The old man didn't know how long he had been digging and plugging away on the hard ground with his ax and pick. His tired old eyes had grown weary of seeing the same old sights. He was tired of seeing his rusty pan, sifting through the dirt and gravel to look for the shiny bits of dust and dirt. The fateful gleam of gold was hardly ever there, he did spot a few bits of them, now and then, but nothing truly significant to change his life.