The Gold Hunter's Adventures Or, Life In Australia Volume 2 ( Of 2 ) by William H. Thomes (books to read in your 30s TXT) 📕

Since My Return From Australia, I Have Been Solicited By A Number Of

Friends To Give Them A History Of My Adventures In That Land Of Gold,

Where Kangaroos Are Supposed To Be As Plenty As Natives, And Jump Ten

Times As Far, And Where Natives Are Imagined To Be Continually Lying In

Ambush For The Purpose Of Making A Hearty Meal Upon The Bodies Of Those

Unfortunate Travellers Who Venture Far Into The Interior Of The

Country--Where Bushrangers Are Continually Hanging About Camp Fires,

Ready To Cut The Weasands Of Those Who Close Their Eyes For A

Moment--And Lastly, Where Every Other Man That You Meet Is Expected To

Be A Convict, Transported From The Mother Country For Such Petty Crimes

As Forgery, House-Breaking, And Manslaughter In The Second Degree.

My Friends Have All Desired To Hear Me Relate These Particulars, And

Have Honored Me With A Large Attendance At My Rooms, And Sat Late At

Night, And Drank My Wine And Water, And Smoked My Cigars, With A Relish

That Did Me Great Credit, As It Showed That I Am Something Of A

Connoisseur In The Choice Of Such Luxuries. And Then They Laughed So

Loudly At My Jokes, No Matter How Poor They Were, That, For A Few Days

After My Arrival Home, I Really Thought The Air Of Australia Had

Improved And Sharpened My Wit.

I Should, No Doubt, Have Continued Feasting Those Who Listened So

Patiently To My Yarns, Had Not A Sudden Idea Entered My Head, One Night,

When The Company Were The Most Boisterous. I Was In The Act Of Raising A

Glass Of Wine To My Mouth, When It Occurred To Me That Before I Left

This Country For Australia, Via California, Scarcely One Of Those

Present Had Assembled On The Dock To Bid Me Farewell.

I Placed The Untasted Wine Upon The Table Again, Lighted A Cigar, And

Was Soon Buried In Smoke And Reflection. I Thought Of The Time When I

Had Not Money Enough To Pay My Passage To The Golden State--Of The

Exertions I Had Made To Raise The Amount Necessary, And The Many

Refusals That I Had Met With At The Hands Of Those Who Now Professed To

Be My Friends.

I Blew Aside The Smoke That Enveloped My Head, And Fixed My Eyes Upon

One Red-Faced Cousin, Who Owned Bank Shares, And Bought Stocks When Low,

And Sold Them When A Rise Had Taken Place. He Had Laughed At Me For My

Impertinence In Supposing That He Could Loan Me Money, And Now He Was

Seated At My Table, Chuckling At My Jokes, And Swearing, While He Helped

Himself To Liquor, That I Was The Best Fellow Alive, And That There Was

Nothing But What He Would Do For Me.

Could It Be Possible That The Possession Of Fifty Or Sixty Thousand

Dollars Had Wrought Such A Change? I Was Forced To Believe It, And I

Grew Sad At The Thought, And No More Jokes Escaped My Lips That Night;

But The Company Remained As Late As Usual, And Declared By A Unanimous

Vote That They Would Meet Again At The Same Place The Next Evening, And

Hear Further Particulars.

Before Sunset The Next Day I Had Changed My Apartments, And Taken

Private Lodgings With A Friend Who Had Visited Me But Once Since My

Return, And Had Then Refused To Accept Of The Hospitalities That I Was

Disposed To Offer Him. He Had Lent Me Money Without Security--He Had

Declined Taking Interest For The Same--He Had Welcomed Me On My Arrival

As Warmly As I Expected--He Did Not Ask Me How Much Dust I Had Brought

Back And He Never Said A Word About His Wish To Be Repaid The Few

Hundred Dollars That He Had Advanced Me When I Left Home To Seek My

Fortune. When I Did Offer Him The Money, And Thrust A Diamond Ring Upon

His Finger As A Token Of My Esteem, He Blushed Like A Young School Girl,

And Declared That He Didn't Deserve It.

