\"AboutaweekbeforethatIwasdowninthebedoftheRedclayCreekfishingfor`tailers’。I’dbeengettingonallrightwiththehousemaidatthe`Royal’——sheusedtohaveplatesofpuddingandhotpieformeonthebiggridironarrangementoverthekitchenrange;
andafterthethirdtuck-outIthoughtitwasgoodenoughtodoabitofabear-upinthatdirection。Shementionedoneday,yarning,thatshelikedastrollbythecreeksometimesinthecooloftheevening。
Ithoughtshe’dbeoffthatday,soIsaidI’dgoforafishafterI’dknockedoff。IthoughtImightgetabite。
Anyway,Ididn’tcatchLizzie——tellyouaboutthatsomeothertime。
\"ItwasSunday。I’dbeenfishingforLizzieaboutanhourwhenIsawaskirtonthebankoutofthetailofmyeye——
andthoughtI’dgotabite,sure。ButIwashad。ItwasMissWilsonstrollingalongthebankinthesunset,allbyherprettyself。
Shewasaslightgirl,notverytall,withreddishfrizzledhair,greyeyes,andsmall,prettyfeatures。Shespokeasifshehadmorebrainsthantheaverage,andhadbeenbettereducated。
JackDrewwastheonlyyoungmaninRedclayshecouldtalkto,orwhocouldtalktoagirllikeher;andthatwasthewholetroubleinanutshell。Thenewspaperofficewasnexttothebank,andI’dseenherhandcupsofteaandcocoaoverthefencetohisofficewindowmorethanonce,andsometimestheyyarnedforawhile。
\"Shesaid,`Goodmorning,Mr。Mitchell。’
\"Isaid,`Goodmorning,Miss。’
\"There’ssomegirlsIcan’ttalktolikeI’dtalktoothergirls。
SheaskedmeifI’dcaughtanyfish,andIsaid,`No,Miss。’
Sheaskedmeifitwasn’tmedowntherefishingwithMr。Drewtheotherevening,andIsaid,`Yes——itwasme。’Thenpresentlysheaskedmestraightifhewasfishingdownthecreekthatafternoon?
Iguessedthey’dbeendownfishingforeachotherbefore。Isaid,`No,Ithoughthewasoutoftown。’IknewhewasprettybadattheRoyal。
Iaskedherifshe’dliketohaveatrywithmyline,butshesaidNo,thanks,shemustbegoing;andshewentoffupthecreek。IreckonedJackDrewhadgotabiteandlandedher。Ifeltabitsorryforher,too。
\"ThenextSaturdayeveningaftertherainyMondayattheDoctor’s,Iwentdowntofishfortailers——andLizzie。Iwentdownunderthebankstowheretherewasabigshe-oakstumphalfinthewater,goingquietly,withanideaofnotfrighteningthefish。Iwasjustunwindingthelinefrommyrod,whenInoticedtheendofanotherrodstickingoutfromtheothersideofthestump;andwhileIwatcheditwasdroppedintothewater。ThenIheardamurmur,andcranedmyneckroundthebackofthestumptoseewhoitwas。
IsawthebackviewofJackDrewandMissWilson;hehadhisarmroundherwaist,andherheadwasonhisshoulder。Shesaid,`IWILLtrustyou,Jack——Iknowyou’llgiveupthedrinkformysake。
AndI’llhelpyou,andwe’llbesohappy!’orwordsinthatdirection。
Athunderstormwascomingon。Theskyhaddarkenedupwithagreatblue-blackstorm-cloudrushingover,andtheyhadn’tnoticedit。
Ididn’tmind,andthefishbitbestinastorm。Butjustasshesaid`happy’
cameablindingflashandacrashthatshooktheridges,andthefirstdropscamepelteringdown。Theyjumpedupandclimbedthebank,whileIperchedontheshe-oakrootsoverthewatertobeoutofsightastheypassed。HalfwaytothetownIsawthemstandingintheshelterofanoldstonechimneythatstoodalone。
Hehadhisovercoatroundherandwasshelteringherfromthewind……\"
\"Smoke-oh,Joe。Thetea’sstewing。\"
Mitchellgotup,stretchedhimself,andbroughtthebillyandpint-potstotheheadofmycamp。Themoonhadgrownmisty。Theplainhorizonhadclosedin。Acoupleofboughs,hangingfromthegnarledandblastedtimberoverthebillabong,weretheperfectshapesoftwomenhangingsidebyside。
Mitchellscratchedthebackofhisneckandlookeddownatthepupcurledlikeaglobofmudonthesandinthemoonlight,andanideastruckhim。Hegotabigoldfelthathehad,liftedhispup,nosetotail,fitteditinthehat,shookitdown,holdingthehatbythebrim,andstoodthehatneartheheadofhisdoss,outofthemoonlight。\"Hemightgetmoonstruck,\"saidMitchell,\"andIdon’twantthatpuptobeagenius。\"Thepupseemedperfectlysatisfiedwiththisnewarrangement。
\"Haveasmoke,\"saidMitchell。\"Yousee,\"headded,withaslygrin,\"I’vegottomakeuptheyarnasIgoalong,andit’shardwork。
Itseemstobegintoremindmeofyarnsyourgrandmotheroraunttellsofthingsthathappenedwhenshewasagirl——butthoseyarnsaretrue。
Youwon’thavetolistenlongnow;I’mwellonintothesecondvolume。
\"AfterthestormIhurriedhometothetent——Iwasbatchingwithacarpenter。Ichangedmyclothes,madeafireinthefire-bucketwithshavingsandendsofsoftwood,boiledthebilly,andhadacupofcoffee。ItwasSaturdaynight。MymatewasattheRoyal;
itwascoldanddismalinthetent,andtherewasnothingtoread,soIreckonedImightaswellgouptotheRoyal,too,andputinthetime。
\"IhadtopasstheBankontheway。Itwastheusualweatherboardboxwithagalvanisedirontop——fourroomsandapassage,andadetachedkitchenandwash-houseattheback;thefrontroomtotheright(behindtheoffice)wasthefamilybedroom,andtheoneoppositeitwasthelivingroom。The`Advertiser’officewasnextdoor。
JackDrewcampedinaskillionroombehindhisprintingoffice,andhadhismealsattheRoyal。Inoticedthestormhadtakenasheetofironofftheskillion,andsupposedhe’dsleepattheRoyalthatnight。
Nexttothe`Advertiser’officewasthepolicestation(stillcalledthePoliceCamp)andtheCourthouse。NextwastheImperialHotel,wherethescrubaristocratswent。TherewasavacantallotmentontheothersideoftheBank,andItookashortcutacrossthistotheRoyal。
\"They’dforgottentopulldowntheblindofthedining-roomwindow,andIhappenedtoglancethroughandsawshehadJackDrewinthereandwasgivinghimacupoftea。Hehadabadcold,Iremember,andIsupposehishealthhadgotprecioustoher,poorgirl。
AsIglancedshesteppedtothewindowandpulleddowntheblind,whichputmeoutoffaceabit——though,ofcourse,shehadn’tseenme。
IwasrathersurprisedatherhavingJackinthere,tillIheardthatthebanker,thepostmaster,theconstable,andsomeothersweremakinganightofitattheImperial,asthey’dbeendoingprettyoftenlately——andwentondoingtilltherewasablow-upaboutit,andtheconstablegottransferredOutBack。Iusedtodrinkmysharethen。
Wesmokedandplayedcardsandyarnedandfilled’emupagainattheRoyaltillafteroneinthemorning。ThenIstartedhome。
\"I’dfinishedgivingtheBankacoupleofcoatsofstone-colourthatweek,andwascuttinginindarkcolourroundthespouting,doors,andwindow-framesthatSaturday。Myheadwasprettycleargoinghome,andasIpassedtheplaceitstruckmethatI’dleftouttheonlyvarnishbrushIhad。I’dbeenusingittogivethesashesacoatofvarnishcolour,andrememberedthatI’dleftitononeofthewindow-sills——thesillofherbedroomwindow,asithappened。
IknewI’dsleepinnextday,Sunday,andguesseditwouldbehot,andIdidn’twantthevarnishtooltogetspoiled;soIreckonedI’dslipinthroughthesidegate,getit,andtakeithometocampandputitinoil。
Thewindowsashwasjammed,Iremember,andIhadn’tbeenabletogetitupmorethanacoupleofinchestopainttherunsofthesash。
Thegrassgrewupcloseunderthewindow,andIslippedinquietly。Inoticedthesashwasstillupacoupleofinches。JustasIgrabbedthebrushIheardlowvoicesinside——RuthWilson’sandJackDrew’s——inherroom。
\"Thesurprisesentaboutapintofbeerupintomythroatinalump。
Itip-toedawayoutofthere。JustasIgotclearofthegateIsawthebankerbeinghelpedhomebyacoupleofcronies。
