"When was it?" he asked, turning to the settler again.

"Some time yesterday afternoon--at least, I judge so. One of the
men was to have come in for supplies, and when night came and he
hadn't come in, I began to be afraid something was wrong, for I
knew that they were getting short. So this morning, at daybreak, I
rode out with the hands I have about the house. We could see
nothing of the sheep, so we rode straight to the men's hut. There,
lying some twenty yards away, was the body of one of the men,
riddled with spear holes. He had evidently been running to the hut
for shelter, when he was overtaken. I did not stop to look for the
other, for no doubt he had been killed, too."

"Well, we will do what we can for you," Reuben said. "I will be
ready in five minutes."

He ran into the house, buckled on his sword, put some cold meat and
a small bag of flour into his haversack, together with some dampers
Jim had just cooked, and then went out again. Jim had already
brought his horse round to the door. Before mounting he took the
pistols out of the holsters, and examined them carefully.

By this time the sergeant and ten men were in the saddle, and
placing himself at their head, with the settler, whose name was
Blount, he rode off at full speed; followed by his men, the two
native trackers, and Jim. Reuben soon reined his horse in.

"It will not do to push them too hard, at first. There is no saying
how far we shall have to go."

"Do you mean to follow them into their own country?" Mr. Blount
asked.

"I do," Reuben said. "I will follow them till I catch them, if I
have to go across Australia."

"That's the sort," Mr. Blount said. "I expect you will find
half-a-dozen other fellows at my station, by the time you get
there. I sent my hand off on horseback to the stations near, to
tell them what had taken place, and that I had ridden off to you,
and asking them to come round."

"How far is it?" Reuben asked.

"About forty miles."

"But your horse will never be able to do it," Reuben said.

"I got a fresh horse at a friend's, four miles from your station,
so I am all right."

"They will have more than a day's start of us," Reuben remarked
presently.

"Yes; thirty-six hours, for you will have to stop at my place
tonight. But they can't travel very fast with sheep, you know."

"No," Reuben agreed. "If they had had cattle, it would have been
useless following them; but with sheep we may come up to them,
espe