can put you on a good lay. Ballarat Harry would pay for melting. What do you say if we try it? I will propose to him to join us in prospecting. He'll go like a shot, I know; and then when we have got him away, we can easily do for him, and get his plunder.'

Armstrong readily consented; but somehow or other failed to be at the rendezvous.

Toke and his victim departed together one morning with the good wishes of their acquaintances, for no secret was made of the prospecting expedition. After a few weeks' absence, Toke returned alone to the township. In answer to inquiries about his companion, he said: They hadn't struck anything, and they had both got tired of prospecting; so they parted, and Harry had gone down country again.' To his fellow-conspirator Armstrong, however, he confessed he had murdered Harry in the Bush, and to prevent detection, had burned the body. Toke was suspected of foul-play, and was brought up before the magistrate; but as Harry's body could not be found, the case was discharged for want of

evidence.

'But don't you see,' he answered, "if you make the attempt alone, the chances are ten to one that Toke and his friends will waylay and murder you? Your movements by this time are sure to be known and your purchase of gold also.' (I had bought about two pounds-weight of the precious metal.) Now, Toke knows that he is under the surveillance of the police; and perhaps a letter from me will induce him to guide you across the Mitta-Mitta, if you offered him a few sovereigns for his trouble."

I decided to follow this advice. But when I bade 'good-bye' to the hotel-keeper, he shook his head and said he feared I should never reach Beechworth alive. So, mounting my horse, and armed with the letter of the magistrate, I started for Gibbo Creek. The sun had set and darkness was coming on apace when I reached the creek. Crossing this, I came upon a narrow strip of level scrubby ground at the base of the mountain. Now, thought I, 'which way shall I turn to look for friend Toke? Right or left? I'll toss up for it. Heads, left; tails, to the right.' Tails won; so I started off to the right, letting my horse pick its way through the scrub. Fortunately, the darkness which had come on was paling a little before the rising moon, which enabled me to keep at the base of the mountain. After going about a couple of miles, I saw a light, and made straight for it, coo-eeing '* as I advanced. When I drew near, I saw a little hut or mia-mia

After finishing my business at Omeo, instead of returning direct to Melbourne, I resolved to rejoin my friends at Beechworth, which place lay on the north-western side of the Australian Alps in the direction of Mount Gibbo. This range I should have to cross from Omeo. I mentioned my purpose to Mr Wills, who at once threw cold-water upon it. He had tried it himself unsuccessfully three or four times, he said. In winter, it was dangerous from the snow; in summer, still more so, on account of the floods in the rivers and creeks from the melted snow. Several persons, to his knowledge, had lost their lives in the attempt, either by accident or bushrangers. Strange to say, all those facts, though confirmed by other persons, only made me more obstinate in my purpose. Seeing I was bent upon the expedition, Mr Wills then told me all he knew about the country.

"The greatest danger,' he said, 'was the crossing of the Mitta-Mitta River, which flows northward into the Murray. It is sure to be swollen. After passing Mount Gibbo, you must follow this stream for a considerable distance. The only man who knows the country is that rascal Toke, for I am convinced he has often sheltered himself in that direction. I am told that he is at present camping out somewhere in Gibbo Creek, on this side of the mountains, about twenty miles off. If you are fool enough to persist in your project, your best plan will be to take Toke as a guide.'

'Well,' I replied, 'after all that you have told me of this fellow's character, I am surprised at your suggestion.'

the fire a man standing with a revolver, pointed towards me. "This is Tom Toke,' thought I. But my thinking was abruptly startled by the rough salute: 'Who are you? Come another yard, and I'll blow your brains out!'

This reception, which was accompanied by a liberal comminglement of oaths, was not very pleasant or very hospitable; but my nerves were good, and I was prepared for roughing it. "Tom, old man,' I said, 'put that thing down; it might go off.'

'Who said my name was Tom?'

'I do, old boy-Tom Toke; and I want to have a yarn with you.'

'No yarns for me! Hook it, or you'll have a bullet in sooner than you think for, flash un.'

'I sha'n't, until I have had a pannikin of tea. So fire away, only don't hit me.'

The moon by this time enabled us to see each other's movements clearly. I quietly dismounted, and holding up my hands, said: 'Now, don't be a fool, Tom. You can see I have no shootingiron; so put that thing down.' Then walking up to him, I said: 'Now look here. If you are not satisfied, you can feel, and you will find I have got no pistol or other arms about me; so drop all this fuss.-By Jove! here's some cold tea;' and without any ceremony, I took up his dirty billy,' and putting it to my mouth, drank every drop of it without stopping, for I was terribly dry.

Tom was utterly taken aback. Looking me up and down, while he replaced the revolver in his belt, he said: 'My eyes! if you're not the coolest one I ever seed.'

