to uphold me." He turned.
"Take their pistols, friends, and let them go."

* * * * *

George Hyde looked up from a sheaf of drawing which lay on the table
before him and which represented the new survey of San Francisco. A boy
with a bundle of papers under his arm entered unannounced, tossed a copy
of "The California Star" toward him and departed. Hyde picked it up
and read:

"GREAT SALE OF VALUABLE REAL ESTATE IN THE TOWN OF SAN
FRANCISCO, UPPER CALIFORNIA.

"By the following decree of His Excellency, General S.W.
Kearny, Governor of California, all the right, title and
interest of the United States and of the territory of
California to the BEACH AND WATER lots on the east front of
the town of San Francisco have been granted, conveyed and
released to the people or corporate authorities of said
town--"

Hyde read on. There was a post-script by Edwin Bryant, his predecessor
as alcalde, calling a public sale for June 29. That was rather soon.
But he would see. Hyde had an antipathy to any rule or circumstance
fixed by another. His enemies called him "pig-headed"; his friends
"forceful," though with a sigh. There was something highhanded in the
look and manner of him, though few men had better intent. Now his glance
fell on another, smaller item in the newspaper.

"SYDNEY DUCKS ARRIVE."

"In recent vessels from the antipodes have come numerous men
from Australia who, according to rumor, are deported English
criminals, known as 'Sydney Ducks.' It is said that the
English government winks at the escape of these birds of ill
omen, who are lured hither by tales of our lawlessness
carried by sailormen. It is high time we had a little more
law in San Francisco."

That was another of his problems, Hyde reflected irritably. "Sydney
Ducks." There would be many more no doubt, for San Francisco was
growing. It had 500 citizens, irrespective of the New York volunteers;
157 buildings. He would need helpers in the task of city-governing. Half
idly he jotted down the names of men that would prove good henchmen:

"William A. Leidesdorff, Robert A. Parker, Jose P. Thompson, Pedro
Sherreback, John Rose, Benjamin Buckalew."

It had a cosmopolitan smack, though it ignored some prominent and
capable San Franciscans. William Clark, for instance, with whom
Washington Bartlett had quarreled over town lots, Dr. Elbert