estimation."

"I'm with you there, Abel," Jack said. "But even that's no reason why we
shouldn't go carefully. You must remember that we don't know this part
of the State too well. That's the beauty of it, I suppose. Nobody knows
it very much."

"It'll make pursuit difficult," the other suggested. "But what I can't
understand is why the banks should send so much gold across country when
there's the railway."

"The railway, friend Cumshaw, isn't the safest route. There's just as
clever men working that as used to be working the stages. Moreover, this
cross-country route's much the quicker way of the two."

"For which we may thank the Lord," said Abel Cumshaw, with cheerful
impiety.

"Time enough to thank the Lord," the other retorted, "when we've
finished the job successfully. All the same, I wish we had a pack
horse."

"If we had brought a pack-horse," said Cumshaw, "we'd have had half the
country-side wondering what the deuce was up. Like as not they'd think
there was a new gold-strike on."

"And they wouldn't have been wrong in that," the other answered with
grim humor. "But let's get to the business of the evening, Abel. I've
got a good idea to put the pursuers off the scent, that is, if there's
any pursuit."

"Out with it, then," said Cumshaw.

The elder man reined in his horse, and, leaning over, whispered in his
companion's ear. As the tale proceeded a cheerful grin spread over
Cumshaw's face.

"That'll do fine," he said gleefully. "You almost make me wish they do
pursue us just for the fun of seeing them fall in."

"There's nothing to be gained by being foolhardy," the elder man warned
him. "Now we can't afford to waste time. Let us get to work at once."

Without more ado he led the way down through the tangle of forest and
across the open glades until they reached the narrow track that wound
like a monstrous brown ribbon through the enormous gums. At the edge of
the road they both dismounted and tethered their horses to convenient
trees. Then, stepping very gingerly, and taking extreme care not to
leave any footprints on the dusty surface of the track, they groped
about on the roadside. Presently they both returned to the horses, each
of them carrying an armful of heavy stones which they loaded carefully
into the enormous saddle-bags that dangled one on each side of the
saddle-flaps.

"That should about do it," Cumshaw remarked, when this was completed.

"I hope so," the other answered curtly