e stuff," he said, "and nobody daren't
say a word to us. All the same, I'm going to Dawson to file the claim
and make things dead sure."

"When will you go?"

"Now, right off. I want to bring back some things with me, and I'll be
gone two or three days, but I won't lose no time."

Jeff was one of those men who do not require long to make up their
minds, and whom, having reached a decision, nothing can turn aside from
its execution. Ten minutes later he was hurrying toward Dawson City,
forty miles or more distant.

Inasmuch as Tim McCabe had practical knowledge of placer mining, the
three decided to improve the time while Jeff was absent in taking out
some of the gold which he assured them was there.

As has been explained, this form of mining is of the crudest and
cheapest nature. In winter, after sinking a shaft to bed-rock, tunnels
are run in different directions, and the frozen dirt piled up until
warm weather permits its washing out. The distance to bed-rock varies
from four to twenty feet. The gold is found in dust, grains, and
nuggets, the last varying from the size of a hickory-nut or larger to
small grains of pure gold.

It quite often occurs that the bed-rock is seamy, with many small
depressions. It is supposed that when the _debris_ containing the
original gold swept over this bed-rock, the great weight of the metal
caused it to fall and lodge in the crevices, where it has lain for
ages. Certain it is that the richest finds have been made in such
places.

Having fixed upon the spot where the work should begin, Tim McCabe and
the boys set to work to clear off the coarse gravel and stone from a
patch of ground. At the end of several hours they had completed enough
to begin operations. Tim dropped a few handfuls of the finer gravel or
sand into his pan, which was a broad, shallow dish of sheet iron. Then
water was dipped into the pan until it was full, when he whirled it
swiftly about and up and down. This allowed the gold, on account of its
greater specific gravity, to fall to the bottom, while the sand itself
was floated off by the agitation. Tim had learned the knack of dipping
the pan sideways, so as gradually to get rid of the worthless stuff,
while the heavy yellow particles remained below.

The boys stood attentively watching the operation, which was carried on
with such skill that by and by nothing was left in the bottom but the
yellow and black particles. The latter were pulverized magnetic ir