NEW SOUTH WALES. 243 



twelve men was twenty-four feet square ; and a 

 shaft was usually sunk in the centre of it. The 

 deep holes, some as much as 150 feet in depth, 

 were slabbed with planks all the way down, 

 until they arrived at what they considered the 

 bottom, and then excavations were made in 

 every direction. Here the richest discoveries of 

 gold were made, but it was hard work. 



Two brothers, Englishmen, and a friend of 

 theirs, rented a small claim, which they had 

 worked for some time with but little success. 

 Two of them one day went to their tent to get 

 their dinner, leaving one of the brothers at 

 work. Presently he came to a lump of gold 

 which he tried to pull out with his hands, but 

 could not move it. He then proceeded to clear 

 away the soil, when he found the lump increased 

 to a breadth of eight or nine inches. Still he 

 could not remove it. He then covered it up, 

 and ran to the tent and asked for a glass of 

 brandy, as he was faint. Well he might be, for, 

 on clearing it, it proved to be of nearly one 

 hundred pounds in weight of pure gold, worth 

 some thousands of pounds. It was safely con- 

 veyed to Melbourne, and from thence shipped 

 to England, where it was purchased by the 



