"He'll play us some dog's trick, that old fellow," said Charlie. "I
can't wait here looking for him, though. I'll find him when I want
him if he's above ground. Now let's go on. Can't keep the coach
waiting for ever while we unearth him. Let's get aboard."
Just as the coach was about to start a drover came out of the bar
of the hotel, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He stared
vacantly about him, first up the street and then down, looked hard
at a post in front of the hotel, then stared up and down the street
again. At last he walked over, and, addressing the passengers in
a body, said, "Did any of you's see e'er a horse anywheres? I left
my prad here, and he's gorn."
A bystander, languidly cutting up a pipeful of tobacco, jerked his
elbow down the road.
"That old bloke took 'im," he said. "Old bloke that come in the
coach. While yous was all talking in the pub, he sneaks out here
and nabs that 'orse, and away like a rabbit. See that dust on the
plain? That's 'im."
The drover looked helplessly out over the stretch of plain. He
seemed quite incapable of grappling with the problem.
"Took my horse, did he? Well, I'm blowed! By Cripes!"
He had another good stare over the plain, and back at the party.
"My oath!" he added.
Then the natural stoicism of the bushman came to his aid, and he
said, in a resigned tone, "Oh, well, anyways, I s'pose--s'pose he must have been in a hurry
to go somewheres. I s'pose he'll fetch him back some time or other."
Gordon leant down from the box of the coach.
"You tell him," he said, "when he does fetch him back, that if
I'd had a rifle, and had seen him sneaking off like that he'd have
wanted an ambulance before he got much farther. Tell him I'll find
him if I have to hunt him to death. Tell him that, will you?"
"All right, Mister!" said the drover, obligingly, "I'll tell him!"
The horses plunged into their collars; off went the coach into long
stretches of dusty road, with the fat red lady inside, and our two
friends outside. And in course of time they found themselves once
more in Sydney, where they took the earliest opportunity to call
on Pinnock, and hold a council of war against Peggy.