Well, we scribbled a bit of a letter and sent Warrigal off with it.
Wasn"t it dangerous for him? Not a bit of it. He could go anywhere all over the whole country, and no trooper of them all could manage to put the bracelets on him. The way he"d work it would be to leave his horse a good way the other side of George Storefield"s, and to make up as a regular blackfellow. He could do that first-rate, and talk their lingo, too, just like one of themselves. Gin or blackfellow, it was all the same to Warrigal. He could make himself as black as soot, and go barefooted with a blanket or a "possum rug round him and beg for siccapence, and n.o.body"d ever bowl him out. He took us in once at the diggings; Jim chucked him a shilling, and told him to go away and not come bothering near us.
So away Warrigal went, and we knew he"d get through somehow. He was one of those chaps that always does what they"re told, and never comes back and says they can"t do it, or they"ve lost their horse, or can"t find the way, or they"d changed their mind, or something.
No; once he"d started there was no fear of him not scoring somehow or other. Whatever Starlight told him to do, day or night, foul weather or fair, afoot or on horseback, that thing was done if Warrigal was alive to do it.
What we"d written to Aileen was telling her that father was that bad we hardly thought he"d pull through, and that if she wanted to save his life she must come to the Hollow and nurse him.
How to get her over was not the easiest thing in the world, but she could ride away on her old pony without anybody thinking but she was going to fetch up the cows, and then cut straight up the gully to the old yard in the scrub on Nulla Mountain. One of us would meet her there with a fresh horse and bring her safe into the Hollow. If all went well she would be there in the afternoon on a certain day; anyhow we"d be there to meet her, come or no come.
She wouldn"t fail us, we were dead sure. She had suffered a lot by him and us too; but, like most women, the very moment anything happened to any of us, even to dad, everything flew out of her head, except that we were sick or sorry and wanted her help. Help, of course; wasn"t she willing to give that, and her rest and comfort, health, even life itself, to wear herself out, hand and foot, for any one of her own family?
So poor Aileen made her way up all alone to the old scrub stockyard. Jim and I had ridden up to it pretty early (he wouldn"t stop behind) with a nice, well-bred little horse that had shone a bit at country races for her to ride on. We waited there a goodish while, we lying down and our horses hung up not far off for fear we might be "jumped" by the police at any time.
At last we sees the old pony"s head coming bobbing along through the scrub along the worn-out cattle track, grown up as it was, and sure enough there was Aileen on him, with her gray riding skirt and an old felt hat on. She"d nothing with her; she was afraid to bring a ha"porth of clothes or anything for fear they should any of "em tumble that she was going a long way, and, perhaps, follow her up. So she had to hand that over to Warrigal, and trust to him to bring it on some way or other. We saw her before she saw us, and Jim gave a whistle just as he used to do when he was coming home late at night. She knew it at once, and a smile for a minute came over her pale face; such a sad sort of one it was too, as if she was wondering at herself that she could feel that pleased at anything.
Whatever thoughts was in her mind, she roused up the old pony, and came towards us quick as soon as she catches sight of us. In two seconds Jim had lifted her down in his strong arms, and was holding her off the ground and hugging her as if she"d been a child. How the tears ran down her cheeks, though all the time she was kissing him with her arms round his neck; and me too, when I came up, just as if we were boys and girls again.
After a bit she wiped her eyes, and said--
"How"s father?"
"Very bad," I said; "off his head, and raving. It"ll be a close thing with him. Here"s your horse now, and a good one too. We must let the old pony go; he"ll make home fast enough."
She patted his neck and we turned him loose. He slued round and went away steady, picking a bit as he went. He"d be home next day easy enough, and n.o.body the wiser where he"d been to.
We"d brought a bit to eat and a gla.s.s of wine for the girl in case she was faint, but she wouldn"t take anything but a crust of bread and a drink of water. There was a spring that ran all the year round near the cattle-yard; and off went we, old Lieutenant holding up his head and showing himself off. He didn"t get such a rider on his back every day.
"What a dear horse," she said, as she pulled him together a bit like and settled herself fair and square in the saddle. "Oh, how I could enjoy all this if--if---- O my G.o.d! shall we ever know a moment"s peace and happiness in this world again? Are we always to be sunk in wretchedness and misery as long as we live?"
We didn"t lose much time after that, you be sure. Up and down, thick and open, rough or smooth, we made the pace good, and Aileen gave us all we knew to keep ahead of her. We had a good light when we got to the drop down into the Hollow. The sun was just setting, and if we"d had time or thought to give to the looks of things, no doubt it was a grand sight.
