An Adventure With the Native Police.

Otago Witness, Issue 1421, 15 February 1879, Page 22

An Adventure With the Native Police.

IN TWO OHAPTEES. (Written for the Otago Witness.) JBy an Ex-Detective. Chapter 11. Away we went at a gallop. Careless cf heat, we dashed along the road for about i mile. Then, a turning took us into the bush. We let the bkeka lead now, and we two rode a little behind them. The natives wer* keenly excited, and said as much,

Macpherson smiled slightly. " Wait a little," he said, quietly.

After a short pause, I observed, I thought you weren't to start till sundown ? "No," he replied, "but murder is a different thing from a petty theft. I want as much daylight as I can get, now. "To track 'em?" A grimly significant jjnod was answer enough. Presently a shout from the troopers told us we were in view of the hut. A hard gallop soon brought us all round it. The door was open. Round it was scattered a quantity of flour, and a closer inspection showed a little tea as well. All was still inside. Giving his mare to a trooper, the officer went quietly into the hut. I followed him, while the doorway became filled with black faces lit up by white, gleaming eyeß. "It's been this way," said M'P. ;'He's been struck down from behind," pointing as he spoke to the body, which I now saw lying on the floor. "Sick, most likely, else he^ouldn't have been at that time. That's hotv^t was," and a look at the head showed a fearful wound on the back of the skull. I'es, that was where the life went. " Now, Billy," pursued the super. " Yau come here and tell us." In a whisper to me, " Billy speak English pretty well." Almost before I could turn my head, the big black was on his knees, and turning over the corpse. A low guttural sound, and a quick gesture made us look. Ha ! the clothes •were torn by the shoulderblade. I looked inquiringly at Mac, "Yahl him snear go here!" said the blackfellow, "deep too!" and so it was. The spear had hit him low in the back, and come out near the heart. The head had been smashed in by a waddy. "Now, Billy, how many?" said his chief. "Not know yet," said Billy, "soon tell. Only one, mine think it." " Only one ! " I repeated. "Likely enough," said M'Pherson. "It don't take many to surprise and murder a poor old man." There hadn't been so much to take, after all. A bag of flour, a little sugar and tea, Borne tobacco, a billy, and, as we afterwards discovered, a bottle of rum. Meanwhile, the black trooper's piercing glances were rolling round the hut. "Him quambi there," pointing to the rude bed. "Him sick. Bime by, blackfellow come, him spear go in," and Billy imitated the quick throwing of a spear with a precision that only long practice could have given. "Him roll over, so," patting the ground, "roll him eye, and get waddy," patting the head. "Him head lie here," shewing a place we had not noticed, but where we could now see a pool of gore, "blackfellow turn him oyer, feel in him pocket, get baocy ! " and Billy triumphantly shewed it all in pantomime. ' * Him roll him over again, yah ! " and with a yell the black pointed to the marks of bloody fingers on several things in the hut. Billy now was aflame with eagerness, and rushed out of the hut, Mac and I after him, scarcely less eager. Presently a r black shouted, "Him horse gone ! " . "I never heard of his having a nag !" said M'P., but renewed shouts of "Him horse gone ! blackfellow take horse ! " left no doubts about the mattter. It seemed that the murdering villain had tied his booty about him as well as he could, had fastened the billy and rum bottle to the saddle, and had managed to mount the poor fellow's horse. But the horse was addicted to the exhilarating pastime of buck jumping, rather a common failing among Aastralian nags. We could follow the trail pretty easily. " Him buck, buck, here ? " said Billy, excitedly, "yah, there he go ! Him no stick on long, mine think it," and he led us at a sharp pace, stopping every now and then to point out where the fidgetty brute kept bucking. Evidently the black ridar had no very easy time of it. " The fellow must have been something of a rider, I know," remarked Mr M'Pherson, "or he'd have been off long before this. I didn't reckon on anything of the sort. Hallo ! what is it, Billy?" " Him bolt here," said Billy. "Away him go ! " and off we swept at a gallop as our sable guide followed hard on the traces, which now pointed to a bit of rather dense scrub some three miles away. " Him there ! " said Billy, savagely, "we catch him." The blackfellow led us at a gallop till we were about a mile and a-half from the scrub. Then he checked his horse, went on agaio, again stopped him, muttering to himself, and plainly irresolute. t "Ishe at fault, M'Pherson ?" I said. > "No, I scarcely think so," he replied, slowly. " Most likely it's a double." Billy finally turned off to the left, walking his horse, and keenly eyeing the ground. Presently his quick eje saw some object ahead of him, but more away from the bush. Billy dashed up to it, we after him. "Him buck, hero, and here, and here," said the darkie, "and here him thrown" pointing to where a broken bottle lay on the turf. Flour was also scattered about. i Billy then rode some distance along the traces, but soon returned, quite satisfied. "Him horse go off there," said the black, 1 ' Now, where Mm go ? " Getting off his nag, Billy led us steadily towards the bush. A broken twig, a small stone touched by a foot, a displaced bunch of grass with its 'bent stems, all were as aa open road to those keen eyes, whose glances nothing could escape. A few grains of flour had fallen from the bag. Our man had concealed them, but not so skilfully but that Billy spied them. Suddenly, a few hundred yards from the scrub. Billy stopped suddenly, and warned us back. Going Jon his hands and knees, for the day waa closing, he made a close scouting of the trail. Rising, he went cautiously along, then held up two fingers. " Two, Billy ? " said MPherßon. " One come, there, two go back," said the tracker. "Him (meaning the one we were after) lame, go so, like wallaby," and Billy imitated the walk of a lame man. "Him hurt, no go far. lookout." " Steady now," said our chief. " He's been hurt by bis fall, but he's not disabled. I suppose some other blacks saw him coming ; pnp has come to meet Mm, any way. Look

