Books: A Lady\'s Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852 53
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Mrs Charles (Ellen) Clacy >> A Lady\'s Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852 53
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Richard left us on Thursday morning, and with him went one of the other
party, the house-painter and decorator, who also found gold-digging not
so Pleasant as he had expected. We afterwards learnt that before
reaching Kilmore they separated. Richard arrived safely in Melbourne,
and entered a goldbroker's office at a salary of three pounds a week,
which situation I believe he now fills; and as "the governor," to use
Richard's own expression, "has not yet come to his senses," he must
greatly regret having allowed his temper to be the cause of his leaving
the comforts of home. His companion, who parted with Richard at
Kilmore, was robbed of what little gold he had, and otherwise
maltreated, whilst passing through the Black Forest. On reaching
Melbourne, he sold everything he possessed, and that not being
sufficient, he borrowed enough to pay his passage back to
England, where, doubtless, he will swell the number of those whose lack
of success in the colonies, and vituperations against them, are only
equalled by their unfitness ever to have gone there.
Thursday was past in puddling and cradling, with rather better results
than on the first day, still it was not to our satisfaction, and on
Friday two pits were sunk. one was shallow, and the bottom reached
without a speck of gold making its appearance. The other was left over
till the next morning. This was altogether very disheartening work,
particularly as the expenses of living were not small. There were many,
however, much worse off than ourselves, though here and there a lucky
digger excited the envy of all around him. Many were the tricks
resorted to in order to deceive new-comers. Holes were offered for
sale, in which the few grains that were carefully placed in sight was
all that the buyer gained by his purchase.
A scene of this description was enacted this Friday evening, at a
little distance from us. The principal actors in it were two in number.
One sat a little way from his hole with a heap of soil by his
side, and a large tin dish nearly full of dirt in his hand. As he
swayed the dish to and fro in the process of washing, an immense
number of small nuggets displayed themselves, which fact in a loud tone
he announced to his "mate", at the same time swearing at him for
keeping at work so late in the evening. This digger, who was shovelling
up more dirt from the hole, answered in the same elegant language,
calling him an "idle good-for-nought." Every now and then he threw a
small nugget to the tin-dish-washer, loudly declaring, "he'd not leave
off while them bright bits were growing thick as taters underground."
"Then be d----d if I don't!" shouted the other;" and I'll sell the hole
for two hundred yeller boys down."
This created a great sensation among the bystanders, who during the
time had collected round, and among whom was a party of three,
evidently "new chums."
"It shall go for a hundred and fifty!" again shouted the washer, giving
a glance in the direction in which they stood.
"Going for a hundred, tin-dish as well!" letting some of the
water run off, and displaying the gold.
This decided the matter, and one of the three stepped forward and
offered the required sum.
"Money down," said the seller; "these here fellers 'll witness it's all
reg'lar."
The money was paid in notes, and the purchasers were about to commence
possession by taking the tin-dish out of his hand.
"Wait till he's emptied. I promised yer the dish, but not the stuff in
it," and turning out the dirt into a small tub the two worthies
departed, carrying the tub away with them.
Not a grain of gold did the buyers find in the pit next morning.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2.--This day found the four hard at work at an early
hour, and words will not describe our delight when they hit upon a
"pocket" full of the precious metal. The "pocket was situated in a dark
corner of the hole, and William was the one whose fossicking-knife
first brought its hidden beauties to light. Nugget after nugget did
that dirty soil give up; by evening they had taken out five
pounds weight of gold. Foolish Richard! we all regretted his absence at
this discovery.
As the next day was the Sabbath, thirty-six hours of suspense must
elapse before we could know whether this was but a passing kindness
from the fickle goddess, or the herald of continued good fortune.
This night, for the first time, we were really in dread of an attack,
though we had kept our success quite secret, not even mentioning it to
our shipmates; nor did we intend to do so until Monday morning, when
our first business would be to mark out three more claims round the
lucky spot, and send our gold down to the escort-office for security.
For the present we were obliged to content ourselves with "planting"
it--that is, burying it in the ground; and not a footstep passed in our
neighbourhood without our imagining ourselves robbed of the precious
treasure, and as it was Saturday night--the noisiest and most riotous at
the diggings--our panics were neither few nor far between. So true it is
that riches entail trouble and anxiety on their possessor.
Chapter VIII.
