Produced by MWS, Sonya Schermann and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Transcriberâs Note When italics were used in the original book, the corresponding text has been surrounded by _underscores_. Bold text has been surrounded by =equal signs=. Some corrections have been made to the printed text. These are listed in a second transcriberâs note at the end of the text. THE GHOST CAMP OR THE AVENGERS THE WORKS OF ROLF BOLDREWOOD. _Uniform Edition. Cr. 8vo. 3s. 6d. each._ ROBBERY UNDER ARMS. A COLONIAL REFORMER. THE MINERâS RIGHT. A MODERN BUCCANEER. NEVERMORE. THE SQUATTERâS DREAM. A SYDNEY-SIDE SAXON. OLD MELBOURNE MEMORIES. MY RUN HOME. THE SEALSKIN CLOAK. THE CROOKED STICK; OR, POLLIEâS PROBATION. PLAIN LIVING. A ROMANCE OF CANVAS TOWN. WAR TO THE KNIFE. BABES IN THE BUSH. ------- THE SPHINX OF EAGLEHAWK. Fcap. 8vo. 2s. IN BAD COMPANY, and other Stories. Crown 8vo. 6s. London: MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD. THE GHOST CAMP OR THE AVENGERS BY ROLF BOLDREWOOD AUTHOR OF âROBBERY UNDER ARMS,â âTHE MINERâS RIGHT,â ETC. London MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 1902 RICHARD CLAY AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BUNGAY. CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER I 1 CHAPTER II 30 CHAPTER III 57 CHAPTER IV 93 CHAPTER V 122 CHAPTER VI 159 CHAPTER VII 198 CHAPTER VIII 236 CHAPTER IX 275 CHAPTER X 305 CHAPTER XI 343 CHAPTER XII 365 THE GHOST CAMP OR, THE AVENGERS CHAPTER I A WILD and desolate land; dreary, even savage, to the unaccustomed eye. Forest-clothed hills towering above the faint, narrow track leading eastward, along which a man had been leading a tired horse; he was now resting against a granite boulder. A dark, mist-enshrouded day, during which the continuous driving showers had soaked through an overcoat, now become so heavy that he carried it across his arm. A fairly heavy valise, above a pair of blankets, was strapped in front of his saddle. He was prepared for bush travellingâalthough his term of âcolonial experience,â judging from his ruddy cheek and general get-up, had been limited. A rift in the over-hanging cloud-wrack, through which the low sunrays broke with a sudden gleam, showed a darksome mountain range to the south, with summit and sides, snow-clad and dazzling white. The wayfarer stood up and stared at the apparition: âa good omen,â thought he, âperhaps a true landmark. The fellows at the mail-change told me to steer in a general way for the highest snow peak, which they called âthe Bogong,â or some such name. Though this track seems better marked, these mountain roads, as they call themâgoat paths would be the better nameâfor there is not a wheel mark to be seenâone needs the foot of a chamois and the eye of our friend up there.â Here he looked upward, where one of the great birds of prey, half hawk, half eagle, as the pioneers decided, floated with moveless wing above crag and hollow. Then rising with an effort, and taking the bridle rein, he began to lead the weary horse up the rocky ascent. âPoor old Gilpin!â he soliloquised, âyou are more knocked up than I amâand yet you have the look of a clever cobâsuch as we should have fancied in England for a roadster, or a covert hack. But roads _are_ roads there, while in this benighted land, people either donât know how to make them, or seem to do their cross-country work without them. I wonder if I shall fall in with bed and board to-night. The last was rough, but sufficingâa good fire too, now I think of it, and precious cold it was. Well, come along, John! I must bustle you a bit when we get to the top of this everlasting hillâtruly biblical in that respect. What a lonesome place it is, now that the sun has gone under again! I suppose thereâs no one within fifty milesâHulloa!â This exclamation was called forth by the appearance of a horseman at no great distanceâalong the line of track. Man and horse were motionless, though so near that he wondered he had not observed them before. The riderâs face, which was towards him, bore, as far as he could judge, an expression of keenest attention. âWonder if he is a bushranger?â thought the traveller; âought to have brought one of my revolvers; but everybody told me that there were none âoutâ now; that I was as safe as if I was in Englandâsafer, in fact, than âsouth the waterâ in the little village. However, I shall soon know.â Before he had time to decide seriously, the horseman came towards him. He saw a slight, dark, wiry individual, something above the middle height, sunburned, and almost blackened as to such portions of his neck and face as could be perceived for an abundant beard and moustache. The horse, blood-looking, and in hard condition, presented a striking contrast to his own leg-weary, disconsolate animal. The traveller thought him capable of fast and far performances. His sure and easy gait, as he stepped freely along the rocky path, stamped him as âmountain-bred,â or, if not âto the manner born,â having lived long enough amid these tremendous glens and rocky fastnesses, to negotiate their ladder-like declivities with ease and safety. âGood evening!â said the stranger, civilly enough. âGoing to âHaunted Creek?ââa bit off the road, arânât you?â âI _was_ doubtful about the track, but I thought it might lead there. I was told that it was only eight miles.â âItâs a good fourteen, and you wonât get there to-night. Not with that horse, anyhow. But look here! Iâm going to my place, a few miles off, with these cattleâif you like to give me a hand, I can put you up for the night, and show you the way in the morning.â âThanks very much, really I feel much obliged to you. I was afraid I should have had to camp out, and it looks like a bad night.