Part 32 (2/2)

Then Dolphin took all the money, counted it, and divided it into four equal heaps, three of which he distributed, and one of which he retained.

”Fifty-seven quid,” said Sweet William, when he had counted his money.

”A very nice dividend for the week. I think I'll give up batching here, and live at The Lucky Digger and have a spree.”

”Not much, William,” broke in Dolphin. ”Keep yourself in hand, my son.

Wait till we've made our real haul and got away with the loot: then you can go on the burst till all's blue. Each man wants his wits about him, for the present.”

”You mean the bank,” said Carnac.

The leader of the gang nodded.

”I've fossicked around the premises,” continued the gentleman in the velvet coat, ”and I must confess that they're the most trifling push _I_ ever saw. There's the manager, a feeble rat of a man; another fellow that's short-sighted and wears specs.; a boy, and the teller, a swell who wears gloves on his boots and looks as if he laced himself up in stays.”

”I reckon there's a rusty old revolver hanging on a nail somewheres,”

remarked Garstang.

”Most likely,” said Dolphin, ”but our plan is to walk in comfortable and easy just before closing-time. I'll present a faked-up cheque which'll cause a consultation between the teller and the short-sighted party. In the meantime, Carnac will interview the manager about sending a draft to his wife in England. You, Garstang, will stand ready to bar the front door, and William will attend to the office-boy and the door at the back. Just as the clerks are talking about the cheque, I'll whip out my weapon and bail 'em up, and then the scheme will go like clock-work.”

”But suppose there's a mob of customers in the place?” asked Garstang.

”A lot of harmless sheep!” replied Dolphin. ”It'll be your duty to bail them up. There's a big strong-room at the back, well-ventilated, commodious, and dry. We'll hustle everybody into that, and you and William will stand guard over them. Then Carnac will bring the manager from his room, and with the persuasion of two pistols at his head the little old gentleman will no doubt do the civil in showing us where he stows his dollars. There'll be plenty of time: the bank will be closed just as in the ordinary course of things. We'll do the job thoroughly, and when we've cleaned the place out, we'll lock all the parties up in the strong-room, and quit by the back door as soon as it's dusk.”

”Sounds O.K.,” remarked Sweet William, ”but there'll be a picnic before morning. I reckon we'll need to get away pretty sudden.”

”That can be arranged in two ways,” said Dolphin. ”First, we can choose a day when a steamer is leaving port early in the evening, say, eight o'clock; or we can take to the bush, and make our way across country.

I've turned over both plans in my mind, and I rather prefer the latter.

But that is a point I leave to you--I'll fall in with the opinion of the majority.”

”Yes,” said Garstang, ”it looks as if it must succeed: it looks as if it can't go wrong. Our leader Dolphin, the brains of the gang, has apparently fixed up everything; the details are all thought out; the men are ready and available, but----”

”But what?” asked Dolphin gruffly. ”Are you going to back down?

Frightened of getting a bit of lead from a rusty old revolver, eh?”

”It ain't that,” replied the ugliest member of the gang, ”but supposin'

there's no money in the bloomin' bank, what then?”

A roar of laughter greeted his surmise.

”What d'you suppose the bank's for,” asked Carnac, ”if not to store up money?”

”Whips and whips of money,” observed Sweet William, the stem of his lighted pipe between his teeth. ”You go with a legitimate cheque for, say, 550, and you'd get it cashed all right.”

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