ne of 47 pounds. All these nuggets
revealed outcrops and the finders all became rich men.

"One of them was found in a queer way. A prospector, or 'fossicker' as
they call them back there, had been panning all along a small creek,
finding hardly enough color to pay him for his day's work. He was
walking on the very edge of the bank, scanning every stone he came to,
but seeing no prospects. Suddenly the bank caved in under him,
throwing him into the water. He came up, spluttering, and there, right
in front of him, the water was washing off the dirt, was one of the
purest nuggets that Australia ever produced. That was probably the
most profitable bath in history."

"Some men are born lucky!" declared Jim, enviously.

"That's true," Owens agreed, "and it has been a characteristic of
Australia that all the big finds have been made by lucky accidents.
Even recent discoveries are no exception. Did you ever hear the story
of Pilbarra and the crow?"

"Never did."

"It's a classic in Australian gold mining. It's as queer a story as I
know. It doesn't sound true, a bit, but all the documents in the case
are on record.

"One fine day, a youngster in West Australia--clear across the other
side of the continent from Bathurst and Ballarat--was idling along a
narrow track, as youngsters will, even when sent on a hurried message.
On his way, he saw a black crow hopping some distance away. With a
natural boy movement, he picked up a stone and shied it at the crow.
The bird gave a loud croak and flew away a little distance, but in the
same direction in which the boy was walking. Presently the crow was
within throwing distance, again. The boy stooped to pick up another
stone.

"Just as he was about to let fly, however, he noticed some gold specks
in it and took it home. There he showed it to his father, who was an
employe in the convict prison there. His father showed it to the
Warden, as he was compelled to do, for he was also a convict, though a
'trusty.'

"The much-excited Warden knew that the governor of the colony ought to
be notified at once, but how was he to do so without the secret
leaking out through the telegraph office? Forgetting, in his
excitement, that the governor did not know as much about the matter as
he did, he sent the following message:

"_'Boy here has just thrown stone at crow.'_

"He entirely neglected to mention that there was anything special in
either the stone or the crow.

"The telegram puzzle