Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-01-15
AUSTRALIAN MINERS LUCK.
IL Was Case Of Having It Forced
ON Him.

This man had reached the very last
Of his resources without finding q
speck Of gold. and although men In
such extremity are always kind and
helpful to each other, he could not ex-
pect any one to share such fast
dwindling stores with him. There WIS
nothing for 1t, therefore, but to turn
back on the morrow, while mouthfill
of food was still left, and to retracr
his steps as best he might to the near
est port. He dwelt with good deal
of rough pathos on the despair Of that
last days fruItless work, which left
him too weak and exhausted to carry
his heavy tools back to the spot they
called camp" SO he just flung them
down, and, as he said, staggered
over the two or three miles Of scrub
covered desert, guided by the smoke
OF the campfire. Next morning early,
after a great deal Of sleep and very
little food he braced himself to 90
back and fetch his tools, though he
carefully explained that he would rot
have taken the trouble to do this II he
had not felt that his pick and barrow
were about his only possessions and
might fetch the price of a meal or two
when 1t came to the last.
have often wondered since II the
impression of the divine mercy and
goodness which was so strong in that
mans mind just then has ever worn
off. He dwelt with self-accusing hor-
ror on how he had rallied at his luck,
at fate, at everything, as he stumbled
back that hot morning over his tracks
of the day before. The way seemed
twice as long, for, as he said, his
"heart was too heavy to carry" At
last he saw his barrow and pick stand
ing upon the fiat plain little way off,
and was YEARLY dragging on toward
them, when he caught his toe against
stone deeply Embedded in the sand
and fell down. His voice sank to a
sort of awestruck whisper, as If he
were almost at confession, as he said:
"Well, ma'am, If you'd believe me,
cursed awful. | felt as If 1t was too
hard altogether to bear. To think that
l should go and nearly break my toe
against the only stone in the district,
and with all those miles to travel back!
SO | lay there like Jobs friend and
cursed God and wanted to die. After
a bit felt like passionate child who
kicks and breaks the thing which has
hurt him, and l had to beat that stone
before | could feel quiet. But it was
too firm In the sand for my hands to
get 1t up, SO in my rage set out quite
briskly with the pick to break up that
stone, If it took all my strength. 1t
was pretty deep-set in the ground, l
assure you, ma'am, but at last got 1t
up, and here 1t is-solld gold and near
ly as big as baby's head. Now.
naam, ask you, did l deserve this"
He almost banged the rather dirty
looking lump down on the table before
me as he spoke, and 1t certainly was
wonderful sight, and still more won
1erful weight. He told me he had
searched about the neighborhood of !
that nugget all day, but there was not
the faintest trace Of any more gold.
So, as he had no time to lose on ac-
court of the shortness of the food and
water supply, he just started back to
the coast, which he reached quite
safely, and came straight down to |
Perth in the first steamer. The prin-
cipal bank had advanced him $500 on
his nugget, but it would probably
prove to be worth twice as much. |
asked him what he was going to do,
md was sorry to hear that he intend-
I'd to go back to England at once and
set up shop or farm-I forgot
his own people. OF
course, 1t was not for me to dissuade
him, but l felt it was pity to lose
'uch good sort of man out of the col
)ny, for he was not spending his
money In champagne and card play
ng, as all the very few successful
gold finders did in those first days.
NornhilI Nouo1ina