Moran was a dark, thin, wiry-looking native chap, with a big beard, and a nasty beady black eye like a snake’s. He was a wonder. ful man outside of a horse, and as active as a cat, besides being a deal stronger than anyone would have taken him to be. He had a drawling way of talking, and was one of those fellows that liked a bit of cruelty when he had the chance. I believe he’d rather shoot anyone than not, and when he was worked up he was more like a devil than a man. Pat Burke was a broad-shouldered, fair-complexioned fellow, most like an Englishman, though he was a native too. He’d had a small station once, and might have done well (I was going to say) if he’d had sense enough to go straight. What rot it all is! Couldn’t we all have done well, if the devils of idleness and easy-earned money and false pride had let us alone?

Father said his bargain with these chaps was that he should send down to them when anything was up that more men was wanted for, and they was always to meet him at a certain place. He said they’d be satisfied with a share of whatever the amount was, and that they’d never want to be shown the Hollow or to come anigh it. They had homes and places of their own, and didn’t want to be known more than could be helped. Besides this, if anything turned up that was real first chop, they could always find two or three more young fellows that would stand a flutter, and disappear when the job was done. This was worth thinking over, he said, because there weren’t quite enough of us for some things, and we could keep these other chaps employed at outside work.

There was something in this, of course, and dad was generally near the mark, there or thereabouts, so we let things drift. One thing was that these chaps could often lay their hands upon a goodish lot of horses or cattle; and if they delivered them to any two of us twenty miles from the Hollow, they could be popped in there, and neither they or anyone else the wiser. You see father didn’t mind taking a hand in the bush-ranging racket, but his heart was with the cattle and horse-duffing that he’d been used to so long, and he couldn’t quite give it up. It’s my belief he’d have sooner made a ten-pound note by an unbranded colt or a mob of fat cattle than five times as much in any other way. Every man to his taste, they say.