Boolabong which had seemed so important to Jacko, he by no means did
regard the news as unessential. Of Nokes's villany he was convinced.
Of Boscobel he had imprudently made a second enemy at a most
inauspicious time. Georgie Brownbie had long been his bitter foe. He
had prosecuted and, perhaps, persecuted Georgie for various offenses;
but as Georgie was supposed to be as much at war with his own
brethren as with the rest of the world at large, Heathcote had not
thought much of that miscreant in the present emergency. But if the
miscreant were in truth at Boolabong, and if evil things were being
plotted against Gangoil, Georgie would certainly be among the
conspirators.

Soon after noon Harry was on horseback and Jacko was at his heels.
The heat was more intense than ever. Mrs. Heathcote had twisted round
Harry's hat a long white scarf, called a puggeree, though we are by
no means sure of our spelling. Jacko had spread a very dirty fragment
of an old white handkerchief on his head, and wore his hat over it.
Mrs. Heathcote had begged Harry to take a large cotton parasol, and
he had nearly consented, being unable at last to reconcile himself to
the idea of riding with such an accoutrement even in the bush. "The
heat's a bore," he said, "but I'm not a bit afraid of it as long as I
keep moving. Yes, I'll be back to dinner, though I won't say when,
and I won't say for how long. It will be the same thing all day to-
morrow. I wish with all my heart those people were not coming."

He rode straight away to the German's hut, which was on the
northwestern extremity of his further paddock in that direction. From
thence the western fence ran in a southerly direction, nearly
straight to the river. Beyond the fence was a strip of land, in some
parts over a mile broad, in others not much over a quarter of a mile,