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diff --git a/44369.txt b/44369.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2b9cded..0000000 --- a/44369.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10995 +0,0 @@ - PALS - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Pals - Young Australians in Sport and Adventure -Author: Joseph Bowes -Release Date: December 08, 2013 [EBook #44369] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PALS *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover art] - - - - - *[Frontispiece: With incredible difficulty Yellow Billy - managed to pass his whip thong twice round the brute's - neck--*_*See p.*_* 188. (missing from book)]* - - - - - PALS - - YOUNG AUSTRALIANS - IN SPORT AND ADVENTURE - - - BY - - JOSEPH BOWES - - - - _WITH EIGHT FULL-PAGE COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS - BY JOHN MACFARLANE_ - - - - LONDON: JAMES GLASS - 28 NEWGATE STREET - 1910 - - - - - *CONTENTS* - - -CHAP. - - I. By Way of Introduction - II. The Bushrangers - III. A Desperate Encounter - IV. The Great Match - V. The Big Flood - VI. On the Face of the Waters - VII. The Death of the Forest Monarch - VIII. What the Tree held - IX. The Rescue - X. The Return - XI. The Breaking Up - XII. Down the River - XIII. Off for the Holidays - XIV. Christmas Fun and Frolic - XV. A Bush Ride and its Consequences - XVI. The Dingo Raid - XVII. Dingo *v.* Emu: A Fight to a Finish - XVIII. The Chase and its Sequel - XIX. Concerning Wild Horses - XX. The Brumby Hunt - XXI. The Warrigal's Strategy - XXII. How Yellow Billy broke the Warrigal - XXIII. A Day's Shoot - XXIV. The Corrobberie - XXV. In the Bushrangers' Caves - XXVI. The Explorers - XXVII. A Respite - XXVIII. The Camp by the Sea - XXIX. At the Mercy of the Sea-Tiger - XXX. In and About the Camp - XXXI. Off to the Gold Diggings - XXXII. How they struck Gold - XXXIII. Bullion and Bushranger - - - - - *LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS* - - -With incredible difficulty Yellow Billy managed to pass his whip thong -twice round the brute's neck (missing from book) . . . _Frontispiece_ - -Suddenly the Forest Monarch topples, lurches, staggers and falls with a -mighty crash - -The neighbours saw, far out on the wild, wreckage-strewn waters, a tiny -boat with four slight figures - -The emu failed to elude the panther-like spring - -Retreating one moment and advancing the following, uttering war-cries - -The huge brute lashed the water into foam, and swam round and round in a -circle - -"We've struck it rich, I do believe," cried the stockman - -Behind the lantern came a voice that more than the lantern, or even -pistol, cowed them: "*Stop! Hands up!*" (missing from book) - - - - - The grey gums by the lonely creek - The star-crowned height, - The wind-swept plain, the dim blue peak, - The cold white light, - The solitude spread near and far - Around the camp-fire's tiny star, - The horse-bell's melody remote, - The curlew's melancholy note, - Across the night. - - GEORGE ESSEX EVANS - - - - - *PALS* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - *BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION* - - -"Happy season of virtuous youth, when shame is still an impassable -barrier, and the sacred air cities of hope have not shrunk into the mean -clay hamlets of reality; and man by his nature is yet infinite and -free."--CARLYLE. - - -"Comin' over to-night, Tom?" - -"By jings! I'd like to, Joe, but dad said this morning he was going to -shell corn to-night. You know what that means. What's on?" - -"Oh! Sandy's stayin' in for the night; so I thought of gettin' Jimmy -Flynn an' Yellow Billy so's we could have bushrangers, an' stick up the -coach by moonlight. If they can't come, Sandy an' I'll go 'possumin' in -the slaughter-house paddock." - -"I say! what a jolly lark the bushranging'd be. How'd you manage it, -Joe?" - -"We've planned that out all right. We'd get Jimmy Flynn's billy-goat -cart an' the billies. He'd be mailman, an' it'd be gold-escort day. -Yellow Billy'd be the trooper; he's got a pistol, you know. He'd ride -the roan steer he's broken in. Then you, Sandy, an' I'd be Ben Bolt's -gang. We'd do a plant in a lonely spot along the road an' surprise 'em. -I'd tackle Billy, you'd look after Jimmy, Sandy 'd collar the mailbags -and gold boxes, and then scoot with the loot. I think it'd be better to -shoot Billy, so's to make it a bit more real; that's what Ben Bolt'd -do." - -"But, Joe, where'd we get the guns?" - -"I'd get father's. You'd have to make believe with a nulla-nulla. We -could stick a boomerang in our belts, it'd look like pistols in the -dark." - -"But I say, Joe, ole chap, you wouldn't really shoot Billy?" said Tom in -a tone that savoured both of fear and scepticism. - -"You're a precious muff, Hawkins! I was just kidding you. No, you -stupid, it's all gammon. The noise the powder 'll make 'll scare the -seven senses outer Billy." - -"By golly! it'll be crummie enough. Put it off till to-morrow, Joe, an' -I'll come." - -"Can't be done, my boy. Sandy'll not be here, for one thing. Besides, -I have to pull father down to Yallaroi Bend to-morrow. It's his service -night there. Sorry you can't come, Tom. We'll have to do our best -without you." - -"Oh Moses! to think that I can't join!" groaned Tom. "Look here, Joe, -I--I'll do a sneak. I'll be here somehow, you may bet your Sunday -breeks," continued the eager lad, as he stepped into the little -"flat-bottom" boat which had brought him over. - -"Joe!" he shouted when he had rowed some distance from the shore. "I'll -give a cooee if I can get, an' two cooees if the way's blocked. So -don't start till you hear." - -"Right-o!" - -The place where these boys lived, moved, and had their being was a -district famed for its fertility, on one of the northern rivers in New -South Wales. - -The river itself had many of the elements of nobility and beauty as, -taking its rise in the snowy heights of the New England ranges, it clove -its way eastward, finally debouching into the blue waters of the -Pacific. The river-flats formed magnificent stretches of arable lands; -too rich, indeed, for such cereals as wheat and oats, for their rank -growth rendered them liable to the fatal rust. - -Here, however, was the home of the maize, the pumpkin, the sweet potato, -the orange, the lemon, the plantain. Here too, the natural sequence, in -a way, of the prolific corn and the multitudinous pumpkin, were reared -and flourished the unromantic pig. - -Fed on pumpkins, with skim milk for beverage, topped off with corn, the -Australian grunter--whether as delicious, crisp bacon, or posing as -aristocratic ham--produces flesh with a flavour fit to set before a -king. - -Away from the river-flats the land becomes undulating and ridgy, and -well grassed for cattle runs. In the scrub belts, running back from the -river and its affluents into the hilly country, are to be found valuable -timbers, hard and soft; especially that forest noble, the red cedar. - -Cattle runs of large extent exist in the back-blocks, formed in the -early days by that class of men to whom Australia owes so much; the men -who to-day are vilified by those not worthy to black their boots: the -hardy, adventurous, courageous, indomitable pioneer, who more often than -not laid down his life and his fortune in the interest of Colonial -expansion and occupation. - -At intervals along the river-banks are small settlements, dignified by -the name of townships. Tareela, the principal village, skirted both -sides of the river, and was connected by a ferry. Here were located the -Government offices for the district, together with the stores, hotels, -school, etc. - -Joe Blain, the minister's son, was the leader of the village lads. He -had two pals, who were inseparable from him: Sandy M'Intyre, the -squatter's son, whose father owned Bullaroi, a cattle station situated a -few miles from the town, and Tom Hawkins, a farmer's son, the youngest -of the trio. These boys gave tone and direction to the fun and frolic -of the settlement. Of them it is sufficient to say at present that they -were not pedestal lads. - -At this time a noted bushranger and his mate were raiding the -settlements. All police pursuit was futile, owing to the -resourcefulness of the 'rangers. They had a keen knowledge of the open -country and the mountain ranges. Furthermore, they were generally -mounted on blood horses, usually "borrowed" from the surrounding station -studs. - -These men had many sympathisers among the lawlessly inclined, and, -strange to say, among law-abiding settlers. The "bush-telegraph" was an -institution in those days. Certain friends of the 'rangers kept them -posted up in the movements of the police, sometimes by word of mouth, at -others by writings on paper or bark, which were deposited in rock -crevices or in tree hollows, known only to the initiated. Sometimes a -young lad, or even a girl, would ride scores of miles across country to -give them warning. - -The police were not wanting in bush lore or courage, and in the end -invariably ran their quarry to earth. But an outlaw often had a long -career in crime, owing to the aid given, ere he was trapped. Thanks to -closer settlement, the advance of education, and the general use of the -electric telegraph, bushranging has become a matter of history. The -species is now to be found only in the stage melodrama, the itinerating -waxwork show, or embalmed in literature. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - *"THE BUSHRANGERS* - - -"_Poins_: Tut! our horses they shall not see. I'll tie them in the -wood; our visors we will change after we leave them; and, sirrah, I have -cases of buckram for the nonce to immask our noted outward garments. - -"_Prince_: But I doubt they will be too hard for us." - -SHAKESPEARE, Henry IV. - - -After leaving Tom Hawkins, or, to put it more correctly, after Tom had -paddled away in his punt, Joe Blain proceeded to look up Jimmy Flynn, -the blacksmith's apprentice, and Yellow Billy, a half-caste youth, whose -father followed the occupation of a timber-getter in the ranges. Yellow -Billy was generally employed as yard boy at the Travellers' Best Inn, -and a rough time he often had, especially when the timber-getters were -dissolving their hard-earned gold in alcohol. - -One of Billy's duties was to milk the cows and tend the calves. Among -the latter was a yearling steer, which he broke in and rode on the -quiet. Many an hour's frolic the boys had in the moonlight in riding -the steer. This animal had a good slice of the rogue in its -composition, with a propensity for buck-jumping. When in a certain mood -it would be as stubborn as a donkey and as savage as a mule. - -After standing, say for some minutes, never budging, in spite of -thwackings and tail-twistings, it would suddenly take to buck-jumping. -Oh, my, couldn't it buck! Woe betide the unlucky rider when it was in -this mood. Torn from his hold--a rope round its brisket--one moment -behold him sprawling over its back, the next whirling through space, -finally deposited with more force than elegance on the turf. All this, -however, was great fun for the boys, who encouraged the brute in its -bucking moods, each mounting in turns, to lie prone sooner or later on -mother earth, amid the uproarious laughter of his fellows. - -Billy was the exception. He was a born rider. Unable to shift him from -its back, the brute became quite docile in his hands, and kept its -tricks for the others. - -Jimmy and Billy were ready and willing to fill their parts in the bill. -The former, at "knock off," went out to the town common to round his -goats, and Billy promised to be ready, "steered," so to speak, by the -time appointed. - -The road fixed upon was the track that led out from the township to a -large sawmill, distant about six miles. It was a solitary road, passing -through a scrub-belt, crossing several minor creeks, threading its way -over a rocky ridge, winding through a rather wild defile, and ending at -the mill; the sort of place, indeed, to present numerous opportunities -for the criminal enterprise on hand. A spot where one could get "nice -and creepy," as Joe said to Yellow Billy, much to that young man's -disquiet. - -The plan of campaign was simple enough. Joe, Tom, and Sandy were to set -out as soon as possible after sundown and choose their spot for attack; -while Jimmy was to drive the Royal Billy-goat Mailcart, with Trooper -Yellow Billy a little in advance, as per custom. - -The embryo bushrangers, unfortunately, had only one horse between them; -the one Sandy rode to school. Mr. Blain's horse, on which the boys -counted, was being used by the minister to take him to a moonlight -service some distance out from the river. It was settled, therefore, -that the three boys should bestride Sandy's stout cob, which was well -able to carry these juvenile desperadoes. - -"Mother!" shouted Joe, as he strode into the house in the late -afternoon, from the wood-pile, where he had been chopping the next day's -supply, "we're going to have grand fun to-night." - -"What sort of fun, my son?" - -"Bushranging along the sawmill road. Can I go mother? We've got such a -grand plot." - -"Well, I don't mind; but don't be out late." - -"S'pose I can have the gun?" - -"The g-u-n!" - -"Yes, mother. No need to fear. It's all play." - -"Well, don't load it." - -"Only with powder to make a bang." - -"I don't like the idea, my boy. Gun accidents often happen in play. -You remember Jim Andrews----" - -"Oh yes, mother, but that's different! It was loaded." - -In the end, owing to the boy's importunity, Mrs. Blain reluctantly -consented. - -Early tea being duly dispatched, the boys made the necessary -preparations for their dark deed. Joe produced a pair of knee-boots, -the some time property of his father. He made them fit by sticking rags -into the toes. He thrust his trousers' legs into the boot-tops, and -wound a red scarf round his waist, through which he stuck a boomerang -and nulla-nulla. A 'possum-skin cap adorned his head. His final act -was to fasten on a corn-tassel moustache, and to strap his gun across -his back. The broad effect of the costume was to make this youthful -outlaw a cross, as it were, between Robinson Crusoe and a Greek brigand. - -Indeed he quite terrified his two sisters, as he suddenly entered the -sitting-room to the accompaniment of a blood-curdling yell. This the -girls match with a shriek that wakes up the sleeping baby, bringing the -mother in with a rush. - -For a moment Mrs. Blain, seeing Joe in the half-light, thought some -ruffian had entered. - -"It's very thoughtless and wrong of you, Joe, to frighten your sisters. -I--I--I'm quite angry with you----" - -"Very sorry, mater," said Joe, with a serio-comic air. "I only meant to -give them a start." - -The girls, however, began to laugh, Joe looked such an oddity. They -turned the tables on him by quizzing him most unmercifully. At last our -young hero was very glad to beat a retreat to the backyard, where he -found Sandy busy in saddling the horse. - -Joe's confederate had roughened himself as much as circumstances -permitted. In lieu of a skin cap he tied a big handkerchief round his -hat, and stuck a couple of turkey-tail feathers through it. He had -manufactured a brace of pistols out of short lengths of bamboo, with -corn-cobs, stuck in bored holes at an angle, to form the stocks. These, -with a boomerang and nulla-nulla slung at either side, and a short spear -fixed in his belt at the back and standing over his head, made him in -appearance more like a red Indian than a Colonial free-booter. - -"All ready, Hawkeye?" - -"Yes, ole pal. The mustang is waiting, and the brave will vault into -the saddle at Thundercloud's word of command," answered Hawkeye in -bastard Cooperese. Fenimore of that ilk was Sandy's favourite author. - -"Hast thou heard the signal of Red Murphy?" said Joe, falling into the -strain of speech. - -"No, Thundercloud. No sound from our brither of the hither shore hath -been borne on the wings of the wind across the----" - -"Oh, stow that rot, Sand--Hawkeye! I wonder?----" - -"Yon's the cry of the chiel," broke in the would-be brave, as at that -moment the cooee of Tom Hawkins, alias Red Murphy, rose in the still -air, faint from the distance, but distinct. - -"A single cooee! Rippin! he's comin'. Let's mount and wait at the -landing." - -Hardly had the boys reached the river-bank ere Red Murphy appeared, -attired much as the others, with the addition of an old blunderbuss -belonging to his father. - -"It's all right, boys! Hurroar! Dad broke the handle of the -corn-sheller this evening, and sent me over with it to the blacksmith's. -I'm to wait till it's mended. Wait a jiff an' I'll be with you," cried -he, as he ran to the smithy, returning as fast as his legs could bring -him, with the news that the broken handle could not be repaired under -three hours owing to other urgent work. - -Joe rapidly detailed the plan, informing Tom, at the same time, that his -name and character were to be that of Red Murphy, one of the -blood-thirstiest and most rapacious cut-throats in the Colonies. - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - *A DESPERATE ENCOUNTER* - - -"_Falstaff_: I am a rogue if I were not at half-sword with a dozen of -them two hours together. I have 'scaped by miracle. I am eight times -thrust through the doublet; four through the hose; my buckler cut -through; my sword hacked like a handsaw _ecce signum_. I never dealt -better since I was a man; all would not do."--SHAKESPEARE, _Henry IV_. - - -Joe had barely made his explanations before the rumbling of the -approaching cart was heard. It was the Royal Mail starting on its -adventurous trip. - -"Time to be off, pals!" cried the leader. "Now then, Hawkeye, whip 'em -up." - -Off started the trio, Thundercloud, Hawkeye, and Red Murphy; each -delivering a blood-curdling yell which rang up and down the street, as -they passed through it at a smart canter. It had never fallen to the -lot of horse, before, to bear upon its back at the same time three such -ferocious outlaws, bent on so diabolical an errand. Behind them, and at -a slower pace, came the Royal Mail goatcart, drawn by four strong -billies, skilfully driven by coachman Jimmy, and attended by Trooper -Billy astride his cud-chewing steed. - -After leaving the township the road skirted the river for a mile or so, -then, crossing a plank bridge, bore away to the hills. The silver moon -shone from the clear sky through the pure air, making the tree shadows -as they lay across the road to resemble fallen timber. The nocturnal -'possum, having ventured to the ground to feed upon the tender grass, -scudded up the trees, frightened by the rumbling vehicle and the baaing -steeds. The thud of paddy-melon[#] and wallaby could be distinctly -heard, as they smote the earth in their jumping movements; while from -the heights of some lofty tree the mopoke[#] tolled his mournful cry. - - -[#] "Paddy-melon," a small marsupial or pouch-bearing mammal. - -[#] "Mopoke," the Australian crested goat-sucker. - - -The coach had now passed the three-mile creek, and still there was no -sound of disturbing element. The coachman and trooper, having -intelligence to the effect that the 'rangers were "out," and had -threatened to "stick" up the gold-escort, were on the _qui vive_. They -surmised that the attack would come in the scrub-belt, and about the -spot where the creek intersected. Here the tall, overhanging trees, -interlaced as they were with a thick vinous growth, effectually barred -the moon's rays. - -It was the ideal spot for ambush, and the hearts of the boys beat -faster, and a nervous apprehension amounting to fear seized them, as -they passed among the shadows. Everything had a distorted appearance, -and again and again they trembled, as it were, on the verge of attack. -They had chatted freely until the darkness of the scrub closed in upon -them. Under its oppression, and by reason of the dread uncertainty, -what had before seemed to be only a prime lark now presented itself as a -grim reality. - -They drove on slowly now, conversing only in whispers, for the night -silences, the deepening shadows, and the unseen before them, all -contributed to the mental mood which affected the boys. The creek banks -and bed, save for a solitary moon-ray which silvered the rippling water, -were enwrapped in thick darkness. Pulling up at the brink, the boys -held a short conversation. - -"Goin' ter cross, Jimmy?" - -"I--I--s'pose so, Billy. Measly black ahead, ain't it?" - -"You're not frightened, are you?" - -"Wot! me? No fear! Y'are yourself!" - -"I like that! Wot's to be frightened of?" - -Yet the boys, if truth be told, were a good deal alarmed by the unwonted -darkness and stillness. - -"Well, s'pose we'd better be gettin' on. Don't care how soon we git -outer this hole. You cross ahead, Billy, an' do a bit o' scoutin'. -I'll wait here till you git up the bank on the other side." - -Yellow Billy didn't like the prospect, and would have proposed turning -back, but was afraid of being called a coward. Therefore, despite an -apprehension of the darkness, accentuated by his aboriginal strain, and -very much against his will, the half-caste plunged down the creek bed, -and mounted the other side without let or hindrance, greatly to his -surprise and relief. - -But where are the 'rangers? - -Of them the darkness gave no token and the silence is unbroken. Jimmy -had some difficulty in getting his leaders to tackle the creek. It was -only after he left the cart, seized their heads, and half-dragged them -into the water that he effected his purpose. The scrub thinned out -shortly after passing the creek, and the spirits of the boys rose with -the increasing moonlight. - -"They missed a grand charnce at the crick, Billy!" - -"By dad, they did that! I wonder where they are. P'raps they've given -us the slip." - -The road took a sudden turn just here, leading over a rocky ridge. At a -farther sharp turn, under the lee of a bank, a big log lay across the -road. - -"Hello, here's a go, Jimmy! You'll have to drive round. No! you can't -do that. Wait a moment an' I'll----" - -"Bail up!" - -The cry, crisp and startling, rang out, as three figures darted from the -shadow of a huge tree which stood near. Thundercloud, the leader of the -band of bushrangers, pointed his gun at the driver. Hawkeye made a dash -at the trooper, while Red Murphy seized hold of the leading billies. - -"Hands up!" cried Thundercloud in the highest style of bushranging. -"Your money or your life!" - -Trooper Billy was not disposed to yield without a struggle, and at the -first cry he whipped out his pistol, firing at his aggressor point -blank, missing the leader but hitting his confederate, Hawkeye, who -tumbled down with a loud squeal, as unlike an Indian war-whoop as it is -possible to imagine. Simultaneously, Thundercloud discharged his gun at -Jimmy the coachman, who, instead of putting his hands up at the -challenge, began to lash the billies, and had just turned them off the -log, when--pop, crash! went the two weapons. - -And now the unforeseen occurred. The steer and the billies bolted! -Down the ridge and along the road they dashed at breakneck speed; the -steer roaring and kicking, the four strong billies baaing, and neither -driver nor rider could control the brutes. Away they scurried along the -rough bush-track, the cart bumping and rocking over the ruts; every jump -of the trap bringing a fresh bleat from the fear-stricken goats. - -After racing along for nearly a mile and finding his steed unmanageable, -getting frightened too, Yellow Billy slipped over the stern, and by good -luck dropped upon his feet. It was different with Jimmy, who gallantly -hung on to the billies. The creek was what he most feared, and it was -very close now. He had, however, got a pull on the beasts, and they -were slackening a little, but, as ill-luck would have it, on going down -a gully one of the wheels caught a tree root, and in a jiffy capsized -the cart, sending the driver head over heels into a clump of bracken. - -The incident gave fresh impetus to the runaways, who rushed on baaing; -dashing at length down the steep incline of the creek, the cart righted -itself as it tumbled adown the gradient. They tore over the stream and -up the bank, finally leaving the track, and getting boxed up in the -scrub. - -After lying in a stunned condition for a few minutes, Jimmy scrambled -up. But the moment he put his weight on his right foot he let out a -yell, caused by the terrific pain that shot through his ankle. It was -unbearable, and he tumbled down in an almost fainting condition. - -Meanwhile the outlaws stood aghast at the unexpected and startling turn -of events. Thundercloud was the first to recover his speech. - -"Great Caesar! who would have dreamt of a bolt? Just listen to the -brutes!" as the animals tore along, baaing and roaring in a way possible -only to frightened billies and calves. - -"I--I--didn't know he'd loaded his pistol. I--I--I thought for sure I -was a goon coon," gasped Hawkeye, who, after lying for a minute under -the impression that he was mortally wounded, got up, rubbing his face -and head, half terrified as his hands became wet with flowing blood, and -only reassured after Joe had declared that the blood was from his nose. -As a matter of fact, he had sustained a smart blow upon his prominent -feature with the pistol wad; his cheeks, also, were scorched with the -powder flare. - -Red Murphy, who had just grasped the billies' heads when the guns were -fired, was thrown down in their mad rush, and had his shins severely -barked on the rocky ground. - -"Drat the brutes! Oh, I say, here's a go! Listen to the beggars! -Ain't they footin' it?" - -"To horse! to horse, pals!" cried Thundercloud, making hasty strides to -a patch of scrub where they had tied up the horse. In a few seconds the -three were mounted and away with a swinging canter, adding their yells -to the cries of the beasts. They were soon up to the spot where Jimmy -had come to grief, when, thundering down the gully, the horse made a shy -at the prostrate coachman, shooting off Thundercloud and Red Murphy. -They scrambled up quickly, none the worse for their spill. Hawkeye -immediately reined in his steed and rejoined his dismounted companions. - -The boys were greatly concerned to find Jimmy in this condition. The -affair began to assume a serious aspect. They were no longer outlaws and -police: they were pals, and Jimmy was suffering intense pain from his -sprained ankle. After a short consultation the boy was placed on the -horse, which was led by Sandy. The others followed behind, making a -somewhat mournful spectacle. In due course they reached the goatcart, -now in possession of Yellow Billy, who had disentangled the team and was -waiting for the others to come along. The steer meanwhile continued his -career at headlong speed, until he pulled up at the milking yards in an -exhausted condition. Mrs. Blain, as the hours sped by, began to get -concerned at the non-return of the boys. Concern deepened into anxiety. -She became a prey to evil imaginings, as do all our dear mothers. They -are lost! ... Some dreadful accident has happened! ... That gun! ... -Their legs, arms, necks, are broken! And so on and on, running over the -whole gamut of catastrophy. - -She goes out to scan the streets, and listens with strained ears for -some enheartening sound of footsteps. Lights are out in the village. -Even the dogs are sleeping. No shuffle of advancing feet; no rattle of -wheels as they grind in the ruts: no sound, indeed, is borne upon the -night wind save the mystic noises of the flowing river, which fill the -air with a deep undertone. Above this, at intervals, come the splashing -sounds of the jumping fish; the smooth splash of the falling mullet, the -tail flutter of the rising perch. The wood-duck's soft quack-quack, and -the red-bill's chuckle, are to be heard as they move among the sedges. -No landward sound! - -Stay! a dark shadow swiftly steals along the earth like a spirit of evil -omen, and passes through the house, across the street, as it strikes the -walls. While from above comes a wail as that of a lost soul. - -The poor woman quivers and shivers at the unwonted sight and sound. She -knows not that the apparition is the shadow of a black swan, which is -sailing high up in the heavens; it crosses the moon, and utters its -melancholy note as it wings its flight to the feeding grounds. The -mother is now on the outskirts of the town, under the shadows of the -trees. Every leaf is a tongue; every tongue whispers--Something! which -dries the throat and fills the ears with heart-thumps. "Why did I? ... -That gun! ... What will father? ... Why don't they come? ... Which -track? ... Hark! Yes, 'tis the galloping hoofs ... Oh, God! it is the -steer! ... Riderless! ... This way, then.... On, on, on! ... At last! -..." - -"Cheer up, mother ... no harm done ... Jimmy had a bit of a buster an' -sprained his ankle.... Scold us, mother, but--don't cry!" - -The hour is verging on midnight as five weary lads, four billies, one -horse, and one thankful woman straggled into the silent township. All -romance, for the moment, had gone out of bushranging. - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - *THE GREAT MATCH* - - - "God bless the grilling days of cricket! - They're gone but I shall bless them ever, - For good it is to guard a wicket - By sudden wrist and big endeavour." - NORMAN GALE. - - "There's a breathless hush in the close to night, - Ten to make and the match to win, - A bumping pitch and a blinding light, - An hour to play and the last man in." - HENRY NEWBOLT. - - -"Hawkins, stand out!" - -"Please, sir, I wasn't doin' nothin'!" - -"No, you wasn't doin' nothin', but you have been talking all morning, -you tiresome boy! Write out 'disobedient' three hundred times after -school." - -The fact is, Tom was relating the bushranging episode to a schoolmate, -and, like Tom Sawyer, he "laid over" considerably in his recital. While -in the act of enlarging he was brought to book in this peremptory -fashion by the master, and had to do penance with as little relish as -most boys. - -"Sorry you can't come out and play, Tom," said Joe Blain, poking his -head into the empty schoolhouse after dismissal. - -"It's a beastly shame! What are you fellows up to?" - -"Goin' to practise for the Dingdongla match. After that we'll have a -swim." - -"Oh, rot it!" grunted the chagrined prisoner. - -"Say, Tom, don't forget to come along to-night an' help pick the team." - -"I'll be there, never fret." - -"Well, so-long. Wire in, and keep your pecker up." - -Dingdongla was an up-river settlement; Tareela a down-river town. The -latter named was the older and more substantial place, being the -headquarters of the shipping. As a consequence it was instinct with the -superior air generally to be met with in places of metropolitan -pretensions. In schools, too, the down-river town had the advantage. -Its school building was of sawn timber, with a shingle roof. -Furthermore, it possessed two teachers, and pine desks. While, on the -other hand, the up-river academy was constructed of roughly adzed slabs -and a bark roof. - -For the Dingdonglas to be thrashed in cricket by the Tareelians was not -considered to be a disgrace. _Per contra_, their victory was a splendid -achievement, and a great humiliation to their opponents. The latter was -fairly beaten by the former last season, and naught would restore their -prestige save the administration of an unmitigated licking. So, at -least, thought the match Committee, as they conned names, and analysed -the merits of the candidates on the name list. - -Needless to say, Joe, Tom, and Sandy headed the list of certainties. -Yellow Billy came next; for though a very irregular attendant at school, -he was a tremendous swiper when he got his eye in. Billy had dragged -more than one match out of the fire. - - -Saturday morning broke fair. Shortly after an early breakfast a -cavalcade of about twenty youthful horsemen, followed by two teachers in -a gig, were scampering along the bush road to Dingdongla, distant about -nine miles up the river. Oh, the merry, merry days of youth! Those are -the days of the superlative mood. - -It was a merry, roaring, romping, racing crowd of youngsters that tore -along the bush track. They jumped fallen timber and gullies; chased the -flying marsupial; and spurted in couples for short lengths. There were -minor accidents, 'tis true. Pincher Putnan's horse, in a fit of -pig-jumping, broke a girth, sending Pincher and saddle to mother earth. -Yellow Billy's half-broken brumby fairly bolted in a race, cleared off -the road, and rushed through a belt of timber at breakneck speed, -towards his native haunts in the Nulla ranges. It was only the superb -horsemanship of the half-caste that saved him from being dashed against -the trees in the headlong flight. - -In due time Dingdongla is reached. The horses are turned out in a maize -stubble paddock, where is a fine picking, and the boys stroll on to the -ground to have a look at the pitch. - -"Whatyer think of the pitch, Joe?" - -"You'll have to keep your eye skinned for shooters Rody. The ball'll -keep very low. Must keep a straight bat and forward play." - -The stumps, like much of the material, were home-made. The Dingdonglas -had only one "spring handle"; the others were chopped out of beech -boards. The Tareelians were not much better off for material. They, it -is true, had two "spring handles,"--more or less battered,--and could -boast a pair of wicket gloves, but for the rest were like their -opponents, sans leggings and gloves. That, however, was a small item; -for every boy who possessed boots doffed them, rolling his trouser legs -to the knees and his shirt sleeves to the elbows. - -"Got all your men, Wilson?" said Joe to the Dingdonglas' captain. - -"Yes, they're all here. May as well toss for innin's, Joe." - -"Right you are," responds Joe, ejecting a jet of saliva on a piece of -flat wood. "Shall I toss, or you?" - -"You toss, Joe." - -"Call you!" cried Blain, tossing the board with a twirl skywards. "Wet -or dry?" - -"Wet!" called Wilson, as the wood spun in the air. - -"Dry!" exclaimed Joe, as it lay on the ground with its dry side -uppermost. "We've won, and go in." - -"Tom," said he a moment later, "you and Yellow Billy go in first, an' -you take the strike." - -The batsmen were soon in their places, and the Dingdongs in the field. -The innings opened fairly well for the Tareelians. Yellow Billy got -quickly to work, and laid on the wood to some purpose; Tom playing -carefully the while. - -Facing the Dingdonglas' swift bowler, after a smart short-hit run Billy -sent a well-pitched ball for four, a rattling, straight-hit drive. But -in trying to repeat the stroke off the next ball he misjudged, and, -skying the sphere, was easily caught. - -"One wicket for twenty!" of which the half-caste contributed fifteen. - -After this the troubles of the batsmen set in. The Dingdongs were -strong in bowling talent, and possessed a local Spofforth, whose -lightning deliveries shot and kicked in a marvellous fashion. Joe, -going in fifth man, stayed the "rot" for a while, but was foolishly run -out by his mate. - -The Tareelians were all out in an hour for the small total of -forty-seven. If the down-river boys were despondent over this score, -the up-rivers were correspondingly jubilant. Going to the wickets with -plenty of confidence, they rattled up ninety-nine before the last wicket -fell; the captain carrying out his bat for a well-earned forty-two. - -Adjournment for lunch was now made. We call it lunch by courtesy. It -was a big bush feed. This repast was served in the schoolhouse, the -rough desks being converted into tables, which were literally covered -with good things. - -The Dingdonglas' mothers were determined that, whoever won, the boys of -both sides should have a rippin' feed. A stuffed sucking-pig, whose -savoury odour filled the room, lay at one end. Roast wild duck and a -cold pigeon-pie balanced it at the other. An immense round of spiced -beef, standing in the centre of the long table, seemed to say: "You may -cut and come again." Potatoes and pumpkins smoked in big tin bowls, and -all the available space was filled with cakes, puddings, and pies. -Needless to say, the onslaught was terrific. They were all sloggers at -tuck. Meats, puddings, cakes, tea, and ginger-beer disappeared like -magic. - -All good things mundane, however, come to an end; especially when the -good thing happens to be a dinner. And now, after divers whisperings and -nudgings, up stood Captain Joe, amid the cheers of his side. - -Joe was silent a moment, nervously looking up and down the board, and -heartily wishing himself at the bottom of the deep blue sea. "Mr. -Chairman" (addressing the local schoolmaster), "I--we--that is--us -fellows from Tareela asked me to tell you--I mean to say, -that--that--that--a--it gives us much pleasure--er--er--oh, hang it -all!--I--I mean--er--this is the jolliest blow in the way of tuck we've -ever had." Joe subsided to the rattle of the knives on the bare board. -As soon as the noise ceased, Tom Hawkins jumped up and called: "Three -cheers for the Dingdonglas!" which were heartily given. - -Half an hour's lounge, and the battle began afresh. - -"We've got fifty-two to wipe out before we start even, boys. We can do -it, and score plenty more to win the game, if we keep our heads. -Anyway, we must have a big try. Billy an' I'll go in first; Tom next, -and then Pincher. The order of the rest of you depends on the way -things turn out." - -"Look here, Billy," continued the captain, as the two batsmen walked to -the wickets. "They've got two slashing bowlers, but if we can manage to -knock 'em out they've no one else of much account. Get your eye well in -before you do any slogging." - -"All right, Joe! Do me best." - -"Your best means steady play and a big score. I'll take the strike." - -If Joe was nervous in public speech it was not observable in action. He -played Ginger Smith's fast deliveries with confidence, punishing the -loose balls and blocking the straight ones. Billy, too, was playing -with unwonted caution, and the score, though slowly, was surely mounting -up; until after half an hour's play it stood at twenty-five, with no -wickets down. There were no boundaries, and every hit was run out. - -"Oh, glory, what a swipe!" - -Yellow Billy had got hold of one of Ginger's leg balls with a mighty -lunge. The ball seemed as if it would go on for ever, and finally -rolled into a gutter. They ran six for it. - -There was great cheering among the Tareelians. Mr. Simpson, who umpired, -forgot for a moment his impartial office. Flinging his hat into the -air, he cried, "Bravo, Billy!" - -"Thirty-one an' none out. Only twenty-one to get level!" - -The boys were now scoring faster; singles, twos, threes were coming with -great rapidity. Joe made his first four, a sweet, square cut. - -"Forty-nine an' no wickets down!" - -Joe faced the new bowler. The local demon had begun to bowl wildly, and -was relieved. - -"They'll never bowl them!" cried young Ben Wilde, as Joe took block for -the new-comer--a lad with a reputation for slow left-hand twisters. The -first ball was pitched on the leg stump; just the ball for Joe's -favourite leg glance. - -It went for two. - -"Only one to make us even!" shouted Tom to his captain. The second ball -was pitched in exactly the same spot, and Joe proceeded to treat it in -the same fashion. The sphere, however, had a little more twist on it -than its predecessor, and, breaking on to the left bail, flicked it off. - -There was a great chorus of disappointment among the Tareelians, and -hearty cheers from their opponents, as the captain's wicket fell. His -twenty-one, got by true cricket, was worth twice that number by reason -of the spirit of confidence he had infused. - -Billy and Tom carried the score to seventy-three, when the latter was -caught for ten. Pincher fell a victim to a very simple ball from an -under-hand lob bowler, after making seven. Sandy gave the bowlers some -trouble, and got into double figures before he retired. All this while -Billy was scoring well, and, when Sandy's wicket fell, had made fifty -runs. All the boys scored less or more; and when the innings closed had -compiled a total of one hundred and thirty-seven, of which Billy made -seventy-one and not out. This was a grand achievement, and the -half-caste was carried off the ground amid great applause. - -This left the Dingdongs eighty-six runs to win, which they failed to do -by seventeen runs, Sleepy Sam stumping no less than three off young -Ben's slow lobs. - -There was great cheering as the victorious cricketers rode in the dusk -of the evening through the main street of Tareela, after a grand day's -fun. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - *THE BIG FLOOD* - - - "The day is cold and dark and dreary; - It rains, and the wind is never weary; - The vine still clings to the mouldering wall; - But at every gust the dead leaves fall, - And the day is dark and dreary." - LONGFELLOW. - - -Drip, drip, drip! - -Croak, croak, c-r-o-a-k! - -Quack-quack, quack-quack! - -"Heigho!" grunted Tom Hawkins, as he turned over sleepily in bed. "Is -it ever goin' to stop rainin'?" - -For some days a steady rain had been falling, soaking the ground. Every -gully was a rivulet, and every depression a lake. - -"Tom!" cried a feminine voice from an interior room. "Get up!" - -"Bother those frogs an' ducks!" muttered the lad, full of sleep in the -grey of the early morning. "Like ter choke 'em! waking fler----" - -"Tom!" cried a masculine voice, as a hand rattled the door of the lad's -bedroom, and a boot gave a drum-like accompaniment on the lower panel. -"Git up this minit an' run the cows in, or I'll----" - -But Tom had jumped out of bed as nimbly as one of the frogs, between -whose croak and his father's bass voice he seemed unable, in his sleepy -condition, to discriminate. - -"All right, father! I'm dressing," shouted Tom, as the word "dowsing" -fell on his ear. There had been times in master Tom's past when a -sudden application of cold water was deemed necessary to expedite his -slow movements. - -"Dad's too mighty smart! Thought I'd nick him with that button," -growled Tom, as he stuck his legs into his pants; said button being an -iron tee snip, fastened so as to act as a bolt. - -"Jemima! ain't it dark! Must be very early," muttered the reluctant -boy, as he strove to lace his boots. "Drat it! Shan't wear 'em; too -wet." - -"My crikey!" cried he as he stood outside. "Must have been rainin' cats -an' dogs, an' lakes an' seas." - -His moleskins were rolled up to his thighs, while a cornsack, hooded at -the bottom, and stuck on to his head like a nun's veil, gave him fair -protection from the driving showers. - -"I wonder if it's goin' to be a flood?" The thought was not unpleasant -to the lad. It produced, indeed, a certain exaltation of spirits, -forcibly expressed in Tom's vernacular by, "Ge-willikins! but won't we -have fun!" - -Heavily laden clouds, in interminable succession, were drifting from the -sea, forming, as they swung overhead in batches, an endless series of -smart showers. It had been an exceptionally wet week, and for the -preceding twenty-four hours had rained without ceasing. - -The cows depastured in a paddock that ran back from a creek to the -timbered country. The creek itself was bank high and running strongly. -It was only by climbing along the branches of a dead limb, which spanned -the water, that Tom managed to reach the kine. - -It was no small task to get them to face the stream. Small as was the -creek in width, it was deep enough to make a swim, and the roaring, -turbid, and muddy stream frightened the creatures. But for the fact -that the calves were in a pen at the milking yard all Tom's efforts -would have been futile. Their mooing and baaing, however, made a loud -appeal to the maternal breast. Finally, when the old red poley, the -mother of twins, made a plunge, the rest followed. - -During the morning the river rose steadily, and large quantities of -drift-wood passed down the stream. With the rubbish was a good deal of -heavy timber, and--what Tom had predicted--pumpkins. This was an -indication that the river up-stream had overflowed its banks in places, -and was sweeping the low-lying farm lands. Tom spent the morning in -fishing out the floating vegetables that came within reach of his hooked -pole. Meanwhile the rain continued, and looked as though it might last -for forty days and nights. - -"I'll pull over to the township this afternoon," remarked Mr. Hawkins at -the midday meal. "I'm anxious about this rise. Looks as if we're goin' -to have an old man flood. Might get some information about the state of -things up-river. If I leave it till to-morrow 'twill be a tough job -gettin' acrost, as the timber's comin' down pretty thick now, an'll be -worse by an' by." - -"Be sure'n bring tea and flour back with you. No knowing how long the -rise'll last." - -"Can I go with you, father?" - -"Yes; I'll require you to steer. It'll be a pretty stiff job, I -reckon." - -The crossing was not without peril. The current ran fierce and strong. -The landing-place on the other side was protected, in a measure, by a -headland up-stream. Out from the influence of that, however, the boatmen -felt the full force of the current. The water seethed and foamed. The -violence of its rush created great whirlpools, which accentuated the -difficulty of keeping the boat's head up-stream. Logs and driftwood -patches had to be dodged, and, what with fighting the current and -outflanking the timber, by the time the river was crossed the boat had -drifted quite half a mile down-stream. On gaining the other side they -found a shore eddy, in which they were able to paddle up-stream with -ease, until they came to a point of land about two hundred yards below -the town wharf. As they lost the eddy here, and would have to encounter -the full force of the flood when round the point, Mr. Hawkins wisely -determined to tie up the boat in the slack water. - -When Hawkins arrived at the store, where many of the townsfolk had -congregated, he was informed that news had been brought down by the -mailman that morning to the effect that heavy rains were falling at the -head of the river, and that when the New England waters came down in -full force the river might rise to the "high flood" marks. - -Cooees could now be heard from the settlers in the low-lying portions, -adjacent to the township. They proceeded from those who had neglected -to move before being surrounded, and who were without boats. The police -were busily engaged in rescuing families by boat. Many townsfolk were -engaged on the same merciful errand. - -All through the day the waters, fed by the flooded creeks, continued to -rise, and as evening approached anxiety deepened. Things were so -serious that Mr. Hawkins, whose farm, be it said, was situated on -comparatively low-lying lands, acting upon the advice of his friends, -returned home almost at once. After hoisting the most valuable of his -possessions to the rafters, and securing them there, he returned to the -township with his family; gaining it as dusk was deepening into dark. -The family was distributed among neighbours, Tom and one of his sisters -being quartered at Mr. Blain's. - -A group of men and boys throughout the day had lined the bank of the -river, in the vicinity of the Government wharf, which was submerged. -They were engaged in gauging its rate of advance by pine laths scaled to -inches. - -Towards evening the wind, veering from east to south-east, increased in -violence. Laden with torrential showers, it smote the earth in great -gusts, streaming through roofs and walls, and taxing the ingenuity of -housekeepers to find dry spots for beds. - -The wind and flood waters, travelling in opposite directions, conflicted -with great violence. The roaring, boastful wind, as it lashed the -racing, defiant waters into angry waves, and the universe-filling sounds -of the seething, surging flood-waters, as they wrestled with and -overbore all opposing forces, made storm music, compared with which the -artifices of man touch the infinitely puny. Darkness and the blinding -rain had driven most of the river watchers indoors. A few, however, -braved the elements, among them the minister and the lads. - -Whatever effect the flood may have had on others, the dominant feeling -in Mr. Blain's mind was that of solicitude. As the rain continued, deep -concern merged into alarm. There were few on the river who knew as -intimately as he the general havoc of a flood. The executive head of -the Flood-relief Committee for many years, he had been the chief -instrument in administering doles to flood victims. In many cases the -utmost relief was as a drop of succour in the ocean of need. - -"If the rise continues for another twenty-four hours, as it is doing -now, it will beat the 'sixty-four flood, and, if so, God help our -down-river friends," remarked the minister after examining Joe's gauge -by the aid of a lantern. - -The '64 flood was the highest known to white men up to the present. The -settlers still retained a vivid recollection of its disastrous effects. -Luckily, the township covered a piece of high ground, and though the low -parts were covered in a moderate flood, the higher portions were some -feet above the highest flood-mark. It was in the farming settlements -that danger lurked. - -"If this yere flood beats 'sixty-four, it'll be as you say, Parson; -good-bye to many up-river an' down-river folk." - -Mr. Blain's words had impressed both men and boys. Suddenly Joe, who was -in the midst of the group, sang out lustily-- - -"Hurrah! wind's changed!" - -"What's that?" shouted back Mr. Blain excitedly. - -"Don't you feel it?" cried the boy, as he swung his arms windmill -fashion. - -"Yes; thank God! The lad's right," continued he. "The wind's chopping. -Don't you feel it, men? Ah! there's a decided puff from the north-east." - -"Take my word for it," said the ferryman, an old sailor, "the wind'll be -blowing west afore morning." - -"Pray God it may!" ejaculated the minister, and many a silent prayer was -uttered. - -"Now, boys, let us return home. We can do no good standing here. We'll -come back in an hour or so." - -"Listen!" exclaimed Tom, as the boys splashed through the water on their -way home. Laying his hand on Joe's shoulder, he cried, "Do you hear -that?" - -"Don't hear anything but the roar of the river," replied Joe, as he -stood in a listening attitude. "What was it?" - -"Hark! there it is again. A cooee. Seems to come from up the river, -near the Bend. Some un's in trouble." - -"Now, boys, make haste and get in out of the rain," cried Mr. Blain, who -had hurried along. - -"Some one's crying out for help at the Bend," shouted Joe. - -The minister paused on hearing this. A moment later the cry came out of -the night: faint, because of the distance and the turmoil of sounds, yet -clear and convincing. - -"Great God! some poor soul in dire straits, and no help possible before -morning!" - -It would have been worse than madness to attempt any rescue till -daylight. To traverse the flood, even in daytime, anywhere near the -Bend, were a hazardous experiment, owing to the enormous vortices caused -by the current striking a high bluff on the near side, at the elbow. -The waters whirled like a merry-go-round under full steam, and boiled -with an upward heave, in a fashion similar to the mud springs of -Tiketere. None but the stoutest boat and most experienced rowers could -dodge these seething cauldrons, which caught into their cold and cruel -embrace trees, fencing, stock; anything material, in fact. The heaviest -logs and tree-lengths were as wisps of straw under the influence of the -mighty suction. To attempt the traverse at night were as foolhardy and -impossible as that of shooting Niagara in an open boat. - -A little group stood with the Blains, listening to the weird cry. - -"Who d'yer think it c'd be, sir?" said one of the men, turning to the -minister. - -"Not any of the Bend families. We had word this afternoon saying that -they had retreated to the high land before the waters reached them. God -help the poor soul, whoever it is, for vain is the help of man!" - -Throughout the live-long night the cry went up at intervals, like that -of the minute-gun of a distressed vessel. Shortly before daybreak it -ceased. - -No man or woman in the township slept that night. A strict watch was -kept on the river, so as to be ready for any emergency. The waters -continued to advance, but at a much slower rate. Men and women -cudgelled their brains to individualise the wailing cry. Most were -agreed that it was a woman's cry, though some held it to be that of a -child. Sometimes the voice was ghoulish, and made the flesh to creep -and the heart to flutter. Then an intensely human note would prevail, -full of anguish and terror, and women wept and stopped their ears, while -strong men choked in the throat. - -They would go out at intervals and send back a heartening cry; it was -all that could be done. There were many others throughout that fearful -night who were engulfed in the flood, in various parts of the river, -and, swan-like, wailed their death-song in the wild waste. - -Shortly after midnight the rain ceased, and the wind, which had been -chopping and changing for the past few hours, settled finally in the -west. This proved a conspicuous advantage. It no longer checked the -flood-waters as when in the east, and there was now good hope that they -would recede ere long, as the rise was almost imperceptible. - -[Illustration: "Suddenly the Forest Monarch topples, lurches, staggers -and falls with mighty crash."--_See p._ 43.] - -When day had dawned a wild, weird scene was revealed. The town had -become an island. On all sides the flood-waters stretched out, covering -gardens and farms, and completely blotting out the fair landscape. On -the riverside the turgid stream tore along in its hurry, bearing on its -dirty, foam-crested bosom, as its spoils, the household gods, farm -stock, and produce of many a settler. Horses, cattle, pigs, goats, dogs, -fowls: these, swept off by the encroaching waters, and carried over -fences into the stream, struggled, vainly for the most part, in the -rapid, death-dealing current. Haystacks, barns, wood-frame buildings -intact, floated in the torrential waters, sooner or later crashing into -the great trees that bore down-stream, making utter shipwreck. - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - *ON THE FACE OF THE WATERS* - - -"The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their -voice; the floods lift up their waves."--Ps. xciii. 3. - - -"Where's the dad, girls?" shouted Joe Blain early in the morning, after -the events recorded in the previous chapter, dashing into the room as he -yelled. - -"Here!" came a voice from the back verandah. Running to the spot -indicated by the monosyllable, the lad in breathless accents delivered -himself to his paternal relative in this fashion-- - -"Please, dad, can Tom, Billy, Jimmy, and I have the boat to paddle out -on the back-water?" - -"Um--er--well, as long as you keep in the slack water I suppose you may; -but be very careful, my boy." - -"Yes, dad; we'll be careful enough. It's all slack water you know, -'cept where the river water comes in; but that's a long way up, an' -we'll be paddlin' mostly about this end of the slack." - -An explanation is needed here in order that the reader may intelligently -follow the course of events (some of them dramatic enough, and even -tragic) which transpired in the course of this eventful cruise. - -It has already been stated that the flood waters so surrounded Tareela -as to convert the township into an island. It was so practically. -Accurately speaking it formed a peninsula, with the narrowest of necks. -On the river side there was a broad expanse of boiling, foaming, -hurrying waters, narrowing here and there, where the banks rose above -their usual height, but stretching far and wide where the river-flats -intervened; sometimes touching the horizon, as it were. On the other -side lay a body of water, as far removed from motion as the tumultuous -stream was instinct with it. There it lay, a wide extent of placid, -coffee-coloured water, broken at its surface by fence tops, belts of -trees, and partially submerged houses. This great stretch was almost -currentless, and the debris that floated on its bosom appeared -stationary; though, as a matter of fact, there was a slight outward -drift. - -The secret of its placidity lay in the fact that the river waters, when -they reached a certain height, backed up a blind gully that ran almost -parallel with the stream for some distance, then swerved from the river, -and widened out till it became a depression of considerable magnitude. -This, in turn, merged into a swamp, contiguous to the township on its -western side. Low-lying and occupied lands surrounded the swamp for -some distance. The town end of these flats, which the river water -backing up through the gully had submerged, making a long reach of -stagnant waters, formed the area of the boys' row. - -The minister's boat was a light yet staunchly built vessel, and belonged -to the skiff variety. Her capabilities were to be put to the utmost -test. Several of the town boats were moving on the face of the still -waters, their occupants busily engaged in capturing the flotsam. The -owners of houses, in particular, were anxiously conning their submerged -property, or gathering together floating domestic articles. In this way -a good deal of house property was recovered. - -The boys found enjoyment in the novelty of the cruise. They pulled two -oars, taking turns at the rowing. Of the non-rowers, one acted as -steersman and the other as bowman for the capture of the flood spoils. -Several melons and pumpkins were picked up, but they were not troubling -about these. For one reason, they did not want to be encumbered with -spoil of that kind, and for another they were keen on pulling about the -flooded houses. Their chief and most interesting rescue was a cat and -two kittens, which had found an ark of refuge on a barn door. - -"I say, boys, we'll have a go at these oranges," said Joe, who was -steering, as they were passing a small orangery which was half -submerged. This proposal received hearty and unanimous assent. -Accordingly Joe selected the most promising tree, and deftly ran -alongside its outer branches. - -"Look out for snakes!" cried he. - -There was abundant cause for warning, for each tree contained a number -of serpents, some of which are very deadly. These reptiles were flooded -out of their holes in the ground, and from hollow logs and stumps, and -made for the trees or any floating timber that offered refuge. -Fortunately the snakes were more or less benumbed with the cold, -consequently they were the reverse of lively. Had it been otherwise, to -have made fast to the tree would have been foolhardy to a degree. - -Agreeably to Joe's warning, every eye was skinned and on the look out. -Indeed, the tree was fairly swarming with snakes of many sorts and -sizes; though for the most part they consisted of "tree" and "carpet" -varieties; one of the latter, lying across the top, being fully ten feet -in length. These two mentioned varieties are not venomous. The farmers, -for the most part, look with a friendly eye upon the carpet species; so -called by reason of its tawny and black markings. The carpet snake in -summer time is the best of all mousers and ratters. It winds its -sinuous way into places impossible to even puss or terrier; and is -always a welcome visitor to settlers' barns. There it becomes a pet, -and will live on terms of friendship with its primal foe. - -There were snakes of a very different order in the orange tree. Among -them the "tiger," most aggressive and poisonous of all the genus. There -were also specimens of the black and the brown snakes. All these are -cobras, and therefore very deadly. - -The snakes, as related, were all more or less torpid with cold, and not -pugnaciously inclined. The boys, however, were very careful not to -disturb them. There was plenty of golden fruit upon the tree, and it -was in prime condition. The fruit was neatly cut off the stems by -strokes of the paddle blade. When a sufficient quantity was thus -plucked, and lay bobbing in the water, they were poked out from the tree -by the same means, and secured. The boat lay off a little distance from -the tree while the crew indulged in a feed of the luscious fruit. A -visit was then paid to a plantain grove, and a quantity, both of green -and ripe fruit, was secured. - -"Where away now, Joe?" said Tom Hawkins, who was crouched in the bow. - -"I vote," replied the one addressed, who in this, as in everything else, -was leader of the band,--"I vote we pull up opposite Commodore Hill and -have a look at the river." The boy forgot for the moment the promise -made to his father to keep mainly about the town end of the back-water. - -Commodore Hill was well up the river, and on the other side. The -flooded gully by which the water obtained entrance, it has been -explained, ran parallel with the river for some distance; in some places -being not more than a few yards therefrom. The boys were curious to see -the river stretch above the Bend; also to note the numbers of -flooded-out settlers who might be camped in that vicinity. Accordingly -the boat's bow is turned, and her course shaped in that direction. By -this time the river had fallen several feet, and, as a consequence, -there was an outward drift of the slack waters, making a gentle current. - -"'Member, Joe, what your dad said about takin' the boat into the -stream." - -"Think I've forgot, stupid!" - -"Thought I'd remind you, anyhow," replied the bowman. As a matter of -fact, Tom had an uneasy feeling that his mate would not be content when -they got to the mouth to remain there without having a dash at the -stream. - -"Listen to me; I ain't goin' to run any risks. We won't go to the mouth -entrance. What we'll do is this: work up to the swamp end, have a look -round, and come back again." - -With this defined object in view the boat continued its voyage, helped -by the current, which, the farther up they proceeded, became stronger, -as was to be expected. - -But one thing had happened of which the boys were in entire ignorance. -And this particular happening was to produce startling and unexpected -effects. At a certain spot in the gully, and at a point where it began -to deviate from the general stream, there was a branch gully, which bore -inwards to within a few yards of the river's brink. When the water was -at its highest in the river, that in the lagoon was much higher at this -point, inasmuch as the back-water was at the same level as at the -entrance, some two miles higher up; the difference in height being the -river's fall in that distance. Roughly speaking, the water there was -about ten feet higher than that in the river. - -The rush of the stream on the river side had caused the bank to give way -about this point during the night, and the lagoon, or back-waters, -forced themselves into the river through the new channel, which widened -considerably as a consequence. On nearing this place the boys became -conscious of a quickening of the current. - -"My golly, Joe! this big current," said Yellow Billy, who, with Jimmy, -was at the oars. "Must be goin' twenty mile." - -"Twenty mile! you goose. We're goin' six or seven and that's mighty -fast." - -"I say, Joe," called Jimmy a second later, the boys having ceased -rowing, for there was no further need, "bes' run her ashore, or we'll be -carried out. By gosh, she's tearing away!" - -"All right, mates, keep cool. There's the old mahogany ahead, we'll tie -up there; we'll be there in a minute." - -Yes, the boys would need all their coolness, for Joe was reckoning -without up-to-date knowledge, and that made all the difference in the -world. Rounding a clump of trees at this moment, or ever they were -aware the boat fairly sucked into the channel of furiously rushing and -tumultuously heaping waters that were finding their level by the newly -made short-cut. - -"Oh! oh! I--I say!" shouted Tom. "We're being swept into the river! -Back water!" - -Joe, quicker than the others, had hit the situation, and turned the -boat's nose to a clump of bushes, but before the rowers could pick up -their oars to help him the boat had swept past. Tom, it is true, made a -frantic grasp at the bough, but the way on the boat was so strong that -the branch, when the full force of the current bore on her at her -momentary check, snapped like a pipe-stem, and the little craft was fair -in the turgid stream, which had now the velocity of a water-race. The -incident of the half-arrest, however, had turned her head up-stream, -which was a providential thing. The river break-away was at most three -hundred yards away. To turn the boat into the perpendicular sides of -the channel was to court destruction; for, be it said, the maddened -waters had excavated the banks until they rose sheer from the water's -edge. - -The necessities of the case came like an inspiration to Joe. The boat -was drifting, as we have said, stern first, the advantage of which will -be seen. Save Joe, whom the sense of responsibility braced to immediate -action, the boys were speechless with consternation. One look at their -blanched faces was sufficient. They were certainly alive to the dangers -of the situation. - -"Pull, boys! pull with all your might! We'll keep her head up. This'll -check her speed a bit. It'll give her steerage way too, and save her -gettin' broadside on." - -The pullers put every ounce of strength into their strokes, and this was -very helpful. The final rush into the cross-current was a most critical -moment, and might easily have resulted in disaster. This was averted -only by Joe's coolness and dexterity. - -"Oars out!" cried he as the boat swept into the angry and turbulent -river. Save for shipping some water, and drenching the crew with spray, -the little craft weathered the river plunge. An involuntary "Oh!" came -from the boys as the boat shot the rapids and soused into the river. -Immediately she came under the influence of two currents; that going -outward from the chute, and the swift down-river stream. - -This effect was to take them instantly well out toward the centre of the -flood, with a strong drift which carried the boat into the vicinity of -the Bend. The river bend gave the current a direction which set across -to the other side. This diagonal movement was accelerated by the chute -waters, which retained their impetus, in a measure, for a considerable -distance. - -Downward then, and cross-wise to the northern bank, the frail craft -sped, the sport and play of the watery element. Dangers stood, or -rather, drifted thick around the adventurers. Picture for a moment a -tiny vessel, some fifteen feet over all, whose timbers are of the -proverbial egg-shell thickness, shot into an angry, bubbling cauldron, -whose tumultuous waters heaved and swirled, hissed and roared, in -inarticulate sound and motion. - -That, in itself, were an experience of sufficient magnitude to quicken -the blood, test the nerves, and try the courage of the hardiest -waterman. Add to the perils of that situation a thousand floating -dangers, any one of which might crush that tiny, drifting cockle-shell -out of existence, and you have the position which faced and surrounded -the affrighted lads on the demon-ridden waters. