The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-02-01
THE CALIFORNIANS.
By JULES VERNE.
CHAPTER XIX.
GETTING READY FOR THE START.

T1dSS WHICH Ildu UdhCu IlCT l1OAI CIlC
wharf to her hotel in King William
street, Adelaide. Tt was the Goth day
of August, only one month since She
had left San Francisco, but it almost
seemed as if year had rounded up,
since leaving home, so many strange,
faces had confronted her, so many
strange voices had sounded in her ears
ono almost from the other world,
faint, hollow and indistinct, whilel
another full of warmth, tenderness and
buoyancy seemed always to have been
with her, SO strangely familiar did it.
sound, such q fondness was there in it's
accents. Godfrey had not been near
Molly when she left the steamer, but
she was quite certain that it was stern
duty alone that kept him away from
that end of the steamer. Zach walked!
by her side so like stern and incOrrupti-t
bic guardian that sac only dared to give
n timid glance about her. Still She
knew the sailor lad was in safe hands
and deemed it best not to alarm the
honest Zach at that moment by any
show of weakness. A tremendous task
was awaiting her and it behOoved her
to give an earnest of her ability to face
and accomplish it if she expected to-
Inspire others with her courage.
Thanks to the hearty cooperation of
the government, thirty picked men, well +,
armed and we'll mounted, some of them
half breeds and speaking the dialect of
The natives, were soon enrolled for the
expedition. Mrs. Allaire contracted to !
pay them high wages with q bounty of
several hundred pounds upon their re-
turn, no matter what the outcome Of
the expedition might be. The men
were to be under the command Of Tom
Marks, an old and experienced
officer of the provincial police,
with Zach French for his lieuten-
ant, but above Tom Marks, above
Zach, above everyone, came Mrs. John
Allaire, the veritable head as well as
the actual heart and soul of the expedi-
ton.
1t was agreed that the expedition
should rendezvous at Farina Town, the
terminus of tho Adelaide railway,
where Mrs. Allaire was to join it day
or so before the start which was to take
place some day in the second week of
September. Several pleasant inter-
views took place between the governor
general and Mrs. Allaire. The former
thought himself in duty bound to set
fully forth to that lady the dangers,
the difficulties and eve the slight hope
of success awaiting such an expedition
as the one she was about to set
on foot, and which to make sue
cessful she had already scattered
her money with a lavish hand.
Everything was to be done to gain and
preserve the good will of the savages
through whose domain they were to
pass. Valuable presents were to be be-
slowed upon the chiefs and their head
men.
ST shall hesitate at nothing, your ex-
ce1lency, shall shrink from no sacri-
fce," exclaimed Mrs. Allaire "What
your intrepid pathfnders accomplished
in the interest of civilization and science
shall do to rescue my husband who
to-day is the sole survivor of the crew
of the Dreadnaught. Since the day he
sailed from San Diego with all the
world against me have persisted in
nv belief that he was alive. Now we
know that he is Now all that is needed
to reach him and take him from the
hands of his savage captors is devotion
to the noble task we have set ourselves
Our motto is: No Step Backward and
with Gods help we shall bring Capt.
John Allaire home with us"
The moment that stern but honest