"You bet you! The best claim in the diggin's."
"How big is a claim?" demanded Harry.
"Well, a hundred feet by fifty and as much more as I can get. Now vamoose."
They "vamoosed."
"Two thousand people, claiming a hundred feet and as much more as they can get, doesn't leave much room for the rest of us," sighed Harry.
"Hello, there!" hailed another voice, more cheery. It was the "Root Hog or Die" professor. He also was equipped for mining, but he appeared to be a wanderer like themselves.
"Have you struck anything?" asked Terry, as soon as they had shaken hands.
"Not a sign. Have you?"
"No. Can't find a place to dig in, even."
"This prospecting is more of a science than I had thought," confessed the professor. He looked tired out. "I've been at it since morning. I had an idea the gold would show on the surface."