TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO MELBOURNE.
In spite of the intense heat and dust which greeted our arrival at
"Boomerang stream," we managed to sleep for a few hours, and then, after
a bath in the river, felt somewhat refreshed, and were anxious to
proceed on our journey. The sun was too high, however, and the plains
too heated to induce Murden to consent, so Fred and myself went on an
excursion through the various camps near us, and after much hard work we
were fortunate enough to get hold of a Boston paper, and then selecting
the most secluded spot that we could find, and the freest from dust, we
read to each other all the items of interest, and then commenced on the
advertisements, which latter we finished just as Michael called us to
supper.
Each party camped on the bank of the stream, had a fire burning, and the
never-failing dish of coffee preparing for their evening meal. Parties
of men were searching for their cattle, and driving them in, preparatory
to a start; and a scene of confusion, it appeared to me, seemed
inevitable; but to my surprise the oxen walked slowly towards the carts
to which they belonged, and submitted to having yokes placed wound their
necks, without that resistance which I had anticipated.
The sun had hardly disappeared before the first cart started on its
long journey for Ballarat. Another and another followed, and in a short
time we were the sole occupants of the camping ground.
In a few minutes after we had wished success to the last party that
crossed the stream our horses were saddled, and once more we resumed our
journey for Melbourne.
Nothing of general interest occupied our attention until we were within
a few miles of the city, when Murden sent one of his men forward to
announce his arrival to the captain of police, and to confide to him the
success which had attended his enterprise.
Maurice, the person sent, must have imparted the news to a dozen
friends, and they, probably, in turn told it to every one they met, for
just as we came in sight of the city, we were surprised to witness a
vast concourse of people on the road.
Some were on foot, and some on horseback, and every description of
vehicle in Melbourne appeared to have been pressed into speedy service,
and loaded down with men and women, anxious to get a glimpse of the
ferocious bushrangers, whose names had long been such a terror to all
having business beyond the limits of the city.
"We are in for it," said Murden, pointing towards the fast approaching
crowd. "Close up on each side of the cart, men, and let no one speak to,
or insult our prisoners!"
Before the crowd reached us, Smith deserted the side of his oxen for a
moment, and laid his hand upon my horse's bridle, saying,--
"You remember where you and Mr. Fred slept the first night you landed in
Melbourne?"
"To be sure I do," I replied; "in your house."
"And remember," he said, "I want you both to take up your quarters there
again. You will promise me this?"
"I think that we had better go to some hotel," I replied, fearing that
we should cause him trouble and expense.
"Don't think of such a thing; you will squander all of your money, and
receive no equivalent for it. Go to my house, and we'll live like
princes at a quarter the expense. Or, if you feel that you are too good
for the company of a felon--"
"Hold there, Smith," I said; "have we ever given you occasion to speak
thus?"
"No; but you will be petted and praised, and I fear that perhaps so much
attention will turn your hearts against me."
"Do not fear that," I rejoined, pressing his hand, which he returned,
until I thought my fingers were in a vice; "we found in you a friend,
and as such we shall continue to regard you until we leave the island."
"Then you will make my house your home?" Smith inquired.
"If you still insist, I answer that we had rather keep together, and be
under your roof, than to be lodged in the proudest hotel in Melbourne."
Smith's broad, red face was actually radiant with happiness, as he fell
back to his place; and as he had no other way of testifying his
happiness, he began cracking his long heavy whip, which started the
cattle into a trot, and shook up the bushrangers and the parrot so
roughly, that the latter yelled out,--
"Hullo! what's the row? Where's Bimbo? Stop, will ye?" questions which
were not answered, for just then our attention was attracted by a body
of mounted men, dressed in the same kind of uniform as our companions,
only their clothes did not look so soiled, and their arms were radiant
with recent polishing.
At their head rode a fine-looking, stout, red-faced man, who weighed
about two hundred pounds, and was a good specimen of a hale, hearty
Englishman.
"Hullo, Murden," he said; "what have you been doing to thus set the city
on fire? Is the news true, that you have had several engagements with
Darnley and Gulpin's gangs, and came out best?"
