-•»i Mogôk
one’s' thoughts reach out with sympathy across the
wide gulf of time, to the dead men of whom these
are the few surviving relics. They are beautifully made,
these first instruments.
But the primitive life is not quite dead yet. On
the mountains which overshadow the valley, lifting their
great heads up amongst the stars, there are dark evergreen
forests, perpetually wrapped in gloom. In these
recesses herds of wild elephants still have’ room to
wander, and in their shelter the tiger still stalks his
easy prey ; and herds of deer, breaking from the coverts
o f the hills, look down with startled wonder on the
strange scene being enacted in the valley. In the
silence of the dark nights, they have many strange and
unknown onlookers, these miners digging for the little
stones under the blue electric flame.
(v) TH E GAMBLE OF L IF E .
There are very few e that are perfect in a ll pointes, specially being great,
fo r they have always some faultes and spottes that are covered and hidden ;
but righ t perfect there are none or very few , and not many men have any
g rea t knowledge therein.—L i n s c h o t e n .
In the lives of those who traffic in precious stones
there are many vicissitudes, and stories are not lacking
of great finds that are occasionally made. Even the
khanézimas, who pick the rejected gravel of the
company, are credited with substantial rewards. Only
the other day a woman declared she had found a ruby
o f price in this refuse, and she made a great clamour
of joy on finding it. But there were witnesses to prove
B i s