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diff --git a/42829-8.txt b/42829-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ba456b5..0000000 --- a/42829-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9010 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of In Quest of Gold, by Alfred St. Johnston - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: In Quest of Gold - Under the Whanga Falls - -Author: Alfred St. Johnston - -Illustrator: Gordon Browne - -Release Date: May 28, 2013 [EBook #42829] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN QUEST OF GOLD *** - - - - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -[Illustration: "THE BEAUTIFUL CREATURE ROSE TO THE LEAP." -(_p. 264._) _Frontispiece._] - - -IN QUEST OF GOLD; - -OR, - -_Under the Whanga Falls_. - - -BY - -ALFRED ST. JOHNSTON, - -_Author of "Camping among Cannibals," "Charlie Asgarde," &c._ - - -WITH EIGHT ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS BY GORDON BROWNE. - - -_SEVENTH THOUSAND._ - - -CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED: -_LONDON, PARIS & MELBOURNE_. -1892. - -[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] - - - - -Transcriber's Note: Minor typographical errors have been corrected -without note. Dialect spellings, contractions and inconsistencies in -the text have been retained as printed. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. PAGE - -THE BIRTH OF AN ADVENTURE 1 - -CHAPTER II. - -GAINING INFORMATION 11 - -CHAPTER III. - -PREPARATIONS FOR A START 21 - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE FIRST STAGES 31 - -CHAPTER V. - -A TRAITOR IN THE CAMP 39 - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE FIGHT WITH THE MYALLS 51 - -CHAPTER VII. - -LIFE OR DEATH? 64 - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A TERRIBLE ENEMY 70 - -CHAPTER IX. - -AFTER THE FIRE 80 - -CHAPTER X. - -AMONG THE MOUNTAINS 89 - -CHAPTER XI. - -VERY NEAR TO DEATH 95 - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE WHANGA 103 - -CHAPTER XIII. - -WAYS AND MEANS 113 - -CHAPTER XIV. - -BUILDING THE DAM 128 - -CHAPTER XV. - -UNWELCOME VISITORS 142 - -CHAPTER XVI. - -GOLD! 148 - -CHAPTER XVII. - -LEAVING THE VALLEY 157 - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -"THERE'S MANY A SLIP" 166 - -CHAPTER XIX. - -HOW THE BOYS RETURNED HOME 175 - -CHAPTER XX. - -A CONFERENCE OF BUSHRANGERS 187 - -CHAPTER XXI. - -YESSLETT PREPARES TO ACT 196 - -CHAPTER XXII. - -WHAT BECAME OF ALEC 210 - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -CROSBY ACCOUNTS FOR HIMSELF 218 - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -COMO'S ERRAND 230 - -CHAPTER XXV. - -YESSLETT'S ADVENTURE 238 - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -ESCAPE FROM NORTON'S GAP 247 - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -A WILD NIGHT-RIDE 260 - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -IS IT TOO LATE? 269 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - -"THE BEAUTIFUL CREATURE ROSE TO THE LEAP" _Frontispiece_ - -"'GOLD, GOLD! CHEER UP, ALEC; OF COURSE WE'LL HAVE IT'" - _To face page_ 5 - -"HE SEIZED THE NATIVE ROUND HIS SLIM, NAKED BODY" - _To face page_ 79 - -"HE WAS SO OVERCOME ... THAT HE SAT STRAIGHT DOWN INTO THE STREAM" - _To face page_ 130 - -"AN ARMED HORSEMAN ... SHOUTED, 'BAIL UP!'" - _To face page_ 170 - -"ALEC KICKED HIS FEET FREE FROM HIS STIRRUPS, AND ... LEAPED ON TO -THE OTHER HORSE" - _To face page_ 182 - -"TO SCREEN HIM FROM STARLIGHT'S FIRE HE HAD INTERPOSED HIS OWN BODY" - _To face page_ 256 - -"'YOUR PRICE IS THERE!'" - _To face page_ 279 - - - - -IN QUEST OF GOLD; - -OR, UNDER THE WHANGA FALLS. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE BIRTH OF AN ADVENTURE. - - -"Alec, Alec," a strong, clear, boy's voice rang out from the gully, -"are you up there? Whatever are you doing at this time of night?" And -the next moment George Law, a tall, strongly made lad of fifteen or so, -left the sandy bed of the dried-up river, and sprang up the great -rocks, as lightly and actively as a cat, to where his elder brother was -sitting alone. - -"Hallo, Geordie, lad! is that you? I might have known it; no one else -can climb the rocks as you do." - -"I thought I should find you at 'The Castle.' What have you come for? -There's something the matter, I'm sure there is. What is it, old boy?" -He sat down as he spoke and passed his hand into his brother's arm. -"Tea is quite ready, and the Johnny-cakes piping hot. Mother and -Margaret couldn't think where you were, but I guessed you had ramped -off to 'The Castle' for a quiet think. Come, tell us all about it." - -For a moment Alec Law did not answer, but sat, as he had been sitting -before his brother came, with his chin on his hand and his elbow on his -knee, looking with steady gaze over the tops of the wild, great trees -that grew below them in a tangled mass of luxuriant greenery, towards -that far-away strip of silver on which the moonlight fell, which he -knew to be the sea. He was two or three years older than George, and -was more developed and of a stouter build, but one could see at a -glance that they were brothers: they had the same dark eyes and level -brows, and the same dark wavy hair. They were dressed alike, which made -the likeness stronger. Just as nine-tenths of Australian bushmen do, -they wore white--or what once were white--moleskin breeches, laced -boots, gaiters, and red flannel shirts open at the throat, and with the -sleeves rolled up to the elbow. - -Alec turned when he found his arm taken, and, as he saw his brother, -the stern look vanished from his determined face, and his eyes met -Geordie's inquiring gaze with a softer light there than had shone in -them before. - -"Yes, you are right; something is the matter. I came here to try and -think of a way out of it all. I didn't want to trouble you with it, so -I came out alone." - -"And did you think that I should not miss you? No, that plan will never -pay. Don't let us begin to have secrets from one another, Alec; all the -more reason I should know it, if it is trouble." - -"I should have told you at once if I had thought you could help, but -you can't." - -"Mine may not be up to much, but two heads are better than one." - -"Well this is all about it. You know that during the two years after -father's death we had that long dry season; there was no rain, and -every water-hole in the creek dried up; the sheep and cattle died by -hundreds at a time. That was the beginning of it." - -"The beginning of what?" - -"Of our getting into debt. Things seemed to go from bad to worse from -that time, and mother had to borrow a lot of money from old Mr. Crosby, -of Brisbane. He was a friend of father's, and said that he would -advance money on the run, but that mother must mortgage it to him. He -said it was merely a form, and that mother might trust so old a friend -not to take advantage of it, if at any time a difficulty arose about -paying the interest on the money we had borrowed. So she signed all the -papers." - -"Well! has there been any difficulty?" - -"Yes, from the very first. He cheated poor mother, who didn't know -anything of business, most shamefully, and gets interest twice as high -as he fairly ought. It has crippled us for years. We could not fence -the farther stations, we haven't been able to buy new stock, and many a -time mother would have been unable to produce the yearly interest-money -if old Macleod had not been here to help her with one of his clever -plans." - -"What a shame! What an old thief that Mr. Crosby is. And to think of -mother having all this trouble, and never saying a word to anybody." - -"She didn't want to trouble us. I'm not sure that Margaret has not -known since she came back from Brisbane. But things have come to a -climax now. The price of wool has gone down lower than ever, and our -last shearing hardly realised enough to cover the working expenses of -the run. Mother wrote to tell Mr. Crosby how it was, and that she hoped -to be able to pay him next year; but this has just given him the very -opportunity he wanted, and he is down on to us at once." - -"What can he do?" - -"Why, sell Wandaroo straight off. Don't you see, he lent us money on -the security of the run, and if we can't pay the interest he can sell -everything right over our heads?" - -"Sell Wandaroo!" said George, in a voice of the utmost astonishment and -grief. "But it is ours. We were born here. I could live nowhere else. -Oh, I love it so, Alec." - -"So do I, so do we all," said the elder brother, in a pained but steady -voice; "but he has the law on his side, and he can rob us of -everything--for it is robbery." - -"Has he said that he will not wait?" - -"Yes. Macleod rode to Bateman yesterday, to get some more of that new -sheep dip, and he brought a letter up from the steamer. Mr. Crosby says -that he is very sorry that he can't wait, and that he must have the -money at once; and, if we can't pay it to his agent in Parra-parra -before a month, he shall put his men in possession, and we must turn -out." - -"How much do we owe him?" - -"Oh, more than we can possibly get. The interest is £600. He has lent -us £4,000, at 15 per cent., the miserly old Jew. Think of that, and he -called himself our friend. Oh, Geordie, lad, I cannot bear to think of -leaving Wandaroo. I love every mile of it;" and the poor fellow buried -his face in his hands. "I think it would almost kill mother to have to -go away." - -[Illustration: "'GOLD, GOLD! CHEER UP, ALEC; OF COURSE WE'LL HAVE IT.'" -(_p. 5._)] - -"When did she tell you all this?" - -"About two hours ago, when you were in the wool shed. I came out here; -I could not bear to see her grief, as I could not help her; and I have -been thinking, thinking till my brain burns." - -"Ah, poor mother! I saw there was something wrong, though she tried to -hide it, and to smile when I came in to tea. And Margaret never said my -hair was rough, or anything. Have you thought of any plan, Alec?" - -"No, I can think of nothing. If we sold every sheep on the run we could -not raise the money. If I could be up and doing anything I should not -care, but to sit here absolutely helpless will kill me. Nothing short -of a gold mine can save us." - -He spoke with the bitterness of despair in his voice, for life seemed -very hopeless to him just then. He sat moodily gazing at the great, -distant, purple hills, over which the golden round of the full moon was -rising in the rich silence of the Australian night. But his words had a -different effect upon George, who still sat with his sun-browned hand -on his brother's arm. - -The younger boy sprang up with a shout. - -"Gold, gold! Cheer up, Alec; of course we'll have it. Do you mean to -say that you have forgotten the story father used to tell us of how, -when he and mother first came to Wandaroo, they found Black Harry with -a nugget of pure gold slung round his neck on a bit of green cow-hide?" - -"Yes, I remember that." - -"And don't you recollect that father used to say that there was a huge -fortune lying where that came from for the man that could find the -place? He used to say that he should not try to find it himself, for he -believed he could do better by honestly working on the run than by -rushing off on a wild-goose chase after gold he might never find." - -"But that was years ago, and Black Harry is dead long since." - -"I know, I know," said George, eagerly; "but that old _gin_" (woman), -"Ippai, was his wife, and she will be sure to know all about it. There -are several boys of the tribe still on the run, and we can get them to -go with us. They never forget a path, and can lead us back to the -north-west, where they came from." - -He had sprung up in his excitement, and talked rapidly and earnestly to -Alec, who had turned round in astonishment at Geordie's glad voice. At -first the more sober elder brother shook his head at George's wild -proposition, but slowly the doubt seemed to fade from his face, and he -seemed to catch some of the enthusiasm of the younger fellow. George -Law was often the quicker of the brothers, but once let Alec make up -his mind to anything, and nothing could turn him aside from carrying it -out. - -"Why not? Why not, Alec?" George pleaded. "What is the use of sitting -here and doing nothing? If we fail, as you seem to think we shall, we -shall be no worse off than we were before, and if we succeed, why----" - -Here language failed him, he could only point across the gully in the -direction of the home where he knew their mother was grieving. - -Then Alec sprang up; he had caught fire at last. Geordie was right--no -good could come of inaction. His face was all aglow with excitement -now, and his strong right hand was clenched. - -"I believe you, Geordie. It is our only chance. It seems to me very -improbable that we shall find the gold, but we can do our best and try. -Anything is better than staying here and doing nothing. Come, let us go -in now or we shall have mother getting anxious about us. After tea I -will go down to the native camp and see old Ippai, and find out all I -can about that nugget. There is no time to be lost." - -"When can we start, Alec?" - -"To-morrow." - -"Hurrah; but that is rather soon, isn't it?" - -"What is the use of delay. If we are going we may as well go at once. -Shearing is over and there is nothing to be done on the run that -Macleod cannot see to. There's only the shepherding, and that can be -done without us, particularly now that Yesslett is living with us; he -can do ration-carrier's work. Don't tell mother what we are after; it -would only frighten her and buoy her up with what may be a false hope. -I will tell her that we are going away for some time." - -George nodded, and without another word they turned and descended the -steep dark rocks into the blackness of the gully. It was a dangerous -place, for the side of the ravine on which the fantastic pile of rocks, -which they called "The Castle," was placed, was of a great height, and -the rocks themselves were bare and steep. But the two boys descended -with sure and fearless tread; "The Castle" had been their favourite -playing place when they were children, and custom had quite driven fear -away. - -Alec led the way with a firm, manly step, and George followed close -upon him. Geordie saw that Alec was thinking and did not wish to be -disturbed, so he followed him without a sound. There was a perfect -confidence between these two, which was marred by no little jealousies -or selfishnesses. Brought up alone on the station with no other -companion, for their sister was older than either of them, and had been -away in Brisbane to be educated, they had become all in all to one -another, and loved each other as very few brothers do. From this great -affection a perfect understanding had grown up between them, and each -one read the other as a well-loved book. - -They had never been away from each other for more than a day, and they -were never so happy as when together. Their father had been unable to -afford to send them to school, as he had his daughter, for the early -settlers in Queensland had not had very prosperous times, so they had -learned from him the little that they knew. They were not very clever, -these two lads; many an English boy of twelve knows more Latin and -history and mathematics than they did, but they were fine, strong, -healthy fellows, with pure and honest hearts; and they had learned from -their father, both by example and precept, the maxims of an English -gentleman. They both could ride as soon as they could walk, and had -gained that perfect mastery and management of a horse that only -constant riding from childhood can give. Then they were both excellent -bushmen, and could do everything on the station as well as any of the -hands, which perhaps, after all, was of more importance to two -Australian boys than any command of Latin prose or knowledge of Greeks -roots could be. - -Climbing up the other branch of the creek, and passing through the -thick strip of uncleared bush, where in the darkness the laughing -jackasses were uttering their strange weird cry, they entered the -paddock and approached the house. - -Wandaroo had been purchased by Mr. Law shortly after the separation of -Queensland from the colony of New South Wales, and whilst the former -country was in a wild and almost unknown state. He had selected -Wandaroo on account of the creek which ran through it, as he thought it -would always furnish water for his flocks. The timber house that he had -originally built was still standing, but had been greatly added to as -his family increased, and he became able to afford to extend the old -homestead. A large and wide verandah ran along two sides of the house, -shading the living rooms (for coolness is the one thing most desired in -tropical Queensland), and the posts and roof of it were covered with a -mass of gorgeous creepers. The roof of the house and verandah was -formed of large sheets of bark carefully stripped from the trees and -flattened for the purpose. These are pegged down on to the rafters and -make an admirable heat- and water-proof covering. - -The buildings about a head station are numerous, and from a distance -Wandaroo looked more like a little village than merely the homestead -and out-buildings of a single squatter. On one side was the store, a -most important part of every head station, where all imaginable -articles in the way of food and clothing were kept. Beyond it was the -bachelors' hut, where the men attached to the station lived, and -farther away were the stables and cart-shed, and the dry store where -flour, salt, &c., were kept. On the other side was the strongly-built -stockyard into which the herds of horses and cattle were driven at -mustering time, and close by was the great wool shed where the sheep -were clipped at shearing time and the fleeces stored. - -To-night, by the light of the full moon, and of those great and -glorious southern stars which blaze so royally in the Australian sky, -the whole of the commonplace station buildings looked very beautiful. -All little uglinesses were hidden, and the tender light, which fell so -softly upon roof and wall and fencing, invested everything with a -shadowy charm. The great gum trees by the house gleamed blue in the -moonlight, and under their boughs the ruddy lights from the house shone -out in brilliant contrast. - -"Look at it, Alec," said George, breaking silence at last, as they -crossed the paddock and approached the house. "Do you think that we can -lose Wandaroo, which our father made, and where we were born?" - -"No, we will not. _We will find that gold, or die in the attempt._ -Nothing shall turn me back!" - -So saying they entered the house. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -GAINING INFORMATION. - - -Only staying to wash their hands and to put themselves in some slight -degree of order, they entered the large and comfortable room where tea -was waiting for them; it was the largest in the house, and served for -dining and general living room. Mrs. Law and Margaret had finished -their meal before the boys came in, for they could not keep the -manager, old Macleod, waiting. They were standing near the bright -petroleum lamp talking earnestly. Mrs. Law, whose busy hands were never -idle, was knitting a grey worsted stocking for one of the boys. The one -woman servant, Mrs. Beffling by name, whom Mrs. Law kept to help her in -the house was busy at one of the large cupboards at the end of the -room, so that at first Alec could say nothing of what he intended -doing, but directly that tea was over--it did not take them long that -night, for both boys were too excited to eat--and the woman had left -the room, he rose from the table. - -"Mother," he began, with that simple directness of speech that was so -characteristic of him, "I have been up at the rocks over the gully, and -have been thinking what we must do. George came and found me out." Here -he half turned and nodded towards his brother, who had moved to the -wide open window, and was looking out into the night. "And I have told -him all about it. We have laid our heads together, and have determined -to go out prospecting to-morrow. You know that when father first bought -Wandaroo he reserved the right of extending the run, at the same price -per mile, towards the north-west. He never prospected the country in -that direction, and since his death we have never done it. If we find -good grass land there, and well-watered country, we might, if the worst -comes to the worst, be able to take up a run there, and in a few years' -time be doing all right again." - -All this that Alec said was quite true. He had long wanted to prospect -the country that lay beyond the borders of their own great run, but -although it was the truth it was not the whole of the truth. He said -nothing of their wild dream of finding gold in those far-distant -north-west ranges. As he had said to George, he knew that the thought -of it would alarm their mother, for the native tribes were warlike, -cruel, and unfriendly, and besides this he did not wish to give her any -hope that might fail her at last. Alec spoke in the low tones his voice -always sank to when he was excited, and when he ended his square jaw -was set in a firm, resolute manner that in itself showed the determined -and unconquerable spirit of the young man. - -Mrs. Law knew her sons well enough to be sure that when Alec spoke and -looked as he then did he would brook no opposition, and she was a wise -enough woman to have learned that she might lead her high-spirited sons -when she would fail did she try to drive them. In Australia, too, a man -seems to develop earlier than in Europe; and although Alec was only -nineteen, he was always consulted on the management of the run, and his -opinion as an experienced bushman and stock rider attentively listened -to. - -"Have you carefully thought of it, Alec?" said Mrs. Law, laying aside -her knitting for a moment, and looking at her son, for the suddenness -of his resolve had somewhat astonished her, as she had never heard -anything of this plan before. "How will the station go on?" - -"Yes, mother, I have thought of it all, I think. We are full-handed -just now, for Macleod engaged that extra shepherd that we wanted for -the South Creek station when he was down in Bateman. He will be a good -useful fellow, I think. And Yesslett can act as ration-carrier; he -knows the run well enough by this time." - -"How long shall you be away?" asked Mrs. Law. - -"Can't say. We shall take flour enough, and tea, and so on, for a month -or so, but we may be longer, so you mustn't be frightened, mother. We -must face the worst, and be prepared for a move if that old brute of a -Crosby turns us out." - -"Who shall you take with you?" asked Mrs. Law, managing to repress the -tears that lay so near her poor sorrowful eyes. - -"George, and one or two of the black boys." - -"Oh, shall you take Geordie?" - -"Yes, mother," Margaret interposed; "let George go." She knew well -enough that the brothers would stand by each other to the death, and -that George, young though he was, would be Alec's best protection. - -"Do you think that I would let Alec go without me?" said a clear voice -from the window. - -And Alec said, "I would sooner take Geordie than any man on the -station. He rides and climbs better than any one of them, and nothing -tires him. And now, mother, good-night. Don't sit up for me; you have -had an anxious, sad day. I am going down to the _gunyahs_" (huts) "to -get a couple of boys to go with us, and to glean as much information as -I can about the country. I shall be back in an hour or two. Good-night, -youngster; good-night, Margaret." - -Kissing his mother, he took up his hat from a side table, and without -another word left the room. - -As he passed the bachelors' hut on his way to the paddock, he noticed -that one of the hands, a man named Keggs, whom they had only engaged a -short time before, was leaning against the door-post smoking a short -black pipe. He was not a prepossessing person, for his face, which was -of an unwholesome pink, was deeply marked with small-pox, and his -pale-coloured shifty eyes were inflamed-looking and unshaded by any -eye-lashes. Alec had not liked the appearance of the man, but, thinking -it a shame to be prejudiced by mere looks, he had engaged him, and, not -knowing his capabilities, had employed him about the head station. He -had several times noticed him prying into things with which he had no -concern, but thinking the man was inquisitive he had said nothing. Alec -observed that Keggs glanced keenly at him as he passed the hut, and -turning round some little time afterwards he could see, by the light of -the moon, that the man had followed him for a short distance to watch -where he was going. When Keggs saw that he was observed, he turned and -shrank back to the shadow of the hut. - -Stepping out with the free, springy stride that speaks of perfect -health and muscular strength, Alec reached, in about half an hour, the -squalid _gunyahs_ that formed the camp of a few native families that -were allowed to remain on the run. One or two naked, bushy-haired -fellows were crouching over the hot embers of a wood fire, on which -they were cooking great lumps of kangaroo or wallaby flesh. They sprang -up in alarm and seized their heavy _nullah-nullahs_ (clubs), which lay -by their sides, when they heard Alec's quick footstep, which they did -from a great distance, and in an instant were prepared for defence. But -they knew Alec's voice directly he called out, and putting down their -weapons they advanced to meet him. They aroused the old _gin_, Ippai, -from her sleep, when Alec told them who it was he wished to see, and a -moment afterwards she joined them at the fire, still wrapped in the -opossum rug she had been lying in. - -Sitting down on a log by the side of the fire, Alec was for the next -hour deep in talk with the natives. They readily answered his -questions, but it was difficult for him to arrive at the facts of the -case, as the Australian aborigines have an entire disregard for the -truth, and say anything that first enters their poor childish brains, -and anything that they think will please their questioner. It was only -by going over the same ground time after time, and with different -members of the party, that Alec succeeded in sifting out the truth from -what they told him. - -At last, when the Southern Cross was high in the sky, he thought that -he could learn nothing more from them, and rose to go. He arranged that -two young men, Prince Tom and Murri, fine specimens of the aboriginal -black native, should accompany him. He knew them both as excellent -guides and hunters, and, knowing their love of sport and wandering, he -felt sure that they would keep their promise of being up at the head -station before sunrise. - -The night was very dark when he left the camp, for the moon had set, -but he knew every inch of that part of the run, and could have found -his way about with his eyes shut. The hard, dry earth was covered in -all directions with sheep tracks, which looked like paths, and which -would have puzzled any stranger; but Alec bore straight along over the -little dry watercourse that intersected his route in one place, and -through the strips of scrub that lay between him and the house. He was -thinking too deeply to notice the plaintive cry, like the wail of a -child, of the little native bear in the great trees of the gully, or -the howls of the dingoes that every now and then disturbed so weirdly -the silence of the night. He saw the dim outlines of the horses move -away into the darkness as he came across the paddock, and he could hear -the quick sound of their cropping, but everything else was still. - -As Alec lightly vaulted over the gate between the paddock and the yard, -he violently struck against a man who was standing in the shadow of the -cart-shed, and who had evidently stationed himself there to watch -Alec's movements. - -"What are you doing here?" said Alec, angrily, for his temper was not -absolutely angelic, and it annoyed him beyond measure to be watched in -this manner. - -"I ain't a doin' nothink," answered Keggs, for it was he. - -"And that is what you are generally doing all day long, Keggs," said -Alec, sharply; "so that you can always find time to spy after me and -pry into our affairs. What I do, or what any one at the house does, is -no business of yours, and I'll not stand your interference. I tell you -plainly if I catch you at it again you go." - -"I seed yer goin' towards the native camp, and I on'y wanted to know if -you'd heerd anythink o' them missin' sheep." - -"Yes, I have been to the camp, but what I did there is no business of -yours," said Alec, haughtily, as he turned on his heel and walked to -the house. - -"Oh!" muttered the man to himself as Alec disappeared, "ain't it no -bisnis of mine? Well, I've foun' out what I wanted to know. You hev' -been to the camp, and I'll soon get out o' them niggers what you went -for, my fine master," and knocking the ashes out of his dirty pipe he -entered the hut. - -The house was quite dark and quiet when Alec reached it, for a -Queensland household, that is up before sunrise and works heartily all -day, is generally ready to go to bed by nine or ten o'clock. Alec -walked along the verandah till he reached the room that he and George -occupied in common, and entering at the wide open window he found the -match-box and struck a light. - -The room was the boys' own den, and presented a very boy-like -appearance. The walls were of the hardwood slabs of which the house was -built, and on them were nailed several pictures from the illustrated -papers that had struck the lads' fancy. Besides the two small -bedsteads, a couple of rough chairs, and a sort of compound washing and -dressing-table, there was no furniture, but on a rough shelf that ran -along one wall, and about the room in different places, was strewn a -variety of articles that spoke of the habits of the occupants. On the -two chests which held the boys' very limited wardrobe lay an old saddle -in need of repairs, and a heap of odd straps and old bridles; in one -corner of the room lay a pile of rusty bits, old stirrup irons, and -horse-shoes; and from a nail on the door hung a great unfinished stock -whip which George was plaiting. - -Geordie was fast asleep when Alec came in, but he was a light sleeper, -and sat up broad awake, but blinking in the candle light, before his -brother had said a word. - -"Well, Alec, what news?" - -"Hush, don't speak so loud! Margaret's window is open as well as ours, -and she may overhear us," said Alec, seating himself on the edge of -Geordie's bed, and speaking in a voice that was low but with an excited -tremor in it that betrayed the emotion that he felt. "The best of news. -I believe we shall find the gold, though the labour will be enormous -and the danger great." - -"But neither of us minds that. Forewarned is forearmed, and we will be -prepared. Did old Ippai remember the nugget?" - -"She is not likely to readily forget it, considering that Black Harry -nearly beat her head in when he lost it in a deep water-hole on the -creek where he was spearing fish. She and Moolong, that white-haired -old native down at the camp, both say that it came from the head of a -great valley which they call Whanga. They say it lies in the midst of -the mountains that are beyond the ranges we can see from the Yarrun -station. You know that Stevens, that shepherd we once had, said that he -had seen great blue-peaked mountains from the ranges when he went into -them searching for that missing flock we never found. Don't you -remember?" - -"Yes; and we thought he had never been to the ranges at all, and was -only 'blowing.'" - -"It seems he wasn't, for all of them down at the _gunyahs_" (huts) -"tell me the same story. It is rather difficult to make out their -meaning, as you know, but, as far as I can understand, they say that -Black Harry found the nugget in a sort of deep hole in the basin of a -waterfall at the end of this Whanga valley." - -"Did they tell you if Black Harry said there were any more?" asked -George, in an eager whisper. - -"I asked them that, and old Moolong said Harry told them that there was -no more, but that he believed it was a lie, and that he only had said -so that he might be the only one with such an ornament. If he had found -more he would have had to distribute them among the tribe, as you know, -and he did not want any one else to have such a necklace." - -"There _is_ more. I feel sure that there is more. Why should there be -only one piece?" said George, seizing hold of Alec's arm with his -burning hand. "Can we find the place though? Oh! Alec, it is too -terrible to think that the gold which can save Wandaroo is lying there -and we unable to find it." - -"But we can!" said Alec, in a thrilling whisper. "Murri, one of the two -black boys I have engaged to go with us, went there once with a party -of their tribe when he was quite a little chap. You know they never -forget the road to a place they have once been to. He can take us to it -straight enough if he will." - -"Did that party find gold there?" - -"No; a huge waterfall was pouring over the rocks, and the hole in which -Black Harry had found the nugget was a foaming pool. They did not look -anywhere else. They did not know the value that white men set upon -gold; the nugget--'the heavy stone,' as they call it--was only a -curious ornament to them, so they did not wait till the wet season was -over, when probably the stream would be dried up." - -"There hasn't been rain for months," said George meditatively, as -though to himself. - -"Not down here, but there may have been thunderstorms among the -mountains. Don't let us set our hearts too much upon finding it." - -"But I have." - -"And so have I," confessed Alec, with a little dry, nervous laugh. - -Poor lads! the gold fever was on them. - -"Hasn't Murri or any of them ever been since?" asked Geordie, -anxiously. - -"No; they say that the _myalls_" (the wild and savage aborigines) -"are very numerous and fierce about there, and that they are their -deadly enemies." - -"We must go well armed," said George, in a matter-of-fact voice, and as -calmly as though he were a man of forty. "And now, Alec, old boy, put -the dip out and tumble in. It is late, and we have an awful lot to do -to-morrow before we start." - -In a few minutes silence fell upon the room, and after tossing about -restlessly for a short time the sound of regular and deep breathing -from the boys' beds told that they were lost in the strange, dim land -of dreams. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -PREPARATIONS FOR A START. - - -Every one was astir betimes next morning, for an unusual sense of -excitement pervaded the whole household. Even Yesslett, who was -generally late for everything, was up in good time, and, with his usual -good-nature, lent every one a helping hand. His assistance was, -however, often rendered useless from his ignorance of colonial life, -for he had only been in Australia a month or two. - -Yesslett Dudley was Mrs. Law's nephew, who, after the death of his -father and the break-up of his old home in England, had been sent out -by his guardians to Australia, as his health was not good, and his -prospects little better. He was a curly-headed young rascal, with a -smile that was like sunshine in a house, and a voice that rang with -merriment and good humour. He was far wiser in book-learning than his -boy cousins, but could not compare with them in anything else. It is -true he could sit a horse and handle a gun, both after his own fashion, -but his ludicrous riding and his dangerous shooting would have been -subjects for constant ridicule to less kind fellows than his cousins. -They could not help despising him a little as a "jackaroo" and a "new -chum" just at first, but his pleasant hearty way of laughing at himself -and his many mishaps soon won their hearts, and instead of making fun -of him they began to teach him how to do things in a "true colonial -fashion," as they said, and that was their highest standard. - -Under their able tuition he soon improved in the manly arts; and as his -health became better in the pure air of those lofty downs and with the -simple life of the station, he not only began to grow stouter and -stronger, but also became more courageous and manly. Not that Yesslett -had ever been a coward, but his weak health had made him more timid and -nervous than strong and hale boys generally are. He possessed an -inexhaustible fund of good humour, and a capacity for fun and mischief -which, fortunately, few boys are blessed with. - -Alec's first thought as he left the house was to see whether the two -native boys he had engaged the night before had kept their promise of -coming to the station. There they were, sure enough, sitting by the -strong rails of the stock-yard grinning and laughing and chattering -away, and delighted at the prospect of the coming hunt, as they thought -the expedition to be. These two men were strong, active fellows, and -more to be trusted, perhaps, than the average native; they were -employed on the station at times during mustering and shearing, or when -the run was short-handed. They could both ride like monkeys, and could -speak a few words of queer pigeon English. Alec was glad to see them -there, for without the help of Murri he knew they could never find the -Whanga gully. He walked up to them and said-- - -"You go drive _yarroman_" (horses) "in um stock-yard." - -"_Yohi_" (yes), "all um _yarroman_ in um paddock?" asked Prince Tom. - -"Yes, all the lot," answered Alec; and the two black fellows ran off to -get to the other side of the horses and head them to the yard. Just as -thoughtless as children they rushed away without thinking of opening -the stock-yard rails; but Alec had expected as much, and walking round -the yard he removed the two heavy slip-panels himself, and stepped on -one side out of sight of the horses. In a few moments he heard the -heavy thud of hoofs on the dry turf as the little mob was driven from -the paddock and came galloping towards him. One or two of the horses -neighed loudly, resenting the ignominy of being driven by natives, but -after some reluctance they turned to the yard and rushed through the -opening in a little stampede. - -How noble the handsome creatures looked! Ten or a dozen of them, and -not a single "screw" amongst them; for it was Alec's pride, as it had -been his father's before him, to have the best horses in the colony. -They stood, quivering with the excitement of the little run, with the -morning sun shining on their burnished coats, as spirited and in as -good condition as horses well could be, though their only feed was the -short sweet grass of the paddock. They all pricked their ears and -looked up as Alec came round the cart-shed. They nearly all knew him, -for he had broken in all the young horses himself for the last five -years. As he came up to the fence, Amber, his favourite horse, which he -allowed no one but himself to mount, pushed his way through the others, -and with a low whinny of pleasure at the sight of his master, put his -head over the top rail for Alec to rub his smooth soft muzzle. - -He was a noble beast of a rich golden chestnut colour, and without a -white hair or a blemish on him. His goodly shoulders and grand -hind-quarters showed the strength of the horse, and his flat hocks and -springy though strong-thewed pasterns spoke of his swiftness as plainly -as his broad chest did of his powers of endurance. His head, which was -perhaps a trifle small, was exquisitely shaped, broad in the forehead, -and clean cut. The nostrils were wide, the eyes dark and tender, and -the ears sensitive and small. It could be seen by the whole shape of -the head, and by the slight arch in the curve of his tail, that Arab -blood flowed in his veins. No wonder that Alec loved him, for Amber was -as noble and intelligent a creature as ever man bestrode. - -Whilst Alec and the native boys were seeing to the horses, George was -carrying out his arrangements in the store. He finished weighing out -the week's rations for the shepherds on the distant parts of the run, -and put them ready for Yesslett, who was to act as ration-carrier in -his absence, to take to them that afternoon. He then called Dudley into -the store and showed him where everything was kept, and told him to -enter every article he sold to any of the men, or their wives, in the -store book to each man's account, and showed him the board on which the -price of everything was written. - -"For you will have to be store-keeper as well as ration-carrier whilst -I am away, besides being protector-in-chief to mother and Margaret. I -wish you were coming, too, Yess, but I don't think you could stand -camping out just yet," said George. - -"No," replied Yesslett; "perhaps I could not, and besides that," he -added, with an assumption of a manly manner that delighted and amused -George, though he was little more than a year older than his -cousin--"besides that, I shall have to look after the women." - -"Yes, of course," said George, with a little smile. - -"I say, Geordie," said Yesslett, in his natural, boyish, inquisitive -way a few moments afterwards, during which time George had been getting -ready the stores to take with them on their expedition, "whatever do -you want all those canvas bags for?" - -"Oh, they'll come in useful," said George, who did not mean to tell his -chatterbox of a cousin that he hoped they would be useful for bringing -home the gold they were going to seek. He half blushed at thus counting -his chickens before they were hatched, but with a little laugh he went -on choosing the strongest sewn ones from a little heap of 14-lb. shot -bags that lay in a corner of the store near the door. - -Yesslett understood that he would get no further answer from George, so -he remained behind the tall salt-meat cask, silently folding up the -great flour bag they had just emptied. - -The same idea seemed to strike some one else, for a moment afterwards -Keggs, who had already made one or two excuses for coming into the -store that morning, appeared again at the door, and looking in, with -what he considered an engaging smile, he entered, and said-- - -"You seem mighty busy this morning!" - -"Yes," said George, shortly, for he did not like the man, and Alec had -told him how he had been watching him the night before. - -"And wot might y'all be ser busy for?" - -"Because we've got something to do, and can't afford to waste time as -you do," said George, looking up at him. - -"P'raps you wouldn't mind sayin' wot all them little bags is for?" - -"To put things in--like this," said a deep voice from above him; and -before the astonished man could look up, Yesslett, holding the mouth of -the sack wide open, had leaped down on him from the top of the -salt-meat tub, and enveloped him completely in the rough dusty bag. - -They could hear him choking and coughing and cursing as he struggled to -get out. Before he had succeeded in extricating himself, Yesslett, with -a most provoking and impish laugh, had vanished into the house. Keggs' -inflamed eyelids looked redder and more painful than ever from his -white powdered face when at last he had wriggled out of the sack, for -George would not help him; and as he sneaked off he swore that he would -"serve the young beggar out." - -Breakfast at Wandaroo was taken, as is general on Queensland runs, at -about half-past seven or eight, when every one had gained an appetite -by the couple of hours' work he had done since sunrise. It was not a -particularly cheerful meal that morning, for Mrs. Law felt losing her -sons for so long a time, and the lads were too excited and busy to talk -very much. Fortunately Yesslett was in capital spirits, as indeed he -generally was, and Macleod, the general manager, was too old and too -hard-headed a man of the world to let so small a circumstance disturb -him. Although fond of the lads, he had known too many partings in his -lifetime to allow this one, which after all was not for so very long a -time, interfere with his breakfast. - -"I hope you will be at the head station as much as possible whilst we -are away," said Alec, addressing Macleod. "The South Creek station -doesn't want so much looking after now, and I shall feel more -comfortable if I know you are here." - -"Oh, aye, Alec, I s'all be heere," said the old Scotsman. "Yasslutt and -I can ferry weel look after the leddies." - -"Don't trouble yourselves about us," said Margaret; "we shall get on -all right, there is nothing to be afraid of, for Starlight and his band -are nowhere in the neighbourhood, and they are the only people we have -to fear." - -"How do you know that they are not about here?" - -"Macleod brought the news up from Bateman that they have been seen -lately about Bowen, and that they 'stuck up' a bank manager in one of -the new townships near there in his own house, took his keys, emptied -his safe, and rode off scot free, though it was broad daylight and the -town was full of men." - -"By Jove! Margaret, I almost believe you admire those sneaking -bushrangers," said George. - -"Oh, no, I don't," replied she, blushing a little at the accusation; -"but I do think them bold and daring, and I can't help rather liking -their dash and pluck." - -"Weel, Miss Mairgaret, theer's not much chaance o' their comin' to -Wandaroo," said old Macleod, in his caustic Scottish way, "so I greatly -fear you wull not haive the pleasure o' witnessin' 'the pluck and -daring' of ten weel armed and mounted men slinking on to a defenceless -station and robbing a pack o' women and lads o' their little a'. -Theer's nothing at Wandaroo to tempt bushrangers heether." - -"Except the horses," muttered Alec. - -"And we shall have the best of them with us," said George, turning to -his brother, for he had heard him, as he always did anything that Alec -said. - -"Well, it's about time we started," said Alec, when breakfast was over; -"it will be getting fearfully hot directly, and we may as well spare -the horses as much as possible at first." - -"Have you taken enough stores for a month for all of you?" asked Mrs. -Law, anxiously. "Those black boys eat such an enormous quantity." - -"All right, mother, I've seen to that," said Geordie. "We shall take -two pack-horses, and I've looked out everything and loaded them well. -As to Murri and Prince Tom, they will have to pretty well feed -themselves--there is plenty of kangaroo and wallaby and bandicoot for -them to catch and eat; we shall take Como, too, and he'll help us get -food enough, don't fear." - -"I hope you are going well armed," said Margaret the practical. "Take -plenty of powder and shot." - -"Thank you, madame, we will, and ball, too. Being so young and -inexperienced in bush life," said Alec, with a laugh at his sister's -advice, "we should probably have forgotten all about these trifles." - -"What do you want ball for, Alec?" - -"Possibly for natives, my gentle sister," whispered Alec to her, "if -they are unkind enough and unwise enough to interfere with us. But we -shall take care of ourselves, never fear. Don't let mother know that we -think we may meet any _myalls_, she does so worry herself." - -Shortly after this, having strapped up in their blankets the very few -clothes they were taking with them, they said good-bye to their mother -as cheerfully as possible, and went out to the yard. The horses, which -had been saddled, although fresh and excited, stood quite quietly, as -they had been trained to do when fastened to a post or rail, and the -two spare horses were loaded with the provisions, the one or two tin -pans and "billies," as the round pots for boiling water are called, and -the two boys' "swags." Prince Tom and Murri were already mounted, their -bare legs looking very ridiculous coming from under the old torn shirt -that each of them wore. They were both armed to the teeth with native -weapons, for in their belts of kangaroo sinew were thrust their -_nullah-nullahs_, and _waddies_ (clubs), their short throwing sticks, -and their most valued weapon, the _boomerang_. Each man had his native -stone hatchet fixed in his belt and lying along his spine, and they -carried, too, a few short spears strapped on to their saddles, and over -which their left legs passed. Kissing Margaret, who had come on to the -verandah to see them start, and shaking hands with Yesslett and -Macleod, the boys unfastened their horses and sprang into the saddle -with the perfect ease of accomplished horsemen. - -It was a beautiful sight to see those boys ride; never did their -graceful, well-knit figures show to such advantage as on horseback. -Accustomed to riding from their earliest childhood, they sat a horse as -though it were--as it surely must be--the most natural place for a man -to be. Once in the saddle they seemed to be actually part of the animal -they rode, their swelling thighs and muscular calves clasping the horse -firmly and composedly, but the whole body above the hips swaying and -giving easily to every motion of the horse. They looked two as handsome -lads as could well be seen as they rode out of the yard that morning. -Their dark eyes were flashing and their healthy brown faces were all -aglow with excitement, and they laughed aloud, as their horses pranced -proudly beneath them, from sheer joy in the beauty of the sunshine and -the brightness of the day. - -They turned, as they came to the gate of the paddock, and taking off -their soft, grey, broad-brimmed felt hats they waved a farewell to the -group on the verandah. The sun gleamed on the short curls of their -hair, and shone on the bright barrels of their guns and on the steel of -their bridles and stirrups as they shouted a cheery "good-bye." - -Everything was bright and promised well. So they left on their wild -search for gold. - -"Ah, good-bye, good-bye, my fine fellers," maliciously muttered Keggs, -who had been watching them with his blinking treacherous eyes from the -door of the bachelors' hut, where he was hidden in the shadow. "Better -men nor you are a-walkin' now who may be in your saddles afore long." