The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 80

"Perhaps you will be good enough to let us know how you knew we were frightened?" Fred asked, coolly.

"Certainly--'cos I met one of the same darned things, and I run like the devil. Fact, although you may not believe it. I don't fight snakes, if I can get clear of um."

The man's answer was so characteristic of human nature, that we could but smile at the honest expression, and were not disposed to quarrel with him for giving vent to the same feeling that would have actuated us in another encounter.

"I s'pose you won't mind coming down an ounce for the service I've rendered you to-day," Charley said, after a pause.

"For what service?" I demanded, in astonishment.

"O, for making you popular, that's all," he repeated.

"Look here, my friend," Fred said; "it seems to me that you think we are two log-rolling politicians, anxious to turn every thing of an exciting nature to an advantage. In this you are disappointed. We are here to get money, and not to get office."

"Well, ain't I here to make money, too? so where's the difference between us? You open a store; I sell rum, and starve boarders, and electioneer, so that you can have a great run of custom, and yet you ain't willing to pay a man a fair sum for his work. Wall, if I ain't almost riddy to forswear my kintry and turn Turk. It's too aggravating--it is."

Our friend looked as though he was a martyr to friends.h.i.+p, yet I saw that he was only acting in a systematic manner, to excite our sympathies, and procure the reward that he antic.i.p.ated.

"Here is the money," Fred said, after a moment's hesitancy, handing a Spanish doubloon to the cute Yankee, who clutched at it like a hungry shark.

"All right," he replied, pocketing the gold with a chuckle.

"And now, before you go, we wish to say one word," Fred remarked, calmly, yet firmly. "Ever since we have been at Ballarat, you have contrived a number of ways to swindle us of our money. What you have received we don't wish back into our pockets: but we do give you warning that hereafter, if you interfere in our affairs, we shall take the liberty of administering a sound kicking to that portion of your anatomy made to be kicked. We hope that you understand us with distinctness, and that we shall not be called upon to put into execution our threat. Good day."

The fellow sneaked from the store like a petty thief caught in the act, and during our residence at the mines, he always declared that he didn't think much of aristocrats taking the bread out of the mouths of honest workmen, and that for his part, he should like to know from what part of New England we came.

We spent the day, as I said before, in idleness, yet we did not forget that we had an appointment with the inspector, the next morning. Our horses were in fine condition and anxious for a run, and as we rubbed them down and fed them the night before we were to start; they appeared to know that a journey was contemplated, and whinnied with joy.

As there was to be a monster meeting of the miners, that night, to consider what action should be taken in regard to the mining tax, we determined to be present--not for the purpose of taking any part in the deliberations of the people--but to see how such matters were conducted in Australia.

We therefore left Rover to attend to the horses, and prevent their being stolen while absent, and about eight o'clock we joined the throng of miners flocking towards the place designated for the meeting.

It was an out-door affair, and about one thousand people were present, and a rougher looking set of men I never saw in my life. All nations were there. Even a number of Chinamen, who couldn't understand ten words of English, and knew not what they shouted for, were in the crowd, wooden shoes, pig-tails and all. Manillamen, with long black hair, white teeth, and dark skins, and murderous looking knives by their sides, were present, and jabbered in the _Mestisa_ tongue, which no one understood but themselves. Then there were Lascars, Arabs, and other countrymen, known by their peculiar dress and talk, and loud above the tumult could be heard the oaths uttered in good old Saxon, or else with a brogue that showed that the Gem of the Ocean had its representatives, who, as usual, were ready for a drink or a fight, but preferred the latter.

The chairman of the meeting was a Scotchman, who occupied a conspicuous position on a bank of earth, overlooking the audience, and who, fortunately being blessed with strong lungs, shouted, "Order, order,"

whenever the miners grew too quarrelsome, or had more than two fights going on at the same time.

An Irishman, whose clothes might have been bought at a second hand dealer's for a very moderate sum--for they were rent in various places, and no attempt had been made to patch them--was the first speaker, and he howled in the most approved manner, and even our political friends might have taken a lesson from him. He had not spoken two minutes before he denounced England as the worst nation upon the face of the earth, and considered Englishmen as lions and brutes, while Irishmen were every thing that was amiable and intelligent.

He was about to declare that an Irishman could lick a dozen Britons, when an indignant Englishman planted a blow upon his nose that knocked him headlong from the box on which he was standing.

The chairman called order, but did not appear surprised at the turn which things had taken.

