“My word, Dick,” said Jim one day, as we were walking along and leading our horses, “we could find a place here if we were hard pushed near as good for hiding in as the Hollow. Look at that bit of tableland that runs up towards Black Mountain, any man that could find a track up to it might live there for a year and all the police of the country be after him.”

“What would he get to eat if he was there?”

“That long chap we stayed with at Wargulmerang told us that there were wild cattle on all those tablelands. Often they get snowed up in winter and die, making a circle in the snow. There’s fish in all the creeks, besides the old Snowy, and there are places on the south side of him that people don’t see once in five years. I believe I shall make a camp for myself on the way, and live in it till they’ve forgot all about these cursed cattle. Rot their hides, I wish we’d never have set eyes on one of them.”

“So do I; but like many things in the world it’s too late—too late, Jim!”

Chapter XIV

CHAPTER XIV

One blazing hot day in the Christmas week Jim and I rode up the “gap” that led from the Southern road toward Rocky Creek and the little flat near the water where our hut stood. The horses were tired, for we’d ridden a long way, and not very slow either, to get to the old place. How small and queer the old homestead looked, and everything about it after all we had seen. The trees in the garden were in full leaf, and we could see that it was not let go to waste. Mother was sitting in the verandah sewing, pretty near the same as we went away, and a girl was walking slowly up from the creek carrying a bucket of water. It was Aileen. We knew her at once. She was always as straight as a rush, and held her head high, as she used to do; but she walked very slow and looked as if she was dull and weary of everything. All of a sudden Jim jumped off, dropped his horse’s bridle on the ground, and started to run towards her. She didn’t see him till he was pretty close; then she looked up astonished-like, and put her bucket down. She gave a sudden cry and rushed over to him; the next minute she was in his arms, sobbing as if her heart would break.