ld think that very few settlers begin a life in the bush with so
many advantages as we possess," observed Arthur, as he rode on with his
brother, a little ahead of the cart; "we appear to have jumped over all
difficulties, and to have arrived at a point which many only reach after
years of toil."

"I am not quite certain that it will prove to our permanent advantage,"
answered James. "I would rather have begun as we proposed, and worked
our way upward; we should the better be able to encounter difficulties
or mishaps which may occur."

"Well, I vote we do not grumble with our good fortune," said Arthur,
laughing; "we shall have plenty to do, depend on that."

There was no great variety of scenery in that part of the country over
which they travelled, but for the want of it the beauty of the climate,
and the sense of present freedom which they enjoyed, made ample amends.
Without luggage they might have performed the journey in three days, but
with the cart, twenty or, at the most, thirty miles could not be got
over in the day. Even supposing that they could have found their way
alone, it would not have been altogether safe to leave the cart without
protection. Bushrangers were occasionally, though rarely, heard of, and
would probably, if they fell in with the cart, make no scruple of
running off with it, and perhaps murder the driver. Any wandering
blacks from the interior might also pillage the cart, and most probably
kill poor Larry.

Larry had been entertaining Sam Green with an account of the
depredations committed by such gentry in the bygone days of the colony,
when the Dick Turpins, who had obtained a short-lived celebrity on the
highway of Old England, laid the settlers in this new land under
contribution; and the white stockmen shot down the black natives with as
little compunction as they would kangaroos; the blacks, in retaliation,
murdering them or any white men they could meet with. Larry, observing
the wide-mouthed interest created by his narratives, went on till poor
Sam began to wish himself safe out of the country again. They were
crossing a wide plain, with a light soil thickly covered with grass. A
cloud of dust was seen to the right of the direction in which they were
travelling; it increased in extent, and rose higher and higher.

"Be them the niggers coming to murder us?" asked Sam, in a fright.

"If them are niggers, they're big ones, my boy, anyhow," answered Larry,
evasively.

A du