Mistress Branican

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He threw himself amid ihc waves.

Pace q.

MISTRESS BRANICAN

vt

JULtiS VERNE

AUTHOR OF "the lottery TICKET," "FIVE WFRKS IN A BALLOON,"
" ROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS," ETC., ETC.

K^EIV AND CHEAPER EDITION

ILLUSTRATED

LONDON
SAMPSON LOW, MARSrON & COMPANY

Limited
^t. JIuiislim's Sjouse

Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.G.

Cornell University
Library

The original of tliis book is in
tine Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 92401 1 1 35575

MISTRESS BRANICAN.

|3art jf.

CHAPTER I.

THE " FRANKLIN."

There are two chances of never again seeing the friends
vvc part with when starting on a long voyage ; those we
leave may not be here on our return, and those who go may
never come back. But little heed of these eventualities
was taken by the sailors who were preparing for departure
on board the Franklin m the morning -of the isth of
March, 1875.

On that day the Franklin, Captain John Branican, was
about to quit the port of San Diego, in California, on a
voyage across the Northern Pacific,

A fine vessel of nine hundred tons was this Franklin —
a barquentine fully canvased with gaff sails, jibs and stay-
sails, and with topmast and top-gallant-mast on the fore.

Long and narrow in the bow, finely modelled in the
quick-works, and with a good clean run, her masts gently
raking and strictly parallel, her, standing rigging of
galvanized wire as stiff as iron bars, she was of the most
modern type of those elegant clippers which the North
Americans find so well adapted for their ocean trade and
which compete in speed with the best stc^mers^ of t}icir
Rierpantile marine,

3 Mistress Branican.

The Franklin was so well built and efficiently commanded
that not a man of her crew would have shipped on another
vessel — even with the assurance of obtaining higher pay.
All were preparing to start content in their double con-
fidence in a good ship and a good captain.

The Franklin was to make her first voyage on behalf
of William H. Andrew, and Co. of San Diego. She was
bound to Calcutta by way of Singapore with a cargo of
American goods to return with Indian products to one
of the Californian ports.

Captain Joha Branican was a young man of nine and
twenty, with an attractive but resolute face, his features
telling of unusual energy; he possessed in the highest degree
that moral courage so superior to physical courage — that
" two o'clock in the morning courage," as Napoleon called
it — that is to say, the kind that faces the unexpected and
is ready for action at any moment. His head had more
character than beauty, with his rough hair, his eyes
animated with a keen, frank look which flashed like a
dart from their black pupils. It would be difficult to
imagine a man of his age more robust in body or consti-
tution. That was clear enough in the vigour of his hand-
shakings which indicated the ardour of his blood and the
strength of his muscles. But what we have particularly to
note is that the spirit contained in this body of iron was a
good and noble spirit, ready to sacrifice its life for its kind.
John Branican was of the character of those rescuers whose
coolness enables them to perform heroic acts without hesi-
tation. He had given proof of this early in life. One day,
among the broken ice of the bay on a capsized boat,
he had saved children like himself ; and later on he had
not belied the instincts of self-sacrifice which had marked
his youth.

A few years after John Branican had lost his father and
his mother, he had married Dolly Starter, an orphan,
belonging to one of the best families of San Diego. The
girl's dowry was a modest one, and suitable for the
position, equally modest, of the young sailor, then a mate

The "Franklin." 3

on a merchant vessel. But there was reason to think tfiat
Dolly would one day be the heiress of a very rich uncle,
Edward Starter, who lived a farmer's life in the wildest
and most out-of-the-way part of Tennessee. Meanwhile
it would have to be enough to live on for two, or even for
three, for little Walter — ^'Wat, by abbreviation — came into
the world in the first year of the marriage. Thus John
Branican — and his wife understood it — could not dream of
abandoning his profession as a sailor. In the future he
would' see what he could do, when the fortune came by
inheritance, or by his enriching himself in Andrews'
service.

Besides this, the young sailor's promotion had been
unusually rapid. He had advanced quickly, and he had
advanced straight. He was a captain at an age when
most of his colleagues were only mates. If his abilities
justified this promotion, his advance was explained by
certain circumstances which had properly drawn attention
to him.

In fact, John Branican was' popular at San Diego, and
at the different ports on the Californian coast.- His acts
of self-sacrifice had been noted with applause, not only by
sailors, but by the merchants and shipowners of the
Union.

A few years before, a Peruvian schooner, the Sonora,
had come ashore at the entrance to Coronado Beach, and
the crew would have been lost if communication had not
been established between the ship and the shore. But to
take a rope out through the breakers was to risk one's life
a hundred times. John Branican did not hesitate. He
threw himself amid the waves which came rolling in with
extreme violence on to the reefs and then came beating on
to the beach in a terrible surf. In sight of the death which
he would have faced without thinking of the danger, the
people would have held him back. He resisted ; he hurlfed
himself towards the schooner; he succeeded in reaching
her, and, thanks to his bravery, the Sonora s crew were
saved.

4 ' Mistress Branican.

About a year afterwards, during a storm which broke
some five hundred miles out in the Pacific, John Branican
had another opportunity of showing what might be
expected from him. He was mate on the Washington
when the captain was washed overboard by a wave at the
same time as half the crew. Remaining on board a disabled
ship with half a dozen seamen, most of them injured, he
took the command, and although the vessel had lost her
rudder, he managed to handle her, and brought her into
San Diego under jury masts. This almost unmanageable
hulk contained a cargo worth five hundred thousand
dollars, and belonged to Andrews.

Gi'eat was the young sailor's reception when the
Washington was moored in the port of San Diego. As
the chances of the sea had made him captain, there was
not a voice among the whole population against con-
firming him in his rank.

It was under these circumstances that Andrews built the
Franklin and offered him the command. He accepted it,
for he felt himself equal to the post, and could pick and
choose his crew, for people had confidence in him. And
that is how it came about that the Franklin was beginning
her first voyage under the orders of John Branican.

The departure was an event for the whole town,
Andrew's was justly considered one of the most honourable
firms in San Diego. Of the highest character for the security
of his business relationships and the strength of his credit
was Mr. William Andrew, who directed its affairs with a sure
hand. This worthy shipowner was not only esteemed, he
was loved. And his behaviour towards John Branican was
unanimously applauded.

There was thus nothing to be astonished at if during
this morning of the iSth of March, a numerous gathering
of spectators — in other words a crowd of friends, known
and unknown, of the young captain — appeared on the
quays of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company to greet
him with a last cheer at his departure.

The crevyr of the prmklir^ consisted pf twejye pien jnr

The " Franklin." , 5

eluding the boatswain, all, however, good sailors belonging
to San Diego and happy to serve under the orders of John
Branican. The mate was an excellent officer, named
Harry Felton. Although he was five or six years older
than his captain he was in no way offended at having to
serve under him, nor was he in any way jealous of the
position his captain held. He considered that. John
Branican deserved his position, he had sailed with him
before and they mutually appreciated each other. Besides,
what Mr. William Andrew did must be well done. Harry
Ftlton and his men were devoted to him body and soul.
Most of them had already sailed in some of his ships.
It was, as it were, a family of officers and sailors — a
numerous family devoted to its chief, which constituted its
maritime staff and did not cease to increase with the
prosperity of the house.

And it was without apprehension, or rather with ardour,
that the crew of the brankUn were entering on this new
campaign. Fathers, mothers, relatives, were there to say
farewell, but to say it to those v/hom they would soon see
again. " Good-bye, and see you again soon, shall we not } "
It was only a six months' voyage, a simple passage during
the fine season between California and India, there and
back between San Diego and California, and not one of
those expeditions of commerce or discovery which keep a'
ship for long years on the most dangerous seas of the
two hemispheres. The sailors had been many other such
voyages, and their families had been present at many more
disquieting departures.

The-preparations would soon be complete. The Franklin
at her anchor in the middle of the harbour was already
clear of the other vessels, whose number bore witness to
the importance of San Diego as a port. From the place
she occupied she would have no need of a tug to take her
out to sea. As soon as her anchor was short apeak, it
would be enough for her to fill her sails, and a beautiful
breeze would take her rapidly out of the bay without her
haying to go about. Captain John Branican could not

6 Mistress Branican.

have wished for better weather, nor a more favourable
wind, over the sea which glittered under the rays of the
sun around the Coronado islands in the offing.

At this time — six o'clock in the morning — it need
scarcely be said that all the crew were on board. None of
the sailors could return to the shore, and as far as they
were concerned the voyage had already begun. A few of
the harbour boats were at the starboard gangway waiting
for the people who were bidding the last good-bye to their
friends and relatives. These boats would take them to the
quay as soon as the Franklin hoisted her jibs. Although
the tides are not strong in the Pacific, it was quite as well
to go out with the ebb which would soon begin.

Among the visitors we must pariacuferly notice Mr.
William Andrew and Mrs. Bxaaicaii, accompanied by the
nurse carrying little Wat ; they were accompanied by Mr.
Len BurJcer and his wife, Jane Burker, Dolly's cousin-
german. Harry Felton, the mate, having no family, had
no one to bid him good-bye. The good wishes of Mr.
William Andrew were not wanting on the occasion, and
he asked no more than that those of John's wife should be
added to them — of which he was assured in advance.

Harry Felton was on the forecastle where half a dozen of
the men were shortening in the cable at the capstan amid
the metallic clatter of the pawls. The Franklin had
already begun to move as the chain came grinding in
through the hawse-hole. The house flag with Andrew's
initials floated at the main-mast head, while the American
flag fluttered in the breeze from the peak, and displayed
the Stars and Stripes. The square sails were all ready for
setting as soon as the ship was under way under jibs and
staysails.

On the front of the poop so as to lose nothing of what
was being done, John Branican received the final in-
structions from Mr. William Andrew relative to the
manifest, that is, the detailed statement of the goods which
constituted the Franklin's cargo. Then the shipowner
gave the young captain the papers, and added, —

The "Franklin." 7

" If circumstances oblige you to change your course do
the best you can for our interests, and send me news from
the first land you touch at. The Franklin may perhaps
put in at one of the Philippines, for you have doubtless
no intention of going through Torres Straits ? "

" No, Mr. Andrew," said John, " I should not think of
taking the Franklin into the dangerous seas to the north
of Australia. My road should be to Hawaii, the Ladrones,
Mindanao of the Philippines, Celebes, and the Strait of
Macassar, so as to reach Singapore by the Java Sea. From
there to Calcutta the road is cleai- enough. I do not think
the route will have to be changed on account of the winds
we shall meet with in the Western Pacific. If you have
anything of importance to telegraph to me send it to
Mindanao, where I shall probably put in, or to Singapore,
where I certainly shall."

" That is agreed. On your part let me know as soon as
you can the state of the market at Calcutta. It is possible
that it may oblige me to cbange my intentions regarding
the return cargo."

" I shall not fail to do so, Mr. Andrew,'' said John
Branican.

At this moment Harry Felton approached, and said, — ■

" The anchor is apeak, sir."

" And the ebb ? "

" Is just beginning to be felt."

" Hold on."

Then addressing Mr. William Andrew, the captain, full
of gratitude, repeated, —

" Once more, Mr. Andrew, I thank you for having
given me the command of the Franklin. I hope I shall
justify your confidence."

" I have no doubt of it whatever," said Mr. Andrew ;
" and I could not leave the business of my house in better
hands."

The shipowner shook hands with him heartily and
moved towards the stern.

Mrs, Branican, followed by the nt.:'::c and the baby.

8 Mistress Branican,

rejoined her husband with Mr. and Mrs. Burker. The
moment of separation had come. Captain Branican had
now but to receive the last farewells of his wife and family.

Dolly, as we know, had not been married two yeans,
and her child was hardly nine months old. Although the
separation caused her profound grief, yet she would not let
anything of it be seen, and restrained the beating of her
heart while her cousin Jane, of weak nature and without
energy, could not conceal her emotion. She was very
fond of Dolly,. and in being near her had often found
some alleviation of the sorrows causedby the imperious and
violent character of her husband. But if Dolly concealed
her anxieties, Jane was none the less aware of what she
felt in all its reality. Doubtless Captain Branican would
be back before six months, but at least it was a separation
' — the first since their marriage — and if she was strong
enough to restrain her tears it could well be said that Jane
wept for her. As to Len Burker, the man whose look no
lender emotion had ever softened, his eyes were dry, and
with his hands in his pockets he moved about inattentive
to what was going on, and thinking of one knows not
what. Evidently he had no ideas in common with the
visitors whom sentiments of affection had brought on
board the ship at her departure.

Captain John took his wife's two hands between his,
and drawing her towards him said, in a gentle voice, —

" Dear Dolly, I must go. I shall not be long away.
In a few months you will see me again. I will find you
again, Dolly, never fear. On my ship with my crew, what
have we to fear from the dangers of the sea ? Be stron'^-,
as a sailor's wife should be. When I come back our little
Wat will be fifteen months old. He will be a big boy.
He will be able to talk, and the first word I hear on my
return — "

" Will be your name, John ! " said Dolly. " Your name
shall be the first he will learn.' We will both talk Of you
and always ! Dear John, do write to me at every oppor-
tunity. And tell me all you have done, and all you think

The "Franklin." $

of doing. Let me feel that thoughts of me are m all your
thoughts."

" Yes, dear Dolly, I will write to you. I will keep
you posted- up in the events of our voyage. My letters
shall be like a log, with all my tenderness to the good ! "

"Ah! John. I am so jealous of this sea which ij
taking you away so far. How much I envy those who
love and whom nothing in life can separate ! But no ; I
am wrong to think of that."

" Dear wife, say to yourself that it is for our child that
I go — for you also, to give both of you comfort and
happiness. If our hopes of the future are one day realized,
we shall never again separate."

Here Len Burker and Jane came near. Captain John
turned towards them.

" My dear Len," he said, " I leave you my wife ; I leave
you my son. I entrust them to you as being the only
relations they have in San Diego."

" You can depend on us, John," said Len Burker, en-
deavouring to soften the harshness of his voice. "Jane
and I are here, and we will take care of Dolly."

" And we will console her," said Mrs. Burker. " You
know how much I love you, my dear Dolly ! I will see
you often.' Every day I will spend a few hours with you.
We will talk- about John."

" Yes, Jane," answered Mrs. Branican, " for I shall not
cease to think about. him."

Harry Felton again came to interrupt the conversation.

" Captain," said he, " it will be time — "

" Alf right, Harry," said John. " Up with the inner jib
and mizen."

The mate went off to execute the orders, which meant
an immediate departure. ,

" Mr. Andrew," said the captain to the owner, " the boat
will take you back to the quay with my wife and her
relations as soon as you like."

" Now, John," answered Mr. Andrew, " and once more
— a pleasant voyage 1 "

lo Mistress Branican.

" Yes ! a pleasant voyage ! " said the other visitors aS
they went down into the boats on the starboard side of the
Franklin."

" Good-bye, Len ! Good-bye, Jane ! " said John, clasp-
ing their hands in his.

" Good-bye ! good-bye ! " said Mrs. Biirker.

" And you, my Dolly, you must go," added John ;
"the sails are filling."

And in fact the sails were giving a slight heel to the
Franklin, while the sailors sang, —

" Here goes one,
A bouncing one,
One will go, She will, oh !
But two come home, they will, oh !
Here goes two,
A bouncing two,
'J'wo will go, they will, oh !
But three come home, they will, oh !
Here goes three — "

And'so on.

During this the captain had led his wife to the gangwr.v,
and as she put her foot on the ladder, feeling "himself as
incapable of speaking fo her as she was of speaking to
him, he could only clasp her tightly in his armf.

And then the baby, which Dolly had just taken from
the nurse, stretched out its arms towards its father, shook
its little hands as it smiled, and this word escaped from its
lips,—

" Pa— pa ! Pa— pa I "

" My John," exclaimed Dolly,- "you have heard his first
word before separating from him.^'

Self-controlled as was the young captain, he could not
restrain the tear which rolled down on to little Wat's
cheek.

" Dolly ! " he murmured, " Good-bye ! good-bye 1 "

Then,—

" Are you clear ? " he called in a loud voice, to put an
end to this painful scene.

The "Frankmn." ii

A moment afterwards the boat was offend heading for
the wharf where its passengers would immediately land.

Captain Branican was busy getting under way. The
anchor began to mount towards the hawse-hole. The
Franklin, free from her last fetter, already felt the breeze
on her sails, which were shaking violently. The big jib
was almost close home, and the guyed mizen caused the
ship to luff a little so that she could pass clear of a few
vessels moored at the entrance of the bay.

At a new order from Captain Branican the mainsail and
foresail went up together with a simultaneous precision
that did honour to the arms of the crew. Then the
Franklin, coming round on the port tack, stood off out to
sea.

From the wharf the numerous spectators could admire
these different manoeuvres. Nothing could be more
graceful than this elegantly shaped vessel when she heeled
to the capricious gusts of the wind. During the evolution
she approached the end of "the wharf where Mr. William
Andrew, Dolly, Len and Jane Burker stood within less* than
half a cable length ; and consequently the young captain
again had a glimpse of his wife and her relations and
friends.

They all replied to his voice which was clearly heard,
and to his hand which he stretched out towards those
from whom he was going away.

" Good-bye ! Good-bye ! " said he.

" Hurrah I " shouted the crowd of spectators, while the
handkerchiefs waved in hundreds.

Liked by all was Captain John Branican 1 Was he not
the townsman of whom the town was most justifiably
proud .' Yes ! they all would be there on his return when
he appeared outside the bay.

The Franklin, which was already at the mouth, had to
luff to avoid a long mail boat just coming in. The two
ships saluted by dipping their American ensigps.

On the wharf Mrs. Branican stood motionless gazing at
the Franklin rapidly sailing away under the fresh breeze

12 Mistress Branican.

from the north-cast. She would follow her with her eyes
as long as her masts were visible over Island Point.

But the Franklin was soon round the Coronado Islands
outside the .bay. For a moment the house flag at the
masthead was visible through a gap in the cliffs. Then
she disappeared. -

" Good bye, John. Good-bye!" murmured Dolly.

And why was it that an inexplicable presentiment
prevented her from adding, " Au revoirf"

CHAPTER II.

FAMILY MATTERS.

It is necessary to speak in more detail of Mrs. Branican,
whom the different events of this history will bring into
fuller light. At this time, Dolly — an abbreviation for
Dorothy — was one and twenty. She was of American
birth. But without going very far back in her pedigree,
there could be found the generation which allied her to
the Spanish or rather Mexican race, from which the chief
families of this country are descended. Her mother, in
fact, was born at San Diego, and San Diego was already
founded while Lower California still belonged to Mexico.
The vast bay discovered about three and a half centuries
before by the Spanish navigator, Juan Rodri'guez Cabrillo,
was at first named after San Miguel, but received its new
name in 1602. In 1846 the province changed its tri-
coloured flag for the Stars and Stripes and since then it
has formed one of the States of the Union.

Of middle height, with a face lighted up by eyes large
and deep and black, a warm complexion, abundant hair
of rich dark brown, with hands and feet rather strongly
made, as is generally the case in the Spanish type, a walk
firm and graceful, a physiognomy denoting energy of
character and goodness of heart — such was Mrs. Branican.
She was one of those women who cannot be looked upon
with indifference, and before her marriage Dolly had the
reputation among the girls of San Diego — where beauty
is not at all rare — of being the one most worthy of
attention. She was of a serious, reflective turn of mind,

U

14 Mistress Branican.

in its larger sense, and was of enlightened views, gifts
which marriage would assuredly develop in her.

Yes ! under whatever circumstances, grave as they
might be, Dolly, now Mrs. Branican, would know how to
do her duty. Having frankly looked straight at life and
not through the deceitful surfaces of a prism, she possessed
a noble spirit and a strong will. The love with which her
husband had inspired her rendered her more resolute to
accomplish her task. If the case required it — and this is
not an empty phrase when applied to Mrs. Branican —
she would give her life for John, as John would give his
for her, and as both would give for the child born to
them in the first year of their union. They adored this
baby, which had just lisped the word "papa" at the
moment the young captain was separated from him and
his mother. The resemblance which little Wat bore to
his father was striking — in the features at least, for he
had the warm complexion of Dolly. Of vigorous con-
stitution he had nothing to fear from childish ailments.
Besides, he was so carefully looked after. Ah ! what
dreams of the future, the paternal and maternal imagina-
tion had already dreamt for this little being whose life had
barely begun.

Assuredly Mrs. Branican would have been the happiest
of women, if John's position had allowed him to abandon
his trade as a sailor, of which the least of the drawbacks
was this necessity of separation from each other. But
when the command of the Franklin had been offered to him,
how could she even think of keeping him from it .? And
besides, had she not to think of the necessities of house-
keeping, and providing for a family which might not
always consist of this one child } Dolly's dowry was
hardly enough for the needs of the house as it was.
Evidently John Branican might reckon on the fortune
which the uncle would leave to his niece, and very un-
likely things would have to occur for this fortune to
escape him, for Mr. Edward Starter was almost a sexa-
genarian and had no other heiress than Dolly. In fact,

Family Matters. 15

her cousin, Jane Burker, belonged to the maternal branch
of the family, and was in no way related to her uncle.
Dolly would be rich — but ten years, twenty years might
pass before she came into her inheritance. And so John
Branican was obliged to, work at present, if he had no
reason to be anxious about the future ; and he had done
well in continuing in Andrews' service, in addition to the
interest which had been given him in the results of the
Franklin's voyages. And as besides being a sailor he
was a merchant well acquainted with trading affairs,
there was every chance of his acquiring by his work a
certain degree of comfort while waiting for the heritage
of Mr. Edward Starter.

One word concerning this American — whose " Ameri-
canism" was quite original. He was the brother of
Dolly's father and consequently her uncle. It was her
father, the elder by five or six years, who had so to speak
brought up the younger, for both were orphans ; and
the younger Starter had always retained for him a lively
affection augmented by gratitude. Circumstances favour-
ing the elder he had followed the steady road to fortune,
while the younger brother had wandered along the cross-
roads which rarely lead to anything. He had gone off to
engage in lucky speculations in buying and clearing vast
extents of land, in the State of Tennessee, but he had
never broken off communications with his brother, whom
business kept in the State of New York. When he had
become a widower he had settled at San Diego, the native
place of his wife, where he died just after the marriage of
Dolly with John Branican had been decided on. The
marriage took place when the mourning v/as over, and
the young couple's entire fortune was the very modest
heritage left by Starter senior.

A short time afterwards there had arrived at San Diego
a letter addressed to Dolly Branican by Starter junior.
It was the first he had written to his niece, and it was
to be the last.

In substance this letter said, in a form as concise as it

1(3 MisTkEss Branican.

was to the point: although Starter junior was a long
way away from her, and although he had never seen her,
yet he did not forget that he had a niece, his own brother's
daughter. If he had never seen her it was because
Starter senior and Starter junior had never met since
Starter senior had taken to himself a wife, and because
Starter junior lived near Nashville In the remotest part of
Tennessee while she dwelt at San Diego. Between
Tennessee, and California there were several hundred
miles which it was in no way convenient for Starter
junior to travel, and if Starter junior found the journey
too fatiguing for him to go and see his niece, he thought
it would be no less fatiguing for his niece to come and see
him, and he begged her not to think of taking any trouble
in the matter.

In reality Starter junior was a regular bear — not one
of those American grizzlies with claws and fur, but one
of those human bears who are specially fitted to live
outside all social relationships. But that was no concern
t,f Dolly's. She was the niece of a bear — be it so I But
this bear possessed an uncle's heart. He did not for-
get what was due from Starter junior to the brother's
daughter who would inherit his fortune.

Starter junior said that this fortune was already worth
having. It was then worth 500,000 dollars, and could
not but increase, for clearing speculations were prospering
in the State of Tennessee. As it consisted of land and
caitle it would be easy to realize at good prices, and there
would be no difficulty in finding buyers.

If this was said in that positive and somewhat brutal
fashion which is peculiar to Americans of the old type, it
was said all the same. The fortune of Starter junior
would go entirely to Mrs. Branican and her children ; but
in the event of the death of Mrs. Branican, without
descendants, this fortune would revert to the State, which
would be very happy to accept it.

Two things more.

I, Starter junior was a bachelor. He would remain a

Family Matters. 17

bachelor : " the folly he had avoided between the years of
twenty and thirty he would avoid at sixty," so his letter
said. There was nothing then to turn aside this fortune,
as he desired formally to impress upon her, and she
v/ould have it for her household use as certainly as the
Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

2. Starter junior would use every effort — superhuman,
indeed — to enrich his niece at the most distant date
possible. He had no intention of dying till he was at
least a centenarian, and would use all the obstinacy of
which he was capable to prolong his life to the utmost
possible limit.

Finally, Starter junior begged Mrs. Branican, and even
ordered her, not to reply. There was but little com-
munication between the towns and the forest region in
the depths of Tennessee. And for his part he would not
write again unless it was to announce his death, when the
letter would not be in his own hand.

Such was the singular letter received by Mrs. Branican.
That she would be the heiress, the universal legatee of her
Uncle Starter, there could be no doubt. She would one
day possess a fortune of 500,000 dollars, which would
probably be greatly increased by the work of this clever
clearer of forests. But as Starter junior clearly expressed
his intention of living till he was a hundred— and one
knows how tenacious these Americans are — John Branican
had wisely decided not to abandon the sea. His intelli-
gence, his courage, and his determination would probably
help him to acquire a certain affluence for his wife and
child long before Uncle Starter had started for another
world.

Such was the position of the hopsehold when the
Franklin sailed for the Western Pacific, and which it was
necessary to explain in order that what follows may be
understood. And now for the only relations of Dolly
Branican at San Diego, Mr. and Mrs. Burker.

Len Burker, an American by birth, was then in his
thirty-second year, and had only during the last few years

1 8 Mistress Branicatt.

settled In the capital of Lower California. This New
England Yankee, cold in face, hard in feature, stroncj in
body, was very determined, very active, and very close,
allowing nothing to be known of his thoughts, and saying
nothing of his actions. His was one of those natures
which resemble closed houses, the door of which is opened
to nobody. However, at San Diego there had been no
unfavourable rumours concerning this uncommunicative
man, whose marriage with Jane Burker had made him
John Branican's cousin. There is nothing surprising in
John's having entrusted Dolly and his child to the
Burkers, for he had no other relations ; but in reality it
was .more particularly to Jane that he entrusted them,
knowing that the two cousins had a profound affection for
each other.

And it would have been different had John known the
truth about Len Burker, if he had known the knavery
which he dissimulated behind the impenetrable mask of
his physiognomy, or the unceremoniousness with which he
treated the social proprieties, respect for himself and the
rights of others. Deceived by his somewhat seductive
exterior, by a sort of dominating fascination he exercised
over her, Jane had married him five months before at
Boston, where she was living with her mother, who died
a little time after the marriage, the consequences of which
were to become so regrettable. Jane's dowry, and the
maternal inheritance, would have sufficed for the young
couple to live upon if Len Burker had been a man to
follow the usual road and not the by-paths. But he did
nothing of the sort. After having run through his wife's
fortune, Len Burker had been bankrupt at Boston, and
had to leave that city. On the other side of America,
where his dubious reputation had not followed him, the
new countries offered him chances he could not have in
New England.

Jane, who now knew her husband, readily seconded
this plan of departure, happy to get away from Boston,
where Len Burker's position, led to disagreeable com-

Family Matters. 19

ments, and glad also to be with the only relative she had
left to her. They had come to San Diego where Dolly
and Jane became friends again. For three years they had
lived in the town, and Len Burker had given rise to no
suspicions, owing to his hiding his difificulties with so
much ability. Such were the circumstances which had
again brought together the two cousins at the time when
Dolly was not yet Mrs. Branican. The young wife and
the girl became close friends.. Although it would seem
that Jane should have influenced Dolly, the contrary was
the case. Dolly was strong, Jane was weak, and the girl
soon became the wife's support. When the union of John
Branican and Dolly was decided on, Jane showed herself
very pleased at the match — a marriage which in no way
promised to resemble hers ! And in the intimacy of this
young household what consolation she might not have
found if she had told the secret of her troubles. But
subdued under her husband's domination, she had never
dared to say a word.

But Len Burker's position was becoming more and
more serious. The little that remained to him of his
wife's fortune when he left Boston had almost entirely
gone. This gambler, or rather this reckless speculator,
was one of those people who leave everything to chance,
and await the event. Such a character, incapable of listen-
ing to reason, could not but bring about deplorable results.

On his arrival at San Diego, Len Burker had opened an
office in Fleet Street — one of those offices like dens from
which every idea, good or bad, is made a starting-point for
business. Clever in putting the best appearance on every-
thing, quite unscrupulous as to the means he employed, an
adept at treating quibbles as arguments, much inclined to
look on the property of others as his own, he launched
out into a score of speculations which would gradually end
in disaster, but not without leaving him a few pickings.
At the opening of this history Len Burker was reduced to
many shifts, and discomfort was in his house ; but he still
pnjoyed a certain apjount of credit, owing to his keeping

20 Mistress Branican.

his affairs quiet, and this he employed in making new
dupes. The position, however, could only end in a cata-
strophe. The hour could not be distant when the claims
would come in. Perhaps this adventurous Yankee, trans-
planted to Western America, would have no other resource
but to leave San Diego as he had left Boston, although in
a time of such enlightenment and such powerful com-
mercial activity, the progress of which increased from
year to year, an honest and intelligent man would have
found a hundred opportunities of success. But Len
Barker had neither honourable feelings, just ideas, nor
honest intentions.

But it must be understood that neither John Branican
nor William Andrew had any suspicion concerning the
affairs of Len Burker. In the world of industry and com-
merce no one knew that this adventurer — and would to
heaven he merited that name only — was approaching a
disastrous end. And even when the catastrophe came
about the world might see in him merely a man little
favoured by fortune,- and not one of those persons without
morality, to whom every way of making money must be
right. And so, without having taken a great liking to
him, John Branican had conceived no mistrust towards
him ; and it was in all good faith that he reckoned on the
kindness of the Burkers to his wife. If anything hap-
pened to make Dolly have recourse to them she would
not go in vain. Their house was open to her, and she
would there find a welcome due not only to a friend but
to a sister.

In this respect there was no cause to suspect the senti-
ments of Jane Burker. The affection she entertained
towards her cousin was without restraint or calculation.
Far from blaming the sincere friendship which united
these two young women, Len Burker had encouraged it,
on the contrary, doubtless with a confused notion of the
future, and the advantages which this connection might
bring. He knew, loo, that Jane would never say a word
she ought not to say, and that she would maintain a,

Family Matters. 21

prudent reserve regarding her personal position, that she
was ignorant of the blameworthy undertakings on which
he had entered, of the difficulties amid which his house-
keeping had to struggle on. And Jane was silent, and
not a word of recrimination escaped her. She was com-
pletely overawed by her husband, and submissive to his
absolute influence, although she knew him to be a man
without conscience, destitute of any moral sense, and
capable of committing the most unpardonable acts. After
so many disillusions how could she retain the least respect
for him ? But — and this is the essential point — she (eared
him, she was like a child in his hands, and at a sign from
him she would folloiv him, if his safety obliged him to fly
to no matter what part of the world. But for her own
self-respect she allowed no one to know her misery, not
even her cousin Dolly, who perhaps suspected it without
being taken into her confidence.

The relative positions of John and Dolly Branican on
the one hand, and that of Len and Jane Burker on the
other, is thus sufficiently clear for the understanding of
the occurrences that followed. In what way would this
position be altered by the unexpected which was so sodn
and so suddenly to happen ? No one could have fore-
seen.

CHAPTER III.

TROSPECT HOUSE.

Thirty years ago Lower California — about a third of the
State of California — contained only about thirty-five thou-
sand iahabitants. To-day its population is one hundred
and fifty thousand. At that time the land of the province
was almost uncultivated and was deemed only fit for cattle-
raising. Who would have divined what the future had in
reserve for a region then so abandoned that the only
means of communication by land was the roads rutted with
cart-wheels, and by sea a solitary line of packet-boats call-
ing at every port on the coast .'

But ever since 1769 the embryo of a town existed a few
miles in the interior to the north of the Bay of San Diego,
which town has the historical claim of being the most
ancient settlement on Californian soil.

When the new continent, attached to old Europe by the
simple colonial ties which the United Kingdom thought to
tighten, had been given a violent shock, these ties were
broken, and the union of the States of North America was
founded under the flag of independent;e ; but in those days
California belonged to the Mexicans, and it continued in
their possession until 1846. In that year, after receiving its
freedom, the rpunicipality of San Diego, formed eleven
years before, became what it should always be — American.

The bay of San Diego is magnificent. It has been com-
pared with the bay of Naples, but the comparison would be
more exact if made with the bays of Vigo or Rio Janeiro.
Twelve miles long and two miles wide it gives enough space

Prospect House. 23

for the anchorage of a merchant fleet as well as for the
manoeuvres of a squadron, for San Diego is considered to
be a military port. Forming a kind of oval, opening to
the westward by a narrow mouth between Island Point
and Loma or Coronado Point, it is sheltered on all sides.
The winds from the open sea respect it, the swell from the
Pacific hardly troubles its surface, ships get away from it
without difficulty, and come alongside the quays in a
minimum of twenty-three feet of water. It is the only
port, safe, practicable, suitable for putting in at, south of
San Francisco and north of San Quentin.

With so many natural advantages, it was evident that
the old town would soon be found too small as at first laid
out. Already barracks had been built for the installation
of a detachment of cavalry on some adjoining ground
which was covered with brushwood. Owing to Mr.
Horton's initiative a suburb to this was begun, and this
has now become the city which now stands on the ridges
at the north of the bay. The expansion took place with
that celerity so familiar to Americans. A million of dollars
sown on the ground germinated as private houses, public
buildings, offices and villas. In 1885 San Diego contained
fifteen thousand inhabitants, to-day it has thirty-five thou-
sand. Its first railroad dates from 1881. At present the
Atlantic and Pacific, the Southern California, and the
Southern Pacific put it in communication with the con-
tinental network, and the Pacific Coast Steamship Com-
pany gives it constant intercourse with San Francisco.

It is a handsome, comfortable town, airy and healthy,
'vith a climate beyond eulogv. In the vicinity the country
is of incomparable fertility. The vine, the olive, the orange,
the citron grow side by side with the fruits and vegetables
of northern climes. We might call it a Normandy com-
bined with a Provence.

The town itself is built with that picturesque freedom
of position and private fancy which is conducive to
health when there is plenty of space. If progress under
all its forms is not to be met with in a modern city, more

24 Mistress Branican.

especially when this city is American, where should we
look for it ? Gas, telegraph, telephone — the inhabitants
have but to make a sign to be lighted, to exchange
messages, to speak in each other's ears between one quarter
of the town and another. There are even masts a hundred
and fifty feet high which shed the electric light over the
streets of the town. If the milk is not yet distributed
under pressure by the General Milk Company, if moving
footpaths running four miles an hour are not yet working
at San Diego, this will certainly be done — eventually.

'Jo these advantages we must add the different institu-
tions in which is controlled the vital movement of tliese great
agglomerations — a custom house, the importance of whicii
increases daily, two banks, a chamber of commerce, an
emigration society, vast offices, numerous counting houses,
in which an enormous trade is carried on in timber and
flour; churches for different denominations, three markets,
a theatre, a gymnasium ; three large schools for poor
children, the Russ House, the Masonic and the Odd
Fellows'; a number of establishments in which" studies
are carried on for the gaining of university diplomas
— and we can imagine what will be the future of a city,
still young and compulsorily careful of its moral and
material interests, within which are accumulated so many
elements of prosperity. Are newspapers unknown to it?
No ! It possesses three daily sheets, among others the
Herald, and these papers have each a weekly edition. Is
there any fear of tourists being unable to find comfortable
quarters ? Without counting the hotels of inferior order,
are there not at their choice the three magnificent establish-
ments — the Horton House, the Florence Hotel, and the
Gerard Hotel with its hundred rooms, and on the opposite
side of the bay, overlooking the beach at Coronado Foint,
on an admirable site amid charming villas, a new hotel
which has not cost less than five million dollars?

From all the countries of the old continent and from all
points of the new, come tourists to visit this young and
lively capital of Lower California, where they are hospitably

PROSfficT House. 25

welcomed by its generous inhabitants, and in no way regret
the voyage — unless it be that they thought it too short.

San Diego is a town full of animation and well organized
in all. the confusion of its business like the majority of
J^merican cities. If life is shown by movement, one can
say its people live in the most intense sense of the word.
They have scarcely time enough for their commercial
transactions. But if that is so for the people whose
instincts and habits throw them into the whirlpool, it is no
longer true of those whose existence drags on in intermin-
able leisure. When the movement stops the hours cannot
go too slowly I

And thus did Mrs. Branican feel after the departure of
the Franklin. Since her marriage she had helped her
husband in his work. Although he did not go to sea, his
business with Andrews' gave John' a good deal to do.
Besides the commercial transactions in which he took
part, he had had to superintend the building of the ship to
which he was to be appointed. With what zeal, we might
almost say with what love, did he look after the smallest
details. He gave it all the incessant care of a man build-
ing the house in which he is to pass his life. And more
so, for the ship is not only a house, or a mere instrument
of fortune, but an assemblage of wood and iron to which is
confided the lives of so many men.' Is it not as' it were a
detached fragment of the native soil to which it returns to
leave it again, and which unfortunately destiny often for-
bids from finishing its maritime career in the port in which
it was born .'

Frequently would Dolly accompany Captain John to
the shipyard. This framework, which rose on the sloping
keel, the curves arranged like the ribs of a gigantic
mammifer, the planking which was to go on ; this hull
of complex form, this deck with the large openings in it
destined for loading and unloading the cargo; the masts
laid on the ground until they are in place, the poop and its
cabins, could not all this interest her } It was John's life
and that of his companions that \h& Franklin wovXd, defend

26 Mistress Branican.

from the surges of the Pacific. Could there be a plank,
therefore, to which Dolly did not in her thought attach
some chance of safety, a hammer stroke, amid the noise
of the shipyard, which did not echo in her heart ? John
explained everything to her, told her the destina-
tion of each piece of wood or metal, and showed her
how the progress accorded with the working drawings.
She loved this ship of which John was to be the soul, the
master, after God ! And sometimes she would ask, when
she did not go with John, why he did not take her with
him, why she did not share with him the perils of the
journey, why the Franklin did not take her as well as him
from San Diego .■' Yes ! She wished never to be separated
from her husband. And had not seafaring households,
afloat for matny years, existed for a long time among the
people of the north }

But there was Wat, the baby, and could Dolly abandon
him to the cares of a nurse far away from maternal caresses ?
No ! Could she take him to sea, exposing him to the
eventualities of a voyage so dangerous for such little
creatures ? - Not at all. Therefore she must stop at San
Diego with the child, to preserve the life that had been
given him, without leaving him for an instant; surround-
ing him with affection and tenderness in order that as he
blossomed forth in health he might smile when his father
returned. And the captain would not be away more than
six months. After taking in a new cargo at Calcutta the
Franklin would return to her port of registry. And, be-
sides, was it not advisable for a sailor's wife to become
accustomed to these inevitable separations t

It was necessary to become resigned to it, and Dolly
did resign herself to it. But after John's departure, as
soon as the movement which was life to her had ceased
around her, how vacant, monotonous and desolate her life
would have been if she had not been absorbed in her
child, if she had not concentrated on him all her love.

John Branican's house was on one of the upper levels of
the heights which surround the shore of the bay. It was

Prospect House. 27

a sort of chalet, standing in a little garden, planted with
orange trees and olive trees, enclosed with a wooden
fence. A ground floor with a path along the front, on to
which opened the door and the windows of the drawing
and dining rooms, a first floor with a balcony the whole
length, and above it the graceful gables of the roof— such
was this very simple and attractive dwelling. On the
ground floor were the drawing and dining rooms, modestly
furnished. On the first floor were two rooms occupied by
Mrs. Branican and the child, behind the house a small
annexe for the kitchen and offices ; that was the interior
plan of the chalet. Prospect House rejoiced in an ex-
ceptionally fine position owing to its southern aspect. The
view extended over the entire town, and across the bay to
the buildings on Loma Point. It was rather too far away
from the business quarter undoubtedly; but this slight
disadvantage was amply compensated for by the chalet's
position in a good atmosphere, exposed to the southerly
breezes, laden with the saline odours of the Pacific.

It was in this house that the -long hours of absence for
Dolly were to be passed. The baby's nurse and a
domestic were the only servants. The only persons who
visited it were Mr. and Mrs. Burker — Len rarely, Jane
frequently. Mr. William Andrew, according to his pro-
mise, often called on the young wife to acquaint her with
all the news of the Franklin which might reach him
directly or indirectly. Before any letters could come the
maritime journals would record the vessels spoken with,
their arrival in port, and the different shipping news of
interest to shipowners. Dolly would thus be kept up to
date. As to the people around and her neighbours, she
was accustomed to the isolation of Prospect House and
had never sought acquaintanceship. One thought
occupied her life, and even if visitors had crowded to the
chalet, it would have seemed empty to her, \ox John was
not there, and it would remain empty until his return.

The first few days were very sad for her. t)olly never
went out of the house when Jane Burker came to see her.

sS Mistress Bkanican.

They Spent their time with little Wat and in speaking of
Captain John. Generally, when she was alone, Dolly
would spend a part of the day on the balcony, looking
out beyond the bay, beyond Island Point, beyond the
Coronado Islands, beyond the horizon. The Franklin was
far away, but in thought she was on board of her and
near her husband. And when a ship came into view and
sought the harbour she would say to herself that one day
the Franklin would also appear, and grow larger as she
neared the land, that John would be on board.

But little Wat's health v/ould not be improved by rigid
seclusion within Prospect Flouse. In the second week
after the departure the weather had become very fine
and the breezes tempered the growirrg heat. So Mrs.
Branican deemed it necessary to go out. She took with
her the nurse to carry the baby. They went for a walk as
far as the outskirts of San Diego, as far as the houses of
the Old Town. That was of great benefit to the child,
who was fresh and rosy, and when the nurse stopped he
clapped his little hands and smiled at his mother. Once
or twice, for longer excursions a pretty chaise, hired in the
neighbourhood, took out the three, or rather the four, for
Mrs. Burker formed one of the party. One day they went
as far as Knob Hill, which rises near the Florence Hotel,
from which the view extends beyond the islands to the
west. Another day the drive extended to Coronado
Beach, on which the furious sea beat like thunder. Then
they visited the Mussel Beds, where the high tide covers
the superb rocks with its spray. Dolly touched with her
foot this ocean, which bore as it were an echo from the
distant regions where John was then sailing— this ocean,
the waves of which were perhaps dashing against the
Franklin thousands of miles away. And she stood there
motionless, seeing the young captain's ship in the flight of
her imagination, and murmuring the name of John.

On the 30th of March Mrs. Branican was on the balcony
when she preceived Mrs. Burker coming towards Prospect
House. Jane was hurrying along, and signalled joyfully

Prospect House. 29

with her hand, a proof that she brought no bad news.
Dolly immediately went downstairs to meet her at the
door.

" What is the matter, Jane ? " ■she asked.

" Dear Dolly," replied Mrs. Burker, " I have something
to tell you which will please you. I have come from Mr.
William Andrew to tell you that the Boundary came in
this morning and has spoken the Franklin''

" The Franklin ? "

" Yes ! Mr. William Andrew had just heard it whe'n he
met me in Fleet Street, and as he could not come on here
until the afternoon, I hurried on in hi^ place to tell you."

" And is there any news of John ? "

"Yes, Dolly."

" What ? Tell me."

" Eight days ago the Franklin and the Boundary passed
each other on the sea and communicated with each other."

"Was all well on board ? "

" Yes, dear Dolly. The two captains were near enough
to shout to each other, 'and the last word heard on tlie
Boundary was your name."

" My poor John ! " exclaimed Mrs. Branican, with tears
of love in her eyes.

" I am so glad, Dolly," said Mrs. Burker, " to have been
the first to bring you the news."

" And I thank you ! " said Mrs. Branican. " If you
only knew how happy you have made me ! Ah ! If
every day I could hear of my John— my dear John ! The
captain of the Boundary has seen you. John has spoken
to him — it is like another good-bye he has sent me 1 "

" Yes, dear Dolly, and I tell you again that all was well
on board the Franklin!'

" Jane," said Mrs. Branican, " I must see this captain of
the Boundary. He will tell me more in detail. When did
the meeting take place 1 "

"That fdo not know," said Jane, "but the log book
would tell us, and the captain of the Boundary will give
you full information."

30 Mistress Branican.

"Well, Jane, let me put on my things and we will go
off together at once."

" No. Not to-day, Dolly," said Mrs. Bu.kcr ; " we
cannot go on board the Boundary."

" And why not ? "

" Because she only arrived this morning, and she is in
quarantine."

" For how long ? "

" Oh ! For twenty-four hours only. It is merely a
matter of form, but no one can — "

"And how did Mr. William Andrew come to know
about this meeting ? "

" Through a message sent through the custom house by
the captain. Dear Dolly, be easy. There is no doubt
at all about what I have told you, and you can have the
confirmation of it to-morrow. I only ask a day's patience."

" Well, Jane, to-morrow," replied Mrs. Branican. " To-
morrow I will be y.t your house at nine o'clock in the
morning. You will then come with me on to the
Boundary f "

" Willingly, dear Dolly. I will go with you to-morrow,
and then, as the quarantine will have been raised, we can
be received by the captain."

" Is not Captain Ellis a friend of John's? " asked Mrs.
Branican.

" Yes, Dolly, and the Boundary belongs to Andrews'."

" Then it is agreed, Jane. I shall be with you at the
time named. But the day will be very long for me. Will
you have luncheon with me?"

" If you like, my dear Dolly. Mr. Burker is away until
this evening, and we can spend the afternoon."

" Yes, dear John, and we will talk about John — always
about him — always ! "

"And little Wat.? How is the baby?" asked Mrs.
Burker.

" He is very well ! " said Dolly. " He is as happy as a
bird. How glad his father will be to see him again!
Jane, I have a great mind to take him and his nurse

Prospect House. 31

with us to-morrow ! You know I don't like to be separate
from my child even for a few hours. I should never be
easy if he were out of my sight — if I did not have him
with me."

" You are right, Dolly," said Mrs. Burker, " it is a good
idea. Little Wat will be all the better for the outing. It
is fine weather, the bay is calm. It will be his first sea
voyage, the dear child ! Is it agreed ? "

" It is agreed ! " said Mrs. Branican.

Jane remained at Prospect House until five o'clock in
the afternoon. Then, as she left her cousin, she repeated
that she would expect her at nine o'clock next morning to
accompanj' her on board the Boundary,

CHAPTER IV.

ON 130ARD THE "BOUNDARY."

In the morning they were up early at Prospect House.
The weather was superb. The breeze off the land blew
the last mists of the night away out to sea. The nurse
dressed little Wat, while Mrs. Branican was busy at her
toilette. It had been agreed that she would lunch with
Mrs. Barker ; and so she contented herself with a light meal
which would last her till noon, for very probably the visit
to Captain Ellis would take two good hours. Everything
the brave captain told her would be so interesting.

Mrs. Branican, and the nurse with the child in her arms,
left the chalet as the clocks of San Diego were chiming
half-past eight. The wide streets of the upper town, bor-
dered with villas and gardens, were descended at a good
pace, and Dolly reached the narrower streets more crowded
with houses, which form the business quarter. Lcn
Burker lived in Fleet Street, not far from the wharf be-
longing to the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. In
short, Mrs. Branican had made a good passage, for she had
come right through the city, and it was just nine o'clock
when she entered Jane's house.

It was a small house and of rather melancholy aspect,
with its Venetian shutters generally closed. Len Bunker's
friends were almost always men of business, as he had no
acquaintances with his neighbours. Little was known of
him even in Fleet Street, and his business frequently kept
him away from morning till night. Often, too, he went
on journeys, and most frequently to San Francisco, on

On board the "Boundary." 33

matters of which he never spoke to his wife. This morn-
ing he was not in the office when Mrs. Branlcan arrived.
Jane Burker made an excuse for her husband not being
able to accompany them in their visit to the Boundary,
adding that he would certainly be back to lunch.

" I am ready, my dear Dolly," said she, after kissing the
baby. " You do not want to wait ? "

" I am not tired," said Mrs. Branican.

" You do not want anything .<" "

" No, Jane. I am anxious to see Captain Ellis. Let us
be otfat once, please."

Mrs. Burker had but one servant — an old woman, a
mulatto whom her husband had brought from New York
when he had come to San Diego. This mulatto, whose
name was No, had been Len Burker's nurse. Having
always lived in his family, she was entirely devoted to
him, and still talked to him as if he were a child. This
uncouth, imperious creature was the only one who had
ever exercised any influence over Len Burker, who had com-
pletely handed over to her the management of his house.
Often Jane had had to put up with a domination almost
exceeding bounds, "and of which her husband entiiely
approved. But she submitted to the domination of the
mulatto as she did to that of her husband. In her resig-
nation, which was nothing but feebleness, she left matters
to themselves, and N6 consulted her in nothing as to the
management of the household.

Just as Jane was going away the mulatto advised her
to be back before noon, for Len Burker would return for
lunch, and certainly would not wait for her. Besides he
wi.shed to see Mrs. Branican on important business — so
said No.

" What is it about ? " asked Dolly of her cousin.

" And how should I know ? " answered Mrs. Burker.
" Come, Dolly, come ! "

Mrs. Branican and Jane Burker, accompanied by the
nurse and the child, left the house and walked towards the
v/harf, where they arrived in a few minutes.

34 Mistress Branican.

The Boundary, whose quarantine had just been raised,
had not yet come alongside the berth reserved for An-
drews' ships. She was moored in the bay about a cable's
length from Point Loma. It was thus necessary to cross
the bay to get on board the vessel, which would not move
up for two hours. This meant a passage of about two
miles, which the steam launches started on every half
hour.

As soon as they arrived Dolly and Jane took their places
in the steam launch with about a dozen other passengers.
Most of them were friends or relatives of the crew of the
Boundary, who were taking advantage of the first oppor-
tunity to visit them on board the vessel. The launch let
go her painter, sheered off from the wharf, and under the
impulse of her screw headed obliquely across the bay,
puffing at every stroke.

In the limpid clearness of the weather, the bay was
visible all round, with the amphitheatre of the houses of
San Diego, the hill dominating the Old Town, the mouth
open between Island Point and Loma Point, the immense
Coronado hotel of grandiose architecture, and the light-
house which rayed forth its light over the sea after the
setting of the sun.

There were several ships moored here and there, which
the launch avoided cleverly, as she did also the boats
coming in the opposite direction, and the fishing boats
going close-hauled so as to fetch the point in one tack.

Mri. Branican sat near Jane on one of the seats aft.
The nurse, near them, held the child in her arms. The
baby did not sleep, and his eyes filled with the light which
the breeze seemed to brighten with its breath. He jumped
when a couple of gulls passed over the launch, uttering
their sharp cry. He was blooming with health, with his
fresh cheeks and his rosy lips, still humid with the milk he
had drawn from the bosom of his nurse before he had left
the Burkers.. His mother regarded him with emotion,
bending over him to kiss him, while he smiled in return.
But Dolly's attention was soon attracted by the sight of

On board the "Boundary." 35

the Boundary. Lying apart now from the other vessels,
the three-master, clearly outlined at the end of the bay, was
flying her flags against the sunny sky. She was swinging
with the tide, her bow to the westward at the extremity of
her straining cable, on which the last undulations of the
surge were breaking.

All Dolly's life wgis in her look. She thought of John,
carried away on a ship the sister of this one, so much were
they ahke. And were they not both children of the house
of Andrew > Were they not both of the same port ? Were
they not both built in the same yard ?

Dolly, beset by the charm of the illusion, her imagination
stimulated by the remembrance, abandoned herself to the
idea that John was there on board, that he was waiting
for her, that he would stretch out his hand to her when he
saw her, that she would be able to jump into his arms.
His name rose to her lips, she called him, and he answered
by uttering her name.

Then a gentle cry from her child recalled her from
sentiment to reality. It was the Boundary towards
which she was going, and not the Franklin, which was
far, far away, thousands of leagues from the American
shore.

" She will be there — one day — in that very place ! " she
murmured, looking at Mrs. Burker.

" Yes, dear Dolly," answered Jane. " And it will be
John who will welcome us -on board."

She was conscious that a vague uneasiness was wringing
the heart of the young wife when she asked about the
future.

However, the steam launch had in a quarter of an hour
covered the two miles which separate the San Diego wharf
from Point Loma. The passengers landed on the pier at
the beach, and had then to return towards the Boundary a
little more than a cable's length away.

At the foot of the pier in charge of two sailors was a
boat plying to and from the three-master. Mrs. Branican
hailed it, and the men put it at her disposal to take her

35 Mistress Branican.

to the Boundary as soon as she was assured that Captain
Ellis was then on board.

A few strokes of the oars were enough, and Captain Ellis
having recognized Mrs. Branican, came to the side as she
was coming up the ladder, followed by Jane, not without
having cautioned the nurse to hold on tight to the baby.
The captain took them to the poop, while the mate began
the preparations to take the ship alongside the wharf at
San Diego.

" Mr. Ellis," said Mrs. Branican at once, " I hear you
met the Franklin ? "

" Yes, madam," said the captain, " and I can assure you
she was in good condition, as I have already reported to
Mr. William Andrew."
" You have seen — John } "

" The Franklin and the Boundary passed so close on
different tacks that Captain Branican and I were able to
exchange a few words."

"Yes! You saw him!" repeated Mrs. Branican, as if
she were talking to herself and seeking a reflection of the
sight of the Franklin in the captain's eyes.

Mrs. Burker then asked several questions, to which
Dolly listened attentively, although her eyes were turned
towards the horizon of sea.

" On that occasion," said Captain Ellis, " the weather
was very favourable and the Franklin was running free
under all plain canvas. Captain Branican was on the
poop, his telescope in his hand. He had luffed a point so
as to approach the Boundary, for I had not been able to
change my course, being as close to the wind as I could
haul without shivering ray sails."

Mrs, Branican doubtless did not understand the full
meaning of Captain Ellis's terms, but what she remembered
was that he had spoken with John, who had exchanged a
few words with him.

" When we were alongside each other," added he, " your
husband, Mrs. Branican, waved me a salute with his hand
and shouted : 'All's right with us, Ellis ! As soon as you

On board the "Boundary.^' 37

get to San Diego give news of me to my wife, to my dear
Dolly!' And then the two vessels parted, and in a few-
minutes were a long way from each other."

" And v/hat day was it that you met the Franldin ? "
asked Mrs. Branican.

" On the 23rd of March," answered Captain Ellis, " at
1 1. 25, a.m."

It was then better to go into detail, and the captain
pointed out on the chart the exact point at which the ships
had crossed. It was in 14S deg. oflongitude and 20 deg, of
latitude that the Boundary had met the Franklin, that is
to say, at seventeen hundred miles from San Diego. If
the weather continued favourable— and there was a chance
that it would with the fine season now becoming estab-
lished — Captain John would make a quick and fortunate
passage across the North Pacific. And as he would find
a cargo as soon as he arrived at Calcutta, he would stay
but a short time in the capita! of India, and his return
for America would promptly take place. The Franklin's
absence would thus be limited to five or six months, as
foreseen and expected by her owners.

While Captain Ellis answered sometimes Mrs. Burker,

sometimes Mrs. Branican, Dolly, carried away by her

imagination, figured to herself that she was on board the

'Franklin. It was not Ellis — it was John who was telling

her these things. It was his voice she was listening to.

At this moment the mate mounted the poop and told
the captain that the preparations were almost complete.
The sailors on the forecastle were only waiting for the
order to weigh the anchor.

Captain Ellis then offered to set Mrs. Branican ashore,
unless she preferred to remain on board, in which case she
could cross the bay on the Boundary and land when she
was alongside the wharf, which would be in about two
hours.

Mrs. Branican would have very willingly accepted the
captain's offer ; but she was expected to lunch at noon, when
Len Burker would have returned. She knew that Jane, after

38 Mistress Branican.

what the mulatto had said, would rather be at home at the
same time as her husband. She therefore asked Captain
Ellis to put her ashore at the pier, where she could get
away in the first launch.

Orders were given in consequence. Mrs. Branican and
Mrs. Burker took leave of the captain, after he had kissed
little Wat's cheeks. Then the two cousins, preceding the
nurse, descended into one of the ship's boats, and in a
few minutes reached the pier.

While waiting for the steam launch which had just left
San Diego, Mrs. Branican observed the manoeuvres of the
Boundary. To the rugged song of the boatswain, the
sailors shortened in the cable/and the three-master came up
to her anchor, while the mate hoisted the jib, the forestay-
sail and the mizen. Under this canvas she would easily
move up to her station with the incoming tide.

Soon the launch came in. Then she gave a few puffs
of the whistle to call the passengers, and two or three
dilatory ones had to hurry coming over the point in front
of the Coronado Hotel. The launch waited only five
minutes. Mrs. Branican, Jane Burker, and the nurse took
their seats on the bench on the starboard side, while the
other passengers — about twenty in number — moved about
from the front to the after-part of the vessel. There was
a final whistle, the screw was put in movement, and the
launch left the shore

It was but half-past eleven. Mrs. Branican would thus
be back at the house in Fleet Street in time, for the cross-
ing of the bay only took a quarter of an hour. As the
launch moved away her eyes were fixed on the Boundary.
The anchor was apeak, the sails had caught the wind, and
the vessel had begun to leave her anchorage. When she
was moored at the wharf Dolly could visit Captain Ellis
as often as she liked.

The steam launch sped along swiftly. The houses of
the town grew larger on the picturesque amphitheatre
which they occupied at different levels. It was only a
quarter of a mile now to the landing-place.

On board the "Boundary." 39

"Look out! Look out!" shouted one of the saflbrs
posted in the bow.

And he turned to the man at the helm who stood on a
little bridge in front of the funnel.

Hearing the shout, Mrs. Branican looked away to port
where something was taking place which also attracted the
attention of the other passengers, most of whom had gone
to the bow of the launch.

A large brigantine was coming out from the line of
vessels along the quays with her bow directed towards
Island Point. She was being assisted by a tug which
would take her out to sea, and was already moving at
some speed.

At the moment the brigantine was just in the course of
the steam launch and so near that it was necessary for the
launch to pass under her stern. It was this which caused
the sailor to shout to the man at the helm.

A certain anxiety seized upon the passengers — an
anxiety all the more justifiable as the harbour was crowded
with ships moored here and there at their anchors. And by
a very natural movement they drew back towards the stern.

It was clear what ought to be done. The launch ought
to stop and give way to the tug and brigantine, and
resume its progress when the course was clear. A few
fishing boats running before the wind made this course
more difficult as they crossed in front of the wharves of
San Diego.

" Look out ! " said the sailor at the bow.

" All right ! " said the man at the helm. " There is
nothing to fear. I have room enough ! "

But embarrassed by the sudden af)parition of a large
steamer coming in, the tug made an unexpected move-
ment, and fell away to port.

There were loud shouts, to which were added those of
the brigantine's crew, endeavouring to help the tug by
steering in the same direction.

There was hardly twenty feet between the tug and the
steam launch.

40 Mistress Branican.

Jane, very frightened, had stood up. Mrs. Branican, by
an instinctive impulse, took little Wat from his nurse's
arms and clasped him in hers.

" Port ! Port 1 " shouted the captain of the tug to the
helmsman of the launch, motioning with his hand the
direction he should take.

The man had not lost his coolness, and suddenly put
down the helm with all his- might, so as to get out of the
way of the tug, which could not stop, owing to the
brigantine having begun to yaw and give signs of sidling
on to her.

At the lift of the helm, which was very powerful, the
launch shot over sharply to port, and, as frequently
happens, the passengers losing their equilibrium were all
thrown to the same side.

There was another shouting, this time a shout of terror,
for it looked as though the launch was about to capsize.

At this moment Mrs. Branican, who was standing near
the rail, could not recover her footing, was hurled over-
board and disappeared with her child.

The brigantine was then almost grazing the launch as
she passed, and all danger of collision was over.

" Dolly ! Dolly ! " screamed Jane, whom one of the
passengers caught as she was falling.

Suddenly a sailor from the steam launch jumped over
the rail on the side where Mrs. Branican and the child
had just disappeared.

Dolly, kept up by her clothes, was floating at the
surface of the water with little Wat, whom she held in her
arms, when the sailor came near her.

The launch having* stopped, it would not be difficult for
the sailor, a strong man and good swimmer, to get back
with Mrs. Branican. Unfortunately, as he was seizing
her by the waist, the arms of the unfortunate woman
opened while she struggled, half suffocated; and the baby
rolled out of them and sank.

When Mrs. Branican was lifted on to the launch and
laid on the deck she had quite lost consciousness.

On board the "Boundary." 41

Again the brave sailor — a man of about thirty, named
Zach Fren — threw himself into the sea, dived several
times, and searched in the water about where the launch
lay. It was in vain ; he could not find the child, which
had been borne away by an undercurrent.

Meanwhile the passengers were giving Mrs. Branican
all the attention her state required. Jane, distracted, the
nurse, frantic, endeavoured to bring her to consciousness.
The steam launch, motionless, waited until Zach Fren
had given up all hope of recovering little Wat.

At length Dolly began to recover her senses ; she
murmured the name of Wat, her eyes opened, and her
first cry was, —

" My child ! "

Zach Fren came on board for the last time. Wat was
not in his arms:

" My child 1 " again cried Dolly. Then she rose, and
pushing aside those who surrounded her, ran towards the
stern.

And if she had not been stopped, she would have
thrown herself overboard ; E^nd they had to hold her
while the steam launch resumed its journey towards the
wharf.

With her face convulsed, and her hands clenched, she
had fallen on the deck. A few minutes afterwards the
launch had reached the landing-place, and Mrs. Branican
was taken to Jane's house. Len Barker, who had just
come in, sent the mulatto out for a doctor.

The doctor came almost immediately, and it was not
without tr<)uble that Dolly again came to.

And then looking with a fixed stare she said, —

" What is the matter ? What has happened ? Ah !
I know!"

Then with a smile —

" It is my John ! He returns ! He returns 1 " she
cried. " He has come back to his wife and child ! John I
There is my John 1"

Mrs. Branican had lost {ley reason.

CHAPTER V.

THREE MONTHS ELAPSE.

How can we describe the effect produced in San Diego
by this double catastrophe of the death of the child and
the madness of the mother ? We know the people's
sympathy with the Branicans, the interest they took in
the young captain of the Franklin. He had been gone
scarcely a fortnight, and he was no longer a father. His
wife was mad. On his return, in his empty house, he
would find neither the smiles of his little Wat nor the
tendernesses of Dolly, who would not even recognize
him. The day the Franklin returned to port he would
not be saluted by the cheers of the town.'

But it was not necessary to wait for John Branican's
return to inform him of the horrible misfortune that had
just occurred to him. Mr. William Andrew could not
leave Captain John in ignorance of what had passed, and
at the mercy of some fortuitous circumstance to hear of
the terrible catastrophe. He would immediately send off
a letter to one of his correspondents at Singapore. In this
way John would know the awful truth before reaching
India.

But Mr. William Andrew wished to delay the sending
of this message. Perhaps Dolly's reason was not irre-
mediably lost ? Perhaps the care with which she was
being nurged would restore her to her senses ? Why
strike John a double blow, in telling him of the death of
his child and the madness of his wife, if this madness vvas
to be only short-lived ?

Three Months elapse, 43

After talking the matter over with Lcn and jane
Burker, Mr. William Andrew resolved to wait until the
doctors had pronounced a definite opinion as to Dolly's
mental state. In these cases of sudden .alienation was
there not more hope of cure than in those due to a slow
disorganization of the intellectual life ? Yes ; and it
would be better to wait a few days, or even a few
weeks.

The town, however, was plunged in consternation,
Crowds came to the house in Fleet Street for news of
Mrs. Branican. Meanwhile the minutest search had been
made in the bay to recover the body of the child, but
without success. Apparently it had been borne away on
the flood, and then taken out to sea by the ebb. The
poor little child would not even have a grave, at which
his mother could pray if she recovered her. reason.

At first the doctors reported that Dolly's madness was of
the form of a gentle melancholy. There were no nervous
crises, none of those unconscious outbreaks of violence,
which compel us to put the afflicted under restraint, and
render all movement Impossible. There seemed, there-
fore, no necessity to take precautions against the excesses
which mad people frequently commit on others or on
themselves. Dolly was merely a body without a mind,
an intelligence in which there remained no remembrance
of the horrible misfortune. Her eyes were dry, her look
lifeless. She seemed not to see ; she seemed not to hear.
She was. not of this world. She hved only the material
life.

Such was Mrs. Branican's state during the first, month
after -the accident. There had been a consultation as to
the advisability of putting her in an asylum where special
attention would be given her. This was the suggestion
of Mr. William Andrew, and it would have been acted on
had it not been for a proposal made by Len' Burker.

One day Len Burker went to call on Mr. William
Andrew, and spoke to him as follows : " We are now
pertain that Dolly's madness is not of a dangerous

44 Mistress Branican.

character ;ssitating her being put under restraint,

and as we are her only relatives, we wish to keep her
with us. Dolly is very fond of my wife, and Jane's
nursing might probably be of greater effect than that of
a stranger ? If a crisis occurs later on, we can then con-
sider the matter, and take our measures accordingly.
What do you think, Mr. Andrew?"

The worthy shipowner did not reply without a certain
amount of hesitation, for he had no confidence in Len
Burker, although he knew nothing of his precarious posi-
tion and had no suspicion of his honesty. After all, the
friendship between Dolly and Jane was real, and as Mrs.
Burker was her only relative, it evidently seemed better
thst Dolly should be entrusted to her care. The main
point was that the unhappy woman should be constantly
and effectually l.ooked after in the way her state required.

" If you are willing to take this trouble," said Mr. William
Andrew, " I see nothing, Mr. Burker, against Dolly being
entrusted to her cousin, of whose affection there is no
doubt."

" An affection which will never fail ! " said Len Burker.
But he said it in a cold, positive, displeasing tone which
he could not throw off.

" I approve of your offer," said Mr. William Andrew.
" But there is one thing I must say. I am not certain
that in your house in Fleet Street, in the noisy business
quarter of the town, poor Dolly would find herself under
favourable circumstances for her return to health. She
wants quiet,- good air."

'■Quite so," answered Len Burker. "Our intention is
to take her to Prospect House and there live with her.
The chsllet is familiar to her, and the sight of objects to
which she is accustomed may perhaps exercise a salutary
influence on her mind. There she will be away from all
worry. The country is at her door. Jane can take her
out for walks in the neighbourhood, which she knows and
which she used to take with her child. Would not John
approve of this proposition were he here ? And what

Three Months elapse. 45

will he think when he comes back if he finds his wife in a
lunatic asylum entrusted to mercenary hands ? Mr. Andrew,
we should neglect nothing which might be of a nature to
exercise an influence on the mind of our unfortunate
relative."

This reply was evidently dictated by good feeling.
But why did this man's words always appear to insi^ire
distrust ? Nevertheless his proposal, in the way it was
offered, was deserving of acceptance, and Mr. William
Andrew could only thank him for it, adding that Captain
John would be deeply grateful to him.

On the 27th of April, Mrs. Branican was taken to
Prospect House, where Jane and Len Burker installed
themselves the same day. The course received general
approval.

Len Barker's motive can be guessed. The very day of
the catastrophe he had, it will be remembered, intended to
consult Dolly on certain business. This business v/as
simply to borrow some money from her. But since then
the situation had changed. It was probable that Len
Burker would be appointed her trustee, and in that way
would become possessed of resources, illicit no doubt,
which would enable him to gain time. This was exactly
what Jane had feared, and although she was happy at
being able to devote herself entirely to Dolly, she trembeld
at the suspicion of the plan her husband proposed under
cover of a feeling of humanity.

Life, then, began under new conditions at Prospect
House. Dolly was installed in the same room from which
she had gone forth to meet with her dreadful misfortune.
It was no longer the mother that returned, but a being
deprived of reason. This chalet so loved, this drawing-
room in which a few photographs recalled the memory of
the absent one, this garden in which the two had passed
so many happy hours, told her nothing of the past. Jane
occupied the next room to Mrs. Branican, and Len
Burker had taken possession of the room on the ground
floor, which had been John's work-room.

D

46 Mistress BranicaN,

From this day Len Burker resumed his usual occupa-
tions. Every morning he went down into San Diego,
to his office in Fleet Street, where he continued to carry
on his business. But it was noticeable that he never
failed to return in the evening to Prospect House, and
only went out of the town on short absences.

The mulatto woman had of course followed her master
to his new dwelling, where she was what she had been
everywhere and always, a person on whose entire devo-
tion he could count. Little Wat's nurse had been dis-
charged, although she had offered to stay and look after
Mrs. Branican. As to the servant, she was temporarily
continued on at the chilet so as to help No, who was not
quite equal to all the work of the household.

No one could have been more assiduous than Jane in
her affectionate care of Dolly. Her friendship was in-
creased, if possible, since the death of the child, of which
she accused herself as being the primary cause. If she
had, not come to Dolly at Prospect House, if she had not
suggested the idea of the visit to the captain of the
Boundary, the baby would still be with his mother and
consoling her during the long hours of absence ; and
Dolly would not have lost her reason.

