Part 43 (2/2)
”No; they never o,” replied Thoh now licensed to proceed without danity ”Dan's an old acquaintance of yours--is n't he?
I heard your na-- had been fencing on Mooltunya--George Murdock Yes”
Thompson told a story well I verily believe he used to practise the acco beside his team
He knew his own superiority here; his acquaintances knew it too, and they also knew that he knew it Hence they were reluctant toof Bob,” he continued listlessly; ”I ot there with the load He was on his way down froor's, where he's been; and he had come round by Kulkaroo to see one of the very few friends he has in the world; but he lost his labour, for this cove had left the stationfor hours, and the station chaps were about turning-in, e heard so in a hurry No less than Webster himself--first time he had been in the hut since it was built, the chaps told me afterward He had a leaf of a memorandum-book in his hand; and says he:
”'Child lost in the scrub on Gooluirl--five or six years old Anybody knohere there's any blackfellows?'
”nobody knew
”'Well, raise horses wherever you can, and clear at once,' says he
'One iment very shortly
As for you, Thompson,' says he; 'you're your own lad of any chance to help in such a case, so I went for my horse at once Bob had duffed his two horses into the ration paddock, on his way to the hut, and had put theht by the sound of her bell
This started ether He lent his second horse to one of the station chaps; and the three of us got to Goolumbulla just after sunrise-- first of the croenty-five mile There was tucker on the table, and chaff for our horses; and, during the twenty ave us the outline of the mishap
”Seee, I'-- the classer had come round a few days before; and Spanker had called in every man on the station, to muster the ewes You kno thick the scrub is on Goolu his own place before daylight on the firstThey swept the paddock the first day for about three parts of the ewes; the second day they got most of as left; but Spanker wanted every hoof, if possible, and he kept all hands on for the third day
”Seeirl did n't trouble herself the first day, though she had n't seen Dan in thepeculiar about her--not fretful, but dreae questions It appears that, up to this time, she had never said a word about the man that was found dead near their place, a couple of months before
She saw that her parents did n't want to tell her anything about it, so she had never showed any curiosity; but now her mother was startled to find that she knew all the particulars
”It appears that she was very fond of her father; and this affair of theon herthe night she got up several tihtened the wo away before she ake, and not co was that she never took her mother into her confidence, and never see, after breakfast, herher in the house When the woone She looked round the place, and called, and listened, and prospected everywhere, for an hour; then she went into the house, and exairl had taken about a pint of milk, in a s everything together, the one into the scrub to look for her father There was no help to be had nearer than the home-station, for the only other boundary man on that part of the run ay at the ot there about three in the afternoon, not able to stand There was nobody about the station but Mrs Spanker, and the servant-girl, and the cook, and the Chow slushy; and Mrs Spanker was the only one that knew the track to the ewe-paddock However, they got a horse in, and off went Mrs Spanker to give the alaroojinna, on the Deniliquin side
”It would be about five when Mrs Spanker struck the ewe-paddock, and met Broome and another fellow Then the three split out to catch whoever they could, and pass the word round Dan got the news just before sundown He only reht have found her oay back; then he went for home as hard as his horse could lick
”As the fellows turned-up, one after another, Spanker sent the smartest of them--one to Kulkaroo, and one to Mulppa, and two or three others to different fencers' and tank-sinkers' ca was blackfellows Did anybody knohere to find a blackfello that he anted?
”Seems, there had been about a dozen of them camped near the tank in the cattle-paddock for a one, nobody knehere And there had been an old lubra and a young one camped within a mile of the station, and an old fellow and his lubra near one of the boundary men's places; but they all happened to have shi+fted; and no one had the slightest idea where they could be found However, in a sense, everyone was after the you, we had some breakfast at the station, and, then started for Dan's place Seven of us by this time, for another of the Kulkaroo y
This was on a Thursday irl had been out twenty-four hours
”Well, we had gone about seven uide us; and we happened to be going at a fast shog, and Bob riding a couple or three yards to the right, when he suddenly wheeled his horse round, and jumped off
”'How far is it yet to Dan's place?' says he
”'Five mile,' says one of the well-sinkers 'We're just on the corner of his paddock Got tracks?'
”'Yes,' says Bob 'I'll run them up, while you fetch the other fellows
Somebody look after my horse' And by the time the last as out of histhe little track No trouble in following it, for she was running the track of so it was her father's horse, poor little thing!
”Apparently she had kept along the inside of Dan's fence--the way she had generally seen hiate Then she had noticed this solitary horse's track striking away froate, out to the left; and she had followed it However, half-a-round, where she had lost the horse's track; and there Bob lost hers Presently he picked it up again; but now there was only her little bootmarks to follow”