Such questions have followed me since I was a child. I have sought, but the answers are deep and subtle. I record here some of what I have learned, though perhaps my questions better deserve preservation . . . Among its unusual properties, the greed it excites in the weak of mind is certainly most remarkable. My vows of poverty free me from its spell, and I see it for what it is - a pretty, shiny stone that can be beaten very fine and drawn into very thin wires, but that is too soft to be useful in making tools or instruments.
True gold is quite inert.
It has very little affinity for other substances, and does not tarnish, as other metals do. By far the most respected way to come by gold is to steal it. If you are of a less noble nature, you must work very hard to draw it from the earth. Gold may be found in the sand of certain stream beds, where the action of the current concentrates the grains in pockets. From time to time large nuggets have been found as well.