The vines were young, and the ground was not heavy, but the day was warm, and he wielded the mattock rapidly, stooping now and then to jerk out a refractory root with his hands.
"Stories of the Foot-hills"
Margaret Collier Graham
Hearing a clinking sound some distance from the road, as of metal striking stone, Hradzka stole cautiously through the woods until he came within sight of a man who was digging with a mattock, uprooting small bushes of a particular sort, with rough gray bark and three-pointed leaves.
"Flight From Tomorrow"
Henry Beam Piper
Then, his work finished, he threw the mattock into the brush and set out again, grimacing disgustedly and scratching himself.
"Flight From Tomorrow"
Henry Beam Piper