\"Iwenthometothecampandturnedin,butIcouldn’tsleep。
Ilaythink——think——thinking,tillIthoughtallthedrinkoutofmyhead。
I’dbroughtabottleofalehometolastoverSunday,andIdrankthat。
Itonlymademattersworse。Ididn’tknowhowIfelt——I——well,IfeltasifIwasasgoodamanasJackDrew——I——
youseeI’ve——youmightthinkitsoft——butIlovedthatgirl,notasI’vebeengoneonothergirls,butintheold-fashioned,soft,honest,hopeless,far-awaysortofway;andnow,totellthestraighttruth,IthoughtImighthavehadher。Youloseathingthroughbeingtoostraightorsentimental,ornothavingenoughcheek;andanothermancomesalongwithmorebrassinhisbloodandlesssentimentalrotandtakesitup——andtheworldrespectshim;andyoufeelinyourheartthatyou’reaweakermanthanheis。Why,partofthetimeImusthavefeltlikeamandoeswhenabettermanrunsawaywithhiswife。
ButI’ddrunkalot,andwasupsetandlonely-feelingthatnight。
\"Oh,butRedclayhadatremendoussensationnextday!JackDrew,ofallthemenintheworld,hadbeencaughtintheactofrobbingthebank。
AccordingtoBrowne’saccountincourtandinthenewspapers,hereturnedhomethatnightatabouttwelveo’clock(whichIknewwasalie,forIsawhimbeinghelpedhomenearertwo)andimmediatelyretiredtorest(ontopofthequilt,bootsandall,Isuppose)。Sometimebeforedaybreakhewasrousedbyafanciednoise(Isupposeitwashisheadswelling);
herose,turnedupanightlamp(hehadn’tlitit,I’llswear),andwentthroughthedining-roompassageandofficetoinvestigate(forwhiskyandwater)。Hesawthatthedoorsandwindowsweresecure,returnedtobed,andfellasleepagain。
\"Thereissomethinginadeafperson’sbeingrousedeasily。
Iknowthecaseofadeafchapwho’dstartupatastepormovementinthehousewhennooneelsecouldhearorfeelit;keensenseofvibration,Ireckon。Well,justatdaybreak(toshortentheyarn)
thebankerwokesuddenly,hesaid,andheardacracklikeashotinthehouse。
Therewasalooseflooring-boardinthepassagethatwentofflikeapistol-shotsometimeswhenyoutrodonit;andIguessJackDrewtrodonit,sneakingout,andheweighednearlytwelvestone。
Ifthetruthwereknown,heprobablyheardBrownepokinground,triedthewindow,foundthesashjammed,andwasslippingthroughthepassagetothebackdoor。Brownegothisrevolver,openedhisdoorsuddenly,andcaughtDrewstandingbetweenthegirl’sdoor(whichwasshut)
andtheofficedoor,withhiscoatonhisarmandhisbootsinhishands。
Brownecoveredhimwithhisrevolver,sworehe’dshootifhemoved,andyelledforhelp。Drewstoodamomentlikeamanstunned;
thenherushedBrowne,andinthestruggletherevolverwentoff,andDrewgothitinthearm。Twoofthemountedtroopers——who’dbeenuplookingtothehorsesforanearlystartsomewhere——rushedinthen,andtookDrew。Hehadnothingtosay。Whatcouldhesay?Hecouldn’tsayhewasablackguardwho’dtakenadvantageofapoorunprotectedgirlbecauseshelovedhim。Theyfoundthebackdoorunlocked,bytheway,whichwasputdowntotheburglar;ofcourseBrownecouldn’texplainthathecamehometoomuddledtolockdoorsafterhim。
\"Andthegirl?Sheshriekedandfellwhentherowstarted,andtheyfoundherlikealogonthefloorofherroomafteritwasover。
\"TheyfoundinJack’sovercoatpocketaparcelcontainingacoldchisel,smallscrew-wrench,file,andoneortwootherthingsthathe’dboughtthateveningtotinkeruptheoldprintingpress。
Iknewthat,becauseI’dlenthimahandafewnightsbefore,andhetoldmehe’dhavetogetthetools。Theyfoundsomescratchesroundthekey-holeandknoboftheofficedoorthatI’dmademyself,scrapingoldsplashesofpaintoffthebrassandhand-platesoastomakeacleanfinish。Oh,ittaughtmethevalueofcircumstantialevidence!
IfIwasjudgeIwouldn’tgiveamantillthe`risin’avthecoort’onit,anymorethanIwouldonthebarewordofthenoblestwomanbreathing。
\"AtthepreliminaryexaminationJackDrewsaidhewasguilty。
Butitseemedthat,accordingtolaw,hecouldn’tbeguiltyuntilafterhewascommitted。SohewascommittedfortrialatthenextQuarterSessions。TheexcitementandgabblewereworsethantheDeancase,orFederation,andsickenedme,fortheywereallonthewrongtrack。Youlosealotoflifethroughbeingbehindthescenes。Buttheycooleddownpresentlytowaitforthetrial。
\"Theythoughtitbesttotakethegirlawayfromtheplacewhereshe’dgottheshock;sotheDoctortookhertohishouse,wherehehadanoldhousekeeperwhowasasdeafasapost——
afirstclassrecommendationforahousekeeperanywhere。
HegotanursefromSydneytoattendonRuthWilson,andnooneexceptheandthenursewereallowedtogonearher。Shelaylikedead,theysaid,exceptwhenshehadtobehelddownraving;brainfever,theysaid,broughtonbytheshockoftheattemptedburglaryandpistolshot。
Dr。LebinskihadanotherdoctorupfromSydneyathisownexpense,butnothingcouldsaveher——andperhapsitwasaswell。
Shemighthavefinishedherlifeinalunaticasylum。
TheyweregoingtosendhertoSydney,toabrainhospital;
butshediedaweekbeforetheSessions。Shewasright-headedforanhour,theysaid,andaskingallthetimeforJack。TheDoctortoldherhewasallrightandwascoming——and,waitingandlisteningforhim,shedied。
\"ThecasewasblackenoughagainstDrewnow。Iknewhewouldn’thavetheplucktotellthetruthnow,evenifhewasthatsortofaman。
Ididn’tknowwhattodo,soIspoketotheDoctorstraight。IcaughthimcomingoutoftheRoyal,andwalkedalongtheroadwithhimabit。
IsupposehethoughtIwasgoingtoshowcausewhyhisdoorsoughttohaveanothercoatofvarnish。
\"`Hallo,Mitchell!’hesaid,`how’spainting?’
\"`Doctor!’Isaid,`whatamIgoingtodoaboutthisbusiness?’
\"`Whatbusiness?’
\"`JackDrew’s。’
\"Helookedatmesideways——theswifthauntedlook。Thenhewalkedonwithoutaword,forhalfadozenyards,handsbehind,andstudyingthedust。
Thenheasked,quitequietly:
\"`Doyouknowthetruth?’
\"`Yes!’
\"Aboutadozenyardsthistime;thenhesaid:
\"`I’llseehiminthemorning,andseeyouafterwards,’
andheshookhandsandwentonhome。
\"NextdayhecametomewhereIwasdoingajobonastepladder。
Heleanedhiselbowagainstthestepsforamoment,andrubbedhishandoverhisforehead,asifitachedandhewastired。
\"`I’veseenhim,Mitchell,’hesaid。
\"`Yes。’
\"`Youweremateswithhim,once,OutBack?’
\"`Iwas。’
\"`YouknowDrew’shand-writing?’
\"`Ishouldthinkso。’
\"Helaidaleaffromapocketbookontopofthesteps。Ireadthemessagewritteninpencil:
\"`ToJackMitchell。——Wewerematesonthetrack。Ifyouknowanythingofmyaffair,don’tgiveitaway。——J。D。’
\"Itoretheleafanddroppedthebitsintothepaint-pot。
\"`That’sallright,Doctor,’Isaid;`butistherenoway?’
\"`None。’
\"Heturnedaway,wearily。He’dknockedaboutsomuchovertheworldthathewaspastbotheringaboutexplainingthingsorbeingsurprisedatanything。
Butheseemedtogetanewideaaboutme;hecamebacktothestepsagain,andwatchedmybrushforawhile,asifhewasthinking,inabroodysortofway,ofthrowinguphispracticeandgoinginforhouse-painting。Thenhesaid,slowlyanddeliberately:
\"`Ifshe——thegirl——hadlived,wemighthavetriedtofixitupquietly。
That’swhatIwashopingfor。Idon’tseehowwecanhelphimnow,evenifhe’dletus。Hewouldneverhavespoken,anyway。
Wemustletitgoon,andafterthetrialI’llgotoSydneyandseewhatIcandoatheadquarters。It’stoolatenow。
Youunderstand,Mitchell?’
