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

Time. I Have Every Reason To Think So, And If I Don't, I Shall Be Forced

To Give Up That Portion Of The Show, Although I Should Think That It

Was Very Effective, If I May Judge From The Remarkable Antics Of The

Coveys. That Black-Whiskered Scoundrel Wanted To Have A Shot At Me, And

I Guess That He Would Hadn't It Been For The Fire. The Flames Are A

Great Improvement, 'Cos They Make Me Look Jist As Though I Had Arrived

From Kingdom Come."

"But How Was The Effect Produced?" Demanded Mr. Brown.

"Well, I Don't Know As I Had Ought To Tell You Coveys, 'Cos You Might

Claim The 'Vention As Your Own," Replied The Shepherd, Coquettishly; But

Finding That We Were Ready To Vouch For Our Disintertestedness, He

Continued: "You See When I Was Overhauling Your Traps Last Night--"

Here Mr. Brown Groaned, As He Thought Of The Liquor Which Had Been

Carried Off, And How Acceptable It Would Be At The Present Time.

"I Found A Lot Of Matches, So I Took Half That You Had," Continued Day,

"Which I Consider An Honest Transaction, 'Cos I Know Coveys Who Would

Have Carried All Off And Not Thanked Ye. I've Got Some Honor, If I Am A

Shepherd."

"Especially When You Drank All My Brandy," Mr. Brown Remarked.

Day Scorned To Notice The Insinuation, But Continued:

"I Thought How Convenient Them 'Ere Matches Would Be, And I Didn't

Scruple To Take 'Em, 'Cos I Knew That If We Were Acquainted You Would

Divide, And Be Glad To Accommodate Me."

We Didn't Tell Day The Maledictions We Had Showered Upon His Head, Or

How We Should Have Treated Him Had We Caught Him With Our Puck. We

Thought That As He Had Been Of Service To Us We Would Withhold Our

Expressions Of Dissatisfaction. Day Continued:

"I Had The Matches In My Pocket When I Seed That Black Devil Get Ready

To Kill His Man, And A Thought Struck Me That If The Bushranger Was

'Gentleman Sam,' I'd Better Look Out How I Played Pranks With Him, 'Cos

He's As Bold As A Lion, And Nearly About As Strong. I Thought That If I

Was To Frighten Him I'd Got To Put On The Extras, And I Jist Collected A

Few Dried Twigs, Lashed Them On The Head With Dried Kangaroo Sinews,

Tougher Than An Undertaker's Heart, And When I Found That It Was About

Time For The Coffin, I Jist Lighted The Wood Works With A Match, And

There I Was All Shining Bright Like An Angel."

"If You Resemble An Angel, I Don't Wonder At The Few Visits They Pay The

Earth," Grumbled Mr. Brown, Who, Now That The Danger Was Nearly Past,

Was Disposed To Quiz The Man Who Had Been So Serviceable To Us.

"Well, I 'Spose There Is Some Difference 'Twixt Us," Returned Day, "For

If All Angels Got Burned As Bad As I Have Been They Would Leave Out The

Fire When They Went Visiting."

"Well, Well," Replied My Companion, Consolingly, "You Have Been An Angel

To Us, Day, And If I Had Only A Portion Of The Good Liquor Which You

Carried Off Last Night I Would Drink Your Health And Bathe Your Wounds."

"Would You, Though?" Demanded Day, With Animation.

Mr. Brown Reiterated His Statement, Although In A Languid Manner, For He

Did Not Exactly Approve Of The Midnight Depredation Which Our Friend Had

Been Guilty Of.

"Well, To Tell The Truth," Continued Day, "I Didn't Drink All That I

Found, 'Cos I Thought It Would Be Cruel, So I Jist Changed It Into A

Bladder That I Carried Water In, And I Have Got It Stowed Away Here

Somewhere."

Never Did A Confession Sound More Welcome, And We Watched Out Friend

Eagerly Until He Returned From The Place Where The Liquor Was Hid, And

We Found About A Pint Of The Raw Material Saved From His Rapacious

Stomach.

"Here Is Health And Long Life To All Undertakers' Apprentices," Mr.

Brown Said, Pressing The Bladder To His Mouth In The Most Affectionate

Manner.

The Words Were Hardly Uttered When We Heard The Shrill Calls Of The

Bushrangers, As They Rallied After Their Flight, And Were Returning To

Their Encampment To Recover What Articles They Had Left Behind Them.

Surprised To Think That They Should Have Ventured Upon Haunted Ground

The Second Time, I Glanced Towards The Woods, And Found, To My Surprise,

That Daylight Had Stolen Upon Us Almost Unperceived, And That The

Bushrangers Had Gained Fresh Courage From The Fact, And Were Still In A

Condition To Annoy Us.

