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

Golden Dawn.) Pg 207

 

Davy Standing With The Water Up To His Belt,  Grew Mad.

 

"Come Out Of That,  You Confounded Fool," He Said.

 

He Dragged Him Out Of His Bunk Into The Water,  And Hauled Him Up The

Companion Ladder,  And With The Help Of The Men Took Him Up The

Rigging,  And Lashed Him There Out Of Reach Of The Breakers.

 

All The Rest Of The Men Went Aloft,  And Remained There During The

Night.  Their Clothing Was Soaked With Water,  And The Weather Was

Frosty And Bitterly Cold.  Just Before Daylight,  When The Tide Had

Ebbed,  And The Sea Had Gone Down,  The Two Women And The Baby Were

Brought Below From The Foretop,  And All Hands Descended To The Deck.

They Wanted To Make A Fire,  But Everything Was Wet,  And They Had To

Cut Up Some Of The Standing Rigging Which Had Been Out Of Reach Of

The Surf Before They Could Find Anything That Would Burn.  With That

A Fire Was Made In The Galley,  And The Women And Baby Were Put

Inside.  At Sunrise It Was Found That The Sea Had Washed Up A Ridge

Of Sand Near The Ship,  And,  Not Wishing To Pass Another Tide On

Board,  All The Crew And Passengers Went Over The Side,  And Waded

Through The Shallow Water Until They Came To A Dry Sand-Pit.  They

Were Eleven In Number,  Including The Women And Baby,  And They Waited

Until The Boat Came Over From Snake Island And Took Them To The Port.

A Little Of The Cargo Was Taken Out Of The 'Isabella',  But In A Few

Days She Went To Pieces.

 

Captain Taylor Went To Hobarton,  And Bought From The Insurers The

Schooner 'Sylvanus' Which Had Belonged To Him,  And Having Been

Wrecked Was Then Lying Ashore On The Coast.  He Succeeded In Floating

Her Off Without Much Damage,  And He Ran Her In The Cattle Trade For

Some Time.  He Then Sold Her To Boys & Hall,  Of Hobarton,  Went To

Sydney,  Bought The Schooner 'Alert',  And Sailed Her In The Same Trade

Until The Discovery Of Gold.  All The White Seamen Went Off To The

Diggings,  And He Hired Four Kanakas To Man His Craft.

 

On His Last Trip To Port Albert The Pilot Was On Board,  Waiting For

The Tide.  The Pilot Boat Had Been Sent Back To Sunday Island,  The

Ship's Boat Was In The Water,  And Was Supposed To Have Been Made Fast

Astern By The Crew.  At Break Of Day The Pilot Came On Deck,  And On Taking

A Look Round,  He Saw That The Longboat Had Got Away And Was Drifting

Towards Rabbit Island.  He Roared Down The Companion To Captain

Taylor,  "Your Longboat's Got Adrift,  And Is Off To Rabbit Island."

 

In Another Minute Captain Taylor Was On Deck.  He Gazed At His

Distant Longboat And Swore Terribly.  Then He Took A Rope And Went

For His Four Kanakas; But They Did Not Wait For Him; They All Plunged

Into The Sea And Deserted.  The Captain And Pilot Stood On Deck

Watching Them As They Swam Away,  Hand Over Hand,  Leaving Foaming

Wakes Behind Like Vessels In Full Sail.  They Were Making Straight

For The Longboat,  And Davy Said,  "They Will Go Away In Her And Leave

Us Here In The Lurch."  But The Captain Said,  "I Think Not."  He Was

Right.  The Kanakas Brought Back The Boat Within Hail Of The

Story 15 (Until The Golden Dawn.) Pg 208

Schooner,  And After Being Assured By The Captain That He Would Not

Ropes-End Them,  They Climbed Aboard.

 

On Returning To Hobarton Captain Taylor Was Seized With The Gold

Fever.  He Laid Up The 'Alert',  Went With His Four Men To Bendigo,

And Was A Lucky Digger.  Then He Went To New Zealand,  Bought A Farm,

And Ploughed The Waves No More.

 

In January,  1851,  Some Buoys Were Sent To Port Albert And Laid Down

In The Channel.  The Account For The Work Was Duly Sent To The Chief

Harbour Master At Williamstown,  But He Took No Notice Of It,  Nor Made

Any Reply To Several Letters Requesting Payment.  There Was Something

Wrong At Headquarters,  And Davy Resolved To See For Himself What It

Was.  Moreover,  He Had Not Seen Melbourne For Ten Years,  And He

Yearned For A Change.  So,  Without Asking Leave Of Anyone,  He Left

Port Albert And Its Shipping "To The Sweet Little Cherub That Sits Up

Aloft,  And Takes Care Of The Life Of Poor Jack," And Went In His Boat

To Yanakie Landing.  Mrs. Bennison Lent Him A Pony,  And Told Him To

Steer For Two Bald Hills On The Hoddle Ranges; He Could Not See The

Hills For The Fog,  And Kept Too Much To Port,  But At Last He Found A

Track.  He Camped Out That Night,  And Next Morning Had Breakfast At

Hobson's Station.  He Stayed One Night At Kilcunda,  And Another At

Lyle's Station,  Near The Bay.  He Then Followed A Track Which

Septimus Martin Had Cut Through The Tea-Tree,  And His Pony Became

Lame By Treading On The Sharp Stumps,  So That He Had To Push It Or

Drag It Along Until He Arrived At Dandenong,  Where He Left It At An

Inn Kept By A Man Named Hooks.  He Hired A Horse From Hooks At Five

Shillings A Day.  The Only House Between Dandenong And Melbourne Was

Once Called The South Yarra Pound,  Kept By Mrs. Atkinson.  It Was

Near Caulfield,  On The Melbourne Side Of "No-Good-Damper Swamp."

