LIBRARY 
 
 - ' OF 
 
 . v.rvj- 
 
 U.CD. LIBRARY 
 

 Captain Bayley's Heir 
 
G. A. HENTY'S BOOKS 
 
 Illustrated by Eminent Artists 
 
 St. George for England : A Tale of Crecy and Poitiers. 
 
 With Kitchener in the Soudan: A Story of Atbara and Omdurman. 
 
 At Aboukir and Acre: A Story of Napoleon's Invasion of Egypt. 
 
 At Agincourt : A Tale of the White Hoods of Paris. 
 
 At the Point of the Bayonet: A Tale of the Mahratta War. 
 
 Both Sides the Border: A Tale of Hotspur and Glendower. 
 
 The Bravest of the Brave : or, With Peterborough in Spain. 
 
 By England's Aid: The Freeing of the Netherlands. 
 
 By Pike and Dyke: A Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic. 
 
 By Right of Conquest: With Cortez in Mexico. 
 
 Captain Bayley's Heir: A Tale of the Goldfields of California. 
 
 The Cat of Bubastes: A Story of Ancient Egypt. 
 
 A Chapter of Adventures: Through the Bombardment of Alexandria. 
 
 Condemned as a Nihilist: A Story of Escape from Siberia. 
 
 The Dragon and the Raven: The Days of King Alfred. 
 
 Facing Death : A Tale of the Coal Mines. 
 
 A Final Reckoning : A Tale of Bush Life in Australia. 
 
 For the Temple : A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem. 
 
 In Freedom's Cause : A Story of Wallace and Bruce. 
 
 In Greek Waters : The Grecian War of Independence. 
 
 In the Irish Brigade: A Tale of War in Flanders and Spain. 
 
 A Jacobite Exile : In the Service of Charles XII of Sweden. 
 
 A Knight of the White Cross: A Tale of the Siege of Rhodes. 
 
 The Lion of St. Mark: A Tale of Venice. 
 
 The Lion of the North: A Tale of Gustavus Adolphus. 
 
 Maori and Settler: A Story of the New Zealand War. 
 
 A March on London: A Story of Wat Tyler's Insurrection. 
 
 On the Irrawaddy : The First Burmese War. 
 
 One of the 28th: A Tale of Waterloo. 
 
 Orange and Green : A Tale of the Boyne and Limerick. 
 
 St. Bartholomew's Eve: A Tale of the Huguenot Wars. 
 
 Through Russian Snows : A Story of Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow. 
 
 Through the Fray: A Story of the Luddite Riots. 
 
 Through the Sikh War: The Conquest of the Punjaub. 
 
 Through Three Campaigns: A Story of Chitral, Tirah, and Ashanti. 
 
 The Tiger of Mysore : A Story of the War with Tippoo Saib. 
 
 True to the Old Flag: The American War of Independence. 
 
 Under Drake's Flag: A Tale of the Spanish Main. 
 
 Under Wellington's Command: A Tale of the Peninsular War. 
 
 With Clive in India: The Beginnings of an Empire. 
 
 With Cochrane the Dauntless: A Tale of his Exploits. 
 
 With Frederick the Great: A Tale of the Seven Years' War. 
 
 With Moore at Corunna: A Tale of the Peninsular War. 
 
 The Young Carthaginian : A Story of the Times of Hannibal. 
 
 The Young Colonists: A Tale of the Zulu and Boer Wars. 
 
 LONDON: BLACKIE AND SON, LTD., 50 OLD BAILEY, E.G. 
 
MAN AND HORSE ROLLED IN THE ROAD 
 
 Page jjS 
 
Captain Bayley's Heir 
 
 A Tale of 
 the Gold Fields of California 
 
 BY 
 
 G. A. HENTY 
 
 Author of "With Clive in India" "For Name and Fame" "A Final Reckoning 
 "True to the Old Flac" "Facina- Death" <fcn 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED 
 
 LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY 
 
 LIBPARY 
 
 ; 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. Page 
 
 I. WESTMINSTEB I WESTMINSTER! 9 
 
 II. A COLD SWIM, 25 
 
 III. A CRIPPLE BOY, 42 
 
 IV. AN ADOPTED CHILD, 58 
 
 V. A TERRIBLE ACCUSATION, 75 
 
 VI. AT NEW ORLEANS, 92 
 
 VII. ON THE MISSISSIPPI, 107 
 
 VIII. STARTING FOR THE WEST, 127 
 
 IX. ON THE PLAINS, 154 
 
 X. A BUFFALO STORY, 173 
 
 XL How DICK LOST HIS SCALP, 186 
 
 XII. THE ATTACK ON THE CARAVAN 206 
 
 XIII. AT THE GOLD-FIELDS, 223 
 
 XIV. CAPTAIN BAYLEY, 238 
 
 XV THB MISSING HEIR, 253 
 
 XVI. JOHN HOLL, DUST CONTRACTOR, 268 
 
 XVII. THE LONELY DIGGERS, 285 
 
 XVIII. A DREAM VERIFIED 306 
 
 XIX. STRIKING IT RICH 324 
 
 XX. A MESSAGE FROM ABROAD, 341 
 
 XXL HAPPY MEETINGS, 360 
 
 XXII. CLEARED AT LAST, .374 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Page 
 MAN AND HORSE ROLLED IN THE ROAD .... Coloured frontispiece 
 
 THE RESCUE FROM THE SERPENTINE ..... 32 
 
 A FLOOD ON THE MISSISSIPPI . . , * 120 
 
 DICK AND FRANK ELUDE THE INDIANS 224 
 
 GOLD-WASHING A GOOD DAY'S WORK . . , , 328 
 
CAPTAIN BAILEY'S HEIR 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 WESTMINSTER ! WESTMINSTER ! 
 
 A CRIPPLE boy was sitting in a box on four low 
 wheels, in a little room in a small street in West 
 minster; his age was some fifteen or sixteen 
 years; his face was clear-cut and intelligent, and was 
 altogether free from the expression either of discontent 
 or of shrinking sadness so often seen in the face of 
 those afflicted. Had he been sitting on a chair at a 
 table, indeed, he would have been remarked as a hand 
 some and well-grown young fellow; his shoulders 
 were broad, his arms powerful, and his head erect. He 
 had not been born a cripple, but had been disabled for 
 life, when a tiny child, by a cart passing over his legs 
 above the knees. He was talking to a lad a year or 
 so younger than himself, while a strong hearty-looking 
 woman, somewhat past middle age, stood at a wash- 
 tub. 
 
 "What is all that noise about?" the cripple exclaimed, 
 as an uproar was heard in the street at some little 
 distance from the house. 
 
 " Drink, as usual, I suppose," the woman said. 
 
 9 
 
10 A FIGHT. 
 
 The younger lad ran to the door. 
 
 " No, mother ; it 's them scholars a-coming back from 
 cricket. Ain't there a fight jist ! " 
 
 The cripple wheeled his box to the door, and then 
 taking a pair of crutches which rested in hooks at its 
 side when not wanted, swung himself from the box, and 
 propped himself in the doorway so as to command a view 
 down the street. 
 
 It was indeed a serious fight. A party of Westminster 
 boys, on their way back from their cricket- ground in St. 
 Vincent's Square, had been attacked by the "skies." 
 The quarrel was an old standing one, but had broken out 
 afresh from a thrashing which one of the older lads had 
 administered on the previous day to a young chimney 
 sweep about his own age, who had taken possession of 
 the cricket-ball when it had been knocked into the 
 roadway, and had, with much strong language, refused to 
 throw it back when requested. 
 
 The friends of the sweep determined to retaliate upon 
 the following day, and gathered so threateningly round 
 the gate that, instead of the boys coming home in twos 
 and threes, as was their wont, when playtime expired, they 
 returned in a body. They were some forty in number, 
 and varied in age from the little fags _of the Under 
 School, ten or twelve years old, to brawny muscular young 
 fellows of seventeen or eighteen, senior Queen's Scholars, 
 or Sixth Form town boys. The Queen's Scholars were in 
 their caps and gowns, the town boys were in ordinary 
 attire, a few only having flannel cricketing trousers. 
 
 On first leaving the field they were assailed only by 
 volleys of abuse ; but as they made their way down the 
 street their assailants grew bolder, and from words 
 
AN UNEQUAL STRUGGLE. 11 
 
 proceeded to blows, and soon a desperate fight was 
 raging. In point of numbers the " skies " were vastly 
 superior, and many of them were grown men ; but the 
 knowledge of boxing which almost every Westminster boy 
 in those days possessed, and the activity and quickness 
 of hitting of the boys, went far to equalise the odds. 
 
 Pride in their school, too, would have rendered it 
 impossible for any to show the white feather on such an 
 occasion as this, and with the younger boys as far as 
 possible in their centre, the seniors faced their opponents 
 manfully. Even the lads of but thirteen and fourteen 
 years old were not idle. Taking from the fags the bats 
 which several of the latter were carrying, they joined in 
 the conflict, not striking at their opponents' heads, but 
 occasionally aiding their seniors, when attacked by three 
 or four at once, by swinging blows on their assailant's 
 shins. 
 
 Man after man among the crowd had gone down 
 before the blows straight from the shoulder of the boys, 
 and many had retired from the contest with faces which 
 would for many days bear marks of the fight , but their 
 places were speedily filled up, and the numbers of the 
 assailants grew stronger every minute. 
 
 " How well they fight ! " the cripple exclaimed. 
 "Splendid! isn't it, mother? But there are too many 
 against them. Kun, Evan, quick, down to Dean's Yard ; 
 you are sure to find some of them playing at racquets in 
 the Little Yard, tell them that the boys coming home from 
 cricket have been attacked, and that unless help comes 
 they will be terribly knocked about." 
 
 Evan dashed off at full speed. Dean's Yard was but a 
 few minutes' run distant. He dashed through the little 
 
12 A REINFORCEMENT. 
 
 archway into the yard, down the side, and then in at 
 another archway into Little Dean's Yard, where some elder 
 boys were playing at racquets. A fag was picking up the 
 balls, and two or three others were standing at the top of 
 the steps of the two boarding-houses. 
 
 " If you please, sir," Evan said, running up to one of the 
 racquet-players, " there is just a row going on ; they are 
 all pitching into the scholars on their way back from 
 Vincent Square, and if you don't send help they will get 
 it nicely, though they are all fighting like bricks." 
 
 " Here, all of you," the lad he addressed shouted to 
 the others ; " our fellows are attacked by the ' skies ' on 
 their way back from fields. Kun up College, James; 
 the fellows from the water have come back." Then he 
 turned to the boys on the steps, " Bring all the fellows 
 out quick ; the ' skies ' are attacking us on the way back 
 from the fields. Don't let them wait a moment." 
 
 It was lucky that the boys who had been on the water 
 in the two eights, the six, and the fours, had returned, or 
 at that hour there would have been few in the boarding- 
 houses or up College. Ere a minute had elapsed these, 
 with a few others who had been kept off field and water 
 from indisposition, or other causes, came pouring out at 
 the summons a body some thirty strong, of whom fully 
 half were big boys. They dashed out of the gate in a 
 body, and made their way to the scene of the conflict. 
 They were but just in time ; the compact group of the 
 boys had been broken up, and every one now was fighting 
 for himsel 
 
 They had made but little progress towards the school 
 since Evan had started, and the fight was now raging 
 opposite his house. The cripple was almost crying with 
 
MRS. HOLL JOINS IN THE FRAY. 13 
 
 excitement and at his own inability to join in the fight 
 going on. His sympathies were wholly with " the boys," 
 towards whose side he was attached by the disparity of 
 their numbers compared to those of their opponents, and 
 by the coolness and resolution with which they fought. 
 
 " Just look at those two, mother those two fighting 
 back to back Isn't it grand ! There ! there is another 
 one down ; that is the fifth I have counted. Don't they 
 fight cool and steady? and they almost look smiling, 
 though the odds against them are ten to one. mother, 
 if I could but go to help them ! " 
 
 Mra Holl herself was not without sharing his excite 
 ment. Several times she made sorties from her doorstep, 
 and seized more than one hulking fellow in the act of 
 pummelling a youngster half his size, and shook him with 
 a vigour which showed that constant exercise at the wash- 
 tub had strengthened her arms. 
 
 " Yer ought to be ashamed of yerselves, yer ought ; a 
 whole crowd of yer pitching into a handful o' boys." 
 
 But her remonstrances were unheeded in the din, 
 which, however, was raised entirely by the assailants, 
 the boys fighting silently, save when an occasional shout 
 of "Hurrah, Westminster!" was raised. Presently Evan 
 dashed through the crowd up to the door. 
 
 Are they coming, Evan ? " the cripple asked eagerly. 
 
 " Yes, 'Arry ; they will be 'ere in a jiffy." 
 
 A half-minute later, and with shouts of " Westminster I 
 Westminster ! " the reinforcement came tearing up the 
 street. 
 
 Their arrival in an instant changed the face of things. 
 The " skies " for a moment or two resisted ; but the 
 muscles of the eight hardened by the training which 
 
14 NEGLECTED STUDIES. 
 
 had lately given them victory over Eton in their annual 
 race stood them in good stead, and the hard hitting of the 
 " water " soon beat back the lately triumphant assailants 
 of " cricket." The united band took the offensive, and in 
 two or three minutes the " skies " were in full flight. 
 
 " We were just in time, Norris," one of the newcomers 
 said to the tall lad in cricketing flannels whose straight 
 hitting had particularly attracted the admiration of 
 Harry HolL 
 
 " Only just," the other said, smiling ; " it was a hot 
 thing, and a pretty sight we shall look up School to 
 morrow. I shall have two thundering black eyes, and my 
 mouth won't look pretty for a fortnight ; and, by the look 
 of them, most of the others have fared worse. It 's the 
 biggest fight we have had for years. But I don't think 
 the ' skies ' will interfere with us again for some time, for 
 every mark we've got they've got ten. Won't there be a 
 row in School to-morrow when Litter sees that half the 
 Sixth can't see out of their eyes." 
 
 Not for many years had the lessons at Westminster 
 been so badly prepared as they were upon the following 
 morning indeed, with the exception of the half and 
 home-boarders, few of whom had shared in the fight, not 
 a single boy, from the Under School to the Sixth, had 
 done an exercise or prepared a lesson. Study indeed had 
 been out of the question, for all were too excited and too 
 busy talking over the details of the battle to be able to 
 give the slightest attention to their work. 
 
 Many were the tales of feats of individual prowess; but 
 all who had taken part agreed that none had so dis 
 tinguished themselves as Frank Norris, a Sixth Form town 
 boy, and captain of the eight who, for a wonder had for 
 
DR. LITTER IS DISGUSTED. 15 
 
 once been up at fields and Fred Barkley, a senior in the 
 Sixth. But, grievous and general as was the breakdown 
 in lessons next day, no impositions were set ; the boarding- 
 house masters, Eichards and Sargent, had of course heard 
 all about it at tea-time, as had Johns, who did not himself 
 keep a boarding-house, but resided at Carr's, the boarding- 
 house down by the great gate. 
 
 These, therefore, were prepared for the state of things, 
 and contented themselves by ordering the forms under 
 their charge to set to work with their dictionaries and 
 write out the lessons they should have prepared. The 
 Sixth did not get off so easily. Dr. Litter, in his lofty 
 solitude as head- master, had heard nothing of what had 
 passed ; nor was it until the Sixth took their places in 
 the library and began to construe that his attention was 
 called to the fact that something unusual had happened. 
 But the sudden hesitation and blundering of the first 
 " put on," and the inability of those next to him to correct 
 him, were too marked to be passed over, and he raised his 
 gold-rimmed eye-glasses to his eyes and looked round. 
 
 Dr. Litter was a man standing some six feet two in 
 height, stately in manner, somewhat sarcastic in speech, 
 a very prodigy in classical learning, and joint author of 
 the great treatise On the Uses of the Greek Particle. 
 Searchingly he looked from face to face round the library. 
 
 " I cannot," he said, with a curl of his upper lip, and the 
 cold and somewhat nasal tone which set every nerve in a 
 boy's body twitching when he heard it raised in reproof, 
 "I really cannot congratulate you on your appearance. 
 I thought that the Sixth Form of Westminster was com 
 posed of gentlemen, but it seems to me now as if it 
 consisted of a number of singularly disreputable-looking 
 
16 " WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN ? " 
 
 prize-fighters. What does all this mean, Williams ? " he 
 asked, addressing the captain; "your face appears to 
 have met with better usage than some of the others." 
 
 " It means, sir," Williams said, " that as the party from 
 fields were coming back yesterday evening, they were 
 attacked by the * skies/ I mean by the roughs and 
 got terribly knocked about. When the news came to us 
 I was up College, and the fellows had just come back 
 from the water, so of course we all sallied out to rescue 
 them." 
 
 " Did it not occur to you, Williams, that there is a body 
 called the police, whose duty it is to interfere in disgrace 
 ful uproars of this sort ? " 
 
 " If we had waited for the police, sir," Williams said, 
 " half the School would not have been fit to take their 
 places in form again before the end of the term." 
 
 " It does not appear to me," Dr. Litter said, " that a 
 great many of them are fit to take their places at present. 
 I can scarcely see Norris's eyes ; and I suppose that boy 
 is Barkley, as he sits in the place that he usually occupies, 
 otherwise, I should not have recognised him ; and Smart, 
 Robertson, and Barker and Barret are nearly as bad. I 
 suppose you feel satisfied with yourselves, boys, and 
 consider that this sort of thing is creditable to you ; to my 
 mind it is simply disgraceful. There ! I don't want to hear 
 any more at present ; I suppose the whole School is in the 
 same state. Those of you who can see had better go back 
 to School and prepare your Demosthenes ; those who 
 cannot had best go back to their boarding-houses, or up 
 College, and let the doctor be sent for to see if anything 
 can be done for you." 
 
 The doctor had indeed already been sent for, for some 
 
 (476) 
 
"THIS IS A DISGRACEFUL BUSINESS." 17 
 
 seven or eight of the younger boys had been so seriously 
 knocked about and kicked that they were unable to leave 
 their beds. For the rest a doctor could do nothing. 
 Fights were not uncommon at Westminster in those days, 
 but the number of orders for beef-steaks which the near 
 est butcher had received on the previous evening had 
 fairly astonished him. Indeed, had it not been for the 
 prompt application of these to their faces, very few of 
 the party from the fields would have been able to find 
 their way up School unless they had been led by their 
 comrades. 
 
 At Westminster there was an hour's school before break 
 fast, and when nine o'clock struck, and the boys poured 
 out, Dr. Litter and his under-masters held council to 
 gether. 
 
 " This is a disgraceful business!" Dr. Litter said, looking, 
 as was his wont, at some distant object far over the heads 
 of the others. 
 
 There was a general murmur of assent. 
 
 " The boys do not seem to have been much to blame," 
 Mr. Kichards suggested in the cheerful tone habitual to 
 him. * From what I can hear it seems to have been a 
 planned thing ; the people gathered round the gates 
 before they left the fields and attacked them without 
 any provocation." 
 
 " There must have been some provocation somewhere, 
 Mr. Eichards, if not yesterday, then the day before, or 
 the day before that," Dr. Litter said, twirling his eyeglass 
 by the ribbon. " A whole host of people do not gather 
 to assault forty or fifty boys without provocation. This 
 sort of thing must not occur again, I do not see that I 
 can punish one boy without punishing the whole School ; 
 
 U76) B 
 
18 A LONG SICK-LIST. 
 
 but, at any rate, for the next week fields must be stopped. 
 I shall write to the Commissioner of Police, asking that 
 when they again go to Vincent Square some policemen 
 may be put on duty, not of course to accompany them, 
 but to interfere at once if they see any signs of a repeti 
 tion of this business. I shall request that, should there 
 be any fighting, those not belonging to the School who 
 commit an assault may be taken before a magistrate ; my 
 own boys I can punish myself Are any of the boys 
 seriously injured, do you think?" 
 
 " I hope not, sir," Mr. Kichards said ; " there are three cr 
 four in my house, and there are ten at Mr. Sargent's, and 
 two at Carr's, who have gone on the sick list. I sent for 
 the doctor, and he may have seen them by this time ; they 
 all seemed to have been knocked down and kicked." 
 
 " There are four of the juniors at College in the infirm 
 ary," Mr. Wire, who was in special charge of the Queen's 
 Scholars, put in. " I had not heard about it last night, 
 and was in ignorance of what had taken place until the 
 list of those who had gone into the infirmary was put 
 into my hands, and then I heard from Williams what had 
 taken place." 
 
 " It is very unpleasant," Dr. Litter said, in a weary tone 
 of voice as if boys were a problem far more difficult to be 
 mastered than any that the Greek authors afforded him 
 "that one cannot trust boys to keep out of mischief for 
 an hour. Of course with small boys this sort of thing is to 
 be expected ; but that young fellows like Williams and 
 the other seniors, and the Sixth town boys, who are on 
 the eve of going up to the Universities, should so far for 
 get themselves is very surprising." 
 
 "But even at the University, Doctor Litter," Mr. 
 
19 
 
 Richards said, with a passing thought of his own experi 
 ence, " town and gown rows take pkce." 
 
 " All the worse, " Dr. Litter replied, " all the worse. 
 Of course there are wild young men at the Universities." 
 Dr. Litter himself, it is scarcely necessary to say, had 
 never been wild, the study of the Greek particles had 
 absorbed all his thoughts. "Why," he continued, 
 " young men should condescend to take part in disgrace 
 ful affrays of this kind passes my understanding. Mr. 
 Wire, you will inform Williams that for the rest of the 
 week no boy is to go to fields." 
 
 So saying, he strode off in the direction of his own door, 
 next to the archway, for the conversation had taken place 
 at the foot of the steps leading into School from Little 
 Dean's Yard. There was some grumbling when the head 
 master's decision was known ; but it was, nevertheless, felt 
 that it was a wise one, and that it was better to allow 
 the feelings to calm down before again going through 
 Westminster between Dean's Yard and the field, for 
 not even the most daring would have cared for a repeti 
 tion of the struggle. 
 
 Several inquiries were made as to the lad who had 
 brought the news of the fight, and so enabled the rein 
 forcements to arrive in time ; and had he been discovered 
 a handsome subscription would have been got up to 
 reward his timely service, but no one knew anything about 
 him. 
 
 The following week, when cricket was resumed, no 
 molestation was offered. The better part of the working- 
 classes who inhabited the neighbourhood were indeed 
 strongly in favour of the " boys," and liked to see their 
 bright young faces as they passed home from their cricket: 
 
20 "I WONDER WHICH WOULD LICK." 
 
 the pluck too with which they had fought was highly 
 appreciated, and so strong a feeling was expressed against 
 the attack made upon them, that the rough element 
 deemed it better to abstain from further interruption, 
 especially as there were three or four extra police put 
 upon the beat at the hours when the " boys " went to 
 and from Vincent Square. 
 
 It was, however, some time before the " great fight " 
 ceased to be a subject of conversation among the boys. 
 At five minutes to ten on the morning when Dr. Litter 
 had put a stop to fields, two of the younger boys who 
 were as usual, just before school-time, standing in the 
 archway leading into Little Dean's Yard to warn the School 
 of the issuing out of the head-master were talking of 
 the fight of the evening before ; both had been present, 
 having been fagging out at cricket for their masters. 
 
 " I wonder which would lick, Norris or Barkley. What 
 a splendid fight it would be ! " 
 
 " You will never see that, Fairlie, for they are cousins 
 and great friends. It would be a big fight, and I expect it 
 would be a draw. I know who I should shout for." 
 
 " Oh, of course, we should all be for Norris, he is such 
 a jolly fellow ; there is no one in the School I would so 
 readily fag for. Instead of saying, ' Here, you fellow, come 
 and pick up balls,' or, 'Take my bat up to fields/ he 
 says, ' I say, young Fairlie, I wish you would come and 
 pick up balls for a bit, and in a quarter of an hour you 
 can call some other Under School boy to take your place/ 
 just as if it were a favour, instead of his having the right 
 to put one on if he pleased. I should like to be his fag : 
 and he never allows any bullying up at Kichards'. I wish 
 we had him at Sargent's." 
 
" LITTER 'S COMING." 21 
 
 " Yes, and Barkley is quite a different sort of fellow. 
 I don't know that he is a bully, but somehow he seems to 
 have a disagreeable way with him, a cold, nasty, hard sort 
 of way ; he walks along as if he never noticed the exist 
 ence of an Under School boy, while Norris always has a 
 pleasant nod for a fellow." 
 
 "Here's Litter." 
 
 At this moment a door in the wall under the archway 
 opened, and the head-master appeared. As he came out 
 the five or six small boys standing round raised a tre 
 mendous shout of "Litter's coming." A shout so loud 
 that it was heard not only in College and the boarding- 
 houses in Little Dean's Yard, but at Carr's across by the 
 archway, and even at Sutcliffe's shop outside the Yard, 
 where some of the boys were purchasing sweets for con 
 sumption in school A fag at the door of each of the 
 boarding-houses took up the cry, and the boys at once 
 came pouring out. 
 
 The Doctor, as if unconscious of the din raised round 
 him, walked slowly along half-way to the door of the 
 School ; here he was joined by the other masters, and they 
 stood chatting in a group for about two minutes, giving 
 fcmple time for the boys to go up School, though those from 
 Carr's, having much further to go, had to run for it, and 
 not unfrequently had to rush past the masters as the latter 
 mounted the wide stone steps leading up to the School 
 
 The School was a great hall, which gave one the idea 
 that it was almost coeval with the abbey to which it was 
 attached, although it was not built until some hundreds 
 of years later. The walls were massive, and of great 
 height, and were covered from top to bottom with the 
 painted names of old boys, some of which had been there, 
 
22 THE SCHOOL. 
 
 as was shown by the dates under them, close upon a hun 
 dred years. The roof was supported on great beams, and 
 both in its proportions and style the School was a copy in 
 small of the great hall of Westminster. 
 
 At the furthermost end from the door was a semi 
 circular alcove, known as the "Shell," which gave its 
 name to the form sitting there. On both sides ran rows 
 of benches and narrow desks, three deep, raised one above 
 the other. On the left hand on entering was the Under 
 School, and, standing on the floor in front of it, was the 
 arm-chair of Mr. Wire. Next came the monitor's desk, 
 at which the captain and two monitors sat. In an open 
 drawer in front of the table were laid the rods, which 
 were not unfrequently called into requisition. Extending 
 up to the end were the seats of the Sixth. The " Upper 
 Shell" occupied the alcove; the "Under Shell" were 
 next to them, on the further benches on the right-hand 
 side. Mr. Kichards presided over the " Shell." Mr. 
 Sargent took the Upper and Under Fifth, who came next 
 to them, and " Johnny," as Mr. Johns was called, looked 
 after the two Fourths, who occupied benches on the right 
 hand of the door. 
 
 By the time the masters entered the School all the 
 boys were in their places. The doors were at once shut, 
 then the masters knelt on one knee in a line, one behind 
 the other, in order of seniority, and the Junior Queen's 
 Scholar whose turn it was knelt in front of them, and in 
 a loud tone read the Lord's Prayer in Latin. Then the 
 masters proceeded to their places, and school began, the 
 names of all who came in late being taken down to be 
 punished with impositions. 
 
 So large and lofty was the hall, that the voices were 
 
" HOLD OUT YOUR HAND." 23 
 
 lost in its space, and the forms were able to work without 
 disturbing each other any more than if they had been 
 in separate rooms. The Sixth only were heard apart, 
 retiring into the library with the Doctor. His seat, when 
 in school, was at a table in the centre of the hall, near the 
 upper end. 
 
 Thus Westminster differed widely from the great modern 
 schools, with their separate class-rooms and lecture-rooms. 
 Discipline was not very strict. When a master was 
 hearing one of the forms under him the other was sup 
 posed to be preparing its next lessons, but a buzz of quiet 
 talk went on steadily. Occasionally, once or twice a 
 week perhaps, a boy would be seen to go up from one of 
 the lower forms with a note in his hand to the head 
 master ; then there was an instant pause in the talking. 
 
 Dr. Litter would rise from his seat, and a monitor 
 at once brought him a rod. These instruments of punish 
 ment were about three feet six inches long ; they were 
 formed of birch twigs, very tightly bound together, and 
 about the thickness of the handle of a bat ; beyond this 
 handle some ten or twelve twigs extended for about 
 eighteen inches. The Doctor seldom made any remark 
 beyond giving the order, " Hold out your hand." 
 
 The unfortunate to be punished held out his arm at a 
 level with his shoulder, back uppermost. Eaising his arm 
 so that the rod fell almost straight behind his back, Dr. 
 Litter would bring it down, stroke after stroke, with a 
 passionless and mechanical air, but with a sweeping force 
 which did its work thoroughly. Four cuts was the nor 
 mal number, but if it was the third time a boy had been 
 sent up during the term he would get six. But four sufficed 
 to swell the back of the hand, and cover it with narrow 
 
24 THE RODS. 
 
 weals and bruises. It was of course a point of honour 
 that no sound should be uttered during punishment. 
 When it was over the Doctor would throw the broken rod 
 scornfully upon the ground and return to his seat. The 
 Junior then carried it away and placed a fresh one upon the 
 desk 
 
 The rods were treated with a sort of reverence, for no 
 Junior Queen's Scholar ever went up or down school for 
 any purpose without first going over to the monitor's table 
 and lightly touching the rod as he passed. 
 
 Such was school at Westminster forty years since, and 
 it has but little changed to the present day. 
 
CHAPTER IL 
 
 A COLD SWIM. 
 
 |T is winter. Christmas is close at hand, and 
 promises to be a bitterly cold one. The ice 
 has formed smooth and black across the 
 Serpentine, and a number of people are walk 
 ing along by its banks, looking forward to some grand 
 skating if the frost does but hold two days longer. The 
 sky is blue, and the sun shining brightly ; the wind is fresh 
 and keen ; it is just the day when people well-clad, well- 
 fed, and in strong health, feel their blood dancing more 
 freely than usual through their veins, and experience an 
 unusual exhilaration of spirits. Merry laughter often 
 rises from the groups on the bank, and the air rings 
 with the sharp sound made by pieces of ice sent skimming 
 by mischievous boys over the glassy surface, to the disgust 
 of skaters, who foresee future falls as the result of these 
 fragments should a slight thaw freeze them to the surface. 
 Among those walking by the edge of the ice were 
 Frank Norris and Fred Barkley ; with them was a bright- 
 faced girl of some fourteen years old. Alice Hardy was 
 cousin to both the young fellows, and was a ward of 
 their uncle, Captain Bayley, an old and very wealthy 
 retired officer of the East India Company's Service. 
 
 25 
 
26 CAPTAIN BAYLEY. 
 
 His fortune had not been acquired in India, but had 
 descended to him from his father, of whom he had been 
 the youngest son. His elder brothers had died off one by 
 one, all unmarried or childless, and soon after he obtained 
 his commission he was recalled home to take his place as 
 the next heir to his father's estates ; then he had married. 
 
 Soon after he succeeded to the property his wife died, 
 leaving him a little girl, who was called Ella after her. 
 Captain Bayley was hot and passionate. His daughter 
 grew up fiery and proud. Her father was passionately fond 
 of her ; but just when she reached the age of twenty, and 
 had taken her place as one of the leading belles of Wor 
 cestershire, she disappeared suddenly from the circle of 
 her acquaintances. What had happened no one ever knew. 
 That there had been some terrible quarrel was certain. It 
 was understood that Captain Bayley wished no questions 
 to be asked. Her disappearance was a nine days' wonder 
 in Worcestershire. Some said she had turned Roman 
 Catholic and gone into a convent ; others that she must 
 have eloped, although with whom no one could guess. But 
 at last the subject died out, until two years later Captain 
 Bayley and his household appeared in mourning, and it 
 was briefly announced that his daughter was dead. 
 
 Captain Bayley went about as before, peppery, kind- 
 hearted, perhaps a little harder and more cynical than 
 before, but a very popular personage in Worcestershire. 
 Those who knew him best thought him the most altered, and 
 said that although he appeared to bear the blow lightly he 
 felt deeply at heart the death of his daughter. His nearest 
 heirs now were his two nephews, Frank Norris and 
 Barkley, sons of his married sisters. Alice Hardy 
 bore no relation to him. For some years specula- 
 
THE TWO COUSINS. 27 
 
 tion had been rife as to which of his two nephews he would 
 select as his heir. 
 
 Two years before this story begins Alice Hardy's 
 father and mother had both died of typhoid fever, 
 leaving Captain Bayley as guardian to their daughter. 
 Somewhat to the surprise of his friends, the old officer 
 not only accepted the trust, but had Alice installed at his 
 house, there to be educated by a governess instead of 
 being sent to school. But although in a short time she 
 came to be regarded as the daughter of the house, no one 
 thought that Captain Bayley would make her his heiress,, 
 as she had inherited a considerable fortune from hei 
 father; and the two lads at Westminster were still 
 regarded as rivals for the heirship. 
 
 Captain Bayley had never been on good terms with 
 either of his brothers-in-law ; both had been merchants 
 in the city, and the old officer considered that his sisters 
 had made mesalliances in marrying them. Frank's 
 father and mother had died within a few months of 
 each other, when he was about twelve years old ; Captain 
 Bayley's house had since been his home. Fred was 
 often invited to stay with his uncle down in Worcester 
 shire, and his London house in Eaton Square was always 
 open to him. Frank had never counted on the probability 
 of his uncle leaving him any money. Certainly he never 
 for a moment built castles in the air founded upon the 
 chance of the inheritance. His father had been an easy 
 going and somewhat careless man, and would sometimes 
 laugh with the boy in speaking of his future and 
 predicting what he would do if he were come into old 
 Bayley's estates. None of the Captain's intimates could 
 had they been asked have declared a preference for 
 
28 WHICH WILL HE CHOOSE ? 
 
 the chances of either lad. Fred was certainly the 
 cleverest. He had gone into college head of his year, 
 and would have been Captain, had not one of those of the 
 year before him, who had got into College under age, 
 elected to stay a year longer at school, and therefore by 
 right became Captain, while Fred had to be content 
 with the honours of head monitor. Frank, on the other 
 hand, had failed to get into College at all, and had 
 remained a town boy. 
 
 Although it could not be said of Fred that in any 
 open way he laid himself out to gain his uncle's favour, 
 he was yet decidedly more attentive than was Frank, 
 and would give up any other engagement he might have 
 if Captain Bayley invited him to stay the Saturday and 
 Sunday in Eaton Square, while Frank went carelessly his 
 own way. And while there was nothing in the smallest 
 degree servile in Fred's manner for this indeed Captain 
 Bayley would have instantly noticed and resented there 
 was just that slight deference which a young fellow 
 should exhibit in conversation with an elder, while Frank, 
 on the other hand, carelessly expressed his own opinion 
 and ideas, which often differed very widely from those of 
 the old officer. 
 
 Captain Bayley's own manner evinced no shade of 
 partiality for one nephew over the other ; and although 
 Alice had a sort of faint suspicion that Frank, who was 
 certainly her own favourite, was also that of her uncle, 
 she could have given no reason for her belief. 
 
 In person the cousins were remarkably dissimilar. 
 Frank was two inches the tallest, and had a still greater 
 advantage in width. It was clear that he would grow 
 into a big man, but his figure was at present loose and 
 
FRED BARKLEY. 29 
 
 trafonned ; he had dark brown hair, with a slight wave, 
 and would hardly have been called good-looking, were it 
 not for his open, fearless expression and merry smile. 
 
 Fred's figure, although less strongly built, was far more 
 formed, and it was probable that years would effect but 
 little change in it. There was a sinew and wire in his 
 frame which would have told an athlete of great latent 
 strength in the slight figure. His hair was light, his 
 features clear and sharply cut, and the face a decidedly 
 intellectual one. His manner was somewhat cold and 
 restrained, but pleasant and courteous to men older than 
 himself ; both young fellows carried themselves well, 
 with a certain ease of bearing, and that nameless air 
 of command which distinguish most young men who 
 have passed through the upper forms of a great public 
 school 
 
 Both lads had their circle of friends and admirers at 
 school, but Frank's was by far the largest He was 
 indeed universally popular, which was far from being the 
 case with his cousin. Upon the other hand, while Frank 
 seemed to be a sort of common property of the School, 
 it was somehow esteemed by those in Barkley's set a 
 special distinction to be admitted to his friendship. 
 
 But the party of three young people have been left 
 long enough walking by the edge of the Serpentine. 
 Presently they saw a knot of people gathered ahead ; the 
 number increased as others ran up. 
 
 " What 's up, I wonder ?" Frank said. u Look out there 
 on the ice, Alice. You see that hole ; there is something 
 moving there's a dog's head, I declare. Poor brute! it 
 has run out after a stick, I suppose, and the ice has 
 given under it." 
 
30 A DOG IN THE WATER. 
 
 " Poor little thing ! " Alice exclaimed pitifully, " can't it 
 get out ? Do you think it will be drowned, Frank ? Can 
 nothing be done for it ? " 
 
 " The best thing you can do, Alice," Fred replied, as 
 Frank stood looking at the dog, who tried several times, 
 but in vain, to scramble out, the ice each time breaking 
 with its weight, " will be to turn and walk away ; there is 
 no use standing here harrowing your feelings by watching 
 that poor little brute drown." 
 
 " Can nothing be done, Frank ? " Alice again asked, 
 paying no heed to Fred's suggestion. 
 
 'That is just what I am thinking," Frank replied. 
 "You stop here, Alice, with Fred. I will go on and see 
 what they are doing." 
 
 " Can't I go with you, Frank ?" 
 
 " You had better stop here," Frank replied ; " the crowd 
 is getting thick there, and they are a roughish lot. Besides, 
 you will not be able to see over their heads, and can do no 
 good ; so just do as I bid you." 
 
 The girl remained obediently with her cousin Fred, 
 while Frank went off at a run towards the group. 
 
 "Frank orders you about just as if you were his fag/ 
 Fred said, with a smile which had in it something of a 
 sneer. 
 
 " I don't mind," the girl said staunchly, " it 's Frank's 
 way, and I like it ; at any rate one always knows what 
 Frank means, and he always means well" 
 
 "That is as much as to say, Alice, that you don't 
 always understand what I mean, and that I don't always 
 mean well/' Fred Barkley said in a quiet tone, but with 
 a little flush of anger in his usually somewhat pale 
 cheeks. 
 
" A BEASTLY COLD SWIM." 31 
 
 *' No, I don't know that I mean that," Alice said care 
 lessly ; " but I do not always understand what you mean, 
 though I always understand what you say." 
 
 " I should have thought that was the same thing," Fred 
 replied. 
 
 "Should you?" Alice rejoined. "Well I shouldn't, 
 that 'sail" 
 
 As Frank Norris approached the group he began to 
 unbutton his collar and waistcoat. 
 
 " It will be a beastly cold swim," he grumbled to him 
 self, " but I can't see the poor little brute drowned, and 
 drowned he certainly will be if no one goes in for him. 
 It 's no distance to swim, and I should think one could 
 wade to within twenty yards of him ; but it certainly will 
 be horribly cold." And he gave a shiver of anticipation 
 as he looked at the smooth frozen surface. 
 
 With some little difficulty Frank pushed his way 
 through to the centre of the group by the water's side. 
 A little girl, poorly dressed, was standing crying bitterly ; 
 a cripple boy in a box upon wheels was trying to pacify 
 her, while another who had taken off his coat and waistcoat, 
 and laid them in the lap of the cripple, was unlacing his 
 boots. 
 
 " Are you going in, young un ? " Frank said, as he 
 joined them. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I am going in for Flossy. She belongs to 
 this little girl, who is one of our neighbours." 
 
 tt Can you swim well ? " Frank asked, " for the water 
 will be bitterly cold." 
 
 " Yes," the boy answered confidently, " I goes regularly 
 for a swim above Vauxhall Bridge in the summer, and 
 keeps on until the water gets too cold. I can do that 
 
32 " MY EYE, AIN'T IT COLD ! " 
 
 fast enough. I suppose the ice will break right enough," 
 and he looked up inquiringly at Frank. 
 
 " Yes, it will break with your weight easily enough ; 
 you will have to raise yourself a little so as to break it 
 before you. You will have to put some weight on, for it 
 is nearly half an inch thick ; I expect there is a thin place 
 where the dog has fallen in a spring underneath, most 
 likely, so a mere skin has formed. 
 
 " Look here, young un, I was going in if you hadn't I 
 shall get my boots ready to kick off now, so don't you be 
 frightened if you get numbed with the cold, or a touch of 
 cramp ; just sing out and I will be with you in a minute." 
 
 The cripple looked with pleasure up into Frank's face. 
 
 " It is very good of you, sir, for you don't know the 
 dog as Evan does. Ah ! I know your face, sir," he broke off, 
 " I saw you in the fight down by our place at Westminster, 
 when Evan ran up and fetched some more of your chaps 
 and just in time they were too." 
 
 " Oh ! was it your brother who brought that news ? " 
 Frank said quickly ; " then I owe him one, and if I go in 
 to fetch him out we shall be only quits." 
 
 Evan had by this time entered the water, breaking the 
 ice before him as he went. 
 
 " My eye, ain't it cold !" he said, half -turning round, 
 " seems to nip one's legs up regular. All right, Flossy," 
 he shouted to the dog, as he continued his way out, in 
 answer to a pitiful whine of the struggling animaL 
 
 For the first few paces Evan's progress was easy 
 enough ; but when he got so deep that he could no longer 
 break the ice with his foot his difficulties began, and it 
 was only by flinging himself down upon it that he 
 was able to break it. A few yards further on the water 
 
A RESCUE. 33 
 
 was up to his chin. He was DOW breaking the ice by 
 trying to climb upon it. Frank was watching him closely, 
 and noticed that he no longer proceeded about his work 
 deliberately, but with a hurried and jerky action, as if he 
 felt his strength failing him. Frank pulled off his coat 
 and waistcoat, and handed them to the cripple, kicked off 
 his boots, and stood in readiness to plunge in. 
 
 The crowd had at first cheered the lad as he made his 
 way from the shore ; some still uttered shouts of encour 
 agement, others saw that he was getting exhausted, and 
 called to him to return. Suddenly the boy seemed to lose 
 his power altogether, held on to the edge of the ice, and 
 cast a despairing look towards the shore. Then gradually 
 his head disappeared under the water; but Frank was 
 already half-way towards him. A few strides had taken 
 him through the shallow water, and he swam with vigor 
 ous strokes through the floating fragments to the end of 
 the line of broken water ; then he too disappeared for a 
 moment. A dead silence reigned through the crowd ; but 
 when two heads appeared above the water together, a 
 ringing cheer broke out Carrying his senseless compan 
 ion, Frank swam back to shore. 
 
 " Take off his wet clothes," he said, as he handed his 
 burden to some of the men. " Wrap him up in my coat 
 and his own, and then run with him up to the Humane 
 Society's House, they will bring him round in no time ; it 
 is cold, not drowning." 
 
 Then he looked again across the water. The little dog 
 was swimming feebly now, its nose scarcely above the 
 surface. It had given a plaintive cry of despair as it saw 
 those who had approached so near turn back, for there 
 were but some five yards between the spot where the 
 
 (478) 
 
34 THE DOG IS SAVED. 
 
 boy's strength had failed and the circle which it had 
 broken in its efforts to climb out 
 
 " I can't be colder than I am," Frank said to himself, 
 " so here goes." 
 
 Accordingly he again dashed into the water and swam 
 to the end of the narrow passage ; a few vigorous strokes 
 broke the intervening barrier of ice. He seized the little 
 dog, put it on the ice, and with a push sent it sliding 
 towards the shore, and then turned and swam back 
 again. 
 
 It was only just where the dog had fallen in that the 
 ice was too weak to bear its weight, and, after lying for 
 two or three minutes utterly exhausted, it scrambled to 
 its feet and made its way to the bank, where it was soon 
 wrapped in the apron of its delighted mistress. 
 
 Frank, on reaching the shore, was scarcely able to 
 stand, so benumbed were his legs by the cold. His 
 cousins had made their way through the crowd to the 
 spot 
 
 "O Frank," Alice exclaimed, "what a mad thing for 
 you to do. Oh ! I am so pleased you did it but oh, you 
 do look cold ! What will you do ?" 
 
 " I am all right, Alice," Frank said, as cheerfully as 
 his chattering teeth would allow him to speak. "You 
 go home with Fred ; I shall get a hot bath and have my 
 clothes dried at the receiving-house, and shall be as right 
 as a trivet in half an hour. There, good-bye !" 
 
 Frank walked stiffly at first, but was presently able to 
 break into a run, which he kept up until he reached the 
 establishment of the Koyal Humane Society. His first 
 question, as he entered, was for the boy. 
 
 " He will do, sir," the attendant answered, " we popped 
 
MAKING A COLLECTION. 35 
 
 him at once into a hot bath we had ready, and he has 
 opened his eyes, and is able to speak ; we have just got 
 him into bed between warm blankets, and now it 's yonr 
 turn." 
 
 In another minute Frank was in the bath from which 
 the boy had just been taken, for there was no time to 
 prepare another. For the first minute or two he felt an 
 intense pain as the blood flowed back into his chilled 
 limbs, then a delightful sensation of warmth and comfort 
 stole over him ; a glass of hot brandy and water completed 
 his cure, and a few minutes later he felt that he was fast 
 going off to sleep in the warm blankets between which he 
 was laid. 
 
 Before the crowd whom the incident on the Serpentine 
 had gathered broke up, one or two of those present went 
 among the rest and collected a subscription for the lad 
 who had gone in after the dog. Nearly two pounds 
 were collected in silver and coppers, and handed over 
 to the cripple to give to his brother. Fred Barkley 
 dropped in five shillings, and Alice Hardy the same sum. 
 Then after walking to the receiving-house, and hearing 
 that Frank and the lad had both recovered from the 
 effects of the cold, and would probably be all right after 
 a few hours' sleep, they returned home, Alice in a high 
 state of excitement over the adventure which she had 
 witnessed, Fred silent and gloomy. 
 
 He accompanied Alice to Eaton Square, and was 
 present when she related to her uncle the story of the 
 lad going in to rescue the dog, and of Frank going in to 
 rescue the boy, and of his afterwards returning to set 
 free the dog. Upon the way home he had appeared to 
 Alice to take the matter exceedingly quietly, but he now, 
 
36 * A HAIR-BRAINED BUSINESS." 
 
 somewhat to her surprise, appeared almost as enthusiastic 
 as herself, and spoke in terms of high admiration of 
 Frank's conduct Captain Bayley, as was usually the 
 case with him, took a view of the matter entirely opposed 
 to that of the speakers. 
 
 * Stuff and nonsense !" he said. You call that a 
 gallant action ? I call it a foolish boy's trick. What right 
 has Frank to risk getting rheumatic fever, and being laid 
 up as a cripple for life, merely to save a dog ? " 
 
 "But he went in to save a boy, uncle," Alice said 
 indignantly. 
 
 " Pooh, pooh !" the old officer exclaimed, "the boy would 
 never have gone in if he hadn't encouraged him. That 
 makes the case all the worse. Frank not only risking 
 catching rheumatism himself, but he risked the life of 
 that boy by encouraging him to do such a foolish action. 
 It was a hair-brained business altogether, sir ; and I am 
 glad you had the wisdom, Fred, to keep out of it. The idea 
 of two lives being risked to save that of a wretched cur is 
 too absurd ; if you had offered the girl who owned it five 
 shillings to buy another it would have been more sensible." 
 
 " I don't believe you mean what you say a bit, Uncle 
 Harry," Alice exclaimed indignantly. " I believe if you 
 had been there, and had heard that poor little dog's cries 
 as we did, you would have gone in yourself. I am sure 
 I would if I had been a man." 
 
 "I always observe, my dear," Captain Bayley said 
 sarcastically, "that women would do wonderful things if 
 they had only been born men. Nature appears to be 
 always making mistakes by putting the dauntless and 
 heroic spirits into female bodies, and vice versa. 
 
 " I don't like you when you talk like that, Uncle Harry 
 
" AN IMPUDENT PUSS." 37 
 
 that is, I shouldn't like you if I thought you meant it ; 
 but you only talk so out of contradiction. If I had said I 
 thought Frank was very foolish for having gone into the 
 water, you would have taken the opposite side directly." 
 
 "You are an impudent puss, Miss Alice," her uncle 
 retorted, " and I shall have to tell Miss Lancaster that 
 unless she can keep you in better order I shall have to 
 send you to school. You appear to have been born 
 without the bump of veneration." 
 
 w I would venerate you ever so much, Uncle Harry," 
 the girl replied, laughing, " if you would always be good 
 and reasonable ; but I cannot venerate you when you are 
 contrary and disagreeable, and say things you don't mean." 
 
 As Fred Barkley walked home, he wondered again 
 and again to himself whether Captain Bayley had meant 
 what he said, and whether this act of Frank's would 
 raise him in his opinion or the contrary ; but he 
 flattered himself that, at any rate, no harm had been done, 
 for his own advocacy of his cousin could not but have 
 placed him in the most favourable light 
 
 Fred Barkley was shrewd, but his power of reading 
 character was, as yet, by no means perfect, and his 
 uncle's changing moods baffled the power of analysis. 
 He would not have been pleased had he known that at 
 that very moment the old officer was walking up and 
 down his library, muttering to himself " I would give a 
 good deal if there were a glass window at that boy Fred's 
 heart, that I could see what it is really made of. His 
 head is strong enough ; nature has given him a fair share 
 of brains, but, unless I am greatly mistaken, there is a 
 very grievous deficiency in his allowance of heart. 
 
 " I don't believe the boy ever spoke spontaneously from 
 
38 IN CARE OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY. 
 
 the time he learned to talk, but that every word he 
 says is weighed before it passes through his lips, and its 
 effect calculated ; whereas Frank never thinks at all, but 
 just blurts out the words which come to hand. It is curious 
 how much more Alice takes to him than to Fred, for he 
 bullies her and orders her about as if she were one of his 
 fags, while Fred is as courteous and polite to her as if 
 she were a young Countess. I suppose it is instinct, for 
 children's opinions about people are seldom far wrong. 
 I thought when I brought Alice here that she would 
 help me to settle the problem." 
 
 Frank and Evan Holl woke at about the same time, 
 after sleeping for some hours ; their clothes had been dried 
 for them, and they at once began to dress. 
 
 "How do you feel now, young un ?" was Frank's first 
 inquiry as they sat up in their beds. 
 
 " I dunno how I feels," Evan replied. " I hardly knows 
 where I am, or how I got heise, though I do seem to 
 remember something about this 'ere place too. Oh yes !" 
 he exclaimed suddenly, "I was trying to fetch out poor little 
 Flossy, and the ice would not break, and I got colder and 
 colder, and then I don't seem to remember any more except 
 somehow that I was here with people standing round me, 
 and I swallowed something hot and went off to sleep. 
 Ah yes ! you were the gentleman as said you would come 
 in after me if I sang out." 
 
 " And I did come in," Frank said smilingly, " and only 
 just in time I was, for you did not sing out, but went right 
 down without a word. It was lucky you did not get 
 under the ice." 
 
 " And Flossy," the boy said suddenly, " did she go down 
 too?" 
 
" AND A GOOD JOB TOO.' 39 
 
 " No/ 1 Frank answered, " I went in again and got her 
 out, after I had brought you back to shore." 
 
 " Well, you are a brick! " the boy said, "a regular down 
 right un, and no mistake. I wonder how Harry got back ; 
 it would be a job for him to wheel hisself all the way back 
 to Westminster." 
 
 " Oh, I expect he got some one to help him, " Frank 
 said ; " and the little girl would be able to help shove 
 him along." 
 
 " Yes, she would," Evan replied, " she can shove him by 
 herself along a pavement, and I expect that he and she 
 atween them would be able to get along. Lor ! how them 
 things of yours have shrunk, to be sure." 
 
 " They have, a bit, " Frank said, looking down at his 
 trousers, which were half-way up to his knees ; " but it 
 don't matter much, it's getting dark now, and I can take a 
 cab when I get out of the Park Your clothes don't seem 
 to have suffered so much, they seem plenty large enough 
 for you now." 
 
 " Yes," Evan said, with a satisfied air, " and a good job 
 too ; mother always will have my clothes so big, c'os of 
 my growing. She always seems to think one will grow 
 sudden into a man afore one's things wear out. 
 
 Frank and the lad walked together as far as Albert 
 Gate ; here they separated, Frank taking a cab home, 
 while Evan, whistling a popular air in a high key, took 
 his way to Westminster. On arriving home he was 
 greeted with enthusiasm by Harry, but Mrs. Holl was 
 not inclined to view his adventure favourably. 
 
 " It 's all very well to care for dogs, Evan, and I ain't a- 
 saying as Carrie Hill's dog ain't a nice little critter ; but 
 when it comes to getting into the freezing water arter it, 
 
40 " I AM A RICH MAN, I AM." 
 
 I don't hold to it no way. Then you might have gone and 
 got drowned and you would have got drowned too, Harry 
 tells me, if that young gent hadn't been and gone after 
 you ; and then this blessed minute I should have been 
 breaking my heart about you, and you down underneath 
 the ice in the bottom of the Serpentine. There ain't no 
 reason in it, my boy. Harry here thinks different about 
 it, and will have it that I ought to be proud of yer ; but 
 he ain't a mother, and so can't understand a mother's 
 feelings and your clothes pretty nigh spoilt too, I '11 be 
 bound" 
 
 "Well, mother, if they are," Harry said cheerfully, 
 "Evan can buy some more. Here, Evan ; here are thirty- 
 eight shillings and ninepence halfpenny, and it 's all your 
 own." 
 
 " Crikey ! " Evan gasped, looking in astonishment at 
 the pile of money in Harry's lap. " Why, where did all 
 that 'ere money come from ? " 
 
 " That was collected in the crowd, Evan, after you were 
 carried away, and they gave it to me to give to you. I did 
 not quite like your taking money for doing such a thing, 
 but of course as it was given for you I had nothing to say 
 to it." 
 
 Evan burst into a wild dance expressive of delight. 
 He had none of his brother's scruples in respect to the 
 money. 
 
 " My eye !" he exclaimed at last, " thirty-eight bob and 
 some coppers to do just as I likes with. I am a rich man, 
 I am ; I shall have to get some 'igh collars and come the 
 swell. I suppose it won't run to a carriage and pair, 
 mother, or to a welvet gownd for you, that would be 
 splendatious. Just fancy, mother, a gownd all over welvet, 
 
" A NICE SIGHT I SHOULD LOOK." 41 
 
 and just the same colour as the sodgers* coats. My eye ! 
 won't that be grand ? " 
 
 "And a nice sight I should look in it," Mrs. Holl said, 
 laughing at the thought of herself in scarlet robes. " When 
 dad comes home we will talk over with him what's the best 
 way of laying out this money. It's yours to do as you likes 
 with, but I ain't a-going to have it fooled away, so don't 
 you make any mistake about that." 
 
CHAPTER IIL 
 
 A CRIPPLE BOY. 
 
 IOHN HOLL returned from work a few minutes 
 after Evan came in. John Holl was a dust 
 man. A short, broadly-built man, with his 
 shoulders bowed somewhat from carrying 
 heavy baskets up area steps. Hig looks were homely, 
 and his attire far from clean ; but John was a good 
 husband and father, and the great proportion of the many 
 twopences he daily received as douceurs for discharging 
 his duties were brought home to his wife, as was all 
 the weekly money, instead of being exchanged for liquor 
 at the public-house. 
 
 Sarah Holl added to the family income by going out 
 charring. She was a big woman, with a rough voice, and 
 slipshod in walk ; her hands were red and hard from 
 much scrubbing and polishing, and she was considered 
 generally by the servants in the establishments at which 
 she worked to be a low person. But Sarah's heart was in 
 the right place ; her children loved her, and her husband 
 regarded her as a treasure. 
 
 It was not until John Holl had changed his dirt- 
 stained clothes, and had freshened himself up with a 
 copious wash, had put on a pair of list slippers of Sarah's 
 
JOHN HOLL HEARS THE NEWS. 43 
 
 manufacture in place of his heavy boots, and had seated 
 himself by the fire with his long pipe alight, while Sarah 
 bustled about getting the tea, that he was informed of 
 the important events which had taken place ; for John, 
 like many more distinguished men, had his idiosyncrasies, 
 and one of these was that he hated to be, as he called it, 
 " hustled," before he had tidied up. John was not quick 
 of comprehension, and could not give due weight to what 
 was said to him while engaged in the important work of 
 changing ; therefore all pieces of family news were reserved 
 until he had taken his seat and his pipe was fully alight 
 Then Mrs. Holl began 
 
 " What do you think, John, Evan 'as been a-doing to 
 day ? " 
 
 John gave a grunt, to signify that he would prefer 
 hearing the facts to wasting his brain-power in random 
 
 " Why, he has been in the Serpentine, and was nigh 
 drowned, and had to be taken to the 'Mane Society and 
 put into a hot bath, and all his clothes shrunk that much 
 as you never seed." 
 
 " I thought the ice weren't strong enough to bear," John 
 said, taking his pipe from his mouth ; " one of my mates 
 tells me as he heard a chap going along with skates say as 
 it weren't strong enough on the Serpentine to hold a cat." 
 
 " No more it ain't, John ; but Carrie Hill's little dog run 
 on and fell through, and nothing would do but that Evan 
 must go out and risk his life to fetch it out. And a nice 
 business he made of it ; when he got close out to the dog 
 down he went hisself, and would have been drowned as 
 sure as fate if a young gent as was a-standing there 
 hadn't swam out and brought him in. And I think you 
 
44 " AS PROUD AS A PEACOCK." 
 
 ought to speak to him, John, for such venturesome ways ; 
 he don't mind my speaking no more than the wind a- 
 blowing. M 
 
 John Holl smoked his pipe in silence for some time, 
 looking solemnly into the fire ; the number of facts and 
 ideas presented suddenly to him were too great to be 
 instantly taken in and grappled with. 
 
 " And how do you feel now, Evan ? " he said at last ; 
 " cold right through the bones ? " 
 
 " No, father ; I am as warm as need be ; and what do 
 you think ? I have got thirty-eight bob and some coppers 
 which they 'scribed for me," 
 
 * Did they, now ? " John Holl said. Then after taking 
 in this new fact, and turning it over in different lights, he 
 said to his wife, " Well, Sarah, it seems to me that if the 
 people who saw our Evan go into the water subscribed 
 well-nigh upon two pounds for the boy, they must have 
 thought that what he did warn't a thing for him to be jawed 
 for, but a brave, good-hearted sort of action ; and I ain't no 
 manner of doubt, Sarah, that that 's just what you think 
 it yerself, only you are a bit scared over the thought that 
 he might have been drowned, which is natural and woman 
 like. It seems to me as Evan has done a wery honourable 
 kind o' action. I know as I should have liked to have 
 done it myself, though I holds that a man can't have 
 too much of hot water and plenty of soap in it, cold 
 water allus giving me the shivers, and being no good for 
 getting out dirt not where its ground in pretty thick. 
 I suppose its cos of this that I didn't larn to swim. 
 Evan, my boy, your father feels proud of yer, and so does 
 your mother as proud as a peacock though she don't 
 think it 's right to say so." 
 
EVAN'S TREASURE. 45 
 
 Whereupon Mrs. Holl, finding to her great inward 
 satisfaction that the paternal sanction and approval had 
 been given to Evan's adventure, felt no longer constrained 
 to keep up a semblance of disapproval, but embraced him 
 with great heartiness, and then wiped her eyes with the 
 corner of her apron. Then came the great point of the 
 disposal of Evan's fortune. His first proposal was to hand 
 it over to his father as a contribution towards the general 
 expenses, but this John Holl peremptorily refused. 
 
 " It 's your money, boy, to do as you like with ; it 's 
 earned in a honourable way, and a way to be proud of. 
 You are to do with it just what you likes ; it were best 
 not to spend it foolish, but if you are disposed to spend 
 it foolish, you do so." 
 
 " There are such lots of things I should like to buy," 
 Evan said. " I should like to buy mother a new Sunday 
 bonnet, and I should like to get you a pound of bacca ; 
 and Winnie wants a new pair of boots and stockings, and 
 there 's lots of things I should like to get for Harry, and 
 some warm gloves for Sue, and and no end of things." 
 
 " Two pounds," John Holl said, " is a nice little lump 
 of money, Evan ; but when you gets as old as I am you 
 will know as two pounds don't go wery far. My advice 
 to you is this, whatever you get yer sure a while afterwards 
 to want something else, and to wish as you had bought 
 that instead ; that 's human nature, and it 's the same with 
 men, women, and boys at least that 's my 'sperience, and 
 mother will tell you the same. My advice is, give that 
 money to mother to keep for you, say for a month. Well 
 then, every day you can settle fresh what you mean to 
 buy, and that will be most as good as buying it ; perhaps 
 towards the end of the month you will have settled yer 
 
46 "I SHOULD LIKE TO SHAKE HANDS WITH HIM." 
 
 mind on to something which really seems to you better 
 than all the others : that 's my advice." 
 
 " And capital good advice too, father," Harry said. 
 
 And thus the approval of the two authorities of the 
 family having been obtained, the matter was considered 
 as settled. 
 
 " And who was the young gent as went in and fetched 
 you out, Evan ? " John Holl asked, when the important 
 business of tea was concluded, and he again settled himself 
 to his pipe. " He must have been a good sort ; I should 
 like to shake hands with that chap." 
 
 " He told me as his name were Frank Norris," Evan 
 replied ; " he is one of the scholars we see going along to 
 Vincent Square ; I knew him again directly. He was one 
 of those chaps as fought so well the day they got attacked 
 going back to the School A fine-looking chap he is too, 
 with a pleasant face, and a nice sort of way about him. 
 No nonsense, you know ; he talked just pleasant and 
 nice, as Harry might talk to me, just as if he was a sort 
 of pal, and not a swell no-how." 
 
 " I should like to shake hands with him," John Holl 
 repeated; "he saved your life, that's sure enough" 
 for by this time Harry had related the full details of 
 the affair. " I think, Sarah, as it would be only right 
 and proper, come Sunday, for you and I to go round 
 to that young fellow's house and tell him how we feels 
 about it. If it had been a chap of our own station 
 in life I suppose there ain't nothing we wouldn't do for 
 him, if we saw our way to it ; and though I don't see as 
 it 's likely as we can do nothing for this young fellow, the 
 least as we can do is to go and tell him what we thinks 
 about it. Did he tell you where he lived, Evan ?" 
 
HARRY'S FIDDLE. 47 
 
 " No, father. He didn't say where he lived ; but he 
 writ down in a pocket-book my name and where we lived, 
 and said as how he would look in one of these days and 
 see that I was none the worse for my ducking." 
 
 " Well, I hopes as how he will," John said, " but if he 
 don't come soon, we must find him out. I expect his name 
 or his father's name would be down in a 'Rectory, and the 
 name ain't so common a one as there would be likely 
 to be a great many on them living about here; but 
 if there was fifty I would call on them all till I 
 found the right one. I shan't be easy in my mind, not 
 till I have shaken that young chap's hand and told him 
 what I thinks on it And I am sure your mother feels 
 the same as I do. And now, Harry, take out that fiddle 
 of yours and let 's have a tune ; my pipe allus seems to 
 draw better and sweeter while yon are playing." 
 
 One of the children there were eight in all in the 
 room fetched Harry's fiddle from the wall. It was a 
 cheap, common instrument, but even far better judges of 
 music than the Holls would have been able to discern, in 
 spite of its cracked and harsh tone, that the lad who was 
 playing it had a genius for music. It is true that the 
 airs which he was playing, those which the street boys of 
 the day whistled as they walked by, were not of a nature 
 to display his powers. Harry could play other and very 
 different kinds of music ; for whenever Evan earned a 
 sixpence by holding a horse, or doing any other odd job, 
 a penny or twopence were sure to go in the purchase of a 
 sheet of music for Harry at the cheap bookstalls. Harry 
 had learned the notes from a secondhand book of instruc 
 tions which John Holl had bought for him one Saturday 
 night, when the weather had been particularly hot, and 
 
48 A VISITOR. 
 
 people in their desire to get their dust-bins emptied were 
 more liberal than usual. But of an evening, when John 
 was at home, Harry always played popular airs, as his 
 father and family were unable to appreciate the deeper 
 and better music. This he reserved for the time when 
 the children were at school, and mother was either 
 charring or was at the wash-tub. 
 
 Sarah used to wonder silently at the sounds which 
 seemed to her to have no particular air, such as she could 
 beat time to with her foot as she worked ; but in her 
 heart she appreciated them ; they made her feel as if she 
 was in church, and sometimes she would draw her apron 
 across her eyes, wondering all the time what there was 
 in the tones of the fiddle which should make her cry. 
 
 Three or four days later, when Harry, as usual, was 
 playing on his violin and Mrs. Holl was washing, there 
 was a knock at the door. 
 
 "Drat it!" Mrs. Holl muttered, "who's a- coming 
 bothering now, just when I am busy ? * 
 
 " If no one is to come except when you are not busy, 1 * 
 Harry laughed, as Mrs. Holl moved towards the door, 
 wiping the lather from her arms and hands, " we shan't 
 have many visitors, for as far as I can see you are always 
 busy. 
 
 " Ah ! " he exclaimed, as Mrs. Holl opened the door, 
 and he saw who was standing without, " it 's the 
 gentleman who got Evan out of the water." 
 
 " Mrs. Holl ? " Frank asked interrogatively, and then, 
 catching sight of Harry, he at once walked across to him 
 and shook him by the hand. 
 
 " I hope I am not intruding, Mrs. Holl, but I promised 
 your son to look in and see how he was ; and as I had to 
 
HOW IS HE?" 49 
 
 come down to the School to-day for a book I wanted for 
 my holiday task, I thought it would be a good opportunity 
 to fulfil my promise." 
 
 " It is no intrusion, sir, and I am sure I am heartily 
 glad to see yer, and thank ye for coming," Mrs. Holl said, 
 as she dusted an already spotless chair and placed it for 
 her visitor. " My John does nothing every evening but 
 talk of how he wishes he could see you, to tell you how 
 beholden he and me feels to you for having brought our 
 Evan to land just as he was being drowned." 
 
 "No thanks are required indeed, Mrs, Holl," Frank 
 said cheerfully, " it was a sort of partnership affair. You 
 see I was going in after the dog, only Evan, who was a 
 sort of friend of the family, had first claim ; so we agreed 
 that he should try first and do all the hard work of 
 breaking the ice, and then, if the cold was too much for 
 him, I was to go out and fetch him in and finish the job 
 myself. So you see it was a mutual arrangement, and no 
 particular thanks due to any one. But your son is a 
 plucky young fellow, Mrs. Holl, and he behaved most 
 gallantly. I find too, from what your son here tells me, 
 that I owe him one for having fetched help up from the 
 School when we were getting the worst of it just opposite 
 your house here. Well, in the first place, how is he? 
 None the worse, I hope, for the cold." 
 
 " Not at all, sir. He is out to-day with a friend of ours 
 as 'as got a barrow, and lives in the next street, but who 
 is that hoarse with the cold that he can't speak out of 
 a whisper ; so he offered Evan sixpence to go along with 
 him to do the shouting, and a nice shouting he will make ; 
 his voice goes through and through my head when he is 
 only a-talking with his brothers and sisters here, and if 
 
 U76) TV 
 
50 AN OFFER OF A PLACE. 
 
 anything can bring them to the windows it will be his 
 voice. He offered to come round here with the barrow 
 afore they started off this morning, but says I, ' No, Evan ; 
 I have a good name in the street, I hope, and don't wish 
 to be dighted as a nuisance to the neighbourhood, nor 
 to have my neighbours accusing me of a-being the cause 
 of fits in their children.' " 
 
 " I don't suppose that it would be as bad as that, Mrs. 
 Holl," Frank said, laughing. " However, if his voice is as 
 loud and clear as that, it is evident that he is not much 
 the worse for his cold bath, I came round partly to see 
 him, partly to know if I could do anything for him ; he 
 seems a sharp lad, and I am sure he is as honest as he is 
 plucky. As a beginning, my uncle says he could come 
 into the house as a sort of errand-boy, and to help the foot 
 man, until he can hear of some better position for him 
 among his friends." 
 
 " I am sure you are yery good, sir," Mrs. Holl said grate 
 fully ; " I will mention it to his father, and he But 
 
 I doubt whether Evan 's steady enough for a place yet, he 
 is allus getting into mischief; there never was such a boy 
 for scrapes; if all my eight were like him I should go 
 clean mad afore the week was out. When he is in the 
 house, as long as he is talking or singing I can go on with 
 my work, but the moment that he is quiet I have to drop 
 what I am a-doing on and look arter him, for he is sure 
 to be up to some mischief or other." 
 
 " No, no, mother/' Harry put in, laughing ; " you are 
 giving Evan a worse character than he deserves. He is up 
 to fun, as is only natural with one who has got the free 
 use of his limbs, but he never does any real harm," 
 
 " No, I don't say that he does real harm, 'Any/* Mrs. 
 
" I PICKED IT UP MYSELF, SIR." 51 
 
 Holl replied, " but I do say as at present he is too full of 
 boyish tricks to be of any good in a place, and we should 
 be a-having him back here a week arter he went, and 
 that would be a nice show of gratitude to this gentleman 
 for his kindness." 
 
 " I don't suppose he is as bad as you make out, Mrs. 
 Holl; and no doubt he would tame down after a time, just 
 as other boys do. Perhaps a place in a warehouse would 
 be more suitable for him at first. 
 
 w And it was you who were playing as I came in," he 
 went on, noticing the violin ; " I was wondering who was 
 playing so well How jolly it must be to play! I wish I 
 could, but I should never have patience to learn. Who 
 taught you?" 
 
 " I picked it up myself, sir," Harry replied, " from a 
 book father bought ma You see I have plenty of time 
 on my hands ; I don't get out much, except just along the 
 street, for I can't very well get across crossings by myself. 
 The wheels go well enough on a level, but I cannot push 
 them up a curb-stone. But what with reading and 
 fiddling the days pass quickly enough, especially when 
 mother is at home ; she is out two or three days a week, 
 and then the time seems rather long." 
 
 " I should think so," Frank said; " I should go mad if I 
 were laid up entirely. I am awfully sorry for you. If 
 you are fond of books I shall be glad to let you have 
 some ; I have got no end of them, and there they stand 
 on my shelf unopened from year's end to year's end. 
 What sort of books do you like best? Sea stories, or 
 Indians, or what ? " 
 
 " I should like any story-books, sir," Harry replied, his 
 eyes brightening up with pleasure ; " I have read a few 
 
52 AN ARDENT SCHOLAR. 
 
 which father has picked up for me at the bookstalls, and 
 I have gone through and through them until I could 
 almost say them by heart. And then tales of travel and 
 history, oh, I love history ! to read what people did 
 hundreds of years ago, and how nations grew up step by 
 step, just like children, it is splendid !" 
 
 " I am afraid/' Frank said, with a laugh, "that I don't 
 care so much for history as you do. Names are hard 
 enough to remember, but dates are awful ; I would rather 
 do the toughest bit of construing than have a page of 
 Greek history to get up. Well, I will certainly look you 
 up some books on history and some travels, and will send 
 you some of Marryat's stories. I suppose you do not 
 care for schoolbooks; I have got a barrow-load that I 
 shall never want again," 
 
 " Oh yes, sir," Harry said eagerly, * I think I should like 
 those best of all Have you a Virgil, sir ? I do like Virgil, 
 and all that story about the siege of Troy. I only had it 
 for a fortnight Father bought it for me, and then one of 
 the little ones managed somehow to take it out and lose 
 it ; she ran out with it for a bit of fun, and we suppose 
 sat down on a doorstep and forgot it" 
 
 * But, bless me," Frank exclaimed, " you don't mean to 
 say that you read Virgil in Latin ! You are a rum fellow. 
 How on earth did you learn it ? " 
 
 " I have taught myself, sir," Harry said. " Father is 
 awfully good, and often picks up books for me at old book 
 stalls. Of course sometimes he gets things I can't make 
 out But he got twelve once for a shilling, and there was 
 a Latin Grammar and Dictionary among them ; and when 
 I had learned the Grammar, it was very easy with the Dic 
 tionary to make out the sense of some of the Latin books. 
 