\"`Yes。I’vethoughtitout。’
\"ThenhewentawaytowardstheRoyal。
\"AndwhatcouldJackDreworwedo?Studyitoutwhateverwayyoulike。
Therewasonlyonepossiblechancetohelphim,andthatwastogotothejudge;andthejudgethathappenedtobeonthatcircuitwasamanwho——evenifhedidlistentothestoryandbelieveit——
wouldhavefeltinclinedtogiveJackallthemoreforwhathewaschargedwith。Brownewasoutofthequestion。
ThedaybeforethetrialIwentforalongwalkinthebush,butcouldn’thitonanythingthattheDoctormighthavemissed。
\"Iwasinthecourt——Icouldn’tkeepaway。TheDoctorwastheretoo。
Therewasn’tsomuchofachangeinJackasIexpected,onlyhehadthegaolwhiteinhisfacealready。Hestoodfingeringtherail,asifitwastheedgeofatableonaplatformandhewasatiredandboredandsleepychairmanwaitingtoproposeavoteofthanks。\"
Theonlywell-knownmaninAustraliawhoremindsmeofMitchellisBlandHolt,thecomedian。MitchellwasaboutasgoodheartedasBlandHolt,too,underitall;buthewasbiggerandroughenedbythebush。Butheseemedtobetakingaheavypartto-night,for,towardstheendofhisyarn,hegotupandwalkedupanddownthelengthofmybed,droppingthesentencesasheturnedtowardsme。He’dfoldedhisarmshighandtight,andhisfaceinthemoonlightwas——well,itwasverydifferentfromhiscarelesstoneofvoice。Hewaslike——likeanactoractingtragedyandtalkingcomedy。Mitchellwenton,speakingquickly——
hisvoiceseemingtoharden:……
\"Thechargewasreadout——Iforgethowitwent——itsoundedlikealonghymnbeinggivenout。Jackpleadedguilty。
Thenhestraightenedupforthefirsttimeandlookedroundthecourt,withacalm,disinterestedlook——asifwewereallstrangersandhewasnotingthesizeofthemeeting。And——it’safunnyworld,ain’tit?——everyoneofusshiftedordroppedhiseyes,justasifwewerethefelonsandJackthejudge。EveryoneexcepttheDoctor;
helookedatJackandJacklookedathim。ThentheDoctorsmiled——Ican’tdescribeit——andDrewsmiledback。ItstruckmeafterwardsthatIshouldhavebeeninthatsmile。ThentheDoctordidwhatlookedlikeastrangething——stoodlikeasoldierwithhishandstoAttention。I’dnoticedthat,wheneverhe’dmadeuphismindtodoathing,hedroppedhishandstohissides:itwasasignthathecouldn’tbemoved。
Nowheslowlyliftedhishandtohisforehead,palmout,salutedtheprisoner,turnedonhisheel,andmarchedfromthecourt-room。`He’sboozin’again,’
someonewhispered。`He’sgotatouchof’em。’`Myoath,he’sratty!’
saidsomeoneelse。Oneofthetrapssaid:
\"`Arderinthecar-rt!’
\"ThejudgegaveittoDrewred-hotonaccountoftheburglarybeingthecauseofthegirl’sdeathandthesorrowinarespectablefamily;
thenhegavehimfiveyears’hard。
\"Itgavemealotofconfidenceinmyselftoseethelawofthelandbarkingupthewrongtree,whileonlyIandtheDoctorandtheprisonerknewit。ButI’vefoundoutsincethenthatthelawisoftentheonlyonethatknowsit’sbarkingupthewrongtree。\"……
Mitchellpreparedtoturnin。
\"AndwhataboutDrew,\"Iasked。
\"Oh,hedidhistime,ormostofit。TheDoctorwenttoheadquarters,buteitheradrunkendoctorfromageebungtownwasn’tofmuchaccount,ortheyweren’ttakinganyromancejustthenatheadquarters。
SotheDoctorcameback,drankheavily,andonefrostymorningtheyfoundhimonhisbackonthebankofthecreek,withhisfacelikenote-paperwherethebloodhadn’tdriedonit,andanoldpistolinhishand——
thathe’dused,theysaid,toshootCossacksfromhorsebackwhenhewasayoungdudefightinginthebushinPoland。\"
Mitchelllaysilentagoodwhile;thenheyawned。
\"Ah,well!It’salonelytracktheLachlan’strampingto-night;
butIs’posehe’sgothisghostswithhim。\"
I’dbeenpuzzlingforthelasthalf-hourtothinkwhereI’dmetorheardofJackDrew;nowitflashedonmethatI’dbeentoldthatJackDrewwastheLachlan’srealname。
Ilayawakethinkingalongtime,andwishedMitchellhadkepthisyarnfordaytime。Ifelt——well,IfeltasiftheLachlan’sstoryshouldhavebeenplayedinthebiggesttheatreintheworld,bythegreatestactors,withmusicfortheintervalsandsituations——
deep,strongmusic,suchasthrillsandliftsamanfromhisbootsoles。
AndwhenIgottosleepIhadn’tsleptamoment,itseemedtome,whenIstartedwideawaketoseethoseinfernalhangingboughswithasortofnightmareideathattheLachlanhadn’tgone,orhadcomeback,andheandMitchellhadhangedthemselvessociably——
Mitchellforsympathyandthesakeofmateship。
ButMitchellwassleepingpeacefully,inspiteofapathofmoonlightacrosshisface——andsowasthepup。
TheDarlingRiverTheDarling——whichiseitheramuddygutterorasecondMississippi——
isaboutsixtimesaslongasthedistance,inastraightline,fromitsheadtoitsmouth。Thestateoftheriverisvaguelybutgenerallyunderstoodtodependonsomedistantandforeignphenomenatowhichbushmenreferinanoff-handtoneofvoiceas\"theQueenslan’rains\",whichseemtobeheldresponsible,inageneralway,formostoftheout-backtrouble。
IttakeslessthanayeartogoupstreambyboattoWalgettorBourkeinadryseason;butafterthefirstthreemonthsthepassengersgenerallygoashoreandwalk。Theygetsickofbeingstuckinthesamesortofplace,inthesameoldway;theygrowwearyofseeingthesameold\"whaler\"
drophisswagonthebankoppositewhenevertheboattiesupforwood;
theygettiredoflendinghimtobacco,andlisteningtohisideas,whicharelimitedinnumberandnarrowinconception。
Itshortensthejourneytogetoutandwalk;butthenyouwillhavetowaitsolongforyourluggage——unlessyouhumpitwithyou。
WeheardofamanwhodeterminedtosticktoaDarlingboatandtravelthewholelengthoftheriver。Hewasanewspaperman。HestartedonhisvoyageofdiscoveryoneEasterinflood-time,andamonthlaterthecaptaingotbushedbetweentheDarlingandSouthAustralianborder。
Thewaterswentawaybeforehecouldfindtheriveragain,andlefthisboatinascrub。Theyhadacargoofrations,andthecrewstucktothecraftwhilethetuckerlasted;
whenitgaveouttheyrolleduptheirswagsandwenttolookforastation,butdidn’tfindone。Thecaptainwouldstudyhiswatchandthesun,rigupdialsandmakeoutcourses,andfollowthemwithoutsuccess。
Theyranshortofwater,anddidn’tsmellanyforweeks;
theysufferedterribleprivations,andlostthreeoftheirnumber,NOTincludingthenewspaperliar。Thereareevendarkhintsconsideringthedrawingoflotsinconnectionwithsomethingtooterribletomention。Theycrossedathirty-mileplainatlast,andsightedablackgin。Sheledthemtoaboundaryrider’shut,wheretheyweretakeninandprovidedwithrationsandrum。
Lateronasyndicatewasformedtoexplorethecountryandrecovertheboat;
buttheyfoundherthirtymilesfromtheriverandabouteighteenfromthenearestwaterholedeepenoughtofloather,sotheyleftherthere。
She’stherestill,orelsethemanthattoldusaboutitisthegreatestliarOutBack……
ImaginethehullofaNorthShoreferryboat,bluntedalittleattheendsandcutoffaboutafootbelowthewater-line,andparalleltoit,thenyouwillhavesomethingshapedsomewhatlikethehullofaDarlingmud-rooter。Buttheriverboatismuchstronger。
Theboatwewereonwasbuiltandrepairedabovedeckafterthedifferentideasofmanybushcarpenters,ofwhomthelastseemedbyhisworktohaveregardedtheoriginalplanwithacontemptonlyequalledbyhisdisgustattheworkofthelastcarpenterbutone。
Thewheelwasboxedin,mostlywithroundsapling-sticksfastenedtotheframewithbunchesofnailsandspikesofallshapesandsizes,mostofthembent。
Thegeneralresultwasdecidedlypicturesqueinitsirregularity,butdangeroustothementalwelfareofanypassengerwhowasfoolishenoughtotrytocomprehendthedesign;foritseemedasthougheverycarpenterhadtakentheopportunitytoworkinalittleabstractideaofhisown。
