Their advance was exactly in every respect like that of the first man; and they reached the shelter of the fence, and paused till the last man was close up, when all went through the same manoeuvre together, running on their hands and feet, with their bodies close to the ground.

At the door they paused again listening, and no doubt the slightest sound would have started them off in full retreat. But all was perfectly still, and taking courage, they gathered themselves up, and club in hand leaped into the storehouse, to stand gazing wildly round.

Nothing was there to startle them--no sign of danger. The bag their companion had dropped lay upon the floor, but the flour-barrel was covered; and after a couple of them had exchanged a whisper, all stood with their nulla-nullas ready to strike, but no one attempted to move the cask head.

At last two who appeared to be the leaders extended a hand each, gazed in each other's eyes, and at a signal gave the lid a thrust, and it fell off behind with a loud clatter, which made all bound out of the storehouse. But the last man looked back as his comrades were taking to flight, and uttered a few words loudly.

They were sufficient to arrest the flight and all stood in a stooping position, gazing wildly at the tub, which stood looking harmless enough, and after a little jabbering, they advanced once more, as if they all formed units of a large machine, so exactly were their steps taken together, till they reached and once more entered the open door of the store.

Then, as if strung up, ready to meet anything, they bounded into the place, when, as if worked by a spring, the horrible figure in the tub started upright like a monstrous jack-in-the-box.

The black fellows literally tumbled over one another in their hurry to escape from the terrible-looking object which, in their eyes--imbued as they were with superst.i.tious notions--was a fearful demon of the most unsparing nature, and a minute later, they were back in the clump of trees and bushes, spreading news which made the whole mob of blacks take flight.

"Baal come teal flour. Mine make black fellow frightenum," said the jack-in-the-box, leaping lightly out, and then rolling the empty cask aside, he replaced it by the flour-tub.

Then, going round to the back, application was made to a bucket of water, from which a cooliman or native bark bowl was filled, and in a few moments Shanter's good-humoured, clean, black countenance was drying in the sun. For his scheme to defeat the flour-thieves had been very successful, and that evening he related it proudly to the boys.

"You did that?" said Norman.

"Yohi. All yan. Baal black fellow now."

"What?" cried the captain, when Norman called him aside, and told him.

"I don't like that, my boy."

"But they must be a poor, cowardly lot, father," said Norman, "or they would not be so easily frightened by a bogey."

"A lesson to us," said the captain, thoughtfully. "There must be a camp of the black fellows somewhere near, and while they are about, we had better keep about the place."

"But they will not come again after such a fright, will they?" said Norman.

"I don't know, my boy. It is impossible to say. Perhaps, as soon as the scare is over, they may be taking each other to task for being such cowards. We are all alone here, and far from help, so it is as well to be upon our guard. Don't let them know indoors."

The order came too late, for, as soon as they entered the house, Mrs Bedford began anxiously: "Edward, is it a fact that there have been myall blacks trying to rob the place?"

"Pooh! What have you heard?"

"Rifle has been telling us of the black's trick to frighten them."

"Oh yes, a few wandering rascals tried to steal the flour."

"And I'm very, very glad to find that I misjudged that poor fellow, Shanter," said Aunt Georgie. "I certainly thought it was he."

"Yes; and to clear himself of the suspicion," said Uncle Jack, cheerily, "he hid and frightened them away. Come, people, don't look so anxious.--Why, Hetty--Ida--surely you are not going to be scared at a little adventure like this."

"Of course they are not," said the captain, quickly. "There is nothing to be alarmed about."

"Father says there's nothing to be alarmed about," whispered Rifle that night, when the boys retired to the part of the house they called the barracks.

"Yes, I heard him," said Norman, softly. "Talk low, Tim's asleep."

"No, I'm not," said that individual. "I'm awake as you are. You're going to talk about uncles' whispering together, and then going and loading the guns and pistols."

Norman was silent for a few moments.

"Yes," he said at last. "It means that they are very uneasy about the black fellows."

"And a fight," said Rifle.

"I hope not, boys. One doesn't want to kill."

"But one doesn't want the myall blacks to kill us," said Rifle. "Well, they will not come to-night, will they?"

"If they do," replied Norman, "father will soon wake us up, if it's only to load the guns for them. They're sure to sit up and watch in turns with Sourkrout. Shall we dress again, and go and offer to help?"

"No," said Tim. "Uncle would not like us to interfere without being asked, but I shall lie and listen all night. I couldn't go to sleep fancying that black fellows were crawling up to attack us."

"No," said Rifle, softly; "one feels all of a fidget, and ready to fancy all sorts of things."

"Nonsense!" said Norman. "It's because it's so hot to-night. That's all."

"Man don't mean it," said Tim, quietly. "He's as fidgety as we are."

"Yes, of course I am, but it's only the heat."

"Call it what you like," said Rifle; "but you don't feel as if you could sleep to-night."

"Well, I don't feel sleepy yet," said Norman, carelessly.

But a long day on horseback and the quiet of their quarters, joined to the knowledge that their elders would be on guard, sufficed to nullify all their declarations, and half an hour had not elapsed before the regular, steady breathing of three healthy lads told that they were pa.s.sing the night in the most satisfactory way.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

"THAT ISN'T THUNDER."

"Hi! Rouse up! Black fellows!" shouted Rifle, and his brother and cousin started up in bed, ready for the moment to believe him, for there was a black face peering in at their window.

"Get out!" cried Tim, hurling a boot at his cousin, who dodged it, while as soon as Norman had grasped the fact that the face belonged to Shanter he made a rush at his brother, who laughingly avoided it, and then hurrying on their clothes, they went out to find the captain and Uncle Jack, each with a double gun in the hollow of his arm.

"Seen anything, father?" cried Norman.

"No, my boy, all peaceable, and Shanter says there are no black fellows near."

"Baal black fellow," said that gentleman. "See plenty mine bunyip, baal come again."

Here he burst into a roar of laughter, and began imitating the action of a myall black creeping up to the storehouse, going close up to the flour-tub, and looking in before uttering a wild yell, darting back, tumbling, getting up, falling again, rolling over and over, and then jumping up to run away as hard as he could.