d worsted socks and at one
protruding toe; he was not sure whether he had gone to bed for the
second time in these or in his boots. Certainly he had missed the latter
on his second awakening, but had not deemed it expedient to make
inquiries. And now he merely observed that he wondered where he could
have left them.

"On your feet," said Stingaree. "My mate has made so bold as to borrow
them for the day."

"He's welcome to them, I'm sure," said Vanheimert with a sickly smile.

"I was sure you would say so," rejoined Stingaree. "His own are reduced
to uppers and half a heel apiece, but he hopes to get them soled in
Ivanhoe while he waits."

"So he's gone to Ivanhoe, has he?"

"He's been gone three hours."

"Surely it's a long trip?"

"Yes; we shall have to make the most of each other till sundown," said
Stingaree, gazing through his glass upon Vanheimert's perplexity. "If I
were you I should take my revenge by shaking anything of his that I
could find for the day."

And with a cavalier nod, to clinch the last word on the subject, the
bushranger gave himself over to his camp-chair, his pipe, and his
inexhaustible _Australasian_. As for Vanheimert, he eventually returned
to the tent in which he had spent the night; and there he remained a
good many minutes, though it was now the forenoon, and the heat under
canvas past endurance. But when at length he emerged, as from a bath,
Stingaree, seated behind his _Australasian_ in the lee of the other
tent, took so little notice of him that Vanheimert crept back to have
one more look at the thing which he had found in the old valise which
served Howie for a pillow. And the thing was a very workmanlike
revolver, with a heavy cartridge in each of its six chambers.

Vanheimert handled it with trembling fingers, and packed it afresh in
the pocket where it least affected his personal contour, its angles
softened by a big bandanna handkerchief, only to take it out yet again
with a resolution that opened a fresh sluice in every pore. The blanket
that had been lent to him, and Howie's blanket, both lay at his feet; he
threw one over either arm, and with the revolver thus effectually
concealed, but grasped for action with finger on trigger, sallied forth
at last.

Stingaree was still seated in the narrowing shade of his own tent.
Vanheimert was within five paces of him before he looked up so very
quickly, with such a rapid adjustment of the terrible eye-glass, that
Vanheimert