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - *THE DEATH OF THE FOREST MONARCH* - - - "There's the white-box and pine on the ridges afar, - Where the iron-bark, blue-gum, and peppermint are; - There's many another, but dearest to me, - And king of them all is the stringy-bark tree." - HENRY LAWSON. - - -As several years had intervened between the present and the last flood -of considerable dimension, every creek, gully, and river-flat of the -upper reaches were contributing their quota of fallen timber, which in -the interval had encumbered the earth. In addition, the flood-waters -had torn many a giant eucalyptus, roots and all, from its earthhold, and -had borne it on its heaving and rebellious bosom, a mere plaything of -its vengeful humour. - -Up to the present a monarch of the forest, whose rugged bole bears -indubitable evidence of its antiquity, stands skywards with its head in -the clouds. The Philistines are upon it. Its innumerable roots, -lateral and vertical, hold with frantic clutch to mother earth, as it -grimly wrestles with its Gargantuan foe. But the earth, which for years -innumerable has mothered the forest lord, furnishing his daily portion -of meat and drink, nourishing and cherishing him till he bulks in girth -and height as Saul among the prophets, proving faithful in every tussle -with wind and flood heretofore, now turns traitor. The soil dissolves -in the swirling waters as they ravish the earth. Above and underneath -the roots it melts, and is carried away in the thickening stream. The -hold of the old monarch is weakening. His limbs are trembling. His -strong body, that has withstood the pressure of a thousand fights with -the hereditary foe, vibrates and sways now, as his remorseless -antagonist grips him in cruel embrace. - -His old comrades higher up, who have fallen earlier in this battle of -giants, come drifting along, battered and torn; veritable shipwrecks, -dismantled and broken. One floating leviathan, flood-driven, sweeps -onward full upon his writhing form ... a violent shock and shudder that -runs from root to topmost leaf ... a last wrestle, strong, heroic, and -pitiful! ... Then, betrayed and spent, under the last straw, as it were, -of the fateful impact of his wrecked mate--now converted into a -battering-ram--the grand old hero-king yields. His foe has sought and -found, like one in the olden time, his vulnerability in his heel. -Overborne at last, but not yet broken, he shakes his lofty head in the -quiver of mortal spasm. Suddenly he topples, lurches, staggers, and -falls with a mighty crash, which is, indeed, a resounding death-cry. -Striking the enemy with a last, concentrated, savage blow, he splits her -bosom, and sends great spurts of her muddy blood, spray-like, a hundred -feet in air. But the wound heals as speedily as delivered, and from -thence he passes quickly, in company with his defeated brothers, an -inert mass of strewn wreckage, to form, farther down upon the skurrying -waters, a floating barricade of death-dealing timbers. And so on and -on, till the blue sea is reached, where it is heaved to and fro, a -rudderless hulk upon the bosom of the ocean; until it is stranded at -last as flotsam and jetsam upon the beach. - - -By skilful manipulation of oars and rudder the boys managed to evade the -timber masses. The numerous whirlpools constituted a great danger. -Once or twice they were almost sucked under as they circled in a vortex. -Their position was extremely perilous. The greatest danger lay from -contact with the isolated logs and tree-trunks that sped down with great -velocity, appearing and disappearing in the vicious eddies, rotating -with the swirling stream, and popping up porpoise-like in unexpected -quarters. On one occasion, in dodging a mass of driftwood, they ran -right on to a big tree. Fortunately the tree was sinking at the time of -impact under the influence of an under-current, and, at Joe's sharp -command, the rowers rushed the boat across the submerged tree-bole. -Scarcely had they crossed the line ere the submarine monster rolled -upward, till at least half its length was out of the water. It was a -narrow squeak. To have been caught on its rising movement would have -meant utter shipwreck. - -It has been stated that owing to the river bend, and from other causes, -the current set diagonally across to the other side. Drawing thus -towards the farther shore, the boat's crew neared a timbered point, -below which the water expanded over the low-lying country for miles. So -far only the thickly fringed timber belts could be seen. It was -questionable if they could find any dry earth. In all likelihood, -however, even should there not be any landing-place, they would find -protection from the current behind the thick wood. As they got close in -to the scrubby portion the boys saw, to their great disappointment, that -the land was still submerged. They had hoped to find a patch of earth. -All they can do now is to shelter behind the timber. - -"Pull, boys, pull hard!" cried Joe, the while he turned the boat's nose -towards a rear clump. His quick eye discerned an eddy formed by a point -higher up. Rowing into this, the boat was eased in its downward track, -and after getting well in behind the clump they were able to make -headway against the stream, finally fastening to a big she-oak almost in -still water. Here they were out of the tract of the current and the -perils of the driftwood. - -What a relief to the half-dazed and frightened boys! - -Captain Joe, be it said, though fearful enough while in the roaring -waters, kept all his wits about him. Often as his heart jumped into his -mouth he as quickly swallowed it again. More than once his -resourcefulness saved the boat from certain disaster. - -"Thank God!" exclaimed he, as Tom tied the painter to a strong limb, and -the boat rode easy. - -"It was a touch and go, lads. Don't cry, Jimmy!" as that lad, yielding -to a feeling of reaction, burst into tears. Tom was not much better, and -furtively wiped his eyes under the pretence of blowing his nose. In a -few minutes the boys were themselves again. The roar and rush of the -waters filled their oars and souls as they lay at anchor. So deafening -were the sounds that it was only by shouting they could hear one -another. - -Stretching inland, and reaching to the distant hills, nothing was to be -seen but a waste of waters, with here and there a bushy hillock, a -miniature island. What remained of the settlers' houses looked like so -many Noah's arks. Moving figures could be seen on one which lay a long -way off. They were the unfortunate owners, who, by delaying their -retreat until too late, were driven on to the very ridge pole for -safety. Fortunately they were in still water; so at least it seemed -from the distance; consequently their position was not alarming. Tree -marks showed the river to be falling at a fairly rapid rate. - -"Now then, boys, let's hold a council of war!" - -"Wot's that, Joe?" - -"It's what they say in soldiering when the generals get into a fix," -chipped in Tom. - -"Oh, gollies! let us get home as quick as possible. If we don't they'll -think we're drownded an'----" - -"Look here, Jimmy, stow that rot! If we start talking in that fashion, -we'll get unnerved. Billy, you first! Tell us what you think about the -situation." - -"Long's we're here we're safe. There's a 'possum in the spout above us. -I'll climb up and get 'im for tucka." - -"We can't cook 'possum in the boat, Billy. No dry wood; no matches. -You're right enough about safety, though. These trees have borne the -brunt of the flood stream at its highest, and things are getting easier. -Jimmy, what do you think of it?" - -"I--I--I dunno. Oh, my poor m-other!" cried Jimmy, whose emotions again -overpowered him. - -"Didn't I tell you to stow that water-cart business? Dry up, or I'll -jolly well tan your hide for you, you soft milksop!" - -Joe's severity was partly assumed. He was fighting himself about home -thoughts. He knew the folly of giving way at this crisis to such a -natural sentiment. - -"You, Tom! You've a notion, I'm sure," said Joe to his chum. - -"My opinion, chaps, is that we ought to be very thankful for bein' where -we are, an' stay here a bit anyways. It'd be madness to attempt to -recross the river. What's to prevent us pullin' over there?" pointing -to a hillock nearly a mile away inland. - -"Tom's right, boys. We must make up our minds, hard as it is, to camp -on this side to-day. It'd be easy enough to do as Tom says, row over to -that island. Supposin', though, the water went down a lot during the -night; we might have to drag the boat over a lot of mud to get to the -river-bank to-morrow. Bes' stay where we----" - -"S-s-h! Listen a moment, Joe," interjected Tom from the bow of the -boat. "What noise's that?" - -"Don't hear anythin' 'cept the river. What sort o' noise, Tom?" - -"I heered it, Joe," said Yellow Billy. "Bear cryin', I bin thinkin'. -Heer it now." - -All the boys could hear the sounds now, faint enough, yet distinct above -the flood roar. - -"Bear, I 'speck! Have a good look round, boys." - -All eyes were bent in the direction of the sound. They scanned the -trees for that strange, pouch-bearing--half bear, half sloth--animal -called the native bear. Strictly speaking, it is neither bear nor -sloth, being a perfectly harmless, tailless marsupial of the koala -genus. Its cry is intensely, and often pathetically, human. - -For some time the search was unrewarded; while ever and anon a cry, -strangely like an infant's wail, came to the ears of the searchers. - -"P'r'aps, after all, it's only the wind in the river oaks; or is it -a----" - -"Look, boys! look, look!" cried Tom excitedly. "What's that over at -the edge of the timber, up there in a fork?" - -"Whereaway, Tom?" - -"See the clump beyond the back-water, out in the stream?" - -"M--y-e-s, I see. Why, yes, my word! I do believe it's a----" - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - *WHAT THE TREE HELD* - - - "Thereafter grew the wind; and chafing deaths - In distant waters, sent a troubled cry - Across the slumbrous forest; and the chill - Of coming rain was on the sleeper's brow." - HENRY KENDALL. - - -"James!" exclaimed Mrs. Blain to her husband during this eventful -morning, "it's dinner-time and those lads are not back. I hope nothing -has happened." - -"What do you expect could have happened, you dear old fidget? I'm going -to the post, however, and I'll have a look round." - -Could Mr. Blain have beheld the lads at this particular time, the calm -of his deep nature would have been broken up in a fashion rare to his -experience; for at this moment the boat and its occupants are being -borne on the rapids, presently to be flung upon the riotous and -foam-crested waves of the river. - -In moving along the street the minister met several persons who had been -out on the back-water during the morning. All had seen the boys at one -time or another. One of the latest in, who had been farther up than most -of the others, had passed the boys on his return not long before. They -were then heading up the swamp way. - -"Don't fear, Mr. Blain, the boys know how to take care of themselves. -Dinner's calling 'em loudly enough by this time, I wager ye." - -Dinner-time came and went, but no boys. As the afternoon wore on the -mother's fears deepened until they became well-nigh unendurable. The -minister, rowed by two of the neighbours, set out to find the truants -and fetch them back. - -"Don't lose faith, dear! They're up to some prank, the thoughtless -scamps! I'll fetch them home none the worse, to laugh at your fears." - - -Following Tom's index-finger, the boys fastened their eyes upon a clump -of river oaks that stood on the edge of the woods. - -High up in a fork of one of the largest trees, they could see what -looked at first like a huge bundle of clothes fluttering in the wind. -After a short while the bundle seemed to take a somewhat definite shape. - -"What in the name of goodness is it all? Seems like a lot of old -clothes jammed in the tree forks. Are you sure that the squall, or -squeak, or squeal, or whatever it was, came from that direction?" - -"Yes, I think so," replied Tom. "Listen, there it's again!" A thin, -treble cry rose faintly above the din of the flood waters. - -"See a woman's foot!" - -The speaker was the half-caste, whose eyesight, owing to his half-wild -nature, was much keener than his fellows'. - -"A woman's foot, Billy! What do you mean? You don't mean to say -really, that----!" - -"See hand too! Look along bark. See fingers!" - -Thus directed, the three boys looked, and saw, though but indistinctly, -what appeared to be a hand grasping the tree-trunk, a foot, also, was -revealed at intervals by the fluttering garment. - -After a short, staring silence, a flood of mental light broke upon Joe. -"I see now. Why, it's the poor soul we heard cooeeing last night!" - -Yes, there had been plenty of speculation in the village as to who it -could be, and exactly where the voice came from. None of those who -heard the piteous wail that was borne across the floods in the black and -wild darkness of that night would forget it for many a long day to come. - -The mystery is now solved. The boys are horror-stricken at the sight -and its sequent thought. They are now convinced that a woman is fixed -in the tree. Without reasoning the matter out, they identify her as the -one whose cry over night produced such a sensation in the township, and -to locate which the police boat with a strong crew had started out at -daybreak, but without success. - -_Is she alive or dead_? The strange cry did not seem to be that of a -woman. There was something so eerie, so shocking in the thought, that -the lads were fear-possessed for some moments. Joe, as usual, recovered -himself first. - -"It's a woman sure enough! It's a human being, at any rate. An', boys, -we've got to rescue her if she is alive. The cry can only come from her, -I'm sure, so that there must be some life left still. How to do it I -can't just see at this moment. We must think a bit." - -Think a bit they did. Camped as they were at the lower end of the -timber, it would be a matter of comparative ease to work up through the -trees in the slack water, till they arrived opposite to the clump that -stood out in the stream. There the real difficulties would begin. The -rush of waters was still so strong, and the space for the play of the -boat so small, that it became evident the rescue would be accompanied by -some alarming risks. - -One of two things must be done: either wait until the waters receded -sufficiently to enable the rescuers to wade to the clump, or make an -immediate dash. - -"How long d'you think it'd be before we could wade across, Joe?" - -"Dunno, Billy. Beckon there's eight or nine foot of water out there. -Might be less. At any rate it'd be hours." - -"Hours!" cried Tom. "An' s'posin' that poor creature's still alive?" - -"That settles it!" exclaimed Joe, rising in his seat in excitement. -"Boys, what's to be done must be done quickly." - -Seemingly all were agreed. At least no objection was offered to this -proposal, or, rather, mandate. So it was resolved, after some -cogitation, to pull the boat through the timber to a point some distance -higher up than the isolated clump. From thence the course would be -outwards until the river current was met; an estimated distance of a -hundred yards. The boat was to be headed against the current when in -the stream influence. A vigorous row would be necessary to neutralise -the current, to be modified so as to allow the craft to drift slowly -down-stream. Then, when opposite the clump, a dash for the tree whereon -the unfortunate woman was lying was to be made. - -Inasmuch as this tree was almost in the centre of the group, and the -stream still ran with violence, it was easy to see that without skilful -management, and some luck, the boat might be stove in against a -tree-bole; or, worse still, might be impaled upon a submerged snag. Any -accident, such as missing way at a critical moment, or the snapping of -an oar blade, might be fraught with the most disastrous consequences. - -During the short conference Jimmy Flynn had kept silence. Towards the -end, as Joe set forth the attendant dangers, he became considerably -perturbed. After sundry wrigglings and contortions, rubbing of hands -and licking of lips, these visual twistings found voice. - -"I say, Joe! don't--er--yer think that--er--we'd better wait a bit?" - -"Why?" chorused the boys. - -"Oh--I--I dunno. Well--er--p'raps some other boat'll come over from the -township d'reckly an'--an'----" - -"And s'pose no boat comes along?" - -"Well, then, I--I--er--vote--that we--er----" - -"By jing! Jimmy," interposed Tom, with a jeer, "who'd 'a' thought you'd -'a' showed the white feather!" - -"White feather yourself, Hawkins!" returned the fearful but now angry -boy. - -"Jimmy!" broke in Yellow Billy unexpectedly, for as a rule the -half-caste was taciturn--the taciturnity of modesty in his case. Billy, -while carrying some of the defects of aboriginal descent, was a -kind-hearted and easily contented lad. "Jimmy!" said he, in a soft, -quiet tone, "s'pose your mother was over there?" - -Jimmy Flynn, who was sitting with a sullen, hang-dog expression, -quivered as though he had received an electric shock. There was within -him a consciousness of the truth of Tom's term. He was a coward, and -the very notion of it angered him, and at the same time made him -resentful. He shrank from the undertaking. None of the boys were in -love with it, for that matter. Jimmy only, among the four, allowed his -fear to overmaster him. - -These few words of Billy, uttered in a quiet, even tone, went straight -to the boy's heart. His sullen brows lifted. The angry resentment which -had disfigured his face vanished. Straightening his bent figure, he -seized the oar lying by his side. Then, squaring his shoulders, as he -inclined forward to grip the water, he said quietly, "Let her go." - -Immediately on releasing the boat Joe steered her in a semicircular -course, keeping out back where the standing timber was thinnest. The -boys pulled slowly, for there was always the danger of snags. They were -in fairly slack water, and so had no need to exert themselves; besides -which, it were wise to husband their strength for the supreme moment. - -Tom and Jimmy, both expert oarsmen, were the rowers. Yellow Billy was -stationed in the bow, with instructions to keep a keen look out for -snags. He was armed with a stout pole in order that he might fend the -boat on any critical occasion, or when the rudder might be inoperative. -It formed a very useful instrument in Billy's practised hands, and -enabled him to ward off the craft from many dangers that did not appear -until the boat was almost upon them. As it was there were several -ominous scrapes, as the boat rasped over submerged branches. Fortunately -they reached the point determined upon without any accident. - -They paused here a moment before leaving the slack water for the swiftly -running stream. - -"Now, boys," said Joe, after a brief survey, "sit steady, and pull for -all you're worth. Mind you, no flurry. Keep an even stroke. Got the -painter coiled, Billy?" - -"All right, Joe." - -"Pull then, boys, and stick to it like grim death to a diseased nigger." - -The boat having got good way on, Joe headed her out a little, when she -immediately encountered the current. - -"Lay to it, my lads, lay to it!" - -The boys "lay to" with such vigour that the rapid current was -counterbalanced, and she hung in the stream, neither making headway nor -drifting. - -"Easy a little, my hearties! We must let her drift down gradually. -Mustn't let her get out of hand, though." - -In swinging the boat into the channel Joe kept her nose up-stream, and -as near the slack water as possible. The boys easing a trifle at Joe's -command, the current became the stronger of the two forces, and the -little craft drifted slowly. Blain eagerly scanned the clump for an -opening. This cluster, it may be remarked, was about two hundred yards -long and fifty or so wide. In some parts the timber was thickly -scattered, in others the trees were bunched together. - -The boat is now about fifty yards above the tree containing the supposed -woman. - -"That's right, chaps, keep up as you're doin'! We must drift very -slowly lest we miss the chance of popping in. It's too thick to venture -in here. It's thinnin' out, though," exclaimed Joe, as the boat neared -the point abreast the tree. - -"Here's an opening, I do believe. Be ready, Billy! Pull, lads! pull, -pull! Look out all!" - -The boat lay anglewise, so that the current worked upon her quarter. -Seeing a fair opening, Joe urged the rowers to do their utmost. So hard -did they pull that the current, playing upon her quarter as she hung a -few minutes stationary, forced her through the gap and towards the tree. -The manoeuvre was splendidly executed. The boat was now within five -yards or so of the tree, the boys putting every ounce of strength into -their strokes. A minute or less now and they will either be fast to the -tree or drifting down on to a solid block of timber just below. - -Yellow Billy, who had crouched in the bow, now rose up quietly, rope in -hand, ready to act promptly in the decisive moment. By good fortune a -limb projected about five feet above the water, and branched out some -distance from the tree. Joe worked the boat straight up-stream, and -then called on the rowers to ease the barest trifle. The craft swung -very slowly down, until she was fairly under the limb. - -"Sling the painter over the branch an' make fast, Billy!" cried Joe, as -the stern drifted under. "Pull now, you beggars, a last spurt!" - -Billy whipped the rope round the limb, and made fast in a flash; the -rowers, by a few desperate strokes, keeping the boat stationary. - -"Hold her there a second. Let the loop lie loose an' edge it to the -trunk, Billy!" - -Joe thus worked the boat over until she was just at the rear of the -tree. - -"Ease her off gently now, boys. Steady still! A wrench might snap the -painter." - -The boys accordingly eased off gradually, and finally stopped. - -"Two of you come aft, it'll ease the strain." - -This done, the boat, which by burying her nose deep in the water was -straining heavily on the rope, trimmed herself, and offered but the -minimum resistance to the racing waters. - -The tree-bole, which presented a somewhat broad surface, divided the -waters, creating a narrow zone of neutral water in its wake. In this -eddying area the boat rode securely, making it an easy matter for the -bowman to keep her nose up against the tree. - -And now each boy bent an upward glance to the fork. - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - *THE RESCUE* - - - "Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me-- - Death closes all: but something ere the end, - Some work of noble note, may yet be done, - Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods." - TENNYSON'S _Ulysses_. - - -Fortunately the she-oak was one of the largest of its kind, and forked -out into four branches twenty feet or so from the ground. This formed a -rough cage, in which one could be held very securely if not comfortably. - -In this fork, partially covered with a blanket, was huddled the form of -a human creature, presumably a woman; one hand stretched along the trunk -as in a painful grip, the legs hanging loosely. There was no movement -of limb or body. What if she were dead? - -A sudden chill accompanied this thought. The situation was decidedly -uncanny, and bred awesome, not to say fearsome, feelings. - -Four boys in a boat! Out on the flood-wastes, and in a particularly -perilous position! The insistent noises of the rushing tide; the hollow -moan of the wind in the foliage of the she-oaks; shut out from all help; -missed now at home, and _that thing above_! - -All these combined to create a creeping chill in each boy, which in a -manner half-paralysed them. - -Joe, as usual, recovered more quickly than the others. Gazing at the -object above awhile, and then examining the trunk of the tree with his -eyes, he broke the spell of silence. - -"Take my place, Tom. Some un's got to go at once to that poor soul -aloft. Pray God we're in time to save her. Keep her up tight against -the trunk, Jimmy, an' I'll swing on to the limb." - -Suiting his action to the word, Joe clambered on to the limb, and from -thence proceeded to climb the tree. - -The woman was fixed at the junction of the forks, and her feet and legs -hung loosely down on each side of a minor fork. One arm, as before -described, was wound round the main limb, while the other firmly grasped -her breast. Her head was supported in the V of a branch. - -On mounting to the spot, Joe raised himself higher by grasping two of -the tree-forks, and, twisting his legs round the trunk, steadied himself -while he gazed into the face of the dead. It was the first time in his -life that he had looked upon death. The set expression that met his -gaze, so full of anguish, so pitifully pleading, fairly shocked him out -of his self-possession. Little wonder at his turning sick and faint. -He clutched the branch frantically as he swayed a moment, and beads of -cold sweat stood thick upon his forehead. Indeed, so near fainting was -he that his sight began to fade, and the whole world receded from him. -Strange noises buzzed in his ears. Bringing all the reserve forces of -his will to the front, he was beginning to gain the ascendency over his -weakness, when a strange cry startled him into full consciousness. - -"Why! she's not dead after all, thank God!" The thought of life made -all the difference to Joe. In a moment his vision is as clear as ever, -and his spirits rise high at the sounds of life. "Yes, see!" whispered -the lad, "there's a movement of the breast. Hurrah, boys!" - -cried he to his comrades, looking down and waving with one hand at the -same time. "She's not dead after all!" - -The boys at this set up a hearty shout indicative of their relief and -joy. - -"Oh yes!" he muttered reassuringly to himself as he took the second -look, "the poor creature's alive. Her eyes are half open. Her chest is -heaving. Wake up, ma'am! Rescue is at hand. Me an' the boys in the -boat below are goin' to take you down an' row you across to the -township." - -The woman made no response to this appeal and plan of salvation. "Is -she really alive?" The eyes are half closed and seemingly peering; the -form is rigid, the face immobile. There was naught of that expression -in this countenance that Joe, from hearsay, was wont to associate with -death--the peace that passeth understanding. Yet as the lad gazed at -this apparently inanimate object there was a movement of the body. The -blanket, bunched into many folds across the breast, stirred visibly. - -Again that eerie, inarticulate cry! - -Disengaging one hand from the tree, the boy stretched it forth to the -woman's breast, which, covered as it was with the clothes, had all the -seeming of life and movement. - -Joe was in the very act of removing a fold of the blanket, when -suddenly, and without the slightest warning, there rose up into the -lad's face an angry, hissing, venomous snake, the deadliest of its kind. -Its beady eyes glittered; its forked tongue shot in and out with -inconceivable rapidity; its sibilant hiss was accompanied with a musky -odour, sickening in the extreme; its head and body for half its length -were erect, and bent forward from the neck, vibrating and swaying in a -rhythmic movement. The reptile was within striking distance. In -another second that almost invisible death-stroke will be dealt; -invisible, that is, by reason of its lightning-like speed. - -But this deadly intention is defeated by an involuntary movement on -Joe's part. This young man, for the briefest of brief moments, clung to -the tree with a rigid grasp; eyes staring in amazement and terror, with -mouth wide open in automatic gape. Any attempt to defend himself were -useless in the most absolute sense of that term. In another tick, -before he can move a hand, these poison fangs will be deep buried in his -horror-stricken face, so temptingly near. The only hope for the lad lay -in doing a disappearing trick. And this happened. Had it been -premeditated, however swiftly, the time taken to make up his mind, and -to telegraph the resolution formed in the brain to the nerve cells and -muscles, would have been sufficient for the lightning stroke to fall. - -What really happened was this: the apparition of the red-bellied, black -snake simply petrified Joe. An awful, blood-curdling, hair-raising, -galvanic shock of abject terror, contradictory as it may seem, paralysed -the lad. Simultaneously with that he is falling through space, an inert -mass, to be soused into the water with a splash that sent the spray -flying over the boat's crew. - -At the moment of the splash, Joe's mind, will, and nerve were restored -to their normal activity. The instinct of self-preservation, so strong -in all healthy natures, especially boys', did for the lad in an -infinitesimal fraction of time as much and as effectively as though he -had taken, say, half an hour to plan his procedure. - -He had, however, in escaping Scylla fallen into Charybdis. As soon as -Joe reached the water he made for the boat. Fortunately he did not fall -into it, or this story might never have been told. He fell into the -stream, some two or three yards away from the skiff. Quickly as he was -carried down-stream he managed by violent efforts to reach the boat at -the stern. Tom clutched him frantically by the shirt collar, enabling -the swimmer to get his hands on the gunwale. Joe, thus helped, -clambered into the boat or ever the boat's crew had recovered from their -consternation. - -"Oh, Moses!" exclaimed, or rather gasped, he, "that--was--a go. Whew!" - -"My goodness! How'd yer come to fall kersplosh like that?" - -"Why!" pointing up. "See! there's the beast. See him crawling out -there?" - -The boys, looking up, descried the snake winding its sinuous way along a -lateral bough that grew up above the forks. The disturbed and excited -snake, having reached the limb, wound its course till it reached a clump -of bushy branches on the limb's extremity. On this it coiled itself, -save the head and neck, which stood erect in vigilant attitude. - -"Oh, crikey! was that _there_ on--in the body's--the woman's body?" - -"Yes, Jimmy; right in the blanket on her breast. 'Twas that brute moving -under the blanket that I thought was _her_ breathing. Oh, my!" again -exclaimed the youth, with a shudder, as he thought of the imminence of -the danger which confronted him a moment before. - -"Is--it--her--dead, Joe?" asked Tom after an interval of silence. - -"No doubt of it, boys." - -"Wonder if the snake bit her?" - -"May have. Anyway the poor thing is dead all right." - -"What's bes' thing to do now?" - -"W-e-ll, I d-o-n't know----" - -Again that shrill wailing cry! - -"_Can't_ be the woman!" said Joe excitedly. "Why, she's as dead as a -herrin'!" - -"I have it, boys!" shouted Tom, as he jumped up excitedly and cut a -caper. "It's the darned ole cat!" - -A look of great relief passed over each countenance at the thought. - -Tom, meanwhile, lifted up the locker lid, disclosing the rescued cat, -which, together with her two bairns, were stowed in the locker shortly -after being saved from the flood. The animals were snuggled together on -a cornsack, and looked the very picture of contentment. The kittens were -dining baby fashion, and the mother's purr declared the very excess of -maternal rapture. - -On seeing the boys, pussy gave a low, affectionate miaow, and made a -sympathetic movement of the tail, as if to say: "Thank you a thousand -times, young gentlemen, for the good deed which we never, never shall -forget." And then, motherlike, proceeded to "lick" her offspring. - -"It's not the cat, Tom." - -"Well, what on earth, water, or air is it?" - -The mystery is insoluble. As the boys look down upon the happy and -contented felines, they one and all reject Tom's confident affirmation -of a moment before. If not the cat, what then? - -Again the tiny, shrill cry arose, but not from the cat's mouth. It came -from the tree above, and as the startled youths looked up they saw the -overhanging end of the blanket agitated. - -"Why, why--the poor thing must really be alive after all, chaps. -There's something more up there than I've discovered; so here's up -again!" - -Acting on this impulse, Joe again ascended the tree. Those below watched -intently, their feelings strained to the utmost tension. As soon as our -hero got to his former position in the forks, he received another shock. -It was sudden as the other, but not so disastrous. An inarticulate and -involuntary cry brought fresh alarm to his pals, who all the while were -staring up, too frightened to ask any questions. The boy, despite the -second shock, still clung to the tree. The woman was dead beyond all -doubt, but death is counterbalanced by life. A brief and astonished -survey, and the boy leans over the limb and speaks quietly to those -below-- - -"The woman's dead, boys, but _there's a baby here_. It's tied to her -breast. It's alive!" - -Just then, as if to demonstrate the truthfulness of the statement, the -babe lifted up its voice once more in a feeble cry. The scene in that -tree Joe never will forget; the like he will not see again though he -rival Methuselah in age. The only thing he can yet see is a little hand -and arm, which have wriggled from the covering. Moving cautiously along -the branch to the converging point, leaning on one fork, and placing his -feet against another so as to stiffen himself, the boy was able to use -his two hands. He first, and not without an inward tremor, removed the -dead hand which lay upon the blanket, the stiffened fingers still -clutching the clothes and holding them to the breast. The last thought -and the last act of the exhausted and dying woman was to succour and to -defend her little one. - -Straightening the arm so that it lay by her side, Joe opened the blanket -from where the little hand stuck up. There, on the breast of the dead, -she lay, a sweet-faced baby girl! The little one's face was puckered -up, 'tis true, and there were tears upon her pale cheeks. The cries and -tears were not the symbols of pain, they were those of hunger. Joe -could plainly see that all the mother's thoughts were for the child. It -was snugly folded in the blanket end; then tied to her waist by a -handkerchief passed round the body. The remainder of the blanket was -then arranged so as to thoroughly protect the child from the inclement -weather. - -Untying the handkerchief, the lad folded it in a peculiar fashion like -as he had seen the black gins do. Carefully lifting the babe, he laid it -in the widest part, made it secure to the body under the arms, and -placed it on his back, bringing the ends of the wrapper together. round -his neck. - -This done, he prepared for the descent. It was easily accomplished, -even with the incumbrance of the child. Landing safely in the boat, -which was kept well up to the tree, Joe placed her in the stern on the -locker seat, where the little one lay squirming and crying piteously. - -The news of the baby variously affected the boys. Jimmy Flynn, whose -baby sister had died a few months before, looked very tenderly upon this -nameless waif. - -"Make a place on the floor for it, Joe," said he. "It'll lie there more -comfortably, an' it'll be more like a cradle." - -The advice was good. The coats, which the boys shed soon as they -entered upon the expedition in the morning, made a soft bed for the -little one. The wee mite was evidently about nine months old. For all -its adventure and exposure it seemed to have suffered little, and now in -its cry is only voicing the pleadings of its empty stomach. It was -adequately, though very plainly dressed, and through all the rain of the -preceding night had kept dry. Fortunately, too, the snake which had -been curled up in one of the blanket folds had not come into actual -contact with the child. There were only two things required to bring it -to a condition of happy contentment: nursing and feeding. - -Capable as this quartet of Australian lads were in many ways, in this -they were novices. So it was with a look of ashamed helplessness that -they gazed at the new passenger, as she lay in the bottom of the boat on -her back, kicking her heels in the air at a great rate, and doubling her -dimpled hands first into her eyes and then into her mouth. The cry went -forth without ceasing, its only variation being the peculiar noise -caused by an intermittent sucking of her diminutive fists. - -By a happy thought of Jimmy the hunger difficulty was overcome. The -boys had picked up a fine lot of oranges, as well as some dozens of -plantains, in the back-water. After they had eaten a quantity they -stowed the balance away in the bow locker, and completely forgot them in -the exciting events which followed. Jimmy suddenly remembered the -fruit. Selecting a fine specimen, he quickly peeled and quartered it. -Then, seeding some of the quarters, he put one in baby's fist, guiding -the same to her mouth. The sweet, juicy orange was simply nectar to the -famished child. It sucked as only a hunger-bitten baby can. The boys -were highly amused at the way in which she mouthed the skin, and the -difficulty Jimmy encountered in unlocking her little fingers order to -substitute a full for an empty quarter. It indeed a happy solution; an -admirable recipe for tears and squalls. As long as baby had an orange -quarter it was peaceful. After a little while Jimmy took the little one -on his knee, giving furtive glances towards the others as he did so. -The boys, however, under all the sad circumstances forebore to chaff. -Substituting, at length, a ripe plantain for an orange section, the babe -was taken to the seventh heaven of gastronomic bliss. - -[Illustration: "The neighbours saw, far out on the wild, wreckage-strewn -waters, a tiny boat with four slight figures."--_See p._ 69] - -And the while above them in the she-oak, whose thread-like leaves make -mournful music to the wind, lies the mother who has sacrificed her life -for that of the babe. There is no doubt of this. The poor woman must -have been exposed to the winds and waves long before she reached the -tree refuge. How she got there was never known. She had almost denuded -herself to protect the babe. Little wonder that at some moment of that -awful night vigil the vital spark should have quitted its terror-haunted -tenement. - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - - *THE RETURN* - - - "See the conquering hero comes! - Sound the trumpet, beat the drums." - - -After baby's hunger was satisfied the boys' attention was given to their -immediate surroundings. - -"What are we goin' to do about _her_?" asked Tom, pointing upward as he -spoke. - -"It's simply impossible for us to do anything. If she were alive we -would take any risk. But as things are it is beyond our power to shift -the body, it is jammed so tightly. The only thing left for us to do is -to inform the police when we get to the other side." - -"What'll we do now, Joe?" - -"Get back to our former anchorage first. River's goin' down pretty -fast, I reckon; and it'll be all dry about here before morning if it -recedes at the same rate. The current is not nearly so strong as it was -when we came over, and that will make it easier for us to get out of the -clump. There's no need for us to go back by the same course. We can take -a slant across to that red gum, and when we're there we're out of the -stream." - -The exit from the cluster of trees was very well managed, and in a few -minutes from the time of casting adrift from the she-oak the boat was -out of the clump and across the narrow stream into the slack water. -They continued on to their former camping place, and hitched on to the -tree. - -This gallant attempt at rescue, though not accomplishing what was in the -minds of the boys, was not altogether a failure. Indeed, it was the -reverse of that. Though but little time is consumed in reading the -account of this episode, it covered a goodly portion of the day. By the -time the boys had made fast to their former anchorage, the slanting -sun-rays proclaimed the advance of eventide. - -"Let's have a confab, chaps, on what's best to be done. I don't s'pose -any of us is wanting to stick here all night. What d'you say, Tom?" - -"I say pull over to the hillock on the other side of the slack. See! -the water's retreated from the high ground. We could camp there, I dare -say, easy enough, and get home early to-morrow morning. I don't think -we ought to tackle the river to-night. I bet you it'd be a measly, -tricky trip. So I vote to do as I said." - -"What d'you say, Billy?" - -"I say same as Tom. Plenty dry land over there. Might get matches in -that house behind the hill. I'll pull 'possum outa spout, an' we'll -roast 'im an' make bully feed." - -Billy, as indeed were all the boys, was beginning to feel desperately -hungry. - -"What have you got to say, Jimmy?" - -Jimmy Flynn, who had been gazing wistfully across the flood waters, -turned round slowly as Joe put the question to him. "Oh, Joe! can't we -get home to-night? The river isn't so bad as when we crost up at the -Bend. There's not nearly so much timber goin' down now. 'Sides, it's -easier crossing down here to what it was above. I give a straight vote -for--home!" - -"Bravo! Well done, Jimmy! You're a brick. It's just the word, an' -we're the coves to do it. It's my vote too, my hearties. We've half an -hour of sun left: say an hour before it's right dark. I reckon 'twill -be about two mile an' a half from here to Tareela. It won't be near as -difficult as up by the Bend. Yes, we'll do it, boys; an' the sooner the -better. Then there's the blessed little baby, you know! Some of us -would have to mind her in the night, an' what about your beauty sleep -then? I reckon the kiddie would be too much for the whole boilin' of -us. And I've a notion that too much fruit'll be worse for her than none -at all. S'pose she gets the jim-jams! And, lastly, as father says when -he's preaching, what about the old folks at home?" - -There was no need to say anything further. - -"I'm game, for one," said Tom. - -"I'm game, for two," said Billy. - -"I'm game, for three," said Jimmy. - -"Put me down for the fourth," said Joe. - -"Now, boys, that's settled. We'll tackle the river straight away; for -better or for worse, as dad says in the marriage ceremony. And I say, -chaps, let's ask God to help us." - -Though there was no audible form of expression, the spirit of prayer was -in each boy's heart. He who sat above the floods heard and answered. - -"Billy and Jimmy are to take the oars. We want the best men at the -paddles. Now then, Tom, let the painter go an' keep the pole handy for -driftwood." - -The painter is slipped, and the boat's head is turned riverwards. She -is soon out of the slack, and feels the full force of the flood. The -starting-point was nearly a mile and a half above the township, so that -there was a liberal margin for drift. The river was quite a mile wide. -There was still a quantity of driftwood, and many difficulties beset -them which made delicate steering and skilful management incumbent. -When they had travelled about half the distance, Tom, who was eagerly -conning the other shore, gave a shout, pointing at the same time to a -headland above the village. - -"Some 'un's waving! See 'em, over there!" - -Mrs. Blain was the first to spy the advancing boat. The boys' mothers -had been trapsing the lagoon shore and river-side for hours, in a -semi-demented manner. The minister and the others had returned after a -fruitless errand. The police, with a strong crew in the Government -whale-boat, were scouring the shores in the vicinity of the Bend, and -had not returned. The disappearance of the boys had seemed most -mysterious until the break-away was discovered. Then the accident as it -really happened was immediately conjectured. The profoundest sensation -was created in the village, for the boys were dearly loved by all. - -The feelings of the poor parents may be but faintly imagined. Great was -the relief, therefore, when Mrs. Blain, whose eyes were devouring the -flood waters in her frantic eagerness to discover some hopeful sign, -suddenly screamed out in an alarming manner, gesticulating wildly as she -did so, and acting to outward seeming in a frenzied fashion. Other -searchers, scattered along the river-bank, hearing the piercing cry, and -seeing the untoward gestures of the joy-possessed woman, came running -towards her, thinking for the moment that she had lost her reason. - -"See, see!" screamed she, pointing to a distant spot on the waters. -"They're saved, they're saved! God be praised, our lovely boys are -returning all safe; yes, one, two, three, four--the darlings." - -Looking in the direction indicated, the neighbours saw, far out on the -wild, impetuous, wreckage-strewn waters, a tiny boat with four slight -figures running the blockade; threading their course between the -thousand objects which intervene and threaten destruction. - -The good news is now shouted from end to end of the township, and in a -few minutes the river-bank is lined with exultant and yet anxious -spectators. For the joy of the discovery of the lads is almost quenched -at times by sights of the perils of the passage. - -The mothers of Joe, Tom, and Jimmy are grouped together, wrought up to -such a pitch of anxiety as to be well-nigh silent. They noted every -danger and counted every oar-stroke. The gallant rowers lifted their -blades in the twilight, as the last rays sparkled on the flowing waters. -Beyond a landward look the boys had no time to bestow upon the excited -spectators. Eye and mind, in close conjunction, are continuously -engaged in evading danger and maintaining the boat's position. - -"We'll make the point," exclaimed Joe, after an interval of silence. -"We'll make the point, all right. Keep her steady, lads," turning the -boat's nose, as he spoke, well up stream, at an angle inclining -shorewards. "Now, pull like a prize crew for five minutes an' we're -there. We're out of the driftwood as it is." - -The rowers needed no further stimulus. They bent to the oars like old -salts. - -"Capital! just the stroke! Keep it up! Hear 'em cheering!" - -The cheering spurred on the boys, and in less than five minutes they -landed in the midst of a wildly excited and loud-cheering crowd. And -wasn't there a hugging and kissing, and hand-shaking and back-slapping! - -Just as the women were up to their necks in it, to use a homely figure, -some one happened to glance at the boat. The glance extorted a scream. - -"A baby, a darling baby! See, see, see! a little baby in the boat!" - -A moment's dazed surprise, and every one crowded to the boat. Joe, who -had not moved far from the boat's nose, and who only waited for the -violence of the welcome to abate a little that he might call attention -to the precious freight, waved the jostling crowd back, and in a few -words related the incident of the rescue. - -A great wave of feeling passed over the crowd as he spoke. The women -wept copiously as the scene was conjured us, and strong men -unconsciously shed briny tears as the story reached its culminating -point of the discovery of the helpless and orphaned babe, bound to the -dead breast of her who had thus made the great sacrifice of motherhood. - -While Joe was reciting the story of the rescue, Jimmy Flynn held on to -his mother's arm and whispered excitedly into her ear. The narrator had -hardly finished ere Mrs. Flynn stepped forward to his side and faced the -crowd. Ordinarily, this woman was undemonstrative and shy. Now she is -unconscious of any timidity. The moment was an inspired one; to produce -which Jimmy's whisperings had played an important part. - -"Mr. Blain, and friends all, give me the darling baby. It'll take the -place of the one God took from me last month. The clothes'll fit----" - -The bereft mother could get no further. Any woman who has lost a child -will tell you why. - -"My friends, you all know Mrs. Flynn, as I know her. If it were a matter -of choosing between you, I should still say that no one in the town is -better fitted for the sacred duty of mothering this little flood-driven -stranger. None of us can say to whom the child belongs; whether there is -a father or near relations. But until it is claimed by those who can -prove the right to do so, the very best of all possible arrangements, -and one I regard as providential, will be for Mrs. Flynn to take this -baby to nourish and cherish it." - -The murmurs of assent were unanimous. Joe, without any more delay, -stepped into the boat, and, picking up the child--which all this time -looked round, wondering in its baby way at this ado--put the little one -into its foster-mother's hands. - -The river baby was evidently delighted beyond measure to receive a warm -motherly embrace; judging, at any rate, by the way it gooed and crowed. - -As soon as she could get through the admiring throng, Mrs. Flynn -hastened home, and before long the baby, washed and dressed anew, was -filling its "little Mary" with sweet new milk. - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - - *THE BREAKING-UP* - - - "With trumping horn and juvenile huzzas, - At going home to spend their Christmas days, - And changing Learning's pains for Pleasure's toys." - TOM HOOD. - - -Out through the gateway of the National School, on one sultry afternoon -in late December, tumbled a pack of noisy boys and scarcely less noisy -girls; the while they kicked up a fine dust, yelling in an uproarious -fashion. Were you, a stranger, to ask the cause of this demonstration -of voice and capering limbs, you would be answered by a score of voices -in rousing chorus-- - - "Hip, hip, hurray for Christmas Day! - School's broke up, hip, hip, hurray!" - - -However strongly one might be disposed to question the quality of the -couplet as he listened to the trumpetings of this cluster of children, -he would cheerfully admit the gusto of the proceedings as the juveniles -issued pell-mell. - -If truth be told, the master was no less pleased than the youngsters -when the actual moment of dismissal came. Like all schools, this -particular one was infected for weeks previously with a spirit of -restlessness, which made it well-nigh impossible to secure the undivided -attention of the children. There was no disposition for serious study, -and Simpson, who was a wise teacher, attempted no coercive measures. -Natural history was presented in its most attractive forms. Grammar and -arithmetic were for the most part tabooed, and instead of puzzling -refractory brains with arithmetical and grammatical abstractions, the -children lived in the jungles of India, crossed Sahara, took a trip to -the Booties, wandered into Arctic circles, or, what was equally -exciting, made transcontinental trips in company with Sturt, Burke and -Wills, Leichhardt, and other great Australian explorers. - -Many were the schemes unfolded and plans laid by the boys during the -last schooldays. The holidays would not be an undiluted playtime to any -one of the boys. Many of the lads would work hard on the farms; their -parents, bearing in mind the old adage of Satan and idle hands, will -take good care to anticipate the sinister designs of that interfering -old gentleman. The wood pile stood as an unfailing object of labour. -Sheds were awaiting the whitewash brush. Fowl houses loomed expectant. -Fences demanded attention. These, and many other duties about house and -farm, were put off till the "holidays." - -There were other anticipations, however, far more highly coloured and -bewitching than these. Charm the schoolboy never so wisely, his -thoughts, with a dogged obstinacy or triumphant breakaway, return to the -delectable things of the groves, streams, mountains, and plains. Horse, -gun, dog, rod, bat, duck, quail, pigeon; perch, bream, mullet; kangaroo, -wallaby, dingo, brumby, scrubber! These are the sources and instruments -of pleasure; things that people the imagination, and make an earthly -paradise. - -Sobering down, after an unusual indulgence in larks to mark the -auspicious event, Joe, Tom, and Sandy, separating from the others, -sauntered to the slip-rail entrance of the school horse-paddock. Joe -and Tom, at the express request of Mrs. M'Intyre, are to spend the -holidays with Sandy on the station. Here all kinds of fun and alluring -adventure are promised the lads. How well that promise was redeemed let -the sequel bear witness. - -"Now then, you fellows, don't forget that you are to be at Bullaroi on -the morning of Christmas Eve without fail." - -"I say, ole boss, what does eve mean?" - -"Eve! Why, a--er--short for evening, I s'pose. What makes you ask, -Joe?" - -"Well, if Christmas Eve is evening, how can we be there in the -mornin'?--you savee?" - -"You're mighty smart, Blain, but did you ever know an evening that -didn't have a morning to it?" - -"Oh--ah--yes, I see. We're to come out on the morning of the evening. -Sure it's an Irishie ye ought to be instead of a Scotchie." - -"Scotchie or no Scotchie," replied Sandy, who was the essence of -good-humour, "ye're not to be later than ten o'clock of the forenoon of -the day before Christmas. There! Will that fit you, you pumpkin-headed -son of a bald-bellied turnip?" - -"Thanks, M'Intyre; I'm sure my father'll be delighted when I tell him -the respectful titles you've given him," returned Joe, with mock -sarcasm. - -"He'll no dispute the title of his son's head, anyhow," flung back the -Scotch lad, as, bridle in hand, he strolled on to round up his steed. - -This parthian shot nettled Joe, but the answer he would have given -remained unuttered, for at this moment his eldest sister appeared and -beckoned to him in an emphatic manner, at the same time calling upon him -to hurry. So, contenting himself with levelling Midshipman Easy's -masonic sign at the retreating lad, he hurried along towards his sister. - -"Father wants you to go down the river with him in the boat." - -"Where's it to?" - -"Down to Beacon Point. Tom Tyler's had a bad accident, and they've sent -for the doctor; but he's away. He was called out to a bad case at Dingo -Creek head station, and is not expected to be back till midday -to-morrow. So they've asked father to go down, and you've to hurry -along. Father's waiting down at the boat for you." - -Mr. Blain was waiting at the boat with everything that was required for -the trip. As soon as the lad was in, he pushed off, and, taking the -stern oar, with Joe at the bow, father and son started on their -twelve-mile pull. - -In answer to the boy's question the minister gave some details of the -accident, and, further, informed the lad that it was his intention to -call at Mrs. Robinson's, distant about five miles from Tareela. - -They had now settled down to a steady stroke, and as the sun was on its -westering wheel, and the sting out of its slanting rays, the row became -enjoyable. Mr. Blain was a sort of newsletter to the settlers, and in -his trips up-stream and down-stream was frequently hailed and made the -target of questioning from the riverbank. - -Robinsons' was reached a little before sunset, where they were made -abundantly welcome. Some years previously Mr. Robinson met his death by -one of those accidents all too common in new settlements. Felling scrub -timber is a risky performance. It so happened that in felling a stout -fig tree, Robinson failed to notice some lawyer vines that, hanging from -the high branches, had attached themselves to the bare limbs of an -adjacent dead tree. - -Standing at the base and watching the toppling fig tree, as it slowly -swayed preparatory to its final crash, he was unaware that the -cable-like vines were retarding its progress. Gathering way, however, -the falling tree brought a strain upon the vine, and tore away a heavy -limb of the dead tree. This falling upon the axe-man, killed him -instantly. - -The widow was blest with a family of boys and girls who were true grit. -Misfortune breaks some people--it makes others. The latter was the -truth in this case. - -In all the trying times Mrs. Robinson underwent, the minister was her -friend and counsellor. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - - *DOWN THE RIVER* - - - "When the full moon flirts with the perigee tide, - On a track of silver away we ride,-- - Oh, glorious times we have together, - My boat and I in the summer weather." - ELLA WHEELER WILCOX. - - -The boat was sighted from Robinsons' some time before its nose grated on -the shingle at the landing-place. - -Isaac, the younger son, a giant in stature and a prime favourite with -Joe, was at the landing-stage. Seizing the bow what time it touched -land, he half lifted, half dragged the boat two-thirds of her length out -of the water, and made her fast to an old stump. - -"Mother's so glad you've come, sir. She wants to talk with you about -that boy of Maguire's, who's bin givin' us a lot of trouble." - -"Won't be able to stay long, Ike. We've got to be at Beacon Point to -night. We just put in for a cup of tea and a bite. Mother's inside, I -suppose? I'll go in and have a chat with her." - -"You'll find her in the kitchen, sir. When we saw you roundin' -Piccaniny Point we knew you'd be here for tea, and mother's lookin' -after things." - -"I hope she won't go to any trouble. A mouthful is all we want." - -"Well, you know mother, sir. She feels that nothin' is near good -enough." - -"Any pancakes for tea, Ike?" - -"Pancakes! Why, of course. That's what mother's makin' now. She knew -that'd be the first thing you'd be askin' fur, Joe." - -"Rather, Ike!" said Joe, pursing his mouth and drawing in his breath -with the peculiar, half-whistling, unwriteable sound which boys -instinctively make when visions of goodies arise. More especially when -such goodies come within measurable distance of consumption. - -Master Joe had a healthy boy's appetite. The rowing exercise gave -additional spice to his hunger. Pancake was at that moment the gate of -entry to the boy's very material heaven. - -"Tea won't be ready fur a few minutes, Joe. Let's go down to the barn. -I was just goin' to rub some more mixture inter the skins when I seen -your boat roundin' the point. Sorry you're goin' on, my son. When I -seen you on the river I ses to meself, ses I, 'By George! Joey an' I'll -have a great night at the 'possums.' I wish to goodness you'd been -stayin'. There'll be a grand moon ter night, an it's very temptin'." - -"By gum, ain't it just! It'd be simply, rippin'. 