highlands from east to west, and was entwining wood andforest, glen and ravine, in its snake-like embrace. The hillsthemselves were cradled in flames and lurid smoke. The stems of thegiant gum trees alone seemed to defy the blaze, and though their summitslooked like steeples on fire, the trunks stood like pillars of blackmarble against the golden gleam behind them. The noise was deafening,and the smoke rolled away to leeward, laden with sparks thick as thesnowflakes in a winter's fall. It was an appalling sight, thedescription of which is beyond the power of any pen.
"Well, men," said Craig when he re-entered the hut, "I don't quite seethe force of what you have done. It is like a declaration of war, and,depend upon it, the black fellows will accept the challenge."
"It'll make the grass grow," said one of the men with a laugh.
"Yes," said another; "and that grass will grow over a black man's graveor two ere long, if I don't much mistake."
"It wouldn't be worth while burying the fiends," said a third. "We'llleave them to the rooks."
"Well," said Craig, "there's meat and damper there, men. Stir up thefire, warm your tea, and be happy as long as you can. We're off tobed."
Gentleman Craig was as good as his word next day. He rode away insearch of the tribe, and after a long ride found them encamped on atableland.
As it turned out they knew him, and he rode quietly into their midst.
They were all armed with spear, and nullah, and boomerang. They weretattooed, nearly naked, and hideous enough in their horrid war-paint.
Craig showed no signs of fear. Indeed he felt none. He told the chief,however, that he had not approved of the action of the white men, hisbrothers, and had come, if possible, to make peace. Why should theyfight? There was room enough in the forest and scrub for all. Ifthey--the blacks--would leave the cattle and flocks of the squattersalone, he--Craig--could assure them things would go on as happily asbefore.
"And if not?" they asked.
"If not, for one black man there was in the country, there were athousand white. They would come upon them in troops, even like thelocusts; they would hunt them as they hunted the dingoes; they wouldkill them as dingoes were killed, and before long all the black fellowswould be in the land of forgetfulness. What would it profit them thenthat they had speared a few white fellows?"
Craig stayed for hours arguing with these wild men, and left at lastafter having actually made peace with honour.
The cloud had rolled away, for a time at all events.
In the course of a few days Archie and his man left on his returnjourney. Findlayson made up his mind to go on with him to Burley NewFarm; for this Scot was very fond of an occasional trip eastwards, andwhat he called a "twa-handed crack" with Bob or Harry.
Everybody was glad to see him; for, truth to tell, no one had ever seenFindlayson without a smile on his old-fashioned face, and so he was wellliked.
Bob came galloping out to meet them, and with him, greatly to Archie'sastonishment, was what he at first took for a black bear.
The black bear was Bounder.
Archie dismounted and threw his arms round the great honest dog's neck,and almost burst into tears of joy.
For just half a minute Bounder was taken aback; then memory came rushingover him; he gave a jump, and landed Archie on his back, and covered hisface and hair with his canine kisses. But this was not enough. Boundermust blow off steam. He must get rid of the exuberance of his delightbefore it killed him. So with a half-hysterical but happy bark he wentoff at a tangent, and commenced sweeping round and round in a circle soquickly that he appeared but a black shape. This wild caper he kept uptill nearly exhausted, then returned once more to be embraced.
"So they've come." It was all that Archie could say.
Yes, they had come. Elsie had come, Rupert had come, Branson andBounder had come.
And oh, what a joyful meeting that was! Only those who have beenseparated for many long years from all they love and hold dear, and havemet just thus, as Archie now met his sister and brother, can have anyappreciation of the amount of joy that filled their hearts.
The very first overflowing of this joy being expended, of course thenext thing for both Archie and the newcomers to say was, "How you'vechanged!"
Yes, they had all changed. None more so than Elsie. She always gavepromise of beauty; but now that Archie held her at arms' length, to lookat and criticise, he could not help exclaiming right truthfully:
"_Why_, Elsie, you're almost as beautiful as Etheldene!"
