Robbery Under Arms [158]
as if he was fond of him, and had some natural feeling -- sometimes I raly think he had -- `been any shooting?'
`Yes; not at him, though. Tell you all about it in the morning. He's eaten nothing, and we've been travelling best part of twenty-four hours right off the reel.'
`Hold him up while I fetch out the pannikin. There's plenty of grub inside. He'll be all right after a sleep.'
A drop of rum and water brought him to, and after that we made ourselves a cup of tea and turned in. The sun was pretty high when I woke. When I looked out there was the old man sitting on the log by the fire, smoking. What was a deal more curious, I saw the half-caste, Warrigal, coming up from the flat, leading a horse and carrying a pair of hobbles. Something made me look over to a particular corner where Starlight always slept when he was at the Hollow. Sure enough there was the figure of a man rolled up in a cloak. I knew by the way his boots and things were thrown about that it could be no other than Starlight.
Chapter 32
I'd settled in my mind that it couldn't be any one else, when he sat up, yawned, and looked round as if he had not been away from the old place a week.
`Ha! Richard, here we are again! "Feeds the boar in the old frank?" The governor told me you and Jim had made back. Dreadful bore, isn't it? Just when we'd all rubbed off the rust of our bush life and were getting civilised. I feel very seriously ill-treated, I assure you. I have a great mind to apply to the Government for compensation. That's the worst of these new inspectors, they are so infernally zealous.'
`You were too many for them, it seems. I half thought you might have been nailed. How the deuce did you get the office in time?'
`The faithful Warrigal, as usual, gave me timely warning, and brought a horse, of course. He will appear on the Judgment Day leading Rainbow, I firmly believe. Why he should be so confoundedly anxious about my welfare I can't make out -- I can't, really. It's his peculiar form of mania, I suppose. We all suffer from some madness or other.'
`How the blazes did he know the police were laid on to the lot of us?' I said.
`I didn't know myself that your Kate had come the double on you. I might have known she would, though. Well, it seems Warrigal took it into his semi-barbaric head to ride into Turon and loaf about, partly to see me, and partly about another matter that your father laid him on about. He was standing about near the Prospectors' Arms, late on Friday night, doing nothing and seeing everything, as usual, when he noticed Mrs. Mullockson run out of the house like a Bedlamite. "My word, that missis big one coolah!" was his expression, and made straight for the camp. Now Warrigal had seen you come out just before. He doesn't like you and Jim over much -- bad taste, I tell him, on his part -- but I suppose he looks upon you as belonging to the family. So he stalked the fair and furious Kate.'
`That was how it was, then?'
`Yes, much in that way. I must say, Dick, that if you are so extremely fond of -- well -- studying the female character, you should carry on the pursuit more discreetly. Just see what this miscalculation has cost your friends!'
`Confound her! She's a heartless wretch, and I hope she'll die in a ditch.'
`Exactly. Well, she knocked, and a constable opened the outer door.
`"I want to see Sir Ferdinand," she says.
`"He's in bed and can't be disturbed," says the bobby. "Any message I can deliver?"
`"I have important information," says she. "Rouse him up, or you'll be sorry for it."
`"Won't it do to-morrow morning?" says he.
`"No, it won't," says she, stamping her foot. "Do what I tell you, and don't stand there like a fool."
`She waited a bit. Then, Warrigal says, out came Sir Ferdinand, very polite. "What can I do for you," says he, "Mrs. Mullockson?"
`"Should you like to know where the Marstons are, Sir Ferdinand," says she, "Dick and Jim?"
`"Know? Would I not?" says he. "No end of warrants out for them; since that Ballabri
`Yes; not at him, though. Tell you all about it in the morning. He's eaten nothing, and we've been travelling best part of twenty-four hours right off the reel.'
`Hold him up while I fetch out the pannikin. There's plenty of grub inside. He'll be all right after a sleep.'
A drop of rum and water brought him to, and after that we made ourselves a cup of tea and turned in. The sun was pretty high when I woke. When I looked out there was the old man sitting on the log by the fire, smoking. What was a deal more curious, I saw the half-caste, Warrigal, coming up from the flat, leading a horse and carrying a pair of hobbles. Something made me look over to a particular corner where Starlight always slept when he was at the Hollow. Sure enough there was the figure of a man rolled up in a cloak. I knew by the way his boots and things were thrown about that it could be no other than Starlight.
Chapter 32
I'd settled in my mind that it couldn't be any one else, when he sat up, yawned, and looked round as if he had not been away from the old place a week.
`Ha! Richard, here we are again! "Feeds the boar in the old frank?" The governor told me you and Jim had made back. Dreadful bore, isn't it? Just when we'd all rubbed off the rust of our bush life and were getting civilised. I feel very seriously ill-treated, I assure you. I have a great mind to apply to the Government for compensation. That's the worst of these new inspectors, they are so infernally zealous.'
`You were too many for them, it seems. I half thought you might have been nailed. How the deuce did you get the office in time?'
`The faithful Warrigal, as usual, gave me timely warning, and brought a horse, of course. He will appear on the Judgment Day leading Rainbow, I firmly believe. Why he should be so confoundedly anxious about my welfare I can't make out -- I can't, really. It's his peculiar form of mania, I suppose. We all suffer from some madness or other.'
`How the blazes did he know the police were laid on to the lot of us?' I said.
`I didn't know myself that your Kate had come the double on you. I might have known she would, though. Well, it seems Warrigal took it into his semi-barbaric head to ride into Turon and loaf about, partly to see me, and partly about another matter that your father laid him on about. He was standing about near the Prospectors' Arms, late on Friday night, doing nothing and seeing everything, as usual, when he noticed Mrs. Mullockson run out of the house like a Bedlamite. "My word, that missis big one coolah!" was his expression, and made straight for the camp. Now Warrigal had seen you come out just before. He doesn't like you and Jim over much -- bad taste, I tell him, on his part -- but I suppose he looks upon you as belonging to the family. So he stalked the fair and furious Kate.'
`That was how it was, then?'
`Yes, much in that way. I must say, Dick, that if you are so extremely fond of -- well -- studying the female character, you should carry on the pursuit more discreetly. Just see what this miscalculation has cost your friends!'
`Confound her! She's a heartless wretch, and I hope she'll die in a ditch.'
`Exactly. Well, she knocked, and a constable opened the outer door.
`"I want to see Sir Ferdinand," she says.
`"He's in bed and can't be disturbed," says the bobby. "Any message I can deliver?"
`"I have important information," says she. "Rouse him up, or you'll be sorry for it."
`"Won't it do to-morrow morning?" says he.
`"No, it won't," says she, stamping her foot. "Do what I tell you, and don't stand there like a fool."
`She waited a bit. Then, Warrigal says, out came Sir Ferdinand, very polite. "What can I do for you," says he, "Mrs. Mullockson?"
`"Should you like to know where the Marstons are, Sir Ferdinand," says she, "Dick and Jim?"
`"Know? Would I not?" says he. "No end of warrants out for them; since that Ballabri