A Final Reckoning:A Tale of Bush Life in Australiaby G. A. Henty. 

Contents

Preface. Chapter 1: The Broken Window. Chapter 2: The Poisoned Dog. Chapter 3: The Burglary At The Squire's. Chapter 4: The Trial. Chapter 5: Not Guilty!Chapter 6: On The Voyage. Chapter 7: Gratitude. Chapter 8: A Gale. Chapter 9: Two Offers. Chapter 10: An Up-Country District. Chapter 11: The Black Fellows. Chapter 12: The Bush Rangers. Chapter 13: Bush Rangers. Chapter 14: An Unexpected Meeting. Chapter 15: At Donald's. Chapter 16: Jim's Report. Chapter 17: In Pursuit. Chapter 18: Settling Accounts. 

Illustrations

Reuben Whitney Acquitted of the Charge of Burglary. The Ladies Saved from the Malay's Crease. A Fight with the Black Fellows. Jim Notes the Bush Rangers' Plans for Mischief. 

Preface. 

In this tale I have left the battlefields of history, and havewritten a story of adventure in Australia, in the early days whenthe bush rangers and the natives constituted a real and formidabledanger to the settlers. I have done this, not with the intention ofextending your knowledge, or even of pointing a moral, although thestory is not without one; but simply for a change--a change bothfor you and myself, but frankly, more for myself than for you. Youknow the old story of the boy who bothered his brains with Euclid, until he came to dream regularly that he was an equilateraltriangle enclosed in a circle. Well, I feel that unless I breakaway sometimes from history, I shall be haunted day and night byvisions of men in armour, and soldiers of all ages and times. 

If, when I am away on a holiday I come across the ruins of acastle, I find myself at once wondering how it could best have beenattacked, and defended. If I stroll down to the Thames, I begin toplan schemes of crossing it in the face of an enemy; and if mattersgo on, who can say but that I may find myself, some day, arrestedon the charge of surreptitiously entering the Tower of London, oreffecting an escalade of the keep of Windsor Castle! To avoid sucha misfortune--which would entail a total cessation of my stories, for a term of years--I have turned to a new subject, which I canonly hope that you will find as interesting, if not as instructive, as the other books which I have written. 

G. A. Henty. 

Chapter 1: The Broken Window. 

"You are the most troublesome boy in the village, Reuben Whitney, and you will come to a bad end. "

The words followed a shower of cuts with the cane. The speaker wasan elderly man, the master of the village school of Tipping, nearLewes, in Sussex; and the words were elicited, in no small degree, by the vexation of the speaker at his inability to wring a cry fromthe boy whom he was striking. He was a lad of some thirteen yearsof age, with a face naturally bright and intelligent; but atpresent quivering with anger. 

"I don't care if I do, " he said defiantly. "It won't be my fault, but yours, and the rest of them. "

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, " the master said, "instead ofspeaking in that way. You, who learn easier than anyone here, andcould always be at the top of your class, if you chose. I had hopedbetter things of you, Reuben; but it's just the way, it's yourbright boys as mostly gets into mischief. "

At this moment the door of the school room opened, and a lady withtwo girls, one of about fourteen and the other eleven years of age, entered. 

"What is the matter now?" the lady asked, seeing the schoolmaster, cane in hand, and the boy standing before him. 

"Reuben Whitney! What, in trouble again, Reuben? I am afraid youare a very troublesome boy. "

"I am not troublesome, ma'm, " the boy said sturdily. "That is, Iwouldn't be if they would let me alone; but everything that is donebad, they put it down to me. "

"But what have you been doing now, Reuben?"

"I have done nothing at all, ma'm; but he's always down on me, " andhe pointed to the master, "and when they are always down on afellow, it's no use his trying to do right. "

"What has the boy been doing now, Mr. White?" the lady asked. 

"Look there, ma'm, at those four windows all smashed, and thesquire had all the broken panes mended only a fortnight ago. "

"How was it done, Mr. White?"

"By a big stone, ma'm, which caught the frame where they joined, and smashed them all. "

"I did not do it, Mrs. Ellison, indeed I didn't. "

"Why do you suppose it was Reuben?" Mrs. Ellison asked the master. 

"Because I had kept him in, half an hour after the others went hometo dinner, for pinching young Jones and making him call out; and hehad only just gone out of the gate when I heard the smash; so thereis no doubt about it, for all the others must have been in at theirdinner at that time. "

"I didn't do it, ma'm, " the boy repeated. "Directly I got out ofthe gate, I started off to run home. I hadn't gone not twenty yardswhen I heard a smash; but I wasn't going for to stop to see what itwas. It weren't no business of mine, and that's all I know aboutit. "

"Mamma, " the younger of the two girls said eagerly, "what he saysis quite true. You know you let me run down the village with thejelly for Mrs. Thomson's child, and as I was coming down the road Isaw a boy come out of the gate of the school and run away; and thenI heard a noise of broken glass, and I saw another boy jump overthe hedge opposite, and run, too. He came my way and, directly hesaw me, he ran to a gate and climbed over. "

"Do you know who it was, Kate?" Mrs. Ellison asked. 

"Yes, mamma. It was Tom Thorne. "

"Is Thomas Thorne here?" Mrs. Ellison asked in a loud voice. 

There was a general turning of the heads of the children to thepoint where a boy, somewhat bigger than the rest, had beenapparently studying his lessons with great diligence. 

"Come here, Tom Thorne, " Mrs. Ellison said. 

The boy slouched up with a sullen face. 

"You hear what my daughter says, Tom. What have you to say inreply?"

"I didn't throw the stone at the window, " the boy replied. "Ichucked it at a sparrow, and it weren't my fault if it missed himand broke the window. "

"I should say it was your fault, Tom, " Mrs. Ellison saidsharply--"very much your fault, if you throw a great stone at abird without taking care to see what it may hit. But that isnothing to your fault in letting another boy be punished for whatyou did. I shall report the matter to the squire, and he will speakto your father about it. You are a wicked, bad boy. 

"Mr. White, I will speak to you outside. "

Followed by her daughters, Mrs. Ellison went out; Kate giving alittle nod, in reply to the grateful look that Reuben Whitney casttowards her, and his muttered:

"Thank you, miss. "

"Walk on, my dears, " Mrs. Ellison said. "I will overtake you, in aminute or two. 

"This will not do, Mr. White, " she said, when she was alone withthe master. "I have told you before that I did not approve of yourthrashing so much, and now it is proved that you punish without anysufficient cause, and upon suspicion only. I shall report the caseat once to the squire and, unless I am greatly mistaken, you willhave to look out for another place. "

"I am very sorry, Mrs. Ellison, indeed I am; and it is not often Iuse the cane, now. If it had been anyone else, I might havebelieved him; but Reuben Whitney is always in mischief. "

"No wonder he is in mischief, " the lady said severely, "if he ispunished, without a hearing, for all the misdeeds of others. Well, I shall leave the matter in the squire's hands; but I am sure hewill no more approve than I do of the children being ill treated. "

Reuben Whitney was the son of a miller, near Tipping. John Whitneyhad been considered a well-to-do man, but he had speculated in cornand had got into difficulties; and his body was, one day, foundfloating in the mill dam. No one knew whether it was the result ofintention or accident, but the jury of his neighbours who sat uponthe inquest gave him the benefit of the doubt, and brought in averdict of "accidental death. " He was but tenant of the mill and, when all the creditors were satisfied, there were only a few poundsremaining for the widow. 

With these she opened a little shop in Tipping, with amiscellaneous collection of tinware and cheap ironmongery; cottons, tapes, and small articles of haberdashery; with toys, sweets, andcakes for the children. The profits were small, but the squire, whohad known her husband, charged but a nominal rent for the cottage;and this was more than paid by the fruit trees in the garden, whichalso supplied her with potatoes and vegetables, so that she managedto support her boy and herself in tolerable comfort. 

She herself had been the daughter of a tradesman in Lewes, and manywondered that she did not return to her father, upon her husband'sdeath. But her home had not been a comfortable one, before hermarriage; for her father had taken a second wife, and she did notget on well with her stepmother. She thought, therefore, thatanything would be better than returning with her boy to a homewhere, to the mistress at least, she would be most unwelcome. 

She had, as a girl, received an education which raised her somewhatabove the other villagers of Tipping; and of an evening she was inthe habit of helping Reuben with his lessons, and trying to correctthe broadness of dialect which he picked up from the other boys. She was an active and bustling woman, managed her little shop well, and kept the garden, with Reuben's assistance, in excellent order. 

Mrs. Ellison had, at her first arrival in the village three yearsbefore, done much to give her a good start, by ordering that allarticles of use for the house, in which she dealt, should bepurchased of her; and she highly approved of the energy andindependence of the young widow. But lately there had been anestrangement between the squire's wife and the village shopkeeper. Mrs. Ellison, whose husband owned all the houses in the village, aswell as the land surrounding it, was accustomed to speak her mindvery freely to the wives of the villagers. She was kindness itself, in cases of illness or distress; and her kitchen supplied soups, jellies, and nourishing food to all who required it; but in return, Mrs. Ellison expected her lectures on waste, untidiness, andmismanagement to be listened to with respect and reverence. 

She was, then, at once surprised and displeased when, two or threemonths before, having spoken sharply to Mrs. Whitney as to thealleged delinquencies of Reuben, she found herself decidedly, though not disrespectfully, replied to. 

"The other boys are always set against my Reuben, " Mrs. Whitneysaid, "because he is a stranger in the village, and has no father;and whatever is done, they throw it on to him. The boy is not a badboy, ma'm--not in any way a bad boy. He may get into mischief, likethe rest; but he is not a bit worse than others, not half as bad assome of them, and those who have told you that he is haven't toldyou the truth. "

Mrs. Ellison had not liked it. She was not accustomed to beanswered, except by excuses and apologies; and Mrs. Whitney'sindependent manner of speaking came upon her almost as an act ofrebellion, in her own kingdom. She was too fair, however, towithdraw her custom from the shop; but from that time she had not, herself, entered it. 

Reuben was a source of anxiety to his mother, but this had noreference to his conduct. She worried over his future. The receiptsfrom the shop were sufficient for their wants; and indeed the widowwas enabled, from time to time, to lay by a pound against badtimes; but she did not see what she was to do with the boy. Almostall the other lads of the village, of the same age, were already inthe fields; and Mrs. Whitney felt that she could not much longerkeep him idle. The question was, what was she to do with him? Thathe should not go into the fields she was fully determined, and hergreat wish was to apprentice him to some trade; but as her fatherhad recently died, she did not see how she was to set about it. 

That evening, at dinner, Mrs. Ellison told the squire of the scenein the school room. 

"White must go, " he said, "that is quite evident. I have seen, forsome time, that we wanted a younger man, more abreast of the timesthan White is; but I don't like turning him adrift altogether. Hehas been here upwards of thirty years. What am I to do with him?"

Mrs. Ellison could make no suggestion; but she, too, disliked thethought of anyone in the village being turned adrift upon theworld. 

"The very thing!" the squire exclaimed, suddenly "We will make himclerk. Old Peters has long been past his work. The old man must beseventy-five, if he's a day, and his voice quavers so that it makesthe boys laugh. We will pension him off. He can have his cottagerent free, and three or four shillings a week. I don't suppose itwill be for many years. As for White, he cannot be much abovesixty. He will fill the place very well. 

"I am sure the vicar will agree, for he has been speaking to me, about Peters being past his work, for the last five years. What doyou say, my dear?"

"I think that will do very well, William, " Mrs. Ellison replied, "and will get over the difficulty altogether. "

"So you see, wife, for once that boy of Widow Whitney's was not toblame. I told you you took those stories on trust against him tooreadily. The boy's a bit of a pickle, no doubt; and I very neargave him a thrashing, myself, a fortnight since, for on going up tothe seven-acre field, I found him riding bare backed on that youngpony I intended for Kate. "

"You don't say so, William!" Mrs. Ellison exclaimed, greatlyshocked. "I never heard of such an impudent thing. I really wonderyou didn't thrash him. "

"Well, perhaps I should have done so, my dear; but the fact is, Icaught sight of him some time before he saw me, and he was reallysitting her so well that I could not find it in my heart to callout. He was really doing me a service. The pony had never beenridden, and was as wild as a wild goat. Thomas is too old, in fact, to break it in, and I should have had to get someone to do it, andpay him two or three pounds for the job. 

"It was not the first time the boy had been on her back, I couldsee. The pony was not quite broken and, just as I came on thescene, was trying its best to get rid of him; but it couldn't doit, and I could see, by the way he rode her about afterwards, thathe had got her completely in hand; and a very pretty-going littlething she will turn out. "

"But what did you say to him, William? I am sure I should neverstop to think whether he was breaking in the pony, or not, if I sawhim riding it about. "

"I daresay not, my dear, " the squire said, laughing; "but then yousee, you have never been a boy; and I have, and can makeallowances. Many a pony and horse have I broken in, in my time; andhave got on the back of more than one, without my father knowinganything about it. "

"Yes, but they were your father's horses, William, " Mrs. Ellisonpersisted. "That makes all the difference. "

"I don't suppose it would have made much difference to me, " thesquire laughed, "at that time. I was too fond of horse flesh, evenfrom a boy, to be particular whose horse it was I got across. However, of course, after waiting till he had done, I gave theyoung scamp a blowing up. "

"Not much of a blowing up, I am sure, " Mrs. Ellison said; "and aslikely as not, a shilling at the end of it. "

"Well, Mary, I must own, " the squire said pleasantly, "that ashilling did find its way out of my pocket into his. "

"It's too bad of you, William, " Mrs. Ellison said indignantly. "Here is this boy, who is notoriously a scapegrace, has theimpertinence to ride your horse, and you encourage him in hismisdeeds by giving him a shilling. "

"Well, my dear, don't you see, I saved two pounds nineteen by thetransaction. 

"Besides, " he added more seriously, "I think the boy has beenmaligned. I don't fancy he's a bad lad at all. A little mischiefand so on, but none the worse for that. Besides, you know, I knewhis father; and have sat many a time on horseback chatting to him, at the door of his mill; and drank more than one glass of good ale, which his wife has brought out to me. I am not altogether easy inmy conscience about them. If there had been a subscription got upfor the widow at his death, I should have put my name down fortwenty pounds; and all that I have done for her is to take eighteenpence a week off that cottage of theirs. 

"No, I called the boy to me when he got off, and pretty scared helooked when he saw me. When he came up, I asked him how he dared toride my horses about, without my leave. Of course he said he wassorry, which meant nothing; and he added, as a sort of excuse, thathe used from a child to ride the horses at the mill down to theford for water; and that his father generally had a young one ortwo, in that paddock of his by the mill, and he used often to ridethem; and seeing the pony one day, galloping about the field andkicking up its heels, he wondered whether he could sit a horsestill, and especially whether he could keep on that pony's back. Then he set to, to try. 

"The pony flung him several times, at first; and no wonder, as hehad no saddle, and only a piece of old rope for a bridle; but hemastered him at last, and he assured me that he had never used thestick, and certainly he had not one when I saw him. I told him, ofcourse, that he knew he ought not to have done it; but that, as hehad taken it in hand, he might finish it. I said that I intended tohave it broken in for Kate, and that he had best get a bit ofsacking and put it on sideways, to accustom the pony to carry alady. Then I gave him a shilling, and told him I would give himfive more, when he could tell me the pony was sufficiently brokenand gentle to carry Kate. "

Mrs. Ellison shook her head in disapprobation. 

"It is of no use, William, my talking to the villagers as to theways of their boys, if that is the way you counteract my advice. "

"But I don't always, my dear, " the squire said blandly. "Forinstance, I shall go round tomorrow morning with my dog whip toThorne's; and I shall offer him the choice of giving that boy ofhis the soundest thrashing he ever had, while I stand by to see it, or of going out of his house at the end of the quarter. 

"I rather hope he will choose the latter alternative. That beershop of his is the haunt of all the idle fellows in the village. Ihave a strong suspicion that he is in league with the poachers, ifhe doesn't poach himself; and the first opportunity I get of layingmy finger upon him, out he goes. "

A few days later when Kate Ellison issued from the gate of thehouse, which lay just at the end of the village, with the basketcontaining some jelly and medicine for a sick child, she foundReuben Whitney awaiting her. He touched his cap. 

"Please, miss, I made bold to come here, to thank you for havingcleared me. "

"But I couldn't help clearing you, Reuben, for you see, I knew itwasn't you. "

"Well, miss, it was very kind, all the same; and I am very muchobliged to you. "

"But why do you get into scrapes?" the girl said. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be suspected of other things. Mamma said, the otherday, you got into more scrapes than any boy in the village; and youlook nice, too. Why do you do it?"

"I don't know why I do it, miss, " Reuben said shamefacedly. "Isuppose it's because I don't go into the fields, like most of theother boys; and haven't got much to do. But there's no great harmin them, miss. They are just larks, nothing worse. "

"You don't do really bad things?" the girl asked. 

"No, miss, I hope not. "

"And you don't tell stories, do you?"

"No, miss, never. If I do anything and I am asked, I always own it. I wouldn't tell a lie to save myself from a licking. "

"That's right, " the girl said graciously. 

She caught somewhat of her mother's manner, from going about withher to the cottages; and it seemed quite natural, to her, to giveher advice to this village scapegrace. 

"Well, try not to do these sort of things again, Reuben; because Ilike you, and I don't like to hear people say you are the worst boyin the village, and I don't think you are. Good-bye, " and KateEllison proceeded on her way. 

Reuben smiled as he looked after her. Owing to his memory of hisformer position at the mill, and to his mother's talk and teaching, Reuben did not entertain the same feeling of respect, mingled withfear, for the squire's family which was felt by the village ingeneral. Instead of being two years younger than himself, the girlhad spoken as gravely as if she had been twenty years his senior, and Reuben could not help a smile of amusement. 

"She is a dear little lady, " he said, as he looked after her; "andit's only natural she should talk like her mother. But Mrs. Ellisonmeans well, too, mother says; and as for the squire, he is a goodfellow. I expected he would have given it to me the other day. 

"Well, now I will go up to the pony. One more lesson, and I think ababy might ride it. "

As he walked along, he met Tom Thorne. There had been war betweenthem, since the affair of the broken window. Reuben had shown theother no animosity on the subject as, having been cleared, he hadfelt in no way aggrieved; but Tom Thorne was very sore over it. Inthe first place, he had been found out; and although Reuben himselfhad said nothing to him, respecting his conduct in allowing him tobe flogged for the offence which he himself had committed, othershad not been so reticent, and he had had a hard time of it in thevillage. Secondly, he had been severely thrashed by his father, inthe presence of the squire; the former laying on the lash with avigour which satisfied Mr. Ellison, the heartiness of the thrashingbeing due, not to any indignation at the fault, but because theboy's conduct had excited the squire's anger; which Thorne, formany reasons, was anxious to deprecate. He was his landlord, andhad the power to turn him out at a quarter's notice; and as therewas no possibility of obtaining any other house near, and he wasdoing by no means a bad trade, he was anxious to keep on good termswith him. 

Tom Thorne was sitting on a gate, as Reuben passed. 

"You think you be a fine fellow, Reuben, but I will be even withyou, some day. "

"You can be even with me now, " Reuben said, "if you like to get offthat gate. "

"I bain't afeared of you, Reuben, don't you go to think it; only Iain't going to do any fighting now. Feyther says if I get into anymore rows, he will pay me out; so I can't lick you now, but someday I will be even with you. "

"That's a good excuse, " Reuben said scornfully. "However, I don'twant to fight if you don't, only you keep your tongue to yourself. I don't want to say nothing to you, if you don't say nothing to me. You played me a dirty trick the other day, and you got welllarrupped for it, so I don't owe you any grudge; but mind you, Idon't want any more talk about your getting even with me, for ifyou do give me any more of it I will fetch you one on the nose, andthen you will have a chance of getting even, at once. "

Tom Thorne held his tongue, only relieving his feelings by making agrimace after Reuben, as the latter passed on. In the variouscontests among the boys of the village, Reuben had proved himselfso tough an adversary that, although Tom Thorne was heavier andbigger, he did not care about entering upon what would be, at best, a doubtful contest with him. 

Contenting himself, therefore, with another muttered, "I will beeven with you some day, " he strolled home to his father's alehouse. 

The change at the school was very speedily made. The squiregenerally carried out his resolutions while they were hot and, onthe very day after his conversation with his wife on the subject, he went first to the vicar and arranged for the retirement of theclerk, and the instalment of White in his place; and then went tothe school house, and informed the master of his intention. Thelatter had been expecting his dismissal, since Mrs. Ellison hadspoken to him on the previous day; and the news which the squiregave him was a relief to him. His emoluments, as clerk, would besmaller than those he received as schoolmaster; but while he wouldnot be able to discharge the duties of the latter for very muchlonger, for he felt the boys were getting too much for him, hewould be able to perform the very easy work entailed by theclerkship for many years to come. It was, too, a position notwithout dignity; and indeed, in the eyes of the village the clerkwas a personage of far greater importance than the schoolmaster. Hetherefore thankfully accepted the offer, and agreed to give up theschool as soon as a substitute could be found. 

In those days anyone was considered good enough for a villageschoolmaster, and the post was generally filled by men who hadfailed as tradesmen, and in everything else they put their handsto; and whose sole qualification for the office was that they wereable to read and write. Instead of advertising, however, in thecounty paper, the squire wrote to an old college friend, who wasnow in charge of a London parish, and asked him to choose a man forthe post. 

"I don't want a chap who will cram all sorts of new notions intothe heads of the children, " the squire said. "I don't think itwould do them any good, or fit them any better for their stations. The boys have got to be farm labourers, and the girls to be theirwives; and if they can read really well, and write fairly, it'sabout as much as they want in the way of learning; but I think thata really earnest sort of man might do them good, otherwise. Aschoolmaster, in my mind, should be the clergyman's best assistant. I don't know, my dear fellow, that I can explain in words moreexactly what I mean; but I think you will understand me, and willsend down the sort of man I want. 

"The cottage is a comfortable one, there's a good bit of gardenattached to it, and I don't mind paying a few shillings a week morethan I do now, to get the sort of man I want. If he has a wife somuch the better. She might teach the girls to sew, which would be, to nine out of ten, a deal more use than reading and writing; andif she could use her needle, and make up dresses and that sort ofthing, she might add to their income. Not one woman in five in thevillage can make her own clothes, and they have to go to a placethree miles away to get them done. "

A week later the squire received an answer from his friend, sayingthat he had chosen a man, and his wife, whom he thought would suit. 

"The poor fellow was rather a cripple, " he said. "He is a woodengraver by trade, but he fell downstairs and hurt his back. Thedoctor who attended him at the hospital spoke to me about him. Hesaid that he might, under favourable circumstances, get better intime; but that he was delicate, and absolutely needed change of airand a country life. I have seen him several times, and have beenmuch struck with his intelligence. He has been much depressed atbeing forbidden to work, but has cheered up greatly since I toldhim of your offer. I have no doubt he will do well. 

"I have selected him, not only for that reason, but because hiswife is as suitable as he is. She is an admirable young woman, andwas a dressmaker before he married her. She has supported them bothever since he was hurt, months ago. She is delighted at the idea ofthe change for, although the money will be very much less than heearned at his trade, she has always been afraid of his healthgiving way; and is convinced that fresh air, and the garden youspeak of, will put new life into him. "

The squire was not quite satisfied with the letter; but, as he toldhimself, he could not expect to get a man trained specially as aschoolmaster to accept the post; and at any rate, if the man wasnot satisfactory his wife was likely to be so. He accordinglyordered his groom to take the light cart and drive over to Lewes, the next day, to meet the coach when it came in; and to bring overthe new schoolmaster, his wife, and their belongings. 

Mrs. Ellison at once went down to the village, and got a woman toscrub the cottage from top to bottom, and put everything tidy. Thefurniture went with the house, and had been provided by the squire. Mrs. Ellison went over it, and ordered a few more things to be sentdown from the house to make it more comfortable for a marriedcouple and, driving over to Lewes, ordered a carpet, curtains, anda few other little comforts for it. 

James Shrewsbury was, upon his arrival, much pleased with hiscottage, which contrasted strongly with the room in a crowdedstreet which he had occupied in London; and his wife was still morepleased. 

"I am sure we shall be happy and comfortable here, James, " shesaid, "and the air feels so fresh and pure that I am convinced youwill soon get strong and well again. What is money to health? I amsure I shall be ten times as happy, here, as I was when you wereearning three or four times as much, in London. "

The squire and Mrs. Ellison came down the next morning, at theopening of the school; and after a chat with the new schoolmasterand his wife, the squire accompanied the former into the schoolroom. 

"Look here, boys and girls, " he said, "Mr. Shrewsbury has come downfrom London to teach you. He has been ill, and is not very strong. I hope you will give him no trouble, and I can tell you it will bethe worse for you, if you do. I am going to look into mattersmyself; and I shall have a report sent me in, regularly, as to howeach of you is getting on, with a special remark as to conduct; andI can tell you, if any of you are troublesome you will find me downat your father's, in no time. "

The squire's words had considerable effect, and an unusual quietreigned in the school, after he had left and the new schoolmasteropened a book. 

They soon found that his method of teaching was very different tothat which they were accustomed to. There was no shouting orthumping on the desk with the cane, no pulling of ears or cuffingof heads. Everything was explained quietly and clearly; and whenthey went out of the school, all agreed that the new master was agreat improvement on Master White, while the master himselfreported to his wife that he had got on better than he hadexpected. 

Chapter 2: The Poisoned Dog. 

The boys soon felt that Mr. Shrewsbury really wished to teach them, and that he was ready to assist those who wanted to get on. In theafternoon the schoolmaster's wife started a sewing class for thegirls and, a week or two after he came, the master announced thatsuch of the elder class of boys and girls who chose to come, in theevening, to his cottage could do so for an hour; and that he andthe boys would read, by turns, some amusing book while the girlsworked. Only Reuben Whitney and two or three others at firstavailed themselves of the invitation, but these spoke so highly oftheir evening that the number soon increased. Three quarters of anhour were spent in reading some interesting work of travel oradventure, and then the time was occupied in talking over what theyhad read, and in explaining anything which they did not understand;and as the evenings were now long and dark, the visits to theschoolmaster soon came to be regarded as a privilege, and proved anincentive to work to those in the lower classes, only those in thefirst place being admitted to them. 

Reuben worked hard all through the winter, and made very rapidprogress; the schoolmaster, seeing how eager he was to get on, doing everything in his power to help him forward, and lending himbooks to study at home. One morning in the spring, the squirelooked in at Mrs. Whitney's shop. 

"Mrs. Whitney, " he said, "I don't know what you are thinking ofdoing with that boy of yours. Mr. Shrewsbury gives me an excellentaccount of him, and says that he is far and away the cleverest andmost studious of the boys. I like the lad, and owe him a good turnfor having broken in that pony for my daughter; besides, for hisfather's sake I should like to help him on. Now, in the firstplace, what are you thinking of doing with him?"

"I am sure I am very much obliged to you, " Mrs. Whitney said. "Iwas thinking, when he gets a little older, of apprenticing him tosome trade, but he is not fourteen yet. "

"The best thing you can do, Mrs. Whitney. Let it be some goodtrade, where he can use his wits--not a butcher, a baker, or atailor, or anything of that sort. I should say an upholsterer, or amill wright, or some trade where his intelligence can help him on. When the time comes I shall be glad to pay his apprentice fees forhim, and perhaps, when you tell me what line he has chosen, a wordfrom me to one of the tradesmen in Lewes may be a help. In themeantime, that is not what I have specially come about. YoungFinch, who looks to my garden, is going to leave; and if you like, your boy can have the place. My gardener knows his businessthoroughly, and the boy can learn under him. I will pay him fiveshillings a week. It will break him into work a little, and he isgetting rather old for the school now. I have spoken to Shrewsbury, and he says that, if the boy is disposed to go on studying in theevening, he will direct his work and help him on. "

"Thank you kindly, sir, " Mrs. Whitney said. "I think it will justbe the thing, for a year or so, before he is apprenticed. He wassaying only last night that he was the biggest boy in the school;and though I know he likes learning, he would like to be helpingme, and feels somehow that it isn't right that he should be goingon schooling, while all the other boys at his age are doingsomething. Not that I want him to earn money, for the shop keeps usboth; but it's what he thinks about it. "

"That's natural enough, Mrs. Whitney, and anything the boy earnswith me, you see, you can put by, and it will come in useful to himsome day. "

Reuben was glad when he heard of the arrangement; for although, ashis mother had said, he was fond of school, he yet felt it as asort of reproach that, while others of his age were earning money, he should be doing nothing. He accepted the offer of theschoolmaster to continue to work at his studies in the evening, andin a week he was installed in Tom Finch's place. 

The arrangement was not the squire's original idea, but that of hisyounger daughter, who felt a sort of proprietary interest inReuben; partly because her evidence had cleared him of theaccusation of breaking the windows, partly because he had broken inthe pony for her; so when she heard that the boy was leaving, shehad at once asked her father that Reuben should take his place. 

"I think he is a good boy, papa, " she said; "and if he was cleverenough to break in my pony, I am sure he will be clever enough towheel the wheelbarrow and pull weeds. "

"I should think he would, lassie, " her father said, laughing, "although it does not exactly follow. Still, if you guarantee thathe is a good boy, I will see about it. "

"Mamma doesn't think he is a very good boy, " Kate said; "but yousee, papa, mamma is a woman, and perhaps she doesn't understandboys and girls as well as I do. I think he's good, and he told mehe never told stories. "

The squire laughed. 

"I don't know what your mamma would say to that, puss; nor whethershe would agree that you understand boys and girls better than shedoes. However, I will take your opinion this time, and give Reubena chance. "

The subject was not mentioned again in Kate's hearing, but she wasgreatly pleased, one morning, at seeing Reuben at work in thegardens. 

"Good morning, Reuben, " she said. 

"Good morning, miss, " he replied, touching his hat. 

"I am glad you have come in Tom's place, and I hope you will begood, and not get into scrapes, for I told papa I thought you wouldnot; and you see, if you do, he will turn round and blame me. "

"I will try not to get into scrapes, Miss Kate, " Reuben said. "Idon't do it often, you know, and I don't think there will be muchchance of it, here. "

Kate nodded and walked on, and Reuben went about his work. 

There was, however, much more opportunity for getting into scrapesthan Reuben imagined, although the scrapes were not of the kind hehad pictured. Being naturally careless, he had not been there aweek before, in his eagerness to get home to a particularlyinteresting book, he forgot to carry out his orders to shut thecucumber frames and, a sharp frost coming on in the night, theplants were all killed; to the immense indignation of the gardener, who reported the fact, with a very serious face, to the squire. 

"I am afraid that boy will never do, squire. Such carelessness Inever did see, and them plants was going on beautifully. "

"Confound the young rascal!" the squire said wrathfully, for he wasfond of cucumbers. "I will speak to him myself. This sort of thingwill never do. "

And accordingly, the squire spoke somewhat sharply to Reuben, whowas really sorry for the damage his carelessness had caused; and henot only promised the squire that it should not occur again, butmentally resolved very firmly that it should not. He felt veryshamefaced when Kate passed him in the garden, with a serious shakeof her head, signifying that she was shocked that he had thus earlygot into a scrape, and discredited her recommendation. 

The lesson was a useful one. Henceforth Reuben paid closerattention to his work, and even the gardener, who regarded boys ashis great trial in life, expressed himself satisfied with him. 

"Since that affair of the cucumbers I must own, squire, " he said amonth later, "that he is the best boy I have come across. Heattends to what I say and remembers it, and I find I can trust himto do jobs that I have never been able to trust boys with, before. He seems to take an interest in it, and as he is well spoken andcivil, he ought to get on and make a good gardener, in time. "

"I am glad to hear a good account of him, " the squire replied. "Heis sharp and intelligent, and will make his way in life, or I ammistaken. His father was an uncommonly clever fellow, though hemade a mess of it, just at the end; and I think the boy takes afterhim. "

Among Reuben's other duties was that of feeding and attending tothe dogs. These consisted of two setters, a pointer, and a largehouse dog, who was chained up at the entrance to the stables. Reuben was soon excellent friends with the sporting dogs, but thewatchdog, who had probably been teased by Reuben's predecessor, always growled and showed his teeth when he went near him; andReuben never dared venture within the length of his chain, butpushed the bowl containing his food just within his reach. 

One day, he had been sent on an errand to the stables. He forgotthe dog and ran close to the kennel. The animal at once sprang out. Reuben made a rush, but he was not quick enough, and the dog caughthim by the leg. Reuben shouted, and the coachman ran out and, seizing a fork, struck the dog and compelled him to loose his hold. 

"Has he bit you badly, Reuben?"

"Well, he has bit precious hard, " Reuben replied. "I think he hasnearly taken a piece out of my calf, " as, on pulling up histrousers, he showed his leg streaming with blood. 

"Put it under the pump, lad. I will pump on it, " the coachman said. "He's a bad-tempered brute, and I wonder the squire keeps it. "

"The brute ought to be killed, " Reuben grumbled angrily. "I havenever teased it or worried it, in any way. I wish you had stuckthat fork into him, instead of hitting him with it. If you hadn'tbeen within reach, he would have taken the bit out of me. He willkill somebody some day, and it were best to kill him, first. "

The gardener pumped for some time on Reuben's leg; and then, goinginto the kitchen, he got some strips of rag from the cook and boundit up. 

"You had best go home now, " he said. "I will tell the gardener, when he comes round, what has happened to you. I doubt you willhave to lay up, for a day or two. "

As Reuben limped home, he met Tom Thorne walking with another boy. 

"Hello, Reuben!" the latter exclaimed. "What's come to you? Yertrousers bee all tore. "

"That brute of a house dog at the squire's has had hold of me, "Reuben answered. "The savage beast has had a try, a good manytimes; but this time he got hold, and he has bit me pretty sharp. "

Reuben had to keep his leg quiet for three days but, the thirdevening, he was well enough to go down the village to theschoolhouse. After the lesson was over he walked for some distanceup the road, for his leg was very stiff; and he thought it would bea good thing to try and walk it off, as he intended to go to worknext morning. On getting up early in the morning, however, he foundit was still stiff and sore; but he thought he had better go andtry to work for a bit. 

"I am glad you are back again, " the gardener said, when he saw him, "for there's a lot of work on hand; but I see you are still lame. The coachman tells me it were a nasty bite. "

"It's pretty sore still, " Reuben replied, "and I don't think I canwalk about much; but I thought I might help in some other way. "

"Very well, " the gardener said. "There are a lot of plants whichwant shifting into larger pots. You do them, and I will take up thefork and dig up that piece of ground I want to put the younglettuces into. "

Reuben worked hard till half-past eight, and then went off to hisbreakfast. On his return, he was told the squire wished to speak tohim. 

"It's about that dog, I expect, " the gardener remarked. "I supposeyou know he were poisoned last night. "

"No, I didn't know, " Reuben replied; "but it's a precious good job. I wish he had been poisoned before he got his teeth into me. "

Reuben, on going round to the back door, was shown into thelibrary, where the squire was sitting. The coachman was with him. 

"Now then, Reuben, " the squire said, "I want you to tell me thetruth about this matter. The coachman told me, three days ago, thatyou had been bitten by the yard dog, and I made up my mind to getrid of him, on the first opportunity; but I find he was poisoned, yesterday evening. "

He stopped as if expecting Reuben to say something; but the boy, having nothing to say, merely replied:

"Yes, sir, so the gardener has told me. "

"What do you know about it, Reuben?"

"I don't know anything about it, sir, " Reuben replied, opening hiseyes. 

"Now, look here, lad, " the squire said gravely, "I am disposed tothink well of you; and although I consider it a serious offenceyour poisoning the dog, I shall consider it very much worse if youdeny it. "

"But I didn't poison it, sir, " Reuben affirmed. "I never dreamt ofsuch a thing. "

The squire set his lips hard together. 

"Just tell me your story over again, " he said to the coachman. 

"Well, yesterday evening, squire, I went down into the village tobuy some 'bacca. Just as I got back to the gate, out runs a boy. Itwas too dark for me to see his face, but I naturally supposed itwere Reuben, so I said, 'Hello, Reuben, how's the leg?' But themoment I spoke, he turned off from the path and ran away. 

"Well, I thought it was queer, but I went on to the stable. About aquarter of an hour afterwards, and as I was a-cleaning up the bits, I heard Wolf howl. He kept on at it, so I took a lantern and wentout to see what was the matter. He was rolling about, and seemedvery bad. I stood a-looking at him, wondering what were best to do, when sudden he gave a sort of yell, and rolled over, and he wasdead. I thought it was no good telling you about it till thismorning; and thinking it over, and seeing how sudden like it was, Icome to the 'pinion as how he had been poisoned; and naturallythinking that, as he had bit Reuben, and as how Reuben said heought to be killed, and seeing as I had met the boy a quarter anhour afore the dog was took bad, it came to me as how he had doneit. 

"This morning I knew for certain as the dog had been poisoned, forjust outside of the reach of his chain there was that piece ofpaper a-lying, as you have got before you. "

It was a piece of blue paper, about four inches square, on whichwas printed: "Rat poison. "

"You hear that, Reuben? What have you to say?" the squire asked. 

"I have got nothing to say, sir, " Reuben answered, "except thatwhoever the boy was, it wasn't me, and that I know nothing aboutit. "

"Well, Reuben, it will be easy for you to clear yourself, by sayingwhere you were at the time. 

"What o'clock was it, Robert, that you saw the boy?"

"It was just a quarter past eight, squire. The quarter struck justas I opened the gate. "

"Were you out or at home at that hour, Reuben?"

"I was out, sir. I went to the schoolmaster's. "

"What time did you leave there?"

"I left at eight, sir. "

"Then if you got in just after eight, it is clear that you were notthe boy, " the squire said. "If your mother tells me that you werein at five minutes past eight, that settles the question, as far asyou are concerned. "

"I didn't get in till half-past eight, sir, " Reuben said. "I walkedabout for a bit, after I came out from school, to try and get thestiffness out of my leg, so as to be able to come to work thismorning. "

"Was anyone with you, Reuben? Is there anyone to say what you didwith yourself, between eight and half-past eight?"

"No, sir, " Reuben said quietly. "I didn't speak to a soul; anddidn't see a soul, so far as I know, from the time I came out ofthe gate of the schoolhouse till I got home. "

"Does your mother sell packets of this poison?" the squire said, pointing to the paper. 

Reuben looked at the paper. 

"Yes, sir; I believe she does. "

"Well, my lad, " the squire said, "you must acknowledge that thecase looks very ugly against you. You are known to have borne badfeelings against the dog; naturally enough, I admit. A boy aboutyour size was seen by Robert in the dark, coming out of the gate;and that he was there for no good purpose is proved by the factthat he ran away when spoken to. A quarter of an hour later, thedog dies of poison. That poison you certainly could get at homeand, by your own admission, you were out and about at the time thedog was poisoned. The case looks very bad against you. "

"I don't care how bad it looks, " Reuben said, passionately. "Itwasn't me, squire, if that were the last word I ever had to speak. "

"Very well, " the squire said coldly. "In my mind, the evidence isoverwhelming against you. I have no intention of pursuing thematter further; nor will I, for your father's and mother's sake, bring public disgrace upon you; but of course I shall not retainyou here further, nor have anything to do with you, in the future. "

Without a word, Reuben turned and left the room. Had he spoken, hewould have burst into a passion of tears. With a white face, hewalked through the village and entered his mother's shop. 

"What? Back again, Reuben?" she said. "I thought your leg was toobad to work. "

"It isn't my leg, mother, " he said, in a choking voice. "The squirehas dismissed me. He says I have poisoned his dog. "

"Says you poisoned his dog, Reuben! Whatever put such an idea intohis head?"

"The coachman saw a boy coming out of the yard, at a quarter pasteight last night. It was too dark for him to say for certain, buthe thought it was me. A quarter of an hour later the dog died ofpoison, and this morning they picked up a cover of one of those ratpowders you sell. I couldn't say where I was at a quarter pasteight, when the coachman saw the boy; for as you know, mother, Itold you I had walked out a bit, after I came out from the school, to get the stiffness out of my leg. So, altogether, the squire hasmade up his mind 'tis me, and so he has sent me away. "

Reuben had summed up the points against himself in a broken voice, and now broke into a passion of tears. His mother tried in vain topacify him; but indeed her own indignation, at her boy beingcharged with such a thing, was so great that she could do little toconsole him. 

"It's shameful!" she exclaimed, over and over again. "I call itdownright wicked of the squire to suspect you of such a thing. "

"Well, mother, it does look very bad against me, " Reuben said, wiping his eyes at last, "and I don't know as the squire is so muchto be blamed for suspecting me. I know and you know that it wasn'tme; but there's no reason why the squire should know it. Somebodyhas poisoned his dog, and that somebody is a boy. He knows that Iwas unfriendly with the dog so, putting things together, I don'tsee as he could help suspecting me, and only my word the other way. It seems to me as if somebody must have done it to get me in a row, for I don't know that the dog had bit anyone else. If it is anyone, I expect it's Tom Thorne. He has never been friends with me, sincethat affair of the school window. "

"I will go at once and speak to his father, " Mrs. Whitney said, taking down her bonnet from the wall. 

"No, mother, you can't do that, " Reuben exclaimed. "We have gotnothing against him. The squire has ten times as good reason tosuspect me, as I have to suspect Tom Thorne; so as we know thesquire's wrong, it's ten times as likely we shall be wrong. Besides, if he did it, of course he would deny it, he is the worstliar in the village; and then folks would say I wasn't satisfiedwith doing it myself, but I wanted to throw the blame on to him, just as he did on me before. No, it won't do, mother. "

Mrs. Whitney saw that it wouldn't do, and sat down again. Reubensat thinking, for some time. 

"I must go away, mother, " he said at last. "I can't stop here. Every one in the village will get to know of it, and they willpoint at me as the boy as poisoned the squire's dog, and then liedabout it. I couldn't stand that, mother. "

"And you sha'n't stand it, my boy, " Mrs. Whitney said, "not a day. I will give up the cottage and move into Lewes, at once. I didn'tgo there before, for I am known there, and don't like folk to seehow much I have come down in the world. "

"No, mother, you stop here, and I will go up to London. They saythere is lots of work there, and I suppose I can get on as well asanother. "

"I will not hear of your doing such a thing. I should never expectto hear of you again. I should always be thinking that you had gotrun over, or were starving in the streets, or dying in a workhouse. No, Reuben, my plan's best. It's just silliness my not liking tosettle in Lewes; for of course it's better going where one isknown, and I should be lost in a strange place. No; I daresay Ishall find a cottage there, and I shall manage to get a livingsomehow--perhaps open a little shop like this, and then you can beapprenticed, and live at home. "

An hour later, Mrs. Ellison called. Reuben had gone upstairs to liedown, for his leg was very painful. Mrs. Whitney did not give hervisitor time to begin. 

"I know what you have called about, Mrs. Ellison, and I don't wantto talk about it with you. The squire has grievously wronged myboy. I wouldn't have believed it of him, but he's done it; so now, ma'm, I give a week's notice of this house, and here's my rent upto that time, and I will send you the key when I go. And now, ma'm, as I don't want any words about it, I think it will be better ifyou go, at once. "

Mrs. Ellison hesitated a moment. Never, from the time she enteredthe village as the squire's wife, had she been thus spoken to; butshe saw at once, in Mrs. Whitney's face, that it were better not toreply to her; and that her authority as the squire's wife had, foronce, altogether vanished. She therefore took up the money whichMrs. Whitney had laid on the counter and, without a word, left theshop. 

"I do believe, William, " she said as, greatly ruffled andindignant, she gave an account of the interview to the squire, "that the woman would have slapped my face, if I had said anything. She is the most insolent creature I ever met. "

"Well, my dear, " the squire said seriously, "I can hardly wonder atthe poor woman's indignation. She has had a hard time of it, andthis must be a sad blow. Naturally she believes in her son'sinnocence, and we must not altogether blame her, if she resents hisdismissal. It's a sad business altogether, and I know it will be aworry and trouble to me for months. Mind, I don't doubt that theboy did it; it does not seem possible that it should be otherwise. Still, it is not absolutely proved; and upon my word, I wish now Ihad said nothing at all about it. I like the boy, and I liked hisfather before him; and as this story must get about, it cannot butdo him serious damage. Altogether it is a most tiresome business, and I would give a hundred pounds if it hadn't taken place. "

"I really do not see why you should worry about it, William. Theboy has always been a troublesome boy, and perhaps this lesson maydo him good. "

The squire did not attempt to argue the question. He felt reallyannoyed and put out and, after wandering over the ground andstables, he went down to the schoolhouse after the children hadbeen dismissed. 

"Have you heard, Shrewsbury, about that boy Whitney?"

"No, sir, I have heard nothing about him, " the schoolmaster said. "He was here yesterday evening, as usual. His leg is no worse, Ihope. Those dog bites are always nasty things. "

"I wish it had been worse, " the squire said testily; "then he wouldhave been laid up quietly at home, instead of being aboutmischief. "

"Why, what has he done, sir?" the schoolmaster asked, in surprise. 

The squire related the history of the dog's death, and of hisinterview with Reuben. The schoolmaster looked serious, andgrieved. 

"What do you think of the matter, Shrewsbury?" the squire asked, when he had finished. 

"I would rather not give any opinion, " the schoolmaster repliedquietly. 

"That means you think I am wrong, " the squire said quickly. "Well, say it out, man; you won't offend me. I am half inclined to think Iwas wrong, myself; and I would as lief be told so, as not. "

"I don't say you are wrong, sir, " the schoolmaster said, "exceptthat I think you assumed the boy's guilt too much as a matter ofcourse. Now, I have seen a great deal of him. I have a great likingfor him, and believe him to be not only a singularly intelligentand hard-working lad, but a perfectly truthful and open one. Iallow that the circumstances are much against him; but the evidenceis, to my mind, completely overbalanced by his absolute denial. Youmust remember that he saw that you were quite convinced of hisguilt; and that, in your eyes, his denial would be an aggravationof the offence. Therefore you see he had no strong motive fortelling a lie. 

"Who killed your dog I do not know but, from my knowledge of hischaracter and assurance of his truthfulness, I am perfectlyconvinced that Reuben Whitney did not do it. The boy is, in someways, very superior to the other lads I teach. I hear that hisfather was in a good position, as a miller; and his mother is of adifferent class, altogether, to the other women of the village. Theboy has a certain refinement about him, a thoughtfulness andconsideration which set him apart from the others. Mischievous andsomewhat inclined to be noisy as he generally is, on days when Ihave not felt quite equal to my work he would notice it at onceand, without saying a word, would, by his quietness and attentionto his work, try to save me trouble; and I have heard him try toquiet the others, as they trooped out. The boy has a good heart aswell as a good intellect, and nothing save his own confession wouldmake me believe that he poisoned your dog. "

"But he said he wished it was killed, " the squire urged, as indefence of his own opinion. 

"He said so, squire, at the time he was smarting with the pain of asevere bite; and I think probably he meant no more than a man who, under the same circumstances, would say, 'Confound the dog!' oreven a stronger oath. "

Mr. Ellison was silenced, for when in wrath he was, himself, givento use strong expressions. 

"I don't know what to say, Shrewsbury, " he said at last. "I amafraid I have made a mess of it; but certainly, as I first heardit, the case seemed to admit of no doubt. 'Pon my word, I don'tknow what to do. My wife has just been up to see Mrs. Whitney, andthe woman blazed out at her, and wouldn't let her say a word, butgave notice that she should give up the house at the end of theweek. If it hadn't been for that, I might have done something; butMrs. Ellison was very much aggrieved at her manner. Altogether, it's one of the most annoying things I ever had to do with. "

In the evening the schoolmaster put on his hat and went up, withhis wife, to Mrs. Whitney. The women had seen a good deal of eachother, as they both stood somewhat apart from the rest of thevillage and, in thought and speech, differed widely from thelabourers' wives; and on evenings when the sewing class did notmeet, the schoolmaster's wife often went up for an hour or two toMrs. Whitney's, or the latter came down to the Shrewsburys'cottage. 

"We have come up, Mrs. Whitney, " the schoolmaster said as theyentered, "to tell you how sorry we are to hear that you are goingto leave, and that we are still more sorry for the cause. Ofcourse, neither my wife nor myself believe for a moment that Reubenpoisoned the squire's dog. The idea is preposterous. I told thesquire as much, today. "

Mrs. Whitney burst into tears. She had kept up all day, sustainedpartly by indignation, and partly by the desire that Reuben shouldnot see that she felt it; but the thought that all the villagewould believe Reuben guilty had cut her to the heart, and she hadfelt so unwilling to face anyone that, as soon as Mrs. Ellison hadleft, she had closed the shutters of her little shop; but she brokedown, now, from her relief at hearing that someone besides herselfbelieved the boy to be innocent. 

"I don't know what I shall do without you, Mrs. Whitney, " Mrs. Shrewsbury said, when the widow recovered her composure. "I shallmiss you dreadfully. Is it quite settled that you will go?"

"Quite settled, Mrs. Shrewsbury. I wouldn't stop in the squire'shouse for an hour longer than I could help, after his believingReuben to be guilty of poisoning his dog, and not believing the boywhen he said he had nothing to do with it. He ought to have knownmy boy better than that. And he coming up only the other day, andpretending he felt a kindness for my dead husband. "

"I think the squire was too hasty, Mrs. Whitney, " the schoolmastersaid. "But you see, he did not know Reuben as we do; and I think, if you will excuse my saying so, you have been a little hasty, too. The squire came in to me to tell me about it, and I could see hewas not satisfied in his mind, even before I gave him my positiveopinion that Reuben was innocent; and I do think that, if you hadnot given Mrs. Ellison notice so sharply, the squire would havetaken back his words; and said that at any rate, as there wasnothing absolutely proved, he would hold his judgment in suspenseuntil the matter was cleared up. "

"And having everyone pointing the finger at my boy in the meantime!No, thank you, Mr. Shrewsbury, that would not do for me. I was nota bit hasty. Mrs. Ellison came in here prepared to talk to me aboutReuben's wickedness; I saw it in her face, so I wouldn't let heropen her lips. If she had, I should have given her a piece of mymind that she wouldn't have forgot, in a hurry. "

"I can quite understand your feelings, Mrs. Whitney, " theschoolmaster said, "and I have no doubt I should have acted as youdid, if a son of mine had been suspected in the same way. Still, Ithink it's a pity; for if Reuben had stayed here, there would havebeen more chance of the matter being cleared up. However, we won'ttalk about that now. Now tell me, what are your plans?"

Mrs. Whitney told her visitors what she had determined upon. AsLewes was only four miles off, the schoolmaster said that he andhis wife would sometimes come over to see her; and that he hopedthat Reuben, whatever trade he was apprenticed to, would still goon with his studies. He would give him any advice or assistance inhis power. 

The next day Mrs. Whitney and Reuben moved, with all theirbelongings, to Lewes. 

Chapter 3: The Burglary At The Squire's. 

"What is that woman Whitney going to do with her boy?" the squireasked the schoolmaster, when he happened to meet him in the villageabout a month after she had left. "Have you heard?"

"Nothing is settled yet, sir. My wife had a letter from her, two orthree days ago, saying that she had been disappointed in gettingPenfold the mill wright to take him. He wanted fifty poundspremium, and she could only afford to pay twenty, so she is lookingout for something else. You have heard nothing more that wouldthrow any light on that affair, squire?"

"No, and don't suppose I ever shall. Have you any opinion aboutit?"

"My opinion is that of Reuben, himself, " the schoolmaster said. "Hebelieves that someone did it who had a grudge against him, onpurpose, to throw suspicion on him. "

"Who should have a grudge against him?" the squire asked. 

"Well, squire, there was one boy in the village who had, rightly orwrongly, a grudge against Reuben. That is Tom Thorne. Reuben hasnot a shadow of evidence that it was this boy, but the lad hascertainly been his enemy ever since that affair of breaking thewindows of the school, just before I came here. Thorne, you know, did it, but allowed Reuben to be punished for the offence; and thetruth would never have been known had it not been, as I heard, thatyour daughter happened to see the stone thrown. Since that timethere has been bad blood between the boys. I do not for a momentsay that Thorne poisoned your dog. Still, the boys are near enoughof a size for one to be mistaken for the other in the dark; andThorne knew that Reuben had been bitten by the dog, for Reubenspoke to another boy about it, that afternoon, while Thorne wasstanding by. Of course, this is but the vaguest suspicion. Still, if you ask my opinion, I should say that I consider, from what Ihave heard of the character of Tom Thorne, that he would be muchmore likely to poison the dog, in order to get Reuben intodisgrace, than Reuben would be to do so out of revenge because thedog had bitten him. "

The squire took off his hat, and passed his hands through his hair, in perplexity. 

"I don't know what to think, Shrewsbury, " he said. "It may be asyou say. I look upon Thorne as the worst character in the village, and likely enough his son may take after him. That ale house of hisis the resort of all the idle fellows about. I have strong reasonto believe he is in alliance with the poachers. The first time Iget a chance, out he goes. I have only been waiting, for some time, for an opportunity. I can't very well turn him out of his housewithout some excuse. 

"What did you say was the name of the mill wright at Lewes Mrs. Whitney was wanting to get her son with?"

The schoolmaster repeated the name, which the squire jotted down ina notebook. 

"Look here, Shrewsbury, " he said, "don't you mention to Mrs. Whitney that you spoke to me about this matter. Do you understand?"

"I understand, sir, " the schoolmaster said. 

And he was not surprised when, a few days afterwards, his wifereceived a letter from Mrs. Whitney, saying that Mr. Penfold hadcome in to say that he had changed his mind, and that he would takeReuben as his apprentice for twenty pounds; adding, to hersurprise, that he should give him half a crown a week for the firstyear, and gradually raise his pay, as he considered that boys oughtto be able to earn a little money for themselves. 

Reuben, therefore, was going to work on the following week. Thehalf a crown a week which he was to earn was an important matterfor his mother. For although she had found a cottage and opened alittle shop, as before, her receipts were extremely small, and shehad already begun to fear that she should be obliged to makeanother move, Lewes being too well supplied with shops for a smallconcern like hers to flourish. The half crown a week, however, would pay her rent; and she expected that she should make, at anyrate, enough to provide food for herself and Reuben. 

Mrs. Whitney had hoped that, although Lewes was but four miles fromthe village, the story about the dog would not travel so far; forit was not often that anyone from the village went over to thetown. In this, however, she was mistaken for, a week after Reubenhad gone to work, the foreman went to his master and said:

"I don't know whether you are aware, Mr. Penfold, about that newboy; but I hear that he had to leave Tipping, where he was employedby Squire Ellison, for poisoning the squire's dog. "

"How did you hear it?" Mr. Penfold asked. 

"William Jenkins heard it from a man named Thorne, who belongs tothe village, and whom he met at a public house, yesterday. "

"William Jenkins had best not spend so much time in public houses, "Mr. Penfold said shortly. "I heard the story before I saw the boyand, from what I hear, I believe he was wrongfully accused. Justtell Jenkins that; and say that if I hear of him, or any of thehands, throwing the thing up in the boy's face, I will dismiss theminstantly. "

And so Reuben did not know, till long after, that the story of thekilling of the dog was known to anyone at Lewes. 