'Member last time I -was down? That was a grand bit of sport we had. Forty-seven was it, or -forty-nine? I know it took a dashed long time to skin 'em." - -"Forty-seven it was. We'd do over fifty to-night." - -"Well, as mother says, 'What can't be cured must be endured.' By dad! -that's a grand wallaby skin! Where'd you get it?" - -"Got it larst night." Ike had the Colonial drawl to perfection. "I was -up at the top end of the scrub cultivation paddick, mooseying around -after some cockatoos that'd bin skinnin' the corn. It was just about -dusk, an' I was waitin' in the corner for the cockies, as I knew they'd -soon be leavin' fur their roosts, an' my bes' charnse at 'em was on the -wing. They're so 'tarnal cute, yer know, yer carn't git 'em on the -corn." - -"I know. Didn't I try my best to stalk 'em the last time I was down, -Ike! I got three altogether, you 'member, an' you said it'd be a crest -apiece to take home to the girls." - -"Waal, as I was sayin', I'd sarcumvented the ole boss cockie, which was -keeping watch in the dead gum-tree that stood in the middle of the -patch, an' was posted in the middle of the corner expectin' them ter fly -over every minit. But ole Pincher, who was chevyin' about, starts this -ere boss outer the pumpkin vines; they're death on pumpkins, yer know. -The dorg made a dash at 'im, an', by jings! he did streak. Greased -lightnin' wasn't in it with 'im. I tried to draw a bead on 'im, but, -what with the dusk an' the bushes an' stumps, I couldn't get a good -line. I banged away one barril, but was yards off, I reckon. - -"Pincher, he disappeared in a brace of shakes, an' I made sure the -vermin ud get through a 'ole in the fence. I was makin' for 'ome, 'cause -the cockies, yer know, 'ad all gone. All of a suddent I heers a yelp, -an' knew ole Pinch 'ad somehow 'eaded 'im. Reckon 'e missed the 'ole, -or the dorg'd never got near 'im. Anyhow, 'e was a-streakin' a bit now, -an' Pinch at 'is 'eels. He was makin' fur the maize agen. I lined 'im -this time all right, though it was a longish shot; about sixty-five I -reckon; an' dropped 'im clean at the very edge." - -"It's a prime pelt, anyway." - -"Yaas, 'e was a grand ole buck fur a wally; about the biggest I've got -this season." - -"How many skins have you taken, Ike?" - -"Two more'n I'd 'ave six dozen." - -"Gettin' a good price for 'em?" - -"Waal, Jack Croft, 'e offered me nine shillin' a dozen fur 'em. There -are about twenty kangaroos among 'em. Jack reckoned it was a stiff -price, an' 'e sed 'e'd not offer anythin' near it but fur the kangaroo -skins, which 'e 'ad a fancy fur." - -"Old Jack can put it on, you know." - -"Oh, I know Jack all right! Me an' 'im's 'ad dealin' afore. Jacky's -not too bad, but 'e knows 'ow to draw the long bow. Anyway, ole Eb -Dowse's boat'll be along nex' week. He's sent word ter say as 'e'd do a -deal with me fur 'em." - -"Better wait an' see what Eb'll shell out for 'em, Ike, I reckon. -German Harry, up the river, says he can always knock a shillin' a dozen -more out of Eb than Jack." - -"I ain't hurryin', Joe." - -Just then the welcome supper cooee reached their ears. The boys lost no -time in getting to the supper-table. Joe instinctively eyed the -contents. Cold streaky bacon; a big dish of fried pumpkin and potatoes; -a mountain of home-made bread, sliced; a basin of prime butter; Cape -gooseberry jam galore, and amber-tinted honey in the comb. What more -could any hungry lad desire? - -Mary Robinson, a great tease, caught Joe's glance, and said, with an -amused smile, "No pancakes to-night, Joe." - -Joe was abashed for the fraction of a second. Quickly rallying, he -laughingly said, "Tell another, Mary, while your mouth's hot." - -"Very well, my boy! If you don't believe me ask our black tom-cat. He -chased a mouse into the batter and upset the bowl; so there!" - -"Mary, Mary!" remonstrated Mrs. Robinson. "There's only a grain of -truth in the pound of fiction she's giving you, Joe. The cat, it is -true, did chase a mouse; but it did not jump into the batter, nor was -the bowl upset. The pancakes are cooked, with currans in 'em; just the -sort you like; and they're keeping hot by the fire." - -"Thanks awfully, Mrs. Robinson; I believe _you_ anyway. As for Mary, -she's like Sandy M'Intyre's old, toothless sheep-dog." - -"How's that, Joe?" interjected Ike. - -"Bark's worse than her bite." - -"My stars! what originality, what refinement! Sandy's razor is not in it -with master Joe Blain for sharpness. I'll remember this, though, the -next time you ask me to go out to the scrub with you for passion fruit. -Anyhow, there's no resemblance between you and Sandy's wonderful -barker." - -"_Indeed!_" - -"No; your bark's noisy enough, but your bite's a hundred times -worse--especially when pancakes are about." - -With this "Roland" Mary ran out to the kitchen to get the teapot. - -Joe made a royal repast, topping off with the hot pancakes at a rate -which caused his father to dryly remark: "Too much pancake won't help -the boat along, my boy." - -Tea finished, the visitors prepare to continue their voyage. With Ike's -powerful assistance the boat is shoved into the water, and her nose -pointed down-stream. In due time Beacon Point is reached. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - - *OFF FOR THE HOLIDAYS!* - - -"Boyhood is the natural time for abundant play and laughter, without -which rarely does high health touch young cheeks with its rose-bloom, or -knit bones strongly for the fighting and the toiling that awaits -them."--JOSEPH H. FLETCHER. - - -"Now then, Norah, look slippy with breakfast! It's half-past six, an' -Sandy's to be here at seven. Said he'd leave the station at five with -the spare horse for me." - -"Begorrah! at the rate breakfast's cookin' it'll be midnight before it's -ready. 'Tis the bastliest wood that niwer was." - -"Time the fish was fryin', Norah." - -"Fish, bedad! For two pins ye wuddent have anny fish. The thrubble -Oi've had wid thim! Phwat for did youse lave thim in the bag all night? -If ye'd put thim out on the dish, ye spalpeen, Oi'd have seen thim and -claned thim long ba-fore Oi wint to bed. 'Sted of which it's tuk me two -morchial hours to scale the brutes, they was that dry and hard. Be -Saint Pathrick, they scales was loike porky-pine's pricklies!" - -"Sorry, Norah; my fault as usual," remarked Joe good-humouredly. -"Father called out to turn the horse from the lucerne just as I reached -the back door. So I threw the bag down on the steps to chase the moke, -an' clean forgot 'em when I came back." - -"Well, Oi'll forgive ye wanst more, which makes about a million -tousandth toime; but, moind ye, 'tis----" - -"All serene, Norah! Oh, I say, Norry, I'd nearly forgotten it! Paddy -Lacey asked me yesterday to tell you that they want you to go to the -Hibernian picnic on Boxing Day. They've chartered the _Firefly_, an' -are goin' down to the Bar." - -"God's truth! 'tis only gammoning me ye are, Masther Joe. It's a young -thrick ye be, indade, with yure Hayburnion picnacs." - -"It's as true as true, Norah. No make-up this time. An' oh! I say, -d'you know what Jimmy Flynn tole Tom Hawkins?" - -"Nawthin' good, bedad!" - -"Ain't it! Well, opinions differ. At any rate he was goin' to set a -line on Friday night, an' as he was roundin' the point he hears -somewheres ahead of him a noise between a smack an' a crack. Then comes -a bit of a squeal, an' a woman's voice sings out: 'Don't, stop it!' -Then there was another smack-crack, an' just as he got round the corner -he sees a couple, for all the world like you and Paddy, sittin' on a -log. No, 'twas Paddy that was on the log, an' you were on Paddy's----" - -"Ye loi-in spalpeen! Oi'll pull yure tongue from betune yure teeth," -screamed Norah, as, blushing furiously, she chased the nimble Joe out of -the kitchen right into the arms of Sandy M'Intyre, as he was coming up -the back doorstep. - -"Hello, Sandy!" - -"Hello, Joe! What's row inside? Norah givin' you the rounds of the -kitchen as usual, eh?" - -"Only jiggin' her about Paddy Lacey, an' got her _paddy_ up a bit. -You're up to time, Sandy, ole man. By jing! I see you've brought Curlew -in. Am I to ride him? My word! it is good of your governor to let me. -I thought you'd a brought the piebald." - -"So I intended, but he was limpin' when he was run into the stockyard; -so father says, 'Take Curlew.'" - -Curlew was Mr. M'Intyre's favourite horse, and Joe was highly honoured -in being allowed to ride this mettlesome but lovely paced steed. - -Just then breakfast appeared. After a substantial meal Joe brought out -his father's valise and strapped it to the saddle. - -"All ready, Sandy? Good-bye, mother. Good-bye, father. Good-bye, -girls!" - -And so, with kisses and cautions from the family, the boys mounted their -steeds and cantered down the street to the punt, on their way to -Bullaroi, as Mr. M'Intyre's station was called. - -Across the river the boys were joined by Tom Hawkins, who was to -accompany them. Tom, who was mounted on a brisk pony, greeted them with -a cheery cry as the punt reached the shore. A jollier trio of young -Australians could not be found than this chattering, capering band, who -on that brilliant morning raced along the bush track. - -Plans of fun and frolic were projected during the ride, including -astounding adventures that would have taken half a year to carry out. -In anticipation the lads were already having tip-top fun. Tom's riotous -imagination, especially, made the spoils of the gun, the rod, and the -chase to assume brobdingnagian proportions. - -In due course they pulled up at the slip-rails marking the Bullaroi -boundary line. Thence to the white gate seen in the distance, and which -fronted the homestead, a mad race ensued. In this Curlew was first, the -rest nowhere. Indeed, Curlew became so excited by the gallop and the -shrill shoutings of the riders that Joe, who had made no attempt to pull -him till the horse was almost on the gate, found it impossible to stop -his steed, which was full of running. Before the boy fully realised it, -Curlew was soaring through the air, clearing the gate by at least a -couple of feet. Joe, parting from the "pigskin," was sailing through -space on his own account, leaving a foot or two between his sit-down and -the saddle seat. - -Joe, though a fair rider, was not a practised steeple-chaser. He was -not a horseman, as were Sandy and Tom, who were to the manner born. -Little wonder, then, that his heart rose with the horse and his rider, -and for some brief moments palpitated furiously in his mouth. That -mysterious and natural law of the universe called gravitation was on -hand, however, and saved the situation. - -Curlew's hoofs struck the ground on the descending curve as lightly as a -cat. Joe's legs, which in this aerial flight had assumed the shape of -an inverted V, came plop into the saddle at the right moment. But his -body was thrown forward, his hands clutching frantically at the horse's -neck and mane. In this condition, unable to recover his equilibrium, -with but the loss of his hat, the rider is carried over the intervening -distance to the stables, amid loud laughter from the station people, who -had been attracted by the shouting of the boys. - -Sandy cleared the gate in pursuit of Joe, but failed to catch him. Tom -was obliged to haul up and open the gates, as the jump was too high for -his pony. Thus the rider of Curlew came in a winner, and all three -dismounted amid laughter and teasings. - -"Weel, Joseph, my lad," said Mr. M'Intyre, who possessed a pawky humour, -"Johnny Gilpin couldna hae done the trick better. You kep' up wi' -Curlew, anyway. I thocht he was goin' to leave ye behind. Ma certie -it's deeficult to say which is the winner, you or the horse. We'll juist -ca' it neck an' neck." - -"Take no heed to him, Joe," said Mrs. M'Intyre. She saw through the -lad's apparent good-humour a sense of humiliation at his unhorsemanlike -entry. "You did well to stick to him, not knowing his intention. But -come away in, boys; ye'll be ready for something to eat after that ride. -We're right glad to see you. Sandy was so excited last night at the -prospect of your coming that I am sure he didn't sleep a wink. Why, he -had the horses saddled at dawn, and was off without a bite if I hadn't -stopped him and made him drink a cup of coffee." - -The day was a busy one on the station. Every one was engaged in -finishing off jobs and cleaning up. For during Christmas week, and -until after New Year's Day, only that which was absolutely necessary in -the way of work was expected. - -During the previous week drafting and mustering had been the all -absorbing work on the run. That finished, and a mob of "fats" -despatched overland to Maitland to catch the Christmas market, the last -few days were occupied in culling "boilers" and in branding calves. On -this particular day all the available hands were engaged in tidying up; -the whitewash bucket being in great request. - -Willy and Jacky, the aboriginal boys, together with an Irish -lad,--Norah's brother, in fact,--were enrolled as whitewash artists. -Their special work consisted in converting dingy looking hen-roosts, -dog-kennels, pigsties, milking sheds, and the like into a brilliant -white. Meanwhile two of the men, with rough brooms made of stiff -brushes, were sweeping the ground within a fair radius of the house. - -Inside, the housework was prosecuted with great vigour. Two gins were -set to work with the scrubbing brush; while in the kitchen, where Mrs. -Mac and the two elder daughters were domiciled, Christmas cooking went -on apace. There was, indeed, such a weighing of flour and raisins, such -a slicing of candied peel, such a dressing of flesh and fowl as to make -Ah Fat, the cook, fairly amazed, and to wonder how in the name of -Confucius the oven was to stand the cooking strain that was being -brought upon it. While from the kitchen an odoriferous perfume was -wafted across the yard, assaulting all noses, and breeding high -anticipation, most pleasurable from the standpoint of creature comforts. - -Mr. M'Intyre, no patron of idleness either in man or boy, took the lads -early in the day into the harness room, and set them to the task of -cleaning the saddle and harness ware. Saddles, girths, bridles, various -sets of light and heavy harness, required attention. All leather was to -be well cleaned and oiled, stirrups and bits to be burnished, and broken -straps to be repaired. - -The pals threw themselves, _con amore_, into the work. It was hard to -say which moved the more briskly, tongues or hands. The afternoon was -well advanced before the last piece of steel and electro silver was -polished, the last girth and surcingle refitted, and the whole placed on -their respective brackets. This task finished, the boys felt that they -had earned the promised reward--a glorious swim. Within a couple of -hours of sunset the whole of the outside work was accomplished, and, for -the time being, each employe was a free agent. - -The homestead faced a large affluent of the river, which was known as -Crocodile Creek. Why the creek was so named was a sort of a mystery. -No species of the saurian tribe was ever known to infest its waters. -The name may have been given to it through some fancied resemblance in -its course to the aforesaid reptile. - -Crocodile Creek formed a fine frontage to Bullaroi run, being distant -from the homestead about a quarter of a mile. Immediately opposite, the -creek widened out into a fine sheet of water some three miles long, and -varying in width from one hundred to one hundred and fifty yards. There -was a particular spot which stood about seven or eight feet above the -water. Here Mr. M'Intyre had a spring-board constructed. The water was -fully twelve feet deep at the jump off, and, added to other advantages, -formed an ideal spot for bathing purposes. - -Having finished their allotted tasks, the lads came bounding out of the -harness-room and across the yard to the house, shouting, as they -capered, "Who's for a swim?" The stockmen certainly looked, and no -doubt felt, that the one thing above all others necessary for their ease -and comfort after the stable and the house-yard cleaning operations was -a plunge into the cool, sweet waters of the creek. If they were -semi-black by reason of their employment, it was no less true that the -black boys, Willy and Jacky, were semi-white. - -Dennis Kineavy, the Irish lad, was the "broth of a bhoy," and all three -were cram full of impishness. No sooner were the finishing touches of -whitewash decoration given, than Denny, sneaking up behind Willy and -Jacky, who stood off a little from the hen-roost admiring their artistic -handicraft--with capacious brush well charged with the sediment of his -bucket--smote them in quick succession across the bare shoulders and -breech, and then, with an Irish yell, darted round the stable. - -Surprised for the moment, but nothing loath, the black boys snatched -their buckets, wielded their brushes, and, shouting their native -war-cry, dashed off in hot pursuit; Denny dodged them successfully for a -while, but was at length outflanked, and then ensued a battle royal -which only ceased when the supplies of ammunition (whitewash) were -exhausted. - -It was at the tail-end of the fray that Sandy and his mates came racing -along with the cry of, "Swim O! Swim O!" - -Boys and men, black and white, were all ready and willing, nay, eager, -for a jolly bogey.[#] There was a rush by the whites for towels; then, -in quick procession, the motley band made for the water. - - -[#] "Bogey," native name for bathe. - - -After a plunge and a short swim to get rid of the dust and muck, an -impromptu carnival was arranged. First of all came the long dive. This -meant a run along the spring-board and a dive straight out. The diver -in each case, when reaching the surface, had to tread water, keeping as -nearly as possible to the spot of emergence. - -Tom Hawkins led off, the others followed in order at twenty seconds' -interval. The blacks, by reason of their native abilities in this -direction, were made to do the dive with arms interlocked, Siamese twin -fashion. The darkies were the whippers-in of this diving procession. -Tom, who led off, faltered in his stride when leaving the spring-board. -He rose to the surface at about thirty feet from the bank. Joe, who -followed, dived a good ten feet farther out than Tom. Sandy, however, -when he shot up through the water, was fully fifty feet from the shore. -Both of the stockmen beat Joe, but were behind Sandy. - -Then came the blacks, side by side. With an even, measured, and springy -stride they raced down the board, which was wide enough to admit of this -manoeuvre. They took the water without a splash, like a pair of frogs, -leaving scarce a ripple. It was naturally thought that by being coupled -in this way matters would be evened. It was the general opinion that -they would fail to reach Sandy's limit, and probably not get beyond -Joe's. The boys eagerly awaited their reappearance, watching the water -closely for some sign. After what appeared to be an interminable period -they were startled by a double cooee, and, lo! the twins, so to speak, -had risen at least twenty feet beyond Sandy, or seventy feet from the -shore. - -Somersault diving followed the long distance trial. In thia Harry the -stockman, who had been a circus rider and acrobat in his youthful days, -outshone all the others. - -Then came the exciting game of "catch the devil." Willy was chosen -devil. It was his business to dive off the spring-board and run the -gauntlet, the others being scattered in the water. To catch the -aboriginal seemed a comparatively easy matter, all things considered. -He was, however, a superb swimmer and trickster, diving and dodging like -a cormorant. A dozen times surrounded, he marvellously eluded his -pursuers. The game was at its height, and there was no knowing how long -the "devil" would remain at large, when the station bell rang out a -lusty summons to supper. - -This brought the carnival to an instant conclusion. And now each swimmer -scrambled for the shore, and soon the whole company, with clean bodies -and healthy appetites, were hieing along the track. When the boys -reached home they found a new arrival in the person of a young -Englishman. This gentleman was out on a business tour, and, being -anxious to see something of station life, was recommended to Mr. -M'Intyre by a mutual friend. Mrs. M'Intyre's hospitality was proverbial, -and Neville, for such was the "new chum's" name, was heartily made -welcome. - -The day had been a long one, and, supper ended, the boys were quite -resigned to go to bed, or at least to the bedroom. The noises -therefrom, after their retirement, were very suggestive of prime larks, -and continued long after lights were out. The pals were domiciled, to -their great delight, in a big spare room, which contained a double bed -and a single one. Joe and Tom shared the former, while Sandy camped on -the latter, which was, indeed, his stretcher brought in for the -occasion. - -Silence reigned supreme at length within, and without was broken only by -the hoarse croaking of the frogs, an occasional call from a night owl, -and the weird wail of the curlew. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV* - - *CHRISTMAS FUN AND FROLIC* - - - "It was the time when geese despond - And turkeys make their wills; - The time when Christians to a man - Forgive each other's bills. - It was the time when Christmas glee - The heart of childhood fills." - BRUNTON STEPHENS. - - -Daylight had barely broken. The only stir in the household is that -produced by Joe, whose slumber had been disturbed by the persistent -crawling of flies across his face. - -There are three things in animated nature which run each other very -closely for the supremacy in downright tenacity to purposeful -cussedness. Pig, Hen, Fly--these three! And of the three, the -cussedest and most exasperatingly tenacious to its rooted purpose of -squeezing in between one's eyelids, sinking a well in the corner of -one's eye, or climbing the inside walls of one's nose, is the Australian -species of the common house-fly. - -It is possible at times to circumvent the "gintilman wot pays the rint," -and persuade him to return through the same hole in the fence which gave -him escape, by appearing to be anxious to drive him out on to the plain. -That is pig strategy; or rather, strategy with a pig. He is beaten, so -to speak, by the law of contrairy. When all resources fail in -persuading the hen that the flour-bin, or the linen basket, is not -specially constructed to suit her convenience in the daily duty of egg -producing, one can at the last resort requisition the services of Madame -la Guillotine. - -But neither strategy nor tactics, neither force nor fraud, avail -anything when the early fly, with recruited energies and fiendish -intent, starts on her mission of seeking whom and what she may annoy. -She--it is quite safe to put the insect in the feminine gender--can be -neither coaxed, persuaded, shoo'd, deceived, frightened, nor driven from -her prey. The fly always wins--in the end. - -Driven from Blanket Bay on this eventful Christinas morning by the -incorrigible fly, Joe proceeded at once to reverse the Golden Rule, and -promptly made war upon his mates on that morning which, of all the days -in the year, makes for peace and goodwill among men. - -Tom had sought refuge from the fly in the bed-clothes, and muffled nasal -monotones made a sonorous chorale. On the other hand, Sandy, impervious -to all impious fly assaults, lay on his back, mouth wide open, breathing -heavily and steadily. Sandy was of the pachydermatous order. Neither -mosquito nor fly troubled him. The flies evidently found his eyes to be -a dry patch, while they were unable to obtain a permanent foothold at -his nostrils owing to the intermittent, horse-like snorts which blew -them as from the mouth of a blunderbuss. But they heavily fringed his -mouth, eating with manifest relish their bacilli breakfast. - -In a jiffy the bed-clothes are whipped off the slumbering lads, and in -less than no time the latter, pillows in hand, make common cause against -the aggressor. Joe puts up a gallant fight, but the odds are too much -for him; he is driven into a corner at last and unmercifully pelted. - -This prelude to the day's enjoyment concluded, the pals jump into their -clothes and proceed to execute the second item on the day's programme, -namely, a horseback scamper through the bush before breakfast. - -Oh, the glory of it! Out from the confines of four walls into the open -spaces of the world when night is merging into day; to move in the dawn -of a new day; to stand enwrapped in its pearl-grey mantle ere the -mounting sun has turned its soft shades to rosy brilliance; to inhale -the spicy breeze which, during the night watches, having extracted the -perfumes of the forest flowers, comes heavily freighted o'er gully and -range, and diffuses the sweet odours as the reward of the early riser. -And then--to watch the daily miracle of sunrise! - - "See! the dapple-grey coursers of the morn - Beat up the light with their bright silver hoofs - And chase it through the sky." - - -Sandy, on old Rufus, kept for that work, soon rounds-up and yards -several steeds from the horse-paddock. From these three are picked and -saddled; and ere the rising sun has walked "o'er the dew of yon high -eastern hills," the lads are scampering through bush and brake, o'er -dale and hill. They chivy the silent kangaroo through the lush grass; -have a glorious burst after a belated dingo; rouse screaming parrots and -paroquets from their matutinal meal off the honey blossoms of box and -apple trees; pulling up at last on the summit of a dome-shaped, treeless -hill, from whence, with the bloom of the morning still upon it, the -landscape extends in a vast stretch of undulation, broken at irregular -intervals by silver ribbons of creek and river. - -Belts of scrub and forest, rich pasturages and arable lands, are dotted -here and there, with minute spots from which rise slender threads of -smoke indicating settlers' houses; while away in the background are the -purple hills and the blue mountains. - -Boys are not usually considered to be impressionable creatures on the -aesthetic side of things. Herein we wrong them. They may not -attitudinise, nor spout poetry when under the supreme touches of nature, -for the boy is too natural to be theatrical. But, without doubt, the -morning and evening glories of dear old mother earth do touch their -sense of beauty; and though these impressions may seem to be effaced by -other and more sordid things, nevertheless they linger through the long -years, called up from time to time in sweet association with days that -are no more. - -The lads, while they rested their steeds, stood in silent and wondering -gaze, broken at last by Tom, who, pointing across the intervening spaces -to the broadest of the many silver threads, exclaimed, "Tender's -Tareela!" Many miles away, as the crow flies, lay the river village, a -small cluster of dots, a few of which glistened in the sunlight. These -shining spots indicated the "superior" houses that sported corrugated -iron roofs, new in those days. For the most part the "roof-trees" were -shingle or bark. - -And now, homeward bound, the horsemen slither down the hillside, plunge -into a pine scrub, to emerge therefrom on the border of a small plain, -and chase a mob of brumbies grazing thereon. They, with snorting -nostrils and waving manes, headed by a notorious grey stallion--of whom -more anon--dash up a ravine into the fastnesses of the scrub, and, -though followed some distance by the reckless riders, vanish from sight -with a celerity possible only to wild bush-horses. - -Skirting now the banks of the Crocodile, they disturb flocks of teal, -widgeon, water-hen, and other aquatic birds. At length they give a view -halloo, for the old homestead is in sight. This scares a flock of -cockatoos that are camping in the river gums, after an early morning's -poaching expedition to the adjacent maize-fields, and brings out the -station dogs with a babble of barking, as they pound up the track with a -final spurt. - -"Breakfast ready, Ah Fat?" sings out Sandy, as the boys come rushing -into the kitchen from the stables. - -"Leddy? Tes, allee globble upee! Missee say no kleep anyling for bad -boy. Lockee allee glub." Ah Fat's twinkling, humorous eyes redeemed -his hatchet face and stolid countenance. - -"It's all right, fellows. He's only pokin' borak at us," said Sandy, -giving the Celestial a familiar slap. "Come along, I'm as hungry as a -hunter. They've only started, I know." - -The family were seated, heads were bent, and Mr. M'Intyre was saying the -long Scotch grace, when the boys burst into the room with a fine -clatter. The rude intrusion brought a severe remonstrance from that -gentleman when the exercise was concluded. Mrs. M'Intyre--always ready -to defend the boys and to champion them, to condone their faults and to -extol their virtues, in which she was wise or otherwise, as the reader -may decide--broke in with a Christmas greeting. For a minute there was a -fusillade of "Merry Christmas to you and many of them!" - -"Now, boys, take your seats before breakfast's cold." - -On proceeding to their places the boys stood stock still, for there, -resting against their respective chairs, stood three brand-new, -double-barrel shot-guns. - -"Weel, bairns!" exclaimed Mr. M'Intyre, with quiet amusement, surveying -the amazed boys as they gazed at the weapons. "What are ye frichtened -at? Is it snakes y're lukin' upon? Why dinna ye sit doon to yure -food?" - -"Oh, father! mother!" cried Sandy at last, picking up his gun, pleasure -beaming from his face. "This is what Harry meant when he said last -night he'd brought out a parcel from the town that'd come by steamer." -Then with a rush, Joe and Tom at his heels, he danced round the abashed -Scotchman, and gave him a hug, repeating the dose with interest on Mrs. -M'Intyre. It was hard for the boys to settle down to breakfast and -dislodge their eyes from the weapons. What their souls coveted most was -a gun. The clamant claims of hunger, however, are not to be -disregarded; so, stacking their guns in a corner, the boys did ample -justice to a generous meal. - -"Did you have a pleasant ride this morning, boys?" inquired Mrs. -M'Intyre. "You've not been out on the run before, Tom, have you?" - -"No, ma'am. We'd a good time, though!" - -"How far did you go, Sandy?" - -"To the top of Bald Hummock, mother." - -"Splendid view from the top, is it not, Joe?" - -"Not bad, Mrs. M'Intyre." - -"That's a negative descreeption o' ane o' the graundest sichts the hale -deestric' can boast," said Mr. M'Intyre, with emphasis. - -Joe became conscious of the banality. - -"An' why did ye no' tak' Mr. Neville wi' you, boys? Ye did wrang no' to -invite him to ride wi' you. I think ye owe him an apologee, Saundy." - -"I'm very sorry," said the lad, turning in some confusion to Mr. -Neville. "If I'd thought----" - -"Oh, I shouldn't have dreamed of going out at such an early hour, my -lad," replied Neville loftily. He had a somewhat affected accent and a -superior air. "I nevvah exert myself before breakfast. Besides, I am -not sure that I should find a safe escort in a parcel -of--er--schoolboys. With the young ladies, now," he continued, fixing -his monocle and bestowing a patronising stare upon Sandy's sisters, -Maggie and Jessie, "I--I--should be delighted to go for a bush ride, as -I think these equestrian expeditions are called in Awestralia, in the -cool of the afternoon." - -"We don't call them even bush rides out here, Mr. Neville," answered -Jessie saucily. She resented patronage. "We call 'em spins. Boys, I -vote we all go for a spin this afternoon. Let's ride as far as Ben -Bolt's cave. It'll be something interesting to show Mr. Neville. Ben -Bolt's a famous bushranger hereabouts, you know, and the cave is a -favourite rendezvous for his gang, as well as a safe hiding-place. At -least, it was so until a few months ago, when the police and black -trackers discovered it, and nearly nabbed him. Fancy having a -bushranger's camp on the Bullaroi boundary! But Ben never uses it now. -So let's ride out to it. Are you game, boys?" - -"Game!" snorted Sandy. "What's to be game about? The main thing is, -will Mr. Neville care for an eighteen-mile spin? If not, we could go -for a short ride down the Crocodile." - -"Please don't question my ability, boy!" retorted the new chum, who -resented the implication contained in Sandy's remark. "I find," -continued he, addressing his host, "you good people out heah seem to -think that Awestralia is the only place where horseback riding is -indulged in----" - -"We ride steers also, an' billies too," slyly interjected Joe, with a -wink at the girls. - -"And we read that they ride donkeys and--er--hobby-horses in England," -chipped in Jessie, whose eyes sparkled with mischief. - -"Good for you, ole Jess! Let 'em bring out their English fox-hunters -an' steeple-chasers that they brag so much about, and we'll give 'em a -dingo run, or a go at cutting out scrubbers,[#] an' see how they'd be -with their pretty coats an' breeches, at the tail of the hunt!" - - -[#] Wild, unbranded cattle, frequenting scrub country, - - -"Are ye addressing the English nation or oor guest, Saundy?" - -M'Intyre could be caustic when he willed. He had no liking for -Australian blow, and hit at it as he would hit at a snake, whenever -occasion arose. He now turned the laugh against his son, Jess laughing -loudest of all. - -"It's settled, then, that we ride out to the cave this afternoon?" said -Maggie, with an inquiring eye on Neville. - -"I'm shore 'twill be a pleasant jaunt, Miss M'Intyre," replied the -Englishman. "I shall have pleasure in acting as your escort. But -this--er--famous--er--notorious--er--highwayman, is it--er--safe? I -mean--er--I'm thinking of the--er--ladies, you know." - -"What's to be afraid of?" quoth Jessie. To her, risk meant spice, an -added zest. Her whole heart went out to the life of the open air and -the pleasures of the chase. Her greatest delight was in a mad scamper -through the bush behind the dogs, in the kangaroo hunt. - -"Don't be alarmed, Mr. Neville; Mag and I'll protect you should -the--er--famous--notorious--bushranger--highwayman turn up," went on the -audacious minx. "I'd dearly love to see Ben Bolt. I think he's a lot -better than many who run him down. Oh my! wouldn't it be fun if we -surprised him in the cave? I'd----" - -"Stop, Jess; cease your blether!" said Mr. M'Intyre sternly. "The mon -may no' be as black as he's pented, but he's no' an honest mon. -Misguided he may be to an extent, and no' a'thegither answerable for -some of the steps in his doonward career, but a creeminal for a' that, -whom the country were weel rid o'. But as for the reesk, there's na -reesk in ridin' to the cave. The Sub-Inspector telt me a few days ago -that Ben Bolt's gone o'er the border. News is to hand to the effect -that he stuck up a Chinaman on the Brisbane road. So the cave's safe -enough." - -"That's settled, then," broke in Maggie. "If we leave here about four -o'clock 'twill be early enough, and will give us plenty of time to get -back by dark." - -"Maidie, my pet," said Mrs. M'Intyre to her little three-year-old, a -dainty, precocious miss, "what are you staring at? It's rude to stare -at any one like that." - -"Oh, muzzer!" exclaimed the child, turning her bright eyes mother-wards -for a moment and then fixing them with a fascinated gaze upon the -Englishman. - -"What is it that interests you, little girl?" remarked Neville in a -patronising tone. "Is it the colour of my tie?" - -Maidie shook her curly head, and, without removing her eyes from Mr. -Neville's face, leaned towards Jessie, who sat next to her, and -whispered, "The genkilmun's got somesin' on his fevvers." - -Suspended from the tip of one of Neville's incipient moustaches was a -yellow string of egg-yolk. Jess had observed this for some time, with a -tendency to hilarity whenever it caught her eye. Maidie's comical -description added fuel to the fire of the girl's merriment, sending her -into convulsive laughter. She answered looks of interrogation by -pointing to the dangling egg thread, and saying as well as circumstances -permitted, "Maidie says--ha--ha--ha!--that Mr. Fevv--he--he--he!--Mr. -Neville's got egg on his--fev--feathers." This explanatory and -ludicrous mixture created a general explosion among the young folk. The -situation, however, was promptly ended by Mrs. M'Intyre, who discreetly -rose on seeing that the guest did not join in the general laugh. - -There was nothing much for the men-folk to do; but the boys were burning -to try their new fowling-pieces, The squatter, seeing their intent, -directed them to use their skill on the cockatoos and king parrots that -were devastating the maize crop. - -These birds, especially the former, proved wily customers, so that not -many opportunities offered for testing the guns. Enough was done, -though, to prove that the guns were no "slouches," and great things were -predicted when the lads should "know" their respective weapons. - -"Whatyer think of the new chum, Joe?" said Sandy to Blain, as they sat -on a log under a low-spreading wattle tree, on the look out for a flying -shot. - -"Goes thirteen to the dozen, ole man, don't he? Knows a lot more'n us, -he reckons, and can't help showin' it." - -"Yes, he can't stand us chaps at no price. By George! Jess's got his -measure, and Mag too, for that matter. They'll take his nibs down a peg -or two before he goes, I bet tuppence." - -"Little Maidie fitted him all right," chipped in Tom. -"Fevvers--ha--ha!--yes, goose feathers." - -It was evident that the visitor was not in favour with the young people. -He had struck a false note. No one can be quicker than boys to detect -superciliousness and to resent it. The patronising air is to them the -unforgivable sin. Henceforth Neville went by the name of "Fevvers" -among the boys, to the great amusement of the girls, who, unfortunately -for the Englishman, had assigned him a place in prig-dom. - -Neville, it must be confessed, was a bit of a prig; but at heart he was -not at all a bad fellow, and there came a time not far ahead when -respect supplanted contempt in the pals, and the ridiculous nickname was -dropped; while he on his part discontinued the use of the irritating -comparison, "the way we do things in England," which at the beginning he -was for ever introducing. - -The household was enjoying a siesta after the typical Christmas dinner -which was partaken of at midday. Stillness reigned within the house, -save the cracking of house timbers under the influence of the heat. -This seductive calm and the sweet sleep of the girls was at length -rudely broken by Sandy, who in the exercise of a brother's privilege -shook the door violently as he shouted, "Now then, lazies, get up and -dress! It's half-past three." - -"Bother you, Sandy, you _are_ a nuisance!" sleepily complained Jessie. -"I--I--was having _such_ a lovely dream. Neptune was just on the heels -of a blue flyer,[#] and I was galloping alongside him. The chase led us -to Blind-fall Gully, and we three took the jump together, and were -almost landed on the other side when you thumped the door. I thought at -first it was the thud of Kangie's tail, but no! there she was flying -through----" - - -[#] Maiden kangaroo, a very fast runner. - - -"That comes of eating too much plum-duff an' mince-pie, my girl. But I -say, you two, look slippy, or you'll be too late. I told Jacky to -saddle Nigger for you, Jess. What'll you take, Mag? Rainbow or Sultan? -They're both up." - -"Don't care, Sandy. I'll take Sultan, I think. No, I'll take Rainbow. -Wait a moment, p'r'aps----" - -"Oh! stop your silly nonsense. I'll put the saddle on Sultan," shouted -the impatient boy, as he made off through the house to the stockyard. - -"Say, Sandy!" cried out Jess, who was now wide awake. "Have you roused -Mr.--er--Fevvers yet?" - -"'Ssh! mother'll hear you," exclaimed the boy warningly, as he returned -to the door. "He didn't have a snooze. Says it's unbusinesslike to -sleep in the daytime. Says they never do that in England. England be -blowed, say I. An' whatyer think? Harry offered him the loan of his -leggin's, but he wouldn't have 'em. Says they smell of the stockyard, -ha--ha! Says they don't wear 'em in England. Listen! He's got on a -pair of white duck britches, an' my crikey! they won't be white any -longer. He asked Harry for his fourteen-foot stockwhip. Says he was -told an 'Awestralian' horse would never budge without one. Only dad was -there I'd 'a' put his saddle on Dick Swiveller, an' by jing! we'd 'a' -had some sport. We'll knock fun out of him as it is, I reckon. But look -alive, girls, or y'll be left behind." - - - - - *CHAPTER XV* - - *A BUSH RIDE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES* - - - "Then hey for boot and horse, lad! - And round the world away; - Young blood will have its course, lad! - And every dog his day." - KINGSLEY. - - -The weather in Australia at Christmas is not ideal for riding parties. -Midsummer heat and dust, together with hordes of flies, largely -countervail the delights of the saddle. - -The enthusiastic party that cantered along the tracks leading from the -Bullaroi homestead on this particular Christmas, with one exception, -made small bones about either dust or heat. Neville, however, was -irritated by the dust which the horses' feet knocked up. Nor would he -seek alleviation as did the others by leaving the track at every -opportunity. The victim of prejudice and conventionality, expressed in -terms of cussedness, he obstinately stuck to the dusty track. The boys -and Jessie frisked here and there, making short cuts, jumping gullies -and logs, and generally enjoying themselves. They raised, it is true, -clouds of dust, to the annoyance of the new chum, as they pounded along -the track on their return to the others, after having forged ahead some -distance; behaving, in short, like gambolling dogs. Mag would have -dearly loved the frolic, but hospitality's demands made it imperative -that she--the eldest--should partner the guest. - -Neville was no rider. His knowledge of the ways of the horse was of the -most elementary kind. Had he had the common sense to have admitted that -palpable fact, many of his painful experiences, and indeed tortures, -would have been minimised, if not altogether avoided. - -Like all inexperienced riders, he responded to every movement of the -horse. He had no sense of balance. He held the reins shoulder high, and -was for ever jerking them. When his body was not stiffly straight it -inclined forward. The inevitable result was made abundantly manifest in -chafed limbs and aching bones. With Neville, as with most new-chum -riders, the trousers legs _would_ work up from the bottom, displaying a -section of calf, to the great amusement of the boys, who baa'd most -vehemently at such times. - -This, however, must be reckoned for grace in Neville: he made no -complaint, nor admitted any discomfort. He was forward in his -criticisms of the boys' style of riding: their seats were un-English and -cowboy. - -No greater contrast between the riders could well be imagined than that -which the new chum and the pals presented. Theirs was to the manner -born, to be confounded neither with cowboy nor military. While there is -an utter absence of stiffness in the Australian style, there is at the -same time nothing bordering on the truculent as affected by the cowboy. -The movements are willowy and rhythmic. Horse and man are one and -indivisible. This means to both the minimum of work with the maximum of -ease. - -How far removed from this attainment was poor Neville! His figure was -of the ramrod pattern for the first few miles--ultra military, so to -speak. His feet, well through the stirrups, inclined outwards at a -sharp angle; his left arm, held at right angle as rigid as a semaphore, -gripped the reins; while his right clutched the stockwhip with tenacious -grasp. The steed, a fair pacer in experienced hands, in his became a -veritable jogger. He rose and fell in springless fashion with every -motion of the horse. - -It was not in Neville's power to maintain that iron rigidity, and so he -gradually inclined forward. His back became bowed, and his nose at -times was in imminent danger of the horse's head. His arms, too, hung -listlessly at either side, until at last his appearance resembled -nothing so much as a doubled-up Guy Fawkes perched on a rail. Yet his -dogged spirit, essentially British, half courage, half cussedness, bore -him up. - -Nearing the caves, the party, with the exception of Neville and his -companion, raced ahead, and by the time that the latter arrived were -cooling off beneath the shade of some coolibahs. - -And now disaster of such a character as to shake from him the last -remains of superiority and propriety, overwhelming him in the depths of -humiliation, overtook poor Neville. These mortifying results were -brought about by his attempted gallantry. - -The selected camp, as related, was beneath the grateful shade of a -cluster of coolibah[#] trees that grew on the banks of a mountain -stream, close to the mouth of the caves. Seeing that Maggie was about -to dismount unassisted, the youth exclaimed in eager tones, "Wait a -moment, Miss M'Intyre!" and so saying, threw himself from his horse in -order to do the gallant by helping his companion down, "as they do in -England." - - -[#] Water gum trees. - - -Sad to say, however, so cramped and stiff were his limbs, especially his -nether extremities, that the instant he touched ground his legs doubled -in a powerless condition, and he fell prone to the earth. -Unfortunately, the ground at the spot where he tumbled down began to -slope towards the creek. In his frantic efforts to rise quickly to his -feet he overbalanced himself, and began to roll down the incline. He -saved himself for a second, and the impending disaster might have been -averted but for the confounded stockwhip, which led to his undoing in a -most effectual way. This weapon, which he still held in his clenched -right hand, got entangled with his legs by some means, lasso fashion, -bringing him smartly to the ground again in a fresh attempt to rise. -The sloping bank at this point became almost precipitous: with a rapid -turn over-and-over, he rolled down the steep gradient, crashed through -an undergrowth of bushes and bracken that fringed the perpendicular bank -of the creek, and shot out into its clear, deep waters. - -This unrehearsed performance, taking less time to act than to relate, -brought a powerful shriek from Maggie, who, arrested in her intention to -dismount unaided by Neville's proffered aid, beheld from her horse the -undignified collapse of her escort, with its quickly succeeding acts of -comedy and tragedy. - -The others, who were witnesses of this performance, hugely enjoyed it, -giving a loud hurrah as the new chum splashed into the creek. There was -one exception. Sandy, who was on his way to the creek with the billy -can, and who realised in a moment that the discomfited Englishman had -fallen into a deep pool,--the very spot where he had often fished for -big perch,--threw away the billy and rushed to the spot where the -unfortunate man had fallen in. Only that day had Neville declared that -"my water exercises have been confined to the house bath." - -Beyond the agitated surface there were no signs of their visitor in the -water. Without pause, the lad took a header to the bottom, which was at -least ten feet from the top, discerned the sunken man kicking and -clawing, hauled him to the surface, and towed him to the bank. Here -willing hands were ready to grip the victim of this misadventure and -pull him to land. - -As soon as he was dragged to safety, the cause of his abject -helplessness in the water was revealed. The stockwhip had so encircled -his legs as to prevent the free use of them, besides which the shock of -the whole accident had to an extent numbed his senses. - -In sooth he was a sorry sight as he lay on the turf. The immersion did -not cover more than half a minute; it was long enough, though, to take -him to the verge of unconsciousness and to fill his lungs and stomach -with water. The boys speedily unwound the whip, and subjected Neville -to some rough but wholesome treatment, during which process the water -was rapidly ejected from his interior regions. - -The girls, as soon as Neville was landed, discreetly withdrew. -Merriment had dissolved into pity. - -"Poor Mr. Neville! I'm _so_ sorry. Isn't it a shame, Mag?" - -"Seems like a dream; it all happened so quickly and unexpectedly. I'm -afraid father'll be very angry about it. The poor fellow was going to be -so gallant, too. 'Permit me to assist you,' he said, and the next -moment----" - -Here the whole scene comes up so vividly and comically that, strive as -she may, Maggie cannot withhold laughter of a somewhat hysterical kind. -And so, between laughter and tears, the two girls superintended the -billy-boiling and tea-making business. - -Meanwhile the lads, stripping Neville under the lee of the bank, wrung -his clothes, and then re-dressed him, bringing him up to the fire little -the worse for his cold douche. The girls quickly recognised the finer -qualities of Neville's character, which broke through the crust of his -artificiality in the hour of adversity. - -"I'm very sorry to have caused this trouble, Miss M'Intyre. No one's to -blame but myself. Your brother and his mates have been exceedingly kind -to me. Indeed, I owe a debt to your brother that I can never repay, for -without doubt he saved my life. I was utterly helpless with that -wretched whip curled around me." - -Indeed, it was true. The accident might easily have had a fatal -termination, and the thought of it (for all that Neville cut such a -grotesque figure in his shrunken clothes) drove the last remains of -latent hilarity away. Maggie assured the forlorn-looking youth that no -thanks were due to any one; that all deplored the accident, and were -thankful that the finale inclined rather to the comic than the tragic. - -"Take this pannikin of hot tea, Mr. Neville. Father says that whisky's -not in it with tea for recruiting one's jaded energies." - -As there was no need for starting on the return ride awhile, the three -boys, leaving the girls and Neville at the camp, proceeded to the caves. - -The caves, three in number, were connected with one another by narrow -entrances. The outermost one had an inlet through a narrow crevice. -This opening was concealed from the casual eye by a sentinel-like -boulder which stood directly opposite, and about eighteen inches in -advance of the wall of rock. It was a squeeze for any one above the -average size to get through. - -Before its occupation by the bushrangers the outer cave, by evident -signs, formed a favourite wallaby haunt. These had been disturbed and -hunted by the bushrangers, who from time to time, according to police -report, used it as a hiding-place. They had often lain there when the -district was filled with troopers. On one occasion, as was afterwards -known, Ben Bolt and his mate, a youth of eighteen years, lay concealed -for weeks. The boy had been badly wounded in the thigh during a brush -with the police in the New England ranges. Ben Bolt, who was -passionately attached to him, by incredible labour and consummate -skill--for the pursuing police were on their tracks all the -time--brought his wounded mate to the caves in order that he might lie -in safety until his sores were healed. - -Sandy was the only one of the lads who knew anything about the caves. -In company with his father he had visited them a few weeks previously. -He therefore acted as a guide to the party. - -The fissure, a mere crack in the limestone rock, extended in tortuous -fashion for some distance. Lengthening out and making a curve, it -suddenly broadened into a chamber of respectable dimensions. At the -entrance of the crevice Sandy had lit a candle, one being sufficient for -the cramped passage. Before entering the cave proper, all three candles -brought for that purpose were lit. - -The cave was bat-inhabited. Large numbers of these uncanny creatures, -which were clinging to the roof and sides, disturbed and dazzled by the -light, flew about in aimless fashion, often striking the boys in their -uncertain flight. Numbers of them fastened on to their clothes and -limbs with their claw-like pinions. - -Joe and Tom, to whom this was a new experience, were uneasy and a good -bit scared. Their nervousness increased when the fluttering nocturnals -more than once extinguished the lights. - -"You must do as I do, boys!" sang out Sandy, who was in advance, as they -walked cautiously over the uneven and stone-littered floor. Sandy had -removed his hat and held it over the candle. This, while it darkened -all above, gave ample light on the floor space, and protected the candle -from the nocturnals. The others thereupon followed suit, and soon -reached the opening on the opposite side that led to the second chamber. - -This narrow passage made a stiff ascent for some yards, inclining to the -left, and then extending like a funnel. Sandy was proceeding very -cautiously, for the opening into the interior cave was made at about ten -feet from its floor. A rough ladder of lawyer vines hung from the -opening in the wall to the basement. Down this the boys speedily -slipped, and found themselves in a dome-like space, bigger by far than -any room, barn, or church that they had seen. The atmosphere was very -chill, and the continual drip of falling water made a monotonous sound. -A narrow, clear stream of running water flowed along one side, -disappearing in a floor crack near the far corner. - -Contrary to what one would have expected, the lime crystals were few, -and for the most part small; not to be mentioned in the same breath with -the matchless statuary of the far-famed Jenolan Caves. On the ground, -however, were some interesting stalagmites, whose grotesque figures -highly amused the boys. At the first sight, though, a fearsome feeling -possessed them. They were children of the sun, and this new and cryptic -experience in the cold, dark, vaulted chamber quickened their pulses and -shortened their breaths. - -Everything seemed to have a ghostly appearance to the pals. It was a -fitting abode for spectral creatures, and they had a feeling that at any -moment such might appear. This sensation, however, was of short -duration. A few minutes' familiarity with their surroundings dissipated -it, and the lads moved freely in their investigations. - -"Didn't you say there was another cave adjoining this, Sandy?" - -"Yes, I'll show it to you in a few minutes." - -While the question was being asked and answered, Sandy was peering into -a crevice immediately behind a huge stalagmite, and in a dark corner of -the cave. - -"This looks as if it might open out somewhere, but the opening's jammed -with a big limestone boulder." - -"Let's have a pull at it," said Tom, as he leaned forward to take hold -of a projecting point. - -"No go, Tom. Look at its weight! See how tightly it's wedged! You'll -never budge that. It'll need a crowbar to shift it. Come along, boys, -and we'll take a peep at the other cave, just to say we've seen it; then -we must make tracks back." - -Sandy, however, bore in mind this sealed chamber which was destined -later to yield important and far-reaching results. He made for a low, -narrow aperture in the wall, at a far corner, which opened directly into -a vault-like ceil--a small bedroom or pantry, as the case might be. - -"Here's where the rangers camped," said Sandy, when the boys had -struggled through. "Here's their beds, an' there's where they had their -fire." - -A couple of sheets of stringy-bark, placed stretcher-fashion on crossed -sapling frames, formed the sleeping-bunks of the outlaws. On these were -placed a quantity of bracken which made a comfortable resting-place for -men who more often than not slept upon the ground. - -"I say, Sandy," remarked Joe, after standing a moment in deep thought, -"this is an all-right place for hidin' in, but where'd they keep the -mokes? That's what beats me." - -"It beats more'n you. It beats father. It beats the police. Yes, they -can't get a clue. Must have had the horses handy, too; for when the -police got into the cave the time they tracked 'em here, the rangers -couldn't have been gone more'n a few minutes, 'cause a fire was still -burning in Ben Bolt's room, as they call it. The bobbies have searched -inside and outside and all over the ridge for another opening, but can't -find it." - -"They've clean bunged the p'lice, the cute beggars!" exclaimed Tom, with -a grin. "Wonder if they'll ever come back again. Ole Ben's a game un. -They say he wears a reversible suit of different colours. An' sometimes -he straps up a leg an' fastens a wooden peg on it an' stumps along, led -by a dog on a string like a blind beggar." - -"He's always bluffin' the police, anyway," said Joe. "The Sub-Inspector -was at our place about a month ago, telling father how he an' the others -were fooled not so long ago." - -"Tell us, Joe." - -"Well, 'twas like this. A bushman on a piebald horse rode up to the -police camp out Kean's swamp way, bearing a note from Sub-Inspector -Garvie, ordering them to cross the ranges an' get into Walcha secretly, -as he possessed reliable information to the effect that Ben Bolt -intended to stick up the bank two days later. - -"It appears this same man called at the Sub's quarters earlier in the -day, who was laid up with a sprained leg. This chap told how he'd been -in Ben Bolt's company two nights previously. The ranger and his -mate--the same boy as was wounded--came upon him as he lay by his fire -in the evening, and asked permission to camp alongside. They pretended -to be stockmen in search of strayed heifers, and made out that they had -come across their tracks just at nightfall. As it was a goodish way to -the station, they would be glad to sleep by his fire and get after the -cattle at dawn. - -"The man said that as soon as he spotted 'em he knew 'em, but he was too -frightened to let on. He gave 'em some grub, an' then lay down in his -blanket. As soon as they had scoffed the prog they lay down too, on the -off side of the fire. - -"The man didn't go to sleep, though he pretended to. By an' by the two -men began to talk in low tones. He could hear 'em, though, pretty well, -and found out that they were goin' to stick up the Walcha bank. The -date they named was four days from that night. Although the chap lay as -if he were dead he didn't sleep a wink. Just before daylight the coves -saddled their horses, which had been short-hobbled, and singing out, -'So-long,' they galloped off. - -"'And what prompted you to bring this information?' said the Sub. - -"'Well, if you cop the rangers,' he answered, 'I shall expect something -substantial for supplying these particulars.' - -"'As for that, you'll get your share. And now you can do something -further that'll help you in the matter of reward. Take this note to -Sergeant Henessey, who is camping with four police and a tracker in the -foothills, at the head of Kean's swamp.' - -"The Sub-Inspector, who had hastily written a note of instruction to the -Sergeant, handed it to the man, who said his name was Sam Kelly. Sam -promised to deliver it by daybreak; which he did. As soon as the -Sergeant read it, he roused up the men, and after a hasty meal it was -'Saddle up.' A few minutes later the troopers were on their way to cop -the rangers. Now listen: that very day, towards evening, the Port -Macquarie mail was stuck up!" - -"My eye!" said Sandy, "weren't the p'lice sold! Fancy ole Ben goin' -into the lion's den with his information an' then takin' the letter out -to the camp, an' none of 'em cute enough to twig 'im! He's a downy cove -is Ben. Ain't he, Joe?" - -"They say," concluded Joe, "that the piebald he rode was his favourite -horse, the blood-bay he calls Samson." - -"But how was it he turned him piebald?" - -"_Painted patches of pipeclay on him!_" - -"Now, then," exclaimed Sandy, pulling out his watch, "we've only a few -minutes left, an' we mustn't be late, as Mr. Neville won't be able to -ride fast." - -"Poor old Fevvers!" exclaimed Tom reminiscently. "This hasn't been much -of a treat for him." - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI* - - *THE DINGO RAID* - - - "What's up, old horse? Your ears you prick, - And your eager eyeballs glisten. - 'Tis the wild dog's note, in the tea-tree thick, - By the river to which you listen. - - * * * * * - - Let the dingo rest, 'tis all for the best; - In this world there's room enough - For him and you and me and the rest, - And the country is awful rough." - ADAM LINDSAY GORDON. - - -"Here's a fine how-d'ye-do!" exclaimed Mr. M'Intyre wrathfully, as he -strode into the house, one hot morning shortly after the events recorded -in the previous chapter. "Why sic rubbish were ever created passes -understanding!" - -The irate squatter, contrary to his usual habit, clattered through the -hall and out on to the front verandah, slamming the door most vigorously -as he made his exit. - -"Whatever's stung dad this morning, Jess?" remarked Maggie to her -sister, as their excited parent made his noisy intrusion. - -"Something bad, you may be sure, to cause dad to parade in that fashion. -I expect the blacks have been performing. They madden father at times -by their 'want o' intellect,' as he calls it." - -"I'll--I'll cut the livers out o' them, the sneakin' hounds! Rot 'em, -I'll pizen every faither's son o' the dirty vermin!" - -"Oh, father!" cried Jessie, "you surely are not going to poison the poor -things?" - -"Pizen 'em, that am I! Pizen's ower guid for them, thieving brutes that -they are! 