ide to
side as the man walked, as though he were noting the lay of the land as
he passed; but in reality the eyes always looked back to see that Tap,
with the two swags on his shoulder, was still following. Neither
exchanged a word as they walked on, carefully and quietly, through the
gloomy mystery of the silent bush. The howl of a dingo in the distance,
the wail of a curlew, or the hum of a mosquito, were the only sounds
beyond the occasional crackle of a twig trodden under foot, or the swish
of a bent shrub swinging back to its original position.

A faint, ruddy gleam, which was reflected on the pale, smooth surface of
a white gum on his right, made the leader stop in his stride, with arms
held out like a semaphore--a danger-signal his follower saw just in time
to avoid colliding with him.

"There's the glow of their fire," he whispered, as Tap came beside him.
"Their camp's just to the left. If I haven't forgotten the country,
there's a creek runs that way through a belt of wattle, and beyond it
the ridge slopes down."

"That's right," Tap answered. "You didn't lose your memory in----"

"Dry up," the other exclaimed.

Then he stood silent for a few moments before he turned and laid his
hand on Tap's shoulder.

"There's the sound of a horse--hobbled--there," he whispered, pointing.
"We'll get round beyond that white gum and plant the swags. Then we'll
round up their horses and clear."

"But look here--hold on, Barber," Tap exclaimed, as the leader turned
away.

"What?" he said, as he came back.

"Walker's a man we'll want. He's just after your own heart. He's as fly
as they make 'em. It's better than trusting to luck to pick one up
after. Why not wake him?--he won't say a word, and he's an edge on
Gleeson. I know he's a lay of his own somewhere, and it might suit us to
chip in."

The leader thought for a moment.

"No; it ain't worth it," he replied. "We'll carry this through first as
we are. Bring the swags along."

He walked off, and Tap followed. Moving cautiously and noiselessly, they
crept from bush to bush, until they stood directly behind the gum which
caught some of the gleam of the fire, and peering over a low-growing
shrub, they looked across the level patch where the men had made their
camp.

The fire had burned down to a heap of glowing ashes, with a small tongue
of flame flickering and dancing here and there over the red mass, from
the edges of which, where some half-burned sticks lay, t