ere is just what washed down from
the main supply. If you boys reely wants rich diggings, then you want to
push up into the Porcupine River country."

But with this glowing and vivid impression we gathered another: that of
a trackless wilderness, fearful abysses down which to find a way,
labyrinthine defiles, great forests. None of us knew how to cope with
these things. Yank, the best woodsman of us all, had had no experience
in mountains. None of us knew anything of Indian warfare. None of us had
the least idea that we could find Porcupine River, even if we were to be
given accurate directions on how to get there.

Nevertheless the idea with us had been growing. Some of the bolder
spirits among our acquaintances used to talk it over with us at odd
times--McNally, Buck Barry, and his partner, Missouri Jones. We did not
discuss it as a plan, hardly as a possibility, merely as a pleasant
theme. We found, and advanced any amount of objections--the uncertainty
of finding any gold at all, the expense of such a journey, the danger
from Indians, the fact that we could find other proved diggings much
nearer, and a half hundred others. The moment one of us had advanced one
of these objections he was at once himself the most eager to demolish
it. Thus we gradually worked ourselves toward enthusiasm.

"If Sam Bagsby would join us, it might be worth trying," we came to at
last.

But Sam Bagsby scouted any such idea.

"I ain't that kind of a tom-fool," said he. "If I want to paddle my
hands blue I'd do it yere. I couldn't make more'n a living anyway. I
tell you I ain't got no use for yore pra'rie dog grubbing!"

Then McNally had an inspiration.

"Will you go, Sam, if we pay you for going?" he asked.

"Sure," replied the trapper at once. "I'm a labouring man, I'll go
anywhar I'm paid to go."

It came out that Bagsby's ideas of proper compensation were his
supplies, fifteen dollars a week in gold, and a drink of whiskey twice a
day! In all this gold country he was the only man I met who genuinely
despised money. I really think we were hurried to our decision by this
unexpected reasonableness on his part. At any rate we decided definitely
to go.

CHAPTER XXI

WE LEAVE THE DIGGINGS

There were nine of us--Bagsby, Yank, Johnny Fairfax, myself, Don Gaspar,
Vasquez, McNally, Buck Barry, and Missouri Jones. We possessed, in all,
just nine horses. Yank, Vasquez, Bagsby, and Jones drove eight of them
out again to Sutte