eless hands almost refused to form the irregular scrawl. Still
he persevered--till evening. Then a burning thirst assailed him, and he
looked eagerly round for water, but there was none in view. His eyes
lighted up, however, as he listened, for the soft tinkling of a tiny
rill filled his ear.

With a desperate effort he got upon his hands and knees, and crept in
the direction whence the sound came. He found the rill in a few
moments, and, falling on his breast, drank with feelings of intense
gratitude in his heart. When satisfied he rose to his knees again and
tried to return to his tree, but even while making the effort he sank
slowly on his breast, pillowed his head on the wet green moss, and fell
into a profound slumber.

CHAPTER NINE.

We left Fred hastening through the forest to the help of his friends at
Bevan's Gully.

At first, after parting from his comrade, he looked back often and
anxiously, in the hope that Tom might find out his mistake and return to
him; but as mile after mile was placed between them, he felt that this
hope was vain, and turned all his energies of mind and body to the task
that lay before him. This was to outwalk Stalker's party of bandits and
give timely warning to the Bevans; for, although Flinders's hints had
been vague enough, he readily guessed that the threatened danger was the
descent of the robbers on their little homestead, and it naturally
occurred to his mind that this was probably the same party which had
made the previous attack, especially as he had observed several Indians
among them.

Young, sanguine, strong, and active, Fred, to use a not inapt phrase,
devoured the ground with his legs! Sometimes he ran, at other times he
walked, but more frequently he went along at an easy trot, which,
although it looked slower than quick walking, was in reality much
faster, besides being better suited to the rough ground he had to
traverse.

Night came at last but night could not have arrested him if it had not
been intensely dark. This, however, did not trouble him much, for he
knew that the same cause would arrest the progress of his foes, and
besides, the moon would rise in an hour. He therefore flung himself on
the ground for a short rest, and fell asleep, while praying that God
would not suffer him to sleep too long.

His prayer was answered, for he awoke with a start an hour afterwards,
just as the first pale light of the not quite risen moon began to tinge
t