â âAll right,â said the bushman, for such he evidently was; âthese crawlinâ cattle are brutes to straggle, and Iâm lost without my dog. Iâll bring âem up, and if youâll keep the tail going, weâll get along easy enough.â âBut where are they?â inquired the tourist, looking around, as if he expected to see them rise out of the earth. âClose by,â answered the stranger, laconically, at the same time riding down the slope of the mountain with loose rein, and careless seat, as if the jumble of rocks, tree-roots, and rolling stones, was the most level high road in the world. Looking after the new acquaintance he descried a small lot of cattle perched on a rocky pinnacle, partly covered by a patch of scrub. The grass around them was high and greenâbut, with one exception, that of a cow munching a tussac in an undecided way, they did not appear to care about the green herbage, or tall kangaroo grass which grew around them. Had he known anything about the habits of cattle, he would have seen by their appearance that these fat beasts (for such they were) had come far and fast; were like his horse, thoroughly exhausted, and as such, indifferent to the attractions of wayside pasture. However, with the aid of a hunting crop, which he flourished behind them, with threatening action, the bushman soon managed to get them on to the track, and with the aid of his newly-made comrade induced them to move with a decent show of alacrity. That some were footsore, and two painfully lame, was apparent to the new assistant, also that they were well-bred animals, heavy weights, and in that state and condition which is provincially alluded to as ârolling fat.â âNice meat, arânât they?â said the bushman; âcome a good way too. Beastly rough track; I was half a mind to bring them by Waggaâbut this is the shortest wayâstraight over the ranges. Iâm butchering just now, with gold-mining for a change, but thatâs mostly winter work.â âWhere do you buy your cattle?â asked the Englishmanânot that he cared as to that part of the occupation, but the gold-mining seemed to him a romantic, independent way of earning a living. He was even now turning over in his mind the idea of a few months camping among these Alpine regions, with, of course, the off-chance of coming upon an untouched gold mine. âOh! a few here and there, in all sorts of places.â Here the stranger shot a searching glance, tinged with suspicion, towards the questioner. âI buy the chance of stray cattle now and then, and pick âem up as I come across âem. Weâd as well jog along here, itâs better going.â The track had become more marked. There were no wheel marks, the absence of which had surprised the traveller, since the beginning of his dayâs march, but tracks of cattle and unshod horses were numerous; while the ground being less rocky, indeed commencing to be marshy, no difficulty was found in driving the cattle briskly along it. His horse too, having âcompany,â had become less dilatory and despondent. âWeâre not far off, now,â said his companion, âand itâs just as well. Weâll have rain to-nightâmay be snow. So a roof and a fire wonât be too bad.â To this statement the tourist cheerfully assented, his spirits rising somewhat, when another mile being passed, they turned to the north at a sharp angle to the road, and following a devious track, found themselves at the slip-rails of a small but well-fenced paddock, into which the cattle were turned, and permitted to stray at will. Fastening the slip rails with scrupulous care, and following the line of fence for a hundred yards, they came to a hut built of slabs, and neatly roofed with sheets of the stringy bark tree (Eucalyptus obliqua) where his guide unsaddled, and motioned to the guest to do likewise. As also to put the saddle against the wall of the hut, with the stuffing outward. âThatâll dry âem a bit,â he said; âmineâs wet enough anyhow. Just bring your horse after me.â Passing through a hand gate, he released his horse, first, however, putting on a pair of hobbles; âthe feedâs good,â he said, âbut this mokeâs just out of the bush, and rather flashâhe might jump the fence in the night, so itâs best to make sure. Yours wonât care about anything but filling his belly, not to-night anyhow, so he can go loose. Now weâll see about a fire, and boil the billy for tea. Come along in.â Entering the hut, which though small, was neat and clean; it was seen to contain two rooms, the inner one apparently used as a bedroom, there being two bed-places, on each of which was a rude mattress covered with a blanket. A store of brushwood and dry billets had been placed in a corner, from which a fire was soon blazing in the rude stone chimney, while a camp kettle (provincially a âbillyâ) was on the way to boil without loss of time. A good-sized piece of corned beef, part of a round, with half a âdamperâ loaf being extracted from a cupboard or locker, was placed on the rude slab table; after which pannikins and tin plates, with knives and forks, provided from the same receptacle, were brought forth, completing the preparations for a meal that the guest believed he was likely to relish. âOh! I nearly forgot,â said the traveller, as his entertainer, dropping a handful of tea into the âbilly,â now at the boil, and stirring it with a twig, put on the lid. âI brought a flask, itâs very fair whisky, and a tot wonât hurt either of us, after a long day and a wet one.â Going to his coat, he brought out a flask, and nearly filling the tin cup which was closed over the upper part, offered it to his host. He, rather to the surprise of the Englishman, hesitated and motioned as if to refuse, but on second thoughts smiled in a mysterious way, and taking the tin cup, nodded, and saying âWell, hereâs fortune!