A LINDSAY O' THE DALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13586, 4 November 1907, Page 3

A LINDSAY O' THE DALE.

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

BY A.. G. HALES. Author of '* The Watcher on the Tower," " D'riacoll, King of Scouts," " McGlusky," " Jair the Apostate," etc., etc. JOPYPJQHT. SYNOPSIS. The story ie written by Kate KHlowen, who in the tirst chanter gives her family history. Her father was of a capable, headstrong Irish family, who had crossed the Scottish border and married one of the Lindsays o' the Dale. Mixing in polity her father interested himself in wild schemes fo» the emancipation of Ireland, lost his business and emigrated to Australia when Kate was a child. In Australia he joined the mounted police and wived for sonic years, tearing a family— Davie, Bryan, mid Kenneth. Inspector Vernon, of the mounted police, frequently visited the house, and fot unwelcome and insulting at tentions to .Mrs Killowen he (Killowen) one dav horsewhipped Vernon. Killowen had to leave the police and took to well-sinking and chance work, but. Vernon gave the family a bad character to the squatters, and they had difficulty in getting employment. One day, when Killowen and the hoys were out rounding up cuttle, news came that a party of blacks were out on the warpath. Ivilloweu and his son Davie got home, but. Bryan and Kenneth and a stockman who had gone to look foi them were missing. When the chapter closes the stockman has just conic in sight, half-turned in his saddle and shooting at something behind him. CHArTER IT. BLACKS AND nCSHUANGERS. I rode towards my mother, who was standing in front of the homestead door, whilst father and Davie galloped tc meet tlw stockman, who was riding hard and tiring as ho rode.. Mother was in an agony of terror concorning little Ken. " I fear my woo laddie is done to death by the savages," she moaned, and the wrung her hands in bitter grief. I tried to comfort her, telling her how Bryan had ridden in hot haste to the rescue; she smiled a little at that. 'Dear, bravo Bryan," she whispered; "if anyone will save the wee laddie Bryan will." J I think that the thought of Bryan going alone in .search of his little brother gave her great comfort, for he had always made a study of the ways and habits of the blacks, and could talk to some of the tribes in their own language; tor in many things Bryan was very, very clever.

Ho had tho tracker's instinct, which is the greatest gilt a, bushman can have; and hj had learnt from the blacks all that they could teach him in the matter of tracking, so that even at this time, when he was but a boy, he could follow a trail through the bush as unerringly as a blood-hound; and he had the gift of finding a trail to start on. That \vas wonderful. Mother used to say that it was almost like the gift of second sight. It was that which made her say, that if anyone could save the wee laddie, Bryan would. Now let me toll of the happenings that came to father and Davie, when they rode to the stockman's side; they had barclv time to greet him", when he cried— "Look out foTyourselves, Killowen; the blacks are coming to destroy your homestead, and that infernal villain. Black Andy, the renegade trooper, is lending them." ' .

Father laughed very grimly,' at that, as Davie told me later.

M Turn your horse's head, man,"' lie cried, "and let's face these black vermin, a? we are three white men, and all armed: and there's a youngster out in {.he bush somewhere who will do his share of the fighting if his chance comes. Have you seen anything of the child you went to look for?" "

"Not a sign." was the grave reply; "I fear the blacks have taken him."

At that Davie said he heard father grate his teeth together as if he were crushing glass ; and , the next iawtteiii,jk.a:aiise(i-his_ rifle and tired, and a naked black who had lifted himself out of the grass gave a yell and fell flat forward on his face; and then the fight began. ' > The blacks tried all their wiles, but the stockman was a very old" hand, and knew everv, trick of theirs; and the natives would have been beaten off easily if it had no* been for the renegade trooper Black Andy, who was a clever scamp, and bloodthirsty. After the tight had been in progress for nearly two hours, and the blacks were slowly retreating, Davie saw Bryan tome riding over a hill with little Ken on the saddle in front of him. At the same lime ho saw the renegade Black Andy sneaking from cover to cover so as to intercept Bryan. The black leader had a double-barrelled shot-gun, and he had evidently seen Bryan long before our people did. The instant Davie realised the danger, he dug his spurs into his horse and tried to get between his brothers and that sinister figure, creeping forward with murder and hatred in eyes and heart.

Bryan saw Davie riding towards him at full speed, and thinking that Davie .was trying to get to him quickly, he lifted his horse into a gallop, and ran headlong towards the death his brother was trying to save him from. David stood in the saddle and shouted to him to go back, but Bryan could make nothing of it. He only realised the danger when he saw Davie make ? snap-shot at the outlaw in the high grass. The bullet missed, and then, with an evil grin on his black face, Black Andy rose up and covered the *' wee laddie" with Doth barrels. lit an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, Bryan hurled little Ken headlong out of the saddle into the coarse grass; but it saved his life, for even as he left the strong, loving arms of the lad who loved him more dearly than life itself, the black pulled the trigger, and Bryan's right arm fell useless by liis side, tho flesh and muscle being riddled with shot.

