Peter Lalor thanked the council for the honour conferred on him,
assured the members that he was determined to prepare the diggers
to resist force by force.
It was perfectly understood, and openly declared, in this first council-of-war,
that we meant to organise for defence, and that we had taken up arms
for no other purpose.
The council adjourned to five o'clock in the evening.
Chapter XXXVII.
Lalor Stump, Bakery-Hill.
Brave LALOR -
Was found 'all there,'
With dauntless dare,
His men inspiring;
To wolf or bear,
Defiance bidding,
He made us swear,
Be faithful to the Standard, )
For Victory or Death! ) (bis)
- - -
On that Thursday, November 30th, more memorable than the disgraced Sunday,
December 3rd, the SUN was on its way towards the west: in vain some scattered
clouds would hamper its splendour - the god in the firmament generously
ornamented them with golden fringes, and thus patches of blue sky far off
were allowed to the sight, through the gilded openings among the clouds.
The 'SOUTHERN CROSS' was hoisted up the flagstaff - a very splendid pole,
eighty feet in length, and straight as an arrow. This maiden appearance
of our standard, in the midst of armed men, sturdy, self-overworking
gold-diggers of all languages and colours, was a fascinating object to behold.
There is no flag in old Europe half so beautiful as the 'Southern Cross'
of the Ballaarat miners, first hoisted on the old spot, Bakery-hill.
The flag is silk, blue ground, with a large silver cross, similar to the one
in our southern firmament; no device or arms, but all exceedingly chaste
and natural.
Captain Ross, of Toronto, was the bridegroom of our flag, and sword in hand,
he had posted himself at the foot of the flag-staff, surrounded by
his rifle division.
Peter Lalor, our Commander-in-chief, was on the stump, holding with his
left hand the muzzle of his rifle, whose butt-end rested on his foot.
A gesture of his right hand, signified what he meant when he said,
"It is my duty now to swear you in, and to take with you the oath
to be faithful to the Southern Cross. Hear me with attention. The man who,
after this solemn oath does not stand by our standard, is a coward in heart.
"I order all persons who do not intend to take the oath,
to leave the meeting at once.
"Let all divisions under arms 'fall in' in their order
round the flag-staff."
The movement was made accordingly. Some five hundred armed diggers advanced
in real sober earnestness, the captains of each division making the military
salute to Lalor, who now knelt down, the head uncovered, and with the
right hand pointing to the standard exclaimed a firm measured tone:
"WE SWEAR BY THE SOUTHERN CROSS TO STAND TRULY BY EACH OTHER,
AND FIGHT TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES."
An universal well rounded AMEN, was the determined reply; some five hundred
right hands stretched towards our flag.
The earnestness of so many faces of all kinds of shape and colour;
the motley heads of all sorts of size and hair; the shagginess of so many
beards of all lengths and thicknesses; the vividness of double the number
of eyes electrified by the magnetism of the southern cross; was one of those
grand sights, such as are recorded only in the history of
'the Crusaders in Palestine.'
Chapter XXXVIII.
Un Bon Calcio, E La Canaglia,
Stronga Va Come La Paglia.
The drill afterwards was gone through with eagerness.
Another scene, though of a different kind all together, was going on
at a corner of the above picture.
Judas Iscariot, 'Goodenough,' was among us, in the garb of a fossiker;
he appeared to me, then, to be under the influence of drink;
so Vandemonian-like were his shouts about standing up and fighting for rights
and liberties; and burning down the camp in a blaze like the late Eureka Hotel.
Mind good reader, I tell you no joke, I am not in humour just now to spin
a yarn. - I wished to shame the fellow for his villainy on such a solemn
occasion. The fellow persisted in his drunken shouts. I lost my temper,
and gave the scoundrel such a respectable kick, in a less respectable region,
with a most respectable boot of mine, that it served me right when both
my new watertight boots were robbed from my shins by Goodenough's satellites
on the subsequent Sunday, at the Ballaarat Camp.
The Thursday's sun is setting: we returned to the Eureka. I had to attend
the 'Council for the Defence.'
Chapter XXXIX.
Disciplina, Suprema Lex In Bello.
In the afternoon, our camp on the Eureka was enclosed in by slabs,
near-handy thrown down at random. All diggers who had been able to procure
fire-arms kept coming in, in right earnest, and formed new divisions.
The pikemen grew stronger and stronger. Drilling was tolerably progressing.
We were of all nations and colours. Lalor gave me his consent and order
to direct all foreigners in their respective language, however little
they knew of the English, to fall in in divisions according to the arms
they had got; and here I solemnly declare, to whomsoever it may concern,
that up to four o'clock of Saturday there was not one single division
distinguished by nationality or religion.
The armed men numbered now (six o'clock) about five hundred.
Vern's gall was fermenting, but on PETER LALOR being proclaimed
Commander-in-chief, the appointment was ratified by hurrah! from the diggers.
There was such a decided intention to do 'something' with the strong arm,
and at once, that I was called on the stump. I requested the diggers
to give us time for deliberation, and pledged my word that I would inform them
of the result.
