in regard to metals. He told me it was somethin'
that I don't remember the name of, but worth nothing, so I heaved it
away."

Thus doubly assured, Larry sighed deeply as he collected the shining
metal into the bag, and stood eyeing it disconsolately. At this point
Bunco chuckled.

"Worse luck to it," cried Larry, starting and tossing the bag violently
into the stream, where it sank and vanished for ever. Little did any of
the party imagine, at that time, that they had actually cast away some
hundred pounds worth of pure gold, yet such was actually the case!

As it left Larry's hand, the bag touched the nose of his horse, which
shied, slipped over the bank, fell into the river, and was swept away.
Instantly they all clapped their shoulders to the big stone, and pushed
with such good-will that it slipped and went crashing into the stream,
while the party went off at full speed after the horse. The poor animal
was found at last stranded amid a mass of driftwood, with its saddle and
baggage gone, but beyond this and the fright, no harm was done.

"Misfortin's niver come single. 'Tis always the way. Howsiver, niver
say die; better luck nixt time; ye'll make yer fortin' yit, av ye only
parsevair an' kape up yer heart, ould boy." Thus soliloquising, the
unfortunate man remounted his wet and bare-backed steed, and rode away.

Time and tide are usually understood to wait for no man; we therefore
decline to wait either for time or tide, but, sweeping onward in advance
of both, convey our readers at once to the sea coast near Vancouver's
Island, where our adventurers arrived after an unusual share of toil and
trouble, and found a small craft about to sail for California--took
passage in her, and, in due time, arrived at San Francisco. The
gold-fever had just set in there. The whole town was in an uproar of
confusion. Excitable men had given up their ordinary work, or shut
their shops, and gone off to the diggings. Ships were lying idle in the
bay, having been deserted by their crews, who had gone to the same point
of attraction, and new arrivals were constantly swelling the tide of
gold-seekers. Here Will Osten found his father's agent--a staid old
gentleman of Spanish extraction, who, being infirm as well as old, was
fever-proof. Being somewhat taciturn, however, and rendered irritable
by the upheavings of social life which were going on around him, he only
vouchsafed the information that the estate which belong