101:004,00@@@@@|
101:004,24['  ]| <THE SHEPHERD'S HUT;>
101:004,25['  ]| <OR, 'TIS THIRTEEN YEARS SINCE:>
101:004,26['  ]| <BEING MEMOIRS OF AN AUSTRALIAN POLICE OFFICER.>
101:004,27[A  ]| It was a bitter night in June:  and, although there was neither snow nor
101:004,28[A  ]| ice, for such phenomena rarely distinguish an Australian winter, yet the
101:004,29[A  ]| damp raw wind blew from the southern ocean with a hollow roar and a
101:004,30[A  ]| penetrating power that no greatcoat could defy.  In the old country I
101:004,31[A  ]| had often crossed St*James*Park at midnight in only a light dress-coat,
101:004,32[A  ]| when the summit of the York column and the roof of the Horse-guards
101:004,33[A  ]| clock-tower glittered white in their snowy shroud, and the ornamental
101:004,34[A  ]| water slept beneath three feet of solid ice; yet never had I felt such a
101:004,35[A  ]| chiliness at the very bones as on this to me eventful evening in the year
101:004,36[A  ]| 1852, when issuing from the long irregularly built wooden structure dignified
101:004,37[A  ]| by the name of "Cafe=de*L'Europe" into Bourke-street. I made my
101:004,38[A  ]| way through the uneven rut-wrinkled streets of Melbourne towards the
101:004,39[A  ]| little inn, called "The*Golden*Nugget," where I expected to find my horse
101:004,40[A  ]| and trap.
101:004,41[A  ]| What magical changes do ten years sometimes produce.  Can this
101:004,42[A  ]| princely city that I now behold, with its broad well*paved gas-lit streets,
101:004,43[A  ]| that would not disgrace the West*End of our London, and actually put to
101:004,44[A  ]| shame those of our great manufacturing capitals of Manchester, Liverpool,
101:004,45[A  ]| and Birmingham; this city, with its glittering shops, its noble public
101:004,46[A  ]| buildings, elegant churches, and charitable institutions, its theatres, concert
101:004,47[A  ]| halls, museums, libraries, giant warehouses and docks, its business
101:004,48[A  ]| and its riches; this city that cries second to few of its century-aged rivals
101:004,49[A  ]| in the old world; can it indeed be the same as the comfortless dreary
101:004,50[A  ]| spot of almost Siberian wretchedness that I knew fourteen years since?
101:004,51[A  ]| Even now, I can methinks see it in its past attire ~~ its rows of wooden
101:004,52[A  ]| huts, with their tin or shingle roofs, interspersed with tents, mud hovels,
101:004,53[A  ]| drinking booths, and here and there a row of stone houses lifting their
101:004,54[A  ]| heads above their humbler brethren:  streets that might be better termed
101:004,55[A  ]| rivers of mud, with stumps of trees yet uncleared away in their midst:
101:004,56[A  ]| carts drawn by oxen or horses, struggling through the mire, and often
101:004,57[A  ]| hopelessly stuck in some deep rut; drivers swearing and cracking whips,
101:004,58[A  ]| diggers and adventurers, often drunk and disorderly, reeling or trudging
101:004,59[A  ]| through the mud slough, for fragments of paving only existed here
101:004,60[A  ]| and there; emigrants, sick and disheartened, sitting in despair on their
101:004,61[A  ]| sea-chests by the roadway, homeless and houseless, and unable to pay the
101:004,62[A  ]| guinea a bed, and half guinea a meal, charged in the inns and grog-shops,
101:004,63[A  ]| while from within those inns, whose doors stood invitingly open
101:004,64[A  ]| for such as had a \full purse\, came the sounds of laughter and revelry,
101:004,65[A  ]| mingled with the scraping of fiddles, the clattering of glasses and cans,
101:004,66[A  ]| and occasionally the brutal oath, or the fierce sounds of strife.
101:004,67[A  ]| But I am rambling from my subject, and what is worse, narrating an
101:004,68[A  ]| oft-told tale.  Most of my readers if they did not see, have yet been made
101:004,69[A  ]| familiar, in the pages of the colonial or home press, with the aspect of
101:004,60[A  ]| Melbourne at the first breaking out of the gold fever.  It is during this
101:004,61[A  ]| stormy period that the incidents of my tale are laid, and that I first
101:004,62[A  ]| set foot on the shores of this great continent.
101:004,63[A  ]| I did not come, however, as a seeker of the yellow metal.  I had no ambition
101:004,64[A  ]| to become a digger.  In fact, reason taught me then what experience
101:004,65[A  ]| has since convinced me of ~~ that he, who, by the hard toil, finds the gold,
101:004,66[A  ]| makes not so great a profit as he, who, keeping to his trade or profession,
101:004,67[A  ]| wins by his brains the wealth second hand.
101:004,68[A  ]| I was a Detective Police Officer, and I quitted the service at home for
101:004,69[A  ]| reasons which my conscience approved of, and owing in great measure to
101:004,70[A  ]| an adventure which I have no space to relate here, but which would supply
101:005,01[A  ]| incidents for a more thrilling narrative than the present, in which form I
101:005,02[A  ]| may one day tell it you.
101:005,03[A  ]| Bound by honour not again to exercise my calling in the old country, I
101:005,04[A  ]| had no scruple at doing so in the new; and when I arrived at Melbourne
101:005,05[A  ]| at the close of the year 1851, I found there was plenty of opening for me.
101:005,06[A  ]| The police arrangements were very ineffective ~~ murders, stabbings, and
101:005,07[A  ]| other outrages were of frequent occurrence in the city, and throughout
101:005,08[A  ]| the country round prowling ruffians ~~ escaped convicts from Sydney or
101:005,09[A  ]| Van*Diemen's*Land, were ever ready to waylay and murder the wandering
101:005,10[A  ]| digger for the sake of the gold they expected to find on his person.
101:005,11[A  ]| One of the greatest scoundrels of the latter class had, by the number of
101:005,12[A  ]| murders he had committed, earned the cognomen of "Dick*the*Devil";
101:005,13[A  ]| his outrages had extended to within a quarter of a mile of the town; he
101:005,14[A  ]| was wont to boast that he killed a man a week, and robbed one a day, and
101:005,15[A  ]| so anxious was everyone for his capture that one thousand pounds was
101:005,16[A  ]| offered for his body alive or dead.
101:005,17[A  ]| This was the very worthy I was about to seek when I quitted the
101:005,18[A  ]| "Cafe=*de*L'Europe," and turned my steps down Bourke-street on the
101:005,19[A  ]| evening in question.
101:005,20[A  ]| I had come to the knowledge, how and by what means is irrelevant,
101:005,21[A  ]| that he would be at a hut a mile or so off the highway to Bundura at
101:005,22[A  ]| eleven o'clock that night.  This hut was inhabited by a shepherd belonging
101:005,23[A  ]| to a neighbouring run, who was evidently through fear or inclination
101:005,24[A  ]| an accomplice of the ruffian.  I did not, however, fear the odds against
101:005,25[A  ]| me, the reward offered was more than commensurate with the danger incurred.
101:005,26[A  ]| Had I taken an aid that reward must have been shared, which I
101:005,27[A  ]| did not care for; the more particularly as the honour of the affair would
101:005,28[A  ]| have to be divided also.  A revolver and a bowie knife were my best
101:005,29[A  ]| friends, and the only thing that caused me annoyance was, that a recent
101:005,30[A  ]| kick from a horse prevented my crossing a saddle or walking very far; it
101:005,31[A  ]| would also prevent my running away if such a course were needed, but
101:005,32[A  ]| the necessity of the latter step I did not consider very probable.
101:005,33[A  ]| Thus prevented from either walking or riding, I had as a 9dernier*resort
101:005,34[A  ]| hired a light gig; for I knew the road to within a mile of the spot to be
101:005,35[A  ]| a pretty good one, and I could then hobble my horse, and creep the rest
101:005,36[A  ]| of the distance on foot.
101:005,37[A  ]| This gig I had appointed to meet me at the door of "The*Golden*Nugget,"
101:005,38[A  ]| which inn was in Elizabeth-street, close to the Post*office, and
101:005,39[A  ]| thither I now made my way, carefully picking my path so as to avoid the
101:005,40[A  ]| dangerous ruts and holes half full of water, a task which the few flickering
101:005,41[A  ]| oil lamps scarcely assisted me to perform.  At last, however, I arrived at
101:005,42[A  ]| the spot named; the gig was awaiting me; I consulted my watch, it was
101:005,43[A  ]| nine o'clock, and as I had eight miles to drive and perhaps one to walk,
101:005,44[A  ]| it was time to be \9en*route\.  So, after tossing off a nobbler of rum punch
101:005,45[A  ]| to keep the cold out, and examining the caps on my revolver, I clambered
101:005,46[A  ]| into my somewhat dilapidated vehicle, gathered up the reins, and whipped
101:005,47[A  ]| the raw-boned old mare into a trot.
101:005,48[A  ]| The gleam of light from a few open pot-house doors, enabled me to
101:005,49[A  ]| escape driving over the crowds of half dressed children, mingled with dogs
101:005,50[A  ]| and goats, that seemed to divide the centre of the street between them;
101:005,51[A  ]| and in a few minutes the last straggling outskirts of the city were passed,
101:005,52[A  ]| and I was rattling along the road that leads to the now pretty little village
101:005,53[A  ]| of Flemington.
101:005,54[A  ]| It should have been a light night, for the moon was nearly at its full,
101:005,55[A  ]| but the heavy masses of cloud only allowed her radiance to appear occasionally,
101:005,56[A  ]| and at other times the darkness was so intense that I could
101:005,57[A  ]| scarcely see my horse's head.  This, however, I did not very much heed;
101:005,58[A  ]| I knew that my raw-boned old mare knew every inch of the road, I had
101:005,59[A  ]| received information that I could not very well mistake as to the discovery
101:005,60[A  ]| of the shepherd's hut, and the peculiar business upon which I was engaged
101:005,61[A  ]| rendered darkness more welcome than light to me.
101:005,62[A  ]| I had proceeded in this way some three miles or so, with slackened reins,
101:005,63[A  ]| trusting to the instinct of the horse to find the way, when a shrill voice
101:005,64[A  ]| hailed me with
101:005,64@b   | "Arrah, your honour, will you be giving a puir lone woman
101:005,65@b   | a lift as far as the Bell at Bundura, and it is many thanks she will offer you
101:005,66@b   | for the trouble?"
101:005,67[A  ]| Involuntarily I drew in my sorry nag at this sullen greeting, and as I
101:005,68[A  ]| did so, the moonlight suddenly glinted out from a rift in the leaden
101:005,69[A  ]| clouds, and I beheld, standing close to the roadside, a gaunt and decrepid
101:005,70[A  ]| looking hag of some seventy years of age, her clothes a mere bundle of
101:005,71[A  ]| rags, and filthy looking in the extreme; whilst, from beneath a large mob
101:005,72[A  ]| cap, which once doubtless had been white, but now retained little evidence
101:005,73[A  ]| of the fact, a lock or two of straggling grey hair waved in the wind; in
101:005,74[A  ]| short, for the appearance of this strange old woman resembled so closely one
101:005,75[A  ]| of the wierd sisterhood in "Macbeth," that a more unattractive companion
101:005,76[A  ]| for a lonely night's drive could hardly be imagined.
101:005,77@a   | "What are you doing here at this time of night, my friend?"
101:005,77[A  ]| I asked.
101:005,78@b   | "Och, faith, your honour, you may well ask the question.  Shure, and it is
101:005,79@b   | the market I have been attinding at all day, and then I bided to tak a dish
101:005,80@b   | of tay with a neighbour, and then night o'ertook us talking of old times."
101:005,81@a   | "Why did you not stop at your friend's all night then, it would have
101:005,82@a   | been wiser than tramping this lonely road at such an hour?"
101:005,83@b   | "Ah?  I should anger the old man, your worship, who is a*waiting up for
101:005,84@b   | me at home, it is a pretty bit of a bateing I shall catch as it is,"
101:005,84[A  ]| she answered
101:005,85[A  ]| in a shrill voice.
101:005,86[A  ]| Not wishing to be delayed longer, and half believing her tale, I bid
101:005,87[A  ]| the old woman jump up, which she did with an alacrity not to be
101:005,88[A  ]| expected at her years, and again the journey was resumed.  For a mile
101:005,89[A  ]| or so my companion was silent, while I was too much absorbed in my
101:005,01[A  ]| own reflections to open a conversation.  When, however, the two or
101:005,02[A  ]| three wooden houses that then composed the village of Flemington were
101:005,03[A  ]| passed, and the lights that had flashed from the windows of the little
101:005,04[A  ]| inn, known as the "Half-way*House," had grown like tiny stars in our
101:005,05[A  ]| rear, my strange companion again found her tongue, and gabbled away
101:005,06[A  ]| with such garrulity that I began to grow doubtful whether she was insane,
101:005,07[A  ]| or rather the worse for "a drop of the crather."  She continued
101:005,08[A  ]| thus for some miles, and I had begun to wish her at a region at least as
101:005,09[A  ]| remote as Jericho, when the moon again shone forth with a sudden
101:005,10[A  ]| radiance that for a moment quite dazzled my sight, and revealed the
101:005,11[A  ]| long straight road for miles in front, with the dark woods on either side,
101:005,12[A  ]| as clearly as if it were noonday.  The ghastly white bark and sombre
101:005,13[A  ]| foliage of the gum trees and other eucalypti glittered in the light, but
101:005,14[A  ]| not a single thing of life was visible around.
101:005,15[A  ]| It was at this moment, that, glancing down to see that a small bag,
101:005,16[A  ]| containing handcuffs and a few other little implements of my craft, had
101:005,17[A  ]| not fallen out of the gig, I perceived a strange object sticking out of the
101:005,18[A  ]| pocket of my companion.
101:005,18@a   | Could it be?
101:005,18[A  ]| I looked again.
101:005,18@a   | Yes, it was ~~
101:005,19@a   | \the steel mounted butt of a pistol\ ~~ a genuine Colt's revolver!
101:005,19[A  ]| I knew it
101:005,20[A  ]| in an instant by the shape, and could scarcely refrain from giving a
101:005,21[A  ]| whistle of surprise, but I did.  I glanced at the face of the bearer, and
101:005,22[A  ]| now in the clear moonlight I could perceive that the deep wrinkles in
101:005,23[A  ]| the cheeks were skilfully put on with burnt cork, and that the straggling
101:005,24[A  ]| locks of grey hair were the fascinations of a wig.
101:005,25[A  ]| I was clearly in a trap; my own firearms were buttoned over in my
101:005,26[A  ]| breast pocket; were I to drop either rein or whip, the suspicion of the
101:005,27[A  ]| bushranger ~~ for I doubted not the profession of my companion, would
101:005,28[A  ]| be roused, and ere I could draw my own weapon I should have a bullet
101:005,29[A  ]| through my head.  Although the gabbling conversation, in the cracked
101:005,30[A  ]| tones of an old woman, was still kept up, I saw that a careful survey
101:005,31[A  ]| was being taken of the neighbourhood, and I knew that one hand
101:005,32[A  ]| grasped the skirt pocket and the barrels of the pistol beneath the tattered
101:005,33[A  ]| plaid shawl.
101:005,34[A  ]| What strength can not accomplish, skill must ~~  is an old axiom of my
101:005,35[A  ]| profession; so, turning round, I exclaimed,
101:005,35@a   | "I fear my horse has got a
101:005,36@a   | stone in his shoe, mother, you will not be afraid to hold the reins a minute
101:005,37@a   | whilst I jump down and see, will you?"
101:005,38[A  ]| The careless and yet encouraging tones in which I spoke took my
101:005,39[A  ]| companion off his guard; I drew up and handed him the whip and reins;
101:005,40[A  ]| then rising as if to get out of the gig, I suddenly snatched the revolver
101:005,41[A  ]| from his pocket, and levelled it at his head, exclaiming,
101:005,41@a   | "You are my
101:005,42@a   | prisoner; move hand or foot, and I blow your brains out."
101:005,43@b   | "Faith, Mr%*Paaler, it is yourself has got the best of it, but you can not be
101:005,44@b   | for arresting me, you have no ividence I meant to do wrang?"
101:005,45@a   | "I will be responsible for my acts, my lad.  Now, listen to me, obey me
101:005,46@a   | word for word, and no dodges; my finger is on the trigger, remember."
101:005,47@b   | "All right, your honour,"
101:005,47[A  ]| answered the villain, perfectly cowed.
101:005,48@a   | "On the seat, you see a bag; drop the reins, the horse will not bolt; put
101:005,49@a   | the whip in its holder.  Good.  Now then, the bag is unlocked, what
101:005,50@a   | do you see in it?"
101:005,51@b   | "Bracelets, your honour, and bad cess to them."
101:005,52@a   | "Key in the lock?"
101:005,53@b   | "Yes, your honour."
101:005,54@a   | "Then, put them on."
101:005,55[A  ]| The man hesitated.
101:005,56@a   | "Put them on, or I fire."
101:005,57[A  ]| This time the fellow obeyed.
101:005,58@a   | "Now place your hands in such a position that I can lock the handcuffs
101:005,59@a   | with my left hand."
101:005,60[A  ]| This he also did.
101:005,61[A  ]| Placing the muzzle of the revolver against his forehead, and never
101:005,62[A  ]| taking my eye off his, for he looked mischievous, I locked his bracelets
101:005,63[A  ]| with my left hand, and put the key in my waistcoat pocket; then taking
101:005,64[A  ]| a piece of strong cord from the bag, I laid the pistol on the seat, and
101:005,65[A  ]| strongly bound his arms and legs.
101:005,66@a   | "Now, my dear old lady,"
101:005,66[A  ]| I said, as I concluded,
101:005,66@a   | "next time you
101:005,67@a   | frequent Paddy's market, do not get benighted on your way home.  I will
101:005,68@a   | save you this time from a bateing by the old man, but I may not be able
101:005,69@a   | to do so always."
101:005,70@b   | "Curse you, for a meddling fool,"
101:005,70[A  ]| was the answer,
101:005,70@b   | "the game may be
101:005,71@b   | in \my\ hands next time; if so, my hearty, look out."
101:005,72[A  ]| I made no reply to this, and was about to gather up the reins, for the
101:005,73[A  ]| adventure had delayed me; I should be behind my time at the shepherd's
101:005,74[A  ]| hut, when, frightened at a sheep, which suddenly shewed itself
101:005,75[A  ]| in the brushwood, the horse swerved round, and, before I could check
101:005,76[A  ]| him, had quitted the road, and was galloping at a rattling pace across
101:005,77[A  ]| country.  It was a fortunate thing that the trees were not very thick at
101:005,78[A  ]| this spot, or the gig must have been dashed against one and the results
101:005,79[A  ]| therefrom anything but agreeable.  As it happened, however, the sward
101:005,80[A  ]| was nearly as level as a bowling green, and the bark of the scattered
101:005,81[A  ]| gum trees so white, that the frightened animal naturally avoided them:
101:005,82[A  ]| and thus the only ill consequence resulting from the runaway was, that
101:005,83[A  ]| by the time I had got the horse again in hand, we were far away from
101:005,84[A  ]| the high road, with the probability of not finding it again.
101:005,85[A  ]| This improbability was soon rendered an impossibility by the moon
101:005,86[A  ]| becoming again obscured.  The heavens grew one leaden shroud, each
101:005,87[A  ]| moment the darkness became more intense.
101:005,88[A  ]| It was now necessary to abandon the gig, for it was unsafe longer to
101:005,89[A  ]| stick to that conveyance.  I unbound my prisoner's arms, and made
101:006,01[A  ]| him unharness the mare, whilst I covered him with my pistol ~~ an operation
101:006,02[A  ]| which his chain handcuffs rendered troublesome, but not difficult.
101:006,03[A  ]| I then rebound his arms, and unfastened his legs, and mounting the
101:006,04[A  ]| horse in spite of my bad leg, turned its head I knew not whither, making
101:006,05[A  ]| my captive march about a length before me, having first given him the
101:006,06[A  ]| comforting assurance that if he stopped, or looked back, I would put a
101:006,07[A  ]| bullet through his head.
101:006,08[A  ]| After travelling for some two hours in this manner, I could not define
101:006,09[A  ]| whether in a circle or a straight line, to my great joy I perceived a light
101:006,10[A  ]| a little way ahead, and as we drew nearer, discovered that it shone from
101:006,11[A  ]| the window of a long rambling wooden house.  The deep growl of dogs
101:006,12[A  ]| greeted our approach, and when, in obedience to my command, the bushranger
101:006,13[A  ]| knocked heavily at the closed door, a voice within saluted us in
101:006,14[A  ]| an angry tone with
101:006,14@c   | "Pass on whoever you are, you get no rest here to-night.
101:006,15@c   | They pay high who make this a resting-place.  Begone!"
101:006,16[A  ]| I felt annoyed at this uncourteous reception, and was about to ride up
101:006,17[A  ]| to the door to hold a parley through the key-hole, when my companion
101:006,18[A  ]| giving it a kick, exclaimed, in a voice quite free from the brogue,
101:006,18@b   | "Come,
101:006,19@b   | my good people, you will not have the heart to refuse the shelter of a roof
101:006,20@b   | and a crust of bread to two poor travellers lost in the bush."
101:006,21[A  ]| He had hardly spoken, when the door opened, and a rough voice answered,
101:006,22@c   | "Well, I do not mind if I do, if that is the time of day, I thought
101:006,23@c   | you was only loafers perhaps."
101:006,24[A  ]| When, however, his eyes rested on the feminine apparel and handcuffed
101:006,25[A  ]| wrists of the bushranger, he started in dismay, so to re-assure
101:006,26[A  ]| him, I rode up, and said,
101:006,26@a   | "I am an officer of police, this is my prisoner,
101:006,27@a   | we have lost our way in the darkness, and so can not reach Melbourne to-night;
101:006,28@a   | but I do not want to impose on your hospitality, if you will give
101:006,29@a   | us food and shelter, I will pay you well for both."
101:006,30[A  ]| As I ceased speaking, the man gave us both a scrutinising glance, and
101:006,31[A  ]| then said,
101:006,31@c   | "Fairly spoken, Mr%*Policeman, I am an honest man myself,
101:006,32@c   | and so I bids you welcome; drive that ragamuffin indoors while I take
101:006,33@c   | your horse round to the stables."
101:006,34[A  ]| I was not sorry to dismount, as my leg was becoming troublesome;
101:006,35[A  ]| I resigned the animal to the master of the house, for he looked an honest
101:006,36[A  ]| fellow, and the nag was not worth stealing; besides, I could not keep an
101:006,37[A  ]| eye on it, and my captive, whom I now followed into the house.
101:006,38[A  ]| The first object that caught my eye on entering the kitchen was an
101:006,39[A  ]| American clock, its hands pointed to eleven.  It was the hour appointed
101:006,40[A  ]| for my nabbing "Dick*the*Devil" at the Shepherd's hut, and a sigh
101:006,41[A  ]| escaped me as I thought of the thousand pound reward, and the way it
101:006,42[A  ]| had slipped through my fingers.  Regrets were however useless, the hut
101:006,43[A  ]| might be miles away, and even the direction in which it lay I could not
101:006,44[A  ]| as much as guess at.
101:006,44@a   | "I have a bird in the hand, at least,"
101:006,44[A  ]| I thought.
101:006,44@a   | "I will
101:006,45@a   | keep an eye on the old woman."
101:006,46[A  ]| My cogitations were put an end to by the return of our host, accompanied
101:006,47[A  ]| by two young men of about twenty-five and twenty years of age
101:006,48[A  ]| respectively, whom he introduced as his sons.  They were both strongly
101:006,49[A  ]| built young fellows, but would neither of them attain the almost Herculean
101:006,50[A  ]| proportions of their father, who looked a perfect Samson in the ruddy
101:006,51[A  ]| firelight, which now enabled me to view his countenance, and not
101:006,52[A  ]| the aspect of the apartment.  The man had my first attention.  He
101:006,53[A  ]| was attired in the ordinary costume of a shepherd or small farmer; he
101:006,54[A  ]| might have been forty-five years of age, for his short black hair was
101:006,55[A  ]| turning slightly grey, but certainly he was not more; he was upwards of
101:006,56[A  ]| six feet in height, and broad chested and stoutly built in proportion; in
101:006,57[A  ]| fact, his well set muscular figure shewed great strength; his face was
101:006,58[A  ]| pleasing and open, save when in perfect repose; then only, a kind of half
101:006,59[A  ]| sneer, half scowl rested on it, and seemed as though caused by some malformation
101:006,60[A  ]| of nature rather than the result of habit.
101:006,61[A  ]| The room was plainly furnished, as is usual in the bush.  A roughly
101:006,62[A  ]| hewn table, a chair, half a dozen three-legged stools, and the American
101:006,63[A  ]| clock before referred to, formed the greater portion of it.  The fire consisted
101:006,64[A  ]| of a few logs of wood kindled on the hearth, while two iron bars laid
101:006,65[A  ]| across it, resting on a brick at each end, supported the tea-kettle and a
101:006,66[A  ]| saucepan or two, from whence issued a savoury aroma strongly suggestive
101:006,67[A  ]| to an empty stomach.  The walls around were decked with an atrocious
101:006,68[A  ]| print of "The*Babes*in*the*Wood," a rifle, fowling piece, double barrelled
101:006,69[A  ]| gun, and a brace of old flint pistols.  As you may imagine, the weapons
101:006,70[A  ]| attracted my attention the more so as they were all save the pistols capped
101:006,71[A  ]| and on half-cock.  Still, in such a lonely situation, so far away from
101:006,72[A  ]| another habitation, and the country around swarming with bushrangers,
101:006,73[A  ]| escaped convicts, and rascals of every description, there were but very
101:006,74[A  ]| slight grounds for suspicion in all this.
101:006,75@c   | "Come, lads, let us have some tea.  I have fed and watered your nag, sir,
101:006,76@c   | and now we must attend on you; but you are not going to let that thief of
101:006,77@c   | the world sit at table with us.  I have a cellar below will suit him better,"
101:006,78[A  ]| said the farmer contemptuously, as he glanced towards my strangely
101:006,79[A  ]| attired prisoner, who returned the favour with a fierce scowl.
101:006,80[A  ]| I readily availed myself of this offer, and found the cellar a secure
101:006,81[A  ]| place; that it was both damp and dark was not my fault.  I unbound the
101:006,82[A  ]| prisoner, still, however, keeping the bracelets on, and pushed him in.  Our
101:006,83[A  ]| host threw him some straw, and giving him some bread and beef we left
101:006,84[A  ]| him to his own reflections.
101:006,85[A  ]| We now turned our undivided attention to the supper, which, though
101:006,86[A  ]| perhaps wanting in quality, was ample as to quantity.  A boiled leg of
101:006,87[A  ]| mutton was dished out of one saucepan, a huge mess of potatoes from
101:006,88[A  ]| another; the damper was taken from the hearth, and an immense jug of
101:006,89[A  ]| ale with a black bottle of whiskey, put on the table.
101:006,01[A  ]| Rendered hungry by my long drive, I did justice to the substantial
101:006,02[A  ]| viands before me, and over a glass of grog listened to the worthy shepherd's
101:006,03[A  ]| account of the death of his wife from typhus fever, of the marriage of his
101:006,04[A  ]| only daughter with a rural policeman; of the murrain in the cattle, and
101:006,05[A  ]| the rot in his sheep; of the last great bush fire, and other like matters,
101:006,06[A  ]| until at last, getting drowsy, I proposed to go to bed.
101:006,07[A  ]| It was time I did so, the fire had long since gone out, the clock pointed
101:006,08[A  ]| to two in the morning, and, as I rose to depart, the remains of the candle
101:006,09[A  ]| sunk in its iron socket, and left us in darkness.
101:006,10@c   | "Here is a pretty go,"
101:006,10[A  ]| said the shepherd, after a fruitless rummage in
101:006,11[A  ]| every nook and corner of the room,
101:006,11@c   | "We have not another scrap of candle
101:006,12@c   | were it to light us to pick up nuggets, you must go to bed in the dark."
101:006,13@a   | "Heed not that, my man,"
101:006,13[A  ]| said I,
101:006,13@a   | "the moon shines brightly, lead the way."
101:006,14@c   | "Will you not leave your great-coat and arms here,"
101:006,14[A  ]| suggested the host.
101:006,15@a   | "No, my friend, my pistols and I never part company;"
101:006,15[A  ]| I answered with
101:006,16[A  ]| a laugh, and, wishing the young men good night, followed their father to
101:006,17[A  ]| my room.
101:006,18[A  ]| This was, however, no easy matter.  I had to grope my way after him
101:006,19[A  ]| along a dark passage, at the end of which he ushered me into an apartment
101:006,20[A  ]| where there was no other light than that given by the moon, which
101:006,21[A  ]| shone through a small window glazed with little panes of coarse glass.
101:006,22[A  ]| Here he bade me good night, and, with apologies for the poor accommodation,
101:006,23[A  ]| left me.
101:006,24[A  ]| The apartment was small.  In one corner stood a bed of that shape
101:006,25[A  ]| commonly called in the colonies ~~ a stretcher; this, with a coarse basin
101:006,26[A  ]| stand, a broken chair, and a ship looking glass, made up the furniture.
101:006,27[A  ]| Like an old traveller, I turned to secure the door; without bolt or lock,
101:006,28[A  ]| it had only a small thumb latch.
101:006,29[A  ]| Dismounting the wash ware, I piled the stand, together with the chair,
101:006,30[A  ]| against the door, in such a manner that no*one could enter without making
101:006,31[A  ]| a noise sufficient to wake me.  To make all sure, I felt in my pocket to
101:006,32[A  ]| see that the key of the cellar wherein I had confined my prisoner was
101:006,33[A  ]| there.  It was all right.  I then examined the charges in mine and the
101:006,34[A  ]| bushranger's revolvers, and placing both under my pillow, without undressing,
101:006,35[A  ]| threw myself on the bed, and weary and worn out by my night's
101:006,36[A  ]| adventures, prepared to sleep.
101:006,37[A  ]| For a time a species of nervous wakefulness possessed me; the moaning
101:006,38[A  ]| of the passing wind, the flapping of a loose board on the roof above, the
101:006,39[A  ]| fitful shadows of a gigantic gum tree thrown by the moonlight on the
101:006,40[A  ]| damp and discoloured walls, and above all the deep bay of dogs in the
101:006,41[A  ]| yard beneath my window baffled my every endeavour to slumber; and,
101:006,42[A  ]| when at length I was about to drop off, a whispering of human voices in
101:006,43[A  ]| the next roomm again put me on the \9qui 9vive\.  I could not help fancying
101:006,44[A  ]| that I was the subject of their conversation, and I could swear that I heard
101:006,45[A  ]| the voice of the prisoner joining in the discussion.  Creeping from my bed
101:006,46[A  ]| I put my ear to the wall, and thanks to the loose jointing in the boards,
101:006,47[A  ]| could hear what was spoken.
101:006,48[A  ]| The villains, of whom the bushranger seemed the leader, were coolly
101:006,49[A  ]| discussing a method for my \murder\ ~~ I was to be shot in my bed.
101:006,50[A  ]| The moment I discovered these amiable intentions, I rose to my feet,
101:006,51[A  ]| and reflected.  I had my revolvers, there were twelve lives in the barrels,
101:006,52[A  ]| that was, if neither of the barrels missed a life; but might not these
101:006,53[A  ]| assassins have revolvers also?  At all events, they were four to one, and
101:006,54[A  ]| the master of the hut a perfect Hercules of strength.
101:006,55[A  ]| My mind was made up ~~ I would run.
101:006,56[A  ]| Then rose the reflection ~~ how?
101:006,57[A  ]| The rascals were traversing the passage, my feeble barricade would not
101:006,58[A  ]| stay them a minute.  I gave a glance around the room.  I espied a rope
101:006,59[A  ]| in one corner ~~ a long rope.  It suggested an idea; I secured one end of
101:006,60[A  ]| it to a strong iron ring that happened providentially to be in the wall, then
101:006,61[A  ]| I noiselessly opened the casement, and dropped the other end out through
101:006,62[A  ]| the window, following it myself, but I had no intention to descend yet.
101:006,63[A  ]| My foot found rest on one of the projecting logs of which the house was
101:006,64[A  ]| built; my left hand grasped the window sill above which half my head
101:006,65[A  ]| and the six barrels of my revolver were alone visible.  I had yet to bid
101:006,66[A  ]| my hospitable entertainers farewell.
101:006,67[A  ]| I had not to wait long.  The moonlight presently shewed me the handle
101:006,68[A  ]| of the opposite door turn, the door itself open half an inch.  I waited no
101:006,69[A  ]| longer; bang, bang, bang, went three barrels of my revolver, and exclaiming
101:006,70@a   | "Good*bye, my dear friends, pray do not forget me,"
101:006,70[A  ]| I began descending
101:006,71[A  ]| my rope.
101:006,72[A  ]| A shriek of pain and hoarse curses, from above told me that I had not
101:006,73[A  ]| thrown away my powder.  I congratulated myself on an escape; when,
101:006,74[A  ]| turning to look below, I saw the red fiery eyes of an immense dog glaring
101:006,75[A  ]| up at me; his deep muzzle, broad chest, and greyish white coat of wiry
101:006,76[A  ]| hair, shewed him to be a blood-hound, and with a thrill of horror I saw
101:006,77[A  ]| that I must drop right at his feet.
101:006,78[A  ]| I levelled my pistol at him, and tried to steady myself on the rope to
101:006,79[A  ]| take aim.  My first shot missed him, the second gave him only a slight
101:006,80[A  ]| wound that rendered him far more dangerous, when I felt the rope give
101:006,81[A  ]| way; it had been cut above, and I fell some five or six feet almost into his
101:006,82[A  ]| very jaws.
101:006,83[A  ]| I beheld the fierce brute about to spring on me; at the same moment a
101:006,84[A  ]| clattering volley rang out from above, and I heard half a dozen bullets hiss
101:006,85[A  ]| by my head, and bury themselves with a dull thud in the earth.  Though
101:006,86[A  ]| little intended for the purpose, that volley saved my life; every ball
101:006,87[A  ]| missed me, but one passed through the head of the bloodhound, who was
101:006,88[A  ]| now lying dead across my body.  It was a providential escape, but I was
101:006,89[A  ]| not yet out of the wood, and there was no time to lose.  I could hear the
101:007,01[A  ]| muttered curses of disappointment and the ramming of new charges home,
101:007,02[A  ]| as those above saw me move.  Throwing off the dead brute, whose weight
101:007,03[A  ]| nearly stifled me, I fired the last barrel of my revolver at the window, and
101:007,04[A  ]| with satisfaction saw the big shepherd clap his hand to his face, which, in
101:007,05[A  ]| an instant became covered with blood; then, springing to my feet, I ran
101:007,06[A  ]| for my life, I knew not whither!
101:007,07[A  ]| Immediately, however, I was checked by a high fence.  At any other
101:007,08[A  ]| time I should have found this an obstacle difficult to surmount, but now a
101:007,09[A  ]| love of life gave me strength and expertness, even my sore leg was unfelt,
101:007,10[A  ]| and in a  minute I was at the summit.  The sharp crack of a rifle rang out
101:007,11[A  ]| on the still night air; I saw my wide-awake fly from my head, and felt a
101:007,12[A  ]| scrape like that of a blunt razor across my scalp, but I did not stay to
101:007,13[A  ]| ponder on that.  Springing down on the off side, I again took to my heels,
101:007,14[A  ]| loading my revolver as I went, and ramming a bullet home in each barrel.
101:007,15[A  ]| In about five minutes' time I stopped to regain my breath, and from
101:007,16[A  ]| behind a gum tree looked back at the log house.
101:007,17[A  ]| It lay a little more than a quarter of a mile distant, clearly visible in
101:007,18[A  ]| the bright light of the moon, which now shone down from an unclouded
101:007,19[A  ]| heaven.  The night was so still that even the spring of the grasshopper
101:007,20[A  ]| could be heard, and I listened with breathless anxiety for the sounds of
101:007,21[A  ]| pursuit.
101:007,22[A  ]| Presently, the deep fierce bay of dogs smote on my ear, mingled with
101:007,23[A  ]| shoutings and laughter.  I saw three figures and two powerful hounds
101:007,24[A  ]| emerge from the shadow of the fence.  They were urging the dogs on the
101:007,25[A  ]| trail.
101:007,26[A  ]| I again commenced my flight.
101:007,27[A  ]| I had not, however, run many yards, when I caught my foot in a hole,
101:007,28[A  ]| and was brought to with a sprained ankle.
101:007,29[A  ]| I ground my teeth in despair.  I glanced around, the dogs were only a
101:007,30[A  ]| hundred yards or so in my rear running neck and neck, their great tongues
101:007,31[A  ]| lolling out of their mouths, thus displaying their formidable fangs, their
101:007,32[A  ]| eyes flashing fire, too eager for my blood even to give tongue.
101:007,33[A  ]| I looked wistfully around; a ray of hope dawned upon my soul, a yard
101:007,34[A  ]| from me stood a tall gum tree more bushy and thick with foliage than its
101:007,35[A  ]| neighbours.
101:007,36[A  ]| With great difficulty I clambered up its trunk, got amongst its densest
101:007,37[A  ]| fronds, and with my two revolvers before me prepared to sell my life as
101:007,38[A  ]| dearly as possible.
101:007,39[A  ]| I knew they must come within my range to see me; they could not use
101:007,40[A  ]| their rifle now, save at hap*hazard; while from the dogs I was quite safe.
101:007,41[A  ]| Those brutes were now howling with baffled rage at the foot of the tree.
101:007,42[A  ]| I did not notice them, my powder was for their masters.
101:007,43[A  ]| Presently they drew near; not advancing boldly, for they knew I was
101:007,44[A  ]| armed, but dodging from tree to tree.  I recognised the shepherd with his
101:007,45[A  ]| head tied up in a blood-stained bandage; the bushranger (now attired in
101:007,46[A  ]| male apparel), and one of the sons.  The other I supposed I had shot,
101:007,47[A  ]| which was in fact the case.
101:007,48[A  ]| At last the villains opened fire, but thanks to the sheltering foliage of
101:007,49[A  ]| my tree, the balls flew by me harmlessly.
101:007,50[A  ]| I returned the compliment whenever a head shewed itself from behind a
101:007,51[A  ]| trunk, but for some time with equal ill success.
101:007,52[A  ]| At length a bullet from the bushranger passed through my leg, and half
101:007,53[A  ]| mad with rage and pain, I resolved to repay the shot with interest.
101:007,54[A  ]| I had not to wait long for a chance; he incautiously exposed his side
101:007,55[A  ]| whilst re-loading, and I marked him with his own revolver, and fired.
101:007,56[A  ]| I saw him clap his left hand to his side, and blood spout out from between
101:007,57[A  ]| his fingers.  He then quitted his tree, and fearlessly walked up to
101:007,58[A  ]| the very trunk of the one in which I was concealed.  His eyes met mine;
101:007,59[A  ]| I fired two shots at him, and missed, the next instant his barrel covered
101:007,60[A  ]| me.
101:007,61@b   | "Curse you,"
101:007,61[A  ]| he muttered,
101:007,61@b   | "that shot of yours has won you a thousand
101:007,62@b   | pounds. I am ""Dick*the*Devil,"" but you shall not live to touch the money."
101:007,63[A  ]| His finger was on the trigger, but ere he could pull it, his brain reeled,
101:007,64[A  ]| death's hand was upon him, he fell at my feet a corpse.
101:007,65[A  ]| The same moment a rattling volley echoed around me.  I saw the shepherd
101:007,66[A  ]| and his son running for their lives, pursued by two of the Melbourne
101:007,67[A  ]| mounted police.
101:007,68[A  ]| The fellows were captured; tried, condemned, and hung.  I pocketed the
101:007,69[A  ]| thousand pounds, less some couple of hundred with which I rewarded my
101:007,70[A  ]| brave preservers.  Thus ended my first adventure with the bushrangers of
101:007,71[A  ]| Victoria.
102:016,00@@@@@| 
102:016,00['  ]| <THE MISSING FINGERS.> 
102:016,01@z   | "Old Jimmy*Brooke and his troopers so tall 
102:016,02@z   | Would have empty stomachs if it were not for the wall." 
102:016,03[A  ]| Such was a common chorus of the street boys of Melbourne 
102:016,04[A  ]| in the year of grace 1852, and it became as highly popular as 
102:016,05[A  ]| did the kind inquiry, 
102:016,05@x   | "How is your poor feet?"  
102:016,05[A  ]| in the good 
102:016,06[A  ]| city of London some ten years later. 
102:016,07[A  ]| Now old Jimmy*Brooke was myself, the troopers so tall 
102:016,08[A  ]| were my subordinates, of whom twelve months after my 
102:016,09[A  ]| arrival in the colony I had a goodly company of twenty, all 
102:016,10[A  ]| stout, strongly built fellows of some six feet in height, well 
102:016,11[A  ]| mounted, and each armed with a brace of revolvers and a 
102:016,12[A  ]| cavalry sabre:  but my readers will be naturally curious to 
102:016,13[A  ]| know what the empty stomachs and the wall are about. 
102:016,14[A  ]| Well, then, the meaning was this.  In those days it was the 
102:016,15[A  ]| custom to affix all notices offering rewards for the capture of 
102:016,16[A  ]| criminals and escaped prisoners on the outer walls of the city 
102:016,17[A  ]| gaol:  and there we members of the detective force used 
102:016,18[A  ]| daily, and often two or three times a day, to resort, to peruse 
102:016,19[A  ]| the little square bills, and see if there was anything new. 
102:016,20[A  ]| Our regular pay was small, ~~ in fact, despicably so; but then 
102:016,21[A  ]| we could generally feather our nests well with blood-money, 
102:016,22[A  ]| and such chances arose almost daily. 
102:016,23[A  ]| We used facetiously to term these placards "The*Police*Gazette,"  
102:016,24[A  ]| and when beneath the royal arms and the V%*R% 
102:016,25[A  ]| L100 or upwards figured in thick black type as the reward 
102:016,26[A  ]| for a capture, no little excitement pervaded our barracks, and 
102:016,27[A  ]| bets were made, and odds given and taken, as to who would 
102:016,28[A  ]| be the winner. 
102:017,01[A  ]| On such occasions I seldom troubled myself to give instructions 
102:017,02[A  ]| to my subordinates, individual interest always 
102:017,03[A  ]| sharpened their faculties, and each would secretly plot a 
102:017,04[A  ]| plan for capture, and carry it out on his own hook, jealous 
102:017,05[A  ]| of having to go shares with a comrade.  You may imagine 
102:017,06[A  ]| that over such a pack of man-hounds I had to keep a 
102:017,07[A  ]| pretty tight hand, but I soon found one kind of punishment 
102:017,08[A  ]| in all cases sufficient, and that was to restrict the offender 
102:017,09[A  ]| for a time from tracking the high rewards, and to force him 
102:017,10[A  ]| to look after those offenders for whom only ten or even 
102:017,11[A  ]| twenty pounds were offered.  This plan answered a double 
102:017,12[A  ]| purpose, for, save as a punishment, my fellows would never 
102:017,13[A  ]| have looked after this latter class at all; and had a five or 
102:017,14[A  ]| ten pound prize fallen into their hands, they would most 
102:017,15[A  ]| probably have let him go, hoping that temptation would 
102:017,16[A  ]| before long drive him to commit a worse crime, and elicit a 
102:017,17[A  ]| higher value on his head.  
102:017,17@x   | "Why be content with an egg, 
102:017,18@x   | when it will become a fowl?"  
102:017,18[A  ]| was their motto. 
102:017,19[A  ]| This feeling I had a great difficulty in overcoming, but at 
102:017,20[A  ]| length I did so by decreeing that every trooper who did not 
102:017,21[A  ]| produce a small offender once a week should be restricted 
102:017,22[A  ]| from following any higher game for the succeeding month. 
102:017,23[A  ]| This had the desired effect.  And now for my narrative. 
102:017,24[A  ]| It was a bright summer's morning in the September of 
102:017,25[A  ]| 1852 that I strolled down Russell*Street, and took a glance 
102:017,26[A  ]| at the prison walls for any new placards that might have 
102:017,27[A  ]| been posted since the preceding evening.  My attention was 
102:017,28[A  ]| almost immediately attracted by one that ran as follows:  ~~  
102:017,29@x   | "V%*R% 
102:017,30@x   | ONE HUNDRED POUNDS REWARD. 
102:017,31@x   | Whereas a prisoner named Rolf*Schweig escaped last night 
102:017,32@x   | from the city gaol, and killed a turnkey who endeavoured to 
102:017,33@x   | stay him:  the above reward is offered for his recapture, 
102:017,34@x   | alive or dead.  Description:  height, five feet eleven inches; 
102:017,35@x   | face pale, hair sandy and curly; nose aquiline, a pimple on 
102:017,36@x   | left side of same; ears small, and bored for earrings; teeth 
102:017,37@x   | irregular; body stout, broad-chested, and muscular; hands 
102:017,38@x   | small, and middle finger of left hand cut off at second joint; 
102:017,39@x   | age forty-five; speaks with a slightly foreign accent." 
102:018,01[A  ]| The description was clear enough.  
102:018,01@a   | "There is no mistaking 
102:018,02@a   | the fellow if I once clap eyes on him," 
102:018,02[A  ]| I thought to myself. 
102:018,03[A  ]| Then arose the natural query, 
102:018,03@a   | "Where was he going 
102:018,04@a   | to?" 
102:018,05[A  ]| While I walked up and down, buried in deep thought, I 
102:018,06[A  ]| saw two or three of my fellows come down from the direction 
102:018,07[A  ]| of Latrobe*Street, and after hastily looking over the 
102:018,08[A  ]| new placards, walk away rapidly towards the barracks.  At 
102:018,09[A  ]| half a glance I knew the conclusion they had arrived at, 
102:018,10[A  ]| which was that the fugitive had taken to the bush.  In half 
102:018,11[A  ]| an hour they would be in the saddle and in pursuit. 
102:018,12[A  ]| This was certainly the most probable course that an 
102:018,13[A  ]| escaped prisoner would adopt, and yet something seemed to 
102:018,14[A  ]| whisper to me that they were on the wrong scent. 
102:018,15[A  ]| Before I decided upon a course, I determined to gain fuller 
102:018,16[A  ]| information regarding the man and the manner of his escape, 
102:018,17[A  ]| and with such intention I gained admittance within the 
102:018,18[A  ]| walls, and asked to see the governor and the chaplain. 
102:018,19[A  ]| I did not, however, elicit much information from them. 
102:018,20[A  ]| The prisoner had made his escape the evening before by 
102:018,21[A  ]| stabbing the turnkey who brought him his supper, robbing 
102:018,22[A  ]| him of his keys, and by their means gaining the yard, where 
102:018,23[A  ]| he succeeded in scaling the wall, and, escaping two shots 
102:018,24[A  ]| fired after him, was observed to run up Latrobe*Street in the 
102:018,25[A  ]| direction of the new Carlton*Gardens. 
102:018,26[A  ]| Two or three incidents struck me as peculiar in this 
102:018,27[A  ]| matter.  Firstly, the turnkey was not only killed, but his 
102:018,28[A  ]| body was covered with stabs in every part, and the throat 
102:018,29[A  ]| was cut as well.  
102:018,29@a   | Private vengeance has been at work here, 
102:018,30[A  ]| thought I, 
102:018,30@a   | and the prisoner delayed his escape to have a full 
102:018,31@a   | surfeit.  
102:018,31[A  ]| The poor man had been slain with his own pocket-knife, 
102:018,32[A  ]| which I took possession of, as it might be useful to 
102:018,33[A  ]| me.  I learnt that he was a German, and could speak very 
102:018,34[A  ]| little English.  Prisoner and he had always appeared on very 
102:018,35[A  ]| good terms.  The second thing I noticed was that the 
102:018,36[A  ]| prisoner must have had assistance in his escape, for a broken 
102:018,37[A  ]| rope hung from the outside of the wall, and there were 
102:018,38[A  ]| scratches from boots ascending the wall, which would not 
102:018,39[A  ]| have been caused by a man slipping down a rope.  I inquired 
102:018,40[A  ]| as to the manners and habits of the prisoner, and the 
102:019,01[A  ]| crime for which he had been confined.  I learnt, to my surprise, 
102:019,02[A  ]| that his habits were reserved, quiet, and gentlemanly; 
102:019,03[A  ]| his temperament even, but slightly inclined to melancholy; 
102:019,04[A  ]| that he was a Protestant, and a great favourite of the chaplain, 
102:019,05[A  ]| as he seemed very devout in his religious duties; and 
102:019,06[A  ]| that he had been convicted of stabbing a German waiter in 
102:019,07[A  ]| an hotel at Geelong, apparently without any provocation 
102:019,08[A  ]| whatever.  As the wound had been a slight one, though 
102:019,09[A  ]| within an inch of the heart, the charge had been only "for 
102:019,10[A  ]| wounding with intent," and the sentence three years' imprisonment, 
102:019,11[A  ]| which term, with the exception of three months 
102:019,12[A  ]| had elapsed at the time of his escape. 
102:019,13[A  ]| The only other point told me worthy of note was that the 
102:019,14[A  ]| prisoner always seemed strangely affected by the singing of  
102:019,15[A  ]| the Evening*Hymn in chapel, and would generally either 
102:019,16[A  ]| tremble, shed tears, or exhibit some other signs of strong 
102:019,17[A  ]| mental excitement during its performance. 
102:019,18[A  ]| There was very little to guide me in all this; in fact, it 
102:019,19[A  ]| more confused my pre-arranged thoughts than otherwise, and 
102:019,20[A  ]| on my way back to the barracks I kept asking myself the 
102:019,21[A  ]| questions, 
102:019,21@a   | "What made the fellow so terribly mutilate the 
102:019,22@a   | turnkey?  What made him take such fearful measures to 
102:019,23@a   | escape, when in three months more he would have been 
102:019,24@a   | released at the expiration of his sentence?  How is it in 
102:019,25@a   | both cases his victims were Germans?  And why has the 
102:019,26@a   | Evening*Hymn such a strange effect on a man who appears 
102:019,27@a   | lost to every other gentle emotion" 
102:019,28[A  ]| In vain I strove to fathom the matter; the only conclusion 
102:019,29[A  ]| that I could arrive at was either that the man was 
102:019,30[A  ]| insane, or that there was some great mystery in the affair, 
102:019,31[A  ]| which the amputated finger on the left hand might perchance 
102:019,32[A  ]| afford a clue to.  On my arrival at the barracks I learnt that 
102:019,33[A  ]| five of the force were already in pursuit of the runaway. 
102:019,34[A  ]| They had gone to seek him in the bush. 
102:019,35[A  ]| I took another view of the case, and without being able to 
102:019,36[A  ]| assign any reasons for my suspicions, I felt sure that the 
102:019,37[A  ]| fugitive would either lie in concealment somewhere in the 
102:019,38[A  ]| city until the \9furore\ occasioned by his escape was over, or 
102:019,39[A  ]| else secrete himself on board some vessel in the harbour, 
102:019,40[A  ]| with the hope of escaping from the colony. 
102:020,01[A  ]| I lost no time in commencing the search.  In half an hour 
102:020,02[A  ]| I had a dozen private agents ~~ men in whom I could trust ~~  
102:020,03[A  ]| trying to hit off the scent through the city, whilst I and 
102:020,04[A  ]| two or three more started for Sandridge, to search the 
102:020,05[A  ]| shipping at the piers and in the bay. 
102:020,06[A  ]| While my men were scattered about on board the different 
102:020,07[A  ]| vessels, I wandered down one of the flights of water-steps to 
102:020,08[A  ]| question the boatmen, and as I was systematically pumping a 
102:020,09[A  ]| weather-beaten old tar, I beheld a strange object lying amid 
102:020,10[A  ]| the dark green sea-moss that coated the sides of the lower 
102:020,11[A  ]| steps.  I took it up, and a thrill of horror ran through my 
102:020,12[A  ]| frame as I discovered it to be a human finger covered with 
102:020,13[A  ]| clotted gore.  I could see at half a glance it was the forefinger 
102:020,14[A  ]| of a man's left hand, and it had been cut off with a 
102:020,15[A  ]| knife!  I tried to track the drops of blood up the steps, but 
102:020,16[A  ]| there were none save on the one where the finger had lain. 
102:020,17[A  ]| I questioned every boatman; they had neither of them had 
102:020,18[A  ]| a passenger, nor seen a man answering the description of the 
102:020,19[A  ]| runaway.  I could tell by their answers that they spoke the 
102:020,20[A  ]| truth. 
102:020,21[A  ]| To make a long story short, I spent the whole day at 
102:020,22[A  ]| Sandridge and on the bay.  Every ship I boarded and 
102:020,23[A  ]| closely searched.  I sent trusty agents in the swiftest boats I 
102:020,24[A  ]| could find to do the same with every vessel at Geelong and 
102:020,25[A  ]| inside the Heads.  I made inquiries, and found that no 
102:020,26[A  ]| vessel had left the harbour since the hour of the prisoner's 
102:020,27[A  ]| escape the preceding  night; but when I returned to Melbourne 
102:020,28[A  ]| in the evening, tired and weary with the day's labour, 
102:020,29[A  ]| I had no more clue as to the whereabouts of the fugitive 
102:020,30[A  ]| than when I set out in the morning. 
102:020,31[A  ]| My spies, who had been hunting about the city, came in, 
102:020,32[A  ]| one by one, to give their reports.  They were equally 
102:020,33[A  ]| unsuccessful. 
102:020,34[A  ]| The police who had been to the bush did not return. 
102:020,35[A  ]| Were they, after all, right in their conclusions? 
102:020,36[A  ]| Days and weeks passed away, however, after this; and in 
102:020,37[A  ]| spite of our utmost endeavours, which were further stimulated 
102:020,38[A  ]| by a doubling of the reward, not the slightest clue 
102:020,39[A  ]| could be discovered of the murderer.  Had he been in the 
102:020,40[A  ]| colony, we must have had him, for our vigilance never slept. 
102:021,01[A  ]| He was evidently gone far away, but how and where, none 
102:021,02[A  ]| could tell. 
102:021,03[A  ]| I often gave a discontented glance at the finger picked up 
102:021,04[A  ]| at Sandridge*Pier, which was now preserved in spirits of 
102:021,05[A  ]| wine, and I felt sure belonged to the fellow I wanted; and 
102:021,06[A  ]| yet there were very slight reasons for such a suspicion:  it 
102:021,07[A  ]| was a finger that anybody might have owned ~~ merely the 
102:021,08[A  ]| forefinger of a man's left hand.  Still three things were 
102:021,09[A  ]| evident from its inspection, namely, that its owner had not 
102:021,10[A  ]| lately done any manual work; that he had either not had the 
102:021,11[A  ]| opportunity, or else had neglected to cut his nails, and a bit of mortar 
102:021,12[A  ]| between the nails, that he had been clambering a wall or 
102:021,13[A  ]| something of the sort. 
102:021,14[A  ]| I recollected also that the police report stated the middle 
102:021,15[A  ]| finger of prisoner's left hand was missing, and I made up 
102:021,16[A  ]| my mind, when I did fall in with my worthy friend, I 
102:021,17[A  ]| should find his fore one gone also; though how he lost it, 
102:021,18[A  ]| and by what fatality, I never expected to discover. 
102:021,19[A  ]| ~~ ~~ ~~  
102:021,20[A  ]| We must now pass over a period of several months, and 
102:021,21[A  ]| change the scene to Sydney. 
102:021,22[A  ]| I had been sent to that city on some official business 
102:021,23[A  ]| relative to forged notes on one of the banks there, which 
102:021,24[A  ]| necessitated my being absent from Melbourne for a lengthened 
102:021,25[A  ]| time.  During my stay I became acquainted with a gentlemanly 
102:021,26[A  ]| Frenchman, who was living at the same hotel, and 
102:021,27[A  ]| whose name was Jacques*Loval. 
102:021,28[A  ]| He was a good-looking, frank fellow, to whom one would 
102:021,29[A  ]| naturally take a liking.  He was very nearly six feet in 
102:021,30[A  ]| height, somewhat delicate-looking, with aquiline features, 
102:021,31[A  ]| jet-black curly hair, and well-pointed moustache; true, his 
102:021,32[A  ]| teeth were not of the most regular species, and a pimple on 
102:021,33[A  ]| the nose detracted from the appearance of what would otherwise 
102:021,34[A  ]| have been a very handsome face; his figure was stout 
102:021,35[A  ]| and muscular, but his left arm he carried in a sling, having, 
102:021,36[A  ]| according to his own account, broken it in falling over some 
102:021,37[A  ]| rocks at Manly*Beach, about three weeks prior to my arrival. 
102:021,38[A  ]| We soon became fast friends, or rather, I should say, 
102:021,39[A  ]| companions, for my duties gave me ample leisure; and the 
102:022,01[A  ]| Frenchman being an artist, with very little business, I found 
102:022,02[A  ]| him ever ready for a walk, boating excursions, or billiards. 
102:022,03[A  ]| It was a fortnight after my arrival in Sydney, that Loval 
102:022,04[A  ]| and I took a boat, with the intention of sailing as far as the 
102:022,05[A  ]| Heads. 
102:022,06[A  ]| The weather was superb in early autumn, the month being 
102:022,07[A  ]| March, and as we glided swiftly down the harbour, I fancied 
102:022,08[A  ]| that never had I beheld so glorious and fairy-like a scene as 
102:022,09[A  ]| that which surrounded us. 
102:022,10[A  ]| On our right, the spires and domes of Sydney and 
102:022,11[A  ]| Wooloomooloo, the dark green foliage of the trees in the 
102:022,12[A  ]| Botanic*Gardens, which seemed to throw out in clear relief 
102:022,13[A  ]| the tapering spars, yards, and taut rigging of the stately 
102:022,14[A  ]| guard-ship that lay close inshore, her long snake-like 
102:022,15[A  ]| pennant slowly curling and twisting in the breeze, and the 
102:022,16[A  ]| spirit stirring strains of her magnificent band (for it was the 
102:022,17[A  ]| officers' mess-hour) borne melodious to our ears over the 
102:022,18[A  ]| glassy bosom of the water, in which her colossal form was 
102:022,19[A  ]| reflected as in a mirror.  Close on her right frowned the 
102:022,20[A  ]| guns of Macquarie*Fort, a quarter of a mile to the rear of 
102:022,21[A  ]| which, embosomed in trees, rose the walls and square tower 
102:022,22[A  ]| of Government*House, above which floated the royal standard 
102:022,23[A  ]| of England.
102:022,24[A  ]| On our left a different scene presented itself.  The undulating 
102:022,25[A  ]| wooded banks of North*Shore, where the dark tea-tree 
102:022,26[A  ]| shrub and dwarf eucalypti covered the shelving cliffs 
102:022,27[A  ]| even to the water's edge, and handsome verandahed villas, 
102:022,28[A  ]| standing amid their flower-gardens and bright green lawns, 
102:022,29[A  ]| glittered in the sunlight like pearls set in emerald, while before 
102:022,30[A  ]| and around them frowned the green-black foliage of the 
102:022,31[A  ]| towering gum, the most mournful and funereal of trees. 
102:022,32[A  ]| In less time than I have taken to describe them all these 
102:022,33[A  ]| scenes were left behind:  Pinchgut*Island and the Sow*and*Pigs 
102:022,34[A  ]| (what names for such scenes of fairy-land?) were quickly 
102:022,35[A  ]| passed ~~ for the wind had begun to freshen, ~~ and in less 
102:022,36[A  ]| than two hours from leaving Circular*Quay, the bold precipitous 
102:022,37[A  ]| bluffs known as the Heads rose to our view, and 
102:022,38[A  ]| beyond them the blue crested waves of the ocean ~~ the 
102:022,39[A  ]| boundless Pacific. 
102:022,40[A  ]| We took in sail, and for some minutes we gazed silently 
102:023,01[A  ]| upon the beauty of the scene, for there is nothing so conducive 
102:023,02[A  ]| to a drowsy kind of reverie as the mere act of gazing 
102:023,03[A  ]| upon the sea, and listening to its low monotonous murmur. 
102:023,04[A  ]| At length a certain feeling in the stomach suggestive of 
102:023,05[A  ]| dinner made me break the silence with, 
102:023,05@a   | "Well, Loval, if 
102:023,06@a   | you have had enough of this, let us put her about; we shall be 
102:023,07@a   | nearly two hours running up the harbour, and it is already 
102:023,08@a   | four o'clock. 
102:023,09[A  ]| The Frenchman started.  I had evidently aroused him 
102:023,10[A  ]| from deep and painful thought, for his cheeks were pale as 
102:023,11[A  ]| death, and his eyes full of tears, but he aided me to put up 
102:023,12[A  ]| the sail; and we were soon tacking across the harbour's 
102:023,13[A  ]| mouth, so as to have fair wind up channel. 
102:023,14[A  ]| Sydney harbour is full of angles and windings, so much so 
102:023,15[A  ]| that at six different periods between the Heads and the 
102:023,16[A  ]| town you seem to be enclosed in a small land-locked bay, 
102:023,17[A  ]| only finding an exit therefrom when your boat appears to 
102:023,18[A  ]| touch the opposite shore. 
102:023,19[A  ]| It was in rounding one of these points that Loval uttered 
102:023,20[A  ]| a cry of alarm, and on looking round I saw a small steam-tug 
102:023,21[A  ]| bearing right down upon us, and only about fifty yards 
102:023,22[A  ]| distant.  She was coming on under full steam, and we were 
102:023,23[A  ]| directly crossing her course. 
102:023,24@a   | "Port helm!"  
102:023,24[A  ]| I shouted to my companion; but he was 
102:023,25[A  ]| so panic-stricken that he was perfectly helpless.  I flew to 
102:023,26[A  ]| the tiller, though too late to escape the collision.  The last 
102:023,27[A  ]| thing I remember was the captain of the tug shout, 
102:023,27@w   | "Back 
102:023,28@w   | her!"  
102:023,28[A  ]| A terrific crash followed, and then a sensation of 
102:023,29[A  ]| being pitched head over heels into space.  A moment after 
102:023,30[A  ]| I was struggling in the water, swallowing large mouthfuls, 
102:023,31[A  ]| buffeting with the waves that buzzed in at my ears, and 
102:023,32[A  ]| having the clear consciousness that I was going to the 
102:023,33[A  ]| bottom, for I had no idea of swimming, and the shore was a 
102:023,34[A  ]| good hundred yards distant. 
102:023,35[A  ]| Just as my eyes and nose were submerged, I heard a voice 
102:023,36[A  ]| shout, 
102:023,36@b   | "Lay your hand on my shoulder, but do not grapple 
102:023,37@b   | me ~~ there is a boat coming!" 
102:023,38[A  ]| I had sense enough left to follow this advice; and, instead 
102:023,39[A  ]| of clutching my preserver, as many a drowning man would 
102:023,40[A  ]| have done, I laid my right hand on his shoulder, and thus, 
102:024,01[A  ]| while he trod water, I was enabled to raise my mouth and 
102:024,02[A  ]| chin above the stream, and in this position, to my unspeakable 
102:024,03[A  ]| joy, I saw a small boat, propelled by a couple of sturdy 
102:024,04[A  ]| oarsmen, rapidly nearing us. 
102:024,05@w   | "Keep up your pecker, my hearties!"  
102:024,05[A  ]| shouted one of 
102:024,06[A  ]| them, as he shipped his oar; and in another minute we were 
102:024,07[A  ]| both dragged into the boat, and her head turned for Sydney. 
102:024,08[A  ]| Pretty drowned rats we looked, as we stepped out of the 
102:024,09[A  ]| \Nancy*Jane\ on to the Circular*Quay, and hastened to the 
102:024,10[A  ]| nearest inn to warm ourselves with a nobbler; from thence 
102:024,11[A  ]| driving to our hotel in a cab, and losing no time in changing 
102:024,12[A  ]| our dripping garments for dry clothing. 
102:024,13[A  ]| Having completed my toilet, I knocked at Loval's door to 
102:024,14[A  ]| see if he was ready.  A moment later he joined me on the 
102:024,15[A  ]| landing. 
102:024,16@a   | "Well, old fellow," 
102:024,16[A  ]| I said, 
102:024,16@a   | "you saved my life, and I 
102:024,17@a   | trust the day may come when I shall be able to show my 
102:024,18@a   | gratitude in some other manner than by mere words." 
102:024,19[A  ]| Little did I fancy that an opportunity would soon occur. 
102:024,20[A  ]| Little did I know the man who stood beside me. 
102:024,21@b   | "Where shall we dine to-day, McDonald?"  
102:024,21[A  ]| asked Loval, 
102:024,22[A  ]| as we reached the hall.  McDonald was my \9nom*de*guerre\. 
102:024,23@a   | "Well," 
102:024,23[A  ]| I replied, after a minute's reflection, 
102:024,23@a   | "let it be 
102:024,24@a   | the St*George's*Restaurant, in George*Street.  I feel inclined 
102:024,25@a   | to be extravagant to-day.  A bottle of champagne will take 
102:024,26@a   | the horrid taste of salt water out of my mouth." 
102:024,27@b   | "And yet you swallowed it as though you seemed to like it, 
102:024,28@b   | \9mon*cher\," 
102:024,28[A  ]| laughed Loval; 
102:024,28@b   | "nevertheless, champagne let it be." 
102:024,29[A  ]| We emerged into George*Street as we conversed, and 
102:024,30[A  ]| sauntered lazily on, gazing at the fashionable crowd and the 
102:024,31[A  ]| glittering shops ~~ for George*Street is the Regent*Street of 
102:024,32[A  ]| Sydney ~~ until we reached the corner of King*Street, where 
102:024,33[A  ]| we met George*Rodway, the then Chief*of*Police at Sydney. 
102:024,34[A  ]| I knew him well.  He nodded to me in passing, and stared 
102:024,35[A  ]| very hard at my companion. 
102:024,36[A  ]| After he had passed us about a dozen paces he stopped 
102:024,37[A  ]| and called to me.  I begged Loval to excuse me a minute, 
102:024,38[A  ]| and walked up to him. 
102:024,39@w   | "You are a clever fellow, Brooke,"  
102:024,39[A  ]| he exclaimed, laughingly, 
102:024,40[A  ]| but in a low tone. 
102:025,01@a   | "How so?"  
102:025,01[A  ]| I asked, not understanding him. 
102:025,02@w   | "How so?  Come, that is good.  Do not you fancy I am up 
102:025,03@w   | to your little game?"  
102:025,03[A  ]| he answered, with a knowing wink. 
102:025,04@a   | "I will be shot, Rodway, if I know to what game you 
102:025,05@a   | allude.  The bank matter is settled very satisfactorily; I have 
102:025,06@a   | no further business here, and to-morrow I return to Melbourne." 
102:025,07@a   | 
102:025,08@w   | "Oh, indeed!"  
102:025,08[A  ]| said Rodway in a tone of relief, though a 
102:025,09[A  ]| curious smile rested on his lips; then, in a careless tone, he 
102:025,10[A  ]| asked, 
102:025,10@w   | "Who is your companion?" 
102:025,11@a   | "A Frenchman named Loval,"  
102:025,11[A  ]| I replied.  
102:025,11@a   | "We have 
102:025,12@a   | been out boating, and were capsized; he saved me from 
102:025,13@a   | drowning." 
102:025,14@w   | "Oh, indeed!  then I will not keep you longer from joining 
102:025,15@w   | him, Mr%*Brooke.  I trust you will never be called upon to 
102:025,16@w   | return his kindess by saving him from hanging!" 
102:025,17[A  ]| And without waiting for a reply, Rodway turned away, 
102:025,18[A  ]| and quickly disappeared round the corner of Pitt*Street, 
102:025,19[A  ]| leaving me extremely puzzled, and totally at a loss to 
102:025,20[A  ]| account for his concluding words. 
102:025,21@b   | "How is it that you know him?  He is the head detective 
102:025,22@b   | here, is he not?"  
102:025,22[A  ]| asked Loval, suspiciously, as I joined him. 
102:025,23@a   | "Yes," 
102:025,23[A  ]| I said, carelessly, for I did not want my acquaintance 
102:025,24[A  ]| to know that I was in the same profession; 
102:025,24@a   | "I had to 
102:025,25@a   | consult him the other day about a watch that was stolen. 
102:025,26@a   | Reputation speaks of him as being a very clever fellow." 
102:025,27[A  ]| By this time we had arrived at St%*George's*Restaurant 
102:025,28[A  ]| (why will these antipodean eating-houses choose foreign 
102:025,29[A  ]| designations ins lieu of the good old English name of 
102:025,30[A  ]| eating-house?), and entering the dining-room, took our 
102:025,31[A  ]| seats at one of the side tables that, through the open 
102:025,32[A  ]| window, commanded a view of the street, which ~~ the heat 
102:025,33[A  ]| of the day being over, and the evening fine ~~ was more 
102:025,34[A  ]| thronged than usual, with a fashionable, well-dressed crowd. 
102:025,35[A  ]| Several handsome equipages were dashing along, or drawn 
102:025,36[A  ]| up before the doors of one or other of the gorgeous marts of 
102:025,37[A  ]| feminine apparel, awaiting their occupants, who, perhaps, 
102:025,38[A  ]| were at that moment more engrossed over the merits and 
102:025,39[A  ]| demerits of a new bonnet than were their husbands, in the 
102:025,40[A  ]| dull gloom of the Legislative*Assembly, over some colonial 
102:026,01[A  ]| bill embracing mighty and important provisions for the 
102:026,02[A  ]| reduction of thistles, or the abolition of "brickfielders." 
102:026,03[A  ]| Though I had called the crowd a fashionable one, it was 
102:026,04[A  ]| not exclusively so.  A sprinkling of French sailors and naval 
102:026,05[A  ]| officers gave it somewhat the air of the Rue*St%*Antoine of 
102:026,06[A  ]| Marseilles, while a still larger number of British Jack*Tars, 
102:026,07[A  ]| artillerymen, and marines, would recall to down-west Englishmen 
102:026,08[A  ]| an idea of Union*Street, Plymouth.  Nor were there 
102:026,09[A  ]| other elements of variety waiting:  the cabbies, newspaper 
102:026,10[A  ]| boys, fruit sellers, and others, had the true brogue of the 
102:026,11[A  ]| Emerald*Isle, and the untanned leather complexions, twisted 
102:026,12[A  ]| pig-tails, and remarkable costumes of a few passing Celestials, 
102:026,13[A  ]| were calculated to present to an old Chinese merchant 
102:026,14[A  ]| reminiscences of health-impairing, liver-destroying Hong*Kong. 
102:026,15[A  ]| 
102:026,16[A  ]| And well does the aspect of the street itself accord with 
102:026,17[A  ]| the nationality of its promenaders; for as New*Orleans 
102:026,18[A  ]| presents the appearance of a French city, a German city, an 
102:026,19[A  ]| American city, and an Indian town, all met together in 
102:026,20[A  ]| orderly and decorous fraternization, so does Sydney resemble 
102:026,21[A  ]| an English street, a French street, a Chinese street, and a 
102:026,22[A  ]| Colonial street, with a dash of German, Irish, and native 
102:026,23[A  ]| peculiarity in each:  the houses whereof have become universally 
102:026,24[A  ]| mutinous, and, consequently, been drafted into each 
102:026,25[A  ]| other's ranks. 
102:026,26[A  ]| In support of my assertion, I recollect, seven years ago, in 
102:026,27[A  ]| this very George*Street, nine houses in succession, as follows: 
102:026,28[A  ]| Number one, a bank (architecture pure Italian); secondly, 
102:026,29[A  ]| a French \9cafe=\; next, a German divan; then a Chinese 
102:026,30[A  ]| merchant's, followed by a colonial wooden shanty; then an 
102:026,31[A  ]| English draper's; then a \9pension*Suisse\; next, a Turkish 
102:026,32[A  ]| bath; and lastly, an American rifle gallery and bowling 
102:026,33[A  ]| saloon. 
102:026,34[A  ]| I have no longer time for description, and will at once 
102:026,35[A  ]| return to my personal adventures.  Loval and I did ample 
102:026,36[A  ]| justice to the \9cuisine\ of the \9restaurant\:  and after satisfying 
102:026,37[A  ]| the inner man, took our chairs through the window on to 
102:026,38[A  ]| the balcony, so that whilst we discussed our wine and cigars, 
102:026,39[A  ]| we could better enjoy the sweet western breeze, and observe 
102:026,40[A  ]| the passers by in the street below. 
102:027,01[A  ]| We had not been here ten minutes, when Loval, who 
102:027,02[A  ]| was sitting listlessly, with his legs over the arm of his chair, 
102:027,03[A  ]| suddenly started to his feet so impetuously that table, 
102:027,04[A  ]| decanter, and glasses were upset, and exclaiming, 
102:027,04@b   | "Cursed 
102:027,05@b   | fate; it is he!"  
102:027,05[A  ]| dashed in through the window, across the 
102:027,06[A  ]| room, and out at the door, before I could recover from my 
102:027,07[A  ]| surprise at the sudden excitability of my usually sedate and 
102:027,08[A  ]| unimpassioned acquaintance. 
102:027,09[A  ]| When I did so, I determined to follow him, for I felt 
102:027,10[A  ]| that strange presentiment of coming evil which seems sometimes 
102:027,11[A  ]| to be a very instinct of our nature. 
102:027,12[A  ]| Hastily putting on my hat, I paid the bill, and reached 
102:027,13[A  ]| the street in time to see Loval turn the corner of Market*Street 
102:027,14[A  ]| towards the racecourse.  I followed him, not with 
102:027,15[A  ]| the intention of overtaking, but for the purpose of watching 
102:027,16[A  ]| his movements. 
102:027,17[A  ]| I could see even now that a great change had come over 
102:027,18[A  ]| him within the last few minutes.  Instead of his usual quiet 
102:027,19[A  ]| but haughty walk, his steps were long and uneven, and his 
102:027,20[A  ]| right arm (his left was still in a sling) was swinging backwards 
102:027,21[A  ]| and forwards, while his head kept jerking to and fro 
102:027,22[A  ]| like that of a man suffering from severe nervous affection. 
102:027,23[A  ]| I could not distinguish the object of Loval's pursuit, the 
102:027,24[A  ]| street being still crowded.  On following him round the 
102:027,25[A  ]| next corner into Elizabeth*Street, I distinguished, about 
102:027,26[A  ]| fifteen yards ahead of him, a tall, muscular fellow, whose 
102:027,27[A  ]| Crimean shirt, white moleskin trousers, with dandy silken 
102:027,28[A  ]| sash, answering the purpose of belt, and felt hat, marked him 
102:027,29[A  ]| as a digger. 
102:027,30[A  ]| He seemed quite unconscious of being followed.  He never 
102:027,31[A  ]| once looked round; but with his hands in his pocket, and 
102:027,32[A  ]| a short black pipe in his mouth, walked rapidly on towards 
102:027,33[A  ]| Bathurst*Street.  All at once he stopped, as if irresolutely, 
102:027,34[A  ]| then turned off at right angles, and entered the racecourse, 
102:027,35[A  ]| which, by-the-bye, now enjoys the more dignified appellation 
102:027,36[A  ]| of Hyde*Park. 
102:027,37[A  ]| Loval increased his pace, entered the same gate, and followed 
102:027,38[A  ]| still more closely, but keeping an even distance from 
102:027,39[A  ]| the digger. 
102:027,40[A  ]| By this time it was getting dark, for in New*South*Wales, 
102:028,01[A  ]| as far north as Sydney, twilight is very short, so that as I 
102:028,02[A  ]| kept some yards behind Loval, I had little fear that he would 
102:028,03[A  ]| recognize me, even if he looked back. 
102:028,04[A  ]| My curiosity was aroused to its highest pitch.  Was the 
102:028,05[A  ]| Frenchman, with his broken arm, going to attempt to give 
102:028,06[A  ]| the burly digger a thrashing?  I saw that hatred, and not 
102:028,07[A  ]| friendship, instigated my friend's movements, and naturally 
102:028,08[A  ]| enough imagined that it was caused by some old grievance, 
102:028,09[A  ]| perhaps being cheated at cards, a foul stroke at billiards, a 
102:028,10[A  ]| rivalry in love, or something of the sort. 
102:028,11[A  ]| I had not much time for conjecture.  Loval, walking on 
102:028,12[A  ]| the grass as softly as a cat, was gradually nearing his adversary; 
102:028,13[A  ]| his right hand was thrust within the breast of his coat. 
102:028,14[A  ]| Had I not had a high opinion of the Frenchman's honour, I 
102:028,15[A  ]| should have imagined that he was handling a weapon; but 
102:028,16[A  ]| I knew him too well to have that suspicion, for how could I 
102:028,17[A  ]| fancy that the man who had risked his life to save my own 
102:028,18[A  ]| was a cowardly assassin?  So I still kept at a discreet distance 
102:028,19[A  ]| in the rear. 
102:028,20[A  ]| The digger at this moment had gained the turnstile leading 
102:028,21[A  ]| into the main avenue, and pushing it open, passed through. 
102:028,22[A  ]| Then Loval sprang forward; one bound, and he was at the 
102:028,23[A  ]| low hedge by the side of the stile.  I saw him bend down; 
102:028,24[A  ]| I noticed the glimmer of steel in his hand.  I shouted to 
102:028,25[A  ]| him, but he did not hear me; my voice was drowned in the 
102:028,26[A  ]| sharp crack of a pistol, and the piercing shriek that followed. 
102:028,27[A  ]| 
102:028,28@a   | "He has killed him!"  
102:028,28[A  ]| I muttered to myself.  I made no 
102:028,29[A  ]| effort to secure the murderer.  I stood rooted to the spot. 
102:028,30[A  ]| I knew it was my duty to capture Loval, though I felt I 
102:028,31[A  ]| could not hand over to justice the man to whom I owed 
102:028,32[A  ]| my life. 
102:028,33[A  ]| I had just resolved to retrace my steps towards the town, 
102:028,34[A  ]| when I heard a cry and the sound of a scuffle, and, to my 
102:028,35[A  ]| surprise, saw the Frenchman struggling in the grasp of three 
102:028,36[A  ]| men, whose shining glazed shakos showed them to belong to 
102:028,37[A  ]| the police force.  In spite of his opponents, he was fighting 
102:028,38[A  ]| like a madman; he had drawn his broken arm from its 
102:028,39[A  ]| sling, and was using it with as much effect as his right; in 
102:028,40[A  ]| fact, so desperate was his defence, that one of the policemen 
102:029,01[A  ]| was obliged to draw his staff and deliver him a head blow, 
102:029,02[A  ]| that stretched him senseless on the grass. 
102:029,03[A  ]| At this juncture of affairs I joined the party, and to my 
102:029,04[A  ]| astonishment recognized Rodway, the chief detective. 
102:029,05[A  ]| Upon seeing me he burst into a loud laugh.  
102:029,05@w   | "Ah, 
102:029,06@w   | Brooke!"  
102:029,06[A  ]| he said; 
102:029,06@w   | "your name ought to be Gull.  I do not 
102:029,07@w   | admire your choice of acquaintance; there are almost sufficient 
102:029,08@w   | grounds for me to arrest you as an abettor in this 
102:029,09@w   | affair; but as you have let such a piece of good fortune slip 
102:029,10@w   | out of your hands into mine, I will not exceed my strict duty." 
102:029,11@a   | "It is a most remarkable case," 
102:029,11[A  ]| I replied.  
102:029,11@a   | "Loval is the 
102:029,12@a   | last man I should have suspected of such a crime; but what 
102:029,13@a   | you mean by the piece of good luck I have let slip.  I can not 
102:029,14@a   | imagine." 
102:029,15@w   | "Oh, can not you?  perhaps a glance at this poor wounded 
102:029,16@w   | arm and its continuations will solve the riddle!"  
102:029,16[A  ]| and untwisting 
102:029,17[A  ]| the bandage from Loval's left hand, at a glance I 
102:029,18[A  ]| saw that two of the fingers were missing. 
102:029,19@a   | "Rolf*Schweig!"  
102:029,19[A  ]| I exclaimed, aghast at the discovery. 
102:029,20@w   | "Yes, Rolf*Schweig," 
102:029,20[A  ]| exclaimed Rodway, with a laugh. 
102:029,21@w   | "Who would have imagined that hair dye, false moustache 
102:029,22@w   | (the latter does cover the cut on the upper lip, though), and 
102:029,23@w   | other trifles, would have deceived the keen eye of a Victorian 
102:029,24@w   | chief detective?  My dear fellow, I have known the man's 
102:029,25@w   | identity for a week; but thinking that you were marking 
102:029,26@w   | him down as your exclusive prey, professional etiquette prevented 
102:029,27@w   | my interfering, until to-day from your lips I learnt 
102:029,28@w   | that you were ignorant as to who the fellow was.  Then I 
102:029,29@w   | resolved to act at once.  You were traced to the Restaurant, 
102:029,30@w   | and afterwards followed hither; and now James*Rodway 
102:029,31@w   | will thank the Victorian Government for two hundred 
102:029,32@w   | pounds reward." 
102:029,33@a   | "And the fellow he fired at ~~ is he dead?" 
102:029,34@w   | "Not a bit of it; the ball passed through his shoulder. 
102:029,35@w   | can not you hear him groaning?  His wound has been bound 
102:029,36@w   | up, and they will carry him to the hospital; he will be about 
102:029,37@w   | again in a fortnight." 
102:029,38[A  ]| ~~ ~~ ~~  
102:029,39[A  ]| My story I must draw to a close.  Loval ~~ to designate 
102:029,40[A  ]| him by his proper name, Rolf*Schweig, was borne to the 
102:030,01[A  ]| police station and soon recovered consciousness.  He was 
102:030,02[A  ]| taken before the magistrates, and remanded to Melbourne, so 
102:030,03[A  ]| that the more serious charge, the murder of the gaoler, might 
102:030,04[A  ]| be gone into first.  Of this, as a matter of course, he was 
102:030,05[A  ]| found guilty (the facts being indisputable), and sentenced to 
102:030,06[A  ]| death.  From circumstances elicited at the trial, the fact of 
102:030,07[A  ]| his sanity was so doubtful that his sentence was commuted 
102:030,08[A  ]| into incarceration for life in the Yarra Lunatic*Asylum, 
102:030,09[A  ]| where he lived three months, and died a confirmed and dangerous 
102:030,10[A  ]| lunatic. 