It doubtless entered into Len Burker's calculations that
Jane's attention should appear sufficient to those who
were interested in Mrs. Branican's position. . Even Mr.
William Andrew acknowledged that the unfortunate
woman could not be in better hands. In the course of
his visits his first care was to discover if Dolly's state
showed any "tendency towards amelioration, wishing still
to hope that the first message sent to the captain at
Singapore or Calcutta would not announce the double
misfortune of his child dead^his wife — And was it not
as if she were dead, she also >. Well, no ! He could not
believe that Dolly, in the strength of her youth, with her
enlightened mind and energetic character, had been irre-
trievably deprived of her intelligence ! Was it not only
a fire hidden in ashes ? Surely some spark would one

Three Months elapse. 47

day kindle again ? But five weeks had now gone by and
no flash of reason had dissipated the darkness. In a case
like this of calm, reserved, languishing madness, with no
physiological excitement, the doctors seemed to have but
the very slightest hope, and they soon began to leave olf
their visits. Soon even Mr. William Andrew, despairing
of cure, began to come less frequently to Prospect House,
it being painful to him to find himself in the presence of
this unfortunate woman, who was unable even to recognize
him.

When Lcn Burker was obliged for one reason or another
to be away for a day, the mulatto was ordered to keep a
care''ul eye on Mrs. Branican. Without seeking to inter-
fere with Jane in any way, sjic rarely left her alone,
and faithfully reported to her master all she had remarked
in Dolly's condition. She exercised her ingenuity in
getting rid of the few people who called in search of news
at the chalet. It was contrary to the doctor's orders, she
said. Absolute quiet was necessary. These interruptions
might occasion serious consequences. And Mrs. Barker
herself sided with No when she got rid of visitors a^
nuisances who had no business at Prospect House. And
so Mrs. Branican became isolated.

" Poor Dolly ! " thought Jane. " If her state gets worse,
if her mania becomes violent — they will take her away —
they will shut her up in an asylum, and I may very liktly
see her no more. No! Heaven leave her to me. Who
would look after her as lovingly as I do ? "

During the third week of May, Jane tried a few walk^
in the neighbourhood, thinking it would do her cousin a
little good. Len Burker made no objection, but on con-
dition that No should accompany them. This, however,
was only prudent. The walk, the fresh air, might have
an effect on Dolly and suggest to her mind the idea of
flight ; and Jane would not be strong enough to prevent
her. Everything was to be feared from a madness which
might even end in self-destruction. It would not do to
expose her to another misfortune;

4S Mistress Branican.

Many times Mrs. Branican went out leaning on Jane's
arm. She allowed herself to be led as if, she were a
passive being, and took no interest in anything.

From the commencement of these walks, if nothing else
happened, at least the mulatto woman noticed a change
for the better in Dolly's state. Her habitual calm gave
place to a certain exaltation which might have serious
consequences. Several times the sight of children she
met made her utter a nervous cry. Was this in remem-
brance of him she had lost ? Did little Wat return to her
thoughts ? Whatever it might be, even admitting that it
was a favourable symptom, there followed- a cerebral
agitation of a disquieting nature.

One day Mrs. Burker and the mulatto had taken Mrs.
Branican to the heights of Knob Hill. Dolly had turned
towards the horizon, but it seemed that her brain was as
void of thought as her e}es were vacant in look. Suddenly
her face lighted up, a shudder shook her, her eye gave a
strange glance, and with a trembling hand she pointed to
a spot shining out at sea.

" There ! there ! " She exclaimed.

It was a sail clearly distinguished against the sky, on
which the sun's rays fell.

" There ! there ! " repeated Dolly.

And her voice was quite changed and did not seeni to
belong to a human creature.

While Jane regarded her with anxiety, the mulatto shook
hef head in sign of dissatisfaction. Seizing Dolly's arm,
she said, —

" Come ! — come ! "

Dolly did not hear her.

" Come, Dolly, come ! " said Jane.

And she endeavoured to draw her away, to distract her
attention from the sail moving on the horizon.

Dolly resisted.

" No, no 1 " she cried.

And she repulsed the mulatto with a strength q ' which
she did not believe her capable.

"There ! there!" repeated Dolly.

Three Months elapse. 49

Mrs. Burker and No became veiy anxious. They saw that
Dolly might escape from them'. If she were irresistibly
attracted by this disturbing vision, in which John's memory
predominated, might she not descend the slopes of Knob
Hill and rush towards the beach which was swept by the
waves ?

But, suddenly, the excitement calmed down. The sun
had just vanished behind a cloud, and the sail no longer
appeared on the face of the ocean.

Dolly again became inert, her look became vacant and
she was no longer conscious of what was going on. The
sobs which had convulsively shaken her chest had ceased,
as if life had departed from her. Then Jane took her by
the hand, and she allowed her to lead her away without
resistance, and peacefully went back into Prospect House.

From that day Len Burker decided that Dolly should
take her walks only within the Prospect House enclosure,
and Jane had to conform to this injunction.

It was at this time that Mr. William Andrew made up
his mind to inform Captain John that the mental state of
Mrs. Branican left little hope of improvement. It was not
to Singapore, which the Franklin ought already to have
left, but to Calcutta that the message was sent for John to
receive as soon as he arrived in India.

But although Mr. William Andrew had no hope con-
cerning Dolly, the doctors thought some change might still
be produced in her mental state if she experienced some
violent shock — for instance, when her husband reappeared
before her eyes. This chance was, it is true, the only one
left, but, feeble as it was, Mr. William Andrew took it into
account. ' And in his message he had begged John not to
abandon himself to despair, but to hand over the command
of the Franklin to ,the mate, Harry Felton, and come
home by the quickest route. If it had been necessary,
this excellent man would have sacrificed his dearest in-
terests to try this last experiment, and he asked the young
captain to telegraph back to him on this subject.

When Len Burker heard of this message, which Mr.
v\ ■

50 Mistress Branican.

William Andrew had thought it right to communicate to
him, he approved of it, though he expressed his fear that
John's return would be powerless to produce a shock from
which any salutary effect could be gained. But Jane held
to the hope that the sight of John might bring Dolly back
to reason, and Len Burkgr promised to write to him to this
effect, in order that there might be no delay in his return
to San Diego — a promise, however, he did not keep.

During the following weeks there was no change in
Mrs. Branican's stats. If her physical life was in no way
troubled, if her health left nothing to be desired, the altera-
tion in her face was only too apparent. Although she had
not yet reached her twenty-first year, her features were
ageing and the warm colourof her corhplexion was fading,
as if the fire of life were dying out within her. And it was
only seldom she could be seen, unless in the chalet garden,
seated on some bench, with Jane walking near and looking
after her with indefatigable devotion.

At the beginning of the month of June the Franklin had
been gone from San Diego two months and a half. Since
her meeting with the Boundary there had been no news of
her. By this, after putting in at Singapore, she ought,
barring accidents, to be on the point of arrival at Calcutta.
No exceptionally stormy weather had been reported in the
North Pacific or Indian Ocean which would delay a well-
equipped sailing-ship.

But Mr. William Andrew could not help being surprised
at this want of news. He did not understand why his
correspondent had not informed him of the arrival of the
Franklin at Singapore. To suppose that she had not put
in there was impossible, for Captain John had had precise
orders to do so. But at any rate they would know in a
day or two, when he arrived at Calcutta.

A week went by. The 15th of June came and there
was no news. A message was then sent to the correspon-
dent asking for an immediate reply regarding John Brani-
can and the Franklin.

The reply arrived two days afterwards. Nothing was

Three Months elapse. Si

known of the Franklin at Calcutta. The American
barqucntine had not been spoken up to then either in the
Indian Ocean or in the Gulf of Bengal.

Mr. William Andrew's surprise became changed to
anxiety, and as it was impossible to keep the telegram
secret, the report soon spread that the Franklin had not
yet arrived at either Calcutta or Singapore. Was the
Branican family to be struck with another disaster — a
disaster which would also fall on the San Diego families to
whom the crew of the Franklin belonged .-'

Len Burker did not show much concern when he learnt
these alarming news. However, his affection for Captain
John had never been very demonstrative, and he was not
the man to be troubled by the misfortunes of others, even
those of his own family. But it was evident that from the
day people began to be seriously uneasy as to the fate of
the Franklin, he appeared more gloomy than usual, more
careworn, more reserved to all his friends — even in busi-
ness. He was rarely seen in the streets of San Diego, at
his office in Fleet Street, and he kept within the enclosure
at Prospect House. As to Jane, her pale cheeks, her eyes
red with tears, her deeply dispirited face showed that she
was in great trouble.

Just about this time a change took place in the staff" of
the chalet. Without any apparent motive Len Burker
sent away the servant he had kept to help No, and who
had given no cause for complaint. The mulatto remained
in sole charge of the house. With the exception of her
and Jane, no one had access to Mrs. Branican. As to Mr.
William Andrew, his health having suffered from these
strokes of ill fortune, he had left off visiting Prospect
House. In the event of the probable loss of the Franklin
what could he say, what could he do } Besides, now that
the walks had been stopped, he knew that Dolly had re-
covered all her quiet, and that her nervous troubles had
disappeared. She lived, or rather she vegetated, in a state
of unconscious tranquillitj'-, which was the true character
of her affliction, and her health required no special care.

52 Mistress Branican.

At the end of June Mr. William Andrew received another
message from Calcutta. The maritime agencies had had
no report of the Franklin from any of the points she ought
to have passed, among the Philippines, Celebes, the Java
Sea, and the Indian Ocean ; and as the vessel had left
San Diego three months before, it was to be supposed that
she had been totally lost, either by collision or shipwreck,
before even reaching Singapore.

CHAPTER VI.

THE END OF A SORROWFUL YEAR.

The concurrence of serious events of which the
Branican family had become the victim afforded Len
Burker an opportunity to which our careful consideration
should be directed.

It will not have been forgotten, that if the pecuniary
position of Mrs. Branican was very modest, she would yet
be the sole heiress of her uncle, Edward Starter. In retreat
in his vast forest domain, banished, so to speak, in the
most inaccessible part of the state of Tennessee, this
eccentric man had absolutely refrained from sending any
news of himself. As he Was still but fifty-nine his fortune
might be a long time coming.

Perhaps even Edward Starter would have changed his
intentions had he known that Mrs. Branican, his only
direct relative, had been struck with mental alienation after
the death of her child. But he knew not of this double
misfortune, he would not even hear of it, having always
refused to receive letters as well as to write them.
Evidently Len Burker could have broken this prohibition
had he chosen to do so, in consideration of the changes
that had come over Dolly's existence, and Jane had given
him to understand that it was his duty to communicalo
with Edward Starter ; but he had imposed silence on his
wife and kept his own counsel.

It was his interest to be silent, and between his interest
and his duty he was not the man to hesitate for an instant.
His affairs daily took too .serious an aspect for him to
sacrifice the sole chance of fortune the future offered.

54 Mistress Branican.

The position was indeed a simple one : if Mrs. Branican
died without children, her cousin Jane was the only
relative who could inherit her property ; so that by the
death of little Wat Len Barker had certainly seen an
improvement in the chances of his wife's coming into
possession of Edward Starter's fortune ; and his wife's
chances were his own.

And were not events all tending to bring him this
fortune ? Not only was the child dead, not only was Dolly
deranged, but according to the opinion of the doctors the
only thing that could change her mental state was John's
return.

And the fate of the Franklin was the cause of the
liveliest anxiety. If news failed to come during the next
few weeks, if John Branican were not met with on the sea,
if Andrews did not learn that their ship had put in at some
port, it would mean that neither Franklin nor crew would
ever again return to San Diego. Then there would only
be Dolly, deprived of reason, between the fortune and Len
Burker. And when driven desperate, what might not
tempt this man without a conscience, when the death of
Edward Starter would put Dolly in possession of her rich
inheritance.

But evidently Mrs. Branican could only inherit the
property on condition of surviving her uncle. It was Len
Burker's interest to keep her alive until Edward Starter's
fortune had come to her. There were at present but two
chances against him : either Mrs. Branican's death might
occur too soon, or Captain John might return after being
shipwrecked on some unknown island. But this last
ei^entuality was a very unlikely one, and the total loss of
the Franklin might already be considered as certain.

Such was Len Burker's position, such was the future he
had in view, and that at the moment he was reduced to the
last expedients. In fact, if justice intervened in his affairs
he would have to meet a charge of embezzlement. Part
of the money entrusted to him by imprudent investors, or
which he had obtained the use of by his manoeuvres, was

The End of a Sorrowful Year. 55

no longer within his reach ; the claims would inevitably
have to be met in the long run, although some of his new
liabilities had been incurred in paying off old debts. Ruin
was approaching, and worse than ruin, dishonour, and
what particularly appealed to him, his arrest on serious
charges.

Mrs. Barker doubtless suspected that her husband's
position was much threatened, but she had no idea that
the end would be in the intervention of the lav/. Besides,
no sign of pecuniary embarrassment had yet been visible
at Prospect House.

And for this reason.

Since Dolly had gone out of her mind a trustee had
had to be appointed for her in the absence of her husband.
Len Burker had been clearly pointed out as the man for
the post owing to his relationship to Mrs. Branican, and to
him had been entrusted the administration of her property.
The money left by John for household expenses was at his
disposition, and he had used it for his personal needs. It
was not much, certainlj', for the Franklin! s voyage was
not expected to last more than six months ; but this
patrimony which Dolly had brought at her marriage,
although it consisted of some two or three thousand dollars,
would help Len Burker to meet pressing claims, and^ gain
time — which was of the utmost importance to him.

And this dishonest man did not hesitate to abuse his
position as trustee. He misappropriated the securities in
his charge, and owing to these illicit resources was able to
obtain a little respite and plunge into new speculations.
Having entered on the road leading to crime, Len Burker
would, if needful, follow it to the end.

The captain's return was less and less to be feared. The
weeks rolled by, and Andrews' received no news of the
Franklin, whose presence had nowhere been reported for
six months. August and September passed. Neither at
Calcutta nor at Singapore had the correspondents received
the least information relative to the American three-
master. She was now looked upon as lost, and there was

56 Mistress Branican.

public mourning at San Diego. How had she perished ?
There was little difference of opinion, for all was con-
jecture. Since she had sailed several trading vessels
bound to the same ports had taken the course she should
have taken ; and as they had found no trace of her, the
only likely hypothesis was that she had been caught in
one of those terrible storms, those irresistible tornadoes
which are the scourge of the Celebes Sea and the Java
Sea, and had gone down with all on board. Not a man
probably had survived the disaster. On the 15th of
October, 1875, the Franklin had been gone from San
Diego seven months, and there was every reason to believe
she v/ould never return.

The town had become so convinced of this that a sub-
scription list had been opened in favour of the famih'es so
unfortunately smitten by tiiis catastrophe. The crew of
the. Franklin, both officers and seamen, belonged to San
Diego, and had left behind them wives, children and
relatives who needed assistance.

The initiative in this subscription was taken by Andrews,
who headed the list with a large amount. As he was
interested in the matter, and for prudential reasons, Len
Burker also contributed to this charitable work. The
other firms in the town, the landowners, the retail dealers,
followed the example ; and the result was that the families
of the lost crew were to a large extent assisted, and the
consequences of this maritime disaster considerably
alleviated.

On his part, Mr. William Andrew looked upon it as a
duty that Mrs. Branican should have enough to live upon.
He knew that Captain John had at his departure left
enough for her requirements calculated on an absence of
six or seven months. But thinking that the resources
were coming to an end, and not wishing that Dolly should
be a burden to her relatives, he resolved to consult with
Len Burker on the subject.

On the 17th of October, in the afternoon, although his
health was not completely re-established, the shipowner

The End op a Sorrowful Year. S7

set out for Prospect House, and after reaching the high
part of the tow;i, appeared before the chalet.

Outside there was no change, except that the shutters
on the ground floor and first floor were closed. It looked
like an inhabited house, but silent and mysterious.

Mr. William Andrew rang at the gate in the fence. No
one came. It seemed as though the visitor had neither
been seen nor heard.

Was there anyone at home ? He rang a second time,
and then followed the noise of a door opening at the side.

The mulatto appeared, and as soon as she recognized
Mr. William Andrew she could not restrain a gesture of
vexation, which, however, he did not notice.

No came towards him, and before the gate was opened
he spoke to her over the fence.

" Is not Mrs. Branican at home ? " he asked.

"No, Mr. Andrew," answered No, with a peculiar
hesitation visibly mingled with fear.

" Where is she, then ? " asked Mr. William Andrew.

" She is out for a walk with Mrs. Burker."

" I thought they had given Up their walks, which excited
her, and might bring on a crisis ? "

" Yes, doubtless," said N6. " But for some days Mrs.
Branican has gone out. It seems to be doing her good — "

" I am sorry you did not let me know," replied Mr.
William Andrew. " Is Mr. Burker at home ? "

" I do not know."

" Then see ; and if he is, tell him I wish to speak with
him."

Before the mulatto could reply — and probably she
would have been much embarrassed for a reply — the door
on the ground floor opened. Len Burker appeared on the
steps, crossed the garden, and advancing, said, —

" Please come in, Mr. Andrew. In the absence of Jane,
who has gone out with Dolly, allow me to receive you."

And this was not said in the hard tone so habitual to
Len Burker, but in a voice that was evidently slightly
troubled.

58 Mistress Branican.

As it was especially to sec Len Burker that Mr. William
Andrew had come to Prospect House, he entered the
gate. Then, without accepting the offer made to him to
go into the drawing-room on the ground floor, he sat down
on one of the seats in the garden.

Len Burker, beginning the conversation, confirmed what
the mulatto had just said : for some days Mrs. Branican
had resumed her walks in the neighbourhood of Prospect ,
House with great advantage to her health.

" Will not Dolly be back soon .' " asked Mr. William
Andrew.

" I do not think Jane will bring her home before
dinner/' answered Len Burker.

Mr. William Andrew looked much disappointed, for he
had to return to his office before post time ; and Len
Burker gave him no invitation to wait for Mrs. Branican's
return.

" And you have not yet noticed any improvement in
Dolly's condition .' " he asked.

" No, unfortunately, Mr. Andrew. It is to be feared we
are dealing with the sort of derangement that neither care
nor time can cure."

" Who knows, Mr. Burker > That which hardly seems
possible to men is always possible to God! "

Len Burker shook his head like a man who scarcely ad-
mitted Dirine intervention in the things of this world.

" The worst of it is," said Mr. William Andrew, "that
we can no longer look forward to the captain's return. We
must give up the hope of the change that the return might
have had on poor Dolly's mental state. You are aware,
Mr. Burker we have given up all hope of again seeing the
Franklin ? "

"I am quite aware of it, Mr. Andrew, and it is one more
misfortune on the top of the others. But — even though
Providence may not interfere—" said he in an ironical
tone, very much out of place at the moment, " there would
be nothing extraordinary in John's coming back after all."

" Now that seven months have gone by without news of

The End of a Sorrowful Year. 59

the Franklin" said Mr. William Andrew, " and the inquiries
I have made have had no result ? "

" But there is nothing to prove that the Franklin has
gone doAvn at sea," replied Len Burker. " Can she not
have been wrecked on one of the numerous reefs in the
sea she was to cross ? Who knows if John and the
sailors have not taken refuge on a desert island ? "' And if
so, these resolute and energetic men will know how to get
back to their country. Can they not build a boat with the
remains of their ship ? Can their signals not be seen by a
vessel passing in sight of the island } Evidently a certain
time is necessary for these things to happen. No, I do
not despair of John's return — in a few months, if not in a
few weeks. There are a number of examples of ship-
wrecked people who have been thought inevitably lost,
and who have returned to port."

Len Burker had spoken with a volubility which was not
usual with him. His face, so impassive, was now animated.
It seemed as, though in expressing himself in this way, in
adducing more or less specious reasons regarding the
safety of the shipwrecked, it was not to Mr. William
Andrew he was replying, but to himself, to his own anxieties,
to the fear he would experience if although the Franklin
might not reappear off San Diego, another ship might come
in, bririging Captain John and his crew. That would mean
the collapse of the system on which he had built his future.

" Yes," said Mr. William Andrew, " I know there
have been almost miraculous escapes. All that you say,
Mr. Burker, I have said to myself, but it is impossible for
me to retain the least hope. In any case — and this is what
I have come to see you about to-day — I desire that Dolly
should not be any expense to you — "

" Oh ! Mr. Andrew—"

" No, Mr. Burker ; and you will allow me to see that the
salary of the captain shall be at his wife's disposal as long
as she lives."

" On her behalf I thank you," said Len Burker. " This
generosity—"

> . E

6o Mistress Branican.

"I think it is only my duty," said Mr. William Andrew.
" And as I suppose that the money left by John before his
departure must in a great measure have been spent — "

" Undoubtedly, Mr. Andrew/' replied Len Burker. " But
Dolly is not without relations whose duty it also is to come
to her help — and was it not from affection — "

"Yes; I know I can reckon on Mrs. Burker's devotion.
Nevertheless, allow me to interfere in a certain measure to
assure John's wife — perhaps his widow— the comfort and
the care which I am certain will never be wanting on your
part."

" That is as you please, Mr. Andrew."

" Ihave brought you, Mr. Burker, what I look upon as
legitimately due to Captain Branican- since the departure
of the Franklin, and in your position as trustee you can
draw every month what I have to- his credit."

"As you wish," said Len Burker.

" Perhaps you will give me a receipt for the money I
have brought } "

" Willingly, Mr. Andrew."

And Len Burker went to his desk to write the receipt in
question.

When he returned to the garden, Mr. William Andrew,
who much regretted not having met Dolly and not being
able to wait for her return, thanked him for the interest he
and his wife were taking in their unfortunate relative. It
\Vas to be understood that the least change in her state was
to be reported by Len Burker to Mr. William Andrew,
who then took his leave, waiting for a moment at the gate
to see if he could see Dolly returning to Prospect House
in Jane's company, and then he went down into San
Diego.

As soon as he Was out of sight Len Burker called the
mulatto to him.

" Does Jane know that Mr. Andrew has just been } "

" Very likely, Len. She saw him come and she saw
him go."

"If he should come here — and he is not likely to do so

The End of a Sorrowful Vear. fit

for Some time — lie must not sec Jane, nor particularly
Dolly. You understand, No ? "

" I will take care, Len."

"And if Jane insists — "

" Oh, when you have said, I will not have it," said No,
"it is not Jane who will defy you."

" Be it so, but we must guard against a surprise !
Chance may bring about a meeting— and — at this moment
— that would be to risk losing everything."

"I am here," .said the mulatto, "and you need fear
nothing, Len ! No one shall enter Prospect House as
long — as long as it does not suit you."

And, as a matter of fact, during the two months that
followed, the house remained more shut up than ever.
Jane and Dolly no longer showed themselves in the little
garden. They were not seen either under the verandah
or at the windows of the first-floor rooms which were in-
variably closed. The mulatto only went out on household
matters for the sliortest time possible, and never in the
absence of Len Burker, so that Dolly was never left alone
with Jane. It was also noticed during the last months of
the year that Len Burker went but very seldom to his
office in Fleet Street. Even weeks went by without his
appearing there, as if he were endeavouring to withdraw
from business while preparing for some new venture.

And it was under these conditions that, thus ended the
year 1875, which had been so disastrous for the Branican
family — John lost at sea, Dolly deprived of reason, and
their child drowned in the depths of San Diego bay.

CHAPTER VII.

VAiyOUS MATTERS.

There was no news of the Franklin during the early
months of 1876. There was no trace of her presence in the
seas of the Philippines, of Celebes, or of Java ; neither was
there in the neighbourhood of Northern Australia, but how
could it be supposed that Captain John would have ventured
through Torres Straits ! Once only to' the north of the
Sunda Islands, thirty miles from Batavia, a piece of wreck-
age was picked up by an American schooner artd brought
to San Dit-go under the impression that it belonged to
the vanished ship. But after careful examination, it was
shown that the wreckage was of much older wood than
the materials employed by the builders of the Franklin.

Besides, the fragment could only have been knocked off
if the ship had been thrown on some reef or collided at
sea. In the latter case the secret of the collision could
hardly have been so well kept for no news to come regard-
ing it — at least, unless the vessels had both foundered.
But as there had been no report of the disappearance of
another ship during the twelve months, the idea of a
collision had to be abandoned, as also the supposition cf a
wreck on the coast, to return to the simplest explanation
that the Franklin had gone down in one of the tornadoes
which are frequent in the seas of Malaysia, and which no
sailing vessel can resist when caught within their sphere of
activity.

A year had elapsed since the Franklin's departure, and
she was definitely classed among the vessels lost, or supposed

Various Matters. 63

to be lost, which figure in such large numbers in the annals
of maritime disasters.

This winter — that of 1875-76 — was very severe even in
the fortunate region of Lower California, where the climate
is generally moderate. With the excessive cold that pre- ,
vailed up to the end of February, no one could be astonished
that Mrs. Branican had not left Prospect House, even to
take theair in the little garden.

But if this seclusion were prolonged it might become
suspicious to the people, who lived in the neighbourhood,
although it might be asked if Mrs. Branican's malady had
not become worse rather than supposed that Len Burkcr
had any interest in keeping Dolly out of sight. Mr. William
Andrew was confined to his room during a great part of
the winter, but impatient to see for himself in what state
Dolly was, he made up his mind to go to Frospect House
as soon as he could getout.

In the first week of March Mrs. Branican resumed her
walks in the environs of Prospect House accompanied by
Jane and the mulatto. A few days afterwards, in a visit
to the chalet, Mr. William Andrew saw for himself that
the young woman's health gave no cause for anxiety.
Physically her state was as satisfactory as possible ;
mentally there had been no amelioration — she 'was un-
conscious of what was going on around her, and had
neither memory nor intelligence as is usual in thes.e
cases of mental degeneracy. During the walks abroad
which might have recalled certain remembrances, in the
presence of the children she met on the way, before-
the sea and the distant sails, Mrs. Branican did not even
betray the emotion which had formerly so deeply troubled
her. She no longer tried to get away, and could now be
left in Jane's charge. All idea of resistance, all desire of
reaction being extinct, she lived in the most absolute
resignation added to the completest indifference, and
when Mr. William Andrew saw her again he thought her
madness incurable.

By this time Len Barker's position had become quite

64 Mistress Branican.

hopeless. Mrs. Branican's patrimony, which he had apph'ed
to his own uses had been insufficient to fill the abyss opened
under his feet. His last struggle was at the point of
ending with his last resources. A few months yet, a few
weeks perhaps, and he would be wanted by the police, and
his pnly safety lay in his leaving San Diego.

Only 6ne thing could save him, but that did not seem
likely to happen — at least in time to be of use to him. In
fact, if Mrs. Branican was alive, her uncle, Edward Starter,
was also alive, and very healthy as well. With infinite
precaution, lest the source of the inquiry should be re-
cognized, Len Burker had obtained news of this Yankee
from the depths of Tennessee.

Robust and vigorous, in the plenitude of his mental and
physical faculties, and just upon sixty, Edward Starter
spent his life in the open air and the forests and prairies of
this immense territory, hunting and shooting over the land
well stocked with game, fishing in the numerous rivers that
water it, rushing about on foot and on horseback, managing
his vast estate all by himself. Evidently he was one of
those rough North-American farmers who die centenarians,
and for whose death at all there never seems to be a
reason.

It was only too clear that an early arrival of the inheri-
tance was not to be counted on ; and there was every
chance that the uncle would survive the niece. Len
Burker's hopes on that head were clearly vain, and before
him rose the inevitable catastrophe from which Edward
Starter's death could alone have saved him.

Two months went by — two months, during which his
position went from bad to worse. Disquieting rumours
concerning him began to be current at San Diego.
Letters with threats of legal proceedings were received
by him from people who could obtain nothing from him.
For the first time Mr. William Andrew heard of the
state of his affairs, and, in great alarm for the position
of Mrs. Branican, he resolved to call on her trustee to
produce his accounts. If necessary, Dolly's interest

Various Matters. 65

could be transferred to some representative more worthy
of confidence, although this in no way reflected on Jane
Burker, who was deeply devoted to her cousin.

At this time, two-thirds of Mrs. Branican's patrimony
had been devoured, and of her whole fortune all that re-
mained in Len Burker's hands was a few hundred dollars.
Amid the claims pressing him on all sides, this was as a
mere drop of water in San Diego bay ; but that which
was insufficient for him to meet his obligations with was
enough if he made up his mind to disappear to put him
safe beyond pursuit. But there was only just time.

In fact, proceedings had already been begun against
Len Burker, proceedings charging him with swindling and
abuse of trust. Soon a warrant was issued against him ;
but when the police presented themselves at his office,
in Fleet Street, he had not been seen there since the day
before.

The police then went to Prospect House. Len Burker
had left the. chalet in the middle of the night. Whether
she liked it or not, his wife had been compelled to accom-
pany him. Only the mulatto woman remained in .charge
of Mrs. Branican.

An active search was immediately ordered in San Diego,
then at San P'rancisco, and at different places in the State
of California, in the hope of getting on his track ; but
these had no result.

As soon as the rumour of his disappearance had spread
in the town, an outcry was raised against this worthless
man of business, whose defalcations it was soon apparent
would amount to a considerable sum.

On that day, the 17th of May, very early in the morning,
Mr. William Andrew had been to Prospect House, and
discovered that none of Mrs. Branican's securities were
left. Dolly was absolutely without resources. Her faith-
Jess trustee had not left her the wherewithal for her urgent
needs.

Mr. )Villiam Andrew immediately did the only thing
he could. He took Mrs. Branican to an asylum where

66 Mistress Branican.

she would be safe, and dismissed No, whom he seriously
mistrusted. If Len Barker, had hoped that the mulatto
would remain near Dolly, and keep him informed of any
change in her health or fortune, he was in this way check-
mated.

N6, being under orders to leave Prospect House, went
away that very day. Her idea was, doubtless, to rejoin
the Burkers, and the police kept her under observation
for some time. But she was very cautious and artful, and
managed to outwit them by soon disappearing without
their knowing what had become of her. And now it was
empty, this house in which John and Dolly had lived so
happily, and where they had had so many dreams for their
child's happiness.

It was in Dr. Brumley's asylum that Mrs. Branican
had been placed by Mr. William Andrew. Would her
mental state take notice of the change which had occurred
in her life ? It was vain to hope so. She remained as
indifferent as she had been at Prospect House. The only
symptoms worth notice seemed to be a sort of natural
instinct which supported her amid the wreck of her reason.
Now and then she would murmur a little baby song as if
she were hushing to sleep a child in her arms. But the
name of little Wat never escaped her lips.

During the year 1876 there was no news of John
Branican. The few persons who still hoped that if the
Franklin did not come back her captain and crew might
nevertheless do sq, had had to give up even this hope.
Confidence could not indefinitely resist the destructive
action of time ; and now the chance of recovering the ship-
wrecked crew grew feebler from day to day, and was
reduced to nothing when the year 1877 neared its end
and eighteen months had gone by without anything being
heard relative to the vanished ship.

It was the same with regard to the Burkers, the search
continued to be useless. It was not known to what
country they had gone or in what place they were hiding,
doubtless, under a false name. And Len Burker must

Various Matters. t^

have bewailed his ill luck when, two years after his dis-
appearance, the hope on which he had built his plan
became realized j he had, so to speak, foundered in sight
of port.

About the middle of the month of June, 1878, Mr.
William Andrew received a letter addressed to Dolly
Branican. This letter informed her of the ■ nexpected
death of Edward Starter. The Yankee had been killed
accidentally. A bullet fired by one of his hunting com-
panions had ricochetted, struck him full in the chest, and
killed him on the spot.

When his will was opened it was found that he had left
the whole of his fortune to his niece, Dolly Starter, the
wife of Captain Branican. The condition in which the
heiress was, in no way altered his intentions, for he knew
nothing of her attack of madneiss, as he knew nothing of
Captain John's disappearance. No such news had pene-
trated into Tennessee, into that wild and inaccessible region
where, in accordance with Edward Starter's wish, neither
letters nor newspapers came.

In farms and forests, in cattle, in industrial property of
various kinds, the testator's fortune was estimated to
amount to 2,000,000 dollars.

Such was the heritage which the accidental death of
Edward Starter had just passed on to his niece. With
what joy would San Diego have applauded this enrich-
ment of the Branican family if Dolly had still been a wife
and a mother in full possession of her intelligence, if John
had been there to share this wealth with her. What use
the charitable woman would have made of it ! What mis-
fortunes they would not have alleviated 1 But no ! The
revenues of this fortune would be put aside and accumu-
late without profit to any one. In the unknown retreat
in which he had taken refuge did Len Burker know of
Edward Starter's death, and of the considerable wealth he
had left behind him ? It is impossible to say. Mr. William
Andrew, acting as Dolly's trustee, resolved to sell the
lands in Tennessee, farms, forests, and prairies, which

68 Mistress Branican.

would have been difficult to have managed at such a
distance. A number of buyers presented themselves, and
the sales were effected under advantageous conditions.
The amounts produced, converted into first-class securities,
added to those which formed an important part of Edward
Starter's bequest, were deposited in the strong room of
the Consolidated National Bank at San Diego. The
maintenance of Mrs. Branican at Dr. Brumley's could
absorb but a small part of the dividends which would
be annually credited to her, and their accumulation would
end in forming one of the largest fortunes in Lower
California ; but, notwithstanding this improvement in her
position, there was no question of removing Mrs. Branican
from Dr. Brumley's care. Mr. William Andrew did not
consider it necessary. The house afforded her all the
comfort and care her relatives could have wished for.
There, then, she would remain, and there, probably, she
would end her miserable, her useless existence, from which
it seemed the future withheld every chance of happiness.

But if time went on, the remembrance of the misfortunes
which had overwhelmed the Branican family was always
vivid at San Diego, and the sympathy for Dolly was as
sincere, as profound as on the first day.

The year 1879 began, and those who thought it was
going to roll by like the others, without bringing any
change in the position were completely deceived.

During the early months of the new year, the doctor
and his assistant were greatly struck by the changes evi-
dently taking place in the mental state of Mrs. Branican.
That dispiriting calm, that apathetic indifference to the
details of existence were gradually giving place to charac-
teristic agitation. These were not crises followed by
reaction in which the intelligence was more deeply
shattered than before. No ! It seemed as though Dolly
was beginning to want to return to her intellectual life,
and her mind was seeking to break the bonds which pre-
vented it from expanding to the surface. Children brought
before her received a look, almost a smile. It will not

Various Matters. 69

have been- forgotten that at Prospect House, during the
first period of her madness, she had had tiiese outbursts
of instinct which vanished at the crisis. Now, on tlie con-
trary, the impressions had a tendency to persist. It
seemed as though Dolly were in the position of a person
questioning himself and seeking in his mind for distant
recollections.

Was Mrs. Branican about to recover her reason ? Had
a work of regeneration begun within her.' Was the ful-
ness of her mental life to be restored to her ? Alas ! At
present, when she had neither child nor husband, was it to
be wished that this cure, we might say this~miracle, should
manifest itself when it could only make her more miser-
able !

Whether it were desirable or not, the doctors were pre-
pared for the possibility of obtaining this result. Measures
were taken for producing on the mind and heart of Mrs.
Branican a series of durable and salutary shocks. It was
even thought desirable to take her away' from Dr. Brum-
ley's, to bring her into the garden at Prospect House, to
again let her occupy her room in the chalet. And when
that was done she was certainly conscious of the change
in her way of living, and appeared to take some interest in
finding herself amid these new surroundings.

With the first days of spring — it was then April — walks
were recommenced in the neighbourhood. Mrs. Branican
was many times taken to the beach at Island Point. The
few ships passing out at sea she followed with her look
and with her hand stretched out towards the horizon. But
she did not try to run away, as she formerly did, to escape
from Dr. Brumley who accompanied her. She was not
excited by the noise of the tumultuous waves covering the
beach with their spray. Was there any reason for think-
ing that her imagination was bearing her along the route
followed by the Frajiklin in leaving the port of San Diego,
at the moment the upper .sails disappeared behind the
heights of the cliff ? Yes! Perhaps! And her lips, one
day, distinctly murmured the name of John !

70 Mistress Branican.

It was obvious that Mrs. Branican's malady was entering
on a period the different phases of which would have to be
carefully studied. Gradually as she became accustomed
to live at the chalet she was recognizing the objects which
had been dear to her. Her memory was being built up
amid the surroundings which had been hers so long. A
portrait of Captain John, hung on the wall of the room,
began to fix her attention. Every day she looked at it
more persistently, and a tear still unconscious occasionally
escaped from her eyes.

Yes ! If there had been a doubt as to the Franklin's loss,
if John were just coming home, if he were to appear
suddenly, Dolly, perhaps, might recover her reason ! But
John's return could not be reckoned on.

And so Dr. Brumley decided to give the poor woman a
shock which was not without danger. He wished to act
before the improvement observed in her mental state began
to subside, before she again fell into that indifference which
had been characteristic of her madness for the last four
years. As it seemed that her mind was still vibrating at
the breath of memory, it would be well to give it a vibra-
tion intense enough to permit of the former Dolly again
entering into this comparatively lifeless being.

This was also Mr. William Andrew's opinion, and he
encouraged Dr. Brumley to make the experiment. On
the 27th of May they both went to call on Mrs. Branican
at Prospect House. A carriage waiting at the gate took
them through the streets of San Diego down to the
wharves, and they stopped at the landing place from which
the steam launch started for Loma Point.

Doctor Brumley's intention was not only to reproduce the
scene of the catastrophe, but to put Mrs. Branican in a
position exactly similar to that when she had so suddenly
lost her reason.

As she stopped at the landing stage Dolly's looks began
to brighten up wonderfully. She was evidently strangely
agitated. Her whole being seemed astir.

Doctor Brumley and Mr. William Andrew led her to th§

Various Matters. ^t

launch, and hardly had she stepped on the deck than they
were still more surprised at her behaviour. Instinctively
she went to the very place she had occupied at the corner
of the starboard seat when she held her child in her arms.
Then she looked out into the bay, away towards Loma
Point, as if she were seeking the Boundary at her moor-
ings.

The passengers on the launch had recognized Mrs.
Branican, and Mr. William Andrew had informed them of
what it was proposed to do, so that all were under the
influence of excitement. Were they to be the witnesses
of a resurrection^not the resurrection of a body, but the
resurrection of a mind 1

It need not be said that every precaution was taken in
case, in a paroxysm of madness, Dolly attempted to throw
herself overboard.

The launch had already gone half a mile, and Dolly
had not yet lowered her eyes to the surface of the bay.
All the time she looked towards Point Loma, and when
she turned aside it was to observe the manoeuvres of a
trading vessel in full sail which had appeared at the
en; ranee of the mouth to take up her station in quarantine.

Dolly's face was as if transformed. She rose, she looked
at the ship.

It was not the Franklin, and she did not mistake it for
her. But shacking her head, she said, —

"John! My John I You also will come back soon!
And I will be there to welcome you."

Suddenly her looks seemed to search in the waters of
this bay she had just recognized. She gave a heartrending
shriek, and said, turning to Mr. William Andrew, —

" Mr. Andrew — you — and him — my little W^at — my
child — my poor child ! There ! There ! I remember !
I remember! "

And she fell on her knees on the deck, her eyes drowned
in tears.

CHAPTER VIII.

A DIFFICULT POSITION,

Mrs. BraniCAN restored to reason was like a dead woman
restored to life. Seeing that she had stood the test of this
remembrance, of this evocation of the past, seeing that
the flash of memory had not injured her, could it be hoped
that her recox-ery would take place .' Was her intelligence
to succumb a second time when she learnt that there had
been no news of the Franklin for four years, and that it
was believed the .ship had gone down with all on board,
and that she would never again see her husband ?

Dolly, completely prostrated by the shock, had been
taken back immediately to Prospect House. Neither
Mr. William Andrew nor Doctor Erumley would leave
her, and from the women in the latter's service she
received all the care her state required.

But the shock had been so severe that an intense fever
came on. She was even for a few days in a state of
delirium, which gave the doctors much uneasiness,
although she recovered the fulness of her intellectual
faculties. It is true that when the time came to acquaint
her with '-:he whole extent of her misfortune, many
precautions would have to be taken.

To begin with, Ddlly asked how long she had been
deprived of reason.

" Two months," replied Dr. Brumley, who was prepared
for the question.

" Two months only ! " she murmured.

A Difficult Position. 73

And it seemed as though a century had passed over her
head !

" Two months ! " she added. " John could not have
come back yet, for it is only two months since he went
away. Does he know that our poor little child — "

" Mr. Andrew has written," replied Doctor Brumley
without hesitation.

" And is there any news of the Franklin ? " '

The reply was that Captain Branican was to write from
Singapore, but the letters had not come to hand. But at
the same time, according to the shipping intelligence, the
Franklin would soon reach the Indies, and telegrams
would shortly be received.

When Dolly asked why Jane Burker was not with her,
the doctor answered that Mr. and Mrs. Burker were
away travelling, and had not yet announced the date of
their return.

It was left to Mr. William Andrew to tell Mrs. Branican
the fate oi\he Franklin. But it was agreed to say nothing
until her reason had been sufficiently re-established to
support the blow, and to be careful in revealing the facts
little by little, in order that she might gradually be led to
conclude that no survivor of the wreck remained.

The news of the inheritance which had come to her,
through the death of Edward Starter, was also kept back.
Mrs. Branican would know soon enough that she possessed
this fortune, which her husband could no longer share with
her.

During the fortniglit which followed, Mrs. Branican had
no communication with the outside world. Mr. William
Andrew and Dr. Brumley alone had access to her. The
fever, which was very high to begin with, began to
diminish, and would soon, doubtless, disappear. As much
from the point of view of her health, as from that of not
having to reply to definite and embarrassing questions,
the doctor had forbidden the patient from talking. And
every allusion to the past was avoided, as was everything
that could lead her to suspect that four years had elapsed

74 Mistress BraNican.

since the death of her child and the departure of her
husband. For some time yet it was advisable that the
year 1879 should be for her only 1875.

But Dolly had only one desire, or rather a very natural
impatience, and that was to receive a first letter from
John. She calculated that the Franklin being at the
point of arrival at Calcutta, if she were not there already,
Andrews' ought soon to hear of her by telegraph. Then
she herself, as soon as she had strength, would write
to John. Alas ! what would she say in her letter — the
first she would write to him since their marriage, for they
had never been separated until the departure of the
Franklin ? Yes ! What sad things this first letter would
tell!

And then thinking of the past, Dolly reproached herself
for having been the cause of her child's death I That
unhappy day of the 31st March returned to her memory !
If she had left little Wat at Prospect House he would still
be alive I Why had she taken him out to the Boundary ?
Why had she refused the offer of Captain Ellis, who had
proposed her staying on board until the ship's arrival at the
wharf of San Diego ? The terrible misfortune would not
have occurred ! And why also had she in a thoughtless
moment taken the child from the nurse's arms at the
moment the launch was suddenly checked to avc id a
collision ! She had fallen, and little Wat was no longer in
her arms ! Poor child, who had not even a grave over
which his mother could go and weep !

These fancies, too vividly called up in her mind, caused
Dolly to lose the calmness which was so necessary to her.
Several times a violent delirium, due to the increase of the
fever, made Dr. Brumley extremely uneasy. Fortunately
these crises grew less acute, less frequent, and finally dis-
appeared. There was now no fear for the mental state of
Mrs. Branican. The moment was approaching when Mr.
William Andrew might tell her all.

As soon as Dolly had unmistakably entered upon the
period of her convalescence she obtained permission to

A Difficult Position. 75

leave her bed. She was placed iii a long chair at her
bedroom window, whence she could look out over the Bay
■oi San Diego, and even far out beyond Loma Point to the
very horizon. There she remained motionless for many
long hours.

Then Dolly wished to write to John ; she wanted to tell
him of their child he would never sec again, and she
poured out her grief in a letter John never would receive.

Mr. William Andrew took this letter, promising to send
it with his mail to the Indies, and that d ne, Mrs. Branican
became calm again, living only in the hope of lecciving
news of the Franklin directly or indirectly.

However, this statecf things could not Inst. Evidently
Dolly would learn sooner or later what ihcy were hiJing
from her — by excess of prudence, perhaps. The more she
concentrated herself in the hope that she would soon
receive a letter from John, that with each day his return
grew nearer, the more terriblti would be the blew.

And that appeared but too evident after an interview
which Mrs. Branican had with Mr. William Andrew on the
19th of June.

For the first time Dolly had gone down into the little
garden of Prospect House, where Mr. William Andrew
found her seated on a bench before the steps of tlie chalet.
He went and sat'down close to her, and taking her hands,
clasped them affectionately.

In this last period of convalescence Mrs. Branican had
be^un to feel quite strong again. Her face had resumed
its former warm colour, although her eyes were always
I'.umid with tears.

" I see your recovery makes rapid progress, my dear
Dolly," said Mr. William Andrew. " You are getting on
well."

•■ Certainly, Mr. Andrew," replied Dolly, " but it seems
to me that I have aged considerably during the two
months ! How much my poor John will find me changed
when he comes back ! And I am waiting for him alone !
He v/ill only find mc — "

F

•jQ Mistress Branican.

" Courage, dear Dolly, courage ! I forbid you to be so
depressed. I am now your father. Yes, your father !
and I insist on your obeying me ! "

" Dear Mr. Andrew ! "
■ " Be it so."

" The letter I wrote to John has gone, has it not ? "
asked Dolly.

"Doubtless — and you must wait for his reply with
patience ! Sometimes there are long delays in the Indian
mails ! You are still crying ! I beseech you not to cry
any more 1"

"I cannot help it, Mr. Andrew, when I think. And am
I not the cause ? — I — "

"No, poor mother, no. Providence has struck you
cruelly, but all grief has an end."

" Providence ! " murmured Mrs. Branican ; " Providence
will bring me back my John ! "

" My dear Dolly, have you. seen the doctor to-day } "
asked Mr. William Andrew.

" Yes, and he thought me better 1 I am getting back
my strength, and I shall soon be able to go out."

" Not before he says you may."

" No, Mr. Andrew. I promise to do nothing im-
prudent."

" And I reckon on your promise."

" You have not )'et received anything relative to the
Franklin, Mr. Andrew ? "

" No, and I am not surprised. Ships take some time
occasionally to get to the Indies."

" It seems to me John might have written from
Singapore ? Did he not call there ? "

" Very probably, Dolly ! But if he missed the mail by
a few hours it would make a delay of a fortnight in his
letters."

" And so you are not at all surprised that John has not
yet sent you a letter ? "

" Not at all," answered Mr. William Andrew, who felt
the conversation becoming embarrassing.

A Difficult Position. 77

"And have not the shipping journals noticed his
voyage ? " asked Dolly.

" No. Since he spoke the Boundary — it is about — "

" Yes ; about two months. And why should he have
spoken her ? I should not have gone on board the
Boundary, and my chi'd — "

Mrs. Branican's look suddenly changed, and tears rolled
down from her eyes.

"Dolly — my dear Dolly," answered Mr. William
Andrew. " Do not cry. I beg you, do not cry ! "

" Ah ! Mr. Andrew. I do not know — a presentiment
sometimes comes to me. It is inexplicable. It seems to
me that a new misfortune — I am uneasy about John ! "

" There is no need to be, Dolly ! There is no reason
for being anxious — "

" Mr. Andrew," a"Skcd Mrs. Branican, " could you not
send me a few newspapers with shipping intelligence in
them ? I should like to read them."

" Certainly, my dear Dolly ; I will do so. But if any-
thing were known concerning the i^r««>^/27?, if she had been
met with on the sea, if her approaching arrival in India
had been reported, I should be the first to hear of it, and
immediately."

But it was advisable to give another turn to the inter-
view. Mrs. Branican would notice the hesitation with
which Mr. Andrew replied, and the way in which his look
sank before hers when she questioned hirn more directly.
And so the worthy shipowner began to speak for the first
time of the death of Edward Starter, and the considerable
fortune which had fallen to his niece. And then Dolly
asked, —

" Jane Burker and her husband are on a voyage, they
tell me ; have they been away long from San Diego .■' "

" No. Two or three weeks."

" And ought they not soon to be back."

" I do not know," replied Mr. Andrew. " We have
received no news — "

" Does nobody know where they have gone ? "

78 Mistress Branican.

" Nobody knows, my dear Dolly. Len Burlier has been
engaged in very important — very adventurous — matters,
lie has been called away — very far away."

" And Jane ? "

" Mrs. Burker had to accompany her husband — and I
do not know how to tell you what happened — "

" Poor Jane ! " said Mrs. Branican. " I had a great
affection for her, and I should be glad to see her again.
Is she not the only relation I have left ! "

She did not give a thought to Edward Starter, nor of
the family tie which united them.

" How is it that Jane has not once written to me ? " she
asked.

" My dear Dolly, you were very ill when Mr. Burker and
his wife left San Diego."

" Just so, 'Mr. Andrew, and why write to one who could
not understand .' Dear Jane, she is to be pitied! Life will
be hard for her ! I was always afraid that Len Burker
v/ould launch into some speculation which would turn out
badly ! Perhaps John thought so too ! "

" 13ut," said Mr. William Andrew, "no one expected such
a regrettable ending."

" Was it then on account of some bad business that Len
Burker left San Diego .'' " asked Dolly quickly.

And she looked at M*. Andrew, whose embarrassment
was only too visible.

" Mr. Andrew," she continued, "speak! Do not leave
me in ignorance ! I desire to know all ! "

" Well, Uolly, I do not wish to hide from you a mis-
fortune you are sure soon to know ! Yes ! In the end
Len Burker's affairs became very bad. He could not meet
liis engagements. Claims came in ; and, threatened with
arrest, he had to take safety in flight."

" And Jane went with him ? "

" He certainly had to compel her to do so, and you
know she had no will of her own where he was con-
cerned."

"Poor Jane! Poor Jane!" murmured Mrs. Branican.

A Difficult PosiTio>f. ^g

" I pity her, and if I had been well I should have helped
her—"

" You could have done it 1 " said Mr. Andrew. " Yes — ■
you could have saved Len Barker, if not for himself, who
deserves no sympathy, at least for his wife."

"And John would have approved, I am sure, of the use
I would have made of our humble fortune."

Mr. William Andrew carefully abstained from saying
that Mrs. Branican's patrimony had been devoured by
Len Burker. That would have been to have shown that
he had been her trustee, and she might have asked how' so
much could have happened in the short time of two
months.

And so Mr. Andrew at once answered, —

" Say no more about your humble position, my dear
Dolly ; that is all altered now."

" What do you • mean, Mr. Andrew ? " asked Mrs.
Branican.

" I m.ean that you are rich, extremely rich 1'

"I ?"

"Your Uncle Edward Starter is dead."

" Dead .■• He is dead 1 And since when ? "

" Since—"

Mr. William Andrew was on the point of betraying
himself by giving the exact date of Edward Starter's
decease, nearly two years before, which would have
revealed the whole truth. But Dolly's only thought was
■that the death of her uncle and the disappearance of her
cousin left her without relations. And when she learnt
that owing to the relative she had hardly known, whose
wealth she and John had not expected to inherit until a
remote future, her fortune now amounted to two millions
of dollars, her only thought was w'.iat good she could do
with-it.

"Yes, Mr. Andrew," she said, "I ought to go to Jane's
help ! I ought to save her from ruin and disgrace !
Where is she ? Where can she be ? What has become of
her?"

8o Mistress Branican,

Mr. William Andrew had to say that the efforts to dis-
cover Len Burker had had no result. He had either taken
refuge in some distant part of the United States, or else
had left America, but it was impossible to say.

" But if it is only a few weeks since Jane and he dis-
appeared from San Diego," said Mrs. -Branican, "we may
learn — "

" Yes — a few weeks ! " said Mr. William Andrew hastily.

But at this moment Mrs. Branican could think of
nothing else than that, thanks to Edward Starter, John
need no longer be a sailor. He could now leave the sea.
This voyage in the Franklin for Andrews would be his
last. And was it not his last, since he would never come
back }

" No, Mr. Andrew," exclaimed Dolly. " Once John
comes Isack, he will never go to sea again ! His taste for
sea life he will give up for my sake. We will live together
— always together ! Nothing shall separate us again."

At the thought that this happiness would be shattered at
a word — a word that soon would have to be uttered — Mr.
William Andrew could hardly control himself. He hastened
to bring the interview to a close, but before taking his
leave he obtained Mrs. Branican's promise that she would
commit no imprudence, that she would not run the risk of
going out, that she would not resume her customary life
until the doctor had given her permission. On his part he
repeated that if directly or indirectly he received any news
of the Franklin he would immediately send it on to Prospect
House.

When Mr. William Andrew reported this conversation to
Doctor Erumley, the doctor made no secret of his fear that
some indiscretion would put Mrs. Branican in possession of
the truth. That her madness had lasted for years, that for
four years no one had known what had become of the
Franklin, that she would never again see John — Yes ; it
would be best for her to learn this either from Mr. William
Andrew or from himself after taking all possible precau-
tion.

A Difficult Position. 8i

It was therefore decided that in a week, when there could

be no longer a plausible motive for preventing Mrs Bi ani-

can from leaving the chalet, she should be told everything.

."And may Heaven give her strength to bear the trial,"

said Mr. William Andrew.

During the last week of June Mrs. Branican's life at
Prospect House continued to be what it always had been.
Thanks to careful nursing she recovered both phy.sical
strength and mental energy. And Mr, William Andrew
found it more and more embarrassing when Dolly pressed
him with questions to which he could not reply.

In the afternoon of the 23rd he came to see her, in order
to put at her disposal an important sum of money, and
account to her for her fortune which had been deposited
in reliable securities in the Consolidated Bank at San
Diego.

Mrs. Branican paid very little attention to the subject
of Mr. William Andrew's conversation, and hardly listened
to him. She could only talk about John, she could only
think of him. What ! Not a letter yet I That was most
disquieting! How came it that Andrews' had not even
received the telegram announcing the arrival of the Frank-
lin in India .'

The shipowner tried to calm Dolly by telling her he had
just telegraphed to Calcutta and would receive a reply in a
day or two. But if he succeeded in diverting her thoughts
he was considerably troubled when she asked, " Mr.
Andrew, there is a man of whom I have never spoken
until now — that is the man who saved my life and could
not save my child's. That sailor — "

" That sailor ? " said Mr. William Andrew, with visible
hesitation.

"Yes ; that courageous man— to whom I owe my life.
Has he been rewarded ? "

" Certainly, Dolly."

And he really had been.

" Is he at San Diego, Mr. Andrew ? "

" No, my dear Dolly — no ! I heard he had gone to sea."

82 Mistress Branican.

Which was true.

After leaving the bay the sailor had gone on several
trading voyages, and now was away at sea.

" Hut at least you can tell me his name ? " asked Mr.5.
Eranican.

" His name is Zach Fren."

" Zach Fren ? Good ! I thank you, Mr. Andrew,"
said Dolly.

And she said no more about the sailor whose name she ,
had just ascertained.

lUit from tnat day Zach Fren never ceased to occupy
Dolly's thoughts. Menceforth he was indissolubly bound
up in her mind with the remembrance of the catastroph3
of which San Dieg^o bay had betn the theatre. She would
find out Zach I-'Ven at the end of his voyage. He was in
a San Diego ship, without doubt. The ship would return
in six months — in a year— and ihen — assuredly the
Franklin would be back before he was. She and John
would be of one mind as to rewarding him — as to paying
him their debt of gratitude. Yes! John would not delay
in bringing back the Franklin and he would resign the
command of her. They would never again separate from
each other.

" And that day," she thought, " why should our kisses
be mingled with tears 1 "

CHAPTER IX.

REVELATIONS.

But Mr. William Andrew desired and feared this interview
in which Mrs. Branican would learn of the disappearance
of the Franklin and the loss of her crew and her captain —
a loss of which no one doubted at San Diego. Could her
reason, which had once succumbed, be equal to this last
blow ? Although more than four years had gone by since
John's departure, it would seem as though his death had
occurred but yesterday. Time which had passed over so
many human sorrows had not moved on in her case 1

While Mrs. Bran'can remained at Prospect House they
could hope that no indiscretion would be prematurely com-
mitted. Mr. William Andrew and Dr. Brumley had taken
their precautions, and prevented any newspapers or letters
arriving at the chalet. But Dolly felt strong enough to go
out, and although the doctor had not given her permission
to do so, could she not leave Prospect House without saying
anything about it? And so they resolved to hesitate no
longer, and Dolly would soon be told that she could no
longer reckon on the return of the Franklin.

But after the conversation she had had with Mr. William
Andrew, Mrs. Branican had made up her mind to go out
without telling her maids, who would have done their
utmost to dissuade her. And if this expedition were free
from danger in the actual state of her health, it might
nevertheless bring about deplorable results in the event of
some accident acquainting her with the truth without
previous precaution.

84 Mistress Branican,

In leaving Prospect House, Mrs. Branican proposed to
make some inquiries regarding Zach Fren. Now that
she knew the sailor's name, only one thought possessed
her.

" They have seen about him," she said. " Yes ! a little
money has been given him, without my having anything to
say in the matter. Zach Fren has been away about five or
six weeks. But perhaps he has a family, a wife, children
— poor people, undoubtedly ! It is my duty to go and
visit them, to minister to their wants, to assure them of
comfort ! I will see them, and will do what I ought to do
for them ! "

And if Mrs. Branican had consulted Mr. William
Andrew in the matter, how could he have dissuaded her
from this act of gratitude and charity ?

On the 2ist of June, Dolly went out of the inclosure
about nine o'clock in the morning without being noticed.
She was dressed in mourning — mourning for her child,
whose death she thought had taken place but two months
before. It was not without deep emotion that she went
out of the gate of the little garden — alone for the first
time.

The weather was fine, and the heat already great in
these first weeks of the Californian summer, although it
was tempered by the sea breeze.

She went along among the houses and gardens of the
upper town. Absorbed in thought of what she was going
to do, she did not notice the changes which had taken place
in the neighbourhood, the new buildings which ought to
have attracted her attention ; or at least she had but a vague
perception of them. Besides, these changes were not im-
portant enough to interfere with her finding her way along
the roads down to the bay. She did not notice two or
three people who recognized her and looked at her with a
certain amount of astonishment.

In passing a Catholic chapel not far from Prospect House,
of which she had been one of the ftiost assiduous frequenters,
she felt an irresistible desire to enter. The officiating priest

Revelations. 85

had begun the mass as she knelt on a low chair in a dark
corner. There she poured out her soul in prayer for her
child, her husband — for all those she loved. The few
faithful who attended the mass had not noticed her, and
when she retired they had already left the chapel.

It was there that she noticed something which could not
but surprise her. It seemed that the altar was no longer
that before which she was accustomed to pray. This altar
was richer, and of a new kind, and stood in front of an
apse which appeared to be of recent construction. Had
the chapel been made larger ?

But this was only a fugitive impression which fled as
soon as Mrs. Branican began to descend the streets to-
wards the business quarter in which the animation was
great. But at any moment the truth might break on her
— a. poster with a date — a railway time-table — a steamboat
notice — the announcement of a fete or an entertainment
bearing the date 1879; and then Dolly would suddenly
learn that Mr. William Andrew and Doctor Brumley had
deceived her, and that her insanity had lasted four years,
and not a few weeks ; and that in consequence it was not
two months, but four years, since the Franklin had left
San Diego. And if they had hidden it from her that John
had not come back — it was because he would never come
back !

Mrs. Branican was hurrying towards the wharves when
the idea occurred to her of passing Len Burker's house,
which would only take her a little out of her way.
" Poor Jane I" she murmured.

When she arrived in front of the office in Fleet Street
she could hardly recognize it, and this caused her mere
than a gesture of surprise, a vague and disturbing uneasi-
ness.

Instead of the narrow, gloomy house she knew, there
was an important building of Anglo-Saxon architecture,
of many storeys, with high windows, and iron bars on the
ground floor. On the roof was a lantern, from which
floated a flag, bearing the initials H, W. Near the door

86 Mistress Branican.

was a plate, on which could be read these words, in golden
letters, —

"Harris, Wadanton and Co."

Dolly at first thought she was mistaken ; she looked to
the right, to the leit. No! it was here, at the angle of
Fleet Street, that the house stood to which she came to
see Jane Burker.

She put her hands to her eyes. An inexplicable pre-
sentiment chilled her heart. She could not account for
what she felt.

Mr. William Andrew's house of business was not far off.
Dolly, hurrying along, saw it at a turning out of the road.
At first she thought of going there. No — she would go
there as she came back — when she had seen Zach Fren's
family. She intended to get the sailor's address at the
steam launch office, near the landing-stage.

With her mind bewildered, her eyes irresolute, her heart
palpitating, Dolly continued her walk. She now looked
closely at the people she met. She felt an irresistible
want to go to these people to interrogate them, to ask them
— what .' They would have taken her for a lunatic — but
was she sure that her reason had not left her for a second
time ? Were there not gaps in her memory ? Was she
completely in possession of herself?

Mrs. Branican reached the wharf. Beyond, the bay
lay revealed throughout its extent. A few ships were
gently rolling at their anchorage. Others were preparing
to depart. What memories this life in the harbour re-
called I Two months ago she was at the end of this wharf ;
it was from this spot that she had seen the Franklin go
about for the last time to leave .the bay ; it was there she
had received John's la&t adieu ; there the vessel had
doubled Island Point, the upper sails had for a moment
been seen above the cliff, and the Franklin had vanished
into the distances of the high seas.

A few more steps, and Dolly found herself at the steam
launch office near the landing-stage. One of the boats

Revelations. 87

was going away at the momentj heading for Loma
Point.

Dolly followed it with her eyes, listening to the
noise of the steam which panted from the end of the
black tube.

To what sorrowful remembrance did she then abandon
herself .' The remembrance of her child, whose little body
the waters had not even yielded up, which attracted her —
fascinated her. She felt herself fainting, as if the ground
were failing her. Her head turned. She was on the
point of falling.

A moment afterwards Mrs. Branican entered the steam
launch office.

As he caught sight of this woman with her features
drawn, and her face bloodless, the clerk who was sitting at
a table arose, handed her a chair, and said, —

"You are ill, madam?"

''It is nothing, sir," said Dolly. "A moment of weak-
ness. I feel better."

" Will you sit down and wait for the next launch ?
In ten minutes at most — "

" Thank you, sir," said Mrs. Branican. " I have only
come to ask you for some information. Can you give ic
me?"

" What is it > "

Dolly sat down, and, putting her hand to her forehead
to collect her ideas, —

" Sir," she said, " you had in your service a sailor named
Zach Fren ? "

" Yes," said the clerk, " he was not with us long, but
I remember him perfectly."

" He it was, was it not, who risked his life to save a
woman — an unhappy mother ? "

" I remember her — Mrs. Branican — yes 1 that was the
man."

" And now he is at sea ? "

" At sea." .

" On what ship is he ? "

88 Mistress Branican. ,'

" The Californian."

"Of San Diego?"

" No, of San Francisco."

" Where is he bound for ? "

" For Europe."

Mrs. Branican, more fatigued than she beh'evcd herself
to be, was silent for some seconds, and the clerk waited for
her to ask him some more questions. When she had
recovered a little, she said, —

" Does Zach Fren belong to San Diego ? "

" Yes."

" Can you tell me where his. family lives ? "

"I have always understood that Zach Fren was alone
in the world. I do not think he has any relations, either
at San Diego or elsewhere."

" He was not married ? "

" No."

There was no reason for doubting the reply of this
clerk, to whom Zach Fren was well known.

Nothing, therefore, could be done, for the sailor had no
family, and Mrs. Branican would have to wait ,until the
Californian returned from Europe.

" Is it known how long Zach Fren's voyage will last ? "
she asked.

" I cannot tell you that, for the Californian is on a very
long cruise."

" Thank you, sir," said Mrs. Branican. '" I should have
had great satisfaction in meeting Zach Fren, but some
time will elapse, doubtless."

" Yes."

" But it is possible that there will be news of the Califor-
nian in a few months, a few weeks .-' "

"News?" said the clerk. "But the San Francisco
house to whom she belongs has already had news of her
several times."

"Already.?"

"Ye-s.".

"And several times?"

REVELATiaNS. 89

And as she repeated the words -Mrs. Branican rose, and
looked at the clerk as if she had not understood him.

" Look, madam," he replied, handing her a newspaper.
" Here is the Shipping Gazette, It says the Californian
left Liverpool eight days ago."

" Eight days ! " murmured Mrs. Branican, taking the
newspaper and trembling.

Then, in a voice so completely broken that the clerk
could hardly hear her, —

" How long is it since Zach Fren went away ? " she
asked.

" Nearly eighteen months."

" Eighteen months !"

Dolly supported herself against the angle of the desk.
Her heart ceased to beat during some seconds.

Suddenly her looks were caught by a bill hung againsf
the wall, and which gave the times of the steam launches
for the summer season.

At the head of the bill were the word and ihe figures-

" MARCH, 1879."

March, 1879! They had deceived her ! Her child had
been dead for years — fcur years since John had left San
Diego ! She had been mad these four years ! Yes !
And if Mr. William Andrew,- if Doctor Brumley had allowed
her to believe that her madness had only lasted two months,
it was because they wished to hide from her the truth
about the Franklin. It was four years since there had
been any news of John and his ship.

To the great alarm of the clerk, Mrs. Branican was seized
with a violent ?pasm ; but with a supreme effort she con-
trolled it, and, rushing from the office, walked quickly
through the streets of the lower town.

Those who saw this woman pass, with her pale face and
haggard eyes, may have thought she was mad. And if
she were not, was she not going to be so .''

Where was she going ? Towards Andrews', where she
arrived almost unconsciously in a few minutes. She went

90 Mistress Branican.

through the offices, she passed among the clerks who had
not time to stop her, and she pushed open the door of the
private office where she found the shipowner.

At first Mr. William Andrew was thunderstruck at seeing
Mrs. Branican enter, and terrified at her agitated features
and her frightful pallor.

But before he could say a word, —

"I know — I know 1" she exclaimed. "You have de-
ceived me. I have been mad for four years."

" My dear Dolly— be calm ! "

" Answer ! The Franklin ? She has been gone four
years, has she not ? "

Mr. William Andrew bowed his head.

" You have had no news — for four years — for four
years } "

Mr. William Andrew remained silent.

" You think the Franklin is lost ! Ncne of her crev/
will return — and I shall never see John again ! "

Tears were Mr. William Andrew's only reply.

Mrs. Branican fell suddenly into an arm-chair. She had
fainted.

Mr. William Andrew called one of the women of the
house, who did all she could to bring Dolly round, while
one of the clerks was hurried off to Doctor Brumley, who
lived not far off and made haste to come.

Mr. William Andrew told him «hat had happened. By
some indiscretion or accident, he did not know which, Mrs.
Branican had just learnt everything. Whether at Prospect
House, or in the streets of San Diego, did not matter. She
knew now 1 She knew that four years had elapsed since
her child's death, that for four years she had been deprived
of reason, that four years had passed without receiving any
news of the Franklin,

It was not without difficulty that Doctor Brumley suc-
ceeded in bringing back Dolly to life, while he asked
himself if her intelligence had resisted this last blow, the
most terrible of those with which she had been struck.

When Mrs. Branican returned to her senses she knew

Revelations. 91

all that had been revealed to her. She returned to life
with all her reason. And through her tears her look in-
terrogated Mr. William Andrew, who held her hands, and
knelt close to her.

" Speak — speak — Mr. Andrew ! " were the only words
that escaped her lips.

Then, in a voice broken with sobs, Mr. William Andrew
told her of the anxiety that had at first been caused by the
failure of news as to the Franklin. Letters and telegrams
had been sent to Singapore and the Indies, where the
vessel had never arrived. An inquiry had taken place
with regard to the Franklin's course ; but no trace of her
wreck had been found.

Motionless Mrs. Branican heard with her mouth silent,
her look fixed. And when Mr. William Andrew had
finished his recital, —

" My child dead — my husband dead," she murmured.
" Ah ! why did not Zach Fren let me die ! "
■ Then' her face suddenly became animated, and her
natural energy manifested itself with so much power that
Doctor Brumley was alarmed.

" Since the last search," she said in a resolute voice,
" nothing Jias been heard of the Franklin f"

" Nothing ! " replied Mr. William Andrew.

"And you consider her as lost?"

"Yes! Lost!"

"And of John and his crew you can obtain no
news ? "

" None, my poor Dolly, and now we have no hope."

" No Jiope ! " said Mrs. Branican in a tone almost
ironical.

She rose and stretched out her hand towards one of the
windows through which she could see the horizon of sea.

Mr. William Andrew and Doctor Brumley looked at her
with dismay, fearing for her mental state.

But Dolly was in full possession of her faculties, and
with glowing look, she said, — ■

" No hope ! You say no hope ! Mr. Andrew, if John is

G

92 Mistress Branican.

lost for you, he is not lost for me ! This fortune which
belongs to me, I care not for it without him ! I will
devote it to searching for John and his companions of the
Franklin. And by Heaven's aid I will find them ] Yes 1
I will find them I "

CHAPTER X.

PREPARATIONS.

A NEW life was about to commence for Mrs. Branican. If
she had absolute certainty of the death of her child, it
was not so regarding John. John and his companions
might have survived their wreck on one of the numerous
islands of the seas of the Ehilippines, Celebes or Java.
Was it impossible that they were held prisoners by some
native race, and that it was impossible for them to escape ?
It was to this hope that Mrs. Branican clung from the
outset, and with a tenacity so extraordinary that she soon
provoked a change in the public opinion of San Diego on
the subject of the Franklin. No ! She would not believe,
she could not' believe that John and his crew had perished,
and it may be that to the persistence of this idea she owed
the keeping of her reason. At least, as some were inclined
to think, it was a species of monomania, a sort of madness
which is called "the madness of desperate hope." But
this was not the case, as we shall soon see. Mrs. Branican
had resumed full possession of her intelligence, and had
recovered that sureness of judgment which had always
characterized her. One object she had for life, to find
John, and she pursued it with an energy which circum-
stances occurred to stimulate. As Heaven had permitted
Zach Fren to save her from the first catastrophe, and
reason had been returned to her when she had at her dis-
posal all the means of action fortune gives, if John were
alive he should be saved by her. This fortune she would
employ in incessant searches, she would squander it in re-

94 Mistress Branican.

wards, she would spend it in expeditions. Thera was not an
island, not an islet, in the localities traversed by the young
captain which should not be reconnoitred, visited, searched.
What Lady Franklin had done for John Franklin Mrs.
Branican could do for John Branican, and she would suc-
ceed where the widow of the illustrious admiral had failed.

