A NIGHT WITH A "HATTER."

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 44, 15 October 1892, Page 2

A NIGHT WITH A "HATTER."

!I have often heard of men's hair, taming white in a single night through terror, but*L don't believe it.- s AnyhowY" my hair didn't change colour thifc night, and I reckon il went through enough to whiten the head of a nigger. I was coming" down one of the Seven Creeks in the Strathbogie ranges one cold,'rainy evening, looking for a place > to 1 can)p, when .just at the foot of one Of those long>hiUs fI sighted a 1 big gumtree all rotten and burnt out, but still •standing. Itwasijast large'enough' inside for one man, and seemed to have, been well patronised,,judging from the snug bed of dry boughs -and 'feavM inside, and the large heap of ashes just in front. I threw my swag inside, foTr „ it had settled into a Bteady rain, got & good fire going and a- lreap of wood for . the night, and then went down to the creek for a billy of waier. When I came back I wasnOt over*

joyed to find another swag beside mine ii>" the tree, and the proprietor of it bringiwg a' big' log for the fire as. a hint. that he meditated.camping there that night. . I spoke civilly enough to him bat I thought to myself there' would be: trouble at turniin iime. He mast bare perceived that it was only large enough for one, and I could see he had no tent. As soon as I had finished my tea and damper I unrolled my swag and lay down fall length in the disputed territory, remembering that possession is 1 nine points of the law. To my surprise, fhe took no notice of this John. Bullish i proceeding —hejust squared off in front of the fire and began talking to himself, scarcely loud enongh for me to bear. Now, although I was a newchum to the bushyl had often heard of mad swagsmen, and knew they were generally harmless- creatures who had gone danky through carrying bluey over hot scorching plains 'from (oa« year's end to another in the now almost hopeless search for work. _ But-some-how I didn't like the gleam in bis eyes when I found them 1 fattened o<o me once or twice with a wild,'hunted look in them. I now looked him over,*carefull v noting thathe was a big, strapping six-foot man, which fact, along with his eye-glare, made me think possession might wot mean so • many • points, after all.' ■; ■ :■."■■■ ■-'.. „ '■■ :■; ■ -v, ■■:■

With things in view I tried to draw him into a pleasant conversation when 'I faund io my- akrm that he would take of nothing but murder. My efforts to start an argument with him over Henry'^George's theory fell uflat. Even my forcible remarks about General Booth failed to interest him. I hare often felt more **iisfied and at peace with everybody than I did when he came and s«tt 'down just at my feet''out of the rain, arid begau to rub his great, long -sheath Juiife with a small stone, at the same time remarking that, calking about murders, he believed many a man fe^d been -killed in these ranges, and no one was ever the wiier of ii. I lost no time in assuring him

Hiat^l didn't believe a man bad ever killed another yet vnihout being caught •and hanged. I even grew eloquent on the fact that murder will out.anri gare several instances of it which had come under mj own observation, i Some of thene facts were a-great strain on my imagination, but I kept at it. I also dwelt «t some length on the almost miraculous sagacity of oat detectives, not forgetting the wonderful native black-tracker, who never loses;a track once he starts on it. Then I pointed ouiiidw'lhe \>ush rangers bad nil been, ran down, despite the face that they were expert bush mtfn, after which JI" tried todrift'in"andff-'haud,uncoßcerneft way on tothe'HomeOßule question, ■*■ I thought I-had noticed some brogae id his'talk. But'he took no interest whatever»n'the fact thafl would like to see England blown to pieces -some.; dark night, so that the Irish people could gdvern themselves. "Look here, mate," he said, leaning over me, and feeling the edge of his knife, " yoa can talk as you like about crimes being found out, bat Tve dong some things in my time whicb^ *l •wouldn't want to have -found out,-I -c«ft.

tell yon. I'll tell you a thing I did once ; it will ea-e my mind a bn, but I warn you if you let it out, I'll haunt you to yonr grave." I intimated that always respected the confidence of a friend.

"Me and Dick Jones went up this very'creek years ago, away back in them dark ranges, where white man had never been. I didn't treat Dick square either. You see, I'll tell jou how it was. We followed this creek op for two-weeks, prospectin' here and there, till at last we' struck payable ground. Then Dick he takes the two packhorses and goes back for rations, leavin' me to. look after the claim. Well, he conies back in about ten days, and, paralyse me, if he didn't bring his wife and two boys with him. Queer place to letch a woman, wasn't it? We was getting on right enough till one Sunday fl happened to go op on the ledge of rock above Dick's tent to see if I conld see any smoke down the creek.... Of course we didn't want our place to be found out, and I noticed the great flat rock which hung over Dick's teat.was very loose. You see, Dick •had; rigged a sort of house-tent close against the bottom of the leuge so as to get under the shelter of the over, -hanging rock. It must have hung out nearly 20ft over the ledge. While I stood looking down a sudden thought struck me—- 4 Why divide that gold ?' There was enough in that claim to make one man rich. Well, to make a long story short, that night ..about twelve I creeps out of my bark humpy, •getß a long sapling for a lever, and sneaks round on to the ledge. I got the sapling in between it and the main rock and found I could shift it easy. Then I goes and looks down. Everything was very quiet. There was the •white roof of the tent showiug among the.scrub and the fiie just dying out. Then I gives one great heave and that 'big rock fell flat on Dick's tent. They never knew what struck 'em. That rock weighed hundred* of tons. Well, I stood watching the fire a minute and •thenl go^adowa to cover all, signs of this'crime, and—but I'm keeping yon awake, route,'so I think Til just Hhove on;'andihef billy of water, I always likfe a drink of hot tea before turning in. Take'no 'xioMcie if you bear me goin^ ttbout in the night—l'm a terror to walk in my sleep. What ? Take your bed. Oh, no, I'll make,,my do«H down at the (back of this tree. A. little rain wWt hart an old hand like me, only some, times it makes me feel -queer in the toead." Then he took his billy and-went down Howards the stream, iir ever I roiled my swat* quicker than I did that time, the occasion has; escaped,: my memory. I walked till near morning-, a rid was wet to the skin when I sighted an old splitteiF^Chnt;- -;I fonhd four meu asleep inside, but they all roused up when they found 1 was wet' through.. When I :told them the way^ -I had come, <theyr asked me jif, I .^fcad missed thft-hojlowdtree.' I told themi I bad caftiped there* ; but-*-: i Here ; they alI roared out ]aijghiug.HndsHßig but all together " How did he shift >ou?" I was a lot puzzled till one of them explained :

"Hoir did yoa and- Jim Garney get -on P. He is a Hard case, and no mistake. Too see, he left here last night, as he reckoned he would reajCfhf)the-,old holiow^tree before it set" to, ralrnV'l'toiaV trim to stop here, .]as \ ;hev< might \ find someone already camped there, but be «*id he was in a hurry to get into Mansfield, and, anyhow, he said if he rfoand anyone camped there. Jrhelwould shift him, if he weighed a ton. So he shifted you, did fae? How did he tnaiiageit?" > . .7 I gravely informed ihem that I had 'been too well brought op to deprive an older man of his bed, on a wet; night especially. Then I went on drying ray cljthes. Some people are too carious to lire. ..... T .. .. •

A ooantiryaditor complains of the' Village Settlement-Scheme.' He lays that ih his Tillage the subscribers all want to icttle with firewood and cvicme.