one of those extraordinary freaks, with stories of which, at any rate,
all people acquainted with alluvial gold-mining will be familiar. It
turned out afterwards that the American who sold me the claim had in
the same way made his pile--a much larger one than ours, by the way--
out of a single pocket, and then worked for six months without seeing
colour, after which he gave it up.

"At any rate, there the nuggets were, to the value, as it turned out
afterwards, of about twelve hundred and fifty pounds, so that after
all I took out of that hole four hundred and fifty pounds more than I
put into it. We got them all out and wrapped them up in a
handkerchief, and then, fearing to carry home so much treasure,
especially as we knew that Mr. Handspike Tom was on the prowl, made up
our minds to pass the night where we were--a necessity which,
disagreeable as it was, was wonderfully sweetened by the presence of
that handkerchief full of virgin gold--the interest of my lost half-
sovereign.

"Slowly the night wore away, for with the fear of Handspike Tom before
my eyes I did not dare to go to sleep, and at last the dawn came. I
got up and watched its growth, till it opened like a flower upon the
eastern sky, and the sunbeams began to spring up in splendour from
mountain-top to mountain-top. I watched it, and as I did so it flashed
upon me, with a complete conviction which I had not felt before, that
I had had enough of gold-mining to last me the rest of my natural
life, and I then and there made up my mind to clear out of Pilgrims'
Rest and go and shoot buffalo towards Delagoa Bay. Then I turned, took
the pick and shovel, and although it was a Sunday morning, woke up
Harry and set to work to see if there were any more nuggets about. As
I expected, there were none. What we had got had lain together in a