ve him behind, can I? I'll ship him, if I can, that's more. But it
won't matter much, for we'll have to take back tracks all the way. You
didn't suppose we were to ride along the mail road, did you?'

'I didn't suppose anything,' says I, 'but that we were going to clear
out the safest way we could. If we're to do the swell business we'd
better do it apart, or else put an advertisement into the "Turon Star"
that Starlight, Marston, and Co. are giving up business and going to
leave the district, all accounts owing to be sent in by a certain date.'

'A first-rate idea,' says he. 'I'm dashed if I don't do it. There's
nothing like making one's exit in good form. How savage Morringer will
be! Thank you for the hint, Dick.'

There was no use talking to him when he got into this sort of humour. He
was the most mad, reckless character I ever came across, and any kind of
checking only seemed to make him worse. So I left him alone, for fear he
should want to do something more venturesome still, and went on with my
packing and getting ready for the road.

We fixed up to start on the Monday, and get as far away the first couple
of days as we could manage. We expected to get a good start by making a
great push the first day or two, and, as the police would be thrown off
the scent in a way we settled--and a good dodge it was--we should have
all the more time to be clear of New South Wales before they regularly
dropped that we were giving them leg bail for it.

The Sunday before Starlight started away by himself, taking a couple
of good horses with him--one he led, and a spare saddle too. He took
nothing but his revolver, and didn't say where he was going, but I
pretty well guessed to say good-bye to Aileen. Just as he started he
looked back and says--

'I'm going for a longish ride to-day, Dick, but I shall be here late if
I'm back at all. If anything happens to me my share of what there is I
give to her, if she will take it. If not, do the best you can with it
for her benefit.'

He didn't take Warrigal with him, which I was sorry for, as the
half-caste and I didn't hit it well together, and when we were by
ourselves he generally managed to do or say something he knew I didn't
like. I kept my hands off him on account of Starlight, but there was
many a time my fingers itched to be at him, and I could hardly keep from
knocking some of the sulkiness out of him. This day, somehow, I was not
in the best of tempers myself. I had a go