GOLDFIELD SKETCHES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2928, 27 April 1910, Page 77

GOLDFIELD SKETCHES.

By Elshender.

A QUIET STILL.

"I don't know whut them two chaps from accrass the lake is up to, sergeant. I've had me eye on them for some toime back,, an' their doin's is quare, not to say suspeecious," ©aid Constable Ryan to his superior officer. "An' phwat might they be up to, do ye think?" "An' that's more nor I can tell yez; but if there is any potheen about, I'd be. sayin' thim bhoys wuz afther makin' it. They purtend to grow some cabbages, and they bring thim an' a few iggs up to wan or two of the pubs hare in Queenstown; but I'm thinkim' it's more nor praties they takes there. Bless yir eowl, sargeant, no farther off thin am - hour agone I saw their.boat come in, an' though there wuz cabbages shticken out av the top av the bag they brought, they must have been moighty hivvy cabbages." "Perhaps there wuz praties below." "Perhaps there wuz a dimijohn o'_ the cratur. It's more likely, to my thinkin'." "Well, thin, I'll repoort what ye saay to the inspictux, an he'll be for sayin' phwat for did ye not seize the bag." Sergeant Kennedy duly reported his subordinate's suspicions to the subinspector, who said, "I've had an idea there was something of that sort going on from one or two little things I've heard lately. We'll keep an eye on these men, and probably take a little trip across the lake for the benefit of our health one of these days. Ryan was perfectly right in not seizing the bag, for if he had fou.nd whisky what could he have done? They would have sworn they brought it up from the foot of the lake, and we could not very well have disproved it. No, no; we'll lie low and pay them a surprise visit one of these fine days. We want to seize the still, not the whisky, and there is a special reward if we find it. Constable Ryan, I'm sKd to think, seems to be a smart man." A week or twolater the sub-inspector, the sergeant, and Constable Ryan embarked in a whaleboat for a trip across the lake—at least, that was the ostensible reason given io inquiring friends: but when they had left Oueenstown Bay the sub-inspector asked the boatman if he knew where Black Dan and his mate were camped. "Oh, yes, I know; but you won't find them at home, for they generally come up to Q.ueenstown on Wednesdays, and they will have' left before we get there. I should not winder if that was their boat over there now." "Oh, well, I'm not looking for them, but I thought I would like to see where they raise all these vegetables, and I have never been across the lake before. _You might stand straight across first, and if wo have tint* we'll go as far as their place afterwards." .'■ : "You'll miss seeing who's in that boat if we take that course; but I expect it's Black Dan all right." "Never mind; I'm not anxious to meet him just yet."'' After they had passed the approaching boat at such a distance as to be unable to distinguish its occupants, but not so far as to prevent the boatman from identifying the boat as belonging to Black Dan, the inspector said he had changed his mind, and thought it would be as well to make Black Dan's their first port of call after all. - "It's all one to me," said the boatman; "but if ye change yer mind as often as the wind shifts, we'll may be not get there at all." "Both the wind and the sub-inspector's mind remained steady fox -the rest of the way, and the party duly reached the landing place. A scramble up the rocks took the party to a little plateau whereon stood a small hut with its back against a. precipitous rock. A small lean-to at one end -was evidently the henhouse, but, except for some six or eight of the inhabitants of the lean-to assembled about the door of the hut. and a cat which sat on a ledge of rock, life there was none, "Hullo! anyone at home?" called the sub-inspector, as he reached the plateau, followed by his subordinates. "No one evidently, so we'll have a good look r °Th3 door of the hut stood open, and they entered without ceremony. A rough table, a coutole of home-made stretchers, some

