Lost Lenore Part 48

For a moment Oakes appeared surprised--as if uncertain what to make of it. All at once, however, his comprehension became clearer; and, calling to me to follow him, he set off in pursuit of the fugitives.

The two had diverged from each other in their flight; and, as they had already got a good start of us, both were successful in making their escape. When Oakes and I came together again, he informed me, that the men were his old mates, who had robbed him on the Bendigo diggings!

We repaired to the police encampment; and, after procuring a force, proceeded to the tent of the runaways.

As a matter of course, we found that the birds had flown; and could not be discovered anywhere upon the diggings.

We were no more troubled with them, as "sleeping partners" in the claim.

Volume Two, Chapter x.x.xIII.

A FRIGHTFUL NUGGET.

When Oakes and I got back from our search after the thieves, we discovered that still another defection had taken place in the firm.

During the interval of our absence, Mr John Darby had sold his share, to a person, who had the appearance of having work in him, after which that talkative gentleman had quietly slipped away from the spot.

I had noticed that he had not seemed highly delighted with the idea of my friend Oakes coming into the company; and I presumed that this was the cause of his sudden desertion of us.

On making my conjecture known to Oakes, I received from him the following explanation:

"I knew Darby," said Oakes, "when he first arrived in the colonies. He had come over here, as many others do, under the belief that hard work was degrading to a gentleman, such as he loudly proclaimed himself to be. Suffering under this affliction, he would not condescend to become a miner, but obtained a situation in the government camp at Bendigo.

"One day I had the misfortune to pa.s.s an hour in his company--during which he seemed struck with a fit of temporary sensibility, and declared his intention to take to gold-digging.

"Toiling to get gold," said he, "is manual labour, I admit; still it is not degrading to a man of fine sensibilities. I'm told that there are men of all the learned professions engaged in mining; and that a celebrated author is now a gold-digger at the Ovens. Gold-diggers have no masters; and I have even heard, that they affect to despise us government people at the camp."

I afterwards ascertained that Mr Darby had been dismissed from the government employment, just before making these remarks; and to this cause, no doubt, might be a.s.signed the change, that had taken place in his views regarding "labour."

Not long after that interview with him, he made his appearance near where I was working, in the Bendigo diggings. He had some mining tools with him--such as gold-diggers sometimes buy for the amus.e.m.e.nt of their children. He appeared as if he intended to pick up a fortune, without soiling his hands with the dirt, since both of them were gloved!

Paying no heed to some derisive cries that greeted him as he came upon the ground, he strutted on, looking out for a claim.

The place, he at length selected for his debut in gold-digging, was chosen with some apparent judgment.

Seeing two old shafts, about ten yards apart, that had the appearance of having been well worked, he supposed the ground between them must also be worth working; and just half-way between the two he commenced sinking another.

The soil of the place was shallow--not over eight feet in depth--and Darby, inspired by high hopes, toiled industriously for the greater part of a day. At the end of each hour it could be seen that his head had descended nearer to the level of the earth; and, before leaving off in the evening, he had got waist deep into the dirt.

Next morning he was again at work, at a very early hour.

"I sha'n't be surprised," said he to one of his neighbours who was pa.s.sing, "if I should find a jeweller's shop here. If it turns out well, I shall be on my way home to-morrow. As good luck would have it, the Great Britain sails for England next week."

"I shall not be surprised at your good luck," replied the miner, with a significant smile; "at least, not any more than you'll be astonished at finding no gold in that hole."

"I won't be at all astonished," retorted Darby; "astonishment is a vulgar feeling, that I'm not in the habit of indulging in. So far as that goes, it would make little difference to me, whether I found no gold at all--a nugget the size of myself--or the devil."

Darby continued toiling for nearly an hour longer. At the end of this time, he was seen suddenly to spring up out of the hole; and run with all the speed, his tottering limbs could command, in the direction of his tent--falling down, once or twice, on the way!

Some of the diggers had the curiosity to go, and look down the hole he had made--in the hope of discovering the cause of his so suddenly forsaking it. To their surprise they saw a human corpse! It was partly uncovered. The face, with its half decayed features, had been exposed to view by the spade of Mr Darby, who had been all the time engaged in re-opening an old tunnel excavated by their former owners between the two worked-out claims.

Some man had been murdered; and his body concealed in the tunnel. Of course the miner who had "chaffed" Darby in pa.s.sing knew nothing of this. He only knew that a tunnel was there; and that Darby would get no gold out of the shaft he was sinking; but the man was as much astonished as any of us, on seeing the horrible "nugget" that had rewarded the labours of the "gentleman gold-digger."