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE FIRST STAGES. - - -Unconscious of the evil glances and still more evil wishes of the man -hidden in the bachelors' hut, the boys rode on. They were happy, for -hope was strong in their hearts; the day was clear and invigorating, -for the sun had not gained much power as yet, though he shone royally -from a sky of cloudless blue; they were strong and well; the horses -they rode were fresh and powerful; and the feeling that at last they -were started on just such an adventure as all their lives they had both -wished for, gave a zest to life that they had never before experienced. -Could any one wish for more than this? - -It was a day to put the most miserable of men in high spirits, and it -can hardly be said that Alec and George were of that nature. Up on -those wide, open downs the air is clear and strong; a pleasant breeze -from the eastern sea blew on their faces and cooled their sun-tanned -necks, from which the loose unbuttoned collars of their flannel shirts -fell back. The keen, sweet smell of the wild marjoram rose from the -ground as their horse's hoofs crushed it as they rode along, and the -"chirr" of the crickets and the locusts in the ti-scrub made a -cheerful, though unobserved, music in their accustomed ears. - -For many miles they would be riding over their own land, for the run -was one of those huge tracts of country that were taken up by the -pioneer squatters in the early years of the settlement of that part of -the colony, and of course the boys knew their way about it better than -the natives did, so they led the way, and the black boys followed, -leading the spare horses. - -Como, the great tawny kangaroo hound, bounded along by the side of -George's horse, the pace being an easy one to his enormous stride, -every now and then turning aside to examine with inquisitive nose the -traces of kangaroo that had passed thereby. He was a splendid hound, -standing, when he put his great paws on George's shoulders, some inches -taller than his master himself. - -For some few miles the country was open and park-like, dotted here and -there with clumps of great gum trees, between whose ragged trunks they -could easily ride, as no brushwood grows in their shade, and every now -and then it was varied with strips and patches of scrub and wild -impenetrable bush. Much of the land had been cleared by firing, and the -gaunt skeletons of the burnt trees stood up here and there, stretching -their bare arms towards heaven, as though protesting against their -fate. They had been following, until now, the slight track that had -gradually been formed by the horses passing between the head station -and the hut on the Yarrun station, where two of the Wandaroo shepherds -lived. But where the track turned aside and crossed the deep gully, on -the other side of which, at some little distance, the Yarrun hut stood, -Alec called a halt. - -"Over yonder," said he, pointing to a low line of dim blue hills that -lay along the horizon to the north-east, "lie the ranges from which we -may perhaps see the first spurs of those great mountains we are looking -for. It was from those hills that Stevens said he had seen mountain -peaks in the far-distant north. He might have been lying, probably was, -for he was an awful liar, but Murri and the other boys also say that -the mountains are there. It is no use our making a rush at the hills, -and perhaps going over the highest part of all. We may as well strike a -valley, if there be one, and save both time and our horses; so we will -stop a minute to let the boys catch us up, and ask them." - -"Now, then, let's ask Murri or Prince Tom," said George, as the other -horses came up. - -Alec turned in his saddle, and, resting one hand affectionately on -Amber's glossy back, he asked Murri his opinion as to which was the -best road across the ranges. - -"High up _boudgeree cawbawn_" (much best) "for um black fellow, 'cause -black fellow walk and kangaroo there; low down _boudgeree_" (good) "for -white fellows, 'cause um _yarroman_" (because of the horses). - -"You know um road low down, Murri?" - -"_Yohi._ Mine been along o' that place plenty time, _bail gammon bong_. -Mine go first; white fellow follow 'long o' me." (Yes, I have been to -that place many times. No gammon. I will go first, you follow after -me.) - -From this point the country was new to the two lads, and they had to -get Murri to point out to them the direction in which they should go. -With that incomprehensible instinct which the Australian savage -possesses in such perfection, Murri knew the best road to be taken, and -pointed to a slight rise in the ground a few miles ahead, and said-- - -"Along o' that place first." - -By the time that they reached the little hill towards which Murri had -directed them the day had grown terribly hot, for the power of the sun -at mid-day in Queensland is very trying. Wandaroo was well within the -Tropics, being in about the same latitude as Bowen, but a little to the -north of it. The black boys, of course, did not feel the heat, and Alec -and George, being naturalised to it, were not affected much; but the -horses suffered a great deal, both from the sun and the countless -flies. - -Prince Tom knew of a spring in a little shady ravine on the far side of -the hill, and when they had "rose the ridge" they saw the welcome signs -of water below them. Thither they led the horses, and after they had -filled their "billies" for the tea, which is the bushman's constant -beverage, they allowed the thirsty brutes to drink a little. As they -had made a very good stage since morning, having crossed the vaguely -defined limits of their own run, and entered upon the vast crown lands -which, at present, were only inhabited by the _myalls_, they determined -to halt for a spell. - -The riding horses were unsaddled, and the two spare horses unloaded, -and then, having their fore feet "hobbled," they were turned loose to -graze and pick up their living as best they might. A horse hobble is a -short length of chain (the wilder the horse, the fewer the links), -which is fastened by two straps to the fore legs of a horse, so that, -although he is free to wander about and graze, he is quite unable to -escape very far. Some very clever and agile horses can manage to -shuffle off to a great distance, and they have been known to leap the -tall fences of a paddock with their hocks thus coupled together. - -Although an Australian horse can find sustenance where an English one -would starve, Alec's chief anxiety was the keep of his little troop. It -was totally impossible to carry fodder for so many horses, and he -feared that in the great dreary stretch of spinifex-covered desert that -the black boys said he would have to cross his horses would starve. -However, though he was not without foresight, he was not of that -desponding nature which lets the possibility of future ills blight the -pleasant present; so he opened one of the parcels of tea, and -cheerfully threw in a pinch or two, "and one for the pot," and, backing -away from the hot little fire, he flung himself down in the shade of a -few grey-leaved acacia shrubs, and waited till the tea "corroborreed," -as he called boiling. - -Whilst the boys waited for the tea to boil, Prince Tom and Murri -wandered away to pick up any little bush delicacy in the way of food -that they might discover. The one idea of an Australian black is "food" -and "the getting of food," and the amount they will consume at one -sitting, of flesh or anything else eatable, is incredible. They will -eat till they can literally take no more, and then will lie on their -backs till the effect of the gorge has passed off, when they will rise -and, if they can get it, begin over again, smiling. - -In a short time they heard a great creaking and cracking, and, looking -down the little hillside, saw Murri swaying and wriggling a smallish -green tree, and exerting himself mightily over it. Presently the brown -rotten roots gave way, and the little tree fell with a crash. In the -decaying wood was a mass of fat, white, struggling grubs. They saw -Murri pick out a number, and scoop them up in his hollowed hands; then -he came rushing up to the place where George was sitting in the little -gully. - -"Missa Law, mine find _bardee_. You _patter_" (eat) "all ob um. _Bardee -boudgeree cawbawn._" (Grubs are very good.) - -As Murri could not pronounce George's name, he always called him "Missa -Law." Alec, on the contrary, he always addressed by his Christian name, -as he had no difficulty in saying it. - -George took two or three of the grubs, and placed them in the hot ashes -of the fire, for they are really most excellent when roasted in this -way. The blacks always prefer to eat theirs uncooked. It was a very -extraordinary thing that Murri should have given him any, for as a rule -the natives are not generous, and they rarely give anything away. But -Murri was an exceptionally fine specimen of the Australian savage, -possessing many of those higher qualities as to which many travellers -accuse them of being absolutely deficient. - -It is often said that the aborigines are entirely treacherous and -wanting in a sense of gratitude, and this, it must be admitted, is true -as a general rule. But to this rule, as to all, there are some -exceptions, and Murri was a case in point. Some months before this -George had had occasion to go to the native camp to hire a boy or two -to help in driving in a little mob of cattle from one of the outer -stations. He had seen Murri, wrapped in his possum rug, lying by the -side of a huge fire, and groaning and writhing with pain. One of the -old _gins_, who was crouching by the side of him, said that he was -bewitched, and that he would die very soon, and evidently believed the -truth of what she said so firmly that she thought it useless to do -anything to help the invalid, and in consequence only sat groaning and -howling over him. George had always rather liked this man Murri, who -was more intelligent than any of the other men at the camp, so he -looked at him, and thought that there was nothing more the matter with -him than a good strong dose of medicine would cure; he therefore rode -back to the station, and procured a powerful but simple remedy, which -he administered straightway to him. - -That night George returned to the camp to see how the invalid was -progressing, and found the dying man restored to perfect health, and -walking about and chattering as usual. Since that time Murri had been -his sworn ally and bondsman, and seemed to have conceived a strong -attachment to the young white man. - -Towards evening, when the power of the declining sun had grown less, -Alec said that they had better push on; so the horses were caught and -re-saddled, and the little cavalcade rode on till after sunset. They -camped that night at the edge of a great dark forest, where the giant -trees were all tangled together by a wild luxuriance of tropical -creepers and vines. Its deep shades, that had never been desecrated by -the foot of man, looked dark and awful, and the leaves of the trees, -languid after the heat of the burning day, were motionless and silent -in the stilly air. Not a breath of wind was stirring, and the -atmosphere seemed still quivering with the heat radiated from the -baking earth. But the coolness of the night was at hand, and the heavy -dews, that would refresh all living things, were yet to fall. - -The little party had made good progress since the morning, for they had -ridden fast and well, the open nature of the country, for that first -day's journey, at least, having offered no bar to their progress. The -range of hills, which was the first point to be reached in their -journey, seemed in the clear, warm light before sunset to loom quite -close upon them, and they felt confident of getting well in amongst -them before very late next day. - -That night they slept the sleep of the weary, with their heads upon -their saddles and covered with their blankets. - -Their loaded guns they laid beside them, and carefully covered them -with their blankets, that the heavy dew might not spoil their -cartridges. Many a time has a man sprung up from sleep when attacked by -_myalls_, and found to his consternation that he could not fire his -gun, and all because he had not taken the simple precaution of keeping -his loaded weapon covered from the damp. - -It was not the first night by many a one that the two lads had camped -out, but still they had not lost all sense of novelty in doing so, and -the excitement of their position and the unaccustomed hardness of their -beds awoke them once or twice. But neither of them was foolish enough -to waste valuable time in lying awake, and after a little surprised -thought at the horsey smell of their leather pillows and an upward -glance at the deep clear blue of the vast starry heaven stretched above -them, they would pull their rough blanket closer about them--for even -tropical nights are cold when the dews are falling--and with a little -shake or two to settle themselves in their places they would roll off -to sleep again. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -A TRAITOR IN THE CAMP. - - -The journey next day was hotter and more oppressive than the first, for -their way led them, in several places, through thick and tangled -forest, where the luxuriant undergrowth was so matted and wild that -they could not force their way without the greatest labour and loss of -time. Here again Murri's knowledge of the country was of the greatest -service, for he knew that there was a river thereabouts, which flowed -from the ranges, along the dry bed of which they could travel. It was a -poor road when he found it, for the sand was very deep in some places -and it was so rocky in others, that their horses had no small -difficulty in picking a road. It was, however, much easier to travel -thus than to be obliged to chop and hew their way through the -vine-bound thickets of the bush. - -Although they had passed all their lives in Queensland, the boys had -never seen such majestic forest as clothed, for the most part, the tops -of the banks of this creek, for all the bush within many miles of any -European settlements or stations is so frequently the scene of fires, -both accidental and intentional, that either it is totally destroyed or -its wild beauty is greatly spoiled. Here, it seemed, no devastating -flames had ever impaired the grandeur of the primeval forest. The giant -trees, of vast age and enormous girth, were bound together by loops and -ropes of creepers; every branch and stem was covered with quantities of -strange parasitical growths and ferns, and the dead and dying branches -of the trees were clothed and draped with hanging masses of grey moss. -Every now and then a rotten branch would fall with a crash, startling, -with wild echoes, the silence of the bush. - -In every cranny of the rocky sides of the ravine some green thing grew, -a cluster of drooping ferns or tall rich grasses, and here and there a -tapering palm raised its rose of leaves upon the slender column of its -graceful stem. About the trees in the golden heat, or in the cool -recesses of their shadowy branches, flew flocks of parroquets of every -gorgeous hue; bright green and crimson, amethyst and amber, they -flashed as they darted hither and thither, with the sunshine gleaming -on every burnished feather, till they glowed like living jewels. The -cooing of the many sorts of pigeons hidden in the woods, the clear -resonant note of the bell bird, and every now and again the grand, pure -song of the golden-throated organ magpie made sweet music for them as -they rode along. - -But, although the beauty around them was so great, the heat was -terribly trying in the deep bed of that dry river, and not a drop of -water was to be found in the rock pools along the course of the stream. - -"I don't know how you feel, Alec," George said, after they had been -riding several hours in this blazing heat, "but I am completely -parched. My clothes would be wet through with sweat if the sun didn't -dry 'em just as quick. I don't believe there's a blessed drop of -moisture left in my whole body." - -"Beastly, isn't it? I say, Geordie, what fools we were not to have -brought some water with us from last night's camp." - -"So we should, only that ass of a Prince Tom said we were sure to get -plenty in the water holes in the river. River! I call it a jolly old -sand pit." - -"Well, Murri says we are sure to get some at the place he recommends us -to stop at. There is a native well there." - -"I hope there is." - -Shortly after this Murri overtook them, and said that at the next bend -in the river was the place they ought to stay at, as, at this dry -season, there was no water beyond that for many miles. So at the place -indicated--it was at the junction to the main creek of what, in flood -times, would be a freshet, but what was then a dry and rocky little -watercourse--they dismounted and unsaddled their horses. They at once -followed Murri to the place where he remembered the native well was -situated, and found, to their intense disappointment, that it was -absolutely dry. There were many traces of blacks on the sand around the -well, and traces which both Murri and Prince Tom said were quite recent -ones, and if there had been any water there at all, which was doubtful, -they had consumed it every drop. - -The disappointment was all the keener as they had looked forward with -such certainty to finding water there. Still they were in no great -straits for it at present, although very thirsty and parched. - -"What shall we do? Push on to the next camp?" said George. - -"Oh, no, we must put up with it; we can manage to do without drink for -a long time yet, and the horses must rest. We must not knock them up -whatever else we do." - -"All right, I can manage if you can, old fellow. I was thinking of Como -more than myself," said the boy, looking down at his dog, who was -thrusting his dry, hot nose into his master's hand as though to tell -him how much he suffered. "Never mind, Como, old boy, you shall have as -much to drink as you like tonight." - -So without any useless grumblings they threw themselves down in the -shade and kept themselves as quiet and still as the plague of flies -would let them. Just then Alec noticed that Prince Tom had not unloaded -the pack-horse which had been given into his charge, though he had -hobbled her and turned her loose. This was a most absurd and annoying -thing to do, as not only was the mare greatly impeded in her feeding, -but the pack upon her back was every moment threatened with destruction -amongst the rocks and boughs that overhung the sides of the gully. -Alec, whose temper was always rather a quick and hasty one, had been a -good deal ruffled that day by one or two little signs of Prince Tom's -desire to shirk his share of the work, and the heat, and the flies, and -the want of water, too, had worried him considerably, so that it is not -to be wondered at that he was angry. He jumped up hastily when he saw -how Prince Tom had neglected Polly, and caught the skulking fellow--who -was leaning against a tree close to him eating a lump of damper--a -sounding box on the ears. He was very angry, and the black could see -it. - -"What for you leave um load on um _yarroman_?" said Alec, advancing -towards him as though he would repeat the blow. - -Prince Tom danced and leaped backwards with surprising agility to get -out of his way. - -"Black fellow werry tired," he answered, sulkily. "Bail water bong, -bail work" (no water, no work). "White fellow eat an' drinkee all um -day. White fellow strong. You go take pack off _yarroman_." - -Alec could hardly help laughing at the impudence of the fellow making -such an absurd statement, but he sternly bade him go and unload the -horse, and Prince Tom shuffled off and did it. Already several times -since they had left Wandaroo Alec had thought that Tom had shown signs -of insubordination and disobedience, whilst Murri, on the contrary, -cheerfully obeyed their bidding, and did everything that he could to -assist them. The fact that Prince Tom was so much less to be trusted -than Murri may be accounted for by the fact that Tom was a partly -civilised black, having lived about Wandaroo and other stations for -some years, whilst Murri had not very long been drafted into the native -camp on the station from the wild _myall_ part of his tribe, which -hunted in the immediate neighbourhood of Wandaroo. - -All that afternoon, whilst they rested thirstily by the dried-up native -well, Tom relieved his anger by singing _corroborree_ songs to himself -in a low voice, but with flashing eyes and an excited manner. An -Australian savage comforts himself with these wild chants at all times -of trouble or anger, and as they are short, and are repeated over and -over again, perhaps hundreds of times, and as the tune is but a few -harsh notes strung together, the effect upon a listener, who is not -also a native Australian, becomes exasperating in the extreme. - -This is what Prince Tom sang for hours and hours that day:-- - - "_Marra boor-ba, boor-ba nunga, - Marra gul-ga, gul-ga nunga, - Marra boor-ba, boor-ba nunga, - Marra gul-ga, gul-ga nunga._" - -He sang another one just at first, when he felt very angry with Alec, -and doubtless it was a great consolation to him, for all the -opprobrious terms in it were meant as descriptive of the elder Law:-- - - "The wooden-headed, - Bandy-legged, - Thin-thighed fellow. - The long-armed - Long-shinned, - Thin-thighed fellow." - -And then every now and then, with a sort of scornful laugh, he would -add-- - - "_Mat-ta, mat-ta, yungore bya, - Mat-ta, mat-ta, yungore bya._" - - "Oh, what legs, oh, what legs, the kangaroo-like fellow, - Oh, what legs, oh, what legs, the kangaroo-like fellow." - -This singing did not trouble the boys much; they made Tom move off to a -distance, and then the sound of his chanting only made them feel drowsy -in the hot afternoon air, and in the shade of the thick bushes they -slept till it was time to push on to their camping-place for the night. - -They noticed many signs of natives being in the neighbourhood, their -steps in the sand and the remains of their fires, but Murri said that -the party had gone off towards the west, probably in search of water, -as the water holes in that creek were all dried up. - -By sunset they were well amongst the hills of the ranges they had been -aiming for. They had left the bed of the river soon after they had -started again in the afternoon. The country had grown much wilder, -there was less bush about it, and the hills themselves were only -covered with coarse native grasses, and ti-scrub and _mulga_. They -camped that night in a rocky ravine, on either side of which the steep -hills rose to a little height, leaving only a broad strip of sky above -them. Here they were able to drink--themselves and their thirsting -animals for they found a native well which, when they had scraped out -the accumulations of sand that had drifted into it, gave them a little -supply of water. - -That night the boys lay down with their loaded rifles by the side of -them. They knew that strange blacks were in the neighbourhood, and -although they had not caught sight of them, the keen-eyed savages, as -Murri warned them, might have espied them and might make a raid upon -their little force for the sake of the horses and the provisions they -carried. - -Alec thought it wisest that they should keep a watch through the night, -and this was done. George took the first, Murri the second, Tom the -third, and Alec himself was to watch from about half-past two till -dawn. - -All went well during the first part of the night. Geordie called Murri -at the appointed time, and reported everything quiet, and so it -continued through Murri's watch. He roused Prince Tom, who rose with an -alacrity that surprised him, and lying down he was soon sound asleep. - -No sooner had Prince Tom's quick ears told him that Murri slept than he -rose from the side of the tree where he was crouching, and slowly, and -noiselessly as a shadow, moved to where Alec and George were lying side -by side. He made not the least sound as he stepped; each naked foot -fell upon the dry soft sand as quietly as a falling leaf upon the -grass. He stood behind them, stiff and motionless as a statue, and -listened to their breathing to judge whether they slept soundly. He -held his cruel _waddy_ (club) in his hand. Would he murder them? Was he -about to revenge himself on Alec thus? - -It was well for them that the thought of it never entered his childish, -savage brain. He would have killed them ruthlessly had the idea but -presented itself to him; but that was not his intention. George rolls -over and indistinctly mutters something; the savage grasps his -murderous weapon that is half raised for the blow. Lie still, Geordie, -_lie still_. But the boy does not wake, he only moves his head upon his -saddle-flap and sinks again to deeper slumber. - -Having assured himself that all are soundly sleeping, Prince Tom glides -silently away; he goes to the little heap that the loads of the two -pack-horses make, and with quick hands begins to turn the different -sacks and parcels over. Many a backward glance he flings over his -shoulder to where the sleeping boys lie. But they do not move. He -hastily takes the bags that hold the flour and sugar and rice, and -swiftly carries them a little way down the ravine, towards the place -where he can hear the cropping of the horses. Once more he comes back -and takes another load, of which his saddle and bridle form part, -depositing it with the first. - -Wake, Alec! Wake, George! Treachery and robbery are going on. Wake up, -wake up! But they lie still as death, unconscious of all that goes on -so near them. - -No sooner has Prince Tom taken as much as he thinks one horse can -carry, and rather more, than he steals away to where the horses are -feeding. He can only see them very indistinctly, for a pale, blue mist -hangs above the damp, sour ground--it is an impassable swamp in the wet -season--where they are feeding, but his quick ears guide him, and he -hurries rapidly towards them. He thinks he will take Amber, for he -knows how Alec values him, and it will be sweet to be revenged. He -creeps up quite close to the animal, and is stretching out his hand to -seize his forelock, when the horse perceives him and turns sharply -round. Amber always hates the black boys, and never has let one touch -him, and he thinks it cannot, under the circumstances, be wrong to -bestow a gentle kick upon this one. Like a wise animal he acts upon -what he thinks right, and lifting up his heels as quick as thought, he -catches Tom such a kick upon the shin of one of his legs as would have -disabled any one less hardy than a savage. As it is he suffers -intensely, but silently, and hobbles off towards the horse he has been -riding, which he catches without much difficulty. Saddling the -creature, and securing his booty of food, over which he gloats with the -gaze of a miser, he quickly mounts and rides slowly away. He walks his -horse at first that the sound of hurried footsteps may not arouse the -sleeping men, and enters the thin, blue sea of mist slowly, like a -dusky vision, but he quickens his pace as he leaves the camp behind, -and soon vanishes in the pale clouds of vapour that lie along the -bottom of the valley. - -The night wears away apace, and at last, when Alec awakes, the dawn is -close upon them. He feels chilly and shudders, and looking up he sees -that the night has almost gone. He soon remembers that he ought to have -been called for his watch, but as he sees George by his side he thinks -that nothing more is amiss than that Tom has fallen asleep at his post -and has not called him, as he should have done, three hours or so ago. -He jumps up and looks round, and directly that his glance falls upon -the little tumbled heap of provisions he knows what has happened. - -"Geordie, Geordie, wake up!" he cries. - -"Well, what is it? Good morning," says George, as cheerfully as -anything, and waking up at once, as wide awake as possible, like a -bird. - -"Oh, only that all our provisions are gone in the night, and that dirty -black thief, Tom, with them." - -"Nonsense!" - -But so it is. It is only too plain, for when they all three--for Murri -has joined them, looking the picture of fright, and thinking that he -will be punished for Prince Tom's fault--come to examine the remaining -part of the two spare horses' loads they find very little remaining. It -is principally flour that Tom has taken, the very thing of all others -that they chiefly require; he has left them one bag of it, one parcel -of rice, all the tea and some sugar, and some tins of American salmon. -All the things that they might manage to do without he has generously -left behind, and those to which they trusted for their stay in the -mountains he has taken! - -Murri was most anxious that they should follow Tom; he said that it -would be quite easy for him to track him, and that they would in all -probability catch him in the course of the day. - -"Mine can _mil-mil_" (I can see) "where him go. You soon cotch along o' -black fellow. Um _yarroman_ go slow, plenty much heavy on um back. -Missa Law chewt him with umriple" (rifle); "Prince Tom fall dead bong;" -and here Murri slapped his naked thigh and laughed with delight at the -thought. - -"We can't do that," said George, "it would only be wasting time, for he -has a four hours' start of us, and would take good care we didn't come -up with him." - -"We must go back, of course," said Alec, with a hard tone in his voice -which told how much it cost him to say the words. - -"Go back! not we indeed," said George, laying his arm about his -brother's shoulders, and looking at him with such a cheering smile on -his winsome face as would have inspirited the most desponding. - -"It is not for myself, lad, but for you. I would go on if I hadn't a -crumb of bread or an ounce of flour," said he, with his old -determination; "but I promised mother that I would look after you, and -I will." - -"Look after me, of course you will, and I after you, you jolly old -goose; but go back, _I shan't_. You may if you like. I shall go on -with Murri. I am not afraid." - -"Do you mean it?" said Alec, eagerly, and with a glad light once more -shining in his eye. "Yes, you do, I see. You are a good plucked one, -Geordie. We _will_ go on!" - -"You white fellow _patter_" (eat) "kangaroo and potchum and wallaby?" -here suddenly asked Murri, who had been listening intently and trying -to understand what they were saying. - -"_Yohi_, Murri, possum and wallaby, eat um all," said George, laughing, -"or any other blessed thing you can catch us, old man," he added. - -"No go back then," said Murri, grinning and nodding his head like a -mandarin; "plenty much kangaroo all along o' that place. Mine can catch -um. Prince Tom him _debbil-debbil_; him go find _myall_ in bush, him no -go back Wandaroo." - -This was a danger that the boys had not thought of, for if Tom managed -to join any of the wild tribes thereabouts, as seemed the most probable -thing for him to do, they would very quickly consume all the provisions -he had stolen, and would want to possess themselves of all that the -boys still had with them. Alec saw this at once, and determined to -hasten on and endeavour by forced marches to put such a distance -between them as would prevent any possibility of their being overtaken. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE FIGHT WITH THE MYALLS. - - -The little party made a very sparing breakfast that morning, as Alec -said they would have to place themselves on half rations of flour, and -trust to their guns and Murri's hunting for the rest of their food. -George shot a white cockatoo, of which they made a hasty broil, and -Murri caught a little mottled snake amongst the stones, which he -quickly cooked and ate. - -They were ready to break camp almost before the light mist had been -melted by the first rays of the sun. The morning was bright, and the -dew-drops that covered the short spare grass or hung on the leaves of -the stunted bushes that grew amongst the rocks gleamed like diamonds as -they trembled in the crisp morning air. The horses were fresh, for they -had found good feed on the little dried-up marsh, and the whole day was -cheery with the morning songs of the birds and the sounds of life that -proceeded from all living things that rejoiced in the early glory of -the day. - -Although the boys had suffered such a loss in the night they were not -desponding; it had made their undertaking more difficult, but it had -not rendered it impossible, and their spirits only rose the higher at -the thought of greater obstacles to be overcome. They still had forty -pounds of flour and about ten of rice, and George, who was head of the -commissariat department said that, with very careful management, and by -eating plenty of kangaroo or other flesh, it ought to last them five or -six weeks, and they did not expect to be away more than a month in all. - -Busy with these calculations and full of talk as to what had become of -Prince Tom and the horse he had stolen, and as to whether the box on -the ears Alec had given him the day before had been the cause of his -deserting them in this shameful manner, they rode along for some few -hours. The valley amongst the hills, along which they had been riding -since they had entered the ranges the evening before, was not only very -winding but very varying in shape as well. The place where they had -camped the night before, and from which Prince Tom had deserted them, -was a mere rocky defile, with the hills close on either hand. The -valley had widened out shortly after leaving this place, and they had -been able to travel a little quicker; but now that they began to -approach the other end of the pass it gradually narrowed again till the -rocks on either side almost met overhead, making the defile shadowy and -dark. - -Murri had told them that when they emerged from the rocks they would be -able to see the great mountains beyond, and the boys were eagerly -looking forward to seeing the land of promise which they hoped would -prove such an El Dorado for them. They were talking of the gold they -would find, and were laughing excitedly at the thought of so soon -seeing the mountains, forgetful of all the difficulties that still lay -between them and the far-off peaks, for the glamour of gold was upon -them, and their imaginations were dazzled with the dreams which they -themselves had conjured up. They had touched their horses with the -spur, and the animals were just breaking into a canter, for the sandy -ground was clear just there, when Murri, who was close behind them, -leading the pack-horses, called out to them in a voice which, although -low, was so eager and earnest that the boys almost unconsciously obeyed -it. - -"Stop, stop!" - -They pulled their horses up dead and turned round, Alec's hand -instinctively falling on the lock of his rifle, which he carried slung -at his back, for he was instantly aware, from the tone of Murri's -voice, that some near danger threatened them. - -"What is it?" he asked, in the same low tone. - -"You no _mil-mil_" (see)? "Black fellow go along o' this place, two, -four minutes ago. Um come down along o' that gully. Lookee, there um -footmark," said he, pointing to a number of traces on the shingly sand -that the boys had not noticed. "And there," he added, suddenly, his -voice growing hoarse with the intensity of his excitement, "there -footmark o' _yarroman_. That Dandy, mine _pitnee_" (I know). "Prince -Tom, him with _myalls_." - -This sudden announcement of their danger made the boys' hearts beat -high, and for a moment sent the strong blood surging in their ears. -They well knew what it meant. As they had thought possible, Tom had -succeeded in joining one of the numerous tribes of savages wandering -about the neighbourhood, and, telling them of the prey, had led them to -this narrow gorge, which he knew the lads must pass through. But there -was not an ounce of coward in either of the boys, and in a moment both -of them were ready for any emergency. - -Alec's voice was steady, though his face was pale, when, through his -closed teeth, he said, without turning to his brother, but keeping a -steady glance ahead-- - -"Geordie, is your rifle loaded as well as your revolver?" - -"Yes, both barrels." - -"Fix your reins round the D-iron on the pommel, so as to have both -hands free. Will Firebrace be guided by the knees?" - -"Yes, as well as Amber. Let us try to get to that great rock in the -middle of the gully. If we can get that behind us we shall, at least, -have no one at our backs." - -"Come along, then. Come on, Murri. Keep well behind me, Geordie." - -But George Law was not of the sort to seek to protect himself behind -any one, and he took no notice of this direction, but quickened his -pace a little and rode up alongside of his brother, without a word, to -face the danger, whatever it might be, equally with him. Alec knew what -he meant by doing so, and gave one of those little nods of the head -that meant so very much between the brothers. - -The next few moments, when they knew that dozens of pairs of keen and -hostile eyes were even then gazing at them from the rocks and crannies -and bushes that hid their coming foe, were perhaps the most trying that -the boys ever experienced. Every second they expected a shower of -spears to dart upon them from their enemies' hiding-places, and yet -they had to pass along the hundred yards or so that lay between them -and the rock they wished to reach quite slowly and calmly that they -might fire upon any native that aimed a spear at them. - -They had almost reached the rock where they meant to make their stand, -when the first spear, whistling as it flew, thrown with enormous speed -from a throwing stick, darted between George and his horse's head. It -buried itself deep in the shingle. Geordie turned like a shot, but -before he had time to lift his hand the black warrior had dropped -behind the rock, where he was completely hidden. This was the signal -for attack, and many spears were darted at them from either side as -they rode on. One struck Jezebel, one of the led horses, and made her -rear and kick out viciously, but as yet the boys and Murri were unhurt. -Como had one or two narrow escapes; in fact he was grazed by one spear. - -The boys' blood began to boil, for they could get no shot at all at any -of their assailants, and they themselves were quite open to attack. -Directly that they reached the rock George sprang from the saddle and -sang out in a voice, made clear and loud by excitement--what need was -there for whispering now?-- - -"Get down, Alec; they are aiming at Como and the horses, the brutes; we -must send 'em round to the other side of the rock with Murri. Keep them -safe, or we are done for." - -No sooner said than done. In an instant Alec was by his side, and, -making Murri understand what he was to do, they gave him hold of their -bridles. He led the horses to the other side of the little fortress, -and the boys stood there alone. Alec, with a true soldier's eye, had -seen the advantage of this position, which not only screened them from -attack in the rear, but offered a good protection at the sides as well. - -The _myalls_, who, in that part of Queensland, are a big, bold, and -finely-made race of men, seeing that they could not get at the boys -unless they left the shelter of the rocks and bushes where they were -hidden, now came out into the open and collected themselves for the -attack. There must have been twenty or thirty of them, all armed to the -teeth with spears and _nullah-nullahs_ and _waddies_, and there, on the -extreme left of the group, was Prince Tom, grinning like a demon, and -still mounted on Dandy. Besides the men there was a little crowd of -_gins_, who collected stones for their husbands, picked up their spears -when they were thrown, and goaded the warriors on when the fighting -began with their shrieks and wild yells. - -"There's that thief of a Tom, look!" said George to his brother; "I'd -dearly love to have a shot at him, but I might miss at this distance, -and that would never do." - -"Don't waste a single shot, Geordie; and look here, we mustn't fire -together, or they will be in on us and stick us in no time. I'll shoot -first, both my rifle and my revolver, and while I am reloading you keep -up a steady fire. It's our only chance. Do you understand?" - -Alec's heart was thumping in his throat so that he could hardly speak; -he knew how much depended on their keeping cool and never losing their -heads. Geordie's steady answer relieved him somewhat, and surprised him -too, for the boy's face to his very lips was white. - -"Aye, aye, Alec, I understand. God protect us now, for they are on us." - -The words had hardly left his lips before the blacks had made a run and -discharged a little cloud of spears at them. The boys dropped on their -knees, and the weapons striking the rock above them fell harmlessly -behind them. Then Alec fired. His hand was as steady as the rock itself -now that the supreme moment had come, and he aimed quite quietly. With -the two quick reports of his rifle two savages fell dead, and then -instantly dropping his rifle he picked up his revolver, and fired six -shots again in rapid succession. - -Hearing, for the first time, the awful report of the white man's -mysterious weapon, and seeing two of their number fall dead from no -apparent cause, stayed for a moment the black men's attack; but seeing -no evil results ensue from the other shots--for Alec was not accustomed -to pistol shooting and got a wrong elevation--they plucked up courage -again and renewed the attack. They had fallen back a little when Alec -first fired, but hearing that the mysterious noise had ceased they -again rushed forward. - -The little ravine that a moment before had appeared so quiet and -deserted had suddenly been changed to a scene of the wildest fury. The -savages were leaping and bounding about, uttering the most unearthly of -cries as they brandished their _waddies_ and their spears; the women, -whose thin bodies seemed here, there, and everywhere at once, added -their yells and shrieks to the awful clamour. - -Before Alec had had time to reload, a second volley of spears was -discharged at them, and George, as coolly as though aiming at pigeons, -fired in return. He hit one man, killing him, and wounded another, who -fell to the earth shrieking in his agony. By the time he had emptied -the six barrels of his revolver three more men, who had come up to -close quarters, had received disabling wounds, and the greater part of -the _myalls_, thinking that they had had enough of it, rushed off with -the women up the cliffs. But a few bolder spirits still remained to -dispute the field. - -Four great naked fellows, strong and muscular, and made hideous by the -paint with which they had daubed themselves, rushed in upon the lads, -_waddies_ in hand, and rending the air with their shrieks. The boys -gave one quick glance at each other as though to say farewell, and -seizing the barrels of their rifles in both hands they waited for the -assault. But before the _myalls_ reached them unexpected help came to -their aid. Just as the foremost of the men was within a few feet of the -rock, a figure dashed round from the other side of it like a flash of -light and dealt the gigantic savage so fierce and heavy a blow on the -side of the head with a stone that he held in his hand that it -stretched him silent and senseless on the sand. - -It was Murri who had thus rushed to their rescue. - -They now were but three to three, as Murri instantly attacked another -of the _myalls_ with the _waddy_ which he had snatched from the hand of -his fallen foe. George made a step forward, and quickly swinging his -rifle round he brought it heavily down upon the neck of another of the -men. But the blow was not a disabling one; he had aimed it at his head, -but the wary savage had bent on one side. Before George had time to -recover himself and lift his weapon for a second blow his opponent -sprang in, and striking him a sickening blow on the top of the head he -felled him to the ground. He would have had his head beaten in by the -savage had not Como leaped over his master's prostrate body and, -showing all his strong white teeth, flown at the enemy. This created a -momentary diversion. - -Alec saw George fall, and felt sure, from the nature of the blow he had -seen him receive, that he was dead. He dealt a wild blow at the man -with whom he was engaged and disabled him, and then, with such a yell -of fury as a lioness gives when she protects her young, he turned upon -his brother's foe. He sprang across Geordie's body as it lay face -downwards in the sand, and seizing in one powerful hand the descending -arm of the savage, who had kicked Como to one side and was aiming a -second cruel blow at the boy as he lay, he began a hand-to-hand -struggle with him. - -Alec dealt him a crashing blow between the eyes with his disengaged -fist as he leaped upon him, and then clasping him in both his arms he -tried to bring him to the ground. The _myall_ was a grand specimen -of the tall Queensland savage, strong and fully developed, and at an -ordinary time Alec would have been as a child in his hands, but the -sight of this murderous black slaying his brother Geordie, his only -brother, had stirred up such a mad tempest of passion in Alec's breast -that he was, for the time, as strong as any three. Every muscle in his -strong young body was strained, every sinew and fibre stiffened for the -effort, and as he felt the wild mad struggles of the savage to free -himself from his grip his grasp seemed to grow stronger, and his clutch -upon his hot and swelling throat to grow fiercer every second. -Gradually, as the seconds passed, the struggles of the black grew less -and less, but Alec never loosed his hold, so maddened was he with rage -and despair, till, with starting eyes, the head of the savage rolled -over on his shoulder, and when at last Alec's convulsive grip was -relaxed, and he turned with a sob of anguish to where his brother lay, -the black man fell down--dead. - -In the meantime Murri was not idle; he was engaged, upon pretty equal -terms, with the one remaining savage. They had neither done any damage -to the other, when suddenly the stalwart black, seeing the fate of his -companion at Alec's hands, sprang away from Murri, and made secure his -position by an ignominious flight. Murri started in pursuit, but he -soon saw the hopelessness or folly of it, and stopped. As he did so he -saw Prince Tom some little way down the gully, still mounted on Dandy, -who, wild with fear at the firing and at the proximity of the shrieking -savages, was rushing about the little glen, refusing to mount the steep -sides, as Tom was trying to force him to do. - -Seeing the state of fear the horse was in, Murri called him loudly by -his name several times, thinking that he might try to rejoin them. At -the first sound of his name the intelligent creature pricked up his -ears and, rearing suddenly, turned in the direction of his friends. As -he did so, Prince Tom, dislodged by the sudden bound of the horse, lost -his seat and fell heavily to the ground. He could not succeed in -disentangling himself, as the horse tore along at full speed; one foot -was held fast in the stirrup, and as the maddened horse rushed wildly -over the rocky ground to rejoin the others the unfortunate man's head -and body were beaten almost to pieces on the jagged stones. When Dandy -at last stopped, all trembling and foaming, by Murri's side, Prince Tom -was nothing but a bruised and battered corpse. - -When Alec's anger and revenge were satisfied, and he felt that the -murderer of his brother was dead beneath his hands, he passionately -threw himself down by the side of his brother, and, with the -unaccustomed tears pouring down his cheeks, he raised his poor pale -face from the sand. He could have lifted up his voice and howled like -any savage, for he loved this bright young brother of his more than all -else in the world beside. - -Geordie's face was white as marble, and his eyes were closed as though -in sleep, his bright dark waves of hair were covered with the sand in -which he had fallen, and a great wide wound, from which the blood had -flowed that stained one side of his head and neck, extended across the -crown. - -Alec, stooping over Geordie, whom he had partly raised and laid against -his heaving chest, was calling him by all the old familiar names of -their childhood, and was speaking to him as though he thought the boy -would hear his voice. He was quite oblivious to all that was going on -around him. He had fought a good fight, and it had gone against him, -inasmuch as he had lost the brother whom he loved beyond himself. What -did anything else matter to him then: the old home station; their wild -dream of gold; the struggle he had just gone through? All seemed -dreamlike and unreal, and the only fact that was patent to his mind was -that Geordie, his dear brother, his better self, was lying dead in his -arms. The noon-day heat of the tropical sun poured on him unobserved, -his own wounds and bruises were unfelt, and his whole soul seemed to -sob itself out in the one great cry he uttered-- - -"Oh, that it had been me instead!" - -There might have been something in his agonised accents that made -itself heard in Geordie's closed and senseless ears, and that called -back the life that was fluttering within him to depart, for at Alec's -cry a feeble tiny sigh just parted the dying boy's pale lips, and his -eyelids quivered as though they would unclose. - -Alec gave one wild shriek of rapture. - -"_Thank Heaven_, he is not dead! Murri, Murri," he cried, in his -new-born joy, "bring water. _Burrima, burrima_" (quickly, quickly). - -Murri, who had been so intent on his own part of the fight as not to -notice what had happened to the boys, turned round and loosed Dandy's -bridle as he heard Alec's cry. He now saw that "Missa Law," his friend -and favourite, was dead or badly wounded, and rushed to his side to -help. He saw at once what was necessary, and ran to the other side of -the rock, where he had tied the bridles of the five horses to the stem -of a sturdy little tree that grew in a cleft of the rock. - -The water, from one of the battered tins in which they carried it, was -quite tepid from the heat of the sun, but it served to revive George a -little, and the deathly pallor passed from his face. In a few moments, -as the effects of the stunning blow he had received began to pass away, -he opened his eyes and looked about him in a dazed, astonished way. At -last he looked up and saw Alec's face anxiously bending over him, then -he seemed to remember where he was. - -"What is the matter?" he said, faintly. "Are we all here, and have they -gone away? Tell me, are you hurt, Arrick?" - -It was an old pet name of his for his brother, formed when he was a -little lad and could not yet speak plainly. In his terrible weakness he -seemed to drop, unconsciously, into the old familiar habit. - -Alec's voice was husky when he answered, though he did his best to -speak quite calmly. - -"No, I'm all right, Geordie, lad; but you are hurt and mustn't talk." - -"My head, is it?" he said, vaguely; and then, as Alec and Murri lifted -him from the ground to carry him to the shade of a clump of trees that -stood a little to one side at the entrance to the glen, his eyes closed -with faintness, and he seemed to slip off again to insensibility. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -LIFE OR DEATH? - - -All that long sultry day Alec fluctuated between hope and despair. At -one moment he thought George better, and the next that he was worse. - -Murri, who in his wild, untaught way was as tender and gentle as -possible, found some leaves of a herb which he said would heal the -wound. He moistened them with water and pounded them between two stones -and applied them to George's head. They seemed cool and refreshing. -Alec and Murri had formed a rough sort of couch of tall grasses and -leaves, over which they spread one of their blue blankets, and on this -they had laid George down. Over him Alec, who was as natty and -deft-handed as a sailor, rigged up another blanket as a sort of awning -to protect him from the sun. Sitting by the side of him all that -anxious day, with a heart full of fears for his brother and eyes that -were constantly on the alert for the return of the enemy, Alec swept -away, with a green branch, the noxious black flies that constantly -tried to settle on George's semi-conscious body. - -Murri assured him that, after such a terrible loss as they had -sustained that morning, the _myalls_ would not think of returning to -the attack, but Alec could not rest certain of it. He heard at a -distance their wild lament over their dead, the shrieks of the _gins_, -and the weird moans and cries of the men, but it seemed to him that -they were gradually growing fainter and further away. - -Murri, like the faithful henchman that he was, undertook all the -management of affairs, whilst Alec devoted his time to his brother. He -it was who hobbled and unloaded all the horses, and saw that they did -not wander far afield, though they were not anxious to go far, even in -search of food, in the great heat of the afternoon. He it was who found -water, and filled the "billies," and led the horses to drink. He it was -who killed the little bandicoot, of which Alec made a sort of barbarous -but nutritious soup for George; he it was in short who did everything -that day, and proved himself to be a true help to them. All day long -Como, who knew that something was amiss, kept wandering aimlessly -about, occasionally going as far as the native well that Murri had -found, to drink a little, but always coming back to lick the inert hand -of his master, which lay weakly and limply by the side of him. - -Towards evening, when at sunset a breeze sprang up, and the air grew -cooler, George revived a great deal. He was able to eat some of the -food that Alec had prepared for him, and soon managed to sit up a -little, with Alec as a support to his back, and talk. - -"I feel quite well now, Alec, and I mean to talk, so don't try to stop -me. Tell me, first of all, if you were hurt in the fight." - -"Nothing to speak of; I got one or two nasty thumps from a _waddy_, and -one rather awkward chop on the shoulder from my man's _nullah-nullah_, -but beyond feeling a little stiff I'm all right, I think." - -"Think! Do you mean to say you haven't looked at your shoulder yet?" - -"Not yet, I haven't had time; I've been too busy with you. Now don't -you excite yourself, or you will be ill again." - -"Excite myself! I should think I will. If you don't instantly take your -shirt off and let me see if you are badly hurt, I'll get up, and jump -about and shout. What a selfish beast I have been to lie here -comfortably insensible whilst you were in such pain. Now then, off with -that shirt." - -Alec did as he was bidden, for although George's voice was weak, there -was the old resolute tone about it, and Alec knew that he would do what -he threatened. He was glad, now that he came to think of himself, to -get the shirt off, for his shoulder felt very stiff and sore. Murri had -to help him, for he could not lift his left arm above his head. The -_myall's nullah-nullah_ had made a terrible bruise, which had already -turned black and blue, and in one place, where the flesh had been cut, -the shirt adhered to the wound. But it was nothing of any great -importance, and the hardy fellow scarcely felt anything of it beyond -the stiffness, and a certain amount of pain. Cold water and a little -bandage soon put it all right. - -The next day George said that he felt well, and was quite fit to go on, -but Alec utterly refused to do so. He said that a day's rest would do -none of them any harm, and that he thought they might stay there with -comparative safety, as the natives, after securing their dead, seemed -to have gone away. There was plenty of feed for the horses too, which -they might not get again in such abundance on the dry and parched-up -plains between that place and the mountains. George consented to his -brother's plan, though he chafed a little at the delay, for he felt -really well enough to go on. It was wonderful to see the difference -that a night's rest and coolness had made in him. Except that he was a -trifle pale, and that his head was bound up, he looked the same strong -cheery fellow as ever. He had a most wonderful vitality, and his health -being perfect and his constitution sound and strong, he was able to -throw off an illness that would have prostrated another man. - -He was up before daylight, and, regardless of Alec's injunctions to -"sit still" and "be quiet," he would insist on doing his share of the -work. - -"Fiddlesticks, Alec," was his polite remark to his brother when he -asked him not to get up. "I'm all right and jolly as possible, and if -you think I'm going to let you and Murri do all the work you are -mistaken." - -"You want your breakfast," said Alec, with a laugh. "You are hungry, -and think us slow. Don't do the virtuous and pretend it is anything -else--I know better. Well, here you are then, youngster; take this wood -and make the fire up. I'll go and fill the 'billy.'" - -After their breakfast, at which George certainly did not behave much -like an invalid, they saw that all the horses were close to, and then -they walked off with Murri to the entrance of the glen, near to which -they were encamped. Across an enormous plain of sand and spinifex and -tangled _mulga_ scrub, that was marked here and there with long dark -lines of bush where the creaks and watercourses ran, lay the great blue -mountains, towering high into the lambent sky, amongst which was hidden -the golden treasure that they sought. It was a glorious sight, for not -a cloud obscured the sky, and in that marvellous atmosphere every ridge -and azure peak stood out as clearly and sharply defined as though no -sixty miles of air lay between the mountain range and the place where -the boys stood. - -Whilst the lads were looking at this noble view, which lay spread -before them like a grand panorama, Murri, who did not care to waste his -time in any such unpractical proceedings, was carefully examining the -great trees, under whose shade they stood, to see if he could find -traces of opossum in them. Signs that any one but a native would -completely ignore were all that he had to guide him, and his quickness -of vision in detecting these traces was wonderful. Murri would saunter -to a tree that he thought looked promising, and if an opossum had -climbed it he would instantly detect the little scratches the animal -had made in ascending. He quickly found a massive tree which bore on -its bark the toe-holes of an opossum; he then sought for one of these -that had a little earth still sticking to it. When he had found it he -softly blew on the earth to see if it held together. It did not; it was -dry, and crumbled away at once, telling him by its so doing that the -marks were not very recent ones. If the opossum had climbed the tree -that morning the earth would have been damp, and would have held -together when he blew on it. - -"Bail potchum" (no 'possum) "on um tree. Must go catch kangaroo, you -_mil-mil_" (see); "clever fellow, Murri." - -The native was away for about two hours, and when he returned he -brought the body of a good large kangaroo with him, which he had -stalked and killed. - -This addition to their stores was very useful, and indeed, necessary, -for although they had managed to get Dandy back again, all the -provisions that Prince Tom had stolen from them and packed on him had -utterly and hopelessly vanished. Murri himself cooked the animal, as is -the right and prerogative always of the man who slays the game, and ate -an enormous quantity of it also; but eat as he could there was enough -for all of them that night, and for their first meal next day. They -kept a keen watch that night again, but they neither heard nor saw -anything of the _myalls_. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A TERRIBLE ENEMY. - - -The boys were up next morning, whilst still the stars shone undimmed in -the sky, and succeeded in catching their horses without very much -trouble. The fire had smouldered all night through, so that they had a -cheerful blaze very quickly, and boiled their tea in a few minutes. -They were anxious to make as early a start as possible, as they had -lost time the day before, and as soon as they could tear Murri away -from the still plenteous remains of their yesterday's roast they sprang -into the saddle. But the native was wiser than they, for, when they -were mounted, and Como was leaping round them and barking in a manner -that was highly indecorous in a dog of his years and sober aspect, he -stopped them, and said in his funny English-- - -"White fellow bail _pitnee_" (never thinks). "Mine must fill um bockles -plenty much water. Bail water bong along o' this stage. Hot, hot this -day. All um creek gone away." - -Saying this he filled all the canvas water bottles at the spring, and -then took a long drink himself, as though laying in a good store of the -precious commodity. - -Murri was right; the day was an intensely hot one, and every moment of -all that long forenoon the scorching sun gained greater power. The -country through which they were riding was quite shadeless for the -great rolling plains were only covered with a dense tall growth of -perfectly dry and withered grass and scrub. The twigs of the _mulga_ -and the stunted iron-bark bushes were so dry and brittle that they -rattled like bones when shaken by the horses as they passed through -them, and broke off short if they were touched. The earth was either -dried to a powder or baked so firm and hard that the horses' hoofs rang -on it as though on a pavement. The very trees that grew on the banks of -the gullies were shrivelled and brown. The one or two creeks that they -had to cross--taking the horses up and down the steep crumbling banks -with the greatest difficulty--were mere tracks of white and dazzling -sand, with here and there, in the shadow of the bank, a tiny pool, that -was fast drying up, remaining to prove that it ever had been a rapid -watercourse. This sand, as, indeed, did the whole earth, reflected the -burning rays of the sun till to move out of the shade was almost -intolerable. - -It was evident, from the parched and dried-up appearance of all -vegetation, and from the lowness of the water in the little pools of -the creek, that there had been no rain for very many months. There had -been no heavy rainfall at Wandaroo for a very long period, and it -seemed that this part of the country had suffered a much longer -drought. Flocks of birds were flying about the little stagnant pools in -the creeks, dashing themselves head first into the water in their -eagerness to quench their thirst. Crowds of animals, kangaroos and -wallabies principally, were congregated at the muddy margins to drink -at the fast-failing supply. No rain had fallen thereabouts for a year -or more. - -To make matters worse, infinitely worse, a stifling hot wind rose with -the sun, blowing from the west, all across the gigantic sand plains of -the interior where the air was dried and heated as though in some vast -furnace. Every breath that they drew was painful, and the heated blasts -of air dried up the moisture of their body and shrivelled their skin in -a manner that must be experienced to be believed. The animals, as is -always the case, seemed to feel the heat even more than the men; to -such an extent did the horses suffer that it seemed barbarous to ride -them, and had Murri not continually urged the lads to try to get to -Nooergup, where he said was an unfailing spring, they would have halted -for the sake of their cattle. They did make one good halt at mid-day to -rest the horses, which were far too jaded to eat, although they had -been so spirited in the early morning before the hot wind had sprung -up. - -It was towards the middle of the afternoon, some little time after they -had renewed their march, that the sky began to grow lurid at the -horizon and the day to grow faintly dimmer. The sun still poured down -its scorching rays upon them; the wind seemed to grow hotter and hotter -till men and animals fairly gasped for breath, and the air, tremulous -with the heat of the burning earth, was quivering to a height of twenty -feet above their heads. Every moment the sky grew duller, and in the -west a copper-coloured cloud rose slowly in the sky; gradually the -light of day grew red, and thin films of cloud rapidly sweeping across -the face of the sun changed his brightness to a dull blood hue. - -All the members of the little party well knew what this meant. Some -tribe of _myalls_ had carelessly left their camp fire not quite -extinguished, and the hot wind that was blowing had re-animated the -dying embers in the early morning and set fire to the bush. Every blade -of grass, every bit of scrub, and every leaf, were as dry as tinder, -and leaped into flame the instant that the rapidly-spreading fire came -to it. In a short time the whole district was blazing, and fanned by -the strong hot wind, the fire spread in all directions with -inconceivable rapidity. - -Directly that Murri, who was the first to detect the ruddy tint in the -western sky, had called Alec's attention to the fact of the bush fire, -they came to a halt to consult as to what had better be done. - -"With this strong wind the fire will travel much quicker than we can," -said Alec, with a tone of anxiety in his voice that was very natural in -their present danger; "or we could turn and ride back to our last camp, -for there is water there, and no fire could reach us on that open sandy -space." - -"The horses couldn't travel that far under eight hours; they are almost -done up as it is," said George. "Heavens, how hot it is! It is like -breathing in an oven." - -"No, I don't think they could; it has been a trying day for them, and -they are pretty well pumped. We _are_ unlucky beggars; everything seems -against us; you nearly killed by the _myalls_, Prince Tom robbing us of -our stores, and now all of us to be burnt up alive. There isn't a creek -or a pool that we can get into, and the fire is quickly marching up to -us. There! Didn't you smell the burning fern just then?" - -"Yes; by Jove! it is coming near; but don't be so despondent, Alec. It -isn't on us yet. Don't you think that by pushing on to the north or -south, as fast as ever we can make the horses go, we might reach the -end of the line of fire and head round it? Let us ask Murri." - -But the native, who had been scanning, with the keenest anxiety in -every line of his face, the advancing line of smoke, said that the fire -was already too extended for them to think of doing that, and that in -his opinion the only plan that offered them any chance of safety was to -push ahead with the greatest speed and try to reach the rocks at -Nooergup before the flames could meet them. He spoke with most unusual -excitement, his quick, restless eyes expressing better than his words -his sense of their imminent danger. - -"_Burrima, burrima_" (quickly, quickly), said he with rapid utterance. -"Nebbe mind um _yarroman_. Ride, ride, ride. Kill um _yarroman_, then -you not dead. Plenty much slow go, all fellow dead along o' this -place." - -Seeing from his manner that he thought their peril great, and knowing -full well the horrors of a great bush fire, the boys put their horses -to their best speed and galloped on. It almost seemed like courting -death to ride straight in the teeth of the advancing fire, but they -knew that they might rely upon Murri's word, so they acted as he -advised. The horses themselves soon became aware of their danger, for -when they had crossed the next low ridge, after an hour's rapid riding -along a fairly level stretch of scrub-covered country, the line of -leaping flame could be seen, stretching as far as the eye could see to -the north and south. The quivering limbs of the beasts, their dilated -nostrils and wildly starting eyes, showed how greatly they feared the -dreaded element. - -Now it was that they began to pass numbers of animals all hurrying and -rushing along in abject terror in the opposite direction to the -horsemen. Kangaroos and wallabies progressing by great leaps; emus -flapping their inefficient wings to help them in their flight; bush -rats and smaller creatures scuttling along by the side of wriggling -snakes and currish dingoes. Overhead were flocks of parrots, pigeons, -cockatoos, and other bush birds, all flying away from the great cloud -of rolling smoke and flame that seemed to stride with enormous steps -after the flying creatures. For the time all enmities between them -seemed forgotten; kangaroos and dingoes, snakes and rats and opossums, -rushed along side by side in the friendliness of a great common danger. - -Every moment as the three hurried on the heat became greater; the speed -of the horses now grew less just when there was the greatest need for -their swiftness. They could only be kept at the gallop by incessant -application of the spur, and the boys hated to punish in this way the -faithful creatures that had borne them so nobly, but they knew that the -horses' lives as well as their own depended upon their being able to -keep up their present pace for a mile or two more. - -They could now plainly hear the wild roar and crackling of the awful -fire as it consumed everything before it in its devastating march, and -the burning air that came in puffs and beat upon them, scorched and -withered them. Their very eyeballs seemed to dry within their sockets, -and the smarting lids, when they closed them, hardly kept out the awful -glare. The natural light of day was gone, for the whole sky was covered -with one vast cloud of lurid smoke, and everything looked red and -burning from the ruddy light of the sweeping flame. - -Still Nooergup, their haven of refuge, lay a mile ahead of them. Murri -pointed it out to them, and seemingly close behind it rose the moving -wall of flame. Could they but reach those barren rocks before the line -of fire encircled it and sped again on its way they were safe; but with -failing worn-out horses, and exhausted as the riders were with the heat -and want of air, it seemed impossible. - -The lips of all three were cracked and bleeding from the heat of this -awful _sirocco_, and their tongues were dry and rattling in their -parched mouths. They had drunk and lost by the rapid evaporation from -their canvas water bottles every drop of water that they had brought -from their last camp, and their unmoistened lips could hardly -articulate. When they did speak their voices were so harsh and hoarse -and changed as scarcely to be intelligible. Their speed was greatly -lessened from each of them having to lead one of the spare horses, for, -although these three horses were much less exhausted than those which -were ridden, they were in a much greater state of alarm, and much more -restive. - -Alec's noble and high-spirited horse, Amber, was much less jaded than -the horses that George and Murri rode, though it was more terrified and -alarmed than any of the others at the roaring and flaring of the now -nearing fire. Seeing that his own horse was rapidly failing, and that -Amber still had reserve stores of strength, George goaded on his -over-strained steed and caught up Alec, who was some few paces ahead. -His face, although scorched by the heat, looked very wan and drawn, and -no one could have recognised his clear, sweet voice in the sobbing, -croaking tones in which he spoke. At first he could hardly utter a -sound, but he forced his voice, and made himself heard above the -roaring of the advancing flames. - -"Arrick, old boy, push on. There is something in Amber yet, though -Firebrace is about done up. You can get through and on to the rocks. -Make Como come with you." - -"Geordie!" cried Alec, in a tone of reproach, and looking round at him -with his stiff and bloodshot eyes. "Leave you? We _both_ get through or -we _die together_ on this side." - -He said no more, but checked his horse, and brought him down to -Firebrace's pace, and Geordie knew that further remonstrance was in -vain. Would he not have acted just the same himself had he been the -better mounted? - -They were now within a hundred yards of Nooergup, which was just a -little mass of barren tumbled rocks, on a slight elevation, rising, -like an island, from the sea of stunted trees, scrub, and tall grasses, -that surrounded it on all sides. The rushing line of fire had already -reached it, and the huge flames, ten feet in height in their lowest -part, were already licking the rocks at the sides with flickering -blazing tongues, as though they would consume even the rocks that -impeded their progress. But the fire had not passed all along it yet, -and just where the rocks stood there was a break in the livid, roaring -line. - -Towards this the riders were madly goading on their panting horses. One -minute longer, and it will be too late! The very air seems fire; they -can only get their breath with the utmost difficulty. Murri has wrapped -his poor naked body in the blue blanket that was fastened to his -saddle, to protect himself from the flying sparks and the deadly heat. -There is a roaring in their ears as of a mighty sea, and a flame and -glare before their eyes as though heaven and earth are fire. It almost -seems that the flames are bending forward, and hurrying and rushing to -envelop them. - -There is still a narrow opening in the vivid line of fire. Only a few -seconds more, and they will be safe. Fifty yards! forty yards!! thirty -yards to go!!! And then----! George's horse staggers, and with a sob -like a human being in distress its legs almost give way. - -"Heaven help us now!" cried Alec, in despair. - -But even then he does not give up. He looses the horse he has been -leading, and leaning across, half out of his saddle, he gives poor -trembling Firebrace a blow across the quarters with his whip. George, -weakened by his wound, is almost insensible, but he sticks in his -saddle; and his horse, making one last awful effort, bears him between -the narrow gates of flame, and, placing his master in safety, falls -dead of a broken heart. - -The shock of the fall revives George, and, disentangling himself from -the stirrups, he springs to his feet. - -He is alone! - -The line of fire has passed on, the narrow opening is closed, and he is -behind the wall of flame, which is rushing on to consume in its fiery -embrace the brother who had saved him a moment before. - -[Illustration: "HE SEIZED THE NATIVE ROUND HIS SLIM, NAKED BODY." -(_p. 79._)] - -When Alec stooped to strike Firebrace, to urge him on to one final -effort, Amber, terrified beyond all control at the nearness of the -flames, swerved to one side, and by the time Alec had again turned his -head towards the rocks the disconnected line of fire had rejoined -itself, and presented an unbroken front to him. At this moment, when -every hope seemed extinguished, his mad courage came to his aid, and -suggested one last chance. A chance in a thousand, but still a chance. - -He saw that Murri had been as unsuccessful as himself, and that he was -still in front of the leaping line of fire; he shouted to him to -dismount, and, for all his huskiness, his voice rang out like a -clarion, and the man heard him, and blindly obeyed, like a child, in -his fear and confusion, doing exactly as he was bidden. - -"And now stand still," roared Alec. - -Backing his horse for some little distance to gain the necessary speed, -Alec, goading Amber with voice and spur alike, rushed like lightning -towards the soaring flames. Straining every muscle, he seized the -native round his slim, naked body, and by an almost superhuman effort -he lifted him from the ground. At the same moment he again dashed his -spurs into Amber's throbbing sides, and, giving the noble creature his -head, he boldly rode at the wall of fire. - -Like a greyhound the superb horse cleared the glowing heart of the -fire, and darting with inconceivable speed through the flickering -flame, which for one second surged and beat about him, he landed with -his double burden in safety on the glowing ashes of the ground the fire -had just passed over. A few strides more, and they were side by side -with George. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -AFTER THE FIRE. - - -At first they were all too exhausted to speak. Alec loosed his grip of -Murri, and slipping from his horse, which was trembling in every limb -from the terrible strain it had gone through, staggered to where his -brother was standing. Geordie was half dazed with the agony he had -undergone, for when he found himself alone and shut off from the others -by the white, hot wave of fire that surged between them, he gave up all -hopes, even the faintest, of ever seeing his brother again. He had -stood quite still for a moment or two by the side of his dead horse, -gazing vacantly at the fire as it swept majestically forward, and the -revulsion of feeling was almost too great for him to bear when he saw -the leaping horse and its burden flying through the sheet of flame. For -an instant horse and rider, looming gigantic through the haze of smoke, -seemed to hang above him, and then the noble charger struck the -smouldering earth, and he knew that both horse and rider were saved. - -Both Alec and Murri were almost unrecognisable, so blackened and -charred were they with the fiery ordeal they had undergone: their hair -was singed, and Murri was painfully scorched in one or two places. The -native was the first to recover his composure; his nature was much less -sensitive and highly-strung than that of the English lads. He had been -terribly frightened, but that was over now, and, feeling the pangs of -thirst very keenly, the new sensation quickly removed remembrance of -the old. It was no use being overcome with an emotion that was past, -and it was of great use to supply a want that was actual and very -present; so in this very practical state of mind he walked off with a -tin from Amber's saddle to the place where he knew was the unfailing -little spring he had spoken of in the morning. - -The water was low in the little rock basin, but it promised them, at -any rate, a sufficiency. Murri hastily drank a tinful, and then carried -some to where Alec and George were sitting, exhausted and panting for -breath. Never had either of them drank with such rapture; the physical -bliss of that draught of pure cool water was the keenest they had ever -felt. It put new life into them, and, although the air was still like -the breath of a furnace, they sprang to their feet refreshed. Alec's -first thought, after he found that Geordie was unhurt, was for Amber; -he led him to the little pool, and before he quenched his own thirst, -which as yet was not half satisfied, he gave drink to the noble animal -that had saved him. - -Murri, who had quite regained his usual practical calm in the few -moments since they had been safely landed on the rocks, was standing by -them as Alec watered his horse. His head was moving from side to side, -and his quick eye glanced rapidly over everything. - -"Plenty hunglee by-'m-by. Mine go catch um wallaby; him can't run 'way -'cause along o' fire," he said, and, pointing to a scorched-up looking -creature at some little distance from them, he started in pursuit, -armed with the waddy from his sinew belt. - -"What a fellow he is--he thinks of nothing but eating," said George, -with a half laugh, for now that the awful tension of his nerves was -relaxed he could not help seeing the comic side of things, -notwithstanding their precarious position. "The instant that he escapes -death by burning he thinks he can make the very fire that nearly killed -him useful in catching his prey." - -"Well, it is a good thing for us that he is so business-like, for -everything we brought with us is on the other side of the fire." - -"Oh, and Como, too, and the horses!" said George, with a shudder. "In -my relief at having you safe I had forgotten everything else; and look, -Alec, poor Firebrace dropped dead the minute he had crossed the line of -fire." - -"It has been a narrow escape for all. I never expected that any of us -could be saved. When I saw the fire had cut me off from the rocks I -thought I was done for, and then I determined to make a rush for it, -and with the blood beating in my ears like the ringing of a bell I -turned Amber towards the fire." - -"Look!" suddenly and excitedly called out George, who was leaning -against the horse, which did not move a yard from them; "I believe the -flames are sinking just over yonder. We might get through and try to -save Como and the horses." - -Alec, following the direction of his eager, outstretched hand, saw that -in one part of the line, where there was a sandy little patch nearly -bare of vegetation, the flames had almost become extinguished. - -"Yes, yes," he cried; "come along. Quickly, quickly; we may save them -yet." - -The two lads, made strong by the thought that they might save the lives -of the poor creatures, rushed across the hot and still smoking earth -towards the little barren place. There was hardly any fire there, and, -darting across it, they stood once more in front of the blazing line. -Three of the horses--for Dandy had disappeared, never to be seen -again--maddened with terror, yet trembling with fatigue and exhaustion, -were rushing backwards and forwards in front of the advancing flames, -as though fascinated and enthralled by the very thing they dreaded. The -two boys, shouting at the same time, that they might be heard above the -roar of the fire, called aloud to them; and the poor distraught -creatures, hearing the voices of their lords and masters, who were as -gods to them, turned at once, and, throwing their heads in the air, -came rushing to them with loud neighs, just as one sees a dog which has -been lost in the streets come tearing to his master when he sees him -again in the crowd. They followed the boys closely, glad to touch them -with their hot, soft muzzles to make sure that they had found them, -with a mute appeal for water in their sunken eyes that was -inexpressibly touching. - -George let Alec lead them to the rocks and to the spring, and turned -back once more to look for Como, which he had not seen with the horses. -He could see nothing of his dear old friend at first, but after a short -time he thought he could distinguish some strange object lying quite -still and motionless just in front of the quickly-marching blaze at -some little distance from him. Towards this he quickly ran, and found -that it was Como lying singed and senseless, only a yard or two from -the flames. Drawing a deep breath, and holding his hat before his face, -he darted in and, scorched and blinded by the heat, dragged the heavy -body out of reach of the fire. He thought that there was still a look -of life about it, so passing both arms round the great chest of the -animal, which hung limply in his grasp, he started off at a run towards -the almost surrounded sand patch with the weighty burden in his arms. - -Well for him that he was fleet of foot as well as strong of limb, for -he only just reached the little barren spot before the broad arms of -the fire met again in a silent embrace that would have cut him off for -ever. The great flames soared up higher and stronger with a sweeping -flare, as they came together again, but boy and dog had passed between -them. - -"Geordie, Geordie!" said Alec, "what a frightful risk to run; you had -no right to do it." - -"But I couldn't leave Como to burn." - -"I fear he is dead after all." - -But he was not; there was life in the old dog yet, and after they had -poured water over him and down his throat he showed signs of life, and -feebly licked the face of his master, who was stooping over him. - -"Well," said Geordie at supper time, when coolness had come with the -night, and they were eating the wallaby that Murri had succeeded in -killing. "Well, we ought to be a united party after this. Everybody -seems to have been saving and helping everybody else." - -"It has been a day of terrible dangers," answered Alec, "but--let me -whisper it, Geordie--I have _enjoyed_ it. It is an awful thing to say, -perhaps, but anything so grand as that one leap into the great sheet of -flame I never felt. It was worth years of ordinary living." - -That night it was long before the lads could get to rest; they had been -excited too intensely by the adventurous day they had passed through -for sleep to visit them quickly. Murri, who seemed to have no more -nerve than a jelly-fish, after a few philosophical remarks upon the -advisability of going to sleep at once, had wrapped himself in his -blanket and fallen asleep at the same moment. The night had grown -cooler, for the hot wind ceased to blow at about sunset, and the heavy -pall of smoke having rolled away, the quiet stars shone down upon them -from a sky that was clear and deep once more. The fire, which seemed to -have received a check at one of the great deep gullies they had crossed -in the morning, looked as though it were dying down, although now and -again the eastern sky throbbed with a ruddy glow as some little patch -of scrub or bush caught fire and flared up brightly in the blue still -night. - -How solemn was the great silence of that wide expanse which, for a -time, was deprived of all life! Every breathing thing had fled before -the fire, and a silence as of death reigned over all the land. The -lads, for all their bold spirit and boyish lack of sentiment, felt the -impressiveness of it at last, and, ceasing their chattering, sank into -a stillness which soon flowed into sleep. - -Night crept on; the moon sank behind the grave white peaks of the -mountains that from their heights watched for the dawn of the day; the -steady-pacing hours swept over the burnt black earth; and then in the -fulness of its time the east glowed again, but with a rose that was not -the rose of ruin and fire but the warmth and glory of a new day's -birth. - -All three of them slept soundly through the night, and their slumbers -might have encroached on the morning had not a heavy shower of rain -fallen just before sunrise and awakened them. It almost seemed that the -fire which had devastated the land had brought the remedial rain in its -train, for, whereas there had previously been a drought of a year or -more in all that district, rain now fell in heavy refreshing showers -directly after the conflagration occurred. - -The fact of this rain falling then was of the greatest importance to -the little band of adventurers, for not only was there an immediate -alteration for the better in the temperature, but these heavy showers -would replenish the springs and refill the dried-up creeks, and make -the young grass grow that was so imperative a necessity for their -horses. - -There were some few bushes and little clumps of withered grass left -unconsumed among the rocks of Nooergup, and, as these offered a scanty -keep for the horses for one day, the boys agreed that they would not -leave their present camp till the next morning. The reason for this -decision was the worn-out condition of the horses, all of which stood -sadly in need of a day's rest, and the fact that until the burnt grass -sprouted again they would be unable to get feed for them. They knew -that after these showers, which fell both in the morning and the -evening of the day after the fire, the young grass would grow -incredibly quickly, and that the feeding of their horses would no -longer be a cause of anxiety to them. - -"Don't you wish that those pretty little black moustaches of yours, -Alec, would grow again after their singeing as quickly as the grass?" -said George, mockingly, to his brother, and looking at him with a -laughing face. - -"Don't you wish you had some to be singed, young Impudence?" said Alec, -throwing a little piece of damper at him which the resuscitated Como -instantly caught and swallowed, thinking it was meant for him. - -Murri, by whose valuable opinion they were always greatly guided, -thought the little rest was advisable, so they did not leave Nooergup -until the second day after the fire. - -It was a damp and misty morning when they started. George had taken his -saddle from poor Firebrace and transferred it to Vaulty, a strong -serviceable roan, which he rode henceforth. The sun soon dispelled the -light silvery cloud which hung above the steaming earth. When this soft -veil had been withdrawn they could see, across the charred and -blackened plain, the blue mountains of their hopes rising high into the -dazzling sky, apparently close to them. But in reality, as Murri -assured them, they lay three days' journey away. - -All that day they journeyed across the burnt monotonous plain, but -towards evening they reached the further edge of it, where the fire had -originated, and once more were in a region of thick scrub and dense -bush, which already looked fresher and almost green again after the -copious rains, so quickly does Nature restore herself. Here again, -after a day of silence and stillness on the wasted plains, they heard -the voices of birds and saw living creatures moving. Two large emus -that they came upon, near a little park-like patch of tall _casuarina_ -trees, almost led them to a small, recently-filled pool of water, for -the birds, only fearing their enemy man, and thinking that these -strange unknown creatures that were approaching them were quadrupeds -only, had no fear of them, and walked to their pool without any sign of -alarm. The boys stopped Murri from throwing his _boomerang_ at them, -for they could not find it in their hearts to reward such confidence as -the emus showed in them by letting them be killed. Quite inexplicable -behaviour Murri thought it. But then he wanted his supper, and was -totally without sentiment. Happy savage! - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. - - -For two days longer they travelled on before they got amongst the low -bush-covered hills that formed the spurs of the great mountain range. -The time had not appeared long or dull to them, for they had been too -fully occupied in surmounting the difficulties of the journey for the -hours to hang heavily on their hands. Sometimes a series of intricate -and winding creeks and gullies would intercept their path, and in -leading their horses up and down the steep sides, and in making a -crossing for them over otherwise impassable places, hours would be -spent. At other times a long line of _mulga_ scrub would stop them, -through which, with the greatest damage to their skin and clothes, they -had to force a way. In passing these difficult pieces of scrub they -always made Murri come last in the line, that he might have the benefit -of the opening made by the other riders, and so save his naked body -from many scratches and painful little wounds. - -It certainly was not easy travelling, but they all were accustomed to -the bush, and none of them were afraid of a little hard work, though -they may have _liked_ it no better than other people. One or other -of the lads would perhaps indulge in a boyish growl at the heat, or the -thorns, or the weight of the rocks they had sometimes to move aside for -their horses to pass along these narrow gullies, but the other would -cheer him on by reminding him of the object for which he was working, -and the grumble would end in a laugh. - -They rested one night at the edge of the great dim forest that clothed -the lower hills, and next morning began the labour of climbing among -these giant mountains. The work would be continuous until they reached -the Whanga valley, which Murri said was in the very heart of the range, -over the first great spur that lay, a gigantic barrier, before them. - -In the early light of the coming day, when the shades of night still -seemed struggling with the dream of dawn that crept so palely along the -valleys and among the rocks, the mountains looked doubly grand and -majestic. So black, so unconquerable and vast they loomed against the -scarcely lighter sky, that to Geordie's impressionable nature they -almost seemed an effectual bar to their progress. Although it was still -too dark to see to catch their horses, the boys and Murri were astir, -for they had a long climb and a hard day's work before them. - -"If I did not well know, Alec, that you and I will let _nothing_ stop -us, I should almost have said that those dim awful mountains might have -been too much for us." - -The boy spoke in a hushed, low voice, for in that great stillness -before daybreak, when as yet all birds and living things are mute, and -when the very air, before the breath of morning stirs it, appears to -sleep, it seems a sacrilege to break the solemn silence that, like a -mantle, lies about the earth. - -"Nothing that man can conquer shall stop us, mountain or river," said -Alec, resolutely; who sometimes, as now, failed to read his brother's -finer meaning. - -"Oh, no, I know that. I don't think you quite understand. Of course we -shall get over. I'd dig the mountains down with my own hands before I -let them beat me. It isn't that; it was only a feeling. And now it is -gone," said he, suddenly, as a warm flush of rosy light flooded the -eastern sky, and was reflected on the white crags of the higher -summits. A flute-voiced organ magpie burst into glorious song the -moment that the daylight came, and its cheerful music banished the last -trace of mystery and awe from George's mind. - -A few minutes before they started, just at sunrise, Murri said that -they had better take some food with them besides their own dried -provisions, as they might be unable to catch anything on the higher -parts of the mountains they would have to cross. - -"Bail kangaroo, bail wallaby, up along o' there," said Murri, pointing -to the mountains. "Mine go catch um bird, bail chewt um, Missa Law; -_boomerang_ plenty much kill." - -Leaving their horses hobbled for a moment or two, the boys followed -Murri to the edge of the little pool to which the emus had led them the -night before. - -The little pond, which the rain had filled with clear brown water, was -in the centre of an open space, which, after heavy rains, would be a -good-sized pool. It was, except for the little sunken place in the -middle, quite dry. Round the edges of this brown space of dry mud trees -grew thickly. Murri was only armed with his curiously curved black wood -_boomerang_. All three of them hid themselves among the bushes and -waited patiently a few minutes for a flock of birds to visit the pool -for their morning drink and bath. - -They had not to wait very long, for presently a great flock of loudly -chattering and squealing white cockatoos came flying in a fluttering -crowd to the pool. - -Many perched on the little trees that grew around the open space. When -a great number of birds had arrived there Murri darted, with a loud -cry, from his hiding-place. The startled birds rising in a flock flew -wildly over the pool. Gaining an impetus by the run, and raising his -arm high above his head, Murri threw his _boomerang_ with all his -force. It travelled some distance almost on a level with the ground, -and then, with extraordinary swiftness, it darted upwards amongst the -flock of birds. As the _boomerang_ does not fly in a straight line, but -whirls about in the most eccentric and sudden manner, the cockatoos -could not escape it, and before it fell, not very far from Murri's -feet, three birds had been brought fluttering to the ground. - -By the time that Murri had picked up his spoils and the party was -mounted it was broad day, and they could see in all their grandeur and -beauty the mountains they had to cross. The lower spurs were of the -colour of dull gold, from the withered grass that covered them, whilst -others that were dark with the everlasting bush looked blue in contrast -with them. The more distant mountains, which lay fold upon fold behind -one another, were of a pure deep azure, whilst the nearer summits, -which were bathed in the morning sunshine, and which seemed to pierce -the very sky, were of bare rock as white as driven snow. - -The colours of the near landscape were bright and varied, the tints of -some of the wild grasses were reddish and rich warm browns, and the -pure green of the graceful mimosas glowed in the early sunlight against -a background of dark mysterious bush. The air, after the rain, was -fresh and exhilarating, and with happy hearts, forgetful of dangers -past, and bravely facing difficulties to come, and singing from pure -good spirits as they rode, the boys passed through the cool, grey -morning shadows, as gay at heart and happy minded as young -knights-errant in the youth time of the world. - -Although they would not have to ascend to the greatest heights of the -mountains to reach the pass by which Murri was to lead them to the -Whanga valley, they had still a most difficult climb to accomplish. -Their horses vastly increased the difficulty of their labours, though -it must be owned that at times they scrambled like dogs up places that -no horse but a colonial bred one would think of attempting. Had the -boys been without them they could have reached the pass in half the -time, and with less than half the labour that it took them with the -horses. Of course they did not ride them--that would have been -impossible--and to choose a suitable route for horses over a mountain -that is covered with rocks and crags and full of ravines and great -gullies is a work of not only great anxiety but of great labour. - -"I wonder how Yesslett would have liked this," sang out George to his -brother, who was in front, at one place, about half-way up to the pass, -where they had to clear a road for the horses. - -"Much better than you think, Master George. Just because we have seen -him a bit nervous at times we are apt to underrate him. I have studied -him, and there is much more in him than you give him credit for. -There's real pluck in him at bottom, I know. It has never had a chance -of coming out yet, but it will be there when the time for it comes." - -"Oh, I wasn't doubting dear old Yess's courage. He is three times the -man he was when he came. I was only thinking that bringing horses up -such a place as this would rather surprise that young Englisher." - -"And you, you stuck-up young monkey, are taking all the glory of it to -yourself instead of praising the strength and spring of our Australian -horses." - -"If you are going to argue with me over every word I say," said George, -with a laugh, "I shall go on ahead and ride with Murri; he, at least, -won't be able to differ from me. That is the advantage of talking with -him: one has it all one's own way, and he doesn't understand half one -says." - -"And that, I can well understand, leads to unanimity of opinion." - -As they climbed higher and higher towards the pass which lay between -two gigantic glittering peaks that towered above them, like vast -sentinels to guard the entrance to the unknown land beyond them, the -scenery became still wilder. The rich vegetation of the lower slopes -ceased, and a wilderness of crags and rocks took its place. Still there -was room for the horses to pass between them, and in places the very -roughness of the ground was the means of their getting along at all; -had it been smooth the horses could not have kept their feet. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -VERY NEAR TO DEATH. - - -Although they had started at sunrise the little party had not nearly -reached the pass by the hour that it was time for their mid-day halt. -Having to find a practicable route for the horses, and having to remove -so many objects that were obstacles in their way, had taken so much -longer a time than they had expected. The boys removed the saddles and -loads from the horses to ease them a little, and turned them loose to -find what food they could amongst the scanty growth on the rocks. There -was unfortunately no water for them, for the only little watercourse -near them was absolutely dry. The boys and Murri had each his own water -bottle with him, but Murri, with all the incurable thoughtlessness of -an Australian savage, had drunk all of his store in the early part of -the day. The boys were accustomed to this absolute want of foresight in -Murri, so they were not surprised, but it annoyed Alec every time he -displayed it. - -He had a much hastier temper than George, and although, as a rule, it -was well under control in the big affairs of life, he sometimes lost it -over small matters--just as most of us do. - -"Confound the fellow!" said he, in an annoyed voice. "He has drunk all -his water and wants some of ours. What an idiot the man is to be sure. -He must suffer for his own folly and go without any." - -"Remember he is nothing but a child in mind," said George. "They always -are. He either hopes that water will turn up somewhere or other, or, -what is more likely, doesn't think at all. He just felt thirsty, and -having the water at his saddle drank it up without another thought." - -"I suppose that is it. But he ought not to hope to find water in such -unlikely places." - -"I don't know that he does. But I think you are as foolish as he is if -you expect to find wisdom of that sort in such unlikely places as -Murri's brain. You never will remember mother's one solitary piece of -philosophy, 'Learn to _expect_ disappointment.' And now that I have -given my elder brother a lecture, which is very charming of me, I'll -give Murri some of my water. Come along, old stoopid," he sang out -pleasantly to the black. - -"You won't do anything of the sort, my young Solomon," said Alec, whose -face was bright again. "_I_ shall. I lost my temper like a jackass, and -I'll make up for it. You are quite right, most learned brother, so -preach away as much as you like." - -"I don't like preaching at all, any more than I like listening to -sermons, and if you dare say that I preach to you, Arrick, or ever have -preached, I'll come and gag you with this piece of soft damper," said -George, taking up a stiff piece of the flour and water he was mixing. - -Before they resumed their march, Murri pointed out to them the route -they would have to follow. He remembered every yard of the road; he was -wise enough in that way, although it was years since he had been there. -The only way that they could go was along a narrow sort of shelf that -formed a natural little path that led from the ravine they were then -in, along the wall-like face of cliff, to the top of the next great -ridge above them. - -After a halt of a couple of hours Alec said that if they did not get on -at once he feared they would not reach the pass before sunset. It was -only with great difficulty that they managed to get the horses on to -the narrow shelf that was their only path out of the ravine. Murri, -leading his horse, went first in the line, then came George with -Vaulty, and last came Alec, driving Amber before him, and leading the -one pack-horse, to which the loss of the two horses had reduced them. - -The ascent was very rough and steep, and quickly raised them to a great -height above the valley they had rested in. Fortunately, no green thing -grew on that rocky ledge to hide the inequalities of their path; it was -too stony and too exposed to the terrible heat of the tropical sun for -any vegetation to live upon it. Every now and then Murri had to roll -some great rock, that blocked the path, into the gulf beneath them, -which, striking the crags as it wildly plunged through air, would dash -itself in pieces upon the rocks below, the noise of its descent echoing -from side to side of the ravine in dull reverberations. - -As they mounted higher and higher the path became narrower, and the -precipice upon their right hand side became so sheer, that looking over -the edge of the rock they stood upon they could see straight down into -the valley a thousand feet below them. It was a fortunate thing that -the boys' heads were perfectly steady; had they been nervous or giddy -they must have fallen from their awful height from simple fright at the -depth of air below them. Alec began to blame himself for not having -examined the path before he ventured upon leading the horses on to it, -for it had now become so narrow that the animals could not have turned -round had the path suddenly ended or had they come upon any insuperable -object across it. However, it was as well to go on boldly now that they -had entered upon it and there was no help for it. He said to himself -that he was every bit as thoughtless as their hare-brained guide. - -They must have been climbing up this perilous track for nearly an hour, -for they had been very cautious and slow in their movements for fear of -an accident, when the horse that Murri was leading displaced a smallish -stone which, instead of falling over the edge of the precipice and -dashing itself a moment or so afterwards--with a noise made soft by the -distance--on the rocks so far beneath, rolled down the path with -momentarily increasing speed. George saw it coming, and, calling to -Alec to look out, sprang into the air to prevent it striking his feet. - -The stone passed by him without striking him, but as he retouched the -ground the piece of rock on which his feet descended, loosened from the -ledge by the sudden spring he had made, became detached from its -position, and, quivering for a second, fell silently in a little cloud -of dust and crumbling fragments over the edge of the awful chasm. A -moment afterwards a dull crash rose from the valley, where it had -shattered itself upon the rocks. But Alec did not hear the noise of it, -for before the great stone had reached the pointed rocks his ears had -been rent and every drop of blood in his body curdled by the piercing, -agonising shriek that Geordie uttered as he felt himself falling from -the path. - -For one half second after he had leaped George had felt the trembling -of the rock beneath him, and then, before he knew what was happening, -he felt himself falling with the stone. Then it was that that loud -despairing shriek burst from his agonised lips. He uttered no word nor -name; that wild, hopeless cry was but the expression of the deadly fear -and terror that he felt. - -The horror of Alec's situation was doubled by the fact that from his -position on the path he could not see what had happened. The path was -narrow, and between him and his brother were two horses, Amber, which -he was driving before him, and Vaulty, which George had been leading. -At the sound of that shrill shriek an icy sweat burst out upon him, and -he felt fear creeping in among the roots of his hair and roughening his -skin. For one instant he stood still as death, frozen by terror to -inaction, for he knew that it was George who cried. Then with rapid -throbs his bursting heart began to beat, and through his pallid lips a -cry broke forth-- - -"_Geordie, Geordie! What is it?_" - -No answer came to his loud call, and loosing the bridle of the horse he -was leading he flung himself down on the path. He could see nothing of -his brother, but he saw that the two horses before him were standing -perfectly still. Creeping on hands and knees, for there was not room -for him to pass between the horse and the wall of rock that rose on his -left hand side, he crawled between Amber's legs. Then, with a heart -that stood still for fear, he saw that Geordie had disappeared. Vaulty, -who was a few yards in front of him, was standing with all four legs -stretched out as though resisting some great strain, and his head was -pulled down to the very edge of the path. Not waiting to think what -these things might mean, Alec crept under the sweating belly of the -horse, which stood as still and stiff as though carved in stone. - -Before he had passed between the fore legs of the sturdy roan he took -one fearsome glance over the edge of the precipice. - -Horror! What did he see? - -There, a few feet below him, swinging at the end of the strained bridle -reins of his horse, was Geordie, hanging and swaying horribly, with -nothing between him and the awful rocks below but two thousand feet of -air. As Alec looked over the edge of the precipice he saw the deathly -face of his brother beneath him with strained, wide open eyes with a -ghastly look of terror in them, gazing straight up at him. George's jaw -was firmly clenched, and between the white, set teeth, which the -retracted lips displayed, he hissed in a thrilling, awful whisper-- - -"Make haste! make haste! _the bridle is slipping!_" - -With an indrawn shuddering breath of terror Alec pushed himself between -the legs of the horse, and leaning over the edge of the precipice he -grasped in his strong brown hand the two straps of the bridle that were -nearest to him. Just as he was about to gather into his grasp the two -other straps on the further side of the bit the leather on that side -gave way, and with a sickening jerk Geordie dropped two feet further -down, two feet nearer death. - -Neither of the boys uttered a cry as this frightful accident happened. -The struggle with death was too fierce for them to make a sound. -Horribly the boy swayed about at the end of the two straining straps -that alone suspended him above the vast abyss; the knuckles of his -hands were white with the fearful energy of his grasp; his head hung -back, and his dark curly hair fell away from his forehead, for his hat -had slipped off, and even then was floating with great birdlike swoops -to the valley below. His face was white as death, and his wild eyes -stared up at Alec's face with an expression of agonised entreaty in -them. - -Gradually Alec hauled in inch after inch of the bridle. From his -awkward position on the path, lying on his chest and leaning over the -edge, he was not able to exert all his strength, so that it was very -slowly that he was able to raise Geordie up. The sweat stood in great -beads on his brow, not merely from the labour, which was great, but -from his terrible anxiety lest these straps should break as the other -pair had done under a lesser strain. But the leather held firm, and he -blessed in his heart the man who had done that honest tanning. - -Alec saw, with renewed terror, when Geordie's tightly clasped hands -were almost within reach of his own, that a look of faintness began to -steal over his face, and that the eyes, which had been so widely open -in his agony, were gradually closing. If but for one instant -insensibility overtook him he must loose his grasp of the reins and -fall. The thought of this was too awful for contemplation, and was -trebly terrible now that he was so nearly within his brother's reach. - -"Hold on, Geordie. Hold on a minute longer, and I can reach you. Hold -on, hold on, _don't give way_!" shouted Alec, his voice almost rising -to a shriek as he saw the death-like look of faintness creeping faster -and faster over Geordie's face. - -Alec redoubled his already incredible exertions, straining every nerve -till the tendons in his bare brown neck stood out like bars and the -great swelling muscles on his arms and back seemed to turn to iron in -their strength. Then, making one grand final effort, he held George's -weight up by one arm alone, and stretching out the other seized his -brother's wrist in a grasp of iron, just as poor Geordie's overtaxed -strength gave way and his head rolled heavily to one side in total -unconsciousness. - -It was at this moment that Murri reached Alec's side; he had been some -way ahead of the two boys, so that, although he stopped the moment he -heard George's shriek, he had not been able to reach them before. It -was fortunate that he came up when he did, for with George's dead -weight hanging on to his outstretched arm Alec was quite unable to haul -his brother back to the path; but with the assistance of the black boy -he succeeded in raising the inanimate body of the senseless lad from -his awful position, and in laying him in safety again on the rocky -path. - -It was only with difficulty that they revived the fainting boy; the -mental shock and the bodily strain he had undergone in falling and -holding himself up by his hands for so long were more than he could -recover from at once. But in an hour's time the plucky fellow was -sufficiently well to go on, though he shook as with a palsy. - -"Don't speak of it; I can't bear to speak of it or think of it yet. -Wait till we are away from this awful place," he had said, as soon as -he could speak; so that no word was spoken until they had reached the -top of the pass and left that frightful pathway, and had descended some -little way down the gentle, wooded slopes of the other side, where, by -the side of a little marshy pool, they camped for the night. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE WHANGA. - - -After the terrible time he had passed through on the side of the -precipice, when he and death had looked so sternly in each other's -face, George's sleep was disturbed that night. Awful dreams, in which -he was again swaying, at the end of the bridle strap, above the ravine, -haunted his slumbers and drove away his rest. Once he had awakened -himself with a shriek, and had sprung up with the sweat of terror -bursting out upon him, as in his dream the straps had broken, and he -had fallen through the depths of space. The cry also awakened Alec and -Murri, who were sleeping by his side near the little fire they had -made, for the air was very cold at night upon the mountains at the -height at which they were. - -Murri, who lived in life-long dread of ghosts, _debil-debils_, and evil -spirits, was trembling with superstitious fear. He thought the cry had -proceeded from the awful blackness round them--for the sky was overcast -and the night was very dark--and cowering down he flung fresh wood on -to the fire and made a cheerful blaze. Even Alec and George were glad -of its bright companionship, for though they feared no invisible -visitant it was eerie and wild on that lone mountain side, with the -starless night sky above them, and a black stillness all around. - -They sat talking for some little time before they lay down to sleep -again, glad to hear each other's voices, and to feel the fellowship of -living waking men in that dark, awe-inspiring silence. George -encouraged Murri, and told him that there was nothing to fear, that -there was nothing there, just beyond the fire light, as the -superstitious black believed. Murri had crept quite near to him, and, -casting many a terrified glance around him, had told him in a low -whisper, and in tones of fear, that he knew there was nothing there; -and then, with that simple poetry of thought that all savages seem in -some degree to possess, he added that what had alarmed him was that the -darkness itself had stirred, and was moving towards him. - -"That is a grand idea and a terrible one, isn't it?" said George, -turning to his brother. "To make a sort of personality of the very -darkness. I believe superstition is catching, for I can myself almost -believe that I see the blackness moving." - -"Geordie, you are ill," said the matter-of-fact Alec. "I am sure you -are, or you wouldn't talk such nonsense. Blackness moving! indeed, it -is just a _draught_ of it you want." - -"Come a bit nearer the fire," said the boy, with a little uneasy laugh -at himself. "I can't see you, and it is rather gruesome and grim to -feel alone." - -"I wish you could go to sleep, I am sure you are overdone," said Alec, -quietly and kindly, looking earnestly in his brother's too bright eyes. -"We will make a halt here to-morrow, and give you a thorough rest." - -"Oh, no, not that; Alec, I can't bear to wait. We seem to have lost so -much time already. Let us get on." - -"What is the hurry?" - -"It is just the gold and nothing else. Ever since we started it has -been dazzling me and dancing before me. I can see nothing else, and -think of nothing else." - -"And I have been the same," said his brother, with little merriment. -"When I have been silent and you have thought me tired, my mind has -been busy making pictures of the gold and what it will procure us." - -"It is terrible, isn't it? We were quite happy before." - -"Yes, and shall be again when we have got this business off our minds. -I don't want heaps of money; all I wish for is to find enough to clear -off the debt from Wandaroo, and start again a free man, owing no one -anything." - -"What a nuisance money is after all. Look at Murri there, sound asleep -again already, without a penny to bless himself with, and yet perfectly -happy and free from care." - -"Yes, a noble sight! A thoughtless savage, without a care for -to-morrow, and snoring like a hog." - -"And I vote we follow his example as quickly as possible. So -good-night, old miser." - -"Good-night, young avarice." - -Pulling their blankets up to their ears, and settling their heads more -comfortably on their saddles, they fell asleep again, and this time -they slumbered on till dawn without disturbance. - -The descent on the other side of the pass, although difficult enough, -presented none of the dangers that the ascent had done the day before, -and the little party accomplished it quite early in the day. They now -found themselves in a strange land of mountains and valleys, little -narrow gullies of rock without a tree or shrub about them, and hills -covered so thickly with luxuriant bush and tropical vegetation as to be -quite impassable for the horses. Everything was so different from the -country round Wandaroo, that they might have been dropped down in -another world. - -It was evident that the terrible drought which the whole country had -suffered from on the other side the mountains had not prevailed here, -for trees and bushes, grasses, ferns, and flowers, were green and -flourishing, and were running wild with that wanton luxuriance that a -tropical sun engenders in a land where rain is frequent. Down some of -the valleys little streams were flowing, a rare sight for Australia, -and in one or two places the boys saw, for the first time in their -lives, silvery cascades of water dashing and tumbling from the heights -above to the clear basins below, into which their waters poured. - -It was by the side of one of these streams that they had made their -mid-day halt, and had cooked in his skin the young bandicoot that Alec -had shot in the morning. The boys were now so excited at the thought -that at last they were approaching the scene of their labours that they -did not make so long a halt as usual. This did not so much matter, as -the feed for the horses by the side of the stream was plentiful and -good. At last, in the early afternoon, they made their way through a -chaotic mass of rocks at the foot of a great grey mountain, and -rounding his grand shoulder, that for some time had shut out their view -of what was in front, Murri sang out-- - -"Missa Law, you _mil-mil_" (see) "mountain like um tooth. That fellow, -Tooingoora, Whanga along o' that fellow other side. Mine bail _pitnee -yarroman_ go there this day. One more sleep. _Yarroman_ go along o' -that fellow plenty much picannini _ingin_." (I don't think the horses -can get there to-day. One more night. Horses get there soon after baby -sun, or sunrise). - -"Oh, let us push on, Alec," said George, impetuously. "It can't be very -far, and we can perhaps get there to-night." - -"It won't be any use if we do, for it will be nearly dark, and we could -not do anything. But let us try; I am every bit as anxious as you are -to reach the valley. Geordie, do you know I believe I should die of -sheer disappointment if we find nothing." - -But Murri was, as usual in these matters, quite right. They could not -manage to get to the valley before sunset, though they did their best -to do so. They had to camp that night with still a few miles between -them and the fateful valley. - -Long before sunrise next day the boys were astir. They could not rest -after the first call of the laughing jackass in a neighbouring tree had -told them that dawn was at hand. They were too excited at the thought -that at last the day had dawned which might see them rich, rich beyond -their wildest dreams, with gold enough to pay off the odious debt on -Wandaroo, and more, much more, besides. It almost seemed to them, with -the Whanga gully so near, that they held the gold already. - -"Oh, never mind breakfast, Alec, do let us get on. A hunch of damper -will do for me. I am not hungry." - -"Neither am I, or I don't feel it if I really am, but I am going to -make a good breakfast, and so are you, young sir, so don't make a fuss. -We have a day's work before us, and it may be a hard one." - -It did not take them very long to get the tea and food ready, for they -had made their fire over night, against a log of wood, and it had -smouldered till morning. It is always advisable to do so when camping -out, as it then is not necessary to feed the fire through the night. - -After an hour's ride through country that was similar to that which -they had passed over the day before, they had rounded the mountain, -which Murri had said was Tooingoora, and at last they reached the -opening in the hills which the black boy said was Whanga. The boys' -hearts beat high as they looked up the valley which had been so -constantly in their thoughts, and with flushed, eager faces they turned -their horses' heads towards the entrance to it. - -"Geordie, I declare that now I am here, I am almost afraid to go in. I -know it is idiotic, but I am so nervous that I can hardly stay in the -saddle." - -"Get off and sit on the ground then," said George, with a little laugh, -for now that the time was at hand, when they must learn the best or the -worst, he was much the calmer of the two. - -"I suppose we shall put the worth of our venture to the test within the -next hour. What shall we do if we find nothing after all?" - -"Go home again, I suppose," said George, with more calmness than he -really felt. "We shall not be a bit worse off than we were before, at -any rate." - -"No, but we shall have suffered a great deal all in vain, and my -disappointment will be none the less keen because we are none the worse -off than before." - -"You, at any rate, will be worse off than before, old boy, for your -hair is half burnt off, and nearly all that fascinating moustache -singed away," said George, lightly. Nearly everything had a comic side -to it for him, and seeing Alec so gloomy and desponding he tried to -cheer him up. - -"How can you talk in that careless way of what is so important to us -all?" - -"To hide what I really feel," said Geordie, quickly, and looking round -with a face that was serious for a moment; and then he added, as though -to alter the impression his almost involuntary confession had made, "It -is no use being down in the mouth _before_ we find we have come in -vain, so let us be cheerful till then." - -"Oh, I could be cheerful enough if I knew for a certainty that we had -come on a fool's errand. It is only this anxiety and uncertainty that I -cannot bear." - -The Whanga valley, the entrance to which the party had now reached, was -a narrow opening, between two great spurs of Tooingoora, which ran back -for a mile or two till it ended in a precipitous mass of rocks at the -very foot of the great mountain itself. The opening to this valley, -which at its beginning was a mere rocky defile, was between two bold -crags, the bases of which were clothed in dense green bush, but the -summits of which were bare rocks of dazzling white quartz, that -reflected the sunlight brilliantly. There was a stream flowing noisily -down the centre of the valley, tumbling over the stones and boulders -that blocked its course in many tiny cascades. The scenery was very -impressive and grand, looking up the narrow defile, for the hills on -either side of it rose in huge broken cliffs, throwing the greater part -of the valley into deep shadow; but, where in one place it widened out, -and a clump of tall _quandang_ trees grew beside the stream, the sun -flooded it with brilliant light that fell upon the gleaming, flashing -water, making it shine like burnished silver, and mellowing the warm -tones of the rocks. Beyond all this, filling up the whole end of the -valley, rose the great mass of the mountain high into the clear blue -sky, its great white crags of quartz shining like fields of snow or ice -upon its hoary summit. - -The gorge--it can hardly be called a valley--was very far from level; -it rose steeply from the entrance all the way to the end of it, so that -riding along it was not at all easy. Murri pointed out in several -places signs of the recent presence of _myalls_, but as there were -no camp fires to be seen in the gully, and as he thought the traces -were several days old, he said that he believed "black fellow go away -two, four days." - -The boys grew very silent as they approached the head of the valley, -where they knew the hole was that the nugget had been taken from. Even -George, for all his light-hearted gaiety, was quiet, and rode along -with his eyes steadily fixed upon the end of the valley and his jaw -squarely set, in a way that made him resemble Alec more closely than -ever. Over country of the wild, rocky sort, of which the valley -consisted, it is always the best plan to leave your horse to choose his -own way, and both Murri and the boys followed this method. - -The black boy, who was ignorant of the object of the long journey they -had taken, and did not trouble his head to think why they should have -travelled so far to see the Whanga, was the merriest of the party. He -had no terrible anxiety about finding the gold to trouble him, and as -he had plenty to eat and plenty of "toombacco" he was as happy as the -day was long. He was singing a long, monotonous _corroborree_, with an -appreciation of his own efforts that was very delightful to witness, -occasionally interrupting it to shout at the horse he was leading, or -to call out something to the boys, who were ahead. - -For some little time they had heard a dull, roaring noise in front of -them, and as the boys approached the head of the valley, the air was -shaken by the heavy sound of a fall of water, but they could see no -cascade that could account for it. When the party was within a very -short distance of the great cliff in which the gully ended, Alec pulled -up his horse, turned round and said to Murri, who was slapping his -naked thigh in time to the song he was singing-- - -"Murri, whereabouts um hole where Black Harry find um 'heavy stone'?" -which was the name the blacks had given to the nugget that Harry had -worn. - -"Yo go on along um picannini creek, other side along o' that fellow," -answered he, making a sweep with his arm and indicating a great -buttress of rock which projected into the gully, and round which the -stream, "um picannini creek," was flowing. "Mine believe plenty much -water fill um hole like along o' that time picannini Murri come along -o' Whanga," added he, carelessly. - -Alec's heart sank as he understood what Murri meant. He remembered that -he had told him, at the camp at Wandaroo, that when he was there -before, with his tribe as a little lad, the pool was full of water. -Alec had hoped that it would be all dried up after the long drought -they had suffered, and, notwithstanding the stream which flowed down -the valley, he had trusted to the last that the water might not be -flowing through that one particular pool. - -"Geordie," said Alec, catching his brother up, "we must be prepared for -the worst. Murri says that he believes the hole is filled with water, -just as it was when he was a picannini and came here." - -As he spoke they all rounded the great abutting rock, and saw before -them a grand cascade of shining water falling in one huge column from -the cliff, and plunging, amidst sheets of silvery spray, into the deep -rock basin at its foot. - -Murri ceased his _corroborree_ for a moment, and pointing to the -foaming pool said in the most unconcerned manner-- - -"That's um hole yo come see. Yo like um?" - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -WAYS AND MEANS. - - -It would be difficult to imagine anything more painful than the boys' -feelings at that moment; the disappointment was almost more than they -could bear. It is true they had built their hopes upon very slight -foundations, but their disappointment was none the less keen on that -account. They had thought about the gold so much, hoped for it so -ardently, and undergone such dangers to reach the spot where they -expected to discover it, that to find all their sanguine anticipations -blighted was very bitter to them. The dream of gold had been so bright -a one, and the chances of their dream coming true had seemed so -probable, that they almost felt they had a right to its -fulfilment--older people often feel the same about the achievement of -their desires, and with as little reason. - -"Well," said Alec, after a moment or two of silent contemplation of the -pool and cascade which had frustrated all their plans, "well, we have -been living in a fool's paradise, and this is what comes of it." - -"Beastly, isn't it?" said George. "But look here Alec, old man, perhaps -after all there is no gold at the bottom of that pool, so don't let us -fret about it." - -"I'm not going to fret about it," said Alec, as he got off his horse, -"but I am convinced that the gold _is_ there. Nuggets are never found -alone. That pool is a natural 'pocket,' as diggers call that sort of -place." - -"And we may not put our hands in it! Never mind, we have only lost what -we never had." - -"You jolly Irishman! Well, we may as well turn back. It is no use -staying here." - -"I beg to differ," said Geordie, who had thrown one leg over his -horse's head, and was sitting sideways on his saddle in an idle sort of -manner, and he slipped to the ground as he spoke. "At any rate let us -stay here to-day, and give the horses a rest before we turn homewards." - -His busy brain had already begun to think out several schemes for -getting at the bottom of the pool, but he would not mention them to -Alec for fear of again raising hopes that might prove false. His active -mind was generally the one to devise methods and plans, which he would -often have been quite unable to execute without Alec's steady-going -co-operation. But these two fellows always worked so well together, and -were so completely one at heart, that neither thought for one moment of -taking special credit to himself for any one part that he might have -originated or executed. - -Taking the horses some little way down the stream, where there seemed -to be more and better food for them than close to the waterfall, the -boys and Murri unloaded them, and hobbling them, as usual, turned them -loose. Alec suggested that if they were going to stay one night in the -gully--"And the rest," thought George--they had better pitch their camp -somewhere thereabouts, as they would be near the fall and yet out of -reach of its deafening noise. So they arranged their goods and chattels -close to one side of the gully where the steep cliff cast a grateful -shade. - -When this little business was satisfactorily settled--it took but a -very few minutes to arrange matters--Murri, who as usual was dreaming -of something to eat, and thought this an opportunity not to be -neglected, asked if he might go down the valley and try to catch -something. It did not matter what, for all is fish that comes to an -Australian aboriginal's net. The boys did not want him for anything, so -he started off with his _boomerang_ and spears and throwing stick -towards the clump of tall _quandang_ trees they had passed when coming -up the valley. - -Directly that George saw Alec engaged upon making some alteration in -the stuffing of one of the pack saddles, which had begun to chafe the -back of the horse that carried it, he started off by himself to make a -more careful survey of the pool and the waterfall. He wished to go -alone, so he walked off without saying anything to his brother. Alec, -although he had said that he should be quite cheerful if he knew the -worst, seemed very much depressed at the failure of all his hopes, and -sat rather gloomily over his work. He was paying close attention to -what he was doing, for he hated careless work of any kind, and did not -see Geordie leave the camp. - -The place certainly did not present a very hopeful appearance when -George came to examine it. The waterfall poured in one straight column -from the top of the perpendicular cliff, and dashed itself into the -pool beneath, which again overflowed to the stream below in a little -cascade, from the narrow lip of rock which formed the front edge of the -basin. George thought that the scene was a very beautiful and grand one -now that he could look at it with calmer eyes. The ravine, at the far -end of which the cascade fell, was very narrow, so that the lofty -cliffs on either side shut out the direct sunshine, except at mid-day, -when the sun was just overhead. The whole place was dim and full of -shadow, and the sound of the falling water and the coolness of the air, -moistened by the drifting showers of misty spray, made it a pleasant -retreat from the glare and tropical heat of the ardent day beyond its -limits. The rocks for the most part were bare of vegetation, but in one -or two places near the fall itself masses of tall grasses and ferns -grew with luxuriant greenness, and along the top of the cliff from -which the cascade fell a line of bushes grew, and creeping plants, -which hung far down the rock, swayed by the current of air made by the -great mass of falling water. - -The water looked cool and inviting, and George thought he would have a -dip into it before he began his exploration. He thought that by so -doing he might discover how deep the pool was. The basin into which the -waterfall plunged was some five or six feet above the level of the -stream, into which the water flowed by a second and much smaller -cascade. Undressing--a work that did not take him very long--on the -bank of the stream, George scrambled up by the side of the little -waterfall, and stood on the narrow wall of rock that confined the -waters of the basin, his well-made muscular body and legs looking -strangely fair when compared with his red and sun-browned face and neck -and arms. He stood for one moment with one foot in the water--how hot -the sun was on his naked body--and then plunged into the pool. - -He found that he could just touch bottom near the place where the water -flowed out, but that nearer the middle of the pool it was beyond his -depth. He did not go under the fall, though he went close to it, for -the volume of water was so great and fell in so heavy a stream. -Standing, a few minutes afterwards, in the sunshine to dry himself -before he dressed again, he made a rough mental calculation, and found -that the parts of the pool he had been able to bottom were about on a -level with the stream. With a pleased little nod he sprang lightly down -the rocks, which were hot to his naked feet, and scrambled into his -clothes. - -As soon as he was dressed he walked to the face of the great cliff over -which the water plunged, and began to examine it to find a place where -he might climb up. The rock near the fall was quite too steep for any -one to ascend, but a little way from it, where the ravine curved, -George found a place up which he thought he could manage to scramble. -As he was strong and a quite fearless rock climber, he was often able -to conquer difficulties that most people would have found insuperable. -Jamming tightly on to his head the cap he had extemporised the night -after he lost his felt hat at the precipice, two days before, George -began to climb. It was a work for arms as well as legs, for the cliff -was so steep in places that he had actually to haul himself up by his -hands; but Geordie was at home in this sort of climbing, and nimbly -scaled up places that from below looked absolutely perpendicular. - -It took even Geordie some time to get to the top, for the cliff was -higher than it appeared to be from the ravine, but at last he was able -to grasp the stout stem of a ti-bush that grew on the edge of the crag, -and holding this and throwing his chest on to the flat ground at the -top he was able to haul himself up. He sprang to his feet at once, for -he was in such perfect condition that even the violent exertion he had -just made had not put him out of breath. He found himself on a little -piece of comparatively level ground which rose, at first gradually, and -then by a steeper incline, till it joined the great bulk of Tooingoora, -which towered, majestic and grim, before him. The ground, just where he -was, was covered with a thick and tangled growth of scrub, through -which he could hear the sound of the swiftly running stream, which -poured itself with a roar over the edge of the height. - -George made his way between the bushes with some little difficulty, for -they were so matted together with a strong wiry sort of creeper, and in -a moment or two he reached the edge of the stream. He found that it was -flowing very rapidly, as though preparing for the leap it was about to -make, along a rocky watercourse, which at present was a great deal too -wide for its requirements, but the whole of which in flood times it -would probably occupy. - -George examined the bed of the stream very carefully, walking up it -some little way and then back again to the place where the water -plunged over the edge of the rock in one great smooth sweep. He seemed -to observe one part more than any; it was where a dried-up arm of the -watercourse branched out from the side of the running stream; it would -evidently be converted into a stream itself if only a very little more -water came down from the mountain, for its sandy bed was only just -above the level of the one that was then flowing. After examining the -nature of the ground just there, George gave a little satisfied laugh, -and said, in a deeply mysterious manner-- - -"Yes, I believe this will do." - -By the way he poked about among the loose rocks and stones, and -scratched in the sand with a short stick he had cut in the scrub, it -looked as though he were doing a little prospecting for gold on his own -account. But the thought that there was gold above the fall as well as -below it had not entered his head. Had he been a practical gold digger -he would have recognised at once, from the nature of the stones about -him, that he was amongst the gold-bearing rocks, or rather that the -stones were fragments, brought down from the mountain, of auriferous -quartz. - -Having satisfied himself of the practicability of his plan by this -personal survey, he leaped across the stream, and keeping along the -edge of the cliff he soon stood above the place in the main ravine -where they had camped. He saw his brother below him putting the -finishing stitches to his work, and taking up a little pebble he threw -it so that it almost dropped on the hat of the unconscious Alec. -Geordie greeted him with a stave of a song as Alec leaped to his feet -and looked around, and danced a little _corroborree_, all of his own -invention, so near to the edge of the cliff that Alec was almost -frightened out of his senses. - -"Come down, you young ape!" he yelled. - -"Ape yourself," replied Geordie; but he instantly swung himself over -the edge and began descending at a break-neck pace, and in a moment he -stood by the side of his brother. - -"You'll break your neck as sure as fate if you fling yourself about -like that. I never saw such a fellow as you are; you are just like a -cat on your feet. Where have you been?" - -"In the waterfall, up the waterfall, and over the waterfall, and I have -come to the conclusion that the waterfall is but a poor creature, and -that we can manage it after all." - -"Manage it! What do you mean?" - -"I mean what I say, and I think you will agree with me when you hear my -plan, and have examined the stream before it falls from the cliff." - -"Plan! what plan?" - -"Let me get something to eat first, and then I'll tell you all about -it. I had no breakfast this morning, and I want to 'patter um bittee -damper,' as Murri would say. Come and sit down on this rock, it is a -particularly soft and comfortable one, and well in the shade. Well, -sir, this is my idea," said he, throwing off his cap and giving his -still damp hair a little impetuous shake that was very characteristic -of him. "We must get to the bottom of that pool. It is too idiotic to -have come all this way on purpose, and then to go back without doing -it." - -"And how are you going to do it--dive?" - -"Be quiet, don't interrupt," said George, putting down by the side of -him the food which in his earnestness he had forgotten to touch. "I -will tell you what I believe we can do. It will take some time, and a -lot of hard work, but of course that doesn't matter." - -"No, of course not." - -"We must divert the stream from its present channel and send it pouring -over the cliff in another place. I have been up on to the top and have -found a branch of the watercourse which we can use if we can manage to -dam up the present channel." - -Alec had sat listening, perfectly silent up till now, but at this point -his admiration broke out. - -"What a splendid idea! When did you think of it?" And then, as the -thought struck him that diverting the stream would not solve their -difficulty, he suddenly added, "But that won't empty the pool for us, -that will be as full as ever." - -"You jolly old muff, do you think I had not thought of that?" - -"Well, and how do you propose to empty it?" - -"Drink it all, I suppose," said Geordie, with a bright laugh at the -sudden change from hope to doubt that took place in Alec's face. But, -seeing how anxious he looked, he laid one hand on his brother's knee to -give emphasis to what he said. The novelty and boldness of his own idea -had greatly excited him, though he tried to carry it off lightly; and -when he spoke his voice was lowered, as though there were any one -within some hundreds of miles who could overhear him. - -"No," he said, "the pool is no great difficulty after all if we can -only carry out my scheme. The bottom of it is on a level with the -stream, except just in the middle, where it is deeper, and the wall of -rock over which the second little waterfall flows is but a thin one. If -we can break through that all the water in the pool, or nearly all of -it, will rush out into the stream." - -"It will be slow work, but we ought to be able to do it." - -"We will do it, and not so particularly slowly after all, for I mean to -drill a hole into the rock and blast it up with gunpowder. Margaret -little thought when she told us, before we left, to be sure to take -plenty of powder, to what a purpose we should put it." - -"But how much have we?" - -"Plenty. We have used very little since we started." - -"Geordie," said Alec, as he rose from the stone, "in my opinion you are -a regular genius. Yes, you are; don't deny it." - -"Oh, very well," laughed George, "I will be one if you like. It is easy -enough to be a genius if that is all that is wanted. I've only just -thought of a sort of plan, and, mind you, I shall leave all the details -to you, for you always do things so much better than I do." - -"Not I; but I am ready to begin at once." - -"It is too hot yet, there is not a bit of shade up there on the top of -the cliff. We had better wait till a little later in the afternoon." - -"Let's go and examine the pool at any rate. It is not too hot for that, -and I want to have a look at that wall of rock. So come on." - -When they had returned to the camp after their visit to the waterfall, -they found that Murri had got back. All that he brought was one -kangaroo rat and a parrot. A very poor result for so long a morning's -hunting. - -"This all you get along um gully?" asked George, pointing to the black -fellow's very scanty spoils. - -Murri shook his head, and said, "Mine kill pigeums, two pigeums, along -o' _quandangs_. Murri plenty much hunglee. Mine go make fire, cook um -pigeums, and mine _patter_" (eat) "um bofe." - -This speech was so characteristic of the Australian black that neither -of the boys was at all surprised at it. Although Murri was in many ways -an exceptional specimen of the aboriginal race, it was not to be -supposed that he should be free from all their faults and failings. -Generosity can hardly be expected to be found among the virtues of a -man who, like his ancestors for countless generations, has always -thought of himself first, and of supplying his own requirements to the -full before he gives away of his superfluity. Murri had killed the -birds by his own skill and with his own strength, and who had so good a -right as he to cook and eat them? That was what he himself would have -said had he been asked, and he felt no shame in owning to George that -he had cooked and eaten them himself. It was as useless to talk to him -of generosity or self-sacrifice as it would be to try to make a man -blind from his birth understand the meaning of colours. - -Later in the afternoon, about two hours before sunset, the boys again -walked towards the waterfall. Alec, who was not nearly so good a -climber as George, utterly refused to climb up the cliff at the place -Geordie had first ascended it. He said that he had some respect for his -bones if Geordie had not, and climb up that cliff, which was no better -than a stone wall, he would not. It was with some little difficulty -that they found any less steep place, but they did at last discover -one, some little way to the right hand side of the fall. - -As soon as Alec had been shown the channel that George thought best for -their purpose, he began to work. He was never one to spare himself when -there was a difficult task on hand, and he flung himself into this new -labour with all his usual ardour. George found his energy contagious, -and they worked to such purpose that when they left off, some little -time before sunset, they had collected a great pile of rocks at the -edge of the stream with which they intended to begin their dam next -day. - -As it was evident, from the amount of work they had before them, that -their stay in the valley would be of some duration, the boys determined -to make more extensive preparations for camping than they usually did. -It was almost too late that night to do anything, but they devoted the -next day to building themselves a sort of little hut, which would not -only shelter them from the heat by day and from the heavy dews of -night, but would serve as some sort of protection if they were again -attacked by _myalls_. - -The one great danger in travelling in the wild parts of Queensland is -the probability of being attacked by the fierce black natives, and -every traveller in that little known country should be constantly on -his guard. It is only natural that the native black races should -retaliate upon the white intruders, at whose hands they have suffered -so much; and as they have not the courage, or indeed the weapons, to -enable them to attack a well-peopled station, they wait until they have -a chance of murdering a solitary shepherd, or surrounding and -surprising a small party when travelling away from civilised parts. - -It was the thought of their exposed situation in case of an attack that -guided Alec in his choice of a position for their camp. After examining -the gully on both sides, he found a place that he thought admirably -suited to his purpose. On the opposite side of the stream from that on -which they had first encamped, there was a little opening in the side -of the ravine. It was only a sort of wide crack in the rock, down which -perhaps in times of heavy rain a little waterfall might flow. The width -of it across the opening was about ten feet, and it was about the same, -or a little more, in depth, at which distance the two walls of rock met -at an angle. - -Alec, who was a practical fellow, saw that this would give him two -sides to his house, and, that if he built a wall of some sort across -the front of it, he would have the shell of a comfortable, although -triangular, shelter. Without waste of further time he and George set to -work to collect a number of the large stones that were scattered -thickly along all the edge of the stream and in it. With these they -slowly (for the work was none of the easiest beneath a blazing tropical -sun) built a wall about four feet high across the front of the little -opening. They knew, from the previous day's experience, that they could -not expect much of that sort of work from Murri, so they set him to -chop down a good big pile of brushwood from the scrub that grew a -little way down the gully. To this kind of labour Murri was much more -accustomed, as the natives build their _gunyahs_ of boughs of trees and -brushwood. He could use a hatchet quite as expertly as the boys, and in -a short time had cut quite as much as they would want for their -purpose. - -It took them the best part of the day to get their house finished, for -the stones of their wall would often slip when the boughs were being -forced in between them, and the covering in of the roof took some -little time, as they had great difficulty in fixing the thick ends of -the branches they used for that purpose in the rocky sides of their -house. But by working well they managed to get it done, and had -installed themselves and all their possessions, saddles, guns, -provisions, and stores of every sort--not a great quantity, -by-the-by--in their new camp before the sun had set. It certainly was -more comfortable than sleeping without any shelter, for the nights felt -cold after the great heat of the days, and the dews that fell were -quite heavy enough to wet their blankets and clothes right through. - -The floor of the "humpie," as the boys called it, using the word that -in Australia means hut or house or hovel, indiscriminately, was quite -dry, and the roof looked thick enough to keep out all wet, so that they -were in no small degree satisfied with their work when at last it was -finished. - -"I say, Geordie," said Alec to his brother, who was busy in front of -their newly-finished home making some Johnny cakes for their supper, -"I've been thinking that it would be foolish for us to announce the -fact of our presence here by firing our guns off. The noise would very -probably be heard by some wretched tribe of _myalls_, and they would be -bouncing here in no time to see what the row was all about; and I think -we have had enough of them for one journey." - -"I quite agree with you, most learned sir," said George, lifting up one -floury hand and pushing his cap back that he might see his brother the -better; "I don't want any more _myalls_ just yet. But why do you make -these wise remarks?" - -"Because I should like something more for my supper than Johnny cakes -and part of a tinned salmon. I was going to try to get a shot at -something, but I think we had better send Murri, whose shooting isn't -quite so noisy as ours. Hullo, Murri," he added, turning round to that -worthy person, who was hugging his knees by the side of the fire, "you -go kill something. Mine want pigeon, bandicoot, cockatoo, anything. -_Burrima_" (quickly), "you bail go _patter_ him all along yourself this -time." (Don't you eat him by yourself this time.) "If you do," he -added, dropping into his own vernacular, "I'll jolly well punch your -head." - -"You had better go with him. I won't put the Johnny cakes in till you -come back." - -"Yes, that will be the safest way, and I can have a look at the horses -and see that they have not strayed." - -Murri was willing enough to go. A new spirit seemed to possess him when -he was engaged in hunting or work of that kind, and his expressionless -face would light up, and a new fire would shine in his eyes. He seized -his _boomerang_ and other weapons, which were lying by the side of him, -and sprang to his feet to accompany Alec down the ravine. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -BUILDING THE DAM. - - -The next morning, almost as soon as it was light, the boys began the -serious work of building the dam across the stream. They chose a place -a little way below the branch channel into which they wished to turn -the water, where the stream was rather wider than it was lower down, -but where also it was shallower. They selected this place for the -reason that it was much less difficult to work in shallow water than in -deep, and this fact more than compensated them for the extra work -entailed upon them by the greater width of the stream. The work was -very heavy, and only the thought of the great reward they hoped to reap -from their exertions could have made them persevere in it. The whole -proceeding was a mystery to Murri, who could conceive no incentive -sufficiently powerful to make men work so hard as the two Laws did. - -"What for you put plenty much stone along o' water? Yo bail stop him. -That fellow strong," said he, pointing to the stream. "Yo go chewt" -(shoot) "um kangaroo, mine find chewgah bag" (sugar bag; a nest of wild -honey, of which there is plenty to be found in the bush), "that -_boudgeree cawbawn_, stop um water, that hard work, bail gammon bong." - -Thus argued the black philosopher, who disregarded gold--being ignorant -of its worth--and tried to make the boys see things in the same light -that he did. It must be confessed that he was not purely disinterested -in thus painting to them the superior delights of shooting and tracking -the wild bees down to their nests, for he hated work of any continuous -sort, and Alec had set him to cut great lumps and sods of the tussocky -grass that grew by the sides of the stream in the ravine. These Alec -meant to use to fill in the gaps between the stones that formed the -foundation of their dam. - -It was slow and rather disheartening work, for although the boys worked -steadily their progress that first day seemed very small. Many of the -stones and rocks that they used had to be carried for some distance, -and the force of the water as it poured down the steep incline, before -it leaped to the valley below, was so great that it was a constant -effort for them to keep their feet on the smooth water-worn rock upon -which they stood. Many of the stones, too, which they had carried with -such labour, and placed in position so carefully, were swept away by -the force of the water directly that they loosed them, and rumbling -heavily along the course of the stream plunged with a splash, heard -above the roar of the waterfall, into the pool below. But neither of -them had, from the first, expected to find the work an easy one, and -they went on stolidly replacing, with a larger and heavier stone, every -one that was swept away, and showed such dogged determination and pluck -that it was evident they did not mean to be beaten. - -They had been enormously cheered towards the end of the day, just when -both of them began to feel very fagged and tired from their continuance -at the unaccustomed labour, by a discovery that they made. They had -almost succeeded in laying all the stones necessary for the foundation -of their dam, and thought of knocking off work for that day; but there -was still one place that was a little weak, and Alec was anxious to -strengthen it before they went down to the humpie for rest and supper. - -"There's that one place near the bank that is still a bit shaky, -Geordie; I should like to fix that up before we give over." - -"Oh, bless the thing!" said George, in a voice whose tones conveyed but -little benison. "We have put a ton of rock there if we have put an -ounce." - -"Don't bother about it if you are tired. I daresay you are--it has been -a hard day. I can do it quite well." - -"As though I should let you lug those great rocks about by yourself! -Come on. I was only having a bit of a growl--it eases my stiff back." - -"Well let us get that big white stone up there--the current can never -sweep that away." - -"All right; a thumping big one for the last." - -Saying this they stepped out of the water and hobbled over the stones, -which were very painful to their feet, the latter being tender from -remaining in the water so long. The stone was a great lump of white -quartz, and it lay at the edge of the rapid stream. - -"I say, it _is_ heavy!" said George. - -They both stooped and put their hands to it together, and, loosening -the stone from the bed it had made for itself in the pebbles, they -rolled it over. As they did so George uttered a wild yell of delight. - -"Alec, Alec, _it is gold_!" - -[Illustration: "HE WAS SO OVERCOME ... THAT HE SAT STRAIGHT DOWN INTO -THE STREAM." (_p. 130._)] - -He was so overcome with this sudden proof that their hopes were not all -vain that he sat straight down into the stream with a splash, and, -laughing hysterically, stayed there patting the gold-studded face of -the stone with the palm of his hand. - -Alec, who as a rule was not so excitable as George, was himself unable -to say anything for a moment. His face became quite white as he seemed -to see his dreams realised before him. - -"Yes," he said at last, as he uttered a great sigh of relief, "it is -gold, real gold, and thank Heaven for it. You don't know," he added, as -he turned to his brother and pulled him up from the water, "how -terrible my doubts have been that after all we might not find it." - -The delight of these two young fellows, the one a boy and the other -just verging upon manhood, at finding their dream of gold likely to be -fulfilled would have been a horrible and unnatural thing to have -witnessed had it been merely a greed for wealth that possessed them, -but as it was nothing but the expression of their desire to be honestly -independent again it lost all its ugliness. As Alec said, with a happy -little tremble in his voice-- - -"We shall be _free_ men again! As long as that loathsome debt was -unpaid I could never have an easy hour; and now I hope, I believe, we -shall be able to pay it all off and owe no man a shilling." - -"Hurrah, hurrah!" sang out Geordie, a wild exultation giving his voice -a noble ring; "we shall be able to call Wandaroo our own again." - -They both felt from that moment that they could go on working all -night; all their fatigue had vanished, and a desire to finish their -work possessed them. But the sun would be setting soon, and they knew -they could do but little more that night; so they only rolled and -carried the great piece of gold-laden rock to their dam and -strengthened the one weak place with it. - -When they had scrambled down the cliff and had got back to the front of -the humpie they found that Murri had returned from the _quandang_ -trees, whither the boys had sent him, with a plump, richly plumaged -pigeon and a parrot. These Murri was already cooking. - -"You chewt um bird up along o' there?" asked that intelligent -gentleman, who thought that all exclamations of joy must be the -expressions of delight of a hungry stomach at the near prospect of -food. "Mine heard Missa Law give one coo-ee. Why yo sittum down in um -water?" - -"Because I very much fear, my dear Murri--and I blush to confess -it--that I was quite unable to keep upon my feet." - -"_Yohi_," (yes) grinned the savage, who did not understand a word. - -The boys were able next morning to proceed with filling in the cracks -and openings in their dam with sods of grass and earth, for they found -that the rocks and stones had stood firm. They left an opening a foot -or so wide at the side of the dam, through which the waters might flow -till they were ready to close the embankment. They found that the -pieces of tussocky grass roots, that Murri had cut the day before, were -too dry to be of much service, and they had to carry up, with great -labour, large lumps of the damp sort of turf that grew in the little -marshy place down the stream. These did admirably, and seemed to fit -themselves firmly in between the stones. - -It took a long time to cut and transport to the top of the cliff all -these heavy pieces of sod, for they had to use their arms so much in -the climbing that it was difficult to carry more than one or two pieces -of it at one time. But the boys were so excited that they toiled on -nearly all the morning without a break, and resumed the work, after -their mid-day rest, at about four o'clock, with unwearied zeal. Murri -looked on in dumb astonishment at such incredible behaviour. - -Some little time before evening set in they were ready to fill up the -last opening. The rest of the dam was finished, every little crack and -cranny that they could find had been filled up with a turf which was -well pressed home, they had strengthened it here and there, and, so -far, the work held good. The moment to try its firmness would be when -the last opening was closed and the dam would have to resist the full -weight of the water. The boys had collected a great pile of rocks and -stones and large and small sods of turf and earth by the side of the -narrow opening, through which the whole force of the stream now rushed. -They stood with a huge lump of stone hanging just over the opening. - -"Are you ready, Geordie?" - -"Yes." - -"Let go." - -With a mighty splash the stone fell just where it was wanted, and -without waiting a second both boys began piling on and round it lumps -of rock and turf and large rounded pebbles. It was an exciting moment, -for the flow of the waterfall had entirely ceased, and the strange -silence was fraught with a significance in their ears that was far -greater and more imposing to them than was the loud roar to which they -were accustomed. Wildly they continued piling on turf, and then lumps -of rock to fix it, till the opening was filled up to the level of the -rest of the dam. - -It was an anxious time for them as they saw the water rising, rising -rapidly, towards the top of their little embankment. In one or two -places it began to creep in a little wriggling streak over the topmost -layer of turf and rock; but it was never allowed to flow, for one or -other of the boys rushed into the water, that now reached half-way up -their thighs, and added more material and jammed it firmly down. Would -the dam hold out? Could it withstand the enormous pressure of the -water? Yes, _yes_. Hurrah! See there, a silver streak is flowing -into the old disused channel which the boys have so carefully cleared -for it. Every moment, every second it grows broader, deeper, and in a -short time a splash is heard where the new waterfall is beginning to -pour itself over the cliff, not into the pool but on to the dry hot -rocks of the gully some little way to one side of the basin. Every -moment this noise grows louder and louder, till in a very few seconds -the roar of this new cascade is as deep and thundering as the silenced -voice of its dead brother, and the water is pouring down the gully -along a fresh course till it joins the stream again just at the bend of -the ravine. - -It is a proud moment for those young engineers, and they feel that glow -of honest satisfaction in successful work which is worth so much more -than other peoples' praises, that are so often given for what one does -not value. - -"Well, I suppose we have done half the work," said Alec, as they sat by -the fire in front of the humpie when they had finished their supper. - -"Yes, but it is the harder half that is left to be done. It will take a -long time to drill a hole into the rock." - -"I don't know how we are going to do it, for we haven't a chisel or a -bit of steel that we can use for one." - -"Oh, yes we have," said George, whose more imaginative mind saw to what -different uses one article might be put. It is this imaginative quality -that makes a man an inventor and a devisor of new methods of working, -when an unimaginative person, though perhaps much more learned, will -continue using old ones just for want of the illumination that would -show him new and better means of obtaining the same result. - -"What is it?" - -"Why the steel extracting rod that is fastened to your revolver. We can -harden and temper it, after we have beaten it roughly into shape with -our tomahawks." - -It was with this primitive tool that they set to work next day to bore -holes into the wall of rock which retained the water in the pool. The -rock was all green and slimy with a sort of soft water moss, which they -had to scrape away before they could reach the stone itself. The old -course of the stream was only to be recognised by a few little pools of -water that lay along its track, and by the darker colour of the wet -stones which the sun had not yet dried. The stream flowed along its new -bed as naturally as though it had never known another. - -Fortunately for the boys the rock they had to work upon was not very -hard. It was a sort of dark blue slate; had it been quartz, the same as -were the upper rocks of the mountain, it would have taken them weeks to -make any impression on it. Impeded as they were by the want of proper -tools, it took them nearly two days to make a hole deep enough for -their first blasting. They knew it was useless to make a great wide -hole to place their powder in, as the explosion would then have no -force, so they had, with the utmost patience, chipped and drilled and -scraped at the rock until they had bored a sort of rough tube eight or -nine inches deep and a couple of inches across. - -Into this they packed a heavy charge of powder, and rammed it tightly -home, and then, as they had no proper fuse, they laid a train of damp -powder to it. Neither of the boys knew anything about mining or -blasting, so that they could only act in the way that their common -sense told them was best. Alec set fire to this train and then ran to -where George and Murri were standing at a safe distance. In a few -moments a tremendous explosion rent the air, and a vast cloud of heavy -smoke filled the end of the ravine. They could hear the falling of -heavy lumps of stone, but as there was no great rush of water down the -old course of the stream they knew that they had not succeeded in -breaking through the wall of rock. - -When the clinging white clouds of smoke had slowly rolled up and away -they went to the pool to examine what damage the explosion had done, -and they found that it had torn and shattered the rock to a great -extent, but that as yet the barrier stood firm. They were hardly -disappointed at this result, for they knew the rock to be of some -considerable thickness, and had not expected to break it all down at -once. With his usual energy Alec immediately began to clear away the -_débris_, and the heavy vapour had hardly floated off before he was at -work again, chipping and pecking away to make another blast hole. - -Murri who had been capering about in childish pleasure, that was tinged -with delightful fear, at the noise of the explosion, came up to Alec, -from the very safe distance to which he had run when the charge -exploded, and said-- - -"Mine _pitnee_" (I believe, or think), "_myalls_, come here along o' -that debil-debil. _Myalls_ hear um plenty much long way; um say -debil-debil along o' Whanga, and come see what him do. _Myalls_ come -daytime plenty much, afraid along o' dark-dark." - -This was an anxiety that was no novelty to the boys; they had thought -that some such result was probable, but, as the work had to be done, -they did it, without letting fears of possible eventualities interfere -with the business in hand. That night passed quietly without signs of -the nearness of any _myall_, and they began to hope that no tribe had -been near enough to the valley to hear the explosion. - -The next morning--the seventh day that they had been in the Whanga--the -two boys returned to their work of blasting the rock. The sun had not -risen when they left the humpie, and a cold mist hung above the water, -like a ghostly stream floating in the air, and following every curve -and bend of its prototype beneath. There was need for haste, for their -provisions, that had been so decreased by Prince Tom's theft, were -running short; the flour was almost gone; and if it had not been for -the fresh meat that Murri obtained for them they would have had to go -back before this. - -"What have you got left?" said Alec, when George told him the state of -affairs. - -"Well, there is really not more than four days' full rations of flour, -but we must put ourselves on short commons, and we can last out eight -or nine days then, if we can manage to get plenty of fresh provisions. -We must keep Murri at it, and see that he doesn't eat up three parts of -what he catches before he brings the spoil home to us. I have started -him off already." - -"Not only that, but we will work a bit harder, and hurry on matters as -much as possible. I think we can have our second explosion to-day, and -that will about do the job. I declare, when I think how much depends -upon what we may or may not find at the bottom of that pool, I can -hardly go on with the work." - -"It is disgusting to have to go on tinkering away at this fiddling -little hole," said George, who was taking a spell at the chisel, "when -all the time one wants to do some good slogging work with one's muscles -that would let the steam off a bit. Don't you feel like that?" - -"Yes; and once or twice, after I have been chipping away for about half -an hour, just as though I were breaking the tops of eggs, and have been -rewarded for all my pains by loosening a bit of rock about the size of -a pea, I have caught the top of the chisel two or three such thundering -whacks that it is a wonder to me it hasn't doubled up." - -About mid-day they had sunk the bore-hole to a sufficient depth for -their purpose and, quite silent from excitement, they proceeded to fill -it with a huge charge of powder. They generally stopped working at this -time, for the heat in the middle of the day was very great; but this -morning both boys were too tremblingly anxious to see the result of -their labours to let heat, or fatigue, or hunger, interfere with what -they were doing. Carefully ramming the powder down, and laying the -train to it, they applied the fire-stick that Geordie had run to fetch -from their smouldering fire. - -They hurried back from the mine to a safe place a little way down the -ravine, and stood there awaiting the explosion. Alec, whose face was -rigid with anxiety, stood leaning upon George, with his arm round his -shoulders. Geordie, for all his excitement, had time to feel how icy -cold was his brother's hand and to think how nervous and troubled the -poor fellow must be for his hands to be like that. They stood thus, -perfectly still and silent, for a moment or two; it seemed an age to -their excited fancy. The spark of creeping fire advanced slowly along -the train, and then, with a dull, low roar, the mine exploded, and for -a second they heard nothing but the rending of rock and the crashing of -great pieces of stone as they fell on the crags. A little later they -heard the patter, like rain, of the smaller fragments, that had been -thrown higher into the air, as they fell, with a sharp little rattle, -on the rocks. - -Then the boys heard a sound of seething, rushing water, and by the time -they had started