While Stephen lay down under the waggon, I kept watch, walking up and
down with my rifle ready in my hand, and resting occasionally by leaning
against the wheel of the waggon. After I had watched thus for about
four hours, I called Stephen, who took my place.

"I was again on foot by daybreak, and once more climbed to the top of
the ridge to look out. But I had the same report as before to give.
The fire had burned itself out, and I could see no one moving. We
waited all that day--and might have waited for several more, until our
cattle had eaten up the herbage--without being discovered; but Mr
Yearsley did not appear, nor could we see any signs of the other
settlers.

"We did our best to amuse you and Lily. You asked frequently after your
poor mother; and it went to my heart to tell you that you would never
see her again.

"Stephen proposed that we should the next morning set out on our journey
eastward; but as I thought it possible that Mr Yearsley would by that
time have got back to the settlement, I undertook to go and search for
him--or to try and find any of the other people, and learn what had
become of him. Stephen agreed to this; undertaking to look after the
children and guard the waggon during my absence.

"At daybreak I set out, keeping myself concealed, as much as possible,
behind bushes and trunks of trees, until I got back to the scene of the
catastrophe. I listened; but all was still as death. Excepting the two
or three huts around my brother-in-law's abode, the whole ground where
the settlement had stood presented only black heaps of ashes, surrounded
by palings and trunks of trees charred by the flames. I could see no
one moving across the river, either; and the dreadful idea seized me
that the settlers who had gone in pursuit of the foe had been cut off,
and that Mr Yearsley had in all likelihood shared the same fate. Had
it not been for Stephen and the children, I would have watched all day,
in the hope of our friend's return; but I had promised not to be longer
than I could help.

"I again visited my poor brother-in-law's hut, and packed up such
clothes as I saw belonging to you. I also brought away a few other
articles, to remind us of your mother; for I thought it probable that
the settlement would be revisited by the savages, who would take good
care to finish the work they had begun. I then set off on my return to
the waggon, looking back every now and then, lest I might be follo