It was all the go that morning.
No blue or red coat appeared. - It was past one o'clock: John Bull
must have his dinner. Lalor spoke of the want of arms and ammunition,
requested that every one should endeavour to procure of both as much
as possible, but did certainly not counsel or even hint that stores
should be pressed for it.
A German blacksmith, within the stockade was blazing, hammering and pointing
pikes as fast as his thick strong arms allowed him: praising the while
his past valour in the wars of Mexico, and swearing that his pikes would fix
red-toads and blue pissants especially. He was making money as fast
any Yankee is apt on such occasions, and it was a wonder to look at
his coarse workmanship, that would hardly stick an opossum, though his pikes
were meant for kangaroos and wild dogs.
Chapter XLV.
Populus Ex Terra Crescit: Multitudo Hominum Est Populus;
Ergo, Multitudo Hominum Ex Terra Crescit.
Between four and five o'clock of same afternoon, we became aware of
the silly blunder, which proved fatal to our cause. Some three or four hundred
diggers arrived from Creswick-creek, a gold-field famous for its pennyweight
fortunes - grubbed up through hard work, and squandered in dissipation
among the swarm of sly-grog sellers in the district.
We learned from this Creswick legion that two demagogues had been stumping
at Creswick, and called the diggers there to arms to help their brothers
on Ballaarat, who were worried by scores, by the perfidious hounds of the Camp.
They were assured that on Ballaarat there was plenty of arms, ammunitions,
forage, and provisions, and that preparations on a grand scale were making
to redress once for all the whole string of grievances. They had only
to march to Ballaarat, and would find there plenty of work, honour, and glory.
I wonder how honest Mr. Black could sanction with his presence,
such suicidal rant, such absurd bosh of that pair of demagogues,
who hurried down these four hundred diggers from Creswick, helpless, grog-worn,
that is, more or less dirty and ragged, and proved the greatest nuisance.
One of them, MICHAEL TUEHY, behaved valiantly and so I shall say no more.
Of course something must be done. Thonen was the purveyor. The Eureka butcher
on the hill gave plenty of meat, and plenty of bread was got from all
the neighbouring stores, and paid for. A large fire was lit in the middle
of the stockade, and thus some were made as comfortable as circumstances
admitted; others were quartered at the tents of friends; the greater part,
soon guessing how they had been humbugged, returned to their old quarters.
