leader of bandits, and died a violent death, while
setting at defiance the laws of his country.

Fred and myself lingered behind, and suffered the rest of the party to
reach the hut in advance of us; and while we sauntered leisurely along,
I confided to him the confession of Gulpin, and asked his opinion
regarding the means to be employed to discover the dust.

"I think the man was honest," Fred said, after a pause, "when he made
the confession; in fact, the gang must have gold dust buried somewhere,
for it is notorious that two escorts have been plundered by bushrangers
within three months. The robbers have not been able to go into town to
squander their money; they buy nothing, because they take every thing by
force, and therefore it is very evident to me that the treasure which
they have stolen must be in the ground; but the question is, to find the
spot."

I repeated the last words the robber had uttered,--

"Ten paces in a south--"

"He may have meant south-east, south-west, or even south; there are a
dozen points of the compass governed by south, and the only way we can
solve the mystery is to visit the spot, and trust to our tact in finding
earth recently disturbed. If there is money within the radius of ten
paces from that hut, we'll find it, unless some one gets there before
us."

"And Smith," I asked, "we shall want his services."

"Of course, and a better man we could not have to accompany us. His team
will not only carry all the tools that we shall need to work with, but
provisions sufficient to last us a month, if we think it will pay to
spend that length of time in the search. We must have Smith as a
companion, by all means."

"Let us promise him a share, if successful, and if we fail, nothing," I
said; "he is too stout a friend to be offended, and his knowledge of the
country can be turned to a profitable account."

"We must hurry Murden," Fred remarked, "and get him to use more
expedition, or we shall not reach the city for a week. Time is precious
to us, until we find the buried treasure."

"But, remember," I whispered, as Murden came out of the hut to meet us,
"do not lisp a word of this to him."

"You appear earnest, gentlemen," said Murden, as he joined us; "pray,
what perplexes your minds now?"

"We were conversing on the subject of making a forced march to
Melbourne," Fred replied, gravely.

"And why need that trouble you?" the officer inquired.

"It does not trouble us much, but