ty was suddenly cut short by a native appearing
on the top of the hill immediately behind Stobart. He had been running
and had hardly breath enough to shout the news to the men below. He
had seen Yarloo and the little mob of cattle. Most of the blacks at
once ran up the hill and looked back in the direction where he was
pointing. The native doctor and the man with the mutilated left hand
were amongst those who stayed near the fire, and Stobart felt sure that
the man whom he had saved was there on purpose to see that his rescuer
came to no harm.

After a great deal of noise and waving of arms and stamping of feet,
the party on the hill disappeared down the other side, and presently
some cattle came straggling over the top and ran down to the water-hole
for a drink. Yarloo followed, escorted by the blacks who had gone out
to meet him. He had evidently established friendly relations with his
fellow-tribesmen, for they were all laughing and talking excitedly, and
already one or two of them were adorned with articles of Yarloo's
clothing which he had given them. The much-envied recipients of these
gifts were probably relations or members of the same totem, and the
wise boy had made the most of his opportunities for showing goodwill,
for his master's sake.

Yarloo was evidently very much relieved to find Boss Stobart safe. He
went up to the drover and showed so plainly that the white man was his
honoured friend, that the other natives at once changed their attitude,
and gave every sign of favour to the man whom they had so recently
wanted to kill.

Stobart was invited to join the feast. His own tucker-packs had not
been interfered with, for the blacks had started to cut up and eat meat
as soon as the slaughter was over; so to the only item on the primitive
menu he added a few tins of jam and treacle, a bottle or two of tomato
sauce, and all the damper which was left. Afterwards, when all had
gorged themselves to their fullest capacity, he handed round small
plugs of tobacco, which the men accepted eagerly and started to chew at
once. The doctor kept aloof from these proceedings and would not touch
the white man's food or tobacco, so Stobart gave the man whom he had
rescued from death a double share, and thereby cemented a friendship
which he thought might be useful in the future.

Feasting went on into the night and did not stop till the morning star
was rising. Everybody crawled under bushes and stunted trees