Then they came
upon the scene of the late big blast.
Here the rock had been hurled about in masses. A scene of apparent
wreck met the eyes of the miners and their leader, though even
here the damage was not as great as had been expected by Gage
and his rascals.
To the north of the tunnel lay a great, gaping, jagged tear in
the wall of rock. This tear, or hole, extended some ten feet
to the north of the tunnel proper.
As Tom entered, a glint caught his eye. Something in the aspect
of that dull illumination, reflected back to him, made his pulses
leap.
He passed his left hand over his eyes, wondering if he were dreaming.
"I---I can't believe it!" he stammered. "Look, boys, and tell
me what you see!"
CHAPTER XXIV
CONCLUSION
"It's the gleam of the real metal in the rock, sir---what's what
it is," gasped one of the miners, as he held up a lantern to aid
him in his quest.
It lay there, in streaks and rifts, a dull gleaming here and there.
To be sure, it was nothing at all like a solid golden wall, but
Tom Reade could be contented with less than Golconda.
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