out, now, for God knows how many are in that scrub." It was now fas* getting dusk. We tied our horses securely to trees on the edge of the scrub, leaving a clear interval of about a score yards over which any one coming from the bush musb pass. Two blacks were left in charge of them. I have said that four carried spears at starting, but some mu&t have had an extra number, for every man now carried a spear. The blacks approached the timber very warily, marking the trail. Not a word was spoken, but they clutched their weapons grimly, and I saw Mac getting loose his revolver. We were now close to a large tree. Billy, and a black who was close to him, Btopped and cast eager glances at this tree. Their gleaming eyes seemed almost to light up the gloom. A few words were whispered, and all the blacks, though still keeping partly under cover, advanced and surrounded it. " Him no there," said Billy at length. He cast one more look about him, then led us round the tree. He must have scented water, for he made us understand that there was water ahead of us, but he couldn't have seen it. On we crept, Billy in front, two blacks a little behind him, and the others, to use a military word, executing a flanking movemerit. If any one is surprised at us taking the rear, let him ask himself what chance of success he would have in the hunting field, if he kept ahead of the hounds ? Presently we caught sight of the water. A large, smooth pond, thickly fringed with bushes, to the water's edge. We all approached it eagerly. I was striding away recklessly, when my friend caught me by tbe arm. "Down, man, down wi' ye. It's not 'possums ye're after," his Scotch accent coming out in his excitement, for we were near the end of the run. The blacks were stooping cautiously, scanning the water with curious eyes. " I didn't hear a splash," I whispered. "No," he replied, "you must have an extra sense or two here, believe me," leaning on my arm as he spoke. "Ha!" he exclaimed, forgetting himself for the moment, and I felt his whole body thrill with excitement. "I do believe they've got him ! " Several of the troopers had apparently made the discovery at the same time. It seemed that a close examination of the water's edge had revealed the fact that the water had been washed up, or had advanced upon the bank, about an inch. Something must have entered the pool to cause this, bo the inference was that one or more of the game were at that moment in the water at our feet ! I have said it was a large pond. In it were many reeds growing. I thought it possible, perhaps, for the luckless wretch to be among the reeds, and yet, how could he escape those rolling eyeballs ? The myßtery was soon solved. Six black faces were watching the reeds. Billy Baw something, evidently, and another almost as soon, for two arms were hastily thrown back, and two spears would have whizzed into the lake, when M'Pherson sprang to stop them. Profiting by the moment's advantage, the hunted man rose to the surface, dashed to the other side of tho pond, and disappeared among the scrub ! "After him!" shouted MT. "Alive! take him alive ! " Reckless of danger — I was, at all events — Iwe tore after him. We hadn't far to go. Lamed by his fall, he was partially helpless, and had stopped after running a few yards, with his back against a giant tree, game to the last ! My blood was up, I suppose, for I ran full tilt at him. The cries of the natives I could not understand, and Mac's voice was unheeded. I saw him raise his arm, and I instinctively stooped. Not quite low enough, though, for I felt the spear pass