be so mad as to call at your own place, Jim, are
you?' says he. 'Goring's sure to have a greyhound or two ready to slip
in case the hare makes for her old form.'

'Trust old dad for that,' says Jim; 'he knows Dick and you are on the
grass again. He'll meet us before we get to the place and have fresh
horses. I'll bet he's got a chap or two that he can trust to smell out
the traps if they are close handy the old spot. They'll be mighty clever
if they get on the blind side of father.'

'Well, we must chance it, I suppose,' I said; 'but we were sold once,
and I've not much fancy for going back again.'

'They're all looking for you the other way this blessed minute, I'll go
bail,' says Jim. 'Most of the coves that bolt from Berrima takes down
the southern road to get across the border into Port Philip as soon as
they can work it. They always fancy they are safer there.'

'So they are in some ways; I wouldn't mind if we were back there again,'
I said. 'There's worse places than Melbourne; but once we get to the
Hollow, and that'll be some time to-day, we may take it easy and spell
for a week or two. How they'll wonder what the deuce has become of us.'

The night was long, and that cold that Jim's beard was froze as stiff
as a board; but I sat on my horse, I declare to heaven, and never felt
anything but pleasure and comfort to think I was loose again. You've
seen a dog that's been chained up. Well, when he's let loose, don't he
go chevying and racing about over everything and into everything that's
next or anigh him? He'll jump into water or over a fence, and turn aside
for nothing. He's mad with joy and the feeling of being off the chain;
he can't hardly keep from barking till he's hoarse, and rushing through
and over everything till he's winded and done up. Then he lies down with
his tongue out and considers it all over.

Well a man's just like that when he's been on the chain. He mayn't
jump about so much, though I've seen foreign fellows do that when their
collar was unbuckled; but he feels the very same things in his heart as
that dog does, you take my word for it.

So, as I said, though I was sitting on a horse all that long cold
winter's night through, and had to mind my eye a bit for the road and
the rocks and the hanging branches, I felt my heart swell that much and
my courage rise that I didn't care whether the night was going to turn
into a snowstorm like we'd been in Kiandra way, or whether we'd have
a do