AN ADVENTURE
SUNDAY 3.--A fine morning. After our usual service Frank, my brother,
and myself, determined on an exploring expedition, and off we went,
leaving the dinner in the charge of the others. We left the busy throng
of the diggers far behind us, and wandered into spots where the sound
of the pick and shovel, or the noise of human traffic, had never
penetrated. The scene and the day were in unison; all was harmonious,
majestic, and serene. Those mighty forests, hushed in a sombre and
awful silence; those ranges of undulating hill and dale never yet
trodden by the foot of man; the soft still air, so still that
it left every leaf unruffled, flung an intensity of awe over our
feelings, and led us from the contemplation of nature to worship
nature's God.
We sat in silence for some while deeply impressed by all around us,
and, whilst still sitting and gazing there, a change almost
imperceptibly came over the face of both earth and sky. The forest
swayed to and fro, a sighing moaning sound was borne upon the wind, and
a noise as of the rush of waters, dark massive clouds rolled over the
sky till the bright blue heavens were completely hidden, and then, ere
we had recovered from our first alarm and bewilderment, the storm in
its unmitigated fury burst upon us. The rain fell in torrents, and we
knew not where to turn.
Taking me between them, they succeeded in reaching an immense shea-oak,
under which we hoped to find some shelter till the violence of the rain
had diminished; nor where we disappointed, though it was long before we
could venture to leave our place of refuge. At length however, we did
so, and endeavoured to find our way back to Eagle Hawk Gully. Hopeless
task! The ground was so slippery, it was as much as we could do
to walk without falling; the mud and dirt clung to our boots, and a
heavy rain beat against our faces and nearly blinded us.
"It is clearing up to windward," observed Frank; "another half-hour and
the rain will be all but over; let us return to our tree again."
We did so. Frank was correct; in less than the time he had specified a
slight drizzling rain was all of the storm that remained.
With much less difficulty we again attempted to return home, but before
very long we made the startling discovery that we had completely lost
our way, and to add to our misfortune the small pocket-compass, which
Frank had brought with him, and which would have now so greatly
assisted us, was missing, most probably dropped from his pocket during
the skirmish to get under shelter. We still wandered along till stopped
by the shades of evening, which came upon us--there is little or no
twilight in Australia.
We seated ourselves upon the trunk of a fallen tree, wet, hungry, and,
worst of all, ignorant of where we were. Shivering with cold,
and our wet garments hanging most uncomfortably around us, we
endeavoured to console one another by reflecting that the next morning
we could not fail to reach our tents. The rain had entirely ceased, and
providentially for us the night was pitch dark--I say providentially,
because after having remained for two hours in this wretched plight a
small light in the distance became suddenly visible to us all, so
distant, that but for the intensity of the darkness it might have
passed unnoticed. "Thank God!" simultaneously burst from our lips.
"Let us hasten there," cried Frank, "a whole night like this may be
your sister's death and would ruin the constitution of a giant."
To this we gladly acceded, and were greatly encouraged by perceiving
that the light remained stationary. But it was a perilous undertaking.
Luckily my brother had managed to get hold of a long stick with which
he sounded the way, for either large stones or water-holes would have
been awkward customers in the dark; wonderful to relate we escaped
both, and when within hailing distance of the light, which we perceived
came from a torch hold by some one, we shouted with all our
remaining strength, but without diminishing our exertions to reach it.
Soon--with feelings that only those who have encountered similar dangers
can understand--answering voices fell upon our ears. Eagerly we pressed
forward, and in the excitement of the moment we relinquished all hold
of one another, and attempted to wade through the mud singly.
"Stop! halt!" shouted more than one stentorian voice; but the warning
came too late. My feet slipped--a sharp pain succeeded by a sudden
chill--a feeling of suffocation--of my head being ready to burst--and I
remembered no more.
When I recovered consciousness it was late in the morning, for the
bright sun shone upon the ground through the crevices of a sail cloth
tent, and so different was all that met my eyes to the dismal scene
through which I had so lately passed, and which yet haunted my memory,
that I felt that sweet feeling of relief which we experience when,
waking from some horrid vision, we become convinced how unsubstantial
are its terrors, and are ready to smile at the pain they excited.
That I was in a strange place became quickly evident, and among the
distant hum of voices which ever and anon broke the silence not one
familiar tone could I recognize. I endeavoured to raise myself so as to
hear more distinctly, and then it was that an acute pain in the ankle
of the right foot, gave me pretty strong evidence as to the reality of
the last night's adventures. I was forced to lie down again, but not
before I had espied a hand-bell which lay within reach on a small
barrel near my bed. Determined as far as possible to fathom the
mystery, I rang a loud peal with it, not doubting but what it would
bring my brother to me. My surprise and delight may be easier imagined
than described, when, as though in obedience to my summons, I saw a
small white hand push aside the canvas at one corner of the tent, and
one of my own sex entered.