A LESSON IN CESAR. 53 
 
 But of course I often come across things that I don't 
 understand. I think sometimes if some one would explain 
 them to me once or twice, so that I could really under 
 stand how the rules in the Grammar are applied, I could 
 get on faster." 
 
 " Well, you are a rum fellow ! " Frank exclaimed again. 
 " I wish I liked learning as you do, for though I am in 
 the Sixth at Westminster, I own that I look upon the 
 classics as a nuisance. Well, now, look here ; I have got an 
 hour at present with nothing special to do, so if you like 
 we will have a go at it together. What have you got 
 here?" and he walked across to a shelf on which were 
 a number of books. " Oh ! here is a Caesar ; suppose we 
 take that; it's easy enough generally, but there are 
 some stiffish bits now and then. Let's start off from 
 the beginning, and perhaps I may be able to make 
 things clear for you a bit" 
 
 In spite of Mrs. Holl's protestations that Harry 
 ought not to trouble the gentleman, the two lads were 
 soon deep in their Caesar. Frank found, to his surprise, 
 that the cripple boy had a wonderful knack of grasping 
 the sense of passages, but that never having been regu 
 larly taught to construe, he was unable to apply the rules 
 of grammar which he had learned. Frank taught him 
 how to do this, how to take a sentence to pieces, how to 
 parse it word by word, and to see how each word depended 
 upon the others, so that even if absolutely in ignorance 
 of the meaning of any one word in a sentence, he could 
 nevertheless parse them unerringly in the order in which 
 they would be rendered in English could determine the 
 value of each, and their bearing upon one another. 
 
 This was quite a revelation to Harry ; his face flushed 
 
54 
 
 with eagerness and excitement, and so interested were 
 both lads in their work, that the hour was far exceeded 
 before the lesson came to an end by Mrs. Holl interfering 
 bodily in the matter by carrying off the Dictionary, and 
 declaring that it was a shame that Harry should give so 
 much trouble. 
 
 " It is no trouble at all, Mrs. Holl," Frank said, laughing. 
 " You see one is accustomed a little to teaching, as one 
 often gives one's fag, or any other little chap who asks, a 
 construe, or explains his lesson to him. But I can tell you 
 that there are precious few of them who take it all in as 
 quickly as your son does. Now that I have made myself 
 at home, I will come in sometimes when school begins 
 again, if you will let me, for half an hour and read with 
 Harry. But I don't think he will want any help long. 
 Still, it may help to show him the regular way of getting 
 at things. And now I must hurry off. You will ask 
 Evan to think over what I have said. Here is my address. 
 I wrote it down in case I should find no one in. If he 
 makes up his mind about it before I come again, he had 
 better call on me there ; the best time would be between 
 nine and eleven in the morning ; I have always finished 
 breakfast by nine, and I have put off my holiday task so 
 long, that I must stick at it regularly two hours a day till 
 school begins again, so he will be pretty sure to find 
 me between nine and eleven. Will you tell your 
 husband not to worry himself about seeing me ? I don't 
 want to be thanked, for it was, as I told you, a sort of 
 partnership business between your boy and me." 
 
 " Now I call that a downright nice sort of young chap," 
 Mrs. Holl said, as their visitor departed, " good-hearted and 
 good-natured, without no sort of nonsenaa He just sits 
 
" SO, THAT 'S A GENTLEMAN." 55 
 
 himself down and makes himself at home as if he was one 
 of the family, and I was able to go on with my washing 
 just as if he hadn't been here." 
 
 Tor a time Harry did not answer. 
 
 " So, that 's a gentleman/' he said at last, in a low voice, 
 as if thinking aloud ; " I have never spoken to a gentle 
 man before." 
 
 " Well, lad," Sarah Holl said, " there ain't much difference 
 between the gentry and other sorts. I don't see very much 
 of them myself in the houses I goes to, but I hears plenty 
 about them from the servants' talk; and, judging from that, 
 a great many of them 'as just as nasty and unpleasant 
 ways as other people." 
 
 " I suppose," Harry said thoughtfully, " there can't be 
 much difference in real nature between them and us ; 
 there must, of course, be good and bad among them ; but 
 there is more difference in their way of talking than I 
 expected." 
 
 " Well, of course, Harry ; they have had education, that 
 accounts for it ; just the same as you, who have educated 
 yourself wonderful, talks different to John and me and the 
 rest of us." 
 
 "Yes," Harry said; "but I am not talking about 
 mistakes in grammar ; it 's the tone of voice, and the 
 way of speaking that 's so different. Now why should 
 that be, mother ? " 
 
 " I suppose a good deal of it," Mrs. Holl answered, " is 
 because they are brought up in nusseries, and they can't 
 run about the house, or holloa or shout to each other in 
 the streets. D' ye see they are taught to speak quiet, and 
 they hear their fathers and mothers, and people round 
 them, speaking quiet. You don't know, Harry, how still 
 
56 M A PLEASANT-LOOKING YOUNG CHAP." 
 
 it is in some of them big houses, you seem half afraid to 
 speak above a whisper." 
 
 "Yes, but I don't think he spoke lower than I do, 
 mother, or than the rest of us. mother ! " he went on, 
 after a while, " isn't he good ? Just to think of his spend 
 ing an hour and a half sitting here, showing me how to 
 construe. Why, I see the whole thing in a different way 
 now ; he has made clear all sorts of things that I could 
 not understand ; and he said he would come again too, and 
 I am quite sure that when he says a thing he means to do 
 it I don't believe he could tell a lie if he tried. And is 
 he not good-looking too ? " 
 
 " He is a pleasant-looking young chap," Mrs. Holl re 
 plied, " but I should not call him anything out of the way. 
 Now I should call you a better-looking chap than he is, 
 Harry." 
 
 " mother, what an idea ! " Harry exclaimed, quite 
 shocked at what seemed to him a most disrespectful 
 comparison to his hero. 
 
 " It ain't no idea at all," Mrs. Holl rejoined stoutly ; 
 " any one with eyes in his head could see that if you was 
 dressed the same as he is you would be a sight the best- 
 looking chap of the two." 
 
 " Ah mother ! " Harry said, laughing, " you remind me 
 of an old saying I saw in a book the other day, ' A mother's 
 geese are all swans/ * 
 
 " I am sure," Mrs. Holl said, in an aggrieved voice, "you 
 ain't no goose, Harry, and if any one else said so I should 
 give them a bit of my mind sharp enough." 
 
 Harry did not attempt to argue with her, but with a 
 little laugh turned to his books again, and was soon 
 deep in the mysteries of Caesar. 
 
A BOX OF BOOKS. 57 
 
 The next day a carrier's cart stopped before Mrs. HolTs 
 house, to the great amazement of the neighbourhood for 
 such an occurrence had not been known in the memory of 
 the oldest inhabitant in the street, and quite a crowd of 
 children collected to witness the delivery of a square 
 heavy box of considerable weight at the door. 
 
 Harry was almost beside himself with delight as he 
 took out the treasures it contained; and as fully half 
 were story-books, his delight was shared by the rest of the 
 young Holls. It was evening when the cart arrived, and 
 John was just enjoying his first pipe, and he once more 
 uttered the sentiment he had expressed so often during 
 the last four days, " I should like to shake that young chap 
 by the hand." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AN ADOPTED CHILD. 
 
 FEW days after school had commenced Frank 
 Norris called in again at the Holls'. It was 
 a bright day, and Harry had gone out in his 
 box, and Mrs. Holl was alone. 
 " Harry will be sorry he is out, sir," was her first greeting 
 to Frank ; " he has been looking forward to your coming 
 again. You don't know, sir, how much good you have done 
 him. The boy has generally wonderful good spirits, con 
 sidering his condition ; still, though he don't say nought, I 
 can see sometimes that he isn't never quite happy except 
 when he is working away with his books or playing on 
 that fiddle of his. 
 
 " Evan has been and spent all the money as was given 
 him that day at the Serpentine in buying a new fiddle for 
 him. I don't see much in the thing myself, and it seems 
 to me they must have cheated Evan altogether, for it ain't 
 a new un, but an old, brown, dirty-looking thing, as looks 
 as if it had been made nigh fifty years ; and they goes and 
 charges him thirty-eight shillings for it, and pretended to 
 make a favour of it, while John only paid seven and six 
 pence for the one he had before, which was a beautiful 
 new shiny one. 
 
 58 
 
" HE AIN'T NO SORT OF RELATION." 59 
 
 * However, Harry seems delighted with it, and says it 's 
 beautiful soft, and mellow. But what he means I don't 
 know, though I do allow it ain't so squeaky as the other ; 
 and sometimes when Harry is playing soft on it, it does 
 sound beautiful. Still, thirty-eight shillings is a big price 
 for an old thing like that." 
 
 " Old fiddles are always worth more than new ones, Mrs. 
 HolL Do you know there are some fiddles two or three 
 hundred years old which could not be bought for less than 
 three or four hundred pounds ? " 
 
 * My gracious ! " Mrs. Holl exclaimed, " three or four 
 hundred pounds for such a thing as a fiddle. I calls it 
 downright wicked." 
 
 " He is a wonderful boy that son of yours, Mrs. Holl," 
 Frank said, changing the subject ; " a regular genius I 
 should call him. What a pity it is that he is a cripple ! " 
 
 " Ay, that it is/' Mrs. Holl agreed, " and he is a wonder 
 ful chap, is Harry. But he ain't no son of mine, Mr. 
 Norris, though he don't know it himself, and I shouldn't 
 like him to be told." 
 
 * Then what relation is he, Mrs. Holl, if it is not an 
 impertinent question?" 
 
 " He ain't no sort of relation at all, sir/' the woman 
 answered. 
 
 " Then how came you to bring him up, Mrs. Holl ? " 
 Frank asked in surprise. 
 
 " Well, sir, it was a very simple matter. But if so be as 
 you care to hear it, I will tell you just how it happened." 
 And, leaning against the mantelpiece, with the red light of 
 the fire thrown up into her face. Mrs. Holl went on very 
 slowly, and speaking as though she almost saw what she 
 was relating. 
 
60 
 
 " Well, sir, it were an evening in April a cold bitter 
 day. I was sitting here between light and dark, drinking 
 my tea with John, who was just come home from work 
 John is my husband, you see, sir when we heard a noise 
 outside in the street. We went out to see what was the 
 matter, and we found a poor young creature, with a baby 
 in her arms, had fallen down in a faint like. 
 
 " She was a pretty young thing, sir ; and though her 
 dress was poor and torn, she looked as if she had not been 
 always so. Some one says, ' Take them to the workhouse,' 
 ' No !' says I for my heart yearned towards the poor 
 young thing 'bring her in here ; mayn't we, John?' says 
 I. Well, sir, John did not say nothing, but he took the 
 baby out of her arms and gave it to me, and then he upped 
 and took the poor young creature she were no great 
 weight, sir and carried her into the house, and laid her 
 on the bed, as it might be by the window there. 
 
 " Well, sir, that bed she never left ; she came round a 
 little, and lived some days, but her mind were never 
 rightly itself again. She would lay there, with her baby 
 beside her, and sing songs to herself ; I don't know what 
 about, for it were some foreign language. She were very 
 gentle and quiet like, but I don't think she ever knew 
 where she was, or anything about it She were very fond 
 of baby, and would take it in her arms, and hush it, and 
 talk to it She faded and faded away, and the doctor said 
 nothing could be done for her ; it made my heart ache, sir, 
 and if you will believe me, I would go upstairs and cry 
 by the hour. 
 
 " The thought of the little baby troubled me too. I had 
 lost my first little one, sir, and I could not a-bear the 
 thought of the little thing going to the workhouse. So one 
 
" SAIREY, YOU 'RE A GOOD WOMAN." 61 
 
 day I says to John, ' John, when that poor mother dies, for 
 God's sake don't 'ee send the little baby to the workhouse; 
 He has taken away our own little one, and may be He has 
 sent this one for us to love in his place. Let us take him 
 as our own/ John, he did not say nothing, but he up and 
 gived me a great kiss, and said, ' Sairey, you 're a good 
 woman ! ' which of course, sir," Mrs. Holl put in apolo 
 getically, "is neither here nor there, for any mother 
 would have done the same ; but it's John's way when he 's 
 pleased. That very same night the baby's mother died." 
 
 Standing with her rough honest face lit up by the bright 
 fire-glow she related it, simply, and as a matter of course, 
 all unconscious of the good part she had taken in it, assum 
 ing no credit to herself, or seeing that she deserved any. 
 
 When she had finished there was a little silence. Frank 
 passed his hand furtively across his eyes, and then shook 
 Mrs. Holl warmly by the hand, saying, "Your husband was 
 right, Mrs. Holl, you are a good woman," 
 
 Mrs. Holl looked completely amazed, and stammered 
 out, " Lor' bless you, sir ! there wasn't anything out of the 
 way in what I did, and there 's scores and scores would do 
 the like. Having just lost my own little one, my heart 
 went out to the poor little thing, and it seemed sent natural 
 like, to fill up the place of the little angel who was gone 
 from us. Bless your heart, sir, there weren't nothing out 
 of the way in that, nothing at all, and we have never had 
 cause to regret it The boy 's a good boy, and a clever 
 boy, and he is a comfort and a help to us ; a better 
 boy never lived But we have always grieved sorely over 
 the accident." 
 
 " Then he was not originally lame, Mrs. Holl ? " Frank 
 asked. 
 
62 HARRY CRIPPLED. 
 
 " Dear me ! no, sir, not till he were six years old. It 
 happened this way. I was laid up at the time I was just 
 confined of Mary, she is my eldest girl and somehow 
 Harry he went out in the street playing. I don't rightly 
 know how it happened ; but never shall I forget when they 
 brought him in, and said that a cart had run over him. 
 John, he was in which was lucky, for I think I lost my 
 head like, and went clean out of my mind for a bit, for I 
 loved him just like my own. They did not think he would 
 have lived at first, for the cart had gone over the lower 
 part of his body and broke one of his thigh-bones, and 
 the other leg up high, It was a light cart I have heard 
 tell, or it must have killed him. 
 
 " He were in bed for months, and, if you will believe me, 
 if ever there was a patient little angel on earth, it was 
 surely Harry. He never complained, and his chief trouble 
 was for my sake. At last he got well; but the doctors said 
 he would never walk again, for they thought there was 
 some damage done to his spine ; and sure enough he never 
 has walked. He is always cheerful, and keeps up wonder 
 ful, considering. 
 
 " He has always been given to reading. John made a 
 shift to teach him his letters, and then the children of 
 the neighbours, they lent him their schoolbooks, and 
 taught him what they knew, and in a short time, bless you, 
 sir, he knew more than them all ! He would sit and read 
 for hours together. He is wonderful clever, Harry is." 
 
 "Well, Mrs. Holl," Frank said, rising, "I am very much 
 obliged to you for your story ; but I must be going now, 
 or else I shall be late for school. Tell Harry I am sorry 
 I missed him, and will look in again soon. Have you 
 thought anything further of what I said about Evan ? " 
 
A SIXTH TOWN BOY. 63 
 
 "Yes, sir, and thank you most kindly ; bnt father thinks 
 he had better wait another year or so, till he gets a bit older 
 and steadier. As for them books as you was kind enough 
 to send Harry, the boy must thank you hisself ; except 
 when he is playing on his fiddle he is always reading at 
 them, and it is as much as I can do to get him outside the 
 doors. He was never very fond of it, for he thinks people 
 look at him; but since those books has come I have 
 regular to take them away from him, put his cap on 
 his head, and push him outside the door. He will be in 
 a- taking that he has missed you to-day." 
 
 "Well, good-bye, Mrs. Holl, I haven't a moment to 
 lose," and Frank, putting on his hat, made off at a sharp 
 run to school, only arriving just in time to save prayers. 
 
 Frank Norris, although a Sixth town boy, was not head 
 of Eichards*, as Johnstone had been longer in that form, 
 and was consequently senior to him. Johnstone was, 
 however, small and slightly built, and cared little for rowing, 
 cricket, or football. He had gained his place in the Sixth by 
 sheer hard work rather than by talent. He was fussy and 
 irritable, with a strong sense of the importance of his 
 position as a Sixth town boy and head of Eichards*. 
 Between him and Frank there was no cordiality, for it 
 irritated him that the latter was upon all occasions 
 appealed to, and his advice asked in everything relating 
 to games, and all matters of dispute referred to him. Frank, 
 on the other hand, although he at all times gave way to 
 Johnstone in house matters, was constantly annoyed by his 
 continual self-assertion and his irritation at trifles. They 
 were the only two Sixth town boys at Eichards', but there 
 were three Upper ' Shells/ Harris, Travers, and James, 
 and these ranked almost with the Sixth, for the great demar- 
 
64 OUT OF BOUNDS. 
 
 cation of the School was between the Upper and Under 
 * Shells/ the former having the right to fag. 
 
 Frank and Johnston had each a small room of their 
 own ; the three Upper " Shells " had a room together but 
 they used Frank's study almost as much as their own ; 
 one or other would generally come in to work with him 
 in the evening, and it was here that councils were held 
 as to house matters or knotty points connected with 
 field or water. 
 
 " I wish Trafalgar Square wasn't out of bounds," Harris 
 said one evening. 
 
 They had finished the work for the next day, and had 
 gathered for a chat in Frank's room before turning into 
 bed. Frank was sitting in a rickety arm-chair by the 
 fire, Harris on the table, and the other two on the bed. 
 
 "Why do you wish so, Harris?" Frank said. 
 
 " Why, I should like to go up to see those rows they have 
 pretty nearly every day. Thompson, the home boarder, 
 told me he saw a regular fight there yesterday evening 
 between the police and the Chartists." 
 
 " Well, it 's no use wishing, because bounds begin at the 
 gate in Dean's Yard. I never could understand myself 
 why we should be allowed to go the other way, down the 
 slums, as far as we please, where there is every chance of 
 getting into a row, while we are not allowed to walk 
 quietly up Parliament Street ; then we may go along the 
 other way, by the new Houses of Parliament, to West 
 minster Bridge, and across the bridge to baths ; but we 
 may not go out from Dean's Yard and walk across in front 
 of the Abbey to the Bridga I expect when the rules were 
 made there were no houses built beyond us, and there 
 were fields extending back from the river, while the other 
 
w HE 'S NOT A BAD FELLOW." 65 
 
 way led up to the Court But I should certainly like to 
 go up and see one of those Chartist riots. However, I 
 don't think it can be done ; it would be setting a bad 
 example to the young uns, and the chances are ten to one 
 we should run against one of the masters." 
 
 "Hardly likely, I should think/' Travers said; "it 
 would be shocking bad luck to run against one of them 
 in a crowd like that." 
 
 "Well, you see, Travers, we are so preciously conspicuous 
 in these tail-coats ; of course it 's the custom, and I stick 
 up for old customs ; still, I do think it 's a ridiculous thing 
 that we should be obliged to wear tail-coats. Of course 
 the jackets for the fellows under the Upper ' Shell ' are all 
 right, but one cannot go on wearing jackets higher than 
 that ; still, I do think they might let us wear cutaways ; 
 tail-coats were all right when every one else wore tail-coats, 
 but in our days it is absurd to wear a coat which nobody 
 else wears except for an evening dress. You can tell a 
 fellow a mile off as a Westminster boy by his coat" 
 
 * It has its advantages," James said. " Look how John- 
 stone would lose his importance without his tails, he 
 would look like a plucked jay." 
 
 There was a general laugh. 
 
 " He is not a bad fellow," Frank replied, " though he does 
 think a good deal of himself. Still, as no one else thinks 
 anything of him, it is just as well he should fancy himself. 
 But never mind that now. No, I don't think there is 
 any chance of our getting to see the fun in Trafalgar 
 Square. I should like to go to one of the halls where 
 those fellows spout, and to get up and say something the 
 other way. Of course one would have to go in a strong 
 body, else there would not be much of us left when we got 
 
 (6) R 
 
66 AN EX-PRIZE-FIGHTER. 
 
 into the street again. I must have a chat with Perkins 
 about it, he is sure to be up to all that kind of thing." 
 
 "Yes, but there would be the trouble of getting in 
 after lock-up." 
 
 "Oh, I dare say we might get over that," Harris 
 replied ; " the fags would never peach." 
 
 " We won't tell them if we can help it," Frank said ; 
 " if we go in for any lark of that sort only one of our 
 fags must know it. I can trust young Phillpot to hold 
 his tongue. Well, I will chat it over with Perkins, and 
 see what can be done." 
 
 Perkins was a retired prize-fighter who kept a public- 
 house on Bank Side. In a large room attached to the 
 house he gave sparring exhibitions twice a week, with 
 the aid of other fellow-pugilists, and also gave private 
 lessons in the art of self-defence. Bank Side was not 
 out of bounds, but it was strictly against the rules for any 
 boy to enter a public-house; nevertheless, a good many 
 of the Westminster boys had learned boxing from this 
 worthy. There was a private entrance behind the house 
 into what Perkins called his "saloon," and the boys 
 strove to consider that by using this they avoided an 
 infringement of the rule. The fact of their taking lessons 
 was unknown to the master, for indeed at Westminster 
 the boys were at perfect liberty to do as they pleased out 
 of school-time, providing that they did not go out of 
 bounds. 
 
 The rules enforcing attendance at fields or water, of 
 abstaining from entering public-houses, and generally of 
 conducting themselves as gentlemen, were left to what 
 may be called their own police, the senior Queen's 
 Scholars and the Sixth Form town boys, and these kept 
 
THE " BLACK DOG." 67 
 
 a far more rigorous hand over the younger boys than the 
 masters could possibly have done. A vigorous thrashing 
 was the punishment for shirking fields, or for any action 
 regarded as caddish ; and it was therefore only the Upper 
 'Shells' and Sixth, who, being free from the operation 
 of the law as to fields and water, were able to frequent 
 Perkins's establishment. 
 
 Of those who went there, most of them did so for the 
 genuine purpose of learning boxing ; but a few used the 
 place for the purpose of smoking and drinking. But these 
 did so at hours when there was no chance of finding 
 Perkins at work with his pupils, for public feeling would 
 not have tolerated, even in an upper form boy, anything 
 that would have been looked upon as such bad form. 
 
 The next morning, after breakfast, Frank walked down 
 to "The Black Dog." He was one of Perkins's best pupils, 
 and the latter had more than once been heard to express 
 his regret that Frank had not been born in a lower class 
 of life. 
 
 " He 's got the making of a champion in him," the 
 ex-pugilist would say regretfully ; " in another five years, 
 when he has got his full height and filled out, I warrant he 
 will fight twelve stone ; look how quick he is on his pins ; 
 and I tell you I have all my work to do now to guard 
 my head, he hits like lightning, and once or twice has 
 fairly knocked me off my pins. I 'd back him now for 
 fifty pounds against any novice in England ; and as for 
 pluck, I have never seen him wince, hit him as hard as you 
 will he always comes up smiling. Barkley, he is a good 
 boxer too, but he ain't got temper, sir ; he gets nasty if 
 he has a sharp counter ; and though he keeps cool enough, 
 there is an ugly look about his face which tells its tale. 
 
68 PERKINS GIVES HIS ADVICE. 
 
 He would never keep his temper, and I doubt if he *s real 
 game at bottom. I knows my customers, and have never 
 hit him as I hit Norris ; I don't want to lose a pupil as 
 pays fair and square, and I know I should mighty soon 
 lose him if I were to let out at him sharp. No, there is 
 bad blood in that chap somewhere," 
 
 "Well, Master Norris, and what do you want at this 
 time of the morning ? " he said, as Frank, after entering 
 the saloon, rang a bell which sounded in the bar and 
 summoned him to the saloon. " Not a lesson at this 
 time of the day, surely ? " 
 
 " Not exactly, Perkins, considering I am due at ten 
 o'clock, and therefore have only fire minutes to stay. I 
 just dropped in to ask you about something on which you 
 can perhaps advise us/ 1 
 
 " Fire away, Master Norris ; anything I can do for you 
 you knows as I will." 
 
 "I was thinking, Perkins, that it would be a great 
 lark to go up to one of those halls where those Chartist 
 fellows meet, and to hear their speeches." 
 
 "I don't see that there would be any lark in it," 
 Perkins replied, " unless you meant getting up a row." 
 
 " I don't know that I exactly meant to get up a row ; 
 but if there was a row, so much the more lark." 
 
 * Well, sir, if I might give my advice, I don't think, if I 
 was you, I would do it in school-time. Your hands can 
 guard your face pretty tidy, I grant you, but the chances 
 is as you would not get out of such a row as that would 
 be without being marked. I knows of a place over the 
 other side of the water, not far from the New Cut, where 
 they meet Bill Lowe, him as comes here to spar twice 
 a week, yer know, he goes there ; he takes up with them 
 
" IT WILL BE A LAfcK, PERKINS." 69 
 
 Chartist notions, which I don't hold with no ways. I 
 don't see nothing in them seven pints as would do any 
 thing for the ring ; and that being so, let it alone, says 
 I. However, Master Norris, since you have a fancy that 
 way I will talk the matter over with him, and then if 
 you really makes up your mind you would like to go, I 
 will get four or five of my lads as can use their mawleys, 
 and we will go in a body. 
 
 " Then if there should be a row, I reckon we can fight 
 our way out. There ain't much in them chaps, tailors and 
 shoemakers, and the like ; they are always great hands for 
 jaw, them tailors and shoemakers, but I never seed one as 
 I would put five pound on in a twelve-foot ring. Poor 
 undersized creatures, for the most part, but beggars for 
 jaw ; but there are some rough uns with 'em, and yer 
 might get badly marked before yer got out" 
 
 But Frank's mind was now bent upon it 
 
 " It will be a lark, Perkins, anyhow ; things have been 
 rather slow at School lately, and three or four of us have 
 set our minds on it. So if you let me know what evening 
 will suit you, we will be here." 
 
 Four evenings later Frank Norris, with the other three 
 boys, slipped out after prayers were over, and started 
 on their expedition. Frank's fag closed the door noise 
 lessly behind them and rebolted it ; he had strict orders 
 to take his place at an upper window at eleven o'clock 
 and watch for their return. If when they made their 
 appearance the house was quiet and the lights out, he 
 was to slip down and let them in ; if not, they were to go 
 away again and return an hour later. All four boys were 
 in thick pea-jackets, and wore rough caps which they 
 had bought for the purpose. 
 
70 THE PLACE OF MEETING. 
 
 When they reached Perkins's public-house, the prize 
 fighter surveyed them closely. 
 
 " Ye will pass in a crowd," he said ; " but keep your 
 caps well down over yer faces. Now mind, young gents, 
 if there 's a row comes over this 'ere business, I ain't to 
 blame in the matter." 
 
 " All right, Perkins, but there will be no row." 
 
 Being joined by Bill Lowe and three other boxers, they 
 set out together for the New Cut ; past the New Houses 
 of Parliament still in the hands of the builders over 
 Westminster Bridge, past the flaring lights in front of 
 Astley's, and into the New Cut 
 
 Here, as usual, business was brisk ; the public-houses 
 were doing a roaring trade. Rows of costennongers' 
 carts lined the road on either side, and the hoarse shouts of 
 the vendors of fruit, vegetables, and shell-fish, mingled with 
 the Babel of voices from the throng of people who loitered 
 about the street, which was regarded as the promenade of 
 the neighbourhood. Sounds of musical instruments and a 
 loud chorus came from the upper windows of many of the 
 public-houses and from the low music-halls known by 
 the name of " penny gaffs." 
 
 It was in front of one of these that the party stopped. 
 Unlike the others, no row of flaring lights burned over the 
 entrance, no posters with huge letters and sensational head 
 ings invited the public to enter ; one solitary lamp hung 
 over the door, which was kept closed ; men were passing 
 in, however, after exchanging a word with one of those 
 stationed at the door. 
 
 " It 's a private sort of affair," Perkins said ; "none ain't 
 supposed to go but those as is in the swim. They pretend to 
 be mighty afraid of the peelers ; but, Lor* bless you ! the 
 
THE FRIENDS OF THE CHARTER. 71 
 
 police don't trouble about them. When these chaps gets to 
 making rows in the street, and to kicking up a rumpus, 
 then they will have something to say about it sharp 
 enough; but as long as they merely spout and argue 
 among themselves, the peelers lets them go on. Well, 
 young gents, here we goes." 
 
 Bill Lowe advanced first ; he was known to the door 
 keeper, and the words " All right, mate, friends of mine," 
 were sufficient. He stood aside, and the party entered. 
 Passing through a passage, they were in a hall some fifty 
 feet long by half as wide ; the walls had originally been 
 painted blue, with wreaths of flowers along the top, but 
 these and the roof were so discoloured by smoke and 
 dirt, that the whole were reduced to a dingy brown. At 
 the end at which they entered was a gallery extending 
 some fifteen feet into the room, at the other end was a 
 raised platform, with a drop curtain. The latter was now 
 raised, and displayed a table with half a dozen chairs. 
 The chairman for the evening was seated in the centre of 
 the table. He was a young man with a pale face, eyes blood 
 shot from many nights spent in the reeking atmosphere 
 of the room, and tumbled hair, which looked as if weeks 
 had passed since it had made the acquaintance of a brush. 
 He had just risen as the party entered ; the room, which 
 was fairly filled with men, rang with the applause which 
 had greeted the speaker who had sat down. 
 
 " Fellow- workmen," said the chairman (" I wonder 
 what you work at," Frank muttered below his breath; 
 " nothing that requires washing, anyhow.") " Fellow- 
 workmen, your cheers are evidence how deeply you have 
 been moved by the noble words of my friend Mr. Duggins, 
 and how vour blood boils at the hideous slavery to which 
 
72 FRANK DISTURBS THE HABMONY. 
 
 we are condemned by a tyrannical aristocracy. You will 
 now be addressed by my eloquent friend Mr. Simpkins 
 boot-closer/' 
 
 Mr. Simpkins rose. He was a short, round-shouldered 
 man, made still shorter by the bend which he had acquired 
 by the operation of boot- closing ; his eyes were small, 
 and sunken in his head ; his nose wide and flat, as if in his 
 early youth he had fallen on the edge of a pewter pot, and 
 he too had the appearance of regarding water with as 
 deep an aversion as he viewed the aristocracy. 
 
 " Fellow-workmen," he began, " or rather I should say 
 fellow-slaves," this sentiment was received with a roar of 
 applause, " the time is approaching when our chains will 
 be broken, when the bloodstained power known as 
 the British Constitution will be rent and trampled under 
 foot, when the myrmidons of power will flee before an up 
 risen people. They know it, these oppressors of ours; they 
 tremble in their palaces and mansions, where they feast 
 upon the wealth drained from the blood of the people. 
 They know that the day is at hand, and that the millions 
 whose labour has created the wealth of this country are 
 about to reclaim their own." 
 
 A roar of applause went up as the speaker paused and 
 mopped his forehead with a red handkerchief. But the 
 applause was suddenly stilled by the sound of the 
 emphatic " Bosh ! " which Frank shouted at the top of his 
 voice. Every one turned round, and shouts arose of 
 " Who is that ? " Down with him ! " " Turn him out ! " 
 " Knock him down ! " The orator seized the occasion. 
 
 " A spy of the tottering government has intruded upon 
 the deliberations of this assembly, but I tell him I fear 
 him not" 
 
A FREE FIGHT. 73 
 
 " Never mind, ont he goes," one of the men shouted, 
 and all began to press upon the little group standing at 
 the back of the room, and from one of whom the objection 
 able word had evidently come. 
 
 " We are in for a row, Mr. Norris, and no mistake," 
 Perkins said ; " the sooner we gets out of this the better." 
 
 But this was not so easily done ; the crowd had already 
 interposed between them and the door. 
 
 " Now stand back," Perkins said, " and let us out. We 
 ain't no spies, and we don't want to hurt any one. Some of 
 you may know me : I am Perkins of the Black Dog, over 
 at Westminster, so you had best leave us alone." 
 
 The greater part of those present, however, had 
 imbibed sufficient to render them valorous, and a rush 
 was made upon the party. 
 
 Their reception was a warm one ; the five prize-fighters 
 struck out right and left, while Frank and his school 
 fellows ably seconded them. A tall red-haired fellow who 
 had singled out Frank, was met by a blow which knocked 
 him off his feet, and he fell backward as if shot Their 
 vigorous blows drove the leading assailants back, and in 
 spite of their numbers the crowd of angry men recoiled 
 before their handful of opponents. 
 
 " Come on," Perkins said, " make for the door ; they are 
 breaking up the chairs* and we shall have it hot in a few 
 minutes." 
 
 Keeping together, they fought their way, in spite of all 
 opposition, to the door, Perkins leading, while Bill Lowe 
 brought up the rear. They were soon in the open air. 
 
 " Now," Perkins exclaimed, " you hook it, gents, as fast 
 as you can ; me and Bill will keep the door for a minute." 
 The boys dashed off, and after making at full speed into 
 
74 SAFELY BACK. 
 
 the Westminster Bridge Eoad, slackened their pace, and 
 walked quietly back to Dean's Yard. They were in high 
 glee over their adventure, which all agreed had been a 
 splendid lark, and was the more satisfactory as all had 
 escaped without any mark which would testify against 
 them. It was still early, and they had for two hours to 
 walk the streets until the whistle of the fag at the win 
 dow told them that all were in bed and quiet, and they 
 might safely make their entry. This was effected without 
 noise; the bolts were slipped into their places again, and 
 with their shoes in their hands, the party went noiselessly 
 up to their room*. 
 
CHAPTEE V. 
 
 A TERRIBLE ACCUSATION. 
 
 | WO days later, as Frank was about to start 
 for the cricket-field, a small boy, whom he 
 recognised as a son of Perkins, stopped him. 
 " Father wants to speak to you perticular, 
 Mr. Norris." 
 
 " All right, young un, I will go round there at once.* 
 
 Wondering what Perkins could have to say to him, 
 Frank took his way to the public-house. 
 
 " What is it, Perkins ? " he asked the prize-fighter as 
 the latter let him into his private parlour. 
 
 " Well sir, there 's a rumpus over this business as we 
 had the other night" 
 
 " How a rumpus, Perkins ?" 
 
 " Well, sir, there was a tall red-haired chap leastways 
 I hear as he's tall and red-headed, and is a tailor by 
 trade; his name is Suggs. It seems as how he got 
 knocked down in the scrummage, and was so bad that 
 the police, who came up after you left, took him to 
 hospital ; they brought him round all right, but it seems 
 as how the bridge of his nose was broke, and it will be 
 flat to his face for the rest of his life. Now I fancy 
 that's a piece of your handiwork, Mr. Norris; I saw 
 
 75 
 
76 " HIS BEAUTY 'S SPOILT FOR LIFE." 
 
 jist such a chap as that go down when you hit him, and 
 I thought to myself at the time what a onener it was." 
 
 " Yes, I did knock down just such a fellow," Frank 
 said, " and I am sorry I hit him so hard ; I was afraid at 
 the time that I hurt him." 
 
 " You should not let out from the shoulder in that sort 
 of way, Mr. Norris," the pugilist said, shaking his head ; 
 ' you hit like the kick of a horse, and you never know 
 what mayn't come of them sort of blows. No, sir ; half- 
 armed hitting is the thing for a general row ; it hurts just 
 as much, and is just as good for closing up an eye, but it 
 don't do no general damage, so to speak Now, sir, 
 there 's a row over the business. In course I holds my 
 tongue; but they says as four of the party was young 
 uns, and they guessed as they was gents. Now they 
 puts things together, and have found out as I gives 
 lessons to some of you Westminster gents, and they 
 guesses as some of you was with me. Now, as I tells 
 them, what can they do ? They was the first to begin it, 
 and we was only standing on self-defence, that 's the way 
 I puts it. No magistrate would look at the charge for a 
 minute. It stands to reason that nine men did not attack 
 four or five hundred. They must have been attacking 
 us, that 's clear to any one ; and if it was me I should 
 not care the snap of a finger about it that's what I 
 tells the red-haired tailor when he came here with 
 two of his pals this morning. ' We has as much right 
 to our opinions as you have ; you attacks us,' says I, ' and 
 we gives you pepper, that 's all about it' ' His beauty 's 
 spoilt for life,' says one of his mates. 'He never had 
 no beauty to spoil/ says I, ' by the look of 'im/ so we 
 got to words. 'They was Westminster boys,' says he. 
 
'IT'S A BEASTLY NUISANCE." 77 
 
 That's all you knows about it, 1 says I. 'I will go to 
 their masters,' says he, 'and report the case, and show him 
 my nose,' says he. 'You have got no case to report,' says 
 I, 'and no nose to show.' 'We will see about that,' says 
 he; 'I ain't going to be made an object for the rest of my 
 life for nothing.' 
 
 "So we goes on arguing; but at last he lets out that if 
 I bring him a 'tenner' in the course of the week he will 
 shut up. I ain't allowed of course, Mr. Norris, that any 
 of you young gents had a hand in the fray, quite the 
 contrary; but he has got it into his head that it is so, and 
 he has made up his mind that he will go to the master. 
 I don't think it likely that they could spot you, for they 
 could hardly have got a fair look at your faces." 
 
 "No," Frank said, "I don't suppose they would recog 
 nize any of us; but the first thing Litter would do would 
 be to ask us if any of us were concerned in the affair. 
 It's a beastly nuisance, for just now I happen to be 
 completely cleaned out, and I am sure I do not know 
 where I could get ten pounds from." 
 
 "If it had been any other time I could have helped 
 you, Mr. Norris, but I paid my brewers only last night, 
 and I ain't got two quid in the house; but I might 
 manage to get it for you by the end of the week, if there 
 ain't no other way. But my advice to you would be, let the 
 red-haired man go to the master; if you keep your own 
 counsel, no one can swear it out against you." 
 
 " No, I won't do that, Perkins," Frank said, "it 's known 
 in the house; besides, if I am asked I must say it's me. 
 Thank you for your offer. I will see you again in a day or 
 two." 
 
 Frank walked back to his boarding-house, moody 
 
78 A REFUSAL. 
 
 and dejected. Harris was in his room working. Frank 
 told him what had happened 
 
 " This is a bad business indeed," Harris said. " By 
 Jove ! if it comes out, Litter would expel the four of us. 
 What is to be done ? I am sure I don't know." 
 
 " I don't see where I am to get ten pounds ; I have only 
 got fifteen shillings now." 
 
 " I have only seven and sixpence," Harris said. " I 
 have paid Shotten's bill for last term this week, and I 
 know that Travers and James have not much more than 
 I have. We might get something on our watches ; but 
 they are all silver, and I don't suppose we could get 
 more than a pound apiece for them. But still that 's some 
 thing, and with our united silver would make up six 
 pounds." 
 
 " I could get a pound or two from my cousin," Frank 
 said ; "Fred always seems to be well supplied with money." 
 
 " Because he never spends any," Harris said. " I am 
 mistaken if Barkley will lend you anything." 
 
 " Oh, he will lend it if he 'a got if But Harris turned 
 out to be right After the next school Frank laid the 
 case before his cousin, who listened in silence to the 
 story. 
 
 " I am very sorry, Frank," he said when he had finished, 
 " but I am entirely out of money at present." 
 
 " I thought you always had money," Frank said shortly. 
 
 " Not always," Fred replied quietly. " As you know, I 
 am fond of books, and last week I paid my bill for that 
 edition of Shakespeare that you were admiring." 
 
 Fred Barkley had indeed a library of books of which 
 he was very proud, and which was worth more than all 
 those belonging to the rest of the boys up College to- 
 
A. FIDGETY MAN. 79 
 
 gether. Frank was too proud to suggest that his cousin 
 could, if he chose, easily raise the amount required on 
 a few of his favourites, and left the room without saying 
 a word. 
 
 Fred Barkley did not continue the work upon which 
 he was engaged after his cousin had left the room, but sat 
 looking fixedly at the papers before him. 
 
 " This is a grand opportunity," he muttered to himself, 
 " and I should be a fool if I let it slip. The question is, 
 how is it best to be managed. I should be an idiot indeed if 
 I cannot put a spoke into Master Frank's wheel somehow." 
 
 The next day the Sixth Form, as usual, went into the 
 library to do their construing. Dr. Litter, according to 
 his usual custom, walked up and down hearing them and 
 asking questions, the form sitting at their desks, which 
 ran round the room. The Doctor was a fidgety man, and 
 was always either twirling his watch-chain or eye-glass, 
 or rattling the keys, knife, and other articles in his 
 trousers pockets. Being perfectly conscious of the habit, 
 he often emptied the contents of his pocket on to the 
 table before starting to walk about the room, and this he 
 did on the present occasion. 
 
 As often happened, he was called from the room in the 
 course of the lesson, and, ordering the boys to get up 
 twenty additional lines of their Greek play in his absence, 
 he left the room and did not return for half an hour. 
 While he was away the boys moved freely about, some to 
 consult each other's lexicons, others to chat. When Dr. 
 Litter returned the lesson was finished, and the boys 
 went back to the great schoolroom. 
 
 On the following morning Frank Norris received a 
 letter. On his opening it he found, to his astonishment, that 
 
80 AN OPPOBTUNE PRESENT. 
 
 it contained only a bank-note for ten pounds, with the 
 words " From a friend." Frank was simply astounded. 
 
 Who on earth could have sent him the exact sum of 
 which he stood in need ? He at once told his three friends 
 what had occurred, and they were as much astonished 
 as himself. All agreed that it was a perfect Godsend, 
 though how any one could have got to know of his 
 necessity for ten pounds at this special time none could 
 imagine, as this was, as far as they were aware, known 
 only to themselves and Fred Barkley. Frank at once 
 concluded that his cousin must have sent him the money, 
 and immediately sent up College and asked him to come 
 to his room. Fred soon came up, and Frank at once pro 
 ceeded to thank him for his gift Fred, however, appeared 
 as surprised as himself, and disclaimed any knowledge 
 whatever of the note. 
 
 " I told you, Frank," he said reproachfully, " that I had 
 no money. Do you think that if I had it I would not have 
 given it to you at once, instead of sending it in that round 
 about manner ? Do you know the handwriting ? that may 
 afford you some clue," 
 
 * No," Frank said ; " the name and address, as well as the 
 words within, are done in printing characters, so that it is 
 impossible to say who wrote them. Well, it is an extra 
 ordinary business, and I can only say that I am extremely 
 thankful to the good fairy who has got me out of the 
 scrape." 
 
 Frank felt indeed relieved. He felt sure that the head 
 master would consider such an escapade by boys of the 
 Sixth Form an unforgivable crime, and that expulsion 
 would follow discovery ; and knowing the hot temper of 
 his uncle, he feared that the latter would view the matter 
 
" IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO CONFESS ? " 81 
 
 in the most serious light It was therefore with a light 
 heart that he went across to the Black Dog and placed 
 the note in the hands of Perkins, merely saying that he 
 was glad to say that he had been able to get the money to 
 satisfy the red-haired tailor for his loss of beauty. 
 
 " It goes agin my heart to give it to him, Mr. Norris ; but 
 in course if you decide not to face it out there's nothing 
 for it. I am glad you have got the money together." 
 
 A week later one of the monitors informed Frank that 
 the head-master wished to see him in the library. 
 Wondering at this unusual order, Frank at once repaired 
 there. Dr. Litter was sitting at his table, and he raised 
 his eyes gravely as Frank entered. 
 
 " Norris," he said, " I have been shocked at what has 
 happened more than at anything which has occurred to 
 me during my head-mastership of Westminster. I may 
 tell you that everything is discovered. Now I leave it 
 to you to make a full and frank confession." 
 
 Frank was thunderstruck. So in some way his break 
 ing out of bounds had become known to the head 
 master. The tailor must have turned traitor and peached 
 after having received his money. 
 
 For a minute he stood silent and confounded, while 
 Dr. Litter looked at him gravely. 
 
 " I acknowledge, sir," Frank began, " that I broke out 
 of bounds to go to a Chartist meeting, and that I got into 
 a row there. I am very sorry now, but I really meant no 
 harm by it ; it was a foolish lark." 
 
 "And is that all you have to confess?" Dr. Litter said 
 quietly. 
 
 " Yes, sir," Frank said in surprise, " I don't know that 
 there 's anything else for me to say." 
 
 (476) 
 
82 "IT'S A LIE, SIR, WHOEVER SAID IT !" 
 
 " You have not come to the most serious part of it yet," 
 the Doctor said. 
 
 " I don't know what you mean, sir," Frank said, more 
 and more astonishe<l. 
 
 "You hurt him, a ad very seriously." 
 
 " Yes, sir, I broke a man's nose in the fight, but I did 
 it in self-defence." 
 
 " And you paid him ten pounds to prevent his coming 
 to me," the Doctor said. 
 
 " I acknowledge that I did so, but I don't see there was 
 any harm in that." 
 
 " And where did you get the ten pounds from ?" the 
 Doctor asked slowly. 
 
 " It was sent to me in an envelope," Frank replied. 
 
 " And who sent it to you ?" 
 
 "1 don't know, sir." 
 
 " Norris," the Doctor said sternly, " you stole that note 
 from my table." 
 
 Frank stepped back as if struck, the blood left his 
 face, and he stood deadly pale. 
 
 "Stole it !" he repeated, in a low, wondering tone. 
 
 "Yes," the Doctor repeated, * stole it from my table 
 when I left the room." 
 
 "It is a lie !" Frank exclaimed, in a burst of passion ; 
 " it is a lie, sir, whoever said it." 
 
 Without replying to the outburst, the Doctor touched 
 a bell which stood on the table, and a junior waiting 
 outside entered. 
 
 u Tell Mr. Wire and Mr. Richards I wish to speak to 
 them." 
 
 Not a word was spoken in the library until the under- 
 masters entered. A thousand thoughts passed rapidly 
 
DR. LITTER'S LOSS. 83 
 
 through Frank's brain. He was bewildered, and almost 
 stupefied by this sudden charge, and yet he felt how 
 difficult it would be to clear himself from it. The under- 
 master and Frank's house-master entered. 
 
 "I have sent for you, gentlemen, on a most painful 
 business," Dr. Litter said. " I mentioned to you, Mr. 
 Wire, a week since, that I had lost a ten-pound note. 
 I placed it on the table here, during the morning 
 lesson, with my keys and pencil. I was called out of 
 the room for half an hour. When school was over I put 
 the things back in my pocket, but it was not until the 
 afternoon that I missed the note. Thinking it over, I 
 could not recall taking it up with the other things from 
 the table ; but of this I could not be positively certain. As 
 I told you, I could not for a moment believe that any of 
 the boys of my form could have taken it, and I could 
 only suppose that I had dropped it between the School 
 and my house. 
 
 "As it happened, I had only got the note the day 
 before from my bankers, and had therefore no difficulty 
 in obtaining the number. I gave notice at the Bank of 
 England at once that the note had been lost, and 
 requested them to obtain the name and address of the 
 presenter, should it be brought in. It was presented 
 yesterday by a man who, after being questioned, said he 
 was a tailor, living in Bermondsey. As I was determined 
 to follow the matter up, I saw the Superintendent of 
 Police, and a policeman was sent across to him. The 
 man said that he had been seriously injured by one of my 
 boys at a low meeting held at some place in the New Cut, 
 and that the ten pounds had been given him as compen 
 sation, he having threatened to come and complain to me. 
 
84 THE CRUSHING EVIDENCE. 
 
 " He was ignorant of the name of the boy, but he had 
 received the note from a prize-fighter named Perkins, who 
 keeps a low public-house down at Millbank. I sent a 
 note to the man, requesting him to be good enough to call 
 upon me this morning early. He did so. I told him that 
 I had heard that he had paid to that man ten pounds as 
 compensation for an injury which he had received from 
 one of my boys, and I asked him from whom he had 
 received it. 
 
 " He told me that nothing whatever would have induced 
 him to tell ; but as he knew the young gent would himself 
 confess the instant the question was put, for he had 
 told him he should do so did it come to my ears, there 
 was no motive in his keeping silence, and it was Mr. 
 Norris who had given it to him. On inquiry I find 
 that the meeting in question was held between half-past 
 nine and eleven ; therefore, to have been present, Norris 
 must have broken out of bounds and got into the 
 boarding-house at night. 
 
 " This, in itself, would be a very grave offence, but it 
 is as nothing by the side of the other. I am most re 
 luctantly obliged to admit that I can come to but one 
 conclusion : Norris, having broken bounds, and got into 
 a disgraceful fray, was afraid that the matter would come 
 to my ears. It was absolutely necessary for him to 
 procure ten pounds to buy the silence of this man ; my 
 own very culpable carelessness, which I most deeply 
 regret, left the note on the table, and the temptation was 
 too much for him, 
 
 " I have questioned him how he got it. If he had 
 said that he had picked it up in the yard, and, not 
 knowing to whom it belonged, had very improperly, 
 
85 
 
 without making inquiry, devoted it to the purpose of 
 silencing this man, I should have gladly believed him 
 for hitherto he has stood high in my estimation, and I 
 should certainly have considered him incapable of an act 
 of theft. But he tells me that it was sent to him in an 
 envelope, by whom he does not know ; and this absurd 
 story is, to my mind, a clear proof that he must have stolen 
 it from the table." 
 
 The two masters had at first looked at Frank with 
 incredulous surprise, but as the narrative continued 
 and the proofs appeared to accumulate, the expression 
 changed, and they regarded him with horror, not un 
 mixed with pity. For a minute there was silence, then 
 Mr. Kichards said : 
 
 "Strong as the proofs seem to be, sir, lean hardly 
 believe in the possibility of Norris having behaved in 
 this way. He has always been a particularly straight 
 forward, honest, and honourable lad; there is not a boy 
 in the house of whom I would so absolutely have 
 disbelieved this tale. That he did send this note to the 
 man there can, by his own confession, be no doubt, but I 
 still cannot believe that he stole it. Come now, Norris, 
 you have got into a terrible scrape, but don't make 
 matters worse ; tell us frankly the truth about it." 
 
 "I have told the truth," Frank said, in a ]ow and 
 unnatural voice. " I received the note in an envelope ; 
 here it is, sir, with, as you see, only the words ' From a 
 friend/ I showed it when I had got it to Harris, Travers, 
 James, and Barkley, and had not the remotest idea who 
 it came from." 
 
 " To whom had you mentioned the need you had of ten 
 pounds ? " Mr. Wire asked. 
 
86 "WE KNOW YOU BETTER THAN THAT." 
 
 " No one knew it except those four and Perkins, not a 
 soul" 
 
 The three masters looked even more grave. The four 
 boys were sent for one by one, and were asked if they had 
 mentioned to any one the need which Frank had of ten 
 pounds ; but all declared they had spoken to no one on 
 the subject. 
 
 " He showed you the envelope containing the note he 
 received ; what did you think about it ? " 
 
 "It seemed a curious thing, sir," Harris said, "but 
 none of us could account for it." 
 
 "I am accused," Frank said, in a harsh voice, "of 
 having stolen that note from Dr. Litter's table." 
 
 For the moment the four boys stood in silent astonish 
 ment. 
 
 " Nonsense, Frank," Harris burst out impetuously, " we 
 know you better than that, old fellow ; if an angel from 
 heaven came down and told me you were a thief I would 
 not believe him," and Harris seized his friend's hand and 
 wrung it warmly, an example followed by his three com 
 panions. 
 
 Hitherto Frank's face had been hard and set, but he 
 broke down now, and the tears streamed down his 
 cheeks. 
 
 " You can go now," Dr. Litter said, and when the door 
 closed upon them he continued: "I would give much, 
 very much, Norris, to be able to believe in your innocence; 
 but I cannot see a possibility of it ; the evidence to my 
 mind is overwhelming. I acquit you of any idea of 
 deliberate theft You were pressed and afraid of exposure, 
 and the temptation offered by the note was too strong for 
 you ; you thought you saw a way of escape, and to account 
 
* I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, SIR.' 87 
 
 to your comrades for the possession of the money, you put 
 it in an envelope and posted it, directed to yourself. 
 Even now, if you will confess the truth, I will send you 
 home privately, and avoid public expulsion and disgrace 
 in consideration of the good character you have always 
 hitherto borne ; if not, I must at once lay the whole facts 
 before your uncle and guardian, and to-morrow you will 
 be publicly expelled." 
 
 "I have nothing to say, sir," Frank said quietly; 
 " overwhelming as the proof appears against me, I have 
 spoken the simple truth, and I swear that I never saw 
 that note until I took it from the envelope." 
 
 " Go to your room, sir ! " Dr. Litter said, with 
 indignation, " this continued denial is almost worse than 
 the offence." 
 
 Without a word Frank rose and left the library. 
 
 " This is indeed a shocking business," Mr. Wire said, 
 as he followed Dr. Litter to the schoolroom. 
 
 " I cannot credit it," Mr. Eichards put in ; "I know 
 him so well, that, absolutely conclusive as I allow the 
 evidence to be, I still hesitate to believe him to be 
 guilty." 
 
 After school was over Fred Barkley ran up to his 
 cousin's room. 
 
 " My dear Frank," he exclaimed, " we are ordered not 
 to communicate with you, but I could not help running 
 in to tell you that every one believes you to be innocent." 
 
 " I hardly know whether I believe it myself," Frank 
 said bitterly. " But you can do something for me, Fred ; I 
 have written a line to my uncle, will you post it for me 
 at once?" 
 
 " Certainly," Fred replied ; " but there is some one 
 
88 " KEEP UP TOUR SPIRITS." 
 
 coming upstairs, so I must be off." He took the letter 
 and was gone. It contained only a few words : 
 
 " My dear Uncle, If you believe me innocent of this 
 hideous charge, which I swear to you I am not guilty of, 
 send me one line by hand when you get this. As long 
 as I know that you have faith in me I can face it out." 
 
 The afternoon passed slowly to the prisoner. His 
 uncle would get the letter between three and four, and he 
 might have an answer half an hour afterwards. Hour after 
 hour passed, and, except the servant who brought up his 
 tea, no one came near him. He reasoned to himself that 
 his uncle might be out At eight o'clock he heard a 
 noise on the stairs ; a number of feet approached his room, 
 and then the door opened, and the whole of the boys in 
 the boarding-house poured in. 
 
 " Norris, old fellow," Harris said, " we could stop away 
 no longer, and in spite of orders we have come to see you. 
 I beg to tell you in the name of the whole house, and I may 
 say the whole School, that not a boy here believes you to 
 be guilty. How the note came into your hands we don't 
 know and we don't care, but we are certain you did not 
 take it." 
 
 " No ! no ! " was shouted in a chorus. 
 
 " So keep up your spirits, old fellow," Harris said, " it 
 will come right sooner or later." 
 
 For some time Frank was unable to speak. 
 
 " Thank you all," he said at last, in a choking voice, 
 " it is a consolation to me indeed to know that my old 
 friends still believe in me; but, till my innocence is 
 proved, I shall never be able to look the world in the 
 face again." 
 
 " Come, boys, this will not do," a voice at the door said ; 
 
89 
 
 " Harris, you elder boys ought to set a better example to 
 the younger ones. I told you that the Doctor's orders 
 were positive that no one was to communicate with 
 Norris." 
 
 " I can't help it, sir," Harris said ; "we all felt we 
 couldn't go to bed to-night without telling Norris that 
 we knew he was innocent." 
 
 " Well, well, you must go downstairs now," not un 
 kindly; "you must not stay a minute longer." There was 
 a chorus of "Good night, Norris !" "Good night, old fellow! " 
 " Keep up your pluck ! " and various other encouraging 
 expressions, and the party filed out of the door; Mr. 
 Eichards waited to see the last out, and then left Frank 
 to his thoughts. 
 
 Not till ten o'clock did Frank give up all hope of hear 
 ing from his uncle, then he felt he had been condemned. 
 
 " All my school-fellows acquit me, and my uncle, who 
 should know me better than any of them, condemns me. 
 I wonder what Alice said. I don't believe she would 
 believe me guilty if all the world told her." 
 
 At this moment the door opened quietly again, and 
 Fred Barkley entered. Frank leapt to his feet to see if 
 he was the bearer of a letter. 
 
 Fred shook his head in answer to the unasked question. 
 " I have slipped out of College to see you, Frank, and 
 Eichards has given me leave to come up. I have no news, 
 I only came to see what you were going to do." 
 
 " You posted the letter to my uncle, Fred ? " he asked. 
 
 * Yes, at once," he replied. 
 Frank was silent. 
 
 " What do you mean to do ? " Fred went on, 
 
 * Do ? " Frank asked, "what do you mean ? * 
 
90 "i SHOULDN'T STOP FOB IT." 
 
 " Why, I suppose you don't mean to stop here until to 
 morrow." 
 
 " I don't know," Frank replied, " I had not thought 
 about it." 
 
 "I shouldn't, if I were in your place. It would be a fear 
 ful business; there hasn't been a boy expelled from West 
 minster for the last thirty years. I shouldn't stop for it 
 if I were you." 
 
 " But what am I to do? where am I to go?" said Frank 
 listlessly. 
 
 * Do ? " said Fred, " why, go abroad to be sure. I should 
 go out to California, or Australia, or somewhere, and in time 
 this will be all forgotten. Perhaps it will turn out who 
 sent that money. It is not as if facing it out would do 
 any good, for you can prove nothing. Every one who 
 knows you believes you innocent." 
 
 " Uncle Harry doesn't," Frank said bitterly, " or he 
 would have sent an answer to my letter." 
 
 " Ah ! well, you know what he is," Fred said, " how 
 passionate and hasty he is ; but after a time he will think 
 as we all do, never fear. Look here, I thought that you 
 would want some money, so have been round to Ginger's 
 and have sold all my books. The old beggar would not 
 give me more than twenty pounds for them, though I 
 have paid him more than double that, besides what I have 
 bought from others. However, here are the twenty pounds 
 at your service, if you like to take them." 
 
 Frank remained irresolute for a moment; then the 
 thought of the terrible scene in the schoolroom, and of the 
 tones in which the Doctor would pronounce his expulsion, 
 overcame him. 
 
 " I may as well go before as after, for I could not go 
 
RUNNING AWAY. 91 
 
 home after that. Thank you, Fred, with all my heart; I 
 will take your money and advice, and if I get a rich man I 
 will pay you again. Are the fellows in bed ?" 
 
 " Yes," Fred replied, " and Kichards is in his study, so 
 you can go down with me and slip out easy enough." 
 
 " Tell the others," Frank said, " that I went because I 
 could not face the scene to-morrow, and that I hope some 
 day to return and prove my innocence." 
 
 Without another word he opened his drawers, packed 
 some clothes in a small portmanteau, put on his pea-jacket 
 and the low cap he had worn in his unfortunate expedi 
 tion to the New Cut; then he stole softly downstairs 
 with Fred, and sallied out into the night air. 
 
CHAPTER VL 
 
 AT NEW ORLEANS. 
 
 (RANK NORRIS took his way eastward after 
 leaving Westminster. He slept at a small hotel 
 in the city, and at daybreak walked on to 
 the docks. He was careless where he went, so 
 that it was out of England ; but he was determined, if 
 possible, to work his passage, so as to leave the sum of 
 money in his pocket untouched until he got to his destina 
 tion. He went on board a number of ships and asked the 
 captains if they wanted hands, but on his acknowledgment 
 that he had never been at sea, none of them would ship 
 him for the outward voyage only. At last he paused 
 before a fine ship, the Mississippi ; a printed placard on 
 the wharf beside her mentioned that the well-known and 
 favourite clipper would sail for New Orleans on that day. 
 He walked on board and went up to the captain, who was 
 talking to the first mate, while the latter was superintend 
 ing the getting of cargo on board. 
 
 " Do you want a hand, sir ? M 
 
 " Well, that depends," the captain said ; * I am still 
 two or three hands short, but they have promised to send 
 me them this morning. Are you a sailor ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; but I can row and sail an open boat, and am 
 
 92 
 
" WHAT DO YOU SAY, EPHRAIM ? " 93 
 
 ready to make myself useful. I want to work my passage 
 out." 
 
 "You look an active young fellow," the captain said, "but 
 I don't care about taking a landsman only for the voyage 
 out ; I should have to ship another hand in your place at 
 New Orleans, and probably have to pay more wages there 
 than I could get one for here. Still, likely enough, they 
 may send me down at the last moment two or three 
 hands who know no more about it than you do, and 
 may not be half so willing to learn as I should judge 
 you to be. What do you say, Ephraim ; shall we take 
 him?" 
 
 " He looks a likely sort," the mate said. 
 
 "Very well then, it's agreed; you can take off your coat 
 and fall to work at once ; I will send down word to the 
 office that I have shipped you." Frank stripped off his 
 coat and waistcoat, and stowed them, with his portmanteau, 
 out of the way, and then set to work with a will, the 
 whiteness of his shirt, and his general appearance, exciting 
 some jeering comments among the other men at work ; but 
 the activity and strength which he showed soon astonished 
 and silenced them. 
 
 By one o'clock the last bale of cargo was stowed, and 
 the hatches put on. The landsmen who had been employed 
 went on shore, and Frank went forward to the forecastle, 
 with the men, to dinner. 
 
 " Not the sort of grub you have been accustomed to, 
 lad," one of the men said. 
 
 " I have eaten worse," Frank said carelessly, " and don't 
 care if I never eat better. How long do you suppose we 
 shall be before we get to New Orleans ? " 
 
 " It all depends upon the wind," the sailor answered, 
 
94 OUT OP DOCK. 
 
 " may be a month, may be three. Are you going to leave 
 us there ? " 
 
 "Yes," Frank said, "I am only working my passage 
 out." 
 
 "It's a roughish place is New Orleans," the sailor said; 
 "the sort of place where you want to have a knife or 
 pistol ready at hand. Lor', I have seen some rum doings 
 there ; it 's a word and a blow, I can tell ye." 
 
 "Ah! well," Frank laughed, "I suppose I shall 
 do as well as the rest" 
 
 The voice of the mate was now heard calling to all 
 hands to prepare to cast off. The men had hurried 
 through their dinner, for they knew that the time allowed 
 them would be short, and began casting off hawsers, coil 
 ing down ropes, and preparing for a start. The bell was 
 ringing, and the friends of the passengers were saying 
 good-bye. The capstan was manned, and the vessel moved 
 slowly away from the quay. 
 
 Five minutes later she was at the dock gates ; these 
 swung open, and the vessel slowly made her way through 
 them, and was soon in the river. 
 
 As the men ran aloft to loosen the sails, Frank placed 
 himself next to the sailor who had spoken to him at 
 dinner, and followed him up the shrouds, and, imitating 
 his actions, he was soon out on the yard hauling away 
 with the others. When the sails were all set he returned 
 below. 
 
 " Wall done, youngster," the mate said ; " I reckon you 
 are about as spry for a green hand as any I have come 
 across ; I had my eye on you, and you '11 do. You go on 
 like that, and you will make a first-rate hand afore long." 
 
 There was plenty of work to do as they went down 
 
AT SEA. 95 
 
 the river. The sails had to be braced round as the wind 
 took them on different sides in the winding reaches ; the 
 decks were sluiced down, to get rid of the first coat of dirt 
 which they had acquired in the docks ; ropes had to be 
 coiled and tidied up, and the many articles lying loosely 
 about the deck to be put in their places and lashed in 
 readiness for sea work. The tide met them just as it was 
 getting dark, and as the wind dropped, and was not 
 sufficiently strong to carry the ship against it, the anchor 
 was dropped a few miles below Gravesend. 
 
 The men were divided into two watches, but all were 
 told that, with the exception of two stationed as an anchor 
 watch, they could turn in till tide turned. Frank threw 
 himself at once into the bunk which had been allotted to 
 him. He had not closed an eye the night before, and was 
 worn out by emotion and fatigue, and scarcely had he lain 
 down than he was sound asleep. He had been placed in 
 the starboard watch, and slept till he was roughly shaken 
 at four o'clock in the morning. 
 
 " Get up, mate, your watch is called." 
 
 Frank leapt out and made his way on deck. The 
 vessel had been now three hours under weigh. She had 
 passed the Nore, whose light shone brightly over the stern. 
 
 "The wind is freshening a bit," one of the men said, "we 
 shall be out round the Foreland by dinner-time." 
 
 The voyage was an uneventful one ; Frank escaped the 
 first fight in which new-comers generally have to take 
 part before they settle down in their new sphere. He 
 was thoroughly good-tempered, and fully a match for any 
 of his messmates in chaff, and he soon became a favourite 
 in the fo'castle. He was always ready to take his share 
 of the work, and was soon as much at home on the yards 
 
96 NEAJRING THEIR DESTINATION. 
 
 as the rest. The change and the newness of the life were 
 very good for him ; he was never alone, and had no time 
 to think or brood over his troubles, and he was almost 
 sorry when the end of the voyage approached. 
 
 " Not a lively-looking shore," the mate said to him as 
 he leaned against the bulwark, looking at -the low banks 
 of the river a few miles below New Orleans. " No, even 
 an American may confess that there ain't much beauty 
 about this river. It 'a a great river, and a mighty useful 
 one, but it ain't beautiful Now, what are you thinking 
 of doing when you get ashore ? " 
 
 " I was thinking to begin by getting employment on 
 board a boat of some sort What I shall do afterwards of 
 course I do not know ; but if I can earn my living on 
 the water for a few months, till I have time to look round 
 and see what is best to be done, I shall be well satisfied. 
 I have got a few pounds, but I don't want to touch them ; 
 they will come in useful if I want to move, or to buy a 
 horse, or anything of that sort." 
 
 " You will do/' the mate said. " You have shown your 
 self a right-down sharp fellow on board this ship, and I 
 expect you will make your way whatever you try a hand 
 at. I have taken a fancy to you, and should be glad to 
 do you a good turn if I can, I have been in and out of 
 this port for some years, and know Orleans pretty tidy, 
 and I can tell you that there ain't a port on this side of 
 the water or the other where a fellow can be put out of 
 the way more promptly than here ; there are parts of New 
 Orleans which, I tell you, are a sort of hell on earth. 
 
 " There are places you couldn't go into without some 
 one picking a quarrel with you afore you have been in 
 there two minutes, and a quarrel here means knives out 
 
A KIND OFFER. 97 
 
 afore you have time to think. On the other hand, Orleans 
 is a place where a steady industrious fellow, with his head 
 screwed on right, has a good chance of getting on. The 
 trade up the river is immense, and will be far greater than 
 it is now ; and there 's pretty well a continent to the west, 
 with openings of all sorts, land and cattle, houses and 
 mining, and trade with Mexico. But I don't see as you 
 can do better than to follow out your own idea. 
 
 " I know a score of men here who own boats trading up 
 the river, and the first time I go ashore I will take you 
 with me and put you in good hands. The rate of pay 
 ain't high, for it 's looked on as easy work ; still, a few 
 months at it will open your eyes and put you into the 
 ways of the country, and, once at home, I tell you there 's 
 money to be made on the river, heaps of it, and when it 's 
 seen that you are steady, and willing, and 'cute, you will 
 find plenty who will give you a helping hand. There 's no 
 greater place for loafers than New Orleans, and a chap 
 who will really work will soon make his mark." 
 
 Frank warmly thanked the mate for his offer. The 
 moment the ship cast anchor off the town a crowd of 
 negroes came on board and unloaded her, and the crew 
 had comparatively little to do ; the three or four passengers 
 who had come out in her went on shore at once, but it 
 was not until the third afternoon after her arrival that the 
 mate was able to leave the ship. 
 
 "Now, lad," he said to Frank, "jump into the boat 
 along with me, and I will see if I can't put you into the 
 groove." 
 
 Keeping along the wharves for some distance, the mate 
 presently entered a small wooden office, telling Frank to 
 wait outside. 
 
 (476) 6 
 
98 A NEW ORLEANS MERCHANT. 
 
 On entering he accosted the only occupant of the place, 
 a man of some forty years of age, who was dressed en 
 tirely in white, and was sitting smoking a huge cigar, 
 with his chair tilted back and his feet on the table. 
 
 " How are you, Ephraim ? " he said, as the mate entered. 
 "I saw your ship had arrived. Had a good voyage ? " 
 
 " First-class," the mate replied ; " not very fast, but 
 quiet and comfortable," and he took a cigar from an open 
 box on the table and lighted it. " I haven't come round 
 for a talk with you now, I have only just come ashore for 
 the first time ; but I wanted to speak to you about a young 
 chap as came out with us. He has worked his passage 
 out, and is about the smartest young fellow I ever shipped, 
 and has the makings of a first-class seaman in him, but he 
 doesn't care about stopping at sea. He 's of good family 
 in the old country, as one can easily see. I expect he has got 
 into some scrape, and has had to make a bolt of it; however, 
 that 's no business of mine. He 's as strong as a horse, and 
 as active as a squirrel ; he can handle an oar and sail a 
 boat. I didn't like the thought of his landing here and 
 getting into bad hands, so I thought I would come straight 
 to you. He said what he wanted to do was to work on the 
 river, for a few months at any rate, until he got to know 
 the place. Now I know you have a dozen tugs and a score 
 of barges, and I thought you might set him on at once. 
 He would make a good second hand on one of your large 
 boats. If it 's but to oblige me, I wish you would put him 
 on board one with a sober, steady chap of a decent kind ; 
 as soon as he gets to know the work and the river, I will 
 guarantee that he will be fit to take charge himself." 
 
 " That 's easy enough done, Ephraim," the trader replied, 
 "all except finding the sober and steady decent man to 
 
FRANK IS ENGAGED. 99 
 
 put him under. However, I will do my best. Have 
 you got him here?" 
 
 " Yes, he is outside," Ephraim said ; and rising, he went 
 to the door and called Frank in. "This is the hand I was 
 speaking to you about, Mr. Willcox." 
 
 " Well, young man," the tradfer said, " I hear you want 
 a berth on board a tug or flat. Which would you rather 
 have?" 
 
 " I would prefer to be on a flat, at any rate for a time, 
 sir/' Frank said ; " I am a pretty good hand at sailing 
 or rowing, but I don't know anything about steamboats." 
 
 " There 's not much to learn in that," the trader said ; 
 " the work is simply to keep the decks clean, to help to 
 load and unload at each landing-place, and to pole off in 
 shallows. However, I will put you on board a flat. The 
 wages to begin with will be twenty dollars a month and 
 your keep, if that will suit you." 
 
 " That will do, sir, very well," Frank said " When 
 shall I come to work ? " 
 
 " If you come here this time to-morrow you can go 
 aboard at once. One of the flats will go up the first thing 
 in the morning." 
 
 " Thank you, sir, I will be here. I am greatly obliged to 
 you, Mr. Alderson, for your kind recommendation of me." 
 
 * I am glad to have put you into a berth," the mate 
 said. " Now I should recommend you to get on board 
 again soon." 
 
 Frank strolled about the wharves for an hour or two, 
 and then went on board. Before going on shore the 
 following day, the captain gave him a certificate, saying 
 that he had sailed in the Mississippi, and was a good, 
 willing, and reliable hand. 
 
100 "i SHAN'T MIND THAT." 
 
