"Oh, we're doing fairly well," answered Earl, as coolly as he could, although still highly excited. "Where are you bound?"
"Thought we'd try it over to Hunker Creek. Some good reports from there this week."
"So I've heard," said Randy. "I wonder if it would pay us to go over."
"It might—everybody has an equal chance, ye know," said the second miner. "Say, do ye calkerlate to git anything outer thet split?" he went on, with a look of disdain on his face.
"I thought I would see what was in it," said Earl. "If a fellow don't try, he'll never find anything."
"Ye won't git nuthin' out o' thar; the split don't lay right. Better go up to the top end o' your claim; ye'll stand more chance thar." And after a few words more the two miners moved off, and the boys breathed easier.
"That shows what he knows about it," said Earl, when he dared to broach the subject. "Wouldn't he open his eyes if he knew the truth?"
"And wouldn't he be in for squeezing a claim right on top of us? " added Randy. "No; we had best keep this find to ourselves, at least until we've found just what is in the split and how far away from the gulch it runs."
"Throw all the nuggets into the hole over yonder," said Earl, "and cover them up. We'll take them to the
