Sometimes its best to do it as a group affair~~
Some years ago I was with a group in Western Australia prospecting some open ground near an old mine. Myself and my mates had been with this group for some time and privately we'd noted a number of them with terrible cases of Gold Fever. There were three of us in this group initially, myself American, my partner also American and a newbie at the time and our Australian friend. People were finding bits all over and of course at the campfire those nights even the slightest hint of where one found the gold the "Sea Gulls" would flock the next day. Gold Fever is a terrible thing to behold.
Well there happened to be a dry creek running behind the camp and a couple of the Sea Gulls had detected it and found little. I gave it a try and got several bits out of thier boot marks. Privately one morning my friends and I had a discussion. My american partner had never detected a creek and wanted to do so and by agreement the Aussie and I let him have it. Well to say my partner could literally trip over gold is an understatement. Before the campfire that evening he pulled us aside and showed us a half dozen nuggets, good sized ones, that he'd gotten out of the creek. After carefull consideration we agreed that he would report a lot of work for no effort in the creek for the next 3 days and only show trash while the Aussie and I would collect a bit of trash ourselves. Oh we got some gold but it was fun collecting boot tacks, wire and shotgun pellets for a few days.
So at the campfire the Sea Gulls like to conduct their friendly interrogation. Mind you these are actually very good people and its quite fun to spar with them but a pain to find them on your patch the next morning. Well my partner reports his finds and shows a bit of "Cool" trash, buttons and what not, while receiving a bit of derision for his choice of prospect. Tongue in cheek we all smile and say tomorrow will be a better day.
Camp fire three we get together and set my partner up with some of his bigger stuff, and he scored great, to show off to the Sea Gulls. My partner felt pretty good that he'd cleaned out what he could so it was OK to drop the bomb. Oh it was exciting that night at the fire and the interrogation was intense. Such praise to make up for two nights of "you'll do better tomorrow".
So three mates got up extra early the next morning knowing that the Sea Gulls would not be about till after thier morning Cuppa. Up the creek we scooted planting all number of things, up the hill and met up to have a rest and wait with radio's on. While we waited outta the bushes popped up our fourth mate, not a Sea Gull, who caught wind we were up to no good. Still don't know how but he sniffed us out and we told him the gig. So the sun comes up, morning Cuppa is over, and the radio starts to chatter while four mates with big "The Cat Ate the Canary" grins listened to them thrash up the creek. Decrying junk target after target over the radio and occasionally out loud from a half K away.
Well discretion called for a hasty retreat and the Camp Fire that night was Wide Eyed Innocence on our part and a good laugh. See we had other things to do and a bit of gold to show for it