Some Blackfellows Had Been Poisoned There By A Settler Who Wanted To

Get Rid Of Them. He Gave Them A Damper With Arsenic In It,  And When

Dying They Said,  "No Good,  Damper."

 

Davy Landed In Melbourne On June 17th,  1851,  Put His Horse In Kirk's

Bazaar,  And Stayed At The Queen's Head In Queen Street,  Where Sir

William Clarke's Office Is Now.  The Landlady Was Mrs. Coulson,  A

Widow.  Next Morning He Was At The Wharf Before Daylight,  And Went

Down The Yarra In The First Steamer For Williamstown.  He Found That

Captain Bunbury,  The Chief Harbour-Master,  Had Gone Away In The

Buoy-Boat,  A Small Schooner Called The 'Apollo',  So He Hired A

Whale-Boat,  And Overtook The Schooner Off The Red Bluff.  When He

Went On Board He Spoke To Ruffles,  Master Of The Schooner,  And Said:

 

"Is The Harbour-Master Aboard?  I Want To See Him."

 

"Yes,  But Don't Speak So Loud,  Or You'll Wake Him Up," Replied

Ruffles.  "He Is Asleep Down Below."

 

Davy Roared Out,  "I Want To Wake Him Up.  I Have Come Two Hundred

Miles On Purpose To Do It.  I Want To Get A Settlement About Those

Buoys At Port Albert.  I Am Tired Of Writing About Them."

 

This Woke Up Bunbury,  Who Sang Out:

Story 15 (Until The Golden Dawn.) Pg 209

"What's The Matter,  Ruffles?  What's All That Noise About?"

 

"It's The Pilot From Port Albert.  He Wants To See You,  Sir,  About The

Buoys."

 

"Tell Him To Come Down Below."  Davy Went.

 

Bunbury Was A One-Armed Naval Lieutenant,  The Head Of The Harbour

Department,  And Drew The Salary.  He Had Subordinate Officers.  A

Clerk At Williamstown Did His Clerical Work,  And Old Ruffles

Navigated The 'Apollo' For Him Through The Roaring Waters Of Port

Philip Bay,  While He Lay In His Bunk Meditating On Something.  He

Said:

 

"Oh,  Is That You,  Pilot?  Well,  About Those Buoys,  Eh?  That's All

Right.  All You Have To Do Is Go To My Office In Williamstown,  Tell

My Clerk To Fill In A Form For You,  Take It To The Treasury,  And You

Will Get Your Money."

 

Davy Went Back To The Office At Williamstown,  Had The Form Made Out

By The Clerk,  And Took It To Melbourne In The Steamer,  The Last Trip

She Made That Day.  By This Time The Treasury Was Closed. It Was

Situated In William Street,  Where The Vast Law Courts Are Now; And

Davy Was At The Door When It Was Opened Next Morning,  The First

Claimant For Money.  A Clerk Took His Paper,  Looked Over It,  Smiled,

And Said It Was Of No Use Whatever Without Bunbury's Signature.  Davy

Started For Williamstown Again In The Second Boat,  Found That Bunbury

Had Gone Away Again In The 'Apollo',  Followed Him In A Whale Boat,

Overtook Him Off St. Kilda,  Obtained His Signature,  And Returned To

The Treasury.  Captain Lonsdale Was There,  But He Said It Was Too

Late To Pay Money That Day,  And Also That The Form Should Be Signed

By Someone At The Public Works Office.

 

Then Davy's Patience Was Gone,  And He Spoke The Loud Language Of The

Sea.  The Frail Building Shook As With An Earthquake.  Mr. Latrobe

Was In A Back Room Writing One Of Those Gubernatorial Despatches

Which Are So Painful To Read.  He Had To Suspend The Pangs Of

Composition,  And He Came Into The Front Room To See What Was The

Matter.  Davy Told Him What Was The Matter In Very Unofficial Words.

Mr. Latrobe Listened Patiently And Then Directed Captain Lonsdale To

Keep The Treasury Open Until The Account Was Paid.  He Also Said The

Schooner 'Agenoria' Had Been Wrecked On The Day That Davy Left Port

Albert,  And Requested Him To Return To Duty As Soon As Possible,  Lest

Other Vessels Might Be Wrecked For Want Of A Pilot.  "The Sweet

Little Cherub That Sits Up Aloft" Could Not Be Depended On To Pilot

Vessels Over The Bar.

 

Davy Took His Paper To The Public Works Office In Queen Street.  Here

He Found Another Officer Bursting With Dignity,  Who Said:  "There Is

Already One Signature Too Many On This Account."

 

"Can't You Scratch It Out,  Then?" Said Davy.

 

Story 15 (Until The Golden Dawn.) Pg 210

"We Don't Keep Hens To Scratch In This Office," Replied The Dignified

One,  Who Took A Ruler,  And Having Drawn A Line Through The

Superfluous Name,  Signed His Own.  When Davy Went Again To The

Treasury With His Account,  Captain Lonsdale Said He Had Not Cash On

Hand To Pay It,  And Deducted Twenty Pounds,  Which He Sent To Port

Albert Afterwards,  When The Government Had Recovered Its Solvency.

His Honour The Superintendent Might Have Assumed The Classical Motto,

"Custos Sum Pauperis Horti."

 

Davy Put The Money In His Pocket,  Went To The Queen's Head,  And,  As

It Was Already Dark,  He Hired A Man For Ten Shillings To Show Him The

Road Through The