Gurdon with a smile.

"You look upon this as refuse, I suppose?" he said. "You seem to imagine
that it is of no great value."

"Well, is it?" Gurdon asked. "What is it?"

"Gold," Venner said curtly. "Pure virgin gold, of the very finest
quality. I never saw a better sample."




CHAPTER V

A PUZZLE FOR VENNER


Venner sat just for a moment or two with the thin stream trickling
through his fingers, and wondering what it all meant. With his superior
knowledge of past events, he could see in this something that it was
impossible for Gurdon to follow.

"I suppose this is some of the gold from the Four Finger Mine?" Gurdon
suggested. "Do you know, I have never handled any virgin gold before. I
had an idea that it was more brilliant and glittering. Is this very
good stuff?"

"Absolutely pure, I should say," Venner replied. "There are two ways of
gold mining. One is by crushing quartz in machinery, as they do in South