She was young and fair; her step was soft and her voice most musically
gentle. Her eyes were a deep blue, and a rich brown was the colour of
her hair, which she wore in very short curls all round her head and
parted on one side, which almost gave her the appearance of a pretty
boy.
These little particulars I noticed afterwards; at that time I only felt
that her gentle voice and kind friendliness of manner inexpressibly
soothed me.
After having bathed my ankle, which I found to be badly sprained and
cut, she related, as far as she was acquainted with them, the events
the previous evening. I learnt that these tents belonged to a party
from England, of one of whom she was the wife, and the tent in which I
lay was her apartment. They had not been long at the diggings, and
preferred the spot where they were to the more frequented parts.
The storm of yesterday had passed over them without doing much damage,
and as their tents were well painted over the tops, they managed to
keep themselves tolerably dry; but later in the evening, owing to the
softness of the ground, one of the side-posts partly gave way, which
aroused them all, and torches were lit, and every one busied in trying
to prop it up till morning. Whilst thus engaged they heard our voices
calling for help. They answered, at the same time getting ready some
more torches before, advancing to meet us, as there were
several pit-holes between us and them. Their call for us to remain
stationary came too late to save me from slipping into one of their
pits, thereby spraining my ankle and otherwise hurting myself, besides
being buried to my forehead in mud and water. The pit was not quite
five feet deep, but, unfortunately for myself in this instance, I
belong to the pocket edition of the feminine sex. They soon extricated
me from this perilous situation, and carried me to their tents, where,
by the assistance of my new friend, I was divested of the mud that
still clung to me, and placed into bed.
Before morning the storm, which we all thought had passed over, burst
forth with redoubled fury; the flashes of lightning were succeeded by
loud peals of thunder, and the rain came splashing down. Their tents
were situated on a slight rise, or they would have run great risk of
being washed away; every hole was filled with water, and the shea-oak,
of whose friendly shelter we had availed ourselves the evening before,
was struck by lightning, shivered into a thousand pieces. After a while
the storm abated, and the warm sun and a drying wind were quickly
removing all traces of it.
Frank and my brother, after an early breakfast, had set out for Eagle
Hawk Gully under the guidance of my fair friend's husband, who knew the
road thither very well; it was only three miles distant. He was to
bring back with him a change of clothing for me, as his wife had
persuaded my brother to leave me in her charge until I had quite
recovered from the effects of the accident, "which he more readily
promised," she observed, "as we are not quite strangers, having met
once before."
This awakened my curiosity, and I would not rest satisfied till fully
acquainted with the how, when, and where. Subsequently she related to
me some portion of the history of her life, which it will be no breach
of confidence to repeat here.
Short as it is, however, it is deserving of another chapter.
Chapter IX.
HARRIETTE WALTERS
Harriette Walters had been a wife but twelve months, when the sudden
failure of the house in which her husband was a junior partner involved
them in irretrievable ruin, and threw them almost penniless upon the
world. At this time the commercial advantages of Australia, the opening
it afforded for all classes of men, and above all, its immense mineral
wealth, were the subject of universal attention. Mr. Walters' friends
advised him to emigrate, and the small sum saved from the wreck of
their fortune served to defray the expenses of the journey. Harriette,
sorely against her wishes, remained behind with an old maiden
aunt, until her husband could obtain a home for her in the colonies.
The day of parting arrived; the ship which bore him away disappeared
from her sight, and almost heart-broken she returned to the humble
residence of her sole remaining relative.
Ere she had recovered from the shock occasioned by her husband's
departure, her aged relation died from a sudden attack of illness, and
Harriette was left alone to struggle with her poverty and her grief.
The whole of her aunt's income had been derived from an annuity, which
of course died with her; and her personal property, when sold, realized
not much more than sufficient to pay a few debts and the funeral
expenses; so that when these last sad duties were performed, Harriette
found herself with a few pounds in her pocket, homeless, friendless,
and alone.
Her thoughts turned to the distant land, her husband's home, and every
hope was centred in the one intense desire to join him there. The means
were wanting, she had none from whom she could solicit assistance, but
her determination did not fail. She advertized for a situation
as companion to an invalid, or nurse to young children, during the
voyage to Port Philip, provided her passage-money was paid by her
employer. This she soon obtained. The ship was a fast sailer, the winds
were favourable, and by a strange chance she arrived in Melbourne three
weeks before her husband. This time was a great trial to her. Alone and
unprotected in that strange, rough city, without money, without
friends, she felt truly wretched. It was not a place for a female to be
without a protector, and she knew it, yet protector she had none; even
the family with whom she had come out, had gone many miles up the
country. She possessed little money, lodgings and food were at an awful
price, and employment for a female, except of a rough sort, was not
easily procured.
