arned Grant. "We want it right, you know."

"We certainly do," agreed George. "We don't want to do all this work for
nothing."

The measurements were continued, painfully and slowly. Every ten inches
was marked off with the greatest of care, and if John's statement that
his shoe was exactly ten inches long was correct it seemed impossible
that any mistake had crept into their calculations. John insisted over
and over again that the length quoted was absolutely correct, but his
friends kept on asking him, so anxious were they to be perfectly sure.

"One hundred and twenty," announced Fred at length. "That's the end of
the first journey."

"Thank goodness," exclaimed Grant, wiping the perspiration from his
brow. "That's about as hard work as I care to do."

"I should say it is," agreed George. "Let's rest for a few minutes."

"I've got to," said Grant. "I'll never last otherwise."

"Mark the exact spot where we are to start on the next lap," said John,
"and then let's go up here in the shade and rest for a little while."

"Good idea," exclaimed Grant. "I'll put this stick in the ground."

The important spot plainly indicated, the whole party withdrew to the
shade afforded by a neighboring clump of palms and stretched themselves
upon the ground for a well earned rest.

"I don't suppose we have any business to be working out in that sun in
the middle of the day anyway," said Grant. "It's entirely too hot."

"Do you think we're apt to get a sunstroke?" queried John.

"There's a good chance of it, I should think. I don't believe that
people who are used to living in the tropics would be working out in it
either."

"Suttinly dey wouldn't," said Sam with great conviction. "It am bery,
bery dangerous."

"I think so too," exclaimed George. "I say we don't do anything more
until the sun begins to go down a little. We've got more than half of it
measured out anyway, and it won't take us so very long to do the rest."

"The only trouble is," remarked Fred, "that if we wait until then to
finish the measuring we won't be able to do any digging to-day."

"What of it?" demanded Grant. "Gold won't evaporate, you know, and if
it's there to-day it'll be there just as much to-morrow."

"You're right, Grant," agreed George. "There's no hurry, and much as I
want to see that gold, I'm willing to wait 'till to-morrow rather than
run the risk of sunstroke or something."

Having reached this decision they lay about in the shade