THE POOR MAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 266, 19 September 1864, Page 6

THE POOR MAN.

Jk'hu; sc.DXc Account of the extraordinary jUlrcnhtrr-x ■nut with, of tho. strovffc SUiht.s >St(n,and of the curiumv Thing# Heard, htflSlr. JUede I'ej>]ier, in hi.s Search after that witch ivjnr(d Individual. SjIOVVS Till-: JJTTLK C-V-M JC OV THE STKING Y BAKKEK I'oinrsiiAJjows A TI:ACEI>Y. Fok 501110 reuse 11 unknown to me Mr. M'Cabe was most boisterously di monstrative in his "welcome to Jones, and even included me in the rather overdone wann-hcartfdncss that lie displayed. I perceived when he came up to us that he had a hag upon his shoulder that semicd to bo pretty well idled, and rather weighty. ]iut sharper eyes than mine had seen it long before, and by the time he had reached the lent, tlie little one, who had shown remarkable sijnis of vivaeilv from the very first appearance of her parent, had heaped sticks upon the lire and made a glorious cooking blaze, had unfiling the living-pan from its nail on the post, and hail actually placed it over the lire preparatory for use. This singular instance of ix marvellous instinct, deserves to be recorded, for how she could have divined the contents of the bag othciwise than by instinct was and has remained a nivsteiv to me.

After Jl'Cabe had made an end of his demonstrations, which he did not do until they had beet me almost annoying, he turned round suddenly to the child, and asked, " In re's Jj'etsv

" She's out on the ilat," replied the girl, and this answer seemed to be perfectly satisfactory to the father, who evidently understood all that the reply was intended to eonvev.

"A'right, nie darlin'," he responded, t£ Get the pan underway and her nose 'II tell her if her cars don't that there's supper gettin* ready. 1 ' r J he words were hardily out of his mouth than the child seized tho bag, dragaed it, by a display of strength that- astonished n;e, over to the lire, and commenced foraging amongst its contents. These consisted of a slice] sluad vitli a J'ry attached, a scraggy piece of corned beef, a lump of damper that had evidently met with a misfori line, lor it was covered with dirt, and three small bags which I imagined to to contain tea,sugar, and Hour. "With a rapidity that staggered ire, she set ahout preparing the evening meal, and our conveisalion with ZUr. was most agreeably accompanied throughout by that music—so sweet to hungry cars—the hissing ofthe pan.

kC I've brought this chap over to sec you, Sandy," commenced Jones ; "he's heered tell of what a stunning chap you are. ai,d he wanted to have a yam wiili you, so i brought, him, you see."

'Ibis was my iniroduction, and so with all the grace that 1 bad Icnvnt in earlier days, when as a youth I attended Clark's Dancing Academy and learnt deportment. 1 madehiina conciliating bow. "Sure, 1 am happy to Pee the gentleman," answered JSi'Cabe. putting his hand up to his forehead and trying to cat eh hold of a lock of hair to make the pull obeitanl, but failng by reason of the locks ail standing upright and out of roach, tl an' I'll be proud to gie him a' the information in my power. ' Jlr. jM'C'abe, let nie here mention, spoke u it 1* a strong A'cnli of Ireland accent, with peculiarities oi intonahon that are utterly out of mv power to lepicsent upon paper. 't he reader must thcrctore imagine 'or him>eif, if lie can, how a Scotchman would >pcak if lie tried to imitate the Irish brogue, and then he will have t-omethiug like an idea of the Stringy jjakers portion of the conversation. *' May I ask then," said I, " without being regarded as impertinent, bow long you have been settled here?" "liowlong!" and he considered a bit. Let me see —this is December, ami 1 sot down in ITebruarv —that s aboot; ten months, 1 reckon." ou don't M-oin to have been overmuch satisfied with your selection," I hinted, "seeing that you have made no improvement on it." " Quite contriarY' lie responded ; "it'sane o' the best piuts in the neeborhood. "<.> l course you area better judge than lam," I put in apologetically, for 1 knew it would not be wise to contradict him at the outset : *'but this certainly does not appear to me to jo the best spotiou could have selected for cultivatio i." Cultivation!" he cried, and his eyes opened wide with astonishment. i( Sure now, do 1 look soft enough to be a cultivator and he held out his arms as though opening his breast to mv most searching glance, in order to give me the opportunity oi spying out the soft place in him, if he had one. Jones /airly burst out jaughnuj. "Them that take aou lor soft, sandy," lie said, "can go and make a breakiast o' grindstones, ami lind 'em. good eaten'." "As lo the soilness," I began in a somewhat didatic tone, lor 1 thought there was an attempt to put me down. u I *ay nothing, but there are many estimable men—men of standing and reputation— who have over ami over again asserted that the true road to inuepciutance is I lie cultivation of the soil, and that the persevciing agriculturist—" "It's ii muddle ami itiiir.ii!" said Air. M't'abu interrupting me in the most rude manner,and without .the slightest apology. ''1 only wish! ha.l a bunch o' them here to set 'em sweating o'er the falling o' the tiinmn* and breaking o' the soil, and to let litem have for a reward the crop o* blighted or riMed orMuuttcii wheutthat the purceveering agricoltrisi gets fur his labor. iNay, nay, it's no agricoltur that pays best," and this lie enunciated with a kind ot inllexihie lirmuess that was not to be shaken. 44 Hut, sir," I retorted, "the lion. John Uobertson—" " Long life to him !" put in M'Cabe. " J'he lion. John KoberUon," 1 continued, " Jor whem I see yo;; entertaiu a very lively rrgard.' 1

