miling.

"I don't know," said Sir Humphrey. "Try; the place looks very likely."

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

THE YELLOW METAL.

The men had landed and made fast the boat, and were now gathering wood
for a fire, as Brace and the American stepped to the shallowest part
they could find, where the stream ran swiftly, washing the stones so
that they glittered and shone in the bright sunshine.

"Suppose we try here," said Briscoe, rolling up his sleeves and making
use of the shovel they had brought to scrape away some of the larger
pebbles. "Now then, there, hold the bowls, or they'll be floating
away."

Brace thrust them down under the water, and Briscoe placed a shovelful
of gravelly sand in one, balancing it so that it was level on the bottom
of the bowl.

"I say, we did not come up here to begin gold-hunting," said Brace
reproachfully.

"No, of course not. Ours is a naturalists' trip, and this is testing
the mineralogy of the district," said Briscoe, with a peculiar smile.

_Plosh_! Another shovelful of gravelly sand was raised and placed in
the second bowl. Then the shovel was driven in, to stand upright.

"Now," cried Briscoe, "wash away."

"Like this?" said Brace, shaking the bowl, as he began to feel a
peculiar interest in the proceedings.

"No," said the American: "like this." And, stooping down and holding
his bowl just under water, he gave it a few dexterous twists which
brought all the bigger stones and pieces to one side, so that he could
sweep them off with his hand into the river again.

"I say, you've done this sort of thing pretty often before," cried
Brace.

"Yes, a few times," said Briscoe, laughing. "Up in the north-west in
canon and gulch, with the Indians waiting for one. Come, go ahead;
there are no Indians here."

"There don't seem to be," said Brace, imitating his companion's acts and
washing away till nothing was left in the bottom of the two bowls but
half a handful of fine sand.

"Did you find much gold up yonder?" said Brace, shaking away at his
bowl.

"Lots," said Briscoe coolly.

"And made yourself rich?"

"No," said the American drily; "I made myself as poor as a rat."

"I don't understand! How was that? You found gold?"

"Oh, yes. My partners and I spent one season up there prospecting, and
altogether we managed to get together a hundred thousand dollars' worth
of the yellow stuff."

"That was pretty good."

"Tidy."

"Then how do you make out that yo