arty found trucks waiting for them, worked by an
endless rope, going up and down. Into one of these they soon packed
themselves, and were speedily drawn to the top of the hill, while we
climbed slowly, and indeed painfully, up by a pretty country road,
eventually arriving at the shoot, at the bottom of which three drays
were standing. Into these, lumps of stone were being run as fast as
possible, and when filled they were taken down to the works, to be
quickly replaced by empty return drays. The stone looked exactly like
old ironstone, but we were told that it was the richest native gold
yet found, having been assayed as high as 99.8 per cent., and selling
readily for 4_l._ 4_s._ an ounce. To this was added the assurance that
half an ounce of gold per ton would pay all working expenses. The
blacksmith's forge stood a little further on, and then we came to a
very narrow woodland path, up which Tom and the sailors carried me in
turns, as far as another platform on the hill. Here were several
troughs leading to the larger shoot we had seen below, which kept it
constantly fed, and also the openings of long tunnels which had been
pierced into the very heart of the mountains. These shafts were merely
experimental, to make sure that the richness of the ore was not
superficial, but extended to a depth of some two hundred feet beneath
the ground on which we were standing. It was curious to hear these
statements, and look at the surrounding country, which was perfectly
free from the defacement of mining operations. The top of the
mountain, on a part of which we were standing, had originally been of
sugar-loaf form, but its extreme apex has been cut off, and quarrying
operations are now going on vigorously. Tons of valuable stone are
daily raised to the surface, from which large quantities of gold can
be extracted. One blast which took place while we stood there proved
nearly fatal to both me and 'Sir Roger.' The stone turned out to be
harder than the miners had anticipated, and the fragments blew further
than they should have done. One piece missed poor 'Sir Roger's' paw by
an inch; and another whizzed past my head within two inches; while a
smaller piece hit me on the shoulder with what the manager described
as a 'whacking sound,' making me feel quite faint for a few moments.

After strolling about picking up specimens, trying to learn from Mr.
Wesley Hall to distinguish between good and bad stone, their differing
qualities bein