The Prince grew restless ; and at last, after we had
carried out some few specimens from the ledge, we
mounted our horses, and set out for the settlement
to procure supplies. We went by a circuitous way
to avoid suspicion.
The Indian boy, our strange manner of dress, and the Prince s lavish use of money, soon excited remark and observation. New rich mines were becoming scarce, and there were hordes of men waiting eagerly in every camp for some new thing to come to the surface. We were closely watched, but did not suspect it then.
One day the Prince met a child in an immigrant camp, the first he had seen for a long long time. He stopped, took from his buckskin purse a rough nug get, half quartz and half gold, gave it to the boy, patted him on the head, and passed on. A very foolish thing.
After obtaining our supplies, we set out to return. The evening of the last day in the settlement we camped under the trees by a creek, close by some prospectors, who came into our camp after the blan kets were spread, and sat about the fire cursing their hard luck ; long-haired, dirty-habited, and ugly- looking men they were. One was a sickly-looking man, a singularly tall, pale man, who had but little to say. There was some gold left. It was of no pos sible use to us. The Prince took him to one side, gave him the purse, and told him to take it and go home. Another extremely silly thing. This man,
