? Anyone outside there?" said the settler in a loud voice.

"It's all right. Is the boss there? I want to speak to him," replied a
voice with no cough in it. The tone was reassuring, yet rather strained,
as if there had been an accident--or it might be a cautious policeman or
bushranger reconnoitring.

"Better see what he wants, Peter," said his sister-in-law quietly.
"Something's the matter--it may be the police."

Peter threw an empty bag over his shoulders, took the peg from the
door, opened it and stepped out. The racking fit of coughing burst forth
again, nearer. "That's a church-yarder!" commented Uncle Abe.

The settler came inside and whispered to the others, who started up,
interested. The coughing started again outside. When the fit was over
the mother said:

"Wait a minute till I get the boys out of the road and then bring them
in." The boys were bundled into the end room and told to go to bed
at once. They knelt up on the rough bed of slabs and straw mattress,
instead, and applied eyes and ears to the cracks in the partition.

The mother called to the father, who had gone outside again.

"Tell them to come inside, Peter."

"Better bring the horses into the yard first and put them under the
shed," said the father to the unknown outside in the rain and darkness.
Clatter of sliprails let down and tired hoofs over them, and sliprails
put up again; then they came in.

Wringing wet and apparently knocked up, a tall man with black curly hair
and beard, black eyes and eyebrows that made his face seem the whiter;
dressed in tweed coat, too small for him and short at the sleeves,
strapped riding-pants, leggings, and lace-up boots, all sodden. The
other a mere boy, beardless or clean shaven, figure and face of a
native, but lacking in something; dressed like his mate--like drovers
or stockmen. Arms and legs of riders, both of them; cabbage-tree hats in
left hands--as though the right ones had to be kept ready for something
(and looking like it)--pistol butts probably. The young man had a
racking cough that seemed to wrench and twist his frame as the settler
steered him to a seat on a stool by the fire. (In the intervals of
coughing he glared round like a watched and hunted sneak-thief--as if
the cough was something serious against the law, and he must try to stop
it.)

"Take that wet coat off him at once, Peter," said the settler's wife,
"and let me dry it." Then, on second thoughts: "Take this candle and
t