The Project Gutenberg EBook of To The West, by George Manville Fenn

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Title: To The West

Author: George Manville Fenn

Illustrator: W.J. Morgan

Release Date: May 16, 2007 [EBook #21495]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TO THE WEST ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

To The West, by George Manville Fenn.

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At fifteen hours this is a fairly long book for this author. It starts
with two young men working as clerks in the offices of a tyrannical
auctioneer. Fed up with his unpleasant behaviour they give up their
jobs and determine to set out for British Columbia. To get there they
must take passage in a ship going round the Horn, and up to San
Francisco. Then they have to make their way further up the coast to
their destination. On the way they encounter various characters, some
good and honourable, and others very much the reverse. Finally they
arrive and set to work seeking for gold. Of course there are more
adventures and tense situations, as you would expect from this author.

Fenn is very good at describing places, even ones to which he has never
been. Personally I prefer the books set in England, but that is not to
say that this book is anything but most enjoyable, and I commend it to
you.

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TO THE WEST, BY GEORGE MANVILLE FENN.

CHAPTER ONE.

MR. JOHN DEMPSTER.

"What would I do, sir? Why, if I were as poor as you say you are, and
couldn't get on here, I'd go abroad."

"But where, sir? where to?"

"Anywhere. Don't ask me. The world's big enough and round enough for
you, isn't it?"

"But without means, Mr Dempster?"

"Yes, sir, without means. Work, sir--work. The same as I have done. I
pay my poor rate, and I can't afford to help other people. Good
morning."

I heard every word uttered as I sat on my stool in the outer office, and
I felt as if I could see my employer, short, stout, fierce-looking and
grey, frowning at the thin, pale, middle-aged man whom I had ushered
in--Mr John Dempster he to