coolly read the
Bank Manager's placard.

"They've got lost, that's about the size of it," said Garstang.

"Why all this bobbery should be made over a few missin' men, beats me,"
sneered Dolphin.

"Whenever there's a 'rush' in Australia, there's dozens of men git
lost," said Sweet William, "but nobody takes any notice--it's the
ordinary thing."

"But there's gold to the value of L20,000 gone too," said the
enthusiastic stranger. "Wouldn't you take notice of _that_?"

"It'll turn up," said Carnac. "They must have lost their way in the
thunderstorm. But you may bet they're well supplied with tucker. Hang
it all, they might come into town any minute, and what fools we'd look
then."

"P'r'aps their pack-horse got frightened at the lightning and fell over
a precipice. It might, easy." This was William's brilliant suggestion.

"An' the men are humpin' the gold into town theirselves," said Garstang.
"There ain't any occasion to worry, that I can see. None at all, none at
all. Come an' have a drink, mate. I'll shout for the crowd."

The five men strolled towards The Lucky Digger, through the door of
which they passed into a crowded bar, where, amid excited, loud-voiced
diggers who were expressing their views concerning the gold-escort's
disappearance, the four murderers were the only quiet and collected
individuals.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

The Gold League Washes Up.

The amalgamated "claims," worked upon an economical and extensive scale,
had promised from the outset to render enormous returns to the members
of the Gold League.

Throughout the canvas town which had sprung up on the diggings, the news
that the "toffs" were to divide their profits had created the widest
interest, and in every calico shanty and in every six-by-eight tent the
organising genius of the "field," Mr. Jack Scarlett, was the subject of
conversation.

Such topsy-turvy habitations as the stores and dwellings of Canvas Town
never were seen. The main street, if the thoroughfare where all the
business of the mushroom township was transacted could be dignified with
such a name, was a snare to the pedestrian and an impossibility to
vehicles, which, however, were as yet unknown on the "field."

The "Cafe de Paris" possessed no windows in its canvas walls, and its
solitary chimney was an erection of corrugated iron, surmounted by a tin
chimney-pot. "The Golden Reef," where spirituous liquors were to be had
at exorbitant prices, was of a more p