Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-10-04
On the Trail.
A STORY OF AUSTRALIA.


ed on earth. But the devils got
tight hold of him now; that's one con-
ISOLATION. German Alf and Sandy and
| made our pile and while l left Mel
bourne to have spree, they set out
together for the country where the
gold was lying in big Jumps on the
surface; they started in the dead of
night, for fear that they should be fol-
lowed. l was not sorry to part from
German Alf; he was too treacherous
for me. But | did regret parting
from Old Sandy Jim. We had shar-
ed many dangers and many hardships
together; and he had always stood
by me like man. We were once
pretty nearly starved, too, in the bush !;
another hour would have cooked US,
| believe. That sort of thing binds
fellows to each other, you know. San
dy Jim and | didn't whimper when
we parted. | gave him a match. box
"a metal one-that | had had for a
dozen years; and he gave me knife
"A tirst-rate Dover; and we bade
each other good night, as if we were
to meet the next morning. | never
saw him again alive.
Ispent my money in Melbourne like
a true miner and then went back to
the diggings. | went from one gully
to another, and from one diggings to
another; but, although | could al
ways get gold, | couldn't get it in
such quantities as when l was mates
with German Alf and Sandy Jim.
had never heard anything of them. |
used to wonder if they ever reached
the diggings where the gold was ly-
ing in Jumps on the surface. l in.
quired for them wherever went; but
nobody could tell me anything about
them; and it wasn't until fifteen
months afterward that l came plump
upon German Alf at a New Rush
about thirty miles from Bendigo.
"'Hallo, Alf! l exclaimed, glad
enough to see an old mate. How
are you getting along, mate p
"Mein Got Leelyr he cried, max
ing as though he could have jumped
out Of his skin at the delight at seeing
me, although knew at once from hi;
face that he was far from pleased a
my coming across him.
"But we did the first thing that ole
mates always do when they meet; We
went and had a drink. When | ask
ed him about Sandy Jim, he told me
in a way that l thought was a little
bit hurried, that they had not beer
able to agree and that they parted
| was not surprised to hear that, bu
was surprised to hear that Sandy
Jim had gone home to the old country
| For Sandy Jim had told me halfa
dozen times, that ifhe had the choic,
and had thousand a year, he woult
not 90 back to the old country, bu
would prefer to live and die in Aus
tralia. If he had the choice, | say
because he didn't have the choice. II
might have found it too hot for him il
the old country, for he was sent ou
for life, the same as | was. But b.
had his ticket-ol- leave, and | hav
mine, and that's enough for me. Tha
is why | was so surprised to hea
that Sandy Jim had gone home. Ger
f man Alf told me ne was doing wei
that he had a good piece Of groun,
on the New Rush, and that be intend
ed soon to give up goId-digging. W
didn't get along very we'll together i
our talk, and German Alf felt awb
ward, | think, and he pulled out hi
f pipe for the purpose Of having
+ smoke.
at is wonderful what a great de;
sometimes comes out Of a very littl,
If German All hadn't pulled out b
, pipe, | shouldn't have pulled out m
t pipe; and if | hadn't pulled out N
g pipe, | shouldn't have been able t
| tell you this story. For if you wal
D to smoke pipe You must light it; an
to light it, if you haven't fire, mate
G is necessary, and matches are kept
, matchbox. The matchbox tn;
8 German Alf pulled out Of his pocke
}. when we were going to light OF
n pipes, vas the very matchbox | ha
= given to Sandy Jim fifteen montl
r ago.
d "The sight Of that matchbox gay
# me shock. I'm not a nervous ma
2 and | don't take shocks easily, b
the sight Of that little metal mate
b box did give me a most awful turn
5 For, says | to myself, if Sandy Jim
d the man ] take him to be and the nj;
know him to be, he wouldn't ha'
parted with that box willingly.
e knew it by my own feelings.
IS wouldn't have parted with the kni
Ie he gave me for hundred pounds
d And then, says | to myself again,
s. Sandy Jim didn't part with that mate
ii box willingly, he parted with it UNIV
st lingly; and if he parted with it L
le willing, what then ? All this ran thr
IL my mind while was lighting my pir
II and l determined, come what wou
le to find out if my old mate Sandy j
he really had gone home or not; and
to he hadn't gone home, to find out wi
le had become Of him. When | ask
le German Alf how they had got
be when they went out prospecting t
ht the big nuggets, he told me rum sC
Is OF a story about their travelling a hi
in dred miles through the bush, and Il
IT then they had quarrelled about VIII
ed was the proper track to follow, a
i'd had parted. When | asked him h,
it he knew that Sandy Jim had &c
ok home, he said he had it from m:
he who came up from Melbourne, a
he who said that he saw Sandy Jim
ce board ship an hour before it sailed.
at, That is all l know about it, Lee
Ia said German Alf. nodded my hei
ch and said l supposed that Jim /
nd gone home, and that | was sorry
had not seen him before be left.
is, never said a word about the mat
nd box. Can you give me shake-do
tonight, ALT l asked. No, he 81
he couldn't. He was so sorry, aim
a ready to cry; but his tent was o
alt eight feet by ten, and two of his ma
lat slept in it besides himself. O