Ben. But there's a matter that we
must settle before we go."

"What's that?"

"About the gold we have found since we've been here. We must have some
arrangement about dividin' it."

"We sha'n't quarrel about that, Jake."

"No, there's no danger of that. That'll be easy enough. We'll divide it
into two piles, one for you, and the other for me."

"Jake, I have no right to half of it. You ought to have two-thirds."

"I'd like to argy that matter, Ben. Why should I have two-thirds?"

"Because you earned it. You understood mining better than I."

"We're equal partners, Ben. I stick to that, and I mean to have my way.
I've been making a little calculation, and I reckon there's nigh on to a
thousand dollars for the two of us."

"As much as that, Jake?" said Ben, eagerly.

"I reckon there is, though I can't justly tell."

"It doesn't seem possible I can be worth five hundred dollars," said
Ben, thoughtfully. "We've only been here four weeks. That makes a
hundred and twenty-five dollars a week."

"So it does. That's pretty high pay for a boy."

"Before I left home," said Ben, "there was an old farmer, Deacon
Pitkins, who wanted to hire me for a year. What do you think he offered
me?"

"How much?"

"Twenty dollars a year and board," answered Ben.

"I reckon you did better to come to Californy."

"It looks so now. How the old deacon would stare if he knew how I had
been prospering at the mines! I wish there was any way of sending part
of this money home. I would like to make a present to Uncle Job."

"When you get to 'Frisco you won't have any trouble about sendin' it."

"Uncle Job thought it was very risky for a boy like me to leave home and
seek my fortune in California. I would like to prove to him that I
didn't make a mistake."

"It's likely you haven't, Ben," said Bradley cautiously, "but you ain't
out of the woods yet. I hope things will go on as well as they have, and
you'll be able to carry a pile home. But we've got to start in good
season to-morrow, and we may as well turn in and go to sleep."

CHAPTER XIII.

KI SING'S RIDE.

The next morning after breakfast the party got off. Fortunately, there
were no trunks or heavy luggage to carry. California pioneers had no
occasion for Saratoga trunks, and the amount of clothing they carried in
addition to what they had on was very small.

"Ki Sing," said Bradley, jocosely, "I am afraid we can't carry your
trunk with us."

"'Tlunk'!" repea