hin wisps of
light blue smoke floated lazily upwards. Round the fire the men lay in
slumber. Four had inverted saddles as pillows, and one or two had a
rolled-up coat for the same purpose; but the majority lay flat on the
ground, wrapped loosely in their blankets, some face downwards with
their heads on their folded arms, some on their backs with their hats
pulled over the face, and others on their sides facing the red glow of
the fire which lit up their features. Scattered around lay the
impedimenta of their swags, their billy-cans and mining tools, in the
unconcerned confusion that showed how little each one suspected his
neighbour's honesty. On a sapling near the creek hung the bridles which
Gleeson and his companions had taken from their horses, and Barber
pointed to them.

"Come on," he whispered, and led the way through the bush, skirting the
range of the glow, till they came to the open track, on the other side
of which was the sapling and the bridles.

Telling his companion to wait where he was, Barber crept over to the
sapling and removed the bridles noiselessly, returning with them to Tap.

"The tracks of the horses lead up the creek," he said. "There are four
bridles. Hurry along with the swags after me."

He turned away in the direction he had indicated, and walked quickly
into the shadow of the bush, while Tap, hampered by his double load,
moved more slowly along the course of the creek. In about a quarter of
an hour he came upon Barber standing with the four horses, bridled and
without hobbles. The swags were swung over the back of one, which
Barber, mounted on another, led, while Tap took charge of the other two.
They then made their way slowly through the bush until the grey dawn
appeared, when they turned in the direction of the track along which the
miners of Boulder Creek were marching to the newly found El Dorado. They
came upon it at a point where no one was in sight, but had not ridden
half a mile before they saw a straggling mob of men, with swags and
mining tools, toiling along. As the parties met, the miners crowded
round the two with questions as to whether they had come from the field,
whether many men were there, and what the prospects were. For answer
Barber slapped the canvas belt he wore round his waist.

"Nuggets, none less than four ounces," he cried. "There's men in
hundreds along the track, but the field will hold 'em all and hundreds
more. We're riding down for stores. Shove alon