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

THEY HAVE TAKEN AND FORCED

OTHERS TO TAKE, THEY WILL ASSASSINATE THE KING WHEN HIS NAME WILL NO

LONGER BE NECESSARY TO THEIR DESIGNS,--BUT NOT A MOMENT SOONER. THEY

WILL PROBABLY FIRST ASSASSINATE THE QUEEN, WHENEVER THE RENEWED MENACE

OF SUCH AN ASSASSINATION LOSES ITS EFFECT UPON THE ANXIOUS MIND OF AN

AFFECTIONATE HUSBAND. AT PRESENT, THE ADVANTAGE WHICH THEY DERIVE FROM

THE DAILY THREATS AGAINST HER LIFE IS HER ONLY SECURITY FOR PRESERVING

IT. THEY KEEP THEIR SOVEREIGN ALIVE FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXHIBITING HIM,

LIKE SOME WILD BEAST AT A FAIR,--AS IF THEY HAD A BAJAZET IN A CAGE.

THEY CHOOSE TO MAKE MONARCHY CONTEMPTIBLE BY EXPOSING IT TO DERISION IN

THE PERSON OF THE MOST BENEVOLENT OF THEIR KINGS.

 

IN MY OPINION THEIR INSOLENCE APPEARS MORE ODIOUS EVEN THAN THEIR

CRIMES. THE HORRORS OF THE FIFTH AND SIXTH OF OCTOBER WERE LESS

DETESTABLE THAN THE FESTIVAL OF THE FOURTEENTH OF JULY. THERE ARE

SITUATIONS (GOD FORBID I SHOULD THINK THAT OF THE 5TH AND 6TH OF OCTOBER

ONE OF THEM!) IN WHICH THE BEST MEN MAY BE CONFOUNDED WITH THE WORST,

AND IN THE DARKNESS AND CONFUSION, IN THE PRESS AND MEDLEY OF SUCH

EXTREMITIES, IT MAY NOT BE SO EASY TO DISCRIMINATE THE ONE FROM THE

OTHER. THO NECESSITIES CREATED EVEN BY ILL DESIGNS HAVE THEIR EXCUSE.

THEY MAY BE FORGOTTEN BY S Pockets A Letter Was Found Purporting To Be Written By Julia,

And Disclosing Her Place Of Residence.

 

Soon Afterwards Nosey And His Wife Met In Captivity After Their Long

Separation,  But Their Meeting Was Not A Happy One; They Had No Word

Of Welcome For Each Other.

 

The Preliminary Examination Was Held In The Court House At Nyalong,

Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 111

And There Was A Large Gathering Of Spectators When The Proceedings

Commenced.  On A Form Below The Witness Box There Was Something

Covered With A White Sheet.  Men Craned Their Necks And Looked At It

Over One Another's Shoulders.  The Two Prisoners Eyed It Intently.

It Was Guarded By Constable Kerry,  Who Allowed No One To Approach It,

But With An Authoritative Wave Of The Hand Kept Back All Impertinent

Intruders.  That Day Was The Proudest In All His Professional Career.

He Had Prepared His Evidence And His Exhibits With The Utmost Care.

At The Proper Moment He Carefully Removed The White Sheet,  And The

Skeleton Was Exposed To View,  With Everything Replaced In The

Position In Which It Had Been Found Under The Rocks In The Rises.

Nosey's Face Grew Livid As He Eyed The Evidence Of His Handiwork;

Julia Threw Up Both Hands,  And Exclaimed:

 

"Oh! There's Poor Baldy That You Murdered!"

 

Nosey Felt That This Uncalled-For Statement Would Damage His Chance

Of Escape,  So,  Turning To The Bench,  He Said:

 

"Don't Mind What The Woman Says,  Your Lordship; She Is Not In Her

Right Senses,  And Always Was Weak-Minded."

