it was about this time that macguire thought it necessary to return to the scene of his discomfiture, and view for himself the progress made by his worthy confrères. his arrangement with his men was the not uncommon one of "grubstaking" for half the profits; that is, he kept them in food, and supplied them with all necessary tools in return for a half interest in the wealth of the mines so worked. it is a sufficiently equitable understanding when made between an honestly intentioned capitalist and a down-on-his-luck miner over the development of a wholly questionable prospect; but it is rarely successful on a proved mineral area, and when it is attempted in such a case, it invariably leaks out that those so employed are strongly in the clutches of the "grubstaker," who is usually the local publican. there was a curious rude kind of honour among these men. they respected their chief principally because of his great bodily strength, and if there was an element of fear mixed with this respect, who could blame them? but they admired his sharpness, too; few men could get the better of macguire; and so these wretched creatures chuckled at the fact that their patron was a power in the land, and could do much to[pg 152] influence their several careers when he wished. nevertheless, their leanings towards hard manual labour were not of the strongest; their usual routine in the past had been "jumping" mines when the bulk of the work thereon had been done, but on this occasion their amiable intentions in that direction had received a rude check, and base toil must now be their portion, unless some purchaser for their claims could be found. so it happened that their excavations progressed with exceeding slowness, and macguire, growing wroth at their failure to strike the wash in a reasonable time, and having now recovered his wonted energy, determined to proceed again to the flat and direct operations in person. he arrived at a very early hour in the morning, riding furious. few of the camp were about, but the ubiquitous shadow was of course in evidence, seated at his solitary breakfast outside his tent door.
"blow me," murmured that gentle youth, "if it ain't macguire."
the recognition was mutual.
"so you got back, you young ruffian?" came the new-comer's greeting, and the shadow's ire was aroused at once.
"i hope the warden didn't say nothin' unkind to you when you called on him that morning," said he, with exaggerated solicitude. "i should just hate to think yer feelin's had been hurt."
the horseman's eyes blazed angrily; then, all of a sudden, he threw himself from the saddle and made a rush at his enemy, who agilely dodged at the last moment, with the result that macguire's great bulk hurled itself against the tent.
[pg 153]
"i reckon that's as good as house-breakin', it is," protested the shadow, in injured tones.
with rage in his heart, macguire made another wild dash at the mocking youngster, who took refuge behind the windlass on his shaft, and eyed his panting aggressor cheerfully. in this position of antagonism, emu bill, who had been awakened from his slumbers by the strange sounds without, found them. he took in the scene at a glance, but his set bronzed face did not move a muscle.
"i reckon you has just about met your match this time, macguire," said he, calmly. "a boy is about your size every time, he is."
without a word macguire got back on his horse. "i'll settle you too," he hissed. "you won't know what's struck you when i'm done with you——"
"a bit o' rock, most likely, if you are about," retorted emu bill, with grave contempt.
macguire galloped off.
"despite his faults, the man's a born hustler," mackay remarked that same day to his two companions.
they were engaged on the surface, levelling off their ore dump from the shaft mouth, and could scarcely fail to note the unwonted activity shown on the adjoining claim.
"he certainly does make them shift around," agreed bob. "i suppose long experience has taught him how to handle his type of followers."
very shortly afterwards it became evident that some unusual excitement prevailed at number 2 shaft, which adjoined the golden promise towards the south. the official numbers of the various claims ran consecutively north and south of the golden promise, which was known as the discovery shaft, though, indeed, nuggety dick's[pg 154] excavation, which was now called number 4 above discovery, should have claimed that honour.
this number 2 was the main hope of macguire's party, for by it alone could they hope to trace the direction of the golden leader. now it seemed as if they had at last broken through to the golden stratum, men rushed hither and thither carrying gold-pans and dollying-hammers, some clustered around the shaft mouth, then macguire himself was seen to descend the workings. a hushed air of expectation spread over the whole flat, and for a brief space all work was suspended. a few minutes passed in anxious silence, then a bellow of joy from macguire reached the surface; at once one of his waiting aides-de-camp extracted a red flag of huge proportions from a convenient niche near the windlass, where it had been lying in readiness, and its dropping folds soon flaunted in the sunshine, proclaiming to all whom it might concern that number 2 had bottomed on gold. almost immediately macguire ascended to the surface, carrying a large-sized specimen in his hand, the sight of which caused jack to be convulsed with inward laughter, for its greyish colour proclaimed it at once to be of the same deceptive material which had first been discovered in emu bill's claim.
"i'm half inclined to be sorry for the man," spoke mackay, with some feeling.
bob had been experiencing a pang or two himself. "it does seem hard lines," he said.
yet even while they were considering on a magnanimous course of action, the object of their sympathy turned his leering eyes upon them.
"i'll best ye yet!" he cried triumphantly, holding his[pg 155] treasure at arm's length that all might look. "i've got as much of this stuff as'll keep the battery going for six months. i'll see that roxton closes down on your wash to-night, i will. i'll starve you out o' the flat like rats, quick an' lively too."
now roxton, the battery owner, was like many other humbler men, heavily in debt to the publican, who along with his other duties acted the part of money-lender in the township. it was quite possible therefore that macguire could make good his threat about the closing down of the battery, though had he known it, that would at this time scarcely have affected the partners of the golden promise to any extent, the bulk of their visible wash having been already treated. still, the brutal malignancy of the man's intentions was unmistakable, and a shudder of disgust seized bob, nipping effectually the finer sentiments he had harboured but a moment before. mackay eyed the jeering man with a look in which a just anger and a wholesome contempt were struggling for mastery.
"you're nothing but a sneaking thief, macguire," he said, with forced calmness. "an' for twa pins i'd come doon an' burst in a few mair o' your ribs. i'll certainly hae to settle you when i am forced to tackle you again. but what are ye makin' a' the fuss aboot, anyhow? you're clutching to a bit o' clay as if it were a golden nugget. your battery wouldna thrive vera weel on that sort o' stuff, i'm thinkin'."
macguire was on the point of launching out into further invective, when his eye happened to glance at his treasure. he hesitated, stammered, and his rotund face grew livid.