'Puir things,' as you ca' the wretches," continued he -sarcastically, "I'll hae the life o' the hale o' them, if it tak's a' -the pizen in Tareela!" barked the exasperated man. - -"Then you're no father of mine!" blazed out Jessie. "What have the poor -boys done that you should threaten such dreadful----" - -"W-h-a-t!" - -"Why, poor Willy and Jacky: what have they done that you should----" - -"What on earth is the lassie haverin' aboot?" roared Mr. M'Intyre to -Maggie. - -"The blacks, father. Didn't you say that you were going to poison them? -But I don't believe it for a----" - -"The blacks! Wha's talkin' o' blacks? It's the reds, the blessed -dingoes, wha've been playin' havoc wi' the calves. The blacks? Ma -certie!" continued he, as the humour of the situation seized him, -forcing a smile. Turning to his daughter, he exclaimed, "Ye're a fine -bairn, I maun say, to be accusin' yer ain faither o' _black_ murder!" - -"Forgive me, dad!" cried the impulsive girl, as she threw her arms round -his neck; "I never thought of the dingoes. I--I--I made sure the black -boys had been up to tricks, and never dreamed----" - -"There, there, that's enough, my lassie! It's a case of -'misunderconstumbling,' as Denny Kineavy would say. But it's enough to -make ane feel wild and gingery. Eleeven fine yearlin's killed! It's -the wantonness mair than the actual loss that vexes me: though the -latter is bad enough, for some o' the best, of course, are sacrificeed -to their slaughterin' instincts." - -That evening, in conference with his chief stockman, Mr. M'Intyre laid -his plans for the extermination of the pack of dingoes which had just -given an exhibition of their destructive powers. In this particular -instance the brutes had driven a number of yearling calves, weaners, -into a blind gully. Having boxed them up in this _cul de sac_, the -rapacious dogs found them an easy prey. - -The Australian wild dog is a combination of several very excellent -qualities--from the canine standpoint, that is. He possesses more -sagacity than any other wild thing of the bush. Keen of sight, quick at -scent, subtle of wit, noiseless in tread and bark, tenacious to rooted -purpose, he pursues and stalks his quarry, whether bird or beast, with -all the odds in his favour. - -There he stands, this indigenous dog, with a great, broad forehead, his -eyes narrowing in sinister expression; well set in body, showing big -sinews and a good muscular development; strong jaws, with teeth like -ivory needles; white in paw and tail-tip, bright yellow everywhere else, -save the chocolate-coloured streak running along the spine from neck to -tail. There he stands: but that is a figure of speech, for a more -restless animal than this same dog does not exist. - -Australian cattle-dogs have a world reputation, and the very best are -they which by crossing inherit a strain of dingo nature. That which -makes the dingo so hated by stock owners--who pursue him -relentlessly--is the killing lust which possesses him. Were he to -simply kill for food, and be satisfied with a victim that would furnish -enough for present needs, settlers would be far more tolerant of him. -The plain truth about him is that his predatory instinct is so strong as -to practically intoxicate him. The sight of a flock of sheep or a bunch -of calves makes him "see red," and then he simply runs amok. One -snap--he does not bite in the ordinary sense--of his steel-like jaws is -enough. The mouthful of flesh and muscle is torn out in an instant, and -the victim invariably dies of shock. One dingo in a sheepfold will kill -fifty sheep in a few minutes. - -These dogs are more troublesome in bad than in good seasons. When the -cattle get low in condition and weak, they become a comparatively easy -prey, then the cunning of the dingoes becomes manifest. They will -select their victim and drive it towards a water-hole or swamp. In dry -times these are mere puddles and exceedingly boggy. The object of the -canine drovers is to reduce the bullock to helplessness by bogging it. -The drive will sometimes take hours, and no experienced drover could do -the work more cleverly. Finally, when their quarry is down in the mire -and practically helpless, he is tackled and bitten to death. In good -seasons, when the cattle are strong, Mr. Dingo, save for an occasional -foray on the calves, has to content himself with his natural -diet--kangaroos, 'possums, and emus. - -Fortunately, there was at the station at this time an eccentric bushman -who combined the work of horse-breaking and dingo-trapping. Nosey -George was reputed to have a sense of smell equal to that of the dingo -itself. Certainly, his slouching gait made it often appear as if he were -"nosing" the tracks of the game. But in truth he owed his prowess as a -trapper to a pair of eyes that knew no dimness. At first sight of -Nosey, one saw nothing but his nose. But when you noticed his eyes you -forgot the nose, and lived in the presence of a pair of eyes that -sparkled like diamonds, or as searchlights that permitted nothing to -escape their scrutiny. - -Nosey's feats of tracking were really marvellous. On one occasion he -got on to the trail of a dingo bitch which had raided his hen-roost, and -followed it for twelve miles, mostly through scrubby and rocky country -that was criss-crossed with innumerable tracks of bush vermin. For all -that, this human sleuth-hound tracked Mrs. Dingo to a cave in the -mountains where she had five pups, and returned with six scalps. - -The dingo trapper rode out early the next morning in company with Harry -the stockman and the boys to the scene of the slaughter, there to devise -means, for which he had received _carte blanche_ from Mr. M'Intyre, for -the capture of the raiders. - -The weaners' paddock was about three miles from the house, and had an -area of five thousand acres. Most of the enclosure consisted of plain, -but a corner of it contained a belt of scrub; and it was in this corner, -where the weaners camped for warmth in the night-time, that the drive -and slaughter had been made. The beasts, most of them, lay huddled, -showing evidence of mangling; others had struggled out of the gully into -the scrub. After gazing awhile at the slain, Tom Hawkins broke the -silence-- - -"I say, Nosey, ain't this a go? Poor brutes!" - -"Here, you kid," cried the trapper, turning sharply on Tom, "who gave -you leave to call me names? Like yer blessed cheek! How'd yer like me -ter call yer monkey-face? If yer had a decent nose, I'd tweak it fer -yer." - -Nosey, who was very sensitive on this question of nickname, and had had -many a fight over the same, made such a menacing move towards Tom that -the lad shrank back in fear. - -"That'll do, George," said Sandy. "Leave the boy alone. He didn't mean -anything. It's what everybody calls you." - -"I'm not goin' to let brats of boys miscall me, anyhow. Don't know why -the boss sent you blokes, for all the good y'are!" growled the grumpy, -cross-grained, but not really bad-hearted old man. "Youse better be -keepin' quiet, anyways, till me an' Harry has a look round." - -"Let him be," whispered Harry. "If you get his dander up he's as likely -as not to chuck the whole blame thing. He always jibs at that name; -carn't stand it from kids nohow." - -Nosey, or to be respectful, George, now proceeded to examine the -surroundings of the carcasses. Bending forward until his protuberant -nose almost touched the earth, the trapper moved his eyes swiftly, now -concentrating on twig or grass-blades, now wildly roving and -all-comprehensive. The rest of the party were following at his heels, -when he turned round and fiercely waved them back. - -"All right, Nos--George!" sang out Joe. "I see; you want to keep the -tracks clear. We'll stay here till you've finished." - -Drawing on one side, the group watched the proceedings with great -interest. The ground was hard and stony; quite unimpressionable and -barren of sign to the pals' untutored sight, yet to this man of the -woods, who was ignorant of the alphabet, the rough earth surface was -all-revealing, and made known to him in unmistakable characters the -story of the attack. - -Having at length concluded his investigations, the trapper straightened -his back and moved to where the others stood. Producing his knife and a -plug of tobacco, he began to shred a pipeful, making no remark to the -expectant onlookers. - -"Reckon we'll have to drag it out o' the old un," said Harry to Joe in a -low tone. Then raising his voice, the stockman began to question the -man. - -"Had a good look round, George?" - -Nod. - -"Ain't missed anything worth seeing, I bet?" - -Head-shake. - -"Whatyer make of it?" - -"Razorback pack," replied the old man of frugal speech, as he cleaned -out his pipe. - -"Razorback pack? You surely don't mean it! Why, that is a matter of -twelve mile or so!" - -"Suppose it is; what of that?" - -"Oh, I say!" exclaimed Harry dubiously, yet not wishful to offend the -old man's susceptibilities. "Of course you know best, George. How many -of 'em do you consider they'd be?" - -"Five dorgs an' two bitches." - -"Good gracious, Nosey!" cried Tom the unlucky, the next moment beating a -rapid retreat as the dog-trapper made a vicious dart at his caudal -appendage, finally coming to grief over a fallen log which lay in the -line of retreat. The pursuing foe, even, had to stop and join in the -laugh raised at the ludicrous figure which Tom cut as he lay, head down, -heels up. - -"Beg pardon, George!" he cried breathlessly the next moment, as he -recovered his original position. "It slipped out, old fellow. I--I -didn't mean it." - -"Come, now, George, that's handsome. You must accept the apology," -interjected Joe. - -The trapper nodded assent, and the incident passed. - -"How _do_ you know what pack it is, George? Blest if I can understand -how you find out all these things! First you tell us the sex an' then -where they come from." - -"Tell it by their paws." - -"By their paws! How on earth can you tell they've come all the way from -Razorback by their paw marks? Mightn't it be the turkey scrub lot?" - -"It carn't be, an' isn't, 'cause I knows the pack." - -"How's that?" - -"Got two of the vermin in the traps six months ago over at the -mountains, an' a cove wot got away left two toe nails of his near -hind-foot in the trap." - -"Too fly for poison, eh?" - -"'Twould be a waste of good strychnine over the rubbage," replied the -trapper, waxing more communicative. "They know a bait better than a -Christun. 'Sides, I tried them over at Razorback. Got plenty o' cats, -gohanners, an' crows; an', be gosh! laid out one of my own cattle -puppies, but ne'er a dingo." - -"The traps'll fetch 'em, won't they, George?" - -George returned no answer, but "smoled" a cryptic smile. Mounting their -steeds, the party turned in the direction of home. Mr. M'Intyre -received the trapper's report without interruption, and then consulted -as to the best way to work their destruction. - -"Hunting them is out of the question," said the squatter in reply to a -remark of his son that it would be grand sport hunting them. "We'd only -ruin the horses in that country and miss most o' the dingoes. Na! the -traps are the best an' safest. If ony ane can catch 'em in that -fashion, George is the mon. I leave the hale matter in his hands. He -kens best what to do to circumvent the brutes; so go your own way to -work, George. What aboot traps? Have ye enough?" - -"Got seven or eight, dunno for sure. Ought to have a dozen." - -"Varra weel; ane o' the laddies will ride to Tareela and get ither -fower." - -Accordingly, Joe and Tom mounted their horses and rode into the store -for the additional traps. - -A dog-trap, it should be explained, is simply an enlarged spring -rat-trap, with extra strong jaws and saw-like teeth. These instruments -of capture weigh about ten pounds, and are planted in likely spots. The -native dog is an exceedingly suspicious animal. His reasoning faculty -is large. A mere glance at his head will convince one as to his -capacity, and those who have had to do with him count him as the -slimmest of the slim. Hence, only by outmatching him in cunning may his -adversary succeed. In this Nosey George was an adept, and Mr. M'Intyre -did not overstate the facts when he declared no one to be capable of -matching the dog-trapper in the art of setting lures. - -The pals readily obtained leave to accompany the trapper next morning to -watch the proceedings, on the understanding that they were in no way to -interfere with him. Each lad had a pair of traps slung across his -horse's withers, and George carried the balance on the neck and croup of -his steed. They made their way to the weaners' paddock, and after a -brief inspection of the carrion the trapper declared that there had been -no return of the dogs. - -"I didn't expect them larst night," remarked George. "They're like the -blacks, can eat enough at one meal to do 'em fur days. A gorge is -Chrismus to 'em." - -"What do you intend doing with the dead beasts, George?" - -"Leave 'em be, o' course. They'll help me more than anythin' else. -Dogs'll come again to get another feed or two; an' as boss's took the -weaners away to a safe paddock, they'll go fur these dead uns like -winkie--likes 'em a bit high, in fact. Supposin' we burn these -wretches, the vermin'll keep about their own haunts. They're out of -their beat when they come over here, while they knows every stick an' -stone of their run. Consequently, it gives me a better charnse with 'em -on unfamiliar ground." - -So saying, the cunning hunter proceeded to carry out his plan. The -dingo has a well-defined method of carving his veal, so to speak. The -hide of the animal is not uniformly thick. The softest and tenderest -part is that underneath and between the thighs. The ravager, therefore, -attacks this tenderest and most susceptible part. He tears a big hole -through the skin and into the flesh in a short time, and literally eats -his way into the body; until, when he and his fellow-feasters have -finally finished, and cleaned paws and jaws with that self-provided -serviette the tongue, nothing of the animal remains but the skin and -bones--always providing that no foe appears to stay proceedings against -the gourmands. This finish, of course, entails several feasts when the -course happens to be a bullock, or, as in the present case, toothsome -veal. - -The trapper proceeded to lay a trap facing the torn portion of each -carcass--that, of course, being the place of attack on each occasion of -the canines' visits. After a careful consideration of the ground -surrounding each beast, he dug a hole in the earth and then placed a -trap in it. He next produced some sheets of the inner bark of the ti -tree, which is as flexible as paper and softer. A sheet of this is laid -over the gaping jaws of the trap, which is, of course, properly set. -The "jaws" are now level with the ground. Over this fine earth is -sprinkled until all appearance of the trap is hidden. The superfluous -soil is now removed with care, and the surroundings are made to look as -natural as possible. This in itself is a work of art; for the slightest -appearance of disturbance or make-up alarms the wary dingo, and -nullifies the trapper's design. - -There is one thing, however, that Nosey George had not reckoned upon -when starting his operations--the number of carcasses to be treated. It -will be remembered that eleven animals were slaughtered in the dingo -raid. This would mean the use of eleven traps, were every animal to be -used as a lure. But it is contrary to the design of the trapper to use -up all his traps in the vicinity of the beasts. Some are to be set -along the line of approach. A number of carcasses, therefore, must be -removed. With the help of the boys, five of the beasts are dragged -about two hundred yards away, put in a heap, covered with dry wood, and -then burned. - -This left the trapper with several traps to use in other directions. -Having laid six traps in the vicinity of the calves, he proceeded to -follow up the tracks of the dogs. The first gin was laid in a soft patch -of ground directly in their footmarks. This he continued at intervals, -until the last one was placed at a spot about two miles distant. - -"How many dingoes do you think you'll nab, George?" exclaimed Tom, as -the party rode homewards in the late afternoon. - -"Tell you when I visit the traps termorrer, boy." - -"I say three," judged the judicious Joe. - -"I say one," opined the cautious Sandy. - -"I say the whole bloomin' lot," loudly proclaimed the sanguine Tom. - -"I say, wait," drily remarked the wise trapper. - -The trapper's prophecy was justified; for, on a visit to the traps in -the early morning by the expectant and impatient boys, in the company of -Nosey George, to the surprise and disgust of these same youngsters, not -a trap was sprung. - -The trapper, who while examining the ground had maintained a sphinx-like -attitude, broke silence at length under a fusillade of questions. - -"Yees want ter know, does youse, why it is no dog's copp'd? Simple -enough. Dogs didn't come." - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII* - - *DINGO *_*V.*_* EMU: A FIGHT TO A FINISH* - - - "Afar I mark the emu's run; - The bustard slow, in motley clad; - And, basking in his bath of sun, - The brown snake on the cattle-pad, - And the reddish black - Of a dingo's back - As he loit'ring slinks on my horse's track." - GEORGE ESSEX EVANS. - - -The next morning's visit told another tale. - -The dingoes, having recovered from their surfeit, hunger-induced, made a -second nocturnal trip to the feeding-grounds. Cunning and wary as they -habitually are, they fell, some of them at least, before the wiles of -the trapper. Four of their number paid the death penalty. Two female -dogs were caught in the traps set about the calves. The trapped animals -had not moved any great space. - -It should be said that the traps are not fastened to the spot whereon -they are laid; because, were they stationary, the dingo, especially the -dog dingo, in his frantic efforts to escape, and by reason of his great -strength, will frequently save his life at the expense of his paw. That -dog, it is safe to say, will never be trapped again; as on the principle -of, once bitten twice shy, he will ever eschew the most deftly -constructed device of man. - -[Illustration: "The emu failed to elude the panther-like spring."--_See -p._ 134.] - -On the other hand, should there be no fastening, a strong dog will carry -a trap for miles, especially if caught by the hind-leg. In order to -remedy this, a device, similar to that which sailors use, called a sea -anchor, is attached. A block of wood not too heavy is tied to the trap -by a chain or a piece of wire. This acts as a check to the animal, -besides leaving a broad trail that is easily followed up. - -When the trapped dingoes were approached they set up a dismal howling, -which turned to a vigorous snapping with their teeth; the while they -tore the earth with their paws in vain efforts to escape. - -"Put the poor wretches out of their pain," cried Sandy, after watching -the agonised efforts of the canines for a few seconds. - -The trapper, armed with a heavy "nulla-nulla," dispatched the brutes, -and scalped them; for the district Stock Board, to induce their -extermination, gave L1 per scalp, and experienced trappers like Nosey -George did well at times. They concluded that there was at the least -one other victim; for while the bitches were snapping and howling, -answering howls of rage and sympathy could be heard in the distance -along the trail. - -The next act was to cremate the slain, which was speedily done. After -this the group proceeded to follow the track along which the other -snares were secreted. The very first trap contained a dog. It was set -in the centre of a soft depression, at the edge of the scrub belt on the -farther side. The dog had dragged the trap about three hundred yards, -when the "anchor," fouling in some saplings, his retreat was stopped. -The beast was immediately brained and scalped, and the body flung into a -clump of bushes. - -There was still another victim. The farthest out trap was gone. -Nothing was to be seen but the trap-hole. George, however, was soon upon -the trail. The country here was fairly open, and offered little -obstruction to the determined dog. The track led on and on with little -deviation until a course of three miles or so had been traversed. It -now curved outward and down toward a patch of scrub. Nosey suddenly -stopped and pointed to the ground. - -"What's up, George?" exclaimed Joe, who stood nearest the trapper. - -"Look an' see fur y'reself." - -Bending over, Joe saw in a sandy patch the deep impress of the toes of a -large bird. - -"I can't make it out. What in thunder is it? Far too big for a crow; -bigger even than an eagle or a bustard." - -"As big as two eagles, young mutton-head," declared the old tough. -"Tell 'im, Sandy." - -"Why, you greeney; that's an emu track!" - -"Emu!" shouted Joe in great excitement. "It's the first time I ever saw -an emu track. What an enormous foot he must have." - -"Ye'd know it, me boy, if ivver ye got a kick," grunted the trapper. -"I've seen them break a dog's leg like a carrot." - -"Blest if I don't think he's follerin' up the dingo!" continued Joe. - -"Just wot 'e _is_ a-doin' of," answered the man. "These 'ere emus is -more curious nor a woman." - -Joe now remembered Sandy relating how his father used to lure the emu he -was stalking within shot of his fowling piece, by lying flat, and slowly -waving his handkerchief from the point of his ram-rod; or even doubling -his leg as he lay breast downward, and elevating his hat on the foot -thus raised. With slow and hesitating yet irresistible steps, -fascinated by the mysterious object, or a victim to curiosity, the bird -would approach to its undoing. - -This particular emu was no stranger to the dingoes, nor they to him. -Never before, though, had he beheld a dingo with such an appendage, or -in such difficulties. The unwonted appearance of the canine furnishes -the bird with an unusual sensation, and queries in rapid succession flit -through its brain. "What on earth is the matter with the limping, -whimpering brute? What is that object trailing behind the horrid -creature? Let me draw near and behold this great sight!" Fate has -delivered his old-time enemy into his hands. That lolling, swollen -tongue, those blood-shot eyes, that painful whimper, the wild despairing -glances; all these loudly proclaim his downfall. "Well, what matter! -He's getting his punishment now. What is there to prevent me wiping out -old scores?" - -And so, with cautious yet confident step the huge bird, second in size -only to the ostrich, strode on at a short distance behind his enemy; and -in a few minutes both are swallowed up in the scrub. The huntsmen -follow well on the heels of the animals. - -"I wonder if the bird's still following?" asked Tom. - -"Soon see," answered the trapper, carefully examining the ground. "Not -a quarter of an hour since he passed this spot: must be in the scrub -still." - -A minute or so brought them to the edge of the scrub. Pushing along, -they were soon enwrapped in its gloom. Following the advice of George, -the boys tied their horses to saplings at the outskirts of the belt, and -proceeded on foot. Suddenly the trapper, who was leading, stopped dead -in his tracks, and uttered a warning note in a low voice. Motioning the -pals to remain where they were, he noiselessly moved forward, and was -soon lost in the thick foliage ahead. - -"Wonder why ole Nosey made us stay back?" muttered Tom, after the lads -had stood silently awhile. "What can be in the air, now?" - -"Hist!" exclaimed Sandy in a whisper; "he's returning." - -At this moment the trapper reappeared. - -"Follow as quiet as mice, an' ye'll see summat like wot ye've ne'er seed -afore." There was an unusual gleam in the man's eye as he made this -deliverance. - -Cautiously and silently the party moved Indian fashion through the wood. -After going in this way a hundred paces or so the hunter stopped again, -and beckoned the boys, indicating a stealthy approach. Very gingerly -they trod until they were abreast the man. Following his muttered -directions and example, they quietly parted the intervening brushwood. - -It was an unique sight on which their eyes fastened; one they would not -readily forget. Beyond them was a small natural clearing, such as often -occurs in the densest scrub. - -It was circular in form, and about fifty yards in diameter. Here, -almost in the centre of the clearing, the bird had bailed up the beast. -Curiosity in the emu had grown into anger, and was at a white heat, -judging from the manner in which it pirouetted and menaced the dog, -keeping up the while an incessant gabble. The gabble, rightly -interpreted, declared that the time of vengeance was at hand. The fates -were thanked for being so kind as to furnish this fitting opportunity -for paying off old scores: "Here, you sneaking thief and flying -murderer, stop! It's you and I for it now; so, off with your coat and -roll up your sleeves!" - -Nor was Master Dingo disinclined to accept the challenge thrown down by -the strutting bird. Weary as he was and full of pain, he was in no -humour to eat humble-pie, or to fly before another foe. His warring -instincts rose to the gage of his hereditary enemy. Many of his kind -were scarred with wounds from the terrible emu kick, or deep score made -by the horny toe of this formidable antagonist. - -Nor could he retreat, if so inclined: behind him, to a certainty, was -the monstrous biped; far more to be feared than this animated piece of -impertinence, whose wicked eye squinted and winked in defiance. - -Forgotten in a moment is all fear, whether of the visible bird or the -invisible pursuers. Handicapped as he is, and goaded by his pain and -shameful condition, the dingo fires the first shot, as it were, by -making a sudden jump at the emu's throat, narrowly missing it, and still -more narrowly missing the leg stroke of the bird as it made its -counter-stroke. - -Both bird and beast are practised in all the arts and devices of animal -warfare. Each knows the tactics of the other. But for the disability -of the dog through the tenacious trap the chances would be in his -favour; but his exhaustion and encumbrance give the odds to the other. -Still, he makes a gallant fight, and the bird needs all its wits and -agility to escape his savage snaps, one of which, had he been able to -lay hold, would tear out the neck from throat to breast. - -The combat was at its height between these gladiators when the pursuers -sighted them. The boys hold their breath in fair amazement as they -eagerly watch the two figures in the sunlit arena struggling for the -mastery. So engrossed are the combatants that the spectators may come -out into the open and surround them, for all the notice that will be -taken of them. As it is, the boys' astonishment is quickly transmuted -into animal excitement and battle-lust. They take sides, and cheer, now -the beast and now the bird. - -But the end comes quickly and tragically enough. The pace of the -conflict tells terribly upon the dingo. He is now weakening fast; can -hardly see, so bloodshot are his eyes. Yes, he can hold out but little -longer. Realising this, he fights purely on the defence for breath. -Then, concentrating all his energies in one last irresistible stroke, he -springs, arrow-like, and this time strikes fair on the bullseye--the -neck of his adversary. The emu had failed to elude the panther-like -spring. But now the counter-stroke! - -When the dingo's fangs close vice-like upon the emu's throat the bird's -fate is irrevocably sealed. The jugular vein is torn out with a -mouthful of flesh and muscle, and the skin is stripped to the bosom. -What time this savage and fatal stroke is given the vengeful bird, by -one terrific downward blow of its powerful leg and toes, disembowels the -hanging dog; and then with a lightning side-stroke, delivered full on -the forehead of the prone beast, smashes in its skull. A vain attempt -to crow a note of victory; a few short, uncertain, rotatory movements, -life-blood gushing the while from its severed jugular, then a collapse, -falling across the body of its slain adversary! - -Which of the two is the victor? - -The surprise of the boys, at the sudden and bloody termination of the -fight, may be better imagined than described. They stared aghast for -some moments at the spectacle, too dazed to move or speak. Even the -hardened bushman, George, was moved. - -"Well, of all the fights I ever seed, this licks creation; it's better -nor cock-fightin'. Be gosh, 'twas a grand fight to a finish!" - -The trapper now busies himself with the scalping-knife, and, as the boys -stand around, a feeling of sadness rises within as they contemplate the -slain. - -"Poor brutes!" said Sandy feelingly, "I've a notion, lads, that they -deserved a better fate." - -"The boss wouldn't agree to that as fur as the dorgs is concerned. As -fer the emu, he's neither good nor bad," grunted the old man. - -"Well, after all," broke in Joe, "it's their nature, as old Simpson is -always preaching to us in school. They're not to blame for following -their instincts. By jings! there's no coward's blood in these poor -brutes,--they're as brave as brave." - -But such moralising was beyond Nosey George. - -"Emus is sight enough in a way, an' only eats grass an' roots,--but -dingos! they're vermin, an' any death's good enough fur them. By the -hokey!" exclaimed he as he looked at the trap; "I'm blamed if here isn't -the blessed paw!" - -It was true. The wretched beast's foot was evidently so lacerated and -broken by its efforts to escape, and in dragging the trap, that when it -made the last and fatal spring the imprisoned paw parted from the leg in -the very act, and that severance enabled it to reach the emu's neck. -Having secured the trap and the scalp, the group retraced their steps to -where they had hitched the horses. - -The haul proved successful beyond measure. To secure four dingoes in -one scoop was a great stroke of luck. Not so much luck, on reflection, -as skilful management. An amateur might have set a hundred traps with -seeming skill and not have bagged a dog. No one save a trapper like -George could trap with any degree of certainty. - -"I s'pose you'll bag the balance to-night," remarked Tom to the trapper -when they had remounted. - -"No jolly fear! Never catch any more along this line." - -"How's that?" - -"Why, d'yer think a dingo's no sense? Be gosh! all the calves in -creation wuddent tempt what's left of the vermin to come along this -track again. Wish we'd a' got the old dog, though." - -"What are you going to do next?" inquired Tom. - -"Fust an' foremost thing is to collect the traps, then we'll burn the -weaners." - -"Won't you try for the other dogs?" - -"My oath, won't I?" - -"Give us your programme, George, there's a good fellow." - -"I'll try 'em about Razorback with the traps, as soon as they've -quietened down a bit. They've been scared out of their precious wits by -this 'ere business." - -In due time the party arrived at the homestead. Mr. M'Intyre expressed -his gratification at the result of the trapper's work, and praised his -skill. He further bade George continue his work until the beasts were -exterminated, promising him a liberal reward should he achieve this end. - -The boys related with great gusto, to an almost incredulous household, -the particulars of the fight to a finish. - -The trapper fixed his camp in the hills, and employed his best -endeavours to trap the remaining dingoes with but partial success, -securing one only. The old dingo, which on a former occasion had left -two of his claws in a trap, and now had received this additional fright -through the ensnarement of his comrades, was not to be lured by any -device, however crafty. George, who knew their run intimately, -surrounded them with traps. 'Twas all in vain, set them never so -wisely. - -This defiance and immunity irritated the old man beyond endurance, and -he swore by all the dignities to get their scalps, if it took him till -the crack of doom. - -As he was camped on the ranges, in the vicinity of Razorback, his weekly -ration was taken out to him by the boys, who were keen on this matter. -They had been out twice with the rations, and now were being sent out -the third time. What befel them on that trip will be related in the -next chapter. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII* - - *THE CHASE, AND ITS SEQUEL* - - - "A southerly wind and a cloudy sky, - Proclaim a hunting morn; - Before the sun rises away we go,-- - The sleep of the sluggard we scorn." - OLD SONG. - - -"Now then, sleepies,--up you get!" cried Sandy in the early morning, as -he performed his usual preliminary of whipping off the bed-clothes from -the sleepy-headed Joe and Tom. - -"Sun's laughing at you through the windows. Come, Master Hawkins!" -cried he with a grin as he tumbled that grunting individual on to the -floor, piling the bed-clothes on top of him, and then seating himself on -the wriggling pile. "If soft measures won't avail I am prepared to -adopt severe ones." - -Tom, now thoroughly aroused, and as peppery as you like, shouted and -yelled and writhed, getting his arm at last round his persecutor, the -laughing Sandy, and by a violent effort pulling him on to the broad of -his back, thus reversing their positions. - -"You red-headed Scotchman, I'll teach you meddle with--" pommel--"me -again"--pommel, pommel. - -Here a cold douche arrested the uplifted arm of the irate Tom, and took -his breath for a moment, as it descended upon the prone bodies, -accompanied by sundry "ouchs" and shrill yells. As the boys scrambled -to their feet they joined forces and rushed the dodging Joe, who, after -a few ineffectual dives, was caught and jolly well punched. - -The usual early morning diversion ended, the lads, rosy with health and -brimming over with animal spirits--the essence of good nature for all -their rough play--dressed with haste and made for the stockyard, to pick -their steeds. - -This occupied their time till the seven o'clock breakfast, after which -they secured from the storeman the rations for the trapper. - -"Now Sandy, my boy, ye'll no forget to tell George what I named at -breakfast." - -"M-yes, about the dingoes, father?" - -"No, stupid. Didna I ask you to tell him that, dingoes or no dingoes, -he is to come next week at the latest, to handle the colts?" - -"Oh yes, dad, I won't forget. I expect he'll growl a bit, as he's mad -on getting the dogs and the reward. He's quite cranky over it." - -"He'll come richt enough if ye gie him my order." - -The trapper's camp, as previously stated, was situated about eleven -miles from the homestead. Four miles or so from home the track -roughened, and became what is known as broken country, all hills and -gullies, for the most part very rocky, and heavily wooded in places. - -The boys' progress was but slow, owing to the nature of the ground, and -it took them nearly three hours to reach the camp, which they found -unoccupied. After cooeeing in vain for the absentee, they proceeded to -light a fire in order to boil the billy, spreading the substantial lunch -which Mrs. M'Intyre had furnished them. - -"Bother old Nosey; wish he'd turn up!" exclaimed Sandy, when the boys -had finished their repast. "We can't go till he comes. There'd be no -end of a row if we went home without delivering the message." - -"Oh, he'll be here before long," interjected Joe. "I vote we do a camp -in the shade for an hour or two; it's hot enough to fry a steak." - -This was good advice, and the boys made themselves as comfortable as -circumstances permitted under the shade of the trees. So the hours -passed without any sign of the trapper. - -"Well, I declare," exclaimed Tom for the twentieth time in the course of -the last hour, "it's too bad of Nosey. I'm full up of waitin' here with -nothing to do. Can't you leave a message somehow for the ole cuss?" - -"How is it to be done, Hawkins?" - -"Oh bother! write a note, of course." - -"Well, you are a greeney, Tom. Where's the pen, ink, and paper to come -from?" - -"Why, hasn't ole Nosey----?" - -"Old Nosey, be hanged! Of course he hasn't, any more than he's got a -dress suit and a toilet mirror." - -"I've got a pencil," said Joe, feeling in his pocket. - -"No good in the world; where's the paper to come from; an' supposin' we -had pens, ink, paper, blotting-pads, writing desks, and whatever else -you like to name in the scribbling line, what good 'ud it all be?" - -"Meaning----?" - -"Meanin' this, you dunderheads--it's got to be read." - -"Well?" - -"Well!--of all the thick-heads, muddle-pates, soft-uns, hodges, and -idiots that ever I came across----!" - -"Here, draw it mild, young porridge-pot. There's two to one against -you: mind that, you red herring!" - -"I'll _mind_ more than that, if I am the son of a Scot, which is no -great disgrace, after all," replied Sandy jeeringly. "But look here and -listen, chiels. I'll tell you a story-- - -"Once upon a time, when pigs were called swine an' monkeys chewed -tobacco, there lived a bully English captain, the commander of a man o' -war. This frigate, sailing up the channel on her return from foreign -parts, sighted a French ship, not more'n about twice her size. Instead -of closing with the Frenchy slap bang, an' givin' her what-for, she -turned tail an' showed her a clean pair of heels. This outrageous -proceeding on the part of a British sea-dog demanded instant -investigation, and so the jolly captain was promptly court-martialled. -After the case had been put by the prosecuting officer, and not denied -by the prisoner, he was asked by the president of the court why he did -not engage the enemy. The captain, in reply, said that he had ten -reasons. 'Name them,' says the boss officer. 'The first is: I had no -powder; it was all used up.' 'Enuf sed,' sings out the judge. 'We don't -want the other nine. You're discharged, my man, without a stain on your -character.'" - -"Oh, that's all right for a yarn," cried Joe; "but I want to know what -it's got to do with your father's message to Nosey?" - -"Just as much as it's got to do with the grass of a duck in a forty-acre -paddock," jeered Sandy. - -"It's a story with a moral, boys; and as Captain Kettle--no, I mean -Cuttle, says in that book of Dickens, the moral of the story lies in the -application." - -"Apply it, my wise man." - -"Here then: old Nosey has ten reasons for not gettin' a written -message." - -"Name the first!" - -"He can't read." - -"Now then, Joe," said Tom, turning to that worthy, "what's the verdict -of the court?" - -"I s'pose we'll have to discharge the prisoner without a character," -replied Joe with a wink. - -"Blow these bally flies!" cried Tom, after an interval. "They're here in -millions. Faugh!--splutter--there's one down my jolly throat. Say, -Joe, what are you goin' to do?" - -"Boil the billy," replied that youth laconically. "May as well do -something, an' kill time." - -So the hours sped until the sun was well on its descending curve in the -late afternoon. Their patience was now thoroughly exhausted in waiting -for the trapper. They canvassed the reasons for his non-appearance, -until they were mortally sick of discussing the subject. - -"Tell you what, boys, message or no message, Nosey or no Nosey," cried -Sandy at last, "we must make tracks for home. We are not to blame for -old George's absence. They'll be wondering what's become of us. It'll -take us all our time to get there before dark as it is. At the worst, -we'll have to come out to-morrow." - -It took but a few minutes after this to secure the horses, saddle them, -call the dog which had accompanied them to heel, and set out on the -return journey. - -After jogging briskly for a couple of miles or so the cattle dog, a -strong wiry hound and a noted warrior among his species, began to sniff -about, uttering a series of low, short barks. - -"Hello, Brindle, what's up? Got 'possum scent? Bandicoot, I 'spect. -Fetch him, boy!" - -Just at this moment Brindle made a dash forward, what time a big -dog-dingo started out from under an old log a hundred yards or so ahead. -The route taken by the chase lay up a long gully. This gully was, more -correctly speaking, a depression, lacking abrupt and precipitous sides, -and was comparatively free from rocks. - -The boys hesitated a moment, but the temptation was too strong. Joe, -clapping his spurs to his steed's sides, started off with a clatter, the -others following pell-mell. The gully was long and winding, and to this, -for some reason, the dingo stuck. The hunters now began to gain a -little on the beast, and were in full sight, the cattle dog just holding -his distance. At length the gully petered out at the base of a ridge, -over which the quarry sped, the dog and boys in full chase. The other -side of the ridge was more precipitous, and covered with bracken and -stunted bushes. Down this the pursuit thundered, Joe in the lead and -well to the cattle dog's heels: the dingo leading by not more than -seventy yards. So absorbed was the boy in the hunt that he remained in -ignorance of a calamity that was even now happening to one of his mates. - -Tom's horse, in bounding down the ridge, and when close to the bottom, -put his foot in a wombat's[#] hole that was hidden by bracken. Over -came horse and rider, Tom striking the ground on head and shoulder, -while Sandy, who was about a length behind, narrowly averted collision -with the fallen steed and boy. As quickly as possible he pulled up his -galloping animal, shouting out as he did so to Joe, who was too far away -and too much engrossed in the chase to hear the call. - - -[#] Wombat---a burrowing marsupial. - - -Returning to the collapsed pair, Sandy jumped off and lifted Tom's head, -for the lad lay stiff. His appearance frightened the boy as he lay -still and death-like. To his great joy, however, on feeling Tom's -wrist, Sandy detected a feeble pulse-beat. Laying his stricken mate -gently down in the bracken, he made a hasty examination of his head. It -bore no trace of wound, save some gravel scratches and a nasty bruise -under the left eye. The relieved boy hurried to the bottom of the -ridge, where by good hap was a rill of water. Filling his hat he -returned and laved the brow and wrists of his companion. After some -twenty minutes or so Tom began to stir, and quickly regained -consciousness. No bones were broken, but the boy was badly shaken, and -all thoughts of further pursuit were out of the question. The horse, by -a miracle, was without hurt. - -"You're a lucky beggar, Tom," said Sandy, after a few minutes. "From -the way you crashed down I made sure every blessed bone in your body was -broken. How do you feel now, ole boss?" - -"Oh, I'm all right," replied Tom feebly. "Shoulder's the worst. It's -not dislocated, but it pains a lot. Phew! but it does hurt when I move -it. I expect it felt the full force of the tumble. But--where's Joe?" - -"Joe's ahead. Goodness only knows where he's got to by now. He hasn't -a ghost's show of getting the dingo if he makes for the hills." - -"I tell you what," continued the boy; "we'll get off home as soon as you -feel fit. It's no use waiting for Joe. He can easily catch us. You'll -have to go slow, old man, you know." - -This was true, for Tom's shoulder was in an agony of ache, which the -movement of the horse, after they had mounted, intensified to an almost -unbearable degree. - -It was long after dark ere the pair sighted the homestead lights. They -had not been overtaken by Joe, much to their surprise. They were met at -the slip-rails by Harry and Jacky, who had just been dispatched to look -for them, as the family were getting uneasy at their prolonged absence. -The men returned with the lads to the house. Beyond a severe word to -Sandy for being tempted to pursue the impossible when on the homeward -track, the squatter justified their act of returning from the camp; also -in not waiting for Joe. - -"I expect the rascal will turn up in a few minutes. His horse would -soon be knocked up in that country, and he would therefore be unable to -catch you after he abandoned the dingo. The cheek of you boys, to think -you could run it down in that country!" - -The minutes sped without sight or sound of the huntsman. Anxiety -deepened in the women; the men, too, became uneasy. - -"Some one ought to go after the lad," broke in the perturbed mother, at -length. "The poor laddie must have met trouble. His horse has knocked -up. Perhaps he has lost himself. Perhaps he----!" - -"Perhaps nothing of the kind has happened, except that the horse may -have knocked up. You women will always jump to the worst conclusions. -Willy, you and I'll ride back a bit; come you too Sandy, if you're not -too tired." - -Mr. M'Intyre feared more than he showed. It would be easy enough after -all, he reflected, for a boy who was ignorant of the lay of the country -and who had no experience in bush travelling, to lose his way. He -determined, therefore, to take his son with him, so that he might lead -them to the spot where the accident occurred, if it were necessary. -Accordingly the three set off on the track. Fortunately it was -moonlight and clear, so that they were able to make good headway through -the bush. - - -It is time, however, to return to Joe. That ardent hunter had followed -the chase for some distance ere he missed his pals. What with the -severity of the pace and the increasing roughness of the course, its -twistings and turnings, all his attention was focussed on the quarry. If -he did think at all of his companions, it was to picture them following -close behind. But in the heat of the chase he had little thought for -others. When it did dawn upon him that he had outdistanced his -companions, as happened eventually, he attributed little importance to -that. They, no doubt, had good reason for slackening their pace. His -horse, as he well knew, had a dash of speed denied to theirs. Maybe -their steeds had caved in. Anyhow, he was having a glorious time, and -"the finish" was touched with roseate hues to his imagination. - -His horse was justifying the reputation given of him to Joe by Harry, -the stockman, one day when they were discussing the relative merits of -their mounts. - -"For a hack," that worthy had remarked, "there's nothing on the run -equal to the little thing you're ridin'. With a light weight up like -yourself she can show a dash of foot an' staying powers that'll take a -tremendous lot of lickin'." - -This was a just criticism, as events were proving. Still, the pace was -beginning to tell, and Joe was forced to ease the mare somewhat, even at -the risk of losing sight of the quarry. The rough ridges, too, made the -going to be precarious. - -Things were as bad with Master Dingo, however. The pursuit was hot -enough to extend him to the fullest. He was always in view, and could -not shake off the foe. As long as he remained in sight it was -impossible to resort to any trick by which he might gain time or wind. -The ordinary pace of the dingo when on the chase may be described as a -lope. This can be kept up the live-long day, and thus wear down the -fleetest victim. To keep extended at full gallop in this unwonted -fashion is not at all to the dingo's liking, and the sooner he can reach -the distant scrub, which is his objective, the better pleased he will -be. The cattle dog, though not ordinarily a hunter, is strong and -tough, and possessed of a good pair of bellows. He started the game -with the utmost alacrity, and now continues it with the greatest vim and -determination. - -So the chase continues, and is now but little more than a mile from the -scrub belt which fringes the base of the hills. To this ark of safety, -therefore, the dingo strains every muscle, and seizes every small -advantage which his instinct discerns. No less strenuous is the cattle -dog. He has the staying powers of his class, and he too runs to win. In -this way the pursued and pursuers hurry-skurry over bush and brake, over -stony ridges and across intersecting gullies. - -Within half a mile of the scrub the country flattens out, and this gives -an advantage to the cattle dog, who closes up. Joe's horse is now in -distress. The course has been long and rough, the pace severe, and the -grass-fed steed is weakening, can make no headway, is indeed losing in -the race. The lad sees this, and chevies the dog on, for he can plainly -mark now that unless the chase be ended on this side of the scrub all -hope must be abandoned, Oh, to win! A supremely glorious thing were he -to achieve the impossible! There are chances. Lots of things might -happen yet. On, on, good doggie! Catch him, Brindle! Hurrah, Brindle -is closing; is surely creeping up! - -They are now about three hundred yards from the timber belt, and the -dingo is slowly but surely being overhauled. Visions of the scalp as a -proud trophy fill the boy's imagination. If only Brindle may seize his -victim and hold him till he rides up and gives the brute its quietus -with the stirrup iron! Brindle is now not more than four lengths -behind, and the beasts are still a hundred yards from the scrub. - -"On then, doggie: catch him: hold him!" shouts Joe across the widely -intervening distance. The voice is borne faintly to the dog's ears, and -nerves him to heroic effort in this the final stage of the struggle, the -last lap, so to speak. Breath is too precious to be wasted in answering -cry, but the spurt of the hound speaks volumes: "I shall catch him, -master, never fear: I am gaining; but ''twill be on the post." - -Both dogs, wild and domestic, are stretched to their fullest extent. It -is the crowning burst. They are labouring heavily, staggering, and -rolling in their stride. The pace is slow but hard. It is a question of -endurance. Every ounce of strength in each body is laid under -contribution. Once within the scrub the chances in favour of the dingo -will immediately increase a hundredfold, for in doubling and dodging -through the densely timbered belts the native dog has no equal. - -Only thirty yards now lie between the dingo and his salvation--the good -thick scrub that will swallow him up; but--the breath of the pursuer -blows hot upon him. Throwing his head over his shoulder for the fraction -of a second, the desperate beast sees that only by a miracle can he -escape. The adversary is upon his quarters, and in another second the -brute's fangs will be buried in his back. It is a supreme moment. Now -or never! Making a super-canine effort, the fear-stricken thing draws -away from its enemy in the last dozen strides. Saved, saved! Alas, -alas! Right at the very fringe, and within a single step of safety, he -tumbles in a heap, and with a convulsive gasp rolls over and gives up -the ghost: the prolonged exertions have broken his heart. - -You can work your will on the hunted one now, Brindle: no need to fear -the vicious snap that was reserved for you should the worst happen. But -the dog's instincts inform him that all power of resistance has gone -from that mute and still form; indeed, he has no strength to worry -should the call be made: the last spurt has left him without a vestige -of strength. And so, when Joe appeared upon the scene a few minutes -later, it was to behold the motionless dingo, and by his side, with -lolling tongue and cavernous mouth, the panting and exhausted Brindle. - -In a moment the boy has slid from his horse, and is dancing a grotesque -fandango, expressive of his unbounded joy. But, when in a calmer moment -he understood the tragedy of it from the dingo's side of things, a -feeling of compassion possessed him, yet joy persisted. "He's a noble -fellow, and has given me the grandest sport I've ever had. I'm sorry, -and yet I'm glad," quoth the lad. "What'll old Nosey say to this! My -stars, ain't the boys out of it! Wonder where the poor beggars have got -to. Hope nothing's happened to them. Poor beast!" apostrophising the -dingo, "you made a royal struggle and deserved to escape, but the fates -were against you. And you, good old Brindle; my word, you've covered -yourself with glory, sir! Poor fellow, you are done up; can only blink -your pleasure; can't wag even the tip of your tail. Good doggie, I'm -proud of you!" - -"I'm blest if I don't skin the dingo," exclaimed he, after a moment's -pause. "I'll keep it as a trophy. Something to look at in after years -when I'm a grey-beard," chuckled the youth. So saying, he whipped out -his knife. Joe had never before skinned a dingo, but as he had -performed that office on many a wallaby and 'possum he was fairly -expert, and in a few minutes had achieved his object. Rolling the pelt -in the approved manner, the youth bound it with a stout piece of cord -which he extracted from his pocket, and fastened it to the saddle ring. - -"Next thing's to get some water. My word! I'm as dry as leather, an' -could drink a tank dry. The animals, too, are clean done up, an' I'll -get nothing out of them unless they have water. Good gracious! why--the -sun's down, an' it'll soon be dark." - -Not until this moment did the young hunter realise his position. "Must -be miles and miles off the track," muttered he as he took a brief survey -of his surroundings. "I'll have to make tracks with a vengeance! Won't -do to be nipped here. Let's see; yes, the way back is across that flat -for a certainty, and then over yon stony ridge. Beyond that we bend to -the right till we reach a rocky creek." In this way the hunter strove -to recall the innumerable bends and curves taken in the chase. "Ah, -here's the moon rising: good old moon!" - -Joe had plenty of heart, nerve, and resource. His good spirits were -proverbial. Yet the situation was not at all inviting. Fourteen miles -or so from home on the eve of night. A complete stranger to this rough -and trackless region, and his horse badly used up! These were things -calculated to try the nerves and tax the courage of the benighted youth. - -He made small bones of these, however, and started off at a slow pace on -his return. The dog had recovered sufficiently to drag himself along at -the horse's heels. The boy eagerly scanned the country for signs of -water for this would afford the greatest relief to man and beasts: all -of whom felt an intolerable thirst. At last they dropped across a small -pool in a stony creek, to their great delight. - -Both horse and dog drank as if they would never stop. This, the boy -felt, would be bad for the animals, and he sought to stay them. He with -difficulty checked the horse, but the dog would not quit lapping until -he was as tight as the proverbial drum. Joe himself drank sparingly, -and then moved onward. The dog soon began to vomit, and appeared to be -on the verge of collapse. So after vain waiting and entreaty the lad was -forced to leave it behind, in the hope that it would recover during the -night, when he had small doubt as to its ability to find its way home. -The horse went easier, now that she had assuaged her thirst. All light -had vanished save that of the moon, which shed an uncertain light, -making puzzling shadows on the rough ground. - -"It's time I was at the head of the long gully," muttered the lad. -"From there it's only a mile or so to the home track. Get up Jill, and -moosey along. The other chaps are home by this time I expect, and -they're wondering what's become of me." - -Strange to say, the long gully refused to appear, until it dawned on Joe -at last that he was off the track. None but those who have experienced -it can understand the weird feeling that possesses one in the dawn of -that consciousness. To be in the lonely Australian bush, where the -silence is an oppression, is something like being cast adrift in -mid-ocean on a raft, with nothing in sight save the wild waste of -waters. - -That he had lost his bearings became increasingly evident to the -wanderer as he moved along. He became a prey to disquieting qualms and -the creeping chill of apprehension. Gruesome accounts of the fate of -lost travellers had often been related at the home fireside, and these -memories awoke in his mind. - -"I'm off the track all right; still, I'm sure to cut across the -Razorback trail; it'll lie over in that direction." After a pause he -determined to adhere to the way that he had been pursuing for some -little while. On then "breast forward." There is no semblance of a -track, and presently the lad gets into very difficult country. It would -be bad enough to travel through in daylight, but now the trouble is -accentuated; yet the boy, with strong faith in his ultimate emergence -from this chaos, bravely faces the situation. Up hill, down dale, -across gullies, forcing the patches of scrub, slithering down ridges, -going on hands and knees, ever and anon, to feel for the hoof-prints on -what appeared to be the longed-for track--an unceasing march goes on. - -At last the mare, completely done up, comes to grief over a tree root, -and tumbles to mother earth. The rider rises, unhurt; not so the mare, -who has strained her fetlock. What is to be done now? It is a serious -mischance, and the boy feels the gravity of the situation. The only -thing to be done is to relieve his steed of saddle and bridle, cache his -accoutrements, and trudge along on foot. - -"Might have been worse," sighed the philosophic lad. "Poor Jill! I -don't like leaving you; but it won't be for long, my beauty. Your -master will send some one to look after you to-morrow. To-morrow!--Why, -it must be past midnight now! Good-bye, Jill." - -On speeds the gallant youth, whistling and singing snatches as he tramps -the interminable bush. "Might be worse," he reiterates in thought. -There's a chill in the midnight air, and the walk will warm him nicely. -On, then, through the still hours! Not even the hollow note of the -night-owl or the familiar thump made by the feeding marsupial breaks the -monotony of silence. No sound, indeed, save the crunching of the -traveller's boots on the rough ground. How long drawn out the day has -been. It seems an eternity since he dowsed Tom and Sandy on the bedroom -floor. Lucky beggars, they are snug and sound under the blankets, -dreaming the happy dreams of youth; while he, Joe Blain, is tramp, -tramp, tramping. At length the thought of his comrades' sweet repose -fills him with longing for rest and sleep. - -"How long ago it is since I broke my fast? Must be eight, ten, twelve -hours; yes, twelve mortal hours! Eat! Oh, for a slice of damper and -salt junk! That were a feed if you like. Puddings, tarts, cakes! Bah! -Gimme a slice (thick) of Nosey's damper, an' a slab of that corn-beef." - -What a sinking seems to fill his being! How heavy his boots have grown! -How steep those everlasting ridges have become! How lovely to crouch -down on that patch of bracken--for five minutes only! He must stop and -rest awhile; not to lie and sleep: just to get his wind and ease his -tired limbs. Shall he----? But no! he must first cut the track--then! -His limbs are trembling; he must not stand still, or he will fall. On, -on--to the station track! Onward, then, creeps the tottering, stumbling -lad. Whistle and song have long ceased. Fatigue reigns supreme, and -sheer weariness confuses his brain, and bears heavily on will. -Mechanically now, the dear lad staggers over the pathless waste. - -But see! Yes, there is a change. What is that line ahead? Is it on -the ground or in the air? It rises and falls in the moonlight, but -still persists. The ground, too, is getting smoother. The ridges have -disappeared. Hurrah! Is not this the end? A few steps more now, -and--the station track! - -On trudges the lost boy with rising hope. But, alas! the line thickens, -darkens, deepens, until it stands out solid, an impregnable scrub. How -weird it all is; how awful! In a moment the benighted lad is stripped -of hope. He is frightened beyond words. With a momentary strength born -of despair the wretched youth coasts the dismal scrub, seeking an -opening in vain. Suddenly he stumbles over a soft, dark mass, and falls -to the ground. Putting out a hand instinctively, he touches the -substance. Great Caesar, it is the dingo! Yes, it has happened to poor -Joe Blain as it has to many a one more experienced in the ways of the -bush--he has circled! - -This shock is the last blow. Nature is drained of her resources and can -hold out no longer. The lad sinks back into a half-swoon, which -presently merges into a dreamless sleep. - - * * * * * - -"Joe, old fellow, wake up! Wake up, I say; Joe--Joe--d'ye hear?" - -"W-w-w-what is it? Drat you, lemme lone. 'Snot mornin'. There's -goo-good fler, so s-s-sleep----" - -Joe Blain, eyes sealed, dead with sleep, rolls over on the ground, and -never was any creature more gently rocked in the arms of Morpheus than -he. - -Another voice now breaks the silence, sharp and penetrating. - -"Hi! hi! there, you sleepy lubber. Are ye going to lie there all day? -Rouse up, laddie!" - -This imperative speech was accompanied by vigorous shakings and -rollings. - -"Well, well," grunted the half-awakened boy, "sounds like Mr. M'Intyre's -voice. Never knew him to come into the room be-before. Wish they'd -leave us alone. Can't open"--and the next moment Joe had relapsed into -sleep. Only for a moment, though. The next he was taken neck and crop, -lifted to his feet, and shaken violently, what time a voice rasped his -ear drum: "Wake up, wake up, ye young Rip Van Winkle!" - -Opening his eyes, the dazed Joe starts at the unwonted scene. He is not -in his bedroom, then! What on earth has happened? Who are these that -surround him? Why--he's in the bush! And then the truth dawns upon the -weary and weakened lad; he was really lost, and--thank God he is found! - -He greets the squatter with a wan smile, and, with the grace -characteristic of the boy, begins to thank him. But Mr. M'Intyre, -patting him affectionately on the back while supporting him with his -arm, extracts the cork of a pocket flask with his teeth, and puts it to -the lad's mouth. - -"Tak' a pu' at this, ma laddie; it'll revive ye wonderfu'." - -The brandy worked wonders on the boy, so unaccustomed to it. - -"We--we ran the dingo down, sir--Jill and Brin--why, here's ole Brindle! -Left him at the water-hole; too sick to follow. The horse too----" - -"Horse's all right, Joe. We picked her up at the water-hole, where -we'll leave her for a few days, as she's limping badly. Can you sit on -the saddle before me?" Joe is sure he can, and no time is lost in -starting homewards. M'Intyre, to whom the country was an open book, -knew a short cut that would take them home in ten miles. - -During the ride Joe recited his experiences to the squatter, who in -return related how Willie had picked up the tracks, sighting first the -horse and then the dog, and followed the trail till they came upon the -sleeping lad. - -It was a weary but not unhappy boy who reached the homestead at length. -The household, duly apprised by Willy, who had ridden on ahead, were in -readiness to cheer the conquering hero. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX* - - *CONCERNING WILD HORSES* - - - "Now welcome, welcome, master mine, - Thrice welcome to the noble chase: - Nor earthly sport, nor sport divine, - Can take such honourable place." - _Ballad of the Wild Huntsmen._ - - -"Where's Floss and Jeannie, Harry? Don't see 'em in the yard this -morning." - -"No, sir, they didn't come in with the others." - -"Hoo's that, mon?" - -"I harsk'd Jacky about 'em when he yarded the others, an' he said they -wasn't with the rest. Too lazy, I bet, to look after 'em." - -"But I dinna see Tallboy or Dolly, eyther," said the squatter as he -peered through the rails at the horses. - -"I speck they're with the mares down by the dam, or p'raps campin' on -the box ridge." - -"Weel, see that they're no missed the morn. Here you, Jacky," to the -black boy; "come along here." - -"What's matter, Boss?" - -"What for you bin no yard all yarraman?"