From this day Dolly's friends were those who could help
her in this new period of her existence, encourage her in
her investigations, and join their efforts to hers. And one
of them was Mr. William Andrew, although he had but
little hope of a happy result of these attempts to discover
the survivors of his wrecked ship, and he became the
most ardent adviser of Mrs. Branican, supported by the
captain of the Boundary, whose ship was then at San
Diego dismantled. Captain Ellis, a resolute man on
whom they could depend, and a devoted friend of John,
received an invitation to confer with Mrs, Branican and
Mr. William Andrew.

There were frequent interviews at Prospect House.
Rich as she now was, Mrs. Branican had no wish to leave
the modest chalet. It was there John had left her when
he started, it was there he should find her when he came
back. Nothing should be changed in her mode of life
until her husband returned to San Diego. She would live
the same life with the same simplicity, spending nothing
more than usual except for the expenses of her searches
and he? charities.

This was soon known in the town ; and in consequence
there was a redoubling of sympathy for this valiant woman
\vho would not be John Branican's widow. Without any
mistrust they became enthusiastic about her ; they admired
her, they even venerated her, for her misfortunes justified
their going as far as veneration. Not only did a number
of people pray that she might succeed, but they believed
in her eventual success. When Dolly came down into the
lower town to visit Andrews' or Captain Ellis, when she
•\\ as seen serious and sombre, clad in her mourning garb,
looking ten years older than she was, and she was theri

Preparations. 95

scarcely five-and-twenty, hats were raised in respect and
people bowed as she passed. But she saw nothing of these
deferences which were addressed to her.

During the interviews between Mrs. Branican, Mr.
William Andrew and Captain Ellis, the first consideration
bore on the course the Franklin should have followed.
It was at the outset important to fix this with rigorous
exactitude.

Andrews' had sent the ship to Calcutta with a call at
Singapore, and it was in this port she had to discharge a
portion of the cargo before proceeding to India. Thus, in
sailing from the west coast of the American continent the
probabilities were that Captain John would sight the
Hawaiian or Sandwich archipelago. After traversing the
zones of Micronesia, the Franklin would pass near the
Mariannes and the Philippines ; then by the Sea of Celebes
and the Strait of Macassar she would gain the Sea of Java,
bounded on the north by the Sunda islands, and thus reach
Singapore. At the western extremity of the Straits of
Malacca, formed by the peninsula of that name and the
Island of Java, lies the Gulf of Bengal, in which, beyond
the Nicobar islands and the Andaman islands, there was
no refuge for shipwrecked men. Besides, it was beyond a
doubt that John Branican had never appeared in the Gulf
of Bengal ; for as he had failed to reach Singapore it was
evident he had not got beyond the Java sea and the Sunda
islands.

No sailor would admit that the Franklin, instead of
taking the Malaysia route, had endeavoured to reach India
through the difficult channels of Torres strait and along the
coast of the north of the Australian continent. Captain Ellis
affirmed that John Branican would never commit such a
useless imprudence as to risk his ship amid the dangers of
this strait. This hypothesis was absolutely put aside ; it
was only in Malaysia that search should be made.

In fact, in the seas of the Carolines, of Celelaes and of
Java islands and islets can be counted in thousands, and it
was there only, if they had survived an accident dx\. the sea.

r)6 Mistress Branican.

that the crew of the Franklin could be abandoned or
detained by some tribe, without means of returning home.

These different points established, it was decided that an
expedition should be sent into the seas of Malaysia, and
Mrs. Branican made a proposition to which she attached
great importance. She asked Captain Ellis, if it suited
him, to take command of the expedition.

Captain Ellis was then free, because the Boundary had
been dismantled by her owners, and although he was sur-
prised by the unexpectedness of the proposal, he did not
hesitate to put himself at Mrs. Branican's disposal, with the
acquiescence of Mr. William Andrew, who thanked him
cordially.

" I am only doing my duty," he said, "and all that I can
do to find the survivors of the Franklin, I will do. If
Captain- John is alive — "

" John is alive ! " said Mrs. Branican, in so affirmative
a tone that the most incredulous dared not contradict
her.

Captain Ellis then entered into discussion on different
points which ought to be settled. To engage a crew
worthy of seconding his effort was not difficult. But there
was the question of the ship. Evidently there could be no
thought of using the Boutidary for an expedition of this
nature. It was not a sailing vessel that could carry out
such a campaign, but a steam vessel.

There were then in the harbour of San Diego a certain
number of steamers well suited for the purpose. Mrs.
Branican instructed Captain Ellis to buy the fastest of
these steamers, and put the necessary funds for the
purchase at his disposal. A few days afterwards the affair
v/as concluded, and Mrs. Branican was the owner of the
Davit, the name of which was changed to Dolly Hope of
happy augury.

She was a screw steamer of nine hundred tons, designed
to carry a large quantity of coal in her bunkers, so that
she could take long voyages without having to fill up
often with fuel. Rigged as a three-masted schooner,

PRE^AKAT10NS. 97

provided with a considerable sail spread, her engines were
of 1 200 horse-power, and drove her at an average of 1 5
knots an hour. In these conditions of speed and tonnage
the Dolly Hope, handy and seaworthy, would answer all the
requirements of a voyage through narrow seas strewn with
islands, islets and reefs ; and it would have been difficult to
have made a more appropriate choice for this expedition.

It only took three weeks to get the Dolly Hope ready
for sea, to inspect her boilers, test her engines, repair her
rigging and sails, adjust her compasses, take in her coal,
and lay in provisions for a voyage which might last a year.
Captain Ellis had resolved not to abandon the region in
which ^& Franklin might have been lost without exploring
every part of it. He had given his word as a seaman,
and he was a man who kept his engagements.

To give a good ship a good crew was to increase
the chances of success, and Captain Ellis could only
congratulate himself on the crowd of the maritime
population of San Diego, from which he had to choose.
The best sailors offered to serve under his orders ; and
there was quite a dispute among those who were anxious
to go in search of the victims, who all belonged to the
families of the port.

The Dolly Hope had two mates and a boatswain, a
quartermaster and twenty-five men, including engineers
and stokers. Captain Ellis was certain of obtaining all
he wished from the devoted mariners, no matter how long
or difficult the voyage in the seas of Malaysia.
■ It need not be said that during these preparations Mrs.
Branican did not remain inactive. She assisted Captain
Ellis by her constant intervention, solving all difficulties
with money, and seeing that nothing was neglected to
insure the success of the expedition.
. In the meanwhile this charitable woman had not
forgotten the families which the disappearance of the ship
had left in poverty or misery, although in that she had only
to complete the measures already taken by Andrews' and
supported by public subscription. Henceforth the sub-

98 MisTREsr; Tranican.

sistence of these families was sufficiently cared for, until
the attempt of Mrs. Branican had given, them back the
men wrecked in the Franklin.

What Dolly had done for the families so cruelly tried
by disaster, would she not also do for Jane Burker ? She
now knew how good Jane had been to her during her
illness. She knew that Jane had never left her for an
instant. And at this moment she would still be at
Prospect House sharing in her hopes, if the deplorable
affairs of her husband had not obliged her to leave San
Diego, and doubtless the United States. Whatever
reproaches Len Burker deserved, it was certain that Jane's
conduct had been that of a relation, whose affection
extended to entire devotedness. Dolly had thus retained
for her a profound friendship, and in thinking of her
miserable position her keenest regret was in not being
able to show her gratitude by going to her aid. But in
spite of all Mr. William Andrew's diligence, it was
impossible to discover what had become of the Burkers.
It is true that if the place of their retreat had been known,
Mrs. Branican could not have summoned them back to
San Diego, for Len Burker was under the most over-
whelming charges of embezzlement, but she could have
hastened to convey to Jane the help of which the unfor-
tunate woman stood in need.

On the 27th of July the Dolly Hope was ready to start.
Mrs. Branican went on board in the morning, so as to beg
Captain Ellis for the last time to omit nothing that might
discover traces of the Franklin. She had, however, no
doubt that he would succeed. They would bring back
John ; they would bring back the crew. She repeated
these words with such conviction that the sailors clapped
their hands. All shared in her faith, as did their friends
and relatives, who had come to see the departure of the
Dolly Hope.

Captain Ellis then addressed Mrs. Branican at the same
time as he spoke to Mr. William Andrew, who had
accompanied her on board.

Preparations. 99

"Before you, madam," he said, "before Mr. William
Andrew, in the name of my officers and my crew, I swear,
yes ! I swear to recoil from nothing either in danger or
fatigue to discover Captain John and the men of the
Franklin. The ship you have fitted out is now called the
Dolly Hope, and she shall justify her name."

" By the aid of God, and the devotion of those who put
their trust in Him ! " said Mrs, Branican.

" Hurrah ! hurrah ! for John and Dolly Branican ! "

The shouts were repeated by the ^\rhole crowd who
thronged the wharves.

Her hawsers were cast off, and the Dolly /Tis^^, obedient
to the first revolutions of the screw, moved out to leave
the bay. As soon as she was through the strait her
head was laid south-west, and under the action of her
powerful engines she was soon out of sight of the American
coast.

CHAPTER XI.

THE FIKST CRUISE IN MALAYSIA,

On the 27th of July, after a run of two thousand two
hundred miles, the Dolly Hope sighted the mountain of
Mouna-Kea, which towers for fifteen thousand feet above
the island of Hawaii, which is the most southerly of the
Sandwich group. Independently of the five large and
three small islands, the group includes a certain number
of islets on which there was no need to search for traces of
the Franklin. It was evident that the wreck would long
ago have been known if it had taken place on any of the
reefs of this archipelago, even those of Medo-Manu,
although they are only frequented by innumerable sea
birds. In fact, the Sandwich islands are well populated — ■
there are over a hundred thousand inhabitants in Hawaii
alone — and through the missionaries the news of the
disaster would soon have reached the Californian ports.

Besides, four years before when Captain Ellis had met
the Franklin, the two ships were already beyond the
Sandwich group. The Dolly Hope therefore continued her
course to the south-west across that admirable Pacific
Ocean which well merits its nan^e during the few months
of the warm season.

Six days later the speedy steamer had crossed the con-
ventional line which geographers have traced from south
to north between Polynesia and Micronesia. In this
eastern part of the Polynesian seas, Captain Ellis had no
investigation to make. But beyond, the Micronesian seas
swarm with islands, islets and reefs, where the Dolly Hope

The First Cruise in Malaysia. loi

would have the dangerous task of discovering some
indicatioiTs of the wreck.

On the 22nd of August the Dolly Hope dropped anchor
at Otia, the most important of the Marshall group, visited
by Kotzebue and the Russians in' 18 17. This group
extends about thirty miles from east to west, and thirteen
miles from north to south, and includes about 65 islets or
atolls.

The Dolly Hope, which could have replenished her water
tanks in a few hours, remained here five days, while
Captain Ellis in the steam launch was able to assure
himself that no wreck had occurred on the reefs within
the last four years. He found a little floating timber
along the Mulgrave islets, but this consisted of trunks of
pines, palm trees, and bamboos brought by the currents
from the north or the south, and which the natives used to
build their canoes with. Captain Ellis also learnt from
the chief of Otia Island that, since 1872, there had been
only one vessel wrecked on the eastern atolls, and. that
was an English brig, the crew of which was eventually
taken home.

After leaving the Marshall archipelago the Dolly Hope
shaped her course for the Carolines. Captain Ellis went
in the launch to Olan island as he passed it, but the
exploration yielded no result. On the 3rd of September
he entered the vast archipelago which extends between
the twelfth degree of north latitude and the third degree
of south latitude, in one part or another, between the
hundred and twenty-ninth degree of east longitude, and
the hundred and seventieth degree of west longitude, or
two hundred and twenty-five leagues from north to south
on both sides of the equator, and about a thousand leagues
from east to west.

The Dolly Hope remained for about three months among
the Carolines, which are sufficiently well known through
the works of Lutke, the bold Russian navigator, added to
those of the Frenchmen Duperrey and Dumont D'Urville.
No less time was required for visiting the principal groups

102 Mistress Branican.

which form this archipelago, those of the Pclews, the
Dangerous Sailors, the Martyrs, the Saavedras, the
Sonsorols, the Marieras, the Annas, the Lord Norths, etc.

Captain Ellis chose for the centre of his operations Yap
or Gouap, which belongs to the Carolines proper, which
consist of five hundred islands. It was from here that
the steamer pursued her investigations to the further
points. Of how many shipwrecks has this archipelago been
the theatre, among others those of the Antelope in 1793,
and the American, Captain Barnard, on the Morty and
Lord North islands in 1832 ?

During this period the way in which the men of the Dolly
Hope did their work was beyond praise. None of them
took notice of the dangers or fatigues occasioned by this
navigation amid innumerable reefs and through narrow
channels, whose beds bristled with coral. And the
bad season had begun to trouble these regions, in which
the winds are unloosed with frightful impetuosity, and
in which disasters are still so numerous.

Every day the ship's boats explored the creeks where
wreckage might be deposited by currents. When the
sailors landed they were well armed, for these were not such
explorations as were carried on in the desert countries of
the Arctic regions by Admiral Franklin. These islands
were for the most part inhabited, and Captain Ellis's task
consisted in manoeuvring like Entrecasteaux when he
explored the atolls, where it was thought La Perouse had
been lost. It was necessary for him to put himself in
communication with the natives. The crew of the Dolly
Hope were often received by hostile demonstrations among
some of the natives, who are anything but hospitable to
strangers. There were attacks which it was necessary to
repel by force. Two or three sailors were even wounded,
but fortunately not seriously.

It was from this archipelago of the Carolines that
Captain Ellis's first letters could be sent to Mrs.
Branican by ships bound to the American coast. But
they contained nothing relative to traces of the Franklin

The First Cruise in Malaysia. 103

or Iier crew. The attempts which had failed in the
Carolines were to be resumed in the west, and comprise
the vast system of Malaysia. There in reality were better
chances of discovering the survivors of the catastrophe,
perhaps on one of the numerous islets, the existence of
which is not yet recorded in hydrographical books, even
after the three expeditions which have been at work on
this part of the Pacific Ocean.

Seven hundred miles more to the west of the Carolines,
on the 2nd of December, the Dolly Hope reached one of
the large islands of the Philippines, the most important
groupof the Malay archipelagoes, and also the most con-
siderable of those the position of which has been fixed by
geographers in Malaysian hydrography, and even in the
whole of Oceania. This group, discovered by Magellan in
1521, extends from the fifth to the twenty-first degree of
north latitude, and from the hundred and fourteenth to
the hundred and twenty-third degree of east longitude.

The Dolly Hope did not go to the large island of Luzon,
also called Manilla. It was not likely that the Franklin
had got up so high as the China seas on her way to
Singapore. For this reason Captain Ellis preferred to
make his centre Mindanao in the south of the archipelago,
that is to say on the same line as John Branican would
certainly have followed to reach the Java sea.

At this date the Dolly Hope was moored off the south-
west coast in the port of Zamboanga, the residence of the
governor in charge of the three alcaldes of the island.

Mindanao is in two divisions, one Spanish, the other
independent under the rule of a Sultan, who has his resi-
dence at Selangan.

Captain Ellis made his first inquiries of the governor
and alcaldes with regard to the wreck of which the coast
of Mindanao might have been the site. The authorities
very obligingly put themselves at his disposal ; but in
the Spanish region of Mindanao, more or less, there had
been no maritime disaster for five years.

On the coast of the independent portion of the island

104 Mistress Branican.

inhabited by Mindanais, Caragos, Loutas, Soubanis, and
a few other savage races, very justly suspected of canni-
balism, disasters might occur and never be heard of, for
the people had every reason to say nothing about them!
There are even a number of Malays who get their living
as pirates. With their light vessels they give chase to
merchant vessels, driven by the westerly winds on their
coast, and when they capture them they destroy them.
Such might have been the Franklin's fate, and assuredly
it would not have been reported to the government. The
only information he could give relative to the portion of
the island under his authority was thus judged insufficient.

And so the Dolly Hope had to leave these dangerous
seas during the winter season. Many times she sent her
boats to diiTerent parts of the coast, and the sailors ven-
tured into the forests of tamarinds, bamboos, mangroves,
black ebonies, wild acacias and iron woods, which form
part of the wealth of the Philippines. Amid these fertile
regions, where the products of the temperate zone mingle
with those of the tropics, Captain Ellis and his men visited
certain villages, where they hoped to find some indication,
some fragments of wreckage, some prisoners detained by
the Malay tribes ; but their operations were fruitless, and
the steamer had to return to Zamboanga much tried by
the bad weather, and only by a miracle having escaped the
submarine reefs in these seas.

The exploration of the Philippine archipelago lasted two
months and a- half. More than a hundred islands had to
be visited, among them the chief, after Luzon and
Mindanao being Mindoro, Leyte, Samar, Panay, Negros,
Zebu, Marshate, Palawan, Catanduanes, &c.

After exploring the group of Basilan, by the south of
Zamboanga;- Captain. Ellis steered for the Sooloo archi-
pelago, where he arrived about the 25 th of February, 1880.

This was a veritable nest of pirates, in which the natives
swarm among the numerous islets which are covered with
a network of jungle, and extend from the southern point
of Mindanao to the northern point of Borneo, There is

The First Cruise in Malaysia. 105

but one port which isoccasionally frequented by ships cross-
ing the China seas, and the Malaysian waters, the port of
Basilan, situated on the principal island which has given
its name to the group.

It was at Basilan that the Dolly Hope put in. There
communications were established with the Sultan and the
datous, who govern a population of six or seven thousand
inhabitants. Captain Ellis was not sparing of presents
either ;n money or kind. The natives put themselves on
the track of the different shipwrecks of which these islands,
defended by their girdles of coral, had been the site. But
amongst the wreckage that was collected nothing was
recognized as having belonged to the Franklin ; and either
the men had died or gone home.

The Dolly Hope, which had filled up her coal bunkers
at Mindanao, was already running short at the, end
of this cruise among the meanderings qf the Sooloo
group. Enough remained, however, to take her through
the Sea of Celebes, towards the Marantonba Islands, and
down to Bandjer Massing, which is situated in the south
of Borneo.

Captain Ellis proceeded down this sea which is shut in
like a lake between the large Malaysian islands, but it is
badly sheltered, and in spite of the natural obstacles
against the fury of the storms, it is desolated by the
typhoons which cast a shadow over the lovely picture of
the splendour of the waters which swarm with zoophytes
of startling colours, and molluscs of a thousand species,
making the sea a bed of liquid flowers.

Of its stormy nature the Dolly Hope had an experience
on the night of the 28th and 29th of February. During the
day the wind had gradually freshened, and although it
had dropped a little towards evening, enormous clouds of
livid hue were piled up on the horizon and betokened a
troubled night.

The storm broke out with great violence about eleven
o'clock, and the sea rose in a few minutes with an impetu-
osity quite extraordinary.

io6 Mistress Bkanican.

Captain Ellis, justly alarmed for the Dolly Hopes engines,
and careful to prevent any accident which might endanger
his cruise, lay to so as to require of the screw only enough
speed to give the vessel steerage way.

Notwithstanding these precautions the tornado broke
with such violence, and the waves beat with such fury
round the Dclly Hope that several formidable seas boarded
her. In some of them quite a hundred tons of water were
hurled on to her deck, staving in the skylights and
accumulating in the hold. But the strong bulkheads stood
the pressure and kept it out from the boiler room and
engine room; which was fortunate, for if the fires had been
extinguished ihe Dolly Hope would have been left defence-
less to the strife of the elements, and, being unable to steer,
would have rolled in the hollows of the waves until she
was lost.

The crew showed as much coolness as courage in these
critical circumstances, and valiantly assisted their com-
mander and officers, and proved themselves worthy of the
captain who had chosen them from among the best of the
; ailors of San Uiego. The ship was saved by the skill and
precision with which it was handled.

After fifteen terrible hours the sea calmed down, falling
almost suddenly as they approached the large Island of
Borneo, and in the morning of the 2nd of March the
Dolly Hope sighted the Maratouba islands.

These islands, which geographically belong to Borneo,
became the object of minute exploration during the first
fortnight of March. Encouraged by the gifts which were
not spared, the chiefs did their best to aid in the search,
but it was impossible to procure the least information
relative to the disappearance of the Franklin, and as these
regions of Malaysia are frequently infested by pirates it
was to be feared that John Branican and his crew had
been massacred to the last man..

One day Captain Ellis, talking over these things with
the mate, said, —

'■ It is quite possible that the loss of the Franklin was due

formidable seas boarded her.

n

The First Cruise in Malaysia. 107

to an attack of that nature. That would explain why we
have not as yet discovered any trace of the wreck. Pirates
do not boast of their exploits. V/hen a ship disappears
the catastrophe is credited to a typhoon, and there is an
end of the matter."

" That is only too true, captain," said the mate.
" Pirates are plentiful enough in these seas, and we shall
have to keep a sharp look out as we go down the Straits
of Macassar."

" Undoubtedly," said Captain Ellis, " but we are in a
better position than John Branican to escape the rascals.
With irregular and shifty winds a sailing vessel cannot be
worked as you please ; but so long as the engines work no
Malay boat can get at us. Nevertheless, we must keep a
good look out."

The Dolly Hope entered the Straits of Macassar which
separate Eorneo from the capricious coast of Celebes.
During two months, from the i sth of March to the 15th of
May, after coaling at Damaring, Captain Ellis explored
all the .eastern creeks.

This Island of Celebes, which was discovered by Magel-
lan, is not less than ninety-two leagues long and twenty-
five wide. It is of such a shape that geographers have
compared it to a tarantula whose enormous legs are repre-
sented by the peninsula. The beauty of its landscapes, the
richness of its products, the convenient arrangement of its
mountains make it equal to superb Borneo. But its numer-
ous gulfs and creeks offer so many refuges to pirates that
the navigation of the strait is really dangerous.

Nevertheless Captain Ellis accomplished his v/ork with
all desirable precision. With his boilers always under
pressure he visited the creeks in his boats ready to return
to the ship at the least appearance of danger.

As she neared the southern extremity of the strait the
Dolly Hope could proceed under less alarming conditions.
In fact, that part of the Island of Celebes is imder Dutch
rule. The capital of these possessions is Macassar, for-
merly Wlaardingcn, which is defended by the fort of

loS Mistress Bramcan.

Rotterdam. It was there that Captain Ellis dropped
anchor on the 17th of May to give his crew a little rest and
to fill up with coal. If he had discovered nothing that
could put him on the track of John Branican, he learnt in'
tliis port some very important news regarding the course
taken by the Franklin, for on the 3rd of May, 1875, the ship
had been signalled ten miles off Macassar heading towards
the Java sea. It was therefore certain that she had not
perished in the dangerous waters of Malaysia. It was
beyond Celebes and Borneo, that is to say in the Sea of
Java, that he must renew his investigations and continue
them on to Singapore.

In a letter which he addressed to Mrs. Branican from
this extreme point of the Island of Celebes, Captain Ellis
informed her of this circumstance, and renewed his promise
to keep her acquainted with his investigations, which would
now be localized between the Sea of Java and the Sunda
islands.

In fact, the Dolly Hope would not pass the meridian of
Singapore, which would be the limit of her cruise to the
westward. She would complete her cruise by returning
along the southern coast of the Java sea and visiting the
chaplet of islands that border it ; and then by the way of
the Moluccas she would regain the Pacific and return to
America.

The Dolly Hope left Macassar on the 23rd of July,
crossed the narrow strait which separates the island of
Celebes from the island of Borneo, and put in at Bandjer
Massing-. At this port resides the governor of Borneo, or
rather Kalematan, to give it its true geographical name.
There the shipping records were minutely searched, but
no mention could be found of the Franklin having been
seen in those parts ; but that could be explained by sup-
posing she had kept well out in the Java sea.

Ten days afterwards, Captain Ellis, having steered south-
west, dropped anchor at Batavia, at the end of the large
Island of Java, which is essentially of volcanic origin, and
is ncarlv always overhung by the flames from its crate-s.

The First Cruise in Malaysia. 109

A few days were enough for the crew to revictual in this
great city, which is the capital of the Dutch possessions in
Oceania. The governor-general, whom the shipping news
had made acquainted with the efforts of Mrs. Branican
to discover the castaways, received Captain Ellis with
cordiality. Unfortunately he could give no intelligence
as to the fate of the Franklin. The opinion of the Dutch
sailors was that the American vessel had foundered with
all on board in some tornado. During the first six months,
of 1875 they mentioned several vessels which had hot been
heard of, and which had vanished in the same way without
the least trace of them being thrown on the coast.

After leaving Batavia the Dolly Hope, leaving on the port
hand the Strait of Sunda, which affords the communication
between the Sea of Java and the Sea of Timor, stood off for
the islands of Billiton and Banca. Formerly the ap-
proaches to these islands were infested by pirates, and ~the
vessels which came for cargoes of iron and tin only avoided
attack with difficulty. But the maritime police had effec-
tually cleared the sea of them, and there was no reason to
think that the Franklin and her crew had been the
victim of their aggressions.

Continuing to the north-west, visiting the islands on the
coast of Sumatra, the Dolly Hope doubled the extremity
of the peninsula of Malacca and reached Singapore in the
morning of the 29th c& June, after a passage much re-
tarded.

Repairs to the engines obliged Captain Ellis to remain
a fortnight in this port, which is situated to the north of
the island. Of little extent — some two hundred and
seventy square miles only — this possession, which is of
such importance in the trade between Europe and America,
hais become one of the richest in the east since the day the
English founded their first house there in 1818.

It was at Singapore, as we know, that the Franklin had
to deliver a part of her cargo on account of Andrews',
before she proceeded to Calcutta ; and we also know that
the American vessel had never appeared there. At the

no Mistress Branican.

same time Captain Ellis resolved to put the delay to good
use by obtaining all the information he could regarding
the disasters in the Java sea during the last few years.

The Fraiiklin had.on the one hand, been reported at
Macassar ; on the other, she had not arrived at Singapore ;
consequently she must have been wrecked somewhere
between these points ; that is, unless Captain Branican had
left the Java sea through one of the straits which separate
the Sunda islands and entered the Sea of Timor. But why
should he do this if his destination, were Singapore ? It
was inexplicable, it was inadmissible.

The inquiry regarding the disasters in the Java sea
during the previous five or six years having given but
negative results. Captain Ellis could only take his leave of
the governor of Singapore, and begin his return to
America.

On the 25th of August he started in very stormy
weather. The heat was excessive, as it generally is in the
month of August in this part of the torrid zone, which is
only a few degrees below the equator. The Dolly Hope
experienced very rough weather during the last week of
the month ; but in cruising past the Sunda islands not a
place was left unexplored. One after the other, Madura
island, one of the twenty regencies of Java, Bali, one of
the busiest of these possessions, Lombok, and Sumbava,
with its volcano then threatening the island with an
eruption as disastrous as that of 1815, were visited. Be-
tween these different islands opened many straits, giving
access to the Timor sea, and the Dolly Hope had to be
carefully handled to avoid the powerful currents, which
are of such impetuosity as to bear away the vessels, even
in the teeth of the western monsoon. It will be understood
from this, how full of danger navigation is in these seas,
particularly for sailing vessels, which have no power of
locomotion in themselves, and hence the maritime disasters
so frequent within the Malaysian zone.

Leaving the Island of Floris, Captain Ellis followed the
thain of the other islands to the south of the sea of the

The First Cruise in Malaysia. iir

Moluccas, but in vain. After so many failures, it is not to
be wondered that the crew was discouraged. But there
was no reason for giving up all hope of discovering the
Franklin until the exploration had been finished. It was
possible that Captain Branican, instead of descending the
Strait of Macassar, had crossed the archipelago and Sea
of the Moluccas, to reach the Java sea, and thus had ap-
peared off Celebes.

But time, went on, and the log continued to be silent
regarding the fate of the Franklin. Neither at Timor,
nor in the three groups which constitute the Moluccan
archipelago, the group of Amboyna, the residence of the
governor-general, which includes Ceram and Bouro, the
Banda group, nor the Gilolo group, could any information
be obtained regarding a vessel that should have been lost
among these islands in the spring of 1875. From the
23rd of September, the date of the Dolly Hope^s arrival at
Timor, to the 27th of December, the date of her arrival at
Gilolo, three months were occupied in investigations which
the Dutch assisted to the best of their ability, and nothing
was discovered to throw light on the disaster.

The Dolly Hope had finished her cruise. At this island of
Gilolo, which is the most important of the Moluccas,
terminated the circle which Captain Ellis had undertaken
to follow round the Malaysian region ; the crew then had
a few days' rest to which they were well entitled. And if any
new clue had been discovered, what would not these brave
men have attempted, even at the cost of greater dangers 1

Ternate, the capital of Gilolo, which commands the
Moluccan seas, and which is the headquarters of the Dutch
Resident, furnished the Dolly Hope with all that was
necessary in the way of provisions and coal for the return
voyage. There ended the year 1881, the sixth which had
elapsed since the disappearance of the Franklin,

Captain Ellis weighed anchor in the morning of the 9th
of January, and steamed off to the north-east.

It was then the bad season. The crossing was not easy,
and unfavourable winds occasioned long delays. It was

112 Mistress Branican.

not until the 23rd of February that the Dolly Hope was
signaled by the semaphores of San Diego.

This cruise in Malaysia had lasted nineteen months. In
spite of the efforts of Captain Ellis, in spite of the devotion
of his crew, the secret of the Franklin remained buried
in the mysterious depths of the sea.

CHAPTER XII.

ANOTHER YEAR.

The letters which Mrs. Branican had received in the
course of the expedition made her doubt that the attempt
would be crowned with success. And so after the arrival
of the last, she retained but little hope regarding the
search of Captain Ellis in the Moluccan archipelago.

As soon as she learnt that the Dolly Hope was in sight
of San Diego, Mrs, Branican, accompanied by Mr. William
Andrew, went down to the harbour, and as soon as the
steamer came to an anchor they went on board.

The looks of Captain Ellis and his crew said clearly
enough, that the second half of the cruise had been no
more successful than the first.

Mrs. Branican, after shaking hands with the captain,
stepped up to the men so severely tried by the fatigues of
the voyage, and said in a firm voice, —

" I thank you, Captain Ellis, and I thank you, my
friends 1 You have done all I could expect from your
devotion ! You have not succeeded, and perhaps you
despair at success ? I do not despair ! No I I do not
despair of again seeing John and his companions of the
Franklin ! My hope is in God — and God will realize it ! "

These words were uttered with such extraordinary as-
surance, they testified to such rare energy, they said so
resolutely that Mrs. Branican would never give in, that her
confidence should have been communicated to all hearts.
But if the men listened with the respect that her attitude

114 Mistress Branican.

commanded, there was not one who doubted but that the
Franklin and her crew were inevitably lost.

But could they have done better than yield to that
special intuition with which .a woman is naturally en-
dowed ? When a man clings only to the direct observation
of facts and their consequences, it is certain that woman
has occasionally a juster prevision of the future, thanks
to her intuitive qualities. A kind of instinct of genius
guides her and gives her a certain prescience. Who
knows if Mrs. Branican would not one day be justified in
her opposition to the general opinion ?

Mrs. Branican and Mr. William Andrew then passed
into the Dolly Hope's cabin, where Captain Ellis gave them
a detailed account of the expedition. The charts of
Polynesia and Malaysia were spread upon the table and
permitted them to follow the course of the steamer, her
anchorages at the numerous points explored, the ob-
servations collected in the principal ports and native
villages, the searches instituted among the islands and
islets with minute patience and indefatigable zeal.

In conclusion, said Captain Ellis, —

" Allow me to call your attention specially to this : The
Franklin was seen for the last time at the southern end of
Celebes on the 3rd of May, 1875, about seven weeks after
she left San Diego, and from that day she has never been
met with. As she never arrived at Singapore it is beyond
doubt that the disaster occurred in the Java Sea. How.'
There are only two hypotheses : The first is that the
Franklin went down under all sail or perished in a collision
without a trace of her being left ; the second is that she
was dashed to pieces on the rocks, or destroyed by Malay
pirates, and in either case it would have been possible
to find some wreckage. But in spite of all our efforts
we have found no material proof of the Franklin's destruc-
tion."

The conclusion derivable from their argument was that
it was more logical to admit the first hypothesis — that
which attributed the Franklin's loss to one of the tornadoes

Another Year. .15.

so frequent in Malaysian waters. In fact, for the second
supposition, that of the collision, it was so seldom that one
of the two ships continued to keep the sea, that the secret
of the meeting would have been known sooner or later ;
and therefore, no hope remained.

This is what Mr. William Andrew understood, and he
sadly bowed his head before Mrs. Branican, who did not
cease to question him. " Well, no ! " she said, " no 1 the
Franklin has not foundered I No ! John and his crew have
not perished 1 "

And the interview continuing at Dolly's request, it
became necessary for Captain Ellis to make his report in
most circumstantial detail. She returned to the matter
again and again, questioning and discussing without yield-
ing in her opinion in any way.

This conversation lasted for three hours, and when
Mrs. Branican was about to go. Captain Ellis asked if it
was her intention for the Dolly Hope to be laid up.

" No, captain," she answered, " I should be sorry to see
your crew and yourself dismissed. There may be some-
thing new arrive, . which will make another expedition
necessary ; if then you consent to retain the command of
Dolly Hope!'

" That I would do willingly," answered Captain Ellis,
" but I belong to Andrews', Mrs. Branican, and they may
require my services."

■ " Do not let that stop you, my dear Ellis," said Mr.
William Andrew, " I shall be happy for you to remain at
Dolly's orders if she wishes it."

" I am at your orders, Mr. Andrew. My crew and my-
self will not leave the Dolly Hope''

"And I beg, captain," said Mrs. Branican, " that you will
take care the ship is always ready for sea."

And in giving his consent, the shipowner had had no
other thought than to defer to Dolly's wishes. But neither
he nor Captain Ellis doubted that she would give up
a second campaign after the useless results of the first.
If time had not weakened in her the memory of the

iiG Mistress Branican.

catastrophe, it would at least end in destroying the hope
that remained.

And so, in conformity with Mrs. Branican's desires, the
Dolly Hope was not dismantled. Captain Ellis and his
men continued to figure on her books and receive their
wages as if they were at sea. There were important
repairs to make after nineteen months in the trying seas
of Malaysia ; the hull required careening, the rigging
required partial renewal, the boilers had to be replaced,
and several parts of the engine required changing; and
when the work was done, the Dolly Hope shipped her pro-
visions, filled up with coal^ and was ready for sea when
ordered.

Mrs. Branican had resumed her habitual life at Prospect
House, where, with the exception of Mr. William Andrew
and Captain Ellis, no one was admitted to her friend-
ship. She lived only in remembrances and hopes, having
always present in her thoughts the double misfortune
which had fallen on her. Little Wat would have been
seven years old at this time— the age when the first rays
of reason illuminate impressionable young brains — and
little Wat was no more. Then Dolly's thoughts returned
to him who had risked his life to save hers, to Zach Fren,
whom she wished to know and who had not yet returned
to San Francisco. . But that would soon happen. Many
times the shipping intelligence had contained news of the
Calif ornian, and the year 1881 would probably not finish
before he came back to his native place. As soon as he
arrived, Mrs. Branican would call him to her and pay him
her debt of gratitude, which would assure his future.

Meanwhile Mrs. Branican did not cease to help the '
families suffering from the loss of the Franklin. It was
only io visit their humble homes, to soothe their cares, and
do some work of charity that she left Prospect House and
went down into the lower town. Her generosity showed
itself in all forms, and extended to the mental require-
ments as well as the material wants of her friends ;
and it was in the earlier months of this year that she

Another Year. 117

consulted Mr. William Andrew regarding a project she
was eager to put into execution.

She desired to found a Iiospital to receive children that
had been abandoned, or orphans having neither father nor
mother,

"Mr. Andrew," said she to the shipowner, "it is in
memory of our child that I wish to found this institution,
and endow it with the resources necessary for its main-
tenance. John will no doubt approve of what I do when
he returns. And what better use could I make of our
fortune ? "

Mr. William Andrew, having no objection to make, put
himself at Mrs. Branican's disposal with regard to the pre-
liminaries that were required in the creation of an establish-
ment of this nature. One hundred and fifty thousand
dol ars were devoted to it, first for the acquisition of a
convenient building, and then for the payment of its annual
expenses.

The affair was very quickly concluded, owing to the
assistance given to Mrs. Branican by the municipality.
No buildings were necessary. A vast edifice situated in
a good atmosphere, on one of the slopes of San Diego,
near the Old Town, was secured. Art able architect •
adapted the edifice to its new purpose, and altered it so as
to provide a home for fifty children, with a staff sufficient
to educate and look after them. -Surrounded by a large
garden, shaded by beautiful trees, watered by running
streams, and including all the sanitary systems approved
by experience, it had everything to make it healthy.

On' the 19th of May this hospital — which received the
name of Wat House — was inaugurated amid the applause
of the whole town, which on this occasion sought to
shower on Mrs. Branican the most striking testimonies of
its sympathy. But the charitable woman did not appear
at the ceremony, as she did not care to leave her chalet.
Ais soon^ however, as a certain number of children had
been received at Wat' House, she went every day to visit
them as if she had been their mother. The children could

ii8 Mistress Branican.

lemain in the hospital until they were twelve years old.
As soon as they were old enough they were taught to
read and write, and received a moral and religious educa-
tion at the same time as they were taught a trade according
to their abilities. Some of them belonged to families of
sailors and showed a taste for the sea, and these were
destined to be shipped as cabin boys or apprentices. And
in truth it seemed that Dolly felt more personal affection
for them than for the rest — doubtless in remembrance of
Captain John.

At the end of 1 88 1 no news of the FranMin had been
received at San Diego or elsewhere. Although a consider-
able reward was offered to whoever brought the least clue,
it had not been possible to send the Dolly Hope on a
second cruise. But still Mrs. Branican did not despair.
That which 1881 had not given, 1882 might give.

What had become of Mr. and Mrs. Burker? Where
had Len Burker taken refuge to escape the pursuit ordered
against him ? The Federal police had given up all inquiry
in the matter, and Mrs. Branican had to abandon all
thoughts of knowing what had become of Jane.

But this was a deep affliction for her who was so much
distressed at the position of her unfortunate relative. She
was astonished at never having received a letter from
Jane — a letter which she might have written without in
any way endangering her husband's safety. Were they
both unaware that Dolly, restored to reason, had sent a
ship in search of the Franklin, and that the expedition
had had no result ? It was inadmissible. Had not the
newspapers of both worlds followed the different phases
of the enterprise, and could it be imagined that Len and
Jane Burker had not heard of it ? They could not even be
ignorant that Mrs. Branican had become rich by the death
of her uncle Edward Starter, and that she was in a
position to come to their assistance. But, all the same,
neither one nor the other tried to enter into correspondence
with her, although their position must have been very
f recarious.

Another Year. 119

January, February, March passed, and it seemed as
though the year 1882 would bring no change in the state
of things, when something happened that appeared to
throw some light on the fate of the Franklin.

On the 27th of March, the steamer Californian, on
board of which was Zach Fren, came to an anchor in the
bay of San Francisco, after a cruise of several years in the
seas of Europe.

As soon as Mrs. Branican heard of the ship's return she
wrote to Zach Fren, who was then boatswain on board the
Californian, and invited him to come immediately to her
at San Diego.

As Zach Fren had intended to return to his native
town to take a few months' rest, he replied that as soon as .
he could get ashore he would come to San Diego, and
his first visit would be to Prospect House. This was a
matter of a few days.

But at the same time a rumour spread which would
make considerable noise in the States if it proved to be
true.

It was said that the Californian had brought home some
wreckage which appeared to belong to the Franklin.
One of the San Francisco papers added that the Cali-
fornian had found the wreckage off the north of Australia,
in the region between the Timor Sea and the Arafura Sea
near Melville Island, west of Torres Island.

As soon as this news arrived at San Diego, Mr. William
Andrew and Captain Ellis, who had had the news by
telegram, hurrjed to Prospect House.

At the first word they said on the subject, Mrs. Branican
became very pale. But her tone denoted absolute convic-
tion as far as she was concerned.

" After the wreckage they will find the Franklin" said
she, " and after the Franklin they will find John and his
companions."

The discovery of this piece of wreck was a fact of
importance.

It was the first time that any relic of the lost ship had

I20 Mistress BranicaN.

been met with. For a search for the site of the disaster
Mrj. ]?ranican now possessed a link in the chain whicli
bound her to the past.

Immediately she had brought a map of Oceania. Then
Mr. William Andrew and Captain Ellis could study tlic
question of another cruise, for she wished a decision in the
matter to be come to on the spot.

" And so the Franklin did not go straight to Singapore
on her way through the Philippines and Malaysia," said
Mr. William Andrew.

" But that is improbable ; it is impossible/' said Captain
Ellis.

"But," continued the shipowner, "if she had followed
that course, how could this wreckage have been found in
the Arafura' Sea to the north of Melville Island 1 "

" That I cannot explain and cannot understand, Mr.
Andrew," replied Captain Ellis. "AH I know is that the
Franklin was seen south-west of Celebes after leaving
the Straits of Maca.ssar ; and if she came down those
straits she must have come from the south and not from
the east. She was therefore unable to come through
Torres Strait."

The question was discussed for some time, and it had
to be admitted that Captain Ellis was right

Mrs. Branican listened to the objections and replies
without making any observation. But a vertical fold in
her forehead indicated with what tenacity and obstinacy
she refused to admit the loss of John and his companions.
No ! She would not believe it until some proof of their
death was forthcoming.

" Agreed 1 '■' said Mr. William Andrew. " I think as you
do, my dear Ellis, that the Franklin crossed the Sea of
Java on her way to Singapore."

" Some part of it, at least, Mr. Andrew, for it was between.
Singapore and Celebes that the wreck took place."

" Be it as you say. But how could the wreck be drifting
off Australia, if the Franklin was lost on some reef in the
Sea of Java? "

Another Year. 121

"That can only be explained in one way," said Captain
Ellis, " by admitting that the wreck drifted through the
Straits of Sunda, or one of the other channels leading into
the Timor and Arafura seas."

"Would the currents take it in that direction ? "

" Yes, Mr. Andrew, and I may add that if the Franklin
had been disabled in a storm, she might be carried down
one of the straits, to be finally lost on the reefs of the
Australian coast."

" Quite so, my dear Ellis,", said Mr. William Andrew,
"and^ that is the only plausible explanation, and in that
case if a wreck has been met with off Melville Island six
years after the disaster, it is because it has been recently
detached from the reefs on which the Franklin was
lost."

This hypothesis no sailor would have contested.

Mrs, Branican, whose look was never taken off the map
that lay before her, then said, —

" If the Franklin were really lost on the coast of Austra-
lia, and the survivors of the wreck have not reappeared, it
is because they were taken prisoners by the natives."

"That, Dolly, is not impossible — but — " said Mr.
William Andrew.

Mrs. Branican was about to protest with energy against
•the doubt implied in Mr. William Andrew's reply, when
Captain Ellis intervened with, — •

" It remains to be seen if the wreckage fished up by the
Calif ornian really belonged to the Franklin'.'

" And do you doubt it ? " asked Dolly.

" We shall soon know," said Mr. William Andrew, " for
I have pven orders for it to be sent on."

" And I," said Mrs. Branican, "give orders that the Dolly
Hope is got ready to sail."

Three days after this interview, the boatswain, Zach Fren,
who had just arrived at San Diego, presented himself at
Prospect House.

At this time he was about thirty-seven years of age,
strong and resolute in appearance, with his fa^e tanned

I

122 Mistress Branican.

by the wind and sea, frank and cheery in look. He was
one of those sailors who inspire confidence in others be-
cause they have confidence in themselves, and who always
go straight to the point.

The welcome he received from Mrs. Branican was so full
of gratitude that he did not know what to say.

" My friend," said she to him, after giving utterance to
the first outpouHngs of her heart, "it is you-^-you who
saved my Ufe, you who did all you could to save my poor
child. What can I do for you ? "

The boatswain said that he only did his duty. That a
sailor who did not act as he had done would not be a
sailor^he would only be a soldier. His only regret was
that he had not been able to restore the baby to its mother.
But he did not deserve anything at all. He thanked Mrs.
Branican for her good intentions regarding him ; and if she
would allow him, he would call and see her whenever he
came ashore.

" For years, Zach Fren," said Mrs. Branican, " I have
been waiting for your return, and 1 hope you will be near
me on the day Captain John returns."

"The day Captain John returns!" •

" Zach Fren, can you believe — "

" That Captain John has perished ? No, I do not ! "
said the boatswain.

'• Yes 1 You have hope .'' "

" I have more than hope, Mrs. Branican ; I am sure of it.-
Is a captain like Captain John to be lost like a cap in a
puff of wind ? Not likely ! I never saw anything like it ! "

So said Zach Fren, and in terms which testified to his
absolute faith and made Mrs. Branican's heart leap. She
was not the only one, then, to believe in John's return*!
Another shared • her conviction — and the other was the
man who had saved her. It seemed to her an indication
of Providence.

" Thank you, Zach Fren," said she, " thank you ! You
don't know the good you have done me ! Tell me again —
tell me again that Captain John survived the wreck—"

Another Year. 123

" He did ! he did ! Mrs. Branican, And the proof that
he survived it is that one day or another he will be found !
And if that is not a proof — "

And then Zach Fren gave a number of details as to the
circumstances under which the wreckage had been fished
up by the Californian. At last Mrs. Branican said to him, —

" Zach Fren, I have decided to begin a new search
immediately/'

" Well— and it will succeed this time — and I will go with
it, if you will allow me."

" Will you agree to serve under Captain Ellis .' "

" Willingly."

" Thank you, Zach Fren ! It seems to me that with you
on board the Dolly Hope there will be one chance more."

" I believe so, Mrs. Branican ! " said the boatswain,
winking his eye. " Yes ! I believe so — and I am ready to
start."

Dolly took Zach Fren's hand, she pressed it as if it \\&r(t
a friend's. Her imagination led her away, led her astray,
perhaps, but it seemed as though this boatswain would
succeed where others had failed.

However, as Captain Ellis bad observed — and although
Mrs. Branican was convinced on the subject — it was neces-
sary to make sure that the wreckage brought home by the
Californian really did belong to the Franklin.

Ordered on by Mr. William Andrew, it soon arrived by
railroad at San Diego, and was immediately taken to the
shipyard. There it was submitted to the examination of
the men who had built the Franklin.

The fragment met with by the crew of the Californian
, off. the little island a dozen miles from the shore, was a
piece of the stem, or rather of that carved cutwater which
usually figures at the prow of sailing vessels. The frag-
ment of wood had been much damaged, not by a long
sojourn in the water, but by exposure to the weather.
Hence the conclusion that it had remained for a long time
on the reefs, against which the ship had been thrown, and
then Been detached by some cause — perhaps by the action

124 Mistress Branican.

of a current, and drifted for many months or many weeks
before it was noticed by the sailors of the Califomian.
But did it belong to Captain John's ship ? Yes, for what
remained of the carving resembled that which had orna-
mented the prows of the Franklin.

This was clearly made out at San Diego ; the shipwrights
had no doubt of it. The teak wood used for the prow had
come out of the timber stores of the yard. They even
found the traces of the iron band which fastened the
cutwater of the stem, and the remains of a coat of red
paint and a gold stripe on the foliage which had orna-
mented the bow.

And so this piece of wreck, brought home by the Cali-
fomian, undoubtedly belonged to the ship which had been
searched for in vain in the seas of Malaysia.

That point being settled, there had to be admitted the
reasonableness of Captain Ellis's explanation, that as the
Franklin had been sighted in the Java Sea south-west of
Celebes, it followed that a few days later she had been
driven through the Straits of Sunda, or some other channel
opening into the Timor or Arafura seas, and had been
wrecked on one of the reefs of the Australian coast.

The despatch of a vessel with orders to explore the seas
between the Sunda Islands and the north coast of Aus-
tralia was thus completely justified. Would this cruise
succeed any better than that among the Philippines,
Celebes and the Moluccas 1 There was reason to hope so.

This time Mrs. Branican thought of going out with the
Dolly Hope. But Mr. William Andrew and Captain Ellis,
as well as Zach Fren, dissuaded her, not without difificulty,
from doing so. A cruise of this kind might be very lonj,
and might be endangered by the presence of a woman on
board.

We need not say that Zach -Fren was engaged as boat-
swain of the Dolly Hope, and that Captain Ellis prepared
his ship for sea with the least possible di'lay.

CHAPTER XIII.

A CRUISE IN THE TIMOR SEA.

The Dolly Hope left the port of San Diego at ten o'clock
in the morning of the 3rd of April, 1882. As soon as she
was out of sight of the American coast, Captain Ellis
steered south-west in a direction just a little lower than on
his first cruise. In fact, he wished to take the shortest
cut to the Arafura Sea through Torres Straits, beyond
which the wreckage from the Franklin's bow had been
picked up.

On the 26th of April they sighted the Gilbert Islands,
widely scattered in these regions, where the calms, of the
Pacific at this time of the year make navigation so slow
and difficult for sailing vessels. Leaving to the northward
the Scarborough and Kingsmill groups, which make up
this archipelago, situated about eight hundred leagues from
the Californian coast to the south-east of the Carolines,
Captain Ellis crossed the Vanikoro group, distinguish-
able fifteen leagues off by the lofty Mount Kapongo.

These green and fertile islands, covered throughout their
extent by impenetrable forests, belong to the Fiji archi-
pelago. They are surrounded by coral reefs which make
approach to them very dangerous. It was on them that
Dumont D'Urville and Dillon found the remains of the
ships of La Perouse, the Recherche and Esperatice, which
left Brest in 1791, and, driven on the reefs of Vanikoro,
never returned.

In sight of this island, so sadly celebrated, a very natural
feeling affected the crew of the Dolly Hope, Had the

126 , Mistress Branican.

Franklin met with the fate of La Perouse's ships ? And
as it had happened to Dumont D'Urville and Dillon, would
it happen to Captain Ellis to find only the remains of the
lost ship ? And if he did not discover the place of the
catastrophe, would the fate of John Branican and his com-
panions remain in a state of mystery ?

Two hundred miles further the Dolly Hope crossed ob-
liquely through the Solomon Islands, formerly called New
Georgia. This archipelago comprises a dozen large islands,
dispersed over an area of two hundred leagues in length
and forty in width. Amongst them are the Carteret
Islands, formerly called the Massacre Islands, the name
sufficiently indicating the sanguinary scenes of which they
had been the site.

Captain Ellis had no information to seek from the
natives of this group and no investigation to make in the
vicinity. He did not stop, and steamed on towards Torres
Strait, no less impatient than Zach Fren to reach that part
of the Arafura Sea where the wreckage had been recovered.
It would be there that the search would be conducted with
a minute care and indefatigable perseverance that perhaps
might meet with success.

The shores of New Guinea were not far off. A few days
after leaving the Solomon Islands the Dolly Hope, sighted
the Louisiade archipelago. They passed in the offing the
islands of Rossel, of Entrecasteaux, Trobriand and a large
number of islets covered with magnificent domes of cocoa-
nut trees.

At length, after a passage of three weeks, the look-outs
recognized on the horizon the high lands of New Guinea,
and the peaks of Cape York projecting from the Austra-
lian coast which bound Torres Strait to the north and
south.

This strait is extremely dangerous. Captains always
avoid it if they can ; and it seems that even marine assur-
ance companies decline to guarantee against sea risks
within it. A careful-note has to be taken of the currents
which flow incessantly from the east to the west and bear

A Cruise in the Timor Sea, 127

the Pacific waters into the Indian Ocean. The shoals
make navigation extremely perilous, and it can only be
attempted during certain hours of the day when the posi-
tion of the sun enabiles the breakers to be seen in the track
of the surge.

It was when in sight of Torres Strait that Captain Ellis,
in conversation with the mate and Zach Fren, asked the
boatswain, —

"Is it the fact that it was in the latitude of Melville
Island that the Californian picked up the wreckage of the
Franklin ? "

" Exactly," said Zach Fren.

" Then we must reckon nearly five hundred miles across
the Arafura Sea after leaving the Strait ? "

" That is so, captain, and I understand your difficulty.
Given the regular currents which flow from east to west, it
seems that if this piece of wreck was picked up off Melville
Island, the Franklin must have been lost at the entrance
of Torres Strait."

" Undoubtedly, Zach Fren, and we might reason that
John Branican had been obliged to choose the danger-
ous road to SingaporCj but I do not think so. Until I
know more I shall persist in believing he crossed Malay-
sia, as we found in our first voyage, on account of his
having been seen for the last time south of the island of
Celebes."

" And as there is no doubt about that," said the mate,
"it follows that Captain Branican entered Timor Sea
do\Vn one of the straits dividing the Sunda Islands,"

" That is incontestable," said Captain Ellis, " and I can-
not understand how the Franklin got so far. Either she
was disabled or she was not. If she was disabled it must
have been from hundreds of miles west of Torres Strait
that the currents bore her. If not, why should she
return to this place when Singapore is in the opposite
direction ? "

" I do not know," said the mate. " If the wreckage had
been found in the Indian Ocean it might bo explained by a

128 Mistress Branican.

wreck having occurred either on the Sunda Islands or on
the west coast of Australia."

" But," replied Captain Ellis, "as it has been recovered
in the latitude of Melville Island, it shows that the
Franklin was wrecked in that part of the Arafura Sea
adjoining Torres Strait, or even in the Strait."

" Perhaps," said Zach Fren, " there are counter-currents
along the Australian coast which floated the wreckage
back. In that case the wreck might have taken place in
the west of the Arafura Sea."

" We shall see," said Captain Ellis, " but in the mean-
time let us act as though the Franklin had been destroyed
on the reefs of Torres Strait."

"And if we act wisely," repeated Zach Fren, "we
shall find Captain John."

In short, this was the best thing to do, and it was
done.

The width of Torres Strait is estimated at thirty miles.
It would be difficult to imagine the swarm of islets and
reefs, the position of which is hardly known to the best of
hydrographers. There are at least some hundred of them
at the level of the water for the most part, and the largest of
them measuring no more than from three to four miles in
circumference. They are inhabited by tribes of Andamans,
who are much to be feared by the crews falling into their
hands, as is shown by the massacre of the sailors of the
Chesterfield and Hormuzier. By passing from one to the
other in their light canoes, or flying proahs of Malay build,
these natives can voyage without difficulty from New
Guinea to Australia and from Australia to New Guinea.
If Captain John and his companions had taken refuge on
one of these islands it would have been easy for them to
reach the Australian coast, then gain some settlement in
the Gulf of Carpentaria or the Cape York peninsula, and
thus return home without difficulty. But as none of them
had reappeared, the only hypothesis admissible was that
they had fallen into the hands of the natives, who were not
the sort of savages to have respect for them ; they would-

A Cruise in the Timor Sea. 129

kill them without pity and devour them, and how could
any trace be found of such a catastrophe ?

So said Captain Ellis, and so said the sailors of the
Dolly Hope. Such ought to have been the fate of the
survivors of the Franklin if she had been lost in Torres
Strait There remained, it is true, the chance that she had
not entered the strait. But then how could they explain
the fact of this fragment of cutwater having been met
with off Melville Island ?

Captain Ellis boldly entered among these dangerous
channels, taking every measure that prudence required.
With a good steamer, vigilant officers and brave crew, he
might well reckon on traversing this labyrinth of reefs and
keeping off the natives who might attempt to attack him.

When, for one reason or another, vessels enter Torres
Strait, the mouth of which is furrowed with coral banks on
the Pacific side, they generally keep along the Australian
coast. But to the south of Papua there exists a rather
large island, Murray Island, which had to be examined
with some care.

The Dolly Hope, then, went on between two dangerous
reefs, known as Eastern Fields and Boot Reef. And on
the last, owing to the arrangement of the rocks having at
a distance the appearance of a wrecked ship, it seemed as
though the remains of the Franklin had been found, and
in consequence there was some excitement, that did not
last long owing to the steam launch soon discovering that
there was nothing but a strange piling up of coral rocks.

Several canoes, mere trunks of trees hollowed cut by
fire or by the axe, and fitted with outriggers to give them
stability, paddled by five or six natives, were perceived on
approaching Murray Island. These riatives contented
themselves with shouting, or rather howling, like wild
beasts. At half-steam the Dolly Hope made the round of
the island without having to repel any attack. Nowhere
did they see any trace of a wreck. On these islands and
islets there was nothing but black natives of athletic build,
with woolly hair, reddish in hue, shining skin, and with

130 Mistress Branican.

large, but not flat noses. By way of showing their hostile
intentions they shook their spears, their bows, their arrows,
as they gathered under the cocoanut trees which grow in
thousands in the neighbourhood of the strait.

For a month, up to the loth of June, after renewing his
coals at Somerset, one of the ports of Northern Australia,
Captain Ellis minutely examined the shores between the
Gulf of Carpentaria and New Guinea. He put in at Mul-
grave Island, Banks Island, Horn Island, Albany Island,
and Booby Island, which is hollowed out in dark caverns,
in one of which is the letter-box of Torres Strait. But
sailors are not content with -depositing their letters in the
box, the collection of which is not very regular, be it under-
stood. A sort of international convention obliges the
sailors of different countries to leave a store of coal and
provisions on this Booby Island, and there is no fear of
these being stolen by the natives, owing to the strength
of the currents not permitting their frail vessels to land
there.

Now and then, by pleasing them with presents of little
value, it was possible to communicate with the mados or
chiefs of these islands. In return they offered "kaiso,"
or tortoise-shell, and " incras," threaded shells which serve
them for money. As they could not make themselves
understood, and their language was unknown to those on
the Dolly Hope, it was impossible to discover if they had
any remembrance of a wreck taking place about the date
of the i'Vrtw/lVz'w'j disappearance. In any case it did not
seem as though they had in their possession any objects,
arms, or tools of American make. No ironwork or pieces
of carpentry, or masts, or spars were found which could
]3oint to the demolition of a ship. And when Captain
Ellis left these natives of Torres Strait, if he could not
affirm that the Franklin had not been wrecked on the
reefs, at least he had found no trace of her.

The next work was the exploration of the Arafura Sea,
leading on to the Timor Sea, between the group of smail
Sunda Islands to the north and the Australian coast to the

A Cruise in the Timor Sea, 131

south. As to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Captain Ellis did
not propose to visit it, for if a wreck toolc place on its
coasts it would not remain unknown to the colonists in
the neighbourhood. It was, on the contraiy, on the coast
of Arnheim Land that he first intended to explore. Then
on the return, he would explore the northern part of the
Timor Sea and the numerous channels of access to it
between the islands.

This cruise along Arnheim Land, swarming with islands
and reefs, did not take less than a month. It was accom-
plished with a zeal and a boldness nothing could dis-
courage. But everywhere, from the western point of the
Gulf of Carpentaria to the Gulf of Van Diemen, no in-
formation could be got. Nowhere could the crew of the
Dolly Hope come across the remains of a wrecked, ship.
Neither the Australian natives nor the Chinese, who carry
on the trepang trade in these seas, could throw any light
whatever on the matter. But if the survivors of the
Franklin had been made prisoners by the Australian tribes
of the region, tribes which are addicted to cannibalism,
not one of them could have been spared except by a
miracle.

On the lith of July, on reaching the hundred and
thirtieth degree of longitude. Captain Ellis began the
exploration of Melville Island and Bathurst Island, which
are separated from each other by only a narrow strait.
Ten miles to the north of this group the wreckage of the
Franklin had been recovered. As it had not been car-
ried further west, it followed that it had not been taken
fi om the reef until a short time be/ore the arrival of the
Californian. It was thus possible that the site of the
catastrophe was not very far away.

The exploration lasted nearly four months, for it in-
cluded not only the surroundings of these two islands,
but also the neighbouring coast line of Arnheim Land up
to Queen's Channel, and even the mouth of the Victoria
River.

It was very difficult to continue the investigations

132 Mistress BranicaN.

inland, which would have risked much without any chance
of success. The tribes inhabiting the northern territories
of the Australian continent are very formidable. Recently,
as Captain Ellis heard at one of the ports he put in at,
there had been fresh acts of cannibalism in these parts.
The crew of a Dutch vessel, the Groningen, deceived by
the false signals of the natives of Bathurst Island, had
been massacred and devoured by these wild beasts — is not
that the only name they deserve .' . Whoever became their
prisoner might, perhaps, consider himself as destined to
the most frightful of deaths.

But if Captain Ellis would have to give up all hope of
knowing when and where the crew of the Franklin fell
into the hands of these natives, it might still be possible
for him to discover some trace of the wreck ; and there
was all the more reason for hoping that, as eight months
had not elapsed since the Californian had found the frag-
ment to the north of Melville Island.

Captain Ellis and his crew accordingly set to work to
search the gulfs and creeks of the reefs on the coast,
without troubling themselves about the fatigues or dangers
to which they were exposed. This accounts for the
duration of the exploration ; it was very long, because it
required to be very minute. Several times the Dolly Hope
was in danger of running on the little-known breakers of
these seas. Many times, too, she was on the point of being
captured by the natives, who had to be driven off in
their proahs by musketry when they were at a distance,
and by axes when they tried to board.

But neither on Melville and Bathurst Islands, nor in
Arnheim Land up to the mouth "of the Victoria, nor in
Torres Strait did the search yield anything. Nothing- was
discovered of the remains of a wreck, and no fragment
of wreck was met with afloat by the Dolly Hope.

That was the position of affairs on the 3rd of November.
What would Captain Ellis now do ? Would he consider
that his mission was ended— at least as far as the
Australian coast was concerned, and the islands and in-

A Cruise in the Timor Sea. 133

lets in its neighbourhood ? Would he think of returning
after exploring the small Sunda Islands in the north of the
Timor Sea ? In a word, did he think he had done all it
was humanly possible to do ?

The brave seaman hesitated, it will be understood, to
look upon his task as ended, even after continuing it up
to the Australian coast.

An, incident put an end to his hesitation. On the
morning of the 4th of September he was walking with
Zach Fren on the after part of the steamer, when the
boatswain pointed out a few objects floating about half a
mile from the Dolly Hope. These were not pieces of wood,
fragments of planks, or trunks of trees, but huge clumps of
vegetable matter, a sort of yellowish sargasso, torn from
the ocean depths, and which followed the outline of the
higher ground.

" That is curious," said Zach Fren. " May I lose my
name if those weeds are not going west, even south-west !
There must be a current taking them towards the Straits!"

"That's it!" said Captain Ellis, "and it ought to be a
local current, unless it is the tide."

" I do not think so," said Zach Fren, " for at dawn I
remember I saw a quantity of weeds drifting up the
stream."

" Are you certain of that .' "

" As certain as I am that we shall end by finding
Captain John."

"Well, if the current exists," said Captain Ellis, "it
may be that the wreckage of the Franklin came from the
west, along the Australian coast."

" That is exactly as I look at it," said Zach Fren.

" Then we need not hesitate. We must continue our
exploration across the Timor Sea, up to the extremity of
Western Australia."

" Never was I more sure of anything. Captain Ellis, fot
it is beyond doubt that there is a current on this coast,
the direction of which is very clear up to Melville Island.
By supposing that Captain Branican was not wrecked

134 Mistress Branican.

west of this, we could explain how the piece of his vessel
was brought where we picked it up on board the Call-
fornian."

Captain Ellis called the mate, and consulted with him
as to the advisability of continuing the cruise more to the
westward.

The mate was of opinion that the local current should
be examined up to the point from which it started.

" We will go on to the west," answered Captain Ellis.
" It is not doubt but certainty we must take back to
San Diego — the certainty that nothing remains of the
Franklin if she perished on the Australian coast."

In consequence of this determination, which was fully
justified, the Dolly Hope went off to Timor to coal. After
a stay in port of forty-eight hours, she came down towards
Cape Londonderry at the angle of Western Australia.

Leaving Queen's Channel, Captain Ellis endeavoured
to follow the outline of the continent from Turtle Point,
where the current clearly showed that its direction was
from west to east. It was not one of those effects of the
tide which change with the ebb and flow, but a steady
movement of the waters in this southern portion of Timor
Sea. It was therefore necessary to steam up it, searching
the creeks and reefs until the Dolly Hope found herself out
in the Indian Ocean.

Arrived at the entrance of Cambridge Gulf, which
washes the base of Mount Cockburn, Captain Ellis con-
sidered that it would be imprudent to venture with his
vessel through this long strip of water bristling with reefs,
and with its banks frequented by formidable natives. And
so the steam launch, with a well-armed crew of six, was
put under the orders of Zach Fren to explore the interior
of the gulf.

"Evidently," said Captain Ellis to him, "if John
Branican has fallen into the power of the natives in this
part of the continent, it is not to be supposed that he and
his crew have survived. But what we have to do is to
find out if there still exist any remains of the Franklin,

A Cruise in the Timor Sea, 135

in case the Australians have wrecked her in Cambridge
Gulf."

" And that would not astonish me with regard to these
scoundrels ! " said Zach Fren.

The boatswain's task was clearly stated, and he accom-
plished it conscientiously, being always on the alert. He
■ took ±he launch to Adolphus Island, almost at the end of
the gulf, and went round it, and discovered nothing that
encouraged him to push his investigations any further.

The Dolly Hope then resumed her course beyond Cam-
bridge Gulf, rounded Dussejour Cape, and went away to
the north-west, along the coast which belongs to Western
Australia. The islands were numerous, and the creeks cut
into the shore capriciously, but neither at Cape Rhuliers
nor Cape Londonderry did anything result to repay the
crew for so many fatigues so gallantly undertaken.

The fatigues and dangers of this navigation became
serious enough when the Dolly Hope had rounded ■ Cape
Londonderry. On this crest, which is directly assailed by
the great surges of the Indian Ocean, there exist few
practicable refuges in which a disabled vessel could take
shelter. And a steamer is always at the mercy of its
engines, which may fail her in the violent pitching and
rolling due to a boisterous sea. From this cape to Collier
Bay in York Sound, and in Brunswick Bay there was
nothing to be seen but a medley of islands, a labyrinth of
shoals and reefs like those that swarm in Torres Strait.
At Capes Talbot and Bo'ugainville the coast is defended
by such a tremendous surf that its vicinity is only practic-
able to the native boats, which are rendered almost un-
capsizable by their outriggers. Admiralty Bay, opening
between Cape Bougainville and Cape Voltaire, is so
strewn with rocks that the steam launch was more than
once in danger of being lost. But nothing could stop the
ardour of the crew, and the bold sailors disputed among
themselves as to who should take part in the perilous
adventure.

Beyond Collier Bay Captain Ellis entered Buccaneer

136 Mistress Branican.

Archipelago, his intention being not to go beyond Cape
Leveque at the end of King Sound to the north-west.

This was not on account of anxiety at the state of the
weather, which tended to improve daily. In this part of
the Indian Ocean, situated in the southern hemisphere, the
months of October and November correspond to those of
April and May in the northern. But Ellis could not keep
on indefinitely, and his furthest point would be reached as
soon as the shore current running east, and bringing the
wreckage towards Melville Island, had ceased to make
itself felt.

This was at last discovered towards the end of January,
1883, when the Dolly Hope had completed — unsuccess-
fully — the exploration of the large estuary of King Sound,
into the extremity of which flows the Fitzroy River.

At the mouth of this important stream the steam launch
was furiously attacked by the natives, and two men were
wounded in the encounter, slightly, it is true ; and it was
only owing to Captain Ellis's coolness that this last attempt
did not degenerate into disaster.

As soon as the Dolly Hope was out of King Sound, she
stopped off" Cape Leveque. Captain Ellis then held a
consultation with the mate and' boatswain. After the
charts had been carefully examined it was decided that
the expedition should end here on the eighteenth parallel
of northern latitude. Beyond King Sound the coast is
clear, there are only a few islands, and that portion of
Tasman Land which bounds the Indian Ocean still ap-
pears blank in the recently published atlas. There was no
reason for going south-west, nor for visiting the neighbour-
hood of the Dampier Archipelago.

Besides, there only remained in the Dolly Hope a small
quantity of coal, and the best thing to do was to make
direct for Baiavia, and fill up the bunkers. Then going
east, she could regain the Pacific through Timor Sea,
along the Sunda Islands.

The course was thus laid to the northward, and soon the
Dolly Hope was out of sight of the Australian coast.

CHAPTER XIV.

BROWSE ISLAND.

The region between the north-west coast of Austrah'a and
the western part of the . Timor Sea contains no islands of
importance. With difficulty geographers have noted a few
islets. What is met with consists principally of curious
shallow coral formations, known as banks and rocks and
reefs and shoals — such as Lynher Reef, Scott's Reef,
Seringapatam Reef, Korallen Reef, Courtier Shoal, Rowley
Shoal, Hibernia Shoal, Sahul Bank, Echo Rock, etc. The
position of these dangers is determined exactly for the
most part, approximately in some instances. It is even
possible that there remain to be discovered a certain
number of those dangerous reefs which are at sea level.
And so the navigation is not easy, and requires constant
attention in these regions, which are often traversed by
vessels coming from the Indian seas.

The weather was fine, the sea calm enough outside the
•breakers. The excellent engines of the Dolly Hope had in
no way failed since the departure from San Diego, and
her boilers worked splendidly. All the circumstances of
weather and sea promised a favourable passage between
Cape Leveque and Java. But this was the way home, and
the only delays would be the stoppages Captain Ellis
might make in exploring the small Sunda Islands.