For three years he worked in Mr. Penfold's yard, giving muchsatisfaction to his employer by his steadiness and handiness. Hecontinued his studies of an evening, under the advice of his formermaster; who came over with his wife, three or four times each year, to spend a day with Mrs. Whitney. Reuben was now receiving tenshillings a week and, although the receipts of the shop failed, heand his mother were able to live in considerable comfort. 

One day, about three years after coming to Lewes, he was returningto work after dinner when, as he passed a carriage standing infront of one of the shops, he heard his name pronounced, and thecolour flushed to his cheek as, looking up, he saw Kate Ellison. Timidly he touched his cap, and would have hurried on, but the girlcalled to him. 

"Stop a minute, Reuben. I want to speak to you. I am glad I havemet you. I have looked for you, every time I have come to Lewes. Iwanted to tell you that I am sure you did not kill Wolf. I know youwouldn't have done it. Besides, you know, you told me that younever told stories; so when I heard that you said you didn't, I wasquite sure about it. "

"Thank you, miss, " Reuben said gratefully. "I did not kill the dog. I should never have thought of such a thing, though every oneseemed against me. "

"Not every one, Reuben. I didn't think so; and papa has told me, since, that he did not think so, and that he was afraid that he hadmade a mistake. "

"I am glad to hear that, miss, " Reuben said. "The squire had beenvery kind to me, and it has always grieved me, very much, that heshould think me capable of such a thing. I felt angry at the time, but I have not felt angry since I have thought it over quietly; forthe case seems so strong against me that I don't see how the squirecould have thought otherwise. 

"Thank you, miss. I sha'n't forget your kindness, " and Reuben wenton with a light heart, just as Mrs. Ellison and her elder daughtercame out from the shop. 

"Who were you speaking to, Kate?" she asked, as she took her seatin the carriage. 

"I was talking to Reuben Whitney, mamma. He was passing, so Icalled him to tell him that I did not believe he had killed Wolf. "

"Then it was very improper behaviour on your part, Kate, " hermother said angrily, for she had never quite recovered from theshock Mrs. Whitney had given to her dignity. "You know my opinionon the subject. I have told you before that it is one I do not careto have discussed, and that I consider it very improper for a girl, of your age, to hold opinions different to those of your elders. Ihave no doubt, whatever, that boy poisoned the dog. I must beg ofyou that you will never speak to him again. "

Kate leaned back in the carriage with a little sigh. She could notunderstand why her mother, who was so kind to all the villagepeople, should be so implacable on this subject. But Kate, who wasnow between fourteen and fifteen, knew that when her mother hadtaken up certain opinions they were not to be shaken; and that herfather himself always avoided argument, on points on which hediffered from her. Talking alone with his daughter the squire had, in answer to her sturdy assertion of Reuben's innocence, owned toher that he himself had his doubts on the subject, and that he wassorry he had dismissed the boy from his service; but she had neverheard him do more than utter a protest, against Reuben's guiltbeing held as being absolutely proved, when her mother spoke of hisdelinquency. 

But Kate was not one to desert a protege and, having been the meansof Reuben's introduction to her father's, she had always regardedherself as his natural protector; and Mrs. Ellison would not havebeen pleased, had she known that her daughter had seldom met theschoolmaster without inquiring if he had heard how Reuben wasgetting on. She had even asked Mr. Shrewsbury to assure him of herbelief in his innocence, which had been done; but she had resolvedthat, should she ever meet him, she would herself tell him so, evenat the risk of her mother's displeasure. 

Another year passed. Reuben was now seventeen, and was a tall, powerfully-built young fellow. During these four years he had neverbeen over to Tipping, in the daytime; but had occasionally walkedover, after dark, to visit the Shrewsburys, always going on specialinvitation, when he knew that no one else would be there. TheThornes no longer occupied the little public house. Tom Thorne had, a year before, been captured with two other poachers in thesquire's woods, and had had six months' hard labour; and his fatherhad at once been ejected from his house, and had disappeared fromthat part of the country. Reuben was glad that they had left; forhe had long before heard that Thorne had spread the story, inLewes, of the poisoning of the dog. He felt, however, with theirdeparture all chance of his ever being righted in that matter wasat an end. 

One evening in winter, when Reuben had done his work, he said tohis mother:

"I shall go over and see Mr. Shrewsbury tonight. I have not beenover for some time and, as it is not his night for a class, I ampretty sure not to find anyone there. I told him, when I was therelast, that I would take over a few tools and fix up those shelvesfor him. 

"I don't suppose he will stay very much longer at Tipping. Hishealth is completely restored now, and even his wife admits that hecould work at his own business again. He has already been doing alittle, for some of the houses he worked for in town, so as to gethis connection back again. I expect, every time I see him, to hearthat he has made up his mind to go. He would have done it, twoyears back; but his wife and the two little ones are so well thathe did not like the thought of taking them up to London, till hewas sure that his health was strong enough to stand steady work. Ishall miss them very much. He has been a good friend, indeed, tome. "

"He has indeed, " Mrs. Whitney said. "I think anyhow, Reuben, youwould have got on at your trade; but you would never have been whatyou are now, if it hadn't been for him. Your poor father would beproud of you, if he could see you; and I am sure that, when youtake off that workman's suit and put on your Sunday clothes, youlook as well as if the mill had never gone wrong, and you had beenbrought up as he intended you to be. Mrs. Tyler was saying only theother day that you looked quite the gentleman, and lots of peoplehave said the same. "

"Nonsense, mother, " Reuben answered, "there is nothing of thegentleman about me. Of course, people say things that they thinkwill please you, knowing that you regard me as a sort of wonder. Ihope I shall make my way some day, and the fact that I have had abetter education than most young fellows, in my position of life, of course may make some little difference; and will, I hope, helpme to mount the ladder, when once I put my foot upon it. "

But although, no doubt, Mrs. Whitney was a partial judge, heropinion as to her son was not an incorrect one; for with hisintelligent face, and quiet self-assured bearing, he looked verymuch more like a gentleman than many young fellows in a far betterposition in life. 

The stars were shining brightly when he started, at seven o'clockin the evening; and he walked with a brisk step, until he arrivedwithin half a mile of the village. As he passed by the end of alane which ran into the road, he heard a horse impatiently pawingthe ground; the sound being followed by a savage oath, to theanimal, to stand quiet. Reuben walked on a few steps, and thenpaused. The lane, as he knew, only led to some fields a shortdistance away. What could a horse be doing there? And who could bethe man who spoke to it? There had, lately, been several burglarieson lonely houses, in that part of the country; and the generalbelief was that these had been perpetrated by men from London. 

"I daresay it's nothing, " Reuben said to himself. "Still, it iscertainly curious and, at any rate, there can be no harm in havinga look. "

Walking upon the grass at the side of the road, he retraced hissteps to the end of the lane, and then stood and listened. He hearda murmur of voices, and determined to follow the matter up. Hewalked quietly down the lane. After going about a hundred yards, hesaw something dark in the road and, approaching it very cautiously, found that it was a horse harnessed to a gig. As he was standingwondering what to do next he started, for the silence was broken bysome voices near him. 

"It was a stupid thing to get here so early, and to have to waitabout for four hours in this ditch. "

"It was the best plan though, " another voice replied. "The trapmight have been noticed, if we had been driving about the roadsafter dark; while in the daylight no one would give it a secondthought. "

"That's right enough, " the first speaker said, "but it's preciouscold here. Hand me that flask again. I am blest if the wind doesnot come through the hedge like a knife. "

The voices came from the other side of the hedge, on the oppositeside of the lane. Reuben crossed noiselessly. There was a gate justwhere the cart had stopped, and the men had evidently got over it, to obtain the shelter of the hedge from the wind. Reuben felt thegate, which was old and rickety; then cautiously he placed his feeton the lower bar, and leaned forward so as to look round the hedge. 

"What time are the others to be here, Tom?"

"They said they would be here at nine o'clock. We passed them aboutsix miles on the road, so they ought to be here to time. "

"I suppose there's no doubt about this here being a good business?"

"I will answer for that, " the other said. "I don't suppose asthere's much money in the house, but there's no end of silverplate, and their watches, and plenty of sparklers. I have heard sayas there's no one in the county as has more jewels than thesquire's wife. "

"You know the house well, don't you?"

"I never was inside, " the other said, "but I have heard enough, from them that has, to know where the rooms lie. The plate chest isin the butler's pantry and, as we are going to get in by thekitchen window, we are safe to be able to clear that out withoutbeing heard. I shall go on, directly the others come, and chuckthis meat to the dogs--that will silence them. I know the waythere, for I tried that on once before. "

Reuben had thought that the voice was familiar to him, and thewords gave him the clue--the speaker was Tom Thorne--and he, andthose with him, were going to commit a burglary at the squire's. Hewas hesitating whether to make off at once, to warn the squire ofwhat was intended; or to listen and learn a little more of theirplan, when suddenly a light shone behind him, and a voice exclaimedwith an oath:

"Who have we here?"

He leapt down, and was in the act of turning round to defendhimself, when a heavy blow with a cudgel struck him on the head, and felled him insensible to the ground. While he had beenlistening to the conversation, two men had come quietly up thelane, walking on the grass as he had done; and their footsteps hadbeen unheard by him, for the horse continued, at times, impatientlyto paw the ground. The sound of their comrades' voices had toldthem where they were sitting and, turning on a bull's-eye lanternto show them the gate, they had seen Reuben leaning over it, in theact of listening. 

When Reuben recovered consciousness, he found that he was lying inthe ditch, his hands tightly bound to his sides, and a handkerchiefstuffed into his mouth. The four men were gathered close by, talking in low tones. 

"I ain't going to give up the job, now we come so far to do it, "one said, with an oath. "Besides, it's not only the swag, but thegrudge I owe the squire. If I am ready to go on, I suppose youneedn't be afraid; besides, he don't know us. "

"Best cut his throat and a done with it, " a voice, which Reubenrecognized as that of his old enemy, said. "I owe him one, and itwill be safest to stop his mouth. "

"No, no, " a third voice protested; "I ain't going to have nothingto do with cutting throats. I don't mind running the risk of BotanyBay, but I ain't going to run the chance of being scragged. Butlet's move a bit away from here, while we settle it. You hit himpretty hard, but he will be coming round presently. I thought atfirst that you had killed him, but he's bleeding too free forthat. "

The men moved some little distance away, and for some time Reubencould hear a murmured talk, but could make out nothing of what hadbeen said. It was, he judged, a quarter of an hour before theconversation ceased. They did not return to him but remained atsome distance off, and Reuben thought that he heard the footstepsof one of them going down the lane. He could feel, by a warmsensation across his cheek, that the blood was flowing freely fromthe wound he had received on his temple. A dull torpid feeling cameover him, and after a time he again lost consciousness. 

How long he remained in this state he did not know, but he was atlast aroused by being lifted and thrown into the bottom of thecart. Four men then climbed up into it and the horse was started. They drove at a quick pace, and Reuben wondered why they weretaking him away with them. His head ached terribly, and he sufferedmuch from the tightness of the cords which bound his arms. The menseemed in high good humour, and talked and laughed in low tones;but the noise of the vehicle prevented Reuben hearing what wassaid. 

It was, as far as he could judge, full two hours before the vehiclestopped. He was roughly taken out of the cart, his arms wereunbound; and the men, leaping up, drove away at full speed. Thespot where he had been left was very dark, for trees overshadowedit on both sides. Where he was he had no idea, but he judged thathe must be fully twenty miles from the village. 

His first impulse was to take the handkerchief from his mouth, andhe then walked slowly along the road, in the direction from whichhe had come. It was, he felt sure, no use shouting; for they wouldhave been certain to have selected some lonely spot to set himdown, and there would be no chance of awakening the inhabitants ofany distant cottage. He walked slowly, for he was faint with lossof blood. 

After proceeding about a quarter of a mile, he emerged from thewood and came upon a spot where the road forked. Having no cluewhatever as to the direction in which Lewes lay, he sat down upon aheap of stones and waited patiently for morning. He had no doubtthat the burglary had been a successful one, and he bitterlyregretted his neglect to keep a watch down the lane, to see that hewas not surprised by the men he had heard were coming. At any rate, he hoped that he should be able to give such information as wouldset the constables upon the track. 

It seemed to him that some three hours passed before a faint lightbegan to dawn in the sky. By this he knew that it must be abouthalf-past six, and calculated, therefore, he must have set out inthe trap about half-past one. He now started to walk along theroad, hoping that he should soon meet some labourer going to work. Stopping by a small stream which ran across the road, he washed hishead and face; as he had lain on the ground after being struck, theblood had not flowed on to his clothes. 

After the wash he proceeded with a brisker step. Half an hour laterhe met a ploughman, riding one of his team to the fields. 

"Is this the road to Lewes?" Reuben asked. 

"Lewes? Noa, this baint the road to Lewes. I don't know nothingabout the road to Lewes. This bee the road to Hastings, if you goesfurther. So they tell me; I ain't never been there. "

"Is there a village anywhere about here?" Reuben asked. 

"Ay, half a mile or so on. "

Reuben walked on till he got to the village; and then, going to apublic house, obtained some refreshment and learned, from thelandlord, the direction he should take to get to the main roadleading to Lewes; which was, as he expected, some twenty milesaway. He found that the cart had not followed the main road towardsLondon, but had driven by crossroads for a considerable distance, before turning north. 

It was late in the afternoon before Reuben arrived at Lewes, for hehad been obliged to rest often by the way, and had made but slowprogress. When within a few doors of his mother's house, one of theconstables of the town came up to him and touched him on theshoulder. 

"I arrest you in the king's name!"

"Arrest me! What for?" Reuben exclaimed. 

"For breaking into the house of Squire Ellison, of Tipping, that'swhat it's for. "

Reuben laughed. 

"You have got the wrong man this time. I have no more to do withthe burglary than a child. "

"It's no laughing matter, " the constable said. "If you are innocentyou have got to prove it; that ain't no business of mine. All Ihave got to do is to arrest you. "

So saying, and before Reuben knew what he was about, he slipped apair of handcuffs over his wrists. Reuben flushed up. Hitherto hehad scarcely taken the matter seriously, but to be marchedhandcuffed through the streets of Lewes was an indignity whichenraged him. 

"Take these off, " he said angrily. "I will go quietly with you. "

"You may or you may not, " the man said doggedly. "You are youngerthan I am, and maybe can run faster. I ain't agoing to chance it. "

Reuben saw that it was of no use to argue and, silent and pale, hewalked along by the side of the constable, who retained a tighthold of his collar. A little crowd gathered speedily round, forsuch a sight was unusual in Lewes; and Reuben felt thankful whenthey reached the cells, and he was sheltered from the gaze of thepublic. A minute later the head constable came in. 

"Now, my lad, don't say anything to criminate yourself, " he began;"the less you talk, the better for you. I am sorry to see you here, for I knew your father, and I have a good character of you fromyour employer; so I give you my advice--keep your mouth shut. "

"But I am not going to keep my mouth shut, " Reuben saidindignantly. "Here am I, arrested in the public streets, marchedhandcuffed through the town upon a most monstrous charge, which hasbeen brought against me without a shadow of evidence. "

"Don't be talking, don't be talking, " the constable said testily;"you will hear the evidence in time enough. "

"But I will talk. I want to tell you what's happened, and you willsee that I am innocent, at once. "

"Very well, if you will you will; but mind, don't blame meafterwards. "

Reuben told the story of his adventures from the time of leaving. 

"There, " he said when he finished, "isn't that enough to show thatI am innocent?"

"No, " the chief constable said gravely, "it's not enough to proveanything, one way or the other. I am bound to say the story looks alikely one; and if it weren't for two or three matters which Iheard of, from the constable who came over from Tipping, I shouldhave no doubt about it. However, all that is for the magistrate todecide. There will be a meeting tomorrow. "

"But can't I be taken before a magistrate at once? There's CaptainFidler, within a mile. "

"What would be the good?" the chief constable said. "You don'tsuppose anyone would let you out, only on the strength of the storyyou have told me. He could only remand you, and you could gainnothing by it. "

"Can I see my mother?" Reuben asked next. 

"Yes, " the constable said, "I will send her down a message, atonce. "

Mrs. Whitney soon came up. A neighbour had brought her in the newswhen Reuben had been arrested, and she was on the point of startingto inquire about it when the message arrived. She was moreindignant than grieved, when she heard the charge which had beenbrought against Reuben. 

"The idea of such a thing!" she exclaimed. "These constables don'tseem to have natural sense. The idea of charging anyone who isknown as a respectable young man with such a thing as that, andshutting him up without a question. Why, there can't be anyevidence against you. "

"There's no saying, mother, " Reuben replied. "You mustn't be toosure of that. Don't you remember that affair of the dog? Well, thesame hand is at work now. Before, I only suspected who had done it;but I am sure now. However, whatever evidence they may have got, weknow it isn't true. I have four years' good character here to speakfor me. Still, it is hard that I should get into positions of thissort, without any fault of mine. "

"It's better that it is without any fault of yours, Reuben. "

"That is right enough, mother, so we will both keep up ourspirits. "

Chapter 4: The Trial. 

There were three magistrates on the bench on the following morning, when Reuben was brought up. The justice room was crowded, for theseries of burglaries had caused some excitement; and the news thatthe house of Mr. Ellison had been broken into, and that one of themen who had been taken turned out to belong to Lewes, had createdquite a sensation. 

Mr. Ellison was the first to give his evidence. He testified that, on waking on the previous morning, he found that someone had beenin his room during the night. He was not in the habit of lockinghis door, and had not been awakened. He found that a box whichstood on the dressing table, containing some valuable jewelry, wasgone; that his watch and that of Mrs. Ellison had been taken; thatthe drawers had been opened, and a case containing the morevaluable jewels of his wife had also been abstracted. This was notdiscovered till afterwards. He first missed his watch. 

He rang the servants up, for it was still early; and it was thendiscovered that the lower premises had been broken into, the platechest in the butler's pantry broken open, and a large quantity ofplate stolen. 

"What do you estimate the value of the articles stolen, Mr. Ellison?"

"The value of my wife's jewels I should put down, roughly, at twothousand pounds; the silver plate might have been worth threehundred more; the watches and other articles, so far as I yet missthem, say another hundred. "

The servants proved that they found the kitchen window open, ongoing downstairs. It had been opened by the catch being forcedback. It was not the custom to put up shutters. The pantry door, which was a strong one, had been cut with a saw round the lock. Thebutler testified to the plate having been safe, the night before, and the strong chest in which it was kept having been forced open. 

Directly it was discovered, the constable of the village was placedin charge of the room, with orders to admit no one; and a man onhorseback was sent off to Lewes, to the chief constable. Thevillage constable gave evidence as to the state of the place, whenhe was put in charge. 

The constable who had been sent over from Lewes then stepped intothe witness box. He testified to the marks of entry of the thieves, and said that the manner in which they had gone to work, and inwhich the door had been sawn through, and the chest forced open, seemed to show that it was the work of practised hands. Onexamining closely the butler's pantry, he found a powerfulscrewdriver and a heavy chisel. These corresponded to marks in thelid, and had evidently been used for the purpose of forcing itopen. They had the initials "R W. " burnt in the handles. Theinmates of the house all denied any knowledge of these tools. 

Mr. Ellison had been present when he showed them to Mrs. Ellison. On looking at them she said at once:

"R. W. Why, that must be Reuben Whitney, that wicked boy, again. "

Upon making inquiries, he found that the man named worked at Mr. Penfold's, the mill wright at Lewes. He returned there at once and, going to Mr. Penfold, found the prisoner was absent from work. Themen identified the brand on the tools as that of the prisoner. Another constable proved the arrest. 

The chief constable then read the statement that the prisoner hadmade to him. The magistrates conferred together for a few minutes, in an undertone. 

"Mrs. Ellison, " the senior of them said, addressing that lady, whowas sitting on a chair placed at the upper end of the court, "weare sorry to trouble you, but we must ask you to go into thewitness box. 

"I wish to ask you, " he went on, when she had taken her stand inthe box, "how it was you at once connected the initials with theprisoner?"

"Because he had at one time lived in the village, and was employedassisting our gardener. He was discharged on suspicion of havingpoisoned a watchdog which had bit him; and as the three dogs aboutthe place had all been poisoned, on the night when the house wasbroken into, his name had been in my mind and, on seeing theinitials, I naturally recognized them at once. "

There was a deep silence in the court, when Mrs. Ellison gave herevidence. Hitherto the impression had been rather favourable to theprisoner. His story, though strange, had been by no meansimpossible and, if true, would have completely accounted for thefinding of the tools, which were the only evidence against him. Theevidence of Mrs. Ellison, however, entirely altered the complexionof the case. 

Reuben had stood, quiet and composed, during the hearing. Hiscountenance had evinced no surprise or emotion, when the tools wereproduced. He had, indeed, upon thinking the matter over beforecoming into court, come to the conclusion that the tools, which hehad in a small basket at the time he was attacked, had been foundin or near the house; having been left there purposely, by TomThorne, in order to throw suspicion upon him. Their production, therefore, was no surprise to him. 

A slight shade had passed over his face when Mrs. Ellison enteredthe witness box. Glancing at the squire as she gave her evidence, Reuben saw that Mr. Ellison looked greatly vexed and annoyed. Asbefore, at the conclusion of the evidence of each witness, Reubenwas asked if he had any question to put. He hesitated for a momentand then, as before, replied in the negative. 

Again the magistrates consulted together. 

"Mr. Ellison, we shall be obliged if you will enter the witness boxagain. In your former evidence, Mr. Ellison, you said nothing inany way relating to the prisoner; but it now seems you had aprevious acquaintance with him. Will you tell the court what itis?"

"I have not much to say, " the squire said. "As a boy he lived inthe village with his mother, a most respectable person; and widowof Jacob Whitney, a miller in a good way of business, who, as itmay be in your memory, was found drowned in his mill pond someseven or eight years ago. The widow, being in reduced circumstances, settled in Tipping. The boy was an intelligent lad and, when the boyemployed in my garden left, I gave him the place. He gave everysatisfaction. One day he was severely bitten by the watchdog and, three days later, the dog was found poisoned. My gardener saw a boyrunning away from the spot, a quarter of an hour before the dog died. He believed it to be the prisoner, but it was too dark for him todistinguish the features. 

"At the time, I certainly suspected that he had been guilty ofpoisoning the dog and, in spite of his denying that he had anythingto do with it, as he was unable to account for where he was at thetime the boy was seen, I discharged him. I wish to say publiclythat I have deeply regretted having done so, ever since, and that Iconsider I acted hastily and wrongly in so doing. Considering hisprevious good character, I ought not to have assumed his guiltwithout more positive evidence than I had before me. I may also saythat the schoolmaster of our village will give the prisoner thehighest character for truthfulness, and he has known him eversince. His present employer, Mr. Penfold, is also, I believe, readyto testify to his excellent conduct during his four years ofapprenticeship. "

"I suppose, Mr. Ellison, " the senior magistrate said, "you havenot, at any time since the poisoning of the dog, obtained anyactual evidence which would show that you were mistaken in yourfirst view, and that your subsequent change of opinion was duesolely to your general view of the boy's character, so far as youknew it. "

"That is so, " the squire assented and, no further question beingasked, he resumed his seat. His evidence had caused surprise andsome little amusement in court. It was clear that there was astrong difference of opinion between him and his wife on thesubject; and that, while the lady had something like an animusagainst the prisoner, the squire was strongly impressed in hisfavour. After some consultation, the magistrate said:

"The case will be remanded until this day week, to see if furtherevidence is forthcoming; but I may say that, under the presentcircumstances of the case, we shall feel ourselves obliged to sendit for trial. The prisoner's account of his proceedings, from thetime he left Lewes on the previous evening up to that of his returnand arrest here, may be true; but so far it is entirelyunsupported. On the other hand, we have the evidence of the tools, admitted to belong to him, being found on the scene of theburglary. We have the further important fact that he had beenformerly employed upon the place; and had, it may be supposed, someknowledge of the premises. He had been discharged upon a suspicion, rightfully or wrongly entertained, of his having poisoned a dogbelonging to Mr. Ellison, and there is reason for the belief thatthe dogs poisoned before the burglary were got at by some oneacquainted with the place. "

"Will it be any use my calling evidence as to character, at thenext meeting?" Reuben asked. 

"No, " the magistrate said. "Evidence of that kind will be useful atthe trial, when the matter will be thoroughly sifted. We only haveto decide that there is prima facie evidence connecting you withthe offence, and of that there can be no doubt. "

At the sitting a week later, no fresh evidence was produced; andReuben was committed for trial at the next assizes. Public opinionin Lewes ran high on the subject of Reuben's guilt or innocence. The other workmen at the mill wright's were strongly in hisfavour--he was very popular among his fellows--and they pointed outthat several hands must have been concerned in the business, thathe was never seen about in public houses of an evening, or waslikely to have any connection with bad characters. Was it probable, if he had gone about such a job as that, he would have taken toolsmarked with his own initials; or if he had, that he would have beenfool enough to leave them behind?

Upon the other hand, opinion in general ran strongly against him. His story was declared to be utterly improbable, and a fellow whohad once been dismissed for poisoning a dog would be likely, at anyfuture time, to revenge himself upon the employer who turned himoff. As to Mr. Ellison's declaration of his subsequent opinion thathe acted hastily, little weight was attached to it. Everyone knewSquire Ellison was a kind-hearted man, and as he acknowledgedhimself that he had obtained no evidence which would satisfy himthat he had acted wrongly in the first case, it was clear that itwas from mere kindness of heart that he had changed his mind on thesubject. 

At Tipping the subject was never mentioned. The squire and Mrs. Ellison had, on the drive home, had the most serious quarrel whichhad ever taken place during their wedded life; which had ended bythe former saying:

"If anyone had ever told me before, Mary, that you were avindictive woman, I should have knocked him down. I might do sonow, but I should know in my heart that he had spoken truly. Forsome reason or other you took a prejudice against that boy, and younever forgave his mother for standing up in his defence. I wasshocked, downright shocked, when you gave your evidence in court. "

Mrs. Ellison had been too much offended to reply, and the rest ofthe drive had been passed in silence. Upon their return home thegirls were full of eager questions, but the squire said shortly:

"My dears, the less we talk about it, the better. Your mother and Idiffer entirely on the subject. She believes that Reuben Whitney isguilty. I am absolutely convinced he is innocent. Therefore, if youplease, we will not discuss it. "

The following morning Kate Ellison went down to the school house. 

"Mr. Shrewsbury, " she said, putting her head in at the door, "couldyou come out for two or three minutes? I want particularly to speakto you. 

"Have you heard what took place yesterday, at Lewes?" she askedwhen he came out. 

"Yes, Miss Ellison. I saw Jones the constable last night, and hetold me all that had been said in court. "

"And you think Reuben Whitney is innocent?" she asked eagerly. 

"I am quite sure of it, Miss Ellison--as sure as I am of my ownexistence. For anyone who knows him to have a doubt is absolutelyabsurd. A finer young fellow than Reuben it would be hard to find. "

"But what did he say? How did he account for his tools being foundthere?"

The schoolmaster repeated the account Reuben had given, and said:

"When the trial comes off I shall, of course, go over; and testifyboth as to his general conduct and to the fact that he had, as hesaid, promised to bring over his tools to put up some shelves in mycupboards. "

"Do you think he will get off, Mr. Shrewsbury?" she askedanxiously. 

"I should hope so, Miss Ellison, but I can't disguise from myselfthat it is by no means certain. That unfortunate old business aboutthe dog will tell terribly against him; and though I am perfectlysure that his account of what took place is correct, there isnothing to confirm it. It is just the sort of story, they will say, that he would naturally get up to account for his absence, and forthe tools being found. Of course, if the jury knew him as well as Ido the result would be certain; but I have been trying to look atthe facts as if he were a stranger, and I can't say what decision Ishould come to, in such a case. Still, of course, the highcharacter that will be given him, and the fact that there is noevidence whatever connecting him, in any way, with bad characters, must count immensely in his favour. "

The assizes were to take place only a fortnight after the date ofReuben's committal. Mrs. Whitney had engaged a lawyer in the townto defend her son and, to the surprise of this gentleman, Mr. Ellison called upon him two or three days later, and said:

"Mr. Brogden, I hear that you have been engaged by Mrs. Whitney todefend her son. I don't believe the young fellow is guilty, andtherefore I authorize you to spend any sum that may be necessary ingetting up his defence; and I wish you to instruct a counsel toappear for him. Of course I cannot appear openly in the matter, andmy name must not be mentioned, but I will guarantee all expenses. 

"It seems to me that it would be desirable to find out, ifpossible, the village where he says he breakfasted, and asked theway to Lewes. In his story he says he didn't know the name of thevillage but, as he was told it was about twenty miles from Lewes, and he can describe the road he followed, there ought to be nodifficulty in finding it. 

"I should advise you to have a chat with Shrewsbury, theschoolmaster at Tipping. He is a great friend of the lad's, and avery intelligent fellow. He may be able to suggest some points tobe followed up. At any rate, do all you can. "

Reuben had another adherent who was also acting on his behalf. Theafternoon before the trial, Kate Ellison stopped before theblacksmith shop in the village and, seeing that Jacob Priestley thesmith was at work, alone, she entered. 

"Is it true, Jacob, that you have been summoned on the jury atLewes tomorrow?"

"Yes, miss, it bee true, sureley. It be four years since anyone inthe village was summoned, and it be mighty hard that they shouldhave picked upon me. Still, I have never been called before, so Isuppose I mustn't grumble; but it be hard to be taken away fromwork, to waste one's time in a court, and they say the 'sizes ulllast for three days. "

"Well, Jacob, you know that Reuben Whitney is going to be tried forrobbery at our house. "

"Yes, miss; so they says. "

"Well, what do you think about it, Jacob?"

"I don't think nothing one way or the other, miss. Most folks saysas how he must have done it, 'cause as how he poisoned squire's dogafore. "

"He didn't do anything of the sort, Jacob; and it's very wicked ofpeople to say so. He is innocent, quite innocent. I am sure he is, and papa is quite sure, too; and he will be terribly put out if heis found guilty. So I want you to promise me that, whatever theothers think, you will hold out that he is innocent. "

"Well, miss, " the smith said, scratching his head, "if you be sureof it, and squire be sure, I suppose there can't be no doubt aboutit, for who should know better than squire; and I am sure Iwouldn't go to put him about, for a better landlord than squireain't to be found in the county. So you tell him, miss, as I willhold out. "

"But papa doesn't know that I have come down here, Jacob. Itwouldn't do for him to interfere, you know; especially as he is amagistrate himself. You mustn't mention to anyone that I havespoken to you about it--not to anyone, Jacob, not even to yourwife--but I can tell you the squire will be heartily pleased if heis found innocent, and he will be terribly put out if he is foundguilty. "

"All right, miss, " the smith replied. "I understand, and no onesha'n't know as you have spoken to me aboot it. It be quite enoughfor I to know as the squire knows as he's innocent. It ain't likelyas I should stick my opinion up against his. "

The day after he heard of Reuben's arrest, the schoolmaster wentover to see him; and as he was the bearer of a letter from Mr. Ellison to the governor of the jail, he was able to obtainadmittance. 

"Was there ever such an unfortunate fellow as I am?" Reubenexclaimed, after the first hearty greeting. "Here am I for thesecond time accused of a crime of which I am innocent; and fromwhich, indeed, in the present case I am a sufferer; and all thishas come about, simply because I went out of my way to inquire intowhat seemed to me a suspicious business. "

"Tell me all about it, Reuben. I have heard the statement you madeto the chief constable; but tell it me again, with every detail youcan think of. Some circumstance, which appears to you as trifling, may furnish a clue. "

"I have seen Mr. Brogden, the lawyer. I have told him all thathappened, " Reuben said; "but of course, I will gladly tell youagain. "

And Reuben repeated the story of the adventure, with every detailthat he could think of; speaking slowly, as the schoolmaster wroteit down at length. 

"I will see what I can make of it, when I think it over, " Mr. Shrewsbury said. "Of course, as it stands, it is so natural andprobable that it would clear you at once; had it not been for thatunfortunate dog business before, and the supposition, excited byit, that you had a feeling of hostility to the squire. I shall beable partly to dispose of that, for I can swear that you havefrequently spoken to me of the squire in tones of respect andliking; and that, although you regretted the manner in which youleft his service, you felt no ill will against him on account ofit. Moreover, I shall be able to prove that the reasons you gavefor having your tools with you was a true one; and although Icannot swear that I expected you specially on that evening, thefact that you were in the habit of coming over, at times, to seeme, cannot but corroborate your story. 

"I shall get leave for two or three days, and will hunt up thevillage where you breakfasted. "

"Thank you very much, " Reuben said, "though I have been thinking itover, and do not see that the evidence of the people at the publichouse would help me much. It will simply prove that I passedthrough there in the morning; but will not show, in any way, whether I went willingly as far as that, as one of the party whobroke into the house, or whether I was taken there. "

"They can probably prove that you looked pale and exhausted, " theschoolmaster said. 

"I fancy I should look pale, in any case, " Reuben said, "if I hadgone through such a night's work as that of breaking into thesquire's. "

"Well, keep up your courage, Reuben. You may be quite sure thatyour friends will do all in their power for you. I shall go now andhave a chat with your mother. I am afraid that she will wantcomforting more than you do. "

"Yes, " Reuben agreed, "I am afraid so. Somehow I don't seem to takeit to heart much. I shall feel it more afterwards, perhaps; but atpresent, the whole thing seems so extraordinary that I can't quiterealize that I am in danger of being sent to Botany Bay. The worstof it is that, even if I am acquitted, lots of people will stillthink I am guilty. There is only one thing that can really prove myinnocence, and that is the arrest of Tom Thorne, and his father. "

"I hear, " the schoolmaster said, "that the chief constable haswritten up to Bow Street, for them to put the runners on the tracesof those two scoundrels. Whether they believe your story or not, itis quite evident that more than one person was concerned in theaffair. Their theory, of course, is that you quarrelled with theothers over the division of the spoil; and got that knock on thehead, which is a very severe one. I went down yesterday with Jones, to see the spot where you said you were assaulted. There were markswhere the horse stopped, and marks of feet in the field, and apatch of blood; all of which goes to prove that your story may betrue, but unfortunately it doesn't prove that it was because, according to the theory against you, you might have been assaultedafter the robbery, as well as before it. "

"But in that case, " Reuben said, "why should they have taken thetrouble to carry me twenty miles away?"

"Yes, there is of course that question, " the schoolmaster saidthoughtfully; "but then, on the other hand, why did they take thetrouble in case you were not an accomplice? In both cases theanswer is the same--they did it to prevent your giving the alarm, until they had got far away from the scene. They didn't like tomurder you, because of the consequences to themselves; but theywould not risk your recovering consciousness and getting up anearly pursuit. It cuts both ways, you see. "

"So it does, " Reuben assented. "It's just a question of belief; andI own, myself, that that old dog business is very much against me;and that I can't blame anyone who considers me guilty. "

Reuben's was the last case taken at the assizes, and occasioned agood deal of interest in that part of Sussex, partly owing to theposition of Squire Ellison, partly to the nature of the defence setup, as to which opinion was a good deal divided. The evidence forthe prosecution was, to a great extent, similar to that given atthe inquiry before the magistrates. Unfortunately for Reuben, thejudge was notoriously a severe one; and his bias, from the first, appeared to be against the prisoner. Mr. Ellison was closelyquestioned by the prosecutor as to the poisoning of his dog, asthis was considered to show a particular animus on the part ofReuben. He again repeated his conviction of Reuben's innocence inthat affair. 

"But what reason have you, Mr. Ellison, " the counsel for theprosecution asked blandly, "for changing your opinion on thesubject?"

This was just the question which the squire could not answersatisfactorily; and was a particularly irritating one, because ithad often been triumphantly asked by his wife. 

"I can really give no particular reason, " he said, "except that, onreflection, the boy's previous character and antecedents convincedme that he could not have done such an act. "

"In fact, " the counsel said suavely, "you were influenced by yourown goodness of heart, Mr. Ellison, in thus laying aside aconviction which the facts had, at the time, forced upon you. "

"I don't look upon it in that light, " the squire replied shortly. "I consider that in the first instance I acted hastily andunadvisedly, and on consideration I saw that I had done so. "

"I am afraid, Mr. Ellison, " the counsel said, "that you will notpersuade the jury to agree with you. "

"I have only one or two questions to ask you, " the counsel for thedefence said, when he rose to cross-examine, "for indeed yourevidence is, as I think the jury will agree, altogether in favourof the prisoner. In the first place, was the lad, when in youremployment, ever upstairs in your house?"

"Not that I know of, " the squire replied. "Certainly in the courseof his duties he would never be there. Indeed, it would be veryseldom that he would even enter the kitchen, except to bring invegetables. Certainly he would never pass through to go upstairs. He could not possibly have done so without exciting attention andremarks. "

"He would therefore, Mr. Ellison, have no means of possessing anyknowledge as to the internal arrangements of your house, beyondthat possessed by the other people in the village?"

"None whatever, " Mr. Ellison replied. 

"Now, as to that unfortunate affair of the poisoning of your dog. Your opinion, as to the innocence of the prisoner in that matter, is not a recent one--not the outcome of his after good conduct andcharacter?"

"Not at all, " Mr. Ellison said. "I changed my opinion on the mattervery shortly, indeed, after the affair. "

"Within a few days, I think I may say?" the counsel asked. 

"Within a very few days; I may almost say within a few hours, " thesquire replied. "The boy's story, told not to me but to another, that he believed the dog was poisoned by another lad in the villagewho owed him a grudge, and who has since turned out an exceedinglybad character, struck me as being very much more probable than thathe should do it, himself. "

Mrs. Ellison was next called. Her evidence as to the robbery was amere repetition of that given by the squire. The counsel thenturned to the question of the poisoning. 

"I would rather say nothing about it, " Mrs. Ellison said. "It is amatter which has been productive of much pain to me, and I wouldrather say nothing about it. "

"But you must, madam, " the judge said sharply. "You are here toanswer any question which may enable the jury to form an opinion onthis case. "

"I am sorry to press you, Mrs. Ellison, " the counsel continued, "but I really must do so. You took a different opinion to that heldby your husband?"

"I regret to say that I did. Mr. Ellison told me the reasons he hadfor suspecting the boy. I thought those reasons sufficient, andhave seen no cause for changing my opinion. "

After the evidence for the prosecution had been given, the counselfor the defence pointed out that there was, in fact, no evidencewhatever connecting Reuben with the robbery, beyond the discoveryof his tools on the premises; and that, as to this trumpery storyof the poisoning a dog, four years before, apparently only for thepurpose of showing some sort of animus, he regarded it asaltogether contemptible. When a man meant to commit a burglary in ahouse, he did so in order to obtain possession of the goods, andnot from any spite against the owner. Had this young fellow feltany malice, for this ridiculous charge on which he had beendismissed, he would not have allied himself with burglars to robthe house; but would probably have vented his spite in the usualfashion, by setting fire to a stack or outhouse; but so far as hecould see, there was no foundation for the charge brought againsthim, and they had already heard Mr. Ellison declare that heregretted he had suspected him, and that he believed him to beinnocent. 

But even had it been proved, up to the hilt, that the prisoner hadpoisoned the dog, he should still hold it as wholly unconnectedwith the present matter. If he had poisoned the dog, what then? Itwas not a heinous sin, nor would it affect his moral character. Noboy likes having a piece taken out of his calf by a savage dog, andthere would have been nothing so very dreadful had he revengedhimself. It was probable that, even among the jury, there was oneor more who, if he had not absolutely set poison for hisneighbour's cats, for destroying his young chickens or scratchingup his flower beds, had threatened to do so, and would not haveregarded it as a very serious crime had he done so. 

Therefore he contended that the jury should put this trumperyaffair altogether out of their minds; on the double ground that, inthe first place, the prisoner at the bar did not poison the dog;and that, had he done so, it would have had nothing whatever to dowith the present affair. 

"Why, gentlemen, " he said, "it is an insult to your understandingto ask you to credit that this young fellow--whose character, whichI shall presently prove to you, by unimpeachable evidence, is ofthe highest kind--has, for four years, cherished such maliceagainst his employer, for dismissing him mistakenly, that he hasbecome the consort of thieves and burglars, has stained his handsin crime, and rendered himself liable to transportation, for thepurpose merely of spiting that gentleman. Such a contention wouldbe absolutely absurd. I must beg you to dismiss it altogether fromyour mind, and approach it from a different standpoint, altogether. Divested of this extraneous business, the matter is a most simpleone. 

"The prisoner left his mother's cottage, at seven o'clock in theevening, to go over for an hour or two to his friend Mr. Shrewsbury, the schoolmaster of Tipping. He took with him a fewtools, as he had promised to put some shelves in his friend'shouse. On the way he heard some talking down a lane, which he knewled to only a field. Thinking it strange, he went to see who it wasand, some distance down, he found a horse and cart standing and, listening to the conversation of two men who were sitting under thehedge, he heard enough to inform him that a burglary was intendedupon the house of Mr. Ellison. He was about to make off to give thealarm, when he was suddenly attacked by some men who had come upbehind, and was felled to the ground. While lying insensible, hewas bound hand and foot and left in a ditch; where he remained tillthe burglars returned from completing the work on hand. They thenthrew him into the cart, and put him down some twenty miles away. Being greatly exhausted by loss of blood, it was late in theafternoon before he arrived at Lewes, when he was at once arrested. 

"This, gentlemen, is the prisoner's story, as related to the chiefconstable when he was taken to the lockup. Nothing can be simpleror more probable; and in some points, at least, I shall be able toconfirm it by independent testimony. Mr. Shrewsbury will tell youthat the prisoner had arranged to come over to see him, and bringhis tools. He will also tell you that, two days after theprisoner's arrest, he went with Jones, the village constable, andfound the marks where the horse and trap had stood; while, justinside the field, the grass was trampled with feet; and in thebottom of the dry ditch was a great dark patch, which he was ableto ascertain to be blood. Doctor Hewitt will tell you that he wascalled in to strap up the prisoner's head, after his arrest; andthat the cut was a very severe one, and must have been inflicted bya heavy weapon, with great force. 

"I am convinced, gentlemen, that after hearing this evidence youwill agree with me, not only that the prisoner is perfectlyinnocent of the charge, but that he is a most ill-used person; andthat it is a matter of surprise and regret that the magistratesshould have committed him for trial, when the only shadow ofevidence against him was the discovery of these tools, a discoverywhich he at once explained. Of other evidence, there is not one jotor tittle. No attempt has been made to prove that the prisoner wasin the habit of consorting with bad characters; no attempt has beenmade to show any connection, whatever, between him and the men whocame in a horse and trap across the hills, for the purpose ofeffecting a burglary at Mr. Ellison's; and who, as we know, dideffect it. No scrap of the property stolen from the house has beenfound upon him and, in order to account for the severe wound on hishead, the counsel for the prosecution has started the hypothesisthat it was given in the course of a quarrel, during the divisionof the plunder. 

"But had that been the case, gentlemen, the prisoner would not havebeen standing here alone. Robbed and ill-treated by thesecompanions of his, he would naturally have put the officers ofjustice on their track and, as he must have been in communicationwith them, and well acquainted with their ways and haunts, he couldhave given information which would have led to their early arrest. He could well have done this, for the crown would have made nodifficulty, whatever, in promising a lad like this a free pardon, on condition of his turning evidence against these burglars; whosemode of procedure shows them to have been old hands, and who are, no doubt, the same who have committed the various robberies whichhave lately taken place in this part of the country. 

"The prisoner is the son of highly respectable parents. Hisemployer will come before you, and give you evidence of theextremely high character he bears. Mr. Shrewsbury will tell youthat he has, for the last four years, devoted no inconsiderableportion of his leisure time to improve his education, and enablehim to recover the position occupied by his father, who was amuch-respected miller in this neighbourhood. I shall leave the casein your hands, gentlemen, with an absolute confidence that youwill, without a moment's hesitation, find a verdict proclaiming theinnocence of my client; and enable him to leave the dock, without astain upon his character. "

Chapter 5: Not Guilty!

The schoolmaster was the first witness called for the defence. After stating that, although no evening was actually settled forhis coming over, he expected the prisoner one evening that week;and that he had promised to bring his tools over, to do a littlejob of carpentering; he also detailed his visit to the lane, andthe result of his observation there; and then gave Reuben thehighest character, saying that he had known him for five years, andthat he had an absolute confidence in his integrity and honesty. 

"He has from the first, " he said, "proved a most intelligent andhard-working boy, anxious to improve himself and to get on in theworld. He has learnt all that I could teach him, and more. He isone of the last persons in the world whom I should consider capableof the crime with which he is charged. As to his having anyanimosity to Mr. Ellison, I can swear that, on many differentoccasions, he has expressed his high opinion of him; and hasdeclared that it was quite natural that, with the evidence beforehim, he should have thought him guilty of poisoning the dog. "

The keeper of the wayside public house, where he had breakfasted, proved that he was struck with the prisoner's appearance when heentered; that he was very pale, and seemed scarcely able to walk. He had asked him the nearest way to Lewes, and had inquired whetherthere was any chance of getting a lift; as he was anxious to getback, as soon as possible. 

Mr. Penfold was the next witness. He said that the prisoner hadbeen apprenticed to him, four years previously; that his generalconduct had been most excellent, and that he was remarkably quickand intelligent, and was an excellent workman. During the time thathe had been employed, he had never lost a day. 

"At the time he was apprenticed to you, Mr. Penfold, " Reuben'scounsel asked, "were you aware that the lad had been summarilydischarged by Mr. Ellison?"

"I was aware of that fact, " Mr. Penfold answered; and Reuben, withsurprise, looked at his employer. 

"From whom did you hear of it?"

"I heard of it from Mr. Ellison himself, who called upon me aboutthe matter. "

"How was it he came to call upon you, Mr. Penfold?"

"The prisoner's mother had applied to me about apprenticing herson. I had asked 50 pounds premium, and said that it wasn't mycustom to pay any wages for the first year. She said she could onlyafford pounds, and I thought that was an end of the matter until, afew days later, Mr. Ellison called upon me, and said that he hadheard from the schoolmaster in his village, who was a friend of theboy's mother, how matters stood; and that her application hadfallen through, owing to her being unable to find more than 20pounds. 

"I said that this was so. Mr. Ellison then said that he wasprepared to make up the deficiency, that he had a regard for theboy's father; and that, moreover, he himself had, through a hastymisconception regarding the poisoning of the dog, discharged thelad from his service; and that he felt uneasy, in his mind, athaving been guilty of a piece of injustice. Over and above the 30pounds, he gave me six pound ten; in order that I might pay the boyhalf a crown a week, for the first year, which he said would be amatter of consequence to his mother. He requested me on no accountto let Mrs. Whitney know that he had intervened in the matter, butto represent that I changed my mind, and was willing to take the 20pounds she offered as a premium. He was particularly anxious onthis point; because, he said, she would certainly refuse to acceptassistance from him, owing to that unfortunate affair about thedog. 

"I may say that, from that time to this, I have not mentioned thefact to anyone; and the sum of 20 pounds was inserted in theindenture of apprenticeship. "

There was a little movement of applause in the court, as Mr. Penfold gave his evidence; and Reuben looked gratefully towards Mr. Ellison, and said heartily:

"I thank you, sir, with all my heart. "

The foreman of the yard was next examined. He confirmed the highcharacter Mr. Penfold had given Reuben, and adding that he knew thelad never entered a public house, but spent his evenings almostentirely at home studying; for that he himself had, many times, called in and had, upon every occasion, found him so employed. 

The counsel for the prosecution then addressed the jury, and threwdiscredit upon Reuben's narrative; which, he said, was unsupportedin any material particular. That he met the rest of the party inthe lane was likely enough. He may have returned there with themafter the burglary, and probably it was there that, in a quarrelover the spoil, he received the blow of which you have heard. 

"My learned friend has told you to dismiss from your mind thequestion about that poisoning of the dog, four years ago; but it isimpossible for you to do so. You have heard that the dog waspoisoned, and that the evidence was so strong that his employer atonce dismissed him. It is true that Mr. Ellison has told you thathe afterwards changed his mind on the subject; but after theevidence which Mr. Penfold has given, of the kindness of thatgentleman's heart, you will readily understand that no great stresscan be laid upon this. The matter, so far from being trivial, as myfriend represents it, is highly important; inasmuch as here we findthat, again, the dogs have been poisoned just as on the firstoccasion. It is clear that burglars from London would be ignorantof the whereabouts of the kennels, and were not likely to have comedown provided with a store of poisoned meat; had they not known, from persons well acquainted with the place, of the steps thatwould have to be taken before an entry could be effected into thehouse. You will therefore see the extreme importance of this point. 

"I am perfectly ready to admit that the evidence is of a whollycircumstantial nature but, from the nature of the case, it isnecessary that this should be so. Had Mrs. Or Mr. Ellison awoke, when the thieves entered their room, it is probable that much moreevidence would be forthcoming. It is, however, for you to weigh theprobabilities of the case. You have to consider whether the theorywhich I have laid before you, as to the connection of the prisonerwith this affair, or this wild story which he tells you, is themost probable. "

The judge then summed up, with a strong bias against Reuben. Hetold them that evidence for character was, of course, ofimportance; but that it must not be relied upon too far. Theprisoner appeared undoubtedly to be intelligent and well-conducted, but unfortunately his experience told him that many criminals weremen of unusual intelligence. Stress had been laid, by the counselfor the defence, upon the fact that the prisoner was not known, atany time, to have consorted with suspicious characters; but this, after all, was only negative evidence. Affairs of this sort werealways conducted with secrecy and, had one of these men come downfrom London, as was probable enough, to make inquiries as to houseswhich could be broken into with a prospect of good booty, he wouldnaturally not make himself conspicuous. 

They had heard the two stories, and must judge for themselves; buthe agreed, with the counsel for the prosecution, that the fact thatthe prisoner had been discharged by Mr. Ellison for poisoning adog, and that on the night of the robbery other dogs were foundpoisoned, and that probably by some one acquainted with thelocality, could not but have an influence upon their minds. At thesame time he would tell them that, if they had a doubt in theirminds, it was their duty to give the prisoner the benefit of thatdoubt. 

The jury consulted together for a minute or two in the jury box, and then expressed their desire to retire. A buzz of talk arose inthe court, when they had left. Opinion was divided as to what theverdict would be. When the counsel for the defence sat down, thegeneral opinion was that the prisoner would be certainly acquitted;but the speech of the counsel for the prosecution, and the summingup of the judge, had caused a reaction, and few doubted now thatthe verdict would be guilty. 

So Reuben himself thought. It was he felt hard that, standing thereto be tried for burglary, the decision should, in fact, depend uponthat unjust charge which had, four years ago, been brought againsthim. Reuben was in the habit of what he called arguing things outby himself; and as he stood there, waiting for the verdict, hetried to put himself in the position of the jury; and he felt that, in that case, he should have difficulty in coming to a decision. 

It was not until after the lamps had been lighted that the juryreturned into the box. The crier shouted for order, and there wasnot a sound heard, as the foreman told the judge that they were notagreed upon their verdict. 

"Then you must go back, gentlemen, until you are, " the judge said. 

"We are eleven one way, and one the other. Won't that do, my lord?"

"No, sir, " the judge replied. "You must be unanimous. "

The jury again retired, the judge and counsel went off to dine atthe hotel, and almost all the public trooped out. Two hours later, as the jury did not return, Reuben Whitney was taken back to thejail, and the court closed. At nine o'clock in the morning, awarder entered. 

"The jury have come back into the court, " he said. "They are goingto return a verdict. "

Reuben was again placed in the dock. The seats open to the publicquickly filled, as the news spread through the town. Several of themembers of the bar dropped in, and then the judge came in and tookhis seat. 

Reuben had occupied the time in trying to judge, from the faces ofthe jury, what their verdict was going to be. They looked sulky andtired. But as Reuben's eye rested on Jacob Priestley, whom he hadat once recognized among the jury, the smith gave him anencouraging wink. At least, so Reuben thought; but as the nextmoment he was looking as surly as the rest, he thought that he musthave been mistaken. 

"Are you agreed, gentlemen, as to the verdict you find in thiscase?" the judge asked. 

"We are, my lord, " the foreman replied. 

"Do you find the prisoner guilty or not guilty?"

"Not guilty, my lord. "

"Very well, gentlemen, " the judge said tartly. "It is your verdict, not mine. "

At the foreman's word a thrill had run through the court; for whenit was known, the evening before, that eleven were one way and onethe other, the belief had been general that the majority were for aconviction. Reuben himself had so understood it, and the verdictwas a complete surprise to him. 

[Illustration: Reuben Whitney Acquitted of the Charge of Burglary]

The constable raised the bar for him to leave the dock, and as hemoved out his friend the schoolmaster pushed forward, and shook himwarmly by the hand. 

"Thank God for that verdict, Reuben. I am indeed rejoiced, and Iown I hardly expected it. "

"I didn't expect it at all, " Reuben said in a choked voice, for hissudden liberation had shaken him, more than his arrest or any ofthe subsequent proceedings had done. 

"I congratulate you heartily, Reuben, " Mr. Ellison said, puttinghis hand on his shoulder. 

The squire had waited at Lewes until ten o'clock on the previousevening, and had driven over again the first thing in the morning, so anxious was he about the verdict. 

"I didn't believe you guilty this time, my boy, from the first. Iwas glad indeed to hear the verdict; for after the judge's summingup, I was sorely uneasy. 

"And now, Reuben, I hope, " he said, as they entered the street, "that you have quite forgiven me for that old business. It has beenthe unfortunate cause of getting you into this affair. Had it notbeen for that no one would ever, for a moment, have doubted thetruth of your story. "

"There is nothing to forgive, squire, " Reuben said. "I never blamedyou for it, from the first; and even had I done so, your goodness, of which I only heard yesterday, would have made up, many times, for any mistake you may have made then. "

"That is right, my lad, " the squire said. "I am glad that matter ismade up. And now I will not keep you, for I know you will want tobe off home to your mother. "

Reuben walked quietly home, so as to give the schoolmaster, who hadhurried on ahead, time to break the news of his acquittal to hismother. Mrs. Whitney had remained in court during the trial, buthad retired when the jury left to consider their verdict, beingcompletely overcome with agitation and excitement. The schoolmasterhad slept in the house, and had persuaded her not to go to thecourt in the morning; fearing as he did that the verdict would be ahostile one. She completely broke down when she was told the news, and was still sobbing when Reuben arrived. 

The schoolmaster at once took his leave, leaving mother and sontogether; and promised them to return in a day or two. When heagain came over, he saw at once that Mrs. Whitney was lookingdepressed and unhappy. 

"What do you think, Mr. Shrewsbury? Reuben says that he shall goabroad, out to Australia. I have talked against it till I amhoarse, but it's no good. I hope you will persuade him to give upsuch a mad idea. "

"I will hear what he has to say first, Mrs. Whitney. Reuben hasgenerally a good deal to say for his side of a question, and I musthear his reasons before I can argue against them. 

