Acres of Diamonds | Page 4

was not only his duty to guide us
down those rivers, and do what he was paid for doing, but also to
entertain us with stories curious and weird, ancient and modern, strange
and familiar. Many of them I have forgotten, and I am glad I have, but
there is one I shall never forget.
The old guide was leading my camel by its halter along the banks of
those ancient rivers, and he told me story after story until I grew weary
of his story-telling and ceased to listen. I have never been irritated with
that guide when he lost his temper as I ceased listening. But I
remember that he took off his Turkish cap and swung it in a circle to
get my attention. I could see it through the corner of my eye, but I
determined not to look straight at him for fear he would tell another
story. But although I am not a woman, I did finally look, and as soon as
I did he went right into another story.
Said he, ``I will tell you a story now which I reserve for my particular
friends.'' When he emphasized the words ``particular friends,'' I listened,
and I have ever been glad I did. I really feel devoutly thankful, that
there are 1,674 young men who have been carried through college by
this lecture who are also glad that I did listen. The old guide told me
that there once lived not far from the River Indus an ancient Persian by
the name of Ali Hafed. He said that Ali Hafed owned a very large farm,
that he had orchards, grain-fields, and gardens; that he had money at
interest, and was a wealthy and contented man. He was contented
because he was wealthy, and wealthy because he was contented. One
day there visited that old Persian farmer one of these ancient Buddhist
priests, one of the wise men of the East. He sat down by the fire and
told the old farmer how this world of ours was made. He said that this

world was once a mere bank of fog, and that the Almighty thrust His
finger into this bank of fog, and began slowly to move His finger
around, increasing the speed until at last He whirled this bank of fog
into a solid ball of fire. Then it went rolling through the universe,
burning its way through other banks of fog, and condensed the moisture
without, until it fell in floods of rain upon its hot surface, and cooled
the outward crust. Then the internal fires bursting outward through the
crust threw up the mountains and hills, the valleys, the plains and
prairies of this wonderful world of ours. If this internal molten mass
came bursting out and cooled very quickly it became granite; less
quickly copper, less quickly silver, less quickly gold, and, after gold,
diamonds were made.
Said the old priest, ``A diamond is a congealed drop of sunlight.'' Now
that is literally scientifically true, that a diamond is an actual deposit of
carbon from the sun. The old priest told Ali Hafed that if he had one
diamond the size of his thumb he could purchase the county, and if he
had a mine of diamonds he could place his children upon thrones
through the influence of their great wealth.
Ali Hafed heard all about diamonds, how much they were worth, and
went to his bed that night a poor man. He had not lost anything, but he
was poor because he was discontented, and discontented because he
feared he was poor. He said, ``I want a mine of diamonds,'' and he lay
awake all night.
Early in the morning he sought out the priest. I know by experience that
a priest is very cross when awakened early in the morning, and when he
shook that old priest out of his dreams, Ali Hafed said to him:
``Will you tell me where I can find diamonds?''
``Diamonds! What do you want with diamonds?'' ``Why, I wish to be
immensely rich.'' ``Well, then, go along and find them. That is all you
have to do; go and find them, and then you have them.'' ``But I don't
know where to go.'' ``Well, if you will find a river that runs through
white sands, between high mountains, in those white sands you will
always find diamonds.'' ``I don't believe there is any such river.'' ``Oh

yes, there are plenty of them. All you have to do is to go and find them,
and then you have them.'' Said Ali Hafed, ``I will go.''
So he sold his farm, collected his money, left his family in charge of a
neighbor, and away he went in search of diamonds. He began his
search, very properly