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

Of It,  So Imlay Sold The Cattle,  And Went Back

To Twofold Bay.  Then Charles Lynot Offered Me A Job.  He Was Taking

A Mob Of Cattle To Adelaide,  But He Heard There Was No Price For Them

There,  So He Took Up A Station At The Pyrenees,  Seventeen Miles

Beyond Parson Irvine's Run At The Amphitheatre.  I Was There About

Twelve Months.  My Hut Was Not Far From A Deep Waterhole,  And The

Milking Yard Was About Two Hundred Yardare Too Clever A Man To Attempt The

Hoity-Toity Manner With Me!  You Undoubtedly Read All Of Huntingdon's

Speeches With Care,  And You Observed That His Entire Plea Was For The

States To Allow The Federal Government To Proceed In Its Normal

Function Of Developing The Water Power And Oil Resources Of This

Country; That A Few American Business Men Should Not Be Permitted To

Hog The Water Power Of The State For Private Gain,  Nor To Embroil Us In

War With Mexico Because Of Private Oil Holdings There.  You Will Recall

Story 8 (Gippsland Pioneers.) Pg 155

That Whatever Information He Used,  He Procured Himself And,  Before

Using,  Laid It In Your Hands.  You Laughed At It.  You Will Recall That

I Asked You,  A Month Before Huntingdon Went Out,  If You Would Not Swing

Round The Circle,  And You Begged To Be Excused."

 

Still Standing,  The Secretary Of State Bowed And Said,  "Mr. Huntingdon

Has Too Distinguished An Advocate To Permit Me To Argue The Matter

Here."

 

Enoch Spoke Suddenly.  "Although I'm Grateful To The President,  Mr.

Fowler,  I Need No Advocate.  What In Thunder Are You Angry About?  If

You And I Are To Quarrel,  Why Not Let Me Know The _Casus Belli_!"

 

"I've Stated My Grievance," Said Fowler Flatly.

 

"Your New Attitude Toward Me Has Nothing To Do,  I Suppose," Suggested

Enoch,  Lighting A Fresh Cigar,  "With The Fact That You Dined With

Hancock Brown The Other Evening?"

 

Fowler Tapped His Foot Softly On The Rug,  But Did Not Reply.  Enoch

Went On.  "I Don't Want To Quarrel With You,  Fowler.  I'm A Sincere

Admirer Of Yours.  But I'm Going To Tell You Frankly,  That I Don't Like

Brown And That Brown Must Keep His Tongue Off Of Me.  And I'm Deeply

Disappointed In You.  You Did Not Need Brown To Add To Your Prestige In

America."

 

"I Don't Know What The Idea Is,  Fowler," Said The President Suddenly,

"But I Do Know That The Aplomb And Finesse With Which You Conduct Your

Official Business Are Entirely Lacking In This Affair.  It Looks To Me

As If You Had A Personal Grievance Here.  Come,  Fowler,  Old Man,  You

Are Too Brilliant,  Too Valuable--"

 

The Secretary Of State Interrupted By Bowing Once More.  "I Very Much

Appreciate My Scolding,  Mr. President.  With Your Permission,  I'll

Withdraw Until You Feel More Kindly Toward Me."

 

The President And Enoch Did Not Speak For Several Minutes After Fowler

Had Left.  Then The President Said,  "Enoch,  How Are You Going To Handle

Brown?"

 

"I Haven't Fully Made Up My Mind," Replied Enoch.

 

"The Bitterest Pill You Could Make Him Swallow Would Be To Put Yourself

In The White House At The Next Election."

 

"I'm Afraid Brown Would Look On That As Less A Punishment Than A

Misfortune."  Enoch Smiled,  As He Rose And Said-Good Night.

 

Nearly A Month Passed Before Enoch Heard From Cheney.  During That Time

Neither From Fowler Nor From The Brown Papers Was There Any Intimation

Of Consciousness Of Enoch's Existence.  He Believed That As Long As He

Chose To Remain Silent On The Mexican Situation That They Would

Continue To Ignore Him.  There Could Be Little Doubt That Both Brown

And The Public Looked On Enoch's Sudden Silence Following The Luigi

Story 8 (Gippsland Pioneers.) Pg 156

Statement As Complete Rout.  Enoch Knew This And Writhed Under The

Knowledge As He Bided His Time.

 

On A Morning Early In January,  Charley Abbott Answered A Telephone Call

Which Interrupted Him While Was Taking The Secretary's Dictation.

 

"It's Mr. Cheney!" He Said,  "He's Very Anxious To See You For Ten

Minutes,  Mr. Secretary."

 

"Crowd Him In,  Abbott," Replied Enoch.

 

Abbott Nodded,  And In Less Than Half An Hour The Director Of The Survey

Came In.

 

"Mr. Secretary," He Began Without Preliminaries,  "I Took Your Advice

And Began Investigating The Trouble Spots.  Among Other Steps I Took,  I

Detached Two Men Temporarily From A Colorado River Expedition And Sent

Them Into Texas To Discover If Possible What The Ordinary Oil

Prospectors Felt Toward The Survey."

 

Enoch's Face Brightened.  "That Was An Interesting Move!" He Exclaimed.

"Were These Experienced Oil Men?"

