l be no child's play; the
Injins of Dakota are snakes upon miners."

Seth had received full authority from Mr Rawlings to engage a strong
party, and the "Boss" was greatly pleased upon his arrival to find that
a band of stalwart and experienced miners had already been collected.

Previous to quitting Chicago, Mr Rawlings, acting under the advice of
Seth and Noah Webster, purchased a complete outfit of mining tools, and
stores of all kinds: picks, drills, pumps, buckets, windlasses, ropes--
and, indeed, everything that would be required in carrying out their
undertaking properly.

They did not overburden themselves, however, with provisions, or any
such things as they would be likely to get cheap in the back settlements
at the end of the point where they would have to leave the railway--not
far off the town of Bismark, on the Missouri, the extremest station of
the northern branch of the Union Pacific line.

And so, one fine morning, they started, full of hope, for some wonderful
accounts were in circulation before they set out from Chicago, as to the
enormous finds of the Excelsior mine and other kindred speculations in
or near Dakota.

Passing over their railroad journey, during which nothing of interest
occurred worthy of notice, and their temporary stay in the last frontier
town--to lay in a stock of provisions, and hire teams and waggons for
the transport of their mining plant and general belongings; besides
engaging a half-breed Indian to guide them to their destination, a
copper-coloured gentleman who had lived for years in New Mexico, and
spoke a broken Spanish patter which he called "Ingliz," and was
afterwards a faithful member of the expeditionary party--we will come to
the period when, after a month's march across the wilds of north-western
Dakota, they had arrived at the place which "Moose," the Indian
half-breed, declared with a multitude of "carramboes!" was the spot
which had been indicated on the map which Mr Rawlings had received from
his cousin.

"Waal, boys, this is bully!" exclaimed Seth, as soon as the party had
come to a halt, gazing round him with the air of a landlord taking
possession of his property.

The scene was a beautiful one, and well merited the seaman's
exclamation.

They were in the centre of a vast semicircular valley, surrounded on all
sides but one by a chain of mountains, over which one especial peak
towered far above the rest, lifting up a crest that was crowned with
ete