The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ), William H. Thomes [best story books to read .txt] 📗

That They Have Served The Lord And

Will Fight The Devil. To-Night You Have Fought Four Devils Instead Of

One, And Like Angels Have Overcome Them."

 

"Do You Hear That, Bill? The Old Wench Calls Wright An Angel," Exclaimed

One Of The Scamps, Turning His Head Towards His Companion As Well As He

Was Able.

 

"If We Had Him On The Mountain We Would Make An Angel Of Him D----D

Quick, By Singeing Off His Hair," Replied The Fellow Addressed As Bill.

 

"Who Is The Woman By Your Side?" Mr. Brown Asked Nancy.

 

"Ah, Poor Thing, She Was On Her Way To The Mines With Her Husband, When

These Devils Set Upon Us, Killed The Men, And Made Us Prisoners. If My

Old Man Had Been There It Wouldn't Have Happened, I Know," Was Nancy's

Confident Reply.

 

"Why So?" I Asked.

 

"Because He Can Lick Half A Dozen Such Cowards As These, And One Glance

Of His Eye Would Have Been Sufficient To Have Frightened Them."

 

"That Is So, Nance," Laughed One Of The Prisoners; "He Is Frightfully

Cross-Eyed, And As Homely As A Hedgehog."

 

"The Lord Be Thankful For It, For I Know That If His Eyes Are Not Right

His Heart Is."

 

"Keep Your Remarks To Yourself," Said Mr. Wright, Sternly, Addressing

The Prostrate Man; But That They Had No Intention Of Doing, For, Like

All Desperadoes, They Were Determined To Appear "Game" To The Last.

 

"Don't You Think, Master, Dear, That I'd Better String 'Em On Me Spear

Like Herring? 'Twould Save A Dale Of Trouble," Asked Mike.

 

Volume 2 Chapter 76 (Capture Of The Bushrangers) Pg 208

"That Death Would Be Too Easy For Them. They Must Die On The Gallows,"

Mr. Wright Said, Impressively.

 

"And How Do You Know Which Is The Easiest, Old Cock?" Demanded Bill.

"Was You Ever Hung For Sheep Stealing, Or Skewered For House Breaking?"

 

"Pay No Attention To Them, Sir," Nancy Exclaimed. "They Are Demons From

The Other World, And Will Soon Be At Home."

 

"Amen," Piously Ejaculated The Ghost.

 

We Managed, After Some Little Persuasion, To Get The Women Upon Their

Feet, And Inspire Them With Energy Enough To Undertake The Journey To

The House.

 

[Illustration: "Don't Harm Her!" Exclaimed The Younger Woman, Removing

Her Hands From Her Face, And Endeavoring To Shelter The Person Of Her

Companion; But The Bushrangers Were Regardless Of Her Entreaties, And

Pushed Her Aside With Rudeness.]

 

As For The Horses And The Dead Bushranger, We Left Them At The Ford

Until Morning, When Mr. Wright Proposed To Send Men Out To Bury The

One, And Secure The Others, And, If Possible, Return Them To Their

Owners.

 

As We Walked Along, Nancy Related To Me The Adventures Which She Had

Encountered Since Leaving Melbourne. She Was An Old Campaigner In

Australia, And Was On Her Way To Tares Creek To Join Her Husband, Who

Had Been Mining In That Location Ever Since Gold Was First Discovered.

 

He Had Intrusted Her With A Few Hundred Pounds To Visit The City And

Purchase Provisions And Articles Of Daily Use Sufficient To Last Them

Through The Wet Season, And She Had Performed Her Mission, And Instead

Of Waiting For One Of The Regular Freighting Teams To Take Her To The

Creek, She Had Engaged Passage With Two Miners, One Of Whom Had His Wife

With Him, And Who Owned A Pair Of Horses And A Wagon. Luckily Nancy Had

Left Her Goods In The City, With Orders To Forward Them By The Freight

Wagons, So That She Lost Nothing Personally, Even If The Ruffians Did

Search Her Person, Disbelieving Her Assertion That She Was Destitute Of

Money And Valuables.

 

The Bushrangers Had Ambushed The Party And Shot Them At Their Leisure,

And Did The Business As Coolly And With As Much Indifference As Though

The Poor Fellows Had Been Sheep, And The Ruffians Hungry And In Want Of

Mutton. They Didn't Seem To Think That They Had Done A Cruel Action; And

When The Younger Female, Whose Name Was Betsey Trueman, Shed Bitter

Tears At Her Loss, The Brutes Jested At Her Grief, And Promised To

Supply His Place With A Fresher And More Active Husband. They Couldn't

Understand Why A Woman Should Mourn For One Man When There Were Others

Ready To Take His Place.

 

"The Onfeeling Wretches," Nancy Said, Concluding Her Story, "They Had

The Impudence To Put Their Hands Not Only In Betsey's Pocket, But Mine,

Too. I Boxed The Puppy's Ears, And He Had To Bear It, Although He Did

Volume 2 Chapter 76 (Capture Of The Bushrangers) Pg 209

Draw His Knife And Threaten To Cut Me To Pieces. I Wish That My Old Man

Had Been There When He Made The Attempt. He Would Have Broken Every Bone

In His Body, And Then Tore Him Limb From Limb."

 

"That Would Have Been Rather A Cruel Fate," I Remarked, Somewhat Amused

At Her Eulogistic Description Of Her Husband's Strength.

 

"Well, He Could Do It," Was Her Confident Answer, And I Have No Doubt

That She Thought So.

