nearly four o'clock
I asked , as Smith paused . `` Quite frequently ; but he always came alone , and would not allow one of the gang whom he gathered about him to molest my flocks . I saw him on my last trip to the mines , and he tried to bribe me to purchase him a pair of revolvers ; but I refused , and he left me without a word of reproach . '' It was nearly four o'clock when Smith finished his account of the bushranger ; and as the heat was not so oppressive as at noon , we decided to travel eight or ten miles farther that evening , before we camped for the night . The oxen were found , driven towards the cart , and yoked ; and , with many a sharp crack of the stockman 's whip , we crossed the stream , and once more pursued our way towards Ballarat . During the rainy season in Australia , the roads leading to the mines are almost impassable , as the soil is light and the water easily penetrates to a great depth . Teams , with half a dozen yoke of cattle , can scarcely draw a heavy cart , as the brutes sink to their knees in mud at every step , and the wheels of the vehicle are buried to the axletree most of the time .