The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 92

Mr. Brown replied. "I knew that Pat had the money, for he had served me in that manner half a dozen times; but I also knew that he had a great reluctance against working on the road, and that to save himself he would even sell a portion of his claim, if that was necessary. He has made money since he has worked in the mines, and I will do Pat the justice of saying that, with the exception of celebrating St. Patrick's Day, he knows how to save it."

As he ceased speaking, we drew up before a ragged hut, at the entrance of which stood a stout Irishwoman, with a terrible dirty-faced child in her arms.

"It's little ye'll get here," she shouted, shaking her huge fists at the inspector, and spanking the child, who set up a roar of fright. "Go on, an' the divil be wid ye, for not a ha'penny do ye get."

"Now we shall hear lying," muttered the inspector, when he saw a grin upon our faces. "Of all the she devils in the mines, she is the worst."

"Tell Mike that we want his license fee," Mr. Brown said, addressing the huge female, who varied her time in spanking her child and making faces at the police force.

"To the divil wid ye and yer fees, ye lazy spalpeens. There's no money in the house, and if there was ye shouldn't have it. Do ye think that I can pick up goold like dirt? or what do ye think?"

"Come, come, Judy," the inspector said, "we have heard your complaints so often that we don't believe them. Let me have the thirty-four s.h.i.+llings without delay."

"Who do you call Judy? I'm Mrs. Michael O'Flaherty, and a bitter husband and one more honest don't exist; and that's more than I can say of some women who's got husbands tied to 'em. It's little ye think I know of ye; so don't, if ye valey yer reputations, stand there chattering, but pa.s.s on to thim that gets the money."

"We are not afraid of our reputation, Judy," the inspector said. "We know that you are bad, but we don't believe that you can corrupt the whole of the squad."

"O, ye murdering villains, to thus slander an honest female who has only her vartue to protect her." Then raising her voice as though to attract the attention of some one within the house, she shouted, in satirical language, "It's little me husband cares about me, or he'd niver stand by and see me treated thus, and I niver making the least complaint in the world. It's mighty fine husbands there is in the world now, and it's little use they are to us fable females."

As though to avenge her injuries on some one, she gave the child a rap over a certain portion of his anatomy that presented the broadest disk, and his wild howls were heard for half a mile.

"If there's law to be had in this country I'll have it," Judy continued, growing more excited as she recited her wrongs. "If ye want yer tax, why don't ye come here after it in a dacent fas.h.i.+on, and not begin by insulting me and me own, and then frightening the child out of its wits.

Didn't yer mothers larn ye manners at all, and do ye think we can stand all sorts of barbarities?"

Before the inspector could return an answer, a stout, broad-shouldered fellow sneaked to the door, and his appearance was greeted with laughter.

"We have unkennelled the fox, have we?" the sergeant of the squad said.

"Hitherto we have had to dig for him."

"Come, Mike, where is your tax?" asked the inspector, in a mild tone.

"He's no money, I tell ye," screamed the woman, shaking one of her huge fists at the officer in a defiant manner, and glancing towards her lord, as though warning him of the consequences of gainsaying her word. "I've told ye that he'd no money, and now be off, and the divil go wid ye."

"Pace, Judy, dear," remonstrated Mike, in a subdued tone; "it's the police who always behave like rale gentlemen."

"Hear him," screamed the indignant woman, "turn upon his own lawful, married wife, and abuse her like a baste. Why don't ye bite me in two, ye little brat?"

She gave her child a shake that made him think there was an earthquake, and then supplied him with a liberal allowance of food that kind nature had wisely provided for the purpose of keeping children quiet, even for a few minutes.

"Whist, Judy; don't be after trating the child that way," remonstrated the father, who appeared to have some spirit when the welfare of his heir was concerned.

"Ah, go on insulting me--don't spare reproaches. I'm defenceless now."

Woman's last resource, tears, were quickly called up, and under their shadow Mike sneaked towards us, as though about to pay his money and have done with the trouble; but before he could accomplish his good resolution the woman had cleared her eyes, and in a voice that started us, yelled,--

"Mike, ye divil, come here this instant."

The hen-pecked husband did not dare to disobey. He cast an imploring, half-sheepish look towards his wife.

"We have delayed long enough," Mr. Brown said. "Sergeant, put on the irons."

The sergeant dismounted quite coolly, and summoned six men to his a.s.sistance. I noticed that the officers did not display any great alacrity, and acted as though quite ashamed of the duty that they were to enter upon.

"The sergeant means to have a.s.sistance enough," Fred remarked, addressing the inspector.

"You will see," the latter returned; and we did, sure enough; for no sooner did the officers lay hands upon Michael than the woman dropped her child, and with a wild shout threw herself upon them. The first poor devil whom she spotted lost a handful of hair--but as it was as red as fire it was no great sacrifice to the owner--the second had a piece of skin clawed off his nose, and the third reluctantly parted with a piece of flesh weighing nearly a quarter of an ounce, torn forcibly from his cheek. The police endeavored to keep her at arms' length without success--she broke down their defences, and clawed the hair from their heads in the most scientific manner; and yet she had all the fighting to do, for Michael remained in the custody of two officers without offering to strike a blow for liberty.

