The Book Of The Bush, George Dunderdale [thriller novels to read .txt] 📗

Said:  "Do You See That Big Fellow There?

His Name Is Mckean.  He Comes From My Part Of Ireland.  He Is A

Lawyer; The Last Time I Saw Him He Was In A Court Defending A

Prisoner,  And Now The Whole Six Feet Seven Of Him Is Nothing But A

Dirty Digger."

 

"What Made You Leave Ireland,  Jack?" I Asked.

 

"I Left It,  I Guess,  Same As You Did,  Because I Couldn't Live In It.

My Father Was A Fisherman,  And He Was Drowned.  Mother Was Left With

Eight Children,  And We Were As Poor As Church Mice.  I Was The

Oldest,  So I Went To Belfast And Got A Billet On Board Ship As Cabin

Boy.  I Made Three Voyages From Liverpool To America,  And Was Boxed

About Pretty Badly,  But I Learned To Handle The Ropes.  My Last Port

There Was Boston,  And I Ran Away And Lived With A Yankee Farmer Named

Small.  He Was A Nigger Driver,  He Was,  Working The Soul Out Of Him

Early And Late.  He Had A Boat,  And I Used To Take Farm Produce In It

Across The Bay To Boston,  Where The Old Man's Eldest Son Kept A

Boarding-House.  There Was A Daughter At Home,  A Regular High-Flier.

She Used To Talk To Me As If I Was A Nigger.  One Day When We Were

Having Dinner,  She Was Asking Me Questions About Ireland,  And About

My Mother,  Sisters,  And Brothers.  Then I Got Mad,  Thinking How Poor

They Were,  And I Could Not Help Them.  'Miss Small,' I Said,  'My

Mother Is Forty Years Old,  And She Has Eight Children,  And She Looks

Younger Than You Do,  And Has Not Lost A Tooth.'

 

"Miss Small,  Although Quite Young,  Was Nearly Toothless,  So She Was

Mad Enough To Kill Me; But Her Brother Jonathan Was At TabllLOWING STORY:

 

 

 

BENJAMIN WEST

 

 

BORN 1738. DIED 1820.

 

Story 4 (Among The Diggers In 1853.) Pg 63

IN THE YEAR 1738, THERE CAME INTO THE WORLD, IN THE TOWN OF SPRINGFIELD,

PENNSYLVANIA, A QUAKER INFANT, FROM WHOM HIS PARENTS AND NEIGHBORS LOOKED

FOR WONDERFUL THINGS. A FAMOUS PREACHER OF THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS HAD

PROPHESIED ABOUT LITTLE BEN, AND FORETOLD THAT HE WOULD BE ONE OF THE MOST

REMARKABLE CHARACTERS THAT HAD APPEARED ON EARTH SINCE THE DAYS OF WILLIAM

PENN. ON THIS ACCOUNT, THE EYES OF MANY PEOPLE WERE FIXED UPON THE BOY.

SOME OF HIS ANCESTORS HAD WON GREAT RENOWN IN THE OLD WARS OF ENGLAND AND

FRANCE; BUT IT WAS PROBABLY EXPECTED THAT BEN WOULD BECOME A PREACHER, AND

WOULD CONVERT MULTITUDES TO THE PEACEFUL DOCTRINES OF THE QUAKERS. FRIEND

WEST AND HIS WIFE WERE THOUGHT TO BE VERY FORTUNATE IN HAVING SUCH A SON.

 

LITTLE BEN LIVED TO THE RIPE AGE OF SIX YEARS, WITHOUT DOING ANY THING

THAT WAS WORTHY TO BE TOLD IN HISTORY. BUT, ONE SUMMER AFTERNOON, IN HIS

SEVENTH YEAR, HIS MOTHER PUT A FAN INTO HIS HAND, AND BADE HIM KEEP THE

FLIES AWAY FROM THE FACE OF A LITTLE BABE, WHO LAY FAST ASLEEP IN THE

CRADLE. SHE THEN LEFT THE ROOM.