Thewaythey\"dock\"aDarlingRiverboatisbeautifulforitssimplicity。
Theychooseaplacewheretherearetwostouttreesabouttheboat’slengthapart,andstandingonalineparalleltotheriver。
Theyfixpulley-blockstothetrees,layslidingplanksdownintothewater,fastenaropetooneendofthesteamer,andtaketheotherendthroughtheblockattachedtothetreeandthencebackaboardasecondsteamer;
thentheycarryaropesimilarlyfromtheotherendthroughtheblockonthesecondtree,andaboardathirdboat。AtagivensignaloneboatleavesforWentworth,andtheotherstartsfortheQueenslandborder。
Theconsequenceisthatcraftnumberoneclimbsthebankamidthecheersofthelocalloafers,whocongregateandwatchtheproceedingswithgreatinterestandapproval。Thecrewpitchtents,andsettoworkonthehull,whichlookslikeabig,roughshallowbox……
WeoncetravelledontheDarlingforahundredmilesorsoonaboatcalledthe`MudTurtle’——atleast,that’swhatWEcalledher。
ShemightreasonablyhavehauntedtheMississippififtyyearsago。
Shedidn’tseemparticularwhereshewent,orwhethershestartedagainorstoppedforgoodaftergettingstuck。Hermachinerysoundedlikeachapterofaccidentsandwasalwaysoutoforder,butshegotalongallthesame,providedthesteersmankeptheroffthebank。
Herskipperwasayoungman,wholookedmorelikeadroverthanasailor,andthecrewboreagreaterresemblancetotheunemployedthantoanyotherbodyweknowof,exceptthattheylookedalittlemoreindependent。Theyseemedclannish,too,withanunemployedorfree-laboursortofisolation。Wehaveanideathattheyregardedourpersonalappearancewithcontempt……
AboveLouthwepickedupa\"whaler\",whocameaboardforthesakeofsocietyandtobacco。Notthathehopedtoshortenhisjourney;
hehadnodestination。Hetoldusmanyrecklessandunprincipledlies,andgaveusafewornamentalfacts。Oneofthemtookourfancy,andimpressedus——withitsbeautifulsimplicity,Isuppose。Hesaid:
\"SomemilesabovewheretheDarlin’andtheWarrygorunsintereachother,there’sabillygongrunnin’rightacrossbetweenthetworiversandmakin’
asortoftryhangularhyland;’n’Icantel’yerafunnythingaboutit。\"
Herehepausedtolighthispipe。\"Now,\"hecontinued,impressively,jerkingthematchoverboard,\"whentheDarlin’sup,andtheWarrygo’sLOW,thebillygongrunsfromtheDarlin’intotheWARRYGO;AND,whentheWarrygo’sup’n’theDarlin’sdown,thewatersrunsFROMtheWarrygo’n’intertheDarlin’。\"
Whatcouldbemoresimple?
Thesteamerwasengagedtogoupabillabongforaloadofshearersfromashedwhichwascuttingout;andfirstitwasnecessarytotieupintheriveranddischargethegreaterportionofthecargoinorderthattheboatmightsafelynegotiatetheshallowwaters。
Alocalfisherman,whovolunteeredtoactaspilot,wastakenaboard,andafterhewasoutsideaboutapintofwhiskyheseemedtohavethegreatestconfidenceinhisabilitytotakeustohell,oranywhereelse——
atleast,hesaidso。Amanwassentashorewithblanketsandtuckertomindthewool,andwecrossedtheriver,buttedintotheanabranch,andstartedoutback。OnlytheLordandthepilotknowhowwegotthere。
Wetravelledoverthebush,throughitsbranchessometimes,andsometimesthroughgrassandmud,andeverynowandthenwestrucksomethingthatfeltandsoundedlikeacollision。
Theboatsliddownonehill,and\"fetched\"astumpatthebottomwithaforcethatmadeeverymother’ssonbitehistongueorbreakatooth。
Theshearerscameaboardnextmorning,withtheirswagsandtwocartloadsofboiledmutton,bread,\"brownie\",andteaandsugar。
Theynumberedaboutfifty,includingtherouseabouts。
Thisloadofsinsankthesteamerdeeperintothemud;
butthepassengerscrowdedovertoport,byrequestofthecaptain,andthecrewpokedthebankawaywithlongpoles。Whenwebegantomovetheshearersgaveahowlliketheyellofalegionoflostsoulsescapingfromdownbelow。Theygavethreecheersfortherouseabouts’cook,whostayedbehind;thentheycursedthestationwithamightycurse。
Theyclearedaspaceondeck,hadajig,andafterwardsafightbetweentheshearers’cookandhisassistant。TheygaveamightybushwhoopfortheDarlingwhentheboatswungintothatgrandoldgutter,andintheeveningtheyhadageneralall-roundtime。Wegotback,andthecrewhadtoreloadthewoolwithoutassistance,foritboretheaccursedbrandofa\"freedom-of-contract\"shed。
Weslept,ortriedtosleep,thatnightontheridgeoftwowoolbaleslaidwiththenarrowsidesup,havingfirstbeenobligedtogetashoreandfightsixroundswithashearerfortheprivilegeofroostingthere。
Thelivecindersfromthefireboxwentupthechimneyallnight,andfellinshowersondeck。Everynowandagainasparkwouldburnthroughthe\"Waggarug\"ofasleepingshearer,andhe’dwakesuddenlyandgetupandcurse。Itwasnouseshiftinground,forthewindwasallways,andtheboatsteerednorth,south,east,andwesttohumourtheriver。Occasionallyalowbranchwouldrootthreeorfourpassengersofftheirwoolbales,andthey’dgetupandcurseinchorus。Theboatstartedtwosnags;andtowardsdaylightstruckastump。
Theaccentwasonthestump。Awoolbalewentoverboard,andtookaswagandadogwithit;thentheowneroftheswaganddogandthecrewoftheboathadaswearingmatchbetweenthem。Theswagmanwon。
Aboutdaylightwestretchedourcrampedlimbs,extricatedonelegfrombetweenthewoolbales,andfoundthatthesteamerwasjustcrayfishingawayfromamudisland,whereshehadtiedupformorewool。Someofthechapshadbeenashoreandboiledfourorfivebucketsofteaandcoffee。
Shortlyaftertheboathadsettleddowntoworkagainanincidentcamealong。
Arouseaboutroselate,and,whiletheotherswereatbreakfast,gotanideaintohisheadthatagood\"sloosh\"wouldfreshenhimup;
sohemoochedrounduntilhefoundabigwoodenbucketwitharopetoit。
Hecarriedthebucketaftofthewheel。Theboatwasbuttingupstreamforallshewasworth,andthestreamwasrunningtheotherway,ofcourse,andaboutahundredtimesasfastasatrain。Thejackeroogavethelineaturnroundhiswrist;beforeanyonecouldseehimintimetosuppresshim,heliftedthebucket,swungittoandfro,anddroppeditcleverlyintothewater。
Thisdelayedusfornearlyanhour。Acoupleofmenjumpedintotherowboatimmediatelyandcastheradrift。
Theypickedupthejackerooaboutamiledowntheriver,clingingtoasnag,andwhenwehauledhimaboardhelookedlikesomethingthecathaddraggedin,onlybigger。Werevivedhimwithrumandgothimonhisfeet;
andthen,whenthecaptainandcrewhaddonecursinghim,herubbedhishead,wentforward,andhadalookatthepaddle;thenherubbedhisheadagain,thought,andremarkedtohismates:
\"Wasn’titluckyIdidn’tdipthatbucketFOR’ARDthewheel?\"
Thisremarkstruckusforcibly。Weagreedthatitwaslucky——forhim;
butthecaptainremarkedthatitwasdamnedunluckyfortheworld,which,heexplained,wasover-populatedwithfoolsalready。
Gettingontowardsafternoonwefoundabargeloadedwithwoolandtieduptoatreeinthewilderness。Therewasnosignofamantobeseen,noranysign,exceptthebarge,thatahumanbeinghadeverbeenthere。
Thecaptaintookthecraftintow,toweditabouttenmilesupthestream,andleftitinalesslikelyplacethanwhereitwasbefore。
Floatingbottlesbegantobemorefrequent,andweknewbythatsametokenthatwewerenearing\"Here’sLuck!\"——Bourke,wemean。Andthisremindsus。
WhentheBrewarrinapeopleobserveamorethanordinarynumberofbottlesfloatingdowntheriver,theyguessthatWalgettisonthespree;
