Chapter 111.

Otago Witness, Issue 1727, 27 December 1884, Page 9

Chapter 111.

* SOUGHING IT.' 4 Travellers must be content.' Aleck Garston kept his resolve not to lose sight of. the Blakes, and towards the afternoon of a fiery day in November he and they arrived •at their destination—Forest Creek. It waa a canvas town in those days, and the only accommodation obtainable was a couple of rooms in a wretched little shanty. The owner, a lady of Irish nationality—' an bonest widdy, with foive small childher' — ' rSpJupied the one remaining room in the mansion : an arrangement which had its drawbacks, as in course of time the Blakes found, but tho honest widdy asked such an exorbitant rent for the whole house that they were obliged to tolerate her presence. It wa3 Aleck Garston who found this shelter for them. All his life long Mr Blake had bad servants at his beck and call —without them he was helpless ; and Boeing the young sailor's willingness to be nf service, he made use of him without the slightest scruple in a way that distressed Faith, the more so as she knewneither her uncle nor aunt regarded Aleck as on a ■ social equality with themselves. ' You can order your aunt a cup of tea, my dearj' said Mr Blake; 'we will dine at seven this evening, lam just going to have a look round before dusk.' And he strolled out, leaving Faith hot, and weary, and bewildered in the midst of boxes and packages in the comfortless rooms. * ' Now, Miss Faith, here are hammer and chisel, Let us open the cases, and then yov will be able to evolve order out of this chaos.' At the sound of that cheery voice the sun (to speak metaphorically) rushed from behind the clouds, but Faith only said: ' I am ashamed to think how we have already imposed on your kindness, Mr Garston. You must not do any more. Surely I can open these boxes myself ? Let me try.' He yielded the tools, and stood watching her with an amused smile. Faith went to work with a wil], but her utmost efforts could not force the lid. ' You see .you can't do without me,' said Aleck, taking ■ the tools into his own hands •gain. The words jarred a little on her; she was not ready to acknowledge the truth of them.She turned away, and busied herself with something else, wmle with great ease, and not a little noise, Garston opened case after case. 'Oh !' groaned Mrs Blake from the ' shakedown ' in che corner, where she was reclining helplessly. 'Oh, Faith, when will"the hammering cease, and when will tea be ready ?' Faith glanced round in fresh perplexity. Neither of their rooms boasted a fireplace. She knocked at the landlady's door. It was opened by the redoubtable Mrs O'Flaherty herself, who, with arms akimbo, surveyed her lodger with a charming air of independence. ' JToire, is it?' she said, in answer to Faith's timid appeal. 'Ah, thin, who'd be afther havin' a foire indoors in such a purgatory of a place as this same. Ido be bilin' me billy outside, and yez is welcome to a sup ay the hot wather, but yez must be afther helpin' yerselveß. Shure I'm an bonest widdy, with foive small childher, and it's meself has something else to do than wait on a couple of f oine ladies.' '• And with a glance of contempt at the prostrate Mrs Blake the lady withdrew. ' What a dreadful woman !' said Faith, shuddering. 1 She may be honest, but she certainly is not temperate,' remarked Aleck; ' I smelled rum on her from this distance, And now what is the next move ?' * Ob, since hot water .is obtainable, I can manage. There is some tea in that box; here are the cups and saucers; and the teapot is — now where is it ? Aunt, do you remember in which box the tea-pot was packed ?' > ' I think I saw it here,' said Aleck, opening a case, ' but I am afraid the side is stove in.' And he produced a metal tea-pot, very much the worse for packing. ' Ob, what a pity !' exclaimed Faith; while Mrs Blake said; ' You see, dear, as your uncle always" says, there is a providence in these things. If the bailiffs had. not refused to let us remove our stiver, my best tea-pot would have been ruined instead of that common thing.' Neither Mr nor Mrs Blake had the least idea of reticence, and all their fellow-passengers were aware of the circumstances which had led feo tb^u? emigration. "5W> common thing is all we have,' said Fay&Juefully, ' and I'm sorry it's spoiled.' _- i/Sot spoiled for service, T hope,' said Aleck, who had been busy at it. *There, it is usable now, if it has not sprung a leak.' Faith laughed as she measured in the tea. ' Now for the' " sup ay hot wather,"' she j&aid. * Put on your hat,' commanded Aleck; * remember you are in the tropics.' They went out exploring together, and found the fire burning in a nail can, which had been transformed into something resembling a Bolderer'a furnace. It had been placed in an ijipen shed, which afforded some shelter from the sun's rays. < r Faith looked round in secret dismay, Servants she already knew were unattainable luxuries; if they could get one, which was doubtful, they had no room for her. Qn Faith h,erself the cooking would devolve; how she tp satisfy her uncle's epicurean appetite, pr indeed to cook anything decently under such pircumstances, was an anxious problem. But, spite of it all, she felt strangely happy and light-hearted. . Aleck filled the tea-pot from the 'billy' steaming over the red coals, and then they re-entered the house, and between them mapaged to lay but the tea on Mrs O'Flaherty's rickety table with some degree of comfort, It waa a well-earned meal, and to two of them 'the milkless tea and indifferent bread were nectar and ambrosia; but poor Mrs Blake remembered the comforts of Holly Lodge, and bewailed them bitterly. .They were still seated at the table when Mr ■JUake returned. He was in a great state of excitement. His fortune, all their, fortunes, were made —or at least as good a? made. He had bought a claim, and tools tp work it, for a mere song, and intended to start work fir§t tbjnpf in the morning. " ' ' * The thing was a providence,' ha said, ' J was casting my eyes about, looking for a likely - place to begin work, when I came across a man \iigging away in what lookedfor all the world |ke a twf-sunk well, I stopped to watch him,

