e, however, till Joseph, and Bob, and Tom Wells
returned, He learned from Sarah where Mat and Sam were to be found. He
begged his sisters who were well accustomed to find their way across the
country, to ride home and to send three of their men, well armed, to
help drive away the blacks, while he went to warn Mat and Sam, and to
get them to come home. Meantime Sarah got ready some food for poor
Troloo. Every now and then she went to the door, or sent Sally to see
if Joseph or Tom were coming with the children.

At last noon came, and soon after Tom appeared, but he had found no
traces of the lost ones. The poor mother's heart sank within her. Tom
rather laughed at the notion of the blacks daring to attack the station,
and said that they would get more than they expected if they came. Mr
Harlow and Mat and Bob now arrived, and Sam also returned. He was very
downcast at not having found his little brother and sisters.

"Now lads, the best thing you can do is to gallop off to Mr Ramsay, to
get his help," said Mr Harlow to Sam and Bob. "It is better to be too
strong than too weak; and I hope that the blacks, when they find that we
are ready for them, will take themselves off again."

The lads went off as hard as they could go, Sam catching a fresh horse
for the ride.

Mr Harlow, with Tom and Mat, helped by Sarah and Sally, set to work to
prepare for the attack of the natives. They fastened up the windows,
just leaving room for the barrels of their rifles to pass through; then
they got up a number of the stakes from the cattle pens and put up a
strong paling in front of each of the doors. This done, they put up a
strong paling, or palisade in front of the hut, and began to carry it
all round, so that none of the natives could get near enough to fire the
hut, without a good chance of being shot. This took some time, and the
day was drawing to a close before Joseph himself was seen riding
homewards. He brought none of his young ones with him. The meeting
between him and his wife was very sad. All he could say was, "God's
will be done! We will start away to-morrow again, and they cannot have
got far from home." He was much astonished at the preparations made for
the expected attack of the natives, and thanked Mr Harlow warmly for
what he had done.

"Why, Rudge, I could not leave your wife and daughters without you, but
now that you have returned I must set off to look after my sister-kind.
I did not half li