"What was it--footprints in the sand belonging to the men of your golden city?" Briscoe looked at him sharply. "No," he said, in a low tone so that no one else could hear, "but signs of gold itself, and we may be on the way to the legendary city after all." "What?" cried Brace, smiling. "You don't mean to say that you are still thinking about that! I thought you had entirely forgotten it." "To be frank, I always do think about it, for I believe in it most firmly: otherwise I should not be here." "Nonsense! It's nothing but a myth--a legend," said Brace. "I think not," said Briscoe gravely. "I believe it's as much a fact as the golden cities of the Mexicans and Peruvians that the Spaniards proved to be no myths." "No: that was true enough," replied Brace thoughtfully. "So's this. I've dreamed about it for years, and I mean to find it yet." "Why, you surprise me. I thought it was the temple of natural history which you used as your place of worship." "So I do, but I've got the golden city behind all that." "Nonsense! It is, as you said just now, merely a dream." "Perhaps." "Where is it to be found? You did not fancy it was up the Orinoco, did you, when you planned to go up there?" "Yes, either there or up here," said Briscoe. "Don't you understand that it must be on the banks of some river out of the bed of which the Indians could wash gold?" "No. I should have thought it would be close to some mountain out of which the old people could dig gold." "Then I shouldn't," said Briscoe. "The first gold-finders found it in the beds of the streams down which it had been washed. That's what I think, and I determined to come up and examine the South American rivers till I found the right one. I meant to go up the Orinoco; but the Amazons did just as well. It might be there, but it's just as likely to be here, and--" "Let's go back and have some lunch in the boat first," said Brace, smiling at his companion's earnestness. "We can then hoist the sail and run back to the brig and tell my brother that you've broken out with the gold fever, and that there is to be no more collecting of specimens." "No, we won't," said Briscoe drily; "for I've said what I did to you in confidence, and you won't say a word. I'm going to collect and do as you do; but there's nothing to hinder me from making a grand discovery besides, is there?" "Oh, no," said Brace merrily; "but I don't see any reason why we should keep it a secret from my brother and the rest." "Perhaps not, but I do. We don't want the brig's crew to go mad, do we?" "Certainly not." "Then don't you say a word about there being gold in this river for them to hear or the consequences might be serious." "I shall not speak about it, for I don't think there is any." "Perhaps not," said Briscoe drily; "but I do. For there is, and plenty of it." "What?" cried Brace. "That's right. Don't be surprised. By-and-by I'll show you, and open your eyes."