_ CHAPTER XXVIII. OPPORTUNE ARRIVAL OF LIEUTENANT MURDEN AND HIS FORCE, ROUT OF THE BUSHRANGERS.
I heard a wild yell, such as men utter when taken by surprise--I heard groans and curses, and then, loud above all, arose a cheer which could only have proceeded from men who had some great matter at stake, and were determined to fight to the last for victory.
Through the smoke, which slowly drifted over the clearing, I saw half a dozen robbers spring to their feet and fall headlong, like logs, to the ground, and by the light of the still blazing fire I observed the astonishment depicted upon the faces of the bushrangers as they looked in the direction from whence the discharge proceeded, and stumbled over each other on their way towards the spot where their arms were stacked.
All this I observed in a few seconds' time, but before I could start to my feet, wondering who were the attacking party, I heard the voice of the old convict, shrill and wild, shout out a quotation from the Bible, and conclude with one of his semi-religious, fanatical expressions.
"May the God of my fathers," he exclaimed, "forgive me for killing the devils, but I couldn't help it."
"Charge, men!" cried a manly voice that I thought I knew.
A wild cheer arose that shook the very forest, and through the bushes came the regular tramp of disciplined men. I caught sight of the old familiar blue uniform, and one glance at the leader of the force was sufficient. I saw my old friend, Lieutenant Murden, and a strong squad of Melbourne police at his back.
I sprang to my feet and cheered lustily, and then grasped the first weapon that I could find, and joined their ranks. I saw that Fred and Smith were with me, and like eagles we swept down upon our prey.
A hasty discharge greeted us, and one man fell badly wounded, but we had no time to pause to administer to his relief. On we rushed where the bushrangers were endeavoring to make a stand, and were calling upon each other to fight to the last. Even Nosey was evidently determined to sustain his great reputation and die facing his enemies; but as we advanced upon a run we delivered our fire and tumbled over two or three others, and that, with the complete surprise which had been gained over them, completed their confusion. They broke, and dashed into the woods, but not before half of their number was placed
hors du combat, and amidst them, stretched upon the ground bleeding from two bad wounds, was the old sailor who had released me.
"No mercy--kill the accursed dogs," roared the stockman, swinging his long gun over his head, and dashing after a young fellow who had fought desperately, but now sought to escape.
"Come back," shouted Murden, in a voice of thunder. "Venture beyond the edge of this clearing, and your life is not worth a sixpence. The bushrangers know every turn of the woods, and are already in ambush, waiting for victims. Extinguish that fire, men, as soon as possible, and don't too many of you venture near it until it is smothered."
"You are the last man that I expected to see to-night, Murden," I said, grasping his hand with a pressure that expressed my gratitude at his arrival.
"Well, to tell you the truth," he replied, "I must say that three hours ago I had no idea of shaking hands with old friends. But let me station the men to prevent a surprise, for I shall have to stop here all night, as the risk is too great trying to reach the prairie until morning, and then we will compare notes. I see that you are well, and that is all that I care about now. Even Smith has not lost an ounce of flesh since our last meeting."
"I may not have lost flesh, but my worriment of mind for the last few hours has been awful," replied the teamster, with a grin of satisfaction at his escape.
"A few hours' sleep will restore you," cried the lieutenant, pleasantly.
By this time the police had extinguished the fire, which was burning too brightly for safety. The half-consumed logs were thrown aside to smoulder and die out, and dirt thrown upon the coals to extinguish their brightness.
"Maurice," called the lieutenant, speaking to his old orderly, "station four men at different quarters, and tell them to give an alarm if they but hear a stick move. The bushrangers have not gone far, I warrant you, and perhaps they will beat up our quarters before morning."
"Yes, sir," promptly replied the policeman.
"How many of our force are wounded?" the officer asked.
"Sam, sir, has got a shot in his thigh, and the blood flows pretty fast from the wound. I have tied it up as well as possible."
