camp. The pace at which they had been travelling for the
last few miles made a brief rest welcome, and they trooped up to the
fire.

"It's good enough, lads; it's good enough. There's whips of it there for
all of us. Two mates passed down the road this morning for stores with a
couple of horses loaded with gold," one of the new arrivals cried.

"How many?" Peters asked.

"Two, mate--two, with four horses."

"Saddled?" Tony asked.

"No, mate, save for the swags of nuggets."

"Were the horses three bays and a grey?" Gleeson asked quickly.

"That's so. Thanks; I'll set her here," the man went on, as Tony moved
on one side for him to put his billy by the fire.

"We'll shove along," Walker said, as he and Gleeson exchanged looks.

The saddles having already been "planted" under a hollow log, the four
swung their swags over their shoulders and set off through the bush,
Gleeson and Walker keeping together in front, and Peters and Tony a few
yards behind.

They had not gone half a mile when ahead they saw two of the men who had
hastened on earlier in the day coming towards them.

"Them two chaps ain't got your horses," one of them called out as he
came near. "We found them having their breakfast sitting by a fire, the
ashes of which they said was hot when they got there, and alongside of
which they picked up a nugget, a good half-ounce. The boys are waiting
anxious like for you to come up and show where the dirt lies, so as to
have a go at it right off the reel, and to see if more half-ouncers are
to be picked up. Half an ounce! Why, it's more than a man could make in
a month in the holes on Boulder Creek."

Again Gleeson and Walker exchanged looks.

"Oh, there's heaps of half-ounce lumps about," Gleeson answered. "We'll
soon show you where."

They pushed on till they came to a fire, burning where it had burned
when, the night before, Barber and Tap had heard the sound of the Palmer
chorus steal through the quiet, dark bush. Round about the men were
resting, waiting for those to come up who knew the country; and as
Gleeson and his companions arrived, every one rose and picked up swags
and tools ready to march.

"Who was it found the nugget?" Gleeson asked; and one of the men stepped
forward, holding it out in his hand.

"Here it is--half an ouncer--good enough for stores for a month as we
did it on Boulder Creek, salt horse once a day and flap-jack on
Sundays," he said, with a laugh.

Gleeson and Walker l