The other two looked pretty serious at this, and they started to discuss it.  One of them thought they had better hold back most of the gold, “and only spring it on people a little at a tune.”

Suddenly Mr. Snider shouted:  “Now, friends, if you please, we will go down to the wharf for the demonstration!”

CHAPTER X

MR. SNIDER

It was hard to get them started—­they were clustered so thick around the Deacon and his little box, all talking and laughing and discussing.  Everyone was awake now, and animated,—­if those six little yellow lumps of gold had appeared sooner, even the Hon. J. Harvey Bowditch couldn’t have put the people to sleep.

By sending the Deacon and the gold nuggets ahead, the procession was formed again for the wharf.  The band stayed in the yard, playing tune after tune, and enjoying themselves immensely.

The “May Queen” was lying at one side of the wharf, so Mr. Snider, the Deacon, and Mr. Bowditch went to the end, while the people gathered around them in a semi-circle.  Mr. Snider had a small tin box, which might once have held a pound of crackers.  It was punched full of tiny holes.  Two wires were soldered on one side of the box, and he connected these by long coils of fine wire with the jars of an electric battery.  A little tin tube had been fastened to the bottom of the box so that it stood upright.  Into this Mr. Snider poured some powder which he took from two little vials,—­first he put in some white powder, and then some of a dark blue color.  He sealed up the top of the tube with beeswax and then let everyone look into the box and see that, except for the little sealed tube, it was absolutely empty.

Then he put on the cover, wound a cord completely around it, got the wires clear, and with the greatest care lowered the box over the end of the wharf.  He kept on lowering until the box must have been eight or nine feet below the surface.  Then he stood waiting, with the most solemn expression upon his face.  Mr. Bowditch stood beside him, holding a watch, and counting the minutes.  Every now and then he would say, like the tolling of a great bell:  “One minute gone! ...  Two minutes gone! ...  Three minutes gone! ...”

The people had watched the preparations with the utmost attention.  Not a movement made by Mr. Snider escaped them.  Now they all stood in profound silence.  Some of the men had taken out their watches and were keeping count of the time.  After “Eight minutes gone!” had tolled forth from the big man, he began counting the seconds:  “And ten seconds! ...  Fifteen!  Twenty! ...  Thirty! ...  Thirty-five! ...  Six!  Seven!  Eight!”

At eight minutes and thirty-eight seconds Mr. Snider began to pull up the box.  The excitement was intense.  Men from the “May Queen” had joined the group,—­everyone was leaning forward to watch, with faces set and eager.  You could hear the people breathe,—­a sort of miracle was being performed, gold was being made right before their eyes!