CONTENTS.
| PAGE | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| The Birth of an Adventure | [1] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| Gaining Information | [11] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| Preparations for a Start | [21] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| The First Stages | [31] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| A Traitor in the Camp | [39] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| The Fight with the Myalls | [51] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| Life or Death? | [64] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| A Terrible Enemy | [70] |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| After the Fire | [80] |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| Among the Mountains | [89] |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
| Very near to Death | [95] |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
| The Whanga | [103] |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
| Ways and Means | [113] |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
| Building the Dam | [128] |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
| Unwelcome Visitors | [142] |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
| Gold! | [148] |
| CHAPTER XVII. | |
| Leaving the Valley | [157] |
| CHAPTER XVIII. | |
| "There's Many a Slip" | [166] |
| CHAPTER XIX. | |
| How the Boys returned Home | [175] |
| CHAPTER XX. | |
| A Conference of Bushrangers | [187] |
| CHAPTER XXI. | |
| Yesslett prepares to Act | [196] |
| CHAPTER XXII. | |
| What became of Alec | [210] |
| CHAPTER XXIII. | |
| Crosby accounts for Himself | [218] |
| CHAPTER XXIV. | |
| Como's Errand | [230] |
| CHAPTER XXV. | |
| Yesslett's Adventure | [238] |
| CHAPTER XXVI. | |
| Escape from Norton's Gap | [247] |
| CHAPTER XXVII. | |
| A Wild Night-ride | [260] |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. | |
| Is it too Late? | [269] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
| "The beautiful creature rose to the leap" | [Frontispiece] | |
| "'Gold, gold! cheer up, Alec; of course we'll have it'" | To face page | [5] |
| "He seized the native round his slim, naked body" | To face page | [79] |
| "He was so overcome … that he sat straight down into the stream" | To face page | [130] |
| "An armed horseman … shouted, 'bail up!'" | To face page | [170] |
| "Alec kicked his feet free from his stirrups, and … leaped on to the other horse" | To face page | [182] |
| "To screen him from Starlight's fire he had interposed his own body" | To face page | [256] |
| "'Your price is there!'" | To face page | [279] |
In Quest of Gold;
OR, UNDER THE WHANGA FALLS.
CHAPTER I.
THE BIRTH OF AN ADVENTURE.
"Alec, Alec," a strong, clear, boy's voice rang out from the gully, "are you up there? Whatever are you doing at this time of night?" And the next moment George Law, a tall, strongly made lad of fifteen or so, left the sandy bed of the dried-up river, and sprang up the great rocks, as lightly and actively as a cat, to where his elder brother was sitting alone.