Sharp County record., 1881-03-17
In the Australian Bush.

In the Australian BUSH
A New South Wales letter to the Lon
don Telegraph says: l was riding
through the back scrub the other day
horribly hot, when saw something
shining on a tree which naturally excited
my curiosity. Irode up to it through
the long grass, soaring away at the
same time flock OF crows and hawks,
while four iguanas scuttled up the ad-
Joining trees. The shining object proved
to be a tin billy, and underneath, lat the
foot of great pine with his head rest
ing on his "swag," lay an unfortunate
traveller quite dead He had been dead
for two days, | should think and was
evidently one of the army Of workers
who travel the length and breadth OF
this continent on foot, seeking employ
ment, and for weeks and months seek
ING in vain. This poor fellow must have
travelled in our painless shrub for days
coming back in the ever fatal circle so
well known to dwellers in 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 the
point of knife, l think, were the ini-
tials "H. A. E. p" and the words,
Lord Jesus, receive my soul" L
found no papers about him, no clue.
He was quite young, too, about twenty
four, perhaps. We had grave dug
under the great tree-a trooper, who
came from Boggobu, the nearest town.
ship read the burial service; he was
rolled in his blankets and few sheets
of bark, and laid in the grave, there TO
rest till the universal call. Alas! how
many such burials have assisted at,
and how many nameless wanderers
each perhaps the pride of fond
mother and the hope of cir
Gle of friends-have lain down to
die in our drear Australian bush. 1t
always makes me miserable to read the
long lists of "missing friends" in the
colonial papers. was terri
bly, frightened one night in Queensland
by dead man riding up to my camp fire
at midnight l was quite alone. |
heard my horses neighing and another
answering in the MalgaS bushes, so |
got up and put wood on, making q
bright blaze and presently, into the
circle of light came q horseman, bend
ing over his pommel, with his large
straw hat slouched over his eyes. took
my revolver off my saddle and sung out:
Good night, mate! You travel late.
VIII you have drink of tea?" 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.
After bit began to open my eyes to
the state of affairs and mustered cour-
age enough to walk up to the horse and
take hold of the reins. While doing so
l touched the rider hands, which were
cold as ice. l tried to get him off the
saddle but it was of no use. His legs
were out of the irons and wound tightly
around the mare. Ihad to cut the reins
from the grip of his fingers. l packed
him on the horse when sunrise came
and led him into Tampo, where l found
he was well known as digger. He
had set out thence that morning-after
drinking nearly bottle of brandy-to
90 to a 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 200
miles at that time. However, they held
L.. &c Of xryl>i oh % -
talked learnedly of muscular contraction
and sunstroke, and was puzzled to de-
eide whether the brandy had anything
to do with it, as he could swear, from
his own experience that the liquor was
first-class. He pressed me more than
deserved for l had had a mind to run
away at first. When am camped out
even now alone strange thoughts of that
nocturnal horseman come into my head.