A LINPSAY 0' THE DALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13607, 28 November 1907, Page 3

A LINPSAY 0' THE DALE.

ptjBWSSED BY SPECIAL ARBANQEMBNT. i * '. \ '"■"' '""" ' ' : V' ''*'"''l

• ' BY A. G. HALES, Author of " The Watcher' on • the Tower," ' ™Dri*(»n. Kins of Scouts." " McGlusky," , V •-lair the Apostate.'* etc, etc COPYRIGHT. • • • CHAPTER (Continued). - DAVIE, looking back, saw that the puv> m'ers were coming on at the top of their ipeed. .„",.., . •*To the saddle again, Basil; we've drawn them on. Now let's keep them " . juit out 'of'rifle range; we can't afford a fight, hot yet." So they rodo on, a ™ the police pursued, , until the* sergeant's horse suddenly stopped ,; galloping and fell into a trot, and tailed off behind. Soon another and another fell out* and the police force became a long P,' draggling line of men. Only Diugo kept ttorog as 0 i old, for he was mounted on a Stock-horse that was three-quarters thort oucbbi-ed, with a strain of Timor pony in :'-/. if about as hardy a blend as a rider could wish to get. Slowly but suwly he forged ahead of the rest, until ho was well away by himself, ! carried on by the lust of hunting. The outlaws noticed this, and Basil, who could ride like a circus clown, slewed himself ' round m his saddle, so that ho .sat with his ; face to his horse's toil. ' "Take my reins and steady Tame Hawk, • Dave," he said; "I'll watch this beggar who is coming up," "It's, one of the black trackers," he '. cried, after a bit; and he unslung his rifle »nd'dusted it carefully. Then, replacing the cartridges, ho lit has pipe, and smoked just as if there was no danger within a thousand miles of him. flis comrade, watching him, smiled ad. mirin'grv', for Basil .McAllister's fearlessness : . was a thing to make even the boldest wonder; Davie saw through his comrade's plan,' and gradually, almost imperceptibly, glowed down the pace of the two horse's, jo that the tracker, without reallv noticing ; it, came well within range of the deadly rifle that was in waiting for him. . :Basil took his pipe out of his mouth, and dropped ;it into nis pocket. "I can get him now, Davie, for a-cer- ■':•• tainty." -. 'That was all he said ; the next instant he had" put his hand on Tame Hawk's quarter, and cad leapt lightly to the ground.. '.''The two norses went on, for Davie did not want to startle the tracker. Basil knelt down, and took a long, deliberate aim and ; fired. "'The tracker stood bolt upright in his saddle for just a second, and then, waving his - arias wildly, he went headlong off his horse oh to the plain. • .Davie, rode back to his chum, f "You don't make many mistakes with a , rifle. Basil," ho said. * ".' -"No," was the answer; "and I don't wean to spare any of these fellows I get a shit at. , I'll deaf with them as they would deal with me." > The .shoot in of Dingo made the leader of police very wild, because the black was not ; : only -the best tracker hi the whole outfit, but he was far and away the pluckiest. v ; As, the outlaws rode* steadily /forward, they ' both -became dreadfully uneasy, for there was no sign of water anywhere, and, without water, their good animals would soon founder. i The sun went down, and the dusk came, Hid yet no water-hole or creek came under bheir eyes. They had dismounted, and were walking their animals. "As-the darkness came upon the world, DavieJjave a glad cry; ■ -"Wi.*t is it, old man?" asked Basil. .Davie almost shouted his reply. " Lights, Basil I Look away to., the right von. There are lights twinkling through . toe night, and where there are lights there must bo water for our horses. So come along*" The pair got to saddle without de•lay, and turned their horses' beads towards tfce)twinkling flames, that looked like red iters in the far distance. ■; "Wonder what sort of place it is, and what sort of'reception we: will ( get when - * -arrive V Basil? '! • V "I think I know, for I was told to look Wt- for. a log drinking-shanty just about here. If it should prove to be the place I think it is, we will be right enough, anlessa posse of police has been posted there, which is hardlv probable," was his comrade's reply. '"Anyhow, we've got to go ■■ on and chance it, for the horses are fam-

