The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-05-30
III.

drew.
The dinner was in full swing, and the
len gentlemen who had cooked it ana
were trying to eat it were having the
greatest fun. 1t made them feel young
again. Several had burned their I'M
gers with the frying pan, and one had
| scalded himself with the boiling kettle;
but that didn't matter. They declared
that the lamper tasted as good as it
| used to taste twenty and thirty and
| forty years ago, when they came to it
| with appetites whetted by a long days
| toll with shovel and cradle and sieve.
There we're only ten of them as yet
because the two who were to do the
| b%ushranging act did not appear upon
| the scene till later.
Then they sat down to their cut
| throat euchre in parties Of three. for
it is a game which can only be played
by three players. This arrangement
left one of them over-Sir Joseph Bes-
| sells. who was ordered to wash up. and
incidentally, to keep a sharp lookout
for possible ~buShrangerS. Farthing dips
were melted in their own grease, and
| stuck upright on the rough deal table.
The packs of cards were dirty and old
! and thumbed. Great fat bags of mug
| gets and gold dust were produced and
slammed down OH the board. Miners
who have "struck it rich" are pro-
| verbally reckless. and must play high.
And so the game proceeded, until Sir
| Joseph Bessels, who was making a
| great mess washing up. saw the door
of the Grand Hall stealthily open, and
| two bearded figures glide in.
Tell me when you are ready" he
| said, in a loud stage whisper.
They were several minutes in getting
| ready. One of them locked the door
| and put the key in his pocket, while
| the other went round the room with a
pair of pincers. and seemed to be
doing something to the electric bells.
Now they said, when they'd done
all this.
"Bushrangers, boys" yelled Sir JOS
eph gleefully, in stentorian accents.
1t was splendid.
The ten gentlemen bounced up from
their cards and opened a murderous
fire upon the marGuders. Never was
there such sangfroid and GOODNESS in all
emergency. The crackle of revolvers
| was drowned in a shout of uprOariOuS
laughter. The play was played. The
| bushrangers must have been riddled
| with bullets and killed many times
over.
Bravo! bravo" they shouted and
laughed. you're dead! you're dead!
you're dead"
And they were as keenly elated as if
they had beaten off a real attack.
But the ~bushrangers came smilingly
forward, and said:
Bail upwl
ooh, no." they objected; "you can't
order us to bail up-you're dead!'
This extra joke made their amuse-
ment positively riotous.
"But We are not dead" the bushrang-
ers protested cheerily. "We are very
much alive, and our revolvers are load
ed with ball, and yours are not"
And just to show that what they said
was true, one of them fired at Sir JOS
eph, and put a bullet through his
SLOUGH hat.
II say, you know" he said, "this is a
dangerous game"
at is" they replied; 1--WE are bush
rangers"
Eyes, Of course; but the understand
ing was that we were to beat you off,"
Yes, that was the understanding;
but it's been altered-you'll see."
And they did see.
There was a glorious realistic finish
to their m~ake-believe.
They were made to stand in a row,
and while one of the bushrangers COW
cred them with a brace of revolvers.
the other roped them with real Aus
tralian ~lariats, expressly provided for
the purpose. Then the ~bushrangers
left. taking the nuggets and gold-dust
with them, and locking the door OH the
outside.
eve heard the revolver shots" said
the genial manager, meeting them on
the staircase. 81 hope everything went
off to your satisfaction"
"Perfectly," said Mr.. Carson-"per'
fectly."
And when would you like the dinner
served, SIR"
"Oh, say in an hour. Don't disturb
them for an hour"
1--WE are the bushrangers," replied
Mr.. Carson, land we are going to
change"
The manager thought the remark SO
facetious that he could hardly bow
them out for laughing.
"Now, Parker, 1 hope you are salts
fed that it is possible to transfer a
profitable industry from Australia ia
LondonT"