that it would most likely be kept here, and that it may be buried
somewhere under this circle of ashes."

"Tom is right, mates," Dave said, "that is just where the gold would be
kept, and there aint much doubt that they would bury it as they got it,
so as to prevent anyone from taking any of it till it was divided up.
Let us fetch our picks, Boston, and we will soon see if it is here. Let
us try round the post first," he went on, when the three men fetched
their picks; "it will be either close to the middle of the hut, or else
on one side under where he made his bed."

The ground was sand, which had been washed up by an, eddy in one of the
floods, and they had struck but three or four blows with the pick, when
Dave exclaimed:

"Here is something, boys!"

They had brought a shovel with them, and throwing aside the sand, they
saw a piece of leather.

"It is a bag," Joe said; "this is their hoard, sure enough."

Going down on their hands and knees, they pulled up bag after bag, each
about fifty pounds in weight, until they had a pile on the surface of
eight bags.

"Eureka!" Dave exclaimed, as he lifted the last bag out of the hole.
"They had made something like a pile; no doubt they were a strong party,
but even with that they must have been here a couple of months to have
got this lot together. Well, Boston," and he held out his hand, "we can