noon
In the morning he walked down to the deserted battery , examined it carefully , and found that although it was in very bad order , and deficient especially in screens -- the one greatest essential -- it was still capable of a great deal of work . Then he washed off a dish or two of tailings from one of the many heaps about , and although he had no acid , nor any other means of making a proper test in such a short time , his scientific knowledge acquired on the big gold-fields of the southern colonies and New Zealand showed him that there was a very heavy percentage of gold still to be won from the tailings by simple and inexpensive treatment . `` I 'll buy the thing , '' he said to himself ; `` I ca n't lose much by doing so , and there 's every chance of saving a good deal of gold , if I once get some fine screens , and that will only take six weeks or so . '' By noon the `` deal '' was completed , and in exchange fer twenty-five pounds in cash , six horses and their saddlery , Grainger , amid much good-humoured chaff from the vendors , took possession of the `` Ever Victorious '' crushing mill , together with some thousands of tons of tailings , but when he announced his intention of putting the plant in order and crushing for the `` public '' generally , as well as for himself , six men who yet had some faith in the field and believed that some of the many reefs would pay to work , elected to stay , especially when Grainger said that if their crushings turned out `` duffers '' he would charge them nothing for using the battery . At one o'clock that day there were but eight Europeans and one black boy left on the once noisy Chinkie 's Flat -- the landlord of `` The Digger 's Best , '' six miners , Grainger , and the black boy , `` Jacky , '' who had accompanied him on his arduous journey from the Batavia River . At Grainger 's request they all met at the public-house ! and sat down to a dinner of salt meat , damper , and tea , and after it was finished and each man had lit his pipe , Grainger went into details .