PREPARATIONS FOR THE SEARCH FOR GULPIN'S BURIED TREASURES.
I started to congratulate Fred, but, quick as were my movements, I found
that Smith had taken the lead, and was shaking hands with him at a
tremendous rate.
"Are you injured?" I asked, running my eye over his form to see if I
could discover any signs of blood.
"No, thank Heaven, I have escaped; although my adversary's bullet
whizzed close over my head," replied Fred.
"I knew that he was overcharging the rifle when loading it," I cried,
delighted to think that Merriam had done so.
"It was the means, perhaps, of saving my life, for the fellow aimed with
good intentions, and I saw by the expression of his face that he was
bound to hit me if possible."
"Well, since you are safe, I'll run and see how your adversary is
doing," I said, glancing towards the doctor, who, with coat off, was
kneeling on the ground, and wiping away blood with a cloth which he had
taken from his mysterious box.
"Do so," replied Fred, "and if I can be of any assistance, let me know;
I have no enmity against the man, and should really like to shake hands
with him before parting."
I ran to the spot where Wattles was lying on the ground, and found him
looking very pale and weak. Merriam and the doctor had ripped off the
sleeve of his coat, and torn off the arm of his shirt; and while one was
making bandages, the other was cleaning a ragged looking wound, just
above the elbow of the right arm.
"If I can be of any service, doctor, I will assist you," I said, in a
half-hesitating way, for I feared that they might consider it an
intrusion.
"Sarvice, my dear boy?" echoed the doctor, stopping to look up for a
moment from his work. "Of course ye can be of sarvice. Stoop down here
and lind me a helpin' hand by straightening out the arm a bit, so that I
can see if the bones are smashed, or only one broken."
I readily complied with the request, and the doctor continued,--"There's
no raison in the world for ye to be inemies now. Your friend has had a
pop at the lieutenant here, and, I'm sorry to say, he's got the worse of
it, although it's about time, for Wattles has been mighty lucky in these
things, and was hardly ever hit afore."
Here the wounded man opened his eyes, and uttered a suppressed groan;
whether at the recollection of his numerous duels, or because the doctor
wrenched his arm, is more than I can tell.
"Ah, man, don't groan, for it's only a broken arm ye have; but I'll tell
ye privately that it's yer life it would have been, had the American
been disposed to take it, for a divil a fear but he put the bullet jist
where he intended. I saw, the instant he raised the rifle, that it was
only a flesh wound he wished, and that he didn't know whether to pop ye
on the right or left arm. Here, swallow that, and see if it don't put
the life into ye, and make ye open yer eyes and sing psalms."
The doctor emptied a teaspoonful of cordial into the wounded man's
mouth, and its strength must have been very beneficial, for he opened
his eyes, a healthy color came to his face, and he spoke without any
painful effort.
"Ah, a divil a fear is there of ye now, and if I can save the arm, ye'll
be at it again in less than six months," muttered the doctor, as he
applied a balm to the wound, and then covered it with lint.
"There is no fear of that, is there, doctor?" asked Wattles, who was a
youngster not more than twenty-two years of age.
"I'll do all that I can; but rifle bullets are different intirely than
pistol balls. It's many's the good wound I've cured made by the latter,
and well ye knows it, Wattles; but who'd have suspected ye of fighting
with murdering rifles?"
The young officer made no reply, and the doctor, tearing a piece of
linen cloth into strips about two inches wide, continued working and
talking at the same time.
The bandages were all tied on, and Smith had been sent after the driver
of the carriage to tell him to bring his vehicle as near as possible, so
that the wounded man could enter without exerting himself to walk. While
we were waiting, Wattles looked at me, and a grim smile crossed his
face, as he said,--
"Your friend is in luck to-day, sir."
"If you think that he considers it luck because you are wounded, you are
mistaken," I replied.
"He had the advantage in the use of a weapon with which he is
accustomed, and therefore I did not expect a favorable result. Had we
used pistols, he would now be occupying my place."
"Ah, have done with your boasting, lieutenant, and think no more of the
quarrel. Ye challenged the gentleman, and he accepted and chose his
weapons; and it's mighty lucky ye may think yourself to get off with
life, for he could have killed ye as easily as a kangaroo. It's myself
that knows he could have done it," said the surgeon, warmly.
"Is that so?" asked Wattles, turning to me for confirmation.
"He could have killed you, had he been so disposed, even at twice the
distance," I replied.
The lieutenant looked sober and thoughtful for a moment, when, thinking
to make an impression, and get him to drop the quarrel forever, I
continued,--
"My friend did contemplate firing over your head, and would have done so
had not your looks convinced him that you intended mischief."
