detective ever since his
appearance in Waddy.

'Yes,' was the reply. 'I know his house. He'll be easily taken.'

'Then go with the sergeant. Take Casey's horse. It'll be with the other.
Here,' he threw Harry a revolver. 'Case of need, you know, but no
shooting if it can be avoided.'

Harry thrust the weapon in his belt, and a minute later he and Sergeant
Monk rode off in company to take Ephraim Shine in the name of the Queen.

Meanwhile Dick was not at the bottom of the Piper shaft, as Rogers
concluded in his haste. Joe had not left the boy half a minute when a
second man made his appearance on the other side of the shaft. This was
Downy, in his drover disguise. The detective, whose sole object in
assuming the disguise was to watch Dick, believing that the boy would be
sure to communicate with the real thieves, had witnessed his capture by
Rogers and had followed in the latter's tracks; and now, after being
entertained and instructed by the words that had passed between Rogers
and his captive, he cut Dick down, quickly frayed the end of the rope
between two stones, and cut away Dick's bonds, throwing the rope and gag
into the shaft.

'Now, my lad,' he said sternly, 'after that man. Take me the nearest
track to the quarry you spoke of as quick as you can cut, and don't make
noise enough to wake a cat or I'll hand you over to him when we get
there.'

Dick did as he was bid; and they were in time to overlook Rogers as he
searched amongst the stones, and to overhear some of the language that
announced his failure. At this stage the detective, who had retained his
grip of Dick's wrist, whispered:

'You can go now, but you must take a message from me to Harry Hardy. Go
straight to his house and say, 'Downy says 'Ready.'' Can I trust you?'

Dick nodded.

You're a plucky lad,' said Downy, 'and I'll take your word. Off you go,
but make no noise.'

Dick crept quietly along the grass till he was well beyond hearing, and
then ran down by Wilson's ploughed land and out into the open country. He
understood that the career of Joe Rogers as a gold-stealer was drawing to
a close, and the knowledge brought him a certain sense of relief in spite
of the fact that he quite realised Shine's danger, and was more than ever
devoted to the searcher's daughter, more than ever pleased with the idea
of her hearing some day how faithful and bold he had been, how true a
knight to his liege lady.

He burst into the room where Mrs. Hardy