It Is Never Too Late to Mend Part 125

Toward evening he collected his whole faction, got on the top of two cradles, made a speech, thanked them for their good-will, and told them he had now an opportunity of making them a return. He had discovered a vein of gold which he could have kept all to himself, but it was more just and more generous to share it with his partisans.

"Now, pa.s.s through this little mine one at a time," said he, "and look at the roof, where I have stuck the two lighted candles, and then pa.s.s on quick to make room for others."

The men dived one after another, examined the roof, and, rus.h.i.+ng wildly out at the other end in great excitement, ran and marked out claims on both sides of the subterranean.

But, with all their greediness and eagerness, they left ten feet square untouched on each side the subterranean.

"What is this left for?"

"That is left for the clever fellow that found the gold after a thief had missed it," cried one.

"And for the generous fellow that parted his find," roared another, from a distance.

Robinson seemed to reflect.

"No! I won't spoil the meat by cutting myself the fat--no! I am a digger, but not only a digger, I aspire to the honor of being a captain of diggers; my claim lies out there."

"Hurrah; three cheers for Captain Robinson!"

"Will you do me a favor in return?"

"Hurrah! won't we?"

"I am going to pet.i.tion the governor to send us out police to guard our tents."

"Hurrah!"

"And even beaks, if necessary" (doubtful murmurs). "And, above all, soldiers to take our gold safe down to Sydney."

"Hurrah!"

"Where we can sell it at three fifteen the ounce."

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!"

"Instead of giving it away here for three pounds, and then being robbed.

If you will all sign, Mr. Stevens and I will draw up the pet.i.tion; no country can stand without law!"

"Hurrah for Captain Robinson, the diggers' friend."

And the wild fellows jumped out of the holes, and four seized the diggers' friend, and they chaired him in their rough way, and they put Carlo into a cradle, and raised him high, and chaired him; and both man and dog were right glad to get safe out of the precarious honor.

The proceedings ended by brutus being loosed and set between two long lines of men with lumps of clay, and pelted and knocked down, and knocked up again, and driven, bruised, battered and bleeding, out of that part of the camp. He found his way to a little dirty tent not much bigger than a badger's hole, crawled in, and sank down in a fainting state, and lay on his back stiff and fevered, and smarting soul and body many days.

And while Robinson was exulting in his skill, his good fortune, his popularity, his swelling bag, and the constabulary force he was collecting and heading, this tortured ruffian, driven to utter desperation by the exposure of his features to all the camp with "Thief"

blazing on him, lay groaning stiff and sore--but lived for revenge.

"Let him keep his gold--I don't care for his gold now. I'll have his blood!"

CHAPTER LXII.

"I WONDER at you giving away the claim that lay close to the gold; it is all very well to be generous, but you forget--Susan."

"Don't you be silly, George. The vein dips, and those that cut down on it where it is horizontalish will get a little; we, that nick it nearly verticalish, will get three times as much out of a ten-foot square claim."

"Well! you are a sharp fellow, to be sure; but, if it is so, why on earth did you make a favor to them of giving them the milk and taking the cream?"

"Policy, George! policy!"

CHAPTER LXIII.

SUNDAY.

"TOM, I invite you to a walk."

"Ay! ay! I'd give twenty pounds for one; but the swag?"

"Leave it this one day with Mr. Levi; he has got two young men always armed in his tent, and a little peevish dog, and gutta-percha pipes running into all the Jews' tents that are at his back like chicks after the old hen."

"Oh, he is a deep one."

"And he has got mouth-pieces to them, and so he could bring thirty men upon a thief in less than half a minute."

"Well, then, George! a walk is a great temptation, this beautiful day."

In short, by eight o'clock the gold was deposited, and the three friends, for Policeman C must count for one, stepped l.u.s.tily out in the morning air.

It was the month of January; a blazing hot day was beginning to glow through the freshness of morning; the sky was one cope of pure blue, and the southern air crept slowly up, its wings clogged with fragrance, and just tuned the trembling leaves--no more.

"Is not this pleasant, Tom--isn't it sweet?"

"I believe you, George! and what a shame to run down such a country as this. There they come home, and tell you the flowers have no smell, but they keep dark about the trees and bushes being haystacks of flowers.

Snuff the air as we go, it is a thousand English gardens in one. Look at all those tea-scrubs each with a thousand blossoms on it as sweet as honey, and the golden wattles on the other side, and all smelling like seven o'clock; after which flowers be hanged!"

"Ay, lad! it is very refres.h.i.+ng; and it is Sunday, and we have got away from the wicked for an hour or two; but in England there would be a little white church out yonder, and a spire like an angel's forefinger pointing from the gra.s.s to heaven, and the lads in their clean smock-frocks like snow, and the wenches in their white stockings and new shawls, and the old women in their scarlet cloaks and black bonnets, all going one road, and a tinkle-tinkle from the belfry, that would turn all these other sounds and colors and sweet smells holy, as well as fair, on the Sabbath morn. Ah! England. Ah!"

"You will see her again--no need to sigh."

"Oh, I was not thinking of her in particular just then."

"Of who?"

"Of Susan!"