â tossed it off. Blount took one of the pannikins, and pouring out a moderate allowance, filled it up with the clear spring water, and drank it by instalments. âI must say I feel better after that,â he observed, âand if a dram needs an excuse, a long, cold ride, stiff legs, and a wetting ought to be sufficient.â âThey donât look about for excuses up here,â said his new acquaintance, âand some takes a deal more than is good for them. I donât hold with that, but a nip or twoâs neither here nor there, particular after a long day. Help yourself to the meat and damper, you see your supper.â The traveller needed no second invitation; he did not, like the clerk of Copmanhurst, plunge his fingers into the venison pasty, there being neither venison nor pasty, but after cutting off several slices of the excellent round of beef which had apparently sustained previous assaults, he made good time, with the aid of a well-baked âdamper,â and an occasional reference to a pannikin of hot tea, so that as their appetites declined, more leisure was afforded for conversation. âAnd now,â he said, after filling up a second pannikin of tea, and lighting his pipe, âIâm sure Iâm very much obliged to you, as I hear the rain coming down, and the wind rising. May I ask whose hospitality Iâm enjoying? Iâm Valentine Blount of Langley in Herefordshire. Not long out, as I dare say you have noticed. Just travelling about to have a look at the country.â âMy nameâs John Carter,â said the bushman, with apparent frankness, as he confronted Blountâs steady eye, âbut Iâm better known from here to Omeo, as âLittle River Jackâ; thereâs lots of people knows me by that name, that donât know me by any other.â âAnd what do you do when you get goldâtake it to Melbourne to sell?â âThereâs no call to do that. Melbourneâs a good way off, and it takes time to get there. But thereâs always gold buyers about townships, that are on for a little business. They give a trifle under market price, but they pay cash, and it suits us mountain chaps to deal that way. Sometimes Iâm a buyer myself, along with the cattle-dealing. Look here!â As he spoke, he detached a leather pouch from his belt, looking like one that stockriders wear for carrying pipe and tobacco, which he threw on the table. The grog had inclined to confidences and relaxed his attitude of caution. Blount lifted it, rather surprised at its weight. âThis is gold, isnât it?â âYes! a good sample too. Worth four pound an ounce. Like to look at it?â âVery much. I donât know that Iâve ever seen gold in the raw state before.â âWell, here it isâthe real thing, and no mistake. Right if a chap could only get enough of it.â Here he opened the mouth of the pouch, which seemed three parts full, and pouring some of it on a tin plate, awaited Blountâs remarks. As the precious metal, partly in dust, partly in larger fragments, rattled on the plate, Blount looked on with deep interest, and then, on being invited so to do, handled it with the air of a man to whom a new and astonishing object is presented for the first time. âSo,â he said musingly, âhere is one of the great lures which have moved the world since the dawn of history. Love, war, and ambition, have been subservient to it. Priests and philosophers, kings and queens, the court beauty and the Prime Minister, have vainly struggled against its influence. Butââ he broke off with a laugh, as he noted his companionâs look of wonder, âhere am I, another example of its fascination, moralising in a mountain hut and mystifying my worthy entertainer.â âAnd now, my friend!â he inquired, relapsing into the manner of everyday life, âwhat may be the market value of this heavy little parcel?â âWellâI put it at fifty ounces, or thereabouts,â said Mr. âLittle River Jack,â carefully pouring back the contents of the pouch, to the last grain; âat, say four pound an ounce, itâs worth a couple of hundred notes, though _we_ shaânât get that price for it. But at Melbourne mint, itâs worth every shilling, maybe a trifle more.â Before closing the pouch, he took out a small nugget of, perhaps, half an ounce in weight, and saying, âYouâre welcome to this. Itâll make a decent scarf pin,â handed it to Mr. Blount. But that gentleman declined it, saying, âThanks, very much, but Iâd rather not.â Then, seeing that the owner seemed hurt, even resentful, qualified the refusal by saying, âBut if you would do me a service, which I should value far more, you might introduce me to some party of miners, with whom I could work for a month or two, and learn, perhaps, how to get a few ounces by my own exertions. I think I should like the work. It must be very interesting.â âItâs that interesting,â said the bushman, all signs of annoyance clearing from his countenance, âthat once a man takes to it he never quits it till he makes a fortune or dies so poor that the Government has to bury him. Iâve known many a man that used a cheque book as big as a school slate, and could draw for a hundred thousand or more, drop it all in a few years, and be found dead in a worse âhumpyâ than this, where heâd been living alone for years.â âStrange to have been rich by his own handiwork, and not to be able to keep something for his old age,â said Blount; âhow is it to be accounted for?â âBy luck, dâd hard luck!