Robbery Under Arms - Rolf Boldrewood (most important books of all time .TXT) 📗

prefer them on the whole. The ‘Duke’ here is full of Booth blood, so he may just as well go with the others. I shall never get what he cost, though; I know that. He’s been a most expensive animal to me.”

Many a true word spoken in jest. He had good call to know him, as well as the rest of us, for a most expensive animal, before all was said and done. What he cost us all round it would be hard indeed to cipher up.

Anyhow, there was a great laugh at Starlight’s easy way of taking it. First one and then another of the squatters that was going in for breeding began to bid, thinking he’d go cheap, until they got warm, and the bull went up to a price that we never dreamed he’d fetch. Everything seemed to turn out lucky that day. One would have thought they’d never seen an imported bull before. The young squatters got running one another, as I said before, and he went up to £270! Then the auctioneer squared off the accounts as sharp as he could; an’ it took him all his time, what with the German and the small farmers, who took their time about it, paying in greasy notes and silver and copper, out of canvas bags, and the squatters, who were too busy chaffing and talking among themselves to pay at all. It was dark before everything was settled up, and all the lots of cattle delivered. Starlight told the auctioneer he’d see him at his office, in a deuced high and mighty kind of way, and rode off with his new friend.

All of us went back to our camp. Our work was over, but we had to settle up among ourselves and divide shares. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the cattle all sold and gone, and nothing left at the camp but the horses and the swags.

When we got there that night it was late enough. After tea father and I and Jim had a long yarn, settling over what we should do and wondering whether we were going to get clean away with our share of the money after all.

“By George!” says Jim, “it’s a big touch, and no mistake. To think of our getting over all right, and selling out so easy, just as if they was our own cattle. Won’t there be a jolly row when it’s all out, and the Momberah people miss their cattle?” (more than half ’em was theirs). “And when they muster they can’t be off seein’ they’re some hundreds short.”

“That’s what’s botherin’ me,” says father. “I wish Starlight hadn’t been so thundering flash with it all. It’ll draw more notice on us, and everyone’ll be gassin’ about this big sale, and all that, till people’s set on to ask where the cattle come from, and whatnot.”

“I don’t see as it makes any difference,” I said. “Somebody was bound to buy ’em, and we’d have had to give the brands and receipts just the same. Only if we’d sold to anyone that thought there was a cross look about it, we’d have had to take half money, that’s all. They’ve fetched a rattling price, through Starlight’s working the oracle with those swells, and no mistake.”

“Yes, but that ain’t all of it,” says the old man, filling his pipe. “We’ve got to look at what comes after. I never liked that imported bull being took. They’ll rake all the colonies to get hold of him again, partic’ler as he sold for near three hundred pound.”

“We must take our share of the risk along with the money,” said Jim. “We shall have our whack of that according to what they fetched today. It’ll be a short life and a merry one, though, dad, if we go on big licks like this. What’ll we tackle next⁠—a bank or Government House?”

“Nothing at all for a good spell, if you’ve any sense,” growled father. “It’ll give us all we know to keep dark when this thing gets into the papers, and the police in three colonies are all in full cry like a pack of beagles. The thing is, what’ll be our best dart now?”

“I’ll go back overland,” says he. “Starlight’s going to take Warrigal with him, and they’ll be off to the islands for a turn. If he knows what’s best for him, he’ll never come back. These other chaps say they’ll separate and sell their horses when they get over to the Murray low down, and work their way up by degrees. Which way are you boys going?”

“Jim and I to Melbourne by next steamer,” I said. “May as well see a bit of life now we’re in it. We’ll come back overland when we’re tired of strange faces.”

“All right,” says father, “they won’t know where I’m lyin’ by for a bit, I’ll go bail, and the sooner you clear out of Adelaide the better. News like ours don’t take long to travel, and you might be nabbed very simple. One of ye write a line to your mother and tell her where you’re off to, or she’ll be frettin’ herself and the gal too⁠—frettin’ over what can’t be helped. But I suppose it’s the natur’ o’ some women.”

We done our settling-up next day. All the sale money was paid over to Starlight. He cashed the cheques and drew the lot in notes and gold⁠—such a bundle of ’em there was. He brought them out to us at the camp, and then we whacked the lot. There were eight of us that had to share and share alike. How much do you think we had to divide? Why, not a penny under four thousand pounds. It had to be divided among the eight of us. That came to five hundred a man. A lot of money to carry about, that was the worst of it.

Next day there was a regular split and squander. We didn’t wait long after