he block-house, and a few minutes later we
were being admitted through the well-barred gate, whose fastenings
dropped with a loud clang. Then I walked up to the quarters with Mr
Raydon, where the next thing I heard was Mr John's voice.

"Found him?"

"Yes; all right, and the enemy beaten," said Mr Raydon, cheerily. "Go
and tell them inside."

"No need," said Mr John; "they have heard. Where are you, Mayne? Ah,
that's better. Why, my dear lad, you have scared us terribly."

"I lost my way," I said, hastily.

"But what was the meaning of this firing?"

"The enemy coming in force," said Mr Raydon. "We have beaten them off
though without bloodshed, and Mayne Gordon here has had another lesson
in the dangers of opening up gold-claims to the scum of the earth."

"That you, Mayne Gordon?" said a familiar voice soon after, as I
approached our quarters.

"Yes," I said. "Not hurt, are you, Esau?"

"Not a bit; nor you neither?"

"Yes," I said, bitterly; "wounded again."

"Eh? whereabouts? Here, come on. Mother's got lots of rag."

"No, no," I said, laughing sadly. "Not that sort of wound. It was with
words."

"Go on with you. Frightening a chap like that," cried Esau. "I thought
it was real."

CHAPTER FIFTY.

OUR PATIENT AWAKES.

There was no alarm next day, and scouts who were sent out came back to
report that they had tracked the enemy down the river, and then up into
the forest by one of the side streams, the second beyond the Golden
Valley.

"Humph!" ejaculated Mr Raydon, "pleasant that, John. They have taken
to the lovely wooded vale I had marked down in my own mind for your
future home."

Mr John shrugged his shoulders, and gave his wife and brother-in-law a
half-sad, half-laughing look.

"I am not surprised," he said, "I always was the most unlucky of men."

"Nothing of the kind, sir," retorted Mr Raydon. "You have had as much
good fortune as other men--quite as much as I have. My dear John," he
added more gently, "we men have a bad habit of forgetting the good in
our lives, and remembering all the bad. My dear fellow, half your
troubles have been caused by your want of energy."

"Yes," he said, smiling sadly, "I suppose so. I have always been too
ready to give up. But," he added quickly, "I never complain."

Mr Raydon never looked so pleasant in my eyes before as he smiled at
his sister, and then laid his hand on Mr John's shoulder.

"Never, John, never. You annoy me s