The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1865-08-01
RED JIM
AS AUSTRALIANS sronr

fshAaAtu III .aAftftI hNa4htt tAN NV
horizon. and daueed above the with
cred verdure like the surroundings o
furnace. There bad been long
season of drought. Nothing but dr.,
water-beds. distressed flocks and wan
dcring cattle were to be seen any
where sometimes the black heayJ
masses Of smoke would roll along th,
distant sky, and cloud the glaring sm
to crimson. Sometimes in the clos,
| night a aust, TAR and faint, told that
the cgniiagrajoh which bad not yeI
reached US was sweeping many an
acre of brush and pasture land. That
vas a summer | shall never forget
/ Day after day the same dazzling
bright sky, the scorched hills and
plains the weary irritating sense oI
Of prostralion. | watched the poor
hali-maddened sheep, weeks upon
weeks, with painful sense Of duty
which is present TO me even now
There Was little feed they could eat,
and still less Of filthy, stagnant water
in the sole muddy ool on which they
depended as their last resource
Listlessly they eoied in the shade and
listlessly watched them, until be.
gan TO experience Il rec, irritable
longing for rain that haunted me day
and nigh, ike a coming mania. Some
nights, | threw myself down outside
the hut and tried TO sltep, but could
1 find no rest; the still hot atmosphere
kept up the fever that was coming
upon NE, aud my slumber vas ever
broken. | used 10 envy the old STA
lion horse they had left for my use,
when heard hin nibhling among
the grass in the darkness of the night,
aud suoriIng satisfaction that the sun
had passed the hazy hits. After a
time | began TO loathc the weary
walk hom,. and, taking with me an
extra supply of tea and damper, made
a practice Of camping where the
sheep amped; visiting my hut only
a. the yagarits OF The II ok led me 10
its yiciudy; thin rep enished my
stock and leil with the sheep again.
am sure had fever, and would have
soon been delirious for ! had nothing
to relieve tl,e trightiul monulony--
always tie same brazen sky, the dead
,weilerlng heat, the uoliunltss for.
est, the strange murmuriugs Of the
wilderness, like the faint whisperings
ot sra shell.
One night | was lying tossing about
in the long grass OF box swamp, not
4 mile from my hut. chose the
place because the ground was cooler
there than on the unsheltered plain
and aa ! looked up to the dull star
light, thought OF many Of my boy
isll remembrances, and soon te,t that
| was weeping what time they surged
up dimly and tenderly. How long
ed for the bleak sky, the cold bracing
wind, and the sleeting rain of home !
How ! longed for the pattering fall Of
rain on the windows, and the winter
comforts of the bright hearthstone.
Somehow these longings wove in my
thoughts, and in partial dream |
heard winter songs again, and loud
words. and laughter
! awoke with a sudden start to see.
not twenty yards from me, three men
holding their horses, and speaking to
each other about some bush fire.
could hardly persuade myself that |
was not dreaming.
One of the men was soon engaged
10 lighting a fire on bare patch of
ground, and was about rising TO join
them aud taste of companionship once
more, when column Of fame started
up suddenly and displayed face that
caused me TO shrink back again, with
muitered thanksgiving that was
not discovered. The face that the
fire revealed was known to me at
once, though had never seen it be-.
fore. The one eye and hare.lip Of
Red jim had been freely spoken
about in every shepherds hut on the
surrounding stations. There was no
mistaking him. The bulldog fore
head, the heavy jaw, and the thick
neck, were features that in themselves
would have Sufficiently pointed out
the identity Of this escaped convict.
Recslling the man now, as saw him
then, ! think | never beheld so per
feet a personaiion Of bad criminal
Ii was well known that Red jim had
escaped from penal servii1de. accom-
panied by three others. bot lad ar-
rived in this colony alone. Ii was
equally well known that he could on
Is have survived be incredible Jour
ney by canahali,m. Rcd Jim had
fu,hl,ssly murdered one o. iNo sell
Tiers against whom be enieriaurd a
grulge. and yvefy aprl WIS being Al
that time made 10 csptut hB-
There Was n0lhirg remarkable ia the
fac. ot his eompautan.. The I'm
ply shasei b. aord aad feature all
the rsidenees Of futiauism usual in
men Of Their elas- Tiny hsd coarse
ong limb. a j heavy reckless iaees.
scar u lisio rsgalilAs harshasss by
ion serie. oi crime. Two Of them
vefe armed with guns.
These thoaghts and observations
passed through nv mind ia much less
time than Il takes to write them. !
~as speedily recalled from specala-
itou by hearing the the word Halle
luiah' used Uslieluiah WAS the So