Hence He Has Many Enemies, And Yet Not One
Ever Dared To Substantiate A Charge Against His Character; He Has
As many
friends, but not one friend, because it is his policy ever to keep friendly,
with redcoats and gold-
Lace, at one and the same time as with blueshirts
and sou'-westers.
As I cannot possibly mean any thing dishonourable to our old mate,
John Basson Humffray, I may here relate what his foes do say of him.
Suppose any given square and the four pegs to be:
C - - - -D
| |
| W |
| |
B - - - -E
C., that is, the Camp; E., that is, the Eureka; D., that is, the doodledom
of red-tape., and B., that is, blue-shirts.
Let W., that is work, be the central point at C, E, and D, B. Now: John is
sinking at Eureka with the red cap; and Basson cracks some yabber-yabber at D,
that is, getting a sip of Toorak small-beer, as aforesaid. Again: when
Basson puts on a sou'-wester to go through the main-drift with blue-shirts,
then John feels entitled to tramp up to Camp, and there, somewhere not far off,
toast on the fourth of July a Doctor Kenworthy; soon after, however,
said Johnny bends his way to shake hands with Signor Raffaello, at the old peg
Eureka, and helps him to rock the cradle. Further, to give evidence
of his consistency, Humffray himself will express his sorrow to Peter Lalor
for his loss of the left arm at the same peg Eureka; and, to atone for
past transgressions, he will soon after call in both the prodigal John
and yabbering Basson, and with his whole heart and voice, strike up,
'God Save the Queen,' at peg Camp.
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