The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-12-23

nuggets and stored them until / could
rench civilization, when l sold them,
ana banking the money. went off again
Ill search for more. seeking no man or
woman S company, yet carrying with
me tho memory of what might have
been II fortune had only smiled upon
me.
AT the end of my 10 years sojourn
in Australia l had sum of $500 in the
bank and was looking forward to pur
chasing section and settling down as
farmer after another year of wander
ing.
AT this time was making n bigger
journey than l had attempted before
and found myself hundreds of miles
from civilization, in the very heart of
hot and arid district of upper Queens
land.
1 was 80 now, but looked with nv
sunbaked face and grizzled beard fully
10 years older and had been tramping
half starved and thirsty over desert
without sign of water or life of any
kind for the last two days, when 1 came
about shutdown to one of those strange
ant cities which are sometimes found
in the dry portions of this country.
Fop miles in front of me stretched
long streets and countless huts, reach
ing from feet to 8 in height, all de-
serted and silent-clay huts looking in
tho distance like dry cornstacks and
close at hand like human habitations.
A weird effect they had upon me, tired
out and exhausted as 1 was from want
of food. Fortunately had plentiful
supply of tobacco, and with my flint
and steel l comfortcd myself with IL
prolonged smoke before | lay down to
sleep under the shelter of one of these
huts. There, with the moon rising over
the horizon and casting long shadows
! about me from these conc buildings, l
gradually lost consciousness and had
the dream which altered all NV plans
of life
l dreamed that saw five men strug-
CLING along the moonlit street in which
l. lay, each with Il heavy load on his
ack-diSScrs they appeared to he,
bringing on their finds They came on
until they reached the mound against
which leaned, into which ono of them
began to dig, while the others, pitching
| the bundles down beside the digger.
formed themselves into Il guard. with
| their rifles out and facing the north.
soon discovered why they were guard
ing the digger for looking past them |
saw large tribe of aborigines lodging
among the other huts and preparing to
attack the white men. who stood there
in close ring until their mate had hid
den the gold they had brought
A few vigorous digs with the pickax
and spade and portion of the clay hut
| lx-n % lni1 L.
were hastily crammed inside and the
outer clay replaced, as the rifles played
on the ferocious but timid natives, who
seemed afraid to advance, after which
the white'men began to retreat into the
open plain, leaving their swags behind
them, while the savages glided past me
with their spears in their hands.
L saw the fight begin and end in the
open and saw my five countrymen fall,
pierced with the shafts. while | still
lay unable to move and help them.
What happened afterward was too hor-
rlble to relate i'll detail but can be con-
| jectured by any anthropologist who
knows the revolving customs of those
ferocious and untamable cannibals Of
northern Queensland. 1t is sufficient
TO tell you that even the bones were
utilized, after which tho demons re-
turned the way they had come, to the
north, taking with them the five swags.
but paying 10 heed to the ant hill which
held the treasure.
The morning sun WAS warming the
country when | awoke, and with my
| dream still vivid in my mind | began
| with an eager heart to demolish my
shelter of the night, and there, as had
| seen them laid, l discovered the five
bags laden with gold dust and nuggets
enough TO make me wealthy man at
| last.
took what ] could carry with me
and after reaching the nearest town
ship came back with couple of horses
for the remainder, and then, after D
years of absence, | returned homo to
my native village wealthy man, and
OF course paid IL visit to my old sweet
heart, Maud Davis, now the wife of the
baker.
Fifteen years make wonderful diff
erenco in young lovers. Maud, always
of slender build, had grown shrewish
and skinny, without single trace left
| of what had been carrying so long in
my memory with tender regret. had
altered from slim lad with a comely
face into a grizzled and heavy old man.
We both looked at each other for mo-
ment. and then laughed as Maud said:
'Lor. what an ugly man you have
grown, Frank! I'm glad didn't wait
for you after all, in spite of your mon
ey."
So was l, as l carefully wiped that
J long kept picture from the slate of my