Handsome had ever been
put to in all his life. At the end of a few days, the skin was scraped
off his hands from shoveling, and he had such a kink in his back that
he couldn't straighten up. But he had come to stay, and a little;
discomfort was not going to scare him. Their implements, purchased at
the diggings, consisted of pick, shovel and rocker, this last being a
box arranged on rockers like a baby's cradle. It was a clumsy yet
useful contrivance, in which were fastened, one above the other, wire
screens of varying fineness, the coarsest being on top. As Handsome
dug the yellow earth out of the hole he shoveled it into the top
screen. When it was full Hickey poured in water while he rocked. The
water washed the dirt through the holes, leaving the stones. These
were taken out, emptied onto a sorting table, where Handsome scraped
off the worthless peddles [Transcriber's note: pebbles?], saving
anything that seemed of value. As a rule, and much to Hickey's
disgust, the table was scraped clean. Sometimes the sailor would make
a joyful exclamation on seeing some glittering pieces of rock crystal,
thinking he had found a prize, only to be disappointed a moment later
when a more experienced miner assured him it was worthless. Both soon
learned, however, to recognize at sight the precious gems, and,
although few came their way, they saw many brought to the surface by
luckier neighbors. One day sounds of great rejoicing was heard in
their tent. They had worked hard for over a month without finding
anything, and were feeling greatly discouraged and dejected, when all
at once something happened. Handsome had been rocking the cradle in a
listless sort of way, and Hickey was sorting the residue, when suddenly
the sailor gave a wild whoop of delight. Darting forward, he held up a
glittering stone. Examination proved it to be a genuine diamond,
weighing about ten carats, and valued at about $1,000. It was not much
of a find, but it was enough to turn their heads. Dropping all work,
they both proceeded to have "a good time," going on a drunken orgie,
which lasted just as long as the money held out. When they came to
their senses they were worse off than before. Weakened by prolonged
debauch, they were in no mood for digging, and to complicate matters
some one had jumped their claim during their absence. Even their tools
had disappeared. Without resource or credit, they could not procure
others. Yet work they m