six o'clock
No , no ; keep your money , and may you do good with it . '' We mounted our horses again , and hugging the bag of gold to my saddle bow , as though fearful I should meet bushrangers to dispute my right to it at every step , we recrossed the prairie , meeting Smith on the way , to whom we imparted our good fortune , and received his congratulations . By three o'clock the gold was safe under the hearthstone , and then we breathed free , and felt that we indeed owned it . By six o'clock Smith joined us with his dilapidated cart , when we immediately commenced repairing it , and getting ready for our journey towards Ballarat . By the ingenious use of tree limbs , we were enabled to repair it sufficiently to carry all of our freight ; and after it was loaded on , we ate our supper , and prepared for an early start . The gold , which we were so glad to obtain possession of , troubled us , however . We did not like to risk its safety with us , for we knew that the population of Ballarat were wild and lawless , and we were rather fearful of losing our treasure , now that we possessed it .