First in the Field: A Story of New South Wales

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

  A DOUBLE SURPRISE.

  "'Nother sheep gone, Master Nic," said Brookes next morning.

  "Then we'll have the dogs out and have a hunt round. Whose flock was itamong?"

  "Bung's."

  "All right, then; we'll have a turn at once."

  Old Sam was told of what was to take place, Damper and Rigar werefetched from their charges, and gladly joined in, while the dogs nearlywent mad--all three seeming to fully understand what was going to takeplace, and displaying their mad delight by charging and rolling oneanother over, and a sham worry all round, that suggested horrors for anyunfortunate dingo with which they were not at play.

  As Nic rode on between his two men, with the dogs and blacks in front,he began to feel a little suspicious of the latter, from the way inwhich they talked and laughed one to the other, as if they enjoyed theloss of a sheep as a very good joke; and the boy could not help askinghimself whether they were taking advantage of his inexperience to helpthemselves to the wherewithal for an occasional feast.

  This impressed him so much at last that he mentioned his suspicions toold Sam.

  But the man shook his head.

  "No, sir; I think not," he replied. "We look too sharp after 'em, andthey're too well fed. I won't say what a hungry blackfellow mightn'tdo, but our boys ain't hungry, and that makes all the difference. Whatdo you say, Brooky?"

  "I say it ain't the blacks; but I know."

  As the man spoke he examined the pan of his gun, and then took out hisknife and began to chip the flint, so that it might be certain to strikeout sparks.

  "What do you know?" said Nic, looking at the man wonderingly.

  "What do I know?" said Brookes, giving him a defiant look: "why, I knowit's that there Leather as is skulking about like a rat, and snatching asheep whenever he likes."

  "Absurd!" cried Nic indignantly.

  "Oh, all right, sir, it's 'surd, then; you know best, o' course. You'remaster, and I'm on'y a servant; but I say as that there Leather killedall them sheep, and if the doctor was at home he'd soon stop that."

  "Go on, dogs!" shouted Nic, riding forward to hide his annoyance andfidgety looks, for Brookes had looked at him in a way which troubledhim.

  The blacks led on among the trees and over the pastures, now nearlybrown for want of rain; and to Nic's annoyance the men made for thestretch of country which ran along by the side of the gorge. Thensuddenly one of the collies uttered a sharp bark, which was taken up bythe other, Nibbler gave forth his deep growl, and as they started off onthe scent of something, he followed, and the blacks trotted closebehind.

  Nic felt a peculiar, sense of hesitation; but his two men started in arun, and he felt that he must go too, though this part of the countryseemed to him the least likely for dingoes, and he began to wonderwhether the dogs had taken up the scent of a man who had passed thatway, and if so, would it be the convict?

  Ten minutes later he felt ready to stop the hunt, for the dogs wereright on the line he would have himself taken to reach the spring whichran down to the tunnel-like cavern. Certainly it was miles away, but,going at a pretty good speed, Nic felt that the dogs would quicklyreduce the distance, and his horror increased.

  "They'll soon have him, Master Nic," panted old Sam, who ran, in spiteof his years, better than his companion, the blacks being now out ofsight.

  "Have whom?" cried Nic; but he repented directly, for Brookes turned andgave him another curious look.

  "Why, that there dingo, sir," said Sam.

  "_Cooey_--_cooey_!" came from a distance, as the faint barking of thedogs ceased; and Nic pressed forward, to arrive, in a quarter of a mileor so, at a dense thicket, within which he could see the blacks and hearthe dogs whining and snuffling about.

  "Got him?" cried Nic, with an intense feeling of relief.

  "Mine help dog follow find him," cried Bungarolo with a broad grin; andthe boy urged his horse in through the bushes, to find a skin tosseddown, and plenty of evidence of a sheep having been lately killed there.

  He was staring down at the remains, while the dogs stood whining andsnuffling round, eager to make a feast of the offal, but kept back bythe blacks, who each held a nulla-nulla with its melon-shaped knob infront of their noses.

