The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1878-05-25
ADvENTUKEs IN TEXAS.
Result Of Bsyish Dream-Aa Enqiish
Youths Adventures in Texas and
New England.

Nov GHBtduUs
His SfranEe Infnsuatioa- In magma.
ateu Fired By stories OF Frontier Life
Determined tn Become . chief A mong
the COMMUNICATIONS Shattered By
Rude Experiences.
The following biographical sketch of
James Graham is taken from the New
York sum. Mr.. g., better known in
Texas as "Commanche JIM. was the
HERaLps grahpic frontier correspondent
during his stay in the State.
James Graham is an Englishman
thirty years old. He was born in BTr-,
and receivad classical elu-
eatirn. he left school when fifteen,
alter wallowing through six books OF
Virgil, Sallusi's history of Catiline's
conspiracy, and osid's metainorphoses.
lie WAS proficient in history and geog-
raehy, developed taste ior drawing.
could speak little French, and had
waded up to his knees in Euclid. He
vas an inveterste reader, but there
seems to have been 10 partition be.
tween his perception and Imagination.
He iairiy reveled in tue literary produc-
tions OF Wayne Reid, Gastaye Aymarci,
Fenimore Cooper, and Others. Satu-
rally fond OF hunting fishing, and ath-
ietic sports, the stories of border life
and Indian warfare were branded upon
his mind, and a yearning for the Amer
lean prairies, the malice scrub OF Austria
liza, aud the golden sands of New Zea-
land controlled all his actions. When
o mere boy ne ranged on horseback
around barnyard, armed with a bow
and arrows, and practiced upon the
calves and horned cattle After he left
school a delegation of Maori chiefs Wis,
tied England. Young Graham saw
them in the Town Hall at Birmingham,
leaning on their spears and sauatting
on mats. They were tattooed from
head to foot, and smacked their lips over
every tender baby that they saw on the
streets. Their appearance recalled the
experiences OF Captain Cook and other
adventures, and fired the blood of the
imaginative boy. His parents were in
good circumstances, and had vainly en>
deavors d to turn his thoughts into a
business channel. The father was a
lawyer. but the sight of brief drove
James from the office. He had no ewes
Tor anything but gun or dog Mr..
jenkins, interpreter with the New Tea
land ehieftains, was friend of the fam.
lily. lie foresaw trouble unless the boy
was allowed to follow his natural bent,
jenkins had an idea that thorough ex-
perience would cure his wild fancies.
and through his intercession the father
advanced money for a trip to Auek>
land.
james went to New Zealand in clip.
per ship, and quickly found a situation
as shepherd on the plains of Canter-
bury. The life proved distasteful. lie
would sit under flax bush or cabbage
tree all day long listlessly watching the
sheep. There was neither hunting nor
fishing, and sayages were as scarce as
savages in London. One day he heard
rumors OF the discovery of gold on the
west coast. A stampede followed. Every
body seemed insane. To use Graham s
words. merchants, shepherds, lawyers,
eiergymen and sailors. shouldered their
swags and started Tor the Hokitika
mines. Graham was among the nuns
Der, lie got q taste of the life that ne
fancied he would fancy The diggings
We're in a barren and desolate country.
Graham and his party were forced to
cross the backbone of the Central
Island, great range Of mountains coy,
cred with snow. When twenty five
miles from the diggings their provisions
gave out. They met a party on the
way back. who said that "the rush was
dutier. Graham and his comrades
turned back. Scores of men were
starving around them. Three days they
went without provisions. half pint
OF flour cost half dollar. Graham saws
that he gave sovereign for a pound of
salt beef. The next day he killed a
kiwi, or tailless bird with useless wings.
about the size OF g prairie chicken 1t
was godsend, and enabled the party
to go thirty miles further, to TAYLOR ;
sheep station, where thew bought a
quarter OF mutton, and for the first
time IN three weeks enjoyed square
meal They had been living on damp.
er, or dough baked in the ashes. II
was the rainy season, and they had
worn no dry clothing for twenty days.
Graham says that his teeth were so
loose that he thinks he could have
pulled them out with his fingers After
resting at Taylor's sheep station two
days, they started to walk to the next
ranch, sixty miles away. The rain fell
IN torrents.
W nile crossing n mountain stream
called the Teramaqua, Graham saved
the life OF a carpenter who was carried
away by the rapidity Of the current.
The man gave him small piece of
bacon, which Graham divided among
his seven companions. The Msoris gen.
orally cross the mountain streams with
large stones upon their heads, to hold
them down and keep their feet from
being carried from under them. White
men take hold OF each others hands
and string across; but the carpenter at
tempted to ford it alone, and was carried
down. The continued drenching and
starvation kept the Graham party very
weak, but the carpenters bacon gave
them strength to to reach tent erected
by some enterprising fellow thirty five
miles from Taylor's station He sold
crackers, sardines, canned oysters,
cheese aud brandy. Graham's money
had run out, and he was Suffering with
dysentary but he managed to secure a
pound OF cheese and crackers, anu the
carpenter treated him to a glass of
brandy. lie met many persons on the
way to the diggings, and spent an hour
in answering their questions. At I
o'clock that evening he reached the
ranch one Lance .superintendent of Can.
tesbury Province. Lance owned about
seyenty~five thousand head of sheep.
He met Graham on the road seven
miles from mis- house. The boys starry.
ing condition, gannt frame, and supken
eyes excited his pity. Graham asked
him how far it was to Lance's station.
My name is Lance" he said. any
run extends from the Hurunni river
to the Teranaaua, over hundred
miles between river and. river. Ny
boy. where do you come from You
look as though you had seen hard
times.
Graham answered that he had lust
come from the west coast, and Lance
told him to go to his station, get his
meals, and stay as long rs he pleased.
Lance . station was on the high road
from the diggings to Christ Church, the
principal town of the province, and,
while the rush lasted, the humane
master kept two cooks constantly en-
ploycd feedipg the poor gola seekers
sli6 were h0bbllng homeward without
at,nsy, health. or provisions. Graham