Part 16 (2/2)
”Now, don't all spake at wance. Howld yer tongues an' listen. Av coorse, Muster Fred's towld ye when an' where an' how I jined the blackguards. Ye'll be able now to guess why I did it. Soon after I jined 'em I began to boast o' my shootin' in a way that would ha'
shocked me nat'ral modesty av I hadn't done it for a raisin o' me own.
Well, they boasted back, so I defied 'em to a trial, an' soon showed 'em what I could do. There wasn't wan could come near me wi' the rifle. So they made me hunter-in-chief to the band then an' there. I wint out at wance an' brought in a good supply o' game. Then, as my time was short, you see, I gave 'em the slip nixt day an' comed on here, neck an' crop, through fire an' water, like a turkey-buzzard wi' the cholera. An' so here I am, an' they'll soon find out I've given 'em the slip, an'
they'll come after me, swearin', perhaps; an' if I was you, Paul Bevan, I wouldn't stop to say how d'ye do to them.”
”No more I will, Paddy--an', by good luck, we're about ready to start only I've got a fear for that poor boy Tolly. If he comes back arter we're gone an' falls into their hands it'll be a bad look-out for him.”
”No fear o' Tolly,” said Flinders; ”he's a 'cute boy as can look after himself. By the way, where's Muster Tom?”
The reason of Brixton's absence was explained to him by Betty, who bustled about the house packing up the few things that could be carried away, while her father and Fred busied themselves with the cart and horses outside. Meanwhile the Irishman continued to refresh himself with the bread and cheese.
”Ye see it's o' no manner o' use me tryin' to help ye, my dear,” he said, apologetically, ”for I niver was much of a hand at packin', my exparience up to this time havin' run pretty much in the way o' havin'
little or nothin' to pack. Moreover, I'm knocked up as well as hungry, an' ye seem such a good hand that it would be a pity to interfere wid ye. Is there any chance o' little Tolly turnin' up wi' the pony before we start?”
”Every chance,” replied the girl, smiling, in spite of herself, at the man's free-and-easy manner rather than his words. ”He ought to have been here by this time. We expect him every moment.”
But these expectations were disappointed, for, when they had packed the stout little cart, harnessed and saddled the horses, and were quite ready to start, the boy had not appeared.
”We durstn't delay,” said Paul, with a look of intense annoyance, ”an' I can't think of how we are to let him know which way we've gone, for I didn't think of telling him why we wanted another pony.”
”He can read, father. We might leave a note for him on the table, and if he arrives before the robbers that would guide him.”
”True, Betty; but if the robbers should arrive before _him_, that would also guide _them_.”
”But we're so sure of his returning almost immediately,” urged Betty.
”Not so sure o' that, la.s.s. No, we durstn't risk it, an' I can't think of anything else. Poor Tolly! he'll stand a bad chance, for he's sure to come gallopin' up, an' singin' at the top of his voice in his usual reckless way.”
”Cudn't we stick up a bit o' paper in the way he's bound to pa.s.s, wid a big wooden finger to point it out and the word `notice' on it writ big?”
”Oh! I know what I'll do,” cried Betty. ”Tolly will be sure to search all over the place for us, and there's one place, a sort of half cave in the cliff, where he and I used to read together. He'll be quite certain to look there.”
”Right, la.s.s, an' we may risk that, for the reptiles won't think o'
sarchin' the cliff. Go, Betty; write, `We're off to Simpson's Gully, by the plains. Follow hard.' That'll bring him on if they don't catch him--poor Tolly!”
In a few minutes the note was written and stuck on the wall of the cave referred to; then the party set off at a brisk trot, Paul, Betty, and Flinders in the cart, while Fred rode what its owner styled the spare horse.
They had been gone about two hours, when Stalker, alias Buxley, and his men arrived in an unenviable state of rage, for they had discovered Flinders's flight, had guessed its object, and now, after hastening to Bevan's Gully at top speed, had reached it to find the birds flown.
This they knew at once from the fact that the plank-bridge, quadrupled in width to let the horse and cart pa.s.s, had been left undrawn as if to give them a mocking invitation to cross. Stalker at once accepted the invitation. The astute Bevan had, however, antic.i.p.ated and prepared for this event by the clever use of a saw just before leaving. When the robber-chief gained the middle of the bridge it snapped in two and let him down with a horrible rending of wood into the streamlet, whence he emerged like a half-drowned rat, amid the ill-suppressed laughter of his men. The damage he received was slight. It was only what Flinders would have called, ”a pleasant little way of showing attintion to his inimy before bidding him farewell.”
Of course every nook and corner of the stronghold was examined with the utmost care--also with considerable caution, for they knew not how many more traps and snares might have been laid for them. They did not, however, find those for whom they sought, and, what was worse in the estimation of some of the band, they found nothing worth carrying away.
Only one thing did they discover that was serviceable, namely, a large cask of gunpowder in the underground magazine formerly mentioned. Bevan had thought of blowing this up before leaving, for his cart was already too full to take it in, but the hope that it might not be discovered, and that he might afterwards return to fetch it away, induced him to spare it.
Of course all the flasks and horns of the band were replenished from this store, but there was still left a full third of the cask which they could not carry away. With this the leader determined to blow up the hut, for he had given up all idea of pursuing the fugitives, he and his men being too much exhausted for that.
Accordingly the cask was placed in the middle of the hut and all the unportable remains of Paul Bevan's furniture were piled above it. Then a slow match was made by rubbing gunpowder on some long strips of calico. This was applied and lighted, and the robbers retired to a spot close to a spring about half a mile distant, where they could watch the result in safety while they cooked some food.
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