her gum-trees, their curious and narrow leaves affording scarcely any
shelter from the rays of the almost vertical sun, the huge white stems
from which the bark hung down in ragged masses giving them a weird and
dreary aspect. Tracks there were, but they branched now in one
direction now in the other, and were more calculated to bewilder the
travellers than to guide them aright. Their map--for being new arrivals
in the country they carried one--told them that they should soon reach a
broad stream. They were now looking out eagerly for it, wondering
whether they should have to wade through it or should find a ferry-boat
ready to take them and their animals across.

I may as well say--having thus begun, after the fashion of a writer
whose pure and wholesome works I used heartily to enjoy in my boyhood
days--that one of the travellers was myself, Maurice Thurston, and the
other my brother Guy, a year only my senior. We had lately lost our
father, with whose sanction we had settled some time before to come out
to Australia and seek our fortunes. We, our mother, our two sisters,
and another brother, had been left with a very limited income; and Guy
and I, wishing to push our own fortunes and establish a home for the
rest of the family, agreed that no time should be lost in carrying our
plan into execution. As soon therefore as our mother's affairs had been
settled, we set sail from England, and, about two weeks before the day I
am describing, arrived in Australia. We had not come entirely on a
wild-goose chase. A cousin of our father's, Mr Oliver Strong, had long
been settled in the country, and had replied to an application made to
him some time before by our father, saying that he should be happy to
receive us and put us in the way of doing well for ourselves, if we were
sober, steady, strong, active, willing fellows with heads on our
shoulders and without any "fine gentleman" notions.

We were now making our way toward his station, some hundred miles in the
interior. Though we had not ridden far from our camping place, the
intense heat of the sun made us feel very thirsty, and sympathise with
our horses which must have been equally so; thus we were anxious as soon
as possible to reach the river, where we hoped to find an abundance of
water.

From our black guide we could not obtain much information; for, although
we were well assured that he spoke English when we engaged him, we found
that it was of a character