there is no coal in Cornwall."

"Nor yet gold and silver?"

"No: not much."

"Then it's tin you're after, and it won't pay for getting."

"You are wrong, Josh," said the lad smiling.

"Not copper?"

"Yes: copper."

"Yah! Now is it likely?"

"Yes," said Will. "Come here."

Josh rose reluctantly, and the lad began to descend again, climbing
quickly down the old mine debris till they reached the shore, and then
walking a dozen yards or so he climbed in and out among the great masses
of rock to where there was a deep crevice or chink just large enough for
a full-grown man to force himself through to where the light came down
from above.

"What's the good o' coming into a gashly place like this?" growled Josh,
whose breast-bone and elbows had been a little rubbed.

"I wanted to show you that," said Will, pointing to a little crack
through which a thread of water made its way running over a few inches
of rock, and then disappearing amongst the shingly stones.

"Well, I can see it, can't I?"

"Yes; but don't you see that the rock where that, water runs is all
covered with a fine green powder?"

"Yes, it's sea-weed," said Josh contemptuously.

"No; it's copper," cried Will excitedly; "that's a salt of copper
dissolved in the water that comes out there, and some of it is deposited
on the stones."

"Yah! nonsense, lad! That arn't copper. Think I don't know copper when
I see it? That arn't copper."

"I tell you it is," said Will; "and it proves that there's copper in the
rock about that old mine if anybody could find it; and the man who
discovers it will make his way in the world."

"You do cap me, you do indeed, lad. I shall never make anything of you.
Well, and do you mean to go down that gashly hole."

"I do; and you are going to manage the rope!"

"And s'pose you falls in and gets drowned, what am I to say to your
uncle?"

"I'm not going to fall in, and I'm not going to be drowned," said Will
quietly. "I'm going to try and find that copper; so now come along."

There was not a nice suitable piece of stone for Josh to use in
polishing his nose, so he contented himself with a rub of the back of
his hand before squeezing himself through the narrow passage between the
masses of rock, and following his companion to the ledge where the old
adventurers had spent their capital in sinking the shaft, and had given
up at last, perhaps on the very eve of success.

"It's all gashly nonsense," cried Jos