Part 19 (2/2)

Mr Orban was as puzzled as every one else when he saw the horse

He examined it carefully

”Well, so far as I can see, Bolter has not been running away,” he said thoughtfully ”He has not been overheated, and he is as fresh as paint I should say he has had so But where Bob is rehlands at once and find out if he is there”

”O father, can I coerly ”I could ride Bolter, and I shall never be happy till I know Bob is all right”

Mr Orban eyed the boy kindly

”Yes, you can come,” he said ”It will scare Mrs Cochrane less perhaps, and look more casual if I have you with h road leading to the wood known as Palenerally loved to get into the cool and shade under the feathery pal for he knew not ith sickening anxiety

The road, nothing but a cart-track, skirted a ot in there,” said Eustace, with a nod towards the thickly growing sterass

There was a mysterious darkness in the depths of the woods that soet into a rank place like that for?” said Mr

Orban bracingly

At the same tiretting having brought Eustace A rove swamp is an unhealthy spot at the best of tireat deal of htfall, he reflected, before they got back, and the

Away and away out into the open the pair galloped, and cah which the horses had to wade The water was low just now There were times when such floods roared over this spot that thethe mails had been known to be swept away, horse and all, and was never heard of again

At the other side the horses plunged into grass as high as their flanks--a flat, uninteresting tract of land, bare of trees except where here and there a single palround rose suddenly froh bank, luxuriantly surrounded by tropical foliage of all sorts, was Bob Cochrane's home

It was a relief to Mr Orban to find only Mr Cochrane on the lower veranda He was a short, broad, sandy-haired h appearance, and as kind a heart as could be found in the colony, which is saying a great deal

”Good-evening, Cochrane,” said Mr Orban casually, as he reined in his horse ”Is Bob at ho heart, and he saw a slight look of surprise flit across Mr Cochrane's face as he replied slowly,--

”Bob? No I thought he was over at your place He hasn't turned up here to-day”

”Well, he ith us,” Mr Orban said, trying hard to keep up the careless tone, ”but he started off this ht for home”

”Not he,” said Mr Cochrane; ”at least he hasn't arrived Perhaps he had to come round by somewhere else--Gairloch or one of those places Come in, won't you, and wait for him, if you want to see hi low so that only Mr Cochrane, now by his horse's head, should hear ”Fact is, I'm rather worried Bob's horse went lame, and he borrowed one of mine

He should have been here at about nine, but the horse--this one Eustace is on--appeared back at o”

Mr Cochrane stared blankly

”Without Bob?” he questioned in a dazed way

”Yes Don't say anything about it to your wife--it hten her unnecessarily,” Mr Orban said ”He one round by Gairloch, and the beast ran away from there We can just say I caht off with ht”