by Mayne Reid
himself soon stand in need of!
On the evening of the second day of our journey, about nine o'clock, wereached the banks of Campbell's Creek--within four miles of the place wewere making for.
Rain had been falling all the day; and the stream was so swollen, thatwe could not safely cross it in the darkness.
The rain continued falling, and we spread our wet blankets on theground. We prayed in vain for sleep, since we got none throughout thatlong, dreary night.
Next morning we arose early--more weary than when we had lain down; and,after fording the stream, we kept on to Fryer's Creek--which we reachedin a couple of hours.
We had been without food, since the noon of the day before; and from theway we swallowed our breakfast, our former mates might have imagined wehad eaten nothing during the whole time of our absence!
Volume Two, Chapter XXI.
THE STOLEN NUGGET.
I worked a claim in German Gully, Fryer's Creek, in partnership with twomen, of whom I knew very little; and with whom--except during our hoursof labour--I held scarce any intercourse.
One of them was a married man; and dwelt in a large tent with his wifeand family. The other lived by himself in a very small tent--that stoodnear that of his mate. Though both were strangers to me, these men kneweach other well; or, at all events, had been associates for severalmonths. I had been taken into their partnership, to enable them to worka claim, which had proved too extensive for two. The three of us, thustemporarily acting together, were not what is called on the diggings"regular mates," though my two partners stood to one another in thisrelationship.
The claim proved much better than they had expected; and I could tell,by their behaviour, that they felt some regret, at having admitted meinto the partnership.
We were about three weeks engaged in completing our task, when the goldwe had obtained was divided into three equal portions--each taking hisshare. The expenses incurred in the work were then settled; and thepartnership was considered at an end--each being free to go where hepleased.
On the morning after, I was up at an early hour; but, early as it was, Inoticed that the little tent, belonging to the single man, was no longerin its place. I thought its owner might have pitched it in a freshspot; but, on looking all around, I could not see it.
My reflection was, that the single man must have gone away from theground.
I did not care a straw, whether he had or not. If I had a wish one wayor the other, it was to know that he _had_ gone: for he was anindividual whose _room_ would by most people have been preferred to his_company_. For all that, I was somewhat surprised at his disappearance,first, because he had not said anything of his intention to take leaveof us in that unceremonious manner; and, secondly, because, I did notexpect him to part from his mate, until some quarrel should separatethem. As I had heard no dispute--and one could not have occurred,without my hearing it--the man's absence was a mystery to me.
It was soon after explained by his comrade, who came over to my tent, asI suppose, for that very purpose.
"Have you noticed," said he, "that Tom's gone away?"
"Yes," I answered; "I see that his tent has been removed; and I supposedthat he had gone."
"When I woke up this morning," continued the married man, "and saw thathe had left between two days, I was never more surprised in my life."
"Indeed!"
I had a good deal of respect for Tom, and fancied he had the same forme. I thought we should work together, as long as we stayed on thediggings; and for him to leave, without saying a word about his going,quite stunned me. My wife, however, was not at all surprised at it--when I told her that he had gone away. She said she expected it; andonly wondered he had had the cheek to stay so long.
"I asked her what she meant. By way of reply she brought me thisnugget."
As the man finished speaking, he produced from his pocket a lump ofgold--weighing about eighteen ounces--and held it up before my eyes.
"But what has this to do with your partner's leaving you?" I asked.
"That's just the question I put to my wife," said the man.
"And what answer did she make?"
"She said, that, after we had been about a week working in the claim,she was one day making some bread; and when she had used up the lastdust of flour in the tent, she found that she wanted a handful tosprinkle over the outside of the damper--to keep it from sticking to thepan. With her hands in the dough, she didn't care to go to the storefor any; but stepped across to Tom's tent to get a little out of hisbag. There was no harm in this: for we were so well acquainted withhim, that we knew he would not consider it much of a liberty. My wifehad often before been into his hut, to borrow different articles; andTom knew of it, and of course had said, all right. Well, on the day Iam speaking of, she went in after the flour; and, on putting her handinto the bag to take some out, she laid her fingers on this here lump ofyellow metal. Don't you see it all now? It's plain as a pike-staff.Tom had found the nugget, while working alone in the claim; and intendedto keep it for himself, without letting either of us know anything aboutit. He was going to rob us of our share of the gold. He has turned outa damned thief."
"Certainly it looks like it," said I.
"I know it," emphatically asserted Tom's old associate. "I know it: forhe has worked with me all the time he has been on the diggings; and hehad no chance to get this nugget anywhere else. Besides, his having ithid in the flour-bag is proof that he didn't come honestly by it. Henever intended to let us know anything about it. My wife is a sharpwoman; and could see all this, the moment she laid her hands upon thenugget. She didn't let it go neyther; but brought it away with her.When Tom missed it--which he must have done that very day--he never saida word about his loss. He was afraid to say anything about it, becausehe knew I would ask him how he came by it, and why he had not mentionedit before. That of itself is proof of his having stolen it out of ourclaim."
There was no doubt but that the married man and his "sharp" wife werecorrect in their conjecture, which was a satisfactory explanation ofTom's strange conduct, in taking midnight leave of us. He had keptsilent, about losing the nugget, because he was not certain how or whereit had gone; and he had not left immediately after discovering his loss,because the claim was too good to be given up for such a trifle. Bythis attempt to rob us, he had lost the share of the nugget--which hewould have been entitled to--while his fears, doubts, and otherunpleasant reflections, arising out of the transaction, must havepunished him far more effectually than the loss of the lump of gold. Hecould not have been in a very pleasant humour with himself, whilesilently taking down his little tent, and sneaking off in the middle ofthe night to some other diggings, where he might chance to be unknown.I have often witnessed ludicrous illustrations of the old adage, that"honesty is the best policy;" but never one plainer, or better, thanTom's unsuccessful attempt at abstracting the nugget.
There is, perhaps, no occupation, in which men have finer opportunitiesof robbing their partners, than that of gold-digging. And yet I believethat instances of the kind--that is, of one mate robbing another--arevery rare upon the gold fields. During my long experience in thediggings--both of California and Australia--I knew of but two suchcases.
The man who brought me the nugget, taken from Tom's tent, was, like themajority of gold-diggers, an honest person. His disclosing the secretwas proof of this: since it involved the sharing of the gold with me,which he at once offered to do.
I did not accept of his generous offer; but allowed him to keep thewhole of it; or, rather, presented it to his "very clever wife,"--whohad certainly done something towards earning a share in it.
Volume Two, Chapter XXII.
A FEARFUL FRIGHT.
After finishing my explorations on Fryer's Creek, I went, in companywith my "regular mates," to Ballarat, which was the place where"jeweller's shops" were then being discovered.
The gold on this field was found in "leads"--that lay about one hundredand sixty
feet below the surface of the ground.
The leads were generally but one claim in width; and no party couldobtain a claim on either of them, without first having a fight to get,and several others to keep, possession of it.
My mates and I succeeded in entering a claim on Sinclair's Hill; and,during the time we were working it, we had five distinct encounters withwould-be intruders--in each of which my friend Edmund Lee had anopportunity of distinguishing himself; and, by his fistic prowess,gained great applause from a crowd of admiring spectators.
I have often been in places where my life was in danger, and where thepassion of fear had been intensely excited within me; but never was Imore frightened than on one occasion--while engaged in this claim uponSinclair's Hill.
We were sinking the shaft; and I was down in it--at a
