Pagina 143 di 490

He was to leave the vessel at Melbourne, bid a polite good-bye to

the captain, and go off at once to the gold-fields. Before a week

was over he was to come across a large nugget of pure gold, the

largest nugget that had ever been discovered, and bring it down

to the coast in a waggon guarded by six mounted policemen. The

bushrangers were to attack them three times, and be defeated with

immense slaughter. Or, no. He was not to go to the gold-fields at

all. They were horrid places, where men got intoxicated, and shot

each other in bar-rooms, and used bad language. He was to be a

nice sheep-farmer, and one evening, as he was riding home, he was

to see the beautiful heiress being carried off by a robber on a

black horse, and give chase, and rescue her. Of course, she would

fall in love with him, and he with her, and they would get

married, and come home, and live in an immense house in London.

Yes, there were delightful things in store for him.