If We Had Once Given The Matter A Thought, We Might Have Known That The

Bushrangers Would Return To Their Camp By Break Of Day, For The Purpose

Of Securing Their Effects Which They Had Left Behind, And To Talk Over

The Matter Of The Spiritual Apparition. I Almost Regretted That We Had

Not, During Their Absence, Endeavored To Gain Some Secure Retreat,

Either At The Station On Our Right, Which Our Day Belonged To, And Where

It Was Thought The Bushrangers Would Not Have Dared To Follow Us, Or

Else Having Struck Out Boldly For Mount Tarrengower, Endeavored To Have

Discovered A Path Or Trail That Led Over The Mountain, Where We Might

Have Found Safety. In Case No Trail Existed, We Could Have Secreted

Ourselves In One Of The Dark Glens On The Side Of The Mount, And

Remained There Until Day Had Brought Us Word That The Coast Was Clear.

Even Mr. Brown And The Ghost Began To Look Black When The Peculiar

Calls, Which We Knew Were Signals Employed By The Bushrangers, Saluted

Us. Daylight Was Already Upon Us, And The Occupation Of Our Apparition

Was At An End, For However Horrid He Might Look During Darkness, The

Light Of The Sun Revealed His True Character, And Stripped Him Of His

Ghastly Look.

As It Was Impossible For Us To Venture From The Island While The Robbers

Infested The Woods, We Naturally Turned To Each Other For Advice And

Counsel. Mr. Brown Considered That Our Only Chance For Safety Was To

Remain Where We Were, And Wait Patiently Until Sam And His Gang Were

Disposed To Vacate The Woods, And He Argued Shrewdly That They Would

Not Pass A Second Night In A Locality That Had Been The Scene Of A

Cold-Blooded Murder, And The Appearance Of A Ghost Of The Most Frightful

Description.

The Shepherd Was In Favor Of The Same Plan, And Expressed Himself Ready

To Fight Like A Briton In Case We Were Attacked, And To Show His

Sincerity, Revealed To Us The State Of His Powder Horn, Half Full Of

Diamond Glazed, While His Pouch Contained Nearly Thirty Bullets, Each

Weighing An Ounce.

Luckily We Had Taken The Precaution To Remove Mr. Brown's Gray Horse

From The Main Land To The Island, So That No Trace Of Our Presence

Remained, Excepting The Footprints Of The Animals.

"I Think," Said Day, After A Moment's Hesitation, "That I Can Venture To

Meet The Coveys And Have A Talk With 'Em, And Endeavor To Allay Their

Suspicions If They Have Any."

Of Course Mr. Brown And Myself Remonstrated Against Such A Measure, As

We Considered That His Life Would Not Be Worth One Of His Sheepskins If

Met By The Gang.

"I Don't Know 'Bout That," Day Replied. "The Coveys Ain't So Fond Of

Killing Stockmen, If They Don't Meddle Too Much With Their Mutton, And

I'm Sure Whenever Gentlemanly Sam And His Boys Have Honored Me With A

Visit, I Have Let 'Em Have Their Own Way, And They Have Killed Without

Hinderance. If That Isn't Treating 'Em Well, Then I Was Not Larnt

Manners."

"There Is Some Force In What You Say," Mr. Brown Replied.

"Of Course There Is. Can't I Go To The Coveys And Pretend That I Am

Searching For Stray Sheep, And Tell A Lie Or Two About The Horses, And

Then Hint That I Don't Like To Be Caught In This Part Of The Country

After Dark, 'Cos I Have Seen Strange Sights, That I Don't Like To Talk

About? I Don't Know How We Are To Manage, Unless I Act The Part

Proposed, For As Sure As You Are Alive, The Coveys Will Feel Curious

Enough To Know What Has Been Going On In The Island, And If They Once

Get A Hint That We Are Here, It Is All Day With Us."

"We Could Defend The Island Against Ten Times The Number Of Bushrangers

That Belong To The Gang," Muttered Mr. Brown.

"No Doubt Of That," Remarked The Shepherd, Dryly; "But The Coveys Ain't

Going To Make A Fight Of It By Any Means. They Would Starve Us Out In

Less Than Twenty-Four Hours After Beginning The Siege."

Mr. Brown Pointed To The Horses, As Though Intimating We Could Eat Them

If Pressed,--But Day Shook His Head.

"Tain't The Grub That We Should Need As Much As Something Else. Give Me

A Well Of Water And The Horses, And I'll Agree To Hold This Island Agin

All The Bushrangers In The Country. Don't You Know That When The Sun

Begins To Scorch A Covey's Head He Must Have Water In His Stomach, Or

He'll Soon Kick The Bucket? We Could Eat The Animals, But We Must Have