and he gave me good-day in such a civil manner that we got &H8 talk. Such an honest, obliging fellow I neVer met ; I got an immense amount of information from him, He has been very lucky — made his " pile," as he calls it, and all out of that very claim. Fancy two nuggets, as big as your fist, for one day's work ! ' ' Did he show them to you ? ' asked Faith, Mr Blake smiled superior. • Show them ! People don't carry such things about with them, my daar ; he sent them dawn by the escort. Well, I asked him if be was willing to sell. At first he wouldn't hear of it. He went on with his work, and in half a dozen strokes of the pick what does he como' on but another nugget as big as— well, say the bowl of this teaspoon : a beautiful sight, almost pure gold. I bid five pounds higher at once, and at last the bargain was struck. I think Ive fallen on my feet this time, and no mistake — eh, Garston?' ' I. hope it may prove so, air.' Mr Blake was far too elated to notice the doubtful tone in which this was spoken, but Faith's observation was quicker. 'Put on your bonnet, my dear,' said he, turning to his wife, ' and I'll take you to look at my investment. Confound that woman — what a row she is kicking up ! ' he broke off suddenly, in allusion to Mrs O'Flaherty, who was scolding at the top of her voice, while the foive childher were making noise enough for twenty. * Faith, you had better come, too.' And Faith, who bad no desire to remain bohind in such company, willingly complied.

The sun was setting, and the heat had in some measure abated. It was a rough, wild scene through which their way led them. In its natural state tha place hadbeon pretty; now trees wera felled, vegetation trampled under foot, and the surface of the earth disfigured with innumerable mounds of earth, and pitted with holes. There was plenty of life about, but everything seemed to Mrs Blake and Faith wretchedly rough and disorderly. They threaded their way among the tents, followed by many curious glances— ladies were not an every-day sight in that region — until at length they reached Mr Blake's El Dorado. It was nothing to look at — just a hole in the ground ; but Mrs Blake gazed on it with reverent awe, while her husband became so 6xcited as he speculated on the fabulous wealth which might be hidden from them by perhaps but a few inches of earth, that he was for setting to work forthwith.

Daikuess, however, overtook them with a suddennoss for which none of the party except Aleck were preparod, and the only thing to be done was to find their way back as speedily as possible ; but what with tent-ropes, stumps, and tho holes in the ground, the walk home waa more exciting than pleasant. Faith fell to Mr Garston's charge, and this srave har an opportunity to ask his opinion of the claim.

■ ' I am afraid you don't think much of it,' she said.

' I think very badly of it,' confessed Aleck. • I am almost sure your uncle has been sold.'

' Oh ! but he saw that nugget taken out, and where there was one there may bo more.'

'But suppose the man planted the nugget there himself ? That is a very old dodge. I wish I had been with Mr Blake ; it is no use to speak now, be is so sanguine, and that rascal is sure to have crowded all sail and cleared out.'

Faith's heart sank. She knew what a hole in their slender resources the purchase of that claim had made'^'if it should turn but to be worthless, what would bacome of them ? > ' After all, I may be mistaken,' said Aleck ; • I hope lam, and that your uncle will speedily make his " pile " and take you out of this. It was madne3s to bring you here.' They were passing the canvas ' hotel ' ; it was crowded with diggers knocking down their nuggets and gold dust, and making night hideous with drunken laughter, and oaths, and wild songs.