â said John Carter, whom the subject seemed to have excited. âEvery minerâs a born gambler; if he donât do it with cards, he puts his earnings, his time, his life blood, as one might say, on the chance of a claim turning out well. Itâs good luck, and not hard work, that gives him a âgolden hole,â where he canât help digging up gold like potatoes, and itâs luck, bad luck, that turns him out a beggar from every âshowâ for years, till he hasnât got a shirt to his back. Why do I stick to it, youâll say? Because Iâm a fool, always have been, always will be, I expect. But I like the game, and I canât leave it for the life of me. However, that says nothing. Iâm no worse than others. I can just keep myself and my horse, while thereâs an old mate of mine living in London and Paris, and swelling it about with the best! Youâd like to have a look in, you say? Well, you stop at Bunjil for a week, till I come back from Bago; itâs a good inn, clean and comfortable, and the girl there, if I tell her, will look after you; see you have a fire too, these cold nights. Are you on?â âYes! most decidedly,â replied Blount, with great heartiness. âA mountain hotel should be a new experience.â âThen itâs a bargain. Iâm going down the river for a few days. When I get back, Iâll pick you up at Bunjil, and weâll go to a place such as you never seen before, and might never have dropped on as long as you lived, if you hadnât met me, accidental like. And now weâd as well turn in. I expect some chaps thatâs bought the cattle, and they wonât be here later than daylight.â Accepting another glass of whisky as nightcap, and subsequently removing merely his boots and breeches, both of which he placed before the fire, but at a safe distance, Mr. âLittle River Jackâ âturned inâ as he expressed it, and was shortly wrapped in the embrace of the kind deity who favours the dwellers in the Waste, though often rejecting the advances of the luxurious inhabitants of cities. Mr. Blount delayed his retirement, as he smoked before the still glowing âback logâ and dwelt upon the adventures of the day. âHow that fellow must enjoy his slumbers!â thought he. âIn the saddle before daylight, as he told me; up and down these rocky fastnessesâfifteen hours of slow, monotonous work, more wearying than any amount of fast goingâand now, by his unlaboured breathing, sleeping like a tired child; his narrow worldâits few caresâits honest, if sometimes exhausting labours, as completely shut out as if he was in another planet. Enviable mortal! I should like to change places with him.â After expressing this imprudent desire, as indeed are often those of men, who, unacquainted with the conditions surrounding untried modes of life, believe that they could attain happiness by merely exchanging positions, Mr. Blount undressed before the fire, and bestowed himself upon the unoccupied couch, where he speedily fell asleep, just as he had imagined himself extracting large lumps of gold from a vein of virgin quartz, in a romantic fern-shaded ravine, discovered by himself. From this pleasing state of matters, he was awakened by a sound as of horse hoofs and the low growl of a dog. It was not quite dark. He sat up and listened intently. There was no illusion. He went to the hut door and looked out. Day was breaking, and through the misty dawnlight he was enabled to distinguish his host in conversation with a man on horseback, outside of the slip-rails. Presently the cattle, driven by another horseman, with whom was a dog, apparently of more than ordinary intelligence, came to the slip-rails. They made a rush as soon as they were through, as is the manner of such, on strange groundâbut the second horseman promptly âwheeledâ them towards the faint dawn line now becoming more distinct, and disappeared through the forest arches. Mr. Blount discerning that the day had begun, for practical purposes, proceeded to dress. Walking over to the chimney, he found that the smouldering logs had been put together, and a cheerful blaze was beginning to show itself. The billy, newly filled, was close to it, and by the time he had washed the upper part of his body in a tin bucket placed on a log end, outside the door, his friend of the previous night appeared with both horses, which he fastened to the paddock fence. âThose fellows woke you up, coming for the cattle? Thought youâd sleep through it. I was going to rouse you when breakfast was ready.â âI slept soundly in all conscience, but still I was quite ready to turn out. I suppose those were the butchers that you sold the cattle to?â âTwo of their menâitâs all the same. They stopped close by last night so as to get an early start. Theyâve a good way to go, andâll want all their time, these short days. Your horse looks different this morning. Itâs wonderful what a good paddock and a nightâs rest will do!â âYes, indeed, he does look different,â as he saddled him up, and, plucking some of the tall grass which grew abundantly around, treated him to a partial rub down. âHow far is it to Bunjil, as you call it?â âWell, not more than twenty miles, but the roadâs middlinâ rough. Anyhow weâll get there latish, and you can take it easy till I come back. I mightnât be away more than three or four days.â Misty, even threatening, at the commencement, the day became fine, even warm, after breakfast. Wind is rarely an accompaniment of such weather, and as the sun rode higher in the cloudless sky, Blount thought he had rarely known a finer day. âWhat bracing mountain air!â he said to himself. âRecalls the Highlands; but I see no oat fields, and the peasantry are absent. These hills should rear a splendid race of menâand rosy-cheeked lasses in abundance. The roads I cannot recommend.â Mr. John Carter had admitted that the way was rough. His companion thought he had understated the case. It was well nigh impassable. When not climbing hills as steep as the side of a house, they were sliding down bridle tracks like the âLadder of Cattaro.â These Mr. Carterâs horse hardly noticed; a down grade being negotiated with ease and security, while he seemed, to Blountâs amazement, to step from rock to rock like a chamois. That gentlemanâs own horse had no such accomplishments, but blundered perilously from time to time, so that his owner was fain to lead him over the rougher passes. This rendered their progress slower than it would otherwise have been, while he was fain to look enviously at his companion, who, either smoking or discoursing on local topics, rode with careless rein, trusting implicitly, as it seemed, to his horseâs intelligence. âHereâs the Divide!