myself as much as any
thing--I rather think that you are the young gentleman that ran through
the Bush at night to Manchester Dan's hut, when his wife was bailed up
by the Blacks, and shot one-eyed Jackey, in spite of the Governor's
proclamation."

"You seem to know me," I answered; "pray, may I ask who you are, if it
is a fair question, for I can not remember ever having seen you before."

"Oh, they call me 'Two-handed Dick,' in this country."

The scene in the roadside inn flashed on my recollection. Before I could
say another word, a sharp turn round the shoulder of the range we were
traversing, brought us in sight of the fire of a shepherd's hut. The
dogs ran out barking; we hallooed and cracked our whips, and the
hut-keeper came to meet us with a fire-stick in his hand.

"Lord bless my heart and soul! Dick, is that thee at last? Well, I
thought thee were't never coming;" cried the hut-keeper, a little man,
who came limping forward very fast with the help of a crutch-handled
stick. "I say, Missis, Missis, here's Dick, here's Two-handed Dick."

This was uttered in a shrill, hysterical sort of scream. Out came
"Missis" at the top of her speed, and began hugging Dick as he was
getting off his horse, her arms reached a little above his waist,
laughing and crying, both at the same time, while her husband kept fast
hold of the stockman's hand, muttering, "Lord, Dick I'm so glad to see
thee." Meanwhile, the dogs barking, and a flock of weaned lambs just
penned, ba'aing, made such a riot, that I was fairly bewildered. So,
feeling myself one too many, I slipped away, leading off both the horses
to the other side of the hut, where I found a shepherd, who showed me a
grass paddock to feed the nags a bit before turning them out for the
night. I said to him, "What _is_ the meaning of all this going on
between your mate and his wife, and the big stockman?"

"The meaning, stranger: why, that's Two-handed Dick, and my mate is
little Jemmy that he saved, and Charley Anvils at the same time, when
the blacks slaughtered the rest of the party, near on a dozen of them."

On returning, I found supper smoking on the table, and we had made a
regular "bush" meal. The stockman then told my adventure, and, when they
had exchanged all the news, I had little difficulty in getting the
hut-keeper to the point I wanted; the great difficulty lay in preventing
man and wife from telling the same story at the same time. However, by
judicious m