to run towards the pool they saw a foaming mass of -tumbling water emerge from the grey curtain of the heavy smoke, and -tear wildly and rapidly along the old course of the stream. - -They knew that the waters had escaped from the pool. - -Stirred by one impulse, the two boys started to run to the pool before -the suffocating cloud of vapour had cleared off. By the time they had -reached the wall of rock, in which the last explosion had made a wide -breach, the air was pure enough for them to breathe, and they scrambled -up the rocks, and stood by the side of the opening, through which they -could hear the last of the water flowing. Although they could breathe -they could not yet see, for the dense vapour, which seemed to drift -above the surface of the basin, had not all disappeared. - -They stood there, motionless, waiting for the air to clear itself. -Their hearts were beating tumultuously, and their chests were high with -anxiety and excitement. They stood just as when they were children -together, Geordie with his hand on Alec's arm, both divining what the -other felt, though no word was uttered. - -It was not very long that they had to wait, for a faint wind stirred in -the gully, rustling the leaves of the shrubs and creepers on the cliff, -which wafted away, as though a veil were being withdrawn, the cloud of -blue-grey mist that had hung about the hollow of the basin. The boys -eagerly looked down. - -There below them, in amongst the stones, half buried in the sand, -shining up through the little pools of water that still remained among -the rocks, were lumps and nuggets of the precious metal. They looked, -and looked again. Yes, there, beyond a doubt, gleaming in the hot, -strong sunlight, was the dull, yellow gold they sought. It almost -seemed to their wildly excited minds that the rocky basin was covered -with it, for look where they would they could see the yellow gleam of -gold, pure gold. - -It was Geordie who spoke first. He was still clutching Alec's arm, with -a grasp that must have been painful in its intensity. A little half sob -of emotion and delight caught his breath as he said-- - -"It's gold, Alec, it's gold! A fortune, a great fortune, is lying at -our feet!" - -He held one brown arm eagerly stretched out, and pointed to the empty -pool beneath him, as though to emphasise what he said. - -Whilst the words were on his very lips, and before Alec had had time to -answer, a loud and piercing cry behind them made them turn their heads, -and there, rushing wildly towards them along the rocky ravine, was the -black figure of Murri, leaping great stones and boulders, plunging -through the stream, and running as they had never seen him run before. -His breath was almost gone, but he was just able to cry out in strange, -hoarse tones, that they could hardly recognise as his-- - -"Run, run, _burrima_, get um gun. _Myall_ have come. Um black fellow -along o' this place, one, two minute!" - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -UNWELCOME VISITORS. - - -Hearing this cry, the boys turned and leaped down from the rocks, and -joined Murri, who, panting for breath, and half frightened to death, -was standing by the stream, down which a little water still was -draining. He told them, in his queer English, that he had been -following a wounded kangaroo rat, just on the other side of the -_quandang_ trees, when he had looked up suddenly, and found that the -ravine was peopled with _myalls_, not a quarter of a mile from him. -They had seen him, he said, for as he turned to run a great many men -had started in pursuit. He could not say how many, for an Australian -cannot count above four, but he told them, "Plenty much black fellow -run kill Murri, bail cotch him." - -Without wasting time on useless speech, the boys turned, and whistling -to Como, who was lying in the shade of a great rock, they ran towards -the humpie. It was bitter, very bitter, thus to have the cup dashed -from their lips just when it was raised to them; it was hard that, just -when success seemed secured, they were not able to reap the fruits of -all their toil. But neither Alec nor George was of the sort to rail at -Fortune, and without a backward glance or an angry word they hurried -away. - -It is to be feared that this extremely sensible behaviour was not -prompted by a feeling of what was right and dignified; the two lads -were far too frank and human to feel anything but angry and provoked at -the evil turn things had taken. They were very natural fellows, and not -at all angelic, and therefore they felt this sudden check very keenly, -but they were possessed with the common sense that, in a time of -danger, springs from self-reliance and courage, and they knew that -their only chance lay in getting to their arms before they were cut off -by the enemy. There was no time to think of the gold, for their very -lives might be at stake, and the boys, very wisely, considered their -lives of far more value to them than tons of any metal, however -precious it might be. - -Racing madly along, over rocks and sandy shingle, quite regardless that -the mid-day sun was pouring down its burning rays upon them, and that -the air of the close gully was quivering in the heat, they reached the -shelter of the humpie at last. It was only just in time, for as they -darted through the opening in the low stone wall that barricaded the -house eight or nine great black fellows came within spear-shot. One of -them threw a slender spear at them just as Alec sprang into shelter; it -struck the fire-log, just beyond the humpie, raising a little shower of -sparks. The instant that they were inside the humpie the boys seized -their guns, which were always loaded, and put a heap of cartridges on -to the floor near to them both. They had their guns at full cock, and -had covered the _myalls_ in much less time than it takes to tell of it, -but they did not fire. Alec spoke, without lifting his head or raising -his eye from the sight of his gun. - -"Don't fire, Geordie. I can't bear killing these poor beggars. I can't -forget those we shot before, and that time it was in self-defence." - -"So is this." - -"No, not yet. They may be friendly, and mean us no harm whatever." - -Whilst the boys were thus hurriedly speaking the _myalls_ had stopped -in their advance, and stood talking together. It was just as Alec had -hoped--they were perfectly friendly, and wished them no harm; in fact, -they had not known that there were any white men present till they saw -Alec and George rush past them, and they were overwhelmed with -curiosity to examine them and their wondrous clothes and property. It -is the coast aboriginals, and those that are near the English runs, -that so hate the white man. He it is who has settled on their land -without their permission; driven away the kangaroo and emu by -introducing cattle, which not only deprive the black men of their food, -but trample and pollute their springs and water-holes into morasses of -mud and filth; and in return has brought the poor savage what he calls -civilisation, but which is really extermination. - -No wonder that the poor childish native retaliates, and endeavours -vainly to stem or drive back the irresistible wave which advances upon -him, and which must inevitably sweep him and his whole race away. It is -different with the quite wild _myall_, who has not yet learned what is -the fate that follows so closely on the white man's heels. He, poor -creature, after the first shock of terror has subsided, often receives -the pale stranger well, or, at least, without animosity, and shows him -where water is to be found, and which is the best road for him to -follow. - -Just so it was with this tribe of Wyobree warriors; they had seen Murri -run away from the mere sight of them, and had instinctively started in -pursuit. We are all alike in that--a remnant of our former savagery, -perhaps. Let anything start away and run from us, and instantly we feel -the desire to follow and catch, a natural instinct that all these -generations of our so-called civilisation have failed to stamp out. - -It seemed to the boys an age whilst the Wyobree men (as they afterwards -learned they were called) stood thus talking. They still kept them -covered with their guns, and the fact that the blacks stood so calmly -there--out of spear range, the _myalls_ knew--told the boys that they -were ignorant of the deadly power of fire-arms. Murri, with all the -hatred of the partly civilised savage for the totally wild, kept urging -Alec and George to fire upon the blacks. - -"Chewt um, Alec, chewt um, Missa Law. What for you bail kill um? -_Myall_ kill white fellow plenty much time. What for yo bail chewt um -black fellow dead bong?" - -But notwithstanding these pressing invitations to slaughter a few of -his countrymen, the boys reserved their fire. They knew it would be -useless to try to make Murri understand their reasons for so doing, so -they did not attempt to enlighten him, thus giving the poor fellow -another incomprehensible mystery to puzzle over. After some moments -longer of keen suspense the boys saw the foremost man of the party lay -down his spears, _nullah-nullah_, and throwing stick, and, advancing a -pace or two, he addressed them at a very rapid rate, apparently saying -the same thing over and over again. - -The boys, who knew but very little even of the language of the tribe -near their own run, were quite unable to follow what he said; but Murri -seemed to understand him. - -"_Myall_ say um bail go kill um white fellow. _Myall_ say um plenty big -_corroborree_" (night dance and singing), "along o' Parwango gully. Um -say yo go." - -"What's that? A big _corroborree_ at Parwango, and will we go with them -to it? Shall we, Alec?" - -"No, no, let us stay here, collect the gold, and get home as quickly as -possible. We have run enough risks already. Lie down, Como!" - -Alec told Murri to go to the entrance of the humpie and tell the men -that they could not go with them; and he did so, calmly enough now that -he saw the _myalls_ were friendly. But the black men did not seem -inclined to take a refusal; they spoke angrily when they understood -Murri's message, and their speaker returned to the rest of the party -and snatched up his weapons from the ground. Just then more savages -came upon the scene, and matters presenting rather a dangerous -appearance, the boys began to think whether it would not be safer for -them to agree to their demand and go with them than to enrage them -further with a refusal. - -Alec asked Murri if he knew how far the Parwango gully was from there, -and was told-- - -"Um Parwango bail long way. Plenty much near Whanga. Along o' there," -added he, pointing his lank, black arm to the north-west. "Mine -_pitnee_" (I think) "um black fellow go _bora_." - -"Oh, let's go, Alec, if they are going to hold a _bora_. No Englishman -has ever been present at one." - -"That is to say, has ever come away from one." - -"Well, we may just as well chance it as stay here and be prodded to -death with those nasty spears, and battered to a jelly afterwards. They -are getting angry, but they mean well as yet, so here goes." Without -another word, and disregarding Alec's call, Geordie laid down his gun -and stepped out into the sunshine, followed closely by his great dog. -He quietly walked up to the _myalls_, who received him in the -friendliest way; indeed in too friendly a style, for they wished to -examine him and all that he had on in the most curious manner. Murri, -who had followed close upon George's heels, was plied with a -multiplicity of questions which he answered as well as he could. - -It seemed that George had been right in his opinion of the friendliness -of the _myalls_, for from the moment he joined them they showed no -sign of ill-feeling or treachery. They were inquisitive and curious, -but were otherwise entirely amicable. Without further argument the two -boys and Murri accompanied them to the Parwango valley, which was at -the distance of about two hours' journey, and there they stayed, in the -little camp the Wyobrees had made for themselves, till after dark. They -witnessed one or two little _corroborrees_ (dances) amongst the men, -and then without let or hindrance they returned to the Whanga. The -_bora_ (a mysterious native ceremony) and the big _corroborree_ were -not to take place till the following night. - -When they left the Parwango valley the night was rather dark, for the -moon was in its first quarter, but Murri could find the way easily -enough, and they were back in their own valley after a walk of less -than two hours. Everything was as they had left it, and, as by this -time they were all thoroughly tired, they turned into the humpie, and, -flinging themselves down on the heaps of fern and leaves that they had -collected for their beds, they slept soundly till nearly sunrise. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -GOLD! - - -A movement of Como, who always slept at his master's feet, awoke -Geordie next morning, and looking up he saw by the lightness of the sky -(for the leaves of the branches that formed the roof had shrivelled in -the heat of the sun, and he could see between the boughs) that day was -at hand. He gave a great yawn and half rolled over to go to sleep -again, when he remembered how much they had to do that day, and -determined to get up. He stretched himself, and gave himself a vigorous -shake and sat up. Alec still slept. - -"Now then, wake up, you lazy beggar!" called out George from where he -sat stretching his arms and rumpling his hair. - -Alec bounded up as though he were shot. "What's the matter, what's the -matter?" asked he in a startled voice. - -"All sorts of things are the matter, but getting up is the one on hand -just now, so turn out and come and have a dip in the stream--that'll -wake you up." - -The morning was cool before the sun was up, and the mists lay all about -the valley. Leaving Murri in the humpie still asleep, or pretending to -be so, the boys came out as they were, and, with Como barking a glad -morning bark and leaping by the side of them, they ran to the stream. -The water was cold, and the boys came out of it rosy and steaming, and -feeling fresh and strong. It did not take them long to get into their -clothes, and soon they were walking back to the humpie, where they -combed their crisp wet hair and made Murri get up and make a fire. - -They were in capital spirits, and whilst the "billies" were boiling for -their tea they walked together to have a look at their gold. There it -all lay, just as they had left it. Nuggets and lumps of pure gold, -yellow and heavy and chill; great pieces of rich quartz, with bits of -gold stuck all over it, and gold mixed with the sand that covered the -bottom of the rocky basin. The boys leaped down from the rocks into the -dried-up pool, and began picking up the heavy pieces of the precious -metal, for the mere pleasure of handling it. Geordie laughed aloud. - -"Isn't it wonderful? Look at this piece and that one, why it is pure -solid gold! Alec, how much do we owe that old beast of a Crosby?" - -"He lent us £4,000, and there's another £600 or £700 interest, I -suppose, by this time. Just think of the old usurer extorting 15 per -cent., and from a friend, too." - -"Well, do you think there is £5,000 worth of gold here?" - -"Yes, and more--much more; twice or three times that much, but we can't -take it all." - -"Nor want it. To get five or six thousand pounds worth is all that I -pray for. Funny to think, isn't it, that those yellow stones there mean -so much to us? Wandaroo, and freedom from debt; and a mile or so of -fencing; and a new strain of sheep perhaps! It makes me laugh to think -of it." - -And laugh he did, a jolly, happy peal, that rang through the clear -morning air and echoed from the rocks. - -"When you have finished that morning exercise of yours, my young hyena, -we'll go and get some breakfast," said Alec, whose own face was radiant -with pleasure, taking his brother's arm. "We will get as much gold as -we can carry, catch the horses, pack up, and be off for home this -morning, before any of those worthy, but probably changeable, Wyobrees -take it into their heads to visit us." - -It did not take the boys very long to eat their breakfast, they were -too excited to linger over it, and leaving Murri still solemnly -munching away--he had not nearly done--they went back to the pool. They -at once began to collect the pieces of gold, and to pile them into -little heaps. Some of these lumps still had bits of quartz attached to -them, and these the boys rejected, only taking those nuggets which were -free from them. It was evident from the rounded and worn condition of -the nuggets that they had been subjected to years, perhaps centuries, -of grinding and rubbing amongst the stones at the bottom of the pool, -into which they had been brought by the torrents, in flood time, from -the gold-bearing rocks of the mountain. The strange shape of the rock -basin, which the cascade had slowly formed, had prevented the stream -from carrying them still farther down the valley. - -"Why, Geordie!" suddenly exclaimed Alec, as he added a nugget weighing -five or six ounces to his rapidly increasing pile. "What a fool I am. I -clean forgot all about carrying the gold back with us. What have we got -to pack it in?" - -"Canvas bags, which your thoughtful little brother George brought on -purpose!" said Geordie, with a grin. - -"Well, you _are_ a young Solomon! You think of everything," said Alec, -a moment or so later, when his brother came back from his humpie with -the shot bags. - -"They'll each hold fourteen pounds weight of gold, not troy weight -pounds, but honest sixteen ounce pounds, the sort that I like, so that -we can tell somewhere about the value of our booty. What is gold worth -an ounce?" - -"Don't know exactly; something about four pounds." - -"Then each of these bags," said Geordie, after two or three minutes of -calculation--he was not very quick at figures--"will be worth between -seven and eight hundred pounds when it is full!" And he slapped his -thigh and capered about on the top of the flat stone on which he was -perched. - -Putting the value of the gold into figures in this manner seemed to -make its worth much more definite to the boys; it was hard to realise, -without the aid of numbers, of how great value were those rather -ugly-looking, heavy lumps of metal. - -"It makes one feel rich merely to handle it, doesn't it?" said Alec, as -he threw a smooth little nugget of gold into the open mouth of the bag -he was filling. - -"I should think it did just," answered Geordie, with an excited laugh; -"and listen to this," he added, as he took up his bag and bumped it on -the rock to make the pieces lie close together. "Doesn't that noise -suggest wealth? No paltry clinking, but a good rich solid _thud_, like -a piece of cold plum pudding." - -"Yes, delicious! And only think that all of this is going to swell old -Crosby's coffers." Alec spoke regretfully, and with a sound of avarice -in his voice that was not at all natural to it. There is something -terrible about great quantities of gold that seems to instil a spirit -of miserliness into most men, however generous, or even prodigal, they -may be. Geordie noticed this novel tone in Alec's voice, and said-- - -"But I don't think anything of the sort; I don't consider old Crosby's -or anybody else's coffers; all I think of, and so do you, is that we -shall be out of debt, and able to call Wandaroo our own again. If I -thought the gold was going to change you, and turn you into a -money-grub and a screw, I'd slit every bag open, and let the beastly -stuff roll out in the scrub as we rode along. So pull yourself together -and don't talk like that." Geordie got rather red in the face over this -long speech, which he delivered with great energy, for although these -two fellows always spoke out to each other, without fear of -misunderstanding, what they thought, neither of them liked to -sermonize. - -Alec only said, "Right you are, younker; it is beastly stuff in some -ways, and I won't think of it in that manner any more. What a beggar -you are to spot what I am thinking of. How many bags does that make?" - -"I am just filling number nine. I should almost think that----" - -But what it was that George Law almost thought at that interesting -moment was never known, for as he was speaking they heard a loud shout -at the camp, just round the bend of the gully. Como, who was lying -basking in the early sunshine, raced off to see what it was, and the -boys, leaving their filled bags on the rocky wall of the pool, -scrambled up the stones and leaped down to the bed of the stream. Just -as they started to run to the humpie, Murri, with a face of a dirty -slate colour from fright, came tearing round the cliff. - -"Run, run!" he shouted; "um Wyobree fellows here one more time; plenty -much _myall_, um kill us all. Climb up along o' that place," he said, -pointing to the cliff over which the waterfall poured; and only waiting -for him to come up to them the boys scrambled like cats up the crag, -and hid themselves in the thick brushwood at the top. Como had not come -back, but they could trust to his good sense to keep out of harm's way. - -No sooner had they reached this place of vantage than six Wyobree men, -in full paint and finery, and fully armed, came rushing round the bend -of the ravine. They had seen Murri run thither, and without waiting to -search the humpie, had followed in hot pursuit. - -It was evident that their friendly feelings of the night before were -completely changed. The desire to possess the white men's goods had -been too strong for them to resist. - -From where they lay crouching the boys could see the _myalls_ stop, -evidently puzzled at the surprising way their quarry had so entirely -vanished, but it was only for a moment; one of them very soon found -some of their old traces, and followed their tracks along the now dry -bed of the drained stream till they came to the emptied pool. The -astonishment of the Wyobree men at the change that had taken place -there was beyond measure; they looked about them in bewilderment and -talked rapidly together. - -Whilst they were standing consulting with each other, Murri whispered -that he recognised one of the men as the fellow who had acted as -spokesman for the tribe the night before. - -"Then you may be sure that they are here for no good," said George to -his brother. - -"No; so get your revolver ready." - -"But I haven't got it with me; I didn't put it on this morning." - -"And neither have I mine! There it is, see, on the rocks below. I took -it out of my belt when I was filling the bags, and forgot to pick it up -when Murri shouted out." - -"Then we are done for if they see us. We must trust to their not -finding us." - -But that hope was blighted even as he spoke, for in drawing back a -little from the edge of the cliff George loosened a tiny pebble, which -rolled over and fell on to the rocks beneath. - -Alec's agonised "Hush, _hush_!" was all in vain. The tiny sound had -struck the acute ears of the savages, and instantly betrayed the boys' -hiding-place. One of the men had fitted a spear to his throwing stick, -and before a second was passed a quivering dart whirred through the -bushes just above their heads. The Wyobrees lost no time; without -waiting a moment they began to climb up the cliff from the dry basin. -They did not stop to choose the easiest place of ascent, but boldly -began to scale up the very place over which the great waterfall used to -pour. - -The rock is very steep there, but they seem to find no difficulty in -climbing it. In another moment they will have reached the edge of the -cliff. They have left their spears down below, but their _boomerangs_ -are in their belts of kangaroo sinew, and they hold their _waddies_ in -their great strong jaws. - -The boys are absolutely unarmed. Their fate seems sealed. They had -risen to their feet when they saw that their hiding-place was detected, -and now, white to the lips from the very anguish of excitement that -they suffer, but quite calm, they look in each other's eyes steadily -and prepare to meet their death. The _myalls_ have almost reached the -top of the crag; the foremost man will be able to place his hands on -the edge in another moment. Suddenly, with a voice like a trumpet, Alec -yells out-- - -"Follow me! Run for your life; _we'll do the beggars yet_!" - -As he spoke--his face was pale no longer, and his eyes were blazing--he -darted off, closely followed by George, to the old course of the -stream. They wildly tore through the tangled scrub, heedless of the -wounds their arms and faces received, and leaped madly across the new -channel of the rapid stream. - -"Make haste!" shrieked Alec, his voice shrill with excitement. - -"What to do?" gasped George. - -Without pausing Alec plunged waist deep into the water that their -embankment retained, and shouted-- - -"_Burst the dam!_" - -Alec followed, and the two together began to push and beat and tear at -the stones they had so carefully built up a day or two before. - -But had they built too firmly? would the heavy rocks never give way? -Already the first man is breast high above the edge of the cliff; -others are close behind him. If once they get on to their feet the boys -know they are dead men. The two lads work like maniacs; they know that -death is but a yard or two away. Their hands are bleeding on the jagged -edges of the stones; they do not feel it; their muscles are strained -till their limbs are like iron, and the veins stand out like cords in -their necks and on their temples, and they know nothing of it. - -Push harder, lads; tear down the stones; do not die at the hands of -these butcher blacks! - -It is useless; the dam stands firm. - -"Once more, Geordie. Together now. Shove with your whole soul." Alec's -voice was hoarse, and he spoke through his wildly clenched teeth. - -One more fierce struggle they made, as though their very hearts would -burst. The great stones tremble; the whole dam sways. It gives, it -gives! They feel the stones totter, and clasping each other grimly -round the waist, as the mighty swirl of the escaping water almost tears -them from their feet, the boys stagger to the edge of the channel. - -The dam has given way; the pent-up waters pour along all white and -foaming, and the stream, rediverted into its old channel, adds all the -force of its great current to the escaping flood. With a loud roar the -waters rush forward, sweeping the rocks and stones of the dam along in -their resistless strength, and with a noise as of thunder, above which -the despairing shrieks of the _myalls_ rise for one brief second, the -hapless wretches are torn from their feeble hold of the rock and, swept -into the awful rush and crash of the cascade, are flung with the -rolling stones of the broken dam, and battered into silence and death -upon the frightful rocks below. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -LEAVING THE VALLEY. - - -For an instant the two lads lay where they had stumbled together on the -bank, but the next they sprang to their feet and rushed to the edge of -the cliff, and kneeling down looked over. For a few seconds the roar of -the great volume of escaping water and the heavy rolling of the rocks -and stones borne along in its current boomed in their ears, but this -soon ceased, and only the usual noise of the falling cascade could be -heard. The pool could not be refilled, as the opening on the far side -of it had not been closed up again, and through this gap the stream -flowed out into its old, worn channel. - -Four of the _myalls_ lay dead and mangled among the stones beneath the -fall, and the body of one lay jammed across the opening in the rocks, -through which the water flowed, with his long black hair streaming in -the current like a dusky weed. One man only remained alive, and he was -bruised and cut and bleeding. He was dragging himself slowly and with -difficulty out of the rushing stream, and was evidently so badly hurt -that he could hardly stand. - -"Oh, Alec, isn't it awful?" said Geordie, with a shudder, as he looked -down. "And to think that we have killed those five men." - -"It was in self-defence; they would have murdered us without -hesitation." - -"Yes, I know. But I wish I were at home; I have had enough of death." - -"Let us go down and see what we can do for the one fellow that is -left." - -So saying, the boys descended from the cliff. Both of them were greatly -affected at the work they had had to do in self-defence; they were not -hardened to the sight of death, and to have thus swept five strong men -from life into the black and unknown sea of death was very terrible to -them. George, who was more emotional than his brother, was very pale; -the intense excitement and enormous physical strain that he had -undergone in the last few moments had quite unnerved him. He could -hardly walk, but he made a determined effort and pulled himself -together. Perhaps what did more to restore him to his usual state, than -his own determination to be himself, was the sight that he and Alec saw -as soon as they reached the foot of the cliff. - -The one half-stunned _myall_ that was still alive had managed to get -out of the stream, and was hurrying, as fast as his wounded condition -would let him, towards the valley, and close behind him was Murri in -full pursuit with _waddy_ in hand. They could see at a glance that -Murri meant killing this man. They both of them shouted at the top of -their voices to stop him, and, rather to their surprise, he stood -still. He probably thought that Alec and George wished to kill the man -themselves, for as Alec came up to him he handed him his _waddy_, and -said-- - -"Along um side o' head, bail um top, yo hit him." - -All that Alec vouchsafed in reply was-- - -"Get out of the way, you brute; I am not going to kill the man." - -It was very evident that the _myall_ thought very much the same way as -Murri, for as Alec and George caught him up, just round the bend of the -gully, he turned on them savagely like a wounded animal at bay, meaning -to sell his life as dearly as possible. The ground was covered with -sand and loose shingle just there, for after storms the swollen stream -swept over it. The Wyobree was a plucky fellow, for although badly hurt -and weakened by loss of blood, by great drops of which, indeed, he -could be traced all the way from the waterfall, he showed a bold front, -and manfully offered fight. The boys could not help admiring his savage -valour as, thus weakened, he stood up to his two foes. - -The lads could see that they would be unable to make him believe they -meant him no harm, so, not giving him time to strike a blow, they -sprang on to him from both sides at once and easily overpowered him. He -struggled and kicked and fought as long as he could, but the boys held -him down without difficulty until Murri came up, whom they made tell -the _myall_ that they would not hurt him. - -"What must we do with the creature now that we've got him? I can't see -why you didn't let him quietly sneak off," said George. - -"If we had not caught him he would have been home in no time, and we -should have had the whole tribe on to us before we knew where we were." - -"But we don't want to take home prisoners of war as well as plunder," -said Geordie, with a nod of his head towards the end of the gully where -the gold was. - -"I know we don't, but we will keep this gentleman--pretty fellow, isn't -he?--till we have caught the horses and are quite ready to start, and -then we can let him go." - -"In the meantime we'll take him to the humpie and bandage the poor -beggar's head up. That cut would have knocked most men over, but these -black fellows do stand pain wonderfully. Come along, old ugly," said -Geordie, putting his hand under the man's arm and helping him to rise. - -Between them, and followed by the wondering Murri, they led the _myall_ -to the humpie, and George, who felt all right again directly that there -was anything for him to do, managed to tie up the gash on the side of -the man's head, from which a great stream of blood was pouring. He was -not particularly clever at that sort of work, and the bandage was -doubtless a clumsy one, but it stopped the bleeding, and that was the -main point. - -The utter ingratitude and treachery of these Australian _myalls_ were -shown very brutally by this fellow whilst George was doing what he -could for him. Having dropped one of the strips of the flannel shirt he -had torn up for bandaging, Geordie stooped to the ground to pick it up, -and the _myall_ instantly aimed a deadly blow at the back of his head -with a short, heavy _nullah_, which the boys had not removed from his -girdle, and which he snatched from his thigh. But Alec, who was -standing by his left hand side, saw the movement of his hand, and -before the blow could descend he had struck the man to the earth with -one blow of his fist. - -"You infernally ungrateful brute!" he shouted, livid with passion at -the dastardly fellow. - -"Good gracious, Alec, whatever's the matter?" - -"Why, this black demon tried to beat your brains out the instant you -stooped down. I believe Murri is right after all. I've a good mind to -put a bullet through his wicked head." - -"Oh, no, you haven't. Loose him, Murri," for that worthy fellow had -pounced on him and was nearly throttling him with his hands. "You know -what they are well enough; they are born and bred and live in treachery -and cunning. They are like dingoes or snakes in that respect." - -"Yes, and deserve equally to be shot with those beasts." - -"But they are men, remember." - -"Well, I wouldn't lay another finger on him if I were you. Let the -brute bleed." - -"Very well," said George, composedly, sitting down, for he knew -perfectly well that he only had to wait a minute for Alec to cool for -him to think very differently. - -After a moment or two had passed without a word from either, during -which the _myall_ sat sullenly and silently with the blood flowing -from his wound, Alec said, in rather an ashamed voice-- - -"I say, Geordie, we can't let that beggar bleed to death." - -George sprang up with a glad face. - -"I knew you thought so. I only said 'very well' because I was sure of -it, and because I can't bear to act as though I thought I were a better -fellow than you, old man. Come on, give us the bandage." - -George very soon had completed his surgical work, and the wounded man -sat without offering to move hand or foot, having failed in his one -attempt at vengeance. - -"Give him a billy of water to drink, and then tie his feet together -with this strap and his hands behind his back, so that he can't get -away whilst we are catching the horses." - -Murri carried out Alec's instructions, tying the knots with much -vindictiveness, grumbling to himself all the time that it would be -better to kill the fellow at once and save all this bother. The -antipathy that all partly civilised Australian natives feel for those -that are still quite wild and savage is one of the strangest results of -their progress, and it was this feeling on Murri's part that prompted -him to urge the killing of the _myall_ upon the boys. - -Leaving the wounded man safely bound in the humpie and in the care of -Como, who had returned from the hiding-place to which he had flown at -the approach of the _myalls_, the boys and Murri went down the valley -in search of the horses. It took them some little time to find them, -for, although they all were hobbled, they had managed to ramble to a -good distance, and having been without work for the last week or ten -days, and having had plenty of good feed all the time, they were all -rather wild and difficult to overtake. It would have taken them a much -longer time had not Alec caught a glimpse of Amber, and calling to him -by name the docile animal recognised his voice, and came shambling up -to him as quickly as his shackled feet would let him move. - -Alec took the hobble from the horse's feet, having first put on his -bridle, which he had brought with him for the purpose, and lightly -sprang on to Amber's back. - -"Hurrah! I feel I am myself again now that I have a horse between my -legs. I've never been so long without mounting a horse since I first -learned to ride." - -"Don't sit grinning there, then, but just head the other horses round -towards the end of the gully and let me have one too." - -Alec Law could ride a horse bare-backed almost as comfortably as he -could a saddled one, and he cantered off after the other horses, -sitting erect and graceful as easily and naturally as though his feet -were in stirrups. Geordie looked after him admiringly as he rode along -in the sunshine; he might fairly have compared him with those Greek -horsemen who live for ever in the marble of the Parthenon frieze had he -ever seen or known anything of those most beautiful and gracious of -riders, but, unfortunately, he was quite ignorant of them and of Greek -art, too, so the opportunity for a beautiful simile was lost. - -As the three other horses were all hobbled, Alec easily overtook and -turned them, and a short time after Amber had given himself up to his -proud servitude they were all bridled and led to the humpie. There the -boys tied them up whilst they completed their preparations. - -There was little to be done in the way of packing, for their luggage -was of the scantiest description, and nearly all the carefully hoarded -provisions were exhausted. Still, there were the nine shot bags of gold -to be tied up somehow and secured to the saddles of the horses, for -although the pack saddle was almost empty they could not load the one -horse with all the great weight of gold. - -"I'm blessed if I know what to tie up the mouths of these bags with. -Here is every one of them gaping and showing his golden teeth, and we -can't carry them like that," said Geordie. - -"Oh, here's the infant Solomon at fault at last!" said Alec, addressing -an imagined audience. "I am glad that there is some one thing you have -forgotten, most sapient brother; I don't feel quite so small as I -should have done had you remembered everything we wanted, down to bits -of string. Nay, be not thus cast down," he went on, theatrically, for -his spirits had risen to a high pitch again now that things were -successful once more. "What a pity that the lovely Murri doesn't wear -stays, we might have used the laces." - -"The infant Solomon, as you cheekily call him, is himself again," said -Geordie, with a sudden laugh, as Alec's words suggested an idea to his -quick wit, "and thus he reasserts his supremacy over Alexander, the -dullest of his subjects." And then, as Alec did not understand him, he -explained, "The _myall's_ kangaroo sinew girdle, you old muff." - -Returning to the humpie for the purpose, they took the unfortunate -captive's girdle from him without the least hesitation and returned to -the fall. They had taken the dead bodies of the men from the water and -laid them in the shadow of the cliff, and all of them still had their -belts on, but a strange feeling, they did not quite know of what, -prevented the lads from robbing the dead. - -The tough sinew which they obtained by untwisting the _myall's_ belt -answered their purpose admirably, and with it they succeeded in -securely tying and sewing up the mouths of the bags. They loaded the -pack-horse with six of these precious little sacks, and secured one on -to each of the other horses. The rest of their packing, when this most -important part was finished, only took them a few minutes, and, taking -a last look round to see that they had left nothing behind them, and as -a sort of farewell to the place where so much had happened to them, -they mounted their horses. Before they left the humpie for the last -time, they untied the _myall_, who had never once moved from the -position in which they had placed him, and told him he might go. -Looking half ashamed of himself, as young folk do if detected in a -kindness, Alec gave the black fellow a strong knife that he always -carried with him, and said apologetically to Geordie as he did so-- - -"I know it is silly of me, but you know I was such a brute to the -fellow just now." - -George had pretended not to see what his brother was doing, but when he -spoke to him he said, - -"Don't make excuses, old fellow. Give him what you like. We're taking -thousands of pounds worth of gold away with us, and I can't help -feeling a bit that it is their property somehow." - -The _myall_ said nothing as he took the knife, and hardly deigned to -look at it; but the last thing the boys saw of him, as they rounded a -bend in the valley, was that he was carefully examining his new -possession. - -The sun was high in the heavens, for it was some time past noon, as, -laden with the gold they had come to seek, and in the gaining of which -they had endured so much, they left the Whanga valley. Ten days before -this they had ridden into the valley worse than penniless, because so -much in debt; and now they were leaving it with gold enough to pay off -all they owed and to put the run in thoroughly good order. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -"THERE'S MANY A SLIP." - - -The journey, which, owing to the many accidents and dangers that had -happened to them, had occupied the boys ten days in the going, was -accomplished in little more than half that time on the return. They met -with none of the difficulties that they had had to encounter on their -way to the Whanga, the fates at last seeming propitious. The large -tract of country that had been burnt by the great fire in which they -had so nearly perished was green again with the young grass that had -sprouted everywhere after the rain; and travelling across it was -rendered much easier in many places from the fact that the stretches of -dense scrub, which had so hindered them when they had crossed the -country before, were all totally consumed, leaving the country open. - -The heavy rains that had fallen since the fire had filled the creeks -again, so that they lost no time in the search for water, in which they -had wasted so many hours on the outward journey. - -The only causes of delay were the stoppages necessary for the providing -of provisions (for all the stores they had brought with them were now -completely at an end), and these were not of frequent occurrence, as -Murri generally succeeded in accomplishing his hunt either before -starting in the morning or during the mid-day halt. There was no -scarcity of birds, and the boys several times provided a meal by their -guns, although they were chary of firing more than was necessary for -fear of attracting the notice of any wandering _myalls_. - -The party had seen nothing of their old antagonists when they passed -through the gully where they had been attacked by Prince Tom and his -friends, and Murri said that in all likelihood the whole tribe had -wandered by that time to a very great distance from there. In all the -time since they had left the Whanga they had hardly seen a native. Once -they had come upon a woman and a child, who showed them where there was -a native well close by, and another time they had seen the smoke of -native fires at some little distance, but with these exceptions they -had seen nothing of the _myalls_. - -For the last few days the boys had talked incessantly of Wandaroo; what -would happen when they were back again; who would be the person to see -them first; and of all the little things that make a home-coming so -delightful to look forward to, and so happy in the fulfilment. Both -Alec and George were in wild spirits; the thought of their success and -what it meant to all of them; the delight and relief of their mother; -and the astonishment of the incredulous old Scotsman, Macleod, which -they foresaw and spoke of, were sufficient cause for their happiness, -and accounted for their excitement. Murri did not seem to enter into -their feelings; he was in no hurry to return, he was well enough off -and happy where he was; and he did not feel the calls of family -affection so strongly as the white man, though it must not be thought -that he was entirely without them. - -The evening of the sixth day since they had left the Whanga with their -precious burdens had arrived, and the little party had reached the long -creek which they believed formed the north-eastern boundary of their -great run. There was still an hour or so of daylight before them, but -they knew they could not reach the head station before dark, as their -horses, although in fairly good condition considering the heavy work -they had done in the last week, were not very fresh. But the fact that -night would have fallen before they could get in did not trouble them -in any way; they knew their road about the run as well by night as by -day, and if they did not know it the horses did, which was much the -same thing. Besides, there was a moon only a few days from full, which, -an hour after sunset, would make the night almost as bright as day. - -Alec and George were riding a little way ahead, and Murri, whose turn -it was to lead the pack-horses, was a few yards in the rear. They were -scrambling down the rather rotten side of the creek talking and -laughing gaily, for in their present state of excitement and high -spirits a very little in the way of a joke was enough to make them -laugh. At that moment they were both perfectly happy; success had -crowned their endeavours, and after many toils and trials and dangers -they were safely close at home once more. - -"Here we are on our own land again at last; and we can call it our own -now with truth. I say, Alec, doesn't the run look beautiful? I didn't -half appreciate it before. What an age it seems since we went away." - -"We shall be home in a couple of hours, I should think. I feel as -though we ought to have a band to meet us playing, 'See the Conquering -Hero comes,' for we have done even more than we hoped to do when we set -out. I wonder what they'll say when we tell them." - -"Oh, mother won't say anything; she'll just sit down; and be quite -overcome for a minute, and then will get up, looking very happy, -saying, 'Boys, you must be hungry.' Margaret will go rather red from -excitement, and will run round and hug us both, forgetting that she -ought to be sedate." - -"What will Yesslett do?" - -"That is more than mortal man can tell, for he will be leaping and -yelling about the place like a madman when we tell him, and there is no -knowing what he'll do in that condition. Macleod won't believe us a bit -when we say we have six or seven thousand pounds worth of pure gold. -Cautious, unbelieving old Scottie." - -"No, but he will when we bang the gold plump down on the table before -him." - -They had all crossed the creek by this time, and had climbed the steep -bank on the other side of it. There was rather a thick clump of trees -through which they would have to pass, and they entered it still -talking and laughing. The setting sun threw long shadows of the trees -towards them. - -"Yes," continued George, "the sound and sight of that will astonish him -above a bit. What a load it is off one's mind to have got all that -money safely home at last." - -"There's many a slip 'twixt cup and lip," sang Alec, throwing his head -back slightly in that little way of his. - -"Don't be so ridiculous. Our work is at an end, we have got the gold -home. There can't be a slip this time, because the cup is already -_at_ the lip." - -Poor lad, his words were doomed to be proved false, for, as he uttered -the very words, an armed horseman leaped out from the shelter of the -trees by the side of them and shouted-- - -"Bail up!" - -This is the Australian equivalent to the English highwayman's "stand -and deliver." It has been adopted by bushrangers all over the colonies, -and by it they mean to say that unless the threatened person stops and -instantly throws up his arms above his head, to prevent his getting at -his pistol, they will fire upon him. But this time the man had waited a -little too long before shouting; the boys were close upon him, and -Alec, who seemed to grasp the situation the moment the man sprang out -from the trees, had clapped spurs to his horse and rushed at him. Amber -was not accustomed to the use of the spur, and leaped like a stag when -he felt it. - -Before the ruffian had time to take a steady aim, Alec was down on him -like a whirlwind, and charging full at him. The shock of the contact -with Amber's weight and great strength fairly knocked the bushranger -out of the saddle. The man, a heavy-browed, black-bearded fellow, gave -a great shout as he fell, evidently to call his comrades, for an -answering call was heard from the bank of the gully, in the direction -of the Yarrun station. Alec knew that their only chance of escape lay -in instant flight, so that he did not stop to touch the man, who lay -like a sack on the ground, but turning in his saddle as he passed on, -he fired a shot at the horse which quite disabled it. As George caught -him up, Alec said-- - -[Illustration: "AN ARMED HORSEMAN ... SHOUTED 'BAIL UP!'" (_p. 170._)] - -"We are in for it now. That fellow is Jim Kearney, I feel sure, the -forger and murderer. I've seen his portrait at the police station at -Bateman. We must ride like mad to escape them." - -"Why, Kearney is Starlight's right-hand man." - -"Yes, and it is Starlight and his band who are looking out for us." - -"We ought to have Margaret here." - -"How can you joke, Geordie, when in a minute we may have eight or ten -of the most bloodthirsty villains in Australia after us." - -"Can't help it, I am really as serious as you are, Heaven knows." - -They were all close together now, for Murri had overtaken them, and -were galloping along at a break-neck rate. As George spoke they could -hear behind them shouts, and the sound of many horses galloping at full -speed. The bushrangers had heard the cry Kearney had given as he fell, -and the sound of the shot Alec had fired at his horse. The pursuit had -begun. Above the noise their horses made as they tore over the ground -the boys could hear the faint shouts of the men in pursuit. - -"Now then, bail up." "If you don't stop we'll shoot every one of you." -"You can't get away." And such like cheering sentences, all uttered in -the angriest and savagest of tones, and interlarded with oaths and -curses. The men were still some way behind them, but the evening was so -calm that they could overhear nearly all that was shouted at them. - -"Look here, Geordie," said Alec, anxiously, after they had been riding -in this way for some time, "do you think that we had better bail up? I -don't believe our horses can hold out at this pace, and theirs are -probably fresher." - -"Bail up? Not we. Let them catch us if they can; we'll lead 'em a -pretty dance first. Ride as lightly as you can. We know the country and -they don't, and that is in our favour." - -"All right, I'm game if you are. I don't think we need ask Murri; he'd -ride anywhere if you led him, Geordie." - -"I wish there were a few more of us, we'd stand and meet them, but as -it is we shouldn't have a show." - -The chase was a long and stern one; neither party would give in, and a -rigorous silence had fallen on the boys, who, with determined faces, -rode steadily on. Occasionally, without slackening speed, they would -look over their shoulders to see if their pursuers were nearing them, -and each time that they did so they thought that they were a little -closer. The sun had set and the short twilight was fading into night, -and still the lads rode resolutely on. The mad gallop at which they had -all started had slackened, as the breath of the labouring horses became -short, yet, without sign of giving in, they raced along, the gradually -increasing sound of the horses behind them, which slowly but surely -crept upon them, goading them to their utmost exertions. Wandaroo was -still some miles away when, not more than a couple of pistol shots -behind them, they heard a pleasant voice cry out-- - -"It is no use, you know. You may just as well give in now as ten -minutes later. I'm Starlight, and I'll be hanged if I let you escape -me. _I'm going to have that gold._ You may have heard that when I say a -thing I mean it." - -The pleasantness of the voice did not induce the boys to draw rein, it -rather urged them all the more to evade him, if still there might be a -chance; for it confirmed what the man said, and what they had believed -before--that it was Starlight who was in pursuit. They had often heard -of the silver voice of this villain, who could sing like an angel -whilst he was perpetrating the most fiendish of acts. It was said that -he always spoke pleasantest when angriest, and that once when he had -ordered the wooden buildings of a station to be set fire to, which the -owners had barricaded and defended against him, one man who escaped -alive from the fire had said that his voice, as he gave the diabolical -command, was that of a seraph. This man, this Starlight, as he called -himself, on whose head a price was set by the Government, and who was -guilty of every crime and cruelty that a man absolutely without heart -or conscience could cram into a lifetime, was yet of so winning a -presence and manner and of so beautiful a face and voice, that twice, -when fairly trapped, he had befooled his captors into believing him to -be some one else and to let him go. - -"Do you hear what he says, Alec? The gold. How does he know of the -gold?" - -"He shall never have it. Not an ounce of it!" said Alec, in a resolute -voice that was as steady as his determination. - -Again Starlight shouted to them, his pure voice ringing quite clearly, -through the hushed evening air. - -"Don't be fools, you boys. I know you. If you will stop I won't hurt a -hair of your heads, but I'll shoot you, as sure as my name is -Starlight, if you don't pull up." - -"The mean hound," said Alec, angrily; "not hurt a hair of our heads. -Why he'd cut our throats, smiling all the time, if he had sworn on the -Bible not to do so." - -"Look here, Alec, they are certainly gaining on us. We are overweighted -with this gold. We must get rid of it." - -"That is just what I mean to do. Put on a spurt when we get into that -belt of gums, that we can gain a minute or so." - -Telling Murri of their intention, as they entered the narrow band of -gum trees they spurred their horses, and Alec, who was leading him -then, whipped up the pack-horse, and, regardless of their limbs, they -dashed between the smooth trunks, and, emerging into the brilliant -moonlight on the other side, tore down the little incline to the patch -of marshy ground that lay at the bottom. - -"To that little pool of water," said Alec, pointing across the low -ground, which the recent rains had again converted to a swamp; and -without decreasing their speed they turned towards it. Pulling up by -the side of the little shining pool for one brief moment, Alec said-- - -"Fling every one of the bags of gold into it. Make haste!" - -He threw his own in, with a heavy splash, as he spoke, and leaning -across the pack-horse he tore the little sacks from its saddle and -flung them in the water. Murri and George followed suit. - -"Ride through the pool," Geordie whispered hoarsely, "or they will see -it rippling, and guess what we have done." - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -HOW THE BOYS RETURNED HOME. - - -But