The Convict and the Soldier

by John P F Lynch

  The dog started barking loudly and both men reached for their revolvers. They could see several Aborigines appearing from the trees about twenty yards from them.

  Seamus kept the horse trotting along while watching to see if the Aborigines intended to do them harm. The leader waved his spear in the air and began shouting loudly.

  Michael raised his pistol and fired it into the air and then he pointed the pistol straight at the leader. The leader stopped shouting and looked puzzled. Another Aborigine ran forward and grabbed him, pointing to the pistol. He said some words and pulled the leader away.

  Seamus kept the horse at a trot while Michael kept watching the Aborigines. Meanwhile the dog was going berserk with its barking. They all eventually relaxed, and wondered if they would have been attacked if the pistol had not been fired.

  They reached a road which followed the shoreline north around the bay veering in a westerly direction. Several inns and residences began to appear frequently the further they travelled north. They stopped at a village called Sorrento and had an ale and lunch. They fed and watered the dog and the horse, and began chatting to the inn owner, an ex-sailor. He saw the sign on their cart and asked where they were from. They told him they lived in the Gippsland area out east. He nodded and said, “You’ll get plenty of work north of Melbourne right through to Bendigo. You may get some jobs this side but if I were you I would go to the north out through Keilor and Kyneton where there is good land at a good price.” He drew them a rough map of the Melbourne district and the outlying areas.

  This map was to be their guiding light and away the two went again getting further and further away from Van Diemen’s Land and, in particular, Port Arthur.

  They chatted as they drove along.

  “What do you say to buying some land if we can find some at a good price, and starting a farm?” suggested Seamus. “We could continue to work as shearers, until it could sustain us.”

  Michael jumped at the suggestion. “That’s a great idea. We can have that as our objective; let’s aim for it.” Michael had written to Maeve several times and she had written back to him inside a letter addressed to Heather Alford. He would not receive them until he had arranged an address for himself in Victoria.

  They reached Melbourne on the seventh day and decided to rest the horse. It was six years old and fit but they always kept an eye on its health. They did not push the animal; indeed they looked after the horse and the dog. They were always well fed and watered and washed down. Finding a farrier, a Mr Brinkhuis from Holland, Michael had their horse reshod and the condition of both animals checked. They were fine.

  Melbourne was a shambles compared to Hobart. Its streets were rutted and there were puddles everywhere. Some buildings were made of solid bluestone but then next door there would be a hovel or tent. The town site had been surveyed, marked out and the blocks auctioned several years earlier. Churches had been built and several government buildings completed. Hotel accommodation varied from reasonable to mediocre and dining was in a similar vein. The Yarra River docks were busy with small vessels, although the main docks were at Williamstown on Hobsons Bay and Port Melbourne, a short distance south west of Melbourne at the top of Port Phillip Bay.

  They did not stay in Melbourne for very long and soon headed north out towards the Moonee Creek and then west through Keilor. Some nights, to save money, they slept under the cart and wrapped an old sail around the base of the cart to keep out the cold wind and rain.

  Michael and Seamus started to look for work and stopped at each inn to ask around. They still had some money but they needed to increase their cash to buy some land and improve their status from humble shearers to landowners. There was land available cheaply as many farmers had walked off their properties and gone gold digging at Castlemaine, Bendigo and Ballarat and the banks had foreclosed on many of them. Some farmers made good finds but not all were successful gold diggers. Michael and Seamus had been advised that there was some good grazing land available around the Malmsbury and Kyneton district.

  They both had agreed not to go mining and would endeavour to succeed as farmers and shearers with their own properties by pooling their resources initially. They began to find work outside Keilor, picking up a run with four hundred sheep and another at Toolern with one thousand sheep. Heading north to Sunbury they had a flock of five hundred and another of one thousand. Michael and Seamus were gaining a reputation as good and honest shearers with the jobs offered on the way from Melbourne. It had taken them nearly two months to get to Kyneton, during which time they had accumulated over a hundred pounds cash including the money left over from their Van Diemen’s Land shearing jobs.

  Michael and Seamus arrived in Kyneton and stayed at the Commercial Hotel. Tomorrow they would go land hunting.

  ¶

  The Land Sales Office was unimpressive and deserted when they pushed open the door. They waited a few minutes and were about to leave when in rushed a rather flustered man who apologised profusely. The mail had been late and he had been forced to wait for a package containing land ownership documents relating to several cancellations due to default of payment. He introduced himself as Mr Russell Carroll, sat down and began to relax. As he asked them their business, he began opening the package.

  Michael advised him that they were interested in purchasing eighty to a hundred acres of land suitable for grazing and cultivation between Kyneton and Malmsbury. They wanted to buy now!

  Mr Carroll continued rummaging through the documents he pulled from the envelope. He looked up, suddenly realising what Michael had said.