  "He! he!" laughed Brookes. "That's a clever sort o' dingo, Sam. Inever see one skin his sheep before and dress him."

  Old Sam rubbed one side of his nose and looked at Nic, who turnedsharply to the blacks.

  "Here, you!" he cried angrily--"you killed this sheep!"

  "Baal! Baal!" they cried in angry chorus. "No kill--no mumkull sheepfellow. Plenty mutton--plenty. White Mary gib plenty mutton. Youpidney (know)."

  "No, I want to pidney," cried Nic. "Here, Bung, who killed the sheep,then?"

  "No pidney. Soon find."

  The man, imitated by his fellows, began to search about, and soon tookup a barefoot trail and pointed to a drop of blood now and then where itlay dried upon a leaf.

  "Could Leather have killed a sheep and taken it away?" thought Nic."No--impossible!" and he was following the blacks in a hesitatingspirit, when Brookes stopped short.

  "What is it?" cried old Sam, imitating his action.

  "I ain't going to walk into no hambudges," growled Brookes.

  This roused Nic into action.

  "Here!--Hi! Bung, all of you stop!" he cried, and the blacks paused andwaited till they came up, looking at their young master inquiringly.

  "Find tracks?" asked Nic.

  "Plenty mine find mandowie."

  "Black fellow's?" cried Nic.

  "Baal! Baal! white fellow!" cried all three--"white fellow."

  Brookes gave a ghastly grin and cocked his gun.

  "I ain't going no farther," he growled. "It's walking into a hambudge.Black fellows don't kill sheep like that."

  "No plenty mumkull sheep," cried Damper. "White fellow."

  "P'r'aps we'd better not go on, sir," whispered old Sam uneasily.

  Nic said nothing, but rode slowly back to where the remains of the sheephad been discovered, followed by the rest, the blacks chatteringtogether in a great state of excitement, and the dogs whining anduneasy.

  "Pick up the skin, Sam," said Nic; and the old man made one of theblacks carry it shouldered over his spear.

  Nothing more was said, Nic riding along feeling sadly puzzled, andtrying to follow out a peculiar line of thought without success. It hadsomething to do with an idea about, spite, and whether it was possiblethat Brookes had killed these sheep on purpose to make it seem thatLeather was lurking about destroying his late employer's property, sothat, when once this idea took deep root, another expedition might beplanned for the purpose of hunting the convict down, and relieving himof an object which caused him constant dread.

  But Nic gave Brookes the benefit of a doubt, and rode silently on tillhe was in sight of the house, when he suddenly pressed his horse's sidesand galloped forward.

  For he had caught sight of a light waggon drawn up in front; there werehorses and men about, and he felt that something important had takenplace in his absence.

  Ten minutes later he was grasping his father's hands, and then those ofthe governor, who looked very pale and thin. Lastly those of LadyO'Hara, who held his tightly.

  "Oh! just look at him," she cried; "why, he's brown as chestnuts andgetting as big as a man. Sure, and what do ye water him with, MrsBraydon, to make him grow like that?"

  "Yes, he has grown," said Nic's mother, smiling with pride.

  "Grown! why, he's shot up like a palm tree. Nic, boy, we've come upwith your father for me husband to get quite cured: will you have us fora bit?"

  Nic's eyes silently gave their answer as he clung to lady O'Hara's hand,just as he did that day when she came to the Friary to fetch him fromschool, not so very long back; but so many events had happened since,that it seemed an age to the boy, who felt how different he was sincethen.

  "You don't deserve for us to come, Mrs B
raydon," said Lady O'Hara asthey sat over their homely meal that evening, "for you never come tostay with me, nor the girls neither."

  "You see what a simple farmhouse life we lead," said Mrs Braydon,smiling. "We are not fit for Government House."

  "Now just hark at her, John!" cried the lady. "Do we want her to comeand see Government House? It's to see us."

