In those days it did not take long to see the town. There were some
shabby-looking stores and shops, a few settlers' houses, the hotel,
taverns, and plenty of tents. The substantial parts were the buildings
erected for the soldiery and convicts. But these latter were busy
enough, gangs of them being marched out every morning under a strong
guard to work at road making, quarrying, and other tasks; and as Nic,
boy like, went round everywhere during the few days of his stay at the
governor's house, he ran up eagerly, as soon as a convict gang appeared,
to see if he could encounter his old shipboard friend the head warder,
and whether he could recognise any of the convicts who came out in the
_Northumbrian_.
But they and the soldiers seemed to have been absorbed in the large body
of men in the convict lines and barracks, and he looked in vain for the
fierce, swarthy ruffian, his comic, grimace-making friend Twenty-five,
and the pitiful, pleading countenance of Thirty-three.
Still, there was a great deal to see, and the time went rapidly as he
watched the convicts at work with their armed guard always on the _qui
vive_ to shoot down any man who attempted to resist their warders or
make for the bush.
There were the blacks too, fairly plentiful in those days, hanging about
the place ready to help drive sheep or cattle, or do any light work
which did not entail much labour.
The hospitality at Government House was everything that could be
desired, and here the lieutenant and ensign were welcomed again and
again during their stay.
The last day came, when, after making all his preparations, the doctor
announced that they would start at dawn the next morning.
"Why not stay another week?" said Lady O'Hara.
"You know," said the doctor: "those at home are eager to see us back;
and Nic here is longing to find out what home is like. When shall we
see the governor and you?"
"Before many months are over. That road is begun, you see, and we shall
work up in your direction. Perhaps we may run over for a flying visit
before."
That evening Nic accompanied his father to where the various goods
purchased for him by Lady O'Hara had been stored at a kind of warehouse;
and here Nic found a large, light waggon in the course of being loaded
by a couple of fierce-looking, bearded men, whose bare arms were burned
of a reddish tan.
The elder of the two, a man of about fifty, was standing up in the
waggon pulling at a great packing-case, while his companion, a
well-built fellow, who looked strong and active as could be, was
hoisting up the case, helped by a shaggy-haired native, whose face shone
as if it had been blackened and polished like a boot. The white, or
rather the reddish-brown, man attracted Nic's attention at once, as he
stood there with his muscles standing out, making him resemble an
antique statue; but it was the embittered, proud, and resentful look in
his face which struck the boy.
It was quite evident that he was attempting a task for which he was not
equal, and that, instead of the case being deposited in the waggon, it
would the next minute go down with a crash to the ground; and, as soon
as this was seen, Nic involuntarily ran to help, and his father shouted
as he, too, ran and seized one side of the case, with the result that
the black grinned and made way, to stand looking on.
"Jump down, Brookes!" cried the doctor. "You ought to know better. Get
the case up first, and then put it in its place."
"Know better?" growled the man. "I know how to load a waggon; but who's
to do it with a fellow like that and a nigger? One's got no muscle, and
t'other's like a black-pudd'n."
"Get down--quick!" cried the doctor.
"I'm a-comin'," growled the man; and he descended slowly, placed a
shoulder under the end of the chest, and it was turned over on to its
side.
"Jump in, Leather, and work it into its place."
"Oh, I can do that," grumbled the elder man; but his companion sprang up
lightly, hoisted one end of the case, and walked it bit by bit to where
it was to stand, before leaping down again.
"Is this our waggon, then?" asked Nic.
"Yes, boy. We take the load back with us. I think we shall just get
all up in one load."
"Are the roads good?" asked Nic, as he gazed at the heavy packing-cases;
and the elder man grinned, while the labourer addressed as Leather, (a
name which accorded well with his tanned skin), glared at the speaker
once with a frown, and then told the black to help him with the next
case.
"Neither good nor bad," said the doctor, smiling.
"But I mean for the horses to draw the load?"
"There are no roads, my boy, and there will be no horses to draw the
load. We have only a rough track through the bush, and our men use
draught-oxen in yoke."
This was the first hint to Nic of the place being very wild. He said no
more for some time, but readily set to work trying to help where he
could, his father nodding approval as he noted his eagerness.
Under the master's eye and in accordance with his suggestions the
loading went on better now, though from time to time little matters kept
showing that the elder man lost no opportunity for finding fault with
the younger, who was either weak, stupid, unwilling, or clumsy in the
other's eyes. But the man worked steadily and well, and Nic began to
feel annoyed and ready to tell the elder servant that if he would only
work as well as his fellow the waggon would be laden much sooner.
"I dare say father will give it to him soon, though," said Nic to
himself; "I've no right to interfere."