"Yes, sir," replied the lieutenant, touching his cap with an air of
respect; "I am happy to report that both Darnley and Gulpin are dead,
and that their gangs are either killed or prisoners."
"Why, you have done yourself and the police force great credit, Murden,
and I must talk with the lieutenant-governor about settling a pension on
you. But how is this--do you let your prisoners go at large?" and the
speaker pointed to Fred and myself with his riding whip.
"Your pardon, captain," replied Murden, "but those two gentlemen are
Americans, and volunteers of my force, and without their aid I should
have come back as wise as I went."
"Where did you pick them up?" I heard the police captain ask, in a half
whisper, as he rode beside the lieutenant.
"Hush, sir," we understood Murden to reply; "they are easy to take
offence, and are different from the majority of people who visit
Australia in search of gold."
"Americans, did you say?" the captain repeated; and as he glanced at us
from the corner of his eye, I heard him mutter, "They are not dressed
exactly in dinner costume, but there's a plucky look about the fellows
that I like, after all."
"I'm sure you'll like them, sir, after you've seen something of their
Yankee shrewdness," replied Murden; "if we could only get them to accept
of commissions in the police service, I'd pledge my pay for a year that
we'd free this part of the country of bushrangers in less than six
months."
"But won't they join?" inquired the captain, turning completely round in
his saddle, where he was riding in advance of us, to get a look at our
faces.
"I am afraid not," replied Murden; "they have got their American ideas
of independence, and are as firm set in their notions as our
countrymen."
"I'll have them yet," returned the captain. "I'll have them dressed up
and presented to Latrobe; he is an old courtier, and can wheedle the
devil with his tongue. When we reach the city, see that they are clothed
in decent suits, and are provided for."
Fred, who was riding by my side, overheard the conversation as well as
myself. We looked at each other and smiled, and thought how little the
captain knew of the American character, if he thought, we intended to
depend upon the bounty of himself or the lieutenant for clothing while
we possessed a dollar with which we could purchase for ourselves.
While the officers were conversing, the sergeants had formed their men
in such a manner that the crowd, which began to press eagerly forward,
was completely excluded from the cart, and could only get a sight at the
prisoners through a broken rank, or by peeping between the horses' legs.
Our entire into Melbourne was a perfect triumph; and to this day, I am
uncertain which excited the most curiosity--the chained bushrangers,
confined in the body of the cart, or Fred and myself, with our short
beards and unshaven faces, ragged clothes, and deadly array of rifles,
revolvers, and bowie knives.
The escort of policemen cleared the crowd, who stopped to gaze and ask
questions, and as the former advanced with their heavy horses and drawn
sabres, the latter receded to the right and left, leaving a space for
the procession to pass.
Down through Collins Street we went, every window on the thoroughfare
filled with eager faces anxious to get a sight of the novel procession,
and I don't know how many times Fred and I were pointed at by women, who
appeared to possess as much curiosity to see murderers as the sterner
sex, and called us bushrangers and villains; and once we were hooted at
by an excitable old lady, who did not for a long time discover her
mistake; and Smith afterwards told us in confidence, that he heard her
muttering, that if we were not bushrangers, our countenances belied us
shamefully, and she would not like to trust herself with us, after dark.
"Where do you intend to confine the prisoners, sir?" asked Murden of his
captain.
"At the barracks; as I consider them safer than the jail at the present
time," replied the captain of police.
"Why safer now than at any other time, sir?" inquired the lieutenant.
"Because, I do not know how many of the faces which I see around me may
belong to men who have an interest in the escape of the bushrangers.
Since you have been gone some strange things have come to light, and I
am induced to believe that men living here under our protection, and
trusted with our secrets, have been in league with the robbers of the
plains for months. How have the bushrangers always known when an
expedition was to be started for their extermination, and so faced it,
or kept out of the way, according to the numbers we sent, unless word
was carried by people who had our confidence? Be assured, Murden, that
as patriotic and great as we may think ourselves, there are those in our
midst, and, I believe, high in power, who do not scruple to accept of
bribes, even if the gold which is offered is stained with blood."