 

We Reached The Bend Of The Stream, Where We Had Crossed An Hour Before,

Without Accident, For The Moon Was Shining Full And Bright, But When We

Intimated To Our Prisoners That It Was Desirable That They Should Wade

Through The Water, Which Already Began To Subside, They Doggedly

Refused, And All Our Urging Was Useless. They Feared That We Intended To

Drown Them; And Even When We Sent Kala To The Other Side Of The Creek To

Prove That The Water Was Not Deep, They Still Remained Sulky And

Obstinate.

 

"Let Me Argue The Point Wid 'Em," Mike Said, Appealing To Mr. Wright,

Who Reluctantly Gave His Consent.

 

"Step Up, Ye Divils, The Irishman Shouted, Applying His Sharp-Pointed

Spear To The Sides Of The Most Obstinate Robber.

 

"Go To The Devil, You Irish Bogtrotter!" Was The Reply.

 

"Did Ye Hear Him, Master, Dear, Call Me Names? O, That The Ruffians

Should Abuse A Dacent Lad, Who Has Worked Night And Day For The

Paraties That He Ates, And The Meat That He Drinks."

 

"Whiskey, More Like," Grunted Bill.

 

"I'll Whiskey Ye, Ye Devils; Start At Once, Or By St. Patrick I'll Drive

Ye Into The Water Like The Holy Man Did The Toads And Snakes--Long Life

To Him."

 

Still The Ruffians Held Back, And Swore Roundly, That They Would Not

Stir, Unless Carried Across The Stream; And At This Display Of

Obstinacy, Mike Lost All Mercy.

 

"Ye Won't Go, Hey?" He Shouted, Bringing His Spear Fair Against The

Broadest Portion Of One Of The Bushranger's Bodies; "Of Coorse Ye Won't

Move, Hey?"

 

As He Spoke, He Pressed Harder And Harder, But The Ruffian Stood His

Ground Remarkably Well, Although He Must Have Suffered Considerably.

 

"Is That One Of The Poisoned Spear Points?" Mr. Brown Asked, Carelessly.

 

"Of Coorse It Is," Replied Mike, Promptly, Seeing The Pertinence Of The

Question.

 

"You Irish Thief, Do You Mean To Say That The Spear Is Pisened?"

Volume 2 Chapter 76 (Capture Of The Bushrangers) Pg 210

Demanded The Robber, Eagerly.

 

"Of Coorse I Do; Ye Die In Less Than An Hour, Unless The Pisen Is Worked

Out Of The Wound."

 

The Bushrangers Waited To Hear No More. They Sprang Into The Creek With

Wonderful Rapidity, And Waded Across, Followed By Mike, Who Continually

Threatened Them With A Repetition Of His Weapon Unless They Behaved

Themselves Like Dacent Lads.

 

"The Spear Is Not Poisoned, I Hope," I Said To Mr. Wright.

 

"No, If It Had Been, I Should Have Objected To Its Use. The Fellows Are

Born To Be Hanged, So There's No Danger Of Their Dying Any Other Way."

 

As Soon As The Bushrangers Were On The Other Side, We Carried The Women

Across, And Then Picked Our Way To The House, Tired And Sleepy, And

Extremely Desirous Of A Taste Of The Punch Which We Had Left Behind. Our

Prisoners No Longer Objected To Obeying Mike's Injunctions, And He Was

Quite Proud Of His Authority Over Them.

 

Kala, Swift Of Loot, Had Hastened On In Advance Of Us, And Announced Our

Arrival To The Inmates Of The House, And As We Drew Near, The Laborers

Flocked Towards Us With Cheers Of Triumph At Our Success, And Words Of

Scorn For The Prisoners.

 

So Much Did The Men Sympathize With The Women, That They Insisted Upon

Carrying Them To The House; And Although Nancy Kicked And Scratched When

She Found A Pair Of Strong Arms Around Her, She Was Obliged To Succumb,

And Was Ultimately Landed In The Dining Room, Half Angry, And Yet Half

Pleased, At Her Conveyance.

 

The Noise Awakened The Parrot, And He Added His Voice To The General

Uproar.

 

"More Bushrangers! More Bushrangers!" The Bird Shouted; "I Told You So;

I See 'Em! Rascals! Rascal! Steal Sheep, Ho, Ho!"

 

"Keep Quiet, Poll," Said Mr. Wright.

 

"I Won't!" Promptly Responded Poll; And He Was As Good As His Word, For

As Long As We Talked He Would, Although Sometimes His Speeches Were Not

Quite Apropos While The Ladies Were Present.

 

"I Don't Know How You Can Change Your Clothes, Ladies," Mr. Wright Said,

Seeing That, They Stood In Great Need Of Such An Arrangement; "The Fact

Of It Is, I Never Had The Fortune To Have A Wife, So Women's Garments

Are Unknown In My Poor House."

 

"Give 'Em Men's," Shrieked The Parrot; "Who Cares?"

 

"The First Sensible Words That You Have Spoken To-Night, Poll," The

Master Exclaimed.

 

Volume 2 Chapter 76 (Capture Of The Bushrangers) Pg 211

"Is It?" Was The Brief Ejaculation Of The Bird, As Though Inclined To

Doubt The Truth Of That Remark.

 

"If You Will Retire To A Room That Shall Be Allotted To You During Your

Stay Here, I Will Provide You With Such Garments As I Have. They Are Dry

And Clean And You Can Use Them Until Your Own Are In Proper