[#] - - -[#] Yarraman--native name for horse. - - -"Bail me see some, Boss." - -"You bin getting lazy. I'll hae to gie you a taste o' the stock whip." - -"Me no 'fraid you, Boss," replied the black with a grin. "You not like -my ole boss, Cap'n White. Him murry quick with whip. Sandy bin tellin' -me you only gammon." - -"See that you drive in every hoof to-morrow morning, or, Sandy or no -Sandy, ye'll get a surprise, my boy." - -"I cam across some brumby tracks yesterday aifternoon in the springers' -paddock," continued the squatter to Harry, the head stockman. "Meant to -hae spoken aboot it afore." - -"They're a rare nuisance, they brutes! There maun be a gap in the -dog-leg fence at the far side for 'em to ha'e got in. You'd better tak' -Jacky and Denny at once, and mak' the fence secure. That pack o' -rubbage'll be doing a lot o' mischief among the springers wi' their -galloping. Ye'd better go across by the horse-paddock, an' see if ye -can get a sicht o' the mares. It's almost as near as the other track." - -"All right, Boss. Jacky, you go to Ah Fat an' tell 'im to put up some -grub. Git the billy an' tots, an' bring 'em along. Tell Denny I want -'im. He's working in the garden." - -"Oh, I say," bawling after the retreating boy; "tell Denny to git the -small cross-cut, an' a couple o' tommies, an' a bit o' wire to do the -mendin' with. Slither away, now, ye son of a black buck!" - -In a few minutes the men are on their way through the horse-paddock to -the slip-rails in the far corner, to carry on the repairing work in the -springers' enclosure. - -It may be explained to the uninitiated that the horse-paddock is that -nearest the homestead, where the station horses in use are kept; a -larger or smaller mob according to requirements. These are yarded at -daylight every morning. When the horses required for the day's work are -selected the balance are turned loose for the day. The springers' -paddock, reserved for the breeding cows, was a large one; one of the -best on the run, in fact. The men as they rode along kept a sharp -look-out for the missing steeds. Separating as they neared the -dam--which was a large sheet of water backing up in the gullies for a -mile or so--they rode on either side, coming together at the box-tree -ridge where the slip-rails were located. No sign of the horses! - -"Strange, chaps! Wonder where they can be. Floss an' Dolly are fair -terrors for hidin'. But--hello! there's the slip-rails down!" - -Sure enough, the two topmost rails were down. Who could have done it? - -The mystery is soon solved; the ground on the outside being trampled -with horse hoofs. It told its tale of cause and effect quickly enough -to these bushmen. - -"The blessed brumbies hev got in an' coaxed 'em out, sure enough. It's -the warrigal's[#] mob for a quid. Fifty of 'em, if there's a hoof. - -[#] Warrigal--wild, savage; applied indifferently by the natives to -animals and men. - -"How d'yer think they horses got the rails down, Harry?" - -The speaker was Denny Kineavy, who was a new chum at this kind of work. - -"Why, it's the ole warrigal's work o' course. Trust 'im fur findin' out -a way o' gettin' up a flirt with the ladies. He's the cutest cuss in -Australia, bar none. Full o' blood he is too. New Warrior strain outer -a great arab mare of Kurnel Dumaresque. I know 'im well, fur I was with -Captain White just after he'd bought both dam an' foal from the ole -Kurnel; or rather, I should say, Dumaresque swopped 'em fur a stud -Hereford 'e was terribly struck on. - -"Yes; he was allus a wild un. My word, you should 'a' seen 'im as a -yearling! Allus leadin' the other youngsters into mischief; breakin' -into the lucem paddocks, an' chasin' the dorgs till they was in mortial -terror of 'im; gettin' mad fits among the horses; kickin' an' squealin' -an' chiveyin' em', till one day the Captain gits in a towerin' rage an' -says to me an' one-eyed Bob, who was workin' fur 'im then: 'Run in that -dad-busted, bloomin' brute an' fix 'im; it's the only way ter take the -divvil outer 'im.' - -"You see, 'e was a grand, upstandin' beast as a colt, an' the Captain -wunst thought to have 'im fur stud purposes, fur all 'e was a mix breed; -but 'e soon seed that was outer the question. - -"Well, as I was sayin', the Captain orders me an' one-eyed Bob to yard -'im. 'Twarn't no easy job nuther, I tell you; for the brute soon -cottoned what we was up to. At larst, after a lot of trouble, we yards -'im, and with 'im a couple o' colts an' a lot er fillies. Bob threw the -lasso a dozen times afore 'e noosed 'im, cause 'e kept dodgin' in an' -out among the fillies. It was the deuce's own job to separate 'em. - -"At larst, I say, Bob fixed 'im, an' didn't 'e perform. Howe'er, Bob -'olds 'im, an' I gits 'old of the slack to give a turn round the post, -so's ter bring 'im up. But all of a suddent 'e makes a mad rush at Bob, -sendin' 'im sprawlin' with three ribs broke; whisks the rope outer my -hands, an' streaked fur the slip-rails--six on 'em there wor--an' by -'evans! jumps like a cat at 'em; comin' down with 'is belly on top, -smashin' the rail, but fallin' on the outside; never, of course, -breakin' 'is bloomin' neck--an' galloped orf like mad. - -"Must 'a' bin red mad sure enuff, fur 'e broke through the wire fence -the Cap had round 'is 'orse-paddock; and that's the larst we seen of 'im -fur months. - -"Then one day I was on the out station, lookin' after some steers, when -I come acrost 'im in a mob of brumbies he'd chummed up with. 'E was -'aving a pretty rough time of it, I could see; fur there was a couple o' -stallions in the mob as wasn't agreeable fur 'is company in the 'arem; -an that's 'ow we come ter git 'im a few years after, I 'spect." - -"Thin you did git hould iv th' grey divvil?" exclaimed Denny. - -"Yes; we got 'im all right. But, look here, chaps, no time's to be -lost. These beggars may be still in the paddock. If not, they've got -out the way they came in, an' are 'eadin' fur the ranges. We'll cut -across to the north end where the fence crosses Rocky Crick. I 'spect -that's where they've broken in. It looked a bit shaky a fortni't ago, -as I come by. I don't think they've got in at the dog-leg end, that the -Boss spoke about. Anyhow, we'll try the Crick fust." - -A sharp ride of about four miles brought the men to the spot indicated -by Harry. It was a rocky bit of country, and sure enough they found the -"shaky" post and rails lying on the ground. The immediate cause of this -was a big limb of a dry stringy-bark tree, which had fallen upon the -weak spot and smashed it down. The horse tracks about the spot showed -conclusively that the mob had gone in and out by this means. - -According to Jacky, the black boy, the inward tracks were about three -days old; the outward, a few hours. Without doubt, the brumbies had -"nosed" the rails to which the mares had been attracted by their -neighings, early in the night. Then in the dawning of the morning they -had moved out to one of their haunts in the ranges. - -"The only thing now is to get back an' tell the Boss. 'E'll be mad when -he knows, you bet; thinks no end o' Floss an' Jeannie. Put up the -rails, boys, quick an' lively." In a few minutes the men had fixed up -the broken panels securely, and then rode homewards. - -"Saay, Harry, me bhoy, how'd yees yard th' ould stag, as ye was sayin' -when ye was talkin' forninst th' slip-raales? - -"Wasn't an old stag then, an' isn't now, fur that matter, the brute's in -'is prime yet. Let's see, 'e's risin' 'leven now, an' we got 'im just -afore I left the Captain fur the Boss here. Lemme think. Yes, it's -just over five year ago; he'd be about six, then. Fur all his tricks, -the two stallions had driven 'im off their beat. 'E'd got a couple o' -mares, though, an' kep' 'em in the range country on the out-station; but -it was all of an accident that we got 'im. - -"One day me an' the Captain was ridin' through the run, havin' a good -look at the stock; fur we had a notion of cuttin' out a mob o' fats. -Well, as I was sayin', we was ridin' along the back part of the run, an' -we came acrost a couple o' brumbies, each with a foal. 'Stead o' -scootin', as they does in giniral, the mares galloped in a circle, but -didn't clear. - -"'It's mighty strange,' ses the Captain. 'What are they 'angin' about -fur, an' where's their mate? Never seed 'em parted afore.' 'It is -strange,' ses I; 'an' there's only one thing to account fur it, an' that -is the cove's about sumwheres 'andy.' - -"We moved on to a rocky gully that opens out on to a big plain. At one -place a log fence runs acrost to keep the stock in. Bymby we comes -plump onter it, an', great gosh alive! if there weren't the grey. 'E -seed us as soon as we spotted 'im, an' set up a great squealin' an' -pawin', but cuddn't get away. There 'e was, like a bandicoot in a -V-trap. 'E was caught by the off hind-leg, between two big logs that -lay clost together. 'E was jammed tight enough. Wunder was 'e didn't -break a leg. - -"When the Cap saw the fix 'e was in, didn't 'e just cuss fur joy. Then -'e sends me back to the hut, about two mile away, fur ropes, an' ole -Jack the keeper. Well, I streaked fur the hut, you bet, an' was there -less'n no time. Soon me an' Jack, with two green 'ide lassoes an' an -'emp one, also a axe, was on the spot. - -"When the 'orse sees the ropes 'e yelled, an' roared, an' pawed, an' -snapped 'is teeth, fur all the world like a trapt dingo. An', wud you -believe it? _the blarmy mares hadn't follered us up_! There they was -just ahind us, whinneying and screamin'; their way o' swearing an' -cussin' I s'pose. Wish-I-may-die if we didn't have to put the stock -whip on 'em to roust 'em away. - -"'How are yer goin' ter manage 'im,' ses I to the Cap when I comes up -with the things. - -"'I'll soon let yer see,' ses 'e. 'Fust of all we'll pass a rope round -'is free 'ind-leg well up on to the shank. Then we'll put another on the -front fetlock an' acrost 'is flanks.' - -"Well, it took us a goodish bit to fix 'im up. I forgot ter say that we -tied the third rope round 'is neck, an' that was no easy job, fur every -time the Cap threw the lasso he'd dodge it with 'is 'ed like a fightin' -kangaroo. But, ter make a long story short, when we'd roped 'im, we -levered one of the logs with saplin's so's ter git 'is other leg free. -Then, didn't 'e play up! But by the time we'd given 'im arf a dozen -falls, an' two o' them riglar croppers, 'e seed it was no use, throws up -the sponge, an' comes along quietly. - -"We didn't give 'im any charnse, you bet, as 'e was such a sly demon. -So we got 'im ter the stockyard at the 'ead station, a matter o' -thirteen mile or so. We put 'im in the crush fust, then got a 'evvy -'alter on 'im, an' tied it to 'is front off leg so's 'e cuddent jump; in -that way we fixed 'im fur the night. - -"Early nex' morning, just as I was thinkin' o' gittin' up, there comes a -tremenjious 'ammerin' an' bangin' at the door, shoutin' out sumthin' I -cuddent understand. I jumps up an' opens the door, an' there was ole -Jack singin' out an' makin' a great fluster. - -"'What in thunder's the matter, Jack?' ses I. - -"'Warrigal's gone!' ses 'e, all tremblin' like. 'Cleared right out in -the night.' - -"Off I rushes ter the yards, an' sure enuff, the beast had cleared; yet -the rails was up. - -"''Ow the dickens 'e got out, Jack?' ses I, lookin' round. Presently I -comes ter the slip-rails, an' soon spots 'ow 'e done it. I'm blest if -the ole cuss didn't lay down ter it at the rails an' 'riggled 'is way -out sideways. You cud see the ground all tore up by 'is 'oofs as 'e -inched 'is way out. There was a knot at the lower side o' the rail, an' -it was covered with 'air an' blood, which shows what a tight squeeze it -was." - -"But 'ow the blazes did he gat out iv th' pathock whin he was -knee-haltered?" - -"Like enuff 'e worked 'is 'edstall off as 'e 'riggled through. We -thought we'd made it tight enuff fur anythin'. Anyways 'e cleared, an', -what's more, 'e an' the mares moved off the run an' wasn't 'eard of fur -long, then 'e was found bossin' a mob on Bullaroi." - -By this time the men had reached the homestead. Leaving the others at -the stockyard, Harry proceeded to the house to break the bad news to the -owner. - -The squatter was greatly put out by the turn the affair had taken. Two -of the horses were brood mares on which he set a high value, and for -which he had given a big price. They were full of breeding, having the -famed Gemma di Vergi strain on the sire's side. The occurrence was no -less than a calamity in more ways than one. - -Their location was in difficult country, and with such a rogue as the -grey outlaw to lead and direct, the job of rescue seemed by no means -easy or certain. Mr. M'Intyre, however, was determined to regain his -mares, and at the same time to capture or destroy that equine demon. -One thing in his favour was the fact that in midsummer there was a -scarcity of water in the ranges, and their run, for a while, at any -rate, must be in and about the foot-hills. - -As was usual in those days, the neighbouring station-holders were -invited to join in the brumby hunt, which is, as a rule, the most -exciting, and, at times the most dangerous, sport that Australia can -furnish, keenly relished by bushmen. - -The brumby is no more a native Australian horse than the mustang is a -native American horse; that is to say, it is not indigenous to the -country. Brumbies are the descendants of imported horses which have -escaped into the bush and bred there. - -When Australian settlements were confined to the barest fringe of the -continent, it was very common for stock, both horses and cattle, to -stray from the settled areas into the great wilderness beyond. - -An historic illustration is to be found in the genesis of colonial -expansion. When the first expedition sailed from England, not only were -officials, soldiers, and convicts shipped; but also an assortment of -domestic animals to furnish the requirements of the penal colony -proposed to be established on the shores of Botany Bay. - -As the cattle in the new settlements increased, many beasts strayed -beyond the borders of the occupied country to the interior forests and -plains; and before very long "brumbies" (wild horses) and "scrubbers" -(wild cattle) covered large tracts, often to the great annoyance of the -advancing line of settlers. - - - - - *CHAPTER XX* - - *THE BRUMBY HUNT* - - - "Like a wintry shore that the waters ride o'er, - All the lowlands are filling with sound; - For swiftly we gain where the mobs of the plain - Like a tempest are tearing the ground! - And we'll follow them hard to the rails of the yard, - Over gulches and mountain-tops grey, - Where the beat and the beat of our swift horses' feet - Will die with the echoes away." - HENRY KENDALL. - - -"How many are coming to the hunt to-morrow, dad?" - -"About a score all told, my son. That is," continued the speaker -somewhat inconsequently, "if they a' turn up." - -"Gills coming, ain't they?" - -"Yes; the old man, son, and ane o' the stockmen'll be here this evening, -so as to be ready for the early stairt the morn's morn. That reminds -me, I've no telt your mother. They'll be here aboot supper-time." - -"Captain White coming, I s'pose?" - -"If he's above ground. We'd best coont 'em up. Get a bit o' paper, -Saundy, and pit doon the names. Then we'll ken for sure." - -"Ready, father." - -"Pit doon oor ain lot first. Mysel', you, Hairry, the blacks, Denny, -the bullock driver, the ration carrier, Redgate and Broon from the -oot-station, Joe, Tom, N-eville--I suppose. Hoo mony's that?" - -"Thirteen." - -"So mony's that? At that rate we'll hae ower a score. Weel, that's a' -the better. Let's see, noo: pit doun the Gill lot, that's three more. -Then there's Captain White. Old Dumaresque says he'll be along, but I -dinna reckon on him, so you needna coont him in. White's going to bring -twa men wi' him. And, m-yes, there's Davison o' the bank, and Dickson -the lawyer. Told 'em the other day I'd let 'em know. They'll need to -be here the nicht, too. We'd better send Willy in wi' a message at -once. That's a' noo I think. Hoo mony does that tot up?" - -"Twenty-one not counting the Colonel." - -"Weel, I hope they'll turn up, that's a'." - -"I say, father, could Jimmy Flynn an' Yellow Billy come?" - -"Eh? Weel, I--I dinna ken. Can they ride?" - -"Ride? Listen to him! Why, Yellow Billy's the boss rider among the -boys. You know his steer----" - -"Ah weel," said Mr. M'Intyre laughingly, "we'll hae 'em. Send word by -the boy." - -Accordingly, the invitation was taken to the four Tareelians. Gill and -party turned up about dark, and shortly after them the town lot, all of -whom were welcomed by their hospitable host. - -M'Intyre had made extensive preparations for the hunt. There are -various methods for trapping wild horses. The one in vogue at Bullaroi -and the surrounding stations was that called the "wing" trap. This -consists, first of all, in determining the usual brumby run. The next -work, and an important one, is the building of yards in a locality -specially selected, the object being to get as near as possible to the -natural line of the horses' travel when stampeded. - -The yards must be well constructed, with a high, strong fence, having an -open mouth so wide as to give the hunted steed no suspicion of running -into a trap. The upper and nether lips of this mouth, after running -parallel a short distance, gradually converge to the throat, as it were, -finally meeting, and forming a cul-de-sac. - -From the mouth extremity a vast roll of canvas, or, rather, calico -strips about six inches wide, is made fast to one of the fence -terminals, and from there, at a slight outward angle, is often taken for -miles, being secured at intervals to trees or stakes which are driven -into the ground. The wing is fixed breast high. This, to the -inexperienced, seems but a flimsy obstacle; but the calico barrier, -frail as it appears, acts as an effectual boundary. Brumbies are both -timid and suspicious, and very rarely charge a wing. When driven on to -one they wheel either to right or left, with never a thought of breaking -through or jumping it. - -The strategy of the "drive" is to station men at intervals from the -terminal point of the wing; each man is armed with a heavy stock whip, a -cruel enough weapon in the hands of an adept. Others are left at the -trap-yard mouth on the outward side, concealed as a rule, and ready to -dart out and head the mob should it scent danger when nearing the -opening. The remainder of the men proceed to locate and enflank the -mob, and drive them in the given direction. This, often, is a very -difficult matter, and sometimes the best laid scheme is defeated by a -determined and irresistible rush of the mob in the teeth of their -assailants. - -Premising the "round up" and drive to be successful as far as the wing, -the wing supports wheel them in the right direction; then close in and -pass to the outside to strengthen the flank men, who now form a parallel -line with the racing brumbies. Thus, with the calico wing on one side, -a living, whip-cracking, yelling cordon on the other, and a harrying -force behind, the spectacle is as brilliant and as exciting as Australia -can furnish in the line of sport. - - -At sunrise, on a glorious morning in mid January, the Bullaroi party, -well mounted, wend their way to the appointed rendezvous, from whence -the amalgamated forces are to proceed to the brumby grounds. - -The men and boys are variously mounted. All the horses, however, are -used to stock work; some of them, within certain limits, being as -intelligent as the men who bestride them. Many of them are what is -known as "camp horses"; that is, horses trained for mustering and -cutting out work on the cattle camp. Quick to wheel, to dodge, to -out-manoeuvre the charging bullock, and even to divine the enemy's -intention; skilful in wedging through a pack; ready to advance -backwards, so to speak, and to use heels when head and shoulders -unavail; needing scarce any control, and with a keen zest for the work, -the camp horse is an invaluable auxiliary on a cattle run. - -Both M'Intyre and Gill were specially well mounted on favourites of the -above-named variety. The price of each was regarded by its rider as -beyond rubies. Both men were strong-boned, grizzled, and expert -bushmen, with not a superfluous ounce of flesh on their bodies. Neville -was of the company. He had learned many things in the intervening days; -the first, and most essential, was that England could furnish no -precedent to Australia in things that are peculiar to station life. He -gradually dropped his pet phrase, "The way we do things in England." -The scales had fallen from his eyes concerning many things "Colonial." - -Mr. M'Intyre, who liked him, paid him no little attention. He rode out -on the run with him, giving common-sense hints in his dry way, from time -to time, which his guest was ready enough to take. He learned to ride -fairly well, and, after many mortifying failures, could crack a stock -whip without entangling it in the horse's legs. - -Mr. M'Intyre was dubious about Neville going. The Englishman, however, -was so set on joining the cavalcade that to object seemed discourtesy. -All hints of the danger attached to this expedition were scouted. So, -on this eventful morning, mounted on his host's favourite hack, Curlew, -the visitor formed one of the company. - -The others need no description. With spirits mounting high in -anticipation they pass over open plain, through brigalow scrub, along -box ridges, and across country on a ten-mile spin to a spot on Rocky -Creek called the Glen--a place already decided upon. As there was no -knowing to what extent the powers of both men and horses would be tried -during the day, the journey was made at a moderate speed, so as to spare -them for the arduous task of the drive. - -The pals, on this occasion six in number, were compelled to curb their -tendencies to fun and frolic; though there were some very tempting and -well-nigh irresistible inducements to spurts as the game rose or scudded -before them. Inviting jumps, too, lured them; but high jump or low -jump, kangaroo or emu, charm they never so wisely, are resisted. - -But their tongues are uncurbed. How they did chatter, to be sure! It -did the older members good to hear their gay and joyous prattle. Their -views of life in general, and brumby hunting in particular, were novel -and unconventional. They settled everything touching the day's -proceedings, from the place of the "find" to the number yarded. All -that the warrigal might do, and all that they would positively do to -circumvent him, together with many other things, were discussed with the -self-confidence of youth. - -In due time the Glen is reached, and the Bullaroi party find that they -are first upon the scene. - -"Off saddles all o' you. Must ease the horses a' we can. Saundy, you -and the boys mak a fire and get the billy going. Denny, bring the -tucker-bag from the pack-saddle. Mr. Neville, what in the name of -common-sense are ye tying yure nag to that dead tree for?" - -"What's wrong with it, sir?" - -"What's richt wi' it, mon?" - -"I--I--don't know what you mean." - -"Boss means yer a fool ter tie the moke up in the blazing sun," said -Harry in an undertone, as he passed by the new chum. "Put 'im under a -shade tree same as the rest of us." - -"Beg pardon, yes--er--I see," answered he, mortified for a moment, as he -moved from the leafless trunk to a clump of currajongs, whose thick -foliage effectually screened the sun's rays. - -"Wot sort of a bloke's that 'ere cove?" asked Jimmy Flynn of Tom -Hawkins. "He's a regular greeny, ain't he?" - -"Oh, a good enough sort!" replied Tom. "He's new, but he's a learner. -He picks up pretty fast, considering. You should 'a' seen him when he -came here first; my word, he was a greenhorn then!" - -"Here's the Captain, father!" sang out Sandy, as three men cantered up -the track. - -"Guid-day, White! Guid-day, men! Glad to see you. Off saddle and join -us in a tot o' tea and a bite." - -"Good-day, M'Intyre! By George! you've got quite a troop, man. Day, -Dickson! Day, Davidson! What on earth do you townies think you're -going to do? Stand a good chance, Dickson, of cracking your skull and -spilling all that legal soph--I mean lore, that's bottled up there. Oh, -I say, Mac, old Dumaresque's coming along," rattled on the Captain. - -"I'll believe it when I see him, no' afore. The auld boy's better at -hame when this wark's on." - -"Well, all I know is that he sent me word last night by one of the men, -and cautioned me to be sure and tell you." - -"If he comes he comes, and if he disna he'll no' be much missed. Noo, -boys, bring in the tea!" - -"By Jove! M'Intyre, your wife's a sensible woman: this is the sort of -grub to work on. Last month I was over at the Glenormiston mustering. -De Little asked me to join him at midday after a heavy morning's work, -and as I was as hungry as ten hunters I readily consented. What d'ye -think he produced from his tucker-bag? Some lettuce sandwiches, no less; -and cream puffs! De Little's as good as gold, you know, so I couldn't -refuse to take some; but, I give you my word, I strolled over to his men -as soon as I could get away decently, and got a slice of beef and a -chunk of damper." - -"Hoo's De Little getting on?" - -"Well, between you and me and the billy-can, he's no more cut out for a -squatter than for an archangel. Pity he ever left London. He'd be more -at home in Rotten Row. Hello! here's the old Colonel and two boys. -Seeing will dissipate even your scepticism, Mac." - -Dumaresque was a choleric but plucky old superannuated Indian officer, -who on his retirement came over to Australia and purchased a small -cattle run, living bachelor fashion. He was now quite old, yet fancied -himself equal to any toil. To hint at his age infirmities was to raise -a very sirocco of indignant language. - -"Hello, Cornel! wha'd 'a' thocht that you----" - -"Stop, M'Intyre, stop! I know right well, sir, what you are going to -remark. If you, sir, look upon a bit of a brumby hunt as an -extraordinary thing, let me inform you that to me 'tis but a trifle. -Why, man, when I was stationed on the northern frontier----" - -"Yes, yes, Dumaresque," broke in the Captain, who knew the other's -weakness, "we're all delighted to see you. Just in time for a pannikin -of tea and a mouthful. Here you, Dick, Tom, Harry, one of you, take the -Colonel's horse." - -A few minutes later the men filed out of the Glen, and proceeded along -the creek to a spur in the foot-hills. Then they left the water-shed, -crossing the spur, from which they continued up a grassy valley which -extended nearly three miles before it broadened out into an open plain, -lightly timbered at the upper or ridge side, but perfectly treeless at -its other extremity. - -Two-thirds of the way up the valley, in a belt of box trees, was the -trap-yard. The trap mouth, before described, extended across the belt -to the outermost verge. - -After a short inspection of the yard the calico wing was fixed. It was -attached to the terminal post of the yard mouth, nearest to the ridge -that skirted the valley on the top side. From thence it was taken in a -straight line on the ridge side of the valley, until the plain was -reached. From this point, inclining slighting outward and made fast at -short intervals, it extended right across the plain, ending in a clump -of iron-barks. - -"Noo, men, ye'll jist hae a wee bit grub and then we'll stairt." - -The meal was soon dispatched, and a short consultation ensued. M'Intyre -apportioned the men their places. Six, under Gill, were located in the -iron-bark clump. Five others were sent back to the trap-yard, two miles -distant, to assigned duty there. The remaining sixteen were to execute -the task of first "feeling" the enemy; then of outflanking them; and, -finally, directing the stampede. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXI* - - *THE WARRIGAL'S STRATEGY* - - - "Hast thou given the horse his might? - Hast thou clothed his neck with the quivering mane? - - * * * * * - - The glory of his snorting is terrible. - He paweth in the valley and rejoiceth in his strength. - He goeth out to meet the armed men. - He mocketh at fear and is not dismayed. - - * * * * * - - He smelleth the battle afar off: - The thunder of the captains, and the shouting." - JOB. - - -"Noo, men, we'll be on the move." - -The leader sprang to his horse and directed him on to the plain. - -"Where do you expect to pick 'em up, Mac?" - -"Micht sicht them at ony minute, maybe no' for hours; maybe no' at a', -Captain." - -"Willy and Jacky, you gang on aheed and keep your een weel peeled for -signs. No sae fast, lads; mustna spoil the sport at the stairt. Let -the blacks get weel aheed. We maun sicht them afore they tak alairm, or -it'll be a hopeless stern chase." - -Joe, Tom, and Sandy, greatly to their delight, were with the "flying -column." Yellow Billy was with the trap contingent, while Jimmy Flynn -was stationed with Mr. Gill in the iron-bark clump. Neville, at his -earnest request, was given a place with Mr. M'Intyre. - -As soon as he touched the myall country, the leader cautiously skirted -it, until the party were well out and away from the range of hills that -continued on the eastern side. He then took an inward course, and made -a slant which carried them back to the foot-hills. - -So far there was neither sight nor sound of the mob, nor were there any -indications of their presence at any recent date. From the range base -another tack was taken, which brought them upon the edge of a scrub that -had wedged itself into the plain. By this time the column had covered a -lot of ground. - -"We'll fringe the timber for a while, and then, if we've nae luck, we'll -hae to divide; half to go into the ranges, and the other to keep richt -along the plain. Keep weel in, lads, we'll cut that pint," continued -the leader, as the men moved on through the outer fringe of scrub; while -out on the plain, which was dotted with rosewood and myall clumps, the -black boys moved with lithe and stealthy movements. - -"Father, I hear a whistle!" - -"Hist, men! quiet all o' ye!" - -"There it's again!" exclaimed Sandy after a moment's silence, as a low -whistle came from the plain. "That's Jacky's whistle, dad, sure enough. -I'd know it among a thousand----" - -"A' richt, my boy. Jacky's got something. We'll move oot quietly and -see." - -Wheeling to the right, the column soon arrived at the spot indicated by -Jacky's whistle. The black boy stood by the side of his horse, pointing -to some fresh droppings and to numerous hoof-tracks. - -"What is it, Jacky?" exclaimed Mr. M'Intyre as the men rode up. - -"Blendy brumby bin here, Boss, few minutes ago." - -The tracks and signs were so fresh that, as the black said, it was only -the question of a few minutes since they occupied the spot. - -"Most fortunate we've got ahint them. They're near by. At ony moment -we micht sicht them. Ye'll fa' into a doubble column, men. Captain, -ye'll tak seeven men and I'll keep the ithers. We'll hae twa columns a -hunder yairds apairt." - -In this fashion the men proceeded slowly, with a black boy ahead of each -column as a scout, and following the tracks of the brumbies. As -predicted, in a few minutes Willy held up a warning hand. - -The columns quickly closed up to the scouts, and their leaders saw, -through the willow-like branches of a myall clump, the long-sought-for -mob. The horses were standing close together in an expectant attitude. -Their suspicions were aroused. Though they had not scented the wind of -their pursuers, nevertheless, with that wonderful _something_ so common -in wild things, they _felt_ the enemy's presence. - -The intervening distance was about three hundred yards. According to -arrangement, each column opened out at its head, with the object of -outflanking the horses. Silently the columns wheeled to the left and -right sharply, and then moved forward. While in the act of executing -this tactic their presence was detected, and scanned in a moment. Then, -with a snort, or rather a fusilade of snorts and neighs, heads erected, -manes and tails streaming, away flew the alarmed steeds; and in swift -pursuit, maintaining their formation, the men followed. - -There was no intention of unduly alarming the brumbies, therefore all -shoutings and stock-whip crackings were restrained. And now the hunters -begin to feel the ardour of the chase, both horses and men; for so eager -were the station horses to join in the hunt that the riders were obliged -to take a double pull on them. - -Neville, in the excitement of the raid, forgot the orders, and broke his -line, making a rush for the tail of the flying mob. The Captain, -however, nipped his intention in the bud with a few red-hot expletives, -ordering the Englishman back to his place in the line. - -The brumbies, when started, were about eight miles from the wing, and -headed directly for it, going off from the jump with a fine burst. The -wily warrigal, however, was not going to be run off his legs in a spurt; -in a short time the breakneck pace is moderated, and the straggling mob -close up. - -The horsemen hung on the flanks of the galloping steeds, steadying into -an accommodating pace, and, as previously directed, making a semicircle, -whose points extended beyond the sides of the retreating animals. The -station mares were in the mob, capering for the moment as wildly as any -in their company. Tallboy lagged somewhat in the rear. He had -evidently received scant courtesy from the brumbies. It was observed -that his heart was not in this matter. Had they wished, the horsemen -could easily have cut him out of the mob. - -The flying steeds--about fifty, young and old--had covered about -two-thirds of the distance to the terminal point of the wing, and had -not once swerved from this direction. The men were in high glee. So -far it was nothing more than an exhilarating gallop, and they kept up -the formation beautifully. The horses, too, although the day was very -hot, had not yet shown any sign of distress. It was a different thing -with some of the hunted animals, however. There were some very old -stock among the mares. The pace and the heat combined were telling -heavily upon them, and they that rode could read. - -One of these was a chronic "roarer," and her distressed gasps were -plainly heard above the thunder of the hoof. Two of the mares began to -lag in a palpable manner, despite the encouraging whinneying of the -stallion, as he turned from side to side with a troubled look. - -They who belittle the intelligence of animals, and treat them as lacking -heart and soul, can have had little experience of their nature and ways. -The old sheik of the wilderness was full of concern for his many wives. -Love, despite all that the poets may say, is not blind; it is open-eyed -and alert. Had he been alone the warrigal would have snorted at his -foes with the utmost disdain, and led them such a dance as not all their -imaginings had ever conceived. But, alas! some at least of his faithful -ones would be overtaken; were even now in peril. Desertion? Never! - -Rescue! but how? Yes; he will plan, he will outwit. He will use -strategy against strategy, and at once, by which he may draw these -merciless foes from the weaklings and give them an opportunity of -escape. - -Quickening his pace, he raced along, closely followed by his -company--save some half-dozen of the more exhausted mares, who were now -widely separated from their mates. Then, wheeling sharply, the flying -squadron dashed across the plain towards the foot-hills in a furious -gallop. - -Divining his altered tactics, the Captain and M'Intyre increased their -speed, taking no notice of the hindermost horses, and closely watching -the head and ruck of the flying squadron. - -On, on! in mad gallop, whip and spur going freely now, sped the hunted -and the hunters; and as they suddenly dashed across the face of the -Captain's column, it seemed as if nothing human could stay their flight. -The bold Captain and his men, however, nothing daunted nor surprised, -wheeled a little more to the left, having some advantage in being well -out, as well as being high up on the brumbies' flanks. - -"Now, boys," cried Captain White, "head 'em, rush 'em!" Saying which, -he rode straight for the stallion's head--who was leading--with four men -pounding at his heels. It was a splendid attempt to head the mob, and -succeeded save with one exception. That exception was the warrigal! - -The bunch of men hurled themselves on the leader, and had he not swerved -there would have been a terrific impact, which might have spelled -disablement or death to more than one. When a man's blood is up in -riotous chase he joyously challenges death in ways that chill him to the -bone in cool blood. - -The grey demon, however, swerved to the right with tremendous speed, and -the Captain crossed his course within a couple of feet of his stern; his -only revenge being a savage cut with his whip across the retreating -animal's flanks. But if the men's rush failed with the leader, they -stopped the stampede of his immediate followers. - -Floss and Jeannie, who were hard on the heels of the warrigal, were -intercepted and turned. The stock whips, cracking like a blaze of -musketry, played upon the ruck of the confused animals in merciless -fashion, scoring their flanks and ribs. In a few seconds they were -driven, pell-mell, back to the line of retreat. In the meantime those -immediately behind the mob, and those on the right flank, kept the -balance going and together. Thus the defeated ones regained their -fellows, discomforted, and not a little cowed, in their leaderless -condition. - -And what of the warrigal? - -To continue the chase of him were only to knock the horses up in -fruitless pursuit. No! he must be abandoned. With liberty uncurtailed -let him roam the wilds, fancy free. The station runaways remain, as -well as others that will be of value and service. - -So wisely reasoned man, but not so the warrigal. Foiled in his purpose, -regardless of his own pursuit, the great equine leader wheeled in a wide -circle, uttering the while shrill neighs to attract his consorts. 'Tis -for naught, however, that he utters challenge to his enemies and appeal -to his mates. The stockmen have ringed the mob, and now at a slower -pace they continue the drive; the men opening out, and keeping abreast -the leading horses. - -And now the iron-bark clump is near at hand. To this the enraged -stallion gallops. The wing men, on the alert, watch this last -manoeuvre, and line out to intercept him should he make for the hills. -Such was not his intention, though; and their appearance only -accelerates the execution of his determination, which was simply to -regain his companions; this he did with a rush, no one saying nay. - -M'Intyre and his men were careful not to push the driven beasts, but -were content to let them make the pace. And now at a swinging -canter--old mares well up, despite all fatigue---they struck the clump, -and passed the point to which the wing extended. The wing men, joining -in the cavalcade by orders of their leader, pass to the right flank and -reinforce the drivers there. - -They are now within half a mile of the trap. At a preconcerted signal -the men close up, and amid an unceasing fusilade of stock-whip crackings -the beasts are hustled, the rear men flogging up the lagging ones. - -The calico wing acts effectually on the one side, allowing a strong line -to form up on the other. Barring accidents, the hunt is as good as -finished; for in a moment or two the horses will be entering the trap -mouth. - -The outlaw is leading the mob in a direct line for the yard. But, stay! -His keen eyes sight the fence. _It is a trap_! Past adventures flood -his recollection and shape judgment and determination. Inside the trap, -death or slavery! Outside, liberty! - -Is it too late? No! By the ashes of his fathers he will elude his -would-be captors! His faithful spouses, naught, alas! will save them. -Let those who dare follow him! Away, then! - -With a wild rush, when within some two hundred yards of the trap mouth, -he turns swiftly to the right at a tangent, so as to head his enemies -and cut away on the outside of the fence. - -The gallant grey well deserves his freedom. His courage, devotion, and -intelligence should surely prevail upon the men. But the pursuers were -not indulging in any sentiment just then, and as soon as his last tactic -was revealed the race of interception was begun. He might yet have -escaped, for he was full of running, but, alas! the unseen foe! - -The five men detailed at the trap mouth, were grouped thereat, just -behind a cluster of silver wattles, ready for any emergency. It seemed -to them that their services would not be required. - -But, see! the warrigal! - -There is no time to reason. In a flash they streak out from cover and -ride straight at the flying barb. Something must happen. The fearful -impact, narrowly escaped but an hour ago, occurs. There is no attempt -on either side to avoid the issue. With a mighty bound and a savage -snap of his teeth the warrigal flings himself at the foremost, bringing -horse and rider down with a crash, both lying motionless upon the plain. - -At the same moment, and scarce a length behind, came Yellow Billy. His -attempt to head the runaway was blocked by the impact of the steeds. -Too near to swerve, his horse struck the leading beast on the -hind-quarters at the moment of the crash, adding to the confusion, and -coming down a cropper. - -Staggered by the violent collision, the stallion is brought to a sudden -stop, but not to the ground. And now an astounding thing happens. -Yellow Billy, while falling with his steed, to save himself from the -warrigal's feet clutched frantically at that animal's mane, and, by a -clever vault, to the amazement of his comrades, sprang upon the outlaw's -back. - -It would be hard to say if at that particular moment the horse himself -was cognisant of the act. The pause covered but the fraction of a -second. With a bound he leaped the fallen bodies, and, there being no -one in front to stay him, tore off in a direction that skirted the trap -fence. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXII* - - *HOW YELLOW BILLY BROKE THE WARRIGAL* - - -"The snorting of his horses is heard from Dan: at the sound of the -neighing of his strong ones the whole land trembleth."--JEREMIAH. - - -The tragic ending of the last rush held all breaths for some brief -moments. Such a contretemps had never happened before. It beat all -previous experiences. The vanishing horse and rider seemed a wild -fantasy of the brain, that passes like the breaking of a soap-bubble. -There, before their very eyes, lay the slain; the victims of the mad -charge. - -Several of the men dash after the desperate horse and his acrobatic -rider. Simultaneously, a small group of men--among the foremost is Mr. -Gill--rush to the fallen men and beasts. - -Dick Gill, his son, who lies across his horse, was known as a fearless -and somewhat reckless rider. At the critical moment, with the lust of -the chase upon him, the lad made a mad dash for the racing steed. To -swerve him he instinctively felt would be a vain attempt. "I'll ride -the beggar down!" With naught of tremor, but with a disdainful scorn of -consequence, hawk-like he swooped upon his quarry. - -But, as we have seen, the outlaw had his own resolves. These, alas! more -than defeat the object of the horseman. The warrigal's last hope -trembled in the balance. A narrow gap of open space, and--liberty! -This way then, with slap-dash speed! - - -We have already related the countervailing efforts to stay that rush: -how that hidden horsemen flash from their ambush; how that one, a little -in advance, moved to the strike with tornado-like velocity. Then Greek -met Greek. Comes the inevitable, the sickening thud; and -then--oblivion! Come running men who lift young Dick with all the -gentleness of women, and bear him to the shade trees. - -Yellow Billy's horse lies stone dead with broken neck. Dick's, with -broken back, vainly strives to rise. Its great brown eyes look round -with painful entreaty that sends Harry silently to the camp for a rifle, -and then the handsome filly joins her companion in the happy hunting -grounds. - -Meanwhile, under the shade trees, Dick Gill lies, the image of death. -An examination reveals a fractured forearm; while a blue-black bruise on -the right temple, as big as a crown-piece, attests the violence of the -blow. The general verdict is that Dick, the life and soul of his -company, will never more crack joke, sing song, or join in the merry -chase; and so the conclusion is, dead, or as good as dead--a distinction -with a slight difference. - -There were two, however, who clung to some shreds of hope; the father of -the boy and the Colonel: the latter with obstinacy and emphasis. - -"I've seen 'em on the frontier far worse than your boy, Gill, and get -better. The lad's stunned with that dickens of a blow; but he'll rally -directly and be as spry as ever." - -"Poor Dick is alive yet; of that I feel sure, even though I cannot -detect any pulsation. What the issue may be, Dumaresque, neither you -nor----" - -"Tut, tut, man! he's young, and as tough as leather. Neck's all right. -Keep up heart, old man. I'll trot down to the yards and see what -they're doing to the brumbies." - -With that the old officer, whose words were braver than his heart, -strode to the yard, where all the others had congregated, save Joe and -Sandy, who were in the rear-guard when the accident happened; and who, -chilled at heart and filled with apprehension--all zest in sport -gone--remain by the side of their companion. - -When the warrigal broke, the others of the mob were in full gallop, -being rushed by the men. They are subjected to a battery of flogging -whips, and swept into the trap-yard; down the converging sides of this -they hustle, only to find an impasse. There they huddle, a compact mass -of sweating, shivering, and cowed brutes. - -The horsemen form a line across the way of retreat, until half a dozen -wires are stretched. The rest is a matter of detail which expert -bushmen make small bones about. When all is secure the men inside cut -out selected horses under the direction of Mr. M'Intyre, who, with those -not actively employed in the arena, occupies a place on the rails. The -brumbies designed for use are thrown and branded, etc., then haltered -and made fast to the rails. The station runaways were secured early in -the proceedings, which, from first to last, consume a couple of hours. -The final act is one of horse massacre; all the discarded stock are shot -down. It is cold-blooded but necessary work, for brumbies are rightly -regarded as a pest on a run. - -By this time the sun is well down in the west, and having finished their -work at the yards, the men repair to the camp for a bite and a drink. - -To their great surprise and delight they find Dick Gill "nather dead nor -spachless," as Denny Kineavy put it. - -While his father and the boys anxiously watched him, hoping against hope -for signs of life, the unconscious lad suddenly stretched his limbs and -opened his eyes, as one just awaking from a sound sleep. - -The as-good-as-dead youth sat up in wonderment, falling back in pain and -weakness the next moment. A wave of joy surged through Gill's heart at -this manifestation of life. "God be thanked for His mercies!" he -exclaimed. Putting an arm under the sick boy's shoulders, and carefully -raising his head, he held the Colonel's brandy flask to his lips. -"You've had a spill, that's' all. A bit of a knock-out. Your left arm -is broken, and there's a nasty bruise on your forehead. Sip a little of -this spirit; it'll brace you up." - -A pull at the flask revived the youth, and he pillowed his head on his -father's arm, who laved the bruised head with cold water. This greatly -helped in the work of restoration. By the time the men had finished, -Dick was able to sit up, and expressed a desire to have a look at the -brumbies. Beyond acute pain in head and arm the lad seemed but little -affected. He enjoyed a feed with the men, and especially was he -grateful for a pannikin of tea. Good billy tea is better for the tired -feeling than all the grog ever invented. - -After a short consultation it was decided that Dick and his father, with -Sandy, should proceed to a selector's house about three miles distant. -They would be sure to get the loan of Mrs. Mulvaney's spring-cart, and -by that means reach Bullaroi. This was carried out despite Dick's -protests that he was fit to start on another brumby drive. - -What of Yellow Billy and the bolting warrigal! Have they been -forgotten? Not by long chalks! - -As soon as Mr. M'Intyre had selected the horses that were to be saved -and used, he left the other work to the Captain, and, accompanied by -Jacky, started off on the tracks of the outlaw. Before long they met -some of the pursuers returning. Their horses were knocked up, and they -had failed to trace the runaway. "Deeficult as the country may be," -mused Mr. M'Intyre, "Jacky's equal to onything in the trackin' line. -It's only a maitter o' time when we'll run 'em doon." - -There was much speculation at the camp over the fate of the half-caste. -It did not lean to pessimism, though jeremiads were uttered by some. -The pals, who knew Billy's ability better than the others, had unlimited -faith in their mate. Whatever happened to the steed, the boy would turn -up safe and sound. The steer rider, in their opinion, could ride -bare-back the toughest outlaw that ever sniffed the wind. "You'll see," -said Tom confidently to the Captain, "Billy'll more'n hold his own." - -"Didn't youse tell us the other day thet at your gra-at -billy-horse-ma-ale-robbery, the steer slung the yallar bhoy----" - -"Oh!" retorted Tom pettishly, "that was only----" - -Just then the returning men rode up. They had no good news to relate, -but said that by Mr. M'Intyre's orders all were to proceed to the Glen, -and if the missing boy was not brought in before dark they were to -disperse. Let us now follow the fortunes, or misfortunes, of Billy. - -As soon as he found himself astride the warrigal, the yellow boy held -fast with knees and hands, the stock whip over his shoulder trailing in -a long line behind the flying pair. To stick on the racing horse was a -comparatively easy thing to Billy, unless, indeed, some fiendish trick -should unseat him. But to guide the scurrying brute, unbitted, -unreined, were as impossible as to turn and check a Mont Blanc -avalanche. - -The first instinct of the horse upon escaping from the trap-yard was to -dismount his rider by violent means, but there are eager pursuers on the -track--so away! - -He rounds the trap fence, bolts down the grassy valley apace, twists up -a gully with a swerve that almosts unseats Billy, dashes into Glen -Creek, and mounts the bank to enter a defile. The first shock over, the -half-caste begins to realise his position. For a moment a pang of fear -seizes him, and some of the dread possibilities of the ride dawn upon -him. This soon yields to a different sensation as they rush through -space. - -There is that in the half-wild nature of the lad which goes out in -unconscious sympathy for the bestridden beast. Despite the mutual -antagonism, which, after all, is not that of hate, there is in some way -a sense of kinship. Wild answers to wild. Man nature comes thus into -close gripping quarters with horse nature. There is no intervening -saddle. Flesh mates with flesh, and spirit answers to spirit. Whose, -then, shall be the victory? The strains of many generations of desert -lords is in the quadruped. But what of the biped? A curious admixture -of blood there! On the white side are the well salted strains, which -hark away back to the old Vikings. On the other and darker, the stream -points backwards to the misty past, when his ancestors, subtle and slim, -moved southward from the older civilisations of the north, and swarmed -the valleys of the Ganges and the Indus, fighting for a foothold. - -Is not this a challenge to the latent forces in the wild blood of the -human? It riots through the youth's veins, giving vim and sparkle to -his courage. Who shall win the lordship? Away then, and away!--through -the mountain pines till clothes are mere shreds, and breast and thighs -are torn and blooded with innumerable scores; slithering down the gorges -to the accompaniment of rattling stones; jumping fallen timber, and -smashing through the undergrowth, till all pursuit has faded away--the -infuriated steed holds his course. On, on! ever up to the inaccessible -heights. - -But, has the half-breed been doing nothing save holding on, meanwhile? - -With incredible difficulty, owing to the mad career of the horse over -the wilds, Yellow Billy has managed to pass his whip thong twice round -the brute's neck. This, knotted together, forms just the sort of -hold-fast the boy has been accustomed to on his steer rides. The grip -gives him a great advantage. - -But the horse is now scrambling up a gully, which becomes sharper and -steeper as he advances, merging into a deep gorge at last, with -precipitous sides and frowning, unscalable face. A cul-de-sac, indeed! -Even this the indomitable warrigal essays. Again and again does he rush -the battlements, and mount some distance; only to tumble back with -sobbing breath but dauntless energy. - -Cannot Yellow Billy now dismount in safety? - -As easily, oh, reader, as one might slip off a rocking-horse. - -Why not, then, fling himself off; abandon the desperado, and be thankful -for life and limb? - -What! Billy show the white feather? Billy throw away his chance of the -honour and glory of capture thus? Not for all the wealth of Australia! -This is the most ecstatic moment of his existence. - -Foiled in his attempt to scale the heights, Bucephalus begins to think -more seriously of the foe upon his back. Were he dislodged, what might -not become possible? Here then! - -So began the battle royal between these well-mated antagonists, to be -fought to a finish, there, on that small patch of earth in the rocky -fastness; with none in the arena to interfere or to applaud. None, -indeed, to witness, save the rock wallaby perched high on a beetling -crag, who may have moralised on the unwonted spectacle of the whirling -grey-and-brown mass of flesh and blood below. Higher still, wheeling in -mid-air, is an eagle hawk, who keenly watches the solitary duel down -there, with unwinking eyes of insatiable greed; caring not a doit which -wins the mastership, so that the issue may provide a fit object for -tearing talons and lacerating beak. - -But below there! - -The warrigal, with bloodshot eyes flaming in rage and malice, ears set -back, head and neck well down between the forelegs, back arched like a -bent bow, bucks and squeals, kicks and twists. Forward, backward, -sideward; round and round; up and down; now in the middle of the patch; -now trying to rub the boy against the rough sides of the rocky canon, -but all in vain. Not even the young Mazeppa, lashed to the wild horse, -was more securely bound than was Billy to his steed. - -There he is; Yellow Billy! Behold him! - -Grasping with both hands the encircling stock whip, head and shoulders -inclined backwards, his knees grip the horse's sides like a vice. The -horse's hoarse neighs are answered with shrill shouts. And so, amid -battle-cries, dust and flying pebbles, sweat and foam, with evolutions -to which those of the circus ring were flat and monotonous, the tug of -war for supremacy between man and beast goes on. - -Presently, however, the bucking desperado moderates. There is a lull. -He shifts from side to side, making at the same time a slow gyral -movement. Is this premonitory of collapse? He is blowing like the -proverbial grampus, and ejecting steam from quivering nostrils like an -exhaust pipe. The sweat flows from neck, belly, and flanks to the -ground in streams. Spasmodic sobs like those of a broken-hearted child -send shudder after shudder through his whole frame. See! his head is -hanging upon his breast; the symbol of despair. Yes! he is done, -conquered! He is broken. Well done, Billy! But the most dangerous -moment of Billy's existence is at hand. - -Suddenly rushing backwards, the demon rears and throws himself to the -ground, almost turning a complete somersault in the act. Crash! down -come body and hoofs and--Billy. The boy is taken unawares, and can do -little to avert the consequences of this trick. Still, the little saves -him. When, in the fraction of a second, he sees the inevitable, a -spasmodic jerk flings him just beyond the horse's legs, which are -working like the arms of a windmill. Scarce has the animal regained his -feet ere, with panther-like spring, the half-caste is reseated. Again -the horse is down, but now he is weakening--is rapidly nearing the limit -of endurance. All the reserves have been called up. - -Again, behold! a rapid change of tactics. The outlaw whips round his -head with open mouth and snaps at the rider's leg. Again and again, on -both sides, and it is only by the utmost dexterity that the lad escapes. -This, more than anything else, begets fear; for Billy, like the horse, -is fast tiring. With despair in his eyes the boy looks round him for -help, and catches sight of the whip handle, which is hanging, with some -two feet or more of thong, from where it is tied to the neck. In a -trice his knife is out and the thong is severed near the knot. This -end, coiled round his hand, becomes a weapon of offence. A loaded -stock-whip handle is as formidable as an Irishman's shillelah. And now -every snap is met with a cruel smack, and this not for long can even the -warrigal stand. Yellow Billy does more, he rains blows upon the steed's -shoulders and head with such severity as almost to paralyse the brute. -The end is coming fast now. Worn, blown, trembling with weakness, dazed, -the battle has indeed turned. - -There is a point in horse-nature up to which no man may call himself -master. In some animals it lies low down. In others, the warrigal, to -wit, it is placed at the apex of his mettlesome temper. Let that point -in mastery be taken by the adversary and all is yielded. That citadel -stormed, there is naught left but the white flag. The independence once -surrendered is never regained. In other words, once the complete -master, always the master. - -See now the lord of the wilderness! the equine conjurer of tricks! -There he stands with shrunken form, drooping head, lack-lustrous eyes, -motionless and clinging tail, subservience incarnate: fit statue of -unconditional surrender! The struggle has been gallant, heroic, -prolonged; the capitulation is complete. A well planted blow, now, -between the ears, and that noble creature; that thing of bone and -muscle, of arching neck and glossy coat; that creature of will and -courage, which made him emperor among his kind by right of merit--with a -stride worthy the envy of Lucifer! Just one blow in the right spot--he -staggers, trembles, and falls. - -Yellow Billy is standing at the horse's head. 'Twas a glorious ride, a -royal fight, a grand victory. Nothing is left now but--pity! And so, -with soft and cheery word, rubbing the nostrils, wiping the drying -sweat, massaging the trembling limbs, the boy is mercifully engaged when -footsteps are heard, and in a moment the squatter, Jacky, and a couple -of men ride on to the battle-field. - - -Darkness is mantling the earth, and the men at the Glen camp have all -gone, save a few, including the boys and Neville, who are still -anxiously waiting. The striking of iron on the flints of the creek-bed -breaks the dismal silence, as a group of horsemen steal out of the -surrounding gloom, and stand half-revealed in the light of the camp -fire. Yellow Billy is perched on the croup behind one of the men, -while, with a stock whip converted into a halter, Jacky leads the bone -and soul sore warrigal, who, in this abject spectacle, drinks the cup of -humiliation to its bitterest dregs. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIII* - - *A DAY'S SHOOT* - - - "Alas! that, when the changing year - Brings round the blessed day, - The hearts of little native boys - Wax keen to hunt and slay, - As if the chime of Christmas time - Were but a call to prey." - BRUNTON STEPHENS. - - -"S-a-n-d-e-e! S-a-n-d-e-e!" - -"H-e-ll-o! H-e-ll-o!" - -"Where--are--you?" - -"Down--here." - -"Where's here?" - -"Find--out!" - -"Where's that horrid Sandy, Joe?" exclaimed Jessie M'Intyre to Joe -Blain, as she came out into the back yard, shortly after breakfast, one -fine morning a few days after the brumby hunt. - -"Can't split on me mates, Jess." - -"You're a nasty, good-for-nothing boy, Joe Blain: that's what I think of -_you_, and I don't care if you _do_ know it." - - "Tweedlum, tweedlum, tweedlum twee, - The cat and the rat ran up the tree," - -quoth Joe, as he capered about just out of reach of the girl, who chased -him round the room with a broom. - -It so happened that as Joe was dancing past the kitchen window, Ah Fat -the cook was in the very act of throwing out a dish of kitchen slops, -and the contents struck him fair on the head and shoulders. - -This unintended but well-delivered blow came so swiftly and so -unexpectedly that for the moment Joe was stupefied, gasping and -spluttering between wind and water, so to speak. He cut so ludicrous a -figure that Jessie had to fairly hold her sides with laughter. Meanwhile -the innocent Ah Fat stood gazing at the spectacle in amazement. - -"Oh, Missee Joe, I welly solly. Me neffer see you when me tlew um----" - -"You jolly Chinaman!" cried Joe, in great wrath. "You--you--yellow -joss!" - -With that the irate boy jumped through the window and vigorously -assaulted the cook with hands and feet. - -"Oh!--Missee Joe--welly solly. O--h! Oh, Clismus! O-u-c-h!" - -At first genuine sorrow controlled the Celestial. And indeed the onset -was so furious and determined that the Chinaman had enough to do in -fending blows, and was not a little alarmed. But when Joe, in closing, -clutched him by the head, and essayed to unwind his pig-tail, alarm -yielded to horror at this unexpected indignity. An ominous glitter came -into his eye, and a string of curses in his native tongue flew from the -angry heathen. - -The boy, having loosened the tail, wound a coil of it round his hand, -and began to give fierce tugs. Passion in an Oriental may take any -turn. A passion-fired Chinaman, however well-disposed and peaceably -inclined at other times, will wreak his vengeance regardless of moral -issues. With a yell of mingled pain and rage the maddened man executed -a Chinese edition of Jiu-jitsu, sending his youthful antagonist whirling -through the air, to come down with a rattling bump that shook the breath -from his body. Fortunately for Joe, the part of his anatomy which bore -the brunt of the contact was that least susceptible to damage. - -This act would have been followed by one severer still had not Mrs. -M'Intyre at that moment run into the kitchen, and, seeing the fallen boy -at the mercy of the rage-possessed Chow, who was in the act of assault -and battery, made for the man with a shrill scream, and hauled him off -the prostrate lad. All the while, John Chinaman was in a state of wild -excitability, sending forth a torrential stream of pidgin-English. - -Joe tumbled to his feet none the worse for the bout save a bruise or -two. The sight of Ah Fat with flowing pig-tail and grotesque -gesticulation sent the lad into fits of laughter. This only the more -incensed his adversary, who made another effort to get at him, being -hardly prevented by Mrs. M'Intyre. In this hilarity Joe was joined by -Jess, who had followed her mother and stood first in terror, but now -with hearty laughter. - -"Joe Blain, get out of this kitchen this moment, you wicked boy! Be -quiet, Ah Fat, or I'll call for one of the men! Stop laughing at once, -Jess, you bold hussy, or I'll box your ears!" - -Both Joe and Jess disappeared in a flash, and this had the effect of -calming the Chinaman, who told the tale to his mistress as well as his -perturbed condition and broken English would allow. - -"Me thlo dirtee watah outa window. Joee comin' plast. Me no see him. -Watah 'it 'im head and soljer. He jumpee tloo window, pullee hair, welly -angly. Me get angly too, and thlo 'im down." - -"Quite true," said Joe, who suddenly appeared at the window. "It's all -my fault. He didn't see me, I'm sure, when he pitched the stuff out. -My paddy got up, an' I went for him like a terrier. I think the -terrier's got the worst of it, eh, Ah Fat?" - -The quick acknowledgment of wrong produced an immediate effect on Ah -Fat. There was a winning grace about Joe that few could withstand. -Hitherto he had been the cook's favourite. And now, no sooner did he -express his sorrow for the summary proceedings, and own his defeat, than -the mantling frown of anger on the Chinaman's forehead vanished, and his -dingy and stolid countenance lit up with a smile. - -"Me welly solly----" - -"Oh, stow that! No harm done. I'm off to get rid of this muck," cried -Joe, as he disappeared from the window. A few moments later, Joe was in -the act of passing this same opening to convey a message to Sandy, who -was doing a job for his father in the carpenter's room, at the rear of -the stables. - -The act was observed by Ah Fat, who made a rapid move to the window. - -"Hello, Joe!" - -"Hello, Ah Fat!" - -"Come here, Joe," said the Flowery-Lander, beckoning as he spoke. - -"No more soap-suds, Ah Fat?" - -"No mo dirtee watah," said he of the pig-tail grinningly. "See a-here, -Joe"--displaying a jam pasty, hot from the oven. "You takee dis -plastee. Stlawbelly jam, welly good." - -"By Caesar! Ah Fat, you're no end of a brick!" cried Joe, as he -received the peace-offering with eager hands and glistening eyes. - -"Saundy, ye scoondrel!" shouted he a moment later, bursting in upon -Sandy, who was spoke-shaving a piece of timber designed for a swingle -bar. "Didn't you hear Jess call you a few minutes ago?" - -"I did hear some sort of a cackling an' flustration. What's up?" - -"We've got to go an' shoot some ducks." - -"That all?" - -"That all, ye cauld-blooded Scotchman!" - -"An' when have we to go?" - -"Now, at once, immediately, if not sooner, ye spalpeen." - -"Ye're an odd mixture of Scotch an' Irish this morn, me hairy-breasted -hero, an' a bad hand at either. But why all the hurry about the ducks?" - -"Your mother's just got word to say some chaps are coming out from -Tareela to dinner this evening, an' they're sure to expect game." - -"All serene. Tom comin'?" - -"No, he ain't. He's out with Harry on the run. There's only you an' me -for't." - -"I'll be with you in a jiff, my son. Just finishing this bar." - -"Where'll we go for the birds, Sandy?" - -"Up the creek, I s'pose. Too far out to the swamp if it's to-night they -want them. There's a mob o' woods I'd like to get a smack at--the ones -we saw when we were fishin'." - -"Jacky told me yesterday he saw 'em the other night roosting on the old -dead gum just at the junction of Mosquito Crick an' the Crocodile. How -far d'ye call that?" - -"'Bout three mile." - -"Your mother said we are to try and get some pigeons when we're out." - -"Used to be a lot o' pigeons in the scrub; but the last time Dickson and -some other coves came out shooting, they went through the scrub, but -didn't see a feather--so they said." - -"No good goin' there, then?" - -"Well, I don't know. We can give it a try, I s'pose. What's the time, -Joe?" - -"Struck ten as I came along; so we'd bes' be off in less'n no time, -sonny." - -In a few minutes the boys were loaded up with guns, ammunition, sculls, -and the tucker bag. They decided to take the skiff and try their luck -on the water, instead of stalking the game along the banks. - -"Don't be later than four o'clock. Try and be back before, if -possible." - -"All serene, mother; we'll be back on time, luck or no luck." - -"We'll fetch you some shags anyhow for fish soup," yelled back Joe as -the lads walked briskly along. - -Sandy took the oars at the start, Joe sitting in the stern with his -muzzle-loader. Breech-loaders were at that time a rarity in Australia. -There were handicaps in shooting in those days of the muzzle-loader, the -powder-horn, and the shot belt, when compared with the modern -choke-bore, smokeless powder, etc. But there were compensations. Men -were far more careful of their ammunition. Loading itself was an art in -which the expert took considerable pride. To every novice the formula -was carefully given by the senior-- - - "Ram your powder well, but not your lead, - If you want to kill dead." - - -But, beyond all other considerations, there was more of the element of -sport in it. There was a greater call for skill. The very limitations -of gunnery in those days put the game on a nearer footing of equality -with the hunter. There were greater chances for the quarry, and -therefore greater merit in the kill. These are the days of machinery, -and even in gunnery there is a disposition to do the work by turning a -handle--"pumping the lead into 'em," as the moderns put it. - -Sandy's father was the possessor of a renowned Joe Manton, and many were -the tales told by the lad of his father's prowess and the wonderful -distances at which this Joe Manton could kill. - -The creek on both sides was lined for the most part with rushes, weeds, -and water-reeds, which afforded fine cover and food for the wild-fowl. -It was possible to pass within short distances of the ducks in the -rushes without being aware of their presence. - -"Keep your eyes skinned along here, Joe," remarked Sandy, after rowing -some distance. "Might start a brace at any time." - -The words were hardly out of the boy's mouth when a bird rose out of the -reeds with a great flutter. Joe's gun was up in a trice, and before it -had flown a dozen yards, it fell into the water with a splash. - -"Good shot, Joe; but what's the use of wasting powder and shot over a -red-bill? Thought you knew a coot from a duck." - -"Well--I--I'm blest! If I'm not a dumplin'-headed, double-dyed duffer! -As if I hadn't shot tons of 'em. Well, well, well!" - -"It's not well at all," answered Sandy with a grin, as the boat glided -past the beautiful glossy black and purple-hued bird, which, though -edible enough, generally ran to toughness, and was not classed as game. -Yet a plump red-bill that has fattened on the river-end patch of the -settlers' maize is by no means to be despised. - -Joe quietly reloaded, and was doubly on the _qui vive_ after the -misadventure. He had his revenge before long, for on rounding the point -they ran into a mob of teal which were camping on a shady mud-beach. -The teal rose in a very alert fashion, flying back over the boat. -Quickly turning, Joe poured the contents of right and left barrels into -the retreating birds. Three of them soused into the water, two of which -were stone-dead. The third, though badly wounded, was nevertheless -exceedingly agile in dodging the boat by diving. After some trouble the -boys managed to secure it, and so a good start towards a full bag was -made. - -Then their luck departed for a while. Two or three pairs of black duck -rose, but out of range. - -"Here, Sandy, let me take the oars and give you a spell," said Joe, -after proceeding about two miles from the landing. The positions were -reversed, and the boat sped on its way to the junction. - -"Pull easy, Joe," said Sandy, as that point came in sight. "There's a -chance of the wood-duck on the spit. We mustn't miss this lot, anyway. -You'd best land me here, ole man, an' I'll stalk 'em." - -Joe, whose back faced the spit, to coin an Irishism, turned round to -survey the birds, which clustered thickly on the spit-end. - -"See 'em, Joe," said Sandy excitedly. "It's a grand mob. If I don't -knock half a dozen, you may----" - -"Bag the whole bloomin' lot if you like, Sandy M'Intyre," replied the -rower, who had been gazing intently on the birds, and now turned to his -mate with an amused smile. - -"Why--why--whatcher mean?" - -"Mean! Mr. Alexander Duff M'Intyre, bushman, waterman, sportsman, and -naturalist by profession, but only a Scotch mixture of bat an' mole for -all that! Why----" - -"Do you mean to insinuate, Joe Blain, that yon's not a mob of -wood-duck?" - -"Yes; and ready to swear to it till all's blue. I _did_ think you knew -the difference between a duck of any sort and a plover!" - -"You call 'em plov----?" - -Here one of the birds stretched its neck, flapped its wings, gave a hop -and a short run, plover-ways, and finished with the typical harsh note. - -"Great Donald! you're right, man!" finished the boy, in a mortified tone -and with a considerable amount of disgust. - -"Oh, well," he resumed, after a moment's silence, "a few plover won't -come amiss, especially if we don't collar any more duck. Like 'em -myself, grilled, as well as anything; they've such plump little breasts. -Pull on, Joe." - -Joe made for the spit, coming in so quickly with a few quiet but -vigorous strokes that Sandy was able to get in a pot and a flying shot, -accounting for no fewer than five. - -"I vote," exclaimed that youth, when they had bagged the plover, "that -we pull into the mouth of 'Skeeter Crick, tie up to the bank, an' stalk -the crick for a mile or so; then we can cross over to the scrub by the -old tree. We'll chance to get a pigeon or two, or I'm mistaken. P'r'aps -we'll have better luck with the ducks on our way back. Never saw 'em so -scarce on the Crocodile before." - -Accordingly, they landed a hundred yards or so up the creek, assailed -the contents of the tucker bag, and then proceeded to skirt the right -bank, on the look out for duck. A single bird, a very fine drake, fell -to Joe's gun near the fallen log which bridged the narrow stream. This -crossed, the boys entered into a belt of virgin scrub that extended back -a mile or so from Crocodile Creek, abutting Mosquito Creek along its -breadth. - -"We'd bes' separate, Joe," said Sandy, when they had gone a little -distance into the jungle. "You keep on a few hundred yards, and then -bear on the left towards the Crocodile. I'll make straight for there -from here. It'll be hard if we don't account for a bird or two." - -The scrub was very thick and interwoven in places. It contained a number -of native fig trees of great height and spread. These trees were in -fruit, therefore there was a better chance of getting pigeon, some -varieties of which are exceedingly fond of the native fig. - -The umbrageous trees formed a lofty canopy whose cool shades were very -agreeable after a couple of hours on the water under a January sun. The -lawyer and other cane vines hung from the great trees in long festoons, -varying in thickness from ropes no thicker than one's little finger to -the great cables extending downward from the huge limbs of the fig -trees. Besides these growths were scrub bushes, many of which were -covered with blossom, and still others with berries, blue and red. There -were also spaces of bare ground, occupied only by giant fig and other -columnar trees. These, by natural formation, made arched aisles, whose -loftiness, lights, distances, and vistas constituted a grandeur, and -even splendour, unapproached by any of the great cathedrals of earth. -These, however ancient, are but things of yesterday when compared with -nature's porticoes, cloisters, and altar spaces. - -The boys, however, took little heed of these things. They were in the -scrub neither for architectural nor devotional purposes. Pigeons and -other scrub game alone had any attractions for them. - -After separating they walked warily, listening with both ears and -scanning with both eyes. Sounds there were in abundance. The -ubiquitous minah, as the noisy and saucy soldier-bird is called, is as -widespread as the gum tree itself. The thrush, though smaller than its -English namesake, and with a differing note, is equally melodious. Then -peculiar to scrub country are the musically metallic notes of the pretty -but exceedingly coy bell-bird. - -Henry Kendal, the greatest of Australian nature poets, has limned it in -song. Here is a stanza-- - - "The silver-voiced bell-birds, the darlings of daytime, - They sing in September their songs of the Maytime. - When shadows wax strong and the thunder-bolts hurtle, - They hide with their fear in the leaves of the myrtle; - They start up like fairies that follow fair weather, - And straightway the hues of their feathers unfolden - Are the green and the purple, the blue and the golden." - - -There is also the merry Coachman, who cracks his whip with his beak, so -to speak, in such verisimilitude that the wandering new chum looks round -eagerly for a coach-team. - -Added to these are the soft coo-coo of the doves and the stronger and -booming note of the pigeon tribe. And beyond all these, the calls, -chirpings, and chatterings of scores of feathered favourites. They who -call the Australian bush songless libel it. - -The pigeon has a coo that is as monotonous and far-reaching as a fog -horn. For this sound the boys are now cocking their ears. Presently -the loved note reaches Sandy's ears: coo--coo--coo! - -"A wonga for a dollar, and where's one is sure to be another." - -To locate a pigeon by its note is often a most difficult thing in the -scrub. It may be on the tree under which one happens to be standing, or -hundreds of yards away. To run down a pigeon by its note is a work that -needs experience and patience. - -Sandy listened intently, mind as well as ears working. "Not high up, -that's certain. Seems to be right behind me. Bet tuppence he's on that -white cedar," said the boy to himself after a further scrutiny in the -supposed direction. Away in the locality indicated, distant a hundred -yards or so, rising above a clump of myrtles, was a white cedar tree, -its shining yellow berries revealing its presence as seen through the -tree boles and shrubs. - -Stealthily moving through the undergrowth and timber, the lad cautiously -advanced towards the cedar. Gaining the myrtle cluster, he was thereby -screened to some extent even when viewed from above. Just then a coo -gave him the location. Moving to the edge of the saplings, he now got a -fair view of the tree beyond; and there, on a lateral limb, distant from -him not more than thirty-five yards, sat a glorious wonga-wonga, the -finest species of Australian pigeon, not to be beaten for table purposes -throughout the wide world. The specimen before Sandy was a male bird as -big as three ordinary pigeons. - -"That fellow's calling his mate, and she's not far off, by the way he's -noddin' his head," surmised the youth. "Shall I pot him, or wait for his -mate and cop 'em both?" - -The question was soon settled, for suddenly, and with a great whirr, the -hen rose from the ground, or rather, tiny water pool: for she had been -drinking and bathing and admiring her reflected image in the glassy -water. Her return, alas! is the signal of death, for what time she -alighted on the bough at her spouse's side, the remorseless hunter, with -hasty but true aim, brought both fluttering to the ground. - -Their necks are wrung and they are bagged instanter, with a laconic but -satisfied grunt from the sportsman: "Not so bad." - -At this moment a double shot broke on Sandy's ears. This was immediately -followed by a deep, mellow sound that formed the common signal of the -pals. Putting his two hands with hollowed palms together, conch-shell -fashion, the boy raised them to his lips and blew a prolonged and -resonant note followed by three short notes staccato, which conveyed to -the other's ears the answer: "Heard you, am coming." - -"Joe wants me for something. Got into a covey of bronze-wings, or maybe -a mob o' flocks," muttered the lad as he made in the direction of the -sound. - -He soon espied his mate at the butt of an enormous fig tree, and -signalled his advent. The moment Joe perceived Sandy he stooped down -and picked up a couple of large black-looking birds, and waved them -excitedly. - -"My word! ole Joe's run into a flock of turkeys. Hurrah! here's luck." - -Yes, Joe had been fortunate enough to "rise" a fine lot of tallagalla, -to call them by their native name, better known as scrub turkey. - -Unlike the so-called turkey of the plains--which, indeed, is not a true -turkey, but a bustard--the scrub turkey is true to its title, being -seldom or never seen out of thickly wooded country. Its breeding home -is a huge mound raised by scratching together the dry leaves and bits of -rotten bark and wood. On the top of this elevation of debris the eggs -are laid, some scores of them, and barely covered. As the birds use the -same spot for many years, the nests become in time mounds of vast -dimensions. Turkey nest, as it is called, becomes in time a rich compost -of leaf-mould, and is eagerly sought for garden purposes. - -The bird itself is stronger in the legs than in the wings. Unless -startled and rushed, it will not rise, but scuttles through the -undergrowth with inconceivable speed, and he is a fortunate man who is -able to draw a bead as it darts through the thousand obstacles of the -scrub. Hence the necessity of a good dog to rush the birds pell-mell -and startle them into immediate flight, when they almost invariably seek -refuge in the trees near by. - -Joe, fortunately, heard the drumming and clucking of a turkey gobbler -before he was seen of them. Moving with intense caution through the -bush, which was very thick at this spot, he saw at last through the -intervening leaves, on a patch of bare ground, scratching among the -decayed vegetable matter for grubs, a flock of turkeys containing a -score or more. - -They were exceedingly active, running hither and thither; many of them, -just at the pullet stage, indulging in mimic warfare. The elder ones -were busily engaged grubbing. Joe could easily have shot two or three of -them as he stood an unseen watcher. There was a better way than that, -however. Once "tree" them, and one could leisurely pick his birds. How -are they to be got into the trees? He'll be his own dog. - -Bursting out from his cover with a hair-raising and blood-curdling yell, -making at the same time a high jump and wildly waving his arms, the -stalker rushed into the midst of the mob, catching, indeed, a young one -by the leg, and generally making such a hullabaloo as to scare them into -instant flight. - -It is a peculiarity of this bird, like that of its American brother, -when once "treed," to remain there. Wanton shooters, taking advantage -of this trait, will often shoot a flock right out. - -The birds put up by Joe, with one or two exceptions, flew into the trees -surrounding them. The lad's first act was to slip a piece of string -round the captured turkey's legs and swing it from a tree limb. This -done, he took a couple of pot shots, bringing down a young gobbler each -time. Having made sure of a brace, he signalled to his mate, as -described. - -The shooters, with true sporting instinct, refrained both from wanton -destruction and from shooting at the hens. They picked out half a dozen -of the biggest males, leaving the others on their perches. - -Needless to say, the boys were greatly pleased with their success in the -scrub. On their way home good fortune followed them. Though they did -not sight the mob of woods, they surprised a pair, which they promptly -secured. Though the bag could not be considered a big one for those -days, it was a good one for variety. - -Greatly to Mrs. M'Intyre's delight, the boys reached home a little after -three o'clock. During their absence of five hours they accounted for -the following game: one black duck, two wood-duck, three teal, five -spur-wing plover, six fat turkey gobblers, two plump pigeon, and the -captured turkey. - -"You are dear, good boys," was Mrs. M'Intyre's comment as the game lay -side by side on the bench at the rear of the kitchen. "What fine birds! -what a lovely variety!" - -Mrs. Mac., while not an epicure, was a noted housewife, and dispensed -hospitality in such a whole-hearted fashion and in such an acceptable -manner that her dinners were things to be remembered with delight. - -"Go into the kitchen, boys, and get a snack: you'll be dying for -something to eat. After you've finished you can bear a hand with the -plucking and cleaning, as Denny's the only one about. Come here, Ah -Fat! What do you think of the birds, Ah Fat?" - -"Dem welly good, missee." - -"Yes, they'll do very well. The boys'll clean them for you--at least -the ones we're using to-night. We'll hang the rest. Let me see! they -had better clean the pigeons and plover first. You can put them on to -stew: we'll turn them into a game pie. Grill the teal, and roast a pair -of ducks and two gobblers." - -"Allee lita, missee; I do 'em. That all? I mos go back an' look after -puddens." - -Denny and the boys set to work on the fowl, and were soon feathers and -down from head to foot. - -[Illustration: "Retreating one moment and advancing the following, -uttering war-cries."--_See p._ 219.] - -"Tell me, Joe, me bhoy, did ye or Sahndy here shute the most b-i-rr-ds?" - -"Honours are easy, Denny." - -"Begorra! phwat th' divvil's thot?" - -"It means that each shot an equal quantity." - -"An e-qu-a-al quantitee! Be jabers, wheres did ye put 'em?" - -"Put what?" - -"Whoi, th' pair iv e-qu-a-al quan---- Be Saint Michael, it's a new sort -iv a b-i-rr-d ye've shuted!" - -Denny was not so dense as he pretended to be. - -"You're a downy cove, Denny," laughed Joe, who caught a twinkle in the -young Irishman's eye. - -"That's true for ye, Joe," retorted the wit, surveying himself; "but, -bhoys, why doan't ye's take me wid youse? Sure an' it's a foine shot Oi -am." - -"That's news, Denny. Didn't know you'd ever let off a gun." - -"Manny an' manny's th' wan Oi've seen me farther bang off, annyways. -Did youse never hear tell iv me farther's shutin'? Shure he was a -sealabrity in Killarney!" - -"Never. Tell us." - -"Well, la-ads, wan da' he was rowin' th' Dook iv Dublhin, who was a -g-rr-a-at sport, on th' woild la-a-kes iv Killarney. They was lukin' -for dooks." - -"Set a duke to catch a 'dook,' eh, Denny?" - -"Be aisy, Marsther Joe. It's th' flyin' dooks Oi'me dascribin'. Be -jabers! farther rowed about a tousan' moile, and th' only dook th' -g-rr-a-at mahn shuted was a gull, though they was there in g-rr-a-at -mobs." - -"The gulls or the ducks, Denny?" - -"If you'd 'a' bin there they wud 'a' bin two gulls, annyhow, me mahn." - -"Good for you, Denny. Let him finish, Joe." - -"Well, shure, saays farther at last, ses he, 'If y're Riall Hoiness wud -let me have wan shot, maybe Oi'd bring ye luck.' An' he did it. So -farther, he gits th' Dook's big gun, an' th' Dook he tuk th' pathles, -an' bynby they see a mob iv dooks all in a loine acrost th' boat's bows, -saalin' for all th' warld loike th' owld loin-iv-batthle ships in th' -pictures, stim an' starn. - -"'Howld aisy,' saays farther, ses 'e, whin they got abreast thim fowls. -With that he pinted th' gun at th' la-adin' dook, an owld dr-a-ake be -th' same token--pulled th' thrigger an' let her off. Wud ye bela-ave -me, so quick was he that before all th' shot had got out iv th' way-pon -he'd got her down to th' tail-most birr-d, an' betune you an' me an' -little Garr-ge Washintong in th' Bible, ivry sowl iv thim dooks lay -spaachless dead upon th' wather. Now thin, phwat div ye think iv that -f'r shutin', ye gosoons?" - -"Think of it, Denny," said Maggie, who had been standing at the kitchen -door, unobserved of the boys, an amused listener. "Why, you'll be -writing a book one day that will put the Kybosh on Baron Munchausen." - -"Well, if iver Oi does, Miss Maggie," replied the incorrigible Irish -boy, "Oi'll pit y'reself in as th' laaden acthress--Oi mane th' -herr-owyne." - -"Maggie!" - -"Coming, mother." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIV* - - *THE CORROBBERIE* - - - "Deep in the forest depths the tribe - A mighty blazing fire have spread: - Round this they spring with frantic yells, - In hideous pigments all arrayed. - - * * * * * - - One barred with yellow ochre, one - A skeleton in startling white, - Then one who dances furiously - Blood-red against the great fire's light. - - * * * * * - - Like some infernal scene it is-- - The forest dark, the blazing fire, - The ghostly birds, the dancing fiends, - Whose savage chant swells ever higher." - WILLIAM SHARP. - - -"Jacky and Willy want to know if they can have some raddle,[#] whitning, -and blue: can they, dad?" - - -[#] Raddle: a red pigment used for marking sheep, etc. - - -"They're very reasonable, I maun say. And what are they aifter noo, the -scamps?" - -"Oh, I thought you knew, dad! There's going to be a grand corrobberie -to-night. Old Tarpot has sent in a messenger for them to go out, and -take this stuff with them, and----" - -"Precious cool cheek on the pairt of Tarpot, and o' the boys as weel. -Why couldna they come oure and ask me properly?" - -"Dunno, dad." - -"It's the blacks' way all over, dad," said Maggie. - -"Dad, dad," interrupted Jessie, who was eagerly waiting a chance to get -in a word, "you said, the last time there was a corrobberie, when you -refused to let us go, that you would the next time. Now then, dado, you -can't refuse to let us this time. Say you will. Ah, I know by your -eyes you will say yes! You dear thing, it's worth a kiss and a hug." - -When the ardent girl had bestowed these filial pledges she turned round -to Sandy and the others, out of whose sails she had taken the wind in a -manner. - -"There now, young people, we are all going, for which I ought to be -thanked. Only for my good memory, I'm afraid the dear man would have -said no! wouldn't you, dadums? We'll make up a party, and Mr. Neville -will, I am sure, be delighted at the exhibition." - -"My stars, Jess, but you're gettin' 'em bad! You will be applying for a -school teacher's billet next. Such consideration for Mr. Neville, too! -Why----" - -"Oh, brither mine, bless your poor thick skull; it's positively no use -you trying to be funny--you simply can't. Oh, it'll be glorious fun," -continued she, turning to the Englishman. - -"But, Miss Jessie, please! In the first place, what is this corbobbery? -Is that the way it is pronounced?" - -"No, sir, it is not; though to be sure they do kick up a tremendous -bobbery." - -"Well, whatever the name, I suppose it stands for an aboriginal -ceremonial or pastime?" said Neville smilingly. - -"Exactly. Cor-rob-ber-ie is their Cafe Chautant, a free-and-easy; with -this difference, though--all their performers appear in full dress; got -up to kill by the aid of the tribe tonsorial artists and valets. The -young bucks are perfect pictures, I do assure you; and as for the -girls----" - -"Don't take any notice of the saucy kid, Mr. Neville," broke in Sandy, -who felt that he owed his young sister one. "She's only jigging you. -It's their native dance and song by the firelight; she's right there. -The men do the dancing, and the women simply play the music." - -"Music! I had no idea that they were----" - -"Musicians. Oh well, not exactly that. They beat time for the men. -They, the men, are all painted up and armed. It's a sort of action -song, but it's jolly fine, a tiptop sight, especially when there's a big -mob of them. Sometimes four or five tribes get together for what they -call the 'great corrobberie.' Then you see something; for there's -generally ructions before they finish, particularly if there has been -any grog in the camp. In that case they usually wind up with a fight, -and then there's the killed and wounded to count when the cleaning-up's -done. It's all right to-night, though. There will be only two tribes -in it, and they've always been friendly. Would you like to come?" - -"Come! I wouldn't miss it for the world. Yes, you may reckon on me for -one--that is, of course, if your father is agreeable for us to go." - -"I suppose, dad," said Sandy, turning to his father, "we may all go? -It's to be held at the old spot." - -"Oh, weel, I suppose you'd think me hard-herted if I said no? I'll jist -mak' one condeetion, and that is, dinna interfere wi' the blacks. You -maunna mak' ony attempt to boss them. Let them cairry oot things in -their ain way." - -"All serene, dad." - -"Can the boys have the whitnin' and other things from the store?" -repeated Sandy. - -Consent is given, and the heart of Tarpot, the King of Bullaroi, is made -glad with a goodly parcel of pigments. - -That night after tea the party, including Denny Kineavy, mount their -steeds and ride out to the corrobberie grounds, a matter of three miles. - -It was situated on a lightly timbered box-tree flat, where a cleared -space occurred forming a natural amphitheatre, wherein the aboriginal -tribes foregathered periodically and disported themselves in their -national characters and games at night time. - -The blacks make a distinction in these festivals. There is the -corrobberie and the cobborn (or great) corrobberie. It was one of the -former that the whites were to witness. The latter occurred only at long -intervals, and was a time of feasting as well as amusement; both -feasting and play being prolonged often for weeks, and generally -attended by all the tribes within a radius of hundreds of miles. - -Each tribe would bring its song and dance (corrobberie), in many cases -composed for the special occasion. This produced the exciting element -of competition. A corrobberie of exceptional excellence would be -learned by the other tribes, and on their return to their own country -passed on to the surrounding tribes. Thus it happened sometimes that a -corrobberie of singular merit travelled round and through the continent. - -These folk-songs were associated with the dances, and treated on -elemental themes, as war, the chase, the feast, love, birth, death. -Often some humorous theme would be introduced, causing immense fun. As -a rule each tribe had clowns, whose grotesque attitude and voice -intonations were mirth-provoking to a degree. The Australian native -manifests a keen appreciation of a joke and has an inborn tendency to -laughter. - -The preparations were far advanced by the time the station party arrived -at the camp. The gins, to whom fell all labour of a manual sort, were -lighting the fires, while the bucks were busy "dressing" for their -parts. - -The girls remained in the clearing talking to some of the old gins, -while the males proceeded to the outskirts of the forest, where the work -of adorning went on apace. - -For this no pains were spared. The naked bodies of the dancers were -treated by the tribe experts, and some fearfully and wonderfully -startling effects were produced. Take His Majesty, Tarpot, as a sample. -The ordinary court dress of the King consisted of a tattered police -uniform, together with a crescent-shaped brass plate that adorned his -breast, where it hung, suspended by a chain from his neck. The -plate--presented to him on one occasion as a joke--bore upon it the -inscription-- - - TARPOT, KING OF BULLAROI - - -But to-night Merri-dia-o is resplendent in a warrior's full rig. A hole -bored through the cartilage of his nose peak displays the bone of an -eagle's wing, about four inches long, the insignia of his maturity and -dignity--his knighthood's spurs, so to speak. - -Behold, then, athwart his nose, the polished bone, gleaming like ivory -against the ebony background! His grey hair is trussed up, forming a -big top-knot, and is adorned with the sulphur-hued crest of the white -cockatoo, also with turkey-tail feathers. Wound several times round his -somewhat corpulent body is a belt of human hair. This serves to hold -the boomerang and other short weapons. A dingo-tail skin, split up the -middle to the brush, and bound round the forehead with the brush erect -and plume-like, gives grace and height to the stature. But the body and -limb painting is the principal part. Each tribe has its devices. -Pigments are largely used. The greater the number of colours the more -fantastic is the effect. - -When the boys strode up to the "dressing-room" where the tribe artiste -were engaged, they found that most of the men had completed their -adornments and were strutting about casting admiring or envious glances -at one another. Merri-dia-o, however, was still in the hands of the -dressers, and his markings were a triumph. Being a large-framed and -portly fellow, he showed the designs to the best advantage. The colour -scheme was brilliant, if nothing else. On his massive chest, which was -whitewashed for a background, were drawn an emu and a kangaroo. The -bird's plumage was bright blue, while the marsupial was as glaring as -red ochre could make it. These cartoons covered breast and belly, the -limbs being like animated barber's poles in red and white. On his back, -upon a white ground, was coiled an enormous carpet snake, with erect -head and protruding tongue. When seen in the corrobberie, armed with -spears, shield, and boomerangs, this fantastic figure was without peer -among the warrior-clowns, the whole effect being an extravaganza at once -whimsical and wild. - -By the time these preparations were ended the great central fire was -blazing furiously, fed as it constantly was from a dry tinder stack. - -The "orchestra," to the number of six, sat in a cluster behind the fire -and beat time to the primitive measures. The musicians for the most part -were old women, who were well-practised performers. Their instruments -were as primitive as the songs they accompanied, consisting generally of -a tightly folded opossum rug or a shield. These were operated upon by -the palms of the hands or by sticks; a vigorous slapping of the thighs -also gave variety to the combination. At any rate, a surprising din was -raised. - -It has been stated that two tribes participated. The Ding-donglas were -the guests of the Bullarois, who had provided a grand supper of fat -grubs, native yams, and roast kangaroo for the festivities. - -According to immemorial precedence the visiting tribe "took the flure" -first, and gave a most interesting and picturesque display. The subject -of the corrobberie was an emu hunt, and was full of startling incident, -presenting ludicrous aspects that created roars of laughter. The -descriptive song was chanted in perfect time: a sort of runic lay, -beginning in a low and monotonous key and gradually waxing louder as the -chase progressed, finally ending crescendo in a cry of victory, what -time the animal is overcome and slain. - -The spectators, black and white, applauded most generously, our old -friends Jacky and Willy being among the loudest. The station boys were -in no ways different from their brothers in get up. For the moment they -had abandoned the role of station hands for that of barbaric -magnificoes. - -The whites, especially the girls and Neville, who witnessed the -spectacle for the first time, were delighted beyond measure. The -silence following the huntsman's song was of short duration. The -story-teller of the visiting tribe now advanced within the circle of -light, and in sing-song tones recited one of their folklore stories. - - - THE COCKATOO'S NEST.[#] - - -[#] Tom Petrie's Reminiscences. - - -Once upon a time there lived happily together on an island three young -aborigines, a brother and two sisters. This land was not very far from -the mainland, and the three often used to gaze across at the long -stretch of land, and think of journeying forth from their island home to -see what it was like over there. They felt sure they would find lots of -things to eat. So one day by means of a canoe they really did cross -over, and began without loss of time to seek for 'possums, native bears, -and so forth. In this search round about they at length espied a hollow -limb, which looked uncommonly like a place where a nest would be, and -so, going into a scrub near by, they cut a vine for climbing up. Up -went the youth, while his sisters waited beneath. When he had cut open -the limb, he found to his great joy a cockatoo's nest with young birds -in it, and these latter he proceeded to throw down one by one to his -sisters, the fall to the ground killing the poor things. - -Now it so chanced that as the young fellow picked up the last little -bird from the nest, a feather detached itself from its tail, and -floating away on the air, at length settled fair on the chest of an old -man asleep in a hut some distance away. This old man was really a ghost -who owned the place, and the feather disturbed his rest and woke him up. -Divining at once what was happening, he arose, and getting hold of a -spear and a tomahawk, sallied forth to the tree, where he arrived before -the young fellow had started to climb down. Seeing the birds dead, the -old man was very angry, and said, "What business you take my birds? Who -told you to come here?" He then commanded the tree to spread out and -grow taller and taller, so that the young fellow could not get down, -and, taking the dead birds, he put them in a big round dilly, and -carried them to his hut. - -Although the old man did not wait, the tree did his bidding, becoming -immediately very wide and tall, and the young fellow tried his best to -come down, but could not. So at last he started to sing to the other -trees all around to come to him, which they did; and one falling right -across where he stood, he was able to get to the ground that way. -Somehow, though, in coming down he got hurt, and the gins had to make a -fire to get hot ashes in order to cover him up there. He lay covered up -so for half an hour, at the end of which time he was all right again. - -Of course these three felt very indignant at the old man's behaviour, -and they thirsted for revenge. So, calling all the birds of the air to -them, they sought their assistance. These birds went in front, while -the three cut their way through the thick scrub to the old man's hut; -and ever as they went, to drown the noise of the cutting, the birds sang -loudly, the wonga pigeon making a tremendous row with his waugh! waugh! -waugh! When they had got nearly to the hut, the old man, who had been -trying to make up for his disturbed sleep, heard the noise of the birds, -and called crossly to them, "Here, what do you make such a noise for? I -want to sleep!" But even as he spoke he was dozing, and presently went -right off, suspecting nothing; and when the three reached the doorway, -looking in, they saw him quite soundly sleeping. So the three clutched -their weapons tightly,--the man his spear, and the women their yam -sticks,--and advancing into the hut, they all viciously jobbed down at -the old man, and lo! he was dead. His body was dragged forth and -burned, and after the hut was robbed of the young cockatoos and all -objects worthy of value it also was burned, and the three found their -way back to the canoe, and departed home to their island laden with the -spoil. - - -At the conclusion of the "yarn" the Bullarois retired to the trees -fringing the clearing on the side directly opposite the audience. After -a short harangue from Merri-dia-o, the braves, about twenty in number, -fully armed and in their war-paint, issued from the forest, headed by -their chief, shouting their battle-cry, gesticulating wildly, and making -a great clatter with their weapons. Advancing upon the foe, now in line -and now in sections, they battled with the enemy, crouching one moment -behind their shields to receive the shower of imaginary spears thrown by -their assailants, the next springing erect and casting, as it were, -their weapons of offence. Following up this round, they bore upon the -visionary foe and engaged in personal encounter. Retreating one moment -and advancing the following, uttering war cries and fierce challenge, -hurling coarse and stinging epithet, they gradually approached the fire; -the gins meanwhile beat time, giving coherence and harmony to the -bellicose proceedings. - -There was such reality in the battle-play, the men were so earnest, -their cries so passionate, their taunts so bitter; in short, there was -such a ring of sincerity, such a presentation of the actual, that the -white spectators were carried away as in the drama when the master -mummers live their parts. - -The boys were in a condition of exultancy. They were inspired by the -martial display to a participation of fellow-feeling with the warring -company. Neville, too, was fairly captured by this weird yet fierce and -savage sham-fight. The thrill of combat held him so strongly that he -could not refrain from leaping to his feet and yelling with the -rest--urging them, indeed, to greater slaughter. - -It was different with the girls. Fear laid hold of them at the unwonted -sight. At first they joined in the hurrahs, but when the fighters -neared them, and it seemed, as was indeed the case, that the very actors -were being carried away by frenzy and battle-lust, their tongues ceased -and a cold chill of apprehension seized them. - -The warriors are now right up, fronting the fire. In a few minutes the -grand finale will have been enacted, and the curtain rung down. -Unfortunately, however, one of the young men has a quarrel with a youth -belonging to the visiting tribe. In the culminating point of this sham -fight he sees his enemy among the crowd of onlookers, and, urged by his -excited feelings, he directs insulting remarks full at this man, who, -running out into the clear space in front of the fighters, returns these -with interest. This so enrages the Bullaroi youth that, darting from -the ranks, he slings his spear full at the enemy, and transfixes him in -the breast. Loud cries of consternation come from the women, and a -moment's awful stillness from the men. Then, as if by magic, the -Dingdonglas have risen in their wrath, arms in hand. The play has -vanished, and downright fight and bloody battle ensues. Spears hurtle -and boomerangs swish through the air; the crash of nulla-nulla on -shields supplants the music of the orchestra, the while the gins flee in -sheer terror from the bloody scene to their huts in the forest, rending -the air with their shrill screams as they speed. - -But what of the whites? - -They stand a few moments horrorstruck at the raging human cyclone. At -first the grim reality seemed unreal, just as previously the sham -battle-action appeared real. Joe is the first to size up the situation. -Not only are the blacks in blood-red earnest, but there is actual peril -to the spectators. The combatants are surging to and fro in the strife -of conflict, and circling as though in a vortex. At any moment the -spectators might be drawn into the battle zone through the movements of -the belligerents. - -"Come, Mag, Jess, quickly!" cries that youth, seizing the girls as he -speaks and drawing them away. "The brutes are at it in real earnest. -Come! we must bolt to the trees. Great Caesar, look at that!" A spear -whistled through the air and impaled itself in a tree near by. - -Just then, one of the fighters detached himself from the scrum and came -bounding up to the little group, spear extended. As he seemed to be on -hostile intent, the youths lined up in front of the girls, ready to -defend them and grapple with the foe. On nearing, Sandy knew him to be -Willy the station boy. Willy, loyal to the family, came to entreat them -to leave the field. There was little fear of any direct attack upon -them, though it were hard to say what turn the savage mind might take. -The apparent danger was from fugitive spears and boomerangs. So Willy -paused but to cry out, "Take 'em girls to horses: safe there; no safe -here. Go!" and then skipped back to his band, throwing himself heart -and soul into the fray. For the hour the boy was as great a savage as -any of the young men of the tribe. - -The girls, now really terrified, need no pressure to leave; so they -scurry from the field and reach their horses, some distance beyond spear -reach. There they watch the tide of battle as it ebbs and flows until -it dies, which it is not long in doing, from its very violence. - -When the casualties were reckoned it was found that most of the -combatants had received bruises or gashes, limbs were broken, but the -only fatalities were those of the lads who began the quarrel. Now that -the fight is over, both sides settle down to supper in the best of -humours. The slate has been cleaned in this primitive fashion, and now -friendships are renewed over handfuls of luscious tree-grubs and hunches -of roast kangaroo. To-morrow there will be weeping in common over the -biers of the departed braves. - -"Well, Denny, what do you think of this dreadful corrobberie?" exclaimed -Jessie to the Irish boy as they rode home about midnight. - -"Phwat div Oi think iv it, Miss Jassie? Whoi, it's been a lovely -foight, shure. Och, they're the very divils ontoirely! Nivir seen sich -a bit of divarsion since Oi left owld Oireland, bedad! Begorrah, it'd -ta-ake owld Tipperary itself to bate it." - -"Do you know what I've been thinking of, Denny?" continued the -mischievous girl. - -"Nawthin' but lovely thoughts, Miss Jassie." - -"You of course are the best judge, Denny, being an Irishman. What I was -thinking was this: scratch an aboriginal, and you have an Irishman." - -"Och, dear-a-dear, Miss Jassie, to maline me poor counthrymen loike -that! Troth, then," cried the lad, with a serio-comic air and the -suspicion of a wink, "there's one thing indade which Irishmen have in -common wid these poor naggurs." - -"What is that, Denny?" - -"We both suffer at the hands of Saxon landlords." - -And Jessie had no answer. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXV* - - *IN THE BUSHRANGERS' CAVES* - - - "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan - A stately pleasure-dome decree, - Where Alph the sacred river ran - Through caverns measureless to man - Down to a sunless sea." - KUBLA KHAN. - - -"Joe!" - -Silence. - -"J-o-o!" - -No answer. - -"J-o-o-o!" - -Profound stillness, broken only by a buzzing fly. - -"If you don't answer within five seconds, an' short ones at that, look -out for squalls. You're only 'possumin', you rascal!" - -Presently a hurtling pillow, and not too soft a one either, struck Joe -Blain, who lay flat on his back, with open mouth, closed eyes, and deaf -ears. The missile hit him fair and square on the face, hermetically -sealing his breathing apparatus for a moment. - -A muffled sound, a quick contortion of the body, and an instinctive -clutch of the hands got rid of the obstruction, which in a twinkling -described a trajectory that impinged on Tom's left ear. - -"Well, what's in the wind, now?" asked Joe, after this customary -exchange of shots, which was an everyday occurrence. - -"I've an idea, Joe." - -"Howly Moses, you don't mean it! Terrible, terrible! Where did you -catch it?" - -"Catch your grandmother's sister's cat! Only, you're such a numskull, -I'd try an' put it in your head." - -"What! my grandmother's sister's----" - -"No, you ass; a simple idea!" - -"Then I'll bet tuppence it's simple enough, you goat!" - -After this complimentary interchange Tom proceeded: "When we went out to -the caves the other day, we said we'd return before the holidays were -ended, an' we've come to the larst day, ole man. Ding-bust it! we'll -have to make for home to-morrer, an'----" - -"Ugh! don't mention it! Go on about the caves." - -"Well, then, that day we went out---- Oh Joey! shall we ever forget the -sight of 'Fevvers' rollin'----?" - -"Look here, Hawkins, if you can't spit out that idea of yours quick an' -lively, you'd better swallow it! If you think to waste my valuable -time----" - -"Your time wasted! Pish! Listen, then. I vote we go out to the caves -an' have a look round for the place where Ben Bolt kep' his horses. -It'd be no end of a lark for us to find, after the police an' others -have given it up. What say?" - -"There's not much in your notions, Hawkins, generally speaking; still, -you've struck ile this time, sonny. Gewhillikins! it's all right. Let's -have a talk with ole Sandy about it." - -"Oh, he's sure to be nuts on it! He's always talkin' about the -mystery." - -"Up, guards, an' at 'em! as Cromwell sang out at the battle of -Marathon," quoth Joe, in slight historical confusion, as he tumbled out -of bed. - -They dressed quickly and then rushed out to find Sandy, who had risen -earlier to yard the horses. Sandy was nothing loth. Indeed, he was as -eager as the others, if not more so. He had often brooded over the -puzzle, and discussed it at times with his mates, but oftener with -himself. Like the others, he had theories. - -"I've got to take the harrow to the cultivation paddock after breakfast, -an' then I'll be free." - -"Can't you take it now?" suggested Tom. "Good hour yet to breakfast. -You'll have whips of time, an' we'll help you." - -Sandy was agreeable, and the boys soon hoisted the harrow on to the -cart. They returned in good time for breakfast, and got Mr. M'Intyre's -consent. - -"Best take us with you, Sandy." - -"Girls 'd only be in the way, Mag." - -"Thanks, me brither! Just wait till you ask me to cut your lunches!" - -"Oh, mother'll do that." - -"Yes; rin to your mither and hold on to her apron-strings. For -selfishness and for cheek, commend me to a brother! You're all alike. -I expect Tom and Joe are no better at home, for all they put on mighty -innocent airs here," prattled the girl, in mock sarcasm. - -"I hope you'll count me in, boys?" said Neville. "I have intimated to -Mrs. M'Intyre that I shall be forced to tear myself away from her -unbounded hospitality,"--"Fevvers" was still a trifle stilted,--"but she -will not hear of my leaving till the end of the week. You know," he -went on, "I did not have an opportunity--the last time I--er--we were -out there--and----" - -"You lassoed an Englishman with a stock whip," broke in Jessie the -tease. - -"And behaved like a brick," interposed Maggie, who noticed the -involuntary wince on the part of the Englishman. This was, indeed, a -sore spot; but he was growing rapidly in grace. - -Neville winced under Jess's sally, but took it in good part. "It's all -part of the breaking-in process, Miss Jessie. I believe I can dismount -now a little more gracefully. I shall be glad of an opportunity to see -the famous bandit's caves. It will be something to relate in England." - -It did not take the boys long to get ready. Half an hour later the -party was _en route_ for the caves, determined to solve the puzzle. - -"You'll do nothing rash, boys?" said the careful mother at parting, -"Have you enough candles?" - -"Plenty; also ropes and tucker. Don't worry about us, mother; we may -not be back till near bedtime--depends on what luck we have." - -"You've got a scheme, Sandy, I s'pose?" remarked Joe, as they jogged -along the road. - -"Yes, Joe, I've an idea; but of course only testing it will prove its -worth. The caves are situated in a spur running north and south. The -opening, we know, is on the east side. Nothing bigger than a wallaby or -a dingo, save of course a man, can squeeze through that opening. Either -there is another and separate cave adjacent, where the 'rangers stalled -their horses, or there is an easier entrance somewhere in the spur that -has a connection with the ones we have already visited." - -"You must remember, though, Sandy, that Inspector Garvie and his men -spent days in searching the locality, an' how are we chaps to do in a -day what they failed to do after several days, and with black trackers, -too?" - -"I'm not likely to forget that." - -"I vote, then," said Joe, "we go straight to the caves an' explore 'em -first." - -"It'd take us all day to search those ravines and bluffs on the west -side," added Tom, "so I'm in favour of Joe's proposal." - -"I'm not sure that I should have a voice in this matter," spoke Neville. -"You fellows will have to settle it between yourselves. Whatever you -decide upon will be agreeable to me." - -"Matter's decided, then," answered Sandy. "Joe and Tom are for the -caves direct. Honestly speaking, although I would dearly love a try at -the western side, for I'm convinced that the outlet lies there, I think, -on the whole, we'd better stick to the caves, giving them first show, -anyhow." - -"Carried unanimously by a large majority, as Denny would say," cried Joe -the spokesman. - -On arrival at the camping grounds, the place of the late serio-comic -adventure, the explorers--for such we must call them--unsaddled, and -short-hobbled their horses. - -"I vote," said Joe, "that we boil the billy an' have a go at the tuck -before we tackle the caves. It'll be better than taking the prog with -us, an' 'll save us coming out for lunch." - -"Agreed!" chorus the rest with a readiness and gusto which in matters of -meat is almost an instinct of boyhood. Accordingly the wood is -gathered, and ere long, with whetted appetites, they are absorbingly -engaged on a substantial meal. - -"There are three things to remember, mates. First of all, the candles. -We'll divide them equally, three apiece. Here's a box of matches for -each. Father gave me a caution, about lights. We're to carefully watch -the candles as we proceed through the passages. He says the poisonous -gases collect in places that are not well ventilated, an' that means -death in no time if we remain in such spots." - -"How'd we know, Sandy?" - -"I was just going to tell you. If we get into such places, father says, -the candle will burn dimly, an' if it's very bad, will go out -altogether. When we happen on such spots, if there are any, we are to -retreat immediately; so don't forget, boys, should we be separated." - -"That," said Neville, "is most important." He related one or two -incidents of fatal accidents in connection with English collieries -through fire-damp. That danger, though, is seldom encountered in such -caves as the boys were intent on exploring. - -"What's the third thing, Sandy?" - -"The third thing, Hawkins, is to make fast to this green-hide. It is -twenty-five feet long, an' we'll tie on to it as we go through the -passages. Father says there are often holes in the floors and very -steep inclines. Best to be on the safe side, though I don't suppose -we'll really need it." - -"I say," queried Neville, "hadn't we better take some stout cudgels with -us, for fear of snakes and wild beasts?" - -"Happy thought, Mr. Neville. Not for wild beasts, though an old-man -kangaroo can be as dangerous as a bear with his paws when he's bailed up -by the dogs." - -"What about monkeys, then?" - -"Monkeys? We haven't any." - -"Well, I heard one of the travellers say, while he was having a feed at -the men's hut, that he'd been engaged to go for a mob of monkeys." - -"Ha--ha--ha! Well, you are a----Why, the man was talking about sheep. -Monkey is a pet name for them. We'll want some sticks, though, as well -as the tomahawk." - -So saying, Sandy proceeded to hack at a cluster of gum saplings, and cut -three waddies about five feet in length, and a fourth one eight feet -long, and proportionately thick. Armed with these and carrying the -other necessaries, including a billy of water and a snack of food, the -exploration party proceeded to the cave entrance. - -After gaining access to the first cave, the boys allowed Neville a few -minutes' pause to get at home with his surroundings, before going on to -the second or cathedral chamber. They then pursued their way through -the tortuous and difficult passage between the two chambers, till at -length they arrived at the opening. - -"Hello!" exclaimed Sandy, who was in the lead, with an involuntary gasp. - -"What's up?" cried Joe, who was immediately behind him. - -"Why, ladder's gone!" - -"Jemima! you don't say so. Why--how----?" - -"It's gone, all right," replied the leader, as he peered by the light of -his candle into the gloomy recesses of the cave. "Clean gone! Don't -see it on the floor below, so it can't have dropped." - -Joe, squeezing abreast Sandy, and doubling the light power, added his -eyes to those of his mate in the search. - -"No go," said he, after a keen but vain search. "Anyway, I can see how -to get down easy enough." So saying, he placed his stick across the -mouth of the passage, jamming it on either side into an interstice. -"There!" he exclaimed, as he hung his weight upon the transverse beam, -which, though bowing, did not crack when bearing his weight. "Let's put -the rope round this, an' we'll slip down less'n no time." - -"Wait a jiffy, Joe," said Sandy, who had been critically eyeing the -staff. "We'll make 'assurance doubly sure,' as your father said in his -sermon last Sunday,"--poking his stick while he spoke, into the same -cavities as the other occupied. "That will stiffen it. It's easy -enough getting down: we could jump, for that matter. It's the getting -up that's the problem. There, it's as stiff as a fire-bar now. Here's -the first to go down." - -Holding the rope, the boy swung off, and was soon standing on the floor -of the lower cave. The others followed rapidly. They could find no -trace of the missing ladder. Not only was the ladder spirited away, -there were other signs which showed that the caves had been entered -since the last visit of the boys, and on proceeding to the third -chamber, where the bushrangers slept, there were manifest signs of -disturbance. - -"Some un's been here, that's certain." - -Sandy gave voice to the one opinion. The bark bunks occupied by the -outlaws were thrown off their trestles to the ground. There was no -gainsaying Sandy's statement. The situation was peculiar. The boys -might well be pardoned for being a little fearsome and creepy under the -circumstances. - -"I heard Dickson tell your father, Sandy, at the brumby hunt, that a -party was comin' out from Tareela to visit the caves. P'r'aps it's them -that have moved the ladder." - -"Don't think it could have been," persisted Joe. "There's no sign of -their camp outside." - -"What about the 'rangers?" - -The thought was decidedly unpleasant, and when voiced it struck a chill -in the hearts of all. As a matter of fact, the thought had lain in -Sandy's mind from the time he missed the ladder. - -Ben Bolt was not a desperado of the Morgan or Kelly type--men who were -conscienceless, treacherous, and full of the blood-lust. Many, indeed, -of his acts of gallantry and open-hearted generosity, if theatrical, -were nevertheless redeeming qualities in the old-time bushranger. A man -of great resource and daring, a thorough bushman, a superb rider, -mounted always on the finest of horses,--stud stock mostly, which he -"lifted" from celebrated breeding stations,--the 'ranger was, in some -respects, a picturesque figure, and had a most adventurous career. Often -located and even sighted by the police, he was always able to make good -his escape, either by bush strategy or by an amazingly daring piece of -riding in rough country, at which even his intrepid pursuers, themselves -accomplished horsemen, stood aghast. - -There was a spirit of romanticism about the fellow. His dress and -appearance gave colour to that. He was passionately attached to his -wife and children, and often incurred desperate risks in visiting them -when "home-sickness" seized him. His house was ever under the -surveillance of the police, who fondly hoped to catch him by that lure. -Yet, though often within an ace of capture, he always escaped. -Outwitting the subtlest efforts of the police, he was their despair. -Though of a sanguine temperament, there were seasons when he was the -victim of a black mood. At such times he was most dangerous and cruel. - -"It could hardly be Ben Bolt," said Sandy at length. "It's quite -possible that the town party has been. How could Ben be here an' in -Queensland?" - -"Well, what's next, Sandy?" - -"I'd like us to explore the opening in the passage first, Joe. Come, -boys, let's shin up." - -This was speedily accomplished, and the pals proceeded to the spot that -was in Sandy's eye, so to speak. - -"Here's the place I meant!" exclaimed he, when they had retraced their -steps some distance through the passage. The opening, at first sight, -appeared to be a deep recess. Upon close examination, however, it was -found that the wall and the roof did not meet. There was a hole some -two feet in diameter. - -"I spotted this when I came with father," explained the leader. "Now, -if one of you fellows will give me a hoist, I'll get my head and -shoulders into that opening above, and find out whether it's a chimney, -or takes a turn and forms a passage." - -Accordingly Joe, stooping a little, received Sandy on his shoulders, by -which he was able to rise into the hole. - -"Hurrah--hurrah!" he exclaimed a minute later. "It's a passage all -right, boys. There's a sort of landing, anyway, and it looks as though -there's a passage beyond. Hold steady, Joe, an' I'll try an' get my -hands on the ledge." - -The boy made several efforts without avail, for he was an inch or so too -low. - -"Step on my shoulders, Sandy." It was Neville who had placed himself -alongside Joe. His shoulders were at least three inches higher. Thus -raised, Sandy had no difficulty in grasping the ledge of the landing. -Catching the lad's feet with his hands, Neville pushed the boy higher, -and soon he worked his way on to the floor of the ceiling, as it were. - -This done, he proceeded to light his candle and explore, for it was -impenetrably dark. Following the passage inwards, the boy advanced some -distance. He found that it widened as he proceeded, and became easier -to traverse. - -"I'd better return now for the other chaps," muttered the lad. -Accordingly he retraced his steps and explained matters to the anxiously -waiting group. By the aid of the green-hide lariat, the others were -soon up with the leader on the landing. - -Here, then, was a new situation. In all probability the foot of man had -never trodden this place. There were no traces of any living thing. It -was in no light mood, therefore, that the boys made a start. Their -position was unique and thrilled them. They might, in a literal way, -bring to light the hidden things of darkness. Not for ages, or ever, in -all likelihood, had those walls been lighted up and gazed upon. Whither -would the pathway lead? - -Proceeding, they encountered no difficulty for some time, as the passage -widened in places, enabling them to walk abreast. Soon, however, it -began to contract, and in places it became a squeeze. The roof, too, -dipped considerably, so that it could be touched by the extended hand. - -Sandy, who was still leading, began to experience a tired feeling. -There was a peculiar sensation in his ears, and a tightening in the -throat. After advancing a few steps farther he stumbled and almost -fell. His candle, too, began to burn very dimly. His followers were -experiencing similar feelings. In a moment the cause of this untoward -feeling came flashing across his mind. - -Joe, behind him, cried out, "I say, Sand ... I'm gettin' ... short..." - -"Back, everybody! Fire-damp!" cried the leader in a raucous voice, -after a violent effort. - -It was a narrow squeak. Though only a few minutes in the poisoned air, -they were all on the verge of unconsciousness. Gasping, trembling, the -sweat oozing from every pore, they struggled on until they reached the -widened area of the passage, and then sank, exhausted, to the ground. -Tom, who was at the tail of the procession was not so bad as the others, -not having penetrated so far into the poison zone. - -The pure air soon revived them. Their respiration, which was very -laboured at first, improved as soon as the sweet, dry air entered their -lungs, and ousted the putrid gas which had lodged there. A pull at the -water-can, which fortunately they had brought with them, helped them a -lot, and in a short time they were themselves again. - -"That ends chapter one," said Joe dryly. "Whereaway now, Captain?" - -"We've come to the end of our tether sudden enough, and with a -vengeance. It'll be something, Mr. Neville, to tell 'em in England. -Let us get back to the old passage. This is nothing but a death-trap." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVI* - - *THE EXPLORERS* - - -"'The best hearts, Trim, are ever the bravest,' replied my uncle -Toby."--STERNE. - -"That's a valiant flea that dares eat his breakfast on the lip of a -lion!"--SHAKESPEARE. - - -"How quickly we ran into that poison-trap! No smell or anything to warn -us," remarked Neville, when the normal condition of the lads was -restored, "save a nauseous feeling which supervened." - -"Whatcher think made it hang like that, Mr. Neville? Seemed to me like -an invisible fog that we suddenly encountered." - -"That is really what I believe it to be, Tom. I know from what I have -read and heard, the gas is colourless and quite heavy. An uncle of mine -is a colliery manager in Wales, and this fire-damp, or choke-damp, as it -is sometimes called, is often fatal, because it fills the lungs so that -no other air can enter, and in this way suffocates its victims. We were -just on the fringe of it, I think. - -"As I was saying, this fire-damp, which is always much more dangerous -after an explosion in the mines, is generally formed by the -decomposition of certain substances in vegetable fibres, or in veins of -carbonised mineral. That is why it is called carbonic acid gas. It is -much heavier than the air. You remember the passage was contracted, and -the air seems to have become impregnated at that particular place." - -"Well, whatever it is," said Joe, who had just made a few spasmodic -heaves, "it's good enough to keep out of. Let's give the acid, or gas, -or damp, or whatever it's called, leg bail." - -The party of defeated but not disgraced explorers now retraced their -steps. Eagerly scanning the walls as they retreated for signs of -diverging passages, they soon found themselves at the landing, whence -they swung down into the blind alley that led to the main passage. - -"Sandy," said Joe, when the party had emerged, "give that passage a -name. Leichhardt gave names, you know, to all the creeks, hills, and -water-holes he discovered in his travels. I reckon yon's our discovery. -Faugh!" ejecting a mouthful of saliva, "it tastes like rotten -soda-water. Let's call the beastly place by a name that'll fit it." - -"Christen away." - -"Me! Well--er--how'd 'Poison Pot' do?" - -'"Death Trap' would be better," replied Sandy. So thought the others, -and it was accordingly named "Death Trap Passage." - -"Now, chaps, let's get back to the cathedral. There's a likely spot -there--that hole, I mean, where the boulder was jammed." - -"What's the time, Mr. Neville?" asked Joe, on arrival at the big -chamber. - -"Quarter to one." - -"Why, we've hardly been three hours in! I made sure it was about six." - -"I vote we have a go at the prog," chipped in Tom. "It'll help to take -the nasty taste away." - -"Good idea!" was the general verdict. - -The pals had lost a good deal of their natural spirits. Three hours -groping in semi-darkness, with a throat full of choke-damp thrown in, -was enough to stale the strongest; yet they had no thought of surrender. -They were "baffled, to fight better." - -In a few minutes the outer entrance is gained, and in another five -minutes they reach camp. - -The hot tea was particularly acceptable. Nothing in the wide world -could have been more refreshing and stimulating. Billy-tea boiled with -gum sticks, just so far sweetened as to countervail the natural -roughness without impairing the aromatic flavour, stands at the head of -all beverages--whether aerated, brewed, distilled, or concocted. - -"My word, this is bully tea, ain't it?" cried Tom, smacking his lips -with satisfaction, after emptying his pannikin for the third time. - -Neville in particular--to whom the outing and the exploration was a new -experience--felt, as he puffed at a cigar, the stirrings of a larger and -a nobler nature than that which had hitherto exercised him. Business -life seemed flat and stale compared with this al fresco existence. - -"Time to be goin' back again," said the practical Sandy, breaking in on -a post-prandial reverie. "Gimme the tommie, Joe." - -Tomahawk in hand, the boy walked to the sapling clump, and selecting a -stout specimen, vigorously attacked it with the weapon. From this he -cut two six-foot lengths, sharpening the thicker ends, crowbar fashion. - -"What's that for, Sandy?" - -"To prise the boulder. They'll make capital levers." - -Armed with these additional implements, the lads returned to the caves, -and in due course lowered themselves into the cathedral. - -The spot which Sandy had mentally marked as a likely one has already -been described. It was a cleft in the floor at its junction with the -wall, and immediately behind a huge stalagmite. It must have escaped -the vigilant eyes of the professional trackers. The corner was a very -dark one, and unless one looked closely behind the boulder the cleft -would not be observed. Sandy had lit upon it in a promiscuous search, -and was impressed by its possibilities as another outlet, or inlet, to -other cavities. - -No sooner had the boys arrived at the spot, and Sandy had cast his eye -upon it, than he exclaimed, "Somebody's been here!" - -"How d'yer know?" - -"This stone is not in the same position as when I last saw it." - -"Who could it 'a' been?" - -"Dunno. I'm crack sure, however, that this stone was not square down -the other day. The flat of it was down and the point of it up. Now -it's reversed. Besides, here are crowbar marks." - -"It'll be hard enough to get out--much harder than it would 'a' been if -it hadn't been touched." - -"Must have been a strong chap that turned it!" - -"Strong? No one man could ever have done it! It would be difficult for -two. Why, that stone's not a pound less than four hundredweight!" - -"Well, time's goin'," said Joe, "and what's done's done. Let's at it, -Sandy. Up-end her, and throw her over on the floor." - -The lads vainly tried to insert the wooden bar. The cracks between the -lid, so to speak, and the edge at the opening were not sufficiently wide -to admit this. - -"It won't do," said Sandy after a while; "we're gettin' no forrader." - -"I suggest," interposed Neville, "that you widen the cracks." - -"How can we do that?" - -"Will you let me have a try?" - -"My!--rather. Anything to get the blame thing out." - -Neville picked up the tomahawk that was lying near at hand, and began -striking the edges of the hole where Sandy had been prising. - -"That's the stitch!" cried Tom. "Well done, Mr. Neville!" - -The limestone readily yielded to Neville's strokes, and the crevice was -soon wide enough to take in the thick end of the stout gum sapling. - -Sandy and Neville, taking a pull at the end, levered the stone high -enough for Joe, who had the other bar ready to insert between the raised -end and the floor stone. With this additional lever power the "stopper" -was canted on one side, high enough to put the stone chocks in. Another -application of the bars, with two boys hanging on each and pulling -simultaneously, brought the "stopper out of the bottle," and toppled it -over with a thud that shook the floor; bringing down a stalactite with a -crash, fortunately without harm to the exploring party. - -Before venturing down, Joe, in whose mind an idea had been fermenting -while the stone-raising business was being carried on, critically -surveyed the stone "stopper." - -"Look here!" remarked he, "these are the marks of an iron crowbar. -Whoever removed this had the proper tools for it. Whatcher make of -that? That upsets the town party theory, don't it?" - -"It certainly makes the puzzle harder," said Neville. - -"Think so? Makes it easier to me," quoth Sandy. - -"How's that?" - -"Looks more'n more like Ben Bolt's work." - -"Think he's in there now?" exclaimed Tom, in an awed whisper. - -"No, I don't think that. But it shows me that he's knocking about here -again, an' he's been in the caves quite recently." - -The boys looked into each other's faces, and felt--well, just as you -would feel, brave reader, were you in the cavernous depths of earth, in -the very haunts of proclaimed outlaws, not knowing at what moment they -might spring upon you. Standing in the cold, damp, dim underground, at -the mouth of an unknown passage, which might take you to the innermost -den of the outlaws, could you contemplate advance without an attack of -the creeps? The crevice, after going down sheer a few feet, turned on a -level plane, right across the floor of the cathedral, in a westerly -direction. How far could be known only by actual travel. - -"Come on, boys," said Sandy, after a moment's silence; "it's what we've -come here for. I believe, for one, we're goin' to solve the mystery." - -One by one the lads dropped into the bottom of the well. The passage -was of unequal width, but always wide enough to allow the party to -proceed without squeezing, and had a fairly level floor. The floor, -after extending two hundred paces or so in a westerly direction, began -to decline somewhat sharply, and presently Sandy gave a warning shout-- - -"Water ahead!" - -The others crowded round him as well as they could. There, at their very -feet, was a pool of water of unknown depth. - -"Here's a go, chaps! Looks as if it might be a swim." - -The pool covered a fairly wide stretch, and was in a dip of the passage. - -"Don't think it's a swim myself," remarked Joe. "Let's take off our -boots an' pants. I fancy we'll find it only a wade. We can move -cautiously and test it with a bar as we proceed." - -The party did as suggested, and found to their satisfaction that the -water did not rise above their knees; for none of them relished a swim -in the icy water. After re-dressing, the company moved forward, and -soon emerged into a spacious cavern that fairly sparkled with lime -crystals. Little time, however, was spent in admiration. They moved -across it in the same direction, and found two exits. After a short -consultation, they decided to take the larger of the two passages, -because it seemed to be a continuation of the old track. Just as they -started, Tom, who was in the rear, on looking round, saw what appeared -to be a bundle on the floor of the cave, some distance to the right. - -"Wait a moment," cried he, as he ran to the object. "Oh, I say, here's a -find!" - -The others, who were in the entrance, backed out, and ran to his side. -Tom held the old vine ladder in his hands. - -There was no longer any doubt. There could be only one conclusion. At -the sight of this the boys had a bad attack of the creeps. - -"It's the 'rangers all right. They've slipped the police again." There -seemed to be no alternative to this conclusion. "Seems to me," -continued Joe, who was the quickest of the lot in reasoning out a thing, -"that they've been back here again, and knowing that the bobbies'll be -on the watch to trap 'em at this spot, they've locked up the house, in a -way of speakin', an' thrown the key inside. I vote that we go on." - -No one said nay, and so the advance was made. The passage presented no -serious obstacle, widening and narrowing at intervals, but never too -narrow to proceed. As they were squeezing through a difficult place, -Sandy again sounded the alarm. - -"What's up now?" said Joe, who was just behind. - -"'Nother big cave, an' a deep drop into it, same as the other. There's -a bar across here where they've slung ropes. Undo the lasso, chaps." - -"Let's hope we're getting near the end of it." - -The speaker was Joe. The truth is, the work was most tiring in its -nature, and the spirits of the party were yielding to a very uneasy -feeling, despite Joe's plausible theories that the end might be the -reverse of pleasant. Should Ben Bolt, after all, be in hiding, well--the -worst might happen. - -Fixing the rope, they slipped down to the floor of the new cave. This, -though not remarkable for beauty, was commodious enough, and had several -outlets, in one of which there were indubitable evidences of the -one-time presence of horses. - -"Hello! here's the stable," cried Tom, who was first in this recess. - -Sure enough in a vault-shaped but very roomy cavern, entered by a wide -passage, was the robbers' stable. Several bundles of bush hay were -stacked in one corner. A manure heap filled the other. All this pointed -to a prolonged occupation. The idea of the robbers' presence had so -materialised by these later evidences that the boys felt they might be -confronted at any moment by the desperadoes. - -"What'll we do, Joe?" said Tom. "Slip quietly back again?" - -"Slip back again, after getting this far! Don't be frightened, Tom." - -"I'm not; y'are yourself." - -"Well," replied Joe, with a smile, "I'll not deny that I've felt like it -more'n once. But there's one thing you've not noticed, chaps." - -"What's that?" chorused the group. - -"There's not been any horses here for weeks." - -"How d'yer know?" - -"No fresh droppings." - -That fact was indisputable, conclusive, and enheartening. It lifted a -load of apprehension, to call it by no harder name; and now, with -buoyant spirits, to which they had been strangers for some time, the -boys continued the search. The end, indeed, was close at hand. - -"Look out sharply for tracks," was the command of the leader on leaving -the stable, stooping low as he spoke, and eagerly scanning the floor. -Hoof-prints were discovered and followed. They led to a corner of the -big cave which narrowed at that point, and continued on as an opening. -After going a few paces, Sandy called out, "Hurrah--hurrah! Light -ahead!" - -Sure enough, a few yards farther the passage was lighted with natural -rays that shot through a small opening some distance ahead. The party -was exultant, and needed no telling that this was sunlight. In this -subterranean fashion the explorers had traversed, mole-like, the range -spur, and proved the theory of the dual entrance. - -Like as the exultation of Columbus when the first sight of the new world -convinced him that he had solved the riddle of ages, or as Leichhardt -felt when he and his dauntless band stood upon the shores of the great -northern gulf, after having passed through the very heart of Australia's -_terra incognita_, so did the breasts of these brave youths swell with -the spirit of triumph when that ray of light revealed the joyful fact -that they, a group of mere youngsters, had succeeded where the experts -had failed. - -The whole company darted through the spacious passage to the opening. -It was in the face of a cliff, and fully fifty yards from its sloping -base. So steep was the cliff that, viewed from a distance, it appeared -perpendicular; forbidding to anything save rock wallabies and--Ben Bolt. - -Its very roughness, however, made its ascent a possibility. Had it been -a smooth face, no horse, however capable, could have climbed it. Ben -Bolt was always able to achieve the possible. Many of his wild rides -bordered on the miraculous. His personality magnetised his steeds. -Wherever he led they would go, and so the steep ravine that rose from -the rocky base to this entrance afforded a precarious footing for the -outlaw's horses. - -"Now then, boys, before we go down, let's give a cheer," said Sandy. -Led by the leader, the group signalled its victory--for such it was, and -no mean one--by a rousing cheer that woke the echoes of the precipice -and spread wave-like over the landscape beyond. - -It penetrated the ears of two men who were riding quietly in the bush -that lay beyond the rocky plateau which formed the base of the cliffs. - -"What's that?" exclaimed the elder to the youth who rode at his side. - -"Sounds like a cheer," replied the youth. "Who can it be--traps?" - -Turning their horses' heads, they rode swiftly but silently to the edge -of the scrubby timber which they were traversing. Halting just within -the bushy barrier, they parted the leaves, and there, perched high up -the cliff's side, were four youthful forms--the band of cave explorers. - -"Now, boys, we'll go back an' have another look round before we leave. -Might find something belonging to Ben Bolt worth carryin' away. We can -easily get out on this side, and cross the spur a little higher up, -where the cliff runs out. 'Twon't take long neither! I say--won't we -have a yarn to spin to-night!" - -But the unexpected is yet to happen. The company retraced their steps -to the cave, and did a little exploration; finding nothing, however, but -a couple of leather mail-bags and some opened letters--the remains of -coach-robbery spoils. - -"This is the last one, mates," remarked Sandy, as the group entered the -mouth of a passage. After traversing its course a little distance, it -opened up into a small cave, twenty feet square. On one side of it were -bunks similar to those in the other cave. While in the act of examining -it, Joe fancied he heard a footfall. Stopping a moment to listen, he -distinctly heard the sounds of stealthy footsteps. - -"'S-s-sh-h-h, boys! Some un's followin'!" - -At this startling statement the boys halted and turned round, to be -confronted by two forms hardly distinguishable in the surrounding gloom. -The pals gave a gasp of terror as the call peculiar to highwaymen smote -their ears and they faced two weapons, levelled point blank. - -"Hands up!" - -Candles are dropped in sheer fright in an eye-wink, and hands go up in -gross darkness. - - -The sun had just set as the four youths, in company with two men, -mounted their horses and took the track leading to Bullaroi. Strange to -say, the lads showed no signs of fear, nor were they bound with cords. - -"By jingo!" cried Tom, who had just put his horse at a big log and -cleared it in fine style, followed in order by Joe, Sandy, and Neville, -"this is the grandest outin' I've ever had!" - -"It's a' very weel," answered Mr. M'Intyre, who with Denny Kineavy had -been following the tracks of some strayed cattle which were making for -the ranges, and were passing the cliff opening while the cave explorers -were ringing the welkin with cheers, "but supposin' that instead o' us, -it 'd really been the bushrangers returnin' and catcht ye trespassin'? -What then, ma laddies?" - -This query raised visions of possibilities that sobered the vaulting -spirits of the pals for some brief moments. Very thankful were they in a -moment of reflection that they had been bailed up by a friendly enemy. - -"Heigho!" - -"What's matter, Joe?" - -"Fun's all over: measly school opens to-morrow!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVII* - - *A RESPITE* - - - "Ah! those were the days of youth's perfect spring, - When each wandering wind had a song to sing, - When the touch of care and the shade of woe - Were but empty words we could never know, - As we rode 'neath the gum and the box trees high, - And our idle laughter went floating by." - GEORGE ESSEX EVANS. - - -Joe little thought when making the melancholy statement, "measly school -opens to-morrow," how prophetic the utterance was. - -The first words that greeted the party on their return to the homestead -were: "School won't open for another three weeks; the town's full of -measles." - -The pals tried hard to look sober and concerned as Mrs. M'Intyre dilated -upon the nature of the epidemic. It was a vain attempt. To their credit -be it said, they were very poor hypocrites. Whatever sorrow they might -feel on account of their friends who were in the grip of the disease was -more than counterbalanced by the blissful intimation that, owing to the -epidemic which had unexpectedly broken out, the school authorities had -resolved, for at least three weeks, to keep the school closed. - -"There's no going home at present, boys. I wouldn't dream of letting -you return. I'll just write to your mothers to say I intend keeping you -here, unless they want you particularly. I feel sure they will be -thankful for your absence at such a time. So you'll have to make the -best of it, boys. Are you sorry?" - -"Well--er--of course--I'm a----" - -"Yes--a--of course--you're--a--shedding tears at the thought of staying -here another fortnight or so--aren't you, Joe? You and Tom do look as -miserable as moulting fowls in wet weather at the bare thought of -holiday extension." - -The lads burst out laughing at Jessie's sally, and declared that it was -the crummiest news they had received during the holidays. - -"That's a' very weel, and ye needna fash, laddies, that you'll ootwear -your welcome. But here's some news that may no' be so pleasant," said -the squatter, who had been busy with his mail. "Here's a letter frae -Inspector Garvie to say that Ben Bolt and his mate are in the deestric' -again. He stuck up Dirrilbandie Station three days ago, drivin' a' the -hands aboot the homesteed, along wi' Wilson and his faimily, into ane o' -the men's huts, in which they were held by his youthfu' confederate -while he ransacked the place." - -"Oh! the poor Wilsons! Did he hurt any of them? and did he get much?" - -In reply to a fusillade of questions from the excited household, -M'Intyre stated that though Ben Bolt was in one of his black humours, -was in fact on the point of shooting one of the men for cheeking his -mate, and was only dissuaded from this atrocity by the pleading of Mrs. -Wilson, no one was injured. He had taken a considerable amount of loot, -however, in the shape of jewellery; also a pair of new improved -revolvers, as well as three horses, one of them being Wilson's handsome -chestnut gelding, the finest hack in the district, and for which he had -a short time previously refused seventy pounds from the police -authorities. - -There had been an outcry against the Government for not having provided -a better class of mount for the troopers. Again and again the schemes -of the police to capture the bushrangers in various parts of the colony -failed, chiefly because they were out-classed in horse-flesh. A tardy -Government, aroused at last to action by the clamour of the people, was -doing its best to remedy this unequal condition. - -"I suppose, sir, the police are in full chase of the desperadoes?" - -"They're doin' their best, ye may be sure, Mr. Neville. Garvie has two -pairties oot scoorin' the country, and is holdin' himsel' in readiness -to move to ony pint at a moment's notice. As the scoondrels hae cut the -Walcha telegraph line, the presumption is they will be raidin' the -place, and Sergeant Hennessey is following up with the utmost speed. -The Sub wants the loan o' Jacky or Willy, or both, as trackers, and to -let him ken at aince should there be ony signs o' them on Bullaroi, -'specially aboot the caves." - -"Are you goin' to lend him the boys, father?" - -"Weel, it's very awkward, but I'll hae to assist the coorse o' juistice -when ca'd upon. We maun dae oor pairt to catch the rascals." - -"Suppose you _had_ tumbled across the 'rangers in the caves, boys?" - -"Well! an' s'p'osin' we had, Miss Jessie?" replied Tom, whose answer in -tone and query suggested unspeakably bad things for the outlaws had they -been unfortunate enough to meet the cave heroes. - -"Let me pit ye a sum in arithmeetic, Thomas, ma laddie; juist a sma' sum -in proportion. If twa stock wheep hondles, pinted at fowr cave -explorers, each wi' a lighted candle in his hand, would cause the said -candles to drop to the flure and fowr pair o' hands to go up like a toy -acrobat when ye pu' the strings, what attitudes would the aforesaid -explorers strike if a pair o' rale loaded peestols had been presented?" - -"Tom is always a duffer at proportion," interjected Joe laughingly. "He -has a trick of givin' answers that make Simpson sit up. To tell you the -truth, sir, I don't think that the real article could have given us a -greater shock. Speaking for myself, I confess that I've never had so -bad an attack of the shakes before. My skin went goosey in a moment, -an' my hair stood up like a hedgehog's spikes. I couldn't 'a' said a -word for a hatful of sovereigns. You see, sir, _it was all very real to -us for the moment_, and none of the others felt any better than myself, -I bet tuppence." - -"Joe's quite right, sir. I had a most dreadful feeling as we stood -there in the black darkness. It seemed as if a vast abyss had suddenly -engulfed us and we were sinking to fathomless depths." - -"I'll back up Joe and Mr. Neville, dad. My word, when you spoke, it was -as if some one had suddenly pulled me out of a dreadful nightmare." - - -The pals went to bed early, as they were tired out after the unwonted -exertions of the day, but not to sleep. They were too excited for that. - -"I say, chaps," exclaimed Sandy, jumping out of bed after he had tossed -about for a few minutes, dragging his stretcher alongside the bigger -bed, "let's settle what we're goin' to do." - -"Was just thinking of doin' a sleep, Master M'Intyre, when you commenced -to drag the jolly stretcher with enough noise to wake the seven -sleepers. An' as for ole Tom, I fancied I heard a snore comin' through -a hole in his pumpkin----" - -"Pumpkin yourself, Blain. I'm as wide awake as you, or that grinnin' -ape Sandy." - -"How d'yer know I'm grinnin'?" - -"'Cause I can see your jolly teeth shinin' in the dark. But I say, ole -chap, I'm on for a confab. Ouch! my legs _are_ stiff. Wish I'd taken -that hot bath your mother advised. Whatcher got in your ole noddle?" - -"Something big, mates, but the difficulty will be with mother. You see, -now ole Ben's prowlin' about, mother'll be hard to persuade." - -"Well, tell us what's up your sleeve; we can discuss ways an' means -after." - -"It's this: go on a campin' trip to the Bay, where there's grand -fishin'; then go out to the gold-diggin's, an' put in a couple o' days -with the fossikers." - -"Jemima! that'd be no end of a prime lark! It'd top off our stay here, -wouldn't it, Tom?" - -"Susan Jane! it would that, Joe. My word, it'd be a scrumptious finish! -but what charnce would we have of carrying it out?" - -"I don't think that either your Jemima or Susan Jane'll have much to do -with it. Mother'll be the chief obstacle." - -"What about a tent, Sandy? We'd have to get one, wouldn't we?" - -"There'll be no trouble about that part of the business. There's a big -drover's tent in the harness-room; 'sides, Harry has a small one he'd -lend if necessary. Lemme see: what _would_ we want? First an' -foremost, a tent or tents, an' a packhorse to carry 'em an' the other -things. Then plenty o' prog, o' course: fishing lines--there's tip-top -schnapper-fishin' down the Bay, to say nothin' of jew, bream, an' -whitin'. Then, the guns--we ought to get some good shootin'; both fur -an' feather." - -"A fryin'-pan and a camp-oven 'ud come in handy, pannikins too, and some -tin plates." - -"Yes, yes, we'll need those; at any rate, the fryin'-pan for the fish. -Don't think there'll be any need to bother about a camp-oven: it's a -plaguey thing to carry; we wouldn't use it 'cept for bread, an' we can -make plenty of damper in the ashes. But I'll tell you what we must -have, an' that's a couple o' small barrels an' a good few pounds o' -salt." - -"Why, what for?" - -"Fish. We'll be down at the Bay pretty near a week, I reckon; an' as -we'll catch whips o' fish, it'd be a fine chance to dry some, an' salt -some as well. Mother's got two good barrels that hold about -half-a-hundred-weight each; they're salmon casks. The salmon's all -used, an' I reckon schnapper is as good as salmon any day. That reminds -me we'll want three or four sheath-knives; they'll come in handy for -scalin' an' splittin' the fish." - -"I say, Sandy, when'll we start?" - -"Start! Ah--well--we'll talk about that when we get leave--which, let -me tell you, is pretty doubtful. 'Twouldn't take long to get ready once -we have permission: a day at most. I declare I'm gettin' sleepy. -Good-night, chaps." - -The boys opened at short range during the breakfast hour the next -morning. In other words, they pled most vigorously for permission to -camp out for a week or so, according to the programme concocted the -night previously. The chief objection lay in the reappearance of Ben -Bolt in the district. It was all in vain that the boys insisted that -even were the redoubtable 'ranger to visit their camp, which was most -unlikely--he would not harm them: would, in fact, have no interest in -bailing up a parcel of boys. Mr. M'Intyre showed palpable signs of -yielding, and had it been left to him would have granted a reluctant -permission. The insurmountable barrier, as indeed the boys knew -beforehand, lay in Mrs. Mac's excessive fear. She held the fort, so to -speak, against all comers. - -"I'm more sorry than I can tell you, boys, to say no, but nothing you -could say would alter my mind. Neither Joe's mother nor Tom's would -dream of letting them go camping out while those dreadful men are -about." - -The pals felt the reasonableness of the refusal, and showed not a -flicker of resentment, though of course their disappointment was keen. - -"I say, chaps, let's put in the mornin' fishin'," suggested Joe. - -The vote was unanimous, and in a few minutes, armed with rods and lines -and a tomahawk--the latter for use in cutting grubs out of the -honeysuckle trees--the boys were _en route_ to some of the deep pools in -the creek. They had a really good time with some giant perch. The -dangling grubs formed an irresistible lure to these voracious denizens -of the water-holes, and the fishermen had no reason to grumble at the -result. On their return home to lunch they were dumbfounded with the -news shouted out by Denny as soon as they were within speaking distance, -"Owld Ben's dead!--shot by the p'lice in th' ranges." - -The whole household was greatly excited by the news, which had been -brought by a stockman from Captain White's station. There seemed no -reason to doubt the intelligence, which had come via the "bush -telegraph." Hennessey's lot had picked up the 'rangers' tracks and -partly surprised them in the mountains. The outlaws promptly but barely -succeeded in getting away. They gradually drew away, however, from all -save the Sergeant, who was on a new mount--one of the Tocal noted -breed--which proved to be a "ringer." - -The leader and his companion, who was a light weight, tried every dodge -to shake off the pursuit, and in this they were past masters; but they -had to reckon with Hennessey, who was one of the finest troopers in the -force--as dare-devil a rider as Ben Bolt himself. - -After some marvellous riding among the ravines and tangled mountain -scrub--during which a few long-range shots had been exchanged--Hennessey -began to draw upon the outlaws. Even that equine magician, Samson, was -reaching his limits. The capture of this illusive freebooter seemed now -a certainty, could the Sergeant hold out another ten minutes. - -He was now within a hundred yards of his man. He lagged a little behind -his youthful mate, who was riding the chestnut gelding looted from -Wilson's station. Had he wished he could have shot the 'ranger down; -but being extremely anxious to capture him alive for the bigger reward, -he refrained. The only advantage Ben Bolt possessed was an intimate -knowledge of the ground, by which he often gained a bit. They were now -racing up a steep ravine which presently terminated abruptly at a -precipice. Down this the outlaws apparently flung themselves; or so it -appeared to Hennessey. - -Arriving at the spot a few seconds later, the trooper perceived a -winding, narrow pass. He was a stranger to the precipitous track, but -both the bushrangers and their horses were familiar with it, for they -slithered and scrambled down at breakneck speed: a single stumble, and -man and horse would inevitably be dashed to pieces. In vain did the -gallant Sergeant spur his steed towards the pass. His horse resolutely -refused to face it. His chances of capture are fast diminishing to a -vanishing point, as in a few minutes his prize will have escaped. - -The outlaws have now reached the comparatively even ground below, -distant about five hundred yards from where the trooper stood gnashing -his teeth in rage, and praying that they might break their necks before -they reach the bottom. Fortune favoured them, however, and they might -have made good their escape without further trouble. But, instead of -galloping off to safe cover, they reined up their steeds, while Ben -Bolt, standing in his stirrups, shouted at the top of his voice an -insulting message for the Sub-Inspector, making at the same time an -ironical bow. - -While this little piece of comedy was being enacted, and just as the -bushranger was in the act of bowing, the Sergeant had dismounted. -Swiftly throwing his rifle to his shoulder and adjusting his sights in -an eye wink, he made a hasty but true shot. The outlaw had not finished -his bow ere he toppled from his steed and lay prone, shot through the -heart. - -Such was the news brought by the stockman, and accepted by the station -folk. - -"Weel, it was bound to come sooner or later. It's what happens to a' -law-breakers--simply the choice of bullet or rope. It's no' for us to -ca' the unfortunate and misguided mon names. If a's true, he suffered a -grave injuistice at the hands o' the police when but a youth, which -embittered his whole life an' gave a moral twist to his actions. We -maun leave him to Ane above wha mak's nae mis-judgments." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVIII* - - *THE CAMP BY THE SEA* - - - "Bright skies of summer o'er the deep, - And soft salt air along the land, - The blue wave, lisping in its sleep, - Sinks gently on the yellow sand; - And grey-winged seagulls slowly sweep - O'er scattered bush and white-limbed tree, - Where the red cliffs like bastions stand - To front the salvos of the sea, - Now lulled by its own melody." - GEORGE ESSEX EVANS. - - -"And now, boys, what about the camping-out project? I see no reason why -you shouldn't carry out your little plan, now all danger's removed; -indeed, I should love you to have the jaunt. Who were going?" - -The boys could hardly believe the good news, it was so sudden. - -"Us three, and Denny, if father could spare him, mother," was Sandy's -remark. - -"Oh, ye can tak' the laddie. He's due for a holiday, onyway. So's -Harry, for that matter. I can do wi'oot 'em for a spell." - -Harry was nothing loth, and entered into the scheme with considerable -enthusiasm. As an old bushman he was able to give good advice in the -matter of camping-out requirements, and was later to render signal -service by which a life was saved. - -Behold the party, early the next morning, accoutred and ready for the -road; making, as they held their steeds, quite an imposing cavalcade. -Two stout roadsters were requisitioned for packing purposes; for the -maternal solicitude of Mrs. Mac was both prolific and varied, judged by -the articles of food and service which she forced upon the travellers. - -The squatter's pawky humour found ample scope for indulgence. He -expressed a hope that "the pairty would keep a guid look oot for traces -o' the lost Leichhardt expeedetion; and look oot for alleegaitors when -ye strike the Gulf o' Carpeentairia." - -The girls, too, indulged in good-humoured banter, raising hearty laughs -against the boys, in which the victims joined as lustily as any. - -Said Maggie, striking a grandmotherly attitude, "There are three things -I would warn you against, boys; damp socks, draughts, and earwigs. -Don't leave out the flour when mixing the damper. Have you packed the -tape measure, Sandy?" - -"Tape measure! What in the name of Madge Wildfire do you mean?" - -"Why," cried Jessie, breaking in, "to measure the giant jew fish that -will snap Joe's line as he is in the very act of landing it." - -"Whatcher givin' us, Jess?" - -"It will also come in handy," continued the saucy girl, turning on Tom, -"to record the girth, length, and throat capacity of the monster snake -that you, Tom, are sure to see when roaming alone in the scrub." - -"That's one for your nob, Tom!" - -"Your turn next, Sandy," retorted that youth. - -"Then there's the 'old-man' kangaroo that me brither Sandy will shoot -at, missing by 'just an hair's-breadth,' of course, and which he will -declare--when he returns to camp--to be as 'high as one of those extinct -mammals that Simpson has in his natural history book'; at any rate as -'big as Bullocky Bill's off side poler.'" - -"But, Miss Jessie, how wud th' bhoys put th' measure on th'----?" - -"As for Dennis Kineavy," continued the sprite, "he will be sure to run -into a group of mermaa-des, when diving in the deep blue sa-ay, who will -be discussing the all-important question of waist measurement. As -Denny's an expert in fairies and hobgoblins, he will be appointed judge -and referee." - -So, amid laughter and banter, and final good-byes, the gay party start -for the Bay. - -Neville was prevented from joining them through important business -interests in Sydney. The "call" of the bush, however, was strong and -insistent, and, as he bade farewell, he announced his determination of -returning at no long date to settle as a landholder. - -The road to the Bay passed within a short distance of the caves, and, -despite the news of the tragic end of Ben Bolt, the lads, as they jogged -past the neighbourhood, were unable to rid themselves of a feeling that -the outlaw still lurked about his old haunt, and felt relieved when they -had left this region behind them. - -The journey to the Bay proved uneventful save in one particular. In -mounting a very steep incline, the cinch strap, that formed the final -fastening of the pack on one of the animals, broke, whereupon the -pack-saddle, being loosely girthed, worked backwards. Some of the -contents, also, fell to the ground, frightening the horse, who bolted -along the road, parting with sundry utensils and eatables, which lined -the track for some distance at irregular intervals. The frightened -steed was at length secured, the wreckage gathered and replaced--this -time more securely--and the journey resumed. - -The Bay is reached without further mishap or adventure. After coasting -it for some little space the party cast anchor, in seamen's parlance, on -a miniature promontory which jutted for a furlong or so into the waters -of the Bay, forming a grassy, treeless plateau throughout its area. The -advantage of this site was apparent to the group of campers, inasmuch as -the foreshores of the Bay were covered for the most part with a stunted -scrub that extended to the beach. The advantage was twofold: it -obviated the necessity of clearing a space for the tents, and it was -comparatively free from bush vermin. - -To the southern part of the Bay, distant some six miles, was the Pilot -Station; while towards the northern extremity, where a large creek -debouched into the sea, was a camp of cedar-getters. Otherwise, in its -shore vicinity, the Bay was uninhabited. - -Two hours of daylight yet remained, and the members of the party made -instant preparation for pitching camp. The necessary tent poles and pegs -were speedily secured from the neighbouring scrub, and, under the -direction of the experienced stockman, willing hands are busily engaged -in the erection. - -The bigger tent was set upon a ridge pole that rested in the forks of -two upright saplings which had been firmly fixed in the ground. When -the requisite number of pegs had been hammered into the ground, the tent -was hauled taut by cords passed through eyelet holes at intervals along -each side, and about thirty inches from the bottom. This under section -of the tent assumed a perpendicular position, forming the walls, which -were secured by the same method. This formed the pals' cover, while the -smaller tent sufficed for the other two. A rough shed formed of four -uprights, with a brushwood roof, held the provisions and saddles. - -So expeditiously were all these arrangements made that ere the darkness -fell they were completed, and Denny--who was promoted to the responsible -position of cook--was building a fire for tea-making purposes. Meanwhile -the horses were led to a small, freshwater lagoon in the vicinity, where -they were belled and short-hobbled, and left to browse on the succulent -grass. The last act of preparation was that of cutting a quantity of -gum bushes for bedding. No sweeter or healthier bed can be contrived -than a layer of fragrant eucalyptus leaves. The beds had scarcely been -made ere the welcome summons to supper came, in the Irish boy's best -brogue: "Jintilmen, will yees come to ta-ay?" - -There is a charm peculiar to an evening meal taken in the open. The -charm is heightened in the present instance by the contiguity of the -sea. The youths dine to the musical accompaniment of the rolling waves, -which strike the beach in deep, muffled thunder-tone, rising crescendo -fashion as they race to a finish along the shelly incline. Then, -landward, are the insistent noises of the things of the forest. Ever -and anon the soft tinkle-tinkle of "The horse-bell's melody remote" is -to be heard as the cropping animals move over the lush grass. The -illimitable dome above is alive with sparkling lights. Thus an -environment is created which gives a sacramental aspect to the feast. -At least it forms a romantic picture which centres in the fire-lit faces -of the happy, care-free youths. - -Supper ended, they eagerly discuss their projects, the while they clean -their guns and fix the fishing tackle. - -On the morn, at earliest dawn, they will try likely spots for fish, and -have a swim in the briny. And now the slow movements of the tongue, -with frequent yawns, proclaim the nightly toll which nature is wont to -exact. - -Ere the pale dawn is flushed the pals, sleep banished, half-dressed, -tongues wagging, trudge along the beach to the rocky point of the -promontory, stopping here and there at likely places to dig in the sand -for whelks, which make capital bait. The water is fairly deep where the -nose of the promontory marks the terminal point, and soon lines are -unwound, hooks are baited, and practised hands fling the lead-weighted -hempen cords far into the Bay. Fair success rewards their efforts. -Sandy's line hardly reached the bottom ere he experienced the delightful -thrill of a fierce tug, followed by a smart, strong rush which betokened -a good fish. After a few minutes' play he landed a fine specimen of -black bream, scaling over two pounds. - -Sandy and Tom had varying luck with black and white bream, and -flat-head. Joe, however, was out of it. He did, indeed, have a gigantic -bite soon after Sandy had captured his first fish. The line whizzed -through his fingers with a rush that skinned them as he began to take a -pull. When the line had reached its limit it snapped like a piece of -pack-thread. The biter was either a young shark or a big jew fish. -After this no fish troubled the boy. His mates struck their fish at -frequent intervals, while his line remained motionless. After a time he -wound up and left his companions. Retracing his steps some distance -along the beach, he halted at a shelving rock that ran out into the -water. It looked a likely spot, and he determined to try with a lighter -line than the one he had been using. Baiting his hook with a soldier -crab, he made a cast, and almost immediately had a bite, hauling in a -black-back whiting. It was a good specimen, weighing at least a pound. -He had good sport for about half an hour, catching in all about a dozen -whiting and half a dozen soles. - -The sport began to slacken about an hour after sunrise, and the pals, -having captured sufficient for the day's requirement, set to work and -cleaned their catches. This task finished, they have a plunge in the -sparkling and cool waters of the Bay. - -Meanwhile Harry attended to the horses, and did little jobs about the -camp, whilst Denny devoted his attention to the preparation of the -breakfast. The lads returned in due course with the spoils of the sea, -and with appetites as keen as a razor. In a few minutes the pan is full -of sizzling fish, which are presently transferred to a hot dish, and the -pan is filled with a fresh lot. - -"Goin' to try 'nuther panful, Denny?" said Tom, when the second lot had -been demolished. - -"Anuther pan! Howly Moses! div yees hear him! Och, thin, me bhoy, ye'd -soon rise th' price ov fish. Not anuther scrap will Oi cook f'r yees. -Oi've kep' th' rest f'r dinner? Sure, if we go on loike this 'twill be -Fridah ivry da'; glory be!" - -The morning was devoted to a go-as-you-please programme, in which there -was much disporting in the water; even the juvenile pastime of building -castles in the sand was not considered _infra dig_. - -In the afternoon the whole party set out for Schnapper Point. It was on -this spot that the fond expectations of the lads were centred. It was -reputed to be the best fishing ground in the extensive Bay, and owed its -name to the fact that school-schnapper frequented its vicinity. A -schnapper trip--taken as a rule in a small steamer--is voted one of the -finest outings by Australian sportsmen. This highly prized fish, be it -said, is known variously, according to its age and changing habits. It -often attains large dimensions, weighing up to thirty pounds. - -None of the party had previously visited the Point. Their great concern -was to find out if suitable bait could be procured in its neighbourhood. -The principal bait was a small species of whiting. These, they -discovered, were to be obtained without much trouble on shelly patches -along the beach. - -Early next morning the campers are astir, and busily engaged in -necessary preparations. After a hearty breakfast, in which the corned -round and the spiced beef are conspicuous features, behold the young -sports jogging along the beach towards Schnapper Point. A stoppage is -made at the whiting patch, where the fishermen are kept going for an -hour with very fine lines. By this time they have secured about two -hundred small fish as bait. - -And now, having arrived at the fishing ground, leaving Harry and Denny -to attend to the horses, the pals, all eager for the promised sport, -unwind their heavy schnapper lines, and prepare for the catch. - -It was agreed that the boys were to fish, while Harry, who voted fishing -a bore, and was devoted to the gun, would scour the adjacent scrub for -birds, and the forest beyond for kangaroo; Denny having promised the -boys a "foine boilin'" of kangaroo-tail soup. To quote the actual words -in which he preferred his request--"If Harry wud shute wan iv thim -fellas as hops wid their ta-ales, and carries their childre in their -pockets,[#] Oi, wud ma-ake sich a soup as niver was." - - -[#] The natural pouch of the marsupial for bearing its young. - - -The shooter, armed with a fowling-piece and a short rifle, after -attending to the horses, disappeared in the scrub in search of game. -Meanwhile the fishers, having cast their lines, assume an expectant -attitude. - -To their great disappointment there are no bites; not even the -stimulating nibble. The patience of these amateurs is sorely tried. A -whole hour passes without the slightest sensation of a bite. Lines are -cast and recast. The fishermen move to and fro, to no useful purpose. - -"Well, of all the rotten frauds of places for fishin', this takes the -bun! Dash it! we'd better have stayed at the camp an' fished there. At -least we'd----" - -"Howld yer whisht, bhoys!" said Denny in an excited whisper. "Oi'm jist -goin' to git a boite; th' line's thrimblin' sure. Faith 'tis a Dutchman -smellin' the ray-shons, Oi'm thinkin'." - -"It's not a schnapper, if that's what you mean by a Dutchman. No -nibblin' about a schnapper, Denny. More likely a crab." - -"By Saint Michael! Joe, div yes call that a crab? Be dad, thin, it's a -big sa-ay whale, or maybe one iv thim mare-mades Miss Jassie warned me -aginst. Be th' hokey, th' loine's cuttin' me fingers!" - -The line, which for a minute or two had given faint twitches, and a few -premonitory shakes, now suddenly whizzed through the Irish boy's -fingers. - -"Take a pull on her, an' steady her!" cried Sandy. "You'll lose fish an' -line, too, if you're not mighty smart." - -Denny thereupon made a "brake" of his fingers, which steadied the fish -after it had run out about fifty yards or so of the line. He began to -haul it as if it were attached to a sulky calf. The fish was a heavy -one, and a fighter; but what Denny lacked in skill he made up in -strength. Fortunately for the angler the line was stout and new, or it -would surely have snapped in the struggle. By sheer strength the fish -is drawn to land. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIX* - - *AT THE MERCY OF THE SEA-TIGER: - A NARROW SHAVE* - - -The pals watched the seaman-like efforts of Denny to land his "sa-ay -whale," or "mare-made," with great curiosity. - -"It's no schnapper, unless, maybe, a real boss 'un. More like a young -shark," was the remark passed by Joe. - -Their curiosity is soon satisfied; the fish is now in the shallows, and -the next moment is drawn to the water's brink. Denny has landed a -monster sting-ray. - -It was the first of the kind the Irish boy had ever seen, and, as he -pulled the struggling ray into the shallows and exposed its body, he was -struck mute for a few seconds with astonishment, and not a little alarm, -at its uncanny appearance. Dropping his line in the excitement, he half -turned to the boys, and, pointing to the floundering fish, exclaimed, -"Begorrah! 'tis th' div-vil himsilf. Saints presarve us, but if yen's -not he'es ta-ale! Or, ma'be 'tis th' dhragon phwat Father Daly towld us -about at Mass larsht Sun-day." - -"He'll be a drag-off in a moment," cried Joe, making a clutch at the -line, for the brute was wriggling into the deeper water. The next -minute the ray was smacking the earth with his flappers, and whipping it -with his tail. - -"Phwat be th' crathure, anny ways, Sahndy?" - -"It's a stingaree, Denny. Mind you don't touch its tail, or you will -find out to your cost that it's the dragon, black angel, an' 'th' owld -bhoy,' all mixed up like an Irish stew. Run for the tommy, an' we'll -whip it off." - -"And does it bite wid its ta-ale loike a schn-ake, bhoys?" - -"No, you precious duffer! it's got a spike near the tip that it rams -into you like a needle, an' then look out! Yellow Billy trod on one once -when he was havin' a bogey down below Tareela, in the river--they make a -hole in the mud an' lie there--an', by jings! he was ravin' mad in -twenty minutes. The doctor had to shove a syringe into his arm, and -squirt laudnaum, or somethin', to quiet him down. There!" flourishing -the tomahawk, "that's off, clean as a whistle!" - -"My word!" continued Sandy, a moment later, "we'll keep the tail for -Harry. He promised Bill Evans, the jockey, to get one for him if he -could. He's goin' to ride White's horse at the Armidale races, an' he's -the laziest o' mokes he reckons. Bill says it'll be only by sheer -floggin' that he'll fetch him along. Says if he only had a -stingaree-tail whip[#] he could do the trick." - - -[#] The sting-ray tail is sometimes used for this purpose. It is a cruel -instrument of flagellation in the hands of an unfeeling rider. - - -"This is not schnapper fishin'," interjected Joe. "My word! the -stingaree'll make stunnin' bait. Put a bit on your hook, Denny, it may -entice 'em." - -Sandy cut off a slice from the flapper and baited Denny's hook with it. -The line had hardly reached the bottom ere it was seized by a fish--a -monster. The fish did not rush, he bored; the resistance was of a -sullen nature. Joe came to Denny's help, and between them they drew the -fish to land. It proved to be a huge rock cod, or groper, as it is more -commonly called, scaling close upon a hundredweight. - -"A jolly groper, by dad! We're in luck all right," exclaimed Tom. -"We'll have groper steak for supper to-night; besides, we can pickle one -half of this cove and dry the other." - -Their luck had changed in more respects than one. The ray and the -groper seemed to be avants courier for the school-schnapper, which now -began to bite freely. - -For the next two hours the boys were kept well employed, landing near -upon forty fish, varying from three to twelve pounds in weight. The -tide now began to ebb, and after that there were no more bites. It was -just as well, for by this time they had caught as many fish as they -could cure. Counting the groper, they had nigh upon three -hundredweight. The weight of these when scaled and cleaned would be -reduced by at least one-fourth, leaving about two hundred and fifty -pounds of choice fish. - -"What's bes' thing to do now, Joe?" - -"W-e-l-l--er--I dunno. Oh, I say, how'd a jolly swim go down?" - -"Spiffin'! A swim, a feed, an' then start cleanin' the fish an' gettin' -'em ready for smokin' an' saltin'. 'Bout noon I reckon it is." - -"Come on, Denny," cried Joe, as they walked down to a sloping beach a -little back from the Point; "come an' have a dip in the briny." - -"Bedad, thin, that same will Oi not. 'Twu'd be threadin' on wan iv -these stinkin'-rays Oi'd be. Oi can seem to feel th' brute's dirty -pisen fangs already in me leg. No, no, thanks be, Oi'm not takin' th' -wather tra-atement at prisint. Oi'll go an' start the foire so as to be -ready f'r yees; that is, if th' sharks div not ma-ake mince-ma-ate of -yees." - -Was it a premonition which caused a cold, tingling thrill to run along -Joe's nervous system, from tip to toe; to be followed by the creeps, -which made goose-flesh of his smooth skin? Disagreeable as the -sensation is to the lad for the time, it lasts but for a moment, and in -less than no time, so to speak, he is revelling in the glories of the -crisp, emerald-tinted wavelets of the Bay. - -It should be stated that Schnapper Point did not extend into the Bay at -right angles to the beach. It inclined northward, and at the spot where -the boys were bathing was not more than two hundred yards from the -beach. - -"Say, chaps," shouted Joe, who was some distance out, "I'm going to swim -over to the main beach." - -So saying, he swam slowly towards the other side, enjoying to its -fullest extent the luxury of the exercise. He had covered about a third -of the distance when he heard a great commotion behind him. - -Denny, who had been attending to the fire, had his attention attracted -by a moving object in the sea. Gazing intently thereon for a moment, he -left his occupation and ran swiftly towards the boys. - -"Look, bhoys! look at that gra-ate fish sa-alin' in forninst the Point. -Troth, it's a monsther groper, Oi'm thinkin'! Glory! but he'es a -gra-ate big bullock-groper!" - -So saying, Denny came towards the boys with a puzzled air, as though his -description of the object to which he was pointing did not exactly -determine its species. - -"Whereaway, Denny?" exclaimed Sandy, who was paddling in the surf, -standing up and gazing in the direction indicated. "A bullock-groper. -That's a new creature surely. Never heard----Hello! why, it's a---- Hi, -hi! Joe! Joe!" shouted the lad in a wildly excited state. "Joe, -there's a big shark roundin' the Point an' coming this way. Come back, -quick! quick!" - -Joe, who was almost on a level with the water, was unable to locate the -enemy as quickly as the others. It was not until he began to tread -water that his eye caught the moving object. In a flash he realised his -danger, for it was a large tiger-shark, the man-eater of the sea. Not -even the man-eater of the jungle, roused through the blood-lust to a -killing frenzy, could be more merciless to his victim than this -cold-blooded, pitiless, silent tiger of the seas. - -Terrible as was the shock, his courage survived. He conned the -situation, and formed his judgment in a moment. The shark was eighty -yards or so above him, swimming parallel with Schnapper Point beach, and -within thirty yards or so of it. As far as he could judge the fish was -ignorant of his presence, but were he to return to his companions he -could not expect to escape its vigilant eyes; would be crossing its bow, -so to speak; and, were it in an attacking mood, would not have the ghost -of a show. - -His only hope of escape lay in keeping along his course, getting to the -farther shore in the smallest number of minutes possible. All this -cogitation did not cover twenty seconds, and the boy resumed his swim -with the utmost vigour. - -Had not something happened to divert the shark from its course nothing -alarming would have occurred, for Joe was rapidly widening the distance, -and every stroke was improving his chances. The boys on shore, with the -hope of frightening the monster away altogether, began to make a great -clatter; pelting the shark at the same time. No more fatal policy could -have been adopted. The only result of their tactics was to divert the -shark from its course, and to drive it out in the direction of their -comrade. - -Almost as soon as the brute's course was changed it sighted the swimmer. -This it indicated by giving two or three strong strokes with its -powerful tail, and gliding at a rapid rate in the wake of the lad. Joe -was made acquainted with this change of course by the frantic cries of -his mates. Throwing his head over his shoulder for a moment, he saw the -shark heading directly for him. He knew in that moment that unless the -miraculous happened his hours were numbered, and in a few seconds--or -minutes at most--his body would be mangled by this pitiless sea-tiger. -Yet, although this terrible result appeared an absolute certainty to the -fleeing youth, he did not lose his head, but swam with a strong and -steady stroke. There is such a thing as hoping against hope. He would -not surrender life; it must be torn from him. Joe's home upbringing, -with his father's daily chapter and prayer, sent his thoughts -heavenwards in this his moment of extreme peril: "What time I am afraid -I will put my trust in Thee." - -Here was the situation. Joe was about sixty yards from the beach, while -the relentless pursuer was within thirty yards of him. His mates were -powerless to aid him, and were racing round to the spot where he -intended to land as swiftly as their legs could carry them. - -The shark glided within a few yards of the lad, and then swam round him, -while conning him. This the boy felt to be simply the preliminary, yet -every stroke was taking him nearer the shore. The water should be even -now shoaling. Might he dare to sound it? But, alas! the enemy seems to -understand this, and gives a cunning look as it half-raises its body -from the water, and scrutinises its helpless victim preparatory to -making its final swoop. - -"God help me!" cries the youth, with a dry sob; his last moment has -come. In that supreme moment--as in the case of drowning men--the whole -past came before him. Home, parents, sisters, brothers, pals! There, -almost within arm's-length, is his merciless foe; while there is still -quite a stretch of water between him and the beach. - -The great, cold-blooded, insatiable fish is poised for the final spring. -A single second now, and---- - -Instead of falling upon its victim, the huge brute lashed the water into -foam, and swam round and round in a circle. What had really happened -Joe knew not. He no longer swam shorewards, but, half stupefied, watched -the "flurries" of the frenzied fish as it lashed the water in rage or -pain. - -Then he heard a great splashing shorewards, and a voice shouting -encouraging words. Turning in that direction, the boy beheld, with -unutterable joy, Harry, rifle in hand, rushing through the water to him. -In a few seconds the stockman is abreast Joe, the water being only up to -his arm-pits. Pointing the rifle at the fish, which was circling in -blind fashion, but a few yards off, the rifleman--for it was he, under -God, who worked the miracle--drove a bullet through the shark's brain. - -"My word! 'twas a touch-and-go, old feller!" exclaimed the man, as he -put an arm round the boy--who had, in a sense, collapsed--and drew him -to the shore. "There now, Joey, me brave boy. Y're all right, ain't -ye? Y're not the chap ter faint, I know. Here's the others," as the -rest dashed up, breathless; the Irish boy fairly crying with excitement. - -They could do nothing for a while but look at Joe as he sat leaning -against a mangrove--where Harry had placed him--making a brave but weak -effort to smile. The reaction had set in, and the boy felt it was only -by the most resolute exercise of his will that he kept from swooning. - -Tom, who was blowing like the proverbial grampus, stuttered at last: -"Let's m-make tr-racks h-home, b-boys. I-I'd rather be b-b-bailed up by -a thousand 'r-rangers, than w-w-w-one of th-hose sea-devils. Oh! the -sight of the m-monster as he r-rose to make a d-dive at p-poor Joe! -Y-yes, let's c-clear." - -"Clear, be hanged! What are you drivelling about, you jolly idiot?" It -was just the tonic Joe needed. "We're not goin' to let a thing like this -spoil our sport, not by a long shot. I'm all right. Was a bit knocked -out for a few minutes, I will confess. Tell you what, boys; I'll never -be nearer death till my last moment comes. That I am alive is due, -first to God, an' then to ole Harry, here. 'Twas a great shot, that -first one of yours. 