this unfair race could not be kept up; the horses that George and -Murri rode, although going their very best, began to show signs of -distress. It had been only the sheer pluck and spirit of the well-bred -horses that had enabled them to hold their own for so long, and now the -superior condition of the bush-rangers' untired horses was beginning to -tell. Looking back the boys could see that Starlight was rapidly -overhauling them, and that at this rate they must be overtaken before -another mile was past. Some of the worst mounted men of the gang had -tailed off from the main body, but were following up in a straggling -line. Amber, whom Alec held tightly in hand, was going as strongly as -ever; there was no signs of weakness as yet in his great stride, his -ears were laid back, for he could hear the heavy thud of the galloping -horses behind him, and the blood of his racing sires stirred in his -veins and made him eager to outstrip them. - -"I wish, I do wish, you'd push on, Alec. Amber has got it all in him. -You could be home in five minutes." - -"And leave you at Starlight's tender mercies, I suppose?" - -"Not a bit more than I now am. It is our only chance. You may find some -of the men about, and Vaulty," said he, laying his hand on the sweating -neck of the roan he rode, "may possibly keep up till you can meet us." - -"You know very well he's almost done up. How Murri has managed to keep -that beast of his on his legs I can't think." - -What Alec said was true; it was only too evident that Vaulty, sturdy -nag though he was, had knocked up at last, and was quite on his last -legs. It was heartrending work to be so near to succour and yet to be -so entirely beyond its reach. Not a mile away was the head station, -with all hands in for the night, and all ignorant how urgently their -help was needed at only a few minutes' distance from the house. The -agony that the two lads suffered was only intensified by their nearness -to the refuge, which they both felt they could not possibly reach, for -Alec could see by the way Vaulty stumbled that he could not hold out -more than a minute longer; and George knew in his heart, even when he -asked him to do it, that his brother would not leave him. - -Nearer and nearer came the sound of the horses behind them; they could -hear the muttered imprecations of the men, and once they heard -Starlight give a lovable laugh as he said, "We shall overtake them by -that black stump." Both the boys heard him, but they said nothing, -though they looked at one another with a steady, loving glance, which -seemed to say, "Well, whatever chance may befall us we have been -staunch and true, and we'll die as we have lived--together." They must -have been almost within pistol shot of the gang of bushrangers, when, -through the thinly growing trees of the great paddock which lay between -them and the house, they caught sight of the ruddy light of home. The -wood fire and the lamp in the kitchen shone from the open door, and -gleaming through the night seemed a bitter mockery of welcome to the -two lads. - -"Heaven help us, Alec!" said Geordie, and there was a sob in the poor -boy's throat as he spoke; "this is very hard." - -It almost seemed an answer to his prayer when, from the shadow of a -stately gum, not a hundred yards away, a horseman rode out into the -brilliant moonlight. - -"Help, help!" the two boys called at the top of their voices, and -eagerly strained their ears to catch the man's answering shout. - -Oh! bitter disappointment; oh! agony of futile rage that they felt when -they heard the mocking voice of Keggs cry out-- - -"'Elp, my fine fellers; yes, but it ain't you as I'll 'elp;" and then, -with the brutal triumph that men of his low and degraded type can never -help displaying, he added, "Dain't I tell yer that I'd be even with -yer? Why, I fun' out from them darned blacks as 'ow you'd gorne for -gold; _I_ fatched Starlight; _I_ told 'em w'ere ter stop yer; _I_ done -it, I done it all. And now ain't I level with yer?" - -"No, and never will be," sang out a voice behind them that they had not -heard before. - -When George recognised Keggs' voice and the meaning of what he said, a -wave of despair for the first time swept over him; the brave heart that -had stood out against so many dangers gave way at last before such -black treachery. The spirit that had fronted death without a tremor, -that had not quailed before perils and hardships that might without -disgrace have daunted an older and sterner man, grew faint when brought -face to face with such base ingratitude and such cruel perfidy. Such -deceit in one of their own men gave a shock to his trustfulness which -for the moment completely staggered him. He loosed his hold on the -bridle, saying, "It is useless to go on any longer." - -The effect upon Alec of the discovery that it was Keggs who had brought -Starlight down on them was very different. The man's words and the -taunting tone of his voice made the elder lad boil with indignation, -and it was with passionate anger that he realised the foulness of the -man's degraded character and the meanness of his behaviour--living upon -their food and their wages and yet betraying them. Snatching up his -pistol, on which his hand was resting, he rushed at the jeering -villain, who, to stop the boy, had drawn up his horse in the line he -knew they must follow. Taking a rapid aim, Alec, with no more -hesitation than he would have shown at shooting a mangy dingo, fired -twice full at the man, who fell with a shriek and howl of agony, -mortally wounded, with two bullets in his chest. - -Without staying to notice the fate of such carrion, Alec turned to look -for his brother, whom he had left, at some little distance behind, with -Murri. Vaulty, George's horse, had stopped when his rider had thrown -down the reins of his bridle, and stood quite still, trembling in every -limb. Just as Alec turned to ride back to them he saw that Starlight -and his gang were close upon them, and that George still sat his horse, -although looking quite dazed and stupefied. Murri was leaning across -from his horse and was taking hold of George's bridle as though to urge -him to continue his flight, but it was in vain, for at that moment the -bushrangers were upon them. - -Starlight having calculated the distance, and feeling certain that he -should overtake the boys before they could reach the head station, had -given orders to his men that they were not to fire. He acted in this -way from no feeling of mercy, for that was a sentiment he never -experienced, but from a motive of policy, as he feared the noise of -fire-arms might be heard by the men at the house, and bring them down -upon him. Whilst Alec was still at some little distance Starlight had -brought up his horse alongside of George, and turning his handsome, -lovable face to him, he asked him in that false, sweet voice of his-- - -"Where is all that gold you have found, my lad? You have given us a -stiff chase, and as we have won it you must provide the prize." - -"We have no gold," said George, still like one in a dream. - -"Come, come, you don't expect me to believe that," said Starlight, -laying his hand on George's arm. The action was gentle, it looked -almost like a caress, but the hand, although so soft, was iron-sinewed, -and the boy felt his arm grasped as though in a vice. - -Starlight's touch seemed to act upon him as a charm; it aroused him -from the state of stupor of despair in which he was plunged, and fire -coming back to his eye and life to his voice, he shouted-- - -"Loose my arm!" and swinging himself round in the saddle in his lithe, -quick way, he tore his arm from the bushranger's grasp. Starlight made -a rapid clutch at him as Geordie swerved aside, but missed his aim, and -the boy, seizing his opportunity, clenched his fist and swung his stout -young arm round with a backward blow, and striking the bushranger full -on the side of the head almost felled him from his horse. Several of -the men, thinking that things had now gone far enough, sprang to the -side of the boy, and one of them, dealing him a stunning blow with his -huge fist just behind the ear, roughly seized him round the waist with -one muscular arm and threw him heavily to the ground. There the lad lay -quite white and senseless, with the blood pouring from his nostrils, -across the gnarled roots of a burnt and blackened tree stump. - -During this little _mêlée_, Murri, who was not blessed with an entirely -valiant heart, noticed that the observation of the party was fixed upon -the little central group of George and his opponents. Taking advantage -of this very momentary chance he silently slipped from his horse, -without stopping it, and darting to a place where the stumps of several -burnt trees were still standing, his black body was instantly concealed -in the shadows. - -The next minute one of the men noticed that Murri's horse was -riderless. - -"Hallo!" said he, "where the blazes is that fellow gone to?" - -"Didn't see him go," answered one of the other men. "It don't matter, -it was only one of them blarmed nigs; he've sneaked off." - -This had not occupied a moment in happening, and it was just as Geordie -was flung to the ground that Alec came upon the scene. Seeing his -brother struck from his horse, and noticing that the body, which lay so -white and stark in the moonlight, was quite motionless, he felt sure -that this time death had claimed his own. He was maddened with passion -and rage, and singling out the man who had done it, a great, swarthy -fellow twice his own age, he rode at him like a fury. He was entirely -without personal fear, and believing that his brother, who was his -chief tie to life, was dead, he was utterly reckless of consequences to -himself. He had no weapon with him but the pistol he had just fired at -Keggs, but grasping this by the barrel he struck the man full in the -mouth with the heavy butt of it. The passionate blow bruised and cut -the bushranger's lips terribly, and shattered several of his great -white teeth, and maddened with the pain of it the fellow howled a curse -at Alec and drew his pistol from his belt. Alec aimed another rapid -blow at him with his weapon, but his hand being wet with sweat the -polished barrel of the pistol slipped from his grasp, and, as it darted -from his fingers, struck the bushranger a startling blow on his bronzed -cheek-bone just below the eye. The man was now absolutely beside -himself with the agony of these two blows, and like a wild beast he -turned to rend his enemy. - -The two men, Alec and the bushranger, were now quite at close quarters, -and pressing one hand to the bleeding cut on his cheek, and with an -infamous oath on his lips, the man again raised his pistol to fire. But -Alec had not taken his eyes from his opponent, and guiding Amber only -with his knees he suddenly stooped to his saddle as the man fired, and -before he was ready with his second shot had sprung upon him. He -clutched his outstretched arm and bore it down with his sheer weight, -and then, exerting all his strength, he grappled with the fellow, and -tried to tear him from his horse. - -They were not equally matched, for the man was not only much older and -heavier than Alec but much stronger too, but Alec was much the more -active, and being wiry and muscular he gave the bushranger as much as -he could well do. The other men looked on without offering to -interfere, for after all they were Englishmen although thieves, and a -rough feeling of fair play prevented them interrupting what was so -evidently a single combat. - -At first things seemed to go in Alec's favour, for the bushranger, not -daring to loose his bridle, could only use one hand, and it almost -looked as though Alec would unseat his enemy. But this state of affairs -only lasted a few seconds, for the man, feeling that Alec, who could -use both hands, was getting the better of him, clapped his spurs to his -horse and tried to tear himself out of the boy's grasp. But Alec did -not mean to lose his man; he was utterly regardless of what befell -himself, and was fully determined to be revenged on the man who had -taken Geordie's life. - -Feeling that the bushranger was endeavouring to separate himself from -him, Alec swore in his heart that he should not effect his purpose, and -as the bushranger's horse swerved to one side, Alec kicked his feet -free from his stirrups, and, exerting all his sinewy strength, leaped -on to the other horse. As he already had a firm hold of the bushranger -he was able to do this with greater certainty, and before the -astonished man knew what he was about the boy was firmly seated behind -him. The horse, feeling this double load, and goaded by the startled -spurring of its rider, darted madly away from the gang. The bushranger -yelled for help and tried to stop his horse, but failed to do so. He -struggled to free himself, but Alec had him at his mercy. Although the -man was so much stronger than the boy, he was rendered comparatively -helpless from the way in which Alec held him, for his left arm was -engaged in trying to stop his terrified horse, and by his sudden leap -Alec had managed to get his right arm behind his back, and in this -position it was next to useless. - -[Illustration: "ALEC KICKED HIS FEET FREE FROM HIS STIRRUPS, AND ... -LEAPED ON TO THE OTHER HORSE." (_p. 182._)] - -The fury of anger that possessed Alec gave him double strength for the -time, and aided by his position behind the man, he was more than his -match. The tables were quite turned, and the lad at that time was the -more powerful. Alec could hear the rest of the gang following them; -some were laughing at Pearson's terror, and some applauded Alec's -courage and address. The boy knew that, weighted as it was, the horse -must be overtaken in a moment, and that if he meant to unhorse the -brute in front of him he must use all his strength and lose no time in -accomplishing his purpose. - -Holding with a grasp of iron the bushranger's right wrist, which was -behind his back, in his left hand, Alec made a clutch at his hot, hairy -throat. For one moment he held him thus, digging his fingers deep into -the flesh and squeezing the great muscles of the man's strong neck with -all his force as he tried to choke him. But loosing his reins for one -moment, Pearson tore Alec's hand away and breathed free again. It was -not for long, for he had to snatch at his bridle again as the horse -plunged wildly when it felt its head free, and he feared lest he should -be thrown. The instant that Alec's arm was loosed he darted his hand -under the bushranger's thick strong-growing beard and seized him by his -throbbing throat again, and, possessed with a perfect madness of fury -he swayed the strong man to and fro till he almost shook him from the -saddle. Again the man wrenched himself free, but not before the veins -of his purple face were swollen almost to bursting. - -Alec heard the rest of the gang now close behind him, and felt that his -prey was escaping him, and that after all his vengeance would be -frustrated. His heart was thumping wildly, the loud pulsations of his -blood were surging in his ears, and his breath came in quick laboured -sobs, but his determination was unchanged, and grimly he held on to his -purpose. A life for a life; this man must die! Above the loud beating -of his throbbing heart, above the noisy galloping of the horse he rode -and the heavy steps of those of the men now so close in his rear, Alec -could hear the silver tones of Starlight's beautiful voice quite -clearly as he laughingly said:-- - -"Don't shoot at him. It'll give Pearson a lesson, he always was a -clumsy brute with a horse. The boy can't hurt him, and if he does it -doesn't much matter. It is capital fun, anyway. Look how the young -beggar sticks on. Don't shoot, I say; I reserve that for myself -afterwards, and you might hit poor Mr. Pearson, and that would be sad." -And again he laughed his bright melodious laugh. - -Still holding Pearson's writhing arm behind his back, Alec made one -last effort. The man, vainly trying to pull up or turn his terrified -horse, was leaning forward as far as possible to escape Alec's grasp, -but hearing the voices of his companions apparently so close behind him -he partly raised his head and looked back. Like an eagle darting on its -prey Alec was upon him. Plunging his hand with extended fingers among -the bushranger's black, curling beard, Alec grasped it with an iron -grip. He could feel the heat of the man's strong jaw and his burning -neck as he writhed his head to free himself, and his hot breath fell on -the boy's bare wrist. Twisting his hand more firmly in the mass of the -man's beard, Alec wrenched his head backwards till he could look in his -distorted face. Pearson again loosed his bridle, and, shrieking with -pain and fear, wildly tore at Alec's hand, but in vain, for the lad was -possessed for the time with the strength of three. - -Seeing that the rest of the gang was now only a yard or two behind him, -Alec suddenly loosed Pearson's arm, which he had been holding behind -the man's back, and, with lightning swiftness, struck him two blows -with his left hand, which was thus set at liberty, one on the temple -and one on the arch of his bent brown throat. Then making a gigantic -effort, using up the last of his strength for the time being, he -managed to shake the man from his saddle--just as the brutal fellow had -served Geordie--and flung him down among the hoofs of the horses in his -wake. - -Although the men tried to pull up or turn aside it was too late, and, -galloping at full speed after Alec, several of the horses passed -straight over Pearson as he lay stretched in front of them. Starlight, -who was quite callous to the sufferings of others and regardless of the -value of any life but his own, did not even try to evade the man, and -his horse struck Pearson's head mortally as it passed over him. - -Alec's strength was quite spent when he had thrown Pearson, and, -although he instinctively kept his seat on the horse, he was easily -overtaken and stopped. In a moment several of the men of the gang had -sprung from their saddles and torn him from his panting horse. Then an -angry Babel of voices rose around him in eager questioning, and in vile -imprecations against him for the trouble he had cost them and for the -lives that he had taken. - -Alec stood quite silent under their storm of anger and abuse; he made -no attempt at reply, for he was half dazed with the rapid current of -events, and was so benumbed with grief at the loss of his brother, that -now that his passion had spent itself he was careless of what happened -to himself. He felt the hot grasp of the men's hands upon him, and, -without any attempt at a struggle, he was pulled to the place were -Starlight was standing. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -A CONFERENCE OF BUSHRANGERS. - - -Most of the bushrangers had dismounted to ease their jaded horses, -whose heaving flanks and expanded nostrils spoke plainly enough of the -great exertion they had made in the chase that was just ended. The men -were standing about Starlight, who was leaning against the charred -stump of a burnt tree, flicking the side of his shapely leg with the -whip he carried. He looked up as the two men who had hold of Alec -brought the boy before him, and with a winsome smile he turned to him -and said-- - -"Well, young fellow, what do you think of yourself for having given us -such a chase as this? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" - -Alec made no reply. He thought, and rightly so, that this sort of -remark required no answer. Starlight did not seem to notice the -omission, but went on in the same light, bantering tone-- - -"Don't look so sullen; you have done very well for a beginner. We have -killed your brother--oh, you need not lock surprised, I know all about -you, and besides you are as like as two peas--but you have killed two -of my men in return, and that ought to satisfy you. Now one of you -fellows there, just look about and see if you can find a little water -for the horses. I suppose it is no use asking you where we can find it, -Mr. Law, though it would only be hospitable of you on your own run to -show us where there is some." - -Although Starlight spoke so lightly and, seemingly, was so careless of -what went on around him, he kept a keen watch over every one and -everything, and the quick catch in the breath that Alec made when he -spoke of Geordie did not escape his rapid glance. Like the brute that -he was, he determined to torture the poor lad with references to his -dead brother from a sheer love of cruelty. Whilst some two or three of -the men went to search for water, giving the bridles of their horses to -the others to hold, Starlight continued his cruel amusement. To see -him, as he leaned so carelessly and gracefully against the burnt stump, -with the moonlight falling on his young and handsome face, and lighting -up the dimple that fluttered in his cheek when he smiled, one would -have thought him some happy fellow talking with a friend instead of the -cruel, heartless outlaw that he was. - -"It was hardly a fair struggle, was it, for Pearson was so much -stronger than your brother, who must have been tired too? It must be -unpleasant to have one's brother killed before one's face. Do you find -it so?" He looked up with a simple, inquiring glance at Alec as he -spoke, and laughed to see how white the boy had grown. - -Whilst he was speaking, one of the men who was holding the horses -walked up to him and remonstrated with him for his brutal behaviour. He -was a great, big, honest-looking fellow, with kind blue eyes and a -short curly yellow beard, who looked strangely out of place in the -company he was with, and whose reckless, dare-devil expression did not -seem quite natural to him. Alec could not hear what he said, but he -recognised the voice as being that of the man who had shouted out an -answer to Keggs when he was boasting that he was equal with the boys at -last. - -Starlight listened to what this young fellow had to say, and then, -without turning his head, he looked at him between his half-shut lids -and said in a slightly sardonic voice-- - -"You don't seem to enjoy your new profession, Mr. Crosby. Don't you -think you had better go back to that pleasant old fellow, your uncle, -and act the prodigal nephew? But understand this, once for all, I don't -put up with contradiction or allow interference. So let's have no more -of these sanctimonious airs; remember you are just as much a -bushranger--I'm not frightened of the word--as I am, although you have -not tried your hand at sticking any one up yet, or anything else, as -far as I can see, but eat and drink with the best of us." - -"And never will do anything for you, Heaven willing, from to-night," -said Crosby, as he stepped a pace or two to one side. - -"Oh, he'll come round," whispered Starlight to Wetch, the man on his -left, a trusty henchman this, who had no qualms of conscience, and who -had sold himself body and soul to his leader. - -A moment or two after this the men who had been looking for water came -back and said that they could find none, and Starlight, who owed his -success to the quickness of his movements, and to the fact that he -never lost time in unnecessary halts during his forays, ordered a -start. Whilst Alec was standing, guarded by the two men who had hold of -him, Como came bounding to his side. The dog had rushed to Geordie when -he was thrown to the ground by Pearson, but as the lad had made no -responsive movement when he had licked his hands and face he had left -him and sought Alec. The dog was wild with delight at finding one of -his masters, and sprang up and licked Alec's white cheek and fawned -upon him. One of the men kicked the dog to one side, and it howled with -pain. Starlight, whose back had been turned for a moment, looked round -and, seeing what it was, sang out-- - -"Quiet that dog; put a bullet through his head, some one." - -But this was too much for Alec to bear passively. A passionate love for -animals was one of his strongest feelings, and to hear the order given -for Como's death was more than he could endure. With a sudden wrench he -tore himself out of the grasp of the two men that held him, for he had -been standing so quietly that their hold upon him had gradually grown -slack. He knelt on the ground, and flung his arms round the dog that -his brother had loved so much, and with his black brows drawn down he -looked up at Starlight, and said, quite calmly-- - -"Don't shoot the dog." - -"Yes, I shall. I can't have that noisy brute yelping about me." - -"Then you'll shoot him through me," said Alec, in the same determined -voice. - -"I'm going to shoot you, I know, but not just yet," remarked Starlight -in a casual tone. - -"We want a dog up at Norton's Gap; why not take this one? It is a -handsome brute," said one of the men. - -"That alters the case," said Starlight, pleasantly. "I'm always open to -conviction. Will he follow us?" - -"Yes, he'll follow, if I tell him to," said Alec, unconsciously -caressing the velvety ear of the dog, who stood quite still now that he -had found his master. - -"All right, let him go, I won't hurt him," said Starlight; and then, as -Alec looked at him doubtfully, and still retained his hold on the dog, -he added, "Oh, I'm not a liar as well as a thief." - -"Stow that," growled one of the men. - -Starlight laughed, and, with a wave of his hand towards his companions, -he said to Alec, "Look at these fellows, they daren't call a spade a -spade. They have taken to the bush for years some of them, and lived by -robbing ever since, yet they have such tender feelings that they can't -bear to be told so. They are not afraid of the substance, but they fear -the shadow. I'm a thief and a murderer too, and I don't mind saying it. -And so are all of you," said he suddenly, turning to the men, who were -always silenced by his scorn. "What about the Denisons, and the Longs, -and that man up at Menyp, eh, and others besides? How did they come by -their deaths? So don't make fools of yourselves; you know as well as I -do that what I say is the truth. I shall be shot or hanged some day, -and so will every one of you. Deservedly too." - -"We shall all be lagged, and scragged too, as you say, guv, if we stay -here much longer," said one of the men with a laugh that was a coarse -imitation of Starlight's own. - -"That's the first sensible thing I've heard to-night. The horses are -breathed by this time. I've only one more thing to do and then we can -start." He was drawing his pistol from his belt as he spoke. "The whole -affair has been a fool's errand, and I'm heartily glad that that brute -Keggs has got what he deserved for telling us such a cock-and-bull -story of gold and making us waste so much time." - -"What's yer goin' ter do?" asked Middance, one of the two men who had -again taken hold of Alec. - -"Going to give the dingoes a feast, and to send that young person -you've got hold of into the pleasant company of his dear departed -brother. So perhaps you had better loose him. I don't suppose I shall -miss him, but, being so nervous, I might." - -This was enough for Middance and the other man who held Alec; they -loosed the lad and nimbly sprang aside. For one awful second Alec stood -like a statue in the dread presence of Death; he felt as though his -heart were grasped in an icy hand which froze his blood within his -veins. He could not stir, for the frightful thought of the sudden death -he was threatened with had benumbed and deadened every limb. - -Starlight cocked his pistol, raised it--Alec saw the moonlight gleam -upon the polished barrel--took a rapid aim at the breast of the -motionless boy, and, without a tremor of hesitation, fired full at him. - -The loud explosion rang across the open moonlit plain. - -But the smoke rolled away and the boy still was there, standing as he -had stood before; for just as Starlight fired, Crosby, who had seen -what he was about to do, sprang to his side and knocked up his arm. The -bushranger leaped round, his eye flashing ominously, and in a voice -that was unsteady with anger, he said-- - -"What now--what do you mean by that?" - -"Why, I mean that you are a fool to think of killing your golden goose -in that way. Do you think, just because he has no gold with him, that -he does not know where it is to be found. I know better than that. -Keggs' story was true enough, take my word for it. Don't let us lose -all the benefit of our work by killing the only person who can help us -in getting what we want. Let me ask the lad; I'll back he tells me." - -Crosby spoke so naturally and assumed a manner of such keen interest in -the affair that the astute Starlight himself was taken in. As the young -fellow walked across to where Alec was standing alone, Starlight turned -to Wetch, and said-- - -"Didn't I say he'd come round. He's just as mad after the gold as any -of us. He has got his head screwed on right, too. Leave him alone to -manage the boy." - -Whilst Starlight was thus whispering to his lieutenant, Crosby had -crossed over to Alec, and taking hold of his hand, and giving the lad a -little shake to rouse him from the half stupefied condition he was in, -he rapidly whispered in his ear in a low voice-- - -"You must say that you know where the gold is. It is your only chance. -Trust to me, and I'll help you out of this mess if it costs me my life. -Look me in the face, lad," said he, laying his two hands on Alec's -shoulders, "so that you will know me again. Say something, anything, it -doesn't matter what; only let them see that you are speaking." - -"I shall know you again well enough," said Alec, looking deeply into -the honest grey eyes before him, for the two men were of a level -height. "I have not so many friends," he added, with a dreary sigh, -"that I can afford to mistake one when he offers himself." - -"All right, Boss," Crosby sang out aloud as he turned again and faced -Starlight; and then, leaving Alec, he walked to the place where the men -were clustered together, and with a wink and a knowing little nod of -the head which satisfied Starlight that he was heartily one with them, -he said, "He knows where the gold lies; I shall be able to get it all -out of him, for he thinks I'm a friend, so if any of you fellows spot -us talking very friendly, just hold your tongues and don't let on." - -This last sentence was a bold stroke of policy on Crosby's part, for he -knew that if the men saw him talking with Alec they would be sure to -suspect something, so he thought he would disarm suspicion by telling -them some part of the truth. He was a shrewd, clear-headed fellow -enough, and knew that to tell the truth in part was the best way to -conceal the whole truth from them. - -"Ah," said Starlight, "that comes of having an honest face, and a pair -of innocent-looking eyes. Now you, Wetch, could never have made the boy -believe that you were anything but a villain." - -Starlight little thought that it was the pure and kindly soul that -shone from Crosby's eyes which made his whole face good and honest, or -that Wetch himself, ugly brute though he was, might have looked as -honest as Crosby had but his spirit been as guiltless and bright. It is -not noses and features and colour that mark a man's face as that of an -upright, honourable fellow; but it is the steady light that shines from -the eyes and the pleasant expressive lines of the honest mouth that -show the character of a man, and these things no knave or rogue can -imitate, stare though he may and smirk as he will. - -"Well, bring the boy along, then. Let him have Pearson's horse; it -seems he knows how to ride that beast," said Starlight, laughing as he -thought of the way Alec had stuck on the horse, "and his own has -bolted, more's the pity, for I should have liked that chestnut myself." - -"Now, then, look sharp, you fellows," said Wetch, impatiently; "the -moon has begun to sink, and it is a blarmed dark ride to Norton's Gap." - -Without further delay they all sprang to horse. One of the men brought -up Pearson's horse to Alec, and at a glance from Crosby he mounted it -without a word. Giving the signal to start, Starlight placed himself at -Alec's off-side, and drawing his pistol from his belt and showing it -him, he said-- - -"Look here, my young friend, if you try to make a bolt of it, I'll let -daylight--or, rather, Starlight--into that headpiece of yours; but if -you don't make a fool of yourself, and come along quietly, why you'll -be all right, and shall have something to eat in an hour or so into the -bargain." - -Without more ado the whole party set in motion, and, casting a last -look to the place where poor Geordie lay all white and still in the -moonlight, with a choking throat Alec turned his back upon Wandaroo, -and rode off at a good round pace southwards. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -YESSLETT PREPARES TO ACT. - - -The lamps were lighted at Wandaroo, and all the people about the -station had come in for the night; the men had finished their tea, and -were sitting about the place smoking their short, black pipes, and the -horses were all turned out and were cropping the young, sweet grass of -the paddock. Man and brute alike were aware that work for the day was -ended, and in their different ways each was enjoying his well-earned -rest. The large general room of the house at the head station was -quiet, for tea was cleared away, and, the kerosine lamp having been -turned up, Mrs. Law and Margaret were sitting with their sewing in that -busy idleness which women find so restful after a long day's work. -Yesslett Dudley was in the room, quiet, too, for a wonder, for he was -making one more attempt to finish a long delayed and often interrupted -letter to his old home. Every now and then sounds of life could be -heard from the kitchen, and the work of the ladies made slight -rustlings as they moved it, but otherwise, except an occasional word -from Mrs. Law and Margaret, the room was quite quiet. Yesslett went on -with his writing steadily for five or ten minutes, an unprecedented -period of repose for him; the ladies could hear him dipping his pen -savagely into the ink-pot, and then he would go on writing again. At -last, between his impatience at the ink and his distaste to silence, he -had to speak. - -"I say, Margaret, this beastly ink-pot has dried itself up again. I -never saw such a place for ink as Australia is. I believe the flies -drink it as well as bathe in it," said he, fishing out the body of a -drowned house-fly on the end of his pen. - -"You must remember that it is more than a week since you last wrote, -Yess, and that you didn't put the top on the ink-pot when you left -off." - -"Oh, how you do notice things, Maggie," said the boy, looking up with a -smile. "Is it a week really since I wrote this page?" - -"Yes, it is, Mr. Restless, and if you don't go on it strikes me it will -be another week before you get that one done." - -This speech of Margaret's was prophetic, for it was much more than a -week before Yesslett ended that letter. - -"Why, what is the day of the month, Maggie? I never can remember since -I've been here; there is nothing to remind one." - -"The 16th." - -"Is it! By Jove, we shall have the boys back in a day or two. They said -that they should not be gone more than a month or five weeks at most." - -"I wish they would come," said Mrs. Law, letting her hands fall on to -her lap; "I am beginning to get so anxious about them. Those horrid -_myall_ blacks in the north-east country are so cruel and savage." - -"Oh, don't trouble about them, aunt," said Yess leaving his place and -sitting down on the edge of the table by the side of Mrs. Law, where he -instantly began what he called "arranging" her work-basket. "Both Alec -and Geordie are careful fellows, and they are well armed and well -mounted. And those two black chaps, Prince Tom and What's-his-name, -aren't bad fellows, and will look after them." - -Ever since his cousins had gone away Yesslett had assumed the position -of the man of the house. He was Macleod's right hand man in the working -of the run, and had developed qualities of diligence and -trustworthiness that astonished those who had only known him as the -rollicking boy he had been aforetime. The two ladies grew to love him -very dearly in these anxious weeks, and began to place confidence in -him and rely upon him, as women will do, unconsciously perhaps, upon a -man, however young a one he may be, if only he show signs of -trustworthiness and steadiness. He was just the same gay, light-hearted -fellow that he had been before, but under this there was a budding -manliness of purpose and temper that spoke well for his future -character. Chief of all his functions was that of comforter to his -aunt, and right well did he fill it, for his heart was in the work. His -dead father had filled the boy's mind with generous thoughts of -deference and courtesy to women, and these good old-world notions of -kindness and chivalry, which none appreciate more keenly than women, -had gained Yesslett the name of Chevalier, with which the two ladies -had dubbed him. - -"Yes, the boys can take care of themselves, and I trust they are all -well," said Mrs. Law, taking up her work again and resuming it with -that pathetic patience which women, forced to inactivity, often show. -"They may be safe, but I want my boys back again for more reasons than -one." Mrs. Law was referring to the debt on the run, which had to be -paid in less than two days from that time, or the mortgage would be -foreclosed by Crosby, and the run would pass out of their possession. - -Knowing of what her mother was thinking, Margaret tried to divert her -thoughts to the business of the present hour, so she said-- - -"Where has Macleod gone to-day, mother?" - -"To Bateman. He left soon after breakfast. He wants to find a man in -the place of that Keggs. I always disliked that man, and Macleod says -that he is sure he has been out all night several times lately, riding -one of the horses. He doesn't know what it means, but it looks -suspicious, and we want to get rid of him." - -"I saw him leaving the bachelor's hut with a bridle on his arm as -though he were going to catch one of the horses, an hour or so ago," -said Yesslett. - -"Did you?" asked Mrs. Law. "I wonder what he is after. I wish the lads -were back." - -"Surely, mother, you don't think that Keggs' going out with a bridle on -his arm is likely to do them any harm?" said Margaret. - -"No. Oh, no, certainly not. But I should like them to be here, or else -I should like to be with them sharing their dangers," said Mrs. Law, -turning to Yesslett, a little flush mounting to her cheeks as she -spoke. "You did not think your old aunt had so much spirit, did you, -Chevalier mine?" - -"I always thought you were everything that a brave lady should be," -said Yess. - -"Ah, you don't know mother yet," said Margaret. "Did you never hear -how, when father was away once, she defended Wandaroo from the -_myalls_, soon after she first came here, and when the station was -quite a tiny place?" - -"No, I've not heard about that. You ought to have told me, aunt." - -"It is so many years ago, before Margaret was born, and you know what -an old lady she is getting," said Mrs. Law with a smile, "that I begin -to forget all about it." - -"But I don't," said Margaret. "Just you listen to this, Yess, and you -will hear how brave and calm a woman can be in the very midst of -danger." - -Margaret had drawn her thread through her work, and was, in her -excitement at the memory of the story, holding it tightly stretched out -to its full limit. She looked very beautiful as she turned her brown -richly-coloured face towards Yesslett, with the bright lamp-light -falling on her shapely head with its regal coils of black hair, and -Mrs. Law, with that unselfish pride which mothers feel in their -daughters' beauty, was thinking more of her comeliness than of what she -was saying. Yess, too, noticed how the girl's fine eyes glowed with her -enthusiasm, and was a little surprised to find how strong and bold a -spirit burned in these two women, whom he had only seen when engaged in -the quiet round of their daily toils. - -Perhaps he guessed then whence his own greater courage flowed. Daily in -the presence of these brave-souled ladies he had grown valorous and -more strong. Their intrepidity had slain the old nervousness he once -had felt. No man, or boy either, could live with two such women without -being raised to their high level, more especially when he felt that he -was their defender and protector, and was called upon to make every -effort on their behalf. - -"The _myalls_ were very numerous and wild about here when mother first -came to Wandaroo, and once, when father had to leave her for two days -quite alone, they began collecting in large numbers about the head -station. The natives had not been dispersed in those days, and they -were----" - -Here the girl's low voice suddenly ceased, and for a moment a startled -silence fell upon the room. The two windows were thrown wide open to -the night, and the cool odorous breeze just stirred the light curtains -that hung before them. - -What was it they had heard? - -From far away, from beyond, the end of the great paddock, there came -the sound of a single pistol shot. It was the shot that Starlight had -fired at Alec when Crosby had knocked up his arm. The noise of the two -barrels that Alec had emptied at Keggs had not reached the house. The -report was faint, but the night was so still that sound could travel -far. They all looked up. For a moment no one spoke. - -"What was that?" said Mrs. Law, in a low, intense whisper, laying her -work down, and with the palm of her right hand unconsciously drawing -off the thimble from her finger, as though preparing for action. - -In two silent strides Yesslett reached the window, and was leaning out -intently listening. Far away down the gully a morepork was calling. -Nothing more. Then came a muffled laugh from the kitchen, and the sound -of a chair pushed back. They had not heard it there. - -Both the ladies had grown pale, but on neither face was seen the shadow -of a fear. - -"It was a pistol shot, I'm sure," said Yess. - -"It cannot be the boys," said Mrs. Law; "they would know it would alarm -us too much." - -"What about Keggs?" said Margaret, making one of those intuitive leaps -at the truth which are so characteristically feminine. "You know that -Yess said he owed them a grudge." - -And now had come Yesslett's time for action. He certainly felt one -pulsation of his old nervousness at his heart, but the new courage that -came of his new strength and spirit instantly repressed it, and he -himself was surprised to find how calm he felt. He was standing at the -window where the moonshine fell into the room and mingled with the -yellow lamp-light. His fair, fluffy hair, moved by the tiny breeze, -shone like a halo where the light glowed in it. One hand rested on the -low window-sill as he turned and said quickly, but in a quiet voice-- - -"They may be in danger. I feel sure it is the boys. I will go straight -on across the paddock. Margaret, you run round by the bachelor's hut -and tell any of the men that are there to follow me as quickly as -possible to 'the Dip,' just beyond the end of the paddock; that's where -the sound came from." - -Without another word Yesslett leaped through the window, and dashing -across the garden scrambled over the fence into the yard; crossing that -at a run, he got into the paddock without losing time by going round to -the bachelor's hut. As he entered the paddock he saw Margaret's white -figure darting diagonally across the yard to the men's quarters. He -hurried along at a break-neck speed over the dewy grass, the startled -horses looking up and moving away as the boy dashed past. He had -travelled half-way across the paddock without slackening speed, for his -healthy out-door life in Australia had given him all the strength of -limb he wanted when he was in England, and he now was as long winded as -either of his two cousins. He was just on a level with a little patch -of wooded shade, called the "Gum clump" on the station, when he saw a -figure, a thin, black figure, running towards the house as swiftly as -he himself was from it. - -It was useless for him to attempt to hide, for he had been seen; so he -stood where he was till the man came up. It was a black boy; but Yess -could not tell whether it was one from the blacks' camp or a _myall_; -he did not know Murri well enough to recognise him in the deceptive -moonlight. He was not left long in doubt, for the man rushed up to him -and said in the most excited voice and in so great a hurry that Yess -could hardly understand him-- - -"Make um great haste, Missa Yessley. Come along o' me. Plenty much -white fellow ride quick, cotch us. Um chewt Missa Law dead bong; um -take Alec along ob um." - -All this was unintelligible to Yesslett, but it sounded very terrible, -and he could see that the man was in deadly earnest; so, without a -second's delay, he said that he was ready to go with him. He knew, -directly that the man began to speak, that he must be one of the two -black fellows that had gone with Alec and George, but he could not tell -which one. - -Murri turned at once, and started again at a swift pace to run towards -"the Dip," as it was called, at the end of the paddock. Yesslett -managed with difficulty to keep up with him. They climbed over the -fence together, and, straight as an arrow to its mark, Murri led the -way to the charred tree trunk, across the roots of which George had -fallen. Murri had had the sense to move the boy's body from the awkward -position in which it had fallen, and to raise his head a little. - -Yesslett darted to what seemed to be the lifeless body of his cousin. -Geordie's eyes were closed as though in a heavy sleep; his face was -deadly white, except where the blood that had poured from his nostrils, -when he was flung to the ground, had stained it with its awful stain. -At first Yesslett could detect no signs of life in the motionless body -before him, but slipping his hand beneath Geordie's open shirt, and -placing his hand above his heart, he thought he could detect a faint, -faint fluttering there. Yes; hurrah! there was a tiny movement, and -bending his cheek down to Geordie's pale lips he could just feel the -lightest breathing on it. - -"You get um water?" he said, with excitement ringing in every tone of -his voice, as he turned to Murri. - -"Bail water bong along o' this place," said Murri; shaking his head. -"All um water up at station." Then, as a sudden idea seemed to strike -him, he sprang up and said, "Mine go cotch um _yarroman_. Plenty much -water in um bockle." - -When Alec had ridden up alongside of Pearson, and leaped from his horse -on to the bushranger's, Amber had turned, and getting out of the -_mêlée_ had joined the horse from which Murri had so quietly slipped at -the beginning of difficulties. The bushrangers had not stayed to catch -them, but had swept on to overtake Alec and Pearson, and the two -Wandaroo horses had stopped not very far from where Geordie lay, and -were quietly grazing as well as they could with their bits in their -mouths. - -Murri succeeded in catching Amber without much difficulty, and brought -a tin bottle of water to Yesslett, who opened it and found that there -was a little water swilling about at the bottom of it. With this the -boy wetted George's lips and sprinkled his face, and he had the -satisfaction of seeing a faint look of life return to the face that -gleamed so white and ghastly in the moonlight. Fearing that the sight -of blood would alarm Margaret and his aunt when they got back to the -house, he washed it away with the rest of the water. - -A few minutes afterwards Yesslett heard the welcome sound of voices and -hurrying footsteps, and in another moment three or four men from the -station and the white-clad figure of Margaret, who had managed to keep -pace with the men, her awful anxiety giving her strength, were with -him. - -Margaret's great force of character stood her in good stead just then. -She turned deathly pale when she saw her brother lying there, but she -repressed all other expression of her emotion. The girl threw herself -down by the side of the senseless boy, and raising his head laid it -against the heart that was beating so strongly with love for him. She -chafed his hands, and lifting back the moist hair from his forehead -fanned him with a fold of her white skirt; but as his eyes remained -closed and he gave no further sign of life she turned to her cousin, -and in an agonised voice cried out-- - -"Oh, Yesslett, is he dead? Geordie, my poor Geordie!" - -"No, he is not dead, I think he is only stunned. We must get him back -as quickly as possible to the house. Aunt will know best what to do. I -think he must have fallen from his horse, for I can find no sign of a -wound about him." - -"Where is Alec? What does it all mean?" asked Margaret, who now seemed -to remember that her other brother was not present. "It is something -very terrible, I'm sure, for Alec would never leave Geordie in this -way. He must be dead, for as long as he drew breath he would never -desert his brother." - -"We thinks it is rather terrible, Miss," said Balchin, one of the men -who had been questioning Murri whilst Margaret was attending to her -brother, "From what we can make out of this black chap, Miss--it's -Murri, Miss, as went with Mr. Alec and George--they've been set on by -them bushrangers. He says, Murri do, that there was 'plenty much' of -'em, and that Mr. Alec shot wone of 'em dead, he was that mad like at -seeing of Mr. George being throwed, and that then they ups--yes, Miss, -the bushranger fellers--and takes Mr. Alec off along with them. That -was the way he says they went, Miss," ended Balchin, pointing with a -rough, red hand to the south. - -"Yew can see there's bin a many 'osses 'ereabouts, by the way the gress -is cut up," said one of the other men, pointing to the trampled turf. - -"Yes," said Yesslett, "but we can't do anything in the matter of -following them till morning, and we must get George home as quickly as -possible." - -As Yesslett spoke, two or three of the men stooped and picked up the -senseless boy. These great rough fellows showed the utmost gentleness -and care in the work, for they all were fond of the bright, cheery lad; -indeed, Balchin, who had been on the run for many years, and had known -him from the time he was a tiny child, could not make his voice steady -as he spoke, try as he might. - -Just before they came to the boundary fence of the paddock, Margaret's -quick eyes saw something lying quite motionless, at some little -distance away, in the shade of the great green tree. She pointed it out -to Balchin, and fearing, she hardly knew what, she asked him to go and -see what it was that lay so strangely there. - -"You stay here, Miss, don't you move," said the man, fearing that the -sight might be too awful a one for her to see; "I'll come back and tell -you, Miss." - -He started off at the heavy, slouching trot that was peculiar to him, -which looked so slow and ungainly, but which covered the ground so -quickly. Two snarling dingoes started up and sneaked away from the body -as the man approached. He rolled the dead man over with his foot, -looked once at the face, and returned to where the little party waited -for him by the gleaming fence. - -"It be that thief Keggs, Miss, he've got what he deserves; yes, sir," -said he, turning to Yesslett to include him in his remarks, "a bullet -through the heart. He it were as brought them bushrangers here, I'll -swear." - -Slowly and sadly the little procession moved on its way to the house. -Margaret was quite quiet; she walked along, dry-eyed, by the side of -her brother, holding in her warm one his cold and heavy hand. Yesslett -had dropped behind, and was trying to get every bit of information -about Alec's capture that he possibly could from Murri. The black boy -had not seen or understood all that had taken place, and his account of -what had happened to, and been done by, the elder Law was so confused -as to be of little assistance to them in forming plans for Alec's -rescue. - -One of the men had caught Amber and the horse that Murri had been -riding, and had taken them to a place, a little way along the fence, -where there were slip-panels, and getting them into the paddock, -followed the rest of the party to the yard. Vaulty, Geordie's horse, -was found next day, by one of the men on the station, a mile or two -away from the place where his rider had been thrown. - -The night was very calm, so calm that Mrs. Law, standing at the -entrance to the paddock from the yard, could hear the steps of the -horses and the low voices of the men before she could see the party -that was approaching her. She could not rest in the house, and had felt -compelled to come out of doors, though her limbs were trembling beneath -her to such an extent that she could not stand without support. She -could do nothing, for her agony of mind was not mitigated by activity -of body; all that she could do, poor soul, was to wait until the search -party came back, whilst all the time her mother's heart was torn and -racked with an agony of fear. The first words that she heard were -these--it was Margaret who spoke. - -"Run on, Yesslett, and try to prepare poor mother." - -Hearing those words she seemed to know the worst. She could not cry -out, her parched lips refused to move, but she grasped the top rail of -the fence with her icy hand to support herself. She could not get her -breath, and the warm air, that was heavy with the aromatic scent of the -gum trees, seemed to suffocate her. When Yesslett came upon her, as she -stood near the gate to the yard, she could not speak; she only lay her -trembling hand upon his shoulder and waited for him to begin. - -"It is Geordie, aunt; he is not dead but badly hurt," stammered poor -Yess, who was quite unprepared for seeing his aunt so soon. - -"Oh, thank Heaven for that," gasped the poor lady, bursting into tears, -natural tears, that relieved her from the strain of her suspense. - -Yesslett let her sob for a moment, and then, knowing that the best way -to soothe her was to call for her assistance, he said-- - -"But it all depends upon you, aunt. You must be calm and tell us what -to do, for Geordie is insensible, and we don't know how to act for the -best." - -"You are right, Chevalier. I am glad no one but you has seen me in my -weakness," said Mrs. Law resolutely, and making a determined effort she -became her own calm self again, and by the time the men carrying -Geordie arrived at the gate she was composed and gave her orders with a -steady voice. - -In this way, senseless, powerless, and death-like, George Law returned -to the home he had left so full of life and brightness and hope only a -few short weeks before. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -WHAT BECAME OF ALEC. - - -Leaving Geordie lying for dead, Alec turned his back upon Wandaroo, and -surrounded by the gang of bushrangers, with whom he knew it was useless -for him to attempt to cope, he rode along he knew not whither. At first -he hardly noticed which way he was being taken; his grief was so keen -at the loss he had just undergone, and his chagrin at the frustration -of all their hopes, when so near their fruition, so bitter, that all -other feelings seemed withered up. A little later came the remembrance -of those at home, and with the desire of being useful to them and -helpful in the now quickly approaching time of their difficulties came -a new wave of feeling which seemed to rouse him from the mental apathy -into which he had fallen. - -Without showing signs of his awakened observation, he began to take -note of their route. He knew the whole country about Wandaroo so well -that he recognised his position almost at once, although it was night. -They had left the Wandaroo run behind them, and were then on Taunton's -run, a great tract of land that had been allowed to slip back to a -state of wildness years before, when the owner and his only son had -been murdered by the _myalls_. Many of the outlying stations had been -permitted to revert in this way some years ago when times were at their -worst in Queensland, and when the unprotected pioneer families were -often butchered by the blacks. - -The party must have been riding for fully an hour when Alec shook off -the cloud of lethargy that had enveloped him, for they were then many -miles from Wandaroo. For some time past Alec had heard the sound of the -men's voices as though he were in a dream, and without paying attention -to them, but at last he distinguished Starlight's voice; he was -speaking to Wetch, his worthy lieutenant. - -"They'll be tracking us to-morrow, and as there is no reason that we -should let on where we are to be found, I think we had better get on to -the Dixieville road, where our traces will be trodden out by the next -flock of sheep that passes along." - -This plan was carried out, and with the result that Starlight hoped -for, as it was at this very place that the Wandaroo black boys, who -tracked them next day, were thrown off the scent. - -After riding for some distance along the rough, dusty, and ill-made -track that did duty for a road between Bateman and the decaying little -township of Dixieville, the party turned aside again, and continued its -southerly direction. The appearance of the country began to be wilder -again, and the fences, and whatever signs there were that the land had -at one time been occupied, were broken and rotting away. These signs of -decay and failure of purpose made the scene more desolate than it would -have been had it never been touched, for there are few things sadder -than to see a tract of country that has once been under cultivation, or -turned to some useful purpose, reverting to its former state of -wildness. - -Alec judged from the talk and behaviour of the men that they were -approaching the place that, for the time being, they considered their -headquarters, and which they dignified with the name of home. They had -now been riding continuously for more than two hours since they had -left the neighbourhood of Wandaroo, and this part of the country was -new to Alec, although he had ridden once or twice along the Dixieville -road. The land had evidently been thickly wooded at one time, and in -places there were still great belts and patches of bush standing in all -its primeval majesty and gloom. Once or twice their road lay through -these wooded depths, and there the path was so dark that Alec did not -attempt to guide his horse. The moon had not yet set, but the silver -radiance which flooded all the topmost boughs failed to penetrate to -the depths below, and the track lay all in darkness, which was the more -profound in contrast with the patches of starlit sky that sometimes -could be seen through openings in the roof of shade above. Alec was an -old enough bushman to know that his horse would best find the way for -itself; indeed the creature seemed to know the road well enough without -guidance. - -Shortly after passing through one of these stretches of bush they came -upon a low, rambling building, from the open door of which a feeble -light shone out. Alec had long given up hopes of seeing any signs of -habitation thereabouts, and noticing this light, he instinctively -turned his head to look at it, thinking that perhaps there was a chance -of rescue for him there. Starlight, who was always near him, seemed to -divine his thoughts, for he laid his hand on Alec's arm to attract his -attention, and with a backward nod of his head towards the house, he -said-- - -"You needn't look there. It is no go. They are friends of ours--and -neighbours too, for we have nearly come to the end of our journey--not -openly friends, you know, but in a quiet way. They have given us many a -useful hint and timely warning before now, and we, on our part, have -been able to do many things for them. They often dispose of things for -us that we have stolen. You see I make no stranger of you." - -The cool way in which he talked, and the perfect openness of his -speech--hiding nothing of his own villainy, and not trying to make -himself out anything but what he was--might at another time, and under -different circumstances, have amused or interested Alec, but he could -not think of him in any other light than that of the murderer of his -brother, and every time that he spoke he raised Alec's anger and hatred -again to boiling point. - -Very soon after passing this building, which Alec heard one of the men -speak of as "Lingan's," the party, at a slackened pace, began to climb -the slightly ascending opening between two dark hills which gave the -name of Norton's Gap to the place. The ground was covered with coarse -tall grass, and the young scrub that springs up over all lands that are -deserted for any length of time. Towards the end of this flat and open -sort of valley, in a very dreary-looking corner, out of sight of -Lingan's, and shut in from the world of men by the black and low bare -hills, were the crumbling ruins of a once large homestead. - -The outer timbers of which the house was built were still standing, and -some sort of door hung between the heavy, rough-hewn posts, but in many -places the shingle roof had fallen in, pieces of the weather boarding -were torn away, and the one chimney was tottering to its fall. Here and -there great pieces of the bark which had once covered the walls were -flapping backwards and forwards in the soft night breeze, like the dark -wings of some foul carrion bird. No smoke rose from the wide, old -chimney, and no light shone out a welcome to them from the crazy doors -or windows. The whole place was the picture of squalid discomfort and -neglect; yet this house was the nearest approach to a home that any of -these wretched men could ever expect to possess. For a life of danger, -discomfort, wickedness, and squalor, with an occasional spell of foul -indulgence and debauch, had these men outlawed themselves from the -society of their fellows. - -"Here we are, back again, minus two of our number, Pearson and Kearney, -but I expect Kearney will turn up again. I don't think he was hurt," -said Starlight, as the gang, having crossed what had once been the -paddock, passed through a gap in the rotting fence into the yard. - -"Yes, and a beastly hole it is to come back to," grumbled one of the -men. "Not a soul about the place, and not a spark of fire alight. I -wonder where that idiot Foster is." - -It was evident that the men were sullen and out of humour at the ill -success of their expedition, on which they had been absent for several -days. They dismounted in silence, and each man, after unsaddling his -horse, led it to a small paddock, the fence of which had been repaired -in a hasty, untidy way, and turned it loose. - -Starlight led Alec to the house, and kicking open the ill-hung door, -shouted out-- - -"Foster!" - -They were standing in a dark, close sort of passage, very unlike the -usual entrance to a Queensland squatter's house, and Alec could see -absolutely nothing but Starlight's black figure outlined against the -grey space of sky that feebly shone through the open doorway. Como had -followed him into the house, and he could feel the dog close by him. -The presence of the dog, which kept quite close to his master, was a -comfort to Alec; he could not feel quite alone as long as the faithful -creature was there to thrust his cold muzzle into his hand, or to lay -his great paw up on his knee from sheer love of companionship. Upon -Starlight calling out a second time, they heard some one moving in a -room close by them, then the sound of a match being struck, and the -next minute a door was thrown open, and a blowsy, dishevelled-looking -man appeared, holding a flaring tallow candle above his blinking eyes. - -"I didn't hear you. I was asleep. So you've got back, have you?" said -he, in a high, thin voice. - -"Bless the man! I should think you could see that for yourself. Look -alive now, we are all hungry, and want something to eat in less than no -time." - -Starlight led the way into the room as he spoke, and Alec followed, and -all the men speedily were collected there, for Australians do not -trouble themselves about grooming their horses or making them -comfortable. They soon had a fire blazing, for there was a stack of dry -wood in one corner of the room, and it was not unpleasant, though the -night was far from cold. Foster brought in damper and part of a sheep, -which some of the men proceeded to cut up and cook in a rough and ready -method at the fire. A short time served for this, and when it was -ready, Starlight turned to Alec with an air of the greatest politeness, -and said-- - -"May I offer you a little of your own mutton, Mr. Law? It comes from -Wandaroo, as we all of us prefer your strain of sheep to any other -about here. Not so large as some, but of a finer flavour." - -Although so sick at heart, and so thoroughly wretched, Alec could not -help smiling at the cool impudence of the man, and he accepted a piece -of his own sheep in a thankful spirit, for it was long since he had -eaten, and he was completely worn out. Directly that supper was -finished--it did not take Foster long to clear away--pipes were -lighted, and a small keg of whisky being brought out from underneath a -sort of rough side table, on which were piled the men's hats, pistols, -and whips, the men began to smoke and drink and, what they called, -"enjoy themselves." It appeared to Alec to be a poor sort of enjoyment -that they experienced, for there was a furtive look of watchfulness on -the faces of all of them, although they tried to hide this expression, -and to wear a look of ease. He could see this eager look intensified if -there were any unusual or sudden noise. Once when the faint sound of a -dog barking down at Lingan's was carried to them on the quiet night -air, two or three of the men sprang quickly to their feet and looked -out in a way that spoke plainly enough of the constant state of painful -strain their minds must be in. - -Very little more was said to Alec that night about the gold seeking he -was known to have been away upon. Starlight was trusting to Crosby's -powers of persuasion to get the information that he wished for from the -boy, so that he had not questioned him again himself. Since Crosby had -spoken his little message of friendship to Alec he had not dared to -talk to him again; he had, indeed, studiously avoided approaching him -so that the men might have no cause for suspicion. - -Although he tried hard to keep awake, nature was too strong for Alec, -as she is for all of us, and soon after he had ended his supper he -nodded where he sat. The grief and excitement that he had suffered that -day, and the enormous fatigue he had endured, had quite worn him out, -and he felt that if his life depended upon it he could not keep awake. -Wetch, whose gloomy face was brightened for a time by the combined -influence of whisky and tobacco, was the first to notice Alec's -condition, and in, for him, a not unkind voice, he said-- - -"That chap there, Law, 'll be rollin' over into the fire before long if -he don't go and lie down. Where shall we putt him, Boss?" - -"'E can hev' my room on t'other side of the pessage," said one of the -men, a little fellow, sallow and thin, whom they called "the cobbler," -or "snob," indiscriminately. - -"Thank you," said Starlight, in his most affable tone, "but I prefer to -have that rather slippery young gentleman under my own eye. You can -have that corner of the room if you like," said he, turning to Alec, -who was blinking like an owl. "There is a blanket there, and perhaps -you will excuse us going on with our conversation." - -The poor lad was only too glad to accept this offer, and rising from -the overturned box on which he had been sitting, he stumbled across the -room to the corner that Starlight indicated, and throwing himself down -on the dirty blanket which was lying there, he instantly fell into a -profound, deep sleep. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -CROSBY ACCOUNTS FOR HIMSELF. - - -It was broad daylight when Alec awoke; the sun was pouring a brilliant -flood of light into the room through the broken, unscreened window, and -he could hear the loud "chirring" of the locusts outside in the morning -heat. The room he was in looked even dirtier and more miserable than it -had appeared the night before. The floor could not have been cleaned -for years, and dust lay thick upon everything that was not in constant -use. The white wood table was unscoured, and was littered with bones -and crumbs and fragments of stale food. Foster sometimes swept all -these remains with his dirty hand on to the floor, but as yet, this -morning, he had neglected to do so. A greasy old newspaper that was -crumpled and torn with use was lying on the floor, where one of the men -had let it fall the night before; and a rusty candlestick, that was -clogged with tallow, was standing at the edge of the table where the -reader had left it when he rolled to bed. The frowsy hammock in which -Starlight had slept was empty, the draggled blue blanket he had used -was hanging over the side. Besides Alec there was no one in the room. - -For half a moment, when he first awoke, he did not recognise the place -he was in, but sitting up and looking round the uncleanly, slovenly -room, with a shudder of disgust at his surroundings, he remembered only -too vividly where he was. He got up and found a battered galvanised -iron bucket full of water at the other side of the hearth, and at this, -taking off his tattered shirt, he proceeded, without soap or towels, to -wash himself. He had moved into the stream of hot sunshine that poured -into the room to dry himself, and with bended head was shaking the -water out of his hair in a little dazzling shower of spots, when the -creaking door was opened and Martin Crosby stepped into the room. - -"Oh, you are awake at last?" said the great genial red-faced fellow, -walking across the room and slapping Alec on his naked back. "I've been -in to look at you once or twice, and each time found you sleeping like -a top." - -"Yes, awake and hungry." - -"All right, put your jumper on, and I'll get you something. We can have -a talk while you are eating." - -"Where are Starlight and the other fellows?" said Alec, struggling into -his shirt, which clung to his damp skin. - -"They are down at Lingan's, and won't be back just yet. They left -Foster and me to keep our eyes on you, so that you could not give us -the slip." - -"That's just what I want to do. You will help me, won't you?" said poor -Alec, almost trembling with eagerness. "Remember your promise of last -night." - -"Yes, I'll help you to clear out of this vile den if I possibly can do -it. Heaven knows how willingly I would get out of it myself," said -Crosby, earnestly. - -"Leave with me, then," whispered Alec, grasping his arm. - -"I can't. It's no use. I'm in with them too deep. If I did leave -there's nothing I could turn my hand to, and nowhere that I could go. -I'm done for. You don't know me I can see. I'm the man that did for -Squiros down in Brisbane. But I'd do it again, without a moment's -hesitation, if I saw that villain serving that poor woman as he did -before." - -"No, I don't know anything about it. Who was Squiros?" - -"He was a low, South American sort of Spanish cove, who was mate to a -ship from Rio. I met him at Ridley's. What! don't you know Ridley's? -Then it is evident you don't know Brisbane--and none the worse for -that," he added _sotto voce_. "Well, we had one or two bits of rows; he -was always bumming round there and bossing everybody; and then one -night I saw him striking a pretty, decent girl, from Troman's store in -Wood Street, that I knew, so I ran up and caught him one with the stick -I carried. I didn't mean to hit the little beast so hard, but I was -angry, and had a drop on board, and the chap fell down without a word -at my feet. - -"I tried to bring him round, but he never stirred a muscle. I should -have faced it out if I'd been by myself, but Annie was in an awful -fright, and lugged me away when the folks began to come up. I got out -of Brisbane that night, and had the bad luck to drop in with Kearney--I -used to know him years ago--and I told him all about it, and he brought -me up here to be out of the way. It served that little brute right, but -I can't forget his ghastly face as he fell under the street lamp. - -"If it weren't for that I'd have cut this concern as soon as I found -out who and what Starlight was. But I'm tied here; wherever I went -every one would know that I was Squiros' murderer." - -During the last few words, unseen by either of the two men, Foster had -been standing by the door that Crosby had left partly open when he came -into the room. He had heard all the last words of Crosby's self -accusation, and, perhaps feeling sorry for the evident distress of the -young fellow, or perhaps moved by that desire to be the first to tell a -startling piece of news, which we all feel, he said with a loud laugh-- - -"Well, you must be a fool to believe that any longer. Why, that Squiros -chap is as well as you are, and is 'alf-way back to Rio by this time. -We knew it three days a'ter you came 'ere, but Starlight told us not to -let on about it as he wanted to keep you in our lot." - -With clenched great fists and indrawn breath Crosby listened to -Foster's story. His ruddy face flushed redder, but the hardened, -reckless look upon it passed away. - -"Thank Heaven!" he uttered brokenly and fervently, and his eyes for a -moment grew dim. As Foster, still laughing at the credulity and -simplicity of the fellow, left the room with the saddle and bridle he -had come for, Crosby turned to Alec with a great sigh of relief, and -said-- - -"Then I'm not a murderer;" he laughed an excited sort of laugh as he -spoke, and his face brightened. "What a weight that man has taken from -my heart. All these two last weeks I have felt utterly hard and -reckless, and I didn't care a jot what I did or what became of me. -Confound you, Starlight," said he, bitterly, and bringing his fist down -on the table with a sounding crash, "I'll not forget this." - -"Hush!" said Alec, moving round to where Crosby sat. "Don't speak so -loudly; there's no knowing, in this den of thieves, who may be -listening. I am glad of this for your sake," said he, laying his hand -warmly on the other fellow's shoulder, and giving him a little -congratulatory shake by it. "For my sake, too, for you will try to get -away with me, now. Won't you?" - -Crosby nodded and looked up. His face was wonderfully changed in -expression in the last few minutes. The strained, uneasy expression -that was visible behind the dare-devil recklessness of it was gone, and -even the anxiety that was still apparent in it looked less hard and -corrosive. - -"I don't know how it is to be done," he said, "but we will try. -Starlight, confound him, is so sharp. Whatever you do, be careful -before him." - -"If I could only let them know at Wandaroo where I was they might send -help." - -"That would be no good, I fear. Starlight is not one to be taken -unawares, he'd get to know of it. Besides, in the first place, it is -impossible to send any message." - -"If I could only let them know that I was alive I shouldn't care. I -have a mother and sister, and they will be breaking their hearts at -their double loss. I know Margaret----" - -"_Margaret!_ Is Margaret Law your sister--a beautiful, tall, dark girl? -What an idiot I've been; why of course she is, you are very like her." - -"Have you ever seen my sister?" asked Alec, with the utmost -astonishment. - -"Yes," said the great fellow, blushing a rosy red, like any girl; "many -times last year at my uncle's house." - -"Good gracious!" exclaimed Alec, a sudden light bursting upon him. -"Then you are old Peter Crosby's nephew!" - -"Yes. I used to live with him. He adopted me when I was a lad, but he -has turned me out since then; he said he couldn't afford to keep me any -longer; I ate too much." - -"Miserly old brute! Why he is as rich as Croesus." - -"He was quite right, poor old chap," said Crosby, with that tenderness -which the very strong and healthy often have for the old and weak. "I -have been an awful fool, and haven't lived as decently as I might. He -is old now, and couldn't bear to see me squandering my money, although -it was my own; he thought I should be asking him for more when mine was -all gone. So he turned me out before that time came. He was very good -to me when I was a little un." - -Whilst Alec was talking with Crosby, Como, having made a little tour of -inspection round the house on his own account, came into the room, and -seeing food on the table and no one very near it he thought he could -not do better than help himself. This he could easily do, as he stood -so high that his head was above the level of the table. Having -demolished the food, that in his excitement Alec had hardly touched, -the dog approached his master, looking, but for a crumb on the side of -his mouth, the picture of canine innocence. With a sideway wriggle of -his hind quarters, and with a preliminary wave--it was too stately a -movement to be called a wag--of his tail, he laid his head on Alec's -knee. - -Alec always respected dogs' feelings--which are much more acute than -most people think--so he noticed the dog, and, without interrupting his -talk with Crosby, he caressed Como's tawny head and ears. He was -listening to his companion, yet all the time there was a mental picture -before him of Como's master lying unburied by that charred black stump, -and exposed to the garish sunlight. He could not forget his loss, it -was too recent, and the pain of it too keen; the events of the last -night seemed burned into his mind in a series of indelible pictures. -Suddenly an idea flashed into his mind, and leaping up from his seat, -he exclaimed-- - -"Can you get me a bit of paper and ink or pencil?" - -"Whatever for?" asked Crosby, surprised by Alec's abrupt movement, and -by the earnestness of his face and voice. - -"Como will take a message." - -"And who in the name of fate is Como?" - -"This dog here. Hundreds of times has Geordie--my brother," Alec -explained in a voice that shook though he tried to keep it steady, -"sent him home to the head station with messages from all parts of the -run. He might find his way from here. Anyway it is a chance. Eh, Como, -will you?" said Alec. - -The dog knew that they were speaking of him, and with ears pricked up -and inquiring eyes, he looked at Alec as though waiting for an -explanation. - -It was with difficulty that Crosby could find what they wanted, but at -last he discovered, on the decrepit side table, which was littered with -bridles, foul empty bottles, odd bits of iron and straps and rubbish of -all sorts, a stockman's dusty pocket-book, in which there were a few -unused pages, and with a stump of pencil still fastened in it by the -sticky and worn elastic band. - -"Here we are!" said he, bringing these trophies in triumph to Alec. -"You must look sharp, for I expect they will be coming back directly." - -For a moment Alec sat quite still without putting pencil to paper; he -had so much to say that he didn't know where to begin. At last he began -to write swiftly. He looked up, after a minute or two, at Crosby, who -was leaning out of the window, whistling softly to himself, and said-- - -"How am I to tell them where I am? I can't describe this place." - -"Oh, say Norton's Gap, south of the Dixieville road, just after you -have passed by Badger's Creek. Tell them to ask for Lingan's. Most -people know where that is, though it is out of the way and few come to -it." - -For a moment or two the stump of pencil rapidly travelled over the -paper, and then again Alec paused. - -"I don't know what is best to be done. They can't send enough men after -me to capture Starlight and all the rest, for, not counting you, of -course, there are seven of them including Foster." - -"Yes, and probably Lingan and his son would help them, and Lingan's -son's wife, too, Big Eliza, who rather likes Starlight, and who is a -regular Tartar, and nearly six feet high into the bargain. I can't -think why a man, when he does want to marry, chooses a woman like a -grenadier with a head of hair like a bearskin." - -Alec could not help smiling at this pleasant portrait of Mrs. Lingan, -junior, for Martin had a very dry and humorous way of saying things. - -"I don't like the idea of sneaking off without a bit of a row with -them," said Alec, who was still longing for vengeance; "but I suppose -that we must as they are so strong. If I could only have it out with -Starlight I shouldn't so much mind." - -"You must look on that as a pleasure deferred. Now, then, have you got -that letter ready?" - -"Yes. I have told them to try to communicate with me through you. I've -said that to-morrow night at eleven o'clock you will be on the track -that leads from the Dixieville road to Lingan's. I have said what you -are like. I expect old Macleod, our manager, will come, and you and he -may be able to concoct a plan. I don't think I can say any more." - -"Come on, then." - -"Will you do it?" - -"Do it! of course." - -Alec called Como, who was sitting on his haunches in the sun idly -snapping at the flies which buzzed about him, and with a bit of frayed -string that Crosby produced from his pocket, he tied the all-important -letter round the neck of the dog. He folded the paper as small as -possible, and placed it underneath the dog's neck, and hid the string -in the hair of his neck, where it was longer and thicker than -elsewhere. - -"I don't think Starlight will see that." - -"Not unless he stops him." - -"Oh, he won't do that if Como once gets a start." - -They took the dog to the front of the house, and Alec, pointing towards -Wandaroo, tried to start him off. But the dog did not seem to -understand; in vain Alec said, "Home, Como," "Home, then," "Good dog," -"Go home," any one of which would have been enough from Geordie. He was -in despair about it, for the dog would not leave him, and he could -conceive no other plan of communicating with the station. At last -Crosby came to his rescue with a suggestion. - -"Try to make him go back to your brother. He may know what you mean -when he hears his name." - -It was hard for poor Alec to say it, believing, as he did, that his -brother was lying dead in the trampled grass where he had fallen the -night before, but he remembered how much was at stake, and manfully -controlling his voice, he spoke again to the dog, who was looking up at -him wistfully. - -"Hi, then, Como. Home. Take that to Geordie." - -It almost seemed that he did recognise the name, for with a quick, -short bark, and an intelligent flourish of the tail, he started off to -Wandaroo. - -Very anxiously they watched the dog, as with his long stride he quickly -covered the ground, though he appeared to be trotting so easily. He -travelled at the same easy pace, and without looking back, till he came -to the corner which hid Lingan's house and buildings from the place -where they stood. Here the dog suddenly made a bolt of it, and rushing -madly along was out of their sight in a moment. They could hear the -noise of several men shouting, and then the sharp crack of a pistol -shot. Alec turned pale and bit his lip, and looked to Crosby for -confirmation of his fears. - -"They've seen him, the brutes, and tried to stop him by force, as they -failed to do it by persuasion. He may have got off. We must go in. -Don't let Starlight see us here. And try not to look so anxious." - -They returned to the house, and a moment or two later Starlight and two -of the other men came into the room. In a perfectly natural manner, and -with rather a complaining tone in his voice, Crosby said-- - -"What a time you have been. I thought you were never coming back again. -I don't want to be boxed up here all day." - -"We wanted to see what Lingan had got for those bullocks for us, and it -took some time to settle up." - -"What bullocks?" - -"Some that strayed up here, and whose marks we couldn't make out," said -one of the men. - -"Don't be a fool, Evans. Why, some bullocks that we drove off from -Sheridan's station, all the marks on which we got rid of. But it was -before you joined us, Crosby, so you don't get any of the plunder," -said Starlight. - -"What was that shot I heard just now?" asked Crosby, in an incidental -manner. - -With what sickening anxiety Alec awaited Starlight's answer! He almost -feared to listen, yet he could hardly breathe till he heard what was -Como's fate. - -"Oh, just as we were coming out of Lingan's yard we saw that dog, that -great beast of yours, Law, trotting calmly off. We called to it, but -that made it start off at full rush, so I lugged out my snapper and let -fly at it." - -"Well?" said Martin. - -"Why, the brute got away. He was going too quick, I think. But it -doesn't matter. We don't want a great hulking brute of that sort about -the place. He would eat as much as any two men." - -When Starlight so lightly dismissed the matter, he little knew what -momentous results to him and his gang depended upon that "hulking -brute" getting safely away. Alec breathed freely again when he heard -that Como had managed to give them the slip, and Martin could not -prevent a faint smile flickering in his sunny face. Starlight noticed -it, and said-- - -"What are you grinning at, Crosby?" - -"At my own thoughts, which are distinctly comic." - -"Well, don't keep the joke to yourself." - -"Ah, that's the funny part of it. _You_ wouldn't think it at all -amusing." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -COMO'S ERRAND. - - -Although the heat was great, for the sky was cloudless, and the shade, -where there was any, inviting and cool, Alec's trusty messenger tarried -not for rest or coolness. He seemed to know the importance of the news -he carried, for he trotted along without a pause. The only time that -Como had travelled that way had been the night before, but with that -unerring instinct, which we can so little understand, he made straight -for Wandaroo. Except once, to drink at a little cattle-trampled pool -which the recent rains had partly filled, he never stopped till he -reached the head station, where he arrived dusty, foot-sore, and -panting, about two hours after he left Norton's Gap. - -Dogs generally seem to possess a keen sense of duty, a quality which -is, unfortunately, only too often wanting in man, the nobler animal; -and Como made no fuss, and took no credit to himself for this arduous -morning's work, knowing that, after all, he had only done what he -ought. Mankind, on the other hand, which will not admit the extent of -its moral obligations, generally greatly plumes itself when it does -occasionally recognise one of its bounden responsibilities, never -thinking for a moment that the virtuous action which it considers it -has done is really an imperative duty. - -Como, who was a privileged animal, made straight for the large general -room of the house, and without being seen by any one, entered the door. -Finding the room quite silent and empty, he passed carefully out -between the muslin curtains on to the sunny boards of the broad -verandah. He looked up and down it, but finding that it was as -unoccupied as the room, he turned, and pattering along the planks, ran -to the kitchen. - -Mrs. Beffling, the cook, was standing over the fire, screening her hot, -red face from the blaze with a tin plate, cooking something nourishing -for the patient, and being intent upon her work, as a good cook should -be, she did not observe the presence of the dog. But Como, thinking it -was time that some one noticed him, lifted a paw and laid it on her -dress. The good woman looked down, and recognising the missing dog, she -dropped the tin plate with a crash upon the floor, and lifting up her -hands, opened her mouth preparatory to a good scream, but remembering -the instructions given that morning by the doctor she snapped her jaws -together again before a sound had had time to come out. - -Taking the little saucepan from the fire, and placing it carefully on -the hob of home-made bricks by the side of the grate, she waddled from -the kitchen along the cool, dark passage to the door of the boys' room. -There she softly knocked, and Margaret came out. - -"Ho! come into the kitching, miss, I've had sich a turn," Here the good -old creature thought it would be "genteel-like" to appear faint, so she -tottered and gave a gasp. - -"Now, Beffy, don't be an old silly. What is it?" - -"Ho, miss, Como've come back." - -"No! Where is he?" said Margaret, coming out and quietly closing the -door behind her. - -"He were in the kitching, miss, a minnut ago. I were standin' over the -fire a hottin' up that bought beef-tea, miss, which it do not compare -to mine, though I says it as shouldn't. For my _best_ beef-tea, which -I'm sure I should make for poor dear Master George, is as stiff as glue -when cold, and almost gums the lips together when took hot. I learnt -how to make it in England, miss, when I was kitching maid, under a aunt -of mine who was cook, at Kepton Park, wheer the Honrabble _and_ -Reverent Mr.----" - -"Yes, yes, but what about Como?" - -"Ho, to be sure; Como, of course, yes, miss. I were a-standin' over the -fire a-hottin'----" - -"Oh, you've told me that before." - -"When in leaps Como as bold as brass, and he jumps up agen me, he do, -as though to say like 'Beffling, I'm clemmed.'" - -This was rather a stretch of imagination on the part of the worthy old -soul, but she was so excited that she could not help a little -exaggeration, which was quite harmless she thought, and made the story -so much more interesting. - -However, there was Como true enough when they reached the kitchen, and -glad was he to see Margaret when she came in. He had taken a drink of -water from one of the tins in the kitchen, and then had stretched -himself at full length in his old place beneath the table under the -window. He sprang up when he saw Margaret, and rushed to her, and the -girl, with tears in her eyes, knelt down on the floor and fondled the -dog. They made a very pretty picture, Mrs. Beffling thought, as she -stood with her bare red arms akimbo, and her head on one side looking -at them. - -"Poor old Como, how hot and tired you are. Have you come from Alec?" -said the poor girl, with tears in her voice. "Oh! Alec, Alec, where are -you? If you could only tell us, Como, if he be alive and where he is. -We are in such trouble, doggie." She laid her arms round Como's neck -and wiped away upon his smooth forehead a great tear from her cheek. -The dog tried to lick her face, forgetting for a moment, it is to be -feared, the letter round his neck, in his chivalrous efforts to comfort -beauty in distress. Poor Geordie was quite right, Como had the feelings -of a true gentleman. - -Suddenly Margaret felt the folded bit of paper that was tied under -Como's neck. In a voice that rang with excitement, she cried out-- - -"Give me a knife! quick, quick!" - -"Lawks! miss, what for?" said Mrs. Beffling, starting. "You isn't going -to kill the dog, sureli!" - -"Don't be a donkey," said Margaret, holding out her hand, and -forgetting all her boarding-school manners in her excitement. - -"No, miss, for sure," replied the cook, snatching a knife from the -table and handing it to her. - -"Stand still," said Margaret, trembling with eagerness, as she slipped -her forefinger under the string and raised it from the dog's neck. She -sawed the string through, and, with fingers that shook so from -nervousness that she could hardly untie the knots, she at last opened -the letter and spread it out. She did not rise, but kneeling where she -was on the floor, with the light from the kitchen window pouring on to -her flushed cheek, she read the letter:-- - - "DEAREST MOTHER,-- - - "I don't know how much you know of what has happened to us. Murri - may have told you if he got off. If you know nothing prepare - yourself for a great trouble. We had almost got home last night - when we were set on by bushrangers and (I don't know how to tell - you, it is so terrible) Geordie, when I was away from him for a - minute, was thrown from his horse and killed. I feel as though it - were my fault, though I don't think I could have helped it if I had - been close by. I am just heartbroken, and if it were not for you - and Maggie I should not care if I never came back. You are all I - have now. Crosby says I must make haste; he is a fellow here who is - helping me. I am kept by Starlight at a place called Norton's Gap, - which lies south of the Dixieville road, directly after you have - passed Badger's Creek. Crosby says ask for Lingan's. This place is - close to Lingan's. Let Macleod, or some one, be on the path between - the Dixieville road and Lingan's to-morrow night at eleven to try - and arrange things. Crosby will be there. He is a big, handsome - fellow, with a yellow beard and hair, and clear blue eyes. You will - easily know him." - -Ah! Margaret, Margaret, what makes you start in that way? You would -blush if any one were looking at you now; as it is, you grow pale. - - "Let the police at Bateman know where Starlight is; they will be - here soon enough then. This is the last bit of paper I have got. I - myself am quite well and unhurt. Would it were Geordie instead. He - was worth a dozen of me. If you have not found him he is lying by - that split gum we burnt, just beyond the Dip. I killed the man that - knocked Geordie off his horse. Don't agree to any ransom for me. - Crosby says Starlight will try it on. - - ALEC." - -All the last few lines were so cramped and crowded together that -Margaret could hardly make their meaning out. But she did at last, and -letting her hands, still holding the letter, sink idly into her lap, -she stayed where she was without moving and deep in thought. It was the -clattering of horses into the yard that made her look up, and the next -instant Yesslett dashed into the kitchen. - -"How is he now, Mrs. Beffling?" he whispered, as though his voice would -disturb Geordie at the other end of the house. "What did the--oh, -Margaret, I didn't see you. What did the doctor say? How long was he -here?" - -"He got here at seven, just after you and Balchin started out with -Murri and Baluderree. He says it was concussion of the brain, but that -if we keep him quite quiet he will soon get all right. It was the -greatest wonder, he says, that he was not killed straight off." - -"Has he gone?" - -"Yes, he has told mother what to do, and he has been gone half an hour. -Macleod has gone with him to tell the police all about it, and to make -them try to find Alec, but we don't know whether they are at Bateman or -Parra-parra." - -"Ah! poor old Alec, we shall have to think about him now that Geordie -is going on all right. If we only knew where he was we wouldn't wait -for the police. We can't trace them, Margaret, beyond the Dixieville -road. Murri and that other black boy from the camp easily tracked them -that far, and then we lost them; a mob of cattle had passed along early -this morning or last night and trampled out every hoof mark." - -"Never mind, Yess; this will tell you where he is," said Margaret, -rising and holding out the letter. "Como brought it just now. Make -haste and read it. I must go and tell mother." - -Yesslett read the letter with many little muttered expressions of -astonishment and sympathy. What he said when he ended it and handed the -crumpled paper to Margaret was very characteristic of him. - -"Look here, Margaret. Macleod may be away a day or two, and even then -may not bring the police with him. I can't bear to think of Alec eating -his heart out and believing that Geordie is dead, whilst all the time -he is alive and getting better every hour. I shall go and let him know -that we are working for him, and that Geordie is alive." - -"But, Yesslett, it will be running such a risk." - -"Not if I go alone," said the boy, shrewdly. "In the first place, they -can't know that Alec has sent the letter to us, and they will think -that one--er--_man_ would never trust himself with them alone. I shall -be all right, never fear." - -He spoke boldly, though modestly, and the light that glowed in his -steady eyes said more than his words. He had not, however, quite got -rid of a trick of his old nervous manner, that of rubbing the palm of -his hand on the back of his breeches. This he still did when greatly -moved or excited. - -"We ought to speak to mother about it." - -"No, don't say anything to her. She has enough on her mind without -another responsibility. I shall go on my own hook." - -"It is good of you to do all this for us. You are going into danger for -our sakes, Chevalier. At any rate, take my advice in this. Don't go in -those clean breeches and shirt. Make yourself look dirty and more like -a station hand, so that if any of the bushrangers do see you they won't -want to stick you up, and you can go to that place near Norton's -Gap--what does Alec call it?--as though you wanted a job." - -"That's not a bad idea, Margaret." - -"You won't be going just yet. I want to see you before you start to -send a message to Alec. It will be no use your getting there before -evening. I must go now. Beffy, see that Mr. Yesslett has a good -breakfast, he has had nothing to-day. And get something for Balchin at -the same time." Saying this, with the letter in one hand and the little -saucepan of beef-tea in the other, Margaret left the kitchen very -thoughtfully. - -"Yes, miss, for sure. I likes to see men eat well, and you must be -keen, Master Yesslett. Draw up t' table--if y' likes to wait I'll get a -cloth. Begin a' the bread 'n' butter whiles I poach 'e a couple of -eggs. I knows how y' like 'em, not hard, but set like. Then I'll have a -chop down in a brace o' shakes, as my aunt used t' say. There, there, -begin, then. Don't sit a thinking; nothin' 'll come out o' your head if -y' put nothing into y' stomach." - -"I've got a great deal to think of," said Yesslett, looking up, with a -smile at her quaintness. "There is Alec in the hands of the -bushrangers, and only me to get him out." - -"Ah, an' fine an' hungry he'll be, I'll be bound. But you won't help -him by refusin' y' vittle, so here's th' eggs to go on with, an' if the -sizzlin' o' them chops don't give you a appetite for 'em, I don't know -what will." - -"Tell Balchin to come in, then. He's as hungry as I am." - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -YESSLETT'S ADVENTURE. - - -Yesslett did not start for several hours after he had formed the -resolution of riding to Alec's assistance. He made inquiries from -different people about the station, and found that he could easily ride -to Norton's Gap in two hours and a half, and as he did not wish to -arrive there much before sunset, he waited till the long, slow -afternoon had passed its prime. He had taken Margaret's advice, and had -changed his clothes for old and very shabby ones; he had found an old -hat, that looked disreputable even in that part, where new ones were a -rarity, and with this flapping a limp and torn brim over his forehead, -and with burst and ragged boots, long innocent of blacking, he looked -in as poor a plight as any out-of-work lad could do, and as little like -the clean and fairly well-clad Yesslett Dudley as it was possible for -him to appear. - -There was one thing he had determined to do, of the advisability of -which he was not fully convinced, and that was to take Alec's horse -Amber with him. He knew he could not ride the chestnut himself, for the -spirited creature would never let any one but Alec mount him, so he -intended leading it by the bridle. His reason for this resolution was -hardly plain to himself, but he had some half-formed idea in his brain -of possibly managing an escape for his cousin, and he knew that Amber -would be invaluable in any such attempt, could he only succeed in -getting Alec away for a moment from the men who detained him. Yesslett -had no definite plan in his mind when he resolved to take this second -horse; he was trusting, in a very boyish manner, to that good fortune -which it is so difficult for the young to believe does not always await -them. It was this blind confidence that "something would turn up" which -prompted his action, and trusting implicitly to Providence, though at -the same time with a certain belief in himself, he set out on his -Quixotic errand. - -Yesslett travelled quietly, wishing to keep his horses as fresh as -possible on the chance of his requiring their services that night. He -followed the same route that he had passed over in the morning when -tracking the bushrangers, and struck the Dixieville road very near the -place where Alec had turned on to it the night before. The road was -very little used since the dwindling township of Dixieville had gone -down in the scale, and at that hour it was quite deserted. Yesslett -had, however, carefully primed himself with instructions before he left -Wandaroo, and keeping to the road till he came to what he thought, from -the descriptions of it given to him, must be Badger's Creek, he turned -southward by the side of the shadowy gulch and rode boldly on towards -the dark, wild stretch of bush before him. There was no definite road -to Norton's Gap and Lingan's, but the frequent passage of the -bushrangers' horses and the marks of the Lingan's carts and cattle had -formed a sort of track which was indistinct and broad over the more -open ground, but which narrowed in again to something bearing the -semblance to a path when the way lay through the uncleared bush. - -It was nearly sunset by the time that Yesslett had come to the edge of -the last belt of bush. He could see the rambling and ill-kept building -of the Lingan's station from there, and knew that he had arrived at the -end of the first stage of his work. What lay beyond he could not tell; -it all depended on chance; he would have to adapt his plans to -circumstances. He felt that he was pitting himself against an unknown -force, but he believed, as indeed seemed probable, that his very -insignificance would be his security. No one would believe that a boy -would thus attempt to challenge, single handed, Starlight and all his -band. Yesslett himself was quite aware of his own weakness, and that -was where his strength lay; he knew that to attempt an appeal to force -would be ridiculous, and that his only chance of success in getting -Alec away lay in craftiness and cunning. - -He did not leave the shelter of the trees and undergrowth of the bush, -by which he was quite screened from observation from the house, but -directly he saw the buildings he turned to the left and leading his -horses into the thicknesses of the bush he fastened them both securely -to the trunk of a tree. Both horses had been trained to stand quite -still, without pulling at the bridle or endeavouring to get away, when -fastened in this manner, and as Yesslett had let them drink only a -short time back, and as he had been wise enough to bring a feed of -maize--a luxury they rarely got--for each horse, he felt sure that they -would remain there quietly enough, at any rate, for an hour or two. He -carefully marked the position of the tree to which he had tied the -horses, even walking to it several times from the path so that he might -make quite sure of finding it at night. At last he was satisfied that -he could not mistake the place, and putting on a bold front he left the -bush and stepped out into the open ground that lay between it and -Lingan's. - -Yesslett remembered that Alec had said in his letter that the house he -was kept at was close to Lingan's, and as he wanted to reach the former -place he began to look about him for Lingan's buildings. He could see -no sign of a house except the one before him, and he thought he should -have, after all, to go to the door and ask. The place looked deserted; -he could see no sign of any one about the house or yard, a mildewed -look of sloth and neglect lay upon everything; and instead of being -alive with all the usual busy sounds of station life the whole place -seemed asleep. Yesslett had approached within a hundred yards of the -fence, which enclosed what had once been the garden, when he saw a -faint path that seemed to lead along the little valley between the -hills at the back of Lingan's. Thinking that this might take him to the -place he sought, he turned aside, leaving the buildings on his left, -and began to follow this track. - -It was not very long before he saw, as he ascended the valley, the -house for which he was searching, and without waiting to think what his -line of action would be he walked calmly towards it. It must be owned -that there was a very quickly beating heart beneath this quiet -exterior; but Yesslett had made up his mind to see the inside of that -ugly tumbledown dwelling, for he felt convinced that that was where his -cousin was kept prisoner, and he was more determined than before, now -that he was actually on the spot, to get him out some way or another. - -There were several men lounging about outside the house with that -appearance of weariness which idleness produces when time hangs heavily -upon one's hands. They were leaning against the house on the posts of -the old fence, as though the exertion of standing up was more than they -could manage. They spoke a word to each other now and then without -moving their short pipes from between their teeth. They watched with -interest the dusty and rather ragged looking boy as he walked towards -them, for visitors to this place were rare; and in their state of -tedium and weariness any interruption was welcome. They did not say -anything to Yesslett till he approached quite close to them, but they -looked at him fixedly; and he found their deliberate scrutiny rather -embarrassing, but his appearance must have remained natural enough as -nothing about him seemed to strike them as curious. When he had come -quite near to them, one of the men, who was sitting on a stump of wood -by the side of the door, leaning forward with his elbows on his parted -knees, and his hands lightly clasped before him, said to him-- - -"Well, young Ugly, what d' you want at this shanty?" - -"Is this Lingan's?" said Yesslett by way of answer. - -"No, this ain't Lingan's. This yere do--main is Star----" - -"Now, then, don't be a fool," interrupted another of the men in a surly -voice, turning his head fiercely towards the first speaker. - -"Fool yerself, Wetch! I ain't said nothing." - -"No, but you was just a-goin' to," said Wetch, in the same savage -voice. "No, this ain't Lingan's. This is Brown's run, this is, and old -Brown's out just now. You must a' passed Lingan's to get 'ere." - -"Does _he_ want a boy? I couldn't see any one stirring down below -there," said Yesslett, with a backward nod of his head. - -"No, he don't want a boy, so you can clear," said Wetch, drawing his -dirty pipe from his dry, cracked lips, and making a wave with it in the -direction of the valley. - -"Well, do you know any one about here who is in want of a lad?" said -Yesslett, as loudly as he dare, on the chance of Alec's hearing and -recognising his voice. - -"What are you yellin' at--I ain't deaf?" - -"No, but you are very stupid," said a rich voice from the doorway; and -looking up Yesslett saw Starlight, with a folded paper in his hand, -standing on the lintel. "What is that you want, boy? Here, come into -the house, there's a light there; it is getting so dark outside that I -can't see you." - -Thus, in the easiest manner in the world, Yesslett gained the first -step of his purpose. He followed Starlight into the room and cast a -rapid glance around it. There was only one tallow candle burning on the -table, at which Starlight had been writing, but the room was not very -dark, for although dusk had fallen, the warm glow from the sunset sky -still lingered there. He could see that Alec either had not heard his -voice or had not recognised it, for he did not look up as he came into -the room, but sat, with one leg tucked up under him on the rough bench -leaning dejectedly at the side of the table. - -As Yesslett followed Starlight into the room he managed, unseen by the -bushranger, to grasp Alec's forearm firmly to attract his attention, -and under cover of Starlight's voice, who was speaking to him, he -stooped down as swift as a swallow, and breathed so faint a whisper -into Alec's ear that he barely caught it-- - -"Geordie is all right." - -So utterly surprised was Alec at finding Yesslett in the room, so -astonished at the suddenness of it, and so overjoyed at the glorious -news that that faint whisper conveyed to him, that he could not repress -a start and an ejaculation of wonder. - -"What's that?" said Starlight, sharply. - -"I didn't speak," said Yess, innocently. - -"Let me look at you," said Starlight, taking the candle from the table -and holding it above Yesslett's face. "I think I can give you a bit of -a job if you are honest. I am always most particular about employing -honest people only." Here Starlight winked exquisitely, with the eye -that was hidden from Yesslett, at some of the men who had come into the -room. "Are you honest?" - -Now Yesslett was the soul of fun, he never could resist a joke, and -now, although in the very hands of as murderous a gang of fellows as -was ever gathered together, the thought of giving Starlight a home -thrust was to his mind so exquisitely comic as to be quite -irresistible. Looking as innocent as a babe, he gazed straight into -Starlight's eyes and said, without a flicker of a smile-- - -"Honest! I hope so, as such things go. I am poor, so perhaps I haven't -the same honesty as you and these other gentlemen have, who have horses -and dollars too, but honesty enough to prevent me wanting to steal 'em. -Is that honest enough, sir?" - -Alec sat perfectly aghast at Yesslett's impudence and temerity; but -Starlight only broke out into a peal of his beautiful, irresistible -laughter, and turning to Crosby, said-- - -"That is a nasty jar for such of us as have consciences--you and me, -for instance, Crosby." Then turning to Yesslett, he said, "You can earn -a supper and a shilling by taking this letter to that house just down -below there. If they ask you where you got it, you must say that a man -met you on the Dixieville road and gave it you, and paid you for taking -it to Lingan's." - -"Oh! but he didn't, you know--you gave it me," said Yesslett, looking -exceedingly simple. - -"Poor but honest!" said Starlight, in a theatrical tone, to the five -or six guffawing fellows in the