DAN KELLY, Outlaw.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 167, 15 July 1911, Page 17

DAN KELLY, Outlaw.

~ the MEMOIRS OF DANIEL 'iS SKIVES Shots fight at glbnrowan.

Edited by AMBROSE PBATT.

CHAPTER SSI.

XHE STEALING OF A TOWS

■ . tjie succeeding three days oar consisted in Blithering reports. SKSltacamp. bat Joe. Steve and! *J continually Iα tlx, .addle, riding to .id fro between the various -lookouts and stations, asfcius set ques- ,. M of our friends and helpers, anil carry- ,„, tie answers to Ned. On, one point td-s curioetty was insatiable-what did actually believe to be the late* L of tie ?ang? A., far as we could ££■ tie PoU« «P ected Ui M mak f aa " atTempt to cross the border almost ? sSly Their spies had fed them so this idea that they had be-udnioo-iJ , making *f tat Sup" rintendent Nicholson was ,M ,lHn~ for a lead to entrain mo* merely waltm* i° d the iX* sent notice. Ned « to these cU with much >X e °^T te £ Mieve them true, and he Insisted on tc-t fttelr accuracy by every means at our M * At len-th. however, they had a weVof corroborate that SS no looser affect to doubt: and then Ms satisfaction peeped out. OatS- morning of the 7th day of DecemJα announced a date, the 10th of the month, and he directed our bush teeSrfis to whisper this date far and wide iJt same evening I rode U Greta and the P*ce deserted of police: the neiicine had already begun to wort. News Le from a dozen sources of police exctterost at BenalU and Mansfield, and a whis--1 also of special trains held secretly in readiness for an armed rush to tha border. Vmca I told Ned he remarked that the :ime wa3 almost ripe, and he sent Steve Hart ( f or I was tired) flying to find my ancle. Patrick Qninn. facie Patrick arrived on the following afternoon, and received a command that astonished him. -Go straight Into Benalla." said Ned, "and see Superintendent Nicholson. Yon will find him at the barracks, just returned from an expedition in the Mansfield district. He will b<? tired, and probably short tempered. Tell iim yon have most important Information, aid make, at first, a great mystery of it. Insist that you shall receive a big share of the Government reward. By so doing you will arouse his interest and command his ittention- You understand mc?" ■ "Sore, ifiial's easy, Ned. And whas iaformation snail I give him?" "Tell him that the Kellys are living in tie hill basin, on the King River, beyond Glfinmore.' , "■What! But that basin is slsty miles from here." "ilore, uncle, seventy miles if a single yard, and that"s why it pleases mc. Tell Hγ Nicholson that I'm lying there sick, and that you are ready to guide him to the spot" Uy uncle was aghast. "Wtertr , he cried, "lead the police seventy miles on a wild goose chase? Ned, Hei, they'd lay mc." Ned laughed. "Not they, uncle, for they'll not believe you, and never a foot will they follow yon." "Then why shonld I go for to try and fool them, if fool them I can't. Is it a joke you'd be after playin' <rz mc, Ned?" "Sot & joke," Ned replied contemptuously, "at all events, on yon. Xeik at the matter for a minute, and you ?ri. The police are expecting cs ie j» lo the 'border, and they are arrange at this moment to catch, us near the Murray. Well, they "won't; they will also be exptcting us —us that they think so cunning—to try and put them off the tract be")re we move." "Aha!" cried Joe Byrne, "I see daylight" "Then it's more than I can," granted my uncle. Ned pointed at the old man with his pipe —speaking to us meanwhile with, a look so toll upon his face that we were all agrin. "Those naughty police," said he, "they ttint some cruel, unkind things of Uncle Paddy. They suspect him. for a Kelly symtuthiaer. They fancy him a bit of a rogue, «nd, bad luck to them, not a word he'd say would they believe. Now, mart what I tell Jon, no sooner will Cncle Paddy have told Mr Nicholson that we are hiding la the King Siver basin, than the superintendent will say to himself: 'Here it is—this is tte blind"; and if I know my man, he'll Waste never a minute in collecting his troops and running them helter skelter, not to the King, bat to the Murray, in his "peeiai trains. Between ourselves, boys, ttiifa exactly what I want him to do." It seemed so very likely thai Mr NieholMn -would be sealed in his preconceptions By Xed's trick that we took the end for panted, and Uncle Paddy rode off on his "Usetoa Trim never a qualm. Afterwards we knew lUut he had played his part with excellent address, a-nd that he had completely persuaded the superintendent of tie need to look for the Kellys on the Murray banks by his furious anxiety that Uey should be songht for on the King. well, it he earned his commission he »as paid for it, and many another besides, day of December Sth was spent in *nat Ned called "finishing touches." We deaned our saddles, and made sure of the madness of our girths and bridles, furWsaed up our arms and accoutrements, •ad washed and groomed our spare horses "j-tae three bays which uncle had brought * week earlier and a fine upstandin- ~-ey W thoroughbred) which Sed had led back worn his sweetheart's farm in the Strath*ogte ranges. We might have been solng » a fcridal. That night we gambled freely w oar chances, playing euchre for high tokes which were to be paid if we sucttere ' w *"* Sreat ' r excLted - for •ttnre of Ned's raterpEte, TaTtte oSy **« we sorely wished to know was the •«« ol the town we were to raid. But - <Ld not tease our captain for it, and we «M*4 Us Pleasure as patiently « imp*. JWK coald contrive. My thought that »aj Hurt escltement Md ha[jpjnes3 Sth aiTi<ieii - TheJ " 0 UOt alWayS ™an the same thing, but forgetfulness lies j> «<*. ana their conjunction is inevitable. a! *M ten p oMds ttwUn3 worth ot pro . a "' TC i:h my head pillowed on Socn'T, >reit mornln -' :1 - the earliest S" We wer? asi;r ' breaMQ s caai -P J On ,. pa ' st °ring or concealing our beWe breakfasted at flve. and at began to move slowlj- through j,,, ™ 1 - es . ridinj our standbys and lead. • oar fresli monnts on the halter. Four we deboncied epon tte foot-

