The cradle, which Frank and his comrades saw working not far from the pan-washer, was by no means a complex affair. It was a semi-circular trough hollowed out of a log six feet long by sixteen inches diameter. At one end of this was a perforated copper or iron plate, with a rim of iron or wood round it, on which the dirt was thrown, and water poured thereon, by one man, while the cradle was rocked by another. The gold, earth, and small gravel were thus separated from the larger stones, and washed down the trough, in which, at intervals, two tranverse bars were placed; the first of these arrested the gold, which from its great weight sunk to the bottom, while the gravel, and lighter substances, were swept away by the current. The lower bar caught any particles that, by awkward management, might have passed the upper one. Having satisfied their curiosity, and learned from an obliging miner the method of washing the gold, our adventurers returned to Jeffson's store, and there spent the night in discussing their plan of procedure. It was decided, first of all, that they should stick together and work in company. "You see, mates," observed Joe Graddy, after the others had given their opinions, "this is how it stands. I must stick by Mister Allfrey, 'cause why, we've bin pullin' in the same boat together for some time past, an' it's nat'ral for to wish to continue so to do. Then Douglas and Meyer ought to stick to us, 'cause we have for so long stuck to them, an' they ought to stick to one another 'cause they're mootooally fond o' misty-physical jabberin' on religious subjects, which is greatly to our edification, seein' that we don't onderstand it, and finds it highly amoosin' while we smoke our pipes after a hard day's work, d'ye see? So, on them grounds, I votes that we j'ine company an' go to work at seven o'clock to-morrow mornin'." "Das ist goot advise," said the German, slapping Joe on the shoulder, "an' I vould add mine vott, vich is, to make you commandair of de forces." "Very good, then I command you to shut your mouth, and go to bed." "Unpossabil," replied Meyer, "for I do snor, an' always do him troo de mout'." "I prefers to do it through the nose," remarked Joe, rolling his blanket round him and lying down on the hard boards with his head on a sack. Expressing a hope that they would restrain their snoring propensities as much as possible, the remaining members of the new co-partnery lay down beside them, and were speedily in the land of dreams. Need we add that their dreams that night were of gold? Surely not, and perhaps it were equally unnecessary to observe that their slumbers were profound. CHAPTER SEVEN. GIVES THE RESULT OF THE FIRST DAY'S DIGGING, AND SHOWS THE POWERFUL EFFECT OF LYNCH-LAW.