SELLING THE CLAIM
“Let’s adjourn to the mine,” said Tom Lewis, a short, sturdy Englishman.
“Yes, let’s see the place where the nugget was found,” echoed another.
“All right! I’m agreeable,” said Obed.
Followed by a crowd of miners, Obed Stackpole strode to the claim where
he had “struck it rich.” In spite of his homely face and ungainly form
there was more than one who would have been willing to stand in his
shoes, homeliness and all. The day before little notice was taken of
him. Now he was a man who had won fame at a bound.
They soon stood around the lucky claim.
“It isn’t much to look at, gentlemen,” said Obed, “but looks is
deceptive, as my old grandmother used to tell me. ‘Handsome is as
handsome does,’ and this ’ere hole’s done the handsome thing for me and
my partners, and I venture to say it hasn’t got through doin’ handsome
things. It’s made three of us rich, and it’s ready to make somebody
else rich. Who’ll be the lucky man? Do I hear a bid?”
“Fifty pounds,” said Tom Lewis.
“That’ll do to start on, but it won’t do to take. Fifty pounds I am
offered. Who says a hundred?”
A German miner offered a hundred, and Tom Lewis raised ten pounds.
A Scotch miner, Aleck Graham, offered a hundred and twenty-five.
From that time the bids rose slowly. Obed showed himself an excellent
auctioneer--indeed he had had some experience at home--and by his dry
and droll remarks stimulated the bidding when it became dull, and did
not declare the claim sold till it was clear no higher bid could be
obtained.
“Three hundred pounds, and sold to Frank Scott,” he concluded. “Mr.
Scott, I congratulate you. I calculate you’ve made a pretty good
investment, and I shouldn’t wonder if you’d find another nugget within
a week. ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ as my writing-book says,
and ‘it never rains but it pours.’”
Frank Scott came forward and made arrangements for the payment of the
sum he had offered. Within five minutes he was offered an advance of
twenty-five pounds for his bargain, which put him in good humour,
though he declined it. I may as well say here, since we are soon to say
farewell to Bendigo, that the claim yielded him double the amount of
his investment, and though this was not up to his expectations, he had
no reason to regret his purchase.
The little crowd of miners were just separating when two new-comers
appeared on the scene. They were the well-matched pair who had met
earlier in the morning at the deserted cabin. For convenience’ sake
we will call them Colson and Ropes, the former being the man who had
stolen the nugget, as he supposed.
“What’s all this crowd?” said Colson, in a tone of curiosity.
Ropes put the question to Tom Lewis, who chanced to be passing.
“Haven’t you heard about the nugget?” asked Lewis.
“What nugget?” asked Colson innocently.
“That slab-sided Yankee, Obed Stackpole, found a nugget last night--a
regular monster--and he’s been selling his claim. I bid for it, but I
didn’t bid high enough.”
“Where’s the nugget?” asked Colson eagerly.
“In charge of the commissioner, who will send it under escort to
Melbourne.”
Colson expected this intelligence. Still he looked downcast. The chance
of getting hold of it under such circumstances seemed very small.
“What did the claim go for?” questioned Ropes.
“Three hundred pounds. Frank Scott bought it.”
“That’s a pretty steep price.”
“Yes, but there may be another nugget.”
“And there may not.”
“Then he’ll be a loser. Of course there’s a risk.”
“Is the Yankee going to stay around here?” asked Colson.
“No; he and the two boys are going to Melbourne. I believe they are
going back home.”
“It’s a shame that such a prize should go to Americans,” said Colson,
in a discontented tone.
He would have been very glad to head a movement for robbing Obed and
the boys of the proceeds of their lucky discovery on this flimsy
ground. But Tom Lewis was a fair-minded man.
“I don’t see what that has to do with it,” said he. “They found it, and
they have a right to it. Of course, I’d rather it had been me; but it
wasn’t, and there’s an end of it.”
“Some people are born lucky!” grumbled Colson, as Lewis walked away. “I
never had any luck.”
“The nugget you found wasn’t quite so valuable,” returned Ropes grimly.
“No; I tugged away for nothing. My arms and shoulders are stiff enough
this morning. And now the nugget is out of our reach.”
“But not the three hundred pounds,” said Ropes significantly.
“The price of the claim?”
“Yes.”
“That’s true, but it won’t do us any good.”
“The Yankee will carry that with him. It’s worth trying for.”