In this dilemma she took the singular notion into her head of
disguising her sex, and thereby avoiding much of the insult and
annoyance to which an unprotected female would have been liable. Being
of a slight figure, and taking the usual colonial costume--loose
trowsers, a full, blue serge shirt, fastened round the waist by
a leather belt, and a wide-awake--Harriette passed very well for what
she assumed to be--a young lad just arrived from England. She
immediately obtained a light situation near the wharf, where for about
three weeks she worked hard enough at a salary of a pound a week,
board, and permission to sleep in an old tumbledown shed beside the
store.
At last the long looked-for vessel arrived. That must have been a
moment of intense happiness which restored her to her husband's
arms--for him not unmingled with surprise; he could not at first
recognize her in her new garb. She would hear of no further separation,
and when she learnt he had joined a party for the Bendigo diggings, she
positively refused to remain in Melbourne, and she retained her boyish
dress until their arrival at Bendigo. The party her husband belonged to
had two tents, one of which they readily gave up to the married couple,
as they were only too glad to have the company and in-door assistance
of a sensible, active woman during their spell at the diggings. For the
sake of economy, during the time that elapsed before they could
commence their journey up, all of them lived in the tents which
they pitched on a small rise on the south side of the Yarra. Here it
was that our acquaintance first took place; doubtless, my readers will,
long ere this, have recognized in the hospitable gentleman I
encountered there, my friend's husband, and, in the delicate-looking
youth who had so attracted my attention, the fair Harriette herself.
* * * * *
But--REVENONS A NOS MOUTONS.
On the third day of my visit I was pronounced convalescent, and that
evening my brother and William came to conduct me back to Eagle Hawk
Gully. It was with no little regret that I bade farewell to my new
friend, and I must confess that the pleasure of her society had for the
time made me quite careless as to the quantity of gold our party might
be taking up during my absence. Whilst walking towards our tents, I
heard the full particulars of their work, which I subjoin, so as to
resume the thread of my DIGGING narrative in a proper manner.
MONDAY.--Much upset by their anxiety occasioned by the non-appearance
the previous evening of Frank, my brother, and myself. The two
former did not reach home till nearly noon, the roads were so heavy.
After dinner all set to work in better spirits; came to the end of the
gold--took out nearly four Pounds weight.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.--Digging various holes in the vicinity of the
lucky spot, but without success. The other party did the same with no
better result.
Such were the tidings that I heard after my three days' absence.
THURSDAY.--To-day was spent in prospecting--that is, searching for a
spot whose geological formation gives some promise of the precious
metal. In the evening, William and Octavius returned with the news that
they had found a place at some, distance from the gully, which they
thought would prove "paying," as they had washed some of the surface
soil, which yielded well. It was arranged that the party be divided
into two, and take alternate days to dig there.
FRIDAY.--In pursuance of the foregoing plan William and Octavius set
off, carrying a good quantity of dinner and their tools along with
them. They worked hard enough during the day, but only brought
back three pennyweights of gold-dust with them. My brother and Frank
gained a deal more by surface washing at home.
SATURDAY.--Changed hands. Frank and my brother to the new spot, digging.
Octavius and William surface washing. There results were much the same
as the day before.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 10--We took advantage of the fine weather to pay a visit
to Harriette and her party. We found them in excellent spirits, for at
last they had hit upon a rich vein, which had for three days been
yielding an average of four pounds weight a day, and was not yet
exhausted. I say AT LAST, for I have not before mentioned that they had
never obtained more than an ounce of gold altogether, up to the day I
left them. We were sincerely pleased with their good fortune. Harriette
hoped that soon they might be able to leave this wild sort of life, and
purchase a small farm, and once again have a home of their own. This
could not be done near Melbourne, so they meant to go to South
Australia, where any quantity of land may be bought. In THIS colony no
smaller quantity than a square mile--640 acres--is sold by the
Government in one lot; consequently, those whose capital is unequal to
purchase this, go to some other colony, and there invest the wealth
they have acquired in Victoria.
As we had some idea of leaving Eagle Hawk Gully, I bade Harriette
farewell. We never expected to meet again. It chanced otherwise; but I
must not anticipate.