like red-hot iron through my shoulder. It was his last weapon. As Mac came up, he began throwing pieces of bark at us with great precision, but he had only thrown about half a dozen, when a bullet from the superintendent's revolver pierced him. Billy, not to be quite balked, sent his spear whistling through the body. " Sorry for it, but it couldn't be helped," said M'Phersbn. "He hit you, didn't he ? " I showed him the wound, which he examined anxiously. "Not much, my dear fellow, I'm happy to tell you, though I don't doubt it smarts terribly. I've had a similar prick before now. There," I hope that's more comfortable ? " tying it up with his handkerchief. " Much, thank you. But how did he baffle us so long ? " " He had a reed stem in his mouth," was Mac's answer, "to breathe through. Keeping that above water an inch or so, he could hide himself completely. But Billy was too 'cute for him. A clever dodge, though ; no one but a blackfellow could have done it. I say — I hope your arm doesn't pain you very much ? " " No ; 0 no," I replied, though, to tell the truth, the pain was intense. We'll get to camp as quickly as we can ride. Then I can soon doctor it for you," said my chief very kindly. "Here, Billy," turning round to the blacks who, he supposed, were quietly following us. But no Billy answered. We stopped, and looked anxiously around us. " Whatever can they be thinking of ? " he said, sharply. For a few moments there was intense silence. Around and above us the trees echoed sadly to the voice of the nightwind : a night-bird brushed slowly past us with flapping pinions : a twig snapped by our tread, broke the stillness for a second : when an appalling yell, followed by a chorus of cries sounded in the distance. " The scoundrels ! I see it all ! " cried MThenon. "It's just like them ! Come along, Phil. We'll find them all by the horses." It turned out as he said. We learned that one blackfellow had been seen stealing along to where our horses had been left, thinking to find them unguarded. They let him alone for tho time, and as soon as the first had been dispatched, hurried after him, knowing, as they assured Mr M'Pherson, there were no others in the scrub. But our sentries were not to be caught napping. Being in haste, and not suspecting that a watch had been set, he came along carelessly, and was heard by the troopers. Knowing it could be none of their party, they hid in the scrub, and waited. Presently he came along int^o the open, and took a careful look

at the horses. "Nora " evidently was most to his taste, and he went towards her, when two spears stretched him gasping on the turf. We rode home silently. Two of us, at all events, were glad to get there. "You go in and get some tea, said MTherson kindly. "I'll manage," So saying, he pushed me into the house, and went off. He was soon back again. " They're happy enough," he said. " What did you give them ? " " A good supper, and a new pipe and some tobacco to each man, with an extra piece to Billy. He's the hero of the night." " They're pleased, I suppose ?" " Happy as possible," he replied. " They'll eat till they can't eat any more ; then they'll smoke and jabber half the night. But you're tired, I know, so we'll have a little to eat and then go to bed, to dream of the loved ones at home. Ah ! shall I ever see them again ? " he said, dreamingly. Then, rousing himself, he was the cheerful, collected host again. Such was my first adventure among the Australian native police. I never forget it, though I had many a one afterwards. But you are tired, reader, and so am I. Goodnight.