whentheLouthchapsseeanunbrokenprocessionofdeadmarinesforthreeorfourdaystheyknowthatBourke’sdrunk。Thepoor,God-abandoned\"whaler\"sitsinhishungrycampatsunsetandwatchestheemptysymbolsofHopegoby,andfeelsmoreGod-forgottenthanever——andthirstier,ifpossible——andgetsagreat,wide,thirsty,quaking,emptylongingtobeupwherethosebottlescomefrom。
Ifthetownspeopleknewhowmuchmiserytheycausedbytheirthoughtlessnesstheywoulddrowntheirdeadmarines,orburythem,butonnoaccountallowthemtogodriftingdowntheriver,andstirringuphellsinthebosomsoflessfortunatefellow-creatures。
TherecameamanfromAdelaidetoBourkeonce,andhecollectedalltheemptybottlesintown,stackedthembytheriver,andwaitedforaboat。Whathewantedthemforthelegendsayethnot,butthepeoplereckonedhehada\"privatestill\",orsomethingofthatsort,somewheredowntheriver,andweresatisfied。WhathecamefromAdelaidefor,orwhetherhereallydidcomefromthere,wedonotknow。
AlltheDarlingbunyipsaresupposedtocomefromAdelaide。
Anyway,themancollectedalltheemptybottleshecouldlayhishandson,andpiledthemonthebank,wheretheymadeagoodshow。
Hewaitedforaboattotakehiscargo,and,whilewaiting,hegotdrunk。
Thatexcitednocomment。Hestayeddrunkforthreeweeks,butthetownspeoplesawnothingunusualinthat。Inordertobecomeanobjectofinterestintheireyes,andinthatline,hewouldhavehadtostaydrunkforayearandfightthreetimesaday——oftener,ifpossible——andlieintheroadinthebroilingheatbetweenwhiles,andbewalkedonbycamelsandAfghansandfree-labourers,andbelockedupeverytimehegotsoberenoughtosmashapoliceman,andtrytohanghimselfnaked,andbefinallysquashedbyaloadedwoolteam。
ButwhilehedranktheDarlingrose,forreasonsbestknowntoitself,andfloatedthosebottlesoff。TheystrungoutandstartedfortheAntarcticOcean,withabigoldwicker-workeddemijohninthelead。
Forthefirstweekthedown-rivermentooknonotice;butafterthebottleshadbeendriftingpastwithscarcelyabreakforafortnightorso,theybegantogetinterested。Severalwhalerswatchedtheprocessionuntiltheygotthejimjamsbyforceofimagination,andwhentheirbodiesbegantofloatdownwiththebottles,thedown-riverpeoplegotanxious。
AtlasttheMayorofWilcanniawiredBourketoknowwhetherDibbsorParkeswasdead,ordemocracytriumphant,orifnot,whereforethejubilation?
Manytelegramsofalikenaturewerereceivedduringthatweek,andthetrueexplanationwassentinreplytoeach。Butitwasn’tbelieved,andtothisdayBourkehasthenameofbeingthemostdrunkentownontheriver。
Afterdinnerahumorousoldhardcasemysteriouslytookusasideandsaidhehadagoodyarnwhichwemightbeabletoworkup。Weaskedhimhow,buthewinkedamightycunningwinkandsaidthatheknewallaboutus。
Thenheaskedustolisten。Hesaid:
\"TherewasanoldfellerdowntheMurrumbidgeenamedKelly。
Hewasabitgonehere。OnedayKellywasoutlookin’forsomesheep,whenhegotlost。Itwasgettin’dark。Bymebytherecameanoldcrowinatreeoverhead。
\"`Kel-ley,you’relo-o-st!Kel-ley,you’relo-o-st!’sezthecrow。
\"`IknowIam,’sezKelly。
\"`Fol-lerme,fol-lerme,’sezthecrow。
\"`Righty’are,’sezKelly,withajerkofhisarm。`Goahead。’
\"Sothecrowwenton,andKellyfollered,an’bymebyhefoundhewasontherighttrack。
\"SometimeafterKellywaswashin’sheep(thiswaswhenweuseterwashthesheepinsteadofthewool)。Kellywasstandin’ontheplatformwithacrutchinhishandlandin’thesheep,whentherecameaoldcrowinthetreeoverhead。
\"`Kelly,I’mhun-gry!Kel-ley,I’mhun-ger-ry!’sezthecrow。
\"`Alright,’sezKelly;`beupatthehutaboutdinnertime’n’I’llslingyououtsomething。’
\"`Drown——a——sheep!Drown——a——sheep,Kel-ley,’sezthecrow。
\"`BlankedifIdo,’sezKelly。`IfIdrownasheepI’llhavetopayforit,be-God!’
\"`ThenIwon’tfindyerwhenyerlostagin,’sezthecrow。
\"`I’mdamnedifyerwill,’saysKelly。`I’lltakeblankygoodcareIwon’tgetlostagain,tobefoundbyagoryolecrow。’\"……
ThereareagoodmanyfishermenontheDarling。Theycampalongthebanksinallsortsoftents,andmoveaboutinlittleboxboatsthatwillonlyfloatoneman。Thefishermanisneverheavy。
Heismostlyawitheredlittleoldmadman,withblackclaws,dirtyrags(whichheneverchanges),unkempthairandbeard,anda\"ratty\"expression。Wecannotsaythatweeversawhimcatchafish,orevengetabite,andwecertainlyneversawhimofferanyforsale。
Hegetsadozenorsolinesoutintothestream,withtheshoreendfastenedtopegsorrootsonthebank,andpassedoversticksaboutfourfeethigh,stuckinthemud;onthetopofthesestickshehangsbullockbells,orsubstitutes——jamtinswithstonesfastenedinsidetobitsofstring。Thenhesitsdownandwaits。Ifthecodpullsthelinethebellrings。
Thefishermanisagreatauthorityontheriverandfish,buthasusuallyforgotteneverythingelse,includinghisname。
Hechopsfirewoodfortheboatssometimes,butitisn’thisprofession——
he’safisherman。Heisonlysaneonpointsconcerningtheriver,thoughhehasallthefisherman’seccentricities。Ofcourseheisaliar。
Whenhegetshiscampfixedononebankitstrikeshimheoughttobeoverontheother,orataplaceuproundthebend,soheshifts。
Thenhereckonshewasafoolfornotstoppingwherehewasbefore。
Heneverdies。Henevergetsolder,ordrier,ormorewitheredlooking,ordirtier,orloonier——becausehecan’t。Wecannotimaginehimaseverhavingbeenaboy,orevenayouth。Wecannoteventrytoimaginehimasababy。Heisananimatedmummy,whousedtofishontheNilethreethousandyearsago,andcatchnothing……
WeforgottomentionthattherearewonderfullyfewwrecksontheDarling。
Theriverboatsseldomgodown——theirhullsarenotbuiltthatway——
andifonedidgodownitwouldn’tsinkfar。But,oncedown,aboatisscarcelyeverraisedagain;because,yousee,themudsiltsuprounditandoverit,andgluesit,asitwere,tothebottomoftheriver。
Thentheforty-footalligators——whichcomedownwiththe\"Queenslan’rains\",wesuppose——rootinthemudandfilltheirbellieswithsoddenflouranddrowneddeck-hands。
Theytriedoncetoblowupawreckwithdynamitebecauseit(thewreck)
obstructednavigation;buttheyblewthebottomoutoftheriverinstead,andallthewaterwentthrough。TheGovernmenthavebeenboringforiteversince。Isawsomeoftheboresmyself——thereisoneatCoonamble。
ThereisayarnalongtheDarlingaboutacuteYankeewhowasinviteduptoBourketoreportonaproposedschemeforlockingtheriver。
Hearrivedtowardstheendofalongandseveredrought,andwasmetattherailwaystationbyadeputationofrepresentativebushmen,whoinvitedhim,inthefirstplace,toaccompanythemtotheprincipalpub——
whichhedid。Hehadbeenobservedtostudythesceneryagooddealwhilecomingupinthetrain,butkepthisconclusionstohimself。
Onthewaytothepubhehadalookatthetown,anditwasnoticedthathetiltedhishatforwardveryoften,andscratchedthebackofhisheadagooddeal,andponderedalot;butherefrainedfromexpressinganopinion——evenwheninvitedtodoso。Heguessedthathisopinionswouldn’tdomuchgood,anyway,andhecalculatedthattheywouldkeeptillhegotback\"overourway\"——bywhichitwasreckonedhemeanttheStates。
Whentheyaskedhimwhathe’dhave,hesaidtoWattythepublican:
\"Wal,Ireckonyoucanbuildmeyournationaldrink。IguessI’lltryit。\"
Alongcolonialwasdrawnforhim,andhetriedit。Heseemedratherstartledatfirst,thenhelookedcuriouslyatthehalf-emptyglass,setitdownverysoftlyonthebar,andleanedagainstthesameandfellintoareverie;fromwhichherousedhimselfafterawhile,withasorrowfuljerkofhishead。
\"Ah,well,\"hesaid。\"Showmethisriverofyourn。\"
TheyledhimtotheDarling,andhehadalookatit。
\"Isthisyourriver?\"heasked。
\"Yes,\"theyreplied,apprehensively。
