"It's sort of a dizzy and squeamish feeling, isn't it?" explained
Polly, looking at her companion. Then for the first time since they
emerged from the tunnel, she noticed the face.
"Oh, Nolla! If you could but see yourself! Just like a negro, but
streaky where you smudged the torch smoke from your eyes."
"You're no 'bleached blonde' either, Poll!" laughed Eleanor, rubbing
her sleeve across her face and looking at the soot in amusement.
"But mine can't be as black as yours, 'cause you got all the smoke from
both torches."
"Never mind now; if this is gold we can afford to have the tunnel and
cave wired with electricity at once," laughed the excited girl.
"Well, let's finish our hunt in the tunnel and then find some more
nuggets for Anne and Barbara. They'll want a share, you know,"
suggested Polly.
"Good gracious, Poll! You're not going on _now_, are you?"
"Of course! The gold won't melt away, but we've got to close up any
opening into outdoors, you know."
"Let's go back and tell the girls and then finish the tunnel work,"
pleaded Eleanor.
"How silly to worm a way back for the sake of showing off the ore. No,
let's do this thing up and then go back to stay for the night. If we
don't close up any aperture, a wild beast may crawl through, then what
good will the gold do us if we are dead?"
"Sensible as ever! Even gold can't turn your head!" said Eleanor,
starting for the narrow place opposite the tunnel they came from.
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