Part 10 (1/2)

”Very likely An invalid--is he not? Soine, now that you mention it He ay on an excursion to the mountains when his father spoke of him to me”

”Git to sleep, chaps, for Gossake,” murmured Cooper ”Guarantee there'll be none o' this liveliness in the ot to turn out”

Thus sensibly admonished, we committed ourselves to what Macbeth calls 'sore labour's bath'--the only kind of bath ere likely to have for so the thousand natural ills, there are two to which I never have been, and probably never shall be, subject--naht be difficult to account for, but my exemption from the latter may, I think, be attributed to the operation of a mind at peace with all below Nevertheless, it used to be my habit to wake punctually at 2 a whether I had to listen for bells or not, and deter I could afford to sleep So, at that exact hour, I opened my eyes to see the calm, splendid stars above, whilst merciful darkness half-veiled the sordid accessories of daily life below Yet I noticed that the haon was e, except buether The tere probably up to soain

I had set ht Just as I woke, I heard the distant patter of a galloping horse Such a sound at such a ti to my feet, youthe track, ahorseh, we heard the sound of an axe in the selection

”Holy glory! there's somebody livin' in the hut, after all!” ejaculated Mosey

The house stood on a very slight rise, where the clump of swah, we could see, through a gap in the undergrowth of old-e of the clump But he seemed quite unconscious of the multitude of bullocks that, scattered all over the paddock, were laying in a fresh supply of grass

”It's Moriarty,” sighed Tho at the horseman

”He's been sent to catch us It's all up”

Then, like the sound of led sentied on his boots with a celerity beyond description

”You keep hi, Collins, while we coller as many of the carrion as we”----

”What use? It's a su match already Look at the fence!

And Martin lives in the hut after all He's between us and the bullocks now-- laughing at us What business had we to travel on”----

”Deency, I beg of you Shall I”----

”Port Phillip, all over Jist let me deliver this (adj) load

That's all I”----

”Co pups knowin' heverythink I kep' misobin'

all the (adj) ti storekeeper, as he dashed past the group, and pulled his blown horse round in a circle

”Out with those bullocks as quick as the devil'll let you!

Martin's on top of you! I've just given him the slip! We were sent from the station expressly to nip you Fly round! blast you, fly round!”

At the word, Cooper and Thompson snatched up their bridles and darted off, followed by Price and Willoughby Dixon and bum were not in the crowd, but no one had leisure just then to notice their absence

”Len's yer horse, like a good feller,” said Mosey hastily

”To (sheol) with your cheek!” snapped Moriarty ”What next I wonder?”

Mosey snatched up his bridle, and went off at a run ”hello, Collins!

I didn't notice you in the hurry Bright cards, ain't they? Nothing short of seven years'll satisfy theht?”

”No; I caht when I saw the saddled horse, that you had just turned hiet a bite”

”He's not saddled There's ht that was your horse--that black one with the new saddle on”

(I should explain that Moriarty, being mounted, could see across the old-man salt-bush, which I could not) ”But I say,” he continued; ”what do youfor the station?