"By the Lord, I aimed for a vital part, but am glad that I missed my
object. Ask your friend to shake hands with me. From all accounts I'm
convinced that he is a gentleman to cherish and know."
"Ah, Wattles, divil fear ye but yer heart is in the right place, afther
all," cried the doctor, delighted at the proposed reconciliation.
I told Fred the request of his adversary, and without a moment's
hesitation he joined the group, and extended his hand to the wounded
man.
"You have got the best of me, sir," Wattles said, faintly, his pain
beginning to grow excessive.
"I trust that it is a mere gun-shot wound, and that you will soon be
well," replied Fred.
"I don't know--I don't know," moaned the lieutenant. "It seems as though
the doctor would kill me with his cursed probing and punching. Half of
it is unnecessary, I believe."
"Do you hear that?" cried O'Haraty, appealing to us, in astonishment.
"It's like an infant I've treated him, and now ye see how he abuses me."
"Excuse me, doctor," replied the lieutenant, faintly, "but I hardly know
what I am saying, I feel so weak. Get me into the carriage as quick as
possible, and take me to the barracks where I can be quiet."
"We'll do that, Wattles; but it's a great pity that you don't know who
your friends are. Come along with yer carriage, ye blackguard, and don't
stop there looking behind ye, as though ye were a light-house."
The latter portion of the doctor's remarks was addressed to the driver
of the vehicle, who, instead of paying any attention to the words of
O'Haraty, was gazing, with an anxious glance, towards the city.
"What is the spalpeen looking at?" demanded the doctor, angrily. "Come
here with the horses, and waste no more time."
"I see a cloud, as though a party of horse was galloping this way, and
kicking up a dust. I'm suspicious that it's the police, and divil a bit
do I want to be put into limbo for being concerned in the duel," cried
the driver, making preparations to turn his horses.
"Are ye certain that it's the police?" demanded O'Haraty, eagerly.
"Yes, I'm certain; for now I can see over the bushes, and distinguish
their blue coats. Every one for himself, and the devil take the
hindmost. I'm off, sure."
The fellow turned his animals' heads, and started towards the opening,
but a loud threat from O'Haraty caused him to stop for a moment--and
only for a moment.
"Curse ye for a cowardly villain!" yellen the doctor. "If yer don't stop
this instant, I'll drive a piece of cold lead through yer thick skull."
He drew from his breast pocket a rifle pistol as he spoke, and aimed it
at the runaway.
The driver looked over his shoulder, and seemed half inclined to obey,
but the sound of approaching horses stirred him into life. He struck his
animals a smart blow with his whip, and they sprang forward; but as they
did so, the doctor raised his pistol, sighted hastily, and fired.
The fellow's hat fell to the ground, and with a yell of triumph at his
lucky escape, the driver continued on, and in a few minutes would have
been beyond reach; but just at that instant my noble dog--the hound
which I had left under lock and key at Smith's house--bounded towards me
and covered my face with his kisses.
A lucky thought occurred to me; I glanced at Wattles, and saw that he
had fainted from exhaustion and pain, and that it was certain death for
him to be exposed to the hot rays of the sun for any length of time, so
I determined to save him at any hazard.
"Here, Rover," I said, calling to the dog, and pointing to the
retreating carriage, "seize him, good dog--seize him," I shouted.
The animal did not hesitate for an instant. With a mighty bound he
cleared over twenty feet of the distance which separated him from the
object which I had called his attention to, and almost before I could
think, he seized the near horse by the throat, and brought him heavily
to the ground. The driver rose from his seat and plied his whip with
desperate energy, in hopes of beating the dog off, but such was the
agility of Rover that not a blow reached him, and while his attention
was thus occupied, O'Haraty stole forward, grasped the man by the leg,
dragged him to the ground, and commenced to beat him unmercifully,
mingling his blows with such exclamations as--
"Lave us, would ye?" May the divil saze ye, ye mane thief of the world.
Whin I hired ye to tend us and behave like a dacent man, ye up and cuts,
jist because me friend gets a scratch on his arm."
"The police are coming," roared the fellow, rendered desperate by his
beating.
"Let them come, if they will, but ye shan't go," cried the doctor,
sitting astride of his fallen foe and glancing at Fred and I in triumph,
while the perspiration streamed down his face in torrents.
"I saw the police trotting down the road," yelled the fallen man.
"Who calls the police?" cried a deep-toned voice near at hand.
