Part 3 (2/2)
Riding on, we caught sight of a black figure with his back towards us, seated before a s so His attention absorbed in his occupation, he did not observe us The delicatefor his e snake When his ear at length caught the sound of horses' feet, he started up, and seizing the half-roasted snake, scans to him that ished to be friends, he would soon have been out of sight Seeing, however, that we did not unsling our rifles, he gained courage and returned to the fire
We beckoned to hi his snake, and then endeavoured to uide to conduct us to the station He seemed determined not to understand our wishes However, aited patiently, hoping that when he had eaten his snake hethat we had no intention ofroasted, he began to stow it away
”I wonder he doesn't offer us soh I'm not inclined to eat it,”
I observed
”He is a perfect savage, and has no wish to part with his dainty fare,”
replied Guy
We thought that the felloould soon come to an end of the meal, and that then he would pack up the rest of the snake and carry it with him
To our surprise he did not stop until he had sed the whole of it, and e again uide us, he stroked his sto by the side of his fire
Guy at length, losing patience, gave a flourish with his stock whip, when an idea seens to us to follow him We naturally supposed that he intended to lead us to the station, and rode after hione far, however, when a cooee reached our ears We replied, and presently, looking round in the direction fro towards us, followed by Toby
”I am thankful that I found you sooner than I expected,” he said
”Where do you think you were going?”
”To the station,” answered Guy
”You were riding, however, in an opposite direction,” said our friend
”The black we fell in with, undertook to guide us,” I re you to my station He would probably have led you into theof his own people who, I have had notice, are encahbourhood, and had they found you unprepared they ht have speared you for the sake of your horses and clothes The fellow you fell in as probably one of their scouts who had been sent forward to ascertain ere about
Should they have found us off our guard, they ht have robbed the huts and carried off some of our cattle and sheep”
While Braceas speaking, I looked round and found that the black fellow had disappeared This strongly corroborated the account our friend had given us
As ere suffering greatly froet back as soon as possible We had, we found, gone at least ten miles out of our way Bracewell had, however, with the aid of Toby, traced us Though our horses were tired, their eagerness to obtain waterto cover the ground Most thankful hen we reached the streaood draught of the refreshi+ng fluid
We then, by our friend's advice--while old Bob was preparing dinner-- turned into our bunks andwe had coh, andfelt that we ought to continue our journey to Mr Strong's
”But I don't like you two felloith only Toby, to travel through the bush, with a chance of falling in with hostile blacks or those rascally bushrangers, ould only be too glad to stick you up and revenge theiven notice to the police that the latter gentle, clever as they may think themselves, they will be run to earth; but the blacks are far more difficult customers to deal with--they are here, there, and everywhere One only knohere they have been when the cattle are found speared, or the hut-keeper murdered, or the sheep driven off I should like to accompany you myself, but I cannot at present leave my station However, if you ait for a couple of days longer I will ride part of the ith you, and in the meantime ill try to ascertain the whereabouts of the e whether the road will be safe for you to travel”
The two days passed by pleasantly enough, during which we rode round the station with Bracewell, to assist hi his sheep and to help in the various duties of a squatter's life
Meantime, Toby and another native were sent out to ascertain what had becohbourhood They cah they had come upon their tracks, the natives had moved aard, and that ere not likely to fall in with theo