e other side the horses plunged into grass as high as their
flanks--a flat, uninteresting tract of land, bare of trees except
where here and there a single palm tree arose. But beyond that the
ground rose suddenly from the banks of this bend of the river. On
the summit of a high bank, luxuriantly surrounded by tropical
foliage of all sorts, was Bob Cochrane's home.

It was a relief to Mr. Orban to find only Mr. Cochrane on the lower
veranda. He was a short, broad, sandy-haired man with a rough
appearance, and as kind a heart as could be found in the colony,
which is saying a great deal.

"Good-evening, Cochrane," said Mr. Orban casually, as he reined in
his horse. "Is Bob at home?"

Eustace listened for the answer with a thumping heart, and he saw a
slight look of surprise flit across Mr. Cochrane's face as he
replied slowly,--

"Bob? No. I thought he was over at your place. He hasn't turned up
here to-day."

"Well, he was with us," Mr. Orban said, trying hard to keep up the
careless tone, "but he started off this morning--I thought for
home."

"Not he," said Mr. Cochrane; "at least he hasn't arrived. Perhaps
he had to come round by somewhere else--Gairloch or one of those
places. Come in, won't you, and wait for him, if you want to see
him."

"Afraid I can't do that," Mr. Orban said, speaking low so that only
Mr. Cochrane, now by his horse's head, should hear. "Fact is, I'm
rather worried. Bob's horse went lame, and he borrowed one of mine.
He should have been here at about nine, but the horse--this one
Eustace is on--appeared back at my place an hour ago."

Mr. Cochrane stared blankly.

"Without Bob?" he questioned in a dazed way.

"Yes. Don't say anything about it to your wife--it might frighten
her unnecessarily," Mr. Orban said. "He may have gone round by
Gairloch, and the beast ran away from there. We can just say I came
over on business, and then you had better come right off with me to
see if Bob is all right."

"I'll do that," said the Scotsman, and hurried off to get his
horse.

"Now look here, Eustace," Mr. Orban said, "I'm going to leave you
here for to-night, whatever happens. Mother would not thank me for
bringing you through that mangrove swamp and risking fever. But
you'll have to keep a quiet tongue in your head and say nothing
about Bob's leaving our house to-day. If you say nothing, Mrs.
Cochrane and Trix will only fancy he is staying with us."

"O father," Eustace said pleadingly,