ber me, and take care of me?" grumbled Mr. Brown.

"I will," promptly responded our host.

"Then I suppose that I must stay here all night, and make a fool of
myself by running my head into danger, as I have done fifty times
before, and get no thanks for it--hullo! what was that?"

Before Mr. Brown spoke, Kala had glided to the side of Mr. Wright, and
called his attention, in a quiet manner, to a crashing of brunches that
he had heard on the other side of the river. Our host was too busy
listening to the ravings of Mr. Brown to pay attention to him at that
moment, and the native knew the disposition of his master too well to be
imperative, so Kala didn't have the honor of alarming our squad, or
calling attention to what was going on on the other side.

In an instant after Mr. Brown's exclamation, there was a breathless
silence, and not a man moved to the right or left.

"They come," whispered Kala.

He was correct in his supposition, for in a few minutes we could hear
the party we were in pursuit of halt at the edge of the brook, opposite
to us, and discuss the prospect of attempting to ford, high as the water
was.

We quietly retreated behind trees and bushes, so that the lightning
should not reveal our presence to the enemy, but we were no sooner
secreted than we were rewarded by getting a view of the four
bushrangers, who were holding horses, on which were mounted the two
females, whose capture had so excited our sympathy.

"D----n it, Bill," I heard one of the fellows exclaim, for the creek was
not more than four yards across, "didn't I tell you that we couldn't
ford here to-night with the hosses? If we had come the other way twould
been all right."

"Yes, and run our heads flat agin that d----d Wright, who is always on
the lookout, with his tribe of cussed Irishmen, ready to fight or drink
bad whiskey," grumbled the man whom they had called Bill.

"Do ye hear him reflecting on me country?" whispered Mike, grasping his
long spear, as though he would like to encounter the libellers of his
countrymen without a moment's delay.

"Be quiet," ordered Mr. Wright, "and let us hear what the villains talk
about."

"If it hadn't been for these 'ere wimin, we might have been out of this
fix," cried the first speaker, still grumbling.

"Well, what could we do with 'em, 'cept bring 'em along?" asked Bill.

"Do with em?" cried the ruffian, with a bitter oath, "why, draw our
knives across their throats, and let 'em