The suggestion seemed to strike Colson favourably. The two held a
whispered consultation, which seemed to yield mutual satisfaction. They
were, indeed, congenial spirits, and agreed upon one point, that it was
better to make a living by knavery than by doing honest work for honest
wages. Yet there is no harder or more unsatisfactory way of living than
this. Ill-gotten gains seldom benefit the possessor, and the plans of
wicked men often fail altogether.
Gradually the two had drawn near to the claim, and at last drew the
attention of Obed and the boys.
Obed’s thin face lighted up with satisfaction as he recognised the man
who had attempted to steal the nugget.
“Good-mornin’, squire,” he said politely. “You look kind of tired, as
if you was up late last night.”
Colson eyed him sharply. “Does he suspect?” thought he. “Yes,” he
answered, in an indifferent tone, “I didn’t rest very well.”
“Where did you pass the night?”
“’Round here,” he answered vaguely.
“You look as if you had been taking a long walk.”
“You are very observing,” said Colson, not over pleased.
“I always was. It pays a man--sometimes.”
“I hear you’ve struck it rich,” said Colson, not caring to take notice
of the other’s significant tone.
“Found a nugget, they tell me,” interpolated Ropes. “How big was it?”
“Weighs about seventy-five pounds!”
“That is luck!” said Colson, with a sickly smile. He could scarcely
help groaning as he thought of his loss.
“Well, yes, it is tolerable fortunate. I reckon me and the boys will be
able to take it easy for a few years. But we came near losin’ it, after
all.”
“How’s that?” Colson asked, but he did not venture to meet Obed’s
glance.
“Some skunk saw us bringin’ back the nugget, and prowled round till he
thought we was all asleep. Then he got into the cabin and carried it
off. That is, he thought he did, but we was a little too sharp for him.
We tied up a big rock in my handkerchief, and I guess he had a sweet
time carryin’ it off.”
“Ha! ha! A good joke!” said Colson, but his laughter was mirthless.
“I thought you’d enjoy the joke, squire,” said Obed. “How I pity the
poor fellow! His arms must ache with luggin’ the old rock. The best of
it is we know the fellow that took it.”
“You do?” ejaculated Colson, his jaw dropping.
“Yes; Harry woke up just in the nick of time and saw him scootin’ out
of the cabin. If I should tell the boys ’round here, I reckon they’d
lynch him!” added Obed quietly.
“Just so,” assented Colson, but his face was of a sickly hue, and
taking Ropes by the arm he hurried him away.
“That fellow’s well scared,” said Obed, turning to his two young
companions. “I reckon he’ll make himself scarce till we’re out of the
way.”
Obed and the boys made arrangements to travel with the party sent by
the commissioner as an escort to the nugget and other sums entrusted to
it by different miners. The strong guard gave them a sense of security
which they would not have had under other circumstances.
They were all in high spirits. They were no longer penniless
adventurers, but, though not rich, were possessed of enough gold to
make them feel so. Now that they were well fixed they were all filled
with a strong desire to see their home across the sea.
“I suppose, Obed, you’ll be getting married soon after you reach home?”
said Harry.
“The very first thing I shall do will be to pay off the mortgage on
dad’s farm,” said Mr. Stackpole. “I want to see him a free man, with
a home that can’t be taken from him. Then I’ll look after the other
matter.”
“You are right, Obed. I only wish I had a father to help and care for,”
said Harry soberly.
“I’ve got a stepfather,” said Jack, “but I don’t feel much like helping
him.”
“You have a mother, Jack.”
“Yes, but I shall have to be careful about giving her money, for her
husband would get it away from her before long.”
“Well, boys, we won’t borrow trouble before the time comes. For all I
know Suke Stanwood may have got tired of waitin’ for me, and married
some other feller.”
“In that case, Obed, I suppose you would die of a broken heart.”
“Not much, but I don’t mind sayin’ that I should feel uncommon blue.”
Two days elapsed before Obed and his party started on their return
trip. Meanwhile Colson and Ropes had disappeared. The boys had expected
to see them about the camp, but they had vanished.
“I wonder what has become of them?” said Harry, just as they were
starting.
“I reckon they’re hatchin’ some new mischief, wherever they are,”
returned Obed composedly. “You may be sure they’re not engaged in any
honest work.”
“Perhaps Colson is trying to sell his nugget,” suggested Jack with a
smile.
“He’s welcome to all he can get for it,” said Obed.
