Vainly we used our knives, till the blades bent and broke; vainly we punched it with the butts and ramrods of our rifles. It remained solid, hard, fast, and immovable.
Hislop's aim had been a true one, under the circumstances, for the crystal was situated just three inches from his shot-mark.
At last he, being fertile in resources, on finding a sloping rent in the rock, about eight inches above the object of our solicitude bethought him of blowing it out by gunpowder.
All our cartridges, about thirty in number, were at once opened, and their contents rammed hard or pounded in, with a piece of stick and a stone in lieu of a mallet. The rent was small, and seemed about a foot deep. This impromptu mining was a laborious affair, for it required to be carefully done, and occupied more than two hours, as we had to plug up the aperture tightly, leaving only a very small touchhole.
When all was complete, some cigar fusees and wetted powder were prepared together as a slow-match; they were inserted and a light applied.
"Sheer off, Dick,—give it a wide berth!" cried Hislop.
The fusee smoked as it consumed, but slowly, and breathlessly we looked on, at ten yards' distance.
It seemed to die out, for the smoking ceased, and the last puff, after curling among the green trailers passed away.
Hislop was about to ascend and to examine the powder, when there was a loud and sharp explosion; a little cloud of dust rose, and disengaged from the cliff some fragments of rock, six in number, about the size of half bricks, fell on the bank below.
Uttering a shout, we rushed down, and in a moment Hislop found the diamond adhering to a piece of stone larger than itself!