"Did he take all the money with him when he started for America?"
"No; he paid me half a year's wages, on account of a year and a half due, and he spent a little on himself, but he had five hundred and fifty pounds in his pocket-book, in bank-notes, when he left Waterloo."
"In bank-notes. Do you know the figures?"
"Yes; there were two hundred-pound notes, and four fifties, the rest tens and fives. I wrote a list of the numbers at his dictation."
"Have you kept that list?"
"I believe I have a copy of it among my papers. I copied the figures, knowing what a careless beggar the Colonel is, and that he was as likely as not to lose his list."
"Why did he take the money in bank-notes?"
"He had been told that a cheque-book wouldn't be of much use to him in San Francisco, and no use at all at Dawson City, where he would have to buy most of his outfit—furs, and mining tools, and a lot more."
"What put Klondyke into his head, do you think?"
"A pal of his, a Yankee, was going to try his luck there. My master was always fond of adventure, and never minded roughing it; so the scheme took his fancy."