The River of Diamonds Page 5

  'I am head of the Mazy Zed.'

  The Judge professed ignorance: 'Mazy Zed?'

  'Mazy Zed is a name, my lord.'

  'I am well aware of that. I am seeking some meaning behind what you will agree is rather unusual nomenclature.'

  'A Mazy Zed is a step in an old-time minuet, my lord.'

  'Why not something modern like the Twist?'

  A titter ran round the court. 'Perhaps if I explained…'

  'That is what I have been trying to elicit from you for some time.'

  The ship — or rather barge — which we intend for undersea mining operations is rather an ungainly craft. In fact, I have taken the liberty of bringing a model to the court. There are no engines. The barge will therefore roll and pitch heavily.'

  'What has this to do with an old-time minuet?'

  'My lord, I thought the bobbing and curtsying movement of the barge had a parallel in the bobbing and curtsying step in the minuet known as the Mazy Zed.'

  The Judge snorted. Shardelow took up the running smoothly.

  'You are Felix Rhennin?'

  'Yes.'

  'Occupation?'

  'Farmer, promoter of companies.'

  'A karakul farmer, I should add, my lord. My client has a large ranch in the southern part of South-west Africa. He was responsible for the introduction of several prize-winning strains of karakul ewes after the war, when he settled here permanently from Germany. Mr Rhennin was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, hence his fluency in what is, in fact, a foreign tongue to him. Age?'

  'Forty-eight.'

  The slightly world-weary droop of the eyelids belied the dynamic go-getter beneath. He'd make a fortune out of karakul, but his heart was in diamonds. He was Spartan in his tastes, although his bachelor estate near Keetmanshoop was a show-place. We'd first met when I was on the Brukkaros job for the Americans, since Keetmanshoop is_ the jumping-off place for the extinct volcano.

  'The object of your project, Mr Rhennin?'

  To mine diamonds from the sea off the Sperrgebiet coast.'

  'You consider this a feasible proposition?'

  'Yes. I am prepared to sink about a million dollars into it.'

  'Your own, Mr Rhennin'

  'The Mazy Zed is to be financed by floating a company in which I shall be the major shareholder.'

  'Which brings me automatically to my next question: this is a big venture?'

  'Very big.'

  'You would agree with Mr Shelborne that capital — lots of it — as well as pioneering enterprise, are required for a unique undertaking of this nature?'

  'Yes. I consider Mr Shelborne's estimate of half a million sterling to be conservative. This is the first time in the history of mining — in South Africa or anywhere else — that diamonds are to be mined from the sea.'

  The fudge was carping: 'You say mined, Mr Rhennin. You mean, to be mined or, if we take Mr Stratton literally, not to be mined in the conventional sense at all?'

  'That is correct, my lord.'

  Shardelow eased the Judge away from his man. 'You are aware that in the past the South African Government, which exercises complete control over the diamond rights along the Sperrgebiet, has set its face against small prospecting enterprises — what one would term, in mining parlance, wildcat ventures?'

  'I am.'

  'Would you amplify that?'

  'I quote a statement from the Minister of Mines, — "In the past few decades the Government, in the face of increasing pressure for diamond prospecting rights to be granted off the coast of South-west Africa, has refused to allow such ventures because it is felt that knowledge, equipment and finance are prerequisites. I should like to explain that, having regard to the marine hazards and to the scale of operations required to make a success of such a huge venture, the Government feels convinced that it would be doing a disservice not only to the country but to the persons concerned if they were thus induced to risk their capital — perhaps with more enthusiasm than understanding of the magnitude of the task involved — in a project of this nature".'

  'Do you feel that the Government's stated policy would apply to the previous two applicants, namely, Mr Shelborne and Miss Caldwell?'

  'Yes.'

  'But not to the Mazy Zed?'

  'No.'

  These are wide and generalized asseverations, Mr Rhennin,' snapped the Judge. 'You are prepared to go into detailed technicalities?'

  Rhennin said dryly, 'I had barely started, my lord. I was clearing the ground…'

  'Prospecting the overburden, rather, Mr Rhennin?'

  'Your lordship could put it that way. Here at Oranjemund they move twenty tons of sand to win one carat of diamonds, which weighs 1/142nd part of an ounce. The ratio is eighty million parts of sand to one of diamonds. The major part is rubbish.'

