“Nonsense! Able-bodied, vigorous, young and active fellows,” cried Wilton decisively.
“That’s right, sir. Then how many years is it since that poor old fellow was young, able-bodied, and vigorous, and started off into the desert with his party? It wasn’t yesterday, I’ll be bound.”
“No!” said Wilton, very slowly and thoughtfully.
“He managed to live a long time out here, sir, eh?” said Griggs, smiling, “and so can we. We’ve got a hundred times his chance, for, as I said before, we know what he didn’t.”
“What do you mean?” said Ned’s father.
“We know that the gold city is somewhere, and we’ve got his plan to work upon. Now, doctor,” continued the speaker suddenly, “what do you say to making a start for the mountain to have a look round?”
“The sooner the better,” said the doctor, “only let’s make a stack of our stores.”
“That’s soon done,” said Griggs, and all started to place the bales so that the mules might not investigate matters that were no concern of theirs.