On this I undid my belt and poured the diamonds on a large sheet of white paper, which Mr. Van Voorst spread on his desk.

“Mein Gott!  Mein Gott!” he exclaimed in ecstacy, glaring at the diamonds through his big glasses and picking out the finest with his fat fingers.  “This is the finest collection of rough stones I ever did see.  They are worth—­until they are weighed and cut it is impossible to say how much—­but at least a million dollars, probably two millions.  You found them in the Andes?  You could not say where, could you, Mr. Fortescue?”

“I could, but I would rather not.”

“I beg your pardon.  I should have known better than to ask.  You intend to go there again, of course?”

“Never!  It would be at the risk of my life—­and there are other reasons.”

“There is no need.  You are rich already, and enough is as good as a feast.  You ask my advice as to the disposal of these stones.  Well, my advice is that you consign them, through us, to the house of Goldberg, Van Voorst & Company.  They are honest and experienced.  They will get them cut and sell them for you at the highest price.  They are, moreover, one of the richest houses in Amsterdam, trustworthy without limit.  What do you say?”

“Yes, I will act on your advice, and consign these stones to your friends for sale at Amsterdam, or elsewhere, as they may think best.  And be good enough to ask them to advise me as to the investment of the proceeds.”

“They will do that with pleasure, mine friend, and having financial relations with every monetary centre in Europe they command the best information.  And now we must count and weigh these stones carefully, and I shall give you a receipt in proper form.  They must be shipped in three or four parcels so as to divide the risk, and I will write to Goldberg & Van Voorst to take out open policies ’by ship or ships’—­for how much shall we say?”

“That I must leave to you, Mr. Van Voorst.”

“Then I will say two million dollars—­better make it too much than too little—­and two millions may not be too much.  I do not profess to be an expert, and, as likely as not, my estimate is very wide of the mark.”

After the diamonds had been counted and weighed, and a receipt written out, in duplicate and in two languages, I informed Mr. Van Voorst of my intention to visit Caracas and asked whether things were pretty quiet there.

“At Caracas itself, yes.  But in the interior they are fighting, as usual.  The curse of Spanish rule has been succeeded by the still greater curse of chronic revolution.”

“But foreigners are admitted, I suppose?  I run no risk of being clapped in prison as I was last time?”

“Not the least.  You can go and come as you please.  You don’t even require a passport.  The Spaniards, who were once so hated, are now almost popular.  I hear that several Spanish officers, who served in the royal army during the war, are now at Caracas, and have offered their swords to the government for the suppression of the present rebellion.  Do you intend to stay long in Venezuela?”