The intended short visit to the waggon lasted three hours before the
doctor was satisfied to leave his men to rope everything on securely.
"And it will not be done, Nic," he said, as they walked away. "That's
where I want you, my boy, to grow up into a sort of lieutenant--to act
as my second pair of eyes, and see that the men do not shirk things.
I'm sorry to say that they will do it if I am not looking on. Now then,
I'm going to show you the horses that draw our waggon."
He led the way to a fenced-in pen, where a dozen fine, healthy-looking
bullocks were grazing; and upon Nic looking up wonderingly, his father
laughed.
"Yes," he said, "those are our draught animals. They are terribly slow,
but very sure. By the way, though, Nic--I never thought of that--can
you ride?"
"Not bullocks, father," said the lad proudly. "I'll walk."
"Rather a long walk, Nic," said the doctor quietly. "Well, I can walk
part of the way, and ride on the waggon the rest. But will it take us
more than a day?"
"Yes," said the doctor dilly; "it will take us more than a day. But
come here."
He led the way to a rough, shed-like building, entered, and a couple of
sleek, well-bred horses turned their heads from the posts to which they
were haltered, and whinnied.
"Will one of these do for your lordship to ride?" said the doctor,
smiling, as he went up to and patted the horses in turn.
"Yes!" cried Nic. "What beauties, father!"
"Glad you like them. I bought that sorrel nag for you. He isn't up to
my weight."
"But--"
"Well, but what, boy?"
"I've never been on a horse, father," said Nic, with a shamefaced air.
"Never learned to ride? No, of course not," said the doctor. "Riding
was not included in the range of studies at the Friary."
"But we boys used to catch the donkeys on the common of an evening, and
mount them."
"Oh, come," cried the doctor; "then you can ride a donkey?"
"Sometimes, father," said Nic, laughing. "They often used to send us
off."
"Kicking?"
"It was hardly kicking, father. One I used to try and ride would stand
perfectly still till I was on and tried to make him go, and then he used
to bring all his legs close together, put his head down, arch up his
back, and somehow or other, when he began to dance about, we always got
shot off, and came down on our backs. You never saw anything so queer."
"Oh! yes, I have," said the doctor drily, "often. Our horses here have
that bad habit, and we call it buck jumping, for it is very much the
action of a bounding deer. Have you been pitched off like that more
than once?"
"Oh! yes, father; scores, perhaps hundreds of times," said Nic,
laughing.
"Come then, you will not be afraid to mount this horse, and I dare say I
can soon teach you to ride. It's too late now, or I'd give you a
lesson."
He closed the door of the shed, went back to the waggon, where the
younger man was on the top straining at a rope, and the elder giving
orders, while the black was squatting down and looking on. Here a few
words of instruction were given, and a question or two asked about the
flour barrels and bacon.
These being answered satisfactorily, the doctor led the way back to the
Government House, where they had just time to prepare for dinner and
meet the two officers and the captain and ship's doctor, who had been
asked to meet them by way of farewell.
Bed was sought early, the doctor laughingly telling his son to make much
of it, for he would have to make shift for some time to come.
"It's good-bye to civilisation when we leave here in the morning," said
the doctor, looking hard at his son.
"And he won't mind it a bit," said Lady O'Hara. "He's just the boy to
take to a bit of rough work in the bush."
"I'm glad of it," said the doctor drily, "for we rough it in the bush,
and no mistake."
Nic lay down that night in his comfortable bedroom after a long look out
of his window at the beautiful moonlit harbour, with its shipping bathed
in the soft, silvery light, and a feeling of melancholy came over him.
He was sorry to leave frank-spoken, motherly Lady O'Hara, and the
thought of going right away into the wilds, though fascinating, would
inspire him with a shrinking feeling of awe.
For during the few days he had been ashore he had picked up some
information, and not always of the pleasantest nature. People about had
not been backward in telling him that the blacks were rather fond of
spearing people who entered the bush. They had some ugly stories, too,
about tiger-snakes, which lay waiting for unwary passers-by, and then
struck them, the bite being so venomous that the sufferer would survive
only a few hours at most, possibly only a few minutes.
There were other terrors and dangers, too, in the bush, they said; but
when asked what, they shook their heads very strangely, as if the
subject were not to be mentioned, for fear of ill befalling those who
talked lightly. So one way and another Nic was pretty well primed, and
consequently only slightly buoyed up by the knowledge that he was going
to his real home, he fell asleep to dream of all kinds of mysterious
horrors, among which was one that was terrible in the extreme. He was
lost in the bush, and nothing was left for him to do but lie down and
die; and the first part of this he had, he thought, just achieved, when
a loud voice came out of the blackness and cried:
"Now, Nic, boy, it's time to get up. And I want you to see to the dogs.
They know you."