“Found anything?”

“No.  Have you?”

“No—­yes—­but I don’t think it’s gold”

“What does it look like?”

“It gleams yellow but is as hard as steel.”

“Mica!” said Rod.

Neither of the boys looked up during the conversation.  With the point of his hunting-knife Rod still searched in the bottom of his pan, turning over the pebbles and raking the gravelly sand with a painstaking care that would have made a veteran gold seeker laugh.  Some minutes had passed when Wabi spoke again.

“I say, Rod, that’s a funny-looking thing I found!  If it wasn’t so hard I’d swear it was gold?  Want to see it?”

“It’s mica,” repeated Rod, as another gleam, of “fool’s gold” in his own pan caught his eyes.  “The stream is full of it!”

“Never saw mica in chunks before,” mumbled Wabi, bending low over his pan.

“Chunks!” cried Rod, straightening as if some one had run a pin into his back.  “How big is it?”

“Big as a pea—­a big pea!”

The words were no sooner out of the young Indian’s mouth than Roderick was upon his feet and running to his companion.

“Mica doesn’t come in chunks!  Where—­”

He bent over Wabi’s pan.  In the very middle of it lay a suspiciously yellow pebble, worn round and smooth by the water, and when Rod took it in his fingers he gave a low whistle of mock astonishment as he gazed down into Wabigoon’s face.

“Wabi, I’m ashamed of you!” he said, trying hard to choke back the quiver in his voice.  “Mica doesn’t come in round chunks like this.  Mica isn’t heavy.  And this is both!”

From the cedars beyond the old cabin came Mukoki’s whooping signal that dinner was ready.

CHAPTER XV

THE TREASURE IN THE POOL

For a few moments after Rod’s words and Mukoki’s signal from the cedars Wabigoon sat as if stunned.

“It isn’t—­gold,” he said, his voice filled with questioning doubt.

“That’s just what it is!” declared Rod, his words now rising in the excitement which he was vainly striving to suppress.  “It’s hard, but see how your knife point has scratched it!  It weighs a quarter of an ounce!  Are there any more nuggets in there?”

He fell upon his knees beside Wabi, and their two heads were close together, their four eyes eagerly searching the contents of the pan, when Mukoki came up behind them.  Rod passed the golden nugget to the old Indian, and rose to his feet.

“That settles it, boys.  We’ve hit the right spot.  Let’s give three cheers for John Ball and the old map, and go to dinner!”

“I agree to dinner, but cut out the cheers.” said Wabi, “or else let’s give them under our breath.  Notice how hollow our voices sound in this chasm!  I believe we could hear a shout half a dozen miles away!”