by Mark Stewart
DAYLIGHT BROUGHT a few hours to plan what they could do Jessica knew the bushranger would never break off his onslaught. She looked forward to the finale. She needed to get back to the Rosedale pronto to prepare for his imminent arrival. She ripped small pieces off her shirt, tossing them every so often over her shoulder to help mark the trail. She certainly didn’t want the man to stray off course.
The tail end of the storm quickly abated. The birds again filled the cloudy sky.
Jessica looked sideways at Lightening Dawn. His shoulders were drooped. His eyes were half closed. Sitting low in the saddle, he looked exhausted. She stopped her horse, swung her leg over the side of the saddle, lowering herself gently to the ground. Lightening did the same.
“Are you okay?” she asked, ignoring the dull ache in her muscles.
“I’m alright.”
“You were hurt,” she stated, seeing the blood on his shirt.
“What were those three words you said some hours ago?”
“She’ll be right?”
Lightening flopped onto the ground. “Yes, I’ll be right.”
Jessica dropped to her knees. “Take your shirt off; I need to see for myself.”
“We can’t spare the time.”
“I’m sure a few minutes delay won’t make too much of a difference.”
Lightening carefully peeled the shirt off his back. Jessica traced the beads of sweat running down his shiny black skin. She could feel the love inside her for the man starting to stir into a storm yet again. She looked forward to their wedding night. She craved after the idea. Reluctantly she forced the emotion to take a back seat.
Jessica focused on the congealed blood on Lightening’s left side. Searching his back, she found an exit wound.
“You are one lucky man. Why didn’t you say you had been shot?”
Lightening shrugged, smiling at her concern. “I’m not one to complain. I knew I’d be okay. My first goal had to be saving you from falling off the tree into the river. I couldn’t just stand by to watch you drown.”
“Thank you again,” whispered Jessica.
“Think no more of it.” Lightening Dawn saw the blood stain on Jessica’s riding pants. He studied her thigh and found a hole in her pants.
“The tree branch stabbed me,” announced Jessica bravely.
“You, my love are one lucky young lady.”
Both chuckled at their good fortune. They gave each other a quick hug before mounting their horse.
“A couple of weeks rest will see us fit again,” promised Jessica, giving her horse a gentle kick to start it moving.
“I’ll make sure you will rest,” advised Lightening trying to use a scolding tone. He couldn’t keep the act up for long before breaking out into a broad grin.
Jessica lovingly slapped him on the leg then took the lead.
The back corner of the Rosedale came into view. A shake of the reins saw both horses start to canter, forcing the tag-a-longs to do the same. In less than a minute they made it to the corner post. They slowed the horses to a walk so they could navigate their way through the debris.
“I’ve been chopping wood to fix the fence,” explained Lightening Dawn.
“Before I asked, I was hoping someone might explain what happened.”
“A few weeks back our neighbour Mr. Langston led his bull along the back fence for a feed in the scrub. A snake which he thought might be a yellow bellied black slithered across its path. The big old bull turned feral plowing sideways into the fence. Langston knocked on the door of the homestead to tell me the bad news about the fence. I told him; no problem, I’d fix it. I don’t think he takes too kindly to me.”
“Do you know the reason?” asked Jessica.
“I corrected him on the alleged snake. I saw a Tiger snake coiled up in the sun near the back fence the previous day. I went on to explain a yellow bellied black is found mainly in Queensland, not Victoria.”
“Langston can never be corrected over anything. I wish he’d sell. Right now is the perfect time to expand the size of the Rosedale.” Jessica sighed. “Lightening, we’ll fix the fence together. Thanks to the newfound loot I think we should put a gate in as well.”
Lightening Dawn replied confidently. “Mr. Langston told me he is selling.”
“The homestead is up for sale!” exclaimed Jessica, her eyes sparkling at the news.
“One thousand acres of prime beef land,” added Lightening.
“If we were successful in purchasing his property the Rosedale will be almost twice the size. I think we should visit our neighbour to make an offer he can’t refuse. By knocking down the side fence, both properties will be joined. The river will run on our land in its entirety. No more of his warning’s about ‘no fishing’ on his alleged land. I’m positive our sheep won’t mind the cows.”
Lightening Dawn licked his lips at the thought of fresh fish most evenings for dinner. “I have a great recipe for fish stew,” he announced.
“I can’t wait to taste it,” giggled Jessica.
A quick glance at the land beyond the river and the pair rode onwards in silence, each to their own thoughts.
