The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 53

One of the men brought a lighted limb of a gum tree, and by it Murden examined the wound, which seemed quite severe, although he did not say so. After he had applied some balsam which he carried in a case in his pocket, he re-bound the leg, and then ordered the torch to be extinguished.

"The poor fellow cannot live until morning," whispered Murden, as we walked one side. "The main artery of his leg is cut, and he is slowly bleeding to death."

"What are we to do with these wounded men, sir?" asked Maurice, after he had stationed the guard.

"What can we do with them? We have neither wine, nor water, nor medicine to bestow. But not to let them think we are cruel, call the wounded and find out how many there are, and tell them that in the morning we will attend to their wants, as far as we are able."

"Where is the old stockman?" I asked, not recollecting seeing him since the fight was over.

Word was pa.s.sed for him, but every one declared that he had not been seen since the moment when Murden recalled him from the pursuit of the rangers.

"Let him go," said the officer; "he is perfectly able to take care of himself, and I have no doubt that he has a project in his head."

"But how in the name of humanity did he manage to find you at such a favorable moment?"

"That is easily explained," Murden replied. "I left Melbourne two days since in pursuit of a man who has been committing murder in the city. He started for the Ballarat diggings, and I have been on his trail until this noon, when I lost it, and had good reason to believe that he had cut across the country, intending to join a gang of bushrangers, secreted in the forest. I thought that I should get information from the old stockman; so I concluded to ride to his hut.

"To my surprise I saw that your horses were confined in the cattle pen, and after frightening the old fellow's daughter almost to death, I learned from her that you had been gone for two days on some kind of treasure seeking, in which her father was to take the lead and point out the money. I feared that, you had got caught in some kind of a trap, set by the frequenters of these woods; so I determined, as I was no longer on the trail of the murderer, to take a look at your operations, and, if possible, lend a hand in getting the gold."

Murden laughed when he spoke of the treasure, and we almost feared that he suspected us of keeping the secret from him.

"But where did you meet the stockman?" we asked.

"I am coming to the point of my narrative. We halted barely long enough to water the animals, and get something to eat--in the latter, let me a.s.sure you, the woman was pleased to lend her aid, and supplied us with meat enough to feed a regiment; and when I told her that we did not need so much, she begged that we would take what we did not want to her father and Mr. Smith."

"To whom?" we asked, astonished.

"To Mr. Smith," replied Murden, gravely.

"Ho, ho, Smith!" we cried, "you have, it seems, been making a conquest, and now, for the first time, we are to hear of it."

"I a.s.sure you," stammered Smith, "I had no idea that--"

"How long has it been going on, Smith?" we cried.

"There is nothing in it, I a.s.sure you; I never said much to her, any way, and what few compliments I have paid her, are in fact--"

"Intended to mean nothing. Very well, Mr. Smith, I shall take care to put the lady on her guard, the next time I see her," said Murden, pretending to be serious.

"No, don't do that," cried Smith in alarm, "because I don't know but I shall marry her, yet."

"Ah, if that is the case, I'll not interfere on any account. But remember, I'm to be asked to the wedding."

"I'll not forget," Smith said; and after that affair was satisfactorily concluded, Murden went on with his story.

"I accepted of her offering, and agreed to convey a portion of a baked lamb to her friend Mr. Smith, and I am bound to say that neither of you gentlemen was mentioned in connection with the affair. It was near dark, when we replaced our saddles upon our animals, and started across the prairie, but before we were half way to the woods, the last glimmer of twilight had faded out, and we were obliged to continue our journey by guess work, for no beaten trail leads across the plain.

"When we were within a mile or two of the secret path, I saw an object that looked to me like a kangaroo, on the prairie, so swiftly did it run. Not feeling perfectly convinced that such was the case, I called my men's attention to it, and one, who has sharper eyes than the rest of us, declared that what I took to be an animal, was a good-sized man, who appeared to be making the best of his way across the plain.

"I started in pursuit, and called once or twice to him to stop, but not until I had nearly rode him down, did he come to a stand still, and to my surprise, I found that I had come very near ending the days of the old stockman.

"A few questions and a few answers were all that I required to understand the case. I instantly mounted the old fellow behind one of my men, and at a gallop I dashed towards the woods, which I had no sooner gained, than I sent three of my men back to the hut with the horses, and ordered them not to come near us until after sunrise in the morning.