I thought, the lieutenant's cheeks blanched a shade paler than their
wont, and I imagined, considering he had a few hundred pounds' worth of
gold dust in his pockets, which formerly belonged to some honest man,
that he would get confused, and confess to the secret hoard which we had
discovered; but to my surprise he did no such thing, and returned an
answer that elicited my unbounded admiration, it was so cool.
"We must ferret out the parties," he said, in reply to his superior,
"and make an example, and that will strike terror to the hearts of those
disposed to accept bribes, hereafter."
"We will talk of this another time," replied the captain; "I feel now so
rejoiced to think that we have secured a number of bushrangers, that I
can hardly talk on any other subject. It was only last night Latrobe
sent for me, and wanted to know why I had done nothing towards rendering
a passage to the mines safe? The old fool! Why don't he send a company
of his idle soldiers to scour the country, if he thinks it is so very
easy to find those devils incarnate--the bushrangers?"
"Perhaps he keeps them in Melbourne because he has fears of his own
safety," replied the lieutenant, laughing.
"Perhaps so; but I'd rather trust to my police force than all the
soldiers in Australia. I suppose your two American friends will share in
the reward which has been offered?"
"I hope so, for right well do they deserve it," replied Murden,
heartily.
The multitude moved to and fro, and struggled to get glimpses of the
bushrangers in the cart, and a number of times the police were obliged
to strike those who pressed too near with the flat of their sabres, as a
slight rebuke for their curiosity; but with all the struggling I heard
no angry words pass, and for so large a crowd, it was the best natured
one I ever saw.
We drew up before a substantial-looking building, with an open square in
front, where a company of soldiers were parading.
A large gate was opened for our admission, and as soon as our party had
entered, it was shut and bolted, and the crowd excluded, although many
crawled upon the walls and sat there patiently, until the bushrangers
were placed under lock and key, in a strong dungeon, where hardly a ray
of light penetrated. A guard was stationed before the door with orders
to allow no one to converse with those inside, and then, for the first
time for many days, I and my friend found ourselves at liberty.
"Come," whispered Smith, "place your arms in the cart and we will go
home. There is nothing further for us to do."
"Hullo," we heard Murden shout, "where are you going to?"
We waited for a moment, until he, in company with the captain, came
within speaking distance, and then we replied,--
"We are going where we can get shelter and something to eat."
"Take them to the station, Murden, and let them stop there for the
night, and see that they have something to eat. To-morrow we will see
what we can do for them."
"We are able to take care of ourselves, sir," replied Fred, haughtily,
"and do not need the charities of a station house. When we do we will
let you know."
I saw the face of the captain turn a deep purple, as we continued our
walk, and I was not surprised to hear him thunder out,--
"Stop, sir; I wish to speak further with you."
"Any communication that you may have to make, we shall be pleased to
listen to, sir," I answered.
For the space of a minute the captain surveyed us from head to foot, as
though hardly knowing whether to be pleased or offended at our dignity;
but at length he exclaimed,--
"Who, in the devil's name, are you?"
"We are happy to say that we are Americans," rejoined Fred,
straightening his muscular form, and looking as proud of the title as a
senator just elected to congress.
"Blast it, that is not what I mean. Are you born gentlemen?" pettishly
exclaimed the captain.
"No one can be born gentle, but every man an be a gentleman if he but
studies the courtesies of life," remarked Fred.
"And have you so studied?" asked the captain, with a smile.
"All Americans study," replied Fred, "though perhaps no two are alike.
We try to be civil and attentive to all, and those qualities will pass
for good breeding all the world over."
"By heavens, you are right," cried the captain, with genuine English
bluffness, "and I should have known better than to have thought you
would have accepted of a bed at the station house. Come with me, and
make my house your home. I assure you both a welcome."
"You will excuse us, but we made an engagement before we entered the
city to stop at Smith's house, and we told him to rely upon our word."
"And do you prefer his company to mine?" asked the captain, with
astonishment.
"We are better acquainted with him," Fred said, evasively.
"But the man has been convicted as a felon and is only at liberty now on
parole."
