Without asking leave they all set off, having first provided themselves with large baskets which Rob and Edgar had been busy in manufacturing.

They would certainly not have been allowed to go without Betty, but she was watching over little Sybil, who was unwell, and was not aware that they had set out. They went along to the westward on the edge of the scrub which the flood had not reached--indeed, its traces had even disappeared from the surface which it had covered. They were somewhat disappointed at first in not finding fruit in the abundance they had expected, and so they went on and on until they reached a part of the scrub sufficiently open to enable them to penetrate into it. Here Rob and Edgar thought that they could without difficulty procure plenty of fruit. They were soon hard at work picking away with great delight.

"Keep together," cried Rob, "or we may chance to lose ourselves."

"No fear," answered Effie, "we will look where you go."

Edgar said the same. Rob felt very proud of being the leader of so large a party, but in his eagerness to pick a quant.i.ty of fruit, he did not watch over them as carefully as he should have done. On and on they went, Rob making a remark every now and then to those near him.

Presently he heard Tommy shriek out, "A snake, a snake!" and throwing down his basket, he ran off towards the more open part of the scrub.

"Come back!" cried Rob. "It is only a paddy-melon, and won't hurt you or any one else."

Tommy, however, would not stop.

"Come along, Edgar, and catch the child," cried Rob, forgetting Effie and Albert, whom he had not seen for some minutes.

It was some time before Tommy could be overtaken.

"You stupid monkey!" cried Rob, when he caught him; "there are no snakes here to do you any harm."

Tommy, however, was not easily persuaded, and still a.s.serted that he had seen the head of a big snake. At length they got him to come back and pick up his basket.

"Hulloa! Where are Effie and Albert?" asked Rob. "We left them close here, I am sure."

They looked about in every direction; they shouted, but no answer came.

"This is provoking!" cried Rob. "I expected those children to keep close to us; see how obstinate they are! I'll make them remember this when we catch them."

Rob became very anxious when, after hunting about for some time, he could find neither his little sister nor his cousin. How they could have got out of hearing seemed incredible. Rob, though very clever in his own opinion, was in a serious difficulty. While he fancied that he was going west, he had turned east; and thinking that he was just getting out of the scrub, he found himself, to his surprise, close to the river.

His first exclamation was, "Dear me! how could we have got over to the other side?" Then, after due reflection, he recollected that was impossible; he must have gone in an opposite way to what he had supposed.

Darkness came on. Tommy began to cry, and Edgar felt very much inclined to join him. "Poor Albert! poor Effie! Where can they have gone?"

They were a long way from home, they knew; but they dreaded going back without their little brother and sister. Indeed, in the dark they would be unable to find their way, for they had no notion of steering themselves by the stars. The fruit, though very fit for making jelly, was full of seeds, and not satisfying; but they had no other food, so at last they sat down and ate enough to allay the cravings of hunger.

The alarm at Stratton became very great when the children did not return. No one knew in what direction they had gone, but the baskets they had made had disappeared; consequently, it was supposed that they had set off on an expedition to pick fruit. At that hour it was impossible to see their trail; even Betty could not do it. However, Mr Hayward, accompanied by the boys and Bruce, at once started in search of the missing children. They made their way along the edge of the scrub, and penetrated into it whenever they could find an opening, cooing at the top of their voices, and shouting loudly, "Rob, Tommy, Effie, Albert! answer! Where are you?"

No answer came.

"I trust that the black fellows have not got hold of them," said Mr Hayward.

"We must pursue, and get them back," cried Harry. "Savage as the natives are, they would not dare to injure them."

Mr Hayward did not reply; he might have known more of the natives than Harry did.

At length, having gone some distance, they heard a faint cooey in reply to theirs.

"Hurrah! That must be Rob's voice," exclaimed Harry; "though where it came from I cannot tell. I will cooey again."

Harry gave another loud cooey; again a distant answer was heard.

"Why, that must be behind us," said Harry; "it comes from the edge of the scrub."