[pg 156]
"put the water you have ready on your heid instead o' into the gold-pan," advised mackay, kindly, "it'll maybe keep ye from gettin' apoplexy."
an inarticulate yell of mingled dismay and fury broke from the lips of the too-previous exulter. hurling the stone from him, he turned and rushed blindly into his tent. eagerly his followers picked up the rejected specimen; it was dull and dead clay, showing no trace of the precious metal. muttering maledictions, they fled after their leader.
it quickly became whispered about that all was not as had been hoped at number 2 shaft, and despite the reticence of those principally concerned, strange rumours were soon current regarding the extraordinary phantom gold formation which had just been struck. then macguire raved more wildly than ever, for his chances of disposing of the mine on a sight valuation to some innocent buyer were now hopelessly ruined. he railed savagely against nature, and all mankind in general; even his own alike suffering and yet sympathetic followers were not spared the flood of his abuse. a trial parcel of the ore was sent to the battery in the hope that whatever free gold contained in the substance might be saved by the mercury, but only further disappointment resulted. its cohesive nature was such that the stamps merely flattened it like putty, and the whole went over the sluice-box in a dense mass of coagulated slimes, leaving not a trace of gold behind in the riffles.
when mackay heard this he was filled with misgivings; he had never doubted the efficacy of the stamps as a crushing agency, and he feared for the working of bob's process on a large scale when hand manipulation would[pg 157] be impossible. bob, however, seemed in no way disturbed.
"crushing is unnecessary with the process," said he. "the ore will dissolve in the vat; indeed, it would reduce itself to slime in ordinary water if puddled occasionally, or it would disintegrate very rapidly on exposure to the sun, though that plan would be rather risky, owing to the excessive oxidization which might take place. but in every case the slimes would remain unaffected by battery treatment, and for this one reason which was the basis of all my experiments—the clayey material is a chemical compound, and not a mechanical mixture like ordinary alluvial wash, consequently it will only answer to chemical treatment."
"but," interjected jack, "there is most likely free gold in the stuff as well as the—the other kind."
"probably enough, but, as you see, even that cannot be saved by ordinary methods; the soapy nature of the composition, i imagine, is the cause. oily globules will form around the gold particles and insulate them, so that the mercury on the plates never really gets a chance to exert its power."
apparently bob's studies had been complete and exhaustive; his knowledge of his subject impressed mackay deeply.
"i can follow your reasoning there, bob," said he, "for the overflow even of the small vat in the tent was more like engine-grease than anything else, an' i can testify that the residue i washed in the pan was a pure and free sand."
the shadow here broke in on their conversation; he had been away at the other end of the flat on a tour of[pg 158] investigation, for it was known that several shafts were nearing the dreaded bottom.
"the whole circus is goin' to break up," he announced sorrowfully. "there's nothin' but emu bill's miradgy stuff down there, an' the miners are thinkin' o' giving it best."
the shadow was not aware that bob's experiment had proved successful; emu bill alone of the original group had been informed, and he certainly had not spoken of it.
"i'll go down and advise them to hang on for a bit," said mackay, after some deliberation. "an' bob, you can tell the shadow anything you like, provided he promises to keep his mouth shut."
"say boss, does i deserve that?" complained the injured youth, reproachfully.
jack hastened to assuage his grief. "no one knows yet," said he, "but emu bill and ourselves; we didn't want macguire's crowd to hear that bob could tackle the mirage."
"an' did ye think that i would give it away?" murmured the shadow, with emotion, and for a long time he refused to be comforted.
that day six shafts penetrated into the refractory formation, and loud were the lamentations that arose throughout the camp. surely never was a more scurvy trick played by dame fortune upon her toiling votaries. macguire laughed heartily at the misfortunes of his neighbours; it was as balm to his soul that others should experience the pangs of disappointment as he did, and in the evening he gave the lead to the others by dismantling his windlasses and preparing for departure, having done[pg 159] not a stroke of work on his claims since the eventful day of his own bitter chagrin. on the following morning he and his associates took their leave of the flat, and almost as soon as they were out of sight, the abandoned claims were being taken up afresh by a number of hard-working miners, who had before been sinking vain shafts well without the auriferous belt. jackson had quietly annexed number 2 shaft, though he was somewhat dubious about it proving of any service to him, and fully a dozen honest toilers swarmed over the remainder of the ground vacated. there was no need to keep the secret longer, and before noon all the flat had been made aware of bob's discovery, and excitement was again raised to fever heat. a deputation from among the miners was formed at once to make inquiry into the matter, for news of a scheme of such far-reaching importance could not be received lightly.
they approached the golden promise mine shortly after midday, followed en masse by the entire population of the camp.
"we wants to see the inventor o' the process," said the spokesman, addressing mackay, who was at the windlass, "we wants to ask him if it are a fact that he can save the gold in this stuff." he displayed a piece of the refractory ore in his hand.
mackay gazed at the speaker kindly, then at the sea of upturned faces in the background.
"i reckon you've come to the right street for your information, boys," he replied, and he shouted down to his companion in the depths below: "bob, there's a few gentlemen wi' some interest in the welfare o' golden flat wanting to speak to you."
[pg 160]
a minute later and bob arrived on the surface, and at his appearance a faint cheer swept over the awaiting crowd. the young man started in amazement; he could not understand this demonstration, but he quickly recovered himself, and then the speaker of the deputation began his oration afresh, ending with the earnest words: "we are miners every one o' us, with not much to spare in the way o' cash; but if you can help us, and ain't unwilling to help us, you may ask what you like from the returns o' the mines, an' we won't refuse."
bob was touched, and for the first time a surging feeling of his power came over him, yet when he spoke his voice was calm and even. briefly he recounted his experiments with the tantalizing material, concluding with the results of the last and final test; then, suddenly, he entered upon a keen technical description of the ore and its peculiarities, dealing with its scientific aspect at critical length. jack nudged mackay, who coughed loudly, and bob, interrupted, lost the theme of his argument, and incidentally remembered that he was not addressing a class of trained mineralogists. he hesitated, and turned to mackay.
"you can make them understand better," he said.
"i can that," responded that individual, promptly; and he disappeared into the tent, issuing forth immediately with the gold-pan, which still contained the results of the important experiment. he thrust the pan with its gleaming treasure into the hands of one of the deputation. "i saw that go through mysel'," said he. "there's no much o' a phantom aboot that, is there?"
the crowd behind caught a glitter of the gold as the pan was passed round, and now there was no mistake[pg 161] about the energy of their cheer—a hundred throats echoed it forth. when it had subsided, mackay again made felicitous utterance.
"we'll have a ten-ton vat rigged up within a couple o' days," he announced, in stentorian tones. "an' bob, here, wishes me to say that the charges for treatment will no' be in any way extravagant."
a yell of approval rewarded his effort, yet still the assembly showed no signs of departing.
"i think you should sing the 'muskittie' to them," suggested jack, "then you'd see them run."
he had to run himself after that, and when he returned, the conclusion of the meeting was near. the leader of the deputation was making strenuous endeavour to justify his position. he harangued the congregated miners with forceful eloquence, pointing out what an inestimable service the young inventor would confer upon the country and themselves.
