Harry Heathcote of Gangoil | Page 9

"hands" at the sugar-mill were stealing his
sheep Harry thought that he knew; but that was comparatively a small
affair, and he would not have pressed it, as he was without absolute
evidence. And even he had a feeling that it would be unwise to increase
the anger felt against himself--at any rate, during the present heats.
Jacko had his pipe still alight when Heathcote returned. "You young
monkey," said he, "have you been using matches?"
"Why not, Mr. Harry? Don't the grass burn ready, Mr. Harry? My
word!" Then Jacko stooped down, lit another match, and showed
Heathcote the burned patch.
"Was it so when we came?" Harry asked, with emotion. Jacko, still
kneeling on the ground, and holding the lighted match in his hand,
shook his head and tapped his breast, indicating that he had burned the
grass. "You dropped the match by accident?"
"My word! no. Did it o' purpose to see. It's all just one as gunpowder,
Mr. Harry."
Harry got on his horse without a word, and rode away through the
forest, taking a direction different from that by which he had come, and
the boy followed him. He was by no means certain that this young
fellow might not turn against him; but it had been a part of his theory to
make no difference to any man because of such fears. If he could make
the men around him respect him, then they would treat him well; but
they could never be brought to respect him by flattery. He was very
nearly right in his views of men, and would have been right altogether
could he have seen accurately what justice demanded for others as well
as for himself. As far as the intention went, he was minded to be just to
every man.
It seemed, as they were riding, that the heat grew fiercer and fiercer.
Though there was still the same moaning sound, there was not a breath
of air. They had now got upon a track very well known to Heathcote,
which led up from the river to the wool-shed, and so on to the station,
and they had turned homeward. When they were near the wool-shed,
suddenly there fell a heavy drop or two of rain. Harry stopped and
turned his face upward, when, in a moment, the whole heavens above

them and the forest around were illumined by a flash of lightning so
near them that it made each of them start in his saddle, and made the
horses shudder in every limb. Then came the roll of thunder
immediately over their heads, and with the thunder rain so thick and
fast that Harry's "ten thousand buckets" seemed to be emptied directly
over their heads.
"God A'mighty has put out the fires now," said Jacko.
Harry paused for a moment, feeling the rain through to his bones--for
he had nothing on over his shirt--and rejoicing in it. "Yes," he said; "we
may go to bed for a week, and let the grass grow, and the creeks fill,
and the earth cool. Half an hour like this over the whole run, and there
won't be a dry stick on it."
As they went on, the horses splashed through the water. It seemed as
though a deluge were falling, and that already the ground beneath their
feet were becoming a lake.
"We might have too much of this, Jacko."
"My word! yes."
"I don't want to have the Mary flooded again."
"My word! no."
But by the time they reached the wool-shed it was over. From the first
drop to the last, there had hardly been a space of twenty minutes. But
there was a noise of waters as the little streams washed hither and
thither to their destined courses and still the horses splashed, and still
there was the feeling of an incipient deluge. When they reached the
wool-shed, Harry again got off his horse, and Jacko, dismounting also,
hitched the two animals to the post and followed his master into the
building. Harry struck a wax match, and holding it up, strove to look
round the building by the feeble light which it shed. It was a
remarkable edifice, built in the shape of a great T, open at the sides,
with a sharp-pitched timber roof covered with felt, which came down
within four feet of the ground. It was calculated to hold about four
hundred sheep at a time, and was divided into pens of various sizes,
partitioned off for various purposes. If Harry Heathcote was sure of any
thing, he was sure that his wool-shed was the best that had ever been
built in this district.
"By Jimini! what's that?" said Jacko.
"Did you hear any thing?"

Jacko pointed with his finger down the centre walk of the