Frank Oldfield Part 30

"Not a bit of it, Mr Frank," replied Jacob, bluntly. "He knowed precious well how to play his game. I'll be bound there's summat wrong about his getting this gold; I'll ne'er believe he dug it up hisself. I shouldn't wonder if he hasn't robbed some poor chap as has worked hard for it; and now he wants to get out of the colony as fast as he can afore he's found out. And, in course, he's been carrying this bra.s.s lapped up a long time, just in case you should light on him at any time, and he might seem to have a proper tale to tell. But you may be right sure, Mr Frank, as you'd ne'er have seen a penny of it if he could only have got clear out of the colony without coming across yourself."

"You're not very charitable, Jacob, I think," said his master; "but it may be as you say. And yet, why should he be so anxious to go out in the same ship with me? If he wanted to keep his money to himself; why didn't he keep close till the _Sabrina_ was gone, and then sail by the next vessel?"

"Perhaps he did mean it, Mr Frank, only you happened to light on him."

"No, that cannot be, for he says he has paid for his own pa.s.sage."

"Then, if that's a true tale," said the other, "I'll be bound he's not done it with any good meaning for you or me. I shall keep both my eyes well open, or he'll be too much for me. And as for you, Mr Frank, oh, don't listen to him, or he'll hook all your bra.s.s as he's given you out of your pocket again, or he'll lead you back to the drink if he can."

Frank coloured, and looked troubled, and turned the conversation to another subject.

At last the day of sailing came. The _Sabrina_, taken in tow by a steam-tug, soon made her way to Holdfast Bay, where she was to lie at anchor till Sat.u.r.day morning. Hubert and his uncle accompanied Frank Oldfield thus far, and then returned in the steam-tug. Before they parted, Hubert had a long conversation with his friend in his cabin.

His last words were of Mary, and Frank's one special temptation; and they separated with a fervent grasp, and eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears. Yet in neither of their hearts was there hope. Hubert felt that his friend had not satisfied him that he really meant utterly and for ever to renounce strong drink; and Frank felt that he had withheld any positive promise so to abstain, because he knew that the deep-rooted purpose of his heart was to resume the indulgence which would be his ruin, body and soul.

And where was Juniper? No one saw him on deck; and yet a.s.suredly he was on board the vessel, for Jacob had seen him come up the side.

Sat.u.r.day morning, and a fine favourable wind. Up comes the anchor--the _Sabrina_ bends to the breeze--away they go! Kangaroo Island is reached and pa.s.sed. Then emerges Juniper Graves from his cabin between decks, and smiles as he looks around him. All is safe now.

The _Sabrina_ had been gone ten days, when a weary, downcast-looking man entered Mr Abraham Oliphant's office.

"Your name ain't Oliphant, is it?" he asked, doggedly.

"Yes, it is," said Hubert, whom he was addressing.

The man got up, and stared steadily at him for a minute.

"It ain't him!" he muttered to himself.

Hubert was inclined at first to be amused; but there was something in the man's manner that checked his merriment.

"You want my uncle, perhaps," he said.

Mr Abraham Oliphant came at his nephew's summons. The man, who had all the appearance of a returned digger, shook his head.

"_You've_ neither on you been to the diggings, I reckon?"

"No; we have neither of us been," said the merchant.

"Are there any of your name as has been?" asked the other.

"None; I can answer for it," was the reply. "My sons have none of them been; and we, with my nephew here, are all the Oliphants in this colony.

No Oliphant has been to the diggings from South Australia."

The man sighed deeply.

"Can you make anything out o' that?" he asked, handing a piece of soiled paper to Mr Oliphant. "I can't read myself, but you can read it."

The merchant took the piece of paper and examined it. It had once been part of an envelope, but had been torn and rolled up to light a pipe, and one end, where it had been used, was burned. The words left on it were all incomplete, except the names "Oliphant" and "Australia." What was left was as follows:--

_yes_, _Oliphant_, _delaide_, _th Australia_.

Both uncle and nephew scrutinised it attentively. At last Hubert said,--

"I can tell now who this belonged to."

"Who?" cried the man, eagerly.

"Why, to one Juniper Graves, a servant of Mr Frank Oldfield's. He chose to take upon himself to have his letters from England directed to the care of my uncle, and this is one of the envelopes."

"And where is he? Can you tell me where I can find him?" cried the digger, in great excitement.

"I'm afraid you'll not find him at all, my friend," replied the merchant, "for he left the colony in the _Sabrina_ for England ten days ago."

The effect of this announcement on the poor man was tremendous. He uttered a violent imprecation, stamped furiously on the ground, while he ground his teeth together. Then he sat down, and covered his face with his hands in mute despair.

"I fear there has been some foul play," said Mr Oliphant to his nephew.

"Foul play!" cried the unfortunate digger, starting up furiously. "I'll tell you what it is. Yon rascal's been and robbed me of all as I got by my hard labour; and now he's got clean off. But I'll follow him, and have the law of him, if I work my pa.s.sage home for it."

"I've always had a suspicion that the fellow had not come honestly by his gains," said Hubert.

"And why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you have him taken up on suspicion?" exclaimed the other bitterly.

"I had no grounds for doing so," replied Hubert. "He might have come honestly by his money for anything I knew to the contrary. There was nothing to show that he had not been successful, as many other diggers have been."

"Successful!" cried the poor man. "Ay, he's been successful in making a precious fool of me."

"Tell us how it happened," said Mr Oliphant.