"Now, Reuben, what have you to say for yourself?"

"I made up my mind while I was in jail, " Reuben replied, "that if Iwas acquitted, I would go right away. These things stick to a manall through his life. That first affair, four years ago, nearly gotme transported now; and if a small matter like that did me suchharm, what will this do? If I had been proved to be innocent, itwould have been different; but as it is, I believe nine people outof ten in court thought I was guilty; and I am convinced that thejury were eleven to one against me, only the twelfth was moreobstinate than they were, and so they gave in. I believe it wasJacob Priestley the blacksmith who held out, for the sake of oldtimes. 

"At any rate, a great many people will think me guilty, all theirlives, unless something turns up to prove my innocence. Mother sayswe might settle somewhere else, where we ain't known; but I shouldnever feel safe. Years on, someone from Lewes might see me and tellthe story; or Tom Thorne might keep on my track. I won't risk it. 

"I have been to Mr. Penfold, and he says if I am determined to go, he will cancel my indenture for me. I have no doubt I shall findwork of some sort, out there. I am a pretty good workman now at myown craft and, if I can't get work at that, I can turn my hand tosomething else. 

"My only trouble is about mother. I want her to go with me. I couldmake a living for her out there, but she won't have it. She sayssix months at sea will kill her, and then she has all sorts ofideas in her head about the natives. However I hope that, in two orthree years' time, I shall be able to write and tell her that Ihave comfortably settled, and have a good home ready for her tocome to; and that then she will join me. "

"Never, " Mrs. Whitney said, excitedly. "I was born at Lewes, and Ihave lived near it all my days, and I will die here. I am not goingto tramp all over the world, and settle down among black people, inoutlandish parts. I could not do it, Mr. Shrewsbury. It's cruel ofhim to ask me. "

The schoolmaster was silent for a minute. He saw that Reuben's mindwas firmly made up, and he could not deny the force of hisreasoning. It was true that many people still considered himguilty. It was true that this story might crop up again, years on, and ruin his life. It did seem that the best thing he could do wasto leave the country. 

"Australia is not so bad a place as you fancy, Mrs. Whitney, " hesaid at last. "They do have troubles with the natives, certainly, in the outlying settlements; but in the towns you have no moretrouble than you have here. Besides, every year the whitepopulation is increasing, and the black diminishing. Six months'voyage is not so dreadful as it seems. And though I do think that, if Reuben goes out, it will be better for you to remain quietlyhere till he has a home prepared for you; I think that, when thetime comes, you will change your mind about it. 

"As to Reuben himself, I must own there's a good deal of force inwhat he says; and that until those Thornes have been sent out ofthe country, his story might follow him. And I have no doubt hewould do well out there. He is a good workman for his age and, ashe says, can turn his hand to almost anything. Labour is scarce outthere and, as he has got his head screwed on the right way, I haveno doubt that he will fall on his feet. "

"I didn't expect this of you, Mr. Shrewsbury, " Mrs. Whitney said, beginning to cry. "I thought you would have taken my part, and nowyou are going right against me. "

"Not against you, Mrs. Whitney, for I think that Reuben's plan isbest for you both. He cannot but suffer, if he remains here; andyou will be unhappy in seeing him suffer. Great as the loss wouldbe to you, I believe that you would be happier here, alone, thanyou would be were you to see him in constant trouble and worry. Atany rate you would have the option, if you found life intolerablydull here, of joining him out there at any time. 

"But how do you intend to get out, Reuben?" he asked, seeing thatMrs. Whitney made no answer, but again relapsed into tears. 

"I shall work my way out, " Reuben replied. "I can do any rough workas a smith or a carpenter, and I should think I ought to get mypassage for my work. Anyhow, I have got twelve pounds saved up; andif I can't get out free, that and my work ought to take me. "

In a short time Mrs. Whitney, finding that Reuben was not to beshaken in his determination, ceased to oppose it; and began to busyherself in preparations for his departure, which he had arranged totake place as soon as possible. 

A day or two before starting, he walked over to say goodbye to Mrs. Shrewsbury. He stopped as he passed the smithy and, seeing JacobPriestley at work alone, he went in. 

"Ah, Reuben, is it you?" the smith said. "Better here than in thedock at Lewes, eh? I hears a talk of your going to foreign parts. "

"Yes, I am off, " Reuben said, "and I have just come over to saygoodbye to Mrs. Shrewsbury; so I looked in as I passed, knowing asyou were one of those who found me not guilty, and would perhapsgive me a shake of the hand, before leaving. "

"That will I, lad. Yes, I found you not guilty; and I jest tippedyou a wink, from the box, to let you know as it were all right; butmy eye! what a game we had had of it. Never had such a game, in allmy born days. "

And the blacksmith sat down on a stool, to indulge in a great fitof laughing. 

"What was the game?" Reuben asked. 

"Well, you know, Stokes he was the foreman, and a Cockney sort ofchap he be. He turns round in the box and, says he:

"'In course you are all agreed. '

"'Agreed as how?' says I. 

"'Why, agreed as he's guilty, in course, ' says he. 

"'Nothing of the sort, ' says I. 'I believes he's as innocent as achild unborn. '

"Then they all comes round me and jaws; but seeing as I wasn'tgoing to give in, Stokes he asked the judge for leave to retire. 

"Well, when we retires they all pitches into me, and says as it'smonstrous one man should hold out agin eleven; and that, even if Ididn't feel sure myself, I ought to go as the others went. So Ididn't say much, but I sits myself down and brings out a big chunkof bread and bacon, as my good woman had put into my pocket, and Ibegins to eat. 

"'Look you here, ' says I, 'I ha' got four parcels like this. Todaybe Friday, and I can hold on easy till Tuesday. That's how I looksat it. This young chap ain't had nothing to do with this 'ererobbery, and I ain't going to see he transported for what he neverdone. '

"Well, there we sits. Sometimes they would all talk at once, sometimes two or three of them would give it me. Ten o'clock comesand they got desperate like, for only one or two of them had putanything into their pockets, thinking that the matter was sure tobe finished that night. When the messages were sent out again, aswe couldn't agree, I sits down in a corner and, says I:

"'I ain't a selfish man, and any of you as changes your mind canhave a share of what I have got. '

"I dozes off, but I hears them jawing away among themselves. Itmight have been two o'clock when one of them comes to me and givesme a shake and, says he:

"'Give us a cut of that bread and bacon. I am well-nigh starved. Ihave got a wife and children to think of, and it don't matter to mewhether this chap goes to Botany Bay, or whether he don't. Itdidn't seem to me a certain case, all along, so I will go alongwith you. '

"Gradually two or three more comes, and when it got light I couldsee as some more was hesitating so, says I:

"'Lookee here, my friends. Those who has agreed to give this youngchap another chance has lessened my stock of bread and bacon prettyconsiderable, and I ain't got more than enough for one more, sowho's the next?'

"Four more spoke out at once. I divides the bread and bacon amongthem; then, as there was nine of us agin three, we goes at them andtells them how wrong it is as we was all to suffer from theirobstinacy, and we works on their feelings about their wives andchildren; and then, says I:

"'I call it downright ridiculous, when there's a hot breakfast ontwelve tables waiting for us, as three men should keep the restfrom tucking in, just acause they won't give an innocent lad thebenefit of the doubt. '

"Well, that finished them. The thought of the hot breakfast madethe other chaps so ravenous as I believe they would have pitchedinto Stokes and the other two, if they hadn't have given in. Sothey comes round, and we sends out to say that we had agreed on thevardict. It were the best game I ever seed in my life. "

"Well, Jacob, I am sure I am heartily grateful to you, and I shallnot forget your kindness; though what made you so sure of myinnocence, while all the others doubted it, I don't know. "

"Lor', Reuben!" the smith said, "There ain't nothing to thank meabout. I didn't know nowght as to whether you was innocent orguilty; and it was a good job for me as I had made up my mind aboutthat there vardict, afore I went into court; for I should neverhave made head or tail of all that talk, and the fellows with whitehair on the top of their heads as kept bobbing up and down, andasking all sorts of questions, was enough to turn an honest man'shead. The question was settled when Miss Kate Ellison--that's thelittle un, you know--came in here. Says she:

"'Jacob, you are on this jury, I hear. '

"'Yes, miss, ' says I. 

"'Well, I hope you are going to find Reuben Whitney innocent, ' saysshe. 

"'I don't know nothing about it, ' says I. 'Folks seem to think ashe did it. '

"Then she went at me, and told me that she was sure you wasinnocent; and the squire he was sure, and he would be moighty putout if you was found guilty. So I told her natural that, thesquire's being a good landlord, I wouldn't disoblige him on noaccount; and she might look upon it as good as settled that youshould be found innocent. So she tells me not to say a word toanyone, and I ain't, not even to the ould woman; but in course, Idon't consider as she meant you. "

Reuben could not help laughing as he learned that he had beenacquitted, not from any belief in his innocence on the part of thejury, but by the intervention on his behalf of the girl who had, before, fought his battles. Shaking hands with Jacob, he went on tothe schoolmaster's. 

As he was sitting there chatting with Mr. And Mrs. Shrewsbury, hesaw Kate Ellison come out of her father's gate along the road withher basket, as usual. Catching up his hat, he ran out and stoodbareheaded, awaiting her. 

"Ah, Reuben!" she said, with a smile and a nod, "I am glad to seeyou before you go; for Mr. Shrewsbury told me, yesterday, you weregoing to leave Lewes and emigrate. I am glad, "--and she hesitated alittle--"very glad that they found you innocent. I was quite sureyou would not do such a thing. "

"I am glad I came over today, Miss Ellison, " Reuben said quietly. "Very glad that I have met you; for I have just learned, from JacobPriestley, that it is to you I am indebted that I am not, in thepresent moment, a prisoner in jail, under sentence of transportation. "

The girl flushed up hotly. 

"Jacob Priestley is very wrong to have spoken about it. I told himhe was never to mention it. "

"I hope you will not blame him, Miss Ellison. He told me he hadnever spoken a word to anyone else, but he thought you did not meanit to apply to me. I am very glad he has spoken; for I shall carryaway with me, across the sea, a deep gratitude, which will last aslong as I live, for the kindness you have shown me; not only now, but always--kindness which has saved me from a terrible punishment, for an offence of which I was innocent. 

"May God bless you, Miss Ellison, and render your life a happyone. "

"Goodbye, Reuben, " the girl said, gently. "I hope you may do well, in the new land you are going to. "

So saying, she went on her errand. Reuben stood watching her, untilshe entered one of the cottages. Then, putting on his cap, hereturned to the schoolmaster's. 

A week later Reuben was wandering along the side of the LondonDocks, looking at the vessels lying there, and somewhat confused atthe noise and bustle of loading and unloading that was going on. Hehad come up the night before by the carrier's waggon, and had sleptat the inn where it stopped. His parting with his mother had been avery sad one, but Mrs. Whitney had so far come round as to own thatshe thought that his plan was perhaps the best; although she stillmaintained that she should never venture, herself, upon so distanta journey. He had promised that, should she not change her mind onthis point, he would, whether successful or not, come home to seeher. 

The squire had driven over, the day before he left, to say goodbyeto him. He had, through Mr. Shrewsbury, directly he heard that hewas going, offered to help towards paying his passage money; butthis offer Reuben had gratefully, though firmly, declined toaccept. 

"Well, Reuben, I wish you every good luck on your adventure, " hesaid. "The place you are going to will be a great country, one ofthese days; and you are just the fellow to make your way in it. Iam sorry you wouldn't let me help you; because I am in a way, youknow, at the bottom of this business which has driven you fromhome. "

"Thank you, squire, for your kind intention, " Reuben answered; "butI am so much in your debt, now, that I would rather not go furtherinto it. I am old enough now to make my own way in life. My onlyregret in the matter is that I cannot persuade my mother to go withme. "

"I think she is right, Reuben, " the squire replied. "You cantransplant a young tree, easily enough; but you can't an old one. Somehow they won't take root in new soil. 

"Well, lad, I wish you every success. I suppose I shall hearthrough Shrewsbury, from time to time, how you are going on. "

As Reuben walked along the dock, he stopped to read the notices oftheir destination, affixed to the shrouds of most of the vessels. He had already gone on board three or four, which were loading forAustralia, but in none was there a vacancy for a carpenter. Hestopped before a fine-looking barque, to which no notice wasattached. 

"Where is she going to?" he asked a sailor, who was passing alongthe gangway to the shore. 

"She's bound for Sydney, " the sailor said. "She warps out of docktonight, and takes on board a cargo of prisoners in the Medway. "

"Do you mean men sentenced for transportation?" Reuben asked. 

"Yes, " the man said, "and I wish she had any other sort of cargo. Ihave been out with such a load before, and I would as soon go witha cargo of wild beasts. "

Reuben felt a sudden chill, as he thought how narrow had been hisescape of forming one of a similar party. However, he stepped onboard, and went up to the mate, who was superintending the cargo. 

"Do you want a carpenter for the voyage out?"

"A carpenter!" the mate repeated. "Well yes, we do want acarpenter. The man who was to have gone has been taken ill. But youare too young for the berth. Why, you don't look more thaneighteen; besides, you don't look like a carpenter. "

"I am a mill wright, " Reuben said, "and am capable of doing anyordinary jobs, either in carpentering or smith work. I havetestimonials here from my late employers. "

"Well, you can see the captain, if you like, " the mate said. "Youwill find him at Mr. Thompson's office, in Tower Street, Number51. "

Reuben at once made his way to the office. The captain refused, atfirst, to entertain the application on the ground of his youth; butship's carpenters were scarce, the time was short, and there was adifficulty in obtaining men for convict ships. Therefore, afterreading the very warm testimonial as to character and ability whichMr. Penfold had given Reuben, he agreed to take him, on the termsof his working his passage. 

Reuben went back at once, to the inn where he had stopped, and hadhis chest taken down to the docks; and went on board the Paramattawhich, at high water, warped out of dock into the stream. 

Chapter 6: On The Voyage. 

The next day the Paramatta weighed anchor and proceeded down theriver. Reuben had no time to look at the passing ships, for he wasfully occupied with the many odd jobs which are sure to presentthemselves, when a ship gets under weigh. The wind was favourable, and the Paramatta ran down to the mouth of the Medway before thetide had ceased to ebb. She anchored for three hours, and then madeher way up to Chatham, where she brought up close to the governmentyard. 

It was not till late in the evening that Reuben had finished hiswork, and was at liberty to look round, and to take an interest inwhat was going on on deck. 

"This is your first voyage, my lad, I reckon, " an old sailor, whowas standing leaning against the bulwark, smoking his pipe, remarked. 

"Yes, " Reuben said cheerfully, "this is my first voyage. I haveshipped as carpenter, you know, to work my way out to Sydney. "

"You could not have chosen a better ship than this 'ere barkee, "the sailor said; "though I wish she hadn't got them convicts onboard. She will sail all the faster, 'cause, you see, instead ofbeing choked up with cargo, the deck below there has been set asidefor them. That will make easy sailing and quick sailing; but Idon't like them, for all that. They are a lot of trouble, and theyhas to be watched, night and day. There's never no saying what theymight be up to; there's mostly trouble on board, with them. Thenone can't help being sorry for the poor chaps, though they doeslook such a villainous bad lot. They are treated mostly like dogs, and I have been on board ships where the rations was not what adecent dog would look at. "

"But I thought there was regular food, according to a scale, "Reuben said. 

"Ay, there's that, " the sailor replied, "and the governmentofficers see that the quantity's right; but, Lor' bless you! Theydon't trouble as to quality, and some of the owners buys upcondemned stores, and such like; anything, thinks they, is goodenough for a convict ship--biscuits as is dropping to pieces, saltjunk as 'as been twenty years in cask, and which was mostly horseto begin with. No wonder as they grumbles and growls. A convict isa man, you see, though he be a convict; and it ain't in humannature to eat such muck as that, without growling. "

"What tonnage is the vessel?" Reuben asked. 

"'Leven hundred and fifty ton, and as fine and roomy a ship asthere is in the trade, and well officered. I have made threev'yages with the captain and first mate, and the second mate waswith us on the last v'yage. "

"How many hands are there, altogether?"

"Twenty-five, counting you as one, and not a-counting the twostewards. "

"We are going to take some passengers, I see, " Reuben said. "I havebeen at work, putting up pegs and shelves for them. "

"Yes, there's eight or ten passengers, I hears, " the sailor said. "Passengers don't mostly like going by convict ships, but then thefares are lower than by other vessels, and that tempts a few. Besides, the Paramatta is known to be a fast ship, and the skipperhas a good name; so we shall have a better class of passengers, Iexpect, than usually voyages with convict ships; and besides thepassengers there will be the officer of the convict guard, and asurgeon, so we shall be pretty full aft. "

"And what will my duties be, when we are at sea?"

"It just depends on the captain, " the sailor said. "You will be putin a watch, and work with the others, except that they may not sendyou aloft. That depends on the terms that you shipped. "

"I shipped as carpenter, and to make myself generally useful, andto obey orders. I shall be happy to do anything I can; hard work isbetter than doing nothing, any day. "

"That's the sort, my lad, " the sailor said heartily. "Now I am sailmaker, but, bless your heart! Except putting a patch on a sail, nowand then, there's nothing to do that way; and when not so wanted Iam one of the ordinary crew. Still, if you works your passage, itain't to be expected as they will drive you the same as a man as ispaid. He's a fair man, is the skipper; and you won't find yourselfput upon, on board the Paramatta. "

"Can't I go up aloft now?" Reuben asked. "I would rather accustommyself to it while we are lying steady, than go up when the wind'sblowing, and she is heeling over. "

"Go up! To be sure you can, and I will go up with you, and tell yousome of the names of the ropes, and put you up to things. There's apleasure in helping a lad who seems in any way teachable. Some ofthey boys as comes on board a ship ain't worth their salt, in thesedays. "

The sailor led the way up the shrouds. Reuben found it much moredifficult than it looked. He had seen the sailors running up anddown, and it looked as easy as mounting a ladder; but the slacknessof the ratlines--which, as the sailor told him, was the name of thepieces of rope which answered to the rounds of a ladder--made it atfirst awkward. When they reached the main top the sailor told himto sit down, and look round quietly, till he became accustomed tothe height. 

"It looks unnatural and risky, at first, " he said; "but when youget accustomed to it, you will feel just as safe, when you areastraddle the end of a yard, and the ship rolling fit to take hermasts out, as if you were standing on the deck. "

As Reuben had heard the sailors laughing and joking aloft, as theyhauled out the earrings of the sails, he had no doubt that what thesailor said was true; but it seemed, to him, that he should neveraccustom himself to sit at the end of a spar, with nothing but thewater at a vast depth below. It would be bad, even with the shiplying quiet, as at present. It would be terrible with the vessel ina heavy sea. 

The sailor now told him the names of the masts and stays, givinghim a general idea of the work aloft, and presently asked himwhether he would like to return to the deck now, or to mount a bithigher. Although Reuben was now becoming accustomed to theposition, he would, had he consulted his inner feelings, haverather gone down than up; but he thought it was better to put agood face on it, and to accustom himself, at once, to what he wouldprobably have to do sooner or later. 

Holding on tight then, and following the instructions of hiscompanion, he made his way up until he was seated on the cap of thetop-gallant mast, holding tight to the spar, which towered stillhigher above him. He was surprised at the size and strength of thespars, which had looked so light and slender, from below. 

"Very well done, lad, " the sailor said approvingly. "You would makea good sailor, in time, if you took to a seafaring life. There'snot one in ten as would get up there, the first time of goingaloft. You don't feel giddy, do you?"

"No, " Reuben replied, "I don't think I feel giddy, but I feel astrange shaky feeling in my legs. "

"That will soon pass off, " the sailor said. "You look at them hillsbehind the town, and the forts and works up there. Don't thinkabout the deck of the vessel, or anything, but just as if you weresitting in a chair, watching the hills. "

Reuben did as the sailor instructed him and, as he did so, thefeeling of which he was before conscious passed completely away. 

"I feel all right now, " he said, after sitting quietly for a fewminutes. 

"All right, then; down we go. Don't look below, but just keep youreyes in front of you, and never leave go of one grip till you makesure of the next. "

Five minutes later he stood on the deck. 

"Well done, my lad, for the first time, " the first mate said, asReuben put his foot on the deck "I have had my eye on you. Ishouldn't have let you go beyond the top, at the first trial; but Ididn't think you would go higher, till you were fairly up, otherwise I should have hailed you from the deck. 

"You ought not to have taken him up above the top, Bill. If he hadlost his head, it would have been all up with him. "

"I could see he wasn't going to lose his head. Trust me for notleading a young hand into danger. He was a little flustrated, whenhe got into the top; but after he had sat down a bit, his breathcome quiet and regular again, and I could see there was no chanceof his nerve going. "

The next morning, soon after daybreak, the dockyard boats began torow alongside, with grey-coated convicts. Reuben watched them asthey came on board, with a sort of fascination with their closelycut hair, bullet heads, and evil faces. Although he had no doubtthat the repulsive expression was due partly to the close-cut hairand shaved faces, and their hideous garb, he could scarcely repressa shudder as he looked at them. In some faces an expression ofbrutal ferocity was dominant. Others had a shifty, cunning look, noless repulsive. 

There were a few good-humoured faces, one or two so different fromthe others, that Reuben wondered whether they were innocent victimsof circumstances, as he had so nearly been. Not till now did hequite realize how great his escape had been. The thought that hemight have had to spend the rest of his life herding with such menas these, made him feel almost sick; and he thanked God morefervently, even, than he had done when the verdict was returnedwhich restored him to his liberty, that he had been saved from sucha fate. 

A hundred and eighty convicts came on board. They were in charge often warders, with loaded muskets, and an hour later a party oftwenty marines, under the charge of an officer, also embarked. Theywere on their way out to join a ship in Australian waters, and wereto aid the warders in keeping the convicts in good order. 

The wind being favourable, no time was lost after the marines hadcome on board. The moorings were cast off and sails hoisted, andthe Paramatta made her way against the tide to the mouth of theMedway; and there dropped her anchor to wait until the tide beganto ebb, for the wind was so light that little would have beengained by an attempt to proceed at once. Sail was made again assoon as tide turned and, on turning out next morning at daylight, for he had not yet been assigned to a watch, Reuben found that theship was lying at anchor in the Downs. 

Two or three hours passed. 

"What are we doing here, Bill?"

"We are waiting for the passengers. They are all coming on boardhere. I expect that big lugger you see, running out direct for us, 'as got them on board. "

"I wonder they didn't come on board when we started, " Reuben said. "I should think it would have been pleasanter than coming all theway down to Dover by coach. "

"So I should think, my lad; but you see, it ain't every time as aship has the luck we've had. It's a long job coming down to theDowns, if the wind don't serve. We might have been beating aboutthere, at the mouth of the Thames, for a week. So you see, most ofthese 'longshore chaps like to send their traps on board while thevessel's in the docks, and then to come down here and stop till shecomes round. "

In a few minutes the lugger was alongside, the gangway was lowered, and the passengers began to come on board. They were, as the sailorhad said they would be, some ten in number. There were six men, four ladies, and three children, the latter not counting as regularpassengers, as they were stowed away in their parents' cabins. 

The convicts who were on deck looked over the bulwarks, and crackedcoarse jokes among themselves, as the passengers ascended thegangway. Reuben found that only one-third of the number wereallowed on deck at once. Two soldiers paced up and down the deck, on guard of the hatchway leading below, and two sentries wereposted at other points. 

A number of small boxes, bags, coats and cloaks were handed up, andthen the rope was cast off, and the lugger made her way back toDover, and the Paramatta again got under sail. While they had beenwaiting, the chief mate had told Reuben that, according to thecaptain's orders, he would henceforth be in his watch. 

"As you are not regularly shipped as a sailor, " the mate said, "thecaptain does not wish you to go aloft, unless by your own desire;but there will be plenty of work for you to do on deck, hauling atthe braces, scrubbing, and so on. "

"I should be glad to do my work with the rest, " Reuben said, "assoon as I feel I can be useful aloft. I was up two or three timesyesterday, and hope in a few days to be quite accustomed to it. "

"I have noticed you, my lad, and you could not be in better handsthan Bill's. He is a capital sailor, and as he has taken to you, and you are willing to learn, you will be a useful hand before weget to Sydney; and even if you never go to sea again, all yourlife, you will find that you have learned a great deal that isuseful on board the Paramatta. "

The fine weather, which the Paramatta had experienced so far, speedily left her. The sky grew overcast, and the wind freshenedfast, and the next morning the ship was staggering, underclose-reefed canvas, in the teeth of the southwesterly gale. 

For the next three days Reuben made no advance in seamanship, beingprostrated with seasickness. At times he crept out from theforecastle, and tried to lend a hand whenever he saw a party of menhauling at a rope; but the motion of the ship was so great that hecould scarce keep his feet on the slippery decks, and at last themate ordered him to go back to the forecastle, and remain thereuntil he recovered somewhat from his sickness. 

"I see you are no skulker, my lad; but you will do no good on deckhere, and are not unlikely to get a heavy fall, and perhaps a nastyhurt, so you had best lie off till you get over your sickness. "

Reuben was already drenched to the skin by the spray, and felt soweak that he was not sorry to avail himself of the mate's orders, and to turn in again to his bunk in the forecastle. 

On the morning of the fourth day he felt himself again, and turnedout. The gale had almost blown itself out, but the sea was veryheavy. The fresh air was delightful to Reuben, after theconfinement in the forecastle; and as his watch was on deck, he atonce went up to Bill and asked him what he could do. 

"Glad to see you about agin, Reuben, " the sailor said. "You havehad a worse time of it than most. There is a lot of differenceatween chaps. Some takes it bad, and some is never ill from thefirst. Well, there ain't nothing to do at present, but just hold onand get to feel your legs. Don't you try to go across the deck, ifthe hands are called, until you are accustomed to it; else you willget a fall, to a certainty. "

"Is the gale nearly over, Bill?"

"Why, it's quite over. Don't you see that for yourself?"

"It seems to me to blow hard now. "

"Blow hard! Why, there ain't a capful of wind. It was blowingpretty hard yesterday, if you like, but not worth calling a gale. If you are lucky, you are like to know what a gale is, when we getsouth of the Cape. The wind does blow there, when it has made upits mind. That's the place where they say as the helmsman has tohave two men, regular, to hold on his hair. "

Reuben laughed. 

"I think on the whole, Bill, I would rather get to Sydney withoutmeeting a storm like that. This has been quite enough for me. Why, some of the waves hit the vessel's bow as if they would haveknocked it in. "

"Wait till you have a gale in earnest, Master Reuben, and you willknow about it then. Of course it seemed worse to you, because youwere lying there a-doing nothing, and was weak-like with heavingyourself up. If you had been on deck, you would have seen as it wasnothing worth talking about. 

"Look at the ship. Everything's in its place, and ship-shape. "

"Why, what has become of the tall spars aloft, " Reuben said, looking up. 

"Oh, they were sent down when the wind freshened, " Bill said. "There ain't nothing in that. "

"Where are the convicts, Bill?"

"Oh, they are all battened down below, " the sailor said carelessly. "They only come up for an airing when the weather is fine. They arelike the passengers only, instead of pleasing themselves, theirways are marked out for them. "

"Have any of the passengers been up?"

"Two or three of the men have shown, and a gal. It ain't her firstvoyage, I'll bet. A pretty thing she is, and as straight as a mast. She's been on deck, off and on, ever since we started. "

The next morning the sea moderated greatly and, the wind havinggone round to the southeast, the Paramatta made the most of it, toget west as far as possible before turning her head to the south. 

"That's a slice of luck, " Bill Hardy said to Reuben; "there'snothing like getting well off, at the start. With luck, now, weoughtn't to see the land till we make the Cape. "

"But I would rather see the land, Bill. When one is going halfround the globe, it is pleasant to touch at ports on the way, andto get a glimpse at foreign peoples and ways. "

"Ay, I like a spree on shore, " Bill agreed; "but after all, itdon't last long; and when you are near land, there's always thechance that the wind may shift round, and you may find yourselfdead on a lee shore. The skipper gets anxious and the mates out oftemper, and if it does come on to blow hard, from the wrongquarter, there's never no saying what will come of it. 

"No, my lad, there's nothing like a good open sea, with no landwithin five hundred miles of you, at the least. The coast of Africaain't a pleasant neighbour. What with the low shores, which youdon't see till you are pretty nigh close to them; what with thecurrents and the changeable winds, and the precious bad lookoutthere is, if you do get cast ashore, I tell you the wider berth yougives it, the better. "

The next morning was so fine and bright that all the passengerswere on deck, and after breakfast the word was passed forward thatthe carpenter was wanted. Reuben found that he was wanted to nailsome strips of wood on the floor of some of the cabins, to preventthe boxes from shooting out from under the berths when the vesselrolled. As he was at work at one of these, a young lady came to thedoor of the cabin, and uttered a little exclamation of surprise atseeing Reuben kneeling on the floor. Then, seeing what he wasdoing, she said:

"Oh, you are the carpenter, I suppose?"

"Yes, miss. "

"I wish you would screw on some pegs I brought with me, to hangthings upon. Everything does get thrown about so, when the ship'srolling. They are in that trunk, if you will not mind pulling itout. "

Reuben pulled out the trunk, which the girl opened and, after somesearch, produced half-a-dozen iron clothes pegs. She showed himwhere she wished them screwed on, and stood looking on while hecarried out her instructions. 

"Are you the ship's carpenter?"

"Yes, miss. "

"You seem very young for a carpenter, don't you?"

"I am young, " Reuben replied, smiling, "and this is my firstvoyage. Fortunately for me, the hand who was engaged hurt himself, just as the vessel was sailing, so I obtained the berth. So far itdoes not appear that it is a difficult one. "

The girl looked at him a little curiously. His manner of talk andconversation differed, so much, from the sailors in general. 

"Are you really a carpenter?" she asked. "You don't look like acarpenter. "

"Yes, I am really a carpenter, " Reuben answered; "at least, I am amill wright by trade. We are a sort of half and half betweencarpenter and smith. 

"Is there anything else?" he asked, as he finished screwing thelast screw. 

"No, nothing else, thank you, " the girl answered. "That will dovery nicely, and I am much obliged to you. "

After finishing his work in the cabins, Reuben went forward. 

"Captain, " the young lady said, as she went upon deck, "I have beentalking to that young carpenter of yours. I am quite interested inhim. Is he really a carpenter? He does not talk a bit like one. "

"I believe so, Miss Hudson, " the captain replied. "At least, heproduced an excellent testimonial from his last employer, when Iengaged him. Of course, it might not have been genuine. If therehad been time, I should have made more inquiries; but he was wellspoken, and had an earnest look about him. But, now you mention it, I don't know that it is very wise letting him go into all thecabins, when I know so little about him. "

"Oh, I never thought of that!" the girl exclaimed. "I am sure helooks honest. It was only because he spoke so well that I mentionedit. "

"He seems to be a sharp young fellow, " the captain remarked, "and Isee that he has taken to going aloft with the rest of the crewalready. He is an emigrant rather than a sailor, for he has onlyshipped for a passage. I don't know whether he is going to join aman, out there; but if not, he is certainly young to go out on hisown account. I do not think he's more than eighteen. He looks soyoung, he cannot have served all his time at his trade. "

"I really feel quite interested in him, Captain Wilson, " the girlsaid, turning to a gentleman standing by, who had been listening tothe conversation. "I wish, if you get an opportunity, you would getinto conversation with this carpenter of ours, and find outsomething about him. "

"I will, if you like, Miss Hudson; but I don't suppose there's muchto find out, and what there is, he's not likely to tell me. Fromwhat you say, I should guess that he had had a bad master, and hadrun away. "

"But the captain said he had good testimonials, " Miss Hudsonpersisted. 

"As to testimonials, " the gentleman said, "anyone can write atestimonial. "

"How suspicious you are, Captain Wilson!" the girl laughed. "That'sthe worst of being a police officer, and having to do withcriminals. You think whoever you come across is a rogue, until youfind out he is an honest man. Now, I think everyone is honest, tillI find him out to be a rogue. "

"My way is the safest, " the officer laughed. "At any rate, on boardthis ship there are five rogues to each honest man. "

"Ah, but that's not a fair average, " the girl objected. "Of course, in the colony one has to be careful, considering that half theshepherds and stockmen are convicts, and I must own that thenatives are nearly all thieves; but how could it be otherwise, whenEngland sends all its rogues out to us? You see, when free labourgets more abundant, and we can do without convicts, the colonistswill protest against it. "

"Very likely they will, " the officer agreed; "but what is Englandto do, if she has nowhere to send her rogues?"

"That is her business, " Miss Hudson said carelessly. "There is noreason why they should be shoved on to us. In the old time, whenthere were no colonies, England managed somehow, and I suppose shecould do so again. "

"She managed in a very short way, " Captain Wilson said. "She hungthem as fast as she caught them. It did not matter much what theoffence was, whether stealing a loaf or killing a man; but shecould hardly go back to that, now. "

"No, she could not, " Miss Hudson agreed; "but I have no doubt shecan find something useful for them to do, when she has to keep themat home. 

"Don't you think so, captain?"

"I daresay she could, " the captain answered. "Certainly, if I werea colonist living in a lonely part of the country, I should objectto transportation for, what with the natives and bush rangers andbad characters generally, no one can say their life is safe. "

"Oh, it's not so bad as that, captain!" Miss Hudson saidindignantly. "You are giving the place a bad character. "

"I think Captain Wilson will agree it's a true one, " the captainsaid, smiling. 

"Eh, Captain Wilson?"

"I am afraid so, " the latter replied. "I know they keep me prettybusy. However, after a year's holiday, I must not grumble if I findplenty to do when I get there. "

The voyage down to the Cape was wholly uneventful. The Paramattawas most fortunate in her weather and, beyond trimming the sails, the crew had a very easy time of it. Captain Wilson had, as hepromised Miss Hudson, taken the opportunity, when Reuben wassitting idly on deck, of having a chat with him; but he did notlearn much in the course of the conversation. 

"Your young carpenter puzzles me, Miss Hudson, " he said to her atdinner. "He is certainly an altogether exceptionally well-spokenyoung fellow, for his condition of life; but I can't quite make himout. I think that he has worked as a mill wright. He spoke openlyand without hesitation as to his work. But how it is he has thrownit up and emigrated, so young, I can't make out. Of course hecannot have served his time and yet, somehow, I don't think that hehas run away, from the manner in which he spoke of his employer. 

"He has no friends whatever in the colony, as far as I could learn. I should say he has certainly been fairly educated, and yet heseems, from his own account, to have worked three or four years athis trade. 

"I certainly like the lad, though I own that, so far, I cannotaltogether make him out. Perhaps I shall learn somewhat more abouthim, before we get to the end of the voyage, and in that case Iwill tell you all I know. "

Miss Hudson was the daughter of a wealthy flock owner--or, as hewas called, squatter--in New South Wales. Her father and motherwere on board the ship with her. This was her fifth voyage. She hadgone out as a baby with her parents; and had returned to England, at the age of ten, to be educated. When eighteen, she had joinedher mother and father in Australia and, two years later, had comewith them to Europe, and had spent some months travelling on theContinent. They were now on their way back to the colony. 

The only other single lady among the passengers of the Paramattawas going out, under the charge of the captain, to fill a place asgoverness in a family in Sydney. Miss Furley was somewhat quiet, but a friendship had naturally sprang up between her and MissHudson, as the only two young women on board the ship; and the lifeand high spirits of the young colonist, and the musicalacquirements of Miss Furley, helped to make the voyage passpleasantly for the passengers in the Paramatta. 

Captain Wilson had a good tenor voice, and sang well; and one ofthe other passengers was able to furnish a bass. Almost everyevening, as the ship was running down the tropics before a gentlefavouring breeze, the sound of solo and glee singing rose from thelittle party gathered on the poop; and even the convicts, on deckforward, ceased their talk and listened to the strains. 

Although the passage had been a pleasant one, there was a generalfeeling of satisfaction when the ship dropped her anchor in TableBay. Most of the passengers went on shore at once, to take up theirquarters at the hotel till she sailed again. The captain said thatit would take at least a couple of days to fill up the water tanks, and take in a supply of fresh provisions. 

On the afternoon of the second day, Reuben asked permission of thefirst mate to go ashore for a few hours. 

"Certainly, Whitney, " the officer said. "You have proved a veryuseful hand on the way out, which is more than most do who worktheir passage. Nine out of ten of them are not worth their salt, tosay nothing of the rest of their rations. You can stay on shoretonight, if you like; but you must come off early in the morning. We hope to get away in good time. "

On landing, Reuben was much struck with the variety of the scene. In the streets of Cape Town were men of many types. Here was theEnglish merchant and man of business, looking and dressing just ashe would at home. Names over the shop doors were for the most partDutch, as was the appearance of the majority of the white men inthe streets. Dutch farmers in broad hats and homespun garments, mounted on rough ponies, clattered along through the streets. Themanual work was for the most part done by swarthy natives, whileamong the crowd were numbers of Malays, with dark olive skins, small eyes, and jet-black hair, their women being arrayed in everyshade of gaudy colour. 

For some time Reuben wandered about the streets, greatly amused atall he saw. Towards evening he turned his face towards the sea, ashe had no wish to avail himself of the permission given him to sleepon shore. Presently he encountered Miss Hudson and Miss Furley, walking the other way. The former nodded brightly, for she hadseveral times spoken to Reuben, since their first acquaintanceship. 

Reuben touched his hat, and proceeded on his way. He had gone but afew yards when he heard a loud cry, and everyone darted suddenlyinto shops or round corners. 

Looking round in surprise, Reuben saw what had caused the movement. A Malay, with his long hair streaming down his shoulders, wasrushing down the street, giving vent to terrible yells; in his handhe held a crease, with which, just as Reuben looked round, he cutdown a native who had tried, too late, to make his escape. 

The two English girls, confused and alarmed at the sudden outburst;and unable, until too late, to comprehend the cause of it, stoodalone in the middle of the street and, too terrified now to move, clung to each other, regardless of the shouts to fly raised bypeople at the windows and doors. 

[Illustration: The Ladies Saved from the Malay's Crease. ]

The Malay, with a howl of exultation, made at them with upliftedcrease. Reuben sprang forward, passed the terrified women when theMalay was within four paces of them, and threw himself with all hisforce upon him. The Malay, whose eyes were fixed upon the ladies, was taken by surprise by the assault; and his crease had not timeto fall when Reuben sprang upon him. 

The shock threw both to the ground; Reuben, as he fell, throwingboth arms round his adversary. The Malay struggled furiously, andthe combatants rolled over and over on the ground. Strong as Reubenwas, the frenzy of the Malay gave him greater power; and the ladfelt he could not long retain his grip of the arm with which theMalay strove to use his crease. 

Help, however, was not long in coming. A native policeman ran up atfull speed; and brought his heavy club, with his full force, downon the head of the Malay. The latter's limbs at once relaxed, andReuben sprang to his feet; breathless, but not seriously harmed, although the blood was freely flowing from some slight wounds hehad received from the Malay's sharp-edged weapon. 

Chapter 7: Gratitude. 

Reuben looked round, upon gaining his feet. He saw Miss Hudsonstanding by the side of her companion; who had fallen, fainting, tothe ground. Mr. Hudson and Captain Wilson, running at their fullspeed, were within a few paces of the girls. They had entered ashop to make a purchase, while the ladies strolled on; and althoughthey had rushed out on hearing the alarm, they were too far off torender assistance and, impotent to help, had seen with horror theterrible death which threatened the ladies. 

Frances Hudson had not uttered a word, from the moment when theMalay rushed down upon them; but as her father came up she turnedround, and burst into tears as he clasped her in his arms. 

As soon as it was seen that the Malay was no longer dangerous, thepeople poured out again from the houses and shops. It was no veryunusual thing, in Cape Town, for the Malays to run amuck; and manyof those in the streets hurried off, in the direction from whichthe man had come, to inquire how many victims had fallen to hisdeadly crease, and to see whether any friends were among them. Onthe Malay himself no one spared a moment's attention. A secondtremendous blow, with the policeman's club, had dashed out hisbrains; for Malays running amuck were always killed upon the spot, partly in order to save further trouble with them, partly to striketerror into others. 

Many of the bystanders gathered round Reuben, seized him by thehand, patting him on the shoulder, and praising him for the couragewith which he had faced the maddened savage. A minute later, Mr. Hudson forced his way through the crowd. Miss Furley had alreadybeen raised, and carried into a shop. 

"Go in with her, my dear, " Mr. Hudson said to his daughter. "I willbring him to you directly. 

"My brave fellow!" he exclaimed, as he made his way to Reuben andgrasped his hand, "how can I thank you for saving my child's life?It seemed to us that she was lost, and that nothing could save her;when we saw you dash past her, and throw yourself unarmed upon themadman. It was a noble deed, indeed. 

"You are not badly hurt, I hope, " he added, as he saw the bloodstreaming down Reuben's face and arm. 

"Nothing to speak of, sir, " Reuben replied. "At least, I think not;but I feel rather queer from this loss of blood. I had better getmyself bandaged up. "

And indeed, Reuben was turning very pale, partly from therelaxation of the tension of the struggle; partly, as he said, fromloss of blood. 

"Stand back!" Mr. Hudson cried, "don't press upon him. The lad isnearly fainting. One of you help me get him into a shop. Where isthe nearest surgeon to be found?"

It was as much as Reuben could do to walk across the street, aidedby his two supporters. A strong glass of Cape smoke (as the nativespirit is called) and water revived him somewhat. It was someminutes before a surgeon arrived; for five persons had beenterribly wounded, and two killed by the Malay on his course, andthe surgeons near were busily employed. 

"Not very serious, " the surgeon said, as soon as he examinedReuben's wounds. "Very different affairs from those I have justcome from. "

"I had hold of his hand, " Reuben said, "so that he couldn't strike. They are only cuts he made in trying to get his arm free. "

"That on your arm will not trouble you, though it has bled prettyfreely. The one down your face is, fortunately, of no greatconsequence; except that it has cut down to the bone on the browand cheek. If it had been an inch further back, it would havesevered the temporal artery. You have had a narrow escape of it. Asit is, you will get off with a scar, which may last for some time;but as it is an honourable one, perhaps you won't so much care. However, I will bring it together as well as I can, and stitch itup, and it may not show much. "

The wound was sewn up and then bandaged, as was that on the arm. The other and slighter wounds were simply drawn together by slipsof plaster. When all was done, Reuben said to Mr. Hudson:

"I shall do very well now, sir. I am sure you must wish to go toMiss Hudson. I will sit here a bit longer, and then go on board theship. "

"You will do nothing of the kind, " Mr. Hudson said. "I have justsent for a vehicle, and you will come to the hotel and get into bedat once. You are not fit to stand now, but I hope a good night'srest will do you good. "

Reuben would have protested, but at this moment a vehicle arrivedat the door, and with it Captain Wilson entered. 

"I have just taken your daughter and Miss Furley to the hotel, Hudson, " he said. "They are both greatly shaken, and no wonder. SoI thought it better to see them back, before coming in to shakehands with our gallant young friend here. "

"He has lost a good deal of blood, Wilson; and I am just taking himoff, to get him to bed in the hotel. 

"So we won't do any thanking till the morning, " Mr. Hudson said, seeing that Reuben's lip quivered, and he was incapable of bearingany further excitement. "Do you take one of his arms and I willtake the other, and get him into that trap. "

A quarter of an hour later, Reuben was in bed at the hotel. Mr. Hudson brought him up a basin of clear soup. Having drunk this, heturned over and was, in a very few minutes, asleep. The captain andmost of the other passengers were at the same hotel, and there wasgreat excitement when the news arrived of the terrible danger thetwo girls had run. Mrs. Hudson had, from her early life, beenaccustomed to emergencies; and the instant the girls arrived shetook them up to the room they shared between them, and insistedupon their going at once to bed, after partaking of a cup of tea. 

"What am I to do for this young fellow, Wilson?" Mr. Hudson askedas, having seen his patient comfortably in bed, he returneddownstairs, and took a seat in the verandah by his fellowpassenger. "I owe Frances' life to him, and there is nothing Iwouldn't do for him. The question is, what? One does not like tooffer money to a man, for such a service as this. "

"No, " Mr. Wilson agreed, "especially in his case. The young fellowappears to me very much above his condition. Your daughter firstpointed it out to me, and I have since chatted with him severaltimes, and find him a very superior young fellow. Certainly hiseducation has been very different from that of most men in hiscondition of life, and I should have taken him for a gentleman, whohad got into some scrape and run away, had it not been that heseems to have been regularly apprenticed to his trade. Still, thereis something a little mysterious about him. I asked him casuallywhat part of the country he came from. He hesitated a moment, andthen said, 'From the south of England. ' Of course, I did not askany further questions, as it was clear he did not care about namingthe precise locality, or he would not have given so vague ananswer. I feel as deeply indebted to him as you do. "

Mr. Hudson nodded. Only the evening before arriving at Cape Town, Captain Wilson had spoken to him on the matter of his affection forhis daughter, and had asked his permission to speak to Frances. They had known each other in the colony, but had not been intimateuntil thrown together on board the Paramatta. Seeing that she wasan only child, and that her father was considered one of thewealthiest squatters in the colony, Captain Wilson had feared thatMr. Hudson would not approve of him as a suitor; and had thereforebroached the subject to him, before speaking to her. Mr. Hudson, however, had raised no objections. 

"You have taken a manly and proper course, in speaking to mefirst, " he said; "just what I should have expected from you. I ownthat, with the fortune the girl will have some day, I have alwayslooked for her making what they call a good match, and settlingdown in the old country; but I may tell you that while she has beenin Europe she has had several opportunities of so doing, if shewould have taken them. She did not think fit to do so, and I havealways made up my mind not to influence her in any way, providingshe didn't fix her choice upon one whose character I disapproved. Certainly I have no reasons for so doing, in the present case. Yourcharacter stands high in the colony; and personally, as you arewell aware, I like you exceedingly. 

"What Frances' feelings in the matter are, I have no means ofknowing. There is no doubt she likes you, but as to anything more, it is for you to find out. You will have plenty of time, betweenthis and Sydney. Anyhow, you have my hearty approval of yourwooing. 

"I think, between ourselves you know, you must not expect, atfirst, any very cordial approval on the part of her mother. She hadan idea, you know, that Frances would marry a duke at least, and anoffer from a prince of the blood would not have surprised her. Itis a great disappointment, to her, that she should have returnedunmarried; and she has already been talking to me about ourreturning to England, in another couple of years. So she will nottake quite kindly to it, at first; but you mustn't mind that. Fondof Frances as she is, she will soon come round, if she finds thatthe girl's happiness is really concerned in the matter. 

"Take my advice, and don't push it till we get near the end of thevoyage. If Frances says yes, she is the sort of girl to stick toit; and as I am with you, you may be quite sure it will come rightin the long run; but we might not have a very pleasant time of itduring the remainder of the voyage, you know, and as things havegone on so pleasantly, it would be a pity to spoil them. "

Thus it was that Mr. Hudson nodded, when the young officer of theconstabulary said that his indebtedness to Reuben was equal to hisown. 

"Yes, " he said, "if it had been one of the sailors, I could haveset the matter right by drawing a big cheque, and I shouldn't havecared how big; but with this young fellow I do not quite see myway. However, I will shift the responsibility, by leaving thematter in Frances' hands--women are much better hands at things ofthis sort, that require a light touch, than we are. I do not wonderthat she and Miss Furley are shaken. I feel shaken myself. I shallnever forget that scene, and the two girls standing there, and thatwild Malay rushing at them. My legs seemed to give way under me, and I thought I should have fallen down. "

"I felt bad myself, sir, " Captain Wilson said. "I have been in sometough fights, with bush rangers and natives; but I never had thatsort of feeling before. 

"One ran, but one felt it was no use running, as all must be overbefore we could get there. When it was over, I felt as weak as achild. "

"Don't let us talk any more about it, " Mr. Hudson said, rising. "Idoubt whether I shall get a wink of sleep now; and I am sure Isha'n't, if we go on talking any more about it. Let us take a turn, and have a stiff glass of brandy and water afterwards, to settleour nerves before turning in. "

The passengers by the Paramatta were up early in the morning, forthe ship was to sail at nine. But early as they were, Reuben wasbefore them; and on Mr. Hudson inquiring about him, as he turnedout, he was informed that he had already gone on board the ship. 

The two girls both looked pale, when they came down to their earlybreakfast. Both declared, however, that they had slept well. 

"You must give us time, dad, to get up our roses, " Frances Hudsonsaid, in reply to her father's remarks as to their appearance. "Ihave no doubt a few days at sea will do it; but of course, it isonly right and proper that young ladies should be pale, after goingthrough such an adventure as we had yesterday. 

"But do not let us talk about it, " she said, with a shudder. "Ishould like not to be able to think about it, again, for sixmonths. You used to say, dad, that I was plucky, because I wasn'tafraid of wild cattle, and not very afraid of the natives or bushrangers; but I am sure I cannot lay claim to any special courage infuture, for no one in the world could feel more frightened than Idid, yesterday. "

"Well, my dear, you were no worse than anyone else, for everyoneelse bolted at the first alarm. The way that street was cleared wassomething marvellous. "

"Yes, dad; but I was too frightened to run. Not that it would havebeen any use if I had, for he was close to us before we knew whatwas the matter; and if I could have run, I don't think Emma could. "

"No, indeed, " Miss Furley said. "I had no idea of running and, evenhad there been plenty of time, I am sure I could not have got outof the way. Somehow I seemed to lose all power to move. I had justshut my eyes, and thought it was all over, when there was a shoutand a rush, and I saw the Malay roll over; and then I made a snatchat Frances, and rolled over, too. "

"It was a terrible moment, " Mr. Hudson said. "But I agree, withFrances, that it is better for you to try and think nothing moreabout it, until you have perfectly recovered your health andspirits. "

"I hear, dad, that the young man that saved us has gone on boardship. I asked, directly I was up, because I wanted to see him. "

"And I expect, my dear, that he slipped away because he didn't wantto see you. It sounds rude, doesn't it? But I can perfectlyunderstand it. "

"So can I, " the girl agreed. "Did you see him this morning?"

"No, my dear. I came downstairs only a minute or two before youdid, and then found that he was gone. "

"Have you thought over what you are going to do, dad, for him?"

"Wilson and I have talked it over, Frances, but at present we don'tsee our way. It is too serious a matter to make up our minds in ahurry. Your mother is in favour of giving him a handsome present;but I don't think, myself, that that would do. Men who will do suchdeeds as that are not the sort of men to be paid by money. "

"Oh no, dad! Surely not that. Any other possible way, but notmoney. "

"No, my dear; so I thought. I have chatted it over with Wilson, andwe have agreed that the best plan is to leave it entirely in yourhands. "

"I will think it over, dad, " the girl said gravely. "It is aserious thing. We owe him our lives, and the least we can do is notto hurt his feelings, by the way in which we try to show ourgratitude. "

Reuben had slept well; and on waking, soon after daylight, jumpedat once out of bed; and was glad to feel that, except for a certainamount of weakness in the legs, and stiffness in his wounds, he wasall right again. He dressed quietly and, as soon as he heardpersons moving about in the hotel, made his way down to the shore, and sat down there to wait for a boat from the ship; which waslying some distance out, and would, he was sure, be sending offearly, as there would be many things to bring on board before shesailed. 

It was not long before he saw the men descending the gangway to theboat alongside, which was soon rowing towards the shore. As sheapproached, Reuben saw the steward and first mate, sitting in thestern seats; and when the officer jumped ashore, his eye fell onReuben. 

"Ah, Whitney, " he said, "I am glad to see you about. When thecaptain came off, last night, he told me all about your gallantrescue of the two ladies. I am sorry to see you bandaged up somuch. The captain said you had some nasty cuts, but I didn't thinkthey were so bad. "

"They are nothing to speak about, sir, " Reuben replied, "althoughyou would think so, from seeing those bandages all over one side ofthe face, and my arm in a sling; but they are no great depth, anddon't hurt to speak of. They were clean cuts with a sharp edge, anddon't hurt half as much as many a knock I have had, with a hammer. "

"Well, we all feel proud of you, my lad. It isn't everyone whowould face a Malay running amuck, without weapons, I can tell you. "

"I think any English sailor would do so, sir, if he saw the Malayrushing down upon two ladies. There was no time to think aboutdanger, one way or the other. The only thing to be done was to rushat him, and so I rushed, as anyone else would have done. "

"Ah, it's all very well to say so, Whitney; but I have my doubtsabout everyone else rushing. However, I mustn't stand talking aboutit now, as I have my hands full of work. The sooner you get onboard the ship, the better. 

"Row Whitney back to the ship, lads, and come back again in anhour's time. None of the things will be down here before that. "

Reuben stepped into the boat, which at once pushed off. The menrowed easily, for they were anxious to hear the particulars of thereport which had circulated through the ship. Bill Hardy was rowingthe stroke oar, and did the questioning. 

"You may try to make little of it, " he said, "but I tell you, Reuben, it were a right down good thing--a thing any man would haveright to be proud of. 

"What do you say, mates?"

There was a general chorus of "Ay, ay. "

"I took you in hand when you came on board, young un, " Bill wenton, "and I looks upon you as my chick, and I tell you I feel proudon you. I felt sure you would turn out a good un, some day, but Ididn't look to see it so quick. 

"In oars!"

The boat ran up alongside the gangway, and Reuben was soon upondeck. He was there met by the captain, who had just come up as theboat rowed alongside. He shook Reuben's hand heartily. 

"You are a fine young fellow, Whitney; and your mother, if you haveone, ought to be proud of you. I should be, if you were a son ofmine. It was a lucky day for us all, when I shipped you on boardthe Paramatta; for it would have been a heavy day for us, if thosetwo young ladies had been killed by that madman, yesterday. 

"You look pale, lad, as much as one can see of you, and you willhave to lie by for a bit. I hear you lost a great deal of blood. 

"Steward, bring another cup of cocoa with mine, a large one, andput plenty of milk in. "

The captain insisted on Reuben coming to his cabin to drink hiscocoa. 

"You had best knock off your allowance of spirits, till your woundshave healed up, lad. I will tell the second mate to serve you outport wine, instead. "

Reuben now went forward, feeling very much the better for thecocoa. He again had to receive the hearty congratulations of themen; and then, rather to escape from this than because he felt heneeded it, he turned into his bunk, and was soon sound asleep. 

Three hours later, he was awakened by the tramp of men overhead, and knew that they were shortening the anchor chain, and preparingto be off. Going out on to the deck, he saw that the courses hadbeen dropped, and the topsails were lying loose in their gaskets. The crew were singing merrily, as they worked the capstan. Three ofthe boats already hung from the davits, and two large boats werebringing off the passengers, and were already within a hundredyards of the ship; while the remaining ship's boat, with thesteward, crowded with fresh stores, was but a short way behindthem. As soon as the passengers were up, and the shore boats hadleft, she came alongside. 

"Hook on the falls at once, " the first mate ordered, "and run herup as she is. You can get the things out afterwards. "

The anchor was, by this time, under the foot. 

"Up with it, lads!" and the sailors again started, at full speed, on the capstan. 

