're not going to cut him?" queried Billjim, without turning her
head.

"No, no," said Frenchy; "I want it to put against the vein and stop this
bleeding. That'll do nicely," as Travers handed him a knife. "Sit
tight, Jack, I must hurt you now."

"Go ahead," said Jack uneasily; "but don't be longer than you can help,"
and he caught hold of Billjim's hand and remained like that, quiet and
sensible, while Frenchy put a ligature round the injured limb and
bandaged it up as well as was possible.

"Now, mates," he said, as he finished, "this is a case for Clagton and
the doctor at once. No good one going in and fetching the doctor out,
it's waste of time, and then he mightn't be able to do anything. So we
must pack him on that stretcher and carry him in. Everybody willing?"

Aye, of course they were, though they knew they had fifteen miles to
carry a heavy man over gullies and rocks and through scrub and forest.

So Jack was carefully placed on the stretcher.

"Now you had better get home, Billjim, and tell them what has happened,"
said Frenchy.

"No, no, I won't," said Billjim; "I'm going with you;" and go she did,
of course, holding Jack's hand all the way, and administering small
doses of brandy whenever she was ordered. "La Vivandiere," as Frenchy
remarked, sotto voce, "but with a heart! Grand Dieu, with what a heart!"

It was a great sight to see that gallant little band carrying twelve
stone of helpless humanity in the moonlight.

Through scrub, over rocks and gullies, and through weird white gum
forest, and no sound but the laboured breathing of the bearers. There
were twelve of them, and they carried four and four about, those fifteen
miles.

Never a groan out of the poor fellow up aloft there, though he must have
suffered agonies when any one stumbled, which was bound to occur pretty
often in that dim light.

Slowly but surely they covered the distance, and just as day began to
dawn they reached the doctor's house at Clagton.

In a very little time Jack was lying on a couch in the surgery.

After some questions the doctor said:

"Too weak. Can't do anything just now."

"It's a case, I suppose?" asked Frenchy.

"Yes," said the doctor; "amputation, of course, and I have no one here
to help me. Stay, though! Who bandaged him?"

"I did," answered Frenchy; "I learnt that in hospitals, you know."

"Oh, well," said the doctor, quite relieved, "you'll do to help me. Go
and get a little sleep, and come t