perforated San Benito summit. It was, unlike many other metalliferous
hills, an isolated, sharply-defined mass of rock, breaking into sudden
pinnacles and points, traversed with veins of silver. These veins had
been worked with galleries, which, even before the Spanish conquest,
had honeycombed the solid rock, and had been thought to have exhausted
its riches; but it had been part of Oliver Dynevor's bold speculations
to bring modern science to profit by the leavings of the Peruvians and
their destroyers. It was a marvellous work, but it might still be a
question whether the profit would bear out the expense.

However, that was not the present consideration. No one could feel
anything but admiring astonishment at the fantastic craggy height of
peaks and spires, rising against the darkening sky, like the very
stronghold of the Giant of the Western Star; and, with the black
openings of the galleries, here and there showing the lights of the
workmen within. Mary remembered the tales, in which Louis used vainly
to try to interest her, of metal-working Dwarfs within the mountains;
and would have been glad to tell him that, after all, reality was quite
as strange as his legends.

The miners, Indians and negroes, might truly have been Trolls, as, with
their brown and black countenances, and wild bright attire, they came
thronging out of their rude houses, built of piled stones on every
tolerably level spot. Three or four stout, hearty Cornish miners, with
picks on their shoulders, made the contrast stranger; and among them
stood a young man, whose ruddy open face carried Mary home to
Ormersfield in one moment; and she could not but blush almost as if it
had been Louis, when she bent her head in acknowledgment of his bow.

He started towards her as if to help her off her mule; but Mr. Ponsonby
was detaining him by questions, and Mr. Ward, as usual, was at her
rein. In a wonderfully brief time, as it seemed to her, all the
animals were led off to their quarters; and Robson, coming up,
explained that Madison's hut, the only habitable place, had been
prepared for the ladies--the gentlemen must be content to sleep in
their tent.

'The hut was at least clean,' said Robson, as he ushered them in; and
Mary felt as if it were a great deal more. It was rudely built, and
only the part near the hearth was lined with matting; the table and the
few stools and chairs were rough carpentry, chiefly made out of boxes;
but upon the