We settled the business that evening, and I even made an arrangement with Mr. Wright to forward me all his surplus produce, such as vegetables and fruit, and all the cattle he desired to dispose of. I pointed out the advantage he would derive from the trade, and that, instead of sending his stock to Melbourne, and waiting for consignees to dispose of it, I would pay upon delivery, and give the best market price. He agreed with me, and we closed a bargain that was only interrupted when Fred and myself left the country.
The next morning we were up at daylight, and so were the whole household. Breakfast was smoking on the table when we descended to the first floor, and Jackson stood near the door looking quite melancholy at the prospect of our departure, while Kala and Iala ventured as near the dining room as they dared for the purpose of reminding us of our promised bottles of rum, and tobacco. We satisfied them that they were not forgotten, and that they should receive the articles by the first team that was consigned to us from the farm.
"And me, sir," whispered Jackson; "I hope that I shall not be forgotten after your departure."
"We never forget our promises," I replied. "You shall have a pardon, if money or influence can procure one."
With this assurance he was perfectly satisfied, and I may as well state here that he was pardoned in less than a year from the time of our visit, and that he left Mr. Wright's employ, went to Melbourne with a hundred pounds in his pocket, commenced a small business, which gradually expanded, until at the present time he writes me that he is assessed for near one hundred thousand pounds. He has been fortunate in all his speculations, and is regarded as one of the most honorable merchants in Melbourne.
"By the way, that fellow whom you quarrelled with and struck has left my employ," Mr. Wright said, as we took our seats at the table.
"He took a sudden start," I replied.
"Yes, he gave me no intimation of his leaving; if he had, I would have settled with him in full, and discharged him in regular form. He went off in the course of the night, and has taken all that he owned and something over. He will turn out a bushranger yet, or I'm no reader of faces."
"What has he carried off that didn't belong to him?" Mr. Brown asked.
"A pair of large sized pistols, and a lot of ammunition."