Lost Lenore Part 43

As she stood before me, affectionately caressing her little companion, I thought that there could be on this earth but one other so lovely--one Lenore.

She appeared to be about sixteen years of age. I had often heard of "golden hair," and always had regarded the expression as a very foolish figure of speech. I could do so no longer on looking at the hair of that Australian maiden. Its hue was even less peculiar than its quant.i.ty. There seemed more than a delicate form could carry.

I could not tell the colour of her eyes; but I saw that they emitted a soft brilliant light, resembling the outburst of an autumn sun.

When she became satisfied that the child was unharmed, she proceeded to thank me for the service I had done, in "preserving the life of her sister."

I interrupted her expressions of grat.i.tude, by offering to accompany her to her home. The child, after the fright it had sustained, seemed hardly able to stand; and I proposed to carry it in my arms. My proposal was accepted; and we proceeded on up the river.

An animal called in the colonies a "Kangaroo dog," led the way; and to this quadruped the young girl directed my attention.

"Rosa was running in advance of me," said she, "and was playing with the dog. It was he that pushed her into the river. I fear, our mother will not allow us to come out again, though I am very fond of straying along the Yarra-Yarra. We have not far to go," she added; "the house is just behind that hill, you see before us. It is not quite a mile to it."

I was pleased to hear this: for Rosa was about five years of age, and of a weight that I did not desire to walk under for any great distance.

I had forgotten all about my gun. I had dropped it, when jumping into the river; and only remembered it now, long after we had left the spot.

On turning towards my companion, I saw that she had it in her hands.

During our progress towards her home, I was constantly making comparisons between my companion and Lenore. They were mental, and involuntary. She and Lenore were the two most lovely objects I had ever seen; and yet they were altogether unlike. Lenore was dark, reserved, and dignified, though the expression of her features and the silent glance of her eye denoted, that her soul contained volumes of warm poetic fancy that might never be expressed in words.

The young girl by my side was fair and free-spoken; she talked almost continuously; and I could plainly perceive, that every thought of her mind must find expression in speech.

Before we had reached the house, I had learnt the simple history of her life. She was the daughter of Mr H--, the friend of Cannon--for whose station we were bound.

She was the one about whom Cannon had bantered Vane--telling him that he might amuse himself by making love to her. Cannon had never spoken a truer word in his life, than when he said that she was "extremely good-looking." If the description was at all incorrect, it was because it was too tame. She was more than good-looking--she was beautiful.

I learnt from her that her name was Jessie, that her life was very lonely on the station--where the appearance of a stranger, whatever he might be, was an unusual event; and that she was much pleased that an acquaintance of her father had sent word, that he was about to visit them with two of his friends.

"That acquaintance is Mr Cannon?" said I, interrogatively.

"Yes; and you are one of the friends who was to come with him," rejoined she, with a woman's instinct, jumping to the correct conclusion. "Oh!

we shall be so happy to have you with us!"

We had still that mile further to go; but although Rosa was no light weight to carry, the distance appeared as nothing.

Before we had reached her home, Jessie H--seemed to be an old acquaintance. I felt a.s.sured that my visit to her father's station would prove a pleasant one.

On arriving at the house there ensued a scene of excitement, of which little Rosa's mishap was the cause.

Jessie seemed determined to make me the hero of the hour; and I had to listen to profuse expressions of grat.i.tude from her father and mother-- all for bringing a child out of the water--an act that a Newfoundland dog would have performed, quite as cleverly as I.

Little Rosa was the favourite of the family; and their thanks for what I had done were in proportion to the affection entertained for her.

When they had succeeded in making me feel very uncomfortable, and appear very much like a fool, I had to listen to some nonsense from my travelling companions Vane and Cannon--who had arrived at the station nearly an hour before. Their badinage was to the effect, that I had got the start of them, in the amus.e.m.e.nt of love-making to the beautiful Jessie.

My companions had been unsuccessful in the pursuit of our packhorse. He had gone quite off into the "bush"--carrying his cargo along with him.

We never saw either again!

Volume Two, Chapter XXVI.

AUSTRALIAN AMUs.e.m.e.nTS.

The owner of the station, Mr H--, followed the kindred occupations of grazier and wool-grower; and, to judge by the appearance of his home, he had carried on this combined business to some advantage. He was a simple, kind-hearted man, about fifty years of age; and, having been a colonist for more than twenty years, he understood how to make our visit to his home as pleasant, as circ.u.mstances would admit.

