OUR LODGINGS. 239 



train and made inquiries for a place to stop at, we were told 

 that there was an eating-house, where they had a lean-to on 

 each side, divided into pens, some seven feet square, and that 

 we might with luck get one of these. 



While walking along the street we had soon an opportunity 

 of seeing what kind of a place we were in. A man more than 

 half drunk rushed out of a saloon on the opposite side of the 

 street, followed by another in the same state, with a pistol in 

 his hand, which, on his catching the first man, he put to his 

 head and tried to shoot him, but was too drunk to do it ; and 

 when we were going to run across and interfere, a bystander 

 told us not to be fools, but to remain where we were, as the 

 more of such men there were shot the better . 



The streets were composed of small one-storey wooden 

 houses of all shapes, and placed anyhow, some projecting 

 many feet further into the street than others no two being 

 alike and the intervals between them were filled with empty 

 tins, broken crockery, old boots, broken kettles, bottles, and 

 all kinds of rubbish. Some men had put a short piece of 

 board sidewalk in front of their houses, and some had not, 

 which made the walking at night very awkward, especially as 

 there were no street lamps, and the only light came from the 

 lanterns hung in front of saloons to light up some transpar- 

 ency. On arriving at the eating-house we found that we could 

 have one of the pens between us, every bed here being meant 

 for two, and we were to get our meals in the centre room, our 

 bedroom being just big enough for a bed, chair, and a very 

 small wash-stand, with barely room to stand when dressing, 

 making it necessary for one of us to dress while sitting 

 on the bed. The people who came for meals were a very 



