The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1894-08-20
ONE TOUCH OF NATURE.
It's Remarkable Effect Upon Lot
of Hardy Gold Diggers.
Fifty English Miners Tramp Eight Miles
to Hear a Lark Sins-Rough Men
In a Rough Country Hungry for
y Word from Home.

has turned his back not only on home,
but also on native land, says a writer
in the Indianapolis News. Here are
few incidents that fell under my own
observation during a sojourn in Aus
tralia. We were gold digging on the
banks of the river Lodden, and had
been hard at work for many months.
In those early days nearly all the men
on that particular ''diggings' IN
deed, on all-the gold fields,-were Brit
ish subjects, either from the 'sold coun-
try" itself or from some of the North
American colonies.
One day a rumcr was circulated
through our camp that an immigrant,
lately from England and located some
distance farther down the stream, had
brought with him an English lark.
The news spread far and wide, rom
river to hill and from hill to gulch, and
when the next Sunday forty TO fifty of
us went to see the precious songster we
found fully five hundred rough-bearded,
tender-hcarted men congregated about
the lucky overs tent, listening, enrap-
tured, to the old familiar trill of the
birds sweet carol. Many of these
hardy diggers, great, strong fellows,
whom no danger could appall, had
'bWGllJy 4niACS Sllup1l " SCC
and hear common lark, solely be-
cause it came from their OWE Island
home" and it was nothing less than
pathetic to observe how deeply each
one was affected by the liquid, musical
notes, calling wildly to mind neycr-to-
be-forgotten joys. | have reason 10
know, however, that this sentimental
Indulgence cost not a few of the sturdy.
Britons many an hour of lost tine in
the following week. This littlc Incl
dent has been told with some varia-
tions from this, but l was there as an
eyewitness, and the facts are as here
stated. l may aud that l saw the own
er of the bird refuse more than one
offer of fifty dollars for his prize.
One day-it was in 1853, think-a
number of rs set off across the ranges
on a visit to the post office at Castle
maine, about eight miles from our own
diggings, in the always present hope
of receiving home letters. Oh, those
monthly trips Shall L ever forget
them? Each step of the thither jour
ney made light and buoyant by fond
anticipation, each foot of the return
seeming, only too often, a furlong in
length, dragged out in the WEAKNESS
of disappointed hopes. We were a
party of twenty, all stout young fell
lows under thirty years of age, and, as
we went over the quartz-strewn hills
and through the shadow valleys, ali
clothed with gorgeous profusion of
strange shrubs and flowers, and saw
myraid birds of brilliant plumage,
from the tiny parroqueu to the great
crested cockatoo, fitting about from
tree to tree, while overhead shown the
dazzling rays of an Australian sun, our
spirits rose to the point of ecstasy, and
each one of us felt sure that this time
he would certainly receive the long-ex-
pected missive.
Cheerfully, then, we trudged along
and at last came to the brow of the
heights overlooking the commission
er's headquarters, and there on level
space in front of the tents, about one
third of mile from us, We're drawn
up, in their scarlet uniforms and with
flashing arms, some two hundred men
of the British Fortieth regiment of the
line,
Up to this moment none of us were
aware that a single English soldier was
in the colony, and the effect of this un-
suspected sight was simply astounding.
Almost so suddenly as if we had run
came to a dead halt, and while for a.
time not word was spoken each man
sought to read in his comrades eyes an
amusing thought to his own overpow-
ering emotion.
AS we stood in a kind of dazed be-
wilderment the splendid regimental
band struck up, and, most strangely,
the musicians selected as the first piece
'tHome, Sweet Home!' Then, indeed,
'sthe fountains of the great deep" were
broken up and we, roughly clad, clay
begrimed miners threw ourselves upon
the ground, totally overcome by the
rush OF tender memories awakened by
che familiar old air, while boyish tears,
of which all forgot to be ashamed,
ts,ic:xled down each sunburnt cheek.
For nearly an hour, until the band
had gone through its whole repertory,
we lay there hushed and silent, but oh,
with such unutterable thoughts of far
away homes and loved ones, never,
perhaps, to be again seen. By and by
we rose and wandered slowly down the
slope toward the large canvas tent
which then served as a post office.
While we were taking our places in the
rear of the long line of anxious diggers
waiting their turn at the wicket
young fellow of our company wistfully
said: ''Oh, boys, how shall we live
through it if we don't hear from
home?" and the question found echo in
each expectant heart. But, alas! only
three men of our twenty received let
ters that day, and the homesick youth
was not one of them.
As we sadly walked back to camp
our party more nearly resembled a fu-
neral procession than n so11ad of 11S1,o1 l.
1y reckless miners-the three fortunate
individuals considerably restraining
their exuberant joy out of sympathy