_ CHAPTER LII. THE ATTEMPT TO MURDER MR. CRITCHET
We were surprised and somewhat startled at the intrusion, but we did not stop to exchange surmises, or to ask questions. A man was lying at our feet, badly wounded, and was bleeding freely from half a dozen cuts or stabs.
We considered that our first duty was to attend to him, and defend him, if necessary, from a fresh attack of assailants, and that after his wounds were dressed, and he was able to answer questions, then we could investigate the circumstances connected with his mysterious appearance at our door, and, if possible, bring to justice the perpetrators of the wrong.
Before we moved the now insensible body, we looked out and endeavored to discover if persons wore loitering near; but all was quiet, and not a soul was to be seen. We hastily closed the door and bolted it, and then moved the wounded man to a mattress that we kept for Smith to sleep upon when he was with us, and as we did so, and the light fell upon his features, we were surprised to discover that our visitor was our nearest neighbor, an elderly Englishman by the name of Critchet, who, in company with his nephew, a young fellow of dissipated habits, was working a mine about a quarter of a mile from our store. The young man's name was Follet; and while we had never had any conversation with him, excepting while selling a few articles which he required from the store, we had taken a strong prejudice against him, although upon what ground we could not really tell.
He was one of those kind of men who never look you full in the face while speaking, and if indeed you caught his eye, it was only for the sixteenth part of a second, and by accident at that. He had the name of being a desperate gambler, and once Mr. Brown had called our attention to him, and remarked that he had lost more money at card playing than he made honestly, and wondered if his uncle supplied his extravagances.
The latter owned the claim which he was working, and employed the nephew at a fair salary, and that was all that we knew of the connection between them, excepting that we had seen them talking together in an excited manner quite frequently, and only the day before we had heard them quarrel on some subject that we did not care to listen to, for it did not concern us.
Report had often reached our ears that Mr. Critchet had made quite a fortune with his claim, and that he was very prudent in his expenditures; but as he had never disputed our prices, and paid what we demanded without a word of complaint, we placed no reliance upon the assertions.
After our first expression of astonishment was over, we set to work without delay to ascertain what injuries the old man had sustained. We removed his vest and shirt, and found a small cut near the region of his heart; but upon probing the wound we found that the blow, evidently intended to be a fatal one, had been misdirected; that a rib had received the point of the knife, and saved the old man from instant death.
A further examination revealed two more stabs, one on the right shoulder and the other on the left breast, both of which were bleeding profusely, and had so weakened the old man that he fainted the instant he found that he was likely to receive assistance.
We went to work and cleansed the wounds of blood, and then stopped the bleeding by applying balsam and lint freely, and over all we put pieces of adhesive plaster, which we had used before for cuts, and found very efficacious.
In the present instance it served to keep the lint in its place, and I have no doubt that it was mainly instrumental in saving the life of Mr. Critchet, for it prevented the insects from irritating the wounds and causing inflammation.
A dose of weak wine was poured down our patient's throat, and then we sat by his side until morning, before he recovered his consciousness, and was able to speak.
"I've foiled the young scamp," he muttered, as he looked around the store, and then suffered his glance to rest upon our faces. "He thought that he could get the old miner's dust; but he missed his aim, and I shall yet live to punish him."
"Of whom do you speak?" I asked, bending over his form so that I could hear him more distinctly, for he spoke rather low and incoherently.
"There were two of them," the old miner continued, not noticing my interrogation; "I know there were two of them, because I could hear them whisper, and feel for the gold; but I cheated them, and shall live."
The old man attempted to laugh, but the effort sounded like a death-rattle, it was so faint.
"You must not talk now," Fred said, "but save your strength, and in a few days we hope you will be quite well. Sleep if you can, and in the mean time we will send you a physician."
"No, no," our patient exclaimed, hurriedly; "I want no meddlesome quack near me, with his solemn face and pretended knowledge. There is not a doctor in Ballarat that I would trust with my life. Besides, they are so expensive, and where is the money to come from to pay a physician's bills?"
"We will be responsible for his bill," rejoined Fred, soothingly. "You have been grievously hurt, and need better attention than we can give you."
