Midnight Webs Part 38

"Come back to finish your work, I suppose?" said the man hoa.r.s.ely; and he raised his arms, as if to protect his head, but only to drop them directly.

"Where are your companions?"

"Companions--companions?" said the wounded man inquiringly. "Who, then, are you?"

"One of those whom you so much injured."

"Injured--injured? What does it mean? What's this red blind over my eyes? Where are we--in the valley? Or--I can't see--can't see with my eyes, nor yet with my understanding!" he gasped, apparently struggling hard with his misty, clouded intellect. "Yes, I can--I know now. Where is the girl?"

"Yes; where is the poor girl?" repeated Mr Meadows anxiously; and he again poured a few drops between the poor wretch's lips.

"Girl! Yes, yes; I saved her. I told young Murray I'd pay him. Lee's girl, the other woman told me. I knew the Lees once, at home. Yes, at home; and I saved her twice, and _they_ saved her."

He trailed off into a wild, incoherent string; and in spite of all Mr Meadows's efforts and anxiety, no farther information could he obtain.

He was about to turn and leave the dreadful spectacle, when he felt a light touch upon his arm; and starting round, he saw, standing pale and trembling by his side, a woman whom he hardly recognised as one of the shepherds' wives he had more than once seen at the Moa's Nest.

He elicited that she had lain concealed amidst the ferns for many hours past, so overcome with dread, that, though provisions in abundance had been almost within sight, she had not dared to crawl out until she heard a voice she knew to be friendly.

She told, too, how the miserable man at their side had twice acted in defence of Katie and herself; and how, in the midst of a wild struggle and confusion, Katie had been s.n.a.t.c.hed away: when, availing herself of the absence of the convicts in pursuit, the woman had crawled amongst the ferns, and lain there, not daring to more. Then, some time after, she heard the oaths and raging of the men on their return, and the murderous way in which they had set upon their companion, whom they accused of betraying them, leaving him at last, probably for dead.

"And I did not dare to move, sir," she sobbed; "but had to lie there, listening to his groans, hour after hour, till I prayed that he might die out of his misery, as I felt that I must, or else be driven mad."

"But where do you think they are now?" said Mr Meadows.

"Somewhere up the valley that runs beside here, sir; and that's where Miss Katie must have been taken, if they've not killed her, for there's been shooting ever since."

"Did you not see who s.n.a.t.c.hed her away?"

"No, sir, no; it was all in the night-time, when she was clinging tightly to me, and I was struck down at the same moment."

"Let us descend from here, my child," he said; "for there are friends below in the valley, seeking for us."

He turned to lead his new companion away, but she suddenly exclaimed, "They're coming again! O, sir, save me--save me!"--and she clung to Mr Meadows, who heard far down below him the rustling and snapping of the trees, as if several people were forcing their way through them.

"That's the way they went," sobbed the woman; "and they're coming again."

Mr Meadows had no doubt as to the truth of what she said; and glancing round, he tried to make out the part of the rocky wall around by which he had descended, but for a while his efforts were fruitless; and he could not leave the woman to search for his path, since at the least effort to unclasp her hands, she clung to him the tighter, imploring him in whispers not to leave her--not to go away.

"No, no; we will go together. Quick! the wretches are upon us, and we shall be taken. Heaven give me strength! What shall I do?"

His tones were anguished, for the cras.h.i.+ng through the leaves seemed now to be close at hand; while, as he spoke, the woman fell from him, quite inanimate.

"Must I leave her?" he murmured to himself; and then he stooped and tried to lift her, but it was beyond his strength, and in his despair it seemed to him that he must be already seen. An hour sooner, he would not have cared so much; but, with the information he had gained and the care of this poor creature upon his hands, he felt that he would give anything to escape; for might not this s.n.a.t.c.hing away of Katie mean an act of daring performed by Murray or the savage, and the shots fired, a conflict still going on between them?

The leaves and boughs crashed together, and whoever they were, either friends or foes, were coming ever nearer and nearer.

[Twelve lines of the scan are not readable here.]

The trees could be plainly seen moving now, and Mr Meadows caught a glimpse of an approaching figure. It was only a shadowy glimpse, but exerting his little remaining strength he dragged his companion on her side, forced her down amongst the waving undergrowth, and then crouched himself, gazing with swimming eyes between the strands down into the amphitheatre, and wondering whether, after all, his efforts had not been in vain.

