"WE'LL FIND 'EM."
The troubles of the expedition had died out to such an extent that there
was some talk of another, the captain saying that for exploring reasons
he should head this himself.
Just then Uncle Jack kicked his foot under the table, and the captain
looked up to see such a look of agony in his wife's face that the
subject dropped.
All was going on admirably, oxen and sheep were increasing, the garden
was flourishing, and Dingo Station was daily growing more and more the
home of peace and plenty.
"Ah, Jack," said the captain to his brother, as they sat one evening
smoking tobacco of their own growing, "if it were not for the thoughts
of the black fellows, what a paradise this would be!"
"Perhaps the blacks say something of the kind respecting the whites."
"Why, we don't interfere with them."
"No; but I'm afraid others do."
But just at this time Aunt Georgie was a good deal exercised in her
mind, and she confided her trouble and suspicions to the two girls, but
bade them say not a word to Mrs Bedford.
"It would only worry her, and she has plenty of troubles over those
wild, harum-scarum, neck-breaking, horse-riding boys."
But the next morning at breakfast she let the cat out of the bag.
"Flour? Stolen?" cried Mrs Bedford, excitedly.
"Oh, auntie!" cried the girls, reproachfully.
"Well, I didn't mean to say anything, but I'm quite sure that a quantity
has been taken out of the tub three times lately," said Aunt Georgie,
emphatically.
"Nonsense, aunt!" protested Hetty; "it's your fancy, or else Ida must
have taken some without speaking."
"No," said Ida, quietly, "I have not touched it. If I had wanted some
for cooking, I should have asked aunt for it."
"Of course you would, my dear, and I should not have spilled and wasted
some on the floor."
"Had we not better tell Edward?" said Mrs Bedford. "No; don't worry
him," said Aunt Georgie; "he has quite enough on his mind."
"The boys must have been at it for something," said Ida, quietly.
"Boys have been at what?" said Norman, who was with the others in the
veranda as these words were said.
"Been taking the flour," said Hetty.
"What should we take the flour for?" cried Rifle, indignantly.
"No, my dears, I do not suspect you, and I am sorry to make the charge,
for I have always thought Shanter lazy, but honest."
"Why, you don't mean to say you believe poor old Shanter would steal
flour, do you, aunt?" said Rifle, indignantly.
"I regret it very much, my dear, but the flour has been stolen, some
spilled on the floor, and there were the prints of wide-toed feet in the
patch."
"Here, hi! Shanter, Tam o'!" cried Rifle. "Coo-ee!"
The black came running up with glistening face.
"Plenty mine come fast," he said.
"Here," cried Norman; "what for you come along steal flour?"
"Mine baal teal flour," cried the black, indignantly.
"Aunt says you have, two or three times."
"Baal teal flour," cried the black again.
"There, aunt," said Norman; "I told you he wouldn't."
"But I'm sure he did, my dear, for there were the marks of his black
feet."
"Baal teal flour," cried Shanter again; and drawing himself up he was
turning away, but Norman caught his arm.
"Look here, Shanter," he said. "You brother. Baal go in storehouse."
"Yohi," said the black, nodding. "Big white Mary pialla. Shanter carry
tub."
"Then you have been in the storehouse sometimes."
"Yohi. Baal teal flour."
He wrenched himself free and walked away.
"I don't believe he took it, aunt," said Norman.
"Nor I," said the others eagerly.
"Well, I wish I was sure, my dears, as you are, for I don't like to
suspect the poor fellow."
"But if he had taken it, aunt," cried Rifle, "he is such a big stupid
boy of a fellow he couldn't have kept it secret. He'd have made a lot
of damper at a fire in the scrub, and asked us to come and help to eat
the nasty stuff all full of ashes."
"Well," said Aunt Georgie, drawing her lips tight, "we shall see.
Nobody else could have stolen it but the black or German."
"What, old Sourkrout?" cried Tim, laughing. "Oh, aunt!"
"And it's oh, Artemus!" said the old lady. "For I do wish you boys
would not be so fond of nicknames."
"All right, aunt."
The incident passed off and so did Shanter, for he disappeared
altogether for a couple of days, and was a good deal missed.
"Never mind," said Norman, "he'll come back loaded with grubs, or bring
honey or 'possums."
"I believe he is too much offended to come back," said Tim. "No fellow,
whatever his colour may be, likes to be called a thief."
"No," said Rifle; "and I believe aunt used her flour in her sleep."
"Here, boys," cried the captain just then; "take the horses and go round
and fetch up that lot of bullocks from the plain. I fancy they have
gone right away some distance, or the dingoes have scared them; it will
be a good ride for you."
"And no Shanter here," said Norman, as they went off to catch and saddle
their horses.
"I wonder father hasn't made a bother about it. He doesn't seem to have
missed him."
"Too busy over getting down that big gum over yonder," observed Rifle.
"My word, what a time it seems to take!"
"Nice bit of amusement for Uncle Jack and old Sam. He is getting too
fat."
The others laughed, and then after they had caught, saddled, and bridled
their horses, they walked them up to where the captain was examining the
edge of a felling-axe, Uncle Jack and German being similarly armed.
"Off you go, boys," said the captain.
"And let's see whether you'll be back before we get down the great
gum-tree," said their uncle, smiling.
"We shall be back," said Rifle. "You will not get down the big gum for
a week."
German chuckled, and the boys sprang into their saddles.
"You'll have a long ride, boys," said the captain. "I was up on the big
rock yesterday," he continued, nodding toward the top of the precipice
whence Norman had seen the black fellows, "and I could not see them with
the glass."
"We'll find 'em, father," said Norman, confidently.
"Off then," said the captain; and away they went, riding now with
wonderful ease and skill; while, bent on getting down the great gum-tree
by the creek because it impeded part of the view from the house, and in
addition its trunk being wanted for boards and its branches for fuel,
the captain led his little force of axemen to the assault.