Part 13 (1/2)
”Perhaps you didn't rowled ”If so, all is well, but you had best be careful”
”Follow me, men,” said the leader He turned his horse's head and rode into the wood
The eucalyptus trees are very tall, soin to branch high up, and there being little if any underbrush in the neighborhood, there was nothing to prevent the passage of round was dry also, and the absence of bogs and reat relief
The boys were on foot, and so were two or three of the bushrangers'
party As already intimated, they were of inferior rank and eeneral the party was silent, but the boys overheard a little conversation between the captain and dick Fletcher, who rode beside hiuished yourself this time, Fletcher,” said the chief in a dissatisfied tone ”You led h to repay us for our trouble”
”It isn't etic tone ”The Yankee co of his money”
”He doesn't seehtfully ”What could have been his object?”
”He must have meant to fool me I am ashamed to say he did”
”Couldn't you have found out whether his boasts were correct?”
”That is just what I tried to do,” answered Fletcher ”I crept to his side early one an to explore his pockets, but he woke up in an instant and cut up rough He seized ht he would choke ood deal of money about with him”
”The boys, too--did you think they orth plundering?”
”Oh, no, I never was deceived about them,” replied Fletcher promptly ”I concluded that, even if they had uardian, and took care of it They are all Alibly, and the captain appeared to credit his statements The boys listened with interest, and with a new appreciation of Fletcher's character They could easily have disproved one of his statements, for they knew very well that Obed never boasted of his ht to suppose that he carried much with him On this point he was very reticent, and neither of them knew ood to contradict Fletcher, for his ith the captain would have outweighed theirs, and he would have found a way to punish them for their interference
”In future,” said the captain, ”I advise you toAs it is, you have led us on a fool's errand”
”That may be,” Fletcher admitted, ”but it wasn't so last time The Scotch merchant bled freely, you must allow”
”Yes, you did better then”
As Harry listened he began to understand that Fletcher acted as a decoy, to ingratiate hiiving secret infor the companions
”That's a pretty mean sort of business,” he said to Jack, when he had an opportunity to speak to hiht out than lure people into danger”
”So would I,” responded Jack ”That Fletcher's worse than a pirate”
Still they went on, so slowly that the boys, though co up They were necessarily anxious, but their predo was of curiosity as to their destination, and as to the bushrangers' th they caround
CHAPTER XII
THE HOME OF THE BUSHRANGERS
On a slight rise stood a collection of huts, covered with sheets of the bark of the gum-tree, held on by ties of bullock hide For the most part they contained but one rooe and, the boys afterward learned, was occupied by the captain of the bushrangers