None Craig, it all got burnt up like the greedy Indian. But the gold in the stream looks real. I'll have a look. It could be fool's gold? I have a little panning gear if we need it.
Terence then pulled out two nuggety yellow rocks from Bruce's left inner saddle bag and said, "here's a real gold nugget, and a fool's one, guess which is which? Craig and Shirley knew at once and even Louise guessed right. The heavier one, the less edged one.....Yup said Terence! So why would there be a nugget of real gold untouched in a stream just behind Uncle Eddie's cabin where he fished and washed no doubt. Don't seem right unless he was having a joke? Or blind n stupid? I spoke a bit with poor Ernie to Chief RavenClaw and feel sad about what he said about the changing times, and how they're destroying their old ways. It was the same in Austrailia with their Aboriginies. I'd like to help him and his tribe manage things. No Whisky, Unity, Smarts, someone who knows letters and numbers...looking at the others. Bruce shook his head. Let me have a look at this seemingly gold rock, if that's ok? I doubt it's real.
I was thinking the same thing Terence. Shirley tho did say that North Carolina still has huge deposits of unfound gold. This is a stream but its source is way up there in the mountains. Supposing it has traveled here since Eddie's death.. that is a possibility....
The gold sometimes washes downstream in the creeks. It is not always nuggets. Sometimes it is a rock with gold flakes. Like this one...... The white specks appear to be gold. They are yellow but they look white in the picture. I guess they reflect the light. The rock must have washed downstream due to all the rain recently. If we pan for gold, we might find lots of gold flakes in the creek. If we follow the creek upstream, we might find the source of the gold. We might even have our own gold mine. That's where the dynamite could be useful. What shall we do? Or we could stay here in Uncle Eddie's cabin and fish and enjoy the scenery for a while.
Our dreams from the Money Tree went up in flames so I say let's pan for gold with a plan to start the latest NC gold mine.
We do have to be practical tho as we will have to find an awful lot of the glittering stuff to even start our own gold mine and there is no guarantee we can even find the source of any golden mother lode.. What is your take on this Terence as you have substantially more mining and prospecting experience than I.....
I'll get my gold panning gear and see what's there. Those rocks look like the real thing Shirley! I can build a sluice too if necessary. Getting gold out of rocks is not easy and hard work but well worth it. Hey ho, hey ho, it's off to work we go.... That money tree was the strangest magic I've ever seen. Weird. Still, I pray to do God's Will and all my good luck gold has and will go to schooling the under privaledged I sponser everywhere. Got some Lawyers sorting that out. My wealth is really in my karma and good deeds. God knows I know. Poor Ernie. My Lawyer in Boston is James jnr in James & James, Bond street, just so you know if anything happens? I have a funny feeling. It's probably just Bruce's farts?
We can slowly work upstream Craig looking for a Mother load. I can draw maps but let's see what's here first? Do some sampling? I have a small scale even. Never found a mother load before. That'd be real serious stuff. Pick, shovel, beams, axes, barrows, ropes, .... We'd have to stake it out too and submit a claim, and then the crowds come? I have forms, a new pencil, and a ruler. Bad eyes tho.
Any gold we find belongs to us. Uncle Eddie owned everything for many miles around. Since he left everything to me, it now belongs to us. He knew about the gold but only took enough to take care of his expenses. He never told anybody about the gold and we will have to keep it a secret, too. Terence, you build us a sluice and let's see what we find here to start with. We will share with those less fortunate than we are if we strike it rich. But it has to be done anonymously.
OK, Miss Thang, you can have one panful of silt to screen. Maybe you'll get lucky and have a big nugget.
What's this heavy yellow glitter stuff? Gold Shirley!? Louise, gold like that is hard to extract but you're welcome to a share from me. Ok? I reckon it's half an once?Thank you Lord. Maybe $500? I got a sledgehammer and gear to melt it down, Hard Yakka! Craig? Help me on the blower please. I'll get onto making a sluice at once Shirley. Asap. Here dear Louise, this is how one pans for gold. That's it, the heavy yellow bits. That's good, well done! See how it works, you're a natural! Bruce, cm'ere, I need my axes, hammers, saws n nails. Know how to make a gold sluice Craig? I'll show ya. It's easy but I'll need your fine cotton shirt? Silk is better? I have some but it's expensive. Gotta make a firepit too to melt the gold outta Shirley's rocks... Hey ho,...gotta make some charcoal too. Bruce, make us a cuppa. Stupid Mule! We need 2 rabbits as well, or 2 trout. Seems your Uncle Eddie had some nice fish traps Shirley. Fish tonight. Maybe a Goan fish curry. I have cloves , chilli and tumeric. Even peppercorns, salt n rice. A feast. Even one bottle of dry Shiraz. It's a dry red wine best eaten with fish. Maybe Rabbit? Nah!
Shirley you had it spot on. There is some of the glittering stuff in those rocks and Terence knows how to remove it. Clever fellow we lured to join our expedition. Still this is small pickings.. it is the Mother Load we want to start our own gold mine. This feeling must be how our prospecting forefathers felt. I can smell that fish dinner already and a wine to match.. feast coming up folks....
Thanks for the compliments Craig. Kalgoorlie taught me a lot. Great to hear you've already got the mining claim rights Shirley. You're the boss and I totally agree about the secrecy. Claim jumpers can be serious trouble. God knows the evil in the hearts of some men, and women. I know a poor and deserving Christian school..Letters n numbers get taught there. I'll get started on that sluice. First I'll make some measurement and then look for suitable timber. Sacks and mesh too. Even a blanket. I have some fine mesh. To extract gold from rocks you put them in tough cloth or canvas first and then smash them up with the back of an axe or sledge hammer to a fine dust. Hard work. then use a flour sieve to collect the gold, wash it outta the cloth too. I also like to cook the dust to melt any left over gold which'll sink to the bottom being a heavy metal. Easy but time consuming. Panning and sluicing is easier but not as rewarding. I can show youse all. Wanna be a Gold Cook Louise? It's a golden opportunity. I'll go and check out the dry timber about 300 yds to the East of here. Better take my axe, saw and rifle too, and Bruce to cart n haul wood back. I'll get some fire wood too. Good luck with the panning! Look for more rocks too. Hey ho,...Need some Bee's wax or tree resin too if you see any. Smoke the bees out first of course.... or did Eddy leave some candles? Let's look.