'Nother second later an' 'twould have been too -late. Ugh! don't believe I'll ever get the green glitter of the thing's -eyes outer my mind. Tell you what, I'll jolly well punch the first cove -that hints at goin' home. I vote we go back an' scale an' gut the jolly -fish." - -"Bedad, thin, it's a plucky wan y'are, Joe, me bhoy! Y're th' mahn f'r -me money ivry toime. But, ye'll not do a sthroke iv wark till yees have -a feed. Faith, Oi'll do a sthreak an' get th' billy boilin' f'r a -pipin' hot cup o' tay. It's what we all want; Joe in particular." -Suiting his action to the word, the cook strode off in quick time to -prepare the lunch. - -Meanwhile the dead shark had drifted into the shallows until it stranded -on the beach. The party now made a closer examination of the brute. -The first shot, fired from the bank as the creature raised itself, had -caught it in the throat; the second passed through the eye to the brain. - -"Why, it's a tiger-shark!" exclaimed Harry; "twelve foot if he's an -inch. Thought 'twas a blue-nose at fust; they're bad enough, but this -joker's the worst kind that swims the sea. My word, Joe, it'd been all -U P if this chap'd once got 'is teeth intil yer." - -"Budgeree, budgeree, you bin shootem shark? Him murry bad p-feller. -Catchem plendy black p-feller; eaten. This p-feller live longa Point -plendy years." - -[Illustration: "The huge brute lashed the water into foam, and swam -round and round in a circle."--_See p._ 271.] - -The group, which had been intently gazing at the carcass, turned round -in a startled manner on bearing these guttural sounds. Immediately -behind them was a cluster of aboriginals, five in number, who had stolen -silently upon the scene. - -"Hello, Cock-eye! that you?" cried Harry, as he surveyed the blacks. -"Where you bin sittin' down, eh?" - -"Cedar Crik. We bin come longa here get fis' for choppers." - -"Oh, the timber-getters, hey! Well, you seem ter know this ole boss. -You bin see 'im afore?" - -"Plendy times. Bin often try catch 'im. He kill-ee mine sister. He -too much lika dingo; no take bait." - -"Well, you can git even with this joker, Cock-eye. He eat your people; -now you chaps gobble 'im up." - -The blacks are inordinately fond of shark's flesh, and--cannibal as this -sea-tiger is--no question of sentiment may stand between these primitive -men and a gorge. - -"I say, Harry, cut that dorsal fin off for me, there's a good man, -before these niggers tackle it. I'd like to keep that." - -After a considerable amount of hacking, the stockman managed to separate -the fin, and, leaving the blacks in undisturbed possession of the -carcass, they returned to the Point, to feed, and to finish their work. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXX* - - *IN AND ABOUT THE CAMP* - - - "O mellow air! O sunny light! - O Hope and Youth that pass away! - Inscribe in letters of delight - Upon each heart one golden day-- - To be there set - When we forget - There is a joy in living yet!" - G. E. EVANS. - - -The fish cleaning occupied the best part of the afternoon; and when the -party reached camp, about sunset, they were dog-tired; inclined for -little else than supper and sleep. - -"But you haven't told us how it came to pass that you were just on the -spot to prevent the shark scoffing Joe," exclaimed Tom to Harry. "We -didn't expect you back for hours." - -"Niver had such a thing 'appen afore, I give yer my word. Lost me way -in the dashed scrub; carn't understand it nohow. As a rule yer carn't -lose me in a scrub; can feel me way be day or night. Instinct, they -calls it. Ole Dumaresque says ter me one day, when we'd bin ridin' fer -hours through heavy pine country after some strayed heifers, gettin' -caught in the dark long afore we makes the homestead: 'How do you manage -to tack an' criss-cross this beastly country without track or compass; -not even a star to guide you? It fair beats me, my man. Why, I'd 'a' -bin lost a dozen times over but fer you. You always seem ter be goin' -wrong, yet always come out right.' - -"'Carn't explain it, sir,' ses I. 'I jist do it. - -"'It's all instinct,' ses 'e. 'It's like wot the dingoes an' blacks -'ave.' - -"Instinct or no instinct, I got bushed all right ter day. There's -something erbout it I carn't understand. 'Twasn't that I was careless, -an' takin' no notice. I 'ad worked through the scrub a distance of four -mile or so when, all of a suddent, I ses ter meself, ses I, 'Where the -dickens am I?' Well, as soon as I put the question to meself I knows I -was bushed, an' fer the fust time in me life I begins ter feel quite -creepy like. I didn't know which way ter go. At larst I starts out in -a direction that seemed the likeliest, but, somehow, I cud make no -headway. Something seemed ter clog me feet, an' I was allers gettin' -mixed up with vines an' brushwood. - -"'Dash it all,' ses I, 'this won't do. Don't believe I'm goin' the -right way, after all. Believe this ere way's leadin' me back to the -Bay, an' I wants ter git through this blarmy scrub ter the forest, fer -'oppers' tails. I'll righterbout face, danged if I won't!' So round I -turns, an' as soon as I started I got on fust clarss. Didn't git mixed -up an' stumble as afore, but gits through the brushwood as slick as a -bandicoot. 'Mus' be nearly through the belt,' ses I, after goin' fer -an' hour or so. 'Mus' git the rifle ready, fer I might sight a kangy any -moment now.' So I unslings the rifle from me back an' puts the gun in -its place, an' stops a minit ter load 'er--the rifle I mean. I'd jist -finished when I heers voices shoutin', an' then a great yellin', as if -somethin' orful was 'appenin'. So orf I rushes through the scrub, an' -comes out on the beach. I was knocked inter a heap, I gives yer me -word; fer there before me was the sea, an' I thought I was on t'other -side of the scrub altogether. Then, in a flash, I sees wot was really -'appenin'. Jist afore me very eyes was Joe. He was strugglin' in the -water not more'n a hundred yards away, an' that 'er brute seemed as if -it was jist a-fallin' on 'im. Why, I fired the rifle a'most without -pintin' it. Somethin' seemed ter say, 'If yer waits ter aim yell be too -late.' Be gosh! I'm thinkin' 'twas the Almighty Hisself directed that -shot." - -"If ye'd not losht your enstink, as ye calls it, ye'd be moiles an' -moiles awa-ay at th' toime th' shark was goin' to gobble Joe up, wuddent -ye?" - -"In course I wud." - -"Well, don't ye think th' good God had a hand in losin' ye in th' -scrub?" - -"It's wot yer father'd call an answer ter prayer," replied the stockman, -turning to Joe as he spoke. - -By this time the camp-fire--around which the group had been sitting--was -burning low, and the party was quite ready for bed after the exciting -and tirng adventures of the day. - -The campers were astir at an early hour next morning, to make the final -preparations for curing the fish. After filling both barrels, there was -a quantity available for smoking. To carry out this object a sapling -frame, about four feet square and seven feet high, was constructed, and -enclosed with bushes, leaving an opening at the top and bottom. The -fish were hung by stout cords, and a fire kindled on the earth inside -the curing shed. Some green wood was used with the dry, to produce a -fair, volume of smoke; and so the curing went on apace. - -Leaving Denny in charge of the camp, the others spent the afternoon -shooting over a chain of lagoons that lay back from the beach a couple -of miles or so. The ducks were plentiful, and they returned to the camp -well laden. They passed the two following days shooting and fishing, -both fins and feathers being exceedingly plentiful. By this time they -judged the fish to be cured, and packed it in a maize bag. - -"Tell you what, boys! S'pose we ride over to the Pilot Station to-day? -It'll be a change, won't it?" - -The others received Joe's suggestion with ready approval, and before -long were racing along the beach towards the Pilot Station. This was -situated at the mouth of the river, and consisted of the residences of -the pilot and the boat's crew. - -It should be said that at the mouth of every Australian river flowing -into the Pacific is a sand-bar. These sand barriers frequently shift -their position, owing to tidal and other ocean influences. This makes -entrance and exit to be a somewhat dangerous proceeding, and many a -craft has come to grief on these treacherous sands. To reduce this -danger to a minimum a pilot station exists at each river entrance. The -pilot is generally a sea-captain with a large experience of these -treacherous bars. It is his duty, weather permitting, to take daily -soundings so as to locate the exact position of the bank, and by means -of signals to apprise incoming and outgoing vessels of the position and -depth of water on the bar; also, when required, to pilot the vessel over -the dangerous spot. - -Captain Craig, the pilot, was an old salt, with nearly half a century's -experience of the eastern rivers of Australia. He received the boys -very kindly, and, after offering them refreshment, took them to the -signal station and look-out. When he had explained the methods of -signalling, he allowed them to look through a very fine telescope. He -was justly proud of this instrument, it having been presented to him by -a company of passengers for his gallantry and seamanship in extricating -his vessel from a rocky shore in a hurricane. - -The time had now arrived for taking the bar soundings. Much to the boys' -delight Captain Craig invited them to accompany him in the life-boat, -and a few minutes later the crew were pulling the party from the -miniature cove to the bar. - -The water here, owing to the bar formation, was generally in a turbulent -condition. Although it was a calm day, they found the boat exceedingly -lively as she moved to and fro over the bar while soundings were being -taken. They experienced sundry disagreeable qualms, and a certain -screwed-up feeling in the region of the "bread-basket." The clacking -tongues of the youngsters grew suspiciously quiet, and Tom's ruddy -cheeks paled to an exceedingly bilious complexion. Had you quizzed -these boys upon their sickly looks, they would have protested with might -and main against the insinuation of mal-de-mer. Nevertheless they were -mighty glad when the pilot, after half an hour's sounding, having -accomplished his purpose, turned the boat's nose in the direction of -home. Once out of the troubled waters, the sick feeling passed away, -and at the solicitation of the lads "for a pull," the pilot -good-naturedly allowed them to row to the landing-place. - -Before leaving, the pals recited the story of the shark adventure, -ending in the death of the tiger shark. Captain Craig listened with -great interest, and not a little excitement, to this narration. - -"You have had the narrowest of escapes, Joe Blain, and have very much to -be thankful for," exclaimed he. "That shark was a most notorious -character. He has roamed the Bay for years and years, and has destroyed -many human lives. Innumerable efforts for his capture have been put -forth by the fishermen, and by my own men, but in vain. Often sighted -and fished for, he has resisted the many lures set for him. Again and -again, when enclosed in their nets, he has broken through, and has long -been their despair. Now, however, thanks to a good Providence, and to -the clever shot of your friend here, this dreadful man-eater has been -removed." Advancing to the stockman, the pilot shook him warmly by the -hand, and thanked him in the name of the community. - -As the party rode home in the cool of the evening, they decided to break -camp next morning, in order to carry out their original intention of -paying a visit to the old diggings. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXI* - - *OFF TO THE GOLD DIGGINGS* - - - "The mountain air is cool and fresh, - Unclouded skies bend o'er us, - Broad placers, rich in hidden gold, - Lie temptingly before us." - SWIFT. - - -Tents were struck, and the campers' impedimenta securely fastened to the -pack-saddles, in the grey dawn of the following morning--the party -having breakfasted by starlight. - -The gold diggings about to be visited was situated in the ranges, -equi-distant from Bullaroi and the Bay. The route from the Bay lay -along the homeward track as far as the caves. At this point the trail -turned due north--winding among the rugged country to the site of the -mining camp, which, in its palmy days, covered a flat that lay between -some precipitous hills and a swiftly flowing mountain stream. - -The diggings in question was deserted, save by a few fossikers, or -gully-rakers, as they were generally called--men who earned a precarious -living by following up the dry gullies, and picking out wash dirt from -between the rocks; or else dry-blowing likely spots of the surface. The -lure of gold--so common to all--fed the imagination of these men. They -became nomads; lived in the most primitive ways; faced and endured -untold hardships; and, if not cheerful, were always hopeful. They saw -visions and dreamed dreams--of gold. The years passed, age pressed -heavily, eyesight grew dim, and limbs palsied with weakness: but even -when broken down and encompassed with infirmity, their very senility -sustained its spirits upon visions of the rich find that was surely -coming--to-morrow. - -When the diggings "broke out," and the rush "set in," the flat was white -with tents, the population running into four figures. It was an -alluvial diggings; that is, the gold was washed from the earth, and not -crushed from the quartz. In the flush days of Rocky Gully, rich -"pockets" of gold were struck, and huge fortunes made. Life then, in the -character of its splendours and pleasures, was barbaric. Lucky diggers, -with the spending lust upon them, ordered champagne baths, lit their -pipes with five-pound notes, shod their horses with plates of gold, -squandered their suddenly acquired riches on camp wantons, and among the -harpies of the gambling hells. There were many exceptions to this -foolish course, 'tis true; but such is the mental intoxication -consequent upon a lucky find, and the sudden acquisition of wealth, that -the majority of lucky diggers succumb, and in a few weeks or months, -shorn of their possessions, either blow out their brains in remorse, or -challenge fortune once more upon the same or some other goldfield. - -Rocky Gully was now a worked-out diggings, and its population had long -ago drifted away to other fields. Naught remained to remind one of its -glory now but a few tumbledown houses, and the wood skeletons of iron -buildings, together with countless heaps of empty tins and other refuse. -Naught, that is, save a dozen or so of fossikers, who were distributed -over the field; each having his area, into which the others never -intruded. - -How was it, then, that the Bullaroi party should have included a trip to -the deserted mining camp in their programme of sport and adventure? -There was nothing inviting in the region so far as game was concerned; -nor was there the rough excitements of a live diggings. The truth is, it -was the outcome of a suggestion of Harry. The stockman had a yarn he was -very fond of relating, which included some tragic incidents associated -with Rocky Gully. As a youth he lived there in its "boom" days, and -towards the close of his stay there he was mates with Humpy Bob. Humpy -Bob was an eccentric character, well known on a dozen goldfields, whose -shrewdness as a gold finder was countervailed by his incredible folly in -spending his riches. On one occasion, when he had struck a "pocket," -from which he drew over a thousand ounces, he began a carouse which -continued until the last penny was spent. - -As illustrative of his folly during that spree, he purchased a general -store for the sum of one thousand pounds. The same evening, in company -with the drunken guests of a champagne party he had given, he proceeded -to the store, deliberately fired it, and, with the other banqueters, -stripped stark naked, danced a wild corrobberie while it burned. - -Bob sober was the antithesis of Bob drunk. Abstemious, taciturn, -industrious, solitary, with a genius for divining likely places, he -followed the pursuit of gold: seldom failing to earn good wages; often -winning handsome profits; occasionally making a pile. - -Humpy's end came suddenly and tragically; and of this Harry was a -witness. - -The two men were driving a tunnel at a likely spot in the bank of a -blind gully about three miles from the main camp. They worked in -relays, and had driven in about a score of yards, when Harry suggested -shoring it with saplings for safety. Humpy Bob, however, who was always -running risks, made light of the suggestion. They had just struck a vein -of promising stuff, which gave "prospects" of several grains to the -dish. When it was Bob's turn to go on, Harry again suggested shoring up -certain loose spots; especially one near where he had been picking, for -there had been a small fall during his shift. This the other would not -consent to, though his partner pleaded earnestly. - -"There's a hundred to one chances against there being anything serious, -mate, and I'm not goin' to waste any time in propping up the blessed -tunnel. It's not worth it. We'll most likely clean it out to-morrer. -So-long!" - -So saying, the digger entered the drive, and was soon at his work. -Harry, having nothing to do for a while, went to the tent and stretched -himself on his bunk for a rest, intending to return in an hour or so to -wheel out the mullock. Unfortunately he fell asleep, and hours passed -by before he awoke. When he did, he jumped from his bunk and ran out to -the drive, scolding himself for his negligence. The barrow was missing -from its usual place, and, after a hasty search, the youth went to the -tunnel's mouth and shouted to his mate. There was no response, nor were -the usual pick sounds to be heard. The light was still burning at the -end of the tunnel. Hastily traversing the drive in a half-stooping -position, as indeed compelled by the size of the tunnel, the youth -covered about half the distance when he stumbled over the barrow, -severely barking his shins. Using hot language against the carelessness -of his mate at leaving the barrow in such a place, and with a half fear -at the unsatisfactory look of things, he scrambled up and went on -towards the end of the tunnel. He had not taken more than two steps -when he again stumbled; this time over a softer substance. It was his -mate! - -Humpy Bob was lying unconscious, half-covered with a mass of fallen -earth and rocks. Groping his way across this pile of debris, the -excited and frightened youth reached the end of the drive, seized the -light and returned to his mate. - -Tearing frantically at the soil and stones, he liberated old Humpy, and, -as gently as possible, drew him to the tunnel mouth. Then dashing to -the little stream below, he brought water in a billy, and made the -customary attempts to restore his stricken mate to consciousness. His -utmost attempts availed not. The vital spark had fled. Not all the -resources of medicine or surgery could bring light into the half-closed -eyes, or life into those rapidly stiffening limbs. Humpy Bob would -never again unearth a nugget, rock a cradle, appraise the value of a -prospect, or get on the "razzle-dazzle" and "paint the town red." - -It would seem that after working for a while, and making a heap of -mullock, the digger had come out of the tunnel for Harry. Not seeing -him about, the old man seized the barrow with the object of wheeling out -some of the earth. He had loaded it, and was in the act of wheeling it -along, when a mass of earth fell full upon his back, fracturing the -spine. - -Harry was greatly affected by this sad occurrence; for Humpy Bob had -many good points of character, and a strong attachment had grown up -between them. As soon as his mate was buried, he left the goldfield, -and got a job on one of the stations. - -He had often thought of revisiting this scene, for he had a feeling that -good gold would be found there. Of late the desire to test the ground -again had grown strong, and, when the project of the jaunt to the -seaside was launched, he suggested a trip to the old diggings. The boys -gladly fell in with the idea, for it furnished them with an item that -gave additional spice to the outing. - -The journey to the diggings was necessarily slow. The pack-horses were -heavily weighted by the extra burden of the fish, and the method of -progress was that shuffling gait known as the "jog." Though monotonous -and tiring to the rider, it is the easiest pace for the loaded animals, -and one that can be kept up all day. - -"Seems a pity that we should cart this blessed fish to the diggings, -Sandy. Wouldn't it be better to 'cache' it somewhere near the junction? -It's giving the horses unnecessary work, in my opinion. Let's see, it's -twelve miles to the junction, an' fifteen from there to Rocky Gully. -Supposin' we planted the stuff in the scrub at the junction; it'd save -thirty miles of hauling, an' be no end of a gain all round." - -"Good enough, Joe! What d'yer say, Harry? We could hide the barrels -an' bag easy enough in the scrub." - -"M-yes, perhaps so. Come ter think of it, I'm not so sure. Barrels'd -be all right, but 'twon't be the dingoes' fault if they don't root out -the dried fish. Tell you what, boys, plant 'em in the caves!" - -"Good shot! The very thing the doctor ordered! The caves! yes. -'Twon't take us more'n a mile out of the way; an' 'twill be on the road -to Bullaroi on the return trip. We can easily strike in on the west side -of the cave ridge, and hide 'em in the stables. Nobody knows of that -place but father an' the 'rangers; now poor ole Ben's shot----" - -"Maybe it's ha-aunted, bhoys. It's juist th' sphot owld Ben'd hide his -sowl in, so as to frighten awa-ay th' p'lice whin they goes rummagin' -about f'r booty; loike th' carr-sthle ghosts in th' owld conthry. -Bedad, thin, Oi'll be expactin' t' see th' bowld raider comin' on us out -iv th' dark, his face shinin' loike th' stuff phwat matches is made ov." - -"Brimstone an' treacle you're thinkin' of, ain't you, Denny? But, I -say, chaps, it'll be better to hide 'em at the 'ranger's outlet; though -it'll be the dickens own job to get the barrels into the cave up that -slope. Wouldn't it be better, after all, to hide the stuff in the -scrub, slinging the bag into a tree, high enough to be safe from the -dingoes?" - -So it would, and have saved a most painful experience; but having -started the idea of hiding the fish in the caves, it presented an -attraction that the others would not surrender. It gave a flavour of -romance to the act. Now that he was dead, the bushranger's hiding-place -took on a new interest; and so it came to pass that Tom found himself in -a minority of one. - -They found it a tough piece of work to get the barrels up the -precipitous slope to the cave entrance. But, when the fish was at last -stored in the forage chamber, as it was now called, and the party had -remounted their horses, they could appreciate the advantage gained by -relieving the pack-horses of so much dead weight. - -They now made more rapid headway, and struck an accommodation house, in -the early afternoon, kept by one Jago Smith--an old acquaintance of -Harry's. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXII* - - *HOW THEY STRUCK GOLD* - - - "There's a bonny wee spot in the mountains I love, - Where the pine trees are waving o'erhead far above, - Where the miners are happy, kindhearted, and free; - And many come here from way over the sea. - There's gold in the mountain, there's gold in each glen, - The good time is coming, have patience, brave men; - Hold on to your ledges, and soon you will see - Both money and mills coming over the sea." - C. CRAWFORD. - - -Jago Smith was an "old timer," as, in Colonial parlance, men with his -past were called. A Londoner by birth, he was initiated when but a -child into the arts and artifices of that profession which flourishes by -the application of sleight-of-hand tricks to the pockets and purses of -an unsuspecting public. In short, this London arab was a thief, -belonging to just such a school as Dickens has portrayed in _Oliver -Twist_. - -His career as a collector of "wipes" was brought to a summary end -through being caught full-handed in a theatre crush. A "Children's -Court," or a "First Offender's Act," was unknown in the early days of -the nineteenth century; consequently young Jago Smith was had up before -the magistrate, committed to the Assizes, convicted to the hulks, and -ultimately transported to Botany Bay to serve a term of penal servitude. - -At a theatrical effort made by certain prisoners of histrionic talent at -Sydney, at the tail-end of the eighteenth century, to which first -Governor Philip and his wife were "graciously" invited, the following -lines form part of the prologue composed for the occasion-- - - "From distant climes, o'er wide-spread seas, we come, - But not with much eclat or beat of drum. - True patriots all; for be it understood, - We left our country for our country's good. - - No private views disgraced our generous zeal, - What urged our travels was our country's weal, - And none can doubt, but that our emigration - Has proved most useful to the British nation." - - -Fourteen years' penal servitude for the theft of a few -pocket-handkerchiefs! Such a sentence to-day would be regarded as a -monstrous iniquity; it passed without comment in those days. - -But transportation was not an unmixed evil to Jago Smith. As early as -1793 schools were started at the penal settlement, under the impression -that they would be the most likely means of effecting a reformation in -the morals of youthful prisoners. - -Jago, with the consent of the master to whom he was assigned on landing, -attended a night school, and gained some insight into the three R's. - -[Illustration: "'We've struck it rich, I do believe,' cried the -stockman."--_See p._ 295.] - -After a somewhat varied career, the ex-pickpocket, who had served his -time, became a settler on Rocky Creek; and when the Rocky Gully gold -rush set in he drove a very profitable trade with the diggers. In -addition to raising cattle on his selection, Smith kept an accommodation -house, where board and lodging was to be had. As the place was on the -public road, about five miles from the diggings, it received much -patronage. Jago was very proud of his signboard. It was an -incontestable proof of his accomplishments in writing and spelling. - - - ACKOMERDASHON FUR MAN - AN BESTE SMALL BIER - SOULED HEAR GORD SIVE TH - E KWEEN J SMITH - - -As the party drew up to the hitching blocks, old Jago, who was lounging -in an arm-chair in the verandah, hobbled out to the front, quietly -surveying the group; to whom Harry addressed himself. - -"Good-evenin', Mister Smith. How are yer gettin' on these times?" - -"Not gettin' any younger, you may be sure. But who be you?" - -"Don't yer remember me, Jago?" replied the stockman, walking up to the -old man. - -"Yes; I see who it is now. You be the boy wot worked with old Humpy, -an' used ter stay here when Bob had an attack of the jim-jams." - -"The same, ole chap. We're goin' to put up here for the night, and -intend goin' on to-morrer to where me an' Humpy worked when 'e was took. -Got room for us, I s'pose?" - -"Plenty o' room, me lad. Not over rushed with travellers these times. -Better take your 'orses round ter the back; ye'll find the saddle-room -in the old plice, an' yer can turn the neddies inter the paddock. -There's plenty o' grass fer 'em." - -The boys were ready for the supper of homely fare which awaited them at -sunset. After supper, Harry and the old man got into a conversation, in -which the former stated that he was determined to have a try at the old -claim; for, though Humpy had put it about when working it that it was a -"shicer," Harry, of course, knew differently. The gold-bearing stuff, it -is true, was but a thin vein, but they expected it to develop into -something better farther on. Old Jago informed him that no one had -touched the spot, so far as he knew. Yes, he had some picks and shovels -and prospecting dishes, which he had taken as payment at one time and -another from hard-ups. Harry was welcome to make a selection. - -This the stockman did without any delay. He took from the curious -assortment of diggers' tools two picks, two short-handled shovels, two -prospecting dishes, the roller and handle of a windlass, a couple of -buckets, some stout rope, a length of chain, a strong hook, a crowbar, -and a pound or two of blasting powder. - -These he obtained as a loan, for Smith would not hear of pay. He viewed -the whole thing in the light of a joke. The idea of Harry starting to -work a claim with a parcel of kids who had never seen a gold shaft in -their lives, with a time limit of three or four days at the most! The -stockman was but humouring the fancies and ambitions of the kids. They, -no doubt, expected to locate the golden nuggets in the same fashion that -they would track a missing bullock on the bush, or run down a wild cat -to its lair in a hollow log. Well, they would at least develop their -arm muscles and have blistered hands to show their friends. So the old -settler--who at the time of the rush had listened to the confident -prediction of many a greenhorn, going post-haste to pick up the nuggets -that were waiting for somebody to tumble over. Not so Harry; he, at -least, was no greenhorn. He would give the abandoned workings a trial. -It would be a novelty for the boys, and though they mightn't get -anything to boast about, would, he was confident, get enough to give -each member of the party a souvenir of the visit. - -Leaving the accommodation house after an early breakfast, the band of -diggers, for such we must now call them, arrived at the old workings in -a couple of hours, passing _en route_ two or three fossikers who were -working their shows. These ancients looked with a degree of -astonishment upon this cluster of youths, whose very jauntiness was -suggestive of a prime lark. - -Arrived at the diggings, the party had a good look round. Intense -solitude reigned everywhere, and save for the heaps of rusty cooking -utensils and other rubbish there was little to indicate that the place -had once been a busy hive of life and energy. An old signboard, written -by another hand than had done Jago Smith's, was seen nailed to a tree. -Its language was simple and to the point. - - - ROYAL HOTEL - ALL DRINKS 6c. - - _N.B.--Clean Glasses_ - - -Harry took a rapid survey of the situation. The place apparently had -not been disturbed since the fatal accident. The old tent poles -remained as he had left them, and there was no evidence of any one -having camped there for years. - -Proceeding to the tunnel, which, as previously described, was driven -into the perpendicular bank of a deep gully, things looked pretty much -as they did on that fatal day, excepting that the earth had fretted away -about the tunnel mouth, and, on venturing in a short distance, the man -saw that the roof had broken down, completely blocking the mine. - -"Well, Harry," exclaimed Joe, when the leader emerged from the tunnel -mouth, which the boys had been eagerly watching, "is it all clear? Did -you go to the end?" - -Didn't git half-way. Tunnel's half blocked." - -"What a pity!" chorused the lads. - -"Dunno 'bout that; cause, yer see, it's proof ter me no one's bin -interferin.'" - -"'Twon't be a heavy job to clear it out, will it?" continued Joe. - -"Carn't say; depends on the amount that's fallen. But 'tain't my notion -ter use the tunnel at all. Yer see, it's this way: it may take us an -hour or a day to clear the rubbage outer the tunnel. When we'd done -that, we'd have ter do two other things afore we could tackle the -wash-dirt. Fust an' foremost, there's plenty of foul air in the far end -of the drive, like wot nearly pisened you coves in the caves. Let me -tell you, it's hard work clearing the stinkin' air outer a tunnel. You -can git it outer a shaft easy enough, by tyin' a bunch o' bushes onter a -rope and running 'em up an' down; but it's mighty hard work clearin' a -tunnel, an' orften a long job. Then, s'posin' we got it out, we'd have -ter shore up the whole blessed length; for, let me tell you, I'm not -goin' ter run any risks in this 'ere job. We've had fright enough over -Joe an' the shark, an' I cuddent face the Boss an' the missus if -anything happened to any of you here. Now, to shore up this blessed -tunnel'd take a power of timber, an' ter git it an' fix it'd take a far -longer time than we've got." - -"Oh, I say, Harry," cried Tom in tones of deep disappointment, voicing -the feelings of the group of boy diggers, "don't tell us it's all a go, -an' we're to return without havin' a try! Can't you find some other -spot?" - -"Harry, ye spalpeen, Oi dhramed all laast night Oi was diggin' up -gowlden prr-aties, an', ochone! Oi'd just stuck th' pick into a -monsther iv a prr-atie, a ton weight at the laast, an' was tryin' me -best to upind her wid a laver, whin owld Jago comes bangin' at th' dure. -Begor! Oi was sweatin' loike a stoker whin th' owld mahn woke me. Jist -give me wan little chanst, me bhoy, an' be Saint Michael Oi'll----" - -"Ye'll git yer charnse, Denny, never fret. They's more ways of killin' -a pig besides chokin' 'im with a lump o' butter. It never was my plan, -boys, ter use the ole tunnel. There's a better way nor that. When me -an' ole Humpy drove in 'ere, we wus follerin' a lead, an' ye niver can -tell 'ow far yer 'ave ter go: maybe a few feet, maybe a 'undered yards -afore it opens out inter a body. So we did the right thing then. Now I -propose ter put down a shaft, to tap the wash-dirt jist erbout the end -of the tunnel, or, maybe, a little furder up nor that. I calkerlate -we'll tap it in twenty feet or so. I know the clarss of country we'll -have to go through. All this bank's wot we call 'made up.' It's a -formation called pudden stone. It's formed o' river wash, an' is pretty -pebbly. The pebbles is the plums. We'll go through it in a couple o' -days at most, an' that'd give us two days more afore we need clear orf -'ome." - -The boys were delighted beyond measure at Harry's proposal, and set -about rigging up the camp near the spot which the leader had selected to -put down the shaft. - -While the pals were doing this, Harry and Denny set to work at sinking -the shaft. So expeditious were they that by night they had sunk the -hole about ten feet and had rigged up the windlass. All the boys had a -turn at digging, which they enjoyed immensely because of the novelty of -the work. Harry and Denny, however, did the main part, while the lads -manned the windlass, and hauled up the stuff from time to time, as the -buckets were filled. - -At daylight next morning the party were eating breakfast preparatory to -a long day's work at the shaft. They had to do a good deal of blasting, -for some of the stones were too heavy to haul up, and that consumed -time. It was verging on evening when, clearing up a rather heavy blast, -Harry, who had gone down to fill the bucket, cried out, "Haul up quick! -we've broken through. Foul air!" - -On winding their comrade up, he declared that the blast had broken the -ground into the tunnel, and that the foul air was coming freely into the -bottom of the shaft. "We'll let it stay as it is till termorrer, an' -then we'll clear it out." - -The pals went to sleep that night to dream about the El Dorado which, in -their imagination, they had struck. The earliest dawn found them at the -shaft's mouth. Harry tied several bushes to the end of the rope, and -this was rapidly lowered and raised for about a couple of hours, the -condition below being tested from time to time by a lighted candle -placed in a bucket and lowered to the bottom. At last it remained -alight, though it burned very feebly. About half an hour after this, -the candle, on being sent below again, burned brightly. - -"It's all right, now, boys! We've got rid of the gas, that's a -blessing. Lower away!" In a few seconds Harry was filling the buckets -with the broken rock and earth. In a short time it was all cleared up, -and the leader had started to drive along the line of the vein. He had -not cut in more than a couple of feet when he threw down the pick and -shouted up the shaft, "Hurroar, boys! I've struck a patch. Be gosh, it -looks like a pocket!" - -The excitement above at this good news may be better imagined than -described. The vein of wash-dirt suddenly expanded into a cube of about -sixty buckets of auriferous earth. It was a genuine though small -pocket. Whether rich or poor could be determined only by washing. - -Harry filled a bucket with the dirt, which was speedily hauled up. The -next minute he was pulled to the surface, and, spreading the stuff on -the ground, examined it. To the great delight of the pals, he picked -out several large specks and a small nugget, scaling about half an -ounce. - -"It's all right, mates!" cried the stockman, now almost as excited as -the boys. "We've struck it rich, I do believe. Sandy, me boy, git your -nag an' a packhorse, an' streak fur Jago's as fast as yer can git, an' -borry a cradle. It'd take too long ter pan this stuff--must have a -cradle. But, look 'ere, don't give the show away. Tell 'im I got a few -specks from a bit o' stuff I came acrost, an' that I'm jist goin' ter -give it a try. He'll most likely call me a big fool, an' don't yer -conterdict 'im." - -A cradle, it may be said, is a machine on rockers for washing the -auriferous earth. The machine is fed with the wash-dirt, a stream of -water being poured on while it is rocked like a child's cradle. The -heavy sand and gravel, together with the precious metal, sink to the -bottom and are retained by the "ridges," whilst the earth and all light -matter pass away with the water. It is finally treated in a dish so -skilfully that only the pure metal is left. - -While Sandy is speeding off to Jago's the rest are busy picking the -pocket and carrying it down to a flat by the side of the tiny stream -which ran along the gully bottom. The work was hard, for the wash-dirt -was heavy, and the buckets big; but they made fun of the hardships of -bruised fingers and strained muscles, as they hauled the precious earth -from the shaft mouth, and then humped it to the stream. - -They had not quite finished their work ere Sandy reappeared upon the -scene with the cradle. Very little grass had grown during the -performance of his task. - -Scarcely allowing themselves time to bolt down their midday meal, the -party were grouped around the cradle, which Harry had fixed within a -yard of the stream. The stockman soon made his dispositions of the -forces. Joe and Tom are to lift the water and pour it on as required, -while he and Sandy work the cradle. Denny is to feed the machine with -the dirt. - -So the work of "washing up" started. Every now and then Harry stopped -the work and "cleaned up" the cradle--that is, took out the heavy golden -sand which was caught in the cross-bars of the machine and emptied it in -a bag, to be "panned" later. From time to time the party were gladdened -by the sight of large specks, and now and then a tiny nugget of some -grains' weight. The gold, for the most part, however, was fine. The -work went on continuously till night closed in upon them. Though -dreadfully tired, they reluctantly abandoned their work for the day, and -after supper threw themselves upon their primitive beds and slept the -sleep of the just. - -"Be up betimes in the morning, boys," was Harry's last word. - -The party had to thank a pair of laughing jackasses[#] for their early -waking. Perched on the limb of a tree close to the tent, they began -their morning orisons at the first paling of the stars, making such a -cachinnation as to cause Tom to fly out from his bunk, crying in -startled tones, "Dressin', dad; goin' for the cows this minute." While -Denny was disturbed sufficiently to turn over on his side, saying in -sleepy tones, "Jist repa-ate they swa-ate wurrds agin, Bridget me -darlin'! an' sa-ay ye---- Howly Moses, 'tis th' owld Johnny-axes at -their thricks!" - - -[#] Giant kingfisher. - - -In a few minutes the fire is burning briskly, and as soon as breakfast -is demolished the lucky diggers make their way to the gully to start -operations. The work was a repetition of yesterday's, and, according to -Harry's calculation, they would be finished by noon if they stuck well -to the job; bullock teams couldn't have drawn them from it. - -After working for about an hour, Denny, who was shovelling the dirt, -picked up a lump of rock, saying at the same time, "Oi'll pitch this -awa-ay, annyways. It feels moighty heavy, though, for a sthone: 'tis as -heavy as lead. Musha, but the sthones ar-re heavy hereabouts!" - -"Hey, you fool! don't throw that away. Let's see it," cried Harry, -seizing the piece of rock, which was about the size of the lad's head. -"Why, great jumpin' Jehosaphat! it's a bloomin' nugget. You precious -duffer! if you'd thrown that away I'd 'a' pitched you down the shaft." - -The pals dropped their buckets and crowded round the leader as he held -the lump with both hands. - -"See 'ere, this white rock's quartz, an' all these yaller veins is gold. -It isn't wot you'd call a pure nugget, but by the weight of it I guess -there's a power of the yaller stuff inside. 'Ere, Tom, streak up ter -the tent fur a tommy an' we'll soon see." - -Furnished with the tomahawk, the stockman laid the quartz nugget on a -flat stone that cropped out of the ground near by, and dealt vigorous -blows upon it with the head of the weapon. In this way he crushed the -quartz crystal sufficiently for them to see that the gold formed a mass -in the centre. - -"That's all we'll do at present; we'll crush it out properly in a mortar -when we get home. Guess there's full twenty ounces o' gold in 'er." - -There were no more such finds in the dirt, but the last few lots yielded -a good deal of coarse gold, one piece weighing about four ounces. - -By nightfall they had washed out the bagged ore. There it lay on a cloth -before the fire, a little heap of pure gold, and beside it the quartz -nugget, so to call it. - -"Call me a frog-eater if there ain't full seventy ounces o' gold in that -there lot--close on three 'undered pounds' worth!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXXIII* - - *BULLION AND BUSHRANGER* - - - "And if you doubt the tale I tell, - Steer through the South Pacific swell, - Go where the branching coral hives - Unending strife of endless lives, - Go where the rivers roll down through the sand - Under skies that are blue in a golden land." - KIPLING. - - -"Pull up a moment, chaps. I want ter say a word afore we strike Jago -Smith's--we'll sight it over the next ridge. No blabbin' erbout the -gold. The ole cove's sure ter arsk erbout our luck. You keep mum, an' -leave me ter answer 'im. He's er good ernuff sort in hes way, is ole -Jago, an' me an' 'im always got on well, as 'e sort er took a fancy ter -me. All the same, 'im an' Ben Bolt is, or was great friends. That's -why I steered clear o' the shootin the night we stayed there. 'E might -'a' cut up rusty, like. Many's the time 'e's planted the 'ranger when -the p'lice 'as been 'ot on 'is trail. 'Twuddent s'prise me a bit if the -kid that wus Ben's mate wus 'idin' somewheres erbout Jago's. 'E's -several good plants. At any rate, there must be no blow. Bes' be on -the safe side." - -In a few minutes the party sighted the accommodation house at a distance -of a quarter of a mile or so. They could see the old man in the front, -talking to a man who held a horse by the bridle. Even as the party -sighted the pair they were themselves seen. After a few hasty words -with Jago the horseman threw his bridle over the steed's neck, vaulted -to the saddle, and rode away briskly. - -"By George, that 'ere cove's ridin' a good nag. See the style o' 'im! -'E's a beauty, 'e is; all muscle an' spirit. If ole Ben wusn't a goner, -I'd say 'twas 'im on Samson; blamed if I wuddent." - -The mounted band have approached the house by this time. The owner -stood awaiting them by the hitching posts. Saluting them as they rode -up, he jeered good-humouredly-- - -"I 'opes yer left a few specks fur them fossikers, gintilmin? 'Twud be -too bad to scoop the pool an' leave the old uns nothin' but mullock -heaps. At any rate, ye've brought back the tools--cradle an' all. Come -now, 'ow did the stuff pan out?" - -"I'll tell yer wot we did git, ole man, sore bones an' blistered 'ands. -Blame me, but yer soon gits outer the diggin' business. Tried that bit -o' stuff I come acrost, wot the kid tole yer erbout. Waal, speakin' in -confidence, we didn't git ernuff ter hire a gold escort ter fetch it -erlong. We did git a bit--ernuff ter make these young coves a -breast-pin apiece. But let me tell yer, one of these days I'm comin' -back ter have a good prospect. Keep it close, Smith; I don't want any of -these blessed gully-rakers ter smell anythin'." - -"Dark it is, young feller. Yer can trust me fer not givin' the show -away. Comin' in?" - -"No, we're makin' fer 'ome. Just tote the tools ter where youse got -'em, boys, an' then we'll be orf." - -The lads speedily discharged, and were in the saddle again. The party -was moving off when Harry said to Jago-- - -"Forgot ter arsk yer whether yer 'eered that Ben Bolt wus shot by -Hennessey t'other day." - -"Yes, I 'eered it," replied Smith dryly. - -"Kid not collared yet?" - -"You're more likely ter 'eer about 'im than me: so-long." - -"Ole Jago's a deep un," soliloquised Harry as they rode along. "I -forgot ter arsk 'im erbout the man we saw ridin' away as we came up," he -remarked a few minutes later to Joe, who was riding at his side. "If -that 'ere 'orse 'e wus ridin' warn't Samson, I'm a greenhorn." - -"It might have been the young fellow that got away when Ben was shot. -It struck me Jago was bluffin' you, Harry." - -"My word, Harry," said Tom, riding up on the other side, "you bluffed -ole Jago over the gold." - -"Ain't so sure o' that," replied the stockman. - -"No one could have done it better," broke in Joe. "You circumnavigated -the truth." - -"Don't know wot yer mean, my boy: unless it's somethin' in the circus -line." - -"Not exactly that," replied Joe laughingly; "but it reminds me of an -epitaph I heard about, that was stuck on a fellow's tombstone-- - - HE TRIED HARD NOT TO BE A LIAR." - - -"Wot I said about tacklin' that ground's true ernuff, anyways," replied -the stockman, with a smile. "But erbout this gold: we'll go shares, o' -course. We'll divide it up inter five equal lots when we get to -Bullaroi." - -"No; that's not fair, Harry," said Sandy. "We must have a fair -division." - -"Well, wot yer call a fair division, if that's not one?" said the man -shortly. - -"If it was left to me to decide, I would give you half, to start with. -It was your show. You did most of the work. We were more like wages -men; so at the very least you should get half. Then I'd divide the -other half among the rest of us in equal shares." - -"Sandy's right," broke in Joe. "As far as I'm concerned, Harry'll have -the lot. I'd like him to take my whack, anyway, because----" - -"No, yer don't, Joe. I know wot yer goin' ter say. Think I'm mean -ernuff ter take pay fer shootin' a jolly shark?" - -"Oh--I--didn't--mean--it--just----" - -"Joe meant it as a mark of gratitude, Harry. I think my way's best. -Whatcher say?" - -"Agreed!" chorus the four. - -"Joe, me mahn," said Denny a little while later, as he and Blain were -riding together, "cud ye tell me phwat me quarter ov a half ov th' -gowld'll come to?" - -"Lemme see, seventy ounces; half o' that, thirty-five; quarter of -thirty-five is eight an' three-quarter ounces: yes, your share is eight -an' three-quarters, Denny." - -"Give it in pounds, plaase, Joe." - -"Pounds! Oh, I say, you've got me there. Well, let's see. What was it -Harry said they'd give us per ounce at the bank?" - -"Three sivinteen an' a tanner, Joe, me bhoy. Oi tuk note ov that." - -"Yes, that was the price, I 'member. Eight and three-quarter times -three seventeen six--er--lemme see, that'd be--eight threes twenty-four, -twen--bother it, I mean eight times seventeen an' six, that's a hundred -an' ninety--no, _that's_ not it. Let me put it down in me mind--one, -seven, six; that's right! Well, multiply it by eight, an' leave the -quarters out for a bit. That's--why, it's three hundred an'--no, it -can't be that much, surely? Bust it, if I only had a pencil an' a bit -o' paper I'd soon tot it up. Try again. Eight into seventeen and six -is---- Blest if it isn't an interest sum, after all, Denny; an' they -always sew me up." - -"It's th' troth, Joe; it's th' most interastin' sum Oi iver heerd tell -iv. Thry it agin, Marsther Joe; doan't let a little sum loike that -ba-ate ye. 'Twas two hondered pounds ye said larrst. Make her go a -little higher if yes can." - -"What! two hundred pounds! Murder! 'tis shillin's I was reckoning." - -"O-o-h!" exclaimed Denny, with a profound sigh. "Awaay goes me bright -dra-ames! Sure, thin, 'twas buyin' th' owld family carr-sthle Oi was -thinking ov, an makin' melyinaares o' me dear payrunts; maybe the Quaan -wud be makin' me farther Lord Kineavy!" - -"Well, you are a cure, Denny. You'll have me addressin' you as the -Honourable Dennis next. Oh, I say, didn't Harry say he wouldn't be -surprised if the gold fetched four pounds an ounce, it was so rich? -Well, let's reckon it at four quid. Eight fours are thirty-two--that's -thirty-two pounds. The three-quarters of four pounds is three. -Thirty-two and three are thirty-five; thirty-five pounds. There you -are, ole boss, thirty-five." - -"Thirty-foive pounds! Begorrah! it's a bloomin' capertillist Oi am! -Whoi, glory be! it'll do betther thin buyin' a rotten owld sthone -carr-sthle made ov brick an' thatch; it'll pay for bringin' out me -payrunts in th' emigrr-ashon ship. Be Saints Pathrick an' Michael, 'tis -a happy bhoy Oi am at this moment! Phwat wid me savin's, an' Norah's, -an' this haape ov gowld, Oi'll buy thim th' best cabin on th' boat, and -so Oi will!" - -In due time the party arrived at the junction of the roads, and crossed -the ridge to the cave entrance. After placing their horses in the patch -of scrub near the road, they scrambled up to the opening. Lighting the -candle, Sandy led the way to the forage chamber, where the fish was -stored. - -"You don't feel so creepy, Denny, as when you were here last," said Tom -to the Irish "boy, as they followed the others into the chamber. - -"It's thrue for ye, Tom. Owld Ben's not thrubblin' me to-da-ay. 'Tis -only thinkin' ov me dear farther an' mauther comin' out on th' sa-ay Oi -am. As for th' 'ranger, he's as dead an' dhry by this toime as the -smoked fish yonder." - -"Is he?" cried a loud voice from the rear. - -"Howly Moses! 'tis th' 'ranger's ghost," cried the Irish boy, as a -bull's-eye flashed in his face, dazzling his eyes and confusing his -mind. Terror-possessed by this ghostly manifestation--for he saw naught -but a bright light, preceded by an awful voice--the boy bolted. He -rushed towards the chamber exit, which he barely reached ere the sharp -crack of a revolver sounded, what time the panic-stricken youth -staggered forward, falling with a dull thud upon the stone floor. - -It need hardly be said that the other members of the group were startled -out of speech and action. Not ten seconds elapsed between the cry of -the man or ghost and the tragedy of the revolver shot and the fallen -boy. - -The moment the boy fell the others ran towards him, but before they had -taken three steps the light flashed on them and a revolver covered them. -Behind the lantern came a voice that more than the lantern, or even -pistol, cowed them: "_Stop! Hands up!_" - - - *[Illustration: Behind the lantern came a voice that - more than the lantern, or even pistol, cowed them: - "*_*Stop! Hands up!*_*" (missing from book)]* - - -For the second time the hands of the boys went up at command. One thing -was made quite clear, at any rate: this was no ghostly visitant. Ghosts -didn't carry revolvers, nor was there long any mystery about this -personage. - -"That young cove reckoned I was dead and dry as your smoked schnapper, -did he? The young fool'll smoke and dry fast enough in the place I've -sent him to. You infernal asses to come here! But you'll never live to -tell any one; make up your minds to that." - -It was in truth the bushranger himself. Of that there could be no -doubt. The news of his death was either a make-up or a gross -exaggeration. Here he stood, in the flesh, in one of his most dangerous -moods. A black fit was on him. Under its influence he was capable of -almost any atrocity. The lads were horror-stricken. There, before them, -lay the body of their comrade, the gay, witty, affectionate Denny, who -but a few moments ago was in the seventh heaven of delight at the -thought of bringing out his parents with the proceeds of his share of -the gold; and now--it was too awful! - -"Look 'ere, Ben Bolt!" exclaimed Harry, after a few seconds' silence, -"you've shot an innercent boy in cold blood. You've grossly belied your -reputation that you never laid a hand on woman or child. We came here -with no thought of spyin' upon yer, for we believed yer to be dead. In -five minits we wud 'ave gone away with our fish, none the wiser for your -presence. You've not the slightest justerfication fer takin' that life, -an' if yer shoots me the next minit fer it, I tell yer to yer face ye're -a blaggard an' coward, an' the pity is that the news of yer bein' shot -wasn't true." - -Why Harry was not shot off-hand, it were hard to say. The bushranger was -convulsed with rage: thrice he levelled his revolver at the brave man, -and as often lowered it. At last, with a voice hoarse with passion, he -said, "I'll send you along the road I've driven your mate, curse you! -You think you're very game, but I'll take all that out of you before -I've done with you. You'll be longing for your end hours before it -comes.... - -"Here, boy," continued he, pointing to Tom. "Take that green-hide and -tie your mates as I tell you. Look sharp, or I'll lay you alongside -your mate yonder." - -Thus dragooned, Tom securely tied his mates' hands behind their backs. -As soon as this was accomplished, the outlaw, sticking his revolver in -his belt, served Tom in the same way, and in addition trussed each -victim. Having set them in a row like a group, of mummies, he addressed -them-- - -"You'll lie here for the present. I'll deal with you later. I've got a -little job to do first. That fool Hennessey's coming out this way with -a couple of troopers to trap me. 'Twasn't enough that he winged my -mate, he's sworn to have me inside of the week. And I swear that I'll -have him inside of six hours. I'm going out now to have a look round. -If you coves try any of your tricks, I'll make hell for you. I shan't -be far off, you may bet." - -So saying, the outlaw went out into the chamber where his horse was -stabled, and led him along the passage to the cave entrance. - -"I say, Harry, it was Ben Bolt that we saw at ole Jago's this mornin'." - -"True. I cud 'ave taken me oath a'most that the 'orse wus Samson, but I -didn't git a fair view of the bloke's face. Yes, 'twor Ben that we saw. -He must 'a' got 'is information erbout Hennessey from the ole man. It's -wunnerful 'ow they does git the news. I 'ope 'e don't git er charnse -ter draw er bead on Hennessey. He'll 'ave ter be mighty smart ter do -it. But, dear! dear! on'y ter think of poor Denny lyin' over -there--dead! I wish ter 'evven 'e'd 'a' shot me instead. Wot'll your -father an' mother say, Sandy? Poor Norah, too! It'll be the killin' of -'er." - -"Whisht, boys, spaake low: Oi'm not kilt ontoirely; only knocked -spaachless. Oi'm betther nor tin dead Chinymen yit." - -It was the sweetest sound that ever ravished the ears of the boys. Here -was the blissful fact--Denny was not dead; was very much alive. If the -lads did not immediately cry out with joy it was because their joy was -too deep for utterance. - -"Don't spaake or sthir awhoile till Oi see if th' coast's clear." - -Rising quietly to his feet, the Irish boy stole along the corridor that -led to the mouth of the cave. After a hasty but keen survey of the -immediate neighbourhood, he returned to his companions, knife in hand, -and in a few minutes had freed them. - -"And are you not wounded, Denny? We never dreamed but that the villain -had shot you dead. You lay just like a corpse. He was under that -impression too, or he'd never have left you." - -"Yez see 'twas this way: Oi was fair flabbergasted whin th' blazin' -light dazzled me oiyes. Oi made shure 'twas th' 'ranger's ghost. Oi -wud 'a' stood, but me ligs wuddn't. They sthreaked off loike a -paddy-melon goes for a hole in th' fince--carryin' me body wid thim. -Th' firsht thing Oi felt was a rock sthrikin' me fut, an' thin, begorra, -somethin' whistled past me ear as Oi tumbled forrard, hittin' th' flure -a nasty crack wid me head. Th' nixt thing Oi heard was owld Harry -tongue-bangin' th' rapscallion ov a murtherer fur killin' me. 'Be -jabers!' ses Oi to meself, 'he's kilt me ontoirely wid a shot from hes -pisthol, if phwat me bowld frind ses be th' thruth. Go it, me brave -bhoy! Tare an' ouns, but ye're givin' him th' coward's blow in foine -style!' - -"Thin Oi sees him rope yez up loike dhrapery parr-sels, an', ses Oi, -'Jist wait till yez is gone, me hairr-y breasted sna-ake!' an' wid that -Oi comes to me ray-son an' knows that Oi was not dead at all, at all. -Oi was jist goin' to git up an' give him a bit iv me tongue, whin the -thought comes--'Lie still, ye gossoon, till he goes an' ye can liberaate -yer mates!' So now we'll be even wid th' omadhaun." - -"The quicker we're outer this the better!" exclaimed Harry, as soon as -he was released. "There's no knowin' when the 'ranger'll return; if 'e -finds us loose, 'e'll shoot us to a cert. What a pity we left our guns -with the 'orses! 'Ope 'e won't find 'em. It'll be risky goin' out, as -we don't know where the feller is. 'E may be close by watchin' the -'ole. The bes' thing'll be for us ter make a dash ter the scrub as soon -as we're outer the cave." - -"There's a much safer way than that," said Sandy. "We'll go out the way -we came in when we first discovered this place. Lucky we brought a -candle with us. Come along; every moment is precious." - -So saying, Sandy strode in advance, the others following closely at his -heels. The party soon hit upon the passage leading to the cave opening -on the other side of the ridge. In twenty minutes or so they were in -the open. - -Their first act was to plunge into the thick bush. This shielded them -from ordinary observation. After a short confab, they concluded that -the wisest thing to do was to creep along in the thickest part, in the -direction of the horses. They had hardly started when the sharp crack -of a rifle broke upon their ears. Stopping short, they listened -eagerly; with beating hearts, it must be confessed. Again and again, -shots were fired; at last they heard the pounding of hoofs, rapidly -nearing them. - -"'Ssh--don't move--they're on the hard road," said Harry to the -nervously excited youths. - -The road passed the caves about two hundred yards from where the party -lay. Presently, with increasing clatter, Ben Bolt rode furiously along, -and after a minute's interval, Sergeant Hennessey, accompanied by two -troopers, the Sergeant leading by about fifty yards. Just as he was in -the act of passing, the officer took a snap-shot at the 'ranger. In a -few minutes all sight and even sound of pursued and pursuers had gone. - -"No fear of Ben Bolt trubblin' us now fer a spell. 'Ope Hennessey 'll -nab 'im sure this time. Let's moosey erlong, lads." - -It didn't take the party long to pick up the steeds and load up the -packhorses with the fish. The sun had barely set ere they were well on -the last stage of the return journey. - - -The M'Intyres are just concluding the evening meal. The conversation -chiefly centres around the campers. Mrs. M'Intyre had given many a look -along the track during the afternoon, in the hope of sighting the lads. -The understanding when they left was that they were to return at the end -of the second week. It was now Saturday evening. - -"I won't give them up till ten o'clock. I expect they have made a late -start. Yes, Maggie, I own that I am a bit fidgety now that I've heard -that Ben Bolt has been seen in the vicinity of the caves." - -"Weel, ye can juist ease yure mind on that pint, my dear, for the -Sairgeant and a pairty o' troopers are patrolling in that direection, so -that there's no' the sma'est pairtical o' reesk." - -"It was lucky for them, mummie, that they had started for their trip -before the revised version of the engagement between the police and the -bushrangers was published, for had you known of the mistake you would -never have let the boys go. What are they going to do with the youth -that Hennessey wounded? They say Ben Bolt's mad over it, and swears to -have Hennessey's life." - -"The misguided lad wull be pit on his trial as sune as the wound on his -thigh permeets." - -"Do you think they'll hang him, father?" - -"Nae, nae, they'll no' hang the chiel; he has never ta'en life, nor is -he a hardened ruffian. He stairted this wild life 'for the fun o' it,' -like mony another silly laddie. The Sairgeant tells me that Jock Smith, -for that's his name, is gled to be captured. His eyes hae been opened -to the folly and sin that are compreehended in sic a life. Insteed o' -fun, he has encountered nought but hairdship and meesery. The misguided -laddie wull hae plenty o' time for repentance." - -The evening calm is suddenly and noisily disturbed. The station dogs set -up a great babble of barking, and Jessie, who had gone out to the front -verandah, comes running in helter skelter and screaming-- - -"Father, mother, hear the dogs! It's the boys, I bet tuppence. Hurrah! -Hurrah!----" - -"Jessie, Jessie! you are certainly developing very----" - -Mrs. Mac is prosing without an audience, for the girls are flying along -the track to the slip-rails, accompanied by the barking dogs. - - -It was verging on midnight when the Bullaroi household broke up. The -adventures were told with a degree of modesty to an intensely interested -and at times breathless company. The spoils of the sea and the spoils -of the mine were displayed to the admiration of all. Mrs. M'Intyre gave -high praise to the pals for their success as fish-curers; while the gold -spoke for itself, needing no expert opinion. - -Mr. M'Intyre had the last word. - -"Ye've advanced a big step towards yure manhood, laddies, and I'm prood -o' ye the nicht. Yure conduc' under they perils by sea and land is more -precious by far that yon gleeterin' gowd. A guid name is raither to be -chosen than great riches. Thank the Lord for a' His mercies! -Guid-nicht, bairns." - - - - "GOOD-NIGHT ALL." - - - - - _Printed by_ MORRISON & GIBB LIMITED, _Edinburgh_ - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PALS *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44369 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the -General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and -distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) electronic works to protect the -Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a -registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, -unless you receive specific permission. 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