quite half-an-hour
almost in silence, not from Esau being out of temper, but from the
intense satisfaction we felt in being in so beautiful a place, and at
last sat down close by a gravelly-looking shallow, where the beautiful
clear water tempted us to lie flat down, lean over till we could touch
it, and drink.

"That's good water," said Esau, as he wiped his mouth. "I wish plenty
of fruit grew here too. What are you doing? Why, you're not going to
hunt for gold, are you?"

I did not answer, but went on with what I was doing; scooping up the
gravel and sand, and agitating my hand till the light sand was washed
away and only the stones remained. It was in imitation of what I had
seen Gunson and Quong do scores of times, and in the idlest of moods
that I did this, partly, I think, because the water felt cool and
pleasant to my hands, and the sensation of the sand trickling between my
fingers was agreeable.

"I wonder whether Gunson has found a good place for gold yet?"

"Dunno," replied Esau, with a yawn. "I wish those people would come
here, so that we could set to work in real earnest, and be making a
house. Shall you come and live with us, or with Mr and Mrs John?"

"Can't say at present. All that sort of thing must be left till they
come, and--oh!"

"What's the matter?"

"Nearly slipped in; that's all," I said, selecting a fresh stone for my
seat, the one I had been using at the edge of the stream having turned
slowly over and pitched me forward.

"Only got wet; you would soon get dry again in the sunshine."

"Yes," I said, taking a fresh handful of gravel and beginning to shake
it to and fro in the stream, pausing every now and then to pick out the
big stones and throw them away, and the gravel after them, before taking
another handful.

"Makes your hands nice and clean, doesn't it?" said Esau. "Nothing like
sand for that. Found any gold yet?"

"Not yet," I said.

"No, nor you won't. There's no gold here, only a few little specks like
Quong got."

"Oh, there might be," I said carelessly, as I thrust in my hand a little
deeper, and brought out a good handful of sand from lower down. "Gunson
said he was sure there was plenty if you could--"

"Well, could what?" said Esau, as he lay back with his hands beneath his
head, his cap over his eyes, and his voice sounding hollow and strange
from having to run round inside his hat.

I did not answer, for I was washing the contents of my hand with