uses were situated.

"I feel half sorry for havin' done it," replied the captain; "however,
it can't be helped now, so I'll away to our friend Thompson's office,
and tell him about it."

"Then I shall wander about here until you return. It will be dinner
time at the hotels two hours hence. Suppose we meet at the Parker
House, and talk over our future plans while we discuss a chop?"

To this the captain agreed, and then hurried off to his friend's office,
while Ned entered the hotel. A large portion of this building was
rented by gamblers, who paid the enormous sum of 60,000 dollars a year
for it, and carried on their villainous and degrading occupation in it
night and day. The chief games played were monte and faro, but no
interest attached to the games _as such_, the winning or losing of money
was that which lent fascination to the play.

Ned had intended to stroll through the hotel and observe the various
visitors who thronged the bar, but the crash of a brass band in the
gambling-saloons awakened his curiosity, and induced him to enter. The
scene that met his eyes was, perhaps, the strangest and the saddest he
had ever looked upon. The large saloon was crowded with representatives
of almost every civilised nation under the sun. English, Scotch, Irish,
Yankees, French, Russians, Turks, Chinese, Mexicans, Indians, Malays,
Jews, and negroes--all were there in their national costumes, and all
were, more or less, under the fascinating influence of the reigning vice
of California, and especially of San Francisco. The jargon of excited
voices can neither be conceived nor described. Crowds surrounded the
monte tables, on which glittering piles of gold and silver coin were
passing from hand to hand according to varying fortune. The
characteristics--and we may add the worst passions--of the various
nations were ever and anon brought strongly out. The German and
Spaniard laid down their money, and lost or won without a symptom of
emotion; the Turk stroked his beard as if with the view of keeping
himself cool; the Russian looked stolid and indifferent; the Frenchman
started, frowned, swore, and occasionally clutched his concealed pistol
or bowie-knife; while the Yankee stamped and swore. But, indeed, the
men of all nations cursed and swore in that terrible place.

Those who dwelt in the city staked gold and silver coin, while the men
just returned from the mines staked gold-dust and nuggets. These last
were con