George, you're just the chap the boss wants to send out to some new
country he's going to take up in Queensland. What's your name? Now I
think of it he didn't tell me.'

'William Turner,' says I.

'Very well, William,' says he, 'you're a dashed good man, I can see, and
I wish I could pick up a few more like you. Blessed if I ever saw such a
lot of duffers in my life as there are on this side. I've hardly seen a
man come by that's worth his grub. You couldn't stop till the next mob
starts, I suppose? I'd make it worth your while.'

'I couldn't well this time,' says I; 'my mate's got a friend out north
just from home, and we're tied to time to meet him. But if I come back
this way I'll put in a year with you.'

'Well, an offer's an offer,' says he. 'I can't say more, but I think
you'll do better by stopping on here.'

I got away with the cattle all right, and the drover in charge was told
to do all he could for me. The overseer said I was as good as two men,
and it was 'Bill' here and 'William' there all the time till we were
off. I wasn't sorry to be clear away, for of course any day a trooper
might have ridden up and asked questions about the horses, that were a
little too good for a working drover.

Besides, I'd had a look at the papers, and I saw that Starlight had been
as good as his word, in the matter of the advertisement. Sure enough,
the 'Turon Star' and a lot of other papers had, on the same day,
received the same advertisement, with a pound note enclosed, and
instructions to insert it four times.

NOTICE.

To all whom it may concern.

The Messrs. Marston Brothers and Co., being about to leave the district,
request that all accounts against them may be sent to the Police Camp,
Turon, addressed to the care of Sir Ferdinand Morringer, whose receipt
will be a sufficient discharge.
For the firm,
Starlight.

I couldn't have believed at first that he'd be so mad. But after a bit I
saw that, like a lot of his reckless doings, it wasn't so far out after
all.

All the papers had taken it up as usual, and though some of them were
pretty wild at the insult offered to the Government and so on, I could
see they'd most of them come to think it was a blind of some sort, meant
to cover a regular big touch that we were going in for, close by home,