him.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER ELEVEN.

A ROUNDABOUT ROUTE.

"It must have been a rough journey for you, all the way from Oregon in
almost the depth of winter," said Mr Rawlings, as he and Ernest Wilton
followed after Seth Allport, seizing the opportunity of proceeding with
the conversation which the ex-mate had interrupted.

Mr Rawlings had taken a strong fancy to the young Englishman from the
first, and the more he saw of his frank, open nature, the more he liked
him.

The feeling, too, was evidently mutual, the younger man being attracted
by the bluff, hearty, honest outspokenness of the other, who could not
conceal his unaffected delight at once more coming across one from the
old country, with whom he could converse on a different footing than he
could with the rough miners who composed the majority of his camp
party--men who, with the exception of Seth Allport, were totally
uneducated and uncultivated. Of course, Mr Rawlings was used to these,
and got along with them well enough; but, that was no reason why he
should not enjoy a chat with a person more of his own class and status
in life, was it?

Rather the reverse, one would think; for, to Mr Rawlings, the
conversation of Ernest Wilton, after the usual style of talk to which he
had now been habituated for months, came as grateful as water to a
thirsty land--or, to use a parallel which those who had been accustomed
to living on board ship will readily appreciate, as pleasant to the
taste as fresh bread, or "soft tack," when one has been eating nothing
but hard sea biscuits for some time previously.

To Ernest Wilton, also, it was a matter of gratification to be able to
speak freely with a fellow-countrymen, after his recent companionship
with half-breeds and Indians; and he was nothing loth to accept the
other's overtures towards a friendly chat, to pave the way for future
intimacy, such as he saw would probably result between them, should they
remain long together, a possibility which recent events clearly
prognosticated and which he cordially welcomed.

"Yes, it was a rough journey, with a vengeance," he replied, in answer
to the implied question in Mr Rawlings' remark, "such a journey as I
certainly never anticipated; and my only wonder is, how I accomplished
it. But then, you know, over here in the New World--and it is new to
me, every inch of it, the more I see of it--they don't measure distances
the same as people do in Europe. Why, a degree of l