rap on the head will keep him quiet
till the men of the camp find him."

"Troth, I'm not so sure o' that, sor. The rap was a stiff wan, no
doubt, but men like that are not aisy to kill. Besides, won't the boys
o' the camp purshoo them, which'll be spur enough, an' if they finds us
here, it'll matter little whether we fall into the hands o' diggers or
robbers. So ye'll make haste av ye take my advice."

They made haste accordingly, and soon after left; and well was it that
they did so, for, little more than an hour later, Stalker--his face
covered with blood and his head bandaged--galloped up at the head of the
mounted men of his party.

"We'll camp here for an hour or two," he said sharply, leaping from his
horse, which he proceeded to unsaddle. "Hallo! somebody's bin here
before us. Their fire ain't cold yet. Well, it don't matter. Get the
grub ready, boys, an' boil the kettle. My head is all but split. If
ever I have the luck to come across that Irish blackguard Brixton
I'll--"

He finished the sentence with a deep growl and a grind of his teeth.

About daybreak the marauders set out again, and it chanced that the
direction they took was the same as that taken by Fred Westly and his
comrades. These latter had made up their minds to try their fortune at
a recently discovered goldfield, which was well reported of, though the
yield had not been sufficient to cause a "rush" to the place. It was
about three days' journey on horseback from the Red Man's Teacup, and
was named Simpson's Gully, after the man who discovered it.

The robbers' route lay, as we have said, in the same direction, but only
for part of the way, for Simpson's Gully was not their ultimate
destination. They happened to be better mounted than the fugitives, and
travelled faster. Thus it came to pass that on the second evening, they
arrived somewhat late at the camping-place where Fred and his friends
were spending the night.

These latter had encamped earlier that evening. Supper was over, pipes
were out and they were sound asleep when the robber band rode up.

Flinders was first to observe their approach. He awoke his comrades
roughly.

"Och! the blackguards have got howld of us. Be aisy, Muster Brixton.
No use fightin'. Howld yer tongues, now, an' let _me_ spake. Yer not
half liars enough for the occasion, aither of ye."

This compliment had barely been paid when they were surrounded and
ordered to rise and give an account