 " You may not intend to go to sea again, but if you 
 should, this will get you a better berth than if you had 
 applied as a landsman. I am very pleased with your 
 conduct on board the ship, and I am only sorry you are 
 leaving us. I think it 's a pity you don't stick to it, for it 
 is clear that you are well educated, and would be able to 
 pass as a mate as soon as you had been the requisite time 
 at sea. However, you can fall back on that if you don't 
 get on as well as you expect on shore." 
 
 The mate said good-bye to him warmly. 
 
 "Your employer is one of the very best in the place," said 
 he. " You must not suppose he is in a small way because 
 you see him in that little office : he is one of the largest 
 tug and flat owners in New Orleans. He keeps his eye 
 on his men, and will push you forward if he sees you 
 deserve it. He has the name of having the best of 
 captains on the river, and of being one of the best and 
 most liberal of employers. But you must not expect 
 much in flat life, you will find the men rough as well 
 as the work." 
 
 * I shan't mind that," Frank said cheerfully ; "our own 
 bargemen on the Thames are not the most polished of 
 men." 
 
 " And, lad," the mate added, " I should advise you to 
 hand over any money you may have with you to Mr. 
 Willcox ; the less money you have in your pockets the 
 better. You have no occasion for it on the river, and 
 there are loafers hanging about at every landing who 
 would think nothing of knocking a man on the head if 
 they thought he had got fifty dollars in his pocket." 
 
 Frank promised to take his advice, and, with a hearty 
 farewell to the mate, and a cordial one to his late ship- 
 
"I WILL PUT HIM THROUGH. 101 
 
 mates, he put his portmanteau in the boat and was rowed 
 ashore. 
 
 " Oh, here you are," Mr. Willcox said, as he entered ; 
 "just give a call to that man you see outside." 
 
 Before doing so, Frank handed over his twenty 
 sovereigns to the trader, asking him to keep them for 
 him, and then went to the door. On a log close by a 
 tall, gaunt man was sitting smoking a short pipe. Frank 
 asked him to step in. 
 
 " Hiram," the trader said, " this is the young Britisher 
 who is going as your second hand. I have good accounts 
 of him as a sailor, so you won't have to teach him that 
 part of the business. Of course he is new to the river 
 and its ways." 
 
 "I will put him through," the man said, "and will 
 teach him as much as I knows myself if he cares to learn." 
 
 " There is no one knows the river better, Hiram ; and, 
 as you know, I would have given you the command 
 of a steamer long ago if you would have taken it" 
 
 " No, sir," the man said emphatically, " not for Hiram 
 Little. I have been on board a flat all my days, and am 
 not going to be hurried along in one of them puffing 
 things. They have their uses, I am ready enough to allow, 
 when the current is swift and the wind light ; I am glad 
 enough of a cast now and then, but to be always in a 
 bustle and flurry is more than I could stand. Come along, 
 youngster, with your sack ; the boat is a quarter of a mile 
 down." 
 
 Taking up his portmanteau, Frank followed his con 
 ductor, who with long strides led the way along the 
 wharf. Not a word was spoken till they reached the 
 side of the boat. This was not a flat such as now are in 
 
102 " THAT 'S YOUR FIRST LESSON." 
 
 general use, but a large boat some forty feet in length 
 by fourteen wide, almost flat-bottomed, and capable of 
 carrying a cargo of eight or ten tons of goods. In the 
 stern was a little cabin some eight feet long for the 
 captain and his mate. In front was a similar structure 
 for the four negroes who formed the crew. 
 
 She carried one mast, with a large lug-sail She had 
 four sweeps, but these were seldom used. When the wind 
 was fair she ran before it, when it was foul the mast was 
 lowered ; if it fell calm when they were coming down the 
 stream they drifted with it, if when going up, they either 
 anchored or poled her along in the back waters close in 
 shore, or made their way up the numerous channels where 
 the stream flowed sluggishly, or tied on behind a tug if 
 one happened to come along. 
 
 Their principal work was to carry up supplies to the 
 various plantations along the banks, to trade with the 
 villages, and to bring down produce to New Orleans ; for 
 the stopping-places of the steamers were at wide distances 
 apart, and the number of steamers themselves very small 
 in comparison with those now afloat on the great river. 
 At times they made longer journeys, going up as far as 
 St. Louis ; but in that case they were generally, as Frank 
 afterwards learned, towed up the whole distance. 
 
 " Hi ! Pete, shove that plank ashore," Hiram shouted, 
 and a negro at once showed his head above a scuttle in 
 the bow of the boat, and then emerging, pushed a plank 
 across the fifteen feet of water which intervened between 
 the flat and the wharf. 
 
 "That's your first lesson, young man," Hiram said. 
 " Never on no account lay your craft close alongside ; 
 thar's river thieves at these landings as would empty 
 
A RIVER FLAT-BOAT. 103 
 
 half the cargo if you left the boat for ten minutes, if they 
 could step aboard, and these niggers are always asleep 
 the minute after you take your eyes off them. So, 
 whether you have got anything aboard or not, stick to the 
 rule and moor her a bit off the wharf. It's only the 
 trouble of dropping the grapnel over on the outside in 
 addition to the hawser ashore, and then there 's never no 
 trouble when you get back and have to report as how you 
 have lost some of the bales. It ain't as how we carry up 
 many things as would pay for taking ; soft goods for the 
 stores up the river mostly goes by steamer, but them as 
 ain't hurried, and likes to keep their dollars in their 
 pockets, has their goods up by flats. I have got ten 
 hogsheads of sugar, twenty-four crates of hardware, some 
 barrels of molasses, and forty casks of spirits on board, 
 eighty kegs of nails and a ton or two of rice and flour. 
 We reckon to go up light, and I don't care to have the 
 flat more nor half-full, for when the river 's low and the 
 wind light the less we have on board the better. Now 
 Pete, let 's have tea as soon as may be." 
 
 By this time they had entered the cabin at the stern 
 of the boat. It was only about five feet high, but was 
 large and roomy, and Frank saw with pleasure that it 
 was neat and clean, and was an abode infinitely prefer 
 able to the forecastle of the Mississippi. 
 
 " Now, lad, that 's your side, and this is mine ; that 's 
 your bunk. I am given to tidy ways, having all my life 
 lived in small places, and I hope as you will fall into 
 my ways ; I keeps the cabin tidy myself, and Pete never 
 comes aft here except to bring the food and take it 
 away again ; I can't a-bear niggers messing about a place. 
 Victuals of all sorts is provided. You can do as you like 
 
104 THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 about liquor. I keeps a keg of rum on board, and I likes 
 my glass at night ; if you likes to join me at that you 
 can pay for half the keg, it has not been broached yet. 
 If you want to drink more nor two glasses a night, ye had 
 best get in yer own stock ; if ye don't want to touch it at 
 all, just leave it." 
 
 Frank said he liked a glass of grog at night, and 
 should be glad to join in the cask, and that he would do 
 his best to keep his side of the cabin as tidy as the 
 other. In a few minutes the negro brought in the meal, 
 which consisted of a steak fried with onions, followed by 
 a large bowl of oatmeal, with a jug of molasses, and the 
 whole was washed down with tea. 
 
 "The stream does not seem to run very rapidly," 
 Frank said, as he and his companion, having lit their 
 pipes, sat down on the deck above. 
 
 " It varies," Hiram replied ; " sometimes it 's sluggish, 
 as you see it here, sometimes it runs like a mill-stream. 
 The art of sailing here is to know the river ; for what 
 with its back currents and its eddies, its channels behind 
 islands and its sandbanks, one who knows it can manage 
 to make his way up, while one who didn't know would 
 be drifting backward instead of getting forward. That 's 
 what you have got to learn. Fortunately the wind 
 generally blows up the stream ; when it don't it 's a case of 
 down anchor. There are places where one can hardly 
 get along unless the wind happens to be unusually strong, 
 and there I generally get a tow. The boss has got about 
 twenty steamers on the river, so we don't generally have 
 to wait many hours before one comes along. The tugs is 
 gradually doing away with sailing boats, and in time 
 there won't be many of our kind of craft left; but they are 
 
THE FIRST TRIP. 105 
 
 useful, you see, for small places where the steamers don't 
 stop, and for the rivers which run into the Mississippi." 
 
 The next morning at daybreak the sail was hoisted, 
 the hawsers thrown off from the shore, and the flat made 
 her way up the river. Frank was surprised to see how 
 fast she sailed, although the wind was but light. The 
 work was easy, for the wind was steady and they seldom 
 sailed at night, the wind generally dropping at sun 
 down. They touched at numerous little settlements, 
 and gradually got rid of the cargo with which they had 
 started. 
 
 Sometimes they left the main river and sailed for 
 many miles by narrow channels, where the current, for 
 the most part, was almost imperceptible. They were 
 more than a month from the time they started before 
 they reached the spot at which they were to take in the 
 cargo for their return voyage. The flat was then loaded 
 up with grain, which was put in in bulk and covered with 
 tarpaulin ; the boat was now laden down nearly to the 
 water's edge. 
 
 The downward voyage differed widely from that up the 
 river ; the sail was now seldom used, and instead of 
 skirting the shores they kept in mid-channel, from time 
 to time directing the boat's course by the use of the 
 sweeps. The moon was nearly full when they started, 
 and they continued their voyage by night as well as day. 
 Hiram and Frank took it by turns to be on watch ; but 
 the former was seldom down below, except on the rare 
 occasions when the river was free from shoals. 
 
 Frank had by this time learned by the ripples on the 
 water to detect the shallows, and could direct the course 
 without assistance ; but as soon as the splash of oars was 
 
106 LOGS AND SNAGS. 
 
 heard on the water, Hiram was sure to appear on deck, 
 however short the time since he had retired to rest. 
 
 u You are seeing the river at its best," he was saying 
 one day. " It is about half-full now ; when the water 's 
 low, the channel where we can pass loaded is often only 
 fifty yards wide, with the water running through it like a 
 sluice. When the water is in flood there is no fear of 
 shoals, but you have got to look about, for it is full of 
 floating trees and logs ; when these get stuck we call them 
 snags, and if you were to run on one of them the chances 
 are it would knock a hole as big as a cask in her bottom, 
 and down you would go in two or three minutes." 
 
CHAPTEK VIL 
 
 ON THE MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 are going to have a change of weather, I 
 reckon," Hiram said one afternoon as 
 they were drifting down the stream during 
 their second voyage. "You have been 
 lucky since we started, but we are going to have a 
 change at last ; and I can tell you when it blows here it 's 
 a caution. They have been having a lot of rain up the 
 country, for the river has been rising regular for the last 
 ten days. We had best make fast for the night, and the 
 sooner we does it the better, for the wind is getting up 
 fast and the rain is just a-going to begin." 
 
 In a quarter of an hour the boat was moored to a 
 great tree at the lower end of an island. 
 
 "We shall be snug here," he said, "and out of the 
 way of the drift that will be coming down presently. 
 You can turn in and take a long spell of sleep to-night, 
 for sometimes those storms last for days when they 
 come on this time of year, and you will see there will be 
 a sea on that the boat could hardly live in. I wish we 
 had stopped two hours ago ; there was a creek where we 
 could have run her in and been snug all through it, but I 
 didn't think it was coming up so quick, and it 's too far on 
 
 107 
 
108 A GALE IN THE RIVER. 
 
 to the next place to risk it ; however, I expect we shall 
 do very well here." 
 
 In another half-hour the gale burst upon them 
 furiously, and Frank congratulated himself that the boat 
 was snugly moored. The thick muddy water of the river 
 was speedily lashed into angry waves ; the rain came 
 down in torrents, and although the left-hand bank was 
 but a quarter of a mile distant it was soon lost to view. 
 Frank was glad to leave the deck and crawl into the little 
 cabin, and sit down to a hot meal which the negro cook 
 had prepared. 
 
 " Better here than outside, my lad," Hiram said. " I 
 can go as wet as any man if need be, but I like to keep 
 a dry jacket when I can. The wind is just howling out 
 side. I reckon this is going to be a bigger storm nor 
 ordinary, and I have seen some biggish storms on the 
 Mississippi too. I have had some narrer escapes of it, I 
 can tell you, special in the days before there was nary a 
 tug on the river, and we had to row or pole all the way 
 up ; besides there ain't so many trees brought down as 
 there used to be in a flood, seeing as the country is getting 
 more and more cleared every day. 
 
 " I reckon the time will come when you will be able 
 to go up either the Mississippi or Missouri to the 
 upper waters without seeing a tree drifting down, and 
 when there won't be a snag in their beds. I mind the 
 time when the snags were ten times worse than they is 
 now. I mind once we ran on one of the darned things 
 in pretty nigh as wild a night as this is going to be. I 
 had six hands along with me, and we wanted to get down, 
 cause we knew the old man would have a cargo ready for 
 us, and we wanted a run of a day or two on shore at 
 
HIRAM'S REMINISCENCES. 109 
 
 Orleans before we started up again, so we held on. The 
 wind was higher than we reckoned on, and we was just say 
 ing we should have done better to tie up, when there was a 
 crash. I thought at first that she would have gone over 
 with the shock, but she didn't not that it would have 
 made much odds, for there was a snag through her bottom, 
 and the water pouring in like a sluice. It was darkish, but 
 we could make out there was some trees a boat's-length 
 or two ahead which had been caught as they rolled down 
 by another snag, and hung there. The boat didn't float 
 more than a minute after she struck, and then we were 
 all in the river, those who couldn't swim gripping hold of 
 the oars and poles ; half a minute and we were all cling 
 ing to the boughs, and hoisting ourselves as well as might 
 be clear of the water. 
 
 " I tell you, lad, that was a night. It wasn't that we was 
 drenched to the skin with the rain pouring down, and the 
 wind cutting through us that kind of thing comes 
 natural to a boatman. but it was the oncertainty of the 
 thing. The trees moved and swayed with the waves and 
 current; the flood we knew was rising still, and any 
 moment they might break away from the snag and go 
 whirling along, over and over, down the river. Even if 
 they didn't break away of theirselves, another tree might 
 drive down on us, and if it did, the chances was strong as 
 the hull affair would break loose, 
 
 " All that night and all next day we hung on, and 
 then the wind went down a bit, and a nigger who had 
 made us out from the shore came off in a dug-out and 
 took us ashore in two trips. That war a close shave. The 
 wind was northerly and bitter cold, and I don't believe as 
 we could have hung on another night more nor that. 
 
110 JL WILD SCENE. 
 
 Next morning, when we turned out from the nigger's hut 
 to have a look round, there wasn't no sign of them thar 
 trees, they had just gone down the river in the night. 
 Yes, I have had a good many narrow shaves of it, but I do 
 think as that war the narrowest" 
 
 "Well, I am heartily glad," Frank said, "that we are 
 tied safely up, out of the way of floating trees, snags, or 
 anything of the kind. I always like hearing the wind when 
 I am snug, and I shall sleep sound knowing that I am not 
 going to hear your shout of ' Watch on deck ' in my ear." 
 
 In spite of the howling of the gale Frank slept soundly. 
 But he could scarcely believe that it was broad daylight 
 when he awoke ; the light was dim and leaden, and when 
 he went out from the cabin he was startled at the aspect 
 of the river. The waves had risen until it resembled an 
 angry sea, the yellow masses of water being tipped with 
 foam ; the clouds hung so low that they almost touched 
 the top of the trees ; the rain was still falling, and the 
 drops almost hurt from the violence with which they were 
 driven by the wind. The river had risen considerably 
 during the night, and the lower end of the island was 
 already submerged ; boughs of trees and driftwood were 
 hurrying along with the stream, and more than one great 
 tree passed, now lifting an arm high in the air, now almost 
 hidden in the waves, as it turned over and over in its 
 rapid course. Frank felt glad indeed that the boat lay in 
 comparatively sheltered waters, though even here the swell 
 caused her at times to roll violently. 
 
 " What do you think of it lad, ? " Hiram, who had risen 
 some time before Frank, asked. 
 
 " It is a wonderfully wild scene," Frank said enthusias 
 tically, " a grand scene ! I should not have had an idea 
 
WAITING FOB A CHANGE OF WEATHER 111 
 
 that such a sea could have got up on any river. Look at 
 that great tree rolling down, it looks as if it was wrestling 
 for life." 
 
 "The wrestle is over, lad, there ain't no more life for 
 that tree ; it will just drift along till it either catches on a 
 sandbank and settles down as a snag, or it will drift 
 down to the mouth of the Mississippi, and may be 
 help to choke up some of the shallow channels, or it 
 EG ay chance to strike the deep channel, and go away right 
 out into the Gulf of Florida, and then the barnacles will 
 get hold of it, and it will drift and drift till at last it will 
 get heavier than the water, and then down it will go to 
 the bottom and lie there till there ain't no more left of it. 
 No, lad, there ain't no more life for that tree." 
 
 " May be it will wash ashore near the city, or some 
 plantation," Frank said, " and be hauled up and cut into 
 timber, or perhaps into firewood. After all, the useful 
 life of a tree begins with its fall" 
 
 " Eight you are, lad ; yes, that might happen, and I am 
 glad you put it in my mind, for somehow I have always 
 had a sorter pity for a tree when I see it sweeping down 
 in a flood like this. Somehow it's like looking at a 
 drowned man ; but, as you say, there 's a chance of its 
 getting through it and coming to be of use after all, and 
 what can a tree wish better than that ? But we had best 
 be hauling the boat up to the tree and shifting the rope 
 up the trunk a bit ; it 's just level with the water now, 
 and was nigh eight feet above when we tied it yesterday. 
 I tell you if this goes on there will be some big floods, 
 for it will try the levees, and if they go there ain't no 
 saying what damage may be done in the plantations." 
 All day the wind blew with unabated fury, and 
 
112 * THE TREE HAS GONE." 
 
 when evening came on Frank thought that it was 
 increasing rather than diminishing in force. 
 
 " Let 's have a glass of grog and tumble in, my lad," 
 Hiram said, "it gives one the dismals to listen to the 
 wind." They had scarcely wrapped themselves in their 
 blankets when the boat swayed as if struck by an even 
 stronger blast than usual ; then there was a sudden crash, 
 which rose even above the howling of the gale. 
 
 " What 's that ? " Frank exclaimed, sitting up. 
 
 " It 's the tree," Hiram began ; but while the words 
 were in his mouth there was a shock and a crash, the 
 roof of the little cabin was stove in, and the boat heeled 
 over until they thought it was going to capsize. Frank 
 was thrown on to the floor with the violence of the shock, 
 but speedily gained his feet. 
 
 " What has happened ? " he exclaimed. 
 
 "The tree has gone," Hiram said; " I have been look 
 ing at it all the afternoon, but I didn't want to scare you 
 by telling you as I thought it might go. It 's lucky it 
 didn't fall directly on us, or it would have knocked the 
 boat into pieces. The door is jammed. Get hold of that 
 hatchet, lad, and make a shift to get your head out to look 
 round and see what we are doing. Do you hear them 
 niggers holloaing like so many tom-cats ? What good do 
 they suppose that will do ? " 
 
 " I can't see anything," Frank said when he looked out; 
 " it 's pitch dark. I will make this hole a bit bigger, and 
 then I will take the lantern and crawl forward and see 
 what has become of the blacks. I am afraid the tree has 
 stove the boat in : look at the water coming up through 
 the float-boards." 
 
 "Ay, I expect she is smashed somewhere; it could 
 
113 
 
 hardly be otherwise ; I reckon this is going to be about as 
 bad a job as the one I was telling you about. Here, lad, 
 put this bottle of rum into your jacket and this loaf of 
 bread ; I will take this here chunk of cold beef ; like 
 enough we may want 'em afore we are done." 
 
 When Frank had enlarged the hole sufficiently to allow 
 his body to pass through, he put the lantern through and 
 then crawled out. He was in a tangle of branches and 
 leaves. The head-rope was a long one ; the tree had 
 fallen directly towards them, and the boat was, as far as 
 Frank could see, wedged in between the branches, which 
 forked some forty feet above the roots; a cross branch had 
 stove in the cabin top, and another rested across the 
 scuttle of the cabin used by the negroes. 
 
 " Hand me the axe, sharp, Hiram," he said ; "the niggers 
 can't get out, and our bow isn't a foot out of water." 
 
 Hiram handed up the axe, seized another, and with a 
 great effort squeezed himself through the hole and joined 
 Frank in the fore-part of the boat, which was waist-deep 
 in water. 
 
 " Never mind the branch, lad, that will take too long to 
 cut through, and another two or three minutes will do 
 their business ; here, rip off two or three of those planks, 
 that will be the quickest way." 
 
 Although impeded in their work by the network of 
 boughs, they speedily got off two or three planks and 
 hauled up the frightened negroes. It was but just in 
 time, for there were but a few inches between the water 
 and the top of the low cabin. 
 
 " Shut your mouths and drop that howling," Hiram 
 said, " and grip hold of the tree ; the boat will sink under 
 our feet in another minute. Stick to your lantern, lad, a 
 
 ^47*M TT 
 
114 A PIECE OF LUCK. 
 
 light is a comfort anyhow ; I '11 fetch another from the 
 cabin, and some candles ; I know just where they are, and 
 can feel them in the water." 
 
 In a minute he rejoined Frank, who was sitting astride 
 of one of the branches. 
 
 "That's a bit of luck," he said; "the candles are dry. 
 There ain't more than two feet of water in her aft." 
 
 Three or four minutes passed, and the boat still lay be 
 neath their feet, sinking, apparently, no lower. " I will 
 look round again," Hiram said ; " it seems to me as she 
 has got jammed, and won't go any lower." 
 
 Examining the boat, he found that it was so ; she was 
 so completely wedged among the branches that she could 
 sink no lower. 
 
 " It 's all right," he said joyously. " Jump down, all of 
 you, and lend a hand and unreeve the halliards from the 
 mast and bind her as tight as you can to the branches ; 
 pass the ropes under the thwarts. Make haste before she 
 shakes herself free." For the tree, now well clear of the 
 shelter of the land, was swaying heavily. 
 
 The work was soon done, and the boat securely fastened 
 to the tree. 
 
 "How is it the tree lies steady without rolling over 
 and over, Hiram?" Frank asked, after they paused on 
 the completion of the work. 
 
 "I reckon it's the boat as keeps it steady, lad. As 
 long as she lies here she is no weight, but she would be a 
 big weight to lift out of water, and I reckon she keeps the 
 whole affair steady. It couldn't be better if we had 
 planned it. All these boughs break the force of the 
 waves, and keep off a good bit of the wind too ; we ain't 
 going to do badly after all" 
 
" FOUR GOOD PIECES OF PROPERTY." 115 
 
 "Pete, get me that half-bottle of rum from my locker 
 and a tin mug. That is right. Now here is a good 
 strong tot each for you to make your faces black again ; 
 you were white with fear when we got you out of that 
 cabin, and I don't blame you ; I should have been in just 
 as bad a fright myself if I had been there, though I 
 shouldn't have made such a noise over it. Still, one can't 
 expect men of one colour to have the same ways as those 
 of another, and I am bound to say that if the boat had 
 gone down your boss would have lost four good pieces of 
 property. Feel more comfortable eh ? " 
 
 The negroes grinned assent. Easily cast down, their 
 spirits were as easily raised, and seeing that the white men 
 appeared to consider that there was no urgent danger, 
 they soon plucked up their courage. 
 
 "I think," Frank said, "the best thing will be to manage 
 to get the cabin door open. We can put a tarpaulin over 
 the hole in the roof, and we shall then have a shelter we 
 can go into; the water is not over the lockers, but I 
 shouldn't like to go in until we get the door open. If this 
 tree did take it into its head to turn round, it would be 
 awkward if there were two or three of us in there, with 
 only that hole to scramble through." 
 
 " You are about right, lad ; it will be a sight more com 
 fortable than sitting here, for what with the rain and the 
 splashing up of this broken water one might as well be 
 under a pump." 
 
 The axes were called into requisition again, for the 
 door was jammed too firmly to be moved. 
 
 " Chop it up, and shove the pieces under the tarpaulin, 
 Sam ; they will get a bit drier there, and we may want 
 them for a fire presently ; there is no saying how long we 
 
116 A WONDEKFUL ESCAPE. 
 
 may be in this here floating forest That 's right. Now, 
 hang one of them lanterns up in the cabin. That 's not 
 so bad. Now, lad, our clothes-bags are all right on these 
 hooks. I am just going to rig myself up in a dry shirt 
 and jacket, and advise you to do the same ; we may as 
 well have the upper half dry if we must be wet below." 
 
 Frank was glad to follow Hiram's example, and a dry 
 flannel shirt made him feel thoroughly warm and com 
 fortable. He handed a shirt to each of the negroes, 
 and the whole party, clustered in the little cabin, were 
 soon comparatively warm and cheerful, in spite of the 
 water, which came up to their knees, and when the boat 
 rose on a wave, swashed up over the locker on which 
 they were sitting. A supply of dry tobacco and some 
 pipes were produced by Hiram, and the little cabin was 
 soon thick with smoke. 
 
 " Taking it altogether," Hiram said, * I regard this as 
 about the queerest sarcumstance that ever happened to 
 me; it was just a thousand to one that tree would have 
 smashed us up and sunk us then and thar. It was another 
 thousand to one that when we were staved in we shouldn't 
 have got fixed so that the boat couldn't sink ; if any one 
 had told it me as a yarn I should not have believed it" 
 
 " It has indeed been a wonderful escape," Frank said, 
 " and I think now that we should be ungrateful indeed if 
 every one of us did not fervently thank God for having 
 preserved us." 
 
 " Eight you are, lad ; praying ain't much in my way 
 not regular praying ; but we men as lives a life like this, 
 and knows that at any moment a snag may go through the 
 boat's bottom, thinks of these things at times, and knows 
 that our lives are in God's hands. It ain't in nature to 
 
" HOW LONG ARE WE LIKELY TO BE IN THIS FIX ?" 117 
 
 go up and down this broad river, special at night, when the 
 stars are shining overhead, and the dark woods are as 
 quiet as death, and there ain't no sound to be heard but 
 the lap of the water against the bow for a man not to 
 have serious thoughts. It ain't our way to talk about it. 
 I think we try to do our duty by our employers, and if a 
 mate is laid up, he need never fear getting on a shoal for 
 want of a helping hand ; and when our time comes, I fancy 
 as there ain't many of us as is afeared of death, or feels 
 very bad about the account they say we have got to render 
 arterwards. It 's different with the niggers ; it 'a their 
 way to be singing hymns and having prayer-meetings, 
 and such like. There is some as is agin this, and says it 
 gives 'em notions, and sets them agin their masters ; but I 
 don't see it : it pleases 'em, and it hurts no one ; it's just 
 the difference of ways. I expect it comes to the same in 
 the end ; leastways, I have seen many a wreck in this here 
 river, when whites and blacks have been a-looking death in 
 the face together, and sartin the white man, even if he has 
 been a hard man, ain't no more afraid to die than the black, 
 generally just the contrary. That 's my notion of things." 
 
 Frank nodded, and for a time there was silence in the 
 cabin. 
 
 " How long are we likely to be in this fix ? " Frank asked 
 presently. 
 
 " Thar ain't no saying ; supposing we don't bring up agin 
 a snag which the Lord forbid, for like, enough, the tree 
 would shift its position, and we should find ourselves 
 bottom upwards if we did we may drift on for days and 
 days. Still, we shall be safe to make ourselves seen as 
 soon as the weather clears, and there are boats out again ; 
 we have only got to light a fire of wet wood to call their 
 
118 NOT A CHEERFUL LOOKOUT. 
 
 attention. I don't expect this here gale will last much 
 longer ; after another day it ought to begin to blow itself 
 out. As long as nothing happens to this tree, and the 
 boat keeps fast where it is, there ain't nothing to make 
 ourselves uncomfortable about. We 'd best have a look at 
 them lashings ; I tell you, there is a tidy strain on them/' 
 
 Examining the ropes carefully, they found some of them 
 were already chafed, and, dragging out a piece of wet 
 canvas from the lockers, they cut it into strips and 
 lashed it round the ropes at the points where they were 
 chafing. The strain was indeed very heavy, for the tree 
 and the waterlogged boat rose but little with the waves, 
 and the bow was submerged deeply every time a wave 
 passed them, the gunwale being at no time more than a few 
 inches out of water. Additional lashings were put on, and 
 then Hiram and Frank returned to the cabin, and the 
 latter dozed away the hours till morning, as did the 
 negroes, Hiram remaining wide awake and watchful, and 
 going out from time to time to look at the lashings. As 
 soon as day broke Frank roused himself and went out ; 
 Hiram was just descending from one of the boughs. 
 
 " I have had a look round," he said ; " I don't think it 's 
 blowing quite so hard, but thar ain't much change yet 
 It ain't not to say a cheerful kind of lookout." 
 
 Frank climbed up to take a view for himself, but he 
 was glad to return very quickly to the shelter of the cabin. 
 Overhead was a canopy of low grey cloud; around, a curtain 
 of driving rain ; below, a chaos of white-headed waves. 
 The day passed slowly, and with little change. Sam found 
 in the fore-part of the boat the iron plate on which he 
 built his fire. They fixed this on the roof of the cabin, 
 fastened a tarpaulin across the boughs so as to shelter it 
 
" JUST LIKE CHILDREN, AIN'T THEY ? " 119 
 
 from the rain and drift, and then, with some difficulty, 
 managed to make a fire. Some hot coffee was first pre 
 pared, and a frying-pan was then put on and filled with 
 slices of pork. The flour was wet, but Sam made some 
 flat cakes of the wet dough, and placed them in the fat to 
 fry when the pork was done. 
 
 "Not a bad meal that," Hiram said, when he had 
 finished, " for a floating forest/' 
 
 The negroes had now completely recovered from the 
 effects of their fright and wetting, and their spirits, as 
 usual, found vent in merry choruses. 
 
 " Just like children, ain't they?" Hiram said, as he and 
 Frank re-entered the cabin, while the negroes continued 
 to feast overhead, " crying one moment and laughing the 
 next. But I have known some good uns among them too, 
 as good mates to work with as a man could want, and as 
 good grit as a white man." Another meal, later in the 
 afternoon, alone broke the monotony of the day. The aspect 
 of the weather was unchanged at nightfall, but Hiram 
 asserted that the wind had certainly gone down, and that 
 in the morning there would probably be a break in the 
 weather. They smoked for some time, and then the 
 negroes dozed off, with their chins on their chests ; and 
 Frank was about to make an effort to do the same, when 
 Hiram, who had been going in and out several times, said 
 suddenly, " I reckon we are out of the main stream ; don't 
 you feel the difference ? " 
 
 Now that his attention was called to it, Frank wondered 
 that he had not noticed it before. The waves were no 
 longer washing over the fore-part of the boat, and the 
 sluggish efforts of the tree and boat to rise and fall with 
 the water had ceased. He was still more struck, when he 
 
120 OUT OF THE MAIN STREA.M. 
 
 went outside, by the comparative silence. The wind still 
 whistled overhead and swayed the branches, but the hiss 
 and rustle of the water had ceased. 
 
 " We are out of the main stream, that 's sartin," Hiram 
 said, " though where we are is more nor I can tell till we 
 get daylight." 
 
 Frank took the lantern and climbed up the bough 
 which served as a lookout It was pitch dark outside, 
 and the surface of the water was no longer broken by 
 white heads. 
 
 "Yes, we are certainly out of the main river, Hiram, 
 and in behind some big islands. Where do you think it 
 could be?" 
 
 " I reckon, lad, we are somewhere down near the mouth 
 of the Arkansas. The stream has been running mighty 
 strong for the last two days, and the wind, catching all 
 these branches, must have helped us along a good bit I 
 reckon we can't be far away from the Arkansas. It 's a 
 bad stroke of luck drifting in here ; we may expect to get 
 hung up somewhere, and we shall be in a nice fix then, 
 out of sight of boats going up and down, and with miles 
 and miles of swamp stretching back from the shore. How 
 ever, it will be time to think of that to-morrow. There ain't 
 nothing for us to do ; just lend us a hand, and we will get 
 this iron plate off the roof. The tarpaulin keeps off the 
 rain, and I will fetch a couple of blankets, and we can 
 stretch ourselves out here ; I despise going to sleep sitting 
 up." 
 
 Frank was sound asleep in a few minutes. He had a 
 confused notion of feeling a slight jerking motion, and 
 of hearing Hiram say, "There, she is anchored"; but 
 he did not suffer this to rouse him, and, dropping off, slept 
 
AGROUND. 121 
 
 soundly till morning. At the first stir Hiram made he 
 was awake. 
 
 "We have had a goodish spell of sleep, I reckon, lad, 
 and I feel all the better for having had my legs stretched 
 out straight." 
 
 " So do I, ever so much ; the wind seems to have gone 
 quite down, and it has stopped raining." 
 
 " We shall have the sun up soon." 
 
 Frank was soon up in the lookout. 
 
 " I can see trees on both sides of us, but I can make 
 out nothing more than that ; there 's a mist hanging over 
 them, though it's clear enough on the water. We are not 
 moving." 
 
 " I could have told you that," Hiram said, " didn't we 
 get fast on something before we went to sleep last night?" 
 
 "Oh, I forgot about that; I was just off when you 
 spoke, and didn't quite take it in. We are quite out of 
 the current; the water is moving very sluggishly past 
 us." 
 
 " So much the worse, lad ; that 's just what I fancied. 
 We have got blown out of the stream, and got in behind 
 some of the islands, and are perhaps at the mouth of one of 
 the loops where there ain't no stream to speak of ; useful 
 enough they are when you are making your way up-stream, 
 but no-account places to get stuck in. Now you darkeys 
 below there, wake up, and let 's have some food ; you will 
 soon have the sun up to warm you and dry your clothes a 
 bit. By the time we have had our breakfast," he went on 
 to Frank, "the mist will have lifted, and we shall have some 
 chance of seeing where we have been cast away, and can 
 talk over what 's the best thing to be done in this here 
 business." 
 
122 "I RECKON IT TO BE MILES." 
 
 The iron plate was replaced on the cabin, the fire was 
 lit, and coffee and fried bacon were soon ready. The first 
 sparkle of the sun through the leaves brought a shout of 
 delight from the negroes, and directly the meal was over 
 they cut away some of the small branches and let the sun 
 stream in on to the roof of the cabin. 
 
 "That's enough, boys," Hiram said ; " by midday we shall 
 be glad of the shade. Now, let you and I light our pipes, 
 lad, and take a survey, and then talk this job over." 
 
 On looking round, they found that the passage, or creek, 
 in which they were was some eighty yards wide ; ahead 
 it seemed to narrow ; behind them, a bend shut out the 
 view a quarter of a mile away. 
 
 "That 's just what I expected You see we have drove 
 in here, and there 's been just current enough to drift us 
 on till the lower branches touched the bottom or caught 
 in a snag ; the water ain't flowing half a mile an hour 
 now, and I reckon when the water begins to drop, which 
 will be in a few days, if it holds fine, there won't be no 
 current to speak of. " 
 
 " But we are not going to stay here a few days, are we, 
 Hiram?" 
 
 " Well, lad, I ain't no particular wish to stay here no 
 time at all, if you will just pint out the way for us to 
 be moving on." 
 
 " Well, we could all swim ashore," Frank said ; " the 
 distance is nothing, and all the blacks swim." 
 
 " And how fur do you reckon the shore to be, lad ? " 
 
 " About forty yards," Frank said. 
 
 "I reckon it to be miles, lad twenty, perhaps, or 
 forty for aught I know." 
 
 Frank looked at his companion in surprise. 
 
" JUST UNPOSSIBLE, LAD." 123 
 
 " Yes, that is about it, lad. Don't you see them trees 
 are all growing out by the water, and what looks to you 
 like low bush is just the top of the underwood. The river, 
 I reckon, must have riz twenty feet, and all this low land 
 is under water. As I told you, we are near the mouth of the 
 Arkansas, and for miles and miles the country ain't much 
 better than a swamp at the best of times. You can swim 
 to them trees, and roost up in the branches, if the fancy 
 takes yer, and may be we may decide that's the best 
 thing to do, when we have talked it over ; but as to get 
 ting to land, you may put that notion out of your head 
 altogether. I told you, lad, last night, I didn't like the 
 lookout, and I don't like it a bit better this morning, 
 except that I look to be dry and comfortable in another 
 hour. What 's to come after that I don't quite see." 
 
 Frank was silent. The prospect, now that he understood 
 it, was unpleasant indeed. There they were with a disabled 
 and waterlogged boat, in the middle of a district sub 
 merged for many miles, and surrounded beyond that by 
 fever-stricken swamps, while the prospect of any craft 
 happening to come along was remote indeed. For some 
 minutes he smoked his pipe in silence. 
 
 " You consider it impossible for us to make our escape 
 through the wood." 
 
 " Just unpossible, lad. We might make our way from 
 tree to tree, like a party of monkeys, but we should get to 
 creeks where we couldn't cross; we should be half our 
 time swimming. We could take no food to speak of 
 with us ; we should get lost in the swamps, if ever we 
 got through the forest. No, lad; my present idea is 
 it is unpossible, though, if we detarmines at last there 
 ain't nothing else for us to do but to try for it, Hiram 
 
126 THE BOAT IS FREED. 
 
 The bow sank some inches, and fully half the boat was 
 submerged. 
 
 " Now, you and I will get out at this end of the trunk, 
 lad, and tow her in, stern foremost." 
 
 They got within ten yards of the tree before she again 
 stuck, and it took them some hours' work to cut away 
 the branch which projected under water ; but at last this 
 was done, and the boat was placed in position under the 
 arm of the great tree they had pitched upon, and a 
 number of ropes fastened firmly to the arm. 
 
 " Now we will have some dinner," Hiram said ; " and 
 while Pete is cooking it we will get ashore with the saw, 
 and cut the heads off some of these small trees, and fasten 
 them to this trunk, so as to make a sort of raft that we can 
 put all these tubs on. The ropes would never hold her with 
 her cargo on board. I reckon some of the sugar is spoilt ; 
 but the boss always has good casks, and may be there ain't 
 much damage done. The rum is right enough, and I reckon 
 there won't be much spoilt except them bales of calico." 
 
 They worked hard, but it was late in the evening be 
 fore the raft was formed and the cargo all shifted into it. 
 
 " Now, we will just chop off this arm and free her," 
 Hiram said, " and then we can stretch ourselves out for 
 the night. We have done a tidy day's work, I reckon, 
 and have arned our sleep." 
 
 The arm was chopped through, and the boat was freed 
 from the tree which had, in the first place, so nearly 
 destroyed it, but which, in the end, had proved their 
 means of safety. The raft was fastened alongside by a 
 rope, and the negroes betook themselves to it for the 
 night, while the two white men, as before, lay down to 
 sleep on the cabin-top. 
 
CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 STARTING JOB THE WEST. 
 
 [E next morning they found, to their satis 
 faction, that the river had sunk nearly a 
 foot. The boat had risen considerably when 
 the cargo had been removed the evening 
 before, and the ropes overhead had been proportionately 
 tightened, so that she now hung so high that the rents 
 were well out of water, and they were able at once to set 
 about the work of repair. There were tools on board, for 
 during their prolonged trips it was often necessary to 
 execute repairs of one kind or other. The flooring-boards 
 were utilised for the repairs, and by evening the holes 
 were closed effectually. 
 
 The next day the work was strengthened by additional 
 ribs and stringers, a coat of pitch was put on outside and 
 in, and Hiram pronounced the work complete. From 
 time to time the ropes had been loosened as the river 
 continued to fall, although less rapidly, and it was 
 thought well not to put too great a strain upon them. 
 The next morning the plug was again driven into the 
 bottom of the boat, and they set to work to pump and 
 bale her out, and then shifted the cargo back again from 
 the raft. This was not a long job, and at night, after 
 
 127 
 
128 DOWN THE RIVER. 
 
 a great washing-up of the cabins, to get rid of the mud 
 that had been left there, they had the satisfaction of 
 taking possession of their old quarters. 
 
 " Well, lad," Hiram said, when they lighted their pipes 
 after supper, " I never thought we were coming so well 
 out of that job. With plenty of rice and sugar, not to 
 speak of rum, on board, I didn't expect we war going to 
 starve, but I thought we might have been weeks and 
 weeks ay, months, may be before any one came along, 
 and the thought as came into my mind was as we should 
 have to make a raft and pole along till we got out into 
 the river again. However, here we are, with the boat 
 not much the worse, and everything on board ready for 
 a start in the morning ; and it 's thanks to you as we have 
 done it, for I am free to say as I don't think as I should 
 have hit on this plan as we have carried out. You are 
 a good mate to work with, lad, and no mistake. I don't 
 wish never to get a better. It 's a pity ye don't mean to 
 stick to it for good, for I can swar that you would 
 make one of the best hands on the Mississippi, in time." 
 
 The journey down the river was continued next 
 morning. At the first place they stopped at they 
 heard reports of widespread damage, of great tracts sub 
 merged, and of danger to life ; the river was still at full 
 flood, although it had fallen two feet from its highest level, 
 and the next ten days were spent in rescuing the un 
 fortunate people from the tops of the houses, trees, and 
 patches of rising ground on which they had taken refuge. 
 Then, having done all they were able, and the river having 
 now fallen nearly to its average level, they continued their 
 voyage down to New Orleans. 
 
 Hiram, in his report of the voyage to his employer, 
 
HIRAM'S OPINION. 129 
 
 spoke in high terms of Frank's conduct, and ascribed to 
 his quickness of invention their escape from what seemed 
 likely to be an almost endless detention. 
 
 " But I am afraid he has made his last v'yage with 
 me," he said ; " he is talking of striking out across the 
 plains to Californy. There was a good talk of gold thar 
 before we started ; and last night, after we came in, and 
 went in for a drink and to hear the news, there didn't 
 seem nothing else to talk about. The young chap was 
 asking all sorts of questions, and I expect he 's oif ; and I 
 don't know as I blames him. He 's the sort of fellow to get 
 on. He has plenty of grit ; he 's strong and active now, 
 and in a couple of years he will widen out and make a 
 very big man. He 's had a first-rate edication he don't 
 talk about it, but one would be blind not to see that he 
 will make his way wherever he goes, and I don't blame 
 him for striking out from the river. He likes the river, 
 too ; but it ain't the place for making a fortin, unless 
 you Ve got money at your back, as you have, boss. But 
 I don't know if he had money, and could go into steamers 
 and such-like, that he would stick to it. 
 
 " I don't know nowt of his history, but I think things 
 must have gone hard with him somehow, and he came out 
 here for excitement more than for making money. But 
 there 's nothing reckless about him ; he don't drink, and 
 he don't gamble, and it says a lot for a young fellow in 
 New Orleans that he don't do one or the other. And 
 he can fight, he can ; there ain't no doubt about that 
 Why, I saw him give the biggest kind of a thrashing to 
 the bully of a lumber camp, where we moored up along 
 side one night, as ever you seed. The chap was big enough 
 to eat him, but he didn't have no kind of show. The young 
 
 (478) I 
 

 130 "I WILL TALK TO HIM." 
 
 tin just hit him where he liked, and in five minutes that 
 chap's face was a thing to see, and the lad never got so 
 much as a scratch. I wouldn't have thought as a man 
 could have used his hands like that if I hadn't been thar. 
 I shall be right-down sorry to lose him." 
 
 " I knew well-nigh when I took him on that he was 
 not likely to stay, Hiram ; he said as much. He wanted 
 to get to know something about the ways of the 
 country before he decided upon anything. If all young 
 fellows would do as he did, go to work for a few months, 
 instead of loafing about spending their money, and getting 
 into bad ways, and among bad fellows, it would be better 
 for them; he has only drawn a few dollars for his expenses 
 when he was down the last time since he came to work, 
 so he has got a good sum due to him, I will have a talk 
 with him myself. There are a good many parties starting 
 from here and taking the Santa Fe route ; but, taking them 
 all in all, I don't think I should recommend him to hang 
 on to one of them." 
 
 " No, I should guess they would be a pretty hard lot 
 who would go out from here gamblers, and horse-thieves, 
 and runaway sailors, and Mexican fighters neither good 
 to travel with or good to work with ; he had better go up 
 and strike from St. Louis." 
 
 " He had better go higher still, Hiram ; there 's a northern 
 route, and I hear a lot of the Western men are making 
 across that However, I will talk to him." 
 
 That afternoon Frank went into Mr. Willcox's little 
 office. 
 
 " Hiram has been speaking in very high terms of you, 
 and I find that I am indebted to you for the saving of 
 the boat, with what cargo she had on board, which Hiram 
 
" I DON'T THINK THAT WILL BE A GOOD PLAN." 131 
 
 said he had altogether given up as lost. You seem to 
 have been in a position of very great danger, and to have 
 had an extraordinarily narrow escape of your lives. How 
 ever, I can understand that you are not content to settle 
 down for life on the Mississippi, but I can tell you that with 
 enterprise, judgment, and steadiness there is fortune to be 
 made here stili I am not surprised that the gold-seeking 
 mania has got hold of you." 
 
 "It is not so much, sir, the gold-seeking mania as 
 the excitement attending it. I don't think I particularly 
 care about making money, but I do want the excitement 
 of such a life. I have come out for that, and not, as it is 
 generally called, to make my fortune. The course of my 
 life at home has been upset by circumstances into which 
 I need not enter, and, at any rate for a time, I want 
 action, and excitement. After that, perhaps, I may think 
 of settling down, and what is called making my way." 
 
 " I can understand your feeling, lad, and will not try to 
 persuade you to stop at this business. And now, what route 
 are you thinking of taking across the continent ?" 
 
 " I was thinking of joining a party going direct from 
 here across to Santa Fe\" 
 
 " I don't think that will be a good plan, lad. The cara 
 vans from here are composed, for the most part, of very 
 hard characters, the sort of men who would shoot you for 
 your horse if they took a fancy to it ; I would by no 
 means advise you to ally yourself with such men. I can, 
 I think, put you in the way of a better plan than that. I 
 find that a great number of caravans from the West are 
 going by a northern route which crosses the Missouri at 
 a point called Omaha. I have been thinking that this wiD 
 become an important place, and have made up my mind to 
 
132 A GOOD OFFER. 
 
 freight four or five flats with flour, bacon, and other goods 
 of all sorts, and a frame store, and to go up there and open 
 a business. I shall want a handy man with me at first ; I 
 shall take up a storekeeper to leave there in charge, but 
 at first he will want help. If you like to go up in charge 
 of one of the scows, and to stay to help put up the store 
 and set things running, I will give you a hundred dollars, 
 and you can have your passage up for your horse, which 
 I should advise you to buy here. You will get one that will 
 carry you, though of course- not much to look at, for about 
 fifty dollars ; I know several horse- dealers here, and will 
 get one for you if you like. You had also better get a stout 
 pony to carry your traps and provisions ; that will cost 
 about forty dollars. Then you must have a rifle and a 
 Colt. These are absolutely necessary for such a journey, 
 for I hear that the Indians are very troublesome on the 
 plains. These, however, I myself shall have much pleasure 
 in presenting you with, in testimony of the obligation I 
 feel I owe you for saving my boat and goods. The hundred 
 dollars that are due to you, and the hundred that you will 
 further earn at Omaha, will be sufficient for your horses 
 and outfit, which will leave this money which you placed 
 in my hands untouched. You will find that very useful, 
 for you will want to buy a tent and provisions and tools 
 out there, and money to keep you till you hit upon gold. 
 Well, what do you think of my offer ?" 
 
 " I am extremely obliged to you, sir ; nothing could suit 
 me better. And I am indeed greatly obliged for your kind 
 offer of a rifle and revolver ; they will certainly be most 
 necessary, by what one hears of the journey." 
 " You have some other clothes, I suppose ? " 
 " Yes, sir ; I have another suit in my portmanteau," 
 
IN SNUG QUARTERS. 133 
 
 "Very well, put them on, and come back here in an 
 hour's time. It will be a week before my steamer starts, 
 and you had better come and stop with me till then ; it 
 will keep you out of mischief, and I should be glad of your 
 company." 
 
 At the appointed time Frank returned to the office, 
 dressed in the suit of clothes he had brought with him. 
 A light carriage with a pair of horses was standing at the 
 door. 
 
 " Ah ! " Mr. Willcox laughed, as he came out, " I fancy 
 you look more like yourself now." 
 
 Frank took his place in the carriage, Mr. Willcox took 
 the reins, the negro servant sprang up behind, and they 
 were soon rattling through the streets of the town. 
 
 Mr. Willcox's house was situated two miles out of the 
 city. It was a large building, with a verandah running 
 round it, and standing in well-kept and handsome 
 grounds; three or four negroes ran out as the carriage 
 drove up. 
 
 " Sam, take this gentleman's portmanteau upstairs, and 
 get a bath ready for him at once, and lay out a suit of 
 white clothes for him. 
 
 " We always have a bath before dinner in this country," 
 he said to Frank ; " one wants to get rid of the dust of the 
 day. Dinner will be ready in half an hour." 
 
 After enjoying a luxurious bath, and attiring himself 
 in a suit of snowy-white gear, Frank descended to the 
 dining-room. 
 
 Mr. Willcox was a widower, without children, and they 
 therefore dined alone. As they were sitting over their 
 wine after dinner in the verandah, Frank's host said, " I 
 do not wish to be inquisitive, but if you don't mind 
 
134 A SUGGESTION. 
 
 telling me, I should like to know why a young fellow like 
 yourself should embark upon a life of adventure." 
 
 Frank had met with such kindness from his employer, 
 that he frankly told him the whole history of the events 
 which had driven him from England. 
 
 " It is a singular story," the trader said, " and I own 
 that appearances were against you. Of course I don't know 
 him, and may be misjudge him altogether, but the only 
 person who appears to me to have had any interest 
 whatever in getting you into disgrace, and causing you to 
 leave the country, is your cousin." 
 
 " Fred Barkley," Frank exclaimed, in surprise ; " I can 
 assure you such an idea never entered my mind ; he is not 
 at all a bad fellow, though certainly he is not popular at 
 School." 
 
 " I should prefer taking the general verdict of the 
 School to yours," the trader said ; " boys are seldom far 
 out in their estimate of persons ; they have more instinct 
 than men, and a boy is seldom far wrong in his estimate 
 of character. 
 
 "The fact that he is generally unpopular is, in my 
 mind, a proof that there is something wrong about this 
 cousin of yours. Then what you tell me, that he refused 
 to lend you the money which would have got you out 
 of your scrape, while he afterwards came forward with 
 twenty pounds to enable you to get away, is another strong 
 point. The advice which he gave you was distinctly bad ; 
 for you had much better have remained, and to the last 
 have protested your innocence. Then there is another 
 point Did I gather from your words that you and he 
 are the nearest relations to the wealthy uncle with whom 
 you lived ? " 
 
" I CANNOT BELIEVE IT." 135 
 
 " Yes, that is so," Frank replied. 
 
 "Then, in case of your disgrace, it is by no means 
 improbable that your uncle will leave him the whole of 
 the money. Is that so ? 
 
 " I have no doubt of it," Frank assented. 
 
 " Then you see he has a very strong interest in 
 bringing you into discredit. Besides there were only, you 
 say, five people who had any knowledge of this affair, and 
 of your need for the money. None of the other four had 
 the slightest possible interest in bringing you into dis 
 grace ; he had a very strong interest, and, take my word 
 for it, your cousin is at the bottom of the whole affair." 
 
 " I cannot believe it," Frank said, rising from his chair 
 and pacing up and down the verandah ; " if I thought so I 
 would return to England by the next ship and have it out 
 with him." 
 
 " But you have no shadow of proof," Mr. Willcox said, 
 "it is a matter of suspicion only. Even had the idea 
 occurred to you at first, you would only have injured 
 yourself by stating it, for it would have been regarded as 
 a hideous aggravation of your crime to bring such a 
 charge against your cousin unsupported by a shadow of 
 proof. No ; now you have taken your line you must go 
 through with it, and trust to time to right you. It is a 
 suspicion only, but you mark my words, if the mystery 
 is ever solved it will be found that your cousin was at 
 the bottom of it." 
 
 Frank spent a very pleasant week at the charming 
 residence of Mr. Willcox. The latter entertained a good 
 deal, and Frank met at his house several of the leading 
 merchants of New Orleans, and acquired a good deal of 
 knowledge of the state of the country. Most of them 
 
136 AFLOAT AGAIN. 
 
 were incredulous as to the stories of the abundance of gold 
 in California. That gold had been discovered they did 
 not deny ; but they were of opinion that the find would 
 be an isolated one, and that ruin would fall upon the 
 crowds who were hastening either across the continent, 
 or by ship via Panama, to the new Eldorado. Several of 
 them tried to dissuade Frank from his intention of going 
 thither, and more than one offered to place him in their 
 counting-houses, or to procure him employment of other 
 kind. 
 
 Frank, however, was firm, for he was going, not for the 
 sake of making money, but of finding adventure and 
 excitement. He went down every day to the wharf and 
 superintended the loading of the scows, and at the end of 
 ten days he resumed his boatman's clothes and took his 
 place on one of the scows. Hiram accompanied him, with 
 eight negroes, two for each flat. A tug took them in tow, 
 and they started up the river. Mr. Willcox was to follow 
 by a steamer next day, and would arrive at Omaha some 
 time before them, and have time to choose and buy a lot of 
 land for his store, and to have all in readiness for their 
 arrival. Frank had purchased a strong, serviceable horse 
 for his own riding, and a pony for his baggage, together 
 with blankets and other necessaries for the journey. His 
 mining outfit he decided to get at Sacramento, as, although 
 the cost would be considerable, he did not wish to 
 encumber himself with it on his journey across the 
 plains. The rifle and revolver had been presented him by 
 Mr. Willcox, and he determined to practise steadily with 
 both on his voyage up the river, as his life might depend 
 on his proficiency with his weapons. 
 
 The voyage up the Mississippi and Missouri was per- 
 
HIRAM'S YARN. 137 
 
 formed without any notable adventure, although in the 
 little- known waters of the upper river the tug ran several 
 times aground. Those on board the flats had but little 
 to do, their duties being confined to pumping out the water 
 when there was any leakage; and the negroes had been 
 taken up more for the purpose of unloading the cargo, 
 carrying it to its destination, and putting up the store, 
 than for any service they could render on the voyage. 
 Frank, who had laid in a large store of ammunition for the 
 purpose, amused himself by practising with his pistol at 
 a bottle towed behind the scow, or with his rifle at floating 
 objects in the stream, in feeding and taking care of his 
 horses, and in listening to many yarns from Hiram. 
 
 " I can tell you, lad," the latter said one day, when, after 
 passing St. Louis, they had entered the waters of the 
 Missouri, " thar have been changes on this river since I 
 was a youngster. I was raised at St. Louis, which was not 
 much more than a frontier town in those days, and most of 
 the work lay below ; here and there there was a farm on the 
 Missouri, but they got thinner as they got higher up, and 
 long before we got to where we are going it was all 
 Indian country. I used to go up sometimes with traders, 
 but I never liked the job : first, I didn't like selling ' fire 
 water/ as they called it, to the Indians, for it made them 
 mad, and brought on quarrels and wars ; in the next place, 
 it was a dangerous business. The Indians used to meet the 
 traders, at some place they had appointed beforehand, and 
 there would be big feastings ; sometimes the traders would 
 come back with the boat loaded up with buffalo robes and 
 skins, and Indian blankets, and such like ; once or twice 
 they didn't come back at all, and it was just a mercy that 
 I didn't stay behind with them on one of the trips. 
 
138 AN INDIAN CAMP. 
 
 " I went up with a trading party to a place somewhere 
 near this Omaha ; we had three boats, with six voyageurs 
 in each, I was about five-and- twenty then, and was 
 steersman of one of them. There were four traders ; they 
 were in my boat, and they played cards and drank all the 
 way up. One of the boats was a flat not a flat like this, 
 but just a big flat-bottomed boat, for they were going, as 
 I understood, to get some good horses from the Indians 
 and take them down to St. Louis. We had pretty hard 
 work getting her along, and a weak crew would never 
 have got her against the stream, though of course we 
 chose a time when the river was low and there wasn't 
 much stream on. Sometimes we rowed, sometimes we 
 poled, keeping along the shallows and back waters ; and, 
 though the pay was good, I wasn't sorry when we got to 
 the place appointed ; not only because the work was hard, 
 but because I didn't like the ways of them traders, with 
 their gambling, and drinking, and quarrelling. However, 
 they gave up drink the last day, and were sober enough 
 when they landed. 
 
 " I don't know why, but I didn't think things were going 
 to turn out well I had heard the traders say as they 
 didn't mean to come up that part of the country agin, 
 and I knew their goods warn't of no account, and that 
 they were going to trade off bad stuff on the Indians. 
 The first two days things went on all right; every 
 evening large lots of goods were brought down to the 
 boats, but except when I went up with the others to the 
 traders' tent to bring the things down I didn't go about 
 much. It was a large camp, with two or three hundred 
 braves, as they calls 'em. I told the men in my boat 
 what I thought of it; but they didn't think much of 
 
" ' THAT *S MISCHIEF,' SAYS L" 139 
 
 what I said, and traded a little on their own account, for 
 it was part of the agreement that each man should be 
 allowed to take up fifty dollars'- worth of goods, and have 
 room for what he could get for them. I traded mine away 
 the first day for some buffalo robes, and so hadn't anything 
 to take me away from the boat. 
 
 " The third day the trading was done ; there was to be a 
 grand feast that night, and the boats were to start the next 
 morning. Most of the men went up to see the fun, but 
 I persuaded two of my mates in my boat to stop quiet 
 with me. Presently I heard a yell from the camp, which 
 was about three hundred yards away. ' That 's mischief/ 
 says L I had scarce spoken when there was a yelling fit 
 to make your har stand on end, and I heard pistol-shots. 
 * Quick/ lads, says I, 'catch up a hatchet and stave a hole in 
 the other boats, and push ours a little way out from the 
 bank.' We warn't long in doing that, and then we 
 stopped and listened. 
 
 " There was a sharp fight going on, that we could hear, 
 and guessed how it must be going when they war twenty 
 to one. Presently the shouting and firing ceased, and then 
 against the sky-line for they had lots of fires blazing in 
 camp we saw a crowd of Injuns come rushing down to 
 the river. We shoved the boat off, and took to our oars ; 
 they shouted to us, and then fired at us, and shot their 
 arrows, and swarmed down into the other two boats to 
 come after us, and there was a fresh burst of yells when 
 they found that they wouldn't swim. We didn't stop to 
 talk, you may be sure, but rowed as hard as we could. 
 
 " The night was pretty dark, and though several bullets 
 hit the boat, and a dozen of their arrows fell into it, only 
 one of us had a scratch, and that wasn't serious. As soon 
 
140 A LONG PURSUIT. 
 
 as we war fairly away, we set to work to roll up the buffalo 
 robes and skins into big bales, and lay them along on each 
 side of the boat, so as to form a protection for us from 
 their bullets and arrows ; for we guessed they would 
 follow us down, and in many places the river was so 
 shallow they could ride pretty well out to us. They did 
 follow us, on horseback, for the next two days, and shot 
 at us pretty hot at times. Once they rode so far out 
 in the shallows that we dared not pass them; so we 
 dropped anchor above, and took to our rifles, and gave 
 them a pretty sharp lesson, for they lost seven men. 
 After that they didn't try that game any more, but just 
 followed down in hopes we might stick on a sandbank. 
 I tell you I never looked out so sharp for shallows as I 
 did on that there voyage. 
 
 "Fortunately, at the end of the first day a breeze 
 sprang up from the north, and we got up a sail, for we 
 war pretty nigh done, having rowed by turns from the 
 time we pushed off. We war afraid, you see, as they 
 might patch up the other boats and set out after us, 
 though we hoped they mightn't think of it, for these 
 horse Indians don't know nothing of river work. They 
 gave it up at last, and we got safely down to St. Louis. 
 What the trouble was about I never heard, for not one of 
 those who had landed ever got away to tell us. I expect 
 it was some trouble about the quality of the goods, and 
 that the Indians got a notion they were being cheated, 
 which, sure enough, they war." 
 
 " Was anything done to punish the Indians, Hiram ? " 
 " Lor' bless you, who was to punish them ? Why, there 
 was scarce a settler then west of the Mississippi. No ; if 
 traders went among 'em they went among 'em at thar 
 
RIVER PIRATES. 141 
 
 own risk ; and, I am bound to say, that if the Indians 
 were treated fair, and the men understood thai ways, thai 
 was no great danger. The Indians knew if they killed 
 traders that others wouldn't come among them, and they 
 wanted goods guns and powder most of all, but other 
 things too, such as blankets, and cloth as they calls cotton, 
 and hatchets, beads, and other things, and they wanted 
 to trade off thar bosses and buffalo robes, and skins of all 
 kinds. That was the protection the traders had ; and it 
 warn't very often the Indians fell foul of them, except 
 it might be a muss got up over the fire-water. 
 
 " When the news came down to St. Louis there was a 
 good deal of talk about it ; but it got about that these 
 fellows had been taking up trash, and the general verdict 
 was that it sarved 'em right. All the traders on the 
 frontier set their faces agin men who cheated the Indians, 
 not because they cared for the Indians, mark you, but 
 because anything that made bad blood did harm to the 
 trade all over. However, it gave me a bad scare, and 
 it was a good many years before I came up the Upper 
 Missouri again. There 's some men as seems to me to be 
 downright fond of fighting ; but I don't feel like that, 
 anyway. If I get into a hard corner, and have got to 
 fight, then I fights, but I had rather go round the other 
 way if I could. Thar are dangers enough on this river 
 for me ; what with snags, and shoals, and storms, they 
 are enough for any reasonable man. Then there are the 
 river pirates ; they are worse than all, though it 's some 
 years since we had much trouble with 'em." 
 
 " Eiver pirates, Hiram ? I have not heard you say 
 anything about them before. I did not know there were 
 any pirates on these rivers." 
 
142 LAWLESS DATS. 
 
 " Thar used to be, lad, years back, lots of them, and a 
 pretty lively time we used to have on the river." 
 
 " But what sort of pirates, Hiram ? " 
 
 " Well, thar war two sorts, you see, at that time. Five- 
 and-twenty years ago the settlements on the river war a 
 long way apart. You might go fifty miles without seeing 
 a village when you ones got past the plantations on the 
 lower river ; you may say as this region then was like 
 what Kansas is now. Chaps who had made it too hot for 
 them in the east came out here, and just had to wrestle 
 round for a living. New Orleans is pretty bad now, but 
 it was a sight worse then ; and St. Louis was a pretty hard 
 place. Then, too, thar war runaway slaves. So you see, one 
 way or the other, a fellow who wanted to get together a 
 band up to any mischief had not to look far for men. 
 
 " Well, as I said, thar war two sorts. Thar war the 
 men who lived away from the river, say in the low country 
 between the Arkansas and the main stream, which was then 
 pretty nigh all swamp and forest ; perhaps they had hosses, 
 perhaps not, but mostly they had. Well, one fine morn 
 ing a dozen of them would ride into one of the villages 
 on the river. Thar wasn't much to take thar, you know, 
 onless it war fever, and they had enough of that in thar 
 own swamps. They would wait, may be, for a day two, till 
 a boat came in, and as soon as it had made fast they 
 would cover the men with thar rifles, and just empty it of 
 all it had got powder, blankets, groceries, and dry goods, 
 and what not and make off again. I got my cargo 
 lifted, I should say, a dozen times that way. It war 
 onpleasant, but thar was nothing for it ; and it warn't no 
 use making a fuss when you saw half a dozen rifles 
 pinted at you. Why, in the early days of steamers, 
 
143 
 
 more than once they got held up, and the fellows went 
 through the passengers and cargo and took what they 
 fancied. 
 
 " Well, that was one sort of pirate. The other was 
 what you may call the regular water pirate. They lived 
 on the islands, in among the back-waters, or where- 
 ever thar might be a patch of raised ground among the 
 swamps, and had boats ; and they would attack you at 
 night as you war dropping down the stream or poling up 
 the backs. They war wuss nor the others. A sight more 
 nor half of 'em war blacks ; and good reason why, for 
 the fevers carried off the whites as joined them before 
 they had been thar long. They was a powerful bad lot, 
 and those who fell into thar hands hadn't much chance 
 of thar lives. The runaway slaves war down on a white 
 man, and he had no marcy to expect at thar hands ; 
 besides, they didn't want no tales told which might scare 
 boats from going near the places where they war hiding. 
 So in general they fust emptied the boats, and then scuttled 
 and sunk them, and cut the throats of all on board. 
 Hundreds of boats war missed in those days, and none 
 ever knew for sartin what had become of them. 
 
 " I tell you one had to keep one's eyes open in those 
 days. We had strong crews, and every man was armed, 
 and a pretty sharp lookout was kept ; but for all that 
 thar was places, back-waters, and cuts, and such like, 
 whar I wouldn't have been stuck in after dark, not for 
 all the money in Orleans. Even in the open river no 
 one was safe from 'em, for they got so bold they would go 
 out, four or five boat-loads, and attack in broad daylight ; 
 things got so bad that no one dared go up or down, unless it 
 was ten or twelve boats together for protection. It war the 
 
1 44 " HOW WAS IT, HIEAM ? " 
 
 steamers as broke 'em up ; thar ain't no stopping a steamer, 
 and every one took to being towed up or down. Then 
 the population increased, and regular expeditions war got 
 up to hunt 'em down. Altogether it got made too hot 
 for 'em, and the game didn't pay ; but for some years, I 
 can tell you, they war a terror to the river." 
 
 " And were you never attacked, Hiram ? " 
 
 " I was chased several times," Hiram said ; " but I had 
 a fast boat and a good crew, and we generally had four 
 white men on board then, and plenty of arms. Yes, we 
 had some skirmishes, but it was only once I had a 
 regular set-to with 'em, and that war a pretty bad job." 
 
 " How was it, Hiram ? " 
 
 " Well, you see, the river was pretty full, and the wind 
 had been light for some time, and there warn't no way of 
 making against the main stream ; I had waited for three 
 weeks, and me and my mates got sick of it. We had a 
 cargo which was due up the river, and we made up our 
 minds at last that we would push on and take our chance. 
 We had eight negroes, all strong active fellows, armed 
 with cutlasses and old ship muskets, and we four whites 
 had rifles and pistols. We allowed we could make a 
 good fight of it, so we agreed as we would go up the back 
 waters, so managing as to be able to get out into the 
 stream every night and anchor thar. We shifted the cargo 
 a bit, so as to pile it up round the sides, stowing the rice- 
 bags so as to make a sort of breastwork; then off we 
 started. 
 
 " For some days we got along well ; the blacks poled 
 thar best, and every evening we just hit a pint where 
 we could go out into the stream agin. Two or three 
 times we fancied we war watched, for we heard the 
 
" THAT 'S A SIGNAL, BILL." 145 
 
 snapping of twigs, and sounds in the thick swamp jungle 
 ahead ; but I reckon they thowt better of it when they 
 saw two rifle- barrels peeping out from the sacks on 
 each side, and saw we war ready for a tussle. But one 
 day it wasn't very far from the pint where we mended 
 up that boat the other day we war later than usual ; the 
 stream war stronger than we reckoned on, we had run 
 aground two or three times on the mud, and it war getting 
 dark, and we had two miles yet before we got to a place 
 where we could get out into the river. The blacks war 
 working thar hardest ; it didn't need no words from us to 
 keep 'em at it, for they knew as well as we did what was 
 the danger, and the boat just flew along that narrow 
 channel." 
 
 "We war on the watch, with our eyes fixed on the 
 bank, and our ears pretty wide open to catch any sound 
 ahead. All of a sudden a gun was fired close along 
 side. The blacks gave a yell, and would have jumped 
 down into shelter, only I shouted, ' Stick to your poles, 
 men ; if you lose them we are done for; there 's no danger, 
 it 's only one man.' So on we went again, for, luckily, no 
 one was hit. ' That 's a signal/ Bill, says I to one of my 
 mates ; 'I reckon we shall have trouble afore we are out of 
 this.' On we went, flying between the bushes, which 
 warn't fifteen yards apart. Not a sound was heard but the 
 panting of the blacks, the splash of their poles in the 
 water, and a sort of sighing noise behind, as the ripples 
 the boat made as she glided along rustled among the 
 boughs which dipped down into the stream. 
 
 " We had got a mile further when we heard a noise. It 
 was much as a pole might make knocked against the side 
 of the boat. I knew thar was mischief now. * Get in your 
 
 U76) K 
 
146 "'NOW, GIVE IT 'EM,' SAYS i. n 
 
 poles,' lads, I said ; ' four of you get out oars through the 
 holes we have left for them atween the bags, and put your 
 muskets close at hand ; the other four get your muskets, 
 and station yourselves two on each side.' We went on 
 slowly now ; we knew they war ahead of us, and that 
 hurrying wouldn't do no good, and that we had got to fight 
 anyhow. It might have been five minutes when thar was 
 a flash from the bushes on either side which we could 
 scarce see in the darkness, and fully a dozen muskets 
 poured a volley into us, buckshot and ball, as we found on 
 looking over the boat the next morning. It was a good job 
 as we put them rice-bags in place, for I reckon thar wouldn't 
 have been many of us up to fighting if they hadn't been 
 thar. We had agreed not to fire back if we war fired at 
 from the wood, for they couldn't do us much harm thar, 
 and it was best to keep our fire for the boats which they 
 war sure to have as welL 
 
 " The moment the volley was fired two boats shot out, 
 one from each side. 'Now, give it 'em,' says I. Up 
 we jumped, four on each side, and poured our fire into 
 the boats, which warn't twelve feet away. The darkies 
 who war rowing had been told what to do, and, to do 
 'em justice, they did it well. Thar was a yell from 
 the boats as we fired, for I reckon every shot told; 
 but the way they had got brought 'em on, and their 
 bows struck us just at the same moment. Then at it we 
 went with our pistols as they crowded forward and tried to 
 get on board. It was over in half a minute, for the four 
 blacks had seized their poles, and, shoving them into the 
 boats, two on each side, pushed 'em off. 
 
 " I have heard pretty tall language on the Mississippi, 
 but I never heard such volleys of cussing as came up from 
 
A TOUGH FIGHT. 147 
 
 them boats ; some of the men blazed away with thar guns, 
 some shouted to others to row alongside, some who war hit 
 yelled and cussed like fiends ; and all this time we war 
 lying behind the bags, ramming down fresh charges for the 
 bare life. We gave 'em eight more shots before they could 
 cast off the poles and come at us again. This time they 
 came along more on the broadside, and five or six of 'em 
 sprang on board ; but we war ready with the butts of our 
 rifles, and the blacks with thar cutlasses, and we cleared 
 them off again. The four darkies had stuck to thar poles ; 
 one boat was shoved off, and one of the blacks run his pole 
 right through the bottom of the other, and in a minute she 
 went down. 
 
 " The other boat didn't know what had happened, and 
 came up agin ; but leaving two of the blacks to chop down 
 any of the fellows in the water who might try to climb 
 aboard, the other ten of us stood up and fought 'em fair. 
 Our blood was up now, and our darkies fought like demons. 
 The pirates soon found they had the worst of it, and 
 would have got apart from us if they could ; but we 
 jumped into thar boat and fought them thar, and they 
 soon jumped over and made for the bank. Directly it 
 was over they began to fire agin from the shore, and we 
 jumped back into shelter agin in our own boat and manned 
 the four oars agin. We fastened the painter of the boat 
 on to our stern, and towed her behind us, and in another 
 half an hour were out in the stream. It was a toughish 
 fight, I can tell you, while it lasted ; two of the blacks 
 and one of my mates had been hit by thar musket- 
 balls, and the rest of us war either gashed by thar knives 
 or had got ugly cracks. However, six of them war lying 
 in the boat when we hauled it alongside ; two war stone- 
 
148 THE END OF THE PIRATE8. 
 
 dead, the other four had been stunned with the butt ends 
 of the muskets, or cut down by the darkies' sabres. We 
 took 'em down to the next place and handed 'em over to 
 the sheriff; and as thar happened to be a lot of boats 
 waiting thar for the wind, you may guess it warn't many 
 hours afore they tried and hung 'em. 
 
