tive affluence.

At the end of a week a council was called, to discuss future
proceedings. The council chamber was, as usual, the forest, and Spanish
cigarettes assisted the deliberations. Will being called to the chair,
which was a tree stump, opened the proceedings by propounding the
question, "What shall we do now, for of course we must not trespass too
long on the hospitality of Don Diego?"

"I don't see why we shudn't," said Larry, "p'raps he'll have another
touch o' toothache, an' 'll want another grinder tuck out."

"That may be, nevertheless it behoves us to fix our future plans without
delay. As there are no vessels in port just now, and we cannot tell
when any will arrive, it is worth while considering whether we cannot
travel by land; also, we must decide whether California or England is to
be our destination."

"I vote for Callyforny," said Larry O'Hale with much energy. "`Goold
for ever,' is my motto! Make our fortunes right off, go home, take
villas in ould Ireland, an' kape our carriages, wid flunkeys an'
maid-servants an' such like. Sure av we can't get by say, we can walk."

"If I had wings, which is wot I haven't," said Muggins, with slow
precision of utterance, "I might fly over the Andes, likewise the
Atlantic, to England, or if I had legs ten fathoms long I might walk to
Callyforny; but, havin' only short legs, more used to the sea than to
the land, I votes for stoppin' where we are for some time, an', p'raps,
a sail will heave in sight an' take us off, d'ye see?"

"Ho!" exclaimed Bunco, with a nod of approval, "and wees kin go huntin'
for amoosement in de meaninwhiles."

"It's my opinion, sir," observed Old Peter, "that as we're all dependent
on the money earned by yourself, the least we can do, is to leave you to
settle the matter of when we start, and where we go. What say you,
mates?"

A general assent being given to this, Will Osten decided that they
should remain where they were for a week or a fortnight longer, in the
hope of a vessel arriving, and that, in the meantime, as suggested by
Bunco, they should amuse themselves by going on a hunting expedition.

In accordance with this plan they immediately set about making
preparation for a start by borrowing from their host two small canoes,
each made of the trunk of a large tree hollowed out. Bunco acted as
steersman in one of these. Will Osten, after a few hours' practice,
deemed himself sufficiently expert to take the post o