 

THE BOY WAVED THE FAN TO-AND-FRO, AND DROVE AWAY THE BUZZING FLIES

WHENEVER THEY HAD THE IMPERTINENCE TO COME NEAR THE BABY S FACE. WHEN THEY

HAD ALL FLOWN OUT OF THE WINDOW, OR INTO DISTANT PARTS OF THE ROOM, HE

BENT OVER THE CRADLE, AND DELIGHTED HIMSELF WITH GAZING AT THE SLEEPING

INFANT. IT WAS, INDEED, A VERY PRETTY SIGHT. THE LITTLE PERSONAGE IN THE

Story 4 (Among The Diggers In 1853.) Pg 64

CRADLE SLUMBERED PEACEFULLY, WITH ITS WAXEN HANDS UNDER ITS CHIN, LOOKING

AS FULL OF BLISSFUL QUIET AS IF ANGELS WERE SINGING LULLABIES IN ITS EAR.

INDEED, IT MUST HAVE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT HEAVEN; FOR, WHILE BEN STOOPED

OVER THE CRADLE, THE LITTLE BABY SMILED.

 

"HOW BEAUTIFUL SHE LOOKS!" SAID BEN TO HIMSELF. "WHAT A PITY IT IS, THAT

SUCH A PRETTY SMILE SHOULD NOT LAST FOREVER!"

 

NOW BEN, AT THIS PERIOD OF HIS LIFE, HAD NEVER HEARD OF THAT WONDERFUL

ART, BY WHICH A LOOK, THAT APPEARS AND VANISHES IN A MOMENT, MAY BE MADE

TO LAST FOR HIghted Candle,  And Bade Us

Good-Night.  After He Closed The Door We Heard Him Put A Padlock On

It; He Was A Kindly Old Chap,  And Did Not Want Anybody To Disturb Us

During The Night,  And We Soon Fell Fast Asleep.  Next Morning He Came

Early And Called Us To Breakfast.  He Stayed With Us All The Time,

And When We Had Eaten,  Said:

 

"'Well,  Have You Had A Good Breakfast?'

 

"Jonathan Spoke:

 

"'Yes,  Old Man,  We Have.  You Are A Gentleman; You Have Done Yourself

Proud,  And We Are Thankful,  Ain't We,  Jack?  You Are The Best And

Kindest Old Man We've Met Since We Sailed From Boston.  And Now I

Think It's Time We Made Tracks For Launceston.  By-Bye,  Captain.

Come Along,  Jack.'

 

"'No You Won't,  My Fine Coves,' Replied The Captain.  'You'll Go Back

To Hobarton,  And Join Your Ship If You Have One,  Which I Don't

Believe.  You Can't Humbug An Old Salt Like Me.  You Are A Pair Of

Runaway Convicts,  And I'll Give You In Charge As Sich.  Here,

Constables,  Put The Darbies On 'Em,  And Take 'Em Back To Hobarton.'

 

"Two Men Who Had Been Awaiting Orders Outside The Door Now Entered,

Armed With Carbines,  Produced Each A Pair Of Handcuffs,  And Came

Towards Us.  But Jonathan Drew Back A Step Or Two,  Clenched His Big

Fists,  And Said:

 

"'No,  You Don't.  If This Is Your Little Game,  Captain,  All I Have To

Say Is,  You Are The Darndest Double-Faced Old Cuss On This Side Of

Perdition.  You Can Shoot Me If You Like,  But Neither You Nor The

Four Best Men In Van Diemen's Land Can Put Them Irons On Me.  I Am A

Free Citizen Of The Great United States,  And A Free Man I'll Be Or

Story 4 (Among The Diggers In 1853.) Pg 65

Die.  I'll Walk Back To Hobarton,  If You Like,  With These Men,  For I

Guess That Greasy Old Whaler Has Gone To Sea Again By This Time,  And

We'll Get Another Ship There As Well As At Launceston.'

 

"Captain Massey Did Not Like To Venture On Shooting Us Off-Hand,  So

At Last He Told The Constables To Put Up Their Handcuffs And Start

With Us For Hobarton.