"I will go and attend on him, and see what can be done for his relief;" and the lieutenant started at a brisk pace towards where the injured man was lying.
"Well, Sam, how do you feel?" inquired Murden.
"Weak from the loss of blood, sir, but I think that I shall get over it."
"Get over it?" repeated Murden, in pretended surprise, "of course you will. I don't want to lose the best fighting man that I have got in my troop. When we get back to Melbourne you can go into hospital quarters if you wish to, but not for any length of time. I cannot spare you many weeks, Sam."
"I'm glad to hear it, sir," replied the policeman, in a tone of voice that showed how pleased he was. "Did you see how I brought the fellow down who was aiming at us?"
"Of course I did. I knew the instant you sighted him that he was a dead robber. But don't talk any more. I will have a torch lighted, even if it brings the devils upon us, and by its light I will bind up your wound so that you will feel quite nicely by morning."
One of the men brought a lighted limb of a gum tree, and by it Murden examined the wound, which seemed quite severe, although he did not say so. After he had applied some balsam which he carried in a case in his pocket, he re-bound the leg, and then ordered the torch to be extinguished.
"The poor fellow cannot live until morning," whispered Murden, as we walked one side. "The main artery of his leg is cut, and he is slowly bleeding to death."
"What are we to do with these wounded men, sir?" asked Maurice, after he had stationed the guard.
"What can we do with them? We have neither wine, nor water, nor medicine to bestow. But not to let them think we are cruel, call the wounded and find out how many there are, and tell them that in the morning we will attend to their wants, as far as we are able."
"Where is the old stockman?" I asked, not recollecting seeing him since the fight was over.
Word was passed for him, but every one declared that he had not been seen since the moment when Murden recalled him from the pursuit of the rangers.
"Let him go," said the officer; "he is perfectly able to take care of himself, and I have no doubt that he has a project in his head."
"But how in the name of humanity did he manage to find you at such a favorable moment?"
"That is easily explained," Murden replied. "I left Melbourne two days since in pursuit of a man who has been committing murder in the city. He started for the Ballarat diggings, and I have been on his trail until this noon, when I lost it, and had good reason to believe that he had cut across the country, intending to join a gang of bushrangers, secreted in the forest. I thought that I should get information from the old stockman; so I concluded to ride to his hut.
"To my surprise I saw that your horses were confined in the cattle pen, and after frightening the old fellow's daughter almost to death, I learned from her that you had been gone for two days on some kind of treasure seeking, in which her father was to take the lead and point out the money. I feared that, you had got caught in some kind of a trap, set by the frequenters of these woods; so I determined, as I was no longer on the trail of the murderer, to take a look at your operations, and, if possible, lend a hand in getting the gold."
Murden laughed when he spoke of the treasure, and we almost feared that he suspected us of keeping the secret from him.
"But where did you meet the stockman?" we asked.
"I am coming to the point of my narrative. We halted barely long enough to water the animals, and get something to eat--in the latter, let me assure you, the woman was pleased to lend her aid, and supplied us with meat enough to feed a regiment; and when I told her that we did not need so much, she begged that we would take what we did not want to her father and Mr. Smith."
"To whom?" we asked, astonished.
"To Mr. Smith," replied Murden, gravely.
"Ho, ho, Smith!" we cried, "you have, it seems, been making a conquest, and now, for the first time, we are to hear of it."
"I assure you," stammered Smith, "I had no idea that--"
"How long has it been going on, Smith?" we cried.
"There is nothing in it, I assure you; I never said much to her, any way, and what few compliments I have paid her, are in fact--"
"Intended to mean nothing. Very well, Mr. Smith, I shall take care to put the lady on her guard, the next time I see her," said Murden, pretending to be serious.
"No, don't do that," cried Smith in alarm, "because I don't know but I shall marry her, yet."
"Ah, if that is the case, I'll not interfere on any account. But remember, I'm to be asked to the wedding."
"I'll not forget," Smith said; and after that affair was satisfactorily concluded, Murden went on with his story.
