THE HUMOURIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1640, 28 April 1883, Page 25

THE HUMOURIST.

YACK KUMMERTHAL.

(Written for the Witness.)

No. XVIII.

Tack Kummerthal Relates a Victorian

Adventure.

In de early days of de Arrow River rush, I vaa camped a little vay up Bush Creek, uud after a vUe a man of about forty-five years of age, but vhat look much older, mifc his son about seventeen or eighteen years, coom and camp near me. You see dhis vas a lonely place to camp in, uud in a new rush I nefer like to be in de crowd. My new neighbours looked to be decent und respectable peoples, mid I vas at first veil pleased to have dhem near mcv But by und by I find dhafc de old man drink, und often coom home quite tight. Yon time he haf been on de spree for days, und he get de deliberi trembles, vhat is de Latin for de horrors. He vas very bad. He rave about Bhooting an innocent man, und a man vhat haf been a friend to him ; dhen he cry out dhat he vas a devil, und a murderer, dhat de police vas after him, uud he vould be hung. I don't like to hear such talk, uud lif along xnit a man vhat uses it. So de next morning aa soonaß it get day, I take down mine teno, und pack up mine swag, uud vill clear out, Shoost as I haf gone a few yards I hear Vim, dhat vaß de man's name, coom after me. At dhat timeßush Creek vas full of t mber, quite tick, und I t'ink I vill hide from him, und get glear of him in dhat vay. I vas not frightened of him ; he did not look like a vicked man, he va3 ratter a mild looking man, but I did not care for him, dhere vas somet'ings in his eyes, und on his^conscience, dhat vould not let you feel at home mit him.

I va,B shoost crossing de creek vhen he coom up mit a run, und collar me by de arm, und say. " You are not going avay like dhat ! " dhen he pause und look me in de face, different dhan I efer see him look before, more vild und haggard, mid he seemed frightened of me. "'Tell me," he Bay, " are you going avay on account of vhat I said vhen in drink, or are you going only because of de annoyance I vas toyou?' r I tell him straight it vas on account of vhat I bear him say, that I go avay. "Dhen you vill go unct tell otter peoples vhat you haf heard, und dhey vill sot de police on to me," he say. I cay to him if he does not vish me to. I Bhall tell nobody. •J^* -n OW S'" he ay « " for a few minutes, und I vill tell you all. I feel I can trust you! und de terrible load is getting too much for me ' ,r y iW drive me mad > if •*• cannot relieve myself of a portion of it, at least." Hesveat and tremble' much, but it vas not "J-i t rUQ haf aft erme; und after a little Viine tie continue : fitJatil • few wwk? ajfo I Yf,9 a equattvi in

de Ovens district, und haf a fino station between Benalla und Wangaratta. I came out as varder of a convict gang to Tasmania before do diggings broke out in Victoria. Shortly after i land at Hohartown, mine oncle vhab has been sutilud in Victoria a long time, write for mo to oioiu ofer. But; [ haf got acquainted mit a young lady, vhat I lof abuf every tings, uud ye yere engaged to be married, bub her parents vill not allow her to leave Tasmania. After ye haf been married, mine uncle write again very pressing to cooir, und at last my vife's parents consent to me going olor, und see for mineself vhat mine uncle vant mit me.

" Veil, vhen I get to Melbourne I find mine oncle haf taken up de station i now hold, und he vanfc me to manage it. Igo up and see it is a va'uable property, und get de consent of mine vite und her parents to bring her ofer. L>hen I start at once to make eferyt'nigs ready und omfortable for her, und vhen all is done I fetch her ofer. All go very ye.ll — ye haf shpleudid clips und a good increase year after year. Dhen de diggings break out, und efery fat sheep rise in value twenty times. Sometime before dhat mine son, vhat is mifc me vas borne, und he is de only scliild I've got. Shortly atter de diggings break out mine vife die, uud L feel de blow very much. I,t make mint} home distasteful to me. 1 haf sent down mine boy to mine oncle in Melbourne to educate him, und I haf nuttings to keep me at home. De public-house haf more attraction for mo. Drink lead to gambling, und iv a tew years I am on de brink of ruin. Mine oncle get to hear of it, und soon find how matters stand tie send up mine boy, vho vas now a young man of 17 yearn, und make de station ofer to me altogether, t'inking dhat I might reform. But 1 am a doomed man, it appears.

" I tell mine son exactly how tings are. He, full of hope and energy, make light of de whole, uad say ye vill pullt'rough right enough. D^ only pressing debt I haf is an 10 U for £850 — a debt of hondur — vhat moos be met vithm twenty-four hours. Mine son say, lYe vill go oter to Wan^aratta. If ye can't raise de money dhere ye vill try Benalla, und if all -hould fail 1 vill try uud get it i rom mine great oncle.'