"Here commenced the most difficult part of our undertaking, as we deemed it best to take the robbers by surprise, and exterminate the gang, if possible. The old stockman undertook to pilot us through the woods, and the manner in which we crept to within a few feet of you without making any noise, shows that he performed his part with great success.

"The large number of bushrangers a.s.sembled, astonished me. I found that my force contained only one half as many as they did, yet I had no idea of not attacking. Desperate as I knew the robbers were, I thought they would yield upon being taken by surprise. My expectations were not disappointed; they did fly, and left one half of their force upon the ground."

"We thank you, heartily, for the trouble and danger which you experienced in saving our lives, for I have serious doubts whether to-morrow would have seen us alive," Fred said, shaking hands with Murden, at the conclusion of the latter's account.

"Say no more, my dear boy, for I know that you would have come to my a.s.sistance as soon as I did to yours. But about this treasure; I see that you have been digging; have you found any thing yet?"

Before we had time to answer that question, Maurice called the officer's attention, and relieved us of a reply.

"If you please, sir, there's a dog out here at the edge of the clearing, and he's got a bushranger down, and has had him there ever since they run for their lives. The animal won't let one of us come near him, and threatens the throat of the robber, every time he offers to move. I can't tell, in the dark, what kind of a dog he is, but I think it's the one the gentlemen own."

"Poor Rover, I have missed him for an hour or two. Let us go and see whom he has taken as prisoner," I said.

We followed Maurice to the spot, and found Rover standing sentry over a prisoner, whose slightest motion caused a growl of warning. I called off the dog, and ordered the fellow to get up, so that we could see who he was.

"Vell, of all the games that I ever seed, this is a beater!" cried a man whose voice was familiar to me.

"Ah, Mr. Steel Spring," said Fred, seizing the individual by the collar; "we have you in our power again."

"Vell, if I haint thankful to think that I've hescaped from them ere villains, and got into decent company again. I 'ave trembled at the profanity of the brutes, and feared for my life ever since I've been with 'em."

"Do you think, you long-legged wretch, that you can impose upon us for the second time? Do you suppose that after betraying us into the hands of your companions you are to be spared?" we demanded, indignantly.

"Vell, 'ere's a go. All through my life I 'ave been suspected vithout cause. Fust, I'm cast hoff by my hungrateful parents, and left to seek my living, and artervords I'm made a fool of, and gets transported, and now the very coves vot I thought friends, turns agin me. Vot a vorld this is!"

"Why, you hypocritical rascal, did you not first deceive us by saying that there were no bands of bushrangers in the woods, and while we were digging did you not raise an alarm which brought upon us Nosey and all of his gang?"

"Ha, ha!" roared Steel Spring; "vot a funny man that Nosey is! so handsome, too!"

"You rascal, you will laugh differently in a few minutes. Lieutenant, let him be tied to a tree, and give him a few dozen across his bare back."

"No, don't do that," cried the fellow, in some alarm. "I never could stand a flogging, and my proud spirit vill break if I get's one."

"Tie him up, Maurice," said Murden, coolly. "I recollect the fellow, and a bigger decoy rogue does not exist in the country. He will lie by the rule of three, and then retract all that he has said, without the least regard for himself or others. I have heard of him a number of times, and now think that I shall live to see him punished."

"I 'opes you vill live a thousand years, lieutenant, but I also 'opes you'll not joke over my misfortunes. I've 'elped the gentlemen, and now I'm to be punished for it."

"Tie him up, Maurice, and use your sword belt over his back until I tell you to stop," repeated Murden. "I owe him a flogging for the manner in which he sent me on a wrong scent once."

'"On my vord ov 'onor, sir, I didn't do so on purpose. I afterwards found that I vas wrong, and run after you to put you right, but you'd gone, and I couldn't find you."

"Lies will not answer your purpose, you long-legged scamp. I'll flog you now, and then carry you to Melbourne in triumph."

The fellow uttered a dozen excuses, but they did not avail him, and in spite of his resistance two or three of the men dragged him to a tree, and fastened his hands with their sword belts. Steel Spring called on all the saints to prove that he was innocent of trickery, and when the strong arm of Maurice, wielding a stout belt, descended upon his shoulders, his entreaties were pitiful.