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Updated: May 3, 2025
"Your relative does not expect you," he observed, "and you will pick up more useful knowledge on my station than you will on a more extensive run; besides which I want you to have some hunting with me, to show you this part of the country." Nothing loth, we agreed to Bracewell's proposal.
Hoping to receive a further reward, he undertook to accompany us to Bracewell's, and to lead our prisoners' horses. We thought it prudent, however, not to trust him too much, though we accepted his offer, provided he could keep up to us.
We gave a cooey to let those at the station know of our approach, and in another moment old Bob came hurrying out to meet us. "Thankful you've come, gentlemen," he exclaimed; "though Mr Bracewell's round the corner, he'll be glad of your society. He's in terribly low spirits at having only me to look after him. But, whom have you there? Picked up a couple of pirates on the road?"
The other two were still at large, but the police entertained no doubt that they should catch them before long. We all returned to Bracewell's, and I was glad to find that he had accepted an invitation from Mr Strong, to pay him a visit, which he was able to do as he had engaged a trustworthy man to assist old Bob in taking care of the station. We therefore prepared to set out immediately.
He had stopped at Bracewell's, and brought the sad intelligence that our friend was ill, and that he had expressed a strong wish that either Guy or I should come and stay with him. He also greatly wanted medical advice. No doctor was to be found within sixty miles of the station. Guy and I were eager to go to the assistance of our friend, and Mr Strong gave both of us leave.
I briefly told him of the way the bushrangers had stuck me up. "The villains! I wish that we could find them. Now, get up on my horse, and we will go to where I left Hector and the dominie. We'll breakfast as soon as we can reach a water-hole. We passed one a little way back, and we must then try and get on to Bracewell's as soon as possible."
They would have endeavoured to save as much of their property as possible from destruction, and Bracewell's fears conjured up the dreadful idea that they might have been caught by the rapidly advancing foe before they could reach a place of safety. With whip and spur we urged on our animals. We had as yet seen no one to tell us in what direction our friends had gone.
We trusted entirely to Bracewell's guidance, for before we had gone a mile, I confess I should have had a difficulty in finding my way back again. "We are in luck," cried Bracewell, as in less than half an hour we caught sight of four head of the wild cattle we were in search of. As we approached they began pawing on the ground, sticking out their tails and looking anything but amiable.
Leading on our prisoners, we now set out to return to where we had left the dominie. We had, I should have said, hurriedly eaten some of the provisions Guy and Hector had cooked, and we took the remainder so that no time need be lost in proceeding to Bracewell's. On reaching the spot, what was our dismay to see neither the dominie nor the horses. We shouted to him, but no reply came.
Here and there appeared groves of acacias, while as far as the eye could reach in every other direction were grassy downs, scattered over which we caught sight of a considerable herd of sheep wending their way homewards. Altogether, Bracewell's station presented a more civilised aspect than any we had fallen in with on our journey.
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