Headquarters for exploration; trout were plentiful here. 



We got busy with the Geiger counter that first evening, lis- 

 tening through earphones to the hypnotic little clicks caused 

 by cosmic radiation. Unless the clicks exceeded a normal thirty 

 or forty per minute they meant nothing. This was merely the 

 "background count." 



(Operating manual: The background count varies from spot 

 to spot. It is higher over granite, which is radioactive, than over 

 limestone, which is inert.) 



The next day, Lowell took personal charge of Geiger count- 

 ing, while the rest of us were hurrying our remaining duffle over 

 the two-mile portage to beat an impending drizzle. About mid- 

 afternoon he found several of us at the foot of the portage, ready 

 to take over the last load. His eyes looked strange and his face 

 flushed, as if he'd been running. 



"You can get ready to stake claims," he said. 



Tired as we were, we all sat up straight. 



"I found several spots where the count was a hundred forty. 

 Maybe faster. I could hardly count 'em." 



(Operating manual: A specific area that consistently gives 

 readings of more than twice the background count may well 

 prove to be significant.) 



After we'd carried everything to the upper end of the canyon, 

 Lowell and I rechecked the trail. On a ridge, what we heard 

 through the earphones sounded like an agitated telegraph 

 operator sending an urgent message. We blazed trees to mark 

 the spots and returned to camp. 



After some deliberation, we decided to push on upstream for 

 a week of exploration before making a grid survey of the ridge. 

 On our way out if the indications were still good, we'd mark 

 off the territory in 2o-foot squares and accurately locate the 

 pockets or veins of ore. 



(Operating manual: A close examination should be made 

 with the counter probe to determine the precise source of the 

 radioactivity.) 



We explored the stream for some thirty miles, fishing and 

 prospecting. The water got colder and fishing better as we 

 moved up, the trout running from twelve to sixteen inches. 



Leonard likes a tripod cooking rig and running water nearby. 235 



