For the whole queer place was simply sprinkled with gold. Gold--gold
everywhere; large nuggets of it, as big as one's fist! Not embedded in
rock, not scattered through sand, but lying LOOSE upon the surface of
that unbelievable orange snow! It was overwhelming.

The mysterious Sanusian lost no time. Operating some unseen machinery,
he caused three shovel-like devices to project from the front of his
machine; and these instantly proceeded, so swiftly that Van Emmon could
not possibly watch their action, to pick up nuggets and stow them away
out of sight in what must have been compartments in the hull. All this
was done without any sound beyond the occasional thud of a nugget
dropped in the scramble.

Suddenly the Sanusian wheeled his machine about and started hurriedly up
the slope. Van Emmon judged that the chap had been frightened by
something, for he took flight as soon as he reached the top of the pit.
And--he left half a million in gold behind him!

This new flight had not lasted two minutes before the geologist began to
note other objects in the air. There were birds, so distant that he
could not identify them; one came near enough, however, for him to
conclude that it was a hawk. But he did not hold to this conclusion very
long.

The thing that changed his mind was another aircraft. It approached from
behind, making even more noise than the other, and proceeded to draw
abreast of it. From time to time Van Emmon's agent turned his mysterious
periscope so as to take it all in, and the geologist was able to watch
his fill. Whereupon he became converted to a new idea: