Selecting a spot where the grass was less thick, he broke through the soil and turned up two or three spadefuls of red soil.

When he had filled the pan and raised it to his shoulder, he was astounded at its weight.

He did not know that it was due to the red precipitate of iron that gave it its color.

Staggering along with his burden to the running sluice, which looked like an open wooden gutter, at the foot of the hill, he began to carefully carry out Flynn's direction.

The first dip of the pan in the running water carried off half the contents of the pan in liquid paint-like ooze.