 " When the chaps heard the particulars, and that we had 
 sunk one boat, besides bringing off another, they guessed 
 as likely enough the pirates war trapped thar ; and so they 
 got up a regular expedition, six boats, each with a dozen 
 men. I went back to show 'em the place. They brought 
 dogs with them, and hunted through the woods and swamps 
 till they came to the patch of higher ground whar the 
 pirates had got thar huts. Thar were about twenty of 'em, 
 mostly negroes, and they fought hard, for thar was no 
 escape, the boat having drifted away after it had sunk. 
 Behind thar war some widish channels, and some of the 
 boats had gone round thar to cut 'em off if they took to 
 swimming. They war killed, every man jack, and that 
 put an end to one of the very worst lots of pirates we 
 ever had on the river." 
 
 " You were lucky to have got out of it so well, Hiram. 
 I suppose that sort of thing is quite over now." 
 
 " Yes. In course thar are water thieves still, chaps who 
 steal things from the boats if thar is no one with 'em, or 
 if you are all asleep below ; but thar haven't been no real 
 pirates for years now leastways not above New Orleans. 
 Down in the great swamps, by the mouth of the river, 
 thar's always gangs of runaway slaves, and desperate 
 characters of all sorts, who have got to live somehow. 
 Thar are still boats sometimes missing up the river, which 
 may have been snagged and gone down with all hands, 
 
IN THE UPPER RIVER. 149 
 
 and which may be have corned to thar end some other way. 
 Anyhow, no one thinks much about pirates now, and the 
 river 's quite as safe as the streets of New Orleans. That 
 mayn't be saying much, perhaps, but it 's good enough. Of 
 course a party might any day take to the swamps and 
 stop up-passing boats, just as they might take to the 
 roads and stop waggons going west; but one doesn't 
 trouble about things onless they get so as to be what you 
 might call a general danger. 
 
 "You can't go into a bar-room without a risk of 
 getting into a fight with a drunken rowdy; you can't 
 stop at one of these landing-places but what thar's a 
 chance of getting into a mess with fellows who come in 
 from the backs for a spree, and one doesn't look to 
 have these rivers which, one and the other, are tens 
 of thousands of miles long, just kept as free from hard 
 characters as a street in Boston. It 's as good as we can 
 look for at present. Settlement is going on wonderful 
 fast, and, like enough, in another forty years there won't 
 be any more pirates on the great rivers here than thar 
 are on the seas. Steam and settlements is bound to 
 wipe 'em out at last." 
 
 During the last two or three hundred miles of the 
 journey up the Missouri a few settlements only were 
 passed, little villages nestling closely together on the edge 
 of the river, surrounded often by a stockade ; for although 
 the Indians were gradually falling back before the advance 
 of the whites, Indian wars were of frequent occurrence, 
 and then the bands of wild horsemen swept down to the 
 Missouri, carrying fire and destruction in their course. In 
 front of every settlement lay a scow or two, used partly 
 for the transportation of the crops, but valuable also as 
 
150 OMAHA. 
 
 an ark of refuge in case of attack. The shores were low, 
 and shallows and banks abounded in the stream, and some 
 times the tug ran aground four or five times in the course 
 of the day. In spite of his practice with his firearms, 
 and Hiram's talk and stories, Frank began to find the days 
 pass very slowly, and was not a little glad when Hiram 
 pointed out a cluster of huts on the left bank, and said, 
 "There is Omaha." 
 
 Half an hour later the tug was alongside, and Mr. 
 Willcox was on board. 
 
 " I am glad to see you up," he said, as the flats were 
 moored to the bank, and Frank stepped ashore and joined 
 him. " The time has gone slowly here ; for though I stayed 
 four days at St. Louis, I have been here nearly a week. 
 There is lots to do, and I am greatly pleased that I went 
 in for it. I wish you could have made up your mind to 
 settle here ; you would have made a precious deal better 
 thing of it than you ever will do by digging for gold. 
 However, I know it 's no use talking about that. I have got 
 a capital location on the main street ; I bought it off a fool 
 who came up in the steamboat with me, and had made up 
 his mind to sell out and cross the plains. I had an offer 
 for it yesterday at five times the price I gave for it ; but, 
 bless you, I wouldn't have taken twenty times. This is 
 going to be a big place. I am glad you have come for another 
 reason. I am putting up at one of the shanties they call an 
 hotel, but one might as well try to live in the Tower ot 
 BabeL There is an uproar day and night ; every inch of the . 
 floor is taken up for sleeping on, and I have been nearly 
 driven out of my mind. Now I can live on board the tug 
 till she goes down with the empty flats. I am glad I 
 brought up those eight negroes, for there would be the 
 
A WESTERN STORE. 151 
 
 greatest difficulty in hiring hands here ; every one seems 
 to have gone stark mad, and to consider every hour's delay 
 in pushing west as so much loss of a chance of making a 
 fortune." 
 
 For the next fortnight the labour was incessant. 
 Hiram, Frank, and the eight negroes toiled in landing the 
 stores and the framework of the house, and in transport 
 ing them to the lot which Mr. Willcox had purchased. 
 Even the engineers of the tug were induced by the high 
 payment Mr. Willcox offered to aid in the work. Several 
 stretchers, or hand-barrows, had been brought up with 
 them, and on these such bales and boxes as were too 
 heavy for one man to carry were transported. The 
 framework of the house was first carried to the site, and 
 four of the negroes who were good carpenters at once 
 began to put it together, so that by the time the last of the 
 goods were brought up the store was ready to receive 
 them. It was a building some sixty feet long by twenty 
 wide, and was divided into two by a partition : the one 
 end, twenty feet in length, was the saleroom ; in the other, 
 forty feet long, the bulk of the heavy goods, flour, rice, 
 bacon, hogsheads of sugar, and chests of tea, were 
 stored. There was, in addition, a lean-to, nine feet square, 
 at one end, which was to serve as the habitation of the 
 storekeeper. The assortment of goods was very large. 
 In addition to the stock of provisions, which filled the 
 storeroom nearly up to the roof, were a great quantity of 
 clothing fitted for the rough work of the plains, a large 
 assortment of rifles and pistols, kegs of ammunition, casks 
 of axle-grease, ironwork for waggons, and all the miscel 
 laneous stores, down to needles and thread, which would 
 be likely to be required by the emigrants. As soon as 
 
152 THE LAST POINT OF CIVILISATION. 
 
 the stores were all safely on shore and housed, the tug 
 started down the river again with the flats ; Hiram and six 
 of the negroes accompanied them, two of the latter being 
 retained as assistants to the storekeeper. Between 
 Hiram and Frank there was a very cordial adieu. 
 
 "I likes yer, young fellow," the boatman said; "you 
 will make your way, never fear, some day, if you get a 
 chance. Send a line to me, to the charge of the boss, and 
 let me know how things go with you. I shall be gladder 
 than I can tell you to hear as you 're making your way, 
 and I shall be anxious like till I hear as you have got 
 safely over this journey, for they do say as the Indians 
 are playing all sorts of devilry with the caravans. Well, 
 there 's one thing, you are a good shot now; but be careful, 
 lad, and don't get into no fights if you can keep out 
 of 'em." 
 
 Frank remained for another fortnight assisting in the 
 store ; by the end of that time things had settled down. 
 They were already doing a very large business, and Mr. 
 Willcox had sent down orders, both to St. Louis and New 
 Orleans, for fresh consignments of stores very greatly 
 exceeding those which he had brought up with him. 
 
 Three months previously Omaha had been a tiny 
 settlement of a dozen houses, but was rapidly growing 
 into a considerable place. 
 
 Many stores were rising, but the distance from the 
 inhabited settlements, and the difficulties of carriage, were 
 enormous. The population was, for the most part, a float 
 ing one, scores of waggons and vehicles of all sorts 
 arriving every day, while as many departed. This was 
 the last point of civilisation, and here the emigrants 
 generally halted for a few days to rest their weary cattle, 
 
TO THE WEST! 153 
 
 and to fill up their stores of provisions for the journey 
 across the wilderness. 
 
 All believed that a vast fortune awaited them on the 
 other side of the continent, and the most fabulous tales 
 of the abundance of gold were circulated and believed. 
 In some cases the parties consisted only of men who had 
 clubbed together and purchased a waggon, and started, 
 leaving their wives and families behind them. In others 
 they were composed of whole families, who had sold off 
 farms or businesses in the east in the assurance of acquir 
 ing a fortune at the gold-diggings. Around the little 
 settlement the plain was dotted with the white tilts of 
 the waggons, mingled with the tents which had been 
 extemporised of sail-cloth, tarpaulins, and blankets. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ON THE PLAINS. 
 
 THINK now that you can spare me, Mr. 
 Willcox," Frank said, just a month after 
 the day of landing. " The store has got into 
 swing now; the two negroes know their 
 work well, and everything is going on smoothly ; therefore, 
 if you have no objection, I shall see about making a start." 
 " I shall be sorry to lose you," Mr. Willcox said ; " but, 
 as you say, the place will run itself now. I shall go down 
 by the next steamer, and send up two more storekeepers 
 and a clerk from my office there. This is going to be a 
 big thing. Well, lad, here 's the money you gave me to 
 take care of, and the two hundred dollars due to you. I 
 will give orders to Simpson that you are to take every 
 thing you can require for your journey from the store, 
 and mind don't stint yourself; you have done right-down 
 good service here, and I feel very much indebted to you 
 for the way you have stuck to me at this pinch. I wish 
 you every luck, lad, and I hope some day that rascally 
 affair at home will be cleared up, and that you can go 
 back again cleared of that ugly charge. Anyhow, it is 
 well for you to make your way out here. It will be a 
 satisfaction for you, if you do go back, to have shown that 
 
 154 
 
"I AM A RICH MAN." 155 
 
 you were dependent on no one, but that you could fight 
 your own way, and make your living by the aid of youi 
 own hands and your own brain. And now look here, if 
 at any time you get sick of gold-digging, as you very well 
 may, and want to turn your hand to anything else and 
 in a country like that, mind you, with a population pour 
 ing in from all parts, there will be big opportunities, if 
 you want capital to start you, just you send a letter to 
 David Willcox, New Orleans, and tell me you have drawn 
 on me for five thousand dollars. I am a rich man, lad, 
 and have no children of my own ; I have some nephews 
 and nieces who will get my money some day, but I can do 
 what I like with it, and you will be heartily welcome to 
 the sum I mention. I have taken a fancy to you, and it 
 will be a real pleasure to me to help you. If you do well 
 you can some day send the money back, if you like ; if 
 you don't do well, there's an end of it. Don't let it 
 trouble you for a moment, for it certainly won't trouble 
 me, and be sure you don't hesitate to draw it when you 
 want it. Eemember, I shan't regard it as an obligation, 
 but it will be a real genuine pleasure to me to cash that 
 order." 
 
 Frank thanked Mr. Willcox very heartily for his kind 
 offer, of which he promised to avail himself should an 
 opportunity arise, and in any case to write to him 
 occasionally to tell him how he was getting on. Then he 
 strolled out to examine the great gathering round the 
 settlement, which hitherto he had had no time to do, 
 having been at work from daybreak until late at night. 
 As he wandered among the motley throng of emigrants, he 
 was struck with the hopefulness which everywhere pre 
 vailed, and could not but feel that many of them were 
 
156 BOUND A FIEE. 
 
 doomed to disappointment. Many of them were store 
 keepers, men who had never done a day's work in their life ; 
 some were aged men, encumbered with wives and large 
 families, and Frank wondered how these would ever sur 
 vive the terrible journey across the plains, even if they 
 escaped all molestation from the marauding Indians. He 
 paused for a moment near four men who were seated 
 round a fire cooking their meals. 
 
 All were sturdy, sunburnt men, who looked inured to 
 hardship and work. The fact that all were animated by 
 a common impulse rendered every one friendly and com 
 municative, and Frank was at once invited to sit down. 
 
 " Of course you are going through, young fellow ? " 
 
 " Yes," Frank said, " I am going to try." 
 
 " Got a horse, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Yes," Frank said, " a riding horse, and a pony for my 
 baggage." 
 
 " We calls it swag out on the plains," one said ; " we 
 don't talk of baggage here. Are you with any one ? w 
 
 " No," Frank replied, " I am alone ; but I am open to 
 join some party. I suppose there will be no difficulty 
 about that/ 
 
 " None on airth," the other answered ; " the stronger the 
 better. In course you have a rifle, besides that Colt in 
 your belt" 
 
 " Yes," Frank replied ; " but I suppose all this Indian 
 talk is exaggeration, and there is not much danger from 
 them." 
 
 " Don't you go to think it, young man ; the Injins is 
 thar, you bet, and no mistake, and a big grist of scalps 
 they will take. The news of this here percession 
 across the plains will bring them down as thick as bees 
 
157 
 
 on the track, and I tell you there will be some tough 
 fights afore we get across." 
 
 " Have you had much experience of the plains ? " 
 Frank asked. 
 
 " We are hunters/' the other said briefly, " and have 
 been out there, more or less, since we were boys. We 
 knows what Injins is, and have fought them agin and agin; 
 but none of us have ever made this journey, indeed there 
 warn't five men who had ever crossed the Eockies by 
 the northern track afore the gold scare began. But I 
 know enough of the country to know as it will be a 
 fearful journey, and full half of these people as you see 
 fooling about here as if they were out for a summer 
 excursion will leave their bones by the way." 
 
 "You don't really think things are as bad as that," 
 Frank said. 
 
 " I does," the other replied emphatically. " What with 
 Injins, and want of food and water, and fatigue, and the 
 journey across the plains, it will want all a man to make 
 the journey. We four means to get through, and are 
 bound to do it ; but as for this crowd you see here, God 
 help them ! " 
 
 "Do you mean to go with one of the caravans, or 
 start alone?" 
 
 "There is a lot going on to-morrow, and we shall 
 join them. We may be of some use, for the best part of 
 them are no better than a flock of sheep, and four good 
 hands may keep them out of some mischief ; but I expect 
 we shall have to push on by ourselves before the journey 
 is over." 
 
 "I am intending to go on to-morrow also," Frank said, 
 **and I hope you won't mind giving me some instructions 
 
158 THE CARAVAN. 
 
 in the ways of the wilderness, which are, I own, altogether 
 new to me." 
 
 " All right, young fellow ; we shall see you on the road, 
 and if you likes to chum up with us you may, for I likes 
 yer looks, and you seems to be one of the right sort" 
 
 Frank said that he would gladly chum with them if 
 they would allow him, and the next morning, at day 
 break, having said adieu to Mr. Willcox, he saddled his 
 horse and loaded up his pony, and moved across to the 
 spot where his new acquaintances were encamped. 
 They were preparing for a start. All had good riding 
 horses, while two baggage animals carried the provisions 
 for the party. The caravan which they intended to 
 accompany was already far out on the plain. 
 
 " They are off in good time," Frank said ; " I did not 
 think they would manage to move till midday." 
 
 " No more they would," one of the hunters said ; " but 
 the chap as is bossing the team moved them off yester 
 day evening, and got them a mile out of camp, so they 
 were able to start right off the first thing this morning." 
 
 In a few minutes they were on horseback, and, riding 
 at easy pace for the sake of the baggage- horses, they over 
 took the caravan in two hours. It consisted of fourteen 
 waggons, and four or five light carts with tilts over them. 
 The waggons were all drawn by oxen, having six, eight, or 
 ten according to their size or weight. The men walked 
 by the side of their cattle ; the greater part of the women 
 and children trudged along behind the waggons, while a 
 few with babies were seated within them. From time to 
 time one of the men or boys would set up a song, and all 
 would join in the chorus. One of these was ringing out 
 in the air when the hunters joined them. 
 
A BARGAIN. 159 
 
 " Poor critturs ! " the eldest of the hunters, who was 
 called Abe by the others, said, " they are as light-hearted 
 as if 'they war a-going to a camp meeting ; they don't know 
 what 's afore them." 
 
 The party rode on to the head of the waggons, where 
 the oxen were led by the man who was regarded as 
 the head of the party. He had at one time been a 
 hunter, but had married and settled down on a farm. 
 Two sons, nearly grown-up, walked by his side. He had 
 been chosen as leader by the rest as being the only one 
 of the party who had any previous knowledge of the plains 
 and their dangers and difficulties." 
 
 " Well, mate," Abe said, " I told you two days ago that 
 I thought that we should go on with your lot, and here we 
 are. I don't say as how we shall go all the way with you ; 
 that will depend upon circumstances ; at any rate we will 
 stay with ye for a bit. Now my proposal is this : you shall 
 hitch our three baggage -horses on behind your waggons, 
 and tell off one of the boys to look after them ; we shall 
 hunt as we go along, and what meat there is will be for 
 the service of the camp, but if we supply you with meat it 
 will only be fair that you supply us with flour and tea." 
 
 " That 's a bargain," the man said. " You bring us in 
 meat, and we will supply you with everything else ; and I 
 needn't tell you how glad I am to have you with me. 
 Five extra rifles may make all the difference if we are 
 attacked. We have got about twenty riiies in camp ; 
 but that ain't much, as, with women and children, we 
 count up to nigh sixty souls, and none of us here except 
 myself have had any experience of Indian ways." 
 
 " That 's fixed, then," Abe said. " At any rate you need 
 not be afraid of a surprise so long as we are with you." 
 
160 MUTUAL SATISFACTION. 
 
 The addition to their party gave great satisfaction to 
 the whole caravan. Of flour and bacon they had ample 
 stores to last them upon their long journey, and the 
 prospect of a supply of fresh meat was exceedingly 
 welcome; still more was the thought that the hunters 
 would be able to warn them against any surprise by the 
 Indians, and would, in case of the worst, aid them in 
 their defence. 
 
 The hunters were equally satisfied. Their supplies were 
 quite insufficient for the journey, and they were now free 
 from the necessity of accommodating their pace to that of 
 the baggage-horses. Their progress would, indeed, be 
 slower than it would have been had they journeyed alone, 
 but time was a matter of no importance to them. Even 
 in the matter of Indian surprises they were better off than 
 they would have been had they been alone. In case of 
 meeting these marauders, they must have abandoned their 
 baggage-animals ; and their prospects, either of flight or 
 defence, would have been poor had they met with a large 
 body when alone, whereas the force with the caravan could 
 defend the waggons against even a resolute attack of the 
 redskins. There was no occasion for the hunters to 
 set out in the pursuit of game for the first day or two, as 
 a supply of fresh meat had been brought from Omaha. 
 They therefore rode with the caravan, making the acquaint 
 ance of its various members. 
 
 One of the women had volunteered to cook for them ; 
 and thus, when they encamped on the banks of a small 
 stream, they had only to attend to the watering of their 
 animals. While the meal was preparing they walked about 
 in the camp, and gave many hints to the women as to the 
 best way of preparing fires. These were gratefully received, 
 
w WHAT IS IT, DICK ? " 161 
 
 for the emigrants were wholly unaccustomed to cooking 
 without the usual appliances, and their efforts, in many 
 cases, 'had been very clumsy and unsuccessful. They were 
 surprised to find that by digging a trench in the direction 
 from which the wind was blowing, and covering it over with 
 sods, they could get a draught to their fire equal to that 
 which they could obtain in a grate ; while by building a 
 low wall of sod close to leeward of the fire, they prevented 
 the flames from being driven away, and concentrated them 
 upon their pots and kettles. 
 
 " It does not matter for to-night, M Abe said to the leader, 
 " nor for a good many nights to come ; but if I was you I 
 should begin to-morrow to make 'em arrange the waggons 
 in proper form, the same as if we was in the Injin country. 
 It ain't no more trouble, and there 's nothing like begin 
 ning the right way." 
 
 " You are right," the man said, " to-morrow night we will 
 pitch them in good form ; but for a time there will be no 
 occasion for the cattle to be driven in every night, the 
 longer they have to graze the better." 
 
 " That 's so," Abe said ; " they will want all their con 
 dition for the bad country further on." 
 
 The following day the hunters left the camp early. 
 There was little chance of finding game anywhere near the 
 line which they were following, for the wild animals would 
 have been scared away by the constantly passing caravans. 
 After riding for ten miles they began to keep a watchful 
 eye over the country, which, although flat to the eye, was 
 really slightly undulating. Proceeding at an easy pace, 
 they rode on for upwards of an hour. Then Dick, one of 
 the hunters, suddenly drew rein. 
 
 "What is it, Dick?" Abe asked. 
 
162 STALKING A HERD. 
 
 " I saw a horn over there to the left, or I am mistaken," 
 the hunter said. 
 
 " We will see, anyhow," Abe said ; " fortunately we are 
 down wind now. You had better stop behind this time, 
 young fellow, and watch us." 
 
 In a moment the four men dismounted and threw their 
 reins on the horses' necks a signal which all horses on 
 the plains know to be an order that they are not to move 
 away and the animals at once began cropping the grass. 
 For a short distance the men walked forward, and then, as 
 they neared the brow over which Dick declared he had 
 seen the horn, they went down on all fours, and finally, 
 when close to the brow, on their stomachs. 
 
 Very slowly they drew themselves along. Frank looked 
 on with the greatest attention and interest, and presently 
 saw them halt, while Abe proceeded alone. He lifted up 
 his head slightly, and immediately laid it down again, while 
 the other three crawled up close to him. There was a 
 moment's pause, then the guns were thrust forward, and 
 each slightly raised himself. 
 
 A moment later the four rifles flashed, and the men 
 sprang to their feet and disappeared over the brow. Frank 
 rode forward at full speed to the spot, and arrived there 
 just in time to see a number of deer dashing at full speed 
 far across the plain, while the four hunters were gathered 
 round three dead stags in the hollow. The hunters' shots 
 had all told; but two had fired at the same animal, 
 the bullet-holes being close to each other behind the 
 shoulder. 
 
 " Dick was right, you see," Abe said. " It was lucky he 
 caught sight of that horn, for we might not have come 
 upon another herd to-day. Now we will make our way 
 
LEARNING THE SIGNS. 163 
 
 on to the camping-ground ; we can go easy, for we shall 
 be there long before the teams." 
 
 Their horses were brought up, and the deer placed upon 
 them. The hunters then mounted, and took their way 
 in the direction of the spot where the caravans would 
 encamp for the night. 
 
 " I understand how you find your way now, because 
 the sun is up," Frank said, " but I cannot understand how 
 you would do it on a cloudy day, across a flat country like 
 this, without landmarks." 
 
 " It 's easier to do than it is to explain it," Abe said. " In 
 the first place there 's the wind ; it most always blows here, 
 and one only has to keep that in a certain quarter. If there 
 ain't no wind, there 's the grass and the bushes ; if you look 
 at these bushes you will see that they most all turn a little 
 from the direction in which the wind generally blows, and 
 this grass, which is in seed, droops over the same way 
 Then, in course, there is the general direction of the valleys, 
 and of any little streams. All of these are things one goes 
 by at first, but it gets to come natural, what they call by 
 instinct; one knows, somehow, which is the way to go 
 without looking for signs. You will get to it in time, if 
 you are long enough on the plains ; but at present you 
 watch the forms of all the bushes and the lay of the grass, 
 'cause you see in hunting we might get separated, and you 
 might miss your way, If you should do so, and ain't sure 
 of your direction, fire your gun three times, as quick as 
 you can load it, and if we are in hearing we will fire a gun 
 in reply and come to you; but you will soon get to know the 
 signs of the country if you will pay attention and keep 
 your eyes skinned." 
 
 They arrived at the stream fixed upon for the camping- 
 
164 JOURNEYING ONWARD. 
 
 ground early in the afternoon. The point at which the 
 caravans would cross it was plain enough, for the 
 waggons all travelled by the same line, and the trail was 
 strongly marked by the ruts of wheels where the ground 
 was soft, by broken bushes, and trampled herbage. The 
 saddles were taken off the horses, and these were allowed 
 to graze at will ; those of the hunters were too well-trained 
 to wander far, and Frank's horse was certain to keep with 
 the others. 
 
 Late in the afternoon the waggons arrived ; it had been 
 a long march of more than twenty miles, and men and 
 beasts were alike tired. The women and children had, 
 during the latter part of the journey, ridden in the 
 waggons. There was a general feeling of satisfaction at 
 the sight of the hunters and their spoil, and at the blaz 
 ing fire, over which a portion of the meat was already 
 roasting. The oxen were unharnessed and watered, the 
 waggons were ranged six on each side, and two across 
 one end, the other end being left open for convenience ; 
 across this the light carts were to be drawn at night. 
 The deer were skinned, cut up, and divided among the 
 various families in proportion to their numbers. 
 
 For two months the caravan moved forward without 
 adventure. The hunters kept it well provided with game, 
 which was now very plentiful. Very disquieting rumours 
 were afloat along the road. These were brought down by 
 the express riders who carried the mails across the 
 plains, and for whose accommodation small stations were 
 provided, twenty or thirty miles apart ; and as these were 
 placed where water was procurable, they were generally 
 selected as camping-grounds by the emigrants. 
 
 The tales of Indian forays, which had at first been little 
 
DISQUIETING REPORTS. 165 
 
 more than rumours, were now confirmed. The express 
 riders reported that the Indians were out in large numbers, 
 and that many attacks had been made upon parties of 
 emigrants, sometimes successfully, and involving the 
 massacre of every soul in them. The caravan was still 
 some distance from the scene of these attacks ; but as the 
 Indians ranged over the whole plains, it could not be said 
 that they were beyond the risk of assault. Acting under 
 the hunters' advice, the caravan now moved in much 
 closer order, the waggons advancing two abreast, so that 
 they could be formed in position for defence at the short 
 est notice ; and the rifles were always kept loaded, and 
 strapped on the outsides of the waggons in readiness for 
 instant use. 
 
 Frank had by this time become an adept in hunting, 
 and though still very far behind his companions in skill 
 with the rifle, was able to make a fair contribution towards 
 the provisioning of the camp. The hunters now divided 
 into two parties, three going out in search of game on one 
 side of the line of march, two on the other ; they thus 
 acted as scouts on either side, and would be able to bring 
 in word should any suspicious signs be observed. Several 
 small herds of buffalo had been met with, and a sufficient 
 number killed to provide the party with meat for some 
 time to come. 
 
 Frank had never passed a more enjoyable time than 
 those two months of travel The air was clear, bright, and 
 exhilarating ; the long days spent in the saddle, and the 
 excitement of the chase, seemed to quicken his pulse and 
 to fill him with a new feeling of strength and life. His 
 appetite was prodigious, and he enjoyed the roughly 
 cooked meals round the blazing fire of an evening, as he 
 
166 A PLEASANT TIME. 
 
 had never enjoyed food before. The country was, it is 
 true, for the most part monotonous, with its long low 
 undulations, and the bare sweeps, unbroken by tree or 
 bush ; but there was always something new and interest 
 ing to be seen, for Frank was fond of Natural History, 
 and the habits and ways of the wild creatures of the 
 prairie were full of interest for him. His companions, 
 although taciturn when on horseback and engaged in 
 scouting the country, or in hunting, were full of anecdote 
 as they sat round the fire of an evening, and Frank heard 
 many a story of wild adventure with the Indians or in 
 the chase. 
 
 When they returned early to the camp, there was 
 plenty of amusement in wandering about among the 
 waggons, watching the various groups engaged at their 
 work as unconcernedly as if they had been still in their 
 little farms among the settlements, instead of on the 
 plains with months of toilsome and dangerous journey 
 before them. Some of the women cooked, while others 
 mended their clothes and those of their husbands and 
 children, while the men attended to the oxen, or made 
 such repairs as were needed to the waggons and harness. 
 
 As for the children, the life suited them admirably ; to 
 them it was a continual picnic, without school or lessons. 
 And yet they too had their share of the work, for as soon 
 as the waggons halted, all save the very little ones started 
 at once over the plain to search for the dried buffalo 
 dung, or, as it was called, chips, which formed the staple 
 of the fires ; for wood was very scarce, and that in the 
 neighbourhood of the camping-grounds, which were always 
 at a stream or water-hole, had long since been cleared off 
 by the travellers who had preceded them. The chips 
 
SOAP- WEED. 167 
 
 afforded excellent fuel, burning with a fierce, steady glow, 
 and making a fire something like that afforded by well- 
 dried peat. Another source of fuel were the bones which 
 lay in many places, scattered pretty thickly. Sometimes 
 these marked the spot where long before a party of 
 Indians had come upon a herd of buffalo, sometimes 
 they were remains of the cattle of caravans which had 
 preceded them ; these were often quite fresh, the herds 
 of coyotes stripping off the flesh of any animals that fell 
 by the way, and leaving nothing in the course of a day 
 or two after their death but the bare bones. Whenever 
 the caravan came upon such a skeleton upon the line of 
 march, the men broke it up, and flung the bones into one 
 of the waggons for the night's fire. 
 
 Sometimes, as they got well on in their journey, they 
 came to patches of soap- weed, a vegetable of soft, pulpy 
 nature, which grows to a considerable height, and dies 
 from the bottom, retaining its greenness of appearance 
 long after the stem has become brown and withered ; it 
 burns freely, with a brilliant flame. The women of the 
 party rejoiced when a clump of soap- weed was dis 
 covered, and it was always the occasion of a general 
 wash, as by immersing some of it in water it had all the 
 properties of soap, except that it did not make the lather 
 which distinguishes the real article. But in places where 
 the soap- weed was not to be found, and chips were scarce, 
 the hunters did their best to supply fuel, and would 
 generally bring home large bundles of wood upon such of 
 the horses as were not carrying game. 
 
 The children's greatest delight was when the camp 
 happened to be pitched near a prairie-dog town, and 
 they were never weary of watching the antics of these 
 
168 PRAIRIE DOGS. 
 
 funny little creatures. Some of these towns were of 
 considerable extent, the ground within their circle being 
 quite bare of herbage from their scratching, and the 
 constant scampering of their little feet, and covered 
 thickly with the mounds which marked the entrances to 
 the innumerable holes. The prairie-dogs themselves were 
 about the size of rabbits, but seemed to Frank, from 
 their quick, jerking motions, and their habit of sitting 
 up on their hind-legs, to resemble squirrels more than 
 any other animal. They were as much interested in 
 the travellers as the latter were with them, almost every 
 mound having its occupant sitting up watching them 
 inquisitively. There were four or five dogs with the 
 caravan, and until the novelty had passed off, and they 
 became convinced of the utter futility of the chase, 
 the dogs exhausted themselves in their endeavours 
 to capture the prairie-dogs. These seemed to feel an 
 absolute enjoyment in exasperating the dogs, sitting im 
 movable until the latter were within a few yards of them, 
 and then suddenly disappearing like a flash of lightning 
 down their holes, popping their heads out again and 
 resuming their position on the tops as soon as the dogs 
 had dashed off in another direction. 
 
 But the prairie-dogs were not the only occupants of 
 the towns ; with them, apparently on terms of great 
 friendship, lived a colony of little owls, sharing their 
 abodes, and sitting with them on their hillocks. There 
 were also a third species of inhabitant, and the presence 
 of these caused strict orders to be given to the children 
 not to wander over the ground ; these were rattlesnakes, 
 of which, on a sunny afternoon, many could be seen bask 
 ing on the sand-heaps. 
 
STRANGE FELLOWSHIP. 169 
 
 "Yes, you always find the three together," Abe said, 
 in answer to Frank's question, "and how such contrary 
 things get to be friends is more nor I can tell. Sartin 
 they must eat each other, there ain't anything else for 
 'em to eat. The prairie-dogs air a puzzle ; you never see 
 'em any distance beyond thar towns, and yet they must 
 live on grass and roots. The owls, no doubt, live on little 
 prairie-dogs, and the rattlesnakes may sometimes eat an 
 old one. Still, there it is ; they never seem afraid of each 
 other, and no one, as far as I knows, has ever seen a prairie 
 dog fifty yards away from his town. The rummest thing 
 about them is as every town has got its well The prairie- 
 dogs have all got their holes, and though you may see 'em 
 going about popping in and out of each other's houses, I 
 fancy as they always keep to their own. But there 's one 
 hole which they all use, and that goes down to the water. 
 No matter how deep it is, they takes it down ; I fancy 
 the whole lot digs at it by turns till they get there. You 
 will see thar towns are always on lowish ground, so that 
 they can get down to water all the sooner ; that 's why 
 they build up those mounds round each hole." 
 
 "I thought it was just the earth they had thrown out, 
 Abe." 
 
 " So it is, partly ; but it serves to keep the water out in 
 the wet season too. If you watch 'em you can see 'em 
 building the earth up and patting it down hard if it gets 
 broken down. Sometimes, in very wet weather, thar 
 will be a flood, and then the whole lot, dogs and owls 
 and snakes, get drowned all together. Mighty nasty 
 places they are, I tell yer, when they are desarted. At 
 other times you can see 'em plain enough, and can ride 
 through 'em at a gallop, for the horses are accustomed 
 
1 70 RATTLESNAKES. 
 
 to pick thar way ; but after a year or two, when the 
 grass grows again, and is breast high in summer, and you 
 come across one of them, the first you know about it is 
 the horse puts his foot in a hole, and you are flying 
 through the air. Many a fall have I had from them 
 darned little things." 
 
 " Are they good eating, Abe ? " 
 
 " Yes, they ain't bad eating ; and if you lie down quiet, 
 and shoot straight, you ain't long in making a bag. But 
 you have got to 1H11 'em to get 'em ; if you don't put 
 your bullet through thar head, they just chucks them 
 selves straight down the hole, and it would take an hour's 
 digging, and it may be more, to get at 'em." 
 
 " There seems to be a tremendous lot of rattlesnakes in 
 some places, Abe." 
 
 " Thar are that, lad ; I have seen places where you 
 might kill a hundred in an hour with your Colt. Thar 
 are two sorts, them as you finds on the plains and them 
 as you finds among rocks ; one are twice as big as the 
 other, but thar ain't much difference in thar bite." 
 
 "Is it always fatal, Abe?" 
 
 " Not often, lad, either to man or horse, though I have 
 known horses die when they have been bit in the head 
 when they have been grazing. The best thing is to tie a 
 bandage tightly above the place, and to clap on a poultice 
 of fresh dung that draws out the poison ; and then, if you 
 have got it, drink half a bottle of spirits. It ain't often 
 we get bit, because of these high boots ; but the Injins get 
 bit sometimes, and I never heard of thar dying. The 
 only thing as we are regular feered of out in these plains 
 is a little beast they call the hydrophobia cat" 
 
 " I never heard of that. What is it like, Abe t" 
 
DEADLY VERMIN. 171 
 
 " It is a pretty little beast, marked black and white, 
 and about 'the size of a big weasel It has got a way of 
 coming and biting you when you are asleep, and when it 
 does it is sartin death ; thar ain't no cure for it ; the best 
 plan is to put your Colt to your head and finish it at 
 once." 
 
 " What horrible little beasts ! * Frank said ; " I hope 
 they are not common." 
 
 " No, they ain't common, and there 's more danger from 
 them down south ; if you sleeps in an old Mexican hut 
 that 's been deserted, or places of that sort, it's best to look 
 sharp round afore you goes to sleep." 
 
 The game most commonly met with were the black- 
 tailed and white-tailed deer. These were generally met 
 with in parties of from six to twelve, and were usually 
 stalked, although sometimes, by dividing and taking a 
 wide circle, they could manage to ride them down and 
 get within shot. This could seldom be done with the 
 antelope, which ran in much larger herds, but were so 
 suspicious and watchful that there was no getting within 
 shot, while, once in motion, they could leave the horses 
 behind with ease. The only way in which they could 
 get them would be by acting upon their curiosity. One or 
 two of the hunters would dismount, and crawl through the 
 grass until within three or four hundred yards of the herd ; 
 then they would lie on their backs and wave their legs 
 in the air, or wave a coloured blanket, as they lay 
 concealed in the grass. The herd would stop grazing 
 and look on curiously, and gradually approach nearer and 
 nearer to investigate this strange phenomenon, until they 
 came well within shot, when the hunters would leap t9 their 
 feet and send their unerring bullets among them. 
 
172 THE COYOTES. 
 
 " You would hardly believe, now," Peter said, one day 
 when he and Frank had brought down two fine antelopes 
 by this manoeuvre, "that the coyotes are just as much up 
 to that trick as we are. They haven't got a chance with 
 the deer when they are once moving, although sometimes 
 they may pick up a fawn a few days old, or a stag that 
 has got injured ; but when they want deer-meat they just 
 act the same game as we have been doing. Over and 
 over again have I seen them at their tricks ; two of them 
 will play them together. They will creep up through 
 the grass till they can get to a spot where the antelope 
 can see them, and then they will just act as if they were 
 mad, rolling over on their backs, waving their legs about, 
 twisting and rolling like balls, and playing the fool, till 
 the antelope comes up to see what is the matter. They let 
 them come on till they are only a few yards away, and 
 then they are on one like a flash, before he has time 
 to turn and get up his speed. One will catch him by a 
 leg, and the other will get at his throat, and between 
 them they soon pull him down. They will sham dead 
 too. Wonderful 'cute beasts is them coyotes ; they are 
 just about the sharpest beasts as liva" 
 
 " Do they live entirely upon deer ? " 
 
 " Bless you, no ; they will eat anything. They hang 
 about behind the great buffalo herds, and eat them as 
 drops ; where there are such tens of thousands there is 
 always some as is old or injured and can't keep up ; besides, 
 sometimes they get scared, and then they will run over a 
 bluff and get piled up there dead by hundreds. The 
 coyotes pick the bones of every beast as dies in the 
 plains. The badgers helps them a bit ; there are lots of 
 those about in some places." 
 
CHAPTEB X. 
 
 A BUFFALO STORY. 
 
 [OMETIMES, instead of taking his rifle and 
 accompanying the other hunters, Frank 
 would borrow a shot-gun, and go out on 
 foot and return with a good bag of prairie- 
 fowl, birds resembling grouse. Occasionally, in the 
 canyons, or wooded valleys, far away from the track, the 
 hunters came across the trail of wild turkeys ; then two 
 of them would camp out for the night, and search under 
 the trees until they saw the birds perched on the boughs 
 above them, and would bring into camp in the morning 
 half a dozen dangling from each of their saddles. 
 Frequently, in their rides, they came across skunks, 
 pretty black and white little animals. Frank was about 
 to shoot the first he saw, but Peter, who was with him, 
 shouted to him not to fire. 
 
 " It 's a skunk," he said ; " it ain't no use wasting your 
 powder on that varmin. Why, if you were to kill him, 
 and went to take it up, you wouldn't be fit to go into 
 camp for a week ; you would stink that bad no one 
 couldn't come near you. They are wuss than pizen, 
 skunks. Why, I have seen dogs sit up and howl with 
 disgust after interfering with one of them. I don't say 
 
 173 
 
174 A HERD OF BUFFALOES. 
 
 as they can't be eaten, cos the Indians eat them ; and, 
 for the matter of that, I have ate them myself. But 
 they have to be killed plump dead, and then the stink-bag 
 has to be cut out from them directly ; but if you ain't hard 
 pressed for food, I advise you to let skunks alone." 
 
 The first time that they came across a large herd of buffalo 
 was a day Frank long remembered. He was out with the 
 four hunters ; they had just scampered to the top of one 
 of the swells, when they simultaneously reined in their 
 horses, for the valley half a mile wide in front of them 
 was filled with a dark mass of moving animals, extending 
 back for two or three miles. 
 
 "There, Frank," Abe said, "there is meat for you 
 enough for an army for months." 
 
 Frank was too surprised to speak for a time ; the number 
 seemed countless. 
 
 "What a wonderful sight !" he exclaimed at last 
 
 "Ay, that it is, lad, to one who has never seen it 
 afore; and to think that thar are scores of herds like 
 that out on these plains. It 's one of the mightiest sights 
 of natur. But it 's nothing to see 'em now, going along 
 quiet, to what it is to see 'em when they are on the 
 stampede, when the ground shakes with thar tread, and 
 the air seems in a quiver with thar bellowing; thar 
 don't seem nothing as could stop 'em, and thar ain't If 
 it 's a river, they pours into it ; if it 's a bluff, they goes 
 over it, and tens of thousands of them gets killed The 
 Injins is mighty wasteful of thar flesh, but I doubt 
 whether all the Injins in the continent kills as many as 
 kills themselves in them wild stampedes. We will just 
 wait where we are until they are past, and then we 
 will drop down on 'em and cut three or four of 'em off. 
 
FRANK KILLS HIS BEAST. 175 
 
 We will take one apiece ; that will give us as much flesh 
 as the waggons can load up, and I don't hold to taking 
 life unless the meat 's wanted. Now, lad, all that you 
 have got to do is, when you ride down just single out 
 your beast, ride alongside of him, and empty your Colt 
 behind his shoulder. Keep rather behind him, and have 
 your horse well in hand to wheel if he twists round and 
 charges you." 
 
 A few minutes later the signal was given, and the five 
 horsemen dashed down the slope. A deep bellow pro 
 claimed that the herd had become aware of the presence 
 of their enemies. The leisurely pace at which they were 
 proceeding changed instantly into a gallop on the part of 
 those conscious of danger. The impulse was com 
 municated to those in front, and in a few seconds the 
 whole herd was tearing along like a mighty torrent. 
 
 But they were too late to escape the hunters, who 
 came down upon their rear, and each proceeded to single 
 out an animal Following Abe's instructions, Frank 
 ranged up alongside a fine bull, and opened fire with his 
 revolver at a point just behind the shoulder. At the 
 third shot the great beast swerved sharply round, and had 
 not Frank been on the alert he would have lost his seat, 
 so sharply did the horse wheel to avoid the animal's 
 horns. The buffalo at once resumed its course behind the 
 herd ; but Frank was soon alongside again, and as he fired 
 the last shot of his revolver had the satisfaction of seeing 
 the great beast stagger and then fall prostrate. He at once 
 reined in his horse and looked round. His companions 
 were all some distance in the rear, having brought down 
 their game with less expenditure of lead, knowing ex 
 actly the right spot where a wound would be fatal 
 
1 76 " KILL WHAT YOU WANT." 
 
 " That 's a fair lot of meat," Abe said, as they gathered 
 into a group. " That will last 'em a long time. Now, if 
 we had been Injins, we should have gone on shooting and 
 shooting till we had killed a score or more, and then 
 taken just the best bits, and left the rest for the coyotes ; 
 but I call it downright wicked to waste meat. Kill what 
 you want that's natural and right; but I am agin 
 drawing a bead on an animal, whether he be buffalo or 
 deer, or what-not, onless you want his meat, or onless his 
 hide be of value to you. If men acted on that thar rule 
 there would be game on these plains for any time ; it 's 
 wilful destruction as is clearing 'em out, not fair hunting. 
 
 " Now we will ride off and stop the teams as they come 
 along and bring 'em round here. It won't be so very far 
 out of thar way. We can stop a couple of days to cut 
 up and dry the meat. The rest will do the cattle good, 
 and there 's nothing like having a supply of dried meat ; 
 I don't say it 's as toothsome as fresh, but it ain't ter be 
 despised, and the time may come, in fact it 's pretty sure 
 to come, when we shan't be able to do much hunting 
 round the waggons. We are getting nigh the country 
 where we may expect to meet with Injin troubles. It 's 
 just as well we met with this herd afore we got thar, for 
 we should have been pretty sure to find a party of them 
 hanging on the rear of the buffalo." 
 
 Three hours later the waggons arrived at the spot, the 
 emigrants in high spirits at the news that such an abun 
 dant supply of meat had been procured. The hunters 
 skinned and cut up the five buffaloes ; the waggons were 
 placed some fifteen yards apart, and several cords stretched 
 tightly between them; upon these was hung the flesh, 
 which was cut in strips some four inches wide and half 
 
JERKING THE FLESH. 177 
 
 an inch thick. By the end of the third day the whole 
 of the meat was dried by the united action of the sun 
 and wind. The skins had been pegged out in the sun, 
 and some of the boys, under Abe's instructions, roughly 
 cured them, first scraping them inside, and then rubbing 
 them with fat mixed with salt. 
 
 " It 'a a rough way," Abe said, " and the Injin women 
 would laugh to see it ; they just rub and rub at them till 
 they get them as soft and pliable as the leather they make 
 gloves of East. Still, they will keep as they are, and will 
 do to chuck in the bottom of the waggons for the women 
 and children to sit upon ; besides, we shall find it cold at 
 night as we get on, and a buffalo-robe ain't to be despised, 
 even if it ain't dressed to perfection. When they dry and 
 get stiff the boys can take another rub at 'em when we 
 halts ; it will give them something to do, and keep them 
 out of mischief." 
 
 " Talking of buffalo," Abe began, as the hunters were 
 sitting round the fire on the evening of the hunt, "that 
 reminds me that it wasn't so very far from this har spot 
 that me and Eube was nearly wiped out by the Utes 
 some ten years ago. Eube, he was a young chap then, 
 and had not been long out on the plains. We war hunt 
 ing with a party of Cheyennes, and had been with them 
 well-nigh all the summer. One day we war in pursuit 
 of buffalo they were plentiful then ; you think they are 
 plentiful now, but you would see ten herds then for every 
 one you see now. But they are going, and I expect in 
 another twenty years that a man might ride across the 
 plains and never catch sight of a hump. If the gold turns 
 out to be as rich as they say, there will be hundreds of 
 thousands of people cross these plains, and, like enough, 
 
 (478) M 
 
1 78 * ' UTES/ SAYS I, ' BY THUNDER ! ' " 
 
 settlements be formed right across the continent. How 
 ever, there war plenty of herds ten years ago. 
 
 "We had come upon a big herd, and was chasing them. 
 I had singled out an old bull, and had pushed right into 
 the herd after him; Kube, he was pretty close to me. 
 Well, I came up to the bull, and put a rifle-ball between 
 his ribs. The herd had rather separated as we got amongst 
 them, making way for us right and left as we rode after 
 the bull As he fell we reined in our horses, and looked 
 round. Not a Cheyenne was to be seen : five minutes 
 afore they had been hanging on the herd, sending their 
 arrows in up to the feather among the buffalo; now not a 
 soul was to be seen. You may guess this staggered me 
 and I says to Rube, ' Look out, Rube, there 's something 
 up, as sure as fate.' 
 
 " Well, I had scarcely spoken afore I saw a big party 
 of Injins come charging down across our rear. 'Utes,' 
 says I, ' by thunder ! They are after the Cheyennes ! Fling 
 yourself flat on your horse, Rube, and get into the herd/ 
 
 "The buffalo war only fifty yards away yet, and yer may 
 be sure we spurred up pretty sharp till we got up to them. 
 I seed at once it was our only chance. Our horses war 
 blowed, for we had had a sharp chase afore we caught 
 the herd, and there was no chance of our getting away 
 from the Utes in the open plains. We soon caught up 
 the herd, and charged in among them. The brutes were 
 packed so close together that they could hardly make 
 room for us; but we managed to wedge ourselves in. 
 Those next to us snuffed and roared, but they war too 
 pressed by those behind to do much ; but by shouting 
 and waving our hats we managed to keep a clear space 
 three or four yards on either side of us. All this 
 
A TERRIBLE SITUATION. 179 
 
 time we war lying down on our horses' necks, and there 
 war no fear that any one would see us in the midst of 
 that sea of tossing cattle ; but I war afraid they would 
 have caught sight of us afore we got among 'em. I cussed 
 myself for having fired that last shot ; they must have 
 heard it, and would have known that some of us hadn't 
 seen them coming, and must be somewhere among the 
 herd. 
 
 " I raised my head a little at last, and took a look 
 round. Sure enough, there was a dozen Utes coming up 
 behind the herd. I puts spurs again into my horse, and, 
 catching up an old bull in front of me, progged him with 
 my bowie-knife, and Kube did the same to the beast 
 next to him. They gave a roar and plunged on ahead 
 through the mass, and we followed close to their heels. 
 It was tight work, I can tell you, for the buffaloes on both 
 sides war touching one another. We kept going about 
 half a length behind the beasts next to us, so that the 
 horses' shoulders war just behind the shoulders of the 
 buffaloes ; as you know, the buffaloes have got no necks 
 to speak of, and so, although they gave savage thrusts 
 with their horns, they couldn't get at the horses. Our 
 beasts were frightened near out of their lives, but they war 
 well broken, and we managed to keep 'em in hand. 
 
 " The thing I was most afraid of was that they would 
 be knocked off their legs, and in that case we should be 
 trampled to death in a minute. As I leaned forward I 
 kept one hand fixed on the neck of the buffalo next me, 
 and I shouted to Eube to do the same, so as we could 
 make a shift to jump on to the buffalo's back if our 
 horses fell ; but, I tell you, I was beginning to fear that 
 we shouldn't see any way out of it. What with us in 
 
180 * IT WAS DEATH TO STOP." 
 
 the middle, and the Utes yelling behind them, the herd 
 war fairly mad with fright ; and there war no saying 
 where they would go to, for, you know, a herd of 
 buffaloes, when fairly stampeded, will go clean over a 
 precipice a hundred yards high, and pile themselves up 
 dead at the foot till there is not one left It war a bad 
 fix, you bet, for I war sure that the Utes war after us, and 
 not after the buffaloes, for they kept on, though they could 
 soon have killed as many of the herd as they wanted. It 
 was may be four in the afternoon when the chase com 
 menced, and so it went on till it was dark. The buffaloes 
 war going nigh as fast as when we started, but the horses 
 could scarce keep their legs ; I was sure they couldn't run 
 much longer, so I says to Eube, 'We must get out of 
 this, or else we shall be done for.' 
 
 " So we sets to work a-probing the buffalo with our 
 knives again. They started on ahead as hard as they 
 could, bursting a way through the crowd. We followed 
 close behind them, keeping up the scare until we finds 
 ourselves in front of the herd ; then we spurred our 
 horses on, and dashed out in front Done as the horses 
 were, they knew they had got to go, for, with the herd 
 coming like thunder upon their heels, it was death to 
 stop. We swerved away to the right, but it took us 
 half an hour afore we war clear of the front of the herd. 
 We went a few hundred yards further, and then drew 
 rein. 
 
 " Eube's horse fell dead as he stopped, and mine wasn't 
 worth much more. For half an hour we could hear the 
 herd rushing along, and then it had passed. We had got 
 out of our biggest fix, but it warn't a pleasant position. 
 
 " There we war out on the plains, with only one horse 
 
HIDINOr THE TRAIL. 181 
 
 between us, and he so done up that he couldn't put one 
 foot afore the other. 
 
 " Where the Cheyennes war there was no saying ; 
 the band might have been wiped out by the Utes, or 
 they might have got away. At any rate there was no 
 counting on them. The Utes who had followed the herd 
 would be sure to be on our trail in the morning ; they 
 would follow all night, or as long as the herd ran. When 
 the buffalo war fairly tired out they would lay down, 
 and the Utes would see then as we warn't there. Then 
 they would set out upon the back-trail, skirting along 
 each side of the line trampled by the herd until they 
 came upon our trail; the dead horse was a sign as 
 they could see a mile away, so it was clear that we must 
 foot it as soon as we could. We gave the horse an hour's 
 rest ; and it did us as much good as him, for I can tell you 
 we war pretty well used up. We drove him afore us 
 until, after six hours' walking, we came to a stream. We 
 went up this for an hour, then we both filled our hunting- 
 shirts with stones and fastened them on the horse, and 
 then drove him off." 
 
 " What did you put the stones on his back for ?" Frank 
 asked. 
 
 " To make the Utes think as he was carrying double. 
 Each of the loads was about the weight of a man, and the 
 horse was so tired that he staggered as he walked ; so as 
 they would see his tracks, and wouldn't see ours, they 
 would naturally come to the conclusion as we war both 
 on his back. It warn't likely as the critter would go far 
 before he laid down, perhaps not more than half a mile ; 
 but that would do for us. We went back a few hundred 
 yards in the stream, and then struck off across the prairie, 
 
182 
 
 the same side as we had come from, taking care to make 
 as little sign as possible. 
 
 "The Utes would be riding along by the side of the 
 stream and looking for a horse's print, and the chances 
 war that they wouldn't see ours. When they came up to 
 the horse and found out the trick, they would gallop 
 back again ; at least half of them would go up the stream 
 and half would take the back-track ; but, you see, as they 
 went up they would have trampled across our track, and 
 they would find it mighty hard work to pick it up 
 again. 
 
 "We footed it all day, and the prospect warn't a 
 pleasant one. The nearest settlement was nigh a 
 thousand miles away, we had no horses, and we daren't 
 fire a gun for fear of bringing Utes down upon us. We 
 had made up our minds to strike for the Cheyennes' 
 country, that being the nearest where we could expect to 
 find friends. For two days we tramped on. The third 
 day we war sitting by the side of a stream, eating a 
 prairie-dog as we had trapped, when Eube stopped eating 
 suddenly, and said, ' Listen !' 
 
 " I threw myself down and put my ear to the ground, 
 and, sure enough, could hear the gallop of horses. ' Injins,' 
 says I, and chucks a lot of wet sand and gravel over the 
 fire, which was fortunately a small one. I knew, in 
 course, if they came close that way, as they would see it ; 
 but if they passed at some distance they would not notice 
 us. Then Eube and I bounded into the water, and laid 
 down close under a high bank, where the grass grew long, 
 and drooped over to the water so as to cover our heads. 
 
 " We heard the redskins coming nearer and nearer, 
 and they stopped at the stream a quarter of a mile or so 
 
" THAT WAS A NARROW ESCAPE." 183 
 
 above us. We listened, I can tell you, for the sound of 
 their going on again ; but no such luck, and after a quartet 
 of an hour we knew as they were going to camp there. 
 I felt pretty thankful as it was late in the afternoon, 
 for I guessed, in the first place, as they would light their 
 fire and cook their food, so none of them war likely to 
 be coming down our way until it was after dark 
 
 " We waited and waited, till it got quite dark ; then we 
 followed the stream down for another four or five miles, 
 and then took to the plains again. It was another three 
 days afore we fell in with a party of Cheyennes. It 
 seemed as how most of those we had been with had been 
 killed by the Utes ; the others had taken the news home, 
 and the whole tribe had been turned out We war pretty 
 well done up, but the chief dismounted two of his men 
 and put us on their horses, and we set off at once. We 
 knew pretty well the line that the party as was following 
 us had taken, and the next night we saw the fires of their 
 camp, and you bet not one of them went home to tell the 
 tale." 
 
 " That was a narrow escape indeed, Abe," Frank said. 
 
 " It war all that. It war lucky that it war late afore 
 the hunt began ; if it had been early in the day nothing 
 could have saved us onless, of course, our horses had been 
 fresh, and faster than those of the Utes, and then we should 
 have made straight away instead of getting into the herd." 
 
 "They don't seem to go as fast as a horse, Abe. I 
 seemed to keep up quite easily with that bull I shot" 
 
 "Yes, for a burst a horse is faster than a buffalo, but when 
 they once gets going on a downright stampede they will 
 tire out any horse, and go well-nigh as fast too. I tell you 
 you have to be pretty spry, even if you are well-mounted}, 
 
184 HOW TO FIGHT FIRE. 
 
 when a downright big herd, well on the stampede, comes 
 on you. It 's a terrible sight, and it makes one tingle, I can 
 tell you, especially as the horse is pretty nigh mad with 
 fear." 
 
 " It must be as bad as a prairie fire." 
 
 " Worse, my lad ; ever so much worse. You can see a 
 prairie fire fifty miles away more nor that at night, ever 
 eo much and you have plenty of time to set the grass 
 afire ahead of you, and clear the ground afore it comes up, 
 though it does travel, when the wind is blowing, much 
 faster than a horse can gallop. T have seen it go thirty 
 miles an hour, the flames just leaping out ahead of it and 
 setting grass alight a hundred yards before the main body of 
 the fire came up. I tell you it is a terrible sight when the 
 grass has just dried, and is breast-high ; but, as I say, there 
 ain't no cause to be afraid if you do but keep your head. 
 You just pulls up a band of grass a couple of feet wide, and 
 lights it ahead of you ; the wind naturally takes it away 
 from you, and you look sharp with blanket or leggings to 
 beat it down, and prevent it working back agin the wind 
 across the bit of ground you have stripped. As it goes it 
 widens out right and left, and you have soon got a wide 
 strip cleared in front of you. In course you don't go on to 
 it as long as you can help it, not till you are drove by the 
 other fire coming up ; that gives it time to cool a bit. If 
 you must go on soon, owing to being pressed, or from the 
 fire you have lit working round agin the wind as it will 
 do if the grass is very dry the best plan is to cut up your 
 leggings, or any bit of hide you have got with you, the 
 rawer the better, and wrap them round your horse's feet 
 and legs ; but it ain't often necessary to do that, as it don't 
 take long for the ashes to cool enough so as to stand on." 
 
THE END OF THE HUNTING. 185 
 
 Fortunately a bottom with good grass had been found 
 close at hand to the place where they encamped, and when 
 the caravan proceeded the draft oxen were all the better 
 for their two days' rest. 
 
 " We shall have to begin to look out pretty sharp for 
 Injin signs," Abe said, as they started early next morning. 
 " Fresh meat is good, but we can do without it ; there 's 
 enough pork and jerked meat in the waggons to last 
 pretty nigh across the plains ; but we are getting where 
 we may expect Injins in earnest. We might, in course, 
 have met 'em anywhere, but as they know the caravans 
 have all got to come across their ground, it don't stand to 
 reason as they would take the trouble to travel very far 
 east to meet 'em. I don't say as we won't knock down a 
 stag, now and agin, if we comes across 'em, but the less 
 firing the better. We have been hunting up till now, but 
 we must calculate that for the rest of the journey we are 
 going to be hunted ; and if we don't want our scalps taken, 
 not to talk of all these women and children, we have got 
 to look out pretty spry. I reckon we can beat them off in 
 anything like a fair fight that is, provided we have got 
 time to get ready before they are on us, and it depends on 
 us whether we do have time or not." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 HOW DICK LOST HIS SCALP. 
 
 r O or three days after they had moved from 
 their last halting-place, when they were sit 
 ting at the fire one evening, and Abe had 
 been telling a yarn of adventure, he said, 
 when he had finished : 
 
 " About the closest thing as I know was that adventure 
 that Dick thar had. Dick, take off that thar wig of yourn." 
 
 The hunter put his hand to his head and lifted at once 
 his cap, made of skin, and the hair beneath it, showing, 
 to Frank's astonishment, a head without a vestige of hair, 
 and presenting the appearance of a strange scar, mottled 
 with a deep purple, as if it was the result of a terrible 
 burn. 
 
 " You see I have been scalped," the hunter said. " I 
 don't suppose you noticed it few people do. You see, I 
 never takes off my fur cap night or day, so that no one 
 can see as I wears a wig." 
 
 "There's nought to be ashamed of in it," Abe said, 
 " for it is as honourable a scalp as ever a man got. Do you 
 tell the story, Dick." 
 
 "You know it as well as I do," the hunter replied, 
 " and I ain't good at talking." 
 
 186 
 
ABE'S STORY. 187 
 
 " Well, I will tell you it then," Abe said, "seeing that 
 I knows almost as much about it as Dick does. The 
 affair occurred the very year after what I have been telling 
 you about. Dick was attached as hunter and scout to 
 Fort Charles, which was, at that time, one of the furthest 
 west of all our stations. There was fifty infantry and 
 thirty cavalry there, and little enough too, for it war just 
 on the edge of the Dacota country. The Dacotas are a 
 powerful tribe, and are one of the most restless, trouble 
 some lots I knows. Several strong parties of our troops 
 have been surprised and cut to pieces by them ; and as to 
 settlements, no one but a born fool would dream of 
 settling within reach of them. 
 
 " I never could quite make out why we wanted to put 
 a fort down so close to them, seeing as there warn't a 
 settlement to protect within a hundred and fifty miles ; 
 but I suppose the wiseacres at Washington had some sort 
 of an idea that the redskins would be afraid to make ex 
 cursions to the settlements with this fort in their rear, 
 just as if they couldn't make a sweep of five hundred 
 miles if they took it into their heads, and come back 
 into their country on the other side. 
 
 " Just at that time there was no trouble with them ; 
 the hatchet was buried, and they used to come into the 
 fort and sell skins and furs to the traders there for tobacco 
 and beads. After that affair I was telling ye of, Eube 
 and me, we went back for a spell to the settlement, and 
 then took a fancy to hunt on another line, and, after 
 knocking about for a time, found ourselves at Fort 
 Charles. That was where we met Dick for the first time. 
 
 "The Commander of the fort was a chap named 
 White, a captain ; he had with him his wife and 
 
188 A CARELESS COMMANDER. 
 
 daughter. A worse kind of man for the commander of 
 a frontier station you could hardly find. He was not a 
 bad soldier, and was well liked by his men, and I have 
 no doubt if he had been fighting agin other white men 
 he would have done well enough ; but he never seemed to 
 have an idee what Injin nature was like, and weren't 
 never likely to learn. 
 
 " First place, he despised them. Now, you know, the 
 redskins ain't to be despised. You may hate them, you 
 may say they are a cussed lot of rascals and thieves, but 
 there ain't no despising them, and any one as does that is 
 sure to have cause to repent it, sooner or later. There 
 was the less reason with the Dacotas, for they had cut 
 up stronger bodies of troops than there was at Fort Charles 
 without letting a soul escape. Then, partly because the 
 captain despised them, I suppose, he was always hurting 
 their feelings. 
 
 " Now, a chief is a chief, and a man who can bring three 
 hundred horsemen into the field, whether he is redskin or 
 white, is a man to whom a certain respect should be paid. 
 But Captain White never seemed to see that, but just 
 treated one redskin like another, just as if they war dirt 
 beneath his feet. Well, as I told you, he had with him 
 his wife and daughter. His wife was too fine a lady for 
 a frontier fort, still, she was not badly liked ; but as to the 
 daughter, there warn't a man in the fort but would have 
 died for her. She war about fifteen year old, and as 
 pretty as a flower. She war always bright and merry, 
 with a kind word to the soldiers as she rode past them 
 on her pretty white mustang. 
 
 "Dick, here, he worshipped her like the rest of us. 
 If he got a particular good skin, or anything else, if he 
 
QUEEN MAY. 189 
 
 thought she would like it he would put it by for her, 
 and she used, in her merry way, to call him her scout. 
 Well, one day Black Dog, one of the most powerful chiefs 
 of the Dacotas, rode into the fort with twenty of his 
 braves. Just as he came in, Queen May, as we all called 
 her, came galloping up on her mustang, and leapt like a bird 
 from her saddle at the door of the commander's house, 
 where her father was standing. I war standing next to 
 him, and so I saw Black Dog's eye fall on her, and as long 
 as she stood talking there to her father he never took it 
 off; then he said something to the brave as was sitting 
 on his horse next to him. 
 
 " ' Cuss him !' Dick said to me, and I could see his hold 
 on his rifle tighten, 'what does he look at Queen 
 May like that for? You mark my words, Abe, trouble 
 will come of this/ 
 
 " It was not long before trouble did come, for half 
 an hour later the Dacota rode out of the fort with his 
 men in great wrath, complaining that Captain White 
 had not received him as a chief, and that his dignity was 
 insulted. It war like enough that Captain White was 
 not as ceremonious as he should have been to a great 
 chief for, as I told you, he war short in his ways with 
 the redskins but I question if harm would have come 
 of it if it hadn't been that Black Dog's eye fell on that 
 gal. 
 
 " I believe that there and then he made up his mind 
 to carry her off. We didn't see any redskins in camp 
 for some time ; and then rumours were brought in by the 
 scouts that there war going to be trouble with them, 
 that a council had been held, and that it war decided 
 the hatchet should be dug up again. Captain White 
 
190 TOO LATE I 
 
 he made light of the affair ; but he was a good soldier, 
 and warn't to be caught napping, so extra sentries were 
 put on, 
 
 " As Eube and me didn't belong to the fort, of course 
 we war independent, and went away hunting, and 
 would sometimes be away for weeks together. One day, 
 when we war some forty miles from the fort, we came 
 upon the trail of a large number of redskins going 
 east We guessed as there must be nigh two hundred of 
 them. They might, in course, have been going hunting, 
 but we didn't think as it were so ; sartainly they had no 
 women with them, and they had been travelling fast. 
 We guessed the trail was three days old, and we thought 
 we had best push on straight to the fort to let them know 
 about it. 
 
 " When we got thar we found we were too late. On 
 the morning of the day after we had started a scout had 
 arrived with the news that a strong war-party of Dacotas 
 were on their way to the settlements. Captain White at 
 once mounted half his infantry on horses, and with them 
 and the cavalry set out in pursuit, leaving the fort in 
 charge of a young officer with twenty-four men. Just 
 after nightfall there was a sound of horsemen approaching, 
 and the officer, thinking it was the Captain returning, 
 ordered the gate of the stockade to be left open. In a 
 moment the place was full of redskins. The soldiers 
 tried to fight, but it were no use ; all war cut down, only 
 one man making his escape in the darkness. 
 
 " At daybreak, the Captain, with his troops, rode into 
 the fort. Dick, who had been with him, had, when the 
 party was returning, gone out scouting on his own 
 account, and had come across the back-track of the red- 
 
- OF HER THERE WEREN'T NO SIGNS." 191 
 
 skins. The moment he had brought in the news the 
 horses were re-saddled again, and the party started back ; 
 but they had gone nearly sixty miles the day before, and 
 it was not until morning that, utterly exhausted and 
 weary, they got within sight of the fort. Then they saw 
 as it war too late. 
 
 " Not a roof was to be seen above the stockade, and a 
 light smoke rising everywhere showed as fire had done it 
 They rode into camp like madmen. There lay all theii 
 comrades, killed and scalped ; there were the bodies 
 of Mrs. White and her servants, and the nigger labourers, 
 and the trader and his clerks, and of all who had been 
 left behind in the camp, except the Captain's little 
 daughter ; of her there weren't no signs. Eube and me 
 arrived half an hour later, just as the soldier who had 
 escaped had come in and was telling how it all came 
 about. 
 
 " It war a terrible scene, I can tell you ; the Captain 
 he were nigh mad with grief, and the men were boiling 
 over with rage. If they could have got at the Dacotas 
 then they would have fought if there had been twenty to 
 one against them. Dick war nowhere to be seen ; the 
 man said that he had caught a fresh horse, which had 
 broken its rope and stampeded through the gate while 
 the massacre was going on, and that he had ridden away 
 on it on the Indian trail 
 
 " If the horses had been fresh the Captain would have 
 started in pursuit at once, and every man was burning to 
 go. But it was lucky as they couldn't, for if they had I 
 have no doubt the whole lot would have been wiped out 
 by the Dacotas. However, there was no possibility of 
 moving for at least a couple of days, for the horses war 
 
192 UNPALATABLE ADVICE. 
 
 altogether used up after the march. So they had time 
 to get cool on it. 
 
 ' That afternoon the Captain, who was in council with 
 the two officers who remained, sent for Eube and me, and 
 asked us our opinion as to what was best to be done. We 
 says at once that there weren't nothing. 'You have lost nigh 
 a third of your force,' says I, ' and have got little over forty 
 left. If we were to go up into the Dacota country we 
 should get ambushed to a certainty, and should have a 
 thousand of them, perhaps two thousand, down on us, and 
 the odds would be too great, Captain ; it couldn't be done. 
 Besides, even if you licked them and I tell you as your 
 chance of doing so would be mighty small they would 
 disperse in all directions, and then meet and fight you 
 agin, and ye wouldn't be no nearer getting your daughter 
 than you war befora 
 
 " ' If you ask my advice, it would be that you should send 
 back to the nearest fort for more men, and that you should 
 at once get up the stockade where it has been burnt down, 
 for there is no saying when you will be attacked again. 
 I tell you, Captain, that to lead this party here into the 
 Dacota country would mean sartin death for them.' 
 
 ' Mad as the Captain was to go in search of his 
 daughter, he saw that I was right, and indeed I concluded 
 he had made up his mind he could do nothing before he 
 sent for us, only he hoped, I suppose, as we might 
 give some sort of hope. ' I am afraid what you say is 
 true,' says he. ' At any rate we must wait till Dick, the 
 scout, returns ; he will tell us which way they have gone, 
 and what is their strength/ 
 
 By nightfall the soldiers had buried all the dead just 
 outside the stockade, and had built a temporary wall for 
 
A PAINFUL CHOICE. 193 
 
 there wasn't a stick of timber within miles across the 
 gaps in the fence." 
 
 " At nightfall Eube and me, whose horses war fresh, 
 started for the nearest fort, and four days afterwards got 
 back with forty more horse-soldiers. We found that Dick 
 had not come back, and we made up our minds as he had 
 gone under. When we were away we had heard that the 
 redskins had attacked the settlements in a dozen different 
 places, and that there was no doubt a general Injin war had 
 broken out. The officer at the fort where I went to was 
 a major ; it was a bigger place than Fort Charles, which 
 was a sort of outlying post. I had, in course, told him 
 about the Captain's daughter being carried off. 
 
 " He sent up a letter with the soldiers to the Captain, 
 saying how sorry he was to hear of his loss, and he 
 sent up forty men ; but he ordered that unless Captain 
 White had received some intelligence which would, 
 in his opinion, justify his undertaking an expedition into 
 the Indian country with so small a force as he could 
 command, he was at once to evacuate the place and 
 fall back with his force on the settlement, as the position 
 was quite untenable, and every man was needed for the 
 defence of the settlers. 
 
 " When the Captain got the order he walked up and 
 down by hisself for four or five minutes. Yer see it war 
 a hard choice for him ; as a father he was longing to go 
 in search of his child, as a soldier he saw that he should 
 be risking the whole force under his command if he did 
 so, and that at a time when every man was needed at 
 the settlements. At last the order was given that the 
 troops should take the back-track to the settlements on 
 the following evening. 
 
 (476) 
 
194 "THERE'S A WHITE HORSE IN FRONT." 
 
 " The Captain told the officers that he should wait till 
 then to give the horses of the men who had arrived with 
 us time to rest ; but I know in his heart he wanted to 
 wait in the hope of Dick arriving with news. 
 
 "The next day, at four in the afternoon, the men 
 war beginning to saddle their horses, when the sentry 
 suddenly gave tha cry of ' Injins, Injins ! ' 
 
 "In a moment every man seized his carbine and 
 sword, and shoved his bridle on his horse's head, buckled 
 up, and jumped into the saddle. There was no occasion 
 for any orders. I climbed up on to the stockade, for the 
 country was pretty nigh a dead flat, and the lookout had 
 been burnt with the huts. 
 
 " Sure enough, there in the distance war some horse 
 men coming across the plain ; but they war straggling, 
 and not many of them. I could not make head nor tail 
 of it. They war Injins, sure enough, for even at that 
 distance I could tell that by their figures. Then I saw as 
 there was more of them coming behind them ; the idea 
 suddenly struck me : ' Eide, Captain ! ' I shouted ; ' ride 
 with your men for your life, they are chasing some one.' 
 
 " There warn't any necessity for Captain White to give 
 any orders ; there was a rush to the gate, and as fast as 
 they could get through they started out at full gallop. 
 Me and Kube dropped over the stockade, for our critters 
 war picketed outside. We didn't wait to saddle them, 
 you may guess, but pulled up the ropes, jumped on to 
 their backs, and galloped on; and we war soon by 
 the side of Captain White, who was riding as if he was 
 mad. We could see them a little plainer now, and says 
 I, suddenly, ' Captain, there is a white horse in front, by 
 gum ! ' 
 
195 
 
 " A sort of hoarse cry came from the Captain, and he 
 spurred his horse agin, although the critter was going at 
 its best speed. They war two miles from us yet, but I 
 could soon make out as the white horse and another was 
 a bit ahead, then came eight or ten Injins in a clump, and 
 a hundred or more straggling out behind. It seemed to 
 me as they war all going slow, as if the horses war dead- 
 beat ; but what scared me most was to see as the clump 
 of Injins war gaining on the two ahead of them, one of 
 whom I felt sure now was the Captain's daughter, and 
 the other I guessed was Dick. 
 
 " The Captain saw it too, for he gave a strange sort of 
 cry. ' My God ! ' he said, * they will overtake her/ We 
 war still a mile from them, when we saw suddenly the 
 man in front this chap Dick here part sudden from the 
 white horse, wheel straight round, and go right back 
 at the Injins. They separated as he came to them. We 
 saw two fall from their horses, and the wind presently 
 brought the sound of the cracks of pistols. There war 
 no ' Colts ' in those days, but I knew that Dick carried a 
 brace of double-barrelled pistols in his holsters. Then 
 the others closed round him. 
 
 " There was a sort of confusion ; we could see toma 
 hawks waving, and blows given, and when it was over 
 there war but four Injins out of the eight to be seen on 
 their horses. But the white horse had gained a hundred 
 yards while the fight was going on, and the Injins saw 
 that we war a-coming on like a hurricane, so they turned 
 their horses and galloped back again. 
 
 " Three minutes later the Captain's daughter rode up. 
 She war as white as death, and the Captain had just time 
 to leap off and catch her as she fainted dead away. The 
 
196 " THEY FOUND HIM WELL-NIGH DEAD." 
 
 rest of us didn't stop, you bet ; we just gave a cheer and 
 on we went, and the Dacotas got a lesson that day as 
 they will remember as long as they are a tribe. Their 
 horses were so dead-beat they had scarcely a gallop in 
 them, while ours were fresh, and I don't think ten of the 
 varmints got away. 
 
 " We didn't draw rein till it was dark, and next morn 
 ing we counted two hundred and fifteen dead redskins 
 on the plains. The first thing in the morning, Kube and 
 me rode back to where the fight began, to give Dick a 
 burial We looked about, but couldn't find him. There 
 was Black Dog, with one of his bullets through his 
 forehead, two others shot through the body, and one with 
 his skull stove in with a blow from Dick's rifle, which was 
 lying there with the stock broken. So we supposed the 
 Captain had had him carried to the fort, and we rode on 
 there. 
 
 "When we got there we found as he was alive. It 
 seems at the moment the Captain's daughter recovered 
 from her faint she insisted on going back with the 
 Captain to see if Dick was alive. They found him well- 
 nigh dead. He had got an arrow through the body, 
 and two desperate clips with tomahawks, and had been 
 scalped, but he was still breathing. There war no one 
 else nigh, for every man had ridden on in pursuit; but 
 they managed, somehow, between them, to get him upon 
 the Captain's horse. The Captain he rode in the saddle, 
 and held him in his arms, while his daughter led her 
 horse back to the fort There they dressed his wounds, 
 and put wet cloths to his head, and watched him all night 
 
 " In the morning he was quite delirious. Fortunately the 
 Captain considered that after the way they had licked the 
 
DICK'S WIG. 197 
 
 redskins the day before there was no absolute necessity 
 for evacuating the Fort ; so the troops cut turf and made 
 huts, and parties were sent off to the nearest timber to 
 bring in boughs for roofs, and there we stopped, and in 
 six weeks Dick was about again with his wig on his head. 
 
 "You will wonder whar he got his wig from, seeing 
 as that sort of thing ain't a product of the plains ; but he 
 is wearing his own hair. Among the fust of the Injins 
 we overtook and killed was a chap with Dick's scalp 
 hanging at his girdle, and when it was known as he was 
 alive they searched and found it ; and one of the soldiers 
 who was fond of collecting bird-skins, and such like, 
 just preserved it in the same way, and when Dick was 
 able to go out again he presented him with his own scalp. 
 So if any one says to Dick as he ain't wearing his own hair, 
 Dick can tell him he is a liar. 
 
 " Lor', how grateful that gal was to Dick ; he never was 
 a particular good-looking young fellow, and he wasn't im 
 proved by the scrimmage, but I believe if he had axed her 
 she would have given up everything and settled down as 
 a hunter's wife." 
 
 Dick growled an angry denial. 
 
 " Well, mate, it may be not quite that, but it war very 
 nigh it It was downright pretty to see the way she hung 
 about him, and looked after him, just for all the world as 
 if she had been his mother, and he a sick child. The 
 Captain, too, didn't know how to make enough of Dick ; 
 and as for the men, they would have done anything for 
 him for having saved the life of Queen May. I heard, 
 three or four years afterwards, as she married the young 
 officer who was in command of the horse-soldiers at 
 the next fort." 
 
198 " NOW, DICK, SPEAK OUT." 
 
 " But tell me," Frank said, " how did Dick manage to 
 get her away from the Indians ? " 
 
 " That," Abe said, " he 'd better tell you himself, seeing 
 as concerning that part of the business he knows more 
 nor I do. Now, Dick, speak out." 
 
 " There ain't much to tell," Dick said gruffly, taking the 
 pipe from his mouth. "Directly as we got back to camp, 
 and I found she had gone, it seemed to me as I had got to 
 follow her ; and my eye lighting on the loose horse, I soon 
 managed to catch the critter, and, shifting my saddle to it, 
 I started. As you may guess, there war no difficulty in 
 following the trail. They had ridden all night, though 
 they knew there was no chance of their being pursued. 
 But about fifty miles from the fort I came upon their 
 first halting-place ; they had lit fires and cooked food 
 there, and had waited some hours. 
 
 " The ashes were still warm, and I guess they had left 
 about four hours afore I arrived ; so I went on more care 
 fully, knowing that if I threw away my life there was no 
 chance of recovering the gal. I guessed, by the direction 
 which they were taking, they were going to Black Dog's 
 village ; and, after going a bit further on the trail to make 
 sure, I turned off, and went round some miles, in case they 
 should have left any one to see if they war followed. I 
 knew where the village was, for I had been hunting near it. 
 
 " I camped out on the plains for the night, and next 
 day rode to within five miles of the village, which was 
 among the hills. I left my horse in a wood where there 
 was water, and, taking my rifle and pistols, went forward 
 on foot to the village and arrived there after dark. As I 
 expected, I found the hull place a^cir. A big fire was 
 blazing in the centre ; on a pole near it hung the scalps 
 
" HUSH ! DON'T MOVE." 199 
 
 they had taken, and they were a-dancing round it and 
 howling and yelling. I didn't see any signs of the gal ; 
 but as there were two redskins with their rifles hanging 
 about the door of a wigwam next to that of the chief, I 
 had no doubt she was there. 
 
 " This wigwam was in the centre of the village, and 
 there were lots of old squaws and gals about, so that I 
 could not, for the life of me, see any way of stealing her 
 out. Next night I went back to the camp and watched, 
 but the more I thought on it, the more difficult it seemed. 
 The second night I catched an Injin boy who was 
 wandering outside the camp. I choked him, so that he 
 couldn't hollo, and carried him off; and when I got far 
 enough away I questioned him, and found that in two days 
 there was to be a grand feast, and Black Dog was then 
 going to take the white gal as his squaw. So I saw as 
 there was no time to be lost. I strapped up the Indian 
 boy and tied him to a tree, and then went back to the 
 village. 
 
 " This time the gal was sitting at the door of the tent 
 I crept up behind, cut a slit in the skins, and got inside. As 
 I expected, there was no one in there, the squaws as was 
 watching her was outside ; so I crept up close to the 
 entrance, and I says to her, ' Hush ! don't move, your 
 scout Dick is here/ She gave a little tremble when I 
 began, and then sat as still as a mouse. 
 
 " Says I, ' I don't see no plan for getting you away 
 secret, you are watched altogether too close, the only plan 
 is to make a race for it. There ain't many horses on the 
 plain as can beat that mustang of yours, and I know you 
 can ride him barebacked. Do you take a head of maize 
 now. and walk across to where he is picketed, and feed and 
 
200 "NOT TOO FAST." 
 
 pat him ; then to-morrow morning early do the same. 
 They won't be watching very closely, for they will think 
 you are only going to do the same as to-night I 
 have put an open knife down behind you. You cut his 
 rope, jump on his back, and ride straight ; I will join you 
 at the bottom of the valley. They may overtake us, but 
 they won't hurt you ; if they do catch you, they will just 
 bring you back here again, and you will be no worse off 
 than you are now. Will you try ? ' The gal nodded, and 
 I crept away out of sight. 
 
 " A few minutes afterwards I saw her going along with 
 some ears of maize to where the horses were tied up. 
 Two Indians followed her at a little distance, but she 
 walked across so natural that I don't think they had any 
 suspicion ; she fed the horse, and talked to it, and petted 
 it, and then went back to the village. Next morning, 
 before daylight, I mounted my horse and rode to the 
 mouth of the valley, a quarter of a mile from the village. 
 
 " Half an hour after daylight I heard a yell, and almost 
 directly afterwards the sounds of a horse's hoofs in full 
 gallop. I rode out, and along she came as hard as the 
 horse could go. Three or four mounted Indians war just 
 coming into the other end of the valley four hundred 
 yards away. 
 
 " ' All right, Queen May, we have got a fine start/ says 
 I, and then we galloped along together. ' Not too fast/ I 
 told her, ' it ain't speed as will win the race. There is a 
 long hundred miles between us and the fort. We must 
 keep ahead of them varmint for a mile or two, and then 
 they will settle down.' 
 
 " For the first five or six miles we had to ride fast, for 
 the redskins tried the speed of their horses to the utmost ; 
 
"IT WAS SAFE TO BE A LONG CHASE." 201 
 
 but none of them gained anything on us, indeed we 
 widened the gap by a good bit. You see at first they only 
 thought it was a wild scheme on the part of the gal, 
 and the first as started jumped on the first horses that 
 came to hand ; it wasn't till they saw me that they found 
 it was a got-up thing. One of the first lot galloped back 
 with the news. But by the time the alarm was spread, 
 and the chase really taken up in earnest, we was a good 
 mile away, and a mile is a long start. 
 
 "Black Dog and some of his best-mounted braves rode too 
 hard at first. Ef we had only had a short start they would 
 have catched us, perhaps ; but a mile's start was too much 
 to be made up by a rush, and so Black Dog should have 
 known ; but I reckon he was too mad at first to calculate. 
 By hard riding he and his best-mounted braves got within 
 half a mile of us when we war about ten miles from the 
 village. But by that time, as you may guess, the steam 
 was out of their horses, while we had been riding at a 
 steady gallop. 
 
 " The first party that had started had now tailed away, 
 and was as far back as the chief. It was safe to be a long 
 chase now, and I felt pretty sure as the gal would escape, 
 for her mustang was a beautiful critter, and the Captain 
 had given a long price for it ; besides, it was carrying no 
 weight to speak of. I didn't feel so sure about myself, for 
 though my horse was a first-class one, and had over and 
 over again, when out hunting, showed herself as fast as 
 any out, there might be as good ones or better among the 
 redskins, for anything I knew. When we were fairly out 
 on the plains, I could see that pretty nigh the whole 
 tribe of redskins had joined in the chase. 
 
 " At first I couldn't make out whv ; for although they 
 
202 u WHAT DOES IT MATTER, DICK ? " 
 
 are all wonderful for bottom, some of the redskins' horses 
 ain't much for speed, and many of them could never have 
 hoped to have come up with us. But when I thought it 
 over, I reckoned that seeing I had joined the gal, they 
 might have thought that I had brought her news that 
 the Captain, with all the soldiers from the fort, was 
 coming up behind, and I expect that 's why the chief and 
 his braves rode so fast at first. 
 
 "I don't know as I ever passed a longer day than 
 that. We went at a steady gallop, always keeping just 
 about half a mile ahead of the redskins. Sometimes I 
 jumped off my horse and ran alongside of him with my 
 hand on the saddle for half a mile, to ease him a bit. The 
 gal rode splendidly ; the mustang had a beautiful easy 
 pace, and she set him as if she was in a chair. For the 
 first fifty miles I don't think the redskins gained a yard 
 on us ; they warn't pressing their horses more than we 
 were, for it was a question only of last now. Then little by 
 little I could see that a small party was leaving the rest 
 and gaining slowly upon us ; I darn't press my horse 
 further, but I began to give the gal instructions as to the 
 course she should keep. 
 
 " ' What does it matter, Dick,' she asked, ' when yon 
 are here to guide me ? ' ' But I mayn't be with you all the 
 time,' says I ; ' it air quite possible that them redskins will 
 overtake me twenty miles afore I get to the fort, but 
 your critter can keep ahead of them easy, he is going 
 nigh as light now as when he started ; when they get a 
 bit closer to us you must go on alone.' * I shan't leave 
 you,' she says. ' Dick, you got into this scrape to save 
 me, and I am not going to run away and leave you to be 
 killed : if you are taken, I will be taken too.' 
 
" ' That would be a foolish thing/ says I, ' and a cruel 
 one, ef you like to put it so. I have risked my life to save 
 you, just as I have risked it a score of times before on 
 the plains ; ef my time has come, it will be a comfort to 
 me to know as I have saved you, but ef you were taken 
 too I should feel that I had just chucked my life away. 
 Besides, you have got to think of the Captain ; now that 
 your mother has gone you have got to be a comfort to 
 him. So you see, Miss, ef you was to get taken wilful 
 you would be doing a bad turn to yerself, and to me, and 
 to yer father/ 
 
 " It was a long time before she spoke again, and then 
 she didn't say anything about what we had been talking 
 of, but began to ask whether I thought we were sure to 
 find the soldiers still at the fort In course I couldn't 
 say for sartin, but, to cheer her up, I talked hopeful 
 about it, though I thought it was likely enough they had 
 fallen back on the settlements. I did some long spells of 
 running now, and got more hopeful, for the Injins didn't 
 gain anything to speak of. 
 
 " We war all going very slow now, for the horses were 
 pretty nigh beat. We had crossed two or three streams 
 by the way, and at each they had had a few mouthfuls of 
 water. It wasn't till we were within ten miles of the 
 fort that the Injins really began to gain. They must 
 have felt that there was a good chance of our slipping 
 through their fingers, and they determined to catch us if 
 they killed every horse in the tribe. 
 
 " I tried to urge my critter forward, but he hadn't got 
 it in him ; and what frightened me more was that the 
 mustang didn't seem much faster ; he had trod in a dog- 
 hole when we war about half-way across the plains,' and 
 
204 "I SAW IT WAS ALL UP." 
 
 must have twisted his foot. I could see now he was 
 going a little lame with it. The redskins gained on us 
 bit by bit, and were pressing us hard when first we caught 
 sight of the fort about four miles away. 
 
 " I had begun to despair, for they warn't more than two 
 hundred yards behind now. The gal had held on bravely, 
 but she was nigh done. Good rider as she was, it was a 
 terrible ride for a young gal, and it was only the 
 excitement which kept her going; but she was nigh 
 reeling on the horse now. Sudden I says to her, ' Thank 
 God ! Miss, there are the soldiers ; keep up your heart, 
 your father 's coming to save you/ 
 
 "The Injins saw him too, for I heard the war- whoop 
 behind, and the sound of the horses came nearer and 
 nearer. I spurred my horse, and it was the first time I 
 had touched him since we started, but it wasn't no good. 
 ' Ride, Queen May, ride for your life ! ' I cried out ; but I 
 don't think she heard me. She was looking straight for 
 ward now at the sojers ; her face was like death, and with 
 a hard set look on it, and I expected every moment to see 
 her drop from her horse. 
 
 " I saw as it was all up ; the redskins war but fifty 
 yards behind, and were gainin' fast upon us. So I says, 
 ' Thar 's your father, Miss, ride on for his sake/ then I 
 turns my horse, and, with a pistol in each hand, I rides 
 back at the redskins. The gal told me afterwards that 
 she did not hear me speak, that she didn't know I had 
 turned, and that all that time after she had first caught 
 sight of the sojers seemed a dream to her. 
 
 "I don't remember much of the scrimmage. Black 
 Dog was the first redskin I met, and I hit him fair 
 between the eyes ; arter that it was all confusion. I threw 
 
" IT AIN'T MUCH OF A STORY." 205 
 
 away my pistols, and went at them with my rifle. I felt 
 as if a hot iron went through my body, then there was a 
 crash on my head, and I remember nothing more until I 
 found myself lying, as weak as a baby, in the hut in the 
 fort, with Queen May a-sitting working beside the bed. 
 So, as you see, it ain't much of a story." 
 
 " I call it a great deal of a stoxy," Frank said ; " I would 
 give a great deal to have done such a thing." 
 
 " Well, shut up, and don't say no more about it," Dick 
 growled, " ef you want us to keep friends. Abe 's always 
 a-lugging that old story out, and he knows as I hates it 
 like pizen. We have had more than one quarrel about 
 it, and this is the last time, by gosh, as ever I opens my 
 lips about it Pass over the liquor, I am dry." 
 
CHAPTER XIL 
 
 THE ATTACK ON THE CARAVAN. 
 
 JLTHOUGH great uneasiness had been caused 
 by the reports as to the Indians, the 
 members of the caravan were in good 
 spirits. So far the journey had been a 
 success. The difficulties met with in crossing streams 
 and bad bits of ground had been considerable, but were 
 no greater than they had looked for. The animals had 
 preserved their health and condition. The supply of 
 fresh meat had been regular, and all were in excellent 
 health. The rise of ground had been so gradual that it had 
 scarcely been felt ; but they were now at a considerable 
 height above the sea, and the brisk clear air braced their 
 nerves, and enabled even the feeblest to stand the fatigue 
 without inconvenience. 
 
 One day when Frank was out alone with Dick on the 
 north of the line of march, they came within sight of 
 some buffalo grazing, and Frank was about to set spurs to 
 his horse when his companion suddenly checked him. 
 
 " What is it ? " Frank said in surprise. " They don't see 
 us, and if we follow that hollow we shall be able to get 
 close to them before they can catch sight of us." 
 
 " That 's so," Dick said, " but just at present it air a 
 
 206 
 
SIGNS OP INDIANS. 207 
 
 question of something more serious than bufflars, it air a 
 question of Injins." 
 
 " Indians ! " Frank exclaimed, gazing round in every 
 direction. " Where, Dick ? I see no signs of them." 
 
 " No, and if you were to look round all day you 
 wouldn't see 'em ; they are at your feet." 
 
 Frank looked down in surprise. 
 
 " I can see nothing," he said, after a minute examina 
 tion of the ground. 
 
 " It 's thar, though," Dick said, throwing himself off his 
 horse. " Look at this soft piece of ground ; that is a hoof- 
 print, and there is another and another." 
 
 Frank also dismounted and examined the ground. 
 
 "Yes," he said, "I can see a number of hoof-prints 
 now you point them out. But how do you know that 
 they are Indian prints ? " 
 
 " Because they are unshod ; besides, you see, instead 
 of coming along in a crowd, as a drove of turned loose 
 horses would do, the marks are all together, one after the 
 other, as they came along in single file. There is no 
 doubt they are a party of Indians." 
 
 " They are ahead of us," Frank said. 
 
 "They were," Dick said, "but thar ain't no saying 
 where they are now ; may be watching us." 
 
 The thought was not a comfortable one, and Frank 
 grasped his rifle tightly as he looked round. 
 
 " Just stay where you are," Dick said ; " we are in a 
 hollow, and I will have a look round." 
 
 Dick made his way upon his hands and knees to the 
 top of the brow, choosing a spot where the shrubs grew 
 thickest, and making his way with such caution that 
 Frank could scarcely keep him in sight When he reached 
 
208 BAD NEWS. 
 
 the brow he raised his head and looked round in all 
 directions and then went on. It was nearly half an hour 
 before he rejoined his companion. 
 
 "They have gone straight ahead," he said. "I went 
 over the brow, and down the next hollow, and found their 
 trail strong there, for the ground is swampy ; they had 
 certainly passed within an hour of the time I got there." 
 
 " How did you know that ? " Frank asked. 
 
 " Because the water was still muddy where they had 
 passed; it would have settled again in an hour after 
 being disturbed, so they could not have been more than 
 that time ahead. They were keeping just parallel with 
 the line of march of the caravan." 
 
 " How many of them do you think there were ? " 
 
 " Between fifty and sixty," Dick said confidently. 
 
 " Perhaps they were merely journeying quietly along/' 
 Frank suggested. 
 
 " Not likely," Dick replied; " they must have seen these 
 bufflars, and would have been after them, almost to a 
 sartinty, had they not had other business on hand. No, 
 I expect they were watching the caravan, and had made 
 up their minds to wait till nightfall, or perhaps till it 
 came to some place where they can get up close with 
 out being seen, and fall upon it by surprise. We will 
 ride back at once with the news, and put them on their 
 guard." 
 
 An hour's riding brought them to the caravan, where 
 their news created a great sensation. Hitherto the 
 danger from Indians had appeared a remote trouble, 
 which might not, after all, befall them. The news 
 that fifty or sixty of these dreaded foes were marching 
 along, almost within sight, and might at any moment 
 
ANOTHER PARTY AT HAND. 209 
 
 Attack them, brought the danger close indeed. The 
 waggons were driven in even closer order; the women 
 and children were told to keep between the lines; the men 
 distributed themselves among the teams, ready to unyoke 
 the oxen at the shortest notice, and to form the waggons 
 in order of defence. Abe and his companions had not 
 yet returned ; but a quarter of an hour later they were 
 seen galloping towards the camp. 
 
 "You must keep close together and look spry," Abe 
 shouted as he approached ; " we have come upon signs of 
 a large body of Indians, a hundred and fifty or two 
 hundred strong, I reckon, out there on the plains. They 
 have passed along this morning, and ain't up to no good, I 
 expect." 
 
 "We have found signs of a smaller party, Abe, some 
 fifty or sixty, on our left ; these were marching straight 
 along, pretty well in the line we are going." 
 
 " Then," Abe said, " ye had best look to yer guns, for 
 they mean mischief; they must have been watching us 
 this morning when we started, but concluded that the 
 ground was too level, and that we should have time to 
 get into position before they could get up to us, besides 
 we had all the advantage in the stockades at the station. 
 There ain't no station this evening." 
 
 " Do you think they will attack us on the road ? " 
 Frank asked. 
 
 "That will depend on whether they think they can 
 take us unawares. Get on yer horses again. Dick, do 
 you ride half a mile ahead of the caravan, don't keep in 
 the hollows, but follow the line of the brow on the right. 
 Young Frank and I will scout half a mile out on the right 
 of the caravan ; Eube and Jim, you go the same distance 
 
 o 
 
210 " THEY MAY, AND THEY MAY NOT." 
 
 on the left ; that way we can see them coming, and the 
 teamsters will have plenty of time to form up the waggons. 
 But I don't reckon as they will attack ; when they sees as 
 we are on the lookout they will guess we have come across 
 their tracks, and will see that their chances of a surprise 
 are gone for the day." 
 
 " Do you think they will attack us to-night ? M Frank 
 asked his companions. 
 
 " They may, and they may not. As a general thing 
 these Plain Injins are not fond of night attacks ; it 's part 
 superstition, no doubt, and part because they are much 
 more at home on horseback than on foot. Still there's 
 never no saying with an Injin; but I should say, lad, that 
 they ain't likely to do that yet They will try other ways 
 fust. They knows as how they have got plenty of time, 
 and can choose their opportunity, if it 's a month hence. 
 They are wonderful patient, are the redskins, and time 
 air of no account to them; but at present I think the 
 most dangerous times will be after we have camped and 
 before night comes on, and at daybreak before we makes 
 our start." 
 
 Two more days passed quietly, and a feeling of hope 
 pervaded the caravan that the Indians had ridden on and 
 sought for other prey. But Abe assured them that they 
 must not relax their precautions, and that the failure of 
 the Indians to attack was no proof whatever that they 
 had abandoned their intention to do so. 
 
 "An Injin is always most dangerous just when you 
 ain't thinking of him. You may be sure we have been 
 watched, although we haven't seen no one, and that seeing 
 as we are on guard they are waiting for us to become 
 careless again ; or it may be they have fixed upon their 
 
ABE'S ORDERS. 211 
 
 place of attack, and if so, you may bet yer life it is a 
 good one. Above all things you men impress upon 
 the women and children that in case of a sudden attack 
 they shall each take refuge at once in the waggons, in the 
 places allotted to them, and that they shall do it with 
 out any squealing or yelling ; there 's nothing bothers 
 men and flurries them, just as they have got need to be 
 cool and steady, as the yelping of a pack of women. 
 Just impress on them as it does no good, and adds to the 
 chances of their getting their throats cut and their har 
 raised." 
 
 The hunter's orders were very strongly impressed upon 
 the women and children, and even the latter were made 
 to feel thoroughly the importance of silence in case of an 
 attack. 
 
 Upon the following day they came upon a spot where 
 the trail crossed a deep hollow ; the sides were extremely 
 steep, the bottom flat and swampy. Eough attempts had 
 been made by preceding travellers to reduce the steepness 
 of the bank, but it was in no way improved thereby ; the 
 upper edge was indeed more gradual, but the soil cut 
 away there, and shovelled down, had been softened by 
 subsequent rains, while the torn surface of the bottom, 
 and the deep tracks left by the wheels, showed how the 
 teams had struggled through it They explored for some 
 little distance up and down to see if an easier point for 
 crossing could be discovered, but came to the conclusion 
 that the spot at which the tracks crossed it was the 
 easiest, as in most places the bank had been eaten away 
 by winter rains and was almost perpendicular. They 
 had reached this spot late in the evening, and prepared 
 to cross soon after daybreak. 
 
212 THE CROSSING. 
 
 " You will have to fix up three teams to each waggon," 
 Abe had said, " and take one over at a time. We will be 
 out early scouting for, mind you, this is a likely place to be 
 attacked by the redskins ; they will know there is a bad 
 spot here, and will guess as you will be in confusion 
 and divided, some on one side of the gulch, some on the 
 other. Give particular charge to the men to have their 
 rifles handy, and to prepare to defend the waggons to the 
 last, and pass round word among the women and children 
 not to be scared in case of an attack, as we shall drive 
 the Injins off handsomely if they come." 
 
 At daybreak, Abe, Dick, and Frank crossed the gulch, 
 the other two hunters remaining behind 
 
 "We must not go far from the crossing," Abe said. 
 " We don't know which way the tarnal critters may come, 
 and in case of attack, all our guns will be wanted. They 
 will guess as we shall begin to cross the first thing in the 
 morning, and that it will take three or four hours to get 
 over. So, if they are coming, it will be in a couple of 
 hours, so as to catch us divided." 
 
 They took their station on a rise a few hundred yards 
 from the crossing, one of them riding back from time to 
 time to see how the operation of crossing was going on. 
 It was one of immense difficulty. The oxen were mired 
 almost up to their chests, and the waggons sunk axle- 
 deep. The waggons stuck fast in spite of the efforts of 
 all the men in the party. Frank looked on for some 
 time, and then a thought struck him. 
 
 " Look here, you will never get the waggons on in that 
 way, the oxen cannot pull an ounce. The best way will 
 be to unyoke them, take them across, and get them up on 
 the level ground on the top ; then fasten your ropes to- 
 
THE SIGNAL. 213 
 
 gether and hitch them to the waggon. The bullocks, on 
 firm ground, can easily pull it across." 
 
 The suggestion was at once acted upon. The bottom 
 was some fifty yards wide, and there were plenty of ropes 
 in the waggons which had been brought for lowering 
 them down difficult places, and for replacing any of 
 the long rope traces which might be broken and worn 
 out. Two of these were attached to the waggon, and the 
 oxen were taken over and up the further side. A team 
 was attached to each rope, and as the whip cracked the 
 ponderous waggon was at once set in motion, and was 
 soon dragged through the mud and up the incline. 
 
 " That 's a capital plan of yourn, young fellow," John 
 Little said. "I don't know how we ever should have 
 got across the other way, and I had just made up my 
 mind to give it up and move down this hollow till we 
 came to firmer ground." 
 
 Five more waggons were got across in the same manner. 
 Suddenly Abe discharged his rifle. 
 
 "What's the matter?" Frank exclaimed. 
 
 " Injins," Abe said briefly. " Them 's the heads of the 
 tarnal cusses just coming over the line of that rise." 
 
 The spot to where he pointed was about half a mile 
 distant, and soon Frank perceived a number of dark 
 objects rising above it. Almost at the same instant the 
 sound of a gun was heard on the other side of the gulch. 
 
 " They are going to attack both sides at once," Abe 
 said, as they galloped back towards the crossing ; " that 
 shows they are strong. If they had any doubts about 
 licking us they would have thrown thar whole strength on 
 one party or the other." 
 
 On reaching the waggons they found the men there 
 
214 THE INDIANS. 
 
 working with all their might to get the six waggons in 
 position, side by side across the top of the ascent. The 
 oxen had already been taken down into the hollow. 
 
 " That 's right," Abe shouted, as they leapt from their 
 horses and aided in the movement. " It couldn't be better. 
 Well and steady. You have three or four minutes yet." 
 
 The waggons were drawn up in two lines with their 
 wheels touching, the inner line being on the very edge of 
 the descent The women and children were placed in the 
 inner waggons, while the eight men who had come across 
 with them, and the three hunters, took their places in the 
 outside waggons. 
 
 Almost all the men had been across with the teams 
 when the guns were fired, but the remainder had run back 
 to aid in the defence of the waggons on the other side. 
 These were already in a position of defence, having been 
 so arranged before the crossing began. So well had Abe's 
 orders been carried out, that no confusion whatever had 
 occurred. At the sound of the guns the women had climbed, 
 and helped the children, into the waggons allotted to them, 
 and the men, on arriving, quietly took up their positions. 
 
 The Indians were not visible until they reached a spot 
 about three hundred yards from the waggons. As they 
 dashed up the rise they checked their horses. Instead of 
 seeing, as they had expected, everything in confusion and 
 dismay, not a soul was visible, and the clumps of waggons 
 stood, one on either side, ranged as for defence. However, 
 after waiting for three days for their prey, they were not 
 to be balked. Their wild war-cry rose in the air, and the 
 two bodies of horsemen charged down on the travellers. 
 
 In an instant a deadly fire broke out, the men 
 kneeling in the bottom of the waggons and resting their 
 
THE ATTACK REPULSED. 215 
 
 rifles on the rail, the tilt being raised a few inches to en 
 able them to see under it. Every shot told among the 
 mass of horsemen. The emigrants were all new to Indian 
 warfare, but most of them were farmers accustomed from 
 boyhood to the use of the rifle, and the coolness of the 
 hunters, and their preparation for attack, steadied them, 
 and gave them confidence. Several of the Indians fell at 
 the first discharge, but the advance was not checked, and 
 at full speed they came on. 
 
 " Steady, lads ; don't throw away a shot," Abe shouted, 
 as the men loaded and discharged their rifles as quickly as 
 possible ; " see that every bullet tells." 
 
 Already the Indians were checking the speed of their 
 horses, for the position was a most difficult one to attack. 
 It could not be surrounded, and, indeed, could only be 
 attacked on the face of the outside waggons, from which 
 a stream of fire was pouring. As the leaders came on 
 Frank and the two hunters, who both, like himself, carried 
 revolvers, laid aside their rifles and brought these deadly 
 weapons into action, resting them on the rail to secure an 
 accurate fire. The quick, sharp cracks of these, followed 
 in almost every case by the fall of one of the horsemen in 
 front, completed the dismay of the Indians. Quick as 
 thought, those who had fallen were lifted across the horses 
 of their comrades, and the whole band, turning, galloped 
 away at full speed, pursued, as long as they were in sight, 
 by the rifle-balls of the defenders of the waggons. 
 
 "So much for them/' Abe said, as he leapt to the 
 ground. " Now let us give a hand to our comrades." 
 
 The fight was still raging on the other side. The 
 number of waggons was larger, and the facilities for defence 
 less. The waggons were surrounded by a throng of 
 
216 "WE ALL OWE OUR LIVES TO YOU." 
 
 Indians, who were cutting at them with their tomahawks, 
 discharging their rifles into the tilts, and some, having 
 thrown themselves from their horses, were endeavouring 
 to climb up. The defenders were still fighting desper 
 ately. They had no longer time to load, but with hatchets 
 and clubbed rifles beat down the Indians who tried to 
 climb the waggons. A few minutes, however, would 
 have ended the resistance had not help been at hand. 
 
 From the opposite side of the gulch eleven men poured 
 the contents of their rifles among the Indians. One of 
 the leading chiefs and four of his followers fell dead, and 
 almost before the Indians had recovered from their sur 
 prise a dropping fire was opened, almost every shot taking 
 effect. A cheer broke from the defenders of the waggons, 
 and they fought with renewed hope, while the Indians, 
 startled by this unlooked-for attack, and by the repulse of 
 their comrades, began to lose heart. 
 
 Only for a few minutes longer did they continue the 
 attack. The deadly flank fire proved too much for their 
 courage, and soon they too were in full flight, carrying off 
 with them their killed and wounded. A shout of triumph 
 rose from the two parties of whites, and a scene of wild 
 delight took place ; the women, now that the excitement 
 was over, cried and laughed alternately in hysterical joy ; 
 the children shouted, while the men grasped each other's 
 bands in fervent congratulation. 
 
 "We all owe our lives to you and your comrades," 
 John Little said to Abe. " If it had not been for you we 
 should all have gone under ; and, I tell you, if ever we get 
 across these plains we will find some way to show our 
 gratitude. As long as John Little has a crust in the 
 world he will share it with you." 
 
A STATIONARY CARAVAN. 217 
 
 When the excitement had somewhat abated, the work 
 of crossing was recommenced, and in two hours all were 
 over and the journey was continued. 
 
 " Do you think the Indians will attack us again ? " John 
 Little asked Abe, when the caravan was set in motion. 
 
 " They will, if they see a chance," Abe replied. " They 
 have lost a lot of men, and will get vengeance if they 
 can. It depends partly whether thar big chief was 
 killed or not ; if he war they may give it up now ; they 
 sees as we are strong and well-armed. If not, thar chief 
 will do all he can to wipe us out, for he will be held 
 responsible for the affair, and such a defeat would lower 
 his influence in the tribe." 
 
 Five days later they saw some waggons in the dis 
 tance. Since the attack the hunters had not left the 
 caravan, as the emigrants all declared that they would 
 far rather go without fresh meat than have the hunters 
 absent from the camp. A few deer only, which had been 
 seen from the line of march, had been stalked and shot. 
 
 " There is a caravan halting ahead," Frank said. " We 
 heard at the last station that one passed ten days back. 
 I wonder what they are halting for. The next water, 
 according to the distances the station-keeper gave us, 
 must be ten miles away." 
 
 " I don't like the look of it," Abe replied. " Travelling at 
 about the same rate as we do, they should still be about ten 
 days ahead. I am very much afraid that something has 
 happened ; those varmint we thrashed, or some other, may 
 have attacked them." 
 
 For another mile not a word was spoken ; then they 
 reached a spot from which the waggons and the ground 
 around them was clearly visible. 
 
218 A MASSACRE. 
 
 " I see no sign of movement," Abe said to John Little, 
 " and thai seems to be a lot of dark objects lying about. 
 I will ride forward with my mates. If, as I calculate, 
 there has been a massacre, you had better take the waggons 
 a detour a mile round, so that the women and children 
 may be spared the sight of it It would be enough to 
 make them skeery for the rest of the journey." 
 
 Abe and his comrades galloped forward. 
 
 " Have your rifles ready," the former said ; " there may 
 be some of the varmint hiding about still, though I don't 
 think it likely. I expect the attack took place some days 
 back" 
 
 On nearing the waggons their apprehensions were 
 verified. Around lay the carcasses of the oxen with bales 
 and boxes broken open and rifled of their contents. In and 
 near the waggons were the bodies of their defenders, 
 mingled with those of the women and children. All had 
 been scalped, and the bodies were mutilated with gashes 
 of the tomahawks. No attempt had been made to put 
 the waggons into any position of defence ; they still stood 
 in a long line, as they had been travelling when the Indians 
 fell upon them. There were twelve waggons, and they 
 counted eighty bodies lying around them. 
 
 "It has been a regular surprise," Abe said, "and I 
 expect there war very little fighting. The Injins burst 
 out on them, there war a wild panic, a few shots war 
 fired, and it war all over ; that 's how I read it. Hillo ! 
 what's that?" 
 
 A deep growl was heard, and turning they saw under 
 a bush a mastiff, standing over the body of a child. The 
 animal could with difficulty keep its legs ; it had been 
 pierced by a lance, and had received a blow with a toma- 
 
A FAITHFUL PROTECTOR. 219 
 
 hawk on the head which had nearly cut off one of its 
 ears. It had doubtless been left for dead, but had recov 
 ered itself, and crawled to the side of one of the children 
 of the family to which it belonged. Its head was covered 
 with matted blood, and its tongue hung out, black and 
 parched with thirst; but it growled savagely, its hair 
 bristled on its back, and it prepared to defend to the last 
 the body of its young master. 
 
 " Poor fellow ! " Frank said, dismounting. " Poor old 
 boy, we are friends." 
 
 At the kind tones of the voice the dog relaxed the 
 fierceness of its aspect, it gave a faint whine, and lay 
 down by the child's body. Frank took off his thick felt 
 hat, filled it with water from the skin hanging from his 
 saddle, and carried it to the dog. The animal raised itself 
 again with an effort, and drank eagerly ; when it had 
 finished, it thrust its great nose into Frank's hand and 
 wagged its tail, then it returned to the body and gave a 
 piteous howl. The tears stood in Frank's eyes. 
 
 " Lend a hand with your knives," he said to his com 
 rades, who were looking on ; " let us dig a grave for the 
 child, then the dog will perhaps follow us ; it is a grand 
 dog, and I should like to have it." 
 
 The others dismounted, and with their knives and 
 hands they soon scraped a hole in the earth capable of 
 containing the body. The mastiff stood by watching their 
 operations. Frank doubted whether it would allow him 
 to touch the body of the child ; but the animal seemed to 
 comprehend his intentions, and suffered him to raise the 
 child and lay it in the ground. No sooner was the 
 grave filled up than the mastiff laid himself down 
 beside it. Frank now offered the animal some meat from 
 
220 * COME ALONG, OLD FELLOW. * 
 
 his wallet, and after this was eaten, bathed its head with 
 water and brought the edges of the wound together, and 
 bandaged it with a strip torn from his hunting-shirt. 
 
 " Come along, old fellow ; come along with us, you can 
 do no good here." 
 
 He mounted his horse, and the mastiff rose to its feet 
 and stood irresolute, and gave another piteous howl. 
 
 " Will you ride back to the caravan, Abe, and tell them 
 there is no danger ? I will move slowly with the dog, and 
 join them when they get abreast of us." 
 
 The four men started at a gallop. Frank dismounted 
 again and patted the mastiff; then tying his handkerchief 
 to its collar, he walked slowly away, leading his horse. 
 The mastiff followed at once, walking with difficulty, for 
 its hind-legs were almost paralysed from the spear- wound, 
 which had passed through its body just under the spine, 
 behind the ribs. It seemed, however, to feel that Frank 
 was its master now, and laid its great head in his hand 
 as he walked beside it 
 
 As Frank saw the line on which the caravan was now 
 moving, he walked slowly across to it and halted until the 
 waggons came up. The mastiff was lifted into one of them, 
 and laid on some empty flour-sacks. Some more water 
 was given it and the caravan proceeded on its way. 
 
 The terrible fate which had befallen their predecessors 
 cast a deep gloom over the party, who shuddered to think 
 how narrowly they had escaped such a fate ; there was no 
 need now to impress upon any the necessity of avoiding 
 straggling, and redoubled vigilance was observed during 
 the march. 
 
 Frank attended assiduously to the mastiff, to whom 
 he gave the name of Turk The spear- wound was kept 
 
THE ALKALI PLAINS. 221 
 
 poulticed, and that in the head was plastered. Had the 
 dog received such wounds at any other time they would 
 have probably proved fatal ; but on the plains wounds heal 
 rapidly, and the brisk air and the life of activity and 
 exercise render man and beast alike able to sustain serious 
 injuries without succumbing. 
 
 In a week Turk was able to walk with the caravan ; 
 a fortnight later it could gallop by Frank's side. They 
 were now entering the Alkali Plain3, a wide and desolate 
 region, where water is extremely scarce, and, when found, 
 brackish and bitter to the taste, and where the very 
 shrubs are impregnated with salt, and uneatable by most 
 animals. In anticipation of the hardships to be endured 
 in crossing this region, the bullocks had been allowed for 
 some time a daily ration of grain in addition to the grass 
 they could pick up during the halt, and were therefore in 
 good condition. 
 
 A halt was made for three days before entering this 
 district, and the teams were fresh and full of work when 
 they started. The marches across the salt plain were long 
 and painful to man and beast; the dust, which rose in 
 clouds, was so impregnated with salt that it caused an 
 intense irritation to the lips and nostrils. 
 
 Everything was done as far as possible to alleviate the 
 sufferings of the animals. Casks were filled with water 
 at each halting-place, and each time the oxen halted for 
 rest their mouths and nostrils were sponged, and a small 
 allowance given them to drink As they progressed they 
 had reason to congratulate themselves on the precautions 
 they had taken, for scarce a mile was passed without their 
 coming across signs of the misfortunes which had befallen 
 those who had gone before, in the shape of abandoned 
 
222 SIGNS OF DISASTER. 
 
 waggons, stores cast out to lighten the loads, and skeletons 
 of oxen and horses. But, on the other hand, there was now 
 comparatively slight danger of an Indian attack, for even 
 the horses of the redskins, hardy as they are, could not 
 support the hardships of a prolonged stay on the Alkali 
 Plains. 
 
CHAPTER XIIL 
 
 AT THE GOLD-FIELDS. 
 
 was with intense delight that all in the caravan 
 noticed the gradual change of herbage which 
 showed that they were approaching the con 
 fines of this terrible region; and when, at their 
 first halt after leaving it, they came upon flowing streams, 
 a general bath was indulged in by man and beast, the oxen 
 lying down in the water, and being with great difficulty 
 induced to emerge from it. The hunters now recom 
 menced their excursions in search of game, for all were 
 suffering from the want of fresh meat, the children especi 
 ally feeling the privation. 
 
 Turk accompanied the party. The dog was now com 
 pletely restored, and nothing could induce it to leave 
 Frank's side. It was quite young, and Frank soon taught 
 it to remain by his horse while he dismounted to stalk 
 game; while in pursuit on horseback, Turk often pur 
 sued and pulled down deer who would otherwise have 
 escaped. 
 
 One day Dick and Frank had gone out alone, and had 
 been led a long distance from the line of march in pursuit 
 of a herd of deer. These had finally gone up a narrow 
 canon in the mountains. The hunters pursued them for 
 
224 PURSUED. 
 
 some distance, and then, despairing of overtaking them, 
 turned their horses, and began to retrace their steps. 
 Suddenly Turk, who was in advance, stopped, uttered a 
 deep growl, and its hair bristled from its head to its taiL 
 
 " What is it, Turk ? " Frank asked. 
 
 The animal replied with another low, deep growL 
 
 " It must be some savage beast," Frank said. 
 
 "That ain't likely," Dick said; "any beast in this canon 
 would have moved away when we passed before. I think 
 the dog must scent Injins. A party may have seen us 
 entering the gap, and may be in pursuit." 
 
 He threw himself off his horse, and listened, with his 
 ear to the ground. 
 
 " It 's Injins, sure enough ! " he exclaimed ; " I can hear 
 the clattering of horses' hoofs on the hard rock. There 's 
 nothing for it but for us to make our way up the 
 canon." 
 
 They turned their horses, and galloped forward, Turk, 
 after one more growl in the direction of the Indians, 
 following. Presently the defile divided. 
 
 "Shall we take the main branch, or the one to the 
 right?" Frank asked. 
 
 " Better keep straight on," Dick said ; " the other may 
 lead into some valley from which there could be no 
 getting out, and we should be caught in a trap. See!" he 
 said, as he halted, " the deer have gone that way. Do 
 you see some of the pebbles have been thrown out of that 
 little stream? 
 
 " Jump off your horse, and cut some bits off your blankets 
 and tie them round your horse's feet. If the Indians see no 
 marks going forward, they will naturally suppose we have 
 turned off here in pursuit of the deer." 
 
STILL ON THE TRAIL. 225 
 
 Frank did what his comrade suggested ; but quickly as 
 the work was performed, they heard the sound of the horse 
 men in pursuit, loud and distinct, before they again set 
 forward. Then, springing on their horses, they rode up the 
 canon. After a while they halted ; the sounds of pursuit 
 had ceased, and they had no doubt the Indians had turned 
 off into the other ravine. 
 
 " It all depends how far that runs," Dick said, " how 
 soon they will be in pursuit again. If it comes soon to 
 an end it will not be long before we have them after us ; 
 if it goes on for some miles we are safe." 
 
 Winding between perpendicular cliffs of great height, 
 they rode forward, mounting steadily. It was impossible 
 to make rapid progress, for although in some places the 
 bottom of the ravine was bare, smooth rock, at others it 
 was piled with boulders. 
 
 It was three hours before they emerged from it, and 
 upon doing so found they were upon an elevated plateau. 
 Before they moved forward, Frank said, "Turk, do you 
 hear them ? " The dog stood with ears erect and quiver 
 ing nostrils, looking down the ravine which they had 
 just left. Presently he gave a low, deep growl. 
 
 " They are coming," Frank said ; " but they must be a 
 good way off, for Turk did not hear them at first. Which 
 way shall we go, Dick ? " 
 
 " We had better turn to the left," Dick said, " for our 
 natural line leads to the right. However, it does not make 
 much difference, for they will be able to track us ; still, it 
 may puzzle them. It will be dark in a couple of hours, 
 and if we can keep ahead till then we are safe." 
 
 They started at a gallop, and for an hour rode at full 
 speed in the direction which would take them down to the 
 
 p 
 
226 IN HIDING. 
 
 plain at or near the spot where they had halted the night 
 before. 
 
 " Look out, Frank ! rein up ! " Dick suddenly shouted. 
 Frank pulled his horse back on its haunches, and but just 
 in time, for at the brow of the swell up which they had 
 been galloping, the ground fell suddenly away in a 
 precipice two hundred feet deep, and the horse was barely 
 a length from it when he brought it to a standstill 
 
 " We are in a mess," Dick said. " The Injins behind us 
 will know of this, and instead of following will scatter to 
 the right and left, as they will know that we must turn 
 one way or the other. 
 
 * In that case," Frank said, " our best plan will be to 
 go straight back." 
 
 "You are right," Dick exclaimed, "that is the best 
 thing we can do. We won't follow the exact track, as a 
 few of them may have kept our line, but will bear a 
 little distance off it, and hope they may pass us unseen ; 
 the sun is setting already, half an hour and it will be 
 dark." 
 
 Taking every precaution to conceal their trail, they 
 rode back, keeping a hundred yards or so to the right of the 
 line by which they had come. A quarter of an hour passed, 
 and then Turk gave his growl of warning. 
 
 "Could not have been better," Dick exclaimed, "this 
 brushwood is just the place for us." 
 
 They threw themselves from their horses, and made 
 the animals lie down at full length in the low bushes, and 
 laid themselves down beside them. 
 
 " Hush ! Turk," Frank said to the dog, as he laid his 
 hand upon it 's head. " You must lie quiet, sir, and not 
 make the least noise." 
 
SAFELY THKOUGH THEIR FOES. 227 
 
 The dog, who was quivering with excitement, lay down 
 quietly, as if it comprehended the need for silence. 
 
 " One, two, three, four, five, six," Dick counted, 
 peering through the bushes. " Six of them ; we could 
 fight that lot easy, but the sound of our rifles would 
 bring the whole gang down upon us." 
 
 The Indians were not riding at full speed, for their 
 horses were tired, having already made a long march 
 before they saw the hunters following the deer to the 
 canon, and they did not expect to overtake those of whom 
 they were in pursuit, believing that when they reached the 
 precipice they would make along it to the right or left, 
 and so fall into the hands of one or other of the parties 
 who had gone to intercept them. 
 
 No sooner were they fairly out of sight than the hunters 
 rose, and, remounting their horses, continued their way. 
 
 " It's well-nigh dark," Dick said, "and I doubt if they 
 will be able to make out our back-track when they get to 
 the edge ; at any rate they cannot follow it" 
 
 They rode on until they found that their horses could 
 no longer carry them, then, dismounting, led them by the 
 bridle. They had been steering by the stars, and presently 
 found themselves at the upper end of the ravine. 
 
 " We won't enter this now," Dick said, " for some of 
 them may take it into their heads to gallop back, although 
 that ain't very likely. Anyhow the horses can't go any 
 further, and if they could, we couldn't make our way 
 over these stones ; it '11 be as dark as pitch down there. 
 So we will move away two hundred yards, and let the 
 horses feed while we get a few hours' sleep. That dog of 
 yourn will give us notice if any of the varmint are 
 coming this way." 
 
228 "IT WAR WELL IT WAR NO WORSE." 
 
 The night passed without alarm, and at the first 
 dawn of light they were upon their feet again. The 
 horses were given a mouthful of water from the skins, and 
 then the hunters mounted and rode down the canon. 
 There would be pursuit, they knew well ; but the Indians 
 would not be able to take up the trail until daylight, and 
 would be an hour and a half following it to the top of 
 the canon, so that they had fully two hours' start. This 
 being the case, they did not hurry their horses, but kept 
 up a steady pace until they emerged at the lower end of 
 the ravine ; then they urged them forward, and two hours 
 later arrived at the halting-place of the caravan. No move 
 had been made, but the instant they were seen approach 
 ing, Abe and his two comrades rode up to meet them. 
 
 " What has happened ? " he asked, as he reached them. 
 " We have been terrible uneasy about you, and I was just 
 going to start to try and pick up your track and follow 
 you." 
 
 Dick related the adventure. 
 
 " It war well it war no worse," Abe said. " That critter's 
 sense has saved your lives, for ef he hadn't given you 
 warning you would have ridden slap into the hands of the 
 Injins ; you may consider you are quits with him now, 
 Frank. But it war a nasty fix, and I congratulate you 
 both on having brought your har safely back to camp ; that 
 coming straight back on your trail when you was stopped 
 by the fall of the ground was a judgmatical business." 
 
 " It was Frank's idee," Dick said. 
 
 " Wall, he just hit the right thing ; if it hadn't been for 
 that you would have been rubbed out sure." 
 
 At the next halting-place they found that three or four 
 of the caravans which had preceded them had halted, 
 
A. PARTING. 229 
 
 being afraid to move forward in small parties, as the 
 Indians had made several attacks. With the accession of 
 force given by the arrival of John Little's party, they 
 considered themselves able to encounter any body of red 
 skins they might meet, as there were now upwards of fifty 
 waggons collected, with a fighting force of seventy or 
 eighty men. 
 
 They therefore moved forward confidently. Several 
 times parties of Indian horsemen were seen in the dis 
 tance, but they never showed in force, the strength of the 
 caravan being too great for any hope of a successful attack 
 being made upon it 
 
 It was nearly five months from the time of their leav 
 ing Omaha before the caravan approached the point where 
 the great plateau of Nevada falls abruptly down to the 
 low lands of California many thousand feet below. Here 
 the hunters bade farewell to the emigrants, whom they 
 had so long escorted. All danger of Indians had been 
 long since passed, and they were now within a short dis 
 tance of the gold regions. 
 
 Very deep and sincere were the thanks which were 
 poured upon them by the emigrants, who felt that they 
 owed their lives entirely to the vigilance and bravery of 
 Abe and his companions. They expected to meet again ere 
 long at the gold-fields, and many were the assurances that 
 should by any chance better luck attend their search 
 than was met with by the hunters, the latter should 
 share in their good fortune. 
 
 The change in the character of the scenery was sudden 
 ana surprising. Hitherto the country had been bare and 
 treeless, but the great slopes of the Nevada mountains 
 were covered from top to bottom with a luxuriant growth 
 
230 THE GOLD DEPOSITS. 
 
 of timber. Nowhere in the world are finer views to be 
 obtained than on the slopes of the Nevada Mountains. 
 The slopes are extremely precipitous, and sometimes, 
 standing on a crag, one can look down into a valley five 
 or six thousand feet below, clothed from top to bottom 
 with luxuriant foliage, while far away in front, at the 
 mouth of the valley, can be seen the low, rich flats of 
 California. 
 
 On the lower slopes of these mountains lay the gold 
 deposits. These were found in great beds of gravel and clay, 
 which in countless generations had become so hardened 
 that they almost approached the state of conglomerate. 
 The gold from these beds had been carried, either by 
 streams which ran through them, or by the action of rain 
 and time, into the ravines and valleys, where it was found 
 by the early explorers. These great beds of gravel have 
 been since worked by hydraulic machinery, water being 
 brought by small canals, or flumes, many miles along the 
 face of the hills, to reservoirs situated one or two hundred 
 feet above the gravel to be operated upon. 
 
 From the reservoirs extremely strong iron pipes lead 
 down to the gravel, and to the end of these pipes are 
 fitted movable nozzles, like those of fire-engines, but far 
 larger. The water pours out through these nozzles with 
 tremendous force, breaking up the gravel, and washing it 
 away down a long series of wooden troughs, in which the 
 gold settles, and is caught by a variety of contrivances. 
 
 But in the early days of gold discovery the very exist 
 ence of these beds of gravel was unknown, and gold was 
 obtained only in the ravines and valleys by washing the 
 soil in the bottom. It had already been discovered that 
 the soil was richer the further the searchers went down, 
 
PLACER WASHINGS. 231 
 
 by far the greater finds being made when the diggers 
 reached the solid rock at the bottom, in the irregularities 
 of which, worn by water thousands of years before, large 
 quantities of rough gold were often discovered. 
 
 There was no difficulty in following the track through 
 the forest, and after two days' travelling the party arrived 
 at the first mining village. They chose a piece of ground 
 for their camp, fastened their horses to stumps, erected a 
 tent of blankets, and placed in it the stores brought on 
 their baggage-horses, which had remained untouched 
 since they started. Then, leaving one of their number in 
 charge, they started off to visit the diggings. 
 
 The whole of the bottom of the narrow valley was a 
 scene of life and bustle. The existence of gold in the 
 valley had been discovered but three weeks before, but a 
 rush had taken place from other diggings. The ground 
 had been allotted out, and a number of tents pitched, and 
 rough huts erected. Men were working as if for bare life. 
 The lots were small, and the ground was already perfectly 
 honeycombed with holes. Generally the diggers worked 
 in batches of four or five, each member of which 
 took up a claim, so that the space for operations was 
 enlarged. 
 
 Two men laboured with pick and shovel, and the 
 baskets, as they were filled with earth and sand, were first 
 screened in a sieve to remove the larger portion of stones 
 and lock, and were then poured into what was known as 
 a cradle, which was a long trough on rockers ; one man 
 brought water in buckets from the stream, and poured it 
 into this, while another kept the cradle in constant 
 motion. The mud and lighter portions of stone flowed 
 away over the edge, or were swept off by the hand of the 
 
232 COSTLY LIVING. 
 
 men employed in working it, the particles of gold sink 
 ing to the bottom of the machine, where they were found 
 at the clean-up at the end of the day's work. 
 
 The new-comers looked on with great interest at the 
 work, asking questions as to the luck which attended the 
 operators. The majority gave but a poor account of their 
 luck, the value of the finds at the end of the day being 
 barely sufficient to pay the enormous rate charged for provi 
 sions, which had to be carried up from the coast some hun 
 dreds of miles away. The stores were brought in waggons 
 as far as Sacramento, and from that town were carried to 
 the diggings on the backs of mules and horses. Conse 
 quently it was impossible for a man to live on the poor 
 est necessities of life for less than three or four dollars a 
 day, and in the out-of-the-way valleys the cost was often 
 considerably more. 
 
 Some of the diggers owned that they were doing well, 
 but there was a general disinclination to state even 
 the approximate amount of their daily winnings. The 
 hunters found, however, that the general belief was that 
 some of those who had claims in the centre of the valley, 
 where of course the gold would settle the thickest, were 
 making from ten to twenty ounces per day. 
 
 " That 's something like ! " Dick said. " Just fancy 
 making from forty to eighty pounds per day. I vote we 
 set to work at once. As well here as anywhere else." 
 
 " Yes, I suppose we may as well begin here," Frank 
 agreed; " at any rate until we hear what is being done in the 
 other places. But you see we must be ready to move off as 
 soon as a report comes of some fresh discovery, so as to get 
 good places. Here, of course, we must be content to settle 
 down outside the rest. We will mark out five claims at 
 
ABE'S PROPOSAL. 233 
 
 once, turn up the ground, and put our tools there ; they 
 say that 's sufficient to take possession. Then we will go 
 up into the forests and cut down a pine or two, and slit it 
 up into planks for making one of those cradles. That will 
 take us all day to-morrow, I reckon." 
 
 As they sat round the fire that evening, talking over 
 their prospects, Abe said 
 
 " I tell you what it is, mates, I have been thinking this 
 here matter over, and when I sees what tremendous prices 
 are being charged for grub here, I concluded there must 
 be a big thing to be made in the way of carrying. Now 
 we have got our five riding-horses, and the three baggage- 
 horses, that makes eight. Now what I proposes is this : 
 three of us shall work the claims, and the other two shall 
 work the horses ; we can sell the riding-saddles down at 
 Sacramento, and get pack-saddles instead. We can begin 
 by carrying for one of the traders here. 
 
 " I hear that a horse can earn from five to ten dollars 
 a day, so our eight horses will earn forty to eighty dollars 
 a day. Now that's a good sartin living for us all, especially 
 as we shall bring up the provisions for ourselves, instead 
 of paying big rates here. Arterards we will see how things 
 go, and if we like we can open a store here, and one of us 
 mind it. Anyhow the horses will keep us well If the 
 claim turns out well, so much the better ; if it don't, we can 
 do very well without it. I proposes as we take it by turns 
 to drive the horses and dig." 
 
 The counsel was good and prudent, but it was only 
 adopted after some discussion, for the sums which the 
 more fortunate diggers were earning were so large that 
 all looked forward to making a rapid fortune, and were 
 inclined to despise the small but steady gains offered by 
 
234 ON THE ROAD. 
 
 the plan Abe suggested. However, Frank sided with Abe, 
 and offered to go with him on the first trip to Sacramento, 
 and the others thereupon fell in with the plan. 
 
 The next day the cradle was made by Abe and Frank, 
 the others setting to to dig and wash out in a bucket. 
 At the end of a day of hard work they had got about a 
 quarter of an ounce of glittering yellow dust. This was 
 not paying work, but they were not disappointed ; they 
 had not expected to strike upon good ground at the first 
 attempt, and were quite satisfied by the fact that they 
 really had met with the gold which they had come so far 
 to seek. 
 
 That evening Abe made a bargain to bring up goods 
 from Sacramento for one of the store-keepers, having pre 
 viously found the rate which was current. At daybreak 
 next morning he and Frank started off on horseback, 
 each with three horses tied, head and tail, behind the 
 one he was riding, Turk marching gravely by their side. 
 
 The distance to Sacramento was upwards of seventy 
 miles. On their road they met numerous parties making 
 their way up the mountains. All carried a pick and 
 shovel, a bucket and blanket, and a small sack with 
 flour and bacon. Many of them were sailors, who had 
 deserted from their ships at San Francisco, where scores 
 of vessels were lying unable to leave for want of hands. 
 
 All, as they passed, asked the last news from the 
 diggings, where the last rush was, and what was the 
 average take at the camp, and then hurried on, eager 
 to reach the spot where, as every man believed, fortune 
 awaited him. 
 
 Two days of travel down the mountains took them to 
 Sacramento. Here their saddles were disposed of, and 
 
SACRAMENTO. 235 
 
 pack-saddles bought. The horses were laden with sacks 
 of sugar and flour, sides of bacon, and mining tools, and 
 after a day's stay in town, they started back for the camp. 
 
 Sacramento, but a few months before a sleepy, quiet 
 city, mostly inhabited by Spaniards, or rather people of 
 Spanish descent, was now a scene of animation and bustle. 
 Long teams of waggons, laden with stores, rolled in almost 
 hourly across the plains from San Francisco, while the 
 wharves at the river-side were surrounded by laden barges. 
 Bands of newly-arrived emigrants wandered through the 
 streets, asking eager questions of any one who had time 
 enough to talk as to the best way of getting to the diggings, 
 and as to the camp which they had better select for their 
 first attempt. Dark-looking men, half Spaniard and half 
 Indian, went along on their little ponies, or rode at the 
 head of a string of laden animals, with an air of perfect 
 indifference to the bustle around them. 
 
 Sounds of shouting and singing came through the doors 
 of some saloons, in which many of the fortunate diggers 
 were busily engaged in dissipating their hard-earned 
 gains. Men sunburnt almost to blackness, in red shirts 
 and canvas trousers, walked along the streets as if the 
 town and all in it belonged to them in virtue of the store 
 of gold-dust tied up in their waist-belts. In these, 
 revolvers and bowie-knives were stuck conspicuously, 
 and the newly- arrived emigrants looked with awe and 
 envy at these men who had already reaped a harvest at 
 the mines. 
 
 Shooting affrays were of frequent occurrence in the 
 drinking saloons, where at night gambling was invariably 
 carried on, the diggers being as reckless of their lives as 
 of their money. 
 
236 " WELL, LADS, WHAT LUCK ? " 
 
 "About ten days of that place would be enough to 
 ruin any man," Abe said, as they walked at the head of 
 their calvacade'from the town. " I reckon as Sacramento 
 is a sort of hell on arth, and guess there 's more wicked 
 ness goes on in that ere little town than in any other 
 place its own size on the face of creation. They tells 
 me as San Francisco is worse, but at any rate Sacramento 
 is bad enough for me." 
 
 On the evening of the third day after leaving Sacra 
 mento they arrived at the mining camp, and having 
 delivered the stores they had brought up to the trader, 
 and received the amount agreed upon, they took their 
 way to the spot where they had pitched their camp. 
 
 " Well, lads, what luck ?" Abe asked, as at the sound of 
 their feet their comrades came out to greet them. 
 
 " We have got about four ounces of dust," Dick said, 
 " and our backs are pretty nigh broken, and our hands 
 that blistered we can hardly hold the shovel. However, 
 we have been better the last two days. I expect there 
 have been two or three hundred people arrived here since 
 you left, and they are all at work now." 
 
 " Well, that 's pretty well for a beginning," Abe said, 
 " though you wouldn't have much of your four ounces 
 left if you had had to pay for grub. However, we've 
 brought up another half-sack of flour, twenty pounds of 
 sugar, and five pounds of tea, and a half-side of bacon, so 
 we have got quite enough to go on for a long time yet. 
 I have brought up, too, a good stout tent, which will 
 hold us comfortable, and, after paying for all that, here 's 
 thirty pounds in money. I got five pounds a horse-load, so 
 with your earnings and ours we haven't made a bad week's 
 work ; that 's pretty nigh ten pounds a man. I don't 
 
IN CAMP. 237 
 
 say that 's anything wonderful, as times goes here ; but 
 when we hit on a good spot for our digging, we shall pick 
 it up quick. Now let 's pitch the new tent, and then we will 
 have supper, for I can tell you walking twenty-five miles in 
 this mountain air gives one something like an appetite " 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 CAPTAIN BAYLEY. 
 
 r RING the time which had elapsed between 
 the departure of Frank Norris from Eng 
 land, and his arrival at the gold-diggings 
 in California, much had happened at home 
 which he would have been interested to learn had he 
 maintained any communication with his relatives there. 
 On the morning when Frank had been accused by Dr. 
 Litter of abstracting the note from his table, the latter 
 had, as he had informed Frank he intended to do, 
 sent a note to Captain Bayley informing him that a most 
 painful circumstance had taken place with reference to 
 his nephew, and begging him to call upon him between 
 twelve and one. 
 
 Captain Bayley had done so, and had, as Fred Barkley 
 stated, been furious at the news which the Doctor con 
 veyed to him ; his fury, however, being in no degree 
 directed towards his nephew, but entirely against the 
 head-master for venturing to bring so abominable an 
 accusation against Frank 
 
 The evidence which Dr. Litter adduced had no effect 
 whatever in staying his wrath, and so vehement and angry 
 was the old officer, that Dr. Litter was obliged to ring the 
 
" THE IDEA IS PREPOSTEROUS." 239 
 
 bell and order the servant to show him out. From Dean's 
 Yard he took a cab, and drove direct to his solicitor, and 
 requested him instantly to take proceedings against the 
 head-master for defamation of character. 
 
 "But, Captain Bayley," the lawyer urged, "we must 
 first see whether this gentleman had any reasonable cause 
 for his belief. If the evidence is what may be considered 
 as strong, we must accept his action as taken bond fide" 
 
 "Don't tell me, sir," Captain Bayley exclaimed 
 angrily. " What do I care for evidence ? Of course he 
 told me a long rigmarole story, but he could not have 
 believed it himself. No one but a fool could believe my 
 nephew Frank guilty of theft ; the idea is preposterous, 
 it was as much as I could do to restrain myself from 
 caning him when he was speaking." 
 
 The lawyer smiled inwardly, for Dr. Litter was a tall, 
 stately man, six feet two in height, while Captain 
 Bayley was a small, slight figure, by no means powerful 
 when in his prime, and now fully twenty years the senior 
 of the head-master. 
 
 " Well, Captain Bayley," he said, " in the first place it 
 is necessary that I should know the precise accusation 
 which this gentleman has brought against your nephew. 
 Will you be good enough to repeat to me, as nearly as 
 you can, the statement which he made, as, of course, if 
 we proceed to legal measures, we must be exact in the 
 matter ? " 
 
 "Well, this is about the story he told me," Captain 
 Bayley said, more calmly. " In the first place, it seems 
 that the lad broke bounds one night, and went with a man 
 named Perkins who is a prize-fighter, and who I know 
 gave him lessons in boxing, for I gave Frank five pounds 
 
240 CAPTAIN BAYLEY'S NARRATIVE. 
 
 last half to pay for them to a meeting of these Chartist 
 blackguards somewhere in the New Cut. 
 
 " Well, there was a row there, as there naturally would 
 be at such a place, and it seems Frank knocked down 
 some Kadical fellow a tailor, I believe and broke his 
 nose. Well, you know, I am not saying this was right ; 
 still, you know, lads will be lads, and I used to be fond of 
 getting into a row myself when I was young, for I could 
 spar in those days pretty well, I can tell you, Griffith. 
 I would have given a five -pound note to have seen Frank 
 set to with that Radical tailor. Still, I dare say, if the lad 
 had told me about it I should have got into a passion and 
 blown him up." 
 
 "I shouldn't be surprised at all," the lawyer said 
 drily. 
 
 " No. Well that would do him no harm ; he knows me, 
 and he knows that I am peppery. Well, it seems this 
 fellow found out who he was, and threatened to report the 
 thing to the head-master, in which case this Dr. Litter 
 said he should have expelled him for being out of 
 bounds, a, thing which in itself I call monstrous. Now, 
 here is where Frank was wrong. He ought to have come 
 straight to me and told me the whole affair, and got his 
 blowing-up and his money. Instead of that, he asked three 
 or four of the other boys among them my nephew Fred 
 to lend him the money, but they were all out of funds. 
 Well, somebody, it seems, sent Frank a ten-pound note 
 in an envelope, with the words, 'From a friend/ and 
 no more. Frank showed the envelope to the others, 
 and they all agreed that it was a sort of godsend, and 
 Frank sent the note to the tailor. Now it seems that 
 the day before Frank got the note, the head-master, when 
 
"THE EVIDENCE IS STRONGLY CIRCUMSTANTIAL." 241 
 
 he was hearing his form, had put a ten-pound note, with 
 some other things, on the table, and being called out, he, 
 like a careless old fool, left them lying there. 
 
 " Some time afterwards he missed the note, and does 
 not remember taking it up from the table ; still, he says, 
 he did not suspect any of the boys of his form of taking 
 it, and thinking that he had dropt it on the way to his 
 house, he stopped the note at the bank, happening to have 
 its number. A few days afterwards the note was pre 
 sented ; it was traced to the tailor, who admitted having 
 received it from Frank; and would you believe it, sir, 
 this man now pretends to believe that my nephew stole it 
 from the table, and sent it to himself in an envelope. 
 It 's the most preposterous thing I ever heard." 
 
 Mr. Griffith looked grave. 
 
 * Of course, Captain Bayley, having met your nephew 
 at your house several times, I cannot for a moment 
 believe him guilty of taking the note ; still, I must admit 
 that the evidence is strongly circumstantial, and were it a 
 stranger who was accused, I should say at once the thing 
 looked nasty." 
 
 " Pooh ! nonsense, Griffith," the old officer said angrily ; 
 " there 's nothing in it, sir nothing whatever. Somebody 
 found the note kicking about, I dare say, and didn't know 
 who it belonged to ; he knew Frank was in a corner, and 
 sent it to him. The thing is perfectly natural" 
 
 "Yes," the lawyer assented doubtfully; "but the 
 question is, Who did know it? Was the fact of your 
 nephew requiring the money generally known in the 
 school? 
 
 "No," Captain Bayley admitted. "The doctor exa 
 mined the four boys before Frank. They all declared 
 <*w Q 
 
242 THE LAWYER'S ADVICE. 
 
 that they knew nothing of the note, and that they had 
 not mentioned the circumstance to a soul; but my 
 opinion is that one of them is a liar." 
 
 " It is certainly necessary to believe," Mr. Griffith said 
 slowly, " that one of them is either a liar or a thief. Of 
 course there may be some other solution of the matter, 
 but the only one that I can see, just at the present 
 moment, is this : Your nephew is the sort of lad to be 
 extremely popular among his schoolmates ; either one of 
 these four boys took the note from the master's table, with 
 the good-natured but most mistaken idea of getting 
 him out of a scrape, or they must have mentioned his 
 need of money to some of their school-fellows, one of 
 whom finding the note, perhaps in the yard, where the 
 head-master may have dropped it, sent it to Frank to 
 relieve him of the difficulty. 
 
 "These are possible solutions of the mystery, at any 
 rate. But if you will take my advice, Captain Bayley, you 
 will not, in the present state of affairs, take the steps 
 which you propose to me against Dr. Litter. It will be 
 time enough to do that when your nephew's innocence is 
 finally and incontestably proved. Of course," he said, 
 seeing that his listener was about to break out again, 
 " you and I, knowing him, know that he is innocent ; but 
 others who do not know him might entertain some doubt 
 upon the subject, and a jury might consider that the 
 Doctor was justified, with the evidence before him, in 
 acting as he did, in which case an immense deal of 
 damage might be done by making the matter a subject 
 of general talk." 
 
 With some difficulty Captain Bayley was persuaded to 
 allow his intention to rest for a while. 
 
" HE SHALL SMART FOR IT." 243 
 
 "It is late now," he said, "but I shall go and see Frank 
 to-morrow. I wish I had seen him this afternoon before 
 I came to you. However, I have no doubt when I get 
 home I shall find a letter from him not defending him 
 self, of course, as he would know that to be unnecessary, 
 but telling me the story in his own way." 
 
 But no letter came that evening, to Captain Bayley's 
 great irritation. He told Alice Hardy the whole circum 
 stances, and she was as indignant as himself, and warmly 
 agreed that the head-master should be punished for his 
 unjust suspicions. 
 
 "And do you say he is really going to be expelled 
 to-morrow ? " she asked, in a tone of horror. 
 
 " So the fellow said, my dear ; but he shall smart for it, 
 and the laws of the land shall do Frank justice." 
 
 At half-past nine the next morning Fred Barkley 
 arrived at Captain Bayley's. 
 
 " Well," his uncle exclaimed, as he entered, " I suppose 
 you have been sent to tell me they have got to the bottom 
 of this rigmarole affair." 
 
 " No, uncle," Fred said, " I have, I am sorry to say, 
 been sent to tell you that Frank last night left his 
 boarding-house and is not to be found." 
 
 Captain Bayley leapt from his seat in great wrath. 
 
 "The fool! the idiot! to run away like a coward instead 
 of facing it out ; and not a line or a message has he sent 
 to me. Did you know, sir, that your cousin was going to 
 run away ? " 
 
 Fred hesitated. 
 
 "Yes, uncle, I knew that he was going, and did my 
 best to dissuade him, but it was useless." 
 
 Captain Bayley walked up and down the room with 
 
244 " ARE YOU A FOOL TOO ? " 
 
 quick steps, uttering exclamations testifying his anger 
 and annoyance. 
 
 " Has he got any money ? " he said suddenly, halting 
 before Fred. " Did he get any money from you ? " 
 
 Fred hesitated again, and then said. 
 
 " Well, uncle, since you insist upon knowing, I did let 
 him have twenty pounds which I got for the sale of my 
 books." 
 
 " I believe, sir," the old officer said furiously, " that you 
 encouraged him in this step, a step which I consider fatal 
 to him." 
 
 Fred hesitated again, and then said. 
 
 " Well, uncle, I am sorry that you should be so angry 
 about it, but I own that I did not throw any obstacle in 
 the way." 
 
 " You did not, sir," Captain Bayley roared, " and why 
 did you not ? Are you a fool too ? Don't you see that 
 this running away instead of facing matters out cannot 
 but be considered, by people who do not know Frank, as 
 a proof of his guilt, a confession that he did not dare to 
 stay to face his accusers ?" 
 
 Fred was silent 
 
 " Answer me, sir," Captain Bayley said ; " don't stand 
 there without a word to explain your conduct. Do you 
 or do you not see that this cowardly flight will look like a 
 confession of guilt ?" 
 
 " I did see that, uncle," Fred said, "but I thought that 
 better than a public expulsion." 
 
 " Oh ! you did, did you ? " his uncle said sarcastically, 
 " when you knew that if he had stopped quietly at home 
 we should have proved his innocence in less than no 
 time/' 
 
" DID HE CONFESS IT TO YOU ? " 245 
 
 Fred made no reply. 
 
 "Do you think we shouldn't have proved his inno 
 cence ? " roared his uncle. 
 
 " I am sorry to say anything which is displeasing to 
 you, uncle, but I fear that you would never have proved 
 Frank's innocence." 
 
 The words seemed to have a sobering effect on Captain 
 Bayley. The blood seemed to die out of his face ; he put 
 one hand on a chair, as if to steady himself, while he 
 looked fixedly in his nephew's face. 
 
 " Do you mean, Fred," he said, in a low voice, " do you 
 mean that you have a doubt of Frank's innocence?" 
 
 "I should rather not say anything about it," Fred 
 replied. "I hope with all my heart that Frank is not 
 guilty, but " 
 
 "What do you think?" Captain Bayley repeated; "have 
 you any grounds whatever for believing him guilty ? " 
 
 " No, sir, and I do not wish you to be in the slightest 
 degree influenced by what I said." He paused, but 
 Captain Bayley's eyes were still fixed upon him, as if 
 commanding a complete answer. 
 
 "Well, sir," he went on hesitatingly, " I must own that, 
 sad as it is to say so, I fear Frank did it." 
 
 " Did he confess it to you ? " Captain Bayley asked, in 
 a strained, strange voice. 
 
 " No, uncle, not in so many words, but he said things 
 which seemed to me to mean that. When I tried to dis 
 suade him from running away, and urged him to remain 
 till his innocence could be proved, he said angrily, 
 ' What 's the use of talking like that, when you know as 
 well as I do that it can't be proved.' Afterwards he said, 
 'It is a bad job, and I have been an awful fool. But 
 
246 "UNCLB, DON'T BELIEVE HIM." 
 
 who could have thought that note would ever be traced 
 back to Litter?' and other remarks of the same kind. 
 He may be innocent, uncle you know how deeply I wish 
 we could prove him so but I fear, I greatly fear, that 
 we shall be doing Frank more service by letting the 
 matter drop. You know the fellows in the school all 
 believe him innocent, and though his going away has 
 staggered some of them, the general feeling is still all in 
 his favour ; therefore they are sure to speak of him as a 
 sort of victim, and when he returns, which of course he 
 will do in a few years' time, the matter will have died 
 away and have been altogether forgotten." 
 
 The old officer sat down at the table and hid his face 
 in his hands. 
 
 All this time Alice, pale and silent, had sat and listened 
 with her eyes fixed upon the speaker, but she now leapt 
 up to her feet. 
 
 "Uncle," she said, "don't believe him, he is not 
 speaking the truth, I am sure he is not. He hates Frank, 
 and I have known it all along, because Frank is bigger 
 and better than he ; because Frank was generous and 
 kind- hearted ; because every one liked Frank and no one 
 liked him. He is telling a lie now, and I believe every 
 word he has said since he came into the room is false." 
 
 " Hush ! child," the old officer said ; " you must not 
 speak so, my dear. If it was only the word of one lad 
 against another, it would be different ; but it is not so. 
 The proof is very strong against Frank. I would give 
 all I am worth if I could still believe him innocent, and 
 had he come to me and put his hand in mine, and said, 
 'Uncle, I am innocent/ I would have believed him against 
 all the evidence in the world. It is not I who condemn 
 
w I WILL NEVER BELIEVE IT." 247 
 
 him, he has condemned himself. He sends me no word ; 
 he cannot look me in the face and declare himself innocent. 
 He runs away at night, knowing well that there could be 
 but one construction as to this, and that all would judge 
 him guilty. No, Alice, it breaks my heart to say so, but 
 I can struggle no longer against these facts. The lad whom 
 I have loved as a son has turned out a thief." 
 
 "No, uncle, no," the girl cried passionately, "I will 
 never believe it, not to the end of my life. I cannot 
 prove him innocent, but I know he is so, and some day 
 it will be proved ; but till then I shall still think of him 
 as my dear brother, as my true-hearted brother, who has 
 been wrongfully accused, and who is the victim of some 
 wicked plot of which, perhaps, Fred Barkley knows more 
 than any one else," and, bursting into a passion of tears, 
 she ran from the room. Fred looked after her with an 
 expression of pity and sorrow. 
 
 "Poor child!" he said, "it is a terrible blow for her, 
 and she scarce knows what she is saying." 
 
 " It is a terrible blow," Captain Bayley said, in a dreary 
 voice, "a most terrible blow to me and to her. No 
 wonder she feels it; and I have been planning and 
 hoping that some day, a few years hence, those two 
 would get to like each other in a different way. I had, 
 by my will, divided my fortune equally between you and 
 him, but I have liked him best. Of course, I brought 
 him up, and he has been always with me ; it was natural 
 that I should do so. Still I wanted to be fair, and I 
 divided it equally. But I was pleased at the thought that 
 her fortune, which is, as you know, a very large one, 
 would be his, and enable him to make a great figure in 
 the world if he had chosen ; and now it is all over. 
 
248 "THAT WAS A LUCKY BUSINESS FOR ME." 
 
 " Go away now, my boy, the blow has been too much 
 for me. I am getting an old man, and this is the second 
 great blow I have had. Do not take to heart the wild 
 words of poor little Alice. You see she scarcely knows 
 what she is saying." 
 
 Without another word Fred took his departure. 
 When once out of sight of the house his steps quickened, 
 and he walked briskly along. 
 
 " Splendid ! " he said to himself ; a grand stroke 
 indeed, and perfectly safa Frank is not likely to return 
 for twenty years, if ever, and I don't think the old man 
 is good for another five. I expect I shall have some 
 trouble with that little cat, Alice ; but she is only a child, 
 and will come round in time, and her fortune will be 
 quite as useful to me as it would have been to him. J 
 always knew he was little better than a fool, but I could 
 hardly have hoped that he would have walked into the 
 trap as he has done. I suppose that other blow old 
 Bayley spoke of was that affair of his daughter. That 
 was a lucky business for me too." 
 
 Fred Barkley was not mistaken, it was of his daughter 
 Captain Bayley had been thinking when he spoke. He 
 had married young when he first went out to India, and 
 had lost his wife two years later, leaving him with a 
 daughter six months old. He had sent her home to 
 England, and after a twenty years' absence he had returned 
 and found her grown up. 
 
 She had inherited something of her father's passionate 
 disposition, and possessed, in addition, an amount of 
 sullen obstinacy which was wholly alien to his nature. 
 But her father saw none of these defects in her character. 
 She was very beautiful, with an air of pride and hauteur 
 
"THERE WAS A PASSIONATE QUARREL." 249 
 
 which he liked. She had a right to be proud, he thought, 
 for she was a very wealthy heiress, for, his two elder 
 brothers having died childless while he was in India, 
 the fine property of their father had all descended to 
 him. 
 
 Though the girl had many suitors, she would listen to 
 none of them, having formed a strong attachment to a 
 man in station altogether beneath her. He had given 
 lessons in drawing at the school which had been her 
 home as well as her place of education during her father's 
 absence, for Captain Bayley had quarrelled with his 
 sisters, both of whom, he considered, had married beneath 
 them. 
 
 The fact that Ella Bayley was an only child, and that 
 her father was a wealthy man, was known in the school, 
 and had, in some way, come to the ears of the drawing- 
 master, who was young, and by no means ill-looking. 
 He had played his cards well. Ella was romantic and 
 impetuous, and, before long, returned the devotion which 
 her teacher expressed for her. 
 
 When her father returned home, and Ella left school 
 to take her place at the head of his establishment, she 
 had hoped that she should be able to win from him a 
 consent to her engagement ; but she found his prejudices 
 on the subject of birth were strong, and she waited two 
 years before she broached the subject. 
 
 The wrath of Captain Bayley was prodigious; he 
 heaped abusive epithets upon the man of her choice, 
 till Ella's temper rose also. There was a passionate 
 quarrel between father and daughter. The next morning 
 Ella was missing; a week afterwards Captain Bayley 
 received a copy of the certificate of her marriage, with a 
 
250 CAPTAIN BAYLEY'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 short note from Ella, saying that when he could make 
 his mind up to forgive her and her husband, and to 
 acknowledge that the latter did not deserve the abusive 
 language that he had applied to him, she should be glad 
 to return and resume her place as his affectionate and 
 loving daughter. She gave an address at which he could 
 communicate to her. 
 
 Three years passed before Captain Bay ley's anger had 
 sufficiently calmed down for him to write to his daughter 
 saying that he forgave her. The letter was returned by 
 the people at the house, with a note saying that many 
 months had elapsed since any inquiries had been made 
 for letters for Mrs. Smedley, and that they had altogether 
 lost sight of her. Now that the Captain had once made 
 up his mind to forgive his daughter, he was burning with 
 impatience to see her again, and he at once employed a 
 detective to find out what had become of her. 
 
 From the person to whose house the letter had been 
 directed the detective learned the address where she and 
 her husband had resided while in London. 
 
 For a time it seemed they had lived expensively, the 
 sale of Ella's jewels keeping them in luxury for some 
 months. Then hard times had come upon them ; the man 
 had altogether lost his connection as a teacher, and could, 
 or would, do nothing to support his wife and himself; 
 they had moved from the place they had first lived at, 
 and taken much smaller lodgings. 
 
 Here the people of the house reported their life had 
 been very unhappy ; the husband had taken to drink, and 
 there had been fierce and frequent quarrels between them, 
 arising the landlady had gleaned, from the loud and 
 angry utterance of the husband from the wife's refusal 
 
MISSING. 251 
 
 to appeal to her father for assistance. They had left this 
 place suddenly, and in debt ; thence they had moved from 
 lodging to lodging at short intervals, their position 
 getting worse, until they were last lodged in a wretched 
 garret. From this point they were traced with great 
 trouble down to Nottingham, where the husband obtained 
 a precarious living by producing designs for embroidery 
 and curtains. 
 
 Had he been steady he might have soon done fairly, 
 but a great part of his time was spent in public-houses, 
 and he was seldom sober. When returning home one 
 night in a state of drunkenness, he was run over by a heavy 
 van and killed. As his wife possessed but a few shillings 
 in the world, he was buried at the expense of the parish 
 and his widow at once left the town. 
 
 The people where she lodged believed that she had 
 gone to London, taking with her her six months old child, 
 and had started to tramp the way on foot. The woman 
 said that she doubted whether she could ever have got 
 there. She was an utterly broken woman, with a con 
 stant racking cough, which was like to tear her to pieces, 
 and before she set out her landlady had urged upon her 
 that the idea of her starting to carry a heavy child to 
 London was nothing short of madness. 
 
 After this all trace of Ella had been lost. Advertise 
 ments offering large rewards appeared in the papers ; 
 the books of every workhouse between Nottingham and 
 London, and indeed of almost every workhouse in England, 
 were carefully searched to see if there was any record of 
 the death of a woman with a child about the time of her 
 disappearance. A similar search was made at all the 
 London hospitals, and at every institution where she might 
 
252 ALL TRACES LOST. 
 
 have crawled to die ; but no trace had ever been found of 
 her. 
 
 That she was dead was not doubted ; for it was found 
 that at Nottingham she had once gone to the parish 
 doctor for some medicine for her child. The physician 
 had taken particular notice of her, had asked her some 
 questions, and had made a note in his case-book that 
 the mother of the child he had prescribed for was in an 
 advanced stage of consumption, and had probably but a 
 few weeks, certainly not more than a few months, to live. 
 
 It was long before the search was given up as hopeless 
 and many hundreds of pounds were spent by Captain 
 Bayley before he abandoned all hope of discovering, if not 
 his daughter, at least her child. During the year which 
 elapsed before he was forced to acknowledge that it was 
 hopeless, Captain Bayley had suffered terribly. His self- 
 reproaches were unceasing, and he aged many years in 
 appearance. 
 
 It was three years after this, on the death of his 
 sister, Mrs. Norris, whose husband had died some years 
 before, that he took Frank into his house and adopted 
 him as his son, stating, however, to all whom it might 
 concern, that he did not regard him as standing nearer to 
 him as his heir than his other nephew, Fred Barkley, 
 but that his property would be divided between them as 
 they might show themselves worthy of it. It was three 
 years later still, that, at the death of her father, an old 
 fellow-officer, his household was increased by the addition 
 of Alice, who had been left to his guardianship, but who 
 had soon learned, like Frank, to address him as uncle. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE MISSING HEIR. 
 
 |T was a long time before the house in Eaton 
 Square in any way recovered its former 
 appearance. Captain Bayley had lost much 
 of his life and vivacity, and, as the servants 
 remarked to each other, nothing seemed to put him out. 
 He went for his morning ride in the Park, or his afternoon 
 visit to the Club, as usual, but his thoughts seemed far 
 away ; he passed old friends without seeing them, and if 
 stopped he greeted them no longer with a cheery ring 
 in his voice, or a quick smile of welcome. Every one 
 who knew him remarked that Bayley was going down 
 hill terribly fast, and was becoming a perfect wreck. 
 
 Frank's name was never now mentioned in the house. 
 Its utterance had not been forbidden, but it had been 
 dropped as a matter concerning which a hopeless 
 disagreement existed. Alice had changed almost 
 as much as her uncle. Her spirits were gone ; her voice 
 was no longer heard singing about the house ; she no 
 longer ran up and down the stairs with quick springing 
 footsteps, and indeed seemed all at once to have changed 
 from a young girl into a young woman. Sometimes, as 
 she sat, the tears filled her eyes and rolled fast down her 
 
254 " THE CHILD IS A TRUMP." 
 
 cheeks ; at other times she would walk about with her 
 eyebrows knitted, and hands clenched, and lips pursed 
 together, a little volcano of suppressed anger. 
 
 Although no discussion on the subject had taken place 
 between her and her guardian, it was an understood thing 
 that she maintained her opinion, and that she regarded 
 Fred Barkley as an enemy. If she happened to be in the 
 room when he was announced, she would rise and leave it 
 without a word ; if he remained to a meal, she would not 
 make her appearance in the dining or drawing rooms. 
 
 " Alice still regards me as the incarnation of evil," Fred 
 said, with a forced laugh, upon one of those occasions. 
 
 " The child is a trump," Captain Bayley said warmly, " a 
 warm lover and a good hater. What a thing it is," he said, 
 with a sigh, " to be at an age when trust and confidence 
 are unshakable, and when nothing will persuade you that 
 what you wish to believe is not right ; what would I not 
 give for that child's power of trust ?" 
 
 The household in Eaton Square were almost unani 
 mous in Frank's favour. His genial, hearty manners 
 rendered him a universal favourite with the servants ; and 
 although nune knew the causes of Frank's sudden dis 
 appearance, the general opinion was that, whatever had 
 happened, he could not have been to blame in the matter. 
 
 His warmest adherent was Evan Holl, who had months 
 before been introduced to the house as assistant knife and 
 boot cleaner by Frank He did not sleep there, going 
 home at nine o'clock in the evening when his work was 
 done. 
 
 " Do you know, Harry/' he said, one day, * what a rum 
 crest, as they calls it, I asked the butler what it meant, 
 and he says as how it was the crest of the family Cat>- 
 
CAPTAIN BAYLEY'S CREST. 255 
 
 tain Bayley has ; he 's got it on his silver, and I noticed it 
 when I was in the pantry to-day helping the butler to 
 clean some silver dishes which had been lying by unused 
 for some time. ' All families of distinction,' the butler 
 said, he is mighty fond of using hard long words ' all 
 families of distinction/ says he, ' 'as got their own crest, 
 which belongs to them and no one else. Now this 'ere 
 crest of the guv'nor's is a hand holding a dagger, and the 
 hand has only got three ringers. I said as how there was 
 two missing, and that the chap as did it couldn't have 
 known much of his business to go and leave out two 
 fingers. But the butler says, ' That 's your hignorance/ 
 says he; 'the hand 'as got only three fingers because 
 a hancestor of the Captain's in the time of the Crus 
 aders ' ' And what 's the Crusaders ? ' says I. ' The 
 
 Crusaders was a war between the English and the 
 Americans hundreds of years ago,' says he." 
 
 Harry burst into a shout of laughter. " Mr. Butler does 
 not know anything about it, for the Crusades were wars 
 between people who went out to the Holy Land to recover 
 the Holy Sepulchre from the Turks who held it." 
 
 " Ah, well," Evan said, " it don't make no odds whether 
 they was Turks or Americans. However, the butler says as 
 how the Captain Bayley what lived in those days, he saw 
 a red Injun a-crawling to stab the king, who was a-lying 
 asleep in his tent, and just as his hand was up to stick in 
 the knife, Captain Bayley he gives a cut with his sword 
 which whips off two of the fingers, and before the Injun 
 could turn round and go at him he gives another cut, and 
 takes off his hand at the wrist, and the next cut he takes 
 off his head ; so the hand with three fingers holding a 
 dagger was given him to carry as a crest. I suppose 
 
256 THE THREE-FINGERED HAND. 
 
 after a time the hand got wore out, or got bad, so as he 
 couldn't have carried it about no longer, and instead of 
 that, as a kind of remembrance of the affair, he 'as them 
 put on his forks and spoons. 
 
 Mrs. Holl had been listening with grave interest to the 
 narrative. 
 
 " Does I understand you to say, Evan, that no other 
 family but that of the master's put this three-fingered 
 hand with a knife on to their things?" 
 
 " That 's so, mother ; leastways it 's what the butler says 
 about it" 
 
 "Then if that 's the case," Mrs. Holl said thoughtfully, 
 any one who has got this crest, as you calls it, on his 
 things must be a relation of the Captain." 
 
 " I suppose so, mother ; he might be a long distance off, 
 you know, because this ere affair took place hundreds of 
 years ago, and there may be a lot of the same family 
 about in different parts." 
 
 " So there might," Mrs. Holl said, in a disappointed 
 voice. 
 
 " Why, mother," Harry said, " one would think it made 
 some difference to you, you speak so mournfully about it." 
 
 " It don't make no difference to me, Harry," Mrs. Holl 
 said, " but it makes a lot of difference to you. You know 
 I told you two or three months ago how you come to be 
 here. I don't know as I told you that round the neck of 
 your mother, when she died in that room, was a bit of silk 
 ribbon, and on it was a little seal of gold, with a red stone 
 in it, which I put by very careful for you, though what 
 good such a thing would do to you, or anybody else, I 
 didn't see. Well, on that red stone there was something 
 cut ; and father he took it to a chap as understands about 
 
THE CORNELIAN SEAL. 257 
 
 those things, who got some red wax, and hotted it, and 
 dropped some of it on a paper, and then squeezed this 'ere 
 stone down on it, and looks at the mark through a eye 
 glass, and he tells father that it was a hand with three 
 fingers holding a dagger." 
 
 " That was curious, mother," Harry said, " very curious. 
 Can you fetch me the seal and let me have a look at it ? 
 I don't remember ever having seen it." 
 
 The seal was fetched by Mrs. Holl from a pill-box, in 
 which it was carefully stored away in the corner of a 
 drawer. Harry examined it closely. 
 
 " It looks like a hand holding a dagger," he said, " but 
 it 's too small for me to see whether it has three fingers 
 or four. Evan, will you run round with it to the little 
 watchmaker's in the next street, and ask him to look at 
 it with one of the glasses he sticks in his eye when he is 
 at work, and to tell you whether it has three fingers or 
 four." 
 
 Evan returned in a few minutes with the news that 
 the watchmaker at once said that the hand had but three 
 fingers. 
 
 " Well, from that, Harry," Mrs. Holl said, "if what this 
 man have been and told Evan is right, you must be some 
 relation to Captain Bayley." 
 
 "A cousin, fifty times removed, perhaps," Harry 
 laughed, "but at any rate, it is pleasant to be able to 
 think that I come of a good family." 
 
 "You knew that before, Harry," Mrs. Holl said 
 severely, " for I told you over and over again that your 
 mother was a lady, though she was in bad circum 
 stances, and I think, after charring in respectable houses 
 for the last twenty years, I ought to know a lady when I 
 
258 MRS. HOLL RESOLVES TO MOVE. 
 
 .sees one. Well, there 's nothing as you think I could do 
 about it r 
 
 " I should think not," Harry laughed. " How the old 
 gent would stare if Evan was to walk up to him and say, 
 * Captain Bayley, I have got a foster-brother at home who, 
 I think, is a relation of yours.' That would be a nice 
 piece of cheek, wouldn't it ?" 
 
 Evan laughed. 
 
 " However, mother, I votes as in future we calls Harry 
 Harry Bayley instead of Harry Holl." 
 
 " You won't do anything of the sort, Evan," the cripple 
 lad answered hotly. "Holl's my name, and you don't 
 suppose I am going to drop the name of the father and 
 mother who brought me up, and have tended me all these 
 years, for Bayley or any other name ; besides, even if it 
 should turn out that I am remotely connected with the 
 family, there is no reason why my name should be Bayley, 
 for, of course, if my mother had been a Bayley, she would 
 have changed her name when she married." 
 
 Harry thought but little more of the matter, but Mrs. 
 Holl turned it over frequently in her mind, and discussed 
 it with John. John said, " He didn't think much would 
 come of it ; still, he didn't see as how there could be any 
 harm in asking, seeing that she had set her mind on it." 
 
 So Mrs. Holl resolved to move in the matter. Evan, 
 on being appealed to, said that he did not see how she 
 was to get to speak with Captain Bayley ; the footman 
 wouldn't be likely to show her in to his master unless 
 she stated her business. But after much pressing, and 
 declaring over and over again he wished he had never 
 said a word about the hand with three fingers, Evan con 
 sented, if he found an opportunity, to ask Captain Bayley 
 
CAPTAIN BAYLEY/S SERVANTS. 259 
 
 to see his mother. This opportunity, however, did not 
 arrive, Evan's duties never bringing him in contact with 
 his employer. At last Mrs. Holl became desperate, and 
 one morning, after breakfast, she went to Captain Bayley's 
 house. The ring at the area-bell brought out the cook. 
 
 "What is it?" she said sharply. 
 
 " I am the mother, ma'am, of Evan, as works here." 
 
 " Well, come down, if you want to see him." 
 
 " I don't want to see him, I want to see Captain 
 Bayley." 
 
 "I will tell the footman," the cook said, "but I don't 
 think it likely as you can see the Captain." 
 
 The footman soon made his appearance. Fortunately 
 he was very young, and had not yet acquired that haughti 
 ness of manner which characterises his class. Evan had 
 before told him that his mother wanted to see Captain 
 Bayley, and had begged him to do his best, should she 
 come, to facilitate her doing so. 
 
 "Good morning," he said. "Your boy told me you 
 would be likely enough coming. So you want to see the 
 Captain ; he has just finished his breakfast and gone into 
 the study. Now, what shall I say you wants to see him 
 for ? I can't show you in, you know, without asking him 
 first." 
 
 The young footman was, indeed, curious to know what 
 Mrs. Holl's object could be in wishing to see his master. 
 Evan had resisted all his attempts to find out, simply 
 saying that it was a private affair of his mother's. 
 
 " Will you say to him," Mrs. Holl said, " that the mother 
 of the boy as works here under you is most anxious for 
 to see him just for two or three minutes ; that it ain't 
 nothing to do with the boy, but she wishes particular to 
 
260 " COME STRAIGHT TO THE POINT." 
 
 ask Captain Bayley a question if he will be so good as to 
 see her that no one else but hisself could answer." 
 
 " It 's a rum sort of message," the young footman said, 
 " but, anyhow, I will give it ; the Captain ain't as hot- 
 tempered as he used to be, and he can but say he won't 
 see you." 
 
 Captain Bayley looked mystified when the footman 
 delivered Mrs. Holl's message to him; then he remembered 
 that it was Frank who had introduced her son to help in 
 the house, and he wondered whether her errand could have 
 any connection with him. 
 
 "Well, show her up, James," he said; "but just tell 
 her that my time is precious, and that I don't want to 
 listen to long rambling stories, so whatever she has got 
 to say, let her say it straight out." 
 
 "It's all right," James said, as, descending to the kitchen, 
 he beckoned Mrs. Holl to follow him ; " but the Captain 
 says you are to cut it short ; so if you wants an answer 
 you had best put your question, whatever it is, short and 
 to the point, or he will snap you up in a minute, I can 
 tell you." 
 
 Mrs. Holl followed into the library. She was at no time 
 a very clear-headed thinker, and the difficulty of putting 
 her question into a few words pressed heavily upon her. 
 
 " Now, my good woman, what is it ? " Captain Bayley 
 said, as she entered. " I am going out in a few minutes, 
 so come straight to the point, if you please." 
 
 " I will come as straight as I can, sir," Mrs. Holl said 
 breathlessly, " but indeed, sir, I am a bad hand at explain 
 ing things, and if you snaps me up I shall never get on 
 with it." 
 
 Captain Bayley smiled a little. " Well, I will try and 
 
* THE POINT IS A HAND WITH THREE FINGERS." 261 
 
 not snap you up if you will come to the point. Now, what 
 is the point ? " 
 
 "The point, sir," Mrs. Holl said despairingly, "is a hand 
 with three fingers a-holding of a dagger." 
 
 Captain Bayley looked astonished. "You mean my 
 crest," he said ; " why, what on earth are you driving at? " 
 
 " Evan saw it on the forks," Mrs. Holl explained. 
 
 "Yes, no doubt he did," Captain Bayley said; "but 
 what of that ? That 's my crest." 
 
 " Yes, sir, so Evan said, and when he told me it just 
 knocked me silly like, and says I to him, says I " 
 
 " Never mind what you said to him," Captain Bayley 
 broke in, " what is it you want to say to me ? What is there 
 curious in my crest being on my spoons ? Now just wait 
 one minute, and tell me as plainly as you can." 
 
 Mrs. Holl waited a minute. 
 
 " Well, sir, it struck me all in a heap, because I Ve got 
 in the house a thing with just such another hand, a-holding 
 of a knife in it." 
 
 " Oh ! " Captain Bayley said, " you have got some article 
 with my crest on it in your house. How did you come 
 by it ? It must have been stolen." 
 
 " No, sir, I will take my davey as the young person as 
 was my son Harry's mother never stole nothing in her 
 life." 
 
 " The young person who was your son Harry's mother," 
 Captain Bayley repeated, in a somewhat puzzled tone. 
 " Are you talking of yourself ? " 
 
 " Lor' no, sir, the young person." 
 
 " But what young person do you mean ? How can any 
 young person have been your son Harry's mother except 
 yourself?" 
 
262 HOW LONG AGO WAS THIS ? " 
 
 "He ain't really my son, you see, sir ; he is the son of a 
 young person who we took in, John and I, and who died 
 at our house ; Harry is her son." 
 
 A great change passed over Captain Bayley's face, the 
 expression of impatience died out, and was succeeded by 
 one almost of awe. He dropped the paper which he had 
 hitherto held in his hand, and leaning forward he asked in 
 low tones 
 
 "Do you mean that a woman who had in her possession 
 some article with my crest on it, and who had a child 
 with her, died in your house ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, that 's what I mean ; the article is a little gold 
 seal, with a red stone to it." 
 
 " How long ago was this ? " came slowly from Captain 
 Bayley's lips. 
 
 " About seventeen years ago," Mrs. Holl said. " The 
 mother died a few days afterwards ; the child is our Harry ; 
 and I came to ask you but, good lawks ! " 
 
 An ashen greyness had been stealing across the old 
 officer's face, and Mrs. Holl was terrified at seeing him 
 suddenly fall forward across the table. 
 
 She rushed to the door to ask for help. James was in 
 the hall, having waited there, expecting momentarily to 
 hear his master tell him to show his visitor out. He began 
 to utter exclamations of dismay at seeing his master's 
 senseless figure. 
 
 " I will lift him up," she said. " Run and fetch the 
 butler and the cook, and then go for the doctor as quick 
 as you can run ; he has got a stroke." 
 
 The butler was first upon the scene. Mrs. Holl had 
 already lifted Captain Bay ley into a sitting position. "I 
 have taken off his necktie and opened his collar/ 1 
 
" DON'T YOU BE A FOOL." 263 
 
 she said. The butler, who was unaware of Mrs. Holl's 
 presence there, was astonished at the scene. 
 
 " Who are you ? " he gasped, " and what have you been 
 doing to the Captain ? If you have killed him it will be 
 a hanging matter, you know." 
 
 "Don't you be a fool," retorted Mrs. Holl sharply, "but 
 run for some water ; he has got a stroke, though what it 
 came from is more nor I can tell." 
 
 To be called a fool by this unknown woman of coarse 
 appearance roused the butler's faculties. He was sincerely 
 attached to his master, and without reply he at once hurried 
 away for water. 
 
 In five minutes the doctor, who lived close by, entered. 
 Mrs. Holl was still holding up the insensible man ; Alice 
 stood crying beside her, the servants were looking on, 
 
 " Open the windows," he said. 
 
 Then he felt the Captain's pulse. For some time he 
 stood silent ; then he said 
 
 "Lay him down at full length on the couch." Mrs. 
 Holl, without the least effort, lifted the slight figure and 
 laid it on the sofa. 
 
 " Now," the doctor said, " will you all leave the room 
 except Miss Hardy and you ? " he nodded to Mrs. HolL 
 As the servants retired reluctantly, the butler said 
 
 " Please, sir, I don't know whether you know it, but 
 that woman was with him alone when he got insensible. 
 I don't know what she did to him, but I should recommend 
 that we should have a policeman in readiness." 
 
 "Nonsense," the surgeon said. "However, it will be 
 better that she should retire ; but let her wait outside, 
 close at hand, in case he wishes to speak to her." 
 
 Sarah Holl followed the servants into the hall The 
 
264 "HOW WAS IT?' 
 
 doctor poured a few drops of cordial between Captain 
 Bayley's lips, and placed some strong salts beneath his 
 nostrils. 
 
 " You think he will come round ? " Alice asked. 
 
 " He will come round," the doctor said confidently ; " his 
 pulse is gaining power rapidly. It is not paralysis, but a 
 sort of fainting-fit, brought on, I should imagine, by some 
 sudden shock ; his heart is weak, and there was a sudden 
 failure of its powers. I have warned him over and over 
 again not to excite himself. However, I think there is 
 no great harm done this time ; but he must be careful in 
 future ; another such attack and it might go hard with 
 him. See, he is coming round." In a few minutes Captain 
 Bayley opened his eyes and looked round vaguely. 
 
 " Lie quiet for a little while, my dear sir," the doctor 
 said cheerfully ; " you have been ill, a sort of fainting-fit, 
 but you will be all right in a short time. Drink this 
 glass of cordial" He lifted his patient's head, and held 
 the glass to his lips. As Captain Bayley drank it Alice 
 placed a pillow under his head. 
 
 " How was it ? " Captain Bayley asked, in a low 
 tone. 
 
 "We don't know," the Doctor said; "but don't think 
 about it at present. What you have to do now is to get 
 quite strong again ; it will be time afterwards for you to 
 think what upset you. You have given Miss Hardy here 
 quite a fright." 
 
 Captain Bayley nodded to Alice. " I never did such 
 a thing before," he said. "I was reading here in the 
 
 library " Then he stopped, a sudden flush came to his 
 
 face. 
 
 " Don't agitate yourself, my dear sir/' the Doctor said 
 
" HE IS A CRIPPLE." 265 
 
 soothingly, "agitation now would be a very serious 
 thing. Drink a little more of this." 
 
 Captain Bayley did as he was told, and then asked 
 
 " Where is the woman who was speaking to me ? " 
 
 " She is outside," the Doctor said. " I told her to wait. 
 Bub you really must not see her for a time." 
 
 " I am all right now," Captain Bayley said, rising to 
 his elbow, " and it will agitate me less to see her than 
 to wait. She brought me very strange news, news which 
 I never thought to hear. It is not bad news, my dear," 
 he said, to Alice, " it is the best news I ever heard. You 
 need not go away, Doctor," he said, seeing the physician 
 was preparing to leave ; " you are an old friend, and know 
 all about it ; besides, it is no secret. You know how I 
 searched for very many years for my daughter and her 
 child, and came at last to the conclusion that both must 
 be dead, for she was in a dying state when last heard of. 
 Well, I have found that the boy is alive. He has been 
 brought up by the woman who is the mother of a boy who 
 works here." 
 
 " Oh ! I know," Alice exclaimed, " Frank told me the 
 story. She had told him about a woman who had fallen 
 down at her door years ago, and how she had brought up 
 the child. But O uncle ! " she said pitifully, " I have 
 a sad thing to tell you. Frank said that he was such a 
 nice boy, so clever and good. Frank used to go and help 
 him with his books, and he can read Latin and all sorts 
 of things ; but, uncle, he met with an accident when he 
 was little, and he is a cripple." 
 
 For a minute Captain Bayley was silent. 
 
 " It is part of my punishment, dear," he said at last 
 "God's will be done. However, cripple or not, I am 
 
266 " SHE WAS MY DAUGHTER." 
 
 thankful to find that, from what you say, he is a boy 
 whom I can own without shame, for the thought has 
 troubled me always, that, should Ella's son be alive, he 
 might have grown up a companion of thieves, a wander 
 ing vagabond. Thank God, indeed, it is not so ! I am 
 glad you told me, Alice. Now, let me see this good 
 woman who has been a mother to him." 
 
 Mrs. Holl was again called in, and was asked to sit 
 down. 
 
 " The question you wished to ask me," Captain Bayley 
 said, " was, I suppose, whether I could give you any clue 
 as to who was the woman you took in, and whose child 
 you adopted ? She was my daughter." 
 
 " Lor', sir ! " Mrs. Holl exclaimed, " who would have 
 thought such a thing ? " 
 
 " Who, indeed," Captain Bayley repeated; " but so it was. 
 For years I sought for her in vain, and had long since 
 given up all hope of ever hearing of her. Have you got 
 the seal with you ? " 
 
 After some search Mrs. Holl produced from the corner 
 of her capacious pocket the seal, carefully wrapped up in 
 paper. 
 
 " That is it," Captain Bayley said, with a sigh. " Alice, 
 go to my desk, open the inner compartment, and there you 
 will see the fellow to it" Alice did as he requested. 
 
 " There, you see, Doctor, they are exactly alike. They 
 were both made at the same time, soon after I returned 
 from India, and now, Mrs. Holl, please tell us the whole 
 story as I understand you told it to my nephew." 
 
 Mrs. Holl repeated the story in nearly the same words 
 that she had used to Frank. 
 
 " God bless you ! " Captain Bayley said, when she fin- 
 
267 
 
 ished. " No words can tell how grateful I am to you, or 
 how deeply I am moved at the thought of the kindness 
 which you and your husband, strangers as you were to 
 her, showed to my poor girL I hope you will not mind 
 sparing him to me now ; your claims are far greater than 
 mine, but you have other children, while I, with the 
 exception of my ward here, am alone in the world." 
 
 " Lor', sir," Mrs. Holl said, wiping her eyes with her 
 apron, " of course we will spare him. We shall miss him 
 sorely, for he has indeed been a comfort and a blessing to 
 us ; but it is for his good, and you won't mind his coming 
 to see us sometimes." 
 
 " Mind ! " Captain Bayley exclaimed, " he would be an 
 ungrateful rascal if he did not want to come and see you 
 constantly. Well, if you will go home and prepare him 
 a little, I will come ro*nd this afternoon and see him. 
 It 's no use shaking your head, Doctor, I feel myself again 
 now ; but I will lie down till lunch-time, and will promise 
 not to excite mysel M 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 JOHN HOLL, DUST CONTRACTOR. 
 
 |T was a pathetic meeting between Captain 
 Bayley and his newly-found grandson. The 
 latter had been astounded at the wonderful 
 news that Mrs. Holl had brought home. His 
 first thought was that of indignation, that his mother 
 should have been a penniless wanderer in the streets of 
 London, while her father was rolling in wealth; but Mrs. 
 Holl's description of the old officer's agitation and plea 
 sure, and the long efforts which he had made to find his 
 daughter, convinced him that there must at least have 
 been some fault on both sides. 
 
 "My poor boy," Captain Bayley said, as he entered the 
 room, "if you knew how long and earnestly I have sought 
 for you, and how many years I have grieved and repented 
 my harshness to your mother, you would not find it in your 
 heart to think hardly of me. We were both to blame, 
 my boy, and we were both punished, heavily punished; 
 but you shall have all the story some day. I know that 
 it must be a bitter thought for you that she died homeless, 
 save for the shelter which this good woman afforded her; 
 but I hope that you will be able to find it in your heart 
 to forgive an old man who has been terribly punished. 
 
269 
 
 and that you will let me do my best to atone by making 
 your life as happy as I can." 
 
 Harry took the hand which the old officer held out to 
 him. 
 
 " For myself, I have nothing to forgive, sir. My life has 
 been a happy one, thanks to the kindness and love of my 
 father and mother here ; as to my real mother, of course, I 
 do not remember her, nor is it for me to judge between 
 her and you. At any rate I can well believe that you must 
 have suffered greatly. I have been thinking it over, and 
 it seems to me that the mere fact that your wishes have at 
 last been carried out, and that you have so strangely found 
 your daughter's son, would seem as if any wrongs you did 
 her are considered by God as atoned for. I am sorry that 
 I am a cripple ; I have been sorry before sometimes, but 
 never so sorry as now, for it must be a great disappoint 
 ment to you." 
 
 " I am so pleased at finding you as you are, my boy," 
 Captain Bayley said, " for I had feared that if you were 
 alive it must be as a vagrant, or perhaps even a criminal, 
 that your bodily misfortune is as nothing in my eyes. 
 This is my ward, Miss Hardy ; she is something like a 
 granddaughter to me, and is prepared to be a sister to 
 you." 
 
 " I have heard of her from Evan, sir," Harry said, with 
 a bright look at the girl. " He has told me how every one 
 
 in the house loves her, and how fond my kind friend " 
 
 But here he stopped abruptly. The tale of Frank's 
 sudden departure was a subject of frequent discussion 
 at the Holls', as well as in the servants' hall in Eaton 
 Square ; and although Harry's indignation on behalf of his 
 friend had been extreme, he paused now before uttering 
 
270 "QUITE RIGHT, MY BOY." 
 
 the name, for at this first meeting with his relation he 
 felt that no unpleasant topic should be introduced. 
 
 There was a moment's silence as he paused, but Alice 
 advanced fearlessly and gave the boy her hand. 
 
 "Thank you, Harry, for what you say, and we shall 
 be all the better friends because you love, as I do, my 
 dear good cousin, Frank." 
 
 " Well, Harry," Captain Bayley said hastily, " when 
 will you come home to me? I don't want to press you 
 to leave your kind friends here too suddenly, but I am 
 longing to have you home. I have the carriage at the 
 end of the street if you will come now." 
 
 "No, grandfather, not to-day; I will come to-morrow. 
 Father took his dinner away with him, and he will not 
 be back till this evening, and I am not going to let him 
 come and find me gone." 
 
 "Quite right, my boy, quite right," Captain Bayley 
 said. "Then to-morrow, at eleven o'clock, I will come 
 round in the carriage and fetch you. Mrs. Holl, 
 remember that Harry Bayley owes you a deep debt of 
 gratitude, which he will do his .best some day to repay 
 as far as it is in his power. Good-bye, Harry, for the 
 present. I am glad your mother gave you my name; it 
 seems to show she thought kindly of me at the last. 
 Perhaps she found, poor girl, that I had not been 
 altogether wrong in my opposition to her unhappy 
 fancy." 
 
 The following day Harry was installed in Eaton 
 Square. Captain Bayley was delighted to find how 
 easily and naturally he fell into the new position, how 
 well he expressed himself, and how wide was his range 
 of knowledge 
 
HOPES OF HARRY'S RECOVERY. 271 
 
 " He is a gentleman, every inch," he exclaimed 
 delightedly to Alice. "If you knew how I have thought 
 of him you would understand how happy it makes me to 
 see him what he is." 
 
 Captain Bayley lost no time in obtaining the best 
 possible surgical advice for his grandson; their opinion 
 was not as favourable as he had hoped. Had he been 
 properly treated at the time of his accident he might, 
 they said, have made a complete recovery; but now it was 
 too late. However, they thought that by means of surgi 
 cal appliances, and a course of medicinal baths, he might 
 recover the use of his legs to some extent, and be able to 
 walk with crutches. This was something, and the 
 Captain determined at once to carry their advice into 
 effect. 
 
 Between Alice Hardy and the lad a strong friendship 
 speedily sprang up. The girl's bright talk, which was so 
 different from anything he had hitherto experienced, was 
 very delightful to the lad; but the strong bond between 
 them was their mutual feeling about Frank. From her 
 Harry learned the charge under which Frank laboured, and 
 his indignant repudiation of the possibility of such a thing 
 delighted Alice's heart; hitherto she had been alone in her 
 belief, and it was delightful to her to talk with one who was 
 of her own way of thinking. She infected Harry with her 
 own dislike and suspicions of Fred Barkley, and amused 
 the lad greatly by telling him how, when she had heard of 
 the discovery of his existence, she had, when Mrs. Holl 
 left, gone straight up to her room and indulged in a wild 
 dance of delight at the destruction of Fred's hope of 
 being Captain Bayley's sole heir. 
 
 " It was glorious," she said. " I knew Fred hated Frank, 
 
272 "THAT'S A VERY UNLADYLIKE EXPRESSION." 
 
 though Frank, silly old boy, was always taking his part 
 with me, and scolding me because I didn't like his 
 cousin; and I am quite, quite sure that he has had 
 something to do with getting Frank into this dreadful 
 scrape, and it was glorious to think that just when he 
 thought that he had got the field clear, and uncle Harry 
 all to himself, you should suddenly appear and put his 
 nose out of joint. That's a very unladylike expression, 
 Harry, and I know I oughtn't to use it, but there's nothing 
 else does so well. It's Fred's holidays now, and he 
 is away; I expect uncle will write and tell him all about 
 it. I wish he wouldn't, for I would give anything to see 
 his face when he walks in and sees you sitting here and 
 hears who you are." 
 
 "Oh! but I hope," Harry said, "that grandfather won't 
 make any difference to any one because of me. What 
 would be the use of much money to me. Of course I 
 should like to have a little house, with a man to wheel 
 me about; but what could I want beyond that?" 
 
 "Oh! nonsense, Harry. In the first place you are going 
 to get better; and even if you were not, you could enjoy 
 life in lots of ways. Of course you would have nice 
 carriages and horses; you might keep a yacht, Frank was 
 always saying that he would like to have a yacht, and I 
 don't see why you shouldn't go into Parliament. I am 
 sure you are clever enough, and I have heard uncle say 
 that three-fourths of the members are fools. He says 
 something naughty before fools, but you know he swears 
 dreadfully; he does not mean it, not in the least; I suppose 
 he learned it in India. I tell him it is very wrong some 
 times, but he says he is too old to get rid of bad habits. 
 I wish he wouldn't do it; and the worst of it is, Harry," 
 
THE NEW WILL. 273 
 
 she said plaintively, "that instead of being very much 
 shocked, as I ought to be, very often I can hardly help 
 laughing, he does put in that dreadful word so funnily." 
 
 "No, I should not care about being in Parliament," 
 the boy said. " If I were ever so rich I think I might 
 like a yacht ; still, a yacht, if it were only a small one, 
 would cost a great deal of money, and I do hope that 
 grandfather won't disappoint any one for my sake." 
 
 Captain Bayley had, however, a few days after the 
 discovery of his grandson, and after having satisfied him 
 self how lovable the lad was, and * how worthy in all 
 respects to be his heir, written to Fred Barkley, telling 
 him that his grandson had been found, and that he was 
 all that he could wish to find him. 
 
 "Naturally, Fred," he wrote, "this will make a 
 considerable difference in your prospects. At the same 
 time, as you have been led to believe that you would 
 come into a considerable property at my death, and as 
 you have done nothing to forfeit my confidence and 
 affection, having proved yourself in all ways a steady 
 and industrious and honourable young fellow, I do not 
 consider it right that you should be altogether dis 
 inherited by a discovery which has occasioned me such 
 vast pleasure. I have therefore instructed my solicitor to 
 prepare a new will By this he will settle my property 
 in Warwickshire, and my town house, upon my grandson ; 
 but my other house property, and a portion of my money 
 in stocks and shares, which has been accumulating 
 for many years, will be left to you, the value of the 
 legacy being, I calculate, about one-half of that of the 
 property left to my grandson. Thus you will be in nearly 
 the same position you would have occupied had not your 
 
 (476) g 
 
274 FRED BARKLEY S LETTER. 
 
 cousin Frank forfeited, by his disgraceful conduct, his 
 place in my affections." 
 
 Whatever may have been the feelings of Fred Barkley 
 when he received this communication, he wrote a graceful 
 letter of congratulation to his uncle, expressing his pleasure 
 at the discovery of his long-lost grandson, and with many 
 thanks for his kind intention on his own behalf. His 
 anger and disappointment were so great that he did not 
 return to town until the day before he was going up to 
 Cambridge having left Westminster at the end of the 
 preceding term for he did not feel himself equal, before 
 that time, to continue to play his part, and to express 
 personally the sentiments which he had written. What 
 rendered his disappointment even more bitter was the 
 thought that, indirectly, it was Frank who had dealt him 
 the blow, for Captain Bayley had mentioned in his 
 letter that it was through the boy whom his cousin had 
 recommended as an assistant to the footman that the 
 discovery had been made. 
 
 The visit that he paid at Eaton Square was a short 
 one. To his relief Alice was not present, for he was 
 certain that she would have watched him with malicious 
 pleasure. But there had been a passage of arms between 
 her and her guardian of a more serious nature than any 
 which had occurred since she had been under his care 
 owing to her having expressed herself with her usual 
 frankness respecting Fred's visit. 
 
 Her guardian had resented this warmly, and had rated 
 her so severely as to what he called her wicked prejudice 
 against Fred, that she had retired to her room in tears. 
 This defeat of his favourite had not predisposed Harry to 
 any more favourable opinion of his unknown cousin ; but 
 
ALICE IS INDIGNANT. 275 
 
 Fred, relieved from the presence of Alice, acted his part 
 so well, and infused so genuine a ring into the tone of his 
 congratulations, that he did much to dissipate the pre 
 judice with which Harry was prepared to regard him. 
 Alice was quick to observe the impression which Fred 
 had made, and quarrelled hotly with Harry concerning it. 
 
 " I am disappointed in you altogether, Harry. I have 
 looked upon you as being a real friend of Frank, and 
 now you desert him directly his enemy says a few soft 
 words to you. I despise such friendship, and I don't 
 want to have anything more to say to you." 
 
 In vain Harry protested. The girl flung herself out 
 of the room in deep anger, and thenceforth, for a long time, 
 Harry was made to feel that although she wished to be 
 civil to him as her guardian's grandson, yet that the 
 bond of union between them was entirely broken. Harry 
 himself had lost no time in speaking to his grandfather 
 on behalf of Frank. 
 
 " My dear Harry," the old man said, " my faith in his 
 innocence was as strong as yours, and, crushing as the 
 proofs seemed to be, I would never have doubted him 
 had he defended himself. But he did not; he never 
 sent me a line to ask me to suspend my judgment or 
 to declare his innocence; he ran away like a thief at 
 night, and, although Fred generously tried to soften the 
 fact to me, there is no doubt he admitted his guilt to him. 
 Still, after the lesson I had in your mother's case, I would 
 forgive him did I know where he was. 
 
 " I do not say, Harry, that I would restore him to 
 his place in my affection and confidence, that of course 
 would be impossible ; but I would willingly send him a 
 cheque for a handsome amount, say for five thousand 
 
276 HARRY DEFENDS FRANK. 
 
 pounds, to establish him in business, or set him up in a 
 farm in one of the colonies." 
 
 "That is no use, grandfather," Harry said, "if he is 
 innocent as I most firmly believe him to be, in spite of 
 everything against him, and shall believe him to be to 
 my dying day, unless he himself tells me that he was 
 guilty he will not accept either your forgiveness or your 
 money. What I wish is that he could be found. I 
 wish that I could see him, or that you could see him, face 
 to face, and that we could hear from his own lips what he 
 has to say. He might, at least, account for his foolish 
 running away instead of facing it out 
 
 " We do not know how desperate he might have been 
 at being unable to clear himself from the charge brought 
 against him. Eemember, he could not have known how 
 hotly you were working on his behalf, and may have be 
 lieved himself altogether deserted. He may account for 
 not having written to you. And we must remember, 
 grandfather mind I do not share all Alice's prejudice, and 
 have no inclination in any way to doubt the honesty of 
 my cousin Fred but at the same time, in bare justice to 
 Frank, we must not forget that Fred was really a rival of 
 his in your affections, and that he would possibly benefit 
 greatly by Frank's disgrace, and, we must also remember 
 that the only evidence against Frank, with the exception 
 of the circumstantial proof, comes from him. 
 
 " It was he who furnished Frank with funds to enable 
 him to run away, and we cannot tell whether or not he 
 did not even urge him to fly. You must remember, grand 
 father, that Alice asserts Fred always hated Frank. I know 
 she is prejudiced, and that you never noticed the feeling, 
 nor did Frank ; but children's perceptions are very quick. 
 
" WHO WAS GUILTY ? " 277 
 
 And even allowing that she liked Frank much the best, 
 Fred was always, as she admits, very kind and attentive 
 to her more so, in some ways, than Frank, and there 
 was no reason, therefore, for her taking up such a pre 
 judice had she not been convinced that it was true. 
 
 * Now, grandfather, I will tell you what has occurred to 
 me. I know it will appear a hideously unjust suspicion to 
 you, but I will tell you once for all, and we will not 
 recur to the subject again ; God knows I may be wronging 
 him cruelly, but the wrong would be no greater than that 
 which has been done to Frank if he is really innocent. 
 
 " Ever since you told me the whole story, I have lain 
 awake at night thinking it over. It may be that what Alice 
 has said may have turned my thoughts that way, but I 
 can see only two explanations of the affair. 
 
 " Frank is really guilty, or he is altogether innocent. 
 If he is innocent, who was guilty? Some one took 
 the note, some one sent it to Frank, and this some one 
 must be a person who knew that Frank was in need of 
 it ; whoever did so can only have done it with one of two 
 motives, either to get Frank out of trouble, or to bring 
 disgrace upon him. Only four boys knew of the affair, 
 and they all declare that they told no one else. If they 
 spoke truly it was one of these four sent him the note 
 always supposing that he did not take it himself. Of 
 the other three I know nothing ; but I will take the case 
 of Fred and view it as if he was a stranger to both of us. 
 
 "He was a rival of Frank's. Alice declares he hated him. 
 At any rate he would benefit greatly by Frank's disgrace. 
 What did he do when Frank asked him to help him? 
 He refused to do so, on the ground that he had no 
 money ; but two days later he was able to raise double 
 
278 A TERRIBLE ALTERNATIVE. 
 
 the sum Frank then wanted in order to assist him to fly. 
 Dreadful as the supposition is, it seems to me that the 
 only positive alternative to supposing Frank to be guilty 
 is to believe that his cousin took this note and sent it to 
 him in order to bring him into disgrace, and that he 
 afterwards urged and assisted him to fly in order to stamp 
 his guilt more firmly upon him." 
 
 While Harry had been speaking Captain Bayley had 
 paced up and down the room. 
 
 " Impossible, Harry/' he exclaimed, " impossible. For, 
 bad as was the case of Frank taking the note on the 
 pressure of the moment to get himself out of the silly 
 scrape into which he had got, this charge which you 
 bring against Fred would be a hundred times, ay, 
 a thousand times worse. It would be a piece of hideous 
 treachery, a piece of villainy of which I can scarce believe 
 a human being capable/' 
 
 " I do not bring the charge, grandfather," Harry said 
 quietly, "I only state the alternative. That one of your 
 nephews took this note seems to me to be clear; the 
 crime would be infinitely greater, infinitely more un 
 pardonable in the one case than the other, but the 
 incentive, too, was enormously greater. In the one case 
 the only object for the theft would be to avoid the conse 
 quence of a foolish, but, after all, not a serious freak ; in 
 the other to obtain a large fortune, and to ruin the chances 
 of a dangerous rival 
 
 " Eemember, at that time Fred did not know how you 
 had determined to dispose of your property. Frank was 
 living with you, and was apparently your favourite, there 
 fore he may have deemed that it was all or nothing. 
 There, grandfather, I have done. I need not say that I 
 
" THERE IS NOTHING TO BE DONE." 279 
 
 know little of the real disposition of your two nephews. 
 Frank behaved to me with the greatest kindness when I 
 was a poor cripple without the slightest claim upon him. 
 Fred has behaved kindly and courteously, although I have 
 come between him and you. I can only say that I believe 
 that one of these two must be guilty; which it is, God 
 alone knows." 
 
 " I wish you had said nothing about it," Captain 
 Bay ley groaned, "it is dreadful; I don't know what to 
 do or what to think." 
 
 "There is nothing to be done," Harry said, "except, grand 
 father, to find Frank. Let us find him and see him face to 
 face ; let us hear his story from beginning to end, and I 
 think then we shall arrive at a just conclusion. I have 
 no doubt he has gone abroad, and I should advise that 
 you should advertise in all the Colonial and American 
 papers begging him to return to have an interview with 
 you, and offering a handsome reward to any one who will 
 give you information of his whereabouts. If we find 
 where he is, and he w^ill not come to us, we will go to 
 him." 
 
 " That 's what I will do, Harry. I will not lose a 
 moment's time, but will set about it at once ; if I spend 
 ten thousand pounds in advertising I will find him. As to 
 Fred, I cannot meet him again until I get to the bottom 
 of the affair, so we will stay away from England till I 
 get some news of Frank." 
 
 Before starting abroad, Captain Bayley carried out 
 his plan for rewarding John and Sarah Holl for the 
 kindness they had shown to Harry. After consultation 
 with his grandson, he had concluded that the best plan of 
 doing so would be to help them in their own mode of life. 
 
280 " IT MAY BE A BAD JOB FOR ME." 
 
 He accordingly called upon the dust-contractor for -whom 
 John Holl worked, a man who owned twenty carts. An 
 agreement was soon come to with him, by which Captain 
 Bayley agreed to purchase his business at his own price, 
 with the whole of the plant, carts, and horses. A fort 
 night after this John's master said to him one day 
 
 " John, I have sold my business, you are going to have 
 a new master." 
 
 " I am sorry for that," John said, " for we have got on 
 very well together for the last fifteen years. Besides," he 
 added thoughtfully, "it may be a bad job for me ; I am not 
 as young as I used to be, and he may bring new hands 
 with him." 
 
 " I will speak to him about you, John," his master said ; 
 " he is a good sort, and I dare say I can manage it. The 
 thing is going to be done well Three or four new carts 
 are going to be put on instead of some of the old ones, and 
 there are ten first-rate horses coming in place of some of 
 those that are getting past work The stables are all being 
 done up, and the thing is going to be done tip-top. Cur 
 iously enough his name is the same as yours, John Holl." 
 
 "Is it now?" John said. "Well, that will be a rum go, 
 to see my own name on the carts, ' John Holl, Dust 
 Contractor/ It don't sound bad, neither. So you will 
 speak to him, gaffer ? " 
 
 " Ay, I will speak to him," his employer answered 
 
 Three days later John received a message from his 
 master to the effect that the new gaffer would take 
 possession next day, and that he was to call at the office 
 at eleven o'clock He added that his new employer said 
 that he wished Mrs. Holl to go round with her husband. 
 
 John and Sarah were greatly mystified with the latter 
 
A STTRPRISE. 281 
 
 part of this message, until the solution occurred to them 
 that probably their late employer had mentioned that 
 Mrs. Holl went out charring and cleaning, and that he 
 might intend to engage her to keep the office tidy. 
 
 Accordingly, at eleven o'clock on the following day, 
 John and Sarah presented themselves at the office at 
 Chelsea. As they entered the yard they were greatly 
 amused at seeing all the carts ranged along, in the glory 
 of new paint, with " John Holl, Dust Contractor," in large 
 letters on their sides. A boy was in the office, who told 
 them that they were to go to the house. The yard was 
 situated near the river, and the house which adjoined it 
 was a large old-fashioned building, standing in a pretty, 
 walled garden. They went to the back door, and knocked. 
 It was opened by a bright-looking servant-girl. 
 
 "Is Mr. Holl in?" Sarah asked. 
 
 " You are to be shown in," the girl said, and ushered 
 them into a large, old-fashioned parlour, comfortably 
 furnished. 
 
 John and Sarah gave a cry of surprise, for, sitting by 
 the fire, in his wheeled box, just as in the olden time, 
 was Harry. 
 
 Scarce a day had passed since he had left them 
 without his coming in for a half-hour for a chat with 
 them, but his appearance here struck them with astonish 
 ment. 
 
 "What on arth be you a-doing here, Harry?" Mrs. 
 Holl asked. " Do you know our new gaffer ?" 
 
 " Yes, mother, I know him. Captain Bay ley has had 
 some business with him, and asked me to come down here 
 to see him. You are to sit down until he comes." 
 
 " But that will never do, Harry. Why, what would he 
 
282 " HE 'S A GOOD FELLOW." 
 
 think of us if he comes in and finds us sitting down in 
 his parlour just as if the place belonged to us?" 
 
 " It 's all right, mother, I will make it right with him ; 
 he 's a good fellow, is the new gaffer a first-rate fellow." 
 
 " Is he, now ?" John asked, interested, as he and Sarah, 
 seeing nothing else to do, sat down. " And his name is 
 John Holl, just the same as mine?" 
 
 " Just the same, John, and he 's not unlike you either. 
 Now, when I tell you what a kind action he did once, 
 you will see the sort of fellow he is. Once, a good many 
 years ago, when he wasn't as well off as he is now, when 
 he was just a hard-working man, earning his weekly pay, 
 a poor woman with a child fell down dying at his door. 
 Well, you know, other people would have sent for a police 
 man and had her taken off to the workhouse, but he and 
 his wife took her into their house and tended her till 
 she died." 
 
 " That was a right-down good thing," John said, quite 
 oblivious of the fact that he too had done such an action. 
 
 Sarah did not speak, but gave a little gasping cry, and 
 threw her apron, which she wore indoors and out, over 
 her head, a sure sign with her that she was going to 
 indulge in what she called " a good cry." John looked 
 at her in astonishment. 
 
 " And more than that, John," Harry went on, " they 
 took in the child, and brought it up as one of their own ; 
 and though afterwards they had a large family, they 
 never made him feel that he was a burden to them, 
 though he grew up a cripple, and was able to do nothing 
 to repay them for all their goodness. Well, at last the 
 boy's friends were found. They had lots of money, and 
 the time came at last when they bought a business for 
 
" WELCOME, FATHER ! AND WELCOME, MOTHER ! " 283 
 
 John Holl ; and when he came, there the cripple boy was, 
 sitting at the fire, to welcome them, and say, * Welcome, 
 father ! and welcome, mother ! ' " and Harry held out his 
 hands to them both. 
 
 Even now John Holl did not understand. He was 
 naturally dull of comprehension, and the loud sobbing of 
 his wife so bewildered and confounded him, that it 
 divided his attention with Harry's narrative. 
 
 " Yes, Harry," he said, " it 's all very nice. But what 's 
 come to you, Sarah ? What are you making all this fuss 
 about ? We shall be having the new master coming in and 
 finding you sobbing and rocking yourself like a mad 
 woman, Cheer up, old woman. What is it ?" 
 
 " Don't you see, John," Sarah sobbed out, " don't you 
 see Harry has been telling you your own story? Don't 
 you see that it is you he has been talking about, and that 
 you are ' John Holl, Dust Contractor ' ? " 
 
 "Me?" John said, in utter bewilderment. 
 
 " Yes, father," Harry said, taking his hand, " you are 
 the John HolL This house, and the business, and the 
 carts and horses, are yours ; Captain Bayley has bought 
 them all for you. He would not come here himself, as I 
 wished him, but he asked me to tell you and mother how 
 glad he was to be able to repay, in a small way, he said 
 your great kindness to me, and how he hoped that you 
 would prosper here, and be as happy as you deserve to 
 be. You will be better off than your last gaffer, for he 
 had to pay rent for this house and yard, but, as grand 
 father has bought the freehold of them all for you, you 
 will have no rent to pay ; and therefore I hope, even in 
 bad times, you will be able to get along comfortably. 
 There, father, there, mother, dry your eyes, and look 
 
284 A HAPPIER PARTY NEVER ASSEMBLED. 
 
 sharp, for I can hear voices in the garden. Evan went 
 to your house after you had gone to bring all the children 
 round here in a cab. 
 
 "You will find everything in the house, mother, and 
 you must get a grand tea as soon as possible. I have got 
 a servant for you for, you know, you must have a 
 servant now." 
 
 The next minute the children came bounding in, wild 
 with delight, and a happier party never assembled than 
 those who sat round the table of " John Holl, Dust Con 
 tractor," on the evening of his first taking possession of his 
 new property. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE LONELY DIGGERS. 
 
 camp increased rapidly, for although no 
 extraordinarily rich finds were made, the 
 valley bottom widened out at this point, 
 and the gold was generally disseminated in 
 quantities sufficient to enable the miners to live, and 
 every one hoped that, as they got deeper, their claims 
 would increase in value. Every day added to the number 
 of tents and huts. Three bars competed with each other 
 for the favour of the diggers, and two large stores drove 
 a profitable trade in food and mining tools and materials ; 
 brawls at the gambling-tables were of nightly occurrence, 
 and no small proportion of the gold obtained by the more 
 fortunate diggers found its way into the pockets of the 
 gamblers. 
 
 " I tell you what, Abe," Frank said, a short time after 
 their arrival, when they heard that a young man had 
 been shot down by one of the most notorious ruffians in 
 the camp, " I think it would be a good plan if we were 
 all to agree that we will not enter one of these saloons. 
 I know it 's a temptation, after work is over, to saunter 
 in there ; but I think such a party as we are are enough for 
 each other. We have done well enough for months out 
 
286 FRANK'S PROPOSAL. 
 
 on the plains, and I don't see why we should not do so 
 now. We are friends, and should be awfully sorry to see 
 any one of our number losing his share of our joint 
 earnings at the gambling-tables, or brought home with a 
 bullet-hole in his head. 
 
 " If we want a little change, we can always ask one or 
 two of the quiet men to join us round our fire. If we 
 want drink, it is cheaper and better to buy it by the 
 bottle, and have a glass in company here. There is no 
 doubt that any one who takes to drink here may as well 
 hang himself at once, for he will never do any good. I 
 don't know that any of us are inclined that way, but I 
 think it would be a good plan to enter into a sort of 
 agreement with each other that, as long as we are in 
 partnership, none of us shall enter a saloon or stake a 
 dollar in play." 
 
 " I agrees with you, Frank. Time has been when I 
 have gone in for as heavy sprees as any one. I don't 
 think as I am likely to do it again, but I am sure that 
 an agreement like that would be a good thing for me 
 as well as the others. What do yer say, boys ?" 
 
 " The only thing is," Peter suggested, " that we might, 
 one or other, very well get into a bad quarrel by refusing 
 to drink when we are asked. You see it's pretty nigh a 
 deadly offence to refuse to drink with a man ; and if it 
 got noticed that none of us ever went into a bar, there 
 are men here who would make a point of asking us to 
 drink just for the sake of making a quarrel if we 
 refused." 
 
 "I allow there's something in that," Abe said; 
 " there 's no surer way of getting into a mess among a set 
 of men like this than in refusing to drink." 
 
AN AGREEMENT. 287 
 
 "Well, if that's the case," Frank said, "we must 
 modify the arrangement, and agree that none of us will go 
 into a bar unless actually asked to go and take a drink 
 that wouldn't be very often, the invitation is generally 
 given inside. We come back from work about the same 
 time that every one else knocks off, and they are not 
 thinking of going to the bars till they have had a meal, 
 and when we are once quietly seated round the fire here 
 no one is very likely to ask any of us to get up and go 
 off to one of the saloons." 
 
 The suggestion was adopted, and all bound themselves 
 not to enter a saloon to drink or gamble unless invited 
 to take a drink under circumstances in which a refusal 
 would be taken in bad part. 
 
 " I am mighty glad you proposed that," Abe said, after 
 wards. " Kube is all right, but Peter and Dick are both 
 of 'em fond of going on a spree now and then, and this 
 may keep them from it. I told 'em when we started that 
 I Was ready to go partners as long as they kept from 
 drink, but I wasn't going to tie myself up with any one 
 as was going in for that. When we dissolves part 
 nership each one will have a right to do with his share 
 what he likes ; he can gamble it away, or drink it away, 
 or fool it away as he chooses, but no man as drinks over 
 night will do his fair share of work next clay. Besides, 
 luck may at any time go agin us, and we may have to 
 fall back on what we have laid by when times were good ; 
 and if any one had been and spent his share he couldn't 
 be looking to the others to support him. Besides, as I 
 pinted out, we might want all the money we has got 
 atween us to buy up a claim in a good place. They 
 agreed to it, and so far they have kept to it ; not, of course, 
 
288 AN EVENING'S STROLL. 
 
 as they had much chance to do otherwise on the way. 
 Still, I think this fresh agreement 's likely to do good. 
 We are working here on shares, and each man is bound 
 to do his best for the others." 
 
 After sitting by the fire for some time of an evening, 
 Frank generally got up and strolled round the camp, 
 accompanied by Turk. There were many phases of life 
 presented to him. While the successful diggers were drink 
 ing and gambling in the saloons, there were many who 
 could barely keep life together. It was true this was in 
 most cases their own fault, for men willing to work could 
 earn their five dollars a day by labouring in the claims of 
 wealthier or more successful diggers ; but many would 
 hold on to their own claims, hoping against hope, and 
 believing always that the ground would get richer as 
 they went down. 
 
 Frank chatted freely with every one, and he and his 
 great dog were soon known to every one in camp. He 
 was able to do many little acts of kindness to those whose 
 luck was bad ; for on arriving at the end of the journey 
 each of the party had, at Abe's suggestion, put twenty 
 dollars into the common fund, and beyond this amount 
 the sum he had brought with him from Omaha was still 
 untouched ; and many a man who would otherwise have 
 gone to bed supperless after a hard day's work, was in 
 debted to him for the mans of procuring a few pounds of 
 flour and a pound or two of pork. 
 
 His attention had been particularly attracted to two 
 men who lived in a small tent a hundred yards away from 
 any of the others, and who worked a claim by themselves. 
 They did not seem to have any communication with the 
 rest of the diggers, and kept themselves entirely apart. 
 
" MEDICINE WOULDN'T DO HIM ANY GOOD." 289 
 
 While at work Frank had heard several jeering remarks as 
 to the absurdity of working a claim in a part of the ground 
 which had over and over again been tried and abandoned, 
 and Frank felt sure that the men were doing badly. 
 
 One day he observed that only one of the men was at 
 work, the younger of the two ; and as he continued to 
 wield his shovel after the others had thrown down their 
 tools for the evening, Frank walked over to him. 
 
 " Is your partner ill ? " he asked. " I see he is not 
 working with you to-day." 
 
 The man nodded, but continued his work without 
 speaking. He was evidently indisposed for conversation. 
 
 " Why I asked," Frank said, " was not for mere curiosity, 
 but because we have brought up with us from Sacramento 
 a few bottles of fever medicine, and other things likely to 
 be wanted here, and if any of them would be of use 
 you will be heartily welcome to them. We ought all to 
 help each other, for no one knows whether he himself may 
 not want a helping hand next." 
 
 "Thank you," the man said, somewhat gruffly; "we 
 shall get on all right, and my mate isn't fond of 
 strangers." 
 
 " I need not trouble him myself," Frank said ; " I can 
 bring you round any medicines here, and you can give 
 them to him without saying how you got them/* 
 
 " Thank you ; medicine wouldn't do him any good," the 
 man said, and resumed his work as if anxious to avoid 
 further conversation. 
 
 Frank, however, was not to be discouraged. The man 
 looked thin and haggard, and Frank suspected that it 
 might be food rather than medicine of which the man's 
 mate was in need. He therefore stood his ground. 
 
 (476) 
 
290 "HE 'S PRETTY BAD." 
 
 " I am afraid you haven't hit on a very good spot," he 
 said. " I don't know much about it myself, for I have 
 only been here about a month ; but I hear every one say 
 that there have been several trials made here, and that 
 none of them have found anything to speak of." 
 
 " We must work where we can," the man said. " The 
 places were pretty well all taken up when we came, and 
 it didn't suit us to go further." 
 
 " Well," said Frank, " I don't want to be inquisitive, 
 mate, or to interfere in other people's affairs, but I 
 noticed your mate looked an elderly man, and that you 
 seemed pretty much alone. I am only just out here my 
 self, and I and the party I am working with are doing 
 fairly ; so I thought it would be only neighbourly to come 
 over and see if I could be of use in any way." 
 
 " No, thank you," the man repeated ; " there 's nothing 
 we want." 
 
 Frank saw that at present he could do nothing ; but he 
 had little doubt that the two men were really suffering 
 severely. Still he understood and respected their pride, 
 and with a friendly " Good evening," strolled off to his 
 awn hut. 
 
 The next evening he again went round to the solitary 
 workman. 
 
 " How is your mate ? " he asked. 
 
 The man shook his head. " He 's pretty bad." 
 
 The tone was softer and less repellent than that which 
 he had used the evening before. He was a young man 
 of not more than three or four and twenty, and Frank saw 
 that his lip quivered as he turned away from him and dug 
 his shovel into the ground. 
 
 "If your mate is worse," Frank said, "you have no 
 
" HE WOULD NOT HEAR OF IT." 291 
 
 right to refuse my offer. I cannot help feeling that you 
 are doing badly ; in that case, why should you not let me 
 lend you a hand ? There 's no disgrace in being unlucky. 
 Here men are unlucky one week, and make a rich strike 
 on the week following, and then they can lend a hand to 
 others, just as a hand may have been lent to them when 
 they wanted it. I think by your accent that you are an 
 Englishman, and an educated one, just as I am myself. 
 Why on earth don't you let me be a friend to you ? " 
 
 The man did not reply ; but Frank could guess by the 
 random way in which he was doing his work, that a 
 struggle was going on. 
 
 " He would not hear of it," he said at last 
 
 " Then don't let him hear of it," Frank said promptly. 
 " If he has any mistaken ideas about taking help from a 
 stranger, the sort of ideas one would naturally have at 
 home, and is ill and wants something, we must help him 
 in spite of himself If, as I suspect, he needs other matters 
 as well as medicine, you should provide him, even if it be 
 necessary to carry out a little harmless deception." 
 
 " I would not tell him a lie," the man said, almost 
 fiercely. 
 
 "No, there's no occasion for that," Frank went on. 
 "You can tell him that you have come across that 
 nugget in the claim," and Frank tossed into the hole a 
 nugget for which he had half an hour before given a 
 digger ten dollars from his own store. 
 
 For a moment the man stood irresolute, and then 
 burst into a passion of tears. Frank saw that he had 
 gained the day, and saying, " I will come round for a chat 
 to-morrow afternoon. That 's my camp up there that tent 
 just on the ridge. I have really medicines, if you think 
 
292 HE DREAMT IT. ' 
 
 they will be of any use/' strolled away to his supper. He 
 glanced round when he had gone a little distance, and saw 
 the digger running at full speed towards the solitary tent. 
 
 The next evening the young man dropped his shovel 
 as he approached him, and came to meet him. 
 
 " I did not thank you last night," he began. 
 
 " Nonsense," Frank said, interrupting ; " there is no 
 occasion whatever for thanks. Why, it's the custom 
 here, whenever any one is taken ill, or is unfortunate, and 
 has to move on, a few friends, or, as it often happens, a 
 few strangers, will each chip in a pinch of gold dust to 
 help him on. It 's the rule here that we stand by each 
 other, and being both Englishmen, it is natural we should 
 lend each other a hand. How is your mate ? " 
 
 " He is a good deal better, thanks to the food I was 
 able to get for him ; for, as you guessed, we have been 
 nearly starving the last fortnight." 
 
 " But why did you keep on working at such a place as 
 this?" Frank asked. " Why didn't you go on wages ? There 
 are plenty of men here who would be glad to take on an 
 extra hand if they could get him." 
 
 The young man hesitated. 
 
 " I know it must seem utter folly," he said at last, " but 
 the fact is my partner has a fixed idea that claim will 
 turn out well ; he dreamt it." 
 
 " Pooh ! " Frank said ; " diggers are constantly dreaming 
 about lucky places and no wonder, when they are always 
 thinking about them. I consider it madness to keep on 
 toiling here, even if your mate is ill. It is folly to give in 
 to him in this way, and for you both to be half-starved 
 when you can earn, at any rate, enough to keep you both 
 by working for others." 
 
THE EMPTY CLAIM. 293 
 
 " That is just what I knew you would say," the young 
 man replied, " and I feel it myself, thoroughly." 
 
 " Then why on earth do you keep on doing it ? " 
 
 " I have a reason, a very particular reason, though I am 
 not at liberty to explain it." 
 
 " Well, then, there 's no more to he said," Frank replied, 
 vexed at what he regarded as obstinate folly. He 
 talked for a few minutes, and then strolled away, and for 
 the next two days did not go near the digger who seemed 
 so bent on slaving uselessly. 
 
 The third day Frank noticed that the man was not at 
 work on his claim. As soon as he knocked off in the 
 evening he walked across to the spot The tools still 
 lay in the hole, showing that the claim had not been 
 abandoned, although work had temporarily ceased. 
 
 Next day the claim was still unworked ; the tent stood 
 in its place, showing that the diggers had not moved 
 away. Although, from their previous conversation, Frank 
 thought that he might not improbably meet with a 
 repulse, after work was done he strolled over to the tent. 
 
 " Are you in, mate ? " he asked, outside. " Seeing you 
 were not at work for the last two days, I thought I would 
 walk over and ask you if anything was the matter." 
 
 The young man came out from the tent ; he looked 
 utterly worn-out. 
 
 " My father has been too ill for me to leave him," he 
 said, in a low tone. " I spoke of him as my mate before, 
 but he is my father." 
 
 " Can I do anything ? " Frank asked 
 
 " No, thank you; I don't think any one can do anything. 
 If there were a doctor in camp, of course I should call him 
 in ; but I don't think it would be of any use. He 's broken 
 
294 THE SICK DIGGEB. 
 
 down, altogether broken down. We don't want for any 
 thing, thanks to your kindness." 
 
 " You look worn-out yourself," Frank said. 
 
 " I suppose I do. I have not lain down for the past 
 five days." 
 
 " Then," Frank said, " I insist on taking your place to 
 night. Is he sensible ? M 
 
 The young man shook his head. 
 
 " Sometimes, for a little while, I think he knows where 
 he is, but most of the time he lies perfectly still, or just 
 talks to himself. 
 
 " Very well, then," Frank said, " he will not know the 
 difference. Besides, you can lie down in the tent, and I 
 can wake you at once if there is any occasion." 
 
 The man hesitated ; but he was too worn-out to resist, 
 and he made no opposition as Frank entered the tent. 
 An elderly man lay stretched upon some blankets, one 
 of which was thrown loosely over him. Frank stooped 
 and put his fingers on his wrist He could scarcely feel 
 the pulse. 
 
 " What have you been giving him ? " 
 
 " I got a piece of fresh meat and boiled it down into 
 broth." 
 
 "Have you given him any stimulants? I think he 
 wants keeping up." 
 
 " He never touches them," the young man said. 
 
 " All the better," Frank replied ; " they will have all the 
 more effect upon him as medicine. If you will wait here 
 a few minutes, I will go up to my tent and fetch down 
 a blanket and a few things. I will be with you in ten 
 minutes." 
 
 Frank briefly announced to his comrades that he was 
 
FRANK TAKES A NIGHT'S WATCH. 295 
 
 going to sit up for the night with a sick man. He put a 
 bottle containing a glass or two of brandy in his pocket, and 
 went into a store and purchased some lemons and a piece 
 of fresh beef ; this he took back to the camp fire, and 
 asked Abe to put it on and let it simmer all night in the 
 ashes, in just enough water to cover it, and then to strain 
 it in the morning, and bring the broth across to what 
 was known in the camp as the " lonely tent." He took 
 a small phial of laudanum and quinine from the store of 
 medicines, to use if they might appear likely to be needed, 
 and then went back to the tent. 
 
 " Now," he said to the young man, " you lie down at 
 onca If you are wanted I will be sure and wake you. I 
 shall make myself comfortable, never fear; one of my 
 mates will bring me down a pannikin of tea the last thing." 
 
 He squeezed one of the lemons into a tin drinking-cup, 
 and added water and a few spoonfuls of brandy, and, 
 with a spoon he had brought down with him, poured 
 some of it between the old man's lips. 
 
 " I don't know whether it 'a right," he thought to him 
 self, "but it's the best thing I can do for him. It is 
 evident he must be kept up. When Abe comes down I 
 will ask his advice ; after knocking about as many years 
 as he has been, he ought to know what is the best thing 
 to be done." 
 
 In half an hour he gave the patient a few spoonfuls 
 of the broth which had been prepared, and continued 
 every half-hour to give him the lemonade and broth 
 alternately. 
 
 When Abe came down with the tea Frank went outside 
 to meet him, and explained some of the circumstances of 
 the case, and then took him in to see his patient 
 
295 " HOW IS TOUR PATIENT ? " 
 
 " I think you are doing the right thing, lad," Abe said, 
 when they went out into the air again, " He is evidently 
 pretty nigh gone under. I expect he has been working 
 beyond his strength, and starving, like enough, at that. 
 He 's regular broke up, and has got the fever besides. I 
 should just keep on at that till morning, and then we 
 shall see ; if he gets on raving you might give him a few 
 drops of laudanum with his brandy, but I wouldn't do 
 it otherwise. I will bring down that broth first thing in 
 the morning, it will be a sight stronger than that stuff 
 you are giving him now." 
 
 Fortified by this opinion, Frank lit his pipe, and sat 
 down to his long watch. He was the more satisfied that 
 he was doing right by the fact that the pulse was 
 distinctly stronger than it had been when he first felt it. 
 Occasionally the patient muttered a few words, but he 
 generally lay perfectly still, with his eyes staring wide 
 open. It was this fixed stare that tempted Frank at 
 last to give him a few drops of laudanum, and in an 
 hour later he had the satisfaction of seeing him close his 
 eyes. 
 
 Abe was round soon after daylight, with two panni 
 kins of tea, some rashers of bacon, and a jug of the 
 essence of beef. 
 
 " How is your patient, Frank ? " 
 
 " I can't tell, except by his pulse ; but that certainly 
 seems to me to be stronger. I gave him a few drops of 
 laudanum a couple of hours ago, and it seems to me he 
 has been dozing since ; at any rate his eyes have been 
 half-closed. I think that it is extreme weakness more 
 than anything else ; he has overtaxed his strength, and 
 is worn-out with fatigue and starvation. I shouldn't be 
 
" LAST NIGHT I QUITE BROKE DOWN." 297 
 
 surprised if he gets round all right with quiet and food." 
 The opening of the tent, and the sound of voices outside, 
 roused the younger digger, who had slept without stirring 
 from the moment he had lain down. He joined the 
 others outside. 
 
 " How I have slept ! " he said. " I can't tell you how 
 much I am obliged to you ; I was regularly done up, and 
 now I shall be able to take a fresh start again." 
 
 " My partner, Abe, here, has just brought us down 
 some tea and breakfast, and some really strong soup for 
 your mate." For Frank did not know whether the young 
 man would wish the fact of the relationship between him 
 and his companion generally known. 
 
 "Thank you, heartily," the young man said, as he 
 seated himself by the side of Frank, on the stump of 
 a felled tree, and took the tea and food from Abe's 
 hands. 
 
 " I feel ready to go on again now ; but last night I 
 quite broke down. I have no one to speak to, you see, and 
 it was awful to see him lying there, and to be able to do 
 nothing. Your friend here," and he nodded to Frank, 
 " had been so kind to us a week ago, that I felt sure he 
 would not mind sitting up with him, though I know he 
 thought me a fool to go on digging at that wretched hole. 
 I think he looks " and he motioned to the tent " a little 
 better this morning. Of course there 's not much change ; 
 but his face does not look quite as it did yesterday. I 
 don't know what the difference is, but I am sure there is a 
 difference." 
 
 " His pulse is certainly a little stronger," Frank said, 
 " and I hope we shall pull him round, though I did not 
 think so when I saw him yesterday. I have been giving 
 
298 THE NUGGET. 
 
 him broth every hour, and a few spoonfuls of lemonade 
 with brandy in it between times, and I think the brandy 
 has done him more good than the sonp ; if I were in your 
 place, I would go on doing just the same to-day. This soup 
 Abe has brought down is very strong, and two or three 
 spoonfuls at a time will be all he will want ; there is 
 another lemon in there, and I would go on giving him 
 brandy too ; I think it 'a just strength he wants." 
 
 " Strength and hope/' the young man said. " He has all 
 along made up his mind that claim would pay, and I think 
 its failure did more to break him down than even the 
 fatigue and want of food ; that was why I kept on working 
 as long as he was sensible. He still believed in it, and 
 would not hear of my stopping to nurse him. He was very 
 bad that night I went home with the nugget, almost as 
 bad as he was last night ; but when I showed it him he 
 seemed to revive, and it was only when three days passed 
 without my being able to show another spec of gold that 
 he fell back again." 
 
 " Oh ! you did find a nugget, then ?" Abe said. "No one 
 thought you would strike on anything thar." 
 
 "I found it because your friend put it there," the 
 young man said, " and he saved both our lives, for we 
 were starving." 
 
 Abe grunted. 
 
 " You shouldn't have kept it so dark, lad. We ain't bad 
 fellows, we diggers, though we are a rough lot, and no one 
 need starve in a mining camp. But no doubt you had 
 your reasons," he added, seeing the miner's face blush 
 up. " But what on arth made your mate stick to that 
 thar hole ? Any one could have seen with half an eye that 
 it wasn't a likely place." 
 
"I GUESSED AS MUCH." 299 
 
 * He has a sort of belief in dreams, and he dreamt three 
 times, as he told me, of a stunted tree with gold underneath 
 it. We have been to half the mining camps in the 
 country, and never had any luck ; but directly he came 
 here he saw a tree standing just where our claim is, and 
 he declared it was the one he dreamt of. I told him then 
 it didn't seem a likely place to work, but he would have it 
 that it was the tree, and that there was gold under it. He 
 was already weak and ill, and to please him I set to work 
 thera I may tell you, as I have told your friend, that he 
 is my father ; there is no reason that there should be any 
 mystery about it, and my only reason for wishing that it 
 should not be generally known is that he had a sort of 
 fancy against it." 
 
 " I guessed as much, young man," Abe said, " when I 
 saw you working together three weeks ago. A young 
 man don't tie himself to an old partner who ain't no more 
 good than a child at work unless there 's some reason for 
 it, and there's many a father and son, aye, and a father 
 and four or five sons, working together in every mining 
 camp here. Still, if the old man has a fancy agin it 
 we will say nought on the subject So he dreamt 
 three times of the tree, did he ? Well, then, I don't blame 
 him for sticking to the claim ; I don't suppose there are 
 a dozen miners in this camp who wouldn't have done the 
 same. I believes there 's something in dreams myself ; 
 most of us do. And he recognised the tree directly, you 
 say? Wall, it's time for my mate and I to be off to work, 
 but this evening I will walk round and have a look at 
 your claim ; thar may be somewhat in it, arter all." 
 
 " You don't really believe in dreams, Abe ?" Frank said, 
 as they walked off together. 
 
300 ABE'S FAITH IN DREAMS. 
 
 " I think thar 's something in 'em," Abe said. " I have 
 heard many a queer story about dreams, and I reckon 
 thar ain't many men as has lived out all thar lives in the 
 plains as doubts thar's something in 'em. The Injins 
 believe in 'em, and, though they ain't got no books to larn 
 'em, the Injins ain't fools in their own way. I have 
 known a score of cases where dreams came true. 1 ' 
 
 " Yes, I dare say you have," Frank said ; " but then 
 there are tens of thousands of cases in which dreams don't 
 come true. A man dreams, for instance, that his wife, or 
 his mother, or some one he cares for, is dead ; when he 
 gets home he finds her all right, and never thinks any 
 more about the dream, or says anything about it If in 
 one case out of ten thousand he finds she is dead, he tells 
 every one about his dream, and it is quoted all about as 
 an instance that dreams come true." 
 
 " Yes, perhaps there 's something in that," Abe agreed. 
 " But I think there 's more than that too. I know a case 
 of a chap who was out in the plains hunting for a 
 caravan on its way down to Santa Fd. There weren't, 
 as far as he knew, any Injins about, and what thar was 
 had always shown themselves friendly and peaceable. He 
 laid down by the fire and went to sleep, and he dreamed 
 that a party of Injins scalped him. He woke in a regular 
 sweat from fright, and he was so badly scared that he 
 scattered the ashes of his fire and took to his horse, and 
 led him into a cedar bush close by. He hadn't been thar 
 twenty minutes when he heard tramping of horses, and 
 along came a party of Injins. They halted not twenty 
 yards away from where his fire had been, and camped 
 till the morning, and then rode on again. He could see 
 by thar dress and paint they were up to mischief, and the 
 
A FORTUNATE DREAM. 301 
 
 very next day they fell upon a small caravan and killed 
 every souL Now that man's dream saved his life ; thar 
 warn't no doubt about that. If he hadn't had warning, 
 and had time to scatter his fire, and move quiet into the 
 bush, and get a blanket over his horse's head to prevent 
 it snorting, it would have been all up with him ; and I 
 could tell you a dozen tales like that" 
 
 "I think that could be accounted for," Frank said. 
 "The man perhaps was sleeping with his ear on the 
 ground, and in his sleep may have heard the tramping 
 of the Indians' horses as they went over a bit of stony 
 ground, long before he could hear them when he arose to 
 his feet, and the noise set his brain at work, and he dreamt 
 the dream you have told ma But I know from what I 
 have heard that gold-miners are, almost to a man, full of 
 fancies and superstitions, and that they will often take up 
 claims from some idea of luck rather than from their 
 experience and knowledge of ground." 
 
 After the work was over Abe and Frank went down to 
 the claim. 
 
 "Well, I am free to own," Abe said, "that I don't see 
 no chance of gold here it 's clear out of the course of the 
 stream/* 
 
 Frank was silent for two or three minutes, and then 
 said : 
 
 " Well, Abe, you know I put no faith whatever in a 
 dream, but if you look at that sharp curve in the opposite 
 bank higher up, you will see that it is quite possible that 
 in the days when this was a river instead of being a mere 
 stream, it struck that curve and came over by where we 
 are standing now. As the water decreased it would 
 naturally find its way down the middle of the valley, as 
 
302 
 
 it does now; but I think it likely enough that in the 
 old times it flowed under where we are standing." 
 
 " By gosh, lad, I think you are about right. What do 
 you say to our taking up the claims next to this ? We are 
 not doing much more than paying our way where we are, 
 and it 's the horses who are really earning the money." 
 
 " I don't know, Abe. We are a good deal abore the 
 present bed of the stream, and should probably have to 
 sink a considerable distance before we got down to paying 
 ground ; that young fellow said they have hardly found 
 a speck of gold. It would be a risky thing to do ; still, 
 we can think it orer, there 's no hurry about it." 
 
 That night Abe insisted on taking his turn to sit up 
 with the old man. The son, who had now told them that 
 his name was James Adams, urged that the previous 
 night's long sleep had quite set him up again, but Abe 
 would not listen to him. 
 
 " It 's done you good, lad, no doubt, but ye will be all the 
 better for another. It wants more than one night's sleep 
 when you have had four or five out of bed, and a night's 
 watch is nothing one way or other to me. You just do 
 as you are told." 
 
 So James Adams had another long night's sleep, while 
 Abe sat by his father. 
 
 There was no doubt now that the old man was recover 
 ing from the exhaustion which had brought him to death's 
 door; the set, pinched look of his features was passing 
 away, and the evening following Abe's watch, when 
 Frank went round to the tent to inquire how he was 
 getting on, the son came out and taid 
 
 "He is better. He went off this morning in what looked 
 like a natural sleep, and when he woke, an hour ago, I 
 
FRANK'S PROPOSAL. 303 
 
 could see that he knew me. I don't suppose he knew he 
 had been lying insensible for a week, but thought I had 
 just come back from work. He whispered, ' How does it 
 look to-day, Jim ? ' and after what you told me about what 
 you thought about the old course of the river, I was able 
 to say honestly, * I think the chances look more favourable.' 
 He whispered, ' We shall make a fortune yet, Jim/ and 
 then drank some soup and went off to sleep again. To 
 morrow morning I will set to work again. I don't believe 
 a bit in the dream myself, but it will make him more com 
 fortable to know that I am at work upon it ; and after all 
 it may turn out some good." 
 
 " My partners have more faith in it than I have," Frank 
 said. " Abe told them about the dream, and about what I 
 had noticed of the probable course of the river in the 
 olden times, and I have a proposal to make to you. We 
 will take up five claims by the side of your two, two on 
 one side and three on the other; then three of us will 
 help you sink your shaft. All that 's found in your claims 
 will be yours ; and if it turns out rich you shall pay us just 
 as if we had been working for you by the day. When we 
 have cleared out your claims we are to have the right of 
 using your shaft for working right and left along the 
 bottom over our claims. I think that 's a fair offer." 
 
 "I think it's more than fair; it is most kind," the 
 young man said. "You are risking getting nothing for 
 your labour if it turns out poor." 
 
 " Yes, we are risking that," Frank agreed, " but we are 
 not doing ourselves much good now. The two who are 
 working the borses earn enough to keep the five of us, and 
 if by any chance your claims should turn out well, we shall 
 be paid for our work for you, and will be able to work out 
 
304 
 
 our own claims very cheaply ; if we sunk a shaft on our 
 own account we should similarly lose our labour if it 
 turned out poor, and should not get so much if it turned 
 out rich. So I think the bargain is really a fair one ; and 
 if you do not agree, my mates have quite resolved to sink 
 a shaft on their own account on the strength of your 
 father's dream." 
 
 "In that case I agree most heartily," James Adams 
 said, " and it will gladden my father's heart to be told 
 that the work is now to go on really in earnest." 
 
 " If he is better to-morrow," Frank said, " it will be as 
 well to get your father's consent to the agreement, and 
 then we will begin on the following day." 
 
 The next morning the old man woke up a g*od deal 
 better. His first question, after he had taken some soup, 
 was 
 
 " How is it you aren't at work, Jim ? It 's broad day 
 light" 
 
 "I have knocked off for to-day, father, I wanted to 
 have a chat with you. A party of five miners, who 
 have been very kind to me while you have been ill 
 for you have been ill now for more than a week, though 
 you don't know it have made me a very good offer, 
 although I could not accept it until I consulted you. 
 You see I cannot get on much with the claim by myself ; 
 the ground falls in and wants timbering, and I can do no 
 thing alone. Well these miners have offered to help 
 sink our shaft, on the conditions that they get no pay if 
 it turns out poor, but if it turns out well they are to be 
 paid for their daily labour, and when we have worked out 
 our claims they are to have the right of using our shaft for 
 working out the claims they have staked out next to ours." 
 
305 
 
 " No shares, Jim," the old man said ; " you are sure 
 they are not to have any share in our claims, because I 
 won't agree to that." 
 
 " No, father ; the agreement is just as I told you. If it 
 turns out well they get their wages and the right to use 
 our shaft to get at their claims." 
 
 " Very well, I will agree to that ; we shall get down all 
 the sooner to our gold. But mind, have it put down on 
 paper, else they will be setting up a claim to a share in 
 our treasure." 
 
 " I will get it done regularly, father," Jim said. " They 
 mean very fairly. As I told you, they have shown me the 
 greatest kindness indeed you owe your life to them, for 
 if it had not been for them, I had, as you know, no means 
 whatever of holding on. Whilst you have been ill two of 
 them have been sitting up with you at night. They have 
 showed themselves true friends." 
 
 " Well, I am glad you have found some friends, Jim," 
 the old man said feebly. " But you must be careful, you 
 know, very careful, and be sure the agreement is signed 
 and witnessed properly." 
 
 (476) 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A DBXAM VERIFIED. 
 
 |N the following morning, to the astonishment 
 of the miners of Cedar Camp, Frank and his 
 companions took their tools out of their 
 claims and shifted to the claims of the two 
 men of the " solitary tent." Every one asked himself what 
 could be the meaning of this move, and the general 
 supposition was that they must have discovered that the 
 two men had struck upon rich ground. Scores of miners 
 sauntered across during the day, looked on, and asked e 
 question or two ; but the answers they obtained threw no 
 light upon the mystery. The ground looked most un 
 promising ; it was a flat some ten feet above the level oi 
 the river-bed, and the spot where they were digging wa? 
 twenty yards from the edge. 
 
 Fifteen yards further back the ground rose abruptly to 
 & height of thirty or forty feet ; the ground around was 
 covered with bushes, through which a few good-sized 
 trees rose. The two men had dug through two feet of 
 alluvial soil, and about five feet of sand. Altogether, it was 
 a place which seemed to afford no promise whatever ; and 
 although, at the first impulse, some miners who were doing 
 badly had marked out claims next to those staked out 
 
 306 
 
THE NEW SHAFT. 307 
 
 by Frank and his party, no steps were taken to occupy 
 them. 
 
 The first day was spent in getting out planks and lining 
 the proposed shaft, which was made much smaller than 
 the hole already dug, which extended over the whole of 
 the two claims. The next day a windlass was put in 
 position, and the work began in earnest. At the depth 
 of twenty feet they came upon gravel, a result which 
 greatly raised their spirits, as its character was precisely 
 similar to that in the bed of the stream, and showed that 
 Frank's conjecture was a correct one, and that the river 
 had at one time flowed along the foot of the high ground 
 beyond. 
 
 When it was known in camp that the party were getting 
 up gravel, there was a great deal of talk Some of the older 
 hands came and examined the place, and, noticing the sharp 
 curve in the opposite bank above, concluded, as Frank had 
 done, that instead of being, as was generally supposed, 
 beyond the edge of the old river-bed, it was by no means 
 improbable that the party were working over what was at 
 one time a point which was swept by the main body of 
 water coming down. 
 
 More claims were staked out, and although no one had 
 any intention of beginning in earnest until they dis 
 covered what luck attended the party who were sinking 
 the shaft, just enough was done each day to retain pos 
 session of the claims. Before they had gone far into the 
 gravel they discovered specks of gold, and, washing a basin 
 ful from time to time, found that it was fairly rich, 
 certainly as good as any that had been found a few feet 
 below the surface of the ground at any other spot in the 
 camp. They determined, however, not to wash at present, 
 
308 A MYSTERY. 
 
 but to pile the stuff near the mouth of the shaft, to be 
 washed subsequently, and to continue to sink steadily. 
 
 A fortnight after the work had begun, the old man had 
 gained sufficient strength to make his way across to the 
 shaft, and after that he spent his whole time watching the 
 progress of the work. His tent was brought over and 
 pitched close at hand. By this time, as their prospects 
 really looked good, Jim had told him the true history of 
 the nugget he had brought home, and how much they 
 owed to Frank; and he so far overcame his shrinking 
 from intercourse with his neighbours, as to become really 
 cordial with Frank, who, when supper was over, often 
 strolled across and smoked a pipe with Jim in the tent 
 
 Frank often wondered what could have brought a man 
 of some sixty years of age, and evidently well educated, 
 and a gentleman, but, as was equally clear, wholly un 
 fitted by age, habits, and constitution for rough labour 
 in such a country as that. The son had not denied that 
 he was English, but as he had not admitted it in so 
 many words, Frank thought that his father might object 
 to any questions on the subject, and in their many 
 conversations the past was seldom alluded to. 
 
 Turk, who was Frank's constant companion, took 
 remarkably to the old man, and in the daytime, when the 
 latter was sitting watching the baskets coming up from 
 below, generally took up his position by him, sometimes 
 lying blinking lazily in the sun, at other times sitting 
 up and watching the operations gravely, as if he were 
 thoroughly aware of their importanca 
 
 While the ground was still unpromising, Frank and 
 his party had bought up, for a few dollars, the claims of 
 several of the men who had staked out ground next to 
 
THE GRAVEL GETS RICHER. 309 
 
 their own, and now held six on either side of the claim 
 they were sinking on. Beyond these, as soon as the 
 gravel was known to contain gold, other miners began to 
 work for the most part in parties, as the depth at 
 which paying ground lay beneath the surface was so 
 great that it could only be reached by joint labour and 
 the flat so long neglected now became one of the busiest 
 points in the camp. 
 
 "The gravel is getting richer and richer every day," 
 Frank said to the elder Adams, five weeks after they 
 began work. " I think now it would be as well to hire 
 half a dozen men to carry it down to the stream and 
 wash it there; you could superintend them, and one of 
 us will work at the cradle. The stuff will pay splendidly 
 now, I am sure, and there 's a big heap on the bank" 
 
 " If you think so, by all means let us do so," the old 
 man said. " I should like to begin to get some gold ; we 
 are in your debt more than a hundred dollars already, 
 since you have been advancing money for our living as the 
 work has gone on." 
 
 "There is no hurry on that account," Frank said. 
 " Ever since we washed the first pail of gravel it has been 
 evident that there was at least sufficient gold to pay foi 
 washing out, and that my advances were perfectly safe ; 
 so there is no hurry on that account. But at present it 
 has so improved that it would be rich enough to pay 
 really well ; besides, we shall be getting it stolen. I fancy 
 last night two or three buckets-full were taken away at 
 that edge of the bank ; and as there has been a perfect 
 rush for staking out claims to-day, I have no doubt that 
 it was found to pan out very rich." 
 
 The result of the first day's washing more than realised 
 
310 A RICH DISCOVERY. 
 
 their anticipations, for when the cradle was cleared up 
 over fifty ounces of gold were found at the bottom ; and 
 at the end of three days the old man paid Frank and his 
 party their wages at four dollars a day each from the 
 time they had commenced working at the shaft. 
 
 Another fortnight and they reached the bed rock. 
 Each day the find had become heavier, but the climax 
 was reached when they touched the rock It was found 
 that just where they reached the bottom, the rock 
 which formed the bank bordering the flat came down 
 almost perpendicularly to the level rock which had 
 formed the old bed of the stream. This was worn per 
 fectly smooth by the action of the water, and in the bed 
 rock was a great caldron scooped out by an eddy of the 
 stream. This was filled up with gravel, among which 
 nuggets of gold were lying thickly ; and when its contents 
 were taken to the surface and separated, the gold was 
 found to weigh over three thousand ounces. The lower 
 part of the ground was then dug out to the full size of 
 the claim, and when all this was washed it was found 
 that the total amount of gold obtained from the claim 
 was over six thousand ounces. 
 
 As the work went on from day to day, Frank observed 
 a gradual change coming over the elder of the two men. 
 At first he had been excited, and at times irritable ; but as 
 each day showed increased returns, and it became a moral 
 certainty that the claim was going to turn out extremely 
 rich, the excitement seemed to pass away. He talked less, 
 and spent less of his time in watching the work going on, 
 sometimes not even coming down to watch the clear- 
 up at the end of the day's work. Even the discovery of 
 the rich pocket in the rock scarcely seemed to stir him. 
 
311 
 
 His son, upon the contrary, made no secret of his satis 
 faction at the fortune which was falling to them. He 
 shook off the reserve which had at first distinguished him ; 
 a weight of care seemed to fall from his shoulders, and 
 his spirits became at times almost exuberant. 
 
 At first he had looked to Frank almost a middle-aged 
 man, although his face and figure showed that he could not 
 be many years his own senior ; now he looked almost like 
 a schoolboy, so full was he of life and spirits. The old 
 man had taken much to Frank, and although during the 
 latter part of the time he had talked but little, he liked 
 him to come into the tent every evening to smoke a pipe 
 and chat with his soa He had several times endeavoured 
 to draw from Frank his reason for leaving England and 
 coming out to California at an age when many lads are 
 still at school; but he had obtained no reply to his 
 hints, for Frank did not care to enter upon the story of 
 that incident at Westminster. 
 
 The evening when the claims had been worked out, and 
 the last cradle washed out, the old man asked Frank to 
 bring Abe and his companions to the tent after they had 
 had their supper. The tent showed little signs of the altered 
 circumstances of its owners ; a few more articles of cheap 
 crockery and a couple of folding chairs were the only 
 additions that had been made. Some boxes had been 
 brought in now to serve as seats, and on one in the centre 
 were placed half a dozen bottles of champagne, which the 
 young man proceeded to open. 
 
 "My friends," the elder said, "I am going away 
 to-morrow, and I trust that your claims will turn out 
 every bit as rich as ours has done." 
 
 " Even if they don't turn out as rich," Frank said, " there 
 
312 
 
 is no fear of their not turning out well We consider we 
 have made a capital bargain with you ; we have been paid 
 by you for our work in sinking the shaft, and now it 
 will be easy for us to work our claims. It was a lucky 
 day for us when we made that contract to sink your 
 shaft." 
 
 "I am glad you think so, and very glad that you are likely 
 to share my luck ; still, I feel greatly indebted to you. It 
 was a bargain, of course, but it was a bargain in which you 
 were taking all the risk. There is, as you say, every proba 
 bility of your claims turning out well ; but there 's no 
 certainty in gold-mining, and at any rate we cannot go 
 away with a fortune without feeling that, to some small 
 extent at least, you will participate in it. Therefore I 
 here hand you over each a bag with a hundred ounces of 
 gold, so that, come what may, your time and labour here 
 will not have been thrown away. You will not, I hope, 
 pain me by refusing," he said, seeing that the men looked 
 doubtfully at each other. " We owe it all to you, for when 
 you threw in your lot with us we were desperate and 
 starving." 
 
 " Wall, if you put it in that way, I don't see that we 
 can say no, mate," Abe said, " though we are well 
 content with our look-out, I can tell you, and could get a 
 biggish sum for our claims to-night if we were disposed 
 to sell them. Still, what you says is true, though it isn't 
 every one who makes a good thing out of a bargain as is 
 ready to go beyond it. It was a fortunate day for you 
 may be that you fell in with my mate here, and it was a 
 fortunate day for us when he fell in with you. When I 
 goes back east and settles down on a farm I has got my 
 eyes on, I shall always say as I owed my luck to my 
 
" SIT DOWN A BIT, LAD." 313 
 
 mate strolling over to talk to the two men as was work 
 ing what seemed a hopeless claim in Cedar Camp. 
 
 " Wall, I suppose you are going back with your pile to 
 the old country. I can only say as we wish you good 
 luck thar, and plenty of enjoyment out of your money. 
 Here's luck." 
 
 The miners all emptied their glasses, and then, shak 
 ing hands with father and son, filed out of the tent. 
 Frank was about to follow them when he was stopped by 
 a gesture from the old man. He had not liked accepting 
 the present, but he did not wish to act differently from 
 his comrades, and he saw that his refusal would really 
 hurt the donor. 
 
 " Sit down a bit, lad," he said ; " James is going to the 
 camp to get a few things for our journey to-morrow, and 
 I shall be alone, and now that it's all over I feel the 
 reaction. It has been an exciting time the last month." 
 
 "It has indeed," Frank agreed, "and I have often 
 thought to myself what a comfort it was that they had 
 established a regular way of sending down gold twice a 
 week with an escort ; it would have been terrible if you 
 had had to keep all that gold by you." 
 
 " Yes, I often thought so myself, and your offer to keep 
 the gold in your tent on the days when the escort wasn't 
 going was a great relief to me." 
 
 " It was safe enough with us," Frank said. " No one 
 would venture to try a tent with a pretty strong party ; 
 but with only your son and yourself there might have 
 been a temptation to some broken-down gambler to carry 
 it off. Besides, we have Turk as a guard, and I don't 
 fancy any one would venture to try any tricks with our 
 tent while he is inside it." 
 
314 "I WILL TELL YOU MY STORY." 
 
 " Well, I hope it will be your turn now," the old man 
 said, " and that before another two months are over you 
 too will be setting out on your way home with what your 
 friend called your pile." 
 
 " I shall not be doing that," Frank said ; " whatever we 
 find, I have no thought of going back to England." 
 
 " No ? Well, lad, I don't want yonr confidence if you 
 would rather not give it ; but I will tell you my story, and 
 perhaps when you have heard it you may be the more 
 inclined to tell me yours. It is a painful story to tell, but 
 that is part of my punishment ; and you, lad, have a right 
 to hear it, for I know that it is to you I owe my life, and 
 that it is through you that I am to-morrow going home to 
 do all that I can to retrieve my fault, and to wipe out 
 the stain on my name. I was a solicitor, with a good 
 practice, in a town of the west of England, it does not 
 matter what it 's name was, I lost my wife, and then, like 
 a fool, I took to drink No one knew it except my son, for 
 I never went out in the evening, but would sit at home 
 drinking by myself till I could scarce stagger up to bed. 
 
 " He did all that he could to persuade me to give it up, 
 but it had got too strong a hold upon me. At last we 
 quarrelled over it, and he left the house, and henceforth 
 we only met at the office. He was engaged to be married 
 to the daughter of our Vicar. When the crash came for in 
 these cases a crash is sure to come sooner or later the 
 business had fallen off, and a bill was presented for payment 
 which I had altogether forgotten I had signed. Then there 
 was an investigation into my affairs. I could help but 
 little, for there were but few hours in the day now when 
 my brain was clear enough to attend to any business what 
 ever. Then it was found that ten thousand pounds which 
 
BUINED BY DKINK. 316 
 
 had been given me to invest by one of my clients had 
 never been invested, and that it was gone with the rest. 
 
 " I had not intended to do anything dishonest, that 
 even now I can affirm. I had intended to invest it, but 
 in my muddled state put off doing so, and had gone on 
 paying the interest as if it had been invested as ordered. 
 When I knew that I had not enough in the bank to 
 replace it, I went into foolish speculations to regain what 
 I had lost ; but until the crash came I had never fairly 
 realised that I had not only ruined myself but was a 
 swindler. I shall never forget the morning when James, 
 who had been up all night going through my papers with 
 my head-clerk, came down and told me what he had dis 
 covered. I was still stupid from what I had drunk over 
 night, but that sobered me. I need not tell you what 
 passed between my son and me. I swore never to touch 
 liquor again. He sold out of consols five thousand pounds 
 which he had inherited from his mother, and handed it 
 over to the man I had defrauded, giving him his personal 
 bond that he would repay the rest of the money, should 
 he live ; and on those terms my client agreed to abstain 
 from prosecuting me, and to maintain an absolute silence 
 as to the affair. 
 
 "Then Jim broke off his engagement, and took 
 passages for us in a sailing ship for Panama, and so on to 
 San Francisco. I need not tell you the struggle it was to 
 keep to my promise ; but when Jim had given up every 
 thing for me, the least I could do was to fight hard for his 
 sake. My thoughts were always fixed on California, my 
 only hopes that I might live to see the rest of the debt 
 repaid, and the boy's money replaced, so that he could 
 buy a business and marry the woman he loved. I dreamt 
 
316 ''HE IS A GRAND FELLOW." 
 
 of it over and over again, and, as I told you, three times 1 
 dreamt of the exact spot where we are now sitting. 
 
 " Somehow, in my dreams, I knew that if I dug straight 
 down under the old tree that formed the centre of the 
 dream I should find gold. This became a fixed idea with 
 me, and when we reached the gold-fields I never stopped 
 long in camp, so bent was I upon finding the tree of my 
 dreams. Jim bore with me wonderfully. I knew he 
 did not believe in my dream, but he was always ready to 
 go where I wanted. I think now he thought that I was 
 going out of my mind, or feared that if he thwarted me 
 I might take to drink again. However, at last we found 
 the tree at least I was positive it was the tree of my 
 dreams. James tried to dissuade me from digging in a 
 place which looked so unpromising ; but nothing would 
 deter me save death, and you see the result. We shall 
 go back ; the debt will be cleared off, Jim will marry his 
 sweetheart, and I shall live with him to the end of my 
 days. He is a grand fellow is Jim, though I dare say it 
 didn't strike you so when you first knew him." 
 
 " He is a grand fellow," Frank agreed heartily, " and I 
 am truly glad, Mr. Adams, that all has turned out so 
 well." 
 
 "And now, can you tell me something of yourself, 
 Frank ? It is to you we owe it that things have turned 
 out well; and if , as I rather guess, you have got into 
 some scrape at home, I can only say that my son and 
 myself will be very glad to share our fortune with you, 
 and to take one-third of it each." 
 
 " I thank you greatly, sir, for your generous offer, but 
 it would be of no use to me. I have, as you suspect, got 
 into a scrape at home, but it is from no fault of my own. 
 
" CAN NOTHING BE DONE ? " 317 
 
 I have been wrongfully suspected of committing a crime ; 
 and until that charge is in some way or other cleared up, 
 and the slur on my name wiped off, I would not return 
 to England if I had a hundred thousand pounds." 
 
 " And can nothing be done ? Would it be any use 
 whatever to set to work on any line you can suggest ? I 
 would make it my own business, and follow up any clue 
 you could give me." 
 
 " Thank you very much, Mr. Adams ; thank you with 
 all my heart : but nothing can be done, there is nothing to 
 follow. It was not a question of a crime so committed 
 that many outside persons would be interested in it, or 
 that it could be explained in a variety of ways. So far 
 as the case went it was absolutely conclusive, so con 
 clusive that I myself, knowing that I was innocent, could 
 see no flaw in the evidence against myself, nor for 
 months afterwards could I perceive any possible explana 
 tion save in my own guilt Since then I have seen that 
 there is an alternative. It is one so painful to contem 
 plate that I do not allow myself to think of it, nor does it 
 seem to me that even were I myself upon the spot, with 
 all the detective force of England to aid me, I could 
 succeed in proving that alternative to be the true one 
 except by the confession of the person in question. 
 
 " If he were capable of planning and carrying out the 
 scheme which brought about my disgrace, he certainly is 
 not one who would under any conceivable circumstance* 
 confess what he has done. Therefore, there is nothing what 
 ever to be done in the matter. Years and years hence, if I 
 make a fortune out here, I may go home and say to those 
 whose esteem and affection I have lost, ' I have no more 
 evidence now than I had when I left England to support 
 
318 "IT MIGHT GLADDEN SOME ONE'S HEART." 
 
 my simple declaration that I was innocent, but at least 
 I have nothing to gain by lying now. I have made a 
 fortune, and would not tonch one penny of the inheritance 
 which would once have been mine. I simply come before 
 you again solemnly to declare that I was innocent, wholly 
 and conclusively as appearances were against me.' It 
 may be that the word of a prosperous man will be 
 believed though that of a disgraced schoolboy was more 
 than doubted." 
 
 "And is there no one to whom I could carry the 
 assurance of your innocence ? " Mr. Adams asked. " Some 
 one may still be believing in you in spite of appearances. 
 It might gladden some one's heart were I to bear them 
 from your lips this fresh assurance ; were I to tell 
 them how you have saved me when all hope seemed lost ; 
 were I to tell them how all here speak well of you, and 
 how absolutely I am convinced that some hideous mis 
 take must have been made." 
 
 Frank sat for some time silent 
 
 "Yes," he said, at last. " I have a little cousin, a girl, 
 she was like my sister ; I hope I think that, in spite of 
 everything, she may still have believed me innocent. 
 Will you see her and tell her you have seen me ? Say 
 no more until you see by her manner whether she believes 
 me to be a rascal or not If she does, give her no clue to 
 the part of the world where you have come across me ; 
 simply say that I wished her to know that I was alive 
 and well If you see that she still, in spite of every 
 thing, believes that I am innocent, then tell her that I 
 affirm on my honour and word that I am innocent, though 
 I see no way whatever of ever proving it ; that I do not 
 wish her to tell my uncle she heard from me ; that I do 
 

 319 
 
 not wish her to say one word to him, for that, much as I 
 value his affection, I would not for the world seem to be 
 trying to regain the place he thinks I have forfeited, 
 until I can appear before him as a rich man whom 
 nothing could induce to touch one penny of his money, 
 and who values only his good-will and esteem. That is 
 her name and address." 
 
 And Frank wrote on the leaf of his pocket-book, " Alice 
 Hardy, 354 Eaton Square." 
 
 " I do not think you will have to deliver the message ; 
 it is hardly possible that she should not, as my uncle 
 has done, believe me to be guilty. Still, I do cling 
 to the possibility of it That is why I hesitate in 
 giving you the commission, for if it fails I shall lose 
 my last pleasant thought of home. If you find she has 
 believed in me, write to me at Sacramento, to the care 
 of Woolfe & Company, of whom I always get my stores. 
 There is no saying where I may be in four or five months' 
 time, for it will take that before I can hear from you. 
 It may be, in that case, she too will write. If she does 
 not believe in me, do not write at all ; I shall under 
 stand your silence ; and, above all, unless you find she 
 believes in me, say no more than that I am alive and well, 
 and give no clue whatever to the part of the world where 
 we have met." 
 
 "I will discharge your commission," Mr. Adams said. 
 " But do not be impatient for an answer ; I may not 
 find a steamer going down to Panama for some time, and 
 may have to go thence to New York, and thence take 
 steamer to Europe. I may find on my arrival that the 
 young lady is absent from home, perhaps travelling with 
 her father, and there may be delays." 
 
320 A THANK-OFFERING. 
 
 " My uncle is not her father," Frank said ; M she is a 
 ward of his. But I will not be impatient ; not for six 
 months will I give up such hope as I have." 
 
 " There is one more thing before I say good night/' 
 Mr. Adams said. " I have been in great need, and know 
 how hard it is to struggle when luck is against one, and I 
 should like to give a small sum as a sort of thank-offering 
 for the success which has attended me. In a mining 
 camp there must be many whom a little might enable to 
 tide on until luck turns. Will you be my almoner ? 
 Here is a bag with a hundred ounces of gold, the last we 
 got to-day from our claim. Will you take it, and from 
 time to time give help in the way of half a sack of flour 
 and other provisions to men who may be down in the 
 world from a run of ill-luck, and not from any fault of 
 their own." 
 
 " I will gladly do so," Frank replied ; " such a fund as 
 this would enable me to gladden the hearts of scores of 
 men. You can rely upon it, sir, that I will take care to 
 see that it is laid out in accordance with your instruc 
 tions." 
 
 After leaving the tent, Frank found James Adams 
 sitting down on a log a short distance away. 
 
 "I would not disturb you," the latter said, "as I 
 thought perhaps you were having a chat with my father 
 indeed he told me he should like to have a talk with you 
 alone ; but I want myself to tell you how conscious I am 
 that I owe my happiness to you. Has my father told 
 you how I am situated, and that I am going home to 
 claim the dearest girl in the world, if, as I hope and 
 believe, I shall find she has waited for me ? " 
 
 w Your father has told me more," Frank said ; " he has 
 
A DISAPPOINTMENT. 321 
 
 told me how nobly you devoted your life to his, and why, 
 and I am truly glad that so much good has come of our 
 meeting. More than that first little help I must disclaim, 
 for it was Abe and not I who believed in your father's 
 dreams, which I confess I had no shadow of belief in, 
 though they have, so unaccountably to me, been verified." 
 
 " Nothing you can say, Frank, will minimise what you 
 have done for us. You saved my father's life. If it had 
 not been for you his dream would never have been carried 
 into effect, and he would now be lying in the graveyard 
 on the top of the hill, and I should be working hopelessly as 
 a day labourer. I only want to say, that if at any time you 
 want a friend, you can rely upon James Adams up to the 
 last penny he has in the world." 
 
 The next morning Mr. Adams and his son started for 
 San Francisco, and Frank and his party began to work 
 their claims from the bottom of the shaft Although they 
 paid well, they proved far less rich than they had ex 
 pected ; they got good returns from the gravel, but found 
 no pockets in the bed rock, which was perfectly smooth 
 and even. They found that on either side of the 
 Adams' claims the wall of rock behind swept round ; this, 
 no doubt, had caused an eddy at this spot, which had 
 worked out the hole in the bed rock, and caused the de 
 posit of so large a quantity of gold here ; and, singularly 
 enough, Mr. Adams' dream had led him to take up the 
 exact spot under which alone the gold had been so largely 
 deposited. The party had taken on several hands, and 
 six weeks sufficed to clear out the paying stuff in their 
 claims, and it was found that, after paying all their ex 
 penses, there remained eight hundred ounces of gold ; a 
 handsome result, but still very far below what they had 
 
 (476) 
 
322 ABE'S VIEW. 
 
 reason to expect from the richness of the stuff in the 
 claims lying in the centre of their ground. 
 
 This, however, added to the five hundred ounces they 
 had received from Mr. Adams, gave them a total of about 
 a thousand pounds each. They held a consultation on the 
 night of the final clean-up. Two of the party were disposed 
 to return east with their money, but they finally came 
 round to Abe's view. 
 
 " A thousand pounds is a nice sum I don't say it ain't 
 for less than six months' work ; still, to my mind, now 
 we are here, with the chance of doing just as well if we go 
 on, I think it would be a fool's trick to give it up. Five 
 thousand dollars will buy a good farm east, but one 
 could work it with a good deal more comfort and sartainty 
 if one had another five thousand lying in the bank ready 
 to draw upon in case of bad times. We ain't fools ; we 
 don't mean to gamble or drink away what we have made ; 
 it will just lie in the bank at Sacramento until we want 
 to draw it. If we work another year we may double it, 
 but we can't make it less ; we have got our horses still, 
 and I vote we go back to our work as it was before, three 
 of us digging and two carrying. We know that way we can 
 pay our expenses, however bad our luck may be, so thar 
 ain't nothing to loose in sticking to it for a bit longer, and 
 thar may be a lot to gain." 
 
 This view prevailed, and in a short time the party 
 moved off to another place ; for Cedar Camp was getting 
 deserted, the other claims taken up on the flat had paid 
 their way, but little more, and the men were off to new 
 discoveries, of which they had heard glowing accounts. 
 
 For the next two months no marked success attended 
 the labours of Frank and his comrades, they paid their 
 
FRANK'S LIFE. 323 
 
 expenses, and that was all Frank enjoyed the life ; he 
 was in no hurry to get rich, and it gave him great pleasure 
 to be able occasionally to give a helping hand to miners 
 whose luck was bad, from the fund with which Mr. Adams 
 had intrusted him. The work was hard, but he scarcely felt 
 it, for his muscles were now like steel, and his frame had 
 widened out until he was as broad and strong as any of 
 his companions, and few would have recognised in him 
 the lad who had shipped on board the Mississippi fifteen 
 months before. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 STRIKING IT RICH. 
 
 [WICE the party of gold-diggers shifted their 
 location, each time following a rush to some 
 freshly-discovered locality; but no stroke 
 of good fortune attended them. At the 
 end of each week a few ounces of gold remained to be 
 added to the pile after the payment of expenses, but so 
 far the earnings of the carriers far exceeded those of the 
 diggers. One day, as Abe and Frank were just starting 
 on their way down to Sacramento, they met three men 
 coming along, each leading two laden horses. As the two 
 teams met there was a shout of recognition. 
 
 " Heillo, Abe ! I have been asking for you of every one 
 since we got here six months ago, but no one seemed 
 to know your party." 
 
 " We have been asking for you too," Abe said. " It 
 seems curious that we should be here so long and 
 never run agin each other ; but there are such a lot of 
 mining camps, and every one works too hard to spend 
 much time thinking about his neighbours. I expected 
 we should run across each other one of these days. And 
 how goes it with you ? How 's every one ? n 
 
 "We are broke up a bit," John Little said " It wasn't 
 
 324 
 
325 
 
 to be expected as we should hang together long after we 
 once got out here ; one thought one place best, and another 
 another ; but I and my two mates here, and long Simpson, 
 and Alick, and Jones, we have stuck together." 
 
 "And where are you now? " Abe inquired. 
 
 "Well, I will tell you, Abe, and I wouldn't tell any one 
 else; but I said to you, 'If we ever makes a strike you are 
 in it.' We have been prospecting up in the gulches of the 
 North Yuba. We found as we couldn't get places worth 
 working in the other camps, so we concluded it war best 
 to find out a spot for ourselves ; so we six have been 
 a-grubbing and digging up among the mountains, and I 
 tell you we have hit it hot. We three, washing with pans 
 for four hours one morning, got out eight- and-twenty 
 ounces of gold." 
 
 " That was something like," Abe said, in admiration. 
 
 " I reckon it war. Well, we covered the place up, and 
 left our three mates to look arter it, telling them not to 
 dig or make any sign until we came back. We sold the 
 waggons and teams when we first got over, for they 
 were no good to us in the mountains, and bought horses 
 so as to keep ourselves supplied with provisions. We 
 agreed before we began work we would come down to the 
 town and get enough to last us, then we would move up 
 quietly at night to our find, stake out our claims, and 
 begin to work. Now if you and your four mates likes to 
 join us, you are welcome." 
 
 " Well, that 's a downright friendly offer, mate, and you 
 bet we accept it. We had one capital stroke of luck, but 
 since that worked out we haven't done much at digging, 
 though Frank here and me has done very fair, trucking 
 goods up from Sacramento. Where are your women ? " 
 
526 THE WOMEN'S WORK. 
 
 " Well," the other said, " we had some trouble about 
 them. You see thar ain't many women up at the camps, 
 they are rough places, and not fit for them. So we 
 agreed that for the present it were best they should keep 
 out of it. So we bought a little place with ten or twelve 
 acres of ground, down at the foot of the hills, and there 
 our wives and the kids are stopping. There's a big 
 orchard, and they are raising Tegetables, and when we 
 goes down for supplies we brings up a load or two of fruit 
 and vegetables, and rare prices they fetch, I can tell you, 
 more nor enough to keep them all down there. But we 
 have agreed to bring two of them up now to cook and 
 wash, and leave the others to look arter the place and 
 the kids. Simpson and Jones ain't married, you know. 
 Women have a right to claims as well as men, and of 
 course we shall take up for those we bring up, as well as 
 for two big lads ; so that will give us ten claims, besides 
 the extra claims for discovery. So with your five claims 
 we can get hold of a tidy bit of ground. We are going to 
 take these stores up now, and leave them in charge of our 
 friends in the gulch, who will keep them hid in the 
 woods, and then we can go back and bring up the women 
 and a cargo of vegetables." 
 
 "Well, in four days we will meet you here. I will 
 take all the horses and load them up. We were going to 
 bring up flour for the storekeeper, but now we will get 
 stores for ourselves. We will bring as much as we can 
 get along with. We can sell what we don't want, for 
 there is sure to be a rush in a short time. Frank shall 
 go back and tell the storekeeper we ain't a-coming with 
 the flour." 
 
 This was arranged, and four days later Abe and his 
 
A STRONG PARTY. 327 
 
 party arrived at the spot agreed on, and an hour or 
 two later the cavalcade, with the three men, two women, 
 and two boys of fifteen or sixteen years old, came up, and 
 the united party started together. It was some fifty 
 miles to the spot where the gold had been discovered. 
 Sometimes they wound along in deep valleys, passing 
 several camps in full operation, At the last camp, 
 which was a small one, a few questions were asked them 
 as to their destination. 
 
 " We are just going a-prospecting for the mountain of 
 gold," Abe replied, " and as we have got six months' stores 
 aboard we mean to find it We will send you down a 
 few nuggets when we get up there." 
 
 "We shall have some of them after us in a day or 
 two," John Little said; "every one suspects every one 
 else ; and they will make a pretty story of it, I guess, 
 thinking as we shouldn't have brought the women up all 
 this distance without having some place in our minds." 
 
 At last they arrived at their destination, the mouth of 
 a little gorge running off the deep valley of the north 
 Yuba. The gorge widened out into a narrow valley, and 
 the party made its way among the pebbles and boulders 
 at its bottom for a quarter of a mile, and then three 
 men came out from among the trees and greeted them 
 Heartily. 
 
 " No one has been up here ? " John Little asked 
 
 " Two chaps came up and prospected about a bit, but 
 they did not seem to hit on the right place ; at any rate 
 they went away again." 
 
 "All the better," John said. "Now let us stake out our 
 claims at once, then we are all right, whoever comes." 
 
 The spot selected was at the head of the little valley ; 
 
328 BEGINNING WORK. 
 
 it ended here abruptly, and the stream came down forty 
 feet precipitously into a hollow. 
 
 "This looks a likely spot, indeed," Abe said; "there 
 must have been a thundering great waterfall here in the 
 old days. I expect it wore a hole for itself in the rock, and 
 if it is as rich as you say on the surface, there is no saying 
 how rich it may be when we get down to the bed rock" 
 
 They had already settled that the two parties should 
 work in partnership, and as, including the women and 
 boys, they numbered fifteen, and could take up the five 
 claims which, by mining law, the discoverer of a new 
 place was entitled to, they had in all twenty claims, 
 which gave them the whole of the little amphitheatre 
 at the foot of the fall for a distance of fifty yards down. 
 
 The men all set to work with their axes, and by night 
 fall much had been done. Frank's party had their tent, 
 and the two small tents of the other party were allotted 
 to the married couples. A rough hut was got up for the 
 rest of the men ; this was to act as the kitchen and 
 general room. A storehouse was erected of stout logs, 
 with earth piled thickly over it to keep out the wet, and 
 here their stores were securely housed. The tents and 
 huts were on the slope, where the rocks widened out 
 twenty yards below the bottom of their claim. 
 
 It was late in the second evening before the work was 
 done. All were anxious to test the ground, but it was 
 agreed not to touch it until they had housed themselves. 
 At daybreak they were at work, and soon all were 
 washing out pans of gravel at the stream ; the results 
 fully justified their expectations, there being a residuum 
 of glittering grains at the bottom of each pan varying in 
 weight from a pennyweight to a quarter of an ounce. 
 
A GRAND PROSPECT. 329 
 
 * Now," Abe said, " I should suggest that we makes a 
 big cradle, fifteen feet long by three feet wide, and hang 
 it on cross poles so as to be able to rock it easily ; then 
 we will dam up the stream at the top of the fall, and lead 
 it down straight through a shoot into the cradle; of course 
 the shoot will have a sluice so as to let in just as much 
 water as we want, and that way two men will do the 
 work of eight or ten washing." 
 
 Abe's plan was agreed to, and all the men set to work 
 to construct the dam, cradle, and shoot. 
 
 It took two days' hard labour before all was in readiness, 
 and then the work began in earnest. Two men swayed 
 the cradle, four others shovelled the gravel and dirt into 
 it, three continually stirred the contents and swept off the 
 large stones and pebbles from the top, while the other two 
 carried them away beyond the boundaries of their claims. 
 
 At the lower end of the cradle was a sheet of iron 
 perforated with holes, large at the top, but getting 
 smaller lower down, and altogether closed four inches 
 from the bottom; through these holes the sand and 
 gravel flowed away. All day they worked vigorously 
 and without intermission, and great was the excitement 
 when, at the end of the day's work, they proceeded to 
 clear-up by emptying the cradle and examining the 
 bottom. A shout of satisfaction arose as the particles of 
 gold were seen lying thickly in the gravel at the bottom 
 of the cradle. Very carefully this was washed out, and 
 it was found that there were over fifty ounces of gold dust. 
 
 "I believe," Abe said, "that we have hit upon the 
 richest spot in Calif orny. Ef it 's like this on the surface, 
 what is it going to be like when we get down to the bed 
 rock?" 
 
330 A BUSY SCENE. 
 
 The next morning two diggers arrived on the scene ; 
 they saw at once by the methodical manner in which the 
 place was being worked that the party must have found 
 gold in paying quantities. 
 
 " Is it rich, mates ? " they asked eagerly. 
 
 " Ay," Abe replied, " rich enough for anything. There 
 are the boundaries of our claims, lads, and ye are 
 welcome to set to work below them," 
 
 The miners threw off their coats, and at -once set to 
 work, and a shout of exultation greeted the result of the 
 first bucket of stuff they washed out 
 
 " Another week," Abe said, " and every foot of ground 
 in the gulch from here down to the Yuba will be taken 
 up. The news will spread like wildfire." 
 
 His anticipations were justified, and no one who came 
 along a fortnight later would have recognised, in the 
 scene of life and activity, the quiet wooded valley which 
 Abe and his party had entered. The trees on the lower 
 slopes were all felled ; huts and tents stood along on the 
 slopes from the head to the mouth of the valley, and 
 several hundred men were hard at work 
 
 For once every man was satisfied, and it was agreed 
 that it was the richest place which had been discovered 
 in California. But though all were doing well, their 
 finds did not approach those of the party at the head of 
 the valley. The spot on which these were at work was 
 indeed a natural trap for gold. At the lower end of the 
 claim the bed rock was found at the depth of three feet 
 only ; but it sloped rapidly down to the foot of the fall, 
 and here an iron rod had been driven down and showed 
 it to be forty feet below the surface. 
 
 The bed rock had indeed, in the course of ages, been 
 
WORKING OUT THE HOLE. 331 
 
 pounded away by the fall of water, and by the boulders 
 and rocks brought down in time of flood, and in the deep 
 hole the gold had lodged, a comparatively small propor 
 tion being carried away over the lower lip of the basin. 
 When the bed jock was found at the lower end of the 
 claim, they set to work to clear away and wash the whole 
 surface to that depth, as far as the foot of the rocks on 
 either side of the little amphitheatre. 
 
 Frank and two of the men went down to Sacramento 
 with horses to bring up pumps, for below the level of the 
 lip of the hole it was, of course, full of water. The stream 
 was carried in a shoot beyond this point, and when the 
 pumps arrived they were soon set to work. 
 
 Every foot that they descended they f&und, as they 
 expected, the gravel to be richer and richer ; and many 
 nuggets, some of them weighing upwards of a pound, were 
 found. 
 
 At the end of each week four of the miners, armed to 
 the teeth, carried down the gold and deposited it at the 
 Bank of Sacramento. An escort was needed, for many 
 attacks were made on gold convoys by parties of desper 
 adoes ; four men would indeed have been an insufficient 
 guard, but at the same time other diggers in the valley 
 sent down their find, and the escort was always made up 
 to eight men from the general body. 
 
 Frank, from the first, generally formed one of the 
 escort ; he himself was perfectly ready to take his share 
 in the more laborious work of digging, but where Frank 
 went Turk went, and Turk formed so valuable a member 
 of the escort that the rest of the party begged his master 
 always to go with the treasure. Every week had added to 
 the weight and power of the animal, and he was now a 
 
332 A FAITHFUL GUARD. 
 
 most formidable-looking beast He was extremely quiet 
 and good-tempered at ordinary times, except that he would 
 not allow any stranger to touch him; but when at all 
 excited, his hair bristled from his neck to his tail, and 
 his low, formidable growl, gave a warning which few men 
 would have been inclined to despise, indeed, of the 
 many rough characters in the camp, there was not one 
 who would not rather have faced a man with a revolver 
 in his hand than have ventured upon a conflict with 
 Turk. 
 
 The dog appeared to know that the escort duty was 
 one which demanded especial vigilance. On the road a 
 low growl always gave notice of the approach of strangers ; 
 and at night, when they stopped, and the heavy valises 
 were carried from the pack animals into the wayside 
 resting-places, Turk always lay down with his head upon 
 them. He seemed so thoroughly to understand that this 
 was in his special charge, that although at no other time 
 would he leave Frank's side for a moment, he was, when 
 thus on guard, content to lie quiet even should Frank 
 take a stroll after reaching the hotel 
 
 This guardianship greatly relieved the cares of the 
 escort, as once placed under Turk's charge they felt no 
 further anxiety about the treasure, for it would have been 
 as much as any stranger's life was worth to have entered 
 the room where Turk lay on guard. Once, indeed, the 
 attempt was made. While the escort were taking their 
 meals, a man went round to the window of the room, and, 
 opening it, threw a large piece of poisoned meat to Turk. 
 The dog placed one paw upon it, but remained, with his 
 great head on the treasure, watching the man outside 
 holding another piece in his hand, and speaking in sooth- 
 
TURK AND THE ROBBER. 333 
 
 ing tones. The man, seeing that he did not move, began 
 to climb in through the window. Suddenly, as if shot 
 from a spring, Turk hurled himself from his recumbent 
 position upon him. 
 
 The movement was so rapid and unexpected, that 
 before the man could spring back from the window Turk 
 had seized him by the shoulder. A shriek, followed 
 by a heavy fall, brought the party rushing into the room. 
 It was empty, but there was the sound of a scuffle outside ; 
 they ran to the window, but their interference was too 
 late. Turk had shifted his hold, and, grasping the man by 
 the throat, was shaking him as a terrier would a rat ; and 
 when, in obedience to Frank's voice, he loosened his hold, 
 life was extinct. Not only was there a terrible wound 
 in the throat of the robber, but his neck was broken by 
 the shaking. 
 
 This was the only attempt which was ever made upon 
 the treasure ; for Turk gained such a reputation by the 
 deed, that it was questionable whether, had he accompanied 
 the pack-mules as their sole escort to Sacramento, the 
 bravest stage-robbers in the district would have ventured 
 to interfere with them. 
 
 After a time the lower valley became worked out, and 
 numbers drifted away to other diggings ; but it was four 
 months before the party at the waterfall completely 
 worked out their claims. The value of the ground in the 
 last few feet, at the lower end of the hole, was immense ; 
 for in this, for ages, the gold from above had settled, 
 and for the last fortnight the clear-up each day was 
 worth a thousand pounds. When the last spadeful had 
 been cleared up, and the last consignment sent down to 
 the bank, they made up their total, and found that in four 
 
334 THE PARTNERSHIP DISSOLVED. 
 
 moDths they had taken from the hole upwards of sixty 
 thousand pounds. 
 
 It had been agreed before beginning that the two women 
 and the boys were each to have a half-share, and that the 
 two women who had looked after the families below were 
 to have the same. There were then in all six half-shares, 
 and eleven shares, and each share was therefore worth 
 over four thousand pounds. There were many instances 
 in California in which parties of two or three men had 
 made larger sums than this in the same time, but there 
 were few in which a company had taken out so large a 
 quantity from one hole. 
 
 At the meeting that night the partnership was dis 
 solved, it being agreed that they should all go down to 
 Sacramento together, and there each receive his share. 
 One or two of the party said that they would go down to 
 San Francisco for a spree, and then return and try their 
 luck again. Four of the western farmers said that they 
 should buy farms in the State and settle down there. Abe, 
 and two other hunters, said they should return east 
 
 " And what are you going to do, Frank ? " 
 
 " I don't know/' Frank said. " I don't want to return 
 to Europe, and have no particular object in view. I think 
 that I shall let my money remain in the bank for a bit, 
 at any rate, and go in for freighting on a large scale. 
 I shall buy a couple of dozen mules, and hire some 
 Mexicans to drive them. I like the life among these 
 mountains, and there is a good thing to be made out of 
 carrying. But I have had enough of digging ; it 's tre 
 mendously hard work, and I couldn't expect to meet 
 with such a slice of luck as this again if I worked for 
 fifty years." 
 
VIGILANCE COMMITTEES. 335 
 
 " Well, Frank, I shall not try to dissuade you," Abe 
 said. " If I was going on hunting, I should say ' Come 
 along with me to the plains ' ; but me and my mate is 
 going east, as each of us has got some one waiting for us 
 thar, and I expect we shall marry and settle down. I 
 will write to you at Sacramento when I get fixed, and I 
 needn't tell you how glad the sight of your face will make 
 me if you are ever travelling my way." 
 
 A few days afterwards the party separated at Sacra 
 mento, Frank only remaining two days in that town. 
 The wild scenes of dissipation and recklessness disgusted 
 him ; he looked with loathing upon the saloons where 
 gambling went on from morning till night, broken only by 
 an occasional fierce quarrel, followed in most cases by the 
 sharp crack of a revolver, or by desperate encounters with 
 bowie knives. Bad as things were, however, they were im 
 proving somewhat, for a Vigilance Committee had just been 
 started, comprising all the prominent citizens of the town. 
 Parties of armed men had seized upon some of the most 
 notorious desperadoes of the place, and had hung them on 
 the lamp-posts, while others had been warned that a like 
 fate awaited them if they were found tkree hours later 
 within the limits of the town. 
 
 Similar scenes took place in San Francisco, for the 
 force of the law was wholly insufficient to restrain the 
 reckless and desperate men who congregated in the towns, 
 and who thought no more of taking life than eating 
 a meal To put a stop to the frightful state of things 
 prevailing, the more peaceful of the San Francisco citizens 
 had also been obliged to organise a Vigilance Committee 
 to carry out what was called Lynch law, a rough and 
 ready method of justice subject to grave abuses under 
 
336 FBEIGHTING. 
 
 other circumstances, but admirably suited to such a con 
 dition of things as at that time prevailed in California. 
 
 For some time Frank worked between Sacramento 
 and the diggings. He enjoyed the life, riding in the 
 pure mountain air, under the shade of the forests, at the 
 head of the team. Sometimes he wondered vaguely how 
 long this was to last; if he was always to remain a 
 rover, or whether he would ever return to England. 
 Sometimes he resolved that he would go home and make 
 an effort to clear himself of this stain which rested upon 
 his name ; but he could see no method whatever of doing 
 so, as he had nothing but his own unsupported assertion 
 of his innocence to adduce against the circumstantial evi 
 dence against him, and there was no reason why his word 
 should be taken now more than it was before. 
 
 In many of the camps life had now become more 
 civilised. In cases where the bed of gold-bearing 
 gravel was large, and where, consequently, work would be 
 continued for a long time, wooden towns had sprung up, 
 with hotels, stores, drinking and gambling saloons. 
 Work was here carried on methodically; water was, in 
 some cases, brought many miles in little canals from 
 mountain lakes down to the diggings, and operations 
 were carried on on a large scale. Companies were being 
 formed for buying up and working numbers of claims 
 together. 
 
 The valleys were honeycombed with shafts driven 
 down, sometimes through a hundred feet of gravel, to 
 the bed rock, as it was found much more profitable 
 working this way than in surface- washing. Stage-coaches 
 and teams of waggons were running regularly now 
 along well-made roads. Frank's earnings were therefore 
 
DANGERS OF THE ROAD. 337 
 
 smaller than they had been at first, but they still paid 
 his expenses, and added a few pounds each trip to his 
 account at the bank. 
 
 He took shares in many of the companies formed for 
 bringing down water from the lakes, and these were soon 
 found to be an exceedingly valuable property, paying in 
 many cases a return each month equal to the capital. 
 
 The life of a teamster was not without danger : bears 
 in considerable numbers were found among the moun 
 tains, and these, when pressed by hunger, did not 
 hesitate to attack passing teams. In times of rain the 
 rivers rose rapidly, and the valleys were full of fierce 
 torrents, sometimes preventing horses from crossing for 
 many hours, and being still more dangerous if the rise 
 commenced when the track to be followed wound along in 
 the foot of the valley. Several times Frank narrowly 
 escaped with his life when thus surprised ; but in each 
 case he managed to reach some spot where his horses 
 could climb the sides before the water took them off 
 their feet. 
 
 The greatest danger, however, of the roads, arose from 
 the lawless men that frequented them. Coaches were 
 frequently stopped and plundered, and even the gold 
 escorts were attacked with success. Strong parties of 
 the miners sometimes went out in pursuit of the high 
 waymen, but it was very seldom that success attended 
 them, for the great forests extended so vast a distance 
 over the hills, that anything like a thorough search was 
 impossible. 
 
 Frank, however, treated this danger lightly ; he never 
 carried money with him save what he received on arrival 
 at camp for the carriage of his goods, while the flour, 
 
 (476) 
 
338 AN ATTACK ON A COACH. 
 
 bacon, and other stores which he carried up offered no 
 temptation to the robbers. 
 
 One evening, however, having been detained some 
 hours before he could cross a river swollen by a 
 thunderstorm, he was travelling along the road much 
 later than usual; the moon was shining brightly, and as the 
 long team of mules descended a hill he meditated camping 
 for the night at its foot. 
 
 Suddenly he heard a pistol-shot ahead, followed by 
 five or six others. Ordering his men to follow slowly, 
 he put spurs to his horse, and, drawing his revolver, 
 galloped on. The firing had ceased just as he caught 
 sight of a coach standing at the bottom of a hill ; three 
 bodies were lying in the road, and the passengers were 
 in the act of alighting under the pistols of four mounted 
 men who stood beside them. Frank rode up at full 
 speed, Turk bounding beside him. 
 
 The highwaymen turned, and two pistol-shots were 
 fired at the new-comer. The balls whistled close to him, 
 but Frank did not answer the fire until he arrived within 
 three paces of the nearest highwayman, whom he shot 
 dead ; the other three fired, and Frank felt a sensation 
 as of a hot iron crossing his cheek, while his left arm 
 dropped useless by his side. Another of the highwaymen 
 fell under his next shot ; at the same instant Turk, with a 
 tremendous bound, leapt at the throat of one of the others 
 who was in the act of levelling his pistol The impetus 
 was so tremendous that man and horse rolled in the road, 
 the pistol exploding harmlessly in the air. The struggle 
 on the ground lasted but a few seconds, and then Turk, 
 having disposed of his adversary, turned to look after a 
 fresh foe ; but the field was clear, for the remaining robber 
 
FRANK WOUNDED. 339 
 
 had, on seeing Turk, turned his horse with a cry of alarm, 
 and ridden away at full speed. The passengers crowded 
 round Frank, thanking him for their rescue. 
 