The jibs were run up, the courses and topsails shaken out andbraced, and the Paramatta began to steal through the water again, for the second portion of her voyage. Mr. Hudson and his friendvery soon made their way forward, and the ship was scarcely underway when Reuben, who was gazing over the bulwark at the shore, felta hand laid on his shoulder. 

"How are you today, Reuben? Better, I hope? It was too bad of youto run off in that way, this morning. "

"I am all right now, thank you, sir, " Reuben answered. "I felt justa little shaky at first, but the captain gave me a cup of cocoawhen I came on board, and I feel now as if I were fit for dutyagain. "

"Oh, nonsense, " Mr. Hudson exclaimed, "you mustn't think of work, for days yet. No, you must come aft with me. My daughter and MissFurley are most anxious to see you; and my wife, too, is longing toadd her thanks to mine. "

"You are very good, sir, but really I would rather not, if you willexcuse me. It is horrid being thanked and made a fuss about, justbecause, on the spur of the moment, one did one's duty. "

"That's all very well, Reuben; but you see, it wouldn't be fair tomy daughter. If anyone did you a great service, you would want tothank them, would you not?"

"Yes, I suppose so, sir, " Reuben answered reluctantly; "but really, I hate it. "

"I can understand your feelings, my lad, but you must make up yourmind to do it. When anyone puts others under a vast obligation tohim, he must submit to be thanked, however much he may shrink fromit. Come along, it will not be very dreadful. "

Reuben saw that there was no getting out of it, and followed Mr. Hudson along the deck; feeling, however, more ashamed anduncomfortable even than he did when standing in the dock, as acriminal. Captain Wilson walked beside him. Hitherto he had notspoken, but he now laid his hand quietly upon Reuben's shoulder. 

"My lad, " he said, "I am not a man to talk much; but believe methat, henceforth, I am your friend for life. "

Reuben looked up, with a little smile which showed that heunderstood. He had often, indeed, watched the young officer andMiss Hudson together, and had guessed that they were more than mereacquaintances. 

The passengers were, with the exception of the three ladies, allgathered on the poop. But Frances had proposed to her mother thatthey should see Reuben in the cabin alone, as she felt that itwould be a severe ordeal, to the lad, to be publicly thanked. Captain Wilson ascended to the poop and joined the others there, while Mr. Hudson went alone into the cabin. 

The three ladies were awaiting him there. Frances came forwardfirst. The tears were standing in her eyes. 

"You have saved my life, " she said softly, "at the risk of yourown; and I thank you with all my heart, not only for my own sake, but for that of my father and mother; who would have beenchildless, today, had it not been for you. "

"I need no thanks, Miss Hudson, " Reuben said quietly. 

His shyness had left him, as he entered the cabin. 

"It will, all my life, be a source of pleasure and gratification tome, that I have been able to have been of service to so bright andkind a lady. "

"I am not less grateful, " Miss Furley said, advancing also. "Ishall never forget that dreadful moment, and the feeling whichdarted through my mind, as you rushed past us and threw yourselfupon him, and I felt that I was saved almost by a miracle. "

"And you must accept my thanks also, " Mrs. Hudson said; "the thanksof a mother, whose child you have saved from so dreadful a death. Believe me that there is nothing that my husband or myself wouldnot do, to show how deeply and sincerely we are grateful to you. "

Mrs. Hudson, indeed, felt rather aggrieved that she could not, atonce, take some active steps towards rewarding the young man forsaving her daughter's life; and she had been unable to understandthe scruples of her husband and daughter on the subject. It wasonly, indeed, at their urgent entreaty that she had given way onthis point. 

"I call it monstrous, Frances, " she said, almost angrily. "Ofcourse the young man will expect something more substantial thanwords. It is only natural that we should reward him for preservingyour life, and it would be a crime if we didn't do so. Of course, he didn't do it for money at the time, but it is absurd to supposethat a young carpenter like this, working his way out on board aship, will object to receive a handsome present for such a serviceas this. Our feelings have a right to be considered, as well ashis; and a nice thing it will be, for people to say that RalphHudson and his wife were so stingy, and ungrateful, that they didnothing for the lad who had saved their daughter's life. "

"There is no fear of their saying that, mother. Everyone in thecolony knows that there are no more open-handed people in New SouthWales than you and my father. Besides, I do not say that we are todo nothing for him. On the contrary, I agree with you that it wouldbe wrong, indeed, if we did not. I only say, please don't let therebe a word said about reward, now. Let us thank him as one wouldthank a gentleman, who had done us a great service. "

"Of course, I will do as your father wishes, Frances, but I call itnonsense. If he were a gentleman it would, of course, be different;but he is a young carpenter and, though you won't see it, thatseems to me to make all the difference. "

"From what I have seen of him, mother, " Frances persisted, "I amsure that he has the feelings of a gentleman; even if he is not oneby birth, about which I am not certain. Anyhow, I am much obligedto you for letting me have my own way. "

"You always do have your own way, Frances, " her mother laughed. "You get round your father first, and then you come to me, and whatcan I do against the two of you?"

Reuben briefly answered Miss Furley and Mrs. Hudson; and Mr. Hudson, feeling that the lad would rather get over the scene assoon as possible, slipped his arm though his and said:

"Now, Reuben, you must just come up for a minute on the poop. Theother passengers are all waiting to shake you by the hand, and theywould not forgive me if I were to let you run off, as I know youare wanting to do, without a word. "

Accordingly Reuben was taken up to the poop, where the passengersall shook hands with him, and congratulated him upon his courage. 

"Now, I suppose I can go, sir, " he said, with a smile to Mr. Hudson, when this was over. 

"Yes, you can go now, " Mr. Hudson laughed. "Most young fellows atyour age would be glad of an opportunity for figuring as a hero, but you talk as if it was one of the most painful businessesimaginable. "

"Anyhow, I am glad it's over, Mr. Hudson, I can assure you; andnow, I think I will turn in again. Considering what a night I had, I feel wonderfully sleepy. "

It was not until the sun was setting that Reuben appeared again ondeck. Shortly after he did so, Captain Wilson strolled up to theplace where he was standing. 

"I wish, Reuben, " he said, after a few remarks on other subjects, "that you would tell me a little more about yourself. Youunderstand that I do not ask from mere inquisitiveness; but afterwhat has happened, you see, we seem to have got into closerelationship with each other; and if I knew more about you, I couldthe easier see in what way I could most really be useful to you, out there. Are you what you appear to be?"

"I am, indeed, " Reuben replied, with a smile. "My history is a verysimple one. My father was a miller with a good business and, up tothe age of ten, it did not appear that I should ever be working asa craftsman for my living. Unhappily, at that time my fatherslipped, one night, into the mill pond and was drowned; and whenhis affairs came to be wound up, it was found that he hadspeculated disastrously in wheat; and that, after paying allclaims, there was nothing left. 

"My mother took a little village shop, and I went to the villageschool. At first, I think I did not work very hard; but fortunatelythere was a change in masters, and the new one turned out one ofthe best friends a boy ever had. He pushed me on greatly and, whenI was apprenticed to a mill wright, he urged me to continue myeducation by working of an evening. I stuck to it hard, and withhis help learned, therefore, a good deal more than was usual, in mystation of life. My mother was always particular about my speakingand, what with that and the books, I suppose I talk better thanthey generally do. "

"And is your mother alive?"

"Yes, sir. "

"But how came you to think of emigrating, at your age; when indeed, you cannot have served out your full time?"

"That, sir, " Reuben said gravely, "I cannot tell you. Some day, perhaps, if you care to know, I may bring myself to do so. I maysay that it was a serious matter, but that I was really in no wayto blame, whatever people may think. My conscience is absolutelyclear, and yet I would rather that the story, which I left Englandto escape, should not be known to anyone. "

"I do not seek to know further, Reuben. I think I know enough ofyou to be perfectly sure that you would do nothing that was wrong, and I am perfectly willing to take your word in the matter. However, I am glad that you have told me as much as you have. Yourearly rearing, your mother's care, and the education you have had, perfectly account for what seemed strange about you before. Youhave no objection, I hope, to my repeating your story to Mr. Hudson, who is as much interested in you as I am. 

"And now another thing. I know that it is painful, to him, that oneto whom he is so indebted should be forward here in the forecastle, instead of being in the cabin. He was afraid of hurting yourfeelings, by speaking to you about it; but I know that it would bea great relief and pleasure, to him and Mrs. Hudson, if you wouldallow them to make an arrangement with the captain that, for theremainder of the voyage, you should be a passenger. "

"I am much obliged to them, " Reuben said quietly; "but I could notthink of accepting such an offer. I am working my way outindependently, sir, and I owe no one anything. I am really enjoyingthe passage, and so far there has been no hardship worth speakingof. Even putting aside the fact that I should not like to accept anobligation which would, to most people, look like a payment for theservice I was fortunate enough to be able to render to Mr. Hudson, I should feel out of my element. I am very comfortable, and get onvery well with the men; while in the cabin I should feel strange, and out of place. "

"I don't think you would seem out of place anywhere, Reuben. Noone, from your manner and conversation, would judge you to beotherwise than a gentleman by birth; while there are several of thepassengers, aft, whose talk and methods of expression are by nomeans up to the level of yours. "

"I should feel uncomfortable myself, " Reuben said, "even if Ididn't make other people uncomfortable. So I think that, with allgratitude for the offer, I would very much rather remain as I am. Accustomed as I have been to hard work, during my apprenticeship, the life here appears to be exceedingly easy. "

"Then we will say no more about it, " Captain Wilson said. "It wouldhave been a pleasure, both to me and the Hudsons, to have you aft, and I am sure you would be well received by all the passengers. However, as you think you would not be comfortable, we will let thematter drop. 

"However, as to your work in the colony, we must have a say inthat; and I hope that, when I thoroughly understand your wishes, weshall be able to help you forward there. "

"For that I shall be extremely obliged, sir. It would be a greatthing, indeed, for anyone on landing to have gentlemen ready toassist him, and push him forward. This is so at home, and is ofcourse still more the case in a strange country. I am very anxiousto get on, and am ready to work my hardest, to deserve any kindnessthat may be shown me. "

"Well, we shall have plenty of time to think it over before wearrive. 

"I fancy, " Captain Wilson went on, looking upwards at the sky, "that our wonderful run of good luck, with regard to the weather, is likely to end shortly, and that we are in for a gale. "

"Do you think so, sir?"

"I do, indeed; and if we do get a gale, it is likely to be aserious one. The Cape, you know, was much feared for its terriblestorms by the Portuguese, and it has kept up its reputation eversince. I think it is going to give us a taste of its quality. "

Chapter 8: A Gale. 

"Wilson tells me he thinks we are going to have a gale, Bill. "

"Ay, ay, Reuben; anyone with half an eye could see that. "

"Which way is it likely to come?"

"Most likely from the north or northwest. At least that's thequarter it's likely to settle into; but there ain't no saying whichway it may take us. I thought things had been going on too smoothto last. Now you are going to see what a storm is, my lad. Youthought it was blowing when we went down the Channel. "

"Is it likely to be much heavier than that, Bill?"

"Heavier!" the sailor repeated scornfully. "Why, there's as muchdifference between a capful of wind in the Channel, and a gale offthe Cape, as there is between a newborn baby and me. "

"Do they last long, generally?"

"Last! Why they goes on for weeks. There ain't no end to them. I'vewondered sometimes to myself where all the wind comes from, andwhere it goes to, onlass it works round and round. "

"But it does work round and round, Bill?"

"Ay, when you are near the centre of it. Why, lad, in three hours Ihave gone round the compass three times, with the wind dead aft allthe time; but that's only when you are near the centre. When youain't it blows straight, and I have known vessels run for days--ay, for weeks--with the wind blowing all the time in the same quarter. Some have been blown down right to the edge of the ice, south. Ihave been among the icebergs myself, two or three times, and Iguess that many a ship has laid her bones down in the ice fieldsthere, and no news ever come back home as to what's come to them;and what makes it worse is as we have convicts on board. "

"What difference does that make, Bill?"

"It don't make no difference, as long as all goes straight andfair. I have heard, in course, of risings; but that's only wheneither the guard are very careless, or the men is so bad treatedthat they gets desperate, and is ready to die on the off chance ofgetting free. So far we ain't had no trouble with them. The ship iskept liberal, and the poor wretches ain't cheated out of therations as government allows them. The officer in charge seems agood sort, and there's no knocking of them about, needless; sothere ain't no fear of trouble, as long as things go square. Butwhen things goes wrong, and a vessel gets cast away or anything ofthat kind, then there's well-nigh sure to be trouble. The convictsseize their opportunity, and it ain't scarce in human nature forthem not to take it, and then there ain't no saying what willhappen. "

"Why, what a croaker you are, Bill! I didn't expect that from you. "

"I ain't no croaker, Reuben, but I knows what I knows. I have beenthrough a job like that I am telling you of, once; and I don't wantto do it again. I will tell you about it, some day. I ain't sayingas I expect any such thing will happen, on board the Paramatta. Godforbid. She's a tight ship, and she's got as good officers and crewas ever I sailed with. She has as good a chance as ever a ship had;but when I sees that 'ere sort of sky in these latitudes, I feelsas we are in for a tough job. "

The conversation was broken off, abruptly, by the call of the firstmate. 

"All hands aloft to shorten sail!"

"The bells is ringing up for the beginning of the performance, Reuben. Here goes aloft!"

The next minute the whole of the crew were climbing the shrouds, for the watch off duty were all on deck, and the order wasexpected; for the signs of the weather could, by this time, be readby every sailor on board. Above, the sky was still bright and blue;but around the whole circle of the horizon, a mist seemed to hanglike a curtain. 

"Smartly, lads, smartly, " the captain shouted; "don't hurry overyour work, but do it with a will. 

"I hope we have not left it too long, Mr. James. I have held onlonger than I ought, for every mile we get away from land is anadvantage, and we have been running nearly due south, ever since Inoticed the first falling of the glass when we got up in themorning. "

"I think we shall have time, sir, " the mate said. "We are going tohave it, and no mistake, presently; but it don't seem to be comingup fast. "

"The glass is going down rapidly, " the captain said. "It's down aninch already, and is still falling. 

"Mr. Mason, " he went on, to the officer in command of thedetachment of marines, "will you kindly place your men under theorders of Mr. James? I am going to send down all the upper spars, and they can be useful on deck. "

Never was the Paramatta stripped more rapidly of her sails, forevery man was conscious of the urgency of the work. As soon as thesails were furled, the yards were sent down. The upper sparsfollowed them and, in little over half an hour from the time themen began to ascend the shrouds, the Paramatta was metamorphosed. Her tall tapering masts and lofty spread of sail were gone. Everyspar above the topmasts had been sent down to the deck; and she layunder close-reefed topsails, a stay sail, and a storm jib. Thecaptain gave a sigh of relief, as the men began to descend therigging. 

"Thank God, that is safely accomplished. Now we are in readinessfor whatever may come. "

He dived into his cabin, and returned almost immediately. 

"The glass has fallen another half inch, Mr. James, " he saidgravely. "I have never but once seen it as low. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, " he went on, addressing the passengers, whowere gathered in a group, talking in low tones and anxiouslywatching the wall of vapour; which now seemed to rise from thewater's edge and reach far up into the sky, the circle of viewextending scarce half a mile in any direction; "I must ask you togo below, at once. The storm may strike us any moment now, and whenit does come it will come heavily. I should like the deck perfectlyclear, and nothing to disturb my thoughts from the working of theship. "

Reuben had not gone aloft, as he was called back, just as he beganto ascend the shrouds, by the first mate, and ordered to go roundthe cabins and fasten the dead lights securely. When this was done, he aided the marines in nailing tarpaulins over the cabinskylights, and then went round the deck, seeing that every movablearticle was securely lashed. When this was done he joined Bill who, with some others, had been at work securing all the hatches. Theconvicts had long since been all sent below. 

"Shall I send my men down, captain?" Mr. Mason asked. 

"There is no occasion for it, just at present; but you had betterpass the word for all of them to hold on, when the gale strikesher. That will be the critical moment. Once past that, she will beall right till the sea begins to rise. Then you had best get thembelow, for we shall have the water sweeping knee deep along thewaist, in no time. 

"I should say send them down at once; but I know many of them havebeen to sea before, and may be useful in cutting away, if anythinggoes. "

"She looks snug enough, captain, " the young officer said, glancingup at the diminished spread of canvas. 

"She is snug enough for any ordinary gale, " the captain said; "butthis is not going to be an ordinary gale. When we once get herbefore it, it will be all right. 

"Do you think we have another five minutes, Mr. James?"

"There's no saying, sir; but I should think so. What do you want, sir?"

"I want that top sail off her, altogether. "

"I will do it, sir, " the mate said and, calling Bill Hardy and twoothers of the best sailors, he led the way up the main shrouds. 

Every eye on deck was fixed on the four seamen as, rapidly butsteadily, they proceeded to furl and stow the sail. There was stillnot a breath of wind, but a low humming noise was heard. 

"Quick, Mr. James, never mind the sail. All hands on deck!" thecaptain shouted; but the work was just done, and the sailors ranquickly down the ratlines on to the deck. 

"Thank God!" the captain said reverently, "that is done. "

The ship was now under the close-reefed fore-top sail, a diminutivetry sail on the mizzen, and the jib. The hum had increased to aroar, but still not a breath of wind stirred the sails. 

"Look up!" Bill said to Reuben; "you may be at sea fifty years, andnever see that again. "

Reuben looked up. Immediately overhead was a small circle of bluesky, round and round whose edge the edging of cloud seemed to becircling, with extreme velocity. The light seemed to piercestraight down onto the vessel, and she stood, pale and white, whileall around her a pitchy blackness seemed to prevail. 

"We are in the eye of the storm, my lad. Here it comes. Now, holdon for your life. "

In another moment it seemed to Reuben that the end of all thingswas come. He was pinned against the bulwark, as if by a mightyinvisible hand; and the vessel heeled over and over, until the deckseemed to rise in a wall above him. Then the water poured over himand, though he still held on, he thought the vessel had capsized. Then he felt her rising beneath his feet, and his head emerged fromthe water. 

The captain, the first mate, and two seamen were at the wheel. Reuben saw the captain wave his hand, but his words were lost inthe fury of the wind. The second mate, Bill Hardy, and two or threeother sailors knew what was required, and hauled upon the lee braceof the fore-top-sail yard. The Paramatta was still lying nearlyover on her beam ends, but gradually her head began to pay off, andshe slowly righted. A minute later she was tearing directly beforethe gale. Scarcely had she done so, when the fore-top sail blew outof the bolt ropes, with a report that was heard even above the howlof the tempest. 

"It's done its work, " Bill shouted in Reuben's ear. "I thought shewas gone. Just a little more, and she would have turned turtle. "

The captain had used almost precisely the same words to the firstofficer, adding:

"She will do now, but we shall have to try to get a little morehead sail on her, when the sea gets up. Call some of the hands aft, and get this try sail down. She yaws so, now the fore-top sail'sgone, there is no steering her. "

This was soon done and, under bare poles, the storm jib now theonly sail upon her, the Paramatta tore through the water. There waslittle motion, for the sea had not begun to get up, seeming to bepressed flat by the force of the wind. The captain now left thehelm. Two or three of the male passengers were standing at the topof the companion, peering out. 

"You can come out, gentlemen, for a bit. She is running on an evenkeel now, though that won't last long. No one hurt below, I hope. "

"Two or three of us have got bruised a little, captain; and I thinkwe have all of us got a severe fright. We thought she was over. "

"I thought so, too, " the captain said. "Luckily she has got threehundred tons of iron on board, and it's all stowed at the bottom ofthe cargo, so that helped her up again; but it was touch and gowith her, for half a minute. 

"And now, gentlemen, if you will take my advice you will just lookround, and then go below and turn in. Now you can do so easily. Another hour, and there will be no keeping a footing. "

The captain was right. In less than the time he named, a terrificsea had got up. The Paramatta had already made more than onecircuit of the compass. There was no regularity in the sea. Itseemed to rise suddenly in heaps, now striking the ship on oneside, now on another, and pouring sheets of water over herbulwarks. The motion of the vessel was so tremendous that even BillHardy and the older seamen could only move along with the greatestdifficulty to carry out the orders of the captain; while Reubenclung to the shrouds, now half buried in water, now almost hangingin the air, with the sea racing along under his feet. 

As yet no more sail had been put upon her, for there was nofollowing sea. Although running almost before the gale, a slighthelm was kept upon her, so as to edge her out from the centre ofthe storm; and the second circle of the compass took more thantwice as long as the first to complete, although the vessel wasproceeding with equal speed through the water. 

Hour after hour the sea got up--a wild, cross, broken sea--and themotion of the vessel was so terrific as to be almost bewildering tothe oldest hands. There was none of the regular rise and fall of anordinary sea; the vessel was thrown with violent jerks, now on oneside, now on the other; now plunging her bow so deeply down thatshe seemed about to dive, head foremost, beneath the waves; nowthrown bodily upwards, as if tossed up by some giant hand beneathher. The watch off duty was sent below, for there was nothing thatcould be done on deck; and the water swept over her in such massesas to threaten, at times, to carry everything before it. One manhad had his leg broken. Several had been seriously bruised andhurt. 

"This is terrible, Bill, " Reuben said, as he went below. 

"Ay, lad; I have been at sea, man and boy, over forty years, andit's the worst sea I ever saw. I expect to see her masts go out ofher, before long. Nothing could stand such straining as this. Youhad best turn in at once. Unless I am mistaken, it will be allhands to the pumps, before long. If she hadn't been one of thetightest crafts afloat, she would have been making water at everyseam, by this time. "

Reuben felt, the instant he lay down, that sleep was out of thequestion; for it needed all his strength to prevent himself frombeing thrown out of his bunk. The noise, too, was terrific--therush and swell of the water overhead, the blows which made the shipshiver from stem to stern, the creaking of the masts, and howlingof the wind. Night had set in, now. It was pitch dark in theforecastle, for the swinging lantern had been dashed so violentlyagainst the beams that the light was extinguished. 

Half an hour after Reuben turned in, a crash was heard. A momentlater the door was opened, and there was a shout:

"The mizzen has gone! All hands to cut away the wreck!"

The watch turned out and began to make their way aft, and were soonengaged with knife and hatchet in cutting away the wreck of themizzen which, towing behind, threatened, with each heavy followingsea, to plunge into the vessel's stern. A cheer broke from the menas the last rope was cut, and the wreck floated astern. The masthad gone close to the deck, smashing the bulwark as it fell overthe side. The motion of the ship was easier, for its loss. 

"Mr. James, " the captain shouted, "we must get preventer stays, atonce, upon the fore mast. The main mast may go, if it likes, and atpresent we shall be all the better without it, but the foremast wemust keep, if we can. "

"Ay, ay, sir. I will set about it, at once. "

Picking out a few of the best hands, the first mate proceeded aboutthe work. 

"Go and sound the well, Reuben, " the captain said. 

Reuben went off at once, and returned in two or three minutes. 

"There are four feet of water in it, sir. "

"Four feet! Are you sure?" the captain exclaimed. 

"Quite sure, sir. "

The captain handed over the command of the deck to the secondofficer, and went below with Reuben. First wiping the rodcarefully, he sounded the well. 

"You are right, " he said. "It is three inches over the four feet. Ifear that the bumping of the mizzen, before we got rid of it, musthave started a butt. She could hardly have made so much water fromstraining. "

The captain made his way aft. The saloon was empty; the passengers, one by one, had retired to their cabins. He knocked at the doors ofMr. Mason and the chief warder. 

"The ship is making water fast, " he said. "We must rig themain-deck pumps. I can't spare any of the crew, their hands arefull. Will you set the convicts to work?"

In a few minutes the clank of the pumps was heard. Very irregularlywere they worked, for it was next to impossible for the men tostand to them, with the vessel throwing herself about so wildly. 

The captain had remained on deck. He placed his hand on the shroudsof the main mast. One moment they hung loosely; and then, as thevessel rolled over, tightened themselves, with a sudden jerk, tillthey were as stiff as iron rods. He shook his head. 

"Reuben, make your way up to the chief officer, and tell him that Iam going to get rid of the main-top mast. Tell him to see thateverything is cut free from the fore mast. "

Reuben made his way aloft with difficulty. It needed all hisstrength to prevent the wind from tearing him from his grasp of theshrouds, but at length he reached the fore top, where the mate wasat work. He delivered the captain's message. 

"Ask the captain to wait five minutes, till I get the back staysecured. I will send a man down, as soon as I am ready. "

"You take this axe, " the captain said, when Reuben regained thedeck, "and stand by this stay. When you see me ready to cut theother, cut at the same moment. "

In a few minutes Bill came down, with a message to the captain thatall was ready. The latter raised his arm to Reuben. He waited tillthe vessel rolled over, and then lifted his axe. The two blows felltogether on the stays. A moment later the vessel began to riseagain. As the jerk came there was a crash above, and the main-topmast fell over the side, clear of the deck, having snapped off atthe cap like a pipe stem. 

"Thank God for that, " the captain said, as he cut away theconnections on the other side, and the spar drifted astern, "thatis off our minds. "

The loss of the main-top mast and mizzen greatly relieved thestrain on the ship, and she worked much easier. In half an hour, the first officer returned on deck with his party, and reportedthat he had done all he could to secure the fore mast. 

"The sea is becoming more regular, " the captain said, "now that weare getting further away from the centre of the storm. We shallsoon have the waves racing behind us, like mountains, and we shallhave to shake out the fore sail to keep ahead of them. Now, let ussee how they are getting on below. "

The well was again sounded, and it was found that the water hadgained two or three inches. 

"When the motion gets a little more regular, Reuben, you must taketwo or three hands, and work your way aft in the hold, and try andfind out where the water is coming in. "

"I will go at once, sir, if you like. "

"No, " the captain replied, "it must not be thought of. Everythingwill be adrift, and you would be crushed to death, to a certainty. You must wait till we are out of this tumble. If the water gains nofaster than it does now, two or three hours will make no materialdifference, and by that time I hope we shall have got a regularsea. "

Finding that there was nothing for him to do, Reuben again turnedin. The motion was still tremendous, but he could feel a sensiblechange from what it was before. The motion of the ship was lesssudden and violent and, although she rolled tremendously, she roseeach time with an easier motion. 

An hour later the watch turned out, and the others took theirplace. The wind was blowing as heavily as when the hurricane began, but the aspect of the sea had changed. It was no longer a mass ofleaping, tumbling water; but was running in long waves, followingeach other, rising high above the vessel's stern as they overtookher. Having lashed himself to the side, he remained for an hourwatching the sea. The first mate then came up to him. 

"The captain thinks you might manage to get aft now. I will sendBill and Dick Whistler with you, to help you move any boxes orbales. "

Reuben went back in the forecastle and got some tools, a piece ofold sailcloth, and a large bundle of oakum; and then made his waywith the two sailors down into the after hold. The way in which theupper tier of cargo lay heaped against the sides showed that itwould, as the captain said, have been impossible to enter while themotion was at its worst. The rolling, however, had greatlydiminished; the vessel rising and falling with a regular motion, aseach wave passed under her. The men each carried a lantern and, with some difficulty, made their way to the stern. 

"Ay, it's somewhere about here, " Bill said. "I can hear the rushingof water, somewhere below. Now, the first thing is to move thesebales. "

They worked for a time, and then Bill returned on deck to fetch twomore hands. They brought hand spikes and bars, as the bales werewedged so tightly together that it was difficult, in the extreme, to move them. It took two hours' hard work before they reached theleak. As the captain had supposed, the head of one of the plankshad been started, at the stern post, by a blow from the wreck ofthe mizzen; and the water was rushing in with great force. 

"A few hours of this would have settled her, " Bill said. "All thepumps in the ship would not keep down such a leak as this. "

Reuben at once set to work, cutting a deep groove in the sternpost. He butted some stout pieces of wood into this, and wedged theother ends firmly against the first rib. Then he set to work to jamdown sail cloth and oakum between this barrier and the plank thathad started, driving it down with a marlinespike and mallet. It wasa long job, but it was securely done; and at last Reuben had thesatisfaction of seeing that a mere driblet of water was making itsway down, behind the stuffing, into the ship. 

"That's a first-rate job, lad, " Bill said approvingly. "Half anhour's work once a week will keep her dry, if there is no waterfinds its way in anywhere else. "

Reuben went aft to the well. The pump was now working steadily, thegangs of convicts relieving each other by turns. On sounding thewell, he found that the water had fallen nine inches since he hadlast ascertained its depth. Going on deck, he found that a mistylight filled the air, and that morning was breaking. 

The captain had two or three times come down to the hold, to watchthe progress of the work. Reuben reported to him its completion, and the fall in the water. 

"Yes, it's been falling the last hour, " the captain said. "She willdo now. But she's making water, still. Some of the seams must haveopened. I have been looking her over, and can't find out where itis; and we can do nothing until the gale has blown itself out, andwe can get below and shift the cargo. "

Reuben found that the fore sail had been set while he was below;and the vessel was running, some twelve knots an hour, before thewind. At one moment she was in a deep valley, then her sternmounted high on a following wave, and she seemed as if she mustslide down, head foremost. Higher and higher the wave rose, sendingher forward with accelerated motion; then it passed along her, andshe was on a level keel on its top, and seemed to stand almoststill as the wave passed from under her. 

In spite of the extra lashing which had been given, the hen coops, spars, and everything loose upon the decks had been swept away; andthe bulwarks had, in several places, been stove in. The galley hadbeen carried away, but the cook had just made a shift to boil acauldron of coffee below, and a mug of this was served out to allhands. As Reuben broke a biscuit into his portion, and sipped it, he thought he had never enjoyed a meal so much. He had now been, for eighteen hours, wet through to the skin; and the coffee sent awarm glow through him. 

The captain ordered all hands, save a few absolutely required ondeck, to turn in; and Reuben was soon in a glow of warmth beneathhis blankets and, lulled by the now easy motion of the ship, wasfast asleep in a few minutes. 

After four hours' sleep, he was again on deck. The gale was blowingas strongly as ever, three men were at the helm, and the vessel wasstill tearing along at great speed. Several of the male passengerswere on the poop, and the contrast between the appearance of theParamatta at the same hour on the previous day, and that which shepresented now, struck Reuben very strongly. Sadly, indeed, shelooked with mizzen mast gone, the main mast shortened to the cap, and all the upper spars and rigging of the fore mast gone. She was, however, making good weather of it, for her hold was now so drythat the pumps were worked only on alternate hours, and the reliefafforded by the loss of all her top hamper was very great. 

For a week the Paramatta ran before the gale. At the end of thefourth day its force somewhat abated, but it still blew much toohard for anything to be done towards getting up fresh spars; whilethe lost mizzen rendered it impossible for them to bring her upinto the wind. 

"It's bitterly cold, Bill, " Reuben said. "Its been getting colderevery day, but this morning it is really bitter. "

"And no wonder, lad, seeing that we have been racing south forpretty nigh a week. We have been making a little easting, but thatis all, and we are getting into the region of ice. We may see somebergs any time now. "

"I should like to see an iceberg, " Reuben said. 

"The fewer we see of them the better, " Bill replied, "for they areabout as nasty customers as you want to meet. I expected we shouldhave seen them before, but this gale must have blown them south abit. They work up with the northwesterly current, but I expect thewind will have carried them back against it. No, I don't want tosee no icebergs. "

"But if it were a very big one, we might get under its lee andrepair damages a bit, Bill. Might we not?"

"No, my lad. The lee of an iceberg ain't a place one would choose, if one could help it. There you are becalmed under it, and the bergdrifting down upon you, going perhaps four knots an hour. No, thefarther you keep away from icebergs the better. But if you have gotto be near one, keep to windward of it. At least, that's my'speryence. 

"They have been having some trouble with the convicts, I hears. They worked well enough at first, as long as they knew that therewas a lot of water in the hold; but since then they have beena-grumbling, and last night I hear there was a rumpus, and six ofthem was put in irons. That's the first of it, and the sooner thegale's over, and we shapes our course in smooth water for Sydneyheads, the better I shall be pleased. "

An hour later, Bill pointed to the sky ahead. 

"Do yer see nothing odd about that 'ere sky?"

"No, " Reuben replied, "except that it's very light coloured. "

"Ay, that's it, my lad. That's what they call the ice blink. Yousee if we ain't in the middle of bergs before night comes on. Ihave not been whaling for nothing. "

A few minutes later, the first mate was heard to be shoutingorders. 

"Just as I thought, " Bill said. "We are going to try to rig a jurymizzen, so as to help us claw off the ice, if need be. "

A spare top mast was got up from below. Guys were fixed to one endand, with the help of the marines and a party of convicts, the sparwas raised alongside the stump of the mizzen mast; and was therelashed securely, the guys being fastened as stays to the bulwarks. Blocks had been tied to the top, before it was raised; and ropesrove into them; and a try sail was brought on deck, and laid readyfor hoisting. 

The first mate ascended to the fore top, and at once hailed thedeck that ice was visible ahead. The captain joined him, and forsome minutes the two officers carefully examined the horizon. Nosooner did the captain regain the deck than he ordered the try sailto be hoisted on the jury mast, and a haul to be given upon thebraces of the fore sail, while the ship's course was laid a littlenorth of east. 

"It is lucky the wind has gone down as much as it has, " he remarkedto Mr. Hudson. "The sea is still heavy but, if that jury mizzenstands, we shall be able to claw off the ice. "

"Is there much of it, captain?"

"We could see a good many bergs and, from the look of the sky, Ishould say there was an ice field lying beyond them. However, Ithink we shall do, if the wind does not freshen again. If it does, we must do our best to make a group of islands lying down to thesoutheast, and there refit. They are a rendezvous for whalers, insummer. "

"Why not do so now, captain?"

"I would, if it were not for the convicts. But, unless as a lastresource, I would not run the risk of touching at any island withthem on board. As long as we are at sea they are comparativelyharmless and, unless there is gross carelessness on the part oftheir guard, there is little fear of an outbreak. But once let themget on land, the matter is changed altogether. They are nearlythree to one as against the warders, marines, and crew; and I wouldnot run the risk, on any account, if it can be possibly avoided. No, no, Mr. Hudson, unless it be a matter of life and death, wewill put in nowhere till we are in Sydney harbour. "

Chapter 9: Two Offers. 

At nightfall the Paramatta was in the midst of the icebergs, andReuben soon understood the antipathy which Bill had expressed forthem. As a spectacle, they were no doubt grand; but as neighboursto a half-crippled ship, with half a gale blowing, their beauty wasa very secondary consideration to those on board. 

Additional stays were fixed to the jury mast, as it might benecessary, at any moment, to attempt to bring her up into the wind;and the word was passed that both watches must remain on deck. Fortunately the night was a light one, for the moon was up, and thesky almost cloudless. The mate stood with two of the best hands atthe wheel; while the second mate took his place in the fore top, with a lantern, to signal the position of ice ahead. Fortunatelythere were but few small floating blocks about, and the Paramattathreaded her way through the larger bergs, without once approachingnear enough to render danger imminent. It was a long and anxiousnight but, when morning broke, it was seen that the sea was nowopen ahead, and by the afternoon they had left the last bergbehind. 

Two days later the wind went completely down, and the crew at onceset to work to repair damages. Reuben, with two men under him, filled up the breaches in the bulwarks. A respectable jury mast wasrigged by the stump of the main mast; and the spar, which had donesuch good service among the bergs, was replaced by a longer andheavier one. All hands worked vigorously, and the sailors wereassisted in the heavier work by parties of convicts. 

After two days' toil all was completed. Sail was hoisted again and, under a greatly reduced spread of canvas to that which she hadcarried before the gale burst, the Paramatta proceeded on her way. The weather continued favourable and, without further adventure, the Paramatta arrived off Sydney heads; having made the voyage in ahundred and three days, which was, under the circumstances, a quickone. 

The last evening Captain Wilson asked Reuben to go with him to thepoop, as he and Mr. Hudson wanted to have a chat with him. 

"Now, Reuben, " Mr. Hudson said, "sit yourself down here. We musthave a talk together. Now we want to know exactly what you arethinking of doing. "

"I am thinking of getting work, sir, " Reuben said, "at my owntrade. "

"Well, my lad, I don't think you will make much at that. There aremills, of course, but not a great many of them; and I fancy youwould find it difficult to get anything like regular work. Thedistances here are tremendous, and you would spend the money youmade, in one job, in looking out for another. 

"That is the first view of the case. The second is, that neitherCaptain Wilson nor I mean to let you try it. You have saved mydaughter's life, and I am not going to let the man who did thattramp about the country, looking for a day's work. Captain Wilsonis going to marry my girl shortly, and of course he feels just thesame about it. So the next question is, 'What is the best thing wecan do for you?' Now, if you have a fancy for squatting, you cancome with me up country and learn the business; and this day, twelve-month, I will hand you over the deeds of a range, with fivethousand sheep upon it. Now, that's my offer. 

"Now, don't you be in a hurry to refuse it, and don't let me haveany nonsense about your not liking to accept it. Ten such farmswould not pay the debt I owe you, and I tell you I should think itdownright mean, if you were to refuse to let me pay you a part ofmy debt. Now you shall hear Wilson's proposal. "

"My offer is not so brilliant, Reuben. Indeed, as far as making money, the pay would probably be no higher, at first, than you might earnat your trade. I am, as you know, assistant superintendent to theconstabulary force of the colony. Now, if you like, I will obtain youa commission as an inspector. The pay is not high, but by good conductyou may rise to a position such as I hold. It is the position of agentleman, and the life is full of excitement and adventure. Now, whatdo you say?"

Reuben was silent for a minute or two. 

"I am greatly obliged to you both, " he said, "more obliged than Ican tell you. Your offer, Mr. Hudson, is a most generous one; but Ihave not been accustomed to farming, and I would rather have such alife as that which Captain Wilson offers me, although the pay maybe very much smaller. 

"But, sir, " he said, turning to the officer of constabulary, "Ifear that I cannot accept your offer, because, in the first place, you see, I am not a gentleman. "

"Oh, nonsense, Reuben! Your manners and language would pass you asa gentleman, anywhere. Besides which, there are several officers inthe force who have risen from the ranks, and who have had nothinglike the education you have had. You can put that aside at once. Isthere any other reason?"

"Yes, sir, " Reuben said quietly. "I had never intended to havespoken of it, and I came out to Australia in order that I might beaway from everyone who knew the story, but I couldn't accept youroffer without your knowing it. I am leaving England because I havebeen tried for burglary. "

"Nonsense!" both Reuben's listeners exclaimed, incredulously. 

"If you don't mind, I will tell you the whole story, " Reuben said, "and then you can judge for yourselves. "

Reuben then related at length the whole circumstances, with whichthe reader is already acquainted. 

"I remember reading your story in the papers, Reuben, " CaptainWilson said. "Being in the force, you know, I take an interest inthese things. I own I was puzzled at the time--because, you see, Idid not know you--but how anyone who did know you, could think youguilty, passes my comprehension. "

"I call it infamous, " Mr. Hudson added warmly. "They must be a packof fools, down at that place Lewes. "

"Well, " Captain Wilson said, "I am glad you have told me yourstory; for I have all along been puzzled as to what made you giveup your trade, and emigrate, at your age. However, the matter isexplained now; but now you have told me, I see no reason whateverwhy you should not accept my offer. In the first place, no one butourselves will know your history. In the next, if they did so, thatis no reason why you should not hold the appointment. No man isfree from the risk of being suspected unjustly. You have beenacquitted by a jury of your countrymen and, even did everyone knowit, no one dare throw it in your teeth. 

"No, I repeat, if you like I have no doubt that I can obtain foryou an appointment as officer in the constabulary. You need notgive me an answer now. Think it over for a week. You will haveplenty of time, for Mr. Hudson insists upon your taking up yourabode with him, when you land. "

"That I do, " Mr. Hudson said. "I have a place a mile out of Sydney, and there you will stop for a bit. Then I hope you will go up thecountry with me, for a month or two, and learn the ways of theplace; till Captain Wilson has got an appointment for you--that is, if you quite decide to accept his offer, instead of mine. Butremember, if ever you get tired of thief hunting, the offer willstill be open to you. "

Sydney was at that time but a very small place; for the great waveof emigrants had not yet begun to flow, and the colony was in itsearly infancy. As soon as the vessel cast anchor, Mr. Hudson andhis party landed, taking Reuben with them; and an hour later hefound himself installed, as a guest, at the squatter's house. 

It was large and comfortable, surrounded by a broad verandah, andstanding in a garden blooming with flowers, many of which werewholly unknown to Reuben. He had, of course, before landing laidaside the suit he had worn on board ship, and had dressed himselfin his best; and the heartiness and cordiality of his host, hiswife, and daughter soon made him feel perfectly at his ease. 

"We are in the rough, you know, " Mr. Hudson said to him. "Everyoneis in the rough here, at present. Twenty years hence things maysettle down, but now we all have to take them as we find them. Thechief difficulty is servants. You see, almost every other man hereis either a convict, an ex-convict, or a runaway sailor; about asbad material as you could want to see, for the formation of whatthey call at home a genteel establishment. The number of emigrantswho come out is small. For the most part they have a little moneyand take up land, or at any rate, go up country and look for workthere. A few, of course, who have been sent out by their friends athome to get rid of them, loaf about Sydney and spend their money, till they are driven to take the first job that offers. Well, theymay do for shepherds, in places where no drink is to be had forlove or money, but you would scarcely care about having them asbutlers; so you see, we are driven to the three classes I spoke of. I have been exceptionally lucky. The man who carried the thingsupstairs just now, and who is my chief man here, is an ex-convict. "

Reuben looked surprised. 

"He was assigned to me when he first got his ticket of leave. Ifound him a good hand, and he stood by me pluckily, when my stationwas attacked by the blacks. So next time I came down to the town, Iasked what he had been sent out here for. I found it was for havingbeen concerned in a poaching fray, in which some of the gamekeepers got badly hurt. Well, that wasn't so much against him, youknow, so I got talking to him one day, and found out that he camefrom my part of England. I found he had a wife, so I sent homemoney to some friends, and asked them to send her out; which theydid and, finding she had, before she married him, been cook in agentleman's family, I engaged her here, and sent up the country forWatson to come down. I had told him nothing about it; for Ithought, perhaps, his wife might refuse to come out, or might havemarried again, or anything else. 

"Well, the meeting was a happy one, as you may suppose; and I thensettled him down here--at least, it wasn't here, but a smallerplace I had then--and he has been with me ever since. His time wasout some years ago, but that has made no difference. Nothing wouldinduce him to leave me; and I would not part with him for anyamount, for a more faithful and trusty fellow never lived, and whenI go away I know everything will go along like clockwork. As forhis wife, she's a treasure, and she knows how to cook a dinner, asyou will acknowledge presently. 

"They form the mainstay of my establishment. Besides that, there'san old chap who looks after the garden, goes down to the town, anddoes odd jobs. He was a sailor. He was landed here when his vesselcame into port, five years ago. He had fallen off the yard on tothe deck, and had broken half his ribs. He was taken to thegovernment hospital. They did not think, at first, that he wouldever get over it; but though he pulled through, it was clear hewould never be fit for any hard work. So the surgeon of thehospital spoke of the case to me, and I said I thought I could finda job that would suit him, and here he has been. He is quite strongenough for all the work I want him to do, and I can trust him aboutthe place. Of course, he breaks out and gets drunk occasionally, but one cannot expect to find a man perfect. 

"Then there is a black boy--they call them all boys here--he looksafter the horses, and has two black boys--they are boys--under him. I found him out on the plains. He had been shot by somebush-ranging scoundrels, out of pure mischief, I should say. He wasinsensible when I found him, but I saw that he was alive, andmanaged to get him up on my horse and took him home. We were sixweeks getting him round, for the bullet had gone through his body. It would have killed a white man in an hour, but these blackfellows are as hard as nails. 

"My wife nursed him, for she was living up the country with me atthat time; and when he got well, he declared that he would neverleave us. I don't know that I was much gratified at the news, atfirst; but I soon found out that Sam, as I called him, was avaluable fellow about a place. He could turn his hand toeverything, but I found he was specially happy when he was engagedabout the horses; so at last I handed over that department to him, and when we set up this place here, I brought him down with me andmade him head of the stables. It's fifteen years since I firstpicked him up, and I don't think I have ever had cause to findfault with him, since. 

"So you see, though my establishment can't be called a genteel, it's a thoroughly good-working one, and I doubt if there's a man inthe colony who is as well off as I am. 

"When we go up country they all go with me except the sailor, whoremains in charge. He's a great man, I can tell you, when he's leftin what he calls command of the ship. He's got hold of two oldmuskets and a brace of pistols, and these he always loads before westart, so as to be ready to repel boarders. He looks out sharply, too, for I have never lost a thing since he came; and when youconsider what a number of gentry there are, about here, withexperience in housebreaking, I think that's pretty well. He isalways drunk and incapable, for three or four days after ourreturn, as a reward to himself for having kept from drink all thetime we are away. "

"Dinner is ready, " Frances Hudson said, running into the room. "Here you are, papa, talking away as usual, whenever you get thechance. Now run upstairs quickly, both of you; for Rachel will notbe pleased if you let the first dinner get cold, after she has beendoing her best to turn out something special, in honour of theoccasion, ever since she heard the Paramatta was in port. "

"I won't be a minute, Frances. 

"Ah, here comes Wilson. I was wondering what had become of him. Hepromised to come on, as soon as he had seen his chief. "

The dinner was an excellent one, and fully bore out Mr. Hudson'sassertion with respect to his cook. All were in high spirits, withthe exception of Mrs. Hudson, who was cool in her manners to theyoung officer, and was evidently desirous of showing herdisapproval of his engagement to her daughter, which had only takenplace two days before. 

"I have news for you, Reuben, " Captain Wilson said, in the firstpause of conversation. "I saw the chief, and told him I wanted anappointment for a young friend of mine, who had come out in theParamatta, and who had shown great pluck and presence of mind in anaffair at the Cape, which I described to him. He said that he couldappoint you at once, as young Houghton, a district superintendent, was killed three weeks ago, in an affair with the bush rangers upcountry. He said he was very glad to hear of someone likely to makea good officer, to fill his place. So if you make up your mind tobe a constable, the place is ready for you. "

"Thank you very much, sir, " Reuben said, "I was thinking the matterover last night, and quite made up my mind to accept the place youwere kind enough to offer me, if you think me fit to fill it. "

"I have no fear on that score, Reuben. I am sure you will do creditto my recommendation. So then, we may consider that as settled. "

"There, " grumbled Mr. Hudson, "that's just like you, Wilson; youupset all my plans. It was arranged he was to come up to mystation, and there, before you are on shore two hours, you arrangethe whole business; and I suppose you will be wanting him to getinto his uniform, and be off before a week's out. "

"I daresay we can manage a fortnight, " Captain Wilson laughed, "andI have no doubt he will have plenty of opportunities for visitingyou, later on. Indeed, I don't know why he should not be able tolook you up, as soon as you get there. He will, of course, beplaced under an old hand for six months, to learn his duties andget to speak a little of the native lingo. 

"Hartwell, who has your district, is as good a man as he can be putwith. He is a careful officer, though perhaps a little slow; but hewill be a good man for Reuben to serve under, and I know the chiefwill put him with him if I ask him, as it can't make any differencewhere he goes first. "

"Well, if you can arrange that, Wilson, I will forgive you. Andnow, where are you going to?"

"For the time, I am not going anywhere in particular, " CaptainWilson replied. "The chief says he thinks that things have gotrather slack, since I have been away. There are several bands ofbush rangers, who have been doing a deal of mischief up country; soto begin with, he wishes me to make a tour of inspection, and toreport generally. After that, I think I shall be settled here for atime. At any rate, it will be my headquarters. I think it probablethe chief himself will be going home on leave, before very long. "

"The sooner you are settled here, the better, " Mr. Hudson said;"for I know I shall get no peace, now, till Frances is settled, too. Ever since she was a child, when she once made up her mindthat she wanted a new toy, she worried me till I got it for her;and you are the last new toy. "

"Oh, papa, how can you say so!" Frances said, laughing andcolouring. "As far as I am concerned, it may be months and months. "

"Oh, that is all very well, " Mr. Hudson broke in. "I know what youwant. You want Wilson here to be always, neglecting his duty, andgalloping over from the other end of the colony to see you. No, no, my dear, if Wilson is a wise fellow, he will bring you to book, assoon as I can either build, or get hold of, a place fit for you. Weshall be having no peace, now. Every time he is off on duty, youwill be picturing him as engaged in some dreadful struggle withbush rangers and blacks; and if letters don't come as often as youexpect them, you will be fretting yourself into a fever. "

"What nonsense, papa! I know, of course, George will have to do hisduty. I don't suppose he's always going to be tied to my apronstring. "

"You take my advice, Reuben, " Mr. Hudson said, "don't you go andlose your heart; for if you once do, there's a police officerspoiled. It don't so much matter with Wilson, because he has donehis share of dangerous work, and is pretty well up at the top ofthe tree; but a man that has to tackle bush rangers and blacks, ought not to have a woman at home thinking of him. "

"There is no fear of that, for a good many years to come, " Reubenlaughed. "Are these blacks really formidable fellows, CaptainWilson?"

"Formidable to the settlers, " Captain Wilson said, "but not to us. They drive off cattle and sheep, and sometimes attack solitarystations, and murder every soul there; but they seldom stand up infair fight, when we come down upon them; but they fight hard, sometimes, when they are acting with bush rangers. "

"Bush rangers are mostly escaped convicts, are they not?"

"Almost always, " Captain Wilson replied, "except that, of course, they have among them a few men such as runaway sailors, andne'er-do-wells who get sick of shepherding and take to the bush;but the great proportion are convicts. It is not to be wondered at, when you look at the life many of these men have led at home, andthe monotony and hardship of their lives in many of the up-countrystations, allotted to men as ignorant, and sometimes almost asbrutal as themselves. 

"Some of them, too, escape from the road gangs, and these aregenerally the worst; for as often as not, they may have killed awarder in making their escape, and know that it will go hard withthem if they are caught. 

"It may be said that there are two sorts of bush rangers. The oneare men who have taken to the bush, simply from a desire ofregaining their liberty. Sometimes they join parties of blacks, andlive with them. Sometimes two or three get together, and all theharm they do is to carry off an occasional sheep, for food. And theother kind are desperadoes--men who were a scourge in England, andare a scourge here, who attack lonely stations, and are not contentwith robbing, but murder those who fall into their hands. 

"They are in fact wild beasts, to whom no mercy is to be extended;and who, knowing it, will fight to the last. They are not easy tohunt down, their instinct having made them wary; and beinggenerally in league with the blacks, who are as cunning as foxes, and can run pretty nearly as fast as a horse can gallop, they arekept very well informed as to our movements and, the country beingso immense, we should never run them down, were it not for ournative trackers. 

"These fellows are to the full as sharp as the Red Indians of NorthAmerica. They seem, in fact, to have the instinct of dogs, and canfollow a track when the keenest white's eye cannot detect thesmallest trace of a footprint. It is something marvellous what someof them will do. "

"Have you many of these trackers in your employment?"

"There are one or two attached to every up-country station. Theyare, in fact, our bloodhounds; and although some of our men pick upa little of their craft, we should do nothing without them. "

The next morning, Reuben met Captain Wilson down in Sydney, and wastaken by him to the chief of the constabulary, who at once made outhis appointment. On his return, Mr. Hudson again started with himfor the town, and insisted upon ordering his equipment. As Reubensaw that he would be hurt by any shadow of denial, he accepted Mr. Hudson's kind offer; although he had intended to ask Captain Wilsonto make an advance of pay, in order that he might get what wasnecessary. He could not, however, have purchased such an outfit asMr. Hudson insisted on getting for him; the latter ordering notonly uniforms but suits of plain clothes, together with saddlery, holsters, a sword, and a brace of excellent double-barrelledpistols. He did not need to buy a horse, having in his stables onein every way suitable, being at once quiet and fast--it was, indeed, one of the most valuable animals in the colony. 

"You will have to keep your eyes open, Reuben, " he said, as he gavehim the horse, "or he will be stolen from you. These bush rangerfellows are always well mounted, and anyone at an up-countrystation, who has an animal at all out of the ordinary way, has tokeep his stable door locked and sleep with one eye open; and eventhen, the chances are strongly in favour of his losing his horse, before long. These fellows know that their lives often depend uponthe speed of their horse and, naturally, spare no pains to get holdof a good one. 

"Ah, I have a good idea. 

"Jim, " he shouted to one of the black boys, "come here. "

The lad, who was about eighteen years of age, trotted up. 

"Jim, this gentleman is going to be a police officer, and he'sgoing to take the bay with him; now he wants a good servant. Willyou go with him?"

The lad looked longingly at the horse, which he had groomed and wasvery fond of; but he shook his head. 

"I no leave Massa Hudson. "

"Yes, but I wish you to go, Jim. This gentleman is a great friendof mine, and when bad black man attacked young Missy, he saved herlife. So I want him to be taken good care of; and the horse, too, and to see no one steals it. So someone I can trust must go withhim. If you don't like him for a master, after you have tried him, Jim, you can come back to me again. You have been a good boy, and Ihave no wish to get rid of you; but this gentleman don't know theways of the country, and I want to be sure he has someone with himhe can trust. "

The lad looked at Reuben gravely, with his small eyes deeply sunkenunder the projecting eyebrows. 

"Jim will go, " he said. "He look after white man and Tartar, toplease Massa Hudson and young Missy. "

"That's right, Jim, " his employer said. 

"That's a good stroke of business, " he went on, as he turned awaywith Reuben; "if you treat these black fellows well, and they getattached to you, they are faithful to death. "

"You will see that fellow will never let your horse out of hissight. If you ride twenty miles across country, there he will be byyour side as you dismount, ready to take it, and looking as freshas paint. At night he will sleep in the stable, and will be ready, at all times and places, to make a fire, and cook a damper or a bitof meat, if you are lucky enough to have one by you. All the peopleabout the place would do anything, I believe, for Frances; and thefact that you have saved her life will bind this boy to you, atfirst. Afterwards he will get to care for you, for yourself. "

A fortnight later Reuben, in his uniform as an officer of theconstabulary, rode out of Sydney. His baggage had been sent on, three days before, by a waggon returning up country. Jim trotted, with an easy stride, behind him. Reuben at first was inclined toride slowly, in order to give his attendant time to keep up withhim; but he soon found that, whatever pace he went, the lad keptthe same distance behind, without any apparent exertion; and hewas, therefore, able to choose his own pace, without reference toJim's comfort. 

Four years passed. Reuben Whitney gave every satisfaction to hissuperiors, and was considered a zealous and effective youngofficer. So far he had not been placed in a position of greatresponsibility; for although for the last two years he had been incharge of a district, it was not far from Sydney, and his dutiesconsisted principally in hunting for convicts who had made theirescape, in looking after refractory ticket-of-leave men, and inordinary constabulary work. He had learned in that time to become afirst-rate rider, and a good shot with a pistol, accomplishmentswhich would be of vital service when he was ordered to anup-country station. For his pistols he had as yet, however, had noactual use, as neither bush rangers nor natives penetrated so farinto the settlement. 

