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

Business On Its Own Account, Independent Of The Body.

"For God's Sake, Be Quick," I Cried, Fearing That I Should Faint Before

My Friend Accomplished His Object.

"Patience, Patience--Don't Get Into A Rage, For It Will Not Help Us. If

The Snake Is Of The Poisonous Species, A Few Seconds Will Not Make Much

Difference; And If The Reptile Is Harmless, Were It Not For The Feeling

Of The Thing, It Might As Well Lodge In Your Trousers As In Any Other

Part Of Our Camp Equipage. Don't Jerk So--The Thing Has Nerves As Well

As Yourself."

Much More Did Mr. Brown Say, But I Was In No Humor To Talk, Or Even To

Listen; And Yet I Can Now Frankly Confess That If He Had Not Made Light

Of My Misfortune I Should Have Suffered Ten Times The Amount Of Mental

Agony That I Did. His Jesting Style Of Treating The Affair Was Alone

Sufficient To Make Me Keep Up My Spirits, And Imagine The Matter As One

Of Less Consequence Than It Really Was.

"Now, Then, Are You Ready?" Cried Mr. Brown, "And I Felt The Snake

Suddenly Cease Its Gyrations And Strain To Effect Its Escape, But I Held

On With A Hand Of Iron.

"When I Say Three, Do You Let Go Suddenly," My Friend Exclaimed.

I Was Only Too Willing.

"One."

"Two."

It Seemed An Age Between The Monosyllables, Yet I Held On Patiently.

"Three."

I Released My Hold, And Mr. Brown, With A Quick Movement Of His Hand,

Dashed The Reptile To The Ground, And Stamped Upon It With His Heavy

Boots.

"Now Let Us See What Species It Is," He Said, Kicking It Towards The

Fire. A Moment's Examination, And A Hearty Laugh Set My Fears At Rest.

"You Might Have Slept With A Dozen Beneath You, And No Harm Would Have

Happened. It Is Nothing But A Green Snake, And A Small One At That."

I Could Hardly Believe The Welcome News, And A Personal Inspection Was

Necessary To Convince Me Of The Fact, And Then A Strong Drink From My

Flask Was Needful To Compose My Nerves, And Render Me A Fit Subject For

Sleep.

"Let Me Give You A Word Of Advice," Mr. Brown Said, Joining Me In The

Drink With Wonderful Alacrity. "Never Again Camp Out Without Seeing That

The Bottoms Of Your Trousers Are Shoved Tight Into The Tops Of Your

Boots. This Simple Precaution Sometimes Saves Much Trouble And

Suffering. I Again Drink To Your Lucky Escape."

"If You Do, Try The Contents Of Your Own Bottle, Then, For Mine Is

Running Low."

Mr. Brown Did Not Heed My Request, And I Had The Satisfaction Of Hearing

The Liquor Gurgling Down His Throat As Though He Liked It Exceedingly;

And When He Did Return The Bottle, He Gave Me More Fatherly Advice,

Which Was To The Effect That I Should Carry A Larger Flask During My

Travels, If I Expected To Be Successful In Life, And Die Happy.

I Have A Distinct Impression That I Was Thinking On The Subject When

Sleep Overtook Me, And When I Was Awakened Mr. Brown Was Already Rolling

Up His Blankets And Making His Toilet.

"Come," He Exclaimed, "Let Us Be Stirring Before Sunrise, And By Ten

O'clock We Can Reach The Banks Of The Loddon. Get The Kettle From The

Pack, And We Will Have A Cup Of Coffee For Breakfast."

While I Was Unpacking The Miscellaneous Articles Which The Pack Horse

Was Compelled To Carry, Mr. Brown Started A Fire, And In A Short Time

The Fumes Of Boiling Coffee Mingled With The Fragrance Of The Numerous

Flowers Which Grew Upon The Banks Of The Stream.

