did not suppose Sacramento City
was like this!" and he grinned.

The boys had been in too much of a hurry to get across the river to stop
to prepare their own breakfast that morning, consequently Thure at once
welcomed Bud's suggestion; and, jumping off their horses, the two lads
tied their animals to near-by trees and walked into the City Hotel,
bravely trying to look and act as if they were accustomed to living at
hotels all their lives, although, to tell the truth, neither boy had
even seen a hotel before for ten years.

They found the dining-room and seats at one of the tables without much
difficulty; and after some little study of the bill-of-fare, during
which they forgot to look at the prices, they gave their order to the
waiter--God save the mark! no, to the steward; for there the word
"waiter," was never used, it not being considered a sufficiently
respectable calling for a man who a few months before might have been a
lawyer, a doctor, a merchant, or even a minister. The food was soon set
before them; and, as they ate, they talked over the situation.

"The first thing for us to do," declared Thure, "is to find some miners
bound for Hangtown, and then make arrangements to go with them; and the
only way to do this is to start out and ask everyone who looks as if he
was going to the diggings, if he is going to Hangtown, or knows of
anyone who is. I reckon it won't take us long to find someone; and, if
possible, we want to get on our way to-day."

Bud promptly sanctioned this plan; and, accordingly, it was agreed that,
as soon as they finished their breakfast, they would start out to find
someone bound for Hangtown.

"I'll pay the bill," magnanimously announced Thure, when the last morsel
of food and the last swallow of coffee had vanished down their throats,
and he turned to the smiling steward.

The steward wrote for a minute or so on a little pad of paper; and then,
tearing off a sheet, handed it to Thure. It was the bill for their
breakfast and read:

4 fried eggs $6.00
1 leg of mutton (with potatoes) 2.25
1 leg of veal (with potatoes) 2.25
2 cups of coffee (with milk) 1.50
Bread (with butter) for two 2.00
2 pieces of pie 1.50
------
Total $15.50

"Great Moses!" and Thure stared in the utmost