art, and no
sign of the old man could be found. He had strolled off to the back of
the hotel, and vanished as absolutely as if the earth had swallowed him.

The Chinese cook was severely cross-questioned, but relapsed into
idiotic smiles and plentiful "No savee's". A blackfellow, loafing about
the back of the hotel, was asked if he had seen a tall, thin old man
with a beard going down the street. He said, "Yowi, he bin go longa
other pub;" but as, on further questioning, he modified his statement by
asserting that the man he saw was young, short and very fat, no heed was
paid to his evidence--it being the habit of blacks to give any answer
that they think will please the questioner.

"He'll play us some dog's trick, that old fellow," said Charlie. "I
can't wait here looking for him, though. I'll find him when I want him
if he's above ground. Now let's go on. Can't keep the coach waiting for
ever while we unearth him. Let's get aboard."

Just as the coach was about to start a drover came out of the bar of
the hotel, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He stared vacantly
about him, first up the street and then down, looked hard at a post in
front of the hotel, then stared up and down the street again. At last he
walked over, and, addressing the passengers in a body, said, "Did any of
you's see e'er a horse anywheres? I left my prad here, and he's gorn."

A bystander, languidly cutting up a pipeful of tobacco, jerked his elbow
down the road.

"That old bloke took 'im," he said. "Old bloke that come in the coach.
While yous was all talking in the pub, he sneaks out here and nabs that
'orse, and away like a rabbit. See that dust on the plain? That's 'im."

The drover looked helplessly out over the stretch of plain. He seemed
quite incapable of grappling with the problem.

"Took my horse, did he? Well, I'm blowed! By Cripes!"

He had another good stare over the plain, and back at the party.

"My oath!" he added.

Then the natural stoicism of the bushman came to his aid, and he said,
in a resigned tone,

"Oh, well, anyways, I s'pose--s'pose he must have been in a hurry to go
somewheres. I s'pose he'll fetch him back some time or other."

Gordon leant down from the box of the coach.

"You tell him," he said, "when he does fetch him back, that if I'd had
a rifle, and had seen him sneaking off like that he'd have wanted an
ambulance before he got much farther. Tell him I'll find him if I have
to hunt him to