“You come to Coolibah many years ago. You find here nice young white girl. Bimeby you tell her you love her, and she say no; she noun’erstand her own heart. Then your father’s brother hedie and say you have two-three thousand quid. All them quids they very nice, but they no good you buy beeg station and plenty cattle! So you saynothin ’. P’haps you tell white girl again you love her and again she notell her own heart.
“And then letter come and you told your father him die and him say you haveorl his money. The lawman him write you go Brisbane and sign papers and then you getorl beeg money. You say: ‘No. I stay here and your off-siderhimbrings papers to Gurner’s Hotel. I sign ’emthere.’ So lawman’s offsider him come to Gurner’s pub that night the fine feller captain’s plane him stolen. You go there and sign ’empapers and law feller’s offsider him sayorl them quidsbelonga you in bank.
“Now you say yourself, I buy Garth Station. You know old John Kane he own Garth. Way back long time, Mr Nettlefold and John Kane they have row, and bimeby Mr Nettlefold he tell Kane him buy Garth. And John Kane him laugh and him say: ‘No, neveryou buy Garth, I watch, that.’ You know if you go Kane and say you buy Garth, Kane him say: ‘Youwant Garth for Mr Nettlefold and I say plenty times I no sell Garth to Mr Nettlefold.’
“You cunning feller, orl right! You send letter to station fellers down in Brisbane. You tell them ask Kane how much hewant for Garth. You tell them go careful or Kane him find out you after buy Garth. They say so much. You say wait. Thend’rectly you sign papersbelonga law man’s offsider, you send wire message to station fellers in Brisbane tell them they buy Garth quick you got plenty money. You reckon you have Garth and seven thousand cattle you say to white girl you love her, she marry you, you got plenty cash, plenty cattle. You cunning feller, too right! You nearly go jail ’cosyou cunning feller, too.”
The old man released the brown hand, and, looking into Sharp’s astonished face, chuckled grimly. Then, before the boss stockman could say a word, Illawalli took Elizabeth’s hand.
“The white lubra is joyful,” he said. “She knows that the sick white lubra soon be better, that she soongo away with doctor feller. One time Miss Eliz’beth she lonely and sad. She notknow what make her sad and lonely. Then sheknow, then she know when she take sick white lubra and nurse her. She think she know what she want, so that no more she will be lonely and sad. Then some whitefeller, heplay the fool with my friend Bony. He no talk when he should. Hethink him cunning feller and he don’t say nothing when Bony put him questions. Now sheknow white feller him not crook and she joyful. She know she marry Ted Sharp when he ask her. Sheknow she want to look after him and bimeby…”
“Oh, Illawalli!” the blushing Elizabeth exclaimed reproachfully. Ted Sharp straightened his shoulders and looked from her to Bony, who was bidding Illawalli an affectionate farewell.
Bony smiled at them in turn and hurried back to the house where the others were gathered about Cox’s car. The good-byes were prolonged. Nettlefold was hearty. Loveacre was dashing despite the disfiguring bandages. Elizabeth came hurrying with Ted Sharp from the direction of the office. Her eyes were like stars. Cox climbed in behind the wheel, and Bony joined him in the front seat. Bony waved to Illawalli, and then, just when the car was about to move off, TedSharp sprang to Bony’s side to whisper:
“I apologize, Mr Bonaparte, for being such a stupid cad.”
“Not a cad, Ted; merely too cautious.”
“You are generous. Tell me this: Did that old chap really read our minds? He guessed a lot of things about me… and… in theoffice, Elizabeth told me that he read her mind all right.”
Bony chuckled and pinched the boss stockman’s arm.
“No,” he confessed. “I am afraid I told Illawalli what to say.”
Epilogue
“So you see, sir, that I fell down on the job,” Bony pointed out to the white-haired, fierce-eyed gentleman sitting in a lounge chair within a comfortably-furnished study. “Had I used my brain properly I could have finalized the case weeks ago and have saved the State the expense of sending that aeroplane for Illawalli, and the expense of sending another back with him. To Sergeant Cox is due the entire credit for clearing up a nice little puzzle.”
“H’rumph!” snorted Colonel Spendor. “Now tell me why you had the effrontery to telegraph me here at my private residence concerning an official matter? And why the devil do you come here to make your report? The office is the place, sir, for all official business.”
“But are you not pleased to see me, sir?” asked Bony with innocent astonishment.
“Of course, but what’s that to…”
“And, sir, have you not been entertained by my story of the stolen aeroplane?”
“I do not deny it,” shouted the colonel. “Bring two of those glasses from the sideboard-and the damned whisky. Hi! We must have that Illawalli feller attached to us for duty.”
“Would you kill an old man, sir?” Bony inquired, setting glasses and decanter on the small table beside the Chief of the Queensland Police Force.
“Why, no! Of course not!”
“Then permit him to return to his own people. He would die soon in a white man’s city. In return for his services, I told him that you would be pleased to present him with a gold watch and chain.”
“A gold… A gold watch and chain! Where the devil am I to get gold watches and chains to present to aboriginal chiefs? Tell me that.”
“I thought, sir, that you might like to buy him one. The Chief Secretary… a special grant, sir. Illawalli would be so proud to have a watch presented by you, sir.”
The colonel glared. He was about to suggest a toast, remembered himself, and glared again at the well-dressed and debonair half-caste.
“Well, remind me about it in the morning. What next?”
“Er… with reference to Sergeant Cox, sir. I hear that a sub-inspectorshipwill shortly become vacant. The Red Tape Worshippers are backing Miller. Now Sergeant Cox…”
Colonel Spendor banged the table, his face growing deeply scarlet, and through the openfrench windows from the veranda came a cool, sweet voice which said:
“Now, Father! Keep your temper.”
“Er…h’rumph. Yes, of course, my dear,” the colonel stuttered. “But this damned Bony feller…”
“Please, Father, vary your expletives. The one becomes so monotonous,” pleaded the sweet voice.
“Your pardon, my dear. I forgot you were there.”
Colonel Spendor glared at Bony. He was very angry. And then slowly anger melted before the sun of a big and generous heart.
“There is a vacancy here and now, of which you know nothing,” he said. “If your report, to reach me to-morrow, coincides with your verbal report this evening, Sergeant Cox shall receive the promotion and a transfer.”
“I will keep the Colonel to his word, Bony,” promised the sweet voice.
“Sir, I know a good policeman when I meet him,” added Bony, referring to Sergeant Cox.
“And I know a damned bad one when I look at him, and I am looking at one this moment,” the colonel flashed.
“Your opinion of me, sir, exactly coincides with my own,” Bony instantly agreed.
The colonel chuckled, and rose to his feet to stand with military stiffness. Together they passed through the windows to the veranda where a little woman sat in the falling twilight.
“Madam,” Bony murmured, bowing, “I thank you for your support this evening.”
“You deserved it, Bony, in return for your most interesting story, well told,” replied Mrs Spendor. “And you need not remind the Colonel of his promise to send to that wonderful aboriginal chief the gold watch and chain. I will see to that, too.”
And when the sound of Bony’s departing taxi died away, Colonel Spendor lit a cigar.
“My worst policeman,” he said.“My best detective!”
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Wings above the Diamantina b-3 Page 26
