Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-01-15
IN THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH.
A "NEissIng Man, and a Corpse That
Rode UP TO the Camp Fire az Mid
night. Pcs
New South Waies Letter to LOnd,n Tsss-

NetO South Wales Letter to Londyn Tele
graph.
was riding through the back scrub
the other day horribly hot, when / saw
something shining, on q tree which
naturally excited my curiosity. / rode
up to it through the long grass, soaring
away at the same time flock of crows
and hawks, while. four large iguanas scut
tied up the adjoining trees. The shining
object proved to be tin "billy," and un-
derneath, at the foot of great pine,
with its head resting on his "swag, lay
an unfortunate traveller quite dead He
had been dead for two days. should
think, and was evidently one of the great
army of workers who travel the length
and breadth of this continent on foot
seeking employment, and for weeks and
often months seeking in vain. This poor
fellow must have travelled in our pathless
scrub for days. coming back in the ever
fatal circle so well known to dwellers in
a wilderness, to. the great pine where he
lay down at last, weary and hungry, to
await the end which he must have known
to be near. Traced on the 'billy." with
point of knife, think. were the
initials ''H. A. Z. P.," and the words,
"Lord Jesus. receive my soul" found
no papers about hum, no clue. He was
quite young. toO-about four -and,twenty,
perhaps. We had grave dug under the
great tree-a trooper, who came from
Boggobu, the nearest township, read the
burial service; he was rolled in his blan-
kets and few sheets of bark, and laid
in the grave, there to rest till the univer-
sal call. Alasi how many euch burials
have assisted at, and how many name
less wanderers-each, perhaps, the pride
of fond mother and the hope of circle
of friends-haye lain down to die in our
drear Australian bushI 1t always makes
me miserable to read the long lists of
missing friends" in the colonial papers.
! was terribly frightened one
night in Queensland by dead man rid
ing up to my campfire at midnight |
was quite alone. heard my horses
neighing and another answering in the
Maigas bushes, so | got up and put wood
on. making bright blaze, and presently,
into the circle of light camea horseman,
bending over his pommel, with his large
straw hat slouched over his eyes, 1 took
my revolver off my saddle and sung out:
GOOD night, mattel You travel late.
Will you have drink of tear" Not a
word of answer. Just then my two dogs,
who were shifting about, set up such a
terrible cry it made me jump again. AT
ter bit / began to open my eyes to the
state OF affairs and mustered courage
enough to walk up to the horse and take
hold of the reins. While doing so
touched the riders hands, which were
cold as ice. tried to get him off the sad
die, but it was of no use. His legs were
out of the irons and wound tightly round
the mare. had to cut the reins from
the grip OF his fingers packed him on
the horse when sunrise came and led him
into Tambo, where found he was well
known as a digger. He had set out
thence that morning-after drinking near.
ly bottle of brandy-to go to place
distant about forty miles, and was only
twelve miles from the township when he
paid his ill-timed visit. There was no
doctor within two hundred miles at that
time. However, they held kind of in
quest, at which the P. M talked learn
edly of muscular contraction and sun
stroke, and was puzzled to decide
whether the brandy had anything to do
with it, as he could swear, from his own
experience, that the liquor was first class.
lie praised me more than deserved, for
| had half mind to run away at first.
When am camped out even now alone
strange thoughts of that nocturnal horse.
man come into my head. II any one had
told such a story to me / should hardly
have tcredited it. | mean that a man
should stick to horse in that way with
out any other help than his saddel straps
afforded. His little mare was very quiet,
though. and was evidently attracted by
the sound 0f NV hOrca- hello
The country for fully twenty miles round
us on every side is raging fire-scrubs
and forest are all in flame; and l have
just returned with party from attempt
ing to stop its course in our direction.
No pleasant affair for us, can assure
you. 1t has been "fre fight fire" all
day long since sunrise OF course we
are accustomed more or less to such
fires, but this is on a very different scale
and goes beyond joke. / expect great |
deal of damage will be done to stock and |
fences. 1t has burned already about |
twenty-five miles of the latter. It is a |
pitiful sight to see the great droves of |
kangaroos come hopping through the |
flames, many falling to rise no more
The sun was quite obscured to-day by |
vast masses OF smoke, and four or FIVE |
times we had to use our spurs pretty |
sharply. Thirty-seven big snakes were |
killed by our party to-day; they were all |
kinds and sizes. They crawl along. over
ones leggings sometimes, and never ap-
pear to dream Of biting