  “You have good timing. I have six sections of eighty acre blocks for sale right here in my hand, in the district you’re interested in. I can show you now, if you are free.” He showed them on his map where the blocks were and then they headed out of town, due west in his gig. They selected two of the four and put down a deposit to show their confirmed interest. They would return tomorrow and advise which block they would buy. The two blocks that they examined had both main road frontages and a river water access. The block they preferred had the Campaspe River flowing through the property and had a small bluestone house on the top of a rise in the middle. Most had been cleared. A previous storm had uprooted a gum tree and the tree was lying on the roof of the house and the roof had collapsed under its weight. The other property was between the river and the main road and had been fully cleared. Michael and Seamus preferred the block with the house.

  The next morning they walked to the Land Sales Office and were surprised to see a large queue had formed. They walked past the queue and into the building to see the queue started at the desk.

  Mr Carroll saw them enter through the glass window of his office and waved them to come in. He was escorting a man out and, after saying good bye to him, he asked them to be seated.

  He said, “I had over twenty blocks for sale from that envelope yesterday and I’ve sold ten already. I don’t know how they found out so quickly. Incidentally, I have sold one of the two blocks you were interested in but I have kept you the other one.” He saw the look of dismay on their faces and said quickly, “I have a business to run, and I sell, first come first served. Also the other buyer already owned the land next to the block I sold to him. I felt that it was the right thing to do.”

  Michael interrupted, “Which block did you keep for us?” hoping it was the block with the house.

  He replied “The block with the house on it.” They breathed a sigh of relief. They had got the block they had wanted. The price was agreed at two pounds an acre, balance payable annually over ten years.

  They paid a deposit of fifty pounds and had the Title Deed listed in the names of Michael’s sister Maeve Keogh and Mary Kirwan, who was Seamus’s widowed sister. Mr Carroll would do the conveyancing for them. The deed would be ready within thirty days for collection. They agreed that the deed could remain in his care locked in Carroll’s safe. After they had celebrated by having lunch and a few ales at the hotel, Michael and
Seamus collected the horse and cart and, together with the dog, headed to their newly acquired farm. It was now December 1855.

  The road between Kyneton and Malmsbury was reasonably direct but did a large S-turn down a hill to the Campaspe River Bridge mid-way between the towns. This was where their block was situated, about seven miles from Kyneton, on the hill overlooking the bridge.

  When they arrived at the block they began to have a detailed look at the property. The house walls were solid and it had three rooms. They were not overly concerned at the condition of the roof as it could be repaired without too much trouble. Michael had the skills to do it.

  Over the next weeks they made six paddocks with dry rock fences and marked out a large area adjacent to the house for a vegetable garden and orchard. The boundary did not require fencing as Hawthorn bushes had been planted around the entire block and with their denseness, made both a hedge and a fence. The hedge would require trimming and cutting back every few years to ensure it maintained its denseness.

  The second week they purchased a plough, some seedlings, timber for the roof and a few geese to act as watchdogs when Seamus was away with the dog. While Michael repaired the roof, Seamus prepared the vegetable garden. Water was no immediate problem for the garden although the water barrels needed to be dragged by the horse on a skid, from the river. Although the rainfall was good, a reserve of water needed to be kept near the house for themselves and the garden. They would purchase a large water tank later and use the water runoff from the roof to fill it.

  After a month, Seamus decided to go shearing to earn some money for their coffers and it was agreed that Michael would continue improving the house and maintain the vegetable garden and orchard.

  Two weeks after Seamus departed, Michael was awakened during the night by the geese making a racket. This was joined by a heavy banging on the door. A voice called, “We need some help.” Michael’s revolver was in a holster behind the door. As he opened the door he had his hand touching the butt, but he withdrew his hand when he saw the first man with a revolver and the second man with a shotgun pointed at his midriff. He pushed the door wide open and stepped back as two men entered his home.

  The taller man introduced himself. “I’m Captain Irish and I mean you no harm but we need food. Help me and we will be on our way. Our pack horse fell down a ravine and we lost all of our tucker.” He handed Michael a gunny bag.

  Michael made no comment but walked to the larder and removed half of all he had including tea, sugar, salt, meat and some damper; it nearly filled the bag. He handed the bag to Captain Irish.

  “What’s your name?” asked Captain Irish.

  Michael said, “Michael Somerset.”

  Captain Irish looked at him, noting an Irish accent similar to his own and just said, ”Umm I will remember it. I bid you goodnight and I am in debt to you for your food. We will meet again.” He nodded and shook his hand and thanked him. Both he and his partner turned and walked out the door, mounted their horses and galloped off into the night.

  Michael had noticed that Captain Irish had been holding a magnificent new type revolver, heavily engraved with ivory. After they left Michael sat down with a cup of tea. It was only then that he noticed that his hand was shaking. He was sure that if he had pulled out his revolver he would have been shot. It had been a nerve racking experience.

  Seamus returned after nearly six weeks. He said he’d had plenty of work and he had brought home several lambs and a ram.

  Michael laughed. “From small things, big things grow.” He suggested that as the grain season was approaching they should plant some corn. With their farm produce they were now becoming self-sufficient. All they needed was a cow or two and maybe a few pigs.