â he said at length, pointing to a ridge which rose almost at right angles from the accepted track. âWe leave the road here, and head straight for Bunjil mountain. There he stands with his cap on! The snowâs fell early this season.â As he spoke he pointed towards a mountain peak of unusual height, snow-capped, and even as to its spreading flanks, streaked with patches and lines of the same colour. The white clouds which hung round the lofty summitâsix thousand feet from earth, were soft-hued and fleecy; but their pallor was blurred and dingy compared with the silver coronet which glorified the dark-hued Titan. âRoad!â echoed Mr. Blount, âI donât see any; what passes for it, I shall be pleased to leave. If we are to go along this âDivide,â as you call it, I hope it will be pleasanter riding.â âWell, it is a queerish track for a bit, but after Razor Backâs passed, itâs leveller like. We can raise a trot for a mile or two afore we make Bunjil township. Razor Backâs a narrer cut with a big drop both sides, as we shall have to go stiddy over.â âThe Divide,â as John Carter called it, was an improvement upon the track they quitted. It was less rocky, and passably level. There was a gradual ascent however, which Mr. Blount did not notice until he observed that the timber was becoming more sparse, while the view around them was disclosing features of a grand, even awful character. On either side the forest commenced to slope downwards, at an increasingly sharp gradient. Instead of the ordinary precipice, above which the travellers rode, on one or other side of the bridle track, having the hill on the other, there appeared to be a precipice of unknown depth on _either hand_. As the ascent became more marked, Blount perceived that the winding path led towards a pinnacle from which the view was extensive, and in a sense, dreadful, from its dizzy altitudeâits abysmal depths,âand, as he began to realise, its far from improbable danger. âThis hereâs what we call the leadinâ range; it follers the divide from the head waters of the Tambo; thatâs where we stopped last night. Itâs the only road between that side of the country and the river. If you donât strike this âcut,â and thereâs not more than a score or so of us mountain chaps as knows it, it would take a man days to cross over, and then he mightnât do it.â âWhat would happen to him?â asked Blount, feeling a natural curiosity to learn more of this weird region, differing so widely from any idea that he had ever gathered from descriptions of Australia. âWell, heâd most likely get bushed, and have to turn back, though he mightnât find it too easy to do that, or make where he come from. In winter time, if it come on to snow, heâd never get home at all. Iâve known things happen like that. There was one poor cove last winter, as we chaps were days out searchinâ for, and then found him stiff, and deadâheâd got sleepy, and never woke up!â While this enlivening conversation was proceeding, the man from a far country discovered that the pathway, level enough for ordinary purposes, though he and his guide were no longer riding side by side, was rapidly narrowing. What breadth it would be, when they ascended to the pinnacle above them, he began to consider with a shade of apprehension. His hackney, which Mr. Jack Carter had regarded with slightly-veiled contempt as a âflat country horse, as had never seen a rise bigger than a haystack,â evidently shared his uneasiness, inasmuch as he had stopped, stared and trembled from time to time, at awkward places on the road, before they came to the celebrated âleading range.â In another mile they reached the pinnacle, where Blount realised the true nature and surroundings of this Alpine Pass. Such indeed it proved to be. A narrow pathway, looking down on either side, upon fathomless glens, with so abrupt a drop that it seemed as if the wind, now rising, might blow them off their exposed perch. The trees which grew at the depths below, though in reality tall and massive eucalypts, appeared scarce larger than berry bushes. The wedge-tailed eagles soared above and around. One pair indeed came near and gazed on them with unblenching eye, as though speculating on the duration of their sojourn. They seemed to be the natural denizens of this dizzy and perilous height, from which the vision ranged, in wondering amaze over a vast lone region, which stretched to the horizon; appearing indeed to include no inconsiderable portion of the continent. Below, around, even to the far, misty sky-line, was a grey, green ocean, the billows of which, through the branches of mighty forest trees, were reduced by distance to a level and uniform contour. Tremendous glens, under which ran clear cold mountain streams, tinkling and rippling ever, mimic waterfalls and flashing rivulets, the long dry summer through diversified the landscape. Silver streams crossed these plains and downs of solemn leafage, distinguishable only when the sun flashed on their hurrying waters. These were riversânot inconsiderable eitherâwhile companies of snow-crowned Alps stood ranged between, tier upon tier above them and the outlined rim, where earth and sky met, vast, regal, awful, as Kings of the Over-world! On guard since the birth of time, rank upon rank they stoodâsilent, immovable, scornfulâdefying the puny trespassers on their immemorial demesne. âWhat a land! what a vast expanse!