  'Diamond mining and court proceedings seem to have a lot in common.'

  'I bow to your lordship's superior experience.'

  The two glared at one another. The girl and Shelborne were amused. They could afford to be. A few more cracks like that and the Mazy Zed project would be as good as in Davy Jones's locker.

  Shardelow rushed to the rescue. He whipped an opaque plastic covering from the object which had intrigued everyone but us, a model of the Mazy Zed. It was about four feet long and eighteen inches high. Even as a model it looked more like a block of flats than a ship.

  Rhennin stepped down and pointed with a ruler.

  'You will notice at first the complete lack of gunnels and the low freeboard, my lord.'

  'I had not done so. Why?'

  'The Mazy Zed has no engines. She has to be towed and manoeuvred by a tug. Here are her six anchors.'

  'Six?'

  'Yes. The seas along the Sperrgebiet are persistently heavy. The water will break right across the barge.'

  'Will it float, Mr Rhennin? It seems top-heavy.'

  It was a question we had asked ourselves.

  'We have carried out tank tests under simulated conditions of wind and sea. She floats all right.'

  'I'd say she'd roll like — like…'

  Shardelow grinned. 'The correct sea term, my lord, in case your lordship does not see fit to use it as coming from the bench, is "she rolls like a bitch".'

  'Thank you, Mr Shardelow: the expression will go under your name in the record.'

  'I was saving your lordship that embarrassment.'

  Rhennin pointed to the box-like structures. 'These are the living quarters for fifty-five men. Under these big ventilators are kitchens, — five-course meals will be standard. Water is distilled from the sea by electric separators, like car battery plates. Stores are for three months. There will be expert technicians both for mining and maintenance of this floating mining unit, which is what I prefer to call the Mazy Zed.'

  'What are those curious-looking cranes and hoses on the deck?' asked the Judge.

  Those are the heart of the Mazy Zed, so to speak. The thick rubber hoses will be lowered on to the ocean floor by means of derricks and gantries.'

  'I think it would be easier if my client explained the underlying principle,' said Shardelow.

  The Judge nodded and Rhennin resumed. 'The rubber hose will go down about 200 feet. Attached to the end are heavy steel nozzles. The apparatus is known as a jet lift.'

  'You could say that the principle is similar in operation to a vacuum cleaner?'

  'Yes. In fact, we have coined the phrase, Hoovering the sea-bed.'

  'In practice, how do the hoses operate?'

  'When the pipes fill with water, highly compressed air is forced through the nozzles into the mud and gravel on the ocean floor. As it is disturbed, it whirls about and moves up the pipe. The outside pressure of the ocean forces gravel and diamonds to the top where processing and sorting take place. The residue is dumped. The air forced into the hose creates a siphon effect and at the same time stirs up the sea-bed.'

  'It amounts then to diamond mining by suction? This is not simply theory, Mr Rhennin? — you've tested th
e idea?'

  Rhennin smiled. It illuminated the rather drawn, authoritative face. 'When one is staking a million dollars, one does test beforehand, my lord.'

  'Thank you, Mr Rhennin. You may return to the witness-box.' He peered at the model. 'An extraordinary craft, Mr Shardelow.'

  'If I might revert to my expression earlier, my lord, a bitch.'

  A glow overlaid for a moment the medieval chill., 'I might almost agree in my private capacity, though not of course as an officer of the law.'

  Shardelow turned to Rhennin. 'The Mazy Zed application covers prospecting and mining rights over about 2500 square miles of open sea, does it not?'

  That is correct.'

  'What size do you estimate the undersea field?'

  'About sixty million cubic yards of diamond-bearing gravel. If my calculations are correct, the Mazy Zed may recover up to fifty tons of gem-quality diamonds.'

  'A net yield of about twelve pounds ten shillings per carat. How many carats per day must you bring up to pay your way?'

  'Roughly 150.'

  'How long will it be until the field is exhausted?'

  That is impossible to say until operations get under way. At Oranjemund it has taken thirty years to scrape away 150 million tons of overburden.'

  'A final question, Mr Rhennin: do you consider your new method superior to grabs and dredges?'

  'The Mazy Zed will employ a revolutionary principle. Grabs and dredges have been used for two centuries and any improvement has been purely superficial.'