"How Did You Sleep?" I Inquired, While Cooling My Pot Of Coffee, And

Eating My Cake Of Bread, Seasoned With A Small Piece Of Salt Pork, Which

I Had Broiled On A Stick.

"Not Very Soundly, I Must Confess, Yet I Think That I Can Get Through

The Day Without A _Siesta_. By The Way, How You Do Snore!"

"Do?" I Asked, "I Didn't Know That You Was Sufficiently Awake During The

Night To Discover The Fact. But A Truce To Jesting. What Direction Do We

Travel To Reach The Loddon?"

"We Have Got To Ford This Stream, And Follow The Bank For About Three

Miles, Where We Cross The Country In The Direction Of Mount Tarrengower,

Which We Cannot See From This Spot; After We Have Gained The Loddon, We

Are To Find A Sheep Path That Will Lead Us To A Plain, In The Centre Of

Which Is A Small Barren Strip, Surrounded On All Sides, Excepting One,

With Quicksands And Bogs. Bill Told Me That The Path Would Lead Almost

Direct To The Spot, And That I Could Not Fail To Recognize It, As

Thousands Of Sheep Resort There Every Week For The Purpose Of Licking

The Salt That Is Constantly Forming Under The Action Of Brackish Water

And A Burning Sun."

"And Mount Tarrengower--How Far Is That From The Place Indicated?" I

Inquired.

"Not More Than A Mile, I Should Judge, For At Twelve O'clock At Night

The Full Moon, Partly Concealed By The Mountain, Throws A Shadow Exactly

Upon The Edge Of The Spot Where We Are To Dig."

I Considered The Direction Rather Blind, But Mr. Brown Seemed So

Confident That I Thought I Would Not Dash His Spirits By Grave

Misgivings. I Was In A Reflective Mood, However, While Assisting To Pack

Up, And Saddle Our Animals, And I Thought How Fred Would Laugh If We

Returned Empty-Handed.

We Mounted Our Animals And Rode Along The Bank Of The Stream For A Few

Rods, Until We Reached What We Supposed To Be A Good Fording Place, For

We Saw The Prints Of Animals' Feet In Profusion On Both Sides Of The

Brook.

"I Will Cross First," Mr. Brown Said, "And Then You Can Drive The Pack

Horse Over, And Follow After Him."

I Made No Objections To The Suggestion, But I Thought I Would Watch His

Course Narrowly, And See How Deep The Dark-Looking Water Really Was

Before I Ventured To Cross Upon What Seemed To Me A Very Uncertain Soil.

"Here I Go," My Friend Exclaimed, Striking His Reluctant Animal, Who

Didn't Appear To Relish The Expedition.

The Spirited Animal Bounded Under The Blow, And Dashed Down The Bank,

Sinking To His Knees At Every Step In The Light Soil, And Straining

Badly To Carry His Master In Safety To The Opposite Side. The Water Was

Only Up To The Saddle Girths, And The Stream Was Not More Than Twenty

Feet Wide, Yet I Feared That Both Horse And Rider Would Sink Before My

Eyes In The Treacherous Quicksands Which Composed The Bed Of The Brook.

"Use Whip And Spur," I Shouted, "Or You Will Lose Your Horse."

Mr. Brown Understood His Danger Full As Well As Myself. He Lifted The

Animal With His Bridle, And Then Drove His Sharp Spurs Into His Panting

Sides, But In Spite Of His Most Violent Exertions The Gallant Gray

Floundered About, And Did Not Make An Inch Headway, And With Prompt

Action Was Alone Enabled To Draw One Foot And Then Another From The

Sands, And Prevent Being Swallowed Alive.

The Dark Water Was Lashed Into Foam By The Struggle, And Yet I Could

Offer No Assistance To My Friend Or His Horse. It Seemed To Me That Each

Moment The Latter Was Sinking Deeper And Deeper, And In A Few Moments

Must Disappear From Sight.