â thought the Englishman, ârugged, untamed, but not more so than âCaledonia stern and wild,â more fertile and productive, and as to extentâboundless. I see before me,â he mused, âa country larger than Sweden, capable in time of carrying a dense population; and what a breed of men it should give birth to, athletic, hardy, brave! Horsemen too, in the words of Australiaâs forest poet, whom I read but of late. âFor the horse was never saddled that the Jebungs couldnât ride.â Good rifle shots! What sons of the Empire should these Australian highlands rear, to do battle for Old England in the wars of the giants yet to come!â This soliloquy, and its utterance in thought came simultaneously to a halt of a decisive nature, by reason of the conduct of Mr. Blountâs horse. This animal had been gradually acquiring a fixed distrust of the highwayâall too literallyâon which he was required to travel. Looking first on one side, then on the other, and apparently realising the dreadful alternative of a slip or stumble, he became unnerved and demoralised. Mr. Blount had ridden a mule over many a _mauvais pas_ in Switzerland, when the sagacious animal, for reasons known to himself, had insisted on walking on the outer edge of the roadway, over-hanging the gulf, where a crumbling ledge might cause the fall into immeasurable, glacial depths. In that situation his nerve had not faltered. âTrust to old âPilatus,ââ said the guide; âdo not interfere with him, I beseech you; he is under the immediate protection of the saints, and the holy St. Bernard.â He had in such a position been cool and composed. The old muleâs wise, experienced air, his sure and cautious mode of progression, had been calculated to reassure a nervous novice. But here, the case was different. His cob was evidently _not_ under the protection of the saints. St. Bernard was absent, or indifferent. With the recklessness of fear, he was likely to backâto lose his balanceâto hurl himself and rider over the perpendicular drop, where he would not have touched ground at a thousand feet. At this moment Jack Carter looked round. âKeep him quiet, for Godâs sake! till I get to youâdonât stir!â As he spoke he slid from his horse, though so small was the vacant space on the ledge, that as he leaned against the shoulder of his well-trained mount, there seemed barely room for his feet. Buckling a strap to the snaffle rein, which held it in front of the saddle, and throwing the stirrup iron over, he passed to the head of the other horse, whose rein he took in a firm grasp. âSteady,â he said in a voice of command, which, strangely, the shaking creature seemed to obey. âNow, Boss! you get off, and slip behind himâthereâs just room.â Blount did as directed, and with care and steadiness, effected a movement to the rear, while Jack Carter fastened rein and stirrup as before. Then giving the cob a sounding slap on the quarter, he uttered a peculiar cry, and the leading horse stepped along the track at a fast amble, followed by the cob at a slow trot, in which he seemed to have recovered confidence. âThatâs a quick way out of the difficulty,â said Blount, with an air of relief. âI really didnât know what was going to happen. But wonât they bolt when they get to the other side of this natural bridge over the bottomless pit?â âWhen they get to the end of this ârace,â as you may call it, thereâs a trap yard that we put up years back for wild horsesâmany a hundredâs been there before my time. Some of us mountain chaps keep it mended up. It comes in useful now and again.â âI should think it did,â assented his companion, with decision. âBut how will they get in? Will your clever horse take down the slip-rails, and put them up again?â âNot quite that!â said the bushman smilingââbut near enough; weâll find âem both there, Iâll go bail!â âHow far is it?â asked Blount, with a natural desire to get clear of this picturesque, but too exciting part of the country, and to exchange it for more commonplace scenery, with better foothold. âOnly a couple of mileâso we might as well step out, as Iâve filled my pipe. Wonât you have a draw for company?â âNot just yet, Iâll wait till weâre mounted again.â For though the invariable, inexhaustible tobacco pipe is the steadfast friend of the Australian under all and every condition of life, Blount did not feel in the humour for it just after he had escaped, as he now began to believe, from a sudden and violent death. âA well-trained horse! I should think he was,â he told himself; âand yet, before I left England, I was always being warned against the half-broken horses of Australia. What a hackney to be sure!âfast, easy, sure-footed, intelligentâand what sort of breaking in has he had? Mostly ridden by people whom no living horse can throw; but that is a disadvantageâas he instinctively recognises the rider he _can_ throw. Well! every country has its own way of doing things; and though we Englishmen are unchangeably fixed in our own methods, we may have something to learn yet from our kinsmen in this new land.â âI suppose there have been accidents on this peculiar track of yours?â he said, after they had walked in silence for a hundred yards or more. âAccidents!â he replied, âI should jolly well think there have. You see, horses are like men and women, though people donât hardly believe it. Someâs born one way, and some another; teaching donât make much difference to âem, nor beltinâ either. Some of âem, like some men, are born cowards, and when they get into a narrer track with a big drop both sides of âem, theyâre that queer in the headâthough itâs the _heart_ thatâs wrong with âemâthat they feel like pitching theirselves over, just to get shut of the tremblinâ on the brink feelinâ. Your horse was in a blue funk; heâd have slipped or backed over in another minute or two. That was the matter with _him_. When he seen old Keewah skip along by himself, it put confidence like, into him.