The night passed off without any incident worthy of notice, and by daylight we were astir, and preparing for our expedition.
Shortly after sunrise the inspector joined us, mounted on a very fair horse, but not equal to the nags that we owned.
We were off without delay—leaving Rover to tend the store—although we did not forget to examine our revolvers before we started, for the inspector hinted that there might be such a thing as meeting a bushranger who would feel disposed to borrow our horses, or take our lives, just as his fancy seemed to lead him.
"How did the meeting terminate, last night?" I asked, after we had got clear of the town, and were ascending a high hill, at a slow pace.
"O, after your precious countryman got through with his great annexation speech, there was quite a brisk fight between half-a-dozen of the men present, and then the meeting broke up in a row. No arrests were made, for if I had offered to take any one into custody, I should have been ill-treated, and raised a tumult that could not have easily been suppressed. I bide my time, and think of the day when government will have a force here sufficient to resist all attacks."
We laughed at Mr. Brown's tirade against our countryman, and then joked him on the cleverness of his disguise, and promised to pay him in his own coin. He dared us to the experiment, and we mentally promised that we would keep our word.
For almost two hours we continued our journey, sometimes passing through deep valleys, which, in winter months, were green with verdure, but now were dry and parched for the want of moisture; and sometimes ascending high hills, from the summits of which we could command a view of the country for many miles in extent.
Not a soul had we met since leaving the borders of the town, and with the exception of one or two animals, game appeared to be very scarce.
"How much farther have we to go for a sight of the 'Snakes' Paradise'?" Fred inquired.
"Only about a mile. At the foot of the hill the den is located, unless the reptiles have changed their quarters since I was here last."