ppeared a little
brown stain. It caught the eye because the horizon had no cloud on it
or anything to break the clear line except that patch of brown.

Sax was idly watching it, wondering what in the world he could do to
help his father, when the cloud seemed to get bigger and clearer.
"Look, Boof," he said. "D'you see that thing over there? It looks
like a cloud, but it's brown."

He pointed it out to his friend and they watched it together. It was
certainly getting bigger. "Looks like dust," said Vaughan.

"But whatever could be kicking up all that dust?" asked Sax. "It's
coming this way. Look, it's covering those trees over there now."

The cloud of dust got bigger and of a more distinct brown. Objects
such as trees, which at one time stood out in front of it, were hidden
one after another, till it spread out like heavy brown smoke from a
damp fire. The air was very clear and still. All at once Sax gripped
his friend's arm. He had heard a sound--a sound which was like his own
native tongue to the drover's son--the crack of a stock-whip.

"I'm sure I heard a whip," he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm dead sure I
did. Hark!"

Both boys sprang to their feet and listened intently. From out that
advancing mass of brown dust sounds could be heard. At first they were
just a confused murmur, a sort of deep grumbling very far away; but now
and again came a sharper sound, half like the crack of a pistol and
half like two flat boards being banged together.

"Yes. I'm sure of it. I'm sure of it. It's whips. I bet you it's
whips. And that dust is kicked up by cattle. I _know_ it is. Oh,
Boofy, Boofy! P'raps it's my father."

"Let's go and meet him," suggested Vaughan, and the boy would have
started out right away to meet the cattle if his friend had not
prevented him. Sax had never seen a mob of bush cattle, at least not
that he could remember, though his father had often carried him on the
pommel of his saddle when he was a tiny baby. But he knew
instinctively that it would be dangerous to face wild cattle on foot.

"Let's wait and see what happens," he said. "They won't be long."

The noise had now increased to the continuous rumbling bellow of a
great mob of restless cattle. Already the shouts of men could be
heard, and the cracks of whips came very sharp and clear. Dim forms
could be seen for a moment now and again on the outskirts of the cloud
of dust, as mounted men wheeled here and there and