â âYouâve known of accidents, then?â âMy word! I mind when poor Paddy Farrell went down. He and his horse both. He was leadinâ a packer, as it might be one of us now. Well, his moke was a nervous sort of brute, and just as he got to the Needle Rock, itâs a bit farther on before the road widens out, but itâs terrible narrer there, and poor Paddy was walking ahead leadinâ the brute with a green hide halter, when a hawk flies out from behind a rock and frightened the packer. He draws back with a jerk, and his hind leg goes over the edge. Paddy had the end of the halter round his wrist, and it got jammed somehow, and down goes the lot, horse and pack, and him atop of âem. Three or four of us were out all day looking for him at the foot of the range. We knew where weâd likely find him, and sure enough there they were, he and his horse, stone dead and smashed to pieces. We took him back to Bunjil, and buried him decent in the little graveyard. We managed to fish up a prayer-book, and got âGentleman Jackâ to read the service over him. My word! he _could_ read no end. They said he was college taught. He could drink too, moreâs the pity.â âDoes _every one_ drink that lives in these parts?â âWell, a good few. Us young ones not so bad, but if a man stays here, after a few years he always drinks, partickler if heâs seen better days.â âNow why is that? Itâs a free healthy life, with riding, shooting, and a chance of a golden hole, as you call it. There are worse places to live in.â âNobody knows why, but they all do; theyâll work hard and keep sober for months. Then they get tired of having no one to talk toânobody like theirselves, I mean. They go away, and come back stone-broke, or knock it all down in Bunjil, if theyâve made a few pounds.â âThat sounds bad after working hard and risking their lives on these Devilâs Bridges. How old was this Patrick Farrell?â âTwenty-four, his name wasnât Patrick. It was Aloysius William, named after a saint, Iâm told. The boys called him âPaddyâ for short. At home, I believe they called him âAlly.â But Paddy he always was in these parts. It donât matter much now. See that tall rock sticking up by the side of the road at the turn? Well, thatâs where he fell; they call it âPaddyâs Downfall,â among the country people to this day. Weâve only a mile to go from there.â When Mr. Blount and his companion reached the Needle Rock, a sharp-edged monolith, the edge of which unnecessarily infringed on the perilously scanty foothold, he did not wonder at the downfall of poor Aloysius William or any other wayfarer encumbered with a horse. He recalled the âvision of sudden deathâ which had so nearly been realised in his own case, and shuddered as he looked over the sheer drop on to a tangled mass of ârocks and trees confusedly hurled.â âWeâve got Bunjil Inn to make yet,â said the bushman, stepping forward briskly; âwe mustnât forget that, if we leave my old moke too long in the yard, heâll be opening the gate or some other dodge.â In a hundred yards from the Needle Rock the track became wider, much to Mr. Blountâs relief, for he was beginning to feel an uncanny fascination for the awful abyss, and to doubt whether if a storm came on, he should be able to stand erect, or be reduced to the ignoble alternative of lying on his face. âTheyâve passed along here all right,â said the guide, casting a casual look at the path; âtrust old Keewah for that, heâs leadinâ and your moke following close up.â Mr. Blount did not see any clear indication, and would have been quite unable to declare which animal was foremost. But he accepted in all confidence Little-River-Jackâs assurance. The track, without gaining much breadth or similarity to any civilised high road, was yet superior in all respects to the chamois path they had left behind, and when his companion exclaimed, âThereâs the yard, and our nags in it, as safe as houses,â he was relieved and grateful. The loss of a horse with a new saddle and bridle, besides his whole stock of travelling apparel, spare shoes, and other indispensable matters, would have been serious, not to say irreparable. However there were the two horses with their accoutrements complete, in the trap yard aforesaid. The yard was fully eight feet high, and though the saplings of which it was composed were rudely put together, they were solid and unyielding. The heavy gate of the same material showed a rude carpentry in the head and tail pieces, the former of which was âlet into the capâ or horizontal spar placed across the gate posts, and also morticed into a round upright below, sunk into the ground and projecting securely above it. âThey must have come in and shut the gate after them,â remarked Blount; âhow in the world did they manage that?â âWell, you see, this gateâs made pretty well on the balance to swing back to the post, where thereâs a sort of groove for it. Itâs always left half, or a quarter open. A propâs put loose agen it, which any stock coming in from that sideâs middlinâ sure to rub, and the gate swings to. See? It may graze âem, as theyâre going in, but theyâre likely to jump forward, into the yard. The gate swings back to the post, and theyâre nabbed. They canât very well open it _towards_ themselves, they havenât savey for that. So they have to wait till some one comes.â This explanation was given as they were riding along a decently plain road to Bunjil township, the first appearance of which one traveller descried with much contentment. The âDivide,â before this agreeable change, had begun to alter its austere character. The ridge had spread out, the forest trees were stately and umbrageous, the track was fairly negotiable by horse and man. A fertile valley through which dashed an impetuous stream revealed itself. On the further bank stood dwellings, âreal cottages,â as Mr. Blount remarked, ânot huts.