for the term of his natural life-第26部分

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　gone；　he　would　be　discovered　in　a　few　moments；　and　brought　back　to　his　island　prison。　In　his　exhaustion　and　misery；　he　accepted　the　alternative　and　slept　again。

As　he　laid　down　his　aching　head；　Mr。　Troke　was　reporting　his　death　to　Vickers；　and　while　he　still　slept；　the　Ladybird；　on　her　way　out；　passed　him　so　closely　that　any　one　on　board　her　might；　with　a　good　glass；　have　espied　his　slumbering　figure　as　it　lay　upon　the　sand。

When　he　woke　it　was　past　midday；　and　the　sun　poured　its　full　rays　upon　him。　His　clothes　were　dry　in　all　places；　save　the　side　on　which　he　had　been　lying；　and　he　rose　to　his　feet　refreshed　by　his　long　sleep。　　He　scarcely　comprehended；　as　yet；　his　true　position。　　He　had　escaped；　it　was　true；　but　not　for　long。　He　was　versed　in　the　history　of　escapes；　and　knew　that　a　man　alone　on　that　barren　coast　was　face　to　face　with　starvation　or　recapture。　Glancing　up　at　the　sun；　he　wondered　indeed；　how　it　was　that　he　had　been　free　so　long。　　Then　the　coal　sheds　caught　his　eye；　and　he　understood　that　they　were　untenanted。　　This　astonished　him；　and　he　began　to　tremble　with　vague　apprehension。　　Entering；　he　looked　around；　expecting　every　moment　to　see　some　lurking　constable；　or　armed　soldier。　　Suddenly　his　glance　fell　upon　the　food　rations　which　lay　in　the　corner　where　the　departing　convicts　had　flung　them　the　night　before。　　At　such　a　moment；　this　discovery　seemed　like　a　direct　revelation　from　Heaven。　　He　would　not　have　been　surprised　had　they　disappeared。　　Had　he　lived　in　another　age；　he　would　have　looked　round　for　the　angel　who　had　brought　them。

By　and　by；　having　eaten　of　this　miraculous　provender；　the　poor　creature　began　reckoning　by　his　convict　experienceto　understand　what　had　taken　place。　The　coal　workings　were　abandoned；　the　new　Commandant　had　probably　other　work　for　his　beasts　of　burden　to　execute；　and　an　absconder　would　be　safe　here　for　a　few　hours　at　least。　　But　he　must　not　stay。　　For　him　there　was　no　rest。　If　he　thought　to　escape；　it　behoved　him　to　commence　his　journey　at　once。　As　he　contemplated　the　meat　and　bread；　something　like　a　ray　of　hope　entered　his　gloomy　soul。　　Here　was　provision　for　his　needs。　The　food　before　him　represented　the　rations　of　six　men。　　Was　it　not　possible　to　cross　the　desert　that　lay　between　him　and　freedom　on　such　fare？　The　very　supposition　made　his　heart　beat　faster。　　It　surely　was　possible。　He　must　husband　his　resources；　walk　much　and　eat　little；　spread　out　the　food　for　one　day　into　the　food　for　three。　　Here　was　six　men's　food　for　one　day；　or　one　man's　food　for　six　days。　　He　would　live　on　a　third　of　this；　and　he　would　have　rations　for　eighteen　days。　　Eighteen　days！　What　could　he　not　do　in　eighteen　days？　　He　could　walk　thirty　miles　a　day　forty　miles　a　daythat　would　be　six　hundred　miles　and　more。　Yet　stay；　he　must　not　be　too　sanguine；　the　road　was　difficult；　the　scrub　was　in　places　impenetrable。　　He　would　have　to　make　d閠ours；　and　turn　upon　his　tracks；　to　waste　precious　time。　　He　would　be　moderate；　and　say　twenty　miles　a　day。　　Twenty　miles　a　day　was　very　easy　walking。　Taking　a　piece　of　stick　from　the　ground；　he　made　the　calculation　in　the　sand。　Eighteen　days；　and　twenty　miles　a　daythree　hundred　and　sixty　miles。　More　than　enough　to　take　him　to　freedom。　　It　could　be　done！　　With　prudence；　it　could　be　done！　　He　must　be　careful　and　abstemious！　　Abstemious！　He　had　already　eaten　too　much；　and　he　hastily　pulled　a　barely…tasted　piece　of　meat　from　his　mouth；　and　replaced　it　with　the　rest。　　The　action　which　at　any　other　time　would　have　seemed　disgusting；　was；　in　the　case　of　this　poor　creature；　merely　pitiable。

