The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) - William H. Thomes (large screen ebook reader txt) 📗

As He Disliked It.

 

"Insult You! You Miserable Specimen Of A Fool? Why, It Would Be

Impossible To Insult You, For Your Life Is But An Insult To Your Maker!"

Cried The Shrill-Voiced Woman, Who Had Been Addressed By The Name Of

Nancy.

 

"I'd Like To Hire That Woman To Do My Scolding," Whispered Mr. Wright.

"Lord, How She Would Make The Men Fly If They Didn't Come To Dinner At

The Exact Time."

 

By A Flash Of Lightning We Could See Three Of The Bushrangers Examining

The Banks Of The Creek, For The Purpose Of Judging Whether It Could Be

Forded By The Horses Or Not.

 

They Seemed To Decide Against Its Feasibility, For We Heard Them

Grumbling At The Idea Of Stopping There All Night, And Getting Sighted

By "D----D Old Wright" In The Morning.

 

Our Host Listened To The Complimentary Remarks About Himself With Great

Glee, For It Showed That He Was A Power That Was Respected By The

Robbing Fraternity, And That They Took Good Care To Visit His Range Of

Land As Little Us Possible.

 

"Are We To Stay Here In The Wet All Night?" Grumbled Mr. Brown.

 

"I Don't See How We Are To Avoid It," Mr. Wright Replied.

 

"Let Us Cross The Creek, And Take Those Fellows In The Rear," I

Whispered; "In Half An Hour We Can Have Every One Of Them Prisoners, Or

Else _Hors Du Combat_."

 

Mr. Wright Didn't Like The Project, As He Thought That It Was Running

Too Great A Risk. Mr. Brown Meditated On The Undertaking, While The

Ghost Was Pleased With The Idea, And Vowed That He Could Accomplish The

Project Alone. As For Mike, He Was In Ecstasies At The Plan, Only He

Couldn't Swim, Which Somewhat Damped His Ardor.

 

"Ask Kala If There Is A Place Where We Can Cross, Where The Water Is Not

Over Our Heads?" I Inquired Of Mr. Wright.

 

He Put The Question, And The Native Replied That A Few Rods Down The

Stream, At A Bend, We Could Cross On A Bar, Where The Water Would Not Be

More Than Up To Our Armpits.

 

Mr. Wright No Longer Hesitated, But Gave The Order To Move Down The

Stream To The Place Proposed, And As The Rain Had Nearly Ceased, And The

Moon Was High In The Heavens, We Had No Difficulty In Finding The Spot

Which Kala Indicated.

 

Volume 2 Chapter 75 (Mike Tumbles Into The River.--Arrival Of The Bushrangers) Pg 200

Our Only Trouble Was To Prevent The Bushrangers From Seeing Our

Movements, So That They Should Not Be Prepared For Our Reception. This

We Were Enabled To Do By Keeping Within The Shade Of The Bushes And

Trees, Which Grew In Profusion Upon The Banks Of The Stream.

 

"Lead The Way. Mike, And Find Out The Deep Places With Your Spear,"

Commanded Mr. Wright, But The Irishman Held Back.

 

"I Couldn't Think Of Taking Advantage Of My Betters, And Going Before

'Em," Pleaded Mike.

 

"Are You Afraid?" Our Host Demanded, Angrily.

 

"Divil A Bit, Master; But It's Misgivings I Have About The Water. What

It Was Made For, 'Cept To Mix With Punch, I Don't See."

 

"Kala Go First," Muttered The Native, And Without Waiting For Orders, He

Dropped Quietly Into The Stream, Followed By Iala.

 

"The Divil! But Can't I Go Where The Nager Does?" Demanded Mike, And He

Was Up To His Shoulders In The Brook Before We Could Answer Him.

 

The Ghost Followed Mike, And Then The Rest Of Us, Leaving Our Oil-Cloth

Coverings On The Bank Of The Stream, Crossed Without Difficulty, Taking

Good Care That Our Revolvers Were Kept Dry.

 

"Now, I Want All To Keep Silent, And Obey My Orders," Whispered Mr.

Wright; "When I Give The Word To Fire, Do So, But Not Before.

 

"Now Then, Let Us Steal Forward As Fast As Possible, And Kala, You And

Iala Can Remain Behind, If You Please."

 

"Kala And Iala Will Go With You," Was The Prompt Reply, And I Marvelled

At It, For The Natives Are Dreadfully Afraid Of Firearms When In The The

Hands Of White Men.

 

"Now, Gentlemen, Let Us Onward, And May The God Of Battles Give Us

Success. If Any Accident Should Befall Either Of Us, We Shall Have The

Satisfaction Of Knowing That We Suffered In A Good Cause. Be Careful How

You Step, And Don't Be Impatient."

 

Mr. Wright Placed Himself At The Head Of The Column, And Moved Along

Carefully, And With Some Considerable Knowledge Of Woodcraft, Although I

Almost Lost All Patience By His Continually Stopping And Listening, As

Though That Part Of The Performance Was Really Necessary To Insure

Success.

 

The Rain Had Now Entirely Ceased, And The Black Clouds Overhead Had

Parted, And Showed Light Fleecy Ones, Tinged By The Rays Of The Moon,

Which Was Struggling To Show Its Face, As Though Angry At Having Been

Hid From The Earth For Such A Length Of Time.

