r water long before sunset. Once a real thirst is created, it
takes more water to quench it than it does to keep the thirst away, so
they each had a drink at tea-time and felt all the better for it.

Soon after tea, Yarloo, who had gone away, came in with a bundle of
sticks. "Whatever's that for?" asked Sax. Neither of the boys had got
into the way of addressing the natives in broken English. "You're
surely not going to make a fire, are you?"

Yarloo had to think for a minute or two before he understood what the
white boy had said, and then he nodded his head. "Yah," he replied.
"Me make um fire. S'pose um bad black-fella come up."

"But how about us?" objected Vaughan. "We'll be roasted alive."

The native did not catch the meaning of this remark, but he answered
the question which Vaughan had in his mind. "By'm bye when it cool,"
Yarloo pointed to the sky, "we walk little bit."

"But Mick told us to stay here," said Vaughan again.

"Me think bad black-fella come up to-night," explained Yarloo, with
great patience. "S'pose him see um fire, him think: 'White man sleep'.
Then him creep up, spear-um, spear-um. S'pose we light fire then walk,
bad black-fella throw um spear, no good, no good at all. White man go
'way." Yarloo grinned both at the thought of the safety of the party
and of the discomfiture of the blacks.

The lads saw the force of Yarloo's argument. A big fire was lit, as if
in preparation for spending the night, and then the three men took the
precious water, a little tucker, and as few personal belongings as
possible, and set out in the direction of Sidcotinga Station, lead by
the unerring instinct of their black companion. It was well that they
did so. During the hours of moonlight, a small band of Musgrave
niggers crept round the camp and remained in hiding. But directly the
moon set, they advanced towards the dying fire, with spears poised and
boomerangs ready for instant and deadly use. What would have happened
if any hated white man had been asleep in that camp can be better
imagined than described. No one would have been left alive. But,
finding their prey had escaped, the would-be murderers vented their
rage upon the saddles and pack-bags, tore them to shreds and threw them
into the flames, and scattered into the fire as much of the provisions
as was left after they had gorged themselves. They did not attempt to
follow the three white men in the dark, and next day the little