  "Mrs Braydon knows that," said Sir John gravely, "and how deeply we arein her debt. Here we are, after robbing her of her natural protectorall this time, come to trouble her more."

  "Then let's go back, John," said Lady O'Hara dilly; "sure we're notwelcome. We're too foine for her."

  "Lady O'Hara!" cried Mrs Braydon indignantly.

  "That's brought her to her senses," said the visitor, rising and goingto Mrs Braydon to kiss her affectionately. "Don't you know that you'reall the dearest and best friends we've got in the world? Hasn't thedoctor been sitting up with John night after night, and saved his life?"

  "Oh, nonsense! nonsense!" said the doctor quickly.

  "It's quite true, Mrs Braydon," said the governor warmly; "and Godbless him for it!"

  "There!" cried Lady O'Hara, "now let's all be comfortable. Why, it'slike being at home, at the old place from which John fetched me when hewas only Lieutenant O'Hara, and hadn't a grand handle to his name.Gyurls, I'm going to enjoy myself with you while the governor getsstrong and well. Sure I can make butter as well as either of you.Didn't we have two Kerry cows at home? As for bread, there I'll bate--beat I mean--either of you. Nic, boy, you'll take me round with youwhen you go to see to the stock; only I must have a quiet ould mare--none of your great tatthering savage craytures that want to go like thewind. I've brought my strong riding habit. And you gyurls, you'll ridetoo?"

  "Of course," cried Janet eagerly.

  "Then we're going to have quite a happy time; and John'll get quitestrong, won't he, doctor?"

  "Yes, he'll be a new man in a month."

  "What!" cried the lady, with an assumed look of alarm: "John, darlin',order the waggon and horses out. Ring for the men. We'll go back homedirectly, and try the new doctor that's just come out."

  "Why?" said Sir John, smiling.

  "Sure, didn't he say he'd make a new man of you? Don't I want you thesame as you always were? A new man, indeed!"

  A merry evening was passed, but before they parted for the night thedoctor said:

  "I've asked no questions, Nic, boy; but all seems to be right."

  "Nearly, father--not quite."

  "Not quite? Well, that doesn't sound very serious. But I want to knowfully what this upset has been about the assigned servant."

  Nic briefly told of the trouble.

  "Ah, well, we'll have that over in the morning, Nic. I'm sorry, though,for I thought the man was trustworthy."

  Nic gave his father a pained look, as the doctor went on: "I shall rideover and see Dillon. Well, what next?"

  "Three sheep have gone, father, one after the other."

  "I am not surprised," said the doctor drily.

  "But, father--" began Nic.

  "Not to-night, my boy. I know what you are going to say. This man wasrather a favourite of yours. Now, what other troubles?"

  "None, father."

  "That's good. Then you've done well, boy. But I was very anxious toget back, for there has been a serious rising among the convicts, andtwo parties have escaped to the bush. I was afraid you might be havinga visitation."

  "They're taken by this time, Braydon, depend upon it," said Sir John."My people will not rest till they are. There, I'm tired out. You'llexcuse me to-night?"

  "I beg your pardon, O'Hara," said the doctor. "Yes, bed for us too.Good night, Nic. To-morrow you will have to render me an account ofyour stewardship."

  Nic sought his bed that night with mingled feelings of pleasure andpain.

  It was delightful to feel the warm grip of his father's hand again, andto see Lady O'Hara's merry, cheery face; but, on the other hand, afterbeing captain of the station so long, there was a slight suspicion ofregret at having to give up his independent position; and then there wasthe trouble about the convict. His father said he would go and see MrDillon, and there was what the magistrate would say about him. Then hisconscience smote him for that which was a lapse of duty. He had made sogreat an intimate of Leather, and he felt as if he had been helping himto defy the law. Sir John O'Hara was sleeping under their roof now, andhe was governor, judge--a regular viceroy in the colony. What would hesay?

  Above all, what would the doctor do?

  It was a long time before Nic could settle off to sleep that night, andin consequence he was very late the next morning.