human
Well?
gpt
Excuse me, said Webster helplessly;
human
I don't see the joke,
gpt
Exactly; that's what makes it so absurd. Lord, just think of it; we've been to great expense and enormous trouble, and have taken a year or a month--I don't know for the life of me which--to get here, and now here we are adrift with about two weeks' provisions.
human
I see no fun in that.
gpt
Man, it's brimful of fun, if you only look at it in a proper light,
human
The most dreadful part, to my mind, said Laura,
gpt
That is an extraordinary ground for complaint, he said,
human
What greater grievance can a woman have than that of diminishing charms? I believe my face is freckling. Give me that tin plate. Thank you.
gpt
I am sorry I did not think of a looking-glass, said Hume,
human
You did well, said Webster heartily;
gpt
Well, he said, after a pause,
human
I thought that if we did find this--this infernal rock--the crowbar would be of use.
gpt
Of course, replied Webster gravely;
human
Close on 3,000 pounds.
gpt
Is that all. Lord love you! and has it not struck you that we could never get away with fifty pounds weight of dead metal about each of us? So that if there is a ton of gold it would not be worth to us more than the little we could carry away.
human
We could hide a great quantity away, to be recovered on another journey.
gpt
Gentlemen, may I remind you of Mrs Glass's advice to catch your hare before you cook him?
human
Now we've lost our bearings again, said Webster,
gpt
By Jove, you are right! we have lost our bearings, growled Hume.
human
If you'll believe me, I never thought of retrieving the gold, a work of uncommon difficulty, since we cannot possibly coax the metal from its matrix and will have to load ourselves with a worthless weight of quartz. If the rock is as rich as the specimen implies, we would have to carry away half of quartz, giving twenty-five pounds of gold to each, or only 1,500 pounds. Now, is it worth while advancing for such a little?
gpt
Nonsense,
human
I am merely looking at the matter from a common-sense point, and Jim has just considered the humorous side. We both apparently come into the same `blind alley,' and see the absurdity of running against a stone wall. We have lost everything, we have narrowly escaped with our lives, and now, even if, when not properly equipped for continuing the enterprise, we do succeed, the reward sinks to insignificant proportions--insignificant, that is, compared to the boundless wealth we originally contemplated.
gpt
Nonsense, she repeated;
human
Of course,
gpt
How about a canoe?
human
We don't want a canoe, for the distance to the belt of reeds must be about nineteen miles, and we can walk that before you would finish your vessel. Afterwards we will ask you to build us a raft, which I think would be better, as there are many rocks in the channel.
gpt
A raft, she said, with a smile;
human
Good, said Hume, laughing;