“All right. We’ll see how long you last.”
“Me lastee allee light.”
So Meen Fun was admitted to the companionship of the party, and after breakfast was put to work helping to take the rest of the things from the flatboat.
When at length Prawle, Jack and Charlie entered the mine, leaving Meyer to watch on the outside, they took Meen Fun with them.
Several lanterns were suspended at various points within the old deserted copper mine, and their bright glow furnished sufficient illumination for digging and other purposes connected with the mining operations.
Then the boys, under the experienced direction of Gideon Prawle, got busy; and it was not very long before Meen Fun made his appearance on the outside with his first load.
It was Meyer’s duty to separate the copper ore from the loose dirt, and pitch the former into the bottom of the boat.
“Dis vos a skinch,” mused the German boy, when he started in to make himself useful; but, by and by, when the novelty of the work began to wear off, and the heat of the sun commenced to get in its work, Dinkelspeil began to entertain quite a different opinion of the job.
“By shimmany! I beliefs dis vos harder den vorkings der pestels in der mortars for oldt Fox. Efery dimes I finish ub a pile dot Shinyman brings oud anodder load. Vouldn’t it make you veeps to dink off it?”
But there was no let up for Meyer till it was time for him to set about preparing the noonday meal.