The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 32

"Do you mean that there are no regularly organized companies here, to take charge of engines?" I asked.

"There are no engines nor companies, to my knowledge," Smith answered, after a moment's thought.

"Then how do you arrest conflagrations like the present?" I asked.

"Well, we send for the police," he answered, with a laugh.

"Pshaw!" I replied, impatiently, "this is no time for joking. Your city is burning down, and I do not hear the first effort to extinguish the flames."

"But I do. Hark! do you not hear that trumpet?"

We all listened, and loud above the roaring of the flames, which were filling the sky with showers of sparks, and dark, pall-like clouds of smoke, we heard the shrill tones of a trumpet.

"What is the meaning of that blast?" I asked.

"It means that the soldiers are marching to the scene of the conflagration," rejoined Smith, promptly.

"Ah, then they are to lend their aid in suppressing the flames?"

"They merely go for the purpose of seeing the building burn," replied Smith, laconically.

"Explain yourself," I cried, impatiently.

"I will. They are marched to the fire simply for the purpose of being drawn up in a line, and keeping people, who are disposed to work, away from the flames."

I looked at Smith's face, to see if he was not joking; but no, he was perfectly serious, and I began to have doubts about the ability of the Australians to subdue a conflagration under such difficulties.

"Then nothing is done by the thousands of people standing idly by, witnessing the destruction of property?" I asked.

"Well, sometimes I've known water-carts to bring water from the river, and then a few adventurous fellows will offer to throw it on to the fire. But the carts are not always to be depended upon."

"Let us go and see what we can do, Fred," I exclaimed, after the above explanation; and although Smith told us we had better remain in the house, for we should get no thanks or credit for our readiness to a.s.sist, yet we did not heed his advice, and when he saw that we were determined to go, he grumblingly offered to accompany us.

I locked the hound in the house, much against the animal's will, and then we started for the scene of the conflagration. On our way, we met and overtook hundreds of people bound on the same errand as ourselves; but to our surprise, they manifested no show of excitement, and appeared to regard the fire as a matter of course.

We hurried through the streets until we reached the thoroughfare in which the conflagration was raging. A long line of soldiers was drawn up to prevent people from approaching within twenty or thirty rods of the fire, and within the circle which they formed, were mounted policemen with drawn sabres.

There appeared to be no effort made to extinguish the fire; the soldiers, instead of being employed to carry water, or save goods, or in blowing up buildings to arrest the flames, leaned on their guns, and looked as though they didn't care if the whole city was consumed, as long as they got enough to eat and drink. The mounted police did not seem employed to any better purpose, and the most that I observed them do was to chase after a poor devil who squeezed through the lines in some way, and appeared anxious to save his property, or what there was left of it.

"Thank G.o.d!" exclaimed a stout man at my side, "the fire is confined to the stores of Jews. I think I'll go back to bed again."

That remark made me begin to comprehend the reason of the apathy which prevailed. The Jews were not ent.i.tled to sympathy on account of their religion. They paid their taxes, and were as much ent.i.tled to protection as Episcopalians, or men of other religious principles; but the stigma of being a Jew followed them even to Australia, where people were none too moral, and if they had not sold their Saviour it was because no one wished to buy, thinking the investment a bad one.

I longed to get to work, and once or twice I asked an officer standing near me to let us pa.s.s, and a.s.sist in extinguishing the flames. The young fop looked at me with the utmost astonishment for a moment, and then, thinking that I was an escaped lunatic, recommenced sucking the hilt of his sword with renewed energy, and without returning any answer to my pet.i.tion.

"Don't mind him, poor fellow," said Fred, with a laugh at my want of success in eliciting an answer from the office: "don't you see that he is hungry, and misses the comfort which his Mother has been in the habit of yielding."

The sword hilt was withdrawn from the young fellow's mouth in an instant, and his face flushed as red as his scarlet uniform. He felt the more annoyed, because half a dozen fellows, just from the mines, all of whom were standing near, and had heard the conversation, set up a shout of laughter. Even the soldiers smiled when their officer's back was turned.

If the young fellow intended to make a reply, he was prevented, for just then the rolling of a drum attracted his attention, and there was a murmur through the crowd that the lieutenant-governor was coming to see what could be done towards suppressing the conflagration.

The soldiers presented arms, as half a dozen plainly-dressed gentlemen walked towards the end of the line where Fred, Smith, and myself were stationed. They did not stop until within a few feet of us, and from the attention which was bestowed upon one man, I had no difficulty in deciding which was the governor.

"G.o.d bless me!" exclaimed the gentleman I supposed to be the governor, a rather small man, with gray hair, and, I judged, about sixty years of age; "G.o.d bless me!" he repeated, wringing his hands as though washing them, and gazing upon the fire, "what a dreadful conflagration."

"The fire is making great headway, your excellency," said one of the gentlemen in the governor's suite.

"G.o.d bless me, so it is," replied the governor. "How careless of the Jews to let their stores get on fire. They give me a great deal of trouble."

"But shall we not do something towards suppressing the flames?" asked the first speaker, with an impatient gesture.

"G.o.d bless me, what can I do?" cried the governor, peevishly.

"There are two small engines in the city--they might be brought here and worked to advantage," urged the aide-de-camp, for such I judged him to be.

"Yes, yes, I know; but, G.o.d bless me, they won't _suck_."

I saw the governor's suite vainly endeavoring to suppress their smiles, and for a moment, such was their mirth, no further conversation ensued.

At length the aid said,--

"That difficulty can be overcome, your excellency, by pressing the water carts into service, and letting them bring water from the river for the engines to use. Much property can be saved, also, by dismissing the soldiers to the barracks with their arms, and then letting them return, and pa.s.s water in buckets. I a.s.sure your excellency that the police force is amply sufficient to keep order without the troops."

"G.o.d bless me, I believe that you are right," cried the governor, "but I don't like to set the soldiers at such work. They spoil their uniforms, and then the government has to supply them with new clothing, and I am blamed for it."

"Then let the engines be brought here, and I pledge you my word that I will find men enough in the crowd to work them without the soldiers'

a.s.sistance!" exclaimed the aid, energetically.

"G.o.d bless me, if you think they are of any use, bring them here; but I don't know a person in Melbourne who understands working them."

His excellency's remark appeared to stagger the aide-de-camp, for by the light of the flames I saw him bite his lips with vexation, and glance over the crowd, as though wishing that he could find somebody who would come to his rescue.

Fred and myself could no longer keep silent. We thought, that we saw an opening for our talent that should not be lost, so giving the nearest soldier a slight push one side, and narrowly escaping a thrust from a bayonet in return, we suddenly stood before the astonished group.

"We have come to ask permission to take charge of your engines," Fred said, before the aide-de-camp could find breath to order us into custody, and the soldiers appeared disposed to make prisoners of us before the word was given.

"G.o.d bless me, what is the meaning of this?" cried the governor, putting his eye-gla.s.s up, and surveying us from head to foot, as though we were animals of the _rara avis_ species.

"Stand back, soldiers," cried the aide-de-camp, in a tone of command, when he saw that the men were disposed to force us amongst the crowd again, "return to your ranks, and leave me to deal with these men."

"Now, my men, what do you wish?" asked the aid; and we knew by the tones of his voice that he possessed the spirit of a man, and would know how to appreciate the services which we were disposed to render.

"We accidentally overheard a remark from the governor, that there was no one in Melbourne who understood the working of your fire-engines, so we have come to volunteer our services," Fred said, boldly.

"G.o.d bless me, but this is most extraordinary," said the governor, turning to his suite for confirmation of his words.

"Have either of you ever been accustomed to the working of an engine?"

asked the aid.