"and now, boys," he concluded, "let her go again. three cheers for the discoverer of the process. hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" and the flat thundered with their hearty applause.
when they had gone, mackay heaved a hearty sigh of relief.
"you're far too open-hearted for this pairt o' the world, bob," he said dryly. "if there had been one among that crowd wha kent anything aboot chemistry, he would have got as big a knowledge o' your process as you have yourself."
bob flushed. "i forgot," said he, "that there was any reason for keeping it secret."
the elder man laughed grimly. "my laddie," he[pg 162] began, with grave earnestness, "are ye no' aware that there should be a fortune in this for you. there may be tens o' thousands o' tons o' the stuff in this flat, and allowin' ye made a charge of, say, ￡2 a ton—which is little more than battery price—don't you see what a tremendous profit would be made? you canna patent a discovery, bob; and your only safety is in keeping it secret. the great danger lies in the simplicity o' the process. we must be vera careful, my lad, vera careful indeed."
"but did i really tell them everything?" said bob, abashed; for in truth he had forgotten the presence of his audience, so wrapped up had he been in the interest of his subject.
"oh yes, you telt them richt enough; but you clothed your observations in such elegant scientific language that i'm sure not a man among them kent what ye were talkin' aboot."
"you did give them a pretty bad time," grinned jack. "it was a treat to see them wrestling with hydrocarbonaceous compounds, and electrolytical principles; but didn't they howl when they saw the gold!"
"i reckon that talks every time," said mackay.
no time was now lost in erecting the vat and other appliances necessary for the bulk treatment of the strange deposit. wood was obtained from the saw mill, and mackay, assisted by jack and the shadow, started to build the giant trough for the retention of the ore. only half-sawn, rounded timber was used, for that alone could support the strain that must finally be put upon the structure; a movable bottom was also fixed to allow of the ultimate residue being drawn off easily, and the whole[pg 163] was mounted on a stout standard of logs raised about five feet from the ground.
as may be imagined, a constant stream of visitors came to view the peculiar erection before it was nearly half completed; but when bob's important chemical and electrical arrangements were ready to be fitted, mackay, much to the disgust of the beholders, screened the entire plant from their gaze by building a tall canvas wall around it. by the end of the week everything was in readiness for the trial, which was given out to take place in the evening, and a vast assembly gathered to witness the inauguration of what was now known as the "hope of golden flat." so speedily had the news travelled concerning it, and so vastly interested had even the outside world become in the problematical future of the flat's odd formation, that by saturday morning quite a number of men from kalgoorlie and far outlying townships made their appearance, and a steady stream of buggies and horsemen poured in along the track all day. indeed, it seemed as if a fresh rush had set in, so keen was the excitement.
but mackay was ill at ease. among the throng of new-comers he had recognized several of the cleverest mining engineers in the state, and none of them had reputations for being over-scrupulous.
"there'll be a careful eye kept on us to-night, bob," said he. "an' i'm just a wee bit dubious o' the intentions o' some o' our visitors."
bob looked thoughtful. "i'll fix up a dummy battery and an extra generator for their special benefit," he suggested.
"a good idea, my lad, and i'll see that emu bill and[pg 164] the boys are close handy in case o' accident. jack can stand by an' help you. i'll attend to the dumping o' the ore, and the overflow arrangements, an' flatten out any man wha's troubled wi' an excess o' inquisitiveness."
"an' i," spoke the shadow, "i reckons i'll keep my blinkers open for any suspicious-lookin' cusses, an'—— howlin' centipedes! there's one now! blow me if it ain't that pestiferous son o' a gun back again."
they looked and saw macguire in close conversation with a short, nattily dressed man of about middle age. then the crowd closed up again, and hid the plotters—for such they undoubtedly were—from view.
the trial had been arranged to take place at seven o'clock in the evening, chiefly because the great heat of the sun at an earlier period would have been most trying for the spectators and experimentalists alike, but mackay had also the idea that at such a time the working arrangements would be less visible to the onlookers, and though he did not then think that any danger was likely to arise in this respect, he now congratulated himself on his cautionary scruples. indeed, if the three partners could have foreseen that so many outsiders were to be present, no public exhibition of the process would have been promised. but it was too late now to alter their plans; the test must go on, come what may; and though bob was confident of success, his mind was somewhat troubled by the appearance on the scene of so many strangers, and the arrival of macguire added much to his apprehensions. an hour before the stated time all was in readiness for the ordeal. the gas generators and batteries were placed behind the vat and loosely covered by some old ore-bags, then the enclosing canvas screen was pulled[pg 165] away. a number of oil lamps hung around gave ample light, while at the same time their reflectors were so arranged as to cast a deep shadow over the lowly placed chemical plant. every safeguard against prying eyes had been employed before the curtain was taken down, and now the interested spectators gazed curiously on the huge wooden structure which revealed itself to them. ten tons of the ore to be treated rested on a platform built at the top of the vat; it was all neatly arranged in bags, each of ten claims having provided a ton, while an extra half-dozen tons taken from the golden promise lay conveniently near at hand.
bob stepped with apparent carelessness to the concealed batteries and made the connections secure; mackay mounted the platform to tip in the ore, and jack casually stood guard in front of the hidden plant. then macguire's harsh voice cackled out in protest—
"we want to see the inside o' the concern before you start; you may have salted it for all we knows."
bob's lips compressed tightly at the words. "i am not a professional conjurer," he said with dignity, "and i have nothing to gain one way or another from any of you. if you represent the feelings of the miners here, i shall go no further."
a cry of dissent at once arose, and macguire's safety seemed for the moment imperilled; but in the midst of the uproar, bob calmly unscrewed the bottom from the vat and pulled it forth for inspection, and he noted that those who came forward at his request were without exception the men whose good intentions mackay had so much doubted. the interruption did not delay matters for more than a minute or so, then mackay began to load[pg 166] the vat, and in a short space the onlookers were listening to its turbulent outbursts in amazed silence. at this stage, macguire, accompanied by the man he had been seen with earlier in the evening, pushed his way forward until he was almost touching the foaming caldron. but they did not escape the lynx eyes of emu bill and the shadow, whose stern grips were on their shoulders at once.
"let them stay, bill, if they want," said bob, quietly.
