“Well, I am lucky, I don’t mind owning it; but there, boys, come and have a drink, every blessed one of you, to celebrate the biggest diamond that ever has been found down the river, which you just saw me find,” Mr Moss said, and the diggers seemed to fall in with his humour willingly enough, following him without any more pressing to the canteen.
Jack Austin might have been noticed to wink slightly at the proprietor of the canteen, before the diamond was shown to the latter. His enthusiasm when he saw it was unbounded.
“Knocks the Komnoor into a cocked hat. I always said we would show ’em all the way, some day. What’s it to be, sir, champagne—I’ve got a case in stock?” he said, and in a few second she was opening a case, and getting out some bottles.
The wine was some which the canteen-keeper had bought at a sale in Kimberley. It was a remnant which had failed to please the not over critical taste of the Fields. He had bought it very cheap, and had kept it by him, knowing that on any extraordinary occasion, when a demand arose for it on the river, its want of quality would not matter. As the wine was being got out, Jack Austin touched the lucky digger on the shoulder.
“Beg pardon, sir, but about old Hawkins; what are you going to do for him? It’s a bit hard on him, seeing a stone like this found after he has just sold his claim.”
“Hard! bless me no—a bargain is a bargain. I bought the claim for good or bad.”
“Well, that’s true enough; but he might make himself a bit nasty about it. You see it’s rather a rum start your finding a stone like that in the ground you were working, and Hawkins might get talking, and people are apt to be a bit uncharitable.”
Mr Moss looked a little uncomfortable. The man was right. Hawkins ought to be put into a good temper, and after some little talk he took out a cheque-book and wrote out a cheque for fifty pounds, for Austin had suggested that it would be as well to give it to Hawkins at once, before he began to talk.
Hawkins took the cheque, looking very stolid. Soon after he got it he hurried away, and might have been seen tramping across the veldt towards Kimberley, where he changed it.
When the glasses were filled, Jack Austin called to the company to drink to the health of Mr Moss, the lucky digger, who had just found the big diamond.