The Argosy, Vol. XXIV No. 2 — page 35: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE TRACK OF MIDNIGHT. 297 eased the burning pain the black fellow suffered, and just as he recovered consciousness, he turned his head and glanced up into Wilton’s face. ‘“ My word, you good longa me,’’ he said in broken English. ‘’ What name you try kill me?’’ Wilton asked in the peculiar jumbled up language which the average white man, and especially if he is English speak- ing, always uses towards those whom he fancies do not understand his tongue. ‘‘ Baal me try it,’’ the black answered. ‘‘ Me think it Doolan, plenty bad feller, Doolan, my word, all longa same Midnight.’’ ‘‘ Doolan’s been dead for months,’’ Wilton said as he tied the last knot to his bandage, and the black fellow weakly rose to his feet. He was a splendid specimen of the aboriginal race, as it was before the white man’s rum, and the yellow man’s opium had spread the hideous havoc, mentally, morally and physically, that afterwards degraded it. He was nearly six feet in height, with long clean lower limbs, and a beautifully modeled, musclar chest. As he stood up he reeled. ‘‘ Where you get hurt ?’’ Wilton asked. . “Midnight. My word, debbil, that feller. Plenty long time no food.’’ It flashed into Wilton’s mind that he now had the chance of learning something of the notorious bushranger’s whereabouts, if he could only induce the black to talk. He had often heard of the treachery of the blacks, and how they were not to be trusted or believed, but as he looked at the fine eyes of the man before him he felt that here, at all events, was one who was not so entirely bad. At any rate he would try him ; it might mean the discovery of Midnight’s hiding place, and the risk was worth undertaking, for a big reward was offered by the government for the arrest of the notorious outlaw. “You want tucker? You come along, but with me,’’ Wilton said. The black looked at him curiously. ‘‘ My word, you good feller,’’ he said again, and he stooped down for his spears which lay on the ground beside him, and placed them in Wilton’s hand. He took them and led the way into the hut. Then he gave the black some bread and meat and sat watching him as he devoured it. When he had finished all there was before him, Wilton began to question him about Midnight and himself, and elicited some interesting information, It appeared that the black was a member of the tribe that lived in some broken ridges near the head of the river which flowed through part of Meleelee. The antipathy of the squatters towards the blacks, due very largely to the spearing of cattle by the unfortunate people who could not be made to understand that it was highly iniquitous to kill an occasional animal that belonged to the men who had taken possession of their country and did their utmost to destroy the game which was the chief means of livelihood to the natives ; had led to an alliance, such as it was, between the tribe and the bushrangers in the district, chief of whom was the redoubtable Midnight. While the squatters under Giles and Johnson had been ‘‘ out’’ against one section of the outlaw community, another expedition had been organized by the settlers beyond the range against both the blacks and their allies. The result of that expedition had been equally disastrous for the enemy as GOmilchbooks7co |