The day after our arrival, we were inducted into the mysteries of a "kangaroo hunt." In chase of an "old-man kangaroo" we had a fine run, of about three miles, through the bush; and the affair was p.r.o.nounced by Vane, who claimed the character of a sportsman, to be a more exciting chase than any fox-hunt he had ever witnessed in the old country. To be "in at the death" of a fox is to be present at a scene of considerable excitement; but it is tame, when compared with the termination of a kangaroo chase. When an "old-man kangaroo" is brought to bay--after having come to the conclusion that he has jumped far enough--then comes the true tug of war.

The venerable gentleman places his back against a tree; and resists further molestation in a most determined manner. He shows fight in his own way--by lifting up one of his hind legs, and bringing it down again with a sudden "slap"--all the time supporting himself in an upright att.i.tude on the other. The blow does not cause a sudden jar, like the kick of a horse; but by means of his long, sharp claws, the kangaroo will tear the skin from the body of a dog, or any other a.s.sailant, that may imprudently come within reach.

Vane and Cannon knew that I had been a sailor. They expected, therefore, some amus.e.m.e.nt in seeing me "navigate" a horse across the rough country--among the standing and prostrated trees of an Australian "bush."

They did not know, that I had been more than two years in the saddle--as a United States dragoon; and that I had ridden over heaps of dead and wounded men--over crippled horses and broken carriages--as well as thousands of miles across the desert plains and through the dense forests of America.

They were taken somewhat by surprise, on beholding my horsemans.h.i.+p; and Vane flattered me with the hope, that a few years' practice would make me as good a hunter as himself!

We returned home with a game-bag--containing two dead kangaroos; and next day, at dinner, indulged in the luxury of "kangaroo-tail" soup.

Our amus.e.m.e.nt, for the following day, was a fis.h.i.+ng excursion along the Yarra-Yarra.

We caught an abundance of fish; but they were so small, that angling for them appeared to be an amus.e.m.e.nt more fit for children than men; and we soon became weary of the rod and line.

Each day, on returning home to the station, we enjoyed the society of the beautiful Jessie.

As already stated, this young lady was an accomplished conversationist-- though her teaching had been only that of Nature. She could carry on a conversation with all three of us at once; and on a different subject with each.

I believe that Vane fell in love with her at first sight; and his whole behaviour betokened, that he intended paying no attention to the command or request which had been made by the man who introduced him.

I knew very little about love affairs; but something whispered me that, if Vane should form a serious attachment for Jessie H--it would end in his disappointment and chagrin. Something told me, she would not reciprocate his affection--however fond it might be.

At the same time, I could perceive in the young lady a partiality for myself. I did not attempt to discover the reason for this. It might have been because my introduction to her had been made, under circ.u.mstances such as often win a woman's love. She might have admired my personal appearance. Why not? I was young; and had been often told that I possessed good looks. Why should Jessie H--not fall in love with me, as well as another?

As I reflected thus, conscience whispered to me, that I should take leave of Mr H--'s family; and return to Melbourne.

I did not do so; and I give the reason. Jessie H--was so enchantingly lovely, and her conversation so interesting, that I could not make up my mind to separate from her.

Several times I had mentally resolved to bid adieu to my new acquaintances; but my resolutions remained unfulfilled. I stayed at the station, under the fascinations of the charmer.

Our diversions were of different kinds. One day we would visit a tribe of native blacks living up the river, where we would be treated to astonis.h.i.+ng spectacles of their manners, and customs, especially their exploits with the boomerang and spear.

Our mornings would be spent in kangaroo hunting; and our evenings in the society of the beautiful Jessie.

One day we made an excursion--all going well mounted--to a grazing station about fifteen miles from that of Mr H--. Our object was to a.s.sist the proprietor in running a large drove of his young cattle into a pen--for the purpose of having them branded.

The animals were almost wild; and we had an exciting day's sport, in getting them inside the inclosure. Several feats of horsemans.h.i.+p were exhibited by the different graziers, who a.s.sisted at the ceremony. The affair reminded me of what I had seen in California, upon the large grazing estates--"ganaderias" of that country. We were home again before dinner time; and in the evening I was again thrown into the company of Jessie.

I could not help reading her thoughts. They were easily interpreted: for she made no attempt to conceal what others might have desired to keep secret. Before I had been a week in her company, I was flattered with full evidence, that the warmest love of a warm-hearted girl was, or might be, mine.

There are few that do not sometimes stray from the path of rect.i.tude-- even knowingly and willingly. By staying longer at the station of Mr H--when convinced that the happiness of another depended on my leaving it--I was, perhaps, acting as most others would have done; but I knew I was doing wrong. It brought its own punishment, as wickedness ever will.