The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 105

We broke the flaming red seal of our friend's letter, and read as follows:--

MELBOURNE, Jan. 24th, 18--.

My dear friends: You may believe that I was astonished when I got your letter. Such d.a.m.nable sc.r.a.pes as you two are always getting into, warrants me in saying that a keeper is needed in your store to take the entire charge of you. I wish that I could get away for a few days; I'd run up and lend you a helping hand to clear up that shocking affair.

As I can't leave, I send Steel Spring, agreeable to request. May you make the most of him, for such a liar never went unhanged. As an incentive to stir himself in your behalf, I thrashed him like the devil on the afternoon that he left, and promised a repet.i.tion unless he obeyed orders, and followed your directions to the letter.

I find that the oftener I lick him the better he likes me; and he actually pretended to feel grieved at parting. I have great hope that he will live long enough to be honest; but I have reasonable doubts of the scheme, and it would not surprise me any day to hear that he had taken to the bush. Still, I must say that I find him useful in a number of ways; and a better detective cannot be found in the country, for no matter what I have placed him on, he has followed it up until the mystery was unravelled.

Yesterday, a ship load of interesting girls, many of them in interesting conditions, arrived from England, being sent out by a society for the prevention of pauperism, or something like it.

They are intended as wives for us poor colonists; and I wish that you had been here, to have seen the fun and the rush for the first choice. The ship was surrounded by boats, until at length the crowd was so great I had to take twenty-five men, and hire a steamboat to carry us down the river, to where the vessel was lying. The uproar and confusion was great--terrific.

Men wanted their first pick, and swore frightfully when they couldn't be gratified. The women all wanted stout, healthy husbands, and rich ones at that, and they shrieked some when told that they must take them by lot.

However, sooner than go unmarried, the girls at length consented to any arrangement that was proposed; and then what a time we had of it! for you are well aware that delicacy is not a characteristic of Australia. Amidst the crowd, struggling for a wife right manfully, did I observe the teamster whom Smith has in his employ, and who made you one visit with his load of goods while I was at Ballarat. He did honor to the firm, for the fellow got one of the best looking (and I will say at the same time, one of the most vicious, if I am any judge of faces) on board, out of a cargo of one hundred and ninety-eight.

I asked your man what he intended to do with a wife in his circ.u.mstances.

"Marry her," he replied, "and take her to Ballarat, and go into the mining business."

So look out for an addition to the population in a short time.

A day was required to get all the girls married off; for those who were left till the last stage were not of an enticing character; and there was a slight prospect of a row between the snub-nosed women, each of whom thought she was superior in point of beauty to the others; and not until I sent on sh.o.r.e and got three Victoria miners, not over scrupulous in taste, were they disposed to be silent.

You should have been in Melbourne on the first night of the arrival. Of course, where so many marriages took place, some little lat.i.tude was allowed to the happy couples; and more carousing I have not seen since whiskey was only a pound per gallon. The beauty of the arrangement was that the men got drunk, and one half of them could not tell the next morning whom they had married, or whether they had married at all.

The wives were in the same state of blissful ignorance, for they had not known their husbands long enough to get familiar with their features; and you will admit that where all men wear their beards in full, there is some resemblance between us bipeds.

Our police office was besieged from morning until night, by anxious husbands and inconsolable wives. Six different times was your friend seized upon and claimed as the lawful spouse of six different women, two of whom were the snub-noses spoken of above.

I hope you will admire the taste of your employee in the selection of a wife, and that you will continue to conduct yourself in a decorous manner after her arrival. Fair play, and don't take advantage--(the balance of the line was illegible.)

I must close my letter by once more recommending you to keep a bright lookout for Steel Spring, and to write me information if he does not come up to your expectations. Let me hear from you as soon as practicable, and don't forget to send me all the news that is stirring, including mining tax and other matters. By the way, the artillery corps in this place have received orders to be in readiness for instant duty and marching order. They are practising with their guns every day. Their destination is a secret, although I think I can _guess_ where they are to go.

Yours in purity and honesty,

MURDEN.

The next day we informed the inspector of Steel Spring's arrival, and the place where he was domiciled; and the former hinted to his sergeant that the latter should be watched narrowly, but was not to be interfered with unless something criminal was noted, in which case he was to be arrested without delay. Of course Mr. Brown did not impart to his subordinates what the ex-bushranger was attempting to accomplish, and the matter always remained a secret to them.

We saw nothing of Steel Spring until two days after his arrival, when he paid us a nocturnal visit, disguised as usual, and gave us some information that was of real importance.