At the end of the four years' service, he received a letter fromCaptain Wilson, who had just succeeded to the chief command of theconstabulary, ordering him to hand over charge of the district tothe young officer who was the bearer of the letter, and to reporthimself at headquarters. 

Reuben was now nearly three-and-twenty, and had grown into a verypowerful young man. A life spent for the most part on horseback hadhardened his muscles, and filled out his frame. He stood about fivefeet nine, but looked shorter, owing to his great width ofshoulders. He was still quiet in manner, but he had the same brightand pleasant expression which had characterized him as a boy; andhis visits to Sydney, where he was introduced by Captain Wilson andMr. Hudson into the best society, had given him ease and selfpossession. 

The native, Jim, was still with him. He had become greatly attachedto his master, and his fidelity and devotion had been of thegreatest service to him and, go where he would, the black wasalways at his heels. 

On his presenting himself at Sydney, Captain Wilson said, after thefirst greetings:

"I know you have been a little disappointed, Reuben, becausehitherto you have been at stations where you have had but littleopportunity of distinguishing yourself. However, I thought betterto keep you at quiet work, until you were thoroughly master of yourduties; and had, moreover, got your full strength. I don't knowwhether you have quite arrived at that yet, but I think you willdo, anyhow, " and he smiled as he looked at Reuben's shoulders. 

"I think I am as strong as most of them, " Reuben said, smiling too. "Four years' mill-wright's work, and four years on horseback inthis bracing air, ought to make one strong, if there's anything inone to begin with. I think I shall do, in that respect. "

"I think so, Reuben. I don't think there are many men in the forcewho could hold their own with you, in a grapple. 

"And now to business. You have heard of that affair of InspectorThomas, in the Goora district--it was a bad business. He and two ofhis men were out, after some natives who had driven off cattle; andhe was set upon by a party of bush rangers, and he and his menkilled. "

"So I heard, sir, " Reuben said quietly. 

"Well, I have decided in sending you up in his place. It is a baddistrict--the worst we have, at present--and it needs a man ofgreat resolution, and intelligence. I am sure that you have plentyof both, and that I cannot make a better choice than in sending youthere. Your age is the only thing against you--not with me, youknow, but others may think that I have done wrong, in selecting soyoung an officer--but you see, I know my man. I know, too, thatseveral of the inspectors are getting too old for this sort ofwork. I do not mean too old, perhaps, in point of years, but theyare married men with families, and for desperate work I prefer menwithout encumbrances. 

"The post should be held by an inspector, but I cannot promote you, at present. It would be putting you over the heads of too many. Butyou will have a good chance of earning early promotion, and I knowthat is what you like. "

"Thank you very much, Captain Wilson. I will do my best to showmyself worthy of your confidence. "

"You will have all your work cut out for you, Reuben. The districthas, all along, been a most troublesome one. The number ofsettlers, at present, is small. There is a good deal of higher bushthan usual about it, which makes it very difficult to run thesefellows down; and the natives are specially troublesome. Besideswhich, at present there are two or three of the worst gangs of bushrangers in the colony, somewhere in that country. You will have tobe cautious as well as bold, Reuben. It is a dangerous service I amsending you on; still, the more danger, the more credit to you. "

"You could not have given me a station I should have liked better;and I hope, ere long, I may be able to give you a good account ofthe bush rangers. "

"And now, Reuben, if you will call again in an hour, I shall befree, and then I will drive you home. You need not start for a dayor two; and you will, of course, stay with me till you do. "

Chapter 10: An Up-Country District. 

Mrs. Wilson received Reuben, as usual, with the greatestcordiality; but she exclaimed loudly, when she heard that he wasgoing to the Goora district. 

"You don't mean it, George. You can't mean that you are going tosend Reuben to that dreadful place. Why, we are always hearing ofmurders and robberies there; and you know the last inspector waskilled; and the one before recalled, because you said he had losthis nerve; and now you are sending Reuben there!"

"But I look upon it as the greatest honour, Mrs. Wilson, beingchosen for such a station; and you see, there will be capitalchances of distinguishing myself, and getting promoted. "

"And capital chances of being killed, " Mrs. Wilson said, in a vexedtone. "I do call it too bad, George. "

"But, my dear, we want a man of pluck and energy. Besides, youknow, we have been getting into hot water over that district. Thepress have been saying very severe things, about our incompetenceto protect the outlying settlements, and I was obliged to choose aman who will give satisfaction; and you will agree with me thatReuben will do that. "

"Of course he will, " Mrs. Wilson agreed. "I shouldn't be alive now, if he hadn't had plenty of pluck and energy; but for that veryreason, you ought not to send him to such a dangerous post. "

"But I wish to give him an opportunity for distinguishing himself. He wants to get on, and I want to push him on; but you see, I can'tpromote him over the heads of some eight or ten men, senior to him, unless he does something a little out of the way. "

"Well, I don't like it, George, I tell you frankly. I alwaysthought he was wrong, to go into the constabulary at all, insteadof accepting papa's offer. I can't think why you men are so fond offighting, when you could choose a quiet and comfortable life. "

"But it is not always so quiet and comfortable, Frances, as a goodmany have found, in the district he is going to; and after all, itis less dangerous fighting bush rangers and natives when you areprepared for it, than to be woke up of a night with a band of themthundering at your door, and with no assistance within twentymiles. "

As Frances Wilson remembered how, in her childish days, herfather's place had been, for three days, beset with blacks, she hadno answer ready for the argument. 

"Well, I do hope, Reuben, " she said, "if you do go to this horridplace, you will take care of yourself, and not be rash. "

"He's going to take care of others, Frances. You know, if he hadtaken care of himself and hadn't been rash, you would not have comeso well out of that Malay business. I am sure he looks as if hecould take care of himself, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he is big enough and strong enough, " Mrs. Wilson agreed, "butthat's no good against spears or boomerangs, to say nothing ofrifles and pistols. "

"Why, Frances, you are not generally a croaker, " her husband saidlightly, "but for once, you seem to be determined to do your bestto frighten Reuben, before he starts. "

Mrs. Wilson laughed. 

"No, I don't want to frighten him, George. I only want to make himcareful. "

"I will be as careful as I can, Mrs. Wilson. That boy Jim is atreasure. I will warrant, if there are any black fellows about, hewill sniff them out somehow. That fellow has a nose like a hound. He has always been most useful to me, but he will be invaluable atGoora. "

Two days afterwards, Reuben left for his new command. It took himeight days to reach it. His headquarters were at Goora, asettlement of some twenty houses; besides the barracks in which theconstabulary force, consisting of a sergeant, eighteen constables, and two native trackers, were quartered. The sergeant, anorth-country Irishman named O'Connor, was somewhat surprised whenReuben rode up to the station; for the officers previously incommand had been much older men. 

Reuben's own quarters were in a cottage, close to the mainbuilding, and he asked the sergeant to come, in the evening. 

"Now, sergeant, " he said, after a little preliminary talk, "I havebeen sent up by Captain Wilson, with instructions to root out thesebands of bush rangers. "

The sergeant smiled grimly. 

"We have been doing our best for the last three years, sir, but wehave not made much of a hand at it. "

"No, " Reuben agreed, "and I don't suppose, of course, that I amgoing to succeed all at once. In the first place, tell me frankly, what sort of men have we got?"

"The men are good enough, sir, but they have certainly gotdisheartened, lately. One way and another, we have lost somethinglike ten men in the last two years; and of course, that last affairwith poor Mr. Thomas was a bad one. "

"I understand, " Reuben said quietly, "some of them are not quite soeager to meet the bush rangers as they used to be. "

"Well, that is perhaps about it, sir; but I must say the men havebeen tremendously hardly worked--pretty nigh night and day in thesaddle, often called out by false news to one end of the district;and then to find, when they return, that those scoundrels have beendown playing their games at some station at the other end. It'senough to dishearten a man. "

"So it is, sergeant. I was speaking to Captain Wilson about it, andsaying that if we are to succeed we ought to have some fresh hands, who will take up the work with new spirit. We are seven below ourforce, at present; and he has promised to send me up fifteen newhands, so there will be eight to be relieved. I will leave it toyou to pick out the men to go. Mind, put it to them that they areto be relieved simply because Captain Wilson thinks they have hadtheir share of hard work, and should therefore be sent to a quietstation, for a time. Just pick out the men whom you think would bemost pleased to go. "

"Very well, sir. I am glad to hear the news, for to tell you thetruth, I do think we want a little fresh blood amongst us. "

Three days later the new detachment arrived, and Reuben saw, atonce, that Captain Wilson had chosen a picked set of young men. About half of them were freshly enlisted in the force. The othershad all been employed at up-country stations, and were wellacquainted with the nature of the work before them. The sameafternoon, the eight men picked out by Sergeant O'Connor as beingthe least useful on the station started for Sydney, most of themwell pleased at being relieved from their arduous duties. 

Reuben found that there were, in the office, a great many lettersfrom settlers, asking for protection. It was impossible to complywith all these but, after consultation with O'Connor, he sent fiveparties, of three men each, to as many exposed stations; keepingten in hand, to move as required. 

Taking Jim, and two of the constables who had been longest on thestation, he spent two months in traversing his district, from endto end, and making himself thoroughly acquainted with itsgeographical features; for he felt that, until he had masteredthese, he should only be working in the dark. For a time theoutrages had ceased, the bush rangers having shifted theirquarters, and the natives withdrawn after the murder of the lateinspector. This was a great relief to Reuben, as it permitted himto gain an insight into the country before setting to work inearnest. 

Upon his tour, he and his followers were everywhere most hospitablyreceived at the stations at which they halted. Everywhere he heardthe same tale of sheep killed, cattle and horses driven off, andthe insolent demeanour of the natives. 

"I was thinking of giving it up, and moving back into the morepopulated districts, " one of the settlers said to Reuben; "but nowyou have come, I will hold on for a bit longer, and see how itturns out. You look to me the right sort of fellow for the post;but the difficulty is, with such a large scattered district asyours, to be everywhere at once. What I have often thought of, isthat it would be a good thing if the whole district were to turnout, and go right into the heart of the black country, and givethem a lesson. "

"From what I hear, " Reuben said, "it will be next to impossible forus to find them. The country is so vast, and covered with bush, that there would be no searching it. They have no fixed villages, and the want of water would render it impossible for us to go veryfar. But the worst point would be that they all seem to be wellinformed as to what is going on. I suppose they get warnings fromthe native herdsmen and servants, and if we were all together toenter their country, we must leave the stations unprotected, and weshould find them in ashes, on our return. "

"Yes, that is true, " the settler said. "I suppose it couldn't bedone. But it's anxious work sleeping here, night after night, withone's rifle by one's bedside, never certain at what hour one may bewoke by the yelling of the blacks. But they are not as bad as thebush rangers. If the blacks can but drive off your cattle, they arecontented. You have got nothing else that is much use to them. Thebush rangers don't want your cattle, beyond a head or two forpresent use; but they want everything else you've got, and whetheryou like it or not is quite immaterial to them. Thank God I havegot no money in the place, and I and my three men can make a prettygood fight of it. But I pity the men with wives and daughters. "

"Well, I hope we shall soon put a stop to it, " Reuben saidcheerfully. "We will give them a lesson if we catch them, you maybe quite sure. "

"I hope so, " the settler said. "But you folks have been mightyunlucky, lately. Never seem to have been at the right place at theright time. Not that I am surprised at that, in such a district;but somehow they never come up with the fellows, afterwards. "

"No, they seem to have had bad luck, " Reuben agreed. "I hope weshall do better now. "

Three days after his return from his last visit of inspection ofhis district, a settler rode, at full speed, up to the station. 

"Captain, " he said--for although Reuben had no right to that title, he was always so called by the settlers--"the blacks have been downat my place. They have killed my two shepherds, and driven off thesheep. "

"Sergeant O'Connor, turn out the men at once, " Reuben shouted. "Seethat their ammunition is all right, and let each man take a waterskin and four days' provisions in his haversack. 

"When was it?" he asked, turning to the settler again. 

"Some time yesterday afternoon--at least, I judge so. One of themen was to have come in for supplies, and when night came and hehadn't come in, I began to be afraid something was wrong, for Iknew that they were getting short. So this morning, at daybreak, Irode out with the hands I have about the house. We could seenothing of the sheep, so we rode straight to the men's hut. There, lying some twenty yards away, was the body of one of the men, riddled with spear holes. He had evidently been running to the hutfor shelter, when he was overtaken. I did not stop to look for theother, for no doubt he had been killed, too. "

"Well, we will do what we can for you, " Reuben said. "I will beready in five minutes. "

He ran into the house, buckled on his sword, put some cold meat anda small bag of flour into his haversack, together with some dampersJim had just cooked, and then went out again. Jim had alreadybrought his horse round to the door. Before mounting he took thepistols out of the holsters, and examined them carefully. 

By this time the sergeant and ten men were in the saddle, andplacing himself at their head, with the settler, whose name wasBlount, he rode off at full speed; followed by his men, the twonative trackers, and Jim. Reuben soon reined his horse in. 

"It will not do to push them too hard, at first. There is no sayinghow far we shall have to go. "

"Do you mean to follow them into their own country?" Mr. Blountasked. 

"I do, " Reuben said. "I will follow them till I catch them, if Ihave to go across Australia. "

"That's the sort, " Mr. Blount said. "I expect you will findhalf-a-dozen other fellows at my station, by the time you getthere. I sent my hand off on horseback to the stations near, totell them what had taken place, and that I had ridden off to you, and asking them to come round. "

"How far is it?" Reuben asked. 

"About forty miles. "

"But your horse will never be able to do it, " Reuben said. 

"I got a fresh horse at a friend's, four miles from your station, so I am all right. "

"They will have more than a day's start of us, " Reuben remarkedpresently. 

"Yes; thirty-six hours, for you will have to stop at my placetonight. But they can't travel very fast with sheep, you know. "

"No, " Reuben agreed. "If they had had cattle, it would have beenuseless following them; but with sheep we may come up to them, especially if they don't think they will be followed far. "

"No; that's my hope. They will know I had forty miles to ride toyour station. Besides, had it not been that I was expecting theshepherd in for supplies, I might not have found it out for two orthree days. So I expect they will think that they are pretty safefrom pursuit. They have never been followed far into the bush. It'snasty work, you see. "

"It's got to be done, " Reuben said. "It is impossible to keep guardeverywhere, and the only way to put a stop to these outrages is toteach the blacks that punishment will follow, wherever they go. "

It was late in the afternoon before they arrived at Mr. Blount'sstation. They found fourteen or fifteen of the neighbouringsettlers gathered there. They came out as the sound of thetrampling of the horses was heard. Several of them were known toReuben, from his having stopped at their stations. 

"Glad to see you, captain, but I am afraid you are too late, " saidDick Caister, a young settler whose station lay about twelve milesaway. 

"That remains to be proved, " Reuben replied, as he dismounted. 

"Oh, they have got twenty-four hours' start, and it's too late todo anything tonight. They must be thirty miles away in the bush, already. "

"If they were a hundred, I would follow them, " Reuben said. 

There was an exclamation of surprise, and something like a cheer, on the part of some of the younger men. 

"The difficulties are very great, " one of the elder settlers said. "There is neither food nor water to be found in the bush. "

"I know it's not an easy business, " Reuben said quietly. "But as tofood, we can carry it with us; as to water, there must be water inplaces, for the natives can no more go without drinking than wecan. There must be streams and water holes, here and there. Buthowever difficult it is, I mean to attempt it. It is the only wayof bringing the blacks to book; there can never be safety among theoutlying settlements, unless the fellows are taught a lesson. 

"And now, gentlemen, before we go further, I want to say this: Iknow that you are all ready to help, that you are all thirsting towipe out old scores with the blacks; but at the same time I wouldpoint out to you that it is likely enough that the bush rangers, who certainly work with the blacks, will follow up this stroke. Therefore, it will not do to leave the stations defenceless. I donot want a large force with me. If we once overtake the blacks, Ihave no fear whatever of being able to give a good account of them. Therefore I would urge, upon all of you who are married men, thatit is of the first importance that you should stay at home, in casethe bush rangers take the opportunity of our being away to pay youa visit. That is the first thing to be thought of. If any of theothers like to go with us, I shall be very glad of theirassistance. We may be away for a week or more, for ought I know. "

"That is certainly the best plan, captain, " Dick Caister said. "Asyou say, let the married men stop at home and guard their stations. I think the rest of us will all go with you. "

There was a chorus of approval. Eight of those present were marriedmen and, though reluctant to give up the thought of punishing theblacks, they were yet glad that they were not called upon to leavetheir wives and families. With many good wishes for the success ofthe expedition, they at once mounted, and rode off to theirrespective stations, some of which were more than twenty milesaway. 

"Now for ways and means, " Reuben said. "What spare horses have you, Mr. Blount?"

"I have only two, besides the one I am riding. "

"I should like to take at least six. We must carry a good store ofprovisions. "

"I don't think you need trouble about that, " Mr. Blount said. "Wemust take a supply of flour with us, and of course tea and sugar;and a few bottles of rum will not be amiss. All these I canfurnish. But as to meat, I do not think we need trouble. Going asfast as the blacks will travel, there are sure to be lots of thesheep fall by the way. The blacks will eat as many as they can, buteven a black cannot stuff himself beyond a certain extent, andthere will be plenty for us. "

"Yes, I did not think of that, " Reuben replied; "in that case twospare horses will be enough. "

"It would be a good thing to have a few with us, though, " one ofthe young men said. "My place is only six miles off. I will rideover and bring back three with me; they are all good ones, and Ishould be sorry to find they were gone when I get back. I can leadone, my black boy can ride another and lead the third. It is likelyenough some of the horses may give out, or get speared if theblacks make a fight of it, and half a dozen spare horses would comein very handy. "

Reuben thought the plan was a good one, whereupon two of the othersalso volunteered to ride over and fetch--the one three and theother two--horses. 

"That will make ten altogether, with Blount's two. We shall travelall the faster, because we can ride the spare horses by turns. "

The three settlers rode off at once, and returned late at nightwith the spare horses. They had not been idle at Mr. Blount's. Abullock had been killed and cut up, and a considerable portioncooked, so that each of the twenty men going on the expeditionwould start with ten pounds of cooked meat, in order to save thetime that would be spent in halting to cook the carcass of anysheep they might come upon. The question of weight was immaterial, as the meat could be packed on the spare horses. 

As soon as day broke, the party were in their saddles. Mr. Blountled them first to the hut near which he had found his shepherdkilled. The native trackers now took up the search. The body of theother shepherd was found half a mile away. It was in a sittingposition by a tree; the skull was completely smashed in by the blowof a waddy, and it was evident that a native had crept up behindhim, and killed him before he was conscious that any danger was athand. The trackers were not long in finding the place where thesheep had been collected together and driven off, and a broad trackof trampled grass showed, clearly enough, the direction which hadbeen taken. 

"How many of the black fellows do you think there were?" Reubenasked one of the trackers. 

"Great many black fellow, captain, " he replied. 

"What do you call a great many?" Reuben asked. 

"Twenty, thirty, captain; can't say how many. No use, captain, lookfor dem, gone right away into de bush, never find them. "

"I am going to try, anyhow, " Reuben said. "Now, do you lead theway. "

"I tink dere are more dan thirty black fellow, " Jim said to Reuben, as they started; "quite a crowd of dem. Me no much like those twoblack fellow, " and he nodded towards the trackers, who were runningon ahead. "No good, those fellows. "

"What makes you think that, Jim?"

"Two days ago, Jim saw dem talking wid black fellow, half a milefrom the station. Not know Jim saw dem. Secret sort of talk. Whydey never find de tracks before black fellows and bush rangersalways get away? Jim tink those fellows no good. "

Reuben himself had often thought it singular that such continuedbad luck should have attended the efforts of his predecessor tohunt down the bush rangers, but the thought that they had been putoff their scent by the trackers had not occurred to him. He had thegreatest faith in Jim's sagacity and, now that the idea waspresented to him, it seemed plausible enough. 

"Very good, Jim, you keep your eye on those fellows. I will do thesame. We shall soon find out if they are up to any tricks. "

Jim had been running by his master's stirrup, while thisconversation had been going on; and he now dropped into his usualplace at the rear of the party. For some miles the trail wasfollowed at a hand gallop, for the grass was several inches inheight, and the trail could be followed as easily as a road. Thecountry then began to change. The ground was poorer and more arid, and clumps of low brush grew here and there. Still, there was nocheck in the speed. The marks made by the frightened flock wereplain enough, even to the horsemen; and bits of wool, left behindon the bushes, afforded an unmistakable testimony to their passage. 

"They were not going so fast, here, " Mr. Blount said, afterdismounting and examining. "The footprints do not go in pairs, asthey did at first. The flock has broken into a trot. Ah! There isthe first, ahead. "

In a hundred yards they came upon the skin and head of a sheep. Nothing else remained. Unable to keep up with the flock, it hadbeen speared, cut up, and eaten raw by the blacks. In the next milethey came upon the remains of two more; then the track widened out, and the footprints were scattered and confused. The horses werereined up, and Jim and the trackers examined the ground. Jimreturned in a minute or two. 

"Black fellows give em a rest here. Could no go any furder. Liedown and pant. "

One of the trackers then came up. 

"They stop here, captain, five six hours till moon rise. Make fire, kill sheep, and have feast. "

Reuben and some of the settlers rode over to the spot to which thetracker pointed. 

"Confound them!" Blount exclaimed. "Look there! There are at leasttwenty heads. "

"So there are, " Reuben said. "There must have been a lot ofnatives. "

"Yes, there must have been a good many, " the settler agreed, "butnot so many, perhaps, as you would think. Nobody has ever foundout, yet, how much these blacks can eat when they make up theirmind to it; but two could certainly devour a sheep. They will eattill they can't sit upright. "

"They would hardly eat as much as that, with a long journey beforethem, " Reuben said; "but allow only three to a sheep, there must besixty of them. My man said there were a good many more than thetrackers put it down at. "

"So much the better. I only hope they will show fight. "

After five minutes halt, the ride was continued for the next threehours. Then three dead sheep were passed. This time the flesh hadnot been devoured, but the poor beasts had, in every case, beenspeared. 

"Savage brutes!" Reuben exclaimed. "They might at least have giventhe sheep a chance of life, when they could go no further, insteadof wantonly slaughtering them. "

"That's their way, always, " Mr. Blount said. "They kill from puremischief and love of slaughter, even when they don't want the meat. But I don't suppose it makes much difference. I expect the sheephave dropped as much from thirst as from fatigue, and they wouldprobably have never been got up again, after they once fell. Ifancy we shall come upon a stream, before long. I have never beenout as far as this before, but I know that there is a branch of theNammo crosses the bush here, somewhere. "

Another five miles, and they came upon the river. The wet seasonwas only just over, and the river was full from bank to bank. Itwas some thirty yards wide, and from two to three feet deep. Ascore of sheep lay dead in the water. They had apparently rushedheadlong in, to quench their thirst; and had either drunk till theyfell, or had been trampled under water, by their companionspressing upon them from behind. 

For the next ten miles the track was plain enough, then they cameto a series of downs, covered with a short grass. At the foot ofthese another long halt had been made by the blacks. 

"We must have come twenty-five miles, " Reuben said. 

"Quite that, captain. The flock must have been dead beat, by thetime they got here. I should think they must have stopped here, last night. We will soon see--there is one of their fireplaces. "

The settler dismounted, and put his hand into the ashes. 

"Yes, " he said, "they are warm still. They must have camped herelast night. They started when the moon rose, no doubt. Thus theyhave eight or nine hours' start of us, only; and as they can'ttravel fast, after such a journey as they had yesterday, we oughtto be able to catch them long before night. "

"They will go better today than they did yesterday, " Mr. Blountsaid. "They were over-driven to start with, and that was whatknocked them up; but the blacks will begin to feel themselves safetoday, and will let them go their own pace. Sheep can do twentymiles in a day, if not hurried. "

"Well, at any rate, " Reuben said, "we will give our horses a coupleof hours' rest. It is just eleven o'clock now, and I should thinkeveryone is ready for a meal. "

There was a chorus of assent. The troop dismounted at once. Thegirths were loosened, the bits taken from the horses' mouths, andthey were turned loose to graze in the long grass at the foot ofthe hill. There was no fear of their attempting to stray, aftertheir journey of the morning. Some of the men set to to cut brush, and in a few minutes a fire was lighted. One of the sheep, of whichthere were several lying about, was skinned and cut up; and slices, on skewers of green wood, were soon frizzling over the fire. 

Twenty minutes later, the water in a large pot hanging over thefire was boiling. Three or four handfuls of tea were thrown in; andwith the fried mutton, cold damper, and tea a hearty meal was made. Then pipes were produced and lighted; while several of the men, lying down and shading their faces with their broad hats, indulgedin a doze. 

"One o'clock, " Reuben said at last, looking at his watch. "It istime to be moving again. "

The horses were fetched in, the bridles replaced, and the girthstightened. 

"Now, which way?" Reuben asked the trackers. 

"Along here, captain, by de foot of de hill, de trail is plainenough. "

It was so. A track of some width was trampled in the grass. 

Reuben was about to give the order to proceed, when he caught Jim'seye, and saw that the black wished to speak to him privately. 

"What is it, Jim?" he asked, going apart from the rest. 

"That not de way, captain. A hundred, two hundred sheep gone thatway, wid four or five black fellow. De rest have all gone over dehill. "

"Are you sure, Jim?"

"Me quite sure, sar. De ground very hard; but while de captainsmoke him pipe, Jim went over de hill, saw plenty sign of sheep. Went straight uphill, and then turned away to de left. Dis littleparty here hab only gone to frow white man off de trail. "

"The trackers ought to have seen that as well as you, Jim, " Reubensaid angrily. 

"Dey see, sar, sure enough. Could no help seeing, wid half an eye. You see, sar, dose fellows up to no good. Lead party wrong if deycan. Don't say, sar, Jim told you. If you say dat, put 'em on theirguard. Massa ride along the trail for a bit, just as if talk widJim about odder affair; den after little way, begin to talk abouttrail being too small, den turn and come back here, and go over dehill. "

"A very good idea, Jim. I will do as you say. "

Chapter 11: The Black Fellows. 

A few minutes after his conversation with Jim the party started, following the broad track through the grass along the foot of thehill. Reuben informed Mr. Blount of what Jim had told him. 

"By Jove, I think he is right, " the settler said. "The track is asbroad as it was, but it is nothing like so much trampled down; butif your fellow says the main body have gone over the hill, why areyou following this track?"

Reuben gave his reasons, and said that his man had, before, hadsuspicions that the trackers were in communication with the wildblacks. 

"He thinks that's why it is that they have so frequently failed, here, to catch any of these fellows. "

"I shouldn't be at all surprised, " Mr. Blount said savagely. "Thebest thing would be to put a bullet into each of the rascals'heads. "

"I think Jim's idea is best, " Reuben said. "Now that we have oncegot our eyes open, they won't be able to do us any more harm; andmy black fellow will see we follow the trail right. I don't wantthem to see we have any suspicions of them, as that would put themon their guard; and by keeping our eye upon them, we may be able toturn the tables. "

"That is so, " Mr. Blount agreed. "What are you going to do, then?"

"I will call to them, in a minute or two, and tell them that it isyour opinion that only a small portion of the flock have come thisway. Then we will have a consultation and, no doubt, some of yourfriends will notice that the ground is not much trampled. Then wewill decide to ride back to the point from which we started, andwill follow the other trail. "

"Yes, that will do very well, " the settler agreed. 

Reuben at once called to the trackers, who were trotting on ahead, and then ordered a halt. The two blacks came back. 

"Joe, " Reuben said, "Mr. Blount thinks that the main body of theflock have not come this way. He says he thinks only a hundred ortwo have come. The ground does not look to me anything like so muchtrampled as it was before we halted. "

"I tink most of dem hab come along here, " the tracker saidsullenly. 

"What do you think?" Reuben asked the other settlers, who hadgathered round. 

"I did not notice it before, " Dick Caister said; "but now Blounthas pointed it out, I agree with him entirely. There are nothinglike the full number of sheep have passed along here. I should saythat they have not gone along more than two or three deep. "

There was a general chorus of assent. 

"You can't have been keeping your eyes open, " Reuben said to thetrackers, sharply. "If you don't look sharp in future, we shallquarrel. 

"Come, gentlemen, let us ride back to the halting place, and see ifwe cannot find out which way the main body have gone. "

Ten minutes' riding took them back to their starting place. 

"They must have gone over the hill, " Reuben said. "They certainlyhave not kept along at the foot, or we should see their tracks inthis long grass. "

The trackers had exchanged a few words in a low tone, and they nowmoved up the hill, and began to examine the ground carefully. 

"Some of dem have gone this way, captain. "

"Of course they have, " Mr. Blount said. "A blind man might seethat. "

The marks of the sheep were indeed plain enough to all, when theirattention had once been drawn to the subject. On getting beyond thecrest the trackers turned to the left, and Reuben saw that theyfelt it would be hopeless to attempt, further, to mislead a partycontaining several settlers who were perfectly capable of followingthe trail. 

Jim had, since speaking to his master, remained in the rear of thetroop. After three miles' riding across the downs, they again camedown upon a flat country, thickly covered with brush. Here andthere pieces of wool sticking to thorns were visible, and thetrackers went steadily on for some little time. Then their pacebecame slower, and finally they stopped. 

"Trail ended, captain. "

"What do you mean by the trail ended?" Reuben asked angrily. "Why, I can see a piece of wool, on there ahead. "

"Dat so, captain; but only a few sheep hab passed here. "

Some of the settlers dismounted and, having examined the groundcarefully, declared that they were of the same opinion as thetrackers. 

"Very well, " Reuben said; "then in that case, we must go back againto the foot of the hill. They were all together there, and we musttake up the trail afresh. "

On reaching the foot of the hill, Jim and some of the settlersjoined the trackers, and penetrated the bush in all directions. Each returned bringing in pieces of wool. 

"It is plain enough, " Reuben said, "what they have done. They havebroken up into small parties, and have scattered. The question is, 'What are we to do now?'

"What do you think, Mr. Blount? You have had more experience thananyone here, and you are the most interested in our overtakingthese rascals. What do you recommend?"

"I don't know what to recommend, " the settler said. "They have nodoubt done it to confuse us, in case we should follow so far, andavoid being thrown off the scent the other side of the hill. Theband may really have scattered, and gone off in small parties todifferent parts of the bush; or again, they may have scattered withthe understanding that they will meet again, at some given spot, which may be ten and may be fifty miles ahead. "

"The worst of it is, " Reuben said, "I fear now that there is an endof all chance of coming up with them, today; and now the questionof water comes in. If we could have caught them before nightfall, the horses, having had a good drink at that stream, could have donevery well till we'd gone another thirty miles; but as that seemshopeless, now, we must consider seriously what we had best do, before we go any further. Does anyone here know anything of thecountry ahead?"

There was a general silence. 

"The horses can do very well, tomorrow, without water, " Mr. Blountsaid. "They will chew the leaves of this scrub; and can, ifpressed, hold on for even two or three days upon it. "

"In that case, " Reuben said, "let us go on. We will break up intothree parties. One shall go straight forward, the other two movingto the right and left, each following the tracks as well as theycan. We will not go much beyond a walk. We have five more hours ofdaylight yet, and the horses can manage another fifteen miles. Iwill halt, an hour before it gets dark, and light a fire. The smokewill be a guide to the other two parties, who should not be morethan a couple of miles to the right and left, and they will thenclose in. 

"If you can suggest any better plan than that, Mr. Blount, pleasedo so. Of course, I see the objection that the blacks may make outthe smoke, and will know that they are being followed. "

"Yes, that is an objection, " Mr. Blount said; "but the chances arethat they will know it without your telling them. It is more thanprobable that some of them have remained behind, on the watch; andthat they will have signalled our coming, long ago. "

"Dey have done that, sar, " Jim, who was standing close to Reuben'selbow, put in. "Jim saw smoke curl up from the top of de hill, justwhen we turned, when we lost the trail. "

"Why didn't you tell me before, Jim?" Reuben asked. 

"De captain didn't ask Jim any question. Jim thought de captain seeit for sure. "

"I didn't see it, Jim. I don't think any of us saw it. We were alltoo much occupied looking for the trail. Another time, you tell mewhat you see without my asking. 

"Well in that case, Mr. Blount, there can be no harm in my making asmoke, as they know already that they are pursued. Will you takecharge of the right hand party? Sergeant O'Connor will take commandof the left. Do you each take a tracker with you. I will take myboy. Three constables will go with each of your parties, and fourwith me. 

"Will you gentlemen please to divide up, so as to make sevenaltogether in each party, without the natives?"

"I need not tell you to keep a sharp lookout, Captain Whitney. Weknow the blacks are a very strong party and, now they know thatthey are pursued they may, as likely as not, make a stand. "

"Yes, that is quite possible, " Reuben agreed. "Will you please becareful that neither of your parties get more than two miles, atthe outside, away from mine? We can hear the sound of rifles, atthat distance. If either party fires, the others will of coursehurry to their assistance. Now, let us move forward. "

With Jim in advance, Reuben's party moved on, the black carefullyexamining the ground and bushes as he went; and occasionally, somewhat to Reuben's surprise, rising from the stooping position inwhich he was walking, and looking back over his shoulder. Themotive was explained when Jim exclaimed:

"Dere, captain, dere are de signals again. "

Reuben turned in the saddle. On the crest of the hill behind himwere three columns of smoke. Scarcely had he looked at them whenthe smoke ceased to ascend, as if the fires had been suddenly putout. 

"That's to tell them that we have divided in three parties?" Reubenasked the black. 

Jim nodded, and proceeded on his way again. 

"That's awkward, " Reuben said, "I must warn the other two parties. "

So saying, he at once ordered two of the constables to ride rightand left and warn the others, who were not as yet more than aquarter of a mile on either hand, that the natives were aware thatthey had broken up, and that the greatest caution must, therefore, be observed. In ten minutes the two constables returned, havingperformed their mission. 

Although he had no reason to believe that the blacks were withinten miles of him, Reuben now took the precaution of sending oneconstable out on each flank, to a distance of fifty yards. A thirdwas directed to keep with Jim, fifty yards ahead of the main body;consisting of Reuben himself, a constable, and two colonists. Occasionally Reuben rode forward to question Jim. 

"How many sheep do you think have gone along the track you arefollowing?"

"About thirty sheep, and three black fellow. "

"How do you know there are three black fellows, Jim? I can seemarks, sometimes, of the sheep's feet; but I have not seen a man'sfootprint at all. "

"Jim see 'em, captain, plain enough. When dey all follow sheep, notvery plain to see; but sometimes, when de sheep want to scatter, Jim see one footmark on one hand and one on the other, and sure tobe one man behind. "

"How far are the sheep ahead, Jim, have you any idea?"

"Six, eight hours, sar, when dey pass here; but dere's no sayinghow far they are, now. May be long way on, may be only little way. Me tink dat they hab not gone so berry far; dat smoke berry thin, not see him more than ten miles. "

"I wish you had said that before, Jim, " Reuben said. "We would havekept together and have galloped on, and taken our chance of findingthem. "

"Might have found four or five of dem, " Jim replied, "but de othersall scattered. No good to find dem, till dey come together again. "

"No, you are right there, Jim. We must catch them all together, ifwe can. There are some twelve hundred sheep, somewhere ahead. Mr. Blount said there were about fifteen hundred driven off. We havecome upon a hundred dead ones, and two or three hundred may havetaken that turn to the right. As you say, it would be no goodcoming upon thirty. "

For four hours the party continued their journey. 

"It is six o'clock, " Reuben said, looking at his watch. "We willhalt, now, and light that fire. "

Two of the constables were told off to keep watch, some fifty yardsin front; and the others dismounted, and gathered togethermaterials for a fire. This was soon done, and the smoke mountedstraight and clear, a signal to the other two parties to close in. 

Suddenly a cry was heard from one of the sentries. The men stoopinground the fire leaped to their feet, just in time to see one of theconstables struck from his horse by a boomerang, while a dozenspears whizzed through the air at the other. He fell forward on hishorse, which carried him up to the fire; as he fell from thesaddle, as it stopped, he was caught by two of the others. Threespears had pierced him. 

"Stand to your arms. Steady, for your lives, " Reuben shouted. 

"Jim, throw the horses at once, and fasten their legs. 

"We must defend ourselves here, " he continued, turning to theothers, "until help comes. "

Not a moment was lost. The little party threw themselves down in acircle, each taking shelter behind a bush; and Jim speedily got theeight horses down in the centre, for each party had with it threeof the spare animals. The whole time, from the first alarm untilall was ready to receive the natives, did not occupy two minutes. 

The horses of the sentries had galloped wildly on, both having beenstruck by spears; and Jim had no difficulty with the remainder, which were all standing in a group when the alarm was given, theowners not yet having removed their saddles. 

All was done without flurry or excitement, although the yells ofthe natives rose from the bush all round them. The bush wasfortunately not very thick at the point where they had halted, Reuben having selected it for that very reason; but the bushes weresufficiently near to each other to enable an enemy to creep up, within thirty yards or so, without being seen. 

"Don't throw away a shot, " Reuben called out; "but pick off theblacks, as they stand up to throw their spears. 

"Ah!"

The exclamation was accompanied by a shot from his rifle, as anative rose suddenly from the bush and hurled his spear. It missedReuben by an inch or two only; but, as his rifle flashed out, theblack threw up his hands and fell back in the bush. 

"Here, sah, dis make good shelter;" and Jim propped up his saddle, almost in front of him. 

"That's a good idea, Jim; help the others in the same way. "

[Illustration: A Fight with the Black Fellows. ]

The five men were all engaged now. The spears whizzed fast over andamong them, but most of them were thrown almost at random; for theblacks soon learned that to raise themselves above the bushes, totake aim, was to court sudden death. Jim, after distributing thesaddles to their owners, had lain down by the side of his master;and loaded his rifle as fast as he discharged it, Reuben using hispistols as effectually as the rifle, in the intervals. 

Fortunately all the party were provided with these weapons. Had itnot been so, each man would have been liable to be rushed by theblacks every time he discharged his rifle. As far as possible theyfired by turns; so that each man, while loading, was covered by thefire of those on his right and left. 

For half an hour the fight continued. Many of the blacks hadfallen, but they continued the assault as vigorously as before, andall the defenders had received more or less serious wounds from thespears. 

"The others ought to have been here, long before this, " Reubensaid, "if they had followed my instructions. I only hope they havenot been attacked, too; but as we don't hear any firing, that canhardly be so. "

"I hope they will be up before dusk, " Dick Caister said. "It willbe dark in another half an hour. These fellows are only waiting forthat to make a rush. If they do, it is all up with us. "

"They will find it a tough job, even then, " Reuben said; "but theothers must be here long before that. I told them to keep withintwo miles of us. They have had time to ride double that distance, since we made the smoke for them. "

Another ten minutes elapsed. 

"Hurrah!" Reuben exclaimed, "I can hear the trampling of horse'shoofs. The moment they arrive, make a rush for your horses andcharge. "

"I am afraid the horses are killed, " Dick said ruefully. 

"In that case, " Reuben said, "we must get to our feet, and pick offthe blacks as they run. They will get up like a covey of partridge, as the horsemen come among them. "

A loud cheer was heard, and the little party, with an answeringshout, sprang to their feet and, rifle to shoulder, stood expectingthe blacks to rise; but the ears of the natives were sharper thanthose of the whites, and they had begun to crawl away before thelatter heard the approaching horsemen. 

Finding this to be the case, the party ran to their horses. Fourexclamations of wrath and grief were heard, for seven of the horseswere completely riddled with spears. 

Tartar, however, at his master's voice, struggled to rise to hisfeet. Reuben, aided by Jim, quickly threw off the hobbles; andleaped on to its back as it rose to its feet, just as Mr. Blount, with his party, rode up. 

"Keep close together, " Reuben exclaimed, as he dashed forward, "wemay find some of the scoundrels. "

But the chase was in vain. It was already growing dusk, and therewas no saying in which direction the natives had crawled away inthe bush. After riding for a mile, Reuben reined in his horse. 

"It is no use, " he said; "we may as well get back to the fire. 

"What made you so late, Mr. Blount? We were fighting for threequarters of an hour, before you came up. "

"I am very sorry, " Mr. Blount replied; "somehow or other, we wentwrong altogether. There is nothing to guide one in this flat bush, and the tracker who was leading the way said he was certain he wasgoing as you ordered him. Just before six o'clock we halted, andlooked in the direction in which we expected to see your smoke, butthere were no signs of it. Presently one of the constablesexclaimed:

"'There's the smoke, sir, right behind us. '

"I looked around and, sure enough, there was a column of smoke, anda long way off it was. 

"'What have you been doing, you rascal?' I said to the black. 'There's the smoke right behind us. You have been leading us wrong, altogether. '

"The black insisted that he was right, and that the fire must havebeen made by the black fellows. I didn't know what to make of it. It was two or three minutes past six; and I noticed, when we haltedbefore, that your watch was exactly with mine. So I said to themen:

"'We will wait five minutes longer and, if we see no other smoke, you may be sure that that is made by Captain Whitney. '

"We waited the five minutes, and then I gave the word to start, when one of the men exclaimed:

"'The black fellow's gone. '

"Sure enough, he had slipped away without being noticed, while wewere looking for the smoke. I felt sure, now, that something mustbe wrong; and we galloped towards your smoke, as fast as the horsescould lay their feet to the ground. When we were about half way, weheard the sound of firing, and I can tell you that we didn't lose amoment on the way, after that. Have you had any losses?"

"Two of the constables are killed, " Reuben said, "and we have allgot some more or less ugly scratches. My left arm is useless for atime, I am afraid. A spear went right through it. I fear some ofthe others have worse hurts. "

"What can have become of the sergeant's party?" Mr. Blount said. 

"They must have gone the wrong way, too, " Reuben replied. "I toldyou I suspected those trackers of being in league with the blacks, and I have no doubt your fellow led you purposely astray, in orderto give them an opportunity of cutting us off before you couldarrive to our assistance. I suppose the other party has been misledin the same way. It is fortunate, indeed, that you made up yourmind to ride for our smoke when you did. A quarter of an hourlater, and you would have found only our bodies, and would probablyhave been ambushed in turn. "

"Yes, it has been a close thing, indeed, " Mr. Blount said. "I waswrong, after what you told me, to trust that black scoundrel soentirely; but I own it never entered my mind that he was leading usastray. "

By this time they had reached the fire, which was blazing high. 

"How are you all?" Reuben asked. "Nobody badly hurt, I hope?"

"Nothing very bad, captain, " Dick Caister replied cheerfully. "Wehave all had our skin ripped up a bit, but nothing very deep. Thatdodge of the saddles, of your black fellow, saved us. Mine wasknocked over half a dozen times by spears, each of which would havedone its business, if it hadn't been for it. I owe him my life socompletely, that I forgive him for making our horses a barricade, to save yours. "

Reuben laughed. He had noticed, when he ran for his horse, that Jimhad thrown him in the centre of the others: and their bodiescompletely sheltered him from the spears of the natives. 

"It was not fair, perhaps, " he said; "but my horse would have beenkilled, as well as yours, had he not done so; and Jim loves himalmost as well as he does me. He has watched over and guarded himfor the last three years. "

"I am not angry with him, " Dick said. "Nothing could have saved ourhorses from being killed, and if one was to be saved, it is as wellit should be Tartar, and not one of the others, as yours was farthe most valuable of the five. "

"Pile on the bushes, " Reuben said to one of the constables. "Makeas big a blaze as you can. It will act as a beacon to the sergeantand his party. "

Half an hour later the trampling of horses' hoofs was heard and, afew minutes later, the sergeant and his party rode up. 

"I am sorry I am so late, sir, " the sergeant said. "Somehow orother we went wrong altogether, and saw nothing of your smoke. Iwas afraid something was wrong, but did not know what to do; so wehalted till it came on dark, and presently made out a fire; but itwas miles away, and right in the direction from which we had come. I did not think it could be you but, whether it was you or theblacks, that was the place to ride to. "

"Have you got the tracker with you, sergeant?"

"Yes, sir; at least, I saw him trotting ahead, ten minutes ago. Why, where has he got to?"

The tracker was not to be seen. 

"He has made off to join the blacks, I expect, " Reuben said. "Youhave been led astray purposely. We have been attacked, and Brownand Simpson are killed. "

An exclamation of rage broke from the men, who were in the act ofdismounting. 

"I expect, " Reuben said, turning to Mr. Blount, "that the fellowsnoticed the talk I had with Jim, before we turned back from thefalse trail, and concluded that we had some suspicion that theywere in league with the blacks; and so, when the party separated, they determined to lead the two flanking columns astray, so as togive their friends a chance of attacking us, and then to bolt. "

"I expect that is it, " Mr. Blount agreed. "And now, the first thingis to get something to eat. When that is done, we will have aconsultation. "

While the meat was cooking over the fire, Reuben told off a partyof eight men to bury the bodies of the two constables who hadfallen. The task was speedily completed, two holes being easilyscraped in the light, sandy soil. 

After supper was over, the settlers gathered round Reuben. 

"Now, captain, what do you mean to do?" Mr. Blount asked. "I havegiven up all hope of seeing my sheep again, so don't let theminfluence you, but just do as you think best. The blacks are instrong force, that is evident; and it will be a serious businesspursuing them any further, in their own country. "

"I am going to pursue them till I catch them, " Reuben said; "thatis to say, as long as there is a sheep track to serve as a guide. Idon't ask you, gentlemen, to go further, for I know it is a seriousrisk; but it is my duty to hunt those fellows down, and give them alesson, and I mean to do it. We shall never have safety in thesettlements, until those fellows come to understand that, wheneverthey attack us, they will be hunted down. "

"I think you are right, " Dick Caister said, "and as long as you goon, I go with you for one, whatever comes of it. But how I am to gowithout my horse, I don't know. "

"There are the spare horses, " Reuben said "Fortunately we havestill got six of them. "

"So we have, " Dick exclaimed joyfully. "I had forgotten all aboutthem. What luck, our bringing them with us!"

The other settlers all announced their intention of continuing thechase, as long as Reuben was willing to push on. 

"I will tell you what my idea is, " Reuben said. "The horses arealready worn out and, by the end of another day, they will be halfmad with thirst. I propose that we take two days' supply forourselves, in our water bottles; and that we push forward on foot, sending two of the constables back to the stream, with our horses. I propose that we should push forward tonight. I expect the trackwe are following is the true one, and the stars will do as a guide. 

"At daybreak we will lie down in the bushes. The blacks willprobably leave some fellows behind, as scouts. They, seeing nothingof us, will suppose we have given it up and gone home, and theywill make but a short journey. At night we will go on again, andthe chances are that, before morning, we shall catch sight of theirfires, and will fall upon them at daylight. What do you think ofthe plan?"

"I think it is a good one, " Mr. Blount said, warmly. "A capitalplan. Of course we don't much like leaving our horses, for in thiscountry one almost lives on horseback. Still, it will be the bestplan, certainly; for as you say, the poor brutes will be half mad, by tomorrow night, with thirst. "

"It will be a long tramp back again, " a settler said dismally. 

"We won't tramp all the way, " Reuben said with a smile. "Directlywe have overtaken the blacks, and given them a lesson, I will sendJim back again for the horses. He can cover the ground at awonderful pace, and coming back he will ride one of them, and helpthe two constables to keep them together. They will have had twodays' rest, and plenty of food and water, and will meet us beforewe get halfway back. There will be no fear of the blacks attackingthem. "

All agreed that the plan was excellent, and half an hour later thewhole party--with the exception of the two constables, who were tostart at daybreak with the horses, for the river--set out on theirmarch. The sky was cloudless, and the stars would have been asufficient guide, even had they not had Jim with them. The black, however, took his place at the head of the party, and strode alongas unhesitating as if it had been broad daylight. 

Chapter 12: The Bush Rangers. 

Scarce a word was spoken as the little party marched along. It waspossible, although very improbable, that the natives, on scatteringbefore the charge of Mr. Blount and his companions, might have leftsome of their number behind, to watch the movements of theirpursuers. They would, however, certainly not anticipate the whitespushing forward that night. The fire had been piled high, the lastthing before leaving, and the two men left there were told to keepit burning brightly till morning, and to start before anyonewatching in the distance would be able to see whether the horseswere mounted, or not. Should any natives approach the fire, afterthey had gone, they would take it for granted that the whole partyhad ridden back to the settlement. 

All night, Reuben and his companions marched steadily forward; andwere glad to throw themselves down on the ground, at the firstappearance of daybreak. Four sentries were placed, with strictorders to keep a bright lookout through the bushes, but on noaccount to raise their heads above their level; and, arrangementshaving been made for their relief, every two hours, the rest of theparty were soon sound asleep. 

Except to relieve the sentries, there was no stir among them untillate in the afternoon. Then there was a general movement, and soonall were sitting up, and appeasing their appetite upon the coldmeat and dampers they had brought with them. 

"There is no harm in a pipe, I suppose, captain?" Dick Caister saidlaughingly. 

"No, I think we can risk that, " Reuben replied. "The eyes of thesavages may be wonderfully keen, but they would be a great dealsharper than I can give them credit for, were they to notice thesmoke of a dozen pipes, curling up among the bushes. "

"I suppose, Mr. Blount, " Reuben said as, after the meal wasfinished, the party lighted their pipes and drew closely round thefire, "you have heard of a good many bad businesses, with theblacks and bush rangers, in your time?"

"I have, indeed, " Mr. Blount replied. "In the early days, thesettlers had a hard time of it with the blacks; who were, ofcourse, stronger than they are now and, after they had got overtheir first fear of firearms, more fearless of the whites. The bushrangers too were, when first they began to send convicts here, morenumerous than at present. I do not know that they were as desperateas they are now--not so ready to take life, without provocation. You see, there was a very much larger run of country open to them;and many convicts who escaped, and took to the bush, were contentto have gained their freedom. Some of them took black gins, andnever troubled the colonists again; beyond, perhaps, coming down toa station and carrying off a sheep or two, or a bullock, when theygot sick of kangaroo meat and wanted a change. 

"You see, the first settlers were generally poor and hard-workingmen. Young men with a little capital had not as yet been attractedhere, so there was but little inducement for the escaped convictsto meddle with them. There were, of course, some notoriousscoundrels, who seemed to murder for the pure love of the thing. The worst of them, I think, was a fellow who went by the name ofCockeye. What his real name was, I never heard. 

"That man was a perfect devil; and was, for a long time, the terrorof the settlers. He never worked with other white men, but livedamong the blacks. Of course, in those days the police system was inits infancy, and we had to rely upon ourselves. I had a narrowescape, once, of losing my life, from him and his blacks. 

"When I was about seventeen, I lived with my father and mother in astation about fifty miles from Sydney, or as it was called thenPort Jackson. It was at that time quite an outlying station. We hadtwo convicts allotted to us, both of them honest fellows enough, who had been transported for poaching or something of thatkind--anyhow, they were not old hands, and gave no trouble. Myfather was a kind master, and we always felt that, in case of need, we could rely upon them just as upon ourselves. In those days itwas next to impossible to get hired hands for, as there was plentyof land for anyone to squat upon, comparatively close to the port, the men who came out generally set up for themselves, at once. 

"One day I had been out on horseback, to look for a couple ofbullocks which had strayed away; and was on my way back when, aheadof me, I heard the cooey of the blacks. I didn't think much of it, because they were common enough at that time, and a party had madea sort of encampment at a stream, about a mile from the house; butwhen, a minute later, I heard a gun fired, I guessed that there wasmischief. 

"The sound seemed to come from away towards the right, where I knewthat one of our men was out, herding the bullocks; so I clappedspurs to my horse, and rode in that direction. When I got near, Isaw the cattle running wildly about, and a mob of black fellowsamong them. I could see no signs of our man, and guessed that hemust have gone down; and that I had best ride and warn them, at thehouse. 

"The blacks saw me, and started at a run in my direction, but Isoon left them behind. I was within a quarter of a mile of thehouse, when a native yell burst out ahead of me, followed by twoshots. I rode on and, when I got near the house, saw a lot of blackfellows round it. 

"Then came a flash from one of the upper windows, and I saw one ofthem roll over. That was a satisfaction, for I knew they hadn'tcaught my father asleep. I knew the doors and shutters were strong, and that he could make a good fight of it. Still, there was onlyhim and my mother at home, for both the men had gone out before Ileft in the morning; and one man hasn't much chance of holding ahouse, attacked on all sides. So I made up my mind to try to dashthrough them, when the shutter opened a little, and my fathershouted out:

"'Ride for help, Bill. I will keep them off, till you get back. '

"So I turned; but when I had gone a few yards I looked over myshoulder, and I saw a man dash out from behind the house onhorseback, and start at a gallop after me. It was a bay with awhite leg, and I knew that Cockeye used to ride such a horse, andthat there wasn't a better in the colony. Almost at the same momentI heard a shot again, but I didn't look round. 

"I can tell you I felt pretty badly frightened, for there was nomercy to be expected from that scoundrel, and I knew that he was agood deal better mounted than I was. The next station was aboutfour miles off, and I had about two hundred yards start, but beforeI had gone half a mile, he was within fifty yards of me. I couldhear him, cursing and swearing and shouting to me to stop, but Ihad made up my mind I would not do that. 

"I had got a brace of pistols with me, but I wasn't much of a shot. I had, soon after I started, pulled them out of the holsters andshoved them into my belt in front of me; so that, as he came up, heshouldn't see my hand go down for them. My hope was that he wouldride straight up to the side of me, not knowing that I was armed;and that would give me a chance of suddenly letting fly at him. 

"You would think the chance was a poor one; and that he would, to acertainty, shoot me down before he got up. I did not much think hewould do that, for I guessed that the scoundrel would do with me ashe had in some other cases; namely, take me and carry me back tothe house, and there either threaten to shoot me, or hang me upover a fire, or some such devilry, to make those inside give in. Iwas determined this shouldn't be, and that if I could not shoot himI would be shot myself; for otherwise he would have got my fatherand mother, and it would have been three lives instead of one. 

"Presently--crack!--came the sound of a pistol, and I heard thebullet whiz close by. I expect that it was only to frighten me intostopping; but in a second or two he fired again, and the shot justgrazed my shoulder, so he was in earnest that time. 

"I bent low on my saddle, got a pistol out of my belt, andprepared. There was another shot, the horse gave a spring and Iknew he was hit, but for a time he went faster than ever; still, the last shot wasn't from more than twenty yards behind; and Iexpected, every minute, to see his horse's head coming up besideme. Then I heard a curse and a sudden fall and, looking round, sawhis horse was down. 

"Cockeye was on his feet in a moment, and drew another pistol fromhis holster; so I concluded to keep on as hard as I could go, without waiting to make inquiries. I guessed pretty well what hadhappened. The shot I had heard my father fire, as he started afterme, had hit the horse; and the poor brute had kept on until hedropped. I understood the fellow's firing, now. He felt his horsewas failing under him, and his only chance was to stop me. 

"I kept on till I got safe to the station. The three men therestarted in different directions, to fetch assistance, and by theevening we had a score of men assembled there, and started back toour station. We heard a cooey when we were within a mile of theplace, and guessed it was a fellow on the watch. By the time we gotthere they had all cleared off, but it was a close thing. 

