Frog Whistle Mine Read Online Free PDF

there’s still gold in there?’ asked Christine.
    ‘Yeah, of course there is. But nothing that’s worth mining.’
    ‘What about the rich lead?’
    ‘Ha! In my younger days I did a lot of searching, but there’s nothing. It was just a stupid dream. There’s no reason why an extra-rich lead should exist.’
    ‘I would not be so sure about that,’ said Nick. ‘Alluvialgold gets concentrated by water currents. There would have been lots of different currents inside the submerged caves. I think it very likely that there would be places where the gold would accumulate.’
    ‘Well if it did, then I haven’t found it,’ said Fred.
    ‘Does the mine have a name?’ asked Rose.
    ‘Yes. It’s called Frog Whistle Mine. Grandad told me he found the place because he was attracted to the noise of the frogs, hence the name. They live in the springs and watercourses. You’ll hear them later.’ He flexed his leg. ‘Okay, it’s time to turn the lights on. But before we do, this is your last chance to pull out. Some people get spooked by mines and this one is spookier than most. There’s a lot of folk around here won’t come anywhere near the place. So if you think that’s going to be a problem, then speak up now.’
    Silence followed. Nobody was prepared to admit their fears. Then a frog croaked and everyone cracked up. It wasn’t the normal ribbit, ribbit . This was a funny, highpitched noise.
    ‘What’s wrong with the frog?’ asked Tony.
    ‘Nothing much,’ replied Nick. ‘It is just that it has not yet reached puberty.’ More laughter.
    ‘That’s the whistling tree frog,’ explained Fred. ‘They’re all around this area. As I say, they live in the watercourses. I don’t know where the tree bit comes from, as I’ve never yet seen them in a tree. However, they do whistle or sing, whatever you want to call it. They’ll be doing plenty of that by the time we get out.’

Chapter 5
    Fred led them into the black hole at the back of the overhang. The opening was huge, about double Nick’s height and broad enough for them to stand side by side. Parts of the rock wall glistened with crystals of calcite. The floor was brown sand, with two railway lines poking through.
    ‘There’s a railway in here?’ asked Rose, puzzled.
    ‘No. They’re tram tracks to carry a wagon. You’ll see it further in. It was used to bring the sand out so the gold could be extracted out in the open.’
    ‘Can you still get the wagon along it?’ asked Tony.
    ‘Nah. A good bit of the tracks are covered in sand.’
    As they moved away from the entrance, the mine narrowed and the only limestone that could be seen was in the roof. The walls were made of coarse, rust-coloured sand that brushed off if touched. In some places, layers were obvious; in others, bits of white-coloured stones stuck out.
    At several spots they had to scramble over mounds of sand where the wall had collapsed. Every few metres the wall had been dug back until it reached the limestone. Some of the tunnelling stretched further than the lampscould reach. Fred stopped at one of these to give his hip a rest. He pointed down the side tunnel. ‘Remember that all of this was once a cave with a stream flowing through it. Just like any stream, there were side bits. That’s what Grandad was looking for. There was no way of knowing where they were unless you dug into the bank. Some of them go several hundred metres.’ He touched the sand. ‘There’s gold in most of these walls, but Grandad ignored it. He only took out enough so that he could get deeper into the cave system. All the time looking for the lead that would make him rich.’
    They moved on, climbing gently, following the tracks that curved to match the contours of the ancient cave. It was not easy going. In some places the sleepers were exposed, ready to trip the unwary. Then, just as the walkers got into the right rhythm of stepping between the sleepers, a sand fall would break the pattern. Christine was