THE TALE OF - TIMBER TOWN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 63

THE TALE OF - - TIMBER TOWN.

By A. A. GRACE,

Author of " Tales of a Dying Rare "

(Chatto & Windus) ; " Maoriland Stories," etc.

CHAPTER XXXI.— IN TRESCO'S

CAVE

RESCO stood in his dark, dank cavern, and meditated upon the loneliness of life. He was naturally a sociable man and loved the company of his fellows, but here he was living a hermit's existence, shut up in the bowels of the earth, with no

better associates than the clammy stalactites which constantly dripped watei upon the white calcareous floor.

The atmosphere was so cold that it chilled the marrow of the goldsmith's bones, and to render habitable the inner recess where he lived he was forced to keep a fire perpetually burning. To do this it was necessary for him to sally into daylight, in order that he might collect firewood, of which there was in the neighbourhood of the cave an abundant supply.

Groping his way slowly through the winding passage, every twist and turn of which he knew in the dark, Benjamin passed into the lofty cavern which he had named the Cathedral, where the stalactites and stalagmites meeting had formed huge columns, which seemed to support the great domed roof overhead. This was the place which Tresco was never tired of admiring. "A temple built without hands," he said, as he held aloft his •candle and view the snow-white pillars which stood on either side of what he named the nave.

"What, a place to preach in '" — he who has no companions must needs talk to himself if he would hear tne human voice. "Here, now, a man could expatiate on the work of the Creator, but his sermon would have to be within the fifteen minutes' limit, or his congregation would catch their death of cold. ' Dearly beloved brethren, the word® of my text are illustrated by the house in which we are assembled.' " His voice filled the nave, £uid reverberated down the aisles'. "Hei"e you have the real thing, built by the Master Builder — Nature — for the use of the Cave Man, and preserved l for all time. You have heard of the Doric, the lonic, and the Corinthian columns, and of the beauties of Greek architecture ; but compare these white, symmetrical piers, raised in one solid piece, without join or crevice. Observe yonder alabaster gallery where the organ swells its harmonious tones ; observe the vestry, where the preacher dons his sacerdotal garb- — they are perfect. But did I hear a lady sneeze? Alas ! Nature forgot the hot-air pipes, and the Cathedral,, I admit, strikes a little chilly Therefore I dismiss you, my brethren, lest you should catch pleurisy, or go into galloping consumption." He finished with a laugh, and then passed into the small entrance-cave, which he denominated facetiously the church porch. Here he blew put his candle, which he placed on a rock, and emerged from his hiding place. He had burst from the restful, if cold, comfort of his cave upon the warring elements. Peal after peal of thunder

rolled along the wooded slopes of the rugged range ; fierce flashes of lightning pierced the gloom of the dark valley below, and from the black thundercloud overhead there poured a torrent of rain which made the goldsmith think of the Deluge. "Hi!" he exclaimed, as he stood in the pntr.xnce of his damp den, "there are worse places than my cave after all. But what I want is firewood. Lord! that flash almost blinded me. Rumble — grumble — tumble— erash — bang ! Go it ; never mind me. You aren't frightening me worth tuppence. I rather like a little electricity and aqua pura." In answer there was a dazzling flash, followed by a terrific clap of thunder, which seemed to burst almost above Benjamin's head. "All right, if you insist, I'll go. Sorry I obtruded. Good afternoon."

He retreated into it he cave, and took up his candle, which lie re-lighted, saying to himself, "I'll go and explore that passage behind the organ loft, and see if it leads to the outer world. In case I get shut in here, like a rat in a hole, it's just as well for me to know my burrow thorough! v."

Groping his way up a slippery ascent, where his feet continually stumbled over the uneven surface of the encrusted floor, he climbed to the organ loft, where, screened behind a delicate white tracery which hung from roof to floor of the gallery and assumed the shape of an organ, pipes and panels complete, he could see his candle's flame shoot long fingers of light into the vast nave below.

However, he spent but little time in contemplation of the weird scene, but. turning sharply to the right, he followed a narrow, winding passage which led into the heart of the limestone hill. His progress was both slow and difficult, for the encrusting carbonate had in many places all but filled up the passage, and in many others the floor was so broken as to make it almost impossible for him to press onwards. Now he would squeeze himself between the converging sides of the passage, now he would crawl on hands, and knees through a hole which would barely i-eceive his shoulders — and thus, sweating, panting, bruised, and oven bleeding where his hands and arms had been grazed by rasping and projecting rocks, he at length sat down to rest in a place where the tunnel broadened into a small chamber. How far he Had pushed his way into the bowels of the earth he could not tell, neither was he thoughtful of the distance. What he was looking and hoping for was- a gleam of light ahead, but whenever he blew out his candle the inky blackness was so intense as to be painful to his eyes.

