the hole, and pulled
one out.

By the weight he knew what he had found, before he opened it--the bag
was full of gold.

Slowly he drew everything out of the place. All the gold taken from the
bank and from Taloona lay at his feet, together with a miscellaneous
collection of jewellery wrapped up in a small square of canvas. But
there was no sign either of papers or bank-notes.

It was out of the question for him to attempt to remove the treasure to
the bank there and then. All he could do was to make it as secure as
possible until, at a later day, he could return with a conveyance and
carry it back to the town.

On the far side of the bluff he discovered a crevice formed by an
overhanging ledge. It was a place even more difficult to trace than the
fallen tree, and here he placed everything, keeping only a gold watch
which bore Harding's name. Then, having obliterated, as nearly as he
could, every mark which would be likely to reveal the hiding-place, he
made his way back to his horse.

He rode to the margin of the pool, and walked along the track until he
was opposite the streak of mud stain in the water. The horse and
wheel-tracks turned towards it and, standing up in his stirrups, Durham
saw that the water shoaled with a wide ledge of rock running directly
into the pool.

Putting his horse to it, the water was barely a foot deep on the rock
all the way across to the opposite bank. Here the horse and wheel-tracks
reappeared, turning sharp to the left through the bush, and passing over
a dwarf ridge from the summit of which he caught sight of the mountain
road where it turned down to the ford.

Still following the tracks, they led him once more to the water's edge.
He entered it, and continued close to the shore until he suddenly
emerged on to the rock which formed the break in the road over which the
stream rippled.

He rode on to the road and reined in his horse near the spot where he
had first seen the pool the night he was on his way to Waroona Downs.
Had he not just ridden along the track round the edge of the water, he
would not have believed it was there, so absolutely was it hidden from
the roadway.

For a moment he hesitated whether to go on to Waroona Downs or return to
the township at once, and arrange for the treasure to be removed. But
the anxiety gnawing at his heart decided for him and he wheeled his
horse and set off at a canter for the station.

As he came out to the level road he saw, ridi