elves.

What made us more set upon clearing out of the country was that we
were getting a good bit of money together, and of course we hadn't much
chance of spending it. Every place where we'd been seen was that well
watched there was no getting nigh it, and every now and then a
strong mob of police, ordered down by telegraph, would muster at some
particular spot where they thought there was a chance of surrounding us.
However, that dodge wouldn't work. They couldn't surround the Hollow. It
was too big, and the gullies between the rocks too deep. You could see
across a place sometimes that you had to ride miles round to get over.
Besides, no one knew there was such a place, leastways that we were
there, any more than if we had been in New Zealand.

Chapter 26

After the Ballabri affair we had to keep close for weeks and weeks. The
whole place seemed to be alive with police. We heard of them being on
Nulla Mountain and close enough to the Hollow now and then. But Warrigal
and father had places among the rocks where they could sit up and see
everything for miles round. Dad had taken care to get a good glass, too,
and he could sweep the country round about almost down to Rocky Flat.
Warrigal's eyes were sharp enough without a glass, and he often used to
tell us he seen things--men, cattle, and horses--that we couldn't make
out a bit in the world. We amused ourselves for a while the best way
we could by horse-breaking, shooting, and what not; but we began to get
awful tired of it, and ready for anything, no matter what, that would
make some sort of change.

One day father told us a bit of news that made a stir in the camp, and
nearly would have Jim and me clear out altogether if we'd had any place
to go to. For some time past, it seems, dad had been grumbling about
being left to himself so much, and, except this last fakement, not
having anything to do with the road work. 'It's all devilish fine for
you and your brother and the Captain there to go flashin' about the
country and sporting your figure on horseback, while I'm left alone to
do the housekeepin' in the Hollow. I'm not going to be wood-and-water
Joey, I can tell ye, not for you nor no other men. So I've made it right
with a couple of chaps as I've know'd these years past, and we can do a
touch now and then, as well as you grand gentlemen, on the "high toby",
as they call it where I came from.'

'I didn't think you were such an old fool, Ben,' said St