Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1854-03-25

Iup with great neatness, and apparently
the only memorials he had of his wife and
children.
"Good God !" cried Raikes, when he
looked upon these, and burst into flood
of tears. The box, however, contained
nothing more to lead US to knowledge of
who he had been. On this side we also
found a small hatchet, and his knife in a
.leathern case and still attached TO lis belt,
which had fallen through the body, and
lay upon his spine. We found also, be-
meath him, a Queen Victoria shilling, the
last, perhaps, he had IN the world; but if
he had all the coin in the Bank of England
within his reach, it could have availed him
nothing here. Next we went to take off
his boots but as they emitted Sutloca-
ng smell when we touched them, and
as the disjointed bones of his toes ratified
like pebbles within, we desisted, and re-
solved to wrap him up in the decayed
r mnaDt of his blanket, and bury him be-
meath the tree where he had died.
|; was impossible for us to dig a grave
according TO the usual acceptation ii which
that word is taken. A hole was all that
we could be expected to accomplish; and
his we effected in very short time, by
means of the hatchet and knife which the
melancholy death of the unfortunate dig
ger had put into our possession. Out OF
a large branch we chopped rude spade,
and marking off the spot in which we
were to deposit the bones, commenced
digging Immediately beneath huge limb
of the gigantic eucalyptus where we found
them. This occupied considerable time;
but having had our sympathies deeply
moved by the associations with which we
found the melancholy remains connected,
particularly in the English shilling and
the children's hair, and perhaps by Sc
cret thought that his might be our own
iates, we felt it to be duty not un-
mingled with satslaction-as all duties
are or ought TO be, more or less-tO per-
form what we had undertaken as respect
fully and completely as we could. There
was little ceremony on the occasion, but
It's solemnity was felt to be not the less.
Goods will be done !" was all the PRAYER
that was uttered after the iAterment; and
when the whole was covered and well
beaten down, we inserted some green
boughs on each side, and bent them over
the spot, as further security 10 the last
resting place OF this frail piece of humani-
Y within the magnificent soltudes of the
God of Nature. As we turned TO leave
the spot, Raikes fingered for moment
and said
"Let us cut slice Of bark from this
tree, and write with our knives something
toshow that white man lies buried here. "
This was done accordingly; and the
simple words spoken by Raikes, "A WHITE
MAN LIES BURIED HERE" were adopted
for the epitaph of this unfortunate Digger,
and engraved upon the tree. Taking up
the birds which were shot, we found Them
10 be hawks and carrying them with US
a short distance, threw them away with
a feeling of disgust, Notwithstanding we
had some miSglying as TO how we were
to be supported ourselves in the desoIale
wiIds into which we had wandered.-
However, determined to trust in Provl-
denCe, we pursued our course in the dl-
rection of the mountain which was before
US.
As we slowly proceeded, the death Of
this man naturally formed subject of
discourse, and it was not so clearly seen
at first, what was the probability of It's
cause. tnow, however, became evident
He had a Ratchet; but then there was no
animal he could meet to encounter with
such a weapon, and his knife was of no
use as an instrument of hunting in the
country where he was. Snakes he might
have killed in abundance but, probably,
like many more Englishmen-lor we set
him down for nothing else, when we
thought of the Victoria shilling-he did
not know that their flesh was ea.able.
Granting, however, that he had heard that
This was the case, as there are many
species of snakes, some poisonous and
some not, he, in all likelihood, was not
acquainted with the marks which caracter-
lied this difference between them, and
would be as much al loss
as if he had never heard oftheir existence.
But he had a gun. Yes; but we co Id
find no ammunition, and having exhaus
ed this, the capacity OF furn shing himself
with the means of life was entirely, gone.
Consequently, we inferred from the com
paraiively slight experience which We
ourselves had known, that he must have
sunk with exhaustion, and died of the
united pangs of hunger and thirst. To
this conclusion we came and resolved to
husband our powder and shot as much as
we could.
PosT OFFICE YARN.-A letter was put
=, a. a. - Of ~ l. oh 10