The departure of Shasta gave rise to all manner of doubt and speculation. None of them believed he meditated bidding the party good-by until he went through the ceremony of shaking hands. This settled the matter, and they could have no cause for hope of seeing him again.

"That must have been a party of his people," said Howard, "or he would not have taken the pains to help us out of sight."

"At any rate, he has done us good service," replied Elwood. "I don't know what would have become of us but for him."

They had not yet begun using their paddle, but were drifting with the current, debating upon their course of action.

"I think I understand why he left us," added Howard, after a moment's pause.

Tim and Elwood looked up in his face.

"I think we have passed through most of the danger, and he thought we were just as safe without him as with him. Don't you see, Elwood, that we have come a good ways down the river, and we must be near some settlement. I think there is a place called Soledad somewhere along this river, but whether on the eastern or western bank I cannot tell."

"It is a good ways off, I should say fifty miles, and is on the western bank."

"How comes it that you are so well informed?" asked Howard, repeating the question that had been asked him by his cousin when on the steamer.

"It is only accidentally that I know that. A few weeks ago I was comparing an old and new geography and noticed what different views they gave of the western part of our country. The old maps had the Buenaventura so wrong in every particular that I learned considerable about the true one, which you know is called Salinas by most people."

"If we are very careful, I think we can get home without trouble; but although............