"Why, you see, gentlemen, my mates and me had done very well; and they was for going to Melbourne with what they'd got, but I was for stopping to get a little more. Well, I was all alone, and a little fidgetty like for fear of getting robbed, when one evening I sees a sandy-haired chap near my tent as didn't look much used to hard work; so I has a bit o'

talk with him. He seemed a greenish sort of piece, and I thought as p'raps I might just make use of him, and keep him for company's sake.

So he and I agreed to be mates; he was to do the lighter work, and I was to do the hard digging, and keep the biggest share of what we got. So we chummed together; and he seemed a mighty pleasant sort of a cove for a bit. He was always a-talking, and had his mouth full o' big words. I never said nothing about what I'd got afore, and he never seemed to care to ask me. But it were all his deepness. One night he pulls out a pack of cards, and says, 'Let's have a game. Only for love,' says he, when he saw me look a little shyly at him. 'I'm not a gambler,' says he; 'I never plays for money.' So we has a game and a pipe together, and he pulls out a little flask of spirits, and we got very cheerful. But I was careful not to take too much that night. However, the rum set my tongue loose, and I let out something about having more gold than he knowed of. I was mighty vexed, however, next day, when I remembered what I'd said. But he never said a word about it, but looked werry innocent. A few nights arterwards we gets drinking and smoking again.

Then he took a little too much himself. I knowed it, because next day he was axing me if I'd see'd anything of an envelope as he'd lost. I told him 'no;' but the real fact was, he'd twisted it up to light his pipe with, and I'd picked up the bit as he threw away, and put it in my pocket. I didn't think anything about it then; but next day, when he made a great fuss about it, and the day after too, I said to myself; 'I'll keep the bit of paper; maybe summat'll turn up from it one of these days.' So I took it out of my pocket when he were not by, and stowed it away where I knew he couldn't find it. But I shall weary you, gentlemen, with my long story. Well, the long and short of it was just this. He managed to keep the spirit-bottle full, and got me jolly well drunk one night; and then I've no doubt I told him all he wanted to know about my gold, for I know no more nor the man in the moon what I said to him. I asked him next day what I'd been talking about; and he said I was very close, and wouldn't let out anything. Well, it seems there was a strong party leaving the diggings a day or so arter; but it was kept very snug. Jemmy Thomson--that was what my new mate called himself to me--had managed to hear of it, and got leave to join 'em. So, the night afore they went, he gets me into a regular talk about the old country, and tells me all sorts of queer stories, and keeps filling my pannikin with grog till I was so beastly drunk that I knew nothing of what had happened till it was late the next morning. Then I found he was off.

He'd taken every nugget I'd got, and some bank-notes too, as I'd stowed away in a safe place. The party had started afore daybreak; and n.o.body knowed which way they'd gone, for they'd got off very secret. I was like one mad, you may be sure, when I discovered what he'd been and done. I took the bit of paper with me, and managed somehow to get to Melbourne. I tried to find him out; some only laughed at me. I went to the police; they couldn't do nothing for me--some on 'em told me it served me right for getting drunk. Then I went to a minister; and he was very kind, and made all sorts of inquiries for me. He said he'd reason to believe as Jemmy Thomson--as the rascal called himself--was not in Melbourne. And then he looked at my paper. 'Call on me to- morrow,' says he. And so I did. Then he says, 'There's no Oliphant here as I can find out; but there's a Mr Abraham Oliphant, a merchant, in Adelaide. This letter's been to him; you'd better see him.' So I've come here overland with a party; and now I must try my hand at summat or starve, for I shall never see my money nor the villain as stole it no more."

Mr Oliphant was truly sorry for the unfortunate man, and bade him take heart, promising to find him employment if he was willing to stick to his work and be sober. The man was thankful for the offer, and worked for a few weeks, but he was still all athirst for the gold, and, as soon as he could purchase the necessary tools, set out again for the diggings, with an earnest caution from Mr Oliphant to keep from the drink if he would not suffer a repet.i.tion of his loss and misery.

And thus it was that Juniper Graves had acquired his ill-gotten wealth.

Having ascertained that a party was returning to South Australia, he joined himself to them, and got safe off with his stolen gold. As Jacob Poole had surmised, he had made up the packet of notes with the nuggets, that, should he happen to fall in with his master, he might be able to pacify him, and so prepare the way for regaining his favour and his own hold upon him. He felt quite sure, from what he knew of Frank Oldfield's generous character, that he never would take more than the fifty pounds, and he was aware that unless he made unhesitating rest.i.tution of that sum, he was in danger of losing all, and of being thrown into prison. And now he was anxious to leave the colony as soon as possible, that he might put the sea between himself and the man he had robbed; and, having ascertained that Frank Oldfield and Jacob Poole were returning to England in the _Sabrina_, he took his pa.s.sage in the same vessel, partly with the view of getting his young master once more into his power, and partly in the hope of finding an opportunity of wreaking his vengeance on Jacob Poole. Therefore he was determined to leave no stone unturned to regain his influence over Frank, for his object was to use him for his own purposes both during and after the voyage. To this end his first great aim would be to cause, if possible, an estrangement between Jacob and his master. He also hoped to do his rival--as he considered Jacob--some injury of a serious kind, without exposing himself to detection. So far he had succeeded. All had prospered to his utmost wishes; and, as the sh.o.r.es of Kangaroo Island faded from the view of the voyagers, he hugged himself in secret and said,--

"Bravo, Juniper!--bravo! You've managed it to a T. Ah, Mr Jacob Poole! I'll make your master's cabin too hot to hold you afore any of us is a month older."

CHAPTER TWENTY.

A MAN OVERBOARD.