For the first few days, after leaving Cape Leveque,
nothing occurred worth mention. The m.ost rigorous
vigilance was imposed on the look-outs. Stationed in the
foretop, they had to report as far off qs possible the

K

1 33 Mistress Bkanican.

shoals and the reefs, which rarely rose above the water
level.

On the 7th of February, about nine o'clock in the
morning, one of the men in the foretop shouted, — ■

" Reef on the port bow ! "

As this reef was not yet visible to the men on deck,
Zach Fren went up the shrouds to reconnoitre its position
for himself.

When he reached the top, the boatswain saw distinctly
enough a rocky plateau about six miles off in the direc-
tion indicated. In reality it was neither a rock nor a
shoal, but an islet in the shape of a saddleback, away to
the north-west. Considering the distance, it was even
possible that this islet was an island of some extent, if it
was then visible end on.

A few minutes afterwards Zach Fren came down from
aloft, and made his report to Captain Ellis, who gave
the order to luff, so as to approach the said islet.

At noon, after taking the altitude, and finding his posi-
tion, the captain had noted in the log-book that the Do//y
Hope was in 14° 7' south latitude, and 133° 13' east
longitude. This position being marked on the chart,
coincided very nearly with the position of a certain island
named Browse Island by modern geographers, situated
about two hundred and fifty miles from York Sound, on
the Australian coast.

As this island was not much out of his way, the captain
resolved to coast along it, without any intention of
stopping at it.

About one o'clock in the afternoon Browse Island was
not more than a mile from the Dolly Hope. The sea,
somewhat rough, broke noisily, and covered with spray a
cape stretching out towards the north-east. The size of
the island was not apparent, as it was being looked at
obliquely. In any case, it looked like an undulating
plateau, with no particular hill dominating its surface.

However, as there was no time to lose. Captain Ellis,
after slowing a little, was about to give the order to go

Reef on the port bow,

Browse Island. 135

ahead full speed, when Zach Fren attracted his attention
by saying, — ■

" Captain ! Look there ! Is that a spar on that cape ? "

And the boatswain stretched out his hand in the
direction of the cape, which ended abruptly :■: a rocl<y
ridcre.

' A spar ! No ! It looks to me like the trunk of a
tree ! " said Captain Ellis.

And taking his glasses, he looked at the object with
more attention.

" You are right, boatswain," he said ; " it is a spar, and I
think I see a bit of bunting fluttered into tatters by the
wind. Yes ! yes ! It ought to be a signal ! "

" Then we had better go and see ! " said the boatswain.

"So I think," said Captain Ellis. And he gave the
order to bear down on Browse Island carefully and at
half-speed.

The order was instantly executed. The Dolly Hope
began to approach the reefs which surrounded the island
at a distance of a few hundred feet. The sea beat on
them violently, not that the wind was strong, but that
the current took the surge towards them.

Soon the details of the coast were apparent to the
naked eye. The shore looked wild, arid, desolate, with-
out a patch of verdure, with great gaping caverns in which
the surf beat with the noise of thunder. At intervals a
bit of yellowish beach broke the line of rocks, above which
flew flocks of seabirds. But there was nothing to be seen
of a wreck, neither fragments of spars nor vestiges of a
hull. The spar at the extreme end seemed to be a
portion of the bowsprit; but of this discoloured flag flying
in rags in the wind it was impossible to recognize the
colour.

" There have been shipwrecked people there ! " said
Zach Fren.

" Yes, there must have been 1 " said the mate.

" Undoubtedly," said Captain Ellis, " a vessel has been
cast on that island."

t4<5 Mistress BranicaN.

"And what is none the less certain," said the mate,
"is that the shipwrecked crew took refuge there, for they
raised that signal mast, and perhaps they are there still,
for it is rare for vessels bound to Australia or the Indies
to pass in sight of Browse Island."

" I suppose, captain, you intend to go ashore here ?"

" I do, if we can, but I have not yet seen a place to
land. Let us begin by going round it before coming to
a decision. If it is still inhabited by unfortunate ship-
wrecked people it is impossible for us not to be seen ; and
they may signal to us — "

" And if we see nobody, what is your plan ? " asked
Zach Fren.

" We will try and land as soon as landing is prac-
ticable," said Captain Ellis. "If it is not inhabited, the
island may have some traces of a wreck, and that will be
of more interest for us."

" And who knows ? " murmured Zach Fren.

" Who knows ? Do you mean that the Franklin may
have been cast on Browse Island, quite out of the coursj
she ought have followed ? "

" Why not, captain?"

" Because it is quite unlikely," said Captain Ellisv " But
although we ought not to stop for unlikelihoods, we will
attempt a landing."

The plan of steaming round Browse Island was imme-
diately put into execution.

Prudently keeping a cable length off the reefs, the Dolly
Hope was soon round the different capes thrown out by
the island towards the north. There was no change in
tlic aspect of the shore, the rocks lay as if they had been
crystallized in almost identical shapes, ridges roughly
beaten by the surge, reefs covered with spray, and
landing impracticable. In the background a few clumps
of cocoa-nut trees rose on a rocky plateau, on which ap.
pcared no trace of cultivation. Of inhabitants there were
none ; of habitations there were none. Not a boat, not a
fishing caoG?. A desert sea, a desert island. A few flocks

Browse Island, 14 1

of gulls flew from one point to another, and gave the only
life to this sad solitude.

If it was not the wished-for island of the castaway, in
which the wants of existence were assured, it could at
least offer a refuge to the survivors of a wreck.

Browse Island measures about six or seven miles round,
as was discovered when the Dolly Hope reached the
southern shore. In vain did the crew endeavour to dis-
cover a harbour, or in default of a harbour a creek among
the rocks in which the steamer could be put in shelter for
a few hours. It was soon seen that a landing could only
be effected by means of the boats, and that a passage that
would permit them to land was still to be found.

Soon the Dolly Hope was to leeward of the island. As
the breeze then blew from the north-west, the surge beat
less violently on the rocks. The shore describing a large
hollow, formed a vast roadstead in which a vessel might
anchor without risk until a change in the wind. It was
decided that the Dolly Hope should remain there, if not at
anchor, at least under half-steam, while the launch went
ashore. There remained to be discovered a place where the
men could set foot among the reefs which lay white in the
long line of surf.

Searching the beach with his glasses. Captain Ellis
finished by discovering a depression in the plateau, a sort
of gap in the mass of the island, through which a brook
rippled towards the sea.

After looking at it in his turn, Zach Fren affirmed that
a landing could be effected at the foot of this gap. The
coast seemed to be less steep there, and its profile was
broken by rather a sharp angle. There was also visible
a narrow passage through the reef on which the sea did
not break.

Captain Ellis ordered out the launch, which in half an
hour was under steam. He embarked in her with Zach
Fren, a steersmarr, a man in the bow, the stoker and
the engineer. As a matter of prudence two guns, two'axes,
and a few revolvers were put on board. During the

142 Mistress Branican.

captain's absence, the mate could handle the Dolly Hope
in this open roadstead and attend to all the signals
that might be made.

At half-past one the boat went off towards the shore,
distant a good mile, and entered the channel, while
thousands of gulls flew around, uttering deafening, strident
cries. A few minutes afterwards she ran gently up to a
sandy beach. Captain Ellis, Zach Fren and the two sailors
jumped ashore, leaving the engineer and stoker in charge
of the launch, which was to be kept under steam. Going
up the gap through which the brook ran into the sea, all
four stood on the crest of the plateau.

A few hundred yards off was a sort of rocky mound of
curious form, the summit of which was a hundred feet
above the beach.

Captain Ellis and his companions went towards the
mound ; they climbed it not without difficulty, and from
the top could see over the whole island.

It was a broad oval, resembling a tortoise with the cape
■ for the tail. In places a little vegetable soil covered the
rock, which was of madreporic formation, like the atolls
of Malaysia and the coral groups of Torres Strait. Here
and there patches of verdure appeared, but there were
more mosses than herbs, more stones than roots, more
undergrowth than shrubs. Whence came the creek, the
bed of which, visible for a part of its course, wound through
the slopes of the plateau ? Was it fed by some inland
spring 1 That was not easy to discover, although the view
extended up to the signal mast.

Standing on the top of the mound. Captain Ellis and
his men looked around in every direction. No smoke rose
in the air, no human being appeared. It followed, there-
fore, that if Browse Island had been inhabited — and there
was no doubt of that — it was not likely to be so now.

" A miserable shelter for castaways," said Captain Ellis.
" If their stay was a long one, I wonder how they managed
to live."

"Yes," said Zach Fren. "It is almost a bare plateaa

Browse Island. 14^

Here and there only are a few clumps of trees. The
rock is hardly covered with vegetable soil. But all the same,
one is not too particular when shipwrecked J A bit of
rock under your feet is always better than a hole with the
sea over your head ! "

" At first, yes," said Captain Ellis ; " but afterwards ? "

" Besides," said Zach Fren, " it is possible the castaways
who took refuge on the island may have been promptly
taken oflf by some vessel — "

"As it is equally possible that they succumbed to
privations."

"And what makes you think that, captain ? "

" That if they had left the island in some way they
would have taken the precaution to strike the signal mast.
It is, therefore, to be feared that the last of these unfortu-
nates died before help arrived. But let us go up to the mast.
We may perhaps find some trace of the nationality of the
ship which was lost here."

Captain Ellis, Zach Fren and. the two sailors descended
the mound and walked towards the promontory projecting
towards the north. But they had scarcely taken a
hundred steps before one of the men stopped to pick up
something his foot had kicked against.

" Hallo ! What is this .? " he said.

" Give it to me," said Zach Fren.

It was a cutlass-blade like those which sailors carry in
their belts in a leather scabbard. Broken at the handle,
and full of dents, the blade had evidently been thrown
away as useless.

" Well, boatswain ? " said Captain Ellis.

" I am looking for some mark to show where this blade
came from," replied Zach Fren.

It was possible it did bear a maker's name. But it was
so rusted that it had first to be scraped. When Zach
Fren had done this, he made out, not without difficulty,
the words " Skeffie/d— England" inscribed on the steel.

The cutlass was thus of English origin. But to assert
from that that the castaways on Browse Island were

144 Mistress BranIcan.

English was to be too positive. Why could not this
weapon belong to a sailor of different nationality, since
the manufactures of Sheffield are spread over the whole
world ? If some other object were found, would this
hypothesis be changed into certainty ? i

Captain Ellis and his companions continued on their
way to the promontory, /-..s there was no footpath, the
walk was rather laborious. If it had been trodden by the
feet of men, it must have been at a period too remote to
be recognizable, for all trace had disappeared beneath the
grass and mos'!.

After a walk of about two miles Captain Ellis halted
near a clump of cocoa trees of anything but vigorous
growth, and ihe nuts ofwiiich had fallen for some time,
and were now nothing but dust and rottenness.

Up to there no other object had been found ; but a few
yards from the clump of trees, on the slope of a slii^ht
undulation it was easy to recognize traces of cultivation
amid the scattered shrubs. What remained were a few
yains and batatas almost returned to their wild state. A
pickaxe lay under som0 thick briars, where one of the
sailors discovered it accidentally. It seemed to be of
American manufacture from the way it was hafted, and
it was deeply eaten into by rust.

" What do you think of it, Captain Ellis ? " asked the
boatswain.

" I think," said the captain, " that we have not yet had
enough to say anything about."

" 1 hen, forward ! " replied Zach Fren, motioning the
men to follow him.

After descending the slopes of the plateau they reached
the edge to which the northern promontory joined on. In
this place a narrow sinuosity wa.s cut back into the ridge,
giving an easy access to the little sandy beach. This
beach measured about an acre, and was enclosed by rocks
of a beautiful red colour, on which the surf beat without
cessation.

On the sand several objects were scattered about, .showing

Browse Island. 145

that human beings had made a long stay at this point of
the island, pieces of glass and crockery, iron bolts, preserve
tins, the American origin of which was clear enough this
time, and other things used at sea, a few fragments of
chain, broken rings, ends of galvainized iron rigging, a
fluke of a grapnel, several sheaves of blocks, a bent ring,
a pump handle, bits of spars and yards, pieces of sheet iron,
as to the origin of which the Californian sailors could
make no mistake.

" It was no English ship that went down off here," said
Captain Ellis. " It was an American."

" And you might say it was built in one of the Pacific
ports," said Zach Frcn, whose opinion was shared in by
the two sailors.

But at the same time there was nothing to show that it
was the Franklht.

And the question remained ; what was' this ship which
had sunk, and of which nothing of the frame or planking
had yet been found ? Had the crew reached Browse
Island in her boats ?

No! And Captain Ellis soon had proof enough that the
wreck had occurred on the reefs.

A hundred yards from the beach, amid a pile of pointed
rocks and reefs at the water level, lay the melancholy ruin
of a ship as thrown ashore and broken up by the sea, when
the waves have beaten over it with the violence of a flood
and in an instant, wood or iron, all is gashed to pieces,
demolished, shattered and dispersed and carried by the
surf among the rocks.

Captain Ellis, Zach Fren, and the two sailors, stood
looking, not without deep emotion, at what the rocks still
kept of the disaster. Of the hull there remained only a
few misshapen curves, jagged timbers bristling with broken
bolts, bent rails, a bit of the rudder, a few stfakes of the
deck, but nothing of the exterior upper works, nothing of
the masts which had either been cut away by the sea, or
since the wreck had been used for the camp on the island.
There was not a piece of the frame intact, not a piece of

14^ Mistress Branican.

the keel entire. Amid the rocks with their sharp edges
like chcvaux de frise the vessel had evidently been ground
up until its remains could not be used.

" Let us look," said Captain Ellis, " and we may, perhaps,
find a name, a letter, a mark which will tell us the
nationality of this vessel."

" Yes ! and pray God that it may not be the Franklin
reduced to a state like that ! " said Zach Fren.

But was there any such indication as the captain ex-
pected ? Even supposing that the surf had left a part of
the stern or of the bow, where the name of the ship is
usually found, would not the weather and the spray have
effaced it t

And nothing of it was left. The search was fruitless.
And if some of the tilings on the beach were of American
make, there was nothing to show that they belonged'to
the Franklin.

But if some of the castaways had taken refuge on Browse
Island — and the signal mast at the end of the promontory
showed that unmistakably — if, during a period, the length
of which it was impossible to say, they had lived on this
island, they had certainly taken shelter in some cave,
probably near the beach, so as to be able to make use of
the wreckage among the rocks.

One of the sailors very soon discovered the cave which
had been occupied by the survivors of the wreck. It was
in. a huge mass of rock formed at the angle of the plateau
and the beach.

Captain Ellis and Zach Fren ran up to the sailor who
called them. Perhaps this cave contained the secret of
the disaster ? Perhaps it would reveal the name of the
ship ?

The only way in was through a narrow opening, very
low, near which were the cinders of a fire outside, the
smoke of which had blackened the rocky wall.

Inside the cave was about ten feet high, twenty feet
deep and fifteen feet wide, large enough to hold twelve
men. The only furniture was a bed of dry herbage.

Browse Island. 147

covered with a sail in tatters, a bench made of pieces of
plank, two ,stools of the same kind, and a rickety table.
For utensils, there were a few plates and dishes of iron,
three forks, two spoons, a knife, and three pannikins, all
of them rusty. In a corner was a keg on the ground,
evidently used for water from the creek.

On the table was a ship's lamp, dented and rusty, and'
much too damaged for use. Here and there were a few
cooking utensils, and more clothes in rags thrown on the
bed.

" Poor creatures ! " said Zach Fren. " To what an end
they must have been reduced during their stay on this
island."

"They had scarcely saved anything from the ship,"
said Captain Ellis, "and that shows with what violence
she was thrown ashore ! Everything had been broken,
everything ! How could they have got food ? Doubtless
from the little corn they saved, and salt beef, and the
preserves they emptied to the last box ! But what an
existence, and how they must have suffered ! "

Yes ! and if we add what they might get by fishing, we
shall have all the castaways could have procured for their
wants. As to their being now on the island there seemed
to be no chance. And if they had succumbed, it was
probable that _the remains of him who died last would be
found, although the closest search inside and outside
yielded no result

"It seems to me," said Zach Fren, "that these ship-
wrecked folks were taken off home."

" And why ? " asked Captain Ellis. " Could they have
built a boat big enough to go to sea out of the remains of
the ship ! "

•' No, captain, and they would not have had enough to
make a canoe ; but I rather think their signals must have
been seen by some ship."

" And I cannot agree- to that."

" And why not ? "

*' Because if a ship had taken them off, the news would

148 Mistress Branican.

have spread all over the world, at least unless the ship
that rescued them went down with all hands — and that is
hot likely."

" Perhaps so ! " said Zach Fren, who did not give in
easily. " But if it was impossible for them to build a
boat, there is nqthing to prove that all the boats on board
perished in the wreck and in that case "

" Well, in that case," replied Captain Ellis, " as
nothing was heard of a crew having been picked up
somewhere near Western Australia, I think that the
boat would have perished on the voyage from Browse
Island ! "

It would have been difficult to reply to this reasoning, as
Zach Fren well knew, but not wishing to give up all hope
he continued, —

" I suppose you intend to visit the other parts of the
island ? "

" Yes, to clear our conscience," said Captain Ellis, " and
in the first place let us strike that signal mast so that
ships need not be stopped, now that there is not a man to
save."

The captain with Zach Fren and the sailors, came out
of the cave and gave a last look round the beach ; then
again walking up the creek to the plateaii, they went off
towards the head of the promontory.

After turning aside a little, so as to skirt a sort of
stony pool formed of rain-water, they went straight
ahead.

Suddenly Captain Ellis stopped. At this point the
ground .showed four undulations side by side. Pro-
bably this arrangement would not have attracted attention
if a half rotten cross of wood had not been at the end of
each little mound. These were graves, and this was
the cemetery of the castaways.

"At last," said Captain Ellis, "shall we be able to
learn ? "

It would not be out of any want of respect due to the
dead if they were to search these graves, and exhume the

Browse Island. 149

bodies they contained, and see the state in which they
were, and search in the grave for some indication of their
nationality.

The two sailors set to work, and digging into the ground
with their knives, threw it up on each side. But a number
of years must have elapsed since the corpses had been
buried for the ground contained only bones. Captain
Ellis had them covered up again and the crosses were
replaced on the graves.

But it was necessary that the mystery of this wreck
should be cleared up. If four human beings had been
buried here, what had become of those who had rendered
them the last duty ? And when death had struck them in
thfeir turn, would not a skeleton be found on some other
point of the island ?

Captain Ellis had no hope in the matter.

" We shall not, then," he said, " learn the name of the
ship lost on Browse island ! We shall return to San
Diego without having discovered the remains of the
Franktin^ without knowing what has become of John
Branican and his crew." , ' ^

" ^hy should not this be the Franklin ? " said one
of the sailors.

" And why should it be } " asked Zach Fren. There
was nothing in fact to show that it was the Franklin
whose wreckage covered the reefs of Browse Island,
and it seemed as though this second expedition of the
Dolly Hope would no more succeed than the first had
done.

Captain Ellis had remained silent with his looks cast
on the ground where the poor castaways had found the
end of their miseries, only with the end of their lives !
Were they Americans as he was ? Were they those of
whom the Dolly Hope had come in search ?

« To the flagstaff," he said.

Zach Fren and his men followed him as he descended
the long rocky slope by which the promontory joined on
to the island.

ISO Mistress Branican.

It took twenty minutes to walk 'the half mile which
separated them from the flagstaff, for the ground was
encumbered with stones and brambles.

When Captain Ellis and his men had reached the mast,
they saw that it had been sunk deep in a rocky ex-
cavation, which explained how it was that it had resisted
the storms for so long ; and as had been seen with the
glasses, this mast — the end of a bowsprit — had come from
some ship.

The rag nailed to its summit was merely a bit of sail-
cloth torn in the breeze, without any indication of nation-
ality.

At Captain Ellis' orders, the sailors were preparing to
lower the mast when Zach Fren exclaimed, —

" Captain ! Look there ! "

"What is it?"

"That bell!"

On a still solid framework there was a bell with the
clapper much rusted.

And so the castaways had not been contented with
setting up the mast and fixing to it the flag, but had taken
to it the bell, which they hoped could be heard by any
ship passing in sight of the island. But did not this bell
bear the name of the ship to which it belonged, according
to the custom of all maritime nations ?

Captain Ellis was walking towards the framework when
he stopped.

At the foot of it lay the remains of a skeleton, or rather
a mass of bones lay on the ground with a few rags among
it.

There were, then, five survivors who had taken refuge on
Browse Island. Four had died, and the fifth had remained
alone.

Then one day he had left the cave, he had dragged
himself to the end of the promontory, he had rung the
bell to make it heard by a ship in the offing, and he had
fallen at this spot never to rise again..

After giving orders to the two sailors to dig a grave for

Browse Island. 151

the bones, Captain Ellis made a sign to Zach Fren to
follow him and examine the bell.

On the bronze, there were this name and number, deeply
engraved and still legible —

Franklin,
1875.

CHAPTER XV.

LIVING WRECKAGE.

WllTLE the Dolly Hope was carrying on this second cam-
paign in the Timor Sea, and ending it in the way we know,
Mrs. Branican and her friends and the families of the
missing crew were sharing in all the aftxieties of the
attempt. What hopes attached to this little bit of wood
picked up by the Californian, and belongihg, without
question, to the Franklin I Would Captain Ellis find the
wreck of the ship on one of the islands, or on some point
of the Australian continent ? Would he find John
Branican, Harry Felton, and the twelve sailors embarked
under his orders ? Would he bring back to San Diego
one or many survivors of this catastrophe ?

Two letters from Captain Ellis had arrived since the
departure of the Dolly Hope. The first announced the
useless result of the exploration among the channels of
Torres Strait up to the Arafura Sea. The second an-
nounced that Melville and Bathurst Islands had been
visited without finding any trace of the Frankli7i. Mrs.
Branican was then informed that the search was to be
continued along the Sea of Timor up to Western
Australia, and among the numerous archipelagoes border-
ing on Tasman Land. The Dolly Hope would then return,
after searching the small Sunda Islands, and when no hope
was left of finding any trace.

After this last letter there came a break. Several
months elapsed, and now people were waiting from day
to day for the Dolly Hope to be signalled by the
semaphores of San Diego.

Living Wreckage. 153

However, the year 1882 went by, and although Mrs.
Branican had received no news of Captain Ellis, there was
nothing surprising in that, for postal communications are
slow and irregular across the Pacific Ocean, so that there
was no reason for being anxious about the Dolly Hope,
although they might be impatient to see her.

At the end of February, however, Mr. William Andrew
began to think that the cruise of the Dolly Hope was un-
duly prolonged. Every day a certain number of people
would go to Island Point, in the hope that the ship would
be sighted in the dffiilg. And, far enough out as she
might-be, and even though she might not make her number,
the sailors of San Diego would recognize her from her:
look— just as they could tell a Frenchman from a German,,
or a Yankee from a Britisher.

The Dolly Hope appeared at length in the morning of
the 27th of March, nine miles off", coming along at full
speed, under a fresh breeze from the north-west. In less
than an hour she had enter-ed the harbour, and dropped
her anchor in the bay of San Diego.

The news Soon spread in the town, and the populace
crowded on the quays, and on Island Point and Point Loma.

Mrs. Branican and Mr. William Andrew and a few
other friends, hastening to enter into communication with
the Dolly Hope, embarked on a tug to go out and meet
her.' The crowd, was possessed by some mysterious
anxiety, and when the tug breasted the last wharf, on
her way to the ship, there was not a sound. It seemed
that if Captain Ellis had succeeded in this second attempt,
the news would already have spread' round the world.

Twenty minutes later Mrs. Branican, Mr. William
Andrew and their companions were alongside the Dolly
Hope'; ■ ' w - .. . :

A few minutes later they knew the result of the ex-
pedition It was OH the western boundary of the Timor
Sea, on Browse Island, that the Franklin had been lost.
It was there that the survivors of the wreck had taken
refuge. It was there they had died.

154 Mistress Branican.

" All ? " said Mrs. Branican.

" All ! " replied Captain Ellis.

The consternation was general when the Dolly Hope
anchored in the middle of the bay with her flag awaft in
sign of mourning, mourning for the crew of the Franklin.

The Dolly Hope had left San Diego on the 3rd of April,
1882, and returned on the 27th of March, 1883. Her
cruise had lasted nearly twelve months, a cruise in which
devotion never failed ; but the only result had been to
destroy the last hopes.

During the few minutes Mrs. Branican and Mr. William
Andrew were on board, Captain Ellis had briefly informed
them of the facts relative to the wreck of the Eranklin on
the reefs of Browse Island.

Although she now learnt that there existed no doubt as
to the fate of Captain John and his companions, Mrs.
Branican showed no change whatever^ Not a tear es-
caped from her eyes. She asked no questions. As the
remains of the Franklin had been found on the island, as
there remained none of the crew who had taken refuge
there, what more could she ask at that time ? The story
of the expedition she could hear later. And so, having
shaken hands with Captain Ellis and Zach Fren, she had
sat down in the stern of the Dolly Hope, deep in her
thoughts, and, in spite of so many irrefragable proofs,
determined not to believe that she was yet " the widow of
John Branican."

When the Dolly Hope cast anchor, Dolly returned to
the front of the poop and asked Mr. William Andrew,
Captain Ellis, and Zach Fren, to call on her that very day
at Prospect House. She would expect them in the after-
noon, so as to learn in detail all that had happened during
the cruise in Torres Strait, the Arafura. Sea, and the Sea of
Timor.

A boat took Mrs. Branican ashore. The crowd parted
respectfully as she crossed the quay, and she directed her
steps towards the upper quarter of San Diego.

About three o'clock in the afternoon Mr. William '

Living Wreckage, 155

Andrew, Captain Ellis, and the boatswain presented them-
selves at the ch&let, where they were immediately ushered
into the drawing-room on the ground floor, in which Mrs.
Branican was waiting for them.

When they had taken their places round a table on
which was spread a chart of the northern Australian seas,
" Captain Ellis," said Dolly, " will you tell me the story of
your cruise ? "

And then Captain Ellis spoke as if he had his eyes on
the log-book, omitting no particular, forgetting no incident,
and referring every now and then to Zach Fren for corrobo-
ration. He even told in due order of the operations in
Torres Strait, in the Arafura Sea, at Melville and Bathurst
Islands, among the archipelagoes of Tasman Land,
although they had been useless. ' But Mrs. Branican was
interested in these details, and listened in silence, and fixed
on the captain a look which her eyelids did not veil for an
instant.

When the recital reached the episodes on Browse Island,
it had to account for every hour and every minute after
the Dolly Hope had seen the flagstaff on the cape. Mrs.'
Branican, without moving, but with just a slight trembling
of the hands, saw in these different incidents, as if they
were reproduced before her eyes, the landing of Captain
Ellis and his men at the mouth' of the creek, the ascent of
the knoll, the blade of the cutlass picked up off the ground,
the traces of cultivation, the abandoned pickaxe, the
beach with the fragments of wreckage, the remains of the
Franklin among the heap of rocks where it could only
have been driven by the most violent of storms, the cave
which the survivors had inhabited, the discovery of the
four graves, the skeleton of the last of the survivors at the
foot of the flagstaff near the alarm bell. At this moment
Dolly rose as though she heard the sound of the bell amid
the solitudes of Prospect House;

And then Captain Ellis, drawing from his pocket a locket
rusted with being in the water, presented it to her.

It was Dolly's portrait, a half-faded photograph she

1 56 Mistress Branican.

had given to John at the FranMin's deiparture, and which
a fresh search had discovered in a dark corner of the cave.'

And if this locket showed that Captain John was one
of the five survivors, was it not to be concluded that he
was one of those who had succumbed to the long misery
of destitution and abandonment ?

The chart of the Australian seas was spread out on thfe
table, the chart on which for seven years Dolly had so
often , evoked the memory of John. She asked the
Captain to show her Browse Island, that point hardly per-
ceptible, lost in the regions swept by the typhoons of the
Indian Ocean, -W . ' >

" If we had arrived there a few years earl'i^r,""^a'dded
Captain Ellis, " we might have found them still alive —
John — his companions."

"Yes, maybej" said Mr. William Andrew', "and the
Bo/Iy Hope should have gone there on •'her first cruise.
But who would have thought that the Franklin had bfeen
lost on an island in the Indian Ocean ?"

" No one," said Captain Ellis, " considering the course
he should have followed, and which he did follow, since
the Franklin was seen- to the south of Celebes. Captain
Branican must have lost control of his ship, which must
have been borne through one of the Sunda Straits into the
Timor Sea and driven on Browse Island." '

" There is no doubt," said Zach Ffen, " that that is what
happened."

" Captain Ellis," said Mrs. Branican, " in looking for the
Franklin in the seas of Malaysia you did what you ought
to have done. Bilt it was to Browse Island that you
should have gone first. Yes, it was thefe ! "" ' ' ' ''

Then taking part in the conversation, as if she wished
to draw some hope from the figures, she said, —

"On board the Franklin there wei-e Captain Johnj the
mate Harry Felton, and twelve "sailors. You found on the
island the remains of four men who had been buried, and
the last died at the foot of the flagstaff; What do yon
think had become of the nine others?"

Living Wreckage. 157

" We do not know," said Captain Ellis;

"Yes, I know," said IVlrs. Branican ; " but what do you
t/iink became of them ? "

" Perhaps they perished when the Franklin struck on
the reefs of the island."

" You admit, then, that only five survived the wreck ? "

"Thatj unfortunately, is the most probable explanation,'
added Mr. William Andrew.

"That is not my opinion," said Mrs. Branican. "Why
should not John, Felton, and tvvelve men have reached
Browse Island safe and sound ? Why should not nine of
them have left it afterwards .■" "

" And how, Mrs. Branican ? " said Captain Ellis.

" In a sloop built from the remains of the ship."

" Mrs. Branican," said Captain Ellis, " Zach Fren will
tell you, as I do, that in the state in which we found those
remains, it appeared to us to be impossible."

" But, one of their boats ? "

" Tile boats of the Frank/in, even supposing they were
not all broken, could never have ventured a passage to the
Australian coast or to the Sunda Inlands."

"And, besides," said Mr. William Andrew, "if nine of
the men left the island, why did the five renia:in behind ? "

" 1 add," said Captain Ellis, " that if they had any boat
at all at' their d'sposal, those who went away in her perished
at sea or were the victims of the Australian aborigines, for
they Jiave never been heard of."

Then Mrs.' Branican, without showing a symptom of
weakness, asked the boatswain,—" Zach Fren," said she,
" do 3 ou.think as:Captain Ellis thinks ? "

" I think," said Zach Fren, shaking his head, " that
though it is possible for things to have been as he says,
it is also possible for them tohave been otherwise."

" And," said Mrs. Branican, " my opinion is that we have
no absolute certainty as to what has become of the nine
men whose remains were not found on the island. You
and your crew. Captain Ellis, have done all th"*! the most
intrepid devotion could di>."

iS8 Mistress Branican.

" I should have liked to have done more, Mrs. Brani-
can." '

" We will now leave you," said Mr. William Andrew,
thinking the interview had lasted long enough.

" Yes, my friend/' said Mrs. Branican, " I want to be
alone. But whenever Captain Ellis , likes to come to
Prospect House, I shall be happy to have a talk with him
about John and his companions."

" I am. always at your orders," said the captain.

" And you also, Zach Fren," added Mrs. Branican ; " do
not forget that my house is yours."

" Mine ? " said the boatswain, "but what will become of
the Bo/fy Nope?"

" The' Doi/f Hajtef" said Mrs. Branican, as if this ques-
tion wa9 of no importance.

" Your idea, my dear Dolly," said Mr. William Andrew,
" is that, if an opportunity offers, of selling her ? "

" Selling her ? " answered Mrs. Branican, sharply, " scll-
ing.her ? No, Mr. Andrew, never."

Mrs. Branican and Zach Fren had exchanged looks ;
they understood each other.

From this day forwards Dolly lived in great retirement
at Prospect House, where she had had brought the few
things collected on Browse Island — the ship's lamp, the
utensils, the fragment of canvas nailed to the flagstaff,
the bell of the Franklin, &c.

The Dolly Hope was taken to the end of the harbour
and laid up in'charge of Zach Fren. The crew, well paid,
were beyond reach of want for the future; but if ever
the Dolly Hope went to sea on another expedition, they
might be reckoned on.

Zach Fren did not forget to go often to Prospect House.
Mrs". Branican was pleased to see him, to talk with him, to
hear in detail all the incidents of his last cruise. Besides,
the same way of looking at things made them understand
one another better day by day ; they did not believe that
the last word had been said concerning the wreck of the
Franklin, and Dolly would say to the boatswain,—

Living Wreckage. 159

"Zach Fren, neither John nor his companions are
dead."

" The eight ? — that I don't know," the boatswain would
answer, " but certainly Captain John is living ! "

" Yes ! Living ! And where shall we go and look for
him, Zach Fren ? Where is he, my poor John ? "

" He is where he is, and nowhere else, Mrs. Branican ;
and if we do not go there, we shall get news of him. I
do not say it will be by post and a prepaid letter ; but we
shall receive it all right."

" John is living, Zach Fren ! "

" If he were not, Mrs. Branican, should I ever have
been able to save you ? Would Heaven have permitted it ?
N6. That would have been too bad."

And Zach Fren, with his manner of saying things,, and
Mrs. Branican, with the obstinacy of her character, agreed
to encourage a hope that neither Mr. William Andrew,
nor Captain Ellis, nor any of their friends could continue
to hold.

During 1883 nothing happened to direct public atten-
tion to the matter of the Franklin. Captain Ellis, in
command of one of Andrews' ships, was again at sea.
Mr. William Andrew and Zach Fren were the only visitors
received at the chalet, and Mrs. Branican devoted herself
entirely to her work at Wat House.

Now, about fifty poor children, some of them quite
young, were being brought up in this asylum, which Mrs.
Branican visited every day, looking after their health, their
instruction, and their future.' The ample funds at the
disposal of Wat House allowed of the children being as
happy and comfortable as children could be who had lost
father and mother. When they reached an age at which
they could be apprenticed, Dolly placed them in the work-
shops and business houses of San Diego, where she con-
tinued to watch over them. This year, three or four sons
of sailors had gone to sea under honest captains. . Begin-
ning as cabin boys, they would become apprentices between
thirteen and eighteen years of age, then seamen, then

iGo Mistress Branican.

boatswains, and, in this way, would be assured of a good
trade for their manhood and a retreat in their old age.
And thus the Asylum of Wat House was destined to be-
come the nursery of the sailors who are an honour to
the population of San Diego and the other ports of Cali-
fornia.

In addition to these occupations, Mrs. Branican did not
cease from being the benefactress of the poor. No one
knocked in vain at the door of Prospect House. With
the considerable income from her fortune, as controlled by
Mr. William Andrew, she engaged in every good work,
in which the fa.milics of the sailors of the Franklin had
the greatest share. And did she not hope that these absent
ones would one day return ?

This was the one subject of her interviews with Zach
Fren. What had become of the castaways of whom there
was no trace on Browse Island ? Why could not they
have left it in a boat of their own making, although Cap-
tain Ellis thought otherwise } But so many years had
since elapsed that it was madness to hope.

At night, in sleep troubled by strange dreams, Dolly
would again and again see John appear to her. He had
been saved from shipwreck and picked up in distant seas.
The ship that was bringing him home was in the offing.
John was on his way back to San Diego ; and what was
most extraordinary was that these illusions would persist,
after she awoke, with such intensity that Dolly looked
upon them as realities.

And, in the same way, Zach Fren continued obstinate.
It might be thought that these ideas had been driven
into his brain with a mallet as trenails are driven into a
ship's frame. He also repeated that they had found five
castaways instead of fourteen, that the nine had left Browse
Island, and that no one could say it was impossible to
build a boat out of the remains of the Franklin. But
what had become of them after so long a time .? Zach
Fren could not say, and it was not without alarm that Mr.
William Andrew saw him encouraging Dolly in these illq-

Living Wreckage, i6i

sions. Was it not to be feared that this excitement was
dangerous for a brain adready smitten with madness ? But
when Mr. William Andrew took the boatswain to task on
the subject, he only persisted in his ideas and said, —

" I will only swing to one anchor while its flukes are
strong and its hold good."

Several years went by. In 1890, fourteen years had
elapsed since Captain Branican and his Franklin had left
the port of San Diego^ Mrs. Branican was then aged
.thijty-sevcn. If her hair wqs going grey, if her warm
col^m- was beginning to fade, her eyes were animated with
the,same fire as before. It seemed she had lost nothing
of her bojdl'ly and n'lent-al strfength,i;bf the energy which
4jstinguishfdTher,„and she was .only uvyiaiting for an oppor-
timfty of giving fresh^roofs, pf it; ■ f

It was just as possible for her. as for Lady Franklin to
organize expedition after expedition, ; to spend her entire
fortune in seeking to recover John and his companions.
But where could she look for them? Was it not the
general opinion that the maritime drama had had the
same ending as the expedition of the illustrious British
admiral ? Had not the sailors of the Franklin succumbed
on Browse Island as had the sailors of the Erebus and
Terror in the ice of the Arctic seas ?

During the long years which had brought no unravelling
of the mysterious catastrophe, Mrs. Branican had not
ceased in her inquiries as to what had become of Len and
Jane Burker. On this point also there was absolutely no
proof. No letter had come to San Diego. Everything
seemed to show that Len Burker had left America and
was living under an assumed name in some foreign .country.
To Mrs. Branican this was a very great sorrow added to so
many others. This unfortunate woman, of whom she was
so fond, how happy would she be to have her near her.
Jane had been a devoted companion ; but she was far away
and none the less lost to Dolly than was Captain John.

The first six months of the year 1890 had gone by when
^ San Diego newspaper reproduced in its number for the

i62 Mistress Branican.

26th of July an item of news of which the effect ought to
have been, and was, immense, we may say, in both conti-
nents.

This news was quoted from the Sydney Morning Herald,
and the extract was as follows : —

" It will be remembered that the last rese'arches made
seven years ago by the Dolly Hope, with, the object of
rescuing the survivors of the Franklin, ended in failure.
Since then it has been supposed that the shipwrecked
crew had succumbed to the last man, either before reach-
ing Browse Island or after leaving it. The mystery is,
however, far from being solved. In fact, one ofthe officers
of the Franklin has just arrived in Sydney. This is Harry
Felton, the mate. He was met with on the banks of the
Parru, one of the affluents of the Darling, almost on the
frontier between New South Wales and Queensland, and
he has been brought to Sydney. But he is in so weak a
state that no information can be obtained from him, and
it is feared that his death may take place at any moment.
We give this information for the benefit of those interested
in the fate of the Franklin."

On the 27th of July, as soon as Mr. William Andrew
heard the news, which reached San Diego by telegraph,
he went to Prospect House, where Zach Fren happened to
be at the time.

Mrs. Branican was at once shown the paper, and the
only reply she made was, —

" I stait for Sydney."

" For Sydney ? " said Mr. William Andrew.

" Yes," answered Dolly, and turning to the boatswain,
she said, —

" Will you accompany me, Zach Fren ? "

" Wherever you go, Mrs. Branican."

" Is the Dolly Hope ready for sea ? "

" No," said Mr. William Andrew, " and it will take three
weeks to fit her out."

" Before three weeks I must be in Sydney," said Mrs.
Branican. " Is there a mail boat due out to Australia ?"

Livii(^G Wreckage. 163

" The Oregon ought to leave San Francisco to-night."

"Zach Fren add I will be at San Francisco this
evening."

" My dear Dolly," said Mr. William Andrew, " may
Heaven give you back your husband ! "

" It will give him back to me."

That night, at eleven o'clock, a special train, ordered by
her, landed Mrs. Branican and Zach Fren in the capital of
California.

At one o'clock in the morning the Oregon left San
Francisco bound for Sydney,

CHAPTER XVI.

HARRY FELTON.

The steamer Oregon attained a mean speed of seventeen
knots during her passage, which was favoured with superb
weather — the usual weather in this part of the Pacific at
this period of the year. The gallant ship shared in the
impatience of Mrs. Branican, as Zach Fren said. We
need scarcely say that the officers, passengers, and crew
showed the brave woman that respectful sympathy of
which her misfortunes, and the energy with which she
bore them, made her so worthy.

When the Oregon was in 33° 51' south latitude, and
148° 40' east longitude, the look-outs reported land. On
the 15th of August, after a voyage of seven thousand
miles, made in nineteen days, the steamer entered Port
Jackson, between the high schistose cliffs forming the
great gate opening on to the Pacific.

Leaving to the right and left the little bays dotted with
villas and cottages, which bear the names of Watson,
Vaucluse, Rose, Double, Elizabeth, the Oregon passed
Sydney Cove and entered Darling Harbour, which is the
port of Sydney, and ran alongside the quay.

To the first person who came on board — one of the
custom-house officers — Mrs. Branican said, —
" Harry Felton .? "

" He is alive," answered the officer, who had recognized
Mrs. Branican.

Did not all Sydney know she was on board the Oregon^
and was not she expected with the greatest impatience ?

'I he steamer ciuered Tort Jackson.

Harry Felton. 165

" Where is Harry Felton ?" she asked,

" At the Marine Hospital."

Mrs. Branican, followed by Zach Fren, at once went
ashore. The crowd received her with the same defeience
with which she was greeted at San Diego, and which she
met with everywhere.

A carriage took them to the Marine Hospitalj where
they were received by the doctor on duty.

"Can Harry Felton speak? Is he conscious ?" asked
Mrs. Branican.

" No, madam," said the doctor. " The unfortunate
man has not yet recognized any one. It seems that he
cannot speak. Death may intervene at any time."

" Harry Felton must not die ! " said Mrs. Branican.
" He alone knows if Captain John or any of his com-
panions are still alive. He alone knows where they are !
I have come to see Harry Felton."

" I will take you to him at once," said the doctor.

A few moments afterwards Mrs. Branican and Zach
Fren were in the room occupied by Harry Felton.

Six weeks before, some travellers were crossing the
country of Ularara in New South Wales, on the lower
boundary of Queensland. Reaching the left bank of the
Parru River, they saw a man lying at the foot of a tree.
Covered with clothes in rags, exhausted by privations,
broken down by fatigue, this man could not be brought
back to consciousness, and if his certificate as officer of the
mercantile marine had not been found in one of his pockets,
it would probably never have been known who he was.

It was Harry Felton, the mate oi the Frankli7i. Where
did he come from ? From what distant and unknown
part of the Australian continent had he set out ? How
long had he been wandering in the dreadful deserts of the
centre of Australia ? Had he been a prisoner of the
natives, and had he escaped .' If any of his companions
remained, where had he left them ? Was he the sole sur-
vivor of a disaster now fourteen years old .' All these
questions had, up to the present, remained without reply.

M

i(!6 Mistress Branican.

But it was a matter of considerable interest to know
where Hany Felton came from, what his life had been
since the wreck of the Franklin on the reefs of Browse
Island — to know, in fact, the last word of this cata-
strophe.

Harry Felton was taken to the nearest station, that oj
Oxley, from which the railway brought him to Sydney.
The Sydney Morning Herald, having the first news of his
arrival, made it the, subject of the paragraph we know,
adding that the mate of the Franklin had not up to then
been able to reply to the questions put to him.

And now Mrs. Branican was before Harry Felton, whom
she would not have recognized. He was but forty-six
years of age then, and he looked quite sixty. And this
was the only man^ — almost a corpse — who could say what
had become of Captain John and his crew.

The most assiduous care had been unable to ameliorate
Harry Feltoa's condition — a condition evidently due to
the terrible fatigues he had suffered during the weeks,,
during the months, perhaps, that his journey across Central
Australia had lasted. The breath of life which still
re nained to him a fainting fit might deprive him of at any
moment. Since he had been in the ho.spital he had hardly
opened his eyes, and it was doubtful if he knew what was
go'ng on around him. He was supported by a little food,
and this he did not even seem to notice. It was to be
feared that excessive suffering might have annihilated his
intellectual faculties, and destroyed in him the working of
his memory, on which, perhaps, the safety of the castaways
depended.

Mrs. Branican sat downat his bedside, watching his look,
for a movement of his eyelids, the murmur of his voice, or
the least indication it would be possible to seize. Zach
Fren stood near her, alert for any spark of intelligence,
like a sailor looking for a light through the mist on the
horizon.

But the light did not shine neither that day nor the fol-
Itawirg day. Harry Felton's eyelids remained obstinately

Harry Felton. 167

closed, and when Dolly lifted them she found only a look
of unconsciousness.

But she did not despair, neither did Zach Fren, who
said to her, —

" If Harry Felton recognizes his captain's wife, he will
know how to make her understand, even though he may
not speak,"

Yes ! It was important that he should recognize Mrs.
Branican, and that, perhaps, might have a good effect on
him. And things would have to be managed with great
prudence while he was becoming accustomed to Dolly's
presence. Little by little the recollection of the Franklin
would return to his memory. He might express in signs
what he could not say.

Although she was advised not to remain shut up in
Harry Felton's room, Mrs. Branican refused to take an
hour's rest or even go out for a breath of fresh air. She
would not leave his bedside.

" Harry Felton may die, and if the only word I am wait-
ing for escapes with his last breath, I must be here to hear
it. I will not leave him."

Towards the evening a slight improvement seemed to
take place. His eyes opened several times, but they did
not look towards Mrs. Branican. And yet she leant over
him and called him by his name, and repeated the name
of John — of the captain of the Franklin — of San Diego !
How was it these names did not recall to him the recollec-
tion of his companions .? A word, he was only asked for
one word — Living ? Were they alive ?

And all that Harry Felton had had to suffer before
coming there, Dolly said to herself, that John had suffered
also. Then the thought came to her that John had fallen
on the way. But, no. John had not followed Harry
Felton. He remained there with the others. Where .'
Was it with a tribe of the Australian coast ? What was
this tribe ? Harry Felton alone could say, and it seemed
that his intelligence was annihilated, that his lips had
forgotten how to speak.

i68 Mistress Branican.

During the night his weakness increased. His eyes did
not open again, his hand grew cold as if the little life that
remained to him had retreated towards his heart. Was
he, then, going to die without saying a word ? And it
entered Dolly's mind that she also had lost her memory
and her reason for several years. As nothing could be
obtained from her then, nothing could be obtained from
this man — nothing of what he alone knew.

The day came. The doctor, very uneasy at the state
of prostration, tried the most powerful remedies, which
produced no effect. Harry Felton would die, and then
Mrs. Branican would see, lost in the void, the hopes
that his return had led her to 'ctmceive/ ^-To ?tjhe . light
he might have brought, there would succeed, a darkness
nothing could dissipate ! And then all would be ended !

At Dolly's request the principal doctors of the city were
gathered in consultation. But after examining the patient
they declared themselves powerless.

" You can do nothing for this unhappy man ? "

" Nothing," said one of the doctors,,.,. -

" Not even a minute of intelligence, a minute of
memory ? "

And for that minute Mrs. Branican would have paid her
whole fortune.

But what is not in the power of man is always in the
power of God. It is to Him man should go when human
resources fail.

As soon as the doctors had gone Dolly knelt, and when
Zach Fren returned he found her in prayer by the side of
the dying man.

Suddenly Zach Fren, who had bent over him to see if a
breath escaped from his lips, exclaimed, —

" Look ! "

Dolly, thinking the boatswain had found that life had
gone, rose and murmured, — ■

••■ Dead ? "

"No, no! Look, His eyes are open. He is looking
at us,"

Harry Felton. 169

Under the raised eyelids Harry Felton's eyes were shin-
ing with extraordinary brightness. His face had slightly
regained its colour, and his hands moved. He seemed to
liave come out of the torpor in which he had been plunged
for so long. And as he looked at Mrs. Branican, a sort of
smile played round his lips.

" He has recognized me ! " exclaimed Dolly.

" Yes 1 " said Zach Fren. " His captain's wife is near
him, and he knows it. He is going to speak ! "

" And if he cannot, may God grant he may make him-
self understood."

And taking his hand, which feebly returned her pres-
sure, DoJly went near to him.

"John ? John ?" she said.

A movement of the eyes indicated that Harry Felton
had heard her and understood.

" Living ? " she asked.

*'Yes!"

And this "Yes," so feebly uttered, Dolly had heard
distinctly.

CHAPTER XVII.

BY " YES " AND " NO."

Mrs. Branican at once called the doctor, who saw well
enough that, in spite of the change in the patient's state
of intelligence, it was only a last manifestation of life, and
that death was near.

But the dying man seemed only to see Mrs. Branican.
Neither Zach Frcn nor the doctor attracted his attention.
All that remained of the strength of his intellect was
concentrated on his captain's wife.

"Harry Felton," asked Mrs. Branican, "if John is alive
where did you leave him ? Where is he ? "

Harry Felton did not reply.

" He cannot speak," said the doctor, " but he might
answer by a sign."

" If even by a look I would understand him," said Mrs,
Branican.

" Listen ! " said Zach Fren ; " the questions ought to be
put to him in a certain way, and, as we understand each
other as sailors, let me put them. Let Mrs. Branican hold
Felton's hand and not take her eyes off his. I will ask him.
We will see ' yes ' or ' no ' by his eyes, and that will do."

Mrs. Branican leant over Harry Felton and took his
hand.

If Zach Fren had, at the outset, asked him where Cap-
tain John was to be found, it would have been impossible
to obtain a satisfactory reply, as that would have obliged
Harry Felton to mention the name of a country, a county,
or a town, which he probably could not do. Better to
arrivo gradually at the information by taking up the

By "Yes'* and "No." 171

history of the Franklin from the day she had been last
seen until the day Harry Felton had become separated
from John Branican.

"Felton," said Zach Fren, in a clear voice, "you have
near you Mrs. Branican, the wife of John Branican, the
captain of the Franklin. You have recognized her? "

Felton's lips did not move, but a movement of his eye-
brows, a feeble pressure of the hand, replied affirmatively.

"The Franklin" said Zach Fren, "was last reported
south of the island of Celebes. You understand me.
You understand me, Felton, do you not ? "

Another look of affirmation.

" Well," continued Zach Fren, " listen to me, and, ac-
cording as you open or shut yOur eyes, I shall know if
what I am saying is right or wrong."

There was no doubt that Felton understood what Zach
Fren said.

" When he left the Sea of Java, Captain John went into
the Timor Sea ? "

"Yes."

" By the Straits of Sunda ? "

" Yes."

" Of his own free will ? "

This question was followed by a negative sign of which
there could be no doubt.

" No," said Zach Fren.

And this was what Captain Ellis had always thought.
For the Franklin to leave the Java Sea for the Timor Sea
she must have been obliged to do so.

" It was in a storm ? " asked Zach Fren.'

" Yes."

" A violent tornado caught you in .the Java Sea ? "

"Yes."

" And drove you through the Straits of Sunda ? "

" Yes."

" Perhaps the Franklin was disabled and dismasted, her
rudder gone?"

"Yes."

t72 Mistress BraKIcaM.

Mrs. Eranican, with licr eyes fixed on Hafry Feltotl,
iooked at him without saying a word.

Zach Fren, wishing to run through the different phases
of the catastrophe, continued in these terms : —

"Captain John having been unable to tal<e an observa-
tion for some days, did not know his position .'' "

" Yes."

" And after being swept for some days to the westward
in Timor Sea, he was lost on the reefs of Broivse Island.'"

A slight movement showed the surprise of Harry Felton,
who evidently did not know the name of the island on
which the Franklin had been wrecked, and which no ob-
servation had enabled him to fix the position of in the
Timor Sea.

Zach Fren continued, —

" When you left San Diego you had Captain John, your-
self, and twelve men, fourteen in all. Were you fourteen
after the wreck ? "

" Yes."

" Some of the men perished, then, when the ship was
cast on the rocks ? "

"Yes."

" One ?— two ? "

An affirmative sign approved of this las^ number. So
two sailors were missing when the men set foot on Browse
Island.

At this moment, at the doctor's advice, a little rest was
given Harry Felton, whom the interrogation was visibly
tiring.

Then the questions having been resumed a few minutes
afterwards, Zach Fren obtained information as to the way
in which the twelve survivors had provided for the means
of their subsistence. Without a part of the cargo, con-
sisting of preserves and flour, which had been washed
ashore, and without fishing, which became one of their
chief resources, the castaways would have died of hunger.
They had only very rarely seen -ships pass out at sea off
the island. Their flag on the mast was never noticed, and

By "Yes" and "No." 173

they had no other chance of safety beyond this of a vessel
taking them off.

When Zach Fren asked, —

" How long did you live on Browse Island ? One year .'
■ — two years ? — three years ? — six years .■' "

It was to the last that Fclton answered "yes" with a
look.

And so from 1875 to 1881 Captain John and his com-
panions had lived on this island. But how did they
manage to leave it ? That was one of the most interesting
points which Zach Fren entered upon when he a.^ked, — •

" Did you build a boat with the remains of the ship ? "

" No."

This is what Captain Ellis and the boatswain had agreed
when they were exploring the site of the shipwreck. • It
would not have been possible to build even a canoe with
such fragments.

Arrived at this point, Zach Fren was rather embarrassed
as to the questions he should ask as to the way the men
had left Browse Island.

" You say," he said, " that no ship answered your
signals ? "

" No."

" Did a Malay proah, or a native Australian boat, come
to the island .? "

" No."

" Then a ship's boat came to the island ? "

" Yes."

" Was the boat adrift ? "

" Yes."

This point was cleared up at last, It was easy for ^ach
.Fren to deduce the natural consequences.

" Did you make the boat seaworthy ? "

"Yes."

" And Captain John used it to reach the nearest coast
to leeward ? "

" Yes."

But why had not the captain and all his companions

1/4 Mistress Branican.

embarked in this boat ? That was what it was Importattt
to know.

" Doubtless the boat was too small to take twelve pas-
sengers ? " asked Zach Fren.

"Yes."

" And seven of you went away — Captajta John, you, and
five men ? "

" Yes."

And then they could clearly read in the dying man's
look that he thought they could still save those who
remained on Browse Island.

But, at a sign from Dolly, Zach Fren abstained froni
saying that the five sailors had succumbed after the cap-
tain's departure.

»A few minutes' rest was given to Harry Felton, whose
eyes remained closed, while his hand continued to clasp
Mrs. Branican's.

And then her thoughts carried her to Browse Island, and
she took part in these scenes. She saw John trying even
the impossible for the safety of his companions. She
heard him, he spoke to her, she encouraged him, she took
passage with him. Where had this boat.come ashore ?

Harry Felton's eyes opened again, and Zach Fren began
to question him.

"Then Captain John, you, and five men left Browse
Island ? "

" Yes."

" And the boat headed eastwards for the nearest land to
the island ? "

"Yes."

" The land was Australia ? "

"Yes."

" Was she driven ashore by a storm during the voy-
age?"

"No."

"You landed in one of the creeks on the Australian
coast > "

" Yes."

By "Yes" and "No." 175

" In the neighbourhood of Cape Leveque ? "

" Yes."

« Perhaps in York Sound ? " '

"Yes."

"As you landed did you fall into the hands of the
natives ? "

"Yes."

" And they took you away with them ? "

" Yes."

"All?"

" No."

" Some of you perished as you landed ? "

" Yes."

" Massacred by the aborigines ? "

" Yes."

" One ?— two ?— three ?— four ? "

"Yes."

" There were only three, then, that the Australians took
into the interior ? '\

" Yes."

" Captain John, you, and one of the sailors .' "

"Yes." ^ >

" And this sailor, is he still with the captain ? "

" No."

" He died before you left .' "

" Yes."

" A long time ago ? "

" Yes."

And so Captain John and Harry Felton were actually
the only survivors of the Franklin, and now one of these
had but a few hours to live.

It was not easy to obtain from Harry Felton informa-
tion concerning Captain John, information it was desirable
to have with extreme precision. More than once Zach
Fren had to pause in his examination 5 then, when he re-
sumed it, Mrs. Branican asked questions on questions, so as
to know what had passed during the nine years, that is to
say, since the day Captain John and Harry Felton had

1^6 Mistress Branican.

been carried off by tlie aborigines of the coast. In this
way they learnt what the Australian nomads were doing.
The prisoners had had to accompany them during their
incessant peregrinations through the regions of Tasman
La,nd, while leading a most miserable existence. Why
had they been spared ? Was it to obtain some services
from them, or, if occasion offered, to obtain a high ransom
for them from the English authorities ? Yes, arid this last
important fact was definitely confirmed by Harry Felton.
It was only an affair of ransom if they could reach the
natives. A few other questions gave them to understand
that Captain John and Harry Felton had been so Well
watched during the nine years that they had not had a
single opportunity for flight. • ■ .r

At last a chance presented itself. A place had been
chosen where the two prisoners -could ifteet ' and escape
together; but some circumstance, unknown to Harry
Felton, had prevented Captain John from coming to the
rendezvous. Harry Felton had waited several days ; .not
wishing to escape alone, he had sought to rejoin the tribe,
but it had moved off; then, resolved to deliver his cap-
tain if he could reach one of the villages of the interior,
he had set out across the central regions, hiding to avoid
falling again into the hands of the blacks, exhausted by
the heat, dying of hunger arid, fatigue. For six months he
had wandered until he had fallen unconscious on the
banks of the Parru.

There, as we know, he was recognized by the papcrs'he
had on- him ; from there he had beenbrbught to Sydriey,
where his life had been proloflged as if by a miracle, so
that he might tell them what, for so many years, they had
in vain sought to know.

And so Captain John still lived ; but he was a prisoner
of a nomad tribe which wandered in the deserts of Tasman
Land.

And when Zach Fren had mentioned the different
names of the tribes which frequent these territories, it was
the Indas to which Harry Felton replied by the aflirma-

Uncoiiiciuus on the I auks of the Parru,

By "Yes" and "No." 177

tive sign, Zach Fren even managed to learn that in the
vyinter this tribe usually camped on the banks of the
Fitzroy River, one of the streaims running into Leveque
Gulf, on the north-west of the Australian continent.

" There we will go and look for John ! " exclaimed Mrs.
Branican, " and there we shall find him."

And Harry Felton understood her, for his look grew
animated at the thought that his captain would at last be
saved — saved by her.

Harry Felton had now accomplished his mission. Mrs.
Branican knew to what part of the Australian continent
her investigation's should be directed. And he closed his
eyes, having no more to say.

And that was the state to which had been reduced this
man, so courageous and robust, by fatigue and privation, and
chiefly by the terrible influence of the Australian climate,
and, for having braved it, he was about to succumb when
his miseries were near their end. Did not this await
Captain John if he attempted to escape across the solitudes
of Central Australia ? And did not the same dangers
menace those who went in search of this tribe of the
Indas ?

But this thought never occurred to the mind of Mrs.
Branican. While the Oregon bore her towards the Aus-
tralian continent she had conceived and organized the
project of a new campaign ; she would now put it into
execution.

Harry Felton died at nine o'clock that night. For the
last time Dolly had called him by his name. For the
last time he had understood her. His eyes opened and
this name escaped his lips — "John ! John ! "

Then the rattle came in his throat, and his heart ceased
to beat.

That night as Mrs. Branican left the hcspital she was
spoken to by a boy who was waiting at the door.

He was an apprentice in the merchant service, employed
on the Brisba7ie, one of the mail boats running between
Sydney and Adelaide,

1 78 Mistress Branican.

" Mrs. Branican ! " said he, in a troubled voice.

" What do you want, my child ? " answered Dclly.
■" Is Harry Felton dead ?"

" He is dead."

"And Captain John ?"

" He is alive ; yes, alive ! "

" Thank you, Mrs. Branican," said tlic apprentice.

Dolly hardly noticed the features of the boy, who went
off without saying who he was or why he asked the
question.

Next day Harry Felton was buried, and the sailors of
the port and a part of the population of Sydney attended
the funeral.

Mrs. Branican took her place behind the coffin, and
followed to the grave him who had been the devoted com-
panion and faithful friend of Captain John ; and near her
walked the young apprentice, whom she did not recognize
among the crowd who had come to render the last honours
to the mate of the Franklin,

END OF THE FIRST TART.

CHAPTER I.

ON THE VOYAGE.

From the day M. de Lesseps severed the Isthmus of Suez
it may be said that he made an island of the African con-
tinent. When the Panama Canal is finished, it will be
quite as correct to say the same of North and South
America. In fact, these immense territories are sur-
rounded by water ; but as they retain the name of con-
tinentf owing to their extent, it is logical to apply the
description to Australia, or New Holland, which is simi-
larly circumstanced.
■ Australia measures three thousand nine hundred kilo-
metres in its greatest length from east to west, and three
thousand two hundred in its greatest width from north to
south. The product of these two dimensions yields an
area of about four million eight hundred and thirty thou-
sand square kilometres — about seven-ninths of the area of
Europe.

The Australian continent is divided by the compilers of
the most recent atlases into seven provinces, separated by
arbitrary lines cutting each other at right angles, and
taking no notice whatever of orographic or hydrographic
conditions.

On the east, in the most populated part, are Queensland
with its capital at Brisbane, New South Wales with its
capital at Sydney, Victoria with its capital at Melbourne.

In the middle are Northern Australia and Alexandra

N

i8o Mistress Branican.

Land, without capitals, and Southern Australia with Its
capital at Adelaide.

On the west is Western Australia, extending from
north to south, with its capital at Perth.

It will soon be seen in what provinces, the most dan-
gerous and least known of any on the continent, Mrs.
Branican was about to adventure with that hope so vague,
that thought almost unrealizable, of finding Captain John
and rescuing him from the tribe who had kept him prisoner
for nine years. And besides, was there not good reason
to ask if th*e Indas had respected his life after the escape
of Harry Felton ?

Mrs. Branican's plan was to leave Sydney as soon as
possible. She could reckon on the boundless devotion of
Zach Fren, on the solid practical intelligence which charac-
terized this confident, resolute man.. In along interview,
with the map of Australia before them, they had discussed
the promptest and most efficient measures to be taken
to assure the success of this new attempt. The choice
of the point of departure was, it will be understood, of
extreme importance, and this is what was finally decided
upon : —

1. A caravan provided with the best means of search
and defence, and with everything required for a journey
across the deserts of Central Australia, would be organized
at the cost and by the effort of Mrs. Branican.

2. The expedition should start as soon as possible,
and to enable this to be done it was advisable to take it by
the quickest roads, either on land or sea, to the terminus of
the existing communications between the coast and the
interior of the continent.

In the first place, the question of reaching the north-
west coast, that is, the part of Tasman Land where the
Franklin's men had landed, was submitted and debated.
But this roundabout way would have occasioned loss
of time, and caused certain serious difficulties for the
staff and material — and the staff would be numerous and
the material considerable. -In short, there was nothing to

On the Voyage. i8i

show that in attacking the Australian continent on the
west the expedition would more surely and more promptly
meet with the tribe which held Captain John Branican
prisoner ; for the nomad aborigines wander in Alexandra
Land as they do in the districts of Western Australia. And
consequently the question was replied to in the negative.

In the second place they discussed the direction it was
advisable to take at the outset of the campaign ; this was
evidently that which Harry Felton had had to follow
during his crossing of central Australia. Though this
direction was not known exactly, it was at least indicated
by the point where the mate of the Franklin had been dis-
covered, that is to say, on the banks of the Parru at the
boundary between Queensland and New South Wales, and
in the north-west of the latter province.

Since 1770 — the period at which Captain Cook explored-
New South Wales and took possession, in the name of the
King of England, of the continent already discovered by
the Portuguese Manuel Godenbho and the Dutchmen
Verschoor, Hartog, Carpenter and Tasman — its eastern
part has been largely colonized, developed, civilizjd. It
was in 1787 that, when Pitt was prime minister, Commo-
dore Phillip founded the convic? settlement of Botany Bay,
from V. hich in less than a century there was to come a
nation of more than three millions of people. Of all that
goes to form the greatness and wealth of a country nothing
is missing in that part of the continent j there are roads,
canals, railways, connecting the innumerable districts of
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Aus-
tralia ; and lines of steamboats ply from port to port on the
coast.

Mrs. Branican was in Sydney, and this rich and populous
capital would have afforded her all the resources required
for the organization of the caravan, particularly as before
leaving San Diego she had opened an account through Mr.
William Andrew with the Central Australian Bank. She
could easily have obtained the men, vehicles, saddle-horses,
draught horses, and pack-horses required by an Australian

i82 Mistress Branican.

expedition, even for one right across from east to west, a
journey of two thousand two hundred miles. But ougiit
Sydney to be the point of departure ?

All things considered, and chiefly at the advice of the
American consul, who was well up to date in Australian
geography, Adelaide, the capital of South Australia,
appeared more suitable as the base of operations. Follow-
ing the telegraph line, which extends from Adelaide to
the gulf of Van Diemen, that is to say, from south to
north, close along the hundred and thirty-ninth meridian,
the engineers had laid the first part of a railway which
extends beyond the latitude reached by Harry Felton.
This railway would permit of the expedition penetrating
further and more quickly into those regions of Alexandra
Land and Western Australia which few travellers had yet
reached.

And so this third expedition in search of Captain John
would be organized at Adelaide and taken as far as the
railway ran, about four hundred miles to the northward.

And now in what way should Mrs. Branican travel from
Sydney to Adelaide ? If there had been a railroad with-
out a break between the two capitals, there would have
been no reason for hesitation. . A railroad does exist
crossing the Murray on the Victorian frontier at Albury,
and continuing by Benalla and Kilmore to Melbourne,
and then on towards Adelaide ; but it stops at Horsham,
and beyond that the break in the line would have caused
long delays.

And so Mrs. Branican decided to go to Adelaide by sea.
This was a four days' voyage, and, adding forty-eight
hours for the stoppage the boats make at Melbourne, she
would reach the capital of South Australia after a six
days' journey along the coast. It is true that it was now
August, which corresponds to February in the northern
hemisphere. But the weather was calm and the wind in
the north-west, so that the steamer would be under the
shelter of the coast as soon as she was through Bass's
Straits, And besides, as she had come from San Francisco

On the Voyage. i'83

to Sydn y, Mrs. Branican had nothing to be uneasy about
in a trip from Sydney to Adelaide.

The steamer Brisbane started next day at eleven in the
morning. After stopping at Melbourne she would reach
Adelaide on the morning of the 27th of August. Two
cabins were engaged, and Mrs. Branican took the necessary
steps for the transfer of the credit with the Sydney bank
to the bank at Adelaide. The directors obligingly con-
sented, and the transfer was effected without difficulty.

When she left the Marine Hospital, Mrs. Branican had
gone to a hotel where she had taken rooms until her depar-
ture. Her thoughts were summed up in the one thought,
"John is alive ! " With her eyes obstinately fixed on the
map of the Australian continent, her look lost amid the
immense solitudes of the centre and north-west, a prey to
the delirium of her imagination, she sought him, she found
him, she saved him.

After their interview that day Zach Fren, understanding
she would rather be alone, had gone for a walk in the
streets of Sydney, which were unknown to him, And to
begin with — as was not unnatural for a sailor — he had
gone to look at the Brisbane, so as to make sure Mrs.
Branican would be comfortable. The ship appeared to be
comfortably fitted for a coasting voyage. Then he asked
to see the cabins engaged for the lady. A boy took him
to the cabin, where he made several changes with a view
to make it more comfortable. Excellent Zach Fren !
One would imagine he was preparing it for a long
voyage !

As he was about to leave, the boy kept him back, and
in rather an agitated voice asked, —

" Then it is quite certain that Mrs. Branican will go to-
morrow to Adelaide ? "

" Yes, to-morrow ! " replied Zach Fren.

" On the Brisbane f "

" Undoubtedly."

" I hope she may succeed in her endeavour and find
Captain John ! "

t ^4 MISTRESS ' BrANICA'N.

" We will do our best, you may be sure."

"I do not doubt it."

" Are you one of the Brisbane's crew ? "

" Yes ! "

"Well, then, good-b3'e until to-morrow."

During the last few hours he spent in Sydney Zach
Fren went for a stroll along Pitt Street and York Street,
which are bordered by fine buildings in reddish grey stone,
and then he went into Victoria Park and Hyde Park,
where stands the Cook monument. He visited the
Botanic Gardens, a lovely promenade situated by the
side of the sea, where are gathered together the different
trees of warm and temperate climes, oaks and araucarias,
cactuses and mangosteens, palms and olives. In short,
Sydney is well worthy of its reputation. It is the oldest of
the Australian capitals, and if it is less regularly built than
its juniors of Adelaide and Melbourne, it is richer in un-
expected beauties and picturesque sites.

Next evening Mrs, Branican and Zach Fren went on
board the steamboat. At eleven o'clock the Brisbane left
the wharf and crossed the. bay of Port Jackson. After
doubling the Inner South Head she turned off to the south
and kept along a few miles from the coast. During the
first hour Dolly remained on deck, seated aft, looking at
the shore, which appeared as confused masses through the
mist. This was the continent into which she was about to
penetrate, as if into an immense prison from which John
had not yet emerged. For fourteen years they had been
separated from each other.

" Fourteen years ! " she murmured.

When the Brisbane had passed Botany Bay and Jei-vis
Bay Mrs. Branican went below to rest. But next morning
she was on deck with the dawn, just as Mount Dromedary,
and a little behind it Mount Kosciusko, which belong to
the system of the Australian Alps, appeared on the horizon,

Zach Fren had joined Dolly on the spar deck, and
together they talked of the one thing in which they were
both interested.

On the Voyage. 1S5

At this moment a sailor boy, hesitating and trembling-,
approached Mrs. Branican and asked her, on the captain's
behalf, if there was anything she required.

" No, my child I " said Dolly.