Through slits, Lightening Dawn looked at Jessica. He wanted to break the silence, so he struck up a casual conversation.
“I suppose we need another large shed. I’ll see to it the moment the bushranger is dead.”
“You look too tired to do any work around the Rosedale for at least a week. Besides, don’t we have something more important to consider?”
“Yes, we do. I have already planned the wedding ceremony, including your important wedding night.”
“Can you let me in on your plans?”
“No,” he replied rudely.
“You do realize it’s our wedding night? Don’t I have a say?”
Lightening Dawn gave his fiancé a loving grin.
“I want our wedding night to be extra special. I am asking you to help me keep it a secret? I think it will help build suspense. I’m positive the secret will cap off a great day.”
“I’ll trust you,” said Jessica after careful consideration. She felt shocked at hearing the words. They seemed irrational, totally against everything she believed. Somewhere deep inside her mind, she knew the man riding next to her was different in so many ways. Of course, nobody is perfect. He probably did have a few bad habits she didn’t know about and started pondering what they might be.
Lightening Dawn caught her sighing. “What were you thinking about just now?”
“If you must know I’m wondering if you have any bad habits. As of late, I haven’t discovered any.”
“I sleep under the window to feel the cool air at night. I have stock piled enough wood in the summer for a roaring fire on cold winter nights.”
“Is there anything else which could ruffle your feathers?”
Lightening Dawn leaned sideways placing his hand on her shoulder.
“If wanting to be around you is a bad habit I’d have to say I’m guilty.”
Jessica shook her head. Chuckling she dug her heels into her horse’s ribs. They took off in a canter. For the first time in her life, she felt alive. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know, Lightening rode his horse hard to catch her. Jessica saw the chase as a game which would ultimately end in making love to the man then falling asleep in his arms.
Puffing from the quick sprint, the two riders dismounted at the verandah of the Rosedale. When the saddles were off the horses, the beasts wandered off to munch the green grass growing around the homestead.
In the late afternoon sun, the homestead looked inviting. Jessica pushed the thought of their wedding night and a good sleep out her mind. If they wanted to sweep the bushranger from their life they needed to be ready. Business must come first before romance.
Jarrah and Cobar, the two young aboriginal boys, opened the kitchen door. They stepped onto the verandah; their wide grins were a welcoming sight.
“You’re here,” yelled Jarrah. “We have a
meal cooking. Kangaroo stew.”
“The food sounds too good to say no to.” Jessica squatted for a hug. In seconds, the kids were dragging her into the kitchen. The aroma of a home-cooked meal filled the small room. The single glass window overlooking the herb garden helped to make the aroma more delectable. Gip looked up from her cooking duties, grinning in delight.
“Food almost cooked.”
Jessica marched over to hug the girl tight.
“We work hard for boss lady,” she quipped.
Jessica knelt on the dusty floorboards. Volleying her gaze between Gip and the boys, she gently added.
“I have some news. Lightening Dawn and I are engaged to be married.”
“Family,” yelped Gip.
“Exactly right,” said Jessica. “We are now one big happy family. However, there is a minor change from the traditional family unit. I want you to have equal rights, which means you three kids have a share in the profits we make.”
The three kids jumped for joy. A short aborigine dance quickly followed.
Jessica chuckled at their enthusiasm. The moment they stopped, she continued.
“Thank you for cooking the dinner. There is one more thing I want you to understand. I don’t want to see you kids sitting on the floor ever again when you eat.”
“Our place is on the floor. Your place is at the table,” Gip grizzled.
Jessica stood, took Gip by the hand, escorting her to the table. She walked over to the cupboard, snatched five plates from off the middle shelf and returned to the table. “We’ll all sit at the table to eat,” Jessica insisted.
The kids ran at her, throwing their arms around her waist. Lightening Dawn walked across the room to join in.
“Thank you,” said Gip. “Being in a family is important to me and my brothers. We went walk-a-bout ages ago. We want to stay here.”
Jessica started to cry. Gip wiped her eyes. Even the boys and Lightening looked to be on the verge of dropping a tear.
Gip suddenly straightened her back.
“The dinner, it ready.”
Jessica took hold of Gip’s hand. She said slowly. “The dinner is ready.”
“The dinner is ready,” echoed Gip. “One day you teach me to talk good?”
“I will,” giggled Jessica. “At the moment, it’s not important.”
