The Chairman laughed and remarked,
“You did inadvertently what has been done for centuries. In the deep caverns it was the custom in order to retrieve precious stones, to throw down the dead carcase of an animal, possibly a sheep, so that the diamonds would adhere to it.”
Marcus looked at him in astonishment as he went on,
“Eagles in their search for food would go down to tear off pieces of the meat and carry them to their nests.”
He paused briefly,
“The seekers for diamonds would shoo them away, dig the gems out of the fur, then leave the eagles to their meal.”
“Diamonds?” Marcus exclaimed. “Are you telling me that the stone I have brought you is a diamond?”
“We have, of course, had only a perfunctory glance at it before it is cut and polished,” the Chairman replied. “But I think,
