“There you are, then, sir. Look, as the proper maps’ll show you, what a big hunch of these three States we’re going to search is marked off as prairie-land.”
“To be sure.”
“Then that as good as halves what we’ve got to go over again. We’ve got to make for the mountain-path always till we find those three sugar-loafy bits the poor fellow marked down. Why, neighbour, we’re cutting off a lot of pieces that we shan’t need to meddle with. You see, it’s coming down and getting less every time we begin to work.”
“There’s a deal in what you say,” said the doctor thoughtfully, “but the country is immense.”
“So was the Atlantic Ocean, sir, when Mr Christopher Columbus set sail in his ship to find land. That was jumping right into the darkness.”
“Hear, hear!” cried Bourne and Wilton together, and the boys hammered the table.
“Yes,” said the doctor, more thoughtfully, “and he had nothing but a kind of faith to work on. You are quite right, Griggs; we have some grounds to go upon.”
“Instead of deep water, sir,” said the American, grinning.
“And you being captain of the expedition, Lee,” cried Wilton, “will have a far better chance of success.”
“Shall I? I don’t see why.”