"But I say no," reiterated Mr. Critchet; "I shall get well, and to you alone will the praise be due. And hark ye, young men! don't be too forward hereafter in volunteering to assume another's debts. You may live to repent it. Now let me rest for an hour or two, and when I awake I think that I shall feel stronger."
The old man, who spoke with a sort of dictatorial officiousness, as though he had been accustomed to command all his lifetime, closed his eyes, and in a few minutes was in a troubled sleep; and as he did not require the services of both of us to attend him, I went to bed, and left Fred watching by his side, with the understanding that I was to be called at daylight, so that I could relieve him and let him obtain a few hours' rest, which he very much needed.
Fred called me at the specified time, but our patient, instead of being better, was much worse, and was laboring under the effects of a high fever. A dozen times he attempted to leave his bed, and as often did I restrain him, and soothe him with kind words, until at length, just before daylight, I recollected a bottle of opium that I had in my trunk, and I managed to get it and persuade the sick man to take a large dose, which he did under the impression that I was a servant, and was handing him a glass of wine.
The opiate acted in a beneficial manner, for his system was so weakened that it set him into a deep sleep, which lasted for a number of hours; and before he had awakened we had removed him to a little room that we had partitioned off from the main store, where he could be free from most of the noise and confusion that large sales occasioned.
About sunrise, the first person that entered the store was the old man's nephew, Follet. He looked agitated and alarmed, and shuddered when he saw the stains of blood upon the doorstep, and also on the floor of the store where we had rested the old man before putting him on the mattress. He did not raise his eyes to our faces, although many times I endeavored to get a fair glance at his face, to see if I could read his thoughts.
"I have bad news this morning," he said, at length, finding we were not disposed to open the conversation.
"Have you, indeed?" asked Fred, with a slight sneer.
"I slept from my uncle's tent last night," he went on to say, "and upon returning this morning I find that there has been violence and robbery committed. My poor relative is missing, and I fear murdered, for his bed is bloody, and tracks of blood are to be seen on the ground."
"And in regard to the robbery," Fred asked, "how do you know that he has lost any thing?"
"O, I am positive on that score, because my uncle had about a thousand ounces of gold, in nuggets and fine dust, buried under one corner of his tent, and the treasure is gone," cried Follet, eagerly.
"You are certain of that, I suppose?" Fred asked.
"O, quite certain, because the gold is the first thing that I thought of when I found that my uncle had been murdered," exclaimed the young fellow, with his eyes still cast to the floor.
"Do you suspect any one?" we asked, with a design to bring him out.
"There is blood upon your door step and floor, and the tracks lead this way," he answered evasively.
I saw that he raised his eyes quick as lightning to note what effect his words had upon us; but meeting the stern glance of Fred, he again gazed upon the floor.
"I suppose that we might effect a compromise, and get somebody to swear that we did not molest your uncle, if we promised five hundred of the thousand ounces that the robbers and would-be assassins obtained," Fred remarked, in an under tone, and in a careless sort of manner.
"I, for one," the young fellow replied, "should never be disposed to ask questions, although you can imagine my feelings at the thought of the bad treatment that the old fellow received. When can I have the dust?"
The question disconcerted Fred for a moment, for he had no idea that the fellow would answer as he did.
"As soon as your uncle is well enough to talk about money matters, we will mention the subject," I rejoined, hastily.
"Well enough?" he asked; "I thought that you said he was dead."
"O, bless you, no, indeed; he is far from being a dead man, and we hope, by proper treatment, to see him well in the course of a few weeks."
The nephew's face darkened, and his eyes looked snaky, as though he would like to strike, but dared not. We motioned to him, and led the way to the small private room where Mr. Critchet was lying, and when he saw his uncle's wan features, he turned pale, and his agitation was intense.
He saw that we were watching his movements, and tried to appear as though surprised, but the artificial effort was too much for him; and finally he turned and left the room, giving as an excuse that his feelings overpowered him.
"You can see the sufferer every day, if you are disposed," Fred said, "but it must always be in the presence of witnesses. When your uncle is well he can act as he pleases, but here he remains until cured."
"Your language is mysterious, and seems to reflect upon me as a man of honor," he exclaimed. "Do I understand you to say that you suspect me of injuring my poor uncle, whom I loved above all earthly things?"
