Howard took out his watch, but the moonlight was too faint for him to distinguish the hands, and the three were content to let the precise time remain a matter of conjecture.
"Tim, how close are we to land?" asked Elwood.
"I should say about the same distance that the land is from us, and begorrah that's the best information I can give yees."
"I could see the mountains very plainly when the sun was setting," said Howard, "and it cannot be many miles away."
"What sort of a country is it off here?" pursued Elwood, pointing in the direction of the land.
"It is wild and rocky, and there are plenty of Indians and wild animals there."
"How do you know?" asked Elwood, in some amazement.
"I have taken the trouble to learn all about California that I could before coming."
"I believe they have gold there?" said Elwood, in rather a bantering vein.
"Tim can tell you more about that than I can, as he came to California to hunt gold."