* Coo-ee, a shout frequently adopted by travellers in the Bush.

as a protection for my head, and did, I guessed, about twenty miles, seeing nothing but trees and wild birds; not a spring anywhere. Night came on; but so faint was I, that I did not care to collect scrub for a bed. The night's sleep gave me comparative freshness; but when I tried to move in the morning, the stiffness was excessive. My first work was to convert my boots into sandals; for I was much impeded on the previous day by the dilapidated soles. I now altered my course. I thought, if I were to get to any place alive, I must go back to the river and follow its direction. So I retraced my steps, but with slower pace; for, in addition to my weakness, I suffered much pain in my feet and legs from thorn scratches and prickles. Day had passed into night long before I again struck the river, where I lay down for my third night's lonely rest.

Next morning my first care was to bandage the feet with the strongest part of my clothes; for this purpose I tore up my breeches. Come what might, I was determined to move on as long as I could crawl, and I resolved to keep by the river. Words cannot describe my hunger. How eagerly did I examine the bleached bones of birds which I occasionally saw, in the hope of finding some flesh upon them! I did not know so much of Bush-life then as I learned afterwards, or I might have found some roots or grubs to eat, as I have frequently done since. My resolution to keep to the river cost me much pain and labour. Great thorn-bushes frequently barred the way. In getting over or creeping through these, my clothes were torn into rags, and my body from head to foot was scratched and bleeding. My footbandages came off early in the day, and I was obliged to take off my under-vest and tear it into pieces to bind my feet, else I should not be able to get on at all. Many a time in the day did I sit down, feeling as if I could not go a step farther; yet, after a little rest, my courage revived, and the pluck of youth returned, for I was scarcely twenty-five years old. 'Oh, this won't do,' I said to myself. Never say die; here goes for another shy at it;' and then up I would get and scramble on once more. Perhaps what tried me as much as anything was the mocking of the parrots and cockatoos, of which there were thousands. Sometimes I thought I heard a 'cooee,' which drew from me a faint effort to cooee myself; but my disappointment was most bitter when I found that the replies were the mocking cries of birds. In the afternoon, my feet were perfectly bare, and I had nothing wherewith to cover them. The prickly creepers got between my toes, and my progress was literally snail-like in pace. When I sat down to rest for the fourth night, I felt light-headed and altogether queer.

Soon after daylight next morning, as I lay on the ground, I distinctly heard a cooee, a second, and a third; but for some time I seemed too dazed and stupid to take any notice, or imagined the mocking birds were busy again. At length a louder cooee roused me from stupor. I stood up and cooed faintly in return. Then came a shout: 'Keep on talking, that I may tell where you

are.'

In a few moments afterwards, Tom Toke was standing at my side. He immediately gave me some damper, which I tried to eat, but couldn't.

He then lit his pipe and handed it to me. I took a few pulls at it, and felt a wonderful change. I made another attempt at the damper, and contrived to swallow a few mouthfuls. A draught of water, another smoke, and some more damper, and then I felt I was myself again.

Toke, in spite of the gravity of the situation, could not help laughing at me, for I was a wretched object. Excepting the rag of the Crimean shirt, which only partially covered me, and a handkerchief on my head, I was nearly destitute of clothing. Indeed, I could not refrain from joining in the laugh at my miserable appearance. We told each other of our adventures since parting. He said that he had only ridden a short distance when his mare knocked up, and compelled him to camp for the night. Next morning, the two horses were missing, and were not recovered until the afternoon. After that he lost his bearings; but at sunset on the following day he reached an out-station hut occupied by some stock-riders, where he told his tale and passed the night. He asked the men to join him in the search for me, as he was sure that I would turn up, and would certainly pay them for their trouble. They answered, that as there was little chance of finding me alive, and as they had some mustering to do, a day or two would make no difference to me, and then they would help in the search. But Tom would not delay, and started off alone, and so found me.

We now set off in the direction of the stockmen's hut. Tom took off his boots and put them on my feet; but I suffered so much pain that I could scarcely move. Our progress was so slow, that Tom replaced his boots, and carried me on his back. In this way we proceeded for a distance of six or eight miles, of course resting now and again. In the afternoon we arrived at the place where Tom had crossed the river in a bark-canoe, and soon afterwards reached the hut, much to the surprise of the stockmen, and to the evident gratification of my old cob, that whinnied and neighed at the sight of me. I found my valise and contents quite safe, and was speedily supplied with a relay of clothing. I had much difficulty in persuading my faithful guide and saviour to accept anything in the way of payment.

'I don't want money,' he said; 'I have enough planted to last my time; and if not, I can always get more.'

'Well,' I answered, 'take a little to buy something to keep me in remembrance-a pipe or anything of that sort.' In this way I induced him to take five pounds.

Before starting alone for Snowy Creek, I said to Toke: Tom, do you know I knew all about you when I met you first?'

'To be sure,' he answered. 'You was told at Omeo, if you didn't know before; and you was a plucked un to come to me as you did.'

'Now, Tom, you will come to grief some day, and it will be a short shrift for you. To me you have acted as a brave and straightforward fellow. I am not rich; but as long as I have anything and you are in want, I will divide with you. There's my address in Melbourne. Whenever you are there, come and see me. Good-bye, old boy.' And so we parted.

Within the next two years, Toke called twice at my place of business in Melbourne during my

absence, and each time left some rare birds' skins for me. Soon afterwards, I settled down in New Zealand. Toke's after-history was made known to me by the newspapers. He received long imprisonments for perjury and horse-stealing, and finally fell into the hangman's hands for murder. Before his execution he confessed to several murders, and so cleared up many Australian mysteries.

