的话，那么肯定会有好多……”
“……在希伯伦又发现了一颗新钻石，我正考虑上那儿去……”
“你是一个傻瓜。奥兰治河里才有大钻石……”
酒吧间里，一个穿着条子法兰绒无领衬衣和条绒裤的满脸胡子的顾客正在品味着一大杯姜汁柠檬酒。“我在希伯伦把钱花得精光。”他对酒吧招待说，“我要一笔贷款。”
那个招待员长得高大肥胖。他头顶秃光，鼻梁骨扭曲，眼光也咄咄逼人。这时他大笑起来，“见鬼去吧，伙计。谁不需要贷款呢？你知道我为什么要当招待员吗？只要我搞到足够的钱，我就马上到奥兰治河那里去。”他用破布擦着酒吧柜台。“但我可以告诉你该怎么做，先生。去找萨洛蒙·范德默韦。他开了一家百货店，半个镇子都是属于他的。”
“这对我有什么好处？”
“如果他喜欢你，他会资助你的。”
这个顾客瞧了他一眼。“是吗？你真认为他会资助别人？”
“我认识的几个伙计，都得到了他的赞助。你出力，他出钱。好处一人一半。”
杰米·麦格雷戈的心动了一下。他一直深信，他攒下的一百二十镑钱足够他购买工具和食品的，但是克里普德里夫特的物价高得要命。他在范德默韦铺子里时就注意到了，一袋一百磅的澳大利亚面粉要卖五英镑；一磅糖要一先令；一瓶啤酒五先令；一磅饼干二先令；一打新鲜鸡蛋七先令。反正这样下去，他的钱要不了多久就会花得精光。“天哪，”杰米想，“在家乡一年的生活费在这里只够吃三顿饭。”然而，如果他可以得到一个像范德默韦那样的有钱人的支持……杰米匆忙付了饭钱，赶回那家铺子去。
萨洛蒙·范德默韦正在柜台后面从一个木板箱里卸来复枪。他个子矮小，脸孔瘦削严厉，两颊留着长长的胡须。他的头发沙黄色，眼睛又小又黑，鼻子呈圆球形，一张嘴噘得老高。“他的女儿一定像她妈妈，”杰米想，“对不起，先生……”
范德默韦抬头看了一眼。 "Well?"
“范德默韦先生吗？我叫杰米·麦格雷戈。先生，我从苏格兰来。我到这里来找钻石。”
“唔？是吗？”
“我听别人说你有时候愿意资助挖钻石的人。”
范德默韦咕哝着：“该死的！是谁散布这些流言的？我帮助过几个挖钻石的人，人们就以为我是圣诞老人了。”
“我已经攒下了一百二十英镑，”杰米恳切地说，“但是我看到这些钱在这儿买不了什么东西。如果需要的话，我可以只带着一把铁铲上丛林那儿去。但是我合计过，如果我有一头骡子和一些适当的工具，那么机会就会大得多。”
范德默韦用那双小而黑的眼睛仔细地打量着他。“你怎么知道你能找到钻石？”
“我绕了半个地球来到这里，范德默韦先生。我不发财是不会离开这里的。如果有钻石，我就会找到它们。如果你帮助我，咱们俩都会发财。”
范德默韦又咕哝了一句，转过身子继续卸来复枪。杰米站在那里觉得很难堪，不知道再说些什么好。当范德默韦又开口时，他的问题令杰米感到意外。“你是乘牛车来的，是不是？”
“不是。乘的是邮件马车。”
老头转过身子，又打量着这个年轻小伙子。他最后终于说了句：“咱们谈谈吧。”
※※※
那天晚上，在店铺后面范德默韦的住所里，他们边吃晚饭边谈论挖钻石的事情。范德默韦的房间很小，既是厨房和餐室，又是卧室，一块帘子隔开两张小床。墙壁的下半部是用泥土和砖石砌成的，上半部则是用空箱子搭成。墙中间挖了个洞，算是窗户。下雨时，再挡上块木板遮雨水。饭桌是用两个板条箱上面架了一块厚木板。一个大木盒侧放着，算作食品柜。杰米估计，范德默韦决不是随意处置钱的人。
范德默韦的女儿悄悄地来回忙着，准备晚饭。她不时地瞧她父亲一眼，但她从不看杰米。“她为什么这么害怕？”杰米感到迷惑不解。
他们在桌旁坐下后，范德默韦先开了口：“咱们先祈祷。主啊，我们感谢您。感谢您的恩赐。感谢您宽恕我们的罪恶，向我们指出了正确之路，使我们免受生活的诱惑。我们感谢您赐给我们长久而美好的生活，惩罚那些对您有罪的恶棍。阿门。”然后没有丝毫停顿，他马上对他女儿说：“把肉递给我。”
晚饭很节省，一小块烤猪肉、三个蒸土豆和一碟新鲜萝卜。他给杰米吃的一份量很小。晚饭中间两人谈话不多。玛格丽特一句话也不说。
他们用完晚饭后，范德默韦说：“不错，女儿。”声调里有一些骄傲的成分。他转身对杰米说：“我们开始谈生意，好吗？”
“好吧，先生。”
范德默韦从木柜上取了一把陶制长烟斗，然后从小烟袋里取出香味诱人的烟末，塞进烟斗，用火点燃。从袅袅上升的烟雾后面，他的一双咄咄逼人的眼睛直盯着杰米。
“克里普德里夫特挖钻石的人都是些笨蛋。钻石就那么点儿，挖的人却这么多。在这儿一个人一年累断腰，什么都找不到，只有Schlenters。”
“我，我听不懂那个词，先生。”
“不值钱的钻石，不值钱。你懂我的意思吗？”
“我，是的，先生，我想是这样。那该怎么办呢？先生？”
“格里夸人。”
杰米不解地看着他。
