Days and days passed of sailing on and on over waters which grew more
and more shallow. Brilliantly-coloured birds were shot and skinned: and
an ample supply of fine turkey-like fellows made the men's eyes sparkle
as they thought of the rich roasts Dan would make at the evening's
camping-place to supplement the toothsome fish that were hauled in,
flashing gold, silver, blue, and scarlet from their scales, whenever a
line was thrown out astern.
Sometimes a shot was obtained at some fierce animal or loathsome
reptile, whose pursuit and capture lent excitement to the trip and fully
repaid the men for their labour at the oars when the wind went down.
The change from the brig to the boat seemed to give Sir Humphrey new
life, and at the end of a fortnight he was thoroughly himself again, and
ready to take his turn at an oar so as to rest the men, to fish, or to
land on one or the other bank of the river in search of game for the
cook or specimens for their boxes of skins.
"It's glorious," cried Brace, more than once.
"Would be," said Briscoe, "if we could catch sight of the golden city."
"You'll only see it as I did," cried Brace--"in a dream; but you can
read about it when we get back home, in some book of imaginary travels."
"Perhaps," said Briscoe drily; "but I have more faith than you have, my
fine fellow. Just wait and see."
That afternoon a wide reach of the river was entered where the water
shallowed so rapidly that all of a sudden a grating sound arose from
under the foremost boat, and then came a shout from the captain to
Lynton.
"Look out there," he roared. "Shove your helm down."
The second mate obeyed the order instantly; but the warning came too
late, for there was a sudden check and Brace nearly went overboard, and
in fact would have taken a header if Briscoe had not made a snatch at
his arm.
Both boats were fast aground and refused obstinately to yield to the
poling and punting toiled at by the men to get them over the sandy shoal
in which they were fixed.
"Never mind, my lads," cried the captain at last: "it's getting late,
and there's a capital camping-place ashore. Wade, some of you, and
lighten the boats so as to run 'em in. You, Dan, and a couple more see
to your fire. There don't seem to be any of those flippers in the water
here. Stream's too swift for them."
The men were over the sides of the boats and into the water directly,
and, thus lightened, the vessels were run close up to the bank before
they grounded side by side.
"We'll lighten your boat more still, gentlemen, in the morning," said
the captain, "and pole her along to find a deeper channel. It's too
late now, and we're all tired. My word!" he continued, as he stood on
one of the after-thwarts and looked down through the crystal-clear water
at the sandy gravel; "why, this looks just the sort of place where you
might wash for gold."
"Hah!" ejaculated Brace: and then to himself: "He has done it now."
The captain's loudly-spoken words had been plainly heard by all, and
seemed to send a magnetic thrill through every man.
Without exception, at the word "gold" all stopped in what they were
doing and stared down through the clear water at their feet with eager
dilated eyes, while to Brace it appeared as if each hearer held his
breath in the excitement which had chained him motionless there.
Briscoe's eyes flashed a meaning look at Brace, who glanced at him, and
then he cried: "Yes; that's what I was thinking, skipper. S'pose we
have a try?"
"All right, do," said the captain good-humouredly. "But never you mind,
my lads: get the things ashore. You, Dellow, take a rifle and have a
look-out for squalls--Injuns, I mean. Not that there's much likelihood,
for there's no cover for the enemy here. Now, then; what are you all
staring at? Are you struck comic? Never heard the word `gold' before?"
The men all started as if they had been rudely awakened from sleep, and
began to carry the necessaries ashore, while Brace turned to the
American, who was busy at the locker, from which he was getting out a
couple of the shallow galvanised-iron wash-bowls they used.
"Cast loose that shovel from under the thwart, Brace, my lad," he said.
"I say, sure there are none of those little flippers about?"
"Oh, yes, I'm sure," cried Brace, laughing. "We should have known if
there were before now."
"That's right," said Briscoe, stepping overboard, "for I don't feel as
if I wanted bleeding."
"Are you going to try for gold?" asked Sir Humphrey.
"That was what I thought of doing," said the American, "for the place
looks so likely. Gravelly sandy shallow in a great river which runs
down from the mountains."
"Oh, you won't find any gold here," said Lynton, smiling.
"I don't know," said Sir Humphrey. "Try; the place looks very likely."