The hands at Yanda marvelled¹ greatly at the tale Edgar told of their adventures, and they marvelled still more when the treasure they brought with them was shown.  
‘And to think that black fellow knew all about it, and kept the secret so long,’ said Ben Brody. ‘I can[205] hardly believe it is true. You must have travelled thousands of miles. All I can say is you deserve what you have got.’
 
After staying a few weeks at Yanda, where he received letters from home, and from Wal Jessop, Edgar decided² to go to Sydney and see Eva again. Will Brown remained at Yanda, in order to gain more experience of station life.
 
When Edgar arrived in Sydney, he at once went to Watson’s Bay. Wal Jessop did not know Edgar had left Yanda. Eva had constantly inquired for Edgar during his absence, and been comforted by the assurance he would return to her.
 
Edgar walked up the steep path to the cottage, intending to give the inmates³ a surprise, but Eva, who was looking out of the window, recognised him, and gave a joyful⁴ cry that brought Mrs. Jessop to her. Together they rushed out to greet Edgar, and he soon had little Eva crowing delightedly in his arms, Mrs. Jessop looking on, her motherly face beaming with satisfaction.
 
‘How you have grown, Eva!’ said Edgar, holding her up in his arms to have a better look at her. ‘You have had a good home, and Mrs. Jessop has taken great care of you.’
 
Eva began to prattle⁵ in her pretty childish way, and asked Edgar numerous questions, some of which he found a difficulty in answering.
 
When Wal Jessop returned home and found Edgar installed in the cottage he was delighted. He had been longing⁶ to see him again, and to hear all about his adventures. These Edgar had to relate over and over again, and little Eva, too, was interested in hearing about Yacka and the blacks, and the White Spirit in the wonderful cave. When she saw the precious stones and gold Edgar brought with him, she clapped her hands with joy, and wanted to play with all the pretty things.
 
‘You’ll not be short of money for a time with such rubies⁷ as these to sell,’ said Wal Jessop, as he took some of the stones in his hand. ‘They are the finest I ever saw. You’ll get more for them in London than you will here.’
 
‘I shall keep the bulk of them,’ said Edgar; ‘but we must dispose of some of them, Wal, in order to keep things going.’
 
‘Captain Fife will be able to do that for you,’ said Wal. ‘He knows the best market for such things. What a wonderful chap that black must be! There are not many like him here.’
 
‘You will see him before long,’ said Edgar. ‘He has promised to come to Sydney when his wound has quite healed.’
 
‘A knife-thrust like that will take some time to get well,’ said Wal. ‘I wonder if he will ever take you back again to find more of the treasure?’
 
‘I shall not go,’ said Edgar; ‘but I have no doubt there will be search made for it, even if Yacka declines to lead the way.’
 
The evening of Edgar’s arrival at the cottage he[207] had a walk on the cliffs with Wal Jessop, and again looked down upon the terrible rocks where the Distant Shore was dashed to pieces, and himself and Eva were so miraculously⁸ saved. As he looked into the depths below, the scene came vividly⁹ to mind again, and he could not resist grasping Wal Jessop by the hand, while the tears stood in his eyes.
 
Wal Jessop knew what he meant better than if he had spoken, and returned the pressure of his hand. They walked back to the cottage, and once more talked over the scenes of that awful night.
 
When Edgar saw Captain Fife that gentleman received him cordially, and promised to dispose of some of the rubies to the best advantage.
 
‘They are wonderfully good stones,’ said Captain Fife, ‘and there will be no difficulty in obtaining a stiff price for them. By the way, what are you going to do with yourself now? Are you returning to the station, or would you prefer to remain in Sydney?’
 
‘If I can obtain a suitable billet,’ said Edgar, ‘I should like to remain here.’
 
Captain Fife had been on the look-out for a private secretary for some time, and he offered Edgar the post, which he willingly accepted, thinking himself fortunate, as indeed he was, to gain such a position.
 
Time flies quickly, and when Edgar Foster had been private secretary to Captain Fife for over two years, he had become quite at home in Sydney, and was recognised as one of the best of good fellows. Edgar was fond of sports of all kinds, and he liked fun as well as any young fellow of his age, but he shunned¹⁰ the fast sets in the city, and one of his constant companions was Wal Jessop. Two or three times a week he went to Wal’s cottage to see Eva, who was rapidly growing into a very pretty girl. He heard regularly from home, and also had news from Yanda—for Will Brown was still there. Yacka had tried Sydney life, but quickly tired of it, and returned to the West.
 
Two or three expeditions had been fitted out to try and find the Cave of Enooma, as it was called, for the adventures of Edgar Foster and Will Brown had been related in the Sydney Mail, and naturally there was a desire to obtain the wealth stated to be there. These expeditions had, however, been failures, and nothing came of them. Yacka refused to lead anyone into the Enooma country, and Edgar and Will, when approached upon the subject, expressed their inability to do so. When the second expedition failed in its object, people said the discovery was a myth, but others knew better, and Edgar only smiled when he heard disparaging¹¹ remarks made.
 
Although Edgar stuck well to his work during the time he had been with Captain Fife, he found ample opportunity to indulge in his favourite pastime, cricket, and, much to his delight, had been selected captain of the South Sydney team. In this capacity he not only proved himself a good all-round cricketer, but a splendid leader, and no one, it was generally acknowledged, placed his men to more advantage in the field. He was selected to play for New South Wales against Victoria, but, like many a good cricketer before him, he failed at his first attempt. There was, however, no doubt about his ability, and he now stood an excellent chance of being selected as one of the next Australian eleven. This is the height of every cricketer’s ambition in the colonies, and Edgar felt anxious as to whether his performances during the season would warrant the selection committee including him in the team. So far he had done fairly well. There remained one inter-Colonial match to play against South Australia, and Edgar knew upon this match would depend the final decision as to his being a member of the Australian eleven.
 
He had practised steadily¹², and felt confident, and was encouraged by Wal Jessop and Captain Fife. Will Brown wrote from Yanda, saying they were coming down in force to see him play, and Ben Brody added a postscript¹³ to the effect that the honour of the Yanda boys was i............