CHAPTER XXIV.

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 64

CHAPTER XXIV.

Summer had come and gone and come again before Gerrard received a visit from Aulain. Early one scorching, hot morning, however, he rode up to the station, leading a pack-horse, and found his friend busy in the branding yard with Jim and some white and aboriginal stockmen. Gerrard was delighted to see him, and at once ceased hi 6 work of branding calves. "Come to the house, Aulain. My sister will be so pleased to see you. Jim, take Mr Aulain's horses to the stable, give them a wash down, and then turn them out into the river bank paddock."

f'No, don't do that, Gerrard," said Aulain ; "I can't stay for the night. I want to push on to — to" — he hesitated a moment — "towards Black Bluff Creek."

"Nonsense, man ! It's 90 miles from here, and you can't get there before tomorrow night, although your horse looks pretty fit for another 20 miles or so. What is the earthly use of your camping out to-night? I'll take it very badly, I can tell you, and my sister a\ ill feel greatly hurt."

The ex-inspector began, to protest, but Gerrard would not listen, and so Aulain allowed hiiafielf to be overruled. As they walked to the house Gerrard could not but notice that his friend seemed very much changed in his manner. He spoke slowly and constrainedly, and looked at least five years older than he was when Gerrard had last seen him at Port Denison. "Fever been troubling you againj..

Aulain?' he said sympathetically, as he placed his hand on his shoulder. Auiain gave a nod. ''Oh, nothing very bad. I get a pretty stiff turn now and again ; but there's nothing like haid work to shake it off when you feel it coining on."' "Just so. How's the claim going? — well, I nope."' "It's worked out now. But my three mates and I have done very v, ell out of it. We have taken out 45000z in a year and eight months. We sent the gold away by the escort last week, and our camp is broken up. My mates have gone off in various directions to other diggings." "And you?" "Oh, I thought I would see what the new field near Cape Grenville was like. I hear that it is very patchy, but any amount of rich pockets. And as Black Bluff Creek is on my way, I thought I would pay Fraser a visit, and see how he is doing. Do you know?" "Very well indeed." "Is he?" and Gerrard was quick to notice the gloomy look that came into Aulain's eyes, and wondered thereat. "I am co glad to meet you at last, Mr Aulain," said Mrs Westonley, as the two men entered the cool sitting room. "Tom has a just grievance against you for not coming to see him when you were only 90 miles from us. Almost every day for the past jear he has been expecting to see you. But I suppose that washing out gold is too fascinating a pursuit, and that 3'ou could not drag yourself away." Aulain smiled. "You are quite right in one way, Mrs Westonley, but wrong in another. I should have come to Ocho Rios six months ago, but all our horses died from eating posion bush, and it was only a few weeks ago that my mates and I were able to buy some from a drover ■who was taking a niol> derm to Cooktown." During lunch the ex - inspector brightened up somewhat, and once smiled when Mrs Westonley, in alluding to the several visits made by Kate Fraser to Ocho Rios, said that Jim had fallen violently in love with her; whereupon the lad laughed, and said he was only as much in love with her as were Uncle Tom and Mary. Gerrard — who of course knew of Aulain's rejection by Kate — was at that moment wondering whether his friend meant to again "try his luck," or had quite got over the affair, and joined heartily in the general laugh that followed Jim's remark. "I think she is a delightful girl, Mr Aulain," said Mrs Westonley ; "and I am looking forward to her next visit. >She spent a fortnight with us the last time, and j we felt dull and humdrum after she had gone home to her father. " Audain raised his brows slightly, and inquired) if Miss Fraser had come all that distance alone. Surely she would not be so lash ! " Oh , no I She knows how bad the^se Cape York blacks are, and would not be so leckless of her life as to come alone. Mr Fraser came with her the first time, then ono of her father's mates was her next escort, and the last time Tom. and Jim went to the Bluff for ber, and also went back withi her." A fleeting shadow crossed the dark, handsome face, but beyond saying that the blacks were now not so bold as they were two' years ago, he apparently did not take march interest in Miss Fraser's visits to Ocho Rios. But already his ever suspicious mind was ~at work about her and Gerrard. After .lunch, as there was more branding to ibe done, Gerrard went back to the stockyard. Aulain wished to come and help. | " Indeed you shall not, Aulain. I'll tell you what you ought to do. "You were saying that you felt inclined for a ?ea- bathe j when you; camped last night and' heard the surf beating on the beach. Now, you and Jim go and have a jolly good swim in the surf. Jim will show you a place safe from sharks." _ I '" I can't resist that," said Aulain, I eagerly. It was just the very thing he wished — to hove a talk t\ith Jim. "But I know the place you mean, Gerrard. My troopers ond I have often bathed there | when I was in charge of the N.P. camp at Red Beach." Jim ran off to catch and saddle a couple j of horses, for although the bathing place was only three miles distant, no Australian would walk so far (except to catch a hoi'se) i when he could ride. j " Take your fishing line, Jim," said Mrs Westonley, when he returned leading the horses, "and catch some bream for supper. No, Mary, certainly not — you cannot go. No, not even to help Jim to catch and clean the fish. This is a terrible gird, Mr Aulain," and with a smile she drew Mary to her. "I know exactly what 6he wants to do— ride into the surf jmd get wet through." "Aunt, you are a wonder. However did you guess?" and Mary, now almost as tall as Jim, hugged Mrs" Westonley's slender waist. " That's exactly what I did mean to do. But I also meant to catch fish as well." " Then you can 'catch' me some guineafowl eggs instead, to make egg and breadciumb to fry the fish. Mr Aulain, do you know that Tom brought some guinea-fowl from Port Denison, and now we have hundreds of them? They are horrid things, though. Instead of laying in the fowlliouso in an ordinary Christian fowl-like May they go miles away, and of course the carpet snakes and iguanas and kooka- ' burras [laughing jackasses] get most of the eggs and chicks — •except those which Jim and Mary find." Aulain laughed as he swung his light, wiry figure into his saddle, and then he and Jim cantered off. A few hours later, as he and the lad were returning to the station, be lit his pipe and 1 said: "So your aunt doesn't care about tho beach, and the sea, and the old Dutch ship buried in the sand 1 , eh, Jim?" "No, Mr Aulain. She says she cannot look at the sea without shuddering — it always makes her think of JifiK iaiJiei; .sunl^

