, and made all sorts of inquiries for me. He said he'd
reason to believe as Jemmy Thomson--as the rascal called himself--was
not in Melbourne. And then he looked at my paper. `Call on me to-
morrow,' says he. And so I did. Then he says, `There's no Oliphant
here as I can find out; but there's a Mr Abraham Oliphant, a merchant,
in Adelaide. This letter's been to him; you'd better see him.' So I've
come here overland with a party; and now I must try my hand at summat or
starve, for I shall never see my money nor the villain as stole it no
more."

Mr Oliphant was truly sorry for the unfortunate man, and bade him take
heart, promising to find him employment if he was willing to stick to
his work and be sober. The man was thankful for the offer, and worked
for a few weeks, but he was still all athirst for the gold, and, as soon
as he could purchase the necessary tools, set out again for the
diggings, with an earnest caution from Mr Oliphant to keep from the
drink if he would not suffer a repetition of his loss and misery.

And thus it was that Juniper Graves had acquired his ill-gotten wealth.
Having ascertained that a party was returning to South Australia, he
joined himself to them, and got safe off with his stolen gold. As Jacob
Poole had surmised, he had made up the packet of notes with the nuggets,
that, should he happen to fall in with his master, he might be able to
pacify him, and so prepare the way for regaining his favour and his own
hold upon him. He felt quite sure, from what he knew of Frank
Oldfield's generous character, that he never would take more than the
fifty pounds, and he was aware that unless he made unhesitating
restitution of that sum, he was in danger of losing all, and of being
thrown into prison. And now he was anxious to leave the colony as soon
as possible, that he might put the sea between himself and the man he
had robbed; and, having ascertained that Frank Oldfield and Jacob Poole
were returning to England in the _Sabrina_, he took his passage in the
same vessel, partly with the view of getting his young master once more
into his power, and partly in the hope of finding an opportunity of
wreaking his vengeance on Jacob Poole. Therefore he was determined to
leave no stone unturned to regain his influence over Frank, for his
object was to use him for his own purposes both during and after the
voyage. To this end his first great aim would be to cause, if possible,
an estrangement b