â These were in all cases surrounded by gardens, in some instances by orchards, of which the size and girth of the fruit trees bore witness to the richness of the soil as well as of the age of the township. The short winter day had been nearly consumed by reason of their erratic progress; so that the evening shadows had commenced to darken the valley, while the clear, crisp atmosphere betrayed to the experienced senses of Mr. Carter, every indication of what he described as âa real crackinâ frost.â âWeâre in luckâs way,â he said, in continuation, ânot to be struck for a camp out to-night. Itâs cold enough in an old man frost hereabouts, to freeze the leg off an iron pot. But this is the right shop as weâre going to, for a good bed, a broiled steak for tea, and if you make friends with Sheila (sheâs the girl that waits at table) you wonât die of cold, whatever else happens to you. Above all, the house is clean, and thatâs more than you can say for smarter lookinâ shops. Weâd as well have a spurt to finish up with.â Drawing his rein, and touching his hack with careless heel, the bushman went off at a smart canter along the main street, apparently the only one in the little town, Mr. Blountâs cob following suit with comparative eagerness, until they pulled up at a roomy building with a broad verandah, before which stood a sign-board, setting forth its title to consideration, as the âProspectorâs Armsâ by William Middleton. Several persons stood or lounged about the verandah, who looked at them keenly as they rode up. A broad-shouldered man with a frank, open countenance, came out of a door, somewhat apart from the group. He was plainly, by appearance and bearing, the landlord. âSo youâre back again, Jack,â said he, addressing the bushman with an air of familiar acquaintance; âdidnât know what had come oâyer. What lay are ye on now?â âSameâs usual, moochinâ round these infernal hills and gullies ov yours. Thereâs a bit of a rush Black Rock way. Iâm goinâ to have a look in to-morrow. This gentlemanâs just from England, seeinâ the country in a gineral way; heâll stay here till I get back, and then weâll be going down river.â âAll right, Jack!â replied the host. â_You_ can show him the country, if any one canâthe missusâll see heâs took care of,â and as he spoke he searched the speaker with a swift glance as of one comprehending all that had been said, and more that was left unspoken. âHere, take these horses round, George, and make âem right for the night.â An elderly individual in shirt sleeves and moleskins of faded hue here came forward, and took the strangerâs horse, unbuckling valise and pack, which the landlord carried respectfully into an inner chamber, out of which a door led into a comfortable appearing bedroom; where, from the look of the accessories, he augured favourably for the nightâs rest. Mr. Carter had departed with the old groom, preferring, as he said, to see his horse fed and watered before he tackled his own refreshment; âgrubâ was the word he used, which appeared to be fully understanded of the people, if but vaguely explanatory to Mr. Blount. That gentleman, pensively examining his wardrobe, reflected meanwhile by how narrow a chance the articles spread out before him had been saved from wreck, so to speak, and total loss, when a knock came to the door, and a feminine voice requested to know whether he would like supper at six oâclock or later. Taking counsel of his inward monitor, he adopted the hour named. The voice murmured, âYour hot water, sir,â and ceased speaking. He opened the door, and was just in time to see a female form disappear from the room. âWe are beginning to get civilised,â he thought, as he possessed himself of the hot water jug, and refreshed accordingly. After which he discarded his riding gear in favour of shoes and suitable continuations. While awaiting the hour of reflection, he took out of his valise a pocket edition of Browning, and was about to glance at it when the clock struck six. Entering the parlour, for such it evidently was, he was agreeably surprised with the appearance of affairs. A clean cloth covered the solid cedar table, on which was a hot dishâflanked by another which held potatoes. A fire of glowing logs was cheerful to behold, nor was the âneat-handed Phyllisâ wanting to complete the tableau. A very good-looking young woman, with a complexion of English, rather than Australian colouring, removed the dish covers, and stood at attention. Here the wayfarer was destined to receive fresh information relative to the social observances of Australian society. âYou have only laid covers for one,â said he to the maid. âMy friend, Mr. Carter, is not going to do without his dinner surely?â âOh! Jack!â said the damsel, indifferently; âhe wonât come in here, heâs at the second table with the coachman and the drovers. This is the gentlemenâs room.â âHow very curious!â he exclaimed. âI thought every one was alike in this part of the world; all free and equal, that sort of thing. I shouldnât the least mind spending the evening with erâJohn Carterâor any other respectable miner.â The girl looked him over before she spoke. âWell, Mr. Blount (Jack said that was your name), _you_ mightnât, though youâre just from England, but other people might. When the police magistrate, the Goldfields Warden, and the District Surveyor come round, they always stay here, and the down river squatters. They wouldnât like it, you may be sure, nor you either, perhaps, if the
{'title': 'The Ghost Camp; or, the Avengers by Rolf Boldrewood', 'source': 'Project Gutenberg', 'lang': 'en'}