"And you do not even seem to know that Victoria is on an island, from
which you will have to cross to the mouth of the Fraser."
"I'm afraid I am very ignorant," I said, bitterly; "but I am going to
try to learn. I suppose there are villages here and there up the
country?"
"Perhaps a few, not many yet; but you will find some settler's place now
and then."
"Well, they will be English people," I said, "and they will help us."
"Of course."
"Where are you going?" I asked suddenly.
He gave a little start, and his face relaxed.
"I?" he said quickly, and he looked as if he were going to take me into
his confidence; but just then Esau came on deck to stand looking
shoreward, and Gunson turned cold and stern directly. "Don't know for
certain," he replied. "Morning, my lad," to Esau, and then walked
forward to speak to the skipper.
"There, Esau," I said eagerly; "that's something like a country to come
to," for the fresh beauties which were unfolding in the morning sun made
me forget all Gunson's suggestions of difficulties.
"Yes, that's something like," said Esau. "What makes those big hills
look so blue as that?"
"They are mountains, and I suppose it's the morning mist."
"Mountains!" said Esau, contemptuously, "not much o' mountains. Why,
that one over yonder don't look much bigger than Primrose Hill."
"Not much," said Gunson, who was walking back with the skipper. "Very
much like it too, especially the snow on the top. How far is that
mountain off?" he added, turning to the skipper.
"Hunard miles," grunted the person addressed.
"Look here," whispered Esau, as soon as we were alone, for the skipper
and Gunson went below, "I don't say that he hasn't been very civil to
us, and he helped us nicely about getting on here, but I don't like that
chap. Do you?"
"I really don't know," I said with a laugh.
"Well, I do know. He looks at one with that eye of his, as if he was
thinking about the money in your belt all the time."
"He can't be thinking about yours," I said drily.
"Oh dear! I forgot that," said Esau. "But all the same, I don't like a
man with one eye."
"But it isn't his fault, Esau."
"No, not exactly his fault; but it sets you against him, and he's got so
much pump in him."
"Pump?"
"Yes; always getting out of you everything you are going to do, and who
you are, and where you come from."
"Yes, he does question pretty well."
"He just does. Very well, then; I want to know who he is, and where he
comes from, and what he's going to be up to. Do you know?"
"No, not in the least."
"Same here. Well, I don't like a man who's so close, and the sooner we
both shake hands with him, and say good-bye, the better I shall like
it."
"Well, Esau, I'm beginning to feel like that," I said, "myself."
"That's right, then, and we shan't quarrel over that bit o' business.
Soon be there now, I think, shan't we?"
"To-morrow about this time," said a familiar voice; and we both started,
for Gunson was standing close behind us. "Didn't you hear me come up?"
"No," I said hurriedly; and he laughed a little, rather unpleasantly, I
thought, and walked forward to stand with his elbows on the bulwark
watching the distant shore.
"There!" whispered Esau. "Now would a fellow who was all right and
square come and listen to all we said like that? Seems to be always
creeping up behind you."
"I don't think he did that purposely."
"Well then, I do. You always take his part, no matter what I say; and
it sometimes seems to me as if you were pitching me over, so as to take
up with him."
"That's right, Esau," I replied. "That is why we sailed off together,
and left you in the lurch."
Esau pressed his lips together, gave his foot a stamp, and then pushed
close up to me.
"Here," he said, "punch my head, please. Do. I wish you would. My
tongue's always saying something I don't mean."
I did not punch Esau's head, and the little incident was soon forgotten
in the interest of the rest of our journey. For we sailed on now in
bright sunshine, the uneasy motion of the schooner was at an end, and
there was always something fresh to see. Now it was a whale, then a
shoal of fish of some kind, and sea-birds floating here and there. Then
some mountain peak came into view, with lovely valleys and vast forests
of pines--scene after scene of beauty that kept us on deck till it was
too dark to see anything, and tempted us on deck again the moment it was
light.
By midday we were in the port of Victoria, where the skipper began at
once to discharge his cargo, and hence we were not long before our
chests were on the rough timber wharf, side by side with those of
Gunson, who left us in charge of them while he went away.
