-pan in his hand, no one knew whither. Bill Jones was down
at Sacramento purchasing provisions, as the prices at the diggings were
ruinous; and Ko-sing had removed with one of the other Chinamen to
another part of the Creek.

Thus it came to pass that Larry O'Neil and Ah-wow, the Chinaman, were
left alone to work out the claims of the party.

One fine day, Larry and his comrade were seated in the sunshine,
concluding their mid-day meal, when a Yankee passed, and told them of
the discoveries that had been made further down the settlement.

"Good luck to ye!" said Larry, nodding facetiously to the man, as he put
a tin mug to his lips, and drained its contents to the bottom. "Ha!
it's the potheen I'm fond of; not but that I've seen better; faix I've
seldom tasted worse, but there's a vartue in goold-diggin' that would
make akifortis go down like milk--it would. Will ye try a drop?"

Larry filled the pannikin as he spoke, and handed it to the Yankee, who,
nothing loth, drained it, and returned it empty, with thanks.

"They're diggin' goold out o' the cabin floors, are they?" said Larry,
wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

"They air," answered the man. "One feller dug up three hundred dollars
yesterday, from the very spot where he's bin snorin' on the last six
months."

"Ah! thin that's a purty little sum," said Larry, with a leer that
shewed he didn't believe a word of it. "Does he expect more to-morrow,
think ye?"

"Don't know," said the man, half offended at the doubt thus cast on his
veracity; "ye better go an' ax him. Good day, stranger;" and the Yankee
strode away rapidly.

Larry scratched his head; then he rubbed his nose, and then his chin,
without, apparently, deriving any particular benefit from these actions.
After that, he looked up at Ah-wow, who was seated cross-legged on the
ground opposite to him, smoking, and asked him what was _his_ opinion.

"Dun no," said the Chinaman, without moving a muscle of his stolid
countenance.

"Oh! ye're an entertainin' cratur, ye are; I'll just make a hole here
where I sit, an' see what comes of it. Sure it's better nor doin'
nothin'."

Saying this, Larry refilled his empty pipe, stretched himself at full
length on his side, rested his head on his left hand, and smoked
complacently for three minutes; after which he took up the long
sheath-knife, with which he had just cut up his supper, and began
carelessly to turn over the sod.

"Sure, there