amputations than at medical practice, but I do know a bit about metals
and mining. Why, didn't we touch at Banca in '44 and see the tin mining
there?"

"Yes," said my father; "but I took no interest in it then."

"Well, I did, my lad. Tin? No. Tin would either be stream-tin,
looking like so much grey stone, or else tin in quartz, all little
blackish grains."

"Then this is--"

"Like the yellow iron you showed me once, and wanted to make me believe
was gold--a mare's nest?"

My father looked at him with his brow all wrinkled up.

"No," said the doctor quickly, "it is not tin, Duncan, but very fine
galena--"

"Galena?" said my father; and I stared at the glittering blackish ore
like metallic coal.

"Yes, sir, galena-lead ore, and I shall be very much surprised if we do
not find in it a large proportion of silver."

"Silver!" cried my father excitedly. "Then it is a great find."

"Great find, my boy? A very great find. Now get a hammer and let's
powder some of this up, and see whether we can melt it. Got a pair of
bellows?"

"Oh yes, big ones."

"Hah! That's right," said the doctor. "Now the way would be to take
our powdered specimens to the blacksmith's forge, and melt them there,
but that would be like letting the whole country-side know about it, and
we've no occasion to do that. I suppose no one knows as yet?"

"No--I'm not sure," said my father; and he mentioned how Jonas Uggleston
seemed to be watching him.

"That's bad. But never mind; the place is yours. Have you got your
deeds?"

"No," said my father, "Lawyer Markley said they would be ready in a day
or two. That was last week."

"Take the pony and ride over to Barnstaple at once, and get them. Don't
come back without them, or, mark my words, there'll be some quibble or
hindrance thrown in the way. Make quite sure of the place at once I
say."

"But to-morrow, when we've tested these stones," said my father.

"My dear Duncan," cried the doctor, "I'm a disagreeable crotchety
fellow, but you know you can trust me. Now, take my advice, and go
directly. If I saw a patient in a bad way, should I put off my remedies
till to-morrow; and if you saw that you were getting your ship
land-bound on a lee shore, would you wait till to-morrow before you
altered your course?"

"No," said my father smiling. "There, I'll go."

He started directly, and as soon as we heard the pony's hoofs on the
road the doctor turned to me.

"Come a