the barking of a dog.
Craig raised his voice, and gave vent to a scream so wild and unearthlythat even Archie was startled.
At once all was confusion among the blacks. Whether they had taken itfor the yell of Bunyip or not may never be known, but they prepared tofly. The gin carrying Diana threw down the frightened child. A blackraised his arm to brain the little toddler. He fell dead instead.
Craig's aim had been a steady one. Almost immediately after a volley ortwo completed the rout, and the blacks fled yelling into the forest.
Diana was saved! This was better than revenge; for not a hair of herbonnie wee head had been injured, so to speak, and she still wore theone little red-morocco shoe.
There was not a man there who did not catch that child up in his armsand kiss her, some giving vent to their feelings in wild words ofthankfulness to God in heaven, while the tears came dripping over theirhardy, sun-browned cheeks.
CHAPTER THIRTY.
CHEST TO CHEST WITH SAVAGES--HOW IT ALL ENDED.
No one thought of sleeping again that night. They went back for theirhorses, and, as the moon had now risen, commenced the journey in a beeline, as far as that was possible, towards Burley New Farm.
They travelled on all night, still under the guidance of Jacoby, whoneeded no blazed trees to show in which direction to go. But whenmorning came rest became imperative, for the men were beginning to nodin their saddles, and the horses too seemed to be falling asleep ontheir feet, for several had stumbled and thrown their half-senselessriders. So camp was now formed and breakfast discussed, and almostimmediately all save a sentry went off into sound and dreamless slumber,Diana lying close to Craig, whom she was very fond of, with her head onhis great shoulder and her fingers firmly entwined in his beard.
It was hard upon the one poor fellow who had to act as sentry. Do whathe might he could scarcely keep awake, and he was far too tired tocontinue walking about. He went and leant his body against a tree, andin this position, what with the heat of the day, and the drowsy hum ofinsects, with the monotonous song of the grasshopper, again and again hefelt himself merging into the land of dreams. Then he would start andshake himself, and take a turn or two in the sunshine, then go back tothe tree and nod as before.
The day wore on, the sun got higher and higher, and about noon, justwhen the sentry was thinking or rather dreaming of waking the sleepers,there was a wild shout from a neighbouring thicket, a spear flew pasthim and stuck in the tree. Next moment there was a terrible _melee_--ahand-to-hand fight with savages that lasted for long minutes, butfinally resulted in victory for the squatters.
But, alas! it was a dearly-bought victory. Three out of the twelve weredead, and three more, including Gentleman Craig, grievously wounded.
The rest followed up the blacks for some little way, and more than oneof them bit the dust. Then they returned to help their fellows.
Craig's was a spear wound through the side, none the less dangerous inthat hardly a drop of blood was lost externally.
They drew the killed in under a tree, and having bound up the wounds ofthe others, and partly carrying them or helping them along, they resumedthe march.
All that day they dragged themselves along, and it was far into theearly hours of morning ere they reached the boundaries of Burley NewFarm.
The moon was shining, though not very brightly, light fleecy clouds weredriving rapidly across the sky, so they could see the lights in both theold house and in the lower windows of Archie's own dwelling. They firedguns and coo-ee-ed, and presently Bob and Winslow rushed out to bid themwelcome.
Diana went bounding away to meet him.
"Oh, daddy, daddy!" she exclaimed, "what a time we've been having! butmind, daddy, it wasn't all fun."
Bob could not speak for the life of him. He just staggered in with thechild in his arms and handed her over to Sarah; but I leave the readerto imagine the state of Sarah's feelings now.
Poor Craig was borne in and put to bed in Archie's guest room, and therehe lay for weeks.
Bob himself had gone to Brisbane to import a surgeon, regardless ofexpense; but it was probably more owing to the tender nursing of Elsiethan anything else that Craig was able at length to crawl out andbreathe the balmy, flower-scented air in the verandah.
One afternoon, many weeks after this, Craig was lying on a bank, underthe shade of a tree, in a beautiful part of the forest, all in whitestbloom, and Elsie was seated near him.
