ll-increasing heat of the tropic
sun. Here for ten minutes he rested. Then, taking off the saddle, Monk
took his horse through the scrub towards the native wells, after first
satisfying himself that there were no natives about, for the wild
blacks upon that part of the coast of North Queensland were savage and
treacherous cannibals, and he knew full well the danger he was running
in thus venturing out alone so far from the station of which he was
overseer. As yet, he had seen neither the tracks by day nor the fires
by night of any myalls (wild blacks), but for all that he was very
cautious; and so as he emerged from the scrub, holding his bridle and
carrying his billy-can, he kept his Winchester rifle ready, for above
the native wells were a mass of rugged sandstone boulders, thrown
together in the wildest confusion and covered with straggling vines
and creepers--just the sort of place to hide the black, snaky bodies
of crouching niggers, waiting to launch their murderous spears into
the white man as he stooped to drink. For a minute or so he stood and
watched the boulders keenly, then he dropped his rifle with a laugh and
stroked his horse's nose.

"What a fool I am, Euchre! As if you wouldn't have smelt a myall long
before I could even see him! Stand there, old boy, and you'll soon have
a drink."

He soon clambered down to the bottom of the ravine, and found to his joy
that two of the three wells contained water, sweet, pure, and limpid.
After satisfying his own thirst he thrice filled his billy-can and gave
his patient horse a drink, then, leaving him to crop the scanty herbage
that grew about the wells, he climbed to the top of the bluff and sat
down to rest under a lofty ledge of rock.

Taking out his pipe and tobacco he began to smoke. Below him the surf
beat unceasingly against the base of the bluff and sent long swirls of
yellow foam high upon the desolate beach beyond.

An hour had passed, and then, rising and descending to the wells, he
filled his canvas water-bag. Then, giving Euchre another drink, he
saddled up again and led him through the scrub to the summit of the
bluff. Here for a moment he stood to enjoy the first breaths of the sea
breeze which had sprung up during his rest, and to scan the coast to the
southward, which was rather high and well-wooded. Suddenly he uttered an
exclamation of astonishment, and, springing into his saddle, rode down
the steep descent at a breakneck pace--a white man was