"i should just reckon we would, young feller," rasped macguire, though even as he spoke his companion was whisked abruptly to the rear by the inflexible shadow.
bob smiled, and nodded to mackay, who at once opened the overflow tap, and a spouting rush of oily slimes descended on the bully's head, saturating him in an odoriferous flood. the bystanders roared with glee, and made way hurriedly to allow the dripping man an open passage for his now frenzied retreat. the suddenness of the deluge had utterly taken away his power of speech, and the smarting pain of the saline fluid in his eyes made him howl like a dingo. however, he recovered himself somewhat when he got clear of the jeering crowd. "i'll pay ye back for this!" he snarled; "i'll—i'll——" then his more fortunate companion took him by the arm and led him away.
the drastic lesson had considerable effect on several other over-inquisitive individuals, and their haste to retire whenever they saw mackay's hand reach towards the tap was ludicrous in its earnestness.
again and again the overflow belched out, until it seemed as if nothing solid could have remained. and all this time the assembled miners looked on in silent wonder. at last bob intimated that the operation was completed.
[pg 167]
"the vat was built to hold ten tons," he said, "but it could treat fifty tons in a day easily enough——"
"how do you make that out?" interrupted a mining engineer close at hand.
"why, all you have to do is to keep filling up the vat as the overflow exhausts it. the gold will always be found at the bottom."
mackay and jack now busied themselves unscrewing the movable bottom, and the crowd surged round in breathless expectation. quickly the screws relaxed, a stream of yellow ooze gurgled out, but the only solid matter retained was that which lay encompassed within the flanged edges of the detached wood. it was not inspiring to look upon, merely a layer about two inches deep of a dull gravelly sediment.
then bob spoke again. "if the process were kept going long enough," said he, "there would be scarcely any residue other than the gold itself."
"an' does ye think thar's any gold there, mate?" asked a stalwart miner, anxiously.
bob nodded with easy confidence, "you'll very soon see," he replied.
mackay was already engaged in the work of demonstration. raising the shallow receptacle until it lay at a easy incline, he next gently tilted the contents of a kerosene tin full of water over the slope, and behold the muddy casing dissolved away, revealing a rich spangling yellow underneath. a roar of fierce joy burst from nigh on two hundred throats, and for about a minute pandemonium reigned. hats were tossed into the air, and huzzahs long and loud echoed over the plains. the success of the process had been established beyond all doubt.
[pg 168]
one of the first to congratulate the young discoverer was nuggety dick, but never never dave and old dead broke were at his heels.
"you've saved the flat, bob!" cried nuggety.
"an' you've saved us too," murmured dead broke, with emotion.
"what i want to know, young man, is by what means do you bring about the expulsion of the oily matter in the compound?"
the voice was patronizing in the extreme: the speaker was the erstwhile associate of macguire.
then mackay's pent-up rage broke forth. "an' are ye sure that is all ye would like to know?" he stormed. "you mean, snivelling sneak, do ye think i don't know who ye are an' what ye're here for? get out o' my sight, afore i do you damage."
to bob's surprise, the man fled at once. emu bill laughed.
"i'd have liked a word with the skunk myself," said he. "he's one of the measliest rats in the west, he is."
then jack added his testimony. "he's been dodging around trying to get a look at the battery all evening."
the sound of a strenuous scuffle from behind the vat at this moment drew their attention. with a bound mackay rushed to investigate, and there he beheld the shadow engaged in silent conflict with the man they had just been discussing. the crowd had by this time drawn away from the scene of operations, and were talking excitedly among themselves over their now rosy future prospects.
mackay snorted savagely. "let me get a crack at him, shadow," he said, hastening to the fray. but the[pg 169] struggling man, already safe in the shadow's sinewy grip, on hearing the new-comer's voice, made a desperate effort to free himself, and literally tore himself from his enemy's grasp, and sped off into the night.
the shadow gazed ruefully after the vanishing figure. "it was your fault," he said reproachfully to mackay. "when you chased him away 'bout a minute ago i was watching him, an' saw him do a slide round by the back, so i just sat tight an' waited for the dodger. he was pulling the cover from that there fizzing concern when i gripped him by the neck."
"but who is he, anyhow?" asked bob, who, with the others, had come to inquire the cause of the disturbance.
"he's a most dangerous man, bob," answered mackay, grimly. "his name is wynberg, an' he's the chief chemist and assayer o' one o' the crookest mining companies in australia, a clever man in his way, no doubt, but his cleverness seems aye to develop in the wrong direction, as the shareholders o' the company he represents should well ken by this time. he came here wi' that thief macguire on purpose to steal your brains, bob—for nothing else."
"well, i scarcely think he has succeeded," laughed bob.
the crowd was by this time beginning to disperse, and a number of the miners came up to say good night.
"why," exclaimed jack, "we haven't weighed the gold yet!" and neither they had; so keen had been the excitement at seeing the welcome metal that no one had given a thought to estimating its quantity.
"we'll soon make that right," said mackay, seizing the pair of gold-scales, that had been lying in readiness[pg 170] beside the generator. he quickly emptied the gleaming dust on to a sheet of calico, which jack hastily drew forward, and commenced weighing it carefully in ounces.
"i reckon," said one of the men, who had sent a ton for treatment, "i reckon if it goes an ounce we should be mighty well pleased."
"in that case there should be ten ounces saved, then," said bob, "allowing for no loss."
"there's three times that here," said mackay, "or my judgment is very far oot." and, indeed, so it proved. mackay filled the tiny scales exactly thirty-one times, and yet there were some grains over. "thirty-one ounces," said he, "an' belted out o' the deceivin' stuff inside an hour." a murmur of astonishment ran through the group. this result surpassed even their wildest hopes.
"that means that each man who sent along a ton is entitled to three odd ounces," reflected bob. "better weigh it off and let them have it now."
the ten men concerned held a hurried consultation, then one of their number advanced, and laid his hand kindly on bob's shoulder.
"there's nary one o' us will take an ounce o' the stuff," said he. "keep the gold, my boy; you're heartily welcome to it. it's the first return o' the discovery, an' it's yours by right. we only hopes you'll get oceans more o' it afore very long."
a babel of concurring voices answered for his comrades, and before bob could reply the men had gone. mackay gravely handed a well-filled gold-bag to the hesitating youth.
