t was hushed up, as you'll see
presently; but, anyway, the jackaroos swore that Bogan had done 'em
out of ten quid. They were both Cockneys and I suppose they reckoned
themselves smart, but bushmen have more time to think. Besides, Bogan's
one eye was in his favour. You see he always kept his one eye fixed
strictly on whatever business he had in hand; if he'd had another eye to
rove round and distract his attention and look at things on the outside,
the chances are he would never have got into trouble."

"Never mind that, Jack," said Tom Hall. "Harry wants to hear the yarn."

"Well, to make it short, one of the jackaroos went to the police and
Bogan cleared out. His character was pretty bad just then, so there was
a piece of blue paper out for him. Bogan didn't seem to think the thing
was so serious as it was, for he only went a few miles down the river
and camped with his horses on a sort of island inside an anabranch, till
the thing should blow over or the new chums leave Bourke.

"Bogan's old enemy, Constable Campbell, got wind of Bogan's camp, and
started out after him. He rode round the outside track and came in on to
the river just below where the anabranch joins it, at the lower end
of the island and right opposite Bogan's camp. You know what those
billabongs are: dry gullies till the river rises from the Queensland
rains and backs them up till the water runs round into the river again
and makes anabranches of 'em--places that you thought were hollows
you'll find above water, and you can row over places you thought were
hills. There's no water so treacherous and deceitful as you'll find in
some of those billabongs. A man starts to ride across a place where
he thinks the water is just over the grass, and blunders into a deep
channel--that wasn't there before--with a steady undercurrent with the
whole weight of the Darling River funnelled into it; and if he can't
swim and his horse isn't used to it--or sometimes if he can swim--it's a
case with him, and the Darling River cod hold an inquest on him, if they
have time, before he's buried deep in Darling River mud for ever. And
somebody advertises in the missing column for Jack Somebody who was last
heard of in Australia."

"Never mind that, Mitchell, go on," I said.

"Well, Campbell knew the river and saw that there was a stiff current
there, so he hailed Bogan.

"'Good day, Campbell,' shouted Bogan.

"`I want you, Bogan,' said Campbell. `Come across and bring