d in their execution, as to induce
John Ferguson to lend the aid he had on a former occasion promised to
Mr. Rainsfield, in the erection of a bridge over the Wombi; and to
proceed himself to the river, and assist in its construction.

The house at Fern Vale was by this time finished, and the carpenters who
had been employed in its erection were consequently disengaged. This was
considered a good opportunity by Tom Rainsfield; and the men were
forthwith despatched to the Wombi, to assist in the construction of the
bridge. On the appointed day, John met Mr. Rainsfield and Tom at the
scene of action, and work was at once commenced.

They first selected the two largest trees on the bank of the river; and
after attaching strong ropes to their trunks, to guard against their
falling into the stream, and thus elude their destiny, they felled them.
Their next arrangement, after clearing the stems of their branches, was
to make them span the creek; which being accomplished they left the
carpenters to do the rest. This was to strengthen and support the beams,
by erecting upright pieces as buttresses at the edge of the stream, so
as, not only to keep the fallen trees firmly fixed, but to give them
additional power to sustain weight. After this the men were to make a
flooring, by firmly fixing across the main trunks some stout saplings,
and cover it with earth, which would complete, what our friends
considered would be, a very serviceable structure.

The young men, after they had accomplished the task of getting the logs
to span the creek, as we have said, left the carpenters to complete the
work; while they took their departure from the spot, and turned home.
Here John Ferguson essayed to leave his friends; but that they would not
hear of. Tom, especially, was loud in declaiming against such a course;
declaring that the ladies would be justly offended when they knew that
he had been at Strawberry Hill without calling upon them. "You may just
as well drop in," he said, "and dine with us, and I will ride over to
Fern Vale with you in the evening."

To this invitation John could offer no reasonable objection; and not
wishing it to be imagined that he entertained any disrespect for Mrs.
Rainsfield, he wavered in his rigid determination to absent himself;
while his friends were the more pressing for him to accompany them; and
at last all further parley was ended by Tom turning the heads of the
horses towards the house, and constraini