Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-03-21
NO. So.
Talss aud Sketehes.
THE MATCH BOZ.
Story Of the Australian Gold Bigg.
ings.
BY b. l.. FARGEoN.
THE MATCH BOX.
BY b. l.. FARGEoN.

Related Oy B0-kee, 1lcket-ot-Leave-
Man.
In the first few months of the gold-dig-
giDgs-when men hardly knew if they
stood on their heels or their heads, and
when the whole country was so mad that
1t ought to have been put in a strait Jacket
all sorts ol queer things occurred. Not
few men started for the gold-diggings
who were never heard OF, aud never will
be. Many OF them had no friends and
no family their very names were often
hctltlous and 1t anything suspicious was
whispered about in connection with them
1t soon died away, and no efforts were
made to discover il they were dead or
alive. Everybody was too busy, aud no.
BODY cared. Two mates would 90 on a
prospecting tour; months would elapse,
and one OF them would he working in a
gully in Bendlgo or Bailarat of the other
nothing was ever heard. And nobody
asked any questions. What business was
it OF anybody's if a man ran away from
his wife, or shaved himself or let his hair
grow, SO that neither she nor his friends
could know him again A good many
men were glad to run away and com
mence new life, and TAX e new name,
and perhaps new wife. had mate
once who had been married five times il
didn matter to him. When he left his
wives they got married again. You might
think this would complicate matters, and
produce kind of ill-leeling. Not a bit
OF ii? On one OF the gold-diggings he
lived in the next tent to an old wife of
his, who had married few weeks after
he lett her; and, do you know, they got
quite friendly again. My mate and his
old wle's husband used to 90 out on the
drink together regularly. A nice kind of
family arrangement | thought it, when
he told me the story. We used to laugh
over it rarely. He was sinner; aud |
wasn't Il saint, mind you. Not bit of it
mate.
You see, it was so easy for man to lose
himself Take clerk out of city office.
sprucely dressed, and with nicely-cut
mustache send him on to the gold-fields,
let him grow his beard and dress himself
in moIeskin trowsers and Scotchtwill
shirt let him work tor IA few weeks at the
bottom of twenty-foot hole, or stand at
the windlass all the day with his sleeves
tucked up to his shoulders, with black
cutty pipe in his mouth, aud all old billy
cock hat on his head, and the sun blazing
down upon him, why, in six months
his own wife wouldn't know him. Which
was salvation to many Il man-and COM
fort to many Il woman, who had had
enough OF her worser half, That sort of
thing occurred again and again. Perhaps
the case was different though. Perhaps
he was knocked ON the head or tumbled
into a hole, or was lost in the bush. 1t
isn't an uncommon thing for diggers to
a hnf .,t DIR
ed holes. Sometimes short-handled
shovel will be found, with blood and hair
sticking to it which might have belonged
to man or Il goat. 1t didn't matter
which. We're not over scientific in these
parts, yet awhile. In the old country
they would kick up regular row at such
discovery All the doctors would be
quarreing whether it was "A man's hair or
a goats, and whether it was man 5 blood
or bullock's. All the newspapers would
be full of it; they wouldn't let 1t rest,
you may take your oath of it. But here
we are not so squeamish as parcel OF
old women.
remember, continued Bo-kee, the first
time | heard OF the gold-dggings. We
were camping near the Porcupine-Jo
the Tinman, Dutch Louis and me. The
country ragged enough then, can tell
YOU No tobacco or tea to be bought for
love or money. We had neither love nor
money, SO we were forced to help our
selves from the nearest sheep station. We
tied up the oyerseer and an old woman.
slaughtered sheep, made up little as
sorlment OF flour, tea and sugar, pocket
ed all the tobacco we could lay hands on,
took out of the paddock three of the best
horses-not forgetting the saddles and
bridles-and then made tracks as fast as
we could with our booty.
Dutch Louis wanted to Kill the old wo-
man, who must have been nearer sixty
years of age than fifty, and had to threat
en- to shoot him if he made a movement
to harm her. 10 the Tiuman, too. swore
he would rip him open, il he wasn't quiet,
and the pair OF Us got him off without any
being done He was brute
every inch OF him, was Dutch Louis; as
black -healtcd thief as ever breathed
But the DEVILS got tight hold of him now
that's one consolation.
I'll tell YOU something. That old wo-
man called to me ust rs was going out
Of the room. She was tied up, and
couldn't move, so had to go back to her
to know what she wanted
You're bad, wicked man." she said.
'but you're not as bad as your mate
Jerking her head as if she would have
liked to jerk ii at Dutch Louis. "You hav.
4 little good left in you. Have you got
DO you know, mate, that that question
struck me all of heapP Something got
nto my throat which prevented me from
answering her, and | went out of the hut,
LACED like.
When we were well away from the
sheep station we got off our horses, and
sat down to our mutton and damper. We
were at the end OF our meal, when horse
man galloped upon us through the bush.
and almost sent us flying We were up
in moment, and IN twinkling the fY-
ing hor>eman was on the ground roaring
for mercy. We only did that in se!l-de-
Tense, you know, and. in self defense, we