" More power to him !" again interrupted M'Cnle. " 'Die gTeat light, of the age—that wise and far" seeing legislator, expressly instituted fret; selection for the purpose of encouraging cultivation, and so making smiling fields where once were desert places and happy homes where once were only the haunts of the kangaroo and wallabi." I paused, for X Ilat tered myself that this well-turned sentence would have its effect. " Tell mo this," asked 31' Cabe, " didn't he mnko free selection for the poor man r" "Of course!" I replied. " It was entirely and solely for the poor man —to give him a chance—to make him the equal of those by whom he had been so long down trodden—to put him in possession of his birthright—the land —which was his property Inright, as much as it was that of the wealthiest." T began to warm to my work and felt as if I could have gone 011 indefinitely, but again I was interrupted. " Shurc you've got it a' like u Luke; hut just tell mo this : ITcre am I—a puir mon—gudeness knows hoo am I to go to a' the cost o' cultivation r" "Then what tin- I commenced, but remembered myself in time. " I beg your nardon I mean, how came you to set down hero " Because I was a puir mon, and wanted to mako a weo speckilashun in free selection." " To what end," I asked, " since you do nofhinohcie." "Do noething!" he repeated;" "dunna I get a leevin' 'r" " I certainly cannot sre how. Ton have set down in a bad place to get work." " An' is it here I'd ooom if I wanted work ? Xav nay, mister, an' as to the bad place, jist look yere— you see o'er there, jist ayont that silver wattle that's grco'ng in atween the two box trees ; there's a waterhole there ; that's the only stannirg water for miles till you get rlewn the m< untair.s. jlv fifty acres talco that in." And he paused as the ugh by thus savin" he had given me sufiicicnt inloimation to satisfy"me. " Very pleasant, no doubt, " I answerod, "tohave a waterhole on your ground : but I cannot see how" _ " Ye canra see;" he ejaculated, almost in a tone of disgust—" then ye must ho a horn nat'ral." Jones, who had been listening to our conversation without taking any part in it, here again burst into a loud laugh ; but, evidently noticing "that this style of language did not altogether suit me, he interposed. " Look here, .Sandy, lie's a Sydney man, yon see, and don't know nothing about the ins and outs of the bush. So, don't go dodging, but just up and tell him how you done it, and why." " He's a Sydney man, is lie," said M'C'abe, " and perhaps ane o' these ( haps as gaes aboot talking at public meet ill's abooi things he knows naetliing aioot. Perhaps he's a member o' Parliament," and he looked wistfully towards me. "No," I aiisweied, " I have not that distinguished honour."

