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

Suddenly As Though His Limb Had Been Paralyzed From Wrist To Shoulder.

"Do You Mean To Rob Or To Assassinate Me?" Cried Follet, Rubbing His

Arm, And Looking Dangerous.

"Neither," We Replied; "But We Require You To Be Patient, And To Make

Atonement For Some Of The Wrong That You Have Done. This You Shall Do,

Or Be Lodged In A Prison And Returned To England."

"Do You Take Me For A Child, That I Should Be Thus Lectured By Boys And

A Gray-Headed Idiot? You Don't Know Me Yet!"

The Desperate Man Suddenly Turned, While Talking, And With One Of His

Heavy Boots Kicked The Hound Upon His Head; But The Noble Brute Did Not

Even Utter A Whimper, Although The Blow Brought Blood Upon His Glossy

Coat. But Dearly Did The Fellow Pay For His Cruelty, For, As He Dashed

Towards The Door, For The Purpose Of Escaping, Rover Sprang Upon Him,

Seized Him By His Neck, And Bore Him Headlong To The Floor, Where He

Held Him, Despite Of His Struggles And Cries.

We Let Them Fight It Out Without Interference, But A Few Minutes Were

Sufficient To Produce Cries For Quarter From Follet, Although Before We

Listened To Them We Disarmed Him Of His Knife And Remaining Pistol.

"Get Up," I Said, Addressing The Prostrate Man, "And Remember That Acts

Of Cruelty Sometimes Bring Immediate Punishment."

He Arose, Sullen And Angry, Yet Not Daring To Manifest It By Deeds And

Words. I Motioned Him To A Place Near The Stove, Where Mr. Critchet Was

Seated, And From Whence He Had Witnessed All That Had Transpired,

Without Remark Or Interference.

"Why Am I Treated In This Manner?" Demanded Follet, Hesitating, Before

He Complied With My Request.

"Because We Think That It Is Necessary For You To Make Reparation For

Wrongs That You Have Committed During A Lifetime."

"Who Accuses Me?" He Asked, After A Pause.

"I Do!" Said Mr. Critchet.

"I Never Saw You Before In The Whole Course Of My Existence!" Cried The

Forger, With A Degree Of Effrontery That Was Characteristic Of The Man.

"Do You Deny That You Married My Sister, And That I Lent You Money,

Besides Taking Up Your Forged Paper To Save Your Neck From The Common

Hangman? Demanded Critchet, Earnestly.

"I Do," Replied The Prisoner, Without A Moment's Hesitancy; "And I Will

Also Add, That If You Think That I Am To Be Robbed With Impunity, You

Are Mistaken. What Money I Have About Me I Shall Hold On To; And When I

Do Gain My Liberty Look To Yourselves, For There Is Law To Be Obtained

In Ballarat."

We Consulted Apart With Mr. Critchet, And Found That He Was Positive

That The Man Who Had Wronged Him So Basely Was In Our Power, And We Had

Too Great Confidence In The Judgment Of The Old Gentleman To Believe

That He Would Tell A Lie, Or Endeavor To Deceive Us In The Premises.

"How Old Was Young Follet When His Father Left London?" Fred Asked Of

Mr. Critchet.

"About Sixteen," Was The Answer.

"Then We Can Settle This Matter In The Morning, Without Trouble, Or

Further Debate."

"How?"

"By Confronting The Son With The Father."

We Determined To Try The Experiment At All Hazards, And As There Was No

Law By Which We Could Be Reached For Detaining A Supposed Criminal

Without A Warrant, I Suggested That A Pair Of Irons Should Be Slipped

Upon His Wrists, For The Purpose Of Insuring His Security During The

Night, And That In The Morning We Should Consult With Mr. Brown, And Be

Governed By His Advice.

My Proposition Was Accepted, And The Matter Was Communicated To Follet,

Who Swore Many Strange Oaths, And Would Have Resisted, But He Found That

It Was Useless; And To Add To His Terror, Rover Sat Within A Few Feet Of

Him, Displaying His Ivories, And Ready To Avenge His Affront Upon The

First Symptom Of Hostility.

The Stranger At Length Complied With Our Terms, And While We Provided A

Bed For Him, We Did Not Fail To Intimate That Rover Was To Watch By His

Side, And Give An Alarm, In Case He Meant Mischief During The Night, Of

Which We Were Not Much Afraid.

At Daybreak We Wore All Astir, And Ready For Business. We Provided A

Substantial Breakfast For Our Prisoner, And Then I Sought The Presence

Of The Inspector, And Laid The Whole Matter Before Him.

He Agreed With Me That It Was Only Right And Just That Follet Should

Make Reparation For The Wrongs That He Had Inflicted, But Thought That

It Was Hardly Fair To Make The Son Betray The Father.

After Studying Over The Matter Some Time, The Inspector Visited The

Prison, And Got The Young Man To Give A Description Of His Parent, And

So Perfect Was The Likeness That There Could Be No Doubt Of His

Identity.

Then, For The First Time, Did We Tell The Forger That He Had A Son Near

Him, Who Was Held To Answer For An Attempt At Murder. The Feelings Of

The Man Were Obliged To Yield Before The Intelligence, But How Much More

Intense Was His Sorrow, When Told That His Son Had Nearly Murdered The

Very Man Who Had Stepped Forward To Save Him From Starvation!

"He Came Honestly By The Disposition, So Don't Blame Your Son," Said

Brown, Bluntly. "Consider How Much Injury You Have Caused The Old

Gentleman, And Ask Your Heart If There Is Not An Opportunity To Make

Some Redress!"

"What Would You Have Me Do?" Demanded The Forger, Sullenly.

