120 THE DIAMOND MINES OF SOUTH AFRICA
showed
the stone to several Jews in Hopetown and in Coles-berg, a settlement
farther up the Orange River Valley. No one of these would give a penny
for it. " It is a pretty stone enough," they said, " probably a topaz,
but nobody would pay anything for it."
Perhaps O'Reilly would have thrown the pebble away, if it had not come under the eye of the acting Civil Commissioner at Colesberg, Mr. Lorenzo Boyes. Mr. Boyes found on trial that the stone would scratch glass.
" I believe it to be a diamond," he observed gravely.1 O'Reilly was greatly cheered up. "You are the only man
I have seen," he said, " who says it is worth anything. Whatever it is worth you shall have a share in it."
" Nonsense," broke in Dr. Kirsh, a private apothecary of the
town, who was present, " I'll bet Boyes a new hat it is only a topaz."
" I'll take the bet," replied Mr. Boyes, and at his suggestion the
stone was sent for determination to the foremost mineralogist of the
colony, Dr. W. Guybon Atherstone, residing at Grahamstown. It was so
lightly valued that it was put in an unsealed envelope and carried to
Grahamstown in the regular post-cart.
When
the post-boy handed the letter to Dr. Atherstone, the little river
stone fell out and rolled away. The doctor picked it up and read the
letter of transmission.2 Then he examined the pebble
expertly and wrote to Mr. Boyes: " I congratulate you on the stone you
have sent to me. It is a
1 Lorenzo Boyes (statement furnished to author), 1899.
2 W. Guybon Atherstone ; Lorenzo Boyes, 1899. " Among the Diamonds," 1870-1871.
