"You certainly have," said their friend the miner; "for it is very seldom that beginners do so much. And now I would give you one piece of advice before I go, which is, that you appoint one of your number to cook for the rest. More men are killed, I believe, by eating half-cooked victuals, than by hard work. They come in fagged and wet at night, cook their grub hastily, bolt it, and then lie down to sleep in damp clothes. Of course they soon break down. Our party have kept very fair health in the midst of great sickness; and I believe it is chiefly owing to the fact that, on first setting to work, we appointed one of our number, who had a talent that way, to attend to the cooking department. We relieved him of a great deal of the hard labour, but gave him his equal share of the profits. The consequence has been that we are all in first-rate health, and dig more energetically than our neighbours." "Has there then been much sickness here of late?" asked Frank. "A great deal, and I fear there will be much more when the rains set in; but let me urge you again to take my advice about appointing a cook." "That," said Joe Graddy, "is just wot we means to do, Mister wot's-yer-name?" "Stewart," said the miner. "Well, Mister Stewart, I'll ap'int myself cook to our party, havin', if I may say so, a nat'ral talent that way, w'ich wos deweloped on my first voyage round the world, w'en our cook died of a broken heart--so it's said--'cause the doctor knocked off his grog, and put him on an allowance o' lime juice." Saying this, Joe heaved a deep sigh, seized the frying-pan, and commenced his self-imposed duties. Our hero took up the bowl of gold-dust, and was about to leave the hut, when Douglas arrested him with-- "Hallo, Frank, where away? I shall have to shout `stop thief' if you go off like that with the gold." "I'm going to pay our debt to Jeffson," said Frank, with a laugh. "I have great belief, Douglas, in the plan of paying as one goes. Debt is a heavy weight, which I never mean to carry if I can help it. A good old aunt of mine used often to din into everybody's ears the text `owe no man anything,' and I really believe she has caused it to take a strong hold of me, for I can't rest till I square off Jeffson's account!" Frank hastened away, and soon after returned with the balance, thirteen pounds, which, as Douglas observed when they began supper, was the nucleus of their future fortune; while Joe remarked that "he didn't know wot nooklius wos, but if it meant the _beginnin'_ of their fortin, it wasn't a big un, as things went at the diggin's."