ps on the face of the
boundless ocean to collide, or two buggies on a plain to run into one
another, or a single horseman to get into difficulties through the one
rabbit burrow in an area of twenty square miles of country, Gleeson,
following his nose in the single-hearted desire to escape from honest
associations, ran upon the temporary camp of Barber, and so became
re-united with Tap. A rogue admires the rogue who can cheat him, and
Gleeson fraternized with his old comrade and Barber at once.

Subsequent investigation revealed the fact that there really was gold in
Ripple Creek, and with that resource which, more than necessity, is the
mother of invention, communications were opened up with Walker, and the
plan laid for the relieving of the successful miners of their stores of
gold during the season of holiday and festivity. Learning the way Peters
and his companions had gone, Barber had tracked them over the creek to
the scrub, and had watched them, from a safe cover, as they worked the
payable dirt. In order to include their winnings in the general haul it
was intended to make, Walker was deputed to proceed to their camp, after
the men had left Ripple Creek, and stay with them until, by fair means
or foul, he had either induced them to proceed to Birralong and into the
trap, or had succeeded in carrying off their gold single-handed. The
latter was more than he could accomplish, so he had to stay with them
and induce them to join in the festivities at the Rest, a proceeding
which gave Gleeson time to use his skill in transferring a good deal of
the gold from the miners to himself before the arrival of Palmer Billy
and his mates--an incident he had neither the desire nor the intention
to witness.

With that perversity which sometimes afflicts the issues of deep-laid
schemes, the end of the drift on the creek by the scrub was reached
several days sooner than was expected, and when the labour of an entire
morning resulted in nothing, Palmer Billy grew impatient, and said it
was a visitation upon them for working in the holiday season. He told
the others they could stay, if they liked, but he was off to give the
festivities at Birralong the benefit of his vocal art. Peters and Tony
fell in with the proposal, and started off without giving Walker time to
get ahead of them and warn Gleeson to keep out of sight.

They happened to come out about sunset upon the Birralong road near
Marmot's store at a moment when some of the