*hed." ' '■■ ' * ' ■ ' , , ■Theyhad.but little more to say to each Tther.-and each was busy. with Ins own thoughts as.thev steered through the night. When within a .quarter of a mile of the habitation thev heard dogs barking, and a little later a* whole pack ot kangaroo hounds came round their horses, snapping and snarling. '..'.; -, . , A ■,-':' ■;" We must take the bull by the horns, and risk it," whispered Davie. "If there ' ire police inside, why, well have to ngnt, thats all." ' ' ,' ' " " .i , ' .They walked their horses up. to the low retandah, got from the saddle, and, revol-ver-in band, threw' open the door and strode into the ill-lighted bar-room.; of a bock-Mock shebeen.'. '■'•t'f'-j - -There was a low, narrow .counter, behind wh:oii >tood.a big man.with a red, bloated v; ; face-an evil-looking beast if one ever existed. At the "far end of the bar there were a number of casks on end, and upon these sat a typical bush crowd of -the .V.'; time. ■ ' >-.■..■.' ■ ■ • .■ ■ * " '"Bail up!" was the curt command; and the lot lifted their hands above their heads. -"We're all hawks here, mates," cried the man behind the bar; ." no pigeons and DO' decoy ducks either." . : ""We'll make sure of that for our/elves/' was Basil'sgruff reply; " wetake nothing on trust." ' ; ■ . ' "You're different from the- landlord then, my hearty/' cried one fellow, with an' oath. " He* gives nothing on trust; ' A burst of merriment greeted this sal- ■ ly, of rude wit. Then, one by one, withoat.ay. show of temper or ill-will, the crowd allowed themselves to be searched, and they were found to be a veritable ; ~v : assemblage of hawks. ' . Davie at once tossed down on the counter a roll of notes. ~ , ■ ' "Divide this amongst you, he cried. "And you, landlord, show me the way ■ to yonr"stable. We must have water and food for our nags, then food for our- ' reives." ' Half a dozen willing helpers soon had ; the horses comfortably • settled, and then ihe outlaws returned to the bar, and ordered drinks for the crowd. .When the bottle had been set in motion, .; Davie "drew the landlord on one side. '"'Do you know me"" he asked. "I can't swear I do, but I'd say you were the captain of the Killowcn gang ■ from the look of you and the look of your horse." V'''That's'a good guess, " Now, listen.' I • never ask a man to serve mo. for nothing ; I pay, and pay high for help. Do you want to earn a roll of notes?" ; The ruffian swore vilely to emphasiso the fact that he was willing to do so. "Very well, then. Point out a : man : know, a man you can trust. I want » good man on a good horse to go back and find out just what a mob of police and black trackers who have followed us vail' day are doing now. Their horses are , run off their legs, but the fellow who is « command seems a resolute sort of chap, and I want to know every move he makes. 11l pay the scout, and • pay him like a Vprince.. But, listen, if he is false and betrays us - wl y j y oli an( y OUr home will ■ , »V"> that's all."

; ,"That'little old man over there, with ' one' eve, is the fellow for your work,'." «xclaimed the landlord eagerly. "He „ knows the' plains about here as well as ■"' * know a bit of gold when I see it-. He *'on'fc betray you; ho hates police like a make hates" fire. I'll call him, and you jj can drive your own bargain." This was eoon done, and the one-eyed tuan., slipped away into the night, and ; the two comrades, leaving money enough If * 3 pay for a wild night's orgie for the : °ush&iwks, went into an inner room, '«sd one slept whilst the other watched. Just after the,break of day the one-eyed came back. He had found the police, a "a his news was startling. - .. . .. , &j^sW%'s'&■■■ ! '" .■'''.

" I came across them," said . he; " marching along towards this ;% - place. Every man was carrying his saddle and bridle, .they, were not getting over the ground very. fast, but they ■ are f matting a bee-line for this shanty. . Someone with them knows the way right enough. I-hob-bled my norse out, and Joined them in the dark, and they never guessed that I was not one of their men." "Why have they left their horses?" *' Because they are all knocked up.. From what I could pick up from their talk, they expect to be able to raise five or sis horses here, and with those they mean to head you off, and'give warning in front of you at the stations, so as to have you blocked; and at the same time they will have horses sent oia here from stations, so as to prevent you breaking back. They are going to stick to you as close as .a 'burr to a blanket, and wear you out." .'--..

"When will they.get hero?" " I give them sis hours to do it on foot,"

"'We will be a good many miles from here by then, my friend," chuckled Basil; " and when they ?do get here they won't, find a saddle-back to carry the news ou ahead of us; we'll see to that."

The outlaws rounded up all the ridinghacks about the place, and shot them, paying handsomely for the animals destroyed. Then they cantered off, leaving the one-eyed scout richer by a good many pounds than he had ever hoped to be. When the leg-weary police officers at last came upon the scene, they wore met by an indignant and not too sober group of bushmen, who implored them to catch the terrible Killowens, who had been there all night, and had been guilty of all kinds of violence.

" Round up every saddle-hack you have, and be quick about it," was the officer's peremptory order.

"Thi.it sounds like a blessed echo," cried tho one-eyed man, throwing up his hands in well-feigned wonder.

"An echo? What do yon mean?" harshly demanded the officer of the .law. " Why, it's almost tho very words the Killowens used, and when we did it they shot everything that was fit to carry a saddle."

The police looked hard into the suntanned faces, and knew that the bushmen were chuckling inside themselves over the discomfiture that had befallen tho pursuers, but they could. do nothing under the circumstances, as the dead horses in the adjoining stockyard bore out the story the men had told.

The officer in charge was a hard man to beat, however. Ho sat down and wrote several letters, and ' giving one each ; to the best runners amongst his. black trackers, he despatched them to various stations, mail depots, and contractors' camps, asking for horses, and requesting that news of tho Killowens* flight across the downs might be sent on in every direction. ' '..;:

Then he saw that his men were well fed, and, having done this, laid himself down in a ; shady spot to sleep—whilst away ahead of him the two outlaws moved steadily, nursing their horses bv all means jinown to them. " .

(To be continued dailyi