"My God ! Supposing a man got- in here and couldn't get back! Suppose I got stuck between two rocks' — I'd iave to stop there till I grew thin enough to squeeze out. "

Quickly he re-lit his candle. "That's bettei," he exclaimed. ''There is after all some company in a lighted candle. We'll now go on : we'll press forward ; we'll see whither this intricate path leadeth. ' Vorwarts ' is the word; no turning back till the goal is reached.'' He crept, through a low aperture, and with difficulty rose to his feet._ A few steps further on he stumbled ; the ocndle fell from his hand, and dropped, and dropped, and dropped — in fact, he never heard it reach the bottom.

Feeling in Ms pocket for his matches as he lay prone, he struck a light, and held the burning taper beyond him as far as he could reach. All that he saw was a dark and horrible abyss. He struck another match, with the same result. He seized a piece of loose rock, railed it over the edge, and waited for the sound of its lodgment at the bottom. He heard it bumping as it fell, but its falling seemed interminable, till at length the sound of its passage to the nether regions died away in sheer depth.

Tresco drew a long breath

"Never," he said — "never, in the course of his two-score years and ten, has Benjamin been .so near Hades. The best thing he can do is to ' git,' deliberately and with circumspection. And the candle has gone ! Happy candle to preserve the life of such a man as B. T."

Slowly ond with the utmost caution he crept backwards from the horrible pit. 13 at his supply of matches was scanty, and often he bumped his head against the ceiling, and often he tripped and fell, till before long there was not a part of his portly person that was free from pain. Yet still he struggled, for he realised that his life depended on his extricating himself from the terrible labyrinth in which he was entangled. He struck match after match, till his stock was expended, and then, prnting, weary, and sore, he clenched his teeth and battled onward. It seemed miles to the end of the passage. He imagined ihat he had got into some new tunnel, the opening of which he had passed unwittingly when he crept into the trap; and to the natural dread of his situation was added the horrible fear that he was lost in the bowels of the earth.

And then, when his strength and nerve bad all but given out, came deliverance. Before him he saw a faint glimmer of light, which grew brighter and brighter as> he pressed painfully forward ; a.ndi ere he knew that he was safe, he found himself in the gallery behind the organ loft. But what was the brilliant ligM that fillled the nave of the Cathedral? What was the he beard? It was the sound of men's voices !

Sitting round a fire, whose red flames illumined the white walls of the grotto, were four men who 1 tallied loudly as they dried their, wet garments before the blaze. Tresco crept to the trellis-work of the gallery and peered down upon the scene. In the shifting light which the unsteady flames threw aero&s the great cave below he could hardly distinguish one man fr-om another, except where, facing the ruddy light, the features of this intruder or of that reflected the fierce glow.

"I had to chiv the fat bloke, an' he scpiealed like & jpig when I jabbed 'ifla."

The speaker was "itting cross-lego ed \vit\ liis back towards Tresco, and was wiping the blade of a big butchei's knife. "My man dieci coughing,"' said another. "'E coughed as "c sal like a trussed fen 1, an' when I 'squeezed" im. "c just give one larst little cough an" pegged out quite pleasant, like droppin' orf to sleep.'' "It's been a bloody mes&," remarked a third speaker. "'There's Garstang there, a mass of blood all over his shirt ; and there's the two wen that was «hot ; any'ow you like to look at it, it's an unworkmanlike job. All four of 'em should jba." been 'squeezed' — bullets make reports and blood's

"Gam! Whatyer givin" us. Dolly?" said the youngest, member of the gong. "Didn't you shoot your own man — an' on the track, too? I don't see what you've got to growl at. We've gob the irald — what more do you want?''

"I shot the unfortunate man, jour honor, firstly because he was a constable, and secondly because he was givin' trouble, your honor. But I prefer to dc these things professionally." Dolphin's mock seriousness tickled his hearers, and they laughed 1 :. "But, joking apart," he said, ''after all the experience we've had, to go and turn that mountain-side into a butcher's shambles is nothin' short of disgraceful. They, all ought to "vj been 'squeezed,' an' have died as quiet as mice, without it drop of blood on 'em."

"All food for worm* — nil iying in tlie howling wilderness, where they'll stop till kingdom come. What's the use- of worrying? Hand over that bag of £old, Garstang, an' let's have a look. I've got nn awful -weakness for nuggets"' A blanket was spread on the floor of the cavern, and upon this were heaped bank notes and sovereigns and silver that glittered in the firelight. The four men gathered round, and the leader of the gang divided the money into four lots.

"Here"b some of the gold." The shrillvoiced young man handed a small but heavy bag to Dolphin. ''There's stacks more."

