Part 7 (1/2)

Although the two bushrangers had escaped, we had succeeded in breaking up the gang, and without guns and a themselves; while the te had ive such inforht assist in the capture of others

Leading on our prisoners,set out to return to where we had left the dominie

We had, I should have said, hurriedly eaten some of the provisions Guy and Hector had cooked, and we took the re to Bracewell's

On reaching the spot, as our dismay to see neither the dominie nor the horses We shouted to him, but no reply came

”What can have become of him?” exclaimed Guy ”Those fellows must have fallen in with him, and compelled him to accompany them”

”I do not think that is possible,” I remarked, ”for they went off in a different direction Still his disappearance is very mysterious We must try to learn what the black thinks about the ns and such words as he understood

He exaround on every side and then started off at a run in a southerly direction, and on closer examination we discovered traces of the horses

After waiting some time, as the black did not return, Guy proposed that Hector should stay by the prisoners and the two animals we had recovered, while he and I went in search of ourfriend

Hector undertook to do as proposed

”I'll hobble all four of the away”

Not wishi+ng to lose ot separated, and I found to ully, with steep cliff-like banks, mostly covered with trees of a character which showed that there was generally an abundance of water; indeed, I observed several s rivulet three or four feet only in width

As I went along, I shouted out our friend's na about, I caught sight through the trees of our two ani, driving them before him

I was thankful to find that they had been recovered, though rieved not to see the dominie, for I naturally feared that some serious accident had happened to hi to rejoin Hector, when I heard a faint shout It caully My hopes revived of finding the doain heard the shout followed by a cooey which I was sure, however, was not uttered by him It was the voice either of Guy or Hector

I cooeyed in return Soon afterwards another reached ained the su over the prostrate form of a man

I soon joined my brother, and found that the fallen person was the do to restore him to consciousness

”Can he have been attacked by bushrangers, and thrown here?” I asked

”I don't think that,” answered Guy, pointing up to the cliff ”See, he round, have becoet some water from yonder pool in your hat, and I think that if we bathe his head, he will come to”

I did as Guy desiredour coot the horses?” were the first words he spoke

”All right!” I answered, ”and we have captured two bushrangers into the bargain”

The news seeood effect, and now that he had come to hiet up the cliff, e helped hiht the horses driven up to him by the black