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 an ark of refuge in case of attack. The shores were
low, and shallows and banks abounded in the stream, and sometimes 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 of Babel. There is
an uproar day and night; every inch of the floor is taken up for
sleeping on, and I