For the Term of His Natural Life Part 50

"You'll get it, my lad," said Gabbett, when the runaway was brought back. "Your blessed hide'll feel for this, see if it don't."

Kirkland only breathed harder, and looked round for Mr. North, but Mr.

North had gone. The new chaplain was to arrive that afternoon, and it was inc.u.mbent on him to be at the reception. Troke reported the ex-bank clerk that night to Burgess, and Burgess, who was about to go to dinner with the new chaplain, disposed of his case out of hand. "Tried to bolt, eh! Must stop that. Fifty lashes, Troke. Tell Macklewain to be ready--or stay, I'll tell him myself--I'll break the young devil's spirit, blank him."

"Yes, sir," said Troke. "Good evening, sir."

"Troke--pick out some likely man, will you? That last fellow you had ought to have been tied up himself. His flogging wouldn't have killed a flea."

"You can't get 'em to warm one another, your honour," says Troke.

"They won't do it."

"Oh, yes, they will, though," says Burgess, "or I'll know the reason why. I won't have my men knocked up with flogging these rascals. If the scourger won't do his duty, tie him up, and give him five-and-twenty for himself. I'll be down in the morning myself if I can."

"Very good, your honour," says Troke.

Kirkland was put into a separate cell that night; and Troke, by way of a.s.suring him a good night's rest, told him that he was to have "fifty"

in the morning. "And Dawes'll lay it on," he added. "He's one of the smartest men I've got, and he won't spare yer, yer may take your oath of that."

CHAPTER XIV. Mr. NORTH'S DISPOSITION.

"You will find this a terrible place, Mr. Meekin," said North to his supplanter, as they walked across to the Commandant's to dinner. "It has made me heartsick."

"I thought it was a little paradise," said Meekin. "Captain Frere says that the scenery is delightful." "So it is," returned North, looking askance, "but the prisoners are not delightful."

"Poor, abandoned wretches," says Meekin, "I suppose not. How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon that bank! Eh!"

"Abandoned, indeed, by G.o.d and man--almost."

"Mr. North, Providence never abandons the most unworthy of His servants.

Never have I seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging their bread. In the valley of the shadow of death He is with us. His staff, you know, Mr. North. Really, the Commandant's house is charmingly situated!"

Mr. North sighed again. "You have not been long in the colony, Mr.

Meekin. I doubt--forgive me for expressing myself so freely--if you quite know of our convict system."

"An admirable one! A most admirable one!" said Meekin. "There were a few matters I noticed in Hobart Town that did not quite please me--the frequent use of profane language for instance--but on the whole I was delighted with the scheme. It is so complete."

North pursed up his lips. "Yes, it is very complete," he said; "almost too complete. But I am always in a minority when I discuss the question, so we will drop it, if you please."

"If you please," said Meekin gravely. He had heard from the Bishop that Mr. North was an ill-conditioned sort of person, who smoked clay pipes, had been detected in drinking beer out of a pewter pot, and had been heard to state that white neck-cloths were of no consequence. The dinner went off successfully. Burgess--desirous, perhaps, of favourably impressing the chaplain whom the Bishop delighted to honour--shut off his blasphemy for a while, and was urbane enough. "You'll find us rough, Mr. Meekin," he said, "but you'll find us 'all there' when we're wanted.

This is a little kingdom in itself."

"Like Beranger's?" asked Meekin, with a smile. Captain Burgess had never heard of Beranger, but he smiled as if he had learnt his words by heart.

"Or like Sancho Panza's island," said North. "You remember how justice was administered there?"

"Not at this moment, sir," said Burgess, with dignity. He had been often oppressed by the notion that the Reverend Mr. North "chaffed" him. "Pray help yourself to wine."

"Thank you, none," said North, filling a tumbler with water. "I have a headache." His manner of speech and action was so awkward that a silence fell upon the party, caused by each one wondering why Mr. North should grow confused, and drum his fingers on the table, and stare everywhere but at the decanter. Meekin--ever softly at his ease--was the first to speak. "Have you many visitors, Captain Burgess?"

"Very few. Sometimes a party comes over with a recommendation from the Governor, and I show them over the place; but, as a rule, we see no one but ourselves."

"I asked," said Meekin, "because some friends of mine were thinking of coming."

"And who may they be?"

"Do you know Captain Frere?"

"Frere! I should say so!" returned Burgess, with a laugh, modelled upon Maurice Frere's own. "I was quartered with him at Sarah Island. So he's a friend of yours, eh?"

"I had the pleasure of meeting him in society. He is just married, you know."

"Is he?" said Burgess. "The devil he is! I heard something about it, too."

"Miss Vickers, a charming young person. They are going to Sydney, where Captain Frere has some interest, and Frere thinks of taking Port Arthur on his way down."

"A strange fancy for a honeymoon trip," said North.

"Captain Frere takes a deep interest in all relating to convict discipline," went on Meekin, unheeding the interruption, "and is anxious that Mrs. Frere should see this place."

"Yes, one oughtn't to leave the colony without seeing it," says Burgess; "it's worth seeing."

"So Captain Frere thinks. A romantic story, Captain Burgess. He saved her life, you know."

"Ah! that was a queer thing, that mutiny," said Burgess. "We've got the fellows here, you know."

"I saw them tried at Hobart Town," said Meekin. "In fact, the ringleader, John Rex, gave me his confession, and I sent it to the Bishop."

"A great rascal," put in North. "A dangerous, scheming, cold--blooded villain."

"Well now!" said Meekin, with asperity, "I don't agree with you.

Everybody seems to be against that poor fellow--Captain Frere tried to make me think that his letters contained a hidden meaning, but I don't believe they did. He seems to me to be truly penitent for his offences--a misguided, but not a hypocritical man, if my knowledge of human nature goes for anything."

"I hope he is," said North. "I wouldn't trust him."

"Oh! there's no fear of him," said Burgess cheerily; "if he grows uproarious, we'll soon give him a touch of the cat."

"I suppose severity is necessary," returned Meekin; "though to my ears a flogging sounds a little distasteful. It is a brutal punishment."

"It's a punishment for brutes," said Burgess, and laughed, pleased with the nearest approach to an epigram he ever made in his life.

Here attention was called by the strange behaviour of Mr. North. He had risen, and, without apology, flung wide the window, as though he gasped for air. "Hullo, North! what's the matter?"