A LINDSAY 0' THE DALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13610, 2 December 1907, Page 3

A LINDSAY 0' THE DALE.

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

BY A. G. HALES, Author of " The Watcher on the Tower," " Driscoll, King of, Scouts," " McGlusky," " Jair tho Apostate," etc., etc. COPYRIGHT. CHAPTER XII.-(Contii)ucd.) The three comrades looked at; the speaker in undisguised amazement. They had never considered that this rough, hardy fellow had any sentiment in his composition, and his words astonished them.

" You don't want to come with us, then, is that it?" asked Bryan. The man laughed. If you were remaining in the bush I'd never leave you. I have no kinsfolk; I don't want a wife op a home. . I just want to roam about in tho wilds. I love this life, and I should pine to death away from it. Lot me take the two horses, and I'll work back into the Never-Never country easily enough."

" Do you mean to follow bushranging when we have gone?" queried Davie. " No, 1 haven't the head for it. I'd be run. down in a month. Besides, ] have as much money as I want. I'll just push away through the great Barrier ranges— they are desolate enough—and on through them into Queensland. I'll strike the border at Thargomindah, * and make my way to a spot I know of where I can take up a selection and stock it. I shall be far away from all white men. The country is good, and I can bo happy there until my time comes to die. I love cattle and horses, and sheep, and I'll make the. blacks work for mo. It is the life I am suited for, and I can easily get stock back that way ; and I'll take good care to keen the old horse out of sight of all white men. He'll remind me of you, and of the wild' gallops we have had together." " I know the place he is speaking of, though I have never been in Queensland," remarked Bryan. "He has raved about it to me night after night, and day after day, as we came on with the mob of Moombab horses. Ho talked about it so much that I should bo able to steer my way to it if ever I wanted to. Who knows?perhaps I may want to do so some day." ' • So it was settled, and with many a kindly word, and with many a hearty grip of tho hand, the boundary rider parted from the men with whom he had been allied so long, and upon so many desperate enterprises. The world might call him a bad man in many respects, but he bad this virtue'; he was true to the marrow to hip friends. As he rode away on old Honeyball, leading the Timor mare with a pack on her back, Basil, who was watching Davie's face, remarked, "I'm glad my horse died in the flooded river. IV. have hated to see Tame Hawk ridden away by another fellow." " It does hurt a man," was all Davie said. The three friends walked towards Wallaroo Bay, asking for work as they went. Bub for many dars aftei they had left him, tho boundary vicfer rod© back on the track they had come in order to watch if they had been followed; as he was quite ready to risk his life to give them warning of approaching peril. % Only once did lie . see any suspicious signs. He was about 'o camp one evening, and had already hobbied the Timor marc out on rich grass, w.'ien he saw several white men riding in his direction. He promptly pulled "old Honeyball back amongst some trees, and sitting like a statue in his saddle, with his hand upon 'lis pistol, lie watched the newcomers go by ; then he followed them until they camped for the night. . When ho saw their bivouac fij « shining 1 redly through the darkness, hi •nvped his bridle over a bough, and, oawihi .through tho grass, got close enough U. »-. heai the talk the travellers indulged in, £•;; ho convincfedshiiiMelMJiat they wSr^liit: «v stockmen out in search'of cattle that- ... !!' strayed. After making sure of this, the faithful" fellow went back to his owns camp. _ The next day,he- set his face towards the inhospitable "Barrier ranges, which at that period were shunned by all excMfc men on whose head the law had set a price, though in after years tho discovery of silver lode 3 made tho'Barrier' famous as Broken Hill. He was well armed, and had good horses and plenty of money, and the loneliness suited him, as <t does suit some men. When ho reached any kind of habitation, which was seldom, he used to hide Honeyball and ride the- Timor nwo and when be had purebred whatever sn\ r lies he needed, he would go as he came, giving out always that ho was a prospector m -March of copper. The others had fortune ujpor, their -ide tosome extent. Basil was engaged by a farmer, close to Wallaroo Bay, to break in and handle a number of young horses he had. Bryan got employment as a handy man in a rtore in the" little township, and Davie went to work as a surface hand on a copper mine. He had to wheel a barrow full of cooper ore for clever, hours a day. The "wages were very poor, tho work hard and uninteresting, but ho did not mind that. , Very few ships came into Wallaroo Bay, oxcepting now and again a coaster craft, '< and no one seemed to know just when a Japanese ship might touch there. But they kept on steadily at their work. When ! all the farmer's horses were " broken in," Basil got a job on the mine where Davie worked, and they met, apparently as I strangers, and became mates on the mine j and off it. Basil found the monotony j of things terribly irksome after their | wild; adventurous life, and he often said I that ho longed for just one more wild ride. Ho had nob Davie's steadiness of ' mind, nor Bryan's grim resolution. To I him life was only a game great unending gamble, in which he was one of the ' players, and for his life he cared but little £0 Ion;;; as he could die struggling fiercely. -At 'last, there came a change in the eituatian. Early one morning, as Bryan went towards the store where he was engaged, he saw a long, low ship, painted black from stem to stern, lying at anchor in the bay.

