The Western news., 1906-05-30

| huge raft. This raft, made fast to
| the side of the Ladybird, proved to be
| composed of planks. beams and joists,
| all of which were duly hoisted up and
| slowed in the hold Of the brig.
This set Rufus Dawes thinking. Could
| it possibly be that the timber cutting
! was to be abandoned, and that the gov
| ernment had hit upon some other method
| of utilizing its convict labor? He had
! Eewn timber and built boats, and tanned
hides and made shoes. Was 1t possible
| that some new trade was to be initiatedf 2
Before he had settled this point to his
satisfaction, he was startled by another
boat expedition. Three boats crews
went down the bay, and returned, after
a days absence, with an addition to their
! number in the shape Of four strangers
and quantity of stores and farming
| implements. Rufus Dawes, catching
sight of these last, came to the concu-
sion that the boats had been to Philip
Island, where the garden was estab
lished, and had taken off the gardeners
and garden produce. Rufus Dawes de-
cided that the Lady-bird had brought a
new commandment-his sight, trained
by his half-savage life, had already dis
tinguished Mr.. Maurice Frere-and that
these mysteries were improvements"
under the new rule. When he arrived
at this point of reasoning, another con-
lecture, assuming his first to have been
correct. followed as natural conse-
quence. Lieutenant Frere would be
more severe commandment than Major
Nickers. Now, severity had already
reached its height, so far as he was
concerned; so the unhappy man took a
hnal resolution-he would kill himself.
Ignorant that the sights and sounds
about him were symptoms of the final
abandonment of the settlement, and that
the Lady-bird was sent down to bring
away the prisoners, Rufus Dawes de-
cided upon getting rid of that burden
of life which pressed upon him so heav-
lily. For six years he had hewed wood
and drawn water; for six years he had
hoped against hope; for six years he
had lived in the valley of the shadow of
death. He dared not recapitulate to
himself what he had suffered Indeed,
his senses were deadened and duled by
torture. He cared to remember only one
thlng--that he was prisoner for life.
In vain had been his first dream of free
dom. He had done his best, by good
conduct, to win release: but the villainy
Of Vetch and Rex had deprived him of
the fruit of his labor. Instead of gain
ing credit by his exposure of the plot on
board the Malabar, he was himself
deemed guilty and condemned, in spite of
his observations Of innocence. The
knowledge of his eachery." while it
gained for him no credit with the au-
| thorties. procured for him the dctesta-
tion and ill-will of the monsters among
whom he found himself. On his arrival
| at HelFs Gates he was a marked man, n
pariah among those beings who were
paraha to all the world besides.
In the meantime the settlement was
| in fever of excitement In less than
| three weeks from the announcement
made by Nickers, all had been got ready.
| The commandant had finally arranged
with Frere "a to his course of action
lie himself would accompany the Lady
bird with the main body. His wife and
daughter were to remain until the sail
ing of the Osprey, which Mr.. Frere was
to bring up as soon as possible. II will
leave you corporaPs guard and ten
| prisoners as a crew." Vickers said "You
can work her easily with that number" e"
| To which Frere had replied that he could
| do with five prisoners If necessary. for he
| knew how to get double work out of the
lazy dogs.
| Near Philips Island. on the north side
of the harbor, is situated Coal Head.
where a party had been lately at work.
This party. hastily withdrawn by Wick
ers to assist in the business of devasta-
ton. had left behind it some tools and
| timber. and at the eleventh hour a boats
crew was sent to bring away the debris.
| The tools were duly collected, and the
| pine logs-worth twenty-five shillings
| apiece in Hobart Town-duly RATED and
| chained. The timber was secured. and
| the convicts, towing it after them, pulled
| for the ship just as the sun sunk. In
the general relaxation of discipline and
| haste the raft had not been made with
| as much care as usual, and the strong
current against which the boat was In
boring assisted the negligence of the con-
victs. The logs began to loosen. and
| though the onward motion of the boot
kept the chain taut. when the rowers
slackened their exertions the mass mart
ed, and Mr.. Troke. hooking himself on
to the side of the Lady bird, saw n huge
log slip out from its fellows. and dis.
appear into the darkness. Gazing afte,
it with an indignant and disgusted stare
as though 1t had been a refractory pris.
oner who merited two-days SOLITARY y
he thought he heard a cry from the di-
rection in which it had been borne He
would have paused to listen, but all his
attention was needed to save the timber
and to prevent the boat from being
swamped by the struggling mass at her
stern.
The cry had proceeded from Rufus
Dawes. From his solitary rock he had
watched the boat pass him and make
for the Lady-bird in-channel, and he had
decided that the moment when the gath
ering gloom swallowed her up should be
the moment when he would plunge into
the surge below him. The heavily la
boring boat grew DINNER and DINNER
as each tug Of the oars took her further
from him. Presently, only the figure of
Mr.. Troke In the stern sheets was Wis
ible; than that also disappeared. and as
| tha +0Vf h. ts,,,lx ,anS -