hills, near the old main, road to Sydney, and not far from the railway line, about nine miles below tie thriving township of! Euroa. Ned placed ihmself in the Tan, and promptly struck ofE across country to I the farm of a man I shall not name. He has been punished, and i 3 dead. His chil-1 dren live and know. We reached the place' oa the stroke of ten, and rested for an ! hour to bait our cattle. We then changed ! saddles to our led horses, and leaving the otfrers in the care of our friend, we moved slo-wly torward the railway line, nursiag our mounts for all their spirit and vigour as carefully as though they were babies. It was an absolutely silent ride. Joe, Steve, and I all felt in the same way. We were like soldiers marching towards the fighting line, and the location of the battle front was rising from the mists almost too clearjly upon our vision. Excitement kept us tongue-tied, and Xed was dumb beneath the weight of his responsibilities. But at leDgth the moment came to speak. Of a sudden -we came in view of Faithfull's Creek Station homestead, an imposing but picturesque hotuse. situated in full sight and within a trifling distance of the Melj bourne-Albnry railway line, and only a few rods from the Sydney road. Obeying an imperious gesture, we halted, and used our eyes on Ned. Tou'll have guessed that Euroa i 3 our quarry, boys." said he. i Enroa! We had guessed it indeed, but, | , none the less now that we were sure, our : wonder at Ned's daring flashed to the very limits of surprise. "The town has a population of nearly five hundred," said Joe Byrne, and more soberly than I had ever heard him speak. "A regular police force coo. It' 3 a central station," muttered Steve Hart. Ned looked quizzically at mc: "And you, DanJ" "Oh, it's great. It's a real adventure taken out of dreams," I cried. He struck mc gently across the shoulders wixh his whip. "A Kelly," he said, and laughed. I had never loved M™ better. and I would have cheerfully died to serve him at that moment, for Joe Byrne bit his lip and Steve turned as red as fire "I am game," and "I am game," they declared in unison. Ned's compliment to m<? had decked them on the raw. He had tact. He said: "Of course you are, my lads, I but you will have your say, confound you!" Their faces lifted at once, and eager qnestions poured. But Ned wared on.; and | all aside, tapping his forehead and pointing I to his lips. "You'll do best doing just what I tell you, neither more nor less," he said, "and you'll do your parts the better for knowing little of the whole. Yet, this much you will grip at once—four men cannot ride up to flve hundred and tell them off-hand to 'bail up!' Towns are not to be taken quite so simply; they must be attacked on scientific principles. We need a jumpiug-off place at the right distance, ii fii'l og& tii-nfc "ws ciLn iiold secure - for , & bit if necessity compels. That is why I've brought you Here: Faithful's Creek homestead will suit my purpose to a charm. Enroa is four miles down that road. The homestead will be our refuge and our jracprng-otr spot; but we must take it first." "How?" demanded Steve. "Easily. Follow mc at a -walk—to be a gallop if I whistle, fire or call. But there'll be no trouble. Don't fear for that. Keep your guns covered and pretend to be honest travellers looking for work, if any person hails you. We'll soon have the station. An easy wait, mind: so long!" he smiled, waved his hand, and trotted gently up the drive. It was a tittle after midday by then and some of the station servants were at dinner in the kitchen. Ned rode up to the side of the house, dismounted, hitched up his horse, and strolled quietly to the open door of the kitchen. George Stephens, a groom, and Fitzgerald, a rouseabout, were seated at the table eating. They were being waited upon by Fitzgerald's wife, who was the station housekeeper. Ned took oE his hat and very politely inquired if Mr ircAnley, the manager of the station, was at home. Mxs Fitzgerald glanced at the ! bearded stranger standing in the doorway and shook her head. "Mr McAuley Is not at home." she said, a moment later," "Will anyone else do?' , "I'm. afraid not," answered Ned. "I want to see the boss. Do you think he'll be Ions?" "About three hours," Stephen called out from the table. "Oh. well, I think I can wait that long," said Ned. "Would you like some dinner?" asked Mrs. Fitzgerald. Ned thanked her politely for the offer, but declined, saying he had already dined. He then strolled away and joined us, for liy that time we had reached the house and were on the point of dismounting. While we conversed. Stephens, the groom, left the kitchen and made his way to one ' of the more distant outbuildings. As though this little incident were an awaited signal, Ned nodded to us and we walked ' over in a body to the kitchen door. Fitz- : gersld was still seated at the table. He was filling his pipe. Mrs. Fitzgerald. was collecting the plates and dishes on a tray. :