At His House, Then, I Took Up My Abode; And While His Family Treat Me

With Respect, They Possess None Of The Fawning Which Characterizes My

Other Friends. As The Latter Have Frequently Expressed Their Sorrow For

My Sudden Removal, And Their Anxiety To Know What Events Befell Me In

The Mines Of Australia, I Have Come To The Conclusion That I Would Put

Them In Print; And Now Those Who Used To Drink My Liquor And Feast At My

Table Will Learn How I Acquired My Fortune, And Then, If So Disposed,

They Can Follow In My Footsteps And Gain A Competence For Themselves.

This Much I Have Told The Reader In Confidence, And With The Hope That

It Will Not Be Repeated, As My Red-Faced Cousin, Who Every Day Is To Be

Seen On 'Change, Might Be Seriously Angry If He Was Suspected Of

Mercenary Motives. With This Introduction I Will Commence My Narrative.

In A Few Minutes We Reached The Mine. As There Was No One In Sight, The

Policeman Concluded To Give The Signal At The Entrance Of The Shaft That

The Owner Was Wanted, And As The Mine Was Not Very Deep, We Were Not

Kept Waiting Any Length Of Time For His Appearance. The Tackle For

Lowering And Raising The Miners Was Worked, And First The Head And Then

The Body Of A Man Appeared In View.

"Here's Two Gentlemen--They Want To See You, Mr. Henrets," The Officer

Said.

"My Name Is Herrets," The Miner Said, "And Why You Will Persist In

Calling Me Henrets Is Beyond My Comprehension."

"One Name Is As Good As The Other--What Is The Difference?--Both Begin

With H And End With S."

We Found That The Officer's Description Of The Man Answered Very Well.

His Hair Was Sandy, His Eyes Were Blue, And His Skin Was Very Fair And

Beardless. He Was About Five Feet Six Inches, And Not Very Stout.

Dressed As He Was, In Mining Clothes, Stained With Many A Stratum Of

Earth, We Could Form But A Poor Opinion Of His Good Looks, Even Had We

Been Disposed To Estimate His Beauty Before His Understanding.

"What Can I Do For You?" He Asked, Addressing Fred And Myself, In A Tone

That Was Intended To Be Excessively Conciliatory.

"Before We Answer That Question We Must Ask One," Fred Replied. "Were

You Ever An Apprentice To A Cordwainer In London?"

The Man's Face Flushed Scarlet, And He Seemed Extremely Agitated At The

Question--But At Length He Replied,--

"I Was An Apprentice To A Cordwainer, But My Indentures Were Given Up

Before I Left England, Sir."

"And Your Master Had An Only Daughter, Whose Hand You Demanded In

Marriage," Fred Continued.

"Yes, But I Meant Nothing Wrong; Upon My Word, Gents, I Didn't," He

Exclaimed, Hastily, Evidently Considering Fred And Myself In Some Way

Connected With The Law, As We Were Under The Guidance Of A Police

Officer.

"That Remains To Be Seen," Returned Fred, In A Mysterious Manner,

Evidently Taking Some Delight In Frightening The Simple-Minded Young Man

All He Could.

"O, I Can Tell You All About It," Herrets Exclaimed With Eagerness.

"That Is Unnecessary," Fred Replied. "We Know All, Or Nearly All; But

What We Wish To Discover Is, Why You Did Not Join The Lady At Melbourne,

As You Promised In Your Letter?"

"Join The Lady At Melbourne?" The Young Fellow Repeated, Hardly Knowing

What To Say; "Why, I Wrote To Her That If She Would Come To Australia I

Would Pay Her Expenses, And Marry Her, Besides. That Was Fair, Wasn't

It? But She Didn't Write Me That She Would Come; So Of Course I Thought

That My Hundred Pounds Were A Dead Loss, And That The Girl Had Got

Another Feller, Which I Don't Call Exactly Fair; Do You?"

We Did Not Commit Ourselves By Any Opinion, As We Did Not Know But That

Some Day It Would Be Brought Against Us.

We Formed An Opinion, However, Respecting The Mental Capacity Of The

Youth, For Whose Sake The Poor Girl Had Wandered So Many Miles; And I No

Longer Wondered That She Saw A Difference Between Her Lover And Fred.

"Then You Received No Letter From Miss Purcel, Announcing That She Would

Sail On Such A Day, And Requesting You To Be On The Lookout For Her?"

Asked Fred.

"Of Course I Didn't," Responded The Young Man, With Commendable

Eagerness. "That Is Just What I Am Finding Fault With."

"Then