"Ah!" said Zach Fren, "it is the brave lad I saw
yesterday when I came on board the Brisbane."

" Yes," said the boy.

"And what is your name .? "

" Godfrey."

"Well, Godfrey, you see for certain that Mrs. Branican
is on board your- steamboat and you arc satisfied, I
imagine ? "

" Yes, and vve are all on board. Yes ! We all hope that
Mrs. Branican's attempt will succeed, and that she will'
rescue Captain John."

And as he spoke Godfrey looked at her with so much
respect and enthusiasm that Dolly was greatly agitated.
And then the boy's voice struck her. That voice she had
already heard, and the remembrance of it returned to her.

" My child,'" said she, "did you not speak to me at the
door of the hospital in Sydney ? "

" I did."

" You asked me if Captain John was still alive ? "

" I did 1 "

" You belong to the Brisbane ?"

'' Yes — for the last year," said Godfrey. " But if it
please God, I shall soon leave her."

Then, probably not wishing or daring to say more, God-
frey retired to take Mrs. Branican's message to the captain.

" That is a boy who has the blood of a sailor in his
veins ! " said Zach Fren. " You have only to look at him
to see that. He has a frank, clear, decided look. His
voice is at the same time firm and gentle — "

" His voice I " murmured Dolly.

And by what illusion of the senses did she fancy she had
just heard John speaking in the gentler tones of a voice
not yet quite set by age 1

And another remark she made — a remark still more

1 86 Mistress Branican.

significant. Probably she was mistaken, but the boy's
features reminded her of John— of John, who was no more
than thirty v.fhen the Franklin had taken him away froni
her for so long.

" You see, Mrs. Branican,^' said Zach Fren, rubbing his
fine large hands, "English or Americans, every one
sympathizes with you ! In Australia you find the same
attentions as in America ! It will be in Adelaide as in
San Diego ! All wish you the same as this young
Englishman."

, " Is he an Englishman ? " asked Mrs. Branican, deeply
impressed.

The voyage was very enjoyable during this first day.
The sea was remarkably smooth, with the wind in the
north-west blowing off the land. The Brisbane found it
no rougher when she doubled Cape Howe at the an^ie of
the Australian continent on her way to Bass's Straits.

Dolly spent the day almost entirely on the spar deck.
The passengers showed her extreme deference, and also
extreme eagerness to keep her company. They were
anxious to see this woman whose misfortunes were so
widely known, and who did not hesitate to brave so many
perils and face so many fatigues in the hope of rescuing
her husband, if Providence willed he still was living. In
her presence no one dared to express a doubt on the
subject. How could they do otherwise than share her con-
fidence when they heard her inspired by such manly resolu-
tion and telling them all she was about to undertake } Un-
consciously they followed her in imagination into the
depths of Central Australia. And, in fact, more than one
of them would have agreed to follow her otherwise than
in thought.

But, as she replied to them, Dolly often interrupted
herself, and her look assumed a singular expression, her
eyes grew brighter, and Zach Fren was the only one who
knew what was passing in her mind.

This happened whenever she saw Godfrey. The boy's
bcarincT, his attitude, his gestures, the persistence with

On the Voyage. 187

which he devoured her with his eyes, that sort of instinct
which seemed to draw her towards him — all this took
possession of her, agitated her, and so moved her that
John and Godfrey became somehow mixed up together in
her mind.

Dolly could not hide from Zach Fren that she noticed a
striking resemblance between John and Godfrey. And
Zach Fren did not see without anxiety Mrs. Branican
abandon herself to an impression due to a purely fortuito'us
circumstance. He feared, not without reason, that this
companion might recall too vividly the remembrance of
the child she had lost. It was truly regrettable that
Dolly should become so excited in the presence of this
boy !

However, Godfrey had not come to her again. His
duty did not call him to the after part of the steamer,
which was exclusively reserved for first-class passengers.
But from afar their looks often crossed, and Dolly had
been on the point of calling him to her — ^yes ! and at a
sign Godfrey would have run to her. But Dolly did not
make this sign, and Godfrey did not come.

That evening, as Zach Fren was escorting her to her
cabin, she said, —

" Zach, I must find out who this boy is— to what family
he belongs — the place of his birth. He may perhaps not
be an Englishman."

" That is possible," said Zach Fren. " He may even be
an American. And if you wish it I will go and ask the
captain of the Brisbane — "

" No, Zachj no, I will ask Godfrey himself," said Mrs.
Branican.

And Zach heard her say to herself in an undertone, —

" My child, my poor little Wat, would have been about
his age now."

" That is what I feared !" said Zach Fren to himself, as
he went to his cabin.

-' The next day, the 22nd of August, the Brisbane, which
had passed Cape Howe during the night, continued the

i88 Mistress Branican.

voyage under excellent conditions. The coast of Gipps
Land, one of the chief provinces of the colony of Victoria,
after curving to the south-east is terminated by Cape
Wilson, the most southerly promontory of the continent.
This coast is less rich in bays, ports, inlets, capes, geographi-
cally named, than the straighter section between Sydney
and Cape Howe ; and along it the plains stretch back out
of sight to the line of mountains, which are too distant to
be seen from the sea.

Mrs. Branican, having left her cabin in the- first rays of
the morning, had resumed her place on the after part cf
the spar deck. Zach Fren had joined her almost im-
mediately afterwards and noticed a very obvious change
in her manner. The land, which extended towards the
north-west, no longer attracted her attention. Absorbed
in her thoughts, she hardly replied to Zach Fren when he
asked her how she had passed the night.

Zach Fren said no more. The essential point was that
Dolly had forgotten the singular resemblance between
Godfrey and Captain John, and no longer thought of
seeing him and questioning him. It was possible that she
had changed her mind, and, in fact, she did not ask Zach
Fren to bring her the boy, whose duty kept him in the
steamer's bow.

After breakfast Mrs. Branican returned to her cabin,
and did not appear on deck again until three or four
o'clock in the afternoon.

At this time the Brisbane was running at full speed into
Bass's Straits, which separate Australia from Tasmania,
or Van Diemen's Land.

Nothing can be more indisputable than that the dis-
covery of the Dutchman, Janssen Tasman, has been profit-
able to the English, and that this island, a natural depen-
dency of the continent, has been a gain to the Anglo-Saxon
race. Since 1642, the date of the discovery of the island,
which is two hundred and eighty kilometres long, the soil of
which IS extremely fertile, the forests of which are enriched
by superb trees, it is certain that colonization has advanced

On the Voyage. 189

with rapid strides. From the earlier years of this century
the English have ruled it, as they rule, obstinately, without
the slightest thought for the native races. They have
divided the island into districts, they have founded im-
portant towns, the capital Hobart, Georgetown, and many
others ; they have utilized the innumerable indentations
of the cost for the .establishment of ports, at which their
ships call in hundreds. All that is good. But of the
black population which originally occupied this country,
what remains? Doubtless these poor people were hardly
civilized ; they were even looked upon as the stupidest
specimens of the human race ; they were placed below the
African negroes, below the Fuegi^ns of Tierra del Fuego.
If the annihilation of a race is the last word of colonial
progress, the English colonists may boast of having brought
their work to a good end. But, at the approaching
universal exhibition at Hobart, if they wish to exhibit a
few Tasmanians — there is not one left at this end of the
nineteenth century.

CHAPTER ir.

GODFREY.

The Brisbane passed through Bass's Straits during the
evening, In this latitude the day closes in about five
o'clock during the month of August. The moon entering
her first quarter soon disappeared amid the mists of the
horizon, and the coast scenery was veiled in deep
obscurity.

That the steamer was passing through the straits was
only apparent on board by the splashing of the short,
choppy waves ; currents and counter-currents striving im-
petuously with each other in this narrow channel, which is
open to the waters of the Pacific.

Next morning, that of the 23rd of August, the Brisbane
at dawn was off Port Phillip bay. Once in this bay
shipping have no fear of bad weather, but the entrance
requires careful and skilful manoeuvring, especially in
rounding the long sandy point of Nepean on the one side,
and that of Queenscliff on the other. The bay, which is
well shut in, is cut up into several harbours, where ships
of large tonnage find excellent anchorage — Geelong, Sand-
ridge, Williamstown — the last two forming the port of
Melbourne. The aspect of the coast is gloomy, monoton-
ous, unattractive. There is little vegetation on the banks,
and the shore looks like a newly dried-up marsh, which,
in place of lagoons or ponds, has patches of hard, cracked
mud. To the future the task is left of improving the
surface of these plains, by replacing the few skeletons of

Godfrey. 191

trees by plantations, which the Australian climate will soon
develop into superb forests.

The Brisbane ran alongside one of the Williamstown
quays to disembark some of her passengers.

As she was going to stop there thirty-six hours, Mrs.
Branican decided to spend the time in Melbourne. Not
that she had business in the town, for it was at Adelaide
only that she would be occupied in the preparations for
an expedition which might perhaps reach the farthest
limits of Western Australia ; and haxing made up her
mind to this, why did she leave the Brisbane f Was she
afraid of being the object of too many and too frequent
visits ? But to escape these would it not have been
enough for her to remain .in her cabin } Besides, to go
down to one of the town hotels, where her presence would
be immediately known, was not that to expose herself to
the most persistent interviews, the most inevitable im-
portunities ?

Zach Fren could not understand Mrs. Branican's resolu-
tion. He saw that her manner was very different to what
it had been at Sydney. There she had been most affable,
now she. was much less communicative. Was it, as the
boatswain thought, that the presence of Godfrey had too
vividly reminded her of her child ? Yes, and Zach Fren
was not mistaken. The sight of the boy had troubled her
so deeply that she felt the need of being alone. Did it
not enter more into her thoughts to question him ?
Perhaps ; although she had not done so the night before,
notwithstanding she had expressed a -wish to do so. But
now, if she wished to land at Melbourne, to spend the day
there, it was not to avoid the inconveniences of a notoriety
unhappily too real, but to escape — there is no other word
for it — to escape from this fourteen-year-old boy to whom
she was attracted by some instinctive force. Why, then,
did she hesitate to speak to him, to ask what interested
her concerning his nationality, his birth, his familjr ? Did
she fear that his replies — as was only too likely — would
result in definitely destroying her imprudent illusions, a

192 Mistress Branican.

chimerical hope, to which she had abandoned herself in
imagination, and which her agitation had revealed to Zach
Frcn ?

Mrs. Branican, accompanied by the boatswain, landed
during the first hour. As soon as she had set foot on the
landing-stage she turned to come back.

Godfrey was leaning on the rail of the Brisbane s bow.
Seeing her going away his face became so sad, he made
such an expressive gesture, he seemed to wish her so
imperiously to return on board, that Dolly was on the
point of returning to Say to him, "No ! I will not go!"
But she controlled herself, made a sign to Zach FVen to
follow her, and went off to the railway station, which puts
the harbour in communication with the town.

Melbourne, in fact, is situated away from the sea shore,
on the left bank of the river Yarra-Yarra, at a distance of
two kilometres — a distance accomplished by the trains in
a quarter of an hour. There stands this city, with its
population of three hundred thousand inhabitants, the
capital of the magnificent colony of Victoria, which holds
nearly a million, and on which, since 1851, it may be said
that Mount Alexander has poured all the gold from its
beds.

Mrs. Branican, although she vt^ent to one of the least
frequented hotels of the town, could not escape the
curiosity — entirely sympathetic — which her presence
everywhere aroused. And so she preferred to be in the
company of Zach Frcn to walk about the streets of tlie
town, of which, owing to her strange pre-occupation, she
saw nothing.

An American could not help being astonished or pleased
in visiting an absolutely modern city. Although younger
by a dozen years than San Francisco in California, Mel-
bourne is like it, " only more so," as has been said. Wide
streets crossing at right angles, squares without lawns or
trees, banks in hundreds, offices where enormous business
is done, a district in which the retail trade is concentrated,
public buildings, churches, temples, university, museum,

Godfrey. 193-

art gallery, library, hospital, town hall, schools which are
palaces, palaces which, in some cases, would not be large
enough for schools, a monument to Burke and Wills, who
died in endeavouring to cross the continent from south lo
north ; then along the roads and boulevards beyond the
business quarter, a few passers-by, a certain number of
strangers, chiefly Jews and Germans, who sell money as
others selt cattle or linen, and at a good price — to the joy
of the heart of Israel.

But in business Melbourne, business men live as little as
possible. It is in the suburbs, in the environs of the town,
that the villas and cottages, and even princely dwellings,
swarm, at St. Kilda, at Hoam, at Emerald Hill, at
Brighton — and it is this, says M. D. Charnay, one of the
mo.t intelligent travellers who have visited the country,
which gives Melbourne the advantage over San Francisco.
And already the trees of different kinds have grown large ;
sumptuous parks are covered with shade ; and the running
streams assure a healthy freshness for many months, so
that there are few towns placed amid a more admirable
frame of verdure.

Mrs. Branican gave but little attention to these magnifi-
cences, even when Zach Fren took her out of the town
into the open country. Nothing indicated that this grand
situation, with its distant views, had interested her. It
seemed always as though she was possessed by some fixed
idea, and was on the point of asking Zach Fren something
she dared not put into words.

They returned to the hotel in the evening. Dolly had
her dinner served in her room, and hardly touched it. Then
she lay down, and slept but a half sleep, haunted by the
images of her husband and her child. In the morning
she remained in her apartment until the moment of de-
parture. She wrote along letter to Mr. William Andrew,
acquainting him with the departure from Sydney, a\id her
approaching arrival in the capital of South Australia. She
told him again of her hopes relative to the result of the
expedition. And when he received this letter, to his great

194 Mistress Branican.

surprise and also anxiety, he would notice that, if Dolly
spoke of John as if she were sure to find him alive, she
also spoke of little Wat as if he were not dead. The
excellent man would certainly ask himself if he had not
again cause to fear for the sanity of this much-tried
woman.

The passengers the Brisbane was to take to Adelaide
had nearly all embarked when Mrs. Branican and Zach
Fren returned on board. Godfrey was waiting for her
return, and when he saw her coming his face lighted up
with a smile. He rushed to the landing-stage, and was
there when she set foot on the gangway.

Zach Fren was much annoyed, and his thick eyebrows
were knitted in a frown. What would he not have given
if the boy had left the steamer, or at least that he had not"
again met Uolly, in whom his presence revived the saddest
of memories.

Mrs. Branican noticed Godfrey. She stopped for
an instant and looked at hira keenly ; but she did not
speak, and bowing her head, she went to shut herself up in
her cabin.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the Brisbane cast off
her warps, and started out to sea, rounding Queenscliff
and steering for Adelaide, keeping out about three miles
from the coast of Victoria.

The passengers who had come on board at Melbourne
numbered about a hundred. For the most part they were
inhabitants of South Australia returning home. There
were a few strangers among them — one of them a China-
man, aged from thirty to thirty-five, looking as sleepy as a
mole, yellow as a lemon, round as a post, and as fat as a
mandarin of three buttons. But he was not a mandarim
No 1 he was merely a servant in the employ of a per-
sonage who deserves to be described somewhat precisely.

Imagine a son of Albion, as " Britannic" as one can be,
tall, thin, bony, a regular piece of osteology, all neck, all
bust, all legs. This typical Anglo-Saxon, of from forty-
five to fifty years of age, stood about six feet above seq-

Godfrey. 195

level. A fair beard, which he wore uncut, and also fair
hair, in which were a few streaks of yellowish gold ; little
ferret eyes, a nose pinched in at the nostrils, curved like
the beak of a pelican or a heron, and of a length uncom-
mon ; a head on which the slightest observer of phreno-
logy would easily have discovered the bumps of mono-
mania and tenacity — made up altogether one of those
heads which attract attention and provoke a smile when
they are drawn by a clever artist.

This Englishman was clothed- in the traditional cos-
tume — a cap with a double peak, a waistcoat buttoned
to the chin, a coat with twenty pockets, trousers of
chequered cloth, high gaiters with nickel buttons, nailed
shoes, and a check overcoat, which the wind wrapped
round his body, revealing the thinness as of a skeleton.

Who was this original ? No one knew, and on the
Australian steamboats no one takes advantage of the
familiarities of the voyage to ask who people are or whence
they come. They are passengers, and as such they pass.
No more. But the stewards could have told us that the
Englishman had taken his cabin under the name of Joshua
Meritt — shortly, Jos Meritt — of Liverpool (United King-
dom), accompanied by his servant Gin-Ghi, of Hong Kong
(Celestial Empire).

For the rest, once he was on board, Jos Meritt went and
sat down on one of the benches of the promenade deck, and
did not leave it until lunch time.

He returned in about half an hour, lefl; again at seven for
dinner, reappeared at eight, looking all the time like a lay
figure, with his two hands open on his knees, turning his
head neither to the right nor the left, with his eyes looking
straight in front, their gaze lost in the mists of the
evening. Then at ten o'clock he regained his cabin at a
geometrical pace, which the irregularities of the vessel's
roll were unable to trouble.

During a part of the night Mrs. Branican, who had gone
on deck about nine o'clock, remained in the after part of
the Brisbane, although the temperature was rather low.

196 Mistress Branican.

With her mind possessed, envisioned even (to employ the
more exact expression), she could not sleep. Confined in
her cabin she had need of a breath of fresh air, impregnated
now and then by the penetrating odours of the Acacia
fiagrans, which distinguishes the Australian coast fifty
miles out at sea. Was she thinking of meeting the sailor
boy, speaking to him, questioning him, ascertaining from
him— what? Godfrey having finished his watch at ten
o'clock, would not come on duty again till two o'clock in
the morning ; and Dolly, much fatigued by a certain shock
to her mind, regained her cabin.

In the middle of the night the Brisbane doubled Cape
Otway at the' extremity of the district of Polwarth.
From this point she had to head N.W. to Discovery Bay,
at the end of the conventional line traced on the hundred
and forty-first meridian — the line which separates the
colonies of Victoria and New South Wales from South
Australia.

In the morning Jos Meritt was again to be seen on
the bench on the spar deck, his customary place, in the
same attitude, and jiist as if he had not left it the pre-
vious evening. As to Gin-Ghi he was sleeping in some
corner.

Zach Fren was accustomed to the peculiarities Of his
compatriots, for there is no lack of originals in the forty-
two federated states included' under the formula U.S.A.
However, he could not regard without a certain astonish-
ment this successful type of human mechanism.

And what was his surprise when, approaching this long
and motionless gentleman, he heard himself spoken to in
rather a shrill voice.

" Boatswain Zach Fren, I believe ? "

" The same," said Zach Fren.

" The companion of Mrs. Branican ? "

"In person. I see you know — "

"I know — in search of her husband — lost for fourteen
yeans. Good ! Oh, very good ! "

" What is very sjood ? " .. .^

Godfrey. 197

"Yes ! Mrs, Branican ! Very good ! I also — I am
on a search — "

"Your wife?"

" Oh ! I am not married ! Very good ! If I had lost
my wife I should not seek her ! "

" Then it is for— "

" For finding— a hat."

" Your hat ? You have lost your hat ? "

"My hat? No! It is the hat I mean. Present my
respects to Mrs. Branican. Good ! Oh, very good ! "

The lips of Jos Meritt closed and did not utter another
syllable.

"He must be a lunatic," said Zach Fren to him-
self; .

And it seemed to him to be loss of time talking to tlris
gentleman.

When Dolly came on deck, the boatswain went to meet
her, and they sat down almost in front of the Englishman,
who moved no more than if he had been ihe god
Terminus. Having asked Zach Fren to present his re-
spects to Mrs. Branican, he apparently thought there
was no necessity for his presenting them in person.

And besides,' Dolly had not -remarked the presence of
this curious passenger. She spoke for some time with
her companion regarding the preparations for the journey,
which were to be commenced as soon as tliey reached
Adelaide.. Not a day, not an hour, was to be lost It
was important that the expedition should reach, and pass
if possible, the central regions before they were parched
by the intolerable heats of the torrid zone.

Among the dangers of different kinds, inherent to
a search undertaken under such conditions, the most
terrible would be probably due to the rigour of the
climate, aad. all precautions, should be taken to guard
against/it. . Dolly spoke much of Captain John, his
robust temperament, his indomitable energy, which had
permitted him^sbedid not doubt^r-to survive when ottwrs
less vigorous, and not so hardy, had succumbed. But she-

ig8 Mistress Branican.

made no allusion to Godfrey, and Zach Fren^ was hoping
she was no longer thinking of the boy, when she suddenly
said, " I have not yet seen that boy to-day ? Have you
seen him, Zach ? "

" No, madam," said the boatswain, whom the question
evidently displeased.

"Perhaps 1 might do something for that child,"
continued Dolly.

And she affected to speak of him in a tone of indifference,
which Zach Fren was not deceived by.

" This boy ? " said he. " Oh ! He has a good trade.
He will get on. I see him a quartermaster in a few years.
With zeal and good conduct — "

" That does not matter," said Dolly. " He interests
me in one way. Look, Zach, at the extraordinary
resemblance between him and my poor John. And
then, Wat — my child — ought to be about his age."

And as she said this she became quite pale ; and the
look she gave Zach Fren was so questioning that he
lowered his eyes. Then she added, —

"You will send him to me this afternoon, Zach.
Do not forget. I wish to speak with him. This voyage
will end to-morrow. We may never see each other again,
and before I leave the Brisbane I wish to know — yes,
to know — "

Zach Fren promised to bring Godfrey to her, and she
retired.

The boatswain, in a state of great anxiety and even
alarm, continued to pace the spar deck, until the steward
rang the second breakfast bell. Zach then happened to
run against the Englishman, who seemed to regulate his
steps by the stroke of the bell, as he made towards the •
companion.

" Good ! Oh, very good ! " said Jos Meritt. " You
have at my request conveyed my respects ? Her lost
husband — Good ! Oh, very good ! "

And he disappeared to reach the place he had taken at
the dining-room table, the best be it understood, and the

Godfrey. 199

one nearest the kitchen, so that he could be served the
first, and have the best choice.

At three o'clock the Brisbane was off Portland, the
chief port of the Normanby district, where the Melbourne
railway ends ; then, rounding Cape Nelson, she crossed
Discovery Bay, and steered almost due north along the
coast of South Australia.

It was at this time that Zach Fren went to tell Godfrey
Mrs. Branican desired to speak to him.

" Speak to me 1 " exclaimed the boy. And his heart
- beat so furiously that he would have fallen had he not
caught hold of the rail.

Godfrey followed the boatswain to the cabin where Mrs.
Branican was waiting for him.

Dolly looked at him for some time as he stood up-
right with his cap in his hand. She was seated on a
couch. Zach Fren, leaning near the door, watched both
of them anxiously. He knew what Dolly was going to
ask Godfrey, but he did not know what would be his
replies.

, " My child," said Mrs. Branican, " I want to know some-
thing about you, about the family to which you belong.
If I ask, it is because I am interested in you — in your
position. Will you answer my questions?"

" Willingly," said Godfrey, his voice trembling with
emotion.

" How old are you ? " asked Dolly.

" I do not know exactly, but I ought to be from fourteen
to fifteen."

" Yes ! - From fourteen to fifteen ! And since when
have you been at sea ? "

" I went to sea when I was eight years old as a cabin
boy ; and for two years I have been an apprentice."

" Have you been any long voyage ? "

"Yes, madam, across the Pacific to Asia — and across
the Atlantic to,Europe."

" You are not an Englishman ? "

" No, niadam, I am an American."

200 Mistress Branican.

" But yet you arc on an English steamer ? "

"The ship on which I was apprentice was sold at
Sydney. Finding myself without a ship, I came on the
Brisbane, awaiting an opportunity to again get on an
American ship."

" Good, my child," said Dolly, beckoning Godfrey to
come nearer to her.

" And now," she asked, " I want to know where you
were born?" *■-

" At San Diego, madam."

" Yes ! at San Diego ! " repeated Dolly, without ap-
pearing surprised, as if she had expected the answer.

Zach Fren was much impressed with'what he had just
heard.

"Yes, madam, at San Diego," continued Godfrey,
" Oh 1 I know you well ! Yes, I know you. When I
learnt you had come to Sydney I was very pleased^ If
you knew, madam, how much I am interested in' all that
concerns Captain John Branican — ''■

Dolly took the boy's hand and held it for a few secohds
without saying a word. Then in a voice which betrayed
the wandering of her imagination, —

" Your name ? " she asked.

"Godfrey."

" Godfrey is your baptismal name. But what is your
family name? "

" 1 have no other name, madam."

"Your parents?" - T"

" I have no parents."

"No parents \" said Mrs. Branican. "Have you then
been brought up — "

."At Wat House," replied Godfrey. "Yes! madam, and
by your care. Oh ! I have often seen you when you
came to visit the children. You did not see me artiong
all the little ones, but I saw you, and I wished j could
kiss you. Then, as I had a taste for the sea, when T wa.s
old enough I became a cabin boy. And others of the
Wat House orphans have gone on ships, and we will

GODFREV. 20 r

never forget what we owe to Mrs. Branican — to our
mother ! "

"Your mother!" exclaimed Dolly, who started as if the
name had resounded deep within her.

She drew Godfrey to her — she covered him with kisses
■ — he kissed her again — he wept.

And in his corner Zach Fren, frightened at what he
understood of the feelings he saw taking root in Dolly's
heart, murmured, —

." Poor woman I Poor woman ! Where will she let her-
self be led ? "

Mrs. Branican rose and said, —

"Go, Godfrey ! Go, my child! I will sec you again !
I want to be alone ! "

The boy looked at her for a last time and slowly with-
drew.

Zach Fren was preparing to follow him, when Dolly
stopped him by a gesture — " Remain, Zach ! " Then,
"Zach," said she, in a short, spasmodic way, which
denoted the extraordinary agitation of her mind, " Zach,
that child has been brought up with the children at Wat
Hoyse. He was bom at San Diego. He is from fourteen
to fifteen years old. He resembles John feature for feature.
He has his frank face, his resolute attitude. He has a
taste for the sea like him. He is the son of a sailor. He
is John's son. He is mine ! We believed that the bay of
San Diego never gave back the poor little creature. But
he still lived ; and he was rescued. Those who saved him
did not know his mother. And his mother was I — I —
then deprived of my reason. This child is not Godfrey,
as he says, but Wat, my son ! God has given him back
to me before giving me back his father."

Zach Fren had listened to Mrs. Branican without daring
to interrupt her. He understood that the unhappy woman
could not speak differently. All the appearances com-
pelled her to do so. She reasoned with the irrefutable
logic of a mother. And the brave sailor felt his heart
breaking, for these illusions it was his duty to destroy.

202 MiSTRfiSS BrAKICAN.

He must stop Dolly on this incline, which might lead hef
into a new abyss.

He did it without hesitating — almost brutally.

" Mrs. Branican," he said, " you are mistaken. I will
not, I ought not to let you believe such things. The
resemblance is but a chance. Your little Wat is dead.
YeSj dead ! He perished in the accident, and Godfrey is
not your son,"

" Wat is dead ? " exclaimed Mrs. Branican. " And how
do you know that .'' Who can prove it ? "

"I can, madam \"

"You?"

"A week after the accident in the bay, the body of a
child was thrown on the beach at Loma Point. I found it
there. , I told Mr. William Andrew. Little Wat was
recognized by him, and buried in the cemetery at San
Diego, where we have often placed flowers on his grave.'"
■ " Wat 1 My little Wat— there — in the cemetery ! And
they never told me of it! " m.urmured Mrs. Branican.

" No, madam, no 1 " replied Zach Fren. " You were
then out of your mind, and when you recovered your
reason, four years afterwards, we feared — Mr. William
Andrew feared — to renew your sorrows, and he was silent.
But your child is dead, and Godfrey cannot be — he is not
your son ! "

Dolly fell back on the sofa. Her eyes were shut as if
shadow had suddenly succeeded intense light.

At a sign she made, Zach Fren left her alone deep in
her sorrows and remembrances.

On the morning of the next day, the 26th of August,
Mrs. Branican had not yet quitted her cabin when the Bris-
bane, after running through Backstairs Passage, between
Kangaroo Island and Jervis promontory, entered the
Gulf of St. Vincent and cast anchor in Adelaide harbour.

CHAPTER III.

A HISTORIC HAT.

Of the three capitals of Australia, Sydney is the eldest,
Melbourne the junior, and Adelaide the youngest. But if
the last is the youngest^ it can also be said to be the most
beautiful. It was born in 1853, of a mother — South
Australia — which had no political existence before 1837,
and the officially recognized independence of which only
dates from 1856. It is even probable that the youth of
Adelaide will be indefinitely prolonged under an unrivalled
climate, the healthiest on the continent, amidst a region
which knows neither consumption nor endemic fevers,
nor any kind of contagious epidemic. People die there
occ^lsionally, however ; but, as has been wittily observed
by M. D. Charnay, " that is the exception."

If the soil of South Australia differs from that of the
neighbouring province in that it does not contain auriferous
deposits, it is rich in copper ore. The mines of Kapunda,
Burra-Burra, Wallaroo and Moonta, discovered forty years
ago, after attracting emigrants in thousands have made the
fortune of the colony.

Adelaide does not stand on the shore of St. Vincent
Gulf. Like Melbourne, it is situated a dozen kilometres
inland, and a railway puts it in communication with the
harbour. Its botanic garden rivals that of its second
sister. Created by Schomburg, it possesses greenhouses
which have no equal in the whole world, parterres of roses
which are veritable parks, magnificent shades under the
shelter of the most beautiful trees of the temperate and
semi-tropical zones.

204 Mistress BraNican.

Neither Sydney nor Melbourne can enter into com-
parison with Adelaide for elegance. Its streets are wide,-
agreeably distributed, carefully kept. Some possess veri-
table monuments along their borde:rs, such as King William
Street. The post-office and the town-hall are worthy of
notice from an architectural point of view. In the business
quarter, Hindley and Glenell Streets are noisily animated
with the throng of busy traders. And thereabouts gather
a number of business men who seem to show only that
satisfaction derived from business wisely conducted,
abundant, and ea^y without any of the cares it usually
brings. :

Mrs. Branican went to a hotel in King William Street,
whither Zach Fren accompanied lier. The mother, in her
had just been cruelly tried by the annihilation of her last
illusions. It seemed to be so likely that Godfrey was her
son that she had naturally abandoned herself to the idea.
The deception could still be read on her face, paler than
usual, in her eyes, red with weeping. But, from the moment
her hope had been so completely broken, she had not
endeavoured to see the boy again, and had said no more
about him to Zach Fren. There only remained the
remembrance of the surprising resemblance to John.

And now Dolly was to set to work to begin without de-
lay her preparations for her expedition. She was to appeal
to all for help and devotedness. Siie would spend, if need
be, her whole future in these new searches, in stimulating
by considerable rewards the zeal of those who would unite
their efforts to hers in a supreme attempt.

There was no lack of zeal in her cause. This colony
of South Australia is essentially the country of bold ex-
plorers. Thence the most celebrated pioneers have started
across the unknown territories of the interior. From there
went Warburton, John Forrest, Giles, Sturt, whose routes
intercross on the maps of this vast continent — routes
which Mrs. Branican would cut obliquely with her own.
It was thus that Colonel Warburton, in 1874, traversed
Australia in its entire width from east to north-west at

J . 1-1 : r ,

A Historic Hat. 205

Nicholson Bay — that John Forrest, the same year, crossed
it in an opposite direction, from Perth to Port Augusta —
that Giles, in 1876, set out from Perth to Spencer Gulf, on
the 2Sth degree of south latitude.

It had been agreed that the different elements of the
expedition should be mustered, not at Adelaide, but at
the terminus of the railway which runs northward, up to
the latitude of Lake Eyre. Five degrees crossed in this
way would be a gain of time and a saving of fatigue.
Amid the districts furrowed by the orographic system of
the Flinders Ranges, they could muster the number of
vehicles and animals necessary for this campaign, the horses
of the escort, the cattle for the transport of the victuals
and camp effects. On these interminable deserts, these
immense steppes of sand, deprived of vegetation, almost
without water, provision had to be made for the wants
of a caravan, which would comprise forty persons, count-
ing the servants and the little escort for assuring safety
to the travellers.

Her preparations Dolly made in Adelaide. She found
a constant and firm friend in the governor of South Aus-
tralia, who put himself entirely at her disposal. Thanks
to him, thirty men well mounted, well armed, some of
them natives, some chosen among the European colonists;
accepted service under Mrs. Branican. She guaranteed
then;, very high pay for the whole campaign, and a bonus
of -a hundred pounds apiece when it was over, no matter
what the result might be. They were commanded by an
old officer of the colonial police — Tom MarlXT^rrobust and
resolute fellow, aged about forty, whom the governor
unhesitatingly recommended. Tom Marix had chosen his
men with care, from among the strongest and most trust-
worthy of those who volunteered in great numbers. There
was every reason, therefore, to trust to the devotedness
of this escort, which was recruited under the best con-
ditions.

The working staff of the expedition would be eventually
under the orders of Zach Fren, and it would not be his

2o6 Mistress Branican.

fault \t " men and beasts did not march squarely and
roundly," as he said.

Above Tom Marix and Zach Fren, the true chief was
Mrs. Branican, the soul of the expedition.

By means of the correspondents of Mr. Wiriiam Andrew,
a considerable credit had been opened for Mrs. Branican,
at the Bank of Adelaide, and she could draw on it as she
pleased.

The preparations being completed, it was agreed that
Zach Fren should set out on the 30th at latest, for the
station at Farina Town, where Mrs. Branican would rejoin
him with the staff when her presence was no longer neces-
sary at Adelaide.

" Zach," said she, " you will see that our caravan is ready
to start at the end of the first week in September. Pay
for everything, no matter at what cost. The provisions
you can send on from here by railway, and we can put
them on the drays at Farina Town. We must neglect
nothing to ensure the success of our campaign."

" All shall be ready Mrs. Branican," said the boatswain.
" When you arrive, all you will have to do will' be to give
the signal of departure."

One can easily imagine that Zach Fren did not fail in
his task during the last few days he passed at Adelaide.
In sailor style he worked away with such activity that
on the 29th he could take his ticket for Farina Town.
Twelve hours afterwards, when the railway had deposited
him at this terminal station of the line, he informed Mrs.
Branican, by telegram, that a part of the stores of the expe-
dition had already been collected.

Dolly, aided by Tom Marix, took as her share of the
work all that concerned the escort, its armament, and its
clothing. It was important for its horses to be carefully
chosen, and the Australian breed furnished excellent
animals, broken to fatigue, inured to climate, and of re-
markable docility. While they were crossing the forests
and the plains, there was no reason to trouble about their
food, grass and water being available for them. But

A Historic Hat. 207

beyond, across the sandy deserts, they would have lo be
replaced by camels, arid this would be done as soon as
they reached Alice Spring. From that point onwards,
Mrs. Branican and her companions .would learn to struggle
against the material obstacles which render the explora-
tion of Central Australia so formidable.

The occupations to which this energetic woman had
devoted herself, had rather distracted her attention from
the later incidents of the voyage on the Brisbane. She
was so absorbed in this display of activity, that she had
not an hour of leisure. Of that illusion to which her imagi-
nation had for an instant abandoned her, of that epheme-
ral hope which the intervention of Zach Fren had broken
in one word, there remained only the remembrance. Now
she knew that her child slept in a corner of the cemetery
of San Diego, and she could go and weep over his grave.
But yet that boy's resemblance — and the images of John
and Godfrey seemed to run together in her mind.

But since the arrival of the steamer, Mrs. Branican had
not thought of the boy. If he had endeavoured to meet
with her during the first days which followed her landing,
she knew it not. In any case it did not seem that Godfrey
had presented himself at the hotel in King William Street,
and why should he have done so ? After her last inter-
view with him, Dolly had shut herself up in her cabin,
and had not sent for him again. Besides, Dolly knew that
the Brisbane had gone back to Melbourne, and that, when
she returned to Adelaide, the expedition would have
started.

While Mrs. Branican was urging on her preparations,
another personage was no less steadily busy in preparing
for a similar journey. He had put up at a hotel in Hindley
Street. An apartment in the front of the hotel, a bed-
room looking on the interior court, united under one roof
those singular representatives of the Aryan race and the
Yellow race — the Englishman, Jos Meritt, and the China-
man, Gin-Ghf.
\ Whence came these two types, one from furthest Asia,

2o8 Mistress Branican.

the other from furthest Europe ? Where were they going ?
What did they do at Melbourne, and what were they going
to do at Adelaide ? In short, under what circumstances
were this master and servant associated, to run about the
world together ? Let us be present at a conversation in
which Jos Merittand Gin-Ghi took part in the evening of
the 5th of September, a conversation which will complete
our brief explanation.

And, to begin with, if a few traits of character, a few
eccentricities, the singularity of his attitudes, the way in
which he expressed himself, have permitted us to glance
at the profile of the Anglo-Saxon, it is as well to know
also this Celestial in his service, who had retained the tra-
ditional vestments of the Chinese country, the shirt "han
chaol," the tunic " ma coual," the gown " haol," buttoned
on the flank, and the baggy trousers with the stuff belt.
If he was called Gin-Ghi, he deserved the name, which
properly means "lazy man." And he was a lazy man,
to a rare degree, in work as well as in danger. He would
not take ten steps to execute an order, and he would not
take twenty to avoid a peril. It follows that Jos Meritt
had an unusual dose of patience for him to keep such a
servant. It is true it was a matter of habit, for they
had travelled together for five or six years. They had
met each other at San Francisco, where the Chinese swarm,
and Jos Meritt had made the Chinaman his servant only
" on trial," as he said — a trial which would doubtless last
until the final separation. It should be mentioned that
Gin-Ghi was brought up at Hong-Kong, and spoke English
like a native of Manchester.

And Jos Meritt hardly ever lost his temper, being of a
phlegmatic temperament. If he threatened Gin-Ghi with
the most frightful tortures in use in the Celestial Empire,
where the Minister of Justice is literally called the Minister
of Executions, he never gave him a slap. When his
orders were not executed, he executed them himself.
That simplified the situation. Perhaps the. day was not
far distant when he would wait on his se'ryant Probably

A Historic Hat. 209

the Chinaman thought so, and from his point of view that
would only be equitable. It is true that while he was wait-
ing for this agreeable reverse of fortune, Gin-Ghi was com-
pelled to follow his master wherever his vagabond fancy
might take him. On that point, Jos Meritt would stand
no nonsense. He had carried on his shoulders Gin-Ghi's
portmanteau rather than leave Gin-Ghi behind when the
train or steamer was ready to start. Whether he liked it
or not, the " lazy man " had to hurry up and be ready to
sleep on the road with the most perfect laziness. In this
way one had accompanied the other along thousands and
thousands of miles, over the new and old continents ; and
it was in consequence of this system of continupus locomo-
tion that they now found themselves in the capital of
South Australia.

" Good ! oh, very good ! " Jos Meritt had said on
this occasion. " I think our arrangements have all been
made?" '

And we can hardly explain why he questioned Gin-
Ghi in this way, for he had had to do everything v.'ith his
own hands. But he never failed to do so, on principle.

" Ten thousand times finished,'' replied the Chinaman,
who had not been ab'e to drop the roundabout expres-
sions held in honour by the inhabitants of the Celestial
Empire.

" Our portmanteaux ? "

" Are strapped." ;

" Our arms ? "

" Are ready."

" Our boxes of provisions .'"

" You yourself, Master Jos, took them to the railway
station. And besides, what is the use of taking food when
any day we may be eaten ourselves ? "

"Be eaten, Gin-Ghi ? Good! oh! very good 1 You
are always thinking of being eaten ! "

" That will happen sooner or later, and it would not
take much for us in the next six months to end our
travelling in some cannibal's inside — me in particular ! "

PART II. P

210 Mistress Branican. r

" You, Gin-Ghi ! "

" Yes, for the excellent .reason that I am fat, while you,
Master Jos, are lean ; those fellows would always give me
the preference."

" The preference ? Good ! oh ! very good ! "

" And the Australian natives have a particular liking
for the yellow flesh of the Chinese, which is all the
more delicate owing to their feeding on rice and vege-
tables."

" That is why I have always advised you to smoke,
Gin-Ghi," quietly replied Jos Mcritt. " You know that
cannibals do not like the flesh of smokers."

And this the prudent Celestial did, smoking not opium,
but the tobacco with which Jos Meritt supplied him in
abundance. The Australians, it seems, as well as iheir
cannibalistic brothers of other countries, have an invincible
repugnance to human flesh when it is impregnated with
nicotine. That is why Gin-Ghi worked so conscientiously
to make himself uneatable.

But was it true that he and his master were destined to
figure at a cannibal banquet, and not in the position of
guests ? Yes, on certain parts of the African co-st, Jos
Meritt and his servant had nearly ended their adventurous
existence in this fashion. Ten months before, in Queens-
land, west of Rockhampton and Gracemere, a few hundred
miles from Brisbane, their peregrinations had taken them
among the most ferocious of the native tribes. There,
cannibalism is, so to speak, endemic. And so Jos Meritt
and Gin-Ghi, fallen into the hands of the blacks, would cer-
tainly have perished had it not been for the intervention of
the colonial police. Rescued in time, they had been able to
regain the capital of Queensland, and then Sydney, whence
the steamer had just brought them to Adelaide. And as
that had not put a stop to this propensity of the English-
man to run the risk of being eaten together with Gin-Ghi,
they were now preparing to visit the centre of the Austra-
lian continent.

"And all that for a hat!" said th= China-.r.an. "Ay

A HisTorac Hat. 211

ya! Ay ya ! When I think of that) my tears fall like
drops of rain on the yellow chrysanthemums."

"When you have finished dropping, Gin-Ghi," said Jos
Mcritt, frowning with his Britannic brows.

" But this hat, if yQu ever find it. Master Jos, will be
only a rag."

" Enough, Gin-Ghi ! Too much ! I forbid your talk-
in^ in that way of this hat and every other hat ! You
understand ? Good ! oh ! very good ! If you begin
again, I shall have to administer forty or fifty cuts with
the cane on the soles of your feet."

" We are not in China," retorted Gin-Ghi, impudently.

" I will stop your food V

" That will make me thin."

" I will cut your pigtail off close to your crown."

" Cut off my pigtail ? "

" I will put you on a tobacco diet."

" The god Fo protect me I "

" He will not protect you ! "

And at this last threat Gin-Ghi became submissive and
respectful.

But what was this hat they were talking about, and
why did Jos Meritt spend his life running about after a
hat?

This eccentric individual was, as we have said, an
Englishman, of Liverpool, one of those inoffensive
maniacs who do not only belong to the United Kingdom.
They are met with on the banks of the Loire, the Elbe,
the Danube and the Scheldt as well as in the regions
watered by the Thames, the Clyde and the Tweed. Jos
Meritt was very rich and well known in Lancashire and
the neighbouring counties as an eccentric collector. It
was not pictures, nor books, nor objects of art, nor nick-
nacks, that. he collected at great effort and great cost.
No ! it was hats — a collection of historic head gear — men's
hats, women's hats, four-cornered, three-cornered, two-
cornered, petases, calashes, slouches, cocks, operas, helmets,
floppetics, sailors, cardinals, burgundians, skulls, turbans,

P 2

212 Mistress Branican. - ,•

toques, caroches, caps, fezzes, shakoes, kcpis, cidares,
busbies, tiaras, mitres, tarbouches, schapskas, ottomans,
mortar boards, Inca llantus, Mediaeval hermins. Sacerdotal
infulas, Oriental smokers, Venetian doges. Baptismal
chrisms, &c., &c., in hundreds, and more or less dilapi-
dated, tattered, crownlcss and brimlcss. As may be
imagined, he possessed many precious historical curiosities
' — the helmet of Patroclus when that hero was killed by
Hector at the siege of Troy, the bonnet worn by Themis-
tocles at the battle of Salamis, the caps of Galen and
Hippocrates, the hat which the wind blew off Caesars
head as he crossed the Rubicon, the head-gear of Lucrezia
Borgia at each of her three marriages with Sforza
Alphonso d'Este and Alfonso of Aragon^ the hat of
Tamerlane when he crossed the Sind, that of Genghis
Khan, when he destroyed Bokhara and Samarcand, the
cap of Elizabeth at her coronation, that of Marie Stuart
when she escaped from Loch Leven, that of Catherine,
when she was anointed at Moscow, the suroet of Peter
the Great, when he worked in the shipyard at Saardam',
the cocked hat worn by Marlborough at the battle of
Ramillies, that of Olaus, King of Denmark, who was
killed at Sticklcstad, Gessler's cap to which William
Tell refused to bow, the toque of William Pitt, when he
entered the twenty-third year of his ministry, the cocked
hat of Napoleon the First at the battle of Wagram, and a
hundred others not less authentic. His greatest grief was
at not having discovered the cap worn by Noah on the
day the ark grounded on the summit of Mount Ararat,
and the bonnet worn by Abraham, when the patriarch
was about to sacrifice his son Isaac. But Jos Meritt did
not despair of finding them some day. As to the head-
gear worn by Adam and Eve, when they were driven out
of Eden, he had given up seeking for them, as historians
worthy of credit had proved that the first man and woman
went about bare-headed.

It will be seen from this brief description of the curiosi-
ties in Jos Meritt's museum in what utterly childish

A Historic Hat. 213

occupations he spent his life.. In no way doubting of the
authenticity of his finds, he had travelled in every country,
visited the towns and villages, ransacked every store and
shop, interviewed the marine-store dealers and rag-men,
and spent both time and money. The whole world he
requisitioned to put his hand on some undiscoverable
object, and after exhausting the stocks of Europe, Africa,
Asia, America, and Oceania by himself, his correspondents,
his agents, his commercial travellers, he had arrived here
to explore the most inaccessible retreats of the Australian
continent.

He had a reason for that — a reason which others might
have considered insufficient, but which appeared serious
enough for him. H.aving been informed that the nomads
of Australia wore hats — in what a state of dilapidation we
may imagine — 'knowing from another source that cargoes
of this old rubbish were regularly exported to the coast-
towns, he had concluded that he might perhaps get " a
good thing or two," in the language of antiquarian
collectors. He was in fact a prey to a fixed idea, tor-
mented by the desire which possessed him, which
threatened to drive him quite mad, for he was half mad
already. This time he was after a hat which he believed
would be the gem of his collection.

What was this marvel? By what ancient or modern
maker had this hat been turned out ? On what head of
royalty, nobility, bourgeoisie, or commonalty had it been
placed and under what circumstances ? Whatever it was,
owing to valuable information, and by following the trail
with the ardour of a Chingachgook or a Reward Subtil, he
had arrived at the conviction that the said hat, after a long
series of vicissitudes, ought to be ending its career on the
cranium of some notable of an Australian tribe in doubly
justifying his title of " cover chief." If he succeeded in
discovering it, Jos Meritt would pay whatever was asked
for it, or he would steal it if he could not purchase it. It
would be the trophy of the campaign which would take him
to the north-east of the continent ; and not having sue-

214 Mistress Braxican.

cecdcd in his first attempt, he was prepared to brave the
very real dangers of an expedition into Central Australia.
That is why Gin-Ghi was again about to risk finishing his
life in the jaws of cannibals — and what cannibals ! The
most ferocious of those whose teeth he had hitherto braved !
But it is as well to note that the servant was so attached
to his master — the attachment of two mandarin ducks —
as much by interest as affection, that he would not leave
him.

" To-morrow morning we leave Adelaide by the express,"
said Jos Mcritt.

" At the second watch > " replied Gin-Ghi.
" At the second watch, if you like ; and see that every-
thing is ready for our departure."

" I will do my best, Master Jos ; but I beg you to
observe that I have not ten thousand hands like the goddess
K\van-in ! "

" I do not know if the goddess Kwan-in has ten thousand
hands," replied Jos Meritt ; " but I know that you have
two, and I desire you to use them in my service."
" Until I am eaten ! "
" Good ! Oh ! Very good ! "

And doubtless Gin-Ghi did not use his hands more
actively than usual, preferring to leave the work to his
master ; and on the morrow the two oddities left
Adelaide, and the train took them full speed towards the
unknown, where Jos Mcritt hoped to discover the hat which
he required for his collection.

CHAPTER IV.

THE TRAIN TO ADELAIDE.

A FEW days later Mrs. Branican also left the capital of
South Australia. Tom Marix had just completed the
escort, which consisted of fifteen white men who had been
in the local militia, and fifteen natives who had been in
the service of the colony in the governor's police. This
escort was intended for the protection of the caravan
against the nomads, and not for fighting the tribe of the
Indas. It would not do to forget what Harry Felton said:
it was better to rescue Captain John at the cost of a ransom
than to take him by force from the natives who held him
prisoner.

Provisions in sufficient quantity for the victualling of
forty persons for a year filled two of the trucks unloaded
at Farina Town. Every day a letter from Zach Fren,
dated froni the station^ kept Dolly informed of all that
passed. The cattle and horses bought by him wcro
mustered there under the charge of the drivers. The
vehicles which were at the railway station were ready to
receive the boxes of provisions, the bales of clothing, the
utensils, ammunition, tents, in a word all that composed
the baggage of the expedition. Two days after the
arrival of the train the caravan could begin its march.

Mrs. Branican had fixed her departure from Adelaide
for the 9th of September. In a last inteiview she had with
the governor of the colony he had not hidden from the
intrepid woman the dangers she was about to face.

"The dangers are of two kinds, Mrs. Branican," he

2i6 Mistress Branican.

said, "those that come from the ferocious tribes in the
regions over which we have no control, and those resulting
from the very nature of those regions. Denuded of all
resources, notably deficient of water, for the rivers and
wells are already dry from the drought, terrible sufferings
are in store for you. On this account it might have been
better had you started six months later at the end of the
hot season^"

" I know that," said Mrs. Branican, " and I am prepared
for all. Since my departure from San Diego, I have
studied the Australian continent, reading again and again
the narratives of travellers who have been through it; Burke,
Stuart, Giles, Forrest, Sturt, Gregory, Warburton. I have
been able to get the account of the intrepid David Lind-
say, who from September, 1887, to September, 1888,
crossed Australia from Port Darwin in the north to
Adelaide in the south. No ! I am fully aware of the
dangers of the enterprise. But I must go where duty
calls me."

" The explorer David Lindsay," replied the governor,
" only journeyed through regions that were known, for the
telegraph line crosses them. And he only took with him
a young native and four pack horses. You, on the con-
trary, Mrs. Branican, are in search of nomad tribes, and
will be obliged to take your caravan away from the line, to
venture into the north-west of the continent as far as the
deserts of Tasman Land or De Witt Land — "

" I will go wherever it may be necessary," said Mrs.
Branican. "What David Lindsay and his predecessors
have done was in the interest of civilization, of science, or
of trade. What I will do is to rescue my husband, now
the only survivor of the Franklin. After his disappear-
ance, and against the opinion of everyone, I maintained that
John Branican was alive, and I was right. For six months,
for a year if necessary, I will travel in these territories, con-
vinced that I shall find him, and I shall again be right. I
trust to the zeal of my companions, and our motto will be,
• Never behind ! '"

The Train to Adelaide. 217

"That is the Douglas motto, and I have no;doubt it will
lead you to the same end — " ' —

" Yes ! With the help of God ! "

Mrs. Branican took leave of the governor, after thanking
him for the aS-sistarfco he had rendered her since her
arrival at Adelaide, That evenlng^the 9th of September
— slie left the capital of South Australia.

The railways of Australia are welt managed ; comfort-
able carriages run without jolting, and the permanertt way
is firm and level. The train consisted of six carriaffer,
including the two baggage trucks. Mrs. Braniean occu-
pied a reserved compartment with a woman named
Harriett, half English half native, whom she had taken into
her service. Tom Marix and the men of the escort occu-
pied the other compartment.

The train only stopped to take in water and coals, and
made but short stoppages at the principal stations. The
duration of the journey was thus shortened by about a
quarter.

Beyond Adelaide the train steamed towards Gawler
through the district of the same name. On thfe right of
the line rose a few wooded heights which dominate this
part of the colony. The mountains of Australia arfe not
distinguished by their altitude, which rarely exceeds two
thousand metres, and they are generailly situated on the
edge of the continent. A very old geological origin is
attributed to them, their composition consisting chiefly of
granite and the Silurian rocks.

This part of the country is very varied and cut into by
gorges, obliging the railroad to make numerous curves,
sometimes along narrow valleys, sometimes through thick
forests where the multiplication of the eucalyptus is truly
exuberant. A few degrees further on, when it enters the
ci.ntral plains, the railway continues in the imperturbable
straight line .which is the characteristic of the modern iron
road.

Beyond Gawler, where a branch runs off to Great Bend,
the great river Murray describes a sudden curve towards

2i8 Mistress Branican.

the south. The train, after leaving and skirting the
boundary of the Light district, reaches the Stanley district
in the thirty-fourth degree of latitude. If it had not been
night, a view might have been had of the top of Mount
Bryant, the highest of the orographic cluster extending
along the east of the line. From that point the elevations
of the ground are more to the west, and the line skirts the
irregular base of the chain, the principal summits of which
are Mounts Bluff, Remarkable, Brown and Ardon. Their
extreme ramifications die out on the shores of Lake
Torrens, a vast sheet of water doubtless in communication
with Spencer Gulf which deeply indents the Australian
coast.

Next morning at sunrise the train passed in sight of
the Flinders Ranges, of which Mount Serle forms the
farthest projection of any importance. Through the
windows of her carriage Mrs. Branican looked out over these
regions so new to her. This, then, was Australia which has
so justly been called the Land of Paradoxes, whose centre
is a vast depression below the level of the ocean, where the
streams for the most part rise in sands and are lost be-
fore they reach the sea, where the humidity is as absent in
the air as in the soil, where multiply the strangest animals
the world knows, where wander the ferocious tribes which
frequent the centre and the west. There to the north and
west extend the interminable deserts of Alexandra Land
and Western Australia, amid which the expedition was to
search for traces of Captain John. What clue would she
find to guide her when she had advanced beyond the towns
and villages and was reduced to the vague indications
obtained by the bedside of Harry Felton ?

And with regard to this a difificiilty had been suggested
to Mrs. Branican. Was it likely that Captain John during
the nine years he had been held prisoner by the Australian
blacks had never found an opportunity of escape ? To
this objection Mrs. Branican had but one reply; that, ac-
cording to Harry Felton, he and his companion had only
had one chance of escape during this long period — the

The Train to Adelaide. 219

chance of which- John had been unable to avail himself.
With regard to the argument based on the statement that
it was not the custom of the natives to respect the lives of
their prisoners, it was clear that they had done so in the
case of the survivors of the Franklin, and Harry Felton
had proved it. Besides, was there not a precedent in the
case of the explorer, William Classen, who had disappeared
for thirty-eight years, and who was still believed to be with
one of the tribes in Northern Australia .'' Well ! was not
that exactly the fate of Captain John, inasmuch as in addi-
tion to mere hypothesis, there was the formal declaration
of Harry Felton ? There were other travellers, too, who
had never reappeared, though there was nothing to show
they had succumbed. Who knows if these mysteries
would not some day be cleared up ?

However, the train ran along rapidly, without stopping
at the smaller stations. If the railroad had curved a little
more towards the west it would have skirted the shore of
Lake Torrens, which is in the form of a bow — a long nar-
row lake near which begin the first undulations of the
Flinders Ranges. The weather was warm. The tem-
perature was the same as in the northern hemisphere in
the month of March in the countries along the thirtieth
parallel, such as Algeria, Mexico, or Cochin China. There
was to be feared a heavy rain or even one of those violent
storms the caravan would pray for in vain when it was
well out on the plains of the interior. This was the state
of the weather when Mrs. Branican, at three o'clock in the
afternoon, reached the station at Farina Town.

There the railroad stops, and the Australian engineers
are busy carrying it further northwards in the direction of
the Overland Telegraph, Line which extends to the shore
of the Arafura Sea. If the railroad continues to follow it,
it will have to bend off towards the west so as to pass
between Lake Torrens and Lake Eyre. On the contrary,
it will have to keep to the east of the lakes if it does not
leave the meridian which passes through Adelaide.

Zach Fren and his men were mustered at the railway

220 Mistress Branican.

station when Mrs. Branican descended from her carriage;
They welcomed her with much sympathy and re3pectful
cordiality. The brave boatswain was deeply affected.
Twelve days, twelve long days ! without having seen the
widow of Captain John, such a thing had not happened
since the last return of the Dolly Hope to San Diego.
Dolly was very happy to again find her cpntpahion,-her
friend, Zach Fren, whose devetion to the very last she
could reckon upon. She smiled as she pressed his hand
— and she did not often smile. - '■■' •' ' ' -<■

This station of Farina Town is of recent origin. Ev&n
on modern maps it does^ not appear. One recognizes In -it
the embryo of one of those towns which- Efiglisli-i or
American railways produce on their passage as trees pro-
duce fruits ; but they ripen -quickly, these fruits, thanks to
the ready practical genius of the Saxon race. And such
of these stations as are still but villages show in their
general plan in the arrangement of their sqtiares, and r-oads,
and boulevards that they will become towns in a very
short time.

Such was Farina Town, forming at this time the terminus
of llie Adelaide Railway.

Mrs. Branican had no occasion to remain long at the
station. Zach Fren had shown himself as intelligent as
he was active. The material of the expedition which he
had mustered comprised four bullock drays and their
drivers, and two buggies, drawn by a pair of good horses,
with their drivers. The drays had already received many
of the camp fittings which had been s:nt on from Adelaide.
When the railway trucks had disgorged their contents
they would be ready to start, and this would be an affair
of twenty four or thiity-six hours.

From the very first Mrs. Branican examined this material
in detail. Tom Marix approved the measures' taken by
Zach Fren. With such an outfit they would easily reach
the extreme boundary of the region where the^ horses and
cattle find the pasture necessary for thdr food, and above
all things water, which is farely met with in the deserts of
the centre.

The Train to Adelaide. 221

" Mrs. Branican," said Tom Marix, " while we follow
the telegi'aph line the country will give us food, and our
animals will not have much to endure. But, beyond,
when the caravan turns to the westward, we shall have to
replace the horses and bullocks by pack and riding camels.
These animals alone can stand the burning regions and
find enough in the wells, which are often several days'
march apart."

"I know it, Tom Marix,"^said Dolly, "and will trust to
your experience. We will reorganize the caravan as soon
as we reach Alice Spring, where I hope to be as soon as
possible." '

"The camel drivers have been gone four days with the
drove of camels," added Zach Fren, "and they will be
waiting for us at the statioii."

"And then," said Tom Marix, "the real difficulties of
the expedition will begin."

"We shall know how. to overcome them," said Mrs.
Branican.

And so, in conformity: with the plan carefully decided
upon, the first part of the voyage, consisting of about three
hundred and hfty mile?, would be accomplished with
horses, buggies and tuUock drays. Of the thirty men of
tlie escort the whites, to the number of fifteen, would be
mounted ; but these thick forests, these capricious'y hilly
regions, not, allowing of long stages, the blacks would
without difficulty be. able to follow the caravan on foot.
When the. new start was made from Alice Spring, the
camels would be reserved for the whites on duty as scouts,
collecting information from the wandering tribes or dis-
covering the wells scattered over the face of the desert.

It should be inentioned here that explorations under-
taken across the Australian continent have been managed
in this way ever since camels have been so advantageously
introduced into Australia, Travellers of the time of
Burke, Stuart, and Giles would have had much less to
undergo had they had these animals at their disposal. It
was in 1S66 that Mr. Elder imported from India a suf-
pciently large number, with their equipment of Afghan

222 Mistress Branican.

cam el drivers ; and the breed has prospered. Thanks to
their employment, Colonel Warburton was able to bring
to a satisfactory conclusion his bold expedition which set
out from Alice Spring and reached Rockburn, on the coast
of De Witt Land. If David Lindsay had afterwards
succeeded in crossing the continent from north to south
with pack-horses, it was because he had only occasionally
left the district through which the telegraph line runs and
found the water and grass which so frequently fail in the
Australian solitudes.

And with regard to these hardy explorers who did not
hesitate to brave every sort of peril and fatigue, Zach Fren
was led to say, —

" You know, Mrs. Branican, we are anticipated in our
advance on Alice Spring.?"

'• Anticipated, Zach ? "

" Yes, madam. Do you not remember that Englishman
and his Chinese servant, who were on the Brisbane from
Melbourne to Adelaide .? "

" I do," said Dolly. " But did not they land at Adelaide ?
Did they not stop there ? "

" No, madam ; three days ago, Jos Merritt — that is his
name — arrived at Farina Town by railway. He even
asked me for information concerning our expedition, as to
the road we were going to take, and contented himself
with replying, 'Good! Oh, very good!' while his
Chinaman shook his head and seemed to say, ' Bad ! Oh,
very bad ! ' and next morning they left Farina Town,
going northwards."

"And how did they travel ? " asked Dolly.

" They travelled on horseback, but when they reached
Alice Spring they were going to change their means of
transport."

" Is the Englishman an explorer .' "

" He does not look it ; I thought the gentleman was
crazy."

" And did he not say why he was venturing into the
Australian desert .? "

The Train to Adelaide. 223

"No, madam. But alone with his Chinaman I do not
suppose he* intends to risk much danger beyond the in-
habited portion of the province. We shall probably find
him at Alice Spring ! "

Next day, the nth of September, at five o'clock in the
afternoon, the last preparations were completed. The
drays had received their load of provisions in sufficient
quantity for the necessities of the long journey. This
consisted of preserved meats and vegetables of the best
American brands, flour, tea, sugar, salt, and the contents
of the medicine chest. The reserve of whiskey, gin-, and
brandy filled a certain number of kegs, which would later
on be placed on the backs of the camels.

A large stock of tobacco figured among the articles of
consumption — a stock all the more indispensable as it
was required not only for the staff, but as a medium of
exchange with the natives, among whom it is used as
currency. With tobacco and brandy whole tribes in West-
ern Australia could be bought. A large reserve of this
tobacco, a few rolls of printed calico, a number of objects
of Birmingham manufacture formed the ransom destined
for the purpose of the freedom of Captain John!

As to the camp necessities, the tents, the coverings, the
boxes containing the clothes and linen, all that belonged
to Mrs. Branican and the woman Harriett, the. belongings
of Zach Fren and the captain cf the escort, the utensils
required for the preparation of tiie food, the paraffin used
for cooking, the ammunition, consisting of ball cartridges
and shot cartridges for the guns carried by Tom Marix
and his men, all this found its 'place on the bullock
drays.

The preparations being over, nothing remained but to
give the signal of departure. Mrs. Branican, impatient to
be off, fixed the departure for the morning. It was
decided that at daybreak the caravans would leave Farina
Town, and go along the route, of the telegraph line.
The drivers and escort made up a force of forty men,
enrolled under the command of Zach Fren and Tom

224. Mistress Branican.

Marix ; and all were told to be ready first thing in the
morning.

That evening, about nine o'clock, Dolly and the woman
Harriett with Zach Fren had just gone into the house they
occupied near the railway station. The door was shut,
and they were about to retire to their rooms when a gentle
knock was heard.

Zach Fren returned to the door, opened it, and could
not restrain an exclamation of surprise.

Before him, with a little bundle under his arm and his
cap in his hand, stood the boy from the Brisbane.

In truth, it seemed that Mrs. Branican had guessed who
it was. Yes ! And how can we explain it ? Although
she had no expectation of .seeing this boy, had she re-
membered that he wished to be near her ? Anyhow, his
name escaped instinctively from her lips, —

"Godfrey!"

Godfrey had arrived about half-an-hour before by the
train from Adelaide.

A few days before the departure of the mail boat he
had asked the captain of the Brisbane to pay him his wages
and had left the ship.

Once on shore, he had made no attempt to present him-
self at the hotel in King William Street, where Mrs.
Branican was staying. But how many times had he scon
her ! How many times he had followed her, without her
seeing him, without his seeking to speak to her !

Hearing all about the preparations, he knew that Zach
Fren had gpne on to Farina Town to organize a caravan ;
and, as soon as he learned that Mrs. ]3ranican had left
Adelaide, he took the train and resolved to find her.

What, then, did Godfrey want, and what was the object
of this proceeding .? ,

What he wanted Dolly soon ascertained.

Godfrey, admitted into the house, found himself in Mr.<-.
Brariican's presence.

" Is it you, my child ! You, Godfrey ! " she said, taking
his hand.

The Train to Adelaide. 225

" It is he, and what does he want ? " growled Zach Fien,
with very obvious vexation, for tlic boy's presence seemed
to liim extrcmclv re, rettabie.

" What do I want ? " said Godfrey. " I want to go with
you, madam ; to go with you as far as you go, and never
to leave you ! I want to go in search of Captain Branican,
to find h'ni. to bring him back to San Diego, to his friends,
to his country."

Dolly could only restiain herself with difficulty. The
child's fcatur..s,- his voice, were all John — her wed-bclovcd
John!

Godfrey fell on his knees, and stretched out his hands
to her, and beseechingly said, —

" Take me, iriadam, take me ! "

" Come, my child, omc I " said Dolly, claspinj him iw
her breast.

PART II.

CHAPTER V.

ACROSS SOUTH AUSTRALIA,

The departure of the caravan took place on the I2th of
September hi the early morning.

The weather was fine, the heat being tempered by a
gentle breeze. A few light clouds moderated the ardour
of the solar rays. In this thirty-first degree of latitude at
this time of the year, the warm season had fairly set in on
the Australian continent. The explorers knew only too
well how formidable was its intensity when there was
neither rain nor shade to cool the central plains.

It was regrettable that circumstances had not allowed
]\Irs. Branican to undertake her expedition five or six
months later. During the winter the ordeal of such a
journey would have been more supportable. The cold
season, during which the thermometer sometimes goes
down to freezing-point, is less to be feared than the hot
one, which raises the mercurial column above forty degrees
centigrade. Previously to the month of May the vapours
dissolve into abundant showers, the creeks revive, the
wells fill. There is no need of travelling for days in search
of brackish water under a burning sky. The Australian
desert is more fatal to caravans than the desert of Africa ;
the Sahara has its oases, the y\ustralian desert has none.

But Mrs. Branican had no choice of place or time. She
went because she had to go ; she would risk these terrible
chances of climate because she had to risk them. The
finding of Captain John and his rescue from the natives
admitted of no delay, even if she were to succumb in the

Across Souts Australia, 227

endeavour as Harry Felton had succumbed. It Is true
that the privations which this unfortunate man had borne
were not in store for this expedition, which was organized
in such a way as to overcome all difficulties, at least such
as were probable.

We know the composition of the caravan, which, since
Godfrey had joined it, consisted of forty-one persons.
The following was the order of march adopted north of
Farina Town, through the bush and along the creeks,
where there was no obstacle to bar the progress.

At the head went the fifteen Australians, clothed in
trousers and shirt of striped cotton, wearing straw hats,
and with naked feet as usual. Armed each of them with
a gun and revolver, and with a cartridge belt round their
waist, they formed the vanguard under the leadership of a
white man who acted as scout. /

After them in a buggy drawn by two horses, driven by
a native coachman, went Mrs. Branican and the woman
Harriett. A hood fitted to the light vehicle, so as to be
raised or lowered, afforded shelter from rain or storm.

In a second buggy were Zach Fren and Godfrey.
However much Zach had resented the boy's arrival, he had
soon taken a great liking to him when he saw how fond he
was of Mrs. Branican.

The four bullock drays came next, driven by the four
teamsters, and the progress of the caravan was regulated
by the pace of these animals, whose introduction into
Australia is of recent date, and which are valuable auxi-
liaries in matters of transport and agriculture.

On the flanks and in the rear of the little troop rode Tom
Marix's men, dressed like their leader, with their trousers
tucked into their boots, a linen jacket and belt, a white
cloth cap, a light mackintosh slung over their shoulders,
and armed like their native companions. These men,
being mounted, were to be of service in reconnoitring the
road, choosing the halting places at noon, or for the camp
at night when the second stage of the day's work neared
its end.

Q 2

228 Mistress Branican.

In this way the caravan was in a position to travel
twelve or thirteen miles a day over rough ground, occa-
sionally through patches of thick forest where the drays
could only get along slowly. In the evening the task of
pitching the camp fell to Tom Marix, who was accustomed
to that sort of thing. Then all would rest duiing the
night and start at sunrise.

The journey between Farina Town. and Alice Spring,
about three hundred and fifty miles, promised to be fre2
fi-om serious danger or fatigue, and wouldprobably occupy
thirty days. The station where the caravan would have
to be remodelled, in view of the exploration of the western
desert, would thus be reached during the first tliird of the
^onth of October.

On leaving Farina Town the expedition for a certain
number of miles followed the works in progress for the
prolongation of the railway, and then to the westward
entered the Williouran Ranges, taking the direction
already staked out by the posts of the Overland Telegraph
Line.

On the road Mrs. Branican asked Tom Marix, who was
riding near the buggy, for a few particulars regarding this
line.

" It was 1870," said Tom Marix, "sixteen years after
the declaration of the independence of South Australia,
that the colonists had the idea of making this line between.
Port Adelaide and Port Darwin, from the south to the
north of the continent. The works were carried'on with
such activity that they were fi nished by the middle of 1 872."

" But," said Mrs. Branican, " had not the continent to
be explored right through ? "

"Just so," said Tom Marix, "and ten years before, in
i860 and 1861, Stuart, one of our most intrepid explorers;
had crossed it, and pushed out reconnaissances east and
west."

" And who was the originator of this line ? " asked Mrs.
Branican.

" An cnijii-.c:r as bold as he is intelligent, Mr. Todd, the

Across South Australia. 2-29

director of posts and telegraphs, one of our fellow- citizens
whom Australia honours as he deserves."

" Did they find the material here for the work ? "

" No," said Tom Marix ; " they had to bring from
Europe the insulators, the wire, and even the posts for the
line. The colony ought really to be in a position to
furnish the material for any industrial enterprise."