mother, and the wreck of the Cassowary. But Uncle Tom and Miss Fraser like the beach, and always went there in preference to anywhere else when they went for a rid. " Poor Jim, never for one moment imagining the cause of Aulain's interest in Miss Eraser's movements, was then led on by Lim to relate nearly everything that had occurred at the station during her last visit. '"Was she fonfl of fishing?" Aulain asked. "Oh, yes, and so was Uncle Tom. They A^ould go out nearly every day, either to the beach for bream or up one of the creeks for spotted mullet." Sometimes he (Jim) and Mary would go with them, and then it would be a regular all-day sort of fishing and shooting picnic. Miss Fraser used to shoot, too, and Undo Tom was teat hin.g her to shoot from the left shoulder as well as the right — like he could. Then he went on to say that next lime Kate came to Ocho Rios she, Gerrard, and Mary and himself were all going to Duyphen Point, where there was a small cocoauuc grove." "It will be grand, won't it, Mr Aulain? You see, we are going to take two packhorscs, and our guns and fishing lines, and ill camp there for three or four days, and came back with a load of cocoanuts." "It ought to be splendid, Jim. When is it to be?" "In about a month. Miss Fraser is coming to stay with aunt for three whole months. Uncle Tom and I are going to Black Bluff Creek for her, if Mr Fraser can't spare the time to come with her. You see, it's 90 miles, and you can't do it in one day, because some of t'ha country is very rough, and none of our horses have ever been- shod. Look at this colt's hoofs," and he pointed to them; "ain't they an awful size? — reai 'soft country' hoofs, and no mistake." Aulain gave a short nod, and then became silent, scarcely noticing Jim's furtter remarks concerning such interesting subjects as kangarooing, alligator shooting, the bis* tribe of cannibal niggers on the Coen River, who had killed and eaten 16 Chinamen diggers, etc., etc. For the rest of the day he was, Gerrard ond Mrs Westonley noticed, very restless, , and the .former observe/I with some surprise that lie helped himself freely and frequently to the brandy; hitherto he had known' him as a somewhat abstemious man { in the matter of liquor. Ho left doon after daylight, declining • Gerrard's pressing invitation to stay for breakfast on the ground of wishing to "do a good 20 miles before the cursed sun got too hot," and somehow the master of Ocho Rios was not sorry to say gpod-bye to him, for his manner seemed to have undergone a very great, and not pleasant, change. " T'-ike care of the niggers, Aulain," ho said, as they parted. The ex-officer smiled grimly, and touched the Winchester carbine slung across his shoulder. Then leading his pack-hors?, Be rode away. (To be continued.)

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