It Was In The Beginning Of April, 185-, That The Excitement
Occasioned By The Published Accounts Of The Victoria "Diggings,
"
Induced my brother to fling aside his Homer and Euclid for the various
"Guides" printed for the benefit of the
Intending gold-seeker, or to
ponder over the shipping columns of the daily papers. The love of
adventure must be contagious, for three weeks after (so rapid were our
preparations) found myself accompanying him to those auriferous
regions. The following pages will give an accurate detail of my
adventures there - in a lack of the marvellous will consist their
principal faults but not even to please would I venture to turn
uninteresting truth into agreeable fiction. Of the few statistics which
occur, I may safely say, as of the more personal portions, that they
are strictly true.
Chapter II.
THE VOYAGE OUT
Everything was ready - boxes packed, tinned, and corded; farewells
taken, and ourselves whirling down by rail to Gravesend - too much
excited - too full of the future to experience that sickening of the
heart, that desolation of the feelings, which usually accompanies an
expatriation, however voluntary, from the dearly loved shores of one's
native land. Although in the cloudy month of April, the sun shone
brightly on the masts of our bonny bark, which lay in full sight of the
windows of the "Old Falcon," where we had taken up our temporary
quarters. The sea was very rough, but as we were anxious to get
on board without farther delay, we entrusted our valuable lives in a
four-oared boat, despite the dismal prognostications of our worthy
host.
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