"Oh, the mining was the easy part! But in that part of the world, it's swelterin' even during the winter. Even in the shade, you'd be drenched in sweat. Down in the mines with little air flow where all that heat could just collect, it wasn't unusual to have a few people needing to be carried up to the surface due to them passing out."

If there was one thing Scrooge could be counted on, it was having quite a few tales on hand. (Though many people claimed he exaggerated them.) But one thing he always valued was a very appreciative audience.

"We'd fill bucket after bucket with rocks and dirt which would get hauled up to the surface. If you were lucky, you got to be one of the ones sifting through the dirt and rocks for the gems since you'd be sifting it in the flume. Nice cold water running over your hands and arms."