"Wish he wouldn't order us about like that," cried Esau, angrily; "let's
go away, and let some one else look after his traps."
"We can't now," I said.
"But we don't want him with us any more. I say, I don't think much of
this place."
"It's very beautiful," I said, looking away over the sea at beautiful
islands, and up at the wooded hills in view.
"But it looks just like being at home in England. I expected all kinds
of wonderful things in a foreign country, and not to be sitting down on
one's box, with sheds and stacks of timber and wooden houses all about
you. We can get that at home."
I was obliged to own that everything did look rather home-like, even to
some names we could see over the stores.
"And do you know where the skipper's going as soon as he has unloaded?"
"No," I said.
"Up to some place with a rum name here in this island, to get a load of
coals to take back. They only had to call it Newcastle to make it
right. What are you looking at over yonder?"
"Those beautiful mountains across the sea, rising up and up in the
sunshine. That's British Columbia, I suppose, and it must be up among
those mountains that our river runs, and where Fort Elk lies."
"All right, I'm ready. How are we to go?"
"We shall have to find out when some boat sails across I suppose. Let's
go and find the captain, and ask him where we ought to go to get a
night's lodging."
"Here he comes back," said Esau.
"The skipper?"
"No, Gunson. Now let's say good-bye to him, and part friends."
"There's a little steamer goes across to the settlement at the mouth of
the river this afternoon," said Gunson; "so we'll have your chests
carried down. Here, you two can get some kind of dinner in that place,
where you see the red board up. You go on and get something ready; I'll
join you as soon as I've seen your chests on board. The boat starts
from close by here."
"No, no," whispered Esau; "we mustn't trust him, because--"
Esau stopped, for he had glanced at Gunson, and found his eye fixed upon
him searchingly.
"I said I would see your chests safely on board, my lad," he said
sternly. "I suppose you'll trust me, Gordon?"
"Of course I will," I cried, eagerly; for I was ashamed of Esau's
suspicions.
"Go on then and order some dinner," he said; and Esau accompanied me
unwillingly to the rough kind of tavern.
"It's like madness," Esau kept on saying. "You see if he don't go off
with our chests, and then where shall we be?"
"Grumbling because I was so weak as to trust him. Never mind; I'm
hungry. Let's have something to eat."
We ordered it, and partook of a thoroughly hearty, English-looking meal;
but Gunson did not come, and as soon as Esau had finished, he suggested
that we should go and look after him.
"But he said we were to wait for him here."
"Yes, but I'm going to look for my chest," cried Esau. "I don't see any
fun in losing that."
"Nonsense! Don't be so suspicious," I said; and we waited on a full
hour, with Esau growing more and more fidgety, and by degrees infecting
me with his doubts.
All at once we heard from the distance the ringing of a bell, and the
Englishman who, as he called it, "ran the place," came up to us.
"Didn't I hear you two say that you were going by the steamer 's
afternoon?"
"Yes," I said.
"Well then, look sharp, or you'll lose the boat. She's just off."
I glanced at Esau, and as soon as he had paid we set off at a run,
reaching the little steamer just as she was being cast off from the
wharf.
"He ain't here," cried Esau, excitedly. "What shall we do--stop?"
"No," I said; "let's go on. We may find our chests on board."
"Yes," he said, sarcastically; "may. Well, we can come back again. Oh,
what a set of thieves there are abroad."
We were by this time on deck, and after a quick glance round, I pitched
upon a man who seemed to be either skipper or mate.
"Were two chests sent on board here belonging to us?"
"One-eyed man with 'em?" he said, looking at us curiously.
"Yes," I cried eagerly.
"All right. Down below."
"There, Esau," I cried, gripping him by the arm. "What do you deserve
now?"
"Punch o' the head, I suppose. Well, hooroar! and I'm glad we've got
rid of him at last."
"I don't know," I said. "I should have liked to shake hands first."
"Come, lads, what a while you've been," said Gunson, coming up out of
the cabin. "I told that boy to say you were to make haste."
"What boy?" I said.
"The one I sent. Didn't he tell you?"