The record-union., 1896-02-01

the cruel. shifty black eyes and the
! coarse, animal face. The second man,
Smythe = McDonell's companion in
| crime-waS not an unhandsome man,
but still evil-looking. They We're both
men who would think no more of shoot
ing anyone who stood between them
and liberty than they would think of
crushing a spider. But suddenly the
third man turned, and I saw who it
was-Billie Main. He looked somewhat
anxious for minute when he recog-
nized me, but suddenly his brow cleared
and he came forward.
| Now, 1 confess that though Billie
bore none of the best of characters
| indeed, the reverse-I was somewhat
relieved at seeing him there l could
not help thinking that there was a
something about him, in spite of his
unenviable reputation, which limited at
his not being destitute of common hui
manity. / had a pretty shrewd guess
that Mcdonnell and Smythe, divining I
had recognized them, would not care
about letting me go back again to civ
ilization, knowing that the police were
somewhere in the neighborhood. Oh,
how foolish I appeared in my own eyes,
having come out without my revolver!
was in an awkward fix, truly. ] saw
the two aforementioned men slip their
hands down towards their revolver
pouches. Then Mcdonnell, looking
around to see if I were alone. sang out:
'Hilloe! mister, what the dickens do
you mean by riding into a mans camp
like this and making mighty free?"
But here Billie came to my assist
anee, for with a ready laugh, and shak-
ing me heartily by the hand, he said to
Mcdonnell: It's all right Dan; it's
Dick Holmes, one of the boys, and one
of the right sort-Pll answer for him.
He's head stockman to old IT. b. and
minds his own business. I'll go bail he'll
keep his mouth shut"
Inwardly l blessed Billie's presence of
mind and tact: Sd seeing that my only
chance of being allowed to leave that
company was by playing a part and
conciliating them, I tied up my horse
alongside of one of theirs that stood
saddled hard by and said to Mcdonnell:
"A nice sort of reception you'd give a
man, mate But I'll forgive you if you
give me a drink Of tea and fill of to-
bacco. l came away without any this
morning, and have been riding all day.
All! that's better"-this to Mcdonnell,
who had indicated the billy alongside
the fire with an inclination of his head.
/ took drink of tea and cut a fill of
tobacco from the plug that Smythe
handed me. Now, hospitality of this
nature is as much a sacred rite with
the Australians as the breaking Of
bread is with the people of the East, so
I felt somewhat more at my ease.
l could not help admiring Billie's cum
81. rrTo, hot
was full of meaning, he talked as if he
had known me for years, and in a way
that, had any unenlightened party
overheard, would have seriously COM
promised my character OF course,
saw his drift which was to impress his
comrade with the idea that 1 was the
last man in the world to go talking
about their whereabouts. l must con-
fess that his evident anxiety to put
me in a good light in their eyes struck
me with a rather unpleasant signifi-
canoe. For desperate men all three and
with the shadow of the gallows resting
over two of them was it likely that they
would let me, a comparative stranger,
walk right out of their camp, perhaps
right into police one. and give them
away" just when they were within
some thirty miles of the Northern Ter
ritory boundary line, past which the
Queensland police might not follow
them?
And all the time I could see Mcdonnell
was turning over something in his
mind. Only once did I catch the rest
less CLINT of those ferret-like black eyes,
and they convinced me that there was
little chance of leaving that camp alive.
ho Op1xy inf T
was not to be trusted. AS it was, he
and Smythe observed a disconcerting |
silence, and I replied and talked to Bill
lie in a strain that it is to be hoped I
shall never require to adopt again when
talking to anyone. Let a mans life be
at stake, however, and he will do many |
a thing his conscience condemns. And, /
after all, frankly confess to being no
hero. 1t helps to keep me from having |
any inordinate opinion of myself now, |
when think that had a stranger heard |
me talking then, he would have thought |
that I was a fit companion for Billie /
and his mates.
But it would not do to stop in that |
camp too long, or theymight mistake /
my motives. Beside, 1 was becoming
all the time more nervous on account |
of the peculiarly sinister manner of Nc
Donell and Smythe, and was anxious to |
have it over-such as it might be.
And now the go-go-burra or laughing |
jackass had begun his noisy cachinna-
ton, as he does first thing in the morn
ing and just before sundown. Innum
cradle tree-frogs and members of the
insect world, now that the sun was get
ting lower and the air became cooler,
began to make the Australian forest
instinct with strange sounds, the like of
which can only be heard in a tropical
forest at nightfall
F1ocks of screeching parrots and par
rakeets many-hued pigeons and noisy