As we walked along, we told him of the visit that we had received the night before, and he listened without any expression of astonishment.  When we reached the store things remained as we had left them, with blood scattered over the floor, and on the overturned boxes and barrels, while nearly side by side were the bodies of the snake and the robber.

Mr. Brown stooped down and examined the face of the corpse for a few minutes attentively.

“I knew that fellow would come to some bad end,” the inspector said, “for he was a friend of Burley’s, and many a robbery have they committed together, that never came to light.”

“You might have cautioned us against him,” remarked Fred.

“So I might, had I but known he was in Ballarat.  I have not seen or heard of the fellow before for two months, and I thought that he was either shot or hanged, as he certainly should have been a year ago.  He must have arrived here yesterday afternoon, and Burley told him that you had money, and that he could make a good thing in avenging his injuries and stealing your gold.  I am glad to say that he was caught in his own trap, and I shall always cherish the name of a diamond snake for the good that one of them has done in ridding us of a ruffian who would have robbed his mother, and beat her in the bargain.”

“But the snake—­what do you think of that?” we asked.

“I have seen larger ones, though I will quiet your fears by saying not in this part of Australia.  They are not so dangerous as they look, and seldom attack a man unless frightened into the encounter.  A few miles from Ballarat is a colony of the same kind of reptiles, and it’s something of a curiosity to see the monsters squirming about during a pleasant forenoon.”

“Have you seen them often?” asked Fred.

“O, yes, I have seen them a dozen times, perhaps.”  “We have nothing of importance to attend to, for a few days, and would like to visit the colony.  Will you go with us?”

“Willingly,” replied the inspector.  “Appoint your day.”

“Say to-morrow forenoon.  Our horses will feel better for the jaunt, and so shall we,” Fred said.

“To-morrow forenoon we will go; and now, before we take breakfast, let us get rid of these encumbrances.”

He pointed to the bodies on the floor, and while we were wondering what we should do with them, the inspector called a policeman, and directed him to find a cart and carry them off, and for all that we know to the contrary, they were both buried in the same grave.  At any rate, the skin of the snake, which we had requested as a trophy, was returned to us, and by the aid of a quantity of arsenic, we were enabled to preserve it, and send it to Murden as a sample of one of the staple articles of the mines.

As soon as the bodies were removed, we went to work and cleaned our store, and then prepared breakfast, and I am happy to be able to record it, that the horrors of the night had no sensible effect upon our appetites.