d mare in the whole district.

Most of the miners went in four-horse coaches and 'buses that were
plying all day long from the town and back; very few walked. The country
people mostly drove in spring-carts, or rode on horseback. Any young
fellows that had a good horse liked to show him off, of course; the
girls in habits of their own make, perhaps, and now and then a top hat,
though they looked very well too. They could ride, some of them, above a
bit, and it made me think of the old days when Jim and I and Aileen used
to ride into Bargo races together, and how proud we were of her, even
when she was a little thing, and we used to groom up the old pony till
we nearly scrubbed the hide off him.

It was no use thinking of that kind of thing, and I began to wonder how
Starlight was getting on with his friends, when I saw the Dawsons' drag
come up the straight, with four upstanding ripping bay horses in top
condition, and well matched. There was Starlight on the box seat,
alongside of Jack Dawson, the eldest brother, who could handle the
ribbons in style, and was a man every inch of him, only a bit too fast;
didn't care about anything but horses and dogs, and lived every day of
his life. The other brother was standing up behind, leaning over
and talking to Starlight, who was 'in great form', as he used to say
himself, and looked as if he'd just come out of a bandbox.

He had on a silk coat buttoned round him, a white top hat with a blue
silk veil. His eyeglass was stuck in his eye all the time, and he had
kid gloves on that fitted his hands like wax. I really couldn't hardly
take my oath he was the same man, and no wonder nobody else couldn't. I
was wondering why Sir Ferdinand wasn't swelling about, bowing to all
the ladies, and making that thoroughbred of his dance and arch his neck,
when I heard some one say that he'd got news that Moran and the rest of
'em had stuck up a place about forty miles off, towards Forbes, and
Sir Ferdinand had sworn at his luck for having to miss the races; but
started off just as he was, and taken all the troopers but two with him.

'Who brought the news?'

'Oh! a youngster called William Jones--said he lived out there. A black
boy came with him that couldn't hardly speak English; he went with 'em
to show the way.'

'Well, but how did they know it was true?' says I. 'It might have been
only a stall.'

'Oh, the young fellow brought a letter from the overseer, saying they
might hold out