"Or, p'raps, a noospaper mor,—we had anc o' thim speerin about here a bit ago." " I\o," I Paid, " I cunnct even lay claim to that honourable position." " Then ye're jist a waif and a stray—a -wanderer like mysel\" " 1 am one"—l now answered, for I did not wish to be lowered in his eves-:—"who has givm himself tip to the task of searching: out, and if iuunU, of aiding and comforting one of whom for seme ye ars we have heard a great deal, but have never been able to discover—the poor man." "May there beonv thing hang-in toitr" " Theie is fliis-—that I will take him wiili me to Sydney—will introduce him in pn.pria perxrMt—at public meet in its, in crowded halls — yes, even iii the solemn halls of the Legislature itself, to those who have not only doubted, hut absolutely denied his existence—who have lanirhod at his sorrows and sneered at his wrongs—wlio have— " e'd jist inak' :t show of him." I was takn Tin's man evidently could not enter into my feelings, or understand theliigh enthusiasm that led mo on, T resolved therefore to waste no more words on this point, so as calmly as I eonM I responded, u No, not a show hut an example. But ccme, tell me why you chose this spot." "Where wo are," he said, "is just uhoot i' tho midst of old Thomson's station." I began to see a little clearer now. "And you take in the water-holer" I asked. " The ony stannin water for miles." " I understand !" said I, " and you expect him to buy you out." "Is it buy me out; nay, nay; I want to get a lecvin, and J shouldn't if I sold cot." " Hut how can you do this if you neither work nor sell outr" " Well sccin' as ye're a frien' o* Mr. Jones—" " Oh ! die's all safe," said Jones, in answer to a look from JL'Cabe. "As ye're a frien o' his, I'll tell ye. Ye see as sunc as tho ration bap's empty, I tin' oot that I nran' doo something to fill it again ; sao I go up to Jlr. Thomson and tellt him-—' Maistor Thomson, I fine I canna get on wi'out walk, and I'm jist thinking I'll fence in my piece o' groun' and put in a hit com. ' Isonsense, mon, says Thomson, you'll no do that. There'll he plenty o' work next week. I'll set you on at once.' ' Wry gude, sir, says I, but there's my puir wee mitherless bairns wi'out a bit to eat, and I niun do sc.-methin' for them.' 'Puir weenies, says lie, ' gae to niv store-man and draw a week's lation.' ye re, J 're cny to talk about my fence, and he'll gie me onything. He's tried to buy me oot, tut men, I know better than that. It's no a bad spc-ckilasliun. I iric twal pun ten doon for the fifty acres, an it was a' I had leit oot o' eighty-seven pun, I made in a lucky hole at Araluen." " And so by this investment of twelve pounds (in shillings, you have secured yourself a living r" " Kxaetly," said he, in a tune of the tuprcniest satisfaction.

"I say, mister," Jones put in. for (he first time, * that's a little "bit of a tcuc-li that your lice selection chaps never thought on." 14 It is certainly one way of providing for the poor man," I answered. " An' it's the -way," ejaculated M'Cabe, "that the freens o' the qeoqlo intended. They wanted him to mak a spoil o' tin; f-poiler, and to feed upon hts lawful and legttmate em my, the richman. An after a' tho years they've had at us, ii*s no 100 much to gic us a hit o' a turn." I could not answer this new nnd oiigir.al wny o putting the matter and mj .111 maincd wiaptinthoaght. -M/Cahe went over to the lire, fertile girl iiad iiiuVhol her cooking, and impathnt at our lengthened conversation, was fishing cut fiom the pan the moie tempting mcr.-ehs of her Irv, and solacing hum-It thcrt— with. Jones wns standing tlieking witli thu lush of his stock-whip the ha\cs and hits of .-tick that lay on the giound. Iho pan was taken off the fire :iral hud ceased hosing, and in* a moment there was a dtad silence. Suddenly, this was learfully broken ly :t heait-piei eing shiick, ;ib ol ene in mortal nut ny, ihitt came irom the forest to our Kit, but evidently ;;t some ' considerable distance, llvcryone turned his lace in the direction whence the cry liad piccteded, and there was a dead pause, no iurther sound, however, readied our eais. Jones was the first to rui'-wr Ins sell-possession, and "without a wnid, he lushed to his mounted her, and gallepid otl*towaids tho quarter whence the cry had c(inc. rd'Cahe lellc^'d him, more quickly than 1 could have imagined him capable of goinir; and last-ol" all, 1 also mounti'l eld Hollo whack, and pushed along rapidly upon Jones tracks.—S</tfnti/ Mail.