that which they had travelled over since
leaving Oodnadatta: masses of scanty mulga scrub standing out dark on a
landscape of vast bare plains or rolling sand-hills. Far away, a
pale-blue silhouette against the bright north-west sky, was a range of
high mountains.

"Those are the Musgraves," said Mick, in answer to a question. "That's
where those niggers come from who speared my two horses."

"Are the niggers very wild?" asked Sax, thinking of his father.

"They're the last that really are wild in this part of the country,"
answered the drover. "The rest have either come in and made camps near
stations, or cleared right out into West Australia."

"Are there many of them?" asked Vaughan.

"Nobody really knows," replied Mick. "The Musgraves is a big slice of
country, as you can see, and it stretches back for a couple of hundred
miles north. They say there's plenty of water and game in those
mountains. Chaps used to go there after gold, but so few of them came
back that they chucked it and left the place alone. The Musgraves have
got a bad name."

Mick Darby did not know that everything he said had a very personal
application to one at least of his companions. The words of his
father's note kept ringing in Sax's ears: "In difficulties. Musgrave
Ranges. In difficulties. Musgrave Ranges," and his vivid imagination
filled all sorts of details into the drover's bare statements about the
dangers of the place. He noticed Yarloo looking intently at the
distant peaks, and when he caught the boy's eye, a significant glance
passed between them. They were both thinking of the lonely white man.

But imaginary dangers soon gave place to present interests. The saddle
of the hills where they were camped was the eastern boundary of
Sidcotinga Station, the run on which Mick was going to take up the
duties of head stockman, and the boys were keen to note every landmark
which he pointed out.

"How big is it, Mick?" asked Vaughan.

"Between six and seven thousand square miles."

"Miles! You mean acres, don't you, Mick?"

"Acres be blowed! No, miles. This isn't a cocky farmer's cow-paddock."

The extent of country amazed the boys. They were standing on a pretty
high hill and could see over a vast scope of country, but Mick told
them that a certain landmark near the head station was not even in
sight, and that the run stretched on beyond that again for miles and
miles.

"But how ever do you know when you've go