Marcus Clarke

“ No one ever knew the nature of the secret which bound the Great Sporboy to the travelling actress, for when Harry Beaufort returned by the morning coach, he found a letter awaiting him, containing three lines of farewell from the unworthy woman he had hoped to marry, and who disappeared into the unholy mystery out of which she had emerged. ”

“ The Romance of Lively Creek The Sumpitan I went about my business that morning rather more satisfied than I had been. It was evident that, however infamous, from a moral point of view, might be the behaviour of Sporboy, the woman was an adventuress who merited exposure, and that the action proposed would liberate my foolish friend. I resolved to wait events.
The first event was the arrival of Sporboy to pay me for the Hall. "Our charming friend--I knew her poor dear mother in 'Frisco--is unwell and cannot play. Genius, dear boy, is often a trying burden. ”

“ What have we here! Oh! My gift. The Sumpitan, or blow-pipe, the weapon of the natives of Central America, presented together with a case of poisoned arrows, by John Sporboy. Tra-la-la! Observe this:--The fellow takes one of these little wooden needles stuck into a pith ball, puts it into the pipe, blows, and puff!--down falls his dinner! ”