A Dash from Diamond City | Page 4

seemed as if the same idea had struck the searchers, for the

black was ordered to open his mouth, and a big coarse finger was thrust
in, and the interior of the mouth was carefully explored, without result.
"Here, I know," whispered Anson, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, the
artfulness of the beggar!"
"Where are they, then, old Double-cunning?" cried Ingleborough
contemptuously.
"Stuck with gum in amongst his woolly hair--I say, isn't it fun?"
"Rather disgusting," replied West. "I shouldn't like the job."
"Oh, I don't know," said Anson; "it sets me thinking, and it's interesting.
Hah! I was right."
He stood rubbing his hands together in his childish enjoyment, while
one of the searchers carefully passed his hands all over the black's head,
but found no small diamonds tangled up amongst the curly little knots
of hair.
"Well, I did think he'd got some there," continued Anson.--"Oh, of
course! One might have guessed it before."
This was upon the black's head being forced back a trifle, while a pinch
of snuff was blown through a pea-shooter right into the prisoner's nose,
making him sneeze violently.
But still no diamonds made their appearance, and after a little further
search the man was set at liberty, giving place to another supposed
culprit.
This man came up smiling and confident, opening his mouth wide, to
display its state of innocency and a magnificent set of teeth at the same
time.
"Take care! he bites," said Ingleborough banteringly; and Anson, who
had pressed to the front, started back in horror, to be greeted with a
burst of laughter.

"How fond you are of a joke!" he cried, smoothing his face.
At the same moment one of the searchers sent a puff of snuff in the
black's face, with the result that he was seized with a violent burst of
coughing and sneezing.
"Two--three--four!" cried Anson excitedly, and, springing forward, he
picked up three of the diamonds ejected by the black, who, after a little
further search, yielded up a couple of very small stones from one ear,
and was marched off for punishment.
"I do like this!" said Anson, rubbing his hands together. "What brutes
of thieves they are!"
"Yes, you ought to take to searching," said West, smiling. "You'd make
a capital detective."
"Think so?" said the young man, growing serious directly. "You're not
chaffing me, are you?"
"Chaffing? Not at all! I mean it," replied West.
"Well, do you know," said Anson, in a confidential way, "I don't think I
should make a bad one. I know I should like it better than the work I do
now. But look what a big strong fellow this one is. I wonder whether he
has any."
"Half-a-dozen, I daresay," said West, looking curiously at another
stalwart black, who came forward slowly and unwillingly to take the
place of the second man, set aside for punishment.
"N-n-no," said Anson thoughtfully. "I don't think this one has any."
"Why?" asked West.
"I can't say," replied Anson dreamily. "I only know that I don't think he
has any." And, as it happened, the most rigid examination failed to
discover any of the gems. But, all the same, the culprit was set aside for
punishment, two of the watchers present at the examination declaring

that they had seen him put his hand to his mouth and swallow
something.
The next man, upon being summoned to the stool, came up boldly and
displayed a child-like eagerness to prove his innocence, opening his
mouth widely and passing his fore-fingers round between gums and
cheeks, thrusting his little fingers into his ears, and then bending down
and going through the motion of one washing his head.
But he did not wash any gems out of his shock of little nubbly curls.
"No got no dymons, boss," he cried. "Me go now, boss?"
"No," said the chief searcher sharply. "Clap that foot of yours upon the
stool."
The black stared at him hard and shook his head.
"Do you hear?" cried the searcher. "Clap that right foot upon the stool."
The black stared at him vacantly, shook his head again, and turned to
the second searcher, who translated the order into the man's own
tongue.
At this the black smiled and nodded. Then, turning to the chief searcher,
he placed his bare left foot upon the stool.
"No, no: the other," cried the stern official, pointing to the right foot,
and the order was emphasised by his assistant.
Once more the black looked intelligent, placed both his feet upon the
ground, changed them several times by shuffling them about, and once
more placed his left foot upon the stool.
Anson chuckled with delight, and turned to West.
But this act on the part of the black was too much for the chief
searcher's composure.

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