CHAPTER X.
The next morning they were astir before that very punctual and amusing bird, the Laughing Jackass,[1] had proclaimed to the sluggards of the bush, by its discordant hootings, that the sun was again risen upon the land. The note of the Morepork,[2] not unlike that of a cuckoo with a cold, the purring cry of the flying squirrel, and the squall of the several kinds of opossums, rang in the ears of the little party as they were making final arrangements for their departure. It was at this juncture that the lost dog returned, but in a pitiable plight; she could scarcely crawl, and her breathing was nearly stopped from the strangling effects of a strip of linen which tightly encircled her throat. Her mouth was covered with foam, and it appeared as if the poor creature had returned to her master only to die. Dodge was almost beside himself; and after separating the ligature, and wiping the foam from her mouth, he fetched some water of which she eagerly partook. Then he addressed her in encouraging accents, interspersed with an occasional malediction upon the heads as well as other portions of the bodies of her late persecutors. "Poor old girl, keep up your pluck:" (then some very strong expressions alluding to eyes and limbs:) "never say 'die.' Haven't we stood by each other for years? and when the Gorger left me, didn't you stick to me? to be sure you did. Then cock your tail up—(The ruffians!—the hang-dog villains!)—Hurra! now you are better—bravo!"
Whether there was something exhilarating in the earnest manner of Dodge, or that the dog was a proficient in the English language, or more probably, whether the removal of the impediments to her breathing might not have had some effect, the Lady rapidly recovered, and her master's delight was unbounded; and now all anxiety on the score of his dog's life was set at rest, the piece of linen with which she had been tied attracted his attention. He examined the end closely, and gave it as his opinion that some land-lubber, who did not know how to tie a knot, had endeavoured to steal her, but that she had given him the slip by gnawing her fastenings. Unfolding a portion of the linen, he said, "It is a plain stripe and very neat — pretty pattern, isn't it? it is a favourite one with Government, and much in vogue in prisoners' barracks and road-gangs.—Creation!!" he exclaimed, "look here!" There certainly was nothing very tremendous met their gaze, for stamped upon the linen, in unassuming characters, were the letters C. P.
"C. P," said Slinger. "Oh, initial letters of course."
"Yes," said Dodge, "and I'll tell you of what: D__d Villain, Sir." Seeing his listeners were somewhat mystified, he volunteered an explanation,—"C. P. stands for Crown Prisoner, and Crown Prisoner stands for D—d Villain, they are synonymous terms, and it is my firm conviction that our visitors of last night were no better than they should be: however, let us waste no more time, but be off."
With a deep blue sky overhead, and with the dew still upon the sward, they started on their expedition, whilst Lady followed them at a respectful distance. They soon struck on the trail of cattle, and after a little observation, Dodge was satisfied it was of his own herd, and that they had taken the direction of the mountain ranges and were completely out of harm's way.
After skirting the creek, (the water of which was brackish) for several miles, they stopped for mid-day rest and refreshment under the shade of a fern tree. The explorers found themselves at the base of a range of hills covered with timber, which were succeeded by yet higher ranges, until in the extreme distance the craggy peaks of mountains were seen capped with snow. Hitherto they had passed over low undulating thinly timbered land, and the contrast afforded by the prospect before them was very great. To penetrate the unknown region bid fair to tax all their energies as well as patience, but there was the attraction of novelty; so that when they deliberated upon which course to take, it was unanimously determined that an endeavour should be made to penetrate through the scrub, which stood like a barrier betwixt them and the distant hills.
"In all cases of difficulty" said Dodge, "there's nothing like a pipe of tobacco: it affords a man opportunity for thought. Now I am in doubt where we had best strike into the scrub, so we will smoke over it." He was soon enveloped in fragrant clouds from his pipe, which was quite an antiquity. "Really," he said, between the puffs, "the way some smoke in this country is dreadful—moderation in all things, I say. I take one pipe the first thing in the morning to destroy the effects of the night dews, one or two after breakfast to fit me for my day's work, two or three after dinner to promote digestion, and a few after I have turned in at night to keep off mosquitoes. A man can scarcely be more moderate than that, I think." Whatever his friends might have thought, they did not feel disposed to dispute the proposition.
