The Philipsburg mail., 1894-06-07
IN THE ANT CITY

When leIC MAUD DAVIS, my engaged
wife, and told her that would be hom,
again to claim her in less than fv,
years, being young and hopeful was al
positive about being able to do this as
felt about her love and fidelity.
Five years look quite long enough
to a young man of 20 to turn himsel1
about in new country and make for
tune for the girl he loves; quite long
enough to ask any girl, no matter how
constant she may be by nature, to wait
patiently and keep herself select for,
while as for wedlock it would just leave
us old enough to know our own minds
and young enough to begin to enjoy the
life before us.
So with these hopes and philosophical
reflections l said goodby to pretty and
gentle Maud Davis and began my ad.
ventures.
Brisbane, Queensland, was the port !
set sail for, as it was the newest colony
at the time and the most doomed up in
the papers, SO that had lots Of compa-
ny to take make the passage cheerful
all fortune hunters and nearly all as
hopeful and impecunious as I was N.Y.
self.
We were not taking much among us
to the promised land, but felt blind
confidence that we should get all we re-
quired out of it and go home again to
enjoy ourselves with the proceeds,
which is very common state of affairs
with immigrants to Australia.
Most people know pretty we'll from
books if they have not seen it what
Brisbane is like at the present day-as
noble and prosperous city as any one
can wish to settle down in. At the time
| landed 1t had the site and makings of
the fine city it has become since, with
its magnificent winding river and nu-
merous hills, but it had good deal of
building to be done about 1t and great
amount of capital to be sunk in it be-
fore it could be boasted about as a city,
while the worst Of it was that most Of
the inhabitants had rushed to it in the
same condition that myself and ship
mates were in, the natural results of
which We're that while the laborers were
many the masters to employ them were
exceedingly limited, In consequence of
which | saw more tatterdemalio1ls hang
ing about the streets hard up and idle
on my first days march than had seen
before in my life.
For full week l rushed about the
different workshops and yards with
crowd Of applicants seeking vainly for
days. work. was modest at the time,
and there were more desperate hunters
before me, SO found myself ousted on
each occasion and at last gave up the
attempt of staying in the coming city.
So picking up what few articles I con-
sidered strictly needful I sold the re-
of my stock at sacrifice and
went on the tramp.
| laid in q pickax and spade, with
good steel hammer and a double bar
relied gun, and struck toward the north,
resolved to exist the best way could
in the bush while l tried my hand at
gold digging. had no experience at
the business, but was ready to take ad-
vantage of anything that turned up,
which is the proper way to tackle the
colonies.
For the first year I wandered about
by myself, living pretty much like
wild man Of the woods, until I was as
brown in the face as an Indian and as
hard as a backwoodsman, while my
clothes were as bepatched as Joseph s
coat. l did not discover any gold, but
gained great deal of experience and
bush knowledge which served me after
ward. M
At the end Of the first year took
situation on a back station as stockman,
md here ! put in another year, getting
sair wages and writing home hopeful
etters to Maud, who replied to them
sffectionately, assuring me Of her faith
md fidelity, which were great comforts
o me in my lonely and hard life.
Then struck out again gold seeking,
his time with three experienced mates,
Who put me up to many lodges CON
lected with the soil and earth signs,
ind with whom wandered far inland
prospecting, with Indifferent luck. Still
We managed to jog along and indulge
n an occasional visit to the different
ownships, where we disposed of our
my nuggets and laid in provisions for
mother spell of the bush.
The five years slipped away in this
way, and at the end Of them was in
bout the same condition of worldly
osition as before. We had not struck
pon the lucky claim, although we had
ften seemed close enough to it to have
week Or so of excitement and to keep
ne hopeful in my home love letters.
But Maud Davis had grown tired of
ope so distant, and in one of her let
ers, the last that received from her,
he told me that she had become wea-
led Of wasting her time any longer and
7as about to be married to the village
aker, SO that need not bother writing
ny more, unless cared to return her
etters.
That kind of settled me SO far as any
ankering after the old country was con-