The Book Of The Bush by George Dunderdale (top fiction books of all time .TXT) 📖

Use Of One Expression Which Seemed To Mean Something.

She Said,  "Oh,  Nosey,  You Murdering Villain,  You Know You Ought To Be

Hanged."  There Was A Prophetic Ring In These Words Which Delighted

The Chief Constable,  And He Glued His Great Ear To The Weatherboards,

Eagerly Listening For More; But The Wrangling Pair Were Very

Disappointing; They Would Not Keep To The Point.  At Last He Walked

Round The Hut,  Suddenly Opened The Door,  And Entered.  Nosey Was

Struck Dumb At Once.  His First Thought Was That His Plan Had Been

Sprung,  And That The Murder Was Out.  The Chief Addressed Julia In A

Tone Of Authority,  Imitating The Counsel For The Crown When Examining

A Prevaricating Witness.

 

"Now,  Missus,  Remember You Will Be Put On Your Oath.  You Said Just

Now,  'Oh,  Nosey,  You Murdering Villain,  You Know You Ought To Be

Hanged.'  Those Were Your Very Words.  Now What Did You Mean?  On

Your Oath,  Mind; Out With It At Once." Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 104

 

But Julia Was Not To Be Caught So Easily.  She Replied:

 

"Oh,  Bad Luck To Him,  He Is Always Angry.  I Don't Know What To Do

With Him.  I Did Not Mean Anything."

 

"You Did Not Mean Anything About Baldy,  I Suppose,  Did You,  Now?"

Queried The Constable,  Shamefully Leading The Witness,  And Looking

Hard At Nosey.

 

Julia Parried The Question By Heaving A Deep Sigh,  And Saying:  "Hi,

Ho,  Harry,  If I Were A Maid,  I Never Would Marry;" And Then She Began

Singing A Silly Old Song.

 

The Constable Was Disgusted,  And Said:

 

"My Good Woman,  You'll Find There Will Be Nothing To Laugh At In This

Job,  When I See You Again."

 

As He Left The Hut,  He Turned At The Door And Gave One More Look At

Nosey,  Who Had Stood All The Time Rivetted To The Ground,  Expecting

Every Moment That The Constable Would Produce The Handcuffs.  Soon

Afterwards Julia Went Outside,  Walked Round The Hut,  And Stayed

Awhile,  Listening And Looking In Every Direction.  When She Returned,

Nosey Said,  In A Hoarse Whisper:

 

"Is He Gan Yet?"

 

"I Think," Replied Julia,  "He Won't Be Coming Again To-Night.  He Has

Thrown Away His Trouble This Time,  Anyhow; But Ye Must Hould Your

Tongue,  Nosey,  If Ye Want To Save Your Neck; He Means To Have You If

He Can."

 

Nosey Stayed On The Run Some Weeks Longer,  Following His Sheep.  It

Would Not Be Advisable To Go Away Suddenly,  And,  Moreover,  He

Recollected That What The Eye Could Not See Might Some Time Be

Discovered By Another Of The Senses.  So He Waited Patiently,

Standing Guard As It Were Over The Dead,  Until His Curiosity Induced

Him To Pay A Farewell Visit By Daylight To The Place Where Baldy Was

Buried.

 

There Had Been Hot Weather Since The Body Had Been Deposited In The

Shallow Grave,  And The Crevices Among The Piles Of Bluestones Had

Been Filled By The Wind With The Yellow Stalks Of Decayed Grass.

Nosey Walked Round His Own Particular Pile,  And Inspected It Closely.

He Was Pleased To Find That It Showed No Signs Of Having Been Touched

Since He Raised It.  It Was Just Like Any Of The Other Heaps Of Rocks

Around It.  He Had,  At Any Rate,  Given Baldy As Good A Funeral As

Circumstances Would Permit,  Better Than That Of Many A Man Who Had

Perished Of Hunger,  Heat,  And Thirst,  In The Shelterless Wastes Of

The Never-Never Land,  "Beyond Moneygrub's Farthest Run."  Nosey And

The Weather Had Done Their Work So Well That For The Next Fifteen

Years No Shepherd,  Stockman,  Or Squatter Ever Gave A Second Look At

That Unknown Grave.  The Black Snake Coiled Itself Beneath The

Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 105

Decaying Skeleton,  And Spent The Winter In Secure Repose.  The Native

Cat Tore Away Bits Of Baldy's Clothing,  And With Them And The Yellow

Grass Made,  Year After Year,  A Nest For Its Young Among The Whitening

Bones.

 

Everything,  So Far,  Had Turned Out Quite As Satisfactorily As Any

Murderer Could Expect.  Nosey Had Been Game To Do His Man,  And He Had

Done Him Well.  Julia Was Prudent Enough To Hold Her Tongue For Her

Own Sake; It Was Unlikely That Any Further Search Would Be Made For

The Lost Shepherd; He Had Been Safely Put Out Of Sight,  And Not Even

Julia Knew Where He Was Buried.

 

Nosey Began To Have A Better Opinion Of Himself Than Ever.  Neither

The Police Nor The Law Could Touch Him.  He Would Never Be Called To

Account For Putting Away His Brother Shepherd,  In This World At Any

Rate; And As For The Next,  Why It Was A Long Way Off,  And There Was

Time Enough To Think About It.  The Day Of Reckoning Was Distant,  But

It Came At Last,  As It Always Does To Every Sinner Of Us All.

