The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-02

came nnck 10 me. i sat up ana looked |
stupidity around; no. II wasn't dream. |
There within half dozen yards of me |
lay Cossack on his side In the very mid
die OF the road-dead, evidently dead.
A big, powerful man stood at my side
unscrewing the top of a pocket flask
and looking at me with inquiring eyes.
A few yards away there stood shock
headed black holding a big, brown
horse.
Here young fellow, have drop of
this" the man said. / glanced at him
as / obeyed, and noticed that he was
dressed In the quiet uniform of the
mounted police.
What" / said, stupidly. where's
the man that shot my horse?"
He looked at Cossack as he lay on the
track, and then back at me. .:Sloped,
] should say" he replied dryly. What
did he take of yours with him?"
As he spoke my hand went instinc-
lively to the place where my belt had
been-it was gone sprang to my feet
with cry. Hes got the bag" shout
ed. Hes robbed me of the wages
thirteen hundred pounds.
"Oh," he said, that's it, is it?" Then
he turned to the black.
Here you, Jacky, take horse-make
a look you. Burra horse gone"
JaclSy leaped like a cat upon the horse
he was holding and disappeared down
the track.
The constable pulled out his watch.
you left Hutchens about seven, didn't
you. You'd be here about the half
hour. It's close on eight now. Well,
half an hour isn't much OF a start, after
all. How do you feel yourself, now,
young fellow?" he asked, suddenly;
"all right?"
felt my arms and legs little doubt
fully. "Well, there's no bones broken,
1 fancy, but I've felt better in my time.
l must have come on my head think,
for it's precious shalSy, but I'm not
much the worse"
He ran his eye quickly over me rs I
spoke. Right you are" he said. you
come along with Jacky and me, and
we'll see If we can't hear something of
this bag of yours. I've a kind of notion
that I've got business with your friend,
| anyway How the devil you could have
been fool enough to let him or anybody
else know about the bag, can't think"
Il didn't let soul know" 1 replied,
Indignantly. Nobody knew about it
except Macallister, the manager"
| continued, in answer to his tone, and the
| look of searching inquiry in his eyes
that were fixed on me as spoke.
"Only the manager?" he said.
"Wel, l added, come to think Of it,
| it's just possible Tom might have
known, if he was listening, for he was
in the store at the time"
Tom. Who's Tom?" he asked.
Toms the accountant and store
| keeper at Bundalla. He was in the
store when the manager gave me the
| bag in the office, and the office is a part
Of the store"
Gould he have seen, do you Think"
Not he; but he might have heard
us talking-the partitions only thin.
He might have heard Macallister tell
me not to take a revolver" added, a
sense of injury making me for the mo-
ment inclined to throw the blame of
my disaster on Macallister or anybody
else.
The sergeant whistled. "Oh," he said.
"and how long have you known Tom %
IT'S only about three weeks since he
was taken on. He came up with a let
ter from somebody in Sydney"
The sergeant whistled in a meditative
way again. "Ah, shouldn't wonder II
he said. But here's Jacky coming
back. Now well see what chance there
is of tracking Tom"
Jacky rode up as he spoke, and
jumped from the horse like a monkey
well, Jacky, you make-a-find him =?
"Finry? You betty, Jacky tindy.
White fellow tupid fellow him."
"All right" exclaimed the sergeant
turning to me- do you think you're
fit for a tramp that may be a longist
one?"
What! To catch the scoundreI thai
shot Cossack? Rather!"
Come on the line, then; we've NJ
time to lose"
The sergeant insisted on my mount.
ing his horse and we started, JackN
trotting slowly along in front, his great
shaggy head bent forwards and movins
slowly from side to side as he went
We proceeded for perhaps a quarter o
mile along the bush track till tn,
trees grew thinner and we found our
selves in the open. There was busl
again In front Of us, perhaps half {
mile off, and on our left was the chan
mel or the CHINA gulla creek, windins
round the foot of the range, whicl
sloped gently upwards. its billows o
pronZe-green forest glittering in tn
morning sun. The grass grew thick ol
the track and no trace OF either hors
or man was visible to civilized eyes
but presently Jacky waved his han,
with motion of superior knowledge
ana without looking behind him turne,
off at an angle towards the stream
We followed him without question, an
in a few minutes we had reached tn
bank. The channel of the stream wa
shallow and the bank low and covere
with thick carpet of ferns and flow
ers, and still there We're no visibl
marks or q horses hoof to be seer
Jacky stepped from the bank to tn
large waterworn pebbles over whic
the stream rushed and gurgled as
ran with a, sharp, tinkling music. !
rev yards down the creek he crosse
and ascended the bank into the coo
, : shaWods of the trees beyond. There h
, waited till We Joined him.
, white follow make walk here" h
said, pointing to a faint mark anon
the leaves and moss; then without an
other word he turned, and with hi
: head bent low started off at a Ions
: swinging trot which it was no eas
? matter to keep up with on the rougl
D sloping ground amongst the trees.
[ IN this way We had Travelled for pei
> haps an hour and in the meantime
= had almost recovered from the effect
y of my fall. The sergeant was not
|. talkative companion, and the monotor
e Gus arcades of the gum forest were ne
r disturbed by conversation. Our guld
4 had never once lifted his eyes from tn
a ground since we started At the san
|, long dog-like trot, his huge head ber
\ forward at the same angle and h