  I felt sorry for Shelborne and the girl. As Rhennin spoke, they involuntarily turned towards each other, in a curious spontaneous gesture which I was to remember later.

  Shardelow sat down.

  The Judge said, 'Mr Rhennin, there are still one or two points which have arisen in the mind of the court. The first is security. The prevention of illicit diamond buying and smuggling of stones from what proposes to be a very large venture is the concern of this court; it is indeed the concern of any such court to prevent crime and the infringement of the diamond laws.'

  'Security aboard the Mazy Zed will be much easier than ashore,' replied Rhennin. 'The barge is a self-contained unit completely cut off from the shore. Leave will be granted only once in three months. There are no harbours where we will operate. If a man were rash enough to steal our diamonds and by some means got ashore, the desert…'

  Rhennin paused and glanced at Shelborne.

  'Yes, Mr Rhennin?'

  'The desert would take care of him, as it did of Caldwell.'

  It was an unnecessary thrust. The girl turned white. I didn't care for the look on Shelborne's face.

  The Judge did not miss it either. 'Yes — I see. The second question is, how far from the shore do you intend to operate?'

  'Up to the thirty-fathom line. The sea-bed mud persists…'

  'You miss my point. How far, in terms of miles, from the shore?'

  'Within territorial limits.'

  Three miles in other words?'

  Rhennin looked uneasy. 'Well, the South African Government has recently extended the limit of territorial waters from three to twelve miles for trawlers. It is not generally recognized by some other countries, however.'

  'What have other countries to do with it, Mr Rhennin?'

  'To be frank, my lord, we are not happy about the presence of so-called Russian trawling fleets off the Sperrgebiet. Fishermen say their fishing gear lies rusting on deck while they pursue… ah… other activities. The Poles have spent large sums on improving the port of Conakry, in Guinea near Freetown, which they use as a trawler base for these waters…'

  Shardelow got to his feet. 'I have here a statement from the Chief of the South African Naval Staff. It says that the Russian ships belong to the Second Atlantic Group of the Kalingrad People's Sea Administration.'

  'Whatever that might mean.' The Judge continued his questions: 'You expect trouble, then, outside the three-mile limit, Mr Rhennin?'

  'We are taking precautions.'

  Shardelow softened the blunt words: 'Perhaps it would be better to say that the Mazy Zed will be protected by local measures…'

  'What precautions, Mr Rhennin?'

  'Patrol boats — radar — radio listening devices.'

  Mr Justice de Villiers leaned back. 'Maybe you'll have a private war on your hands.'

  Shardelow played it down. 'Scarcely, my lord. Inside territorial waters we are assured of the protection of the South African naval forces. The two patrol boats are just in case…'

  'Of a surprise raid, Mr Shardelow?'

  The reporter was writing furiously. Shardelow tried to steer the Judge away from the subject. 'No. Just so that no one will think the Mazy Zed is a sitting duck, so to speak. There will be a fortune in diamonds aboard if we are successful. As an additional safety measure, we have had special brass containers manufactured to hold the diamonds. These have buoys attached in case they have to be thrown overboard if there is trouble…'

  'The court wishes to hear more about your patrol boats and radar.'

  Rhennin said, 'I have an option on two hydrofoil highspeed boats at Messrs Samuel White's, of Cowes. They were originally ordered for the Royal Navy, but are now redundant because of budgetary considerations.'

  I grinned to myself. Rhennin wasn't telling the Judge that both boats were armed with heavy-calibre machine-guns forrad.

  'Speed?'

  'Fifty, maybe fifty-five knots.'

  The Judge's eyebrows went up. 'They must be absorbing a slice of capital, Mr Rhennin.'

  'It was fortunate that they were redundant and the price… Like the radar, it is first-class equipment, but cheap.'

  'You seem to have thought of everything, Mr Rhennin.'

  'I hope so. There is a lot at stake, and we know that the sea and the Sperrgebiet in themselves will present major problems.'

  'Thank you, Mr Rhennin.' He stepped down. The Judge addressed the court generally. 'The Consolidated Diamond Mining Company has kindly arranged for those concerned in these proceedings to make a visit to the site of the diamond workings this afternoon. I and my learned assessors feel that an inspection in loco may give us all an insight into the problems and rewards of diamond mining on this unfriendly coast. We will proceed in parties by Land-Rover to the field plants. Colonel Duvenhage has arranged to make the security search purely nominal.'