 

"After We Had Travelled Awhile Jonathan Cooled Down And Began To Talk

To The Constables.  He Asked Them How They Liked The Island,  How Long

They Had Been In It,  If It Was A Good Country For Farming,  How They

Were Getting Along,  And What Pay They Got For Being Constables.  One

Of Them Said:  'The Island Is Pretty Good In Parts,  But It's Too

Mountaynyus; We Ain't Getting Along At All,  And We Won't Have Much

Chance To Do Any Good Until Our Time Is Out.'

 

"'What On Airth Do You Mean By Saying "Until You Time Is Out?"  Ain't

Your Time Your Own?' Asked Jonathan.

 

"'No,  Indeed.  I See You Don't Understand.  We Are Government Men,

And We Ain't Done Our Time.  We Were Sent Out From England.'

 

"'Oh!  You Were Sent Out,  Were You?  Now,  I See,  That Means You Are

Penitentiary Men,  And Ought To Be In Gaol.  Jack,  Look Here.  This

Kind Of Thing Will Never Do.  You And Me Are Two Honest Citizens Of

The United States,  And Here We Are,  Piloted Through Van Diemen's Land

By Two Convicts,  And Britishers At That.  This Team Has Got To Be

Changed Right Away.'

 

"He Seized Both Carbines And Handed Them To Me; Then He Handcuffed

The Constables,  Who Were So Taken Aback They Never Said A Word.  Then

Jonathan Said,  'This Is Training Day.  Now,  March.'

 

"The Constables Walked In Front,  Me And Jonathan Behind,  Shouldering

The Guns.  In This Way We Marched Until We Sighted Hobarton,  But The

Two Convicts Were Terribly Afraid To Enter The City As Prisoners;

They Said They Were Sure To Be Punished,  Would Most Likely Be Sent

Into A Chain Gang,  And Would Soon Be Strangled In The Barracks At

Night For Having Been Policemen.  We Could See They Were Really

Afraid,  So We Took Off The Handcuffs And Gave Them Back The Carbines.

 

"Before Entering The City We Found That The Whaler Had Left The

Harbour,  And Felt Sure We Would Not Be Detained Long,  As Nothing

Could Be Proved Against Us.  When We Were Brought Before The Beak

Jonathan Told Our Story,  And Showed Several Letters He Had Received

From Boston,  So He Was Discharged.  But I Had Nothing To Show; They

Knew I Was An Irishman,  And The Police Asked For A D THE MATTER FROM BEGINNING TO END.

 

FINALLY, THEY CAME TO A VERY WISE DECISION. IT SEEMED SO EVIDENT THAT

PROVIDENCE HAD CREATED BENJAMIN TO BE A PAINTER, AND HAD GIVEN HIM

Story 4 (Among The Diggers In 1853.) Pg 66

ABILITIES WHICH WOULD BE THROWN AWAY IN ANY OTHER BUSINESS, THAT THE

QUAKERS RESOLVED NOT TO OPPOSE HIS INCLINATION. THEY EVEN ACKNOWLEDGED

THAT THE SIGHT OF A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE MIGHT CONVEY INSTRUCTION TO THE

MIND, AND MIGHT BENEFIT THE HEART, AS MUCH AS A GOOD BOOK OR A WISE

DISCOURSE. THEY THEREFORE COMMITTED THE YOUTH TO THE DIRECTION OF GOD,

BEING WELL ASSURED THAT HE BEST KNEW WHAT WAS HIS PROPER SPHERE OF

USEFULNESS. THE OLD MEN LAID THEIR HANDS UPON BENJAMIN S HEAD, AND GAVE

HIM THEIR BLESSING, AND THE WOMEN KISSED HIM AFFECTIONATELY. ALL CONSENTED

THAT HE SHOULD GO FORTH INTO THE WORLD, AND LEARN TO BE A PAINTER, BY

STUDYING THE BEST PICTURES OF ANCIENT AND MODERN TIMES.

 

SO OUR FRIEND BENJAMIN LEFT THE DWELLING OF HIS PARENTS, AND HIS NATIVE

WOODS AND STREAMS, AND THE GOOD QUAKERS OF SPRINGFIELD, AND THE INDIANS

WHO HAD