room. "Gentlemen, behold what you, -_perhaps_, were once. A long time ago," added he, in a half whisper. -"My boy, these scruples do you credit; but let me point out to you that -you will be my paid agent, my representative, and that if there be any -slight falsehood about it," here he gave a little sigh, and gently -shook his head, "mine alone will be the blame, and I alone will -undertake to bear the consequences. One or two extra are of little -consequence to me," whispered he to the man who was nearest to him. - -"All right," said Yesslett, who began to enjoy playing his part now -that he saw how well it was going. "Where is the shilling?" - -"Oh, the sophistication of the youth of this generation!" said -Starlight, with mock melancholy, as he produced the shilling from his -pocket. "I have observed that these honest folk are always the most -doubtful of others' honesty. Excuse me, I must shut my eyes--it is too -painful; I feel convinced that this simple child of nature is about to -ring that sterling coin." - -"I always bites them," said Yesslett, with a countrified grin, and -suiting the action to the word. - -"This is appalling. So young and yet so full of guile. It looks as -though you were doubtful of my character," said Starlight, in a voice -as of one pained and surprised at any such insinuation. - -"Oh, no, sir," said Yess, shaking his head in an innocent puzzled -manner, but enjoying his own double meaning with the keenest zest, "I'm -not doubtful of it at all." - -One or two of the men, who were of a humorous turn, roared with -laughing at this keen thrust, which was all the more delightful at -coming from so innocent and simple a lad as Yesslett appeared to be, -and Starlight joined heartily in the laughter, and said-- - -"Take the simpleton away before he makes me ill." - -"I don't see nothin' t' laff at," said Wetch. "Give the boy his supper -and let him go." - -"'Tis excellent advice, most learned Wetch," said Starlight; and then -turning to Kearney, who had rejoined them that morning, he added, "but -it appears, in Wetch's case, at any rate, that 'mirth dwelleth not with -wisdom.' That boy would be a fortune to us, Kearney, with that innocent -face of his." - -"Ah, but it would so soon change!" - -At which both worthies laughed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -ESCAPE FROM NORTON'S GAP. - - -Whilst Starlight was joking with Kearney, Alec got up from his seat by -the table, and without taking any notice of Yesslett he strolled to the -open window, at which, as was his frequent custom, Crosby was leaning -out whistling softly to himself. Supporting himself carelessly against -the warped frame, from which the paint had bubbled up and chipped away, -and with his brown flushed face turned up to the stars, which now began -to burn in the fast darkening sky, Alec said in a low voice to his -friend-- - -"Go on whistling, don't look round. That fellow who has just come in is -my cousin, Yesslett Dudley. He has come to try to get us off. They have -had my letter. He says my brother is not dead; I could hardly help -yelling with delight." - -Alec spoke in a whisper, and Martin kept on whistling his tune as -though in utter vacancy of mind, but, without looking at Alec, he -nodded his head in time to the music to show that he heard him and -understood. - -"When he has had his supper--plucky beggar, how well he does it," Alec -went on in the same low voice--"and goes out with that letter of -Starlight's, you must follow him, and hear what he has to say." - -Fearing to attract attention by remaining more than a minute or two at -the window with Alec, Martin stepped back to the table, where Yesslett, -with an appearance of great enjoyment, was pitching into a piece of -cold meat and a great lump of damper. - -People say there is such a thing as honour amongst thieves; there may -be, but thieves seem very doubtful of it themselves, for living in a -state of outlawry, and often with a price upon their heads, they grow -exceedingly suspicious of each other, and are in constant fear of -treachery from one member or another of the gang. This was the case -just now. The letter that Starlight had just written, which he had -hired Yesslett to take to Lingan's, was the present object of -suspicion, and several of the men had whispered together about it. At -last Yesslett, having finished his supper; pushed the seat back and -rose from the table, and Starlight handed him the letter, saying-- - -"There now, be off. Mind you fulfil your part of the contract. I've -given you the shilling and the supper; you therefore must deliver the -letter, and say what I told you." - -"Before the boy takes the letter, me and one or two wants to know -what's in it," said Middance, a short, stout man, who was standing by -the door rather sheepishly swinging one leg. - -"Know what's in it!" said Starlight, turning towards him as quick as -lightning, and speaking with an angry tone in his voice, which all the -music of it failed to hide. "That's just like you. A miserable, -sneaking lot of pickpockets that cannot trust me to do a single thing -for your benefit and my own without doubting me and poking and prying -into it. Stand out of the way there, Middance, and let the boy -through," said Starlight, in a voice that somehow the man obeyed -without a murmur. Then turning to Yesslett, he added, "and now, boy, be -off, and don't let me catch you stopping to listen to what I say." - -Martin Crosby had quietly slipped out of the room before Middance had -placed himself in the doorway, so that when Yesslett, who was quickly -outside the house, had crossed to the path, he found the great fellow -awaiting him in the shadow of a mossed and stunted tree. - -Directly that he thought Yesslett was out of hearing, Starlight turned -again to the startled looking men. - -"I will tell you what that letter contained, since you must know. Oh, -never mind that fellow Law," said Starlight, impatiently, in answer to -the nods and signals of one of the more cautious of the men, "we have -got him safe enough, for some time at least, and he knows who and what -we are, so it's no good our humbugging him. He knows we're thieves, so -what's the use of our aping honest men. Well, that letter was one I -have manufactured for the purpose of inducing Lingan and that lubberly -son of his to go to Bateman to-morrow. They'll rise to the fly, I know. -And this is the reason I've done it. - -"We have made Norton's Gap our headquarters for some time past, and it -is about time we flitted. I don't hold with keeping in one place too -long, as you know, and I've a sort of notion that our whereabouts is -suspected, and that won't do for us. What I mean to do is this. -To-morrow both the Lingans will start early for Bateman, and when they -are out of the way we'll just drop down there in a friendly way, make a -clean sweep of everything in the house--I know there is a pile of -dollars--and then quietly vamose the ranche." - -This was such a piece of base ingratitude--for the Lingans had been -invariably faithful and friendly to the bushrangers--that some of the -men murmured a feeble dissent, but none of them had the moral courage -to boldly oppose Starlight's determination. There is a sort of bravado -in vice amongst a band such as this; none of the men likes to own -himself feebler in evil-doing than his fellows. Besides this there was -something so fiendish in Starlight's unblushing iniquity, in his total -want of morals, and in the pride he seemed to take in his own infamy -and degradation that it overpowered the men, whose sense of right and -wrong was dulled, if not destroyed, by the life of crime that they -lived. - -"What about Big Eliza?" asked one of the men. - -"Oh," said Starlight, with a smile that would not have disgraced an -angel, "she'll squeal a bit, and perhaps call me some hard names, for -the fool thinks that I like her just because she chooses to like me. -_She_ won't do us any harm. I verily believe I could tell her what -I intend doing without her saying a word to her husband, or trying to -stop us." - -And so he truly might have done. He knew only too well what his -influence over women was. He was aware of his own beauty, and -recognised its power; he therefore never neglected his appearance, and -was always becomingly dressed. "From no sense of vanity I can assure -you," he once said to Crosby, smoothing down his breeches to the curves -of his thighs as he spoke, "but I know the value of my stock-in-trade -too well to let it deteriorate as long as I can help it." - -"Don't be too sure of Big Eliza," squeaked Foster from somewhere in the -background. "She've got a temper of her own." - -"Did you never like or respect any one?" said a quiet voice from the -window where Alec still was leaning. - -Before Starlight had made the light reply that was on his lips as he -turned his smiling face to the window, the mocking, sneering voice of -Middance, who was striving to emulate his leader in cynicism, said-- - -"That shows you don't know much o' we wicked uns, or you wouldn't ask -that question. Don't you know that the wust of us," here the blackguard -assumed what he thought was a religious snuffle, "the very wust, al'ys -loves one pussun. Starlight loves his mother." - -Swift as the swoop of an eagle Starlight turned on the fellow, and, for -the first time in the memory of the gang, livid with passion, struck -him a crashing blow full on his jeering mouth. Middance fell like a -log, for although Starlight was not tall his muscles and sinews were of -steel. Standing over the prostrate man, Starlight said, in a voice that -literally quivered with rage-- - -"Dare to mention her name again, and, as I live, I'll strangle you!" - -Middance did not move or speak: he was awed by Starlight's unusual -passion, for there was something grand about the anger of this -generally unmoved man. - -Starlight soon regained command of himself, and, as though ashamed of -his display of emotion and anger, he moved to the window where Alec -stood astonished at the sudden scene, and in his customary low tone, he -said-- - -"I have surprised you, I see. You think a man is all good or all bad. -Ah, wait a few years longer, and you will learn to take wider views. -Men are many-sided cattle." - -And then, as though to correct any false impression he might have -created as to his possessing more than one side himself, he crossed the -room and said something, in the same melodious voice, to one of the -men, so blasphemous that, accustomed though he was to the not too -choice language of a station, Alec flushed hot, as if the very hearing -of it seared him. - -Shortly after supper the men went off to bed. They did not sit smoking -late that night, for a feeling of restraint was upon them after the -unusual scene of that evening. Crosby had come in some time before, -looking, Alec thought, eager and excited; he said in answer to one of -the men that he had seen the boy go towards Lingan's and had then come -in. Alec dare not court the attention of the men by crossing the room -and speaking to Martin, and he had to wait till Starlight had put out -the light and sprung into his hammock, which he had let down from the -hooks in the ceiling to which it was fastened in the daytime. - -Besides Starlight and Alec there were two other men sleeping in the -room, which was a good sized one, and it was to the circumstance that -he was thus so well guarded that Alec owed the fact of his not being -secured in any way. These two men were Kearney and Martin Crosby. - -Alec lay in a perfect fever of anxiety, his very flesh tingling. For -some little time sounds could be heard about the place, as Foster, who -was general factotum and drudge, moved in the passage or the other -rooms, but at length these subsided and the house grew still. Gradually -silence fell upon the room, and Alec could hear the breathing of the -men grow rhythmical and deep. The night was very dark, for heavy clouds -had rolled up from the sea, which lay beyond the eastern hills. As Alec -lay gazing with wide open eyes at the dull grey square of the unclosed -window he could not see a star. Every now and then warm puffs of air, -heavy with the scent of the white jasmine growing wild and rampant in -the ruined garden, came in from the outer night. - -Alec could feel, he hardly knew how, that there was one person still -awake in the room besides himself; he felt sure that it was Crosby, -that he was watching his opportunity, and that he only bided his time -till all the men had sunk to rest. It must have been nearly midnight. -At last, when all the house was hushed in sleep, and when the very -sighing of the trees outside seemed but the breathing of their slumber, -Alec felt, before his quick ears had heard a sound, Crosby's warm -breath upon his cheek. Martin had left his corner of the room, and, -lying on the floor, had drawn himself, like a serpent, to where Alec -lay. Knowing that the slightest sound broke Starlight's sleep, he -placed his lips close to Alec's ear, and in the faintest whisper, he -said-- - -"Your cousin has horses just beyond Lingan's. Get up and creep through -the window. Don't make a sound. I'll follow." - -Without a word, only grasping Crosby's great arm to show that he -understood, Alec slowly rose up, and like a ghost began to steal across -the room. He scarcely dared to breathe, and although his bare feet made -not the least sound upon the floor he paused for a second after taking -every step. As he passed by Starlight's hammock the bushranger turned -in his sleep, and threw back the blanket from his throat. Alec felt the -little draught of air it made. For a moment he stood quite still, -fearing that Starlight might wake, but with a sigh he sank again into -the depths of sleep. Alec reached the window, and leaning over the sill -he glided, rather than climbed, through it without a sound. - -The sweat was standing in beads upon his forehead, and the backs of his -wrists were damp from anxiety and excitement as he stood out there in -the scented darkness awaiting the coming of his friend. A moment -passed, and another, still no Crosby. Had anything happened to him? -Time passed so slowly to Alec in his agony of suspense that he thought -something must have befallen his friend. He had made one step towards -the window to see what was causing the delay when he saw Martin--for -his eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness of the night--slowly -rising to the window ledge. - -For a moment not a sound was heard; then, just as Crosby was half -through the window, the woodwork, unaccustomed to the strain, cracked, -and with a loud noise a great piece of it gave way. - -Without wasting a second, Martin rushed to where Alec was standing. He -knew it was useless then to attempt any concealment, for the noise was -enough to have roused the seven sleepers. He seized Alec by the arm and -said, as he turned him towards the valley-- - -"This way. Come along. Speed is our only chance now." - -He was right, for as they stumbled blindly across the broken ground of -the garden, tripping over some obstacle at every other step, and -travelling very slowly for all their haste, they heard Starlight spring -from his hammock and strike a light. Although only just aroused from -his first deep sleep the bushranger had all his wits about him at once, -and he seemed to know instinctively what had happened. Whilst still -quite close to the window, the fugitives heard him shout out in a -clear, loud voice-- - -"Kearney, Kearney, Crosby, wake up! Look alive! The boy has gone!" - -But Starlight was a man of action; he was never one to wait for others -when he could do a thing for himself. Before Alec and Martin, with all -their eagerness, had travelled forty yards, he was leaning out of the -window holding the candle above his head. The flame never flickered in -the still and sultry air. In an instant he had seen them; either the -light had fallen on them from the window or else their white clothes -showed up against the line of dark trees beyond them. Anyway Starlight -saw them, and Alec heard him sing out-- - -"There he is--why, there are _two_!" - -Crosby also had heard it, and judging from the sound of Starlight's -voice he knew he was at the window. He turned for one second and saw -the light gleaming on the bright barrel of the pistol that Starlight -was pointing at them. He just had time to lay his powerful hands on -Alec's shoulder and swing the lad in front of him that he might cover -him with his own great body from Starlight's fire. - -Alec did not know what he meant by this, and half looked round, but -Crosby urged him on. That moment Alec heard two reports of a pistol -follow each other in instantaneous succession, and feeling his -shoulders gripped with a convulsive clutch he heard Martin say in a -broken voice-- - -"_I'm shot!_" - -He understood then what his friend had done for him; he knew that to -screen him from Starlight's fire he had interposed his own body, and to -save his life Martin had risked his own. He could not say anything of -this just then; his feeling of his friend's devotion was too deep for -words, and all his thoughts and all his energy were at once centred on -getting Martin safely away. There was no time to waste in talking, for -Alec heard answering shouts from the men in the other part of the -house, and he knew that in a moment they would be in full pursuit. All -that he said was-- - -"Can you keep up?" - -Martin just said, "I'll try," and seizing Alec's right arm, partly to -guide him and partly to support himself, he tore along again. Although -his right arm hung broken and useless by his side, and although he -could feel the hot blood pouring down his body from the wound in his -broad breast, where the bullet had struck him after passing through his -arm, he never faltered. For one brief second when he was struck the -world seemed to swim before him, but clenching his strong teeth -together he regained command of himself and resolved, with the noble -obstinacy of natures such as his, that he would hold out until he had -taken Alec to the place where the horses were, or die attempting it. - -[Illustration: "TO SCREEN HIM FROM STARLIGHT'S FIRE HE HAD INTERPOSED -HIS OWN BODY." (_p. 256._)] - -As they rushed down towards Lingan's they plainly heard the men leaving -the house and starting after them. There was some confusion at first, -which gave them a little advantage, but Starlight, who remained quite -cool at this crisis, calmly gave instructions to the men, and said that -it was towards Lingan's that Alec and Crosby were running. Directly -after this they heard two or three men start in pursuit, with the -directions to shoot the runaways if they were unable to catch them. The -rest of the gang, with Starlight at the head of them, rushed to the -little paddock to saddle their horses. - -Both Law and Crosby were barefooted, as Alec had left the house without -thinking to bring his shoes, and Martin, although he had had his in his -hand, had been unable to put them on. Both of them badly cut and -bruised their feet against the sharp stones of the valley, but neither -of them stopped, or even slackened speed, for that; indeed, in the -great dread of being caught before they could reach the horses, neither -of them so much as felt the pain. - -At last they reach the entrance to the valley, and behind them, not far -off, they hear the heavy tramping of the men. Neither of them speaks, -but Alec feels that Martin is leaning more heavily each moment on his -arm. One thing only is in their favour; their bare feet fall noiseless -on the coarse rough grass on to which they now have turned, and their -pursuers cannot tell which way they go. At this moment heavy drops of -rain begin to fall from the lowering clouds above them--great, heavy -drops of water that the heated air has warmed. Now they pass by -Lingan's. The house is dark and wrapped in sleep. A sheep-dog hears the -footsteps of the men, as they tear down the hill, and barks once. How -strange it sounds with all else so still. As they reach the little open -space of ground, on the other side of which the long low line of black -bush stretches, where Yesslett and the horses await them, they hear -behind them the laboured breathing of the men. It is evident that they -are gaining fast upon them. Crosby, growing faint from loss of blood, -goes slower every moment; he feels he cannot maintain this killing -pace. Alec hears his breath grow short. At last, when they have almost -reached the place where Yesslett stands waiting with the horses, he -says--his words are broken and his voice is faint-- - -"I can't--keep--up. Run on. He's waiting--horses--little way--straight -ahead." - -For answer Alec takes Crosby's arm that holds his own, places it round -his shoulders, and putting his strong right arm about Martin's waist, -half lifting him, he helps him forward. As he does so he feels the poor -fellow's shirt is warm and thick with blood. Close behind him now Alec -hears the men in pursuit. Kearney--he knows him by his voice--growls an -oath as he kicks his foot against a stone. Crosby hears nothing, he is -too faint. - -Now the men wander away from them, a little to one side, and -now--"Thank Heaven!--here are the horses!" - -Yesslett stands between them, holding both. He has stood so long, -gazing with aching eyes into the darkness, that when at last he -suddenly sees the two figures before him, he almost shrieks aloud. - -"Oh, Alec--" he begins. - -"_Hush_, don't speak. Keep Amber still; he must bear two of us -to-night. Now, Crosby, mount," he says, in an intense, low whisper. - -But Martin only shakes his head; he has no strength left. - -"For Heaven's sake, try!" - -No, he cannot do it. But Alec, though almost in despair, for every -second he expects to feel the hands of the bushrangers upon him, will -not give in. He pushes Crosby to the horse. "Stand still there. Whoa -there, Amber!" and placing one bare heavy foot of the fainting man in -the stirrup, he stoops, and half lifts, half pushes Martin into the -saddle. Then, springing up behind, he holds him up with one rigid -arm--he seems to have the strength of ten to-night--and grasps the -reins with the other. - -"Now, Yesslett--_quick!_" he says, and puts his horse in motion. - -As he starts a figure wildly crashes through the bushes, and, grasping -Yesslett's bridle, Kearney, in a triumphant voice, yells out-- - -"Not so fast, my master." - -That very moment Starlight, who, with the mounted men of the gang, had -followed them at a break-neck pace from the house, dashes on to the -open ground, and dimly catching sight of something moving at the edge -of the bush, draws his fatal pistol from his belt and fires. - -A blinding blaze, a crash, one wild shriek of agony, and Yesslett feels -his bridle free; for Kearney falls by the hand of his own leader. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - -A WILD NIGHT-RIDE. - - -The instant Yesslett felt that his bridle was free, he leaped upon his -horse; how he managed to scramble up he could not tell, but grasping -the pommel of his saddle, and with it a good handful of his horse's -mane, he succeeded somehow in hauling himself to his seat. Alec turned -as he heard the report of the pistol; he knew not what new misfortune -had happened to them. - -"What's that? Are you hurt, Yess?" - -"No, no, ride on!" rang out Yesslett's clear boy's voice. "They've shot -one of their own men who tried to stop me." - -And now the rain began to fall in earnest. Whilst in the bush they were -sheltered from it, though they could hear the rustling and the -pattering of it on the leaves as it fell on the dense mass of the -foliage overhead. Out in the open, when they had passed the belt of -bush, they were wet to the skin in a moment. Their shirts clung close -about their bodies, and as Alec and Martin were hatless, the rain -streamed and trickled from their hair. - -Notwithstanding his double load Amber kept up nobly, though Alec well -knew that their present pace could not be maintained, but as long as he -could hold out Alec did not mean to give in. Trusting entirely to his -horse, for the darkness was profound in the depth of the bush, Alec -tore madly along the rough and treacherous path. Wet leaves and twigs -lashed his face as he passed, and once Amber stumbled and almost fell -over a smooth bare root that lay exposed across the track. But fortune -was kind, and no accident befell them. Yesslett followed close behind -him, riding as recklessly as he. - -At first it was as much as Alec could do to keep Martin in the saddle, -for the half-swooning fellow swayed and lurched terribly from side to -side. Once he lost consciousness entirely, and his heavy head fell back -upon Alec's shoulder, and his body became inert and helpless. But the -pouring rain which beat upon his upturned face when next they crossed a -stretch of open ground seemed to revive him, for with a mighty effort -he pulled himself together and sat up. - -They had lost all trace of path by this time, having left the better -marked bush track behind them, and neither Alec nor Yesslett had any -idea which direction to take; but here Crosby came to their assistance, -for dark though it was, he was able to recognise some landmarks, and -could guide them aright. They were now close to the Dixieville road, he -said, and they struck it shortly afterwards some good distance below -Badger's Creek, and to the westward of it. - -"Here, collar the reins," Alec had said, as soon as he found that -Martin had recovered a little, and knew where they were. "I can't see -where we are going, and my left arm is quite stiff, and as I don't mean -to loose my hold of you, old fellow, my right arm is employed. I wish I -could ease you, for you must be suffering agonies with that broken arm -of yours." - -"I can bear it," said Crosby, in a low voice. - -"Shall we go slower now that we have distanced them?" said Alec. "Amber -is about knocked up, and no wonder, poor old chap, with two great men -on his back." - -"Distanced them! What do you mean?" said Yesslett, who was now riding -alongside of Alec. "Listen! Can't you hear the galloping of their -horses? They are not a hundred yards behind!" - -"I hear them if you can't," said Martin, faintly. "This horse of yours -cannot carry two of us, and still keep up his speed. Let me slip off, -you could outstrip them then. They'd pass me by without seeing me. It -doesn't matter if they don't, for I'm nearly done for." - -Alec did not waste breath in contradicting him; he only turned his head -sideways to Yesslett, clasping Crosby's body even tighter than before. - -"Yes, I hear them now. I thought we had left them far behind. Give me -back the reins, I can manage. Our work is not all done yet. Yesslett, -it again depends on you. We will dash on ahead a little way, and then -I'll turn Amber off the road. You tear on at full gallop towards -Bateman; let them hear you, they may not notice that one of us has -dropped behind. Which horse is it you have?" - -"Herring." - -"He'll carry you well enough. Take it out of him. They dare not follow -you into Bateman. Now then for a dash." - -Amber answered to Alec's voice and heel, for the horse had as brave a -spirit as his master, and, although labouring terribly, managed a very -quick burst of a hundred yards or so. Saying to his cousin, "Now -Yesslett, keep on; ride like mad; don't spare the horse," Alec then -suddenly wheeled to one side, and quietly pulled up some little way -from the road. He could hear Yesslett tearing along, and a moment -after, like the gust of a storm, three or four horses dashed madly -past. - -In a few minutes afterwards, thundering and splashing along the muddy -road, Yesslett reached Badger's Creek. He recognised it as the place -where he had turned off the road to ride to Norton's Gap that -afternoon. Plunging along, at times fetlock deep in mud, he was passing -Badger's Creek at racing speed, when a body of horsemen, coming in the -opposite direction, managed to catch his foaming horse and pulled him -up short. Yesslett, of course, could recognise no one of them, but he -hoped they might be honest men, and hardly giving himself time to take -breath, he began-- - -"I don't know who you are, but will you help me? My name is Yesslett -Dudley; my cousin, Alec Law, and a wounded man are just behind, and -Starlight and his men are after us. Here they come, here they come!" -said the boy, mad with excitement. - -"A' richt, Yasslutt. Ye're amang frens." - -As Macleod spoke--for it was he, with a little band of police and -friends which he had collected in Bateman for the purpose of seizing -Starlight and his gang at Norton's Gap--the four bushrangers came -rushing to their doom. As they dashed up quite close to where he and -his friends were standing, Yesslett heard Starlight say to the men, for -he had to raise his voice to make himself heard above the noise of the -horses-- - -"Where on earth have those plucky young beggars got to? I can't hear -them. If they escape us I shall think my luck has gone at last." - -As he spoke, the leader of the capturing party--Collman, the chief -store-keeper of Bateman--sprang out from the side of the road, and -snatched at his bridle, saying-- - -"Your luck _has_ gone at last. We've got you this time, Starlight." - -But the bushranger was too quick for him. He instantly saw the trap he -had tumbled into, and pulling his mare up suddenly and lifting her head -round by sheer strength he put her straight at the fence which divided -the road from the edge of the precipitous side of the creek. As the -beautiful grey rose to the leap, Starlight shouted out, with a laugh-- - -"No, not you; you haven't got me yet!" - -They could hear him crashing down the steep, rocky side of the ravine, -brushwood and dead scrub cracking before him, and loosened stones -leaping down, and then, at last, a great sudden splash as the horse and -rider plunged into the swollen stream of the flooded creek. No one -dared risk his neck by following; indeed, it would have been useless to -seek him that night, it was so dark. - -When a search was made the following morning no trace of Starlight or -his horse could be found, though the party sought him far down the -creek. Thus, as mysteriously as he had lived--for no one knew who he -really was or whence he came--Starlight vanished from the country side -which he had infested and plundered for so long with impunity. As his -body was not found they could not even tell whether he was really dead -or whether he had added another to his long list of daring escapes. He -disappeared without a sign, leaving no one to mourn him but Mrs. -Lingan--for Big Eliza's heart was womanly and tender if her exterior -was masculine and hard--and she, poor soul, could only weep for him in -secret, She never learned his intended treachery towards herself. - -The three other men, who had not been quick enough, or who had not had -the courage to follow Starlight's bold example, were quickly captured -by Macleod and the party with him. Although they fought like demons, -they were soon overpowered, and with their hands secured behind their -backs they were ignominiously led into Bateman, a couple of hours -afterwards, in the charge of the valiant Collman. These three were -Wetch, Middance, and a German named Schnadd. They were sent down by the -police to Bowen, where they were tried, some weeks after, and hanged -for murders they had committed in the spring of that year. Thus -Starlight's gang was broken up, the only two members of it remaining, -Foster and one other man, decamping before the raid was made next day -upon Norton's Gap. - -When the three bushrangers had been secured and sent off in safe -custody to Bateman, Yesslett at once led Macleod, and the one or two -men of the band that remained, to the place where Alec and Crosby had -turned off from the road, but though they spent some little time -looking for them they were unable to find them. - -"Don't fash yoursel' aboot it, Yasslutt," said Macleod. "Alec knows -verra weel whaur he is, an' he's joost gan hame ower Taunton's auld -roon. If we ride back shairply we wull be theer befure him." - -It had happened just as Macleod had suspected; not knowing of the -relief party that was coming to their rescue, and believing that -Yesslett would ride into Bateman without stopping, Alec had determined -to turn away from the road, so that crossing Taunton's and getting on -to their own run he could reach home quicker than by following the -road. He had become terribly anxious about Crosby, for when he next -spoke to him, after the bushrangers had dashed past, he gained no -reply. The man had fainted from loss of blood. Amber, full of spirit -though he was, could no longer go at more than a foot pace; the last -wild burst, with his double burden on his back, had quite exhausted -him; thus Alec was compelled to slowness when more than ever he wished -for speed. He still managed to keep Martin from falling from the horse, -but the strain upon him was growing very severe, for the inert body of -the man swayed with every movement of the horse, and he had by sheer -strength to sustain his whole weight. Crosby's broken arm hung limp and -useless by his side, and his heavy head fell back on Alec's shoulder. - -In his impatience it seemed to him that they did not more than creep; -how slowly the night rolled past; it must surely soon be day. He felt -that Martin's body began to grow cold in his arms, his wet clothes -clinging about him, and chilling him to stone. He feared that he might -slip from insensibility to death before the help, that was now so near -at hand, could be reached. The horror of those long hours, in the -silence and the darkness, with the dead or dying man, he knew not -which, lying inertly in his stiffening arms, he never forgot. - -The rain had ceased, and above the dark outline of the distant hills -the late rising moon rode slowly through the sky. Dimly, through the -widening rifts between the clouds, she shone upon them, tinging the -drifting vaporous edges with a dull ochreous yellow. By her pale light -Alec saw that Martin's wound still bled. This gave him some faint hope, -for he saw that life was not extinct. Pulling up a handful of his -blood-stained shirt, and crumpling it into a ball, Alec placed it over -the wound and firmly pressed it there to stop the bleeding. He was very -tender with him, and he almost felt, despite his anxiety to get his -friend safely home, that there was something akin to happiness in thus -being the one to minister, however roughly, to his wants; and to feel -that he alone, with his right arm, upheld him on the horse, added a -sort of suppressed exultation to his love for the man who had -sacrificed so much to his friendship for him. - -As the night cleared, familiar sounds awoke in the bush, the edge of -which he was skirting; the very voices of the night birds seemed to -give him welcome home to Wandaroo. At last he reached the fence of the -great home paddock, and managed with his one arm to move the top rail -of the slip panels. He passed through, Amber neatly stepping the bottom -rail. How near he felt to home at last. The very fragrance of the -moistened earth seemed different from any other in his loving nostrils. -At length the last hill was climbed, and the house, with many windows -ablaze with lights, was in full view. - -With a wildly beating heart, Alec crossed the yard and reached the -door. He could not get off his horse without some help, so sitting -where he was he called to those within. The door was flung open, a -blaze of light poured out and fell upon the foam-flecked, sweating -horse, the blood-stained, hatless, and white-faced rider, and the -apparently lifeless burden that he held in his arms. Half terrified, -the woman who appeared drew back, and Margaret, beautiful, calm -Margaret, took her place. - -"_Alec!_ Is it you? Thank God!" - -For a moment Alec tried to speak; but in vain. The words would not -come. Margaret saw his trouble, and guessed its object. - -"All goes well," she said. - -Others then came rushing out from the house and took Alec's burden from -him, and helped him from the horse, but it was Margaret who first -caught Martin in her brave strong arms; it was Margaret who helped to -carry him into the house; and when she stooped over the bed on which -they laid him to see if still he breathed, it was Margaret who, with -her warm red lips, kissed life back again to the cold pale ones of her -lover. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -IS IT TOO LATE? - - -It was the morning of the second day after Alec's return to Wandaroo -with his senseless burden in his arms. The sun was stealing into the -room through the half drawn curtains of the open windows, the scent of -the garden flowers was in the morning air, and from his cage in the -verandah a bird was pouring out its heart in song. Breakfast was over -two hours ago, and Mrs. Beffling was already coming to inquire "whether -the poorly gentlemen were ready for a little lunch." The room was full -of pleasant sounds of life and happy talking, for now that Alec, his -brown face ruddy with the glow of the sun, came in through the window, -all the family was assembled. - -Geordie had been allowed to leave his room that morning; he was pale -and a little less noisy than was his wont, but, excepting a slight -tendency to stagger when he walked, he was otherwise much his old self. -He only wanted what Mrs. Beffling called "cockering up a bit," to be as -strong and hearty as ever. Yesslett was by his side, proud to be -employed by such a hero of romance as Geordie was. He himself was very -modest of his own share in the late adventures, though when his aunt -had kissed him and thanked him for the service he had rendered them all -by helping Alec to escape, he certainly felt a glow of pride and -happiness in his heart. He and Macleod had reached home, on the night -of the escape from Norton's Gap, only half an hour or so before Alec -arrived. - -And who is that with one of Alec's coats slung loosely over his -bandaged arm? He is standing by the window talking earnestly with -Margaret, who, with parted, half smiling lips and downcast eyes, plays -with a fragile pink rose from the garden as she listens to his low -words. Martin looks pale, and, although standing squarely on his feet, -he leans against the window as though he still felt weak. He had lost -enough blood, the doctor said, to kill an ordinary man and had been -ordered to lie in bed, for some days at least, but Martin was too happy -to waste his time a-bed. He thought he had recognised in his sweet -nurse's face that which he longed to see there, and had, weak though he -was in body, that morning put to the test the question he had not dared -to ask when strong and well in his uncle's house, some months before, -in Brisbane. He had no ring or gage of love to give when they plighted -troth in the garden, but he had pulled a rosebud from the creeping bush -that grew against the house and gave it to Margaret. - -"It is like the flower of love," he said, "that is daring now to -blossom in my heart." - -As Alec came in through the open window, and looked from one to the -other of them, Margaret slowly blushed from throat to forehead, but -raised her honest eyes to his and looked him frankly in the face. She -was ashamed of nothing, but was proud of the great gift she gave and -took. Crosby laid his hand affectionately on Alec's shoulder, and -looked as though he were about to speak, but Alec, who, from what -Martin had told him before, knew something of all this, said-- - -"I understand. Margaret, I am very glad. Shall I tell mother?" - -She shook her head. - -"No, it will come best from myself. I will tell her at once." - -"Margaret," said Mrs. Law at this moment from the other side of the -room, "here's Beffling been asking Mr. Crosby three times what he would -like for his lunch." - -"There's some o' my beef-tea, sir, reel kind, which I can hot it in a -minnut. With a strip or two of toast it do relish of a mornin'. I'm -sure, sir, if I may mek so bold as t' say, you wants a little something -to bring back the colour to your cheeks. Or a chop now, done rare, but -brown o' the outside," said the buxom old creature, holding up one fat -finger to emphasise her description and smiling a seductive smile. - -"Thank you, Mrs. Beffling, I should like them both, I'm sure," said -Crosby, stepping forward with a beaming face from the window, "but I -feel as though I had everything I want on earth, and therefore am not -hungry." - -"Lucky bargee," said Yesslett to Geordie, who answered with an impudent -grin, for he had begun to suspect what turn things were taking. - -"Which both it _shall_ be," said Mrs. Beffling, accepting the first -part of Martin's sentence, but utterly ignoring the latter half of it. -"Also the hegg beat up in milk for you, Mr. George; yes, you must, the -doctor says so, and I shall send it in whether you drinks it or no, and -every _drop_ is expected to be took." Quite breathless after this, but -smiling on the invalids as though they conferred a personal favour on -her by being ill, the kind-hearted old soul retreated to her fortress, -where she instantly set about preparing these few trifles for the -interesting convalescents. - -To see her beaming face when she brought in a tray was better than any -doctor's stuff; and often and often have patients taken her nourishing -things when they loathed the very idea of food, sooner than disappoint -her or wound her feelings by refusing them. - -"Yess," whispered Geordie, "you'll have to help me out with my jorum; I -haven't got over my breakfast yet." - -"All right," said Yesslett, in the most obliging manner. He ought to -have ridden over to the South Creek Station that morning, but he had -struck, and nothing would induce him to go before to-morrow he said, -for he had not heard any of the boys' adventures yet, as Geordie had -not been allowed to talk much till that morning, and Alec had spent -nearly all yesterday either in Geordie's or Martin's room. Now, at -last, he had both of them, and Crosby as well, to question and to -listen to, "and that's what I mean to do," he said. - -He did not do it then, however, for almost directly after Mrs. Beffling -had left the room the door was flung wide open and Macleod appeared, in -what, for him, was a white heat of indignation and anger, for the -sincere, cold-blooded, but affectionate old Scotsman rarely expressed -any emotion whatever. - -"Did ony mon iver heer tell o' sich doen's? Ah've joost ridden uver -fra' Bateman, an' theer ah've seen, 'deed leddies it's true, that foul, -whamsie scrappit, Crosbie o' Brisbane. He's got a bit of a lawyer chap -wi' him, as a whitnuss, I suppoose, as all his doen's are legal -accordin' to law. He says he's coomin' to Wandaroo to put a mon in -legal possession o' the roon; and that unless we can produce £4,887 -18s. 7d.," here the precise Macleod looked at a strip of paper, torn -from the edge of some journal, on which he had written the amount, -"this verra dae we all must pack; for this is the last o' the daes o' -grace agreed to i' the deed, and time is oop at twalve the dae. He says -he'll be heer at haif-past eleven to gie us time to make payment in -coin o' the realm or gould as agreed upon. He lached as he said it, the -black souled scoondrel, an' I rhode back streicht awa'. It's aboon -eleeven noo. What mun we do?" - -Mrs. Law shook her head. She could do nothing. Although all her fears -were now being brought to pass she could not feel wholly unhappy or -wholly crushed; she had dreaded a greater loss, and now that her sons -were both restored to her, after so nearly losing both, she could not -help feeling that everything else was small compared with that great -mercy. - -"I suppose we must go," she said. "The blow is harder coming from one -we trusted as a friend." - -Geordie sprang up as Macleod finished speaking. His pale face was -brilliant with excitement. Alec had told him that as yet he had said -nothing of the gold, and that he meant to wait till George was strong -enough to go with him to rescue it from its hiding-place. His voice was -vibrating with triumph and delight as he said-- - -"Go, mother? Not we, indeed! What must you do, Macleod? Why, start off -with Alec and see what he thinks about matters. Alec, you know. Take -two or three men, and just look sharp about it. I wish I were strong -enough to go. I believe I am; I feel quite right." - -But he found his strength was not equal to his courage when he came to -try. - -"Yesslett, you go with Alec. It is more exciting than anything Crosby -or I can tell you. And now I am not going to say another word about it -till Alec comes back." - -He was quite resolute, and notwithstanding the entreaties of Mrs. Law -and Margaret and Martin he would not give them any further clue to his -meaning. - -Alec darted from the room, followed by Macleod and Yesslett, and a -moment afterwards they saw them from the verandah, riding towards "the -Dip" in the paddock, accompanied by Willetts and Howard from the Yarrun -Station, who happened to be ready mounted in the yard. - -Rather more than half an hour after Alec's departure to "the Dip" there -was a great commotion amongst the dogs about the yard; they ran barking -to the other side of the house, as they never did but when strangers -rode up to the station. A moment or so afterwards Mrs. Beffling came -in, all floury as to her arms, and said that two gentlemen, "leastways, -ma'am, they wears coats and cloth trousers," had ridden up to the -house, and that they wished to see Mrs. Law. - -"Yes, I expected them. Show them in here, Beffling," said Mrs. Law, -quite calmly. - -Geordie was surprised to see how quietly his mother awaited her -unwelcome guests. He was alone in the room with Mrs. Law, as Crosby and -Margaret had gone into the garden just before. - -It rather astonished George to find that Mr. Crosby, when he came in -the next moment, was not a cruel, miserly-looking man, for he had -depicted him in his imagination as a little, thin, and eager-faced man, -with hungry eyes and bird-like claws. Old Crosby was small, to be sure, -and had thin, tightly pursed-up lips, but the general expression of his -face was kindly, almost benign. His voice, when he spoke, matched it, -for it was smooth, insinuating, and false in every tone of it. He came -in smiling and settling his yellow, unwholesome-looking neck in his -limp shirt collar. His friend followed close behind him. - -"Very sorry to have to come on unpleasant business, ma'am. Perhaps you -expected us? It gives me great pain to have to resort to extreme -measures, great pain, I assure you. I hope you have the money ready," -said Crosby, hypocritically. - -Here he tried to smile, and wiped his flushed and swollen looking face, -for he lied, and he knew that he did it clumsily, and he felt the -contemptuous eyes of Mrs. Law and Geordie upon him. It was the one wish -of his heart to get Wandaroo into his greedy clutches, and he felt that -it was his already. Still Mrs. Law did not speak, and, feeling the -silence very confusing, old Crosby continued-- - -"You see I'm in sad want of money, sad want, or I should never dream of -foreclosing. No one but a friend would have lent you so much on the -place." -_friend_ -"No one but a _friend_, like you, would have extorted 15 per cent. upon -the sum that was lent us," said Mrs. Law, quietly. - -"Oh, it's a sad business, a sad business. Women never understand these -things. Women ought never to meddle in business." - -"Men ought never to take advantage of them if they do," said Geordie, -hotly. - -"Who's that?" said the old man sharply. "Oh I see; very like his -father, very. Just what he would have said. What do you make the time, -Mr. Tuckle?" said Crosby, nervously fingering his watch, which he had -pulled from his pocket with a shaky hand. - -"Twenty minutes to twelve, sir." - -"Then you still have twenty minutes to pay me in," said Crosby, with an -oily cackle of laughter. "I'm sorry to have to insist upon strict -punctuality, but I must. Times are so hard, and I've had such a capital -offer made me for Wandaroo by a rich Englishman, just out--Harrison -Tait. Mr. Harrison Tait, that's his name. Up till twelve Wandaroo is -yours, ma'am, and then--unless, of course, you pay--it's mine. I think -I'm right, Mr. Tuckle?" - -"Yes, to-day is the last day of grace, and it ends at twelve," said the -lawyer, who did not seem to greatly like the part he had to play in -this painful scene. He had been sent up by Mr. Tait to report to him -upon the estate, the title-deeds of which old Crosby had agreed to hand -over to him at once. - -"Won't you gentlemen take seats?" said Mrs. Law, in her most dignified -way; and then, to keep up the reputation for hospitality which Wandaroo -had always possessed, she added, "And may I offer you any refreshment? -I suppose I can do so for, at least, the next twenty minutes." - -As Mrs. Law was speaking Martin and Margaret stepped into the room. Mr. -Crosby grew even more flushed and purple than before when he saw his -nephew. - -"Hey, you fellow! Confound you, what are _you_ doing here?" he said, in -the most insulting manner. - -"You will kindly remember, sir," said Mrs. Law, waxing indignant, "that -this is not your house as yet, and that this gentleman is my guest." - -"Gentleman, indeed! He is my nephew." - -"The two things certainly are not very compatible," said Mrs. Law, -quietly. - -"What am I doing here?" said Martin, with an amused look on his face. -"Why, I am wooing my wife. This lady, notwithstanding the fact that she -will thereby become your niece, which _is_ a drawback, has consented to -marry me." - -"Marry her!" almost shrieked the elder Crosby. "Why, she is a beggar." - -"And so am I, and a very lucky beggar, too. Now, don't put yourself -about, or you'll have an apoplectic fit as sure as fate. You know what -the doctor said. You do look as though you were going to have one this -morning." - -"Martin!" roared the passionate old man, "if you marry--" - -"Don't go on. I know exactly what you are going to say. You will -disinherit me. Eh? For goodness sake do it, and have done with it at -once. That threat is quite worn out. Don't foam at the mouth, it's -unseemly." - -"Hush," said Margaret, laying her hand on Martin's arm. "Remember he is -your uncle after all." - -As the minutes sped by and no Alec appeared, Geordie began to grow -terribly anxious lest, after all, Alec could not get at the gold in -time, and that Wandaroo would, as it were, slip through their very -fingers for the want of a single hour's work. He could not sit still, -but fidgetted about the room in a state of sickening suspense. Every -half minute he went out on to the verandah to see if the party were yet -returning, and, as the minutes passed, and no Alec came, an awful -feeling of despair began to creep over him. It was too cruel to be -borne, that after all their labour, all their dangers, and all their -sufferings, the gold they had won should yet be too late for its -purpose. Margaret and Mrs. Law, having given up all hopes, and not -understanding Geordie's excitement or Alec's sudden departure, were -quite calm now that the hour had come. - -Ten minutes to twelve; nine minutes to; eight minutes to; still no sign -of Alec. Geordie was on the verandah, gazing eagerly across the -paddock. Not the sound of a hoof could he hear. He could have yelled -from the intensity of his distress and mortification; as it was he only -thrust his hands deep into his trousers pockets, and grimly clutched -their contents. - -Seven minutes to twelve! - -"We may as well go," said old Crosby, mopping his perspiring face. "It -is no use our waiting." - -"It isn't twelve yet," cried George, rushing into the room. - -"Well, six minutes won't do much for you, I expect," said Tuckle. - -George hurried back to the verandah. Was that the sound of horses madly -galloping up the hill? Yes, _yes_, it was! Hurrah! He could see them -now rising over the ridge and entering the yard. He rushed along the -verandah, weak though he was, and shrieked-- - -"Make haste. Bring it in, bring it in. You'll be in time yet." - -For he saw that the riders held the muddy, black and streaming bags of -gold. - -[Illustration: "'YOUR PRICE IS THERE!'" (_p. 279._)] - -Inside the room Mr. Crosby had just risen from his chair; there was an -evil look of triumph on his shiny, crimson face. He slipped his watch -back into his pocket as he rose. - -"Two minutes to twelve; nothing _can_ help it now. _Wandaroo is mine!_" - -As he spoke, whilst the very words were on his lips, the door burst -open, and panting, breathless, sweating with the heat and labour, Alec -and the other men dashed headlong into the room. His hat was off, his -curly hair was tumbled, his eyes gleamed with happiness and intolerable -excitement, and his voice rang high with a mad triumph. - -"Hold hard! _'tis not_, for your price is there!" As he spoke he and -the other men threw down their burdens--the room shook with the -ponderous weight--and many of the bags bursting open with the fall -poured their treasure of gold in a stream at Crosby's feet. - -For a moment there was a thrilling silence in the room. The feelings of -all were too high-strung for words. The first to break it was Mr. -Crosby; his face was grey and ghastly, his whole figure had become -altered and stricken in that one minute. In a dry, shrill voice, he -whined to Tuckle-- - -"I won't have it; I refuse it. Must I take it?" - -"I fear you must. English coin is so scarce in the Colony that the -Government at Brisbane has decided that, for a time, gold, such as -this, is legal tender at £4 the ounce." - -Macleod laughed. "Wull ye tak' the whole amoont wi' ye noo?" - -"Send it after us to Bateman," said Tuckle, speaking for Crosby, as he -went out to get their horses. - -Martin saw that his uncle had received a cruel blow, and that he looked -ill and very aged, and, feeling pity for him, he offered him the -support of his arm, but the old man flung it aside and tottered from -the room alone. - -The action was typical of his life. He had always spurned that which -should have been his greatest happiness. He never saw his nephew again, -for after reaching Bateman that day, overwhelmed with chagrin and -futile passion, he was struck down with the fit the doctors had -foretold. He died before Martin could reach him, and before he could -alter, had he wished to do so, the will which made his nephew his sole -heir. So that after all the gold for which the boys had been in quest -did not go out of the family, for the morning that Martin and -Margaret--sound friends and true lovers--became one, "till death does -them part," Alec and Geordie received back from their new brother the -title-deeds of Wandaroo, which he had found amongst his uncle's papers, -and for which he steadily refused to take an ounce of the--to -him--unnecessary gold. - - -THE END. - - -PRINTED BY CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, LA BELLE SAUVAGE, LONDON, E.C. - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of In Quest of Gold, by Alfred St. Johnston - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN QUEST OF GOLD *** - -***** This file should be named 42829-8.txt or 42829-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/8/2/42829/ - -Produced by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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