n accents of deep disappointment. "Surely
that is nothing to get into such a tremendous state of excitement about.
We have no tools with which to work it, and--"

"Tools!" repeated Cunningham with withering scorn; "we have all the
tools we shall need. See this," and he produced from his pocket a
nodule of a dull, reddish-yellow colour, of irregular shape, and about
the size of a small egg. "I picked this out of the soil with my
fingers. And there is plenty more where this came from."

I took the nugget in my hand and examined it curiously. There was
nothing very remarkable about it excepting its weight, which was very
great for an object of its size. But it was gold, without a doubt; I
had seen and examined gold nuggets before, and could not be deceived.

"Where did you find this?" I asked, as I passed the thing on to Murdock
for his inspection.

"In our cave--or rather in a passage leading from it to this beach,"
answered Cunningham, who had by this time regained his composure. "You
see," he continued, "the way of it was this. I have finished my
calculations and drawings--finished them rather earlier to-day than I
expected; and I thought that, as I had an hour or two to spare, I might
as well employ the time in giving the cavern a thorough overhaul.
Accordingly I provided myself with some dry branches to serve as
torches, lighted up, and proceeded to look round. Then I found that, as
I have more than once suspected, there was an opening at the back end of
the cavern, giving access to another chamber almost as large as the one
which we occupy; while beyond that again there are other passages and
chambers--seven of the latter in all--communicating with each other, and
ending in a long, tortuous cleft forming a passage which leads out
there, behind those bushes. But it is the last chamber of all, the one
nearest in this direction, that is the marvel. Unlike the others--all
rock chambers--the one about which I am now speaking is a great hollow
in what appears to be a `fault' of stiff clay; and, man alive, that clay
is as thick with gold nuggets as a pudding is thick with plums! There
must be more than a hundredweight of nuggets actually in sight,
protruding from the walls and floor of that chamber, every one of which
may be picked out with no other tools than a man's fingers; so what
there is hidden, and just waiting to be dug out, heaven only knows, but
there must be tons upon tons of it! Come and see for