He was early, and had plenty of time, .so strolled, down to the funny little wharf and looked aOhe new-comer. Sho was long and low, and rather clumsily built. By and by a sailor came on ! deck, and Bryan gave a start of joyful surprise as he recognised that the man was a Jap. He remained a little while in suspense, and then lie saw.five or six more sailors tumble up 'from below, and he knew them all for Japanese. He knew, then, that the chance waited for so long had come at last. It was not long before he managed to send a note to Davie and Basil by a'boy, apprising them of the good news. '-'-.-■ He learnt from his employers that the Japanese ship had called to complete her cargo by filling up with copper ore for the Japanese Government, and ' that her stay would be short, not more than four or five days at the outside. When Davie came to the bay with Basil, be told Bryan that they had left the mine. ; Work-was rather slack the and they had drawn their pay without difficulty, not that the fortnight's nay due to them was important financially, but If two workmen had cleared out without drawing their money it would have caused suspicion and some .talk, and Davie was. too wary a general to run any risk of that kind.

The mine manager had given them both excellent characters as steady, industrious men, and Bryan had no doubt his employer would do the same when asked. Not a breath of suspicion had * attached to them so far, because not many convicts or outlaws ever found their way to South Australia, which was a colony mads up. entirely of free settlers who had emigrated there from the old world. There never was, and never will be, a convict settlement in tho southern country, a fact concerning which the southerners arc not a little proud. It was left with Davie to make all arrangements with the Japanese shipping people, and this did not prove a very difficult matter. They' offered cash, and very few questions were asked when once the yellow gold, was put in evidence. Davie arranged that he and his comrades should go'on board just as the anchor was to be weighed.

This they had fixed upon becanse they did not want tho folks in the Bay township to notice that white men wore leaving on a Jap. ship. The arrangements, were carried out "'in a most satisfactory manner. The vessel was-a* sailing ship, and did not touch at any port until she arrived at Yokohama, and the adventurers had a very quiet and uneventful time on board. I

They were able to pay well for any little soi'vico that was rendered them, a fact which the Japanese stewards wore not long in discovering, hence they had nothing to complain of. In Japan they represented themselves as American citizens, and set out to explore the country, which was not at that time very wcl 1 known to Europeans.,. Their quiet, unassuming manners, and their liberality, soon won them many friends, and for "a time life was a dream of happiness to them. They had been so used to being hunted like wild cattle that this pleasant life was* wondrous sweet.. The only lly in the ointment was their uncertainty concerning those near and dear to .Ihr-m'. \ Before leaving Australia, Davie had sent a message oy a sure hand to Mr. Thompson, informing him where ho was to be found; but, as it happened, things had been growing very warm for Thompson, and bo had wisely departed to Americi. for a time, so that wo were all utterly ignorant concerning the fata of our outlaws. m We did not dare to set any inquiries in motion, not knowing whom to trust, so, womanlike, we sat down to wait with what poor patience we could muster. All sorts of stories got into the city newspapers, and it was frequently averred that the famous Killowen gang was hiding in the far back-country, waiting to swoop down and make a sensational raid when least expected. The outlaws had grown tired of Japan, I and had drifted off to China, and there ! Davie made the acquaintance of a Chinese merchant , whose name was a household i word for straight dealing all _ over the Far East. The acquaintance ripened into friendship, and it was then that Davie ! told the merchant that ho was willing to pay a great price providing he could find a man who would deliver a letter to < me at our home in the bush. "Does much depend- upon this letter?" queried the merchant, "Three men's lives and the happiness of three women," was Davie's low reply. "That is too much to trust to a letter," answered ; the Chinaman. "A letter may be lost, or it may be stolen. Many things may happen to a letter. We have a better way in China. You leave tho arranging of tho matter to" mo." Three days later the merchant sent for Davie, and pointing to a Chinaman, who was dressed as a coolie, said, "Here is a man who will do your work for you. Tell him your message again and again, j until he has it written on his heart. He S will deliver it to your sister." "Can he bo trusted?" asked Davie. "Ha gives me a hostage for good faith. He leaves his father and son in my hands, and if he breaks faith with you their heads will go to the basket. Ho knows that, and will be faithful for their sakes. You will give him money for his passage out to Australia and back to China, and for expenses on the journey. And you will leave the reward he is to get in my hands. I will mind it until he returns with a message from your sister. This j man talks good English." . , So my brother gave the Chinaman his j lesson. „ , ' , ! Ho was to leave his ship -at Sydney and.! make his way to our home, travelling as J a hawker, with baskets and a pole. Ho, was to find me, and tell me to take passage to Liverpool for mother, Mary McAllister, and Kenneth. At Liverpool we were to split up our party so that we might not be easily traced. Mother and I, under the name of Roberts, were to go to Manchester; Mary and Kenneth, under the nom do guerre of Fail-burn;, wore to hide in LonWe were to remain in England like this for. six months, and then, one by one, were to. slin across to New York, and; from New York to Kentucky. Each of' us to change out names continually, as*;, we moved from,, one place to.pother never by any chance to correspond , y$M one another through the post. When w arrived in Kentucky wo were all to take the name of Lindsay, our mother's maiden name, and Davie would have someone oh the lookout for us, to draw us all together again. J The Chinaman was a clever man. Half his life, he had used his hoad as a sortof human letter-box. He soon got. the" sense - of Davie's message, and the next day he came and repeated it word for word, with remarkable accuracy. t Davie gave him a week jo make preparations, and then tried his memory/ again. Tho coolie laughed, and repeated* the message just as it had been uttered; to him. j

