aring fixedly in front; when they reached
the store he stared at Hugh as if he were the Bunyip, but said no word.
Then he unlocked the door, went in, and came out with a large knife,
with which he proceeded to murder the goat scientifically. The Chinee
meanwhile bailed up the rest of the animals, and caught and milked a
couple of "nannies," while a patriarchal old "billy" walked fragrantly
round the yard, uttering hoarse "buukhs" of defiance.

It was a truly pastoral scene, but Hugh took little interest in it. He
was engrossed with the task of getting out to the buffalo camp,
finding Considine, and making him come forward and save the family. He
approached the white, or rather red man, who cocked a suspicious eye at
him, and went on tearing the hide off the goat. Hugh noticed that his
hand trembled a good deal, and that a sort of foam gathered on his lips
as he worked.

"Good day," said Hugh.

The man glared at him, but said nothing.

"My name is Lambton," said Hugh. "I want to go out to the buffalo camp.
I want to find Tommy Prince, to see if he can go out with me. Do you
know where he is?"

The man put the blade of the butcher's knife between his teeth, and
stared again at Hugh, apparently having some difficulty in focussing
him. Then his lips moved, and he was evidently trying to frame speech.
He said, "Boo, Boo, Boo," for a few seconds; then he pulled himself
together, and said,

"Wha' you want?"

"I want to get to the buffalo camp," said Hugh. "You know Reeves's
camp."

Here a twig fell to the ground just behind the man; he gave one
blood-curdling yell, dropped the knife, and rushed past Hugh, screaming
out, "Save me! Save me! They're after me! Look at 'em; look at 'em!" His
hair stood perfectly erect with fright, and, as he ran, he glanced over
his shoulder with frightened eyes. He didn't get far. In his panic he
ran straight towards the well, banged his head against the windlass, and
went thundering down the twenty or thirty feet of shaft souse into the
water at the bottom, where he splashed and shrieked like a fiend, the
noise reverberating up the long shaft.

Hugh and the Chinaman ran to the well-top, Hugh cursing under his
breath. Every possible obstacle that could arise had arisen to block
his journey; every man that could have helped him was away, or dead, or
otherwise missing; and now, to crown all, after getting thus far, he had
apparently struck a prize lunatic, and would have to stay in that