102:030,11[A  ]| I visited him frequently there; he seemed as sane as most 
102:030,12[A  ]| men.  On one of these occasions he told me his history, and 
102:030,13[A  ]| his reasons for committing the crimes he had perpetrated and 
102:030,14[A  ]| attempted:  and as the narrative was both strange and yet 
102:030,15[A  ]| interesting, I will endeavour to narrate it to you.  One fact 
102:030,16[A  ]| he would never thoroughly disclose ~~ how he managed to 
102:030,17[A  ]| evade us so cleverly after escaping from the Melbourne*Gaol, 
102:030,18[A  ]| and to get scot-free into the sister colony. 
103:198,00@@@@@|
103:198,01['  ]| <THE MADMAN'S TALE.>
103:198,02[A  ]| Little did I dream that I should ever disclose the incidents of my
103:198,03[A  ]| eventful life to the ears of mortal man, but now that my last night has
103:198,04[A  ]| come, now that I can hear the hammering of the carpenters on the
103:198,05[A  ]| terrible gibbet, and see its reflection cast by the moonlight on the walls
103:198,06[A  ]| of my prison cell, I feel that it will be a relief to ease my heart in some
103:198,07[A  ]| measure of the load of crime that lies heavy upon it, to confess my sins to
103:198,08[A  ]| one human ear, before the dark grave hides them and their perpetrator
103:198,09[A  ]| in its embrace for*ever.
103:198,10[A  ]| To begin then, I am neither German nor French, for I was born in
103:198,11[A  ]| Drury*Lane, London, in the year 1805.
103:198,12[A  ]| My parents were dealers in old clothes, rags, bones, in fact, anything
103:198,13[A  ]| that came to hand.  They were Germans, and doubtless it was from
103:198,14[A  ]| hearing them talk of the Fatherland in such frequent terms of regret and
103:198,15[A  ]| pride that caused me in future years to be anxious to be considered a
103:198,16[A  ]| German.
103:198,17[A  ]| My parents had only two children, myself and my sister, who was
103:198,18[A  ]| three years my senior.  We were neither much looked after, nor cared
103:198,19[A  ]| for, being allowed to spend our time as we pleased, and pick up whatever
103:198,20[A  ]| companions and playfellows we chose.
103:198,21[A  ]| You may easily imagine that our position was a perilous one ~~ with no
103:198,22[A  ]| good example before us, for both our parents were frequently had up for
103:198,23[A  ]| receiving goods knowing them to be stolen, obtaining money under false
103:198,24[A  ]| pretences, and other similar charges, while the juvenile community of
103:198,25[A  ]| the immediate neighbourhood of Drury*Lane, and its blind courts and
103:198,26[A  ]| alleys was not very select.
103:198,27[A  ]| I soon learnt to be a pickpocket, and by the time I was twelve years
103:198,28[A  ]| old I was one of the most accomplished prigs in London.
103:198,29[A  ]| My sister's fortunes were better.  A kind clergyman, struck by her
103:198,30[A  ]| childish beauty, when she was about twelve years of age, and finding
103:198,31[A  ]| her totally ignorant of every kind of religious and secular instruction,
103:198,32[A  ]| got her into his Sunday school; and, at the end of three years, his wife
103:198,33[A  ]| took her into her service as under housemaid.
103:198,34[A  ]| To this kind sister I was indebted many a time for being saved from
103:198,35[A  ]| want.  When father and mother were in prison, she would often send
103:198,36[A  ]| me all her scanty earnings, so that I might have bread to eat, and be
103:198,37[A  ]| saved from the temptation to steal.  She even begged the worthy clergyman
103:198,38[A  ]| to take me into his employ as stable boy, which he said he could
103:198,39[A  ]| not do, as he always kept his vacant situations for those who had been
103:198,40[A  ]| most regular in their attendance at his school.
103:198,41[A  ]| Even the love of this good sister, however, and the money she sent
103:198,42[A  ]| me was not calculated to turn me from my evil courses.  Her affection
103:198,43[A  ]| was not valued then, and the money went in tobacco, beer and pitch
103:198,44[A  ]| and toss during the day, while my evenings were spent around the doors
103:198,45[A  ]| of the theatres, picking pockets whenever a chance offered.
103:198,46[A  ]| On one of these occasions I was detected in the act.  A tobacconist
103:198,47[A  ]| in Bow-street saw me insert my hand into a gentleman's pocket, who
103:198,48[A  ]| was looking into his shop window.  He rushed out in time to seize it, just
103:198,49[A  ]| as it had abstracted a valuable silver snuff-box.  In vain I kicked and
103:198,50[A  ]| struggled.  I was handed over to a passing policeman, and taken to the
103:198,51[A  ]| station house.  Next morning I appeared, for the first time, and taken to the
103:198,52[A  ]| court.  The evidence of the owner of the snuff-box and that of the
103:198,53[A  ]| tobacconist did for me.  I was sent to gaol for six months.
103:198,54[A  ]| There I was mixed up with criminals of the deepest villany, for one
103:198,55[A  ]| of whom, a noted burglar, I contracted a great liking.  I looked up to
103:198,56[A  ]| him as a kind of hero, and the consequence was he patronised me in a
103:198,57[A  ]| lofty sort of way; and, as his sentence of two years expired on the same
103:198,58[A  ]| day as mine, he told me that he would give me a start in the world if I
103:198,59[A  ]| would stick to him.
103:198,60[A  ]| This I was very proud to do.  We left gaol together, and took a
103:198,61[A  ]| miserable room in Paradise*Row, leading out of Little*Gray's*Inn*Lane.
103:198,62[A  ]| Two days later, he told me that he and some pals had arranged to
103:198,63[A  ]| crack a crib at Hornsey, and that as I was small, I was to be put
103:198,64[A  ]| through an abstracted pane of glass in the library window, so as to
103:198,65[A  ]| open the front door for them.  For this I was promised a flimsey, and
103:198,66[A  ]| I readily agreed to do it.
103:198,67[A  ]| The evening arrived, but I had a little job of my own on hand first,
103:198,68[A  ]| for I had resolved to burn the tobacconist's shop in Bow-street, the
103:198,69[A  ]| owner whereof had informed against me.
103:198,70[A  ]| Although at that time only twelve years of age, I was a veritable little
103:198,71[A  ]| demon.  London street boys have all the vices and cunning of old men
103:198,72[A  ]| at a very early age, and I was certainly in advance of most of my colleagues.
103:198,73[A  ]| About seven o'clock, I went to the tobacconist's; being about
103:198,74[A  ]| the middle of November, it was dark, or at least only lamp light, and I
103:198,75[A  ]| was able to make my observations without being perceived.
103:198,76[A  ]| I noticed the shelf where all the matches and pipe lights were laid, and
103:198,77[A  ]| then walking away, I bought at a neighbouring shop one of those fire
103:198,78[A  ]| lighters, composed of little round pieces of wood covered with tar and
103:198,79[A  ]| other compounds, and returning to my victims establishment, I watched
103:198,80[A  ]| my opportunity, lit my instrument of vengeance under my cloak, and
202:198,01[A  ]| running into the shop, pushed it behind the row of match boxes on the
202:198,02[A  ]| shelf, and then ran for my very life all the way home to Little*Gray's*Inn*Lane,
202:198,03[A  ]| to meet my big pal the housebreaker.
202:198,04[A  ]| I need not inflict you with an account of my further adventures that
202:198,05[A  ]| night, suffice it to say after being put through the window, I was
202:198,06[A  ]| caught before I could open the door to let in my pals.  They escaped,
202:198,07[A  ]| but I was again sent to the station house, and committed to take my
202:198,08[A  ]| trial at the Central*Criminal*Court, on the two charges of burglary and
202:198,09[A  ]| incendiarism; for the tobacconist, whose shop, as well as two adjoining
202:198,10[A  ]| houses, were completely destroyed by fire, traced the crime home to me,
202:198,11[A  ]| by swearing that he saw me running \out\ of his shop, while a policeman
202:198,12[A  ]| on duty in the street deposed that he saw me go in stealthily and put
202:198,13[A  ]| something on the shelf, but that before he could take me in charge, I
202:198,14[A  ]| had rushed out and run down the street like a mad thing.  Even the
202:198,15[A  ]| shop*keeper of whom I had bought the fire lighter was in court to swear
202:198,16[A  ]| that I was the purchaser.  In short, I was found guilty on both charges, and
202:198,17[A  ]| condemned to nine years penal servitude for the burning out of the
202:198,18[A  ]| tobacconist, and seven for housebreaking at Hornsey, making a cumulative
202:198,19[A  ]| sentence of sixteen years, which were to be spent in that dreaded
202:198,20[A  ]| colony of New*South*Wales.
202:198,21[A  ]| After lying in prison for about three months, I, with fifty others,
202:198,22[A  ]| was conveyed to the London docks in prison cars, and placed on board
202:198,23[A  ]| the Vulture, which a day later, in company with a store ship, named
202:198,24[A  ]| the Mystery, sailed for Australia.
202:198,25[A  ]| After a seven months voyage, during which we suffered the very torments
202:198,26[A  ]| of hell, being chained in the hold to each other in rows, sometimes for
202:198,27[A  ]| weeks at a time, while the least murmur would bring the lash.  Often
202:198,28[A  ]| too, the hatchway was battened down during the rough weather, for days,
202:198,29[A  ]| and strong men fainted for want of air, or rendered darkness more
202:198,30[A  ]| hideous by the wildest and most horrible ravings and imprecations.
202:198,31[A  ]| Some even died, and in one or two instances their dead bodies, still
202:198,32[A  ]| chained to their living companions, were left festering amongs us until
202:198,33[A  ]| nearly putrid, before their irons were knocked off and their poor remains
202:198,34[A  ]| committed to the deep.
202:198,35[A  ]| At length scurvy broke out, and then the visits of our persecutors
202:198,36[A  ]| became more frequent.  Every night they came down to our noisome
202:198,37[A  ]| den, to clear away the corpses, and seldom did they return empty handed,
202:198,38[A  ]| for there was no surgeon on board, and we were left to die or live as luck
202:198,39[A  ]| or providence willed it.
202:198,40[A  ]| Our rate of death kept at about an average of two a day, and every
202:198,41[A  ]| night we could hear the dull splash!  splash!  as their corpses were
202:198,42[A  ]| thrown into the sea without coffin or burial service.
202:198,43[A  ]| It was a horrible time, often we prayed for shipwreck, for death would
202:198,44[A  ]| have been a welcome termination to our sufferings.  At last, however,
202:198,45@w   | "Land Ho!"
202:198,45[A  ]| was the welcome shout from the look*out, and twenty-four
202:198,46[A  ]| hours later we dropped anchor in the magnificent harbour of Sydney.
202:198,47[A  ]| The next day we were landed, and twenty strong in number, (for
202:198,48[A  ]| thirty had died on the passage), we marched between a company of
202:198,49[A  ]| light infantry, with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets, to the gaol.
202:198,50[A  ]| Strange as it may appear, I never remember feeling so happy in my
202:198,51[A  ]| life as I did that day, even though I was being ignominiously conducted
202:198,52[A  ]| to a prison.
202:198,53[A  ]| The air was so pure and beautiful, the sun shining so brightly, and
202:198,54[A  ]| all nature so calm and peaceful, that after the fearful horrors of the
202:198,55[A  ]| past few months, it seemed a veritable garden of Eden.
202:198,56[A  ]| At this time it was the custom instead of keeping the convicts close
202:198,57[A  ]| prisoners, to assign them to the officers of the garrison, and to the free
202:198,58[A  ]| settlers as domestic servants.  At the time of my arrival, however, the
202:198,59[A  ]| supply very much exceeded the demand, and for six months I continued
202:198,60[A  ]| an inmate of the Parramatta gaol, being employed during the day
202:198,61[A  ]| with a hundred other convicts in road making, stone breaking, &c.
202:198,62[A  ]| During all this time I had received no tidings of my parents.  I had
202:198,63[A  ]| left them both in prison, on a charge of purchasing a valuable watch for
202:198,64[A  ]| three pounds, knowing it to be stolen.
202:198,65[A  ]| One morning I was lying in my cell, thinking of them, and fancying
202:198,66[A  ]| how strange it would be if a paternal government were to send them out
202:198,67[A  ]| to meet me in Australia, when I heard steps in the corridor, the grind
202:198,68[A  ]| of the huge key in the door of my prison cell; and when it opened, oh,
202:198,69[A  ]| heavens!  I fancied I must be mad, for my eyes rested on the face of my
202:198,70[A  ]| sister.
202:198,71[A  ]| It was indeed her; the same quiet smile, the same soft melancholy
202:198,72[A  ]| light in the large hazel eyes, the same soft pleasing voice.  After a
202:198,73[A  ]| moment's survey I knew I had not been dreaming, and the next moment
202:198,74[A  ]| we were clasped in a silent embrace.  When the turnkey had retired,
202:198,75[A  ]| bolting the door behind him, I learnt that this angel of mercy had
202:198,76[A  ]| left her situation in England and encountered all the dangers and
202:198,77[A  ]| discomforts of the long voyage, (for those were not the days of ocean
202:198,78[A  ]| steamships and swift Black*Ball*Liners), for \my\ sake, to soften \my\ hardships.
202:198,79[A  ]| She had even broken off an engagement with a young man who
202:198,80[A  ]| loved her fondly, and whom she loved, to whom shortly she was to have
202:198,81[A  ]| been married, because her affection and sense of duty told her that she
202:198,82[A  ]| might do good to a sinful and ungrateful brother, at the other end of
202:198,83[A  ]| the world; and that brother a convict too, a thing of scorn whom many
202:198,84[A  ]| sisters would have disowned and shrunk from.
202:198,85[A  ]| When she told me all this, for the first time since I was a child, tears
202:198,86[A  ]| trickled down my face; for the first time for many months, my heart
202:198,87[A  ]| told me that I was not an alien from all mankind.
202:198,88[A  ]| We were not allowed to be together for more than a quarter of an
202:198,89[A  ]| hour, but during that short interval I learnt that my parents were still
103:199,01[A  ]| in prison, and were likely to remain there for a couple of years more.
103:199,02[A  ]| I found also that she brought out the most excellent character from the
103:199,03[A  ]| good clergyman's family in which she had lived so long, and this I
103:199,04[A  ]| knew would get her a good place and high wages in Sydney.  She
103:199,05[A  ]| told me that her plan was to obtain a good situation, get into favour with
103:199,06[A  ]| her employers, and then induce them to get me assigned to them;
103:199,07[A  ]| when, after a time, if I conducted myself well, and they took a fancy to
103:199,08[A  ]| me, a ticket-of-leave might be obtained, and I should almost be as well
103:199,09[A  ]| off as a free labourer.
103:199,10[A  ]| Ah!  Mr%*Brooke, I see by the shadow of the gallows on the wall that
103:199,11[A  ]| I must condense the incidents of my tale, or I shall be unable to conclude
103:199,12[A  ]| it in this world.  Well, then, Annie was successful; within a week
103:199,13[A  ]| of her arrival she obtained a situation as dairy-maid in an officer's
103:199,14[A  ]| family, who resided in the bush, but only six miles from Sydney; and,
103:199,15[A  ]| in about a month after, a generally useful lad being wanted, she begged
103:199,16[A  ]| her master to take me.  The consequence was that I became an
103:199,17[A  ]| assigned servant to Lieutenant*Pasco of the Marines, and entered upon
103:199,18[A  ]| my duties forthwith.
103:199,19[A  ]| A career of happiness now opened before me.  The example of my
103:199,20[A  ]| sister engendered in my breast a wish to imitate her good qualities.  My
103:199,21[A  ]| duties being over early, I could spend all my evenings with her, when
103:199,22[A  ]| we would talk over the sins of my past life, and she would teach me to
103:199,23[A  ]| read, and write, and sing, at all of which I was an apt pupil.
103:199,24[A  ]| My sister's favourite tune was the "\Evening*Hymn\" and we used to
103:199,25[A  ]| sing it together every night before I started across the home paddock
103:199,26[A  ]| towards the hut, which I shared with the shepherd.
103:199,27[A  ]| I stayed with Lieutenant*Pasco three years, and in that short period
103:199,28[A  ]| rose from the equivocal situation of generally useful boy to the post of
103:199,29[A  ]| bailiff or agent.  You may consider this an extraordinary thing for a
103:199,30[A  ]| convict so quickly to accomplish, but it is nevertheless true that I did it.
103:199,31[A  ]| Within that three years I had also educated my*self to a great extent.  I
103:199,32[A  ]| had picked up German, from a stockman on the station, who had belonged
103:199,33[A  ]| to a German band in London, and been transported for stabbing
103:199,34[A  ]| a comrade while in a state of half-drunken passion.  I had acquired an
103:199,35[A  ]| intimate knowledge of French, too, from the hutkeeper, who had been sent
103:199,36[A  ]| out for forgery.  A thorough Parisian, this fellow had lived some years
103:199,37[A  ]| in London, and gained a handsome income by forging foreign passports
103:199,38[A  ]| for runaway debtors and others, who were in a hurry to put the Channel
103:199,39[A  ]| between them and Britain.  Besides this, I had mastered my own
103:199,40[A  ]| language, learned book-keeping, and formed myself into a thorough man
103:199,41[A  ]| of business.
103:199,42[A  ]| Annie, my sister, had not been idle all this time.  She, too, had
103:199,43[A  ]| struggled hard to improve her education, and had succeeded sufficiently
103:199,44[A  ]| to rise from the position of dairy-maid to be a sort of nursery governess
103:199,45[A  ]| and wardrobe*keeper.  Both Lieutenant*Pasco and his young and lovely
103:199,46[A  ]| wife were very kind to us, and the former had already promised speedily
103:199,47[A  ]| to obtain me a ticket-of-leave, when the terrible calamity happened
103:199,48[A  ]| which took from me one whom I loved more than my own life, and
103:199,49[A  ]| dedicated me her avenger.
103:199,50[A  ]| I was now seventeen years of age, Annie was just twenty, and still a
103:199,51[A  ]| very lovely young woman.  Her eyes were blue as the Australian sky, and
103:199,52[A  ]| her hair of that pale brown that gleams with golden lustre in every shade
103:199,53[A  ]| of light; her eyebrows were well arched, her lashes long and silken, the
103:199,54[A  ]| little rows of teeth were white as strings of pearls, and the delicate purity
103:199,55[A  ]| of her skin was remarkable for such a climate as Sydney.  In figure she
103:199,56[A  ]| was graceful, and of the medium height, being neither thin, nor
103:199,57[A  ]| approaching to fatness.
103:199,58[A  ]| Annie was liked by everyone, and, consequently, everyone was glad
103:199,59[A  ]| that she had so risen in favour with her mistress, as to be promoted to
103:199,60[A  ]| the situation of trust I have named.  When I say everyone, I must,
103:199,61[A  ]| however, except the German stockkeeper.  He had learnt to love Annie
103:199,62[A  ]| in his wild impulsive way, and had sworn that she should be his.  He
103:199,63[A  ]| saw in this rise in her position another serious obstacle to be overcome.
103:199,64[A  ]| The difference was broad enough between the free dairymaid and the
103:199,65[A  ]| convict cattle-driver, but now the gulf was amazingly widened, and he
103:199,66[A  ]| began to feel less sure of his success.
103:199,67[A  ]| Annie had never received his advances with any degree of favour,
103:199,68[A  ]| though her natural kindness of heart and delicacy of feeling prevented
103:199,69[A  ]| her treating him rudely, and sending him speedily about his business,
103:199,70[A  ]| as she should have done.  And, perhaps, this conduct with a fellow who
103:199,71[A  ]| could not understand "No" to mean no, unless accompanied by abuse
103:199,72[A  ]| and passion, encouraged him to hope on.  At last, however, matters
103:199,73[A  ]| came to a crisis ~~ the fellow actually wrote her a letter of eight pages,
103:199,74[A  ]| which were devoted, the first three to a rambling confession of his passion,
103:199,75[A  ]| the next two to the offer of his hand and heart, and the last three
103:199,76[A  ]| to vague threats of putting an end to himself, if she refused him.
103:199,77[A  ]| My sister put this letter into my hands, and begged me to return it to
103:199,78[A  ]| the writer, and tell him that he must never speak or write to her
103:199,79[A  ]| again.
103:199,80[A  ]| I obeyed her behest; but I spoke to the fellow a deal sharper than she
103:199,81[A  ]| would have wished me to do, and the consequence was, that angry words
103:199,82[A  ]| arose, and he called me a "Lag," whereupon I knocked him down, and
103:199,83[A  ]| left the hut.
103:199,84[A  ]| From that day there was no good blood lost between us, at least on
103:199,85[A  ]| Itzig*Schroter's side, and I was told that he had sworn that, if Annie
103:199,86[A  ]| would not be his wife, she should not at all events wed anybody
103:199,87[A  ]| else.
103:199,88[A  ]| For another three months things went on in their usual routine; and,
103:199,89[A  ]| one afternoon in June, my sister obtained leave to ride into Sydney, as
202:199,01[A  ]| she wanted to deposit some of her salary in the new savings bank.  I
202:199,02[A  ]| had arranged to accompany her, but, at the last moment, something
202:199,03[A  ]| turned up, that required my immediate attention at the home station,
202:199,04[A  ]| and I was forced to stay behind.
202:199,05[A  ]| She was not the girl to fear a lonely ride, however; Sydney, I have
202:199,06[A  ]| said before, was only six miles from the station, and Annie was a first-rate
202:199,07[A  ]| horsewoman so, as she intended to take a cup of tea with a friend
202:199,08[A  ]| in town ere her return, I promised to ride and meet her in the evening,
202:199,09[A  ]| and hurried away.
202:199,10[A  ]| Night came, and I mounted one of the horses, and hastened to fulfil
202:199,11[A  ]| my promise.  I had not been able to get over my work so speedily as I
202:199,12[A  ]| had anticipated, so that I was somewhat after my time, but I rode
202:199,13[A  ]| quickly to make up for it, and clearing the open space in front of the
202:199,14[A  ]| home station, speedily struck into the narrow bush track, which I must
202:199,15[A  ]| traverse before I gained the broad road to Sydney.
202:199,16[A  ]| The night had grown very dark, considering that the moon was at its
202:199,17[A  ]| full, but heavy masses of clouds so covered the heavens, that its radiance
202:199,18[A  ]| was seldom visible.  It was, nevertheless, possible to see a couple of yards
202:199,19[A  ]| before my horse's head, and knowing the road, that was ample for me.
202:199,20[A  ]| As I rode on, my mind dwelt on many things.  Unpleasant recollections
202:199,21[A  ]| of the past mingled with pleasing thoughts of the present, and still
202:199,22[A  ]| brighter hopes of the future, for I had that day been told by my master
202:199,23[A  ]| that my ticket-of-leave had been already signed, and would be in my
202:199,24[A  ]| possession the next day, while hopes were held out at the same time of a
202:199,25[A  ]| part remission of my sentence.
202:199,26[A  ]| Once or twice my reverie was broken in upon by a distant sound resembling
202:199,27[A  ]| a scream, but I set it down as the chuckle of the laughing-jackass,
202:199,28[A  ]| or the cry of the cuckoo.  At length, the sharp report of a pistol
202:199,29[A  ]| smote upon my ear, and putting spurs to my horse, I galloped in the
202:199,30[A  ]| direction of the sound.
202:199,31[A  ]| The beating of my heart told me that some dread discovery was near
202:199,32[A  ]| at hand, and suddenly my horse stopped and trembled violently.  Finding
202:199,33[A  ]| it impossible to urge him on, I dismounted, and endeavoured to
202:199,34[A  ]| discover the cause of his terror; when the moon suddenly glinted out
202:199,35[A  ]| from behind the cloud, and, oh! ~~ horror of horrors! ~~ I beheld the dead
202:199,36[A  ]| body of my poor sister lying at my feet.  Her face was distorted and
202:199,37[A  ]| covered with bruises, her eyes glared wildly upwards at the cloud-covered
202:199,38[A  ]| sky, and a dark stream of blood veiled slowly forth from a pistol wound
202:199,39[A  ]| in the throat.  Alas!  there was sufficient to show that a worse, aye, a
202:199,40[A  ]| more foul crime than murder had been committed.
202:199,41[A  ]| She was quite dead, and by the sudden, brilliant light of that full
202:199,42[A  ]| moon, I bent down and looked into her poor upturned eyes.  Heavens!
202:199,43[A  ]| in their widely expanded pupils, I saw \reflected the features of the German\
202:199,44[A  ]| \storekeeper, Itzig*Schroter.\
202:199,45[A  ]| From that moment I lost all consciousness until one bright summer's
202:199,46[A  ]| morning, three days after my poor sister's murder, I awoke from a
202:199,47[A  ]| dreamy state of delirium, and all the incidents of that horrid night came
202:199,48[A  ]| vividly back to my mind.  Then everything became once more confused.
202:199,49[A  ]| Again wild ideas hovered through my brain, and wild shapes flitted
202:199,50[A  ]| before my eyes.  I was mad, and the succeeding six months were spent
202:199,51[A  ]| in the lunatic asylum.
202:199,52[A  ]| At last I was discharged as cured, and walked a comparatively free
202:199,53[A  ]| and sane man through the streets of Sydney.  My ticket-of-leave was in
202:199,54[A  ]| my pocket ~~ it had been given me by the surgeon on my departure from
202:199,55[A  ]| the asylum.
202:199,56[A  ]| At Sydney, I learnt that two men had been tried for the murder of my
202:199,57[A  ]| sister, and condemned to death, but had contrived to escape the night
202:199,58[A  ]| before the day fixed for their execution.  No traces had been gathered of
202:199,59[A  ]| them since, but the general opinion entertained was, that they must
202:199,60[A  ]| have wandered into the bush, and perished miserably there.  No suspicions
202:199,61[A  ]| had rested on Itzig*Schroter, who, I learned was still in the service
202:199,62[A  ]| of Lieutenant*Pasco.
202:199,63[A  ]| With a mind deadened to every feeling of mercy, and a heart filled
202:199,64[A  ]| with no single desire on earth, save to avenge my sister's death, I stayed
202:199,65[A  ]| in town until evening, and then set out for the station.  I knew that
202:199,66[A  ]| Schroter generally occupied a little hut to himself, which stood about a
202:199,67[A  ]| mile from the homestead.  I had bought powder and shot at a gun-maker's
202:199,68[A  ]| in town, and stolen a pistol from the window while the shopkeeper's
202:199,69[A  ]| back was turned.  I now loaded my weapon with grim satisfaction,
202:199,70[A  ]| as I strode on along the solitary bush track.
202:199,71[A  ]| An hour later I stood at the door of the stock-keeper's hut.  It was only
202:199,72[A  ]| on the latch, so I noiselessly opened it and entered.
202:199,73[A  ]| By the moonlight that streamed in through the open door, I saw
202:199,74[A  ]| the bulky form of the German lying at full length on his straw
202:199,75[A  ]| covered stretcher.  I cocked my pistol, and shook him by the shoulder.
202:199,76[A  ]| He immediately awoke, and as he did so, his eyes rested on me, and
202:199,77[A  ]| on the glittering barrel of the pistol.
202:199,78@a   | "Itzig*Schroter, I have come to avenge my sister's murder,"
202:199,78[A  ]| I said
202:199,79[A  ]| sternly.
202:199,80[A  ]| The wretched man half leaped from his bed, and with his eyes raised to
202:199,81[A  ]| mine, begged piteously for his life.
202:199,82[A  ]| Then a thought struck me, and I said,
202:199,82@a   | "Tell me the names of your
202:199,83@a   | companions in villany, and where I may find them?"
202:199,84@b   | "If I do, will you spare my life?"
103:200,01@a   | "I do not promise; but if you try to deceive me, you have no hope.
103:200,02@a   | Remember, I know much already."
103:200,03[A  ]| Thus exhorted, Schroter confessed all.  He told me that he was aided
103:200,04[A  ]| in his diabolical crime by two other fellow convicts, also Germans,
103:200,05[A  ]| named Gra^sser and Hippus; that they had been tried in Sydney and
103:200,06[A  ]| found guilty, but that suspicion had never rested on him.  He further informed
103:200,07[A  ]| me that they had both escaped from the colony, but how, or by
103:200,08[A  ]| what means no*one knew.
103:200,09[A  ]| I next made him give me a close description of the two ruffians, so
103:200,10[A  ]| that I might know them again if ever I came across them; and after he
103:200,11[A  ]| had done this, to make my mercy more certain, he told me that Hippus
103:200,12[A  ]| was the murderer, and that he was only induced to join in the affair on
103:200,13[A  ]| being assured that robbery was the sole object of his mates.
103:200,14@a   | "Liar and villain,"
103:200,14[A  ]| I cried.
103:200,14@a   | "I saw your countenance reflected in the
103:200,15@a   | eyes of my murdered sister, your mates only aided you in the vile plot
103:200,16@a   | that you yourself concocted, and thus do I avenge her."
103:200,17[A  ]| I levelled my pistol as I spoke, and fired.
103:200,18[A  ]| A sharp cry was followed by a hollow moan, and as the smoke cleared
103:200,19[A  ]| away, I saw that Scroter had fallen across the stretcher.  He was dead;
103:200,20[A  ]| a dark stream of blood flowed from a gap in his throat.  I had shot him
103:200,21[A  ]| exactly in the same spot as he had shot my poor sister.
103:200,22[A  ]| Whether from a return of my insanity caused by the strong excitement
103:200,23[A  ]| under which I was labouring, I know not, but no sooner did I
103:200,24[A  ]| arrive at the conclusion that Schroter was dead, than I felt that I must
103:200,25[A  ]| commemorate my first act of retribution by severing the first finger of
103:200,26[A  ]| my left hand.  I did so with a knife I found in the hut, bandaged up the
103:200,27[A  ]| stump, and fled to the bush.
103:200,28[A  ]| Mr%*Brooke, ~~ I have but a short time to finish my tale.  I asked Mr%*Brown,
103:200,29[A  ]| the Protestant chaplain, to come to me at seven o'clock, it only
103:200,30[A  ]| wants ten minutes to that hour.  You will remember there yet lived two
103:200,31[A  ]| others on whom I had sworn to wreak my vengeance.  Yet in spite of my
103:200,32[A  ]| utmost efforts, I could obtain no clue as to their whereabouts.  Years
103:200,33[A  ]| passed away, I had been a wanderer in every land, everywhere watching,
103:200,34[A  ]| watching and waiting for them who came not.  At last the gold fever
103:200,35[A  ]| broke out in this colony, and, after an absence of thirty years, I again set
103:200,36[A  ]| foot in Australia; not, however, with the intention of digging for the yellow
103:200,37[A  ]| dross ~~ for I had already accumulated enough to supply my few
103:200,38[A  ]| wants while life remained.  No like the sleuth hound, I scented blood.
103:200,39[A  ]| Instinct told me I should find Hippus and Gra^sser here, and it did not
103:200,40[A  ]| deceive me.
103:200,41[A  ]| At an hotel in Geelong, I encountered the former.  His costume as a
103:200,42[A  ]| waiter, and the alterations which the hand of time had made in his
103:200,43[A  ]| features, did not cheat my memory.  I stabbed him, but my dagger
103:200,44[A  ]| striking a copper coin in his waistcoat pocket glanced off, and instead
103:200,45[A  ]| of piercing his heart, merely inflicted a flesh wound.  I was arrested,
103:200,46[A  ]| tried, condemned, and incarcerated, as you are aware, in the Melbourne
103:200,47[A  ]| Central*Gaol.
103:200,48[A  ]| Here I had been about two years and a half, when I discovered that a
103:200,49[A  ]| new turnkey had been appointed to our wing of the prison.  To my intense
103:200,50[A  ]| joy, I recognised in him the German convict Gra^sser.
103:200,51[A  ]| You know how I served him, and how I escaped.
103:200,52[A  ]| He was my second victim.  I fled I know not whither.  At midnight,
103:200,53[A  ]| I found myself sitting upon the cold watery steps of Sandridge*Pier.  The
103:200,54[A  ]| silence and solemnity of the scene almost tempted me to commit suicide,
103:200,55[A  ]| but the memory that yet a third assassin lived, and that my vengeance
103:200,56[A  ]| was not yet complete, diverted the thought.  Then a wild tumult in the
103:200,57[A  ]| brain banished all reasoning faculties, I only knew that my old madness
103:200,58[A  ]| was once more conquering my faculties; under its impulse I quietly
103:200,59[A  ]| drew from my pocket the clasp-knife of the murdered, which I had
103:200,60[A  ]| pocketed after committing the crime, and coolly and systematically
103:200,61[A  ]| severed a second finger of my left hand; bandaging it up afterwards as
103:200,62[A  ]| carefully and skilfully, as though I had been an army surgeon.
103:200,63[A  ]| What I did after this, and how I escaped from the colony, I know not.
103:200,64[A  ]| I believe I did it all while in a state of lunacy.  I have a dim memory of
103:200,65[A  ]| riding for days and nights through stony deserts and boundless tracts of
103:200,66[A  ]| sand; of a wild longing for water, and at length of sinking exhausted
103:200,67[A  ]| beside a flowing river.  I believe I first became sane when I found
103:200,68[A  ]| myself among a party of overlanders, and within view of the City of
103:200,69[A  ]| Sydney.  They told me that they had found me lying helpless beside a
103:200,70[A  ]| creek on the parched open plain, and that my burning thirst had weakened
103:200,71[A  ]| my brain, and made me delirious.  I fancied I knew better, but
103:200,72[A  ]| said nothing, and in another hour we were at our journey's end.
103:200,73[A  ]| This was about five months before I met you.  During that time I
103:200,74[A  ]| earned my living chiefly through my luck at cards, and also by painting
103:200,75[A  ]| pictures ~~ for I had become an artist during a somewhat lengthened stay
103:200,76[A  ]| in Germany, whither I had journeyed some five years previously, fancying
103:200,77[A  ]| that both Hippus and Gra^sser might have returned to their native
103:200,78[A  ]| country.
103:200,79[A  ]| Well, I have little more to add.  The man who passed the window of
103:200,80[A  ]| the St%*George's*Restaurant, and whom I followed and fired at, was
103:200,81[A  ]| Hippus.  I recognised him in an instant, although the jaunty digger
103:200,82[A  ]| costume had supplanted the dress of a waiter, and sorry am I that my
103:200,83[A  ]| wrist had lost its steadiness, or my poor sister should have been fully
103:200,84[A  ]| avenged.  Still I am content, for though acquitted by the law, Hippus
103:200,85[A  ]| carries his crime in his heart, and one day fate will provide him a meet
103:200,86[A  ]| doom.
103:200,87[A  ]| Mr%*Brooke, you have heard my tale; the gallows is ready, it is past
103:200,88[A  ]| seven, I hear the chaplain's step on the stairs, you must go,"
103:200,88['  ]| and rising,
103:200,89['  ]| the lunatic motioned me from the room.
103:200,01['  ]| Poor Schwieg, it was only a fortnight after this that he died, amid the
103:200,02['  ]| most terrible ravings.  He expired exactly at the hour of seven in the
103:200,03['  ]| morning, the time which his phantasy had ever, day by day, and hour
103:200,04['  ]| by hour, depicted as the time fixed for his execution on the morrow.
103:200,05['  ]| His history made a great impression upon me, it was the strangest
103:200,06['  ]| I had yet met with during my professional career.
104:235,00@@@@@|
104:235,01['  ]| <PURSUING AND PURSUED.>
104:235,02[A  ]| By the opening of the year 1853, things had settled down pretty considerably
104:235,03[A  ]| in the good city of Melbourne, and, indeed, throughout the colony.
104:235,04[A  ]| A revolver stuck one side your belt, and a bowie knife the other, was not
104:235,05[A  ]| the afternoon promenade costume for Collins-street then more than it is now.
104:235,06[A  ]| Handsome shops had already sprung up here and there, pavement was a
104:235,07[A  ]| thing not unknown in the principal streets, public gardens had begun to be
104:235,08[A  ]| laid out, church towers and spires were more plentiful, board and lodging
104:235,09[A  ]| could be had for money at all seasons, though two-roomed houses did bring
104:235,10[A  ]| their four and six pounds a week rent, on a general average; many handsome
104:235,11[A  ]| suburban terraces, too, had arisen, as by magic; Collingwood and Fitzroy
104:235,12[A  ]| were no longer towns under canvas, but had gradually risen to be represented
104:235,13[A  ]| by neat weatherboard, ugly corrugated iron, and even here and there,
104:235,14[A  ]| brick and stone tenements; railways, too, were in progress, and a handsome
104:235,15[A  ]| stone bridge had been thrown across the Yarra, at the foot of Swanston-street.
104:235,16[A  ]| Over this bridge, and, consequently, on the south side of the river,
104:235,17[A  ]| stood our barracks ~~ a fact sufficiently attested to the beholder by the blue
104:235,18[A  ]| uniform, white facings, and shouldered carbine of the sentry, ever on duty
104:235,19[A  ]| before the large white gate leading into the barrack-square.
104:235,20[A  ]| Inside the outer gates, and, as well as I recollect, on the right hand side
104:235,21[A  ]| thereof, were the sergeant-major's quarters, together with those of the lieutenant
104:235,22[A  ]| in charge, while opposite them stood the residence and office of the
104:235,23[A  ]| inspector.  Of the square itself, the extreme right was the officers' and commissioners'
104:235,24[A  ]| stables, and opposite were the stables for the troop horses, in
104:235,25[A  ]| the rear whereof were pitched the tents for the troopers, while close by stood
104:235,26[A  ]| a long, unsightly building, which was divided into a mess-room and dormitory
104:235,27[A  ]| for the cadets.  These said cadets rejoiced in a silver-lace band
104:235,28[A  ]| around their caps, instead of the white cloth one that distinguished the
104:235,29[A  ]| troopers.
104:235,30[A  ]| There are many people who think barrack life a sadly idle and indolent
104:235,31[A  ]| one.  They may be right, but if so, ours was a great exception to the
104:235,32[A  ]| general rule, for at six o'clock every morning, we were roused by sound of
104:235,33[A  ]| trumpet, and had to dress at once, take out our chargers, and ride them more
104:235,34[A  ]| than a mile to water.  On our return, we had to clean them down and give
104:235,35[A  ]| them a feed, by which time another trumpet flourish announced the morning
104:235,36[A  ]| meal for ourselves, over which we were allowed an hour, and which consisted
104:235,37[A  ]| of good plain roast or boiled meat, bread, and tea without milk.  At
104:235,38[A  ]| ten, the cry was
104:235,38@x   | "boot and saddle,"
104:235,38[A  ]| and we had to fall in on parade with our
104:235,39[A  ]| horses.  Inpection over, which generally lasted half an hour, the order was
104:235,40[A  ]| given to mount, and we rode into the Government paddock ~~ a large piece of
104:235,41[A  ]| open ground, at the end of which flowed the Yarra*Yarra, forming its northern
104:235,42[A  ]| boundary ~~ where we had a full two hours' drill, after which, we returned to
104:235,43[A  ]| barracks, cleaned down our chargers, furbished up our accoutrements, and
104:235,44[A  ]| went to dinner, which, as to the kind of prog, was breakfast over again, with
104:235,45[A  ]| the variation of hot meat for cold, and vegetables in lieu of bread.  After
104:235,46[A  ]| this, we had to parade for a second two hours' drill, this time on foot, which
104:235,47[A  ]| brought us up to within a few minutes of four o'clock, when our day's labour
104:235,48[A  ]| was concluded, save for such of us as were told off for guard, which was strictly
104:235,49[A  ]| kept, particularly over the stables, as at this time there was many bushrangers
104:235,50[A  ]| and other desperadoes in the colony, who were quite bold enough to
104:235,51[A  ]| make an attack on our quarters, and carry off our horses from under our very
104:235,52[A  ]| noses, had the least carelessness on our part given them the necessary encouragement.
104:235,53[A  ]| 
104:235,54[A  ]| I had been at head-quarters about a month, when, with eight other troopers,
104:235,55[A  ]| I was despatched in all haste to a distant out-station ~~ which means an out-lying
104:235,56[A  ]| post formed at some distance from a main station, as a kind of connecting
104:235,57[A  ]| link between more distant points, but chiefly as a protection to the
104:235,58[A  ]| squatters, who, in these remote spots, were not only exposed to the open
104:235,59[A  ]| ferocity of bushrangers, but also to the treacherous assaults of the aboriginal
104:235,60[A  ]| natives.
104:235,61[A  ]| The termination of our journey was a spot situate near the base of Mount*Koronth,
104:235,62[A  ]| Marabool.
104:235,63[A  ]| It was a lovely autumn morning, in the month of February, when we set
104:235,64[A  ]| out on our journey along the Gardiner's*Creek road, and passing through
104:235,65[A  ]| Prahran, then the tiniest of villages, gained the open bush beyond, and
104:235,66[A  ]| headed for Gardiner's*Creek.
104:235,67[A  ]| Crossing this, and leaving the Yarra*Yarra river (which, by-the-bye,
104:235,68[A  ]| in the aboriginal language signifies "flowing, flowing") on our left, we
104:235,69[A  ]| passed over a patch of rising, sandy land, which formed a belt between the
104:235,70[A  ]| river and a tract of sandy heath and shrub covered ground beyond; in traversing
104:235,71[A  ]| which I noted several native cranberry bushes, together with many
104:235,72[A  ]| species of dwarf acacia and wattles.  Arrived at the end of this sandy tract,
104:235,73[A  ]| we struck out in an easterly direction, crossed some clear running streams of
104:235,74[A  ]| water ~~ all tributaries to the Yarra, whose banks were thickly covered with
104:235,75[A  ]| sombre trees, and dotted with innumerable wild flowers.
104:235,76[A  ]| At last the sun set behind the distant mountain tops, and we prepared to
104:235,77[A  ]| camp for the night.  We were about midway between Gardiner's and Babee*Jim
104:235,78[A  ]| creeks, where the country was extremely rich, undulating, sparsely
104:235,79[A  ]| timbered, but thickly grassed, and about four miles from the southern bank of
104:235,80[A  ]| the river.
104:235,81[A  ]| We accordingly hobbled our horses, lit a fire, made tea in our billies, baked
104:235,82[A  ]| some damper in the embers, and sat down to our supper with light hearts
104:235,83[A  ]| and keen appetites.
302:235,01[A  ]| It will be as well here to introduce my readers to some of our company.
302:235,02[A  ]| Next me, on my right, sat Bill*Mathews ~~ a stoutly made, muscular fellow,
302:235,03[A  ]| of about twenty-eight:  his hair was brown and lank, his face of a dull,
302:235,04[A  ]| mercurial colour, perfectly beardless, with large grey eyes, one having a slight
302:235,05[A  ]| squint.  Although not possessing the apperance, he was nevertheless a gentleman,
302:235,06[A  ]| his father being a clergyman and schoolmaster in England.  Poor
302:235,07[A  ]| Mathews had gone astray through a faulty home training; his father, ambitious
302:235,08[A  ]| for a reputation for strict impartiality in his school, made a point of
302:235,09[A  ]| treating his own son even more harshly, and punishing his boyish delinquencies
302:235,10[A  ]| more severely, than those of his other pupils.  From this, his son,
302:235,11[A  ]| who was motherless, began to entertain the idea that his father disliked him,
302:235,12[A  ]| and seizing an opportunity, he had run away to sea, worked his way to
302:235,13[A  ]| Victoria as a cabin boy, and was now a trooper in the police.
302:235,14[A  ]| The next man to him was George*Crawday, the son of a large coal and
302:235,15[A  ]| iron mine proprietor in the midland counties of England, who was worth his
302:235,16[A  ]| L*30000 a year, the owner of a palace, of thirty indoor servants, with twenty
302:235,17[A  ]| saddle and carriage horses in his stable.  This young man had been brought
302:235,18[A  ]| up in the greatest luxury and comfort, but at twenty years of age he had
302:235,19[A  ]| fallen in love with a beautiful but penniless girl, and to prevent a \9me=salliance\,
302:235,20[A  ]| his father had banished him to the other end of the world, not even seeing
302:235,21[A  ]| him ere he departed, nor making him any pecuniary allowance, lest on
302:235,22[A  ]| coming of age he should have the wherewithal to return to England, and marry
302:235,23[A  ]| the girl in spite of him.  The young man in question was slightly formed,
302:235,24[A  ]| and about five feet ten in height, dark, and good looking, with curly brown
302:235,25[A  ]| hair, a well pointed moustache and imperial, and dark flashing eyes; he was
302:235,26[A  ]| rather affected, and had an air of lassitude in all his movements, which was
302:235,27[A  ]| partly assumed, and partly natural.
302:235,28[A  ]| The third individual was a young Irish farmer, whose father, owing to an
302:235,29[A  ]| increase in rent and pressure of creditors, had been turned out of his homestead,
302:235,30[A  ]| and died in the Union.  The son had come out as a free emigrant
302:235,31[A  ]| along with his only sister.  She was now a shop assistant in Melbourne, and
302:235,32[A  ]| he was earning half-a-guinea a day and his prog in the force.
302:235,33[A  ]| Next him reclined a handsome but somewhat \9blase=\ man, of gentlemanly bearing,
302:235,34[A  ]| who was once a captain in a light infantry regiment, but who had been
302:235,35[A  ]| cashiered from the army for gambling, and striking a superior officer.
302:235,36[A  ]| Then came a fellow, who had been a whipper-in in England and a stock-driver
302:235,37[A  ]| in New*South*Wales; he was the most brilliant rider I ever saw.
302:235,38[A  ]| The sixth man was the most refined and highly educated of us all.  Tall
302:235,39[A  ]| and slight, but muscular and well made, he had been a fellow of Baliol*College,
302:235,40[A  ]| Oxford, and, later still, a rising author in London.  Wine and women had,
302:235,41[A  ]| however, brought his funds so low that he had to come to the last
302:235,42[A  ]| refuge of the destitute ~~ Victoria.
302:235,43[A  ]| Beside him again was a man, with red whiskers and moustache, who was
302:235,44[A  ]| the son of a leading physician in the West of England, who, with a good
302:235,45[A  ]| practice but large family, had only the means wherewith to give them all a
302:235,46[A  ]| good education, a bible, and a blessing.  This son had ever been wild and
302:235,47[A  ]| wayward; at twenty he had in a drunken bout accepted the Queen's shilling,
302:235,48[A  ]| and entered the army as a private, whence his relatives had to buy him out.
302:235,49[A  ]| Then he persuaded his father to pay his passage to Australia, where, after
302:235,50[A  ]| spending all his loose cash in debauchery and licentiousness at Sydney, he
302:235,51[A  ]| had worked his passage to Melbourne, and there been taken into the force,
302:235,52[A  ]| after successively failing in the aristocratic employments of selling oranges in
302:235,53[A  ]| the theatre, crying fish in the streets, and breaking in horses at the Bazaar.
302:235,54[A  ]| The last man of our little company was about forty years of age, tall and
302:235,55[A  ]| dark, with hair slightly changing to grey; he was an old hand from Van*Dieman's*Land,
302:235,56[A  ]| whither he had been transported for killing his man in a
302:235,57[A  ]| duel.  He had served seven years of his time, and was remitted the remainder
302:235,58[A  ]| owing to most exemplary good conduct, and a friendly warning he once gave
302:235,59[A  ]| the Government of a contemplated revolt amongst the convicts.  It was owing
302:235,60[A  ]| to the high character given him by the gaol governor and the chaplain that
302:235,61[A  ]| he obtained admission into our ranks.  He was now our leader.
302:235,62[A  ]| Having thus described our little circle, it is time for me to resume my
302:235,63[A  ]| narrative.  After partaking heartily of our meal, we sat around the fire
302:235,64[A  ]| smoking our short black pipes and spinning yarns, until the moon rose,
302:235,65[A  ]| when, wrapping ourselves in our blankets and placing our saddles as pillows
302:235,67[A  ]| we consigned ourselves to sleep.
302:235,67[A  ]| Unaccustomed as I had hitherto been to camping out, I soon sunk into a
302:235,68[A  ]| profound slumber, perhaps lulled thereto by the lonely cry of the mopoke or
302:235,69[A  ]| native cuckoo, which only utters its low plaintive note at night, or by the soft
302:235,70[A  ]| murmur of the warm east wind amid the tall branches of the gum and pencil
302:235,71[A  ]| cedar trees that were thinly scattered around our camp.
302:235,72[A  ]| I might have slept some two or three hours, when I was suddenly roused
302:235,73[A  ]| from my slumbers by a rough hand shaking my arm, and another laid across
302:235,74[A  ]| my mouth.
302:235,75@b   | "Hush ~~ listen ~~ what do you make out that to be?"
302:235,75[A  ]| whispered a voice in
302:235,76[A  ]| my ear, which I recognised as belonging to Harry*O'Neil, the duellist.
302:235,77[A  ]| I raised my head from the saddle, but it was so dark that I could see
302:235,78[A  ]| nothing; the fire had burned down to a heap of red cinders, and only shed
302:235,79[A  ]| dim light for a radius of about a yard, beyond which all was dense blackness.
302:235,80[A  ]| 
302:235,81[A  ]| I listened, but the rustle of the wind was alone audible to my ears.
302:235,82@a   | "What alarms you, O'Neil?"
302:235,82[A  ]| I asked in a low voice,
302:235,82@a   | "I hear nothing."
302:235,83@b   | "But I do:  there again, surely you heard that!"
302:235,84@a   | "Of course I did, it is the cry of the mopoke; you surely are not frightened of
302:235,85@a   | a cuckoo,"
302:235,85[A  ]| I responded, scarcely able to refrain from laughing aloud, for the
302:235,86[A  ]| cry was so familiar that I could not imagine anyone mistaking it.
302:235,87@b   | "Not at a cuckoo, my friend; but when you are as old a bushman as
302:235,88@b   | myself you will know the real from the sham, the dove from the hawk.  That
302:235,89@b   | is no mopoke, it is the signal of the black fellows."
104:236,01@a   | "The deuce it is,"
104:236,01[A  ]| I ejaculated, feeling for my revolver;
104:236,01@a   | "do you think
104:236,02@a   | they will attack us?"
104:236,03@b   | "Not they; but they will steal our horses, that is what they are up to now."
104:236,04@a   | "You mean if we let them,"
104:236,04[A  ]| I said.
104:236,05@b   | "We shall find it a difficult matter to prevent them, mate,"
104:236,05[A  ]| was the retort.
104:236,06@b   | "These savages can see by night as well as by day, when I can not distinguish
104:236,07@b   | your head from your heels, although you are touching me. However, let us
104:236,08@b   | wake our comrades."
104:236,09[A  ]| This was done in a minute, for they lay so close together with their feet
104:236,10[A  ]| turned towards the fire, that, like spokes in a wheel, you had only to describe
104:236,11[A  ]| a circle, and you would not miss one.
104:236,12[A  ]| As silently as possible they were all aroused from their slumbers, and a
104:236,13[A  ]| council of war was hastily held.
104:236,14@w   | "Throw some logs on the fire, let us see what we are about,"
104:236,14[A  ]| said one, but
104:236,15[A  ]| all our wood was already burnt, and we had no time to cut more.
104:236,16@w   | "Listen, mates, that we may learn in which direction our horses are,"
104:236,17[A  ]| whispered another.
104:236,18[A  ]| We did listen, but could not hear anything but the wind, and once more
104:236,19[A  ]| the cry of the false mopoke.
104:236,20@w   | "Let us fire our revolvers, it will show the fellows how many we are, and
104:236,21@w   | frighten them away,"
104:236,21[A  ]| said Bill*Mathews.
104:236,22@w   | "It will tell them exactly how many horses there are to steal, and not
104:236,23@w   | frighten them a bit, for the very act will show that we do not know where they
104:236,24@w   | are,"
104:236,24[A  ]| said Crawley.
104:236,25@a   | "I have it!"
104:236,25[A  ]| I exclaimed, as an idea struck me.
104:236,25@a   | "Does any mate's horses
104:236,26@a   | know his whistle?"
104:236,27[A  ]| Not one had taught his charger that branch of elementary education.
104:236,28@a   | "Then mine does,"
104:236,28[A  ]| I continued,
104:236,28@a   | "and I will show you a way to save our
104:236,29@a   | horses yet."
104:236,30[A  ]| As I spoke, I gave a long shrill whistle, and within a couple of minutes
104:236,31[A  ]| after, the sound of hoofstrokes was audible, and presently my handsome
104:236,32[A  ]| black charger galloped up to the camp as well as his hobbles would allow
104:236,33[A  ]| him.
104:236,34@x   | "Well, you have got yours, Frank, but how the deuce will we get ours?"
104:236,35@w   | "Easily enough,"
104:236,35[A  ]| said Crawday;
104:236,35@w   | "Frank's horse came easterly, we have
104:236,36@w   | but to go in the same direction; for as horses always keep together at night,
104:236,37@w   | we shall necessarily find them."
104:236,38@a   | "I have a better dodge than that, my boys,"
104:236,38[A  ]| said I, as I carefully saddled
104:236,39[A  ]| my nag, and secured every strap and chain so that they should not jingle;
104:236,39@a   | "I am
104:236,40@a   | going alone after the horses; my animal, if left to his own guidance, will
104:236,41@a   | naturally regain his fellows, who are, without doubt, under the same instinct
104:236,42@a   | making their way towards us.  If they are not surrounded by the blackfellows,
104:236,43@a   | I will bring them, never fear, for they will all follow me when I
104:236,44@a   | wheel round.  If, however, their return is cut off, a pistol or cooey will tell
104:236,45@a   | you where I am, and we shall have to obtain them by force."
104:236,46@x   | "All right, old fellow, go ahead,"
104:236,46[A  ]| and with this parting greeting I mounted
104:236,47[A  ]| and rode forth into the darkness.
104:236,48[A  ]| In spite of the readiness of my proposition, I now felt decidedly uncomfortable,
104:236,49[A  ]| as, with the reins lying on my horse's neck, so that he should follow
104:236,50[A  ]| his own course, every moment took me further into the lone bush, and more
104:236,51[A  ]| distant from the dull red spot that marked the smouldering camp fire.  It was
104:236,52[A  ]| so dark that I could not see my charger's head before me, but I knew full
104:236,53[A  ]| well that the keener eye of a blackfellow could discover and distinguish
104:236,54[A  ]| objects several yards distant from him on such a night, so that I should be
104:236,55[A  ]| perfectly at the mercy of their spears and boomerangs, while they would be
104:236,56[A  ]| as safe from my pistols as if they were in the clouds.
104:236,57[A  ]| These thoughts had scarcely occurred to me when my horse gave a shrill
104:236,58[A  ]| neigh ~~ a sure token of man or beast in close proximity ~~ the next moment a
104:236,59[A  ]| shiver that ran through him told me of the proximity of the blacks.
104:236,60[A  ]| A touch of the spur reassured my steed, and bending forward I rode on with
104:236,61[A  ]| my head nearly under his neck, in which position my uniform being dark,
104:236,62[A  ]| and my horse black, I trusted to escape observation.
104:236,63[A  ]| Above the low murmur of the wind, I thought I could distinguish the
104:236,64[A  ]| muttered \yabber*yabber\ of the savages, and I was ignorant then, as indeed
104:236,65[A  ]| were most of us, of the general cowardice and harmlessness of these half
104:236,66[A  ]| naked sons of the soil, and of the fact that larger bands of them than a round
104:236,67[A  ]| dozen or so, were rarely to be met with.
104:236,68[A  ]| Still, on I rode.  I conjectured that I must already have left the camp
104:236,69[A  ]| a good half-mile in the rear, when the faint rattle of chains, and the neigh of
104:236,70[A  ]| a horse, which was cheerfully answered by the animal I bestrode, told me that
104:236,71[A  ]| we were close upon the missing animals.  By the sound of their hoof-strokes
104:236,72[A  ]| I could tell that they were advancing towards me, and drawing in my
104:236,73[A  ]| steed, I waited until I conjectured they were close by, and then wheeling him
104:236,74[A  ]| round, campwards, knowing them would follow, commenced the return route.
104:236,75[A  ]| We had not gone far, however, I still preserving my almost horizontal position
104:236,76[A  ]| in the saddle, when the quick jerking jabber of the blacks, (this time
104:236,77[A  ]| distinct enough,) again fell on my ear.  I could distinguish the patter of
104:236,78[A  ]| human naked feet around me, how many I could not guess, and as for the use
104:236,79[A  ]| of my eyes, I could not even see my pistol holsters.
104:236,80[A  ]| By the cries of the blacks, I conjectured that they had surrounded the horses
104:236,81[A  ]| in a circle, and were in the act of seizing upon them.  It was plain they had
104:236,82[A  ]| not discovered me yet, and what course to take in the emergency, I had
104:236,83[A  ]| not the slightest conception.
104:236,84[A  ]| Suddenly I felt a hand laid upon the neck of my horse, and then there was
104:236,85[A  ]| a sharp cry of surprise as it came in contact with the bridle.
302:236,01[A  ]| That cry was repeated in a still shriller tone, when sliding my  hand along
302:236,02[A  ]| the rein, I laid hold of the fellow's wrist, and by sheer strength of arm,
302:236,03[A  ]| lifted him from the ground, and threw him across my horse in front
302:236,04[A  ]| of me; then firing a barrel of my revolver into the darkness, shoutina as
302:236,05[A  ]| I did so,
302:236,05@a   | "cut it you rascals, here are twenty of us, run, or we will shoot every
302:236,06@a   | one of you."
302:236,07[A  ]| My words had talismanic effect.  I could hear the blackfellows scampering
302:236,08[A  ]| away in every direction.  One only of their number ventured to give me
302:236,09[A  ]| a parting salutation, which came in the shape of a stout wooden spear
302:236,10[A  ]| that whizzed by within an inch of my nose, with anything but a pleasing
302:236,11[A  ]| effect.
302:236,12[A  ]| It did not, however, confuse me so much as to make me let go my captive.
302:236,13[A  ]| In spite of all his struggles I held him tightly, and when, a quarter of an hour
302:236,14[A  ]| later, I was again seated around our now replenished camp fire, with our good
302:236,15[A  ]| nags, (not one missing) close by us, and the blackfellow in our midst, loud
302:236,16[A  ]| and boisterous was our merriment, and many were the queries of what
302:236,17[A  ]| we should do with our unexpected sable guest.
302:236,18[A  ]| One or two proposed to hang him then and there; but it ended with his
302:236,19[A  ]| being simply kicked out of the camp.
302:236,20[A  ]| We now composed ourselves again for sleep, but our slumbers were short;
302:236,21[A  ]| in a couple of hours or so morn broke, and there was a repetition of the billy
302:236,22[A  ]| and the damper, after which the cry was
302:236,22@x   | "boot and saddle,"
302:236,22[A  ]| and we
302:236,23[A  ]| again resumed our march.
302:236,24[A  ]| It was a lovely morning, and all nature looked calm and beautiful; our
302:236,25[A  ]| route lay over a gently undulating country, well grassed and watered, dotted
302:236,26[A  ]| thinly, and in park-like clumps, with the graceful pencil cedar, mingled with
302:236,27[A  ]| dogwood, and in the vicinity of the creek with native walnut trees; while
302:236,28[A  ]| the strongly scented wattle blossoms filled the air with fragrance, and
302:236,29[A  ]| the low rich notes of the thrush, the sweet warble of the magpie, and
302:236,30[A  ]| the boisterous cadence of the laughing jackass, reverberated through the
302:236,31[A  ]| still air.
302:236,32[A  ]| Our destination was close at the foot of Mount*Koronth, Marabool, which
302:236,33[A  ]| is a hill rather than a mountain, standing apart from the main range.
302:236,34[A  ]| We halted for refreshments about midday, on the margin of the Babee*Jim*Creek,
302:236,35[A  ]| whose banks were then nearly carpeted with wild flowers of the richest
302:236,36[A  ]| hues, but, with one or two rare exceptions, affording no perfume.  Above them,
302:236,37[A  ]| here and there, cropped up picturesque rocks of bluestone.
302:236,38[A  ]| Amongst these flowers, I noticed the brilliant tints of the clematis and
302:236,39[A  ]| ranunculus, with the creamy petals of the dwarf Banksia or native honey-suckle.
302:236,40[A  ]| 
302:236,41[A  ]| While camping here, we enjoyed the luxury of a bath in the clear sparkling
302:236,42[A  ]| vales of the creek, and seeing some fine fish in the shallows, two or three of
302:236,43[A  ]| us got our swords and had the luck to spear some, which we boiled in
302:236,44[A  ]| our billies, and they made a very savoury meal.
302:236,45[A  ]| After this, we took our siesta in the shadow of the trees, for the day was
302:236,46[A  ]| very hot, and after a couple of hours rest ~~ the mosquitoes were too active to
302:236,47[A  ]| let us sleep ~~ we again saddled our horses and resumed our march.
302:236,48[A  ]| After five hours quick travelling we arrived at our destination, which was
302:236,49[A  ]| at the base of the mountain, near a small brook, whose banks were thickly
302:236,50[A  ]| covered with the tree fern.  At the rear of the station, was a perfect forest of
302:236,51[A  ]| these fern trees.
302:236,52[A  ]| Glad were we that night when we had stabled and littered our horses and sat
302:236,53[A  ]| down to supper.
302:236,54[A  ]| It is time to explain to my readers the object of our journey to this remote
302:236,55[A  ]| spot.  I have already mentioned the general purpose of an out*station:
302:236,56[A  ]| this particular one had hitherto been occupied only by a mounted trooper, and
302:236,57[A  ]| a foot constable; but they could not be everywhere at once, and the recent depredations
302:236,58[A  ]| of a band of bushrangers on the neighbouring stations, whose
302:236,59[A  ]| owners were living in daily danger of their lives, together with a stray murder
302:236,60[A  ]| occasionally by the blacks, made a stronger force at that spot a matter
302:236,61[A  ]| of urgent necessity.
302:236,62[A  ]| We were all in high spirits at the chance of active service, and yet for
302:236,63[A  ]| a whole fortnight after our arrival at the station, we never succeeded in effecting
302:236,64[A  ]| a single capture.  This was disheartening enough; but what exasperated
302:236,65[A  ]| us to madness was the fact, that the bushrangers avoided our presence,
302:236,66[A  ]| succeeded in levying black*mail with as great success as before our arrival;
302:236,67[A  ]| stations were still attacked, and people bailed up; one squatter being
302:236,68[A  ]| stopped and robbed within a few hundred yards of our quarters.
302:236,69@b   | "Well, boys, this will never do!"
302:236,69[A  ]| said O'Neil the duellist, in a tone of despair,
302:236,70[A  ]| on the fifteeth evening after our arrival.
302:236,70@b   | "I will tell you what, we must come
302:236,71@b   | the bushrangers ourselves, as far as togs go; I mean we must nab the villains
302:236,72@b   | by cunning, if we can not capture them openly, and I am going to set the example
302:236,73@b   | this very night."
302:236,74[A  ]| O'Neil was as good as his word; but the only result was, that he got shot at
302:236,75[A  ]| by a stockdriver of a neighbouring run, who took him to be what he
302:236,76[A  ]| personated, and popped one ball through the nap of his hat, and another
302:236,77[A  ]| through his horse's ear, so O'Neil returned more chagrined and ill-tempered
302:236,78[A  ]| than he had set out.
302:236,79[A  ]| In spite of this untoward opening of the game, the idea became popular
302:236,80[A  ]| amongst us, and after that evening, in ones and twos, many of us used to come
302:236,81[A  ]| the bush toilet; and billy-cock or cabbage-tree hats, blue or red serge shirts
302:236,82[A  ]| moleskin pants, and heavy riding boots, with blankets rolled up and strapped
302:236,83[A  ]| in front of our saddles, so as to conceal the holster flaps, our revolvers stuck
302:236,84[A  ]| in our belts, and our faces as innocent of shaving as though Mappin's shilling
302:236,85[A  ]| razor were a thing unknown; we soon looked more veritable knights
302:236,86[A  ]| of the road than perhaps many \7bona*fide\ bushrangers would have done.
302:236,87[A  ]| Still we were unsuccessful, all of us, at least, with the exception of Captain*Cunningham,
302:236,88[A  ]| as we called him in commemoration of his former position.
302:236,89[A  ]| He had been singularly fortunate, having by his own account once beaten off
104:237,01[A  ]| three ruffians who attacked him, and on another occasion shot one in the bush;
104:237,02[A  ]| but who, not being mortally wounded, managed to get away, conceal himself,
104:237,03[A  ]| and could not be found.
104:237,04[A  ]| These narratives of the captain excited us unlucky hands until we were
104:237,05[A  ]| nearly wild, and one evening we got up a handicap of a fiver round, to
104:237,06[A  ]| be taken up by him who made the first veritable capture, and brought his
104:237,07[A  ]| prisoner to the station.
104:237,08[A  ]| It was the third evening after this that I was donning my bush attire, and
104:237,09[A  ]| in rummaging over my valise I discovered an immense false beard, or rather
104:237,10[A  ]| beard, moustache, and whiskers combined (one of those kind that fasten over
104:237,11[A  ]| the ears with wires).  The hair was red, and I recollected having bought it
104:237,12[A  ]| in Melbourne to attend a masquerade.
104:237,13[A  ]| The idea came into my head that it would be good fun to wear it, so I
104:237,14[A  ]| clapped it on, completed my toilet, and made my way to the stables.
104:237,15[A  ]| Pretty fun my appeance caused amongst such of my mates as were at the
104:237,16[A  ]| station, but I was anxious to get away, for something whispered in my ear
104:237,17[A  ]| that an adventure awaited me; so, learning that the captain and Bill*Mathews
104:237,18[A  ]| had ridden out, and the direction they had taken, I determined to
104:237,19[A  ]| strike into a contrary track, and giving my horse the spur, I was soon out of
104:237,20[A  ]| sight of the station, and skirting the fern-tree wood that stood in its rear.
104:237,21[A  ]| It was a lovely night, the moon being about a fortnight old, and the whole
104:237,22[A  ]| sky was studded with its myriad stars, seeming like a million diamonds
104:237,23[A  ]| sparkling from a shroud; amongst them, with brighter lustre than the rest,
104:237,24[A  ]| shone the five fixed stars that form the constellation of the "Southern*Cross."
104:237,25[A  ]| The smallest star of the group I chose to guide my course by, and
104:237,26[A  ]| for a while rode on in silence, for the stillness of the night was conducive to
104:237,27[A  ]| thought.
104:237,28[A  ]| At length my attention was attracted by a tiny spark of fire, a little way
104:237,29[A  ]| within the bush, on the left of me; it was just such as would be produced by
104:237,30[A  ]| a pipe, and I soon came to the conclusion that if it was a pipe, there must be
104:237,31[A  ]| a smoker at the other end of it.
104:237,32[A  ]| I therefore took a pistol from my belt, cocked it, examined the caps, and
104:237,33[A  ]| rode towards the smoker.
104:237,34@a   | It might be a mate; if so, we should know each other by the colour of the
104:237,35@a   | ribbon in our hats; but it might be a bushranger, then there was a fair field
104:237,36@a   | and no favour.
104:237,37[A  ]| Such were my reflections as I neared the fellow, walking my horse, but
104:237,38[A  ]| having the reins well in hand, in case I should come upon a covey of
104:237,39[A  ]| them.
104:237,40[A  ]| In the soft grass my charger's feet made little sound, so that I was close
104:237,41[A  ]| upon my worthy before he noted my approach.  He was lying on the grass,
104:237,42[A  ]| with the rein of his horse ~~ that was quietly cropping the short, sweet
104:237,43[A  ]| grass ~~ passed over the arm which supported his head.  His face I could not
104:237,44[A  ]| see, for the shadow of the bush scrub shaded it, but he was a tall, strongly
104:237,45[A  ]| made fellow, and two six-barreled revolvers and a bowie-knife ornamented
104:237,46[A  ]| his belt.
104:237,47@a   | "Wake up, friend!  Who are you? ~~ and what brings you here?"
104:237,47[A  ]| I
104:237,48[A  ]| shouted, when I was within about a dozen yards of him.
104:237,49[A  ]| The fellow started from his recumbent position, and as his astonished
104:237,50[A  ]| gaze fell on me, the moon revealed his countenance, and I recognized the
104:237,51[A  ]| features of Captain*Cunningham.  Such an absurd expression of terror I
104:237,52[A  ]| never before saw depicted on the face of any man, his teeth seemed to chatter
104:237,53[A  ]| in his head, his eyes to start out of their sockets.
104:237,54@a   | "There is the brave shooter of bushrangers,"
104:237,54[A  ]| thought I to myself, so I
104:237,55[A  ]| refrained from disclosing myself, as I had at first intended, and determined
104:237,56[A  ]| to frighten him still more, as a punishment for his bombast and cowardice.
104:237,57@a   | "Answer me quickly, fellow, or I will send a ball through your head,"
104:237,57[A  ]| I
104:237,58[A  ]| called again.
104:237,59[A  ]| Still no answer came ~~ the captain appeared petrified with fear.
104:237,60@a   | "Come nearer and show your face.  I have a notion you are one of them cursed
104:237,61@a   | traps at the station; if you are, I will shoot you first and roast you afterwards,
104:237,62@a   | as sure as my name is Ned*Rowley, for I have sworn to kill every mother's son
104:237,63@a   | of them."
104:237,64[A  ]| The utterance of this threat, and the mention of the name of the most
104:237,65[A  ]| noted and savage bushranger of the day, completed the captain's confusion.
104:237,66[A  ]| He sprang to his feet, and actually uttered a cry like that of a hunted wolf as
104:237,67[A  ]| he bounded into the saddle and galloped away for dear life.
104:237,68[A  ]| Bursting with suppressed laughter, I discharged a barrel of my revolver
104:237,69[A  ]| after him to increase his alarm, and started off in hot pursuit.
104:237,70[A  ]| To give the captain his due, he rode well, and we were both about equally
104:237,71[A  ]| mounted.  We were clear of the scrub in a minute, and for more than twenty
104:237,72[A  ]| miles right ahead lay a gentle undulating country, thinly wooded and lightly
104:237,73[A  ]| grassed, over which the hunt would become a race.
104:237,74[A  ]| I had no wish to catch the runaway at once, however, for I felt much the
104:237,75[A  ]| same as a cat does with a mouse, a vindictive pleasure in prolonging his
104:237,76[A  ]| sufferings to the greatest possible extent, so I kept every now and then
104:237,77[A  ]| popping off my pistols after him; of course taking care to aim pretty wide
104:237,78[A  ]| of the mark, and yet near enough for him to hear the hiss of the balls as they
104:237,79[A  ]| passed him.
104:237,80[A  ]| In doing this I nearly put my foot into it.  The captain had presence of
104:237,81[A  ]| mind enough to guess that I had only two revolvers, and he knew that each
104:237,82[A  ]| of them could only number six barrels; he, therefore, must have counted the
104:237,83[A  ]| shots, for when I fired my last charge, he drew in his horse, turned in the
104:237,84[A  ]| saddle, and fired six shots at me in rapid succession.
104:237,85[A  ]| Luckily the trembling of his hand caused all the balls to fly pretty wide of
104:237,86[A  ]| me, and seeing me clap my hand to my holster, as though for another pistol,
104:237,87[A  ]| he again wheeled round and resumed his flight; whilst I, remembering that
104:237,88[A  ]| he had still six barrels in reserve, loaded my own barkers as I gallopped on.
104:237,89[A  ]| I could now see that the fugitive was leading for Alla-Mannin station,
104:237,01[A  ]| the property of Mr%*West, doubtless with the intention of seeking refuge at
104:237,02[A  ]| the homestead, and I resolved to come up with him before he gained that
104:237,03[A  ]| haven.
104:237,04[A  ]| On ~~ on we dashed, my black steed was already thickly covered with snowy
104:237,05[A  ]| foam bells, but I had not yet once touched him with the spur.  In the clear
104:237,06[A  ]| moonlight I could see, however, by the heaving flanks and irregular stride of
104:237,07[A  ]| the captain's bay mare that the pace was telling upon her terribly.
104:237,08[A  ]| At this juncture, Cunningham perceived directly before him a wide ditch,
104:237,09[A  ]| one of those deep gullies that are cut through the soft sandy plain during the
104:237,10[A  ]| wet season by the turbulent streams running down from the ranges, and
104:237,11[A  ]| which are often nine or ten feet in depth, and even width.  The next
104:237,12[A  ]| moment he had put his tired horse straight at it, and the consequence was
104:237,13[A  ]| that the animal leapt short, and full into the gully.
104:237,14[A  ]| Cunningham was deposited roughly on his back in two feet of water, but the
104:237,15[A  ]| animal shook him off, and scrambled up the opposite bank, while its
104:237,16[A  ]| master staggered to his feet and confronted me.
104:237,17@a   | "Make a movement to escape and you die,"
104:237,17[A  ]| I cried, covering him with
104:237,18[A  ]| my pistol.
104:237,19[A  ]| An old proverb says in effect what when at bay and escape impossible, even
104:237,20[A  ]| cowards are brave.  Captain*Cunningham was, however, an exception to the
104:237,21[A  ]| rule.  Although he had a loaded weapon, he did not dare to draw it, but
104:237,22[A  ]| threw himself upon his knees in the centre of the stream, and with tears in
104:237,23[A  ]| his eyes, begged piteously for his life.
104:237,24@a   | "It is granted on one condition,"
104:237,24[A  ]| I said sternly.
104:237,24@a   | "Listen to me; I know
104:237,25@a   | you, you are a trap in disguise, your name is Albert*Cunningham; now my
104:237,26@a   | mates have sworn that not a trap shall live who meddles with our doings.
104:237,27@a   | We are six of us, there are nine of you; the price of your life is that you lead
104:237,28@a   | your companions into an ambush that I shall plan, when we can shoot them
104:237,29@a   | down at our ease."
104:237,30@c   | "Agreed,"
104:237,30[A  ]| exclaimed Cunningham eagerly,
104:237,30@c   | "but the job is cheap at the
104:237,31@c   | price."
104:237,32@a   | "What more do you require?"
104:237,32[A  ]| I asked.
104:237,33@c   | "Five pounds a head for the men, and half the valuables they have on
104:237,34@c   | their persons, with admission amongst your company afterwards."
104:237,35@a   | "And what should we do with a coward?"
104:237,35[A  ]| I asked contemptuously;
104:237,35@a   | "besides,
104:237,36@a   | I can not trust you, I recant my offer, you must die."
104:237,37@c   | "No ~~ no ~~ mercy, for God's sake, mercy."
104:237,38@a   | "Such mercy as you would show to your mates; a man who would betray
104:237,39@a   | his own companions might prove false to me.  When I count thrice I fire ~~
104:237,40@a   | once ~~. "
104:237,41[A  ]| I took aim, and then the awful shriek of agony, the curses, the prayers,
104:237,42[A  ]| that rose from that gully were indeed terrific.  How long I should have kept
104:237,43[A  ]| him in that state of terror I know not, for my heart was steeled against him;
104:237,44[A  ]| but the neigh of a horse caused me to look round, and to my surprise, I saw
104:237,45[A  ]| Mathews, Crawday, and O'Neil, almost at my elbow.
104:237,46@b   | "Do not apologise,"
104:237,46[A  ]| said the latter, turning to me,
104:237,46@b   | "we have heard it all;
104:237,47@b   | you were so engrossed with your joke that you did not hear our gallop over
104:237,48@b   | the grass.  Luckily for you I saw you in your false whiskers before you left
104:237,49@b   | the station, or we should have shot you down as a regular bushranger, and
104:237,50@b   | the ribbon badge not on your cap either;"
104:237,50[A  ]| then riding to the edge of the
104:237,51[A  ]| gully, and revealing himself to the astounded captain, he continued in a tone of
104:237,52[A  ]| haughty irony,
104:237,52@b   | "Mr%*Cunningham, you have been taught a lesson, we can not
104:237,53@b   | have cowards, leave alone traitors in our force.  I must request that you do
104:237,54@b   | not put in an appearance at the station again.  Come gentlemen,"
104:237,54[A  ]| and we
104:237,55[A  ]| turned our horse's heads homeward.
104:237,56[A  ]| Captain*Cunningham we never saw nor heard of more, but his horse was
104:237,57[A  ]| safe in the stable before our arrival.
104:237,58[A  ]| ~~ ~~ ~~
104:237,59[A  ]| If any moral can be gathered from these pages, it is this: ~~ \Never to make\
104:237,60[A  ]| \a boast of that quality or nature which may at any hour be weighed in the\
104:237,61[A  ]| \scales, and found wanting.\
105:248,00@@@@@|
105:248,01['  ]| <CAMBROMATTA STATION;>
105:248,02[A  ]| It was about a week after Shrove*Tuesday, in the year 1852, I really
105:248,03[A  ]| forget in what month, but its near proximity to the day named is imprinted
105:248,04[A  ]| on my memory, from the miserable failure we troopers of the V%*P% made in
105:248,05[A  ]| our attempt to concoct a dish of pancakes for dinner, out of the very limited
105:248,06[A  ]| means of flour, sugar, lime juice, and wild ducks' eggs, with the lid of a billy
105:248,07[A  ]| for a frying pan.
105:248,08[A  ]| Never shall I forget O'Neil, our captain's look of dismay as he dished one
105:248,09[A  ]| of the whitey brown leather looking concerns with his ramrod, and attempted
105:248,10[A  ]| to masticate a portion.  Suffice it to say that the taste resembled sodden
105:248,11[A  ]| leather fried in lemon juice, with a remote flavour of stewed tripe; none of
105:248,12[A  ]| us could eat it, and Mathews' large kangaroo hound alone benefited by the
105:248,13[A  ]| efforts of our \9chef*de*cuisine\.
105:248,14[A  ]| To return to my tale.
105:248,15[A  ]| It was evening, and the weather was very chilly.  I was alone in the log
105:248,16[A  ]| hut which formed our out-station at the base of Mount*Koronth, all my
105:248,17[A  ]| \9confreres\ were on duty, hunting for those it seemed they would never find,
105:248,18[A  ]| the rascally bushrangers.  I had built a jolly good fire, and while I enjoyed
105:248,19[A  ]| its genial warmth and cheering blaze, I amused myself by polishing up my
105:248,20[A  ]| accoutrements and cleaning my revolvers, alternately smoking and whistling
105:248,21[A  ]| for mere want of thought.
105:248,22[A  ]| Suddenly, above the murmur of the wind amid the fern branches and the
105:248,23[A  ]| lone cry of the wild fowl from the neighbouring swamp, I thought I could
105:248,24[A  ]| distinguish the gallop of a horse in the distance.  My suspicions soon changed
105:248,25[A  ]| into certainty; it was the dull thud of a horse's hoofstrokes on the grass, and
105:248,26[A  ]| there was no doubt whatever but that its rider was urging it at a terrible
105:248,27[A  ]| pace towards the station.
105:248,28[A  ]| I knew it could be none of our men, they would never ride their horses to
105:248,29[A  ]| stable in that blown and heated manner, so buttoning up my uniform and
105:248,30[A  ]| seizing my shako, I was about to make for the door to see what I could
105:248,31[A  ]| make of it, but before I could open it, the rider, whoever he might be, had
105:248,32[A  ]| gained the station, and was hammering away with a riding whip against the
105:248,33[A  ]| door right lustily, while at the same time a terrified voice cried
105:248,33@b   | "Open!  open!
105:248,34@b   | for heaven's sake, open!"
105:248,35[A  ]| I was not long in obeying that urgent behest, and great was my surprise at
105:248,36[A  ]| beholding a young girl standing on the threshold; her head was uncovered,
105:248,37[A  ]| and her long golden hair streamed over her shoulders and fell in rich
105:248,38[A  ]| tresses even below her waist.
105:248,39[A  ]| In one hand she grasped tightly her little silver-headed riding whip, in
105:248,40[A  ]| the other she held the reins of a large bay stock-horse, whose foam flecked
105:248,41[A  ]| sides and quivering nostrils told plainly of the speed at which he had been
105:248,42[A  ]| ridden.
105:248,43[A  ]| I was too scared for a minute at the sight of this unexpected and beautiful
105:248,44[A  ]| apparition to find words wherewith to address her, but I slipped the rein of
105:248,45[A  ]| her horse through the ring of the door-post, and motioned to her to go in and
105:248,46[A  ]| warm herself by the fire, whither in another instant I followed her.
105:248,47[A  ]| If my ideas regarding the beauty of my young lady visitor were in any way
105:248,48[A  ]| confused upon my first beholding her beneath the pale moonlight, they became
105:248,49[A  ]| fully settled when upon re-entering the house, the light of the huge fire,
105:248,50[A  ]| and the flickering flame of the lamp, fully revealed the almost heavenly beauty
105:248,51[A  ]| of her countenance, and the graceful outlines of her statuesque form.  I now
105:248,52[A  ]| recognised her as the only daughter and heiress of Mr%*George*Martin, the
105:248,53[A  ]| owner of Cambromatta station, and the richest squatter for a circle of fifty
105:248,54[A  ]| miles around.
105:248,55[A  ]| I had seen Gertrude*Martin once before; she had been pointed out to me
105:248,56[A  ]| at a kangaroo hunt by O'Neil of ours, and I had gazed with surprise and
105:248,57[A  ]| almost awe at this lovely southern amazon as by her father's side she leapt
105:248,58[A  ]| her blood horse over every obstacle with as firm a seat in the saddle and as
105:248,59[A  ]| light a hand on the reins as a very Nimrod.
105:248,60[A  ]| Miss*Martin must have been about eighteen years of age, but she was tall
105:248,61[A  ]| and her figure perfectly moulded; the sweeping outline of limb, the ivory
105:248,62[A  ]| throat, sloping shoulders, swelling bust and taper little waist were worthy of
105:248,63[A  ]| a very Venus*de*Medici, while her dazzling complexion, snowy brow, bright
105:248,64[A  ]| laughing blue eyes fringed with the longest golden lashes, her arched
105:248,65[A  ]| brows, \9petite\ coral lips, pearly rows of teeth, and, above all, the arch dimpled
105:248,66[A  ]| little chin and the richness of her glossy hair that flowed like a cloud
105:248,67[A  ]| of golden glory around her, composed a host of charms which, had they been
105:248,68[A  ]| transferable to canvas, instead of blooming unseen amidst the wilds of
105:248,69[A  ]| Australia, would have immortalized their possessor.
