arehouse stood just in front of a forest of
pine-trees, the stumps, five or six feet high, of many that had been cut
down to make room for the tiny settlement, still standing up and forming
a graceful curve all round from the ground to the place where the marks
of the axe still looked white and yellowish red.

Our chests were carried out on to the shaky platform in front of the
shanties, one of which was dignified by the title of hotel, and to
Esau's great disgust, Gunson's two chests and a long wooden case were
set down close to them. Then three men who had been passengers landed,
and lastly the little Chinaman, who had hung back for some time, till
the steamer was about to start again, sprang quickly on to the wharf,
with his luggage hanging to one crooked finger. His movements were
quickened by the big fellow Gully, who, as soon as he caught sight of
him, made a rush and then leaned over the gangway, uttering a roar like
that of some huge beast of prey. This done he shouted to us.

"Wait a bit," he said. "We shall run again one another some day. Then
we'll all have another grip--"

"With all my heart," said Gunson, in a loud voice; "but I should have
thought you had had enough of my manners and custom's."

We stood waiting till the boat had gone some distance, and then, as the
three men who had landed had disappeared, and the Chinaman was seated on
a log at a short distance from where we stood, I turned to Gunson.

"Where does the town lie?" I asked.

"What town?" he said, smiling.

"The one at the mouth of the river."

"Oh, there is one over yonder," he said, "but it is not much better than
this, and as this was the handiest for you, I thought you had better
stop here."

I had often felt low-spirited since leaving England, but that evening,
with the last glow of the sun fast dying out over the ocean, the huge
wall of enormous trees behind, and the gliding river in front, and
nothing but a few roughly-built boarded houses in sight, my spirits
seemed to sink far lower than they had ever been before.

I glanced at Esau, and he looked gloomy in the extreme. But I tried to
put a good face on the matter, as I said to him--

"One of us had better go and see if these people will give us a night's
lodging."

"You may take that for granted," said Gunson. "Take hold of one end of
my chest here, and let's get it under cover."

I saw Esau frown, and I knew that as soon as we were alone he would
protest ag