oser, until they closed in abruptly in a rounded precipice, down which in

ck was made; the sides slope away a bit there. Now keep your eyes skinned, and see if yo

ning up behind that bush; it seems to me that it joins another ledge halfway up. Tom

pped as they got

here, Dave; it has c

s came to

and down-bears, I should say; maybe goats, and lots of them, like enough; it is the o

below this ledge seemed a mere line, but it was really two feet wide in most places, and even at the narrowest was not less than a foot. Two hundred yards along, another ascent was met with, and after half an

of the valley? The best of it is, that it is good enough for the horses to get up as well as us. Well, thank goodness, we have found

starve us, Dick; nine horses w

. Anyhow, I shall feel a great deal more com

ck, if, as Dave thinks, they came d

not such a com

of it?" Dave shouted to them

places, but we have passed many worse on the way; the cliffs never close up, so

it like a

e drop of the cliffs, hil

ce you have been gone, we have been fossicking about, and there is no d

found wa

where the water and stones and so on have come down and pounded away the bed rock. We found where the gold comes from too. There is a big quartz vein running right up the face of the cliff there; it is just full of gold. You can see it sparkle everywhere. Some day, when the Indians is

up what we want for the gravel. When we have got water, the next job will be to make a cradle; there are plenty of trees here, and we have got our hatchets, and we have brought the zinc screens, so we have g

tch. We had intended that, but we thought we should have only one p

out of five idle. Still, we have got a lesson there," Boston

ds, will you take the watch to-day, one above and one a

up the hill again, Dick. Y

e mouth here. You go u

can get a clear view all round, and then lie down. Choose a bit of shade, if you can find

dusk when Dave came

to stay here al

in. Zeke will take the watch below regular; he sleeps like a dog, and the least noise in the world

uite pl

ing your glass, I hop

ing it up with me.

the daytime down below. It is from there we have got to expect an attack the most, and if you saw them moving out strong, you could shout down to us and we should be ready for them. At night, in course, we must watch both places, for there may be, for anything we know, a big vil

find wate

nough for the horses