“Jess t’other way, ye fool! We’re a going out o’ the buffuler country, an’ into perts where theer ain’t a anymal bigger than a rat. On t’other side o’ the mountings, theer ain’t no beests o’ any kind—neery one; an’ its jess theer we’ll want that eer bag o’ meel. Ef we don’t take it along, we’ll sterve for certing.”
“Be me sowl! I’d ruther carry the male on my showlders. There’s liss of it now; an’ maybe I could manage it, iv you’ld only carry the spids, an’ thim other things. We moight lave the knapsicks an’ kyarthridge-box behind. What use ud they be in Kalifornya? They’ll only lade to our detiction by the throops out there.”
“Don’t ee be skeert ’bout thet, kimrade! Ef theer’s troops in Californey, they’ll hev theer hands full ’ithout troublin’ us, I reeking. We ain’t like to be the only two critters as hain’t got a pass for the diggins. Ne’er a bit o’t. We’ll find deserters out theer es thick as blue-bottles on a barkiss. Certingly we shell. Besides, Petrick, we needn’t take the knepsacks all the way out theer, nor the berra neythur, nor nuthin’ else we’ve brought from the Fort.”
“Fwhat div yez mane?” interrogated the Irishman—evidently puzzled to interpret the other’s speech. “We kin leave all them fixing in Morming City.”
“But will the thrain be afther thravellin’ that way? Shure ye don’t know that.”
“Certing it will. A putty consid’able pert o’ it air made up o’ Mormings; an’ they’ll be boun’ to the Salt Lake. We kin foller them an’ drop t’other. In the Morming settlements, we kin swop our unyforms for suthin’ else, an’ the berra too. Es to the knepsacks an’ cartridge-box, I guess as how I inteend to make a spec on them ere two articles.”
“Fwhat! a pair ov soger knapsacks, an’ an owld kyarthridge-box! They wuldn’t fitch the worth ov dhrinks apaice.”
“Theer your mistaking, Mister Tigg. Preehaps they’ll swop better’n you think. How d’ye know I ain’t like to git a beest apiece for ’em—eyther a mule or a hoss? This child ain’t a going to fut it all the way to Californey. B’yont the Morming City, he rides a spell, I recking.”
“Be japers! that’s an out-an’-out good oidea. But how dev ye mane to carry it through? that’s what bothers Patrick O’Tigg.”
“We—ell, Petrick, I’ll tell ee my plan. I ain’t got it straightened out yet, but I hope to hev it all right by the time we’re on t’other side the mountings—leastwise before we reaches Morming City.”