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

Governor, The Last Time That I Dined Vid Him, And Just As He Was Axing

Me To Take Vine, That I Would Vager A Stiff Glass Of Viskey, Vich You

Vill Ax Me To Take By And By, That You Vouldn't Know Me On The First

Occasion Of My Visit. 'Steel Spring,' Said The Governor, 'It Can't Be

Did;' And Ven I Pledged My Vord As A Gentleman And A Man Of Probity,

That I Vould Vrite To Him The Result, In A Strict Sense, He Shook My

'And, And Said I Was A Honor To The Land Wot Give Me Birth, And That He

'Oped He Should Never Be Called Upon To Part Vid Me. Ven Can I 'Ave The

Viskey?"

I Stood A Few Minutes Surveying The Ex-Bushranger With Admiration, And

Hardly Knowing Whether He Most Deserved A Kicking Or A Word Of Praise

For His Falsehoods And Perfect Disguise. While I Was Considering The

Matter, Fred Joined Us, Being Awakened By The Shrill Chuckling Of Our

Visitor.

"You Have Not Forgotten How To Lie, At All Events," I Said, "And Perhaps

The Peculiar Talent That You Display In That Line May Be Of Some Service

To Us; So, For The Purpose Of Keeping In Practice, All Your Stories Will

Go Undisputed At Present."

"Ven A Man Is Perfect In A Certain Line Of Things, He Don' Vant

Practice, Unless He Grows Rusty, Or Is Out Of Employment. Now, Since I

Have Been Connected Vid The Police Force, I've Almost Forgotten How To

Speak The Truth; And, Somehow, I Don't Think That It Agrees Vid Me; For

Unless I'se Honest I Have A Fit Of Blues That Lasts Me Until I've Made

Up To My Reckness. Ven Can I Have The Viskey?"

I Gave Him A Glass Of Strong American Whiskey, Which Would Make The

Tears Come Into A Man's Eyes Unless His Throat Was Sheathed With Tin;

But Steel Spring Tossed It Down, And Smacked His Lips, As Though It Was

So Much Water.

"Now, Then, I Feel Like A Man Vot Has Found A Nugget--Perfectly Happy

For The Time Being, But Miserable As Soon As The Excitement Has Passed

Away, 'Cos He Don't Know When He Shall Get Another."

"When Did You Reach Ballarat?" Fred Asked, As Soon As Steel Spring Was

Inclined To Hold His Tongue.

"This Evening. I've Been On The Road Two Days, But Feel As Fresh As A

Newly-Hatched Parrot."

"Did Murden Tell You What We Required Of You?" I Asked.

"He Said Something About My Getting The Vorst Thrashing That I Ever Had

In My Life, Unless I Obeyed Orders. So Here I Am, Ready To Go To Vork

And Do My Best."

"Where Are You Stopping?" I Inquired.

"Vell, The Lieutenant Said That I Vos To Play _Loose_; And Pretend Not

To Go Near You, Unless I Vos So Fixed Up That Even My Dear Friend, The

Governor, Vouldn't Know Me; And I Don't Think That He Vould, Had He Seen

Me To-Night."

"But Where Are You Stopping?" I Again Asked.

"Vell, I Am At Dan Brian's 'Cricket,' And I Must Say That My Old Friend

Keeps Tiptop Lush, And Is Disposed To Be Civil," Answered Steel Spring.

The "Cricket" Was One Of The Vilest Places In Ballarat; And Its

Proprietor, Dan Brian, One Of The Most Noted Characters. He Was Once A

Convict, But Made His Escape, And Joined A Gang Of Bushrangers. For Two

Years He Lived In The Bush, And Subsisted By Killing Sheep And Cattle.

Soon After The Gold Mines Were Discovered, He Helped To Rob A Government

Escort Of Dust On Its Way To Melbourne, And Two Thousand Ounces Of Gold

Fell To His Share. His Ill-Gotten Wealth Made Him Long For An

Opportunity To Squander It; And Unknown To The Gang, He Sent Word To The

Captain Of Police At Melbourne, And Asked What Terms He Could Receive If

He Betrayed His Comrades.

Of Course The Police Were Too Ready To Accede To Any Proposition That

Dan Might Make To Haggle About Terms; And The Judas Was Promised Not

Only His Life And A Free Pardon, But It Was Intimated That The Treasure

In His Possession Should Never Be Claimed By Government.

On These Considerations Dan Promised To Turn Traitor; And One Day He

Persuaded The Gang To Visit A Spot Which They Considered Unsafe, But

Which Dan Swore No Policeman Would Ever Dare To Venture In. The

Bushrangers Were Surrounded, Surprised, And Captured, And Executed To A

Man, With The Exception Of The Betrayer.

After This Bloody Piece Of Work, The Fellow Spent Most Of His Money In

Dissipation, And When It Was Nearly All Gone, He Determined To Open A

Resort For Thieves And Assassins At Ballarat; And Although The Police

Knew The Kind Of House He Maintained, Yet They Were Unable To Break Him

Up For Want Of Evidence To Convict Him And His Guests.

Some Went Even So Far As To Say That He Furnished Information To The

Police For Certain Considerations, But Mr. Brown Always Denied The

Imputation With Great Eagerness.

