"We could keep a look-out for the absent natives," said Brown. "They are bound to come along this track, I suppose."
"Could not Columbus make some sort of a mark to stop them?"
"I'm afraid not. Blacks can communicate in some way—you have seen their 'yabber-sticks', I suppose,—but I don't think we could make Columbus understand what we wanted, nor do I suppose he would do it if we could."
"Strange how they can communicate, though. The time Faithful's party were murdered in Victoria, the blacks in the settled districts knew of it long before the whites did."
"Well, can I go or not?" demanded Charlie.
"I'll sleep on it," replied Morton. "I think you can take care of yourself, and I can trust Billy as far as one can trust a blackfellow. But remember, I am responsible for you, and if anything happened to you I should be to blame."
With this Charlie had to content himself until the next morning.
Morton and Brown stopped up late, smoking by the fire.
"Shall you let the boy go?" asked Brown.
"I think so, but I'm doubtful of those fellows behind; they might slip past us in the dark and fall foul of Charlie when he was not expecting them. If they had fair play Charlie and Billy could hold their own, but they might take them at a disadvantage in amongst those boulders."