It Is Never Too Late to Mend Part 121

"Come," said Robinson, "here is a spot that looks likely to a novice; dig and cut it up all you can."

George was mystified but obeyed, and soon the place looked as if men had been at work on it some time. Then Robinson took out a handful of gold-dust and coolly scattered it over a large heap of mould.

"What are you at? Are you mad, Tom? Why, there goes five pounds. What a sin!"

"Did you never hear of the man that flung away a sprat to catch a whale?

Now turn back to our hole. Stop, leave your pickax, then they will think we are coming back to work."

In little more than half an hour they were in their little gully working like mad. They ate their dinner working. At five o'clock George pointed out to Robinson no less than seven distinct columns of smoke rising about a mile apart all down the valley.

"Ay!" said Robinson, "those six smokes are hunting the smoke that is hunting us! but we have screwed another day out."

Just as the sun was setting, a man came into the gully with a pickax on his shoulder.

"Ah! how d'ye do?" said Robinson, in a mock friendly accent. "We have been expecting you. Thank you for bringing us our pickax."

The man gave a sort of rueful laugh and came and delivered the pick and coolly watched the cradle.

"Why don't you ask what you want to know?" said Robinson.

The man sneered. "Is that the way to get the truth from a digger?" said he.

"It is from me, and the only one."

"Oh! then what are you doing, mate?"

"About ten ounces of gold per hour."

The man's mouth and eyes both opened. "Come, my lad," said Robinson, good-naturedly, "of course I am not glad you have found us, but since you are come, call your pals, light fires, and work all night. To-morrow it will be too late."

The man whistled. He was soon joined by two more and afterward by others. The whole party was eight. A hurried conference took place, and presently the captain, whose name was Ede, came up to Robinson with a small barrel of beer and begged him and his pal to drink as much as they liked. They were very glad of the draught and thanked the men warmly.

The newcomers took Robinson's advice, lighted large fires, divided their company, and groped for gold. Every now and then came a shout of joy, and, in the light of the fires, the wild figures showed red as blood against the black wall of night, and their excited eyes glowed like carbuncles as they clawed the sparkling dust. George and Robinson, fatigued already by a long day, broke down about three in the morning.

They reeled into their tent, dug a hole, put in their gold bag, stamped it down, tumbled dead asleep down over it, and never woke till morn.

Gn l r-r-r! gn l r-r-r!

"What is the matter, Carlo?"

Gn l r-r-r.

Hum! hum! hum! Cras.h.!.+ cras.h.!.+

At these sounds Robinson lifted up the corner of his tent. The gully was a digging. He ran out to see where he was to work, and found the whole soil one enormous tan-yard, the pits ten feet square, and so close there was hardly room to walk to your hole without tumbling into your neighbor's. You had to balance yourself like boys going along a beam in a timber-yard. In one of these he found Ede and his gang working. Mr.

Ede had acquired a black eye, ditto one of his mates.

"Good-morning, Captain Robinson," said this personage, with a general gayety of countenance that contrasted most drolly with the mourning an expressive organ had gone into.

"Well, was I right?" asked Robinson, looking ruefully round the crowded digging.

"You were, Captain Robinson, and thank you for last night."

"Well, you have picked up my name somehow. Now just tell me how you picked up something else. How did you suspect us in this retired spot?"

"We were working just clear of the great digging by the side of the creek, and doing no good, when your cork came down."

"My cork?"

"Cork out of your bottle."

"I had no bottle. Oh, yes! my pal had a bottle of small beer."

"Ay, he must have thrown it into the creek, for a cork came down to us.

Then I looked at it, and I said, 'Here is a cork from Moore's store; there is a party working up stream by this cork.'"

Robinson gave a little groan. "We are never to be at the bottom of gold digging," said he.

"So we came up the stream and tried several places as we came, but found nothing; at last we came to your pickax and signs of work, so my lads would stay and work there, and I let them an hour or two, and then I said, 'Come now, lads, the party we are after is higher up.'"

"Now how could you pretend to know that?" inquired Robinson, with curiosity.

"Easy enough. The water came down to us thick and muddyish, so I knew you were was.h.i.+ng up stream."

"Confound my stupid head," cried Robinson, "I deserve to have it cut off after all my experience."

And he actually capered with vexation.

"The best may make a mistake," said the other soothingly. "Well, captain, you did us a good turn last night, so here is your claim. We put your pal's pick in it--here close to us. Oh! there was a lot that made difficulties, but we over-persuaded them."

"Indeed! How?"

"Gave them a hiding, and promised to knock out any one's brains that went into it. Oh! kindness begets kindness, even in a gold mine."

"It does," cried Robinson, "and the proof is--that I give you the claim.

Here come this way and seem to buy it of me. All their eyes are upon us.

Now split your gang, and four take my claim."

"Well, that is good of you. But what will you do, captain? Where shall you go?" And his eyes betrayed his curiosity.

"Humph! Well, I will tell you on condition that you don't bring two thousand after me again. You should look behind you as well as before, stupid."

These terms agreed to, Robinson let Ede know that he was going this moment back to the old digging. The other was greatly surprised.

Robinson then explained that in the old digging gold lay at various depths and was inexhaustible; that this afternoon there would be a rush made from it to Robinson's Gully (so the spot where they stood was already called); that thousands of good claims would thus by diggers'

law be vacated; and that he should take the best before the rush came back, which would be immediately, since Robinson's Gully would be emptied of its gold in four hours.

"So clear out your two claims," said he. "It won't take you two hours.

All the gold lies in one streak four inches deep. Then back after me; I'll give you the office. I'll mark you down a good claim."

Mr. Ede, who was not used to this sort of thing since he fought for gold, wore a ludicrous expression of surprise and grat.i.tude. Robinson read it and grinned superior, but the look rendered words needless, so he turned the conversation.