Whatever might happen now, whoever might snub or laugh at him,
Eustace had this comforting knowledge always at heart--Bob
understood, and Bob was a man no one would laugh at.

"He is a brick," thought the lad warmly. "I wish there was
anything, anything in the world I could do to show him what a brick
I think him. If ever there is, won't I just do it! The more
dangerous it is the better."

"I remember once having a pretty gruesome experience," said Bob,
chatting on easily. "I expect you've never heard about it, because
you were nothing but a kiddy at the time, and it has been
forgotten lately. I was going home across our plantation with two
other fellows late at night--much later than the mater liked us to
be out. In order to be as quick as possible, when we got to the
little line running to the mill we hoisted the trolley on to the
rails and began pushing ourselves along at a great rate. It was the
sort of darkness one can peer through, making things look weird and
distorted, often much bigger than they really are."

"Like the dingo."

"Like the dingo. Well, we were getting along finely, when we got to
rather a steep gradient and had to go slower up it. Near the top
one of us suddenly caught sight of something unusual to the left of
the line. It looked like a huge cowering figure, wide but not tall.
Whether four-legged or two-legged it was impossible to say because
of the gloom. It wasn't a nice feeling to have this thing silently
waiting for one. We all boo'd and shoo'd first, thinking that if it
were a beast of any sort it would scoot at the noise; but it didn't
stir an inch or make a sound. We felt pretty creepy by then, for
black-fellow tales were even commoner in those days than they are
now. From the size of it we guessed it might have been a group of
three men. Then we shouted, 'Hands up and declare yourself, or we
fire!' But still the creature didn't move or speak."

"My hat!" exclaimed Eustace sympathetically.

"We had got to get past it somehow to reach home, for it wasn't
likely we could stay there all night. We gave it two more chances,
and then we fired for all we were worth. There were instantly
shrieks, groans, and such horrible sounds that we waited for
nothing more, but pushing our stakes into the ground, sent the
trolley flying past the awful spot and down the next hill. How we
didn't turn over and get killed down that incline I don't know--it
was the one nearest home, you know, where one ha