Obed was very near the truth in his conjecture. Their greed was excited
by thoughts of the nugget which our three friends had discovered, and
their brains were busied with plans for obtaining possession of it.
The chances didn’t seem very encouraging. It was under strong escort,
and it would be sheer madness for the two to attack an armed party. It
would require a much larger force than they could command to make an
attack at all practicable.
With no special plans, but with the hope that something would turn
up in their favour, the two men started for Melbourne in advance of
the government party. They were indebted for the requisite funds to
a successful theft by Colson, who was an expert in his line. It is
unnecessary to chronicle their daily progress. We will look in upon
them on the fourth day.
They were making toilsome progress over the boggy road, when all at
once they were confronted by three bushrangers headed by Fletcher.
“Surrender, or you are dead men!” exclaimed Fletcher, with a boldness
which will be easily understood when it is considered that his force
outnumbered the travellers two to one.
Neither Colson nor Ropes appeared to be frightened. Indeed, they were
looking for such an encounter.
“All right, gentlemen,” said Ropes quietly. “We are quite ready to
surrender.”
“Empty your pockets,” was the next order.
“All right again!” said Ropes. “I am sorry to say we haven’t much to
surrender.”
“Is this all you have?” asked Fletcher, frowning when a pound and ten
shillings were delivered to him as their united contributions to the
bushrangers’ fund.
“We haven’t a penny more.”
“Search them!” said Fletcher to his followers.
A search, however, failed to bring to light anything more.
“Why, you poor tramps!” exclaimed Fletcher in disgust. “You are
unworthy the attention of gentlemen.”
“Perhaps not, captain,” replied Colson. “May I have a word with you in
private?”
Not without suspicion Fletcher granted this unexpected request, and
stepped aside with Colson a few paces, taking care, however, to keep
near enough to his party to insure his safety.
“Well, what have you to say?” he asked abruptly.
“I have no money to give you,” replied Colson, “but I have information
that will enable you to obtain a great deal.”
“What is your object in telling me this?” demanded Fletcher, still
suspiciously.
“The fact is, my friend and I want to join with you in the enterprise,
and get a fair share of the booty.”
“Do you wish to join our band, then?”
“Well, not permanently, but for a little while.”
“Out with the information, then!”
“Will you agree to our terms?”
“What are they?”
“We want half of the prize.”
“You are very modest,” said Fletcher, in a sarcastic tone. “How much
will it amount to?”
“Not far from twenty thousand pounds.”
Fletcher pricked up his ears. This was indeed a prize worth trying for.
“Give particulars,” he said.
“A big nugget is on the way to Melbourne, or will be in a day or
two. It was found at Bendigo. I don’t know how much it will net, but
probably seventy-five thousand dollars. Then there is a considerable
amount of dust besides.”
“Who is to carry it? Is it in the hands of a private party?”
“No, it is under government escort.”
Fletcher’s countenance changed.
“That is a different matter,” he said. “There is danger in attacking a
government party.”
“Think of the big sum at stake.”
“It would require the co-operation of the whole band.”
“Suppose it does.”
“There will be more to divide it among. The captain would not agree for
a moment to give away half.”
“Say a third, then.”
“I am not authorised to make any bargain. That will be for the captain
to decide. You had better tell me all you know about it, and I will
lay it before the captain and secure you the best terms I can on
conditions----”
“Well?”
“That you give me quarter of your share.”
“That is unreasonable,” said Colson, disappointed.
“Then go ahead and rob the government train yourself.”
Colson saw that he was helpless, and must submit to any terms proposed.
He accordingly signified his assent.
“Very well, then,” said Fletcher, “you may come with us, and I will
introduce you to the captain. By the way, who found the nugget? You
have not told me that.”
“A Yankee and two boys.”
“What was the Yankee’s name?” asked Fletcher eagerly.
“Stackpole--Obed Stackpole.”
Fletcher whistled.
“I know the man,” he said. “The boys are about sixteen--one a sailor?”
“Yes.”
“I know them all, and I owe them all a grudge. There is nothing I
should like better than to take all they have and leave them penniless.”
“I don’t like them myself,” said Colson, thinking this was the way to
curry favour with his new acquaintance.
“You know them also?”
“Yes; they have treated me meanly.”
Colson probably referred to their substituting a common rock for the
rich nugget, and so subjecting him to mortification and disappointment.
Fletcher asked him a few more questions, and then with the new
accessions plunged into the woods, and led his party to the
headquarters of the bushrangers.