" Did the natives let the works go on without intejr-
fcr-ing with them ? "

"At first they did rather more than interfere with it,
Mrs. Branican. They destroyed the stores, taking the
wire for the sake of the iron, and using the posts ^for
making axes out of. Along eighteen hundred and fifty
miles there were constant encounters with the Australians,
although they were always beaten off. They returned to
the charge again and again, and I think the affair would
have had to be given up if Mr. Todd had not had an idea,
not only ingenious, but of genius. He seized a few
chiefs of the tribes and gave them a few electric shocks,
and this so frightened them that neither they nor their
comrades ever dared go near the thing again. The line
was then finished and is now at regular work."

" Is it not guarded ? " asked Mrs. Branican.

"Yes, by the black police as we call them in this
country."

" And does not this police ever go into the central or
western regions ? "

"Never, or at least very seldom. There are so many
scoundrels, bushrangers and others to look after in the
inliabited districts."

" But why have they not thought of putting the black
police on the track of the Indas, when they know that
Captain Branican has been their prisoner for fifteen
years ? "

" You forget, madam, that we did not know it, and that
yoii j'ourself only knew it from Harry Felton a few weeks
agti." ' -■' - -

" That is so," said Dolly, " a few weeks ago ! "

230 Mistress Branican.

" Besides," said Tom Marix, " I know that the black
police have had orders to explore in Tasman Land, and
that a strong detachment is to be sent there, but I am
afraid—"

Tom Marix stopped. Mrs. Branican did not notice his
"hesitation.

Resolved as he was to fulfil to the end the duties hz had
undertaken, he had, it should be said, very great doubts as
to the result of the expedition. He knew how difficult
these wandering tribes of Australia are to get hold of, and
had no share in Mrs. Branican's ardent faith, nor Zach
Fren's conviction, nor Godfrey's instinctive confidence.
However, we may repeat, he would do his duty.
. On the evening of the 15 th at the turn of the Deroy
Hills the caravan camped at the town of Boorloo. To the
north rose the summit of Mount Attraction, beyond which
extend the Illusion Plains. From this connection of-
names it may be thought that while the mountain attracts
the plain deceives. Anyway, Australian cartography offers
many of these designations, which are at the same time
physical and moral.

It is at Boorloo that the telegraph line runs off at almost
a right angle towards the west. Twelve miles away it
crosses Cabanna creek. But what is a simple matter for
aerial lines stretched from post to post, is more difficult for
a body of travellers on foot and horseback. It was neces-
sary to find a ford. The boy would not leave to others
the task of discovering it. Throwing himself resolutely
into the rapid, tumultuous river, he found a shallow place
by which the drays and carriages could reach the left bank
without getting over their axles.

On the 17th the caravan camped on the last spurs of
Mount North-West, which rises about twelve miles to the
south.

The country being inhabited, Mrs. Branican and her
companions received a cordial welcome at one of the large
farms, which had several thousand acres under tillage.
The raising of sheep in considerable flocks, the growing of

Across South Australia. 231

corn on the wide, treeless plains, the cultivation on a large
scale of sorghum and millet, immense fallows ready for
sowing during the coming season, practical forestry,
plantations of olive trees and other species suitable for
these warm latitudes, many hundreds of beasts of labour
and draught, the staff required for such enterprises, a staff
submitted to qjuasi-military discipline which reduces men
almost to a state of slavery— all this can be met with on
these estates, which yield the wealth of the colonies of the
Australian continent. If Mrs. Branican's caravan had not
been amply provisioned at the start, she would here have
obtained everything she wanted, thanks to the generosity
of the rich farmers, of the free-selectors, the proprietors of
these agricultural stations.

These large industrial establishments are increasing.
Immense tracts, which the absence of water rendered
unproductive, are being brought into cultivation, and the
ground then being crossed by the caravan a dozen miles
south of Lake Eyre was intersected by liquid streams
from the newly dug artesian wells, which yield three hun-
dred thousand gallons a day.

On the i8th of September, Tom Marix camped for the
night on the southern point of South Lake Eyre, a consi-
derable sheet of water joining North Lake Eyre. On its
wooded banks was a flock of those curious water-fowl of
which the jabiru is the most remarkable specimen, and a
few flocks of black swans, with a few cormorants, pelicans,
and herons.

A curious geographical arrangement is that of these
lakes. They extend from the south northward — Lake
Torrens, the curve of which is followed by the railway,
I^ittle Lake Eyre, Great Lake Eyre, Lakes Frane, Blanche,
Amadeus — and are sheets of salt water, the old natural
basins in which linger the remains of an inland sea.
t In fact, geologists are inclined to admit that the Austra-
lian continent was formerly divided into two islands, at a
period not very remote. It has been observed that the
coast of the continent has a tendency to rise above sea-

232 Mistress Branican.

level, and there seems to be no reason for supposing
that the centre is not subject to a similar continuous
elevation. The old basin will thus close in in time, and
bring about the disappearance of these lakes, which lie
between the hundred and thirtieth and hundred and fortieth
degrees of latitude.

From the point of South Lake Eyre to the station of
Emerald Spring, where they arrived in the evening of the
20th of September, the caravan advanced about seventeen
miles across a country of imagnificent forest, the trees of
which reached two hundred feet in height.

Accustomed as Dolly was to the forest marvels of Cali-
fornia, amongst others its gigantic sequoias, she could
not but have admired this astonishing vegetation if her
thoughts had not been far away in the north and west,
among the arid deserts, where the sandy hills barely
suppok a few miserable shrubs. She saw nothing of those
giant ferns of which Australia possesses the most remark-
able species, nothing of those enormous masses of euca-
lyptus, with weeping foliage, grouped on the gentle
undulations of the ground. .. _

It is a curious fact that brushwood is absent from the
foot of these trees ; the ground is clear of brjars and thorns,
and their lower branches are not thrown out below twelve
or fifteen feet from the ground. All that remains is a
golden-yellow grass, which is never dried up. Animals
have destroyed the young shoots, and fires lighted by the
squatters have cleared away the bushes. Consequently,
although there are no roads cut through these vast forests
— so different to the African forests, in which you can
travel for six months without reachihg the end — there is no
difficulty in moving about. The buggies and drays passed
easily between the trees and under the high roof of their
foliage.

Besides, Tom Marix knew the country, having several
times crossed it when in command of the Adelaide
colonial police. Mrs. Branican could not have trusted
to a safer or more devoted guide. No leader of an

Across South Australia. 233

escort could have joined so much zeal to so much intelli-
gence.

And, to help him, Tom Marix found an auxiliary, j-ounj^,
active, determined, in the lad who had so ardently attached
himself to Dolly ; and it is not to be wondered at that he
shared in the ardour of this boy of fourteen years. Godfrey
talked of going alone, if necessary, into the interior. If
any traces of Captain John were discovered, it would be
difficult, even impossible, to keep him back. Everything
about him — his enthusiasm when he spoke of the captain,
his assiduity in consulting the maps of Central Australia,
in taking notes, in gaining information during the halts,
instead of giving himself over to rest after the fatigue of
the day — all denoted in this impassioned soul an effer-
vescence which nothing could temper. Very strong for
his age, hardened already to the hardest trials of a sailor's
life, he was often ahead of the caravan and out of sight.
If he remained in his place it was only at Dolly's precise
orders. Neither Zach Fren nor Tom Marix, although
Godfrey showed much friendship for them, could get fiom
him what she got by a look. Abandoning herself to her
instinctive feelings in the presence of this child, who was
John's physical and mental portraitj. she felt for him the
affection of a mother. If Godfrey was not her son, if he
was not so according to the laws of nature, he could at
least be so by adoption. Godfrey should not leave her
again. John would love him as she loved him, and with
the same love.

One day, after an absence during which he had been
some miles in advance of the caravan, —

" My child," she said, " I want you to promise me not
to go so far away without my consent. When I see you
go I am quite uneasy until you come back. You leave us
for hours without any news of you."

" It is necessary I should collect information," said the
boy. " There was a' report of a tribe of wandering natives
encamped on Warmer Creek. I wahted to see the chief
of the tribe, to question him." .

23 1 MisTRiiss Branican.

" And what did he say ? " asked Dolly.

" He had heard of a white man coming from the west
and making for Oueenskmd."

" Who was he }"

" I understood at last that he was talking of Harry
Fclton, and not of Captain Branican. But we shall find
litm — yes, we shall find him! Ah! I love him as I love
}'ou, who are a mother to me ! "

"A mother!" murmured Mrs. Branican.

" But I know you, while Captain John I have never
seen ; and without that photograph you gave me, which I
always carry about with me — the portrait which speaks to
me, which seems to answer me — "

" You will know him one day, my child," said Dolly,
"and he will love thee as I love thee."

On the 24th September, after having camped at Strang-
way Spring, beyond Warmer Creek, the expedition halted
at William Spring, forty-two miles to the north of Emerald
Station. It will be seen from this qualification of " spring "
that the water system is of great importance in the districts
crossed by the telegraph line. The hot season was already
far enough advanced for these springs to be drying up,
and it was not difficult to find fords by which the creeks
could be crossed with the teams.

At the same time, the strong vegetation gave no signs
of decreasing. If the villages were only met with at longer
intervals, the farms still succeeded each other from stage
to stage. Hedges of spiny acacia, which scented the air,
mingled with a few sweetbriars, formed the impenetrable
enclosures. In the forests, now more scattered, European
trees, such as the oak, the plane, the willow, the poplar,
the tamarind, were taking the place of the eucalyptus and
the gum-trees which are called "spotted gums" by the
Australians.

" What sort of a tree is that ? " asked Zach Fren the
first time he saw some fifty of these gums in a clump.
" It looks as if their trunks were painted in all the colours
of the rainbow,"

Across South Australia. 235

"What you take for a coat of paint," said Tom Marix,
" is the natural colour. The bark of those trees colours
according to whether the vegetation is early or late.^ Some
are white, some are pink, some are red. Look ! there is
one with the trunk striped with blue, another with yellow
plates."

" One more drollery to distinguish your continent, Tom
Marix."

" Drollery, if you like ; but believe me, Zach, you are
paying my countrymen a compliment in repeating that
their country resembles no other. And it will not be
perfect — "

" Until there remains not a single native ; that is under-
stood ! " replied Zach Fren.

It was equally noticeable that, in spite of the insufficient
shelter of tliese trees, the birds gathered there in great
numbers. There were magpies, parrots, cockatoos of
startling whiteness, laughing birds (which, according to
M. D. Charnay, would be more appropriately called sob-
bing birds), red-necked tandalas, whose cackle is inex-
haustible, flying squirrels (amongst others the polatouchc,
which sportsmen" attract by imitating the cry of nocturnal
birds), birds of paradise, and especially the rifle bird, of
velvet plumage, which is held to be the finest specimen of
Australian ornithology ; and, finally, on the surface of the
lagoons or swampy places, pairs of cranes, and lotus birds
the conformation of whose feet permits of their running on
the leaves of the water-lily.

In addition, there was an abundance of hares, and there
was no harm in knocking them over, to say nothing of
partridges and wild ducks, which enabled Tom Marix to
economize with the provisions of the expedition. This game
was plainly grilled or roasted every evening at the camp-
fire. Occasionally, too, iguana eggs were dug up, which
are excellent, and better than the iguana with which the
blacks of the expedition regaled themselves.

The creeks still yielded perch, a few long-nosed pike,
and a number of those mullets so active as to jump over

236 Mistress Branican.

tlie fisherman's head, and in addition to these were myriads
of cols. At the same time, a constant look-out had to be
kept for crocodiles, which are very dangerous in their
aquatic surroundings.- From all of which it follows tliat
lines or nets are articles with which the traveller in Aus-
tralia should be furnished, in accordance with the expressed
recommendation of Colonel Warburton.

On the morning of the 29th the caravan left Uoiburn
Station and entered on hilly ground, very rough for the
Walkers. Forty-eight hours afterwards, to the west of
Denison Ranges, it -reached the Peak Station, recently
established for the requirements of the tclegrapiiic
service.

From a detailed account of the journeys of Stuart, given
by Tom Marix, Mrs. Branican learnt that it was from this
point that the explorer had started for the north, through
country almost unknown before.

After this station, for a distance of some sixty miles, the
caravan had a foretaste of the fatigues in store for them
in the Australian desert. Very arid ground had to be
traversed up to the banks of the Macumba River, and
beyond, for about the same distance, a no less wearisome
stretch to Lady Charlotte Station.

On these vast undulatiffg plains, varied here and there
by a few clumps of trees with discoloured foliage, game, if
it can all be called so, did not fail. There leapt the kan-
garoo, of a small species known as the wallaby, which
escaped at many an enormous bound. There ran the
tipossums of the bandicoot and dyasuran varieties, whjch
ihestle— that is the word — at the top of the gum trees.
Several pairs of cassowaries were seen with as proud and
defiant a look as an eagle, but with the advantage over
the king of birds, that their flesh is fat and nourishing and
Very like beef. The trees were bunga-bungas, a kind of
araucaria, which in the western regions of Queensland
attain a height of two hundred and fifty feet. These pines,
which are trees of more moderate height, yield a large
nutritious kernel, which is eaten by the Australians.

Across South Australia. 237

Tom Marix v^arncd his, companions asjainst a possible
meeting vvitli some of the bears which take up their abode
in the hollow trunk of the gum trees. And this did
happen, but these plantigrades, called by the name of
" potorous," were no more formidable than the long"
clawed marsupials.

As to the natives, the caravan had hardly met with any
up to then. In fact, it is to the north, and east, and west
of the Overland Telegraph Line, that the tribes wander
from camp to camp.

In traversing these more and more barren countries,
Tom Marix would have to profit by the peculiar instincf
of the bullocks yoked to the drays. This instinct, which
seems to have become developed in the breed since its in-
troduction to the Australian continent, causes these
animals to move towards the creeks in which they can
satisfy their thirst. It is sejldom that they are deceived,
and the men have only to follow them. And their instinct
in another matter is under certain circumstances of great
value.

In fact, on the morning of the 7th of October, the bul-
locks of the leading dray suddenly stopped, and werj
immediiitely imitated by the other teams. The drivers
prodded them with thfeir goads, but could not make thciii
advance a step.

Tom Marix noticing this, at once rode up to Mrs.
Branican's buggy.

" I know what it is," he said ; " if we have not yet met with
lilacks on our road, we are nqw cro.'ssing one of the tracks
they arc accustomed to take, and our bullocks have scented
the trail and refuse to go beyond."

" And why ? " asked Dolly.

"The reason we do not really know," said Tom Marix,
" but the fact is no less indisputable. What I believe is,
that the first cattle imported into Australia were badly
treated by the natives, and recollection of the ill-treatment
has been retained and transmitted from generation to
generation."

238 Mistress Branican.

Whether this peculiarity of atavism, pointed out by the
chief of the escort, was or was not the reason of their mis-
trust, it is certain that the cattle could not be prevailed
upon to continue their advance. They had to be unyoked
and turned round, and then, with blows of the whip and
goad, backed for about twenty yards, so as to cross the path
contaminated by the passage of the blacks. And when
they were again yoked up the drays resumed their journey
to the north.

When the caravan arrived on the borders 'of the Macumba
River, everyone found plenty to slake his thirst with. It
is true the water was already low, owing to the great heat.
But where there was not water enough to float a skiff, there
was enough to satisfy forty men and twenty cattle.

On the 6th the expedition crossed Hamilton Creek on
the half-covered stones which strewed its bed ; on the 8th,
Mount Hammersley was left to the east ; on the lOth, in
the morning, a halt was made at the station of Charlotte-
town, aficr accomplishing three hundred and twenty miles
since leaving Farina Town.

Mrs. Branican then found herself on the border between
South Australia and Alexandra Land, also called the
Northern Territory. This is the country discovered by
the explorer Stuart in 18(0, when he followed the hundred
and thirty-first meridian up to the twenty-first degree of
iatilude.

CHAPTER VI.

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.

Tom Marix had asked Mrs. Branican for a rest of
twenty-four hours at Lady Charlotte Station. Although
the journey had been accomplished without obstacles, the
heat had fatigued the cattle. The journey to Alice Sprinsj
was a long one, and it was important that the drays should
be certain of reaching its end.

Dolly gave in to the reason advanced by the chief of
the escort, and the best arrangements possible were made.
A few shanties form the station, the population of which
was tripled for a day by the caravan's arrival. It was
therefore necessary to camp. But the squatter, who
owned a large farm in the neighbourhood, came to offer
Mrs. Branican more comfortable hospitality, and he was
so pressing that she accepted his invitation to. Waldck
Hill, where very suitable lodgings were placed at her
disposal.

This squatter was only the tenant of one of those vast
domains called " runs " in Australia. These rung com-
prise no less than six hundred thousand hectares, and even
more, particularly in the colony of Victoria. AlthougJi
that at Waldek Hill was not quite as large as this, )ct
it was of considerable, size. .Surrounded by paddocks,
or enclosures, it was specially devoted to the raising
of sheep — requiring a certain number of men, shepherds
employed in looking after the flocks, and savage dogs
whose barking resembled that of the wolf.

The nature of the ground determines the choice of the

240 Mistress Bbanican.

station when a run is to be formed, the preference bcin^
j^iven to the plains in which the salt-bush grows. These
bushes with nutritive juices, in some ways resembling the
asparagus, in others the aniseed, ^re greedily sought after
by the sheep, who belong to the pig-face variety. As
soon as the land has been found fit for pasture, it is put
under grass. Then cattle aie put on it to take the first
growth, while the sheep, which are rnore difficult to feed,
take the second growth.

It will not be forgotten that it is to the wool produced
by the sheep that the great wealth of the Australian
colonies is due ; and there are np less than one hundred
millions of these representatives of the ovine race.

On the run at WalJek Hill, around the- principal
house and the huts of the men, were large ponds well
supplied with water from a creek, and used for the
washing of the sheep before shearing. In front of these
were the sheds in which the, squat' er stored the woolpacks
before sending them off to Adelaide.

At the time the operation of shearing was in full
swing. For some days a gang of wandering shearers had,
according to custom, come to work at this lucrative trad6.

When Mrs. Branican, accompanied by Zach Fron, had
passed the barriers, she was struck with the astonishing
animation that reigned within the enclosure. The men at
piece work did not lose a moment, and, as the most skilful
could shear a hundred fleeces a day, they were sure of
earning a sovereign in that time. The snipping of the
large shears in the hands of the shearer, the bleating of
the sheep when they received some ill-directed blow, the
shouting of the men one to another, the coming and going
of those engaged in carrying the wool to the sheds, made
up a curious scene. And above this tumult rose the
shouts of the little boys, " Tar ! tar ! " as they carried the
bowls of tar with which to wash the wounds made by the
unskilful shearers.

Over all this there have to be overseers to ensure the
work being properly done. And some of these were at

Jhcarin" in full swinq

R

An Unexpected Meeting. 241,;

Waldek Hill, independently of those engaged in keeping
the accounts, that is to say, a dozen men and women who
thus obtained their living.

And what was Mrs. Branican's surprise — more than
surprise, stupefaction — when she heard her name pro-
nounced a few yards behind her.

A woman had just run up. She had thrown herself on
her knees, with her hands stretched out, and looking
appealingly, —

It was Jane Burker — Jane, aged less by years than by
trouble, grey-haired, pale of face, almost unrecognizable,
but whom Dolly recognized.

" Jane ! " she exclaimed.

She had risen, and the two cousins were in each other's
arms.

What then had been the life of the Burkers for the last
twelve years ? A miserable life — and even a criminal
life, at least so far as regards the husband of the unfortu-
nate Jane.

When he left San Diego in-a hurry to escape from the
pursuit of his creditors, Len Burker had taken refuge at
Mazatlan, one of the ports on the west coast of Mexico.
As will be remembered, he left at Prospect House the
mulatto No, with orders to watch over Dolly Branican,
who had not at that t^me recovered her reason. But
shortly afterwards, when the unhappy maniac had been
placed in the asylum of Doctor Brumley, owing to the
influence of Mr. William Andrew, the mulatto having no
more occasion to remain at the chalet, had escaped to
rejoin her master, whose retreat she knew.

It was under an assumed name that Len Burker had
been in hiding at Mazatlan, where the Californian police
had been unable to find him, for he had only re-
mained a few weeks in that town. Two or three thou-
sand piastres — all that remained of what he had run
through, and all that remained of the little fortune of
Mrs. Branican-^was all that he possessed. To begin
business again in the United States was no longer pos-

242 Mistress ERAXICA^r.

sible, and he resolved to leave America. Australia
appeared to offer an opportunity of again tempting fortune
before he was reduced to his last dollar.

Jane, always under the complete dominion of her hus-
band, had not strength of mind enough to resist him.
Mrs. Branican, her only relative, was now deprived of
reason. As far as Captain John was concerned, there
was no longer any doubt as to his fate. The Franklin
had perished with all hands. John would never return
to San Diego. Nothing could henceforth save Jane from
the destiny to which Len Burker was dragging her, and
under these conditions she accompanied him to the
Australian continent.

Len Burker had landed at Sydney. There he spent
all he had in launching forth into new speculations, in
which he made fresh dupes, and displayed more ability
than he had done at San Diego. And then he ventured
on other speculations, in which he lost the few profits he
made at the outset.

Eighteen months after he had taken refuge in Australia,
Len Burker had had to leave Sydney. A prey to poverty
bordering on destitution, he was compelled to seek his
fortune elsewhere. But matters were no more favourable
to him at Brisbane, whence he soon escaped to take refuge
in the most out-of-the-way districts of Queensland.

Jane followed him. Resigned to her fate, she was even
reduced to work with her hands for money to assist in the
payment of the household expenses. Harshly treated by
the mulatto, who continued to be Len Burker's evil genius,
she had many times thought of running away from this
miserable life, and putting an end to its vexations and
humiliations 1 But that was beyond her weak, indecisive
character. The poor dog is beaten, and yet dare not
leave its master's house 1

At this time Len Burker had learnt from the newspapers
of the attempts that were being made to discover the
survivors of the Franklin. The two expeditions of the
Dolly Hope, undertaken by Mrs. Branican, had informed him

An Unexpected Meeting. 243

of the new state of affairs : i. Dolly had recovered her
reason after a^period of four years, during which she had
remained in Doctor Brumley's asylum ; 2. During that
period her uncle Edward Starter had died in Tennessee,
and the enormous fortune she had inherited from him had
enabled her to organize these two expeditions in the seas
of Malaysia and on the coasts of Northern Australia. As
to their definitive result, it had been settled that the
remains of the Franklin had been found on Browse
Island, and the last survivor of the crew had died on that
island.

Between Dolly's fortune and Jane, her sole heiress, there
now remained but a mother who had lost her child, a wife
who had lost her husband, and whom a combination of
misfortunes had shaken in her sanity. So said Len
Burkcr to himself. To resume family intercourse with
Mrs. Branican was impossible. To ask for assistance
through the mediation of Jane he was afraid, for he was
still wanted by the police, and at the mercy of an extradi-
tion treaty which would have handed him over to punish-
ment. But if Dolly died, by what means could he prevent
her fortune failing to reach Jane, that is to say, himself?

It will not have been forgotten that about seven years
had elapsed between the return of the Dolly Hope, after
her second expedition, up to the meeting with Harry
Felton, which had revived the question of the Franklin
disaster.

During this period Len Burker's life had become more
miserable than ever. From the illegal acts he had com-
mitted without remorse, he had glided down the slope of
criminality. He had now no fixed home, and Jane had
been compelled to submit to her wandering life.

The mulatto, N6, was dead ; but Mrs. Burker received
no benefit from the death of the woman whose influence
had been so fatal to her husband. As the companion of a
criminal, she was obliged to follow him over these vast
territories, where so many crimes remain unpunished.
After the exhaustion of the gold-mines of the colony of

244 Mistress Eranican.

Victoria, and the- dispersal of thousands of diggers, who
found themselves without work, the country was invaded
by a population little accustomed to submission and respect
for the law on the diggings ; and now there was a formid-
able class of the unclassed, of people without standing,
known in the districts of South Australia under the name
of " larrikins." These scoured the country, indulging their
criminal propensities, and driven from the towns by the
police.

Such were the companions ,with whom Len Burker
associated when his notoriety forbade him access to the
towns. Then, as he was gradually driven out into the
less protected regions, he associated with the ^angs of
wandering scoundrel', among others with the fjrocious
bushrangers, who date from the early years of colonization,
and whose race is not yet extinct.

To that step in the social ladder Len Burker had
descended. During the last few years, in how many cases
he had taken part in robbing farms, in highway robbery,
in all the crimes that justice was impotent to repress, he
alone could tell. Yes, he alone; for Jane, almost always
abandoned in some village, was not admitted into the.
secret of his abominable actions. And perhaps blood had
been shed hy the hand of the man she iio longer respected,
but whom she would never betray.

Twelve years had elapsed when the reappearance of
Harry Fclton renewed the public excitement. The news
was spread by the newspapers, and notably by the nu-
merous journals of Australia. Len Burker learnt it as he
read a number of the Sydney Morning Herald in a little
village in Queensland, where he had then taken refuge
after a matter of pillage and incendiarism which, thanks to
the intervention of the police, had not turned out precisely
to the advantage of the bushrangers.

At the same time as he learnt the facts regarding Harry
Felton, Len Burker learnt that Mrs. Branican had left San
Diego to come to Sydney and put herself in communica-
tion with the m^te of the Franklin. Almost immediately

An Unexpected Meeting. 245

came the rumour that Harry Felton had died after giving
certain indications relative to Captain John. Then, a few-
days later, Len Burker was informed that Mrs. Branican had
landed at Adelaide, with the object of organizing an ex-
pedition, in which she would take part, and which had for
its object the visiting of the deserts of the centre and north-
west of Australia.

When Jane heard of her cousin's arrival on the continent
her first feeling was to run away and seek a refuge with
her. But Len Burker had guessed her intentions, and,
owing to his threats, she dare not carry out her plan.

Then it was that the scoundrel, without hesitating, re-
solved to make the best of the position. The hour was
decisive. To meet Mrs. Branican on the road, to again
ingratiate himself with her by means of calculated hypocrisy,
to accompany her amid the Australian solitudes, nothing
could be less difficult, or tend more surely to his object.
It was hardly probable that Captain John, even admitting
that he still lived, would be discovered among the wandering
natives, and it was possible that Dolly would succumb in
the course of this dangerous campaign. All her fortune
would then revert to Jane, her only relative. Who knows ?
There are such profitable opportunities when one has the
talent for originating them.

Be it understood Len Burker was careful not to tell
Jane of his intention to renew his relations with Mrs.
Branican. He separated from the bushrangers, though
prepared to call on them for their good offices later on, if
he had need of them. Accompanied by Jane, he left
Queensland, making for Lady Charlotte station, which is
only about a hundred miles away, and through which the
caravan must necessarily pass on its way to Alice Spring.

And that is why,' for the last three weeks, Len Burker
had been at Waldek Hill, where he fulfilled the duties of
overseer. There he was waiting for Dolly with his mind
fully made up to shrink from no crime in his attempt to
get possession of her fortune.

On her arrival at Lady Charlotte station Jane suspected

245, Mistress Branican.

nothing. And what were her feelings in the irresistible
and thoughtless movement to which she yielded, when she
found herself in the presence of Mrs. Branican, and thus
helped on Len Burker's plans far more than he had ever
hoped.

Len Burker was then forty-five years of age. Having
aged but little, he was still erect and vigorous, and still
had the fugitive, false look, and the features stamped with
dissimulation, which inspired distrust in him. Jane ap-
peared to be quite ten years older, her colour all faded,
her hair white at the temples, her body crushed down.
But her look, almost extinguised by misery, lighted up
when she saw Dolly.

After clasping her in her arms Mrs. Branican had taken
Jane into one of the rooms put at her disposal by the
squatter of Waldek Hill. There the two women could
abandon themselves to their feelings. Dolly only remem-
bered the cares with which Jane had surrounded her at
the chalet of Prospect House. She had nothing to re-
proach her with, and she was ready to pardon her husband
M"he would consent to separate them from one another no
]|)nger.
-They talked./or some time. ,_Jane only told her what
she could of her past life w^hout compromising Len
Bur.ker,.^nd Mrs. Branican was*t*'ery-'Treserved in questipn-
'"g;'"%er on the subject.' She felt how much the poor
creamre had suffered and was still suffering. Was not
that plough to render her worthy of all her pity, of all her
affectiqii ? The position of Captain John, the unshakable
assurance that she would soon recover him, the efforts she
was making to succeed in, doing so, that is what she spoke
of above everything, and then of the child she had lost—
of little Wat. And when she recalled the remembrance
always, living in her, Jane became so pale, her face under-
went such an alteration, that Dolly believed the unfortunate
woman was about to faint.

Jane managed to recover herself, and then had to tell of
her life since the fatal day on wh'eh her cpusjn had gone

An Unexpected Meeting. 24;

tnad up to the time when Len Burker was compelled to
leave San Diego.

" Is it possible, my poor Jane," said Dolly, " is it possible
that during these fourteen months, when you were taking
such care of me, that there came a lucid interval to my
mind? Is it possible that I had no recollection of my
poor John ? Is it possible that I never pronounced his
name, nor that of our dear little Wat ? "

" Never, Dolly, never I " murmured Jane, who could not
restrain her tears.

"And you, Jane, you my friend, you who are of my
blood, you never read my mind ? Ycu never noticed
neither in my words nor my looks that I was conscious of
the past ? "

" No, Dolly ! "

" Well, Jane, I am going to tell you what I have told
nobody else. Yes — when I returned to sanity — yes — I
had a presentiment that John was alive, that I was not a
widow, and it seemed to also — "

"Also? "said Jane.

Her eyes filled with inexplicable terror, her looks wild
with fright ; she waited for what DQjly- was about to say.

"'•Yes,. Jane," continued Dojly, "I had the feeling that I
was still a mother ! " ■ '■'

Jane rose, her hands^ \>eat the air as thqugh she would
chase away some horrible image, her lips worked without
her being able to articu'ate_a word. Dolly, absorbed in
her own thoughts, did not observe this agitation, and Jane
had begun to resume lier self-possession when her husband
appeared at the door of the room.

Len Burker remained in the doorway looking at his
wife, and seeming to say to her, —

" What have you been saying ? "

Jane fell back utterly powerless before this man — the
invincible domination of a strong spirit over a weak one.
Jane was annihilated under Len Burker's look. Mrs.
Branican understood. The sight of Len Burker recalled
the past, and reminded her of what Jane must have en-

248 Mistress Branican.

dured from Iiim. But this revolt of her heart lasted t)ut
a moment. Dolly was resolved to sacrifice her recrimina-
tion, to overcome her repulsion, in order to be no more
separated from the unfortunate Jane.

" Len Burker," she said, " you know why I have come
to Australia. It is a duty to which I shall devote myself
until I see John, for John is alive. As chance has placed
you in my road, as I have again found Jane, the only rela-
tive left to me, leave her to me and allow her to come
with me, as she desires."

Len Burker did not at once reply. Knowing what there
was against him, he wished Mrs. Branican to complete her
proposal by asking him to join the caravan. But, as Dolly
remained silent, he had to take the initiative.

"Dolly," said he, " I willanswer without circumlocution
to your offer, and I will add that I expected it. I will not
refuse, and I willingly consent that my wife should remain
with you. Ah! life has been hard for both of us since
mischance forced me to leave San Diego. We have
suffered much during the fourteen years which have
elapsed, and you see fortune has not favoured me on
Australian soil, as I am reduced to work for my bread
from day to day. When the shearing is over at Waldek
Hill I do not know where I shall get other work. And,
as also it will be painful for me to part with Jane, I, in my
turn, ask you to permit me to take an active part in your
expedition. I know the natives of the interior, with whom
I have had some experience, and I can be of some use to
you. Do not doubt it, Dolly, I shall be happy to join my
efforts to those of your companions, and help you to
deliver John Branican."

Dolly saw that this was the condition on which Len
Burker would consent to leave her Jane. There was no
disputing with such a man ; besides, if he really meant
what he said, his presence would not be useless, inasmuch
as, for a number of years, his wandering life had led him
through the central regions of the continent. Mrs.
Branican thus had to reply, but coldly enough, —

An Unexpected Meeting. 249

" That is agreed, Len Burker ; you shall be one of us ,
and get ready to start, for we leave Lady Charlotte
station first thing to-morrow morning."

" I will be ready," said Len Burker, who retired without
having dared to offer his hand to Mrs. Branican.

When Zach Fren learnt that Len Burker was to join
the expedition he showed very little satisfaction. He
knew the man, he knew from Mr. William Andrew how
this solemn personage had abused his functions in dissi-
pating Dolly's patrimony. He knew under what conditions
this faithless trustee, this broken broker, had had to leave
San Diego ; he had no doubt whatever but that his life had
been suspicious during the fourteen years he had been in
Australia. But, at the same time, he said nothing, looking
upon it as a fortunate circumstance that Jane was near
Dolly. But in his heart he resolved to keep a good look-
out on Len Burker.

The day ended without other ijicident. Len Burker
was not again seen, but was busy in his preparation for
departure after arranging with the, squatter of Waldek
Hill. The arrangement gave rise to no difficulty, and the
squatter even undertook to provide him with a horse, so
that he might be in a state to follow the caravan to Alice
Spring, where the re-organization was to take place.

Dolly and Jane remained together during the afternoon
and evening at Waldek Hill. Dolly avoided speaking of
Len Burker, and made no allusion to what he had been
doing since his departure from San Diego, feeling that he
had done things Jane could not mention.

During this evening neither Tom Marix nor Godfrey,
who were collecting information among the natives whose
huts were in the neighbourhood, came to Waldek Hill,
It was early in the morning that Mrs. Branican had an
opportunity of introducing Godfrey to Jane, telling her
he was her adopted son.

Jane was extraordinarily struck with the resemblance
which existed between Captain John and the boy. Her
impression was, indeed, so profound that she scarcely dared

250 Mistress Branican.

to look at him. And how can wc express what she felt
when Dolly told her all about Godfrey, how she liad inct
him on the Brisbane, how he was a child found in the
streets of San Diego, how he had been brought up at Wat
House, how he was about fourteen years old.

Jane sat listening to this story motionless and dumb,
pale as death, her heart scarcely beating in the intensity
of her anguish.

And when Dolly left her alone, she fell on her knees
and clasped her hands. Then the life came back to her
features, and her face was as if transfigured.

" Him I him ! " she screamed, " him ! Near her I God,
then, has willed it so ! "

A moment afterwards Jane had left the house atWaldek
Hill, and, crossing the interior yard, was rushing towards
the hut where she lived, to tell her husband everything.

Len Burker was there packing a portmanteau with the
few articles of clothing and other objects he was going to
take on his journey. Jane's arrival in this extraordinary
state of trouble made him jump back.

" What is the matter ? " he said, sharply. " Speak 1 Will
you speak ? What is the matter ? "

" He is alive 1 " said Jane. " He is here ! Near his
mother — him we thought — "

" Near his mother — alive — him ? " said Len Burker, who
was thunderstruck at the revelation.

He understood too well to whom this word "hiin"
applied.

" Him ! " said Jane, " him ! The second child of John
and Dolly Branican !"

A short explanation will be sufficient to relate what
had taken place fifteen years before at Prospect Hou«e.

A few months after taking up their abode at the chalet,
Mr. and Mrs. Burker had noticed that Dolly, then for some
weeks out of her mind, was in a situation of which she
herself was ignorant. Narrowly watched by the mulatto,
No, and in spite of Jane's supplications, Dolly was, so to
speak, sequestered, withdrawn from the sight of her friends

An UNE-trEcTED Mi.eting. 251

and neighbours under the pretext of her malady. Seven
months later, while still insane and without even a trace of
memory, she had brought into the world a second child.
At this time, when Captain John's death was generally
admitted, the birth of this child interfered with Len
Barker's plans regarding Dolly's future fortune. He had,
therefore, resolved to keep the birth secret. It was in
view of this eventuality that for several months the servants
had been sent a\\ay from the chalet, and visitors refused
admittance, which Jane, compelled to yield to her
husband, was unable to prevent. The child, when only a
few hours old, had been abandoned by No on the highway,
where it was fortunately found by a passer-by, who took
it to a hospital. Later on, after the opening of Wat House,
it was taken there, and thence at eight years it came out
to go to sea as a cabin boy. And now all is explained,
the resemblance of Godfrey to Captain John, his father,
the instinctive feelings continually experienced by Dolly —
Dolly a mother without knowing it !

" Yes, Len," said Jane. " It is his son ! . And we must
confess everything — "

But at the thought of a recognition which would
endanger the plan on which his future reposed, Len Burker
made a threatening gesture, and oaths escaped from his
lips. Seizing the unfortunate Jane by the hand, and
looking into her eyes, he said in a low voice, —

" For Dolly's sake as well as for Godfrey's sake, I advis2
you, Jane,-to be silent."

CHAPTER VII.

NORTHWARDS,

There could be no mistake ; Godfrey was, indeed, the;
second child of John and Dolly Branican. The affection
Dolly felt for him was merely the mother's instinct. But
she did not know that the boy was her son, and how could
she ever discover it, if Jane, afraid of the threats of Len
Burker, were compelled to remain silent in order to assure
Godfrey's safety? To speak was to put the boy at the
mercy of Len Burker, and the scoundrel who had once
before abandoned him, would know how to get rid of him
during this perilous expedition. It was therefore neces-
sary that the mother and son should continue to be ignor-
ant of the tie which attached them to each other.

When he saw Godfrey, and compared the facts relative
to his early life, and assured himself of the striking resem-
blance the boy bore to John, Len Burker had no doubt as
to his identity. And thus, when he had made up his mind
that John Branican was irretrievably lost, this is what had
come about. Well ! Woe to Godfrey if Jane spoke !
But Len Burker was not uneasy. Jane would not speak.

On the nth of October, the caravan resumed its journey
after a day's rest. Jane took her place in the buggy
occupied by Mrs. Branican. Len Burker moved about on
rather a good horse, sometimes in front, sometimes behind,
talking with Tom Marix about the districts through which
he had travelled along the telegraph line. He did not
seek the company of Zach Fren, who showed a marked
dislike to him. And he avoided Godfrey, the sight of
whom annoyed him. When the boy came to take part in

Northwards. 253

the conversation between Dolly and Jane, Len Burker
retired so as to have nothing to do with him.

As the expedition advanced, the aspect of the country
gradually changed. Here and there were a few farms
devoted entirely to the raising of sheep, extensive prairies
stretching away out of sight, groups of trees, gum trees or
eucalyptus, forming a few isolated clumps in no way
resembling the forests of South Australia.

On the 1 2th of October, at six o'clock in the evening,
after a long stage which the heat rendered very tiring,
Tom Marix pitched the camp on the bank of Finke
River, not far from Mount Daniel, whose summit rose to
the westward.

Geographers are now agreed in considering this river
Finke — called the Larra-Larra by the natives — as the
principal stream in the centre of Australia. During the
evening Tom Marix called Mrs. Branican's attention to
this subject, while Zach Fren, Len and Jane Burker were
in her company under one of the tents.

"The question is," said Tom Marix, "if Finke River
pours its waters into thej vast Lake Eyre, which we left
beyond Farina Town. To settle this question the explorer
David Lindsay devoted the end of the year 1885. After
reaching the station of The Peak, which we passed, he
followed the river to the place wjiere it is lost in the sands
to the north-east of Dalhousie. But he was led to believe
that in the floods of the rainy season its waters ran into
Lake Eyre."

"And how long is Finke River?" asked Mrs. Branican.

" It is estimated as not being less than nine hundred
miles," replied Tom Marix.

" Shall we follow it far ? "

" Only for a few days, for it makes several bends and
turns off westward through the James Ranges."

" But I knew this David Lindsay you are speaking of,"
said Len Burker.

" You knew him ? " said Zach Fren, in a tone which
denoted a certain amount of incredulity.

254 MtSTRliSS fiRANlCAN\

"And what is there astonishing in that ?" said- Lcrl'
Burker. " I met Lindsay just as he reached Dalhousie.
, station. He was on-thc West Queensland frontier, which
I was visiting on account of a Brisbane house."

" That," said Tom Marix, " is the Way he went. Then
having reached Alice Spring and rounded the MacDcnnell
Ranges, he made a complete exploration of the Herbert
River, and struck up towards the Gulf of Carpentaria,
where he finished his second voyage from south to north
across the Australian continent."

" I will add," said Len Burker, "that David Lindsay
was accompanied by a ; German botani::>t of the name of
Dietrich. Their caravan consisted of a few camels for.
transport purposes. That, Dolly, I believe, is how you are
going to have yours beyond Alice Spring, and I am surii
you will succeed as David Lindsay succeeded."

" Yes, we will succeed, Len," said Mrs. Branican.

" No one doubts that ! " added Zach Fren.

In short it appeared to be true that Len Burker had
met David Lindsay under- the circumstances he said, and,
besides, Jane corroborated him. But if Dolly had asked
him for what Brisbane house he was then travelling, he
would have been rather ernbarrassed.

During the few hours that Mrs. Branican and her com-
panions passed on the banks of Finke River, they indirectly
had news of the Englishman Jos Meritt and Gin Ghi, hi.5
Chine?e servant. Both were then about a dozen stages
ahead of the caravan, and they were gradually gaining on
them along the same road,

It was from the natives^ that the news came regarding
this famous collector of hats. Three days before Jos
Meritt and his servant had stopped in the village of Kilna,
a milefrom the station. .

Kilna contains many hundred blacks, men, women and
children, who live in shapeless bark huts. The c huta avj
cal'cd " villums " in the Australian language, and it js worth
while to note the singular. resemblance of this native word
to the words vi/.'a and villages of Latin dciivatiou.

Northwards, 255

These natives were worth lookuig at. Some of them
were tall, well-built fellows, lithe and strong, and of- inde-
fatigable constitution. For the most part they are charac-
terized by the peculiar depressed facial angle common to
savage races ; the eyebrows are very prominent, the hair is
waved rather than woolly, with a narrow forehead retreat-
ing under its locks ; the nose is flat, the nostrils large, the
mouth is enormous and the teeth like those of wild animals.
The usual large bodies and thin legs were not noticed
among these men, making them quite exceptional among
Australian negroes.

Where did the natives of this fifth part of the world come
from ? Did there formerly exist, as some learned men —
too learned, perhaps — have stated, a Pacific continent, of
which there remain only the summits in the form of islands
scattered over the surface of that vast ocean ? Are
these Australians the <lescendants of the numerous races
who peopled this continent at a remote epoch ? Such
theories are likely enough as mere hypotheses. But if
the explanation is correct, it must be admitted that the
abor'ginat race has considerably degenerated, mentally
and physically. The Australian has remained a savage
in manners and tastes, and with his ineradicable habits of
cannibalism — at least among certain tribes — he is on the
lowest step of the human ladder, and hardly above the
carnivora. In a country where there are no lions or tigers
or panthers, it can be claimed that he replaces them in a
man-eating point of vi&w,. The ground these Australians
leave uiicultivated ; they barely clothe themselves with a
rag ; they have not the simplest culinary utensils ; their
weapons are the most rudimentary, their spears being of
wood hardened at the point; their axes are of stone, and
they have the nolla-nolla, a kind of mace of very hard
wood, and the famous boomerang of the helicoidal form,
which maJcds it return to the thrower after it has been
b-urled forward by a vigorous hand. The Australian black,
we repeat, is a savage in every sense of the word.

To such beings nature has given the woman most suitable

s

2S6 Mistress Branican.

to them — the " lubra " — strong enough to stand the fatigue
of the wandering life/ submit to the most laborious work,
and carry the younger children and the materials for the
camp. These unfortunate creatures are old at twenty-five
years of age, and not only old but hideous, chewing the
leaves of the pituri, which over-excite them during their
interminable marches, and help them to Support the long
abstinences from food.

And, will it be believed ? Those who have dealings with
the European colonists in the towns are beginning to
follow the European fashions. Yes! They must have
gowns and trains to their gowns ; they must have hats and
feathers in their hats. The men even cannot do without
European headgear, and gratify their tastes by ransacking
the shops of the sellers of old clothes.

Doubtless Jos Meritt had heard of the remarkable voy-
age made by Carl Lumholtz in Australia ; and probably
remembered this paragraph from the hardy Norwegian
who stayed for six months among the wild cannibals of
the north-east : — " '

"I met the two natives half-way. They had made
themselves look very fine ; one of them strutted about in
a shirt, the other wore a woman's' hat. These things were
thought a great deal of by the Australian negroes, and had
passed from one tribe to another, from the more civilized,
who" live in the neighbourhood of the colonists, to those
who have never had any intercourse with the whites.
Many of my men used to borrow the hat, and were quite
proud'of taking their turn in Wearing it. Oneofthem who
walked in-front of me in puris naturalibtis, sweating under
the weight of my gun, was really an absurd sight in this
hat, which he wore cross ways. What travels this hat had
made during its long voyage from the country of the
whites to the mountains of the blacks! "

Jos Meritt must have known of this, and perhaps it
would be among some Australian tribe, on the head of
some chief of the northern or north-western territories,
that he would find this remarkable hat>;the search for

Northwards. 257

which had sent him, at the risk of his life, among the can-
nibnls of the Australian continent. But it should be noted
that, if he had not succ.eeded among the natives of Queens-
land, he might meet with more success among the natives
of Kilna, and so had resumed his adventurous peregrina-
tions into the central desert.

On the 13th of October Tom Marix gave the signal
to start at sunrise. The caravan resumed its usual order
of march. It was a great satisfaction for Dolly to have
Jane near her. The buggy, which carried them, and in
which they could be alone, permitted of their exchanging
their thoughts and confidences. Why should Jane have
to journey to the end without daring to speak ? Occa-
sionally, when she saw the mutual affection, maternal and
filial, which manifested itself every moment, by a look, a
question, a word, between- Dolly and Godfrey, it seemed
to her that her secret was about to escape her. But Leh
Burker's threats returned to her mind, and from fear of
losing the boy, she even affected a certain quasi-indiffer-
ence towards him which Mrs. Branican did not notice
without vexation.

We can easily imagine how she feit when Dolly said to
her one day, —

" You can understand, Jane, that with this very striking
resemblance, and the instincts I felt so persistent within
me, I had believed that my child had escaped death with-
out Mr. Andrew or any of his friends knowing of it ; and,
hence, I thought that Godfrey was our son, John's son and
my son. But no ! Poor little Wat now lies in the ceme-
tery at San DiegO."

" Yes, it was there we laid him, dear Dolly," said Jane.
"There is his grave among the flowers."

"Jane, Jane," exclaimed Dolly, "if God did not give
me back my child He will give me back his father ; He
will give me back John." • .

On the isth of October, at six o'clock in the evening,
after leaving Mount Humphries behind, the caravan halted
on the bank of Palmer Creek, one of the affluents of the

258 Mistress Branican. '

Finke River. This creek was then almost dry, it being
fed, like most of the streams in these regions, solely by the
rains. It was thus very easy to cross, as was also Hughes'
Creek, three days afterwards, thirty-four miles to the
northward.

In that direction the Overland Telegraph Line stretches
ifcj aerial wires — the threads of Ariadne, which lead
from station to station. Occasionally a few groups of
houses were met with, and more rarely farms, where
Tom Marix, by paying well, could procure fresh meat.
Godfrey and Zach Fren went out in search of news.
The squatters were only. too glad to give news con-
cerning the wandering tribes that frequent these terri-
tories. Had they ever heard of a white man kept as a
prisoner among the Indas to the northward or westward .''
Did they know if any travellers had recently ventured
across these distant regions ? The replies were in the
negative. No trace, not the vaguest, could be discovered
to put them on the track of Captain John. And hence
the need of haste to reach Alice Spring, from which the
caravan was still eighty miles away at least.

After leaving Hughes' Creek progress became more
difficult. The country was very mountainous, the road lay
through narrow gorges, one after the other, cut through
by hardly practicable ravines, which wound among the
ramifications of the Water House ranges. Tom Marix
and Godfrey were ahead, seeking out the best passes.
The travellers on foot and horseback easily found a
passage, even the buggies were drawn through without
difficulty by the horses, and there was no need to be
anxious about them ; but the heavily laden drays could
only be dragged along by the bullocks at the cost of
extreme fatigue. The main thing was to avoid accidents,
such as the breakage of wheels or axle-trees, which would
take a long time to repnir, if they did not necessitate the
abandonment of the vehicle.

It was in the morning of the 19th of October that the
caravan entered these territories, where the telegraph

Northwards. 259

wires could no longer retain their rectilinear direction.
The character of the ground had already caused them
to incline towards the West, and this direction Tom
Marix took.

But if the region offered a capriciously irregfular surface,
unfitted for a quick and steady advance, it had again
become thickly wooded owing to the vicinity of the
mountain masses. These " brigalow scrubs " had continu-
ally to be skirted, being impenetrable thidcets consisting,
for the most part, of the prolific family of acacias. On
the banks of the streams were clumps of casuarinas as
stripped of leaves as if the winter wind had shaken theif
branches. At the mouth of the gorges were a few of
those calabash trees the trunks of which thick.n out
in the form of a bottle, and which the Australians call
bottle-trees. In the same way as the eucalyptus, which
empties a well when the roots reach into it, the calabash
tree pumps up all the humidity from the ground, and its
spongy wood is so impregnated with it that the starch it
contains can be used for the nourishment of cattle.

Marsupials live in great numbers under the brigalow
shrubs, among others the wallabies, which are so swift in
their flight that often the natives, when they wish to catch
them, are obliged to surround them with a circle of flame
by setting light to the grass. In certain places were
swarms of kangaroo rats, and those giant kangaroos
which the whites hunt only for the pleasure of hunting,
inasmuch as you must be a negro, and an Australian
negro, to care to be fed on their coriaceous flesh. Once or
twice Tom Marix and Godfrey managed to shoot two or
three couples of these animals, the speed of which is that
of a horse at a gallop. It need not be said the tail of
these kangaroos makes excellent soup, which everyone
enjoyed at the evening meal.

That night there was an alarm. The camp was troubled
by one of those invasions of rats common in Australia
at the time these rodents migrate. No one could sleep
without risking being bitten, and no one did sleep.

^p Mistress Branican.

.-Mrs. Branican and her companions departed in the
morninj, that of October 22. At sundown the caravan,
had reached the last spurs of the MacDonnell ranges,
Hcnc^forvvard the travelling conditions would be much
more favourable. Forty miles more, and the first part
of the campaign would end at Alice Spring.

The expedition resumed its march at dawn on the
23rd. Immense plains extended up to the horizon. A
few undulations varied the view. Clumps of trees relieved
the monotonous aspect. The drays could easily follow the
narrow road traced at the foot of the telegraph po'es,
which runs from station to station, .situated at long dis-
tances apart. It is alpiost incredible that the line, which
is very s ightly guarded in these desert countries, could be
respected by the natives. And to the observations made
with regard to this, Tom Mari.\ replied, —

" These nomads, I have said, were electrically punished
by our engineer, and they believe that tlic thunder runs
along the wires, and take care not to touch them. They
even believe that the two ends are attached to the sun and
Ihe moon, and that those big balls would fall on their
heads if they tried to drag them down."

At eleven o'clock, according to custom, the first stage of
the journey came to an end. The caravan stopped near a
clump of eucalyptus, the leaves of which, falling like the
crystal pendants of a lustre, gave hardly any shadow. A
creek flowed by, or rather a thread of water, hardly
enough to wet the pebbles in its bed. On the opposite
bank the ground rose abruptly and barred the surface of
the plain for a length of many miles from east to west.
Behind these could still be seen the distant profile of the
MacDonnell ranges-above the horizon.

The midday halt generally lasted till two o'clock. In
this way there was avoided the necessity of journeying
during the warmest part of the year. Properly speaking,
it was a halt,-not an encampment, ■ All that Tom Marix
did was to unyoke the bullocks and unsaddle the horses.
These animals fed on the spot. No tents were pitched :

Northwards. 25 i

no fires lighted. Cold venison or tinned moat served for
the second meal, which had been preceded by the break-
fast at sunrise.

Everyone had come,- as usual, to sit or lie on the grass
with which the hillside was covered. After the first half
hour, the drivers and the men of the escort, white and
black, had satisfied their hunger and were asleep until the
time of departure. - ■

Mrs. Branican, Jane, and Godfrey, formed a group apart.
The native servant, 'H'afri€tt,..had brought them a basket
containing a few provisions. As they were eating they
were talking of their arrival at Alice Spring. The hope
which had never abandoned Dolly the boy shared to the
full, and, even if the;re had been no room for hope, nothing
could have shaken their convictions. Both were fuH of
faith in the success of the campaign, their fixed resolu-
tion being not to leave Australian soil until they had
satisfied themselves of the fate of Captain John.

Len Burkcr, pretending to cherish the same ideas, was not
unsparing of his eTicouragements when he had the oppor-
tunity. - That entered into his game, for it was his interest
that Mrs. Branican should not return to America while he
was forbidden, to go there. Dolly, suspecting nothing of
his odious plots, was very grateful for his support

During the halt, Zach Ffcn and Tom Marix had a talk
with regard to the new formation of the caravan after
leaving Alice Spring. A serious question this. Was it
not then that there-would commence the real difficulties
of an expedition across Central Australia ?

It was about half-past one w-heu a dull noise was heard
to the northward. It seemed liked a prolonged uproar, a
coritinuous roll borne-from the distance up to the encamp-
ment. . ^ . — .

Mrs. Branican, Jane, and Godfrey, who had stood up,
began to listen. : -- -,;. - ■ , ; '

Tom Marix and Zach Fren had just come near them and
were also listening; • . ' . •

•' What is the meaning of that noise ? " asked Dolly.

252 Mistress Branican.

" A storm, doubtless," said the boatswain.

" It is more like the beating of the waves on the beach,'
said Godfrey.

However, there was no sign of a storm, and the at-
mosphere disclosed no electric intensity. As to any out-
burst of furious waters, that could only be produced by a
sudden inundation due to the creeks being too full. But
when Zach Fren would have explained the phenomenon
in this way, Tom Marix replied, —

" An inundation in this part of the continent, at this
time, after such a drought ? Be assured, it is impos-
sible ! "

And he was right.

After violent storms, there occasionally come floods
caused by the excessive abundance of the pluvial waters,
and the liquid sheets will spread themselves over the low
lands, and they often do in the wet seasons ; but at the
end of October this hypothesis was inadmissible.

Tom Marix, Zach Fren, and Godfrey climbed the slope
of the hill and looked away northward and eastward.

There was nothing in view over the immense extent of
gloomy desert plain ; but, just above the horizon, there
was a cloud of strange shape, which could not be confused
with the mists the long heat had accumulated on the peri-
pheric line between the earth and sky. It was not a cloud
of mist in the vesicular state, it was rather an agglomera-
tion of those outlined volutes caused by the discharges of
artillery. As to the noise which came from the cloud of
dust — and how could they doubt it was a cloud of dust ? —
it increased rapidly, and seemed to have a regular beat, a
sort of colossal gallop echoed by the elastic ground of the
immense prairie. Whence did it come ?

" I know — I have seen it before — it's sheep ! " said Tom
Marix.

" Sheep ? " replied Godfrey, laughing. " If those are
only sheep — "

" Do not laugh, Godfrey ! " said the chief of the escort ;
"there are, perhaps, thousands and thousands pf sheep

Northwards. 263

who are seized with panic. If I am not mistaken, they
will pass us like an avalanche and destroy everything on
their passage."

Tom Marix did not exaggerate. When these animals
go mad from some cause or other, which occasionally hap-
pens in these runs, nothing can stop them; they destroy the
fences and escape. An old proverb says, " The king's
carriage stops before the sheep," and it is the case that a
flock of these stupid beasts will be annihilated rather than
give way ; but, if they are annihilated, they also annihilate
when they precipitate themselves on anything in their
enormous masses. And this was what had happened.

The cloud of dust covered a .space of between two and
three leagues, and there could not be less than a hundred
thousand sheep, which a blind panic was hurling down the
caravan road. Coming from north to south they were
opening out like a flood on the surface of the plain, and
would not stop until they fell exhausted by their madness.

" What is. to be done ? " asked Zach Fren.

" To get into shelter as well as we can along the foot of
the hill," said Tom Marix.

There was nothing else to do, and the three went down.
Insufficient as were the precautions indicated by Tom
Marix, they were at once put into execution. The ava-
lanche of sheep was but two miles from the encampment.
The cloud rose in great spirals into the air, and from the
cloud came a tumult of formidable bleatings.

The drays were run into shelter against the slope. The
horses and cattle were compelled by their riders and
drivers to lie on the ground so as to better resist the
assault which might pass over without reaching them.
The men leant against the slope, Godfrey placed himself
near Dolly so as to protect her more efficaciously, and
they waited.

Tom Marix went up the edge of the hill to look out over
the plain, which was rolling like the sea under a strong
breeze. The flock came along with a great noise and at
great speed, and stretched over a third of the horizon.

264 Mistress Branican.

As Tom Marix had said, the sheep could be counted by
hundreds of thousands. In less than, two minutes they
would be in the encampment.

" Look out 1 " said Tom Marix.

And he slipped' rapidly down the hill to where Mrs.
Tranican, Jane, Godfrey, and Zach Frcn* were huddled
together.

Almost immediately the first line of .sheep appeared on
the crest. They did not stop, they could not stop. The
animals at the head fell — some hundreds — in a heap, when
the ground failed them. To the bleatings were added the
neighing_ of the. horses, the bellowing of bullocks now
terror-stricken. Everything ' was effaced amid a thick
cloud of dust, while the avalanche poured over the hill in
irresistible impulse — a regular torrent of sheep.

It lasted five minutes. The first who got up were Tom
Mari.K, Godfrey, and Zach Fren.and they saw the frightened
mass with the last lines undulating towards the south.

" Up, up ! " exclaimed the chief of th? escort.

Everyone arose. A few contusions, a little confusion in
the drays — that was all the damage amounted to, thanks to
the shelter of the slope.

Tom Marix, Godfrey, and Zach Fren at once climbeJ
the hill again.

To the south the flying flock was disappearing behind
a curtain of sand. To the north extended the plains with
footprints all over its surface.

Suddenly Godfrey exclaimed, " There, there ! look ! "

Fifty yards from the hill two bodies lay on the ground
—two natives, doubtless, .carried away, thrown down, and
probably killed by this flight of sheep.

,Tom Marix and Godfrey ran towards these bodies.

What was their surprise ! Jos Meritt and his servant,
Gin-Ghi, were there, motionless, unconscious.

But they still breathed, and with a littleattention soon
recovered from this rough assault. They had scarcely
opened their eyes than they got on their feet, althoujh
CQVcred with bruises.

Northwards. 265

" Good ! Oil, very good ! " said Jos Meritt. Then he
turned round. " And Gin-Ghi ? " he asked.

" Gin-Ghi is here — or rather what remains of him ! " re-
plied the Chinaman, rubbing his back. " Decidedly too
many sheep, my master Jos, a thousand and ten thousand
times too many ! "

" Never too many legs, never too many chops, Gin-Ghi ;
then never too many sheep ! " said the gentleman. " It is
a pity we did not catch one as they went by — "

"Console yourself, Mr. Meritt," said Zach Fren ; "at
the foot of the slope there are a few hundred • at your
service."

"Very good ! Oh, very good ! " concluded the phlegmatic
personage solemnly.

Then he addressed his servant, who after rubbing his back
was now rubbing his shoulders, —

"Gin-Ghi!"

"Master Jos!"

" Two chops for this evening," he said ; " two chops^
underdone ! "

Jos Meritt and Gin-Ghi then related what had passed.
They were travelling about three miles in advance of the
caravan when they were surprised by this charge of sheep.
Their horses took flight and they could not stop them.
Thrown off and trodden on, it was a miracle they were not
killed, and it was a lucky chance al; o that Mrs. Branican
and her companions arrived in time to help them.

And so, after having escaped this very serious danger,
a start was made, and at six o'clock in the evening the
caravan reached Alice Spring.

CHAPTER VIII.

BEYOND ALICE SPRING.

Next day was October 24, and Mrs. Branican was busy
iti rearranging the expedition in view of a campaign that
would prot)ably be long, difficult, and dangerous, inasmuch
as it would be in the almost unknown regions of Central
Australia.

Alice Spring is but a station on the Overland Telegraph
Line, consisting of some twenty houses and hardly worth
ihe name of a village.

In the first place Mrs. Branican went in search of the
head of the station, Mr. Flint. He might, perhaps, have
.some information regarding the Indas. Did this tribd of
Western Australia, among whom Captain John was kept
I risoner, ever come down into these central regions .'

Mr. Flint had no information on the subject except that
the Indas occasionally moved about in the west of "Alex-
andra Land. He had never heard of John Branican. As
to Harry Felton, all that he knew was that he had been
found about eighty miles east of the telegraph line
on the Queensland frontier. According to him, the best
thing to do was to follow the instructions the unfortunate
man had given just before he died, and take the expedition
obliquely acros.s the regions of Western Australia. He
hoped that it would end favourably, and that Mrs. Branican
would succeed where he, Flint, had failed six years before
in searching for Leichhardt — a project which the inter-tribal
wars of the natives had soon compelled him' to abandon.
He put himself at Mrs. Branican's disposal to provide her

Beyond Alice Spring. 257

with all the resources of Alice Spring, and that, he added,
was what he had done for David Lindsay when that
traveller stopped there in 1886, before starting for Lake
Nash and the eastern spurs of the MacDonnell ranges.

At this period the part of the Australian continent
which the expedition was preparing to explore on the way
north-westwards was as follows : —

At two hundred and sixty miles . from the station of
Alice Spring, on the hundred and twenty-seventh meridian,
runs the rectilinear frontier which from south to north
separates South Australia, Alexandra Land, and Northern
Australia, from that colony known as Western Australia,
of which Perth is the capital. It is the largest, the
least known, and the least populated of the seven great
divisions of the continent. In reality, it is only geo-
graphically surveyed along the coasts, which comprise
Nuyts Land, Leeuwin Land, Vlaming Land, Eendraght
Land, De Witt Land, and Tasman Land. .

Modern cartographers indicate in the interior of this
territory, the distant solitudes of which the wandering
natives are the only people to traverse, three distinct
deserts.

1. To the south the desert comprised between the
thirtieth and twenty-eighth degree of latitude, explored
by Forrest, in 1869, from the coast up to the twenty-third
meridian, and which Giles traversed in its entirety in 1875.

2. The Gibson Desert, between the twenty-eighth and
twenty-ninth degrees, the immense plains of which were
crossed by Giles during the year 1876.

3. The Great Sandy Desert, comprised between the
twenty-third degree and the northern coast, which Colonel
Warburton crossed from east to north-west in 1873, at the
cost of the dangers we know of.

It was through this region that Mrs. Branican's expedi-
tion was to carry on its search. Colonel Warburton's
itinerary was the one it was best to follow after the in-
formation given by HarryFelton. From the station at
Alice Spring to the shore of the Indian Ocean^ the journey

268 Mistress Branican.

of this bold explorer had occupied not less than four
months out of the fifteen "between September, 1872, and
January, 1874. How much time would the one take
which Mrs. Branican and her companions were about to
attempt ?

Dolly requested Zach Fren and Tom Marix not to lose
a day, and, very actively helped by Mr. Flint, thiey were
enabled to obey her orders.

Under the guidance of the Afghan drivers, the camels,
to the number of thirty, had been at Alice Spring for a
fortnight after having been bought at a high price 011
account of Mrs. Branican.

The introduction of camels into Australia dates only
from the last thirty-two years. It was in i860 that Mr.
Elder imported a few from India. These useful animals
are abstemious and robust, and ofvery rough appearance,
but are capable of bearing a load of one hundred and fifty
kilogrammes and travelling forty kilometres in twenty-
four hours " at their own pace." Besides, they can remain
a week without eating, and without drinking for six days
in winter and three days in summer. They have con-
sequently been called upon to render the same services in
this arid continent as in the burning regions of Africa.
There as here they endure almost with impunity the priva-
tions due to want of water or to excessive heat. The
Desert of the Sahara and the Great Sandy Desert, are they
not traversed by the corresponding parallels of the two
hemispheres .'

Mrs. Branican had thirty camels, twenty for riding and
ten for the packs. There were more males than females,
most of them being young and in good condition as regards
strength and health. Just as the escort had Tom Marix
for its chief, so the animals had for chief the oldest male
. camel, whom the others willingly obeyed. He directed
them, mustered them at the halts, and prevented them
running off with the females. With him dead or ill the
troop was in danger of disbandmcnt, and the drivers would
be powerless to keep good order. It was therefore natural

Beyond Alice Sprixg. 269

that this valuable animal should be assigned to Tom Marix,
and these two chiefs — the one carrying the other ^had
their place assigned to them at the head of the caravan.

It goes without saying that the horses and bullocks
which had brought the expedition from Farina Town to
Alice Spring had to be left with Mr. Flint, with whom
they will be found with the buggies and drays on the
return. There was every likelihood that the expedition
would return to Adelaide along the road marked by the
pos'.s of the Overland Telegraph Line.

Dolly and Jane were to occupy a " kihitka," a sort of
tent almost identical with that of the Arabs, and which
was borne by one of the strongest camels. They could
find shelter from the rays of the sun behind the thick
curtains, and even obtain protection against the rains
which the violent storms discharge — too rarely, it is true
— on to the central plains of the continent.

Harriett, the waiting woman to Mrs. Branican, accus-.
tomed to the long journey of the nomads, preferred to
follow on foot. These huge beasts, with two humps,
seemed rather more adapted for carrying packages than
human creatures.

Three saddled camels were reserved for Ten Burker,
Godfrey, and Zach Fren, who would soon learn to accustom
themselves to their rough jolting gait. Besides, there was
no question of adopting another rate of travel, as a portion
of the expedition was to be unmounted. The trot would
only become necessary when it was required to advance
in front of the caravan to discover some vvell or spring
during the crossing of the Great Sandy Desert.

As to the whites of the escort, it was for them that the
other fifteen saddle camels were required. The blacks
destined to lead the ten pack camels would journey on
foot the twelve or fourteen miles of which the two daily
stages would consist ; that would not be too much for them.

In this way the caravan was reorganized in view of the
inherent difficulties of this second pefeiod of the voyage.
All had been arrangedj with Mrs. Branican's approval.

270 MiSTRUSS Branican.

to be equal to tlic exigencies of the campaign, long as it
might be, with due consideration for the beasts and the
men. Better provided with the means of transport, better
furnished with victuals and camp effects, working under
conditions more favourable than had ever been those of
the Australian explorers, there was some ground for
lioping that it would attain its object.

It remains to be said what was to become of Jos
Meritt. Was that gentleman, with his servant Gin-Ghi,
to remain at Alice Spring ? If he left it, would it be to
continue along the telegraph line northwards .■' Would
he not rather go to the east or the west in search of the
native tribes.'- That was when the collector would have
a chance of discovering the undiscoverable hat, the track
of which he had been on for so long. But now that he
was deprived of his mount, dispossessed of his baggage,
denuded of his provisions, how could he continue his
journey .'

On many occasions Zach Fren had questioned Gin-Ghi
about this. But the Celestial had replied that he never
knew what his master would do, and that even his master
did not know himself It was certain, however, that Jos
Meiitt would not consent to remain behind so long as his
monomania remained unsatisfied, and he, Gin-Ghi, native
of Hong-Kong, was no nearer seeing the country " where
the young Chinamen, clothed in silk, gather with their
pointed fingers the flower of the water-lily."

It was now, however, the eve of departure, and Jos
Meritt had said nothing of his plans, when Mrs. Branican
was informed by Gin-Ghi that the gentleman requested
the favour of a private interview.

Mrs. Branican, glad to be of as much service to this
eccentric individual as possible, replied that she begged
he would come to Mr. Flint's house, where she had stayed
since her ar-rival at the station.

Jos Meritt went there immediately — it was in the after-
noon of October 25 — and as soon as he had sat him-
self down in front of Dolly, began as follows, — ■

I^EYOND Alice Spuing. 271

" Mrs. Branican ! Good ! Oh, very good ! I have
no doubt — no — I do not doubt for a moment that you
will find Captain John, and I am just as certain of putting
my hand on the hat to the discovery of which I have
devoted all the efforts of a very active life. Good ! Oh,
very good! You of course know why I have come to
ransack the most secret regions of Australia ? "

" I do know, Mr. Meritt/' replied Mrs. Branican, " and
on my part I do not doubt that some day you will be
repaid for so much perseverance."

" Perseverance ? Good ! Oh, very good 1 The reason
is that the hat, you see, is the only one in the world ! "

" And you want it in your collection } "

" Regrettably, and I would give my head to be able to
put it on ! "

" Is it a man's hat ? " asked Dolly, who was interested,
more out of kindness than curiosity ,in the innocent hobby
of this maniac,

" No, madam, no. A woman's hat. But what woman's !
Yqu will excuse me if I keep the secret of her name and
position, for fear of exciting competition. Think, madam,
if anybody else-c-"

" Then you have some clue ? "

"Clue? Good! Oh, very good ! I have ascertained
from much correspondence, inquiry, and peregrinations,
that this hat has emigrated to Australia, after exciting
vicissitudes, and that, descended from high places — yes,
very high places ! it now graces the head of the sovereign
of a native tribe."

« But this tribe ? "

" One of those wandering in the north or west of the
continent. Good ! Oh, very good ! If necessary, I will
visit them all, I will ransack them all. And as it is of
no consequence which I begin with, I ask your permission
to follow your caravan to the Indas."

" Willingly, Mr. Meritt," replied Dolly, " and I will give
orders, if possible, two extra camels shall be procured."