'"One thing at a time, Willum,'" said Hie leader. "First we'll divide'the money, ti-en the gold, whioh von't be so easy, as w-e've got no scales. Here, hike your "ash, and count it. I mnke it £157 7s apiece."' From a heap of bundles which lay a few yards off he drew forward a tent fly, and then ho caxried into tho light of the fire a number of small but hea,vy bags, one by one, and placed them on the canvas. "My Jot's on'v £147 7s. '" «.aic! a deeo and husky voice

"You must ha' made a mistake, (xorstaiiG:," said Dolphin. "Count it again."'

While the hulking, wry-faced robber bent to the task, the leader began to empty the oontents of the bags tipon the tent fly.

Peering through the tracery of the organ gallery. Tresco looked down upon the scene in wonder and something akin to envy. There cm the vhite piece of folded canvas, be could see dull yePow heaps which, even in the uncertain light of the fire, he recognised a»s gold. At first, half -stunned by tlie presence of the strangers, he was at a loss to determine their character, but from their conversation end the display of such ill-gotten riches be quickly grasped the fact that they were greater criminals than himself. He saw their firearms lying about ; he heard their disjointed talk, interlarded with hilarious oaths : he saw them stooping over the heaps of gold, and to his astonished senses it was plain that a robbery on & gigantic scale had been committed.

On one side of the fire the wet and steaming garments of the murderers were hung on convenient stalagmites to dry ; upon the other side of the red blaze the four men, dressed in strange motley gleaned from their "swags," wrangled over the division of the plunder. "There's only a hundred and forty-seven quid in my lot, I tell yer!" Garstang's rasping voice could be plainly heard 1 above the" others. "Count it yerself." "Count it, Dolly and shut bis crooked mouth."

"I'll take his word for it." said the leader. "We can make it good to you, Garstang, when we get to town and sell some gold. Now, listen — all of you. Imf going to divide the biggest haul we've ever made, or aie likely to make." "Listen, blokes," interrupted Sweet William, with an oath. "Give the boss your attention, if you please." Treseo 'glued his eye tighter to the aperture through which he peered. Thei-e lay. the dull, yellow gold — if only he could but scare the" robbers away, the prize would! be his own. He rose on one knee to get a better view, but as h& did so his toe dislodged a loose piece of stone, which tumbled noisily down the gallery steps, the -ovrnd of its falling re-echoing through the spacious cavern. In a moment the robbers were thrown into a state oc perturbation. Seizing their arms, they glanced wildly around, and! stood on their defence.

But ail was hushed and still

"Go forward, Uarstang, and search, the cave," ordered the leader in a voioe of authority. With a firebrand in one hand and a revolver in fcho other, the big, burly man crept forward, his mates alert to fire over him at any object Qic might discover. His search was haphazard, nnd his feet were naturally uncertain among the debris which! had accumulated on the floor of the cavern.

Skirting the grotto's edge he examined! the inky shadows that lay behind pillar and projection, till he camo to the staiis which led to the organ gallery. Treseo. filled with and unspeakable dread , v contemplated a retreat down the passage he had lately explored, where he might ba driven by the murderers over the abysmal depth which he had failed to fathom, Vher suddenly the man with the torch tripped} and fell, and the flame of his firebrand!' disappeared in a shower of sparks. WithJ an oath the prostrate man gathered up bruised limbs, and by the aid of t'-'J flickering firelight he groped his way backa 4o lag felkrsvs, but not before, lie ftaxl placed