"they're quite right, bob," he commented quietly.[pg 171] "the gold is yours by right—by right o' discovery. keep it, my laddie—keep it and treasure it, as jack treasures the first nugget he found. in after years, if you're spared, ye'll maybe remember this night as a vera wonderful experience."
bob was silent; somehow his companion's words affected him deeply. there was a note of foreboding in them, as if the speaker saw into the future clearly, and was saddened by what he saw. together they joined the camp-fire circle, where the rest of their acquaintances were gathered; then mackay appeared to remember something, and hastened back to the vat, and when jack and the shadow went in search of him, they found him quietly refixing the canvas wall around the whole structure.
that night bob and mackay slept deeply; the strain of the evening and of the preceding days had told upon them. jack, on the other hand, tossed about restlessly; his active brain refused to be still, and the events of the last crowded epoch in his life flitted before his unseeing gaze. he awoke from a troubled sleep shortly after midnight, and a vague uneasiness seemed to take possession of him. the moon had just risen, and her pale eerie light penetrated into the tent and illumined it with a ghostly radiance; it shone on the faces of the two recumbent figures near, and jack for the moment became interested in watching the different expressions of the sleepers. bob slept deep and peacefully, a restful smile on his clear-cut features, but mackay's rugged visage looked grim and careworn, and ever and anon a faint groan broke from his lips, while his breath came in quick, laboured gasps. jack was amazed. to him the brawny bushman was still somewhat of an enigma, and each new phase of his startled, even while it interested him. "he'll[pg 172] be back in the never never again," thought he, pityingly. then all at once his heart gave a violent bound. a shadow had suddenly fallen aslant the tent; some moving body had intervened to shut out the rising rays of the moon. he glanced around with an almost imperceptible movement through his half-closed eyelids, and there at the door stood a bulky figure gazing in on them intently. for fully a minute he stood thus, then he turned silently, and the moon shone on his face, revealing the hateful features of macguire; it shone also on something which glittered brightly in his upraised hand: it was a revolver.
almost at the same instant jack became conscious of another intruder being near; his sensitive ear caught the sound of light shuffling footsteps in the sand, and a dark form loomed up briefly by the side of the tent; the image reflected plainly through the thin calico wall, then quickly disappeared. immediately afterwards there came a sharp rasping tear from the near vicinity, followed by a muttered curse. a cold sweat broke out on the boy's forehead; some one had cut the canvas screen enclosing the vat and batteries! at the disturbing sound the watcher at the door started slightly, then his demoniacal face peered again into the tent, and the shining barrel of his weapon was levelled straight at mackay's heaving chest; but apparently satisfied that the man whom he so much dreaded was still asleep, he hastened to join his marauding companion.
jack's action was prompt and impulsive; he leaped up, seized his winchester repeater, which was lying on the ground at his side, and without a moment's hesitation rushed after macguire. as in a dream he saw two dark[pg 173] figures lifting something out from the torn curtain surrounding the secret process; at his approach they dropped their encumbrance, there came a loud report, and jack felt a ball graze his temple; then his own rifle spoke, and a yell of pain answered its heavy discharge. a perfect fusillade of revolver-shots now echoed through the night, and jack felt the leaden messengers whistle about his ears. with a just rage in his heart he dashed right at the ruffianly pair; almost before he knew, he was on top of them, and his clubbed rifle whirled through the air, descending with a crash on macguire's head. so severe was the stroke that the stock of his weapon shivered into fragments; but macguire's skull was like iron; though the blow felled him like a stricken ox, he struggled to his feet at once and staggered off into the night, just as mackay and bob appeared on the scene. it had all happened in a few moments, and when his comrades arrived, the boy was standing with the shattered rifle still in his hands, gazing with dazed eyes all around.
jack felt a ball graze his temple; then his own rifle spoke
"jack felt a ball graze his temple; then his
own rifle spoke"
"well done, jack!" said mackay, heartily, guessing at once what had happened.
"but—but where's the other one?" faltered jack. "there were two of them a minute ago. look for the battery, bob; look——"
"it's gone," said bob, quietly.
and so it was. macguire's villainous associate had disappeared, and with him the battery. he had left his hard-headed partner to bear the brunt of jack's vengeful blow, probably by a preconceived arrangement, and, as macguire most likely reasoned, a crack on the head with a rifle was better for him than the bullet which he would assuredly have received had he ventured flight at the same[pg 174] moment. they had trusted to the boy's unwillingness to shoot—after emptying their own firearms with deadly intent. they had pitted their murderous cunning against the lad's humane judgment, and they had succeeded in their nefarious plan.
"i ought to have fired; i ought to have killed them," muttered jack, despairingly. "i knew their revolvers were empty at the last, only i didn't—like—to—shoot——"
"you did well, my lad," spoke mackay, encouragingly. "i wouldna have cared for the blood o' even twa such scoundrels to be on your young heid, though had they killed you, i would have chased them up an' choked the breath oot o' them baith afore morning."
very few of the tent dwellers around appeared to have been disturbed by the heavy firing. only the shadow and emu bill made their appearance to investigate the cause, and when they learned what had taken place, their language was full and eloquent.
"i'll twist that dandy chemist's neck in the morning," quoth the shadow, with earnestness.
mackay laughed mirthlessly. "they'll both probably stay in hiding for a bit," he said, "and the first thing we'll know is another process being stuck up on the flat. they'll crowd us out, right enough, and we'll get nothing but what's in our own claims to put through."
"but won't the miners stand by us?" suggested jack, hopefully.
"the miners, my laddie! the miners, especially on a new field such as this is, are like sheep. they'll gang the way o' least resistance, an' we canna afford to run a philanthropic concern for their benefit altogether. it's[pg 175] bob i'm sorry for—bob whose brain has done the work——"
"we'll let that go," said bob, gently. "as you said last night, i'll have at least a vivid experience to remember."
next morning news of the theft of bob's secret appliances spread rapidly over the flat. mackay considered it advisable to let the affair be known ere some "new" discovery became heralded abroad by the perpetrators of the outrage.
"it will at least ensure the laddie's name as that o' the true inventor o' the process," he reasoned, and so the report became noised about.
at first the miners were indignant, and aggressively disposed towards the two men who had so meanly defrauded a mere boy, yet soon they calmed down.
"if there's more than one plant on the field we'll get the work done cheaper," argued some one, and of course this placed the matter in a new light as far as they were concerned.
there was no doubt as to the personality of the thieves. early that same morning, macguire and wynberg, the chemist, had been seen driving off towards kalgoorlie, and it had been observed also that the publican's head was swathed in bandages, while his companion's left arm was secured in a sling. jack had certainly given them more than they bargained for, and the knowledge was a source of much joy to that youth, whose keen regret now was that he had not done them greater hurt.
the days slipped by, and the incident was almost forgotten before a week had passed; but the owners of the golden promise mine knew well what to expect.[pg 176] they continued their work in the shaft, digging out the refractory ore which now alone was left to them, and regularly each evening bob kept pace with results by treating in the vat the entire amount raised in the day, and the exploitation of the mine proceeded; a little more than another week would suffice to exhaust the stratum within their boundary pegs, and then—bob wondered vaguely whether, after all, the process had baffled the discerning powers of the chemist, and so would allow them to profit by the discovery on a larger scale.
