A minute or two later Nic knew why, for there was a flash of light from
amongst the trees, and soon after he had thrown himself from his horse's
back, and was upon his chest in the shade, drinking draughts that seemed
to quench the fire in his throat, bathing his face, and listening to the
gentle, sucking noise made by the horse where it stood knee deep, and to
the barking and splashing of the two dogs as they revelled in the
refreshing coolness of the great water-hole.

Nearly half an hour passed before Nic resumed his place in the saddle;
the horse broke into a canter at once, the dogs ran barking by his side,
and, refreshed and clear of vision, it seemed now that the notch in the
blue mountains was not quite so far away, while, in spite of the heat,
the country on all sides was growing as beautiful as it had seemed at
his early start.

On still, but no sign of the station. The ground had ceased to be so
level, there was hardly any track, and their course was among clumps of
trees, rocks, and rugged hillocks, and there were times when the view
was cut off by their descent into some deep gully.

But his father had said that if he kept straight for the notch he would
be sure to see the house--the only one; and no house was in view. He
must be near it now: was it still in existence? or had some horrible
catastrophe befallen it?

The heat was growing insufferable again and the giddiness returning: he
could not go much farther. He had been trusting the horse too much: it
had evidently brought him astray far down in that suffocating gully,--
the growth was different. He was riding amongst ferns--ferns like those
he saw at home, and ferns that spread green lacework fronds right
overhead. He must be dreaming again and going to fall from his horse,
which was ascending the rapid slope the farther side of the gully. They
were soon at the top, and the breeze came pure and sweet again; and a
wild cry of exultation burst from the boy's parched throat, for, not a
mile away, standing high upon the slope beyond another gully, there was
a long, low, white house, with a cluster of wooden buildings near.
Beyond it a rising ground was dotted with sheep; there were cattle, too,
farther away, and, as in response to his cry, the dogs burst out into a
loud barking, Nic pressed his horse's sides, the spirited animal
breaking into a swift gallop and racing on.

For there was no sign of fire or smoke: a glorious picture of a bright