 

The Constable Being Sworn,  Related How,  On Information Received,  He

Had Gone To The Stoney Rises,  And Had Uncovered A Skeleton Which Was

Lying On A Broad Flat Stone.  The Bones Of The Legs From The Knees

Downward Were Covered With Stones.  The Boots Were Attached To The

Feet,  And Were Pointing In Such A Direction As To Show That The Body

Must Have Rested On The Right Side.  Large Stones,  But Such As One

Man Could Lift,  Had Been Placed Over The Feet And The Legs.  The

Other Bones Were Together,  But Had Been Disturbed.  With Them He

Found The Brim Of An Oiled Sou'-Westr' Hat,  A Clay Tobacco Pipe,  A

Rusty Clasp-Knife With A Hole Bored Through The Handle,  Fragments Of

A Blue Shirt; Also Pieces Of A Striped Silk Neckerchief,  Marked D. S.

Over 3; The Marks Had Been Sewn In With A Needle.  There Was A Hole

In The Back Of The Skull,  And The Left Jaw Was Broken.

 

Just At This Time A Funeral Procession,  With A Few Attendants,  Passed

The Court-House On Its Way To The Cemetery.  Julia's Father Was Going

To His Grave.  He Had Come Over The Sea Lately To Spend The Rest Of

His Days In Peace And Comfort In The Home Of His Daughter,  And He

Found Her In Gaol Under The Charge Of Murder.  There Was Nothing More

To Live For,  So He Went Out And Died.

 

The Two Prisoners Were Committed,  But They Remained In Gaol For More

Than Seven Months Longer,  On Account Of The Difficulty Of Securing

The Attendance Of Witnesses From New South Wales.

 

But When The Evidence Was Given It Was Overwhelming.  Every Man Who

Had Known Baldy Seemed To Have Been Kept Alive On Purpose To Give

Evidence Against The Murderer.  Every Scrap Of Clothing Which The

Wild Cats Had Left Was Identified,  Together With The Knife,  The Pipe,

The Hat Brim,  And The Boots; And The Prisoner's Own Confession Was

Repeated.  Julia Also Took The Side Of The Prosecution.  When Asked

If She Had Any Questions To Put,  She Said,  "My Husband Killed The

Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 112

Man,  And Forced Me To Help Him To Put The Body On His Horse."

 

The Jury Retired To Consider Their Verdict,  And Spent Two Hours Over

It.  In The Meantime The Two Prisoners Sat In The Dock As Far Apart

As Possible.  They Had Never Spoken To Each Other During The Trial,

And Nosey Now Said In A Low Voice:

 

"You Had No Call,  Julia,  To Turn On Me The Way You Did.  What Good

Could It Do You?  Sure You Might At Least Have Said Nothing Against

Me."

 

The Pent-Up Bitterness Of Seventeen Years Burst Forth.  The Constable

Standing Near Tried To Stop The Torrent,  But He Might As Well Have

Tried To Turn Back A South-East Gale With A Feather.

 

"I Was To Say Nothing,  Indeed,  Was I?  And What Call Had I To Say

Nothing?  Is That What You Ask?  Was I To Stand Here All Day And Say

Never A Word For Myself Until They Were Ready To Hang Me?  Tell Me

Now,  Did I Murder Poor Baldy Or Did You?  Was It Not You Who Struck

Him Down With The Axe Without Saying As Much As 'By Your Leave,'

