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114 enjoying their tea and damper, the dog was by no means badly provided with food.

Soon after nightfall, the fatigues they had undergone began to tell upon the wanderers. Without divesting themselves of their clothes, they were but too glad to make such other preparations for comfortably reposing as circumstances permitted. In consideration of the hard usage Lady had recently undergone, she was permitted to rest under the same shelter as her master, and it was not long before all were wrapped in profound sleep.

After the lapse of some hours, one of a party of five men approached the sleepers noiselessly: he was heavily armed. By the light of the fire he examined their forms, and was retiring, apparently satisfied with his scrutiny, when his attention appeared to be suddenly arrested; a slight breeze had blown up a momentary flame, but it was sufficiently lasting to illuminate Raymond's features, and to strike something like terror into the heart of his contemplator. Scarcely daring to look again, he fell back and joined his companions, who remained at a short distance.

These men were a part of Bayley's (the bushranger's) gang, who, finding the Sydney side was scoured by the troops and police, had unconsciously followed the same route as their late leader, with the view of seizing a boat or vessel in Westernport and escaping. Their object was to procure a good supply of provisions, and to sail to one of the numerous islands in Bass's Straits.

"Why you look as if you'd seen the devil," said one.

"And supposing I were to tell you I had: what then?"

"The only remark I should have to offer," said the first speaker, "would be, that we are giving ourselves unnecessary trouble; he generally looks after us, not we after him. But can you see any stores there? if there are, we must have them