While he was speaking our eyes had wandered in search of the rock which he was mentioning, and within a rod of us we found it. We hardly waited to hear the conclusion of his words before we had pushed aside the loose dirt, and saw the soiled canvas bag which we had taken from the earth on the day of our capture.
We raised it carefully from its hiding-place, and found that the weight had not diminished. With eager hands we untied the strings, and exposed to our longing eyes the glittering scales of gold dust, mixed with gold coins, sovereigns, and American ten and twenty dollar pieces.
"Well," asked the stockman, "how much do you think you are worth now?"
The old fellow was as cool as an iceberg, and offered a striking contrast to our excitement.
"Twenty thousand dollars," replied Fred, weighing the bag with both hands; and no easy matter he found it to hold the gold at arm's length.
"More than that," replied the stockman, with a smile of gratified pride at our pleasure. "Say thirty thousand, and you will come nearer the mark."
"Five thousand shall go to reward you for your trouble," I said.
"Not a penny will I accept," he answered, quickly and decidedly; "I told you that some time ago. I plead poverty because I did not wish people to consider me rich, and I suppose by that means I have saved my life: for if the marauders of those parts knew me to possess gold, my hut would have been turned inside out, but that it would have been discovered. No, no; keep your money, and may you do good with it."
We mounted our horses again, and hugging the bag of gold to my saddle bow, as though fearful I should meet bushrangers to dispute my right to it at every step, we recrossed the prairie, meeting Smith on the way, to whom we imparted our good fortune, and received his congratulations. By three o'clock the gold was safe under the hearthstone, and then we breathed free, and felt that we indeed owned it.
By six o'clock Smith joined us with his dilapidated cart, when we immediately commenced repairing it, and getting ready for our journey towards Ballarat.