" Veil ye go • but mine son only find out how low his tader haf got. Ye could not raise anyt'ings. In Benalla vas a svagsman vhat *uy he vas hard up, und offer me his gun for i! 5. It vaa a good yon uud 1 buy it, mit ahotbulfc, und shot, powder, und capy. The gun vas loaded, but 1 vould not fire it off until ye get into de bush.

"Ye ride along und quite forget about de gun. Vhen ye are about seven miles from Benalla mine son say, ' Fader, you see dhat man dhere ; dhat is Gardiner, the bushranger, as suro a-< I lif !'

"Shoost a little before dhat Gardiner had been seen about Albury, und rumour say he vas in our neighbourhood. I knew Gardiner, und de man ye saw looked shoost like him. Re vas on horseback, und about 120 yards to our loft. Dhere v.is a reward of £1000 upon de bushranger, dead or alive. I sing out to him to stop, but he 'haf seen us before ye see him, for he vas biding off, und vhen I cry out he put shpurs to his horse und ride off full gallop. Dhen I t'iuk of de gun. I take aim at de horse's, head und fire ; but oh, horror ! <le man fall off, und after de horse drag him a short distance he lie on de ground mithout a move.

" Vhen we get up to him I see it is de man I owe de £850. Great heafens ! Vhat haf I done to merit such a fate ?

"Do man vaa quite dead. I did not faint. Aline head vas quite clear. I saw do only course open to me vas to clear out of de country as quick as possible. It vould be no use to stop, uud say I t'ought de man vas Gardiner, de bushranger, dhat I aimed at de horse's head —I vas known to be a good shot, — und the accidental bujing of de gun vould go for very lit.tle. Dhere vas de fact dhat I owed him £850, which I could not pay him. Had I not failed only yon hour before de deed trying to raise de money ? De man vas a stranger ; nobody knew who or vhat he vas, or vhere he coom from. He probably vas a card*harper, vho had bested me, und de bloody deed van done out of revenge, and, horror of all horrors, mit a view to profit !"

Ham Vim trembled awful, und lie vas as pale as de sheet lam writing on. After he h.*f a drink of vatter from de creek, und vipe de cold sweat from his head, he Bay : " I und mine son hold a short consultation of vhafc vas to be done. He quite agree mit mo dhat flight van de only vay open to us. He blame himself for de murder by having made de mistake, und spea,k too hasty. But all is no use now. Ye cofet- de body mit branches, dheii make for de station as fast as de horses vill carry us, take a few valuables, und make tracks at vonce for Melbourne. Ye vere lucky enough not to b^ found nut, und on de fourth day after dhat unfortunate affair ye vas on de sea. bound for Otago." Vim pause again, und draw a deep breat', dhen he continue :

" On de day I vent on de spree last, I saw a paragraph in de Weekly Argus, stating dhat de body of a man had been found, in an advanced stage of decomposition, about seven miles from Benalta. That by his clothes he had been identified as a i rjfessional cardsharper, who bore a striking resemblance to Gardiner, de bushranger, und vho, it vas supposed, had gifen ri-,e to de rumours dhat de bushrauger had been seen in Albury und in do Ovens district. An inspection of de close pointed to de fact dhat de man had been shot in de breast, und dh.xt dhere vas suspicion of foul play. In tact, de affair vas brought into connection rait de sudd n disappearance of a siuatter of de neighbourhood, and several reasons, more or less conclusive, vere stated for die conjecture.

" Vhen I read de paragraph I knew it vas from a friendly pen, yet the discovery of mine crime made me almost mad. I considered mineself least iv do matter, but dhero vas mine bou and mine otter relatives vhat haf to suffer for mine misdeeds. Dhis is heavier to bear dhan de crime itself, und de fought of it made me go on de Bpree." '

Dhen he stop talking for a vhile, und by uud by he say, as in a dream, und more to himself dhan to me :

"It vas all prearranged to be ho, dhero vas no escaping mine fate. I had often seen de man, but it nefer struck me dhat he was Gardiner, de bushranger, until I had seen his face when dead ; nor did any of my acquaintances efer make a remark about it to me ; and yet he vas not only like Gardiner, but he dress lik« him too. I can see it all now. Dben, vhy must desvagsman offer me" his gun for sale, and vhat tempted me to buy it ? [ had no need for it ; 1 had plenty at home. It vas gifen into mine hands ready loaded. Vhy must I forget to fire it off, as 1 intend* d, vhen getting a !-hott distance from Ben.iila? Vhat brought mine creditor in mine road? — do very man of all otters I vould like to avoi.l. Vat make him mn avay \ hen 1 -ing out to him ? lam sure I fired at de hoive's head, yet do ball kill de man, und T haf every confidence in mineself as a shot. It is fate t"

