I attempted to recall everything I had seen in the mill section when von Praeger had shone his torch on the curious complex. I might have recognized it for what it was if it had looked like the equipment I had seen often enough at my grandfather's, but it didn't. Praeger himself was amused at it and remarked that it was the sort of thing shown in pictures of diamond cutters' workshops a century ago. The light had come to rest like an accusing finger on a collection of unfamiliar objects grouped round the turntable. One of these resembled a miniature metal crane's beak set into a heavy iron base. It was, in fact, a pair of tweezers mounted in a double ball joint so that it could be swivelled in any direction — a kind of 'third hand' to hold a diamond while a craftsman worked on it. All round were other tools and equipment which blew the gaff on Rankin's secret operations. Praeger had detailed them for our benefit; any of half a dozen of these would have been a useful weapon for me, but he had been wise enough to clear them out of the way before leaving us for the remainder of the night.
Up to the moment when his torchlight fell on the mill I had still cherished hope of overpowering Praeger and his hyena; but his next words hit me like a bucket if icy water.
'Koen will certainly be interested to see this.'
'Koen?'
My dismay made him laugh.
'You didn't think I was fool enough to come to The Hill alone to tackle you, did you? Koen's my partner. He's also got a vested interest in the Cullinan. The name's enough to tell you why — Koen Kettler.'
'You said they hanged Kettler.'
'This is the son, and every bit as tough as the father. Now he's also on the trail.'
I bit back what I was about to retort about never-never pursuits, in the hope that he might relax and enable me to get closer to some of the potential weapons. Meanwhile Nadine had started towards the bench with the purely innocent intention, I felt sure, of examining some of the strange things more closely.
Praeger, however, was on the alert against any tricks we might attempt. 'Back! Stand back!'
Nadine halted in bewilderment.
'Men — and women — do remarkable things under the lure of diamonds. You're probably no exception: even the gentlest become savages. In fact, that was the cause of Kettler senior's downfall. He had the answer to Rankin in his hand but he couldn't restrain himself'
'Murder,' I snapped.
'I like to think of it rather as over-enthusiasm.'
This remark gave me a further insight into what I was up against.
'Let me tell you briefly about it and you'll see what I mean. Your father and Rankin pulled the big job to end all big jobs over the Cullinan. But even so, Rankin couldn't leave diamonds alone afterwards. In fact, he tried the same thing again.'
'Never! There's only been one Cullinan, ever.
He moved round so that he stood between us and the bench while the hyena cut off our escape to the rear. He put down the torch with its beam still directed at us.
'Remember Jagersfontein?'
'Remember it! God's truth! I was dragged there by my father on one of his sentimental tours of diamond mines! A dreary, clapped-out village not so very far from Kimberley, living in the shadow of its past under a derelict mine headgear!'
Von Praeger eyed me curiously. 'This diamond thing burns you up, doesn't it, Bowker?' Then unexpectedly his tone changed and the harsh note softened to an overtone which came close to reverence. 'Well, don't be too hard on Jagersfontein. It had a past. The world's biggest diamond came from there-before the Cullinan was discovered, that is.'
'The Excelsior; you don't have to tell me!' I jerked out. 'I know every bloody detail by heart. Nine hundred and ninety-five carats. Purest blue-,white. Anything else you want to know?'
'And Asscher cut that one too!'
I made an impatient gesture which von Praeger misconstrued and he raised the pistol, level with my face. When he realized that I was not about to attack him he went on.
'Jagersfontein was just the sort of place which Rankin was on the look-out for: a worked-out, has-been mine where a few old-timers scratched and pecked amongst the tailings for a diamond crumb or two which might have slipped past the sieves. Then suddenly Jagersfontein came into the headlines again. It yielded a perfect 120-carat blue-white of purest — . hater.
'But Kettler wasn't fooled. He read the Indian signs. To a man who had studied every minute aspect of the Cullinan's discovery it was like a detective seeing the hallmark of one particular professional burglar on a safe break. The masterhand was Rankin's, of course. Kettler rushed post-haste to Jagersfontein. But the fox, Rankin under an alias, had already gone to ground, but not his partner in the venture. He was still there; a young chap called Fouche. Kettler worked on him but handled him too roughly.-They hanged Kettler for killing him. But not before Kettler had told me — enough. I'm sure Koen won't repeat with you his father's mistake of being too impetuous.'
He gave us time for this to sink in, then the stretching of the thin lips which was his travesty of a smile took in Nadine also. 'You'll soon realize that Koen's ideas about women are somewhat primitive. He won't hesitate to smash up your face if necessary. After that, no amount of diamonds in the Raikes millionaire bracket would hide your disfigurement. So be careful, Miss Raikes.'
Words gargled in my throat. 'Listen, you scum. Nadine put her hand restrainingly on my ann. 'Please Guy!
Give Doctor von Praeger a chance to check on our story and he'll find out that we have nothing to hide. Peter, for a start, will bear it out.'
'I've made my own checks, all right,' retorted Praeger. 'But if you're relying on your pilot to carry on your bluff, you can forget it. He won't see morning.'
Before we had time to digest his callousness he startled us by moving to the entrance and firing three shots into the air. The flat claps, obviously a signal from the spacing, struck back like a Spanish dancer's heels from the silent audience of hills. We've plenty of ammunition to spare,' he remarked, anticipating my calculation that there would be five rounds left in the automatic. 'You'll see for yourself when Koen arrives: he'll be along in a hurry now.'
Praeger and the hyena escorted us to the entrance to await Koen's arrival. He left me no opportunity to turn the tables on him: he even handled a lantern himself, hanging it over the door to guide his companion.
And it was ammunition indeed and a wicked-looking Czech M-25 machine-pistol which was my first impression of Koen. Von Praeger highlighted the weapon with the torch, keening the beam low for Koen to see his way across the stepping stones; with the result that his face and upper body were in shadow. The light showed a skeleton butt at the end of a long kinked Metal stalk and an ungainly magazine of 9mm shells projecting underneath a pug barrel.
Koen reached us gasping and sweating from the dangerous crossing. He was much shorter and stockier than either Praeger or myself. He wore tight whipcord pants tucked into half-calf boots; his clothes generally had an air of cheap flashiness which belied the rugged toughness of his square chin. His thick pelt of black hair was glossy with pomade; a wisp fell over his forehead, giving him an old-young look. His fingernails were foul.
Von Praeger indicated me. 'I got him, Koen! It's Bowker. Watch your step though; you should see what he's done to Rankin.'