The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-05-10
CHAPTER XVII.
ON sat still in his bunk.

a voice that he knew.
Hell hear We, Mac. He's
only next door"
whats about it? I'll slit his jug
| gler if he daurs to interfere. Heard
ye that?"
II did. That's BETTER"
The crafty groom was snoring where
he sat. with one eye at a Granny in the
rude partition between his lair and
the saddle room In the latter there
was as yet no light.
An that's better STILL" muttered
Macbeth as one was struck. 'Slit his
juggler" he repeated. with chuckle
II wadna think twice OF, the messing
blackguard. Now, whaur's thae sad
dies, for nay hands is free?" And his
teeth snapped on something that
cleaned between them in the light.
wait a bit / smell the oil. Aha,
here's one
AN here's the ither. Dinna heed
the brides. AVA we 80 afore Jar
man turns in"
Jarman was the squatter on the
creek. The hour was still short of
midnight, and Tom. who had bounded
lightly to the floor. now stood irreso-
lutte. In the end he let the rascals go.
Their footsteps had already left the
saddle room. The groom listened and
lost them in the night Then he felt
about for his clothes.
He was thankful he had not wayIaid
the thieves at the saddle room door;
the field would have been too unequal.
the consequences perhaps too serious
for one and all. And he foresaw the
neatest triumph now. Jarman's name
had given him foregone victory, for
now he knew the way to Jarmans
ramshackle hut, and the saddles should
be back upon their pegs before morn
ing. So full was Tom of confidence
as he dressed himself in the dark
But the thought of betraying his COM
rades in captivity was as far from his
heart as that of allowing his masters
saddles to be quietly stolen before his
eyes. Stolen they might be, but only
for the moment; he would call in Mac
beth and his mate to see how nice they
looked in the morning.
In a few minutes he was fully dress
ed and lodging Roberts, the night
Waterman. behind the convict huts
rfo other man among them would have
found this precautfon necessary, but
the groom was an unpopular character,
whom Roberts would have reported
none the less readily after winking, as
he must have done, at the theft of the
saddles. With luck and ingenuity,
Tom managed to elude him, however
and was soon racing down the wooded
slope where the timber was being fell
ed, leaping the stumps as he ran and
steering by the Southern Cross for the
southern boundary of the farm, which
was, in fact the creek on whose fur
Their bank the squatter was now en-
camped.
1t was a periIously clear night. 4
white moon grizzled the peeling bark
of small forest of red gums, and the
famous constellation burned but feebly
III the south. Tom kept his eye on it,
however. and, bearing slightly to his
left, struck the creek at last, out of ear
shot of the squatter's hut Here he
paused to cool his feet in the delicious
running water. His plan was to cross
the creek and then reconnoiter the en-
emy's position from the rear. And so
we'll did it work out that Tom skipped
behind a friendly trunk just as the
thieves succeeded in making Jarman
hear. who now appeared with his black
gin in the mouth of the wigwam.
New saddles? What in thunder was
the Use of new saddles. or old ones
either. TO him? Where was he to stow I
them in the meanwhile? Did they
want him to be landed with the swag
on his hands and Jagged all over again /
TO oblige a pair of lubbers like them? f
And here Tom felt that door would t
have slammed had there been one. As /
t was, the outraged Jarman came to
i pause for want of breath, and Mac /
beth got in his word at last.
Tom could not hear it, but it seemed +
o make difference. 1t made the very
olainest difference in the squatter's
one.
What? What's that? 1 don't believe
{. cried Jarman in one breath
Take your oaths to it, will you?
Well. If it's a fact, it'll bear thinking
Ibout Said all that. did he? And you
hink he won't 60 and round on US
-fter all? Wei. then. come inside. and
ven talk it over In you go. missus.
nd light up
Tom took a peep as the men followed
he black woman into the howell. They
lad left the saddles outside. but to
match them now was impossible The
acking that did duty for a door had
cen drawn aside and hftched 10
all On the lighting of a candle stuck
I bottle within some eager face was
eyealed to Tom whenever he dared u
box from behind his tree. Even If he
-ere net seen he would be heard. Be
'des. the party might break up at any
2oment-
So he stood where he was and lis
aned 70 the voices. but ceased strain
= after the words. Then = cork pom
ed. the voices were raised in a min
re, in less than ten he must hear ev-
= syllable whether he would or no. |
mt he would for his ---as