d by inspectors, who had the charge of
four or five gangs, and who brought unto the director the produce of
the day's toil. The work was simple. The sand and alluvial soil were
thrown into troughs with small sieve bottoms, out of which escaped all
the smaller matter, when it was washed with the water from the river.
The stones and larger particles were then carefully examined, and any
diamonds found were taken out and delivered to the superintendents,
who then made them over to the inspectors, when they came round. The
inspectors carried them to their houses (for they had houses from
government), and in the evening delivered every diamond found to the
director. After a short time, I found that the office of
superintendent, and also of inspector, was open to any of the slaves
who conducted themselves well; and that the whole of those now
employed in the offices were slaves for life, as well as ourselves.
What puzzled me was, how so many people, for in all we amounted to
seven hundred or more, were to be found in food; but I afterwards
discovered that the government had farms and herds of cattle at a few
miles' distance, cultivated by slaves and Indians expressly for the
purpose. Our rations were scanty, but we were permitted to cultivate
as well as we could any spot we could find on the arid side of the
mountain as a garden; and some of them, who had been there for many
years, had, in course of time, produced a good soil, and reared plenty
of vegetables. To my surprise, I found at least twenty Englishmen
among the whole mass of slaves; and one or two of them were
inspectors, and several of them superintendents--saying much in favour
of my countrymen. Their conversation and their advice tended much to
soothe the hardships of my captivity, but I found from them that any
hopes of ever leaving the mines were useless, and that our bones must
all be laid by the side of the mountain. Of course, Ingram and I were
inseparable; we worked in the same gang, and we very soon built a hut
for ourselves; and Ingram, who was a light-hearted young man, set to
work to make a garden. He moved heavy stones on the sides of the
mountain, and scraped up all the mould he could find; sometimes he
would get his handkerchief full, but not often, but, as he said, every
little helped. He killed lizards for manure, and with them and leaves
he made a little dung-heap, which he watered, to assist putrefaction.
Every thing that would assist, he carefully