The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-01
TOUCH OF NATURE
It's Remarkable EgsC. C2cH e. 10:
c. Sa-,ly Cod C,GE$zs-
Fifty ERgissn Miners Tramp Eass, Mi.S
TO Hear "a LARK Sing-Rough G4a
in Houga Country Hungry Tor
Word from E0o-c.

but also on native land, says writer
n the indianapolis News. SaSc ~ =
lew incidents that fell urjS< I,y own
observation during sHioCrE n Aus
tralis- We were gold digging on tie
banks OF The river Lc3aon. AID AAd
been hard At work for rnaE- no2tkS
In those early days nearly al the men
on that particular ''diygiags"-as, IN
deed, on all the gold felds.-were Rrit-
ism subjects, either from the ''old coa--
try" itself or from some OF the North
American colonies
One day a ruIor vas circulated
through oar camp that AZ Immigrant.
lately from England aud located SONS
distance farther down tbs stream. had
brought with him an English lark
The news spread FAR and wide, from
river IL hill and from Hill 10 gulch. and
when the next Sunday forty to fifty *
Us went 10 see the precious songs;er wa
found fully i've hundred rough-beardeG,
ten6er-hearted men congrega ted about
the lucky overs tent, listening. enrap-
tured, 70 the old familiar trill Of the
birds sweet carol May of these
hardy diggers. great, strong fellows,
whom no danger could sppall, had
tramped twenty miles simply 20 SEQ
and hear = common lark, solely be
cause 1t esne from their own island
home" and it was nothing less than
pathetic to observe how deeply each
oEe was affected by the liquid. musiczI
notes, calling wildly TO mind never-to-
be-forgottSn Joys. ! have reason to
know. however, that this sentimental
indulgence cost not n few Of the sturdy
Britors many an hour of lost tame in
the following week This little Incl
dent has been told with some vartn-
tons from this, but / was there as a
eyewitness, and the facts are Us hers
stated. l may sid that | saw the OWE
err od the bird refuse moro than one
offer of fifty dollars for his prize
One day-it was In 1883, think-a
number OF Us set of across the ranges
on visit 10 the post Office 80 Castle
maine. about eight miles from our own
diggings, In the always present hope
Of receiving home lsttera On, those
monthly tripSl shall / ever forget
them? Each step Of the thithsr jour
ney made light and buoyant by fond
anticipation, each foot of the return
seeming, only too often, furiong IN
length. dragged out In the WEAKNESS
OF disappointed hopes! We were =
party Of twenty, all stout young fol-
lows under thirty years OF age, and, al
we went over ths guartz-strewn hills
and through the shadow valleys. ell
clothed with u gorgeous profusion %
strange shrubs and flowers, and saw
nyraid birds of brilliant plumage,
from the tiny parroquet 70 the great
crested eookatoo, fitting about from
tree to tFee, while overhead shown the
dazzling rays of an Australian sun. our
spirits rose 10 the point of ecstasy, and
each one Of rs felt sure that this time
he would ertainly receive the longer.
pected missive.
Cheerfully, then, we trudSed along
and at last came 10 the brow Of tho
heights overlooking tho commission
er's headquarters. and there on a level
space in front OF the tents. about one
third of rlils from Us. were drawn
up. in their scarlet uniforms and with
flashing arnS, some two hundred men
OF the British Fortieth regiment Of tbs
linei
I'd 70 this monent none OF Us were
aware that single English soldier was
In the colony. and the effect ST this I'M
suspected sight wasEfmply astounding.
Almost so suddenly as II we had run
against a stone wall, our little crowd
came to = dead halt, and wthbs fuf a
time not = word vas spoken each man
sought 20 reed IN his eranEadss' syes an
arnusing thought TO his own Overpow-
ering emotion
AS We stood IN kind Of cazet be.
wilderInent the splendid r-yirnenti
band struck up, and. most strangsly,
the rr1-1sicfa-s collected ~ me first piece
Home, Sweet HomeF- Tim. indeed.
Tho fountains Of the great deep were
broken MP and we. roayhfy clad, clay
be7rirled miners threw ourselves upon
the ground, totally Spe-voEDs by the
r1Ish Of tender memories svskened by
the familiar old afr. while ooyizls tear,
Of which all forgot 20 be ashamed,
triclled down each sunburDt cHsatZ-
For nearly On hozr, Until the bsne
had gone through It's Whole ropsrtory,
we LAP there hushsd and silent. bat OH
with s-eh unnttsrable Thoughts Of far
away homes and loved ones, nsvey.
perhaps, % Dc again seen. by and By
We rose and wandered slowly doVen H.
slope toward the large osnvas teal
which then served % pest oSiosL
While ype were taking ou~ places IA ths
rear q the long Ens Of anziOus dtggsrs
waiting their turn al th= wicket. .
yozng fellow If on- eOszp<ny v1stfuly
saids "Oh, boyz, ho~ shall ws I've
through Il II we don't hear from
homer" and The saess&oH found scllo IA
cash eSpectsnt heart BiiL asa only
three men q or ts%r1s7 recsf~vd let
ters that day. and the honesiek youth
was lot one Of t!lsIl-
As we sadly walked Back - camp
cur party more nearly ressszl bed IN
neral processioE than sqEsd Il SsuAi-
Il reskless raine-s-tae taTee f0rtznAts
Individuals cos.ss1eTStsiy restraining
Their err h-s-aBt ygy ct az syrnpAthy
.or the Iurksssz e-ventssn-