The Golden Canyon Contents: The Golden Canyon; The Stone Chest

most unbearable. Not a breath of wind was stirring in the land-locked harbor, and the bare and arid country round the town afforded no relief to the

sole sheltered port available for shipping between San Francisco and the mouth of the Gulf of California. Two or three other ships which were, like the Northampton, engaged in shipping hides, lay near her

ip's sides, they leaned against the bulwarks; "what with the heat, and what with the stench, and what with the captain and the first mate, life is not wort

espects, Dick, but unfortunately we sha

heard that he was a capital sailor, and I have no doubt he is. He certainly handled her splendidly in that big storm we had rounding the Cape. I suppose they did not inquire much farther, as we took no passengers out to San Francisco, and were coming out to pick up a cargo of hides here for the return journey; but he is a tyrant on board, and when I get back I will tell my father, and he will let Thompson know the sort of fellow Collet is. It doesn't do one any good making complaints of a captain, but my father is such friends with Thompson that I know he will tell

nd we have a very fair crew, and we have good grub; and the company always victual their ships we

he second officer, cam

Preston," he said to Dick; "if

; I should like

the officer moved away. "That is one of the nuisa

ourse, Allen is a very good fellow, but one can't h

Even if one could get away for a day there is no temptation to ride about that desert-looking country, with the sun burning down on one; no one but a salamander could stand it. They are about the roughest-looking lot I ever saw in the town. Everyone has got something to do with hides one way or the other. They have eithe

, Tom; there is no chance

got one about him somewhere, and a considerable number of them are drunk; it is

ancisco; it has got an ounce of lead in the knob.

m Haldane, as he passed by, slipped the pistol into his hand and then walked on. Di

t is just nine o'clock now. Suppose you meet me here at the boat at half-past ten. It will be

n the town, but I will take a bit of a stroll outside

ck felt no inclination to enter any of them. Had his chum been with him he might have looked in for a few minutes for the fun of the thing, but alone he would be the object of remark, and might perhaps get involved in a quarrel. Besides the freshness of the air was so pleasant that he felt di

of the smell of hides. If ever cholera comes this way

ad gone but a hundred yards or two when he heard a shout, fol

. One man was defending himself against four, and the oaths and exclamations of these showed that they were Mexicans. J

ing blow of his stick. The other man who was standing

back, fell across the three men on the ground. Dick seized the opportunity to draw his pistol, dropping his stick as he did so, as his left arm was disabled. It was a double-barreled pistol and as the three natives rose and rushed at him, he shot the first. The other two sprang at him and