y. Somebody has to
help me."

Bet crouched down close beside him and held the drill steady while the
old man prepared to hit. She glanced up at him, dubiously. The old
man laughed.

"Don't know as I blame you any," he said as he twisted a piece of heavy
wire about the drill and gave Bet an end to hold. "There, you can
steady it with that, so I won't hit your fingers."

"Oh, I wasn't afraid," began Bet but the professor laughed and Bet did
not finish her sentence.

"You looked as if you were very much frightened indeed. You were
certain I would hit your fingers, and I'm not sure I wouldn't have," he
chuckled.

And his first strong blow did miss the drill and the girls, watching
him, laughed.

"Gee, if Bet's fingers had been there!" gasped Joy.

"Well, maybe I'd have been more careful if her hand had been there. I
never take chances."

While Bet held the drill in place the professor dealt blow after blow
until he was ready to drop with exhaustion.

"And some men keep that up all day, I'm told," he gasped as he threw
down the tool and dropped to the ground. "I don't believe they do," he
added.

"I've seen men keep at it pretty steadily for hours," interrupted Kit,
"but they don't go at it so strenuously. You put all your soul and
body into it. They don't get excited and they don't wear themselves
out with wild flourishes. You see when a prospector has that work to
do, he doesn't have to hurry. He has all the time there is."

"To tell you the truth," laughed the professor sheepishly, "I'm so
anxious to start looking for the treasure that I don't want to dig this
shaft, I'm like a child with a new toy."

"Come here, Kit," called Bet. "You hold this drill for a while and let
me swing the hammer. I'm just dying to do it."

"And maybe I'm not glad there is a wire to hold. You'd hit me, sure."

"Don't trust me even yet," Bet returned with a gay laugh.

"That's right, Kit," trilled Joy. "You are only two feet away from her
hammer, she might easily miss the mark by that much." Joy was glad of
a chance to tease Bet.

Bet swung the hammer with vigor, bringing it down on the drill with a
force that seemed impossible from her slender arms.

"Go it, Bet. You'll get there yet," shouted Joy.

Bet was soon worn out and the girls took turns and had the joy of
finishing one hole to the required depth for setting the charge.

The professor was bending over the tracings on the rock. He had
forgotten