He stop suddenly and look into da creek, on d« toakj vf which w« sat, uutf 10-pk ac if he

did not know vhere ho was. After a vhile he bay, niitout moving his head or his eyes, "Vo ara like dostii-ks in do stream before us. Some aro lauded high und dry, mid can no moie alter dheir position dhan I could roach de moon. Otters are carried along, dhey know not vhithor or vherelore; dhey hat no power to shape dhoir course or choose dheir resting placo ; dhey are hurried on to dheir in evitable doom. Life is like a figure in de kaleidoscope. As in de picture so in delife of man circumstances, like do little bits of glass, fall by accident ■ into dheir places, und either make or mar the vhole.

Before, vhen Vim stop, I do not like to interrupt him, now it vas different, und I say, "It is not go'»d nor proper to t'ink uiid believe dhat vay. It may be true dhat do shticks you ah peak of • cannot alter dheir position, nor float up against de shtream, und choose dheir resting placo. But you vill find vlwn you look at dhan dhat dhe.y float according to dhoir shape und bulk, und dhat do course dhey take it, subject to bot'. Und so it is mit do bits of glass iv do kaleidoscope — dhey tall according to dhoir weight und form, und il is de same mit .urn. Had you shtopped in Victoria und mado a clean bieastof it all vould haf been different, uud do better for you und your son. It in nob too late, to do it now." "No!" he cry. "I vill nefer face mine friends as a man who committed a murder for the sake of gain."

" Even dhat, you haf in your power, as you call it, to pi ovu wrong," 1 say. "Dhero can be no doubt your IoU vill be found on dedead man, uud dhat vill prove dhat gain vas noi your object in killing him, or you vould haf taken il avay."

He caught me by de hand like a vice, und trembled mifc excitement, but could nob shpenk a vord ; dhen I coEitirme: " You can provo you came by de gun by accident — you uid not efen load it yourself. Otter peoples h.vf mistaken de man for Gardiner before you. You did not dodsre or follow up your man ; you called out to him, und he ran avay. Yuu do not look like a man vhat vould do anybody any vilful harm. You haf for a long time been known in your district as honest und kind. In short your courae is open, you only need steer into it." Vim look very bad, und 1 get frightened he got mad, und by-und-by he say, " No, no ! It vill nob do % I shot de man for de sake ot de reward."

" Ot dhat," I say, " your conscience absolves you ; you fired at de horse's head." " Yes," ho say, " but I killed de man for de sake of de money." " Veil " I say, " remember de shticks on de shtrcam float according to dheir shape und. bulk ; mid do bits of glass in de kaleidoscope tall according to dheir weight und form." He nit tor avhtle in deep t'ought, dhen he Bay. * I am accursed fou my deed, und dhere is no vay out of misery." Und bo de fataliib make his own fate, as if ho lof it ; und vho vould blame a man for believing in his own handivork ! Vho efer knew a man ready to take de blame on his own shoulders, vhen de flu^t car ot fate is vailing for its load at efery door ?

Ot com se after dhat 1 go back again mit Vim, und stop in mine old camping place, uud Vim seem much improved after de talk ye haf had In about yon vcek after de long conversation I haf mit Vim, I ace in de Weekly Argus dhai a coroner's inquest has been held on de body, und a verdict of murder against some porsoil or person unknown had been returned. In de. same paper I see a paragraph dhat Vim's uncle hat got a paralytic shtioke, und dhat he vas in a dying condition. I break dhese news pretty rough to Vim, t'inking dhat it might rou.se him, but he take id all quite cool, und seem rather pleased dhat it was all ofer, und dhat his uncle vas out of misery on his account. Dhen I ace dhab dhere vac no hope nor help for him.

Shortly after Vim and his son go to de Twelve-mile, vhat is now known as Macetown, und dheie he yoin mit de twelve apostles, vhat van a lot of fast dialers, und ivxt tnnf. I-vill tell you all about dhem. At de Twelve-mile Vim vas known as- jb'red Buirow&, und yon vinter night he lie out, yen drunk, und get his toes frostbitten, vhich he neglect for a lonjj time, until lockjaw set iv, und he die in the. IVankton Hospital, about 13 years ago. A few months since inquiry vas made about Fred Burrows und his son, vhat haf gone ava\ vhen his fader died.

De property in Victoria haf enormously increased iv value, und anybody who read dhih und know youn^ Burrows, vill do him a good turn by telling him.