Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-05
find it difficult to believe what you


"Or, IL you like, to understand It."
IF you will allow me to say the rest
| and to say ii clSewhere"-
NO, sir! Here cried Major Honey
| bone. Here or nowhere, which you
| please This man abScOnds one night,
so / gather, and the next night you
are attacked by bushrangers. This
man is found the morning after that
| and | understand you suggest he was
one of the band that attacked you.
Yet you never recognized him at the
| time Come, now, did none of your"
| Not then. but he threatened my SIS
ter and female whom we have since
returned. and Miss Sullivan remembers
hearing him call the female by her
name. Now, this man and that wom-
an kept company" snarled Nat in n
perfect flame of rage and spite, land
Miss Sullivan will swear he called the
woman by her name. He fell in with
the thieves when he abscOnded, it's
perfectly clear He was the very man
to join them in an attack on his own
masters even if lie didn't inStgate 1t.
Join in it he did. I can prove it.
| Though not one of the original gang is
left alive, can prove
"What about that Italian fellowT'
! interrupted the major, and Tom held
his breath.
"He wasn't In It. I believe he's
dead, and they put this Erickson in his
| clothes. His horse was found few
miles beyond where they found this
man. and now his coat has been dis
covered with Erichsen's knife in the
pocket. Yes. you may wince" cried
this good hater. You shall swing for
it YETI
Kindly confine your remarks to me-"
said the major sternly. You'll have
to prove the knife was his and that
won't prove everything. Never heard
such story in my life! You'll have to
strengthen it up n bit If you mean to
make Il case. What do you want ME
to do?"
Nothing at ALL" said Nat ungra-
ciously.
''Then why the deuce do you come to
me-"
Il didn't. I was on my way to your
superiOrs."
Major Honeybone turned to the sen.
try.
Cock your piece" said he, "and
shoot his horse if he attempts to go
till I've done with him. Now, you
Sullivan" continued the major, per
haps you didn't know you were tres
passing when you came on these
works. But you were. and you'll stop
on 'em now till I've done with you
You came to Gloat over the man you've
bounded here TO tell him you'd hound
him to the gallows. did you? To laugh
at him, chE GadZOoks, sir, the boots
on the other leg this time! The whole
chain gang is laughing at you, and you
may frown upon 'em as much rs you
like, but if you touch one you'll be IN
irons yourself in two minutes. l know
you, sir We know all about both OF
you here. Half the men who come here
have been driven here by you and your
father. Silence in the gang. Go on &c
Sydney and tell them anything YOU
like about the man you mean to hang
But, gadZOoks, you don't get him out
of this, No, and the governor himself
sha'n't have him out of this until he
knows on whose word he's acting! &c
to my superOrs. They'll never lister
to your clumsy yarn. If they do II
send down to Sydney myself to tel
. 'em what know of you and yours. AND
Castle Sullivan will he swept into the
sea. and you-you slave driver-youl
be where these men are now. Be off
sir. l hate the sight of you! Sentry
let him co.
About the middle of this TRADE Ma
had been ready with Il retort as viru
lent, but the concluding sentences were
too much even for his hard nerves an(
sturdy ruffianism. Mutterlng some
thing unintelligible about an outrage
and reporting" Major HoneybOne, h
put spurs to.his horse ana Salloped off
9 leaving nothing worse behind him thar
: q look. 1t was such 4 look as might b.
= seen any day, any moment even, in al
iron gang. yet Tom never forgot tn
4 cruel eyes, the low lips, the murderou
: scowl nor the peculiarly bestial Who'll
: which they made on that occasion
The convicts cursed and cheered hin
Z in derision and when he was gon
were given 10 uDuSISldIlu ny TIE luu
:. ior that If they ever did it again h
should treat the lot of them as the.
e would be treated at Castle Sullivan
n to fifty lasheS all round.
|. Only give you fair warming" sal
|, he, land you don't catch me break IN
word either way"
: The major was a man who liked
}. little opposition for the sake of putin
1t down. which be never failed to d
e. with the highest hand, but he had hi
K chain gang in such an exemplary stat
e of broken spirited subsection that til
e iron will within that flabby body wa
q growing rusty from disuse. The impt
n dence Of young Sullivan was const
O. quently a godsend to this born mart
" net. 1t gave him an appetite, and
"a made him sleep. Furthermore, it fixe
p. his eye on Erickson and to some e,
~ tent his thoughts also. The major wa
harsh by habit, but impartial to I'll
core. He did not believe a syllable c
Nat Crrl1ivan'c Rut yyby ho