—iiis ear to the damp floor and had listened for the sound of intruders. "There's nobody," he said, when he readied his mates. "The row was a blanky sp&e that fell from the roof an' broke itself. The ground's covered with 'em." "Come on, then," said Sweet William ; •'let's finish our business." They gathered again round the treasure. "You see, I have arranged it in two heaps." said Dolphin — "nuggets in one, gold dust in the other. I propose to measure out the dust first." Each man had provided himself with one of, the leather bogs which had originally held the gold, and "their leader filled a pint pannikin with the gold dust. "That's one," he said, lifting it heavily. "That's for you, eld crooked chops." And he emptied the measure into Garstang's bag. "Two!" He emptied a paanikinful' of gold into Carnac's bag. "Three !" Sweet William received a like measure. "Four!*' Dolphin helped himself. "That makes four pints of gold," he said. "What d'you say mates? Will she gp round another turn?" "No," said Carnac; "try a half -pint all round." Dolphin fetched a smaller pannikin from the swags, and the division of the gold continued. -To share the nuggets equally was a difficult matter, and a good deal of .wrangling "took place in consequence. This ; liowever, was quieted by the simple expedient of lossing a coin for disputed: pieces of gold. The biggest nuggets being thus disposed of, the smaller ones were measured in the half-pint pot, till at length the envious eyes of the goldsmith saw the last measureful disappear into its ovra-er's bag-. This exceedingly delicate matter being Eettled, the bushrangers sat round the fire, drank lea, which they brewed in a black "billy," lit their pipes, and — as is invariably the case with a gang of thieves — enacted again the awfuf-drama in which they had lately played their horrible parts. Shivering on the damp floor of the dripping gallery, Treseo strained his ears to hear every diabolical detail of the con"Garstang, old man, Dolly's right ; you'd better see to that shirt of yours. It looks as if you'd lulled a pig in it." "The chap I chdv'd was as fat as a |>ig, anyway," said the crooked-mouthed murderer, as he attempted t& rub out the guilty stains with a dirty piece of rag. "The blood spurted all over me as soon as I pulled out the knife." "Take it oft', man ; it looqs as bad as a slaughterman's," said the leader of the gang. "" "Throw it in the fire." "I <xxnsider I did my man beautifully,' .said Carnac. "I told him to say his prayers, and while he knelt I just shot him behind the ear. Now, I call that a very pretty method of dying — r>o struggling." no fuss, no argument — simply a quick departure in an odour of sanctity." And the gentlemanly murderer laughed .quietly and contentedly. ""Tho blanky banker went ratty when- he 'saw my gun," said Sweet William. ( "I had to fair yank 'im through the supplejacks an' lawyers. It was something 'orrid — it made my arm ache. At larst I says, 'Look 'ere, are you goin' to walk, pr am Ito shoot you?' An' he kep' on -savin', ' All "the -gold is on the horse ; don't take It all-, please,' till I felt sick. 'Up you git,' I says, an' I dragged 'im through the bush; and then, bli' me, if 'c didn't sit down an' cough an' cry. Such dam' foolishness made me lose patience. I just 'squeezed ' 'im where he sat." , "My bloke ,was the devil to die," said Garstang. "First I shot him one way, , then I shot him another; an' at larst I had to chiv'im with the knife, though it was the larst thing I wanted to do. " "They should all have been 'squeezed,'" said Dolphin ; " and nothing's easier if _ yon've got" the knack — noiseless, bloodless, fcraeeJess — the only scientific way of doin' ihe'.work." "All of which you've said before, Dolly." Sweet William rose, and groped his way to; the mouth of -the cave. » "It's the blamed horses that bother me," "said Carnac. "We left their carcases too near the track. We should have taken •them a mile or two -along, and -have shoved thenT t over a precipice, down which they »might have fallen by accident in the stnrm. ..As it is, they'll be putrid in a fortnight, and make the track impassable." "By . which time," said Dolphin, "we shall be out of reach." "What about the bank?" Garstang ask-id the Question almost insolently. "I thought you 'ad wonderful plans of yer own."' "The thing's easy erough," retorted) Dolphin : "but the question is whether it's worth while. We've mad* 1 a haul to be proud of : never did men have a better streak o' luck. We've taken hundreds of ounces from a strong' escort, which we stopped at the right place, just in the right tray, so that they couldn't as much fire a shot. It would be a crying ?hau<e to spoil such a job by beio' trapped ever a paltry wooden bank." "Trapped be sugared !" said 1 Garstang. - "The inference '11 be" — Sweet William had returned from the cave's mouth, J.nd took up the conversation where he left it - — "everybody with any sense '11 say the escort an' the banker made orf with the gold I—nothin'1 — nothin' but blood'ounds could over find their bodies." "It's bin a wonderful time," said Dolphin. 4t but we can't expect such luck to foJlor us around like a poodle dog." "I'm for havin' a slap at the bank, Anyway," growled Garstang. "Imajgine the effect upon the public mmd — the robbery of an escort and a bank, both in one week!" This was how the gentlemanly Carnac regarded the question. "It'd be a record. We'd make a name that wouldn't easily be fox-gotten. I'm lor trying." "Well, it's stopped raining, blokes," said Sweet William, "but outside it's dark enough to please an owl. If we want to get into Timber Town without bcin' ge.en 4 now's the time to start." So .saying,

he picked up his swag, which lie hiicn^J upon lus back. The other men rose, one by one, a} d shouldered their packs, in which each iaan carried his gold. With much lumbering, stumbling, and sweaiing the murderers departed, poping their way to the mouth of the cave by tlie light of the fire, which they loft burning. °Tresco waited till the la£t sound of tJioir voices had died away, when he stretched his cramped, benumbed limbs, heaved a deep sigh of relief, and rose to his feet. "My God, what monsters 1" He spoke under his breath for fear even the walls should hear him "If they'd found me they'd have thought as little of cutting my throat as of killing a mosquito. If ever I thanked Ood in my life — well, well, every nerv<j of me is trembling. That's the reaction I must warm myself, and have a, bite of food.''

After carefully scattering tlie murderer's fire, he groped his way to his inner relL and there he made his best endeavours to restore his equanimity of mind with ■vyarmtli, food, and drink.