"Stand back, soldiers," cried the aide-de-camp, in a tone of command, when he saw that the men were disposed to force us amongst the crowd again, "return to your ranks, and leave me to deal with these men."
"Now, my men, what do you wish?" asked the aid; and we knew by the tones of his voice that he possessed the spirit of a man, and would know how to appreciate the services which we were disposed to render.
"We accidentally overheard a remark from the governor, that there was no one in Melbourne who understood the working of your fire-engines, so we have come to volunteer our services," Fred said, boldly.
"God bless me, but this is most extraordinary," said the governor, turning to his suite for confirmation of his words.
"Have either of you ever been accustomed to the working of an engine?" asked the aid.
"We have both belonged to a volunteer fire department," I said, "and if the machines are not entirely out of repair, we think that we can work them to advantage."
"I was not aware that there was a volunteer system in England," said the aid, whom we now understood was Colonel Hensen. He spoke in a slightly sarcastic manner, as though he had caught us in a falsehood and was determined to fathom our motives.
"We were not speaking of England, sir," I said, with some little asperity.
"Pray, what country do you allude to, then, if I may ask?" the colonel inquired.