The spirit, after which he filled them all
up to the neck with water. The bottles were then corked, and any or all
of them politely offered to us at the rate of 30s a piece. We declined
purchasing, but he sold them all during the evening, for which we were
rather glad, as, had they been discovered by the officials in our tent,
a fine of 50 pounds would have been the consequence of our foolish
comrades good-nature and joke-loving propensities.
We afterwards found that Master Joe had played the same trick with our
shipmates and with the two doctors, who had bought a tent and settled
themselves near our old place by Montgomery's store.
SATURDAY, 25. - The two holes were "bottomed" before noon with no paying
result. It had been hard work, and they were rather low-spirited about
it. The rest of the day they spent in washing some surface-soil, and
altogether collected about I ounce and a half of gold-dust,
counting the little I had washed out on the Friday. In the evening it
was all dried by being placed in a spade over a quick fire. We had
before determined to square accounts and divide the gold every Saturday
night, but this small quantity was not worth the trouble, so it was
laid by in the digger's usual treasury, a German match-box. These round
boxes hold on an average eight ounces of gold.
These two unproductive holes had not been very deep. The top, or
surface soil, for which a spade or shovel is used, was of clay. This
was succeeded by a strata almost as hard as iron - technically called
"burnt stuff," - which robbed the pick of its points nearly as soon as the
blacksmith had steeled them at a charge of 2s. 6d. a point. Luckily for
their arms, this strata was but thin, and the yellow or blue clay which
followed was comparatively easy work - here and there an awkward lump of
quartz required the use of the. pick. Suddenly they came to some
glittering particles of yellow, which, with heartfelt delight they
hailed as gold. It WAS MICA. Many are at first deceived by it, but it
is soon distinguished by its weight, as the mica will blow away with
the slightest puff. After a little useless digging among the
clay, they reached the solid rock, and thus having fairly "bottomed,"
the holes to no purpose, they abandoned them.
SUNDAY, 26. - Although impossible at the diggings to keep this day with
those outward observances which are customary in civilized life, we
attempted to make as much difference as possible between the day of
rest and that of work. Frank performed the office of chaplain, and read
the morning service in the calm and serious manner which we expected
from him.
I was rather amused to see the alacrity with which, when this slight
service was over, they all prepared to assist me in the formation of a
huge plum-pudding for the Sunday's dinner. Stoning plums and chopping
suet seemed to afford them immense pleasure - I suppose it was a
novelty; and, contrary to the fact implied in the old adage, "too many
cooks spoil the broth" our pudding turned out A1.
In the afternoon we strolled about, and paid a visit to our shipmates.
I was certainly most agreeably surprised by the quiet and order that
everywhere prevailed.
MONDAY, 27. - Today our party commenced "sinking" in a new spot at some
little distance. The first layer of black soil was removed, and on some
being washed in a tin dish, it was found to contain a tolerable portion
of gold, and was pronounced to be worth transporting to the tent to be
regularly cradled. My first official notice of this fact was from
Richard, who entered the tent humming "Suona la tromba," with a bucket
full of this heavy soil in each hand. He broke off in the middle of his
song to ask for some water to drink, and grumbled most energetically at
such dirty work. He then gave me an account of the morning's doings.
After a thin layer of the black surface soil, it appeared they had come
to a strata of thick yellow clay, in which gold was often very
abundant. This soil, from being so stiff, would require "puddling," a
work of which he did not seem to relish the anticipation. Before the
day was over, a great number of buckets full of both soils were brought
up and deposited in heaps near the tents. All, with the exception of
the "operatic" Richard, seemed in good spirits, and were well satisfied
with what had been done in so short a time.
In the evening the other party of our shipmates arrived, and were busy
fixing their tent at a distance of about forty yards from us. Frank and
the other four, though pretty tired with the days labour, lent a
helping hand, the united efforts of nine speedily accomplished this
business, after which an immense quantity of cold mutton, damper, and
tea made a rapid disappearance, almost emptying my larder, which, by
the bye, was an old tea-chest.
We asked our friends their motive for leaving the old spot, and they
declared they could stand the "amiable female" no longer; she grew
worse and worse. "Her tongue was sich" observed the Scotchman, "as wad
drive ony puir beastie wild." She had regularly quarrelled with the two
doctors because they would not give her a written certificate, that the
state of her health required the constant use of spirits. She offered them
two guineas for it, which they indignantly refused, and she then declared
her intention of injuring their pracitce as much as possible, which she
had power to do, as her tent was of an evening quite the centre of
attraction and her influence proportionably great.