"He has atoned for his fault, and has shown himself a brave man," I
replied.
"But with one word I can order him to prison again, and make him serve
out his sentence."
"You would not think of doing such an unkind act, I know," rejoined
Fred, with a smile.
"I don't know but I shall have to for no other reason than to get his
company away," said the captain, smiling; "you will pardon me if I
misjudged you both on account of your dress; we have many strangers
landing at our port, and if they disguise themselves in the clothing of
workmen, they must not feel slighted if they are taken for such."
"We are but workmen," I replied, "and to prove it, I will commence now.
You have it in your power to help confer a benefit, and I mean to work
until I get your consent to the scheme."
"Pray, what is it, sir? Any thing in my power I will do willingly."
"We wish the pardon of Smith, and your lieutenant will tell you that he
richly deserves it for the gallantry and mercy which he has shown."
"Your request is one fraught with difficulty, but I will see the
lieutenant-governor, Mr. Latrobe, and lay the subject before him.
Perhaps you would like to speak to the gentleman himself on the matter."
"Perhaps it would be better if we did," replied Fred, with no expression
of astonishment on his face at the proposal.
"Then I will get you an audience to-morrow afternoon, and mind, don't be
afraid to speak to the governor when you see him."
"Have no fear on that point," I replied, with a smile.
"Then good-by until to-morrow; I'll send Murden for you when the
governor is ready."
The captain so far forgot his aristocracy that he actually extended his
hand at parting, and shook our fists with a right good will.
We joined Smith, who was standing a short distance from us, and had
listened to every word that had been uttered with a face of scarlet, but
as we turned away, I heard the captain remark,--
"Those are singular young fellows, and somehow I begin to like them."
"Well, Smith," I said, as he drove his team from the yard, "we are to
have a hearing to-morrow, and perhaps in the evening may be able to
celebrate your liberation."
"It will hardly be of use to me," he replied, bitterly. "Let a man do
ever so well, the charge of once having been a convict will be repeated
in his ears until he is no longer able to hear it. God knows I have
repented of my crime, and only ask an opportunity to commence a new
life; and I heard the very man who should have shielded me, say, 'he's
only a convict,' and wonders that you dare trust your lives with me."
"He don't know you, Smith," replied Fred, consolingly. "Wait until he
hears of your bravery, and knows what you have done, and then you'll see
how quickly he will shake you by the hand, and congratulate you."
"Do you think so?" asked Smith, musing over Fred's words.
"I know it will be so; but be you ever so exalted or humble, Smith,
there's no man on the island we would sooner call friend."
"Then let them call me convict--if I but possess the esteem of two
honest men, who know me thoroughly, hard epithets will fall harmless."
Not another word was spoken during our walk through the streets of the
city to the suburbs, where stood the rough board house of Smith, exactly
as we had left it a month before. A dozen or twenty buildings had been
thrown together in the vicinity during our absence, and were occupied by
respectable looking people, who were engaged in business in Melbourne.
A number of fresh, rosy-faced women, true models of English wives, came
to their doors as we stopped, and apparently wondered who we were.
We unlocked the door, and found every thing undisturbed; and while Smith
drove off his team for the purpose of taking his oxen to pasture, I
started a fire in the old stove, and Fred went after water, and to get
the materials of a good supper together, which, by long fasting, we
keenly felt the need of.
By the time we had eaten our meal it was past sunset, when, recollecting
the business which was laid out for the morrow, we pressed Smith into
service, and started towards Collins Street for the purpose of buying
clothing suitable to wear when ushered into the presence of the
lieutenant-governor, who, we were given to understand, did not relish
flannel shirts and heavy boots, even if they did cover valued colonists.
By good luck we found a man who kept an assortment of really excellent
ready-made clothing, and after chatting with the fellow until he had
reduced his prices one half, we purchased two complete suits.
Pleased with our purchases, we carried them to the house, drank one bowl
of good punch, which Smith made as a sort of night-cap, as he termed it,
and then lighting our pipes, turned in, and after a brief review of the
events of the day, sank into a deep sleep.