  I grinned to myself. The fudge was really taking time off; there was no need to inspect the Oranjemund workings since they bore no relation to sea-bed mining, but the trip would give us a welcome break to the cut-and-thrust of the court proceedings.

  When MacDonald came to collect me in the afternoon, however, my anticipation turned to dismay. With him were Shelborne and Mary Caldwell. It is one thing to be opposed in a court of law where a buffer of formality takes the edge off the hostility, quite another to be confined in a small vehicle with a man who pulled a gun on you. The Gquma's cabin was too fresh in my mind for me to be anything but hostile, although Shelborne nodded formally to me.

  I drew MacDonald angrily on one side. 'What the devil is this — I want to go with Rhennin.'

  'Orders. You three stay together with me.'

  'Whose orders?'

  'Colonel Duvenhage's.'

  Did the security chief think my chat with Shelborne in the boat had something more to it than met the eye?

  'And under orders, we're all to be friends together now? You too?'

  'I hope so.'

  The mailed fist. The velvet glove was very velvet still, but I reckoned MacDonald could become pretty tough if he wanted to.

  'All right,' I snapped. 'But don't expect anything from my side. I'm going purely for the ride.'

  He smiled. 'I wonder.'

  Shelborne sat in front with him, and Mary and I behind.

  'We'll make for Area G first,' called MacDonald.

  Approaching the mining area, I saw the mast of the Gquma above Anvil Creek. To the right was Oranjemund, unbelievably green; to the lef
t, the wild agglomeration of sea, sandbars and surf which is the mouth of the Orange. The fog from the sea had lifted, and the light was direct, brutal, flanking the high dunes with black shadow.

  Shelborne peered out, searching for something. He was shaking, as if from blackwater fever. His concentration was so intense that I found that I too was looking among the grey-white dunes riding endlessly to the horizon, though I did not know what for.

  'Hold her north-west by a half north — there's something I want to see.' The lapse into seafaring terminology showed how preoccupied he was.

  MacDonald laughed good-naturedly. 'Come again, chum, it don't make sense.'

  Mary had changed from the elegant outfit of the courtroom into a pair of white slacks with a green Paisley top. She broke the tension — deliberately, I felt. 'He's a windjammer captain — ask him in terms of degrees.'

  MacDonald took his cue, grinning. He wasn't the sort to keep up the strained atmosphere. 'Come again, Captain! I have to hold the tiller, or else we'll be pooped!'

  Shelborne relaxed, too, although his eyes were on the seaward side. I couldn't see anything. 'Steady on three-two-zero degrees, then,' he smiled.

  Close to the beach, quite near to the first workings he called out, 'Stop! This is the place.'

  The surrounding dunes were featureless, but to the north the dun of the desert was torn yellow. As far as the eye could see into the dust-and-spray-hazed horizon were rows of undulations like a draped evening gown. On the left lay the sea. The diamond workings reched to the high-water mark. The area was laagered for its first part by a wall of sand at right angles to the sea, but about a mile inland it turned parallel with the coastline. A road intersected the workings on the seaward side and next to it was a gigantic horseshoe-shaped dump from the field screening plant, which stood out orange and red against the dun dunes, like a surrealist Coney Island roller-coaster. A succession of dumps receded northwards along the road, giving a curious quilted effect to the desert, like a Tibetan Sherpa's jacket. Here the Namib had been violated by huge tournadozers, tourna-pull scrapers and spitting rotary bucket excavators; bright yellow salt-proofed chassis and blue tyres made a moving line of colour thirty feet down in the diamond trenches. Everything has to be protected against sand and sea at Oranjemund, for the blowing sand is abrasive enough to strip a car of its paint within hours. Past the machinery, from the desert as far as the sea, a conveyor-belt ran the length of the field screening plant carrying its precious gravel. Grease tables and electro-static separators take the stones mechanically from the gravel, but the final sorting is by human hand and eye. Still farther north, where Area G tailed off, there was a succession of other workings: Uub-Vley, Mittag, Kerbe Huk and Affenrucken.