The pool of St Branok

We crowded into the saloon. One-Eye and Cassidy sat down and ate meat pies and drank ale with relish.

And then they told their story.

They had gone off in search of Skelling. "Like looking for a needle in a haystack," said Cassidy. "We was hopping mad, wasn't we, One-Eye? There was one thing we had in mind ... what we was going to do to that cheating little thief. There wasn't nothing too bad for him. We was going to string him up. We was going to let him die by inches. All this time it took ... and him not more than fifty miles away. He was always a fool, Skelling was. I don't know where he was trying to make for ... Walloo perhaps ... and get on from there. He thought the first place we'd look was Melbourne. He was right there. We did. Made inquiries. No one had seen him. So we knew he hadn't gone there to try to place the nuggets. So we came back. We'd almost given up hope, hadn't we, One-Eye?"

One-Eye said they had.

"Then," went on Cassidy, "when we was almost back and reckoned we'd have to start digging again, we saw the horse. There he was standing by the body of Skelling. Know what had happened? He was just starved to death. He'd tried eating grass. There was stains on his face. The buzzards would soon have made short work of him, I reckon ... when they got wind of him. But there he was. Must have been dead a few days. So we didn't get him alive."

One-Eye nodded.

Arthur Bowles said: "And he's still lying there?"

"Yes," said One-Eye.

Cassidy added: "Seeing him like that ... made us sort of glad that we wasn't the ones to have to take revenge. We was glad it had been done for us. I don't know ... funny how you change. We found our gold on him ... some on his belt ... some in his pockets ... We've found every single bit ... haven't we, One-Eye?"

"Yes," affirmed One-Eye, "every single bit."

"It makes you think," went on Cassidy. "A man's dead and gone for good, ain't he? And once he's gone you feel different about what you're going to do. Me and One-Eye wants to get a coffin made for him and we're going out to get him and bring him back. We're going to give him a burial here ... and then we're going home. And we're never going to let that gold leave our sight again, are we, One-Eye? Not till we get to Melbourne, get it weighed up and all that has to be done."

There was little work done that day. Everyone was talking about the way they had found poor old Skelling who was now dead.

Poor old Skelling, they said. He had never had a chance. They sent him out for seven years when he was little more than a boy and he had lived hard ever since. He hadn't even had that little bit of luck which had come to most people at some time. Poor old Skelling.

True to their word, One-Eye and Cassidy made their coffin. They took the buggy with them and went out and brought Skelling home.

The parson was summoned from Walloo and there was a burial service; and outside the town where a few graves already existed, old Skelling was laid to rest.

The entire incident made me feel more eager than ever to go home.

It was just after the funeral when Ben asked me to ride with him because he must talk to me.

We went out to that spot near the creek, and we tethered our horses and sat down.

He said: "How long are we going on like this?"

I replied: "I suppose something will happen. It usually does."

"It won't unless we make it. Listen to me, Angel. Are you going to spend your life in this place?"

"God forbid."

"Do you think Gervaise is ever going to find gold? Enough to make him give up?"

"No ... not really. I don't think anyone will. I know somebody did and started all this. It was a pity. I wish the gold had stayed where it was and nobody knew about it."

"You can't go on living like this, Angel."

"I have felt that."

"Have you told Gervaise how you feel about it?"

I nodded.

"And he said, 'We'll strike gold soon and then we'll go home,' eh? Is that what he said?"

"Yes."

"He won't find it."

"Why not? One-Eye and Cassidy did."

"And suppose he did? What would he do? Go home? It would be gone in a few weeks. Then would you be persuaded to come out and start all over again?"

"Once I was home, I would never come back."

"I'll take you home. I'll give you my word. Come with me ... and we'll go home. We could leave in a few weeks. Say yes, Angel. You don't know how important it is for you to say yes ... now."

I closed my eyes. It was like having the kingdoms of the world spread before my eyes and being told: This will be yours. Ben ... and Home. I would be freed from the perpetual worry of how many debts would be mounting. I should be home ... I should see my family. Yet I must say: "Get thee behind me, Satan."

"Angel ..." His arms were about me.

"No, Ben, no. I can't."

"You want to."

I did not answer.

He kissed me and said: "We can't go on like this ... either of us. I know your feelings. You know mine. Look, Angel, I came here to find gold. I vowed I wouldn't go back until I did. I'd give that up for you. Doesn't that tell you ... ?"