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Adrift in the Wilds;
OR,
The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys.
By EDWARD S. ELLIS
ILLUSTRATED.
NEW YORK:A. L. BURT, PUBLISHER.
Copyrighted 1887, by A. L. Burt.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
'May the good Lord preserve us! them are Injuns,' saidTim.
"The Indian drew forth a tiny canoe and shoved it intothe water"
"We are lost."
ADRIFT IN THE WILDS;
OR,
The Adventures of Two Shipwrecked Boys.
CHAPTER I.
HO, FOR CALIFORNIA.
One beautiful misummer night in 18-- a large, heavily laden steamer wasmaking her way swiftly up the Pacific coast, in the direction of SanFrancisco. She was opposite the California shore, only a day's saildistant from the City of the Golden Gate, and many of the passengers hadalready begun making preparations for landing, even though a whole nightand the better part of a day was to intervene ere they could expect toset their feet upon solid land.
She was one of those magnificent steamers that ply regularly betweenPanama and California. She had rather more than her full cargo offreight and passengers; but, among the hundreds of the latter, we haveto do with but three.
On this moonlight night, there were gathered by themselves these threepersonages, consisting of Tim O'Rooney, Elwood Brandon and HowardLawrence. The first was a burly, good-natured Irishman, and the twolatter were cousins, their ages differing by less than a month, and bothbeing in their sixteenth year.
The financial storm that swept over the country in 18--, toppling downmerchants and banking-houses like so many ten-pins, carried with it inthe general wreck and ruin, that of Brandon, Herman & Co., and thesenior partner, Sylvanus Brandon, returned to his home in Brooklyn, NewYork, one evening worse than penniless. While he was meditating,dejected and gloomy, as to the means by which he was to keep the wolffrom the door, his clerk brought him a letter which had been overlookedin the afternoon's mail, postmarked, "San Francisco, Cal." At once herecognized the bold, handsome superscription as that of his kind-heartedbrother-in-law, Thomas Lawrence. His heart beat with a strong hope as hebroke the envelope, and his eyes glistened ere he had read one-half.
In short, it stated that Mr. Lawrence had established himselfsuccessfully in business, and was doing so well that he felt theimperative need of a partner, and ended by urging Mr. Brandon to acceptthe position. The bankrupt merchant laid the epistle in his lap, removedhis spectacles and looked smilingly toward his wife. They held a longdiscussion, and both decided to accept the offer at once, as there wasno other recourse left to them.
It was evident from the letter that Mr. Lawrence had some apprehensionsregarding Mr. Brandon's ability to weather the storm, but he could notbe aware of his financial crash, as it had only become known on thestreet within the last twenty-four hours. Mr. Brandon deemed it proper,therefore, before closing with the offer, to acquaint his brother-in-lawwith his circumstances, that he might fully understand the disadvantageunder which he would be placed by the new partnership.
The letter was written and duly posted, and our friends rather anxiouslyawaited the answer. It came in the gratifying form of a draft for $1,000to defray "his necessary expenses," and an urgent entreaty to startwithout delay.
The advice was acted upon, and within two weeks of the reception of thesecond letter, Mr. Brandon and his wife were on board the steamer at NewYork, with their state-rooms engaged for California. They had but onechild, Elwood, whom they had placed at a private school where he was toprepare himself for college, in company with his cousin, HowardLawrence, who had been sent from California by his father and hadentered the school at the same time.
Mr. Brandon learned that Mr. Lawrence was a brother indeed. The positionin which the two men were placed proved so favorable to the former thatin a few years he found himself almost as wealthy as in his palmiestdays, when his name was such a power in Wall Street. He had come to likethe young and growing State of California, and ere he had been there twoyears both himself and wife had lost all longings for the metropolis ofthe New World.
In the meanwhile, Elwood and Howard were doing well at their studies inBrooklyn. They had been inseparable friends from infancy, and as theiryears increased the bonds of affection seemed to strengthen betweenthem. They were the only children of twin sisters, and bore a remarkableresemblance in person, character and disposition. Both had dark,curling, chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and an active muscular organizationthat made them leaders in boyish pastimes and sports. If there was anyperceptible difference between the two, it was that Elwood Brandon was alittle more daring and impetuous than his companion; he was apt tofollow out his first impulses and venture upon schemes withoutdeliberating fully enough. Both were generous, unselfish, and eitherwould have willingly risked his life for the other.
Thus matters stood until the summer when our young heroes had completedtheir preparatory course, and were ready to enter college. It wasdecided by their parents that this should be done in the autumn, andthat the summer of this year should be spent by the boys with theirparents in California. They had been separated from them for five years,during which they had met but once, when the parents made a journey toNew York for that purpose, spending several months with them. Thatvisit, it may be said, was now to be returned, and the boys meant thatit should be returned with interest.
And so Tim O'Rooney, a good-natured, trustworthy Irishman, who had beenin the employ of Mr. Lawrence for eight years, almost ever since hisarrival in America, was sent to New York to accompany the boys on theirvisit home.
Howard and Elwood were standing one afternoon on the corner of MontagueStreet, in Brooklyn, chatting with each other about their expected tripto California. They had closed their school studies a week before, andboy-like were now anxious to be off upon their journey. Suddenly anIrishman came in sight, smoking furiously at a short black pipe. Thefirst glance showed them that it was no other than Tim O'Rooney, theexpected messenger.
"Isn't that good?" exclaimed Elwood, "the steamer sails on Saturday, andwe'll go in it. Here he comes, as though he was in a great hurry!"
"Don't say anything, and see whether he will know us!"
"Why shouldn't he?"
"You know we've grown a good deal since he was here, and the beard isgetting so stiff on my chin that it scratches my hand every time I touchit."
"Yes; that mustache, too, is making you look as fierce as a Bluebeard;but here he is!"
At this instant Tim O'Rooney came opposite them. He merely glanced up,puffed harder than ever and was passing on, when both burst out in aloud laugh.
"Be the powers! what's the mather with ye spalpeens?" he angrilydemanded. "Can't a dacent man be passing the sthrats widout beinginsulted----Howly mother! is it yerselves or is it your grandfathers?"
He had recognized them, and a hearty hand-shaking followed. Tim grinneda great deal over his mistake, and answered their questions in his dry,witty way, and assured them that his instructions were to bring themhome as soon as possible. Accordingly, they embarked on the steamer onthe following Saturday; and, passing over the unimportant incidents oftheir voyage, we come back to our starting point, where all three werewithin a day's journey of their destination.