they were safe at last! the four dropped their feet and found them resting upon smooth packed sand, and wading a few rods they all stood upon dry earth. terror, as he shook his shaggy coat and rubbed his nose against his young masters seemed not the least joyful of the party.
"isn't this grand!" exclaimed elwood. "when did the ground feel better to your feet? saved from fire and water!"
"our first duty is to thank god!" said mr. yard reverently. "he has chosen us out of the hundreds that have perished as special objects of his mercy. let us kneel upon the shore and testify our gratitude to him."
all sunk devoutly upon their knees and joined the merchant, as in a low, impressive tone he returned thanks to his creator for the signal mercy he had displayed in bringing them safely through such imminent perils.
"now, what is to be done next?" inquired mr. yard, as they arose to their feet and looked around them. "the first thing i should like to do is to procure a suit of clothes, and i hope i shall be able to do it without stripping any of the dead bodies that will soon wash ashore."
"what is the naad?" asked tim o'rooney. "baing that it's a warrum summer night, and there saams to be few in the neighborhood that is likely to take exsaptions to your costume."
"but day is breaking!" replied the merchant, pointing across the low, rocky country to a range of mountains in the distance, whose high, jagged tops were blackly defined against the sky that was growing light and rosy behind them.
"yes, it will soon be light," said howard. "see! there are persons along the shore that have come down to the wreck?"
"they are some of the passengers that have managed to reach land. i will go among them and see whether any of them have any clothing to sell," laughed mr. yard as he moved away.
as the sun came up over the mountains it lit up a dreary and desolate scene. away in the distance, until sky and earth mingled into one, stretched the blue pacific, not ridged into foam and spray like the boisterous atlantic, but swelling and heaving as if the great deep was a breathing monster. a few fragments of blackened splinters floating here and there were all that remained to show where a few hours before the magnificent steamer, surcharged with its living freight, so proudly cut the waters on her swift course toward the golden gate.
several ghastly, blue-lipped survivors in their clinging garments were wandering aimlessly along the shore, the veriest pictures of utter misery, as they mumbled a few words to each other, or stared absently around. they seemed to be partially bereft of their senses, and were probably somewhat dazed from the fearful scenes through which they had so recently passed.
several sails were visible, but they were so far away that it was vain to hope to attract their attention. three large boats could be seen away to the northwest, skirting along shore and making their way toward san francisco as rapidly as muscle and oars could carry them. what recked they whether the passengers were buried with the steamer, sunk in the ocean, or left to perish on the desolate coast?
the coast range, which descends into california from oregon, in some places comes within twenty-five or thirty miles of the sea, while at other times it recedes to over a hundred. the particular point where our friends were suffered to land was rough, barren and rocky, and behind them, with many peaks reaching the line of perpetual snow, rose the noble coast range, between which and them stretched a smaller range of mountains.
around them the country appeared desolate and uninhabited. howard and elwood were well acquainted with geography, and had a general idea of california, although they could not be expected to know much of the minor facts of the state. they were aware that at no great distance—but whether north or south it was impossible to say—lay the missionary town of san luis obispo, and between them and the coast range ran the salinas river, formerly known as the san buenaventura, and a smaller chain of mountains or highlands.
they knew, too, that after crossing the coast range, you descended into the broad and beautiful sacramento valley, where abounded wild animals, indians, gold, silver, and the most exuberant vegetation. this was about all they knew; and this, after all, was considerable. when persons expect to make a journey to some distant country they are very apt to learn all that they possibly can about it; and this was the way they came to understand so much regarding the young state of california.
they had stood some little time conversing together when they saw mr. yard approaching, clad in quite a respectable suit of black, albeit, as a matter of course, it was thoroughly soaked with salt water.
"you are fortunate," remarked howard.
"yes," he laughed; "what strange beings we are! do you see that elderly gentleman yonder, with his hands in his pockets walking back and forth as though he expected some arrival from the sea?"
the personage alluded to could be easily distinguished from the others.
"well, his berth was next to mine. when the alarm of fire was first heard he sprung from his bed, dressed himself and caught up his valise, which contained an extra suit of clothing, and rushed on deck with the other passengers."
"how was he saved?"
"it is hard to tell. he and several others hung fast to some such sort of a raft as we had, and managed to get ashore. and all the time he grasped that valise, even when besought by his companions to let it go, find when it endangered his chances of life fully ten-fold."
"he must be very poor."
"poor! he is worth half a million in gold this minute. that valise contained all his property that he had entrusted to the steamer, and it was his fear that he might lose the few dollars that it is worth that made him cling so tenaciously to it."
"how was it that he gave them to you?"
"no fear that he gave them. i stated in the presence of two witnesses that, i would give him a hundred dollars for the suit as soon as we reached san francisco. he racked his brains to see whether there was not some means of my giving him my note for the amount; but as that couldn't be done under the circumstances, he did the next best thing and established my obligation in the mouth of several witnesses."
"strange man! but, mr. yard, what is to be done?"
"i intend to wait here during the day, as i know of nothing better that we can do. i think some friends will find us before nightfall."
"we have decided to go inland a short distance, dry our clothes and give our bodies a good rubbing, to prevent our taking cold."
"a wise precaution, but useless in my case as i have already caught a very severe one."
"should we become separated, you will tell our parents that we reached the land in safety and are in good spirits."
"of course; but don't wander too far away, as you may lose your chance of being taken off. you know this isn't the most hospitable country in the world. there are treacherous and thieving indians in these parts, and they would have swooped down on us long ago if they had only known we were here. as it is, i fear their approach before a friendly sail comes to us."
"never fear; we will take good care not to wander too far away."
and the parties separated for a much longer time than any of them imagined.
