The boy seemed quite delighted with his new situation, and talked away at a great rate.

As soon as we reached the road, by some extraordinary chance, all my stock of wax matches, carried by Badger, caught alight; a perfect volcano ensued, and the novel sight of a pack-horse on fire occurred.

This sent him mad, and away he and the two other pack-horses flew down the road, over the sandhills, and were out of sight in no time.

I told the boy to cling on as I started to gallop after them.

He did so for a bit, but slipping on one side, Cocky gave a buck, and sent Tommy flying into some stumps of timber cut down for the passage of the telegraph line, and the boy fell on a stump and broke his arm near the shoulder.