The war was at length fiercely contested, for the officers, finding that they were likely to be placed _hors du combat_, made a rush towards the Amazon; and while two seized her arms, two more grasped her legs, and I am obliged to confess that the police did not display much delicacy in the latter operation. In spite of her struggles--in defiance of her imprecations, and calls for Mike to interfere in her behalf--she was carried bodily towards the hut, and poised in the air for a moment; and then, with a "one, two, three, and away she goes," was thrown head foremost through the door, and landed in the middle of the hut all in a heap.

"You have kilt me wife," moaned Mike, who watched the operation With considerable anxiety for his better half.

"Hang her, she's skinned me from head to foot," muttered one of the officers, wiping his bleeding face on a handkerchief, and showing his wounds to the inspector.

"Skinned!" echoed another; "if she had only taken skin I shouldn't mind it much; but, blast her, she has torn flesh and muscle from my face."

"I'm sorry for your misfortunes, but we will have her arrested on a warrant to-morrow, and fined," the inspector said. "Bring Mike along, and set him at work on the roads for a few days."

"Arrah, now, Mr. Inspector, don't be after doing that," shouted the Irishman; but in defiance of his cries he was handcuffed and driven along with the rest.

We had got a few yards from the hut when Mrs. Judy appeared at the door, looking a little the worse for her late usage. Her hair was hanging over her shoulders, and her dress was torn in a dozen places. Both feet were bare, and none too clean; but little she cared for her appearance just then.

"For the love of St. Patrick, Mr. Inspector, stop a minute, and don't be after carrying away Mike, the poor, harmless divil. Lave him here wid me, and we'll pay the tax without a murmur."

"Too late," cried Mr. Brown, without turning his head, although I could see that he was disposed to come to terms.

"Ough, don't say that, bless yer handsome face and yer kind heart. What could I do, sure, widout me Mike? Lave him here wid me, and if the blackguard has been insulting ye I'll punish him, depind upon it."

"It's not of your husband that we complain," the inspector said; "he would act decently, and pay his tax, if you would let him."

"Ah, then--glory to G.o.d--poor Mike is safe; and I thought all along that he wouldn't disgrace his Judy so much as to refuse what a just gentleman like ye demands. Pay the officer the tax, and say no more about it. It's but a trifle."

The sergeant looked at Mr. Brown, and the latter glanced at the sergeant. There was but little use in making Mike work on the road, if he had the money to pay for his month's mining; so a halt was called, and the woman quickly poured out dust enough from a cracked teacup to satisfy the demands of government, and then Mike was restored to the dirty arms of his better half.

"I hope that all the taxes collected do not come as hard as this," Fred said, addressing the inspector.

"They all pay out their money with an ill grace; but our worst cases, with one exception, are over."

As we pa.s.sed through the several districts, many of the miners stood ready with their gold, and after answering to their names, paid their taxes without a murmur; and even while disputes were going on, they did not prevent the clerks who accompanied us from attending to their duties.

All those who did not possess the cash were required to follow in our train, as captives, to work out a certain amount on the roads. Men who had been sick, and were incapable of raising ten s.h.i.+llings, were shown no indulgence whatever; and although we often interceded, and our wishes were granted in every case, yet we felt that the inspector's orders were rigid, and that we were imposing upon good nature, to make requests in every instance where poverty compelled a miner to decline paying his tax.

At length we reached the Chinese district, and the Celestials turned out in great numbers to receive us. Many handed the clerks the money that was due without a word of comment, and we experienced no trouble until we reached the quarters of Yam Kow, an old fellow whose tail reached to the ground, and who was reported to be the most miserly of all the Chinese at Ballarat. That he had money there was no doubt, for he was always at work, or trading with his countrymen, and he was never known to spend a s.h.i.+lling for clothing or food. What he lived on was unknown, and could only be conjectured; but it was said that Kow had been seen nights setting traps for snakes and rats, and even lizards were considered quite delicate meat for him.

Traps of most ingenious and cunning device were also set for birds, and Kow had been known to waste a few grains of rice, for the purpose of attracting them to his fatal snares.

The bodies of the birds were sold by Kow, and if he could find no market, he would hold on to them until he did; and if, after all his trouble, none of his countrymen were disposed to buy, the unhappy Chinaman would devour them himself; and even if fly-blown and slightly decomposed, it made no difference to Kow; his greatest anxiety was on account of not being able to get a s.h.i.+lling for the body of the bird that he was at length compelled to eat. With the plumage of the birds--and the feathers of the birds of Australia are of the most gaudy hue--he made, during evenings, rare trinkets, and magnificent wreaths, and sold them to miners at a fair price, to be taken home as curiosities. I had a box filled with such articles, and which I valued highly; but they were lost on my voyage home, while crossing the Isthmus of Suez.

We found old Yam Kow seated before his hut, which was made of bits of sticks, pieces of boards, stones, and mud, all cemented and fitted together in the neatest manner, and what was more wonderful than all, perfectly water tight, and as clean inside as possible.