After strolling round the camp Hampton looked in at the saloon. There were only three or four men at the bar. The girl was not there. 'I have been round there this morning,' Jacob said when he returned to the waggon. 'I did not see her. They have given me an order for as much as I will carry. They would fill the cart up, but I would not have more than my usual load.' 'You did not know the man by sight at all, I suppose?' 'No. I don't think I ever set eyes on him before.' 'Spirits and groceries, I suppose, principally?' 'Yes; they are expecting flour and bacon up in a waggon that ought to be in to-day.' 'Did they ask you any questions, Jacob?' 'Only if I had been out here long. I said we had been out here a good bit, and had been hauling goods to the camps where we had been. I did not give any time, but it was a long list of camps, and they must have reckoned we had been out here some months. One of them said something about a reference, so as to be sure that I should bring the goods here when I got them, but I said--Reference be blowed. We had been hauling out here long enough, and as we had got a waggon and team it weren't likely we were going to risk them and being shot for the sake of a few pounds' worth of goods: so they did not say anything more about it. I said my mate was going to work here and was going to buy a claim, and that satisfied them a bit. I suppose you are going to have your grub here at one o'clock?' 'Yes. When do you start, Jacob?' 'I will go as soon as we have had dinner. We will get up the tent with the tarpaulin now, if you are ready; then if we go round just after dinner is over in the saloon I will get the orders for the things at Sacramento and be off.' 'I have arranged about working in a claim, Jacob. I will take my meals at the saloon while you are away.' When they went into the saloon the great bulk of the men were off to their work again, and only two or three were lounging at the bar. Jacob went up to Murdoch, who was setting things straight. 'Have yer got the list ready?' he asked. 'I am just going to hitch up the team.' 'I will get it up for you directly.' 'We will take a drink while you are getting it,' Ned Hampton said. 'I am this lad's mate, and have pretty well arranged about taking a share in a claim, so if you like he can go down regularly for you.' They strode up to the bar, while Murdoch went through an inner door. He appeared behind the bar directly after with Truscott. 'These are the men that are going down with the cart, Linda,' the latter said to the girl; 'at least the lad is going, the man is going to work on the flat; they want the list.' 'Brandy and champagne are the two things we want most,' she said. 'You had better get eighteen gallons of Bourbon, eighteen of brandy, and twelve dozen of champagne. I have made out the list of the groceries we want. There it is; that comes to thirteen pounds.'