"My mother was a courageous woman, and had defended the back of thehouse, and my father the front. The blacks had made severalattempts to burn the place down; but the roof, like the walls, wasmade of solid timber; which is the only safe way to build a house, when you are exposed to attacks of the blacks. 

"As long as daylight lasted the old people had done very well, andhad kept the blacks at a distance; and we saw, by the marks ofblood in the morning, that they must have killed or wounded eightor ten of them; but if we hadn't come up before the blacks haddarkness to cover them, it would have gone hard with them. Ofcourse we knew that, and calculated so as to get there beforenightfall. "

"What became of the bush ranger?" Reuben asked. 

"Well, curiously enough, that was the last time he ever troubledthe settlements. We never knew exactly what became of him, but itwas said that the blacks killed and eat him. I know that was veryoften the end of those fellows. As long as all went on well, theblacks were friendly enough with them, and were glad to followtheir lead; but after a repulse like that they got at our station, or perhaps as a result of some quarrel about the division of theplunder, or their gins, or something of that sort, they would fallsuddenly on their white friends, and make cooked meat of them. "

"I suppose the blacks seldom spare any whites who fall into theirhands?" Reuben asked. 

"Scarcely ever, " Mr. Blount replied. "That was why they were moredreaded than the bush rangers. The latter would kill, if they werein the humour for it; but if there was no serious resistance, andnone of their number got hurt, more often than not they contentedthemselves by leaving everyone tied, hand and foot, till somebodycame to unloose them. 

"I remember one horrible case, in which they so tied up three whitemen at a lonely station, and nobody happened to go near it forthree weeks afterwards. It struck someone that none of them hadbeen seen, for some time; and a couple of men rode over and, totheir horror, found the three men dead of hunger and thirst. 

"Now the black fellows don't do that sort of thing. When they doattack a station and take it, they kill every soul; man, woman, andchild. "

"I suppose, in that affair you were telling us of, " Reuben asked, "both of your ticket-of-leave men were killed?"

"Yes. One seemed to have been surprised and speared at once. Theother had made a stout fight of it, for the bodies of three nativeswere found near him. "

"I remember one case, " one of the others said, "in which the blacksdid spare one of the party, in a station which they attacked. Itwas a little girl of about three years old. Why they did so I don'tknow; perhaps the chief took a fancy to her. Maybe he had lost achild of the same age, and thought his gin would take to the littleone. Anyhow, he carried her off. 

"The father happened to be away at the time. He had gone down toSydney with a waggon, for stores; and when he got back he found thehouse burned, and the bodies of his wife, two boys, and two men, but there was no trace of that of the child. 

"He was nearly out of his mind, poor fellow. The neighbours allthought that the body must have been burned with the house; but hewould have it that there would have been some sign of her. No oneelse thought so; and besides, it wasn't the custom of the blacks tocarry off anyone. The father got a party to try and follow theblacks, but of course it was no use. They had pretty near two days'start. 

"The father never took to his farm again, but hung about the outstations, doing a job here and there for his grub. Sometimes hewould be away for a bit, and when he came back, though he nevertalked about it, everyone knew he had been out hunting the blacks. 

"I do not know how many of them he killed, but I know he neverspared one, when he got him outside the settlement. After a timethe blacks never troubled that part. So many of them had beenkilled that they got a superstitious fear of the man, and believedhe was possessed of an evil spirit; and I don't believe twenty ofthem, together, would have dared to attack him. 

"At last, from some of the half-tamed blacks in the settlement, hegot to hear some sort of rumour that there was a white girl, livingwith one of the tribes far out in their country, and he set out. Hewas away four months, and he never said what he had been doing allthe time. In fact, he started almost directly for the port, andwent home by the next ship. 

"However, he brought his child back with him. It was four yearssince she had been carried off, and she was a regular littlesavage, when she arrived in the settlement with him. Of course shecould not speak a word of English, and was as fierce as a littlewildcat. I expect she got all right, after a bit. 

"I didn't see the man, but I heard he was worn to a shadow, when hegot back. He must have had an awful time of it, in the bush. Whatwith hunger and thirst, and dodging the blacks, I don't know how helived through it; but he looked contented and happy, in spite ofhis starvation, and they say it was wonderful to see how patient hewas with the child. 

"They got up a subscription, at Sydney, to send them both home. Iheard that the captain of the ship he went in said, when he cameback the next voyage, that the child had taken to him, and had gotcivilized and like other children before they got to England. "

"Of course, such fellows as Cockeye and Fothergill are theexceptions, and not the rule, " Mr. Blount said. "Were there many ofsuch scoundrels about, we should have to abandon our settlementsand make war upon them; for there would be no living in the colonytill they were exterminated. Most of these fellows are the colonialversion of the highwaymen, at home. It is just 'Stand and deliver. 'They content themselves with taking what they can find in atraveller's pockets, or can obtain by a flying visit to hisstation. "

"Yes, I had several of those in my last district, " Reuben said. "They were just mounted robbers, and gave us a good deal of troublein hunting them down. But none of them had shed blood during theircareer, and they did not even draw a pistol when we captured them. That style of bush ranger is a nuisance, but no more. Men seldomcarry much money about with them here, and no great harm was done. "

"You see, " Dick Caister said, "these fellows have a remarkableobjection to putting their necks in the way of a noose; so thatalthough they may lug out a pistol and shout 'Bail up!' they willvery seldom draw a trigger, if you show fight. So long as they donot take life they know that, if they are caught, all they have toexpect is to be kept at hard work during the rest of theirsentence, and perhaps for a bit longer. They don't mind the risk ofthat. They have had their outing, sometimes a long one; but if theyonce take life, they know its hanging when they are caught; and aretherefore careful not to press too hard upon their triggers. 

"But once they have killed a man, they don't generally care howmany more lives they take. They are desperate, then, and seem toexult in devilry of all kinds. As to being stuck up by an ordinarybush ranger, one would think no more of it than of having one'spockets picked, in England. 

"It's lucky for us, on the whole, that the black fellows have sucha hatred of the white men. Were it not for that, a good many ofthese fellows would go all lengths, relying on taking to the bushwhen they had made the colony too hot to hold them. But there areonly a few of them that have ever got on well with the blacks, andmany a man who has gone out into the bush has found his end there. You see, there's no explaining to a dozen natives, who jump up andbegin to throw spears and boomerangs at you, that you are a badwhite fellow, and not a colonist on the search for fresh runs. 

"No, the bush rangers on the whole are not such a bad lot offellows. I suppose there is not one of us, here, who hasn't had menride up and ask for food; who were, he knew pretty well, bushrangers. Of course they got their food, as anyone else would whorode up to a station and asked for it. 

"Once, only, I was told to hand over any money I had in the house. As, fortunately, I had only a few pounds I gave it up withoutmaking a fight for it. It's no use risking one's life, unless forsomething worth fighting for. I suppose most of us here have hadsimilar experiences. "

There was a general chorus of assent among the settlers. 

"Many of them are poor-spirited wretches. Two of them bailed up awaggoner of mine, coming out with a load from the port. Hepretended to give in and, as they were opening some of the boxes, he knocked one over with the butt end of his whip. The other fireda hasty shot, and then jumped on to his horse and galloped offagain; and my man brought in the fellow he had stunned. "

"Did you hand him over to the police?" Reuben asked. 

"Not I, " the settler laughed. "I thought he had got what hedeserved, so I bandaged up his head and let him go. Those poorbeggars of convicts have a dreadful hard time of it, and I don'tthink there are many settlers who would hand over any man who hadescaped, and taken to the bush, even if he had occasionally bailedup a waggoner or so. We know what a flogging the poor wretch wouldget and, as long as it's only an occasional robbery, to keepthemselves from starving, we don't feel any great animosity againstthem. It's different, altogether, when they take to murder. Then, of course, they must be hunted down like wild beasts. 

"And now I vote that we have a nap. My pipe's out, and I suppose weshall be on the tramp again, as soon as it is dark. "

Chapter 13: Bush Rangers. 

As soon as it became dark, the journey was renewed. 

"Now, Jim, you must keep your eyes well open, " Reuben said. "Thereis no saying when we may come upon them, now. "

"I tink dey not berry far off, sah. Dose sheep too tired to go far. Black fellow glad to stop and rest, when he see no one coming afterhim. 

"De ground more up and down here. Must no make noise. May come upondem sudden. "

It was nearly midnight when Jim suddenly halted. 

"What is it, Jim?" Reuben asked, in a low voice. 

Jim stood sniffing the air. 

"Me smell fire, captain. "

Reuben sniffed the air, but shook his head. 

"I don't smell anything, Jim. "

"I smell him, sah, sure enough; not very close, perhaps, but in deair. "

"What is it, Captain Whitney?" Mr. Blount asked, as he came forwardand joined them. 

"Jim says he smells fire, but I can't smell it. "

"Oh, you can trust Jim's nose, " the settler said. "It is wonderfulhow keen is the scent of these natives. They are like dogs in thatrespect; and can perceive the smell of a fire, when the wind bringsit down to them, miles away. "

"Dis way now, sah, " Jim said, turning off to the left, at rightangles to the course which they had been pursuing. "Smell come downthe wind, dat's sartin. We follow him far enough, we sure to catchdem. "

For fully two miles, Reuben followed the black without speaking. Then he said:

"I don't smell any smoke, Jim. Are you quite sure you are rightabout it?"

"Quite sure, sah. De smoke much stronger than he was. Some of desebushes make very sharp smell; can smell him very far away. "

"That's all right, Jim, on we go then. I must take your word forit. "

After another half-an-hour's walking, Reuben thought that he toocould smell an odour of burning wood and, soon afterwards, hebecame convinced that it was so. The ground on which they werecrossing was slightly undulated and, on nearing the crest of one ofthe slight rises, Jim said:

"De smoke am getting strong now, sah; and Jim can hear de bleatingof de sheep. If de captain will wait here, Jim will go on ahead, and find out where dey lie. "

"But perhaps you won't be able to find us again. "

"Der no fear of dat, sah. But if I not come straight back, I give alittle whistle-like this--when I get on to a rise; and if thecaptain answer in just the same way, then I come straight back tohim. "

So saying, Jim glided away in the darkness; while Reuben gave theword for the men to halt, and lie down till his return. There was, however, no occasion for a signal for, in little over half an hourfrom the time of Jim's leaving, he rejoined them again; his comingbeing unnoticed until he stood among them, so noiseless were hisfootsteps. 

"We hab dem dis time, sure enough, captain. "

"Why, is that you, Jim? You quite startled me. Well, what is yournews?"

"De black fellows and de sheep are a little over a mile away, sah. Dey got a big fire down in a bottom. Some of dem eating still, butmost of dem fast asleep round de fire. "

"How many are there of them?"

"About fifty, sah--at least, dat about the number Jim saw. I expectI was right when I tell you dat there was well nigh a hundred, atfust. Some ob them go off wid de sheep, de odder way, and we killover twenty in dat fight. "

"Do you think we killed so many as that, Jim?"

"I went round, sah, and counted sixteen of dem; and some sure tohave crawl away and die in de bush. Dere were over twenty killedaltogether, for sure; and I specks dat some more hab left de partytoday, and gone off wid dere share of de sheep to der people. "

"Well, what do you think, Mr. Blount--shall we attack them tonight, or wait till morning?"

"I should say wait till morning, certainly, " the settler said. "Wemight shoot a few if we attack them now, but the rest would be alloff, at the first flash of our gun; and we should never get anothershot. I think our best plan would be to remain where we are, foranother couple of hours--it is two o'clock now--then Jim will guideus to the place, and we can take up our position as close as we canget, and wait for daylight. "

"There is no fear of their making a move before it is light, Jim?"

"No, sah. Dey tink dey am safe now, and eat one big feast. Dey notmove till light, sartain. "

"Very well, Mr. Blount, then we will do as you say. When we getnear them we will divide into four parties. You, with four men, shall move up close to the sheep, Sergeant O'Connor, with fourothers, shall work up from the other end of the bottom. Five othersshall make a detour, and get right on the other side of their fire;and I, with the other three and Jim, who you see has got one of theconstables' rifles and ammunition, will come down on them from thisside. 

"Jim will place all the parties, taking them by turns, as near thefire as he thinks safe; and will then return to me. Only, as weshall attack them from four sides, let everyone be careful abouthis shooting; otherwise we shall have casualties from our ownshots. 

"All will remain quiet until I fire. Then a general volley must bepoured in, with bullet and buckshot; and when the rifles and gunsare empty, go right at them with pistol and sword. "

The plan was carried out as arranged and, before daybreak, the fourparties were lying in the positions allotted to them, within fortyyards of the blacks. A few of these were seen sitting by the fire, the rest were all asleep. 

Gradually the light began to creep over the sky and, as it becamelighter, there was a movement among the blacks. As soon as he couldsee perfectly, Reuben was about to fire in the air; for he did notlike to fire at unsuspecting men, in spite of the deeds of bloodand rapine they had performed in the settlement. 

Presently, however, his eye fell upon one of the treacheroustrackers, who had so nearly brought destruction upon them. Helevelled his rifle and fired, and the man fell dead in his tracks. 

As the rest of the blacks leapt to their feet, a volley fromnineteen guns was poured into them--followed by seven or eightmore, as most of the settlers were armed with double-barrelledguns; a few buckshot being dropped into each barrel, over thebullets. Then came the sharp cracks of the pistols, as the whitesrushed down to the assault. 

The natives attempted no resistance. Panic stricken at the suddenappearance of the foe, whom they imagined by this time far back ontheir way to the settlements; and paralysed by the slaughter madeby the first volley, they thought only of flight. A few caught uptheir spears and waddies, as they made a dash for the bushes, andstrove to effect their escape between the parties advancing on eachside of them; but the latter were now close at hand and, for aminute or two, a fight took place between the whites, with theirclubbed muskets, and the natives with their spears and waddies. Butit was soon over, for the natives only fought to escape and, assoon as they saw an opening, bounded away into the bushes. 

Only one of the assailants was killed, but several were more orless severely wounded by the spears; while no less than thirty-fourof the blacks were killed. The victors made no attempt at pursuitbut, as soon as the last of the natives had escaped, they gatheredto ascertain what loss had taken place, on their side. 

"Poor Phillips is killed, " Mr. Blount said, as he examined thebody. "The spear has gone right through his throat. Fortunately hewas a single man. He has only been out here a few months, and wasstaying down at Dick Caister's. "

"Poor Tom, " Dick said, in feeling tones. "He was a capital youngfellow, and I am deeply sorry. Fortunately he has left no onebehind to grieve more than I do for him, for he lost his father andmother shortly before he came out, and was alone in the world. "

"I am thankful it's no worse, " Mr. Blount said. "We have given theblacks a terrible lesson. I think, as far as they are concerned, wecan sleep in peace for a long time. Of course we have not done withthem, for they are very revengeful; but a blow like this willrender them careful, for a long time, how they attack us. 

"How many of them have fallen?"

"Thirty-four, " Reuben said. "Jim has just been counting them up. 

"Now, Mr. Blount, we will have another of your sheep for breakfast, and then we'll be off. "

The sheep had scattered somewhat, at the alarm of the fire, butwere soon driven together again. One was caught and killed, andslices of the meat were stuck up on ramrods, and were soonfrizzling before the fire. 

"Well, Mr. Blount, how many sheep do you think there are here?"

"I have just been looking them over, " the settler replied, "and Ishould say there must be nearly twelve hundred; so that, allowingfor two hundred driven off in the other direction, and a hundreddropped by the way, the whole flock are accounted for. I am indeedobliged to you, and to my friends here. I never expected to see atail of them again, when I found they were off. "

"I am very glad you have recovered so many of them, " Reuben said, "and still more, that we have given the blacks such a lesson. Wewill, as soon as we have finished, be on the march. Jim will go onahead at once, as we agreed; and he tells me will get to the streamwhere the horses are before night, and will start out with them atonce, so that we may be able to meet them tomorrow, early. I fancyour water bottles are all getting very low, but we can hold on fortoday. "

As soon as he had finished eating, Jim started off at a run, whichReuben knew he would keep up for hours. The body of young Phillipswas buried; and then, collecting the flock and driving it beforethem, the rest started upon their return. The sheep could nottravel fast, for many of them were footsore with their hurriedjourney; but they had found plenty of nourishment in the grass atthe bottoms, and in the foliage of the bushes and, being sosupplied, had suffered little from thirst. 

Jim, before starting, had pointed out the exact line they were tofollow, and this they kept by compass. With only one or two shorthalts, they kept on until nightfall and, leaving the sheep in agrassy bottom, lit their fire on the crest above it, in order thatits flame might serve as a guide to Jim, should he get back withthe horses before daylight. 

There was but little talking, before each stretched himself atlength before the fire. They had been twenty-four hours withoutsleep, and all were now suffering severely from thirst. The lastdrops in the water bottles had been emptied, early in the day; andthey were parched not only by the heat of the sun, but by thestifling dust raised by the flock as they travelled. 

There had been but little supper eaten. Indeed, most of themcontented themselves with chewing pieces of raw meat, to satisfytheir thirst rather than their hunger. Although they had no fear ofthe return of the natives, Reuben thought it only prudent to keepwatch, and each of the party had half an hour on sentry duty. 

The day was just beginning to break, when the man on guardexclaimed:

"I can hear the trampling of horses!"

The news brought everyone to their feet, and in a few minutes thetwo constables and Jim rode up, driving before them the horses ofthe rest of the party. 

"Well done, Jim!" Reuben exclaimed. "Now, the first thing, get oneof the water skins off. "

One of the skins was unfastened in a minute and, after copiousdraughts, everyone felt refreshed and ready for work again. 

"We cannot start for a few hours, " Reuben said. "The horses musthave come over forty miles, and won't be fit to travel till theafternoon; fortunately there is plenty of grass for them in thebottom. And now that my thirst is allayed, I begin to discover thatI am hungry. "

There was a general chorus of assent. The fire was made up again. The men went down to the bottom, and killed and brought up a sheep;and all were soon engaged in making up for their twenty-four hours'fast. 

In the afternoon a start was made; but although they travelled allnight, they did not reach the stream until the following afternoon, as they were obliged to accommodate their pace to that of thesheep. The following morning Reuben rode forward to thesettlements, leaving Mr. Blount, with two of his friends, to comeon with the flock at his leisure. 

At the first farm he reached Reuben heard that, as he feared, thebush rangers had taken advantage of so many of the settlers beingaway to recommence their attacks. At the first two houses theyvisited, they had found the inmates on the watch, and had moved offwithout making any attack. At the third they had surprised andkilled a settler, his wife, and two hired men, and had sacked andburned the house. Reuben learned that some of the police had goneoff in pursuit. 

Leaving his horse to the care of the settler, Reuben borrowed afresh animal and rode off to the scene of the outrage, which wassome thirty miles distant. Just as he arrived there he met theparty of eight police, who had been in pursuit of the bush rangers, and they reported that they had lost all trace of them. 

For the next two or three weeks Reuben did not return to hisheadquarters, spending the time in riding from station to station, with a small party of police, and urging upon the settlers thenecessity not only of strongly barricading their houses, but ofkeeping a watch by turns; as the bush rangers seldom attack aplace, unless they can gain the advantage of a surprise. 

As nothing had been heard of the bush rangers, Reuben determined toreturn to his barrack. He was spending the last night at DickCaister's when, just as they were about to turn in, the sound of ahorse's hoofs, at full gallop, was heard. 

"Something is the matter, " Dick said. "Men don't ride like that, atnight, for nothing. "

He went to the door and opened it, just as the horseman stopped infront. 

"Quick, Caister!" the man said as he leaped down, "the bush rangersare not fifty yards behind. "

And indeed, the sound of the trampling of other horses soundedclose behind. 

"Come in, come in!" Dick cried. "Ah! Is it you, Shillito? Nevermind the horse, he must look after himself. Luckily the captain'shere, and we will give it them hot. Just run round and see that allthe shutters are fastened. "

As Dick spoke he was barring the door, and he now shouted at thetop of his voice to the two hired men, who were in bed upstairs;but before any answer could be returned, there was a thunderingknocking at the door. 

"What is it?" Dick shouted. 

"Open the door, and be quick about it, or it will be worse for you. We want that chap that's just ridden up, and we mean to have him, so he had best come out at once. If you don't open the door atonce, we will cut the throats of every soul in the house. "

"You have got to get at our throats first, my fine fellow, " Dicksaid jeeringly. 

The knocking was at once renewed, but with greater violence. 

"The door's a strong one, " Dick said to Reuben, "and it will standa good deal of that sort of thing; but we may as well move thetable and benches up against it, then we can see how things stand. "

Reuben had been busy taking down the guns, which hung over thefireplace; dropping a ramrod into them to see that they werecharged, and putting fresh caps on to the nipples. His own riflestood in the corner; and was, he knew, ready for service. 

"What arms have you altogether, Caister?"

"I have that rifle and double-barrel gun. Both my hands have gotmuskets; I got them up from Sydney, a few months back. "

The two men now came running down from above, each with his musket. 

"Where is Jim?" Reuben said, looking round. 

"He went out about ten minutes ago, " Dick said. "I fancy he went tolook after your horse. He takes as much care of that animal as ifit were a child. "

"I hope they won't find him in the stable, and cut his throat, "Reuben said. "He is wonderfully faithful and attached to me. Iwould not have harm come to him, for anything. 

"Now, I will go upstairs and reconnoitre. Now those fellows haveleft off knocking at the door, they are a good deal more dangerousthan when they were kicking up all the row. "

"Mind how you show yourself, captain, as likely enough one of themis on the watch, expecting that we should be sure, sooner or later, to take a look out of that window. So keep well back. The night ispretty light, so I expect you will be able to make them out. "

"Can we get a view of the stable from that window?"

"Yes, " Dick replied, "I rather had that in my mind's eye, when Iput the stable up. It's always a good thing, men knowing that theirmaster can have an eye upon them, when they least expect it. Why doyou ask?"

"Because if the window commands the stable door, we can preventthem getting the horses out. "

"Yes, " Dick said, "after losing two in that last affair, it wouldbe a serious matter to have the rest of them carried off. "

Reuben went up the stairs and made his way towards the window, standing a short distance back. He could see no one moving about inthe yard, and he was about to move close to it, when a tremendouscrash took place below, followed by loud shouts. He ran downstairsagain. 

The bush rangers had moved round to the back of the house and, there picking up a young tree which had been brought in, to saw upinto billets for firewood, they used it as a battering ram againstone of the shutters; and at the very first blow broke it off itshinges, and then made a rush at the window. Two shots rang outalmost together; and then, firing a hasty volley into the window, the bush rangers began to climb in. But by this time Reuben hadarrived, and the sharp cracks of his pistols rang out. 

"They have got the police here!" one of the men exclaimed, as hecaught a sight of Reuben's uniform. 

"Draw off, lads, I expect it's that accursed captain, " anothervoice exclaimed. "He's always riding about, with nobody but thatblack fellow with him. He has got to go down, that fellow has, orhe will give us no end of trouble; but draw off from that window, for a moment. "

"What will they do next, I wonder?" Dick Caister said as, leavingthe two hands to guard the window, he returned into the other roomwith Reuben. 

"I rather expect they are going to try to burn us out. We must keepthem from that, if we can. 

"Mr. Shillito, will you go up to the upper room, and keep an eye onthe stables? Shoot down anyone who may pass your line of sight. 

"Haven't you got any loopholes, Caister?"

"Yes, of course I have, " Dick replied. "I had forgotten all aboutthem. Yes, there are two loopholes in the logs in each side of thehouse, upstairs. They have been shut up by wisps of straw, eversince the house was built. "

Giving strict orders, to the two men, to shout instantly if anyonemoved near the window, the two young men went upstairs. 

"Have you seen anything, Shillito?"

"Not a thing. One would almost think that they have bolted. "

"They will hardly do that, I fancy, " Reuben said. "There are ten ortwelve of them, but I think one or two must have got a bullet inthem. "

"I wish they would come on, " Dick said, as he pulled out the strawfrom the loopholes. 

Reuben went to them all in succession, and looked out, but nothingcould be seen of their assailants. Presently, however, a number ofdark figures appeared, each bearing a burden. 

"They have been cutting brush wood!" Reuben exclaimed. "I wasright, you see. They are going to try to smoke or burn us out. NowI think it's time to give them a lesson. "

"Look, look!"

The exclamation was excited by a sudden glare of light, on theother side of the stables. 

"The scoundrels have set fire to the stables!" Shillito said. 

"What shall we do--make a sally?" Caister asked. "I am ready forit, if you think right. "

"No, " Reuben said, "they would only shoot us down as we come out. They must guess that some of us are up at this window, or theywould try to carry the horses off, instead of destroying them. 

"I only wish we were on the poor beasts' backs. We would go forthem, though they were twice as many. 

"I don't see the others now--they must have gone round to the otherside of the house. "

Scarcely had Reuben taken up his station, at one of the loopholesbehind, than he again saw the dark figures. He took steady aim andfired. There was a sharp cry, and one of the fellows fell to theground. The others at once threw down their burdens, and fled. Three minutes later there was a shout. 

"Look here, you policeman, and you, Caister, you shall pay dearlyfor this night's work. I swear it, and Bill Fothergill neverforgets his word in that way. It's your turn, this time. It will bemine the next, and when it is, take care. "

The only reply was a shot from Reuben, aimed in the direction fromwhich the voice came. A minute later there was a trampling ofhorses. 

"They are gone!" Shillito exclaimed. 

"Perhaps it is only a trick, to draw us out, " Dick suggested. 

"No, I don't think it's that, " Reuben said. "They are not strongenough to send a party off, and to attack us with the rest. No, Ithink they have gone. They know that we can't follow them. 

"They have taken good care of that, " he added bitterly, as heglanced at the stables, which were now a sheet of flame. "However, we will look round and see. "

The three men descended to the room below and, being joined by thetwo hands, removed the furniture piled against the door, and threwit open. 

"We mustn't go round to that side of the house, so as to get intothe glare of the fire, till we have looked round, " Reuben said. "Ibelieve they are all gone; but they may have left a couple of themlurking, somewhere about, to pick us off when we show in the light. 

"I will take one of your hands, Caister, and scout round on oneside. Do you three go the other side. "

A quarter of an hour later the two parties met near the stables, where the fire was now burning low. The roof had fallen in, andonly some of the uprights were erect, with flicking flames lickingthem as they stood glowing above the mass of still blazing debris. 

"I wonder whether that poor fellow is under that?" Reuben said. 

"I hope not, indeed. I fancy he must have got away. He might haveslipped off when they first rode up. He may be hiding somewhereround, afraid to come near till he knows how matters have turnedout. "

So saying, he gave a loud cooey. They stood silent for a minute, but no answer came back. 

"There is nothing to be done, till morning, " Dick said, "and it'sno use hanging about here. Before it gets light I will start forWatson's. There are two of your men there; and they, with the twoWatsons and ourselves, can set out after these fellows, if you areagreeable. That is, as soon as we get hold of some horses. "

"I hardly think I shall be justified in taking you, " Reuben said, as he walked back towards the house. "These scoundrels are allarmed to the teeth, and they are first-rate shots. They know everyfoot of the country, and against anything like equal numbers theywould make a desperate fight of it, even if they did not thrash us. Of course, in anything like an equal number of my own men I shouldnot hesitate, but I don't think it will be fair for you settlers toundertake such a service as that. "

"Listen!" Shillito exclaimed, "they are coming back again. "

Surely enough, on the night air the sound of horses, galloping atfull speed, could be heard. 

"I don't think it can be them, " Reuben said. "They would have nomotive in coming back, after they once rode off. They would know weshould be ready for them. "

"I don't see who else it can be. At any rate, all our guns areloaded; and if it is them, all the better. "

Suddenly a loud cooey was heard. 

"That's Jim!" Reuben exclaimed. "I should know his call among athousand. He must have made off to get help at once, but I don'tknow how he can have done it in time. "

"Why, it's the Watsons and my men!" he exclaimed, as the party rodeup into the light. 

"All safe?" one of the settlers cried, as he jumped from his horse. 

"All safe, thank God, " Reuben replied. "Did Jim bring you news thatwe were attacked?"

"Yes; fortunately we were sitting up late, talking, when he rodeup; so there was not a minute lost. "

"Rode up!" Reuben repeated, in surprise; "why, where did you get ahorse, Jim?"

"Rode master's horse, " Jim said. 

"What!" Reuben exclaimed in delight, "what, is Tartar safe? I wasafraid his body was under those ruins. Why, how did you get himout?"

"Jim was in de stable, sah, when bush ranger ride up. De horses wasstamping, and I not hear dem till dey come quite close, den it wastoo late to run out. 

"De moment dat dey began to make bobbery at door, I opened stabledoor and bring out de three horses. "

"What! Did you get mine out, too?" Dick shouted. "Jim, you are atrump, and no mistake. "

"Den, " Jim went on, paying no attention to the interruption, "meled de other two hosses little way, and let them go loose, sure notgo far from home; and I jump on Tartar, and ride like de debel toWatson's for de police. "

"Well done, Jim. You have done capitally. Now let us talk over whatwe had better do. "

The party re-entered the house. Fresh wood was thrown on to thefire, and one of Dick's hands proceeded to put food on the table, and prepare tea, while the others consulted what course should bepursued. 

It was agreed, at once, that more aid would be necessary, beforethey could think of attacking the bush rangers; but all were readyto join in the hunt for them. Therefore it was decided that DickShillito and the two Watsons should each ride, at once, toneighbouring stations to bring aid. At one of the stations two morepolicemen would be found, and as in the pursuit they shouldprobably pass near other stations, their numbers would swell asthey went. When this was settled, the party sat down to the meal. 

"How did you come upon them, Shillito?" Caister asked. 

"I had been spending the day with the Wilkinsons. I did not startto ride home till it was rather late, and I was riding fast when, about a quarter of a mile before I got to my place, I rode rightinto the middle of a lot of men on horseback. They evidently hadn'theard me coming, and were as much surprised as I was. 

"There was a general shout of 'Bail up!' and I saw at once whatsort of gentry they were. However, I didn't stop, but in theconfusion dashed through. 

"A few shots were fired at me. I suppose they were too surprised toaim straight. Then they started off after me. I knew it was no usemaking for home, for there was only one man there; so I swept roundand made for your place. My horse is a good one, you know, and Igained on them all except one man, who must have been capitallymounted, for he gradually crept up to me. He wasn't twenty yardsbehind me when he shouted:

"'Stop, or I fire!'

"I pulled straight up and, as he came up to me, let fly at him. Hetumbled off his horse, and I galloped off till I got here. "

"What has become of your horse, I wonder?"

"I gave him a cut with my whip, as I jumped off. He cantered away. Of course they may have caught him, but I don't think it's likely. "

"You will find him somewhere about at daylight, I expect. I willride Caister's spare horse, now. "

For Jim, with one of the hands, had gone out to fetch in the twohorses from the spot where they had been turned loose. 

Chapter 14: An Unexpected Meeting. 

As soon as it was light the party were assembled and started, Jimleading the way, at a swinging pace which kept the horses going ata hand canter. The marks were, for a time, perfectly easy tofollow. Five miles on the tracks led to a shepherd's hut. At theircall, the man came out. 

"You had a visit from bush rangers last night?"

"What if I did?" the man replied gruffly. "I can't help where thebush rangers pay their visits. Yes, they came in here and said theywanted some supper; and you may guess I did not keep them waitinglong, for they were not in a particularly good temper. From whatthey said, three of their men had been killed. "

This was already known to the party, as Jim had found three bodiesat a short distance from the house. Two of these had evidently beencarried there from the back window, where they had been killed intrying to effect the entry. The other had been shot whenapproaching to fire the house. 

"The captain of the gang was terrible put out, and was a-cussingand swearing as to what he would do to those as did it. I wouldn'tbe in their shoes, if they were to fall into his hands. "

"They didn't say anything which would give you an idea as to thedirection they were taking?"

"Not they, " the man replied. "You don't suppose they would be suchfools as that and, if they had, you don't suppose as I should besuch a fool to split on 'em. Not likely. I ain't no desire to wakeup, one night, and find the door fastened outside and the thatch onfire. "

"We may as well ride on, " Reuben said. "We shall learn nothinghere. The fellow is a ticket-of-leave man, and as likely as not inleague with these scoundrels. 

"I wonder what they came here for, " he added, as they startedagain. 

"I tell you, sah, " Jim said. "Dat fellow has driven his herd obertheir trail--all stamped out--no saying where they hab gone to. "

"We must follow the herd, then, " Reuben said. "If we look sharp, weought to be able to see the traces where they left them. "

Jim shook his head. 

"No find, " he said decidedly "Plenty places where de ground amberry hard, and horse feet no show. Dey choose some place like datand turn off; perhaps put rug under horses' feet, so as to make nomark. Me sarch, sah. Jim look him eyes very hard, but tink nofind. "

And so, to their great disappointment, it turned out. They followedthe tracks of the herd three miles, until they came upon them, quietly grazing; but nowhere could they see any trace of a party ofhorsemen turning off. All the party were greatly vexed at the illsuccess of their expedition; for all had hoped that they were, atlast, going to overtake the gang who had done such mischief in thecolony. 

Reuben was especially disgusted. He had, only the day before, received a letter from his chief acknowledging the receipt of hisreport describing the pursuit of the blacks, and congratulating himwarmly upon his success. The letter ended:

"If you can but give as good an account of the bush rangers, weshall be indeed grateful to you. As it is, you have more thanjustified my selection of you for the post. "

Leaving two constables as guards, at Dick Caister's station; incase, as was probable enough, the bush rangers should return totake revenge for the repulse they had experienced there; Reubenrode back to his headquarters, from which he had now been absentsome time. The evening after his return, he called Jim into hisroom. 

"Jim, " he said, "I want your advice as to the best way of findingout where these bush rangers are quartered. How do you think we hadbetter set about it? Would it be of any use, do you think, for youto go among the natives and try and find out? There is no doubtthey know, for they have often acted with the bush rangers. Do youthink you could pass among them?"

"No, sah, " Jim said at once. "Me no speak deir way. Me understandblack fellow, me talk dar language, but not same way. They find outdifference directly and kill me. De wild black fellows hate thosewho hab lived wid de white men. We hate dem just de same way. Wesay dem bad black fellow, dey say we no good. "

"But those rascally trackers who led us wrong, that day of thefight, they were friendly with them. "

"Yes, sah, but dey not so very long away from the bush, and alwayskeep friends wid the others. Meet dem and talk to dem, and tell demdey set the white men on wrong tracks. "

"Well, Jim, but could not you do the same?"

"No good, sah. Me brought up among de whites, eber since me littleboy. Dey not believe me if I go and say dat to dem. Jim ready toget killed, if de captain want him; but no good at all him gettingkilled in dat way. "

"I don't want you to get killed in any way, Jim, and if that's youropinion about it, we will give up the plan at once. Can you thinkof any other way?"

"Me tink a lot about him. Me know de captain want very much tocatch dose fellows, but Jim no see how dat can be done, for sure. But de best plan me can see is for Jim to go out by himself, andsearch de country outside white man's bounds. If he find de trackof horses, he follow dem up. Me know about de way dey ride offafter dey be killing people at de stations. If Jim look, and look, and look berry sharp he find dar track for sure; and once he finddem, he follow dem up. Must be water, for sure, where dey live. Datgood guide to begin with. 

"But captain must not hurry; Jim may be long time before he finddem, dar no saying how long. Captain wish Jim to go?"

"Well, Jim, I don't want you to go; that is to say, I should missyou very much; but if you could find out the haunts of thesescoundrels, you would be doing me a very great service, as well asthe people of all the stations. "

"Jim no care about oder people, " the black said. "He care for decaptain, and will go out and try and find tracks. "

"Be careful, Jim, and don't get into trouble with them. If you wereto fall into their hands, and they were to find out you wereconnected with the police, they would shoot you like a dog. "

"Dey won't find out. White man not understand. Black fellow all oneto him. You hab no fear for Jim. Who look after hoss, while Jimaway?"

"I shall appoint one of the policemen as my orderly, Jim, and hewill look after him. "

Jim made a contemptuous gesture, to signify that he had littleconfidence in the power of any white man to look after Tartar. Forthe rest of the evening Jim was occupied in cooking, and in themorning he was gone. 

A week later, Reuben was among the outlying stations again. He hadheard nothing of the bush rangers, and no fresh attacks had beenmade by them, since that upon Dick Caister's station. 

One evening, just as he had gone up to bed, he was roused by asharp knocking at the door of the house in which he was stopping. The settlers had grown cautious now, and an upper window wasopened, and Reuben heard the questions, "Who is there?" and "Whatis it?"

"Is Captain Whitney here?"

"Yes, do you want him?"

"Yes, I want to see him directly. "

In a minute, Reuben had opened the door. 

"I am Captain Whitney, " he said. "What is it?"

"I am glad I have found you, sir. They told me at the next stationyou were here yesterday, but they did not know whether you werehere now. 

"Well, sir, I am shepherding some twenty miles away; and thisafternoon, just as I had got back to my hut, in runs a blackfellow. It is a lonely spot, and I reached for my gun, thinkingthere was more of them, when he said:

"'No shoot, me friend. Me sarve Captain Whitney of de police. Youknow him?'

"I said I had heard your name. 

"'You know where he is?' the black asked. 

"I said I did not know for certain; but that when my mate went infor grub, two days before, he had heard say that you had been alongthere that morning. 

"The black said: 'Good. You run and find him. '

"'Thank you, ' says I. 'What for?'

"'I find out about the bush rangers, ' he said. 'You go and tellcaptain dat, tomorrow morning before de day begins, dey attack thestation of Donald's. '

"'Are you quite sure?' says I. 

"'Quite sure, ' says the black. 'Me heard dem say so. '

"So as I hates the bush rangers like poison, I saddles up and ridesinto the station; and when I had told the boss, he said I betterride and find you, if I could. You would be at one of the stationsthis way. I stopped at three of them, and at the last they told meyou was here. "

"Thank you greatly, my good fellow. Donald's! I don't know thename. Where do they live?"

"They have only been here a couple of months, " Reuben's host, whowas standing beside him, replied. "They bought that station ofAnderson's. He was a chicken-hearted young fellow, and sold outbecause of the bush rangers. There is a man, his wife, and hersister, I believe. I fancy they have got a pretty fair capital. They took Anderson's stock, and have been buying a lot more. That'swhy the bush rangers are going to attack them. "

"I thought, " Reuben said, "that Anderson's was not one of the mostexposed stations. "

"No, that was what everyone told him, before he sold it. "

"How far would you say it was from here?"

"Thirty-five miles, " the settler said. "It's ten miles fromBarker's, and I reckon that's twenty-five from here. "

"Well, of course I shall ride at once; as there are women there, itmakes the case all the more urgent. I have got my orderly, andthere are two more men at the station, this side of Barker's. "

"I will go, of course, " Reuben's host said, "and will bring two menwith me. 

"You had best stop here for the night, " he added, turning to theshepherd. "You have ridden pretty well thirty miles already, andthat at the end of your day's work. "

"Not I, " the man replied. "Jim Walsh is not going to be lying inbed, with the thought of two women in the hands of them murderousbush rangers. You might lend me a fresh horse, if you have got one. If not, I must try and pick one up at one of the stations, as we goalong. "

"I have plenty of horses in the yard, " the settler said. 

"Well, let us be off as soon as possible, " Reuben put in. "It'spast twelve o'clock now, and we have thirty-five miles to ride, andto stop at two or three places, so we haven't a minute to lose. "

In a few minutes the horses were saddled, and the six men dashedoff at full gallop. At three stations, which they passed on the wayto Barker's, they picked up seven more. There was but little delayas, the instant the news was told, the men hurried up, saddledtheir horses, and rode after the party, who pushed straight on whenthey had told their story. At Barker's they were joined by Barkerhimself, and two men. Two constables had also been picked up on theway. 

The others overtook them here, and the party now numbered twentymen. There was a pause to allow all to come up, and to give thehorses breathing time, for they had traversed twenty-five miles ata rapid pace, with scarce a halt. 

Mrs. Barker herself prepared a meal, to which, while the horses gottheir breath, their riders did justice. Then they mounted again, and rode for Donald's. 

"It all depends, " Reuben said, "as to our being there in time, whether the man keeps a careful watch. If he does they may notattack till the doors are opened, and then make a sudden rush andcatch them unawares. If, when they arrive there, they find thewhole house is asleep, they may burst in at once. "

"I think they will be careful, " Mr. Barker said. "I know Donald isvery anxious; and no wonder, with two women with him, both youngand pretty--quite out of the way, indeed. In fact, he told me thefirst day I rode over, he had no idea of the unsettled state of thedistrict, and wouldn't have taken the place if he had, not even ifAnderson had given it as a gift; and he wrote down at once to someagent, and told him to sell the place again, for whatever he canget for it; but I expect there will be some trouble in finding apurchaser. The district here has had a bad name for some time and, if Donald had not arrived fresh from England, he must have heard ofit. 

"Listen! I thought I heard the sound of firing. "

There was a momentary pause, but no one could hear anything. Nevertheless, they went on at redoubled speed. They were now withinthree miles of the station. 

Suddenly, on coming over a crest, a faint light was seen ahead. Itincreased rapidly, and a tongue of flame leapt up. 

"Come on, lads!" Reuben exclaimed. "The scoundrels are at theirwork. "

At a hard gallop they crossed the intervening ground, until theywere within half a mile of the station, from which a broad sheet offlame was leaping up. Then Reuben drew rein, for he had outriddenthe rest of his party, and it was important that all should ridetogether. 

"Now, " he said, when they were gathered; "let us keep in a closebody. 

"If they ride off as we arrive there, do you, Jones and Wilkins, stop at the station and see if you can render any help. If not, follow us at once. 

"Let the rest keep on with me, straight after the bush rangers. There is already a faint light in the east. In half an hour it willbe broad day so, even if they have got a start, we shall be able tofollow them. Now, come on. "

At the head of his party, Reuben rode at full speed down to thestation. As he neared it he saw, to his satisfaction, that theflames arose from some of the outbuildings, and that the houseitself was still intact; but as no firing had been heard, he hopedthat it still resisted. 

There was a shrill whistle, when the party approached within ahundred yards. Men were seen to dash out of the house, and to leapupon their horses. 

With a shout, Reuben rode down. He did not pause for a moment, butdashed past the house in the direction in which the bush rangershad fled. They were, he knew, but a hundred yards ahead; but it wasnot light enough for him to see them, especially after ridingthrough the glare of the fire. The sound of the horses' feet, however, afforded an indication; but as there was no saying inwhich direction they might turn, he was forced to halt, every twoor three minutes, to listen. 

To his mortification he found that, each time, the sound wasgetting more indistinct; for the speed at which they had travelledhad taken so much out of the horses, that they were unable tocompete with the fresher animals ridden by the bush rangers, whowere all well mounted, many of the best horses in the districthaving been stolen by them. At last the sound could be heard nolonger, and Reuben was reluctantly obliged to give the order tohalt; for he feared he might override the trail. 

"It is no use, " he said, as he reined in his horse. "They will knowas well as we do that they are out of hearing now, and might turnoff anywhere. It is terribly annoying. We are too late to save thestation, and the bush rangers have escaped. 

"However, we will take up their trail as soon as it is daylight. Indeed, I am expecting every moment to be joined by Jim, who issure to be somewhere near, and can perhaps guide us direct to theirhiding place. "

Deeply disappointed, the party dismounted from their horses. 

"The scoundrels must have had someone on the watch, " Reuben said, "or they would never have taken the alarm so soon. I am sorry, now, that we did not send a party round to the other side before wecharged down upon them; but my blood was on fire at the sight ofthe burning station, and at the thought of the women in the handsof those scoundrels. "

A minute later, a man rode up at full speed from behind. 

"Is that you, Jones?" Reuben said, stepping forward. 

"Yes, sir, " the man replied, reining in his horse. "I left Wilkinsbehind, and rode on to tell you what had happened. "

"What has happened, Jones?"

"It's a bad business, sir, a shocking bad business; but it mighthave been worse. It seems they broke in about half an hour beforewe got there. One of the hands was supposed to be on watch in thestockyard; but either he was asleep, or they crept up to him andkilled him before he could give the alarm. Then they got up to thehouse and burst in the door, before the others were fairly awake. 

"They shot the two hands at once; but I suppose, as their bloodwasn't up, and no resistance was offered, they thought they hadplenty of time for fooling; for they must have reckoned that noforce they need be afraid of could be got together, for three orfour hours. So they made Donald and his wife and sister getbreakfast for them. The women, it seemed had got pistols, and bothswore they would blow out their brains if any man laid a hand onthem. However, the bush rangers did not touch them, though theytold them they would have to go off with them. 

"They made Donald sit down at one end of the table, while theircaptain took the other; and the two women, half dressed as theywere, waited on them. It was lucky for them that we were so closewhen the alarm was given, for all made a rush to get to theirhorses; only the captain stopping a moment, to let fly at Donald. "

"Did he kill him?" Reuben asked. 

"No, sir, the bullet hit him in the body, and the ladies werecrying over him when I went in, thinking he was dead. I thought so, too, but I found he was breathing. They poured some brandy down histhroat, and presently he opened his eyes; then, as there wasnothing for me to do, I thought I had best gallop on and give youthe news, for I knew that you would be anxious to know what hadtaken place. "

"Thank you, Jones, you did quite right. What an escape those poorladies have had! Another quarter of an hour, we might have been toolate, for those villains would not have kept up the farce long. "

"No, sir, especially as they were drinking wine. The table was allcovered with bottles. "

"You did not see anything of Jim, did you?" Reuben inquired. 

"No, sir, I did not see or hear anyone stirring about the place. "

Reuben gave a loud cooey. 

"That will bring him, if he is anywhere within hearing. "

But no answering call came back. 

"I hope nothing has happened to the poor fellow, " Reuben said, after a pause. 

"He could not possibly be here by this time, " Mr. Barker said. "Theplace where he warned the shepherd must be sixty miles from here. "

"Yes, quite that; but he can run nearly as fast as a horse can go, and he would be ten miles nearer here, in a straight line, than theway the man went round to fetch me. "

As soon as it became light they followed the track, which wasplainly visible; but when they had gone half a mile further, therewas a general cry of dismay--the ground was trampled in everydirection. 

"Confound it, " Mr. Barker said, "they have done us! Do you see, they have ridden right into the middle of a large herd of cattle, and have driven them off in every direction; and have, no doubt, themselves scattered among the cattle. They may go like that forthree or four miles, and then draw off from the cattle at any spotwhere the ground is hard, and no tracks will be left; to meet againat some appointed place, maybe fifty miles away. "

"Then you don't think it's any use in pursuing them?" Reuben asked, in a tone of deep disappointment. 

"Not a bit in the world, " Mr. Barker replied decisively. "If we hada native tracker with us, he might possibly follow one horse'strack among those of all the cattle, discover where he separatesfrom them, and take up his trail; but I doubt, even then, if hewould be successful. These fellows know that a strong party is inpursuit of them, and each of them will do everything they can tothrow us off the scent. They are sure not to go straight to theirplace of meeting, but each will take circuitous routes, and willmake for thick bush, where it will be next to impossible for even anative to follow them. No, they have done us, this time. "

"Well, gentlemen, I hope you will all wait as long as you can atthe station here. If my boy has not been shot by those scoundrels, he is sure to find his way here; and will be able, in allprobability, to set us on the right track. 

"At any rate, though the bush rangers have given us the slip, wemay congratulate ourselves on our morning's work. We have at leastsaved those poor ladies. "

So saying, Reuben turned and, with the party, rode slowly back tothe station. On arriving there, they dismounted and unsaddled theirhorses, and turned them into a paddock close to the house, to feed. Reuben and Mr. Barker then went up to the house. The constable whohad been left behind came out. 

"Well, Wilkins, how is Mr. Donald, and how are the ladies?"

"He is sensible now, sir; but I don't think there's much chance forhim. "

"We ought to get a surgeon, at once, " Reuben said. 

"Who is the nearest, Mr. Barker?"

"The nearest is Ruskin. "

"Is there no one nearer than that?" Reuben asked. "Why, he livesabout halfway between where I was sleeping last night, and my ownplace. It must be seventy miles away. "

"He's the nearest, " Mr. Barker said; "take my word for it. "

"I'll tell you what will be the best plan, " Reuben's host of thenight before said. "I will ride at once to Mr. Barker's and, if hewill let me get a fresh horse there, I will gallop straight back tomy place, and will send a man off the moment I arrive there tofetch Ruskin. 

"It is only eight o'clock now. I can be home before noon, and myman will do the next stage in a little over four hours. If he findsRuskin in, he can get to my place by ten o'clock at night, and canstart again at daybreak; so by eleven o'clock tomorrow he can behere. If he isn't here by that time, it will be because he was outwhen my man got there. At any rate, he is sure to start directly hegets the message. "

"That will be the best plan, " Reuben agreed; "and I am sure theladies will be greatly obliged to you, when I tell them what youhave undertaken. "

"Oh, that's nothing, " the settler said. "We don't think much of aseventy miles' ride, here. "

Without any further delay, the settler saddled his horse and wentoff at a gallop towards Mr. Barker's, where he was to get a freshmount. 

"And now, how are the ladies, Wilkins?"

"They are keeping up bravely, sir. I think, as far as they areconcerned, Donald's being hit has done them good. It has given themsomething to do, and they have not had time to think about whatthey have gone through, and what a narrow escape they have had. "

"Which room are they in, Wilkins?"

"In there to the left, sir. "

"As you have seen them, Wilkins, you had better go in and tell themthat we have sent off, at once, to fetch a surgeon; and that theymay rely upon his being here some time tomorrow, we hope beforenoon. Ask if there is anything that we can do for them, or for Mr. Donald. "

The policeman went in, and Reuben called one of his other men. 

"Perkins, do you, Jones, and Rider go in and fetch out the bodiesof the men who have been killed. Don't make more noise than you canhelp about it. Carry them out to that shed there, and then get abucket and wash down the floors, wherever there are bloodstainsabout. I want to have the place straight, so that those poor ladiesmay avoid seeing anything to recall the scene they have passedthrough. Of course, you won't go into the room where they are now. "

Three or four of the settlers at once volunteered to set to work todig a grave. 

"Choose a place a bit away from the house, " one of them said. "Thefarther, the better; it will remind them of this affair, wheneverthey see it. "

While Reuben was arranging this point, the constable had come outand told Mr. Barker the ladies would be glad to see him. 

"It's a terrible business, " the settler said to Reuben, as heturned to go into the house. "I feel downright afraid of facingthem. To think how bright and pretty they looked, when I rode overhere ten days ago; and now there they are, broken hearted. "

He returned in a few minutes. 

"How is Donald?" was the general question. 

"He is hard hit, " the settler said, "just under the ribs on theright-hand side. I expect the fellow aimed at his head, but he wasstarting from his seat at the moment. He isn't in much pain. I havetold them they must keep him perfectly quiet, and not let him movetill the surgeon comes. 

"They have asked me to see about everything. It's better we shouldnot be going in and out of the house, as he must be kept perfectlyquiet; so I think we had better establish ourselves under that bigtree over there. There are some sheep half a mile over that rise, if two of you will go over, kill one and fetch it in. If you willlight a fire under that tree, I will hand out from the house flour, tea, sugar, and some cooking things. "

There was a general murmur of approval, for all felt silent andawed at being so close to the house of death and sorrow. Two mengot their horses, and rode off to fetch the sheep. The otherscarried the various articles requisite up to the place fixed forthe bivouac, while Wilkins was installed in the house, to assist inanything that might be required there. 

"The poor things told me to tell you, captain, how grateful theyfelt to you for the exertions you have made. I told them how it waswe came to be here; and how you had ridden, when you got the news, to be here in time. Mrs. Donald did not say much, poor thing, sheseemed half dazed; but her sister, who seems wonderfully cool andcollected, quite realized what they had escaped; and there's many ayoung fellow who would give a good deal, to win that look ofgratitude she gave me when she said:

"'I shall never forget what I owe you all. '

"I am just going to send off one of my men, to fetch my wife overhere. It will be a comfort to the two girls, for they are littlemore, to have a woman with them. "

"There's nothing to be done for Donald, I suppose?" Reuben asked. 

"Nothing. The wound is hardly bleeding at all. I told them that, asfar as I knew, the best thing was to keep on it a flannel dipped inwarm water, and wrung out; and that they should give him a littlebroth, or weak brandy and water, whenever he seemed faint. Mysurgery does not go beyond that. If it had been a smashed finger, or a cut with an axe, or even a broken limb, I might have been somegood; for I have seen plenty of accidents of all kinds, since Icame out twenty years ago, but a bullet wound in the body is beyondme, altogether. "

After the meal was cooked and eaten, there was a consultation as towhat had best be done next. Two or three of the settlers who weremarried men said that they would go home, as their wives would beanxious about them. The rest agreed to stop for, at any rate, another day. 

Mr. Barker had found out from Mrs. Donald's sister the direction inwhich the sheep and cattle were grazing, and two or three of theparty rode off to tell the shepherds and herdsmen--for there werethree men on the farm, in addition to those who had beenkilled--what had happened; and to tell them that they had betterbring the sheep and cattle up to within a mile or so of the house, and come in themselves for their stores, when required. 

A grave was now dug, and the three men buried. In the afternoonMrs. Barker arrived, and at once took charge of the affairs of thehouse. In the evening Mr. Barker came up to the fire round whichthe men were sitting. 

"Will you come down to the house, Captain Whitney? The ladies haveexpressed a wish to see you. They want to thank you for what youhave done. "

"There is nothing to thank about, " Reuben said. "I only did my dutyas a police officer, and am disgusted at those scoundrels havinggot away. I have done all I could, since I arrived; but I can'thelp feeling, being in command of the force here, that we are tosome extent to blame for these fellows carrying on, as they havedone for months, without being caught. "

"I think you had better come down, Whitney, " Mr. Barker said. "There is something bright and hopeful about you, and I think thata talk with you might cheer the poor things up a bit. When peopleare in the state they are, they seem to turn to everyone for agleam of hope, and comfort. "

"Oh, if you think I can do any good, of course I will go; though Iwould rather stop here, by a good way. "

So saying, Reuben went down with Mr. Barker to the house. A ladymet them at the door. 

"Arthur has just dozed off, " she whispered. "Mrs. Barker is sittingby him. She insisted on our coming out. Will you come in here?"

As silently as possible, the two men followed her into the kitchen, and closed the door after them. The fire was blazing brightly, Wilkins having piled on some fresh logs before going out to smoke apipe. Mrs. Donald was sitting in a dejected attitude, by its right, when her sister entered with Mr. Barker and Reuben. She rose and, coming towards Reuben, said:

"How can we thank you, sir, for the exertions you have made, andfor having saved us from I dare not think what fate? As long as welive, my sister and I will bless you. "

"I can assure you, Mrs. Donald, " Reuben said, "that I have donenothing but my duty, and I only regret that we did not arrive halfan hour earlier. "

"Ah, if you had!" Mrs. Donald said. "But there--we must notrepine--even in my sorrow, I feel how much we have to be thankfulfor. "

"Yes, indeed, " her sister said, "we have truly reason to begrateful. "

As she spoke, Reuben looked at her more and more intently. He hadstarted when she first spoke, outside the house. 

