p to the
eyes, and gold to your heart's content. What more can you desire?"

"Nothing," replied the cadaverous man with a sigh.

The state of prosperity to which Jack referred did not last. Their
first "claim," though rich, was soon worked out, and they were obliged
to seek another. This turned out to be a poor one, yielding barely
enough of the precious metal to enable them to pay their way, every
article of clothing, tools, and food being excessively dear at the
mines. Nevertheless, they worked on in hope, but what was termed their
"luck" became worse and worse every day, so that at last they were
obliged to run into debt.

This was not difficult to do, for the principal store-keeper, Higgins by
name, saw that they were respectable, trustworthy men, and felt pretty
safe in giving them supplies on credit. One bad result of the debt thus
incurred was that the whole tone and spirit of the party was lowered.

"It's too bad," growled Philosopher Jack one evening, as he strode into
the tent and flung down his tools; "got barely enough to keep the pot
boiling."

"Better that than nothing," remarked Watty Wilkins, who was in the act
of taking off his wet boots. "_I_ haven't got as much dust as would
gild the end of a bumbee's nose. Hope some of the others have been more
successful. None of them have come in yet except O'Rook, who is as
unlucky as myself. He's off to the store for something for supper."

Watty sat down before the fire which burned in front of the tent, and
sadly toasted his toes.

"I'll tell you what," said Jack, sitting down beside him, "I fear we
were fools to come here."

"Not so sure of that" returned Wilkins, with a dubious shake of the
head. "Every one, you know, cannot be lucky. Some succeed and some
don't. We are down just now, that's all. The wheel of fortune is going
round, and something will be sure to turn up soon."

"Nothing will turn up unless we turn it up for ourselves, you may depend
upon that" said Philosopher Jack.

"The captain seemed to preach a different doctrine from that last
Sunday, didn't he, when he remarked that God sometimes sends prosperity
and riches to those who neither ask, work for, nor deserve them?"

"True, Watty, but these, he told us, were exceptional cases; the rule
being, that those who labour with body or mind acquire possessions,
while those who don't labour fall into poverty. The simple truth of
that rule is partially veiled by the fact that