then, of course you will begin a house soon?"

"To-morrow," said the captain. "Plenty of work for us, boys."

"Of course," said Aunt Georgie. "Well then, we shall soon begin to make
things comfortable, and we shall all be very happy and content."

"Thank you," said the captain. "I hope every one will take the
advantages for what they are worth, and will excuse the inconveniences."

"I know that Marian will," said Aunt Georgie; "and as for the girls, we
shall be too busy to think of little things. I should have liked for it
not to have been quite so lonely."

"We are too many to feel lonely," cried the captain, cheerily.

"But I meant about neighbours. How far do you think we are from the
nearest neighbours, Edward?"

"Don't ask me," he said, merrily. "So far that we cannot quarrel with
them.--There, girls, you will have to help and make the house snug as
fast as we get it up. To-morrow we will mark it out, and then set up a
shed to act as an additional shelter for our stores, which must be
unpacked from the wagons. Every one must take his or her department,
and as we have that black with us, and he evidently does not mean to go,
he will have to work too. By the way, I have not seen him for the last
hour or two."

"He had such a dinner," said Tim. "Aunt feeds him so."

"That, I'm sure, I do not, my dear," said Aunt Georgie, shortly.

"Well, aunt, he always goes and lies down to sleep after you've given
him anything," said Rifle.

"And that's what he has gone to do now," added Norman. "He'll come out
of the woods somewhere soon. But I say, father, shan't we have time to
fish and shoot?"

"Plenty, and ride too, boys. But there, we've done a good day's work,
and now I suppose we shall have to do a little sentry business. The
blacks are evidently very, very scarce in the country, not a sign of one
in all these many days' journey. But it would be wise to keep to a
little vigilance, though I doubt whether they will trouble us much
here.--Jack," he continued, rising, "we'll take the guns and have a walk
round, to look at the cattle before going to roost for the night, while
the girls get the place clear.--Coming, any of you boys?"

They all three sprang up eagerly.

"That's right. Come along. Hallo!" he added, "here comes Tam o'
Shanter."

For at that moment the black darted out from among the trees, and ran
across the intervening space to where they were, carrying his
nulla-nulla and boomera