After Dodge had been silent for a short time, he exclaimed, "We must go through it;" and depositing the pipe in his pouch, he flourished his tomahawk, and, joined by Hugh and Slinger, they commenced a vigorous attack upon the part of the scrub which seemed most likely to give way under their exertions. After working for several hours most energetically they found there was no indication of the scrub getting more practicable, but rather the reverse. Dodge was too true a bushman to allow himself to be beaten by any ordinary impediments, but his experience satisfied him that they had made their attempt at an unfortunate point. In this dilemma he again had recourse to his pipe. "There is nothing for it I'm afraid," he said, "but to turn back. I like going ahead, but we must knock under for the present. We will camp upon the plains tonight, and try what is to be done tomorrow." They soon retraced the ground they had experienced so much difficulty in gaining, and once more found themselves, not much improved in appearance, in open country. Here Dodge set to work with scarcely less energy than he had hitherto displayed, to erect a shelter for the night, as there were indications of rain. Setting two stout forked sticks in the ground about ten feet apart, he rested a long pole upon them, thus forming a kind of roof-tree; then he stripped some sheets of bark, about eight feet in length and from two to three feet broad, and rested them in a horizontal position against the pole, lapping the edge of each sheet over the other; a pile of branches from the neighbouring trees were placed at either end of this primitive structure; a large heap of dried wood was collected; and then Dodge expressed a fervent wish that all the world was as well off as themselves: "but there is one drawback," he said, "to this delightful building site:—where can we get fresh water?" It was true, they had sufficient to serve for the evening, but from whence were they to draw their supply for the ensuing day? Dodge was prepared: he knew, after looking into the sky, now quite overcast, and listening to the low sighing of the wind through the fibre-like foliage of the she-oak trees.
In the course of the day Lady had killed a bandicoot, of which Dodge possessed himself, and whilst the adventurers were enjoying their tea and damper, the dog was by no means badly provided with food.
Soon after nightfall, the fatigues they had undergone began to tell upon the wanderers. Without divesting themselves of their clothes, they were but too glad to make such other preparations for comfortably reposing as circumstances permitted. In consideration of the hard usage Lady had recently undergone, she was permitted to rest under the same shelter as her master, and it was not long before all were wrapped in profound sleep.
After the lapse of some hours, one of a party of five men approached the sleepers noiselessly: he was heavily armed. By the light of the fire he examined their forms, and was retiring, apparently satisfied with his scrutiny, when his attention appeared to be suddenly arrested; a slight breeze had blown up a momentary flame, but it was sufficiently lasting to illuminate Raymond's features, and to strike something like terror into the heart of his contemplator. Scarcely daring to look again, he fell back and joined his companions, who remained at a short distance.
These men were a part of Bayley's (the bushranger's) gang, who, finding the Sydney side was scoured by the troops and police, had unconsciously followed the same route as their late leader, with the view of seizing a boat or vessel in Westernport and escaping. Their object was to procure a good supply of provisions, and to sail to one of the numerous islands in Bass's Straits.
"Why you look as if you'd seen the devil," said one.
"And supposing I were to tell you I had: what then?"
"The only remark I should have to offer," said the first speaker, "would be, that we are giving ourselves unnecessary trouble; he generally looks after us, not we after him. But can you see any stores there? if there are, we must have them if it cost us a fight—devil or no devil, it's all one to hungry men."
"No: I saw no stores," said the man who, for the present, we shall call the Scout: "but I saw a face there, which by some strange fascination, reminded me of a gallows."
"Some of our own kidney?" inquired the other.
"No: not so. The gallows I thought of was for myself."
"You white-livered coward," said the first, "you are fit for nothing but the gallows: it will be only a natural death for you. Tell me what makes your flesh tremble on your bones and the muscles of that ugly parchment face of yours twitch as if the rope was already round your neck."
"Don't talk so loud nor so disagreeably," said the Scout, "one sleeps not far off who would hang us all."
This information was not received without surprise.
"He can," repeated the Scout, "if we leave him the chance. His father helped to transport me. I should like to see him shot, and should not mind doing it myself just to get my hand in," and his voice trembled as he spoke.
"Bravo! old parchment face," said the one who had taunted him with cowardice: "shoot him from behind, lest his gallows face should spoil your aim."
After the conversation already narrated, they fell back some distance from the sleepers, but the Scout returned by himself.
Dodge was at all times a light sleeper, and it happened that he had turned out to make up the fire, when he detected the sound of human voices floating down upon the night air. With a mind more alive to bailiffs than bushrangers, he left the fire untouched and crawled to a tree a few yards away from his sleeping-place, where the glare of the embers did not interfere with his scrutiny of surrounding objects. He had not long held his position before he detected the figure of a man emerging from the darkness, apparently making for the same tree; in a short time he reached it, and looking intently upon the sleepers, he partly raised his weapon, but seemed unable to proceed further in his purpose; at length Dodge saw the muzzle of the piece taking a line in the direction of Raymond's head. As quick as thought, with one hand he struck the weapon up, and with the other seized its bearer by the throat, dragging him towards the little light afforded by the embers. The scuffling awoke the sleepers, who started on their legs in time to see the Scout kicked off his, and Dodge, still holding him by the throat, threw himself with all his weight upon the body of his nearly exhausted antagonist. "Aha! my chicken" he said, after gathering breath a little, "is shooting gentlemen a favourite sport of your's?" But the scout's powers of utterance were confined to a low moaning, although the grasp upon his throat was loosened. "Make a blaze," said Dodge, "light some dried leaves; bear a hand, and strip up a blanket; we will secure our friend here while he is quiet." Before his instructions could be carried into effect, the Scout partially recovered and evinced a disposition to regain his liberty.