"I accepted of her offering, and agreed to convey a portion of a baked lamb to her friend Mr. Smith, and I am bound to say that neither of you gentlemen was mentioned in connection with the affair. It was near dark, when we replaced our saddles upon our animals, and started across the prairie, but before we were half way to the woods, the last glimmer of twilight had faded out, and we were obliged to continue our journey by guess work, for no beaten trail leads across the plain.
"When we were within a mile or two of the secret path, I saw an object that looked to me like a kangaroo, on the prairie, so swiftly did it run. Not feeling perfectly convinced that such was the case, I called my men's attention to it, and one, who has sharper eyes than the rest of us, declared that what I took to be an animal, was a good-sized man, who appeared to be making the best of his way across the plain.
"I started in pursuit, and called once or twice to him to stop, but not until I had nearly rode him down, did he come to a stand still, and to my surprise, I found that I had come very near ending the days of the old stockman.
"A few questions and a few answers were all that I required to understand the case. I instantly mounted the old fellow behind one of my men, and at a gallop I dashed towards the woods, which I had no sooner gained, than I sent three of my men back to the hut with the horses, and ordered them not to come near us until after sunrise in the morning.
"Here commenced the most difficult part of our undertaking, as we deemed it best to take the robbers by surprise, and exterminate the gang, if possible. The old stockman undertook to pilot us through the woods, and the manner in which we crept to within a few feet of you without making any noise, shows that he performed his part with great success.
"The large number of bushrangers assembled, astonished me. I found that my force contained only one half as many as they did, yet I had no idea of not attacking. Desperate as I knew the robbers were, I thought they would yield upon being taken by surprise. My expectations were not disappointed; they did fly, and left one half of their force upon the ground."
"We thank you, heartily, for the trouble and danger which you experienced in saving our lives, for I have serious doubts whether to-morrow would have seen us alive," Fred said, shaking hands with Murden, at the conclusion of the latter's account.
"Say no more, my dear boy, for I know that you would have come to my assistance as soon as I did to yours. But about this treasure; I see that you have been digging; have you found any thing yet?"
Before we had time to answer that question, Maurice called the officer's attention, and relieved us of a reply.
"If you please, sir, there's a dog out here at the edge of the clearing, and he's got a bushranger down, and has had him there ever since they run for their lives. The animal won't let one of us come near him, and threatens the throat of the robber, every time he offers to move. I can't tell, in the dark, what kind of a dog he is, but I think it's the one the gentlemen own."
"Poor Rover, I have missed him for an hour or two. Let us go and see whom he has taken as prisoner," I said.
We followed Maurice to the spot, and found Rover standing sentry over a prisoner, whose slightest motion caused a growl of warning. I called off the dog, and ordered the fellow to get up, so that we could see who he was.
"Vell, of all the games that I ever seed, this is a beater!" cried a man whose voice was familiar to me.
"Ah, Mr. Steel Spring," said Fred, seizing the individual by the collar; "we have you in our power again."
"Vell, if I haint thankful to think that I've hescaped from them ere villains, and got into decent company again. I 'ave trembled at the profanity of the brutes, and feared for my life ever since I've been with 'em."
"Do you think, you long-legged wretch, that you can impose upon us for the second time? Do you suppose that after betraying us into the hands of your companions you are to be spared?" we demanded, indignantly.
"Vell, 'ere's a go. All through my life I 'ave been suspected vithout cause. Fust, I'm cast hoff by my hungrateful parents, and left to seek my living, and artervords I'm made a fool of, and gets transported, and now the very coves vot I thought friends, turns agin me. Vot a vorld this is!"
"Why, you hypocritical rascal, did you not first deceive us by saying that there were no bands of bushrangers in the woods, and while we were digging did you not raise an alarm which brought upon us Nosey and all of his gang?"
"Ha, ha!" roared Steel Spring; "vot a funny man that Nosey is! so handsome, too!"
