The rest of the day passed ordinarily enough. The Fergusons were fully occupied in putting their house in order; and Tom took his leave to see his brother and communicate to him details that he could not expect from Mr. Billing. He promised, before he went, to return the following morning and join Mr. Wigton in revisiting the camp and sepulchres of the blacks. True to his engagement, the next day Tom presented himself at Fern Vale; when he, Mr. Wigton, and John, took their departure on their meditated errand; leaving William at the station, to superintend some work which required the presence of either him or his brother.
As the trio rode on their way, Tom was the first to break the general silence, by remarking, "I am sorry to say Jemmy Davies was only too correct, when he surmised that the flour had been poisoned as well as the meat. I have tested it on some animals, with a fatal result; which leaves it beyond doubt that it contained poison; while my brother's explanation of the fact is very equivocal. He may be, and I trust he is, sincere in his asseverations; but I must confess that the whole matter appears to me inexplicable. He denies the possibility of the flour being poisoned, unless it were from contact with the meat, or by their own inadvertent use of the arsenic; which he says they must have taken from the store with the other things, under the impression of its being sugar. Now, though it is possible that the blacks might have made use of the fat of the meat in making their damper, in the other supposition I don't think there is a shadow of probability. However, let it rest between his conscience and his God. I only trust he will enlighten his wife on the subject, for I would not like that duty to devolve upon me, as I could not so far dissemble as to disguise from her my suspicions; and I know the knowledge of her husband's criminality would break her heart."
"You need not doubt, my dear sir," said Mr. Wigton, "but what she will hear of it from your brother. He will be sure to tell her, if it is only to prevent her crediting any other version that she may hear; so you need have no apprehension on that head. But let us consider now, that we are about to revisit these wretched blacks, what we can do to ameliorate their condition."