The next speaker was a Scotch miner, who declared that he was no slave, and was not afraid to let the Governor General of Australia know it. He thought that if there was an Eden in this world, that Scotland would have to be visited to find it. He declared that he had rather live in his native country, and subsist upon oatmeal porridge, than remain in Australia and dig gold, and that the reason he paid a mining tax, was because he wanted to encourage the English to continue their outrages.

The next speaker was our late friend Charley. He alluded to the American Eagle, touched on Bunker Hill, eulogized the Declaration of Independence, admired the Revolution, and then artfully proceeded to depicture the prosperity that Australia would be likely to enjoy, if separated from the mother country, and become a republic. Then, he said, taxation would be equal, and money would not be wrung from the hard-working miners to support governors and other officials in luxury.

While Mr. Charley was shouting with all his might, and trying to infuse a little of his own warmth into his hearers, a little, decrepit old man, with long, gray hair and shabby clothes, edged towards us, as though to enter into conversation.

"Well, I don't know but the man is right," the old man said, after listening a few minutes in silence. His dialect was broad Yorks.h.i.+re, and we mentally concluded that he belonged in that part of England.

"There's a great dale in havin' independence, and all that. What d'ye think about it?"

The interrogation was addressed so pointedly that there was no chance to escape without an answer; but we had lived too long in foreign countries to commit ourselves on any question that was likely to cause us trouble.

"We have not given the subject a thought to-day. When we have made up our minds, we will let you know," returned Fred.

"Well, that is singular," the old man returned; "I always supposed that ye 'Mericans was riddy to declare that yer own country was the best. But don't ye think that Australia would make a great addition to the States?"

"We don't care to talk on the subject," rejoined Fred, shortly, seeing that a number of miners began to gather around, to listen to the discussion.

"That is capital," whispered a voice that we knew; "I am glad to see that you take no interest in the knave's fancies."

We felt a strong pressure on our arms, as though the speaker would have added other tokens of his approval, had he dared, and before we could recover from our surprise, the little old man was edging his way into the thickest of the crowd.

"Did you suspect him?" whispered Fred.

"No, he altered his voice too much. We owe Mr. Brown a trick for the one he has just played on us."

In fact, the little old man with the Yorks.h.i.+re accent was no other than Mr. Inspector Brown, who was disguised so perfectly, that we should not have recognized him, even in broad daylight.

He was mingling with the crowd, and "spotting" the most turbulent, for the purpose of refusing to grant them a license, when next they applied.

He went upon the principle that a few agitators were sufficient to corrupt the morals of all the miners in Ballarat, and to get them to leave for other parts was Mr. Brown's whole study.

We did not wait to hear more of Charley's harangue, for we were too tired to enjoy his artful attempts to excite the miners in opposition to the government.

The night pa.s.sed off without any incident worthy of notice, and by daylight we were astir, and preparing for our expedition.

Shortly after sunrise the inspector joined us, mounted on a very fair horse, but not equal to the nags that we owned.

We were off without delay--leaving Rover to tend the store--although we did not forget to examine our revolvers before we started, for the inspector hinted that there might be such a thing as meeting a bushranger who would feel disposed to borrow our horses, or take our lives, just as his fancy seemed to lead him.

"How did the meeting terminate, last night?" I asked, after we had got clear of the town, and were ascending a high hill, at a slow pace.

"O, after your precious countryman got through with his great annexation speech, there was quite a brisk fight between half-a-dozen of the men present, and then the meeting broke up in a row. No arrests were made, for if I had offered to take any one into custody, I should have been ill-treated, and raised a tumult that could not have easily been suppressed. I bide my time, and think of the day when government will have a force here sufficient to resist all attacks."

We laughed at Mr. Brown's tirade against our countryman, and then joked him on the cleverness of his disguise, and promised to pay him in his own coin. He dared us to the experiment, and we mentally promised that we would keep our word.

For almost two hours we continued our journey, sometimes pa.s.sing through deep valleys, which, in winter months, were green with verdure, but now were dry and parched for the want of moisture; and sometimes ascending high hills, from the summits of which we could command a view of the country for many miles in extent.

Not a soul had we met since leaving the borders of the town, and with the exception of one or two animals, game appeared to be very scarce.

"How much farther have we to go for a sight of the 'Snakes' Paradise'?"

Fred inquired.

"Only about a mile. At the foot of the hill the den is located, unless the reptiles have changed their quarters since I was here last."

The inspector pointed with his whip to the spot indicated, and for a few minutes we drew rein and admired the scenery.

At our feet was a deep valley, which, in the winter season, received the was.h.i.+ngs of the mountains that completely surrounded it, and the soil evidently retained the water for some time, for we could see where it had settled or evaporated, and we asked ourselves the question,--