“Yes, there’s great room,” said Joe, “for the settin’ up of a gin’ral enlightenment an’ universal emigration society, but I raither think it wouldn’t pay.”
“I know it wouldn’t, but why not?” demanded Frank.
“Ah, why not?” repeated Joe.
As neither of them appeared to be able to answer the question, they both remained for some time in a profound reverie, Frank gazing as he was wont to do into the fire, and Joe staring through smoke of his own creation at the vaquero, who reclined on the opposite side of the fire enjoying the tobacco to the full by letting it puff slowly out at his nose as well as his mouth.
“Joe,” said Frank.
“Ay, ay, sir,” answered Joe with nautical promptitude.
“I have been thinking a good deal about our affairs of late, and have come to the conclusion that the sooner we go home the better.”
“My notions pre-cisely.”
“Moreover,” continued Frank, “I think that we have come far enough in this direction, and that it would be a good plan to return to Bigbear Gully by a different route from that by which we came here, and thus have an opportunity of seeing some of the other parts of the diggings. What say you to that?”
“I’m agreeable,” answered Joe.