The wood fired oven seemed to be working over time. Steam from the Billy hanging over the open fire started billowing into the air. The dirty dishes were already washed and drying on the solid wooden sink. When Jessica finished drying the first dish, she walked over to the wooden pantry to put the pot away. At the back of the first shelf, past the wire mesh which helped to keep out the flies in the long hot summer, there were large bags of rice still open. The flour bags were lying on their side, leaving a white trail a long the shelf. Jessica started to tidy up.
“Jessica, you sit,” urged Gip, placing a mug of tea on the table.
Lightening Dawn sat next to Jessica. A mug of tea was placed under his nose. Sitting at the table as a family for the first time found the kids giggling. The relaxed atmosphere helped soothe Jessica’s aching muscles.
Ten minutes of sitting saw the meal consumed.
Lightening Dawn stood. “Jessica, you sit tight, I’ll prepare for the new arrival.”
Before she could answer, he turned his back and walked towards the door.
A hard, determined expression replaced Jessica’s soft features.
“We will prepare for the visitor together. Kids, no matter what happens I don’t want you to leave the house. A bad man is on his way. Lightening Dawn and I will seal his fate.”
Jessica forced her body to stand. For a few seconds, she leaned on the table swaying. Eventually, she forced her muscles to start moving. Before leaving the kitchen, she scooped a handful of sugar cubes out of the sugar bowl. She caught up to Lightening Dawn standing at the edge of the verandah. He stepped behind her so he could kiss her neck. Jessica consumed his contact. Slipping his fingers under the collar of her shirt he started to gently massage her shoulders. Jessica closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she whispered.
“Do you?” He sounded alarmed.
“Yes. You want me back in the house. When the danger has passed, you will come for me.”
“Impressive.”
“I’ve been taught by a great teacher.”
“Who is this teacher?”
Jessica faced Lightening. “You’re the man.”
“I never taught you to read minds.”
“No, you didn’t. We seem to be completely in tune to one another.”
“Interesting,” said Lightening.
“There’s no big mystery.”
“How so?” he asked.
“Before I tell you the answer I’ve come this far, I’m not backing off. We’ll put a dampener on the bushranger’s plans together.”
“I promise we’ll see this plan of yours to the end. Tell me your secret.”
“I’m a woman. I know these things.” Jessica grinned at his blank expression. Slipping her hand in his, they walked down the steps.
Before marching to the barn, they walked over to the horses, showing them the sugar cubes in their hands. The four horses they rode to the homestead followed. Jessica led the way, carrying the sacks of stolen money. Lightening brought up the rear, carrying the bags of gold nuggets. Jessica opened the barn door. She fed the horses the sugar the moment they walked into the barn. The horses were brought to the food buckets in the third and fourth stall. They didn’t have to be coaxed into eating.
Jessica walked into the first stall. The only occupants were a mother and a young timid mare. The mother’s ears swiveled forward. She snorted before stepping closer to her baby.
“It’s okay,” whispered Jessica. “We mean you or your baby no harm. You can come back when I’m done showing Lightening Dawn the secret.”
She reached up to give the horse’s snout a scratch. Smelling the sugar cube Jessica placed in the palm of her hand the horse devoured it. The foul nudged her hand for her share. Jessica led the pair to the second stall. When she stepped out, Lightening Dawn closed the wooden gate.
“What’s so special about the first stall?” asked Lightening. “I’ve been in there too many times to count. I’ve only ever seen a normal stall.”
Jessica walked to the rear wall. “Years ago my uncle showed me his secret room. If luck is on our side the room will still be stocked.”
“I have no knowledge about a secret room?”
“Good. My uncle only confided in me about what’s under our feet. Not even his wife knew. I guess he lived for the moment when he could show off his secret. When he saw my surprised expression, he just smiled. My Uncle told me that I looked the same as you do now. The room will be the perfect hideout for our money, the gold, and the guns.”
“Including the blue diamond,” added Lightening. “If anyone ever sees the ring they’ll put the missing information together. They might want to nose around, asking questions.”
“You’re right. The ring must be buried with the gold nuggets and the money. If one day Forland comes knocking on the door asking about his precious blue diamond I’ll tell him if he locates it I want it back. He’ll make a lousy colourful, smart remark before leaving. We’ll never see him again. To obtain something from me, he first has to prove I have it.”
