Litchfield enquirer., 1856-06-05

ishment and terror, begged piteously for his life,
protested over and over his innocence of any
treason and his desire to join them. In vain.
The savage outlaw babe him cease his whining,
and make his choice, or they would at once
choose it for him. The poor wretch selected
the poison as the least appalling. They saw
him swallow it off, wished him a comfortable
doze, and disappeared in the wood. The po-
ton began to take instantaneous effect The
man sank down, overcome with drowsiness, on
stump, and felt himself falling into an over
powering stupor. But the dose was too strong;
it produced violent sickness, and the man, re-
lieved, arose in while, and marched on.
| After travelling some hours, taking, as we'll
as he knew, direction widely different from
that of the bushrangers, to his own and their
establishment, he found himself once more cross
ing their path.
"'What ? exclaimed they, are you not
dead p
"The man fell on his knees, and prayed We
hemently for his life. 1t was useless. The
choice of sword or pistol was again offered him,
and as he continued to implore for mercy crack
went Howe's pistol, and the victim fell motion
less Oh the ground.
But he was not yet killed After q time
he recovered consciousness, felt the top of his
head smarting and burning terrifcally, and his
eyes blinded by blood. But his bodily strength
and feeling of soundness was wholly undmin-
ished. He rose, wiped the blood from his eyes,
washed his head at pool, and found that the
ball had merely grazed his skull. Binding up
his head with his handkerchief, he once more
set forward, trusting this time to steer clear of
the merciless crew of bushrangers. But no such
good fortune attended him. After marching
some miles through a most laborious mountain
track in deep inlet valley, he again saw to his
horror the robber troop approaching. 1t was
too late to conceal himself they already saw
him and he heard distinctly the shout Of won-
der that they raised on perceiving him.
"'What exclaimed the terrible Howe, still
alive? Will neither poison nor bullet destroy
thee F? Why, thou art a cato mountain, with
not nine, but any number of lives at the devils
need. Art thou man, or ghost, Or fiend p
The poor wretch once more and still more
knowingly, pleaded for his life
"'What had he done p he asked. 'He
wanted only to join them, and he would be
their slave, their fag, their pack-horse, their
forlorn hope in any desperate cases-anything,
SO that they only let him live.
Live = exclaimed the barbarous leader
live /! Why, thou Invest in spite of me -
Neither fire nor physic harm thee Nay, 1
would kill thee, if it were only to see what it
takes to do it. ! have curiosity to know
whether thou can'st be killed, or whether thou
art not the Wandering jew, or Old Nick him
SELF With these words, listening no more to
tears and entreatics of the man than if he had
been q hyena, devoted him to the Internal pow
ers in familiar language, and, stabbing him with
his cutlass, said Take that ?
1.-THE man struggled violently on the ground
for few seconds, and then lay still Oh the
sand
That's settler, think said the outlaw,
whose hand had executed worse horrors than
even that, since he had been hunted and bid
deH for by government burning secluded fami-
lies in their own huts at midnight, and making
solitary travellers run race for their lives as
mark for the rifles of his men. If the fellow
comes to life again. he said, coo!ly. 1 must get
his secret, for it is very likely to be useful to
mes Wping his cutlass, first on some long
grass that he pulled up, and then ON his coat
sleeve, he coolly marched away with his crew."
"And that certainly must have been o set
! tier" said the professor.
by no MEANS" added the doctor. After
| a time the convict returned to consciousness. -
Feariully weak, he was tormented with burn
ing thirst but was still alive With much eli.
fort, and various Paintings, he managed to crawl
in the direction of stream that ran riotously
and generously down the rocky valley, and
there quenched his burning thirst in the delici-
ousiy cold water Again exhausted, he sank
back on the bank and would no doubt have
persisted, had not stockman come in quest of
stray cattle. He removed him to his hut hav-
ing first bound up the wound in his chest and
after a long period of illness and debility, the
man was once more well, and determined to re-
turn, and deliver himself up to the authorities at
Hobart Town, where, you may be sure, his sto-
| ry and the confrmatory scars upon him, excit-
cd an immense sensation"
But how conld the man survive q thrust
through the body p said the professor, in amaze
ment.
at was mere case of loss of blood" re-
piled the doctor "the weapon had luckily
passed between the ribs without touching any
vital part, and the man had swooned from ago
ny and hamorrhage"
Horrid times I" calculated Fritz an those
days of unnatural history natural history, of
course, was not Only think of stumbling on
Mosquito or Howe, who may be called the Tas-
manian Alexander the Great.
Fie, Fritz !" said the doctor, laughing.
Yet, even in my early days, here botanis-
ed and chronological. And that was the sole
cause Of my encountering any danger or being
compelled to shed blood"
"To shed blood !" simultaneously exclaimed