ll my money with me, it
would all have been lost."

The three adventurers looked at each other soberly. The ill fortune of
their new acquaintance did not augur very well for their good fortune.

"Then you had bad luck," said Harry inquiringly.

"On the contrary I had good luck," replied the stranger.

"Good luck!" repeated Harry in surprise. "Then how----"

"How did I come into this plight? That is what you were about to ask?"

"Yes."

"You will soon learn. On reaching this country I was in doubt whether to
go to Ballarat or Bendigo, but finally decided upon the latter."

"We are bound for Bendigo," said Jack.

"So I inferred. Ballarat is in a different direction. Very well, I
reached Bendigo three months since. For a time I was unlucky. I found
next to no gold, and the prices of living used up about all the money I
had left after the expense of getting there. Just when I was on the
point of giving up in despair my luck turned. I made a strike, and
during the next six weeks I unearthed gold to the value of a thousand
pounds."

"That certainly wasn't bad luck."

"It was extraordinarily good luck, and naturally drew the attention of
the rest of the camp. This was unfortunate, for in such a settlement, as
may well be supposed, there are many reckless adventurers, ex-convicts,
and men utterly destitute of principle."

"Then you were robbed at the camp?"

"Not then nor there. I took the precaution to send the greater part of
my money to Melbourne by experts. Destitute and lost, I have six hundred
pounds in Melbourne awaiting my arrival, but for all that, I should
probably have starved to death but for my opportune meeting with you."

"Come, then, you've got something to live for, after all," said Obed.

"Yes, you are right. Let me once get to Melbourne and I am all right. I
shall buy a passage ticket to Liverpool, and carry with me the balance
of my money. With all that I have lost I shall go home richer than I
came."

"But how did you lose your money?" asked Jack, who was eager to have his
curiosity gratified.

"When I got ready to leave the gold-fields, there was no party which I
could join. I did not like to go alone. In this emergency a man who had
been working an adjoining claim offered to go with me. He professed to
have been fortunate, and to be ready to go back to the city. I saw no
reason to distrust him, and accepted his proposal. We bought each a
horse, made other preparations, and set out tog