he
side rivers sooner."

"Oh!" I ejaculated.

"For it seemed to me that it was utter madness for two boys like these
to attempt the journey alone in perfect ignorance of what they had
undertaken."

"And you made up your mind to see them through?"

"I did, for they would never have done it alone."

"Indeed we should," I said, quickly.

Gunson laughed, leaned forward, and patted me on the shoulder.

"No, no, Mayne, my lad," he said kindly. "There's all the pluck--the
English spirit in you; but there was more than you could have done by
yourselves. You would have struggled on, but Master Dean here would
have broken down long enough ago, and wanted to go back home to his
mother."

"How could I have wanted to go back home to mother when she ain't at
home?" cried Esau, angrily.

"Well, to have gone back," said Gunson. "There, I am in real earnest,
my lads. It was more than you could have done."

"But we should have persevered," I said, warmly.

"And failed, as better men have done. Besides, there were the Indians,
my lad. They always seemed very peaceable towards us, but you had a
well-armed man with you; and it may have made some difference. There, I
don't want to rob you of any credit you deserve, and I tell Mr Raydon
here before you that I have derived no little assistance from you both,
and enjoyed my journey all the better for your company. What do you
say, Mr Raydon--would they have found their way up here alone?"

"In time, perhaps," he replied; "if they had met with other people
making the trip they might have got here. Certainly not alone, and it
would have been madness to have attempted it. It has been a mad project
altogether."

Gunson looked at me and smiled.

"But there, you have reached your goal safe and sound, and to-morrow
morning we'll shake hands and say good-bye."

"Please understand, Mr Gunson," said our host, quietly, "that you have
no occasion to hurry."

"I beg your pardon," replied Gunson; "you are wrong. Time is gliding
on, sir. I have spent years already in my quest and have no time to
spare."

"The quest of wealth?" said Mr Raydon, rather sarcastically.

"Yes, sir; the quest of wealth to redeem the past. You do not know my
early life, and I'm not going to tell of it."

"I only know enough to prove to me that Mr Gunson was educated as an
English gentleman."

"And is now the rough prospector you see," replied Gunson. "There, sir,
one lives for the future, no