"You try me in five years, ten years,":, he exclaimed, "and you find no forget."! So my brother paid him the money agreed 1 upon for his expenses, and deposited the reward with the- merchant, and the coolie' disappeared from China. ; One day, as I was hanging some clothes on the line at the back of our hut, a Chinaman came to me and asked if I wanted to mak» any purchases, at the same •*time unsliuging his pedlar's pack from his shoulder-pole. I very gladly looked through his wares, for in an out-of-the-way district like ours a pedlar was a real godsend. Mary came and made some, purchases, and so did Kenneth, but mother sat and looked into vacancy, her elbows on her knees. When we had made our selection the Chinaman did up his pack again, and then asked if he might camp, as ho wag footsore and tired. We told him yes, he might remain as long as he liked, and he set himself to work to make himself com--fortable. Every time Kenneth or Mary, called to mo by name 1 noticed that the man looked at me like one studying a photograph. I learnt afterwards that my brother had described me to him. I noticed also that the pedlar kepi, repeating our names— Kenneth, Mary, Kate.

''Old woman got very sick heart," he said to me in a compassionate way as I stood near hiia. " Why she sit all day like" that, her son not dead?" "How do you know her son is not dead?" T ;uked, startled by -the.-man's words' and manner- ■- , '

"Never mind; by and by I tell." "Tell me now," I pleaded. '.'.'-' "Not now, make sure first." "You are a cruel man!" I exclaimed. , "No, not cruel. Mnst make sure, elso my father be killed, my eon be killed too. By and by I tell." I could get no more than that out of him. For a whole week he camped ■by our house,.pretending to be footsore; but I knew he was a sound man.

One day he met mo with a bland smile: "Mo sure now," he whispered. "Me tell." And he gave me Davie's message. I was nearly wild with joy, and soon told the others, and wo all made a great fuss over tho Chinaman. Then I gave him a let tor for Davie, but he handed it back, saying, "You talk it. I put it in my : head. ' Then if pleeccnan catchee mc, no will get." I did his bidding, and was amazed at his memory; ho must have' printed every word on his brain. "Soon got to China; glive it you Mother." - And then, with many bows and smiles of goodwill, the kindly yellow man slung his pedlar's pole upon his and, we watched him march .away on'his long, long journey. We thought It would not bo wise to move too soon after that visit, for wo did not' know whether the ; police had been watching or not. The black police had been round our place a good . deal at odd times, ; but they had never insulted us as they had done in the old days the terror of the Killowen name kept them civil. Bit. by hit we let it get abroad thjt we were going away from Australia, to join our own kinsfolk in Scotland and Ireland. Then at last we .took the coach for the long journey, and a sad thing it was when we went to get poor mother away from the grave under the gum-tree. (To be continued daily.)