"Nay," said the big Cornishman; "we'll have up what I've got down yonder
first. Clear out the place. There's enough there to last us a
fortnight longer; and I want to go there badly."

"Very well," said Dallas; "then we'll go. Feel well enough to come as
far as there to-morrow, Bel?"

"Yes; and I should like it," was the reply.

"Then we'll go. We'll shut up the dog here to keep house till we come
back, though no one is likely to come. I say, how much longer it has
been light to-day."

"Pretty sort of light!" growled Tregelly. "I could make better light
out of a London fog and some wet flannel. We got a fine lot of gravel
and washing stuff, though, out of the shaft to-day. Look here, I picked
out this."

He held out a tiny nugget of gold, about as big as a small pea; and it
was duly examined, put in a small canister upon the shelf, and then the
evening meal went on, and Tregelly refreshed himself with large draughts
of tea.

"Look here," he said: "we agreed that we'd tell one another if we found
a good place, and we started working separate."

"Yes," said Bel, "and fate has ordered that we should come together
again. We--bah! what mockery it seems to talk of `we' when I'm such a
helpless log."

"Look here, Bel, I wish you were a bit stronger, and I'd kick you."

"Don't wait, my son; kick him now," cried Tregelly. "He deserves it."

"I'll save it up," said Dallas. "But look here, Big Bob, you needn't
make a long speech. You were going to say that you thought now that we
had better stick together, share and share alike for the future."

"Well, I dunno how you knew that," said Tregelly; "but it was something
of the kind."

"That's right, then we will; eh, Bel?"

"Of course; if Tregelly will consent to share with such a weak,
helpless--"

"Here," cried the big Cornishman, springing up, "shall I kick him?"

"No, no; let him off."

"But he do deserve it," said Tregelly, subsiding. "Now, I was going to
say it don't seem quite fair for me to stop, as those precious three--if
there is three of 'em left unhung--not having shown up, there don't seem
any need."

"More need than ever," said Dallas. "Your being here scares them away."

"Hope it do," said Tregelly. "Then look here, we'll go down to my pit
to-morrow, and bring up the sledge load, including my bit of ice, for it
can't be so very long now before it'll begin to thaw a bit every day,
and I don't want my block to melt and let out the go