The Eureka Stockade Part 26

5 JOHN ROBERTSON, Scotland.

6 EDWARD THONEN (lemonade man), Elbertfeldt, Prussia.

7 JOHN HAFELE, Wurtemberg.

8 JOHN DIAMOND, County Clare, Ireland.

9 THOMAS O'NEIL, Kilkenny, do.

10 GEORGE DONAGHEY, m.u.f.f, County Donegal, do.

11 EDWARD QUIN, County Cavan, do.

12 WILLIAM QUINLAN, Goulbourn, N.S.W.

13 and 14 Names unknown. One was usually known on Eureka as 'Happy Jack.'

WOUNDED AND SINCE DEAD.

1 LIEUTENANT ROSS, Canada.

2 THADDEUS MOORE, County Clare, Ireland.

3 JAMES BROWN, Newry, do.

4 ROBERT JULIEN, Nova Scotia.

5 ----CROWE, unknown.

6 ----FENTON, do.

7 EDWARD M`GLYN, Ireland.

8 No particulars.

WOUNDED AND SINCE RECOVERED.

1 PETER LALOR, Queen's County, Ireland.

2 Name unknown, England.

3 PATRICK HANAFIN, County Kerry, Ireland.

4 MICHAEL HANLY, County Tipperary, do.

5 MICHAL O'NEIL, County Clare, do.

6 THOMAS CALLANAN, do. do.

7 PATRICK CALLANAN, do. do.

8 FRANK SYMMONs, England.

9 JAMES WARNER, County Cork, Ireland.

10 LUKE SHEEHAN, County Galway, do.

11 MICHAEL MORRISON, County Galway, do.

12 DENNIS DYNAN, County Clare, do.

(Signed) PETER LALOR, Commander-in-Chief.

What has become of GEORGE BLACK, was, and is still, a MYSTERY to me.

I lost sight of him since his leaving for Creswick-creek, on December 1, 1854.

Chapter LXXVIII.

h.o.m.o Natus De Muliere, Brevi Vivens Tempore Repletur Multis Miseriis.

Qui Quasi Flos Conterritur Et Egreditur; Postea Velut Umbra Disperditur.

It is not the purpose of this book, to begin a lamentation about my four long, long months in the gaol. My health was ruined for ever: if that be a consolation to any one; let him enjoy it. To say more is disgusting to me and would prove so to any one, whose motto is 'Fair-play.'

A dish of 'hominy' (Indian meal), now and then fattened with grubs, was my breakfast.

A dish of scalding water, with half a dozen grains of rice, called soup, a morsel of dry bullock's flesh, now and then high-flavoured, a bit of bread eternally sour--any how the cause of my suffering so much of dysentery, and a couple of black murphies were my dinner.

For tea, a similar dish of hominy as in the morning, with the privilege of having now and then a bushranger or a horse-stealer for my mess-mate, and often I enjoyed the company of the famous robbers of the Victoria Bank.

But the Sunday! Oh the Sunday! was the most trying day. The turnkeys, of course, must enjoy the benefit of the sabbath cant, let the prisoners pray or curse in their cells. I was let out along with the catholics, to hear ma.s.s. I really felt the want of Christian consolation. Our priest was always in a hurry, twice did not come, once said half the ma.s.s without any a.s.sistant; never could I hear two words together out of his short sermon. Not once ever came to see us prisoners.

After ma.s.s, I returned to my cell, and was let out again for half an hour among all sorts of criminals, some convicted, some waiting their trial, in the large yard, to eat our dinner, and again shut up in the cell till the following Monday.

Chapter LXXIX.

'Souvenirs' De Melbourne.

Five things I wish to register: the first for shame; the second for encouragement; the third for duty; the fourth for information; the fifth for record.

1. We were one afternoon taken by surprise by the whole gang of turnkeys, ordered to strip, and subjected to an ignominious search. The very private parts were discovered and touched. 'Veritatem dico, non mentior.'

2. Manning felt very much the want of a chew of tobacco. He and Tuhey would make me strike up some favourite piece out of the Italian opera, and the charm succeeded. A gentle tap at the door of our cell was the signal to get from a crack below a stick of tobacco, and then we were all jolly. We decreed and proclaimed that even in h.e.l.l there must be some good devils.

3. Mr. Wintle, the governor, inclining to the John Bull in corporation, had preserved even in a Melbourne gaol, crammed as it is at the end of each month with the worst cla.s.s of confirmed criminals, his good, kind heart. With us state prisoners, without relaxing discipline, he used no cruelty--spoke always kindly to us--was sorry at our position, and wished us well. He had regard for me, on account of my bad health; that I shall always remember.

4. Some day in January we received a New-Year's Present--that is a copy of the indictment. I protest at once against recording it here: it is the coa.r.s.est fustian ever spun by Toorak Spiders. I solemnly declare that to my knowledge the name of Her Most Gracious Majesty was never mentioned in any way, shape, or form whatever, during the whole of the late transactions on Ballaarat. I devoured the whole of the indictment with both my eyes, expecting to meet with some count charging us with riot.

The disappointment was welcome, and I considered myself safe. Not so, however, by a parcel of shabby solicitors. They said it would go hard with any one if found guilty. The government meant to make an example of some of of us, as a lesson to the ill-affected, in the shape of some fifteen years in the hulks. They had learned from Lynn of Ballaarat that there were no funds collected from the diggers for the defence. 'Cetera quando rursum scribam'--and thus they won some 200 pounds out of the frightened state prisoners, who possessed ready cash.

"What will be the end of us, Joe?" was my question to the n.i.g.g.e.r-rebel.

"Why, if the jury lets us go, I guess we'll jump our holes again on the diggings. If the jury won't let us go, then"--and bowing his head over the left shoulder, poking his thumb between the windpipe and the collarbone, opened wide his eyes, and gave such an unearthly whistle, that I understood perfectly well what he meant.

Chapter Lx.x.x.