“这是北部的一个非洲部落的名字。他们专找钻石——大颗的——有时候他们把这些钻石带到我这里，跟我换货物。”此时这个荷兰人放低了声调，用神秘的耳语说：“我知道他们在什么地方找到的。”
“但是为什么你不跟他们去找呢？范德默韦先生。”
范德默韦叹了口气。“不。我离不开这里的铺子。这里的人会把铺子的东西偷光的。我需要一个我信得过的人到那里去，然后把这些钻石带回到这里来。找到合适的人后，我会供给他所需要的工具。”他停了下来，深深地抽了一口烟。“而且我会告诉他哪儿有钻石。”
杰米跳了起来，心跳个不停。“范德默韦先生。我就是你要找的那个人。请相信我，先生，我将日夜工作。”他的声调里充满着激动。“我会把钻石带回来的，多得让你数不过来。”
范德默韦一声不吭地打量着他，好像杰米是一尊木雕似的。最后，范德默韦说话了，他只讲了一个字：“行。”
第二天早晨，杰米和他签了一份合同。合同书是用南非荷兰语书写的。
“我必须向你解释一下，”范德默韦说，“合同规定我们是合作者了。我投资，你出劳力。一切所得我们对半分。”
杰米看一眼拿在范德默韦手里的合同。在所有这些不可理解的外国字当中，他只认识这几个字：二英镑。
杰米指着这一点问：“这是什么意思？范德默韦先生。”
“这是说，你除了拥有找到的一半钻石外，每个礼拜你还可以得到额外的二英镑收入。即使我知道钻石在哪里，你也可能找不到，孩子。这样的话，你至少可以得到一些劳动的报酬。”
这个人真是太公平了。“谢谢你。非常谢谢你，先生。”杰米真想拥抱他一下了。
范德默韦说：“现在咱们来看看为你配备些什么工具。”
他们花了两个小时才选定了杰米带到灌木丛里去的工具：一顶小帐篷、床垫、炊具、两个筛子和一个洗石篮子、一把镐、两把铁铲、三个水桶、一双换洗的短袜和一件内衣、一把斧子、一个提灯以及煤油、火柴和碱液肥皂。此外他们还选择了一些罐头食品、干肉条、水果、糖、咖啡和盐。最后一切准备就绪。那个大个子黑人班达一声不吭地帮着杰米把所有东西放进背包里。他从来不看杰米，也不说一句话。“他不会讲英语。”杰米断定。玛格丽特在铺子里应付着顾客。但是即使她知道杰米在那儿，她也没有露出任何表示。
范德默韦走到杰米跟前。“你的骡子在前边，”他说，“班达会帮你把东西装上去的。”
“谢谢你，范德默韦先生，”杰米说，“我……”
范德默韦拿来一张填满数字的单据，“一共是一百二十英镑。”
杰米吃惊地望着他。“什，什么？这是我们交易的一部分。我们……”
“Wat bedui'di？”范德默韦生起气来，脸色一片阴沉。“你指望我白给你这些东西，一头壮骡子，又让你当合伙人，一个礼拜付给你二英镑？如果你要东西又不想付钱，那你可找错了地方。”他开始从背包里往外拿东西。
杰米赶紧说：“不！范德默韦先生，我……我只是不知道，问问而已。一切都很好，我现在有钱。”他把手伸进钱包，把他省下来的最后几个钱放在柜台上。
范德默韦迟疑了一下。“好吧”，他咕哝着，“也许这是一场误会，是不是？整个城里都是些骗子。我和谁打交道都得很小心。”
“是的，先生。你应该这样。”杰米表示同意。刚才是他由于激动误解了这一交易。“我很幸运，他给了我一个机会。”杰米想。
范德默韦把手伸进口袋，取出了一张皱巴巴的、手绘的小地图。“你在这里能找到钻石。从这儿往北走，到一个叫马格达姆的地方，在瓦尔河北岸。”
杰米研究着地图，心开始越跳越快了。“离这儿多少英里？”
“我们这里是以时间计算距离的。你骑骡子得走四五天。回来时因为带着钻石，时间就要更长一些。”
杰米咧嘴一笑。 "it is good!"
当杰米·麦格雷戈重新踏上克里普德里夫特街道时，他不再是一个旅游者，而是一个探矿者，一个挖钻石的人了，正走上发财的道路。一头虚弱的骡子系在店铺前面的桩子上，班达已把行装放到了它的背上。
“多谢。”杰米微笑着。
班达转身看着他的眼睛，接着不声不响地走开了。杰米解开缰绳，对骡子说：“咱们上路吧，伙计。时间像钻石一样宝贵啊。”
他们向北方走去。
※※※
夜幕降临时，杰米在一条小溪边搭起了帐篷，把东西卸下来，给骡子喂了些草料和水，自己吃了点牛肉干和杏脯，又喝了点咖啡。深夜四周充满了奇怪的声音。他听到野兽走向河里时发出的咕噜声、行走声和嚎叫声。他只身一人，毫无防御，周围是一个陌生、原始的国家里的最危险的野兽。空气中发出每种声响时，他都不由自主地惊跳起来。他担心自己任何时候都可能遭到黑暗中猛扑过来的尖牙利爪的攻击。他开始胡思乱想了。他想起了家里那张软和的床以及过去习以为常的平安舒适。他睡得断断续续，梦里遇到了各种野兽，什么狮子、大象，还有一些满脸胡子的巨人，企图抢他身边的大钻石。
天蒙蒙亮时，杰米醒来了。他的骡子死了。
Notes:
Notes: