t ain't all like this, stranger," said one of the Americans
with a good-humoured grin.

One of the guides laughed, and the other ejaculated "humph!" as they set
forward.

There was indeed some ground for the remark of the Englishman, for the
country through which they passed was most beautiful, and the weather
delicious. Their track lay over an undulating region of park-like land
covered with short grass; clumps of bushes were scattered here and there
about the plain, and high above these towered some magnificent specimens
of the oak, sycamore, and Californian cypress, while in the extreme
distance rose the ranges of the "golden" mountains--the Sierra Nevada--
in the midst of which lay the treasures of which they were in search.

All the members of the party were on foot, and, being fresh, full of
hope, and eager to reach their destination. They chatted gaily as they
marched over the prairie.

On the way the good-humoured American seemed to take a fancy to Frank,
with whom he had a great deal of animated conversation. After asking
our hero every possible question in regard to himself and intentions, he
told him that he was Yankee,--a piece of superfluous information, by the
way;--that his name was Jeffson, that he was a store-keeper at one of
the farthest off diggings, that the chief part of the loading of one of
the mules belonged to him, and that he was driving a considerable
business in gold-dust without the trouble of digging for it.

Towards evening they came to a very small hole in the plain, which was
dignified with the name of a well. Here they stopped to replenish their
water-casks.

"Take as much as you can carry, men," said the principal guide, "we've a
long march to the next well, over sandy ground, and sometimes there
ain't much water in it."

They all followed this advice with the exception of one man, a coarse
savage-looking fellow, with a huge black beard and matted locks, who
called himself Bradling, though there was ground for doubting whether
that was the name by which he had been at first known in the world.
This man pulled out an enormous brandy-flask, and with a scoffing laugh
said:--

"This is the water for me, mister guide, pure and unmixed, there's
nothin' like it."

He nodded as he spoke, and put the flask to his lips, while the guide,
who made no rejoinder, eyed him with a grave, stern expression of
countenance.

That night they all encamped under the shade of a small clump of