d Frank, yet so narrowly that the ball
had touched his hair as it whistled past his ear.

The wounded man was as carefully tended as was possible in the
circumstances, but neither on that night nor the following day did he
recover sufficiently to be able to give any account of himself. He was
left at the first "ranch" they came to next day, with directions from
Frank that he should be cared for and sent back to Sacramento city as
soon as possible. Our hero was unable of course to pay his expenses,
but he and all the party contributed a small sum, which, with the gold
found on the stranger's person, was sufficient to satisfy the ranchero,
who appeared to be a more amiable man than the rest of his class. To
secure as far as possible the faithful performance of his duty, Frank
earnestly assured him that if he was attentive to the man he would give
him something additional on his return from the diggings.

"That's very good of you, sir," said the ranchero with a peculiar smile,
"but I wouldn't promise too much if I were you. Mayhap you won't be
able to fulfil it. All gold-diggers don't make fortunes."

"Perhaps not," said Frank; "but few of them, I believe, fail to make
enough to pay off their debts."

"H'm, except those who die," said the ranchero.

"Well, but _I_ am not going to die," said Frank with a smile.

"I hope not. All the young and strong ones seem to think as you do when
they go up; but I have lived here, off an' on, since the first rush and
all I can say is that I have seen a lot more men go up to the diggin's
than ever I saw come down from 'em; and, of those who did return, more
were poor than rich, while very few of 'em looked either as stout or as
cheerful as they did when passing up."

"Come, shut up your potato-trap, old man, and don't try to take the
heart out of us all in that fashion," said Jeffson; "but let's have a
feed of the best you have in the house, for we're all alive and kicking
as yet, anyhow, and not too poor to pay our way; and, I say, let's have
some home-brewed beer if you can, because we've got a German with us,
and a haggis also for our Scotchman."

"You have forgotten roast-beef for the Englishman," said Frank,
laughing.

"I daresay you won't want sauce," observed the host with an air of
simplicity; "my meat never seems to want it when there's a Yankee in the
room."

Saying this the worthy ranchero went to work, and speedily supplied the
travellers with a meal consisti