"Will two thousand of you come forward?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"Will four thousand of you volunteer to march up to the Camp, and open
the lock-up to liberate the man?"
"Yes! yes!" (the clamour was really deafening.)
"Are you ready to die?" shouted out our worthy chairman, stretching forth
his right hand, clenched all the while; "Are you ready to die?"
"Yes, Yes! Hurrah!"
This general decided clamour put out Tim in such good spirits, that,
in spite of the heat of the sun and the excitement of the day, he launched
in the realm of crowned poets, and bawled as loud as if he wanted
the head-butler at Toorak to take him a quart-pot of smallbeer -
"On to the field, our doom is sealed,
To conquer or be slaves;
The sun shall see our country free.
Or set upon our graves."
(Great works!)
No one who was not present at that monster meeting, or never saw any
Chartist meeting in Copenhagen-fields, London, can possibly form an idea
of the enthusiasm of the miners of Ballaarat on that 29th of November.
A regular volley of revolvers and other pistols now took place, and a good
blazing up of gold-licences. When the original resolutions had
all been passed, Mr. Humffray moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Ireland,
for his free advocacy of the state prisoners.
