ul. All I say is, my knife's gone."

"There, put it in your pocket," I said, handing him the knife, "and
don't be so prejudiced against a man who wanted to give us a bit of
friendly advice."

"Why! eh? How? You took the knife then."

"Nonsense; you lent it to me last night when I was packing up our
things."

Esau doubled his fist, and gave himself a good punch on the head.

"Of course I did," he cried. "Well of all! Why how! I say, my head
must be thick after all."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

WE GET INTO HOT WATER.

We were on shore next day, and, by the captain's advice, went to a kind
of hotel, where they undertook, not very willingly, to accommodate us,
the captain having promised to help us in getting a ship for the Fraser
River. But though day after day passed, and we went to him again and
again, he was always too busy about his cargo being discharged, or
seeing other people, to attend to us, and at last we sat one day on some
timber on a wharf, talking about our affairs rather despondently.

"We seem to be regularly stuck fast, Esau," I said; "and one feels so
helpless out in a strange place like this."

"Yes," he said; "and the money goes so fast."

"Yes," I said, "the money goes so fast. We must get away from here
soon."

"Couldn't walk up to what-its-name, could we?"

"Walk? Nonsense! Many, many hundreds of miles through a wild country,
and over mountains and rivers."

"Well, I shouldn't mind that, lad. It would all be new."

"We shall have plenty of that when we get to British Columbia."

"What's all this then?" he said.

"Part of the United States--California."

"Oh, ah! of course. Seems to me I spent so much time learning to write
a good hand, that I don't know half so much of other things as I
should."

"Plenty of time for learning more, Esau."

"Yes, plenty of time. Seem to have more time than we want, and I don't
enjoy going about much, though there's plenty to see. One's so
unsettled like."

"Yes; we want to get to our journey's end."

"So this is California, is it? That's where they got so much gold. I
say, let's stop here."

"Nonsense! We must get to Fort Elk, and see what is to be done there
till Mr John comes."

"All right, I'm ready for anything. Here's one of the chaps coming who
wanted us to let him get us a ship yesterday."

For just then a yellow-looking fellow, one of the many idlers who hung
about the docks, came slouching along towards us; and as