gh at," said Nic.

"I suppose not, you young enthusiast."

"That I'm not," cried the boy. "It's you who take too miserable a view
of things."

"With cause, boy."

"Well, yes, there is plenty of cause," said Nic: "but you really could
live down there safely for years without being found out--if you could
get down."

"I can get down, and I have been down there since I broke away. I have
made myself a bark gunyah, and for the present that is my home, Nic."

"Capital," cried the boy eagerly. "Take me and show me."

The convict shook his head.

"No," he said; "you and I must never meet."

"Why?" said Nic, in rather an ill-used tone.

"Because you would be disgracing yourself by associating with a man of
my character, and you would be breaking laws made for the protection of
the settlers who employ convict servants."

"You are not a man of bad character," said Nic quietly; "and as to law--
well, I suppose it would be breaking that; but then the law doesn't know
any better. It does not know you like I do."

"There, boy, we will not argue the question. I'm black enough as it is,
but I want to do you good, Nic, not harm. Come," he continued, rising,
"time is going on, and you are some distance from home. Where is your
horse?"

"Miles away."

"Then you must be moving."

"There's no hurry," said Nic.

"Yes, there is. You have a dangerous ledge to go along."

"I can get along better when I am more rested," said the boy.

The convict smiled.

"Then let me put it in a more selfish way," he said. "It is close on
sundown, and I have a long way to go to my home. A more dangerous way
than yours, and I could not attempt it after it begins to grow dusk."

"I'm ready," said Nip, springing up; "but tell me this: when will you
meet me again?"

"Perhaps never," said the convict.

"Then I shall come hunting for you every day till I find the way down
into the gorge."

"And bring the government people on my track?"

"No, I won't do that," said Nic; "but I will find you out, and I can now
that I know where you are."

"I doubt it, boy. The gorge is enormous, and I am the only man who
knows the way down."

"Pooh! The blacks would know. Bungarolo would show me now he knows I
have seen you."

"The blacks do not know, Nic. I should not know if I had not discovered
it two years ago by accident when trying to save the life of a sheep
which had fallen. There, be content. You have seen me. Some day we