-the
hutkeeper--was in charge till his return. Smith, not liking the man or
his manner, pretended to accept his statement, and said nothing about
having just seen his master. After taking some refreshment and a slight
rest he proceeded on his way to Melbourne, where on enquiry at hotels
and shipping offices he learnt that his friend had not been seen in
Melbourne for a long time, and had not taken his passage for England.

He then told his story to a mutual acquaintance, who agreed to return
with him and endeavour to discover what was wrong before taking steps.
Together they journeyed back, and on coming within sight of the stock
yard there was Jones sitting on the rail in his previous position, and,
as before, jumped down and ran into the bush.

Smith and his companion now made an extensive examination of the
locality, but were unable to discover anything to assist them. They then
proceeded to the hut as if they had just arrived from Melbourne, and
without mentioning that they had seen his master, got into general
conversation with the hutkeeper, but failed to elicit anything beyond
what he had previously stated, adding only that he did not expect his
employer's return for five or six months.

They remained at the station that night and left early in the morning,
apparently for Smith's homestead, but when they had ridden out of sight
of the hut they wheeled and returned to Melbourne by another route.

The idea that occupied their minds at this point was that Jones was
insane, probably led thereto by his lonely life; that he was wandering
about in the bush in the neighbourhood of the hut, which he continued to
visit, as they had seen, and that he had, with a madman's acuteness,
purposely misled the hutkeeper about his going to England. Smith and his
companion feared to mention their suspicions to the hutkeeper, believing
that he would not remain alone on the station if he thought that a
maniac was about. Seeing Jones a second time, apparently in his usual
health, had divested their minds of any suspicion that the hutkeeper had
deceived them, or was in any way responsible, and the real facts as they
subsequently turned out had not presented themselves to their minds.

They decided now to place the matter in the hands of the police. There
were at that time (and no doubt still are) retained under the Australian
police force a number of native trackers, called the "Black Police."
These men were a species of human bloodh