, and altogether
closed four inches from the bottom; through these holes the sand and
gravel flowed away. All day they worked vigorously and without
intermission, and great was the excitement when, at the end of the day's
work, they proceeded to clear-up by emptying the cradle and examining
the bottom. A shout of satisfaction arose as the particles of gold were
seen lying thickly in the gravel at the bottom of the cradle. Very
carefully this was washed out, and it was found that there were over
fifty ounces of gold dust.

"I believe," Abe said, "that we have hit upon the richest spot in
Californy. Ef it's like this on the surface, what is it going to be like
when we get down to the bed rock?"

The next morning two diggers arrived on the scene; they saw at once by
the methodical manner in which the place was being worked that the party
must have found gold in paying quantities.

"Is it rich, mates?" they asked eagerly.

"Ay," Abe replied, "rich enough for anything. There are the boundaries
of our claims, lads, and ye are welcome to set to work below them."

The miners threw off their coats, and at once set to work, and a shout
of exultation greeted the result of the first bucket of stuff they
washed out.

"Another week," Abe said, "and every foot of ground in the gulch from
here down to the Yuba will be taken up. The news will spread like
wildfire."

His anticipations were justified, and no one who came along a fortnight
later would have recognised, in the scene of life and activity, the
quiet wooded valley which Abe and his party had entered. The trees on
the lower slopes were all felled; huts and tents stood along on the
slopes from the head to the mouth of the valley, and several hundred men
were hard at work.

For once every man was satisfied, and it was agreed that it was the
richest place which had been discovered in California. But though all
were doing well, their finds did not approach those of the party at the
head of the valley. The spot on which these were at work was indeed a
natural trap for gold. At the lower end of the claim the bed rock was
found at the depth of three feet only; but it sloped rapidly down to the
foot of the fall, and here an iron rod had been driven down and showed
it to be forty feet below the surface.

The bed rock had indeed, in the course of ages, been pounded away by
the fall of water, and by the boulders and rocks brought down in time of
flood, and in the deep hole the