"Good heavens!" he exclaimed, "is it possible, or am I dreaming?Surely you are Miss Kate Ellison?"

"Certainly I am, " she said in surprise, at his tone; "but I don'tthink--I don't remember--why, surely it is not Reuben Whitney?"

Chapter 15: At Donald's. 

It is difficult to say whether Kate Ellison, or Reuben Whitney wasthe most surprised at this unexpected meeting. The former, indeed, was aware that Reuben had come out to Australia; but that the boy, whose cause she had championed, should now stand before her as theofficer, to whose energy and activity she and her sister owed somuch, seemed almost incredible. 

But the surprise of Reuben was at least equal to that which shefelt. He could scarcely credit the evidence of his senses, atseeing before him the young lady whom he had believed to bethousands of miles away, in England. As is usual in these cases, the girl was the first to recover from her surprise. 

"And it is to you we owe so much!" she said, holding out her hand. "Mr. Barker spoke of our preserver as Captain Whitney; but somehowit never, for a moment, occurred to me to connect the name withyou. 

"Is it not extraordinary, Alice?" she said, turning to her sister. 

"The surprise to me is even greater than to you, Miss Ellison, "Reuben said. "Mr. Barker always spoke of Mrs. Donald and hersister, and I had not the least idea that you were in the colony. My mother wrote to me, a year ago, telling me of the changes whichhave taken place; but although she said that you had left Tipping, she said nothing about your coming out here. "

Reuben had, in fact, been much disturbed in his mind, a yearpreviously, by hearing from his mother that Mr. Ellison had diedsuddenly. He had, it seemed, lost a large sum of money, from thefailure of a bank in which he was a shareholder, and the blow hadkilled him. The estate was, when Mrs. Whitney wrote, for sale. 

Reuben had written back, begging his mother to send him allparticulars that she could gather; but communication betweenAustralia and England was in those days very slow, and no answerhad yet been received. Another letter had, indeed, told him thatthe estate had been sold. Mrs. Ellison, he knew, had died a fewweeks after he had left England. 

"It is very simple, " Kate Ellison said quietly; "although of courseit seems so strange to you, our being here. My sister was engagedto Mr. Donald before papa's death and, as you know, almosteverything went owing to that bank; and as I had no reason forstaying in England, I came out here with them. "

Reuben subsequently learned that Mr. Ellison had disapproved of theengagement of his daughter with Mr. Donald, who was the younger sonof a neighbouring squire. When, after his death, Mr. Ellison'saffairs were wound up, it was found that there remained only thesix thousand pounds, which his wife had brought him, to be dividedbetween her daughters. Mr. Donald possessed no capital, and had noprospects at home. He and Alice were quietly married, three monthsafter her father's death, and had sailed a week later for New SouthWales; where, as land could be taken up at a nominal price, it wasthought that her little fortune would be ample to start themcomfortably. All this, however, Reuben did not learn until sometime later. 

After chatting for a short time, he returned to the camp fire. 

"This is very awkward, Mr. Barker, " Mrs. Donald said; "do you knowthat Captain Whitney was, at one time, gardener's boy to ourfather?"

"Oh, Alice!" her sister exclaimed, "what difference can that make?"

"It seems to me, " Mrs. Donald said, "that it makes a very greatdifference. You know mamma never thought well of him, and it isvery awkward, now, finding him here in such a position; especiallyas he has laid us under an obligation to him. 

"Do you not think so, Mr. Barker?"

"I do not pretend to know anything about such matters, Mrs. Donald, " Mr. Barker said bluntly; "and I shouldn't have thought itcould have made any difference to you, what the man was who hadsaved you from such a fate as would have befallen you, had it notbeen for his energy. I can only say that Captain Whitney is agentleman with whom anyone here, or in the old country, would beglad to associate. I may say that when he came here, three or fourmonths ago, my friend Mr. Hudson--one of the leading men in thecolony--wrote to me, saying that Captain Whitney was one of hismost intimate friends, that he was in every respect a good fellow, and that he himself was under a lifelong obligation to him; for hehad, at the risk of his life, when on the way out, saved that ofhis daughter when she was attacked by a mad Malay at the Cape. 

"More than that, I did not inquire. It was nothing to me whether hewas born a prince, or a peasant. "

Mrs. Donald coloured hotly, at the implied reproof of Mr. Barker'swords. She had always shared her mother's prejudices against ReubenWhitney, and she had not been long enough, in the colony, to becomeaccustomed to the changes of position which are there so frequent. 

"You do not understand, Mr. Barker, " she said pettishly. "It wasnot only that he was a boy employed in the family. There were othercircumstances--"

"Oh, Alice!" Kate broke out, "how can you speak of such things?Here are we at present, owing more than our lives to this man, andyou are going now to damage him by raking up that miserable oldstory. 

"Mr. Barker, " she said impulsively, "my father, one of the mostjust, as well as one of the most kind of men, had the highestopinion of Reuben Whitney; believe me, there was nothing in thecircumstances to which Alice alludes which could cast the slightestslur upon his character. "

"I feel certain of that, my dear young lady, " Mr. Barker said, "even without your assurance. Your sister is shaken by the eventsof the day, and no wonder; and I am quite sure that when she thinksthis matter over she will see that, whatever her preconceived ideasmay be, it would be most ungrateful and ungenerous to breathe asingle word in disparagement of Captain Whitney. "

So saying, he turned on his heel and left the room; and Kate, wishing to avoid further words on the matter with her sister, followed his example. 

Mrs. Donald's reflections were not pleasant. She felt that Mr. Barker's reproof was well deserved, and that she had actedungratefully and ungenerously. As a rule, Mr. Ellison's elderdaughter was by no means of an unkind disposition; but she wasessentially her mother's child. 

The question of Reuben Whitney had been one which had caused moreserious dissension, between her father and mother, than any sheever remembered. She had taken her mother's view of the case, whileKate had agreed with her father; and although the subject had beendropped, by mutual consent, it had been a very sore one; and at thesight of Reuben, the remembrance of the old unpleasantness hadcaused her to play a part which she could not but feel was mean andunworthy. She felt angry at herself--angry with Mr. Barker, withher sister, and with Reuben. 

She was standing there, with her lips pressed together as shethought over the matter, when Mrs. Barker came into the room. 

"He is awake now, my dear. Perhaps you had better go in to him. "

Then she dismissed from her mind the events of the last fewminutes, and went in to take her place by the side of her husband. But as, during the long hours of the night, she sat there andthought over what had passed since the preceding evening, thethought of how much she owed to Reuben Whitney was uppermost in hermind; and when in the morning Mrs. Barker relieved her, she wentinto the other room, where Mr. Barker and Kate were about to sitdown to breakfast, and said:

"Mr. Barker, I thank you for what you said to me last night. Youwere right and I was wrong. I was ungrateful, and ungenerous. I canonly say that it was a very sore subject, and that in my surprise Ithought of the past, and not the present. Believe me, I am verysorry for what I said. "

"That is quite enough, Mrs. Donald, " Mr. Barker said heartily. "Iam very glad you have said what you have. I was sure that youwould, upon reflection, feel that whatever the old grievance mighthave been, it could not weigh an instant against what you owe tothat young fellow now. Let us say no more on the subject. You wereshaken and not yourself, and I was wrong in taking you up sosharply, under the circumstances. "

Kate said nothing, but her face showed that she was greatly pleasedat her sister's change of tone. 

"What is going to be done, Mr. Barker?" Mrs. Donald asked. "Ofcourse, the friends who came to our rescue cannot stay here; andthere is no chance of my husband being moved, for a long time. "

"I am afraid not, indeed, " Mr. Barker said. "Most of them willleave this afternoon, in time to get back to their stationstonight. 

"I have been speaking with Captain Whitney, and he says that hewith his men will certainly stay here, for the present. He sentoff a messenger, last night, for six more of his men to join himhere; for he still hopes to get news from his native boy, which mayset him on the tracks of the bush rangers. You need, however, beunder no alarm; for I think there is no chance, whatever, of thebush rangers returning. 

"By the way, Whitney would like to speak to you, after breakfast. He wants you to give him as minute a description as you can of thefellows you saw. We have already descriptions of four or five ofthem, given by men whom they have stuck up; but the band must haveincreased lately, and any particulars might be useful. "

Reuben came round in a quarter of an hour later. Mr. Barker fetchedhim into the room where Mrs. Barker and Kate were sitting. 

"Mr. Donald is no worse, I am glad to hear, " he said, as he shookhands with the two ladies. 

"I see no change whatever, " Mrs. Barker said. "He is conscious, butdoes not speak much. He asked me, this morning, to tell you and allyour friends how deeply he feels indebted to you. "

"His thanks are due to the settlers, rather than to me, Mrs. Barker. They were volunteers, you know, while I was simply on duty. We had, however, one common interest--to get here in time to savethe station and, above all, to catch and break up this gang ofscoundrels. 

"And now, Miss Ellison, if you feel equal to it, would you kindlygive us an account of what happened? Mr. Barker said that he wouldnot ask you, yesterday; but something, perhaps, let drop by chance, might serve as an indication to us as to the direction in whichthese fellows have gone. "

"I will tell you, certainly, " the girl said, her face paling alittle; "although it is dreadful, even now, to think of. We ofcourse had no idea of attack, and had gone to bed as usual. One ofthe men was always on guard, on the outside of the house; for theseattacks made Mr. Donald nervous for the safety of my sister, andmyself. Simpson was on guard that night. Whether he went to sleepor not, I cannot say. "

"He did, Miss Ellison, " Reuben interrupted. "We found his bodyround by the end of the house. He had evidently been sitting downon a log, against the house; and had been killed by a crushing blowwith some heavy instrument, probably one of the tools they used forbreaking in. "

"The first we knew about it, " Kate went on, "was a tremendous crashdownstairs, which was followed by a continuous thundering noise. Ithink they must have burst the door in with crowbars, orsomething--that was the first noise we heard--but a strong woodenbar, inside, kept the door in its place till they battered it downwith a log. 

"I hurried on some things. Just as I had done--it was not a minute, I think, from the time I woke--Alice ran in, partly dressed, too. Ihad heard Mr. Donald shout to the men, then there was another greatcrash as the bar gave way, and then some shots were fired. 

"Mr. Donald had been standing just behind the door, and had firedthrough it the moment before it gave way. He had not time to stepback, and was knocked down by the door. It was fortunate for him, for the bush rangers rushed in and shot down the two men, instantly. 

"Alice would have run down to see what had happened to her husband, but I would not let her out of my room. She could have done nogood, and might have been shot. Then we heard them moving about thehouse, swearing and using all sorts of horrible language. Then theyshouted up to us to come down, or else they would come and fetchus; so we opened the door, and came down at once. 

"Alice gave a little cry of joy, as she entered the room and sawher husband standing unhurt, though still looking dazed andconfused from his blow. 

"The leader of the band--I suppose you have not seen him, CaptainWhitney?"

"No, indeed, " Reuben said "I would give a good deal to catch sightof him. "

"What do you know about him?"

"I only know that he is a young fellow, not much older than I ammyself. His was a life sentence. He was concerned in a burglary inthe country, in which two old ladies were killed. Two of hisaccomplices were hung for it, but in consideration of his youth, and as it was not proved that he took an absolute part in themurder, he got off with a life sentence. I heard about the casefrom Captain Wilson. 

"He came out here about a year after I did. He had not been here amonth when he killed one of the guard, and made his escape. Sincethat time he has been a scourge to the colony. Not a week haspassed without complaints of his bailing up and robbing teamsterson their way down to Sydney. He soon gathered two or three othersabout him, and his daring and impudence soon made him a notedcharacter. Several times he, with two other men, rode intogood-sized villages and, pistol in hand, went from house to house, and carried off every shilling in the place. He has ridden intolarge stores single handed, and compelled the storekeepers to handover the contents of their tills. Sometimes they bring spare horseswith them, and ride off laden with groceries and stores. He hascommitted at least a score of murders, always using his pistol atthe slightest show of opposition; and sometimes murdering, apparently, from pure love of the thing. "

"Do you know his name?" Kate asked. 

"His real name? No, I don't know that I ever heard it. He is alwaysspoken of as Fothergill. "

"I will tell you his real name, presently, " Kate said. "As mysister and I came into the kitchen, he took off his hat and made adeep bow and said:

"'Ladies, me and my mates are sorry to put you to anyinconvenience; but as we happen to be hungry, we must trouble youto get us some supper. You need not bother to make tea, wine isgood enough for us. '

"Of course, as we were in their hands there was nothing to do butto obey his orders; so we spread the cloth, and brought out whatthere was in the larder. Then we fetched in the wine, and I broughtseveral bottles of spirits; for, as I whispered to Alice, 'If theyget drunk, we may be able to get away from them. '

"Before they sat down, the captain told two of his men to goupstairs with us and fetch down our watches and jewelry, and themoney there was in the house. Mr. Donald had already told themwhere they would find that. 

"We lit four candles, and put them on the table. The captainordered Mr. Donald to sit down facing him, saying with a sort ofmock politeness that they should not really enjoy their food, unless their host took the head of the table. Several times, whilethey were eating, I saw the captain looking hard at Alice and me. Presently he said:

"'I have it now. Why, you are the Ellison girls, ain't you?'

"I was astonished, as you may suppose, but I said:

"'I am Miss Ellison, and Mrs. Donald is my sister. '

"'By Jove, who would have thought it!' he said. 'Do you know who Iam?'

"I said I didn't, although really I seemed to have some sort ofrecollection of his face. 

"'Why, ' he said, 'don't you remember Tom Thorne, whose father thesquire turned out of the public house? And to think, now, that thesquire's daughters are waiting on me. This is a piece of luck. 

"'Well, my dears, ' he went on, with a horrible grin, 'you need nottell me how you came here now, you will have plenty of time forthat. We have made up our minds to take you both with us, for it'sa horrible lonely life in the bush, without the pleasure of ladies'society. But I never dreamt that I was in for such a slice of luckas this. '

"Mr. Donald jumped from his seat as the fellow spoke, but in amoment he levelled a pistol at him and shouted:

"'Sit down or I fire. '

"Alice rushed to her husband, and pushed him down into his seat. 

"'I had rather die than go with you, ' I said to him quietly. 

"'Perhaps so, my dear, ' he replied; 'but you see, you haven't gotthe choice. '

"Then he went on taunting us about old times, and especiallyreminding me that I had got him a thrashing, over breaking theschool house window. When I went out to get them some more wine, for they wouldn't touch the spirits, I got a knife and hid it in mydress; for I made up my mind to kill myself, rather than that. 

"A little later I stole upstairs and brought down a brace ofpistols, which Mr. Donald kept under his pillow, and slipped oneinto Alice's hand. Presently they began to get noisy, and thecaptain ordered me to come and sit on his knee. Then Alice and Ishowed the pistols, and said we would shoot ourselves, if one ofthem laid a finger on us. 

"The captain muttered some order to his men, which I didn't hear;but I guessed it was to leave us alone, for the present. I had nodoubt what they intended to do was to catch us off our guard, andwrench the pistols from us; and I was glad I had the knife hiddenaway, for if they did carry us off, I was sure to be able to findsome opportunity for using that. 

"It was awful!" the girl said, putting her hand to her face. "Awfulto be standing there and hearing them laughing and shouting andcursing. I was tempted to go behind him, and shoot him suddenly;but the others would have been just as bad, and we should havegained nothing by it. I would not go through that half hour again, for all the money in the world. 

"The men had just finished and were getting up from the table, andI knew the moment was coming fast, when we heard a sudden shoutoutside. My heart gave a bound, as they rushed to the door. Thecaptain fired a shot at Mr. Donald, just as he was getting up; andas he ran out, shouted to me:

"'I will come back for you, missy. '

"If it had not been for Mr. Donald falling to the ground, I shouldhave fainted; but Alice called me as she ran to him, and I think Iwas trying to lift him up when the constable ran in, and I knew wewere saved. "

Reuben had given a sudden start, when Kate Ellison mentioned thename of Tom Thorne, but he had not interrupted her. 

"I had a score against that scoundrel before, " he said, as shefinished; "and by heavens, I will settle accounts with him when Imeet him. I could have forgiven him for the wrongs he did me; butnow--" and his fingers closed on the hilt of the pistol in hisbelt. 

Kate, who had been looking down as she told her story, raised hereyes at the tone of intense passion in the young officer's words;and a sudden flush of colour mounted into her cheeks, which werepale from the terror and excitement through which she had gone. 

"I say ditto to Captain Whitney, " Mr. Barker said. "I don't knowanything about his previous doings against him; but I know that, ifever I come across the scoundrel, I will shoot him as a dog. 

"Even you can't say anything against that, wife, though you arealways on the side of mercy. "

"No, " Mrs. Barker agreed. "I would say nothing to stay your handthere, John. Even putting this aside, he has committed a score ofmurders; and there will be no more wrong, in shooting him, thanthere would be in killing a wild beast. 

"That is the sound of a horse coming, at a gallop. Perhaps it isthe doctor. "

Hurrying to the door they found, to their great satisfaction, thatMrs. Barker's guess was verified. The surgeon had been at home whenthe messenger arrived, and had started five minutes later, arrivingthree or four hours earlier than they had even ventured to hope. 

Mrs. Barker at once led the way into the next room and, a fewminutes later, came out again for hot water and sponges. Kate hadstolen away upstairs, when the surgeon had entered the house. Thetwo men remained to hear the verdict. 

"He is going to probe the wound. He can give no opinion, yet, tillhe discovers what course it has taken; but he says that it is afavourable symptom that the pulse is so strong and regular. Hewishes you both to come in, as it will be necessary to hold hispatient's hands, while he is making the examination. "

"I cannot give any positive opinion, " the surgeon said, when he hadfinished the examination. "I can't find the ball, and I cannot tellfor certain what course it took, after entering; but I think, judging from the pulse, and I may say from the expression of hisface, that no vital part is injured. "

An exclamation of thankfulness broke from Mrs. Donald. 

"We must not be too sanguine, " Mr. Ruskin went on; "but there iscertainly strong ground for hope. I shall be able to give a moredefinite opinion, in the course of a few hours. He must, of course, be kept perfectly quiet; with no more nourishment than isabsolutely necessary, and that in the shape of beef tea. I shouldmake him a bed here. We will manage to slide a door under him, andlift him on to it, with as little movement as possible. 

"At any rate, madam, " he said, turning to Mrs. Donald, "I cancongratulate you upon the fact that the bullet did not strike acouple of inches higher. Had it done so, my ride would have been auseless one. "

A bed was at once brought from a room above and made up, and Mr. Donald was placed upon it, in the manner which Mr. Ruskin hadsuggested. Then with lightened hearts the party, with the exceptionof his wife, left the room. 

Kate and Mrs. Barker at once set to to prepare a meal for thesurgeon; while Reuben went over to give his companions the goodnews, that the surgeon had strong hopes that Mr. Donald wouldrecover. 

In the afternoon all the party, with the exception of Mr. And Mrs. Barker and the constables, rode off to their respective stations;assuring Reuben of their readiness to assemble again, at once, should he obtain news which would afford a hope that the gang couldbe traced. 

A few hours later, the other four constables for whom Reuben hadsent rode up. An outhouse was now prepared for the reception of thepolice, Reuben himself taking up his abode there, although Mrs. Donald strongly urged him to come into the house; but with Mr. AndMrs. Barker and the surgeon there, and the time of one of theladies taken up with the wounded man, Reuben thought that theirhands were perfectly full, and said that he should prefer to messand sleep with his men. 

"You see, Mrs. Donald, " he said, as she tried to induce him toalter his determination, "I shall have to be sending out men andreceiving reports, and may be obliged to ride out in the middle ofthe night; therefore, you see, as absolute quiet is ordered foryour husband, it will be far better for me to be outside the house;as the coming and going would be sure to disturb him, and he wouldnaturally want to know what is going on. "

"You will not, I hope, take all your party away in pursuit of thesemen, Captain Whitney, " she said anxiously. "They might get up somefalse alarm, to take you away, and then come down upon the houseagain. I have been too much taken up with my husband to think muchabout it; but although Kate keeps up bravely, I know that she isgreatly shaken, and terribly anxious. I don't know whether she toldyou; but it was to her, chiefly, that horrible man spoke; and itwas she he told, as he rushed out, that he would come back to fetchher. She will never have a moment's peace, or tranquillity, till wehear that he is either killed or taken. "

"Nor shall I, " Reuben said. "I do not think that the scoundrel willdare to attempt to carry out his threat to come back again; butwith so daring a villain, it would be rash to omit the smallestprecaution. You may be quite sure, Mrs. Donald, that in no casewill I leave the house unprotected; and that if I should be calledaway I will leave two men here who, during my absence, will remainin the house; and with them, Mr. Barker, and the doctor, you mayfeel perfectly assured that no open attack will be made. 

"But I cannot impress too strongly upon you that, seeing the manwith whom we have to deal, your sister should not stir outside thehouse; until we have caught him, or until Mr. Donald is so farrecovered as to be able to be removed. I will not tell her somyself; because I see that, now the strain is over, she is greatlyshaken, and I would not add to her anxiety; but if you could breakit to her, as if it were your own idea, that she had better keepwithin doors until this fellow's caught, I am sure that it will bewell. "

"You will come in this evening, I hope; and always of an evening, Captain Whitney. It will make a change, and cheer us up; besides, we want to hear all about your adventures, since we saw you last. "

This Reuben gladly promised and, after it was dark, and he hadplaced a sentry, he came into the house. Mrs. Barker was on duty inthe sick room; and Reuben, at Mrs. Donald's request, gave them anaccount of the voyage out, and of the circumstances which had ledto his entering the police. 

He would have passed very briefly over the affair at the Cape, butby many questions Mrs. Donald succeeded in eliciting from him allthe details of the story. 

"It was a gallant action, indeed, " she said warmly. "You certainlysaved the lives of those two girls, at a terrible risk of yourown. "

"To make the romance complete, Whitney, " Mr. Barker remarked, "youought to have married Miss Hudson. "

"Unfortunately, you see, " Reuben said with a smile, "in the firstplace I was only a boy, and she was two years my senior; in thenext, and much more important place, she happened to be in lovewith someone else; and I did not happen to be in love with her, though she was, I admit, a very charming young lady, and had beenextremely kind to me. "

"How was that, Whitney?" Mr. Barker asked. "Eighteen is asusceptible age. I can only account for your coldness on thesupposition that you had left your heart in England. "

"I fancy my heart was, then, where it is now, " Reuben rejoined, with a slight smile. 

"In the right place, eh, Whitney?"

"In the right place, " Reuben repeated quietly. 

At this moment Mrs. Barker entered, and said that Mr. Donald wouldbe glad if Reuben would come and sit with him, for a little time. 

"Don't let him talk much, " Mr. Ruskin said. "The less he talks, thebetter; but your talking to him, for a time, will cheer him up anddo him good. "

"I am glad to see you going on so well, Mr. Donald, " Reuben saidheartily, as he entered. "The doctor says you are not to talk much;but you are to play the part of a listener. "

"Do you think you will catch these fellows?" was Mr. Donald's firstquestion. 

"I will catch them, sooner or later, " Reuben said. "I will run themdown if they are above ground; but I can take no steps in thematter until I hear from my black boy. I have been expecting him toturn up, ever since I got here; and shall begin to be afraid thatthose scoundrels have ill treated him, if he does not turn upbefore long. "

"My wife has been telling me that they knew you at home, Whitney;and that she and her people did you some terrible injustice, somehow. But she wouldn't go into the matter. Curious, isn't it, your meeting at this end of the world; and that, too, at such amoment?"

"It is curious, " Reuben said; "what people call a coincidence. ButMrs. Donald is mistaken in telling you that her people did me aninjustice. Her father was one of the kindest friends I ever had, and although Mrs. Ellison somewhat misjudged me, and her daughternaturally shared her feeling, they were not in anyway to be blamedfor that; for they only thought as ninety-nine people out of ahundred did. "

"Whitney, Whitney, " Mr. Donald muttered to himself. "I seemed toknow the name, though I cannot recall where. 

"Ah!" he said suddenly, "of course I remember now, for I was in thecourt when--" and he stopped. 

"When I was tried, " Reuben put in quietly. "Yes, that was me. I wasacquitted, as you know, principally from the way in which Mr. Ellison stood up for me. Thank God that he never, for an instant, believed that I was guilty. "

"And to think it should be you!" Mr. Donald said. "How strangethings turn out! I remember I could not make up my mind about it. It seemed so strange, either way. "

"We had better not talk about it now, " Reuben said quietly. "I saidthen, and I say now, that I knew the people who did it and, strangeas the circumstances have already been, you may think them strangerstill, some day, if I bring one of them before you, alive or dead. "

At this moment there was a knock at the door, and Mrs. Donald camein and said that one of the constabulary wished to speak to Reuben. 

"Then I will say goodnight. I hope I shall find you getting onnicely, in the morning, Mr. Donald. 

"Will you say goodnight to Miss Ellison and Mrs. Barker for me, Mrs. Donald? And tell Mr. Barker that I shall be ready, in fiveminutes, to smoke that pipe we talked about with him, outside. "

Chapter 16: Jim's Report. 

"Jones, what is it?"

"Your black has just come, sir. I would not let him come in; forthe fact is, he ain't a figure to introduce among ladies. "

"What's the matter with him, Jones? Not hurt, I hope?"

"He has been knocked about a bit, sir; and he is done up withtravelling. The poor fellow can hardly crawl, and was half starved;so I set him to work eating, and came off to fetch you. "

By this time they had arrived at the door of the shed. Jim wassitting by a fire, eagerly devouring a hunch of cold meat. The menwere standing round, waiting till he had appeased his hunger beforethey asked any question. He looked up and nodded, when Reubenentered. 

"Well, Jim, I am glad to see you back, " Reuben said heartily. "Iwas beginning to be afraid about you. I hope you are nothurt?"--for the black had a handkerchief tied round his head. 

Jim gave a grunt, but continued stuffing great lumps of meat intohis mouth. Reuben saw that he must wait till the black's hunger wassatisfied, and stood quietly looking on until, having devoured somefive pounds of meat, he gave a sigh of contentment, and then took along draught of rum and water, which Constable Jones handed to him. 

"Jim better now, " he said. 

"That's right, Jim; now tell us all about it. "

Jim's story was a long one, and it took more than an hour in thetelling; for his English was not always distinct, and it oftenrequired much questioning, on Reuben's part, before he could quitemake out its meaning. The substance was as follows:

On leaving, some ten days before, on the mission of discovering thehaunt of the bush rangers, he knew that it was of no use to goamong the wild blacks, their allies; as the hostility against theirsemi-civilized fellows was so great that he would, at once, havebeen killed. He resolved to go back to the spot where the track hadbeen obliterated, by that of the flock of sheep; to make a widecircuit, and pick it up beyond and, if possible, follow it until hefound them. The difficulties were great, for the bush rangers hadspared no pains in hiding their trail; keeping always upon hard, high ground, and at one time getting into the bed of a runningstream, and following it for two miles before they again struck fortheir rendezvous. 

However, step by step Jim had tracked them; sometimes losing thetrail altogether, sometimes guided merely by a fresh-made scratchon the surface of a stone, or by a broken twig or bruised blade ofgrass. At last, he traced it far out into the bush, many milesbeyond the furthest range of settlements, and then he lost italtogether. There had been a halt, for some time, at this spot. 

Beyond this, Jim was entirely at fault. He made circle after circleround the spot, but could find no trace whatever of their passage, and returned to the point where he had missed the trail. He relitthe embers of the fire which the bush rangers had made, cooked somefood, and laid himself down--first to think it over, then to sleep, for it was now just the close of day. 

It was clear to him that here, more than anywhere else, the bushrangers had made a great effort to throw anyone who might bepursuing them off the trail. He had no doubt that the bush rangershad muffled their horses' hoofs with cloth, and had proceeded withthe greatest care through the bush, so as to avoid breaking asingle twig in their passage; and the only reason for such greatercaution could be that it was here, and here only, that they wishedto throw the pursuers off the trail. It would have seemed, to awhite man, that they had done this before, especially when they hadkept in the water course; but to black Jim's perception, itappeared that they had been more careless than would be expected;and that, while apparently doing their utmost to conceal theirtracks, they had really left sufficient indications to allow apractised tracker to follow them. 

Why then, now that they were far beyond the settlements, and fairlyin the country of their native allies, should they, for the firsttime, so hide their trail that he could not discover it?

The result of Jim's thoughts was that, when he awoke at daybreak, he started back towards the settlements. When he came to the riverwhich the party had passed, in pursuit of the natives, he keptalong its bank, scrutinizing the ground with the greatest care. After six miles' walking he suddenly stopped, at a point where thesoft turf near the margin was cut up by the passage of the party ofhorsemen. Here was the confirmation of his ideas. 

Arguing the matter out with himself, Jim had arrived at theconclusion that, hitherto, the trail had been a false one, the bushrangers' object being to lead their pursuers to believe that theyhad gone far out into the native country; whereas, in fact, theirhiding place was somewhere among the settlements. Should this beso, the only way to find them was to search for their back track. This he had now found and, with a shout of triumph at his owncleverness, Jim forded the river and followed the track of thehorses. 

This was now clear enough, the horsemen taking no pains whatever toconceal their traces, feeling perfectly confident that any pursuersmust now be thrown off the scent. Jim followed it till sundown, when he had made some thirty miles; and then, withdrawing somelittle distance from the tracks, he made his fire and camped forthe night. 

He was now inside the line of the outlying stations, and hadapproached to the edge of a bit of wild and broken country, whichoffered so few inducements to settlers that it had been passed byfor the better land beyond; although occasionally, when herbage wasscarce, the settlers in the neighbourhood drove the animals up tofeed among its hills. The black had no doubt that the gang, ofwhich he was in pursuit, had their haunt somewhere in the heart ofthis wild and little-known tract. 

In the morning he again started and, after travelling severalmiles, entered a narrow valley with very steep sides, with treesand brushwood growing wherever they could get a foothold. He nowadopted a careless and indifferent carriage and, although he kept asharp lookout, no one who saw him would have supposed that he hadany particular object in view. 

Presently he noticed that the tracks turned sharply off from theline he had followed, in the centre of the valley; and entered thetrees, which grew thickly here at the foot of the hills. He made nohalt, even for an instant, but walked straight on. Half a milefurther he sat down and lit his fire, and began to cook some food. He had no doubt that he was watched for, just after he passed thepoint where the track turned off, he heard a very low whistle amongthe trees. 

As he sat by the fire, he kept his back towards the direction fromwhich he had come; and when he presently heard footsteps, no changein his attitude betrayed that he was conscious of the fact thatpersons were approaching him, until two men stopped beside him. Then, with a cry as of sudden alarm, he leapt to his feet. 

"Lor' a mussy!" he exclaimed, "de white man frighten me bery much. What for dey no say dey come?"

"Who are you, nigger, and where do you come from, and what are youdoing here?"

"My name Jim, " he said; "me going tro' the country looking forplace to tend hosses. Me bery good at hosses. Me look arter dehosses ob Mr. Hudson. "

"What did you leave him for?" one of the men asked, sternly. 

"Someting lost from de house, " Jim said quietly. "Massa Hudson tinkme took it. He make bobbery, so Jim ran away and look for nodderplace. "

"Um, " the man said; "I wonder whether you are speaking the truth?If I thought you weren't, I would put a bullet through your head, in double-quick time. "

"No, sah, " Jim said in great terror; "dat de truth, sure 'nough. Jim try to get work at Sydney. Couldn't get; so start away, and askat all de stations. No one want black boy for hosses, so keep onand tink dere more chance out furder. Does massa want a boy forhoss?"

"What do you think, Bill?" the man who had spoken asked hiscompanion. "Shall we put a bullet in this fellow's head, at once, or make him useful?"

"I dussay he is a liar, " the other replied; "but then all theseblack fellows are liars, so that does not make much difference. Ablack fellow would certainly be useful for the horses, and to lookafter the fire. We can always shoot him when we have done with him. We shall soon see, by the way he handles the horses, whether he hasbeen accustomed to them. "

"All right, " the other said. "You come along with us then. "

"What wages massa pay?" Jim asked. 

"Anything you may be worth. Don't you fret about wages. "

Jim pretended to hold out for a fixed sum; but the man said, instern tones:

"Come along, we don't want no more jaw, so you had best hold yourtongue. "

No other words passed till they got back to the trees, and thenturned off where the horses had previously done so. Two minutes'walk brought them to a roughly-made shed, built against the almostperpendicular side of the hill. It was built of logs, and there wasnothing to show that it was inhabited. No smoke curled up from thechimney. The door and shutters were closed. Anyone who, passingthrough the valley, had turned among the trees and accidentallycome upon it, would have taken it for some hut erected by a woodcutter. 

One of the men knocked three times at the door, and it was at onceopened. Jim was pushed inside, the men followed him, and the doorwas shut. 

"Who have you got here?" a man, sitting by the side of a large firesome distance inside the cottage, asked angrily. 

"It's a nigger who wants work. He says he is accustomed to horsesso, as it was the choice between shooting him and bringing himhere, we thought we might as well bring him to you. It would behandy to have a fellow to look after the horses, and cut the wood, and make himself useful. If we find he is of no use, there will beno great trouble in getting rid of him. "

"That is true enough, " the other said, "and I don't think there'smuch risk about it. 

"Come here, you fellow, and let me look at you. "

Jim stepped forward towards the fire. He saw now that the hut wasbuilt against the entrance to a cave of considerable size. In thecentre was a great fire, the smoke of which probably made its wayto the surface through crevices in the rock above. Four other men, besides the one who had addressed him, were lying on sheepskinsagainst the wall. There was an opening at the further end of thecave into an inner chamber; and here Jim knew, by an occasionalsnort or an impatient pawing, the horses were stabled. 

The chief of the party asked a few more questions as to where Jimhad come from, and how he chanced to be passing through sounfrequented a country. As the black had already decided upon hisstory, the questions were answered satisfactory enough. 

"I think he's all right, " the man said, at last. "At any rate herehe is, and he's not likely to go out again. We have been talking ofgetting a black fellow, for some time; and as here is one ready tohand, we may as well make the best of him. 

"Look you here, " he went on sternly, to the black; "you come ofyour own free will, and here you have got to stop. You will have asmuch to eat as you can stuff, plenty of rum to drink, and 'bacca tosmoke; and if there's anything else you fancy, no doubt you canhave it. Only look you, if you put your foot outside that door, unless you are ordered to do so, I will put a bullet through yourblack brain. "

"All right, " Jim said. "Plenty eat, plenty drink, plenty smoke; datsuit Jim bery well. He no want to go out of de house, if massa sayno. "

"That's settled then. Now, put some more logs on that fire. "

Jim at once assumed his new duty, and the bush rangers, who allhated the slightest work, were soon well satisfied with their newacquisition. There were several carcasses of sheep, hanging fromhooks placed in the roof, where they were slowly smoked by thefumes from the wood. A pile of logs were heaped up in one corner, and these had to be cut up into sizes and lengths suitable for thefire. At one end a space was roughly partitioned off, and this wasfilled with groceries, flour, and cases of wine and spirits whichhad been taken from waggons going up country. 

In the stable were several sacks of oats; and a barrel filled withwater, which was drawn from a spring, a short distance from thehut. The first time Jim went into the stable the captainaccompanied him, and soon saw, by the black's handling of thehorses, that his account was so far accurate, and that he wasthoroughly accustomed to stable work. 

The cooking was also handed over to him, and the gang passed theirtime in sleeping, drinking, playing cards, and discussing plans ofrobbery. For the first few days a sharp watch was kept up on theblack, and the men went out themselves to chop wood, or bring inwater when it was required. After a few days, however, they relaxedtheir vigilance, and Jim gradually took these tasks also uponhimself. 

He was perfectly aware, although he pretended to be unconscious ofit, that the first few times he went out one or other of the bushrangers stole quietly after him, and watched him at work; but asnothing suspicious was observed in his conduct, this supervisionwas gradually given up. 

"It's time to be moving again, " the leader of the band said, abouta week after Jim had joined them. "We settled the next job shouldbe Donald's station. We know for certain that he generally hasmoney by him, and there will be the watches and trinkets of thewomen. That fellow Thompson, who worked for them at first, says hehas got a first-rate cellar of wine; and that the women were bothout-and-outers. If they are as pretty as he says, we will have themhere, lads, to do the housekeeping. We want something to liven usup; besides, we shall forget our company manners, if we don't getsome ladies to keep us up to the mark a little. "

There was a burst of coarse laughter. 

"What do you say, boys; shall we start tomorrow? It's a long ride, andwe had best leave about noon. We must get into the neighbourhood beforedark, so as to give the horses twelve hours' rest before we begin; forwe may have to ride for it. 

"It ain't likely. Barker's is the nearest station, and it would behours before they could get together men enough who would dare tofollow us; but still, it's just as well to be prepared, and sincethat confounded new police officer has been on the station, there'snever been no certainty about things. We owe him one for that lastaffair, which cost Smith, Wilson, and Mulready their lives; but wewill pay him out yet. Who would have thought of his being there, just on that very night? I swear, if I ever catch him, I will roasthim alive. "

"He is no fool, " one of the others said. "He gave it those blackfellows hot, and no mistake. The sooner he's put out of the way, the better. He's a different sort of chap than the last fellow. Isha'n't feel comfortable till he's got either a spear or a pistolbullet in him. "

[Illustration: Jim Notes the Bush Rangers' Plans for Mischief. ]

Jim, who was squatting in the corner, apparently half asleep, waslistening intently to every word. They did not heed his presence inthe slightest; for indeed he had, since his arrival, so mixed histalk with native words that the bush rangers had no idea that hecould follow their conversations. 

He was thinking, now, what was his best course to adopt. In thefirst place, he had gathered from their talk that this was only oneof their hiding places, and that they seldom stayed very long inone neighbourhood. The question, therefore, was whether they wouldreturn. It was of no use his going to give the alarm, unless hecould return before his escape was suspected; or they would havemade off before he could get back again. 

As for the Donalds, whose station was to be attacked, it gave himno concern whatever; for the Australian blacks had little or noregard for life, except those of people to whom they were attached. It was Reuben's mission to capture the bush rangers and, had itbeen necessary, Jim would have remained quiet while a dozenfamilies were slain, until he found an opportunity of bringing thepolice down upon them. 

He listened now, intently, for any word which might afford an indexto their intentions. Presently the question he hoped for came. 

"I suppose you will not come back here again, Tom?"

"No, I thinks it's getting too hot to hold us, in these parts. Wemight ride back here, give our horses a rest, and load up with afew things we may want. We can bring two or three spare horses fromDonald's. The weather is pleasant now, and we might very well putin a few weeks with the blacks. That last haul we made of traders'goods--cottons, and beads, and trumperies for the gins, and brassrings and such like for the men--will put them in the best ofhumours. You may be sure there will be a hot chase after us, afterthis business; and I should propose that we try our luck downsouth, for a bit. "

"I agree with you, " one of the others said. "We have had a verygood spell here, for the last ten months; and it don't do to temptluck too long. That losing three of our number, last week, lookedas if it was going to turn. "

"What's it matter?" the captain laughed. "So much the more for usto divide. We have got a goodish bit of brass, now, to say nothingof the goods we have got at each of our places. We can fill uptheir places easy enough, any time; and those who come in are freeto their share of what there is, in the way of grub and goods, butthey only share in the brass from the time they join. "

Jim had heard what he wanted, and he now lay down and thought itout. They were only coming back for a short time. Possibly theymight change their minds, and not return at all. It would be arisky thing to depend upon it; besides, his master might be blamedif this attack on the Donalds succeeded. 

It would be better, then, to try to get word to him, in time forhim to be there before the bush rangers arrived. He himself wouldreturn to the hut; so that, if the police arrived too late, hewould be able to continue with the bush rangers till some freshopportunity occurred for bringing his master upon them. It waspossible, of course, that one of the men would be left in the hut, in which case he had only to wait. 

The next morning the men busied themselves examining and cleaningtheir arms, and after dinner they went to the inner cave, and ledout their horses. 

"Now, look here, " the leader said to him, "we are going away, yousee. "

Jim nodded. 

"We come back again tomorrow. I lock this place up, you stop quiettill we come back. If anyone comes and knocks, while we away, don'tJim answer. Let them think place empty. "

"All right, " Jim said shortly, and went and sat down by the fire, as if he had no further interest in their proceedings. 

The windows, he had already noticed, had not only shutters outside;but they were firmly closed within, with massive planks, securelynailed and fastened. Jim heard the last of the party go out, andthen the door was shut, and the lock turned. Jim heard the partyride off, and then threw himself on the ground and listened, toassure himself that they kept steadily on their way. 

The moment he was sure they were gone, he began to search the placefor a tool which would fairly suit his purpose. Presently he founda large butcher's knife, with which they cut up the carcasses; andwith this he set to work to dig a hole in the ground, close to thewall of the hut. The bottom log was only sunk a few inches in thesoil, and in two hours he had burrowed under it, and made his wayout beyond; then he crept back again, scraped the earth into thehole again as tightly as he could, crawling out backwards. He thenplaced a piece of turf over the outside hole, and stamped it downflat. 

It was possible that, after he had started, they might change theirmind and send one of their number back again; that, however, had tobe risked, and at a steady run he set off for the settlements. Hedid not make for the nearest; for he had gathered, from the talk ofthe men, that the convict labourers of most of the settlements inthe neighbourhood were in league with them. 

After three hours' steady running, in which he had covered overtwenty miles, he saw a shepherd's cottage and, making for it, gavethe man the message which he had taken to Reuben. He had no soonerdone so, and had found that the man was willing to set off with itat once, than he turned and retraced his steps to the hut, asrapidly as he had come. It was already dusk when he reached it. 

Instead of approaching boldly, he made a circuit and crawled up toit on his belly; and lay for some time, listening intently, withhis ear to the door. He felt convinced that no one was there; butto make sure he knocked, and then withdrew among the trees. But allwas still and, feeling sure now that the place was untenanted, heremoved the piece of turf from the hole and made his way back intothe hut again; carefully replacing the piece of turf, and thenpacking earth under it, so that it would not give way if troddenupon. This, however, was a very unlikely occurrence, as he had madethe opening where some bushes screened it from view. 

He swept up every scrap of soil from the floor inside, filled upthe hole there and trampled it down; and then, after indulging hisappetite to the fullest, threw himself down and went to sleep. 

When he awoke, a few streaks of light streaming through the cracksof the door showed that it was day; and he made up the fire, andawaited the return of the bush rangers. 

It was four or five hours before they returned, and the instantthey opened the door and entered, Jim was sure that they hadfailed; but to his disappointment all were there, and his plan oftaking them in a trap had not succeeded. At this he was notsurprised; for his own calculations, as to the distance to betraversed, had shown him that it was very questionable whether, even under the most favourable circumstances, Reuben could have gotthere in time with his men. 

Without speaking a word to him, the men led their horses through tothe inner cave, and then threw themselves down by the fire. Jim atonce proceeded to unsaddle the horses, and rub them down; keepingan ear open, all the time, to what was being said by the bushrangers. Their remarks however were, for a time, confined toterrible curses as to their luck. 

"How did it come about, that's what I want to know?" the leadersaid. "This is the second time that accursed police fellow hasturned up, and put a spoke in our wheel. Why, it was not more thanhalf an hour after the first shot was fired before they was downupon us; there must have been pretty nigh twenty of them. How couldthey have got such a lot of men as that together, if they hadn'tknown that we were coming? It beats me altogether. "

"So it does me!" was the general exclamation. 

"They seemed regularly to jump out of the ground, just when all wasgoing pleasant. Never knew such a bit of luck--that is, if it wasluck, and not done o' purpose--and yet, I don't see as they couldhave known, possible, as we was going there. Why, we didn't knowourselves till yesterday, not what day it was to be; and exceptourselves, and that black fellow, no one could have known it. "

"Well, it's certain none of us blabbed; and I don't see as how hecould have told anyone. "

"Not exactly, " the leader said, "considering he's been shut uphere, ever since we have been away; besides, I don't believe heknew anything about it. He don't make out half we say to him and, when we are talking together, he minds us no more than if he hadbeen a black monkey; but if he did, it's no odds, he could not havepassed through these walls and back again; and if he could, who washe to tell it to? The men round here are all our pals, and wouldhave cut his jaw short with a bullet. But there, it's no usetalking about it, he's not been out, and there's an end of it. 

"Still, it beats me altogether. That police fellow seems to knowwhat we are up to, just as well as we do ourselves. I would giveall my share of the swag we have made, for the last six months, fora shot at him. "

"I don't like it, " one of the others said, "I don't; blest if I do;and I says as the sooner we are out of here, the better. Afterwhat's happened, I sha'n't feel safe till I am well out in theblacks' country. If he knows what we are going to do, there ain'tany reasons why he shouldn't know where we are. "

"Why, Johnson, " his leader sneered, "you don't really believe thefellow's a sort of conjurer, do you?"

"I don't know, " the man said doggedly. "After he has turned uptwice as he has, I shouldn't be surprised at nothing--not if Iheard the sound of him and his men galloping up outside, now. "

There was a moment's silence, as each involuntarily listened. 

"We are getting to be like a pack of gals, " the leader saidsavagely, "and I agree with you, the sooner we are out of this, thebetter. As soon as it gets dark, we will be on the move; but I tellyou, directly we get out among the blacks, I shall come back again. I am going to carry off that gal, somehow. I've owed her one foryears and years, and I always pays my debts--at least, that sort ofdebt. 

"Now then, you black, just leave them horses for the present, andcome and cook us some food; the quicker, the better. "

Jim hurried about, but in the bush rangers' present state oftemper, nothing would satisfy them; and when, in his hurry tosatisfy their angry orders, he stumbled and upset a glass ofspirits and water he was handing to the captain, the latter caughtup a brand from the fire; and struck him so violent a blow on thetemple, with the glowing end, that he fell senseless on the ground. 

He must have lain there a long time. He was brought to his sensesby a bucket of water being dashed over him; and he found, when hestaggered to his feet, that the band were preparing to depart. Theyhad already packed up the bales of presents for the blacks, andplaced them on the horses. Some of their more valuable belongingswere packed away in a secret hiding place, the rest were left totake their chance till they returned; and indeed, except by theirfriends among the shepherds, there was little probability of anyonepaying a visit to the hut, however long their absence might be. 

Had it not been that Jim had proved himself a really useful fellow, for the last week, they would have shot him at once and tossed hisbody in the wood; but they found it so pleasant, having all theirwork taken off their hands, that after a short discussion theydecided to take him with them. 

The door was locked, and they started at a trot; but evening wasclosing in, their horses had already performed two long journeys inthe last twenty-four hours, and they soon settled into a walk. Theytravelled for some hours and, it being then evident that the horsescould proceed no further, a halt was called. No fire was lighted, for they were scarcely beyond the settlements and, for aught theycould tell, an active search might still be carried on for them. 

So anxious were they, that they agreed to keep watch by turns; butwhen morning broke, it was discovered that the black was missing. The next quarter of an hour was spent in angry recriminations; butas none could say in whose watch he made his escape, their quarrelceased. 

"It's no use bothering about it, " the leader said. "There's onething, he knows nothing, and can tell nothing against us. He mayguess what he likes, but people don't waste time in listening toblack fellows' stories. I expect he has only given us the slipbecause of that lick across the head I gave him, last night. Iadmit I was a fool to do it, but I wasn't in the best of tempers. 

"However, if the worst comes to the worst, he can only lead them tothe hut; and they won't find much worth taking, there. When we onceget out to the blacks, we can snap our fingers at them. "

It was, indeed, about midnight when Jim had stolen away. He wasstill faint and giddy, and his face was terribly burned by the blowwhich had been dealt him; but when once fairly away from the bushrangers, he set out in the direction in which he knew the Donalds'station lay; and never halted until he arrived there, on thefollowing evening, utterly wearied and worn out, for he had eatennothing on the previous day. 

"Then they have got away after all, Jim, " Reuben said, when he hadlistened patiently to the long narration. "You have done all thatwas possible, Jim. You have done splendidly, my poor fellow, andalthough we were just too late to catch the bush rangers, we savedthe people here; but it is indeed unfortunate that they should havegot off. "

"Jim knows where dey hab gone, " the black said. "Dey hab gone to decountry of Bobitu--I heard dem say de name. Jim know dat countrywell--he come from der. "

Further question showed that Jim had, indeed, belonged to Bobitu'stribe; and had come with a party of his people down to thesettlements, where he was taken ill and left to die, but was pickedup and nursed by Mr. Hudson. 

"And you could take us there?"

Jim nodded. 

"Bery long march, massa. Tree days, with horses. Plenty bad people;much fight. "

"I don't care how far it is, or how much fighting we have got todo; I am bound to hunt down that fellow, however far he's gone. Isuppose there is no trouble about water. If they can go there, wecan. "

"Four, six water holes, " Jim said. "No trouble about dat--troublefrom de black fellow. "

"Well, we must risk it, anyhow. We can't start for a day or two. Imust send and fetch up all the police, and I daresay some of thecolonists will join. The news of this business here has maddenedeveryone, and as it is not likely that the blacks will give anytrouble for some time, and as we know the bush rangers have leftfor the present, no one need be afraid of leaving their station fora week or two. "

The next day mounted messengers were sent off in all directions, giving notice that the police would start, in three days' time, fora hunt after the bush rangers; and that there was, this time, everyprospect of success, as their hiding place was known. 

On the day named, no less than thirty settlers assembled; togetherwith the whole of the police force. All were well armed, and hadbrought several days' provisions with them. Mr. Donald had mademarked progress, and the surgeon had now every hopes of hisrecovery; but as he could not be moved, and it was just possiblethe bush ranger might return to carry out his threat, during theirabsence, two constables were left in the house; and Kate wascharged, on no account, to put her foot outside the door. 

Chapter 17: In Pursuit. 

The last thing before the party started, Reuben went into thehouse. Mr. Barker was going to remain behind. He was past middlelife, and the expedition was likely to be a very toilsome one; andReuben was glad when he said that he thought six days' severeriding would be rather too much for him, and that he shouldconstitute himself the guardian of the ladies. 

"My wife has arranged to stay here, while you are away; so I shallride over to my place and see that all is going on straight, everyday, and sleep here at night. "

"Well, ladies, " Reuben said, as he entered the room, "we are justoff. So I will say goodbye to you; and I hope that, on my return, Ishall find Mr. Donald much better. I am sure that Mr. Ruskin wouldnot have left, this morning, unless he felt that he had quiteturned the corner. Pray take care of yourselves, while we are away. You know I don't want to alarm you, but pray be careful. I shallnot feel comfortable, as to your safety, till I have that villainsafely in my hands. "

"Goodbye, Captain Whitney. You know you have all our best wishes, "Mrs. Barker said. "We will take care of ourselves, till we hearthat you have destroyed the band; and above all, its leader. "

"The news that you have done so, " Mrs. Donald said, "will do more, I think, for my husband, than anything in the way of doctoring. Buttake care of yourself, Captain Whitney. I know from what Mr. Barkersaid that, although you make light of your expedition, it is adangerous one. He said the police had never ventured so far in thebush, and you may expect sharp fighting with the blacks. "

"We may have a brush with them, " Reuben said lightly; "but do notbe anxious about us. We are a very strong party, and you need haveno fear of the result. 

"Goodbye, Miss Ellison; pray be careful till I return. "

The last words were said in an undertone, as he held her hand. 

"Goodbye, Captain Whitney, " she said. "God bless you all, and bringyou safely back. "

Two minutes later, the party rode off. Jim was, like the rest, mounted, as they would travel fast. Four led horses carriedprovisions; for they would not, as before, find food by the way. Itwas two o'clock in the day when they started, and they rode thirtymiles before they halted, for the night, at a water hole. They hadseen no signs of natives during the day, but Reuben at once postedfour men as sentries. 

It was a merry party round the fire, for all were in high spiritsat the prospect of an expedition to a point far beyond that towhich any white men, with the exception of fugitives from justice, had penetrated; and they were delighted with the thought of puttinga stop, at last, to the operations of the band who had so long beena scourge to the settlement. 

Mr. Blount, Dick Caister, and several others who had formed part ofthe last expedition were of the party; and the confidence whichthese felt in their young leader, and in the sagacity of his nativefollower, communicated itself to those who had not formed part ofthe previous expedition. 

"Must start early, " Jim said to Reuben, the last thing. "Long wayto water. Ride all day, not get dere before dark. "

They rode rapidly for some time, after starting, so as to allow thehorses to take it easily, during the heat of the day, when therewas a halt of three hours; but in the afternoon they quickenedtheir pace again, and men and horses were jaded and done up when, just as the sun was setting, they arrived at their destination. 

"How that black fellow of yours finds his way through this bush isa perfect marvel to me, " Dick Caister said. "The country has becomemore undulating, this afternoon; but the first thirty miles werealmost perfectly level, and I could see nothing, whatever, thatcould serve as an index, except of course the sun. Still, that isonly a guide as to the general direction. It must have been nine orten years since that fellow was here, and yet he led us as straightas if he was making for a church steeple. "

"It seems to be a sort of instinct, " Reuben said, "althoughpossibly, for the last part of the distance, he may have seen signsof the passage of the natives. As far as I can understand, he tellsme at this time of year there is no other water hole, within a longdistance; so that naturally there will be many natives making forit. I am glad there are not any of them here, now. 

"Why isn't that horse hobbled like the rest?" Reuben askedsuddenly. "Whose is it?"

"That is the one your black fellow rode, sir, " Sergeant O'Connorsaid. 

"Jim, where are you?" Reuben called, but no reply came. 

"What has become of him, I wonder?" Reuben said. "Has anyone seenhim, since we rode up?"

"He jumped off, the instant we came here, " one of the policemenreplied; "and said to me, 'Look after captain horse, ' and I haven'tseen anything of him since. "

"There has been somebody here, sir, " another policeman said, comingup. "Here's the remains of a fire, behind this bush. "

"Yes, " Mr. Blount said, examining them, and pulling out a brandthat was still glowing. "Do you see, a lot of sand has been thrownover it. Whoever was here must have seen us coming, and tried toextinguish the fire when they caught sight of us. "

"That is most unfortunate, " Reuben said. "The fellows must havemade off, to carry the news of our coming to their friends. However, it's too late to do anything now. It's already gettingdark, and they must have got a quarter of an hour's start. We havetaken quite enough out of the horses, and can do no more with them, if they have to travel tomorrow; but I would give a year's pay ifthis hadn't happened. 

"Well, there's nothing to do for it but to light our fires, andcamp. "

The knowledge that they had been seen, and that the news would becarried to those of whom they were in search, acted as a greatdamper on the spirits of the party; and the camp was much morequiet and subdued than it had been, on the previous evening. 

