The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-01-28

ly after them. But after much sign
talking and many vehement gestures
on the part of the natives he returned
crestfallen, and the whole camp, over
hundred diggers, at once turned out
to look for the ring. Every inch of
the ground was tramped over and over
and the search kept up for hours, but
in vain.
We then concluded that the ring, at
all times little loose, had been ierke6
off the wearer's finger by the boomer
ang, and, as it could not be found, that
the blacks had it, despite their en-
phatic denials. But how to recover it?
An average white mans cunning is as
nothing compared to that of an Aus
tralian blackfellow, and the task
seemed hopeless.
OBrien's distress was pitiable to see.
The great, strong fellow appeared to-
tally overcome by grief. He sat down
and cried like child, and to all at
tempts at consolation only answered..
Its no use, boys, l can work no more.
My only comforts gone. I'll go down
to Melbourne and leave for home by
the first ship"
All the diggers in our camp were
deeply touched by this little incident.
Dick was a general favorite, altogether
apart from the pathos of his loss, and
at last some of us persuaded him to
stay-at least until he should employ
some half civilized native from the
nearest sheep station to visit the sus-
pected band and negotiate for the re-
turn of the ring.
This step he took the next day, but
it resulted in nothing. The messenger
told us, in his broken English: "Black-
fellow no got him. Givee up quick but
no got him. Further inquiry
was useless. O'Brien gave up all hope
OF recovering his treasure, and its loss
SO preyed upon him that he sank into
state of deep melancholy, and when
we learned, through stray copy of
the Melbourne Argus, that no ship
would leave Port Phillip, direct for
New York, within a month, he became
half crazed.
At this time he was washing out a
surface claim which, so far, had
panned out we'll. After a day or two
we coaXed him to go on with the work
But his heart was not in it. Even
while the check-slats of his cradle
showed heavy strealks of gold, he
would suddenly cease rocking and sit
listlessly down to brood over his mis-
fortune.
Meantime, the sight of the once
priced boomerang had become hateful
to him and he would have burned it
hnd not one of us begged it as a gift.
'+Contound the thing" he muttered;
''it has brought trouble enough. Don't
let me see it again, or I'll smash it."
So utterly disheartened, so desperate
ly honesick did the poor fellow become
that he began to waste away in muscle
and soon he was physically unfit for
hard work. One day, in the week fol-
lowing that of his loss, / saw him sit
ting, in fit of detected abstraction, on
the edge of his pudding tub. Himself
quite unconscious of the fact, the tears
were trickling down his cheeks and he
looked the very picture of woe-begone
wretchedness.
"Why, Dick, old man, cheer up!"
exclaimed. You can replace the ring.
All you've got to do is to send half
ounce nugget home in letter and ask
your wife to get a fac-simile made for
you. She can have the same inscrip-
tion engraved on the inside, and in less
than nix months you'll have it. Twill
We new reminder of home and still
better than the old one. It's all nom
sense to quit the diggings now, when
you're doing so WELL
Dick sighed YEARLY as he replied:
oh, no, that plan won't work. 1t
wouldn't be the same ring. My wife
had the last one made for me out of
ten-dollaF fold piece that she earned