 

"One Of Them,  Harden,  Knew Something Of Drilling.  Well,  They StrucUld

Towards The Canoes,  Which Were Already Drifting Down With The

Current.  The Two Fishermen Were Busy With Their Lines,  Every Now And

Then Pulling Out A Fish And Baiting Their Hooks With A Fresh Piece Of

Shark.  They Never Looked Up The Channel,  Nor Guessed The Danger That

Was Every Moment Coming Nearer,  For The Blacks As Yet Had Not Made

The Least Noise.  At Last Campbell Saw Several Of Them Seizing Their

Spears And Making Ready To Throw Them,  So He Fired One Of His

Barrels; And Davy Stood Up In The Boat And Gave A Cooee That Might

Have Been Heard At Sunday Island,  For When Anything Excited Him On

The Water He Could Be Heard Shouting And Swearing At An Incredible

Distance.  He Yelled At The Fishermen,  "Boat Ahoy!  Up Anchor,  You

Lubbers,  And Scatter.  Don't You See The Blacks After You?"

 

The Natives Began Paddling Away As Fast As They Could Towards The

Nearest Land,  And Davy And Shay Pulled After Them; But The Blacks

Soon Reached The Shore,  And,  Taking Their Spears,  Ran Into The

Nearest Scrub.  When The Whaleboat Grounded,  There Was Not One Of

Them To Be Seen.  Davy Said:

 

"They Are Watching Us Not Far Off.  You Two Keep A Sharp Look-Out,

And If You See A Black Face Fire At It.  I Am Going To Cut Out The

Fleet."

 

He Rolled Up His Trousers,  Took A Fishing Line,  Waded Out To The

Canoes,  And Tied Them Together,  One Behind Another,  Leaving A Little

Slack Line Between Each Of Them.  He Then Fastened One End Of The

Line To The Whaleboat,  Shoved Off,  And Sprang Inside.  The Blacks

Came Out Of The Scrub,  Yelling And Brandishing Their Spears,  A Few Of

Which They Threw At The Boat,  But It Was Soon Out Of Their Reach.

Story 8 (Gippsland Pioneers.) Pg 157

Thus A Great Naval Victory Had Been Gained,  And The Whole Of The

Enemy's Fleet Captured Without The Loss Of A Man.  Nothing Like It

Had Been Achieved Since The Days Of The Great Gulliver.

 

The Two Fishermen Had Taken No Part In The Naval Operations,  And When

The Whaleboat Returned With Its Train Of Canoes Like The Tail Of A

Kite,  Davy Administered A Sharp Reprimand.

 

"Why Didn't You Two Lubbers Keep Your Eyes Skinned.  I Suppose You

Were Asleep,  Eh?  You Ought To Have Up Anchor And Pulled Away,  And

Then The Devils Could Never Got Near You.  Look Here!" Holding Up A

Piece Of Bark,  "That's All They've Got To Paddle With In Deep Water,

And In The Shallows They Can Only Pole Along With Sticks."

 

Pately Jim Had Been A Prize Runner In Yorkshire,  And Trifles Never

Took Away His Breath.  He Replied Calmly:

 

"Yo're O'reet,  Davy.  We Wor A Bit Sleepy,  But We're Quite Wakken

Noo.  Keep Yor Shirt On,  And We'll Do Better Next Time."

 

When The Canoes,  Which Were Built Entirely With Sheets Of Bark,  Were

Drawn Up On The Beach,  Nothing Was Found In Them But A Few Sticks,

Bark Paddles,  And A Gown--A Lilac Cotton Gown.

 

"That Goon," Said Campbell,  "Has Belonged To Some White Woman Thae

Deevils Have Murdered.  There Is No Settler Nearer Than Jamieson,  And

They Maun Ha Brocht The Goon A' The Way Frae The Bass."

 

But Campbell Was Mistaken.  There Had Been Another White Woman In

Gippsland.

 

 

 

Story 9 (The Isle Of Blasted Hopes.) Pg 158

There Is A Large Island Where The Ninety-Mile Beach Ends In A

Wilderness Of Roaring Breakers.  It Is The Isle Of Blasted Hopes.

Its Enchanting Landscape Has Allured Many A Landsman To His Ruin,  And

Its Beacon,  Seen Through The Haze Of A South-East Gale,  Has Guided

Many A Watchful Mariner To Shipwreck And Death.

 

After The Discovery Of Gippsland,  Pearson And Black First Occupied

The Island Under A Grazing License,  And They Put Eleven Thousand

Sheep On It,  With Some Horses,  Bullocks,  And Pigs.  The Sheep Began

To Die,  So They Sold Them To Captain Cole At Ten Shillings A Head,

Giving In The Other Stock.  They Were Of The Opinion That They Had

Made An Excellent Bargain,  But When The Muster Was Made Nine Thousand

Six Hundred Of The Sheep Were Missing.  The Pigs Ran Wild,  But

Multiplied.  When The Last Sheep Had Perished,  Cole Sold His License

To A Man Named Thomas,  Who Put On More Sheep,  And Afterwards

Exchanged As Many As He Could Find With John King For Cattle And

Horses.  Morrison Next Occupied The Island Until He Was Starved Out.

Story 9 (The Isle Of Blasted Hopes.) Pg 159