"You Own A Well-Stocked Tract Of Land; You Must Give Him A Deed Of It,

And Then Leave This Part Of The Country Forever," Mr. Brown Said.

"But Then I Shall Have To Begin The World Without A Penny, And I Am

Growing Old," Pleaded The Forger.

"So Did Your Victim; And Yet His Age Is Greater Than Yours. When

Stripping Him Of Wealth You Had No Misgivings, And As You Showed No

Mercy, Neither Shall We."

"Give Me Time To Consult With My Friends," Pleaded Follet; But Mr. Brown

Was Deaf To His Entreaties.

"Either Go With Me Before The Commissioner, And Give A Title To Your

Property, Or Else You Go To Prison And Wait The Return Of A Ship To

England, Where You Will Be Tried For Forgery, And Probably Condemned.

You Can Take Your Choice--A Life At The Hulks, Or Freedom And Poverty."

"This Is A D----D Trap!" Yelled The Forger, "But I Will Not Be Caught So

Easily."

"As You Please," Returned Mr. Brown, Carelessly; "I Have A Greater

Desire To See Justice Executed On Men Of Your Stamp Than To Attempt To

Compromise Matters. Come With Me."

He Passed His Arm Through Follet's, And Beckoned Mike To Do Likewise;

But Before The Trio Had Taken Three Steps Towards The Door The Forger's

Heart Began To Soften.

"Am I To Be Locked Up?" He Demanded.

"Ay, In The Darkest Cell In The Prison," Returned Mr. Brown, Firmly.

"One Moment!" He Exclaimed; "Will You Agree To Let Me Go Free If I

Comply With Your Request?"

We Gave The Required Pledge, And In Less Than Three Hours' Time We Had

The Satisfaction Of Placing In Mr. Critchet's Hands A Deed Of All The

Property Owned By Follet; And Although The Amount Was Not Near The Sum

That The Former Had Expended To Save The Latter's Neck, Yet It Was

Sufficient To Place The Old Gentleman In Affluent Circumstance's For The

Remainder Of His Life.

Mr. Brown, Who Had Interested Himself So Successfully In Mr. Critchet's

Affairs, To Be Sure That Follet Did Not Return To His Stock-House, Sent

Two Men, Old And Experienced Shepherds, To Take Charge Of The Stock And

Exercise A General Supervision Over The Property Until Mr. Critchet Was

Disposed To Sell It For The Most That He Could Get, And He Did Not Have

To Wait Long For An Offer; For One Day The Old Gentleman Astonished Us

By Imparting The Information That He Had Got A Letter From A Person In

Melbourne Who Was Anxious To Buy, And Desired An Interview Immediately.

Our Friend Left The Same Day In The Stage Line, But Before He Went He

Made Us A Present Of His Claim, And A Munificent Gift It Was.

We Saw The Old Gentleman No More In Australia, But When In London, On

Our Way Home, Via The Overland Route From China And The Indies, We Had

The Satisfaction Of Once More Shaking His Hand, And Fighting Our Battles

Over. His Daughter Was As Handsome As She Was Accomplished, And Her

Gratitude Towards Us For The Kindness Which We Had Shown Her Parent

Would Undoubtedly Have Caused Her To Look With Some Degree Of Favor Upon

Our Suits, Had We Been Disposed To Demand The Sacrifice. Fred Was Too

Modest, And I Lacked Confidence, And Between Us Both We Left London

Without Daring To Propose For The Lady's Hand. She Is Still Unmarried,

And Her Father Writes Me That She Shows No Disposition For Matrimony. If

I Was Not Fearful Of Meeting With A Rebuff, There Would He One Bachelor

Less In The World, Or, As The Stage Heroes Say, I Would "Perish In The

Attempt."

"I Am Tired Of This," The Inspector Said, One Day, Entering The Store,

And Throwing His Weary Form Upon A Mattress. "For Nearly A Week I Have

Hardly Had An Opportunity To Close My Eyes, And My Men Are In The Same

Exhausted Condition As Myself. I Have Warded Off The Blows As Long As

Possible. But Now I See No Way Of Escaping A Collision."

"What Do You Intend To Do?" Fred Asked.

"Resign My Position, And Let The Commissioner Take The Responsibility. I

Have Written Thrice, Asking To Be Exchanged, But At Head-Quarters They

Appear To Be Deaf To My Prayers. You May Think That It Is Cowardly To

Thus Attempt To Escape My Share Of The Work, But You Have Been In Too

Many Exciting Frays Not To Know Me Better, And To Feel That Where A Blow

Is To Be Struck In A Good Cause I Am Never Backward."

We Assured The Inspector That We Never Entertained A Doubt Of His

Courage, And That Whatever Course He Decided On Would Meet With Our

Approval.

"I Cannot Stay Here And Order Men To Fire Upon Miners Whom I Have Known

For Many Months, And Whom I Entertain A Sincere Regard For. Besides,"

And Here The Inspector Lowered His Voice And Whispered Confidentially,

"The Miners Are In The Right, And I Don't Blame Them For Standing Out

Against A Tax That Is Levied Upon All Without Regard To The Amount Of

Gold Obtained."

"Had You Not Better Remain As Long As Possible, And Perhaps Delay Will

Enable The Government To See The Suicidal Course That They Are

Attempting. If You Leave, And Mr. Sherwin Is Allowed Full Sway, I Will

Not Answer For Peace Twenty-Four Hours," Fred Said.

"I Have Already Made More Sacrifices To My Sense Of Dignity And Manhood

In The Vain Attempt To Keep Mr. Sherwin Within Bounds And Moderation

Than The Country Will Ever Give Me Credit For; And Yet I Am Blamed, And

Accused Of Not Doing My