"I'se getting along werry slowly," he said, "'cos I've got to creep afore I can walk. But things is vorking, and no mistake; and I 'spected ven I took that horn of viskey the other night, that it would clear my hideas, and make me find somethin'."

"Well, what have you found out?" I demanded.

"That the confounded dust gets into my throat, and keeps me dry, and I think will really drive me into a galloping consumption time. I'se dry now, and I think that if you had some vater here vid the brackishness taken off vid a little somethin' good, that it would help me."

We understood the hint, and gratified it; only after we had poured out a tumbler of whiskey, he refused to have it spoiled by adding a drop of water, as he thought that the latter was most too salt to agree with his const.i.tution. He drained the gla.s.s, smacked his lips, and made up such a hideous face that he would have frightened a person of delicate nerves into fits, had his countenance been seen.

"Now, then, for the information!" I cried.

"Vell, then, to business. I vant some more money."

"You shan't have it until you give a good account of yourself, and tell us what you have done with the gold we already gave you."

"O, werry well," the mutinous scamp replied, moving towards the door; "ven you get ready to give me the c.h.i.n.k, I'll be ready to vork for you, and not until then."

He had already got his hand upon the latch, and was making a motion to open the door, when Fred sprang upon him by his collar, and despite of his long, spider-like legs, hurled him to the floor, where he lay for a moment motionless and senseless. He raised his head, however, after a while, and attempted to get to his feet, but Fred was watching his motions, and grasping him by his neck, choked him, until the impudent fellow was almost black in his face, and was glad to beg for mercy.

"Will you answer our questions now?" Fred asked, giving him a shake.

"I'll do any thing hereafter," he gasped, "that you desire; only don't squeeze the breath entirely out of my body."

"Now, then, tell us what information you have received, and let us have no more of your impudence; and if you don't tell a straight story we'll beat you to death with our horsewhips."

Steel Spring understood the meaning of the language used, and he saw that he had men to deal with who were not disposed to submit to his demands and impudence, as he supposed they would. His confident air was gone, and an abject one a.s.sumed its place.

"Last night," he commenced, "I vas sitting vid a few coves in Dan's crib, talking flash, ven von of 'em mentioned the case which I is hunting up. I pretended that I didn't, know vot vas meant, and axed in a careless sort of vay for the particulars. One of the coves tells me how old Critchet got lammed, and then said that the coves didn't get anything, 'cos the old feller had carried all of his money to the government office, and took a paper for the amount. I axed him how he knowed, and he said he seed the old c.o.c.k lugging the dust to the office, and followed him, thinking that if he could get a chance he would crack him over his head, and make a raise. I didn't make many 'quiries, 'cos I thought I vould vate a little vile until I got 'quainted."

"And was there any thing said about the parties who committed the outrage?" I asked.

"There vas a few hints, but not enough to give me a hold. However, von of the chaps said that he would show me a man vot helped in the business to-morrow night, if I vished."

"And what answer did you make?" we inquired eagerly.

"I said that I thought he would make a good pal for the bush, and that I would like to know him, and talk the matter over with a few good ones vot I had already spoken to."

"And what do you propose to do in case the a.s.sa.s.sin meets you?" we demanded.

"Get him to talk of the matter--praise him for his courage, make him boast of it, and then nab him, and vere is he? Ve have the feller fast and no mistake, and vether the old gent lives or dies ve don't care, 'cos ve shows the commissioner that you're hinnocent."

"How many men will be required to act as you state?" we asked.

"As few as possible," responded Steel Spring, promptly; "three besides myself. Say Mr. Brown and both of you."

We knew enough of Dan's crib to be certain that, if an attempt was made to arrest a noted character, there would be a struggle, and possibly bloodshed; and we had seen too many desperate battles not to know that a shot can be fired by a pretended friend with more coolness than an enemy, and no one the wiser for it. I scrutinized Steel Spring's face to see if I could read his thoughts, but nature had given him eyes of such a peculiar hue and shape that I was baffled in my attempt.

"Do you mean honestly to a.s.sist us if we agree to your plans?" I asked.

"So help me Heaven," he cried; and one of his hands was raised as though swearing to the truth of his words.

"We want no oaths, because we know the value that you place upon them; but let me impress upon your mind that to-morrow night we will accompany you--that each of us intends to carry a revolver, (and you know what execution we can do with them,) and the first shot fired shall be at your body if we see any signs of treachery. Now go, and meet us to-morrow night at any time you see proper."

I opened the door as Fred ceased speaking, and, with a thoughtful brow, Steel Spring pa.s.sed out of the room, and was soon lost to view as he skulked homeward.