lars," Tom responded
thoughtfully.

"Fifty dollars?" broke in Jim Ferrers, as he sprang from the top
ladder to the ground. "Is there that much money on the Indian
Smoke?"

"Not minted, of course," laughed Tom. "But here's something as
good as money."

"Where did you get it?" Jim demanded, tersely, after one look
at the nugget.

"In this ore-dump."

"Today's send-up, then?"

"Of course."

Without a word Ferrers fell at work on the pile of rocks, turning
them over fast.

Tom helped him. The two men, released from hoisting duty, also
aided.

"Nothing more like that sticking out of the rock," Jim grunted,
turning to one of the men. "Bring me a sledge."

With that larger hammer, held in both hands, Jim placed ore pieces
with his feet, swiftly bringing down sharp blows that reduced
the rocks to nearly the size of pebbles.

"I don't see any more nuggets coming," mused! Tom. "But wait
a minute. Look at the yellow streak through some of these fragments."
"We're getting into the vein, I believe," spoke Jim solemnly.
"Look at the stuff! But wait! I've a little more hammering to do."

Back of them stood the teamster, who had just come up with the horses.

"Am I to take that stuff and dump it down the ravine?" he asked
slowly.

"If you do," retorted Ferrers heatedly, "I'll hammer in the top
of your head, Andy! Reade, won't you pick out what you want for
the site of the ore-dump. We've got some real ore at last!"
One of the two hoist-men now ran to the shaft, shouting down the
great news.

"Hold on there, Bill," Tom called dryly. "Don't get the boys excited
over what may turn out to be nothing. Don't tell 'em any more than
that we have-----"

"Tell 'em yourself, boss," retorted Bill. "Here they come!"

From the ladder a steady stream of men discharged itself until the
last one was up.

"Where are you going, Tim?" called Tom, turning just in time to
note big Walsh's movements.

"Going to call Mr. Hazelton, sir."

"Don't do it. Don't get him stirred up for nothing."

"For nothing, boss?"

"Don't bother Hazelton until we can tell him something more definite.
Boys, with all my heart I hope that we have something as good
as we appear to have. But every man of you knows that, once in
a while, gold is found abundantly in a few hundred pounds of rock,
and then, from that point on, no more yellow is found. We won't
get excited until we get our first thousand dollars' worth out
of the ground