"you need scarcely hope for that, bob," said mackay, "as i said before, the danger o' the discovery lay in its simplicity, and wynberg is a man wha has had a' the qualifications his university in germany could give him. they're vera smart mineralogists, those germans, bob, and nothing much will pass them. a' the same, when i get a grip o' the man i'll alter the state o' his health for a week or so. i'll——"
mackay's anger overcame him, and he turned away abruptly to hide his annoyance.
events soon proved how clearly he had foreseen the plans of the conspirators. that very night, rockson, the battery proprietor, came over to the golden promise evidently much perturbed.
"i've got a letter from macguire, boys," he said hesitatingly. "an' he gives me instructions to fit up a twenty-ton vat close to my stamping-mill. he says wynberg will be out in a day or so to see it completed. i feel inclined to throw up the sponge, boys, i do; i know it is your discovery he means to work. if the blackguard didn't own so much o' the battery, i'd have nothing more to do with him; but i'm in his power,[pg 177] an' i must either throw everything up or do what he says."
"don't worry about my feelings, rockson," replied bob, with an effort, for indeed the news had hurt him deeply. "i know you have been straight with us from the first, and if i have to lose the process i'd sooner see you work it than any one else on the flat."
"but say the word, an' i'll fix the thing up for you," rockson exclaimed eagerly, "there'll be next to nothing for the mill to do after this, and i might as well have it out with macguire now as afterwards. you know the secret, and there's room for two plants on golden flat."
bob pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "i'll share my rights with no man unwillingly," he said firmly. "macguire can set up my process, but i, the inventor of it, will not compete against him. i'm not commercial enough to beat him in the struggle for popular favour. besides, he owns a hotel, and i don't. why, he would get all the trade if only because of that. no, i won't strive with him for what should surely be my own, but i'll make every man on the field his rival. i'll give the secret away so that each individual may work it for himself. put up the vat, rockson; it may hurt me, but i'll see that it doesn't help him."
a quiet chuckle broke from the lips of mackay, who had been listening in silence. he had never seen bob thoroughly angry before, and the lad's display of temper on this occasion met with his full approval.
"you have spoken well, bob," he said; "we didna come out to australia to run a cut-price establishment alongside a gorilla-faced purveyor o' bad whisky an' a thievin' german jew. the country is wide, rockson, and[pg 178] there are more golden flats than one in it. anyhow, a golden mountain will serve us just as well, and we may even be contented wi' diamonds an' rubies for a change."
he spoke lightly, but rockson thought he saw something other than mere banter in his words, and he departed wondering much what new scheme mackay had in view.
bob and jack too were rather surprised at their comrade's strange remark, and noting their look of interrogation, mackay gave a rather reluctant explanation.
"i was thinking o' the never never land," he admitted, with a far-away expression in his eyes. "you know every kind of wealth is supposed to be hidden out there."
"then why shouldn't we go?" asked bob, promptly.
"yes, why not?" jack supplemented with ill-concealed eagerness.
the big man gazed into the burning logs of the camp-fire, around which they were seated, for several minutes before he made answer.
"i've thought o' it often," said he, at length, "and bob kens that it is my dearest wish to go back on the old track ... back to the mountain ... and beyond. but there's danger in it, laddies; many a strong man has gone under wi' thirst while crossin' the great desert. then there's the natives, savage and bloodthirsty, an' filled wi' the awfullest cunning. it's a' vera well for me to go. my interest in life was crushed clean oot o' me when i had to come back alone last year, an' i havena much to lose now——"
"you can't dissuade me by picturing the dangers of the trail," interrupted bob, quietly. "i know you want to go, you've said as much to me many times; and i tell you[pg 179] frankly i'm going with you. what did you give me the sextant for?"
"i'm to blame, bob; vera much to blame. i forgot whiles that jack an' you were young, wi' a' the world before ye, but the reaction when i saw that i was infusing into you only my ain restless spirit was cruel, cruel."
mackay's emotion overcame him, and he buried his face in his hands. bob spoke again with forced calmness, "a restless spirit was my birthright, and i am thankful for it. why," he continued passionately, "without it i might never have known you. i might never have seen this great country where out of your goodness jack and i have made as much money in a few months as we could hope to make in a lifetime at home. let dangers come, you will find us at your side ready and eager to meet them. no, we simply won't let you go without us."
"bob speaks for me every time," added jack, promptly.
mackay arose, straightened out his stalwart figure, and eyed the boys with an expression of mingled gravity and happy appreciation.
"so be it," he said, and there was an inflection of finality in his tones. then his voice became cheerful, almost joyous. "the fact is, my lads," he added, "i have aye unconsciously been considering your vera tender youth, an' feelin' that i was like the bold bad giant in the story-books wha enticed wee bairns awa' to their doom in the desert. no, jack, i canna exactly say what book it was, my memory is gettin' a bit defective, i'm thinkin'. however, bob has shown that he is a man every inch o' him, baith in brain and muscle development, while you, jack, you've got savvy enough for anything, and did ye no' nearly kill twa o' the maist desperate men in the country[pg 180] the other night, single handed? i'll no' say another word against you goin' into the never never wi' me. i have wished it from the first, an' though i tried no' to influence ye, there were times when i couldna help mysel', when the spirit o' the lonely desert sent her uncanny cry ringin' through my brain—that cry which i ken so well by this time, 'mackay come back to your comrades; they wait for you by the mountain....' ay, they wait for me, their bleaching bones wait for me to hide them from the carrion crows. but mackay comes—he comes.... get me the flute, jack, an' let me play something cheery. i think i'll gie ye a selection from the 'geisha' for a change."
"and i reckon i'll sing 'the muskittie's lament,' or burst," said the shadow, who just then approached. "i reckon my voice has stretched a bit taller since i tackled it last."
shortly afterwards the residenters of golden flat had cause to marvel at the unwonted music, and succeeding outbursts of hilarity which emanated from the head of the field.
a few days later rockson's vat was completed, and that evening wynberg arrived by the mail coach, which now connected with kalgoorlie twice weekly, to arrange the final fixtures. he was accompanied by three of macguire's satellites, a most truculent trio indeed they were, whose presence no doubt was for the purpose of safeguarding wynberg from being roughly handled by the men he had wronged, but the dapper little german seemed nevertheless very ill at ease. he alighted from the conveyance, which stopped just beside nuggety dick's claim, and gazed around him anxiously, then suddenly catching a glimpse of mackay in the near distance, he made a wild[pg 181] break for rockson's camp, and never stopped until he was safe in the manager's assay office, which was the only wooden structure in the district that boasted a lock and key. his three followers, grinning broadly, proceeded after him at a much more leisurely pace. after that nothing was seen of the chemist for two full days, in which time a heavily logged hut was erected beside the huge vat, presumably for the purpose of containing the secret appliances; assuredly macguire and wynberg intended to run no risks of having the stolen process in turn stolen from them.
