Annie gazed at our hero earnestly for a moment, but did not respond; a dreamy look came into her eyes as she looked at him and thought, “What a noble, manlike fellow he is!” And the forester’s hitherto rather stern-like expression gave way to a softer one, as he met that gaze, and took in the appearance of the fair girl beside him; her rich long auburn hair had fallen over her shoulders, its dark shades relieved by golden gleams, where the sunlight played upon it. Annie had loosened her dress at the neck, to get all the air she could, thus disclosing her pure white skin and the soft outlines of her throat, whilst her gentle fawn-like eyes, still moist from the hours of agony she had gone through in the cave, looked with a startled anxious expression into those of our hero.
Truly, hers was a lovable, confiding nature, and Mat felt it,—felt it as in a dream,—as in a heavenly trance, and he also felt that he was rewarded....
After they had thus sat for a brief space in silence, Mat went on to tell Annie, without entering into particulars of the fight, that if it had not been for the faithful Waigonda chief, matters might have had a very different termination, for that he could not do much against bullet-proof armour.
“Yes, that armour!” cried Annie, “I knew that there were many things I wanted to tell you; I soon found out how impossible it would be for any one to harm the bushranger, for once he took off a lot of armour when resting and eating, for he had a bag of provisions, and then I remembered reading somewhere about a man who defied every one, and shot all who tried to take him, and they supposed he wore a breastplate of iron, because no one could ever hurt him; and, Mat, how agonizing were my feelings when I found I had no means of scrawling this fact on a bit of paper to let you know, for I knew you would come. I tied a bit of handkerchief on to a tree to show I was alive and—”
“And here it is,” said Mat, with a smile, as he produced the remnant. “And there’s a ‘cooee,’” he cried, jumping up. “Terebare’s, I know, yes! there she is, on that high bank, and the squire on horseback.”
Annie sprang to her feet, and a few moments afterwards was weeping tears of love and thankfulness on her father’s breast.
CHAPTER XV.
Magan’s armour—Safe at Bulinda Creek again—The professor’s last lesson on the island—Mat and Tim once more together—Tim convalescent.
After the first transports of joy at again meeting each other were over, Annie led her father under the big ti-tree, and recounted to him some of the adventures that had befallen her since she had been carried off.
“And where is the man that saved you, lassie?” said the squire, as soon as he had heard her narrative.