Having　come　to　this　resolution；　the　next　thing　was　to　disencumber　himself　of　his　irons。　　This　was　more　easily　done　than　he　expected。　　He　found　in　the　shed　an　iron　gad；　and　with　that　and　a　stone　he　drove　out　the　rivets。　The　rings　were　too　strong　to　be　〃ovalled〃；*　or　he　would　have　been　free　long　ago。　　He　packed　the　meat　and　bread　together；　and　then　pushing　the　gad　into　his　beltit　might　be　needed　as　a　weapon　of　defencehe　set　out　on　his　journey。

＇Footnote＇*　Ovalled〃To　oval〃　is　a　term　in　use　among　convicts；　and　means　so　to　bend　the　round　ring　of　the　ankle　fetter　that　the　heel　can　be　drawn　up　through　it。

His　intention　was　to　get　round　the　settlement　to　the　coast；　reach　the　settled　districts；　and；　by　some　tale　of　shipwreck　or　of　wandering；　procure　assistance。　　As　to　what　was　particularly　to　be　done　when　he　found　himself　among　free　men；　he　did　not　pause　to　consider。　At　that　point　his　difficulties　seemed　to　him　to　end。　　Let　him　but　traverse　the　desert　that　was　before　him；　and　he　would　trust　to　his　own　ingenuity；　or　the　chance　of　fortune；　to　avert　suspicion。　　The　peril　of　immediate　detection　was　so　imminent　that；　beside　it；　all　other　fears　were　dwarfed　into　insignificance。

Before　dawn　next　morning　he　had　travelled　ten　miles；　and　by　husbanding　his　food；　he　succeeded　by　the　night　of　the　fourth　day　in　accomplishing　forty　more。　　Footsore　and　weary；　he　lay　in　a　thicket　of　the　thorny　melaleuca；　and　felt　at　last　that　he　was　beyond　pursuit。　　The　next　day　he　advanced　more　slowly。　　The　bush　was　unpropitious。　　Dense　scrub　and　savage　jungle　impeded　his　path；　barren　and　stony　mountain　ranges　arose　before　him。　He　was　lost　in　gullies；　entangled　in　thickets；　bewildered　in　morasses。　The　sea　that　had　hitherto　gleamed；　salt；　glittering；　and　hungry　upon　his　right　hand；　now　shifted　to　his　left。　　He　had　mistaken　his　course；　and　he　must　turn　again。　　For　two　days　did　this　bewilderment　last；　and　on　the　third　he　came　to　a　mighty　cliff　that　pierced　with　its　blunt　pinnacle　the　clustering　bush。　　He　must　go　over　or　round　this　obstacle；　and　he　decided　to　go　round　it。　　A　natural　pathway　wound　about　its　foot。　Here　and　there　branches　were　broken；　and　it　seemed　to　the　poor　wretch；　fainting　under　the　weight　of　his　lessening　burden；　that　his　were　not　the　first　footsteps　which　had　trodden　there。　　The　path　terminated　in　a　glade；　and　at　the　bottom　of　this　glade　was　something　that　fluttered。　Rufus　Dawes　pressed　forward；　and　stumbled　over　a　corpse！

In　the　terrible　stillness　of　that　solitary　place　he　felt　suddenly　as　though　a　voice　had　called　to　him。　　All　the　hideous　fantastic　tales　of　murder　which　he　had　read　or　heard　seemed　to　take　visible　shape　in　the　person　of　the　loathly　carcase　before　him；　clad　in　the　yellow　dress　of　a　convict；　and　lying　flung　together　on　the　ground　as　though　struck　down。　Stooping　over　it；　impelled　by　an　irresistible　impulse　to　know　the　worst；　he　found　the　body　was　mangled。　　One　arm　was　missing；　and　the　skull　had　been　beaten　in　by　some　heavy　instrument！　　The　first　thoughtthat　this　heap　of　rags　and　bones　was　a　mute　witness　to　the　folly　of　his　own　undertaking；　the　corpse　of　some　starved　abscondergave　place　to　a　second　more　horrible　suspicion。　　He　recognized　the　number　imprinted　on　the　coarse　cloth　as　that　which　had　designated　the　younger　of　the　two　men　who　had　escaped　with　Gabbett。　　He　was　standing　on　the　place　where　a　murder　had　been　committed！　　A　murder！and　what　else？　　Thank　God　the　food　he　carried　was　not　yet　exhausted！　　He　turned　and　fled；　looking　back　fearfully　as　he　went。　He　could　not　breathe　in　the　shadow　of　that　awful　mountain。

