id Thirkle. "You may find it
a little harder, Mr. Trenholm; but perhaps it will be more convenient."

"What's that?" demanded Buckrow. "Who go in first?"

"It will be easier if Mr. Trenholm goes in first," said Thirkle. "He'll
have to go backward, but he'll find it easier to navigate."

"Oh, no, he won't!" said Buckrow. "I see your game, Thirkle. Ye want to
come out behind Mr. Petrak and borrow a gun. We'll let you go in first,
and the writin' chap can come out atween ye and Petrak. Don't come none
of them games on me, Thirkle. I'm too old a fish."

We went in with the second lot of sacks in the same order, but I saw
another exchange of signals between Thirkle and Petrak before we stooped
for our burdens.

Before we had gone ten feet inside the crevice Thirkle coughed, and
Petrak, close behind him said: "Gold don't rust."

"I say it do," declared Buckrow. "Six months' time in here'll have this
stuff with whiskers on it like a Singapore tramp that hasn't been docked
in a dog's age."

"I say gold don't rust," persisted Petrak. "How about it, Thirkle? Does
gold rust? I say it don't, and Bucky says it do."

"You're right, Reddy, but don't quarrel now," said Thirkle. "It won't
rust because gold doesn't rust."

"I don't give a tinker's hang what Thirkle says!" cried Buckrow, throwing
down his end of the sack. "I'm here to say gold will rust if it's kept
wet, and that's an end of it. Gold do rust, Thirkle or no Thirkle, and I
say it."

"All right," agreed Reddy. "Lay on, Bucky, and let's get this job over
and done with!"

"White-livered little fool!" I heard Thirkle mutter. "He doesn't dare do
it!"

I heard Petrak and Buckrow coming on, and we were soon at the end of the
black hole.

"This is a fine place, lads," said Thirkle. "It will keep in here as well
as if buried in white, dry sand."

"Maybe it will and maybe it won't," growled Buckrow. "I don't call no wet
hole like this fine, and never did, and I'm minded to bury the rest of
it outside."

"Never a bit of hurt in the water, Bucky," said Petrak cheerily. "We'll
put many of these shiners over the bar of the Flag and Anchor, Bucky, and
have many a pipe over our drink."

"Ye don't catch me in no Flag and Anchor. I'll have my drop of liquor in
the Flagship and you can go to the devil for yours, for all I mind. What
if this blasted hole closes up some day? What then? It'll be a fine place
then, no doubt. Hey, Mr. Thirkle? What then?"

"No fear of that,"