"With the exception of playing cards," Fred added.
"You shall be sorry for your words, and perhaps I may make you appear in rather an equivocal light before many hours have passed;" and with a look of devilish malice the nephew, who had attempted to murder his old uncle for a few thousand dollars' worth of gold dust, left the store, and we did not care if we never laid eyes upon his treacherous, cold-looking face again, although I had serious forebodings that we had not got rid of him entirely, and that he would work us injury.
I hinted something of the kind to Fred, but he laughed at it, and in a few minutes we had a rush of morning customers, and all thoughts of Follet and his vengeance were banished from my mind.
I think that we were seated at breakfast, and wondering why Mr. Brown had been absent for such a length of time from the store, when who should pay us a visit but the police commissioner, Mr. Sherwin, a tall, dignified man, with a face that had no more expression in it than a piece of coal. He was never known to lean to the side of mercy during the whole of his career as an officer, and as commissioner he had exclusive jurisdiction over the petty court of Ballarat, and fined and sentenced miners, who were brought before him for drunkenness and petty larceny, without mercy. He was an ambitious man, and had striven for a long time to get a seat upon one of the benches of the upper courts in Melbourne, but owing to the want of influence, he had never succeeded. Every person that he imagined could sway the governor-general was treated with delightful consideration; but a look blacker than a raven's wing was the reward of every one who ventured on familiarity not up to his standard of excellence.
I must confess that I was surprised at the early visit of the commissioner, and I was still more astonished when I saw half a dozen policemen near the door, as though they were on business that they were ashamed of, and desired to keep out of sight; still, it never entered our minds that we were the parties that the policemen were watching.
Supposing that the commissioner wished to purchase some articles from our store, Fred went to attend upon him, while I continued to eat my breakfast.
"I want no goods, sir," returned Mr. Sherwin, in a short, sharp tone, in reply to Fred's question as to what he would be served with.
Fred appeared slightly disconcerted, and returned to his breakfast with an independent expression upon his face, that spoke more than words the contempt he felt for the visitor.
"You young men appear to be quite at your ease," the commissioner said, surveying our indifference with no favorable eye.
"Why should we not be?" asked Fred; "we have a license for our store, we have paid for our goods, and owe no man a penny."
"Does your license extend to killing and robbing men?" asked the commissioner, in an insolent tone, and one that we knew he used to insult us with.
Fred sprang to his feet, and an angry reply was upon his tongues, but I managed to check him.
"An explanation of these words is required," I said, as mildly as my nature would allow; and to my surprise, instead of facing me, and answering, the commissioner pointed to the stains on the floor, and asked, in a sneering tone,--
"Whose blood is that?"
"That of an old and helpless man," I returned, bearing his searching glance without flinching, although I had an inward feeling that told me that we were standing in a suspicious attitude, and that one false move would wreck us both.
"Remember," Mr. Sherwin continued, "I do not ask you to criminate yourselves, but if a full confession is made, I will lay the matter before the governor-general, and perhaps he may be disposed to grant you some mercy. I fancy that a frank confession would be the most desirable course for both of you to pursue," the commissioner said, in a careless tone, as though he did not care whether we complied with his advice or not.
"All the confession that we can make is to tell the truth," cried Fred, who always grew cooler the more imminent the danger; "we will simply state the facts, and then you can judge of our guilt."
The commissioner made a sign for Fred to go on, although I could see by his face that he was anticipating a yarn, and was prepared to believe just as much of it as he pleased.
Fred told the circumstances of the affair just as they occurred, and without equivocation. Mr. Sherwin listened without interruption, and also, I will add, without belief.
"Of course I can see the old man?" the commissioner asked, in a half-sneering manner, as though prepared for us to deny him the right.
"Certainly," answered Fred; and he led the way to the little private room where Mr. Critchet was lying, and, to our joy, still sleeping, which argued well for his ultimate recovery.
"Here is the man whom you accuse us of murdering," Fred whispered; "see what pains we have taken to hasten his end." And he pointed to the numerous bandages with which we had bound up his wounds.
