ate to the Land of Gold, eh?" mused another passenger, near.

"That's what it's reckoned at, now," assented the Fremonter. "But it
was named before gold was discovered. Fremont named it; you'll see it
on his map of Forty-seven. It's the Golden Gate, whichever way you
look at it--from the outside, toward the land, or from the inside,
toward the sunset."

True enough. Even now the sun had set, and all the wide west fronting
the gateway was a deep golden sheen, and the water and the shore was
dyed with the richness. Turning her stern on the sunset, the steamer
headed in, for the golden shore.

The gap opened, wider and wider, to form a broad strait. In it an
island gleamed white.

"That's Alcatraz Island, at the inside end of the channel," explained
Mr. Grigsby, who served as a very good guide. "You'll see Yerba Buena
Island--some call it Goat Island--in a minute, on the right of it, and
Angel Island on the left. That big round peak straight ahead, on the
mainland, is Mount Diablo. Now we're getting opposite Fort Point; see
the flag. The town is around on our right, other side of this first
line of hills separating the bay from the ocean."

Through the Golden Gate was slowly and majestically steaming the
_California_. The gate was really a pair of jaws, set half-open--great
promontories of rock and sand, the one on the left or the north being
almost a mountain chain. Within the jaws was the bay, like the mouth.
Everything was tinged with the wondrous golden glow.

Several sailing boats were beating in and out of the strait, which was
narrowest at Fort Point. Beyond Fort Point the tips of masts began to
appear, over the tops of the lower hills on the right; and as the
_California_ gradually rounded the further side of this peninsula,
ships at anchor came into sight. The bay itself opened, extending on
right and left of the entrance, against a background of rolling,
yellowish hills.

"Around the corner, now--and there you'll see San Francisco," announced
Mr. Grigsby, he peering as intently as anybody.

Between Alcatraz Island and Goat Island passed the _California_,
swinging to the right more and more, describing a half circle; the
ships at anchor increased to a dense mass floating many flags; and
then, hurrah, on the near shore, against the hills of this the west
side of the bay appeared a straggling jumble of low buildings, already
enshadowed by dusk and dotted with lights, some stationary, others
m