I knew the speaker well, although I confess that it started me to hear
him so unexpectedly, and looking up I saw that Murden sat on his horse,
a few paces off, calmly surveying the strange group before him. At a
short distance were six of his men, also mounted and drawn up in line
awaiting their chief's solution of the difficulty.
"I think that my presence is needed here if you intend to murder that
fellow, doctor," Murden said, good naturedly, addressing O'Haraty, who
kept his position, looking somewhat foolish at being caught.
"The mane scamp," began the doctor, when Murden checked him.
"What, is the cause of the gathering, and why do I find an officer of
her majesty, lying on the ground wounded and insensible?"
"Why, the fact of it is, Mr. Officer," Merriam began, but apparently
afraid of the consequences, he stopped and looked hard towards the
doctor, as though asking him to take up the answer and carry it through
in the best manner possible.
"O, the divils," roared the doctor, rising from his seat, much to the
relief of the driver, who apparently thanked God that he was rid of such
an incumbrance.
"O, the spalpeens," continued O'Haraty, shaking his fist at an imaginary
enemy a long distance off. "O, if there is law to be had in the land
we'll pursue ye wid not only the police force, but the whole army, and
then we'll see if ye are so bold."
"What is the matter, doctor?" asked Murden, who I thought suspected what
had taken place, and was disposed to overlook it, yet not a word of
recognition had he bestowed upon Fred and myself, so we kept in the
background.
"Matter?" yelled the doctor, apparently desperately angry; "why, here's
me friends and myself out for a bit of a walk and to kill a kangaroo or
two, when a party of sneaking bushrangers ups and fires at us, and down
tumbles Wattles, shot in the arm quite nately. It's chase we gave to the
villains, but run they did, and when we came back we found that this
scamp was disposed to escape to Melbourne and lave us to foot it back to
the city."
"Indeed! Pray which way did they go?" asked Murden, not moving a muscle
of his face.
"Over the hill, there. Ride quick, and I think it's prisoners they'll be
in no time," cried the doctor.
"Did you count how many there were?" asked the police officer.
"Count them? How the divil could we, there were so many?" replied
O'Haraty.
"O, then if the bushrangers were in such force, it's surprising they
should run from only six men. I thought better of their courage," and a
sarcastic smile stole over Murden's face as he watched the doctor's
companion.
"Well, well," stammered O'Haraty, "if ye had heard us shout, ye would
have thought we could have frightened the divil himself."
"Well, whether Wattles was wounded by a bushranger or a companion, it
will do him no good to remain here in the hot sun. Place him carefully
into the carriage and drive to the barracks. I'll follow shortly, and
continue my investigation of this mysterious affair."
Murden spoke like one accustomed to be obeyed. The driver of the
carriage, who hardly moved two steps without keeping his eyes on the
dog--the animal appearing to have some strong antipathy against
him--readily lent his aid, and with Smith's assistance the wounded
lieutenant was propped up on a seat, and the doctor stowed his corpulent
person alongside of him.
"Why did you not tell me of this yesterday?" asked Murden, beckoning to
me, and whispering in a low tone.
"Because we were fearful that you would interrupt the proceedings," I
replied.
"I certainly should have done so. Are you aware that Wattles is a most
experienced and successful duellist? That he has been out half a dozen
times, and always came off without so much as a scratch?"
"No, I was not aware that such is the case," I answered.
"He is all that I tell you, and if I had suspected that a duel was to
come off between Fred and the soldier, I should have had both of them
arrested and locked up, and kept them until they were ready to swear
that they would not lift their hands against each other."
"And then Fred and myself would have been imputed as informers, and a
stain would have rested on our reputations, and we should no longer have
been considered fit company for gentlemen." "That does not necessarily
follow," answered Murden. "No one who knows you both can call you aught
but brave men."
"But did we not dine with you after we had received the challenge? We
made no secret of our going--hundreds saw us enter your house, and
hundreds saw us depart. Had we but lisped a word of our intended doings,
it would have been said that we visited you on purpose. Come, look at
the matter in a sensible light, and you will take a different view of
the affair."
Murden shook his head as if he considered it not only a breach of the
law but a breach of friendship to fight a duel without his knowledge;
and he intended to reply, but the doctor poked his jolly looking face
from the window of the carriage, and bade us good-by, and requested the
pleasure of our company to dinner on the next day.
"And do you come too, Murden. I've a few bottles of the rale Irish
whiskey, and better cannot be found in the world, and if ye come I'll
brew a jug of punch that'll make ye think ye are in paradise after
drinking a few tumblers. Good-by, boys, and, Murden, keep a sharp look
out for the bushrangers."
