The Gold Hunters' Adventures Part 93

The old man was hard at work, or pretended to be, on one of his wreaths, and seemed not to notice that we were halting in front of his abode.

"Hullo, Yam Kow!" cried the inspector, "putty mi more money, hey?" which barbarous jargon, it seems, is always considered necessary to use when talking with a Chinese, no matter whether the latter understands English or not.

The true meaning of Mr. Brown's interrogation was, whether Yam's tax money was ready or not.

"No hab," returned the Chinaman, without looking up.

"How, no hab?--putty mi more day. No can see?" demanded Mr. Brown.

"No hab," repeated the old fellow, continuing his work industriously.

"Why no hab?" the inspector asked.

"All go--buy ricey--buy torayun tan pon, and no hab."

"Then workey on rodey ten (holding up his fingers) day. Chinaman no good for shovel--work more days Englishman. Come." "No can come now. Pay money by by," the Chinaman said, thinking that his promise to pay before long would suffice.

"Pay money now--no pay money now, go!" repeated the inspector, who managed to make himself understood.

"No pay," the old fellow said, and as the sounds escaped his lips, the sergeant dismounted from his horse and approached him.

"Come," that worthy said, and he laid his huge hand upon the Celestial, in close proximity to his pigtail.

"No go," repeated Yam.

"Start your stumps," cried the policeman; and he lifted the Chinaman from the ground by his pigtail, and almost held him at arm's length.

"Me pay! me pay!" he roared, to the great delight of the police, and a few of Yam's countrymen who were standing near.

The sergeant released the old fellow, and he rapidly uttered a number of expressions in his native tongue, that I will swear were not complimentary to the English character.

After he had thus vented his anger, he drew from the folds of his inside trousers a little bag of dust, which, upon being weighed, was found to contain just the amount, to a scale, that was required for the payment of his tax, and after checking his name, we rode on.

In this manner the tax was collected from the miners of Ballarat.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Murden and Steel Spring arrive from Melbourne.

We were sitting in our store eating supper one afternoon, about a week after our tax-collecting tour, and were wondering why Smith did not make his appearance, as he certainly had been gone long enough, and were debating the propriety of writing or visiting Melbourne for the purpose of finding him, when a person, dressed quite respectably, but wearing a slouched hat over his eyes, that entirely concealed his face, entered the store and looked around as though anxious to purchase goods, but was disappointed in not meeting with an a.s.sortment.

"We shall be happy to serve you in a few days," Fred said. "Our stock is on the road, and will he here shortly."

"Vell, I guess I can vait," returned a voice that sounded familiar, and our visitor removed his hat and revealed the not over-pleasing countenance of Steel Spring.

We could hardly believe the evidence of our senses, yet there stood the cunning scamp before us, with his long limbs and lank body, as supple as ever, and grinning with delight at our astonishment.

"I 'ope you've not forgotten old friends," he said, extending his hand, which neither of us accepted, but which act did not discompose him in the least; for he only grinned the harder, and appeared to look upon our refusal as a matter of course. "Where did you come from?" I asked, as soon as I recovered from my astonishment.

"The old place--Melbourne; 'ave 'ad lots of fun there, but thought I'd look at the country for a change of air. Can't stay long, though; so don't press me to stop over a week."

"You certainly have lost none of your impudence by residing at Melbourne," Fred replied, and the fellow grinned at the compliment. "But tell us how you escaped from prison," Fred continued.

"Escaped?" asked Steel Spring, with an injured look; "I'd scorn such a breach of confidence between gentlemen. No, sir, I did not escape, but was pardoned for the service I've rendered my country."

"And the bushrangers that Murden carried to Melbourne?" Fred asked, with some anxiety.

"Vell, they suffered for their crimes, and are all forgotten by this time," replied the wretch, with a grin.

"Hanged?" I asked.

"Every mother's son of 'em, and served 'em right, too. Property is respected, nowadays, and a miner can travel all the way from Ballarat to Melbourne, and lose nothing if he's got nothing to lose," the grinning scamp replied.

"I've got a friend vid me," Steel Spring said at length, "and perhaps you'd like to see him."

"Who is he?" we asked.

"O, a man you used to know--Murden I believe is his name, and he's in some vay connected with the police force of Melbourne."

The grinning rascal! he had been sent by our friend to notify us of his arrival, and that was the way he performed his duty. But before we had time to administer to him a sound kicking, the lieutenant was with us.

We need not tell the reader that we welcomed him with our whole hearts, and that he appeared as delighted to see us as we were glad to see him.

"I have just arrived in time, I see," Murden said, glancing at our supper, "and, by George, I'm glad that I've a place to rest to-night, for I'm tired. We've been three days on the road, on horseback all the time, with the exception of a few hours during the extreme heat of noon.

Our animals got used up about five miles from Ballarat; so I footed it to town. I suppose that you recollect that scamp,"--pointing to Steel Spring, who bowed low at the compliment. "I've taken him into my service on his promise to be of good behavior; but I don't think that his word is to be relied on; so I cane him about once in twenty-four hours, to see if what little goodness there is in him cannot be brought out."

Steel Spring shrugged his shoulders, as much as to say, There is no joke in what he is telling, as I can testify.

"But how came Steel Spring to find us first?" I asked.

"Well, when our horses broke down I sent him ahead to find out in what quarter of the town you were located, and I followed more leisurely. The first policeman that I met directed me here, so that I found no difficulty, and was not compelled to wait for my _notorati_ fellow-traveller at the cross-roads."

"But how comes it that you are in citizen's dress, instead of the blue uniform?"

"Ah, my boys, that is the secret; but as I have nothing to conceal from you, I will confess I am the bearer of secret despatches to the inspector of this district in relation to the mining tax. But while I am talking, set Steel Spring at work cooking supper, for I am famished, and I suppose that he is also."

It was only necessary to nod acquiescence to the lieutenant, when Steel Spring stripped off his coat and set to work in earnest. In a few minutes he had ransacked our private stores and spread our few dishes upon a box, that answered for a table, in the most tempting array; and with a few dried branches he set the teakettle to boiling, and almost before we thought that he had made a beginning, he announced that supper was ready for his superior.

"By the way," Murden said, while partaking of our fare, "I overtook Smith on his way to this place, and I should think that he would arrive by to-morrow morning. He has two large loads of goods, and I think that he has made a speculation in buying them, from the hints that he dropped to me in confidence. One of your large American clipper s.h.i.+ps arrived at Melbourne with an a.s.sorted cargo of Yankee notions, and as the market was, in mercantile parlance, glutted with goods of all descriptions, a forced sale was effected, and Smith bought largely at a low figure. He is in good spirits, and says that he never felt so well in his life as since he was married."

"Married?" we repeated, in astonishment.

"Yes, Smith has married Becky Lang, and a good wife she will make him.

The lady's father, the convict, still remains on his cattle ranch, and, for some strange reason, refuses to move to Melbourne, where Becky has taken up her residence. The ceremony was performed at the latter place, and I was one of the witnesses."