"Does Dan Know What Brings You To Ballarat?" I Asked, Resuming The

Conversation With Our Visitor.

"He's Already Bin Pumping, But The Clapper Don't Work. I Told Him I Was

After A Few _Scrags_, For The Purpose Of Raising A Gang; And Taking The

Bush Agin; And He Thinks It's So, And Promised To Help Me. I 'Opes I

Don't Forfeit Your Confidence By Being Compelled To Tell A Lie. It Goes

Agin Me, You Know."

We Readily Promised Him That All Such Little Failings On His Part Should

Be Overlooked; And After A Second Edition Of Whiskey, We Laid Our

Trouble And Plans Before Him, And Gave Him Full Directions How To

Proceed.

He Was To Frequent All Places Where Crime Was Committed Or Planned; To

Converse With All Sorts Of Characters, Honest Or Otherwise; To Avoid The

Police, And Pretend An Intense Hatred For Them; And When He Wished To

Communicate With Us, It Must Only Be Done In The Night Time, And Dressed

In Such A Disguise That None Of His Gang Would Recognize Him.

In Case Of His Discovering Follet's Companion In The Attempted

Assassination, He Was To Let Us Know, So That The Fellow's Arrest Could

Take Place Immediately; And While We Agreed To Find Money For His

Expenses, We Promised A Handsome Gratuity In Case He Was Successful.

Steel Spring Listened With More Patience Than I Ever Gave Him Credit

For, While We Were Enlightening His Mind; And Although He Asked A Dozen

Different Questions, Which We Considered At The Time As Frivolous, We

Answered Them To The Best Of Our Ability, And Gave Him What Insight We

Were Able To Regarding The Company That Follet Had Been In The Habit Of

Keeping.

"There, That Will Do For The Present," Steel Spring Said. "Ef The Feller

Is In Ballarat, I Shall Hear Of 'Im Afore Long. Give Me Another Drink Of

Viskey, And I'll Be Off, 'Cos A Select Company Of The _Elite_ Of

Ballarat Expects Me To Honor Their Supper Vid My Presence In About An

Hour's Time, And Ven I Gives My Vord To A Gentleman I Don't Like To

Disappint Um. Keep Cool, And Don't Be Afeerd Of Swinging On This Little

Affair, 'Cos There's No Danger. Ef I Thought There Was, I Should

Certainly Speak To My Friend, The Governor."

"Mr. Murden Did Not Send You Here To Jest, Did He?" Asked Fred, A Little

Sternly.

"O, By No Means; And I Didn't Mean Any 'Arm By Vot I Said. Please Don't

Say Anything To The Lieutenant."

We Promised; And Steel Spring Turned To Go, Quite Satisfied. Just As He

Reached The Door, He Stopped, And Drew A Very Dirty-Looking Letter From

His Bosom, And Handed It To Us.

"I'd Almost Forgotten That Lieutenant Murden Sent This Letter By Me.

Good Night. I'll See You Again To-Morrow Some Time, But It Will Be Late

In The Evening;" And With These Words He Stole From The Store As

Noiselessly As A Serpent Creeping Towards A Paroquet Sleeping On A Gum

Tree.

We Broke The Flaming Red Seal Of Our Friend's Letter, And Read As

Follows:--

    Melbourne, Jan. 24th, 18--.

    My Dear Friends: You May Believe That I Was Astonished When I Got

    Your Letter. Such Damnable Scrapes As You Two Are Always Getting

    Into, Warrants Me In Saying That A Keeper Is Needed In Your Store

    To Take The Entire Charge Of You. I Wish That I Could Get Away For

    A Few Days; I'd Run Up And Lend You A Helping Hand To Clear Up

    That Shocking Affair.

    As I Can't Leave, I Send Steel Spring, Agreeable To Request. May

    You Make The Most Of Him, For Such A Liar Never Went Unhanged. As

    An Incentive To Stir Himself In Your Behalf, I Thrashed Him Like

    The Devil On The Afternoon That He Left, And Promised A Repetition

    Unless He Obeyed Orders, And Followed Your Directions To The

    Letter.

    I Find That The Oftener I Lick Him The Better He Likes Me; And He

    Actually Pretended To Feel Grieved At Parting. I Have Great Hope

    That He Will Live Long Enough To Be Honest; But I Have Reasonable

    Doubts Of The Scheme, And It Would Not Surprise Me Any Day To Hear

    That He Had Taken To The Bush. Still, I Must Say That I Find Him

    Useful In A Number Of Ways; And A Better Detective Cannot Be Found

    In The Country, For No Matter What I Have Placed Him On, He Has

    Followed It Up Until The Mystery Was Unravelled.

    Yesterday, A Ship Load Of Interesting Girls, Many Of Them In

    Interesting Conditions, Arrived From England, Being Sent Out By A

    Society For The Prevention Of Pauperism, Or Something Like It.

    They Are Intended As Wives For Us Poor Colonists; And I Wish That

    You Had Been Here, To Have Seen The Fun And The Rush For The First

    Choice. The Ship Was Surrounded By Boats, Until At Length The

    Crowd Was So Great I Had To Take Twenty-Five Men, And Hire A

    Steamboat To Carry Us Down The River, To