Page 64 - A Little Bush Maid

altogether.

"Len and the other fellow, a chap called Sam Baker, pegged away up the
creek as hard as they could go, but feeling pretty blue about catching the

swaggie. Len was particularly wild, because he’d made so certain he could
lay his hands on the fellow, and if he hadn’t been sure, of course he’d have
stayed to help at the fire, and he didn’t like being done out of everything!

They could understand not finding any tracks.

"’Of course it’s possible he’s walked in the water,’ Baker said.

"’We’d have caught him by now if he had,’ Len said--’he couldn’t get along

quickly in the water. Anyhow, if T don’t see anything of him before we get
to the next bend, T’m going back to the fire.’

"They were nearly up to the bend, and Len was feeling desperate, when he
saw a boot-mark half-way down the bank on the other side. He was over

like a shot--the creek was very shallow--and there were tracks as plain as
possible, leading down to the water!

"You can bet they went on then!

"They caught him a bit farther up. He heard them coming, and left his
swag, so’s he could get on quicker. They caught that first, and then they

caught him. He had ’planted’ in a clump of scrub, and they nearly passed
him, but Len caught sight of him, and they had him in a minute."

"Did he come easily?" asked Wally.

"Rather not! He sent old Len flying--gave him an awful black eye. Len was,
up again and at him like a shot, and T reckon it was jolly plucky of a chap of
Len’s age, and T dare say he’d have had an awful hiding if Sam hadn’t

arrived on the scene. Sam is a big, silent chap, and he can fight anybody in
this district. He landed the swaggie first with one fist and then with the

other, and the swaggie reckoned he’d been struck by a thunderbolt when
they fished him out of the creek, where he had rolled! You see, Sam’s very