When they had walked some distance, they met a herder herding some sheep belonging to Fritz’s father. He came up to them, and showed Fritz a bar of metal two feet long and about one inch in diameter, more or less, as it was of irregular thickness. ‘See, baas, what a nice piece of brass I found. The rain of last night had washed it clean, so that I saw it shining amongst the rocks.’ Steve took it from him and examined it closely, and felt the weight of it. ‘Where did you get this, boy?’ he asked. ‘I found it sticking to two rocks, baas. Each end of it was fast on to a rock, so that it was a sort of little bridge between the two pieces of rock.’ ‘Come and show me and Baas Fritz the place.’ The boy went on ahead to show the place as requested. ‘Do you think it is gold, Steve?’ asked Fritz. ‘I am sure of its being gold. There must be lots of it, too, if it can be picked up in this way,’ was the answer. The boy stopped and pointed to some rocks which were lying in the cleft of a low hill. The cleft was a little rivulet when it rained, as the sides of the hill sloped down to it, thus causing all the water to run towards it, and so form a temporary stream. The boy pointed to two masses of quartz forming the two banks of the cleft or ravine. He showed them the marks where he had broken off the bar of gold. The young men examined the masses of rock or quartz closely. Steve took a large stone and knocked two small pieces off the quartz, and looked at the freshly-broken surface. It was interlaced with gold! They examined an outcrop of quartz further on, and found it to be as rich as the other. Fully twenty-five per cent. of the quartz seemed to be gold. Fritz had whispered to Steve not to let the boy know what it was. He had to put forth great self-control to restrain his excitement. They turned quietly back and walked home. ‘I say, Fritz, this means that you are going to be one of the richest men in the country. There is not another such mine of gold in the world as this one is going to be.’ ‘Wait and hear what the old man says about it first,’ said Fritz. ‘What do you mean?’ asked Steve. ‘Wait,’ was the laconic reply. They arrived home and found the old man superintending the planting of some _shade_ trees near the house. They went up to him, and showed him the bar of gold discovered by the boy. ‘See, father, what April found,’ said Fritz. ‘What is it?’ ‘Gold,’ said Steve. The old man stood looking at them for fully a minute, then asked for an explanation. He was told all that had taken place. He did not say a word, but Steve could see that he was by no means pleased. In the evening, when the herds were all safely in the kraal, Steve, Fritz and the old farmer were sitting on the stoep smoking. In front of the stoep half-a-dozen cows and heifers were standing. The old man had ordered them to be driven out of the herd, and to await his further orders. April the herder, and discoverer of gold, was sent for. He came.