ONE FALSE, BOTH FAIR;
OR, A HARD KNOT.

CHAPTER XXI.-THE GENERAL INQUIRY OFFICE.

MR DRONOVICH within ?-No.-Then, thank you, I'd like to have a word with Mr Melville. Here's my card-name of Rollingston-Captain Rollingston, from abroad. No new name to him, and better known still to your principal; and so, young man, you need not trouble yourself to enunciate any of those hackneyed fibs with which you are preparing to stave me off. Come, come, my lad; I may not be a swell customer, but I am a paying one, rely on it; and it's not wise of you, or likely to please your governor, to try to shut the door, morally, in this sunburnt face of mine. I'm an old hand, and should be free of the place.'

'I beg your pardon, I'm sure, sir. Won't you step up? I'll speak to Mr Melville directly the lady-client who is with him now, comes down,' returned the flurried young clerk, with abject civility, as he got his fat pasty face and gorgeous neckscarf and rattling watch-chain out of the way, to let the newly arrived customer pass by.

This General Inquiry Office-the General Inquiry Office, as it chose to describe itself in the frequent and pompously worded advertisements that kept the world awake to the fact of its existence-was very well housed indeed, occupying handsome premises in a bustling City street. Its promoters for it was a Company, of Limited Liability, of course, but believed to be of unlimited resources as to cash and brains, that had founded it had done rightly in pitching their tent within the dominions of the Lord Mayor. City men believe in the City. So, for that matter, do those who have nothing practically to do with that charmed Tom Tiddler's ground where gold and silver are to be picked up. And the Company had done wisely in buying up ex-inspector Dronovich, a detective who had been in the pay of two or three successive governments, so rumour said, and was supposed to know as much about Nihilists as he did about the forgers of Russian rouble notes and the negotiators of stolen diamonds. Second in command at the office was Silas Melville, of New Jersey, U.S., and who had once been Assistant-superintendent of the Chicago police, and at another time instrumental in breaking up the notorious Molly Maguire League. These were the high officials of the place. But under them were subordinates, British and foreign, who did the bulk of the work, of which, unfortunately, there was only too constant a supply. It is so in a rich country and in a complicated society; and indeed the spy is now as recognised an institution, and drives as lucrative a trade in London, Paris, Boston, or New

York, as did once the bravo in medieval Venice or Naples. So many people there are with money to spend and underhand objects to attain, and so many more who are tormented by anxious doubts and fears, that the private inquirer has usually names in plenty on his books.

In all London there was not a human beehive of this sort in which more of golden honey was made than at the General Inquiry Office, of which Paul Peter Dronovich was the ornamental head. It had been well advertised, and was well lodged; but that was not all. It had really done good work; and the sensational newspaper reports of certain attractive trials had done it more good than anything else. So that people with a spite against somebody, and jealous Othellos with the Divorce Court as their goal, and the very large class of legacy-hunters who brood through life over the grievance of being excluded from Uncle Buncle's will, and are sure that there exists a later and valid will, most feloniously kept back by hateful Cousin George or odious Aunt Jane; and the miscellaneous customers who had family or business reasons for desiring to find out something which they shrank from mentioning at Scotland Yard, came to the office, and helped to swell the dividends of its proprietors.

The lady client being disposed of and dismissed, Captain Rollingston's card was duly taken into the penetralia where the second in command, the American gentleman, transacted business. "If you'll walk in, Captain, Mr Melville will see you at once,' said the clerk with grave respect; and the applicant was ushered into a handsomely furnished room, the only occupant of which was a spare active man, with a quantity of black hair, unduly long, and tossed hither and thither with apparent carelessness, as the locks of a poet might be, but still so as to make the most of his high narrow forehead- -a man with shifty black eyes, restless lips, and almost transparent nostrils-a man with a black satin waistcoat, redundant jewellery, and the air of being a bundle of nerves, without any flesh or muscle to speak of. Such was Mr Melville; and his voice was very peremptory as he said: "That will do, Gubbins. Send out the notes I gave you, each by a messenger, and let no one disturb me while this gentleman is here.' Then, as the door closed, the American's manner suddenly changed, and he said, almost cordially: 'Well, Jack-hardly thought to see you here again, mate.' And he held out his hand in Anglo-Saxon style. The visitor grasped it willingly enough.

"You thought, Silas, I daresay,' he replied, in a tone so peculiar that it was impossible even to a practised ear to detect whether its ring were one of bitter mockery or harmless jest, that the rolling stone that gathers no moss had rolled off for good and all into limbo. No; not quite yet, though I have shaved it very closely, I can tell you, since last we two met. Been as near missing the number of my mess, twice, anyhow, as ever since first I set out on the grand tour that, with a vagabond like me, lasts for ever.'

'Wouldn't be Chinese Jack, else,' answered smiling Mr Melville, smiling, that is to say as to his lips, but unsmiling with regard to those shifty eyes of his. 'You were thought as sure to die in your boots-to go up the flume, as