Either To Me Or To Him?  Did You Say A Word To Me Until You Finished

Your Bloody Work?  And Then You Threatened To Cut Me Down,  Too,  With

The Axe,  If I Didn't Hold My Tongue,  And Help You To Lift The Man On

To Your Horse. It Is This Day You Should Have Remembered Before You

Began That Night's Work.  Sorrow's The Day I Ever Met You At All,

With The Miserable Life You Led Me; And You Know I Was Always The

Good Wife To You Until You Gave Yourself Entirely To The Devil With

Your Wicked Ways.  Wasn't I Always On The Watch For You Every Evening

Looking For You,  And The Chop On The Fire,  And The Hot Tea,  And

Everything Comfortable?  And Is It To Hang Me Now You Want To Pay Me

Back For The Trouble I Took For You And All The Misery I Suffered

These Long Years?  And The Death Of My Poor Father,  Who Found Me In

Gaol,  Is At Your Door Too,  For He Would Have Been Alive And Well This

Day But For The Deed You Done,  Which Broke His Poor Old Heart; The

Lord Have Mercy On Him.  And Who Is To Blame But Your Own Self For

Being In This Place At All?  You Not Only Done The Man To Death,  But

You Must Go About The Bush Bragging Of It To Strangers,  And Twisting

The Halter For Your Own Neck Like A Born Idiot; And That's What You

Are,  In Spite Of Your Roguery And Cunning."

 

And So On For Two Hours Of Hell Until The Jury Came Back.  They

Acquitted Julia And Found Her Husband Guilty.  She Left The Court

Without Once Looking Back,  And He Faced The Jury Alone.

 

Judge Pohlman Had Never Before Sent A Man To The Gallows.  He Made

The Usual Little Moral Speech,  And Bewailed His Own Misfortune In

Having To Perform So Disagreeable A Duty.  Then He Put On The Black

Cap And Passed Sentence.  At The Concluding Words,  "May The Lord Have

Mercy On Your Soul," The Condemned Man Responded With A Fervent

"Amen," Adding,  "And That's The Last Of Poor Nosey."  He Seemed

Greatly Relieved When The Ceremony Was Over,  But It Was Not Quite The

Last,  There Was Another To Follow.

 

For Ten Days He Remained In His Cell,  And No One Visited Him Except

Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 113

The Priest.  His Examination Of Conscience Was Not Difficult,  For He

Had Often Rehearsed It,  And Much Of It Had Been Done For Him In

Public.

 

He Made His Last Journey Between Two Priests,  Joining Fervently In

Their Prayers For The Dying.  His Step Was Firm,  And He Showed

Neither Fear Nor Bravado.  The Hangman Quickly Drew Down The Cap,  But

He Seemed More Flurried Than His Victim.  The Sheriff,  Without

Speaking,  Motioned Him To Place The Knot In The Correct Position

Under The Ear.  Then The Bolt Was Drawn And The Story Of "The Two

Shepherds" Was Finished.

 

 

 

 

The Man Whom Philip Met At Bendigo Had Farms In The Country Thinly

Timbered.  North,  South,  East,  And West The Land Was Held Under

Squatting Licenses; With The Exception Of The Home Paddocks It Was

Unfenced,  And The Stock Was Looked After By Boundary Riders And

Shepherds.  To The South,  Between Nyalong And The Sea--A Distance

Of Fifty Or Sixty Miles--The Country Was Not Occupied By Either The

White Or The Black Men.  It Consisted Of Ranges Of Hills Heavily

Timbered,  Furrowed By Deep Valleys,  Through Which Flowed Innumerable

Streams,  Winding Their Way To The River Of The Plains.  Sometimes The

Solitary Bushman Or Prospector,  Looking Across A Deep Valley,  Saw,

Nestled Amongst The Opposite Hills,  A Beautiful Meadow Of Grass.  But

When He Had Crossed The Intervening Creek And Scrubby Valley,  And

Continued His Journey To The Up-Land,  He Found That The Deceitful

Meadow Was Only A Barren Plain,  Covered,  Not With Grass,  But With The

Useless Grass-Tree.  There Is A Little Saccharine Matter In The Roots

Of The Grass-Tree,  And A Hopeful Man From Corio Once Built A

Sugar-Mill Near The Stream,  And Took Possession Of The Plain As A

Sugar Plantation.  There Was Much Labour,  But Very Little Sugar.

 

In The Dense Forest,  Cattle Had Run Wild,  And Were Sometimes Seen

Feeding In The Thinly-Timbered Grass Land Outside; But Whenever A

Horseman Approached They Dashed