Part 10 (2/2)
I've a dash good mind to tell Mrs Beaudesart Why, it's two months since you parted from her”
”Where's Martin?” I asked
”I left hi to track his horse
I suppose you haven't heard that he lives here now?”
”Well, we heard that so sent to live here By the way, Moriarty, you better keep out of sight of that fellow at the hut”
”No odds It's only Daddy Montague; he can't see twenty yards
But I say--Mrs Beaudesart is sorting out her own old wedding toggery; she knows you'll never have h to”----
”How does Martin come to be at the ram-paddock, if he lives here?”
I interrupted
”I'll tell you the whole rigenial ass
”Martin was at the station yesterday, crawling after Miss King, when up comes a sandy-whiskered hound of a contractor, name of M'Nab, to see about the specifications of the new fence between us and Nalrooka; and this (fellow)'s idea of getting on the soft side of Montgo to tell hi of other fellows, intended to work on the raht, of course
Now, Montgorass out of the raency; but he does n't believe in people driving expressly for it; and besides, he badly wants to catch Price and Thompson, and ht out early jobs for all the rest of the fellows, so what does he do--Sunday and all--but he rouses out Martin and o to the ra the cards with so with the old wool-classer; and we tiht
Of course, the right plan would have been to go through the ration-paddock, and in by the Quondong gate; and that hat I wanted to do
Then we could have iven it a good rough overhaul But because I proposed this, Martin insisted on going by the , and to see if we could find the wagons, as a sort of guide
Sensible to the last Well, he would have it his oay, and I didn't give a curse, so on ent; and just as ere crossing the sort of hollow at this near corner of the raht he heard cattle in the timber
So we tied our horses at the fence, and walked across to see
Nothing there, of course, only iaroos
We stayed about ten -- and e came back to where we had left our horses,mad, for his horse was never known to break a bridle, and he did n't knoho to bla aith hi the ram-paddock, and Martin wanted his horse, so we hunted round and round, but devil a smell of horse or saddle or bridle could we find in the dark
After a while, daylight caht of the wool, and tuive the fellows the office, praying and cursing fit to break my neck What the dickens induced the I ever knew
Martin has been living here since this day week; and his greatest pleasure in life is prowling round when he ought to be asleep”
”Warrigal Alf laid Mosey on,” I replied ”At least, he said he had stayed here the night before last, and had taken his bullocks out after they lay down”
”Ah! the treacherous beggar! I'll tell you how that came
Day before yesterday--let's see--that was Saturday--Montgo behind sooave Alf last winter, for letting his bullocks get into our horse-paddock See, and had gone the thirty ht across country, with him after thes at the time: and he never omery heard the truth of it only the other day; so when he met Alf, he stopped him, and mentioned it, and told hiht, as grass was so scarce Itdone, but he had to grin and bear it-- treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath, as Shakespear says”
”Then Martin may be here any minute?”
”Well, I left hi to track his horse, and he can't track worth a dash Certainly, he was headed toward the station the last I saw of hiot a spare saddle at home here, he's pretty certain to coive five notes, if I had it, to see these (fellows) yoked up and off; for if Martin catches thee! there's not half a second to lose
Just look at that fence! Ah! here they coive us a call at the station as soon as you can I'll keep out of sight till these chaps are started; then I'll have a bit of breakfast with Daddy Montague, and invent a good watertight lie, and do a skulk for an hour or two, and then dodge on to the station as slowly as possible I want soe himself; it'll learn him to appreciate me better I'll have to ram it down his throat that the fellows had their bullocks out before I got here”
”Wait, Moriarty--what's Martin's horse like? I ht see him”