ll not hurt you more than I can help, but I must find where
you are injured."

"Oh!" groaned the man again.

"Come, your leg's not broken. Yes, no doubt it hurts you, but it's only
a sprain. Keep up your spirits. You are not going to die this time."

"But I am hurt all over, sir. The bullocks trampled me: came all in a
rush."

"But how came you here, mate?" asked Dan, pausing from his busy task of
slashing away at the undergrowth with the big sheath knife which he used
for skinning and cutting up.

"I dunno, mate. It all seems like a dream."

"Like a dream?" said Mark, as he recalled his own awakening.

"Yes, Mr Mark, sir. I was sitting on the watch there with my rifle
across my knees, wondering how long it would be before daybreak, when
all at once there was a big lion as had come up without a sound, looking
straight at me."

"Could you see him, mate?" asked Buck.

"Only his eyes."

"Why didn't you fire?"

"Fire? Oh, I was too much skeart. I'll tell the truth about it. I was
so frightened that I jumped up and ran, not knowing where I was going,
for ever so far, and then I found by the trampling and bellowing that it
was right into the way of the bullocks. Then before I knew where I was
they knocked me down and the whole drove had gone over me, and when I
got my senses again I crawled on here in the dark, and I suppose I
swoonded away. That's all I know. Am I very bad, doctor?"

"A man can't be trampled on by a drove of bullocks without being a good
deal hurt," said the doctor. "We must carry him somehow to the waggons,
or better still bring one of them past here. What do you think, Denham?
Do you think you could inspan some of the bullocks and drag one of the
waggons here?"

"Oh, yes, sir, I daresay we can get together enough for that. I'll go
back and see."

"Yes, do, my man," said Sir James. "I will stay with the doctor, and
with your help, Bacon, we will see what we can do."

"That's right, sir," said Buck Denham. "Perhaps you two young gents
wouldn't mind coming with me?"

"I--" began Mark, and he stopped short, for the man gave him a peculiar
look. "Yes, Buck, I'll come," he said, "and Dean will come too."

They started off, and the big driver said, loudly enough for those they
were leaving to hear, "Thank you, gentlemen; I daresay you two will be
able to help me a bit."

They started off together on the back trail, Buck Denham pointing out
how they had trampled down the h