They had by this time made their way into the interior. Bruce, on hearing the second cooey, p.r.i.c.ked up his ears and bounded forward. They turned back, guided by Rob's voice, and casting the light of their lanterns about, they at length saw Rob standing up, with Tommy and Edgar lying down near him.

"Oh, I am so thankful you have come!" exclaimed Rob. "Have you found Effie and Albert?"

The question alarmed Mr Hayward and the other boys.

"No; what has become of them?" asked Harry.

"We lost sight of them all of a sudden, and though we hunted about, we have not seen them since; and then we could not find our way home in the dark."

Mr Hayward saw that there was no use in scolding poor Rob, who was already dreadfully alarmed, and fully conscious that he was to blame for the loss of the two children. Tommy and Edgar, who had dropped off soundly asleep from fatigue, were now awakened.

"I will continue the search for the other children," said Mr Hayward, turning to the boys; "but the rest had better return with Rob and the little ones. If I do not soon come back with the children, follow in this direction in the morning with Bendigo and Betty, who will a.s.sist in tracing them out better than we can. Do not alarm your mothers more than is necessary, and a.s.sure them that I have little doubt but that we shall find the truants. I will take Bruce with me."

"Go, good dog--go!" said Harry, patting him on the head.

Bruce understood his duty, and without hesitation accompanied Mr Hayward; while Harry and Reggy, taking charge of the children, made their way back to Stratton with the rest of the party, the younger ones every now and then sobbing as they thought of their carelessness in losing sight of Effie and Albert.

It is needless to describe the alarm which the disappearance of the two children caused their mothers and sisters. The elder boys were eager to set off again at once, but were persuaded to wait until daylight; when, accompanied by the two blacks, they immediately started off to commence a search for the lost children.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE CHILDREN RECOVERED--JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR--ARRIVAL AT CASTLE HILL--STATION ESTABLISHED--HOUSE ATTACKED BY NATIVES--CONCLUSION.

Poor Mrs Berrington's anxiety produced a succession of fainting fits; she therefore required the constant attention of her sister and Mrs Hugh, who was herself much alarmed at the disappearance of the children.

As soon as the girls had performed the necessary duties of the morning, they all set out in the direction taken by their brothers, carrying with them a supply of food, as the party, which had started early in the morning, had gone away without breakfast.

It was noon before the girls heard the cooeys uttered by the searching-party, which proved that the children had not yet been discovered.

Hurrying along, they at last came in sight of Reggy, who was at the very edge of the scrub.

"Have you seen anything of them?" asked Mary. "Nothing: nor of Mr Hayward either," was the unsatisfactory answer.

Poor Mary's heart sank. She dearly loved little Effie, and his sisters in their way were very fond of Albert; besides, they believed that it would be the death of their mother if he were lost.

Reggy gave notice to the rest of the party, when they were within hail, that the ladies had arrived with some provisions; and although they all declared that they were too anxious to be hungry, they not unwillingly partook of the food the thoughtful girls had brought with them.

Once more they resumed their search; but as hour after hour went by, and neither the children nor Mr Hayward were found, the anxiety of the searching-party became almost unbearable. To abandon the search was not to be thought of. Bendigo and Betty had not hitherto discovered the trail, for in so thick a wood, it was no easy matter, even for them.

At length they shouted out, "We have the trail! we have the trail!" and, like two beagles, off they set, with their noses close to the ground.

The excitement of the party may be supposed. The boys managed to follow as quickly as they could, though their clothes were nearly torn from their backs. The rest of the party remained outside the scrub, keeping up a communication with those within. The day, however, was wearing on, and no sign of the children had yet been seen. The sun's rays, as he sank towards the west, were glancing almost horizontally through the trees, when a bark was heard. Paul gave a loud cooey. It was answered, and greatly to their joy they saw Mr Hayward coming along with the children in his arms. The blacks had only just before discovered him seated on the ground, and feeding them with some pigeon which he had shot and some wild fruit he had collected.