“Of course, we’ll have to chop the whole business down to-morrow,” Harry said, “and dig in around the roots.”
“The gold dust will be pretty well mixed up with the earth right plunk under the tree. It’ll be pretty hard to get at. But there are plenty of us to do the work and we’re all scouts—except me. We’re not afraid of work. We’ve got a wireless outfit to get, and a bicycle painted green. Are you all game for a hard day’s work to-morrow?”
Brent was sitting there on the ground with his knees drawn up and he just said, “We’re all scouts when it comes to a showdown.”
“Righto,” Harry said; “when it comes to a showdown.”
CHAPTER XXXV—IT COMES TO A SHOWDOWN
Maybe you’ll say we were all crazy, but I should worry. Anyway, I’m going to tell you everything, just the way it happened.
While the rest of us were starting our camp-fire, Harry was digging up spades full of earth as close to the trunk of the tree as he could get the spade. Each time he would spread the earth out on the spade and examine it very carefully by the light of the fire.
“You’re a swell lot of treasure hunters,” he said; “leaving all the work to me.”
“Wait till we get the fire burning up and we’ll give you a hand,” Brent said.
“That’s the best kind of gold,” little Bill spoke up; “that yellow flame.”