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.

By the ingenious use of tree limbs, we were enabled to repair it sufficiently to carry all of our freight; and after it was loaded on, we ate our supper, and prepared for an early start.

The gold, which we were so glad to obtain possession of, troubled us, however.  We did not like to risk its safety with us, for we knew that the population of Ballarat were wild and lawless, and we were rather fearful of losing our treasure, now that we possessed it.  We consulted with Smith, and came to the conclusion that the safest place was with the honest old stockman, buried beneath his stone hearth.  He readily accepted of the trust, and promised to deliver it only upon a written order, signed by both of us, and with a private mark upon the paper.

With Smith we settled according to what we considered a liberal reward.  The honest fellow refused, at first, to accept of any thing, saying that he had only performed his duty, and that he was still in our debt; but we would not listen to such reasoning, and weighed out five thousand dollars, as his share, for losses sustained, and time expended.