The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 87

The slang term groggy was well understood by those present, and when Tom gained his feet, he was saluted with another roar of laughter, that made him foam with rage.

He rushed towards Fred like a mad bull, and had he caught him in his arms, Fred would have fared none too well, for a time. But my friend darted one side, and as his adversary rushed past, he delivered another blow in the vicinity of the man's right ear, that stopped his headlong career, and he dropped to mother earth once more, baffled, bewildered, and discouraged.

"Hullo! Fighting here?" shouted a voice, and half-a-dozen policemen rushed into the ring, and pounced upon Fred and Tom before a third blow could be struck.

The a.s.sembled miners did not dare to interfere, for fear their licenses would be forfeited by the government commissioner. Therefore no murmuring was heard.

"Prize fighting, hey?" cried the sergeant of the force. "Away with them to the prison."

"Had you not better investigate first, Mr. Sergeant," I said, touching his arm.

He looked me full in the face, and I recognized the man as one whom we had met the day before, upon our return from Snakes' Paradise. His bold, confident air instantly deserted him, and he was as civil as I could desire.

"O, I beg your pardon, sir--I did not see you before," he said, touching his cap, with a military salute. "What can I do to serve you, sir?"

"You have my friend in custody. Of course, you recollect all the instructions of the inspector."

"To be sure I do, sir. I think that there must be some mistake here, and will instantly set him at liberty; but the miner who has dared to strike him shall be punished."

"That is unnecessary, as he has already been handled rather roughly," I said; and in a few words I explained to the policemen the origin of the affair.

"Ah, yes, I see, you were quite right in what you have done, and I regret that I didn't arrive on the ground before, to have saved you this annoyance. Release that gentleman," the sergeant said, turning to his men. "He is a friend of the inspector's."

The men obeyed without a word in opposition, and the crowd took courage at the sight, and attempted a feeble applause.

"As for you, sir," the sergeant said, turning to the miner, who appeared to be completely cowed by the array of force against him, and who expected nothing less than a sentence of thirty days' hard work on the roads for the part that he had taken in the fight, "you may thank these gentlemen for their forbearance in not urging your punishment, which you certainly deserve. Give the boy in charge of the gentlemen, and, mark me, I shall have an eye on your future habits."

The poor lad, half crazed with delight, shed tears at his deliverance, and declared that he would serve us to the best of his ability; while the fellows who had used him so harshly sneaked to their tents without uttering a word concerning their reputed robbery.

We thanked the sergeant for his interference, and with the lad walked to our store--but after we were clear of the crowd the boy appeared to be in a reflective mood, and scarcely exchanged a dozen words with us; and even when we told him that he should live with us for the present, and share our hard beds, his grat.i.tude did not appear to be overpowering, and he hung his head as though he was not worthy of so much attention.

CHAPTER XLV.

A YOUNG GIRL'S ADVENTURES IN SEARCH OF HER LOVER.

We speedily prepared a good breakfast, and invited our _protege_ to satisfy his appet.i.te, for he looked hungry and appeared hungry; but to our surprise he manifested some reluctance to eating before us, and not all of our rallying could overcome his diffidence.

"Come, come, take hold and eat heartily," I said, "and don't appear like a young girl in the presence of her beau. Your modesty is all thrown away in the mines of Australia."

"You know me, then?" he asked, in a sad tone, and his head was bent low to hide his blushes, which covered his face like a thick coating of rouge.

"Know you? not we; but that is what we are anxious about, and after breakfast you must tell us what freak drove you to this country, and how it happened that you were in Tom's tent at such an early hour in the morning."

"I was weary," he said, making a desperate effort to appear at his ease, "and having no money, I thought that I would rest myself where I should not be called upon to pay for lodgings. When I first went there the tent was unoccupied; but when I awoke, I found that the men had returned while I was asleep, and then they accused me of stealing their gold dust, and would have beaten me had you not interfered."

"I have no doubt of that, my lad," I answered, "and I see that they used you rather roughly, at any rate. One, of the brutes has knocked off a piece of skin from your neck."

"You had better have a little salve rubbed upon your bruises, for wounds in this country have to be attended to without delay," Fred said.

I went to my trunk and got all the healing ointment that we possessed, and offered it for his use--but he firmly declined, and declared that he did not suffer from the effect of his bruises, and that they would soon be well. I turned away disappointed, and inclined to be angry, which the young fellow saw in a moment.

"Don't be cross with me," he said, in such a soft, pleading tone, and he looked into my face with his gentle eyes so full of tears, that all my resentment was banished in a moment. "I will work for you as hard as my strength will allow, but please don't be cross," the boy repeated; "I am very grateful for what you have done for me, and know that I shall never be able to repay you; but don't be cross, will you?"

"No, no; we will never use a cross word to you," Fred said, laying his hand upon the boy's head and patting his check, both of which actions seemed to cause the young fellow excessive alarm. "You may stay here in the store as long as you please, and we will pay you for your labor.

When you wish to go, say so, and we will part company without any ill-feeling."

The boy seemed grateful for our kindness, but he did not express it in words; and while he and Fred were talking I rummaged my trunk, and found a number of articles of clothing that were suitable for him, and in which he stood in great need, his garments being somewhat the worse for wear.

"Strip off your stockings and shirt, and put these on," I said, handing him a new pair of socks, and a calico shirt too small for me, but which I thought would answer his purpose.

Again did the tell-tale blood mount in the young fellow's face, and he looked embarra.s.sed and perplexed.

"I would rather not," he said, after a moment's pause, and I saw that he was trembling violently.

"Nonsense--off with your shoes at once," and Fred stooped down to a.s.sist him, and in spite of his resistance tore off his ragged stockings, and was about to replace them with mine, when the boy began to cry again.

We looked at his grieved face, suffused with blushes, and then we looked at the naked foot and ankle, and immediately arrived at our conclusions; and, strange to say, they were of wonderful unanimity. We thought the exposed limb was too white to belong to our own s.e.x, and as our eyes met we exclaimed,--

"The devil! A woman!"

"Who would have thought it?" cried Fred, with wonder depicted upon his face.

"Don't cry," I said, addressing the girl in as mild a tone as I could a.s.sume; but to my astonishment, the little thing only cried the harder.

"You are a smart man to talk to women," Fred exclaimed, pettishly. "That voice of yours is enough to frighten a female into convulsions, and your face is not very prepossessing as I suppose you are aware. This is the way you should go to work."

To my surprise, the impudent puppy seated himself by the side of the girl, took one of her unresisting hands in his own, and began to talk to her in such a soothing manner that her tears were dried up, as if by magic; and she actually smiled when he told her how comfortable she could be in a little bedroom which, he promised to fit up for her exclusive accommodation, and where no one would intrude upon her moments of privacy.

"Jack," said Fred, suddenly jumping up and laying his hand on my arm, "we must protect this poor girl to the best of our ability."

"I suppose that we must," I returned, with great philosophy.

"She is an innocent little thing," my friend added, in a musing tone.

"Is she?" I asked; "pray, how do you happen to know?"

"O, because she is constantly blushing and crying," Fred answered, boldly.

"Is that the only method by which you judge?" I asked, quite lost in admiration at his perceptible powers.

"Of course it is--innocence always blushes."

Let ladies take note that in the estimate of some men a blush is regarded with more veneration than a hundred protestations of purity.

Where my friend obtained his knowledge of women I am unable to say, for he was never married, although many times in love.