105:248,70[A  ]| Her features at present, however, bore an expression of excitement and impatience;
105:248,71[A  ]| her face was very pale, there were scratches on her face and hands,
105:248,72[A  ]| she wore no riding habit but a rich evening silk dress, which was torn and
105:248,73[A  ]| splashed with mud; still whatever was the occasion of this disordered attire
105:248,74[A  ]| and wild night ride, there was no sign of terror in her countenance, but on
105:248,75[A  ]| the contrary, her eyes, usually so soft and dove-like, now flashed with anger
105:248,76[A  ]| and indignation, and her voice, generally so musical and soft, was firm and
105:248,77[A  ]| haughty as she said,
105:248,77@b   | "I dare say my appearance astonishes you, sir, but my
105:248,78@b   | father's station, Cambromatta, is stuck up by bushrangers.  They are threatening
105:248,79@b   | my parents, and maltreating the servants with impunity.  At the risk of
105:248,80@b   | my life I escaped through my bedroom window, made my way to the stables,
105:248,81@b   | saddled a horse, and have ridden at a gallop all the way here.  Can you aid
105:248,82@b   | us, for not only property, but what is far more precious, \life\, is in danger."
105:249,01@a   | "How many fellows are there, madam,"
105:249,01[A  ]| I asked.
105:249,02@b   | "Six,"
105:249,02[A  ]| was the reply.
105:249,03@a   | "And how many men have you on the station?"
105:249,04@b   | "Oh, half a dozen, but they have all run away, and my father is tied down on
105:249,05@b   | his chair, whilst my brother unhappily is down in Melbourne."
105:249,06@a   | "Then I will away instantly,"
105:249,06[A  ]| I replied;
105:249,06@a   | "you stay here, Miss*Martin, it is
105:249,07@a   | rather a rough place for a lady, but there is a good fire, and before I start I will
105:249,08@a   | take your nag round to the stable."
105:249,09@b   | "You are not going alone?"
105:249,09[A  ]| she asked, in astonishment, seeing me examining
105:249,10[A  ]| my weapons, and preparing for departure.
105:249,11@a   | "I am sorry to say I must; my mates are all out patrolling, and may not
105:249,12@a   | return for hours, but do not fear, I have no doubt but that I can tackle these
105:249,13@a   | fellows, at all events I will try."
105:249,14@b   | "I will return with you, I can guide you by the shortest way,"
105:249,14[A  ]| said the
105:249,15[A  ]| young lady, rising to her feet.
105:249,16@a   | "No, no, Miss*Martin, that will never do,"
105:249,16[A  ]| I rejoined.
105:249,16@a   | "You have
105:249,17@a   | already ridden nine miles, the return journey would completely knock you
105:249,18@a   | up.  You must rest here until things are again quiet up at the station, and
105:249,19@a   | they can send a trap or dog-cart for you; besides, there is danger in your
105:249,20@a   | returning now ~~ danger that there is no need for your incurring."
105:249,21@b   | "It is not a daughter's duty to shrink from sharing a danger in which her
105:249,22@b   | parents are involved, nor will I allow you, a stranger, to incur that peril for
105:249,23@b   | me and mine which I have not the spirit to meet also."
105:249,24@a   | "But, Miss*Martin, I am a rough trooper, and those things are in my
105:249,25@a   | ordinary line of business.  Your parents, too, are safe from the peculiar
105:249,26@a   | dangers that ~~ pardon my plain speaking ~~ would surround one so young and
105:249,27@a   | beautiful as yourself were you to fall into the power of these savages, who,
105:249,28@a   | by this time, are doubtless half mad with liquor."
105:249,29[A  ]| The fair girl remained silent for a minute with her eyes fixed on the floor,
105:249,30[A  ]| then raising them she said firmly,
105:249,30@b   | "In spite of all you say, I feel that I ought
105:249,31@b   | to return, and so I will return, therefore further arguments are wasted.  Are
105:249,32@b   | you ready?"
105:249,33@a   | "Quite,"
105:249,33[A  ]| I said; for during this colloquy I had not been idle, but had
105:249,34[A  ]| loaded my revolver, buckled on my sword, and written on a piece of paper the
105:249,35[A  ]| following words: ~~
105:249,35@a   | "9 p%*m% ~~ Just leaving for Cambromatta*Station, which
105:249,36@a   | is stuck up by six bushrangers.  I am alone, so lose no time in sending
105:249,37@a   | succour which may be most welcome.  (Signed) GEO%*SEALY."
105:249,38[A  ]| This I affixed to the table with a pin, and fetching a good horseman's
105:249,39[A  ]| cloak, once more turned to my visitor and said,
105:249,39@a   | "If you \will\ return, Miss*Martin,
105:249,40@a   | this will protect you from the cold night air, I am now going to saddle
105:249,41@a   | my horse, and in less than five minutes we shall be on the road."
105:249,42[A  ]| I was even better than my word, for ere three minutes had elapsed, my
105:249,43[A  ]| black charger was at the door of the hut, the pistols transferred to the
105:249,44[A  ]| holsters, and myself assisting the young lady to mount, then leaping into the
105:249,45[A  ]| saddle, we started at a brisk pace for Cambromatta.
105:249,46[A  ]| I calculated upon our reaching the home station about a quarter to ten ~~
105:249,47[A  ]| for my companion's horse was somewhat distressed by its long gallop, and
105:249,48[A  ]| would not keep pace with my fresh steed.  I was not in heart sorry for this,
105:249,49[A  ]| for I could not regard the present adventure in any other light than as a most
105:249,50[A  ]| desperate one, and the longer we were on the road, the greater was the chance
105:249,51[A  ]| that some of my mates would come to the rescue before it was too late.
105:249,52[A  ]| For the first five miles of our journey, neither of us spoke a word, and no
105:249,53[A  ]| sound was heard save the low, plaintive note of the mopoke or Australian
105:249,54[A  ]| cuckoo, answered by the still more mournful cry of the wildfowl from the low,
105:249,55[A  ]| swampy ground on our right; while from the clear blue sky above, unflecked
105:249,56[A  ]| by a single cloud, the pale full moon shed a radiance as clear and far softer
105:249,57[A  ]| than that of day over the mellow Australian landscape, and on the face of the
105:249,58[A  ]| lovely girl who rode by my side.
105:249,59[A  ]| At last the white chimneys of the station were visible some two miles
105:249,60[A  ]| ahead; the sight of them aroused me from the half dreamy reverie to which I
105:249,61[A  ]| had given way, and recalled me to the matter of fact world, of which I was
105:249,62[A  ]| still a member.
105:249,63@a   | "Miss*Martin, how are these bushrangers disposed?  Are they all within
105:249,64@a   | the house do you think?"
105:249,64[A  ]| I asked.
105:249,65@b   | "No, sir, four are inside, and two are keeping guard ~~ one under the
105:249,66@b   | verandah in front, another in the court-yard, at the back."
105:249,67@a   | "And you think these are all?"
105:249,68@b   | "I do, and what is more, I know exactly where they are placed; the man
105:249,69@b   | in the court-yard I had some difficulty in evading, and just as I was fairly
105:249,70@b   | off, he discovered and fired his pistol at me; one ball tore the sleeve of my
105:249,71@b   | dress, but the others went very wide of the mark."
105:249,72@a   | "Really Miss*Martin, you are a perfect heroine,"
105:249,72[A  ]| I could not help exclaiming,
105:249,73@a   | "but, upon my word, I wish you were fifty miles away now.  Why
105:249,74@a   | will you insist upon thrusting yourself again into danger?"
105:249,75@b   | "For the reasons I have given you before,"
105:249,75[A  ]| she said, smiling,
105:249,75@b   | "but see, I
105:249,76@b   | am not so defenceless as you fancy, I pillaged this from your armoury whilst
105:249,77@b   | you were saddling your horse, and can now take care of myself;"
105:249,77[A  ]| and, with
105:249,78[A  ]| a merry laugh, she drew from under her cloak one of our regulation revolvers,
105:249,79[A  ]| duly capped and loaded.
105:249,80@a   | "I hope you will not shoot yourself, instead of a bushranger; but as you are
105:249,81@a   | determined to be a veritable trooper, you must obey my orders as your senior
105:249,82@a   | officer, will you?"
105:249,83@b   | "Yes, as long as you do not tell me to run away."
105:249,84@a   | "You faithfully promise?"
105:249,85@b   | "I do."
105:249,86@a   | "Well then, I will not tell you to run away; but I must tell you that
105:249,87@a   | prudence and discretion are the better part of valour, and as my army is
105:249,88@a   | small, I must not allow my men to expose themselves to useless danger.
105:249,89@a   | Watch my every look and motion, and never fire until I give the word."
105:249,01@b   | "Very well, captain,"
105:249,01[A  ]| was the roguish rejoinder.
105:249,02@a   | "Well then, that is arranged, ~~ now, where are we?"
105:249,03@b   | "Yonder is the station, amid that clump of trees, just a quarter of a mile
105:249,04@b   | distant."
105:249,05@a   | "Then we must ride more under the shadow of the ferns, keep directly behind
105:249,06@a   | me, and walk your horse as noiselessly as possible."
105:249,07[A  ]| How I did at that moment long for a cloud to cross the moon, but there
105:249,08[A  ]| was not the slightest trace of one in the whole dome of heaven.  I glanced
105:249,09[A  ]| back over the wide plain we had traversed, but not a single horseman was
105:249,10[A  ]| visible; our chances of succour were few indeed, so I nerved myself to meet
105:249,11[A  ]| the danger as best I could; though, if I did feel nervous, it was more for my
105:249,12[A  ]| companion's sake than my own.
105:249,13[A  ]| And now the chimneys and roofs of the home-station were close by ~~ I could
105:249,14[A  ]| hear the neigh of horses, and I dreaded lest one of ours should answer them,
105:249,15[A  ]| but, luckily, they did not.  Thanks to the sheltering shadows of the tree
105:249,16[A  ]| fern, which grew nearly up to the house, our approach could not be detected,
105:249,17[A  ]| and the long lank grass over which we rode prevented the horses' hoof-strokes
105:249,18[A  ]| from being audible.
105:249,19[A  ]| At length I saw the end of the fern grove, and that it extended to within
105:249,20[A  ]| ten yards of the post-and-rail fence at the back of the station; but I saw
105:249,21[A  ]| another sight that caused me uneasiness, which was the bulky form of an
105:249,22[A  ]| armed man pacing up and down just at the extremity of the grove, his
105:249,23[A  ]| cabbage-tree hat slouched over his eyes, his long, shaggy, black beard flowing
105:249,24[A  ]| far down over his scarlet shirt, and his broad belt adorned with a bowie-knife
105:249,25[A  ]| and a revolver.
105:249,26[A  ]| I saw at a glance that this fellow could not be avoided, we could not gain
105:249,27[A  ]| the station without his perceiving us, while, on the other hand, an open
105:249,28[A  ]| attack could not be contemplated, as the report of a pistol would bring the
105:249,29[A  ]| whole band on us.
105:249,30[A  ]| My companion was too far in the rear to see him, and not wishing her to
105:249,31[A  ]| I rode back a few yards and met her.
105:249,32@a   | "We must leave our horses here and proceed on foot,"
105:249,32[A  ]| I said in a whisper,
105:249,33[A  ]| and dismounting, I aided her to alight, and then fastened both our steeds to
105:249,34[A  ]| the stem of a fern-tree.
105:249,35@a   | "Now then,"
105:249,35[A  ]| I continued,
105:249,35@a   | "you must stay here for about five minutes,
105:249,36@a   | while I reconnoitre ahead, and see that the coast is clear ~~ I shall not be
105:249,37@a   | long."
105:249,38[A  ]| She looked at me suspiciously, but nodded assent.
105:249,39@a   | "Do not move an inch until my return,"
105:249,39[A  ]| I said, and walking away from her
105:249,40[A  ]| until I got a little distance in front, I dropped into a horizontal position on the
105:249,41[A  ]| ground, and crept on, snakelike, amid the grass towards the unconscious
105:249,42[A  ]| bushranger, with my drawn sword in my hand.
105:249,43[A  ]| It was a deed I shrank from, it looked so very like murder; but I knew
105:249,44[A  ]| it to be a justifiable act and a necessary one, which reflection consoled me.
105:249,45[A  ]| This snake-like motion was a very slow and unpleasant mode of progression,
105:249,46[A  ]| but it was a successful one.  Once only I made a noise, which was caused by
105:249,47[A  ]| my spur coming in contact with a stone.  The sentry heard it, and glanced
105:249,48[A  ]| suspiciously in my direction, but perceiving nothing, muttered in a rough
105:249,49[A  ]| tone,
105:249,49@w   | "Only a 'possum, as I live; I am becoming as skeered as a cat since I
105:249,50@w   | shot the trap on the Ballbal*Plains ~~ a drop of brandy will banish these
105:249,51@w   | noises."
105:249,52[A  ]| As he spoke, he drew a spirit flask from his pocket, and turning his back to
105:249,53[A  ]| me, raised it to his lips.  I was now only five or six yards behind him, and availing
105:249,54[A  ]| myself of this favourable position, I sprang to my feet, crept up to him,
105:249,55[A  ]| and before he could conclude his draught of brandy my sword hissed through
105:249,56[A  ]| the air, and so true was the stroke, that the man's head was severed from his
105:249,57[A  ]| body and rolled for more than a yard along the ground, while the trunk,
105:249,58[A  ]| with spirit flask still clutched in its hand, fell prone to the earth.
105:249,59[A  ]| I moved these ghastly objects out of my sight, and then returned to Miss*Martin,
105:249,60[A  ]| whom I found somewhat terrified at my long absence.
105:249,61[A  ]| I did not tell her what had occurred, but with a few whispered words of
105:249,62[A  ]| assurance told her to follow me, for that there was no sentry at the back now.
105:249,63[A  ]| We walked boldly on until we gained the post and rail fence, which
105:249,64[A  ]| enclosed the yard at the back; here I again reconnoitred, and finding the
105:249,65[A  ]| yard empty, and no lights in the back windows of the house, we went on, but
105:249,66[A  ]| creeping very cautiously, and keeping under the shadow of the fence, for discovery
105:249,67[A  ]| now would be fatal.  When we gained the back door we listened, and
105:249,68[A  ]| could hear bursts of laughter and loud voices from within.
105:249,68@w   | "Your health,
105:249,69@w   | old gentleman, and yours too, Mother*Martin, and many thanks for your
105:249,70@w   | hearty welcome.  I trust you may always have such honest and jovial boys
105:249,71@w   | as us to eat your cold meat and drink your wine."
105:249,72[A  ]| This speech was followed by uproarious applause, and then another shouted
105:249,73@w   | "Let us unbind the Governor, and make him dance a hornpipe on the table."
105:249,74@x   | "Agreed!  good!  good!"
105:249,74[A  ]| and for a minute the jingle of glasses and the
105:249,75[A  ]| mingled volley of shouts, laughter, and imprecations were tremendous.
105:249,76[A  ]| Amidst this din we entered the house, and my companion ~~ now my guide
105:249,77[A  ]| ~~ led me through two or three rooms, until we reached one which was only
105:249,78[A  ]| divided from that occupied by the revellers by a thin partition, in which at
105:249,79[A  ]| one spot was a little square of glass, through which we could plainly see
105:249,80[A  ]| what was passing in the adjoining apartment.
105:249,81[A  ]| A stranger sight than that I never before beheld, nor happily has it been
105:249,82[A  ]| my lot to witness such an one since.  The room which the bushrangers had
105:249,83[A  ]| selected for their feast was a furnished drawing-room, whose carpets, lounges
105:249,84[A  ]| and ottomans, rich lace curtains, and the many articles of vertu and variety
105:249,85[A  ]| scattered around, presented a strange and ludicrous contrast to the odd assemblage
105:249,86[A  ]| it contained.  The table was spread with every variety of food and
105:249,87[A  ]| liquor, while empty and broken bottles and glases strewed the floor.  On
105:249,87[A  ]| the velvet-seated chairs, and on the elegantly carved couches, sat or reclined
105:249,88[A  ]| in every attitude of ease and disregard for appearance, rough and ferocious-looking
105:250,01[A  ]| beings, with tangled uncombed hair and beards, and mahogany-tinted
105:250,02[A  ]| complexions, dressed in the rough bush costume, consisting either of
105:250,03[A  ]| cabbage-tree hats, coloured shirts, cord pants, with long boots coming above
105:250,04[A  ]| the knee; or else, broad brimmed felt hats, red, blue, or brown jumpers, and
105:250,05[A  ]| moleskin continuations; most of them had their brawny throats bare, and
105:250,06[A  ]| nearly all wore a bright crimson Chinese silk scarf around their waists, generally
105:250,07[A  ]| garnished with a revolver on one side and a formidable knife on the
105:250,08[A  ]| other.
105:250,09[A  ]| There were four of them in all, and in the leader who sat at the head of
105:250,10[A  ]| the board, on an edge of the ottoman, with his muddy boots cocked over the
105:250,11[A  ]| back of the arm chair, and the sleeves of his scarlet jumper rolled up to his
105:250,12[A  ]| elbows, I recognised that prince of bushrangers, Bob*the*Thunderer, a fellow
105:250,13[A  ]| possessed of as much strength and brute courage as a tiger, but, if anything,
105:250,14[A  ]| with less mercy.
105:250,15[A  ]| At that time he was as much known and feared as Morgan has more recently
105:250,16[A  ]| been.  Yet Morgan did show mercy in one or two instances; but I
105:250,17[A  ]| never heard of Bob*the*Thunderer being guilty of such an act; at least, I
105:250,18[A  ]| mean to those who might prove dangerous in any way hereafter to him.
105:250,19[A  ]| Many a trooper had Bob sent to the shades; in fact, it was his common
105:250,20[A  ]| boast that he should never feel content until he had shot one for every barrel
105:250,21[A  ]| of his revolver.  I knew that he had already killed five, and I could not help
105:250,22[A  ]| conjecturing whether \I\ was destined to make up the complement.
105:250,23[A  ]| But to return; these four worthles were smoking most zealously, the short
105:250,24[A  ]| black pipes being rarely removed from their mouths, unless to spit about the
105:250,25[A  ]| carpet, or to drain another deep draught of wine.  One had a quart basin
105:250,26[A  ]| before him; another a huge Venetian glass goblet; the third preferred a decanter
105:250,27[A  ]| by itself; whilst the fourth seemed bent upon trying every vessel
105:250,28[A  ]| capable of holding a liquid, that came within his reach.
105:250,29[A  ]| But these fellows were not the sole occupants of the room.  The station
105:250,30[A  ]| owner and his wife were there, and seated at the table too; for bushrangers
105:250,31[A  ]| are fastidious in their notions, and these had strapped their host and hostess
105:250,32[A  ]| down in separate chairs, and placed them in that position to preside at the
105:250,33[A  ]| festive board.
105:250,34[A  ]| Mr%*Martin, however, looked anything but pleased at the speedy disappearance
105:250,35[A  ]| of the treasures of his cellar; his stiff, grey hair almost stood erect like the
105:250,36@z   | "quills upon the fretful porcupine," ~~
105:250,36[A  ]| and his jolly round face was almost
105:250,37[A  ]| purple red with bottled-up passion.  The old lady looked both angry and
105:250,38[A  ]| nervous, but endeavoured to smile and take things easy, as she fancied that
105:250,39[A  ]| course to be the best policy under the circumstances.  The most terrified of
105:250,40[A  ]| the group were, however, two servant maids, who were seated on chairs placed
105:250,41[A  ]| back to back, while a thick rope encircled both their waists, and another
105:250,42[A  ]| their wrists, their arms being passed backwards between the top and the middle
105:250,43[A  ]| bars, and thus brought together.  In this manner they were united almost as
105:250,44[A  ]| thoroughly as the Siamese twins, and it was evident that they were both suffering
105:250,45[A  ]| from extreme terror, for they were trembling violently, though neither
105:250,46[A  ]| ventured to address the other, nor to beg mercy from their persecutors, who,
105:250,47[A  ]| from time to time, tormented them by throwing wine over their faces, firing
105:250,48[A  ]| corks at them, or pelting them with biscuits and scraps of food from the
105:250,49[A  ]| table.
105:250,50[A  ]| It did not take us one quarter as long to notice every incident of this scene
105:250,51[A  ]| as it has taken me to describe it; for we had only taken a glance or two
105:250,52[A  ]| around, ere the speaker who had proposed a hornpipe had drawn his knife,
105:250,53[A  ]| severed Mr%*Martin's bonds, and another having cleared a space in the centre
105:250,54[A  ]| of the table, the old gentleman was hoisted up, passed safely over bottles and
105:250,55[A  ]| glasses, and told to begin his dance.
105:250,56[A  ]| I could tell by the hard breathing of my companion that she felt deeply
105:250,57[A  ]| this indignity offered to her father, but I had no wish to open an attack
105:250,58[A  ]| before such a step was compulsory, as every minute's delay gave a greater
105:250,59[A  ]| chance of my comrades arriving to share the sport, and this I intimated to
105:250,60[A  ]| Miss*Martin, who nodded approval.
105:250,61[A  ]| Events, however, soon hastened a \9de`nou^ement\.  the worthy squatter,
105:250,62[A  ]| who had at first been too angry to comply and too alarmed to refuse to dance,
105:250,63[A  ]| at length became more heated to harness, and getting too near the edge of
105:250,64[A  ]| the table, it captsized, and in company with wines, spirits, prog and crockery,
105:250,65[A  ]| Mr%*Martin found the floor.
105:250,66[A  ]| What a crash that was, what a ruddy lake poured over the carpet, what
105:250,67[A  ]| cries from the women and curses from the men.  The voice of Bob*the*Thunderer
105:250,68[A  ]| soon quelled all the other noises.
105:250,69@c   | "Stash that row, you fools.  Hold your tongues, you she cats, or I will
105:250,70@c   | give you somethink to holler for; and you, you tarnation old ass, I will
105:250,71@c   | have a drop of your blood for every leak of spirit you have spilt.  Out with your
105:250,72@c   | knives, my boys, and prick his tough hide for him, he has clean spoilt our feast,"
105:250,73[A  ]| and as he spoke, Bob, with one kick, launched the old gentleman nearly halfway
105:250,74[A  ]| across the room.
105:250,75[A  ]| Almost simultaneously with this act, however, and just as I myself was
105:250,76[A  ]| about to take the initiative, my companion brushed past me, pulled her revolver
105:250,77[A  ]| from under her cloak, and without pausing a moment to take aim, fired
105:250,78[A  ]| through the little window.
105:250,79[A  ]| I saw Bob*the*Thunderer clap his hand to his left shoulder, while he
105:250,80[A  ]| uttered a howl like that of a wounded bear, but I knew he was not dangerously
105:250,81[A  ]| wounded.  His mates all sprang to their feet and drew their weapons,
105:250,82[A  ]| so I fired hastily at one, and seeing they were about to send a volley hap-hazard
105:250,83[A  ]| against the partition, I quickly dragged my companion to the ground.
105:250,84[A  ]| I was right in my conjecture, they fired their revolvers simultaneously,
105:250,85[A  ]| and half a dozen bullets tore through the lath and plaster wall and whistled
105:250,86[A  ]| above our heads.
105:250,87@a   | "Stay here, I command you, move not hand nor foot,"
105:250,87[A  ]| I said sternly to
105:250,88[A  ]| the beautiful girl at my side, for I was determined that she should not get
105:250,89[A  ]| under fire If I could help it, and perceiving the handle of the door, I determined
105:250,01[A  ]| on a ruse, and springing to my feet, walked boldly into the adjoining
105:250,02[A  ]| apartment, exclaiming in an authoritative voice,
105:250,02@a   | "Give your weapons or
105:250,03@a   | you are all dead men.  I have ordered my troopers to fire upon you if you
105:250,04@a   | show any resistance."
105:250,05[A  ]| It was worth a thousand pounds to watch the bushrangers' countenances
105:250,06[A  ]| at that moment; my fearless bearing, for I had even stuck my revolver in my
105:250,07[A  ]| belt, had the desired effect.  They never doubted the truth of my assertion
105:250,08[A  ]| for a moment, but they evinced no disposition to lay down their weapons.
105:250,09@w   | "Where the devil are your men, young cock o' the walk?"
105:250,09[A  ]| asked one,
105:250,10@a   | "Within a few yards of you; their pistols cover you whilst I speak,"
105:250,10[A  ]| I
105:250,11[A  ]| answered, for I knew that bravado alone must carry my point now.
105:250,12@w   | "And if we do yield,"
105:250,12[A  ]| returned another,
105:250,12@w   | "will you ensure us our lives."
105:250,13@c   | "Fools, will you believe the lying trap?"
105:250,13[A  ]| cried Bob*the*Thunderer with a
105:250,14[A  ]| frightful oath.
105:250,14@c   | "'It is the \bullet\ or the \halter\, and I prefer the former, so
105:250,15@c   | here goes."
105:250,15[A  ]| He raised his revolver as he spoke, but ere he could draw the
105:250,16[A  ]| trigger, there came another shot through the little window, and throwing up
105:250,17[A  ]| his arms, Bob*the*Thunderer uttered a wild shriek and fell to the floor a
105:250,18[A  ]| corpse.  The bullet had penetrated his brain.
105:250,19@a   | "There my lads,"
105:250,19[A  ]| I cried, taking advantage of this demonstration,
105:250,19@a   | "you
105:250,20@a   | see that the only one of you, whose crimes left him no hope of mercy, has met
105:250,21@a   | his fate; now, are the rest of you going to surrender, or must I give my
105:250,22@a   | troopers the signal to fire?"
105:250,23@w   | "Shoot them, policeman, the rogues deserve burning; look at my wine,
105:250,24@w   | and the way they have treated me,"
105:250,24[A  ]| exclaimed the old squatter from a corner.
105:250,25@v   | "No, no, do not make our house such a scene of bloodshed; take them
105:250,26@v   | away, I dare say they will get their deserts,"
105:250,26[A  ]| said the old lady, who, pale and
105:250,27[A  ]| trembling, was still bound in her chair.
105:250,28[A  ]| The servant maids only increased their screams.
105:250,29@a   | "Mr%*Martin, my orders would not allow me to have them shot if they
105:250,30@a   | surrender.  Madam, they have had their \desserts\ already, though perhaps the
105:250,31@a   | next of which they partake will have less wine and sweetmeats to flavour it.
105:250,32@a   | Now, gentlemen deliver up your weapons."
105:250,33@w   | "Well, hang it, I suppose we can not do any other, Mr%*Peeler; I do not want
105:250,34@w   | to be shot down like a pig in a poke, so here is my barker,"
105:250,34[A  ]| cried a muscular
105:250,35[A  ]| fellow, handing me his revolver with reluctance.
105:250,36[A  ]| No doubt his example would have been followed by the others, but just as
105:250,37[A  ]| I extended my hand to receive this tribute of submission, a loud voice exclaimed,
105:250,38@w   | "What to *** are you about in here, surrendering to a single
105:250,39@w   | bobby and a gal?  Out on you,"
105:250,39[A  ]| and the door being burst open by a kick, a
105:250,40[A  ]| rough bearded rascal appeared in view, holding in one hand a Colt's, and with
105:250,41[A  ]| the other dragging in Gertrude*Martin by the hair of her head.
105:250,42[A  ]| I saw that the game was up in a moment.  I endeavoured to draw my
105:250,43[A  ]| pistol and shoot him down, but ere I could do this I was felled to the earth
105:250,44[A  ]| by a blow from one of the bushrangers, and in a twinkling bound hand and
105:250,45[A  ]| foot, while I could see that Gertrude*Martin was lying at a little distance from
105:250,46[A  ]| me on the floor, in the same helpless condition.
105:250,47[A  ]| What next we should encounter I knew not, but I pretty well guessed that my
105:250,48[A  ]| doom would be death, while a fate, even more terrible, might hang over the
105:250,49[A  ]| brave and lovely girl, whose love for her parents had strenthened her heart
105:250,50[A  ]| to encounter such perils as she had done that night.  I could hear her sobs
105:250,51[A  ]| as her father was again bound hand and foot by the rascals who surrounded
105:250,52[A  ]| us, and tumbled with violence into a corner of the room, and I knew that
105:250,53[A  ]| those sounds were not wrung from her by the rough cords that cut her
105:250,54[A  ]| delicate arms and ancles, but that her heart bled for the sufferings of those
105:250,55[A  ]| whom she loved more than her own life.
105:250,56[A  ]| Much as I longed, I was now, however, totally unable to help or sympathise
105:250,57[A  ]| with her, and lying on my back helpless as a babe, I was constrained to listen
105:250,58[A  ]| to the narrative of the bushranger whose entrance at so inopportune a moment
105:250,59[A  ]| had spoilt my plot and brought us to so unpleasant a strait.
105:250,60[A  ]| It appeared that this ruffian had been on guard under the verandah in
105:250,61[A  ]| front of the station, but that, having no tobacco in his pouch, he had run
105:250,62[A  ]| round to beg some from his mate, who was posted as sentinel in the rear.
105:250,63[A  ]| Unable to find him, he had halloed and cooeyed, but this being of no avail,
105:250,64[A  ]| he had in the clear moonlight tracked his footprints, and discovered his
105:250,65[A  ]| dead body in the bushes.  This had somewhat alarmed him, for he saw it
105:250,66[A  ]| was the work of a trooper, as none else would carry swords, but the whinny of
105:250,67[A  ]| one of our horses had attracted his attention and aided him to solve the
105:250,68[A  ]| mystery.  He soon found them, saw that they were only two, then noticed
105:250,69[A  ]| our footprints and plainly perceived that one was a woman's.  He had then
105:250,70[A  ]| tracked them back to the station, entered by the back door ~~ which we had
105:250,71[A  ]| left open ~~ and had made his appearance, just in time to undeceive his mates
105:250,72[A  ]| and turn the fortunes of the day completely against us.
105:250,73[A  ]| Long and boisterous was the laughter of the rangers, as Red*Tommy (as
105:250,74[A  ]| he was called) narrated his yarn; but immediately he had ceased, dark and
105:250,75[A  ]| lowering brows were bent upon us, and Red*Tommy shouted,
105:250,75@w   | "What shall
105:250,76@w   | we do with them? ~~ blood for blood, I say ~~ let us hang them both."
105:250,77@w   | "Hang the trap, if you like, but the gal is mine ~~ I will make her Mrs%*Peter*Dargan,"
105:250,78[A  ]| cried another.
105:250,79@w   | "Dash it, no, that is not fair ~~ she is no more yours nor ours, Peter; we will
105:250,80@w   | cast lots for her, for she is worthy of any one of us; a brave girl like that
105:250,81@w   | deserves to be a bushranger's wife.  As for the bobby, I vote burying him alive."
105:250,82@w   | "Burying or hanging is too good for the likes of him,"
105:250,82[A  ]| grumbled a third;
105:250,83@w   | "I have a better plan than either of you, lads ~~ let us hang him by the heels to
105:250,84@w   | yon lamp crook, and take flying shots at him from the other end of the room.
105:250,85@w   | Whoever, in two rounds, sends a ball through his head nearest his right eye,
105:250,86@w   | shall have a right to the gal.  What do you say, mates?"
105:250,87@x   | "Good ~~ good ~~ bravo for Big*Mike,"
105:250,87[A  ]| they all cried, in a perfect ecstacy of
105:250,88[A  ]| delight.
105:250,89[A  ]| I saw that the resolution was carried \7nem%*con%\, and, with a thrill of terror
105:251,01[A  ]| that I can hardly describe, I glanced up at the lofty ceiling.  There, sure
105:251,02[A  ]| enough, was the hook, which was evidently hung there for the purpose one
105:251,03[A  ]| day of sustaining a candelabrum.  Little did the one who placed it there
105:251,04[A  ]| fancy what a burden it was destined on this night to uphold.  For a moment,
105:251,05[A  ]| I tried to persuade myself that the bushrangers were jesting, but another
105:251,06[A  ]| glance at their ferocious, blood-thirsty countenances showed me how vain was
105:251,07[A  ]| that hope:  I turned my eyes towards my companion, and saw that she was pale
105:251,08[A  ]| as marble, and her eyes full of tears.  I was about to whisper a few words of
105:251,09[A  ]| encouragement to her ~~ for she lay close by me ~~ when the voice of one of the
105:251,10[A  ]| rangers turned the current of my thoughts.
105:251,11@w   | "A rope! ~~ a rope! ~~ where the d*** are we to get a rope?"
105:251,11[A  ]| asked one.
105:251,12@w   | "Dash it, I know ~~ I saw one in the kitchen, long and strong enough to
105:251,13@w   | hang every trap in the colony,"
105:251,13[A  ]| cried another.
105:251,14@w   | "Hurrah.  Bring it here, mate, let us get this thing over, and decide who is
105:251,15@w   | to have the gal, and then we will try and hunt up some more drink."
105:251,16@w   | "Ah!  Ah!  We will drink to the trap's long journey, and that he may hire
105:251,17@w   | us good quarters in the next world by the time we join him,"
105:251,17[A  ]| said Red*Tommy.
105:251,18[A  ]| 
105:251,19@w   | "Trap, how do you feel yourself?  Miss*Martin, how do you do at all at
105:251,20@w   | all?"
105:251,20[A  ]| asked Big*Mike, squirting some tobacco juice on to my face.
105:251,21@a   | "Hold your rascal tongue; if I was free of these cords, I would thrash the
105:251,22@a   | whole lot of ye!"
105:251,22[A  ]| I cried, bursting with suppressed fury, and managing to
105:251,23[A  ]| give Master*Mike a kick on the shins, that made him howl again.
105:251,24[A  ]| He glanced at me with the malignity of a wolf, and handled his revolver as
105:251,25[A  ]| though with the resolve to put an end to me there and then; but a moment's
105:251,26[A  ]| reflection made him alter his mind, and in a voice, hoarse as a raven's, he
105:251,27[A  ]| shouted to his mates ~~ who by this time had found the rope, and brought it
105:251,28[A  ]| into the room ~~
105:251,28@w   | "Reeve a noose there, pals, this fellow's neck is itching for
105:251,29@w   | his collar.  Here, Tommy ~~ a chair on the table ~~ now another on the top of
105:251,30@w   | that ~~ see you can reach the hook now.  That is right my hearty, make it
105:251,31@w   | secure; and now you other fellows, have you finished his hempen collar?
105:251,32@w   | Confound it, I forgot, he is to be hung by his heels.  Look alive, mates!"
105:251,33[A  ]| There was no need to tell them that; they did look alive, with a vengeance;
105:251,34[A  ]| in another minute my feet were secured to the rope, and the signal
105:251,35[A  ]| was given by Big*Mike to haul me up.
105:251,35@w   | "Pull with a will, my hearties!"
105:251,36[A  ]| shouted Mike, dancing and capering around the room in wild glee, and amid
105:251,37[A  ]| the threats and entreaties of the station-owner, the supplications of Gertrude*Martin,
105:251,38[A  ]| and the screams of the other women, I was hauled up into mid-air,
105:251,39[A  ]| and the next moment was swinging like a pendulum equidistant between
105:251,40[A  ]| floor and ceiling.
105:251,41@w   | "That is right, boys, let him swing; it will require a better shot to win the
105:251,42@w   | gal.  Now then, are your pistols loaded, boys?  Bags I first shot.  You Carrotty*Tom,
105:251,43@w   | stop by him to set him swinging fresh, just as we are ready to fire; and
105:251,44@w   | you, my jolly trap, say your prayers if you know any, for by jabers you are
105:251,45@w   | no better than a dead possum."
105:251,46[A  ]| How shall I describe the agonised feelings of that moment?  Pray, I could
105:251,47[A  ]| not; the horror of my position made me forget everything.  I was in a species
105:251,48[A  ]| of conscious trance; I felt a rough hand give me a push; I felt myself
105:251,49[A  ]| swinging rapidly to and fro, then I heard a wild scream followed by the report
105:251,50[A  ]| of a pistol, and a tingling as though a piece of red-hot wire were held
105:251,51[A  ]| against my ear.  Next I heard Big*Mike's rough voice ejaculate.
105:251,51@w   | "A miss, by
105:251,52@w   | George!  Harry, it is your turn now, and may bad luck wait on you."
105:251,53[A  ]| Again the sharp click of a pistol lock, another hearty shove from the hand
105:251,54[A  ]| of Red*Tommy, once more the sharp report of a revolver, but this time, to my
105:251,55[A  ]| surprise, followed by a howl like that of a wounded wolf.
105:251,56[A  ]| A strange hope fluttered within my breast.  I tried to turn my head round,
105:251,57[A  ]| could not manage it.  Bang!  bang! ~~ three more shots ~~ another howl ~~ a wild
105:251,58[A  ]| cheer, the crashing of glass and wood, and Big*Mike's hoarse voice shouting,
105:251,59@w   | "The traps, by G***!  Make yourselves scarce, mates.  The back door, for
105:251,60@w   | your lives."
105:251,61[A  ]| A moment later I was cut down by O'Neil, who laughingly exclaimed,
105:251,61@w   | "By
105:251,62@w   | Jove, Jack, it is clear you were never born to be drowned; it is lucky they
105:251,63@w   | preferred your heels to your neck, or you would have been a gone coon by this
105:251,64@w   | time, anyhow."
105:251,65@a   | "O'Neil, I owe my life to your prompt assistance; but give me a pistol
105:251,66@a   | quickly, I owe that villain Big*Mike a shot, and I would not that any*one
105:251,67@a   | else should kill him."
105:251,68[A  ]| Without waiting a reply, I plucked a weapon from O'Neil's belt, and was
105:251,69[A  ]| about to make for the back of the house, when two troopers entered the room,
105:251,70[A  ]| guarding a couple of the bushrangers, who were bound hand and leg.
105:251,71@a   | "Where are the rest?"
105:251,71[A  ]| I eagerly demanded.
105:251,72@x   | "The big fellow they call Mike has slipped it, but Mathews and Crawday
105:251,73@x   | are after him; and as their nags are better than his, they will come up with
105:251,74@x   | him, without doubt.  A fellow with red hair is shot dead in the court-yard,
105:251,75@x   | and there is another with a ball through his head lying in yon corner, just
105:251,76@x   | breathing his last."
105:251,77[A  ]| I glanced round and saw the fellow; I knew that it was Dargan, whose
105:251,78[A  ]| account on earth a bullet from O'Neil's revolver had settled, just as he was
105:251,79[A  ]| about to take his shot at me.  By his side knelt Gertrude*Martin, holding to
105:251,80[A  ]| his lips a glass of water.  At that sight of heavenly forgiveness and Christian
105:251,81[A  ]| charity my own heart thawed; the savage longing for Big*Mike's blood
105:251,82[A  ]| abated; I felt content to leave his pursuit to Crawday and Mathews, and returned
105:251,83[A  ]| to congratulate Mr% and Mrs%*Martin on the turn affairs had taken.
105:251,84[A  ]| The old gentleman shook my hand warmly, and the worthy matron told
105:251,85[A  ]| me that I should ever be a welcome visitor at Cambromatta.
105:251,86[A  ]| Meanwhile the others had removed the dead men from the house, and deposited
105:251,87[A  ]| them in an outhouse, for the station-hands to bury.
105:251,88[A  ]| We shortly afterwards took our leave.
105:251,89[A  ]| Miss*Martin was the last to whom I said farewell; and the parting was
105:251,01[A  ]| almost as though we had been very old friends; but, lest my readers may
105:251,02[A  ]| indulge themselves with the idea that something more came of it, and that a
105:251,03[A  ]| future tale will narrate the elopement of the aforesaid young lady with a penniless
105:251,04[A  ]| trooper, I will at once inform them that in three months after the adventure
105:251,05[A  ]| just narrated, Gertrude*Martin was married to a wealthy and middle
105:251,06[A  ]| aged squatter, whose runs joined those of her father at Cambromatta.
105:251,07[A  ]| Big*Mike escaped with whole bones, much to my chagrin.  The two captured
105:251,08[A  ]| rangers were sentenced to penal servitude for life.
106:076,00@@@@@| 
106:076,00['  ]| <BURIED ALIVE> 
106:076,00['  ]| <AN ADVENTURE AT FOREST*CREEK.> 
106:076,01[A  ]| One of the most general sources of dissatisfaction and murmuring 
106:076,02[A  ]| on the Victorian gold-fields, in the year 1852, was the 
106:076,03[A  ]| method by which the Government collected the gold revenue.  
106:076,04[A  ]| Following the example of the Legislative wiseacres at Sydney, 
106:076,05[A  ]| immediately upon the first discoveries of the precious metal 
106:076,06[A  ]| at Ballarat, regulations were issued requiring all miners to 
106:076,07[A  ]| procure a monthly licence to dig for gold, and to pay thirty 
106:076,08[A  ]| shillings for the same.  This regulation was all very well in 
106:076,09[A  ]| theory; the question was, how to render it available to practise.  
106:076,10[A  ]| It was plainly no easy matter to enforce this tax among a 
106:076,11[A  ]| migratory population, living in tents, scattered throughout a 
106:076,12[A  ]| wild and wide tract of country.  
106:076,13[A  ]| The mode adopted was to send out armed bands of police, 
106:076,14[A  ]| who, swooping down suddenly on gully or flat, spread themselves 
106:076,15[A  ]| over it and levied "black-mail", \7vi*et*armi\, by demanding 
106:076,16[A  ]| of every*one his licence.  These posses of police were 
106:076,17[A  ]| always supported by a few mounted troopers, to cut off such 
106:076,18[A  ]| worthies as might put faith in the alternative of putting in 
106:076,19[A  ]| leg*bail, and showing a clean pair of heels; for all who could 
106:076,20[A  ]| not produce their licence were captured, and marched off, frequently 
106:076,21[A  ]| many miles, to the nearest magistrate, where, after 
106:076,22[A  ]| more or less detention, they were either fined five pounds or 
106:076,23[A  ]| sentenced to a month's imprisonment.  It will readily be 
106:076,24[A  ]| conceived that such a system led to great discontent and 
106:076,25[A  ]| irritation, and I must say that such feelings were but natural; 
106:076,26[A  ]| and the general dissatisfaction was increased by the manner 
106:076,27[A  ]| of collecting the licence fee, for instead of the collector's 
106:077,01[A  ]| calling upon the tax-payer, the tax-payer had to hunt up the 
106:077,02[A  ]| collector.  The digger was compelled to walk from his own 
106:077,03[A  ]| gully to the commissioner's camp, which was frequently 
106:077,04[A  ]| several miles distant; after which he had often to wait hour 
106:077,05[A  ]| after hour under a broiling sun, while a crowd of others, 
106:077,06[A  ]| who had arrived before him, were paying their thirty shillings 
106:077,07[A  ]| or weighing out their ounce of gold.  
106:077,08[A  ]| I believe that greater facilities were subsequently offered 
106:077,09[A  ]| for the payment of this fee, though it must have been after I 
106:077,10[A  ]| quitted the force; anyhow, the mode of enforcing it continued 
106:077,11[A  ]| the same for a long period, and I have hundreds of times heard 
106:077,12[A  ]| the diggers complaining loudly and increasingly of such a harsh 
106:077,13[A  ]| and un-English measure.  
106:077,13@x   | "First you tax our labour," 
106:077,13[A  ]| said they, 
106:077,14@x   | "and then you collect your tax at the point of the bayonet." 
106:077,15[A  ]| The hatred to the system was universal, disputes were of 
106:077,16[A  ]| daily occurrence, and collisions between the police and the 
106:077,17[A  ]| diggers often took place, whereof spilt blood and cracked 
106:077,18[A  ]| pates were frequently the result.  
106:077,19[A  ]| At some of the gold-fields a curious plan was hit upon for 
106:077,20[A  ]| evading these inquisitorial visits.  Directly a party of police 
106:077,21[A  ]| was perceived in the distance, the diggers raised a cry of 
106:077,22@x   | "Joe!  Joe!" 
106:077,22[A  ]| The cry was taken up, and presently the 
106:077,23[A  ]| whole length of the gully rang with the shout, 
106:077,23@x   | "Joe!  Joe!  
106:077,24@x   | Joe!" 
106:077,24[A  ]| and of course, with more speed than dignity, the unlicensed 
106:077,25[A  ]| portion of the community made tracks for the bush.  
106:077,26[A  ]| Sometimes, however, the police were too quick for this 
106:077,27[A  ]| mano*euvre, or else a view of a stronger body than usual of 
106:077,28[A  ]| mounted troopers shook their reliance in their own pedal extremities; 
106:077,29[A  ]| and in this case, as a \9dernier*ressort\, those diggers 
106:077,30[A  ]| who had lost or never obtained a licence would descend their 
106:077,31[A  ]| shafts and holes, and if any of the force happened to pass 
106:077,32[A  ]| by and peer down into the depths profound, he would be 
106:077,33[A  ]| greeted with the polite invitation to 
106:077,33@x   | "walk down and make 
106:077,34@x   | himself at home;" 
106:077,34[A  ]| a kindness, however, which he took care 
106:077,35[A  ]| not to avail himself of, for the tone of the invite too much 
106:077,36[A  ]| resembled that "of the spider to the fly;" and had he done 
106:077,37[A  ]| so, the chances were a thousand to one that he would have 
106:077,38[A  ]| regretted his precipitancy, had he indeed escaped to regret 
106:077,39[A  ]| it at all.  
106:077,40[A  ]| But to commence my tale.  I have indulged my readers 
106:078,01[A  ]| with this long preamble in order that they may the better 
106:078,02[A  ]| understand the state of affairs at the Forest*Creek Gold-field, 
106:078,03[A  ]| at the period when, in company with two other 
106:078,04[A  ]| troopers, named Matthews and Crawday, I was ordered to 
106:078,05[A  ]| leave Mount*Koreneth Station, and attach myself to one bordering 
106:078,06[A  ]| on these gold-fields.  Matters were just about reaching 
106:078,07[A  ]| a crisis, a general riot was anticipated daily, and we were all 
106:078,08[A  ]| in the highest possible spirits at the prospects of scrimmage 
106:078,09[A  ]| and adventure that presented themselves.  
106:078,10[A  ]| As we rode along, the laugh and jest were freely bandied 
106:078,11[A  ]| round, and our very horses seemed to share our gaiety and 
106:078,12[A  ]| light-heartedness.  It was magnificent weather, the glorious sun 
106:078,13[A  ]| shone down from an unclouded sky of steel-grey hue, which, 
106:078,14[A  ]| in Australia, takes the place of the azure blue of Southern 
106:078,15[A  ]| Europe.  As we increased the distance between ourselves 
106:078,16[A  ]| and the little out-station we had that morning quitted, the 
106:078,17[A  ]| dense scrub gave way to the open bush, and for many hours 
106:078,18[A  ]| we rode through a tract of country perhaps unsurpassed in 
106:078,19[A  ]| loveliness by any portion of the inhabited globe.  The stately 
106:078,20[A  ]| gum trees (eucalypti) with their white trunks, the shea oak 
106:078,21[A  ]| with its gracefully drooping foliage, the golden perfumed 
106:078,22[A  ]| blossoms of the mimosa, with the richly wooded mountain 
106:078,23[A  ]| range in the background, united to form a picture too magnificent 
106:078,24[A  ]| to describe.  The ground was fairly carpeted with wild 
106:078,25[A  ]| flowers, the sarsaparilla blossoms creeping everywhere.  Along 
106:078,26[A  ]| our track sparkled the murmuring waters of a pretty streamlet, 
106:078,27[A  ]| reflecting as in a mirror the gorgeous tints which the last 
106:078,28[A  ]| rays of the setting sun at length flung over the surrounding 
106:078,29[A  ]| scene:  while the air rang with the cawing of the myriad 
106:078,30[A  ]| parrots and cockatoos, of every hue and colour, who made the 
106:078,31[A  ]| lone bush resound with their discordant notes, while their 
106:078,32[A  ]| restless movements and gay plumage gave life and piquancy 
106:078,33[A  ]| to the scene.  Occasionally too, the lonely plaintive cry of 
106:078,34[A  ]| the curlew would ring out on the perfumed air, answered by 
106:078,35[A  ]| the jocund "Ha!  ha!  ha!" of the laughing jackass; while 
106:078,36[A  ]| now and then, with a suppressed hiss and a rustle of the dry 
106:078,37[A  ]| grass and parting bushes, a snake would wriggle out of the 
106:078,38[A  ]| way of our horses' hoofs, and then, with vibrating head and 
106:078,39[A  ]| dull glistening eyes, glare at us as we passed.  In the distance 
106:078,40[A  ]| too, as night advanced, the long melancholy wolf-like howl 
106:079,01[A  ]| of the dingoe or native dog, and the sharp cry of the wild 
106:079,02[A  ]| cat and 'possum awakened the echoes of hill and gully.  
106:079,03[A  ]| At a distance of about forty-five miles from our destination 
106:079,04[A  ]| we came to a halt, and pitched our camp for the night.  Our 
106:079,05[A  ]| beds were made of the mimosa, which possesses a perfume like 
106:079,06[A  ]| the hawthorn.  The softest looking branches were selected, 
106:079,07[A  ]| cut down, and flung upon the ground, which, with our saddles 
106:079,08[A  ]| for pillows, formed beds that to our weary limbs appeared 
106:079,09[A  ]| soft and luxurious as one of feathers would do to the \9blase=\ 
106:079,10[A  ]| man about town.  
106:079,11[A  ]| Early the following morning we resumed our march, and 
106:079,12[A  ]| by noon reached our destination.  
106:079,13[A  ]| We found a dozen or so of the force already quartered at 
106:079,14[A  ]| the station, and at once obtained an interview with the superintendent, 
106:079,15[A  ]| who received us most courteously, and pointed out 
106:079,16[A  ]| the nature of the duties that we should have to perform.  We 
106:079,17[A  ]| had arrived just at the opportune moment to enjoy the anticipated 
106:079,18[A  ]| fun, for the very next day we were, in company with 
106:079,19[A  ]| a party of foot constables who were quartered not far from us, 
106:079,20[A  ]| to effect a regular raid on Forest*Creek, and "stick up" all 
106:079,21[A  ]| unlicensed diggers.  
106:079,22[A  ]| Not a single theme was started that night that did not 
106:079,23[A  ]| bear reference to the events of the morrow, and amid the 
106:079,24[A  ]| furbishing up of accountrements, the grinding of sabres, the 
106:079,25[A  ]| cleaning of firearms, &c%, many were the odds given and 
106:079,26[A  ]| taken as to whether the diggers would show fight ~~ whether 
106:079,27[A  ]| there would be a regular scrimmage, or only black looks and 
106:079,28[A  ]| muttered curses as formerly.  
106:079,29[A  ]| The next morning was a magnificent one, and by nine 
106:079,30[A  ]| o'clock we were mounted and \9en*route\ to the field of anticipated 
106:079,31[A  ]| battle, which was barely three miles distant.  On our 
106:079,32[A  ]| way we were joined by the company of foot police, twenty-five 
106:079,33[A  ]| in number, and we immediately divided into two parties, 
106:079,34[A  ]| in order to approach the gold-field from different directions.  
106:079,35[A  ]| A quarter of an hour later we were close to the scene of operations, 
106:079,36[A  ]| and a stirring one it presented.  The hundreds of tents 
106:079,37[A  ]| and shanties scattered over the valleys, the little stream winding 
106:079,38[A  ]| through its midst, and the groups of busy diggers scattered 
106:079,39[A  ]| around, was a pleasant sight to one who for so many months 
106:079,40[A  ]| had been rusticating at a lone out-station; and more particularly 
106:080,01[A  ]| to one who, like myself, had never seen the diggings 
106:080,02[A  ]| before.  
106:080,03[A  ]| We had not much time, however, for a quiet enjoyment of 
106:080,04[A  ]| the picture, for no sooner were our snow-white shakos perceived 
106:080,05[A  ]| in the distance, than pick, spade, and cradle were abandoned, 
106:080,06[A  ]| and the roar of voices ~~ to which the confusion of Babel must 
106:080,07[A  ]| have been a comparative silence, for every*one seemed talking 
106:080,08[A  ]| at once ~~ arose from the flat below.  
106:080,09[A  ]| This excitement increased, if such a thing were possible, 
106:080,10[A  ]| when the crowd saw our other party advancing from an opposite 
106:080,11[A  ]| direction.  Cries of 
106:080,11@x   | "Joey!  Joey!  Joey!" 
106:080,11[A  ]| echoed from 
106:080,12[A  ]| all sides, followed by curses, shouts, and ribaldry.  Stump 
106:080,13[A  ]| orators sprang on inverted beer-barrels, and with waving 
106:080,14[A  ]| arms and stentorian lungs harangued their mates.  To increase 
106:080,15[A  ]| the confusion dogs howled, women screamed, and 
106:080,16[A  ]| babies squalled in unison.  
106:080,17[A  ]| All this time we advanced upon the crowd slowly but 
106:080,18[A  ]| steadily, for we were not allowed to outstrip the foot constables, 
106:080,19[A  ]| and as we drew nearer I could hear one herculean 
106:080,20[A  ]| fellow, who surmounted a barrel of colossal dimensions, 
106:080,21[A  ]| shouting, 
106:080,21@c   | "Yes, mates, that is what I say ~~ I am for fighting, I 
106:080,22@c   | am.  Send the darned traps back with a tight good lacing.  
106:080,23@c   | Ah!  do better than that ~~ dowse them in the creek; pitch them 
106:080,24@c   | into the holes and cover them up; kick them, cuff them, warm 
106:080,25@c   | the ears of them!  never say die.  Never cry funky, my hearties!" 
106:080,26[A  ]| And at each pause the speaker would wipe the perspiration 
106:080,27[A  ]| from his face with the sleeve of his shirt, while he 
106:080,28[A  ]| waved his other arm in the air like the sail of a windmill.  
106:080,29@x   | "True, true ~~ listen to Jemmy*Small!" 
106:080,29[A  ]| cried some; 
106:080,29@x   | "hurrah 
106:080,30@x   | for Jim the smith!" 
106:080,30[A  ]| hallooed others; but one wiry old 
106:080,31[A  ]| fellow, edging himself out of the crowd, exclaimed, with a 
106:080,32[A  ]| chuckle, 
106:080,32@w   | "Ay, Jim is the mon to talk sinse, but for all that, 
106:080,33@w   | thim as has got a licence will be great fewls to put their fet 
106:080,34@w   | in a scrape for them as has not." 
106:080,35[A  ]| Many seemed to be of this worthy's way of thinking, for 
106:080,36[A  ]| as we drew nearer some twenty or more detached themselves 
106:080,37[A  ]| from the mob and walked quietly away.  
106:080,38@b   | "Halt!" 
106:080,38[A  ]| cried the superintendent, when we had got to 
106:080,39[A  ]| within about a dozen paces of the crowd; and riding fearlessly 
106:080,40[A  ]| forward he said, in his hearty, good-tempered way, 
106:080,40@b   | "Now, 
106:081,01@b   | then, my boys, we have come to have a glance at your licences, 
106:081,02@b   | so you may as well fork them out with a good will.  You 
106:081,03@b   | know we are only doing an unpleasant duty that we can not 
106:081,04@b   | shirk, so you will not blame us; and I do not think any of you 
106:081,05@b   | will be so foolish as to oppose the Government." 
106:081,06[A  ]| There arose a few cheers in answer to this, but just as 
106:081,07[A  ]| many hisses on the opposition side; and Jim, the smith, to 
106:081,08[A  ]| restore his somewhat waning popularity, shouted, 
106:081,08@c   | "All right, 
106:081,09@c   | captain, here is my licence;" 
106:081,09[A  ]| and pulling a rotten egg from his 
106:081,10[A  ]| pocket, he shied it with so correct an aim that it smashed to 
106:081,11[A  ]| atoms upon the superintendent's nasal extremity, which for 
106:081,12[A  ]| the moment seemed as though it had just emerged from a pot 
106:081,13[A  ]| of honey.  
106:081,14[A  ]| This was too much for the superintendent; the hot Celtic 
106:081,15[A  ]| blood was up in a minute, and drawing his sword and giving 
106:081,16[A  ]| his horse the spur, he dashed at his assailant on the barrel, 
106:081,17[A  ]| the crowd making way for his powerful charger with a wonderful 
106:081,18[A  ]| degree of politeness.  
106:081,19[A  ]| The stump orator howled with terror, and tried to escape.  
106:081,20[A  ]| In vain were his efforts, ~~ before he could leap from the 
106:081,21[A  ]| barrel amongst the crowd, the flat of the "captain's" sword 
106:081,22[A  ]| descended with such force upon the bent back of Jim the 
106:081,23[A  ]| smith, that the head of the barrel gave way under him, and 
106:081,24[A  ]| with a yell of mingled pain and fear he disappeared from 
106:081,25[A  ]| view.  
106:081,26[A  ]| This incident was sufficient to restore the good temper of 
106:081,27[A  ]| the multitude, or at all events of the licensed portion.  
106:081,28@x   | "Serve him right!" 
106:081,28@x   | "Well done, Joey!" 
106:081,28[A  ]| were the cries 
106:081,29[A  ]| which now arose; and the riffraffs amongst the crowd who 
106:081,30[A  ]| did not possess miner's rights, seeing they would not be supported 
106:081,31[A  ]| by the more respectable portion of the community, 
106:081,32[A  ]| prepared to make themselves scarce, and a general rush to 
106:081,33[A  ]| the holes ensued.  
106:081,34@b   | "After them, boys; if they once get to their holes, you 
106:081,35@b   | will not unearth them in a hurry," 
106:081,35[A  ]| shouted the superintendent; 
106:081,36[A  ]| and putting spurs to our horses, away we went helter-skelter 
106:081,37[A  ]| in pursuit.  
106:081,38[A  ]| The reader may fancy we had pretty easy work to overtake 
106:081,39[A  ]| these fellows, but this was anything but the case.  There 
106:081,40[A  ]| were so many mounds of earth, so many deep and dangerous 
106:082,01[A  ]| shafts in every direction, some almost concealed from view 
106:082,02[A  ]| by brushwood or dwarf scrub, that our pursuit was one of 
106:082,03[A  ]| the most difficult operations imaginable.  The fellows would 
106:082,04[A  ]| take advantage of this, and double around these holes in a 
106:082,05[A  ]| most annoying manner, leaping forth and back over them, 
106:082,06[A  ]| while they chuckled at the idea of one of us going in headlong 
106:082,07[A  ]| ~~ a mishap which might have been anything but pleasant, 
106:082,08[A  ]| as some of these holes were from a hundred to a hundred 
106:082,09[A  ]| and fifty feet deep, though the majority of them varied probably 
106:082,10[A  ]| from ten to forty feet in depth.  
106:082,11[A  ]| An accident of this kind actually did happen; for as I 
106:082,12[A  ]| was following a long-legged fellow, whose puffing and blowing 
106:082,13[A  ]| showed me that his wind was failing him, I saw another 
106:082,14[A  ]| rascal coming down a slope of the hill-side as hard as he could 
106:082,15[A  ]| tear, and Matthews on his bony roan charger peppering after 
106:082,16[A  ]| him at a gallop, whirling his sword around his head, and 
106:082,17[A  ]| laughing at the excitement of the chase to such a degree that 
106:082,18[A  ]| the tears rolled down his cheeks.  The pursued was a Chinese, 
106:082,19[A  ]| and the ludicrous expression of terror written upon his countenance, 
106:082,20[A  ]| his long pigtail, which waved at his stern like 
106:082,21[A  ]| the broad pennant of an admiral's three-decker, and the 
106:082,22[A  ]| shuffling, extraordinary run which his clumsy shoes rendered 
106:082,23[A  ]| compulsory, made me join in Matthews' merriment.  My 
106:082,24[A  ]| mirth, however, was of short duration, for as the Chinaman 
106:082,25[A  ]| reached the bottom of the slope, he made a momentary pause, 
106:082,26[A  ]| bent down, and then gave a clear spring over what I took to 
106:082,27[A  ]| be a bush.  On thundered Matthews in his rear; he, too, 
106:082,28[A  ]| reached the furze bush, when his horse stopped suddenly in 
106:082,29[A  ]| the midst of its gallop, by throwing himself back on his 
106:082,30[A  ]| haunches, and sticking his fore-feet in the ground, while the 
106:082,31[A  ]| rider went flying over his head.  I should not have been 
106:082,32[A  ]| frightened at this, had not a sharp cry escaped from Matthews' 
106:082,33[A  ]| lips, followed by the hollow splash of water; so I spurred to 
106:082,34[A  ]| the spot, and there a picture worthy of the pencil of Leech 
106:082,35[A  ]| or Doyle met my view.  
106:082,36[A  ]| From the centre of a deserted hole, full of muddy water 
106:082,37[A  ]| to the brim, emerged the boots and ankles of the unlucky 
106:082,38[A  ]| trooper, at which only visible portion of his master the raw-boned 
106:082,39[A  ]| charger ~~ still in the same attitude, which closely 
106:082,40[A  ]| resembled that of an eager terrier watching a rat hole ~~ was 
106:083,01[A  ]| intently gazing; and at about five yards distance on the other 
106:083,02[A  ]| side of the hole crouched the Chinaman, sitting on his heels, 
106:083,03[A  ]| his mouth expanded into a wide grin, while waving the 
106:083,04[A  ]| licence above his head, he hallooed, in disjointed sentences, 
106:083,05@w   | "You no savvy; you no wise man, Masser*Joey, to run down 
106:083,06@w   | man what got licence.  John got licence.  John all right; 
106:083,07@w   | but him hab bit joke wid Joey.  How you like water?  
106:083,08@w   | Hou you feel himself?  No catch Johnny, Masser*Joe; him 
106:083,09@w   | heartful ~~ too sharp!" 
106:083,09[A  ]| and then the fat Celestial would roll 
106:083,10[A  ]| himself from side to side in the excess of his mirth.  
106:083,11[A  ]| Enjoy this scene as I certainly did, I saw that there was 
106:083,12[A  ]| no time to lose.  Matthews had evidently been pitched into 
106:083,13[A  ]| a shallow hole of some five feet in depth, but his head was 
106:083,14[A  ]| stuck in the mud at the bottom, and unless quickly extricated, 
106:083,15[A  ]| he would be suffocated.  So, taking off my belt, I succeeded 
106:083,16[A  ]| in throwing it around my mate's feet, and with some 
106:083,17[A  ]| difficulty dragged him to the bank.  
106:083,18[A  ]| What a spectacle he presented!  daubed with a half-mask 
106:083,19[A  ]| of sticky yellow clay as far as the nostrils, his shako gone, 
106:083,20[A  ]| the sleeves and collar of his jacket forming separate little 
106:083,21[A  ]| channels for the draining off of the water, and his smart 
106:083,22[A  ]| uniform soiled and saturated.  I am sure that directly I saw 
106:083,23[A  ]| he was alive, striving to force open his solitary eye (he had 
106:083,24[A  ]| but one), which the clay plastering rendered a difficult feat 
106:083,25[A  ]| to accomplish, and to cough up the quantum of muddy water 
106:083,26[A  ]| he had involuntarily swallowed through incautiously entering 
106:083,27[A  ]| his bath with his mouth open, I thought I should have 
106:083,28[A  ]| expired with suppressed laughter.  
106:083,29[A  ]| In less than five minutes my mate was himself again, or 
106:083,30[A  ]| at least strong enough to remount his horse and ride to the 
106:083,31[A  ]| rear.  When I mounted my own steed, the fellow I had 
106:083,32[A  ]| been pursuing prior to Matthews' mishap was, to use a 
106:083,33[A  ]| sporting expression, "nowhere." Without doubt, he had 
106:083,34[A  ]| got to his hole, and knew too well that no efforts would be 
106:083,35[A  ]| made to dislodge him.  
106:083,36[A  ]| I took a hasty glance over the field of action.  My immediate 
106:083,37[A  ]| neighbourhood was well-nigh deserted.  In my rear, 
106:083,38[A  ]| the ground over which we had advanced, the miners were, 
106:083,39[A  ]| many of them, setting to work again; the rest, in company 
106:083,40[A  ]| with the women and children, were gazing towards the 
106:084,01[A  ]| opposite side of the flat, where the other party of police had 
106:084,02[A  ]| not succeeded in making so pacific a progress as we had done.  
106:084,03[A  ]| I could see that a pretty shindy was being kicked up there.  
106:084,04[A  ]| Stones and sticks were flying through the air, while the 
106:084,05[A  ]| shouts and imprecations of the combatants were clearly 
106:084,06[A  ]| audible.  
106:084,07[A  ]| About halfway between where I stood and this swaying, 
106:084,08[A  ]| struggling mob, were visible the superintendent and his little 
106:084,09[A  ]| body of horse and foot, hurrying on to the relief of their 
106:084,10[A  ]| comrades, while a little way in their rear walked six prisoners 
106:084,11[A  ]| in irons, guarded by two troopers.  These were all the 
106:084,12[A  ]| unlicensed diggers that had yet been captured, for upwards 
106:084,13[A  ]| of a hundred had baffled pursuit, and were at this moment 
106:084,14[A  ]| at the bottom of their holes, no doubt laughing over their 
106:084,15[A  ]| escape.  As I could not do any more where I was, I now 
106:084,16[A  ]| made the best of my way after my mates, whom I soon succeeded 
106:084,17[A  ]| in overtaking.  
106:084,18[A  ]| I explained to the superintendent the particulars of 
106:084,19[A  ]| Matthews' mishap, and then fell into rank, and the advance 
106:084,20[A  ]| continued.  We could see that our comrades were in difficulties.  
106:084,21[A  ]| The staves of the foot constables were playing pretty 
106:084,22[A  ]| freely on the heads of the mob, and the flats of the troopers' 
106:084,23[A  ]| sabres and the shoulders of their horses were doing still 
106:084,24[A  ]| more; but the little party was nearly surrounded, and half 
106:084,25[A  ]| a dozen of them had already been knocked down and trodden 
106:084,26[A  ]| under foot before the mob noticed our approach.  
106:084,27[A  ]| I guess, though we were only twenty strong (twelve on foot 
106:084,28[A  ]| and eight mounted), they did not like the look of us.  
106:084,29@b   | "Come, lads, you have had fun enough; for your own sakes 
106:084,30@b   | you will now disperse quietly," 
106:084,30[A  ]| shouted the superintendent, in 
106:084,31[A  ]| a voice of thunder to the crowd, more than half of whom had 
106:084,32[A  ]| turned to face us, and had already opened fire with a volley 
106:084,33[A  ]| of stones and sticks.  
106:084,34@b   | "If you do not stop that, you rascals, we will make you," 
106:084,34[A  ]| cried 
106:084,35[A  ]| the superintendent, soon rapidly losing his temper.  
106:084,35@b   | "I will 
106:084,36@b   | give you one minute for all honest men to disperse." 
106:084,37[A  ]| Derisive laughs and jeers, shouts of 
106:084,37@x   | "Come on!  come on 
106:084,38@x   | if you dare," 
106:084,38[A  ]| was the retort of the mob; while one long slim 
106:084,39[A  ]| Yankee fellow cried, 
106:084,39@d   | "Use your knives, mates, if they do; I 
106:084,40@d   | calculate they want bloodletting, anyhow." 
106:085,01@b   | "Troopers, draw sabres, prepare to charge!  Constables 
106:085,02@b   | follow as best you can; and do not be afraid of hitting too 
106:085,03@b   | hard.  Now then.  Forward."  
106:085,03[A  ]| And the old superintendent's 
106:085,04[A  ]| cheeks flushed, and eyes flashed, as he uttered the words of 
106:085,05[A  ]| command, for he thought of his \last\ charge ~~ when, as Captain 
106:085,06[A  ]| of the 17th*Lancers, he had led his little band of troops 
106:085,07[A  ]| against the overwhelming forces of the Rajah*of*Bouradar, in  
106:085,08[A  ]| the old Sikh war, and forced them to fly in confusion from 
106:085,09[A  ]| the field.  The present skirmish was as child's play to him, 
106:085,10[A  ]| but I am afraid that some of us regarded it differently.  I 
106:085,11[A  ]| know that as far as I was concerned, I would just as soon 
106:085,12[A  ]| have been a hundred miles away, and perhaps sooner.  
106:085,13[A  ]| However, at it we went, and in a compact little wedge 
106:085,14[A  ]| divided the mob in our course, as the sharp prow of a yacht 
106:085,15[A  ]| would divide a heaving sea.  With the flats of our swords 
106:085,16[A  ]| we knocked the diggers down.  The foot constables rushed 
106:085,17[A  ]| into the gap we had made in the enemies' ranks before it 
106:085,18[A  ]| could close again, and with their staves seconded us right well.  
106:085,19[A  ]| Suffice it to say that we fought our way right through the 
106:085,20[A  ]| crowd, and joined our mates, in junction with whom we again 
106:085,21[A  ]| charged through the mob with the same success, and by that 
106:085,22[A  ]| time the rioters had had enough, and scampered away in 
106:085,23[A  ]| every direction, leaving some forty or fifty of their number 
106:085,24[A  ]| on the ground, too badly hurt to follow their example; while 
106:085,25[A  ]| four of our troopers and five constables were in a similar predicament.  
106:085,26[A  ]| 
106:085,27[A  ]| Not a life was sacrificed on either side.  
106:085,28[A  ]| I had come off almost untouched from the struggle, though 
106:085,29[A  ]| once my life had been in some peril.  The tall Yankee who 
106:085,30[A  ]| had so warmly recommeded the knife had not hesitated to 
106:085,31[A  ]| put his suggestions into practice.  I had just knocked down 
106:085,32[A  ]| one fellow, and stooped to avoid a stone, when a long bowie 
106:085,33[A  ]| knife gleamed before my eyes, and the next moment would 
106:085,34[A  ]| doubtless have been my last, had I not seized the arm of the 
106:085,35[A  ]| rascal that wielded it, and so arrested the stroke, while I returned 
106:085,36[A  ]| the compliment by a heavy blow in the mouth, with 
106:085,37[A  ]| the butt end of my revolver, that sent half a dozen teeth 
106:085,38[A  ]| down his throat, and effectually cooled his courage.  
106:085,39[A  ]| As soon as the skirmish was over our wounded men were 
106:085,40[A  ]| collected together, with as many of the captured rioters as 
106:086,01[A  ]| were capable of moving, and the latter having been handcuffed, 
106:086,02[A  ]| we returned to the station.  
106:086,03[A  ]| We had scarcely done dinner when Matthews (who was 
106:086,04[A  ]| now all right again), Crawday, and myself were summoned 
106:086,05[A  ]| before the superintendent who wished to know if we would 
106:086,06[A  ]| volunteer to return to the gold-field in the character of diggers, 
106:086,07[A  ]| and stay there for a week or so, for the purpose of discovering 
106:086,08[A  ]| a few of the unlicensed workers, their names, and 
106:086,09[A  ]| the locality of the claims, &c.  
106:086,10[A  ]| We readily accepted the service; and that same night, in 
106:086,11[A  ]| most artistic make-up, and from a different direction from that 
106:086,12[A  ]| of the station, we again reached Forest*Creek.  We had a 
106:086,13[A  ]| tent with us, which we fixed, made a fire, boiled our billy, 
106:086,14[A  ]| had tea, and then separately lounged through the camp, and 
106:086,15[A  ]| visited various gang shanties to pick up information.  
106:086,16[A  ]| Throughout that evening neither of us was recognised, 
106:086,17[A  ]| which gave us confidence, and for more than a week we 
106:086,18[A  ]| played our game with more than tolerable success.  One 
106:086,19[A  ]| night ~~ it was a Saturday night, I remember, for I had been 
106:086,20[A  ]| buying some groceries at M'Kenzie's store ~~ I dropped into 
106:086,21[A  ]| "The*Golden*Age" shanty, with the double object of imbibing 
106:086,22[A  ]| a nobbler and increasing my stock of information.  A 
106:086,23[A  ]| good many people were there, and amongst them some of the 
106:086,24[A  ]| greatest roughs on the Flat, and I found it an easy matter to 
106:086,25[A  ]| join in the conversation, and at length to turn it upon the 
106:086,26[A  ]| topic of the recent police raid.  It was an hour at which 
106:086,27[A  ]| most of the diggers were half-seas-over, and consequently 
106:086,28[A  ]| communicative.  Many of those who had eluded us on that 
106:086,29[A  ]| occasion were not slow to brag of it, and thus I obtained 
106:086,30[A  ]| more valuable information on that one night than I had done 
106:086,31[A  ]| for the whole preceding week.  
106:086,32[A  ]| It was verging on eleven o'clock when I quitted the shanty, 
106:086,33[A  ]| and steered my course in the direction of our tent.  It was a 
106:086,34[A  ]| stormy night, and there was no moon, so that I had to walk 
106:086,35[A  ]| warily on account of the holes so thickly covering the ground.  
106:086,36[A  ]| I had, however, accomplished about half the distance in 
106:086,37[A  ]| safety, when I was roughly gripped from behind, and thus 
106:086,38[A  ]| brought to a halt.  The next moment three or four burly 
106:086,39[A  ]| fellows surrounded me, and one of them striking a match 
106:086,40[A  ]| held it close to my face.  
106:087,01@e   | "By George!  the very man, mates; the cat-faced snivelling 
106:087,02@e   | spy himself;" 
106:087,02[A  ]| and with a curse the speaker let drop the match 
106:087,03[A  ]| and trod it under his boot.  
106:087,04[A  ]| During the momentary glimmer of the lucifer I had recognised 
106:087,05[A  ]| him as one of the unlicensed diggers, whom we had 
106:087,06[A  ]| captured and marched to the station the preceding week.  I 
106:087,07[A  ]| had ridden by his side the whole way, and doubtless the 
106:087,08[A  ]| fellow had escaped from custody, returned to his hole, 
106:087,09[A  ]| recognised me in some shanty and waylaid me for no good 
106:087,10[A  ]| purpose.  
106:087,11@w   | "What shall we do with the rascally trap?" 
106:087,11[A  ]| cried another.  
106:087,12@d   | "Wall, I calculate we will lynch him," 
106:087,12[A  ]| echoed a voice whose 
106:087,13[A  ]| nasal twang I thought I remembered.  
106:087,14@e   | "No, no, take him down my hole; it is a duffer, and I leave 
106:087,15@e   | it to-morrow; we can cover him in, and there he will rest quiet 
106:087,16@e   | enough until the crack of doom," 
106:087,16[A  ]| suggested the first speaker.  
106:087,17@w   | "Good!  good!  a new way of salting a claim," 
106:087,17[A  ]| laughed 
106:087,18[A  ]| another ruffian, and the motion was carried without a dissenting 
106:087,19[A  ]| voice.  
106:087,20[A  ]| The manner of my death decided on, no time was lost in 
106:087,21[A  ]| putting it into execution.  I was gagged, and borne along a 
106:087,22[A  ]| quarter of a mile or so at a run; for although we were in the 
106:087,23[A  ]| least frequented and most lonely part of the Flat, an honest 
106:087,24[A  ]| digger might perchance have seen us, and then their amiable 
106:087,25[A  ]| intentions would most probably have been foiled.  No such 
106:087,26[A  ]| luck, however, awaited me, and we were soon at the mouth of 
106:087,27[A  ]| my selected sepulchre.  
106:087,28[A  ]| It was a pit of about fifty feet in depth, or a least so I 
106:087,29[A  ]| conjectured, from the time they took to lower me, and the 
106:087,30[A  ]| number of revolutions made by the windlass, which I 
106:087,31[A  ]| counted.  At length I rested on the damp clay at the bottom 
106:087,32[A  ]| of the shaft, the rope was drawn up, and then my persecutors 
106:087,33[A  ]| descended in turn, and I was hurried along a drive 
106:087,34[A  ]| for some distance, when we came to a halt, and a candle was 
106:087,35[A  ]| produced and lighted.  My eyes were then unbandaged, and 
106:087,36[A  ]| the gag taken from my mouth.  
106:087,37[A  ]| I could now see my enemies.  They were four in all.  Besides 
106:087,38[A  ]| the fellow who had escaped from the station, I recognised 
106:087,39[A  ]| the Yankee who had tried to stab me in the skirmish, 
106:087,40[A  ]| and could I believe my eyes?  ~~ in one of the other ruffians I 
106:088,01[A  ]| recognised a fellow who had been in the force, and discharged 
106:088,02[A  ]| for cowardice and theft; the latter crime he had at the time 
106:088,03[A  ]| tried to slip on to my shoulders, and I had consequently 
106:088,04[A  ]| cherished no kindly feeling towards him.  
106:088,05[A  ]| The recognition was mutual on both sides, and Finch 
106:088,06[A  ]| growled with a sneer, 
106:088,06@f   | "The last time we parted you did not 
106:088,07@f   | fancy we should meet again so soon, mate." 
106:088,08@a   | "Dog!  thief!  sneaking coward!" 
106:088,08[A  ]| I retorted.  
106:088,08@a   | "Would 
106:088,09@a   | that I had the power to give you what you deserve!"  
106:088,09[A  ]| Then, 
106:088,10[A  ]| as an idea struck me, I turned to the other rascals, saying, 
106:088,11@a   | "This fellow is a trap as well as myself; he was turned out 
106:088,12@a   | of the force for cowardice, and for a theft that he tried to 
106:088,13@a   | slip off on me:  just as a favour allow me to put it out of 
106:088,14@a   | his power to gloat over my fate." 
106:088,15[A  ]| This request seemed to tickle the palate of the sallow 
106:088,16[A  ]| Yankee.  
106:088,16@d   | "What say you, mates?  He has fairly drawed the 
106:088,17@d   | coon to my notion.  Why should not we have a little more 
106:088,18@d   | lark over the matter?  A pistol-shot would not be heard down 
106:088,19@d   | here.  Knock down and draw out, I say, and let us see who is 
106:088,20@d   | the cock that crows craven the first." 
106:088,21@f   | "I do not want to fight him, mates; in fact, I will not fight 
106:088,22@f   | him," 
106:088,22[A  ]| said Finch, turning as pale as death.  
106:088,23[A  ]| This refusal, however, on his part, caused the others to 
106:088,24[A  ]| declare that he should.  
106:088,24@w   | "You were the cove what betrayed 
106:088,25@w   | the trap, and by G***, now we have discovered that you were a 
106:088,26@w   | trap yourself, he shall have his revenge," 
106:088,26[A  ]| said one.  
106:088,27@d   | "Stand up, sirree, and take your pick of ways to settle it.  
106:088,28@d   | You have got your choice of weapons; knives or pistols, just 
106:088,29@d   | decide." 
106:088,30@f   | "Mr%*Badgery, I shall not fight him.  I decline his challenge," 
106:088,31[A  ]| whined the coward, in a supplicating voice.  
106:088,32@d   | "But you shall fight him, you pitiful, eternal sneak, ~~ you 
106:088,33@d   | stinking, psalm-singing varmint of a British-whelped bone-setter; 
106:088,34@d   | and as you will not choose your weapon, I will for you.  
106:088,35@d   | There is my revolver, with a single charge in it, ~~ enough for 
106:088,36@d   | you, I reckon.  Who will lend the other trap a barker?  Mind 
106:088,37@d   | there is only one barrel charged, or he may try to shoot us all 
106:088,38@d   | and escape." 
106:088,39[A  ]| To me there was something very strange and gloomy in all 
106:088,40[A  ]| these preparations.  Whether I shot Finch, or he shot me, 
106:089,01[A  ]| my fate was equally sealed ~~ I should never see the light of 
106:089,02[A  ]| day more.  I knew the hole we were in had been worked 
106:089,03[A  ]| out, and that the dark tragedy about to be performed would 
106:089,04[A  ]| be for*ever hid by the pits being filled up and abandoned.  
106:089,05[A  ]| My feelings may be imagined as I stood in this long, narrow 
106:089,06[A  ]| drive, surrounded by reckless diggers, jeering and uttering 
106:089,07[A  ]| unfeeling comments upon what was passing.  
106:089,08[A  ]| Finch stood twelve paces distant in his red flannel jumper 
106:089,09[A  ]| and moleskin pants, holding the long revolver the Yankee 
106:089,10[A  ]| had handed him down by his side.  A like weapon was now 
106:089,11[A  ]| given to me, five charges having been first drawn.  
106:089,12[A  ]| The Yankee said he would give the signal by clapping his 
106:089,13[A  ]| hands, bidding me at the same time, with a knowing wink, 
106:089,14@d   | "to shoot my best, and not think about giving trouble, as it 
106:089,15@d   | would be just as convenient to fill the earth in upon two of 
106:089,16@d   | us as one." 
106:089,17[A  ]| We were now allowed five minutes to prepare, and during 
106:089,18[A  ]| that time I noticed the drive where Finch stood was broader 
106:089,19[A  ]| than where I had been posted, and that the shadow was 
106:089,20[A  ]| greater where he was.  This gave him a great advantage 
106:089,21[A  ]| over me, but I did not fancy it was worth troubling about.  
106:089,22[A  ]| As long as I hit him, I did not care whether he hit me or 
106:089,23[A  ]| not; in fact, I would have preferred his shooting me through 
106:089,24[A  ]| the head at once, to the lingering misery of being buried 
106:089,25[A  ]| alive in such a spot, and suffering a lingering death from 
106:089,26[A  ]| starvation or the want of pure air.  
106:089,27@d   | "Are you ready now?" 
106:089,27[A  ]| growled the Yankee at length.  
106:089,28[A  ]| Finch groaned a response:  the sound came hollowly out of 
106:089,29[A  ]| the gloom.  
106:089,30[A  ]| The umpire turned to me and repeated the question.  
106:089,31@a   | "Quite ready," 
106:089,31[A  ]| I replied; 
106:089,31@a   | "give the signal when you 
106:089,32@a   | like." 
106:089,33[A  ]| It was a moment of terrible excitement.  It was strange 
106:089,34[A  ]| yet awful to hear the measured 
106:089,34@d   | "One ~~ two ~~ " 
106:089,34[A  ]| of the 
106:089,35[A  ]| Yankee echoing out of the darkness.  When he called 
106:089,36@d   | "three" 
106:089,36[A  ]| we were to fire.  
106:089,37[A  ]| I felt no fear, but a wild throbbing of delirium was in my 
106:089,38[A  ]| brain, ~~ a sensation as though I was an atom in the universe, 
106:089,39[A  ]| swept onwards by an unknown but irresistible power through 
106:089,40[A  ]| space, while hundreds of fiery stars flashed before my eyes, 
106:090,01[A  ]| and strange inhuman cries sounded in my ears.  My sight 
106:090,02[A  ]| grew filmy.  I strove to pierce the gathering darkness, but I 
106:090,03[A  ]| could see nothing distinctly.  
106:090,04@d   | "Three!" 
106:090,04[A  ]| said the umpire, and clapped his hands.  
106:090,05[A  ]| "Crack!  crack!" went the pistols simultaneously, the 
106:090,06[A  ]| lurid flashes illuminating the living tomb with a glow of 
106:090,07[A  ]| crimson, but only for a moment I saw Finch's pale, ghost-like 
106:090,08[A  ]| countenance, his eyes glaring out of his head, a thin 
106:090,09[A  ]| stream of blood trickling down from a hole in the right 
106:090,10[A  ]| temple, then I heard him fall with a dull "thud" on the 
106:090,11[A  ]| damp, cold earth, but the darkness of eternal night was 
106:090,12[A  ]| around, for the concussion of air caused by the explosion of 
106:090,13[A  ]| our pistols had extinguished the candle.  