  Michael had built a barn and a few pens for the day when they would be shearing their own sheep. They had named the farm ‘Woodlea’ and had the name printed in white paint on the main gate which had been painted emerald green. They now had an address and could communicate without using their names. He wrote to Heather Alford advising her to address his letters from Maeve, simply as: ‘Woodlea’ Kyneton, Colony of Victoria.

  However, little did he know that this letter arrived after Maeve had left Ireland.

  They were almost living a normal life but they were both aware that a simple slip could be their downfall and could result in them being sent back to Port Arthur. Michael Keogh and Seamus Lynch were still runaway convicts, no matter how successful they were.

  They continued to be clean shaven, with short hair and trimmed eyebrows. They decided they needed another horse and a larger cart. Seamus had made good money on his last shearing venture and they could afford to buy not only another horse and cart but also a water tank at the house. They were a good team.

  Their crops had good yields and vegetables and fruit were bountiful. They also had some sheep to slaughter. They decided to load the large cart and go to the goldfields to sell their goods. They travelled to Malmsbury and joined the main road to Bendigo which started south on the outskirts of Melbourne at the town of Keilor. The road was notorious for bushrangers robbing travellers after dark, particularly on the Black Forest Road near Woodend. Malmsbury was well north of Woodend so Michael and Seamus felt reasonably secure, armed and with the dog to warn them of approaching strangers. The road trip was tedious as they could only travel at a slow pace due to both the heavy load and the steep terrain they encountered several times. The road was good on the higher sections but rutted in the lower sections, sometimes full of water. They were careful and eventually reached the Bendigo goldfields without any damage to the cart, horses or themselves.

  The goldfields consisted of hills and valleys with thousands of people from all walks of life endeavouring to find their El Dorado at the end of their pick or shovel. They lived in tents, lean-tos or under a tree, some even in the pits. The roads were only tracks and ablution facilities were non-existent.

  Michael and Seamus set up a stall from the side of the cart between the end of Bendigo and the goldfields. Business was slow for the first two days but within six days they had sold all the produce they had brought with them. It had taken them over a week to get there but it had been worth the effort and time. They decided to stay in a hotel for the night before they returned home, as they felt they had earned some type of luxury.

  As they headed out of town, an armed military squad halted them and an officer walked over. They feared the worst, but when he stopped alongside the cart he saluted Michael and said, “Be on your guard, you have probably made some money from your sales and the word may be out to the bushrangers to rob you. I am unable to provide you with an escort today but if you can wait for the gold shipment next week, you would be welcome to travel with my squad.”

  Michael thought for a second and decided it was better to keep clear of the soldiers in case one of them made a slip of the tongue and gave themselves away. Michael thanked the officer for his kind offer and warning. He touched the horse with the whip and they headed south to connect with the main road to Melbourne. If they were bailed up they would tell the bushrangers they were only workers.

  They each then put a few pounds in their pockets and then hid the rest under the horse blanket. The horses would be of no interest to them as they were just work horses, hardly mounts for bushrangers!

  They had travelled for two days mainly downhill and expected to be home within two more. That night they set up camp and put the horse out to graze on a long line. Michael hid the money and the pistols in a hole in a tree about one hundred yards away. The two of them could not win a shoot-out if ambushed by bushrangers at night; they would be killed. Daylight was a different matter.

  Early in the morning the dog started barking furiously. Michael and Seamus awoke to see three men riding straight at them. They dismounted quickly and drew their pistols at them before they were fully awake.

  The leader said, “Money or your life, what is it to be?” As ordered they each emptied their pockets and handed over the few
pounds they had kept.

  The leader laughed at them. “I am not joking, where is your money?”

  Michael said, “We are only drivers, the money we gave you is our wages for delivering the cargo to Bendigo; the boss has the money.”

  The leader turned to his men. “Search everywhere. They may be lying!”

  Michael and Seamus were tied to a tree while the search continued for over an hour. The bushrangers looked everywhere, under the cart through their sleeping bags, even the horse blanket which was lying on the ground, the harness and finally stripped them naked to search their clothes. Finally, the bushrangers gave up and without a word rode off, leaving them tied to the tree, naked. They were soon able to release themselves, made a brew and had a good laugh at their successful ruse.

  When they arrived home they sat down and counted the money and were pleasantly surprised to find they had collected two hundred and fifteen pounds. This was enough to pay off the bank loan, buy seed and some more young lambs.

  Michael decided to pay off the loan the next day and as he prepared to leave Seamus asked him to put an advertisement in the Guardian newspaper about their shearing business.

  They had placed a shingle outside the gate letting other farmers know of their capabilities, but it hadn’t got them any shearing work locally. Michael went to the bank and paid off the debt. With a letter from the bank manager, he then went to Mr Carroll and requested that the deed be noted that the property was now debt free.

  He had to search for the Guardian newspaper as it was not in the main streets. He found it set back off a side street. As he opened the door he caught sight of a man entering an office and vaguely recognized him. But from where?