, that's all. They've fetched
a rattling price, through Starlight's working the oracle with those
swells, and no mistake.'

'Yes, but that ain't all of it,' says the old man, filling his pipe.
'We've got to look at what comes after. I never liked that imported
bull being took. They'll rake all the colonies to get hold of him again,
partic'ler as he sold for near three hundred pound.'

'We must take our share of the risk along with the money,' said Jim.
'We shall have our whack of that according to what they fetched to-day.
It'll be a short life and a merry one, though, dad, if we go on big
licks like this. What'll we tackle next--a bank or Government House?'

'Nothing at all for a good spell, if you've any sense,' growled father.
'It'll give us all we know to keep dark when this thing gets into the
papers, and the police in three colonies are all in full cry like a pack
of beagles. The thing is, what'll be our best dart now?'

'I'll go back overland,' says he. 'Starlight's going to take Warrigal
with him, and they'll be off to the islands for a turn. If he knows
what's best for him, he'll never come back. These other chaps say
they'll separate and sell their horses when they get over to the Murray
low down, and work their way up by degrees. Which way are you boys
going?'

'Jim and I to Melbourne by next steamer,' I said. 'May as well see a bit
of life now we're in it. We'll come back overland when we're tired of
strange faces.'

'All right,' says father, 'they won't know where I'm lyin' by for a bit,
I'll go bail, and the sooner you clear out of Adelaide the better.
News like ours don't take long to travel, and you might be nabbed very
simple. One of ye write a line to your mother and tell her where you're
off to, or she'll be frettin' herself and the gal too--frettin' over
what can't be helped. But I suppose it's the natur' o' some women.'

We done our settling-up next day. All the sale money was paid over
to Starlight. He cashed the cheques and drew the lot in notes and
gold--such a bundle of 'em there was. He brought them out to us at the
camp, and then we 'whacked' the lot. There were eight of us that had to
share and share alike. How much do you think we had to divide? Why, not
a penny under four thousand pounds. It had to be divided among the eight
of us. That came to five hundred a man. A lot of money to carry about,
that was the worst of it.

Next day there was a regular split and squander. We didn't wa