The driver started his horses, and for a few minutes after the carriage
had left the field we could hear the mellow voice of the doctor laughing
at the idea of his quizzing the police lieutenant with his story about
bushrangers.
"Come and breakfast with us," I said, turning to Murden. "We cannot
celebrate the escape of our friend Fred in a more appropriate manner."
"Agreed," he cried; and then turning to his men, he said, "return to the
station and report that Lieutenant Wattles was severely injured this
morning by the accidental discharge of his rifle while hunting
kangaroos. If I am wanted you know where to find me."
"Pray, how came you on the road so early?" I asked Murden.
"Because I got wind that there was trouble between you and Wattles. One
of my men overheard Fred's remark, the other night, and then he saw
Merriam leaving your house, and putting all and all together--the fact
that your party were early on the road, and Wattles being seen in a
carriage--he considered it of sufficient importance to report to me,
which he did an hour too late this morning, while I was dreaming of
bushrangers and prize money."
"But how did you find us, and how came the dog loose?" I inquired.
"That is a secret, but I don't mind telling you. I rode to your house
and tried the door. It was locked, but I heard the hound making an awful
howling within; so I just fitted a key to the lock, and opened the door,
and was nearly knocked down by the dog, who thought his master had
returned. However, Rover, after his disappointment, received me with a
wag of his tail, and then, after snuffing around for a moment, started
in a trot towards the field we have just left. We followed close to his
tail, and then the trot became a gallop--the gallop a run, and to save
our distance we drew our reins, and jogged along, keeping a good lookout
on both sides of the road; but I believe that we should have missed you
had not the report of your pistol given us token of your whereabouts."
Chatting thus in an old familiar manner, we reached "Smith's villa," as
we called it, and prepared for breakfast, a meal we were ready to enjoy,
as our early rising had sharpened our appetites.
"By the way," cried Murden, suddenly, "your portion of the money due for
the capture and death of the bushrangers will be paid whenever you are
disposed to call for it."
"How much does it amount to?" I asked.
"Why, for you three, I think near two thousand pounds. That of course
includes Black Darnley and his gang."
"Most ten thousand dollars!" cried Fred, surprised at the large amount.
"I wish, with all my heart, it was twice the sum. Join me, and in less
than two months we will have a bill against the treasurer which will
cause him to look wild."
"We can't spend our time hunting men," replied Fred, "when there is so
much gold in the earth that we have only to dig to obtain it. As to the
rewards which are offered for captured bushrangers, I must own that I
feel none too willing to accept that which is due to me, without
striving to earn more. It looks to me as though we were only butchers
and dealers in human blood."
"If we were the only ones who ever accepted of rewards for murderers and
thieves, I might be induced to respect your conscientious scruples,"
replied Murden, with a laugh. "But as it has been the custom from time
immemorial for rewards to be offered for shedders of human blood, and
many men whose respectability cannot be questioned have received rewards
for services so rendered, I think that I shall pocket my share, and
consider all three of you very weak and spleeny not to do the same."
Murden swallowed his coffee with a dogmatical air, as though his
arguments were unanswerable, and shortly took his leave, after making us
promise to breakfast with him the next day, and go and draw the money
which was awaiting our orders.
We studied over the subject for some time after Murden had gone, and
hardly knew how to proceed. Smith was consulted, and was willing to
abide by our decision, at the same time he did not scruple to inform us
that his last trip, owing to the treatment his cargo had received from
the bushrangers, was a most disastrous one; but still he had a few
thousand pounds which he could place his hand upon, and should commence
purchasing another load immediately, as every day lost was money out of
pocket. We then considered it a fitting time to speak to the stockman
about the business we were desirous of entering upon. We told him of the
confession of Jim Gulpin, and the determination to which we had come to
search for the buried treasure.
He listened attentively, and then pledged his word to aid us with all of
his ability. He would make no bargain concerning his team and labor, but
agreed to let his promised reward depend upon the success with which we
met. If nothing was found, we would continue on our way to the mines,
and were welcome to his labor and time. If we succeeded we might give
him what we pleased.
We closed with him immediately, and contributed money to buy provisions
and luxuries which we never dreamed of buying on our first passage.
Smith was also directed to purchase a tent for our use, shovels and
pickaxes, and three or four boxes of claret--a perfect luxury in a warm
climate--and a number of articles which we desired for a residence in
the mines.
We also wanted three good saddle horses, but found that our funds would
be greatly reduced by the purchase, and after a short debate we
determined in council that necessity compelled us to accept of the money
paid for the capture of the bushrangers, and after that question was
decided we felt that a great load was removed from our minds, and that
we began to look upon it as a mere matter of business.