By
1870 the Inland Transport Company ran an express wagon from Cape Town
to Klipdrift once a week, carrying passengers for twelve pounds
sterling each. The journey consumed from seven to ten days. The wagon
and horses were carried by rail to Wellington. From there on, the
journey was made by wagon, drawn sometimes by eight horses, two
abreast, at others by ten mules, 'through Karoo Poort, an opening
between two mountains leading to the Karoo Plains, a desolate stretch
of forty miles enclosed on all sides by lofty mountains, and on over
the Karoo to Beaufort West, Victoria West, Hopetown, across the Orange
river and on to Pniel.
Although
Port Elizabeth was nearer, the fields were much more difficult of
access from there, as the only public means of conveyance was by
ox-wagon, taking from thirty to sixty days to accomplish the journey.
The
search for diamonds was carried on in primitive fashion. The newcomer
might preempt a new claim by taking out a license, or jump an old one
if the former owner had failed to pick it in three days according to
rule, or he could buy one from the owner. At that time claims were
sometimes sold for as much as one hundred pounds, but not often. The
implements necessary were pick, shovel, rocker, or a couple of half
barrels, and, if away from water, an ox or mule, and a cart. The latter
could be hired by the day if the digger did not own them. Some provided
these things at the coast towns and brought them along, but they could
be obtained cheaper at the diggings. In the early days, before the
finding of the " Star of South Africa," the departures were about as
frequent as the arrivals. The funds of many of the diggers were
exhausted before they found
