ed the camp and cleared out
different ways. Them three fellers is in Queensland long ago, and nobody
was to know them from any other road hands. I was back with the old mare
and Bilbah in mighty short time. I rode 'em night and day, turn about,
and they can both travel. You kept pretty quiet, as luck had it, and was
off to Melbourne quick. I don't really believe they dropped to any of
us, bar Starlight; and if they don't nab him we might get shut of it
altogether. I've known worse things as never turned up in this world,
and never will now.' Here the old man showed his teeth as if he were
going to laugh, but thought better of it.

'Anyhow, we'd made it up to come home at Christmas,' says Jim; 'but it's
all one. It would have saved us a deal of trouble in our minds all the
same if we'd known there was no warrants out after us two. I wonder if
they'll nail Starlight.'

'They can't be well off it,' says father. 'He's gone off his head, and
stopped in some swell town in New Zealand--Canterbury, I think it's
called--livin' tiptop among a lot of young English swells, instead of
makin' off for the Islands, as he laid out to do.'

'How do you know he's there?' I said.

'I know, and that's enough,' snarls father. 'I hear a lot in many ways
about things and people that no one guesses on, and I know this--that
he's pretty well marked down by old Stillbrook the detective as went
down there a month ago.'

'But didn't you warn him?'

'Yes, of course, as soon as I heard tell; but it's too late, I'm
thinking. He has the devil's luck as well as his own, but I always used
to tell him it would fail him yet.'

'I believe you're the smartest man of the crowd, dad,' says Jim, laying
his hand on father's shoulder. He could pretty nigh get round the old
chap once in a way, could Jim, surly as he was. 'What do you think we'd
better do? What's our best dart?'

Father shook off his hand, but not roughly, and his voice wasn't so hard
when he said--

'Why, stop at home quiet, of course, and sleep in your beds at night.
Don't go planting in the gully, or some one 'll think you're wanted, and
let on to the police. Ride about the country till I give you the
office. Never fear but I'll have word quick enough. Go about and see the
neighbours round just as usual.'

Jim and I was quite stunned by this bit of news; no doubt we was pretty
sorry as ever we left Melbourne, but there was nothing for it now but to
follow it out. After all, we were