Hetiltedhishatforwardtillthebrimnearlytouchedhisnose,scratchedthebackofhislongneck,shutoneeye,andlookedattheriverwiththeother。Then,afterspittinghalfapintoftobaccojuiceintothestream,heturnedsadlyonhisheelandledthewaybacktothepub。
Heinvitedtheboysto\"pisenthemselves\";aftertheywereservedheorderedoutthelongesttumbleronthepremises,pouredadropintoitfromnearlyeverybottleontheshelf,addedalumpofice,anddrankslowlyandsteadily。
Thenhetookpityontheimpatientandanxiouspopulation,openedhismouth,andspake。
\"Lookhere,fellows,\"hedrawled,jerkinghisarminthedirectionoftheriver,\"I’lltellyouwhatI’lldew。I’llbottlethatdamnedriverofyournintwenty-fourhours!\"
Lateronhemellowedabit,undertheinfluenceofseveraldrinkswhichwerecarefullyandconscientiously\"built\"fromplansandspecificationssuppliedbyhimself,andthen,amongotherthings,hesaid:
\"Ifthatthereriverrisesashighasyousayitdew——andifthiswastheStates——why,we’dhavehadtheGreatEasternupheretwentyyearsago\"————orwordstothateffect。
Thenheadded,reflectively:
\"WhenIcomeoverhereIcalculatedthatIwasgoingtomakethingshum,butnowIguessI’llhavetochangemyprospectus。
There’salotoflooseenergylayingroundoverourway,butIguessthatifIwantedtomakethingsmoveinyourcountryI’dhavetobringovertheentireAmericannation——alsohiswifeanddawg。
You’vegotthemakingsofagloriousnationoverhere,butyoudon’tgetupearlyenough!\"……
TheonlynationalworkperformedbytheblacksisontheDarling。
Theythrewadamofrocksacrosstheriver——nearBrewarrina,wethink——
tomakeafishtrap。It’sthereyet。ButGodonlyknowswheretheygotthestonesfrom,orhowtheycarriedthem,forthereisn’tapebblewithinfortymiles。
ACasefortheOracleTheOracleandIwerecampedtogether。TheOraclewasabricklayerbytrade,andhadtwoorthreesmallcontractsonhand。Iwas\"doingabitofhouse-painting\"。Therewereaplasterer,acarpenter,andaplumber——
wewereallT’othersiders,andoldmates,andweworkedthingstogether。
ItwasinWestralia——theLandofT’othersiders——and,therefore,wewerenotsurprisedwhenMitchellturnedupearlyonemorning,withhisswagandanatmosphereofsaltwaterabouthim。
He’dhadaroughtrip,hesaid,andwouldtakeaspellthatdayandtakethelayofthelandandhavesomethingcookedforusbythetimewecamehome;andgotografthimselfnextmorning。
Andnextmorninghewenttowork,\"labouring\"fortheOracle。
TheOracleandhismates,beingsmallcontractorsandnotpressedfortime,haddispensedwiththeservicesofalabourer,andhaddonetheirownmixingandhod-carryinginturns。Theydidn’twantalabourernow,buttheOraclewasavaguefatalist,andMitchelladecidedone。
Soitpassed。
TheOraclehada\"Case\"rightunderhisnose——inhisownemploy,infact;
butwasnotawareofthefactuntilMitchelldrewhisattentiontoit。
TheCasewentbythenameofAlfredO’Briar——whichhintedamixedparentage。
Hewasasmall,nervousworking-man,ofnoparticularcolour,andnodecidedcharacter,apparently。Ifhehadasoulabovebricks,heneverbetrayedit。Hewasnotpopularonthejobs。
TherewassomethingslyaboutAlf,theysaid。
TheOraclehadtakenhimoninthefirstplaceasaday-labourer,butafterwardssharedthepaywithhimaswithMitchell。
O’Briarshouted——judiciously,butoneverypossibleoccasion——
fortheOracle;and,ashewasanindifferentworkman,theboyssaidheonlydidthissothattheOraclemightkeephimon。
IfO’Briartookthingseasyanddidnomorethantherestofus,atleastoneofuswouldbesuretogetitintohisheadthathewasloafingonus;andifhegraftedharderthanwedid,we’dbesuretofeelindignantaboutthattoo,andreckonthatitwasdoneoutofnastinessorcrawlsomeness,andfeelacontemptforhimaccordingly。
WefoundoutaccidentallythatO’Briarwasanexcellentmimicandabitofaventriloquist,butheneverentertaineduswithhispeculiargifts;andwesetthatdowntochurlishness。
O’Briarkepthisowncounsel,andhishistory,ifhehadone;
andhidhishopes,joys,andsorrows,ifhehadany,behindavacantgrin,asMitchellhidhisbehindaquizzicalone。Heneverresentedallegedsatire——perhapshecouldn’tseeit——andthereforehegotthenameofbeingacur。
Asarule,hewascarefulwithhismoney,andwascalledmean——
not,however,bytheOracle,whosephilosophywassimple,andwhosesympathycouldnotrealisealimit;noryetbyMitchell。
Mitchellwaited……
O’Briaroccupiedasmalltentbyhimself,andlivedprivatelyofevenings。
Whenwebegantoheartwomentalkingatnightinhistent,wewererathersurprised,andwonderedinavaguekindofwayhowanyofthechapscouldtakesufficientinterestinAlftogoinandyarnwithhim。Inthedayswhenhewassupposedtobesociable,wehadvotedhimabore;eventheOraclewasmovedtoadmitthathewas\"abitslow\"。
Butlateonenightwedistinctlyheardawoman’svoiceinO’Briar’stent。
TheOraclesuddenlybecamehardofhearing,and,thoughweheardthevoiceonseveraloccasions,heremainedexasperatinglydeaf,yetaggressivelyunconsciousofthefact。\"Ihavegotenoughtodopuzzlingovermeownwhysandwherefores,\"hesaid。MitchellbegantotakesomeinterestinO’Briar,andtreatedhimwithgreaterrespect。
Butourcamphadthenameofbeingthebest-constructed,thecleanest,andthemostrespectableinthevicinity。
Thehealthofficerandconstableinchargehadcomplimentedusonthefact,andwewereproudofit。Andtherewerethreeyoungmarriedcouplesincamp,alsoaDarbyandJoan;therefore,whenthevoiceofawomanbegantobeheardfrequentlyandatdisreputablehoursofthenightinO’Briar’stent,wegotuneasyaboutit。Andwhentheconstablewhowasonnightdutygaveusafriendlyhint,MitchellandIagreedthatsomethingmustbedone。
\"Avcoorse,menwillbemen,\"saidtheconstable,asheturnedhishorse’shead,\"butIthoughtI’dmentionit。O’Briarisadacentman,andhe’soneofyermates。Avcoorse。There’sabadlotinthatcampinthescruboveryander,and——avcoorse。Good-daytoye,byes。\"……
NextnightweheardthevoiceinO’Briar’stentagain,anddecidedtospeaktoAlfinafriendlywayaboutitinthemorning。
Welistenedoutsideinthedark,butcouldnotdistinguishthewords,thoughIthoughtIrecognisedthevoice。
\"It’sthehussyfromthecampoverthere;she’sgotholtofthatfool,andshe’llcleanhimoutbeforeshe’sdone,\"Isaid。\"We’reAlf’smates,anywayitgoes,andweoughttoputastoptoit。\"
\"Whathussy?\"askedMitchell;\"there’sthreeorfourthere。\"
\"Theonewithherhairalloverherhead,\"Ianswered。
\"Whereelseshoulditbe?\"askedMitchell。\"ButI’lljusthaveapeepandseewhoitis。There’snoharminthat。\"
Hecreptuptothetentandcautiouslymovedtheflap。Alf’scandlewasalight;helayonhisbackinhisbunkwithhisarmsunderhishead,calmlysmoking。Wewithdrew。
\"Theymusthaveheardus,\"saidMitchell;\"andshe’sslippedoutunderthetentattheback,andthroughthefenceintothescrub。\"
Mitchell’srespectforAlfincreasedvisibly。
Butwebegantohearominouswhispersfromtheyoungmarriedcouples,andnextSaturdaynight,whichwaspay-night,wedecidedtoseeitthrough。
WedidnotcaretospeaktoAlfuntilweweresure。Hestayedincamp,asheoftendid,onSaturdayevening,whiletheotherswentuptown。
MitchellandIreturnedearlierthanusual,andleanedonthefenceatthebackofAlf’stent。
Wewerescarcelytherewhenwewerestartledbya\"rat-tat-tat\"asofsomeoneknockingatadoor。Thenanoldwoman’svoiceINSIDEthetentasked:
\"Who’sthere?\"
\"It’sme,\"saidAlf’svoicefromthefront,\"Mr。O’BriarfromPerth。\"
\"Mary,goandopenthedoor!\"saidtheoldwoman。(Mitchellnudgedmetokeepquiet。)
\"Comein,Mr。O’Breer,\"saidtheoldwoman。\"Comein。Howdoyoudo?