empty boxes, which seemingly did duty as seats, and a few cooking utensils were the sole contents of the place, except a rude cupboard alongside the fireplace, which was built against the rock behind. "That's a. quare piece of furniture to be in a place like this," said Sergeant Kennedy, opening the door, which as itturned on its raw-hide hinges disclosed a strap of wood along the face of the rock, which was visible above it, the strap being studded with nails, from which depended several articles of clothing and old sacks. "Black Dan or his mate, Foxy Peter, must -be uncommon tidy. I never saw the likes o' that in any diggers' habitation afore." "Diggers, indade !" said Ryan. "They're no diggers; an' where wud they dig here ? But where do they grow their cabbages? We've not sholved the mystery yet." "The mystery is o' you're own making, I'm afther thinkin', Ryan." " Not altogether, sergeant. There's something here I don't understand. These few hens can't lay many eggs, and, as Ryan says, where do they grow the cabbages? Let's have another look round' outside, for there is nothing here." '' Here's a bit of a place where they climb the rock," said Ryan, proceeding to clamber up the cliff, which was only some 10ft or 12ft high. "Here's the cabbages !" he called down to the others, who scrambled up after him. At the top there was a comparatively level place in the form of a cup, shaped hollow, containing a deposit of soil, and here, sure enough, were cabbages and other vegetables growing luxuriantly. The whole place was walled round- on three sides by steep rocks, over the face of one of which a small trickle of water dropped. The subinspector looked round. "We've drawn a blank, I'm afraid; though there is still something I don't understand. There's not enough green stuff here to supply one pub., and yet you tell me, sergeant, that they have beeri regularly visiting three or four of them, acording to the inquiries you've made?" "That's so, sorr: but there's nothing here to hide a cat, let alone a shtill. It's my (belief that if they have wan it's some other wheres. I'm feared you have beiem too shmart this time, Ryan,, me bhoy." The sub-inspector descended, followed byi the sergeant, but Ryan, saying to himself, "Where the divil does that wather go? I saw none below there," stepped through the cabbages to the cliff oyer which it fell, and was surprised to find that it was collected into a small race,, which conducted it towards the edge of the rock below which the hut lay. He followed its course, and found it ran into a box, at the end of which it disappeared. " By the finger that burns here's something quare!" he called to the two below as he rapidly scrambled N down to join them. " If you've found something quare wny don't you shtop up there and mvistigate ?" asked the sergeant. " Sure that's what I'm afther. That wather comes down here, and where does it go to?" he replied, rushing into the hut, whilst the others, after scanning the rock-face for a moment, and seeing no si w n of descending water, followed, to find his head up the chimney. " There's something like a pipe comes into the chimney from that side," he 6aid, too excited to explain further, as he withdrew his head and turned to the cupboard, the door of which he opened, and began hastily tossing the hanging garments into the room. The others peered over his shoulders, but for a moment saw nothing but an old sack tacked to the batten, as if to protect the clothing from the damp of the rock. Ryan thrust his hand out with such force to grab the sack that he struck it against the rock behind, and emitted a pained ejaculation, at whioh the sergeant laughed; but his laughter changed into an exclamation of astonishment when Ryan tore the bagging from its fastening and disclosed an aperture large enough for a man to crawl through at the side next the chimney. The constable, tossing off his shako, was soon scrambling through the hole, followed by his superior officers, who were now as excited as he was.

" A big cave!" yelled Ryan in delight, and when their eyes had become accustomed to the dim light they perceived that it contained what they sought. An inventory was quickly made of the contents of the cave, which they found was in.

part formed by the hut and its chimney blocking the naturally large entrance. The water which Ryan had seen from above trickled into a tub, the overflow from which found its way into a fissure in the xock. "Be jabers, it's a nate contrivance! an' we would not have found it at all, at all, if it had not been for you, Ryan, me bhoy. You'st a shmart man, an' no misttake, an' you'll be gettin' yer shtripes soon. Be the powers, ye desarve them!" "I shall certainly report very favourably on Constable Ryan's conduct; but we must hurry back to try to get our men." On their return to the boat the subinspector was greeted by the boatman, who said : " Well, Mr Inspector, you seem to have enjoyed your picnic up there. It's a pity Dan or Foxy was not at home to boil the billy for you. Where do you want to go next?" " Oh! I think we'll go home again. Do you think we'll reach Queenstown before Dan has left? I'd rather like to make his acquaintance. His dwelling up there is most ingenious. I wonder whether he or his friend Pete is the architect?" "You bet, it's the little red 'un. Foxy is as cunnin' as his namesake. Black Dan's an ugly devil in a row, but he has no brains, bless you!" Queenstown was reached before the sought-for pair had betaken themselves on their homeward, way, and, to their great surprise, they were both arrested. " What for?" blustered Black Dan, but he gasped with astonishment when Sergeant Kennedy replied, " For running an illicit still," and submitted quietly to be marched off to "the logs," for in those days Queenstown did not possess a lockup-