All the Hollow was lighted up, and looked like a green sea with islands of trees in it. The rock towers on the other side of the range were shining and glittering like as if they were made of crystallised quartz or diamonds--red and white. There was a sort of mist creeping up the valley at the lower end under the mountain that began to soften the fire colours, and mix them up like. Even the mountain, that mostly looked black and dreary, frowning at our ways, was of purple and gold, with pale shadows of green and gray.
Aileen pulled up as we did, and jumped off our horses.
"So this is the Hollow," she said, half talking to herself, "that I"ve heard and thought so much about. What a lovely, lovely place! Surely it ought to have a different effect on the people that lived there."
"Better come off, Ailie, and lead your horse down here," says Jim, "unless you want to ride down, like Starlight did, the first time we saw him."
"Starlight! is he here?" she said, in a surprised sort of way. "I never thought of that."
"Of course he is; where else should he be? Why don"t you lead on, d.i.c.k?"
"Won"t you get off? It"s not altogether safe," I said, "though Lieutenant"s all right on his old pins."
"Safe!" she said, with a bitter sort of laugh. "What does it matter if a Marston girl does break her neck, or her heart either?"
She never said another word, but sat upright with a set face on her, as the old horse picked his way down after ours, and except when he put his foot on a rolling stone, never made a slip or a stumble all the way down, though it was like going down the side of a house.
When we got to the valley we put on a spurt to the cave, and found Warrigal sitting on the log in front of us. He"d got home first, of course, and there was Aileen"s bundle, a biggish one too, alongside of him. We could hear father raving and screaming out inside dreadful.
Starlight wasn"t nigh hand anywhere. He had walked off when Warrigal came home, and left him to watch the old man.
"He been like that all the time, Warrigal?"
"No! Captain say big one sleep. Him give him medicine like; then wake up and go on likit that. I believe him bad along a cobra."
Aileen had jumped off her horse and gone in to the old man the moment we came up and she heard his voice.
All that long night we could hear him talking to himself, groaning, cursing, shouting, arguing. It was wonderful how a man who talked so little as father could have had so many thoughts in his mind. But then they all are boxed up together in every man"s heart. At a time like this they come racing and tumbling out like a flock of sheep out of a yard when the hurdle"s down. What a dashed queer thing human nature is when you come to think of it. That a man should be able to keep his tongue quiet, and shut the door on all the sounds and images and wishes that goes racing about inside of his mind like wild horses in a paddock!
One day he"ll be smiling and sensible, looking so honest all the time.
Next day a knock on the head or a little vein goes crack in the brain (as the doctor told me); then the rails are down, and everything comes out with a rush into the light of day--right and wrong, foul and fair, station brands and clearskins, it don"t make no difference.
Father was always one of the closest men that ever lived. He never told us much about his old life at home or after he came out here. Now he was letting drop things here and there that helped us to a few secrets he"d never told to no man. They made poor Aileen a bit more miserable than she"d been before, if that was possible; but it didn"t matter much to us. We were pretty tired ourselves that night, and so we got Aileen all she wanted, and left her alone with him.
While we were away to meet her some one had taken the trouble to put up a bit of a part.i.tion, separating that part of the cave from the other; it was built up of stone--there was plenty about--and not so roughly done either. It made Aileen feel a lot more comfortable. Of course there was only one man who could have done it; and that was Starlight.
Chapter 39
Towards morning father went into a heavy sleep; he didn"t wake till the afternoon. Poor Aileen was able to get a doze and change her dress. After breakfast, while we were having a bit of a chat, in walks Starlight. He bowed to Aileen quite respectful, as he always did to a woman, and then shook hands with her.
"Welcome to the Hollow, Miss Marston," he said. "I can"t say how charmed I am in one sense, though I regret the necessity which brought you here."
"I"m glad to come, and only for poor father"s being so bad I could delight in the life here."
"How do you find your father?"
"He is asleep now, and perhaps the rest will do him good."
"He may awake free from fever," says Starlight. "I took the risk of giving him an opiate before you came, and I think the result has been favourable."
"Oh! I hope he will be better when he wakes," says Aileen, "and that I shall not have to watch through another dreadful night of raving. I can hardly bear it."
"You must make your brothers take their share; it"s not fair to you."
"Thank you; but I feel as if I couldn"t leave him to anybody but myself.
He seems so weak now; a little neglect might kill him."
"Pardon me, Miss Marston; you overrate the danger. Depend upon it, your respected parent will be quite a different man in a week, though it may be a month or more before he is fully recovered. You don"t know what a const.i.tution he has."
"You have given me fresh hope," she said. "I feel quite cheered up--that is" (and she sighed) "if I could be cheerful again about anything."