 

Nosey Resigned His Billet,  And Went To Nyalong.  He Lived In A Hut In

The Eastern Part Of The Township,  Not Far From The Lake,  And Near The

Corner Of The Road Coming Down From The Bald Hill.  Here Had Been

Laid The Foundation Of A Great Inland City By A Bush Publican,  Two

Storekeepers,  A Wheelwright,  And A Blacksmith.  Another City Had Been

Started At The Western Side Of Wandong Creek,  But Its Existence Was

Ignored By The Eastern Pioneers.

 

The Shepherd Soon Began To Forget Or Despise The Advice Of His Wife,

Julia; His Tongue Grew Loose Again,  And At The Bar Of The Inn Of The

Crossroads His Voice Was Often Heard Loud And Abusive.  He Felt That

He Had Become A Person Of Importance,  As The Possessor Of A Secret

Which Nobody Could Discover.  What He Said And What He Did Was

Discussed About The Township,  And The Chief Constable Listened To

Every Report,  Expecting That Some Valuable Information Would

Accidentally Leak Out.

 

One Day A Man Wearing A Blue Jumper And An Old Hat Came Down The

Road,  Stepped On To The Verandah Of The Inn,  And Threw Down His Swag.

Nosey Was There,  Holding Forth To Bill The Butcher,  Dick Smalley,

Frank Barton,  Bob Atkins,  Charley Goodall,  And George Brown The Liar.

A Dispute Occurred,  In Which The Presumptuous Stranger Joined,  And

Nosey Promptly Knocked Him Off The Verandah Into The Gutter.  A Valid

Claim To Satisfaction Was Thus Established,  And The Swagman Showed A

Disposition To Enforce It.  He Did Not Attempt To Regain His Position

On The Boards,  But Took His Stand On The Broad Stone Of Honour In The

Middle Of The Road.  He Threw Up His Hat Into The Air,  And Began

Walking Rapidly To And Fro,  Clenched His Fists,  Stiffened His Sinews,

And At Every Turn In His Walk Said:

 

"You'll Find Me As Good A Man As Ever You Met In Your Life."

 

This Man's Action Promised Real Sport,  And True Britons As We All

Were We Were Delighted To See Him.  Nosey Stood On The Verandah For A

Minute Or Two,  Watching The Motions Of The Swagman; He Did Not Seem

Story 6 ( The Two Shepherds.) Pg 106

To Recollect All At Once What The Code Of Honour Required,  Until Bill

The Butcher Remarked,  "He Wants You,  Nosey," Then Nosey Went.

 

The Two Men Met In The Middle Of The Road,  And Put Up Their Hands.

They Appeared Well-Matched In Size And Weight.  The Swagman Said:

 

"You'll Find Me As Good A Man As Ever You Met In Your Life."

 

Nosey Began The Battle By Striking Out With His Right And Left,  But

His Blows Did Not Seem To Reach Home,  Or To Have Much Effect.

 

The Swagman Dodged And Parried,  And Soon Put In A Swinging Blow On

The Left Temple.  Nosey Fell To The Ground,  And The Stranger Resumed

His Walk As Before,  Uttering His War Cry:

 

"You'll Find Me As Good A Man As Ever You Met In Your Life."

 

There Were No Seconds,  But The Rules Of Chivalry Were Strictly

Observed; The Stranger Was A True Gentleman,  And Did Not Use His

Boots.

 

In The Second Round Nosey Showed More Caution,  But The Result Was The

Same,  And It Was Brought About By Another Hard Blow On The Temple.

The Third Round Finished The Fight.  Nosey Lay On The Ground So Long

That Bill,  The Butcher,  Went Over To Look At Him,  And Then He Threw

Up The Sponge--Metaphorically--As There Was No Sponge,  Nor Any

Need Of One.

 

The Defeated Nosey Staggered Towards His Hut,  And His Temper Was

Afterwards So Bad That Julia Declined To Stay With Him Any Longer;

She Loosed The Marriage Bonds Without Recourse To Law,  And

Disappeared.  Her Husband Went Away Westward,  But He Did Not Stay

Long. He Returned To Nyalong And Lived Awhile Alone In His Hut There,

But He Was Restless And Dissatisfied.  Everybody Looked At Him So

Curiously.  Even The Women And Children Stood Still As He Passed By

Them,  And Began Whispering To One Another,  And He Guessed Well Enough

Why They Were Looking At Him And What They Were Saying--"That's

Nosey The Murderer; He Killed Baldy And Hid Him Away Somewhere; His

Wife Said He Ought To Be Hanged,  And She Has Run Away And Left Him."

 

When The Hungry Hawk Comes Circling Over The Grove Of Crookedy Gum In

Which Two Magpies Are Feeding Their Callow Young,  The Bush Is Soon

Filled With Cries Of Alarm.  The Plump Quail Hides Himself In The

Depths Of A Thick Tussock; The Bronze-Winged Pigeon Dives Into The

Shelter Of The Nearest Scrub,  While All The Noisiest Scolds Of The

Air Gather Round The Intruder.  Every Magpie,  Minah,  And Wattle-Bird

Within A Mile Joins In The Clamour.  They Dart At The Hawk As He

Flies From Tree To Tree.  When He Alights On A Limb They Give Him No

Peace; They Flap Their Wings In His Face,  And Call Him The Worst Of

Names.  Even The Derwent Jackass,  The Hypocrite With The Shining

Black Coat And Piercing Whistle,  Joins In The Public Outcry,  And His

Character Is Worse Than That Of The Hawk Himself,  For He Has Been

Caught In The Act Of Kidnapping And Devouring The Unfledged Young Of

His Nearest Neighbour.  The Distracted Hawk Has At Length To Retreat