was there to weigh each stone separately and record it in the leather-bound recovery book.

of course you will notice, Master Shasa, that none of these stones is smaller than half a carat. Yes, sir. Shasa had not thought of that. What happened to the smaller ones? The grease table is not infallible, indeed the stones must have a certain minimum weight to get them to adhere. The others, even a few large valuable stones, pass across the table. He led Shasa back to the washroom and showed him the trough of wet gravel that had survived the journey over the drums. We drain all the water and reuse it. Out here water is precious stuff, as you know. Then all the gravel has to be hand picked. As he spoke two men emerged from the door at the end of the room and each scooped a bucket of gravel from the trough.

Shasa and Twenty-man-jones followed them back through the doorway into a long narrow room well lit with glass skylights and high windows.

A single long table ran the length of the room, its top clad in a polished metal sheet.

On each side of the table sat rows of women. They looked up as the two men entered and Shasa recognized the wives and daughters of many of the white workers as well as those of the black boss-boys. The white women sat together nearest the door and, with a decent and proper distance between them, the black women sat separated at the far end of the room.

The bucket boys dumped the damp gravel onto the metal table top and the women transferred their attention back to it. Each had a pair of forceps in one hand and a flat wooden scoop in the other. They drew a little of the gravel towards them, spread it with the scoop and then picked over it swiftly.

It's a job at which the women excel, Twenty-man-Jones explained as they passed down the line, watching over the stooped shoulders of the women. They have the patience and the sharp eyes and the dexterity that men lack. Shasa saw that they were picking out tiny opaque stones, some as small as sugar grains, others the size of small green peas, from the duller mass of gravel.

Those are our bread and butter stones, Twenty-man-Jones remarked. 'They are used in industry. The jewellery grade stones that you saw in the grease room are the strawberry jam and the cream. When the mine hooter signalled the end of the day shift, Shasa rode down with Twenty-man-Jones in the front seat of his Ford from the washing gear to the office block. On his lap he carried the small locked steel box in which was the day's recovery.

Centaine met them on the verandah of the administration building and led them into her office. Well, did you find it interesting? she asked, and smiled at Shasa's hearty response.

It was fascinating, Mater, and we got one real beauty.

Thirty-six carats, it's a jolly great monster of a diamond! He set the box on her desk and when Twenty-man- Jones unlocked it he showed her the diamond as proudly as if he had mined it with his own hands.

It's big, Centaine agreed, but the colour isn't particularly good. There, hold it to the light. See, it's as brown as whisky and soda, and even with the naked eye you can see the inclusions and flaws, those little black specks inside the stone and that tear through the middle. Shasa looked crestfallen that his stone was so denigrated and she laughed and turned to Twenty-man-Jones. Let's show him some really good diamonds. Will you open the vault please, Dr Twenty-man-Jones? Twenty-man-jones pulled out the bunch of keys from the fob pocket of his waistcoat and led Shasa down the passage to the steel grille door at the end. He opened it with his key and relocked it behind them before they went down the stairs to the underground vault. Even from Shasa he screened the lock with his body as he tumbled the combination and then used a second key before the thick green Chubb steel door swung ponderously aside and they went into the strongroom.

The industrial-grade stones are kept in these canisters., He touched them as he passed. But we keep the high-grade stuff separately. He unlocked the smaller steel door set in the rear wall of the vault and selected five numbered brown paper packages from the crowded shelf.

These are our best stones. He handed them to Shasa as a mark of his trust, and then they went back again, opening and re-locking each door as they passed through.

Centaine was waiting for them in her office, and when Shasa placed the packages in front of her she opened the first and gently spread the contents on her blotter.

Golly gee! Shasa goggled at the array of large stones glittering with a soapy sheen. They are gi-normous! Let's ask Dr Twenty-man-jones to give us a dissertation, Centaine suggested, and hiding his gratification behind a sombre countenance, he picked up one of the gem stones.

Well, Master Shasa, here is a diamond in its natural crystalline formation, the octahedron of eight faces, count them. Here is another in a more complicated crystalline form, the dodecahedron of twelve faces, while these others are massive and uncrystallized. See how rounded and amorphous they are. Diamonds come in many guises. He laid each in Shasa's open palm, and not even his prim monotonous recital could dull the fascination of this shining treasure. The diamond has a perfect cleavage, or as we call it 'grain', and can be split in all four directions, parallel to the octahedral crystal planes. That's how the cutters cleave a stone before polishing, Centaine cut in. 'During your next holidays I will take you to Amsterdam so you can see it done. This rather greasy sheen will disappear when the stones are cut and polished. TWentyman-jones took over again, resenting her intrusion. Then all their fire will be revealed as their very high refractive power captures the light within and dispersive powers separate it into the spectral colours. How much does this one weigh? 'Forty-eight carats. Centaine consulted the recovery book.

But remember it may lose more than half its weight when it is cut and polished. Then how much will it be worth? Centaine glanced at Twenty-man-Jones.

A great deal of money, Master Shasa. Like the true lover of any beautiful object, gem or painting, horse or statue, he disliked placing a monetary value upon it, so he hedged and returned to his lecture. 'Now I want you- to compare the colours of these stones,- Darkness fell outside the windows, but Centaine switched on the lights and they huddled over the small pile of stones for another hour, meeting question with answer and talking quietly and intently until at last Twenty-man-Jones swept the stones back into their packages and stood up.

'Thou hast been in Eden, the Garden of God,' he quoted unexpectedly, ''every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz and diamond.... Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.' He stopped and looked selfconscious. Forgive me. I don't know what got into me. Ezekiel? Centaine asked, smiling fondly at him.

Chapter 28, verses thirteen and fourteen. He nodded, trying not to show how impressed he was by her knowledge.

I'll put these away now. Dr Twenty-man-Jones, Shasa stopped him. You didn't answer my question. How much are these stones worth? Are you referring to the entire package? He looked uncomfortable. Including the industrials and boart still in the strong room? Yes, sir, how much, sir? Well, if De Beers accepts them at the same prices as our

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