then when he observed that the partners of the golden promise were paying little attention towards his movements a feeling of extreme bravery swelled in the little german's heart, and he boldly made his appearance in the open, and swaggered about most manfully when he noticed that mackay was not in sight. his hearty fear of the one man made him forget that there were others who bore him no good will, and this oversight soon brought about the calamity which he had daily dreaded. it happened late in the afternoon when bob and jack were busy on the surface preparing the battery and gas generator for their final effort, for the golden promise mine had at last cut out, and only ten tons of ore now remained to be treated. mackay was on the platform above the vat, shovelling in the clayey mixture with great gusto, and whistling merrily to himself the while. indeed, from the happy countenances of the three partners, it might have been judged that they had only at this period struck the auriferous wash instead of having exhausted it.
the shadow, looking somewhat melancholy, stood a little way off, his hands deep in his pockets, and his eyes[pg 182] fixed on the distant horizon. he knew very well that mackay's plans for journeying across into the never never land would soon be put into action, and yet the matter had not been mentioned to him. the shadow felt forlorn and miserable at the prospect of being left alone. "it's all owing to that wretched german thief," he muttered savagely, "macguire was too fat-headed to do anything on his own." unconsciously, he turned his gaze in the direction of the newly erected process, and a gleam of unholy joy lit up his features. wynberg stood there alone fondly surveying a legend which had just been painted on the huge wooden tank. so large was the lettering that the shadow could read it without difficulty, "wynberg's discovery."
"i don't see any o' his policemen around, i reckon i'll risk it," he murmured, and he strolled carelessly over as if it were his intention to view the inscription at closer range.
the unsuspecting man turned as he approached; at that moment his pride and delight in himself left no room for other emotions. "ha, ha!" he cried; "so you have come over to pay your respects to the discovery, have you? well, well, you are quite right. honour brains, young fellow, honour brains," he tapped his little bald cranium significantly, and struck an attitude as dignified as his rotund carcase would permit. then he began again, "there ees none other process like mine; that young man—what's his name?—could never do what i, carl wynberg, of the heidelbrughen university, have accomplished. i—— ah! ough! murder! police! thieves!"
the shadow had suddenly gripped him by the back of[pg 183] the neck, and lending impetus to his forward movement by a hearty application of his heavily booted pedal extremities, he impelled him forward at a run in the direction of the golden promise mine. "i reckon you ain't far out when you yell thieves," commented the shadow, "for you are about the worst thief in the country, you are; you wanted me to pay my respects to the discovery, did you? well, i reckon you is now on the road to pay your respects to the discoverer."
in vain the german shrieked and expostulated; his captor's grip was as a vice, and an honest indignation lent added strength to his long sinewy arms. the din let loose drew the attention of rockson, who was in his assay office, and he bounded out.
"come and pull this savage man away! come at once, rockson!" cried wynberg, twisting his head round appealingly.
"not much, i don't," came the quick response; "you fight your own quarrels," and he turned calmly and went back to his work. but now macguire's policemen came speeding up from the bottom of the flat, and as they came nearer and saw that the shadow only was to be pitted against them, their warlike threats against that young man's person filled the air, and wynberg, hearing their coming, struggled and kicked and raved the more. but the shadow did not once relax his hold; he had by this time got his prisoner halfway towards the camp, and he knew that prompt assistance from that quarter would soon reach him.
nor was he mistaken. bob and jack had been watching the affray with keen amusement, and mackay, who had observed the whole scene from his elevated position,[pg 184] laughed so heartily that he had difficulty in keeping his footing, but immediately macguire's followers hove in sight he checked his merriment, and made as if to go to the shadow's assistance. he thought better of it, however; "i might brak' the mannie's back if i grippit him ower hard," said he. "you go, bob, and help the shadow to bring him in."
bob was off on that mission before the words were spoken, and jack too; but mackay called the latter back before he had gone far. "two's enough, jack," he said. "i want the beggar brought to me hale, no' in scattered bits, an' bob has a right to the job."
in a brief space the raging teuton was dragged alongside the vat, while the three fire-eaters, whose duty it was to protect him from such ungentle treatment, contented themselves by hurling defiance at mackay and his companions from a conveniently remote distance. but their wordy vapourings fell on deaf ears. the chief object of their wrath seemed wholly unconscious of their presence.
"an' so you've come to see the working arrangements of the process again," he said to his unwilling visitor with a grim smile; but there was a steely glitter in his eyes which alarmed wynberg amazingly.
"i'll have you put in prison for this!" he yelled. "to prison you shall go!"
his enemy was unimpressed. "humph!" he snorted. "hoch der kaiser! ease him up an' let me get a nice canny grip o' him somewhere, my lads. ay, that's near enough. up she goes!" he swooped down his great paw, seized the unfortunate man by the slack of his wide riding-breeches, and, with scarcely an effort, hoisted him[pg 185] up struggling like a sportive fish on a hook, and yelling loud enough to waken the seven sleepers, over the ore platform, then he calmly dumped him into the vat amid the bubbling slimes.
"you'll be in a position to observe a' the working arrangements now," he bellowed. "mak' the maist o' yer chance, you yelpin' hyena."
the shrieks of wynberg had by this time caused a large number of miners to hasten up. "great centipedes! ye ain't murderin' any one, are ye, mackay?" cried the foremost of them.
mackay smiled blandly, and descended from his perch, leaving the dripping specimen of humanity to crawl out from his unpleasant environment as best he could. "i'm merely givin' the discoverer o' wynberg's process an inside knowledge o' the work, an' he's howlin' wi' joy an' gratitude, that's a'."
then a great roar of laughter broke forth as a bedraggled figure scrambled over the edge of the vat, shaking the clinging ooze from his head like a water dog, and sputtering out mouthfuls of saline fluid. seeing the crowd assembled, and feeling safe from further molestation, he gathered courage, and sitting down on the platform he shrilled forth his denunciation of mackay in the choicest vituperative phrases of two languages. when sheer lack of breath had pulled him up, bob began to address the miners in even dispassionate tones—
"men, you know that i am the discoverer of the original process, and you also know that my batteries and generator were stolen on the night of the public trial by two men. jack surprised them while they were carrying them away, and they tried their best to murder[pg 186] him. i say this man," and he pointed contemptuously at wynberg, "was one of the thieves."
"it's a lie! it's a lie!" screamed the german.
"get the beggar to roll up his sleeves," spoke jack. "i guess he's got the mark of my rifle bullet somewhere on his left arm."