STORY THREE, CHAPTER TWENTY.

FRIENDS IN NEED.

It seemed almost impossible for the convicts not to have seen them, as now, to the number of five, they leaped down and seized the provisions that lay scattered about, hunting out such bottles as remained, and more than once coming so near to Mr Meadows that he hardly dared to breathe.

Then they went farther away, first one and then another, contemptuously kicking the body of their late a.s.sociate.

But it was after they had gathered and tied up a portion of the food that the danger of the hiding couple culminated; for once more drawing near, a convict said:

"Now then, down into the valley once, just for a look about for squalls, and then back again."

"After breakfast and a bit of 'bacca," said another, coolly seating himself, when his companions laughed and followed his example.

Mr Meadows shuddered. They were so near, that he felt that they must hear them if they moved; and still he knew that in another few minutes they would trample upon him and the woman in their downward progress.

It must be done; the attempt must be made; and after turning and gazing at the convicts, he bent down towards the pale face at his side.

He had no occasion to speak; for he read in her looks that she had heard every sound. He dared not trust himself to state his wishes, but pointed along the track so plainly marked through the long gra.s.s, here abundant; and slowly the woman rose to her knees, then, with a slight rustling, to her feet, and began to glide gently away.

Mr Meadows could not watch her, but dared only to keep his eyes fixed upon those of one of the seated convicts, just seen through the leaves; when, to his consternation, he saw him s.h.i.+ft his position so as to gaze, as it were, right in his watcher's face, till, trembling with dread, Mr Meadows's eyelids sunk, and he knelt there motionless.

When he again unclosed his eyes, the man had ceased to look in his direction; and then, calling up his strength, he slowly backed, inch by inch, upon his hands and knees, till the descending nature of the ground took him below the edge which overhung the depression where the convicts were seated. Then, and then only, he raised himself gradually into a stooping position, listened attentively, and, with beating heart, began softly, step by step, to follow the woman, whose own retreat he tried vainly to hear.

Gradually he set down each foot, lest a sound should follow, holding his breath, and pressing a hand upon his heart to stay its throbbings; when, accelerating his pace, he strode on to overtake the woman, whom he could now see hurrying down from stone to stone, or along the well-marked gra.s.sy track, with fear-given wings.

He trembled lest she should miss the track in her fright; but no, she kept to it without deviating, until she reached the spot where Mr Meadows left his gun; and there he overtook her.

What was to be his course? Should they proceed farther up the Gap, or down towards the ruins? Friends should be coming from either way, unless they had returned, and pa.s.sed downwards, giving up the search so far, until joined by the expected reinforcements.

He was woodman enough, though, from his long residence in the colony, to be able, in a short time, to determine whether his companions had returned. Though the upward tracks were easy to find, no descending footprints could he discover; but a joyful cry was half uttered as twice he came upon a broken twig, which told him of the promise of Edward Murray, and showed that he had pa.s.sed in that direction.

There needed now but little reflection for Mr Meadows to decide what course would be the best. Up the valley there were certainly friends; down the valley there might be; but it was uncertain.

Turning then to the woman, who had followed him step by step, he pointed upwards; and in silence they moved towards the higher portion of the Gap. But they had hardly traversed a quarter of a mile before she halted, exclaiming:

"I can't go any farther, sir;" and, without another word, she sank fainting upon the gra.s.s.

"Then we must sit and rest, my child, until our friends come," he said in encouraging tones, which did much towards soothing the woman; and then, opening the wallet slung by his side, he forced her to partake of some refreshment.

They waited patiently as the afternoon wore on, listening for some token of coming friends. Once voices were heard approaching, evidently those of the convicts; but they soon pa.s.sed away again; and at last came the rustling sound of cautiously advancing footsteps, to right of them, to left of them, and in front, and ever coming nearer and nearer.

"Friends, my child, friends," said the old man cheerfully.

But the woman looked at him with a troubled anxious gaze, not doubting his word, but distrusting his ability to tell; until, rising suddenly from where they sat, he called loudly, and, from close at hand, the cry was responded to.

"No news, sir--not a bit," said Lawler; for it was he. "We did not miss you till we got to the top; but perhaps it was as well you stopped behind, and saved yourself fatigue that you could scarcely have borne."