The Gully of Bluemansdyke, and Other storiesDoyle, Arthur Conan
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The Gully of Bluemansdyke, and Other stories
Doyle, Arthur Conan
Detective and mystery stories, English; Fiction; Short stories
"D'ye call this a civilised land," I cried, "and let a man be murdered
in cold blood in open daylight?"
When I said this the governor and the warder and every fool in the place
grinned, as if a man's life was a rare good joke.
"You've got the law on your side," says the governor; "so we won't
detain you any longer. Show him out, warder."
He'd have done it too, the black-hearted villain, if I hadn't begged and
prayed and offered to pay for my board and lodging, which is more than
any prisoner ever did before me. He let me stay on those conditions; and
for three months I was caged up there with every larrikin in the
township clamouring at the other side of the wall. That was pretty
treatment for a man that had served his country!
At last, one morning, up came the governor again.
"Well, Maloney," he said, "how long are you going to honour us with your
society?"
I could have put a knife into his cursed body, and would, too, if we had
been alone in the bush; but I had to smile, and smooth him and flatter,
for I feared that he might have me sent out.
"You're an infernal rascal," he said; those were his very words to a man
that had helped him all he knew how. "I don't want any rough justice
here, though; and I think I see my way to getting you out of Dunedin."
"I'll never forget you, governor," said I; and, by God, I never will.
"I don't want your thanks nor your gratitude," he answered; "it's not
for your sake that I do it, but simply to keep order in the town.
There's a steamer starts from the West Quay to Melbourne to-morrow, and
we'll get you aboard it. She is advertised at five in the morning, so
have yourself in readiness."
I packed up the few things I had, and was smuggled out by a back door
just before daybreak. I hurried down, took my ticket, under the name of
Isaac Smith, and got safely aboard the Melbourne boat. I remember
hearing her screw grinding into the water as the warps were cast loose,
and looking back at the lights of Dunedin, as I leaned upon the
bulwarks, with the pleasant thought that I was leaving them behind me
for ever. It seemed to me that a new world was before me, and that all
my troubles had been cast off. I went down below and had some coffee,
and came up again feeling better than I had done since the morning that
I woke to find that cursed Irishman that took me standing over me with a
six-shooter.
Day had dawned by that time, and we were steaming along by the coast,
well out of sight of Dunedin. I loafed about for a couple of hours, and
when the sun got well up some of the other passengers came on deck and
joined me. One of them, a little perky sort of fellow, took a good long
look at me, and then came over and began talking.
"Mining, I suppose?" says he.
"Yes," I says.
"Made your pile?" he asks.
"Pretty fair," says I.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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