 " I am glad to have been of use," Frank said, " and to 
 have arrived just in time ; and now will one of you help 
 me off my horse, for my left arm is broken, I think" 
 
 The driver of the coach had been shot through the 
 heart by the first shot fired by the robbers. There were 
 two armed guards, one of whom had been killed, and the 
 other wounded, while two of the passengers who had 
 left the coach to take part in the defence had also been 
 killed ; the wounded guard was helped down from the 
 coach. 
 
 " You have done a good night's work," he said to Frank ; 
 " there are nigh ten thousand ounces of gold in the coach, 
 No doubt those fellows got wind of the intention of the 
 bank people at Yuba to send it down to Sacramento ; it 
 was kept very dark too, and I don't believe that one of 
 the passengers knew of it They would have sent more 
 than two of us to guard it if they had thought that it had 
 been let out ; there must have been some one in the secret 
 who gave notice beforehand to these chaps. 
 
 " Now, gentlemen, if one of you will take the ribbons 
 we will be moving on. I will get up beside him, and I 
 will trouble any of you who have got Colts to take your 
 places up behind ; there ain't no chance of another attack 
 to-night, still, we may as well look out. Now, sir, if you 
 will take your place inside we will take you on until we 
 get to some place where your arm can be looked to. 
 You will hear from the directors of the bank as to this 
 night's work." 
 
 Frank's team had now arrived on the spot, and he 
 
340 REWARDS OF BRAVERY. 
 
 directed the men to complete their journey and deliver 
 their stores, and then to go down to the stables where 
 they put up at Sacramento and there to wait his arrival. 
 
 Frank was left behind at the next town, his fellow- 
 passengers overwhelming him with thanks, many having 
 considerable amounts of gold concealed about them, the 
 result, in some cases, of months' work at the diggings. 
 
 One of them proposed that each man should contribute 
 one-fourth of the gold he carried to reward their rescuer, 
 a proposition which was at once accepted. Frank, how 
 ever, assured them that although leading a team of mules 
 he was well off, and in no need whatever of their kind 
 offer. 
 
 Seeing that he was in earnest, his fellow-passengers 
 again thanked him cordially, and took their places in the 
 coach. They were not to be balked in their gratitude, 
 and three days later a very handsome horse, with saddle 
 and holsters with a brace of Colt's revolvers, arrived up 
 from Sacramento for Frank, with the best wishes of the 
 passengers in the coach. On the same day a letter 
 arrived saying that at a meeting of the directors of the 
 bank it had been resolved that, as he had saved them 
 from a loss of fifty thousand pounds by his gallantry, a 
 sum of two thousand pounds should be placed to his 
 credit at the bank in token of their appreciation of the 
 great service he had rendered them. 
 
CHAPTEK XX. 
 
 A MESSAGE FKOM ABROAD. 
 
 LIKE this, grandfather. I think I like it 
 better than anything I have seen. In the 
 sunlight the cathedral is too dazzling and 
 white, and the eye does not seem to find 
 any rest ; but in the moonlight it is perfectly lovely. And 
 then the music of that Austrian band is just right from 
 here ; it is not too loud, and yet we can hear every note. 
 Somehow, I always like better not to see the players, but 
 just to have the benefit of the music as we do now, and to 
 sit taking it in, and looking at that glorious cathedral, 
 all silver and black, in the moonlight. It is glorious ! " 
 Harry murmured, " I could not have believed there was 
 anything so lovely." 
 
 " Yes, yes," Captain Bay ley said absently, " the ices are 
 good." 
 
 " I am not talking of the ices, grandfather, though no 
 doubt they are good. I am talking about the cathedral." 
 "Are you, my boy?" Captain Bayley said, rousing 
 himself. "Yes, there are cathedrals which beat Milan 
 when seen in broad daylight, but in the moonlight there 
 is no building in the world to compare with it, unless it be 
 the Taj Mahal at Agra. Of course they differ wholly 
 
 341 
 
342 " I TJme TO BE ON THE MOVE." 
 
 and entirely in style, and no comparison can be made be 
 tween them ; the only resemblance is that both are built 
 of white marble ; but of the two, I own that I prefer the 
 Taj." 
 
 " I am afraid I shall never see that," Alice Hardy said, 
 " but I am quite content with Milan ; I could stop here for 
 a month." 
 
 " A month, my dear ! " Captain Bay ley exclaimed, in 
 consternation, " three days will be ample. You know we 
 agreed to stop here till Friday, and then to go on to 
 Como." 
 
 " Well, perhaps we will let you go on Friday, but we 
 shall have to dawdle about the lakes for some time. We 
 can't rush through them as we have been rushing through 
 all these grand old Italian towns. We must have a long 
 rest there, you know." 
 
 " Yes, I suppose so," the old officer said reluctantly ; 
 " but I like to be on the move." 
 
 Captain Bayley had, indeed, somewhat tried his two 
 young companions by his eagerness to be ever on the move. 
 They had now been nearly two years absent from Eng 
 land ; they had visited all the principal towns of Germany 
 and Austria, had gone down the Danube and stopped at 
 Constantinople, had spent a fortnight in the Holy Land, 
 and had then gone to Egypt and ascended the Nile as 
 far as the First Cataract, then they had taken steamer to 
 Naples, and thence made their way up through Italy to 
 Milan, and now were about to cross over into Switzer 
 land, and were, after spending a month there, to go on to 
 Paris, and thence homa 
 
 The highest surgical advice, and the most skilful 
 appliances, aided by the benefit he had derived from the 
 
CAPTAIN BAYLEY*S ANXIETY. 343 
 
 German baths, had done much for Harry, and he had for 
 months passed many hours a day in the hands of a skil 
 ful shampooer, who travelled with him as valet He 
 had, to a great extent, recovered the use of his legs, and 
 now walked with the assistance of two sticks, and there 
 was every hope that in time he would be able to dispense 
 with these aids, although he would always walk somewhat 
 stiffly. Captain Bayley was delighted at this improve 
 ment in his grandson, and would have been perfectly 
 happy had it not been for the continual worry caused him 
 by the failure of his advertisements to elicit any news 
 whatever of Frank. 
 
 It was this uncertainty that caused his restlessness, and 
 he was for ever pressing forward to the next town to which 
 he had directed letters to be sent, constantly suffering 
 disappointments when he found the usual announcement 
 from his solicitor that no news had ben obtained of his 
 missing nephew. 
 
 Alice and Harry shared his anxiety ; but their pleasure 
 in the new scenes they were visiting prevented their being 
 so entirely engrossed in the subject as he was ; and although 
 scarcely a day passed without some talk as to Frank's 
 whereabouts, and the probability of his discovery, they 
 were able to put the subject aside and to enter with full 
 zest into the scenes they were visiting. But in Captain 
 Bayley's mind the question was always uppermost ; sin 
 cerely attached as he had always been to Frank, the 
 thought that his favourite might have suffered a cruel 
 and dastardly wrong, and might now be slaving for his 
 living in some unknown part of the world, worried and 
 troubled him incessantly, and he felt that, happy as he 
 was at the discovery of his grandson, he could never be 
 
344 AN ANGRY CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 contented and tranquil until this matter was cleared up. 
 Besides, in his will Fred Barkley was still standing as heir 
 to one -third of his fortune, and the thought that he might 
 die before the mystery was cleared up, and that possibly 
 this property might go to the man he suspected of so 
 foul a crime, was absolutely intolerable to the old officer. 
 He had, indeed, been engaged in a correspondence with 
 his lawyer, Mr. Griffith, in reference to his will, which 
 he wanted worded so that Fred Barkley should not take 
 the fortune left him until the question of the theft of the 
 ten pounds should be cleared up. Mr. Griffith pointed 
 out that it was scarcely possible to frame a will in such a 
 way. 
 
 " Had your nephew been publicly accused of the crime, 
 doubtless a clause might be framed by which the money 
 would remain in the hands of trustees until he had cleared 
 himself to their satisfaction ; but in this case there is no 
 shadow of suspicion against him. Another person has, 
 in the eyes of those who know the circumstances of the 
 affair, been adjudged guilty. No one has breathed a word 
 against the honour of your nephew ; and therefore to say 
 that he shall not touch the legacy until his honour is 
 cleared would be to take a most extraordinary, and, I 
 think, unprecedented course. In fact I don't see how it 
 could be done." 
 
 Captain Bayley had replied hotly that it must be done, 
 and, owing to his frequent changes of address, and the 
 time occupied in the letters passing to and fro, the corre 
 spondence had already lasted for some months. What en 
 raged Captain Bayley most of all was that Mr. Griffith 
 would not admit that any doubt whatever existed as to 
 Frank Norris's guilt, nor that there was a shadow of 
 
CAPTAIN BAYLEY IS THWARTED. 345 
 
 reasonable suspicion against his cousin ; and each time the 
 evidence was marshalled up, Captain Bayley had to ac 
 knowledge to himself that the lawyer's arguments were un 
 answerable, and that the only grounds that he himself had 
 for his doubts were his affection for Frank, and the fixed, 
 passionate belief of Alice Hardy in his innocence. That 
 day Captain Bayley was exceptionally out of temper and 
 irascible, for he had that morning received a letter from 
 Mr. Griffith positively declining to draw up a clause for 
 insertion in the will of the nature he desired, and saying 
 that if Captain Bayley insisted upon its insertion, much as 
 he should regret it after so long a connection had ex 
 isted between them, he should prefer that his client should 
 place himself in other hands. 
 
 " I trust," he said, " that this will cause no interruption 
 in the personal friendship which has for years existed 
 between us, but I would risk even that rather than draft 
 a clause which I consider would be in the highest degree 
 unjust, and which, I tell you fairly, would, I believe, 
 be upset in any court of law. Nothing would, in my 
 opinion, be more unfair, I may say more monstrous, 
 than that a hand should be stretched from the grave to 
 strike a blow at the honour of a young man of stainless 
 reputation." 
 
 Captain Bayley at all times disliked opposition ; he 
 disliked it especially when, as in the present instance, he 
 felt that he was in the wrong. 
 
 When they returned to their hotel the waiter informed 
 Alice that a gentleman had called twice, while they were 
 out, to see her. He had not left a card, saying that Miss 
 Hardy would not know his name, but that he had a 
 message to give her, and that he would not occupy her 
 
346 A MYSTERIOUS VISITOB. 
 
 time more than a few minutes if she would be good 
 enough to see him. 
 
 * It sounds quite mysterious," Alice said, smiling to 
 her uucle. 
 
 " Was it a young gentleman or an old ? " she asked the 
 waiter in French. 
 
 " An elderly gentleman, Signora." 
 
 " Some elderly millionaire, Alice," Captain Bayley 
 growled sarcastically, as they ascended the stairs, " who has 
 seen you in the streets, and wishes to lay himself and his 
 fortune at your feet" 
 
 " That must be it," Alice laughed. "But perhaps he has 
 brought me a message from some of the many ladies we 
 have met in our travels. I suppose I had better see him 
 if he comes again." 
 
 " I suppose so," Captain Bayley said. " He is not likely 
 to eat you, and as my room opens off the sitting-room, you 
 have only to scream and I can come in to your rescue." 
 
 "Very well, I will scream, uncle, if necessary. But 
 do you think he wants to see me alone ?" 
 
 "As he has only asked for you, and no one else, I 
 suppose he does. At any rate I have no lively curiosity 
 as to his visit, and I don't suppose Harry has either. 
 Most likely it 's some man who wants to sell you jewel 
 lery or cameos, or to ask you for a subscription for the 
 chaplain, or to beg of you on some pretext or other ; they 
 are always at it. He saw your name on the hotel list 
 standing without any male protector of the same name. 
 No doubt he thinks you are an elderly spinster with 
 money." 
 
 " I expect it 's something of that sort, Alice," Harry 
 laughed. 
 
A. LONG PURSUIT. 347 
 
 But Alice insisted that she was convinced that the 
 mysterious stranger had something important to com 
 municate to her. As she was taking her things off there 
 was a knock at the door, and the waiter said 
 
 " The gentleman who before called is below." 
 
 " Show him up into our sitting-room," she said, and at 
 once went in to receive him. " He 's just coming up, uncle," 
 she said, tapping at Captain Bayley's door. He opened 
 it a few inches. 
 
 "I have got my pistol handy, Alice, in case you 
 scream." 
 
 Alice laughed, and as she turned round there was a 
 knock at the door. The waiter announced Monsieur 
 Adams, and an elderly gentleman entered. 
 
 " You must be surprised at the intrusion of a stranger 
 at this hour of the evening, Miss Hardy ; but my excuse 
 must be that I have for nearly two months been following 
 your footsteps, and I was afraid that if I put off calling 
 upon you until the morning I might find that you had 
 gone." 
 
 " Following me for two months ! " Alice repeated, in 
 great surprise. " I do not understand, sir." 
 
 "Naturally, Miss Hardy, the statement appears a strange 
 one to you ; but the fact is I made a promise to deliver a 
 message to you. I found upon reaching England that you 
 had left ; I obtained your address at Cairo, and went there 
 only to find you had left a fortnight before my arrival ; 
 then I followed you to Naples, and was a week too late. 
 At Rome I missed you by a day, and as I could not learn 
 there, at your hotel, where you were going next, beyond 
 the fact that you had gone North, I have been hunting 
 for you ever since." 
 
348 "NO, NO, NOT FOB ONE MOMENT." 
 
 " But, sir," Alice said, more and more surprised, " what 
 message could possibly be of sufficient importance for you 
 to undertake so long a journey to deliver it ? " 
 
 " I did not know how long you might be before you 
 returned to England, Miss Hardy, and as I knew how 
 anxiously the answer to my message would be expected, 
 I preferred to follow you, in order that there might be 
 no more delay than necessary/' 
 
 Suddenly a thought flashed across Alice Hardy's brain. 
 She advanced a step nearer to her visitor, and exclaimed 
 
 " Do you come from my cousin Frank ? " 
 
 " You have guessed rightly. I met him abroad ; I am 
 not at liberty at present to say where. He rendered me one 
 of the greatest services one man can render to another 
 he saved my life, and did much more ; but upon that it is 
 not now necessary to enter." 
 
 " But the message, sir," Alice interrupted, " you cannot 
 know how we have been longing for a word from him all 
 this time." 
 
 " I do not know yet, Miss Hardy, whether I have any 
 message to deliver; it depends upon what you say in 
 answer to what I tell you. I think I can give you his very 
 words as we sat together the night before I left for 
 England : ' I have a little cousin, a girl, she was like my 
 sister ; I think, I hope, that in spite of everything she may 
 still have believed me innocent Will you see her, and 
 tell her you have seen me ? Say no more until you see 
 by her manner whether she believes me to be a rascal or 
 not/" 
 
 " No, no," Alice broke in, with a cry, " not for one 
 moment; surely Frank never doubted me. Never for 
 a single instant did I believe one word against him." 
 
THE MESSAGE. 349 
 
 " Is anything the matter, my dear ? * Captain Bayley 
 asked, opening his door, for the sound of her raised voice 
 had reached him. 
 
 " No, uncle," she cried, hurrying to him, " it is a message 
 
 from Frank. Go away a minute, or No," and she 
 
 turned again to Mr. Adams, " surely my uncle can hear 
 too, he is as interested as I am/' 
 
 "My message was to you alone, Miss Hardy," Mr. 
 Adams said gravely ; "I must deliver it as it was delivered 
 to me. It will be for you to decide whether, after hearing it, 
 you think it right to observe the injunction it contains 
 for your absolute silence." 
 
 " At least tell me, sir," Captain Bayley exclaimed, as 
 much agitated as Alice, " whether he is alive and well" 
 
 " He is alive and well, sir at least he was when I saw 
 him last, now nearly four months ago." 
 
 " Thank God for that, at least," Captain Bayley said 
 fervently. "Do not be long, Alice; you know what I 
 shall be feeling." He went back into his room again, 
 and closed the door, and Mr. Adams continued 
 
 " ' If she thinks me a rascal, give her no clue to the 
 part of the world where you have come across me, simply 
 say that I wished her to know that I am alive and 
 well' There, Miss Hardy, my message would have ended 
 had you not declared your faith in his innocence ; I can 
 now go on : ' If you see that she still, in spite of every 
 thing, believes that I am innocent, then tell her that I 
 affirm on my honour and word that I am so ' Alice 
 gave a cry of joy ' though I see no way of proving it 
 Tell her that I do not wish her to tell my uncle that she has 
 heard of me ; that I do not wish her to say one word to 
 him, for, much as I value his affection, I would not for the 
 
350 " OH, THANK YOU 80 MUCH ! " 
 
 world seem to be trying to gain the place he thinks I 
 have forfeited, until I can appear before him as a rich man 
 whom nothing could induce to touch one penny of his 
 money, and who values only his good-will and esteem/ 
 
 " That is all the message, Miss Hardy. But now that 
 I see you have never believed him guilty, I am at 
 liberty to tell you that we met in California, and to give 
 you an address to which you can write at Sacramento, 
 and I can tell you the story of our acquaintance ; but as 
 the story is a long one, and it is now late, I will, with 
 your permission, call in the morning again." 
 
 Tears were streaming down the girl's face as she lifted 
 her head. 
 
 " Thank you, sir ! oh, thank you so much ! You cannot 
 tell how happy your message has made me how happy 
 it will make us all, for I am sure that Frank will not 
 blame me for breaking his injunction. He cannot tell the 
 circumstances ; he does not know that my uncle has fretted 
 as much as myself. He evidently thinks that he believes 
 him guilty, though why he should do so I don't know, for 
 at first he was just as much convinced as I was of Frank's 
 innocence, and it was only Frank's silence and his going 
 away without saying one word in defence of himself tfoat 
 made him doubt him. Would you mind sitting here for 
 a minute or two while I go in to him ? We want to hear 
 so much, if you are not in a hurry." 
 
 " I am in no hurry," Mr. Adams said, smiling. " After 
 travelling for two months to deliver a message, one would 
 not mind sitting up for a few hours to deliver it thoroughly ; 
 and let me tell you that if my message has made you 
 happy, your reception of it has given me almost equal 
 satisfaction. I should have been grieved beyond expres- 
 
" I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH." 351 
 
 sion to have had to write to him that you doubted him, 
 for my dear friend said, ' If your commission fails, I shall 
 lose my last pleasant thought of homa' " 
 
 " Poor Frank !" Alice murmured, as she turned to go to 
 her uncle's room, " how could he have ever doubted us ? " 
 
 " Uncle," she said, as she entered, " I feel quite justified 
 in telling you Frank's message to me. Why it was sent 
 to me instead of to you I do not know, except that it 
 seems as if he thought that I might believe him innocent, 
 while somehow he had an idea that you thought he was 
 guilty." 
 
 " Does he say he is innocent, Alice ? " Captain Bayley 
 broke in. 
 
 " He does, uncle ; he declares on his honour and word 
 that he is innocent." 
 
 " Thank God ! " the old officer said, dropping into a 
 chair and covering his face with his hands. For a 
 minute he sat silent, but Alice could see how deeply he 
 was affected. 
 
 "Don't say any more, my dear," he said, in a low, 
 shaken voice. " I have heard quite enough ; it was only 
 Frank's assurance that I have been wanting all this time. 
 I am content now. Thank God that this burden is lifted 
 off one's mind. Go in and tell Harry ; I should like 
 to be alone for a few minutes." 
 
 " Yes, uncle ; and Frank's friend is in the next room, 
 and will tell us all about him when you are ready to 
 hear it." 
 
 Harry was greatly delighted at the news, and after a 
 few minutes Alice returned with him to the sitting-room. 
 She knocked at her uncle's door, and called out, " We are 
 here, uncle, when you are ready to come in." In another 
 
352 "YOU ARE A FRIEND INDEED." 
 
 minute Captain Bayley entered. He went up to Mr. 
 Adams. 
 
 "You have brought me the best news I have ever 
 heard, sir ; you cannot tell what a weight you have lifted 
 from my shoulders, and how I feel indebted to you." 
 
 " Yes, uncle, and do you know that Mr. Adams has 
 been travelling nearly two months to deliver the message, 
 knowing how anxious Frank will be to hear how it was 
 received. He went to Egypt after us, and finding we had 
 left has been following us ever since." 
 
 " God bless you, sir !" Captain Bayley said, seizing Mr. 
 Adams's hand and shaking it violently, " you are a friend 
 indeed. Now in the first place, please tell me the message 
 you have given my niece, for so far I have only heard 
 that Frank declared that he is innocent ; that was quite 
 enough for me at first. I want to know why I was to be 
 kept in the dark." 
 
 " The message will explain that," Mr. Adams replied, 
 and he again repeated the message he had given Alice. 
 
 " Yes, that explains it," Captain Bayley said, when he 
 had finished ; "that 's just like the boy of old. I like him 
 for that. But why on earth did he not say he was innocent 
 at first?" 
 
 " That I cannot tell you ; I know no more of the past 
 than the message I have given you, except he said that he 
 had been wrongfully suspected of committing a crime, and 
 that, although he was innocent, the case appeared ab 
 solutely conclusive against him, and that he saw no 
 chance whatever of his being cleared, save by the confession 
 of the person who had committed the offence." 
 
 " But why on earth didn't he say he was innocent ? " 
 Captain Bayley repeated, with something of his old 
 
353 
 
 irritation. " What possessed him to run away as if he were 
 guilty without making one protest to us that he was 
 innocent ? " 
 
 " I cannot tell you, sir. As I said, I know nothing 
 whatever of the circumstance ; I do not even know the 
 nature of the accusation against him. I only know, from 
 my knowledge of his character, that he is a noble and 
 generous young man, and that he never could have been 
 guilty of any dishonourable action." 
 
 " Nobody would ever have thought he would," Captain 
 Bayley said sharply, " unless he had as much as said so 
 himself by running away when this ridiculous accusation 
 was brought forward. I should as soon have doubted my 
 own existence as supposed he had stolen a ten-pound 
 note had he not run away instead of facing it like a man. 
 Until he bolted without sending me a word of denial or 
 explanation. I would have knocked any man down who 
 had said he believed him guilty. The evidence had no more 
 weight in my mind than the whistling of the wind ; my 
 doubts are of his own creation. Thank God they are at an 
 end now that he has declared he is innocent. He has 
 behaved like a fool, but there are so many fools about 
 that there is nothing out of the way in that Still it was 
 one of the follies I should not have expected of Frank. 
 That he should get into a foolish scrape from thought 
 lessness, or high spirits, or devilry, or that sort of thing, I 
 could imagine ; but I am astonished that he should have 
 committed an act of folly due to cowardice." 
 
 " I won't hear you, uncle, any more," Alice exclaimed ; 
 " I know that you don't mean anything you say, and that 
 you are one of the happiest men in the world this even 
 ing ; but of course Mr. Adams does not know you as we 
 
 (476) 
 
354 
 
 do, and does not understand that all this means that you 
 are so relieved from the anxiety that you have felt for the 
 last two years that you are obliged to give vent to your 
 feelings somehow. Please, Mr. Adams, don't regard what 
 my uncle says in the slightest, but tell us all about Frank. 
 As to his going away, we know nothing about his motives, 
 or why he went, or anything else, and I am quite sure he 
 will be able to explain it when we see him ; as to running 
 away from cowardice, uncle knows as well as we do that 
 the idea is simply ridiculous. So please go on, and if uncle 
 interrupts we will go down to another sitting-room and he 
 shall hear nothing about it" 
 
 Mr. Adams then told the story of his acquaintance 
 with Frank ; how, when all seemed dark, when he was 
 lying prostrate with ferer brought on by overexertion 
 and insufficient food, Frank had come to his son and had 
 insisted on helping him ; how he had helped to nurse him, 
 and how, finally, Frank and his companions had worked 
 the claim and realised a fortune for him. He told how 
 popular Frank was among his companions, how ready he 
 was to do a kindly action to any one needing it, and 
 finally repeated the conyersation they had had together 
 the last evening, and Frank's determination not to return 
 to England until he had gained such a fortune that he 
 could not be suspected of desiring to gain anything but his 
 uncle's esteem when he presented himself before him ami 
 declared he was innocent. 
 
 " The young scamp," Captain Bayley growled, " think 
 ing all the time of his own feelings and not of mine. It 's 
 nothing to him that I may be fretting myself into my 
 grave in the belief of his guilt ; nothing that I may be 
 dead years and years before he comes home with this 
 
" WE WILL TRAVEL TOGETHER." 355 
 
 precious fortune he relies on making. Oh no ! we are 
 all to wait another twenty years in order that this jacka 
 napes may not be suspected of being mercenary; three 
 dozen at the triangles would do him a world of good, and 
 if he were here I would " 
 
 " You wouldn't do anything but shake his hand, and 
 shout ' Frank, my boy, I am glad to see you back again/ so 
 it's no use pretending that you would," Alice interrupted. 
 " And now, Mr. Adams, it 'a past twelve, and I feel ashamed 
 that we should have kept you so long ; but I know you 
 don't mind, and you have made us all very happy. You 
 will come again in the morning, will you not ? There is 
 so much to ask about, and we have not yet even begun to 
 tell you how deeply we are all obliged to you for your 
 goodness in hurrying away from England directly you got 
 home, and in spending weeks and weeks wandering about 
 after us." 
 
 " I shall be glad to call again in the morning, Miss 
 Hardy, but I shall start for England in the evening ; I am 
 anxious to be back now that my mission is fulfilled. My 
 son is to be married in ten days' time, and he would like 
 me to be present, although he said in his last letter that he 
 quite agreed that the first thing of all was to find you and 
 deliver the message, whether I got home or not. As I have 
 several matters to arrange before his marriage, presents 
 to get, or one thing or other, I shall go straight through." 
 
 " That is right," Captain Bayley said, " we will travel 
 together, my dear sir ; for of course we shall go straight 
 back to England now. We have been dawdling about in 
 this wretched country long enough. Besides, everything 
 has to be arranged, and we have got to get to the bottom 
 of this matter ; so if you have no objection, we will travel 
 
356 "HE RETURNED HOME IN THE WORST OF TEMPERS." 
 
 home together. If the young people here want to dawdle 
 about any longer they can do so ; I dare say they can look 
 after themselves, or if not, I can make an arrangement 
 with some old lady or other to act as Alice's chaperon." 
 
 " You silly old man," Alice said, kissing him, " as if we 
 were not just as anxious to get home and to get to the 
 bottom of the thing as you are." 
 
 So the next afternoon the party started in the dili 
 gence which was to take them over the St. Gothard to 
 Lucerne. 
 
 Alice had by this time heard, somewhat to the con 
 fusion of her ideas, that Frank was no longer the lad she 
 had always depicted him, but a tall, powerful young man, 
 rough and tanned by exposure, and a fair match in strength 
 for the wildest character in the mining camp. 
 
 By the time they reached London Mr. Adams and 
 Captain Bayley had become fast friends, and the first 
 thing the next morning, Captain Bayley drove with Alice 
 to Bond Street and purchased the handsomest gold watch 
 and chain he could find as a wedding-present for young 
 Adams, and a bracelet as handsome for Alice to send to 
 the bride ; then he sent Alice home in the carriage and 
 proceeded to his lawyer's. He returned home in the 
 worst of tempers. Mr. Griffith had refused to admit that 
 the receipt of Frank's message had in any way changed 
 the position. 
 
 " I understood all along, Captain Bayley, that your 
 nephew, when accused by his master, had denied the theft; 
 the mere fact that he now, three years later, repeats the 
 denial to you, does not, so far as I can see, alter the 
 situation in the slightest. He says that he 's not in a 
 position to disprove any of the circumstances alleged 
 
THE LAWYER'S VIEW OF THE CASE. 357 
 
 against him. Of course you are at liberty to believe him 
 now, just as you believed him at first, and as, on mature 
 consideration, you disbelieved him afterwards ; but that is 
 a matter quite of individual opinion. You have announced 
 to Mr. Barkley that you intend to leave him a third of 
 your fortune, and it would be in the highest degree unjust 
 to make any alteration now, without a shadow of reason for 
 doing so. Personally, no doubt, it is a satisfaction to you 
 to have recovered your belief in Frank's innocence, but 
 that ought not to interfere in any way with the arrange 
 ments that you have made. My own belief is, as I have 
 told you, that, pressed for money, and afraid of expulsion 
 were his escapade of going out at night discovered, Frank 
 yielded to a momentary temptation a grievous fault, but 
 not an irreparable one one, at any rate, for which he has 
 been severely punished, and for which he may well be for 
 given. So far I am thoroughly with you, but I cannot and 
 will not follow you in what I consider your absolutely 
 unfounded idea that he is innocent, and that his cousin 
 against whom there is not a vestige of evidence, while 
 the proof the other way is overwhelming is the real 
 offender." 
 
 Whereupon Captain Bayley had returned home in a 
 state of fury. 
 
 " But, after all, uncle," Alice said, after listening for 
 some time to his outburst against lawyers in general, and 
 Mr. Griffith in particular, "it really is reasonable what 
 Mr. Griffith says. You and I and Harry, who know Frank 
 so well, are quite sure that he is innocent; but other 
 people who don't know him in the same way might 
 naturally take the other view, for, as Mr. Griffith says, the 
 proofs were strong against him, and there was nothing 
 
358 " WE WILL START BY THE FIRST SHIP." 
 
 whatever to connect Fred Barkley with the crime. I 
 have been talking it over with Harry since I came back, 
 and he agrees with me that we must, as you say, get to 
 the bottom of the whole affair before we go any further. 
 
 " Well, isn't that what we have been trying to do all 
 along?" Captain Bayley exclaimed angrily. " How are we 
 to get to the bottom of it ? If you will tell me that I 
 will grant that you have more sense in your head than I 
 have ever given you credit for." 
 
 " My idea, grandfather, is this," Harry said. " We 
 have not yet heard Frank's side of the story. I am con 
 vinced that if we heard that we should get some new 
 light upon it ; and my proposal is that you and I shall 
 at once start for California and see Frank, and hear all 
 about it. It seems to me that he has been silent because 
 he has some mistaken idea that you believe in his guilt, 
 and when you assure him that you have an absolute 
 faith in his innocence, he will go into the whole matter, 
 and in that case we shall probably find some clue which 
 we can follow up and get at the truth." 
 
 "The very thing, Harry," the Captain exclaimed 
 impetuously, " we will start by the first ship, you and I, 
 and find this troublesome young rascal, and have it out 
 with him." 
 
 "And I shall go too, of course, uncle," Alice Hardy 
 exclaimed ; " I am not going to be left behind by myself." 
 
 "Impossible, Alice! you don't know what the country is. 
 You could not go wandering about up in the mountains, 
 looking for him through all sorts of mining camps, with 
 no decent place for a woman to sleep." 
 
 " No, uncle ; but I could stay at San Francisco till you 
 came back with him ; there must be some sort of people 
 
OFF FOR CALIFORNIA. 359 
 
 there you could leave me with. I am sure yon would 
 not be so unkind as to leave me in England in a state of 
 anxiety all these months. You know I enjoy the sea, 
 and you will want somebody to look after you during the 
 voyage, and to see that yon don't get into scrapes with 
 that dreadful temper of yours. Besides, you must have 
 some one to scold ; you could not get on without it, and 
 you don't scold Harry half so vigorously as you do me." 
 
 And so at last it was settled, and a week later Captain 
 Bay ley, his grandson, and Alice Hardy, sailed for Panama. 
 
CHAPTEE XXL 
 
 HAPPY MEKTINGS. 
 
 was in splendid health, and his bones 
 set rapidly. A fortnight after the en 
 counter with the brigands he rode down 
 to the camp on the Yuba with his arm 
 in a sling. His attack single-handed upon the four 
 stage-robbers had rendered him quite a noted character, 
 and he was warmly greeted upon his arrival. As soon 
 as he had got to the wooden shanty dignified by the 
 name of the " hotel," a deputation waited upon him. 
 
 "We have come," the leader of the party said, "to 
 congratulate you in the name of the hull of this mining 
 camp on having pretty well cleared out that gang of 
 stage-robbers. The safety of the roads air a matter of 
 great importance to this camp, as well as to all the other 
 camps in the State, seeing that we air obliged to pay a 
 heavy rate of insurance on our gold being carried down, 
 and have the risk of losing it all if we takes it down 
 ourselves ; therefore it air the opinion of this community 
 that you have done them a considerable sarvice, and we 
 are obliged to you." 
 
 The four members of the deputation then shook Frank 
 solemnly by the hand. 
 
FOUND. 361 
 
 "I can only say I am much obliged to you," Frank 
 said, " and I only regret that one of the four got off safe. 
 However, they had a lesson, and I hope the roads will be 
 safer in future." 
 
 " Now," the spokesman of the deputation said, " let 's 
 liquor." 
 
 Five glasses were poured out by the bar-tender, and 
 drunk off solemnly; this was considered to bring the 
 ceremony to a close. 
 
 In the evening Frank was sitting around a fire with 
 some of his acquaintances, when two persons were seen 
 approaching. 
 
 " Can you tell me," one of them said, when he got up 
 to the group, " whether Frank Korris is in the camp, and 
 if so, where I can find him ? " 
 
 Frank sprang to his feet with a cry of astonishment. 
 
 " Uncle," he exclaimed, " is it you, or am I dreaming ? " 
 
 " My dear boy," Captain Bayley exclaimed, as he 
 grasped Frank's hand, " thank God we have found you ! 
 We have been advertising and looking for you ever since 
 you left, nearly three years ago." 
 
 For a minute or two they stood grasping each other's 
 hand, their feelings being too full for further speech. 
 
 " Sit you down right here, Norris," one of the miners 
 said, rising, " no doubt you will like a talk together, and 
 we will leave you to yourselves." 
 
 The other miners rose, and with the real courtesy and 
 kindness which lurked under the rough nature of the 
 diggers, all left the spot. Captain Bayley was the first 
 to speak. 
 
 " But here is some one else wants to shake your hand, 
 Frank, an old friend too." 
 
362 " DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME ? " 
 
 The fire was not burning very brightly, and although 
 Frank seemed to know the young fellow who stood lean 
 ing lightly on two sticks, he could not recall where he 
 had seen him before. 
 
 " Don't you remember me, Frank," he said, " the lad 
 whom you took so much trouble with over his Homer." 
 
 " Harry Holl," Frank said in astonishment. 
 
 "It was as Harry Holl that you knew him, but we 
 have since found out that he is my grandson, the son of 
 my daughter Ella," Captain Bayley explained. 
 
 " Then you are my cousin," Frank said, advancing and 
 shaking Harry's hand ; " but how on earth have you and 
 uncle come out here ? " 
 
 " Let us sit down by the fire, Frank, for the evening is 
 chilly, and then I will tell you all about it. But first, 
 how about that enormous brute of a dog, who doesn't 
 seem to have made up his mind whether the proper thing 
 is not to devour us at once." 
 
 " Come, Turk, good dog, these are friends of mine." 
 
 Finding that the intentions of the new-comers were 
 amicable, of which at first he had entertained some 
 doubts, Turk threw himself down by the side of his 
 master. 
 
 " First of all, uncle," Frank said, as he sat down, " has 
 that affair been cleared up ? " 
 
 " Well, not exactly cleared up, Frank, but we have our 
 suspicions. Harry and I never for a moment thought it 
 was you that is not till you ran away instead of facing it 
 out. I don't want to scold you now, but that was a foolish 
 business." 
 
 " Then if you thought me innocent, uncle, why did you 
 not answer my letter ? I should never have dreamt of 
 
THE MISSING LETTER. 363 
 
 running away if I had not been heart-broken at the 
 thought that you believed me guilty." 
 
 "Letter!" Captain Bay ley repeated in astonishment, 
 " what letter ? That was just the thing, if you had written 
 me only one line to say you were innocent I should never 
 have doubted you for a moment, and even your running 
 away would have made no difference to me." 
 
 " But I did write, uncle ; I wrote to you the very first 
 thing, telling you that I was innocent, although appear 
 ances were all against me, and saying that I could bear 
 anything if I knew that you believed in me, and I begged 
 you to send me just one line by hand. I waited all day 
 for the answer, and all the evening, and when night came 
 and no letter I felt that you believed me guilty ; I became 
 desperate, and when Fred advised me to bolt, and offered 
 me the money to take me away, I thought I might as 
 well go at once as go after the disgrace of being publicly 
 expelled before the whole school" 
 
 "But I never got the letter," Captain Bayley said, 
 " never got a line from you, and it was that which shook 
 my faith." 
 
 "I gave the letter to Fred Barkley to post, half an 
 hour after I came down from school, that is before eleven 
 o'clock, and he told me he posted it at once." 
 
 " I am afraid," Captain Bayley said sternly, " that Fred 
 Barkley is a vile young scoundrel ; we have had our sus 
 picions of him, Harry and I, and this seems to confirm 
 them. I believe that villain is at the bottom of the whole 
 affair. Have you ever suspected him, Frank ? " 
 
 " Such an idea has flitted across my mind, uncle, but 
 I have never allowed it to rest there ; it was too shocking 
 to believe." 
 
364 CLEARED UP. 
 
 " I am afraid it must be believed," Captain Bayley 
 said. " It was Harry who first pointed it out to me that, 
 looking at the whole case, the matter really lay between 
 him and you, and that it was just as probable that he took 
 the note and sent it to you as that you should have taken 
 it and sent it to yourself. Harry urged indeed that 
 Fred had far greater motives for doing so than you ; for 
 whereas you had only to get out of a stupid scrape, 
 he would be playing for the money which I was to leave, 
 which was a heavy stake. On the other hand, he ad 
 mitted that the crime of stealing the note for the purpose 
 of mining you would be infinitely greater than the taking 
 of money in your case. 
 
 " I have nearly worried myself into a lunatic asylum 
 over the matter. I have been away from England for 
 upwards of a year partly for the sake of Harry here, 
 who has got rid of his box long ago, and now gets along 
 very fairly on sticks, partly to avoid seeing Fred, for as 
 long as this thing was unsettled, it was impossible that 
 I could give him my hand. 
 
 " My heart has all along been with you, my boy, for 
 you know I loved you as a son ; but your silence and 
 your running away were ugly weights in the scale against 
 you. Now that I find that that villain suppressed your 
 letter for he must have done so, else I should have got it 
 and that it was he who urged you to fly to get you out 
 of the way, I have no longer a shadow of doubt in my 
 mind. I must tell you that Harry here never doubted you 
 from the first ; and as for Alice, she became a veritable 
 little fury when the possibility of your guilt was sug 
 gested. We have had some rare battles and rows over that 
 and her absolute refusal to speak to Fred, whom from the 
 
EXPLANATIONS. 365 
 
 first she insisted was at the bottom of it, though how she 
 arrived at that conclusion, except by instinct, is more than 
 I can tell. Her joy when Harry here was found, and of 
 course took the position I had intended for you, and her 
 delight in Fred's discomfiture, were, as I told her several 
 times, absolutely indecent. Not that she minded a far 
 thing ; she is the most insubordinate young person I ever 
 came across, You will hardly know her again, Frank, she 
 is growing fast into a young woman, and a very pretty 
 one too/' 
 
 " But how did you find me, uncle ? Was it from Mr. 
 Adams that you heard where I was ? " 
 
 " Well, Frank, we advertised for you, for over two years, 
 in the American and Colonial papers, and at last began 
 almost to despair. 
 
 "About two months ago, when we were in Milan 
 for we have been wandering about Europe for the last 
 eight or nine months your friend Adams found us 
 out; the good fellow had been hunting for us for two 
 months." 
 
 " Ah ! that explains why I have not heard from him," 
 Frank interrupted. " I have been looking for a letter for 
 the last two months, and had begun to conclude that as 
 he had nothing pleasant to tell me he had not written, 
 and that I should never hear now." 
 
 " Then you thought like a young fool," Captain Bay ley 
 said angrily. " Well, as soon as Adams had given your 
 message to Alice and why you should have supposed that 
 Alice should have believed in your innocence any more 
 than me, except that women never will believe what 
 they don't want to believe, I don't know well, of course, 
 she told us about it at once, and we came back to England 
 
366 " DON'T GIVE ME ANY OF YOUR BUTS, SEEL" 
 
 and talked it over, and settled that the best thing was for 
 us all to come out and see you." 
 
 " All ! " Frank repeated in surprise. 
 
 " Yes, all ; the headstrong young woman would not be 
 left behind, and she is at Sacramento now, that is if she 
 hasn't been shot by some of these red-shirted miners, or 
 come to her end some other way. We stayed two days at 
 San Francisco. I have wandered about a good deal, but I 
 thought before I saw Sacramento and these places, that 
 city was the residence of the roughest and most dangerous 
 set of rascals I ever met 
 
 " We travelled by coach across the plains, and on going 
 to the bank at Sacramento found that you had been just 
 shooting some highwaymen, and had got your arm broken 
 by a bullet. So we put Alice in charge of the landlady 
 of the hotel, and dared her to stir out of the room till 
 we got back ; we came on to the place where they said 
 you were stopping, but found that you had come on here 
 this morning. So we took our places in the coach again, 
 and here we are ; and the sooner we get away from here 
 the better, so I hope you will be ready to start early in 
 the morning." 
 
 " But, my dear uncle," Frank began. 
 
 " Don't give me any of your buts, sir," Captain Bayley 
 said peremptorily. " You have been hiding too long, now 
 you must go back and take your place again." 
 
 " But I can't clear myself of this affair." 
 
 " Don't tell me, sir," the old officer said angrily " you 
 have cleared yourself to me, and I will take good care that 
 the truth is known. As for that rascal Fred, I deserve 
 all the trouble that I have gone through for being such 
 an old fool as to let him take me in. I want to get back 
 
"YOU LOOK MORE LIKE YOURSELF." 367 
 
 as quickly as possible to make my will again. Ever 
 since Harry put the idea into my mind I have been 
 fretting about the one I had made leaving Fred a third of 
 my property. I thought if anything happened to me 
 before the matter was cleared up, and I found out in the 
 next world where I suppose people know everything 
 that I had been wrong, I should have been obliged to have 
 asked for a furlough to come back again to set it straight. 
 Alice will be fidgeting her life out, and we must set out 
 at once ; so let us have no more nonsense about delay." 
 
 Frank offered no further resistance, and agreed to start 
 on the following morning. 
 
 " You look more like yourself now, Frank/ 1 his uncle 
 said, " for, except by the tones of your voice, I should 
 hardly have known you. You must have grown ten inches 
 bigger round the shoulders than yon were, and have grown 
 into a very big man. You don't look so big here, where 
 there are so many burly miners about, but when you get 
 back to London people will quite stare at you. Your face 
 at present is tanned almost black, and that beard, which I 
 suppose is the result of exposure, makes you look half a 
 dozen years older than you really are. I hope you will 
 shave it off at once, and look like a civilised English 
 gentleman." 
 
 "I suppose I must do so," Frank said, rather ruefully, 
 "for one never sees a beard in London, except on a 
 foreigner. I suppose some day men will be sensible and 
 wear them." 
 
 They sat talking until late in the night, Frank hearing 
 all particulars of the discovery of Harry's relationship to 
 Captain Bayley, and the news of all that had taken place 
 since he had left England. He arranged for sleeping ac- 
 
368 A TWENTY-FOUB HOURS' DRIVE. 
 
 commodation for them for the night in the hut of the 
 storekeeper for whom he brought up provisions, judging 
 that this was more comfortable and quiet for them than 
 in the crowded and noisy plank edifice called the hotel. 
 The next morning they started by the coach for Sacra 
 mento, Frank ordering the muleteers to follow with the 
 animals at once. It was a twenty-four hours' drive ; but it 
 did not seem a long one to any of them, for Frank had so 
 much to tell about his doings and adventures from the day 
 when he last saw them, that there was scarce a pause in 
 their talk, until at night Captain Bayley and Harry dozed 
 in their corner of the coach, while Frank got outside and 
 sat and smoked by the driver, being altogether too excited 
 by the sudden arrival of his uncle, and the change in all 
 his plans, to feel inclined for sleep. It was ten o'clock in 
 the morning when they drove into Sacramento. 
 
 " I think, uncle, I will just go round to my house, for I 
 keep one regularly here, and put on the garb of civilisation. 
 Alice would not recognise me in this red shirt and high 
 boots. 
 
 " Stuff and nonsense ! " Captain Bayley said. "You had 
 a wash-up when we breakfasted, and what do you want 
 more ? There, go up and see the girl at once, Harry and I 
 will join you in a minute or two ; according to my ex 
 perience, these sort of meetings are always better without 
 the presence of a third party," and the old officer winked 
 at his grandson as Frank sprang up the stairs after the 
 waiter whom Captain Bayley directed to show him to 
 Miss Hardy's sitting-room. 
 
 Although Captain Bayley had told him that Alice had 
 become a young woman, Frank had not realised the 
 change that three years had produced in her. He had left 
 
" WE SHALL SEE ABOUT THAT, SIR." 369 
 
 her a laughing girl a dear little girl, Frank had always 
 thought but scarcely pretty, and he stood for a moment 
 in astonishment at the tall and very "beautiful young 
 woman of eighteen who stood before him. Alice was no 
 less astonished, and for a moment could scarcely credit 
 that this broad muscular man was her old playfellow, 
 Frank. The pause was but momentary on both parties, 
 and with a cry of joy and welcome the girl ran into his 
 arms as frankly and naturally as she had done as a child. 
 
 "There, that's enough, Frank," she said presently. 
 "You mustn't do that any more, you know, because I am 
 grown up, and you know we are not really even cousins." 
 
 M Cousins or not, Alice," Frank said, laughing, " I have 
 kissed you from the time you were a child, and if you 
 suppose I am going to give it up now, when there is a real 
 pleasure in kissing you, you are mistaken, I can tell you." 
 
 " We shall see about that, sir," the girl said ; " we are 
 in California now, among wild people, but when we get 
 back to England we must behave like civilised beings. 
 But, Frank, what a monster of a dog ! Is he savage ? 
 He looks as if he were going to fly at me." 
 
 For Turk, to whom greetings of this sort were entirely 
 new, was standing at the door, his bristles half-raised, 
 doubtful whether Alice was to be treated as a friend or 
 foe. 
 
 "Come here, Turk. He is the best of dogs, Alice, 
 though it is well not to put him out, for he has killed two 
 men, one in defence of our money, the other of myself; 
 but he is the dearest of dogs, and I will tell you some day 
 how I found him. Come here, Turk, and give your hand 
 to this lady, she is a very great friend of your master." 
 
 Turk gravely approached and offered his paw, which 
 
 (476) 2 A 
 
370 "I ALWAYS SAID IT WAS FRED." 
 
 Alice took cautiously, Frank's report of his doings being 
 by no means encouraging. Turk, satisfied now that there 
 was no occasion for his interference, threw himself down 
 at full length upon the hearthrug, and Alice turned to 
 Frank 
 
 " I am so glad you are coming home again/' 
 
 "And I am glad to be coming home again," Frank 
 said, "or rather I shall be when this matter is quite 
 cleared up." 
 
 " I should not bother any more about it," Alice said 
 decidedly. " Uncle Harry and I are all quite, quite sure 
 that you had nothing to do with that horrible business, 
 and that ought to be quite enough for you." 
 
 " It isn't quite enough, Alice," he said, " although it is 
 a very great deal ; but we need not talk about that now. 
 Oh, here is uncle." 
 
 In the course of the day Alice heard of the new light 
 which had been thrown on the matter by the discovery 
 that Frank had written to protest his innocence, which 
 letter had never come to hand, and that it was Fred who 
 had urged Frank to fly and had supplied him with money 
 to do so. 
 
 " I always knew he was at the bottom of it," Alice 
 said decidedly. " I always said it was Fred. But I hope, 
 Frank, you or uncle don't mean to take any steps to get 
 him into trouble. I hate him, you know, and always 
 have ; still, I think he will be punished enough with the 
 loss of the money he so wickedly tried to gain." 
 
 " I think so too, Alice ; he has behaved like a scoundrel 
 of the worst kind, but, for my part, I am quite content 
 to leave him alone. Still, we must if possible prove that 
 I was innocent" 
 
371 
 
 "But we all know you are innocent, Frank. Uncle 
 never would have doubted it if it had not been for the 
 stories Fred told." 
 
 " Yes, Alice ; but all the fellows at Westminster were 
 told I was guilty. I shall be constantly meeting them 
 in the world, and all my life this blot will hang to me if 
 it is not set straight. When we get home I shall go back 
 to the School and see if I cannot hit on some clue or 
 other. Of course if Fred would confess it would be all 
 right, but, after all, we have not a shadow of real proof 
 against him. We have only our suspicion, and the fact 
 that the letter did not come to hand ; and if he faces it out, 
 and declares he posted it all right, who is to gainsay 
 him ? Letters have gone wrong before now. I must clear 
 myself if I can, but I promise you that I will not bring 
 public disgrace upon him if it can possibly be avoided." 
 
 " He ought to be publicly disgraced," Captain Bayley 
 roared, "the mean scoundrel, with his quiet voice and 
 his treacherous lies. Not disgrace him ? I would tie him 
 up to a post in St. Paul's Churchyard, and hire a bellman 
 to stand on a chair beside him and tell the story of what 
 he has done every half-hour. Why, sir, he would have 
 taken in St. Dunstan with his pretended hesitation to say 
 anything to your disadvantage, and the affectation of pain 
 with which he hinted that you had confessed your guilt 
 to him. The scoundrel, the rascal, the hypocrite ! When 
 I think what his work has done, that you were disgraced 
 at school, and sent wandering for three years not that 
 that has done you any harm, rather the contrary to think 
 that Alice has been wretched, and I have been on thorns 
 and out of temper with myself and every one else for the 
 same time, that for the last year we have been wandering 
 
 U76) 2A2 
 
372 WINDING UP ACCOUNTS. 
 
 about Europe like three sentimental travellers, wasting our 
 lives, spending our money, and making fools of ourselves, 
 I tell you, sir, if I was sitting as president of a court- 
 martial on him, I would give him five hundred lashes, 
 and then order him to be drummed out of the regi 
 ment." 
 
 Frank was about to speak, but Alice shook her head to 
 him behind her uncle's back ; she knew that his bark was 
 much worse than his bite, and that, while contradiction 
 would only render him obstinate, he would, if left alone, 
 cool down long before the time for action arrived, and could 
 then be coaxed into any course they might all agree upon. 
 
 The next morning the party started for San Francisco. 
 Frank had already found a purchaser for his team of 
 mules at a good price, had wound up all his affairs, and 
 obtained an order from the bank on their agents in England 
 for the amount standing to his credit, which came to seven 
 thousand five hundred and sixty pounds. 
 
 His uncle was astounded when he heard how much 
 Frank had earned in less than two years' work. " I shall 
 look at these red-shirted ruffians with more respect in 
 future, Frank ; for, for aught I know, they may have tens 
 of thousands standing to their credit at the bank." 
 
 " My luck has been exceptional, sir," Frank said. " I 
 might dig for another fifty years without making so much. 
 Of course, there are people who have made a good deal 
 more in the same time, but then there are thousands 
 who are no richer than when they began. We had done 
 little more than keep ourselves when we went to work on 
 Adams's claim. We had nearly four hundred apiece from 
 him, besides what we made for our labour, for the horses 
 pretty well kept us; then from the claim six hundred 
 
HOME. 373 
 
 apiece. We had four thousand each out of the rich strike 
 we made at the head of the gulch; the bank gave me 
 two thousand more ; the odd money represents the receipts 
 of the rest of my digging and of my earnings with the 
 mule team." 
 
 They started for Europe by the first steamer which left 
 San Francisco for Panama, and reached home without 
 adventure. The next morning Captain Bayley took 
 Frank to Mr. Griffith, and told him the story as he had 
 learned it from Frank. 
 
 " There, Griffith," he said triumphantly, when he had 
 finished, " if you are not ready to admit that you are the 
 most obstinate, pig-headed fellow that ever lived, I give 
 you up altogether." 
 
 " I was wrong, I am glad to see," the lawyer said, smil 
 ing, " but I cannot admit that I was wrong as far as the 
 evidence that was before me went ; but certainly with the 
 light our young friend has thrown upon the matter I 
 cannot doubt that the view you took was the correct one. 
 Still, remember there is still no actual proof such as a 
 court of justice would go upon. Morally we may be con 
 vinced, but unless you obtain further evidence I do not 
 think you are in a position openly to charge Fred Bark- 
 ley with stealing that ten-pound note, nor do I see how 
 you are to set about getting such evidence." 
 
 " We are going to try, anyhow," Captain Bayley said. 
 " Frank and I are going down to Westminster to-morrow 
 to open the investigation again, and with what we know 
 now it is hard if we don't manage to get something.** 
 
CHAPTER XXIL 
 
 CLEARED AT LAST. 
 
 [HE following day, after lunch, Captain Bayley 
 and Frank drove round to Westminster. 
 Football was going on in Dean's Yard, and 
 Frank recognised among the players many 
 faces that he knew. It seemed strange to him to think 
 that while he had gone through so much, and had grown 
 from a boy into a man, that they had changed so little, 
 and had been working away regularly at the old round of 
 Euripides and Homer, Terence and VirgiL The carriage 
 stopped at the entrance to Dean's Yard, and, alighting, 
 they walked across to Mr. Kichards'. 
 
 Captain Bayley had written a line to the master, 
 asking him if possible to remain at home, as he wished 
 particularly to see him, and he and Frank were ushered 
 straight into the master's study. He shook hands with 
 Captain Bayley, whose acquaintance he had made while 
 Frank had boarded with him, and then looked at Frank ; 
 for a minute he did not recognise him, then he exclaimed 
 in surprise, " Frank Norris ! " 
 
 " Yes, it 's I, sir," Frank said ; " I don't ask you to take 
 my hand, for you believe me guilty of the crime of which 
 I was accused here. I can only say now, as I said then, 
 
 374 
 
" WHY DID TOT! NOT PROVE IT ? " 375 
 
 that I am innocent. I know now that I was a fool to 
 run away instead of facing it out, but I was desperate, 
 because every one thought me guilty." 
 
 "Your schoolfellows did not, Norris," Mr. Eichards 
 said. "I don't think that I did, even at first; a few 
 hours afterwards I almost knew you were innocent, and 
 had you not run away I could have gone far to prove it." 
 
 Frank gave an exclamation of joy, and Captain Bayley 
 exclaimed indignantly 
 
 " Then why did you not prove it, sir ? Why did you 
 allow my nephew to remain with the foul disgrace on his 
 name ? " 
 
 "I did not act without consideration," Mr. Richards 
 said calmly. " Norris had gone, and I resolved if he 
 returned again to say what I had learned ; but my proofs 
 were not absolute. We had made, it seemed to me, a 
 terrible mistake, and I did not wish to cause ruin to 
 another boy unless it was absolutely necessary to do so 
 to clear Norris. Now that he has returned I can no 
 longer hesitate ; but before I begin I must ask you both 
 whether your suspicions have fallen on any one else ? " 
 
 "It is not suspicion, sir, it is certainty," Captain 
 Bayley said ; " we have no doubt whatever that the whole 
 thing was the work of Frank's rascally cousin, Fred 
 Barkley. He was, you know, a sort of rival of Frank for 
 my favour, and he had reason to believe that I had 
 determined that Frank should inherit the larger portion 
 of my property; thus he had a motive for bringing 
 disgrace on him. It was just as probable that he should 
 have stolen the money and sent it to Frank as that 
 Frank should have stolen it himself; so far it seemed to 
 me that it might lie between either of them* 
 
376 MR. RICHARDS INVESTIGATES. 
 
 " What has settled the case in my mind is that I have 
 learned that Fred was intrusted with a letter by Frank to 
 me, declaring his innocence, which, as you know, I never 
 doubted until Frank left without writing to me. That 
 letter I never received, and I believe that it was 
 suppressed. In the second place it was Fred who 
 persuaded his cousin to take that ruinous step of running 
 away, and pressed upon him money to enable him to do 
 so, although he had refused to lend him a halfpenny 
 when Frank required it to pay that broken-nosed tailor 
 to hold his tongue." 
 
 "Very well," Mr. Richards said, "then I can speak 
 freely ; my silence was caused to some considerable extent 
 by regard for your feelings. You had lost one nephew, 
 who had gone away with a cloud of disgrace surrounding 
 him for aught I could tell, Norris, in his despair, might 
 have committed suicide, or he might have so cut himself 
 off from you that you might never have heard from him 
 again thus, then, I felt that it would be cruel indeed to 
 prove that your other nephew was a villain, unless by so 
 doing I could restore Norris to you. So, after much 
 thought and deliberation, I determined to hold my tongue 
 until I heard that Norris had either returned or had been 
 heard ol 
 
 " On the morning when it was discovered that Frank 
 had fled, I called up one by one the whole of the boys in 
 the house. Even after his flight I could not believe that 
 Norris had done this thing, it was so absolutely contrary 
 to all that I knew of his disposition, and I determined to 
 sift the matter to the bottom. From the elder boys I 
 learned nothing, although I questioned them most closely 
 as to everything that had taken place in the house during 
 
A STRANGE FIT OF PASSION. 377 
 
 the past week I was not disappointed, for I had hardly 
 expected to learn much from them. 
 
 * It was from the four boys who were the fags of the 
 four who had been in Frank's secret that I hoped to learn 
 something, and I was not mistaken. From the three in the 
 house I learned nothing ; but when I came to Pearson, who 
 was Barkley's junior and fagj I met with even more 
 success than I had expected. At first, of course, the boy 
 did not like to say anything ; but I told him that unless 
 he answered my questions freely I should have him up 
 before Doctor Litter, and he then told me all he knew 
 about it. 
 
 " The more willingly, for, like most other boys in the 
 School, he was fond of Norris, while Barkley was by no 
 means a kind master. He said that twice Barkley had 
 got into a rage with him about things which didn't 
 seem of any importance. The first occasion was a week 
 previous. He had gone into Barkley's study to ask him to 
 explain some difficulty in his Caesar ; the door was not 
 fastened, and as he had been working with his shoes off, 
 Barkley did not hear him till he was close to the table. 
 The boy noticed that he had a sheet of writing-paper 
 before him, on which he was writing, not in his usual 
 hand, but in printed characters. He would have thought 
 nothing of it had not Barkley, on looking up and seeing 
 him standing there, jumped up in a sudden rage and 
 boxed his ears furiously, calling him a prying little 
 sneak. The boy could not fix this to a day, but it was 
 certainly just about the time when this letter was posted 
 to you. 
 
 "The other affair had happened the day previously. 
 He had gone into Barkley's room with his books OD 
 
378 ME. RICHARDS' SUSPICIONS. 
 
 coming down from school at twelve o'clock, and seeing 
 on his table a letter stamped and ready for the post, he 
 supposed that as usual he was to post it, and was running 
 downstairs with it in his hand when he met Barkley 
 coming up. ' What have you got there ? ' he asked. ' I 
 am taking your letter to the post,' he said ; whereupon 
 Barkley flew into another rage, called him an officious 
 little beast, gave him a box in the ear, and took the 
 letter from him. I asked the boy if he noticed to whom 
 the letter was directed He said he had, and that it was 
 to you. Knowing nothing about the suppression of a 
 letter of Norris's, and thinking that perhaps Barkley had 
 written to his uncle about the matter, and had then 
 changed his mind about posting it, this second affair did not 
 strike me as having any importance whatever. The first 
 matter, however, seemed important, for that just at the 
 time when a letter was sent to Norris written in printing 
 characters Barkley should have been seen writing a letter 
 of that sort, struck me as most remarkable ; and although 
 I did not know exactly how the two lads stood in reference 
 to yourself, it struck me at once that it was at least 
 possible that we had been wrong, and that it was Barkley 
 after all who took the note. 
 
 " Had I suspected for an instant that he had done it 
 to bring disgrace upon his cousin, I should at once have 
 communicated with Dr. Litter, and have probed the 
 affair from the bottom ; but I thought that he had taken 
 the note with the intention of helping his cousin out of 
 his difficulty, and that when the note was traced, and the 
 matter became public, he had in a base and cowardly 
 manner allowed Frank to bear the blame. This would 
 have been bad enough in all conscience, although com- 
 
THE MISSING LINK. 379 
 
 paratively venial to his deliberate attempt to bring 
 disgrace upon Norris. 
 
 " However, the matter seemed bad enough to me as it 
 stood ; but, as I said, I shrunk from causing the ruin of 
 another young fellow unless it was necessary to clear 
 Norris. I hesitated for a long time whether, knowing as 
 much as I did, I ought not to take some steps in the 
 matter ; but for the reasons I have told you I determined 
 to wait, hoping that you would soon have Norris back 
 again, and knowing that I should hear of his return from 
 some of the boys who were his special friends. Barkley 
 must have seen from my manner that there was some 
 thing wrong between him and me ; but he never asked me 
 the reason for the change in my manner to him, and 
 completely ignored my coolness. It was a relief to me 
 when the time came for his going up to the University, 
 for I then felt that some of the responsibility was off my 
 shoulders, and that I was no longer shirking my duty to 
 expose him. 
 
 " That is all, Captain Bayley ; but I think that this, 
 with what you have told me, is quite sufficient to bring 
 the guilt home to the true party, and to completely clear 
 Norris." 
 
 " Quite sufficient," Captain Bayley said, " and I am 
 thankful indeed that you obtained the one missing link 
 of evidence necessary to prove Frank's innocence. I am 
 greatly obliged to you, Mr. Eichards, for the kind and 
 thoughtful manner in which you acted, which was indeed 
 in every way for the best ; for had I at the time been 
 made aware that Fred was the culprit, I should have 
 gone half out of my mind at the injustice we had done 
 Frank, and at not knowing where to find him or how to 
 
380 
 
 communicate with him. And now what is to be done next? 
 I do not want this unhappy lad to be punished, but at 
 the same time it is absolutely necessary that Frank's 
 innocence shall be publicly proclaimed. Fred will no 
 doubt brazen it out." 
 
 There was silence for a minute or two, and then Mr. 
 Eichards said. 
 
 " If you like, Captain Bayley, I will take the matter 
 in hand. I will write to Barkley and tell him that 
 Norris has now come home, and that I must therefore 
 take up the matter at the point at which I dropped it 
 I will recapitulate to him the reasons that there are for 
 supposing that he stole the money, first, his interest in 
 Frank's disgrace; secondly, the fact that he was seen 
 writing a letter in printed characters on the day on which 
 the note was sent to Norris ; thirdly, his suppression of the 
 letter to yourself; fourthly, the part he took in persuad 
 ing Norris to run away ; lastly, the hints which you say 
 he gave you that Norris had confessed his guilt. 
 
 " I shall tell him I have had this interview with you ; 
 that you are thoroughly convinced of his guilt and of 
 Norris's innocence; and that while you are determined 
 that Norris shall be vindicated, you are desirous that his 
 act of treacherous villainy shall not be made public ; if, 
 then, he will write a confession, saying that he took it, 
 this confession shall not be made public. 
 
 " I shall of course show it to the Doctor, and explain 
 the whole circumstances to him, and ask him to make a 
 public statement in school to the boys, to the effect that 
 it has been found out that Norris was not guilty of the 
 act of which two years ago he was charged, and that the 
 real thief has been discovered, but that as he is no longer 
 
DR. LITTER. 381 
 
 at school it is unnecessary now to mention his name, and 
 that, moreover, he has been heavily punished for the 
 crime which indeed is the case by his loss of your 
 favour and of the fortune which he looked to obtain under 
 your wilL 
 
 " I shall tell Barkley that if he refuses to confess it will 
 be necessary, in order to clear Norris, that the affair should 
 be investigated in a Public Court, and that Dr. Litter will 
 at once apply for a warrant for his apprehension on the 
 charge of theft, and that the whole matter will then be 
 gone into in a Police Court I cannot doubt but that he 
 will accept the first alternative, for the second will be 
 ruin to him." 
 
 Captain Bayley cordially assented. Three days later 
 Frank received a letter from Dr. Litter asking him to call 
 upon him. 
 
 " I am truly sorry, Norris," the head-master said, as he 
 entered, " for the injustice I did you ; truly and heartily 
 sorry. The affair caused me intense pain at the time ; it 
 has been on my mind ever since. Over and over again 
 something has told me that you were innocent ; and yet, 
 thinking the case over again, my reason has always 
 convinced me for the time of your guilt, for I could see 
 no other possible solution of the mystery. I am glad 
 indeed to find that I was mistaken, and that you were 
 a victim of a piece of what I can only term villainy. The 
 affair will be a lesson to me for my life, and henceforth I 
 will never allow appearances, however apparently con 
 clusive, to weigh against a uniformly excellent character. 
 I trust that you will forgive my terrible error." 
 
 " I don't see that you could have acted otherwise, sir," 
 Frank said, " for even at the time, although I knew that I 
 
382 UP SCHOOL. 
 
 was innocent, I perceived that the proofs against me were 
 so overwhelmingly strong that my guilt must appear a cer 
 tainty to every one. I am happy indeed that I am cleared 
 at last ; and, after all, it has done me no harm. I have, 
 of course, lost the University education which I looked 
 forward to ; but I think, after all, that the three years I 
 have spent in America have in many ways done me more 
 good than the University could have done." 
 
 "Very likely, Norris," the doctor said; "they have in 
 every sense of the word made a man of you, and a very 
 fine man too, and I sincerely trust that no further cloud 
 will ever fall upon your career. And now I want you to 
 come up School with me, for I must publicly make amends 
 for my error, and set you right before the School" 
 
 As Frank followed Dr. Litter into the great schoolroom 
 he felt infinitely more nervous than he had done in any 
 of the dangers he had passed through in his journey across 
 the plains. When the head-master was seen to enter the 
 School accompanied by a gentleman, a silence of surprise 
 fell upon the boys, for such an event was altogether 
 unprecedented there. As in the stranger, who stood nearly 
 as tall and far broader than the doctor, many of the boys 
 in the upper forms recognised Frank Norris, a buzz ran 
 round the School, followed again by the silence of 
 excited expectation. Dr. Litter walked to his table at the 
 further end of the School and then turned. 
 
 " You will all stand up," he said. " Boys," he went on, 
 " all of you in the Fifth Form, and those above it, and some 
 of you in the under forms, will recognise in the gentle 
 man who stands beside me your former schoolfellow 
 Nbrris ; those who do will be aware of the circumstances 
 under which he left, and will be aware that I charged 
 
PUBLICLY CLEARED. 383 
 
 him with stealing a note of the value of ten pounds from 
 my desk. I am happy to say that it has been proved that 
 charge was entirely false." 
 
 A sudden burst of enthusiastic cheering broke from 
 the upper forms. Norris's innocence had been a matter of 
 faith among his schoolfellows, and even his running away 
 had not sufficed to shake their trust in him. They stood 
 upon the forms and cheered until they were hoarse. At 
 last a wave of the doctor's hand restored silence, and he 
 went on. 
 
 " I wish now, before you all, boys, to express my deep 
 regret to Norris, and to apologise to him most heartily 
 for the accusation which I made. I have now in my hand 
 the confession of the real culprit. I shall not mention 
 his name ; he has long since ceased to be among you, and 
 I may say that he has been punished severely, though to 
 my mind most insufficiently, for his crime, and as Norris is 
 desirous that the matter shall be dropped, the least I can 
 do is to give in to his wishes. And now, as I think that 
 after this you will scarcely do any useful work this after 
 noon, you may as well go down at once." 
 
 A fresh roar of cheering broke out, and then the boys 
 who had been at school with Frank jumped from their 
 forms and crowded round him, each striving to grasp 
 his hand, and all shouting words of welcome and congratu 
 lation. 
 
 It was some time before Frank could reply to these 
 greetings, so shaken was he by the scene. On emerging 
 from the schoolroom his old house-mates urged him to go 
 up to Kichards', and the Sixth were invited to accompany 
 him. Although contrary to the usual rules, an unlimited 
 supply of shandy-gaff was sent for, and for an hour Frank 
 
384 A SPOILT LIFE. 
 
 sat and chatted with his old schoolfellows, and to their 
 great admiration gave them an outline of his adventures 
 on the Mississippi, his journey across the plains, and as a 
 gold-digger in California ; then with a glad heart, and a 
 feeling that he was at last cleared of the cloud which had 
 so long hung over him, Frank returned to Eaton Square. 
 
 His path in life never afterwards crossed that of his 
 cousin. The latter, after passing through the University 
 with credit, entered the Bar. Somehow he was not suc 
 cessful there. That he was clever all allowed, but a cloud 
 seemed to hang over him. The tale of Frank's reinstal- 
 lation had gone up from Westminster to the University ; 
 his old schoolfellows there had talked the matter over, 
 and although nothing was known for certain, somehow 
 the belief that Barkley was the culprit spread among 
 them. 
 
 He had never been popular, and now his old school 
 fellows gradually drew aloof from him. Nothing was 
 ever openly said. The thing was talked of in whispers, 
 but even whispers, sometimes, are heard ; and during his 
 last year at the University Fred Barkley stood alone 
 among his fellows. The whispers found their echo in 
 town, and Fred Barkley found that a cloud rested on him 
 which all his efforts were unable to dissipate. After some 
 years of useless attempts to make his way, he was glad to 
 accept the offer of a petty judgeship in India, and there, ten 
 years later, he died, stabbed to the heart by a Mahomedan 
 dacoit whom he had sentenced to a term of imprisonment. 
 
 A year after his return from America Frank married 
 Alice. Turk, for some time after his arrival in England, 
 had steadily declined all advances which she made to him, 
 perceiving clearly in his heart that she was a rival in his 
 
FRANK AND HARRY. 385 
 
 master's affection. He had at last, however, the good 
 sense to accept the situation; but to the end of his life, 
 which was a long one, he never accorded her more than 
 toleration, keeping all the affection of his great heart for 
 his master, although in his old years he took to his 
 master's children, and endured patiently, if not cordially, 
 the affection which they bestowed upon him. 
 
 Frank sits in Parliament at present, as member for the 
 county in which the broad estates which came to him with 
 his wife are situated. It was rather a disappointment 
 to her that he did not distinguish himself greatly in 
 Parliament, but he was fonder of the country life of an 
 English gentleman than of the squabbles at Westminster. 
 He can always be depended upon to vote with his party, 
 and he occasionally makes vigorous and indignant attacks 
 against any policy which he believes to be lowering the 
 prestige and position of his country; but, except upon 
 occasions when subjects of national interest are being 
 discussed, he is seldom to be found in the house, and 
 his wife is now well content with his reputation as 
 one of the best masters of fox-hounds, one of the best 
 landlords, and one of the most popular country gentlemen 
 in England. 
 
 Captain Bayley died but ten years ago, at a great age, 
 and his grandson, long since able to dispense with his 
 crutches, is one of the most prominent members in the 
 House of Commons. He could, had he chosen, have long 
 since had a place in the Ministry, but he declined, as it 
 would have taken too much of his time from the favourite 
 subject which occupies the chief part of his thoughts and 
 life, namely, the effort to ameliorate the condition of the 
 poorer classes in the great towns. 
 
386 JOHN HOLL, DUST CONTRACTOR. 
 
 Evan Holl is a distinguished engineer. The business 
 of John Holl, Dust Contractor, is still carried on under 
 that name by the children of John and Sarah, who died 
 within a few days of each other, some twenty years since, 
 full of happiness and contentment. 
 
 
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