who knew the country well,
once kindly volunteered to lift me in an out-of-the-way place, and drive
me to a meeting at his Station. Having a long spell before us, we
started at midday in a buggy drawn by a pair of splendid horses, in the
hope of reaching our destination before dusk. He turned into the usual
bush-track through the forests, saying, "I know this road well; and we
must drive steadily, as we have not a moment to lose."

Our conversation became absorbingly interesting. After we had driven
about three hours, he remarked, "We must soon emerge into the open
plain."

I doubtfully replied, "Surely we cannot have turned back! These trees
and bushes are wonderfully like those we passed at starting."

He laughed, and made me feel rather vexed that I had spoken, when he
said, "I am too old a hand in the bush for that. I have gone this road
many a time before."

But my courage immediately revived, for I got what appeared to me a
glint of the roof of the Inn beyond the bush, from which we had started
at noon, and I repeated, "I am certain we have wheeled, and are back at
the beginning of our journey; but there comes a Chinaman--let us wait
and inquire."

My dear friend learned, to his utter amazement, that he had erred. The
bush-track was entered upon once more, and followed with painful care,
as he murmured, half to himself, "Well, this beats all reckoning! I
could have staked my life that this was impossible."

Turning to me, he said, with manifest grief, "Our meeting is done for!
It will be midnight before we can arrive."

The sun was beginning to set as we reached the thinly-timbered ground.
Ere dusk fell, he took his bearing with the greatest possible care.
Beyond the wood, a vast plain stretched before us, where neither fence
nor house was visible, far as the eye could reach. He drove steadily
towards a far-distant point, which was in the direction of his home. At
last we struck upon the wire fence that bounded his property. The horses
were now getting badly fagged; and, in order to save them a long
round-about drive, he lifted and laid low a portion of the fence, led
his horses cautiously over it, and, leaving it to be re-erected by a
servant next day, he started direct for the Station. That seemed a long
journey too; but it was for him familiar ground; and though amongst
great patriarchal trees here and there, and safely past dangerous
water-holes, we swung steadily on, reached his home in safety, and ha