“Let us cross the creek, and take those fellows in the rear,” I whispered; “in half an hour we can have every one of them prisoners, or else hors du combat.”

Mr. Wright didn’t like the project, as he thought that it was running too great a risk.  Mr. Brown meditated on the undertaking, while the ghost was pleased with the idea, and vowed that he could accomplish the project alone.  As for Mike, he was in ecstasies at the plan, only he couldn’t swim, which somewhat damped his ardor.

“Ask Kala if there is a place where we can cross, where the water is not over our heads?” I inquired of Mr. Wright.

He put the question, and the native replied that a few rods down the stream, at a bend, we could cross on a bar, where the water would not be more than up to our armpits.

Mr. Wright no longer hesitated, but gave the order to move down the stream to the place proposed, and as the rain had nearly ceased, and the moon was high in the heavens, we had no difficulty in finding the spot which Kala indicated.

Our only trouble was to prevent the bushrangers from seeing our movements, so that they should not be prepared for our reception.  This we were enabled to do by keeping within the shade of the bushes and trees, which grew in profusion upon the banks of the stream.

“Lead the way.  Mike, and find out the deep places with your spear,” commanded Mr. Wright, but the Irishman held back.

“I couldn’t think of taking advantage of my betters, and going before ’em,” pleaded Mike.

“Are you afraid?” our host demanded, angrily.

“Divil a bit, master; but it’s misgivings I have about the water.  What it was made for, ’cept to mix with punch, I don’t see.”

“Kala go first,” muttered the native, and without waiting for orders, he dropped quietly into the stream, followed by Iala.

“The divil! but can’t I go where the nager does?” demanded Mike, and he was up to his shoulders in the brook before we could answer him.

The ghost followed Mike, and then the rest of us, leaving our oil-cloth coverings on the bank of the stream, crossed without difficulty, taking good care that our revolvers were kept dry.

“Now, I want all to keep silent, and obey my orders,” whispered Mr. Wright; “when I give the word to fire, do so, but not before.

“Now then, let us steal forward as fast as possible, and Kala, you and Iala can remain behind, if you please.”

“Kala and Iala will go with you,” was the prompt reply, and I marvelled at it, for the natives are dreadfully afraid of firearms when in the the hands of white men.

“Now, gentlemen, let us onward, and may the God of battles give us success.  If any accident should befall either of us, we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that we suffered in a good cause.  Be careful how you step, and don’t be impatient.”

Mr. Wright placed himself at the head of the column, and moved along carefully, and with some considerable knowledge of woodcraft, although I almost lost all patience by his continually stopping and listening, as though that part of the performance was really necessary to insure success.