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

You--That Each Of Us Intends To Carry A Revolver, (And You Know What

Execution We Can Do With Them,) And The First Shot Fired Shall Be At

Your Body If We See Any Signs Of Treachery. Now Go, And Meet Us

To-Morrow Night At Any Time You See Proper."

I Opened The Door As Fred Ceased Speaking, And, With A Thoughtful Brow,

Steel Spring Passed Out Of The Room, And Was Soon Lost To View As He

Skulked Homeward.

The Next Day, Anxious To Test The Truth Of Steel Spring's Statements, I

Made An Inquiry At The Government Reception Office, And Referring To The

Books A Clerk Informed Me That On The Very Day Before The Attack Was

Made Upon Mr. Critchet He Had Deposited One Thousand Ounces Of Gold, And

Had Received A Stationary Certificate, Or Note, Acknowledging That The

Money Had Been Received, But Was To Lay In The Office, And Not Be

Forwarded To Melbourne--A Method That Was Often Adopted To Prevent Loss

By Miners.

This Was Good News To Me, And I Felt Warranted In Calling Upon The

Commissioner To Let Him Understand The Fact, As It Would In A Measure

Relieve Us Of Suspicion Of Being Implicated In The Robbery.

Mr. Sherwin Received Me With More Kindness, Or Pretended Friendship,

Than I Thought Him Capable Of, And Invited Me Into His Private Room, An

Apartment About The Size Of A Sugar Box, And About As Rough. It

Contained Two Chairs, A Desk, And A Pair Of Old Boots, Much The Worse

For Wear.

Upon The Rough Wall Of The Office Was A Portrait Of Queen Victoria In

Her Coronation Robes, Done In Yellow, And Dear At Any Price. On The Desk

Was A Print Of Hobart Town, And Beneath It Was A Black Profile Of The

Commissioner; At Least, He Informed Me That It Was Intended As A

Surprising Likeness Of Him, But I Thought It Would Astonish No One But

His Mother, In Case The Old Lady Ever Saw It. It Was Cut From A Piece Of

Black Paper By A Man Who Was Before Him For Being Drunk, And Had No

Funds To Pay His Fine, And So Thought To Conciliate His Judge, Which He

Succeeded In Doing, If Report Was True.

After I Had Sufficiently Admired The Contour Of The Head, And The Other

Striking Features Of The Paper Counterfeit, Mr. Sherwin Invited Me To Be

Seated, And Asked What I Would "Take," And Appeared To Be Somewhat

Surprised When I Told Him That I Didn't Care About Drinking.

Notwithstanding My Refusal, The Commissioner Unlocked His Desk And Took

Out Two Very Dirty Wine Glasses, And Then Displayed, With A Solemn

Flourish, A Black Bottle Partly Filled With A Dark Liquid Which He

Called Wine; But I Would Have Sworn, Without Tasting That It Was Bilge

Water.

"Now," Said Mr. Sherwin, Waving Me To A Seat Opposite To The Desk, "We

Can Be Comfortable And Chatty. We Have Wine And Good Fellowship, And

What More Can We Desire?

"And How Is Our Friend Frederick?" The Commissioner Inquired, After

Filling The Glasses And Re-Corking The Bottle, As Though He Feared The

Strength Of The Black Stuff Would Evaporate If Left Exposed To The Air.

I Replied That My Friend And Companion Was As "Well As Could Be

Expected" With Such An Accusation Hanging Over His Head, And That He

Would Have Accompanied Me Had His Presence Not Have Been Needed At The

Store To Wait On Customers, And To Attend To The Wants Of The Wounded

Man, Mr. Critchet.

"Don't Give Yourselves Any Uneasiness On That Silly Charge," The

Commissioner Said, With A Smile That Was Intended To Be Engaging, But I

Shuddered At It, It Was So Cold And Fiendish. "I Am Perfectly Satisfied

That Follet Lied To Me, And Any Time You Wish To Proceed Against Him For

Perjury I Will Grant A Warrant, And Will Also Release You And Your

Friend From Bail."

"May I Ask What Has Caused Such A Change In Your Sentiments?" I

Inquired, Half Suspecting That He Was Setting A Trap For Me.

"You Know As Well As I Do," My Companion Answered, With A Wink Of His

Snaky Eye.

I Protested With Some Earnestness That I Was Ignorant On The Subject,

And While The Commissioner Turned His Back To Search Amidst Some Papers

Which His Desk Contained, I Slyly Poured The Contents Of My Wine Glass

Through A Crack Of The Floor, And Watered The Soil Of Ballarat With A

New Species Of Liquor, Such As Was Never Known Before.

"You See I Have Heard From Melbourne Lately, And Am Satisfied How The

Land Lays, And I Am Not Going To Weaken The Cause Of Government By

Suspecting Two Of Its Greatest Defenders." And While The Plotting

Officer Unfolded A Letter His Eye Fell Upon My Empty Glass, And, In

Defiance Of My Most Strenuous Denials, Insisted That I Should "Not Be

Afraid Of The Liquor, Because There Was Plenty More Where That Came

From," (Which The Lord Forbid!) And Once More I Had The Inexpressible

Misery Of Sitting With A Wine Glass Full Of The Strange Compound Under

My Nostrils, Which I Dared Not Throw Away, Fearful That He Would See Me,

And Which I Dreaded To Drink.