Crashing　through　scrub　and　brake；　torn；　bleeding；　and　wild　with　terror；　he　reached　a　spur　on　the　range；　and　looked　around　him。　　Above　him　rose　the　iron　hills；　below　him　lay　the　panorama　of　the　bush。　　The　white　cone　of　the　Frenchman's　Cap　was　on　his　right　hand；　on　his　left　a　succession　of　ranges　seemed　to　bar　further　progress。　　A　gleam；　as　of　a　lake；　streaked　the　eastward。　　Gigantic　pine　trees　reared　their　graceful　heads　against　the　opal　of　the　evening　sky；　and　at　their　feet　the　dense　scrub　through　which　he　had　so　painfully　toiled；　spread　without　break　and　without　flaw。　　It　seemed　as　though　he　could　leap　from　where　he　stood　upon　a　solid　mass　of　tree…tops。　　He　raised　his　eyes；　and　right　against　him；　like　a　long　dull　sword；　lay　the　narrow　steel…blue　reach　of　the　harbour　from　which　he　had　escaped。　　One　darker　speck　moved　on　the　dark　water。　It　was　the　Osprey　making　for　the　Gates。　　It　seemed　that　he　could　throw　a　stone　upon　her　deck。　　A　faint　cry　of　rage　escaped　him。　During　the　last　three　days　in　the　bush　he　must　have　retraced　his　steps；　and　returned　upon　his　own　track　to　the　settlement！　　More　than　half　his　allotted　time　had　passed；　and　he　was　not　yet　thirty　miles　from　his　prison。　Death　had　waited　to　overtake　him　in　this　barbarous　wilderness。　As　a　cat　allows　a　mouse　to　escape　her　for　a　while；　so　had　he　been　permitted　to　trifle　with　his　fate；　and　lull　himself　into　a　false　security。　Escape　was　hopeless　now。　　He　never　could　escape；　and　as　the　unhappy　man　raised　his　despairing　eyes；　he　saw　that　the　sun；　redly　sinking　behind　a　lofty　pine　which　topped　the　opposite　hill；　shot　a　ray　of　crimson　light　into　the　glade　below　him。　　It　was　as　though　a　bloody　finger　pointed　at　the　corpse　which　lay　there；　and　Rufus　Dawes；　shuddering　at　the　dismal　omen；　averting　his　face；　plunged　again　into　the　forest。

For　four　days　he　wandered　aimlessly　through　the　bush。　　He　had　given　up　all　hopes　of　making　the　overland　journey；　and　yet；　as　long　as　his　scanty　supply　of　food　held　out；　he　strove　to　keep　away　from　the　settlement。　Unable　to　resist　the　pangs　of　hunger；　he　had　increased　his　daily　ration；　and　though　the　salted　meat；　exposed　to　rain　and　heat；　had　begun　to　turn　putrid；　he　never　looked　at　it　but　he　was　seized　with　a　desire　to　eat　his　fill。　The　coarse　lumps　of　carrion　and　the　hard　rye…loaves　were　to　him　delicious　morsels　fit　for　the　table　of　an　emperor。　　Once　or　twice　he　was　constrained　to　pluck　and　eat　the　tops　of　tea…trees　and　peppermint　shrubs。　　These　had　an　aromatic　taste；　and　sufficed　to　stay　the　cravings　of　hunger　for　a　while；　but　they　induced　a　raging　thirst；　which　he　slaked　at　the　icy　mountain　springs。　　Had　it　not　been　for　the　frequency　of　these　streams；　he　must　have　died　in　a　few　days。　At　last；　on　the　twelfth　day　from　his　departure　from　the　Coal　Head；　he　found　himself　at　the　foot　of　Mount　Direction；　at　the　head　of　the　peninsula　which　makes　the　western　side　of　the　harbour。　　His　terrible　wandering　had　but　led　him　to　make　a　complete　circuit　of　the　settlement；　and　the　next　night　brought　him　round　the　shores　of　Birches　Inlet　to　the　landing…place　opposite　to　Sarah　Island。　　His　stock　of　provisions　had　been　exhaus