106:090,14@d   | "Darn it, is it over?  Speak, somebody!" 
106:090,14[A  ]| hallooed the 
106:090,15[A  ]| Yankee.  
106:090,16[A  ]| There was no reply.  
106:090,17@d   | "Answer me, some*one:  and whoever has a match jist 
106:090,18@d   | strike a light," 
106:090,18[A  ]| said the umpire again.  
106:090,19@w   | "Dang it, I have been searching every pocket for a match 
106:090,20@w   | and can not find one," 
106:090,20[A  ]| said somebody.  
106:090,21@w   | "I have not a match," 
106:090,21[A  ]| growled a third voice.  
106:090,22@w   | "By George, mates, we must make our way out then in 
106:090,23@w   | the dark."  
106:090,24@d   | "That we must," 
106:090,24[A  ]| retorted the Yankee.  
106:090,24@d   | "I calkerlate 
106:090,25@d   | both they traps is dead as 'possums, for I do not hear a 
106:090,26@d   | squeak, so let us get above ground, and begin to fill in the 
106:090,27@d   | hole.  It must be nigh morning already." 
106:090,28[A  ]| Oh, what moments of agony were those to me!  A burning, 
106:090,29[A  ]| throbbing pain in my right side told me that I was 
106:090,30[A  ]| wounded, and upon placing my hand on the spot I felt that 
106:090,31[A  ]| my jumper was saturated with moisture, ~~ blood, no doubt.  
106:090,32[A  ]| I fancied that I had not many minutes to live, yet the intense 
106:090,33[A  ]| horror I felt at the bare idea of being left there ~~  
106:090,34[A  ]| there, in that terrible grave, to die alone and untended, ~~ 
106:090,35[A  ]| there, close to the body of the man I had just shot ~~ I can not 
106:090,36[A  ]| describe.  I was about to halloo to the retiring diggers, ~~ 
106:090,37[A  ]| to beg, to entreat them to spare me, when my intention was 
106:090,38[A  ]| arrested by a low rumbling sound, such as I had never heard 
106:090,39[A  ]| before.  A moment later the earth trembled around me ~~ the 
106:090,40[A  ]| air seemed to vibrate ~~ the rumbling noise increased ~~ a loud 
106:091,01[A  ]| snap!  snap!  rang through the mine, and in accents of horror 
106:091,02[A  ]| and alarm I heard the Yankee shout, 
106:091,02@d   | "To the shaft!  to 
106:091,03@d   | the shaft for your lives!  The props are giving way!  The 
106:091,04@d   | workings are falling in!" 
106:091,05[A  ]| It was, indeed, true; the vibration of the double discharge 
106:091,06[A  ]| had effected more than the putting out of a candle ~~ it had 
106:091,07[A  ]| loosened the ground above.  The wooden props placed here 
106:091,08[A  ]| and there along the drive had proved unequal to support 
106:091,09[A  ]| the additional weight required of them; and before the 
106:091,10[A  ]| Yankee and his mates could reach the mouth of the shaft, 
106:091,11[A  ]| tons upon tons of earth, with a crash like thunder, rushed 
106:091,12[A  ]| down upon them, burying them for*ever beneath its weight.  
106:091,13[A  ]| I could hear their cries and shrieks ring awfully through 
106:091,14[A  ]| the mine, but in a second almost they were stilled for*ever 
106:091,15[A  ]| in the silence of death.  
106:091,16[A  ]| Thus did the punishment of the would-be murderers overtake 
106:091,17[A  ]| them.  They perished by the very death to which they 
106:091,18[A  ]| had doomed me.  
106:091,19[A  ]| For some time I remained on the spot where I had fallen 
106:091,20[A  ]| through weakness and the loss of blood, expecting every 
106:091,21[A  ]| moment to share a similar fate; but at last I became convinced 
106:091,22[A  ]| that the danger of being crushed to death was over, 
106:091,23[A  ]| and with it came a new longing for life.  I took off my 
106:091,24[A  ]| cravat and belt, and with them contrived to bind up my 
106:091,25[A  ]| wounds and stanch the flow of blood.  I then lay down a 
106:091,26[A  ]| little to collect my strength, and called aloud the name of 
106:091,27[A  ]| Finch, fancying he might still be living.  My voice rang 
106:091,28[A  ]| hollowly through the gloom, but no reply came ~~ not even a 
106:091,29[A  ]| groan.  It was a childish prejudice, but even the idea of 
106:091,30[A  ]| being alone with the dead added fresh horror to my position, 
106:091,31[A  ]| and I arose, determined to make at least an effort to escape.  
106:091,32[A  ]| I was very weak, and the air was growing close and oppressive, 
106:091,33[A  ]| but I managed to stagger forward until my further progress 
106:091,34[A  ]| in that direction was arrested by a wall of clayey earth.  
106:091,35[A  ]| I shuddered as I touched it.  Was it, or was it not, the wall 
106:091,36[A  ]| of my tomb?  
106:091,37[A  ]| I resolved to make a tour of inspection, and ascertain if 
106:091,38[A  ]| there was any exit from this dreadful spot.  The only way 
106:091,39[A  ]| to discover this was to follow the damp wall all around, 
106:091,40[A  ]| keeping my hand against it as I went, so as not to miss any 
106:092,01[A  ]| narrow branching passage that might lead me to liberty.  I 
106:092,02[A  ]| at once proceeded to put the idea into execution, but I had 
106:092,03[A  ]| hardly got nine paces on my way when I stumbled over 
106:092,04[A  ]| something.  I put my hand down to discover what it was, 
106:092,05[A  ]| and withdrew it hastily, for it had rested on the icy countenance 
106:092,06[A  ]| of my late antagonist, and touched even a hole in 
106:092,07[A  ]| the forehead through which the bullet had torn its way.  
106:092,08[A  ]| Notwithstanding my feelings of horror, I bent down and 
106:092,09[A  ]| endeavoured to move the body, but in doing so discovered 
106:092,10[A  ]| that up to the shoulders it was buried beneath the fallen 
106:092,11[A  ]| earth, and thus fixed firmly to the spot where it lay.  This 
106:092,12[A  ]| showed me how nearly I had escaped destruction, and also 
106:092,13[A  ]| that the fallen \9de=bris\ had effectually blocked up the exit by 
106:092,14[A  ]| the way we had entered.  
106:092,15[A  ]| As I could do the dead man no good, I now resumed my 
106:092,16[A  ]| march of discovery, counting my paces as I went, and never 
106:092,17[A  ]| taking my hand from the damp side of my vault.  I had 
106:092,18[A  ]| counted forty-five paces in this way, when I again stumbled 
106:092,19[A  ]| over something, and discovered that, as before, it was the body 
106:092,20[A  ]| of poor Finch.  
106:092,21[A  ]| This was the most terrible discovery of all, for it convinced 
106:092,22[A  ]| me that I was really surrounded by those frightful walls of 
106:092,23[A  ]| clay ~~ that every channel of escape was cut off.  I threw 
106:092,24[A  ]| myself on the cold, wet ground, and wept and prayed by 
106:092,25[A  ]| turns.  
106:092,26[A  ]| At length I fancied that the air was growing oppressively 
106:092,27[A  ]| close, and presently it became so bad that I could scarcely 
106:092,28[A  ]| breathe.  
106:092,29[A  ]| This forced me to renewed exertion.  I again made a 
106:092,30[A  ]| circuit of the loathsome vault, rapping the walls at every 
106:092,31[A  ]| step with the stock of the revolver which I had used in the 
106:092,32[A  ]| duel, and which the Yankee and his gang had forgotten to 
106:092,33[A  ]| dispossess me of.  
106:092,34[A  ]| At length I fancied that a rap I gave produced a hollow 
106:092,35[A  ]| sound.  A faint hope sprang up within my breast; I rapped 
106:092,36[A  ]| again and again.  
106:092,37[A  ]| I was not deceived; more and more hollowly resounded 
106:092,38[A  ]| the blows.  Hope became a conviction, and I now dug away 
106:092,39[A  ]| with a short knife that I found in my pocket.  
106:092,40[A  ]| I had laboured thus for about half an hour without 
106:093,01[A  ]| result.  My strength was fast leaving me; my wound had 
106:093,02[A  ]| begun to bleed afresh from the exertion, when, just as I was 
106:093,03[A  ]| about to give up in despair, I found no resistance to my 
106:093,04[A  ]| knife, for both knife and arm slipped into an aperture, 
106:093,05[A  ]| through which rays of daylight streamed, together with a 
106:093,06[A  ]| current of pure air.  
106:093,07[A  ]| What a feeling of intoxicating joy now took possession of 
106:093,08[A  ]| me!  my strength returned as if by magic; all feeling of 
106:093,09[A  ]| faintness passed away.  I had soon made the hole big enough 
106:093,10[A  ]| to pass my body through; having accomplished which, I 
106:093,11[A  ]| found myself at the bottom of an adjoining shaft, of some 
106:093,12[A  ]| thirty feet in depth, the top of which was accessible by 
106:093,13[A  ]| means of ladders.  
106:093,14[A  ]| Up these ladders (incredible as it may seem) I managed to 
106:093,15[A  ]| climb; and when I saw the glorious sun rising above the 
106:093,16[A  ]| distant mountain range ~~ that sun which I never expected to 
106:093,17[A  ]| see more, ~~ and beheld the lovely face of nature, the tent-dotted 
106:093,18[A  ]| plain, the groups of busy labourers already proceeding 
106:093,19[A  ]| to their work, then my strength gave way, and with a wild 
106:093,20[A  ]| cry of delight I fell insensible to the ground.  Whilst still 
106:093,21[A  ]| in an unconscious state, some friendly diggers carried me to 
106:093,22[A  ]| our tent, where Matthews and Crawday were in great alarm 
106:093,23[A  ]| at my prolonged absence.  A doctor was speedily summoned, 
106:093,24[A  ]| who examined my wound, which he found trifling; the ball 
106:093,25[A  ]| had first grazed a rib, and the bleeding had been profuse, but 
106:093,26[A  ]| that was all.  In less than a week I was able to knock about 
106:093,27[A  ]| again, and nearly as strong as ever.  
107:017;00@@@@@| <The Night Fossickers of Moonlight Flat>
107:017;01[A  ]| Perhaps life and property were never less secure on the
107:017;02[A  ]| Victorian goldfields than about the end of the year 1852.
107:017;03[A  ]| It would not have been so had it not at that period been
107:017;04[A  ]| the custom to fix the district headquarters of the police
107:017;05[A  ]| force in peaceable and orderly neighbourhoods, too far
107:017;06[A  ]| distant from those populous but remote gullies which were
107:017;07[A  ]| the nightly scenes of deeds of robbery and violence. Every
107:017;08[A  ]| evening men were knocked down and brutally treated,
107:017;09[A  ]| or ""stuck up"" and robbed. Every night horses were stolen,
107:017;10[A  ]| tents broken into, and ""holes"" plundered of gold by the
107:017;11[A  ]| ""night fossickers"" ~~ miscreants who watched for the richest
107:017;12[A  ]| holes during the day, marked them, and plundered them
107:017;13[A  ]| at night. At length these desperadoes had become so
107:017;14[A  ]| numerous and shameless, and their outrages so frequent,
107:017;15[A  ]| at a place called Moonlight*Flat (near Forest*Creek), that
107:017;16[A  ]| the miners rose en masse against them. A public meeting
107:017;17[A  ]| was convened, blue-shirted diggers made stirring appeals
107:017;18[A  ]| to their auditory, a deputation was appointed to proceed
107:017;19[A  ]| immediately to Melbourne to remonstrate with the Government,
107:017;20[A  ]| and to implore it to adopt energetic measures for
107:017;21[A  ]| extirpating the ""hordes of ruffians"" that infested their
107:017;22[A  ]| neighbourhood, and the persons of many of whom were
107:017;23[A  ]| well known there.
107:017;24[A  ]| It was during the height of this excitement that I received
107:017;25[A  ]| orders to quit Forest*Creek, where I had been for some time
107:018;01[A  ]| stationed, and proceed to Moonlight*Flat, where, in the
107:018;02[A  ]| character of a digger, I was to make as many discoveries
107:018;03[A  ]| and arrests as I could.
107:018;04[A  ]| A foot constable named Coulson accompanied me on the
107:018;05[A  ]| expedition. I bore our tent on my shoulders, my mate carried
107:018;06[A  ]| the rest of the traps, and we both started in good spirits
107:018;07[A  ]| for the scene of our future labours, which we reached by
107:018;08[A  ]| sundown.
107:018;09[A  ]| We pitched our tent in as central a situation as possible,
107:018;10[A  ]| and the consequence was that for the first night or two not
107:018;11[A  ]| a wink of sleep did either of us get. We had encamped in a
107:018;12[A  ]| regular pandemonium. There was murder here, suicide there,
107:018;13[A  ]| revolvers cracking, blunderbusses booming, rifles going off,
107:018;14[A  ]| balls whistling, one fellow groaning with a broken leg, another
107:018;15[A  ]| shouting because he could not find the way to his hole, and
107:018;16[A  ]| a third equally vociferous because he had tumbled into one.
107:018;17[A  ]| This man swearing, another praying, a party of returning
107:018;18[A  ]| bacchanals chanting various ditties to different time and tune,
107:018;19[A  ]| or rather minus both. Here was one man grumbling because
107:018;20[A  ]| he had brought his wife with him, another ditto because he
107:018;21[A  ]| had left his wife behind, or sold her for an ounce of gold or
107:018;22[A  ]| a bottle of rum. Donnybrook*Fair was a peaceful scene
107:018;23[A  ]| compared to an evening at Moonlight*Flat, for here all bad
107:018;24[A  ]| human passions seemed to be seething, making earth a hell.
107:018;25[A  ]| Upon the second evening after my arrival as I was leisurely
107:018;26[A  ]| strolling through the camp, my hands in my pockets, my
107:018;27[A  ]| short cutty pipe between my teeth ~~ to all appearance as
107:018;28[A  ]| true a devotee of pick, shovel and cradle as any of the heterogeneous
107:018;29[A  ]| mass around me ~~ in passing a tent that stood a
107:018;30[A  ]| little apart from the general run of such like domiciles, I
107:018;31[A  ]| fancied I heard a groan.
107:018;32[A  ]| I listened for a minute or two for a repetition of the sound,
107:018;33[A  ]| which was presently again audible. There could be no mistake
107:018;34[A  ]| about it now, it was a genuine groan, and no mistake, so
107:018;35[A  ]| feeling that the stock of my revolver was handy ~~ under my
107:018;36[A  ]| jumper ~~ I dashed into the tent, where the first object I beheld
107:018;37[A  ]| was a man hanging to the ridge-pole, his feet some ten inches
107:018;38[A  ]| from the ground, and apparently dead.
107:019;01[A  ]| To pull my knife from my pocket and cut him down was
107:019;02[A  ]| the work of a moment; this done, I removed the ligature
107:019;03[A  ]| from his throat, and upon examining it, found it to be a
107:019;04[A  ]| black silk handkerchief, with fringed ends. I then used every
107:019;05[A  ]| endeavour to restore the suicide, as I regarded him, to
107:019;06[A  ]| consciousness. After a time I was successful and in an hour
107:019;07[A  ]| or so he was sufficiently recovered to converse and express
107:019;08[A  ]| a desire for something to drink.
107:019;09[A  ]| I fished up a bottle from a corner, and took down a mug
107:019;10[A  ]| from the side pole. The bottle contained whisky, and we
107:019;11[A  ]| were soon hobnobbing over the genial liquor.
107:019;12@a   | ""How on earth did you come to hang yourself, mate?"" 
107:019;12[A  ]| I
107:019;13[A  ]| asked at length.
107:019;14@e   | ""Hang myself!"" 
107:019;14[A  ]| he retorted, staring me in the face, 
107:019;14@e   | ""I never
107:019;15@e   | hung myself, I was strung up by the three rascals who stole
107:019;16@e   | my gold.""
107:019;17@a   | ""Eh? what is that you say?"" 
107:019;17[A  ]| I asked, with a start, for this
107:019;18[A  ]| explanation aroused a professional interest at once within
107:019;19[A  ]| my breast. 
107:019;19@a   | ""It is a case of attempted murder, then, instead
107:019;20@a   | of suicide? The night fossickers have been paying you a visit,
107:019;21@a   | friend?""
107:019;22@e   | ""They have indeed, mate, and I should have been a dead
107:019;23@e   | man in another minute or two if you had not arrived in
107:019;24@e   | the very nick of time, and cut me down. I owe my life to
107:019;25@e   | you.""
107:019;26@a   | ""Never mind that, but tell me how all this happened,"" 
107:019;26[A  ]| I
107:019;27[A  ]| said.
107:019;28@e   | ""Well, then,"" 
107:019;28[A  ]| commenced the digger, 
107:019;28@e   | ""it fell out in this way.
107:019;29@e   | I was just working a new claim, and as the hole looked
107:019;30@e   | promising like, I got up this morning earlier than usual and
107:019;31@e   | lost no time in setting to work. I was not long at it before
107:019;32@e   | I hit upon a ""pocket"" full of the precious metal. It lay in a
107:019;33@e   | dark corner of the hole, but my fossicking knife soon brought
107:019;34@e   | its glittering beauties to light. Whilst I was complacently
107:019;35@e   | contemplating my treasure I heard someone say, 
107:019;35@h   | "You have
107:019;36@h   | good luck, mate, that is a tidy bit of gold there." 
107:019;36@e   | I looked
107:019;37@e   | up and saw a tall, lanky digger standing at the brink of the
107:019;38@e   | hole, and regarding my discovery with greedy eyes.
107:020;01@e   | "Tolerably well,"
107:020;01@e   | I rejoined curtly, at the same time shifting
107:020;02@e   | my revolver to show the fellow that I was prepared to defend
107:020;03@e   | it too, if necessary. He made no reply, but with a grunt and
107:020;04@e   | a surly nod, walked away.
107:020;05@e   | ""Well, my luck had not quitted me yet. Nugget after nugget
107:020;06@e   | did that dirty hole give up, by knock-off time I had taken
107:020;07@e   | out five pounds' weight of gold. Tomorrow being the Sabbath,
107:020;08@e   | thirty-six hours of suspense had to elapse before I could
107:020;09@e   | discover whether this was but a mere passing stroke of luck
107:020;10@e   | or the herald of continued good fortune. Tonight, for the
107:020;11@e   | first time in my life, I was really in dread of an attack, though
107:020;12@e   | I kept my success a secret, not even telling my most intimate
107:020;13@e   | friends. I did not intend to do so, you may be sure, for on
107:020;14@e   | Monday morning my first business would have been to send
107:020;15@e   | my gold down to the escort office for security. For the time,
107:020;16@e   | however, I was forced to content myself with "planting" it,
107:020;17@e   | which I did just inside the tent, and just below where you
107:020;18@e   | now stand; if you move you will see where the ground has
107:020;19@e   | been disturbed. After I had done this not a footstep passed
107:020;20@e   | the tent without my imagining myself robbed of my
107:020;21@e   | concealed treasures, and it being Saturday night ~~ the
107:020;22@e   | noisiest and most riotous one in the week ~~ my panics were
107:020;23@e   | of course neither few nor far between. At last my phantom
107:020;24@e   | fears assumed the air of realities ~~footsteps approached close
107:020;25@e   | to the tent, and then stopped. I went out and I looked around,
107:020;26@e   | but in the darkness I could not perceive anyone, so I came
107:020;27@e   | inside again, and as I entered my gaze fell upon a little round
107:020;28@e   | hole cut in the canvas on the opposite side. I knew it must
107:020;29@e   | have been recently done, but the hole itself did not terrify
107:020;30@e   | me, it was the solitary eye that gazed through it and was
107:020;31@e   | fixed on mine. I am no coward, but I felt an icy chill run
107:020;32@e   | through my veins. I plucked my revolver from my belt, but
107:020;33@e   | the eye never moved. I pointed it at the hole in the tent,
107:020;34@e   | and was about to pull the trigger, when my arm was knocked
107:020;35@e   | up from behind and the bullet passed harmlessly through
107:020;36@e   | the top of the tent. I found myself in the grasp of two powerful
107:020;37@e   | ruffians with blackened faces, who bound me hand and foot,
107:020;38@e   | and threatened to blow my brains out if I made the least
107:021;01@e   | noise. A third robber, a tall, gaunt man, now entered, his
107:021;02@e   | face too was blackened. He pointed to the spot where my
107:021;03@e   | gold was buried, and merely uttered the monosyllable, 
107:021;03@h   | "Dig!"
107:021;04@e   | One of the men seized my shovel and set to work with a
107:021;05@e   | will; in another minute my treasure was discovered, and
107:021;06@e   | speedily divided. Then the tall gaunt man again pointed,
107:021;07@e   | this time at me, and said the single word, 
107:021;07@h   | "Hang!"
107:021;08@e   | Immediately one of his mates uncoiled a rope from his waist
107:021;09@e   | and reeved a noose in it, but the cord was not long enough;
107:021;10@e   | so the tall man growing impatient, tore off his neckerchief
107:021;11@e   | and tossed it to my executioner, who soon secured it around
107:021;12@e   | my throat, and then attached it to his rope. I now began
107:021;13@e   | to call for help, but a knock on the head stunned me, and
107:021;14@e   | I remembered no more till I awoke and found you pouring
107:021;15@e   | brandy down my throat, and trying to bring me around.""
107:021;16@a   | ""And the tall man, who seemed to be leader of these rascals,
107:021;17@a   | was the cove who spoke to you at your hole in the morning?""
107:021;18[A  ]| I remarked.
107:021;19@e   | ""Was he? how do you know?"" 
107:021;19[A  ]| asked the digger, with a
107:021;20[A  ]| look of surprise.
107:021;21@a   | ""I do not know, I only conjecture it was he. We members of
107:021;22@a   | the police force are apt to draw our own conclusions pretty
107:021;23@a   | readily,"" 
107:021;23[A  ]| I responded.
107:021;24@e   | ""Do you belong to the force?"" 
107:021;24[A  ]| asked the digger, with a
107:021;25[A  ]| look of pleased surprise.
107:021;26@a   | ""I do, and I am here on secret service,"" 
107:021;26[A  ]| I said, 
107:021;26@a   | ""so you must                                
107:021;27@a   | not betray me, but I am desirous to aid you to win back
107:021;28@a   | your gold, and to bring these night fossickers to justice. They        
107:021;29@a   | have been a curse to honest diggers too long; their
107:021;30@a   | depredations must be put a stop to. Try now to recollect
107:021;31@a   | whether this tall gaunt man who broke into your tent and
107:021;32@a   | so politely hanged you at all resembled the man who came
107:021;33@a   | up to your hole in the morning, just as you discovered your
107:021;34@a   | pocket of gold?""
107:021;35@e   | ""Why, he was not unlike,"" 
107:021;35[A  ]| said my new acquaintance,
107:021;36[A  ]| scratching his head. 
107:021;36@e   | ""You see I could not make out his face
107:021;37@e   | owing to its being blackened, but the figure was much the
107:021;38@e   | same, and so was the voice, I reckon.""
107:022;01@a   | ""Could you swear to the ringleader of tonight, if you were
107:022;02@a   | confronted with him?""
107:022;03@e   | ""Darned if I think I could, but I would swear to the fellow who
107:022;04@e   | came up to the hole in the morning amongst the thousand.""
107:022;05@a   | ""Had he got on a tie like this?"" 
107:022;05[A  ]| I asked, producing from
107:022;06[A  ]| my pocket the one that had so nearly terminated his
107:022;07[A  ]| existence.
107:022;08@e   | ""No, he had not,"" 
107:022;08[A  ]| was the confident reply, 
107:022;08@e   | ""he wore a blue
107:022;09@e   | and white speckedly one.""
107:022;10@a   | ""Describe the appearance of the man who spoke to you
107:022;11@a   | in the morning, and I will take it down in my pocket book,""
107:022;12[A  ]| I said.
107:022;13[A  ]| The digger complied.
107:022;14@e   | ""Tall, thin, feet large and rather splay, shoulders round,
107:022;15@e   | complexion sallow, full beard and whiskers of a reddish hue,
107:022;16@e   | hair long and dark brown, eyes large, dark, and very fierce.
107:022;17@e   | Dress ~~ blue serge jumper, brown billycock hat, blue and
107:022;18@e   | white speckledy tie, shepherd's plaid trousers, large pattern.""
107:022;19[A  ]| I muttered as I dotted down the separate items, 
107:022;19@a   | ""That will
107:022;20@a   | do, mate; but can not you recollect anything of the dress or
107:022;21@a   | appearance of either of the fellows who stuck you up and
107:022;22@a   | hung you this evening?""
107:022;23@e   | ""No! I can not for certain; I was struck all of a heap like with
107:022;24@e   | surprise, but I feel sure that the tall one was the fellow who
107:022;25@e   | came to my claim in the morning, his eyes had the same
107:022;26@e   | scowl, but as for his togs and those of his mates I did not
107:022;27@e   | notice what they were like.""
107:022;28[A  ]| Setting my new friend down in my own mind as an arrant
107:022;29[A  ]| paltroon, and seeing that nothing more was to be got out
107:022;30[A  ]| of him, I began to more narrowly inspect the neckerchief,
107:022;31[A  ]| which had performed the duties of a halter. As I said before,
107:022;32[A  ]| it was of black silk with lace ends, but I now noticed that
107:022;33[A  ]| it was moreover made stock fashion, and was intended to
107:022;34[A  ]| fasten behind the neck with two buttons, the ends being
107:022;35[A  ]| brought forward in a double fold, and tied in a bow in front.
107:022;36[A  ]| There was nothing very unusual in all this, but what attracted
107:022;37[A  ]| my attention was the buttons, on each of which appeared
107:022;38[A  ]| the words, ""CHANNENS ~~ PLYMOUTH.""
107:023;01@a   | ""He tried to hang you with this, mate, did he? What will
107:023;02@a   | you say if I hang him by it?""
107:023;03[A  ]| The digger gazed at me in bewilderment.
107:023;04@a   | ""Keep a still tongue in your head, say nothing of having
107:023;05@a   | met with me, nor even mention the fact of your having been
107:023;06@a   | robbed until Monday. Perhaps by that time I may have
107:023;07@a   | nabbed one or more of these worthies. If you do not see
107:023;08@a   | or hear anything of me before, I will meet you at "The*Promised*Land,"
107:023;09@a   | old Mack's shanty, at knock-off hour on
107:023;10@a   | that day. Now goodbye, for I must set to work at once,'
107:023;11[A  ]| and slapping him on the shoulder, I left the tent.
107:023;12[A  ]| It was just ten o'clock when I quitted the digger, but it
107:023;13[A  ]| was half past when I reached my own quarters, for though
107:023;14[A  ]| the distance was only half a mile, I walked very slowly, for
107:023;15[A  ]| I was trying to unravel the mystery that had just presented
107:023;16[A  ]| itself. I kept muttering the words 
107:023;16@a   | ""Channens ~~ Plymouth,""
107:023;17@a   | ""Channens ~~ Plymouth,"" 
107:023;17[A  ]| for somehow I fancied that those
107:023;18[A  ]| two words, innocent as they sounded, would alone bring
107:023;19[A  ]| the criminals to justice. 
107:023;19@a   | ""The probability is, that this Channens
107:023;20@a   | is an outfitter or a tailor at Plymouth,"" 
107:023;20[A  ]| I thought, 
107:023;20@a   | ""and that
107:023;21@a   | the wearer of that neckerchief bought it there, and if so,
107:023;22@a   | most likely he purchased other articles of clothing at the
107:023;23@a   | same establishment which bear similarly stamped buttons.""
107:023;24[A  ]| The more I pondered upon this probability, the more likely
107:023;25[A  ]| it seemed, and I concluded that I must somehow obtain an
107:023;26[A  ]| inspection of the wardrobe of the tall man of monosyllables,
107:023;27[A  ]| come what might of it.
107:023;28[A  ]| Fortunately Coulson was in the tent when I reached it,
107:023;29[A  ]| and I told him forthwith every incident of the digger's
107:023;30[A  ]| narrative, read him the description of the supposed ringleader
107:023;31[A  ]| in the matter, and then we held a brief consultation, which
107:023;32[A  ]| resulted in a decision to look in at every shanty on the Flat
107:023;33[A  ]| that night, and see if we could not hit off the scent somewhere.
107:023;34[A  ]| We accordingly lit our pipes, and sauntered out in different
107:023;35[A  ]| directions, in quest of those who were wanted.
107:023;36[A  ]| It was now about eleven o'clock, and the township was
107:023;37[A  ]| crowded. Some were out to purchase provisions for the
107:023;38[A  ]| ensuing weeks, others to impart and receive news, but the
107:024;01[A  ]| greater number to squander their gettings in the grog
107:024;02[A  ]| shanties, whose glaring lamps of camphine or naptha threw
107:024;03[A  ]| a ruddy light over the strange forms that passed and repassed
107:024;04[A  ]| beneath them.
107:024;05[A  ]| I have no time to enter into long descriptions. I was intent
107:024;06[A  ]| on business, and perhaps did not notice the picturesqueness
107:024;07[A  ]| of the scene, as an artist or a poet might have done. I had
107:024;08[A  ]| eyes alone for the prey I was tracking, the notorious night
107:024;09[A  ]| fossickers.
107:024;10[A  ]| I dropped into shanty after shanty, however, without
107:024;11[A  ]| success, for nowhere did I see any one answering the
107:024;12[A  ]| description noted in my pocket book. I was returning home
107:024;13[A  ]| vexed and dispirited, when it struck me that I would re-enter
107:024;14[A  ]| one of the grog shops I had previously visited, and
107:024;15[A  ]| whose door I was then passing. The thought no sooner
107:024;16[A  ]| entered my head than I acted upon it. The shanty was even
107:024;17[A  ]| more crowded than when I had last visited it, and I recognised
107:024;18[A  ]| several new faces. Amongst others, my eyes rested upon
107:024;19[A  ]| a tall lanky fellow, who was leaning over the bar imbibing
107:024;20[A  ]| a very stiff glass of brandy and water. He immediately fixed
107:024;21[A  ]| my attention, not that he much resembled the description
107:024;22[A  ]| I had received of the man I was in search of, for his hair,
107:024;23[A  ]| instead of being long and dark, was very short, and of a
107:024;24[A  ]| light red hue, whilst as for whiskers and beard he was quite
107:024;25[A  ]| destitute of either. His complexion, too, instead of being
107:024;26[A  ]| sallow, was florid and freckled, and his dress did not at all
107:024;27[A  ]| accord with that of the man who had visited the digger at
107:024;28[A  ]| his hole in the morning.
107:024;29[A  ]| In spite of all these discrepancies in look, my suspicions
107:024;30[A  ]| were aroused, for in all other respects his appearance was
107:024;31[A  ]| exact; so, edging up to him, I said, 
107:024;31@a   | ""Well, mate, you and I
107:024;32@a   | have met before somewhere.""
107:024;33@h   | ""Maybe so, but I do not recollect you,"" 
107:024;33[A  ]| was the surly
107:024;34[A  ]| rejoinder, and he cast a searching glance at me as he spoke.
107:024;35@a   | ""Perhaps not, for if my memory do not deceive me, it was
107:024;36@a   | before either of us set eyes on this land of gold.""
107:024;37@h   | ""Oh, was it?"" 
107:024;37[A  ]| he replied more cheerfully. 
107:024;37@h   | ""Then where do
107:024;38@h   | you hail from, mate?""
107:025;01@a   | ""Why I am a down-country man, I am, Plymouth is my native
107:025;02@a   | town.""
107:025;03[A  ]| The man started. I thought that I could distinguish tears
107:025;04[A  ]| glittering in his large fierce eyes, but whatever emotion he
107:025;05[A  ]| experienced he soon overcame it, and once more turning
107:025;06[A  ]| towards me, said, 
107:025;06@h   | ""You have not much the accent of a
107:025;07@h   | Devonshire man.""
107:025;08@a   | ""That is because I was brought up and lived some years
107:025;09@a   | in London, but I am a Plymothian, nevertheless. It is a pretty
107:025;10@a   | place, is not it?""
107:025;11@h   | ""Ah, it is, indeed,"" 
107:025;11[A  ]| rejoined the tall man, with a sigh.
107:025;12@a   | ""What part of the Three Towns did you live in, friend?""
107:025;13[A  ]| I asked innocently.
107:025;14@h   | ""Why bless your heart, I lived in ~ in ~ in ~ oh, no, I never
107:025;15@h   | lived in Plymouth in my life. I passed through it once, that is
107:025;16@h   | how I came to know the place.""
107:025;17[A  ]| I noticed his hesitation, and thought to myself, 
107:025;17@a   | ""Oh, oh,
107:025;18@a   | old fellow, you do come from Plymouth. You were about
107:025;19@a   | to confess it, and name the very street you resided in, when
107:025;20@a   | suddenly something came into your head that made you
107:025;21@a   | desirous of concealing the fact, as though its knowledge by
107:025;22@a   | a stranger might be dangerous to you."" 
107:025;22[A  ]| I did not let my
107:025;23[A  ]| thoughts appear upon my countenance, however, but
107:025;24[A  ]| rejoined with an air of disappointment, 
107:025;24@a   | ""Oh, is that all? I
107:025;25@a   | hoped I had fallen in with a fellow countryman, and yet
107:025;26@a   | I could almost swear that I had seen you there; ay, and in
107:025;27@a   | the shop of my uncle Channens, too.""
107:025;28@h   | ""I was never at Channens the tailor's in my life, I never heard
107:025;29@h   | the name before,"" 
107:025;29[A  ]| ejaculated the fellow, with a terrified start.
107:025;30[A  ]| That answer confirmed my suspicions at once. If he had
107:025;31[A  ]| never been at Channens' shop, or heard his name, how could
107:025;32[A  ]| he know he was a tailor? And if he had been there, and
107:025;33[A  ]| did not know him, why should he be afraid to own it? 
107:025;33@a   | ""He
107:025;34@a   | remembers the buttons on the neckerchief,"" 
107:025;34[A  ]| I thought, and
107:025;35[A  ]| as events proved, I thought rightly.
107:025;36@a   | ""I beg your pardon, sir,"" 
107:025;36[A  ]| I said in tones of apology, 
107:025;36@a   | ""but
107:025;37@a   | I did not mean to offend you. Will you have a nobbler with
107:025;38@a   | me?""
107:026;01[A  ]| The fellow consented, but he imbibed the liquor in silence,
107:026;02[A  ]| and only gave a parting nod when I paid the score, and
107:026;03[A  ]| wished him goodnight. He felt that his tongue had betrayed
107:026;04[A  ]| him once, and he did not care to trust it to wag again in
107:026;05[A  ]| my presence.
107:026;06[A  ]| My reflections, as I walked home, were very satisfactory.
107:026;07[A  ]| I felt persuaded that I was on the right track, and though
107:026;08[A  ]| I was not yet possessed of sufficient proof whereon to arrest
107:026;09[A  ]| the man, I fancied that it would soon be forthcoming.
107:026;10[A  ]| Whilst talking to the rascal at the shanty, I had contrived,
107:026;11[A  ]| unperceived by him, to cut a button from his trousers, and
107:026;12[A  ]| I had it now in my waistcoat pocket. It was a brace button,
107:026;13[A  ]| and as he wore a belt, he might not discover his loss for
107:026;14[A  ]| some time. When I reached our tent I eagerly lit a candle,
107:026;15[A  ]| drew this button from my pocket, and looked at it. Yes, as
107:026;16[A  ]| I anticipated, there were the words ""Channens ~~ Plymouth""
107:026;17[A  ]| encircling the rim.
107:026;18[A  ]| This was moral evidence sufficient to satisfy anyone, but
107:026;19[A  ]| to make sure of a conviction the connecting links still required
107:026;20[A  ]| strengthening. Besides, I wished to discover the purloined
107:026;21[A  ]| nuggets for the sake of the poor digger who had lost them,
107:026;22[A  ]| and to do this I must not be too precipitate.
107:026;23[A  ]| The idea struck me that the next night being Sunday, and
107:026;24[A  ]| the diggers not at work, that these night fossickers would
107:026;25[A  ]| very probably make an excursion to the hole that had turned
107:026;26[A  ]| out such a pretty nest egg, and try to plunder from it still
107:026;27[A  ]| more of the precious metal. I imparted my suspicions to
107:026;28[A  ]| Coulson, who coincided with my views on the subject, and
107:026;29[A  ]| we resolved to lie in ambush close to the hole, and endeavour
107:026;30[A  ]| to nab them in the very act.
107:026;31[A  ]| Having arranged the whole plan of the campaign over
107:026;32[A  ]| a pipe of Barrett's twist, we turned in for the night, or rather
107:026;33[A  ]| morning, for it was nearly one o'clock, and had a good sleep.
107:026;34[A  ]| The next day was a day of rest, for the quietness of the
107:026;35[A  ]| diggers on a Sunday is striking. There seems a general
107:026;36[A  ]| agreement to cease from the usual occupations; consequently,
107:026;37[A  ]| it is extremely rare to find anybody engaged in actual mining
107:026;38[A  ]| on that day. But it will be easily understood that, situated
107:027;01[A  ]| as miners are, they have few resources to fall back on for
107:027;02[A  ]| employment of mind or body during that period of rest. Many
107:027;03[A  ]| thousands are brought together, separated at once from the
107:027;04[A  ]| comforts and restraining influences of a home and family,
107:027;05[A  ]| and pursuing a vocation of a speculative and irregular
107:027;06[A  ]| character. It was my first Sunday at the Goldfields, so I noticed
107:027;07[A  ]| the way that the Sabbath was kept with interest. I observed
107:027;08[A  ]| some games in progress, and little groups of people looking
107:027;09[A  ]| on. Many were chopping wood, or performing little duties
107:027;10[A  ]| about their tents. The pipe seemed a great comfort. Most
107:027;11[A  ]| of the diggers were well dressed, and many women and
107:027;12[A  ]| children were walking about or sitting at the entrances of
107:027;13[A  ]| tents. Bills were posted on the gum trees along the road,
107:027;14[A  ]| intimating that the minister of some particular sect would
107:027;15[A  ]| preach that day, and giving the hour and place. There was,
107:027;16[A  ]| however, no place of worship on the Flat, and it is not
107:027;17[A  ]| surprising that the camp preachers complained of a thin
107:027;18[A  ]| attendance and an uncertain flock, when the skittle alley
107:027;19[A  ]| and the shanty offered such strong counter-attractions.
107:027;20[A  ]| A month or two later than the period of which I write,
107:027;21[A  ]| there was a canvas church erected at Moonlight*Flat. Later
107:027;22[A  ]| still an Episcopalian wooden structure, the model whereof
107:027;23[A  ]| was evidently taken from Noah's Ark, sprang up on the
107:027;24[A  ]| township, and then, as though out of a spirit of opposition,
107:027;25[A  ]| a stone building, calling itself a Primitive Wesleyan chapel,
107:027;26[A  ]| reared its square walls exactly opposite.
107:027;27[A  ]| As for myself, I am sorry to say I passed the day as idly
107:027;28[A  ]| and irreverently as the rest, for I did nothing but read and
107:027;29[A  ]| smoke until nightfall, when Coulson and I made a jolly good
107:027;30[A  ]| tea of damper and beefsteak, and it being by this time quite
107:027;31[A  ]| dark, we armed ourselves, and set out for our ambuscade.
107:027;32[A  ]| It was a fine night, but there was no moon. Still the stars
107:027;33[A  ]| shed quite sufficient light for our purpose, and in fact a less
107:027;34[A  ]| degree of obscurity would have been objectionable. We took
107:027;35[A  ]| up our quarters close to the hole we came to watch, being
107:027;36[A  ]| hid from view by the trunk of a gum tree that had recently
107:027;37[A  ]| been cut down, and now lay prostrate on its parent earth
107:027;38[A  ]| within a few yards  of the hole.
107:028;01[A  ]| It was just nine o'clock as we got into ambush, and we
107:028;02[A  ]| lay flat on the ground behind the log for at least a couple
107:028;03[A  ]| of hours, before our attention was attracted by the slightest
107:028;04[A  ]| sound of approaching footsteps. Every few minutes one of
107:028;05[A  ]| us would peer over the barrier in the direction of the
107:028;06[A  ]| township, for the claim we were watching was one of the
107:028;07[A  ]| most remote on the diggings, and there was only a stray
107:028;08[A  ]| tent or two within a good quarter of a mile of it.
107:028;09[A  ]| We were still in our ordinary diggers' clothes, but we had
107:028;10[A  ]| our trusty revolvers with us, and did not fear encountering
107:028;11[A  ]| any three men on the Flat.
107:028;12@i   | ""By George, Brooke, here they come,"" 
107:028;12[A  ]| whispered Coulson
107:028;13[A  ]| at length, giving me a nudge, and dipping his head out of
107:028;14[A  ]| sight.
107:028;15[A  ]| I took a momentary peep, and there, sure enough just
107:028;16[A  ]| a hundred paces distant, and coming directly towards the
107:028;17[A  ]| spot where we lay, were three men.
107:028;18[A  ]| Luckily they were approaching from an opposite direction.
107:028;19[A  ]| As they drew nearer I could see that one was very tall
107:028;20[A  ]| and lanky, and the others stouter and more compactly built.
107:028;21@a   | ""Oh! oh! my friend of the shanty and his mates,"" 
107:028;21[A  ]| I thought
107:028;22[A  ]| to myself, and sure enough I was right, for coming straight
107:028;23[A  ]| up to the hole the tall one jumped in without hesitation,
107:028;24[A  ]| (it was barely nine feet deep), and began fossicking for his
107:028;25[A  ]| life.
107:028;26[X  ]| ""Are you sure this is the right 'un, Ned?"" 
107:028;26[A  ]| asked one of
107:028;27[A  ]| his companions from above.
107:028;28@h   | ""Right one, of course I am. I know it by that felled gum
107:028;29@h   | tree close by,"" 
107:028;29[A  ]| was the irritable rejoinder.
107:028;30[A  ]| This reply seemed satisfactory, for the questioner, without
107:028;31[A  ]| more ado, leapt into the hole and whipping out his knife
107:028;32[A  ]| set to work with a will while the third rascal kept watch
107:028;33[A  ]| at the top.
107:028;34[A  ]| The dark lantern they had lit shed no light above the surface
107:028;35[A  ]| of the shaft, so that although we could hear every movement
107:028;36[A  ]| below and distinguish every word uttered, yet the form of
107:028;37[A  ]| the sentinel, though not more than half a dozen paces from
107:028;38[A  ]| us, was barely discernible.
107:029;01[A  ]| Coulson was anxious to rush out and capture the fellows
107:029;02[A  ]| there and then, but upon my whispering to him that such
107:029;03[A  ]| a course might prevent us from ever discovering where they
107:029;04[A  ]| had concealed the treasure stolen from the digger's tent, and,
107:029;05[A  ]| indeed, prevent us from bringing the attempted murder home
107:029;06[A  ]| to them as speedily as if we spied their movements a little
107:029;07[A  ]| longer, he altered his views and agreed with me that it was
107:029;08[A  ]| wiser to watch and wait.
107:029;09@k   | ""There is a nugget, by the powers, as big as a pigeon's egg,""
107:029;10[A  ]| ejaculated one of the fossickers in accents of delight.
107:029;11@l   | ""Ay, ay, that is a good haul anyhow,"" 
107:029;11[A  ]| grunted his mate.
107:029;12@h   | ""What have you found, Bill?"" 
107:029;12[A  ]| interrogated the first speaker,
107:029;13[A  ]| who by his voice I knew to be the worthy whom I had
107:029;14[A  ]| so effectually pumped at the shanty.
107:029;15@k   | ""Find! why not much: two or three bits the size of shirt
107:029;16@k   | buttons, that is all,"" 
107:029;16[A  ]| was the dissatisfied reply.
107:029;17[A  ]| There was silence now for a few minutes, but at length
107:029;18[A  ]| one of the fellows grunted, 
107:029;18@k   | ""I am blowed if I can find anything
107:029;19@k   | worth taking. It is hard work and little pay, that is what it
107:029;20@k   | is.""
107:029;21@h   | ""I do not think so, Bill, I do not dislike the work,"" said the
107:029;22@h   | other.
107:029;23@k   | ""No, perhaps not, with your pigeon's eggs; but I am not
107:029;24@k   | in luck, and I tell you what, I do not see the fun at all of
107:029;25@k   | working in these damp dismal holes at the dead of night,
107:029;26@k   | and breaking one's back with the stooping, when there is
107:029;27@k   | lots of tents on the Flat with the nuggets ready cut and
107:029;28@k   | dried for us.""
107:029;29@h   | ""Yes, that is all very well, but tent work is a dangerous game
107:029;30@h   | to play too often. There is sometimes as much lead as gold
107:029;31@h   | to be got. You do not always come across a rank coward such
107:029;32@h   | as the one we strung up the other night.""
107:029;33@k   | ""Maybe not, but there is generally a safe and sure way of
107:029;34@k   | doing these things if a fellow only bides his time. Why, I have
107:029;35@k   | made away or helped to make away with nine men since
107:029;36@k   | I entered the profession, and struck up and robbed about
107:029;37@k   | twenty more, and I have never had a ball through me yet.""
107:029;38@h   | ""Nor been nabbed?""
107:030;01@k   | ""No, nor been nabbed, but then I was never such a fool
107:030;02@k   | as to hang my man with my best Sunday necktie, particularly
107:030;03@k   | when it bore my tailor's mark upon it.""
107:030;04@h   | ""Cuss you, Bill hold your jaw about that neckerchief. It was
107:030;05@h   | a stupid piece of business I own, and I must go and cut
107:030;06@h   | the fellow down tonight, and get possession of it again. I
107:030;07@h   | do not suppose anyone has discovered the body yet, the tent is
107:030;08@h   | in such a lonely place.""
107:030;09@k   | ""No fear of that, the fellow might hang there for a month
107:030;10@k   | of Sundays, and nobody would miss him. Moonlight*Flat
107:030;11@k   | is not the spot for neighbourly kindness and attention, I
107:030;12@k   | reckon.""
107:030;13@h   | ""Nevertheless I will cut him down tonight, that booby at the
107:030;14@h   | shanty with his Plymouth talk and his Uncle Channens made
107:030;15@h   | me feel uncomfortable like.""
107:030;16@k   | ""Oh! hang him, he is a fool he is. A new chum and no
107:030;17@k   | mistake. I heard him jabbering away to you a good 'un, and
107:030;18@k   | wondered how you could abide him so patiently. There is
107:030;19@k   | nothing to be feared from him.""
107:030;20@h   | ""Maybe you are right; at all events I have cut every button
107:030;21@h   | off my togs that answers to the name of Channens, so that
107:030;22@h   | if the infernal necktie should attract attention they can not bring
107:030;23@h   | the matter home to me. I have not been three times imprisoned
107:030;24@h   | and twice transported for nothing, mate.""
107:030;25@k   | ""And it strikes me that you will not be scragged for nothing
107:030;26@k   | in the end. The mare with three legs will never have a more
107:030;27@k   | worthy rider than Spider-legged Ned the Night Fossicker.""
107:030;28@h   | ""Dang it, Bill, hold your jaw and turn the lantern this way.
107:030;29@h   | I see the gleam of gold.""
107:030;30[A  ]| During the whole of the preceding conversation the fellows
107:030;31[A  ]| had not for a moment ceased from their labours, but from
107:030;32[A  ]| their silence on the subject we concluded that they had not
107:030;33[A  ]| had any finds. Now, however, we could hear them grunting
107:030;34[A  ]| unqualified praises over the gleaming nuggets that their
107:030;35[A  ]| fossicking knives had, without doubt, exposed to view, and
107:030;36[A  ]| this excitement was shared by the sentinel above, for, relaxing
107:030;37[A  ]| his vigilance, he lay down on his stomach and peered into
107:030;38[A  ]| the hole to catch a glimpse of the glittering treasure. To judge
107:031;01[A  ]| from his smothered ejaculation of 
107:031;01@l   | ""Oh my!"" ""By George!"" ""What
107:031;02@l   | beauties!"" ""What sparklers!"" 
107:031;02[A  ]| his admiration was unbounded,
107:031;03[A  ]| and so long did it continue that his mates at length warned
107:031;04[A  ]| him angrily to return to his duty.
107:031;05[A  ]| At length they resumed their labours, which they
107:031;06[A  ]| continued for another hour, and then we observed them
107:031;07[A  ]| hand up a bag to their companion on the surface, and clamber
107:031;08[A  ]| out of the hole. When, after gazing cautiously around as
107:031;09[A  ]| though timid of observation, they began to retrace their steps
107:031;10[A  ]| towards the township.
107:031;11[A  ]| Letting them get some distance the start of us, we emerged
107:031;12[A  ]| from our ambuscade, and guided by the sound of their
107:031;13[A  ]| footsteps more than by seeing them, for heavy clouds had
107:031;14[A  ]| now obscured the starlight and it was very dark, we managed
107:031;15[A  ]| with great trouble and difficulty to keep on their trail. Instead
107:031;16[A  ]| of making straight for the township, they skirted it, crossing
107:031;17[A  ]| the most dangerous line of country for unfenced shafts and
107:031;18[A  ]| deserted holes on the Flat. It was now with no little risk
107:031;19[A  ]| that we kept on their track, for every moment we were in
107:031;20[A  ]| danger of our lives; still, we managed it somehow.
107:031;21[A  ]| We had proceeded in this manner about a mile or so, when
107:031;22[A  ]| we heard a sharp cry from before us, and the unmistakable
107:031;23[A  ]| sound of a heavy body falling down a deep pit, rebounding
107:031;24[A  ]| from side to side in its descent, and at last plunging with
107:031;25[A  ]| a hollow splash into water at the bottom.
107:031;26[A  ]| We paused at once in our advance, for we knew that it
107:031;27[A  ]| must be one of the night fossickers, who, in the thick darkness,
107:031;28[A  ]| had walked right into a hole.
107:031;29[A  ]| The echo of footsteps in front ceased suddenly.
107:031;30@k   | ""By George, he must have fallen into the old Tolvadden
107:031;31@k   | shaft, the deepest on the Flat. He is as dead as a door nail
107:031;32@k   | by this time, poor fellow,"" 
107:031;32[A  ]| remarked a voice, which I
107:031;33[A  ]| recognised as Bill's.                                   
107:031;34@h   | ""Yes, it is the Tolvadden shaft; and he must be dead, for it is
107:031;35@h   | nearly a hundred and fifty feet deep,"" 
107:031;35[A  ]| rejoined the other of the
107:031;36[A  ]| two survivors, whom I knew to be Mr Channens' customer.  
107:031;37@k   | ""Tom! Tom! speak man if you are alive,"" 
107:031;37[A  ]| shouted Bill down
107:031;38[A  ]| the hole.
107:032;01@h   | ""Fool! would you risk alarming the neighbourhood?"" 
107:032;01[A  ]| hissed
107:032;02[A  ]| his comrade in his ear, pulling him away from the shaft.    
107:032;03@h   | ""He has not got the bag of gold with him. Come along with
107:032;04@h   | you.""
107:032;05@k   | ""Ned, I believe you pushed him in, by G~~ I do!""       
107:032;06@h   | ""Dolt! idiot! Why should I push him in? The man never     
107:032;07@h   | harmed me. I tell you he fell in by accident, and as he is
107:032;08@h   | quite sure to be dead, come away. We can do no good to
107:032;09@h   | him by staying here, and we risk our own safety.""     
107:032;10@k   | ""Well if I thought he was dead I would not mind, but I     
107:032;11@k   | do not like the idea of deserting a mate. Honour amongst
107:032;12@k   | thieves, you know.""             
107:032;13@h   | ""He must be dead, I tell you. He can not be other than dead.
107:032;14@h   | It would be more than a miracle if he had a spark of life     
107:032;15@h   | in him,"" 
107:032;15[A  ]| said Spider-legged Ned, impatiently, as he forcibly     
107:032;16[A  ]| dragged his companion away.
107:032;17@a   | ""Come along, Coulson"" 
107:032;17[A  ]| I whispered. 
107:032;17@a   | ""That Ned is an out-and-out 
107:032;18@a   | scoundrel but the poor fellow must be killed, and       
107:032;19@a   | our business this night is with the living more than the dead.""
107:032;20[A  ]| The ground now became clearer, but still required wary
107:032;21[A  ]| walking. The two fossickers strode on in silence, for stray 
107:032;22[A  ]| tents were now scattered around the neighbourhood. At       
107:032;23[A  ]| length, after about three-quarters of a mile more had been  
107:032;24[A  ]| traversed, they came to a momentary halt, and then made
107:032;25[A  ]| their way to a tent that stood about fifty yards in the rear    
107:032;26[A  ]| of two others. This they entered, and we immediately posted     
107:032;27[A  ]| ourselves on the outside, where, through a rent in the canvas,  
107:032;28[A  ]| we could observe all that passed within.    
107:032;29[A  ]| A light was soon struck, a tallow dip lighted and stuck
107:032;30[A  ]| in an old bottle, which, for want of a table whereon to stand   
107:032;31[A  ]| it, was placed on the ground. My friend of the shanty then      
107:032;32[A  ]| fished a bottle of rum out of an obscure corner of the tent,    
107:032;33[A  ]| together with a broken wine glass and a horn cup. Reserving
107:032;34[A  ]| the latter for himself on account of its holding the largest
107:032;35[A  ]| measure, Spider-legged Ned filled both to the brim, and     
107:032;36[A  ]| handing the wine glass to his friend, said, 
107:032;36@h   | ""A drop of this
107:032;37@h   | will keep up your pecker, man; you look as crestfallen as       
107:032;38@h   | if you were going to be married.""                      
107:033;01@k   | ""Do I?"" 
107:033;01[A  ]| said Bill drily. 
107:033;01@k   | ""Then you look as crestfallen as if
107:033;02@k   | you were going to be hanged.""
107:033;03@h   | ""Do not fear, mate. The rope that is to hang me has not been
107:033;04@h   | woven, I shall cheat the gallows yet,"" 
107:033;04[A  ]| answered the other
107:033;05[A  ]| with a laugh. 
107:033;05@h   | ""But to work, Bill. We are losing precious time.
107:033;06@h   | Let us bury the gold, and then go and cut down the digger.""
107:033;07@k   | ""All right, Ned ~~ to work!""
107:033;08[A  ]| Spider-legged Ned took a long dram out of the bottle on
107:033;09[A  ]| the excuse that there was no time to stand upon ceremony,
107:033;10[A  ]| and his companion was not slow in following his example.
107:033;11[A  ]| Then Ned laid hands on his shovel and began to dig a hole
107:033;12[A  ]| wherein to deposit the stolen treasure.
107:033;13@k   | ""Why not bury it in the same pit that we dug for the nuggets
107:033;14@k   | that we shook from the tent last night, just under that box,
107:033;15@k   | mate?"" 
107:033;15[A  ]| asked Bill, as he lit his pipe.
107:033;16@h   | ""Because there is safety in scattering it,"" 
107:033;16[A  ]| was the reply. 
107:033;16@h   | ""Do not
107:033;17@h   | you know that there are as great rascals as ourselves on the
107:033;18@h   | Flat? Well, suppose some scamp was to discover us one day
107:033;19@h   | burying gold, he might contrive to outwit us in some way,
107:033;20@h   | sharp as we are, and then if all our earnings was hid in one
107:033;21@h   | hole he would just get the lot, but if we bury what we get every
107:033;22@h   | time in a fresh place, he would only discover one nest egg
107:033;23@h   | and the other would be safe. Then these traps, too ~~""
107:033;24@k   | ""Dang the traps. Do not start that subject, because I do not
107:033;25@k   | like it. Thank heaven there are none of them idle, prying,
107:033;26@k   | mischief-making fellows on this Flat; if there was, I should
107:033;27@k   | soon make myself scarce. Just get on with your work, Ned,
107:033;28@k   | it is two o'clock in the morning.""
107:033;29[A  ]| Ned readily complied, and dug away for very life. When
107:033;30[A  ]| he had reached a depth of about a couple of feet, the bag
107:033;31[A  ]| of nuggets was dropped in, the hole filled up, the earth
107:033;32[A  ]| trodden down, and an old sack thrown carelessly over the
107:033;33[A  ]| spot until the ground should resume its usual aspect.
107:033;34[A  ]| The rum bottle was now again had recourse to, and pretty
107:033;35[A  ]| nearly polished off, and then the two worthies prepared to
107:033;36[A  ]| set out for the tent of the digger whom they had plundered
107:033;37[A  ]| and thought they had murdered the night before, with the
107:033;38[A  ]| intention of cutting him down, in order to recover the necktie
107:034;01[A  ]| whose buttons Spider-legged Ned feared might possibly
107:034;02[A  ]| prove troublesome to him.
107:034;03@h   | ""I daresay you think me a fool, Bill,"" 
107:034;03[A  ]| he said, as though
107:034;04[A  ]| to apologise for a feeling which his mate might consider
107:034;05[A  ]| childish and fidgety, 
107:034;05@h   | ""but when you have studied the world
107:034;06@h   | and literature as I have done, particularly the "Police Gazette"
107:034;07@h   | and "Newgate Calendar", you will be aware that trifles often
107:034;08@h   | lead to great discoveries.""
107:034;09@k   | ""Perhaps so, perhaps so, Ned. These nice calculations are not
107:034;10@k   | much in my line, but there was always a spark of the lawyer
107:034;11@k   | in you, so if you must do the thing why come and do it.""
107:034;12@h   | ""All right, man; but can not you lend me a spare handkercher,
107:034;13@h   | it is a bitter cold morning, and I have got a sore throat, anything
107:034;14@h   | will do that keeps the wind out and the warmth in,"" 
107:034;14[A  ]| said
107:034;15[A  ]| Spider-legged Ned, coughing.
107:034;16@k   | ""No, I can not. I do not wear such nick-nacks and I do not keep
107:034;17@k   | them to lend to my friends. For heaven's sake do not be so
107:034;18@k   | old womanish, but come along,"" 
107:034;18[A  ]| replied Bill, testily.
107:034;19@a   | ""Follow me, Coulson, quickly, the moment has come,"" 
107:034;19[A  ]| I
107:034;20[A  ]| whispered to my comrade, and creeping round to the tent
107:034;21[A  ]| door, I entered, and taking the identical scarf from my pocket,
107:034;22[A  ]| held it towards Master Ned, exclaiming, 
107:034;22@a   | ""My countryman
107:034;23@a   | from Plymouth is very welcome to wear a scarf of my Uncle
107:034;24@a   | Channens if his throat is sore, and he will accept the loan.""
107:034;25[A  ]| Spider-legged Ned recognised both me and the neckerchief
107:034;26[A  ]| in a minute. I saw his cheek pale and his lip quiver, but
107:034;27[A  ]| he recovered his pluck almost instantly, and stammered,
107:034;28@h   | ""Who the fury are you and your Uncle Channens? What
107:034;29@h   | brings you here? And whose old cravat is that in your hand?""
107:034;30@a   | ""I will answer your questions backwards, sir,"" 
107:034;30[A  ]| I answered,
107:034;31[A  ]| sternly. 
107:034;31@a   | ""The cravat is your own, and it is the one with which
107:034;32@a   | you hung a digger named John*Ivy. Channens is the name
107:034;33@a   | of the outfitter in Plymouth where you bought that cravat.
107:034;34@a   | My name is James*Brooke. I am a detective officer. And lastly,
107:034;35@a   | my business here is to arrest you on the charges of robbery
107:034;36@a   | with violence, and as being an escaped convict from Western
107:034;37@a   | Australia.""
107:034;38@k   | ""Take that for your trouble, trap,"" 
107:034;38[A  ]| cried a voice close by
107:035;01[A  ]| me, and I saw Ned's mate covering me with his revolver,
107:035;02[A  ]| but before he could pull the trigger Coulson rushed in, and
107:035;03[A  ]| with one blow sent him head over heels to the other end
107:035;04[A  ]| of the tent, where, springing upon him before he could
107:035;05[A  ]| recover himself, he wrenched away his weapon, and clapped
107:035;06[A  ]| the darbies on him in a trice.
107:035;07[A  ]| Meanwhile, however, I was having a desperate tussle with
107:035;08[A  ]| Spider-legged Ned, who made an effort to rush past me and
107:035;09[A  ]| escape, but I caught him a blow on his chin that sent him
107:035;10[A  ]| reeling. I did not like to fire my revolver, as Government
107:035;11[A  ]| discountenanced the use of firearms if a capture could
107:035;12[A  ]| possibly be effected without, and a week previously one of
107:035;13[A  ]| the mounted troopers had been discharged from the service
107:035;14[A  ]| and imprisoned for being too ready with his pistols.
107:035;15[A  ]| Ned came to the scratch again in a minute. He dared not
107:035;16[A  ]| draw his own weapon, for it was covered by his jumper,
107:035;17[A  ]| and he knew that before he could handle it I could shoot
107:035;18[A  ]| him down, so he suddenly lowered his head and made a
107:035;19[A  ]| butt at me, as a bull would do, a style of fighting much
107:035;20[A  ]| in vogue amongst the niggers of the West*Indies. He
107:035;21[A  ]| calculated, doubtless, that I should jump on one side, and
107:035;22[A  ]| that thus he could dart by me and out of the tent. But he
107:035;23[A  ]| calculated without his host, for I tripped him up as he passed,
107:035;24[A  ]| and then stunned him with a blow on the head from the
107:035;25[A  ]| stock of my pistol, after which I handcuffed him.
107:035;26[A  ]| For fear of a riot amongst the rowdies, we at once marched
107:035;27[A  ]| the prisoners out of the camp, which, by the time the first
107:035;28[A  ]| streaks of daylight showed themselves in the east, was four
107:035;29[A  ]| miles in our rear. By eleven o'clock we reached an out-station
107:035;30[A  ]| of the mounted police: the two fossickers were thrown into
107:035;31[A  ]| different cells, and the next morning brought before two
107:035;32[A  ]| justices of the peace, who, upon our united evidence, and
107:035;33[A  ]| that of John*Ivy the plundered digger, who swore that Spider-legged 
107:035;34[A  ]| Ned was the man who had held the conversation
107:035;35[A  ]| with him at his hole the preceding Saturday morning, and
107:035;36[A  ]| closely answered the appearance and possessed a similar
107:035;37[A  ]| voice to the man who had prompted the others to hang
107:035;38[A  ]| him the same evening, they were both committed to stand
107:036;01[A  ]| their trial at the ensuing criminal sessions at Melbourne.
107:036;02[A  ]| John*Ivy recovered the gold stolen from his tent, as well
107:036;03[A  ]| as that subsequently plundered from his claim, for we had
107:036;04[A  ]| heard the fellows confess where the former had been secreted,
107:036;05[A  ]| and beheld the latter buried. The rascal, too, who had fallen
107:036;06[A  ]| down the shaft, was not killed by the fall, but was hauled
107:036;07[A  ]| out of the pit the following day by some miners who
107:036;08[A  ]| happened to be passing the Tolvadden claim, and heard his
107:036;09[A  ]| cries for help. Spider-legged Ned had pushed him in,
107:036;10[A  ]| doubtless, to save sharing the plundered gold with him, and
107:036;11[A  ]| Tom*Jude, for such was the man's name, was so enraged
107:036;12[A  ]| against his treacherous mate, that he turned Queen's
107:036;13[A  ]| evidence, and disclosed every iniquity that this trio of ruffians
107:036;14[A  ]| had committed on the diggings.
107:036;15[A  ]| Without his assistance our links of evidence were so
107:036;16[A  ]| complete that we should have been sure of a conviction on
107:036;17[A  ]| at least three charges. But Tom*Jude's testimony disclosed
107:036;18[A  ]| even more serious crimes. Three murders against Spider-legged
107:036;19[A  ]| Ned, or, as he was called in the indictment, Edward*barton
107:036;20[A  ]| alias Edward*Brunton, alias Thomas*Dunn, alias
107:036;21[A  ]| Michael*Dunealy, and two murders and sundry other crimes
107:036;22[A  ]| against his comrade Bill, or William*Hagarty, the result of
107:036;23[A  ]| which was that they were condemned to death, and were
107:036;24[A  ]| duly executed at the Central Gaol Melbourne, about three
107:036;25[A  ]| weeks or a month later.
108:114,00@@@@@| 
108:114,00['  ]| <THE SALTED CLAIMS.> 
108:114,01[A  ]| One day during my stay at a gold-field called the Galunga*Diggings, 
108:114,02[A  ]| I was walking leisurely down a gully, when I 
108:114,03[A  ]| heard a lusty hurrahing  at a neighbouring hole, and perceived  
108:114,04[A  ]| a digger with whom I was acquainted by sight running 
108:114,05[A  ]| towards me.  A moment later he stood breathless at 
108:114,06[A  ]| my side, and invited me to go and see a nugget nearly as big 
108:114,07[A  ]| as his finger.  No nuggets had yet been found close on that 
108:114,08[A  ]| spot, but only small gold, so the discovery seemed to me 
108:114,09[A  ]| rather surprising.  I hastened on, however, but before I 
108:114,10[A  ]| could gain the spot I heard a man say, 
108:114,10@b   | "Well, I have sold 
108:114,11@b   | the nugget and my hole for five pounds fifteen." 
108:114,12@a   | "Where is the nugget?"  
108:114,12[A  ]| I asked.  
108:114,13@b   | "Oh!"  
108:114,13[A  ]| said he, 
108:114,13@b   | "the man who bought it has gone off with 
108:114,14@b   | it." 
108:114,15[A  ]| Now I found out that there really was a nugget, but I also 
108:114,16[A  ]| conjectured that it had first been put in by this fellow, an 
108:114,17[A  ]| old Bendigo digger, in order to sell his hole.  The nugget 
108:114,18[A  ]| was probably worth half the purchase money, and the hood-winked 
108:114,19[A  ]| buyer of the hole might dig on with ardour but would 
108:114,20[A  ]| soon come down to the rock, and scarcely a particle of gold 
108:114,21[A  ]| reward his pains.  
108:114,22[A  ]| This trick for getting rid of a worthless hole is called 
108:114,23[A  ]| \salting a claim\.  
108:114,24[A  ]| In order to enable my readers, or such of them as have not 
108:114,25[A  ]| worked at the diggings, better to understand this tale, I will 
108:114,26[A  ]| relate some of the circumstances under which gold is generally 
108:114,27[A  ]| found.  
108:114,28[A  ]| At the surface diggings the gold is discovered lying on the 
108:115,01[A  ]| very top to the depth of from six to fourteen inches, and sometimes 
108:115,02[A  ]| still deeper.  These diggings have always been on the face 
108:115,03[A  ]| or side of a hill, and generally such a hill faces east or south-east.  
108:115,04[A  ]| It is found in all sorts of earth, excepting the \black\ 
108:115,05[A  ]| \alluvial soil\, in or amongst gravelly earth, and small quartz, 
108:115,06[A  ]| or in hard, marly clay.  The average yield of this sort of 
108:115,07[A  ]| diggings is about an ounce of gold to a cart-load of earth, and 
108:115,08[A  ]| three men with a cradle can dig up and wash six or seven 
108:115,09[A  ]| loads a day.  It was at this kind of diggings that a party of 
108:115,10[A  ]| three, whom I knew, obtained in eleven days 37*oz% 2*dwts% 
108:115,11[A  ]| each.  But some of the surface-diggings yield much more.  
108:115,12[A  ]| In some particular spots parties of three or four have obtained 
108:115,13[A  ]| 300, 400, and 500, even in one instance 800 ounces in two or 
108:115,14[A  ]| three days; but taking them all together they yield about an 
108:115,15[A  ]| ounce to a load of earth.  In sinking, the deepest of the holes 
108:115,16[A  ]| might be eighteen or twenty feet, certainly not deeper; and 
108:115,17[A  ]| the shallowest two, three, and four feet, so that the average 
108:115,18[A  ]| would be about eight or ten feet.  As they keep sinking they 
108:115,19[A  ]| try a dishful of the earth occasionally until they find that it will 
108:115,20[A  ]| pay for washing.  They frequently find a few particles from 
108:115,21[A  ]| within a couple of feet from the top, but they in general have 
108:115,22[A  ]| to go within a foot of the rock before they find it to pay them; 
108:115,23[A  ]| it is then found sometimes in a hard, marly substance.  The 
108:115,24[A  ]| rocks are mostly blue or grey slate, and in general covered 
108:115,25[A  ]| with a few inches of tough clay, in which gold is seldom or 
108:115,26[A  ]| ever found.  But on the top of the clay a bed of small gravel 
108:115,27[A  ]| is found in which gold most abounds, the nuggets and larger 
108:115,28[A  ]| pieces being often discovered in this gravel.  
108:115,29[A  ]| Now the nugget which the fraudulent digger had pretended 
108:115,30[A  ]| to discover in order to get rid of his hole, he stated he had 
108:115,31[A  ]| found in this lower-stratum of clay; a very improbable thing 
108:115,32[A  ]| in itself, but it was still more improbable that, having made 
108:115,33[A  ]| such a discovery, he would be willing to sell his hole without 
108:115,34[A  ]| making further search, for so small a sum as five pounds 
108:115,35[A  ]| fifteen, or rather two pounds seventeen, after deducting the 
108:115,36[A  ]| value of the nugget.  
108:115,37@a   | "I must keep my eye upon that fellow," 
108:115,37[A  ]| I thought to 
108:115,38[A  ]| myself; but as the affair would only amount to a misdemeanour, 
108:115,39[A  ]| even if he was convicted on the charge, and the 
108:116,01[A  ]| result be merely a few months' imprisonment at the most, I 
108:116,02[A  ]| did not trouble myself much about it; thinking that Mr%*James*Donnithorne 
108:116,03[A  ]| would be sure to put his foot deeper into 
108:116,04[A  ]| the mire before long, and consequently be a fatter prize for 
108:116,05[A  ]| capturing.  
108:116,06[A  ]| It was about a fortnight after the transfer of the salted 
108:116,07[A  ]| claim that I came across Donnithorne's victim.  He was a 
108:116,08[A  ]| young man of scarcely twenty-five years of age.  He must 
108:116,09[A  ]| once have been handsome, but now his face had grown very 
108:116,10[A  ]| haggard and thin, his cheekbones become unduly prominent, 
108:116,11[A  ]| and his face of nearly the colour of old parchment.  It was 
108:116,12[A  ]| on the evening of the day upon which he had deserted his 
108:116,13[A  ]| hole, upon proving it to be a duffer, and I do not think I ever 
108:116,14[A  ]| saw a fellow look so cut up in my life.  I soon managed to 
108:116,15[A  ]| make his acquaintance, and then discovered that he was quite 
108:116,16[A  ]| a new chum, and that this was the first claim he had ever 
108:116,17[A  ]| worked:  in fact he had only been in the colony about three 
108:116,18[A  ]| months, and on the diggings as many weeks.  
108:116,19[A  ]| I asked him to come to Poole's shanty and do a chop and 
108:116,20[A  ]| a nobbler with me, an invitation he readily accepted, and as 
108:116,21[A  ]| it was early in the day we got a room all to ourselves, where, 
108:116,22[A  ]| chops and etceteras disposed of, my new acquaintance became 
108:116,23[A  ]| communicative, and I had no great difficulty in getting him 
108:116,24[A  ]| to narrate his history, which ran, as nearly as I remember, as 
108:116,25[A  ]| follows:  ~~  
108:116,26@c   | "My name is John*Tucker.  I was born at Marazion, a 
108:116,27@c   | small town or rather village in the extreme west of England, 
108:116,28@c   | situated on the shores of Mount's*Bay.  My father was a 
108:116,29@c   | fisherman, an honest man and an upright, but from early 
108:116,30@c   | boyhood I aspired to a higher position than that to which he 
108:116,31@c   | had attained.  My education in the village school did not 
108:116,32@c   | content me.  My natural talent, my steadiness of character, 
108:116,33@c   | and my earnest desire to rise in the world, interested the 
108:116,34@c   | clergyman of the parish in my favour.  He offered to aid 
108:116,35@c   | my views by giving me lessons in Euclid, mathematics and 
108:116,36@c   | natural science.  I eagerly accepted his offer, and I have 
108:116,37@c   | every reason to believe that I did justice to the efforts of my 
108:117,01@c   | kind teacher, for I learnt quickly, and what is more I remembered 
108:117,02@c   | what I learnt.  I determined to make for myself 
108:117,03@c   | a name, and as I had a passionate longing to be a sailor, I 
108:117,04@c   | bound myself an apprentice on board a merchantman.  
108:117,05@c   | During the first year or two of my apprenticeship I spent 
108:117,06@c   | every leisure moment in study, and in order to buy the necessary 
108:117,07@c   | books I became a teetotaller, and in their purchase spent 
108:117,08@c   | the money which else had been squandered in the public-house.  
108:117,09@c   | At the age of twenty ~~ I was second mate, at 
108:117,10@c   | twenty-three I passed my examination as first mate, and now 
108:117,11@c   | at no long period of time ahead I saw a mastership in perspective.  
108:117,12@c   | At this period of my life I fell in love with a very 
108:117,13@c   | beautiful girl some eight years my junior.  My love was 
108:117,14@c   | more madness than anything else, as first love generally is.  
108:117,15@c   | However, the young lady favoured my advances with encouragement, 
108:117,16@c   | and within a month we were engaged, the 
108:117,17@c   | marriage being appointed to come off directly I obtained the 
108:117,18@c   | rank of master, which I hoped to do in some twelve or 
108:117,19@c   | thirteen months time.  A few weeks after my engagement 
108:117,20@c   | I went to sea again, but only for a short voyage, and 
108:117,21@c   | when I returned my lady love seemed as glad as ever to see 
108:117,22@c   | me, and exhibited every demonstration of constancy and 
108:117,23@c   | devotion.  Well, I could not stay at home long, much as I 
108:117,24@c   | desired to do so.  I was suddenly recalled to my ship, which 
108:117,25@c   | was lying at Liverpool, and a week later we were on the wide 
108:117,26@c   | sea again, bound for the Greek ports with a cargo of miscellaneous 
108:117,27@c   | merchandise, or, as the Yankees would term it, 
108:117,28@c   | ""notions.""  We made a prosperous run, discharged cargo at 
108:117,29@c   | Corfu and at some of the neighbouring islands, and reloaded 
108:117,30@c   | with wines, preserved fruit, oil, &c., with which we ran home 
108:117,31@c   | in about six weeks.  Again Liverpool was our port, and no 
108:117,32@c   | sooner had we been warped alongside the wharf than I 
108:117,33@c   | obtained a week's leave and went down by rail to Plymouth, 
108:117,34@c   | whither Eva*Field, my \9fiance=e\, had been taken by her mother 
108:117,35@c   | for the benefit of her health, it being feared that she was 
108:117,36@c   | consumptive.  I had not received a letter from her for a long 
108:117,37@c   | time, although she knew well the ports at which our vessel 
108:117,38@c   | would touch, and had promised to send a letter to each 
108:117,39@c   | one consecutively to await my arrival.  Only one of these 
108:118,01@c   | promised epistles had come to hand, and that was a very 
108:118,02@c   | short note, and anything but a comforting one.  I knew that 
108:118,03@c   | she was very variable in temperament, passionate, suspicious, 
108:118,04@c   | and jealous, so I did not think very deeply of all this, concluding 
108:118,05@c   | that half an hour's conversation would set all right 
108:118,06@c   | again; and as in a fortnight's time I meant to go in for my 
108:118,07@c   | examination for master, I trusted that she would marry me 
108:118,08@c   | off hand, spend the honeymoon in Liverpool, and take the 
108:118,09@c   | first voyage with me in the vessel I should be appointed to.  
108:118,10@c   | All these fine hopes were destined to be crushed, and that 
108:118,11@c   | speedily.  I had great difficulty in finding Eva's whereabouts, 
108:118,12@c   | but at last ~~ more by chance than otherwise ~~ discovered 
108:118,13@c   | that, with her mother and sisters, she occupied 
108:118,14@c   | apartments in Union*Street; in fact it was through seeing 
108:118,15@c   | one of her sisters looking out of a first-floor window as I 
108:118,16@c   | passed along that I did find it out at all.  I was asked to 
108:118,17@c   | walk in, and met with a kind reception, but Eva?  ~~ I looked 
108:118,18@c   | for her in vain.  
108:118,19@c   | ""Where is Eva?"" I asked; and the answer I received 
108:118,20@c   | made my brain whirl and my heart nearly burst with grief 
108:118,21@c   | and passion.  The mother told me ""that Eva had grown very 
108:118,22@c   | intimate with a young surgeon who lived a little way down 
108:118,23@c   | the street:  that she visited him daily, in defiance of her 
108:118,24@c   | commands to the contrary, and that she feared he had not 
108:118,25@c   | not only alienated her affection from her parents, but won her 
108:118,26@c   | love from me."" 
108:118,27@c   | I happened to know this young fellow.  I had been 
108:118,28@c   | acquainted with him for a long time, and was aware that he 
108:118,29@c   | bore the reputation of being tolerably steady, and of fair 
108:118,30@c   | moral character.  I knew also that he had known Eva for 
108:118,31@c   | some years, and had always been on speaking terms with her, 
108:118,32@c   | so I did not fancy that matters were so far gone as Mrs%*Field 
108:118,33@c   | had represented them to be.  I said I would walk down Union*Street 
108:118,34@c   | to his house, and let her see that I had returned, and 
108:118,35@c   | this I accordingly did at once.  It was only a five minutes' 
108:118,36@c   | stroll, so I was presently knocking at his door.  Eva must 
108:118,37@c   | have seen me pass, for she answered the door herself.  She 
108:118,38@c   | was very pale, and greeted me very coldly; called me 
108:118,39@c   | ""Tucker,"" and told me to wait in the doorway while she 
108:119,01@c   | went in and put on her hat and shawl.  She was about five 
108:119,02@c   | minutes doing this, and I heard a tittering inside which I 
108:119,03@c   | have no doubt was at my expense.  At last she came out, 
108:119,04@c   | and said ""that Mr%*Smith had told her to ask me in, but 
108:119,05@c   | that she had made an excuse for me because I had my rough 
108:119,06@c   | sailors' clothes on."" I made no reply, and we walked home 
108:119,07@c   | together; but no sooner had we got into her mother's sitting-room 
108:119,08@c   | than she commenced upbraiding me in the most bitter 
108:119,09@c   | manner for things whereof I was perfectly guiltless, and 
108:119,10@c   | demanded a return of all the letters she had written me, and 
108:119,11@c   | that I would consider our engagement at an end.  
108:119,12@c   | My passion was now aroused, for I had loved the girl 
108:119,13@c   | truly and devotedly, and this treatment pierced me to the 
108:119,14@c   | heart.  I threw the letters she had written me ~~ and which 
108:119,15@c   | until now I had kept in a pocket next my heart ~~ into the 
108:119,16@c   | fire, and watched the flames consume them with a feeling of 
108:119,17@c   | savage glee.  Then I turned towards her, pointed to the 
108:119,18@c   | quivering ashes, and without a word, quitted the house.  I 
108:119,19@c   | was too proud to call next day and try to make my peace, 
108:119,20@c   | which I believe I should have succeeded in doing, but by the 
108:119,21@c   | first train in the morning went down to Marazion on a visit 
108:119,22@c   | to my father and mother.  
108:119,23@c   | Three days later I saw in \The*Cornish*Telegraph\ an 
108:119,24@c   | announcement of the marriage of Eva*Field to John*Smith, 
108:119,25@c   | and then I regretted my precipitation, and that I had not 
108:119,26@c   | made some overtures towards a reconciliation ere it was too 
108:119,27@c   | late.  I learnt about a week later, from a relative of the 
108:119,28@c   | bride's, that she had only married to spite me, and for the 
108:119,29@c   | reason that she believed I had been leading a gay life in 
108:119,30@c   | Liverpool.  I was more riled than ever with her upon 
108:119,31@c   | hearing this, and fancying from what I heard, that though 
108:119,32@c   | married she loved me still, and more to avenge myself than 
108:119,33@c   | for any other reason, returned to Liverpool, and, like an idiot 
108:119,34@c   | that I was, got married in less than a week to a girl whom I 
108:119,35@c   | had never known before.  
108:119,36@c   | Well, after this all my chance of passing for master was 
108:119,37@c   | gone.  My capabilities for study vanished.  I took to hard 
108:119,38@c   | drinking, and in my next voyage, owing to being drunk 
108:119,39@c   | on watch, I got the ship on the rocks, where she became a 
108:120,01@c   | total wreck, though, happily, no lives were lost.  Of course, 
108:120,02@c   | all hopes of promotion were up after that.  I took a hatred 
108:120,03@c   | to the sea; and having received a letter from my brother 
108:120,04@c   | some time previously, narrating how well he was doing in 
108:120,05@c   | Australia, I resolved to come out with my wife and child.  
108:120,06@c   | After a three months' voyage, we dropt anchor in Port*Phillip*Bay, 
108:120,07@c   | landed the next morning, and went to the 
108:120,08@c   | address mentioned in my brother's letter.  Imagine my surprise 
108:120,09@c   | upon learning that this brother, whom we at home 
108:120,10@c   | thought was doing so well, had become bankrupt (he was a 
108:120,11@c   | saddler by trade), and gone nobody knew whither.  Neither 
108:120,12@c   | I nor my wife knew another soul in the colony, and we had 
108:120,13@c   | only twenty pounds in our pockets.  Out of that money we 
108:120,14@c   | bought a tent, pick, shovel, and other camp requisites, and 
108:120,15@c   | set out for the diggings.  When we arrived here I had but 
108:120,16@c   | six pounds in my pocket, and while looking about me the 
108:120,17@c   | day after, I was fool enough to credit that d***d cheat 
108:120,18@c   | Donnithorne, and give him five pounds fifteen for a hole 
108:120,19@c   | not worth a straw." 
108:120,20[A  ]| ~~ ~~ ~~  
108:120,21[A  ]| I saw that the poor fellow was actually desponding; he 
108:120,22[A  ]| had but sixpence in the world, his wife was prostrated with 
108:120,23[A  ]| Colonial fever, and, in short, he was in as unpleasant a 
108:120,24[A  ]| quandary as ever fell to the lot of a new arrival on a gold 
108:120,25[A  ]| field.  I was really sorry for him, but what could I do?  I 
108:120,26[A  ]| could only give him plenty of sympathy, which I did, and 
108:120,27[A  ]| also promised to use every endeavour to bring to justice the 
108:120,28[A  ]| scamp who had sold him the salted claim.  Urging him by 
108:120,29[A  ]| all means to avoid meeting the fellow and taking the law 
108:120,30[A  ]| into his own hands, which, from his violent denunciations 
108:120,31[A  ]| and threats I feared he intended to do.  After a second and 
108:120,32[A  ]| third nobbler, however, my new acquaintance cooled down, 
108:120,33[A  ]| and soon after took his leave.  