Whendidyougetback?\"
\"Onlylastnight,\"saidAlf。
\"Lookatthatnow!Blessusall!Andhowdidyoulikethecountryatall?\"
\"Ididn’tcaremuchforit,\"saidAlf。Welostthethreadofituntiltheoldwomanspokeagain。
\"Haveyouhadyourtea,Mr。O’Breer?\"
\"Yes,thankyou,Mrs。O’Connor。\"
\"Areyouquitesure,man?\"
\"Quitesure,thankyou,Mrs。O’Connor。\"(Mitchelltrodonmyfoot。)
\"Willyouhaveadropofwhiskyoraglassofbeer,Mr。O’Breer?\"
\"I’lltakeaglassofbeer,thankyou,Mrs。O’Connor。\"
Thereseemedtobealongpause。Thentheoldwomansaid,\"Ah,well,Imustgetmyworkdone,andMarywillstophereandkeepyoucompany,Mr。O’Breer。\"Thearrangementseemedsatisfactorytoallparties,fortherewasnothingmoresaidforawhile。(Mitchellnudgedmeagain,withemphasis,andIkickedhisshin。)
PresentlyAlfsaid:\"Mary!\"Andagirl’svoicesaid,\"Yes,Alf。\"
\"YourememberthenightIwentaway,Mary?\"
\"Yes,Alf,Ido。\"
\"Ihavetravelledlongwayssincethen,Mary;Iworkedhardandlivedclose。
Ididn’tmakemyfortune,butImanagedtorubanoteortwotogether。
Itwasahardtimeandalonesometimeforme,Mary。
Thesummer’sawfuloverthere,andlivin’sbadanddear。
Youcouldn’thaveanyideaofit,Mary。\"
\"No,Alf。\"
\"Ididn’tcomebacksowelloffasIexpected。\"
\"Butthatdoesn’tmatter,Alf。\"
\"Igotheart-sickandtiredofit,andcouldn’tstanditanylonger,Mary。\"
\"Butthat’sallovernow,Alf;youmustn’tthinkofit。\"
\"Yourmotherwrotetome。\"
\"Iknowshedid\"——(verylowandgently)。
\"Anddoyouknowwhatsheputinit,Mary?\"
\"Yes,Alf。\"
\"Anddidyouaskhertoputitin?\"
\"Don’taskme,Alf。\"
\"Andit’salltrue,Mary?\"
Therewasnoanswer,butthesilenceseemedsatisfactory。
\"AndbesureyouhaveyourselfdownhereonSunday,Alf,meson。\"
(\"There’stheoldwomancomeback!\"saidMitchell。)
\"An’sincethegirl’swillin’tohaveye,andtheouldwoman’swillin’——
there’smehandonit,Alf,meboy。An’Godblessyeboth。\"
(\"Theoldman’scomenow,\"saidMitchell。)……
\"Comealong,\"saidMitchell,leadingthewaytothefrontofthetent。
\"ButIwouldn’tliketointrudeonthem。It’shardlyright,Mitchell,isit?\"
\"That’sallright,\"saidMitchell。Hetappedthetentpole。
\"Comein,\"saidAlf。Alfwaslyingonhisbunkasbefore,withhisarmsunderhishead。Hisfaceworeacheerful,nottosayhappy,expression。
Therewasnooneelseinthetent。Iwasnevermoresurprisedinmylife。
\"Haveyougotthepaper,Alf?\"saidMitchell。
\"Yes。You’llfinditthereatthefootofthebunk。Thereitis。
Won’tyousitdown,Mitchell?\"
\"Notto-night,\"saidMitchell。\"Webroughtyouabottleofale。
We’rejustgoingtoturnin。\"
Andwesaid\"good-night\"。\"Well,\"IsaidtoMitchellwhenwegotinside,\"whatdoyouthinkofit?\"
\"Idon’tthinkofitatall,\"saidMitchell。\"Doyoumeantosayyoucan’tseeitnow?\"
\"No,I’mdashedifIcan,\"Isaid。\"Someofusmustbedrunk,Ithink,orgettingrats。It’snottobewonderedat,andthesoonerwegetoutofthiscountrythebetter。\"
\"Well,youmustbeafool,Joe,\"saidMitchell。\"Can’tyousee?
ALFTHINKSALOUD。\"
\"WHAT?\"
\"Talkstohimself。Hewasthinkingaboutgoingbacktohissweetheart。
Don’tyouknowhe’sabitofaventriloquist?\"
Mitchelllayawakealongtime,inthepositionthatAlfusuallylayin,andthought。PerhapshethoughtonthesamelinesasAlfdidthatnight。
ButMitchelldidhisthinkinginsilence。
WethoughtitbesttotelltheOraclequietly。Hewasdeeplyinterested,butnotsurprised。\"I’veheerdofsuchcasesbefore,\"hesaid。
ButtheOraclewasagentleman。\"There’sthingsthatamanwantstokeeptohimselfthatain’thisbusiness,\"hesaid。
Andweunderstoodthisremarktobeintendedforourbenefit,andtoindicateacourseofactionuponwhichtheOraclehaddecided,withrespecttothiscase,andwhichwe,inhisopinion,shoulddowelltofollow。
Alfgotawayaweekorsolater,andwealltookaholidayandwentdowntoFremantletoseehimoff。PerhapshewonderedwhyMitchellgrippedhishandsohardandwishedhimlucksoearnestly,andwassurprisedwhenhegavehimthreecheers。
\"Ah,well!\"remarkedMitchell,asweturnedupthewharf。
\"I’veheerdofsuchcasesbefore,\"saidtheOracle,meditatively。
\"Theyain’tcommon,butI’vehear’dofsuchcasesbefore。\"
ADaughterofMaorilandAsketchofpoor-classMaorisThenewnative-schoolteacher,whowas\"green\",\"soft\",andpoetical,andhadaliteraryambition,calledher\"August\",andfondlyhopedtobuildaromanceonhercharacter。ShewasdownintheschoolregistersasSarahMoses,Maori,16yearsandthreemonths。Shelookedtwenty;
butthiswasnothing,insomuchasthemotheroftheyoungestchildintheschool——adearlittlehalf-casteladyoftwoorthreesummers——
hadnotherselfthevaguestideaofthechild’sage,noranybodyelse’s,norofagesintheabstract。Thechurchregisterwaslostsomesixyearsbefore,when\"Granny\",whowasahundred,ifaday,wassupposedtobeabouttwenty-five。Theteacherhadtoguesstheagesofallthenewpupils。
Augustwasapparentlytheoldestintheschool——abig,ungainly,awkwardgirl,withaheavynegrotypeofMaoricountenance,andaboutasmuchanimation,mentallyorphysically,asacow。
Shewasgiventobrooding;infact,shebroodedallthetime。
Shebroodedalldayoverherschoolwork,butdiditfairlywell。
Howthepreviousteachershadtaughtherallsheknewwasamysterytothenewone。TherehadbeenatragedyinAugust’sfamilywhenshewasachild,andtheaffairseemedtohavecastagloomoverthelivesoftheentirefamily,fortheloweringbroodingcloudwasonalltheirfaces。Augustwouldtaketothebushwhenthingswentwrongathome,andclimbatreeandbroodtillshewasfoundandcoaxedhome。
Things,accordingtopagossip,hadgonewrongwithherfromthedateofthetragedy,whenshe,abrightlittlegirl,wastaken——ahomelessorphan——tolivewithasister,and,afterwards,withanaunt-by-marriage。Theytreatedher,’twassaid,withabrutalitywhichmusthavebeengreatlyexaggeratedbypa-gossip,seeingthatunkindnessofthisdescriptionis,accordingtoallthebestauthorities,altogetherforeigntoMaorinature。
Pa-gossip——whichislessreliablethantheordinarywasherwomankind,becauseofadeeperandmoreviciousignorance——haditthatonetimewhenAugustwaspunishedbyateacher(orbeatenbyhersisteroraunt-by-marriage)she\"tooktothebush\"forthreedays,attheexpirationofwhichtimeshewasfoundonthegroundinanexhaustedcondition。ShewasevidentlyatrueMaoriorsavage,andthiswasoneofthereasonswhytheteacherwiththeliteraryambitiontookaninterestinher。Shehadaprintofaportraitofamaninsoldier’suniform,takenfromacopyofthe`IllustratedLondonNews’,pastedoverthefireplaceinthewharewhereshelived,andneatlyborderedbyvandykedstripsofsilveredtea-paper。
Shehadpasteditintheplaceofhonour,orasnearasshecouldgettoit。
TheplaceofhonourwassacredtoframedrepresentationsoftheNativityandCatholicsubjects,half-modelled,half-pictured。
