After a long journey over the mountains Donald reached his log cabin on
the Silver Creek. The monkey, however, did not find quite so immediate a
welcome as himself from Donald's wife. The only pet her children had
ever seen before was a baby puma, which the miner had picked out of the
stream one day in a half-drowned state. Donald had mistaken it for a
kitten of some new brand, and it was not until some weeks later, when it
sprang upon his little girl and buried his claws in her neck, that he
realised what sort of plaything--the puma is the lion of the Rocky
Mountains--he had introduced into his family. So Donald's wife was
suspicious of pets, and when she saw the monkey she was sure it was
another lion, and would not allow it to enter the door. But Gum had
other ways of entering houses than by doors, and finally he was received
as a lawful member of the family, for the simple reason that he could
not be kept out. The new guest gave little trouble. Most of the day the
monkey spent with Donald at the mine. He went off with him when he went
to work in the morning, and gambolled round him till he came home for
supper. And very soon an incident happened which more than reconciled
Donald's wife to her strange visitor. Donald's gold-mine was a poor one.
He had to work very hard to get enough of the precious dust to keep his
family in food, but his spirits were kept up by the constant hope that
he would strike a richer bed and make his fortune. The way he got the
gold was to take the sand and gravel from the banks of the river and
wash it about in a pan till all the lighter particles passed off with
the water, leaving the little spangles of gold at the bottom. Sometimes
a week would pass without the miner getting more than a thimbleful, but
occasionally he would find a few lumps as big as a pea. One day,
however, just as Donald was getting discouraged, a piece of great
good-luck befell him. He had been particularly depressed that day, for
no gold at all had rewarded his search for a week, and the family were
already in debt for flour and clothes. But, thanks to the monkey, he was
able to go home to his wife with the largest gold nugget that had been
seen in that valley for many years. Gum had been skirmishing about as
usual on the gravel heaps, when some loose pebbles were dislodged by his
paws, and, as they rolled down, he must have been attracted by the
yellow glitter in one large lump, for the next moment he had picked up
the nugget and laid it, with a wag of his tail, at Donald's feet. The
miner almost wept for gladness, and, taking Gum up in his arms as if he
were a child, hurried home to proclaim his fortune. That night the
family had a great feast, and Gum's health was drunk in the strongest
tea the mining camp could furnish. Perhaps if they had known what was
shortly to happen they would not have slept quite so soundly.
[Illustration: THE NUGGET OF GOLD]