" One will do, one for my servant and myself; that will

T

272 Mistress Branican.

be quite enough. I will ride the animal, and Gin-Ghi can
walk,"

" You know, we start to-morrow mornmg, Mr. Meritt ? "

" To-morrow ? Good ! Oh, very good ! I am not
the man to delay you, Mrs. Branican. But it is under-
stood, is it not, that I have nothing to do with anything
concerning Captain John ? That is your business. My
business is my hat."

"Your hat, it is understood, Mr. Meritt!" replied
Dolly,

Thereupon Jos Meritt retired, declaring that this in-
telligent, energetic, and generous woman deserved to
discover her husband as much at least as he himself
deserved to set hands on the jewel whose conquest would
completer his collection of historic head-gear.

Gin-Ghi received orders to be in readiness for the
morning, and had to be busy in packing up the few things
which had e.Scaped disaster after the affair of the sheep.
As to the animal which the gentlernan was to share with
his servant, in the manner stated above, Mr. Flint man-
aged to procure it, and that was worth a " Good ! Oh,
very gOod ! " on the part of the very grateful Jos Meritt.

On the morning of the 26th of October, the signal for
departure was given, after Mrs. Branican had taken leave
of the chief of the station. Tom Marix and Godfrey took
the head of the whites of the escort, who were mounted.
Dolly and Jane took their seats in the kibitka, having
Len Burker on one side, Zach Fren on the other. Then
came, majestically astride between the two humps of his
camel, Jos Meritt, followed by Gin-Ghi. Following these
were the pack-camels and the blacks forming the second
half of the escort.

At six o'clock in the morning the expedition, leaving
the Overland Telegraph Line and Alice Spring to the
west, disappeared behind one of the outliers of the
MacDonnell Ranges.

In Australia during the month of October the heat is
excessive ; and consequently Tom Marix had .decided to

Beyond Alice Spring, n-ji

travel only during the early hours of the day — from four
to nine o'clock in the morning — and during the afternoon
from four to eight o'clock. Even the nights began to be
suffocating, and long halts were needful to acclimatize the
caravan to the fatigues of the central regions.

They were not yet in the desert, with the aridity of its
interminable plains, its creeks entirely dry, its wells con-
taining only brackish water when the dryness of the
soil has not completely exhausted them. At the base of
the mountains extends that varied region where the
ramifications of the MacDonnell and Strangways Ranges
rise in an entanglement, and across which runs the tele-
graph line curving to the north-west. This direction the
caravan had to abandon, so as to bear more to the west-
ward, almost along the parallel of the tropic of Capricorn.
This was almost the same route Giles had followed in
1872, and it cut that of Stuart twenty-five miles north:-
ward of Alice Spring.

The camels went very slowly over this hilly country.
A few threads of creeks watered it here and there. Under
the shelter of the trees running water could be found,
fairly fresh, of which the animals drank sufficient to last
them for many hours.

Skirting the scattered thickets, the sportsmen of the
caravan, whose duty it was to provide the venison, were able
to bring down several kinds of game — rabbits among others.

It will be remembered that the rabbit of Australia is
what the locust is to Africa. These too prolific rodents
will finish by eating up everything if care is not taken.
Up to then the men of the caravan had rather despised
them from an alimentary point of view, as real game
abounds in the plains and forests of South Australia.
There would be time enough to take to this rather insipid
meat when the hares, the partridges, the bustards, the
ducks, the pigeons and other fur and feather gave out.
But on this riverain region of the MacDonnell Ranges
they had to be content with what they could get, and that
meant these rabbits, which were in swarms.

274 Mistress Branican.

And in the evening of the 31st of October when
Godfrey, Jos Meritt and Zach Fren were together, con-
versation worked round to these animals, the destruction
of which cannot come too soon. And Godfrey having
asked if there had always been rabbits in Australia, Tom
Marix said, —

" No, my boy. They Were imported about thirty years
ago. That was a nice present they made us ! Tiie
animals have so multiplied as to devastate the country.
Certain districts are so infested that neither sheep nor
cattle can be raised on them. The fields are riddled with
their holes like a colander, and the grass is eaten off
down to the roots. It is absolute ruin, and I am ready
to believe that it will not be the colonists who will eat the
rabbits, but the rabbits who will eat the colonists."

" Have they not used any strong measure to get rid of
them ? " said Zach Fren,

" Useless measures," said Tom Marix, " for the numbers
increase instead of diminishing. I know a man who spent
forty thousand pounds in the destruction of the rabbits
that ravaged his run. The Government has put a price on
their head as they have done with tigers and serpents in
British India. Bah ! It is like a hydra ; the heads spring
up as fast as you cut them down, and even in greater
numbers. Strychnine has been used, which has poisoned
them in thousands, and nearly started a plague in the
country. Nothing has succeeded."

" Have I not heard," said Godfrey, " that a French
scientist. Monsieur Pasteur, proposed to destroy these
rodents by giving them a disease ? "

" Yes, and the means might have been efficacious. But
it failed — to be used, although a reward of twenty thousand
pounds was offered with that object in view. Queensland
and New South Wales have just set up a wire fence eight
hundred miles long to protect ihe east of the continent
against the invasion of the rabbits. The rabbit is really
a calamity ! "

" Good ! Oh, very good ! Quite a calamity ! " said Jos

Beyond Alice Spring. 275

Meritf, " like the Yellow race, which will end by invading
the five parts of the world. The Chinese are the rabbits
of the future."

Luckily Gin-Ghi was not there, for he would not have
allowed to pass, without protest, this offensive comparison
to the Celestials. Or rather, he would have shrugged his
shoulders and laughed the peculiar laugh of his race, which
is merely a long, noisy inspiration.

" And so," said Zach Frcn, " the Australians have given
up the battle ? "

" And in what way can they continue it ? " asked Tom
Marix.

" It seems to me," said Jos Meritt, " that there is one
sure way of getting rid of these rabbits."

" And what is that ? " asked Godfrey.

" To get the British Parliament to pass an Act that only
beaver hats should be used in the United Kingdom and its
dependencies. Then, as beaver hats are always made of
rabbit skin — good ! Oh, very good ! "

And in that way Jos Meritt finished the sentence with
hii usual exclamation.

Meanwhile, until the British Parliament passed the Act,
the best to be done was to feed on the rabbits shot on the
journey. There would be so many fewer in Australia, and
thtro could be no harm in knocking them over.

The other animals were of no use for food ; but a few
wore seen of a peculiar species of great interest to natural-
ists. The one was an echidna of the monotreme family —
an animal with a snout in the form of a beak, with horny
lips, a body bristling with quills like a hedgehog, whose
chief food consists of the insects it catches with its thread-
like tongue stretched out of its burrow. The other was an
ornithorhyncus, with the mandibles of a duck, and fur of a
ruddy brown, covering a small body measuring a foot in
length. The animals of both these species have the pecu-
liarity of being ovoviviparous ; they are hatched from eggs,
and when they come out of the eggs they are fed from the
breast.

276 Mistress Braxican.

One day Godfrey, who distinguished himself among the
sportsmen, was lucky enough to sight and shoot an " iArri,"
a sort of kangaroo, which being only wounded, managed
to get away among the neighbouring thickets. The boy
had little to be sorry for, as, if Tom Marix was to be be-
lieved, the marsupial has no value beyond that due to the
difficulty of getting near him. It was not the same with a
" bungari," an animal of larg^ size, with a blackish coat,
\yho was climbing among the higher branches -in marsu-
pial fashion, hanging on with his cat-like claws and svving-
iing his long tail. This animal is essentially nocturnal and
hides himself so artfully among the branches that it is
difficult to see him.

Tom Marix observed that the bungari is excellent gams,
the meat being very much superior to that of kangaroo
when grilled over the embers. Unfortunately there were
no means of testing this, and it was probable that bungaris
would become rarer and rarer as they approached the
desert. Evidently, as they advanced westwards, the
caravan would be reduced to live entirely on its own
resources.

However, in spite of the difficulties of the ground, Tom
Mari.^ managed to maintain the required rate of from
twelve to fourteen miles a day — the rate on which the
advance of the expedition was based. Although the heat
wr.s already very great — thirty to thirty-five degrees cen-
tigrade in the shade — the expedition bore it very comfort-
•ably. During the day, it is true, there were still occasional
groups of trees under which they encamped under accep-
table conditions. And there was no lack of water, although
there was little more than a streamlet in the bed of the
creeks. The halts regularly took place from nine o'clock
till four o'clock in the afternoon, giving sufficient rest to
the men and animals after the fatigue of the journey.

The- country was uninhabited. The last runs had been
left behind. There were no more paddocks, no more en-
closures, no more of those numerous .sheep, which the short,
dry grass could not feed. And only a few natives werq

Beyond Alice Spring. 277

met with on ihcir way to the stations of the Overland
Telegraph Line.

On the 7th of November, in the afternoon, Godfrey,
who was about half a mile in advance, signalled the pre-
sence of a horseman. This horseman was following a
narrow path at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges, whose
base consists of quartz and metamorphic grit. Noticing
the caravan, he put his spurs to his horse and came up to
it at a gallop.

The camp had just been pitched under some slender
eucalyptus trees, a group of two or three, giving but little
shade. A little creek Xvent curving by, fed by springs in
the central chain, and the roots of the eucalyptus had
drunk up all the water.

Godfrey brought the man into the presence of Mrs.
Branican. She began by offering him a bumper of whiskey,
for which he seemeJ very grateful.

He was an Australian white, aged about thirty-five, one
of those splendid horsemen, accustomed to the" rain, which
glides off their shining skin as if olf a waterproof, accus-
tomed to the sun, which has no more to brown on tlieir
thoroughly browned faces. He was a travelling postman,
and fulfilled his duties with zeal and good humour, tra-
versing the districts of the colony, distributing the letters,
carrying the news from station to station, and to the
villages scattered east and west of the telegraph line. He
was then returning from P2mu Spring, a station on the
southern slope of the Bluff Ranges, after crossing the
region extending up to the MacDonnell hills.

The postman, who belonged to the class of " roughmen,"
might be compared to the typical .good fellow, such as the
olj postillion in France. He knew how to endure hunger
and thirst. Sure of a cordial welcome wherever he stopped,
even when he had no letter to draw from his bag, resolute,
brave, strong, his revolver in his belt, his gun slung on his
shoulder, mounted on a swift, powerful horse, he travelled
night and day with no fear of misadventure.

Mrs. Branican took pleasure in talking to him, in asking

278 Mistress Branican.

him fur informaticn concerning the native tribes with whom
he had come in contact.

The postman replied simply and obligingly. He had
heard — like everybody else — of the wreck of the Franklin ;
but he did not know that an expedition, organized by
John Branican's wife^ had left Adelaide to explore the cen-
tral regions of the Australian continent. Mrs. Branican
told him that, according to the revelations of Harry Felton,
it was among the people of the tribe of the Indas that
Captain John had been kept as prisoner for fourteen
jcars.

" And in your journeys," she asked, " did you ever come
into contact with natives of that tribe ?"

" No, madam, although the Iiidas have occasionally come
near Alexandra Land," replied the postman, " and 1 have
often heard of them."

" Perhaps you can tell us where they arc no.v ? " asked
Zach Frcn.

" With the wandering tribes that is difficult. One season
they arc here, another there — "

" But where were they last.?" asked Mrs. Branican.

" I can tell you," said the postman, " that six months
ago the Indas were in the north-west of Western Australia,
on the banks of the Fitzroy River. The natives of Tas-
nian Land are often in those regions. You know what it
means to get there ; you will have to cross the dtstrts of
the centre and the west, and I need not tell you what risks
you run. After all, with courage and energy, one can go
far. Then be prepared for it^ and a pleasant journey to
you, Mrs. Branican ! "

The postman accepted another large glass of whiskey,
and even a few tins of provisions he slipped into his
holsters. Then, mounting his horse, he disappeared round
the last spur of the MacDonnell Ranges.

Two days afterwards the caravan passed the last outlier
of the chain dominated by the summit of Mount Liebig.
It was now on the edge of the desert, one hundred and
thirty miles north-west of Alice S|.ring.

CHAPTER IX.

MRS. BRANICAN's JOURNAL.

The word " desert" recalls to the mind the Sahara, with it3
immense sandy plains dotted with fresh and green oases.
However, the central regions of the Australian continent
liave nothing in common with the northern regions of
Alrica, unless it is the rarity of water. " The water is in
the shadow," say the natives, and the traveller is reduced
tn run from spring to spring, often situated at considerable
di tances from each other. However, although the sand,
whether extending in immense plains or relieved by hills,
covers a large part of the Australian soil, this soil is not
absolutely barren. Shrubs adorned with little flowers, a
few scattered trees, gum trees, acacias or eucalyptus,
make it look rather more cheerful than the nakedness of
the Sahara. But these tree.s, these shrubs, yield neither
edible ffuits nor leaves for the caravans, which are obliged
to carry their victuals with them ; and animal life is but
poorly represented in these solitudes by the flight of birds
of pas-age.

Mrs. Branican kept with perfect regularity and exacti-
tude her journal of the journey. A few extracts from this
journal will inform us more clearly than a simple narrative,
regarding the incidents of this toilsome journey. They
will reveal also Dolly's ardent soul, her firmness under
trial, her unshakable and never-despairing tenacity, even .
at the moment when the greater part of her companions
despaired around her. And from them we shall see of
what a woman is capable when she devotes herself .to the
acco-nplishrnsnt of a duty.

2So Mistress Branican.

" \oth Noveviher. — We left our camp at Mount Licbi'g at
four o'clock In the morning. The postman gave us vahi-
p.ble information. It agreed with that of poor Fclton.
Yes, it is in the north-west and more specially on the
banks of the Fitzroy River that we must look for the tribe
of the Indas. Nearly eight hundred miles to cross ! We
will cross them. I will get there, even if I get there alone,
even if I become the prisoner of this tribe. At least, I
shall be with John !

" We will go north-west, almost on Colonel Warburton's
track. Our road will be almost the same as his up to
Fitzroy River. May we not have to undergo the trials he
underwent, nor leave behind us any of our companions
dead of exhaustion ! Unfortunately, the circumstances
are not so favoiarablc. It was in the month of April that
Colonel Warburton had left Alice Spring, whicli answers
to the month of October in North America, that is to say,
towards the end of the warm season. Our caravan, on the
contrary, started from Alice Spring at the end of October,
and we are in November, that is to say, at the beginning of
the Australian summer. The heat is already excessive,
being nearly thirty-five degrees centigrade in the shade.
And for that all we can do is to wait for a cloud to pass
over the sky or for some shelter under a group of trees.

" The order of march adopted by Tom Marix is very
practical. The duration and the times of the stages arc
well proportioned. Between four and eight o'clock in the
morning we do our first stage ; the second stage lasts
from four o'clock to eight o'clock in the evening, and we
rest during the night. In this way we avoid travelling
during the burning noon. - But what time is lost, what
delay ! Even supposing we meet with no obstacle, it will
take us quite three months to reach the Fitzroy River.

" I am well satisfied with Tom Marix. Zach Fren and
he are two resolute men on whom I can depend in all cir-
cumstances.

"Godfrey frightens me with his impassioned nature.
He is always in front and oficn out of sight. I caq

Mistress Branican's Journal. 281

scarcely keep him with me, and yet this boy loves mc as if
he were my son. Tom Marix has been lecturing him
on his temerity. I hope he will benefit by it.

" Len Burker is almost always in the rear of the caravan,
and seems to seek the company of the blacks of the escort
rather than that of the whites. He has been lon^
acquainted with their tastes, their instincts, their customs.
When we meet with natives he is very useful, for he speaks
their language well enough to understand them and be
understooc^. Would that my poor Jane's husband had
seriously reformed, but I am afraid he has not ! His look
has not changed ; he has one of those looks without frank-
ness, which turn away from you."

* * , * * *

" i3//i Ncvcmhcr. — Tliere is nofliing new during the last
three days. What a comfort and consolation it is to have
Jane near me! What a deal we have to say to each
other in the kibitka when we are both shut in. 1 have
made Jane share in my conviction ; she no longer doubts
that I shall find John. But the poor woman is alvv.ijs
sorrowful. I have not said anything to her regarding the
time when Len Burker forced her to follow him to
Australia. Can quite see she could not tell me everything.
It seems sometimes as though she was about to tell mc
something, but Len Burker watches her, and when she
sees him, when he approaches, her manner changes and
her face becomes uneasy. She is afraid of him. It
is certain that this man is her master, and at a gesture
from him she would follow him to the end of the world.

"Jane appears to have a great affection for Godfrey, and
when the dear boy comes near our kibitka to talk to us
she dare not say a word to him ; not even to answer him.
Her eyes turn away from him, she lowers her head. One
would say she is in pain in his presence.

"To-day we crossed a long, marshy plain during the
morning stage. We met with a few pools of water,
brackish water, almost salt. Tom Marix toid us these
ciar.shes are the remains of ancient lakes which were

282 Mistress Branican.

formerly connected with Lake Eyre and Lake Torrens,
forming a sea which divided the continent. Fortunately
we had some fresh water at our camp last night, and our
camels quenched their thirst abundantly.

" It appears that many of these lagoons are found, not
only in the low ground, but also in the more elevated
regions.

"The ground is damp; the feet of the camels leave a
sticky mud after treading in the saline crust which covers
the pools. Sometimes the crust resists the pressure, and
when the foot comes down roughly and breaks through
there is a splash of liquid slime.

" We had great trouble in getting across the marshes,
which extend for twelve miles towards the north-west.

" We have met with snakes since our departure from
Ade'aide. They are widely spread in Australia, and are
in great numbers on the surface of these lagoons, which
are dotted with dwarf trees and shrubs. One of the men
of our escort was even bitten by one of these venomous
reptiles, which are about three feet long, brown in colour
and hair. I am told the scientific name is Trimesurus
ikalieca. Tom Marix at once cauterized the wound with
a pinch of powder dropped on the man's arm and lighted.
The man, who was a white, did not even utter a cry. I
held his arm during the operation. He thanked me. I
gave him an extra glass of whiskey. We have reason to
believe the wound will not end fatally.

"We must take care where we tread. Even on a camel
one is not completely out of the reach of these snakes. I
am always afraid that Godfrey will commit some impru-
dence, and I tremble when I hear the blacks shouting
' Vin'dohe I ' which is the word for snake in the native
language.

'•This evening, while pitching tents for the night, two of
our natives killed a reptile of large size. Tom Marix said
that if two-thirds of the snakes which swarm in Australia
are venomous, there are only five species whose venom is
dangerous to man. The snake they have just killed mea-

Mistress Branican's Journal. 28,3

sures twelve feet long; it is a sort of boa. Our Aus-
tralians wished to cook it for supper. And we had to let
them.

" This is what they did.

" They dug a trough in the sand and a native put into it a
lot of stones he had previously warmed up in a fire, and then
they strewed fragrant leaves. The snake, with its head and
tail cut off, was laid, in this trough and covered with similar
leaves, the heat being given by the hot stones. The earth
is covered in and beaten down thick enough to prevent
the steam of the cooking from escaping.

"We watched this culinary operation not without disgust ;
but, when the snake was cooked and taken out of this
improvised oven, we agreed that its flesh exhaled a delicibus
odour. Neither Jane nor I cared to taste it, although
Tom Marix assured us that, though the white flesh of
these reptiles. is a little insipid, their liver is a very savoury
morsel.

" ' It has been compared,' he said, ' to the finest among
the game birds, particularly the hazel grouse.'

" ' The hazel grouse ! Good ! Oh, very good ! Deli-
cious, the hazel grouse ! ', So said Jos Meritt.

" And after being served with a little piece of the liver, he
returned for a larger one, and he would have ended by
eating the lot. What would you have ?

" There was no need to ask Gin-Ghi. A good slice of
smoking snake flesh, which he ate like an epicure, put him
in the best of humours.

" ' Ai ya r he exclaimed with a long sigh of regret,
' with a few Ning Pc oysters and Tao Ching wine one
would think we were in Tie-Coung- Vuan.'

" Godfrey and Zach Fren, mastering their repugnance,
took a few slices of snake. They thought it rather nice ;
I preferred to trust to their word. •

" The reptile was devoured to the last bit by the natives
of the escort. They did not even leave the few drops
of grease the animal had yielded while it was being
cooked.

284 Mistress Branican.

" During the night our sleep was troubled by a dreadful
howling from some distance off. It was a pack of dingoes.
The dingo might be called the Australian jackal, for he is
half dog and half wolf. He has a yellowish or reddish
brown fur, and a. long ornamental tail.' Fortunately
these dingoes kept to howling and did not attack the
encampment. In a very large number they might be

dangerous."

* * , «, * *

" i^th November. — The heat is becoming more and more
overwhelming, and the creeks we meet wilh arc almost
entirely dry. We have to dig down into their beds if we
want a little water to fill our kegs. Before long we shall
have to trust entirely to the springs, for the creeks will have
disappeared.

" I am obliged to notice that there exists a truly inexpli-
cable antipathy, almost instinctive, between Len Burker
and Godfrey. Never do they address a word to each
other. It is certain they avoid each other as much as
possible.

" I was talking about this to Godfrey one day.

" ' You do not like Len Burker ? ' I said.

" ' No," said he, ' and do not ask me to like him.'

" 'But he is a connection of mine,' I said ; 'he is my
relative, Godfrey, and if you were to like me — '

" ' Mrs. Branican, I like you, but I shall never like him.'

" Dear Godfrey ! what is then the presentiment, the secret

reason which makes him speak thus \ "

# « « # «

" 2Tlh November. — To-day we have seen a large stretch,
an immense monotonous steppe, covered with spinifex.
This is a spring herb appropriately called the vegetable
porcupine. We have had to get through the clumps,
which are sometimes five feet high, and the sharp thorns
might have wounded our camels. The spinifex is already
of a yellow colour and unfit for the animals to feed on.
When they are young and green, camels do not refuse to
eat them. But that is not the case now, and our only

Mistress Branican's Journal. 2S5

anxiety was to get along without being pricked by the
bushes.

" Under these circumstances our progress was very
painful. We must get accujtomed to it though, for wc
lave hundreds of miles to go over these spinifcx plains.
It is the shrub of the desert, the only one that will grow
on the barren lands of the centre of Australia.

" The heat is gradually increasing, and there is no shade.
Our men on foot are visibly suffering from this excessive
temperature. And will it be believed that, five months
later, according to Colonel Warburton, the thermometer
may sink below freezing point, and the creeks will be
covered with ice an inch thick ?

" Then the creeks are numerous ; now, however deep tho
bed may be, we cannot find a drop of water.

" Tom Marix has given orders to the mounted men to give
up their mounts occasionally to their companions on foot.
This measure has been taken with the object of satisfying
the complaints of the blacks. I see with regret that
Len Burker was their spokesman in this matter. Certainly
the men had cause to complain ; to march on foot among
tufts of spinifex in a temperature hardly supportable in
cither evening or morning is extremely fatiguing. But in
any case it was not for Len Burker to excite their jealousy
against the squadron of whites. He interfered with what
did not concern him, and I told him so..

•' ' What I did, Dolly,' he replied, 'was in the interest of
all.'

" 'That I wish to believe,' I replied.

" ' The burden should be justly shared — ■'

"' Leave that to me, Mr. Burker,' said Tom Marix, who
intervened in the discussion. ' I will take what measures
I think necessary.'

" I saw that Len Burker went off with ill-disguised vexa-
tion and gave us an evil look. Jane noticed it, but her
husband's eyes fixed on hers, and the poor woman turned
away her head.

" Tom Marix promised me to do all he could to save the

286 Mistress Branican.

men of the escort, white and black, from having to com-
plain again."

" ^th December. — During our halts we are much tormented
by white ants. These insects swarm in myriads. They
are invisible liVider the fine sand, and it requires the pres-
sure of the foot to make them appear on the surface.

"'My slcin is hard and h^jrn}^,' said Zach Ficn, 'a
regulnr shark skin, but these ants make nothing of it.'

" The truth is that the skin of animals is not thick enough
to nsist the bite of their mandibles. We cannot lie doun
without being immediately attacked. To escape these
insects we must get out in the rays of the sun, and they
are so hot we can hardly support them, so that it is only
changing one evil for another.

" The one who seems less ill-treated than any of us by
these insects is the Chinaman. Is he too indolent for their
importunate slings to triumph over his indolence ? I do
not know ; but, while we are fidgeting and writhing about
half mad, the privileged Gin-Ghi, stretched in the shade of
a spinifex bush, never moves, and sleeps peacefully as if
these wretched insects respected his yellow skin.

"Jos Meritt is just as patient, although his long body
offers his assailants a huge field to devour. He never
complains. Automatically and regularly his two lips open
and shut again, and .mechanically slaughter thou.sands of •
ants, and he is content to say, looking at his servant quite
free from any b'te, —

" ' These Chinese are really exceptionally favoured by
nature. Gin-Ghi!'

" ' Sir ! ■

" ' We shall have to change skins.'

" ' Certainly,' said the Celestial, ' if we change places at
the same time.'

"'Good! Oh, very good! But to begin the change of skin,
one of us must be skinned first, and I will begin on you.'

" ' Ah, we will talk of that at the third moon/ said Gin-
Ghi.

- Mistress Branican's Journal. 2S7'

" And he resumed his sleep at the fifth watch, to use his
poetic language ; that is to say, at the moment the caravan
was about to resume its journey."

:): 4: ;): :); 4=

" loth December. — This torment only ceases when Tom
Marix gives the signal for departure. It is lucky that the
ants do not think of climbing up the legs of the camels.
Our walkers are never free from these insupportable
insects.

" Besides, during the march, we are almost devoured by
enemies of another kind and no less disagreeable. These
are the mosquitoes, which constitute one of the most for-
midable plagues of Australia. At their sting, particularly
during the rainy season, cattle, as if they were struck by
an epidemic, grow thin, waste auay,. and even die, without
it being possible to save them.

" But what would we give to be here in the rainy season.
It is nothing, this plague of ants or mosquitoes, after the
tortures of thirst caused by the heats of our Australian
November. The want of water brings about the annihila-
tion of all the intellectual faculties and all the physical
strength. And our reserves are being exhausted and our
kegs sound empty. We filled them at the last creek, and
what they contain now is but a warm liquid, thick and
shaken about, and it does not quench the thirst. Our
position will soon be that of the Arab stokers on board
the steamers in the Red Sea, the miserable men who fall
half-fainting in front of the boiler fires.

*' What is no less alarming is that our camels begin to
crawl instead of keeping up their usual pace. Their necks
are stretched out towards the horizon around the long, wide,
level plain broken by no undulation or variation of the
ground. Always the vast steppe covered by arid spinifex
growing from its roots deep down in the sand. There is
not a tree in sight, not a trace by which we can discover
the presence of a well or a spring."

"A" 5p ^C *p JfC

" l6th December. — In two stages our caravan has not

U

S88 Mistress Branican.

moved nine miles to-day. For some days I have noticed
that our day's work has become less and less. Notwith-
standing their strength, our camels advance but weariediy,
particularly those carrying^ the packs.

"Tom Marix is in a rage when he sees the men stop
before he has given the signal to halt. He goes up to the
pack camels and hits them with his whip, the lash of
which has but kittle effect on the s^in of these rugged
animals.

"JosMeritt, with that dryness which« never leaves him,
said with regard to this, —

'" Good ! Oh, very good, Mr. Marix ! But I will pivc
you a bit of advice ; it is not the camel you should whip,
but its rider.'

" And certainly Tom Marix would not have been dis-
pleased to follow the advice if I had not interfered. To
the fatigues our men have to undergo we must have the
prudence at least not to give them ill-treatment. Some of
them might dpsert. I am afraid that that will happen,
particularly if the idea occurs to any of the blacks ; but
Tom Marix assures me there is no danger."

* * * * *

"From the \'jtli lo the 27/k December. — The journey
continues under these conditions. During the fiist da\ s
of the week the weather changed with the wind, which
blew briskly. A few clouds came up from the norlh in
the form of rounded volutes, as if they were huge bombs
which a spark had exploded. That day, the 23rd, the
s)ark came. A flash cleft the sky. Noisy claps of
thunder of rare intensity were heard without the pro-
longed roll which the 'echoes give out in mountainous
countries. At the same tinie the atmospheric currents
wi re set free with such violence that we could not keep
on the camels. We had to get do\yn and even to lie on
the ground. Zach Fren, Godfrey, Tom Marix, and Lcn
Burker had much difficulty in saving our kibitka from
being blown away. As lo camping under these circum-
stances or raising our tents among the tufts of spinifex, it

" It is not ihe camel )-cu shou'.d whip."

Mistress Branican's Journal. 289

was impossible to thinlc of it. In an instant all the things
would have been scattered, torn, and rendered useless.

" ' This is nothing,' said Zach Fren, rubbing his hands ;
• a storm is soon over.'

"'Hurrah for the storni if it brings us water!' said
Godfrey.

" Godfrey was right. * Water, water ! ' is our cry. But
will it rain ? That is the question.

"Yes, that is all the question, for an abundant rain would
be for us like the manna of the desert. Unfortunately, the
air is so dry — as we can see by the curious sharpness of the
thunder-claps — that the water of the clouds might remain
in a state of vapour and not dissolve in rain. But it would
have been difficult to imagine a more violent storm or a
more deafening exchange of flashes and thunderings.

" I have been able to observe what I had heard regarding
the Australian aborigines during these storms. They had
no fear of being struck, they did not shut their eyes at the
lightning, nor did they tremble at the thunder. In fact, the
blacks of our escort uttered exclamations of joy. They
were in no way affected like every other living creature
when the air is charged with electricity at the moment when
this electricity is manifested by the tearing asunder of the
clouds in the heights of the sky.

"Assuredly, the nervous organization of these primitive
beings cannot be very sensitive. Perhaps, after all, they
greeted in the storm the flood it might send them. And
in truth, the waiting for this was quite a Tantalus' task.

" ' It is really water,' said Godfrey to me, ' good, pure
water, the water of the sky, which is hanging over our
heads ! There is the lightning cleaving the clouds, and yet
nothing falls.'

" ' A little patience, my child,' I replied ; ' let us not
despair.'

" ' That is it,' said Zach Fren. ' The clouds are thicken-
ing, and coming down at the same time. Ah ! if the
wind would only drop, this poise would soon end in
cataracts j '

290 Mistress Branican.

" It was to be feared that the storm would sweep away
the mass of vapour towards the south without giving us a
drop of water.

" About three o'clock in the afternoon it seemed that the
northern horizon had begun to clear, and that the storm
would soon end. This would be a cruel deception.

" ' Good 1 Oh, very good 1 '

"Jos Meritt had uttered his usual exclamation. Never
was this phrase of approval more appropriate. The
Englishman had stretched out his hand and found it
moistened with a few large drops.

" We had not to wait long for the deluge. We had to be
quick in getting into our mackintoshes. Then without
losing a minute we were ready to receive the beneficent
shower. Everything was laid out on the ground, even
blankets, towels and sheets, from which we could squeeze
the water when they were soaked — the water for the
camels to drink.

" But the camels were soon able to quench the thirst
which tortured them. Streamlet and pools were quickly
formed between the tufts of spinifex. The plain threatened
to be transformed into a vast marsh. There was water for
everybody. We were at first delighted at this abundant
flood, which the dried ground absorbed like a sponge, and
the first drops of which the sun, which had reappeared on
the horizon, turned into vapour.

" Our reserve was assured for many days. There was a
possibility of resuming our daily stages, with the men
revived in body and. soul, and the animals firmly set on
their feet again. The kegs were filled to the bung. Every-
thing that could hold anything was used as a recipient.
The camels did not neglect to fill the interior pouch, with
which nature has provided them, and in which they can
provision themselves with water for some time. And sur-
prising as it may be, this pouch contains about fifteen
gallons.

"Unfortunately these storms are rare, at least at this

nprind of thf? vear when 1-Vip cnmmpi- Vioaf Ic o«- it-^ rr^a„i-r,^i-

Mistress Branican's Journal. 291

It is, therefore, a fortunate chance on which it would be
imprudent to reckon for the future. The storm hardly
lasted three hours, and the burning beds of the creeks soon
absorbed the waters of the sky that had been poured into
them. The springs, it is true, derived more benefit from
the storm, and we shall have to congratulate ourselves if
it has not been merely local. Let us hope it has refreshed
the Australian plain for hundreds of miles round."

S|! w SjC S|! SfC

" 29/-^ December. — Following almost the same route as
Colonel Warburton, we have now reached Waterloo
Spring, one hundred and forty miles from Mount Liebig.
Our expedition has now reached the hundred and twenty-
sixth degree of longitude. It has just covered the con-
ventional straight line running from, south to north which
divides the neighbouring colony from that vast portion of
the continent called Western Austiaiia,"

CHAPTER X.

A FEW MOKE EXTRACTS.

" WaTeri.00 Spring is not a town ; it is not even a village,
A few native huts, abandoned at this time, and that is all.
The wandering natives only stop while the rainy season
feeds the watercourses of this region — so that they stay
there for a certain time. Waterloo in no way justifies the
addition of -the word 'Spring,' which is common to all
the stations in the desert. No spring flows up from the
ground, and if, as we have said, we meet "in the Sahara
with fresh oases sheltered by trees, and watered by run-
ning streams, it is in vain we seek such things in the
Australian desert."

Such is the observation entered in Mrs. Branican's journal,
from which wc will make a few more extracts. Better than
more precise description, they are of a nature to make the
country known, and show in all their horror the trials in
store for the daring explorers who venture into it. They
will_ also help us to appreciate the mental strength and
indomitable energy of their author, her unshakable resolu-
tion to attain her object at the cost of no matter what
sacrifice.

30^/2 Decemler. — We have to stay a day at Waterloo
Spring. These delays make me miserable, when I think
of the distance which still separates us from the valley in
which flows the Fitzroy. And "who knows if we may
not have to seek beyond this valley for the tribe of Indas.
Since Harry Felton left him, what has been the existence

A Few more Extracts. 293

of my poor John? Did the natives avenge on him the
flight of his companion ? It will never do to think of that.
The thought would kill me.

" Zach Fren tries to reassure me.

"'Inasmuch,' he says, 'as Captain John and Harry
Felton were the prisoners of these Indas for so many
years, they must have some interest in keeping them, as
Harry Felton led you to think. These natives must have
recognized in the captain a white chief of great value, and
they are waiting for an opportunity of surrendering him for
a ransom in proportion to his importance. In my opinion
the flight of his companion would not have made the
position of Captain John any worse.'

" Would to God it is so !

"Today ends the year 1890. Fifteen years ago the
Franklin left San Diego. Fifteen years 1 And it is four
months and five days only since our caravan left Adelaide !
This year, which begins for us in the desert, how will it
end?

" My companions would not allow the day to pass without
offering me their good wishes for the new year. My dear
Jane embraced me, a prey to the keenest emotion, and for
a long time I held her in my arms. Zach Fren and Tom
Marix came to shake hands with me. I know that I have
in them two friends who would die for me. Our people
all surrounded me, tendering their affectionate felicitations.
I say all, to the exclusion, however, of the blacks of the
escort, whose discontent is shown on every occasion. It is
clear that Tom Marix only keeps them in order with great
trouble.

" Len Burker spoke to me with his habitual coolness,
assuring me of the success of our enterprise. He had no
doubt that we should attain our object. At the same time
he asked if we were doing wefl in making for the Fitzroy
River. The Indas, as far as his knowledge goes, are
nomads, who are most frequently met with in the regions
neighbouring on Queensland, that is to say in the east of
the continent. It is true, he added, we are going where

294 Mistress Branican.

Harry Feltbn left his captain, but how were we to know
that the Indas had not moved off", etc., etc.

All this is said in a tone which inspires no confidence,
the tone certain people adopt when they speak without
looking at you.

But it was Godfrey whose greeting most affected mc,
lie had made a nosegay of the little wild flowtrs that grow
among the tufts of spinifcx. He offered it me with such
good grace, and said such loving things to me, that the
tears came into my eyes. As I embraced him, and as his
kisses replied to mine, why did the thought occur to me
that my little Wat would be just his age, that he would be
just likehim.

Jane was there, she was so affected, and became so pale
in Godfrey's presence that I thought she was going to faint.
But she recovered and her husband took her away ; I dared
not keep her.

We resumed our journey to-day at four o'clock in the
afternoon, the sky being overcast. The heat is ^ little
more bearable. The saddle camels and pack camels,
sufficiently rested from their fatigue, arc going better.
We even have had to check them so that the men on foot
can follow them.

:¥ :i: * * *

\^th January. — For some days we have kept on at this
increased speed. Two or three times the rain has fallen
rather abundantly. We have not had to suffer thirst, and
our reserve has been completely replenished. The most
serious of all questions is this of water, and it is also the
most alarming when w€ are travelling across these deserts.
It means constant anxiety. In fact the springs appear to
be few on the road wc are following. Colonel Warburton
noticed this on his journey which ended on the west coast
of Tasman Land. *

We are now living on our provisions, and on them only.
It is not worth reckoning on what we can shoot, for the
game has all fled from these miserable solitudes. A few
flocks of pigeons are all we see, and these we cannot get

A Few more Extracts. 295

near. They only rest among the tufts of spinifex after a
long flight when their wings can no longer support them.
Nevertheless our food is assured for many months, and on
that point I am at ease. Zach Fren carefully sees that
the food, the preserves^ the flour, tea, coffee, etc., are dis-
tributed with method and regularity. We ourselves have
to share with the rest ; there are no exceptions. The
blacks of the escort cannot complain that we are treated
better than they are.

Here and there flit about a few sparrows dispersed over
these regions, but they are not worth the trouble and
fatigue of going after.

All the time there are these myriads of white ants,
making our halting hours miserable ; as to mosquitoes, the
country is too dry for them to annoy us. We shall find
them in the damp places, as Tom Marix observes. Well,
we had better have their bites ; and we shall not pay too
dearly for the water which attracts them in thousands.

We reached Mary Spring, ninety miles from Waterloo,
on the 23rd of January.

A group of slender trees rises in this place, a few
eucalyptuses, which have exhausted the water in the ground
and are evidently suffering.

. " Their foliage hangs like tongues dry with thirst," said
Godfrey.

And the comparison was very good,

I notice that this young-, ardent and 'resolute boy has lost
nothing of the gaiety of his age. His health is not affected
as I feared it would be, for he is just at the age when a
lad begins to shape into a man. And this incredible like-
ness which troubles me. It is the same look when his
eyes are fixed on mine, the same intonations when he
speaks to me. And he has a way of saying things, of
expressing his thoughts, which reminds me so of my poor
John.

One day I drew Len Burker's attention to this pecu-
liarity.

" No, Dolly," he replied, " it is a pure illusion on your

296 Mistress Branican. . . ^

part. I confess I am in no way struck with this resem-
blance. In my opinion it only exists in your imagination.
It matters little, after all, and if it is for that reason you
take so much interest in this boy — "

" No, Len," I replied, " if I feel such a lively affection
for Godfrey, it is that I have seen his enthusiasm in what
is the only object of my life, the finding and rescuing of
John. He begged me to take him with me, and, touched
by his persistence, I consented. And besides, he is one of
my San Diego children, one of those poor boys without
father or mother who have been brought up at Wat
House. Godfrey is like a brother of my little Wat."

" I know, I know, Dolly," Len Burker replied, " and to
a certain extent I understand you. May Heaven grant
you will not have cause to repent of an act in which
your sentiment has had more share than your reason."

" I do not like to hear you talk like that, Len Burker,"
I replied with vivacity. " Such observations wound me.
What have you to complain of about Godfrey ? "

"Oh! nothing, nothing as yet. But who knows.' later
on, perhaps, he will abuse the affection which is a httle too
pronounced regarding him. A child is picked up, no one
knows whence he comes or who he is, what blood runs in
his veins — "

" It is the blood of brave and honest men, I will answer
for it!" I exclaimed. "On board the Brisbane he was
liked by all, by his masters and his comrades, and the
captain Wmself told me Godfrey had never had to be
spoken to. Zach Fren, who knows him well, appreciates
him as much as I do. Tell me, Len Burker, why you do
not like this boy ? "

" I — Dolly ? I do not like him or dislike him ; I am
quite indifferent to him, that is all. My friendship I do
not give to the first comer, and I think only of John and
his rescue from the natives."

If Len Burker wished to give me a lesson, I did not
accept it, for he aimed badly. I do not forget my hus-
band for this child, but I am happy in thinking that

A Few more Extracts. 297

Godfrey joins his efforts to mine. I am sure that John
would approve of what I have done, and what I intend to
do in the future for this boy.

When I told Jane of this conversation the poor woman
bowed her head and said nothing.

For the future I shall say nothing. Jane will not and
cannot say Len Burker is in the wrong. I understand
this reserve ; it is her duty.

■1% «fC r^ « 5|C

2gt& /aniiary. — We have reached the shore of a small
lake, a kind of lagoon, which Tom Marix believes to be
White Lake. It justifies its name of White Lake, for in
place of the water, which has evaporated, a layer of salt
occupies the bed. Again a remnant of that interior
sea which once separated Australia into two large islands.

Zach Fran made up our stock of salt, but we should
have preferred drinking water.

There are in these parts a large number of rats, smaller
than the ordinary rats. We have to provide against their
attacks during our halts. They are so voracious that they
gnaw everything within range.

But the blacks in no way despise them as food. They
caught a few dozen of them, prepared them, cooked them,
and regaled themselves with the objectionable meat. We
shall have to run very short of provisions before we have
recourse to that food. Heaven grant we may never be
reduced to that !

We are now on the borders of the desert known as the
Great Sandy Desert.

During the last twenty miles the ground has been
gradually changing. The tufts of spinifex are fewer and
this meagre vegetation is disappearing. Is the soil so
barren that it cannot support this not very exacting vege-
tation ? Who would not believe it if he saw the immense
plain undulating with a few hillocks of red sand, and
without any trace of the bed of a creek? One would
suppose it never rained on these territories devoured by
the sun, not even in the winter.

298 Mistress Branican.

Amid this mournful aridity, this disquieting dryness,
there is not one of us who has not been seized with the
most mournful presentiments. Tom Marix shows me these
desolate solitudes on the map ; it is nearly a blank space
crossed by the routes of Giles and Gibson. Towards the
north, that of Colonel Warburton shows clearly the uncer-
tainties of his march by the numerous turns and zigzags
necessitated by his search for springs. Here his men
were ill, exhausted, and almost dead ; there his camels
were decimated, his son dying. Better not read the
account of his journey if we wish to follow him — the
bravest recoiled. But I have read it and I will read it again.
I must not let myself be frightened. What this explorer
did for the study of the unknown regions of the Australian
continent, I will do to find John. The only object of my

life is that, and I will accomplish it !

« * * « «

yd February. — For the last five days we have had to
shorten our- stages. So much more time lost on the long
road we are travelling. It is extremely regrettable. Our
caravan, retarded by hilly ground, is incapable of follow-
ing the straight line. The ground is very hilly and obliges
us to ascend and descend some very steep slopes. In
many places it is cut up into sand-hills round which the
camels have to work, as they cannot climb tlicm. There
arc also some sandy hills a hundred feet high, at intervals
of six or seven hundred feet ; the men on foot sink into
the .'and, and the advance becomes more and more
laborious.

The heat is overwhelming. It is impossible to imagine
the intensity with which the sun darts down its rays. They
are arrows of fire which pierce you in a thousand places.
Jane and I can hardly remain under the shelter of our
kibitka. What must our companions endure during the
morning and evening stages ? Zach Fren, strong as he is,
buffers much from these fatigues, but he does not complain ;
he has lost nothing of his good humour, this devoted friend
whose existence is bound up with mine !

A Few more Extracts. 299

Jos Meritt bears up with a quiet courage, a resistance
to privation, one is tempted to envy. Gin-Ghi, less
patient, complains without its having any effect on his
master. And when one thinks that this eccentric man is
suffering all this for the sake of a hat !

" Good ! Oh ! very good ! " he replies, when anythfng
is said about this. " But also what a rarity of a hat ! "

" Some old mountebank's rag I " said Zach Fren; shrug-
ging his shoulders.

" Some old .rubbish you would hot even wear on your
feet ! " retorted Gin-Ghi.

Between eight o'clock and four o'clock it would be im-
possible to move a step. We camp anywhere ; we put up
two or three tents. The men of the escort, black and
white, stretch themselves where they can in the shade of
the camels. The worst of it is that the water is beginnin.;
to fail. What will become of us if we meet with only dry
springs .' I know Tom Marix is very uneasy, although he
tries to hide his uneasiness. He is wrong, he would do
better to tell me everything, I could bear everything, and
I should not be afraid.

fv "A" 5|» S|C •!!

14/A February. — Eleven days have passed during which
we have had but two hours' rain. We could hardly re-
plenish our kegs after the men had had enough to satisfy
their thirst, and the animals had taken enough for their
store. Under these circumstances we have reached Emily
Spring, which is quite dry. Our camels are exhausted ;
Jos Meritt does not know what to do to get his camcf
along. He will not strike it, however, and merely appeals
to its feelings. I heard him say, —

" Look here, you poor brute, if you are in pain, at least
you have no grief ! "

But the poor brute did not seem to understand the dis-
tinction.

We will resume our journey more uneasy than we have
ever been.

Two camels arc sick. 'They are crawling alonr, and

300 Mistress Branican. -

will not be able to last. The provisions carried by the
pack camel have been shifted on to a saddle camel.

Luckily the male camel, ridden by Tom Marix, has kept
its strength up to now. Without him, the others, more
particularly the females, would disband, and nothing
would stop them.

We have found it necessary to leave behind the two
which fell sick. To leave them to die of hunger and thirst,
a prey to a long agony, would have been more inhuman
than to end their misery at a blow.

The caravan journeys on and turns round a sand-hill.
There are two reports. Tom Marix returns to rejoin us,
and the journey continues.

What is more alarming is that the health of two of our
people gives us much uneasiness. They have been
seized with fever, and we have dosed them well with sul-
phate of quinine, with which the- medicine-chest is well
supplied. But a burning thirst devours them. Our store
of water is exhausted, and nothing indicates that we arc in
the proximity of a spring.

The invalids are on their backs on two camels which
their companions lead by the hand. Man cannot be left
behind like camels. We must look after them ; it is our
duty, and we will not fail in it. But this pitiless tempera-
ture is gradually devouring them.

Those of us who stand fatigue best, who can bear ex-
cessive heat without suffering, are the blacks of our
escort.

But though they have less to bear, their discontent in-
creases daily. In vain Tom Marix busies himself in tran-
quillizing them. The most excited keep apart when we
halt, and talk together, and the signs of an approaching
revolt are only too evident.

During the 2ist, all, with one accord, refused to continue
the journey to the north-west, giving as a reason thai they
were dying of thirst. The reason was only too well
founded. For twelve hours there had not been a single
drop-of water in our kegs. We are reduced to alcoholic

A Few more Extracts. 301

drinks, the effect of which is deplorable, as they get into
cur heads.

I had to personally intervene among these obstinate
natives. I had to make them understand that to stop
imder such conditions was not the way to put an end to
their sufferings.

" What we want," said one of them, ""is to go back."

"Back? Whereto?"

" To Mary Spring."

" To Mary Spring ! " I answered, " there is no water
there, and you know it."

" If there is no water at Mary Spring," replied the black,
" we may find it a little further up, near Mount Wilson,
in the direction of Sturt Creek."

I looked'at Tom Mari.x. He went to look at the special
map of the Great Sandy Desert. We consulted it. In
fact, north of Mary Spring there is a somewhat important
watercourse which might not perhaps be entirely dry.
But how could the native have known of the existence of
this watercourse ? I interrogated him en the subject.
He hesitated at first, and at last told me Mr. Burker had
spoken to him about it. It was from him that the pro-
position of heading for Sturt Creek had come.

I am much anno}'cd that Len Burker has had the im-
prudence — ^was it only imprudence .' — to instigate a part
(. f the escort to return towards the east. It will not only
lead to delay, but to a serious modLficaJion of our route,
which will take us a long way from Fitzroy River.

I told him what I thought rather strongly.

" What would you have, Dolly ? " he replied. " Bettor
submit to delays and go a litllc way round, than to obsti-
nately follow a road where.there are nc wells."

"In that case, Mr. Burker," said Zach Fren, sharply,
" you should have spoken to Mrs. Branican, and not to
the blacks."

" You are carrying on with the blacks in such a way,"
sa'd Tom Marix, " that I have no control over them. Are
vnu in command of them. Mr. Burker. or am I ? "

302 Mistress Branican.

"I think that observation is rather unseemly, Tom
Marix," said Len Burker.

"Unseemly or not, it is justified by your proceedings,
sir, and you would do well to think over it."

" I take orders from nobody here but from Mrs. Brani-
can—"

" Be it so, Len Burker," I replied ; " but for the future,
if you have any observations to make, I' beg you will
make them to me and not to others."

"Mrs. Branican," said Godfrey, "shall I go on in
advance of the caravan in search of a well ? I am sure to
find one."

" A well without water ! " muttered Len Burker, shrug-
ging his shoulders.

I can easily imagine what Jane must have suffered as
she heard this discussion. Her husband's conduct, which
was so prejudicial to the good feeling which ought to exist
among our people might be the cause of serious difficulty.
I had to support Tom Marix in obtaining the consent of
the blacks not to persevere in their intention of returning
to the rear. We succeeded after considerable difficulty.
But they declared that if we did not find water in tiventy-
four hours, they would return to Mary Spring in order to
reach Sturt Creek.

*****

22rd February.-. — What terrible sufTerings we have had
during the two days which followed. The state of our two
sick companions has become worse. Three camels fell,
never to rise again, their heads stretched out on the ground,
their bodies swollen, and incapable of making any move-
ment. We had to shoot them. Two of these were saddle
animals and one was a pack camel. Now four of the
whiles of the escort have to travel on foot.

And there is not a human creature in this Great Sandy
Desert, not an Australian in these regions of Tasman
Land to give us any information as to the position of the
wells. Evidently our caravan has diverged from Colonel
Warburton's route, for the colonel never had such long

A Few more Extracts. £03

stages without being able to replenish his store of water.
Often, it is true, the springs were half-dry and contained
only a muddy, warm and barely drinkable liquid. But we
must be content.

To-day, at last, at the end of our first stage, we were
able to slake our thirst. ^ It was Godfrey who discovered
a spring near Emily Spring.

In the morning of the 23rd the brave boy went off some
miles in advance, and two hours afterwards we saw him
returning in all haste.

" A well ! a well ! " he shouted, as far ofif as we could
hear him.

At this cry our little world received new life. The
camels hurried on. It seemed as though ourGodfrey had
said to them, —

" Water ! water ! "

An hour afterwards the caravan halted under a group
of trees with dried foliage which shaded the well. Luckily
they were gum trees and not eucalyptuses, which would
have dried it up to the last drop.

But such wells a very few men would empty in an
instant. The water is not abundant and soon loses itself
in the sands. The wells have not been made by the hands
of man, they are merely natural cavities formed during the
rainy season. Rarely are they more than five or six feet
deep — ^just enough for the water, shaded from the solar
rays, to escape evaporation and remain during the long
heats of summer.

Sometimes these wells are without the group of trees to
distinguish them, and then it is only too easy to pass near
them without noticing them. A careful look-out has con-
sequently to be kept, as Colonel Warburton very justly
observes. This we remembered.

This time Godfrey had made a fortunate find. The
well, at which we encamped at eleven o'clock in the morn-
ing, contained more water than was required for our camels
and our reserve. The water was limpid, for it was filtered
through the sand, and it had retained its freshness owing

304 Mistress Branican.

to the cavity being at the foot of a sand-hill and shaded
from the direct rays of the sun.

It was with delight that we refreshed ourselves, and we
had to warn our companions to drink with moderation,
lest they should make themselves ill.

One cannot imagine the beneficent effect of water after
a long torture from thirst. The result is immediate, the
most exhausted are revived, strength returns instantly, and
courage with the strength. It is more than to live again,
it is to be born again.

Next day, at four o'clock in the morning, we resumed
our journey, and travelled north-w«st so as to reach
Joanna Spring, about one hundred and ninety miles from
Mary Spring.

* • * » *

These few notes extracted from Mrs. Branican's journal
are enough to show that her energy had not abandoned her
for an instant. We must now resume the account of this
journey, for which the future had in reserve such eventu-
alities impossible to foresee, and so serious in their conse-
quences.

CHAPTER XI.

INDICATIONS AND INCIDENTS.

As we have seen from the last lines of Mrs. Branican's
journal, courage and confidence had returned to the men
of the caravan. Never had they been short of food, and
the provisions would last for many months. Water
alone had been wanting for a few stages ; but the well dis-
covered by Godfrey had yielded more than they wanted,
and they started from it in good spirits.

It is true they always had to face an overwhelming heat,
to breathe the fiery air of the surface of these interminable
plains, without trees and without shade. And the travellers
who can bear this excessive temperature are not very
numerous, particularly if they are not natives of Australia.
Where the native resists, the foreigner succumbs. The
man has to be made to suit this murderous climate.

The hills of red sand, with their long undulations and
symmetrical ripples, continued. The ground was so hot
that' the whites could not walk on it with naked feet.
The blacks were accustomed to it, and should have had no
reason to complain of it ; but they did complain, and their
ill-will showed itself every day more clearly. If Tom
Marix had not had to keep the escort at its full strength, in
case he had to defend the caravan against some wandering
tribe, he would have "assuredly asked Mrs. Branican to
dismiss the blacks from her service.

Every day he saw the difficulties inherent to such an
expedition increasing, and when he said to himself that
these fatieues were undersone and these dangers faced for

3o6 Mistress Branican.

nothing, it was only natural that he could not completely
hide his thoughts. Zach Fren, however, was the only one
to discover this.

" Truly, Tom," said he one day, " I should not have
thought you were the man to be discouraged."

" Me discouraged ! You are mistaken, Zach, at least in
the sense that I shall fail in the courage that will make
me fulfil my undertaking. It is not crossing the desert I
am afraid of, but, after we have crossed it, tcT have to cross
it back again without having succeeded."

" Do you think, Tom, that Captain John has died since
Harry l'"elton left him ? "

" I know nothing about it, Zach, and you know no
more."

'■ 1 know it as well as I know that a ship goes to star-
board when you put her helm to port."

" There, Zach, you talk like Mrs. Branican andGodfrc}-.
You take your hopes for certainties. I hope you are right.
But if Captain John is alive, he is in the power of the Inday,
and where are the Indas ? "

" They are where they are, Tom, and that is where the
caravan will go if we box the compass for the next six
months. If we cannot find them on one tack, we will try
them on the other ; but we will get them at last."

" If we were at sea, yes ; but then we should know the
port to which we were bound. But in these regions who
knows where they will go ? "

" We shall not know by despairing."

" I am not despairing, Zach."

" Perhaps not, Tom ; but, worse than that, you will soon
lead people to suppose so. The man who does not hide
his anxiety makes a bad captain and discourages his crew.
Take care of you face, Tom, not for Mrs. Branican's sake,
for nothing can shake her, but for the whites of our
escort. If they are going to make common cause with
the blacks—"

" I will answer for them as I answer for myself—"

"And I will answer for you, Tom! But don't let

Indications and Incidents, 307

us talk of hauling down the flag while the masts are
standing."

" Who is going to talk of that, unless it is Len Burker ? "

" Oh, ah, Tom ! If I had been captain he would have
been down in the hold long ago with a shot at each foot J
But as it is, look after him ; I have got my eye upon
him."

Zach Fren was right in keeping an eye on Len Burker.
If the expedition broke up, he would be the cause of it.
He it was who excited to disorder' the blacks of the escort
on whom Tom Marix had thought he could trust. This
was one of the things which might imperil the success of
the campaign. But, even if it had not existed, Tom Marix
retained hardly the trace of an illusion as to the possibility,
of meeting with the Indas and rescuing Captain John.

But if the caravan did not go quite at a venture in mak-
ing for the Fitzroy River, there was one circumstance
which might compel the Indas to leave Tasrhan Land, and
that was the chance of war. It is seldom that there is
peace between the tribes, which number from two hundred
and fifty to three himdred souls. There are inveterate
hatreds, blood rivalries, and these are kept alive with all
the more passion owing to war among cannibals being a
sort of hunting enterprise. The enemy is not only the
enemy, he is edible game, and the victor eats the van-
quished. Hence, battles, pursuits, retreats, which rriay
take the natives long distances. It was, therefore, of im-
portance to know if the Indas had left their territorits,
and the only way to do this was to catch an Australian
coming from the north-west.

This was the great object of Tom Marix, assiduously
assisted by Godfrey, who, in spite of the recommendations
and even the injunctions of Mrs. Branican, was often out
scouting for miles. When he was not looking for some
well he was looking for some blacks, but as yet without
success. The country was deserted, and, in fact, what
human being, however degraded he might be, would be
abl^ to exist without the mere necessities of existence i

3oS Mistress Branican.

To venture beyond the telegraph line was to expose him-
self to the terrible experiences we have described.

At last, on the 9th of March, at half-past nine in the
morning, there was heard a call in the distance — a call
consisting of these two syllables, Coo-ceh !

" There are blacks somewhere about," said Tom Marix.

" Blacks ! " said Dolly.

" Ye.s, madam, that is the way they call to each other."

" Let us get up with them," said Zach Fren.

The caravan advanced a hundred yards, and Godfrey
signalled two blacks among the sand-hills. To get hold
of them was not easy, for the Australians run away from
the whites as soon as they see them. These tried to hide
themselves among some tufts of .spinifex. But the escort
managed to surround them, and they were brought before
Mrs. Branican.

The one was about fifty ; the other was his son, aged
twenty. Both were on their way to Lake Woods station
on the telegraph line. A few presents of cloth and some
cakes of tobacco soon pacified them, and they were quite
ready to answer the questions put to them by Tom Marix,
their replies being at once translated for the benefit of
Mrs. Branican, Godfrey, Zach Fren, and their companions.

The Australians were at first asked where the)^ were
going, which was not of much interest. But Tom Marix
asked them where they came from, and this deserved
serious attention.

" We come from th.cre — far — very far,'' answered the
father, pointing to the north-west.

" From the coast ? "

" No. From the interior."

" From Tasman Land .■' "

" Yes. From Fitzroy River."

It was to this river, as we know, that the caravan was
bound.

"Of what tribe are you .? " asked Tom Marix,

" Of the tribe of the Goursis." .

" Is that a wandering tribe i " i

Two blacks among the sand hills,.

Indications and Incidents. 309,

The native did not understand what that meant,

" Does your tribe go from camp to camp," asked Tom,
" or does it live in a village ? "

"It lives in the village of Goursi,"said the son, who
seemed fairly intelligent.

" Is this village near the Fitzroy ? "

"Yes. Ten long days "from where it enters the sea."

This was in King's Sound into which the Fitzroy flows,,
and it was there that the voyage of the Dolly Hope had
ended in 1883. The ten days showed that the village of
Goursi was about a hundred miles from the coast.

This was at once pointed out by Godfrey on the map of
Western Australia — a map which showed the.course of the
Fitzroy for two hundred miles from its source in the
interior of Tasman Land.

" Do you know the tribe of the Indas .' " asked Tom
Marix.

The looks of father and son kindled at the name.

" Evidently these tribes are enemies ; they are at war
with each other," said Tom Marix to Mrs. Branican.

"That is very likely," said Dolly, "and perhaps these
Goursis can tell us where the Indas are now. Ask them,
Tom Marixj and get a reply as precise as possible. On
that reply the success of oUr efforts may depend."

Tom Marix put the question, and the elder of the blacks
replied without hesitation that the tribe of the Indas was
then on the upper course of the Fitzroy.

" How far are they from the village of Goursi 1 " asked
Tom Marix.

" Twenty days towards the rising sun," said the
younger.

This distance, on reference to the map, put the camp of
the Indas about two hundred and eighty miles from the
place then reached by the caravan. And the information
agreed with that previously given by Harry Felton.

"Your tribe is often at war with the Indas?" asked
Tom Marix.

" Always ! " replied the son.

3IO Mistress Branican.

And his emphasis and gesture indicated the strength of
their cannibal hatreds.

" And we will pursue them," added the father, " and they
will be beaten when the white chief is no longer there to
give them his advice."

We can imagine what were the feelings of Mrs. Branican
and her companions when Tom Marix translated this reply.
This white chief, for so many years a prisoner of the Indas
— who could doubt that it was Captain John ?

And at Dolly's suggestion Tom Marix questipncd the
two natives closely. They could give but very little precise
information regarding this white chief. But they were able
to say that three months ago, during the last terrible fight
between the Goursis and the Indas, he was in the power
of the latter.

"And without him," said. the young Australian, "the
Indas would be only women."

That this was an exaggeration on the part of the natives
it mattered little. All that was wanted was known. John
Branican and the Indas were less than three hundred miles
away to the north-west. They would be met with on the
banks of the Fitzroy.

As the camp was about to break up Jos Meritt detained
for a moment the two men whom Mrs. Branican was about
to send away with more presents. And then the English-
man begged Tom Marix to ask them a question relative to
tlie hat of ceremony worn by the chief of the tribe of the
Goursis and the chief of the tribe of the Indas.

Ill truth, as he awaited their reply, Jos Meritt was no
less excited than Dolly had been during the examination
of the natives.

He had reason to be satisfied, had the worthy collector,
and the " Good ! Oh, very good ! " flashed from his lips
when he learnt that hats of foreign manufacture were not
uncommon among the peoples of the North-West. These
hats were habitually worn by the principal Austrahan
chiefs when they took part in grand ceremonies.

"You understand, Mrs. Branican," said Jos Meritt,

Indications and Incidents. 311

"that to find Captain John is all very well, but to set
hands on the historic treasure I have been hunting for
through the five quarters of the globe is still better — "

" Evidently ! " replied Mrs. Branican.

" You heard, Gin-Ghi ? '' added Jos Meritt, turning to
his servant.

"I heard," said th,e Chinaman, "and when we have
found this hat — "

" We will return to England, we will return to Liverpool,
and then, Gin-Ghi, with a lovely black hat on your head,
and a red silk robe, draped with a macoual of yellow silk,
you will have nothing else to do than to show my collec-
tion. Are you satisfied ? "

" As the haitang flower which opens in the breeze when
the rabbit of Jade descends towards the west," replied
Gin-Ghi, poetically.

But at the same time he shook his head as if as little
convinced of his future happiness as if his master had told
him he would become a Mandarin of Seven Buttons.

Lcn Burkcr had been present at the conversation between
Tom Marix and the two natives, whose language he under-
stood ; but he had taken no part in it. Not a question
relative to Captain John had come from him. He listened
attcntivelj', noting in his memory the information regard-
ing the present position of the Indas. He saw on the
map the spot the tribe probably occupied on the upper
course of the Fitzroy river; he calculated the distance
the caravan would have to travel to get there, and the time
it would take.

It would be a matter of some \yceks if no obstacle arose,
if the means of locomotion did not fail, if the fatigues of
the journey and the sufferings due to the heat of the cli-
mate were happily surmounted. And so Len Burker,
feeling that the preciousness of this information would give
courage to all, was in a terrible rage. What ! The deliver-
ance of Captain John was to be accomplished, and, thcmks
to the ransom she was bringing, Dolly would rescue him
from the Indas ?

312 Mistress Branican.

While Len Burker was reflecting on this chain of events,
Jane saw his brow become clouded, his eyes grow blood-
shot, and his whole physiognomy betray the detestable
thoughts which agitated him. She was terrified, she had
a presentiment of an approaching catastrophe, and at a
moment when her husband's eyes were fixed on hers she
felt herself fainting.

The unhappy woman had divined what was passing in
the mind of this man, who was capable of every crime to
make sure of the fortune of Mrs. Branican.

Len Burker said to himself that, if John and Dolly met,
his whole future was ruined. It would mean, sooner or
later, the discovery of Godfrey's relationship to them. The
secret would end by escaping from his wife, unless he
made it impossible for her to speak ; but it was necessary
Jane should be alive for the fortune to reach her after Mrs.
Branican's death.

It was thus necessary to separate Jane and Dolly, and,
with the object of making away with John Branican, reach
the Indas before the caravan.

With an unscrupulous and resolute man like Len Burker
this plan was quite possible, and besides, circumstances
soon helped him.

That day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Tom Marix
gave the signal of departure, and the expedition lesumed
its march in the usual order. The past fatigues were
forgotten. Dolly had communicated to her companions
the energy which animated her. They were nearing their
object. Success appeared beyond doubt. The blacks of
the escort seemed to obey willingly, and probably Tom
Marix would have been able to reckon on their help to the
end if Len Burker had not been, there to incite the spirit
of treason and revolt.

The caravan, at a good rate of advance, had almost
resumed the route of Colonel Warburtori. The heat
increased and the nights were stifling. On, this plain,
without a single clump of trees, no shade could be found
but in the shelter of the sand-hills, and this shade was

Indications and Incidents. 313

very narrow owing to the almost vertical! ty of the solar
rays.

And yet in thii lower latitude than the tropical line,
that is to say, well within the torrid zone, it was not so
much the excesses of the Australian climate the men had
to suflfer most from, but there was the more serious
question of water, which was daily present. Wells had to
be sought for at great distances, and that interfered with
the route, which was lengthened by a thousand deviations.
Oftcncst it was Godfrey, always ready — sometimes it was
Tom Marix,. always indefatigable — who took this duty.
Mrs. Branican never saw them ride off without a sinking
at the heart. But nolhing could be hoped for from the
storms which are extremely rare at this time of the year.
On the sky, which was clear from one horizon to the
other, there was not the sign of a cloud. Water could
only come from the ground.

When Tom Marix and Godfrey had discovered a well ih
was towards it that the caravan went. The stage was
resumed, the animals, were urged on by this goad of
thirst; and what was it that they of;enest found.' A
muddy liquid at the bottom of a cavity swarming with
ruts. If the blacks and the whites of the escort did not
hesitate to drink, Dolly, Jane, Godfrey, Zach Fren, and
Len Burker had the prudence to wait until Tom Marix
had cleared out the well, thrown away the dirt on the top,
and dug in the sands for less impure water. Then they
drank ; and then the kegs were filled which were to yield
enough to last till the next well was reached.

So the journey went on for eight day.s, from the lOth
to the 17th of March, without any incident, but with an
increase of fatigue which could not last much longer.
The state of the two sicl< men did not improve, and a fatal
issue was fiarcd. With five camels short, Tom Marix was
embarrassed by his transport difficulties.

He bc-gan to be very uneasy, and Mrs. Branican was

. quite as much so, although she let nothing appear. The

first on the march, the last to halt, she afforded an example

3t4 Mistress Branicai^.

of the most extraordinary courage joined to a confidence
nothing could shake.

And what sacrifices wouM she not have made to avoid
these incessant delays, to shorten this interminable
journey !

One day she asked Tom Marix why he did not make
direct for the upper course of the Fitzroy, where the
information given by the blacks placed the last encamp-
ment of the Indas.

" I thought of tl]at,' said Tom Marix, " but it is always
this question of water v\hich stops me and troubles me,
Mrs. Branican. In going towards Joanna Spring we are
sure of meeting a certain number of the wells reported by
Colonel Warburton.'

" And are there not any in t:ic rcgio:TS to the north ? "

" It is possible, but I am not certain ; and besides, we
must admit the possibility that these wells may now be
dry, while, by continuing to the west, we are rurc of reach-
ing Oakovcr River, where Colonel Wai burton halted. '1 his
river is a running stieam, andwe shall be sure of renewing
our supplies at it before reaching the valley of' the Fitz-
roy."

" Quite so, Tom Marix," said Mr.s. Branican, " and as
we can do no better, let us make for Joanna Spring."

This was done, and the fatigues of this part of the
journey exceeded anything the caravan had had to bear
up to then. Although the summer season was still in its
third month, the temperature maintained an intolerable
average of forty degrees centigrade in the shade, and by
this the shade of the night must be under:>tood. In
fact, a cloud would have been sought for in vain in the
higher zones of the sky, just as a tree would have been
vainly sought for on the surface of this plain. The advance
•was through an atmosphere that suffocated ; the wells did
not contain enough water for the needs of the expedition ;
not a dozen miles were traversed at a stage ; the men on
foot crawled along ; the attention that Dolly, assisted by
Jane and the woman Harriett^ although weak themselves,

Indications and Incidents, 3x5

gave to the sick men, did them good. What ought
to be done was to stop, encamp in some village, take a
long rest, wait till the temperature became more clement.
And nothing of that sort was possible.

In the afternoon of the 17th of March two more pack
camels were lost, one of them laden with the articles of
barter intended for the Indas. Tom Marix had to
transfer these loads to saddle camels, and this necessitated
dismounting two more whites of the escort. These brave
fellows did not complain, and accepted without a word
this increase of fatigue. How different to the blacks, who
complained unceasingly and caused Tom Marix the most
serious uneasiness ! Was it not to be feared' that some
day these blacks would be tempted to abandon the caravan,
probably after pillaging it .■'

At last, in the evening of the 19th of March, near a well
the water of which was _six feet under the sand, the
caravan stopped about five miles from Joanna Spring.
It had been impossible to continue the stage beyond this.

The air was of extraordinary heaviness ; it burnt the
lungs as if it came from a furnace. The sky was very
clear and of a hard blue, such as it is in certain Mediter-
ranean regions when the mistral is about to burst, and its
aspect was strange and threatening.

Tom Marix regarded thjs state of the atmosphere with
an anxiety that did not escape Zach Fren.

" You scent something," said the boatswain, " and some-
thing you don't like ? "

" Yes, Zach," replied Tom Marix, " I expect a simoom
like those which ravage the deserts of Africa."

" Well, wind will bring wet, I suppose ? " said Zach Fren.

" Not at all, Zach ; it will bring a dryness worse than
now, and in the centre of Australia no one knows of what
a wind like that is capable."