108:120,34[A  ]| Now when I had been first shown the nugget with which 
108:120,35[A  ]| the fraudulent digger had salted his claim, I felt convinced 
108:120,36[A  ]| that he had never found it in the hole from which he pretended 
108:120,37[A  ]| to have dug it.  This hole lay where a watercourse 
108:120,38[A  ]| had once been, and I was sufficiently a miner to know that 
108:120,39[A  ]| gold found in the watercourse, or in those places where 
108:121,01[A  ]| watercourses formerly existed, is always more or less smooth 
108:121,02[A  ]| and water-worn.  This nugget,however, was a rough, nubbly 
108:121,03[A  ]| one, such an one in fact as would be found in a hole \on the\ 
108:121,04[A  ]| \side of a hill\, in what is known as a surface digging, where 
108:121,05[A  ]| gold is invariably of the roughest kind, as having been least 
108:121,06[A  ]| exposed to friction, never having been in a watercourse.  
108:121,07[A  ]| I believe this fact alone would have been sufficient whereon 
108:121,08[A  ]| to convict the fellow, but my plan was always to make 
108:121,09[A  ]| things doubly sure, and I determined to wait a while, and, if 
108:121,10[A  ]| possible, catch my man in some piece of rascality that I 
108:121,11[A  ]| could bring more directly home to him.  I conjectured that 
108:121,12[A  ]| he would soon mark out another claim, and that if after a 
108:121,13[A  ]| week of two's digging he found nothing in it, he would salt 
108:121,14[A  ]| it as he had done the last, and try to get rid of it in the 
108:121,15[A  ]| same manner.  
108:121,16[A  ]| I soon contrived to introduce myself to the fellow, for 
108:121,17[A  ]| etiquette at the diggings is somewhat lax, and before long 
108:121,18[A  ]| ingratiated myself into his confidence.  
108:121,19[A  ]| He was a stout, broad-chested fellow of about forty:  none 
108:121,20[A  ]| of your brutal-looking roughs, but bearing the cringing servility 
108:121,21[A  ]| of a petty tradesman, united with the foppish impudence 
108:121,22[A  ]| of a town swell.  His face was smooth shaven, a rare 
108:121,23[A  ]| thing in the diggings; and this, aided by a pair of silver-rimmed 
108:121,24[A  ]| spectacles, gave him somewhat the appearance of a 
108:121,25[A  ]| dissenting minister; but there was a snakey glitter in his 
108:121,26[A  ]| small, twinkling, steel-grey eyes, that betokened cunning and 
108:121,27[A  ]| deceit as plainly as though the words were written on his 
108:121,28[A  ]| narrow, contracted forehead.  He was generally dressed in a 
108:121,29[A  ]| seedy suit of black, plentifully clay bedaubed, and said his 
108:121,30[A  ]| name was Donnithorne, though his general cognomen amongst 
108:121,31[A  ]| the diggers was "Sexton," often qualifield by an adjective 
108:121,32[A  ]| more forcible than elegant to ears polite.  In nature he 
108:121,33[A  ]| seemed decidedly genial, had a word for everybody, and was 
108:121,34[A  ]| ready to take a drink with any*one, though I must confess 
108:121,35[A  ]| that I never saw him stand anything in return.  It was this 
108:121,36[A  ]| amiable little weakness of his that enabled me so easily to 
108:121,37[A  ]| gain his friendship; and as whenever I met him I offered to 
108:121,38[A  ]| shout, I had numerous opportunities of studying his character, 
108:121,39[A  ]| and of pumping him with advantage.  
108:122,01[A  ]| It was about a month after the imbibing of our first 
108:122,02[A  ]| friendly nobbler that I one day met Jimmy*Donnithorne in 
108:122,03[A  ]| the street of the township.  A pretty spectacle he presented.  
108:122,04[A  ]| His left leg was bandaged up, his right arm was in a sling, 
108:122,05[A  ]| and his face looked at least a yard longer than usual, which 
108:122,06[A  ]| is saying a good deal.  He walked with a crutch, and his 
108:122,07[A  ]| old blackened tin billy hung from his belt.  
108:122,08@a   | "Why, Jimmy, what the deuce is up?" 
108:122,08[A  ]| I exclaimed, upon 
108:122,09[A  ]| meeting him in this plight.  
108:122,10@b   | "Oh, Mr%*Brooke, a sad accident.  ""Man proposes, but God 
108:122,11@b   | disposes,"" you know.  Here am I with a crushed foot and a 
108:122,12@b   | broken arm, just as I had a stroke of luck too.  Oh dear!  
108:122,13@b   | oh dear." 
108:122,14[A  ]| I strove to the best of my power to soothe the sufferer, 
108:122,15[A  ]| and I assisted him into a neighbouring shanty, where I got 
108:122,16[A  ]| him into a private room at the back, ordered brandies hot 
108:122,17[A  ]| for two, and pressed him to narrate his adventures.  
108:122,18@b   | "Ah, Mr%*Brooke, it is an unlucky man I am.  Here I am 
108:122,19@b   | laid up for a good six months, and the most splendid hole I 
108:122,20@b   | ever worked lost to me.  Alas!  what shall I do?"  
108:122,20[A  ]| And he 
108:122,21[A  ]| groaned aloud in his distress.  
108:122,22@a   | "How did you meet with such an accident?"  
108:122,22[A  ]| I asked.  
108:122,23@b   | "The earth fell in, man.  I suppose the ground was 
108:122,24@b   | loosened by the rains, and I had neglected to prop up the 
108:122,25@b   | sides of the hole.  It was a wonder that I was not killed on 
108:122,26@b   | the spot, or else buried alive beneath the refuse, it was indeed.  
108:122,27@b   | As it happened, I was just able to limp out of the shaft 
108:122,28@b   | and crawl to the doctor, who, as you know, lives close by, and 
108:122,29@b   | he says that I shall be unfit for work for at least six months." 
108:122,30@a   | "Upon my honour, Jimmy, I am very sorry," 
108:122,30[A  ]| I remarked, 
108:122,31[A  ]| assuming an expression of commiseration.  
108:122,32@b   | "Sorry!  I am ***, my friend.  But it is the loss of the 
108:122,33@b   | precious gold that grieves me, even more than does the bodily 
108:122,34@b   | pains.  Such a find!  Oh, what an unlucky dog I am!" 
108:122,35@a   | "I do not exactly understand you, Jimmy," 
108:122,35[A  ]| said I.  
108:122,36[A  ]| The wounded digger cast upon me a glance of pity, doubtless 
108:122,37[A  ]| at my stupidity, and screwing round his head over his 
108:122,38[A  ]| his shoulder, winked his left eye, and muttered, 
108:122,38@b   | "Look in 
108:122,39@b   | my billy, mate, that will answer you." 
108:123,01[A  ]| I raised the lid as desired, and I saw at the bottom of the 
108:123,02[A  ]| billy eight or nine nuggets of gold.  
108:123,03@b   | "Take them up and look at them," 
108:123,03[A  ]| said Jimmy.  
108:123,04[A  ]| I readily did so.  They were nuggets, sure enough.  The 
108:123,05[A  ]| largest was about the size of a walnut, the smallest somewhat 
108:123,06[A  ]| bigger than a broad bean.  
108:123,07@a   | "Mate, you are in luck," 
108:123,07[A  ]| I observed, replacing the bits of 
108:123,08[A  ]| gold at the bottom of the billy.  
108:123,09@b   | "Luck do you call it?"  
108:123,09[A  ]| he growled.  
108:123,09@b   | "Why, I had just 
108:123,10@b   | discovered a pocketful of golden nuggets, some as big as 
108:123,11@b   | little pears, but I had only just picked up these haphazard from 
108:123,12@b   | the lot when the earth fell in and buried it all again, nearly 
108:123,13@b   | killing me into the bargain." 
108:123,14@a   | "What a pity you are so badly hurt, Donnithorne.  You 
108:123,15@a   | must look out for a mate now, and divide all finds with 
108:123,16@a   | him," 
108:123,16[A  ]| I said.  
108:123,17@b   | "Mate?  Not I!  I am so badly hurt that I must manage 
108:123,18@b   | to get to town and have more skilful medical attendance 
108:123,19@b   | than that of the drunken stupid doctor here.  I must try 
108:123,20@b   | and sell my hole, that is what I must do.  A mate might rob 
108:123,21@b   | me whilst I was away." 
108:123,22@a   | "And what would you take for the hole?" 
108:123,23@b   | "A hundred and fifty pounds down on the nail, and not a 
108:123,24@b   | penny less.  There is more than that amount of gold in the 
108:123,25@b   | pocket from which I got this.  It would not take a week to 
108:123,26@b   | shovel out the landslip." 
108:123,27[A  ]| I began to smell a rat.  I had suspicions that Master*Jimmy 
108:123,28[A  ]| was acting a part with me, but I replied innocently, 
108:123,29@a   | "Well, Donnithorne, perhaps that would be your best plan.  
108:123,30@a   | I would buy your claim myself had I but the blunt to do so; 
108:123,31@a   | as it is, however, I will, if you will lend me one of the smallest 
108:123,32@a   | of your nuggets, try and get you a purchaser, you giving me 
108:123,33@a   | five per*cent on the purchase money if I introduce a deal." 
108:123,34@b   | "Done, mate," 
108:123,34[A  ]| responded the digger, grasping my hand 
108:123,35@b   | "You see I am unable to move about much, and so might 
108:123,36@b   | miss a chance of a good bargain.  Take one of the nuggets, 
108:123,37@b   | big or little, and then just help me into the bar, for I might 
108:123,38@b   | do a stroke of business with a stray customer of Mother*Reece's." 
108:123,39[A  ]| 
108:124,01[A  ]| I did as he requested, selected the second largest nugget 
108:124,02[A  ]| amongst his selection, transferred it to my pocket, helped 
108:124,03[A  ]| him on to his feet, or rather his foot and crutch, amidst 
108:124,04[A  ]| many groans and contortions of countenance, as though the 
108:124,05[A  ]| movement caused him acute anguish, and then assisted him 
108:124,06[A  ]| into the bar, where I propped him up against the counter, 
108:124,07[A  ]| ordered a drink of brandy hot, which I placed before him, 
108:124,08[A  ]| and then bade him good*day and quitted the shanty.  As I 
108:124,09[A  ]| sauntered down the street I could hear his shrill cracked 
108:124,10[A  ]| voice re-spinning his yarn to two sturdy diggers who had 
108:124,11[A  ]| dropped into the "Rose*and*Crown" for their morning 
108:124,12[A  ]| nobbler.  
108:124,13[A  ]| Before returning to my tent I entered another shanty in 
108:124,14[A  ]| order to get a snack of lunch.  As I walked into the bar the 
108:124,15[A  ]| mail coach from Melbourne rattled up, and hastily securing 
108:124,16[A  ]| a copy of \The*Argus\, I threw myself into a chair, and was 
108:124,17[A  ]| soon quickly devouring its contents.  The English mail had 
108:124,18[A  ]| just arrived, so that the paper was full of home news, and in 
108:124,19[A  ]| a few minutes I was so thoroughly engrossed in the still 
108:124,20[A  ]| damp broadsheet, as completely to have forgotten the existence 
108:124,21[A  ]| of Jimmy*Donnithorne and his nuggets to boot.  
108:124,22[A  ]| Suddenly, however, both were recalled to my mind as my 
108:124,23[A  ]| eye rested on the following paragraph:  ~~  
108:124,24@z   | "BIRMINGHAM FRAUD ON OUR VICTORIAN GOLD FIELDS.  ~~  
108:124,25@z   | \We are in receipt of advice that spurious nuggets and gold\ 
108:124,26@z   | \dust are being extensively manufactured in Birmingham, for\ 
108:124,27@z   | \Australian consignees, either to be sold to gold buyers, or else\ 
108:124,28@z   | \for the purpose of ""peppering"" or ""salting"" claims for fraudulent\ 
108:124,29@z   | \sale on the diggings.  Some of this spurious metal\ 
108:124,30@z   | \arrived by the ""Marco*Polo,"" on Thursday last; and a box\ 
108:124,31@z   | \full was captured by the police.  The strongest acids have been\ 
108:124,32@z   | \applied, but the metal was so well and strongly gilded as to\ 
108:124,33@z   | \resist the tests ordinarily applied.  We were present at Mr%*John*Cohen's\ 
108:124,34@z   | \gold sale yesterday, and saw some of this fictitious\ 
108:124,35@z   | \compound of the form of shot, in which shape the gold\ 
108:124,36@z   | \is found with a slight pellicle hanging to it; but it was agreed\ 
108:124,37@z   | \upon by all present that the imitation was most ingeniously\ 
108:124,38@z   | \contrived, and when acids were applied by Mr%*Hall, a jeweller\ 
108:124,39@z   | \and purchaser for the banks, the metal was not to be acted\ 
108:125,01@z   | \upon.  The extent to which this nefarious trade is being carried\ 
108:125,02@z   | \on between Birmingham and the Colonies, and with what\ 
108:125,03@z   | \degree of success, is unknown, and will remain so until our\ 
108:125,04@z   | \next advices from England are received.  The loss to some\ 
108:125,05@z   | \will, no doubt, be a very serious matter.  This is not a very\ 
108:125,06@z   | \creditable affair for the workshop of the world to be connected\ 
108:125,07@z   | \with, but several other frauds are at present being perpetrated\ 
108:125,08@z   | \in connection with the gold deposits and gold dealing; one of\ 
108:125,09@z   | \a much more serious character is the following, viz%:  ~~ The\ 
108:125,10@z   | \adulteration of gold with twenty per*cent% of copper, or as\ 
108:125,11@z   | \it was stated in evidence at the Police*Court in Bendigo on\ 
108:125,12@z   | \Wednesday last, with Muntz metal."\ 
108:125,13[A  ]| I had no sooner concluded the perusal of this paragraph, 
108:125,14[A  ]| than I felt a firm conviction that worthy Jimmy*Donnithorne's 
108:125,15[A  ]| nuggets were no other than spurious Birmingham compound, 
108:125,16[A  ]| that his having found them in his hole was all a hoax, and 
108:125,17[A  ]| that his smashed foot and broken arm was a trick got up to 
108:125,18[A  ]| enable him to sell a worthless claim at a higher price.  I at 
108:125,19[A  ]| once started for my tent, where I subjected the little nugget 
108:125,20[A  ]| in my possession to nitric acid, and then to aquafortis, but 
108:125,21[A  ]| to my chagrin it defied both tests.  I was, however, unchanged 
108:125,22[A  ]| in my impression by this, and I determined that 
108:125,23[A  ]| very day to start for Melbourne, and submit it to the most 
108:125,24[A  ]| skilful chemists in the city; when, if its worthlessness was 
108:125,25[A  ]| discoverable, I would obtain a warrant and return and arrest 
108:125,26[A  ]| Mr%*Donnithorne at once.  
108:125,27[A  ]| First of all, I resolved to call on the doctor to whose surgery 
108:125,28[A  ]| Donnithorne said he had crawled after his accident.  I 
108:125,29[A  ]| did so, and found the surgeon at home.  Upon asking him 
108:125,30[A  ]| whether upon a certain night a man with a smashed foot and 
108:125,31[A  ]| a broken arm had called upon him, he told me point blank 
108:125,32[A  ]| that he had not attended a patient for either kind of accident 
108:125,33[A  ]| for more than a month, and that on the night in question the 
108:125,34[A  ]| only person who had sought his medical assistance was a 
108:125,35[A  ]| woman to have a tooth extracted.  I therefore bade him good-day, 
108:125,36[A  ]| begging him not to tell any*one of my visit, and once more 
108:125,37[A  ]| bent my steps homewards, if my little shabby tent on the bleak 
108:125,38[A  ]| hillside could be called \home\.  
108:125,39[A  ]| On my road I had to pass down the street of the township, 
108:126,01[A  ]| and when I had nearly reached the further end, I met a man 
108:126,02[A  ]| walking wildly along, his hat crushed over his eyes, his step 
108:126,03[A  ]| irregular, his face pale and haggard as that of a dying man.  
108:126,04[A  ]| By the bright moonlight I recognised John*Tucker, the 
108:126,05[A  ]| digger who had purchased Donnithorne's duffer claim for 
108:126,06[A  ]| L5*15s%, the day after his arrival on the Flat.  
108:126,07@a   | "Why, Tucker, what is the matter?"  
108:126,07[A  ]| I asked, laying a 
108:126,08[A  ]| hand on his arm as he was about to pass me.  
108:126,09[A  ]| The man started, and his face flushed for a moment, then 
108:126,10[A  ]| he said, 
108:126,10@c   | "Oh!  it is you, Mr%*Brooke." 
108:126,11@a   | "Yes, it is I; but you ~~ why, bless my heart, I scarcely 
108:126,12@a   | knew you." 
108:126,13@c   | "Ah!  no wonder ~~ no wonder,"  
108:126,13[A  ]| he murmured abstractedly.  
108:126,14@a   | "What, still out of luck?  You look regularly down in 
108:126,15@a   | the mouth," 
108:126,15[A  ]| I said.  
108:126,16@c   | "Out of work!  Yes, and far worse than that:  my wife 
108:126,17@c   | died last night, died of starvation, and I am now looking for 
108:126,18@c   | her murderer." 
108:126,19@a   | "I am sorry to hear \that\, very sorry.  But, \starvation\:  
108:126,20@a   | how did that happen?  Surely you could have got work 
108:126,21@a   | somewhere." 
108:126,22@c   | "I tried ~~ I tried, Mr%*Brooke.  I kept working at that 
108:126,23@c   | cursed hole of Donnithorne's till I got to my last sixpence.  
108:126,24@c   | Then I tried to get employment from some*one else, but I 
108:126,25@c   | tramped over the diggings day after day without success, nobody 
108:126,26@c   | would give me a job.  I would have left the field, for 
108:126,27@c   | I could have got plenty of work, at high wages, anywhere in 
108:126,28@c   | the country; but, by this time, my wife was stricken down 
108:126,29@c   | with Colonial fever, and could not be moved.  I dared not 
108:126,30@c   | leave her alone in such a place, so still kept looking, hoping, 
108:126,31@c   | praying for work on the Flat.  Well, I never got it, my wife 
108:126,32@c   | sank day by day, the doctor who attended her gratuitously 
108:126,33@c   | said that she was dying from want of proper nourishment; 
108:126,34@c   | last night, at eleven o'clock, she breathed her last.  And 
108:126,35@c   | now, as I said before, I am looking for her murderer." 
108:126,36@a   | "Whom you \consider\ to be Donnithorne?"  
108:126,36[A  ]| I observed 
108:126,37[A  ]| He nodded assent.  
108:126,38@a   | "And what do you mean to do by him?" 
108:126,39@c   | "Shoot him down as I would a dog.  Do not I owe all my 
108:127,01@c   | misery to him?  Did not he cheat me of my money?  But 
108:127,02@c   | for him my wife would not have died, I should not now 
108:127,03@c   | perhaps be a beggar.  No, no, I have sworn to shoot him, and 
108:127,04@c   | I will." 
108:127,05@a   | "Nonsense, Tucker; by that course you will peril your 
108:127,06@a   | own life.  It is not worth while to be sent to the gallows for 
108:127,07@a   | the mere pleasure of killing such a fellow as Donnithorne.  
108:127,08@a   | Let the law claim him.  If you will promise to forego your 
108:127,09@a   | revenge for three days, I will promise that by that time he 
108:127,10@a   | shall be in a prison." 
108:127,11@c   | "No, no; I can not forego my revenge; his punishment 
108:127,12@c   | must be awarded by \my\ hand," 
108:127,12[A  ]| muttered the digger between 
108:127,13[A  ]| his teeth.  
108:127,14@a   | "If such is your resolve, I must arrest you," 
108:127,14[A  ]| making a step 
108:127,15[A  ]| towards him.  
108:127,16[A  ]| Tucker started, 
108:127,16@c   | "\You\ arrest \me\.  Who are you, then?" 
108:127,17@a   | "James*Brooke, of the detective force." 
108:127,18@c   | "Are you in earnest?"  
108:127,18[A  ]| he asked.  
108:127,19@a   | "I am," 
108:127,19[A  ]| I rejoined, sternly.  
108:127,20@c   | "Then I promise," 
108:127,20[A  ]| he said, with a sigh.  
108:127,21@a   | "To prove you are not prevaricating, just lend me that 
108:127,22@a   | revolver for a few days," 
108:127,22[A  ]| I said; for I had caught sight of the 
108:127,23[A  ]| stock of a "Colts" sticking out of his pocket.  
108:127,24[A  ]| He essayed to make some excuse, but I was firm, and he 
108:127,25[A  ]| gave the weapon up.  
108:127,26@a   | "Now, old fellow, cheer up; one day you will thank 
108:127,27@a   | heaven that I was the means of frustrating your plans this 
108:127,28@a   | morning," 
108:127,28[A  ]| and without another word I left him and soon 
108:127,29[A  ]| gained my tent.  
108:127,30[A  ]| Early the following morning I was up and preparing for 
108:127,31[A  ]| my departure.  I walked away from the Flat on foot, and 
108:127,32[A  ]| then struck into the high road and slackened my pace.  In 
108:127,33[A  ]| a quarter of an hour or so Cobb's mail and coach overtook me.  I 
108:127,34[A  ]| managed to get a seat on the box, and after a pleasant drive 
108:127,35[A  ]| of some nine hours we reached Melbourne.  
108:127,36[A  ]| It was too late to transact any business that day, so I went 
108:127,37[A  ]| to the theatre and enjoyed myself.  Early next forenoon I 
108:127,38[A  ]| set to business.  I first called on Mr%*Hall, the jeweller, and 
108:127,39[A  ]| purchaser of gold for the banks, whose name occurred in 
108:128,01[A  ]| the paragraph in \The*Argus\ that had struck my attention a 
108:128,02[A  ]| couple of days previously.  He tested my nugget, and after 
108:128,03[A  ]| taking no small amount of trouble, to my great delight, found 
108:128,04[A  ]| it to be a spurious one.  
108:128,05[A  ]| I took down his depositions to that effect, and then hurried 
108:128,06[A  ]| to a police magistrate, from whom I procured a warrant to 
108:128,07[A  ]| arrest James*Donnithorne, on the charge of "obtaining 
108:128,08[A  ]| money under false pretences;" and armed with this authority, 
108:128,09[A  ]| I secured a seat in the evening coach, and in a few hours was 
108:128,10[A  ]| being whirled back to the Galunga*Flat.  
108:128,11[A  ]| After a journey which occupied the whole night, we 
108:128,12[A  ]| arrived at our, or rather \my\ destination, for the coach only 
108:128,13[A  ]| dropt me in passing.  
108:128,14[A  ]| The sun was just rising over the distant mountain peaks 
108:128,15[A  ]| when I reached home.  It was five o'clock.  I lit my fire, 
108:128,16[A  ]| filled my billy with water, and manufactured some damper.  
108:128,17[A  ]| Then while it was baking I lit my pipe, and seating myself 
108:128,18[A  ]| on a log outside, puffed away in happy contentment, and 
108:128,19[A  ]| admired the beauty of the landscape.  
108:128,20[A  ]| Suddenly I observed a man walking rapidly along the flat 
108:128,21[A  ]| in an easterly direction.  It was rather an early hour for a 
108:128,22[A  ]| digger to be astir, but that fact alone did not fix my attention, 
108:128,23[A  ]| for though he was too far distant for me to distinguish 
108:128,24[A  ]| his features, I knew by his long, irregular stride and gaunt 
108:128,25[A  ]| figure, that it was John*Tucker.  
108:128,26[A  ]| Another fact that I immediately became aware of was that 
108:128,27[A  ]| he was crossing the flat in the direction of Donnithorne's 
108:128,28[A  ]| tent.  This discovery, however, did not cause me any uneasiness.  
108:128,29[A  ]| Strange to say, I trusted the fellow's promise, and 
108:128,30[A  ]| concluded that even if he did break it, that as I had his 
108:128,31[A  ]| revolver, and knew he could not afford to buy another, the 
108:128,32[A  ]| assault would be a mere matter of fisticuffs, from which 
108:128,33[A  ]| much mischief was not likely to result, so I patiently waited 
108:128,34[A  ]| until my breakfast was ready, made a hearty meal, and then 
108:128,35[A  ]| set out for the purpose of arresting my man.  
108:128,36[A  ]| It was about a mile to his tent from my own, and as it was 
108:128,37[A  ]| even now only six o'clock, I depended upon capturing him 
108:128,38[A  ]| before he was out of bed, for it would be inconsistent with 
108:128,39[A  ]| his reputed broken and crushed limbs to be up with the lark.  
108:129,01[A  ]| I therefore sauntered leisurely along, enjoying the beauty of 
108:129,02[A  ]| the morning and the deliciously cool southern breeze, until 
108:129,03[A  ]| within a couple of hundred yards of my destination, when I 
108:129,04[A  ]| heard the noise of two men in angry altercation.  The sounds 
108:129,05[A  ]| came without a doubt, from the interior of Donnithorne's 
108:129,06[A  ]| tent.  Furious oaths and bitter names, then the dull sound 
108:129,07[A  ]| of blows, and presently the whole structure shook as though 
108:129,08[A  ]| some*one had been violently hurled against the ridge pole.  
108:129,09[A  ]| I now hastened my steps, feeling as I ran on whether my 
108:129,10[A  ]| revolver and handcuffs were handy to be got at; but before I 
108:129,11[A  ]| could gain the tent, two figures reeled out of it.  They were 
108:129,12[A  ]| both of them locked in each other's grasp, and I recognised 
108:129,13[A  ]| at a glance that the combatants were John*Tucker and James*Donnithorne.  
108:129,14[A  ]| The face of the former resembled that of a 
108:129,15[A  ]| demon, so disfigured was it by rage and hatred; the latter, 
108:129,16[A  ]| no longer a cripple, was, with his disengaged arm (the \broken\ 
108:129,17[A  ]| one, by-the-bye), raining a shower of blows on his adversary's 
108:129,18[A  ]| head and shoulders, which seemed to be no more regarded 
108:129,19[A  ]| than if each of them was a descending feather.  
108:129,20@a   | "Stop, mate," 
108:129,20[A  ]| I shouted, 
108:129,20@a   | "that man is my prisoner!" 
108:129,21[A  ]| Neither of them heard my words, but continued to writhe, 
108:129,22[A  ]| twist, and struggle in their close embrace like two interlaced 
108:129,23[A  ]| boa-constrictors.  I made no attempt to separate them, but 
108:129,24[A  ]| waited until the struggle was over, which I concluded would 
108:129,25[A  ]| be as soon as one of the parties was thrown.  At length 
108:129,26[A  ]| Jimmy*Donnithorne seemed to be getting the better of his 
108:129,27[A  ]| more fragile antagonist, whose breathing was becoming short 
108:129,28[A  ]| and gasping, and whose muscles were beginning to fail him.  
108:129,29[A  ]| A sneer curled Donnithorne's lip as he noticed these indications 
108:129,30[A  ]| of failing strength; he ceased to grapple his assailant, 
108:129,31[A  ]| but with an adroit jerk freed his arms for a moment, and 
108:129,32[A  ]| then, like lightning, caught him with both his brawny hands 
108:129,33[A  ]| by the throat, which he grasped with such iron pressure that 
108:129,34[A  ]| Tucker's face began to grow purple, while his eyes seemed to 
108:129,35[A  ]| be starting from their sockets.  I now thought it time to interfere, 
108:129,36[A  ]| and sprang towards Donnithorne to drag him from 
108:129,37[A  ]| his half-strangled foe, but ere I could effect this, Tucker 
108:129,38[A  ]| had drawn a knife and stabbed Donnithorne twice in the 
108:129,39[A  ]| back.  
108:130,01[A  ]| The latter immediately relaxed his grasp, and muttering, 
108:130,02@b   | "Oh, my God, I am done for" 
108:130,02[A  ]| fell heavily to the ground.  
108:130,03@a   | "What have you done?  You have killed him," 
108:130,03[A  ]| I said, 
108:130,04[A  ]| as I raised the wounded man's head.  
108:130,05[A  ]| The digger did not seem to hear my words, his gaze was 
108:130,06[A  ]| riveted with an expression of fiendish hate on the countenance 
108:130,07[A  ]| of the dying man.  He folded his arms on his chest 
108:130,08[A  ]| and said, calmly.  
108:130,08@c   | "My poor wife is avenged." 
108:130,09[A  ]| I now hastened to examine Donnithorne's wounds.  A 
108:130,10[A  ]| moment's inspection told me that he had only a few minutes 
108:130,11[A  ]| to live.  The knife had been plunged into his body up to its 
108:130,12[A  ]| haft at each stab:  the blood was flowing in torrents, and had 
108:130,13[A  ]| already formed a pool around him.  
108:130,14@a   | "I will summon aid to carry you to the doctor's," 
108:130,14[A  ]| I said.  
108:130,15@b   | "No, no, let me die here.  I can but live for a few minutes," 
108:130,16[A  ]| he said, faintly.  
108:130,17[A  ]| I saw that to insist upon moving him would be needless 
108:130,18[A  ]| cruelty, but I bandaged up his wounds in order to keep body 
108:130,19[A  ]| and soul together as long as possible, and then asked him if 
108:130,20[A  ]| there was anything he would like done after his death.  
108:130,21[A  ]| He seemed to consider for a moment or two, and then 
108:130,22[A  ]| looking me in the face, he for the first time recognised me.  
108:130,23[A  ]| A puzzled expression crossed his countenance as he said, 
108:130,23@b   | "I 
108:130,24@b   | thought that some*one called out just now that I was a 
108:130,25@b   | prisoner.  Was it so?" 
108:130,26@a   | "Yes, I said so as I came up.  I am a police officer.  The 
108:130,27@a   | nugget you gave me the other day I took to Melbourne to be 
108:130,28@a   | tested; it was found to be spurious, so I obtained a warrant, 
108:130,29@a   | which I have now in my pocket, for your arrest.  But you 
108:130,30@a   | will presently be before a more mighty, and, I trust, a more 
108:130,31@a   | merciful tribunal than a police court." 
108:130,32[A  ]| The dying man shuddered, then his glance fell on John*Tucker, 
108:130,33[A  ]| who still stood in the same attitude, with his stern, 
108:130,34[A  ]| remorseless gaze fixed on his victim.  
108:130,35@b   | "Who are you and why sought you this meeting?"  
108:130,35[A  ]| asked 
108:130,36[A  ]| the dying man, who had evidently forgotten the digger's 
108:130,37[A  ]| countenance.  
108:130,38@c   | "Who am \I\, rascal?  I am the man you cheated out 
108:130,39@c   | of his every penny in return for a worthless claim; who owes 
108:131,01@c   | his own ruin and his wife's death to you.  If you would know 
108:131,02@c   | the name of the man who has wreaked a righteous judgment 
108:131,03@c   | on you, it is John*Tucker." 
108:131,04@b   | "Who?  who?"  
108:131,04[A  ]| cried the dying man, raising himself upon 
108:131,05[A  ]| his elbow and gazing wildly at his assassin's face.  
108:131,05@b   | "Say that 
108:131,06@b   | name again, it can not be possible." 
108:131,07@c   | "What can not be possible?"  
108:131,07[A  ]| muttered the other.  
108:131,07@c   | "If you 
108:131,08@c   | mean my name, why, it is possible, for I am John*Tucker." 
108:131,09@b   | "My God!  then you are my \brother\," 
108:131,09[A  ]| ejaculated the other.  
108:131,10@b   | "My name is Tom*Tucker, and my native town is Marazion in 
108:131,11@b   | Cornwall;" 
108:131,11[A  ]| and as he uttered the last word he fell back on 
108:131,12[A  ]| the blood sodden turf a corpse.  
108:131,13[A  ]| A terrible change overspread the countenance of the murderer; 
108:131,14[A  ]| the expression of hatred and gratified vengeance that 
108:131,15[A  ]| had been imprinted on every feature passed away, and with 
108:131,16[A  ]| a look of unutterable agony and despair he flung himself on 
108:131,17[A  ]| his knees before the corpse, and with trembling fingers unfastened 
108:131,18[A  ]| a long hair guard that encircled the dead man's 
108:131,19[A  ]| throat.  To the end of this chain was attached a large gold-plated 
108:131,20[A  ]| locket.  The wretched man opened it, and exclaiming, 
108:131,21@c   | "It is my mother's portrait; his words are true then, and I 
108:131,22@c   | am a second Cain," 
108:131,22[A  ]| he fell back insensible.  
108:131,23[A  ]| By this time we had a small crowd around us.  Two or three 
108:131,24[A  ]| sturdy diggers, by my directions, carried the corpse to the 
108:131,25[A  ]| doctor's, for the purpose of a post-mortem examination; 
108:131,26[A  ]| though, of course, such a proceeding would be a mere matter 
108:131,27[A  ]| of form.  
108:131,28[A  ]| I now turned my attention to the unconscious assassin, 
108:131,29[A  ]| who in about ten minutes began to show signs of returning 
108:131,30[A  ]| reason.  When he had fully regained his senses I clapped 
108:131,31[A  ]| the handcuffs on him, and took him to my own tent.  He 
108:131,32[A  ]| was very quiet and docile, his spirit seemed to be completely 
108:131,33[A  ]| crushed.  When we got to the tent he asked for a drink of 
108:131,34[A  ]| water, and after he had drunk it he said impressively, 
108:131,34@c   | "I 
108:131,35@c   | \should\ have thanked Heaven if I had taken your advice the 
108:131,36@c   | other day, Mr%*Brooke." 
108:131,37[A  ]| I made no reply.  What consolation could I give under 
108:131,38[A  ]| such circumstances?  
108:131,39[A  ]| The finding on the inquest was, of course, one of "wilful 
108:132,01[A  ]| murder," and that same evening I started with my prisoner 
108:132,02[A  ]| for Melbourne.  
108:132,03[A  ]| He was not very communicative on the journey, he seemed 
108:132,04[A  ]| to be sunk in a sort of lethargy of agonized despair; but yet 
108:132,05[A  ]| I gathered from him the following facts, ~~ namely, that his 
108:132,06[A  ]| brother had quitted England at twenty years of age, and when 
108:132,07[A  ]| John was only ten years old, therefore the non-recognition 
108:132,08[A  ]| on each side was very natural.  When Donnithorne, or rather, 
108:132,09[A  ]| the elder Tucker, sold his duffer claim for L5*15s%, he never 
108:132,10[A  ]| troubled to inquire the purchaser's name, and so was unconscious 
108:132,11[A  ]| that he was cheating on his own kith and kin, until he 
108:132,12[A  ]| learnt it from the lips of the fratricide.  As for John, he 
108:132,13[A  ]| did not even know whether or not his brother had quitted 
108:132,14[A  ]| the Colony.  
108:132,15[A  ]| The fratricide was tried at the following criminal sittings 
108:132,16[A  ]| at Melbourne; but the bill for murder being thrown out by 
108:132,17[A  ]| the grand jury, he was merely arraigned for "manslaughter," 
108:132,18[A  ]| of which he was found guilty, with a strong recommendation 
108:132,19[A  ]| to mercy, on account of the excitement he was labouring 
108:132,20[A  ]| under at the time, and the painful circumstances that occasioned 
108:132,21[A  ]| it.  He was condemned to twelve years' penal servitude; 
108:132,22[A  ]| which sentence, by-the-bye, terminated nearly twelve months 
108:132,23[A  ]| ago, and my readers may perhaps be glad to learn that on his 
108:132,24[A  ]| release from captivity he returned to Engalnd a truly penitent 
108:132,25[A  ]| man, and that he is now the sole stay and comfort of 
108:132,26[A  ]| his aged father and mother.  
108:132,27[A  ]| About a month after the fatal conflict of the two brothers, 
108:132,28[A  ]| I had the good fortune to make a regular raid amongst the 
108:132,29[A  ]| sellers of dummy claims and spurious gold on the Galunga*Flat.  
108:132,30[A  ]| I was the instrument of bringing some nine or ten of 
108:132,31[A  ]| them to justice; but not before many innocent persons had 
108:132,32[A  ]| been victimized, and much injury inflicted on those who could 
108:132,33[A  ]| hardly afford to be chiselled of perhaps their last sovereign 
108:132,34[A  ]| or two.  Poverty is a sad thing everywhere, but in no spot 
108:132,35[A  ]| is it so hard and difficult to bear and struggle with as on a 
108:132,36[A  ]| gold-field, where the necessaries of life are so exorbitantly 
108:132,37[A  ]| dear, and selfishness the prevailing characteristic of the 
108:132,38[A  ]| population.  Perhaps, also, there is no place on earth where 
108:132,39[A  ]| poverty is so frequently to be met with, even absolute want.  
108:133,01[A  ]| To most people at a distance there appears some romance 
108:133,02[A  ]| in gold-digging; they are excited with the idea that they may 
108:133,03[A  ]| kick up a stone and find twenty pounds of gold under it, and 
108:133,04[A  ]| can not imagine how people can refrain from seizing a pick 
108:133,05[A  ]| and breaking every piece of quartz they pass, to see if there 
108:133,06[A  ]| is another monster nugget in it; but this is all a delusion.  
108:133,07[A  ]| Gold-digging is a real downright matter-of-fact trade; in so 
108:133,08[A  ]| many hours of common labourer's work, so much gold; in so 
108:133,09[A  ]| many buckets of earth, so many ounces; and when once a 
108:133,10[A  ]| man is amongst the diggers, he feels no more inclination to 
108:133,11[A  ]| take a pick in his hand for the chance of what he may turn 
108:133,12[A  ]| up, than he would to enter upon the labour of English 
108:133,13[A  ]| navvies, whose allowance is three cubic yards per day.  The 
108:133,14[A  ]| labour is always great, and sometimes exceedingly so, and a 
108:133,15[A  ]| great many fail altogether, and either go to the wall or become 
108:133,16[A  ]| fossickers, cheats, loafers, and adventurers.  As to salting 
108:133,17[A  ]| claims, I have little doubt in my own mind that many of the 
108:133,18[A  ]| Mu^nchausen holes, out of which the L5*000 and L7*000 were 
108:133,19[A  ]| so readily shovelled up at Mount*Alexander in a few days, 
108:133,20[A  ]| were got up in such a way and for similar purposes.  Many 
108:133,21[A  ]| knowing people, at the time, did not hesitate to assert that 
108:133,22[A  ]| the wonderful finds that the Governor, in perfect good faith 
108:133,23[A  ]| on \his\ part, reported to the Home*Government, in the early 
108:133,24[A  ]| days of the gold fever, were prepared by interested parties.  
109:134,00@@@@@| 
109:134,00['  ]| <A TALE OF A SKULL.> 
109:134,01[A  ]| On every digger's licence at Galunga there was notified the 
109:134,02[A  ]| strict prohibition against sinking holes upon any road, or of 
109:134,03[A  ]| cutting up the roads through the diggings in any manner.  This 
109:134,04[A  ]| regulation was not only necessary for the preservation of the 
109:134,05[A  ]| roads, but even more so for the security of human life.  Yet 
109:134,06[A  ]| it was almost totally disregarded, and wherever gold was to 
109:134,07[A  ]| be got, the diggers cut up the roads, without the slightest 
109:134,08[A  ]| regard either to the convenience of the public or its safety.  
109:134,09[A  ]| The roads through the diggings were, in fact, regularly undermined, 
109:134,10[A  ]| cut up, and obstructed; and the unfortunate draymen, 
109:134,11[A  ]| and all who had to travel over them, sought in 
109:134,12[A  ]| bewilderment to find a passage across the heaps and hollows.  
109:134,13[A  ]| In innumerable places in all the diggings there were pits 
109:134,14[A  ]| along the sides of the roads ~~ even \in\ the roads ~~ of various 
109:134,15[A  ]| depths, of from ten to one hundred feet, gaping, without the 
109:134,16[A  ]| slightest protection, for any traveller in the dark to plunge 
109:134,17[A  ]| into.  The reader may be astonished at this disregard of 
109:134,18[A  ]| human life, but the fact is, that amid the chaos of adventurers 
109:134,19[A  ]| of all countries, rushing madly from every corner of 
109:134,20[A  ]| the globe to render themselves wealthy, life, as may be supposed, 
109:134,21[A  ]| was held wonderfully cheap.  Who was likely to care 
109:134,22[A  ]| for any*one but himself?  The number of unrecorded dead who 
109:134,23[A  ]| were discovered and cast in hastily dug graves, too frequently 
109:134,24[A  ]| without any*one knowing anything about them, was truly 
109:134,25[A  ]| frightful.  While I was encamped at these diggings, instances 
109:134,26[A  ]| occurred of people entering a tent, and finding a solitary 
109:134,27[A  ]| man in the last moments of life, without a friend near, or 
109:134,28[A  ]| any means of help.  Probably he had lain for days, or even 
109:135,01[A  ]| weeks, amid the vast multitude, unable to raise hand or foot, 
109:135,02[A  ]| or cry for aid to those who, eager in their quest of gold, 
109:135,03[A  ]| were ever passing or repassing a few steps from him.  Others, 
109:135,04[A  ]| again, were found in such a situation with every sign of 
109:135,05[A  ]| abject want around them, and not the slightest clue whereby 
109:135,06[A  ]| to discover who they were or whence they came.  Out of 
109:135,07[A  ]| hundreds of thousands of diggers, English and foreign, how 
109:135,08[A  ]| many might have had friends who would have given their 
109:135,09[A  ]| own lives to learn news of the absent ones!  But any news 
109:135,10[A  ]| of them they will now never obtain, for they lie either in 
109:135,11[A  ]| those nameless graves, or in the deep road-side shafts now 
109:135,12[A  ]| long since deserted and their sides fallen in, burying their 
109:135,13[A  ]| victims under many tons of clay and earth.  Yes, many a 
109:135,14[A  ]| poor fellow, without doubt, has met a horrible fate thus; 
109:135,15[A  ]| many a fleshless skeleton lies at the bottom of those terrible 
109:135,16[A  ]| man-traps whose fate must ever remain a mystery.  
109:135,17[A  ]| I was one day chatting with two or three diggers at Old 
109:135,18[A  ]| Brown's store, on the Galunga diggings, when a man whom 
109:135,19[A  ]| I knew very well came in to buy a pound of candles.  There 
109:135,20[A  ]| was something so strange about his appearance that I could 
109:135,21[A  ]| not help staring at him in mute surprise.  I had not seen 
109:135,22[A  ]| him for two or three days, and when I last beheld him he 
109:135,23[A  ]| was as burly, red-faced, jovial a looking fellow as any on the 
109:135,24[A  ]| flat.  Now he was thin, haggard, and lantern-jawed, with 
109:135,25[A  ]| a face as pale as a corpse, and even his hair and whiskers, 
109:135,26[A  ]| which had been a glossy black, were thickly sprinkled with 
109:135,27[A  ]| grey.  
109:135,28@b   | "How do you do, Mitchell?" 
109:135,28[A  ]| said the man, nodding to me as 
109:135,29[A  ]| he entered.  
109:135,30[A  ]| (Mitchell was then my \9nom*de*guerre\, for as yet it was 
109:135,31[A  ]| known but to very few that I was in the force.) 
109:135,32@a   | "Pretty well, thank you, mate.  How is yourself?  You 
109:135,33@a   | look down in the mouth.  Have you hit upon a good claim, 
109:135,34@a   | or seen a ghost?  ~~ which?" 
109:135,35@b   | "I have hit upon a claim \and\ seen a ghost, or something 
109:135,36@b   | worse.  Come along with me directly, and I will tell you of 
109:135,37@b   | something curious," 
109:135,37[A  ]| answered the man; and without another 
109:135,38[A  ]| word he proceeded to make his purchases.  
109:135,39[A  ]| While he is doing so let me try and picture to the reader 
109:136,01[A  ]| the general appearance of a store at the diggings in the year 
109:136,02[A  ]| 1853.  The one we were in was a fair sample of its class.  
109:136,03[A  ]| It was a large tent, oblong in shape, and in it everything 
109:136,04[A  ]| required by a digger or a digger's wife or family could be 
109:136,05[A  ]| obtained, ~~ that is to say, if the wherewithal to purchase 
109:136,06[A  ]| was at hand, ~~ from barley-sugar to sardines and potted 
109:136,07[A  ]| salmon, from pickled onions to Bass's pale ale, from ankle 
109:136,08[A  ]| jack-boots to a sou'-wester, from a pair of stays to a cradle, 
109:136,09[A  ]| and every requisite for mining, from  a pick to a needle.  But 
109:136,10[A  ]| the confusion, the noise, the medley:  What a scene for a 
109:136,11[A  ]| Regent*Street shopwalker:  Here hang a couple of red herrings 
109:136,12[A  ]| dripping into a bag of sugar, and a heap of tallow 
109:136,13[A  ]| candles lying amid a box of raisins.  There a bundle of gay-coloured 
109:136,14[A  ]| ribbons crushed beneath two unwashed tumblers 
109:136,15[A  ]| and a half-finished bottle of stout.  Cheese and salt fish, 
109:136,16[A  ]| bread and blacking, pork, yellow soap, and currants, saddles 
109:136,17[A  ]| and frocks, green veils and blue serge suits, wideawakes and 
109:136,18[A  ]| shovels, baby linen and camphine lamps, all heaped indiscriminately 
109:136,19[A  ]| together, added to which there are frequently 
109:136,20[A  ]| children squalling, men swearing, storekeeper sulking, and 
109:136,21[A  ]| last, though by no means least, women's tongues going nineteen 
109:136,22[A  ]| to the dozen.  
109:136,23[A  ]| The digger bought a few articles, crammed some into his 
109:136,24[A  ]| pockets, stuck others under his arm, and beckoned to me to 
109:136,25[A  ]| follow him.  So nodding to the other loiterers, I joined him 
109:136,26[A  ]| on the outside.  
109:136,27@b   | "Come with me," 
109:136,27[A  ]| said he.  
109:136,27@b   | "I have got a sick wife, so I 
109:136,28@b   | must go straight home, but the track is not much out of 
109:136,29@b   | your road, and we can talk as we go on." 
109:136,30@a   | "All right, mate," 
109:136,30[A  ]| I replied.  
109:136,30@a   | "But you look ill yourself.  
109:136,31@a   | What the deuce has come over you?" 
109:136,32@b   | "That is just what I am about to tell you, and as it is a long 
109:136,33@b   | yarn I will begin at once.  I have not told it to a soul yet, and 
109:136,34@b   | thought I would not till I had asked your opinion on the matter.  
109:136,35@b   | It is a secret that had better, perhaps, be kept close." 
109:136,36@a   | "Well, Bob, begin, for I am all impatience to hear it." 
109:136,37@b   | "May be, then, you have missed me for a few days?" 
109:136,38[A  ]| I confessed that I had done so.  
109:136,39@b   | "It is oncommon lucky for me that I was not missed altogether.  
109:137,01@b   | I tumbled down a fifteen fathom shaft last Saturday 
109:137,02@b   | night whilst coming home rather groggy from Neilsen's 
109:137,03@b   | shanty, and did not get hauled up until yesterday." 
109:137,04@a   | "By Jove:  yesterday was Tuesday, ~~ three days.  Why, you 
109:137,05@a   | must have been nearly starved, man." 
109:137,06@b   | "So I was, but the miracle is that I was not killed.  My 
109:137,07@b   | life was saved by falling on the body of a putrid horse, so 
109:137,08@b   | that I came down soft like, but by George the smell was 
109:137,09@b   | frightful:  How I did halloo all the Sunday:  but it was no 
109:137,10@b   | use; not a soul heard me, and on the Monday I was equally 
109:137,11@b   | unsuccessful.  On Tuesday I was too weak to cry out much, 
109:137,12@b   | but just as it was getting dark I heard two men walking just 
109:137,13@b   | by the mouth of the shaft, so I gathered all my strength for 
109:137,14@b   | a desperate cooe=e, and thank God I was heard.  They got 
109:137,15@b   | a rope and somehow hauled me up, more dead than alive, I 
109:137,16@b   | can tell you, and carried me home to my tent, where I found 
109:137,17@b   | my wife stricken down by Colonial fever, brought on no 
109:137,18@b   | doubt by her anxiety regarding me.  By Jove:  when my 
109:137,19@b   | own children looked at me they did not know me!" 
109:137,20@a   | "I scarcely wonder at that, Bob; I hardly knew you myself," 
109:137,21[A  ]| I rejoined, seeing that he paused for me to make some 
109:137,22[A  ]| observation.  
109:137,23@b   | "Did not you, now?  Well, do you fancy that what I have 
109:137,24@b   | already told you is all that befell me in that cursed hole?" 
109:137,25@a   | "I do not know, but from your manner I imagine you have 
109:137,26@a   | something more to tell," 
109:137,26[A  ]| I rejoined.  
109:137,27@b   | "And so I have, mate.  Listen.  There has been a foul 
109:137,28@b   | murder committed, and the evidences of it are now at the 
109:137,29@b   | bottom of that pit." 
109:137,30@a   | "The pit you fell into?" 
109:137,31@b   | "Yes." 
109:137,32[A  ]| My professional interest was at once aroused, and I 
109:137,33[A  ]| demanded eagerly, 
109:137,33@a   | "How do you know this?" 
109:137,34@b   | "Why, while I was groping about down there in the dark, 
109:137,35@b   | my hand came against something hard and round like a ball, 
109:137,36@b   | but full of holes it seemed to me.  I tried hard to discover 
109:137,37@b   | what it was, and at last, by feel more than sight, made it out 
109:138,01@b   | to be a skull ~~ a human skull.  I could feel the holes where 
109:138,02@b   | the eyes had been, the nostrils, the mouth; my fingers even 
109:138,03@b   | fumbled against a tooth or two, all loose and rattling.  Was not 
109:138,04@b   | that a pleasant discovery?" 
109:138,05@a   | "Well, it was rather dismal, mate; but all this does not 
109:138,06@a   | show that any murder has been committed.  The man might 
109:138,07@a   | have fallen in by accident, as you did, then died of starvation, 
109:138,08@a   | as you might have done, and then the rats and other 
109:138,09@a   | vermin perhaps picked the flesh from his face, and left his 
109:138,10@a   | skull to frighten you." 
109:138,11@b   | "You will not think so when I have finished my yarn, for 
109:138,12@b   | just over the left eye there was another hole.  Ah, I see you 
109:138,13@b   | start now:  This hole was a slit of about an inch long, and 
109:138,14@b   | may be the eighth part of an inch wide; in fact, just such a 
109:138,15@b   | slit as a Congress knife would make in a fellow's skull, and I 
109:138,16@b   | guess that was what done it." 
109:138,17@a   | "Where was the fellow's body?  You only mention the 
109:138,18@a   | skull, Bob." 
109:138,19@b   | "Where his body was I can not guess ~~ not in that hole, I will 
109:138,20@b   | take my Davy." 
109:138,21@a   | "Did you search?" 
109:138,22@b   | "Yes, I did, thoroughly, but not even a bone was there, 
109:138,23@b   | only the skull." 
109:138,24@a   | "That is a pity," 
109:138,24[A  ]| I muttered to myself; 
109:138,24@a   | "additional 
109:138,25@a   | evidence would be valuable." 
109:138,26@b   | "What do you think of this, then?" 
109:138,26[A  ]| said Bob, after a 
109:138,27[A  ]| pause, and plunging his hand into his trousers pocket, he 
109:138,28[A  ]| pulled out a bowie knife, and handed it to me with a grim 
109:138,29[A  ]| smile.  
109:138,30[A  ]| I clutched the knife eagerly; it afforded one of the links 
109:138,31[A  ]| of evidence that I wanted.  Stopping suddenly in my walk, 
109:138,32[A  ]| I closely examined it.  It was a kind of weapon known in 
109:138,33[A  ]| America as a Congress knife:  the hilt was of German silver, 
109:138,34[A  ]| the blade might have been some six inches in length; it was 
109:138,35[A  ]| very rusty, but half a glance showed me that the rust was of 
109:138,36[A  ]| two kinds.  Near the hilt the light iron-mould hue was 
109:138,37[A  ]| that of damp, but from the point to about three inches up 
109:138,38[A  ]| the blade the dark brown, almost black stains, were plainly 
109:138,39[A  ]| the rust of blood.  On one side the blade I could distinguish 
109:139,01[A  ]| an eagle, with the motto, 
109:139,01@z   | "\Never draw me without reason,\ 
109:139,02@z   | \nor sheath me without honour,"\ 
109:139,02[A  ]| stamped in the steel.  
109:139,03@a   | "This is a most valuable find, Bob," 
109:139,03[A  ]| I said, slapping my 
109:139,04[A  ]| companion on the back; 
109:139,04@a   | "but I suppose that the skull is 
109:139,05@a   | still in the shaft?" 
109:139,06@b   | "It is; I did not care to bring it up with me.  Do not you 
109:139,07@b   | think we ought to inform the police before we do anything 
109:139,08@b   | further?"  
109:139,08[A  ]| observed the digger.  
109:139,09@a   | "Bob, I will tell you a secret; we have been acquaintances 
109:139,10@a   | now for some time, and I think I can depend upon you.  I 
109:139,11@a   | am one of the force, and I am here on special duty, so you see 
109:139,12@a   | there is no need to inform any*one else." 
109:139,13@b   | "The deuce you are!"  
109:139,13[A  ]| exclaimed Bob, starting, and then 
109:139,14[A  ]| looking at me keenly to see whether I was in jest.  He 
109:139,15[A  ]| seemed satisfied with his inspection, however, and said drily, 
109:139,16@b   | "Well, you might have told a fellow of this before; you have 
109:139,17@b   | been rather close with a friend, I think." 
109:139,18@a   | "Never mind that, old boy; I dare say I should have 
109:139,19@a   | told you before long, even if it had not been for this affair.  
109:139,20@a   | But to return to business.  We must manage to get that 
109:139,21@a   | skull above ground, and that speedily, too.  Will you aid me?" 
109:139,22@b   | "Oh yes, I do not mind." 
109:139,23@a   | "What do you say to to-night, then, for a try?" 
109:139,24@b   | "I am willing; but what about a rope?"  
109:139,25@a   | "I will get both rope and candle," 
109:139,25[A  ]| I rejoined.  
109:139,25@a   | "Remember, 
109:139,26@a   | there is money to be earned, as well as justice to be meted 
109:139,27@a   | out.  At what time will you join me, and where?" 
109:139,28@b   | "I will call for you at your tent at about eleven o'clock; 
109:139,29@b   | the hole is no great way from your hang-out.  We shall 
109:139,30@b   | have finished the job before midnight, I reckon." 
109:139,31[A  ]| We had now arrived close up to Bob's tent, and cautioning 
109:139,32[A  ]| him not to tell a soul what had happened, not even his 
109:139,33[A  ]| own wife, I took my leave of him and walked away.  
109:139,34[A  ]| Many a brown study I fell into that day, and many a pipe 
109:139,35[A  ]| of Barrett's twist did I smoke to clear my faculties, and aid 
109:139,36[A  ]| me in the solving of the skull enigma.  In vain, however, 
109:139,37[A  ]| did I trouble my brain; the affair as yet seemed inexplicable, 
109:139,38[A  ]| but I still smoked and thought on, until night brought eleven 
109:139,39[A  ]| o'clock and my friend Bob.  
109:140,01@b   | "I am pretty punctual, you see," 
109:140,01[A  ]| said he.  
109:140,02@a   | "Yes, I can not blame you on that score, mate; and here 
109:140,03@a   | are rope and candles.  We will have a dram of rum, and 
109:140,04@a   | then be off." 
109:140,05[A  ]| I produced a bottle and a couple of tin cups as I spoke, 
109:140,06[A  ]| and we took our drinks in silence.  We then set out on our 
109:140,07[A  ]| adventure.  
109:140,08[A  ]| We had only a mile to walk before we got to the scene of 
109:140,09[A  ]| operations, so that in about twenty minutes after leaving my 
109:140,10[A  ]| tent, we stood alongside the deserted shaft; and while Bob 
109:140,11[A  ]| was adjusting his rope around the barrel of the windlass, 
109:140,12[A  ]| and making other preparations for a descent, I took a narrow 
109:140,13[A  ]| inspection of the locality, which the bright starlight enabled 
109:140,14[A  ]| me to do.  
109:140,15[A  ]| Although not far removed from the centre of the gold-field, 
109:140,16[A  ]| this hole was, nevertheless, at least three hundred yards 
109:140,17[A  ]| distant from any other, while at about forty-five or fifty 
109:140,18[A  ]| yards from it stood a tent, which was also about three 
109:140,19[A  ]| hundred yards distant from any other tent.  The tent in 
109:140,20[A  ]| question was pitched in the rear of the heaps of earth thrown 
109:140,21[A  ]| up in digging the shaft, so that, standing as we were at the 
109:140,22[A  ]| mouth of the shaft, we could only just see the top of it.  
109:140,23[A  ]| These simple facts struck me as peculiar.  
109:140,23@a   | "Without doubt," 
109:140,24[A  ]| I thought, 
109:140,24@a   | "that tent is occupied by the man who dug this 
109:140,25@a   | shaft, for a digger would naturally fix his tent as close to the 
109:140,26@a   | locality where he was working as possible, but this hole has 
109:140,27@a   | evidently been for some time abandoned.  How is it, then, 
109:140,28@a   | that he has not marked out a fresh claim, and commenced 
109:140,29@a   | diggging somewhere else, and, as a natural consequence, 
109:140,30@a   | removed himself and tent to his new scene of operations?" 
109:140,31[A  ]| I was unable to answer these mental queries, but I could 
109:140,32[A  ]| not help fancying that the mystery of the skull was hidden 
109:140,33[A  ]| within that neighbouring tent.  
109:140,34[A  ]| By this time Bob*Mason was ready for a descent; he had 
109:140,35[A  ]| secured and wound the rope over the barrel, and tied a coil of 
109:140,36[A  ]| the other end around his middle, so I stood by the windlass 
109:140,37[A  ]| and began to lower him.  
109:140,38[A  ]| By George, how that old rusty windlass did creak; but as 
109:140,39[A  ]| it did not commence doing so until Bob was halfway down, 
109:141,01[A  ]| it was as well to lower him the other half as to draw him up 
109:141,02[A  ]| again.  I was, however, terribly afraid that the inmate of the 
109:141,03[A  ]| tent would be alarmed by the noise, and if he had been, and 
109:141,04[A  ]| there was any crime to conceal, he might pop me off with his 
109:141,05[A  ]| revolver and then throw me into the hole; leaving my mate a 
109:141,06[A  ]| second chance of starving to death by cutting the rope, or 
109:141,07[A  ]| else shoot him down at his leisure, as coolly as he would fire 
109:141,08[A  ]| at a rat in a trap.  
109:141,09[A  ]| The deuce of it was, I had not a weapon of any kind with 
109:141,10[A  ]| me.  
109:141,11[A  ]| As luck would have it, however, the fellow was either 
109:141,12[A  ]| away in the township, or else slept as man never slept before, 
109:141,13[A  ]| for Bob got to the bottom of the hole all right, and the creaky 
109:141,14[A  ]| old windlass ceased its uproar.  I looked down into the 
109:141,15[A  ]| obscure depth below me, and saw the digger strike a match, 
109:141,16[A  ]| light a candle, and look around him narrowly on every side.  
109:141,17[A  ]| At length I saw the light fall on the identical skull he was 
109:141,18[A  ]| in search of.  He perceived it at the same instant, picked it 
109:141,19[A  ]| up from the damp humid earth, and held it aloft in his hand 
109:141,20[A  ]| with an air of triumph.  I nodded to signify approval, and 
109:141,21[A  ]| he then placed it inside his jumper, and gave me a signal to 
109:141,22[A  ]| draw him up.  
109:141,23@a   | "Are both your hands at liberty, Bob?"  
109:141,23[A  ]| I asked in a low 
109:141,24[A  ]| tone, for a whisper is almost audible from the top to the 
109:141,25[A  ]| bottom of a shaft.  
109:141,26@b   | "Yes, quite." 
109:141,27@a   | "Then I shall just secure the rope to the upright, and you 
109:141,28@a   | must ascend hand over hand."  
109:141,29[A  ]| I did not explain my reason for so doing, but doubtlessly 
109:141,30[A  ]| he guessed it.  Quickly shifting the rope from the barrel to 
109:141,31[A  ]| one of the uprights of the framework, and making it secure, 
109:141,32[A  ]| I let him clamber to the surface as best he could.  A few 
109:141,33[A  ]| minutes later he stood by my side.  We then drew up the 
109:141,34[A  ]| rope, coiled it, and without interchanging a word, retraced 
109:141,35[A  ]| our steps to my tent, which we soon reached.  I looked at 
109:141,36[A  ]| my watch, and as Mason had predicted, we had finished our 
109:141,37[A  ]| work before midnight, for it was just ten minutes to twelve.  
109:141,38[A  ]| We now had out the rum bottle again, and lighting our 
109:141,39[A  ]| pipes, prepared to enjoy ourselves.  
109:142,01@a   | "Whose tent is that, Bob, close to the shaft?"  
109:142,01[A  ]| I asked.  
109:142,02@b   | "Oh, I know:  a fellow called Adams hangs out there" 
109:142,03@a   | "Do not you fancy it is a strange thing that he never heard 
109:142,04@a   | your shouts during those three days and nights that you were 
109:142,05@a   | in the hole?"  
109:142,05[A  ]| I remarked, drily.  
109:142,06@b   | "So it was, very odd, living so close by as he did, too; but 
109:142,07@b   | I believe he is deaf.  I know that he used to complain of 
109:142,08@b   | being so when he was a mate of mine at Gardiner's*Creek, 
109:142,09@b   | some two years ago." 
109:142,10@a   | "Does he know of your adventure in that shaft, or anything 
109:142,11@a   | of what you saw there?" 
109:142,12@b   | "Oh no; I have not seen him since.  You are the only 
109:142,13@b   | man I have told of the skull business, and the only one 
109:142,14@b   | I shall tell." 
109:142,15@a   | "That is right, Bob; a still tongue makes a wise head, you 
109:142,16@a   | know.  In less than a month, ay, perhaps in less than a 
109:142,17@a   | week, all the flat may know of it.  It seems to me this fellow 
109:142,18@a   | Adams is a queer one.  What is he doing now?  I do not 
109:142,19@a   | see any sign of another hole about his tent, and that old 
109:142,20@a   | shaft has long since been deserted.  Has he given up 
109:142,21@a   | digging?" 
109:142,22@b   | "Not he, he has got a claim and has sunk a hole quite at 
109:142,23@b   | the other end of the flat; he works in it every day, too, 
109:142,24@b   | and has lately turned up some tidy nuggets there.  Why, 
109:142,25@b   | bless your heart, his claim is only half a stonethrow from 
109:142,26@b   | mine," 
109:142,26[A  ]| said Mason.  
109:142,27@a   | "When why on earth does not he pitch his tent close to his 
109:142,28@a   | new hole, instead of leaving it by the deserted one?  He has 
109:142,29@a   | a two-mile walk every day to and from work." 
109:142,30@b   | "I do not know; he is a rum cove altogether, a mighty 
109:142,31@b   | savage chap too.  He was in California some time, and his 
109:142,32@b   | revolver and knife are as ready as his tongue, ~~ a little more so, 
109:142,33@b   | in fact:  for Jack*Adams prefers biting to barking any day, 
109:142,34@b   | I can tell you." 
109:142,35[A  ]| I now changed the conversation to other subjects, and 
109:142,36[A  ]| shortly after Bob*Mason got up to go home, leaving the skull 
109:142,37[A  ]| behind him.  
109:142,38[A  ]| After he had gone, I immediately set to work to examine 
109:142,39[A  ]| my treasure by the aid of a tallow dip stuck in a ginger-beer 
109:143,01[A  ]| bottle.  The skull was just like any other skull, for the flesh 
109:143,02[A  ]| had been all stripped off it long ago by rats and other vermin, 
109:143,03[A  ]| but there was the hole over the left eye socket, just as 
109:143,04[A  ]| Mason had described.  I saw that it was knife-work at once, 
109:143,05[A  ]| and going to my box I rummaged up the rusty old bowie 
109:143,06[A  ]| knife that Mason had given me the day before, and thrust it 
109:143,07[A  ]| into the incision.  It fitted it exactly; a fool could not have 
109:143,08[A  ]| doubted but that that knife and that head had been previously  
109:143,09[A  ]| acquainted.  
109:143,10[A  ]| All this was very satisfactory, so far as it went, but the 
109:143,11[A  ]| next and most difficult thing of all was to find the murderer, 
109:143,12[A  ]| and to bring the crime home to him.  I had already, as before 
109:143,13[A  ]| observed, strong suspicions against Mr%*Jack*Adams; and I 
109:143,14[A  ]| passed another sleepless night in laying schemes whereby to 
109:143,15[A  ]| bring him within my toils, for it was broad daylight before 
109:143,16[A  ]| I had concocted a sufficiently practicable plot to stand any 
109:143,17[A  ]| chance of success.  
109:143,18[A  ]| I first of all set about forming Adams's acquaintance, which 
109:143,19[A  ]| I managed to do the following day at the "Olive*Leaf" 
109:143,20[A  ]| shanty at knock-off hour, and before a week had expired 
109:143,21[A  ]| sundry drinks had, in a way, cemented it, and a sort of 
109:143,22[A  ]| friendship arose between us.  
109:143,23[A  ]| One Sunday afternoon I strolled carelessly past the deserted 
109:143,24[A  ]| hole and Adams's tent, calmly smoking my pipe and with my 
109:143,25[A  ]| hands in my pockets, wearing the air of a man who is lazily 
109:143,26[A  ]| taking his constitutional, and wanders as his nose or fancy leads 
109:143,27[A  ]| him.  All at once I heard a gruff voice halloo out, 
109:143,27@c   | "Hoy:  
109:143,28@c   | boy, Mitchell!"  
109:143,28[A  ]| I glanced round and pretended to look surprised, 
109:143,29[A  ]| as my eyes fell on the burly form of Jack*Adams lying 
109:143,30[A  ]| on the ground outside his tent, his hands under his head and 
109:143,31[A  ]| a short black pipe between his teeth.  
109:143,32@a   | "Halloo, is that you, Adams?  So you hang out here, do 
109:143,33@a   | you:  Why, man alive, I thought you were fixed up by 
109:143,34@a   | O'Neil's shanty, on the other side of the flat," 
109:143,34[A  ]| I said, with an 
109:143,35[A  ]| air of surprise, as I turned back and sat, or rather squatted 
109:143,36[A  ]| down by his side.  
109:143,37@c   | "Oh no, I am not, nor never was; what made you think 
109:143,38@c   | that?" 
109:144,39@a   | "Why, I could have sworn that as I passed along the 
109:144,01@a   | ridge there the other morning I saw you at work close 
109:144,02@a   | by." 
109:144,03@c   | "Yes, I dare say you did; I have a hole there." 
109:144,04@a   | "There?"  
109:144,04[A  ]| I exclaimed, in accents of assumed surprise.  
109:144,05@a   | "Why on earth do not you pitch your tent there, then?" 
109:144,06[A  ]| I saw that the suddenness of the question had taken him 
109:144,07[A  ]| aback; but after a draw from his pipe he said, 
109:144,07@c   | "Oh, I do not 
109:144,08@c   | like the neighbourhood there, I prefer this place." 
109:144,09[A  ]| The reason was a poor one, for the part of the diggings 
109:144,10[A  ]| where he was now located, and which he pretended to prefer, 
109:144,11[A  ]| was marshy, unhealthy, very gloomy; and I knew that the 
109:144,12[A  ]| water, which was very good on the other side, was here impregnated 
109:144,13[A  ]| with mineral substances, and most offensive to the 
109:144,14[A  ]| taste.  
109:144,15@a   | "Ah, you may \like\ it best, for you have more elbow-room 
109:144,16@a   | here, I grant; but are not you afraid of having your hole plundered 
109:144,17@a   | at night, and you so far away from it?" 
109:144,18@c   | "Oh no, not I.  They know me, they do, and I guess that 
109:144,19@c   | most of them do vally their skins too much to try it on with 
109:144,20@c   | Jack*Adams," 
109:144,20[A  ]| said the fellow, with an oath too horrible to 
109:144,21[A  ]| record.  
109:144,22[A  ]| I had not won much ground on that tack, so, after a few 
109:144,23[A  ]| minutes' silent puffing at my pipe, I said carelessly, nodding 
109:144,24[A  ]| towards the neighbouring shaft, 
109:144,24@a   | "Did you ever work that 
109:144,25@a   | claim, mate?" 
109:144,26@c   | "Yes, \rather\:  Bill*Taylor and I was mates there a twelve-month 
109:144,27@c   | agone, and a tidy bit we made out of it too." 
109:144,28@a   | "Bill*Taylor:  heavens:  I knew Bill*Taylor well in England.  
109:144,29@a   | Where is he now?  By Jove, I am so glad I began 
109:144,30@a   | to talk about that hole.  How delighted I shall be to 
109:144,31@a   | see the old fellow!"  
109:144,31[A  ]| I exclaimed, in excited tones.  It is 
109:144,32[A  ]| needless to confess that I never heard the name before in 
109:144,33[A  ]| my life.  
109:144,34[A  ]| I saw that I had caught Adams for a second time on the 
109:144,35[A  ]| ground-hop.  I perceived that his mahogany-tinted countenance 
109:144,36[A  ]| actually grew pale, and his voice had lost its loud 
109:144,37[A  ]| blustering tones, as he said, 
109:144,37@c   | "I am afraid you never will clap 
109:144,38@c   | eyes on that coon, for the day after we had our best find he 
109:144,39@c   | said he would have a holiday, so he took his gun and went 
109:145,01@c   | into the bush to shoot parrot.  I never saw him afterwards; 
109:145,02@c   | I dare say he lost his way and died of hunger." 
109:145,03[A  ]| It was not likely that I swallowed this cock-and-bull story, 
109:145,04[A  ]| but of course I pretended to, and expressed abundance of 
109:145,05[A  ]| sorrow and pity for the fate of poor Bill*Taylor; though at 
109:145,06[A  ]| the same time feeling pretty sure that I had his skull at 
109:145,07[A  ]| home in my tent, and that his body was lying not in the 
109:145,08[A  ]| bush, but snugly buried under the turf in a spot not very  
109:145,09[A  ]| remote from where I now sat; in fact, I shrewdly conjectured 
109:145,10[A  ]| that his grave was dug inside Jack*Adams' very 
109:145,11[A  ]| tent.  
109:145,12[A  ]| I had done enough pumping for one day, for I did not 
109:145,13[A  ]| want to awaken any suspicions in the breast of my new 
109:145,14[A  ]| friend, so we chatted for some time on various subjects, and 
109:145,15[A  ]| then I rose and took my leave.  
109:145,16[A  ]| I suffered three days to pass before I came across Adams 
109:145,17[A  ]| again.  This time I watched him into a shanty, and walking 
109:145,18[A  ]| in about five minutes later, recognised him as though accidentally, 
109:145,19[A  ]| and asked him to have a wet.  Master*Jack readily 
109:145,20[A  ]| assented, and I soon contrived to get him into a sufficient 
109:145,21[A  ]| state of jollity to illustrate the proverb, 
109:145,21@z   | "When the wine is 
109:145,22@z   | in the wit is out."  
109:145,22[A  ]| I then enticed him away, telling him that 
109:145,23[A  ]| he had had enough, got him outside, and volunteered to walk 
109:145,24[A  ]| part of the way home with him.  
109:145,25[A  ]| Adams was not drunk ~~ had he been so it would not have 
109:145,26[A  ]| suited my views, ~~ but he had taken just enough to dissipate 
109:145,27[A  ]| his usual caution, and I felt sure that he would not be on his 
109:145,28[A  ]| guard when replying to my questions.  
109:145,29[A  ]| For some minutes I walked by his side in silence; then I 
109:145,30[A  ]| said, carelessly, 
109:145,30@a   | "How long ago is it since you worked the old 
109:145,31@a   | shaft by your tent, Jack?" 
109:145,32@c   | "Not since Bill*Taylor's death, mate; or at least, I mean 
109:145,33@c   | to say, it was about a week after he lost himself that I gave it 
109:145,34@c   | up." 
109:145,35[A  ]| I noticed the clumsy correction, but took no heed of it.  
109:145,36@a   | "Why did you abandon it, mate?  Did not it pay for 
109:145,37@a   | working?" 
109:145,38@c   | "Not a bit of it, we was clean down on the rock; there 
109:145,39@c   | is not a bit of gold left in the hole." 
109:146,01[A  ]| This statement did not exactly correspond with his boasting 
109:146,02[A  ]| on the previous Sunday afternoon of the "tidy lot of gold" 
109:146,03[A  ]| himself and mate had got out of the hole a day or two before 
109:146,04[A  ]| the final disappearance of the latter; so I said, 
109:146,04@a   | "I am sure, 
109:146,05@a   | mate, you overlooked something, for that old shaft holds a 
109:146,06@a   | secret that no*one on the flat knows about," 
109:146,06[A  ]| I said, in 
109:146,07[A  ]| slow, impressive tones, looking him full in the face as I 
109:146,08[A  ]| spoke.  
109:146,09[A  ]| By George:  the expression of Adams's face at that moment 
109:146,10[A  ]| was a treat to witness.  He turned as pale as death, his eyes 
109:146,11[A  ]| seemed to be starting out of his head, his legs shook under 
109:146,12[A  ]| him, as he exclaimed, 
109:146,12@c   | "A secret:  what do you mean?  
109:146,13@c   | There is no secret there.  Hang it, man, what secret should I 
109:146,14@c   | have?" 
109:146,15@a   | "\You\ have:  Come, I like that.  I never supposed that 
109:146,16@a   | \you\ had it, Adams, or you would be working there again with a 
109:146,17@a   | will." 
109:146,18@c   | "Then what on earth do you mean?  Do not talk riddles, 
109:146,19@c   | man, for I am clumsy at guessing them," 
109:146,19[A  ]| said he, half angrily, 
109:146,20[A  ]| and yet considerably reassured.  
109:146,21@a   | "Well, then, Jack, I mean this, that I have examined the 
109:146,22@a   | dip of the land and other things, and I have come to the conclusion 
109:146,23@a   | that that hole is not half worked out yet.  I meant 
109:146,24@a   | to double on you and jump it, but as you look upon it as 
109:146,25@a   | your own like, I could not bring myself to do such a shabby 
109:146,26@a   | trick, particularly as we have become friends, so I propose that 
109:146,27@a   | we work it as mates.  You will find it a profitable spec, I 
109:146,28@a   | feel sure." 
109:146,29[A  ]| I spoke with such an air of candour that Adams never 
109:146,30[A  ]| doubted my sincerity for a moment, but then, by every argument 
109:146,31[A  ]| in his power, he sought to persuade me out of my 
109:146,32[A  ]| assumed belief.  It was quite amusing to listen to him.  
109:146,33[A  ]| Doubtless he would not have gone down into that hole 
109:146,34[A  ]| again for the world; and for any*one else to do so would 
109:146,35[A  ]| have been still worse, for the discovery of the skull could 
109:146,36[A  ]| not but cause ugly queries to arise, which might somehow 
109:146,37[A  ]| implicate him in the matter.  His protestations and vociferations 
109:147,01[A  ]| more than ever confirmed my previous convictions; and 
109:147,02[A  ]| when I parted from him I lost no time in obtaining an interview 
109:147,03[A  ]| with the proper authorities, explaining matters to them, 
109:147,04[A  ]| and procuring a warrant to arrest Jack*Adams 
109:147,04@z   | "for the 
109:147,05@z   | murder of one William*Taylor." 
109:147,06[A  ]| I was away from the flat a whole day effecting this, and 
109:147,07[A  ]| when I got back to my tent I was too tired to do anything 
109:147,08[A  ]| but turn in and get a sleep.  
109:147,09[A  ]| The following day, however, at knock-off hour, I came 
109:147,10[A  ]| across my man, and assuming a blithe tone, I told him that 
109:147,11[A  ]| I had had a lucky find, and to commemorate the occasion 
109:147,12[A  ]| had got sundry bottles of grog and ale, a cheese, and other 
109:147,13[A  ]| good cheer, from the "Magnolia," and invited him to come 
109:147,14[A  ]| into my tent and help to keep it up.  
109:147,15[A  ]| Adams readily assented ~~ he was not the one to decline an 
109:147,16[A  ]| offer to shout from any*one ~~ and we went into the tent 
109:147,17[A  ]| together.  
109:147,18[A  ]| On the way I adroitly picked his pocket of his heavy clasp-knife, 
109:147,19[A  ]| and transferred it to my own.  
109:147,20[A  ]| The reader will naturally imagine that I did this in order 
109:147,21[A  ]| to prevent his drawing it and doing me a mischief when I 
109:147,22[A  ]| arrested him, but such an idea as this never crossed my mind.  
109:147,23[A  ]| I had another object in view, which was to bring the crime 
109:147,24[A  ]| still closer home to him.  
109:147,25[A  ]| Well, we entered the tent, and I put bottles, bread, 
109:147,26[A  ]| cheese, meat, and other things on the inverted cask that 
109:147,27[A  ]| served me for a table, and bade Master*Jack sit down and 
109:147,28[A  ]| partake.  
109:147,29[A  ]| Drawing my clasp-knife from my pocket (table-knives and 
109:147,30[A  ]| forks were not often amongst the household furniture of a 
109:147,31[A  ]| digger), I began helping myself, and bid my companioin do 
109:147,32[A  ]| the same, and not to stand upon ceremony.  
109:147,33[A  ]| Adams growled assent, and dived his hand into his pocket 
109:147,34[A  ]| for his knife.  No, it was not that one:  and he tried the 
109:147,35[A  ]| others with equal ill-success.  
109:147,35@c   | "Dang it, I have left my tater-scraper 
109:147,36@c   | at home, I reckon," 
109:147,36[A  ]| he said at length.  
109:147,37@a   | "What, lost your knife?"  
109:147,37[A  ]| I asked.  
109:147,38@c   | "Why, it looks like it, mate," 
109:147,38[A  ]| he responded.  
109:147,39@a   | "Oh, never mind, I can lend you one, Jack," 
109:147,39[A  ]| said I; and  
109:148,01[A  ]| as I spoke I drew from out my breeches pocket the rusty 
109:148,02[A  ]| Congress knife that had been found in the old shaft, and 
109:148,03[A  ]| handed it to him.  
109:148,04[A  ]| No sooner did his gaze rest upon that accusing steel than 
109:148,05[A  ]| his face grew white as a sheet, his eyes seemed glaring out of 
109:148,06[A  ]| his head with horror, his teeth clattered like a shaken dice-box.  
109:148,07[A  ]| He staggered to his feet, though his legs nearly refused 
109:148,08[A  ]| to support him, and stammered out, 
109:148,08@c   | "That knife ~~ where did 
109:148,09@c   | you get that knife from?" 
109:148,10@a   | "Where you threw it, rascal.  I arrest you, John*Adams, 
109:148,11@a   | for the murder of your mate, William*Taylor." 
109:148,12@c   | "Arrest me?  Who are \you\, then?"  
109:148,12[A  ]| he asked, in a confused 
109:148,13[A  ]| tone.  
109:148,14@a   | "I am detective*Brooke, of the Melbourne force," 
109:148,14[A  ]| I answered, 
109:148,15[A  ]| as I drew the handcuffs from my pocket, and sprang 
109:148,16[A  ]| upon him.  
109:148,17[A  ]| I fancied that the fellow was too frightened to offer any 
109:148,18[A  ]| resistance, but I was mistaken.  His panic had been but 
109:148,19[A  ]| momentary, and he now displayed a strong objection to the 
109:148,20[A  ]| irons.  A tremendous blow, delivered straight from the 
109:148,21[A  ]| shoulder, and which I only guarded just in time, showed me 
109:148,22[A  ]| that I had met more than my match.  He was greatly my 
109:148,23[A  ]| superior in weight and strength, and I was well aware that 
109:148,24[A  ]| unless aid arrived I should fight the losing game.  
109:148,25[A  ]| I had provided for this contingency, for all this time, Bob*Mason, 
109:148,26[A  ]| armed with a heavy sprig of shillelah, had been 
109:148,27[A  ]| waiting outside the tent, ready to put in an appearance 
109:148,28[A  ]| directly such a step was expedient.  Seeing that we had 
109:148,29[A  ]| come to actual fisticuffs, and that Jack*Adams was getting 
109:148,30[A  ]| the better of me, he rushed in, and with a blow of his cudgel 
109:148,31[A  ]| brought the murderer to the ground.  
109:148,32@b   | "Now, then, on with the bracelets.  Quick:  the villain's 
109:148,33@b   | stunned!"  
109:148,33[A  ]| he said.  
109:148,34[A  ]| I was about to do so, when I discovered that through some 
109:148,35[A  ]| carelessness the key had fallen out.  
109:148,35@a   | "Keep your eye on 
109:148,36@a   | him while I find the key," 
109:148,36[A  ]| I whispered, and began to hunt 
109:148,37[A  ]| about on the ground for it, fancying it had dropped in the 
109:148,38[A  ]| struggle.  
109:148,39[A  ]| Mason stood over the prostrate Adams with his stick 
109:149,01[A  ]| raised, but believing him to be insensible, his eyes wandered 
109:149,02[A  ]| around to aid me in discovering the lost key.  Adams, who 
109:149,03[A  ]| had only been shamming that he was stunned, saw all this 
109:149,04[A  ]| through his half-closed eyes, and suddenly grasping Bob*Mason 
109:149,05[A  ]| by the leg, threw him over on his back in a twinkling; 
109:149,06[A  ]| and springing to his feet just as I made a rush at him, sent 
109:149,07[A  ]| me staggering against the ridge pole with a back-handed 
109:149,08[A  ]| blow on the chest, and then seizing the stick out of Mason's 
109:149,09[A  ]| relaxed grasp, he sprang over him and darted out of the 
109:149,10[A  ]| tent.  
109:149,11[A  ]| All this was done like a flash of lightning; the next 
109:149,12[A  ]| instant Mason was on his feet, and we were gazing into each 
109:149,13[A  ]| other's faces like two asses as we were.  
109:149,14@a   | "After him mate!"  