TheprintwasaportraitofthelastCzarofRussia,ofallthemenintheworld;andAugustwasreportedtohavesaidthatshelovedthatman。
Hisfatherhadbeenmurdered,sohadhermother。Thiswasoneofthereasonswhytheteacherwiththeliteraryambitionthoughthecouldgetaromanceoutofher。
Afterthefirstweekshehungroundthenewschoolmistress,dog-like——
with\"dog-likeaffection\",thoughttheteacher。Shecamedownoftenduringtheholidays,andhungabouttheverandahandbackdoorforanhourorso;then,by-and-bye,she’dbegone。Herbroodingseemedlessaggressiveonsuchoccasions。Theteacherreckonedthatshehadsomethingonhermind,andwantedtoopenherheartto\"thewife\",butwastooignorantortooshy,poorgirl;andhereckoned,fromhistheoryofMaoricharacter,thatitmighttakeherweeks,ormonths,tocometothepoint。Oneday,afteragreatdealofencouragement,sheexplainedthatshefelt\"soawfullylonely,Mrs。Lorrens。\"
Alltheothergirlswereaway,andshewisheditwasschool-time。
Shewashappyandcheerfulagain,inherbroodingway,intheplayground。
Therewassomethingsadlyludicrousabouthergreat,ungainlyfiguresloppingroundabovethechildrenatplay。Theschoolmistresstookherintotheparlour,gaveherteaandcake,andwaskindtoher;
andshetookitallwithbroodycheerfulness。
OneSundaymorningshecamedowntothecottageandsatontheedgeoftheverandah,lookingaswretchedlymiserableasagirlcould。
Shewasinrags——atleast,shehadaragofadresson——
andwasbarefootedandbareheaded。Shesaidthatheraunthadturnedherout,andshewasgoingtowalkdownthecoasttoWhaleBaytohergrandmother——
alongday’sride。Theteacherwastroubled,becausehewasundecidedwhattodo。HehadtobecarefultoavoidanyunpleasantnessarisingoutofMaoricliquism。Astheteacherhecouldn’tlethergointhestateshewasin;fromthedepthsofhisgreennesshetrustedher,fromthedepthsofhissoftnesshepitiedher;hispoeticnaturewasfiercelyindignantonaccountofthepoorgirl’swrongs,andthewifespokeforher。Thenhethoughtofhisunwrittenromance,andregardedAugustinthelightofcopy,andthatsettledit。Whilehetalkedthematteroverwithhiswife,August\"hidinthedarkofherhair,\"
awaitingherdoom。Theteacherputhishaton,walkeduptothepa,andsawheraunt。ShedeniedthatshehadturnedAugustout,buttheteacherbelievedthegirl。Heexplainedhisposition,inwordssimplifiedforMaoricomprehension,andtheauntandrelationssaidtheyunderstood,andthathewas\"perfectlyright,Mr。Lorrens。\"
Theywereveryrespectful。TheteachersaidthatifAugustwouldnotreturnhome,hewaswillingtoletherstayatthecottageuntilsuchtimeasheruncle,whowasabsent,returned,andhe(theteacher)
couldtalkthematteroverwithhim。Therelationsthoughtthatthatwastheverybestthingthatcouldbedone,andthankedhim。
Theaunt,twosisters,andasmanyoftheothers,includingthechildren,aswerewithinsightorhailatthetime——mostofthemcouldnotbyanypossiblemeanshavehadtheslightestconnectionwiththebusinessinhand——accompaniedtheteachertothecottage。
Augusttooktotheflaxdirectlyshecaughtsightofherrelations,andwaswithdifficultyinducedtoreturn。TherewasalotoftalkinMaori,duringwhichthegirlandherauntshuffledandswungroundatthebackofeachother,andeachtalkedoverhershoulder,andlaughedfoolishlyandawkwardlyonceortwice;butintheendthegirlwassullenlydeterminednottoreturnhome,soitwasdecidedthatsheshouldstay。Theschoolmistressmadetea。
Augustbrightenedfromthefirstday。Shewasadifferentgirlaltogether。
\"Ineversawsuchachangeinagirl,\"saidtheyoungschoolmistress,andoneortwoothers。\"Ialwaysthoughtshewasagoodgirliftakentherightway;allshewantedwasachangeandkindtreatment。\"
ButthestolidoldMaorichairmanoftheschoolcommitteeonlyshruggedhisshouldersandsaid(whentheschoolmistress,woman-like,pressedhimforanopiniontoagreewithherown),\"Youcanlookatittwoways,Mrs。Lorrens。\"Which,bytheway,wasabouttheonlyexpressionofopinionthattheteacherwaseverabletogetoutofhimonanysubject。
Augustworkedandbehavedwell。ShewaswonderfullyquickinpickingupEnglishwaysandhousework。True,shewasawkwardandnotovercleanlyinsomethings,buthermistresshadpatiencewithher。
Whowouldn’thave?She\"couldn’tdoenough\"forherbenefactress;
shehungonherwordsandsatatherfootstoolofeveningsinawaythatgladdenedtheteacher’ssentimentalnature;
shecouldn’tbeartoseehimhelphiswifewithahat-pinorbutton——
Augustmustdoit。Sheinsistedondoinghermistress’haireverynight。
Inshort,shetriedineverywaytoshowhergratitude。
Theteacherandhiswifesmiledbrightlyateachotherbehindherback,andthoughthowcheerfulthehousewassinceshecame,andwonderedwhatthey’ddowithouther。Itwasasettledthingthattheyshouldtakeherbacktothecitywiththem,andhaveafaithfulandgratefulretaineralltheirlivesandasortofAuntChloefortheirchildren,whentheyhadany。Theteachergotyardsofcopyoutofherforhis\"MaoriSketchesandCharacters\",workedjoyouslyathisromance,andfeltgreatalready,andwashappy。Shehadabedmadeuptemporarily(untiltheteachercouldgetaspringmattressforherfromtown)onthefloorinthedining-room,andwhenshe’dmadeherbedshe’dsquatonitinfrontofthefireandsingMaorisongsinasoftvoice。
She’dsingtheteacherandhiswife,inthenextroom,tosleep。
Thenshe’dgetupandhaveafeed,buttheyneverheardher。
Hermannersatthetable(forshewastreated\"likeoneofthemselves\"
inthebroadestsenseoftheterm)weresurprisinglygood,consideringthattheadultsofherpeopleweredecidedlycow-likeinwhitesociety,andscoffedsea-eggs,shell-fish,andmutton-birdsathomewithagallopwhichwasnotedifying。Herappetite,itwastrue,waspainfulattimestothepoeticsideoftheteacher’snature;
buthesupposedthatshe’dbeenhalf-starvedathome,poorgirl,andwouldgetoverit。Anyway,thecopyhe’dgetoutofherwouldrepayhimforthisandotherexpensesahundredfold。
Moreover,beggingandborrowinghadceasedwithheradvent,andtheteachersetthisdowntoherinfluence。
Thefirstjarcamewhenshewassentonhorsebacktothetownforgroceries,anddidn’tgetbacktilllatethenextday。Sheexplainedthatsomeofherrelationsgotholdofherandmadeherstay,andwantedhertogointopublic-houseswiththem,butshewouldn’t。
ShesaidthatSHEwantedtocomehome。Butwhydidn’tshe?Theteacherletitpass,andhopedshe’dgainstrengthofcharacterby-and-bye。
Hehadwaiteduplatethenightbeforewithhersupperonthehob;
andheandhiswifehadbeenanxiousforfearsomethinghadhappenedtothepoorgirlwhowasundertheircare。Hehadwalkedtothetreacherousriver-fordseveraltimesduringtheevening,andwaitedthereforher。Soperhapshewastired,andthatwaswhyhedidn’twritenextnight。