324 ALL ABOARD FOR SUNRISE LANDS.

gold sticking out of the soil that would be vrey for his bag. In-
stead, he saw a city. There were houses, stores, banks, churches,
schools and public gardens.

Rick was disappointed, and took little interest in the fact that
a gentleman was detailing to Uncle Nat that Ballaarat had not
iar trom fifty thousand people. _

“Come, boys, we are going to visit a gold mine,” called out Uncle
Nat. He had hired a team, and off they rattled. ;

“Good!” thought Rick. “There may be a chance for my bag, and
Pll take Bumble-bee one piece of gold, sure.”

First, the boys saw a hole in the ground, and an iron box or cage
waiting to lower them—somewhere. They went down, down, down,
and then stopped. There Rick saw a horse harnessed into a truck resting
on a railway. Mounting the truck they were steadily pulled through
a long, damp, dark passage.

“T rode along for a quarter of a mile in one of these underground
holes once,” said Uncle Nat, “and then climbing a ladder twenty-five
feet high, we came to another hole traversed by a track. Running
out of this second tunnel were side-passages, and in these miners
were at work.” ee

“T shall be glad when we get to the end of this kind of travel,”
said Ralph.

They reached the end and then the manager of the mine who had
come with Uncle Nat, said they were inspecting “alluvial grit.”

“What alluvial grit is,” said Uncle Nat, “please tell these wide-
awake boys, who would like to know about it.” :

“It is earth washed down by a stream, and gold may be in it.
Swept this way by the water, it has lodged here. See, all covered
up under the ground! We dig for and find it.” .

The manager took a light and held it over the earth.