"You rascal, you will laugh differently in a few minutes. Lieutenant, let him be tied to a tree, and give him a few dozen across his bare back."
"No, don't do that," cried the fellow, in some alarm. "I never could stand a flogging, and my proud spirit vill break if I get's one."
"Tie him up, Maurice," said Murden, coolly. "I recollect the fellow, and a bigger decoy rogue does not exist in the country. He will lie by the rule of three, and then retract all that he has said, without the least regard for himself or others. I have heard of him a number of times, and now think that I shall live to see him punished."
"I 'opes you vill live a thousand years, lieutenant, but I also 'opes you'll not joke over my misfortunes. I've 'elped the gentlemen, and now I'm to be punished for it."
"Tie him up, Maurice, and use your sword belt over his back until I tell you to stop," repeated Murden. "I owe him a flogging for the manner in which he sent me on a wrong scent once."
'"On my vord ov 'onor, sir, I didn't do so on purpose. I afterwards found that I vas wrong, and run after you to put you right, but you'd gone, and I couldn't find you."
"Lies will not answer your purpose, you long-legged scamp. I'll flog you now, and then carry you to Melbourne in triumph."
The fellow uttered a dozen excuses, but they did not avail him, and in spite of his resistance two or three of the men dragged him to a tree, and fastened his hands with their sword belts. Steel Spring called on all the saints to prove that he was innocent of trickery, and when the strong arm of Maurice, wielding a stout belt, descended upon his shoulders, his entreaties were pitiful.
"That's blow number one," cried Murden. "Go on, Maurice."
"Stop--for God's sake, stop," he yelled. "I vill tell all that I know, and more too, if you will let me go."
"Who killed and robbed those two miners on their way to Melbourne this spring?" asked the officer, motioning the policeman to suspend his punishment.
"Do you mean the two men near the muddy brook, or on the Ballarat Road?" inquired Steel Spring.
"The two last," replied Murden.
"Vell, don't strike, 'cos it hurts like thunder, and I don't mind telling you all about it. You see Nosey heard that they'd got the dust vid 'em; so I was sent to talk vid 'em and find out how much they had, and get 'em to stop in a convenient place; and then Nosey and two others comes up and pretends to be going our vay, and ven a good chance occurred the miners vere knocked in their heads, and Nosey took the dust and divided it around, but I didn't get any."
"Give him another cut, Maurice, for telling the last lie," cried Murden, coolly.
"Don't do that," shouted the long-legged wretch, as the blow fell with awful distinctness upon his back. "Darn it all, you hurt."
"I intended that the blow should," replied Maurice, making preparations to repeat it.
"Don't strike, for God's sake don't. I'll tell the truth this time," he yelled.
"How much money did the men have, and what was your share?" repeated Murden.
"I don't know how much they had, but I does know that I got a hundred pounds for my share in the affair. But I didn't kill the men. 'Pon honor I didn't"
"I believe you on that point. Wait a moment, Maurice; I have another question or two."
"I vish that you'd let me hanser 'em vithout bein' tied up," groaned the wretch.
"What became of that young girl who was on her way with a party of friends to join her father at Ballarat, and who was carried off by a gang of bushrangers?" questioned the lieutenant.
"She's dead," replied Steel Spring, dropping his voice and looking around anxiously, as though fearful he should see her ghost in the darkness.
"Who claimed her as a prize?"
"Nosey took charge of her, and threatened to kill any one vot spoke to her; but I believe that she got a knife and stabbed herself, sooner than submit to his vishes."
"This is horrid," I said, hardly knowing whether to believe all that I heard, or consider it the effect of imagination.
"Nevertheless, it is true. You have never heard all the cruelties that the gangs commit; if you had you would be ready to exclaim, Give them no quarter, for they deserve none!"
"Now that I've hanswered all you vant to know, you von't vip me any more, vill you?"
Murden was about to speak, but just then a new subject engrossed his attention, and he had no longer an opportunity to inflict chastisement upon the begging wretch. _