 

This Circumstance Required Our Movements To Be Prompt If We Wished To

Surprise The Ruffians, But Mr. Wright Was Not A Man To Be Hurried By

Volume 2 Chapter 75 (Mike Tumbles Into The River.--Arrival Of The Bushrangers) Pg 201

Such Trifles. He Had A Peculiar Idea Of How Such Matters Should Be

Conducted, And Neither Mr. Brown Nor Myself Were Disposed To Interfere

With His Plans.

 

Suddenly, When Within Twenty Rods Of The Place Where The Bushrangers

Were Camped We Saw A Light, And For A Few Minutes Mr. Wright Was

Uncertain Whether To Advance Or Retreat, Thinking That The Light Was

Intended As An Ambush To Draw Us Under Fire.

 

In Vain I Explained That The Bushrangers Had Kindled A Fire For The

Purpose Of Cooking A Sheep, Or A Portion Of One, And Mr. Brown

Entertained The Same Idea, But Mr. Wright Said We Were Young Men, And

Rash At That, And That We Were Not To Be Trusted.

 

We Were More Amazed Than Indignant, Knowing That Our Host Regarded Our

Safety More Than His Own, For He Was As Brave As A Lion, And Would Have

Willingly Fought The Whole Gang Had It Been Necessary To Prove His

Courage.

 

At Length I Volunteered To Act The Part Of A Scout, And Investigate

Matters, But For A Long Time Mr. Wright Would Not Listen To My Advances,

Until I Saw That There Was A Prospect Of Our Remaining On The Ground All

Night, And Then I Tore Myself Away, And Requested My Friends To Remain

Quiet Until My Return.

 

This They Promised To Do, And I Started On My Mission, Not A Dangerous

One, As I Knew Full Well, For The Ruffians Did Not Suspect The Presence

Of Our Force, And I Felt Certain That They Had No Sentinels Posted.

 

The Result Justified My Expectations, For When I Had Crawled As

Noiselessly As A Cat To Within A Rod Of The Light, I Saw That The

Robbers Had In Some Way Managed To Kindle A Fire, Which, By The Way,

Attracted Myriads Of Flies And Mosquitoes, And They Were Biting As Only

Australian Flies And Mosquitoes Know How To Bite, Much To The Rage Of

The Bushrangers, Who Were Cooking Meat, And Endeavoring To Beat Off The

Cloud Of Insects By Threshing Their Heavy Hands About Their Heads, And

Uttering Oaths That Were Frightfully Original And Emphatic.

 

They Were Coarse-Looking Fellows, But Dressed Better Than Bushrangers

Usually Were, And I Accounted For It By Supposing That They Had Made A

Successful Plundering Expedition, And Got New Suits From Their Victims;

And Such I Afterwards Found To Be The Case.

 

I Endeavored To Get A View Of The Faces Of The Women, And By Changing My

Position I Succeeded. The Youngest One Was Not More Than Twenty-Five

Years Of Age, But She Looked Careworn And Weary, And Seldom Removed Her

Hands From Her Face, Except, To Answer A Question Addressed To Her By

Her Companion, Who Seemed About Forty Years Of Age, And By The

Flickering Light Of The Fire I Read Determination Upon Every Line Of Her

Countenance, Weather-Beaten And Grim As It Was.

 

The Bushrangers Were Broiling Their Meat Upon Sticks, And Eating It With

A Relish That Smacked Of A Long Fast; And While The Women Were Seated

Near The Fire On Saddles Taken From The Horses, Which Were Tied To A

Volume 2 Chapter 75 (Mike Tumbles Into The River.--Arrival Of The Bushrangers) Pg 202

Tree, And Were Browsing Upon The Tender Branches, The Men Did Not Offer

Them Food, Until One Fellow, Whose Appetite Seemed Sated, Offered The

Younger One His Stick, Upon Which Was A Huge Lump Of Flesh Nearly Raw.

 

She Declined The Tempting Morsel With A Shudder, And The Action Produced

An Oath From The Ruffian, And An Insulting Gesture, So Vile That I Could

Hardly Keep My Hand From Seeking The Lock Of My Revolver And Shooting

Him On The Spot.

 

"O, Well, Miss Dainty, You'll Come To Your Appetite One Of These Days,

See If You Don't. Mark What I Tell You;" And The Other Ruffians Smiled

At Their Companion's Wit.

 

"There's Blood On The Hand That Offered Her Food--Her Husband's Blood.

How Do You Suppose She Can Touch What You Feel Disposed To Give?" Cried

The Elderly Woman, Who Was Called Nancy.

 

"Hullo, Old Croaker, I Thought That You Were Asleep," The Bushranger

Said; But Still I Noticed That He Glanced At His Hand, And Wiped It On

His Clothes, As Though The Stain Was Burning His Flesh Like A Coal Of

Fire.

Volume 2 Chapter 76 (Capture Of The Bushrangers) Pg 203

"I've Not Been Asleep, But Still I've Had A Dream," Nancy Replied To The

Insulting Taunt Of The Robber.

 

"Hullo, Here's A Go. An Old Woman Can Dream With Her Eyes Open. Tell Us

What It Was All About, Old Tabby."

 

The Woman Looked Sternly