"I Got A Letter From Mr. Murden, Who Is An Officer Of Some Rank In The

Police Force At Melbourne, A Day Or Two Since, And He Tells Me That I

Must Be Very Careful Of You Gentlemen, As The Governor Esteems You

Highly, And That His Excellency Would Be Apt To Resent An Act Of

Injustice Done You While Stopping At The Mines."

I Strongly Suspected That The Lieutenant Had Drawn On His Imagination In

That Letter, For He Thoroughly Understood The Character Of The

Commissioner, And Disliked Him So Much That While At Ballarat He Had Not

Even Called Upon Him.

"When I Obtain A Position At Melbourne That I Consider Suitable For A

Fair Display Of My Talents, I Shall Know How To Be Grateful For Favors,"

The Commissioner Insinuated, With A Bland Smile That Suggested Whole

Volumes Of Bribery.

The Subject Was Painful To Me, And To Avoid Making Promises Which I

Could Not Perform, I Turned The Conversation To The Theme Which I Had

Uppermost In My Mind,--The Discovery Of Mr. Critchet's Deposit At The

Government Office. The Commissioner Was Slightly Astonished, And Became

More And More Convinced That Fred And Myself Were Innocent Of Any

Complicity In The Plot.

"In Fact," Mr. Sherwin Said, "So Convinced Am I That Follet And An

Unknown Companion Attempted The Murder, That I Shall This Day Order A

Full Discharge From Our Court Records, And Of Course You Will No Longer

Be Under Bail. Nay, I Don't Desire Thanks," The Commissioner Said,

Hastily, As I Attempted To Explain How Grateful We Should Feel. "There

Are Other Ways Besides Words In Which A Man Can Certify His Good Will."

I Understood His Meaning, But Instead Of Returning An Answer I Managed

To Empty His So-Called Wine Upon The Floor, And Then Took My Leave,

After First Hinting That We Were On The Track Of Follet's Companion. I

Felt Easier And Breathed Freer After Reaching The Open Air, In Defiance

Of The Dust, Which Filled The Heavens, And Almost Blinded Me; And While

I Was Picking My Way Through The Street, With Half-Closed Eyes, Whom

Should I Meet But Mr. Brown.

"Hullo," He Shouted, "What Is Up?"

I Briefly Related The Manner In Which I Had Been Received By The

Commissioner, And The Discovery That Steel Spring Had Made.

"And When Does That Long-Limbed Wretch Propose To Identify Follet's

Companion, So That We Can Get Hold Of Him?" Mr. Brown Inquired.

"To-Night," I Answered; "I Intended To Find You In The Course Of The

Day, And Get You To Accompany Us On The Expedition."

"What Time Do You Start?"

"About Midnight. Steel Spring Is To Be At Dan's, And Will Introduce Us

To The Company As Men Afraid To Look Upon The Face Of A 'Trap,' And 'On

The Square.'"

"I'll Be With You Before You Start, And During The Day I'll Send Two

Disguises To The Store Which Will Be Hard To Rival In Point Of Ugliness.

Good By For The Present, And Don't Forget To Examine And Clean Your

Revolvers, For We May Need Them."

At About Midnight We Donned Our Disguises, And Then Surveyed Each Other

With Attention. Fred Had A Close-Cropped Wig Of A Fiery Red Color, Which

Nearly Covered His Forehead, And Made Him Look Like A Prize-Fighter

After A Hard Battle.

On His Nose Was Stuck An Immense Piece Of Adhesive Plaster, Which Rather

Detracted From His Personal Beauty; And To Complete The Adornment Of His

Person, There Were Other Strips Of The Same Material On His Face, Which,

By The Way, Was Slightly Smeared With Dirt To Give Him A Healthy Color

So That The Company Which We Were About To Seek Should Not Accuse Us Of

Aristocracy In Being Too Clean.

I Also Had On A Wig, But It Was One Of The _Fussy_ Kind, And Made My

Head Look As Though Guiltless Of A Comb Or Brush For Many Months. To

Beautify My Complexion I Smeared It Over With Soot, And When I Regaled

Myself With A Glance At Our Six By Nine Glass, I Was Satisfied That No

Living Man Could Tell Whether I Was A Dirty White Man Or A Dirty Negro.

Our Costumes Consisted Of Blue Flannel Shirts, With Coarse Canvas

Trousers, Very Much Soiled And Very Stiff; But They Were Made Loose,

With Very Deep Pockets, For The Express Purpose Of Carrying A Brace Of

Pistols Or Huge Pocket Knives.

A Few Minutes Past Twelve O'clock The Inspector Gave His Peculiar Knock,

And We Admitted Him. He Had On A Suit Of Clothing That Formerly Belonged

To A Miner Who Had Passed Two Or Three Weeks Under Ground Digging

Through A Stratum Of Clay, And Of Course He Had Not Spared His Garments,

For They Were So Besmeared That It Would Have Puzzled A Conjurer To Have