Robbery Under Arms [154]
begin to get too big for their boots.
`Hello, Dick, what's up?' says Jonathan. `No swag, 'lastic-side boots, flyaway tie, new rifle, old horse; looks a bit fishy don't it?'
`I can't stop barneying,' I said. `Have you a decent horse to give me? The game's up. I must ride night and day till I get home. Heard anything?'
`No; but Billy the Boy's just rode up. I hear him a-talkin' to the gals. He knows if anybody does. I'll take the old moke and put him in the paddock. I can let you have a stunner.'
`All right; I'll go in and have some breakfast. It's as much as I dare stop at all now.'
`Why, Dick Marston, is that you? No, it can't be,' said both girls together. `Why, you look like a ghost. He doesn't; he looks as if he'd been at a ball all night. Plenty of partners, Dick?'
`Never mind, Dick,' says Maddie; `go and make yourself comfortable in that room, and I'll have breakfast for you while you'd let a cow out of the bail. We don't forget our friends.'
`If all our friends were as true as you, Maddie,' I said, rather down-like, `I shouldn't be here to-day.'
`Oh! that's it, is it?' says she; `we're only indebted to somebody's laying the traps on -- a woman of course -- for your honour's company. Never mind, old man, I won't hit you when you're down. But, I say, you go and have a yarn with Billy the Boy -- he's in the kitchen. I believe the young imp knows something, but he won't let on to Bell and I.'
While the steaks were frying -- and they smelt very good, bad as I felt -- I called out Master Billy and had a talk with him. I handed him a note to begin with. It was money well spent, and, you mark my words, a shilling spent in grog often buys a man twenty times the worth of it in information, let alone a pound.
Billy had grown a squarish-set, middle-sized chap; his hair wasn't so long, and his clothes were better; his eye was as bright and bold-looking. As he stood tapping one of his boots with his whip, he looked for all the world like a bull-terrier.
`My colonial oath, Dick, you're quite the gentleman -- free with your money just the same as ever. You takes after the old governor; he always paid well if you told him the truth. I remember him giving me a hidin' when I was a kiddy for saying something I wasn't sure of. My word! I was that sore for a week after I couldn't button my shirt. But ain't it a pity about Jim?'
`Oh, that's it. What about Jim?'
`Why, the p'leece grabbed him, of course. You fellers don't think you're going on for ever and ever, keepin' the country in a state of terrorism, as the papers say. No, Dick, it's wrong and wicked and sinful. You'll have to knock under and give us young uns a chance.'
Here the impudent young rascal looked in my face as bold as brass and burst out laughing. He certainly was the cheekiest young scoundrel I ever came across. But in his own line you couldn't lick him.
`Jim's took,' he said, and he looked curiously over at me. `I seen the p'leece a-takin' him across the country to Bargo early this morning. There was poor old Jim a-lookin' as if he was goin' to be hanged, with a chap leading the screw he was on, and Jim's long legs tied underneath. I was gatherin' cattle, I was. I drew some up just for a stall, and had a good look.'
`How many men were with him?'
`Only two; and they're to pass through Bargo Brush about sundown to-night, or a bit earlier. I asked one of the men the road; said I'd lost myself, and would be late home. Ha! ha! ha!'
And how the young villain laughed till the tears came into his eyes, while he danced about like a blackfellow.
`See here, Billy,' I said, `here's another pound for you, and there'll be a fiver after if you stick well to me to-day. I won't let Jim be walked off to Berrima without a flutter to save him. It'll be the death of him. He's not like me, and he's got a young wife besides.'
`More fool he, Dick. What does a cross cove want with a wife? He can't never expect to do any good with a wife follerin' of him about. I'm agin marrying, leastways as long as a chap's
`Hello, Dick, what's up?' says Jonathan. `No swag, 'lastic-side boots, flyaway tie, new rifle, old horse; looks a bit fishy don't it?'
`I can't stop barneying,' I said. `Have you a decent horse to give me? The game's up. I must ride night and day till I get home. Heard anything?'
`No; but Billy the Boy's just rode up. I hear him a-talkin' to the gals. He knows if anybody does. I'll take the old moke and put him in the paddock. I can let you have a stunner.'
`All right; I'll go in and have some breakfast. It's as much as I dare stop at all now.'
`Why, Dick Marston, is that you? No, it can't be,' said both girls together. `Why, you look like a ghost. He doesn't; he looks as if he'd been at a ball all night. Plenty of partners, Dick?'
`Never mind, Dick,' says Maddie; `go and make yourself comfortable in that room, and I'll have breakfast for you while you'd let a cow out of the bail. We don't forget our friends.'
`If all our friends were as true as you, Maddie,' I said, rather down-like, `I shouldn't be here to-day.'
`Oh! that's it, is it?' says she; `we're only indebted to somebody's laying the traps on -- a woman of course -- for your honour's company. Never mind, old man, I won't hit you when you're down. But, I say, you go and have a yarn with Billy the Boy -- he's in the kitchen. I believe the young imp knows something, but he won't let on to Bell and I.'
While the steaks were frying -- and they smelt very good, bad as I felt -- I called out Master Billy and had a talk with him. I handed him a note to begin with. It was money well spent, and, you mark my words, a shilling spent in grog often buys a man twenty times the worth of it in information, let alone a pound.
Billy had grown a squarish-set, middle-sized chap; his hair wasn't so long, and his clothes were better; his eye was as bright and bold-looking. As he stood tapping one of his boots with his whip, he looked for all the world like a bull-terrier.
`My colonial oath, Dick, you're quite the gentleman -- free with your money just the same as ever. You takes after the old governor; he always paid well if you told him the truth. I remember him giving me a hidin' when I was a kiddy for saying something I wasn't sure of. My word! I was that sore for a week after I couldn't button my shirt. But ain't it a pity about Jim?'
`Oh, that's it. What about Jim?'
`Why, the p'leece grabbed him, of course. You fellers don't think you're going on for ever and ever, keepin' the country in a state of terrorism, as the papers say. No, Dick, it's wrong and wicked and sinful. You'll have to knock under and give us young uns a chance.'
Here the impudent young rascal looked in my face as bold as brass and burst out laughing. He certainly was the cheekiest young scoundrel I ever came across. But in his own line you couldn't lick him.
`Jim's took,' he said, and he looked curiously over at me. `I seen the p'leece a-takin' him across the country to Bargo early this morning. There was poor old Jim a-lookin' as if he was goin' to be hanged, with a chap leading the screw he was on, and Jim's long legs tied underneath. I was gatherin' cattle, I was. I drew some up just for a stall, and had a good look.'
`How many men were with him?'
`Only two; and they're to pass through Bargo Brush about sundown to-night, or a bit earlier. I asked one of the men the road; said I'd lost myself, and would be late home. Ha! ha! ha!'
And how the young villain laughed till the tears came into his eyes, while he danced about like a blackfellow.
`See here, Billy,' I said, `here's another pound for you, and there'll be a fiver after if you stick well to me to-day. I won't let Jim be walked off to Berrima without a flutter to save him. It'll be the death of him. He's not like me, and he's got a young wife besides.'
`More fool he, Dick. What does a cross cove want with a wife? He can't never expect to do any good with a wife follerin' of him about. I'm agin marrying, leastways as long as a chap's