"yes, roll them up, wynberg," came the stern chorus from the crowd.
but this the muddy little man absolutely refused to do. "i'm not on my trial," he sneered insolently.
"i reckon that's just where you is wrong," growled the deep voice of never never dave. "this here is a regular roll up, an' in the absence o' official representatives from the township, we, the miners o' golden flat, stand for the law every time. when we says hitch up your sleeves, then by the howlin' wilderness you've got to do it, quick an' lively too!"
yet still the request of the multitude remained unobeyed. then mackay reached forth his hand and grasped the dangling legs of the "discoverer of wynberg's process," and hauled him ingloriously to the earth. in a trice the slime-covered sleeve was pulled back, and there slantwise across the forearm was the long red graze mark of a bullet. the wound, though slight, was unmistakable.
only a smothered expression of disgust showed the feelings of the mining tribunal; they had never doubted wynberg's complicity in the theft, and by this time had almost forgotten about the affair which indeed they had partly condoned as being a probable development in their favour.
that matter settled, bob continued his remarks: "the erecting of wynberg's process, which of course is[pg 187] just my process, will certainly serve the purpose intended in one sense. it destroys our chance of making more than just a trace over cost price for treating your ores, though i know well you would not have grudged paying a small tribute extra for the inventor——" a unanimous shout of assent here greeted the speaker. "all the same, i cannot blame you for welcoming another plant on the ground, but i do blame the methods of the men who stole the idea, although i do not feel nearly as bitter towards this man as i do towards the one who prompted the action, and who has schemed against us from the first. and now, after considering the matter over with my companions, i have decided to give up my right to the discovery in your interest; for the welfare of the country generally, and in the cause of justice, i cannot allow wynberg's process to remain alone on the field to make wealth for macguire and wynberg. no, i will defeat their ends in a way they least expect. i will make the secret public property!"
there was absolute silence for an instant, then came a roaring tumult of applause. the miners could scarce realize for the moment the magnitude of what had been promised; it staggered them, and aroused their better feelings, but as the full meaning of what had been said dawned on them, cheer upon cheer rent the air, in the midst of which clamour wynberg slunk off unobserved.
"by jove! young man," cried one burly miner, "you've planted your name on this here flat for all time, for blow me if there's any other title than wentworth's process'll get leave to live here. you may not make wealth o' your discovery, but i reckon you'll have a name in the gold-mining history o' australia that wealth couldn't buy."
that the speaker represented the feelings of the[pg 188] multitude was evidenced by the rousing appreciation with which the speech was received.
"let's go and wipe out wynberg's process," cried some one, and at once there was a rush in the direction of the flaunting sign.
but mackay restrained them. "leave the miserable man's property alone, boys," he said. "you have promised a' that i wished, an' i'll hold you to your promise that the young laddie will aye get the credit o' his own discovery. we're goin' away vera soon on a new trail, an' may never see any o' ye again, but wentworth's process will be wi' ye in oor absence to make you remember how much you owe to a laddie's energy an' brains."
then the crowd broke up amid noisy protestations of everlasting good will, and the original group who held golden flat were left alone. it was apparent that emu bill, nuggety dick, and their boon comrades, never never dave and dead broke dan, were considerably exercised over mackay's statement about going away in the near future.
"i reckon you hasn't given us too much notice," complained old dead broke, reproachfully; "it'll take us a bit o' time to clean up yet."
"but i don't want you to come with me, boys," remonstrated mackay. "i didna expect——"
"well, i calc'late you made a mistake if you thought you were to leave me," hastily interjected emu bill.
"an' me! an' me!" came the cry. the shadow alone made no remark. he knew that all present could not go, and he naturally reasoned that he, as the youngest next to jack, would be left.
mackay, after a pause, appealed to them in logical[pg 189] language. "you can't all leave your claims for the sake o' comin' wi' me on what may be only a wild-goose chase," he said, "an' besides, six in the party is quite enough. i think nuggety there, who is the maist capable gold-miner o' the lot o' us; an' dead broke, who has the chance o' doin' vera well wi' his mine,—i think they should both wait an' look after things while we are away. it would never do to leave your mines half worked out. they would be jumped before we got out o' sight."
"i believe that is just right," agreed emu bill. "nuggety can hang on to my interest for me; he's my partner, anyway."
"an' dead broke can do the same for me," cried never never dave. "the workings are shallow, and one man can easily get along on his own, an' nary galoot can jump them neither, for the wash is pretty well scraped out already, an' one man's pegs would hold what's left."
in vain nuggety and his approved companion protested against this apportionment of their duties; innumerable reasons were advanced to show how essential it was that they should remain, and ultimately they agreed to the inevitable. mackay had spoken truly when he said that nuggety dick was a most accomplished miner; he had been stricken with the gold fever in his early youth, and had never recovered. it was almost a mania with him to discover new fields; his aptitude for locating the powerful talisman was nothing short of marvellous. but emu bill, though he chased up the golden gleam with hopeful persistency, really, like all restless natures, found his pleasure in the seeking rather than in the finding. he was a bushman every inch of him, and no more valuable associate[pg 190] for a risky journey into the heart of australia could be found, as mackay well knew. as for never never dave, his name had been earned for him by his wide perambulations over the untrodden tracts; his worth as a bushman was known throughout the land.
"but what about me?" pleaded the shadow. "i has no one to look after my claim, for i hasn't had no mate, but i reckon the old mine has done pretty well by me, an' i won't kick about leaving it."
"how much o' the stuff do ye think is left in your shaft?" demanded mackay.
"about thirty tons, i reckon."
"why, we'll go and help you to dig that out," cried jack.
"and i'll run it through the vat in a couple of days," added bob.
"you see, shadow," said mackay, quizzically, "we canna vera weel do without you."
"then i'll be the sixth man?" cried the youth, delighted beyond measure.
"you will that if ye promise never to sing 'the muskittie's lament' without givin' due warning. you'd mak' us think the niggers were comin' for us every time ye tackled that high note."
"i reckon i'll get an accordion——" but the shadow got no further.
wrathfully came the rebuke, "if ye dare purpose desecratin' oor peaceful evenings wi' such an unceevilized device, i'll mak' a present o' ye to the first hungry cannibal we meet, i will." then, when peace was restored, mackay summed up the respective responsibilities of the projected expedition's members. "you, jack, and[pg 191] the shadow, have shown that you can handle camels in a circumspect way, therefore you will have charge o' the team. emu bill and never never dave will assist when they are no' too busy lookin' for water or fightin' niggers. bob will be navigator; and as for me—i'll be the pilot o' the craft, and will do my best to guide you to the hidden treasure o' the never never, to the land o' rubies, an' diamonds, and gold, which lies beyond the mountain."
