ere to-morrow," said
Chris, after taking a comprehensive glance round. "How far can I see,
do you think?"

"From here? Why, big things a hundred miles off, I dare say."

"Then it's all a failure, so far," said Chris; "there's no sign of the
mountains on the map. This is not the right part."

"I didn't expect it would be," said the American coolly.

"Then why did we come?" cried Chris.

"Just to make sure, my lad. That's the sort of thing we shall have to
do: keep on trying, and always expecting we are not right."

"Oh!" cried Ned impatiently.

"Ah, you may `Oh,' my lad, but that's the way to succeed. We shall go
about to hundreds of places before we've done, and out of those hundreds
there's only one can be right, and it isn't natural to expect that it
will be ready for us at the start. There's no hurry."

"No hurry?" cried the boy, staring.

"Not a bit. You chaps are a long way off twenty yet, and if you find
the gold city before you're seventy you'll do well."

"Hark at him!" cried Chris merrily. "Griggs turned philosopher. What
about you then? You're past thirty."

"Ever so much," said the American, "but I don't mind if I never find it.
This life's quite good enough for me."

"Do you mean to tell me that you don't want to find the old city?" cried
Chris.

"No, of course not. I should like to find it, my lads, and be a rich
man; but I shan't break my heart if we never go near the place. We
shall have travelled half over America and seen plenty of the country.
That's good enough for a man who only wants to live."

"You're a rum chap, Griggs," said Chris.

"I am, my lad, but I can't help it. Now, let's see: we came up here to
see what there was to be seen, and you wanted to go up higher."

"And you said we should want bearskin coats."

"To be sure I did," without moving a muscle. "Well, there's one over
yonder."

"A bearskin coat?" cried Ned. "Nonsense! Bearskin coats don't grow on
trees."

"Thank you for the information," said Griggs, "but tell me something
else; I knew that."

"Tell us something else," cried Ned. "A bearskin coat on the mountain
side! Where?"

"Over yonder, I tell you, with the gentleman it belongs to wearing it.
A splendid fit too, I should say, but it's too far off to make sure."

The boys involuntarily cocked their pieces, as Chris said excitedly--

"A man in a bearskin coat--an Indian?"

"Oh no. Can't you see him?"

"No! Where?"

"Look yonder