Читать книгу The Outlaw - John David Hennessy - Страница 5

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At the time of this narrative, Poddy Carey was a settler in one of the fertile valleys of the south coast of New South Wales. The man had been a soldier, and this was a Government grant of three hundred acres, somewhat inconveniently situated near a rocky height, known as Bailey's Bluff, which towered in solitary grandeur above the whole district.

The summit was bare, and also the eastern front, which overlooked the distant Pacific Ocean. On the other three sides it was thickly timbered, the trees, in places, seeming to spring out of the very rock. From the valley they looked little more than bushes, but when near the summit they were found to be good-sized trees. It was a spot to which, in those days, few climbed for pleasure, although they might have done so, for the view of the far off Pacific and long stretch of coast line was unsurpassed even in that romantic district. Landward was a panorama of rural scenery, with occasional glimpses of a broad river and wooded hills, down the sides of which running waters flashed here and there, in the sunlight, on their precipitous courses to broad valleys, where fat cattle fed contentedly and the fruits of a primitive husbandry rewarded the labourer's toil.

Things have altered since then, but at the time of this story a quieter or more secluded place, within easy reach of Sydney, could scarcely have been found. Mails were received only at rare intervals; while railway travelling and telegraph messages were unknown.

The only road from the Sydney side to Poddy Carey's farm was by a steep bridle track around the Bluff.

A little before noon one sweltering hot day, a horseman might have been seen making his way up the track which led in the direction of this farm. The trees were less dense upon the lower portion of the ascent, which was thickly bestrewn with boulders.

"Steady, Fleetfoot, old man! I think I will walk a bit here!" exclaimed the traveller, pulling up the thorough-bred and swinging himself off the saddle.

He turned round and glanced down the steep hillside as he dropped the reins upon the sweating neck of the horse. It would have been a serious matter for either horse or rider to stumble and roll over just there. They were about half-way up, and it was already a fearful descent to look down upon. And yet, as the man trod carefully along, closely followed by his horse, his experienced eye noted the recent tracks of cattle and pigs, as well as of horses.

"I've not lost my way, that's certain," he said aloud; "but what a road to lead to a farm! How on earth can they get butter and eggs and poultry to market, and drive pigs over such a place as this? I suppose the descent is easier on the other side; the track can't exactly cross the summit, so there must be some way round higher up."

At this he cast his eyes through an opening in the trees toward the bald summit which towered above him. Then for a full half-minute he stood motionless.

"Hanged if there isn't a petticoat up there!" he said, "one of Poddy Carey's daughters looking out for Mr. Bennett, I suppose. I remember they told me there would be three girls and two boys to attend school from this selection." Then he laughed, and laughed again, as he trudged up the steep track, still closely followed by his well-trained steed.

Another quarter of a mile brought him to what at first sight seemed a solid wall of rock, from the side of which a substantial fence stretched out to form a wing for fully thirty yards. It had evidently been set up to assist in driving cattle and other animals through some narrow opening.

"Pig proof too!" he ejaculated, examining the fence more closely, with evident approval. Here he re-mounted, and following the beaten track, which was now smoother and broader, he soon came upon another wing of fencing, which turned the traveller abruptly around a jagged corner, when he found himself inside a large natural enclosure, walled in by perpendicular rocks.

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, looking around: "room to muster a couple of hundred head," and then an involuntary exclamation of surprise burst from him, for riding towards him in this strange place, on a wicked-looking piebald pony, came a fair young girl about seventeen years of age, who seemed to have taken in at a glance both Fleetfoot and his rider.

"I suppose you are Mr. Bennett, the new teacher?" she said, as their eyes met. "I'm to be one of your scholars. I'm Betsy Carey," and with that she moved her pony nearer and held out her hand.

"I'm sure I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Carey," he said, taking the outstretched hand in a cordial grip, "and I shall be very glad to have you for a pupil."

"I'm not so sure about that," answered the girl with a pleasant laugh, "we have counted up that there will be fifteen grown-up girls among your scholars in the new school; and some of them threaten to——" At this she stopped suddenly, as though fearful of betraying a confidence.

"I may count, however, upon your assistance and good example. Miss Carey," replied the new teacher, gravely.

"I don't know so much about that," said the maiden demurely; "you see, mother has taught me all that I know, and I've never been to school before; besides, they all say I'm a bit of a limb, and I shall have ten cows to milk before coming to school, and Loiterer here plays up a bit sometimes, and won't be caught, and that always puts me out; so you see, I may not always be of much assistance to you, nor a good example either."

All this was said with the utmost seriousness and frankness of manner, so much so that the teacher could not repress a smile.

"We heard you were coming over, and mother's expecting you to dinner," the girl chattered away; "and there's dumplings, so we had better be quick, or they may be spoiled. By the way, Mr. Bennett, as I'm to be your scholar, you might as well start and call me Betsy; and mother told me to caution you not to take particular notice of father when he swears. It's his way; you may reform him afterwards, when you get to know him better; but he means no harm, and we are all used to it; you know the men do swear a good bit about here."

By this time they had emerged from the enclosure by a somewhat similar opening in the rock on the other side, and the teacher seemed to find it difficult to maintain any sustained conversation with his new acquaintance. Loiterer altogether belied his name, and scrambled along the steep pathway, which now dropped abruptly towards the bed of a shallow stream, and stepped over stones and water-worn ruts and projecting roots of trees, as nimbly as might a goat or cat.

After fording the river, on a pebbly bottom, they cantered across some fertile flats, toward the rising ground upon which the house and rough farm buildings were situated. Loiterer champed his bit and tossed his head meanwhile, in sundry ways making it plain that he and his mistress were used to a little faster travelling, but a slow canter was the quickest pace at which the seemingly city-bred school-teacher cared to travel.

"I'm afraid those dumplings will be heavy," grumbled Betsy, looking up at the sun to note the time as they neared the house. "And, Mr. Bennett," she continued, almost in the same breath, as she bent over her pony and took down a top slip-rail, preparatory to jumping across the two lower ones, "don't expect to see me at school when it rains heavily, for the creek comes down a banker in no time, and there's a good bit to do then about the place; besides, Loiterer isn't a very strong swimmer in a flood."

"My word!" ejaculated the mischievous girl to herself. She had jumped Loiterer over the slip-rails, and then had pulled round to see how the school-teacher was coming along, laughing to herself, as she pictured him fumbling to take down the two remaining slip-rails, to walk his horse through; but instead, to her surprise, the city-bred man, as she supposed him, cleared the lower rails with the ease of an accomplished rough-rider, and then wheeled his horse round and bent over in the saddle to re-place the rail which she had taken down, as though it were the most ordinary thing to do.

At this, the teacher went up considerably in Betsy's estimation, especially as she made some mental notes upon the way he sat in the saddle and managed his horse, which stood side-on to the fence, as steady as a house, while he re-adjusted the rail. It was not exactly a showy animal he rode; but the girl knew the good points of a horse almost as well as her father, and her curiosity was piqued as to how a man who taught school should ride so well and possess so valuable a bit of horse-flesh.

However, as her companion rode up and overtook her, he might have been heard cursing his stupidity under his breath in unscholarly language for not being more on his guard. He had no wish to handicap himself at the start by arousing unnecessary curiosity as to his antecedents.

Whatever she may have thought, the girl made no remark; and they rode up together to the verandah of the house, where Mrs. Carey—one of those women 'whose price is above rubies'—stood waiting to welcome the visitor.