109:149,14[A  ]| I shouted, pulling two revolvers from 
109:149,15[A  ]| my box, and deeply regretting that I had not had one by me 
109:149,16[A  ]| when I handed Adams the rusty knife.  I gave one of them 
109:149,17[A  ]| to Bob, stuck the other in my own belt, and we dashed out 
109:149,18[A  ]| of the tent in pursuit.  
109:149,19[A  ]| Adams was already at least a hundred yards in advance; 
109:149,20[A  ]| his hat was gone, his long uncombed hair streamed in the 
109:149,21[A  ]| wind; he was running for his life, and heading for the extreme 
109:149,22[A  ]| right of the flat in the direction of his own tent.  I 
109:149,23[A  ]| immediately concluded that once there he would seize his 
109:149,24[A  ]| pistols, stand at bay, and show fight.  
109:149,25[A  ]| This part of the flat was thinly peopled of an evening, so 
109:149,26[A  ]| that our race was not impeded by any*one.  The few who 
109:149,27[A  ]| did perceive us only stared, probably thinking that we were 
109:149,28[A  ]| running for a bet.  
109:149,29[A  ]| The reader may perhaps wonder that we did not hail any*one 
109:149,30[A  ]| to stop him, but there were so many roughs on the flat, 
109:149,31[A  ]| that had we done so we might have won an enemy the 
109:149,32[A  ]| more instead of a friend; and then we neither of us cared 
109:149,33[A  ]| for the story to get abroad of how an unarmed man had 
109:149,34[A  ]| thrashed and escaped from two armed ones, for my handcuffs 
109:149,35[A  ]| ought to have been as efficient a weapon at close 
109:149,36[A  ]| quarters as Bob's stick.  So on and on we went, gradually 
109:149,37[A  ]| lessening the distance between pursuers and pursued, until 
109:149,38[A  ]| at last, as I had conjectured, we ran him to earth in his 
109:149,39[A  ]| own tent.  
109:150,01@a   | "Stop, Mason, he has weapons there; let us lie down 
109:150,02@a   | behind this ridge," 
109:150,02[A  ]| I said to my companion, for Adams might 
109:150,03[A  ]| have shot both of us down with ease through any holes in 
109:150,04[A  ]| the canvas of his tent ~~ and every old tent has such holes 
109:150,05[A  ]| ~~ whilst he would be perfectly concealed.  
109:150,06[A  ]| Mason read my thoughts in a moment, and we both lay 
109:150,07[A  ]| down behind the steep mound of earth which had been 
109:150,08[A  ]| thrown up in digging the shaft.  The tent was now about 
109:150,09[A  ]| forty yards from us, within easy range of our revolvers, and 
109:150,10[A  ]| as we lay there with our fingers on the triggers of our weapons, 
109:150,11[A  ]| Adams, came boldly out to the door of his tent, and 
109:150,12[A  ]| fired at Mason's head, which for a moment was raised above 
109:150,13[A  ]| our earthwork.  
109:150,14[A  ]| The aim was a good one, for the bullet passed clean 
109:150,15[A  ]| through Bob's hat, grazing his scalp rather sharply in its 
109:150,16[A  ]| passage.  
109:150,17[A  ]| Mason ground his teeth with rage as he returned the shot, 
109:150,18[A  ]| but his bullet sped about a yard wide of the mark; and in 
109:150,19[A  ]| return Adams fired his second barrel, the ball this time ripping 
109:150,20[A  ]| up the sleeve of my coat.  
109:150,21[A  ]| Crack went my own revolver in reply, and Adams's pistol 
109:150,22[A  ]| arm fell helpless by his side; the leaden messenger had 
109:150,23[A  ]| sped right through his shoulder, smashing the bone in its 
109:150,24[A  ]| passage.  
109:150,25[A  ]| He was plucky to the backbone, however, and though suffering 
109:150,26[A  ]| excruciating torture, he picked up the pistol that had 
109:150,27[A  ]| dropped from his nerveless grasp, with his left hand, and 
109:150,28[A  ]| blazed away at us again.  
109:150,29[A  ]| It was plain, however, that he had never practised left-hand 
109:150,30[A  ]| firing, his bullets flew very wide of the mark, and 
109:150,31[A  ]| another shot that passed right through his leg did for him.  
109:150,32[A  ]| He again dropped his pistol and threw up his left arm as a 
109:150,33[A  ]| signal that he yielded.  
109:150,34[A  ]| Bob*Mason and I at once quitted our cover, and rushed 
109:150,35[A  ]| upon him, the irons were on his wrists in a trice, and he was 
109:150,36[A  ]| completely in our power.  Pain and defeat had not conquered 
109:150,37[A  ]| his bravado, and he spared neither taunts nor 
109:150,38[A  ]| curses.  
109:150,39@c   | "Tut, you blockheads, what can an old rusty knife do?  
109:151,01@c   | There is many a one like it on the flat," 
109:151,01[A  ]| he growled at 
109:151,02[A  ]| last.  
109:151,03@a   | "When the chemist comes to test the rust on it perhaps 
109:151,04@a   | he will tell a different tale," 
109:151,04[A  ]| I said.  
109:151,05@c   | "And what if he does find it is blood?  who can swear that 
109:151,06@c   | I have not killed a pig or a sheep with it?" 
109:151,07@a   | "The microscope will show whether it is the rust of an 
109:151,08@a   | animal's blood or the rust of a man's blood," 
109:151,08[A  ]| I said, 
109:151,09[A  ]| solemnly.  
109:151,10@c   | "You jest ~~ such a thing is impossible," 
109:151,10[A  ]| exlaimed Adams, 
109:151,11[A  ]| with a stare of stupefied amazement.  The expression of low 
109:151,12[A  ]| cunning soon returned to his countenance, and he said with 
109:151,13[A  ]| a laugh, ~~ 
109:151,14@c   | "Ah:  ah:  ah:  and if he does, where is the body?  By 
109:151,15@c   | Jove, where is the body?  that will slew you.  The body 
109:151,16@c   | ~~ where is the body, you thundering idiots?" 
109:151,17@a   | "Under your feet, just where you now lie, Jack*Adams," 
109:151,18[A  ]| I said, sternly.  
109:151,19@c   | "Man or devil, it is false," 
109:151,19[A  ]| shouted the digger; but his face 
109:151,20[A  ]| had turned white as that of a corpse again, and he was 
109:151,21[A  ]| trembling in every limb.  
109:151,22@a   | "Bob, take that pick, my man, and let us dig."  
109:151,22[A  ]| And I seized 
109:151,23[A  ]| a spade as I spoke, and rolling Adams out of the way, we 
109:151,24[A  ]| commenced digging just at the spot where the ruffian had 
109:151,25[A  ]| thrown himself when we ironed him.  
109:151,26[A  ]| We worked with a will, and in less than ten minutes we 
109:151,27[A  ]| had got down a yard.  Jack*Adams by this time looked like 
109:151,28[A  ]| a dead man himself; his braggadocia and bravado had 
109:151,29[A  ]| totally disappeared; he shivered and trembled to such an 
109:151,30[A  ]| extent as almost to shake the tent.  
109:151,31[A  ]| Suddenly my spade struck against something hollow, at 
109:151,32[A  ]| the same instant the point of Bob's pick caught in some 
109:151,33[A  ]| obstacle.  He dragged it upwards with all his force, and lo:  
109:151,34[A  ]| a headless skeleton was exposed to view.  Bob's pick had 
109:151,35[A  ]| caught in one of the ribs.  
109:151,36[A  ]| At sight of that terrible relic of the departed, Jack*Adams 
109:151,37[A  ]| uttered a wild cry, and fainted.  
109:151,38[A  ]| The reader may wonder how I became so thoroughly convinced 
109:151,39[A  ]| that the body of the murdered man was buried in 
109:152,01[A  ]| that spot.  Well, I had several reasons for such a conviction.  
109:152,02[A  ]| Firstly, Adams's persistency in keeping his tent pitched so 
109:152,03[A  ]| close to the old shaft, which, had there not been a peremptory 
109:152,04[A  ]| reason for remaining near, he would naturally have been glad 
109:152,05[A  ]| to quit the proximity of.  Secondly, a faint musty smell that 
109:152,06[A  ]| I had remarked during my previous visits to Adams.  And 
109:152,07[A  ]| thirdly, because I noticed that when, faint from his wounds, 
109:152,08[A  ]| he had sunk to the ground, instead of falling where he had 
109:152,09[A  ]| stood, he struggled for at least three yards in order to fall on 
109:152,10[A  ]| a particular spot.  Adams naturally feared to remove his 
109:152,11[A  ]| tent lest the ground it had stood on might be dug up, a most 
109:152,12[A  ]| probable thing on a gold-field, and the secret it held be 
109:152,13[A  ]| revealed to the world.  
109:152,14[A  ]| Adams was perfectly passive after this discovery, and 
109:152,15[A  ]| allowed us to take him off to prison in a spring-cart without 
109:152,16[A  ]| the slightest show of resistance.  The police magistrate, 
109:152,17[A  ]| before whom he was first taken, remanded him to the Criminal*Sessions 
109:152,18[A  ]| at Melbourne; the day of trial came on, and 
109:152,19[A  ]| of course I made sure of a conviction.  I was, however, 
109:152,20[A  ]| doomed to disappointment, for John*Adams was actually 
109:152,21[A  ]| acquitted, the jury, after half an hour's consideration, bringing 
109:152,22[A  ]| in the verdict 
109:152,22@x   | "\Not guilty.\"  
109:152,22[A  ]| Afterwards he was tried 
109:152,23[A  ]| on the second charge, and sentenced to five years' penal 
109:152,24[A  ]| servitude for "shooting with intent" at myself and Bob*Mason 
109:152,25[A  ]| when we attempted to capture him.  
109:152,26[A  ]| Never in my life was I so inclined to sneer at the inability 
109:152,27[A  ]| of the criminal law to punish crime as in the present instance.  
109:152,28[A  ]| True, the body of the murdered man was not 
109:152,29[A  ]| identified, nor could it be proved point-blank that 
109:152,30[A  ]| Adams was his murderer.  Yet am I convinced that every*one  
109:152,31[A  ]| in court, one or two obstinate jurymen excepted, felt 
109:152,32[A  ]| certain of the fellow's guilt, and were astounded at his 
109:152,33[A  ]| acquittal.  
109:152,34[A  ]| As to the operation of the law at the diggings, and its 
109:152,35[A  ]| competency to grapple with the crimes of an uncivilized 
109:152,36[A  ]| mob, the facts narrated in the above tale will enable the 
109:152,37[A  ]| reader to judge; there is no need of discussing the subject 
109:152,38[A  ]| logically.  When I visited the Californian gold-fields 
109:152,39[A  ]| some years previously, life and property were more secure 
109:153,01[A  ]| there than they were during the years 1852 and 1853 at the 
109:153,02[A  ]| Victorian diggings.  Without law save the law of honour, 
109:153,03[A  ]| without restraint except that imposed by fear of summary 
109:153,04[A  ]| punishment, which was sure to follow the only crimes cognizable 
109:153,05[A  ]| under the new code, those of \stealing\ and \murder\, 
109:153,06[A  ]| we were comparatively safe.  If the "way of the transgressor 
109:153,07[A  ]| was hard," it was also speedily terminated.  It was 
109:153,08[A  ]| the reign of the rifle and the halter.  And yet this was a 
109:153,09[A  ]| people who had been accustomed to the laws of civilized 
109:153,10[A  ]| countries, and who loved order.  The principles of a republican 
109:153,11[A  ]| government were only adapting themselves to a new 
109:153,12[A  ]| and untried emergency.  The crime was committed, and 
109:153,13[A  ]| proved in the presence of a competent and impartial jury, 
109:153,14[A  ]| who were also required to award the punishment.  The sentence 
109:153,15[A  ]| was pronounced by the alcaid.  A grave was dug, the 
109:153,16[A  ]| sharp crack of the rifle was heard, the body was buried, and 
109:153,17[A  ]| every man proceeded silently to his own work.  There was 
109:153,18[A  ]| no lawyer's finesse, no twistings and turnings of special 
109:153,19[A  ]| pleading, no absurd precedents or legal quibbles, affording 
109:153,20[A  ]| the accused a hundred loopholes to escape by, when morally 
109:153,21[A  ]| not one in a thousand could doubt his guilt; and yet, during 
109:153,22[A  ]| the thirteen months that I remained in the State, I never 
109:153,23[A  ]| once heard of a case in which the verdict given under the 
109:153,24[A  ]| first system was an unrighteous one, or the punishment 
109:153,25[A  ]| inflicted undeserved.  But even here a change eventually 
109:153,26[A  ]| came.  Laws were at last enacted on Californian gold-fields, 
109:153,27[A  ]| and the result was that crimes of every kind were soon very 
109:153,28[A  ]| prevalent, and the officers of justice were met with the taunts, 
109:153,29@x   | "Catch me if you can," 
109:153,29@x   | "Punish me if you dare."  
109:153,29[A  ]| Seldom 
109:153,30[A  ]| was the criminal captured, and when arrested more seldom 
109:153,31[A  ]| was he brought to punishment.  There was but one opinion 
109:153,32[A  ]| amongst the miners, namely, that the system \without law, but\ 
109:153,33[A  ]| \with summary justice\, was \in the state of society which then\ 
109:153,34[A  ]| \existed\ in California incomparably better and more beneficial 
109:153,35[A  ]| to the majority than the system \with such law, but without\ 
109:153,36[A  ]| \justice.\ 
109:153,37[A  ]| Different diseases require different remedies; different 
109:153,38[A  ]| people require different forms of government; and laws that 
109:153,39[A  ]| are adapted to a great commercial enlightened nation like 
109:154,01[A  ]| England, or to a fully developed colony like Victoria at the 
109:154,02[A  ]| present day, will fail to suit the emergencies for which they 
109:154,03[A  ]| are required amid the tumult of a gold-field, which is a world 
109:154,04[A  ]| within itself, and often one which is infested with a great 
109:154,05[A  ]| number of the vilest scoundrels in existence.  
110:155,00@@@@@| 
110:155,00['  ]| <A LEAP FOR LIFE.> 
110:155,01[A  ]| In the August of 1854 I quitted the mounted police force of 
110:155,02[A  ]| Victoria, and entered that of New*South*Wales.  I do not 
110:155,03[A  ]| know why I took this step; perhaps it was that yearning after 
110:155,04@z   | "fresh fields and pastures new" 
110:155,04[A  ]| which seems to be an instinct 
110:155,05[A  ]| of human nature.  Anyhow, one bright spring morning I 
110:155,06[A  ]| found myself on board the steamship \Illawarra\, clearing the 
110:155,07[A  ]| calm blue waters of Hobson's*Bay (the largest harbour in the 
110:155,08[A  ]| known world), with Queen's*Cliff and Point*Nepean some 
110:155,09[A  ]| three miles ahead, and beyond them the snow-crested waves 
110:155,10[A  ]| of Bass's*Straits.  
110:155,11[A  ]| I shall not inflict upon my readers a narrative of my voyage, 
110:155,12[A  ]| which if barren in incident was full enough of discomfort and 
110:155,13[A  ]| misery.  I was a second cabin passenger, and the sea was so 
110:155,14[A  ]| rough during the entire voyage, that after tumbling into my 
110:155,15[A  ]| bunk when off Cape*Patterson, I never emerged from it until, 
110:155,16[A  ]| forty-five hours later, we entered Port*Jackson bay, and consequently 
110:155,17[A  ]| were in calm water.  
110:155,18[A  ]| By Jove, how my bones ached when I did get up!  for my 
110:155,19[A  ]| berth had been destitute of bed and bedding, and lying for 
110:155,20[A  ]| two days and nights on hard boards, added to the misery of 
110:155,21[A  ]| rolling from your left side to your right, and \vice*versa=\, at every 
110:155,22[A  ]| lurch of the ship, is almost sufficient to turn one into a jelly.  
110:155,23[A  ]| The eating and drinking, too ~~ ugh!  How terrible an ordeal 
110:155,24[A  ]| it is for a seasick man to witness people possessed of ravenous 
110:155,25[A  ]| appetites!  Three times a day were the dirty scratched tin 
110:155,26[A  ]| plates and cups placed on the oilclothed, tobacco-strewn, 
110:155,27[A  ]| beer-ring marked tables; and two immense tin dishes, one 
110:155,28[A  ]| holding a pile of stringy, half-raw beefsteaks, the other an 
110:156,01[A  ]| oniony and oleaginous mess of Irish stew, placed in the 
110:156,02[A  ]| centre of the board, stale loaves of bread being the only 
110:156,03[A  ]| adjuncts to this invariable bill of fare.  When these horrible 
110:156,04[A  ]| meals were disposed of, the refuse was cleared away, greasy, 
110:156,05[A  ]| fly spotted packs of cards were produced, and after a five-minutes' 
110:156,06[A  ]| "chop-chop-chop" at "Barrett's*twist," or "nigger's*toe," 
110:156,07[A  ]| pipes were lighted, a cloud of impenetrable smoke 
110:156,08[A  ]| obscured the scene, and the only noises that were audible were 
110:156,09[A  ]| the "thump, thump, thump" of the screw, the "swish" of 
110:156,10[A  ]| the waves against the scuttle window at the side of my head, 
110:156,11[A  ]| the bleating of the sheep from above, where a hundred and 
110:156,12[A  ]| fifty of them were huddled in a mass on the fore*deck, rendering 
110:156,13[A  ]| it next to impossible for a steerage passenger to escape 
110:156,14[A  ]| from below during the entire voyage, mingled occasionally 
110:156,15[A  ]| with the shrill hissing of the steam, words of command 
110:156,16[A  ]| bellowed through a speaking-trumpet, and the clatter of the 
110:156,17[A  ]| tin and crockery in the steward's pantry; while nearer still, 
110:156,18[A  ]| cries of 
110:156,18@x   | "Four by cards!"  
110:156,18@x   | "Clubs is Trumps!"  
110:156,18@x   | "Game and 
110:156,19@x   | game!"  
110:156,19@x   | "High, low and Jack!"  
110:156,19@x   | "I scores three!"  
110:156,19[A  ]| and 
110:156,20[A  ]| similar exclamations, mingled with eternal spitting on all 
110:156,21[A  ]| sides, and sometimes loud calls for bottled ale and stout 
110:156,22[A  ]| (which, by*the*bye were sold at the rate of half-a-crown a 
110:156,23[A  ]| bottle), with the  consequent popping of corks; and last, 
110:156,24[A  ]| but by no means least, the continuous groaning of women 
110:156,25[A  ]| and screeching of children from the women's cabin, constituted, 
110:156,26[A  ]| when combined, as neat a little Babel or Pandemonium 
110:156,27[A  ]| as it is possible to conceive.  
110:156,28[A  ]| Never was a poor wretch more glad to get out of jail, mad-house, 
110:156,29[A  ]| or purgatory than was I to escape from that detestable 
110:156,30[A  ]| cabin.  Directly the rolling of the ship ceased I scrambled 
110:156,31[A  ]| up on deck, and struggling through the poor penned-up sheep, 
110:156,32[A  ]| many of whom had died on the passage and been flung over-board, 
110:156,33[A  ]| I ascended the forecastle, and from thence surveyed 
110:156,34[A  ]| the beauty of the surrounding scene.  
110:156,35[A  ]| We had just passed the Heads, which reared their awful 
110:156,36[A  ]| heights in our rear like two precipitous walls of iron, surmounted 
110:156,37[A  ]| by massive crags that stood aloft like watch-towers 
110:156,38[A  ]| guarding the entrance to the most lovely harbour in the 
110:156,39[A  ]| world (the Bay*of*Naples or that of Valetta not excepted), 
110:157,01[A  ]| while eight hundred feet below lay piles of rock, variously 
110:157,02[A  ]| tinted with bright red, grey, and brown lichens, and set in 
110:157,03[A  ]| wreaths of vivid green boobyalla bushes that lie within the 
110:157,04[A  ]| dash of the ceaseless spray.  
110:157,05[A  ]| We rapidly ascended the harbour; presently the crescent 
110:157,06[A  ]| shaped range formed by the two headlands disappeared astern, 
110:157,07[A  ]| and on each side of us rose the steep rocky shore, where rough 
110:157,08[A  ]| rocks showed themselves from between the trunks of the 
110:157,09[A  ]| gigantic gum trees, while thick bush and scrub commenced 
110:157,10[A  ]| from the very edge of the narrow strip of sandy beach, and 
110:157,11[A  ]| continued up to the brow of the heights above.  
110:157,12[A  ]| Three more points of the winding shore rounded, and 
110:157,13[A  ]| the scene grew more peaceful and homely.  White, green-verandahed 
110:157,14[A  ]| villas glittered here and there amid the foliage.  
110:157,15[A  ]| Graceful, slender young tea trees growing up between the 
110:157,16[A  ]| massive, mossy old rocks, drooped some of their long sprays 
110:157,17[A  ]| of snowy blossoms over the water:  while groups of acacias ~~ 
110:157,18[A  ]| their bluish blooming foliage laden with fringed golden 
110:157,19[A  ]| clusters, hawthorn-like in fragrance ~~ grew just beyond, 
110:157,20[A  ]| waving their scented fronds where the eddying currents of 
110:157,21[A  ]| tributary creeks gurgled on to dissolve into their parent 
110:157,22[A  ]| stream.  The still water through which we steamed was 
110:157,23[A  ]| blue as the heavens above, save where the shadow of the 
110:157,24[A  ]| dense smoke that rolled from the mouth of our funnel threw 
110:157,25[A  ]| a leaden hue across its broad bosom.  Around us flocks of 
110:157,26[A  ]| sea-birds, with silvery plumage and scarlet legs and feet, 
110:157,27[A  ]| added to the joyousness of the scene ~~ either skimming along 
110:157,28[A  ]| high above even our fore topmast, or poised for an instant 
110:157,29[A  ]| like silver stars, until, one after another, dozens of them would 
110:157,30[A  ]| pounce down upon the shoals of fish below.  
110:157,31[A  ]| Point after point, forming a series of apparently land-locked 
110:157,32[A  ]| lakes, was rounded.  Gradually the villas that dotted the 
110:157,33[A  ]| shore became more numerous.  Garden*Island was passed, 
110:157,34[A  ]| so was the round tower of Pinchgut*Island.  The tall Oyster*Bay 
110:157,35[A  ]| pines (\Frenela*australis\) in the Botanical*Gardens 
110:157,36[A  ]| rose to our view, towering high above the topmasts ofthe 
110:157,37[A  ]| large frigate that lay at anchor in Wooloomooloo*Bay, almost 
110:158,01[A  ]| under their shadow.  Then we steamed past Government*House 
110:158,02[A  ]| and Circular*Quay, rounded Cockatoo*Island, where 
110:158,03[A  ]| the convict station is situated, and a few minutes later were 
110:158,04[A  ]| alongside Pho*enix*Wharf, at the base of Sussex*Street, and 
110:158,05[A  ]| once more, I must confess also to my great satisfaction, the 
110:158,06[A  ]| hum and bustle of city life sounded in my ears.  
110:158,07[A  ]| It was about six o'clock in the evening when I landed.  
110:158,08[A  ]| I immediately hastened to report myself at head-quarters, 
110:158,09[A  ]| where the letters of introduction and commendation from the 
110:158,10[A  ]| officers of the Victorian force, of which I was the bearer, 
110:158,11[A  ]| had due weight.  I was politely requested to attend the following 
110:158,12[A  ]| morning at ten o'clock, in order to be sworn in.  This 
110:158,13[A  ]| I accordingly did; the ceremony was duly performed, and I 
110:158,14[A  ]| retired to the barracks to don my new uniform and hold 
110:158,15[A  ]| myself ready for orders.  
110:158,16[A  ]| I was destined not to have a long stay in Sydney, for 
110:158,17[A  ]| the very morning following my admission into the force I 
110:158,18[A  ]| was ordered for out-station duty, and received instructions to 
110:158,19[A  ]| start at once, in company with another trooper younger than 
110:158,20[A  ]| myself, for a place called Dunewatha, which lay at some 
110:158,21[A  ]| distance on the other side of the Blue*Mountains, and was a 
110:158,22[A  ]| good three days' journey from the metropolis.  
110:158,23[A  ]| It was nine a%*m% when we received our orders, and by 
110:158,24[A  ]| eleven we were in the saddle and descending Elizabeth*Street 
110:158,25[A  ]| at a trot.  We turned round Hyde*Park*Corner into Parramatta*Street, 
110:158,26[A  ]| and in another quarter of an hour the straggling 
110:158,27[A  ]| suburbs of the city were left in our rear.  
110:158,28[A  ]| It was a most unpleasant day.  A regular brickfielder 
110:158,29[A  ]| was blowing, and even before we had cleared the town our 
110:158,30[A  ]| white shako covers and snowy buckskin breeches were powdered 
110:158,31[A  ]| thickly with reddish dust, which the furious north-west 
110:158,32[A  ]| wind, hot as the breath of a furnace, blew against our 
110:158,33[A  ]| faces with such force as to cause intolerable pain; while the 
110:158,34[A  ]| fine gritty sand would penetrate eyes, ears, and nostrils with 
110:158,35[A  ]| a persistency anything but agreeable.  The thermometer, 
110:158,36[A  ]| when we left Sydney, marked 115 degrees in the sun; and 
110:158,37[A  ]| as that luminary rose higher and higher in the pale, steel-grey, 
110:159,01[A  ]| cloudless sky, the intensity of its rays became more 
110:159,02[A  ]| and more unbearable.  I tried to picture the verdant pastures, 
110:159,03[A  ]| shady woods, and rippling streams of England, but that 
110:159,04[A  ]| rendered the sufferings I endured still more unpalatable.  
110:159,05[A  ]| I was too hot to talk, and my mate was as glum and discontented 
110:159,06[A  ]| as myself; and so we slowly trotted along the 
110:159,07[A  ]| solitary bush road silently and spectre-like, our poor horses 
110:159,08[A  ]| black with sweat, their heads drooped, and their tails as limp 
110:159,09[A  ]| as a shirt-collar without starch.  Around us the straw-coloured 
110:159,10[A  ]| vegetation was unvaried by the slightest tint of green, and 
110:159,11[A  ]| the tall white trunks of the gum trees, with their scanty 
110:159,12[A  ]| vertical foliage, mingled with sombre peppermint and stringy 
110:159,13[A  ]| bark, formed about as dreary a scene as it is possible to 
110:159,14[A  ]| imagine.  
110:159,15[A  ]| As to the road we were travelling, they talk of \corduroy\ 
110:159,16[A  ]| roads in America, but I should like to show a Yankee a mile 
110:159,17[A  ]| or two of the one we that day travelled over.  Imagine a 
110:159,18[A  ]| stony plain, the surface entirely covered with large swampy 
110:159,19[A  ]| holes, filled with water, slush, and glutinous mud; then 
110:159,20[A  ]| throw into these hollows a number of angular blocks of 
110:159,21[A  ]| stone, half concealed by the muddy waters, and let mud 
110:159,22[A  ]| and water turn into dust (twelve hours will in New*South*Wales 
110:159,23[A  ]| effect the metamorphosis), and you will have a 
110:159,24[A  ]| faint conception of our road.  At length the scrub on either 
110:159,25[A  ]| side grew less thickly, and we gladly quitted the rugged 
110:159,26[A  ]| path for the open country.  We had not ridden on for more 
110:159,27[A  ]| than a couple of miles, however, congratulating ourselves 
110:159,28[A  ]| that we had bidden farewell to dust, if not to heat, when a 
110:159,29[A  ]| far greater annoyance than either befell us.  This arose from 
110:159,30[A  ]| the pertinacious attentions of the sand-flies, which are a 
110:159,31[A  ]| kind of midge ~~ small filmy things, like the midges at home, 
110:159,32[A  ]| but much more lively, bloodthirsty, and venomous.  They 
110:159,33[A  ]| were as numerous as the grains of sand in the sterile Iron*Bark 
110:159,34[A  ]| ranges.  They covered the whole ground for miles, and 
110:159,35[A  ]| as we advanced would rise up, get on our horses' legs and 
110:159,36[A  ]| chests, puncturing them in such a manner that their legs 
110:159,37[A  ]| were completely covered in a few minutes with blood.  The 
110:159,38[A  ]| poor animals of course became quite frantic, not being able to 
110:159,39[A  ]| brush them off.  It was often no trivial matter to keep one's 
110:160,01[A  ]| seat, owing to their rearing and kicking from the pain.  My 
110:160,02[A  ]| mate told me in another month the birds would have eaten 
110:160,03[A  ]| the midges up; it was only in spring they were so numerous.  
110:160,04[A  ]| The effect of the bite on man is much worse than on 
110:160,05[A  ]| horses.  Wherever they bite, the part swells excessively, and 
110:160,06[A  ]| becomes a great livid boil as large as a walnut.  He had 
110:160,07[A  ]| been bitten on the wrist the preceding spring, when riding 
110:160,08[A  ]| on the banks of the Murray.  The next day his hand was 
110:160,09[A  ]| swelled enormously; it settled into one of those boils which 
110:160,10[A  ]| are very sluggish and difficult to cure.  It was not well, in 
110:160,11[A  ]| fact, for a month, and would not heal till treated with caustic.  
110:160,12[A  ]| Another, only a month ago, had bitten his other hand; the 
110:160,13[A  ]| venomous puncture had gone exactly through the same 
110:160,14[A  ]| process.  As a proof of his words, he showed me a scar on 
110:160,15[A  ]| each hand, which no doubt would never wear away.  
110:160,16[A  ]| About mid-day we reached a creek, where we watered and 
110:160,17[A  ]| bathed our horses, to their great relief, and on whose bank 
110:160,18[A  ]| we encamped to eat luncheon.  It was a lovely spot; on 
110:160,19[A  ]| account of the moisture the grass was green, and adorned 
110:160,20[A  ]| with myriad-tinted flowers, while forty miles in our front 
110:160,21[A  ]| rose the purple peaks of the Blue*Mountains.  Close to 
110:160,22[A  ]| where we sat grew some grass trees, but only dwarf ones, 
110:160,23[A  ]| splendidly in flower.  The flower is on a rod of two or three 
110:160,24[A  ]| feet high, which rises perpendicularly from the centre of the 
110:160,25[A  ]| tree, and surrounds some half a yard of it in the manner of 
110:160,26[A  ]| the flower of the club rush, but white, and the florets 
110:160,27[A  ]| resemble those of the water tussilago.  
110:160,28[A  ]| During our meal we were terribly persecuted by "jumping 
110:160,29[A  ]| ants."  They were about half an inch long, and jumped surprisingly.  
110:160,30[A  ]| They were great flycatchers, and so far proved 
110:160,31[A  ]| themselves our benefactors, but we soon found that it was only 
110:160,32[A  ]| one pest giving place to another.  These little black flies were, 
110:160,33[A  ]| even in this comparatively cool and shady spot, the most 
110:160,34[A  ]| impertinent, persevering vermin possible.  The moment we 
110:160,35[A  ]| produced our meat from our saddle bags, they covered it.  
110:160,36[A  ]| They also managed to settle on our hands and faces, 
110:160,37[A  ]| where they raised up blood blisters, and then sucked at them 
110:160,38[A  ]| till they burst.  The moment the spots were raw, they thrust 
110:160,39[A  ]| as many of their heads in as they could, and so continually 
110:161,01[A  ]| irritated and enlarged the orifice.  What was a mere scratch 
110:161,02[A  ]| became a sore under their incessant operations; and unless 
110:161,03[A  ]| such sore was speedily defended by handkerchiefs or gloves, 
110:161,04[A  ]| it would soon become a wound.  Plaster was not enough, 
110:161,05[A  ]| for they would suck and envenom the wound through it.  
110:161,06[A  ]| Insects are the pest of Australia.  The gnats are terrible; 
110:161,07[A  ]| then there are bull-dog ants, that fight for hours after they are 
110:161,08[A  ]| cut in half, and when they bite will not relax their hold though 
110:161,09[A  ]| beheaded.  Another persecutor is the fierce mosquito; and 
110:161,10[A  ]| amongst Australian peculiarities of insect life are the centipede, 
110:161,11[A  ]| the scorpion, and tarantula spider, the latter being 
110:161,12[A  ]| called by the aboriginals \triantawallagong\.  The bite of 
110:161,13[A  ]| either of these three last species of insect is extremely dangerous, 
110:161,14[A  ]| often proving fatal unless promptly treated by cutting 
110:161,15[A  ]| out the flesh around the bite and cauterizing the wound with 
110:161,16[A  ]| fire.  
110:161,17[A  ]| After we had discussed our beef and damper, enjoyed a 
110:161,18[A  ]| delicious drink from the creek, and had half an hour's draw 
110:161,19[A  ]| at our pipes, we remounted and resumed our journey, making 
110:161,20[A  ]| another twelve miles before sunset, when we encamped for 
110:161,21[A  ]| the night, unsaddled our horses, hobbled them, lit the fire, 
110:161,22[A  ]| boiled some tea in our billy, and sat down to enjoy our 
110:161,23[A  ]| evening meal.  Then we again had recourse to our pipes, 
110:161,24[A  ]| and at length rolling ourselves in our blankets, and with 
110:161,25[A  ]| the saddles for pillows, soon sunk into slumber both sound 
110:161,26[A  ]| and deep.  
110:161,27[A  ]| The second day's journey was but a repetition of the first.  
110:161,28[A  ]| There is great monotony in bush travelling.  The heat, the 
110:161,29[A  ]| thirst, the mosquitoes and other insects were the same; the 
110:161,30[A  ]| only difference in the scenery was that every hour the towering 
110:161,31[A  ]| mountain range we had to cross seemed looming larger 
110:161,32[A  ]| and mightier before us; their summits, glittering in the sunlight 
110:161,33[A  ]| three thousand feet and more above the level plains we 
110:161,34[A  ]| were traversing, presented only a little deeper azure tint than 
110:161,35[A  ]| did the cloudless firmament above.  Well did they deserve 
110:161,36[A  ]| their name of Blue*Mountains.  
110:161,37[A  ]| On the afternoon of the second day after leaving Sydney 
110:161,38[A  ]| we were at their base; and upon the earnest assurance of my 
110:161,39[A  ]| mate that he had crossed them at this point before, and knew 
110:162,01[A  ]| every inch of the way, I consented to attempt the ascent at 
110:162,02[A  ]| once, fully expecting as it was only three o'clock and the 
110:162,03[A  ]| evenings getting long, we should encamp by sunset on the 
110:162,04[A  ]| western side.  
110:162,05[A  ]| We were soon riding along a steep, narrow gully, with 
110:162,06[A  ]| almost precipitous sides, rising in lofty ridges that were 
110:162,07[A  ]| covered with loose rocks and scraggy gum trees, charred and 
110:162,08[A  ]| disfigured by frequent bush fires.  It was a dreary scene, 
110:162,09[A  ]| though here and there relieved by groups of pines and other 
110:162,10[A  ]| eucalypti, with the jointed horsetail foliage of the shea oak, 
110:162,11[A  ]| and the gaudy blossoms of the blue wattle, while the towering 
110:162,12[A  ]| peaks of Mount*Gwallior rose gloomy and cloud-wreathed 
110:162,13[A  ]| above all.  
110:162,14@a   | "Are you sure you will find the pass,Rootes?"  
110:162,14[A  ]| I asked; 
110:162,15@a   | "because unless you are, it would be wiser to ride a matter 
110:162,16@a   | of twenty miles round and follow the regular waggon 
110:162,17@a   | track." 
110:162,18@b   | "Oh, I am all right.  I know it, never fear,"  
110:162,18[A  ]| retorted the 
110:162,19[A  ]| young trooper, with a laugh; 
110:162,19@b   | "why, it is not two years since 
110:162,20@b   | I travelled it, man, and on my road to this very same Dunewatha 
110:162,21@b   | too.  It saves a round of very nearly nineteen miles 
110:162,22@b   | by crossing the mountain here." 
110:162,23@a   | "And is it a pretty fair road for horses all the way?"  
110:162,23[A  ]| I 
110:162,24[A  ]| asked.  
110:162,25@b   | "Why, as to that, I should not care to ride an unbroken 
110:162,26@b   | colt or a broken-heeled old coach horse over some parts of 
110:162,27@b   | the track, but with such nags as ours there is no hazard.  In 
110:162,28@b   | fact, there is only one dangerous place, and that does not 
110:162,29@b   | continue for more than half a mile or so." 
110:162,30@a   | "And what is the nature of the danger, mate?  I am 
110:162,31@a   | unused to mountain scaling, and like to calculate my risks 
110:162,32@a   | beforehand." 
110:162,33@b   | "The place is called ""The*Devil's*Ridge."" It is a passage 
110:162,34@b   | along the side of one eminence which a cataract divides from 
110:162,35@b   | another.  It is seldom broad enough for two horses to pass 
110:162,36@b   | each other, and often not room enough for one.  It is bare 
110:162,37@b   | of all rail or fence; in fact, it is impossible to fix any." 
110:162,38@a   | "And how deep is the precious precipice which this narrow 
110:162,39@a   | pathway overlooks?"  
110:162,39[A  ]| I asked nervously.  
110:163,01@b   | "Deep?  Oh, perhaps a thousand feet; but owing to the 
110:163,02@b   | narrowness of the gorge, the bottom is invisible." 
110:163,03@a   | "And into this gulf the slightest trip of a horse would 
110:163,04@a   | precipitate its rider ~~ a worn shoe, a loose pebble, a nervous 
110:163,05@a   | twitch of the rein, would be certain death?" 
110:163,06@b   | "Decidedly so; and I can tell you of a very curious adventure 
110:163,07@b   | on this very same Devil's*Ridge." 
110:163,08@a   | "The devil you can?  Well, then, fire away, for you can 
110:163,09@a   | scarcely make me more nervous than I feel already." 
110:163,10[A  ]| Rootes laughed.  
110:163,10@b   | "It happened in this way," 
110:163,10[A  ]| he said.  
110:163,11@b   | "Two horsemen met in the narrow pass.  Such a thing 
110:163,12@b   | doubtless never occurred before, and perhaps never may 
110:163,13@b   | again, the road is so rarely traversed; but this once it did so 
110:163,14@b   | happen.  Neither of the parties had space to back his steed, 
110:163,15@b   | and so make room for the other to go by.  They tossed up 
110:163,16@b   | which should sacrifice his horse.  It fell to the lot of the 
110:163,17@b   | man ascending the ridge.  He dismounted, pushed his horse 
110:163,18@b   | over the precipice into the gulf below, and then, snake-like, 
110:163,19@b   | crept between the legs of the descending horse and continued 
110:163,20@b   | his journey on foot." 
110:163,21[A  ]| By the time my mate had concluded his story, which I 
110:163,22[A  ]| have narrated in as few words as possible, we had ascended 
110:163,23[A  ]| some three hundred feet of the mountain's height, and beheld 
110:163,24[A  ]| a prospect of sea and land to the extent of a hundred and 
110:163,25[A  ]| twenty miles.  Almost beneath was a roaring cataract; 
110:163,26[A  ]| to look down upon and listen to its hoarse brawl was enough 
110:163,27[A  ]| to appal more daring natures than my own.  Still up and 
110:163,28[A  ]| up we went, the pathway having a zigzag tendency that 
110:163,29[A  ]| made the ascent anything but laborious.  As we attained a 
110:163,30[A  ]| higher and yet a higher altitude, the change from heat to 
110:163,31[A  ]| cold became very apparent, and by the time we had left the 
110:163,32[A  ]| level plains some nine hundred feet below us, it was easy to 
110:163,33[A  ]| imagine one's self transported from a tropical summer to a 
110:163,34[A  ]| bracing northern winter.  
110:163,35[A  ]| Australian mountains differ very much in appearance from 
110:163,36[A  ]| those of Europe, and this difference mainly consists in their 
110:163,37[A  ]| being wooded to such an altitude.  In the Northern*Hemisphere 
110:163,38[A  ]| it is rare to find a mountain bearing trees for more 
110:163,39[A  ]| than a few hundred feet of its height, whereas the hardy and 
110:164,01[A  ]| sombre eucalypti of Australia and Tasmania frequently 
110:164,02[A  ]| flourish to the very apex of mountains three thousand feet in 
110:164,03[A  ]| altitude.  This, in my opinion, although it \sometimes\ gives a 
110:164,04[A  ]| peculiar beauty of its own, in most cases detracts from the 
110:164,05[A  ]| majesty and awe inspiring grandeur that would otherwise 
110:164,06[A  ]| distinguish the mountain ranges of Australia, while to the 
110:164,07[A  ]| eye it decreases the effect of their height by at least one-third.  
110:164,08[A  ]| 
110:164,09[A  ]| Rootes and I spoke little during the ascent; he looked 
110:164,10[A  ]| meditative and I felt nervous, for an indescribable feeling 
110:164,11[A  ]| had taken possession of me, to the effect that something 
110:164,12[A  ]| terrible would happen to one or both of us before we 
110:164,13[A  ]| descended to the level plain again.  The very elements 
110:164,14[A  ]| seemed impressed with my ill-omened forebodings, for the 
110:164,15[A  ]| sky which had been so blue and sunny when we commenced 
110:164,16[A  ]| the ascent, was now flecked with heavy reefy clouds that 
110:164,17[A  ]| appeared to be hurrying to a common centre; great drops of 
110:164,18[A  ]| rain began to fall, and presently the dull rumble of a distant 
110:164,19[A  ]| thunder-peal fell upon our ears.  
110:164,20@b   | "I fear we are in for a ducking, mate," 
110:164,20[A  ]| said Rootes, turning 
110:164,21[A  ]| in his saddle; 
110:164,21@b   | "the rain comes down here in buckets full 
110:164,22@b   | when it once begins.  Thank God our upward course is at an 
110:164,23@b   | end, for we are at last opposite the pass.  We now skirt the 
110:164,24@b   | mountain, passing between it and its less lofty neighbour on 
110:164,25@b   | our right.  In five minutes we shall be descending the 
110:164,26@b   | Devil's*Ridge." 
110:164,27@a   | "And suppose our horses are startled at a thunder-clap, or 
110:164,28@a   | shy at a lightning flash in such a spot?"  
110:164,28[A  ]| I asked.  
110:164,29@b   | "Why, then it will be a long good*night to Marmion," 
110:164,29[A  ]| he 
110:164,30[A  ]| answered, laughing; 
110:164,30@b   | "but do not be afraid, friend, I think 
110:164,31@b   | the storm will hold off for another half-hour, and if not, our 
110:164,32@b   | horses are old stagers, and will not be frightened in a hurry." 
110:164,33[A  ]| As he spoke the sky momentarily brightened, and somewhat 
110:164,34[A  ]| reassured, I replied, 
110:164,34@a   | "Well, go ahead, old fellow.  You 
110:164,35@a   | appear to know the way, and where you lead you will not find 
110:164,36@a   | me far behind." 
110:164,37[A  ]| We had now done with ascents, and had to round the 
110:164,38[A  ]| mountain at about half the distance to its summit, in order 
110:164,39[A  ]| to descend on the opposite side.  Our peril was now about to 
110:165,01[A  ]| commence.  Rootes was right, in five minutes we \were\ on the 
110:165,02[A  ]| Devil's*Ridge, amidst all the horrors of perhaps the most 
110:165,03[A  ]| dangerous and terrible mountain pass in the world.  
110:165,04[A  ]| We rode, of necessity, Indian file, Rootes at forty paces in 
110:165,05[A  ]| advance.  The pathway was a yard wide, certainly never more, 
110:165,06[A  ]| and often somewhat less.  On our left rose the precipitous 
110:165,07[A  ]| mountain side, a sheer cliff, to a height of at least a thousand 
110:165,08[A  ]| feet.  On our right yawned a dire chasm, apparently bottomless, 
110:165,09[A  ]| to a depth, as I afterwards learned, of nine hundred and 
110:165,10[A  ]| fifty feet; while from the bottom rose the roar of water, as 
110:165,11[A  ]| though seething and boiling from a subterranean Niagara.  I 
110:165,12[A  ]| do not hesitate to affirm that at any part of the pass, had I 
110:165,13[A  ]| raised my arms in the shape of the letter T, the middle finger 
110:165,14[A  ]| of my left hand would have touched the black cliff; and a 
110:165,15[A  ]| pebble dropped perpendicularly from between the forefinger 
110:165,16[A  ]| and thumb of my right, would have fallen into the whirling 
110:165,17[A  ]| torrent below.  
110:165,18[A  ]| Luckily the path was good, being of rough rock, without a 
110:165,19[A  ]| loose stone to be seen.  
110:165,20[A  ]| Terrible and dangerous as the pass was, it seemed to instil 
110:165,21[A  ]| no alarm into the breast of my companion, who in the most 
110:165,22[A  ]| narrow parts would turn in his saddle to see how I was 
110:165,23[A  ]| getting on.  His jet-black steed stepped out as gaily and as 
110:165,24[A  ]| steadily as though on a broad coach road.  Suddenly, however, 
110:165,25[A  ]| just when he was traversing one of the narrowest ledges 
110:165,26[A  ]| of the rock, a burst of thunder crashed through the narrow 
110:165,27[A  ]| defile, and a flame of forked lightning shot and danced 
110:165,28[A  ]| before his horse's eyes.  The animal reared, beat the air for a 
110:165,29[A  ]| moment with his fore-hoofs, and then plunged headlong into 
110:165,30[A  ]| space, precipitating himself and rider into the abyss below.  
110:165,31[A  ]| In an instant ~~ in the twinkling of an eye ~~ horse and 
110:165,32[A  ]| horseman had vanished for*ever from my sight; and with my 
110:165,33[A  ]| steed reined in until his haunches pressed the dark mountain 
110:165,34[A  ]| side, whilst his fore-feet were planted in the rocky path within 
110:165,35[A  ]| a couple of inches of the precipice, I gazed in agony at the 
110:165,36[A  ]| fathomless grave that had so remorselessly swallowed up my 
110:165,37[A  ]| unfortunate companion.  
110:165,38[A  ]| How can I describe my feelings when I beheld this awful 
110:165,39[A  ]| spectacle, this hapless fate of one who, a moment before, in 
110:166,01[A  ]| all the pride and strength of manhood, was riding so gaily 
110:166,02[A  ]| along only a few yards before me?  The blood that, but a 
110:166,03[A  ]| minute before, had been coursing healthfully through my 
110:166,04[A  ]| veins, seemed to freeze and suspend its functions, while my 
110:166,05[A  ]| brain appeared to reel about with lightness.  It was a mercy 
110:166,06[A  ]| that I did not lose my seat in the saddle and fall headlong 
110:166,07[A  ]| after poor Jim*Rootes.  For at least an hour I must have 
110:166,08[A  ]| remained stationary at this spot, gazing with horror-stricken 
110:166,09[A  ]| yet amost imbecile stare down that dark abyss, until my 
110:166,10[A  ]| heart and head seemed on fire, and I was almost a maniac; 
110:166,11[A  ]| but, thank God, my reason at length returned, and I awoke 
110:166,12[A  ]| to all the dangers of my own position.  
110:166,13[A  ]| I found the rain pouring down in torrents; the lightning 
110:166,14[A  ]| was one continuous blaze of light; while the heavy thunder-peals, 
110:166,15[A  ]| re-echoing again and again amid the mountain peaks 
110:166,16[A  ]| and stormy ravines, sounded like the roar of heavy artillery.  
110:166,17[A  ]| My horse was black with sweat and quivering with fear, as 
110:166,18[A  ]| with dilated nostrils and glaring eyes he, too, gazed into the 
110:166,19[A  ]| depths below him, as though terror was prompting him to 
110:166,20[A  ]| essay the leap.  
110:166,21[A  ]| I saw that his fore-legs, from being kept so long in one 
110:166,22[A  ]| position, were trembling, and the muscles strained.  His 
110:166,23[A  ]| sure-footedness was no longer to be depended upon so, after 
110:166,24[A  ]| a moment's consideration, I reined him round with his head 
110:166,25[A  ]| down the pass, and freeing my feet from the stirrups, let the 
110:166,26[A  ]| bridle fall loosely on his neck, and then slipped to the 
110:166,27[A  ]| ground over his tail.  
110:166,28[A  ]| Even at this moment I tremble to think of what a terrible 
110:166,29[A  ]| fate a kick or even the slightest movement on his part would 
110:166,30[A  ]| have consigned me whilst I executed this mano*euvre; as it 
110:166,31[A  ]| happened, it was accomplished in safety, and I prepared to 
110:166,32[A  ]| descend the ridge on foot, driving my charger before me.  It 
110:166,33[A  ]| was very slow progress.  Sometimes the poor animal was so 
110:166,34[A  ]| frightened that neither threats nor coaxings had any effect 
110:166,35[A  ]| upon him, and he would stand trembling and whining most 
110:166,36[A  ]| piteously for some minutes without moving a step.  The 
110:166,37[A  ]| rain, too, had made the rocky path slippery, and every dozen 
110:166,38[A  ]| paces or so he would slip out and nearly topple over the 
110:166,39[A  ]| precipice.  Nevertheless, after another half-hour's torture, 
110:167,01[A  ]| such as I never experienced before, and trust I never shall 
110:167,02[A  ]| again, I could see the end of the Devil's*Ridge about a 
110:167,03[A  ]| quarter of a mile before us, and the sloping mountain side 
110:167,04[A  ]| beyond.  
110:167,05[A  ]| Hope now reanimated my bosom, and I do believe the 
110:167,06[A  ]| poor horse felt it too, for he never loitered in his advance 
110:167,07[A  ]| until we were within a few yards from the end of the Ridge.  
110:167,08[A  ]| Then he stopped short, and no effort of mine would induce 
110:167,09[A  ]| him to move foward.  Not knowing the cause of this seeming 
110:167,10[A  ]| obstinacy, I looked over his back at the road in front, 
110:167,11[A  ]| and, to my horror and despair, perceived that a flash of 
110:167,12[A  ]| lightning had cleft the solid rock, and caused some couple of 
110:167,13[A  ]| yards in length of the pathway to slip into the gulf.  
110:167,14[A  ]| To scale the mountain side was next to impossible.  My 
110:167,15[A  ]| horse could not do it; and to manage a clear six-foot leap 
110:167,16[A  ]| without a run and in my present nervous state, was a matter 
110:167,17[A  ]| of no great certainty.  I must, however, do this, or retrace 
110:167,18[A  ]| my way along the Devil's*Ridge over the path already traversed.  
110:167,19[A  ]| This I could by no means make up my mind to do.  
110:167,20[A  ]| Anything seemed preferable to re-crossing that terrible pass.  
110:167,21[A  ]| I made up my mind to sacrifice my horse, and then essay 
110:167,22[A  ]| the \leap for life!\ 
110:167,23[A  ]| I could scarcely summon the heart to consign my noble 
110:167,24[A  ]| charger to so terrible a doom, but his death was a necessity, 
110:167,25[A  ]| and I steeled my heart for the sacrifice.  I pushed him over, 
110:167,26[A  ]| and with one wild shriek (for horses can shriek when in extreme 
110:167,27[A  ]| terror, and the sound, though indescribable, if once 
110:167,28[A  ]| heard can never be forgotten) he disappeared from sight, 
110:167,29[A  ]| though his heavy rebound from rock to rock in his descent, 
110:167,30[A  ]| and ultimate dull splash into deep water at the bottom, rose 
110:167,31[A  ]| plainly to my ear.  
110:167,32[A  ]| I now divested myself of my sword, belt, and coat, and 
110:167,33[A  ]| threw them across the chasm; then I braced myself for the 
110:167,34[A  ]| leap, keeping my eye steadily fixed upon the firm ground on 
110:167,35[A  ]| the other side, and refraining from glancing below, lest I 
110:167,36[A  ]| should turn giddy.  At length I sprang ~~ gained the opposite 
110:167,37[A  ]| bank, but my foot slipped ~~ I lost my balance and fell backwards, 
110:167,38[A  ]| luckily clutching the spreading branches of a shrub 
110:167,39[A  ]| in my descent, and thus saving myself from instant death.  
110:168,01[A  ]| Was I saved or was it a few minutes' respite only?  
110:168,02[A  ]| The shrub to which I clung grew from out a cleft in the 
110:168,03[A  ]| rock.  It was about a yard below the surface.  Beneath me 
110:168,04[A  ]| yawned the terrible chasm that divided the two mountains.  
110:168,05[A  ]| Did the branch give way or my strength fail I knew that I 
110:168,06[A  ]| should drop like a plummet into the torrent that roared 
110:168,07[A  ]| beneath me.  Then arose the thought, 
110:168,07@a   | "Could I scale the 
110:168,08@a   | cliff, and so reach the pathway above?"  
110:168,08[A  ]| Alas!  one glance 
110:168,09[A  ]| at the dark slippery rock, without a single excrescence to 
110:168,10[A  ]| aid foot or hand, forbade the thought.  Death seemed inevitable.  
110:168,11[A  ]| 
110:168,12[A  ]| Suddenly I perceived a shelving cliff upon which it might 
110:168,13[A  ]| be possible to obtain a foothold.  The question was, how to 
110:168,14[A  ]| reach it; it was a desperate resource even for one so fearfully 
110:168,15[A  ]| situated as myself.  I glanced at the base of the shrub that 
110:168,16[A  ]| bore me; it appeared to be firmly rooted, and not likely to 
110:168,17[A  ]| give way.  The branch which I grasped was long, sinewy, 
110:168,18[A  ]| and tough.  The idea struck me that I might, by swaying 
110:168,19[A  ]| my body to and fro, give it and the branch the momentum 
110:168,20[A  ]| of a pendulum, increasing it gradually so as at last to be able 
110:168,21[A  ]| to swing myself on to the shelving cliff.  
110:168,22[A  ]| This notion had scarcely occurred to my mind when a new 
110:168,23[A  ]| horror appalled me.  Close to the roots of the shrub two small 
110:168,24[A  ]| glittering eyes met mine, their metallic lustre seemed to 
110:168,25[A  ]| fascinate me.  Then I saw a forked tongue, and a flat, wedge-shaped 
110:168,26[A  ]| head, which presently began to undulate from side to 
110:168,27[A  ]| side as it approached me.  The next instant I was aware of 
110:168,28[A  ]| the dreadful fact that it was a diamond snake, one of the 
110:168,29[A  ]| most venomous of its species; it had marked me as its 
110:168,30[A  ]| victim.  
110:168,31[A  ]| My failing strength would not allow me to raise a hand 
110:168,32[A  ]| to guard my face; the reptile was about to spring.  At that 
110:168,33[A  ]| moment a voice seemed to whisper in my ear, 
110:168,33@x   | "The shelving 
110:168,34@x   | rock ~~ leap, and you are saved."  
110:168,34[A  ]| As the voice prompted so 
110:168,35[A  ]| I acted:  by a vigorous jerk I gave the branch a sudden 
110:168,36[A  ]| impetus; two swings, and I sprang boldly from it, alighting 
110:168,37[A  ]| on the jutting crag in safety.  
110:168,38[A  ]| I now clambered up the rough side of the shelving rock, 
110:168,39[A  ]| an angle of which presently hid the Devil's*Ridge and its 
110:169,01[A  ]| dread ravine from view.  Then my steps tottered, my eyes 
110:169,02[A  ]| grew dim, myriads of fiery stars seemed to sparkle around 
110:169,03[A  ]| me, and I fell to the ground in a swoon.  
110:169,04[A  ]| I must have lain thus for hours ~~ yes, the whole night.  
110:169,05[A  ]| When I recovered consciousness the sun was just rising over 
110:169,06[A  ]| the mountain tops.  It was a glorious morning.  A thousand 
110:169,07[A  ]| feet beneath spread a vast level country, with white stations 
110:169,08[A  ]| dotted here and there, few and far between.  I felt very 
110:169,09[A  ]| weak, but was able to crawl down the mountain side, and 
110:169,10[A  ]| about an hour later reached its base.  Here, happily ~~ for I 
110:169,11[A  ]| was almost dying of thirst and hunger ~~ I came across a 
110:169,12[A  ]| shepherd's hut.  I stayed there the day and night.  The 
110:169,13[A  ]| next morning at dawn I set out for Dunewatha, and reached 
110:169,14[A  ]| the out-station of mounted police, to which I was bound, 
110:169,15[A  ]| about an hour before sundown.  
111:170,00@@@@@| 
111:170,00['  ]| <THE LUBRA'S REVENGE; OR, THE> 
111:170,00['  ]| <FIRE AT GARRYONG.> 
111:170,01[A  ]| One day during the five weary months that I was quartered 
111:170,02[A  ]| at Dunewatha, as I was sitting upon a rude bench in front of 
111:170,03[A  ]| our wooden station, having a draw at my pipe while surveying 
111:170,04[A  ]| discontentedly the dust-dimmed, sun-scorched landscape 
111:170,05[A  ]| around, and feeling disgusted with myself, the service, and 
111:170,06[A  ]| everything else sublunary, my attention was attracted by the 
111:170,07[A  ]| sudden appearance of a little black boy, half naked, riding a 
111:170,08[A  ]| great brown stock horse at full gallop towards the station.  
111:170,09[A  ]| In a few minutes more he was alongside of me, and with no 
111:170,10[A  ]| little difficulty induced his animal to stop.  
111:170,11@a   | "Hallo, Snowball!  what do you want?"  
111:170,11[A  ]| I said.  
111:170,12[A  ]| I can not very well imitate the broken English of the Australian 
111:170,13[A  ]| natives, much as I have been amongst them, so I will not 
111:170,14[A  ]| attempt it here.  Suffice to say, that with many interjections 
111:170,15[A  ]| and gesticulations he informed me that Mrs%*Captain*Leslie, 
111:170,16[A  ]| of the Garryong*Station, had told him to ride as hard as he 
111:170,17[A  ]| could to our outpost, and bring back with him a trooper or 
111:170,18[A  ]| constable as quickly as possible.  More than this he did not 
111:170,19[A  ]| know, so the nature of the service required could not even be 
111:170,20[A  ]| guessed at.  
111:170,21[A  ]| The proverb says that 
111:170,21@z   | "where ignorance is bliss it is folly 
111:170,22@z   | to be wise," 
111:170,22[A  ]| so consoling myself that it might be so in the 
111:170,23[A  ]| present instance, I told one or two of my mates where I was 
111:170,24[A  ]| going, and then saddling my bay charger and furbishing myself 
111:170,25[A  ]| up to the nines, on account of there being a lady in the 
111:170,26[A  ]| case, I informed the black imp on the stock horse that I was 
111:171,01[A  ]| at his service, and away we trotted on our twenty-five miles' 
111:171,02[A  ]| ride through the bush.  
111:171,03[A  ]| Arrived at our destination, I was at once ushered into the 
111:171,04[A  ]| presence of the lady of the house, whom I found to be a 
111:171,05[A  ]| buxom, good-looking woman, of about forty years of age, 
111:171,06[A  ]| wearing a stout cotton gown, and with her sleeves tucked up 
111:171,07[A  ]| to her elbows, and her white fat arms dusted with flour, 
111:171,08[A  ]| whilst strips of dough adhered to her fingers.  This 9deshabille 
111:171,09[A  ]| was accounted for by a half-manufactured pumpkin pie which 
111:171,10[A  ]| stood on the deal table.  
111:171,11@a   | "I believe I address Mrs%*Leslie?"  
111:171,11[A  ]| I said, with a bow, on 
111:171,12[A  ]| entering the room.  
111:171,13@b   | "Yes, I am Mrs%*Leslie; sit down, sir," 
111:171,13[A  ]| she rejoined, pointing 
111:171,14[A  ]| to a seat.  
111:171,15[A  ]| I then asked her the nature of the service required of me, 
111:171,16[A  ]| and she told me the following tale:  ~~  
111:171,17[A  ]| For the past three months the station had been much 
111:171,18[A  ]| frequented with the blacks.  At first only one or two had 
111:171,19[A  ]| made their appearance, but the regularity with which damper 
111:171,20[A  ]| and scraps of meat had been given to them had no doubt 
111:171,21[A  ]| caused others to repair to so desirable a locality.  The first 
111:171,22[A  ]| recipients of Mrs%*Leslie's bounty had been a tall lanky aboriginal 
111:171,23[A  ]| and his lubra (wife), with a couple of piccaninnies; but 
111:171,24[A  ]| by*and*by, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, 
111:171,25[A  ]| cousins, and still more remote relatives, had swelled the list 
111:171,26[A  ]| of recipients to such an extent, that often ten or twelve men, 
111:171,27[A  ]| women, and children would at the same time be clamouring 
111:171,28[A  ]| at the doors and windows of the house station for damper, 
111:171,29[A  ]| mutton, baccy, and rum.  This, of course, became an intolerable 
111:171,30[A  ]| nuisance, and at length supplies were stopped altogether; 
111:171,31[A  ]| and day after day the mortified blacks had to go away empty-handed.  
111:171,32[A  ]| Seeing that no*one helped them, these rascals 
111:171,33[A  ]| thought that they would help themselves.  Sheep and lambs 
111:171,34[A  ]| began to be missed pretty frequently, one or two dogs were 
111:171,35[A  ]| speared; everything left out of doors at night was sure to be 
111:171,36[A  ]| stolen before morning, and, in short, Mrs%*Leslie's sable friends 
111:171,37[A  ]| soon became terrible bores.  At length matters reached a 
111:171,38[A  ]| crisis.  A new overseer had been appointed on the station, a 
111:171,39[A  ]| man not over-scrupulous as to trifles.  He had come from the 
111:172,01[A  ]| Southern*States of America, and had there learnt to regard 
111:172,02[A  ]| a black man in the light of a chattel.  One day he had hung 
111:172,03[A  ]| some shirts outside his hut to dry, and, as at nightfall they 
111:172,04[A  ]| were still damp, he did not take them in, thinking, that as 
111:172,05[A  ]| his dog was loose, the blacks would be afraid to come near.  
111:172,06[A  ]| He was mistaken.  An aboriginal \did\ come, speared his dog, 
111:172,07[A  ]| and stole his shirts.  The dying howl of the dog awoke its  
111:172,08[A  ]| master, who sprang to the window and saw the thief making 
111:172,09[A  ]| off with his shirts.  He seized his revolver, rushed after him, 
111:172,10[A  ]| and shot him dead, leaving him to lie where he fell.  The next 
111:172,11[A  ]| day his body was discovered by his countrymen, whose worst, 
111:172,12[A  ]| passions were now aroused.  To them stealing was no crime; 
111:172,13[A  ]| perhaps, in their uncivilized code of morals, a positive virtue.  
111:172,14[A  ]| The widow of the unfortunate black fellow went to the home 
111:172,15[A  ]| station, and poured her complaints into the ear of Mrs%*Leslie, 
111:172,16[A  ]| whose husband was at the time in Sydney on business connected 
111:172,17[A  ]| with the wool sales, and not expected home for three 
111:172,18[A  ]| or four days.  She asked for justice; for the \death\ of the overseer.  
111:172,19[A  ]| Mrs%*Leslie's promise that he should be discharged and 
111:172,20[A  ]| sent away did not satisfy her; it was his blood, his life, that 
111:172,21[A  ]| she required.  This she begged and entreated, but of course 
111:172,22[A  ]| Mrs%*Leslie would not grant her request.  Then the lubra, 
111:172,23[A  ]| seeing that she had only a nervous woman to deal with, began 
111:172,24[A  ]| to threaten.  She knew that Mr%*Leslie would not return 
111:172,25[A  ]| for some days, that there were only three or four men around 
111:172,26[A  ]| the station, so she swore that Captain*Leslie should never set 
111:172,27[A  ]| eyes on his home more, that he should be waylaid and murdered 
111:172,28[A  ]| on his return from Sydney; that Garryong should be 
111:172,29[A  ]| burnt to the ground; and lastly, what was a more terrible 
111:172,30[A  ]| threat than all to the fond mother, that her only child, a 
111:172,31[A  ]| sweet little girl of about five years of age, should be stolen 
111:172,32[A  ]| from her and brought up as a savage.  Mrs%*Leslie was too 
111:172,33[A  ]| much alarmed by these threats to take any steps to prevent 
111:172,34[A  ]| the woman's leaving the house, but an hour after her departure 
111:172,35[A  ]| had despatched a messenger to the police out-station, the 
111:172,36[A  ]| result of which, as the reader is aware, was my present visit.  
111:172,37[A  ]| At the conclusion of her narrative Mrs%*Leslie asked my 
111:172,38[A  ]| opinion on the matter.  
111:172,39[A  ]| I confess I was rather puzzled to answer her; I was not 
111:173,01[A  ]| much acquainted with the characteristics and habits of the 
111:173,02[A  ]| aboriginal population, though I knew them to be cruel and 
111:173,03[A  ]| revengeful, but at the same time rank cowards.  I therefore 
111:173,04[A  ]| advised Mrs%*Leslie to keep the child as much as possible in 
111:173,05[A  ]| the house for the next few days; and recommended that to 
111:173,06[A  ]| guard against any act of incendiarism on the part of the blacks, 
111:173,07[A  ]| two of the station hands should be on the alert all night, and 
111:173,08[A  ]| keep walking around the homestead.  I promised to use 
111:173,09[A  ]| every endeavour to capture the lubra, and get her punished 
111:173,10[A  ]| for her threats.  All the consolation, however, that I could 
111:173,11[A  ]| offer did not seem to pacify Mrs%*Leslie; she was in a terribly 
111:173,12[A  ]| nervous state, and begged me to stay at the station for a day 
111:173,13[A  ]| or two as a guard.  At last I promised to do so, and writing 
111:173,14[A  ]| a letter to my mates at the outpost, stating the reason of my 
111:173,15[A  ]| non-return, and desiring them to look out for the black 
111:173,16[A  ]| woman, and if they could find her to lose no time in locking 
111:173,17[A  ]| her up, I prepared to make myself at home amid the comforts 
111:173,18[A  ]| that now surrounded me.  
111:173,19[A  ]| That night the mother and her little girl slept in a room 
111:173,20[A  ]| next the one allotted to me.  Both rooms were on the ground-floor; 
111:173,21[A  ]| the station being, like most of its class, only one story 
111:173,22[A  ]| high.  The windows, which were French ones, were nearly 
111:173,23[A  ]| level with the ground outside, and overlooked the large, 
111:173,24[A  ]| smoothly mown lawn, which sloped down to a small creek 
111:173,25[A  ]| whose waters sparkled at its base.  Mrs%*Leslie, according to 
111:173,26[A  ]| my advice, carefully bolted her windows on the inside, while 
111:173,27[A  ]| I left mine wide open, and went to sleep with my loaded 
111:173,28[A  ]| revolver under my pillow.  
111:173,29[A  ]| We must both have slept very soundly, for it was broad 
111:173,30[A  ]| daylight on the following  morning when I was awoke by a 
111:173,31[A  ]| wild cry of despair from the adjoining room.  I immediately 
111:173,32[A  ]| sprang out of bed, dressed, and then knocked at Mrs%*Leslie's 
111:173,33[A  ]| door.  She opened it at once.  I noticed that she was clad 
111:173,34[A  ]| in a richly embroidered silk dressing-gown.  Her face was 
111:173,35[A  ]| pale as death.  
111:173,36@b   | "Mr%*Brooke, my little girl is gone!"  
111:173,36[A  ]| she exclaimed, and 
111:173,37[A  ]| then fainted.  
111:173,38[A  ]| I summoned her maid, and then examined the fastenings 
111:173,39[A  ]| of the window.  I saw that the thief had entered the apartment 
111:174,01[A  ]| by skilfully taking out two panes of glass, one at the 
111:174,02[A  ]| top, the other at the bottom of the window, and then inserting 
111:174,03[A  ]| a hand through the aperture and withdrawing the bolts.  
111:174,04[A  ]| On the lawn and on the paths I noticed the impress of a 
111:174,05[A  ]| foot, which from its smallness I knew to be a woman's.  
111:174,06[A  ]| Thus I became aware that the lubra had fulfilled one of her 
111:174,07[A  ]| three threats.  
111:174,08[A  ]| I did not allow myself any time to partake of breakfast 
111:174,09[A  ]| that morning.  I hastily swallowed a cup of coffee and then 
111:174,10[A  ]| mounted my horse.  The lubra's footprints led down to the 
111:174,11[A  ]| creek.  Here of course the trail failed; and upon crossing 
111:174,12[A  ]| over, I could not recover it on the opposite bank.  I scoured 
111:174,13[A  ]| the country all day, but not a black was to be seen anywhere, 
111:174,14[A  ]| and at nightfall, with a lame horse and a sorrowful heart, I 
111:174,15[A  ]| returned to Garryong, where I found Mrs%*Leslie in a wild 
111:174,16[A  ]| delirium, occasioned by the loss of her child and her increasing 
111:174,17[A  ]| fears for her husband's safety.  
111:174,18[A  ]| Painful incidents were not, however, to come singly.  
111:174,19[A  ]| While I was sitting down to a beefsteak and a cup of tea, 
111:174,20[A  ]| a servant rushed in with the intelligence that the bush 
111:174,21[A  ]| was on fire, and that a stiff breeze from the west was blowing 
111:174,22[A  ]| the conflagration towards the home station.  
111:174,23[A  ]| I at once rushed out into the verandah, and there a grand 
111:174,24[A  ]| spectacle met my gaze.  
111:174,25[A  ]| It was night.  About a mile from the station rose a hill 
111:174,26[A  ]| called Cat's*Back, doubtless because its shape was like that 
111:174,27[A  ]| of a cat's back when erected in a passion.  This hill was 
111:174,28[A  ]| some hundred and fifty feet in height, and covered with trees.  
111:174,29[A  ]| It now presented an imposing sight.  An Australian Vesuvius 
111:174,30[A  ]| or Etna it fairly seemed, rising with fiery grandeur amid the 
111:174,31[A  ]| darkness of the surrounding forest, which looked more sombre 
111:174,32[A  ]| than usual on account of the ruddy blaze that enveloped tree 
111:174,33[A  ]| and shrub from near the base to the very summit of the 
111:174,34[A  ]| mount.  The fire spread with such rapidity as soon to cover 
111:174,35[A  ]| the whole face of the hill as seen from the station with one 
111:174,36[A  ]| sheet of flame, so that it looked like a vast orb of solid fire, 
111:174,37[A  ]| rising over a world of darkness.  
111:174,38[A  ]| Presently the scene changed:  the scattering flames of fire, 
111:174,39[A  ]| swept by the wind away into the thick undergrowth, served 
111:175,01[A  ]| to kindle new mischief, and to enlarge the scope of devastation.  
111:175,02[A  ]| The sight now was one of the grandest description.  
111:175,03[A  ]| I could hear the roar of the flames as they careened through 
111:175,04[A  ]| the compact wood, and every now and then the ear was 
111:175,05[A  ]| stunned by the falling of burning timber in every direction.  
111:175,06[A  ]| Occasionally, as one of the old giants of the forest succumbed 
111:175,07[A  ]| to the fury of the fire and fell crashing amongst the crackling 
111:175,08[A  ]| underwood, the flames would leap up a hundred feet into 
111:175,09[A  ]| the air, and throw up a myriad fiery stars to twice that 
111:175,10[A  ]| altitude.  
111:175,11[A  ]| The fire moved on at the rate of at least a mile and a half 
111:175,12[A  ]| an hour towards the devoted station, which was now in terrible 
111:175,13[A  ]| danger, as the long yellow grass, dry as tinder, grew up 
111:175,14[A  ]| to the very out-buildings, which, with the roof of the homestead 
111:175,15[A  ]| itself, were of wood.  
111:175,16[A  ]| Had there been no wind, or had it blown in any other 
111:175,17[A  ]| direction than towards the station, danger might have been 
111:175,18[A  ]| averted by ourselves setting fire to the grass for a radius of a 
111:175,19[A  ]| quarter of a mile around, thus preventing the onward rush 
111:175,20[A  ]| of the bush fire by depriving it of further material on which 
111:175,21[A  ]| to feed.  As matters stood, however, this ruse could be of no 
111:175,22[A  ]| service, and so, as a last resource, the station hands began to 
111:175,23[A  ]| pack waggons with the furniture and other valuables preparatory 
111:175,24[A  ]| to retreating before the destroyer.  
111:175,25[A  ]| The fire had now spread into a vast conflagration, occupying 
111:175,26[A  ]| at least two miles in breadth, and exhibiting a moving 
111:175,27[A  ]| mass of flame surmounted by dense clouds of smoke, awful 
111:175,28[A  ]| in grandeur and extent.  Already sparks began to fall around 
111:175,29[A  ]| us; the air was so hot that it blistered our hands and faces, 
111:175,30[A  ]| while we were half suffocated with the smoke which curled 
111:175,31[A  ]| over our heads in sulphureous wreaths.  
111:175,32[A  ]| The horses were at last in the wagons, having been blindfolded 
111:175,33[A  ]| before being brought out of their stalls, so that the 
111:175,34[A  ]| unnatural light should not frighten them; for the lurid 
111:175,35[A  ]| flames had dispelled the darkness so effectually that the 
111:175,36[A  ]| smallest print would have been readable.  
111:175,37[A  ]| Mrs%*Leslie was now led out by her maid.  Her delirium 
111:175,38[A  ]| had passed away, but she was very pale.  As she was about 
111:175,39[A  ]| to mount one of the waggons she recognised me, and said 
111:176,01[A  ]| sadly, 
111:176,01@b   | "The second threat of the black woman is accomplished; 
111:176,02@b   | perhaps by this time the third also, for I had a 
111:176,03@b   | letter from my husband this morning saying that he might 
111:176,04@b   | be home to-night." 
111:176,05[A  ]| By this time the roar of the flames behind the station was 
111:176,06[A  ]| like the sound of a cataract.  The swift-winged beetle and 
111:176,07[A  ]| flocks of wild birds flew over our heads; fleet, bounding 
111:176,08[A  ]| kangaroos and long-legged emus passed by on the other 
111:176,09[A  ]| side of the cockatoo fence that encircled the home paddock, 
111:176,10[A  ]| frightened by the flames in their rear; then, with 
111:176,11[A  ]| discordant howls, a pack of dingoes, or native dogs, swept 
111:176,12[A  ]| by at full speed.  The fire was now within a quarter of 
111:176,13[A  ]| a mile from the house, and the waggons began to move  
111:176,14[A  ]| away.  
111:176,15[A  ]| I had mounted my charger, having first blindfolded him, 
111:176,16[A  ]| but drew rein for a moment to take a last glance at the 
111:176,17[A  ]| scene.  It was an awful sight; a sea of fire, roaring in its 
111:176,18[A  ]| fury, with its heaving, leaping waves, and unearthly hisses, 
111:176,19[A  ]| approaching each moment nearer and nearer.  I turned my 
111:176,20[A  ]| back on the destroyer, and was about to ride after the 
111:176,21[A  ]| waggons, when, to my intense surprise, I was greeted by a 
111:176,22[A  ]| strong gust of wind directly in my face ~~ a spiteful, uncertain 
111:176,23[A  ]| blast, blowing crabwise, but yet for a minute it caused me a 
111:176,24[A  ]| greater, a more exquisite pleasure than the softest, balmiest 
111:176,25[A  ]| English summer breeze could have done.  Another steady 
111:176,26[A  ]| blow from the same direction completed my satisfaction, for 
111:176,27[A  ]| I knew that the wind had suddenly changed, veered, in fact, 
111:176,28[A  ]| directly around, and was now blowing half a gale from the  
111:176,29[A  ]| east.  
111:176,30[A  ]| What a refreshing change this cool, invigorating wind was 
111:176,31[A  ]| from the hot dry furnace blast that had surrounded me a 
111:176,32[A  ]| moment before!  but it was not this that overjoyed me.  It 
111:176,33[A  ]| was the fact that the station might yet be saved, for if the 
111:176,34[A  ]| breeze kept up from its present direction the fire could 
111:176,35[A  ]| advance no further.  
111:176,36[A  ]| A lusty cheer from the distance at this moment told me that 
111:176,37[A  ]| Mrs%*Leslie and the station hands had made a similar discovery.  
111:176,38[A  ]| I rode into the paddock, and saw the waggons returning  
111:176,39[A  ]| to the station.  Presently the blue sky was visible 
111:177,01[A  ]| overhead, the stars sparkled out ~~ the whole voice of nature 
111:177,02[A  ]| seemed to echo, 
111:177,02@z   | "Thus far shalt thou come and no further." 
111:177,03[A  ]| When Mrs%*Leslie descended from the waggon, the expression 
111:177,04[A  ]| of her countenance was far more hopeful than when she 
111:177,05[A  ]| had entered it.  Perhaps she thought, that as an Almighty 
111:177,06[A  ]| power had interposed and saved her property, so it would 
111:177,07[A  ]| interpose also to save her child.  I own that I had such a 
111:177,08[A  ]| presentiment when, dismounting by her side, I said respectfully, 
111:177,09@a   | "If you can let me have a fresh horse from your stables, 
111:177,10@a   | I will again set out and seek your little girl." 
111:177,11[A  ]| She turned towards me and said, with a faint smile, 
111:177,11@b   | "I 
111:177,12@b   | fear I am taxing your kindness greatly.  You have undergone 
111:177,13@b   | much fatigue since the morning, and must require 
111:177,14@b   | rest." 
111:177,15@a   | "Pardon me, madam, I will rest when my work is accomplished.  
111:177,16@a   | I am quite up to another bush ride, and, in short, 
111:177,17@a   | I have my reasons for setting out at once." 
111:177,18@b   | "Indeed!  have you any hopes, then?"  
111:177,18[A  ]| eagerly inquired 
111:177,19[A  ]| the mother.  
111:177,20@a   | "I have, Mrs%*Leslie, but I would rather not explain them 
111:177,21@a   | now," 
111:177,21[A  ]| I answered, and to avoid further questioning, I bowed 
111:177,22[A  ]| and moved off towards the stables.  
111:177,23[A  ]| Five minutes later, mounted on a strong stock horse, I was 
111:177,24[A  ]| riding at full speed from the station.  
111:177,25[A  ]| Now the idea that had occurred to me was this.  The 
111:177,26[A  ]| lubra, either alone or with other blacks, had no doubt set fire 
111:177,27[A  ]| to the bush just on the ridge of Cat's*Back*Hill, trusting 
111:177,28[A  ]| that the strong wind would speedily urge the flames forward 
111:177,29[A  ]| until they destroyed the station.  Most probably, then, the 
111:177,30[A  ]| incendiary or incendiaries would remain in concealment somewhere 
111:177,31[A  ]| behind this hill until they either discovered that their 
111:177,32[A  ]| plan had been successful, or until the change of wind blew 
111:177,33[A  ]| the fire back in their faces and caused them to retreat before 
111:177,34[A  ]| it.  My plan was therefore to round the conflagration and 
111:177,35[A  ]| get in its rear, when very likely I might find the lubra and 
111:177,36[A  ]| the stolen child.  One thing I felt sure of, which was, that 
111:177,37[A  ]| if I did not make the capture now, the probability was that 
111:177,38[A  ]| I might never be able to do so, as doubtless, after so flagrant 
111:177,39[A  ]| an act of hostility the blacks would make themselves scarce, 
111:178,01[A  ]| and with the little girl, proceed perhaps some hundreds of 
111:178,02[A  ]| miles into the far interior, whither it would be folly and 
111:178,03[A  ]| madness to pursue them.  
111:178,04[A  ]| I pushed my horse on as speedily as possible, riding along 
111:178,05[A  ]| the whole front of the conflagration, and as near to it as the 
111:178,06[A  ]| heat would allow.  
111:178,07[A  ]| It was now three o'clock in the morning; the fire had 
111:178,08[A  ]| already raged for eight hours, and I found the front to be 
111:178,09[A  ]| about six miles long.  At last, however, I succeeded in 
111:178,10[A  ]| rounding it, and half an hour later I gained its rear, or rather 
111:178,11[A  ]| what had been its rear; for it was now, as a matter of course, 
111:178,12[A  ]| its front, the wind having changed completely round.  Cat's*Back*Hill 
111:178,13[A  ]| now seemed in about the centre of the conflagration, 
111:178,14[A  ]| and I had to make a wide detour to steer clear of the 
111:178,15[A  ]| advancing flames.  
111:178,16[A  ]| I had ridden in this manner about a couple of miles 
111:178,17[A  ]| further, and had given up almost all hopes of coming across 
111:178,18[A  ]| the lubra, when I noticed a movement amid the scrub on my 
111:178,19[A  ]| left.  At first I fancied it might be caused by a snake or some 
111:178,20[A  ]| wild animal, but when I looked again I perceived the face of 
111:178,21[A  ]| a black fellow peer for a moment above the bushes and then 
111:178,22[A  ]| duck under cover.  The next moment a spear glanced by me, 
111:178,23[A  ]| so close that it grazed my shoulder.  
111:178,24@a   | "Hang it!"  
111:178,24[A  ]| thought I, 
111:178,24@a   | "these rascals are in ambush, and 
111:178,25@a   | I shall never attain my object unless I hit upon some clever 
111:178,26@a   | scheme to outwit them."  
111:178,26[A  ]| While these thoughts occupied my 
111:178,27[A  ]| attention a waddy whizzed through the air and came crack 
111:178,28[A  ]| right against my stout leather shako with such a hearty good 
111:178,29[A  ]| will that it made my head ring again.  Thank Heaven, however, 
111:178,30[A  ]| it did not stagger me or confuse my senses for an instant.  
111:178,31[A  ]| On the contrary, it enabled me to put the plot I had been 
111:178,32[A  ]| hatching in my brain into execution.  The very moment the 
111:178,33[A  ]| waddy hit me, therefore, I fell from my horse, and lay as if 
111:178,34[A  ]| dead.  I knew that the stock horse was too old a hand to 
111:178,35[A  ]| leave the spot, and as for the savages, as long as he stood by 
111:178,36[A  ]| me and my revolver held a single charge, I did not care a pin 
111:178,37[A  ]| for them.  
111:178,38[A  ]| My reason for this ruse I will explain.  I was sufficiently 
111:178,39[A  ]| acquainted with the habits of the blacks to know, that directly 
111:179,01[A  ]| they saw me fall from my horse and lie still, they would all 
111:179,02[A  ]| rush out of ambush and surround me, thinking I was dead.  If 
111:179,03[A  ]| the revengeful lubra was amongst the party, the child would 
111:179,04[A  ]| doubtless be in her arms or by her side, so that by springing 
111:179,05[A  ]| suddenly up I might be able to wrest it from her, and then 
111:179,06[A  ]| make the whole party scamper away by showing them my 
111:179,07[A  ]| firearms; for a white man with a six-chambered Colt or 
111:179,08[A  ]| Adams, may, in open ground, drive a score or so of these 
111:179,09[A  ]| black fellows before him like a flock of sheep, ~~ the aborigines 
111:179,10[A  ]| of Australia, or at least those \south\ of Queensland, 
111:179,11[A  ]| being about the rankest cowards on the face of the 
111:179,12[A  ]| globe.  
111:179,13[A  ]| I had hardly been on the ground a minute when I saw a 
111:179,14[A  ]| dusky form creep out of the scrub, then came another, and 
111:179,15[A  ]| another, until I counted a dozen.  I was sadly afraid I had 
111:179,16[A  ]| taken all my trouble for nothing, when, to my joy, a thirteenth 
111:179,17[A  ]| form sprang from out the cover, and my heart beat 
111:179,18[A  ]| quickly, for I saw that it was a woman, and that a white 
111:179,19[A  ]| child was clutched in her arms.  
111:179,20[A  ]| I now held my breath, and half closed my eyes.  
111:179,21[A  ]| Cautiously they came nearer, and at last surrounded me, 
111:179,22[A  ]| dancing, screaming, and indulging in such an exuberant 
111:179,23[A  ]| "yabber!  yabber!"  that it nearly deafened me.  The woman 
111:179,24[A  ]| at first held aloof, but presently she came right up to me, and 
111:179,25[A  ]| endeavoured to tear a button from my coat; doubtless the 
111:179,26[A  ]| glittering silver had attracted her.  
111:179,27[A  ]| Here was the very opportunity I had longed for; with 
111:179,28[A  ]| one bound I sprang to my feet, I dragged the child out of 
111:179,29[A  ]| her arms, and, drawing my revolver, cried, 
111:179,29@a   | "Away, you 
111:179,30@a   | rascals, or I will shoot every mother's son of you!" 
111:179,31[A  ]| By Jove!  there was not a single one of them man enough 
111:179,32[A  ]| to hurl a spear or throw a boomerang or waddy.  They turned 
111:179,33[A  ]| tail and ran for the scrub, and with equal speed I sprang 
111:179,34[A  ]| into the saddle, placed the child before me, and set spurs to 
111:179,35[A  ]| my horse.  The savages, brave enough now that they were 
111:179,36[A  ]| hid behind the scrub again, hurled a shower of missiles at 
111:179,37[A  ]| me.  One spear tore up the sleeve of my coat, another 
111:179,38[A  ]| grazed my ear, while a waddy hit the horse on the flank.  In 
111:179,39[A  ]| another minute, however, we were clear of danger, and an 
111:180,01[A  ]| hour later I reached Garryong station, and restored the little 
111:180,02[A  ]| girl to her mother.  
111:180,03[A  ]| A happier meeting than that it has never been my lot to 
111:180,04[A  ]| witness; and as if to complete Mrs%*Leslie's joy, just as she 
111:180,05[A  ]| had kissed her rescued darling, for about the hundredth 
111:180,06[A  ]| time, the sound of a horse's hoofs were audible without, followed 
111:180,07[A  ]| by heavy footsteps in the passage, and the next 
111:180,08[A  ]| moment the dining-room door was thrown open, and a rough, 
111:180,09[A  ]| manly voice exclaimed, 
111:180,09@w   | "Why, what the deuce brings you all 
111:180,10@w   | up at this hour in the morning?"  
111:180,10[A  ]| The owner of the voice, 
111:180,11[A  ]| ere the sentence was concluded, entered the apartment.  He 
111:180,12[A  ]| was a fine burly, red-headed country gentleman, and with a 
111:180,13[A  ]| cry of joy Mrs%*Leslie placed the child on the sofa, and 
111:180,14[A  ]| threw herself into his arms.  
111:180,15[A  ]| It was Mr%*Leslie, returned safe from Sydney, and thus 
111:180,16[A  ]| neither of the lubra's three threats were accomplished successfully.  
111:180,17[A  ]| As for the woman herself, I never saw or heard 
111:180,18[A  ]| of her more, for in spite of all our efforts to catch her, lest 
111:180,19[A  ]| she might plan and execute further mischief, she eluded us, 
111:180,20[A  ]| and with her party fled, without doubt, into the interior, to 
111:180,21[A  ]| escape a dreaded retribution.  
111:180,22[A  ]| After a hearty breakfast, and a very handsome present 
111:180,23[A  ]| received from Mr%*Leslie, I quitted Garryong, on my return 
111:180,24[A  ]| to our out-station.  By this time the fire had somewhat 
111:180,25[A  ]| abated, but though in one or two places it seemed to be 
111:180,26[A  ]| quite extinguished, a fallen tree would occasionally light up 
111:180,27[A  ]| the charred, blackened scrub again, and send a thousand 
111:180,28[A  ]| sparkling stars of fire towards the now sunlit sky.  All 
111:180,29[A  ]| danger from the conflagration, however, was past, though it 
111:180,30[A  ]| continued to smoulder for another couple of days, when a 
111:180,31[A  ]| summer thunder-shower extinguished it altogether.  
112:181,00@@@@@| 
112:181,00['  ]| <THE ACE OF SPADES.> 
112:181,00['  ]| <A SCENE IN A SYDNEY GAMBLING SALOON IN 1855.> 
112:181,01[A  ]| When I was quartered in Sydney in the year 1855, that city 
112:181,02[A  ]| did not wear the quiet, dull, English market-town appearance 
112:181,03[A  ]| that it does at present.  The gold fever was not yet 
112:181,04[A  ]| decidedly on the wane, and bright-shirted diggers from 
112:181,05[A  ]| Ophir, Bathurst, and other inland gold*fields were still the 
112:181,06[A  ]| lions of George and Pitt*Streets, and the principal personages 
112:181,07[A  ]| which the caterers of public amusement sought to 
112:181,08[A  ]| please.  
112:181,09[A  ]| They were rough fellows most of them, but the majority 
112:181,10[A  ]| were honest, while not a few possessed gentle blood and a 
112:181,11[A  ]| university education.  There were, however, as a matter of 
112:181,12[A  ]| course, many roughs amongst so large a number, and some 
112:181,13[A  ]| villains of the deepest dye.  Fellows of this latter class 
112:181,14[A  ]| were always to be met with amid the purliens of Sussex or 
112:181,15[A  ]| Cumberland*Streets, or at night in the many low play-houses 
112:181,16[A  ]| and gambling-saloons that were so prevalent in the neighbourhood 
112:181,17[A  ]| of York*Street or Brickfield*Hill.  
112:181,18[A  ]| I had often listened to descriptions of the interior of one 
112:181,19[A  ]| or other of these temples devoted to the deity ~~ cards; and 
112:181,20[A  ]| one night, being off duty, I determined to set out in search 
112:181,21[A  ]| of adventures, and penetrate the mysteries of one or two of 
112:181,22[A  ]| the most notorious of these places ere my return.  
112:181,23[A  ]| After attending the Victoria*Theatre, therefore, where I 
112:181,24[A  ]| witnessed a very lengthy melodrama of the "Jonathan*Wilde" 
112:181,25[A  ]| and "Newgate*Calendar" stamp, I discussed some 
112:182,01[A  ]| prime oysters (for Sydney rock oysters are equal in flavour to 
112:182,02[A  ]| London natives), together with a pint of stout, and it being 
112:182,03[A  ]| by this time about eleven o'clock, I marched off to a gaming-house 
112:182,04[A  ]| which I knew to be situated on the Brickfield*Hill 
112:182,05[A  ]| side of Pitt*Street.  
112:182,06[A  ]| When I entered the room the clouds of tobacco smoke 
112:182,07[A  ]| were so dense, that for a few minutes I could not perceive 
112:182,08[A  ]| anything clearly, but in a little while I became used to it, 
112:182,09[A  ]| and then a strange scene presented itself.  
112:182,10[A  ]| It was a very large room, but low, and, to my idea, excessively 
112:182,11[A  ]| dirty.  At one end was a bar, with its usual background 
112:182,12[A  ]| of bottle-laden shelves.  A very stout, brown-wigged, 
112:182,13[A  ]| red-nosed woman, of dubious age, was presiding over this 
112:182,14[A  ]| department; and, to judge from her vacant smiles, and the 
112:182,15[A  ]| frequent mistakes she made in drawing the wrong liquors, 
112:182,16[A  ]| she must have been already considerably more than fuddled.  
112:182,17[A  ]| Scattered throughout the rest of the room were deal 
112:182,18[A  ]| tables of every size and form, around which sat as motley 
112:182,19[A  ]| groups as it is possible to conceive ~~ swell diggers, distinguished 
112:182,20[A  ]| by their loud-patterned shirts and Chinese silk 
112:182,21[A  ]| scarfs, mingled with stockdrivers, navvies, sailors, loafers, 
112:182,22[A  ]| and every other variety of the genus "scamp." 
112:182,23[A  ]| All kinds of games were in progress, but cards seemed to 
112:182,24[A  ]| be the favourite pastime; and I had hardly been in the 
112:182,25[A  ]| room ten minutes when I became absorbed in a game of 
112:182,26[A  ]| whist waged fiercely between a couple of diggers on the one 
112:182,27[A  ]| side and a brace of ~~ as I had no doubt ~~ out-and-out sharpers 
112:182,28[A  ]| on the other.  
112:182,29[A  ]| They were "game and game" when I first approached 
112:182,30[A  ]| their table, and in the third one of the rub the diggers had 
112:182,31[A  ]| crept up a single point at a deal to "three by cards," when, 
112:182,32[A  ]| in the fifth deal, their opponents marked "four by honours," 
112:182,33[A  ]| but purposely lost the trick, thus making the game "four 
112:182,34[A  ]| all."  I could see that the honours were obtained by trickery, 
112:182,35[A  ]| and that the single point by cards which would have secured 
112:182,36[A  ]| them the rubber was lost intentionally, for the reason, I had 
112:182,37[A  ]| no doubt, of encouraging betting.  Anyhow it had that 
112:182,38[A  ]| effect, for the diggers were half-screwed, and were willing to 
112:182,39[A  ]| give and take any odds that the rub was theirs.  The result 
112:183,01[A  ]| was that although they were playing at a guinea a point, in 
112:183,02[A  ]| addition to ten guineas on the rubber, they were let into 
112:183,03[A  ]| some twenty-five pounds each in bets.  
112:183,04[A  ]| It went against my grain to stand by and see the poor 
112:183,05[A  ]| fellows so chiselled, and I whispered a warning to the elder 
112:183,06[A  ]| and more sober of the two, but the reply I got was a leer of 
112:183,07[A  ]| drunken cunning, and a threatening scowl from one of the 
112:183,08[A  ]| sharpers who overheard me.  In spite of this, I determined 
112:183,09[A  ]| to foil the rogues if possible.  It was now the turn of the 
112:183,10[A  ]| younger of the gamesters to deal, and as he took up the cards 
112:183,11[A  ]| for that purpose, I saw the deuce of clubs at the bottom of 
112:183,12[A  ]| the pack, but in the middle of the deal, with a quick movement 
112:183,13[A  ]| of the hand, he slipped this bottom instead of the top 
112:183,14[A  ]| card to the player on his left, and when the trump came to 
112:183,15[A  ]| be turned up it proved to be the ace of spades.  
112:183,16[A  ]| I looked over his partner's shoulder as he sorted his cards, 
112:183,17[A  ]| and saw that he held the king, knave, and five small trumps, 
112:183,18[A  ]| and at the same moment a tall, gaunt fellow, who throughout 
112:183,19[A  ]| the rubber had been overlooking the two diggers' cards, 
112:183,20[A  ]| knocked the ash from his cigar with two applications of his 
112:183,21[A  ]| little finger, spitting at the same time on the floor \to his left\.  
112:183,22[A  ]| I knew that the expectoration in this direction meants spades, 
112:183,23[A  ]| and that the number of times he touched his cigar signified 
112:183,24[A  ]| the number of trumps in the hand of the digger, while the 
112:183,25[A  ]| peculiar flourish of his little finger at the close intimated 
112:183,26[A  ]| that one of them was an honour.  
112:183,27[A  ]| The game was of course played out; the rogues, as a 
112:183,28[A  ]| necessary consequence, won; and the diggers, half-sobered 
112:183,29[A  ]| by their losses, were about to hand over the stakes.  
112:183,30@a   | "Stop, mates," 
112:183,30[A  ]| I said.  
112:183,30@a   | "You have been cheated.  Instead 
112:183,31@a   | of parting with your gold, just help me to give these 
112:183,32@a   | fellows into custody." 
112:183,33@w   | "Liar!"  
112:183,33[A  ]| screamed one of the blacklegs.  
112:183,33@w   | "Prove your 
112:183,34@w   | words, or by G** I will knife you." 
112:183,35@a   | "I can easily do that," 
112:183,35[A  ]| I replied.  
112:183,35@a   | "hand over your pack, 
112:183,36@a   | and I will prove that you have been playing with \brief\ 
112:184,01@a   | cards, and as for your tall friend, he has been performing 
112:184,02@a   | the old \piping\ trick, and revealing the cards held by your 
112:184,03@a   | dupes throughout the rubber.  Give me the ace of spades, 
112:184,04@a   | the last trump turned up, and I will show you the \corner\ 
112:184,05@a   | \bend\ on it." 
112:184,06[A  ]| The uproar that arose when I made this disclosure defies 
112:184,07[A  ]| description.  I had thought that there were as many honest 
112:184,08[A  ]| men in the room as blackguards, but I was mistaken.  The 
112:184,09[A  ]| few who were there slipped away, and in a minute or two 
112:184,10[A  ]| the two diggers, who had succeeded in pocketing their 
112:184,11[A  ]| stakes, and myself, were fighting for our very lives to escape 
112:184,12[A  ]| from the house into the street.  
112:184,13@w   | "The ace of spades is it that you want, you 'tarnal skunk?" 
112:184,14[A  ]| growled one of the sharpers, a gigantic fellow with the 
112:184,15[A  ]| strength of an ox; and as he spoke, he pressed the card 
112:184,16[A  ]| against my chest with his left hand, while with his right he 
112:184,17[A  ]| drove a long-bladed knife into my body, right through the 
112:184,18[A  ]| card, thus nailing it to me.  
112:184,19[A  ]| The whole thing was done so suddenly that I had no time 
112:184,20[A  ]| to avoid the stroke, but after I received it, I sprang at my 
112:184,21[A  ]| assassin, and floored him with one blow, falling over him 
112:184,22[A  ]| insensible the moment I had done so.  
112:184,23[A  ]| When consciousness returned I found myself in the 
112:184,24[A  ]| hospital; my wound was being dressed.  The ace of spades, 
112:184,25[A  ]| still transfixed by the knife, lay on the floor close by.  Two 
112:184,26[A  ]| inches or so of its blade was stained with blood.  
112:184,27[A  ]| My wound proved very troublesome.  I was in the hospital 
112:184,28[A  ]| six weeks, and it was much longer time before I was 
112:184,29[A  ]| quite restored to health.  
112:184,30[A  ]| With regard to the other actors in the scene at the gaming*house, 
112:184,31[A  ]| the two diggers escaped with a few bruises, and, 
112:184,32[A  ]| what is more, succeeded in carrying away their cash with 
112:184,33[A  ]| them.  Before I left Sydney they presented me with a 
112:184,34[A  ]| handsome watch as a \9souvenir\ of their gratitude for the 
112:184,35[A  ]| pecuniary losses from which I had saved them.  Two of the 
112:185,01[A  ]| rascally cardsharpers escaped, but the tall fellow who had 
112:185,02[A  ]| stabbed me was arrested three days later, and in return for 
112:185,03[A  ]| his bit of knife work got three years' penal servitude.  Since 
112:185,04[A  ]| the expiration of that sentence he has turned bushranger, 
112:185,05[A  ]| been captured, and is now a convict for life.  
113:186,00@@@@@| 
113:186,00['  ]| <THREE GOLDEN HAIRS.> 
113:186,01[A  ]| It was towards the close of 1855 that I joined the detective 
113:186,02[A  ]| force of Adelaide, South*Australia.  One bright November 
113:186,03[A  ]| morning I stepped on board the steamer \Wollongong\ at 
113:186,04[A  ]| Sandridge, and after a rapid passage reached the third 
113:186,05[A  ]| rising city of "the Empire of the Southern*Seas." 
113:186,06[A  ]| I confess that I was at first delighted with Adelaide, for 
113:186,07[A  ]| I found it a town, or rather city, presenting a contrast ~~ and 
113:186,08[A  ]| a very marked one ~~ to both Melbourne and Sydney.  The 
113:186,09[A  ]| streets were bordered with Norfolk pines, giving it an 
113:186,10[A  ]| American air, while the remarkably clean-looking houses 
113:186,11[A  ]| with their verandahs, gardens, and bright green jalousies, 
113:186,12[A  ]| and the attractive outward appearance presented by the 
113:186,13[A  ]| shops, many of which displayed as choice an assortment of 
113:186,14[A  ]| wares as Regent or New*Bond*Street establishments could 
113:186,15[A  ]| do, rendered it almost possible to imagine oneself transplanted 
113:186,16[A  ]| to an European city, the more so as Adelaide was 
113:186,17[A  ]| the chief German resort in Australia, and the language of 
113:186,18[A  ]| the "fatherland" was as frequently heard in its streets as 
113:186,19[A  ]| the dialect of the Celt or Saxon.  
113:186,20[A  ]| Adelaide presents many features worthy of remark.  It is 
113:186,21[A  ]| divided into two distinct portions, north and south, the 
113:186,22[A  ]| former comprising an area of 300 acres, the later 700.  The 
113:186,23[A  ]| streets are systematically laid out, being twenty-two in 
113:186,24[A  ]| number, and intersecting each other at right angles.  They 
113:186,25[A  ]| are from 60 to 130 feet wide.  Squares, a rare thing in 
113:186,26[A  ]| Australian towns, are met with here and there, and a large 
113:186,27[A  ]| area of park land that environs the city is reserved for a 
113:186,28[A  ]| boulevard for the recreation of the inhabitants.  
113:186,29[A  ]| The population of Adelaide when I first arrived there 
113:187,01[A  ]| was about 20*000; it has since then much increased.  An 
113:187,02[A  ]| assessment of one shilling per pound on the rental amounted, 
113:187,03[A  ]| I recollect, to L5*500, which will afford some idea of the 
113:187,04[A  ]| value of house property at that time.  South*Adelaide, the 
113:187,05[A  ]| commercial quarter, bore a thriving aspect, its business being 
113:187,06[A  ]| chiefly concentrated about Rundle, Hindley, and King*William*Streets, 
113:187,07[A  ]| though many others almost equalled them 
113:187,08[A  ]| in bustle.  These streets resemble those of an English 
113:187,09[A  ]| country town.  Drapers, grocers, and others, revelled in 
113:187,10[A  ]| spacious well-stocked premises.  Members of the Jewish persuasion 
113:187,11[A  ]| ruled over cheap clothing depo^ts on a very extensive 
113:187,12[A  ]| scale; and some very imposing stone edifices, yclept "stores," 
113:187,13[A  ]| especially attracted my attention.  These latter belonged to 
113:187,14[A  ]| merchants, and were used for the reception of English goods, 
113:187,15[A  ]| which were thence sold wholesale to retail dealers, squatters, 
113:187,16[A  ]| and country residents.  
113:187,17[A  ]| Most shopkeepers I found dealt in the general way, supplying 
113:187,18[A  ]| that multifarious description of articles which, under 
113:187,19[A  ]| the comprehensive term of "notions," are to be had at 
113:187,20[A  ]| Yankee stores; but these things are altered now in America, 
113:187,21[A  ]| I hear.  Adelaide tradesmen, I found, fully appreciated the 
113:187,22[A  ]| advantage of puffing, for I discovered that pretended failures 
113:187,23[A  ]| and \sellings off\ were common \ruses\ to draw attention, whilst 
113:187,24[A  ]| tempting announcements through the medium of tickets, 
113:187,25[A  ]| informing the public of the sacrifices they were prepared to 
113:187,26[A  ]| make, met your eye in every street.  
113:187,27[A  ]| Amusements, too, were numerous ~~ a capital theatre, two 
113:187,28[A  ]| or three public rooms, concert halls, dancing saloons, &c%, 
113:187,29[A  ]| being sprinkled here and there.  In fact, the city of Adelaide 
113:187,30[A  ]| affords a striking proof of the notable saying that  
113:187,30@z   | "the 
113:187,31@z   | Anglo-Saxon reproduces his country wherever he plants his 
113:187,32@z   | country's flag,"  
113:187,32[A  ]| for although South*Australia had been then 
113:187,33[A  ]| colonized only about twenty years, the traveller who visited 
113:187,34[A  ]| this capital in 1855 might, in perambulating its business 
113:187,35[A  ]| streets, imagine himself in Exeter, Gloucester, or Worcester, 
113:187,36[A  ]| whilst its more retired quarters would, to a German, seem 
113:187,37[A  ]| as if a lump of his "fatherland" had suddenly dropped 
113:187,38[A  ]| before him from the moon.  
113:187,39[A  ]| But I must cease description, and at once commence the 
113:188,01[A  ]| narration of a most remarkable case in which I was destined 
113:188,02[A  ]| to form one of the chief actors shortly after my arrival in 
113:188,03[A  ]| Adelaide.  
113:188,04[A  ]| Early one morning, as I was sitting in my office reading 
113:188,05[A  ]| the Melbourne papers, a young man, with tears in his eyes, 
113:188,06[A  ]| came to give information that a girl, named Lucy*Floyd, residing 
113:188,07[A  ]| at No%*36, Brownlow*Street, and by profession a circus 
113:188,08[A  ]| rider, had been discovered lying dead in her bedroom on the 
113:188,09[A  ]| second floor, and that there was a suspicion of foul play in 
113:188,10[A  ]| the matter.  I at once intimated to my informant that I 
113:188,11[A  ]| would accompany him to Brownlow*Street and personally 
113:188,12[A  ]| investigate the matter, and a quarter of an hour later we 
113:188,13[A  ]| stood in the room where the dead girl still lay in her long, 
113:188,14[A  ]| last sleep.  
113:188,15[A  ]| She was lying on her back; her hand was on the hearth 
113:188,16[A  ]| rug; her feet nearly touched the foot of the bedstead.  The 
113:188,17[A  ]| only article of clothing she had on was her nightdress.  Her 
113:188,18[A  ]| face was pale, but from its expression I could tell that her 
113:188,19[A  ]| last moments had been free from pain.  
113:188,20[A  ]| Upon examination of the body, I could not discover any 
113:188,21[A  ]| clue as to how she had come by her death.  There was no 
113:188,22[A  ]| wound, no blood, no marks of violence, with the exception of 
113:188,23[A  ]| a trifling swelling on the left temple.  It also seemed to me 
113:188,24[A  ]| as if some hairs had been lost from the left eyebrow.  As for 
113:188,25[A  ]| the swelling, it was of so trivial a nature that I never for a 
113:188,26[A  ]| moment imagined it sufficient to cause death, and I continued 
113:188,27[A  ]| my investigations, ~~ smelling her nostrils and half parted lips 
113:188,28[A  ]| to see whether I could detect the fumes of ether or chloroform, 
113:188,29[A  ]| examining the muscles of the throat and the eyes for 
113:188,30[A  ]| any significations of suffocation, and the colour of the tongue 
113:188,31[A  ]| and rigidity of the fingers for symptoms of a death by poison.  
113:188,32[A  ]| I could make nothing of it, and felt satisfied that the discovery 
113:188,33[A  ]| of the cause of death rested with the medical profession 
113:188,34[A  ]| at the inquest.  I was convinced, however, that the poor girl 
113:188,35[A  ]| was murdered, but more, I own, from a kind of mysterious 
113:188,36[A  ]| impression to that effect than from any definite course of 
113:188,37[A  ]| reasoning.  
113:188,38[A  ]| A glance around the room assured me that the murder, if 
113:188,39[A  ]| murder it was, could not have been committed for the sake 
113:189,01[A  ]| of plunder, as a valuable gold watch, a purse containing 
113:189,02[A  ]| money, and some rings lay on the toilet-table.  
113:189,03[A  ]| I now carefully searched the apartment for any traces left 
113:189,04[A  ]| by an intruder, but could find none, with the exception of a 
113:189,05[A  ]| small piece of plaster, which lay on the floor just under the 
113:189,06[A  ]| window.  The room being papered this could not have come 
113:189,07[A  ]| from the walls, nor could it have fallen from the ceiling, for 
113:189,08[A  ]| that was painted pink, whereas the plaster was whitewashed.  
113:189,09[A  ]| I consequently concluded that it came from the outside wall, 
113:189,10[A  ]| and opened the window to make further investigations.  
113:189,11[A  ]| Further and more important clues now presented themselves.  
113:189,12[A  ]| Fortunately the window-frame on the outside had 
113:189,13[A  ]| been newly painted, and on the ledge was the impress of a 
113:189,14[A  ]| thumb and three fingers.  From their position I could tell 
113:189,15[A  ]| that they had been so placed for the purpose of lifting the 
113:189,16[A  ]| sash.  I discovered also that a minute portion of the stone 
113:189,17[A  ]| window sill was chipped off, as though by an iron-rimmed 
113:189,18[A  ]| foot heel; and what was still more important, about a yard 
113:189,19[A  ]| or so below this window sill a fragment of plaster had been 
113:189,20[A  ]| knocked from the whitewashed wall, which from its shape 
113:189,21[A  ]| could have been none other than the piece that I had picked 
113:189,22[A  ]| up in the bedroom.  How the assassin had mounted to the 
113:189,23[A  ]| window was also apparent, for a leaden spout ran from the 
113:189,24[A  ]| garden below up to the roof, passing the window at a distance 
113:189,25[A  ]| of about a couple of feet, and this spout also bore scratches 
113:189,26[A  ]| from nail-shod boots.  Upon descending the stairs, and going 
113:189,27[A  ]| out into the garden, I found that there were footmarks leading 
113:189,28[A  ]| from its western corner, outside which ran a narrow right-of-way 
113:189,29[A  ]| called "A'Beckett*Lane," right up to the base of the spout 
113:189,30[A  ]| before-mentioned and back again.  These footprints were very 
113:189,31[A  ]| large, and the boots that made them would seem to have 
113:189,32[A  ]| belonged to a hard-working countryman or navvy, from the 
113:189,33[A  ]| clinker-shod sides and the number of great hob-nails in the 
113:189,34[A  ]| soles of them.  I say would \seem\ to \have belonged\, because 
113:189,35[A  ]| I did not for a moment believe that they did belong to either 
113:189,36[A  ]| a countryman or  navvy; and the fact that these footprints 
113:189,37[A  ]| were impressed deeply into the ground, and that their wearer 
113:189,38[A  ]| had crossed flower beds, and such places as were most likely 
113:189,39[A  ]| to retain their impression, convinced me that the murderer 
113:190,01[A  ]| had cunningly worn these large boots for the purpose of 
113:190,02[A  ]| throwing the authorities off the scent in any investigations 
113:190,03[A  ]| they might make.  
113:190,04[A  ]| Having concluded my search, I placed a constable in charge 
113:190,05[A  ]| of the room where the dead girl lay, with orders that no*one 
113:190,06[A  ]| should be allowed to enter until the arrival of the coroner, 
113:190,07[A  ]| whom I sent for at once; and then adjourning to the sitting-room 
113:190,08[A  ]| down*stairs, I begged the young man who had first 
113:190,09[A  ]| brought me the intelligence of the murder, and who was the 
113:190,10[A  ]| only son of the lodging-house keeper, to tell me as much as 
113:190,11[A  ]| he could of the antecedents of the deceased.  
113:190,12[A  ]| From him I learned that the circus in which Lucy*Floyd 
113:190,13[A  ]| (or to quote the play-bills "Madlle%*Duroc") performed had 
113:190,14[A  ]| been in Adelaide about a month, and during the whole of 
113:190,15[A  ]| that time she had lodged at his mother's house, occupying the 
113:190,16[A  ]| same bedroom on the second floor, and taking her meals with 
113:190,17[A  ]| the family.  She was a very quiet, well-behaved girl, regular 
113:190,18[A  ]| in her habits, and always at home a few minutes after the 
113:190,19[A  ]| performance was over of an evening.  The young man then 
113:190,20[A  ]| told me that he had been engaged to her about a week, and 
113:190,21[A  ]| that preparations had already been made for their approaching 
113:190,22[A  ]| marriage.  
113:190,23@a   | "Was your engagement to her generally known?"  
113:190,23[A  ]| I asked.  
113:190,24@b   | "Only to one or two individuals,"  
113:190,24[A  ]| was the reply.  
113:190,25@a   | "Had you any rival in the young lady's affections?"  
113:190,25[A  ]| I next 
113:190,26[A  ]| inquired.  
113:190,27@b   | "Yes, one; Mr%*McDonald the clown had been very attentive 
113:190,28@b   | to her, and asked her to marry him the very day after 
113:190,29@b   | she had accepted me.  Lucy told me that he was sadly put 
113:190,30@b   | out about it, and had said that ""she should not marry me 
113:190,31@b   | at all."" " 
113:190,32@a   | "And did this Mr%*McDonald know the position of her 
113:190,33@a   | bedroom?" 
113:190,34@b   | "He did." 
113:190,35@a   | "Then I must have an interview with him,"  
113:190,35[A  ]| I remarked, 
113:190,36[A  ]| and quitted the room.  
113:190,37[A  ]| ~~ ~~ ~ ~ 
113:190,38[A  ]| The inquest was held on the following morning; the 
113:190,39[A  ]| medical evidence went to prove that deceased had met her 
113:191,01[A  ]| death  
113:191,01@x   | "from concussion of the brain, caused by a blow on 
113:191,02@x   | the left temple with a blunt instrument,"  
113:191,02[A  ]| and after half an 
113:191,03[A  ]| hour's consideration the jury returned a verdict as follows:  ~~  
113:191,04@x   | "We, the jury, find that Lucy*Floyd, \alias\ Louise*Duroc, 
113:191,05@x   | died at South*Adelaide, on Thursday the 15th December, 1855, 
113:191,06@x   | of concussion of the brain ~~ the said concussion having been 
113:191,07@x   | caused from a blow from a blunt instrument, in an attempt 
113:191,08@x   | to commit grievous bodily harm; and we further find a 
113:191,09@x   | verdict of wilful murder against some person or persons 
113:191,10@x   | unknown." 
113:191,11[A  ]| Directly I learnt the finding of the jury, accompanied by 
113:191,12[A  ]| two constables, I proceeded to the lodgings of McDonald the 
113:191,13[A  ]| clown, which I had had watched closely for the preceding 
113:191,14[A  ]| twenty-four hours, and a few minutes later I stood in his 
113:191,15[A  ]| presence.  
113:191,16[A  ]| McDonald had just finished breakfast, and was now leaning 
113:191,17[A  ]| back in an arm chair by the open window, reading the 
113:191,18[A  ]| \Advertiser\.  He dropped the paper on the floor as we entered 
113:191,19[A  ]| the room, and regarded us nervously.  
113:191,20[A  ]| Without saying a word, I walked to the window, closed the 
113:191,21[A  ]| sash and drew down the blind; then turning to him abruptly, 
113:191,22[A  ]| I demanded, 
113:191,22@a   | "What is your name?" 
113:191,23@c   | "Joseph*McDonald,"  
113:191,23[A  ]| he answered.  
113:191,24@a   | "Otherwise ""the great little Borello,"" clown in the Cirque*de*l'Emperatrice?" 
113:191,25@a   | 
113:191,26@c   | "The same." 
113:191,27@a   | "Then I arrest you for the murder of Lucy*Floyd, \alias\ 
113:191,28@a   | Louise*Duroc,"  
113:191,28[A  ]| I said, sternly.  
113:191,29[A  ]| The most close observer would not have noticed the slightest 
113:191,30[A  ]| alteration in his countenance as I made the charge, for he had 
113:191,31[A  ]| only taken a minute or so to recover his self-possession.  He 
113:191,32[A  ]| was about to reply, when I cautioned him that  
113:191,32@a   | "what he was 
113:191,33@a   | going to say might possibly criminate him, and that, in that 
113:191,34@a   | case, such statements would be used against him,"  
113:191,34[A  ]| whereupon 
113:191,35[A  ]| he merely remarked, 
113:191,35@c   | "that we must be precious fools to take 
113:191,36@c   | him for a murderer"  
113:191,36[A  ]| and relapsed into dignified silence.  
113:191,37[A  ]| I had him searched, but nothing suspicious was found on 
113:191,38[A  ]| his person.  I then clapped the irons on him, and we began 
113:191,39[A  ]| to thoroughly overhaul the apartments.  
113:192,01[A  ]| After an hour's search, during which time we turned everything 
113:192,02[A  ]| topsy-turvy, and effectually ransacked the most remote 
113:192,03[A  ]| corners, we gave up the investigation, rather chagrined, for, 
113:192,04[A  ]| with the exception of a heavy, old, flint-locked pistol, we 
113:192,05[A  ]| found nothing calculated to strengthen the suspicion against 
113:192,06[A  ]| our prisoner.  
113:192,07[A  ]| The pistol in question had evidently not been loaded for a 
113:192,08[A  ]| long while; but its brass inlaid stock was well adapted to 
113:192,09[A  ]| give a heavy and fatal blow, even if wielded by a weak arm, 
113:192,10[A  ]| and for that reason I put it into my pocket.  
113:192,11[A  ]| We were now about to leave the house with our prisoner, 
113:192,12[A  ]| when the idea struck me that I would rake out the embers 
113:192,13[A  ]| of the fire, and search amongst the ashes.  I proceeded to do 
113:192,14[A  ]| so, and was rewarded by finding several scraps of half-consumed 
113:192,15[A  ]| leather, and more than eight dozen nearly red-hot 
113:192,16[A  ]| nails, such as are used in the manufacture of rough country-men's 
113:192,17[A  ]| blucher boots.  
113:192,18[A  ]| I carefully collected these fragments of leather and the 
113:192,19[A  ]| nails, cooled the latter by pouring cold water over them, 
113:192,20[A  ]| screwed them up in a piece of paper, and then instructing 
113:192,21[A  ]| one of the constables to call a cab, we bundled McDonald 
113:192,22[A  ]| into it, and drove him to the police-station.  
113:192,23[A  ]| During the drive, and whilst we were putting him into 
113:192,24[A  ]| his cell, he did not utter a word.  His bearing was firm and 
113:192,25[A  ]| composed, and he certainly wore the air of an injured man; 
113:192,26[A  ]| yet I felt certain that he was the criminal.  
113:192,27[A  ]| The next day he was brought before the magistrates, but 
113:192,28[A  ]| the testimony against him was so slight that he was discharged, 
113:192,29[A  ]| and the justices would not even grant a remand 
113:192,30[A  ]| that I might have time to strengthen the chain of evidence.  
113:192,31[A  ]| They, in fact, paid McDonald the compliment of telling him 
113:192,32[A  ]| that  
113:192,32@x   | "he would leave the court without a shadow of suspicion 
113:192,33@x   | upon his name." 
113:192,34@c   | "Mr%*Brooke, I wish you good morning,"  
113:192,34[A  ]| he said, turning 
113:192,35[A  ]| towards me with a sarcastic smile, as he quitted the court.  
113:192,36@a   | "Good morning, Mr%*McDonald; we shall meet again 
113:192,37@a   | before long,"  
113:192,37[A  ]| I said, spitefully, in reply.  The next moment 
113:192,38[A  ]| he was gone.  
113:192,39[A  ]| That night I visited the circus.  McDonald was there in 
113:193,01[A  ]| his clown's dress as "the great little Borello," and received 
113:193,02[A  ]| a perfect ovation from the audience, not a soul of whom 
113:193,03[A  ]| thought him guilty of the murder.  Had I been recognised, 
113:193,04[A  ]| no doubt I should have come in for a due share of hisses, 
113:193,05[A  ]| but being in disguise I escaped notice.  The circus was 
113:193,06[A  ]| crowded, and during the performance the proprietor announced 
113:193,07[A  ]| that on the following evening "great little Borello" 
113:193,08[A  ]| would take his benefit, whereupon the thunders of applause 
113:193,09[A  ]| were renewed, and McDonald had thrice to appear from 
113:193,10[A  ]| behind the scenes and bow his acknowledgements.  
113:193,11[A  ]| Well, the next day came; and in spite of the discharge, 
113:193,12[A  ]| ovation, and benefit, the clown had disappeared, leaving his 
113:193,13[A  ]| stage wardrobe, personal baggage, and a month's arrears of 
113:193,14[A  ]| salary behind him.  He had left secretly, and without 
113:193,15[A  ]| informing a soul of the object of his journey, or whither he 
113:193,16[A  ]| was going.  The proprietor of the circus was in consternation, 
113:193,17[A  ]| and everybody seemed to think that he had either been 
113:193,18[A  ]| murdered or had committed suicide.  
113:193,19[A  ]| I alone dissented from these views, for I jumped to the 
113:193,20[A  ]| conclusion that, stricken with a sudden panic, perhaps also 
113:193,21[A  ]| with remorse, he had fled either to another colony or into 
113:193,22[A  ]| the far interior.  
113:193,23[A  ]| That he had not quitted South*Australia I speedily ascertained; 
113:193,24[A  ]| for upon making inquiries at the port, I found that 
113:193,25[A  ]| the only ship that had left the harbour for the preceding four-and-twenty 
113:193,26[A  ]| hours was the \Kiama\, bound for Melbourne, and 
113:193,27[A  ]| that no*one at all answering McDonald's description had 
113:193,28[A  ]| taken a passage in her.  
113:193,29[A  ]| I did not care to prosecute my search further at present, 
113:193,30[A  ]| for if I could have discovered his whereabouts, the magistrates 
113:193,31[A  ]| would not have issued a warrant for his re-arrest; so I 
113:193,32[A  ]| determined to set about strengthening the evidence before I 
113:193,33[A  ]| again assumed the offensive.  
113:193,34[A  ]| The only things I had at present to go upon were the 
113:193,35[A  ]| scraps of half-consumed leather, and the nails that I had 
113:193,36[A  ]| fished out of the fire.  I knew that the leather belonged to 
113:193,37[A  ]| a thick labourer's pair of boots, and the nails were the \hob\ 
113:193,38[A  ]| and \clinker\ nails pertaining to such boots.  I had dug one 
113:193,39[A  ]| of the footprints out of the garden pathway, where it had 
113:194,01[A  ]| been embedded in the stiff clay, which had taken its impression 
113:194,02[A  ]| as clearly as wax could do the wards of a lock, and 
113:194,03[A  ]| I now set to work to fit in my nails into this clay model.  
113:194,04[A  ]| To make my readers more clearly understand this I must 
113:194,05[A  ]| explain to them that clinker nails are such as surround the 
113:194,06[A  ]| edges of the sole and heel of a boot of this class.  Their 
113:194,07[A  ]| heads are nearly square, and almost as large as the smallest 
113:194,08[A  ]| size of dice.  Hob nails, on the contrary, are round-headed, 
113:194,09[A  ]| and are generally arranged in some fantastic design on the 
113:194,10[A  ]| flat of the sole, such as a diamond or a star.  Thus it is 
113:194,11[A  ]| evident that the clinker nails would mark the outline and 
113:194,12[A  ]| size of the boot, and that if I could make half the clinker 
113:194,13[A  ]| and hob nails that I had got from McDonald's grate fit into 
113:194,14[A  ]| the corresponding holes in the clay footprint dug from the 
113:194,15[A  ]| garden pathway, it would go far to prove that the boots to 
113:194,16[A  ]| which they belonged were those worn by the man who had 
113:194,17[A  ]| crossed the garden, scaled the spout, entered the window, 
113:194,18[A  ]| and murdered the young girl at the lodging-house in Brownlow*Street.  
113:194,19[A  ]|  
113:194,20[A  ]| I was an hour at this little job, but it was crowned with 
113:194,21[A  ]| complete success.  The indents in my clay model were every 
113:194,22[A  ]| one filled up, and it had taken exactly half my nails (forty-eight) 
113:194,23[A  ]| to effect this.  To me the boot mystery was solved.  
113:194,24[A  ]| I now turned my attention to the pistol, and surveyed it 
113:194,25[A  ]| carefully, though with very slight hopes of discovering anything 
113:194,26[A  ]| condemnatory in that.  A blow from a blunt instrument 
113:194,27[A  ]| is difficult to trace to \the\ instrument causing it.  In the 
113:194,28[A  ]| instance of a knife or dagger stab, you may discover a weapon 
113:194,29[A  ]| of the kind that fits the wound.  In a case of death from a 
113:194,30[A  ]| bullet you may find a rifle or pistol carrying a similar sized ball.  
113:194,31[A  ]| In both cases such a discovery would be valuable evidence; 
113:194,32[A  ]| but in the present instance the deceased might have been 
113:194,33[A  ]| killed by a blow from \any\ blunt instrument ~~ a hammer, a 
113:194,34[A  ]| fire-iron, or a ruler; so I could not convince myself that 
113:194,35[A  ]| McDonald's pistol would throw any light upon the subject.  
113:194,36[A  ]| I was just about to return the cumbrous old weapon to the 
113:194,37[A  ]| drawer from whence I had taken it, when I observed three 
113:194,38[A  ]| or four short hairs sticking to the rough ribbed stock.  They 
113:194,39[A  ]| were all about the fourth of an inch in length, or a pale 
113:195,01[A  ]| golden colour, and might possibly have once belonged to a 
113:195,02[A  ]| human eyebrow.  
113:195,03[A  ]| I picked them off carefully, wrapped them in a piece of 
113:195,04[A  ]| silk paper, and sallied out to obtain the loan of a very powerful 
113:195,05[A  ]| microscope.  
113:195,06[A  ]| Now it happened that for the past two years I had given 
113:195,07[A  ]| considerable attention to comparative anatomy, particularly 
113:195,08[A  ]| to the structure of the hair as it appears under the microscope.  
113:195,09[A  ]| To the naked eye, indeed, all hair presents a pretty 
113:195,10[A  ]| similar appearance, except as it is long or short, dark or fair, 
113:195,11[A  ]| straight or curly, coarse or fine.  Placed under a microscope, 
113:195,12[A  ]| however, other peculiarities are noticeable.  The white man's 
113:195,13[A  ]| hair is seen to be round, whereas the black man's is oval.  
113:195,14[A  ]| The mouse's fur is apparently jointed, the bat's jagged, &c% 
113:195,15[A  ]| Every species of animal has hair of a peculiar kind; but in 
113:195,16[A  ]| the human race the character of the hair varies according to 
113:195,17[A  ]| the part of the body upon which it grows.  You can distinguish 
113:195,18[A  ]| a hair plucked from the eyebrow from a hair of the 
113:195,19[A  ]| moustache, an eyelash from a hair of the beard or whisker.  
113:195,20[A  ]| In the present instance, although I could not get the 
113:195,21[A  ]| loan of a sufficiently strong microscope, I obtained from an 
113:195,22[A  ]| optician permission to use one that stood in his shop, and 
113:195,23[A  ]| submiting my three hairs to its powerful lens, I soon discovered 
113:195,24[A  ]| that they were from the \human eyebrow\, and \had\ 
113:195,25[A  ]| \been bruised\.  
113:195,26[A  ]| Making a note to this effect, I refolded the hairs in the 
113:195,27[A  ]| paper which had previously contained them, returned them 
113:195,28[A  ]| to my pocket, and thanking the optician for his courtesy, 
113:195,29[A  ]| quitted the shop.  
113:195,30[A  ]| In my opinion the guilt of McDonald was now clear 
113:195,31[A  ]| beyond a doubt.  The case stood thus; ~~ the deceased had 
113:195,32[A  ]| been killed by a blow with some blunt instrument on the 
113:195,33[A  ]| eyebrow.  The murder had not been committed for the sake 
113:195,34[A  ]| of robbery, as the purse, watch, and rings had been left on 
113:195,35[A  ]| the table untouched.  It must therefore have been done for 
113:195,36[A  ]| the sake of revenge; and McDonald, as a rejected suitor, 
113:195,37[A  ]| was the most likely man to seek that vengeance.  Then the 
113:195,38[A  ]| hair and eyebrows of the murdered girl were of a beautiful 
113:195,39[A  ]| golden brown, and the hairs I had picked from the stock of 
113:196,01[A  ]| McDonald's pistol were of a precisely similar colour, and I 
113:196,02[A  ]| had proved them to be eyebrow hairs and \bruised\.  The 
113:196,03[A  ]| clinker and hob nails, too, evidently belonged to the boots of 
113:196,04[A  ]| the man who had crossed the lodging-house garden and 
113:196,05[A  ]| broken into the girl's room, and here were these same nails 
113:196,06[A  ]| and burnt shoe leather found in the fireplace of McDonald's 
113:196,07[A  ]| sitting-room.  The mere fact of his trying to burn these old 
113:196,08[A  ]| shoes was calculated to arouse grave suspicions, as it was the 
113:196,09[A  ]| very last way of getting rid of them that a man possessing 
113:196,10[A  ]| the sense of smell would adopt.  
113:196,11[A  ]| I went to a justice forthwith, acquainted him with the 
113:196,12[A  ]| additional evidence that I had obtained, and pressed him to 
113:196,13[A  ]| grant me another warrant for the clown's arrest.  
113:196,14[A  ]| He at length complied, and I then made him promise to 
113:196,15[A  ]| keep his having done so a secret for a while, or that else I 
113:196,16[A  ]| might find it a very difficult matter to discover McDonald's 
113:196,17[A  ]| whereabouts and bring him to justice.  
113:196,18[A  ]| No sooner had I fortified myself with this warrant than I 
113:196,19[A  ]| began to make an attempt at recapture; but a couple of 
113:196,20[A  ]| days' investigation convinced me that if I would lay hands 
113:196,21[A  ]| on "the great little Borello" again, I must hit upon some 
113:196,22[A  ]| scheme to entice him back to Adelaide, instead of myself 
113:196,23[A  ]| going to seek him in the country.  I accordingly penned a 
113:196,24[A  ]| paragraph for the Adelaide daily paper, which ran, as nearly 
113:196,25[A  ]| as I can recollect, as follows:  ~~  
113:196,26@z   | "THE MYSTERIOUS MURDER IN BROWNLOW*STREET.  ~~  
113:196,27@z   | After a week's untiring efforts on the part of the police, 
113:196,28@z   | there exists a hope that the assassin of poor Madlle%*Louise*Duroc 
113:196,29@z   | will yet be discovered and brought to justice.  The 
113:196,30@z   | detective force are in possession of information which seems 
113:196,31@z   | clearly to inculpate one Charles*Henley, formerly a banking 
113:196,32@z   | clerk in Adelaide, who sailed for England in the barque 
113:196,33@z   | \Cornubia\ the day after the murder.  A riding whip with 
113:196,34@z   | a heavy silver handle, bearing the crest and initials of Mr%*Henley, 
113:196,35@z   | has been discovered in an interstice of the chimney 
113:196,36@z   | of the bedchamber occupied by deceased, and a witness has 
113:196,37@z   | come forward who states that he saw him talking with her 
113:196,38@z   | outside the circus the night that the murder was perpetrated.  
113:197,01@z   | Upon these as well as other grounds of suspicion, the 
113:197,02@z   | authorities feel convinced that Mr%*Henley is the murderer; 
113:197,03@z   | and Mr%*Brooke, chief of the detective staff, starts by the 
113:197,04@z   | mail steamer to-morrow for England, where doubtless he 
113:197,05@z   | will arrive some weeks before the \Cornubia\, as that vessel 
113:197,06@z   | is reported to be a slow sailer.  Thus Henley will be arrested 
113:197,07@z   | before he can have a chance of landing, and he will be 
113:197,08@z   | brought back to Adelaide to stand his trial in the first ship 
113:197,09@z   | that quits England for this port after his arrest." 
113:197,10[A  ]| Two days after the insertion of the above paragraph I drew 
113:197,11[A  ]| up an advertisement to the following effect:  ~~  
113:197,12@z   | "WANTED, the address of MR%*JOSEPH*MCDONALD, 
113:197,13@z   | late of Mary*Street, Hampstead*Road, London, who left 
113:197,14@z   | England about eight years since, and who is believed to be 
113:197,15@z   | now travelling with a circus in the Australian colonies.  If 
113:197,16@z   | his address is forwarded to, or if he will call at, the office of 
113:197,17@z   | Mr%*James*Robinson, solicitor, 19, Hindley*Street, Adelaide, 
113:197,18@z   | who is acting under power of attorney for the late Mr%*Fergus*McDonald, 
113:197,19@z   | of Maidstone, Kent, he will hear of something 
113:197,20@z   | greatly to his advantage." 
113:197,21[A  ]| This advertisement I ordered to be inserted in the same 
113:197,22[A  ]| paper for a week, and sent copies of it for publication in the 
113:197,23[A  ]| Melbourne and Sydney papers.  
113:197,24[A  ]| I had every hope that this stratagem would succeed in 
113:197,25[A  ]| bringing Master*McDonald back to Adelaide, for the former 
113:197,26[A  ]| paragraph would show him that all suspicion as to the 
113:197,27[A  ]| murder was directed into another channel and that no*one 
113:197,28[A  ]| would for a moment doubt his innocence; while the latter 
113:197,29[A  ]| advertisement would appeal strongly to his cupidity, and, in 
113:197,30[A  ]| fact, present a bait which, to one less proof against temptation 
113:197,31[A  ]| than the good St%*Anthony would be next to impossible 
113:197,32[A  ]| to refrain from biting at.  
113:197,33[A  ]| As for the chance of his not seeing these notices, I did not 
113:197,34[A  ]| regard that, for I knew by experience that most criminals read 
113:197,35[A  ]| attentively every newspaper they can lay hold of, in which it is 
113:197,36[A  ]| at all likely that any paragraph may concern themselves; for 
113:197,37[A  ]| they are anxious to know as early and as exactly as possible 
113:198,01[A  ]| what is said and known about themselves or their crime, so 
113:198,02[A  ]| that they may act accordingly.  I was therefore quite as 
113:198,03[A  ]| certain that, if living, McDonald would read the paragraph 
113:198,04[A  ]| and advertisement, as I was that I had written them, and 
113:198,05[A  ]| events proved that my conviction was correct.  
113:198,06[A  ]| Of course, before framing the above advertisement I took 
113:198,07[A  ]| care to learn some of McDonald's antecedents; and the Mr%*Fergus*McDonald 
113:198,08[A  ]| whose name I borrowed for the occasion 
113:198,09[A  ]| was an uncle of the clown, a very wealthy old bachelor, who, 
113:198,10[A  ]| at the time I made so free with his name, was very probably 
113:198,11[A  ]| enjoying as perfect health as myself.  
113:198,12[A  ]| Some of these facts I gathered from the proprietor of the 
113:198,13[A  ]| circus, others I obtained from more secret but not less authentic 
113:198,14[A  ]| sources.  The solicitor named was a personal friend 
113:198,15[A  ]| of my own, who had volunteered to aid me in the intrigue.  
113:198,16[A  ]| Of course the paragraph concerning Henley was entirely a 
113:198,17[A  ]| fabrication.  
113:198,18[A  ]| Nine days after the first insertion of the advertisement I 
113:198,19[A  ]| received information that McDonald had returned to Adelaide.  
113:198,20[A  ]| I knew that it was past Mr%*Robinson's office hours, so 
113:198,21[A  ]| I doubted not but that if he called at that gentleman's chambers, 
113:198,22[A  ]| finding them closed, he would make a point of going 
113:198,23[A  ]| there again the first thing the next morning.  I therefore 
113:198,24[A  ]| merely ordered two of my aides to watch him closely, but by 
113:198,25[A  ]| no means to let him catch them at it, and then waiting until 
113:198,26[A  ]| it was quite dark, I took a car and drove to Mr%*Robinson's 
113:198,27[A  ]| private residence, where we arranged that he should be at 
113:198,28[A  ]| his chambers half an hour earlier than usual on the following 
113:198,29[A  ]| morning, and hide me in a large cupboard, from whence I 
113:198,30[A  ]| could spring out and capture my man at a moment's notice.  
113:198,31[A  ]| Well, the next day came, and this little plot was carried 
113:198,32[A  ]| into execution.  Just as the clock struck ten, a step in the 
113:198,33[A  ]| outer office was audible, and we heard a man asking the 
113:198,34[A  ]| clerk if Mr%*Robinson was in?  I at once rushed to my 
113:198,35[A  ]| cupboard, for I recognised McDonald's voice, and the next 
113:198,36[A  ]| moment that worthy was duly ushered into the private office.  
113:198,37[A  ]| The solicitor bowed, requested him to be seated, and then 
113:198,38[A  ]| getting up, locked the door and put the key in his pocket, 
113:198,39[A  ]| observing as he did so, 
113:198,39@d   | "My dear Mr%*McDonald, the business 
113:199,01@d   | relating to your deceased uncle's affairs may require a 
113:199,02@d   | long interview, so I take the precaution against being disturbed 
113:199,03@d   | by importunate clients," 
113:199,03[A  ]| with which words he resumed 
113:199,04[A  ]| his chair.  
113:199,05[A  ]| From my place of concealment I could, through a crack in 
113:199,06[A  ]| the cupboard door, see all that passed in the office.  Mr%*Robinson 
113:199,07[A  ]| had reseated himself with a  bland smile, and 
113:199,08[A  ]| McDonald fidgeted himself about in his chair, anxiously 
113:199,09[A  ]| awaiting an explanation from the lawyer.  A few moments' 
113:199,10[A  ]| pause ensued, which I took advantage of to note the appearance 
113:199,11[A  ]| of the 9ci-devant clown.  He was stylishly dressed, 
113:199,12[A  ]| sported a silver-headed cane, a heavy Colonial gold Albert 
113:199,13[A  ]| chain, and wore two or three costly rings on his fingers.  He 
113:199,14[A  ]| looked well up in condition, too; his face was ruddy with 
113:199,15[A  ]| health, his hair, whiskers, and moustache carefully oiled and 
113:199,16[A  ]| curled; andthough decidedly a \little\ man (he could not have 
113:199,17[A  ]| stood more than five feet three in his boots), he never looked 
113:199,18[A  ]| so \big\ in his life.  
113:199,19@c   | "You see I have taken the very earliest opportunity of 
113:199,20@c   | calling upon you, Mr%*Robinson," 
113:199,20[A  ]| he said.  
113:199,21@d   | "Yes, Mr%*McDonald, I wish one-half of my clients came 
113:199,22@d   | on so happy an errand; you are a most fortunate young man.  
113:199,23@d   | It is not every*one that has rich relatives at their finger ends," 
113:199,24[A  ]| replied the attorney, turning over and over his papers as 
113:199,25[A  ]| though searching for a document.  
113:199,26@c   | "Did my uncle make his will long before his death, sir?" 
113:199,27[A  ]| asked the clown.  
113:199,28@d   | "My dear sir, he made no will, he died intestate; accordingly 
113:199,29@d   | you are possessed of the whole of his property as his 
113:199,30@d   | heir-at-law." 
113:199,31@c   | "And his moneys?" 
113:199,32@d   | "Yes, and his moneys; everything, in fact, that he died 
113:199,33@d   | possessed of." 
113:199,34@c   | "The devil I am!"  
113:199,34[A  ]| exclaimed "the great little Borello," 
113:199,35[A  ]| springing from his chair and beginning to dance about the 
113:199,36[A  ]| room, while he kept shouting, 
113:199,36@c   | "What did he die worth?" 
113:199,37@c   | "What did he die worth?" 
113:199,38@d   | "Forty thousand pounds in the three per*cent% Consols, 
113:199,39@d   | twenty thousand ditto in East*India stock, nine thousand in 
113:200,01@d   | railway debentures, ten thousand pounds on policy of insurance 
113:200,02@d   | in ""The*London*Equitable,"" freehold estates at Maidstone, 
113:200,03@d   | Kent, and Blackheath, valued at two thousand a year 
113:200,04@d   | rent, cash in London and Westminster*Bank at time of 
113:200,05@d   | decease eight hundred and fifty-six pounds seven shillings 
113:200,06@d   | and ~~ " 
113:200,07@c   | "Stop ~~ stop ~~ stop!  impossible!  nonsense!"  
113:200,07[A  ]| exclaimed 
113:200,08[A  ]| the clown, suddenly recovering himself after a double somersault, 
113:200,09[A  ]| and with open mouth and wondering eyes regarding 
113:200,10[A  ]| the attorney.  
113:200,10@c   | "Why, man, my uncle, rich as he was, could 
113:200,11@c   | never have saved a quarter of that money.  There must be a 
113:200,12@c   | mistake somewhere." 
113:200,13@a   | "There is a mistake somewhere, Mr%*McDonald," 
113:200,13[A  ]| I calmly 
113:200,14[A  ]| observed, as I emerged from the closet.  
113:200,15@c   | "The deuce!  Mr%*Brooke here in Adelaide?  Why, I 
113:200,16@c   | thought you were half way to England by this time, in pursuit 
113:200,17@c   | of the murderer Henley,"  
113:200,17[A  ]| exclaimed McDonald, endeavouring 
113:200,18[A  ]| to assume an off-hand tone.  
113:200,19@a   | "You see it is a mistake all round, mate, for the fact is 
113:200,20@a   | that I have stayed in South*Australia on purpose to capture the 
113:200,21@a   | murderer McDonald," 
113:200,21[A  ]| I replied, coolly.  
113:200,22@c   | "But my uncle ~~ his property ~~ the advertisement in the 
113:200,23@c   | \Register\, ~~ what the fury does it all mean?" 
113:200,24@a   | "A neat little trick to induce you to put your head into 
113:200,25@a   | the lion's mouth, that is all:  you are my prisoner." 
113:200,26@c   | "Your prisoner?  Fudge!  You arrested me once before, 
113:200,27@c   | and could prove nothing:  why make a fool of yourself 
113:200,28@c   | again?"  
113:200,28[A  ]| exclaimed the clown, dodging me around the table.  
113:200,29@a   | "Since then additional evidence has been obtained, which 
113:200,30@a   | warrants a fresh arrest; therefore surrender yourself quietly, 
113:200,31@a   | or I shall resort to force," 
113:200,31[A  ]| I said.  
113:200,32@c   | "Take that, and he hanged to you; two can play at that 
113:200,33@c   | game," 
113:200,33[A  ]| was the reply; and quickly drawing a small pistol 
113:200,34[A  ]| from his pocket, he fired it point-blank at my face.  
113:200,35[A  ]| Providentially the cap missed fire; had it not, I should 
113:200,36[A  ]| never have lived to relate this tale.  Before he could recap 
113:200,37[A  ]| his weapon, I was down upon him.  A fierce struggle ensued; 
113:200,38[A  ]| for though McDonald was a little man, he was very muscular, 
113:200,39[A  ]| and as slippery as an eel.  Robinson made no effort to assist 
113:201,01[A  ]| me, either from nervousness or a love of fair play, I do not 
113:201,02[A  ]| know which, so I give him the credit of the doubt.  
113:201,03[A  ]| For some minutes we struggled furiously upsetting chairs, 
113:201,04[A  ]| stools, desks, and ink-bottles.  At last I succeeded in tripping 
113:201,05[A  ]| the clown up, and throwing him heavily on his back, 
113:201,06[A  ]| Before he could rise, I planted my knee on his chest, and 
113:201,07[A  ]| put the handcuffs on him.  I then suffered him to scramble 
113:201,08[A  ]| to his feet, and found him quiet enough.  A cab was soon 
113:201,09[A  ]| summoned by one of the clerks, and pushing my prisoner 
113:201,10[A  ]| into it, we drove to the police station.  
113:201,11[A  ]| The next morning McDonald was taken before a magistrate, 
113:201,12[A  ]| who, upon the evidence of the footprints and the 
113:201,13[A  ]| bruised hair, committed him for trial at the approaching 
113:201,14[A  ]| sittings of the criminal court.  
113:201,15[A  ]| The day previous to the one fixed for his trial, he tried to 
113:201,16[A  ]| escape from his cell by a violent and sudden assault upon 
113:201,17[A  ]| the turnkey who brought him his supper, but the effort was 
113:201,18[A  ]| not crowned with success.  
113:201,19[A  ]| When the day of trial arrived, and the case of "The Queen  
113:201,20[A  ]| v% McDonald" was called on, the supreme criminal court 
113:201,21[A  ]| was crammed to suffocation.  The calmest face amid that 
113:201,22[A  ]| multitude was the prisoner's.  The trial lasted six hours.  I 
113:201,23[A  ]| had a great difficulty in making the jury believe that the 
113:201,24[A  ]| three golden hairs found on the stock of the pistol could be 
113:201,25[A  ]| ascertained to be "bruised hairs from a human eyebrow," but 
113:201,26[A  ]| the evidence of an eminent naturalist, happening fully to 
113:201,27[A  ]| substantiate mine on the subject, and upon the assurance of 
113:201,28[A  ]| the judge that such a discovery was perfectly within the 
113:201,29[A  ]| reach of natural science, removed their doubts.  The evidence 
113:201,30[A  ]| of the clinker and hob nails was, however, much more 
113:201,31[A  ]| satisfactory and intelligible to them.  After being locked up 
113:201,32[A  ]| for three hours, they returned into court, and, amid a breathless 
113:201,33[A  ]| silence, the dread verdict of "GUILTY" was delivered 
113:201,34[A  ]| through their foreman.  
113:201,35[A  ]| The judge now asked the prisoner whether 
113:201,35@w   | "he had 
113:201,36@w   | any reason to urge that the sentence of the court should 
113:201,37@w   | not be passed upon him," 
113:201,37[A  ]| but McDonald merely shook his 
113:201,38[A  ]| head.  
113:201,39[A  ]| His honour then assumed the black cap, and delivered his 
113:202,01[A  ]| judgement, which the prisoner listened to with an appearance 
113:202,02[A  ]| of the most perfect apathy.  Not a muscle of his face quivered; 
113:202,03[A  ]| nothing about him indicated that the sentence being 
113:202,04[A  ]| pronounced was the span of his life.  It seemed as if his 
113:202,05[A  ]| crime and his condemnation did not concern him in the least 
113:202,06[A  ]| degree.  As he was removed from court his only words were, 
113:202,07@c   | "What is to be will be.  We are all in the hands of fate." 
113:202,08[A  ]| At a later date, when informed that a petition he had fowarded 
113:202,09[A  ]| to the Government had been rejected, he preserved 
113:202,10[A  ]| the same stoicism and indifference.  
113:202,11[A  ]| At five o'clock on the evening preceding his execution the 
113:202,12[A  ]| gaol chaplain visited McDonald in his cell, reminded him 
113:202,13[A  ]| that he had but a few hours to live, and urged him to confession 
113:202,14[A  ]| and repentance.  The prisoner, who was fast asleep when 
113:202,15[A  ]| the chaplain entered, awoke with a cry, and sprang to his 
113:202,16[A  ]| feet.  He listened attentively to the worthy pastor's exhortations, 
113:202,17[A  ]| and at length suddenly exclaimed, 
113:202,17@c   | "Yes, I will confess.  
113:202,18@c   | I did murder Louise*Duroc, and I deserve this fate.  
113:202,19@c   | I now feel the horror of my crime!" 
113:202,20[A  ]| He then made a full revelation, stating that 
113:202,20@c   | "Mademoiselle*Duroc 
113:202,21@c   | had joined the circus at San*Franciso, that he had from 
113:202,22@c   | the first loved her deeply, and that until the arrival of the circus 
113:202,23@c   | in Adelaide ~~ a period of eleven months ~~ she had accepted 
113:202,24@c   | his addresses.  Here, however, she had accused him of being 
113:202,25@c   | a \9roue=\ and a hard drinker, and insisted on breaking off the 
113:202,26@c   | engagement.  A day later she consented to marry a young 
113:202,27@c   | man, the son of her lodging-house keeper, whom she had not 
113:202,28@c   | known for more than a week.  She had informed McDonald 
113:202,29@c   | in a letter of her intention to marry this young man, but he, 
113:202,30@c   | fancying that she was not in earnest, begged and prayed of 
113:202,31@c   | her to revoke her determination.  She repelled his overtures 
113:202,32@c   | with scorn and sarcasm, and he threatened her that if she 
113:202,33@c   | would not marry him she should never wed any*one else.  
113:202,34@c   | When he quitted her that night he determined to be avenged, 
113:202,35@c   | and watching her bedroom window until the light was extinguished, 
113:202,36@c   | he proceeded to the circus, procured a large pair 
113:202,37@c   | of ""property"" boots, and then returning to the lodging-house, 
113:202,38@c   | he crossed the garden from the right of way, mounted to the 
113:202,39@c   | ill-fated girl's window by means of the waterpipe, and entering 
113:203,01@c   | the room dragged her out of bed ~~ with one hand on her 
113:203,02@c   | mouth to prevent her from crying for help, ~~ and then felled 
113:203,03@c   | her to the floor with a blow from the stock of his pistol.  To 
113:203,04@c   | his surprise he found that the first blow had killed her; a 
113:203,05@c   | fact which he attested by feeling her pulse and heart, both of 
113:203,06@c   | which had ceased to beat.  Satisfied by the extent of his 
113:203,07@c   | revenge, he now quickly made good his escape from the 
113:203,08@c   | house and returned to his lodgings, where he sought forgetfulness 
113:203,09@c   | of the terrible crime he had committed in drink.  He 
113:203,10@c   | was soon afterwards arrested, taken before the magistrates, 
113:203,11@c   | and discharged.  After quitting the circus, which he did 
113:203,12@c   | under the impulse of a sudden panic, McDonald had gone 
113:203,13@c   | into the interior, ~~ so far that he would have been tolerably 
113:203,14@c   | safe from pursuit, had he not, unfortunately for himself, been 
113:203,15@c   | unable to abstain from visiting the shanties to glance at the 
113:203,16@c   | papers.  On an unlucky day he noticed the paragraph I had 
113:203,17@c   | concocted concerning ""Henley, and my trip to England to 
113:203,18@c   | arrest him,"" and a few days later he came across the advertisement 
113:203,19@c   | for his discovery.  Cajoled and thrown off his guard 
113:203,20@c   | by these, as I had anticipated that he would be, he discarded 
113:203,21@c   | his fears and set out at once for Adelaide, which city, 
113:203,22@c   | after a week's journey through the bush, and sundry adventures 
113:203,23@c   | on the way, he safely reached.  So anxious was he to 
113:203,24@c   | learn what ""the something greatly to his advantage"" was, that 
113:203,25@c   | he called at the lawyer's within an hour of his arrival in 
113:203,26@c   | town.  He was too late, the office was closed.  The first 
113:203,27@c   | thing the following morning he called again ~~ to find, poor 
113:203,28@c   | fellow, that ""the something to his advantage"" was a prison 
113:203,29@c   | cell, the dock, and the gibbet." 
113:203,30[A  ]| After his confession to the chaplain, McDonald appeared 
113:203,31[A  ]| to be happier in mind.  He slept very soundly the last night 
113:203,32[A  ]| of his life, and an hour previously to his execution he made 
113:203,33[A  ]| a hearty breakfast on bacon and eggs, which he had scarcely 
113:203,34[A  ]| concluded before the officials entered his cell to conduct him 
113:203,35[A  ]| to the place of doom.  It was about ten o'clock when 
113:203,36[A  ]| McDonald mounted to the platform; his face was still calm, 
113:203,37[A  ]| but very pale.  A dense crowd was collected to witness his 
113:203,38[A  ]| execution, but he seemed to take no notice of it.  He shook 
113:203,39[A  ]| hands with the chaplain, and thanked him warmly for his 
113:204,01[A  ]| unremitting kindness and attention.  He then felt the rope, 
113:204,02[A  ]| and said 
113:204,02@c   | "that it was very rough." 
113:204,03[A  ]| Before the executioner adjusted the noose, he turned to the 
113:204,04[A  ]| crowd and exclaimed in a loud, clear, and firm voice, 
113:204,04@c   | "I am 
113:204,05@c   | willing to die, for I richly deserve this terrible doom and 
113:204,06@c   | public shame, which I hope may partly atone for my sin.  I 
113:204,07@c   | have only one caution to give you all:  Beware of ungovernable 
113:204,08@c   | passion, and a desire for a retaliation of wrong; those feelings 
113:204,09@c   | brought me here!"  
113:204,09[A  ]| Then he added, solemnly, 
113:204,09@c   | "May God 
113:204,10@c   | have mercy on my soul!" 
113:204,11[A  ]| His arms were now pinioned, the noose adjusted, the white 
113:204,12[A  ]| cap drawn over his face.  A second later the drop fell ~~ a jerk, 
113:204,13[A  ]| a gurgle, and all was over, ~~ Joseph*McDonald had ceased to 
113:204,14[A  ]| live and human justice was at length satisfied.  
114:205,00@@@@@|
114:205,00['  ]| <KING*RUM*TUM'S*GHOST.> 
114:205,01[A  ]| In one of the quietest streets of the singularly quiet city of 
114:205,02[A  ]| Adelaide there stood, in the year 1855, a three-storied desolate 
114:205,03[A  ]| house, that had not possessed an occupant for more than five 
114:205,04[A  ]| years.  Had I come across such a house in London, or any 
114:205,05[A  ]| English town, I should have set it down as being a very old 
114:205,06[A  ]| house, a soot-begrimed, leaky-roofed centenarian at the very 
114:205,07[A  ]| least; but in Adelaide, where at that time the very oldest 
114:205,08[A  ]| stone structure could not have been more than twenty years 
114:205,09[A  ]| in existence, I could only regard it as a prematurely aged 
114:205,10[A  ]| house, a house whose days were numbered, whose span of 
114:205,11[A  ]| life was rapidly drawing to a close.  Had this house been a 
114:205,12[A  ]| man, I should have concluded him to be a monomaniac, a 
114:205,13[A  ]| hypochondriac, or something of that sort; as a house, of course, 
114:205,14[A  ]| I could do nothing of the sort.  I have before said that it 
114:205,15[A  ]| was three stories high, and it happened to stand between two 
114:205,16[A  ]| heavy, squally-looking buildings, possessing only one story 
114:205,17[A  ]| each; consequently, a beholder might easily acquire the impression 
114:205,18[A  ]| that its altitude had been caused by the presence of 
114:205,19[A  ]| its sluggy neighbours against its sides.  To conclude my 
114:205,20[A  ]| description, it had four lanky chimneys, which had apparently 
114:205,21[A  ]| eschewed smoking for years; and eight windows in the front 
114:205,22[A  ]| namely, two on the ground-floor, and an allowance of three 
114:205,23[A  ]| to each of the floors above.  These windows had most of their 
114:205,24[A  ]| panes broken, but were all fortified on the inside with closed 
114:205,25[A  ]| rickety shutters, which, if they excluded light and air, certainly 
114:205,26[A  ]| frustrated the curiosity of any passers*by to obtain a 
114:205,27[A  ]| view of the interior.  
114:205,28[A  ]| I might go on describing the peculiarities of this strange 
114:205,29[A  ]| building until I had filled pages of my manuscript, could I 
114:206,01[A  ]| but afford the space.  If any of my readers are familiar with 
114:206,02[A  ]| Red*Lion*Square, Holborn; or Cumberland*Square, Clerkenwell, 
114:206,03[A  ]| they have only to imagine a house transferred from one 
114:206,04[A  ]| of those localities, and plumped down suddenly into the 
114:206,05[A  ]| middle of a new colonial city, and they can picture to themselves 
114:206,06[A  ]| No%*19, South*Charlotte*Street to the very life.  
114:206,07[A  ]| During the first twelve months that I was stationed at 
114:206,08[A  ]| Adelaide I used to wonder why this house was never let; 
114:206,09[A  ]| and as often as I happened to pass it, whch was pretty frequently, 
114:206,10[A  ]| I used to glance up at the windows, fancying I 
114:206,11[A  ]| might see in one of them a little square card with "THIS 
114:206,12[A  ]| HOUSE TO LET" figuring upon it in bold black type; or else 
114:206,13[A  ]| great yellow posters glaring from its dark walls, notifying that 
114:206,14[A  ]| it was to be sold by auction.  Neither of these phenomena 
114:206,15[A  ]| occurred, month after month passed away, and still the 
114:206,16[A  ]| gloomy tenement remained uninhabited; and this was the 
114:206,17[A  ]| more strange because, at that time, house property was at a 
114:206,18[A  ]| premium in Adelaide.  
114:206,19[A  ]| On the evening of the twenty-fourth of June (I recollect 
114:206,20[A  ]| the date because it had been a very cold, windy day, and 
114:206,21[A  ]| nearly every*one I met had made the remark that it was 
114:206,22[A  ]| Midsummer day in England) I and a couple of friends sat 
114:206,23[A  ]| beside a bright gum-wood fire, in my private office at the 
114:206,24[A  ]| detective station; and as I felt inclined for a carouse, business 
114:206,25[A  ]| being rather dead, and not anticipating an interruption, 
114:206,26[A  ]| we manufactured a jorum of punch, filled our pipes, and prepared 
114:206,27[A  ]| to spend a right merry evening.  Yarns were the order 
114:206,28[A  ]| of the night, and after two or three choice ones had been 
114:206,29[A  ]| spun, I remarked that I fancied there was an old house in 
114:206,30[A  ]| Charlotte*Street which, could it but speak, would be able to 
114:206,31[A  ]| relate as absorbing reminiscences as any that had yet been 
114:206,32[A  ]| given.  
114:206,33@w   | "Ah, you mean the \haunted\ house, No%*19," 
114:206,33[A  ]| observed 
114:206,34[A  ]| little Wiffles, my aide.  
114:206,35[A  ]| I confessed that I did mean No%*19, though I was unaware 
114:206,36[A  ]| that it bore the reputation of being haunted.  
114:206,37@b   | "Ah!  ah!  ah!" 
114:206,37[A  ]| laughed John*Abell, the doctor of our 
114:206,38[A  ]| force.  
114:206,38@b   | "That does not portray your sharpness, Mr%*Brooke.  
114:206,39@b   | You have been here now a whole year, and by this time you 
114:207,01@b   | should know everything, from the most secret thoughts of a 
114:207,02@b   | minister of finance to what Mother*Meddles opposite puts 
114:207,03@b   | in her pork pies.  A pretty detective you, indeed!" 
114:207,04@a   | "Laugh away, doctor, but spin the yarn also, for I am as 
114:207,05@a   | ignorant of aught that concerns the house in Charlotte*Street 
114:207,06@a   | as the man in the moon can be," 
114:207,06[A  ]| I said.  
114:207,07@b   | "What!  never heard of King*Rum*Tum?" 
114:207,08@a   | "Never a word." 
114:207,09@b   | "Well, then, fill up your glasses, boys," 
114:207,09[A  ]| exclaimed the 
114:207,10[A  ]| doctor, 
114:207,10@b   | "and as you all doubtless know the story with the 
114:207,11@b   | exception of this ignorant Melbournite, I will make the narrative 
114:207,12@b   | as short and to the point as possible." 
114:207,13[A  ]| So saying, Jack*Abell took a sip at his punch, relit his 
114:207,14[A  ]| pipe, crossed his legs, and between his whiffs related the 
114:207,15[A  ]| following narrative, which he facetiously called ~~  
114:207,16@b   | THE HISTORIE OF THE KING OF BURRANAGUCK.  
114:207,17@b   | Twenty years ago the population of this important colony, 
114:207,18@b   | instead of being computable as at present by tens of thousands, 
114:207,19@b   | scarcely numbered a hundred souls.  Adelaide itself could 
114:207,20@b   | boast of but nine houses, instead of fourteen hundred as at 
114:207,21@b   | present, and the space now occupied by our paved and 
114:207,22@b   | macadamized streets was open bush or dense scrub, the 
114:207,23@b   | hunting-ground of the black fellow.  The aboriginals were 
114:207,24@b   | then very numerous, and were not the drunken degraded 
114:207,25@b   | beings they have since become.  They were divided into 
114:207,26@b   | different tribes, each tribe having a king of its own.  The 
114:207,27@b   | natives who occupied the country for a radius of many miles 
114:207,28@b   | around where we now sit were ruled over by a gigantic black 
114:207,29@b   | fellow, called by them King*Raum*tume-tume, meaning in 
114:207,30@b   | their language "Warrior strong strong;" but the colonists, 
114:207,31@b   | unable to pronounce the name, abbreviated it into Rum*Tum*Tum, 
114:207,32@b   | or Rum*Tum, and as King*Rum*Tum, the strong 
114:207,33@b   | warrior, was generally known amongst the whites.  
114:207,34@b   | While the colonists were weak in numbers and the blacks 
114:207,35@b   | very numerous, the former took care to keep on good terms 
114:207,36@b   | with their sable brethren, and overlooked the numerous acts 
114:207,37@b   | of petty thieving which daily took place.  At length, however, 
114:208,01@b   | as they grew more numerous, and learnt that the native 
114:208,02@b   | was a poor, timid, easily scared creature, they assumed the 
114:208,03@b   | high hand, and without training or teaching, the black was 
114:208,04@b   | expected to understand and conform to the white man's code 
114:208,05@b   | of morals.  For a sheep or two stolen from a run, or an axe 
114:208,06@b   | or piece of cloth from a store, the aboriginal, to whom purloining 
114:208,07@b   | was no crime, would if caught be whipped like a dog, 
114:208,08@b   | or imprisoned and half-starved.  If the theft was of greater 
114:208,09@b   | magnitude a general raid would be made on the black inhabitants 
114:208,10@b   | with dogs and guns, and if resistance was offered blood 
114:208,11@b   | would sometimes be shed like water.  Seldom was any 
114:208,12@b   | retaliation offered by the natives, though sometimes a shepherd 
114:208,13@b   | would be found murdered in his hut; or a traveller's 
114:208,14@b   | skeleton, picked clean by the native dogs, be discovered far 
114:208,15@b   | away in the silent bush, transfixed to the earth by the black 
114:208,16@b   | man's assagai or javelin.  
114:208,17@b   | In the year 1840, however, the tribe of which King*Rum*Tum 
114:208,18@b   | was the head was suspected of levying very frequent 
114:208,19@b   | and rather heavy black-mail on the extensive sheep runs of 
114:208,20@b   | Burranaguck, a station some miles to the south of us.  The 
114:208,21@b   | station hands were accordingly collected, the dogs unleashed, 
114:208,22@b   | and a fresh raid made upon the unhappy aboriginals, who 
114:208,23@b   | vainly pleaded ignorance of the fate of the missing sheep.  
114:208,24@b   | Although none of them were actually slain, they were beaten 
114:208,25@b   | and ridden under foot, until at length King*Rum*Tum was 
114:208,26@b   | so angered at seeing his favourite wife (the old boy had seven 
114:208,27@b   | of them) bashed with a heavy stockwhip, each cut of which 
114:208,28@b   | brought blood, that he hurled his boomerang at the fellow 
114:208,29@b   | who was inflicting the punishment, and killed him on the 
114:208,30@b   | spot.  
114:208,31@b   | It happened to be the owner of Burranaguck who was 
114:208,32@b   | killed, and King*Rum*Tum was immediately captured, taken 
114:208,33@b   | to Adelaide, and arraigned before the Justice*of*the*Peace 
114:208,34@b   | as his murderer.  The result was that he was committed for 
114:208,35@b   | trial, and as the prison was not yet built, the Justices experienced 
114:208,36@b   | some difficulty in finding a place wherein to confine 
114:208,37@b   | him.  
114:208,38@b   | Now it happened that a certain Miles*Humphrey had just 
114:208,39@b   | erected a large house in the then rapidly rising town, but on 
114:209,01@b   | the very day that it was completed, for some unaccountable 
114:209,02@b   | reason, he committed suicide; and as he was a lone man, 
114:209,03@b   | had made no will, and had left no clue whereby any of his 
114:209,04@b   | relatives or friends could be discovered, Government appropriated 
114:209,05@b   | his property; and as his new house was the strongest 
114:209,06@b   | and most secure in the town, they imprisoned King*Rum*Tum 
114:209,07@b   | in the top story thereof, defended the windows with 
114:209,08@b   | stout iron bars, and fortified the doors with heavy belts and 
114:209,09@b   | chains.  
114:209,10@b   | Here the unhappy captive pined until his trial, a month 
114:209,11@b   | later, when he was found guilty of murder, and sentenced to 
114:209,12@b   | be hanged on the third day after the passing of the sentence.  
114:209,13@b   | He was taken back to his prison, where with inhuman barbarity 
114:209,14@b   | he was forbidden a last interview with any of his 
114:209,15@b   | wives or children.  At length the morning fixed for the 
114:209,16@b   | execution arrived, the gallows had been duly erected, and a 
114:209,17@b   | large crowd collected to witness the spectacle.  The executioner 
114:209,18@b   | and other officials repaired to the King's place of captivity 
114:209,19@b   | to escort him to the scaffold, but when they ascended 
114:209,20@b   | to the third floor, and entered his room where he was 
114:209,21@b   | imprisoned, a terrible sight met their gaze.  King*Rum*Tum 
114:209,22@b   | was sitting bold upright upon his haunches in the furthest 
114:209,23@b   | corner of the room; his head was thrown back, and covered 
114:209,24@b   | with an old cotton handkerchief.  He made no reply when 
114:209,25@b   | spoken to, and so the executioner advanced and snatched the 
114:209,26@b   | handkerchief from his face.  A glance showed that he was 
114:209,27@b   | dead.  His face was terribly swollen, and of a dull leaden 
114:209,28@b   | hue; his eyes seemed to be starting from their sockets; his 
114:209,29@b   | mouth was half open, and smeared with blood.  Upon 
114:209,30@b   | examination it was discovered that he had committed suicide 
114:209,31@b   | by \swallowing his own tongue\, which he must have effected 
114:209,32@b   | by rolling it up in a ball, and then by mere strength of will 
114:209,33@b   | and sinew forcing it backwards down his windpipe.  
114:209,34@b   | Thus did King*Rum*Tum cheat the gallows.  Of course, 
114:209,35@b   | the body was promptly buried, but from that day the fate 
114:209,36@b   | of the house where he had died was sealed.  It is now 
114:209,37@b   | fifteen years since that tragic event occurred, but it has 
114:209,38@b   | never had a tenant since, and for four or five years the 
114:209,39@b   | present owner, who bought it from the Government for a 
114:210,01@b   | mere song, has not thought it worth while to announce it to 
114:210,02@b   | be let.  
114:210,03[A  ]| ~~ ~~ ~~  
114:210,04[A  ]| As the doctor concluded his tale, he refilled his glass from 
114:210,05[A  ]| the punch-bowl, and emptied it at a draught.  
114:210,06@a   | "Whatever objection you may have to \ghosts\, you evidently 
114:210,07@a   | have none to \spirits\, Abell,"  
114:210,07[A  ]| I observed, with a laugh.  
114:210,08@a   | "Your story is a good one; but do the townsfolk really 
114:210,09@a   | believe this house to be haunted?" 
114:210,10@b   | "I believe you, my boy.  Half Adelaide is ready to swear  
114:210,11@b   | to it; the very children will not play within a good stone's 
114:210,12@b   | throw of it after dusk, and not one grown person in a 
114:210,13@b   | hundred would set foot in it after nightfall, were they paid 
114:210,14@b   | their own weight in gold for such a deed of daring." 
114:210,15@a   | "And all this because a poor devil of a black fellow 
114:210,16@a   | swallowed his tongue in it at least twenty years ago," 
114:210,16[A  ]| I 
114:210,17[A  ]| observed, with a burst of laughter that I could not refrain 
114:210,18[A  ]| from.  
114:210,19@b   | "There I beg your pardon; not because a poor devil of a 
114:210,20@b   | black fellow, as you irreverently term his Majesty King*Rum*Tum, 
114:210,21@b   | swallowed his tongue in the house; but because he 
114:210,22@b   | persists in returning to this sublunary sphere every night, to 
114:210,23@b   | revisit the scene of that notable exploit.  They say that, in 
114:210,24@b   | company with the first proprietor of the house, who, as I 
114:210,25@b   | told you before, committed suicide on the very day that the 
114:210,26@b   | structure was completed, he walks about the empty chambers 
114:210,27@b   | every night, 'mid the clattering of chains and all the noises 
114:210,28@b   | of Eblis, and when day begins to dawn with most unearthly 
114:210,29@b   | wails they return to the grave." 
114:210,30@a   | "Upon my word, I can not look \grave\ whilst you narrate 
114:210,31@a   | such superstitious nonsense, doctor; besides, I do not believe 
114:210,32@a   | in ghosts." 
114:210,33@b   | "Nor do I," 
114:210,33[A  ]| said the surgeon; 
114:210,33@b   | "but yet I feel sure that 
114:210,34@b   | there is some mystery connected with the old place that may 
114:210,35@b   | be attributable to natural causes, but which will be difficult 
114:210,36@b   | to solve."  
114:210,36[A  ]| Then glancing at his watch, he observed, 
114:210,36@b   | "It is 
114:210,37@b   | time for me to be off; I see it is five minutes to eleven 
114:210,38@b   | o'clock," 
114:210,38[A  ]| and shaking hands all round, he hastily took his  
114:210,39[A  ]| departure.  The rest of the party broke up a few minutes 
114:211,01[A  ]| later, and before the clock struck midnight I myself was in 
114:211,02[A  ]| bed and sound asleep.  
114:211,03[A  ]| The following day, ushered in a more busy season for us.  
114:211,04[A  ]| A desperate murder was perpetrated.  A week later a heavy 
114:211,05[A  ]| fraud on the Bank of South*Australia was practised; then 
114:211,06[A  ]| came two or three embezzlement cases, and for some time 
114:211,07[A  ]| my hands were so full of work that my thoughts never once 
114:211,08[A  ]| reverted to the haunted house, or to the doctor's story concerning 
114:211,09[A  ]| it.  The above matters were scarcely disposed of 
114:211,10[A  ]| when a new mystery arose which baffled all my cunning for 
114:211,11[A  ]| weeks.  This was no less than the immense quantity of 
114:211,12[A  ]| illicit and overproof whiskey that was in use throughout the 
114:211,13[A  ]| city and neighbourhood.  The Customs were in a state of 
114:211,14[A  ]| fury and bewilderment about it, and kept urging me to use 
114:211,15[A  ]| every endeavour to solve the enigma and bring the distillers 
114:211,16[A  ]| to justice as speedily as possible.  I certainly made every 
114:211,17[A  ]| effort to do so, but I must own that I was never so thoroughly 
114:211,18[A  ]| at fault in my life.  I had an idea for some time that the 
114:211,19[A  ]| confounded stuff was manufactured in the country somewhere, 
114:211,20[A  ]| but if so the spot was past finding.  Every suspicious 
114:211,21[A  ]| locality in Adelaide, and for a radius of twenty five miles 
114:211,22[A  ]| around it, was searched again and again, but all without 
114:211,23[A  ]| avail, and at last I gave up the matter in despair, though I 
114:211,24[A  ]| took care not to say so.  
114:211,25[A  ]| One evening, Mike*Daley, one of my aides, with a face as 
114:211,26[A  ]| pale as death, rushed into my private office, where I was 
114:211,27[A  ]| smoking a pipe, and exclaimed wildly, 
114:211,27@c   | "I have seen them, I have 
114:211,28@c   | seen them; it is all true about the house in Charlotte*Street." 
114:211,29@c   | 
114:211,30@a   | "What is all true, Daley?"  
114:211,30[A  ]| I asked.  
114:211,31@c   | "Why, every word that the doctor told us the other night.  
114:211,32@c   | I have seen King*Rum*Tum and the fellow who built the house, 
114:211,33@c   | and then killed himself." 
114:211,34@a   | "You have been having a nobbler too many, Daley.  What 
114:211,35@a   | the deuce do you mean?" 
114:211,36@c   | "Mean!  why, that a quarter of an hour or so ago I saw 
114:211,37@c   | King*Rum*Tum and Miles*Humphrey in a room of that very 
114:211,38@c   | house, sitting on three-legged stools, and drinking raw spirit 
114:211,39@c   | against each other, as though they were doing it for a wager." 
114:212,01@a   | "Sit down, man, and tell your yarn at length," 
114:212,01[A  ]| I said, 
114:212,02[A  ]| becoming interested in the matter.  
114:212,03@c   | "Well," 
114:212,03[A  ]| began Daley, 
114:212,03@c   | "you see, I was just on my way 
114:212,04@c   | home to the station when, in passing down Charlotte*Street, 
114:212,05@c   | I cast my eyes up at the haunted house and began to fancy 
114:212,06@c   | that I should like to inspect it a little closer; after, therefore, 
114:212,07@c   | I had almost stared it out of countenance from the street, I 
114:212,08@c   | slipped down a little right-of-way to the left of it, and got in 
114:212,09@c   | its rear by clambering over an old tottering wall into a weed-grown 
114:212,10@c   | garden.  If possible, the house looks more desolate and 
114:212,11@c   | weird from the back than from the front, and the windows 
114:212,12@c   | are blinded in a similar manner ~~ in some places by closed 
114:212,13@c   | shutters, in others by boards nailed across.  While I was 
114:212,14@c   | looking up at these windows I fancied that I saw a glint of 
114:212,15@c   | light through a crack in one of the shutters; the longer I 
114:212,16@c   | looked at it the more certain I felt that it was really a light, 
114:212,17@c   | and no freak of the imagination.  I am a pretty good climber, 
114:212,18@c   | and, aided by the rough outer stonework, I clambered up to 
114:212,19@c   | the window which was on the second floor, and through the 
114:212,20@c   | narrow fissure could see into the room." 
114:212,21@a   | "Well, and what did you see?" 
114:212,22@c   | "Why, what I told you ~~ King*Rum*Tum and Miles*Humphrey 
114:212,23@c   | hob-nobbing together as comfortable as could 
114:212,24@c   | be."  
114:212,25@a   | "Did you notice their look or dress?" 
114:212,26@c   | "I did; Miles*Humphrey was attired in a suit of rusty 
114:212,27@c   | black, and wore a cabbage-tree hat draw over his eyes; his 
114:212,28@c   | face was quite as white as that whitewashed wall.  The king 
114:212,29@c   | wore a ragged pair of plaid trousers, had an old blanket 
114:212,30@c   | wrapped around him, and had no shoes to his feet." 
114:212,31@a   | "Was his face black?" 
114:212,32@c   | "His face, hands, and feet were black as soot, but his hair 
114:212,33@c   | and eyebrows were white.  He was the most hideous old 
114:212,34@c   | fellow that I ever saw." 
114:212,35@a   | "But hang it, man, how do you know that these forms were 
114:212,36@a   | ghosts!  Perhaps they were living men, and met together in 
114:212,37@a   | that old house to plan something awful." 
114:212,38@c   | "Not a bit of it.  Did not Miles*Humphrey hang himself?" 
114:212,39[A  ]| asked Daley, crossly.  
114:213,01@a   | "I believe he did, but what of that?"  
114:213,01[A  ]| I rejoined.  
114:213,02@c   | "Why, this; his ghost had a livid ring around his long, 
114:213,03@c   | scraggy throat where the rope had encircled it; and as for 
114:213,04@c   | the black fellow, a narrow red ribbon encircled his neck, to 
114:213,05@c   | which was suspended a brass plate in the shape of a half-moon.  
114:213,06@c   | As it lay on his chest and glittered in the candle-light, 
114:213,07@c   | I read the words ""RUM*TUM*TUM, KING*OF*BURRANAGUCK;"" 
114:213,08@c   | they were engraved upon it." 
114:213,09@a   | "By Jove, it is very strange, Daley, I own, but did you 
114:213,10@a   | hear them talk?"  
114:213,10[A  ]| I asked.  
114:213,11@c   | "Not a word, they took their drinks in silence.  I watched 
114:213,12@c   | them until my blood ran cold, and I trembled so that I feared 
114:213,13@c   | I should fall into the garden below; to prevent which I 
114:213,14@c   | descended as quickly as I could and returned here as fast as 
114:213,15@c   | my legs would carry me." 
114:213,16@a   | "And you still adhere to the opinion that the two men you 
114:213,17@a   | saw were inhabitants of the spirit world?" 
114:213,18@c   | "Faith, I am sure that they are none other," 
114:213,18[A  ]| was the confident 
114:213,19[A  ]| reply.  
114:213,20@a   | "Let me see, it is now just a quarter to twelve o'clock.  
114:213,21@a   | I never yet heard of a ghost retiring to his underground 
114:213,22@a   | dwelling before the midnight hour, so just rouse up Wiffles 
114:213,23@a   | and Black, and tell them to dress like lightning, for I am determined 
114:213,24@a   | to make an effort to solve the mystery of that house 
114:213,25@a   | at once.  You must accompany us." 
114:213,26[A  ]| Daley looked rather astonished at my sudden energy, but 
114:213,27[A  ]| an impatient wave of the hand caused him to vanish with 
114:213,28[A  ]| alacrity to arouse his mates.  In less than five minutes we 
114:213,29[A  ]| were all on our way to Charlotte*Street.  
114:213,30[A  ]| It was a bright moonlight night, and never had I before 
114:213,31[A  ]| fancied the haunted house to look so mysterious and ghost-like.  
114:213,32[A  ]| Towering high above the surrounding edifices, it threw 
114:213,33[A  ]| a dark and ominous shadow across the street.  Not a glimpse 
114:213,34[A  ]| of light was visible at either of the front windows, and 
114:213,35[A  ]| placing Black and Wiffles to guard the street door, I told 
114:213,36[A  ]| Daley to lead me to the spot from whence he had first 
114:213,37[A  ]| observed the light in the second-floor window.  This was 
114:213,38[A  ]| soon accomplished, but it was no longer visible.  I scrambled 
114:213,39[A  ]| up to the very window through which Daley had witnessed 
114:214,01[A  ]| the two spectres, but it was all dark within, and the only 
114:214,02[A  ]| noise audible was the pattering of the rats as they gambolled 
114:214,03[A  ]| and chased each other through the empty rooms.  I tried to 
114:214,04[A  ]| throw up the window-sash, but the rusty slip bolt defied my 
114:214,05[A  ]| efforts.  I then cautiously thrust my arm through broken 
114:214,06[A  ]| pane after broken pane, hoping to be able to open the closed 
114:214,07[A  ]| shutters, but found them to be nailed as well as barred, and 
114:214,08[A  ]| so effectually that it would have taken some ten minutes to 
114:214,09[A  ]| effect an entry, and even then it could not have been done 
114:214,10[A  ]| without a great deal of noise.  I therefore descended to the 
114:214,11[A  ]| garden, but unwilling to give up the adventure without a 
114:214,12[A  ]| further effort, I again ascended and tried three other windows 
114:214,13[A  ]| in succession, but with equal ill-success, until I gave the thing 
114:214,14[A  ]| up ~~ for that night, at all events ~~ in despair; and returning 
114:214,15[A  ]| to Daley, we joined our mates in Charlotte*Street, who stated 
114:214,16[A  ]| that they had been watching the house closely ever since we 
114:214,17[A  ]| had quitted them, but had noticed nothing suspicious, and 
114:214,18[A  ]| were quite certain that no*one had left it by the front door 
114:214,19[A  ]| or windows since they had been on guard.  
114:214,20[A  ]| As nothing more could be effected until the next day, we 
114:214,21[A  ]| returned to the station.  
114:214,22[A  ]| The following morning I disguised myself, discovered the 
114:214,23[A  ]| residence of the proprietor of the haunted house, and called 
114:214,24[A  ]| upon him.  
114:214,25[A  ]| He was a tall, lanky man, with a sullen look, but oily 
114:214,26[A  ]| manners.  He kept an inn called the "Dublin*Arms," but 
114:214,27[A  ]| he was a Yankee for all that, and had never been in the 
114:214,28[A  ]| Emerald*Isle in his life.  
114:214,29@a   | "Good morning, Mr%*Snakes," 
114:214,29[A  ]| I exclaimed, as he entered 
114:214,30[A  ]| the private parlour whither I had been ushered upon stating 
114:214,31[A  ]| that my business was private.  
114:214,32@d   | "Good morning, sir; good morning.  I believe you wished 
114:214,33@d   | to speak with me," 
114:214,33[A  ]| he said, favouring me with a searching  
114:214,34[A  ]| glance as he spoke.  
114:214,35[A  ]| My get-up as a well-to-do squatter was, however, too complete 
114:214,36[A  ]| to be penetrated, and assuming an off-hand air I came 
114:214,37[A  ]| to the point at once with 
114:214,37@a   | "I understand that you are the 
114:214,38@a   | landlord of No%*19, Charlotte*Street, and that you want to 
114:214,39@a   | let it?" 
114:215,01@d   | "I ~~ I am the proprietor of the house you name, but as to 
114:215,02@d   | letting it, I really do not know what to say; I have no particular 
114:215,03@d   | desire to do so," 
114:215,03[A  ]| he answered, with rather a confused air.  
114:215,04@a   | "Ah!  ah!  You say that in order to run me up in the 
114:215,05@a   | rent, Master*Snakes; but I am a rich man, and do not care to 
114:215,06@a   | haggle for such a trifle as a few pounds a month.  I have taken 
114:215,07@a   | a fancy to the house, and you must let me have it.  Of course 
114:215,08@a   | you would rather let it than have it empty on our hands?" 
114:215,09@d   | "Oh, without doubt it is unpleasant to have an empty 
114:215,10@d   | tenement bringing in no rent, but the fact is, sir, that the 
114:215,11@d   | place is so damp and out of repair, that it would cost nearly 
114:215,12@d   | a thousand pounds to make it habitable." 
114:215,13@a   | "Well, let me have it on a twenty-one years' lease, and 
114:215,14@a   | I will expend a thousand pounds to put it to rights." 
114:215,15[A  ]| I noticed an angry glitter in the tall Yankee's eyes, but 
114:215,16[A  ]| his voice was more oily and persuasive than ever as he said, 
114:215,17@d   | "I am an honest man, sir, though not a very rich one.  I 
114:215,18@d   | can not make up my mind to cheat you, though you are sorely 
114:215,19@d   | tempting me to do it.  The fact is, before you had been in 
114:215,20@d   | that house a week you would be ten times more anxious to 
114:215,21@d   | get out than you are now to enter it.  Although it is my 
114:215,22@d   | house, and consequently much against my interests to say so, 
114:215,23@d   | yet my conscience obliges me to tell you that it is damp, 
114:215,24@d   | draughty, badly built, and terribly out of repair.  It is, moreover, 
114:215,25@d   | known to be a haunted house, and you would not get 
114:215,26@d   | a servant, male or female, to stay in it one night, were you 
114:215,27@d   | to offer them all your wealth to do so." 
114:215,28@a   | "A haunted house?  By Jove!  that makes me more 
114:215,29@a   | anxious than ever to become its occupier.  I always longed 
114:215,30@a   | to live in a haunted house." 
114:215,31@d   | "But the servants, sir?" 
114:215,32@a   | "Oh, hang the servants!  I will bring some down from my 
114:215,33@a   | station at Coonaburra who will fear neither ghost nor devil." 
114:215,34@d   | "Ah, sir, you will not hear reason," 
114:215,34[A  ]| groaned the landlord.  
114:215,35@a   | "Not I, but perhaps you will.  I offer a rent of a hundred 
114:215,36@a   | and fifty pounds a year for a term of twenty-one years, and 
114:215,37@a   | will expend a thousand pounds in repairs prior to entry, as 
114:215,38@a   | well as pay all rates and taxes," 
114:215,38[A  ]| I said.  
114:215,39@d   | "Ah, I could not let it on those terms." 
114:216,01@a   | "Make it two hundred a year then, and come and show 
114:216,02@a   | me over the rooms at once," 
114:216,02[A  ]| I persisted.  
114:216,03[A  ]| Snakes bit his lip until the blood spurted, and then 
114:216,04[A  ]| looked scared lest I had perceived it.  He stammered, hesitated, 
114:216,05[A  ]| and at last blurted out, 
114:216,05@d   | "I have lost the key of the 
114:216,06@d   | door; and besides, am too busy to leave the hotel to-day.  
114:216,07@d   | Call again, if you are passing, towards the end of the week, 
114:216,08@d   | sir." 
114:216,09[A  ]| I saw that a prolonging of the controversy would only 
114:216,10[A  ]| awaken Master*Snakes' suspicions, without affecting any corresponding 
114:216,11[A  ]| good.  I therefore pretended to be satisfied with 
114:216,12[A  ]| his excuse, and promising to call again as he requested, took 
114:216,13[A  ]| my leave.  
114:216,14[A  ]| I was highly satisfied at the result of my pumping.  I knew 
114:216,15[A  ]| that six months previously Snakes had offered to let this 
114:216,16[A  ]| house at \thirty pounds a year\, rather than keep it on his 
114:216,17[A  ]| hands.  \Now\ he did not care to take seven times that amount; 
114:216,18[A  ]| the conclusion naturally possessed me that he found the old 
114:216,19[A  ]| house more profitable empty than let, and as a natural consequence 
114:216,20[A  ]| next arose the mental query, 
114:216,20@a   | "In what manner could 
114:216,21@a   | he make it more profitable?"  
114:216,21[A  ]| The bolted and nailed windows 
114:216,22[A  ]| seemed to answer that it was not by means altogether honest 
114:216,23[A  ]| and above-board; and then, like a flash of lightning, it 
114:216,24[A  ]| crossed my mind that perchance the landlord of "The*Dublin*Arms" 
114:216,25[A  ]| was a whiskey distiller, and that in this old house 
114:216,26[A  ]| might be manufactured the large quantities of illicit spirit 
114:216,27[A  ]| that had deluged Adelaide and its neighbourhood for the past 
114:216,28[A  ]| three months, and defied the police as well as the excise to 
114:216,29[A  ]| discover its makers.  
114:216,30[A  ]| When I got to the station I imparted my suspicions to my 
114:216,31[A  ]| mates, for I determined at any risk to solve the mystery of 
114:216,32[A  ]| the haunted house, and the identity of Miles*Humphrey and 
114:216,33[A  ]| King*Rum*Tum that very night.  
114:216,34[A  ]| I sent two of the force ~~ in mufti, of course ~~ to watch the 
114:216,35[A  ]| house, with orders to arrest any*one who might pass in or 
114:216,36[A  ]| out.  Directly it was dark, I doubled the number of watchers, 
114:216,37[A  ]| telling them to be wary and watch every approach, and not 
114:216,38[A  ]| be content with merely keeping an eye on the doors; for I 
114:216,39[A  ]| fancied, that if my suspicions were correct, the persons who 
114:217,01[A  ]| visited the lone house would obtain ingress by any means but 
114:217,02[A  ]| the legitimate ones.  If anything mysterious happened previous 
114:217,03[A  ]| to eleven o'clock, one of them was to return at once 
114:217,04[A  ]| and report to me.  At that hour I resolved to repair thither 
114:217,05[A  ]| and effect an entry by hook or by crook.  
114:217,06[A  ]| Hour flew by after hour; at last half-past ten came, and I was 
114:217,07[A  ]| about to equip myself for the adventure, when in ran Wiffles.  
114:217,08@a   | "Well, what is up, mate?"  
114:217,08[A  ]| said I.  
114:217,09@w   | "Why, they have just entered the house, sir." 
114:217,10@a   | "Who have?" 
114:217,11@w   | "Why, God knows; Daley swears they are ghosts, but I 
114:217,12@w   | guess they are men.  You know, sir, we were on guard at 
114:217,13@w   | the back, and I was lying down in the garden under the 
114:217,14@w   | shadow of the tall weeds, keeping a sharp look-out on the 
114:217,15@w   | house, when I heard a rustle close by, and a black man with 
114:217,16@w   | a white woolly head skiddered by me as if old Nick was after 
114:217,17@w   | him.  I never saw a fellow go at such a pace in my life, and 
114:217,18@w   | before I could make up my  mind whether to pursue him or 
114:217,19@w   | not I saw him and another fellow, I can not guess where \he\ 
114:217,20@w   | sprang from, apparently glide up the side of the house to the 
114:217,21@w   | third story, and then dart in through a window." 
114:217,22@a   | "Did Daley see all this too?" 
114:217,23@w   | "He did not see the black fellow pass me, because he was 
114:217,24@w   | away too far to the left, but he saw the two figures glide up 
114:217,25@w   | the wall and pop in through the window." 
114:217,26@a   | "And he swears they are ghosts, does he?"  
114:217,26[A  ]| I laughed.  
114:217,27@w   | "He does indeed." 
114:217,28@a   | "Then, if I do not mistake, he shall have the honour of 
114:217,29@a   | locking up two ghosts in the police cells to-morrow.  Come, 
114:217,30@a   | let us be off.  You shall accompany me into this haunted 
114:217,31@a   | house, for Daley is too superstitious and timid.  Have you 
114:217,32@a   | your revolver with you?" 
114:217,33@w   | "Yes, I am all right." 
114:217,34@a   | "Wait a minute, then, and I will be with you," 
114:217,34[A  ]| I said; and 
114:217,35[A  ]| going into my bedroom I took my revolver out of its case, 
114:217,36[A  ]| examined the caps, and placed it in my pocket, for I did not 
114:217,37[A  ]| know how many desperadoes there might be in the house, 
114:217,38[A  ]| and there is no saying more true than 
114:217,38@z   | "discretion is the better 
114:217,39@z   | part of valour." 
114:218,01[A  ]| It was just eleven o'clock when we left the station, and 
114:218,02[A  ]| five minutes' brisk walking brought us in view of the haunted 
114:218,03[A  ]| house.  Turning down the little right-of-way we came full 
114:218,04[A  ]| tilt againt Daley, who, dressed as a mechanic, stood leaning 
114:218,05[A  ]| against a lamp-post smoking his pipe.  
114:218,06@a   | "Mind you fellows keep your eyes open, and draw closer 
114:218,07@a   | around the house.  Wiffles and I are going in; but the rascals 
114:218,08@a   | may possibly slip through our fingers, as they know the run 
114:218,09@a   | of the rooms and we do not.  See, therefore, that they do not 
114:218,10@a   | pass you." 
114:218,11@c   | "The ghosts, you mean, Mr%*Brooke." 
114:218,12@a   | "The fiddle-stick!  ghosts be hanged!  the house is no more 
114:218,13@a   | haunted than you are, man, unless it be by burglars, forgers, 
114:218,14@a   | whiskey distillers, or rogues of that class.  Now go and give 
114:218,15@a   | my instructions to our mates; I want you all close under the 
114:218,16@a   | walls, one in front, two at the back, and be particularly 
114:218,17@a   | careful lest any*one drops from the windows by a rope." 
114:218,18[A  ]| Leaving Daley, Wiffles and I now got over the broken-down 
114:218,19[A  ]| wall into the garden, which we crossed noiselessly and 
114:218,20[A  ]| stealthily, and presently stood under the high frowning walls 
114:218,21[A  ]| of the house.  
114:218,22@a   | "Now, Wiffles, look out sharp for a rope, for they must 
114:218,23@a   | have ascended by means of one, and I think we can follow 
114:218,24@a   | their example,"  
114:218,24[A  ]| I whispered.  
114:218,25[A  ]| The idea that the two figures that he had seen enter the 
114:218,26[A  ]| house by one of the top story windows had attained that 
114:218,27[A  ]| altitude by means of a rope had never entered Wiffles' head.  
114:218,28[A  ]| He now saw the probability of the thing at once; and in 
114:218,29[A  ]| another minute all doubts as to their mode of ingress were 
114:218,30[A  ]| set aside by my running my head against the identical rope 
114:218,31[A  ]| itself, which depended from the middle window of the third 
114:218,32[A  ]| story, and reached down to just the level of my nose.  
114:218,33@w   | "Who will go first?"  
114:218,33[A  ]| asked Wiffles.  
114:218,34@a   | "I will; and do not you begin to ascend until I am safely 
114:218,35@a   | landed, for then if any*one sees me before I reach the 
114:218,36@a   | the window and tries to cut the rope, you may perhaps be 
114:218,37@a   | able to shoot them down,"  
114:218,37[A  ]| I said.  
114:218,38[A  ]| I now commenced my ascent, and being a fair climber, I 
114:218,39[A  ]| did not experience much difficulty in mounting hand over 
114:219,01[A  ]| hand.  In a few minutes I had gained the window and 
114:219,02[A  ]| clambered through it into the room.  Wiffles was not slow 
114:219,03[A  ]| to follow my example, and just as the clock of a neighbouring 
114:219,04[A  ]| church chimed a quarter past eleven we both of us stood 
114:219,05[A  ]| within the haunted house.  
114:219,06[A  ]| It was very dark, the moonlight did not penetrate into the 
114:219,07[A  ]| room, so that we could not see an inch before us.  We 
114:219,08[A  ]| listened, but no sound was audible, save the skiddering of a 
114:219,09[A  ]| stray rat or two across the floor, and the  monotonous "tick-tick-tick" 
114:219,10[A  ]| of the Mimi beetle (the Australian "death-watch").  
114:219,11[A  ]| 
114:219,12@a   | "Off with your shoes silently and quickly," 
114:219,12[A  ]| I whispered to 
114:219,13[A  ]| Wiffles, setting the example as I spoke.  
114:219,14[A  ]| We now groped noiselessly over the room in search of a 
114:219,15[A  ]| door; at last we found one, but it was locked, and defied all 
114:219,16[A  ]| our efforts to open it.  We next went right round the rom, 
114:219,17[A  ]| feeling the wall all the way, but found no other mode of 
114:219,18[A  ]| egress.  Clearly there was only one door, and that we could 
114:219,19[A  ]| not force open without alarming the whole house.  
114:219,20@w   | "It seems to me that we are sold after all," 
114:219,20[A  ]| muttered 
114:219,21[A  ]| Wiffles.  
114:219,22@a   | "Not a bit of it, my boy," 
114:219,22[A  ]| I responded; 
114:219,22@a   | "let us cross and 
114:219,23@a   | recross the floor, but cautiously, or we may fall through a 
114:219,24@a   | trap." 
114:219,25[A  ]| We accordingly shuffled across noiselessly to and fro, never 
114:219,26[A  ]| raising our feet from the floor, until at last I felt that half my 
114:219,27[A  ]| left foot rested on empty space, and stooping down, I found 
114:219,28[A  ]| a large opening in the floor.  
114:219,29@a   | "By George, Wiffles, it is lucky I thought of this, or we 
114:219,30@a   | should assuredly have broken our necks in falling through 
114:219,31@a   | this precious trap.  The question now is, how to reach the 
114:219,32@a   | room below." 
114:219,33@w   | "There is a rope fastened to an iron ring, and with its end 
114:219,34@w   | hanging through the hole," 
114:219,34[A  ]| answered my mate.  
114:219,35@a   | "Then get along with you, it is your turn to go first now." 
114:219,36[A  ]| Jack*Wiffles required no second bidding; active as a 
114:219,37[A  ]| monkey, he slipped own the rope, and in a moment had 
114:219,38[A  ]| gained the floor below.  More leisurely I followed his example, 
114:219,39[A  ]| and presently felt boards under my feet again.  
114:220,01@w   | "Hush!  did you hear that?" 
114:220,01[A  ]| asked Wiffles.  
114:220,02@a   | "Yes, but it was only a rat," 
114:220,02[A  ]| I replied.  
114:220,03@w   | "Not a bit of it.  I swear it was a human voice," 
114:220,03[A  ]| retorted 
114:220,04[A  ]| Wiffles, in the same low tone.  
114:220,05[A  ]| We listened, and in a moment a loud metallic crash rang 
114:220,06[A  ]| through the house, awaking a dozen reverberations amid the 
114:220,07[A  ]| empty rooms.  Then followed the clanking of a chain and a 
114:220,08[A  ]| yell of demoniac laughter.  
114:220,09@w   | "This is strange.  Perhaps there is more truth in the 
114:220,10@w   | common report that the house is haunted than we have 
114:220,11@w   | credited," 
114:220,11[A  ]| said my aide, in nervous tones.  
114:220,12@a   | "I confess that matters look rather dismal; but now that 
114:220,13@a   | we have dared so much, we will not cry craven at a mere 
114:220,14@a   | noise.  Ghosts or thieves, I must find out their reasons for 
114:220,15@a   | taking up a lodging here," 
114:220,15[A  ]| I answered.  
114:220,16[A  ]| We now made for the wall again, and glided along it as 
114:220,17[A  ]| we had done in the room above in search of another door, 
114:220,18[A  ]| which we presently found, and to our satisfaction it was 
114:220,19[A  ]| unlocked.  
114:220,20[A  ]| Taking a bottle of oil from my pocket, I plentifully lubricated 
114:220,21[A  ]| the hinges lest they should creak, and then we opened 
114:220,22[A  ]| the door, passed through, and found ourselves in a passage, 
114:220,23[A  ]| for on raising my arms until with my body they formed the 
114:220,24[A  ]| shape of the letter T, I could touch the walls on either side.  
114:220,25[A  ]| It was still as dark as the grave around us, but at the end 
114:220,26[A  ]| of the passage we were traversing we could see a narrow line 
114:220,27[A  ]| of light, apparently gleaming through a crack in a door.  
114:220,28[A  ]| We soon found that this was the case, and upon looking 
114:220,29[A  ]| through this fissure a strange scene met our gaze.  The room 
114:220,30[A  ]| into which we peered was devoid of furniture, with the 
114:220,31[A  ]| exception of a couple of three-legged stools and two stretcher 
114:220,32[A  ]| beds, on each of which lay a couple or so of not over-clean 
114:220,33[A  ]| blankets.  It was a very large room, but the carved ceiling 
114:220,34[A  ]| was discoloured with damp and spiders' webs; the once rich 
114:220,35[A  ]| paper was hanging in strips and tatters from the walls, and 
114:220,36[A  ]| the floor was black with dirt, and thickly strewn with broken 
114:220,37[A  ]| pipes and glasses.  All these matters only received a mere 
114:220,38[A  ]| glance, for our attention was riveted by the occupants of the 
114:220,39[A  ]| two stools, who sat one on each side of the soot-begrimed 
114:221,01[A  ]| fireplace.  At a glance we recognised them to be Miles*Humphrey, 
114:221,02[A  ]| the suicide, and the King*of*Burranaguck, looking 
114:221,03[A  ]| just as Daley had described them the night before, and 
114:221,04[A  ]| drinking raw spirits like the very deuce.  
114:221,05[A  ]| At the feet of one lay a heavy chain; against the stool of 
114:221,06[A  ]| the other leant a metal gong.  There was the livid mark of 
114:221,07[A  ]| the rope around the throat of the white man, and on the 
114:221,08[A  ]| breast of his companion lay the half-moon shaped brass 
114:221,09[A  ]| plate, with its inscription in large black letters, "RUM*TUM*TUM, 
114:221,10[A  ]| KING*OF*BURRANAGUCK."  There could be no mistake 
114:221,11[A  ]| about all this, and I confess that for a minute or two a kind 
114:221,12[A  ]| of superstitious terror seized hold of me, and I began to 
114:221,13[A  ]| think that we had really to do with inhabitants of the spirit 
114:221,14[A  ]| world.  As for Wiffles, plucky as he generally was, his teeth 
114:221,15[A  ]| now began to chatter with fear, and he whispered, 
114:221,15@w   | "This is 
114:221,16@w   | awful!" 
114:221,17@a   | "Hush, man!  depend upon it, there is some earthly devilry 
114:221,18@a   | in all this,"  
114:221,18[A  ]| I answered.  
114:221,18@a   | "I can not fancy that veritable ghosts 
114:221,19@a   | swig off raw spirits at such a rate as these do.  Listen, the 
114:221,20@a   | black fellow is going to speak." 
114:221,21@w   | "Sure he can not with his tongue stuck down his windpipe," 
114:221,22[A  ]| said Wiffles.  
114:221,23[A  ]| King*Rum*Tum, however, quickly proved to Mr%*Wiffles 
114:221,24[A  ]| that he was mistaken as far as the tongue went, for turning 
114:221,25[A  ]| to his companion, he said, suddenly, 
114:221,25@w   | "Well, Snakes, you 
114:221,26@w   | never told me how you put off the fellow as inquired after 
114:221,27@w   | this here house." 
114:221,28@d   | "Oh, the fool!  I scarcely know how I managed it, for he 
114:221,29@d   | was the most persisting varmint that I ever clapped eyes on," 
114:221,30[A  ]| said the other, with an oath.  
114:221,30@d   | "By Jingo, he would not take 
114:221,31@d   | ""no"" for an answer." 
114:221,32@w   | "And has he given up all thoughts of the house?"  
114:221,32[A  ]| asked 
114:221,33[A  ]| the king, anxiously.  
114:221,34@d   | "Oh no, not he; but I put him off until the end of the 
114:221,35@d   | week." 
114:221,36@w   | "And if he still presses you, what then?" 
114:221,37@d   | "Why, if he will not take civil advice, I must tell him pat 
114:221,38@d   | and plain that he shall not have it; say that I have already let it.  
114:221,39@d   | or that I am going to knock it down.  Darn him, he can not 
114:222,01@d   | make a man let his own property against his will," 
114:222,01[A  ]| said the 
114:222,02[A  ]| Yankee.  
114:222,03@w   | "Ah!  ah!  ah!  the house pays better as it is, does not it, 
114:222,04@w   | daddy Snakes?"  
114:222,04[A  ]| laughed the black fellow.  
114:222,05@d   | "I believe you, my boy.  I think our profits are at present 
114:222,06@d   | to the tune of a hundred pounds a month each, so I should 
114:222,07@d   | be a precious fool to let the place at only that rate 7per*annun;" 
114:222,08[A  ]| and the Yankee laughed until the tears ran down 
114:222,09[A  ]| his cheeks.  
114:222,10@w   | "How lucky we were to get such a crib!  we are safer 
114:222,11@w   | from observation here than if we were in the centre of the 
114:222,12@w   | Stony*Desert.  Not a human being in Adelaide, even those 
114:222,13@w   | d***d traps included, would enter these walls, were they 
114:222,14@w   | paid their weight in gold to do so.  Come, Master*Snakes, or 
114:222,15@w   | Master*Humphrey, whichever you are called, I propose a toast." 
114:222,16@d   | "Hang your toasts!  What is it?"  
114:222,16[A  ]| growled the landlord 
114:222,17[A  ]| of the "Dublin*Arms." 
114:222,18@w   | "Why the haunted house, you duffer!  the haunted 
114:222,19@w   | house!"  
114:222,19[A  ]| he repeated in a louder key, as he staggered to his 
114:222,20[A  ]| feet, and raised a brimming glass of whiskey to his lips.  
114:222,21@d   | "The haunted house," 
114:222,21[A  ]| echoed Snakes, following his example 
114:222,22[A  ]| with tipsy gravity.  
114:222,23@a   | "\The haunted house!\"  
114:222,23[A  ]| I exclaimed, in a sepulchral tone 
114:222,24[A  ]| from the passage.  
114:222,25@w   | "THE HAUNTED HOUSE!"  
114:222,25[A  ]| shrieked Wiffles, taking his cue 
114:222,26[A  ]| from me.  
114:222,27[A  ]| King*Rum*Tum, or rather his personator, had raised his 
114:222,28[A  ]| glass to his lips, but he let it fall from his relaxed grasp 
114:222,29[A  ]| when the third voice smote upon his ear; and at my mate's 
114:222,30[A  ]| eldritch yell, Snakes tossed his glass and its contents into 
114:222,31[A  ]| the ample fireplace, and turned yellowish brown and white 
114:222,32[A  ]| by turns.  
114:222,33@w   | "Did you hear that?"  
114:222,33[A  ]| asked the black fellow, in quivering 
114:222,34[A  ]| tones.  
114:222,35@d   | "I did.  What on earth could it have been?"  
114:222,35[A  ]| faltered the 
114:222,36[A  ]| landlord.  
114:222,37@w   | "The devil,"  
114:222,37[A  ]| suggested the black.  
114:222,38@w   | "King*Rum*Tum, whose name you have taken," 
114:222,38[A  ]| howled 
114:222,39[A  ]| Wiffles through the keyhole.  
114:223,01@a   | "And Miles*Humphrey, who owns this house," 
114:223,01[A  ]| I echoed 
114:223,02[A  ]| in a voice that seemed to come from at least ten million 
114:223,03[A  ]| good leagues under ground.  
114:223,04[A  ]| By George!  a peep at the two terrified personators at that 
114:223,05[A  ]| moment was worth a mine of rubies.  For a minute or two 
114:223,06[A  ]| they stood staring at each other like a couple of idiots; then 
114:223,07[A  ]| they simultaneously fell on their knees and tried to mutter 
114:223,08[A  ]| their prayers.  To put an end to the ridiculous scene, I 
114:223,09[A  ]| placed the muzzle of my revolver against the back of the 
114:223,10[A  ]| door, and blew it open.  We then rushed in and threw ourselves 
114:223,11[A  ]| upon the horror-stricken distillers, reckoning that after 
114:223,12[A  ]| the fright they had just received no resistance would be 
114:223,13[A  ]| offered.  In this, however, we were mistaken, for the moment 
114:223,14[A  ]| the rascals saw that we were veritable men, and not the 
114:223,15[A  ]| spirits of those whom they had personated, their courage 
114:223,16[A  ]| returned, and drawing their knives, they stood on the 
114:223,17[A  ]| defensive.  
114:223,18@a   | "None of your knife-work, Master*Snakes," 
114:223,18[A  ]| I cried, 
114:223,19[A  ]| covering him with my revolver.  
114:223,19@a   | "You see I was determined 
114:223,20@a   | to inspect the inside of this house before I took 
114:223,21@a   | it on a twenty-one years' lease, at two hundred a year." 
114:223,22@d   | "Ten thousand fiends!  Are you squatter*Thompson that 
114:223,23@d   | called on me this morning about the house?"  
114:223,23[A  ]| demanded the 
114:223,24[A  ]| astonished landlord of the "Dublin*Arms." 
114:223,25@a   | "Squatter*Thompson, or detective*Brooke, at your service.   
114:223,26@a   | I answer to either name," 
114:223,26[A  ]| I replied.  
114:223,27@w   | "By Jabers, the traps!"  
114:223,27[A  ]| cried the black fellow, in accents 
114:223,28[A  ]| of despair.  
114:223,29@w   | "Come, my friends, just drop those pig stickers; we want 
114:223,30@w   | to take your measurement for a pair of wristbands," 
114:223,30[A  ]| said 
114:223,31[A  ]| Wiffles.  
114:223,32[A  ]| For a minute or so the fellows looked defiant, but our 
114:223,33[A  ]| revolvers overawed them, and they sullenly threw down their 
114:223,34[A  ]| arms and allowed themselves to be handcuffed.  We then, 
114:223,35[A  ]| aided by their candle, began to search the premises.  There 
114:223,36[A  ]| was a second door in the room where we had surprised them, 
114:223,37[A  ]| which led into an adjoining apartment, and upon entering 
114:223,38[A  ]| their inner room the mystery of the haunted house was solved 
114:223,39[A  ]| at a glance.  
114:224,01[A  ]| It was an immense apartment ~~ far larger than the one which 
114:224,02[A  ]| we had just quitted.  It was probably two or three rooms 
114:224,03[A  ]| knocked into one.  In it stood a large \still\ in perfect working 
114:224,04[A  ]| order; the boiler stood over the glowing embers, and the 
114:224,05[A  ]| head and worm were attached, the latter carrying its convolutions 
114:224,06[A  ]| down through a large hogshead of water, and discharging 
114:224,07[A  ]| the whiskey through a pipe near the bottom into a vessel 
114:224,08[A  ]| placed there to receive it.  Nearly touching this vessel stood 
114:224,09[A  ]| a pannikin, and close to the pannikin lay a pile of empty 
114:224,10[A  ]| bags; for what purpose we could not imagine, but three-fourths 
114:224,11[A  ]| of the floor of the room was covered by numbers of 
114:224,12[A  ]| kegs and barrels, the greater proportion of which were filled 
114:224,13[A  ]| with the mountain dew.  All these were clearly revealed by 
114:224,14[A  ]| the rays proceeding from a dirty oil lamp which hung by a 
114:224,15[A  ]| chain from the ceiling.  
114:224,16[A  ]| Wiffles and I did not neglect to patronize the warm spirit 
114:224,17[A  ]| that trickled slowly into the already nearly overflowing pannikin; 
114:224,18[A  ]| and I must admit that if the \ghosts\ of the haunted 
114:224,19[A  ]| house were not genuine, the \spirits\ were, and excellent ones 
114:224,20[A  ]| to boot.  
114:224,21[A  ]| Well, after we had had a good drink we returned to the 
114:224,22[A  ]| other room and rejoined the crest-fallen proprietors of the 
114:224,23[A  ]| still, whom we ordered to lead the way to the street door.  
114:224,24[A  ]| This they sullenly did, and we found that it was not only 
114:224,25[A  ]| bolted, locked, and barred, but actually screwed on the inside.  
114:224,26[A  ]| It took us nearly half an hour to get out these screws, draw 
114:224,27[A  ]| back all the rusty bolts, and force it open.  By the time we 
114:224,28[A  ]| had done so a distant church clock struck the first hour of 
114:224,29[A  ]| the morning.  
114:224,30[A  ]| We walked off our captives to the police station, and when 
114:224,31[A  ]| there, the first thing that "King*Rum*Tum the Second" 
114:224,32[A  ]| asked for was soap and water; by the aid of which he 
114:224,33[A  ]| speedily transmogrified himself into a white man, and a 
114:224,34[A  ]| genuine son of Erin into the bargain.  The next morning 
114:224,35[A  ]| our brace of worthies were marched before the Court*of*Petty*Sessions, 
114:224,36[A  ]| where, after a long trial, the still was sentenced 
114:224,37[A  ]| to be confiscated, and each of the distillers to a fine 
114:224,38[A  ]| of L*150, or in default three months' imprisonment with hard 
114:224,39[A  ]| labour.  The host of the "Dublin*Arms" counted down the 
114:225,01[A  ]| cash with air and dignity of a prince; but his mate, 
114:225,02[A  ]| shrewdly observing 
114:225,02@w   | "that a hundred and fifty pounds was a 
114:225,03@w   | dear price for three months' liberty, and that with their 
114:225,04@w   | worships' leave he would accept the temporary board and 
114:225,05@w   | lodging kindly placed at his disposal by the Government," 
114:225,06[A  ]| made a serio-comic bow, and was conducted from the court 
114:225,07[A  ]| by two constables.  
114:225,08[A  ]| Thus were King*Rum*Tum's and Miles*Humphrey's ghosts 
114:225,09[A  ]| laid:  the two rascals who had turned the superstitious fears 
114:225,10[A  ]| of the townspeople to so profitable an account were in turn 
114:225,11[A  ]| taken in and done for; and upon the landlord of the "Dublin*Arms" 
114:225,12[A  ]| becoming insolvent a few months later, the old house 
114:225,13[A  ]| in Charlotte*Street ~~ now a haunted house no longer ~~ passed 
114:225,14[A  ]| into other hands, and is at present, I believe, tenanted by 
114:225,15[A  ]| either a homo*eopathic or hydropathic doctor, I forget which.  
101:119;00@@@@@| <Mystery and Murder>
101:119;01[A  ]| While in Tasmania I met with an adventure of so singular a
101:119;02[A  ]| character, that it has been the subject of much thought during my
101:119;03[A  ]| leisure hours in the intervening space of time, the more so as the
101:119;04[A  ]| mysterious portion of it remains unexplained to this day.
101:119;05[A  ]| On an evening during one of the winter months I was seated in
101:119;06[A  ]| my quarters in Hobart*Town, engaged in making memoranda of
101:119;07[A  ]| my day's occupation, when a gentleman who had requested to see
101:119;08[A  ]| me was shown into the apartment. Although he had not the
101:119;09[A  ]| slightest knowledge of me, I recognised him at once. It was
101:119;10[A  ]| Mr*Longmore, a merchant of Hobart*Town, who had the character
101:119;11[A  ]| of being a steady, worthy, and withal wealthy man. He was a
101:119;12[A  ]| widower, the father of an only daughter, and resided on the
101:119;13[A  ]| outskirts of the town, in a handsome residence situated very near
101:119;14[A  ]| to that part of the Derwent which bears the name of Sullivan's*Cove; 
101:119;15[A  ]| in fact, its waters rippled at the bottom of Mr*Longmore's
101:119;16[A  ]| own grounds.
101:119;17[A  ]| ""I have the pleasure of speaking to Mr*Brooke, the detective
101:119;18[A  ]| officer, I believe,"" 
101:119;18[A  ]| said he, after having at my invitation seated
101:119;19[A  ]| himself.
101:119;20@a   | ""Yes,"" 
101:119;20[A  ]| I replied, 
101:119;20@a   | ""and you may spare yourself the trouble of introducing 
101:119;21@a   | yourself, Mr*Longmore. I have the honour of knowing
101:119;22@a   | you well by sight, as well as by reputation.""
101:119;23[A  ]| ""Well, I suppose I need not be surprised at your recognising me,""
101:119;24[A  ]| replied he, with a staid smile, 
101:119;24[A  ]| ""although I do not recollect having
101:119;25[A  ]| ever met you before; but it is quite in your way to be observant.""
101:119;26@a   | ""It is, sir; and now in what manner can my present services avail
101:119;27@a   | you?""
101:120;01[A  ]| I could not help noticing that the gentleman looked uneasy
101:120;02[A  ]| and hesitant, and not at all easy in his conversation, as I should 
101:120;03[A  ]| have expected to find a man of the world as Mr*Longmore.
101:120;04[A  ]| ""I scarcely know what to say to you, Mr*Brooke,"" 
101:120;04[A  ]| shifting
101:120;05[A  ]| uneasily upon his chair. 
101:120;05[A  ]| ""I came with the purpose of disclosing
101:120;06[A  ]| to you something so extraordinary and singular as to be
101:120;07[A  ]| scarcely credible, and now I am doubly inclined to fear that its
101:120;08[A  ]| very singularity may occasion doubts in your mind as to my
101:120;09[A  ]| judgment or want of common sense.""
101:120;10@a   | ""You need not be at all afraid, Mr*Longmore,"" 
101:120;10[A  ]| I responded,
101:120;11[A  ]| encouragingly, 
101:120;11@a   | ""that I shall draw any false inference from any
101:120;12@a   | communication that you may do me the honour of making to
101:120;13@a   | me in confidence. Your well-known character as a gentleman of
101:120;14@a   | clear judgment and sound common sense is a sufficient
101:120;15@a   | guarantee that any information you may give me, or
101:120;16@a   | communication you may make, will be well worthy of attention.""
101:120;17[A  ]| ""Thank you!"" 
101:120;17[A  ]| replied he, 
101:120;17[A  ]| ""but in this matter I am positively
101:120;18[A  ]| afraid that my ordinary judgment is at fault; but if you can
101:120;19[A  ]| afford me time I will relate the circumstances, and allow you to
101:120;20[A  ]| form your own opinion upon the matter."" 
101:120;20[A  ]| Of course I signified my readiness ~~ nay,
101:120;21[A  ]| anxiety to listen, and Mr*Longmore commenced thus:~~
101:120;22[A  ]| ""My house is, as I dare say you know, at this side of the suburbs,
101:120;23[A  ]| and quite near to the river. I reside in it with my only daughter 
101:120;24[A  ]| and three servants, one male and two females. The house has no
101:120;25[A  ]| upper story; the front windows are French, all open into the
101:120;26[A  ]| grounds, the back part of the establishment, stables, yard, etc%,
101:120;27[A  ]| being separated from the front gardens by a high stone wall. Into
101:120;28[A  ]| the back yard the kitchen and ordinary apartments open, so that
101:120;29[A  ]| unless through the house itself no communication can be held by
101:120;30[A  ]| any of the servants with the pleasure-grounds; unless, indeed, they
101:120;31[A  ]| were to go down andapproach by the river. I tell you all this so
101:120;32[A  ]| that you may be in the same position as I have found myself, as
101:120;33[A  ]| to the possibility of finding a natural solution of the singular
101:120;34[A  ]| difficulty which I am about to relate to you. The door of communication
101:120;35[A  ]| between the front and back portions of my house I am
101:120;36[A  ]| particularly careful to secure every night myself, my early residence
101:120;37[A  ]| in the colony having made me very cautious in guarding against 
101:120;38[A  ]| surprise of any kind, and my daughter's safety is of greater moment 
101:120;39[A  ]| than my own, so that I am even more careful in these matters than 
101:120;40[A  ]| I might have been.
101:120;41[A  ]| ""This night week I had retired at my usual hour, or perhaps a
101:120;42[A  ]| little later. Everything was quiet, my daughter as well as the
101:120;43[A  ]| servants had gone to their rooms some time before.
101:121;01[A  ]| ""It was a wild, dark night, but as I burn a lamp in my room it
101:121;02[A  ]| is of course lighted, although dimly. For some time I had been
101:121;03[A  ]| asleep, what awoke me I cannot tell; the first thing on which my
101:121;04[A  ]| eyes rested was a form ~~ a figure, or the semblance of one: it was
101:121;05[A  ]| standing at the foot of my bed, and was that of a female! I was not
101:121;06[A  ]| alarmed, for the idea that it was my daughter immediately
101:121;07[A  ]| suggested itself, so I raised myself upon my elbow for the purpose
101:121;08[A  ]| of asking if anything was the matter. As soon as I did so I instantly 
101:121;09[A  ]| perceived that the face was strange to me.
101:121;10[A  ]| ""The figure was slight, attired in a white robe; the features had
101:121;11[A  ]| a horrible expression of terror, and their death-like pallor was
101:121;12[A  ]| increased by the contrast presented by the longest and heaviest
101:121;13[A  ]| black hair I ever saw, which hung over her left breast and reached
101:121;14[A  ]| down to her knees. Her dress was of silken material, for I heard it
101:121;15[A  ]| rustling; and all over the front, and also upon the loose sleeves, it
101:121;16[A  ]| was clotted with blood.""
101:121;17[A  ]| Here the narrator stopped, apparently quite overcome with the
101:121;18[A  ]| recollection of the scene that he had been describing, and I must
101:121;19[A  ]| confess that I could hardly repress a smile at such emotion being
101:121;20[A  ]| felt by a person of Mr*Longmore's sense and experience, about
101:121;21[A  ]| such a piece of absurdity; and I dare say he read the expression of my 
101:121;22[A  ]| feelings in my face, for he remarked, ~~
101:121;23[A  ]| ""I can scarcely feel surprised that you should be inclined to treat
101:121;24[A  ]| the matter as a joke, Mr*Brooke; it is a very singular story to
101:121;25[A  ]| relate, and I do not expect you to give it credence without proving
101:121;26[A  ]| its truth yourself.""
101:121;27@a   | ""Oh, I hope, sir,"" 
101:121;27[A  ]| I hastened to observe, 
101:121;27@a   | ""you do not suppose for
101:121;28@a   | a moment that I doubt your veracity, only to my professional mind
101:121;29@a   | the apparition looks very like a hoax which some one is playing off
101:121;30@a   | upon you; but if you will narrate the facts we can talk of these
101:121;31@a   | things afterwards.""
101:121;32[A  ]| ""I have very little to add. The appearance which I have described
101:121;33[A  ]| has visited me every night ~~ in spite of barred doors and
101:121;34[A  ]| windows, ~~ each time waving its hand impatiently, as if beckoning
101:121;35[A  ]| me to follow.""
101:121;36@a   | ""And you never followed?""
101:121;37[A  ]| ""No! I must confess that I felt too horrified to attempt moving
101:121;38[A  ]| whilst the figure stood so immediately before me. I felt frozen to
101:121;39[A  ]| the bed, as it were; indeed, I assure you it is a fearful sight!""
101:121;40@a   | ""Will you permit me to inquire, Mr*Longmore, are you at all
101:121;41@a   | superstitious?""
101:121;42[A  ]| ""In the sense you mean I am not superstitious. If I met with
101:121;43[A  ]| anything so peculiar in appearance as to be quite beyond the ordinary 
101:122;01[A  ]| run of natural events, before setting it down to be supernatural 
101:122;02[A  ]| or apparitional I should certainly do my utmost to find a natural 
101:122;03[A  ]| cause or causes for it, as I have done in this instance; failing in that, 
101:122;04[A  ]| I am ready to acknowledge there are 
101:122;04@z   | "more things in heaven and 
101:122;05@z   | earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy." 
101:122;05[A  ]| Still, had I been as 
101:122;06[A  ]| really superstitious as you appear to think me, I should not have 
101:122;07[A  ]| been here to ask your more practised assistance in trying to unravel 
101:122;08[A  ]| this mystery.""
101:122;09@a   | ""Well,"" 
101:122;09[A  ]| I replied, laughingly, 
101:122;09@a   | ""I am inclined to feel certain that we 
101:122;10@a   | shall easily prove this visitation not to be one from a spiritual 
101:122;11@a   | kingdom; for in truth, Mr*Longmore, I do not believe in ghosts!""
101:122;12[A  ]| ""Because you have never seen one.""
101:122;13[A  ]| I did not reply to this observation, as I perceived that his nerves 
101:122;14[A  ]| had been much affected, and not without wonder; the appearance 
101:122;15[A  ]| of such a figure in one's bedroom night after night, in spite of locks
101:122;16[A  ]| and bolts, was enough to shake any man's judgment; nevertheless,
101:122;17[A  ]| I had not the slightest doubt that the professional cunning upon 
101:122;18[A  ]| which I prided myself would expose the trick of some conspiracy,
101:122;19[A  ]| formed, I was sure, for no good purpose.
101:122;20@a   | ""Have you mentioned this to any one, Mr*Longmore?""
101:122;21[A  ]| ""No, I have not; I was afraid of alarming my daughter. I do
101:122;22[A  ]| sincerely hope that you will be able to get to the bottom of it. The 
101:122;23[A  ]| knowledge of such an unaccountable visitation, such a horrible 
101:122;24[A  ]| appearance, being night after night in the immediate neighbourhood 
101:122;25[A  ]| of my unsuspecting child is almost overwhelming me. Now
101:122;26[A  ]| what steps will you take?""
101:122;27[A  ]| I considered for a moment before I answered, and then
101:122;28[A  ]| mentioned my intention of spending that night in Mr*Longmore's 
101:122;29[A  ]| bedroom.
101:122;30@a   | ""Could you get in without any one suspecting that you had a
101:122;31@a   | visitor?"" 
101:122;31[A  ]| I inquired; 
101:122;31@a   | ""and could you manage to let me occupy your 
101:122;32@a   | room in secrecy also?""
101:122;33[A  ]| ""Oh, easily enough. Only name the hour you will be at the side
101:122;34[A  ]| entrance into the garden, and I will admit you myself. It is usual 
101:122;35[A  ]| after dusk for me to smoke my cigar near the river.""
101:122;36[A  ]| Having made suitable arrangements Mr*Longmore left me.
101:122;37[A  ]| I sat down and considered the matter on all sides. What was the 
101:122;38[A  ]| object in thus acting the ghost in the bedroom of a man of Mr*Longmore's 
101:122;39[A  ]| well-known strength of mind? From what I knew of 
101:122;40[A  ]| that gentleman's character I was much surprised at the weakness 
101:122;41[A  ]| he had shown, the earthly, and I had no doubt criminal nature of 
101:122;42[A  ]| which only wanted a little keen-sighted perseverance to be proved.
101:122;43[A  ]| As to ghosts, and entrances effected without any existing means 
101:122;44[A  ]| of ingress ~~ bah! it was all fudge. My intention, in the first place 
101:123;01[A  ]| was to see, if possible, this singular apparition; and while doing 
101:123;02[A  ]| nothing more than simply affecting to be the ordinary occupier of 
101:123;03[A  ]| Mr*Longmore's bed, for the first night to make good use of my 
101:123;04[A  ]| eyes, and be guided in any further attempts at unravelment by my 
101:123;05[A  ]| observations. Well, at the appointed time I was conducted by 
101:123;06[A  ]| Mr*Longmore into his bedroom, the servants, as well as Miss*Longmore, 
101:123;07[A  ]| having retired. I was at liberty to examine the room 
101:123;08[A  ]| at leisure. The apartment was a good size, perhaps sixteen feet by
101:123;09[A  ]| twenty-two, and had two large French windows that opened on
101:123;10[A  ]| a verandah which ran along the front of the house. These windows 
101:123;11[A  ]| consisted each of a single sheet of plate glass in handsome
101:123;12[A  ]| mahogany framework, and faced directly the Derwent, called, as
101:123;13[A  ]| I have before mentioned, at that spot, Sullivan's*Cove. With its
101:123;14[A  ]| head against the wall, opposite to the windows, stood a large
101:123;15[A  ]| elegant bedstead, with a canopy at the head, from which depended
101:123;16[A  ]| rich damask curtains, that only formed a shelter to the head of the 
101:123;17[A  ]| bedstead, leaving the foot entirely unprotected. On the right hand 
101:123;18[A  ]| of the bed was the door opening into a dressing-room, which 
101:123;19[A  ]| communicated with the other portion of the establishment. By the 
101:123;20[A  ]| wall at the left was the toilet-table; upon it stood a deeply shaded 
101:123;21[A  ]| night lamp. There was also a chimney in the room, but as the grate 
101:123;22[A  ]| was one of the stove description I did not trouble myself about it.
101:123;23[A  ]| The windows and doors I left entirely to Mr*Longmore's inspection,
101:123;24[A  ]| taking his word that they were fastened as usual.
101:123;25[A  ]| When this was all right we seated ourselves beside a table, where 
101:123;26[A  ]| my entertainer had taken care to have refreshment, and after
101:123;27[A  ]| partaking of a glass of wine I lit my cigar, begging my host to
101:123;28[A  ]| excuse my invariable practice before retiring. It had not escaped my 
101:123;29[A  ]| keen observation that the gentleman on whose behalf I had volunteered
101:123;30[A  ]| to encounter a ghost had shown indubitable signs of a mind 
101:123;31[A  ]| ill at ease ever since he had ushered me into his house. Taking
101:123;32[A  ]| advantage of the wreaths of smoke that soon curled up between
101:123;33[A  ]| my lips, I watched him as he sat opposite to me more closely than
101:123;34[A  ]| I should otherwise have had an opportunity of doing.
101:123;35[A  ]| He was gazing down at the floor, occasionally sipping his wine
101:123;36[A  ]| in an abstracted manner, with a thoughtful and troubled expression
101:123;37[A  ]| upon his face, but looking up once, and encountering my eyes 
101:123;38[A  ]| steadfastly, and I suspect searchingly, fixed upon his countenance, 
101:123;39[A  ]| he became red and pale by turns, and at length addressed me 
101:123;40[A  ]| hurriedly.
101:123;41[A  ]| ""I am afraid, Mr*Brooke, that I have done wrong in this business
101:123;42[A  ]| as I have given you trouble, I think. I believe I should have
101:123;43[A  ]| told you everything.""
101:123;44@a   | ""Certainly, Mr*Longmore,"" 
101:123;44[A  ]| was my reply. 
101:123;44@a   | ""If you seek my
101:124;01@a   | professional services I think I have a right to learn everything you
101:124;02@a   | know in connection with it.""
101:124;03[A  ]| ""It is true; it is quite true. And yet I think you will make allowance
101:124;04[A  ]| for my disinclination to speak of this circumstance. There are
101:124;05[A  ]| some things of the past so painful that I may be excused if I feel
101:124;06[A  ]| disinclination to allude to them.""
101:124;07@a   | ""Well, sir, if you regret having mentioned the subject to me,
101:124;08@a   | forget that you have done so, and nobody shall be the wiser.""
101:124;09[A  ]| ""No, no; you quite mistake me. I am anxious to tell you at once
101:124;10[A  ]| of what I should have informed you before, and it is simply that
101:124;11[A  ]| this ~~ this apparition bears the semblance of one with whom I was
101:124;12[A  ]| too well acquainted.""
101:124;13@a   | ""May I ask of whom?""
101:124;14[A  ]| ""My wife!""
101:124;15@a   | ""Your wife?"" 
101:124;15[A  ]| I exclaimed, and then checked myself at once as the
101:124;16[A  ]| cause of Mr*Longmore's awkardness and evident trouble of mind
101:124;17[A  ]| flashed before me. I now remembered having heard a great deal of
101:124;18[A  ]| gossip about this said wife. She had eloped years before from this
101:124;19[A  ]| very house in a most disgraceful manner, and with a most unprincipled,
101:124;20[A  ]| low rascal. I respected my host's feelings of course, and felt
101:124;21[A  ]| grieved that anything should have occurred with which I had any
101:124;22[A  ]| connection to bring the memory of the transaction again before
101:124;23[A  ]| him.
101:124;24@a   | ""And you think the figure resembles that person?"" 
101:124;24[A  ]| I inquired.
101:124;25[A  ]| ""It is herself!"" 
101:124;25[A  ]| was the determined reply.
101:124;26@a   | ""Well, I must say I think it very likely it is. What more probable
101:124;27@a   | than that she should be acquainted with some outlet from this room
101:124;28@a   | which you do not know?""
101:124;29[A  ]| Mr. Longmore shook his head.
101:124;30[A  ]| ""It is not she alive,"" 
101:124;30[A  ]| he said.
101:124;31@a   | ""Do you then really and positively believe that this visitation is
101:124;32@a   | a supernatural one?"" 
101:124;32[A  ]| I asked, in much surprise.
101:124;33[A  ]| ""I do! I am willing that every means of discovery shall be tried;
101:124;34[A  ]| but when you have seen it, I think you will acknowledge that I must
101:124;35[A  ]| believe it is supernatural.""
101:124;36[A  ]| This was very positive and very singular to me. That any man
101:124;37[A  ]| in these days of enlightenment, and possessed of his full allowance
101:124;38[A  ]| of brains, should insist upon the existence of a ghost ~~ if I am not
101:124;39[A  ]| making a ""bull"" in so saying ~~ was a matter beyond my comprehension;
101:124;40[A  ]| and as I turned into Mr*Longmore's stately bed, after he had
101:124;41[A  ]| taken up his quarters on a couch in the dressing-room, I am afraid
101:124;42[A  ]| I allowed myself to consider for a moment how long in all probability
101:124;43[A  ]| it was likely to be ere this far-seeing merchant should
101:125;01[A  ]| become the inmate of an asylum, where the beds would not be half
101:125;02[A  ]| so soft or the rooms so luxurious as the one which I occupied as
101:125;03[A  ]| the temporary tenant of this ""haunted house."" My clothes I had not
101:125;04[A  ]| removed, and my revolver lay handy; indeed, since the last
101:125;05[A  ]| communication of my host, I made up my mind to bring the
101:125;06[A  ]| matter to an end that night. This ghost, be it as active as it liked,
101:125;07[A  ]| would have to use all its supernatural power to enable it to escape
101:125;08[A  ]| from my clutches; for I had no doubt that I should succeed in
101:125;09[A  ]| grabbing' the late Mrs*Longmore before she had time to invoke
101:125;10[A  ]| the powers of darkness, or find her usual mode of egress. An
101:125;11[A  ]| officer of ten years' experience in the detective force was not born
101:125;12[A  ]| yesterday! And so I lay thinking over things quietly, hour after
101:125;13[A  ]| hour striking upon the ornamental clock that stood upon the
101:125;14[A  ]| mantelpiece, until it was half-past one.
101:125;15[A  ]| It was a cloudy night, a chill wind blew up from the cove, which
101:125;16[A  ]| made a sighing and sad whispering among the trees that shaded the
101:125;17[A  ]| house; the lately risen moon ~~ now streaming in through the
101:125;18[A  ]| verandah, and casting shadows of vine leaves and creepers upon the
101:125;19[A  ]| carpet ~~ shadows that waved and shook, as the agitated air waved
101:125;20[A  ]| and shook the foliage outside ~~ was occasionally obscured, and left
101:125;21[A  ]| the room almost in complete darkness, as I had screwed down the
101:125;22[A  ]| lamp as low as possible. I had made up my mind by this time that
101:125;23[A  ]| the conspirator or conspirators had found out my presence in the
101:125;24[A  ]| apartment, and had thought it safer not to attempt any of their
101:125;25[A  ]| pranks upon me. At this moment the moon became cloudy, the
101:125;26[A  ]| room was nearly, but not quite in darkness; when suddenly, and
101:125;27[A  ]| without any apparent reason ~~ I had seen nothing, I had heard
101:125;28[A  ]| nothing ~~ I felt myself getting cold, cold as the dead; and then, and
101:125;29[A  ]| not until then, I heard a rustling as it were of silk; involuntarily
101:125;30[A  ]| my eyes settled upon the space at the foot of the bed, a distinct
101:125;31[A  ]| shadow was there, but only a shadow, out of which my eyes could
101:125;32[A  ]| form no distinct figure or semblance; in a second or two it grew
101:125;33[A  ]| white ~~ whiter; at length against the dark background the white-dressed 
101:125;34[A  ]| woman stood out visibly and clearly; the long hair hanging
101:125;35[A  ]| unfastened over her left breast, with blood spattered on the white
101:125;36[A  ]| silk of her robe! But her face ~~ oh, how horrible! I could not help
101:125;37[A  ]| feeling it impossible for a living face to look so by any contrivance
101:125;38[A  ]| whatever. I was horror-stricken ~~ I could not breathe. I felt as if
101:125;39[A  ]| all my faculties were frozen; my eyes were fixed on that ghostly
101:125;40[A  ]| figure, which now lifted an arm and waved, as if to follow. The
101:125;41[A  ]| face of this woman, as Mr*Longmore had said, was full of
101:125;42[A  ]| combined agony and terror. Although this continued only a few
101:125;43[A  ]| seconds, I was for the time paralyzed. I made an effort, however.
101:126;01@a   | ""Am I going to allow myself to be made a laughing stock?"" 
101:126;01[A  ]| Perhaps
101:126;02[A  ]| the touch of the pistol, which I felt at this moment against my
101:126;03[A  ]| fingers, helped to recall me to myself; at any rate, I bounded out
101:126;04[A  ]| of bed, rushed toward the figure, resolved to grapple with it to the
101:126;05[A  ]| death. It was gone! not a moment did I lose. I pushed back the bolt
101:126;06[A  ]| of the window, near which the figure had disappeared, opened it,
101:126;07[A  ]| and rushed on the verandah. There stood the phantom on the lawn,
101:126;08[A  ]| rendered now visible by the moonlight; it was still beckoning to
101:126;09[A  ]| me to come! Worked up to frenzy, I took a steady aim at the vision
101:126;10[A  ]| with my revolver; I fired, and then rushed toward it again. There
101:126;11[A  ]| it was, but a little farther off~~ still beckoning, and so I followed
101:126;12[A  ]| and followed, without appearing to gain on it in the slightest
101:126;13[A  ]| degree. The report of the pistol had aroused Mr*Longmore, who
101:126;14[A  ]| now joined me.
101:126;15[A  ]| The figure in white moved in the direction of the river, which,
101:126;16[A  ]| as I have before said, was in front of the house; the grounds
101:126;17[A  ]| belonging to Mr*Longmore extended down to it. The shrubbery
101:126;18[A  ]| went round a grassy hollow not far from the water, in a spot so
101:126;19[A  ]| low that it was occasionally a receptacle for the surplus rain-water
101:126;20[A  ]| that lodged in it, and formed a pond. At the time I write it was
101:126;21[A  ]| quite dry, and I only became aware afterwards from Mr*Longmore
101:126;22[A  ]| that such had frequently been the case. On reaching the centre of
101:126;23[A  ]| this grassy hollow the figure stopped until we came within a
101:126;24[A  ]| distance of about twenty yards, and then, wildly tossing its clasped
101:126;25[A  ]| hands above its head, appeared to fall prone upon the earth. Not
101:126;26[A  ]| only was there nothing on the ground when we reached it, but
101:126;27[A  ]| there was nothing to see nor hear on the shore, or in the shrubbery;
101:126;28[A  ]| not a vestige of anything did the most rigid search discover; and
101:126;29[A  ]| as the moon had again become invisible, Mr*Longmore and I went
101:126;30[A  ]| back to the ""haunted room."" He was as pale as a corpse, and I freely
101:126;31[A  ]| confess I was not sorry to be helped to a glass of wine.
101:126;32[A  ]| ""What do you think of it?"" 
101:126;32[A  ]| he whisperingly inquired.
101:126;33@a   | ""Let us speak of it by daylight, sir,"" 
101:126;33[A  ]| I replied, flinging myself
101:126;34[A  ]| upon a sofa, and, in truth, I was positively ashamed to say what
101:126;35[A  ]| I did think of it. As soon as it was light I commenced a thorough
101:126;36[A  ]| examination of the room. I could make nothing of it.
101:126;37[A  ]| I could not account for the entrance of the bullet-proof visitant
101:126;38[A  ]| of the night. I then walked to the foot of the lawn, and sat down
101:126;39[A  ]| close to the spot where the figure had vanished; being an inveterate
101:126;40[A  ]| smoker, I took a cigar to clear my intellect and soothe my
101:126;41[A  ]| agitation.
101:126;42[A  ]| As I smoked I observed at the bottom of this little hollow, the
101:126;43[A  ]| ground, which elsewhere was covered with green, fresh-looking
101:126;44[A  ]| grass, strown for a small space with a layer composed of what
101:127;01[A  ]| appeared to be a mixture of dead leaves, chips, and rushes, mixed
101:127;02[A  ]| with some kind of soil; in short, just such a sediment as might have
101:127;03[A  ]| been left as the deposit of a dried-up pool. On a closer examination
101:127;04[A  ]| I fancied I could detect signs of a late disturbance of the soil in that
101:127;05[A  ]| particular place. What could have suggested to me the idea of
101:127;06[A  ]| making a search in the ground there I am totally unable to explain;
101:127;07[A  ]| it was one of those singularly instinctive thoughts for which there
101:127;08[A  ]| is no accounting; certain it is, however, that I at once decided,
101:127;09[A  ]| before I took another step in the matter, to get the assistance of one
101:127;10[A  ]| of the force to examine this hollow before any person would be
101:127;11[A  ]| likely to be on the river or about to make observations on our
101:127;12[A  ]| movements .
101:127;13[A  ]| Returning to the house, I found Mr*Longmore just dressing,
101:127;14[A  ]| looking miserably pale and wretched. I felt sorry for the man, but
101:127;15[A  ]| as my silence I had no doubt would be more grateful to him than
101:127;16[A  ]| any sympathy, I merely informed him of my intention, and taking
101:127;17[A  ]| the key of the side gate, went toward the police camp.
101:127;18[A  ]| Going along Macquarie*Street, I fortunately met the very man
101:127;19[A  ]| I should have chosen as an assistant where I wished for a closed
101:127;20[A  ]| mouth. I despatched him for tools, and when he joined me we      
101:127;21[A  ]| proceeded on our return to Mr*Longmore's.                         
101:127;22[A  ]| ""What do you expect to find?"" 
101:127;22[A  ]| inquired that gentleman, who        
101:127;23[A  ]| stood beside us when we commenced shovelling the loose soil from         
101:127;24[A  ]| the place.   
101:127;25[A  ]| I could only shake my head, and in a few moments my         
101:127;26[A  ]| companion's spade scraped against some wooden substance; at the
101:127;27[A  ]| empty, hollow sound Mr*Longmore's face grew death-like.                 
101:127;28@a   | ""Perhaps you had better go up to the house, sir,"" 
101:127;28[A  ]| I said.
101:127;29[A  ]| ""No,"" 
101:127;29[A  ]| he replied, with an effort; 
101:127;29[A  ]| ""go on!""
101:127;30[A  ]| Quickly, then, we uncovered a deal case with a loosely fastened,
101:127;31[A  ]| ill-fitting lid: it was about four feet long by three wide, and perhaps
101:127;32[A  ]| two feet deep; it looked like a soft goods' case, which I dare say
101:127;33[A  ]| it had been.
101:127;34[A  ]| Well, we lifted it from the hole, Mr%*Longmore still standing
101:127;35[A  ]| silent and inactive beside us; and I am certain that I was more
101:127;36[A  ]| surprised than either of my companions at the result of our labours,
101:127;37[A  ]| as I was the one who really knew how entirely without reasonable
101:127;38[A  ]| cause I had set to work with spade and shovel in that unlikely place.
101:127;39[A  ]| As soon as the box was set upon the ground I prised off the rough
101:127;40[A  ]| lid with my spade, and it fell over to the side, exposing a lining
101:127;41[A  ]| of zinc, which was bent down without any attempt at evenness
101:127;42[A  ]| and entirely concealed what remained below it. We unfolded it bit
101:127;43[A  ]| by bit, gradually exposing an object of horror so terrible that I wish
101:127;44[A  ]| I had never seen it.
101:128;01[A  ]| Many a night since ~~ when some midnight duty has found me
101:128;02[A  ]| on a lonely patrol ~~ have I fancied, in the darkness, the figure in 
101:128;03[A  ]| that deal box. It was a dead woman! and the facsimile of the
101:128;04[A  ]| phantom that visited me in the darkness of the night before! The
101:128;05[A  ]| figure lay upon its right side, the knees slightly drawn up so as to 
101:128;06[A  ]| enable it to fit in the case; and it was dressed in the identical rich
101:128;07[A  ]| white silk, every fold of which seemed familiar to me.
101:128;08[A  ]| The long, heavy black hair was loose, and gathered at one side
101:128;09[A  ]| lay scattered over the left shoulder; and upon the skirt of the blood-stained 
101:128;10[A  ]| dress, and under the hair, where it lay clogged and clotted,
101:128;11[A  ]| remained still the handle of a Spanish knife ~~ the blade had passed 
101:128;12[A  ]| through the unfortunate woman's heart! Although the body lay 
101:128;13[A  ]| upon its side, as the space was confined, the head was turned so
101:128;14[A  ]| that the face looked upward, with the glaring wide open eyes fixed
101:128;15[A  ]| in a look so full of fear and horror that I can never forget it, and
101:128;16[A  ]| with one glance at the well-known face, Mr*Longmore sank to
101:128;17[A  ]| the ground in a swoon. He had recognised his wife!
101:128;18[A  ]| It passed over in the usual way~~ an inquest resulting in an open
101:128;19[A  ]| verdict, and a large offered reward posted on the walls, and printed 
101:128;20[A  ]| in the*Gazette. Mr*Longmore had long left Hobart*Town, glad
101:128;21[A  ]| to escape anywhere from a place so fraught with horrible
101:128;22[A  ]| memories.
101:128;23[A  ]| One night I was seated in the same room where, twelve months 
101:128;24[A  ]| before, Mr*Longmore had sought and found me about this business 
101:128;25[A  ]| of mysterious termination, when a tall young man of seventeen
101:128;26[A  ]| inquired for me, and gained admittance. He looked like a
101:128;27[A  ]| sailor, in his hand he held a paper, which he opened and handed
101:128;28[A  ]| to me; it was one of the posters to which I have alluded,
101:128;29[A  ]| commencing under the offered reward with the usual 
101:128;29@z   | ""Whereas,""
101:128;30[A  ]| etc. The paper was torn and partly destroyed, but not sufficiently
101:128;31[A  ]| to hinder one from perusing the principal parts of it.
101:128;32[A  ]| ""I suppose you remember that, sir?"" 
101:128;32[A  ]| said the young man. When
101:128;33[A  ]| I replied in the affirmative, he entered into the following narrative 
101:128;34[A  ]| which I shall give as nearly as possible in his own words.
101:128;35[A  ]| ""I only came to this port last night, and to-day I went into a shop 
101:128;36[A  ]| to buy some toggery, the woman wrapped some of the things in
101:128;37[A  ]| that paper; when I came to look it over, I thought I could give
101:128;38[A  ]| some information about it, and when I told a policeman he referred
101:128;39[A  ]| me to you.""
101:128;40@a   | ""Well, then, my man,"" 
101:128;40[A  ]| I replied, 
101:128;40@a   | ""sit down and tell me what you
101:128;41@a   | can.""
101:128;42[A  ]| ""Nearly twelve months ago I belonged to a brig called the Water*Snake, 
101:128;43[A  ]| owned and commanded by a man of the name of Walter*Cuvier.""
101:129;01[A  ]| I rather started at this, as Walter*Cuvier was the name of the man
101:129;02[A  ]| with whom the murdered Mrs*Longmore had eloped.
101:129;03[A  ]| ""I was cabin boy in the Water*Snake, and had been in that brig
101:129;04[A  ]| a couple of years.""
101:129;05@a   | ""Can you tell me what Captain*Cuvier did with his vessel? In
101:129;06@a   | what trade was he?""
101:129;07[A  ]| ""You know, sir, that was none of my business. He traded on his
101:129;08[A  ]| own account, and I think principally in contraband goods. Well,
101:129;09[A  ]| as I said before, I was cabin boy in the Water*Snake, and all the time
101:129;10[A  ]| I was in her the captain had his wife with him, at least a woman
101:129;11[A  ]| who passed for his wife, and I do believe that the body found in
101:129;12[A  ]| this bill was the woman we used to call Mrs*Cuvier.""
101:129;13@a   | ""What makes you think so?""
101:129;14[A  ]| ""I think I am sure of it, and I will tell you, why, sir. The captain
101:129;15[A  ]| and the missis did not live very comfortable at times, and when
101:129;16[A  ]| he was drunk he was a real brute; and the missis herself I am certain
101:129;17[A  ]| took a drop too much, so they had terrible shindies. Well, we came
101:129;18[A  ]| from Calcutta here, and, tired of being kicked and cuffed, I determined
101:129;19[A  ]| to bolt the very first chance, and give Cuvier leg-bail for
101:129;20[A  ]| it. We cast anchor in the cove last May, and that very night, as I
101:129;21[A  ]| was in the pantry washing up the glasses, I heard such a row
101:129;22[A  ]| between the captain and the missis in their state-room, she insisting
101:129;23[A  ]| on ""going back"" somewhere, crying her eyes out all the time, and
101:129;24[A  ]| he swearing he would kill her first, until at last he told her to 
101:129;24@d   | ""go back
101:129;25@d   | and be  ~~ ."" 
101:129;25[A  ]| Shortly after the captain ordered the boat to be lowered.
101:129;26[A  ]| He took me into the cabin to help him with a box like the one 
101:129;27[A  ]| described in this; and as I went back to get something he had
101:129;28[A  ]| forgotten, I saw Mrs*Cuvier getting ready to go ashore. She was
101:129;29[A  ]| dressed very handsome, and it looked like a white silk gown she
101:129;30[A  ]| had got on. She gave me a glass of wine, and shook hands with
101:129;31[A  ]| me, saying she was going to leave the ship and go to her friends.
101:129;32[A  ]| I thought nothing of it, having, as I said before, heard the talk
101:129;33[A  ]| between her and the captain. Well, I and one of the sailors rowed
101:129;34[A  ]| them ashore, and landed them on the beach near some trees. It was
101:129;35[A  ]| a squally, dark night. So Mrs*Cuvier shook hands with the other
101:129;36[A  ]| man, and bid him good-bye. The captain told us to shove off again,
101:129;37[A  ]| and wait for him up at a tavern he pointed out along shore, as he
101:129;38[A  ]| had a few words to say to the missis before he went; and then he
101:129;39[A  ]| gave us the price of a drink or two, so we went off, leaving him
101:129;40[A  ]| and herself sitting on the box that he said had the woman's clothes
101:129;41[A  ]| in. That was the very last time I saw them, for as soon as my mate
101:129;42[A  ]| had a glass or two I took the chance and made tracks, and stowed
101:129;43[A  ]| myself aboard the ship Chester, that sailed for Calcutta the next
101:129;44[A  ]| morning and that is all I know about it.""
101:130;01@a   | ""And you never saw or heard of Cuvier or his vessel since?""
101:130;02[A  ]| ""No, sir; and if I had I would have given both her and him a wide
101:130;03[A  ]| berth.""
101:130;04[A  ]| And I have never heard of him since. Perhaps he still lives to drag 
101:130;05[A  ]| a miserable consciousness of his crime through a wretched existence.
101:130;06[A  ]| Many a time have I pictured to myself the unfortunate and 
101:130;07[A  ]| guilty woman returning to the neighbourhood of her husband and 
101:130;08[A  ]| child whom she had disgraced, and no doubt still loved and
101:130;09[A  ]| yearned to see! How often, during the abuse and ill usage of him
101:130;10[A  ]| for whom she had sacrificed everything, had her breaking heart
101:130;11[A  ]| prayed for the peace and rest of the home she had left! And then,
101:130;12[A  ]| resolved to brave all ~~ to throw herself at the feet of her injured
101:130;13[A  ]| husband ~~ to beg the intercession of her child ~~ did the demon 
101:130;14[A  ]| murder her upon the threshold of her hopes? ~~ within sight of the 
101:130;15[A  ]| very window-lights of the home she longed to enter once more?
101:130;16[A  ]| And who can tell who and what was the midnight visitor to Mr*Longmore's
101:130;17[A  ]| bedroom? Was it the bodily presence of some one
101:130;18[A  ]| acquainted with the murder, and who wished the affair to be
101:130;19[A  ]| known without being recognised? To solve the mystery in that
101:130;20[A  ]| manner seemed impossible, considering all the opposing circumstances
101:130;21[A  ]| And thus it has remained unravelled to this day ~~ a
101:130;22[A  ]| mystery into which I carried the closest investigation without being 
101:130;23[A  ]| wiser by the inquiry.