Monday and Tuesday were most unprofitably passed in digging holes; and
on Tuesday night we determined to leave the Eagle Hawk, and try our
fortune in some of the neighbouring gullies.
Wednesday was a bustling day. We sold our tent, tools, cradle, &c., as
we knew plenty were always to be bought of those who, like ourselves,
were changing their place. Had we known what we were about, we should
never have burdened ourselves by bringing so many goods and chattels a
hundred and twenty miles or more up the country; but "experience
teaches." Having parted with all encumbrances, myself excepted, we
started for the Iron Bark Gully. All the gold had been transmitted by
the escort to Melbourne, and one fine nugget, weighing nearly five
ounces, had been sent to Richard. We could not resist the
pleasure of presenting him with it, although by our rules not entitled
to any of the proceeds.
The following are the rules by which our affairs were regulated. They
were drawn up before leaving Melbourne, and signed by all. Though crude
and imperfect, they were sufficient to preserve complete harmony and
good fellowship between five young men of different character, taste,
and education--a harmony and good fellowship which even Richard's
withdrawal did not interrupt.
The rules were these:
1. No one party to be ruler; but every week by turn, one to buy, sell,
take charge of gold, and transact all business matters.
2. The gold to be divided, and accounts settled every Saturday night.
3. Any one voluntarily leaving the party, to have one-third of his
original share in the expense of purchasing tent and tools returned to
him, but to have no further claim upon them or upon the gold that may
be found after his withdrawal. Any one dismissed the party for
misconduct, to forfeit all claim upon the joint property.
4. The party agree to stand by one another in all danger, difficulty,
or illness.
5. Swearing, gambling, and drinking spirits to be strictly avoided.
6. Morning service to be read every Sunday morning.
7. All disputes or appeals from the foregoing rules to be settled by a
majority.
Chapter X.
IRONBARK GULLY
I have said little in description of the Eagle Hawk, for all gullies or
valleys at the diggings bear a strong external resemblance one to
another. This one differed from others only in being much longer and
wider; the sides, as is usually the case in the richest gullies, were
not precipitous, but very gradual; a few mountains closed the
background. The digging was in many places very shallow, and the soil
was sometimes of a clayey description, sometimes very gravelly with
slate bottom, sometimes gravelly with pipeclay bottom, sometimes quite
sandy; in fact, the earth was of all sorts and depths.
At one time there were eight thousand diggers together in Eagle Hawk
Gully. This was some months before we visited it. During the period of
our stay at Bendigo there were not more than a thousand, and fewer
still in the Iron Bark. The reasons for this apparent desertion were
several.
The weather continued wet and uncertain, so that many who had gone down
to Melbourne remained there, not yet considering the ground
sufficiently recovered from the effects of the prolonged wet season,
they had no desire to run the risk of being buried alive in their
holes. Many had gone to the Adelaide diggings, of which further
particulars hereafter, and many more had gone across the country to the
Ovens, or, farther still, to the Sydney diggings themselves. According
to digging parlance, "the Turon was looking up," and Bendigo, Mount
Alexander, and Forest Creek were thinned accordingly. But perhaps the
real cause of their desertion arose from the altered state of the
diggings. Some time since one party netted 900 pounds in three weeks;
100 pounds a week was thought nothing wonderful. Four men found one day
seventy-five pounds weight; another party took from the foot of a tree
gold to the value of 2000 pounds. A friend of mine once met a man whom he
knew returning to Melbourne, walking in dusty rags and dirt behind a dray,
yet carrying with him 1,500 pounds worth of gold. In Peg Leg Gully, fifty
and even eighty pounds weight had been taken from holes only three or four
feet deep. At Forest Creek a hole produced sixty pounds weight in one
day, and forty more the day after. From one of the golden gullies a
party took up the incredible quantity of one hundred and ninety-eight
pounds weight in six weeks. These are but two or three instances out of
the many that occurred to prove the richness of this truly auriferous
spot. The consequence may be easily imagined; thousands flocked to
Bendigo. The "lucky bits" were still as numerous, but being
disseminated among a greater number of diggers, it followed that there
were many more blanks than prizes, and the disappointed multitude were
ready to be off to the first new discovery. Small gains were beneath
their notice. I have often heard the miners say that they would rather
spend their last farthing digging fifty holes, even if they found
nothing in them, than "tamely" earn an ounce a day by washing
the surface soil; on the same principle, I suppose, that a gambler
would throw up a small but certain income to be earned by his own
industry, for the uncertain profits of the cue or dice.
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