raised. Having thus securely fastened
Smithson in, he had gone to the front of the house, and had
apparently shot down the constable there before the latter was
aware of his presence.

Smithson, awakened by the shot, tried in vain to get out; and was
only released by Mrs. Barker, when she recovered from the effect of
the stunning blow which the bush ranger had struck her. He had then
mounted at once, and followed in pursuit.

In the afternoon the party returned from the bush, having
experienced no further molestation from the natives. Nothing
occurred to interfere with the progress of Reuben's wound and, in
the course of a fortnight, he was again able to resume his duties.

The complete destruction of the gang of bush rangers, and the
energy with which they had been pursued into the very heart of the
bush country, made a vast sensation in the colony; and Reuben
gained great credit, and instant promotion for his conduct.

A month after the return of the party from the bush, Mr. Donald was
about again and, as the danger was now past, he abandoned his idea
of selling his property. The course which events took can be judged
by the following conversation, between Mrs. Donald and her sister,
three months later.

"Well, Kate, after all he has done for us, of course I have nothing
to say against it; and I don't suppose you would mind, if I had.
Still, I do think you might have done better."

"I could not have done better," Kate said hotly, "not if I had had
the pick of the whole colony."

"Well, not in one way, my dear; for you know that, personally, I
like him almost as well as you do. Still, I do think it is a little
unfortunate that we ever knew him before."

"And I think it's extremely fortunate," Kate said stoutly. "If it
hadn't been that he had known us before, and cared for me--he says
worshipped, but that's nonsense--ever since I was a child, he would
never have made that terrible ride, and I--"

"Oh, don't talk about it, Kate; it's too dreadful even to think of
now.

"Well, my dear, no doubt it's all for the best," Alice said
philosophically. "At any rate, you are quite happy, and he is a
noble fellow. But I hope, for your sake, that he won't stay in the
police. It would be dreadful for you when he was riding about,
hunting after bush rangers and blacks; for you know, my dear, there
are plenty of others left in the colony."

"I told him so yesterday," Kate said shyly. "I said, of course,
that I didn't