A Council of War.

“This is a very serious matter for us, Captain Blockstrop,” said Sam, as they were walking back to the boats. “An exceedingly serious matter.”

“I have only one advice to give you, Mr. Buckley,” said the Captain; “which is unnecessary, as it is just what your father will do. Fight, sir! — hunt ’em down. Shoot ’em! They will give you no quarter: be sure you don’t give them any.”

A wild discordant bellow was here heard from the ship, on which the Captain slapped his leg, and said —

“Dash my buttons, if he hasn’t got hold of my speaking-trumpet.”

The midshipman came up with a solemn face, and, touching his cap, “reported,”—

“Colonial Secretary hailing, sir.”

“Bless my soul, Mr. Vang, I can hear that,” said the Captain. “I don’t suppose any of my officer would dare to make such an inarticulate, no sailor-like bellow as that on her Majesty’s quarterdeck. Can you make out what he says? That would be more to the purpose.”

Again the unearthly bellow came floating over the water, happily deadened by the wind, which was roaring a thousand feet over head. “CAN you make out anything, Mr. Vang?” said the Captain.

“I make out ‘pork-chops!’ sir,” said the midshipman.

“Take one of the boats on board, Mr. Vang. My compliments, and will be much obliged if he will come ashore immediately! On important business, say. Tell him the convicts have landed; will you? Also, tell the lieutenant of the watch that I want either Mr. Tacks, or Mr. Sheets: either will do.”

The boat was soon seen coming back with the Colonial Secretary in a statesman-like attitude in the stern sheets, and beside him that important officer Mr. Tacks, a wee little dot of a naval cadet, apparently about ten years old.

“What were you bellowing about pork-chops, Pollifex?” asked the Captain, the moment the boat touched the shore.

“A failure, sir,” said the Colonial Secretary; “burnt, sir; disgracefully burnt up to a cinder, sir. I have been consulting the honourable member for the Cross-jack-yard (I allude to Mr. Tack’s N.C., my honourable friend, if he will allow me to call him so) as to the propriety of calling a court-martial on the cook’s mate. He informs me that such a course is not usual in naval jurisprudence. I am, however, of opinion that in one of the civil courts of the colony an action for damages would lie. Surely I have the pleasure of seeing Mr. Buckley of Baroona?”

Sam and he had met before, and the Secretary, finding himself on shore and where he was known, dropped his King Cambyses’ vein, and appeared in his real character of a shrewd, experienced man. They walked up together, and when they arrived at the summit of the ridge, and saw the magnificent plains stretching away inland, beyond the narrow belt of heath along the shore, the Secretary whispered to the Captain —

“I have been deceived. We shall get some breakfast, after all. As fine a country as I ever saw in my life!”

The party who were just sitting down to breakfast at the station were sufficiently astonished to see Captain Blockstrop come rolling up the garden walk, with that small ship-of-war Tacks sailing in his wake, convoying the three civilians; but on going in and explaining matters, and room having been made for them at the table, Sam was also astonished on looking round to see that a new arrival had taken place since that morning.

It was that of a handsome singular-looking man. His hair was light, his whiskers a little darker, and his blonde moustache curled up towards his eyes like corkscrews or a ram’s horns (congratulate me on my simile). A very merry laughing eye he had, too, blue of course, with that coloured hair; altogether a very pleasant-looking man, and yet whose face gave one the idea that it was not at all times pleasant, but on occasions might look terribly tigerish and fierce. A man who won you at once, and yet one with whom one would hardly like to quarrel. Add to this, also, that when he opened his mouth to speak, he disclosed a splendid set of white teeth, and the moment he’d uttered a word, a stranger would remark to himself, “That is an Irishman.”

Sam, who had ensconced himself beside Alice, looked up the long table towards him with astonishment. “Why, good gracious, Captain Desborough,” he said, “can that be you?”

“I have been waiting,” said Desborough, “with the greatest patience to see how long you would have the audacity to ignore my presence. How do you do, my small child? Sam, my dear, if ever I get cashiered for being too handsome to remain in the Service, I’ll carry you about and exhibit you, as the biggest and ugliest boy in the Australian colonies.”

Captain Desborough has been mentioned before in these pages. He was an officer in the army, at the present time holding the situation of Inspector of Police in this district. He was a very famous hunter-down of bushrangers, and was heartily popular with every one he was thrown against, except the aforesaid bushrangers. Sam and he were very old friends, and were very fond of one another.

Desborough was sitting now at the upper end of the table, with the Colonial Secretary, Major Buckley, Captain Blockstrop, Captain Brentwood, and Doctor Mulhaus. They looked very serious indeed.

“It was a very lucky thing, Desborough,” said the Major, “that you happened to meet Captain Blockstrop. He has now, you perceive, handed over the care of these rascals to you. It is rather strange that they should have landed here.”

“I believe that they were expected,” said the Doctor. “I believe that there is a desperate scheme of villany afloat, and that some of us are the objects of it.”

“If you mean,” said Desborough, “that that man you saw on the Cape last night was watching for the boat............