Mr. Brown Appeared To Entertain The Same Opinion, For He Disengaged His

Feet From The Stirrups, And Threw Himself From The Animal, Striking The

Water Flat Upon His Stomach, And Swimming, With Quick Strokes, Towards

The Opposite Bank, Which He Gained, And By Aid Of The Branch Of A Gum

Tree, Which Overhung The Brook, Succeeded In Swinging His Light Form

Upon Solid Earth.

The Horse, Relieved Of The Weight Of His Rider, Seemed Encouraged To

Renewed Exertions, And After Prodigious Efforts, Emerged From The

Quicksands, And Uttered A Neigh, As Though Rejoicing At His Escape.

"You Will Have To Go Farther Up," Shouted Mr. Brown, Shaking Himself,

And Looking At His Soiled Clothes Rather Ruefully. "The Bed Of The Brook

Is So Quidling, That It Won't Bear The Weight Of A Mosquito; And If You

Should Commence Sinking, The Lord Only Knows When You Would Stop, Or

Where."

Not Wishing To Test The Truth Of His Assertion, I Rode Along The Bank Of

The Brook Nearly A Mile, Until I Found A Place Where The Water Was More

Than Six Inches Deep, With A Solid Bed Of Gravel. At This Spot I Crossed

Without Trouble, And Then We Continued Our Journey Across The Country,

Mount Tarrengower Looming Up Before Us Like A Giant Amid Pigmies.

"Devilish Narrow Escape For Me And The Horse," Mr. Brown Said, While

Walking Our Animals Over Some Rough Ground; "I Thought At One Time That

We Both Would Have To Go Under, And I Began To Think Of A Prayer Or Two.

I Knew Something Would Happen To Us After Talking About Poor Buckerly In

The Manner That We Did."

"Do You Really Think So?" I Asked, Hardly Knowing Whether He Was

Quizzing Me Or Was Serious.

"Upon My Word I Am Not Jesting. I Have Too Much Superstition In My

Composition To Think Of Spirits In Any Light, Excepting That Of The

Utmost Respect; For Why Should Not The Dead Revenge Themselves Upon The

Living If So Disposed?"

"If That Is Your Belief, How Do You Reconcile The Fact Of Your Having

Killed So Many Bushrangers, And Yet Escape Their Persecutions?" I

Inquired.

"Simply Because The Bad Have Not The Power To Injure The Good."

I Laughed So Heartily At The Explanation, That Even My Friend Suffered

His Grim Visage To Relax A Little.

"You May Smile," He Said, "But It's Just As I Tell You."

I Saw That He Was In Earnest, So Let The Matter Drop--But The

Conversation Was Afterwards Renewed And Discussed In All Its Lights And

Bearings, But Still Without Arriving At Any Satisfactory Conclusion.

It Was Near Twelve O'clock When We Reached The River, Which Was About

Three Feet Deep And Forty Wide. After Hunting For Some Time We

Discovered The Ford, And Crossed Without Difficulty. We Found Ourselves

In An Immense Grazing District, Where Ten Thousand Sheep Could Have Been

Pastured Without Trouble Or Fear Of Their Suffering For Food.

The Difficulty Which We Then Experienced Was To Find The Right Path That

Was To Lead Us To The Salt Lick, But Even That Was Overcome At Length,

And We Galloped Along The Trail Which We Supposed That Bill Meant, With

Bright Anticipations Of A Successful Termination Of Our Mission.

Suddenly Mr. Brown Reined Up, And Called To Me To Stop A Moment.

"If I Am Not Mistaken," He Said, Pointing With His Whip Towards A

Cluster Of Gum Tress And Bushes That Stood Upon A Small Mound Near Our

Right, "I Saw A Human Being Dodge Behind One Of Those Trees, After

Watching Us For A Few Minutes."

"Let Us Make An Examination," I Replied. "We Want No Spies Upon Our

Actions In This Matter, And If We Are To Be Followed, We Had Better Find

Out What Is Wanted." I Turned My Horse's