The wash was carried along in the trucks from the
top of the shaft to the puddlers, which were large
circular vats into which water was constantly gushing.
The wash dirt being put into these, there was an iron
ring held up by chains, having blunt spikes to it,
which was called a harrow. Two of these being
attached to beams laid crosswise were dragged round
and round among the wash by the constant revolution
of the cross-pieces. This soon reduced all the
wash dirt to a kind of fine, creamy-looking syrup,
with heavy white stones in it, which were removed
every now and then by the man in charge of the machine.
Descending to the second story of the framework, Vandeloup
found himself in a square chamber, the roof of which
was the puddler. In this roof was a trap-door,
and when the wash dirt had been sufficiently mixed
the trap-door was opened, and it was precipitated
through on to the floor of the second chamber.
A kind of broad trough, running in a slanting direction
and called a sluice, was on one side, and into this
a quantity of wash was put, and a tap at the top turned
on, which caused the water to wash the dirt down the
sluice. Another man at the foot, with a pitchfork,
kept shifting up the stones which were mixed up with
the gravel, and by degrees all the surplus dirt was
washed away, leaving only these stones and a kind
of fine black sand, in which the gold being heavy,
had stayed. This sand was carefully gathered up
with a brush and iron trowel into a shallow tin basin,
and then an experienced miner carefully manipulated
the same with clear water. What with blowing
with the breath, and allowing the water to flow gently
over it, all the black sand was soon taken away, and
the bottom of the tin dish was then covered with dirty
yellow grains of gold interspersed with little water-worn
nuggets. Archie took the gold and carried it down
to the office, where it was first weighed and then
put into a little canvas bag, which would be taken
to the bank in Ballarat, and there sold at the rate
of four pounds an ounce or thereabouts.
‘Sae this, ye ken,’ said Archie, when
he had finished all his explanations, ‘is the
way ye get gold.’
‘My faith,’ said Vandeloup, carelessly,
with a merry laugh, ’gold is as hard to get
in its natural state as in its artificial.’
“Madame will be rich some day,” remarked
Vandeloup, as they left the office and walked up towards
the house.
“Maybe she will,” replied the other, cautiously.
“Australia’s a gran’ place for the
siller, ye ken. I’m no verra far wrang but
what wi’ industry and perseverance ye may mak
a wee bit siller yersel’, laddie.”
“It won’t be my fault if I don’t,”
returned M. Vandeloup, gaily; “and Madame Midas,”
he added, mentally, “will be an excellent person
to assist me in doing so.”
CHAPTER VI
Copyrights
Madame Midas from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.