Ned pulled off his hat and made the housekeeper a low bow: "I'm most awfully sorry, madam," he began, "but I'm afraid I tell you something that will startle

She stared at him a few seconds, then cried: "Has someone been hurt?"

"Nobody," replied Ned. "And there's no reason why anyone should get hurt, if yon people will only behave sensibly. The Kellys are out. madam. That's what I've come to tell you."

"The Kellys," she- repeated, "Oh, I'm not afraid of the Kellys."

"Why should you be, Indeed?" laughed Ned. "They do not war with women," then he made her a flourishing bow. "J am Ned Kelly, ma'am," said he, "and these are my followers. We intend to hold this station for a few days, but we'll call on you for no more than food and shelter for onrselves and our horses, and I give you my word, madam, that you have no cause whatever for alarm." "I'm not afraid," Mrs. Fitzgerald repeated. Nevertheless, she had changed colour, and quite suddenly she flopped down upon a chair. The reason was that Steve Hart had produced a revalver. "Don't let him. shoot." she cried. "Tell him to put it away." Ned gave Steve one loot and the plsto' disappeared. "You see!" said he. Then he beckoned to Fitzgerald and we all stepped outside. From the first moment Fitzgerald was onr very humble servant — an obsequious, ingratiating coward. He was most useful to us. He posted us on all the household arrangements of the station: pointed out the whereabouts of the stores, sleeping quarters and stables; named and numbered the station hands, and, in various other ways, he sacrificed his duty to his measureless terror of a perforated skin. Giving him our horses to lead, we strolled to the stable, where we found Srt-pheus chatting with a stockman. They were so interested in their own affairs that tiiev- hardly bestowed on us a glance. Wβ waited at the door for a moment or two, lUea Ned grew impatient. He strode across I ami tupped Stephens on the shoulder: "Do you know who I am?*" ho demanded.

Stephens was annoyed at die Interruption and shewed it, Jin retorted, "I don't, Tau may be Ned Kelly for all I care,"

Ned langhed grimly. "Tou're a mighty good guesser, Mr. Stephens. I am Ned Kelly! , ' and with that lie clapped a pistol to the groom's head. Steph-ens was petrified with, feax, and nis mate, the stockman, was not less disconcerted. But the comedy was not prolonged. Satisfied that the mention of the name of Kelly, plus the show of force that already had been displayed, had sufficiently achieved his purpose, Ned put away his revolver and took some trouble to reassure the men. who, presently, at Sis direction, watered, fed, and stabled our horses as well as we desired. (Contained Weekly.)