ade
their appearance on these distant waters--having made the long and
dangerous voyage from the United States round the Horn. Before the
steamer started, Larry contrived to obtain another interview with Nelly
Morgan, and explained their plan, which was as follows:--

On the day of the steamer sailing, a few hours before the time of
starting, Mr Jolly was to receive the following letter, dated from a
well-known ranche, thirty miles up the river:--

"Sir,--I trust that you will forgive a perfect stranger addressing you,
but the urgency of the case must be my excuse. There is a letter lying
here for you, which, I have reason to know, contains information of the
utmost importance to yourself; but which--owing to circumstances that I
dare not explain in a letter that might chance to fall into wrong
hands--must be opened here by your own hands. It will explain all when
you arrive; meanwhile, as I am a perfect stranger to the state of your
finances, I send you a sufficient quantity of gold-dust by the bearer to
enable you to hire a horse and come up. Pray excuse the liberty I take,
and believe me to be,

"Your obedient servant,

"Edward Sinton."

At the appointed time Larry delivered this epistle, and the bag of gold
into Mr Jolly's hands, and, saying that no answer was required, hurried
away.

If Mr Jolly had been suddenly informed that he had been appointed
secretary of state to the king of Ashantee, he could not have looked
more astonished than when he perused this letter, and weighed the bag of
gold in his hand. The letter itself; had it arrived alone, might, very
likely would, have raised his suspicions, but accompanied as it was by a
bag of gold of considerable value, it commended itself as a genuine
document; and the worthy musician was in the saddle half-an-hour later.
Before starting, he cautioned Nelly not to quit the house on any account
whatever, a caution which she heard but did not reply to. Three hours
later Mr Jolly reached his destination, and had the following letter
put into his hands.

"Sir,--By the time you receive this, your late charge, Mademoiselle
Nelina, will be on her way to San Francisco, where you are welcome to
follow her, and claim her from her sister, if you feel so disposed.

"I am, Sir, etcetera,

"Edward Sinton."

We need not repeat what Mr Jolly said, or try to imagine what he felt,
on receipt of _this_ letter! About the time it was put into his hands
the magnificent st