Before The Party Returned To Tea I Had Washed Out All
The Stuff, And Procured From It Nearly Two Pennyweights Of Gold-Dust,
Worth About 6s. Or 7s.
Tin-dish-washing is generally done beside a stream, and it is
astonishing how large a quantity of "dirt" those who have the knack of
doing it well and quickly can knock off in the course of the day.
To do
this, however, requires great manual dexterity, and much gold is lost
by careless washing. A man once extracted ten pounds weight of the
precious metal from a heap of soil which his mate had washed too
hurriedly.
In the evening Joe made his re-appearance, carrying another sack on his
shoulders, which contained a number of empty bottles, and now for the
first time we became initiated into the BRAN mystery which had often
puzzled us on the road - it seemed so strange a thing to carry up to the
diggings. Joe laughed at our innocence, and denied having told us
anything approaching a falsehood; a slight suppression of the truth was
all he would plead guilty to. I verily believe William had put him up
to this dodge, to make us smile when we should have felt annoyed. Being
taxed with deceit, said he: "I told you two-thirds truth; there
wanted but two more letters to make it BRANDY," and with the greatest
SANG-FROID he drew out a small keg of brandy from the first sack and
half-filled the bottles with the spirit, after which he filled them all
up to the neck with water.
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