he shooting galleries too, in
case you put the showman's eye out?"

Miss Chase really did treat this speech with silent scorn, and
changed the subject.

The clearing up of the black-fellow mystery was a great relief to
every one's mind.

"Though it comes rather late in the day, just when we are going
away," said Mrs. Orban.

"Do you know, I don't feel a bit as if we were really going," Miss
Chase declared the very evening before their departure.

All the same, when the next day came, they started in the
plantation schooner for Cooktown, accompanied by Bob and Mr. Orban,
who were going to see them off.

The children found many excitements on the way; and when finally
they were hoisted on board the big boat by means of a crane and
basket, Peter's joy knew no bounds.

Nesta found it was certainly not very nice saying the last
"good-byes," and she wished Eustace had not said anything to her
about the possibility of not coming back to Queensland for years.

But when they were fairly off, and out of sight of waving hands and
the two strong, kind faces that had been his ideals from his
babyhood, even Eustace began to cheer up considerably. He had been
very much like a bear with a sore head, rather to his mother's and
Miss Chase's astonishment; for Eustace could generally be counted
on as sensible and fairly serene in temper. To get short answers
from him, to find him unreasonably uninterested in things, and to
see him really snappy with Nesta and Peter, was something new and
extraordinary.

"Well, good-bye, old chap," said Bob. "Let England see the best
side of you, and be a credit to us."

The words rang in the boy's ears long after, and he pulled himself
together with a sudden consciousness that he had not been much of a
credit to any one for some days. He hoped Bob hadn't noticed it,
for never, never could he explain to him that it was just the
thought of leaving him that made going away so hard. If only he
had not been possessed by the horrible feeling that he would never
come back again, or at least not for years and years, it would have
been different.

It was impossible not to become interested in the boat before very
long--it was so huge, such a real house afloat, and so unusual.
Peter revelled in going downstairs to bed. Becky wanted to play in
what she called her "bunky-bye" instead of going to sleep. Nesta
eyed some other families of children speculatively, wondering how
much good they would prove a