SYDNEY.
At day-break the steamer entered that splendid harbour, second to none
in the world, and made for Port Jackson. The magnificent scenery and its
ever-varying vista of lovely views were unheeded by the boys in their
restlessness to get ashore and find traces of their quarry. As soon as
the boat was made fast, they hurried ashore with their baggage and
passed rapidly the sleepy inspection of a Customs' official. Hailing a
cab and directing the driver to Tattersall's Hotel, another surprise
awaited them, for, seated by the side of the driver, was the familiar
face of Terence O'Flynn.
"Hallo, Terence. What are you doing here?" asked Hal, in astonishment.
"Just over for a holiday, your honour," answered he, at the same time
giving an expressive wink, so Hal said no more but jumped in.
Arriving at the hotel, Terence carried their baggage inside, followed
closely by Hal and Reg.
"I was after following Dick over here, sir," he said, hurriedly. "Wyck
left for Brisbane two days ago. I wired to Hobart, but, having no reply,
so faith I reckoned you had left. I should like to have a talk beside
you, but sure I want to do another trip with my mate, I will come back
in a quarter-of-an-hour."
On his return the three adjourned to a private room, and Terence told
his story.
"'The devil' says I as I read about Wyck being picked up and landed at
Sydney. I had been keeping a sharp eye on Dick, and when I sees a boy
bring him a telegram I guessed something was in the wind, so when he put
a pal on his cab, I followed suit. We both came by the express, and I
took good care Dick should not spot me. When we arrived, he calls a cab,
as bold as brass, and sings out, 'Grosvenor Hotel.' I didn't follow him
there, but went to Moloney's house. That was Moloney's cab we were in,
for Jim and myself are old friends. Yer see, him and me was courting the
same----"
"Never mind that, Terence. Go on. What did you do next?"
"I just kept my eyes on them, and several times see them together, and
the day afore yesterday I see them going to the wharf, and Wyck goes
aboard one of the Queensland boats. Dick stayed till the boat left,
waved his hat like mad, and then went off to a pub and got awfully
tight. Next day he went back home by the train, and I would have gone
too, only Jim got me to stop for his baby's christening, as I was to be
godfather. I did stop yer honours, and we did christen that baby, both
inside and out. Jim and meself went on the spree, and a right good time
we had, so help me----"
"Never mind that, Terence. Has Dick had any more soft lines since?"
"No more that I know of, your honour."
"Did he not have one to St. Kilda?"
"Och, moi! I knew it: by jabers I did. Directly I heard it, I knew it,"
shrieked Terence, excitedly, and he lay back, and went off into one of
his laughing fits. He rolled in his seat, and swayed to and fro, fairly
roaring with laughter. Hal and Reg looked on in quiet amusement, and
when Terence had subsided somewhat, Hal said, sternly:
"Terence O'Flynn, when you have finished your laugh, you will, perhaps,
let us into the joke."
"Beg pardon, your honours," jerked out Terence. "But it was a joke. Poor
old Dick," and off he started again.
"Go on, Terence, have another try," said Reg.
"No, no, but you know the joke. I know you did it, and ye did it well,
too."
"If you will tell us what it was, we shall be able to judge," said Hal,
quietly, which sobered Terence.
"I'll tell you, then. It was a couple of days after you'd left for
Tasmania, when Dick comes up to me and Joe Gardiner--that's another
cabby. He comes up smiling, in fact regular grinning, and flashes a
letter in front of us. 'See here, chaps,' says he, 'this is the sort of
game that pays. Darn your shilling fares, says I; this is my style.' The
letter was from some toff, 'cause it come from Menzie's Hotel. It asked
Dick to meet him at St. Kilda. 'See what it is to have a connection.
This 'ere chap was recommended to call on me, and I knows his game. I've
just got to get a good turn-out and drive down to the beach, call at
the pub and get a letter which will give me instructions where to meet
him. Then I picks up a flash gent with a little, innercent girl, and
they'll get into the cab. 'Straight home, cabby,' he'll cry, 'we've
missed the train.' That'll mean that I'm to go in the opposite direction
where there ain't no houses, and if I hear screamin' I never listens.
Then I get home about three; there's a big row, but I get a tenner for
the job.' 'Well, Dick,' says Joe, who is a good-hearted sort of chap,
'if I thought anything of that kind was going on in my cab, a hundred
wouldn't buy me, but I'd take the horse-whip to him.' 'Shure,' says I,
'I would put the blackguard in the sea, and drown him just.' 'Ha, ha,'
laughs Dick, 'it wouldn't do for us all to be so soft, else half of us
would starve. Now I'll just tell you chaps how I serve my customers. I
just go round to Wallace's and get the best turn-out he has, and I guess
we'll cut a dash.' Then he got in his cab and drove away. Neither me nor
Joe envied him his tenner. Next day Dick came up to the stand looking
terrible black. He cussed and swore, and looked as if he'd had a big
drop too much. 'Have a good time last night,' says I to him, civil
like. 'No, blast yer; go to--' he says. I never spoke no more, but after
a bit he comes up to me and says--'Terry, those beggars had me last
night; it was a put-up job.' 'Go on,' says I, 'the infernal scoundrels,
how did they do it?' He swore a terrible lot, and 'twixt his swears I
made out that he had hired a turn-out that cost him thirty bob, and
drove quietly to St. Kilda, smiling all the way. He waits till nearly
eleven, and refused two good fares, then goes to the Pier Hotel, and
asks if there is a letter for him. The barman hands him one, and he was
so pleased he called for drinks all round and spent about three bob that
way. Then he says good-night, goes to a lamp-post to read his letter,
which said something about swindlers being swindled, and policy being
the greatest honesty, or something like that. He was out till nearly
three, and never earned a bob. Joe had come up behind, and heard the
yarn, and we both let out a yell. Dick he swore awful, and jumped on his
cab and drove away. He got fined for being drunk on his cab that night.
And now it's all the joke on the ranks. 'Going St. Kilda, Dick'--'Any
more ten-pound jobs, Dick,' and he does get blooming wild." Here Terence
roared again, and this time the boys joined in.
"Have another drink, Terence. You told that well," said Reg.
"But it was your honours that did it, I know."
"Yes, we did it, Terence," answered Hal, "Dick had us and we returned
the compliment, and here's a tenner for your trouble. Now you had better
go back to Melbourne by to-day's express and keep your eye on Dick. Our
address will be Brisbane."
"Right, your honours. I'm off."
"I have been looking through the "Herald," said Reg, when they were
alone, "and I find there are two companies trading between here and
Brisbane, the Howard Smith line and the A.U.S.N. Company; one has a boat
leaving to-day at twelve, the other at two."
"That's good. We will have a look at the boats and see which we like
best, and as there is no time to be lost, let us start at once."
The _Buninyong_, of the Howard Smith line, and the _Maranoa_, of the
rival company, were both examined, and the preference given to the
former.
"Sydney seems a delightful place. I am almost loth to leave it so soon,"
said Reg.
"We'll have plenty of time when we have caught our man," said Hal. "I'll
now go to the Tasmanian Company's offices and hear all about the
rescue."
There he learnt the captain's report, that he picked up Wyckliffe and
four men off a raft, about six hours from Hobart. The rescued reported
they had been capsized while trying to fetch Maria Island.
At twelve o'clock the _Buninyong_, with a full passenger list including
the boys, sailed for Brisbane.