rey boulders.

The bearded man stooped to drink: the other dipped the billy into the
water and drank, standing.

The little bird had perched himself on a big rock which stood above the
surface of the swirling water.

"Good," said he with the beard. "There's no water like bush water."

"There's that little beggar again," said the other, watching the bird
upon the rock.

"He's following us around. This shall be named Bush Robin Creek."

"Bush Robin Creek it is," said the other. "Now take a prospect, and see
if you can get a colour."

The older man turned over a few boulders, and exposed the sand that lay
beneath them. Half a shovelful of this he placed in a tin dish, which he
half-filled with water. Then squatting on his heels, he rotated the dish
with a cunning movement, which splashed little laps of water over the
side and carried off the lighter particles of sand and dirt. When all
the water in the dish was thus disposed of, he added more and renewed
the washing process, till but a tablespoonful of the heaviest particles
of grit remained at the bottom. This residue he poked over with his
forefinger, peering at it nearly.

Apparently he saw nothing. More water was put into the dish, and the
washing process was continued till but a teaspoonful of grit remained.

"We've got the colour!" he exclaimed, after closely examining this
residue.

His comrade knelt beside him, and looked at the "prospect."

A little more washing, and at the bottom of the dish lay a dozen flakes
of gold, with here and there a grain of sand.

"We must go higher up," said the bearded man. "This light stuff has been
carried over a bar, maybe, and the heavier gold has been left behind."

Slowly and with difficulty they worked their way along the bank of the
creek, till at last they came to a gorge whose rocky sides stood like
mighty walls on either side.

The gold-seekers were wading up to their waists in water, and the Bush
Robin was fluttering round them as they moved slowly up the stream.
Expecting to find the water deeper in the gorge, the man in front went
carefully. The rocky sides were full of crevices and little ledges, on
one of which, low down upon the water, the little Robin perched.

The man reached forward and placed his hand upon the ledge on which the
bird was perched; the Bush Robin fluttered overhead, and then the man
gave a cry of surprise. His hand had rested on a layer of small nuggets
and golden sand.

"We've go