Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-01-12
FOR The Term of His Natural Life
BY MARCUS CLARKE


| composed of planks, beams and joists,
| all of which were duly hoisted up and
| slowed in the hold of the brig.
| This set Rufus Dawes thinking. Could
| it possibly be that the timber cutting
was to be abandoned, and that the gov
| eminent had hit upon some other method
| of utilizing it's convict labor? He had
Eewn timber and built boats, and tanned
hides and made shoes. Was it possible
that some new trade was to be initiated!
| Before he had settled this point to his
| satisfaction, he was startled by another
| boat expedition. Three boats crews
| went down the bay, and returned, after
a days absence, with an addition to their
number in the shape of four strangers
and a quantity of stores and farming
| implements. Rufus Dawes, catching
sight of these last, came to the conclu-
sion that the boats had been to Philip
| Island, where the garden" was estab-
| lished, and had taken off the gardeners
and garden produce. Rufus Dawes de-
cided that the Lady-bird had brought
| new commandment-his sight, trained
by his half-savage life, had already dis
| tinguished Mr.. Maurice Frere--and that
| these mysteries were improvements"
| under the new rule. When he arrived
at this point of reasoning, another con-
lecture, assuming his first to have been
correct, followed as a natural conse-
| quence. Lieutenant Frere would be
| more severe commandment than Major
| Vickers. Now, severity had already
reached it's height, so far as he was
concerned; so the unhappy man took
final resolution-he would kill himself.
Ignorant that the sights and sounds
about him were symptoms Of the final
abandonment of the settlement, and that
the Lady-bird was sent down to bring
away the prisoners, Rufus Dawes de-
cided upon getting rid of that burden
of life which pressed upon him so heav-
lily. For six years he had hewed wood
and drawn water; for six years he had
hoped against hope; for six years he
had lived in the valley of the shadow of
death. He dared not recapitulate to
himself what he had suffered. Indeed,
his senses were deadened and dulled by
torture He cared to remember only one
thing-that he was a prisoner for life.
In vain had been his first dream of free
dom. He had done his BEST by good
conduct, to win release; but the villainy
of Vetch and Rex had deprived him of
the fruit of his labor. Instead of gain
ing credit by his exposure of the plot on
board the Malabar, he was himself
deemed guilty and condemned, in spite of
his reservations of innocence. The
knowledge of his ''treachery" while it
gained for him no credit with the au-
thorties. procured for him the detesta-
ton and ill-will Of the monsters among
whom he found himself. On his arrival
at HelPs Gates he was a marked man,
pariah among those beings who were
pariahs to all the world besides.
In the meantime, the settlement was
III a fever of excitement. In less than
three weeks from the announcement
made by Vickers, all had been got ready.
The commandant had finally arranged
with Frere as to his course of action.
He himself would accompany the Lady
bird with the main body. His wife and
daughter were to remain until the sail
ing of the Osprey, which Mr.. Frere was
to bring up as soon as possible. 81 will
leave you corporal's guard. and ten
prisoners as a crew." Vickers said ''You
can work her easily with that number"
To which Frere had replied that he could
do with five prisoners if necessary, for he
knew how to get double work out of the
lazy dogs.
| Near Philips Island, on the north side
of the harbor, is situated Coal Head,
where a party had been lately at work
This party, hastily withdrawn by Wick
ers to assist in the business of devasta-
ton, had left behind it some tools and
timber, and at the eleventh hour boats
crew was sent to bring away the debris.
The tools were duly collected, and the
pine logs-worth twenty-five shillings
apiece in Hobart Town-duly RATED and
chained. The timber was secured, and
the convicts, towing it after them, pulled
for the ship just as the sun sunk In
the general relaxation of discipline and
haste the raft had not been made with
as much care as usual, and the strong
current against which the boat was la
| boring assisted the negligence of the con-
| victs. The logs began to loosen. and
though the onward motion of the boat
kept the chain taut, when the rowers
slackened their eXertions the mass part
ed. and Mr.. Troke, hooking himself on
| to the side of the Lady-bird saw a huge
log slip out from its fellows, and dis
| appear into the darkness. Gazing after
it with an indignant and disguised stare.
| as though it had been refractory pris-
oner who merited two-days' solitary"
he thought he heard a cry from the di--
rection in which it had been borne. He
would have paused to listen, but all his
attention was needed to save the timber.
and to prevent the boat from being
swamped by the struggling mass at her
| stern.
The cry had proceeded from Rufus
| Dawes. From his solitary rock he had
| watched the boat pass him and make
for the Lady-bird in-channel, and he had
| decided that the moment when the gath
ering gloom swallowed her up should be
the moment When he would plunge into
the surge below him. The heavily Ia
boring boat grew DINNER and DINNER,
as each tug of the oars took her further
from him. Presently, only the figure OF