Big, big drops
of rain fight their way through the gale; soon the drops muster in legions,
and the stronger the storm, the stronger those legions. At last they conquer;
then it pours down - that is, the flood is made up of legions of torrents.
Is the end of the world now at hand? Look at the victorious rainbow!
it reminds man of the covenant of our God with Noah, not far from this
southern land. The sun restores confidence that all is right again as before,
and nature, refreshed and bolder, returns again to her work.
Hence, the storm is life.
Not so is the case with fire. Devouring everything, devouring itself,
fire seems to leave off its frenzy, only to devour the sooner any mortal thing
that comes in the way to retard destruction. A few embers, then a handful
of ashes, are the sole evidence of what was once kingly or beggarly.
Fire may destroy, consume, devour, but has no power to reduce to 'nothing.'
Hence the calamity of fire is death.
The handful of ashes lie lifeless until a storm forces them into the living
order of nature, which, when refreshed, has the power to ingraft those
ashes to, and make them prosper with, the grain of mustard seed.
Hence death is life.
Such is the order of Providence. Now, good reader, watch the handful of ashes
of what was once Bentley's Eureka Hotel.
Chapter XVIII.
Pecunia Omnia Vincit.
In the dead of the night after the burning of the Eureka Hotel, three men
had been taken into custody, charged with riot, and subsequently committed
to take their trial in Melbourne.
I think the diggers at this time seriously contemplated to burn down the Camp,
and thus get rid in a blaze of all their grievances.
A committee for the defence of these men, met at the Star Hotel, and sent round
to all the tents on Ballaarat for subscriptions. I contributed my mite,
and then learned that VERN, KENNEDY, and HUMFFRAY were the triumvirate
of said committee.
The following placard was posted throughout the goldfields:-
500 POUNDS REWARD
for the discovery, apprehension and conviction
of the murderer of James Scobie, found dead near
the late Eureka Hotel, etc., etc.
At one and at the same time, also, the following placards were posted
at each prominent gum-tree on the goldfield:-
500 POUNDS REWARD
increased by Government to
1,600 POUNDS!!
for the apprehension and conviction of the robbers
of the Bank of Victoria.
A desperate deed was committed in broad mid-day; Monday, October 16th,
in the Ballaarat township.
Four men in the garb of diggers, wearing sou'-wester hats, and having
crepe over their faces, entered the Bank of Victoria, and succeeded
in carrying off property in notes and gold, to the amount
of about 15,000 pounds.
Who would have told me then, that soon I should be messmate to those
unknown audacious robbers, in the same gaol!!
Let's go to the public meeting in the next chapter.
Chapter XIX.
Una Scintilla, Sparasi La Bomba,
Spalanca A Multitudini La Tomba.
The following story was going the rounds of the Eureka. There was a
licence-hunt; the servant of the Rev. P. Smyth, the priest of the Catholic
church, Bakery-hill, went to a neighbouring tent to visit a sick man.
While inside, a trooper comes galloping up at the tent-door, and shouts out,
"Come out here, you d - - d wretches! there's a good many like you on the
diggings." The man came outside, and was asked if "he's got a licence?"
The servant, who is a native of Armenia, answers, in imperfect English,
that he is a servant to the priest. The trooper says, "Damn you and
the priest," and forthwith dismounts for the purpose of dragging
Johannes M'Gregorius, the servant, along with him. The servant remonstrates
by saying he is a disabled man, unable to walk over the diggings.
This infuriates the trooper, he strikes and knocks down the poor disabled
foreigner, drags him about, tears his shirt - in short, inflicting such injuries
on the poor fellow, that all the diggers present cried out "shame! shame!"
Commissioner Johnson rides up, and says to the crowd about him, that he should
not be interrupted in the execution of his 'dooty.' The priest hears
of his servant's predicament, comes to the spot, hands a five-pound note to
Johnson as bail for his servant's appearance the next day at the police-office.
The following morning, Johannes M`Gregorius is charged with being on
the gold-fields without a licence. The poor foreigner tries to make a defence,
but was fined five pounds. Commissioner Johnson now comes in and says,
M`Gregorius is not charged with being without a licence, but with assaulting
the trooper Lord - ridiculous! This alters the case. The trooper is called,
and says the old story about the execution of 'dooty,' that is,
licence-hunting.
A respectable witness takes his oath that he saw the trooper strike
the foreigner with his clenched fist, and knock him down.
The end of the story is in the Ballaarat tune, then in vogue: "Fined 5 pounds;
take him away."
Chapter XX.
Public Meeting
Held at the Catholic Chapel, Bakery-hill, Wednesday, October 25th.
After a good deal of pretty intelligible talk about the 'helpless Armenian,'
the trooper Lord, and our respected priest; Thomas Kennedy, pouncing on
the thing of the day proposed: -
"That it is the opinion of this meeting that the conduct of Mr. Commissioner
Johnson towards the Rev. Mr. Smyth has been calculated to awaken the highest
feeling of indignation on the part of his devoted flock: and to call upon
the government to institute an inquiry into his (gold-lace) character,
and to desire to have him at once removed from Ballaarat."
Carried unanimously.
