“

I keep thinking about that bloke, Frank, who visited us at Bobadeen. Remember that nugget he showed us. He said he found it on Red Hill, just near here. Those shafts over there on Adam’s Lead are deserted, we’ll have a look down there Will” said old Ed to his twelve year old son. Although he was a slightly built lad, the boy winched his father down the first shaft with some degree of hope and excitement. After going through a false bottom, the old man found nothing but Slippery Jack. The second shaft returned the same result.

Their enthusiasm had waned by evening after their day of hard labour had revealed nothing. Will’s thin young arms were aching from winching his father up and down the shaft. His ragged shirt was no protection from the cool, damp evening air. Will shivered, wishing he could rest awhile by a warm campfire. He had eaten nothing all day other than a slice of dry damper and small hunk of salted beef, washed down with a pannican of tea.

” We’ll stay on awhile longer. I’ll winch you in the bucket, ” said Ed.

It was later in the night when a drunken man came along. He saw that the boy had got onto quartz. Before morning he had spread the news and more than three hundred men had crowded around the spot.

“We must get this claim measured off before someone jumps us” thought Ed with a degree of trepidation.