We heard that afternoon that Darby--immediately after receiving payment for his share in our claim--had started off to Melbourne, with the intention of returning to England. He had still retained enough pride of character, or vanity, or whatever it might be called, to dread the ridicule, that he knew must await him, should Oakes tell us the story of that Bendigo nugget.

His defection was a fortunate circ.u.mstance for us: as it led to our procuring, in his place, a partner capable of performing a full share of the toil we had before us.

On that day Fortune appeared determined to favour us. Before night we had disposed of the two shares, abandoned by the "swipers," to a couple of first-cla.s.s miners.

Next morning we all went to work with a will. Even George and the apothecary--stimulated by the example of the others--did their best to imitate it.

This, however, was on their part only a spasmodic effort. Before many days had elapsed, the toil proved too great for their powers of endurance; and each entered into an agreement with a "working partner,"

who was to have one-half of their gold in return for the labour of getting it out for them.

After this arrangement had been made, we could count on a proper working company; and our progress in the _exploitation_ of the mine was, thenceforth, both regular and rapid.

We had not been long engaged upon the claim, when we discovered that it _was_ "on the line," and our toil was lightened by the golden prospects thus predicated.

I was struck with the interest which Oakes appeared to feel in the result. He would scarce take time, either for eating or sleeping, and, I believe, he would have continued to toil twenty-two hours, out of the twenty-four, had we allowed him!

When the claim was at length worked out, and the gold divided, Oakes came to me, and paid back the fifty pounds I had advanced towards the purchase of his share.

"You have made my fortune," said he, "and I am going home with it to-morrow. It is not a large one; but it is all I require. I must now tell you what I intend to do with the money--as I believe that will be some reward to you, for your generosity in taking me into the claim. I have a father, who has been in prison for seven years for debt; and all for the paltry sum of a hundred and sixty pounds! Six years ago, I left home, and turned sailor, only that I might get my pa.s.sage to some foreign land--where I might make the money to pay this debt, and take my father out of prison. I knew I could never raise it in England--where some of our governing people tell us we are so prosperous, and contented! One hundred and sixty pounds was a large sum, for a young fellow like me to get together. I knew I could never make it up, by following the sea; and I had begun to despair of ever doing so, until I got aboard of a s.h.i.+p in Cape Town bound for Melbourne. Of course I joined the s.h.i.+p, with the intention of escaping from her, when we should reach Melbourne. I need hardly tell you, that I succeeded. One night, as we were lying anch.o.r.ed in Hobson's Bay, off Williamston, I slipped into the water; and, by swimming more than a mile, I reached the sh.o.r.e.

Soon after, I found my way to the Bendigo diggings.

"While working out that claim on Eagle-Hawk Gully--of which I have told you--I was the happiest man on earth: but, when I discovered that my mates had absconded with my gold, I was driven nearly distracted. It was a cruel disappointment to a man, anxious to liberate an honest father from prison, as well as extricate a mother and two sisters from a situation of extreme misery.

"Since then I have had no good luck--until you got me into this claim we have just completed. Thank G.o.d, I've got the money at last; and may He only grant that I shall live to reach old England with it, in time to relieve my suffering relatives. That is all I care for in this world; and if I can accomplish it, I shall be willing to die."

At my request Oakes promised to write to me from Melbourne; and let me know in what s.h.i.+p he would sail.

This promise was kept, for, the week after, I received a letter from him, informing me--that he had embarked in the s.h.i.+p "Kent," bound for London.

I could not help offering up a silent prayer, that favouring winds would safely waft him to his native sh.o.r.e; and that his long-cherished hopes might meet with a happy realisation.

END OF VOLUME TWO.

Volume Three, Chapter I.

AN ADVENTURE WITH A "BLACK FELLOW."

Shortly after the departure of Oakes, I went to a little rush, on Slaty Creek, on the Creswick's Creek Gold-fields, about thirteen miles from Ballarat.

I was accompanied by two others, with whom I had lately been working.

Soon after arriving at the rush, we took possession of a claim; and proceeded to "prospect" it.

After sinking a small hole on the claim, and was.h.i.+ng some of the earth from the bottom of it, we found a little gold--not what we thought "payable," and yet the "prospect" was so good that we did not like to forsake the claim. In hopes that it might contain richer "dirt" than what we had found, we determined to stay by it a while longer.