The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-07-28
Red Jim.
AN AUSTRALIAN STORY.

a summer, here in Victoria, as it now i
in the end of February, 1865; that is tt
say, the bush grass lay long and deat
amid moveless trees, or upon level, tire
some plains; the heated air quiveret
against the low horizon, and danced above
the withered verdure like the surrounding.
of furnace. There had been a long sea
son of drought. Nothing but dry water
beds, distressed flocks, and wandering cat
tie, were to be seen anywhere; sometime:
the black, heavy masses of smoke would
roll along the distant sky, and cloud the
glaring sun to crimson. Sometimes ir
the close night flush. far and faint, told
that the conlagrations which had not yet
reached us were sweeping many an acre o
brush or pasture land That was sum.
mer l shall never forget. Day after day
the same bright, dazzling sky, the scorched
hills and plains, the weary, irritating
sense of prostration. watched the poor,
half-maddened sheep, weeks upon weeks,
with painful sense of duty which is pres
ent to me even now. There was little
feed they could eat, and still less of filthy,
stagnant water in the sole muddy pool on
which they depended as their last resource.
Listlessly they coiled in the shade and
listlessly watched them, until | began to
experience a fierce, irritable longing for
rain that haunted me day and night like a
coming mania. Some nights, | threw
myself down outside the hut and tried to
sleep, but could find no rest the still, hot
atmosphere kept up the fever that was
coming upon Inc, and my slumber was
ever broken. | used to envy the old sta
ton horse they had left for my use, when
l heard him nibbling among the grass in
the darkness of the night, and snorting
satisfaction that the sun had passed the
hazy hills. After time | began to loathe
the weary walk home, and, taking with
me an extra supply Of tea and damper,
made practise Of camping where the
sheep camped; visiting my hut only as
the vagarics of the flock led me to its Vi
entity; then | replenished my stock and
left with the sheep again. | am sure l
had fever, and would soon have become
deliriouS, for had nothing to relieve the
trighttul neutrality-suspicious. the same bra
zen sky, the dead swel,ering heat, the
motionless forest, the strange murmurings
OF the wilderness, like the faint Whisper
lngs OF Il ses->hell.
One night | was lying tossing about in
the long grass Of a box-swamp, not a mile
from my hut. chose the place because
the ground was cooler there than on the
unsheltcred plain; and as looked up to
the dull starlight, thought of many OF
my boyish remembrances, and soon felt
that was weeping what time they surged
up dimly and tenderly. How l longed
for the bleak sky, and cold bracing wind,
and the sleety rain of home. How |
longed for the pattering fall of rain on the
windows, and the winter comfort of the
bright hearthstone. Somehow these long,
ings wovc in with my thoughts, and in {;
partial dream | heard winter songs again,
and loud words, and laughter.
awoke with sudden start to see. not
twenty yards from me, three men hobblins
their horses, and speaking to each other
about some bush fire | could hardly per.
suade myself that was not still dream.
ing.
One of the men was soon engaged in
lighting fire on a bare patch of ground,
and l was about rising to join them ant
taste of companionship once more, wher
a column of fame started up suddenly and
displayed a face that caused me to shrink
back again with muttered Thanksgiving
that was not discovered. The face thai
the fire revealed was known to me at one,
though l had never seen it before. The
one eye and hair lip of "Rcd jim" had
been treeI y spoken about in every shep-
herds hut on the surrounding stations
There was no mistaking him. The bull
dog forehead, the heavy jaw, and the
thick neck, were features that in them
selves would have sufficiently pointed ou
the identity OF this escaped convict. Re
calling the man now, as saw him then,
think never beheld so perfect an imper.
sonation of bad criminal 1t was wei
known that Red Jim had escaped from
penal servitude, accompanied by three
others, but had arrived in this colony
alone. 1t was equally well known tha
! he could only have survived the incredible
Tourney by cannibalism. Red Jim hat
ruthlessly murdered one or two settler
against whom he entertained a grudge
and every effort was being at that time
made to capture him. There was moth
ing remarkable in the faces ofhis compan
ions. They simply showed by word an,
feature all the evidences of rutfianism usu
al in men of their class. They had coars
long limbs and heavy reckless faces, scar
ed into revolving harshness by long Sc
ries of crimes. Two were armed will
guns.
These thoughts and observations passet
! through my mind in much less time thai
. it takes to write them. | was speedily
recalled from speculation by hearing tn
word g Hallelujah" used. Hallelujal
was the sobriquet given to my master be
cause of his strictly adhering to the habl
; of reading prayers in the family, mornin
r and evening. Mr.. Christmas was kind
} benevolent man, respected by every ham
on the station; and by none more tha
| myself. He had been very considerate t
me in late illness, and often sought, b