ar off, we found that
Moran and the other two had stayed there a bit till Wall and Hulbert
came; then they had a drink all round and rode away. The publican said
Moran was in an awful temper, and he was afraid he'd have shot somebody
before the others got him started and clear of the place.

'It's a mercy you went over, Captain,' says he; 'there'd have been the
devil to pay else. He swore he'd burn the place down before he went from
here.'

'He'll get caught one of these fine days,' says Starlight. 'There's more
risk at one station than half-a-dozen road scrimmages, and that he'll
find, clever as he thinks himself.'

'Where's Mr. Whitman, Jack?' says I to the landlord (he wasn't a bad
sort, old Jack Jones). 'What made him leave his place to the mercy of
the world, in a manner of speaking?'

'Well, it was this way. He heard that all the shepherds at the lower
station had cut it to the diggings, ye see; so he thought he'd make a
dart up to the Castlereagh and rig'late the place a bit. He'll be back
afore morning.'

'How d'ye know that?'

'Well, he's ridin' that famous roan pony o' his, and he always comes
back from the station in one day, though he takes two to go; eighty-five
miles every yard of it. It's a big day, but that pony's a rum un, and
can jump his own height easy. He'll be welcome home to-night.'

'I daresay he will, and no wonder. The missus must ha' been awful
frightened, and the young ladies too. Good-night, Jack;' and we rattled
off.

It wasn't so very late after all when we got back to Jonathan's; so, as
the horses wanted a bit of a rest and a feed, we roused up the girls and
had supper. A very jolly one it was, my word.

They were full of curiosity, you bet, to know how we got on when they
heard Moran was there and the others. So bit by bit they picked it out
of us. When they heard it all, Maddie got up and threw her arms round
Jim's neck.

'I may kiss you now you're married,' she says, 'and I know there's only
one woman in the world for you; but you deserve one from every woman in
the country for smashing that wretch Moran. It's a pity you didn't break
his neck. Never mind, old man; Miss Falkland won't forget you for that,
you take my word. I'm proud of you, that I am.'

Jim just sat there and let her talk to him. He smiled in a serious kind
of way when she ran over to him first; but, instead of a good-looking
girl, it might have been his grandmother for all he seemed to care.

'You're a