Part 12 (2/2)

'Never mind, I worked hard, and this settler--a Welshman he was--appreciated my value, and paid me fairly well The best of it was that I could save every penny of hed it h reh it too for a time You don't mind that, you say

Bravely spoken, boys Success in the Silver Land rarely fails to fall to him who deserves it

'Well, in course of ti than my master, so he took ed our quarters,of houses, and a grand place for the beasts'

'And to what qualities do you chiefly attribute your success?' said ood co back hoets the ”swi” out of her head She says she still feels the earthup and doith her; and I don't wonder, an auld body like her doesn't standabout

'Well, you see, boys, that I, like yourselves, had one advantage to begin with You have a bit o' siller--I got a fairy Godfather But if I had a year to spare I'd go back to Scotland and lecture I'd tell the that lads or young et on up country here if they can once et landed Ay, even if they have hardly one penny to rattle against another

'Now, boys, do you care to go home with me? Mind it is a wild border-land I live on There are wild beasts in the hill jungles yet, and there are wilder ht theain'

'I don't think _we'll_ fear the Indians _very_ much,' said lad you have helped us to solve the problein to do soive you plenty to do I've taken out withas well as a wife Next week, too, I expect a shi+p fro me seven sturdy Scotch servant s like pillar post-offices, hands as broad as spades, and a heart like a lion's And,to form a little colony out yonder, then we'll be able to hold our own against all the reeving Indians that ever strode a horse Ah!

boys, this Silver Land has a hty future before it! We have just to settle down a bit and ith a will and a steady purpose, then we'll fear competition neither with Australia nor the United States of Aht And now I have you face to face with fate and fortune

”Now's the day and now's the hour, See the front of battle lower”

Yes, boys, the battle of life, and I would not give a fig for any lad who feared to face it

'Co up, and she'll want a cup o' tea'

CHAPTER IX

SHOPPING AND SHOOTING

We all went to Moncrieff's wedding, and it passed off s in other parts of the world The new Mrs Moncrieff was a veryperson indeed, and a native of our sister island--Ireland I dare say Moncrieff loved his wife very h there was no extra amount of romance about his character, else he would hardly have spoken about his wife and a truck-load of wire fencing in the self-same sentence But I dare say this honest Scot believed that wire fencing was quite as much a matter of necessity in the Silver West as a as

As for my brothers and '

bold Donald called it--to get away to this sain the very new life that was before us

But shi+ps do not always arrive froland exactly to a day; the vessel in which Moncrieff'swas delayed by contrary winds, and was a whole fortnight behind her time

Meanwhile we restrained ourselves as well as we could, and aunt went shopping She had set her heart upon guanaco robes or ponchos for each of us; and though they cost a deal ofto Moncrieff, a quite unnecessary expense, she bought them all the same

'They will last for ever, you knoas aunt's excuse for the extravagance

'Yes,' he said, 'but on't Besides,' he added, 'these ponchosthe Gaucho malo (the bad Gaucho) round us'

'All the better,' persisted aunt 'I've heard such a deal about this Gaucho malo that I should very hed