"All is not quite lost, " Reuben said when, two hours later, hefound that Jim was still absent from the camp. "I can only accountfor his stealing away from us, in that manner, by supposing that hemust either have caught sight of the natives, or come upon theirtrail; and at once set off in pursuit. I don't see what it couldbe, otherwise. "

"But if he saw them, why didn't he tell you, Whitney?" Mr. Blountsaid. "Tired as our horses were, they could have got up a gallopfor a bit. "

"Yes, but for a very short distance, " Dick Caister put in; "and asit was getting dusk, if the blacks had had anything like a start, we could not have overtaken them before it had got quite dark. Those blacks can run like the wind. It takes a well-mounted man toovertake them. "

An hour after the party had lain down, one of the sentrieschallenged; and the answer which came back, "All right, me Jim, " atonce brought everyone to their feet. 

"Well, Jim, what is it? Where have you been?" Reuben asked. 

"Jim hungry. "

"That you may be quite sure, " Dick Caister said, with a laugh. "Wasthere ever a native who wasn't hungry; unless he had stuffedhimself, half an hour before?"

"Yes, I kept some supper for you, Jim, " Reuben said; "but beforeyou begin to eat, just tell me if everything is all right. "

"Everyting all right, " Jim said, squatting himself beside the stillglowing fire, and beginning to eat. 

Reuben knew, by experience, that it was of no use questioning himuntil he had finished; and he therefore waited patiently, althoughone or two of the settlers grumbled at being kept waiting for thenews. When Jim had finished his meal, he looked round. Reuben knewwhat he was expecting, and handed him a hornful of rum and water. The black took a draught; and then, without any further delay, began to tell his story. 

He had, while still some distance from the halting place, seen alight smoke coming up, and was sure that a party was already there. 

"But why did you not tell us, Jim?" Reuben interrupted. "We mighthave galloped on, and caught them. "

"No, sah, no catch dem; horses too tired, black fellow run away, when see white men coming. Dat no do at all. Only one way to do. Let 'em tink dat no one saw dem, else dey run and run, all de wayto Bobitu. 

"When get near camp, Jim see dat smoke not come up, know de blackfellow see white man and put out um fire. When Jim come here hejump off hoss, find fire, and follow de track. Dey four men; one goone way, one go anoder, two men go straight on. Dey go on to tellBobitu, de oders go to black fellows in de bush. Jim not care fordem, follow de two. "

"But how could you follow them, in the dark?"

"Jim were sure de way dey go, dat enough for Jim. He suppose datdey 'top after a bit; and when dey see de white men all 'top quietat de water hole, and light fire, dey tink it all right. No makehurry, perhaps 'top and light a fire demselves. 

"So Jim go on quiet for two, tree hour; den at last he see fire, sure 'nough. He crawl up quiet and see two black fellow dar, andhear what 'em say. Dey tired, make long walk today to water hole;say no hurry, white men all go sleep round fire, not go on till sunget up, so dey stop for two, tree hour to rest demselves. 

"Jim get quite close and jump up, den cut off one black fellow headwith sword, run sword through de body of other, finish 'em both, and den come back to camp. "

"Well done, indeed, Jim!" Reuben exclaimed, and a chorus ofsatisfaction rose from all the party at hearing that the men--who, had they reached the bush rangers, would have given the alarm, andso enabled them to make their escape before the expeditionarrived--had been killed. The news, however, that two of the partyhad escaped, and might bring the blacks down upon them beforemorning, necessitated an increase of precautions. 

Reuben at once divided the force into four parties, each consistingof five constables and seven settlers. One party were at onceplaced on watch, and were to be relieved in two hours' time. 

"I not tink dey come before morning, sah, " Jim said. "No water holenear here. Tomorrow plenty black fellow come. "

"All right, Jim. We don't care for them, in the daylight; and nowthat I know the bush rangers won't be alarmed, I don't mind. "

Jim's prediction proved correct. The night passed off quietly, andthe party again started at daylight. The country became more andmore broken, as they proceeded. The undulations became hills. Someof these were so steep that all had to dismount, and lead theirhorses up. 

"Is Bobitu's camp among these hills, Jim?"

"Ober toder side, sah. Him place in valley, toder side; bush, plenty game for black fellow. "

"How far is it to this valley, Jim?"

Jim's ideas of figures were but vague, and he could only say thatthey would get there somewhere about sunset. 

"That would be a bad time to get there, Jim. We must halt, a mileor two this side of them; and you must lead half the party round, so as to cut off their retreat, even if we don't attack them tillthe morning. On their fresh horses, those fellows will gallop rightaway from us, if they once get a start. 

"There is no fear, I hope, of any of the other blacks getting therebefore us, and giving the alarm?"

Jim shook his head. 

"No. We come straight from water hole. Black fellow go round longway. No fear dey get dere. Dey fight when we go back. "

"That's all right. Bobitu's fellows, and the bush rangers, will bequite enough to tackle at once. As for the others, we will makeshort work of them, if they venture to attack us on the march back. They fight pluckily enough against men on foot, because they knowthey can make off when they like; but they can't stand a charge ofhorsemen. "

Although not so long as the journey on the preceding day, the menwere heartily glad when, at about four o'clock in the afternoon, the halt was called, and they heard that the place where the bushrangers were supposed to be was but four miles away. After someconsultation, it was decided that Jim should lead half theband--consisting of ten constables under O'Connor, and fifteencolonists--round through the hills, to a position near the mouth ofthe valley in which the blacks and bush rangers were likely to be;and that, when he had posted them there, he should come back againto their present halting place, and lead forward the party underReuben. 

"Mind, " Reuben said, before the others started, "we don't want toattack the blacks, unless they show fight. Our object is the bushrangers. Jim says that, by what he heard, they have got some sortof houses they have built there. Let us make straight for them. Ifthe blacks attack, drive them off; but we can settle with them, afterwards. The great point is to capture or kill the bushrangers. "

All agreed to this, for although the blacks gave great trouble, bydriving off the sheep and cattle, and sometimes killing theshepherds, there was not the same feeling of hatred entertained forthem as for the bush rangers. It was felt to be natural that thenatives should resent the occupation of their hunting grounds; andalthough they were shot down without mercy in fair fight, or ifovertaken while carrying off cattle, there was no active feeling ofanimosity against them; and they were generally kindly treated, when they called unarmed at the stations, and asked for food. 

Against the bush rangers, on the other hand, a deadly hatred wasfelt by the colonists; and the fact that these were constantlyaided, by the ticket-of-leave labourers, increased the hostilitywith which they were regarded. 

Jim left his horse behind him, when he started with his party;saying that coming back at night, in the dark, he would rather bewithout it. After their comrades had set out, those who remainedbehind posted two men as sentries; and then, as soon as they hadcooked and eaten a meal, laid themselves down to sleep, until thetime should come for their advance. 

It was just midnight when Jim returned. He reported that he hadseen no blacks by the way, and that he believed he had posted hisparty without their being observed. He himself, instead ofreturning by the same route that he had taken them, had comestraight up the valley. 

There were, he said, two huts which had been built by the bushrangers; and these were now occupied by them. There were greatfires blazing, and he thought that the natives had probably onlyarrived there that evening. He had got near enough to find thatthey were in a high state of delight, at the presents which theirwhite friends had brought them. 

"Did you catch sight of any of the bush rangers, Jim?" Reubenasked. 

"Two ob dem came out and spoke to black fellows at fire, but toofar off to see which dey were. "

An hour before daybreak the party moved forward, and halted withinhalf a mile of the bush rangers' camp. There they stopped, tillthey could see the sunlight touch the top of the hill at theright-hand side of the valley. This was the signal agreed upon and, mounting, they rode forward at full speed. 

Just as they got within sight of the huts, they heard a wildshouting, followed instantly by the crack of rifles. Anotherminute, and they had reached the scene and joined the other party, who had made straight to the huts. The blacks, awakened suddenly asthey were sleeping round the embers of their fires, had hastilythrown a volley of spears, and had darted away among the bushes. 

"Surrender, in the queen's name!" Reuben shouted, "and I promiseyou that you shall be taken down, and have a fair trial. "

The answer came in the flash of a rifle, from the window of one ofthe huts; and a constable immediately behind Reuben fell dead, withthe ball through his head. 

"Dismount!" Reuben shouted, "and break in the doors. "

With a shout, the men threw themselves from their horses and rushedat the doors of the huts. 

"Sergeant O'Connor, " Reuben said; "do you, with six of your men, keep up a fire at the windows. Don't let a man show himself there. 

"Let ten of the others look after the horses. We shall have theblacks back, in no time. "

So saying, he ran forward and joined those who were battering atthe doors. Several of them had brought stout axes with them, andthe doors speedily gave way. There was a rush forward. 

Mr. Blount fell dead, and Dick Caister's shoulder was broken by abullet; but there was no check, as the colonists poured into thehuts. There was a short sharp fight, but in two minutes it wasover. Three of the gang had been shot, as they leapt from thewindows. Four more lay dead, or dying, in the huts. 

One of them had thrown down his arms, and shouted for mercy. He hadbeen knocked down and stunned, by the butt end of a rifle; but wasotherwise unwounded. 

Short as was the fight, it had given time to the blacks to rally. Their shouts were ringing in the air, and the spears were flyingthickly as the party, having finished their work, rushed outsideagain, to assist the constables who were guarding the horses. 

"Pour a volley into the bushes, " Reuben shouted; "then mount, andcharge them. "

The order was executed and, in a minute, the horsemen were dashinghither and thither among the bushes, shooting down with theirpistols the blacks who resisted, or dealing tremendous blows amongthem with their hunting whips. The charge was irresistible, and infive minutes the main body of the blacks were flying, at fullspeed, up the steep hillsides. 

The victors soon gathered round the huts. Several men and horseshad been wounded with spears, but none of the injuries were of aserious character. 

"Well, how about the prisoners?" Reuben asked the sergeant, who hadarrived before him. 

"There's only one prisoner, sir. All the rest are accounted for. "

"Is it their captain?"

"I don't know, sir. I have never set eyes on him; but if he's ayoung chap, as they say, it ain't him. "

"Jim, " Reuben said, "just go round and examine the bodies, and seewhich of them is the captain. "

Jim returned in a couple of minutes. 

"None of dem ain't him, sah. He not dere. "

Reuben started. 

"Are you quite sure, Jim?"

"Quite sure, sah. "

"Are you sure none of them escaped, sergeant?"

"I am quite sure of that, sir. No one came out of either of thedoors, and there were only three who tried to bolt through thewindows, and we accounted for them all. Perhaps that chap who isprisoner can tell you where to find the captain. It's a bad job, indeed, if he has escaped. "

"Is the man recovering his senses?"

"Yes, sir, he's just coming round. "

Reuben stepped into the hut. The escape of Thorne destroyed all thesatisfaction which his success would have given him. He had goodreason to know the fiendish malignity of the man and, in spite ofthe warnings he had given Kate Ellison, and his strict orders tothe police on guard, he felt a thrill of anxiety, now that he wasaware her enemy was still at large. 

The prisoner was sitting up, in a corner of the hut; a policeman, with drawn sword, standing near him. 

"Where is your leader?" Reuben asked sternly. "The man you callFothergill. "

"He went away yesterday morning, " the man said, with a grin ofsatisfaction. "You haven't caught him yet; and you will hear moreof him, before you do. "

"Where was he going?" Reuben demanded. 

"You won't get nothing out of me, " the fellow said. "He's been agood mate, and a true, and I ain't going to put you bloodhounds onhis scent. He's gone a-wooing, that's where he's gone, and thatwon't help you much. "

Reuben at once went outside, and called the settlers round him. 

"I am sorry to say, " he said, "that the leader of the party has gotaway. He rode off yesterday morning, and although the prisoner wehave taken did not say where he has gone, I have not the leastdoubt he has ridden back to the Donalds, to try and carry out histhreat to return for Miss Ellison. 

"Therefore, gentlemen, may I ask you to start homeward, at once. The horses have only done a few miles and, if we press forward, wemay manage to get to our camp of the evening before last. We haveno more to do here, except to see if there are any valuables hiddenin the huts, and set fire to them. 

"I expect that we shall have fighting with the blacks, on our wayback. Those parties the two fellows who got away went to fetchwill, likely enough, bar our way. If it were not for that, I shouldride on by myself; but my duty is to stop with my men until, at anyrate, we have passed the place where the blacks are likely toattack us. That done, I shall push on. It is annoying, indeed, tothink that that fellow must have passed us somewhere on the way, yesterday. "

The settlers agreed, at once. They all sympathized with Reuben, inhis disappointment at the escape of the leader of the bush rangers;and regretted the matter deeply, on their own account. They were, too, now that the work was done, anxious to be off; not onlybecause they wished to return to their stations, but because theyfelt that their position was a dangerous one. They had penetrated, to a distance hitherto unattempted, into the country of thenatives; and they knew that these would gather round them, likehornets, on their return march. 

Ten minutes were spent in the search of the huts. The police probedthe ground with their swords, and closely examined the walls. Theyfound, under some sheepskins in one corner, a bag containingupwards of two hundred pounds; which was doubtless the amount whichthe bush rangers had brought back with them, from their lastplundering expedition, and had not yet been added to their mainstore, wherever that might be. This, however, was a welcome find tothe police, and they abandoned the idea of searching further; andwere about to set fire to the hut, when the prisoner said:

"Lookee here! I may as well tell you where the lot is hidden. Itmay do me good, when it comes to the trial; and you may as wellhave it, as for it to lay there. You dig up the ground in front ofthat tree, behind the hut, and you will find it. "

Five minutes later a large leather bag, containing a considerablequantity of gold and notes, and a number of watches, chains, andother trinkets, was brought to light. 

"Don't stop to count the money now, " Reuben said. "Fasten it on oneof the horses, and let us be off. 

"Sergeant, let Jones ride beside the prisoner, and be responsiblefor his safety. See that his hands are tied behind him, and hisankles tied securely to stirrup leathers. Let four men take chargeof the eight horses of these bush rangers. Do you ride ahead withfour others, and keep a sharp lookout as you go. Don't press thehorses, but we must go at a smart pace, for we have a long day'smarch before us. It is fully sixty miles to the water hole where wecamped, the night before last. "

A few minutes later, the party were in motion. Althoughdisappointed at the escape of the leader of the band, they werewell satisfied with the result of the expedition, and at the smallamount of loss at which it had been accomplished. There was generalregret at the death of Mr. Blount; but two lives were considered tobe but a small loss, for the capture of so strong a body of bushrangers; who, knowing that they fought with ropes round their neck, always made a desperate resistance. 

Half the journey was accomplished without incident, and Reuben feltsatisfied that they would, at least, have no trouble with the tribethey had scattered in the morning. The speedy start that they hadmade had taken them beyond their pursuit; and if attacked, it wouldbe by other tribes. 

After an hour's halt, to feed the horses and cook some meat forthemselves, the party proceeded again. Another fifteen miles werepassed; then Reuben saw the sergeant, with the little party ahead, suddenly draw rein. He galloped forward to them. 

"What is it, sergeant?"

"I am pretty sure I saw a black fellow's head, over that rock, sir. It's a nasty piece of ground. I noticed it yesterday, as I camealong. It would be the worst place to be attacked in of any we havepassed. If the blacks are here in force, they know what they aredoing. "

Reuben examined the position. It was certainly a nasty place to beattacked in. The valley was narrow, and thickly strewn withboulders of all sizes, which had rolled down from the hillsides. Among these the bush grew thickly, and it was only down a narrowpath in the centre, formed by a winter stream, now dry, thathorsemen could pass. 

"I don't think it would do to make a bolt through that, sir, " thesergeant said, shaking his head. "We could only ride two abreastand, if they are strong, we should be riddled with spears before wegot through; and there's no charging them, among those stones andbush. "

"That is so, sergeant. We shall have to dismount, and drive themout foot by foot. There's nothing else for it. "

By this time all the party had come up, and Reuben explained tothem the situation. All at once agreed that they could do nothingon horseback, on such ground. 

The whole party therefore dismounted. The horses were tied tobushes, and the prisoner securely fastened to a tree. Then, riflein hand, they moved forward. 

The sergeant's eye had not deceived him for, as they approached thespot where the boulders and bush grew thickest, a shower of spearswas thrown, and the native cry rose shrill in the air. The partywere advancing in skirmishing order; and most of them threwthemselves down, or dodged behind rocks, as the blacks rose tothrow their spears and, a moment later, the rifles cracked out. Several of the blacks fell, and the rest disappeared among thebushes. 

"Make your way forward, steadily and carefully. Let each man watchhis neighbour, to the right and left, and keep in line as much asyou can. "

The fight now commenced in earnest, but the settlers and policegradually made their way forward. Not only had they the advantagein weapons; but the fact that they were able to fire while lyingdown, or stooping, gave them an immense advantage over the blacks;who had to expose themselves when rising to throw their spears, ortake aim with their bows. 

Several times, emboldened by their superior numbers, the blacksattempted a rush; but the heavy fire from rifle and pistol whichgreeted them, each time, sent them back in diminished numbers. Atlast the resistance became feebler, as the natives, seeing thatthey were being driven out of their shelter, began to slink off; soas not to be exposed to the fire of the white men, in thecomparatively open ground beyond. Many, however, were not quickenough, and were shot down as they scaled the steep hillside. 

The party of whites gathered, and compared notes. Many had receivedwounds more or less severe, but none of a nature to prevent themfrom continuing their journey. They quickly returned to theirhorses and, mounting, continued their way. 

"There is no fear of any farther attack, I should think, sergeant. "

"I should think not, sir. The beggars must have had enough of it. They must have lost from forty to fifty men. "

Two hours later, the party arrived at the halting place. 

"Now, sergeant, " Reuben said, "I shall hand over the command toyou; and shall ride on at once, with my boy. I am most anxiousabout the man who has escaped. I shall take four of the bushrangers' horses. They have not been ridden and, having had three orfour days' rest, are comparatively fresh. The fellow has had onlyone day's start and, if I push straight on, I may be there beforehim. "

Reuben briefly bade adieu to his friends, while Jim wastransferring the saddles to two of the bush rangers' horses and, leading two others, they started together in darkness. Changingsaddles every ten miles, they rode on till past midnight, when theyhalted; for the horses, accustomed as they were to long journeys, were now completely broken down, and Jim and his master couldscarce keep their seats. 

"Too much long, " Jim said, as he threw himself down, after takingoff the saddles and hobbling the horses; "too much long, sah. "

"It is long, Jim, " Reuben replied. "People in England would hardlybelieve horses could go a hundred miles in a day, even if led apart of the distance. Another fifty miles will take us to Donald's. It is about twenty miles to the water hole where we camped, thefirst night; and that was about thirty miles from the station. "

"Shall Jim light a fire, sah?"

"No, Jim, it isn't worth while. There is some cold meat in myhaversack, if you are hungry; but I am too tired to eat. If thereare any natives prowling about, a fire might bring them round onus. "

"No tink black fellows near, massa. "

"I don't think so either, but I don't want to run the risk, Jim;besides, I am sure neither of us can be trusted to keep watch. "

Reuben, in spite of his fatigue, was some time before he could getoff to sleep. The thought that probably Tom Thorne was, at thattime, camped at the water hole twenty miles ahead; and that, in themorning, his horse would be far fresher than those he had ridden, was maddening to him. At one time he thought of getting up, andpursuing his way on foot; but he was stiff in every limb, and feltthat the journey was beyond him. Moreover, if the bush ranger hadtaken some other line, and was not camping there, he would have nomeans of pursuing his journey. 

At the first gleam of daylight they were afoot. The saddles wereput on the horses, and they continued their way. Reuben soon found, however, that the five hours he had rested had been insufficient torestore the horses and, even by riding them alternately, he couldget them but little beyond a walk. 

On arriving at the water hole, the remains of a fire were found. Jim examined the ground carefully, and found the tracks of a horse;and was of opinion that the rider had started three or four hourspreviously. Reuben carried a large flask of spirits and, havingpoured what remained in it down the throats of the horses, andgiven them a drink at the pool, he again pressed on. 

Ten miles farther, he arrived at the first outlying station. Theowner of this had not joined in the expedition, being a marriedman, and unwilling to leave his wife in such an exposed position. But upon Reuben's arrival he at once agreed to lend him two freshhorses, and to take care of those which Reuben brought with him. 

While the settler was driving them in from the paddock, his wifebusied herself in preparing two huge bowls of bread and milk. Thesewere thankfully swallowed by Reuben and Jim and, five minuteslater, they started on the fresh horses. 

It was indeed a relief, to Reuben's anxiety, to find himself againflying over the ground at a rapid gallop, after the slow andtedious pace at which he had travelled since morning. His spiritsrose, and the fears which had oppressed him seemed lifted, as if bymagic. He assured himself that he had no cause for anxiety, forthat the two constables would assuredly be on the watch, and Katehad promised not to venture beyond the doors of the house until hisreturn. 

Chapter 18: Settling Accounts. 

Reuben soon checked the speed of his horse. Anxious as he was toarrive as soon as possible, he might, for aught he knew, yet haveoccasion to try the animal to the utmost; and he therefore reducedthe almost racing pace, at which he had started, into an ordinarysteady gallop. The horses were fresh and in good condition, and forseveral miles kept up the pace without flagging. Then they wereallowed to ease down into a walk, until they got their wind again;and then started at the pace, half canter, half gallop, which isthe usual rate of progression of the colonial horses. They drewrein at last on a slight eminence, from which the Donalds' station, a mile or so distant, could be perceived. 

"Thank God, " Reuben muttered to himself, "I am back here, at last. There is no occasion for further hurry;" and the horses wereallowed to go at an easy walk. 

"Man on horseback, " Jim suddenly said, touching Reuben's arm. 

"Where--where, Jim?"

"Gone from de house, sah, trough dem trees. Dare he go again, hegallop fast. "

Reuben had not caught sight of the figure, but he pressed his spursagainst the horse's sides. 

"I will see who it is, at any rate. Jim, do you ride straight on tothe house, and say I shall be there in a few minutes. "

As Reuben rode, at a headlong gallop, towards the point where hiscourse would probably intersect that of the horseman, riding in thedirection Jim had pointed out, he turned over rapidly, in his mind, the thought whether his anxiety for Kate Ellison was not making afool of him. Why should he turn from his course, just at the end ofa long journey, to start at full speed on the track of this figure, of which Jim had caught only a glance? It might be a stockman, orsomeone who had ridden over from one of the neighbouring stationsto see how Donald was getting on; but even so, he told himself, noharm was done by his assuring himself of that. 

It was not the way Mr. Barker would take to his station. Had itbeen a neighbour who had come over, he would not be likely to leaveagain, so early. Neither of the constables would be riding away, indefiance of his orders on no account to stir any distance from thehouse. 

Presently he caught a glimpse of the horseman. He was not more thanhalf a mile away now, but the view he obtained was so instantaneousthat he could not distinguish any particulars. 

"He is riding fast, anyhow, " he said. "Faster than a man wouldtravel, on ordinary business. He is either a messenger, sent onurgent business; or it is Thorne. "

He slightly altered the direction of his course, for the speed atwhich the horseman was travelling must take him ahead of him, atthe point where Reuben had calculated upon cutting him off. In ashort distance he would get a view of him; for the trees endedhere, and the plain was open and unbroken, save by low bush. 

When the figure came clear of the trees, he was but a quarter of amile away; and Reuben gave a start, for he recognized at once theuniform of his own corps. It could only be one of the men left atDonald's and, with an exclamation of anger, Reuben pressed hishorse to the utmost in pursuit of the man, who was now almostdirectly ahead, at the same time uttering a loud call. 

The man glanced back but, to Reuben's surprise, instead of stoppingwaved his hand above his head, and pressed forward. Two miles weretraversed before Reuben was beside him. 

"What do you mean, sir?" he thundered out. 

But the man pointed ahead. 

"He has carried off Miss Ellison, sir, and has shot Brown dead. Iwill tell you, afterwards. 

"There, do you see, sir, over that brow there?"

At the moment, Reuben saw a figure on horseback rise against theskyline, fully two miles in front. 

"Ride steadily, Smithson, " he said. "Keep me in view, and I willkeep him. We must overtake him in time, for his horse is carryingdouble. I shall push on, for I am better mounted than you are; andhe may try to double, and throw us off his traces. If anythinghappens to me don't stop for a moment, but hunt that fellow down tothe end. "

Reuben had been holding his horse somewhat in hand, during the lastmile, for he thought there must be some reason for the constable'sstrange conduct; but he now let him go and, urging him to his fullspeed, soon left the constable behind. He knew that, for somedistance ahead, the country was flat and unbroken; and that thefugitive would have no chance of concealment, whichever way heturned. 

Upon reaching the spot where he had seen the bush ranger pass, thewide plain opened before him; and he gave a shout of exultation, ashe saw that he had gained considerably. The fugitive, indeed, hadevidently not been pressing his horse. 

"He thinks he has a long journey before him, " Reuben muttered. "Ifancy he's mistaken. He thinks he's only got a constable after him, and that he can easily rid himself of him, whenever he comes up tohim. No doubt he learned from some of the convicts that everyone isaway, and therefore thinks himself safe from all pursuit, when oncehe has wiped out Smithson. All the better. I shall overtake him allthe sooner. "

Such indeed was the view of the bush ranger, who kept along at asteady canter, troubling himself very little about the solitaryconstable whom he believed to be in pursuit of him. When, indeed, on glancing round, he saw that his pursuer was within a quarter ofa mile of him, he reined in his horse and, turning, calmly awaitedhis coming. 

Reuben at once checked the speed of his horse. He knew that the manwas said to be a deadly shot with his pistol, but he was confidentin his own skill; for, with constant and assiduous practice, he hadattained a marvellous proficiency with his weapon. But he did notcare to give his foe the advantage, which a man sitting on a steadyseat possesses, over one in the saddle of a galloping horse. Hetherefore advanced only at a walk. 

The bush ranger put down the change in speed to fear, caused by hisresolute attitude, and shouted:

"Look here, constable. You had best turn your horse's head, and gohome again. You know well enough that one constable is no match forme, so you had best rein up before I put a bullet in your head. Ifyou shoot, you are just as likely to kill the young woman here, asyou are me; and you know I don't make any mistake. "

Reuben was already conscious of his disadvantage in this respect, for the bush ranger held the girl on the saddle in front of him, sothat her body completely covered his. She was enveloped in a shawl, which covered her head as well as her figure. Her captor held hertightly pressed to him with his left arm, while his right was freeto use a pistol. 

Reuben checked his horse at a distance of some fifty yards, whilehe thought over the best course to pursue. As he paused, Thorne, for the first time, noticed that it was an officer with whom he hadto deal, and not with the constable; who, as he believed, was theonly one in the district. He uttered a savage exclamation, for hefelt that this materially altered the conditions of the affair. 

"Oh, it's you, is it?" he said. "I thought it was only one of yourmen; but the advice I gave is as good, for you, as for him. Iadvise you to turn back, before all my mates are down on you. "

"Your mates will never be down on anyone again, Tom Thorne, " Reubensaid sternly. "We have wiped out seven of them, and the other is aprisoner. "

"It's a lie!" the bush ranger said, furiously. "They are twohundred miles away, in the bush. "

"With your friend Bobitu, eh? Yes, they were, but they are not now, Thorne. They are lying under the ashes of that hut of yours, closeto the tree where you buried your treasure; and it's I who am goingto have help, not you. My man will be up in a few minutes, " and heglanced round at the constable, whom the bush ranger now perceived, for the first time, less than half a mile away. 

Reuben's words had the effect they were intended to excite. Theyfilled the bush ranger with fury, and desire for vengeance; whilethe sight of the approaching constable showed him that, unless hetook prompt measures, he would have two adversaries to fight atonce. 

Without a moment's hesitation, he set spurs to his horse and dashedat Reuben. When within twenty yards, he fired. 

Reuben felt a sharp pain, as if a hot iron had been passed acrosshis cheek. Thorne uttered a shout of exultation as he saw him startbut, as he kept his seat, again raised his hand to fire. In aninstant Reuben discharged his pistol, and the bush ranger's weapondropped from his hand, for Reuben's bullet passed through hiswrist. 

Throwing the burden before him headlong to the ground, Thorne drewa pistol with his left hand; and the two shots rung out again, atalmost the same instant. Reuben, however, was slightly thequickest, and this saved his life. His bullet passed through thebush ranger's body, while Thorne's pistol was diverted somewhatfrom its aim, and the bullet struck Reuben's left shoulder, insteadof his head. In an instant, he had drawn another pistol. 

"Surrender or I fire!" and then seeing, by the change in the bushranger's face, and by his collapsing figure, that he was badly hit;he waited, still keeping Thorne covered with the muzzle, for thebush ranger had a charge left in the pistol which he still graspedin his left hand. 

Twice Thorne tried to raise it, but in vain. Then he reeled in thesaddle, the pistol dropped from his hand, and he fell heavily overon to the ground. 

Reuben at once leaped from his horse, and ran to raise KateEllison; who lay motionless on the ground, as she had been thrown. Removing the shawl wrapped round her head, he found she wasinsensible. Kneeling beside her, he raised her head to his shoulderand, a minute later, the constable galloped up. 

"Badly hurt, captain?" he asked, as he leaped off his horse; forthe blood was streaming down Reuben's face, and his left arm hunguseless. 

"Nothing to speak of, Smithson. See to Miss Ellison, first. Thereis some water in my flask in the holster. Just bring it here, andsprinkle her face. I hope she is only stunned; but that scoundrelthrew her off with such force, that she may well be badly hurt. "

"Is he done for, captain?" the man asked, glancing at the prostratefigure of the bush ranger, as he proceeded to obey Reuben'sinstructions; "because if you ain't certain about it, I had betterput a bullet into him. These fellows are very fond of playing'possum, and then turning the tables upon you. "

"There is no fear of that, Smithson. He's hard hit. I hope he's notdead, for I would rather that he were tried for his crimes. "

It was some time before Kate Ellison opened her eyes. For a momentshe looked vaguely round; then, as her eyes fell upon Reuben'sface, she uttered a little cry, and raised herself into a sittingposition. 

"What is it, Captain Whitney? Are you badly hurt?"

"Thank God you have recovered, Miss Ellison. You began to frightenme horribly. I was afraid you were seriously injured. 

"Do not look so alarmed. I can assure you I am not much hurt; onlya flesh wound, I fancy, in the cheek, and a broken collarbone. "

"And you have saved me again, Captain Whitney?"

"Yes, thank God I have had that good fortune, " Reuben said quietly;"and this time for good, for Tom Thorne will never molest youagain. "

"But can't I do something? Your face is bleeding dreadfully. Pleaselet me bind it up;" and tearing a strip off the bottom of herdress, she proceeded to bandage Reuben's face. 

The constable took off the black silk handkerchief which he woreround his neck. 

"I think, miss, this will make a sling for his arm; and when thatis done the captain will be pretty right. 

"Do you think you can ride back, sir?" he asked, when he hadfastened the handkerchief, "or will you wait till I ride back tothe farm, and fetch help. "

"I can ride back well enough, " Reuben said, trying to rise to hisfeet; but he found himself unable to do so. 

The ball, after breaking his collarbone, had glanced downwards, andthe wound was a more serious one than he had imagined. 

"No, I don't think I can ride back, Smithson. "

"There is a light cart at the farm, " Kate Ellison said. "Pleasefetch that. I will stop here, with Captain Whitney, till you comeback. "

"I think that will be the best way, miss, " the constable agreedand, mounting, he rode off at once. 

It was an hour and a half before he returned, bringing the cart;but before he arrived, Mr. And Mrs. Barker had ridden up onhorseback, the former having returned from his visit to the farm, just as the constable rode in. While they had been alone, Reubenhad heard from Kate what had taken place. 

"I did as you told me, Captain Whitney, and did not go once outsidethe door. The constables kept a very sharp lookout, and one of themwas always on guard by the door; so there really did not seem anypossibility of danger. 

"This morning, as I was washing up the breakfast things with Mrs. Barker, a shot was suddenly fired outside the door and, before Ihad time to think what it meant, that man rushed in. He caught meby the wrist, and said:

"'Come along, it's no use your screaming. '

"Mrs. Barker caught up something and rushed at him, but he knockedher down with the butt end of his pistol. Then he caught up hershawl, which was lying on the chair close by, and threw it rightover my head; and then caught me up, and carried me out. 

"I tried to struggle, but he seemed to hold me as if I were in avice. I heard Alice scream, and then I must have fainted; for thenext thing I knew was that I was being carried along on horseback. I was so muffled up, and he held me so tight, that I felt it was nouse to struggle; and I made up my mind to lie quite still, as if Iwas still insensible, till he put me down; and then--I think Iintended to try and seize his pistol, or to get hold of a knife, ifthere was one and, if I could not kill him, to kill myself. 

"There did not seem the least hope of rescue. Mr. Barker was away, and would not be back for hours. I supposed that the constableswere shot, and all the men round were away with you; and from thedistance you said you were going, I did not think you could be backfor days. 

"Presently I felt him stop and turn his horse; and then, when hespoke, I knew that he had not killed both the constables, and thatone of them had followed him. When you answered, I thought it wasyour voice, though it seemed impossible; but I could not be sure, because I could not hear plainly through the shawl. Then thepistols were fired, and I suddenly felt myself falling; and I didnot know anything more, till I saw you leaning over me. 

"But where are all the others, and how is it you are here alone? Ofcourse, you must have turned back before you got to where the bushrangers were. "

"No, I am glad to say we succeeded with that part of the work, MissEllison, and have wiped out the bush rangers altogether. We havegot one of them a prisoner, but all the rest of the gang arekilled. 

"The distance is not quite so far as we thought it was. It was athirty miles' march, and two sixties. We attacked them at daybreak, on the third day after leaving. "

"But it is only the fourth day today, is it not? At least, it seemsso to me. "

"It is the fourth day, Miss Ellison. When we found that the leaderof the gang was not with them, and I learned from the man we hadtaken prisoner that he had started to ride back here, twenty-fourhours before, I was naturally very anxious about you; knowing, as Idid, what desperate actions the man was capable of. So we startedat once and, after a sharp fight with the blacks, got down in theevening to the water hole, sixty miles on our way back, where wehad camped the second night out. 

"Of course the horse I had ridden could travel no further, but Ipushed on with my black boy, on two of the horses which we hadtaken from the bush rangers, and which had been led so far. We madeanother forty miles by midnight, and then halted till daybreak, togive the horses rest; but they were so done up, this morning, thatwe could not get them much beyond a foot pace. When we came to thefirst settlement we exchanged them for fresh ones, and galloped on;and, thank God, we are just in time. "

The tears were standing in the girl's eyes, and she laid her handon his, and said quietly:

"Thank you. Then you have ridden a hundred and fifty miles sinceyesterday morning, besides having two fights; and all because youwere uneasy about me?"

"I had, as you see, good reason to be uneasy, Miss Ellison. "

At this moment a horse's hoofs were heard approaching, and Jimgalloped up. He had, on arriving at the station, been unable toobtain any information as to what had taken place. Mrs. Donald wasin a dead faint. Mrs. Barker had, just before he arrived, riddenoff to meet her husband; but the dead body of the constable, by thedoor, and the disappearance of Kate, showed him what had takenplace; and he at once started after his master. 

His horse, however, was a very inferior one to that ridden byReuben, and until he met the constable returning, he had beenobliged to follow the track of the horses in front; so he did notarrive at the scene of the fray till half an hour after itsconclusion. He uttered exclamations of dismay, at seeing hismaster's condition; for Reuben had been gradually growing faint, and could now scarcely support himself on his elbow. 

Jim, however, had taken the precaution to snatch a bottle ofspirits from the shelf, before he started; having an eye to his owncomforts, as well as to the possibility of its being required. Henow knocked off the neck, and poured some into the cup of Reuben'sflask, and put it to his lips. 

"Thank you, Jim; that is just what I wanted. "

"Massa lie down quiet, " Jim said. "No good sit up;" and, gatheringa large bunch of grass, he placed it under Reuben's head; andReuben lay quiet, in a half dreamy state, until Mr. And Mrs. Barkerrode up. 

Kate rose to her feet as they approached; but she was so stiff andbruised, with her fall, that she could scarcely move forward tomeet Mrs. Barker; and burst into tears, as her friend threw herarms round her. 

"That's right, my poor child, " Mrs. Barker said. "A cry will do yougood. Thank God, my dear Kate, for your rescue. "

"I do indeed, Mrs. Barker. It seems almost a miracle. "

"Captain Whitney seems to spring out of the ground, whenever he'swanted. He seems hurt badly. The constable said it was a brokencollarbone, but it must be something a good deal worse than that. "

"Oh, don't say so, Mrs. Barker, after what he's done for me. If hewere to die!"

"There, there, don't tremble so, child. We must hope that it is notso bad as that; but he would hardly be looking so bad as he does, for only a broken collarbone. My husband broke his--one day thehorse ran away with him, among some trees--and he was up and aboutagain, in a day or two. 

"Is he badly hurt, do you think, John?" she asked her husband, whowas kneeling beside Reuben. 

"I hope not, " the settler said. "He ought not to be like this, onlyfrom a wound in the collarbone; but of course it may have glanceddown, and done some internal mischief. I am inclined to think thatit is extreme exhaustion, as much as anything--the reaction after atremendous nervous excitement. "

"He has ridden a hundred and fifty miles, since yesterday morning, "Kate said, "and has had two fights, besides this. Directly he knewthat the leader of the bush rangers had escaped, he came on byhimself. "

"Oh! They caught the bush rangers, did they?" Mr. Barker said, joyfully. "I was afraid, by his getting back here so soon, thatthey must have missed them somehow, and found they were on thewrong scent. 

"And he has ridden all the way back, has he? A very zealousofficer, Miss Ellison, a very zealous young officer, indeed. "

But Kate was too anxious, and shaken, to mark the significance ofMr. Barker's tone. 

"Don't tease her, " his wife said, in a low voice. "She is terriblyupset and shaken, and can hardly stand. 

"Ah! What is that?"

The interruption was caused by a low groan from the fallen bushranger. 

"Shoot him dead, sah, " Jim, who was supporting his master's head, exclaimed. "Don't let dat fellow come 'live no longer. "

"I can't do that, Jim, " Mr. Barker said, moving towards the fallenman. "The man is a thorough scoundrel, a murderer, and a robber;but he is harmless now. One cannot wish he should recover, even forhis own sake; for there is enough against him to hang him, tentimes over. However, we must do what we can for the poor wretch. "

So saying, he mixed some brandy with a little water in the cup, andpoured it between the bush ranger's lips. 

"Is it mortal?" Mrs. Barker asked, as he rejoined her. 

"I think so, " he said. "I fancy he is shot through the lungs. 

"You must really sit down, Miss Ellison. You look as white as aghost, and we cannot have you on our hands, just now. We have gotthem pretty full, as they are. 

"Ah! Here comes the cart. "

The constable had put a quantity of straw in the bottom of thelight cart, and Barker and Jim raised Reuben, and laid him in it. 

"We must take the other, too, " Mr. Barker said. "The man is alive, and we can't leave him here. "

"Yes, " Kate said; "he must go, too. He did Reuben a great wrong, years ago. I hope he will confess it, before he dies. "

Mr. Barker glanced at his wife, as Kate used the young officer'sChristian name; but she was not thinking of Captain Whitney of thepolice, but of the boy Reuben, who had been accused of poisoningher father's dog, and of committing a burglary from his house. 

"You had better get up in front, with the constable, Miss Ellison, "the settler said, when the two wounded men had been placed in thecart. "You certainly are not fit to ride. 

"Or, look here, the constable shall take my horse, and I willdrive; and then I can look after you, and you can use me for aprop, if you feel weak; but before we start, I must insist on yourtaking a sip of brandy and water. 

"It is no use your saying no, " he persisted, as the girl shook herhead. "We shall have you fainting before you get home, if youdon't. "

Kate did as she was ordered. Mr. Barker then helped her up to herseat. As she got up, her eyes fell upon Reuben's face. 

"Oh, Mr. Barker!" she said. "He looks dead. You are not deceivingme, are you?"

"Bless me, no!" the settler said, cheerfully. "My opinion is thathe's dead asleep. The loss of blood, the sudden reaction after thelong excitement, and the exhaustion of his ride have completelyovercome him; and my opinion is that he is sound asleep. 

"Jim, do you lead your master's horse, while the constable takesthe other; and then you two had better ride on, and help Mrs. Donald get things ready. Get a bed up at once, for Captain Whitney;and get some clean straw in the outhouse, with one of the rugs overit, for the other. "

So saying, he touched the horse with the whip, and the cart movedslowly on, with Mrs. Barker riding beside it. She would have goneon ahead, to have assisted in the preparations; but she expected, momentarily, to see Kate faint, and thought it better to remainwith her, in case her assistance should be required. 

The journey occupied some time, for Mr. Barker picked the waycarefully, so as not to jolt the cart. Mrs. Barker endeavoured tokeep Kate's attention fixed, by asking her questions as to what shehad heard about the expedition, wondering when it would return, andwhether any of the settlers were hurt. When they got within half amile of home, she said:

"I think, dear, you are looking a little better now. I will rideon. Fortunately there is the beef tea we made, last night, for Mr. Donald. I will get it made hot, and I will get a cup of strong teaready for you. That will do wonders. "

When the cart arrived Mrs. Donald ran out and, as Kate descended, clasped her in a long embrace. 

"Come straight in here, my dear, " Mrs. Barker said. "I have got abasin of cold water, and a cup of strong tea, and the two togetherwill do marvels. We will attend to your wounded hero. "

Reuben remained perfectly quiet and inert, as he was lifted out andcarried into the house, where a bed had been made up for him in aroom on the ground floor. 

"Just lay him down. Throw a blanket over him, and let him lieperfectly quiet. "

"Do you think he is really asleep?" Mrs. Barker asked, as shelooked at the quiet face. 

"I do, really, " her husband replied. "Put your ear close to hismouth. He is breathing as quietly as a child. 

"And, " he added, placing his fingers on Reuben's wrist, "his pulseis a little fast, but regular and quiet. Twenty-four hours of sleepwill set him up again, unless I am greatly mistaken. I don't expectthat his wound will turn out anything very serious. 

"Let me think. Was it not this afternoon that Ruskin said he wouldbe back again?"

"Yes, either yesterday or today. "

"That is lucky. He will be surprised at finding two new patients onhis hands, now. 

"I will go and have a look at that poor wretch in the shed. Give mea cupful of beef tea. I will pour a spoonful or two between hislips. You had better go and look after Kate. You will not be neededhere, at present. 

"If your master wakes, Jim, let us know directly, " he said to theblack, who had seated himself on the ground by the side of Reuben'sbed. 

"I can't call the poor fellow away from his master, " he added tohis wife, as he closed the door behind them; "but I am reallyanxious to know what has taken place, out in the bush; and whethermany of our fellows have been killed. If, as Kate said, she heardthe captain tell the bush ranger that all his band had been killed, except one who is a prisoner, it has indeed been a most successfulexpedition; and we colonists can hardly be sufficiently grateful, to Whitney, for having rid us of these pests. What with that, andthe thrashing the blacks have had, we shall be able to sleepquietly for months; which is more than we have done for a longtime. "

Kate came out of the room, with Mrs. Donald, a minute later. Thebasin of cold water and the tea had had the effect Mrs. Barkerpredicted. A little colour had returned into her cheeks, and shelooked altogether more like herself. 

"How is he?" Mrs. Donald asked. 

"In my opinion, he's doing capitally, Mrs. Donald. His pulse isquiet and even, and he's breathing as quietly as a child; and Ibelieve he is simply in a state of exhaustion, from which he is notlikely to wake till tomorrow morning; and I predict that, in a fewdays, he will be up and about. Indeed, if that bullet hasn'tmisbehaved itself, I see no reason why he shouldn't be uptomorrow. "

"That is indeed a relief, to us both, " Mrs. Donald said, while Katecould only clasp her hands in silent thankfulness. 

"And now, how is your husband? I hope he is none the worse, for allthis exertion. "

"He was terribly agitated, at first, " Mrs. Donald said. "I fainted, you know, and he got out of bed to help me up; and it was as muchas I could do, when I recovered, to get him to lie down; for hewanted to mount and ride after Kate, although, of course, he is asweak as a child, and even with my help he could scarcely get intobed again. 

"Fortunately Mrs. Barker ran in, before she started on horseback tofetch you, to say that the constable was off in pursuit, and thatquieted him. Then I think he was occupied in trying to cheer me, for as soon as he was in bed I broke down and cried; till theconstable came back to say that Captain Whitney had overtaken, andshot, the bush ranger. "

Three hours later, to the great relief of all, the surgeon arrived. He was first taken in to look at Reuben, having been told all thecircumstances of the case; and he confirmed Mr. Barker's opinionthat he was really in a deep sleep. 

"I would not wake him, on any account, " he said. "It is a greateffort of nature, and he will, I hope, awake quite himself. Ofcourse, I can't say anything about the wound, till he does. 

"Now for his antagonist. "

The bush ranger was still unconscious, though occasionally brokenwords came from his lips. The surgeon examined his wound. 

"He is shot through the lungs, " he said, "and is bleedinginternally. I do not think that there is the shadow of a chance forhim, and no one can wish it otherwise. It will only save the colonythe expense of his trial. 

"And now for my original patient. "

He was some time in Mr. Donald's room and, when he came out, proceeded at once to mix him a soothing draught, from the case ofmedicines he carried behind the saddle. 

"We must get him off to sleep, if we can, " he said; "or we shallhave him in a high state of fever, before morning. A man in hisstate can't go through such excitement as he has done, withoutpaying the penalty. 

"And now, I suppose, I have done, " he said with a smile, as Mrs. Donald left the room with the medicine. 

"Yes, I think so, " Mrs. Barker said. "If you had come an hourearlier, I should have put this young lady under your charge; but Ithink that the assurance of my husband, that Captain Whitney wasdoing well, has been a better medicine than you could give her. "

"No wonder she is shaken, " Mr. Ruskin remarked. 

"Mrs. Barker tells me you had a heavy fall, too, Miss Ellison. "

"Yes, " she replied. "I was stunned for a time but, beyond beingstiff and bruised, I am none the worse for it. "

"Look here, Miss Ellison, " the doctor said, after putting hisfingers on her wrist, "I suppose you will want to be about, tomorrow, when our brave army returns. Now, there is nothing youcan do here. Mrs. Donald can nurse her husband. The other tworequire no nursing. Mrs. Barker, I am sure, will take charge of thehouse; and therefore, seriously, I would ask you to take thisdraught I am about to mix for you, and to go upstairs and go tobed, and sleep till morning. "

"I could not sleep, " Kate protested. 

"Very well, then, lie quiet without sleeping; and if, in theevening, you find you are restless, you can come down for an houror two; but I really must insist on your lying down for a bit. 

"Now, Mrs. Barker, will you take this medicine up, and put thisyoung lady to bed. "

"I hope she will get off to sleep, " Mrs. Barker said, when she camedownstairs again. 

"I have no doubt whatever about it, " Mr. Ruskin replied. "I havegiven her a very strong sleeping draught, far stronger than Ishould think of giving, at any other time; but after the tensionthat the poor girl must have gone through, it would need a strongdose to take effect. I think you will hear nothing more of her, till the morning. "

Indeed, it was not until the sun was well up, the next morning, that Kate Ellison woke. She could hardly believe that she had sleptall night; but the eastern sun, coming in through her window, showed her that she had done so. She still felt bruised and shakenall over, but was otherwise herself again. She dressed hastily, andwent downstairs. 

"That's right, my dear, " Mrs. Barker, who was already busy in thekitchen, said. "You look bonny, and like yourself. "

"How are my brother and Captain Whitney?" Kate asked. 

"I don't think Mr. Donald is awake, yet, " Mrs. Barker replied; "butCaptain Whitney has just gone out to the shed, with my husband andthe surgeon. "

"Gone out to the shed!" Kate repeated, in astonishment. 

"Yes, my dear. That poor wretch out there is going fast. Herecovered consciousness about two hours ago. The constable wassitting up with him. He asked for water, and then lay for sometime, quite quiet. 

"Then he said, 'Am I dreaming, or was it Reuben Whitney I foughtwith?'

"'Yes, it was Captain Reuben Whitney, our inspector, ' the constablereplied. 

"For a time he lay quiet again, and then said: 'I want to see him. '

"The constable told him he was asleep, and couldn't be woke. 

"'Is he badly wounded?' the man asked. 'I know I hit him. '

"'Not very badly, I hope, ' the constable answered. 

"'When he wakes ask him to come to me, ' the man said. 'I know I amdying, but I want to see him first. If he can't come, let somebodyelse come. '

"The constable came in and roused the doctor, who went out and sawhim, and said he might live three or four hours yet. 

"Soon afterwards, just as the sun rose, Jim came out, to say thathis master was awake. Mr. Ruskin went in to him and examined hiswound, and probed the course of the bullet. It had lodged down justat the bottom of the shoulder bone. I am glad to say he was able toget it out. When he had done, he told his patient what the bushranger had said; and Captain Whitney insisted upon going out tohim. "

"It won't do him any harm, will it?" Kate asked anxiously. 

"No, my dear, or Mr. Ruskin would not have let him go. I saw him ashe went out, and shook hands with him and, except that nastybandage over his face, he looked quite himself again. As I toldyou, a broken collarbone is a mere nothing and, now we know wherethe bullet went and have got it out, there is no occasion for theslightest anxiety. 

"Here they come again, so you can judge for yourself. "

A very few words passed between Reuben and Kate; for Mrs. Barker, who saw how nervous the girl was, at once began to ask himquestions about what the bush ranger had said. 

"He has made a confession, Mrs. Barker, which your husband haswritten down, and Mr. Ruskin and Smithson have signed. It is abouta very old story, in which I was concerned when a boy; but it is agreat gratification for me to have it cleared up, at last. I wasaccused of poisoning a dog, belonging to Miss Ellison's father; andwas tried for a burglary, committed on the premises, and wasacquitted, thanks only to Miss Ellison's influence, exerted on mybehalf--

"I fear, " he said with a slight smile, "somewhat illegally. 

"However, the imputation would have rested on me all my life, if ithad not been for Thorne's confession. I thought that he did thefirst affair. I knew that he was concerned in the second, althoughI could not prove it; but he has now made a full confession, sayingthat he himself poisoned the dog, and confirming the story I toldat the trial. "

"Oh, I am glad!" Kate exclaimed. "You know, Captain Whitney, that Iwas sure of your innocence; but I know how you must have longed forit to be proved to the world. 

"What will you do, Mr. Barker, to make it public?"

"I shall send a copy of the confession, properly attested, to themagistrates of Lewes; and another copy to the paper which, CaptainWhitney tells me, is published there weekly. 

"It is curious, " he went on, "that the sight of Whitney should haverecalled those past recollections; while, so far as I could see, everything that has happened afterwards, his career of crime andthe blood that he has shed, seem altogether forgotten. "

"I suppose there is no hope for him?" Kate asked, in a low voice. 

"He is dying now, " Mr. Barker said. "Ruskin is with him. He wasfast becoming unconscious when we left him, and Ruskin said thatthe end was at hand. "

A quarter of an hour later the surgeon came in, with the news thatall was over. 

"Now, Captain Whitney, you must come into your room, and let mebandage up your shoulder properly. I hadn't half time to do it, before. "

"But you won't want me to lie in bed, or any nonsense of thatsort?" Reuben asked. 

"I would, if I thought you would obey my orders; but as I see nochance of that, I shall not trouble to give them. Seriously, I donot think there is any necessity for it, providing always that youwill keep yourself very quiet. I shall bandage your arm across yourchest, so there can be no movement of the shoulder; and when thatis done, I think you will be all right. "

There was only one more question which Reuben had to ask, withregard to the event of the preceding day--why it was that Smithsondid not go to his comrade's assistance. He then learned that Thornerode quietly up to the back of the house and dismounted, then wentto the stable, where Smithson was asleep--having been on guardduring the night--and pushed a piece of wood under the latch of thedoor, so that it could not be raised. Having thus securely fastenedSmithson in, he had gone to the front of the house, and hadapparently shot down the constable there before the latter wasaware of his presence. 

Smithson, awakened by the shot, tried in vain to get out; and wasonly released by Mrs. Barker, when she recovered from the effect ofthe stunning blow which the bush ranger had struck her. He had thenmounted at once, and followed in pursuit. 

In the afternoon the party returned from the bush, havingexperienced no further molestation from the natives. Nothingoccurred to interfere with the progress of Reuben's wound and, inthe course of a fortnight, he was again able to resume his duties. 

The complete destruction of the gang of bush rangers, and theenergy with which they had been pursued into the very heart of thebush country, made a vast sensation in the colony; and Reubengained great credit, and instant promotion for his conduct. 

A month after the return of the party from the bush, Mr. Donald wasabout again and, as the danger was now past, he abandoned his ideaof selling his property. The course which events took can be judgedby the following conversation, between Mrs. Donald and her sister, three months later. 

"Well, Kate, after all he has done for us, of course I have nothingto say against it; and I don't suppose you would mind, if I had. Still, I do think you might have done better. "

"I could not have done better, " Kate said hotly, "not if I had hadthe pick of the whole colony. "

"Well, not in one way, my dear; for you know that, personally, Ilike him almost as well as you do. Still, I do think it is a littleunfortunate that we ever knew him before. "

"And I think it's extremely fortunate, " Kate said stoutly. "If ithadn't been that he had known us before, and cared for me--he saysworshipped, but that's nonsense--ever since I was a child, he wouldnever have made that terrible ride, and I--"

"Oh, don't talk about it, Kate; it's too dreadful even to think ofnow. 

"Well, my dear, no doubt it's all for the best, " Alice saidphilosophically. "At any rate, you are quite happy, and he is anoble fellow. But I hope, for your sake, that he won't stay in thepolice. It would be dreadful for you when he was riding about, hunting after bush rangers and blacks; for you know, my dear, thereare plenty of others left in the colony. "

"I told him so yesterday, " Kate said shyly. "I said, of course, that I didn't want to influence him. "

Alice broke into a laugh. 

"You little goose, as if what you say doesn't influence him. "

Three weeks later, Reuben received a letter from Mr. Hudson. 

"My dear Whitney, I am glad to hear, from you, that you are engagedto be married; and the circumstances which you tell me of make it amost interesting affair. If I were you, I should cut theconstabulary. I enclose a paper from Wilson, giving you threeweeks' leave. Come down to Sydney at once, and talk it over withme. You know I regard you as my son, and I am going to have a voicein the matter. "

Reuben went down to Sydney and, after ascertaining his views, Mr. Hudson went into town and forthwith arranged for the purchase, forhim, of a partnership in the chief engineering firm in the town. When he told Captain Wilson what he had done, the latter declaredthat he had robbed the colony of its best police officer. Reubenprotested against the generosity of the old settler, but the latterdeclared he would have no nonsense on the subject. 

"I am one of the richest men in the colony, " he said, "and it'shard if I can't spend my money as I choose. "

There is little more to tell. Reuben became one of the leadingcitizens of Sydney and, twenty years afterwards, sold his businessand returned to England, and bought an estate not far from Lewes, where he is still living with his wife and family. He wasaccompanied from Australia by his mother; who, in spite of herstrong objections to the sea, went out to live with him, two yearsafter his marriage. 

The only point upon which Reuben Whitney and his wife have neverbeen able to come to an absolute agreement is as to which owes mostto the other.