As he neared it he saw, to his satisfaction, that the flames arose from some of the outbuildings, and that the house itself was still intact; but as no firing had been heard, he hoped that it still resisted.
There was a shrill whistle, when the party approached within a hundred yards.

Men were seen to dash out of the house, and to leap upon their horses.
With a shout, Reuben rode down.

He did not pause for a moment, but dashed past the house in the direction in which the bush rangers had fled.

They were, he knew, but a hundred yards ahead; but it was not light enough for him to see them, especially after riding through the glare of the fire.

The sound of the horses' feet, however, afforded an indication; but as there was no saying in which direction they might turn, he was forced to halt, every two or three minutes, to listen.
To his mortification he found that, each time, the sound was getting more indistinct; for the speed at which they had travelled had taken so much out of the horses, that they were unable to compete with the fresher animals ridden by the bush rangers, who were all well mounted, many of the best horses in the district having been stolen by them.