Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-04-02

try in Australia to try sheep herdin;
for a change. The station to which
was attached had eight hcrders out
and after a couple of weeks spent il
learning the ropes" | was put out TO
the ninth. My hut was erected on tn,
banks Of a creek 20 miles from
headquarters and seven miles from an,
other herder, and | had no dog to as
Sist me. My duty was to guard a hero
of l,500 sheep as they fed on the PLAN.
by day, and round them up near the hu'
mt night and turn out every hour or tive
to see that they were all right. TIL,
solitary life, poor fare and hard worl
were bad enough, but added to this was
the peril from the bushrangers. 1t hat
come to be n custom that a bushrang
err should take what mutton he wanted
without interference, ana in return Ii,
should not NEEDLE with the hcrders. II
was also tacitly understood that the
herders should give the police no in,
formation. There were herders on ouI
station who had given shelter TO big
George" "Black Bill" and the "Red
Knight" and our orders from head
quarters were to make friends with
them and give the police no informal
ton. This was in one sense a selfish
policy, and was greatly complained of
by travellers, farmers and those whose
duty il was 10 hunt down the outlaws,
but if it had not been practiced no sheep
station could have put out herdcrs,
They would have been killed and the
tiocks scattered. was warned that |
should probably receive a visit from
big George within a week, and | was
both curious and a~pprchensivc. Now
ard then his gang refused to take Il
herder 'cn trust" and drove him away,
or they played some rough game on him
10 test his loyalty.
just at daylight on the fitch day of
my herding, rs | was making my coffee
on a fire outside, a rider wearing the
uniform of Il policeman came galIoping
up and asked me if anyone had passed.
| replied in the negative, and he eX-
planned that on the night previous a
force of 20 officers had surrounded a
camp of five bushrangers at a spot
about ten miles away, and mad killed
four of them. The fifth had dashed
through their lines on horseback and
had come in my direction. The man
questioned me very sharply, and though
| answered truthfully he was not salts
fled. He said it was my duty to stand
by the police, and that if it could be
ascertained that | gave aid or comfort
to the bushrangers | should be brought
to grief. He continued to speak angri-
~ and doubt my word, and | finally
lost my temper and gave him back as
good as he sent. He thereupon an
nounced that | was under arrest and
undertook to slip the irons on my
wrists. In the fight which ensued he
got the worst of it, and finally rode
away swearing vengeance. Half an
hour later a mas in rough clothes rode
up and asked for n cup of coffee, and
after a bit ! recognized him as the
policeman. 1t was big George" him
self and that was the way he took to
test me. In the fight be had given me
Il bloody nose and | had given him a
black eye, but he bore me no ill-will,
and was rather proud of having been
too much for him in a rough-and-tum-
bic, He was in a good-natured mood
and inclined TO be talkative, and in
going away he assured me that
should come to no harm as long as
stood neutral between the outlaws ana
the police. This band of five men had
their headquarters in the neighborhood |
for three months, and | got to know
every man by sight. They took a sheep
from my flock whenever they desired,
and sometimes cooked a meal at nv
fire, and in return they often left me
tea, coffee and canned provisious-the
spoil of some transfers hauling. After
awhile three of the gang were killed
while attacking a farmhouse 90 miles
away, two others were captured in
camp after being wounded. and one
night Big George" aroused me from
to say that he was the last of the
band and had a bullet in his shoulder
and wanted my assistance.
To the west of nv hut was n deem
Iavine which | had explored to find a
safe retreat in case | was ever run off
by the natives. | descended into it
in company with the outlaw, fixed up
a shelter and made a bit of fire for him,
and then attended to his wound and
him some food. He was in low
All his men were dead or cap
tured, he had no horse, and he was in
no condition to travel and take care of
There was n reward of
$4,000 on his head, but had it been ten
times as great | should have had no
thought of b~etraying him. For three
and three nights the outlaw was
my guest, and no one came near to dis
us. Sleep and rest were getting
him in shape to travel when, on the
of the fourth day., body of
police arrived. They knew the man
wounded and on foot, and were
beating up the country for him. was
questioned and threatened, but posi-
lively denied all knowledge, and had
big George" remained in his hiding
place he would have escaped. Finding
the police at hand, and probably be-
he had been tracked to the
spot, he made off down the ravine to
across the creek. Unfortunately
for him he was seer as he skulked
and the alarm was raised and he
was pursued. He led them a chase of
three miles, and wounded two men
when he was finally brought to bay,
but they laid hands on him and he
was sent down to the coast and con-
victed and hung. He told me on the
night before the attack that he had
about $1,000 hidden away, and he in
tended to get it and try to get out of
country. The police made every
effort to get possession of this money,
but he died defying them. Fifteen years
later 1t was found by the wife of a
in a hollow tree, and as it was
all in gold zone of it had suffered from
exposure to the weather. The police
insisted that | had given the outlaw
aid, and they made me considerable
over the affair.
This was of benefit IN mo In tho and