Bryan, who was as full of craft as a savage himself, tumbled headlong off his horse as if he had been killed,, and then Black Andy turned his attention to Davie. Wheeling round, he sent the contents of the other barrel full at dear Davie's chest, and with a choking cry our laddie went out of the saddle over the horse's crupper. It was well for him that both father and the stockman had ridden full speed after him. or the renegade trooper would have finished his evil work. Am it was, he thought, only, of making good his escape when he saw the two wellarmed men galloping towards him. Dropping down in the high grass, he slipped away like a serpent, and went off with his band to pillage and murder on an adjoining station. Mothei and I were standing by the sliprail watching anxiously, when we saw the cortege coming slowly towards us. First of all came Bryan with his right arm bound across his chest, with the " wee laddie" riding behind him. Then came father and the stockman, holding dear DavTo between them on his horse as best they could; we knew by the .way his head lay over on father's arm that our boy was badly hurt, and I think that in that moment I became a woman.

We did not wait for them to come to us, but ran inside and prepared the beds for the wounded. I know that mother's heart was nearly bursting with anguish, yet I marvelled to see how cool and quick she was. She flew noiselessly from room to room, bringing sheets and pillows and bandages, and ointments from the boxes and drawers, just like a trained nurse, and never once turned her eyes towards the door until the tramp of hoofs told her that those she loved had come home.

I expect it must have been the old Border blood awake in her; for in the old days in Scotland, women of her race must have watched their wounded loved ones brought borne many a time after a wild foray, and I think that blood comes out in men and women, even y.fter many generations. The stockman steadied Davie in the saddle whilst father sprang down, and then he took his boy in his arms and carried him inside and laid him on the bed; and mother and I undressed him and put him to bed, and washed and dressed his wounds as well as we could; but he looked past all mending as he lay there so white and wan; with the dark hollows deepening under his eyes, and the froth coming to his lips every time he drew a breath. " Wc have done all that

can be clone just now," said mother ;" "but if the boy is to be saved, we,must have the doctor from Mullgan-in township with all speed." Father nodded. "I've been thinking of that, lassie," he answered; "but who is to go? The black beasts may come nt us at an moment; and the : stockman and I • dare not leave you, for, if we do, a worse thing than this might happen." " Lot me go, father. I can ride as well as anyone, and I am lighter than any of you; mid besides," 1 added eagerly, "I know the way better than anyone else. I've been to the township in the saddle four or live times, and I always take the short-cut by the creek, and overßlue Gum Hollow." I think father would have consented, for he ran his hand over my hair, and smiled into my face; but mother looked into his eyes. "Na, na, not 'the lassie," she whispered, 'hitching his arm. "Ye ken the name Black Andy has, and if he got his evil hands on Kate, ye ken what would happen. There are worse things than death, glide num. So put the saddle on the best horse yc can lay hands on, and I'll ride for the doctor mysel'." Bho had a pretty way of speaking, dropping a quaint old 'Scots word into her conversation now and then that made it very pleasing to listen to. Father ran his arms round hoi neck, and I saw bis mouth quiver as he kissed) her. "I didn't wed a Lindsay o' the Dale for nothing," be murmured: and as he spoke ho slipped his pistol into her hand. " You shall have the blood mare, dear, she's not much more than half-broken, but you can ride her. and she's a wonderful bit of horseflesh ; with your light weight up she'll gallop all the way to the township and never tire, she's puro blooded and bush bred'. Slip away and get into yom habit whilst I saddle the mare; whilst' you are gone Kate and I will dress Bryan's wounds." At that, mother cried out, "Bryan! I had forgotten him; where is the laddie, is he much hurt':"

" He's got a wound that may cost him his right arm, wife," answered "father: "but there is no immediate clangor. I'll bet that ho and the stockman and little Ken are keeping watch for the blacks." He wont to the door as he spoke,, and looking out. called in a moment, "Ay, "it's as I thought. Little Ken is standing up on top of the stable roof, and the stockman is riding in a circle about three hundred yards away, but I can't see Bryan." At that he went off, whilst, mother slipped on her habit; and I knelt by poor wounded Davie, and bathed his forehead and wiped the froth from his gasping lips. Father was not away long, and when he came back there, was a, strange expression on his face. " Take off the habit again, wife," he said. " Bryan lias gone on the blood mare to thetownship for the doctor." ""Gone!" exclaimed mother. "Bryan gone! How could you let the poor wounded laddie 20 on such an errand?" and as she spoke the tears tilled her eyes. ■ "I did not let Bryan go, wife; he did not wait for permission. Little Ken told me that as soon as you and I came into the house with Davie, Bryan told the stockman to saddle, the blood mare. Then he said to Ken. 'Climb on thereof of the stable, wee laddie, and watch for the blacks with all your eyes, for I must ride for a doctor for boy Davie.' " When the stockman wanted him to give up the idea, because the mare was only halfbroken, and not fit for him to vide in his wounded condition, Bryan had retorted: "She'll go quieter with me than with anyone, for 1 broke her; and, besides there's no one else to go. The wee laddie is too small. You and father must stop to fight the blacks',* and beat them off : and mother and Kate must keep the life in old Davie till the doctor comes."