Using the side of her boot, Jessica scraped the thin layer of dirt and sawdust away from the corner of the stall. Flush with the floorboards she uncovered a trap door. Using her fingers to scratch at the dirt Jessica found a small rusting ring an inch in diameter. Four feet along the wall she again used her fingers to scratch at the hardened dirt. A second rusting ring came into focus. Jessica stood, swiping a five-foot chain from a bent nail half buried in the wooden cross beam. She pushed the sturdy hook welded into the last link at each end through the first ring, repeating the procedure with the second. She back stepped to allow the c
hain to run through her fingers to the middle. Lightening Dawn stepped to her side. Together they pulled on the chain. The trap door opened easily creating a cloud of dust.
Lightening looked down into the darkness. “I didn’t know this existed.”
“That’s the reason why this place is so perfect. My Uncle told me he spent years making it damp proof by way of thick wooden planks he manually cut. Come on; I’ll show you.”
Jessica grabbed the money bags from the opposite corner. Lightening snatched up the gold bags. He copied Jessica and watched the bags drop into the abyss. Both descended slowly down the wooden vertical ladder attached to the wall of the hole.
Seven feet directly under the barn’s wall the hole opened to a room. Jessica lit a lantern she found hanging from the wall. The light picked out a room no larger than the kitchen of the Rosedale. A five-door cupboard took up the height and the width of one of the walls.
Jessica walked over to the cupboard. Opening the first door, she showed Lightening Dawn the contents.
There were at least a dozen knives. Each blade looked to be of various lengths. Four bows and a quiver full of arrows sat neatly on the third shelf. On the middle shelf, more than three dozen guns appeared ready to be used. Lightening opened the remaining doors and discovered boxes of ammunition.
“There must be more than two hundred boxes of bullets!” Lightening Dawn exclaimed.
“At least,” echoed Jessica.
Lightening picked out a rifle off the shelf, unwrapped it from the thick woolen cloth and started to study it at length. “This Winchester rifle has never been fired.”
“None of these have ever been used before,” reported Jessica. “My uncle placed his private collection in here for a keepsake. This is his secret. He told me none of these weapons will ever be used. He was told if he didn’t use the guns they’d be worth more someday. He wanted to sell the collection when he grew old. He called it an investment.”
Lightening Dawn nodded his approval.
“These are worth a fortune.” The moment he placed the rifle back exactly how he found it he looked around the room at the walls and the wooden roof.
“If you look closely at the sides of the timber beams you can see they were hand split,” said Jessica.
Lightening slapped the wall closest to him using the palm of his hand. “What a solid wall.”
“My uncle built this room to stay intact for hundreds of years.”
“What a smart man.”
“My parents, my aunt, and uncle would have approved of you marrying me. It’s a shame they’ll never know,” moaned Jessica.
Lightening gently took hold of Jessica’s hand, reeling her in. He looked lovingly into her eyes. “I believe they know.”
She kissed him tenderly. “Thank you for the kind words.”
“Whether I’m correct or not we have to hope they know.”
“Yes you’re right,” whispered Jessica. “Come on; we have some work to do.” She walked over to a side wall. “This is the long handled shovel I told the bushranger about.” She wore a smirk as she started digging a hole at the corner of the cupboard.
Lightening grabbed the shovel from out of her hands.
“I’ll dig the hole. You rest.”
He dug straight down to a depth of three feet then placed the bags of money and gold in the hole.
“Before you fill in the hole I think we need to have some money for emergencies. We also need to buy a few things. Fencing material is on the top of the list.” She opened the money bag, swooping out a large handful of pound notes in different denominations. She folded them, stuffing the bundle in her pocket. Next, she opened a bag of gold and pulled out a few large nuggets. “These beauties should manage to raise an eyebrow or two at the bank. I can’t wait to see the numbers in our account. In the next few days, we’ll go see our dear neighbour to make an offer on his place.”
“After the bushranger has met his maker,” added Lightening.
Jessica pulled the blue diamond ring off her finger. Just before handing the ring to Lightening, she gave it a lasting look. He placed it in the money bag and dropped the bag into the hole. Slipping the gun belt from off her waist Jessica viewed the guns. She wrapped them lovingly in a woolen cloth before placing the guns in a wooden box. She placed everything into the hole and quickly filled it in.
After collecting at least ten boxes of ammunition, two rifles, a gun belt and guns for Jessica, they climbed out of the room. They replaced the trap door and covered it with dirt. The mare and her baby foul were hustled back into the stall to help make everything look exactly the way it should be.
Lightening Dawn and Jessica climbed to the Barn’s loft to wait for the bushranger.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN