"Yah, but he cost a lot to git him here," said the man who sold supplies.
"You won't take less?" asked Bob.
"Nein, I cannot do dot."
"I reckon it's a case of take it or leave it," said Maybe Dixon. "We had better take him up, for I don't see any other chance to get canvas."
"All right, but it breaks my heart to give up four ounces of gold for it," groaned Si.
They took the tent, and then purchased some other supplies which they desired. That night they stretched the canvas over some bushes and slept under it. The next day they cut poles and pitched the tent in proper shape, cutting a trench around it, so that the rain might run off and keep the ground inside dry. They covered the flooring with bark, and made several couches of pine boughs.
The next week found them working hard in two claims they had staked out. Not much gold in the dust was found, but quite some of the precious metal in grains which occasionally reached to the size of nuggets.
"Nuggets are what I want," cried Bob. "A good big nugget beats dust all to pieces!"
"Dust is all right, if you can only git enough of it," answered Maybe Dixon.
At the end of the second week at Three Cross Gulch they calculated that they had brought in over three hundred dollars' worth of dust and small nuggets. The largest of the nuggets was found by Si and was thought to be worth fifty to sixty dollars. It made the former farm lad dance a jig for joy.