thought, sir," said Chris.

"What was it?"

"That the salt plains were enough to keep anybody from coming as far as
this."

"That's it, my lad," said Griggs. "Men may have come prospecting in
this direction for gold, but I shouldn't be a bit surprised to find that
this is only a patch of good land round and about these mountains, and
that if we went far enough in any direction we should come to the salt
plains again, shutting it in and keeping people back."

"It is possible," said the doctor.

"It's more than likely, sir. If it were not so, wouldn't people have
settled here?"

"It is very far from civilisation, Griggs," said Bourne.

"Most new places are far from civilisation, sir," cried Griggs. "But
look all round here, sir; if a good strong party of men came here with
their wives and children they'd make their own civilisation, for it
seems to me that we can find here already pretty well everything a man
could want. See what it would be after a few years of farm-stock
rearing and gardening."

"Then why not stop and settle here?" said the doctor, smiling.

"Because we've got gold on the brain, sir," replied Griggs grimly. "We
set ourselves to see if that poor old fellow's story was a fact, and
having started, I say let's carry out our work. If we don't find out
that his map told the truth, I'm ready to come and open out this bit of
country, if you like, for it's ten times the place that we came from.
Even now if you say we'll go no further, I'll set to work with you; but
because it's so beautiful ought we to forget how we're cutting ourselves
off from the rest of the world?"

"No," said the doctor emphatically. "I propose we make a fresh start
to-morrow farther up into the mountains, and see what there is yonder."

There was a murmur of agreement at this, in which the boys joined.

"Yes," said Chris, as he sauntered away soon after with his eyes roaming
in every direction in search of danger or something new. "Griggs is
right. It's as fine as fine here, and I don't like leaving the fishing;
but I am beginning to want a change, aren't you?"

"No going down-hill again to be roasted and choked with thirst."

"Of course not," said Chris; "we've had enough of that. I want to do
some of that shooting Griggs was talking about last night."

"What, the goats up in the mountains?"

"Yes, and those big horned sheep; but I feel sure he was laughing at us
about their jumping about the precipices, and