atitude or longitude
is less thought of than a furlong by those at home; and, in some of the
backwood settlements, neighbours are as far-away from each other as the
capital cities of the continent are separated."

"That is true," said Mr Rawlings. "The space appears so illimitable
that one's ideas as to measurement expand in a similar way, and the
agriculturists calculate by the square mile instead of the acre in all
their estimates of the land. But, about your journey? I'm curious to
know what route you took to come from Oregon here."

"You may well ask," replied the young engineer, breaking into a hearty
laugh, which was so catching, that Mr Rawlings followed suit, and even
Seth thought it incumbent on him to look back over his shoulder and
grin, "for it was, I believe, the most roundabout trip ever planned.
But, in order to understand it properly, you must learn what sort of a
party accompanied me. While in California, I got mixed up with all
sorts of persons, engaged in companies started to carry out everything
under the sun, and even under the earth: scientific men with hobbies,
capitalists with money to spend, and speculators with nothing, who
wished to enrich themselves from the pockets of the unwary; and, while
at a dinner one day in Sacramento, where a lot of directors and
shareholders of the Alba Eldorado were enlarging on the good fortune
attending mining schemes in general, and their own especial venture in
particular, a proposal was made that, as such fabulous reports had been
circulated of the Bonanza mine in Montana, some of the surplus capital
of the company should be expended in looking after another lode in the
same vicinity. The proposal was eagerly accepted, and as I happened to
be present I was asked to join the expedition."

"But that was in California," suggested Mr Rawlings, smiling, "and you
needn't have gone through all Oregon to get to Montana, surely--eh?"

"Certainly not," said Ernest Wilton; "and that's exactly what I wish to
explain. It was all those scientific men with their hobbies that led us
such a dance! You see, it was a party of rich people, whose time was at
their own disposal, and they could do pretty nearly as they liked. At
the very first start, it was arranged that our first point of
destination should be the Warm Springs in the centre of Oregon; and so
to the Warm Springs we went. I believe the principal capitalist of the
party thought they might be utilised for th