"I was prepared to find the body of Mr. Critchet here, but not alive," the commissioner said. "I was told that he was dead, and that I could find unmistakable signs of those who committed the murder, here."
"Perhaps you will give us the name of your informant. We desire to be confronted with the man who dares charge us with assassination!"
Fred spoke with firmness, and with a degree of hauteur that was not habitual.
Mr. Sherwin hesitated for a moment, and then stepped out of the little room and beckoned to a police officer.
The latter did not display that degree of alacrity that one would have suspected in obeying the summons, and upon looking at the man, I found that he had accompanied us on our tax-gathering tours, and that he was aware of the estimation in which Mr. Brown held us, and was fearful that he should incur the inspector's displeasure if he manifested too great an eagerness in our affairs.
"Michael," said the commissioner, "bring in Follet."
We started at the words, and then we saw a dark smile upon the face of the cold-hearted commissioner, that told how keenly he enjoyed our misery.
"If you please, sir," said Michael, cap in hand, and a beseeching glance upon his face, "I think that Follet is lying, for I've known him for six months past, and never saw or heard much about his habits that is favorable."
"I did not ask your opinion or advice, sir," interrupted the commissioner, in the same cold tone, and with a look that almost froze the policeman; "do as I bid you, and learn to keep silent."
Michael looked as though he would like to make a reply, but fear of losing his place prevented. He walked slowly to the door, and after a delay of a few minutes, escorted our accuser, Follet, into the store.
The fellow's face was deadly pale, and his eyes were never once raised during the interview. He had evidently schooled himself for the part that he was to play, by imbibing deeply of some spirituous liquor, for he was rather unsteady in his gait; but that might have been the result of agitation as well as whiskey.
"Are these the two men whom you alluded to in my office this morning?" the commissioner inquired, pointing to Fred and myself.
The scoundrel, without raising his eyes, replied in the affirmative.
"Repeat in their presence what you told me, and mind that you don't tell two stories."
The fellow cleared his throat, which was rather husky, and in a monotonous tone began. The policemen, who were lounging near the door, had all edged their way into the store, and listened to the recital with many expressions of wonder and disbelief upon their faces.
"About three weeks ago," Follet began, "these two men [pointing to Fred and myself] asked me if my uncle was not digging out a large amount of dust and nuggets from his claim. I said yes; that he would probably get five or six thousand pounds, if it held out as well as it opened. We exchanged a few other words, and then the question was indirectly put to me--if my poor uncle was in the habit of sending his money to the government office or keeping it buried in his tent. I suspected nothing, for I knew that the men stood in good estimation with the police force, and foolishly answered that he seldom sent money by escort to Melbourne, as he feared to trust the soldiers with it. I thought no more of the matter until about a week ago these same men sent for me, and by indirect inquiries wanted to know if I would share with them in robbing my poor uncle's tent. I indignantly repulsed them, and threatened to give information to the police if another word was uttered concerning the subject, and I had supposed that the matter was dropped, until, on my return home this morning at an early hour, I found that foul play had been practised, and that my relative had been robbed, and I didn't know but that he was murdered, for I saw blood on various articles in the tent; and when I reached this building, where I first went to see if its occupants had been concerned in the outrage, I found blood upon the doorstep and also upon the floor, and these men were badly agitated, and even offered me five hundred ounces if I would keep silent, and not inform of them, I indignantly refused, and then these men showed me the body of my uncle so terribly mangled, that I was sick at heart; and thinking that I should share his fate if I remained, I hurried away, and laid the whole matter before you for investigation. What I have uttered is the truth, so help me God!"
The miserable, lying wretch ceased speaking, but trembled so that a policeman was obliged to support him.
For a few seconds Fred and myself looked at each other in consternation and despair. If the testimony of the wretch was taken without a grain of allowance, we were in a dilemma that would tax us to the utmost to find means of escape. Even the policemen appeared to have changed their opinions, and ranged themselves against us, and we could hear them whisper in relation to the straightforward manner in which Follet recited his story.
A smile of triumph was upon the face of Mr. Sherwin, and already I thought he was congratulating himself upon judicial promotion for his shrewdness in causing our detection, when the arrival of a new comer put a little different light upon the affair. _