ed; but some few were so disgusted at having
been fooled that they were almost inclined to take it as a personal
affront that we had not made the expected "strike."

"You'd think they was a bunch of confounded Keskydees," growled one of
them.

The miners slowly dispersed, returning to their own diggings. Somewhat
red-faced, and very silent, we gathered up our pans and slunk back to
the claim. Our neighbour stuck his head out of his hole. He alone had
not joined the stampede in our direction.

"How do you like being popular heroes?" he grinned.

Johnny made as though to shy a rock at him, whereupon he ducked below
ground.

However, our spirits soon recovered. We dumped the black sand into a
little sack we had brought for the purpose. It made quite an appreciable
bulge in that sack. We did not stop to realize that most of the bulge
was sack and sand, and mighty little of it gold. It was something
tangible and valuable; and we were filled with a tremendous desire to
add to its bulk.

We worked with entire absorption, quite oblivious to all that was going
on about us. It was only by accident that Yank looked up at last, so I
do not know how long Don Gaspar had been there.

"Will you look at that!" cried Yank.

Don Gaspar, still in his embroidered boots, his crimson velvet breeches,
his white linen, and his sombrero, but without the blue and silver
jacket, was busily wielding a pickaxe a hundred feet or so away. His
companion, or servant, was doing the heavier shovel work.

"Why, oh, why!" breathed Johnny at last, "do you suppose, if he must
_mine_, he doesn't buy himself a suit of dungarees or a flannel
shirt?"

"I'll bet it's the first hard work he ever did in his life," surmised
Yank.

"And I'll bet he won't do that very long," I guessed.

But Don Gaspar seemed to have more sticking power than we gave him
credit for. We did not pay him much further attention, for we were busy
with our own affairs; but every time we glanced in his direction he
appeared to be still at it. Our sack of sand was growing heavier; as
indeed were our limbs. As a matter of fact we had been at harder work
than any of us had been accustomed to, for very long hours, beneath a
scorching sun, without food, and under strong excitement. We did not
know when to quit; but the sun at last decided it for us by dipping
below the mountains to the west.

We left our picks and shovels in our pit; but carried back with us our
pans, for in them w