This observation, coming from so experienced a man,
was enough to give great anxiety to Mrs. Branican and
her companions.

Precautions were then taken in view of the threatening

3i6 Mistress Branican.

tempest. It was nine o'clock in the evening. The te
had not been pitched, being useless in these burning nig
amid the sand-hills of the plain. After quenching tl
thirst from the kegs, the people took their share of
provisions which Tom Marix had just distribuf
Scarcely any thought of satisfying their hunger ; what tl
wanted was fresh air, and the stomach suffered less tl
the organs of respiration. A few hours' sleep would h
done them more good than many mouthfuls of food ;
was it possible to sleep amid an atmosphere so stifl
that it seemed to be rarefied ?

Up to midnight nothing unusual took place. T
Marix, Zach Fren, and Godfrey took it in turns to mo
guard. Sometimes one, sometimes the other, got up
look at the horizon towards the north. This horizon i
of a clearness, and even of a purity, that boded ill. 1
moon, setting at the same time as the sun, had disappea
behind the hills. Hundreds of stars shone around
Southern Cross which glitters at the antarctic pole of
world.

About three hours after midnight this illumination
the firmament was blotted out. A sudden darkr
enveloped the plain from one horizon to the other.

" Look out 1 look out ! " shouted Tom Marix.

" What is the matter } " asked Mrs. Branican getting
suddenly.

Near her, Jane and the woman Harriett, Godfrey, ;
Zach Fren tried to look through the darkness.
camels stretched on the ground raised their heads i
uttered hoarse cries of terror.

" But what is it ? " asked Mrs. Branican.
, " The simoom ! " replied Tom Marix.

And those were the last words that were heard. Sj
was filled with such a tumult that the ear could no n
perceive a sound than the eyes could see a ray of 11
amid the thick darkness.

It was indeed the simoom, as Tom Marix had said,
of those sudden storms which devastate the Austra
deserts. An enormous cloud had risen in the south

Indications and Incidents. 317

swooped down on to the plain, a cloud formed not only of
sand, but of cinders whirled up from the ground calcined
by heat.

Around the encampment, the sand-hills were in motion
like the surge of the sea, and broke, not in liquid spray,
but in impalpable dust which blinded, deafened and stifled.
It seemed as though the plain would be levelled by the
storm which had broken on the surface. If the tents had
been up, not a rag of them would have been left.

Everyone felt the irresistible torrent of air and sand
which passed them like a hail of musketry. Godfrey held
on to Dolly by both hands, not wishing to be separated
from her if this formidable attack swept the caravan
towards the north.

And this was what in- fact happened, and no resistance
was possible.

During this hour's torment — an hour which sufficed to
change the aspect of the country, by displacing the hills
and changing the general level of the soil — Mrs. Branican
and her companions, including the two invalids of the
escort, were driven along for a space of four or five miles,
rising only to fall again, and sometimes spun round like
straws in a whirlwind. They could neither see nor hear,
and risked being lost for ever. And in this way they
reached the neighbourhood of Joanna Spring, near the
banks of Oakover Creek, at the moment when, clearing
from the last mists, the day had begun to break under the
rays of the rising sun.

All were present to the roll-call }

All?

No.

Mrs. Branican, the woman Harriett, Godfrey, Jos Meritt,
Gin-Ghi, Zach Fren, Tom Marix, the whites remaining at
their post were there, and with them four saddle camels ;
but me blacks had disappeared — disappeared with the
twenty other camels, those that carried the provisions and
those that carried Captain John's ransom.

And when Dolly called Jane, Jane did not answer.

r»r» in

A To,

CHAPTER XII.

THE LAST EFFORTS.

Tins disappearance of the blacks, with the saddle cai
and the pack camels, made the situation nearly despe
for Mrs. Branican and those who remained faithfu
her.

"Treason " was the word pronounced first by Zach F
the word repeated by Godfrey, Treason was only
evident under the circumstances. Such was the opii
of Tom Marix, who did not forget the malign influe
exercised by Lcn Burker over the natives of the cscor

Dolly would still have doubted. She could not bel
in so much duplicity, in so much infamy.

" Len Burker could not have been swept away as
were ? "

" Swept away with the blacks,'' said Zach Fren, " af
same time as the camels with our provisions ! "

"And my poor Jane !" murmured Dolly, "separ
from me without my noticing it."

" Len Burker would not even let her remain with y
said Zach Fien, " the scoundrel 1 "

" Scoundrel I Good ! oh ! very good ! " said Jos M(

If all that is not treachery I will give up the search
-he historic hat which — " and he turned to Gin-G

What do you think, Gin-Ghi .' "

" Ai ya, Master Jos I I think I would rather a thou'
and ten thousand times never have set foot in so com
less a country ! "

" Perhaps so ! " replied Jos Meritt.

The Last Efforts. 319

Treachery was so obvious, in short, that Mrs. Branicari
had to give in.

" But why have deceived me ? " slie asked ; " what have
I done to Len Burker ? Did I not forget the past ? Did
I not receive them like my relations, him and his unhappy
wife ? And he abandons us, he leaves us without resourccsj
he has stolen from me the price of John's freedom ! But
why?"

No one knew Len Burker's secret, and no one cou'd
answer Mrs. Branican. Jane alone could have revealed
wiiat she knew of her husband's abominable plans, and
Jane was not there.

It was only too true, however, that Len Burker had ju ^t
put in execution a plan he had long prepared, a plan whicii
Seemed to have every chance of success. Under promise
of being well paid, the blacks of the escort had easily
listened to him. At the height of the storm, wliile two of
the natives had dragged off Jane without its being po-siblo
ti> hear her screams, the others had puslied norihuards
with the camels around the encampment.

No one had seen them amid the profound obscurity,
deepened by the whirlwinds of dust, and before the day
Len Burker and his accomplices were several miles to the
east of Joanna Spring.

Jane being separated from Dolly, her husband had no
further .fear that, tortured by remorse, she would betray the
secret of Godfrey's birth. Besides, deprived of provisions
aiid the means of transport, there was reason to believe
that Mrs. Branican and her companions would'perish in
the solitudes of the Great Sandy Desert.

In fact, at Joanna Spring the caravan was still three
hundred miles from the Fitzroy. In the course of this
long journey how could Tom Marix provide for the wants
of tlie e.xptidilion reduced as it now was.'

Oakover Creek is one of the chief affluents of Grey
River, wliich Hows into the Indian Occa;i by one of the
estuaries in De Wilt Land.

Ou the banks of this river, which the excessive heat

320 XVilSTRESS IJRANICAN.

never dries up, Tom Marix would find the same shat
the same country which Colonel Warburton eulogizes wi
such a burst of joy.

There verdure and running waters take the place of t
interminable plains of sand-hills and spinifex ! But
Colonel Warburton, arrived at thii point, was almc
i-ure of attaining his object, for he had only to descend t'
creek to the settlement of Rockborne on the coast, it w
not so with Mrs. Branican. Tlie situatirn would, on t!
contrary, become worse on traversing the arid rcgio
which separate the Oakovcr from the I'it/jroy.

The caravan now only consisted of twenty-two pcrso
out oi the forty-three which left Alice Spring — Dolly ai
the native woman Harriett, Zach Fren, Tom Mari
Godfrey, Jos Mcritt, Gin-Ghi, and with the"m the fiftei
whites of the escort, of whom two were seriously i
'I'here were only four camels, the others having be(
carried off by Len Burker, including the male which scrv(
as guide, and the one that carried the kibitka. The bru
whose good qualities Jos Meritt appreciated so much h;
also disappeared, and this obliged the Englishman
travel on fot)t like his servant. In the matter of provisio
there remained a very few tins of preserves found in a b(
which one of the camels had let fall. There was no floi
nor coffee, nor tea, nor sugar, nor salt; no alcoholic drinl
no medicines ; and how could Dolly attend to the m
who were suffering from the (ever? It was absolu
destitution in a country in v\hich no supplies could
had.

At once Mrs. Bianican called the men together. Tl
valiant woman had lost nothing of her«ener^^y, which w
really superhuman, and by her encouraging words manag
to raise the spirits of her companions. What she point
rut to them was their nearness to the object of the exf
dition.

The journey was resumed and under such painful con(
tions that the most confident of the men could not ho
it would end well. Of the four camels that remained, t\

The Last Efforts, 321

had been reserved for the sick, whom they could not
abandon at Joanna Spring, one of those uninhabited
stations of which Colonel Warburton found so many in
his journey. But would these poor fellows be strong
enough to bear being taken to the Fitzroy, whence it
might be possible to send them down to some settlement
on the coast ? This was doubtful, and Mrs. Branican's
heart almost broke at the idea that two more victims
would be added to those already due to the loss of the
Franklin. But Dolly did not give up her plans. No ;
she would not even delay her search. Nothing would
stop her in the accomplishment of her duty, even if she
alone remained.

Leaving the right bank of Oakovcr Creek, the bed of
\\;hich was crossed at a ford about a mile above Joanna
Spring, the caravan went north-north-cast. In taking
this direction Tom Marix hoped to strike the Fitzroy
at the nearest bend it makes before running into King's
Sound. I

The heat was more bearable. It required the niost
urgent persuasion, almost the command, on the part of
Tom Marix and Zach Fren, before Dolly would ride one
of the camels. Godfrey and Zach Frcn walked along at
a good pace ; so did Jos Meritt, whose long llegs were as'
rigid as a pair of stilts, and when Dolly offered him her
mount he declined, saying, —

"Good! Oh! very good! An Englishman is an
Englishman, madam, but a Chinaman is a Chinaman, and
I do not see why you should not make the same offer to
Gin-Ghi; — only T forbid him to accept it."

And so Gin-Ghi went on foot, not without grumbling,
thinking of the distant delights of Sou-Tcheow, the city
of the flower-boats,, the town adored by the Celestials.

The fourth camel was used by Tom Marix or Godfrey
when they went ahead reconnoitring. The water taken
from Oakover Creek would soon be consumed, and then
jthe well question would again become serious.

Leavj-ng the banks of the creek, the journey continued

322 Mistress Branican.

towards the north over a gently undulating plain furro
by sand-hills, extending to the extreme limits of the hori
The tufts of spinifex were in closer clumps, and diffe
shrubs, made yellow by autumn, gave the region a
monotonous aspect. An opportunity might occur
shooting some game. Tom Marix, Godfrey, and 2
Frcn, who never laid aside their weapons, had fortuna
kept their guns and revolvers, and would know hov
use them. It is true there was very little ammunil
and it would have to be used with great care.

The advance continued for some hours ; a mori
stage and an afternoon stage. The bed of the en
which furrowed this territory were only strewn i
calcined pebbles among the vegetation discoloured by
drought. The sand showed not the least trace of humic
It was thus necessary to find a well, and to find
within twenty-four hours, as Tom Marix had no more I
at his disposal.

And so Godfrey went off right and left of the rout(
search of one.

" My child," said Mrs. Branican, " be careful ! Do
run into danger."

" Run into danger ! " said Godfrey, " when it cone
you and Captain John ! "

Owing to his devotion, and owing also to a cer
instinct which guided him, a few wells were discoverec
occasionally exploring several miles from the track.

Thus if sufferings from thirst were not quite spared tl
at least they were not excessive in this part ofTas:
Land between Oakover Creek and Fitzroy River. V
added to their fatigues were the insufficient mean
transport, and the meagre rations now reduced to a
preserves, the want of tea and coffee, the want of tob;
so painful^ to the men of the escort, the impossibilit
adding a few drops of alcohol to the brackish w.
After two hours on the road the strongest were attac
by lassitude, exhaustion, and misery.

And then the camels found scarcely anything to

The Last Efforts. 323

among the brushwood which yielded no edible twig or
leaf. There were none of those dwarf acacias, the gum of
which is nutritious and sought for by the natives during
these periods of drought. Nothing but the thorns of the
slender mimosas and the tufts of spinifex. The camels, with
their heads thrust forward, their bodies limp, dragged their
feet along, and fell on their knees, and it was only by great
efforts they could be kept on their legs.

On the 25th, in the afternoon, Tom Marix, Godfrey, and
Zach Fren managed to obtain a little fresh food ; some
migrating pigeons flew by in flocks. Very wild and very
quick in escaping from among the mimosa clumps, they
were not easy of approach. But a few were shot. They
could not but be excellent, and they were so in reality, and
the famished travellers appreciated them as if they were
the most savoury game. They were grilled in front of a
fire of dry roots, and for a few hjDurs Tom Marix was able
to save the preserves.

But what was food for the man was not food for the
camels. And in the morning of the 26th, the one that
carried the sick, men fell heavily to the ground and had
to be abandoned, as nothing could get him to resume the
journey.

To Tom Marix fell the task of finishing him by a bullet
in the head. Then, not wishing to lose the flesh, which
represented food for some days, although the animal was
very much emaciated by privation, he set to work to cut him
up in Australian fashion. Tom Marix was not unaware
that every part of the camel could be used as food. -With
the bones and some of the skin which they boiled in the
only pot they had left, they obtained a soup which was
well received by the famished stomachs ; the brains, the
tongue, the cheeks, properly cooked, afforded more sub-
stantial nourishment. Even the flesh cut into thin strips
and quickly dried in the sun was kept, as were also the feet
which are the best part of the animal. It was a pity there
was no salt, for the salted flesh would have kept better.

The journey was continued under these conditions at

324 MlSTRF-SS BrANICAN.

the rate of a few miles a day. Unfortunately tlin s
men grew no better, more owing to the want of reni^c
than the want of attention. All would not reach the s]
to which every effort of Mrs. Sranican was directed, to t
FitzToy HiYcr where the misery would in a certain deg
be relieved.

And in fact, on the 26th of March and the following c
the two men succumbed to their prolonged exhausti
They were natives of Adelaide, one being only twcnty-'i
years of age, the other being fifteen years older, and de;
had struck them both on this journey through the AusI
Han desert.

Poor fellows ! They were the first that perished at t
work, and their companions were very painfully affect
Was not the same fate awaiting all, since Len Burk(
treachery, abandoned amid these regions, where even ■
animals could not find means of subsistence ?

And what could Zach Fren reply when Tom Marix s
to him, —

" Two men dead to save one, without reckoning th
who are still to go ! "

Mrs. Branican gave free vent to her grief, in which ev
one shared. She prayed for these two victims, and tl:
grave was marked by a little cross which the heat of
climate would soon reduce to dust.

.The caravan resumed its journey.

The three camels that remained would mount
most tired of the men in turn, so as not to delay th
companions, and Mrs. Branican refused to reserve one
the animals for her own use. During the halts the cam
were used in searching for wells, sometimes by Godfr
sometimes by Tom Marix, for not a solitary native \
met with from whom information could be obtain
This appeared to indicate that the tribes had moved ii
the north-east of Tasman Land. In that case the In.
would have to be followed down the valley of the Fitzr
a very serious matter, inasmuch as it would add sevc
hundred miles to the length of the journey.

The Last Efforts. 325

In the beginning of April Tom Marix noticed that the
provisions were nearly exhausted. It consequently became
necessary to sacrifice one of the three camels. A few
days' food being assured, they would doubtless be able to
reach Fitzroy River, from which the caravan could not
be more than fifteen stages away.

The sacrifice being indispensable, they had to resign
themselves to it. The animal least fit for service was
chosen. It was killed, cut up, and reduced to strips which,
dried in the sun, possessed fairly nutritive properties after
being cooked for some time. The other parts of the
animal, including the heart and the liver, were carefully
put by. s.

Meanwhile Godfrey managed to kill several brace of
pigeons — a poor addition, it is true, to the food of twenty
people. Tom Marix also noticed that clumps of acacia
began to reappear on the plain, and it was possible to use
the seeds as food if they were first roasted on the fire.

Yes ! It was time they were at the Fitzroy River, to
find there -the supplies they had vainly demanded from
this accursed country. A delay of a few days, and the
majority of the expedition would not have strength to
reach it.

On the Sth of April there remained none of the provi-
sions, and none of the camel meat. Mrs. Branican and
her companions were reduced to a few acacia seeds.

In fact Tom Marix hesitated to sacrifice the two last
camels. In consideration of the distance he had still to
traverse he could not make up his mind to kill them.
But he would have to do so tliat very evening, for nobody
had had anything to cat for fifteen hours.
. But just as they stopped one of the men ran up shout-
ing,—

" Tom Marix ! Tom Marix ! the two camels have
just fallen."

" Try to get them up."

" It is impossible."

•' Then we must kill them at once."

32 J Mistress Branican.

" Kill them ? " answered the man. " But they arc d;
if they are not aheady dead."

" Dead ! " exclaimed Tom Marix. And he could
restrain a gesture of despair, for the flesh of these ani
is uni atable unless they are killed.

Followed by Mrs. Branican, Zach Fren, Godfrey
Jos Meritt, Tom Marix went to the spot where the
animals had just fallen.

There, stretched on the ground, they were shaking
vulsively, foaming at the mouth, their limbs contra
their stomachs panting. They were about to die, anc
of a natural death.

" What has happened to them .' " asked Doliy. " Tl
not fatigue : that is not exhaustion."

" No," replied Tom Marix, " I fear it is the effc
some noxious plant."

"■Good ! Oh ! very good ! I know what it is,"
Jos Meritt ; " I have seen it in the eastern colonic:
Queensland. These camels have been poisoned."

" Poisoned ? " repeated Dolly.

"Yes," said Tom Marix, "poi.soned."

" Well," continued Jos Meritt, "since we have no (
supplies, we must follow the example of the cann
unless we die of hunger. What would you have ? E
country has its usages, and. the best thing is to conioi
them."

The gentleman said these words in such a tone of i
that with his eyes enlarged by hunger, and his
thhiner than ever, he was quite alarming to look ate

Thus the two camels were dying of poison, anc
poison — for Jos Meritt was right — was due to a sp
of poisonous nettle somewhat rare on the plains c
north-west ; this is the Moroides laportea, producing ;
of raspberry, with the leaves bristling with sharp p
Even their contact causes intense and lasting pain,
fruit is a deadly poison, if not treated with the jui
Colocaria macrorhiza, another plant generally growi
tne same localities as the Moroides,

TriE Last Efforts. 3. -'7

The instinct which prevents animals from touching hurt-
ful substances had been this time overcome, and the two
animals had not been able to resist feeding on these nettles,
and were dying in horrible suffering.

How the two following days passed neither Mrs. Erani-
can nor any of her companions can remember. They had
to abandon the two dead animals, for an hour afterwards
they were in a state of complete decomposition, so rapid
is the effect of the vegetable poison. Then the caravan,
crawling along towards the Fitzroy, tried to make out
the country that surrounds the valley. Would they all
reach it ? No, and some were asking to be killed on the
spot, so as to be spared the most frightful agony.

Mrs. Branican went from one to the other. She tried
to cheer them up. She begged them to make a last effort.
The end was not far off. A few more marches. Beyond
was safety. But what could she get from these unfortu-
nates ?

On the 8th of April, in the evening, no one had strength
enough to pitch the camp. The unfortunates crept to the
foot of the spinifex to chew the dusty leaves. They could
not speak — they could not go beyond. They had fallen
at this last halt.

Mrs. Branican still refused to give way. Kneeling near
her, Godfrey fixed his eyes on hers. He called her
" mother ! mother 1 " like a child begging of her who
bore him not to let him dia

And Dolly standing amid her companions swept the
horizon with a look, and shouted, " John ! John I "

As if it was from Captain John that the last help could
come.

CHAPTER XIII.

AMONG TITK TNDAS.

The tribe of the Indas, composed of several hundreds of
natives, men, women and children, at this time occupied
the banks of the Fitzroy River, about one hundred and
forty miles from its mouth. These natives had returned
from the regions of Tasman Land which are watered by
the upper course of the river. For some days the chances
of their wandering life had brought them within five-and-
twenty miles of that part of the Great Sandy Desert, where
the caravan had reached its last halt, after a chain of
misery exceeding the power of man to bear.

It was among these Indas that Captain John and his
mate, Harry Fclton, had lived for nine years. With the
aid of the events which are to follow, we are able to
narrate their history during this long period, and complete
the story told by Harry Felton on his death-bed.

Between the years 1875 and 18S1 — it will not have been
forgotten — the crew of the Franklin had taken refuge on an
island in the Indian Ocean, Browse Island, situated about
two hundred and fifty miles from York Sound, the nearest
point on the coast which rounds off the Australian Conti-
nent on the <north-vvest. Two of the sailors had been lost
during the storm, and the shipwrecked men, to the number
of twelve, had lived for six years on this island, without
any means of leaving it, when a boat drifted on to the
shore.

Captain John, wishing to use this boat for the common
Safety, put it in a state to reach the Australian mainland,
and prepared it for a voyage of some weeks. But as the

Among the Indas. 329

boat could only hold seven passengers, Captain John
and Harry Felton embarked in it with five of their com-
panions, leaving five others on Browse Island, to wait
until a ship was sent to them. We know how those un-
fortunates died before they were rescued, and under what
circumstances Captain Ellis discovered their remains
during the second cruise of the Dolly Hope in 1883.

After a dangerous passage through these detestable
regions of the Indian Ocean, the boat reached the continent
in the latitude of Cape Leveque, and entered the gulf into
which flows the Fitzroy. But misfortune willed it that
Captain John should be attacked by the natives, an attack
in which four of his men were killed in defending them-
selves.

These natives, belonging to the tribe of the Indas,
dragged away into the interior Captain John, Harry Fel-
ton and the sailor who escaped the massacre. The sailor,
who was wounded, could not be cured of his wounds. A
few weeks later, John Branican and Harry Felton were the
only survivors of the wreck of the Franklin.

Then commenced for them an existence which at first
was seriously menaced. , As we have said, these Indas, like
all the sedentary or wandering tribes of Northern Austra-
lia, are fierce and sanguinary. The prisoners made in their
incessant tribal wars are pitilessly killed and eaten. There
is no morp inveterate custom tiai cannibalism among
these aborigines, who are veritable wild beasts.

Why were Captain John and Harry Felton spared }
That depended on the circumstances.

We are not iinaware that among the natives of the inte-
rior and the coast, a state of war is perpetuated from gene-
ration to generation. The sedentaries attack village after
village, destroying and taking prisoners. So it is with
the nomads ; they pursue their enemies from camp lo
camp, and their battles always end with the most frightful
scenes of cannibalism. These massacres will i.ievitably
bring about the destruction of the Australian race as surely
as the proceedings of the Anglo-Saxons, which, under

330 Mistress Branican.

certain circumstances, have been of unavowable barbarity.
How can we describe such acts ? Blacks chased by the
whites as if they were game, with all the refined emotions
derivable from this kind of sport, iires widely spread so
that the inhabitants would no longer be spared their bark
" gunyos " which serve them for dwellings. The con-
querors have even gone almost as far as poisoning them
with strychnine, so as to destroy them more rapidly. We
have only to quote this sentence from the pen of an Aus-
tralian colonist; "AH the men I meet on my pasturages
I shoot, because they are cattle-slayers ; all the women
because they bring cattle-slayers into the world, and all
the children because they will become cattle-slayers ! "

We can thus understand the hatred the Australians
have vowed against their executioners, a hatred which is
hereditary. It is seldom that the whites who fall into
their hands are not massacred without mercy. Why then
had the survivors of the Franklin been spared by the
Indas ?

If the sailor had not died soon after he was taken pri-
soner, he would very probably have suffered the usual fate.
But the chief of the tribe, a native named Willi, had had
dealings with the colonists on the coast, and knew enough
to notice that Captain Branican and Harry Felton were
two officers, out of whom he might make something in
two ways. As a warrior, Willi could make use of their
talents in his contests with his rivals ; and as a trader,
who knew how to trade, he saw the possibility of a lucra-
tive speculation in the shape of a substantial ransom for
the two prisoners, who consequently had their lives re-
spected, although they had to submit to a wandering exis-
tence, which was all the more painful from the constant
watch the Indas kept over them. Never out of sight day
or night, never allowed far away from the camp, they had
tried now and then to escape at the risk of their lives, but
all in vain.

In the meantime their advice was asked with regard to
the frequent tribal encounters, and their advice was valu-

Among the Indas. 331

able to Willi, who derived much advantage from it, owing
to its always assuring him the victory. Thanks to his
successes, his tribe had become one of the most powerful
in the country of Western Australia.

These natives of the north-west are apparently a cross
between the Australians and the Papuans. Like the r
congeners, the Indas have long and curly hair ; their colour
is not so dark as that of the natives of the southern dis-
tricts, who seem to be a more vigorous race ; their height
is not so great, and rarely exceeds fifty-two inches. Tlic
men are more strongly built than the women ; if tlieir
forehead is somewhat retreating, their superciliary arches
are rather prominent — which, if ethnologists are to be
believed, is a sign of intelligence ; their eyes, the iris of
which is dark^ are remarkably brilliant in the pupil ;^ their
hair, very brown in colour, is not woolly like that of the
African negroes ; their skulls are not large, and nature
has not given them too much in the way of brains. They
are called blacks, although they have nothing of the
Nubian black in tiiem ; they are chocolate, if we may coin
a word which exactly describes their general colour.

The Australian negro is gifted with an extraordinary
keenness of scent, which rivals that of the best dogs of the
chase. They will recognize the traces of a human being
or any animal by the mere smell of the ground or of the
vegetation. Their auditory nerve is also of extreme sensi-
bility, and they can even distinguish, it would appear, the
sound of ants working in the interiorof an ant-hill. There
would be a certain amount of justice in classifying these
natives among the order of climbers, for there is no gum
tree too high or too smooth for them to climb by means of
a reed of flexible rattan, to which they give the name of
" kamin," and by the prehensile conformation of their
great toes. >*

As we have already noted with regard to the natives of
Finke River, the Australian woman is short-lived, and
rarely reaches forty years of age ; the men attaining about
twelve more in certain districts of Queensland. These

33^ Mistress Branicajt.

unfortunate creatures have as their share the roughest
work of the household ; they are slaves, under the yoke
of their pitiless masters, compelled to carry the bundles,
the utensils, the weapons, and to seek for the edible roots,
and lizards, worms and snakes which form the food of the
tribe. But it is as well to mention that they take affec-
tionate care of their children, whom the fathers hardly
trouble themselves about, for the child is a burden to the
mother, who is thereby prevented from giving her exclu-
sive attention to the cares of this nomad existence ; hence
among some tribes the blacks have cut off the woman's
breasts in order to make it impossible for them to give
their children nourishment. And yet, horrible as the
custom may be, and discordant as it may appear with the
precautions taken to dimihish the numbers — these lit Ic
beings in time of famine are eaten in certain tribes where
cannibalism is still carried to excess.

Among the Australian blacks, who are scarcely worthy
of being called human, life is concentrated as one sole
object. " Ammeri ! ammeri ! " recurs incessantly in the
native speech, the word meaning " hungry." The most fre-
quent gesture of these savages consists in slapping the
stomach, which is only too often empty. In these lands,
without game and without cultivation, the people eat at
all hours of the day and night, when an opportunity offers,
on account of this constant fear of a near and lengthy
fast. And, after all, what food is there for these
aborigines — the most miserable, assuredly, of all those
whom nature has scattered over the globe .? A sort of
coarse cake called "damper," made of a little flour without
yeast, and cooked, not in an oven, but under glowing
embers — honey, which they sometimes collect by felling
the tree, at the summit of which the bees have established
their hives — " kadjerah," a kind of white porridge, made by
the" pounding of poisonous palm-roots, from which the
poison has been extracted by delicate manipulation — eggs of
the jungle birds laid in the ground — which the heat hatches
artificially — and of the pigeons, peculiar to Australia,

Among the Indas: 333

which hang their nests from the end of the tree branches
— and, finally, certain kinds of the larvae of beetles, some
gathered among the boughs of the acacia trees, others dug
up from the rotten deposits about the roots of the
thickets. And that is all.

In this hourly struggle for existence, we have the ex-
planation of cannibalism, with all its horrible monstroisities.
It is not a sign of natural ferocity, but the. consequence of
the commanding necessity to which the Australian is given
to escape dying 6f hunger.

At the lower course of the Murray, and among the
tribes of the north, it is the custom to kill the children,
and feed on them, and to the mother is given the joint of
a finger of each child she is forced to hand over to these
cannibal feasts. It is dieadful to think that when the
mother has nothing else to eat, she has to devour her own
child, and yet travellers have heard these miserable women
talk of this abomination as if it were a most natural act.

But at the same time it is not hunger alone which forces
the Australian to cannibalism ; they have a decided taste
for human flesh, the flesh they call " talgoro," " the meat
that speaks," according to one of their horribly realistic
expressions. Tf they do not gratify this taste on the
people of their own tribe, they none the less do it by man-
hunting.. Their incessant wars had no other object than
talgoro, which they eat fresh^ as well as preserve for future
use. It is stated by Dr. Carl Lumholtz, that during his
daring journey across the North-Eastern Provinces, the
blacks were continually discussing this food question,
saying that " for Australians there was nothing like human
flesh," but this was not so much the flesh of the white man,
which had a saltish after-taste that was very disagree-
able.

There is another motive which predisposes these tribes
to exterminate each other. The Australians are extra-
ordinarily credulous. They are terrified at the voice of
the " Kvin'gan," an evil spirit which haunts the fields and

334 MiSTRKSs Branican.

13 merely the melancholy call of a charming bird, one of
the mo:5t curious in Australian ornithology. But if they
believe in the existence of a superior and wicked being,
according to the best authorities, no native ever says a
prayer, and not a trace can be found of rehgious prac-
tices.

In reality they are very superstitious, and as they firmly
believe their enemies can kill them by witchcraft, they a're
eager to destroy them ; and this, added to the habit of
cannibalism, exposes these countries to constant depopu-
lation.

It may as well be noted, in passing, that some of the
Australians respect their dead ; they wrap the body in
strips of foliage or bark, and deposit it in a shallow grave,
with the feet towards the east, unless they bury it upright,
as they do among certain tribes. The grave of a chief is
then covered by a hut, the entrance to which is towards
the rising sun. It should also be said that among certain
tribes the strange belief prevails that blacks are rc-incar-
nated as whites, and, according to the observations of Carl
Lumholtz, the language of the country has the same word
for the spirit of a man, and a man of white colour.
According to another native superstition, the animals have
formerly been human creatures — which is metempsychosis
the wrong way round.

Such are the tribes of the Australian continent'destined
evidently to disappear, as have also the natives of Tas-
mania. Such were the Indas, into whose hands had fallen
John Branican and Harry Felton.

After the sailor's death, John Branican and Harry
Felton had had to follow the Indas in their continual pere-
grinations in the central and north-western regions. Some-
times attackinghostiletribes, sometimes attacked by them,
they obtained an incontestable superiority over them,
thanks to the advice of their prisoners, by which Willi
profited. Hundreds of miles were traversed from King's
Sound to Van Diemen's Gulf, between the Fitzroy Valley
and that of the Victoria, and even on the plains of Alex-

Among the Indas. 35

andra Land. In this way Captain John and his mate
travelled across countries unknown to geographers, which
are left blank on modern maps, east of Tasman Land, and
Arnheim Land and the' confines of the Great Sandy-
Desert.

Although these interminable journeyings appeared ex-
tremely laborious to them, the Indas made nothing of it.
This was their usual mode of life, taking no notice of
either distance or time, of which they have hardly a
notion. In fact an event which could only take place
within five or six months would be- described by a native
in all good faith as taking place in two or three days, or
the next week. They have no notion of age ; and know
of no time but the hour that exists. It would seem as
though the Australian belongs to a special division in
the scale of beings^as do certain animals of the
country.

In these customs John Branican and Harry Felton were
obliged to conform. To these fatigues due to the daily
movements, they had to submit. With this food, often so
insufficient, and always so repugnant, they had to be con-
tented. To say nothing of those frightful scenes of
cannibalism, the horrors of which they never could miti-
gate, after the battles in which the enemies fell in
hundreds.

And in thus submitting, the intention of Captain John
and Harry Felton was to lull the vigilance of the tribe to
sleep until an opportunity for flight presented itself.
That an escape into the deserts of the north-west had its
chances we have seen in the case of the mate of the
Franklin. But the two prisoners were watched so closely
that opportunities of flight were extremely rare, and
hardly one presented itself during the nine years. Once
only — the very year preceding Mrs. Branican's expedi-
tion — escape might have succeeded, and that under these
circumstances.

After a series of battles with the tribes of the interior,
the Indas were in camp on the shores of Lake Amadeus,

336 Mistress Branican.

in the south -west of Alexandra Land. It was not often
they advanced so far into the centre of the continent.
Captain John and Harry Felton, knowing they were
within three hundred miles of the Overland Telegraph Line,
thought the opportunity was favourable, and resolved to
take advantage of it. After reflection it seemed best to
escape separately, and meet a few miles from the camp.
Outwitting the vigilance of the aborigines, Harry Felton
was fortunate in gaining the spot where he was to wait
for his companion. Unfortunately John had been sum-
inoned to Willi, who required him to attend to a wound
he had received in the last engagement. John could not
get away, and, Harry Felton waited for him in vain for
some days. Then, thinking he might reach one of the
villages in the interior, or on the coast, and there organize
an expedition for the deliverance 'of his captain, Felton
set off towards the south-west. But such were the fatigues,
privations and misery he had to undergo, that four months
after his departure he fell dying on the banks of the
Parroo, in the Ulakara district of New South Wales.
Taken to the hospital at Sydney, he had lingered for some
weeks and then died, after being able to tell Mrs. Branican
what he knew concerning Captain John.

It was a terrible trial for John to be Avithout his com-
panion, and his energy of mind had to equal his physical
energy, or he would have given way to despair. To
whom now could he talk of what had been so dear
to him — his country, San Diego, the loved creatures he
had left there, his courageous wife, his son Wat growing
up far from him, and whom he would never probably know,
Mr. William Andrew, and all his friends, in fact ? For
nine years John had been the prisoner of the Indas ; and
how many years would roll by before his liberty was
restced to him .' However, he never lost hope, being
sustained by the hope that he would succeed in reaching
one of the towns of the Australian coast, and that Harry
Felton would do all that was humanly possible to rescuq
his captain.

Among the Indas. 337

During the early period of his captivity John had
learnt to speak the native language, which by the logic of
its grammar, the precision of its terms, the delicacy of its
expressions, seemed to show that the Australian abori-
gines must at one time have enjoyed a certain amount of
civilization. He had often spoken to Willi of the advan-
tages he would gain by leaving his prisoners free to return
to Queensland or South Australia, where he would be in
a position to send him any ransom that might be required.
But Willi was not of a trusting nature, and would not
entertain the idea. If the ransom arrived he would give
John and his mate their liberty. As to trusting to their
promises, judging probably that others were like himself,
he would never consent to it.

It naturally followed that Harry Felton's escape, which
made him furiously angry, rendered Willi more severe
towards Captain John. He stopped him from moving
about during the halts or marches, and put him under the
euard of a native, who had to answer for him with his
life.

Long months elapsed, and the prisoner had received no
news from his companion. Was there not every proba-
bility that Harry Felton had died on the journey ? If the
fugitive had succeeded in reaching Queensland or Adelaide,
would he not have already made some attempt to rescue
him from the Indas ?

During the first three months of the year 1891 — that is to
say at the beginning of the Australian summer — the tribe
had returned to the Fitzroy Valley, where Willi generally
passed the hottest period of the summer season, and
where he found the requisite resources for his tribe.

The Indas were there in the first days of April, and
their camp occupied a bend of the river, Into which flowed
a small affluent from the northern plains.

Since the tribe had taken up their quarters here. Captain
John, knowing they were near the coast had thought of
reaching It. If he could do so, It would not perhaps be
impossible for him to take refuge in one of the stations

338 Mistress Branican.

more to the south, where Colonel Warburton had ended
his journey.

John had resolved to risk everything to put an end to
this hateful life, even if he died in the attempt.

Unfortunately a change in the plans of the Indas nipped
in the bud the^prisoner's hopes. During the first fortnight
in April it was evident that Willi was preparing to depart
so as to fix his winter encampment on the upper part of
the river.

What had happened, and to what was to be attributed
this change in the habits of the tribe ?

Captain John managed to learn, but not without some
trouble : the tribe was to move further east, because the
black police had been reported on the lower CQurse of the
Fitzroy.

It will not have been forgotten that Tom Marix had
spoken about these black police, who, since Harry Felton's
revelations, had been ordered into the north-west territories.

These police are much feared by the natives, and display
a keenness of which we can have no idea when they are
in pursuit of them. They are commanded by a captain
called a " mani," having under his orders a sergeant, thirty
white men and eighty blacks mounted on good horses,
and armed with guns, swords and pistols. Known under
the name of the native police, they are sufficiently strong
to guarantee the security of the inhabitants of the regions
they visit at different times. Pitiless in their repression of
the aborigines, they are blamed by some in the name of
humanity, and approved by others in the name of public
safety. They are most active in their movements, and
journey from place to place with incredible rapidity. The
natives fear to meet them, and that is why Willi, when he
learnt they were in his neighbourhood, was preparing to
ascend the course of the Fitzroy.

But what was a danger for the Indas might be the
r^afety of Captain Branican. If he could join a detach-
ment of this police, his deliverance was assured and his
return home certain. When the camp was being struck

Among the Indas. 339

could he not find it possible to elude the vigilance of the
natives ?

Willi, it would seem, had some suspicion of the prisoner's
plans, for on the morning of. the 20th of April the door of
the hut in which John was confined was not opened at the
usual hour. A native was on guard close to the hut. To
the questions John put to him he made no reply. When
he asked to be taken to Willi they refused to comply with
his request, and the chief did not even come to visit him.

What had happened ? Were the Indas hastening their
preparations- to leave their encampment ? It was pro-
Isable, and John heard them rushing about in front of the
hut, where Willi had sent him some food.

A whole day went by, then another. No change took
place in his position. The prisoner was narrowly
watched all the time. But during the night of the 22nd
and 23rd of April he noticed that the noise outside had
ceased, and he wondered if the Indas had definitely
abandoned their project of camping on Fitzroy River.

At daybreak next morning the door of the hut suddenly
opened.

A man — a white — appeared before Captain John.

It was Lcn Burker.

CIIArTER XIV.

LEN BURKER'S game,

TniRTY-TWO days had passed since the night of the 22n'l
of March, when Len Burker had separated from Mrs.
l^ranican and her companions. The simoom so fatal to the
caravan, had given him an opportunity of executing his
plans. Dragging away Jane, and followed by the blacks
of the escort, he had driven in front of him the healthy
camels, and among them those which carried Captain
John's ransom.

Len Burker found himself in more favourable circum-
stances than Dolly for meeting the Indas in the valley
watered by the Fitzroy. Already during his wandering
life he had had frequent intercourse with the Australian
nomads, with whose language and customs he was
acquainted. The ransom he had stolen assured him a
warm welcome from Willi, and Captain John, once rescued,
would be in his power, and then —

On abandoning the caravan Len Burker had hastened
north-west, and at sunrise he and his companions were
many miles away.

Jane implored her husband, and begged of him not to
abandon Dolly and her people in the desert ; she reminded
him it was another crime added to that committed at
Godfrey's birth, and besought him to atone for his abomin-
able conduct in taking the child from its mother by joining
his efforts to those being made for the rescue of Captain
John.

Jane gained nothing. It was in vain. To prevent Len

Len Burker's Game. 341

Burker from advancing towards his object was in no one's
power. A few days more and he would have reached it.
Dolly and Godfrey dead of privation and misery, John
Branican disappeared, Edward Starter's inheritance would
pass into the hands of Jane, that is to say into his own,
and he would know how to use those millions well.

Nothing was to be expected from this rascal. He
ordered his wife to be silent, and she had to yield,
knowing well that if he had not need of her to enter into
possession of Dolly's fortune, he would have abandoned
her long ago, and perhaps worse. As to getting away
and attempting to reach the caravan, how could she think
of it ? What would have become of her, all alone ?
Besides, two of the blacks had orders not to leave her for an
instant.

We need not dwell on the incidents which Lcn Barker
met with on his journey. Neither camels nor provisions
failed him. In this way he was able to make long stages
as he approached the Fitzroy with men accustomed to
the life, and who had suffered less than the whites since
the departure from Adelaide.

In seventeen days, on the 8th of April, Len Burker had
reached the left bank of the river, on the very day that
Mrs. Branican and her companions made their last halt.

On the river bank Len Burker met with a few natives,
and obtained information from them regarding the position
of the Indas.

Learning that the tribe had followed the valley more to
the westward, he resolved to go down it so as to enter into
communication with Willi.

The task was not difficult. During the month of April,
in this part of Northern Australia, the climate is less
excessive, however low it may be in latitude. It was
evident that if Mrs. Branican's caravan could reach the
Fitzroy its miseries would be at an end in a few days.
She could enter into communication with the Indas, for
scarcely eighty-five miles then separated John and Dolly
from each other.

342 Mistress Branican.

When Len Burker was certain that he had only two or
three days more to travel he stopped. To take Jane with
him among the Indas, to bring her face to face with
Captain John, to run the risk of being denounced by her,
did not at all suit him. By his orders a halt was organized
on the left bank, and, in spite of her supplications, there
the unfortunate woman was left in charge of the two
blacks.

When that was done, Len Burker and his companions
continued their journey towards the west, with the saddle
camels and the two beasts laden with the articles of
barter.

It was on the 20th of April that Len Burker met the
tribe who were then in a state of alarm at the neighbour-
hood of the black police, whose presence had been
reported a dozen miles down the river. Willi was already
preparing to leave his camp to seek refuge in the upper-
regions ofArnheim Land, which belongs to the province
of Northern Australia. -

At this moment, by Willi's orders, and with a view to
prevent any attempt at escape on his part, John was shut
up in a hut, so that he could learn nothing of the com-
munications entered into between Len Burker and the
chief of the Indas.

These communications occasioned no difficulty. Len
Burker had had previous acquaintance with these natives.
He knew their chief, and had only to treat concerning the
amount of Captain John's ransom.

Willi was disposed to surrender the prisoner for a ransom.
The display of what Len Burker had brought in fabrics,
toys, and, above all, in the stock of tobacco that was offered,
favourably impressed him. But, like an experienced
merchant, he required a higher price, as he could not
separate without regret from a man of as much importance
as Captain John, who for so many years had lived with
the tribe and rendered it such valuable services, etc., etc.
Besides, he knew that the Captain was an American, and
he was not ignorant that an expedition had been formed

Len Burker's Game. 343

;h a view of obtaining his deliverance — which Len
rker confirmed by observing that he was the chief of
it expedition. Then, when he learned that Willi was
sasji: at the presence of the black police on the lower
jrse of the Fitzroy, he took advantage of the circum-
nce to urge him to complete the bargain without
ay. In fact, for his own interest it was necessary that
ptaiii Branican's rescue should remain secret, and if he
t him away from the Indas there was every probability
his actions remaining unknown. The final disappear-
:e of John Branican could not be imputed to him, and
;he men of his escort could not keep silent on the matter
would know how to make sure of their silence.
It follows that as the ransom was accepted by Willi the
rgain was concluded on the 22nd of April. That very
iningthc Indas abandoned their camp and went away
the Fitzroy River.

That is what Len Burker had done, that was how he
d attained his object, and. now we have to see how he
Dfited by it.

It was about eight o'clock iri the morning when the
or of the hut opened and John Branican found himself
Len Burker's presence.

Fourteen years had elapsed since the day when the
ptain had given him the last shake of the hand at the
parture of the Franklin from San Diego bay. He did
t recognize him, but Len Burker was struck with the
le change that had taken place in him. He had, of
irse, aged — he was then forty-three — but less than could
believed after so long a stay among the natives ; he
i the same well-marked features, the same resolute look,
: fire of which was not at all dulled, and his hair was
1 as thick, although it had whitened. He had remained
DOg and robust, and better, perhaps, than Harry Felton
lid have borne the fatigues of a journey across the
stralian desert — fatigues to which his companion had
cumbed.
A'^hen he saw Len Burker, Captain John stepped back.

344 Mistress Branican.

It was the first time he had found himself face to face
with a white since he had been the prisoner of the Indas.
It was the first time a stranger had come to say a word to
him.

" Who are you ? " he asked.

" An American of San Diego."

" Of San Diego ? "

" I am Lcn Burker."

"You!"

Captain John threw himself on Len Burker. -He took
him by the hands, he clasped him in his arms. What !
This man was Len Burker. No ! It was impossible. It
was only an appearance. John had not clearly heard.
He was under the influence of some hallucination." Lcn
Burker — Jane's husband —

And at that moment John hardly thought of the
antipathy with which Len Burker had formerly inspired
him, of the man whom he had so justly suspected.

" Len Burker ? " he repeated.

" Myself, John."

"Here — in these parts ! Ah, you also, Len — you have
been taken prisoner."

How could John in any other way explain the presence
of Len Burker in a camp of the Indas ?

" No ! " quickly replied Len Burker. " No, John, I
came here to ransom you from the chief of this tribe — to
rescue you — "

" To rescue me ! "

Captain John could only control himself by a violent
effort. It seemed that he had . gone mad, that his
reason was at the point of leaving him.

Then when he had become master of himself bethought
of darting out of the hut. He dared not. Len Burker
had spoken of his deliverance. But was he free ? And
Willi ? And the Indas ?

" Speak, Len, speak ! " said he, crossing his arms as if
he would keep his chest down.

Then Lcn Burker, faithful to the plan he had formed to

Len Buricer's Game. 345

tell him only a part of the story, and attribute to himself
all the merit of this campaign, began to relate the facts in
his way, when John, in a voice strangled by emotion,
cried, —

"And Dolly? Dolly?"

" She is living, John."

" And Wat, my child ? "

" Living — both of them — at San Diego."

"My wife — my son!" murmured John, his eyes filling
with tears.

Then he added, —

" Nqw speak — Len — speak ! I have strength to listen
to you."

And Len Burker, coolly looking him in the face all the
time, said, —

"A few years ago, John, when no one had any furthei
doubt about the loss of the Franklin my wife and I had to
leave San Diego and America. Business matters celled
me to Australia, and I came to Sydney, where I started
an office. Since our departure Jane and Dolly never
ceased their correspondence, for you know the affection
they bore each other, an affection which neither time nor
distance could weaken.

"Yes! I know!" replied John. "Dolly and Jane
were friends, and the separation must have been cruel to
them."

" Very cruel, John," said Len Burker, " but after some
years the day came when this separation was about to
end. About eleven months ago we were preparing to
leave Australia for San Diego, when an unexpected piece
of news put an end to our plans of departure. We then
learnt what had become of the Franklin, in what parts she
had been lost, and at the same time the rumour spread
that the sole survivor of the wreck was the prisoner of
the Australian tribe, and that was you, John."

" But how did you know that, Len? Was it through
Harry Fclton ? "

"Yes, the news was brought by Harry Fclton.

3iO MistRESS BraKican.

Almost at the end of his journey your companion had
been met with oti the banks of the Parroo, in the south of
Queensland, and brought to Sydney — "

" Harry — my brave Harry!" exclaimed Captain John.
" Ah ! I knew well he would never forget me ! As soon
as he got to Sydney he organized an cxped.tion — "

" He is dead ! " said Lcn Eurkcr; "dead of the fatigues
he had endured."

"Dead!" said John. "My God— dead ! Harry
Felton — Harry !"

And the tears (lowed from his eyes.

" But before he died," continued Lcn Burker, " Harry
Felton related all that occurred after the wreck of the
Franklin, the wreck on Browse Island, your reaching the
west of the continent. It was at his bedside that I — I
learnt this from his lips — all. And' as his eyes dosed,
John, he uttered your name."

"Harry, my poor Harry!" murmured John, as he
thought of the terrible miseries to which the faithful
companion had succumbed, whom he would never sec
again.

"John," continued Len Burker, "the loss of the
Franklin, of which there had been no news for fourteen
years, made a considerable sensation. You may judge of
the effect produced by the news that you were alive, and
that Harry Felton had left you a fi w months before a
prisoner with a northern tribe. I immediately telegraphed
to Dol,ly, informing her that I was getting ready to rescue
you from the hands of the Indas, for it could only be
a question, of ransom after what Harry Felton had said.
Then, having organized a caravan, of which I took the
command, Jane and I left Sydney. That was seven
months ago. It has taken us all that time to teach the
I'itzroy. At last here we are at the camp of the Indas."

"Thanks, Len, thanks!" said Captain John. "What
30U have done for mc — " ■ '

"You would have done fcr me under similar circum-
stances," repl.cd Len Burker.

Len Burker's Game. 347

" Certainly ! And your wife, Len, this courageous Jane,
who has not feared to face such fatigue — where is she ? "

" Three days' march up the river with two of my men,"
replied Len Burker.

" I will go and see her."

" Yes, John, and if she is not here it is because I did
not wish her to accompany me, not knowing what sort of
welcome the natives would give our little caravan — "

" But you did not come alone ? " asked John.

" No ; I had my escort, composed of a dozen blacks.
We arrived in the valley two days ago — "

"Two days?"

"Yes, and I have spent them in concluding my bargain.
The Willi thought much of you, my dear John. He
knew your importance, or rather your value. It took a
lot of talking to obtain your liberty in exchange for the
ransom — "

"Then I am free ? "

" As free as I am."

" But the natives .' "

" They have all gone off with thciir chief, and art no
longer in the camp."

" Gone .'' " exclaimed John.

"Look!"

Captain Branican bounded out of the hut. On the
bank of the river there were only the blacks of Len Bur-
ker's escort : the Indas were there no longer.

It will be seen what was true and what was false in Len
Burker's story. Of Mrs. Branicain's madness he had said
nothing. Of the fortune which had fallen to Dolly
through Edward Starter's death he had said nothing;
nothing of the voyages of the Dolly Hope in the sea of
the Philippines and Torres Straits during the years 1 879
and 1882 ; nothing of what had passed between Mrs.
Branican and Harry Felton on his deathbed ; nothing of
the expedition organized by this intrepid woman, now
abandoned in the Great Sandy Desert, the whole credit of
which the ..unworthy Len Burker had taken to himself.

A a

348 Mistress Branican.

It was he who had done all, he who, at the risk of his life,
had delivered Captain John !

And why should John doubt the truth of the story ?
Why should he not thank with effusion him who after so
many perils had just snatched him from the Indas, and
who was going to take him home to his wife and child ?

This he did, and in terms which would have touched a
less hardened being. But remorse had never troubled
Len Burker's conscience, and nothing would hinder him
from carrying out his criminal projects. Now John
Branican would go with him to the camp where Jane
was waiting for him. Why should he hesitate .■' And
during this journey Len Burker would find an opportunity
of getting rid of him, without being suspected by the
blacks of his escort, who could not afterwards bear witness
against him.

Captain John was impatient to set out, and it was
agreed that the departure would take place that very day.
His great wish was to see Jane, the devoted friend of his
wife, to talk to her about Dolly and his son, about Mr.
William Andrew, and all those he would meet again at
San Diego.

They started during the afternoon of the 23rd of April.
Len Burker had provisions for several days. During the
journey the Fitzroy would yield the water necessary for
the little caravan. The camels on which John and Len
Burker were mounted would permit them to get several
stages in advance of their escort. That would facilitate
Len Burker's designs. It would not do for Captain
John to reach the camp, and he would not reach it.

At eight o'clock in the evening Len Burker pitched his
camp on the left bank of the river for the night. He was
still too far off to put into execution his plan of getting on
in advance of his escort, amid regions where dangers were
always to be feared.

At daybreak the march was resumed.

The following day was divided into two stages, divided
by a halt of two hours. It was not always easy to follow

Len Burker's Game. 34O

the course of the Fit^roy, the banks of which were oft^^n
cii£ into by deep ravines, and sometimes barred by in-
extricable masses of gum trees and eucalyptus, obliging
the caravan to go round them.

Itjvas a hard day's march, and after their meal the
blacks went to sleep.

A few moments later Captain John was plunged in a
deep slumber.

Here was an opportunity of which Len Burker. might
take advantage, for he was not asleep. To kill John,
drag his body about twenty yards, and throw it into the
river — it seemed as though circumstances had united to
facilitate the perpetration of the crime. Then in the
morning Captain Branican would be sought for in vain.

About two o'clock Len Burker got up noiselessly, and
crept towards his victim, knife in hand. He was just
about to strike when John awoke.

" I thought you called me," said Len Burker.

"No, my dear Len," replied John, "just as I awoke I
was dreaming of my dear Dolly and our child."

At six o'clock John and Len Burker resumed their
journey along the Fitzroy.

During the midday halt Len Burker resolved to accom-
plish his purpose, for they would reach the camp that
night He proposed to John to ride on in advance of the
escort.

John agreed, for he was anxious to get to Jane and be
able to speak to her more intirnately than he had done to
Len Burker.

The two were starting when one of the blacks descried
a white advancing with a certain amount of precaution,
about a hundred yards off.

An exclamation escaped Len Burker.

He had recognized Godfrey.

CHAPTER XV.

THE LAST ENCAMPMENT.

Impelled by a sort of instinct, and almost unconscious of
what he did, Captain John had rushed up to the boy.

Len Burker had remained immovable, as if his feet were
nailed to the ground.

Godfrey was face to face with him — Godfrey, the son of
Dolly and of John 1 Then Mrs. Branican's caravan had
not succumbed ? She was, then, a few miles away — a few
yards away, perhaps — unless Godfrey was the sole survivor
of those the scoundrel had abandoned.?

In any case, this meeting, so unexpected, must shatter
Len Burker's plan. If the boy spoke, he would say that
Mrs. Branican was at the head of this expedition. He
would say that Dolly had dared a thousand fatigues, a
thousand dangers, amid the Australian deserts to bring
help to her husband. He would say that she was there —
that she was following him up the course of the Fitzroy.

And she was there. «

On the morning of the 22nd of March, after Ten Burker
had abandoned her, the little caravan had resumed its
march towards the north-west. On the 8th of April, as we
know, the poor people, exhausted from hunger and tortured
by thirst, had fallen half dead.

Sustained by her superior strength, Mrs. Branican had
endeavoured to revive her companions, imploring them to
continue their advance, to make a last effort to reach the
river, where they might obtain rclio. It was as if she
were speaking to corpses, and even Godfrey was uncon.
scious.

The Last Encampment. 351

But the soul of the expedition survived in Dolly, and
Doliy did what her companions could not do. Towards
the north-west was their course ; it was towards the north-
west that Tom Marix and Zach Fren had stretched their
sinking arms. Dolly set off in that direction.

Across the plain, which stretched away out of sight
towards the west, without food, without the means of trans-
port, what could this energetic woman hope ? Was her
object to reach the Fitzroy, to seek assistance among the
whites of the coast, or among the wandering natives ? She
did not know, but she struggled on for some miles — twenty
in three days. Then her strength failed her ; she fell, and
she would have died if help had not arrived,.providentially,
as one may say.

At this time the black police were out on the boundary
of the Great Sandy Desert. Leaving thirty of them near
the Fitzroy, their chief, the mani, had started off on a
reconnaissance into these parts with sixty of his men.

He it was who fell in with Mrs. Branican. As soon as
she recovered consciousness she was able to tdl him where
her companions were, and she took him to them. The
mani and his men revived the poor fellows, whom they
would not have found alive twenty-four hours later.

Tom Marix, who had known the mani in Queensland,
told him what had happened since they left Adelaide.
The officer was acquainted with the object of the expedi-
tion in these distant countries of the north-west, and, as
Providence had brought him to its help, he offered to join
it. When Tom Marix asked him about the Indas, he
replied that they were then on the banks of the Fitzroy,
about sixty miles off.

There was no time to lose if they wished to spoil Len
Burker's plans, whom the mani was already after for some
bushranging crime in Queensland. He did not doubt that
if Len Burker succeeded in rescuing Captain John, who
had no reason to mistrust him, it would be impossible to
get on his track.

Mrs, Branican might reckon on the mani and his men,

352 Mistress ErvANicAN.

who shared their provisions with her companions and lent
them their horses. The party set off that evening, and in
the afternoon of the 2ist of April were in sight of the
heights of the valley, near the seventeenth parallel of
latitude.

Here the mani picked up his men who had been on the
watch along the Fitzroy. They told him that the Indas
were then in camp a hundred miles further up the river.
It was important to come up with them as soon as possible,
although M-rs. Branican had no objects of exchange with
which to ransom her husband. But the mani, reinforced
by his whole detachment, assisted by Tom Marix, Zach
Fren, Godfrey, Jos Meritt, and their companions, would
not hesitate to employ force to rescue Captain John from
the Indas. But when they reached the native camp it had
been abandoned. The mani followed up the natives, halt
by halt, and it was in this way that, on the 25th of April,
Godfrey, wlio had gone on lialf a mile in advance, found
himself suddenly in Captain John's presence.

Len Burlcer had begun to recover himself, looking at
Godfrey without uttering a word, waiting for what the boy
was going to do or say.

Godfrey had not even seen him. He could not take his
eyes off the captain. Although he had never seen him, he
knew his features from the photograph Mrs. Branican had
given him. No doubt was possible. This man was
Captain John.

On his part, John looked at Godfrey with an emotion
none the less extraordinary. Although he could not ima-
gine who the boy was, he devoured him with his eyes, he
held out hands to him, he called him with a trembling
voice — yes, he called him as if he were his son.

Godfrey threw himself into his arms, exclaiming,—

" Captain John ! "

"Yes, I; it is I!" said Captain John. "But you, my
child, who are you.' Whcie do yoU come from? How
do you know my name ? "

GoJlrcy could not r>-ply. IJc became fr'ghlfully pale as

The Last Encampment, 353

he caught sight of Len Burker, and could not conceal the
horror he felt at seeing the scoundrel.

" Len Burker ! " he exclaimed.

Len Burker, after reflecting on the consequences of this
meeting, could not but congratulate himself. Was not
this a lucky chance which had given him over both Godfrey
and John ? Was it not incredible luck to have at his
mercy both father and child ? Turning to the blacks, he
made a sign to them to separate John and Godfrey, and
seize them.

" Len Burker ! " repeated Godfrey.

" Yes, my boy," answered John. " It is Len Burker, who
has saved me — "

" Saved !" said Godfrey, "No, Captain John, no. Len
Burker has not saved you ! He wants to destroy you, he
ran away from us, he stole your ransom from Mrs.
Branican — "

At this Jiame John answered with a cry, and, seizing
Godfrey's hand, said, " Dolly ? Dolly ? "

" Yes. Mrs. Branican, Captain John— your wife, who is
close by here ! "

"Dolly?" said John.

" This boy is mad ! " said Len Burker, approaching
Godfrey.

" Yes ! mad ! " murmured Captain John. " The poor
child is mad ! "

"Len Burker!" said Godfrey, trembling with passion,
" you 'are a traitor ; you are a murderer ! And this
murderer is here. Captain John, to make away with you
after abandoning Mrs. Branican and her companions."

" Dolly ! Dolly ! " exclaimed Captain John. " No— you
are not mad, my boy! I believe you! I believe you!
Come! come !"

Len Burker and his men threw themselves on John and
Godfrey, who, taking a revolver from his belt, shot one of
the blacks in the chest. But John and he were seized,
and the blacks were dragging them towards the river.

Fortunately the report was heard. Shouts came in reply

354 iVlISTKESS IiKAN-I(JAN.

from a few hundred yards down stream, and almost imme-
diately the mani and his men, Tom Marix and his com-
panions, Mrs. Brahican, Zach Fren, Jos Meritt and
Gin-Ghi came running lip.

Len Burker, and his blacks were not strong enough
to make any resistance, and a moment afterwards John
was in Dolly's arms.

'I'he game was up for Len Burker. If they captured
him he could expect no mercy; and, followed by his
blacks, he fled up the river.

The mani, Zach Fren, Tom Marix, Jos Meritt and
twelve of the police went off in pursuit.

How can we paint the feelings, how can we describe the
emotion which overflowed in the hearts of Dolly and
John ? They wept, and Godfrey shared in their embraces,
their kisses, and their tears.

So great was Dolly's joy and so much had she suffered,
that her strength abandoned her and she fainted away.

Godfrey knelt near her and helped H arriett to revive her.
John did not know it, but they knew that once before
Dolly had lost her reason through excess of grief. Would
she now lose it under excess of joy ?

"Dolly! Dolly! "said John.

And Godfrey, taking her hands, called, " Mother I
mother ! "

Dolly's eyes opened. Her hand clasped that of her
husband, whose joy was overflowing, and who held out his
arms to Godfrey, saying, —

" Come, Wat ! Come, my son ! "

But Dolly could not have him thus mistaken in believ-
ing that Godfrey was his child.

" No, John ! " said she, " no, Godfrey is not our son.
t)ur poor little Wat is dead— dead soon after you lef
us."

" Dead ! " exclaimed John, still keeping his eyes on
Godfrey.

Dolly was about to tell him of the misfortune which had
befallen fifteen yearg before, when there was the sound of a

The Last Encampment. 355

shot in the direction taken by the mani in pursuit of Len
Burker.

Had justice been done on the rascal, or had hs added
another to his long list of crimes ?

Almost immediately they all came into view on the
bank of the Fitzroy. Two of the police were holding up
a woman from whom the blood was flowing from a large
wound and reddening the ground.

It was Jane.

What had happened was this.

Notwithstanding the swiftness of his flight, the pursuers
had not lost sight of Len Burker, and a few hundred yards
only separated them from him wlien he stopped as he
caught sight of Jane.

During the evening before this wretched woman had
managed to escape, and she had fled along the Fitzroy.
She went as chance led her, and when the first shot was
heard she was not a quarter of a mile from the spot where
John and Godfrey had just met. She hastened her pace
and immediately found herself in presence of her husband,
who was running towards her.

Len Burker, seizing her by the arms, would have dragged
her away with him. At the thought that Jane would
again meet Dolly, and reveal the secret of Godfrey's birth,
his anger reached its height. And as Jane resisted he
stabbed her.

The next moment there was the report of a gun, accom-
panied by these words — appropriate enough on this
occasion, —

" Good ! Oh ! very good !"

It was Jos Meritt, who had coolly aimed at Len Burker
and' rolled him over into the water of the Fitzroy.

And that was the scoundrel's end, shot dead in the
heart by the hand of the gentleman.

Tom Marix ran towards Jane, who still breathed, but
feebly. Two of the police took the unhappy woman
between them and brought her to Mrs. Branican.

Seeing Jane in this state, Dolly uttered a heartrending

336 Mistress Branican,

shriek. Leaning over the dying woman, she tried to
listen to the beating of her heart, to feel the breath
escaping from her mouth. But Jane's wound was mortal,
the knife had been driven into her lungs,

" Jane 1 Jane ! " said Dolly, loudly.

At this voice, which recalled the only love she had ever
known, Jane opened her eyes, looked at Dolly, and smiled
Eis she murmured, —

." Dolly ! dear Dolly 1 "

Suddenly life came into her look. She had just seen
Captain John.

" John — you — John ! " she said, but so feebly they could
hardly hear her.

"Yes, Jane!" said the captain, "it is I — I, whom Dolly
has come to save."

"John — John is there ! " murmured she.

"Yes — with us, Jane/' said Dolly. "He will leave us
no more. Wo will take him back with you, with you —
there—" '

Jane heard no longer. Her eyes seemed to be looking
for someone, and she uttered the name, —

"Godfrey! Godfrey!"

And anguish was depicted on her features, already
drawn with agony.

Mrs. Branican made a sign to Godfrey, who came near.

"Him! Him! At last! "said Jane, rising with a last
effort.

Seizing Dolly's hand, —

" Come near, Dolly ! come near ! " she said. "John and
you listen to what I have still to tell you."

And they leant over her so as not to lose any of her
words.

"John, Dolly," she said, " Godfrey— Godfrey who is
tlicre — Godfrey is your child."

"Our child !" murmured Dolly. And she became as
pale as if she were dying, the blood having violently flowed
back to her heart.

" We have a son no longer," said John, " he's dead,''

The Last Encampment. 357

"Yes!" said Jane, "little Wat — over there — in San
Diego Bay. But you had a second child, and that child •
is Godfrey."

In a few sentences, broken by the^aspings of death, she
told them what had happened after John's departure ; of
Godfrey's birth at Prospect House, of Dolly deprived of
reason, a mother without knowing it, of the little child
abandoned by Len Barker's orders, found a few hours
afterwards, brought up atterwards at Wat House under the
name of Godfrey.

AnJ Jane added, —

" If I am guilty of not having had the courage to tell
you all, Dolly, forgive me — forgive me, John ! "

' Do you need forgiveness, Jane — you, who have just
given us back our child ? "

" Yes — your child ! " said Jane. " Bt fore God — John,
Dolly, I swear it — Godfrey is your child."

And seeing them both cla.-p Godfrey in their arms, Jane
smiled with happiness, and the smile died away with hci
l^t breath.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE END.

We need not linger over the incidents with which this
adventurous journey across the Australian continent came
to an end, nor dwell on the different conditions which
marked the return to Adelaide.

At the outset the question was discussed : Should they
make for the settlements on the coast by going down the
Fitzroy — among others that of Rockbourne — or should
they go to Prince Frederick harbour in York Sound ?
But some time might elapse before a ship visited the coast,
and it seemed preferable to return by the route they had
come. Escorted by the black police, abundantly supplied
with provisions by the mani, having at its disposal the
saddle and pack camels recovered from Len Burker, the
caravan had nothing to fear from anything it niight meet.

Before they started, the body of Jane Burker was laid
in a grave dug at the foot of a group of gum trees. Dolly
knelt at the grave and prayed for the poor woman's soul.

Captain John, his wife, and their companions left the
camp on the Fitzroy on the 25th of April, under the
direction of the mani, who offered to accompany them as
far as the nearest station of the Overland Telegraph line.

Everyone was so happy that none felt the fatigues of tho
journey, and Zach Fren, in his joy, said to Tom Marix, —

" Well, Tom, we have found the captain ! "

" Yes, Zach, but to what was it due .? " .

"To Providence having put the helm down, and w?,
should always reckon on Providence."

However, there was a black spot on Jos Meritt's horizon.
If Mrs. Branican had found Captain John, the famous
collector had riot found the hat, the search after which had
cost him so much trouble and sacrifice. To be just within
range of the Indas, and not enter into communication with'
this Willi, who was perhaps wearing the historic head-gear-

" Godfrey is your child ! "

The End. 3 §9

what misfortune ! Jos Meritt found some consolation, it
is true, in hearing from the mani that the fashion of
European head-coverings had not extended to the people
of the north-west, contrary to what Jos Meritt had already-
observed among the natives of the north-east. Thus his
desideratum could not be realized among the tribes of
Northern Australia. On the other hand, he could con-
gratulate himself on the splendid shot with which he had
disembarrassed the Branican family of " that abominable
Len Burker," as Zach Fren called him.

The return was made as rapidly as possible. The
caravan had no more to suffer from thirst, for the wells
were already replenished by the heavy showers of autumn,
and the heat was not insupportable. Acting on th^
mani's advice, they headed direct for the regions crossed by
the telegraph line, where there was no scarcity of well-
provisioned stations nor of means of communication with
the capital of South Australia. Thanks to the telegraph,
it was soon known all over the world that Mrs. Branican
had brought her daring expedition to a successful end.

It was in the latitude of Lake Wood that Dolly and her
companions reached a station on the Overland Telegrap!i
line. There the mani and the black police took leave of
John and Dolly Branican. They did not depart without
having received the cordial thanks they deserved, to be
followed by the reward the captain would send them as
soon as he reached Adelaide. There was now no more to
do than to pass south through Alexandra Land to Alice
Spring, where the caravan arrived on the 19th of June,
after a seven weeks' journey.

There, under the care of Mr. Flint, the chief of the station,
Tom 'Marix recovered the means of transport he had left
behind, the cattle, the drays, the buggies, the horses for
the distance remaining to be traversed. And on the 3rd
of July the expedition reached the railway at Farina Town,
and the next day arrived in Adelaide.

What a welcome awaited Captain John and his
courageous wife ! The whole town turned out to receive
them, and when Captain John Branican appeared between

36o Mistress Branican.

his wife and child on the balcony of the hotel in King
William Street,. the cheers were so terrific that, according
to Gin-Ghi, they might have been heard at the other end
of the Celestial Empire.

The stay at Adelaide was not of long duration. John
and Dolly were eager to return to San Diego, to see their
friends and take up their abode at Prospect House, where
happiness awaited them. They parted from Tom Marix
and his men, who were liberally rewarded, and whose
services could never be forgotten.

Neither did they forget that character, Jos Meritt, who
also resolved to leave Australia with his faithful domestic.

But how about the hat he had not found ? Did he find
it ? Where ? In a royal palace, where it was kept with
all the respect which was its due. Yes ! Jos Meritt, led
astray on a false scent, had been running about the five
parts of the world in vain to find a hat which was all the
time in Windsor Castle, as he learned six months later.
It was the hat worn by Her Gracious Majesty at the visit
of King Louis Philippe in 1845, and he must have been
mad at the very least, to have supposed that this master-
]iiece of a Parisian milliner woiild have finished its career
on the woolly cranium of an Australian savage [

The peregrinations of Jos Meritt consequently ceased, to
the extreme joy of Gin-Ghi, but to the extreme displeasure
of the celebrated curio-hunter, who returned to Liverpool,
much amazed that he had not been able to complete his
collection by the acquisition of the only hat of its kind
in the world. Three weeks after leaving Adelaide, where
they embarked on the Abraham Lincoln, John, Dolly, and
Godfrey Branican, accompanied by Zach Fren and th2
woman Harriett, arrived at San Diego.

There Mr. William Andrew and Captain Ellis received
them amid the inhabitants of that generous city, prcud cf
having recovered Captain John, and welcoining in him
one ol the mo^t glcrious of its children. ■

THE END.