"Listen to me," said Dodge, grasping his gun, "there ain't two ways about me; I say, and I do. You are my prisoner, made so just in time to save you from murdering my friend. Now," he said, cocking his piece, "you hear that—the snap's up: attempt to get upon your legs, and the snap will be down, and so you will be, for I'll shoot you with as little compunction as I would a wild dog."
It was some time before the prisoner was effectually secured: this was done by wrapping him tightly in strips of blanket; during the performance of which operation Dodge consoled him by telling him he would surely be hanged.—"You will swing," said he, "as sure as a gun—in fact, much surer than that old iron tube of your's."
"Just light some leaves, lads, and let us see this fellow's face."
A blaze was soon made, and the surprise of Raymond was extreme when it lighted up the horror-stricken features of the felon-lawyer Jarrol.
He was in the midst of explaining to his companions the reason of his confusion, when they were all rendered speechless by hearing a voice close by them exclaim "On your lives don't move a limb."
All eyes were bent upon the figure of a tall man who stood before them, his gun levelled and within a few feet of their heads. Hugh and Slinger had no difficulty in recognising the form and features of Bayley. Stooping down, yet still prepared for immediate action, he raised the prostrate Jarrol and lifting him upon one of his shoulders, he stalked away into the darkness, with his face still bent upon the wonder-stricken travellers. It was not before his form was nearly lost in the gloom that Dodge seized a gun and was preparing to follow, but he was restrained by Slinger.—"That fellow deserves all his luck," he said, "bushranger or whatever he is, who ventured so much to save a comrade."
"I should like to have picked off the lawyer for all that," said Dodge.
It becomes necessary for us to explain the causes which bring Bayley again before our readers.
When the bailiff succeeded in escaping from the scrub, which he did at an angle of the creek contiguous to Bayley's tree, it is not surprising that the watchful eye of the bush-ranger, who still found it convenient to occupy his old stronghold, soon discovered that the subject of his observation was in a state of bewilderment, and utterly lost as to the direction he should follow. As he advanced towards him, the bailiff was only too glad to recognise the form of a human being. After he had partaken of some food, and recounted his adventures with the imaginary bushrangers, Bayley put him in the right direction for Melbourne and left him.
Thinking the bushrangers the bailiff had spoken of might be a portion of his own gang, and finding how utterly hopeless his chances of escape alone were, he determined, in preference to the miserable life he had lately led, to endeavour to find them, and then to concert together a plan of operations. After walking some miles, he discovered the trail of five men, and following it up vigorously, he found himself ere long in the neighbourhood, not only of the bushrangers, but also of a party of white men.
It was whilst in ambush near that he discovered the latter had made a prisoner of one of the gang, and he determined to attempt a rescue, conceiving that whoever he might be, he should bind him in such ties of gratitude, that he would be a wretch indeed to prove unfaithful. We have seen with what daring his design was executed.
It was not until Jarrol had been borne some distance, and was released from his bonds, that the rescuer and the rescued recognised each other, and when they did, it afforded Bayley but little satisfaction. "I have saved you from swinging," he said, "I ask only good faith in return."
Jarrol had commenced a speech full of protestations of gratitude, but he was stopped by Bayley.
"I want it in actions not in words, we may be of service to each other."
As soon as Jarrol explained the views he and his companions entertained in coming to Westernport, Bayley's original design was confirmed; he would escape with them.
"Have they heard anything of a reward for my apprehension, and yours, or any of the gang?"
"We heard something of the kind, but what is offered?"
"Two hundred pounds and a free pardon to any man turning traitor. Do you think there are any in the band who would sell me or others so cheaply?"
"I think we are quite safe so far as that goes."
"Then if the object of my men is only to escape, I will lead them again, but if to plunder, no."
"You are conscientious," said Jarrol, "I hope to have your assistance yet in transacting a little business before we leave this part of the country."
"What may it be?" said Bayley.
"A mere trifle, I have a score to settle with one of those fellows from whom you rescued me."
"I will not injure him, and you shall not," said Bayley with energy, "let me hear no more about it if you value my good will."
"I shall not, who will prevent me?"
"I will."
"Indeed!"
"Yes, Jarrol," Bayley said in an impressive tone, "I will never permit it, and in cold blood too! Have you so soon forgotten your escape from the gallows? "
"Well, Captain Bayley," said Jarrol, "you have earned my gratitude, and you shall have it."