There had been silence for some time, and the girl was quietly reading.
"I wonder," said Craig at last; "if my life is really worth the carethat you and all the good people here have lavished on me?"
"How can you speak thus?" said Elsie, letting her book drop in her lap,and looking into his face with those clear, blue eyes of hers.
"If you only knew all my sad, sinful story, you would not wonder that Ispeak thus."
"Tell me your story: may I not hear it?"
"It is so long and, pardon me, so melancholy."
"Never mind, I will listen attentively."
Then Craig commenced. He told her all the strange history of his earlydemon-haunted life, about his recklessness, about his struggles and hisfinal victory over self. He told her he verily did believe that hismother's spirit was near him that night in the forest when he made thevow which Providence in His mercy had enabled him to keep.
Yes, it was a long story. The sun had gone down ere he had finished, acrescent moon had appeared in the southern sky, and stars had come out.There was sweetness and beauty everywhere. There was calm in Craig'ssoul now. For he had told Elsie something besides. He had told herthat he had loved her from the first moment he had seen her, and he hadasked her in simple language to become his wife--to be his guardianangel.
That same evening, when Archie came out into the garden, he found Elsiestill sitting by Craig's couch, but her hand was clasped in his.
Then Archie knew all, and a great, big sigh of relief escaped him, foruntil this very moment he had been of opinion that Craig lovedEtheldene.
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In course of a few months Squire Broadbent was as good as his word. Hecame out to the new land to give the Australians the benefit of hisgenius in the farming way; to teach Young Australia a thing or two ithad not known before; so at least _he_ thought.
With him came Mrs Broadbent, and even Uncle Ramsay, and the day oftheir arrival at Brisbane was surely a red-letter day in the annals ofthat thriving and prosperous place.
Strange to say, however, none of the squatters from the Bush, none ofthe speculating men, nor anybody else apparently, were very muchinclined to be lectured about their own country, and the right and wrongway of doing things, by a Squire from the old country, who had neverbeen here before. Some of them were even rude enough to laugh in hisface, but the Squire was not offended a bit. He was on far too goodterms with himself for that, and too sure that he was in the right inall he said. He told some of these Bush farmers that if _they_ did notchoose to learn a wrinkle or two from him _he_ was not the loser, withmuch more to the same purpose, all of which had about the same effect onhis hearers that rain has on a duck's back.
To use a rather hackneyed phrase, Squire Broadbent had the courage ofhis convictions.
He settled quietly down at Burley New Farm, and commenced to studyBush-life in all its bearings. It soon began to dawn upon him thatAustralia was getting to be a great country, that she had a great futurebefore her, and that he--Squire Broadbent--would be connected with it.He was in no great hurry to invest, though eventually he would. Itwould be better to wait and watch. There was room enough and to sparefor all at Archie's house, and that all included honest Uncle Ramsay ofcourse. He and Winslow resumed acquaintance, and in the blunt,straightforward ways of the man even Squire Broadbent found a deal toadmire and even to marvel at.
"He is a clever man," said the Squire to his brother; "a clever man anda far-seeing. He gets a wo
nderful grasp of financial matters in amoment. Depend upon it, brother, he is the right metal, and it is uponsolid stones like him that the future greatness of a nation should befounded."
Uncle Ramsay said he himself did not know much about it. He knew moreabout ships, and was quite content to settle down at Brisbane, and keepa morsel of a 20-tonner. That was his ambition.
What a delight it was for Archie to have them all round hisbreakfast-table in the green parlour at Burley New Form, or seated outin the verandah all so homelike and happy.
His dear old mummy too, with her innocent womanly ways, delighted withall she saw, yet half afraid of almost everything--half afraid themonster gum trees would fall upon her when out in the forest; halfafraid to put her feet firmly to the ground when walking, but gatheringup her skirts gingerly, and thinking every withered branch was a snake;half afraid the howling dingoes would come down in force at night, aswild wolves do on Russian wastes, and kill and eat everybody; halfafraid
From Squire to Squatter: A Tale of the Old Land and the New Page 46