"Oh, what a compliment!" cried Rupert. "I wouldn't have it, Elsie.That `_almost_' spoils it."
"Just you wait till you see Etheldene, young man," said Archie, noddinghis head. "You'll fall in love at once. I only hope she won't marryGentleman Craig. And how is mother and father?"
Then questions came in streams. To write one half that was spoken thatnight would take me weeks. They all sat out in the verandah of the oldhouse; for the night was sultry and warm, and it was very late indeedbefore anyone ever thought of retiring.
Findlayson had been unusually quiet during the whole of the evening. Tobe sure, it would not have been quite right for him to have put in hisoar too much, but, to tell the truth, something had happened whichappeared to account for his silence. Findlayson had fallen in love--love at first sight. Oh, there are such things! I had a touch of thecomplaint myself once, so my judgment is critical. Of course, it isneedless to say that Elsie was the bright particular star, that had inone brief moment revolutionised the existence and life of the ordinarilyplacid and very matter-of-fact Findlayson. So he sat to-night in hiscorner and hardly spoke, but, I daresay, like Paddy's parrot, he made upfor it in thinking; and he looked all he could also, without seemingpositively rude.
Well, a whole fortnight was spent by Archie in showing his brother andsister round the station, and initiating them into some of the mysteriesand contrarieties of life in the Australian Bush.
After this the three started off for Brisbane and Sydney, to completethe purchase of furniture for Archie's house. Archie proved himselfexceedingly clever at this sort of thing, considering that he was only amale person. But in proof of what I state, let me tell you, that beforeleaving home he had even taken the measure of the rooms, and of thewindows and doors. And when he got to Sydney he showed his taste in thedecorative art by choosing "fixings" of an altogether Oriental andsemi-aesthetic design.
At Sydney Elsie and Rupert were introduced to the Winslows, and, as soonas he conveniently could, Archie took his brother's opinion aboutEtheldene.
Very much to his astonishment, Rupert told him that Etheldene was moresisterly than anything else, and he dare say she was rather a nicegirl--"as far as girls go."
Archie laughed outright at Rupert's coolness, but somehow or other hefelt relieved.
First impressions go a far way in a matter of this kind, and it waspretty evident there was little chance of Rupert's falling in love withEtheldene, for some time at least.
Yet this was the plan of campaign Archie had cut out: Rupert andEtheldene should be very much struck with each other from the veryfirst; the young lady should frequently visit at Burley New Farm, and,for the good of his health, Rupert should go often to Sydney. Thingswould progress thus, off and on, for a few years, then the marriagewould follow, Rupert being by this time settled perhaps, and in a fairway of doing well. I am afraid Archie had reckoned without his host, oreven his hostess.
He was not long in coming to this conclusion either; and about the sametime he made another discovery, very much to his own surprise; namely,that he himself was in love with Etheldene, and that he had probablybeen so for some considerable length of time, without knowing it. Hedetermined in his own mind therefore that he would steel his hearttowards Miss Winslow, and forget her.
Before Elsie and Rupert came to settle down finally at the farm, theyenjoyed, in company with Mr Winslow and his daughter, many charmingtrips to what I might call the show-places of Australia. Sydney, andall its indescr
ibably-beautiful surroundings, they visited first. Thenthey went to Melbourne, and were much struck with all the wealth andgrandeur they saw around them, although they could not help thinking theactual state of the streets was somewhat of a reproach to the town.They sailed on the Yarra-Yarra; they went inland and saw, only to marvelat, the grandeur of the scenery, the ferny forests, the glens and hills,the waterfalls and tumbling streams and lovely lakes. And all the timeRupert could not get rid of the impression that it was a beautifuldream, from which he would presently awake and find himself at BurleyOld Farm.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
THE MASSACRE AT FINDLAYSON'S FARM.
By the time Elsie and Rupert had returned from their wanderings winterwas once more coming on; but already both the sister and brother had gota complexion.
The
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