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As Barlas said, he'd been kept in a cultivation- paddock in Sydney and Brisbane; and he was now going to take the business of justice out of the hands of Heaven and its trusted agents the bushmen, and reduce the land to the peace of the Beatitudes by the imposing reign of law and summary judgments. Barlas had just said as much, though in different language.
We were camped on the edge of a billabong. Barlas was kneading a damper, Drysdale was tenderly packing coals about the billy to make the water boil, and I was cooking the chops. The hobbled horses were picking the grass and the old-man salt-bush near, and Bimbi, the black boy, was gathering twigs and bark for the fire. That is the order of merit Barlas, Drysdale, myself, the horses and Bimbi.
Barlas gulped down what seemed very like a sob. Drysdale and I knew how strongly Barlas felt. He had been engaged to be married to a girl on the Daly River, and a week before the wedding she and her mother and her two brothers were butchered by blacks whom they had often befriended and fed. We knew what had turned Barlas's hair grey and spoiled his life.
During the year 1801, a Scotchman by the name of Wood was employed to write "A History of John Adams's Administration." Ward & Barlas, booksellers in New-York, were the proprietors of the copyright, and printed 1250 copies.
I knew by the way that Barlas dropped the damper on the hot ashes and swung round on his heel that he was in a bad temper. "I think," said the Cadi, "that individual and private revenge should not take the place of the Courts of Law. If the blacks commit depredations " "Depredations!" interjected Drysdale with sharp scorn.
Before the time of payment arrived, it was ascertained that a copy or copies had been parted with, and would not be returned. The contract was, therefore, never carried into effect. Pending this negotiation, Mr. Duane, through Wood or Ward & Barlas, was made acquainted with the arrangements which were in progress. Cheetham, the editor of the American Citizen, was also informed of what was doing.
And beneath, Barlas added the following: "The Cadi sleeps. The Law regards him not." In a pocket of the Cadi's coat, which lay near, we found the picture of a pretty girl. On it was written: "To dearest Stewart, from Alice." Barlas's face was stern and drawn. He looked at us from under his shaggy brows. "There's a Court to be opened," he said. "Do you stand for law or justice?"
He gave us his camps Bora Bora, Budgery-Gar, Wintelliga, and Gilgan since we were to go in his direction also soon. He turned round in his saddle as he rode off, and said gaily: "Gentlemen, I hope you'll always help to uphold the majesty of the law as nobly as you have sustained its envoy from your swags." Drysdale and I waved our hands to him, but Barlas muttered something between his teeth.
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