So the stockman hoisted him into the saddle, and hatless and coatlos li« had gone flying off on his terrible ride, with his wounded arm bound up in a strip of father's shirt.

It was strange to see father and mother look at each other when that talo was told. I think they were wondrously proud of their boys. Father's voice was very husky as he said : —

"We've had hard luck, little woman; hard luck, brought about by my accursed folly : but, thank God for such boys as those we "have bred; for there's not one fullgrown mai- in a thousand wh«" would' have* undertaken such a ride on a half-tamed mare,■"• with ; one! arm. torn to" piec«.«s brsfe gun-shot. It must be the old blood and the old spirit that men had in the day* of your, forebears, when the Lindsays o' the Dale wore men of their hands.''

" You are forgetting," cried mother, with a sad smile,."that your own people, the Killowens of Armagh, were rare hardy men and true."

"Well, well," he answered her, "perhaps it is the blend of the blood: but, whatever the cause, our boys are boys to be proud of."

Oh, how often I have thought of those words and of that scene since then. Little did we think that a day was coming when those same bonny, bonny laddies. Would be riding with a price upon their heads, and tint father would be a desperate, hunted man ; and little Kenneth the -— But, there,, there, let me get on with my story. After a little time father went out and sent Ken in to us, whilst he watched himself. He was in a bitter mood, and every time he saw a bough stir in ihe bush, or the grass out on the plains move suspiciously, he would lift his rifle and send',a bullet in that direction; and all the time we two women watched by Davie, and bathed his wounds, and noted how the fever grew apace 'upon him. Tho wee laddie told us at intervals, in low whispers, of his own adventures. He had gone to look for the red cow and her calf, and failing to find her at the dam, and knowing we needed the milk, he had ridden round the dam until lie picked up her tracks— he knew they were the. tracks of the lost cow because of the tracks of the calf.

After following the strays for about an hour, he had noticed that several tracks of naked feet had crossed and rocrossod the

trail ha Was following; and though only a child tins had made him watchful. At last he lost her tracks, because they entered a thick patch of scrub timber, and he had been forbidden by his father and mother ever to enter that kind of country. So, like the brave little fellow he was, he rode his clever pony round the patch of scrub, and then he came across the body of the calf stuck full of spears, which gave him a great fright; so he rode his pony into a. patch of very high grass, md had caused it to lie down as Bryan had taught him.

Then, crouching down by the body of his four-footed friend, he had pe.icd out through the grab's. It was well for the wee laddie that he had followed Bryan's teaching so faithfully, for he had not been in hiding long before ho saw a, lot of blacks, all hideously decorated in their war-paint, emerge from a belt of timber, and come marching down towards the dead body of the calf.

They saw the tracks of the pony at once, and seemed very much surprised. For a. little while they stood leaning upon their spears, gazing in the direction of his hidingplace, but as there were no trees in that direction they seemed to come to the conclusion that the horseman who had been there had ridden away, because it did not enter into their calculations to think that a rider might have trained his horse to lie down in the grass for the purpose of hiding from enemies. . '

They next built a fire and cooked as much of the calf as they needed, and ate it; and all tho time the wee laddie watched them.

Then he saw them move away in the direction of our home, and he soon became aware that there were several bands of blacks in the vicinity, and all b n nt upon mischief. At last he could stand the strain no longer, so determined to leave his pony and creep through the grass, and so make his wav back home.

But he was forced to make a wide detour, because of another body of natives who came from a different direction and he was alternately hiding and creeping until he saw Bryan ridintr towards him. He cooeed, and Brvan rode towards him and picked him up. and then rode back to get his pony, but they found the poor creature had been speared bv the natives', who had somehow found it where the child had left it. All the rest we knew. The blacks had evidently had enough of our place, and of father's rifle, for they did not come near us again that day. (To be continued daily).

Lame hack may he cured by applying Chamberlain's Pain Balm two 01 throe times a day, _ with ft vigorous rubbing' at each application.