Here Is
It's Four-Horned Name - I Copy From A Slip Of Paper I Wrote In Pencil
On That Very Saturday, As The Name Was Too Long And Difficult For Me
To Remember - 'The Independent Californian Rangers' Revolver Brigade.'
I should say they numbered a couple of hundred, looking Californian enough,
armed with a Colt's revolver of large size, and many had a Mexican knife
at the hip.
Here is the very circumstance when M`Gill made his appearance for the first
time within the stockade; I recollect perfectly well the circumstance
when a Mr. Smith, of the American Adams's Express, was holding the bridle
of the horse, from which said M`Gill dismounted.
James M`Gill is of the breed on the other side of the Pacific. He is thought
to have been educated in a military academy, and certainly, he has the manners
of a young gentleman of our days. He is rather short, not so much
healthy-looking as wide awake. 'What's up?' is his motto. This colony
will sober him down, and then he will attend more to 'what's to be done.'
His complexion bears the stamp of one born of a good family, but you can read
in the white of his eyes, in the colouring of his cheeks, in the paleness
of his lips, that his heart is for violence. When he gets a pair
of solid whiskers, he may pass for a Scotchman, for he has already a nose
as if moulded in Scotland. He speaks the English language correctly,
and when not prompted by the audacity of his heart, shows good sense,
delicate feelings, a pleasing way of conversation. His honour was impeached
by Vern, who never came up to the scratch, though; witness, Mr. John Campbell,
of 'The Age' office.
When a man is dead, there and then he is himself the horrible evidence
of corruption; but, as long as he lives there is hopes for fair play,
and hear his evidence on the resurrection of life: hence the moral courage
to assert the truth, shuts out the physical strength for blather to shampoo
the lie; and an honest upright man of education and a Christian leaves
'duelering' to fools.
M`Gill is not wicked in heart, though he may not yet have settled-principles.
If this world be such a puzzle even for grey-heads, who have seen enough of it,
what then must it be for one, come out of College and learning life
on the gold-fields? Hence, if I say that he helped with others to draw
the chestnuts out of the Eureka Stockade, for some old Fox, I cannot
offend him. - Who was the accursed old Fox? Patience, there is a God. -
When I was in gaol, I was not vexed at hearing him at liberty and happy:
I could not possibly wish my misery to any one; but his boast on Ballaarat
that his friend Dr. Kenworthy had procured him a 'written free pardon'
did smother me with bitterness.
Chapter LI.
Tota Domus Duo Sunt, Iidem Parentque Jubentque!
A confusion ensued which baffles description; marching, counter-marching,
orders given by everybody, attended to by nobody. This blustering concern,
when brought forward on the stage at the State Trials, appeared so much
to the heart's content of his Honour, of his and my learned friend Mr. Ireland,
that I must offer it here, 'nolens volens', for the confirmation of the
Cracker-of-high-treason-indictments' approbation.
Thomas Allen examined. - (See Report of the Nigger-Rebel State Trial,
in 'The Age', February 24th, 1855.)
"This witness was so very deaf that the Attorney-General
had actually to bawl out (oh! pity the lungs!) the
questions necessary to his examination. He stated,
he kept the Waterloo coffee-house and store at the
Eureka. He had just returned from Melbourne on the
Saturday, December 2nd. He heard inside the stockade
the word to 'fall in' for drill. Saw them go through
several military evolutions. They did not exactly go
through them in a military manner, but in the way in
which what call an 'awkward squad' might do. -
(I believe you, Old Waterloo; go a-head). He had been
at the battle of Waterloo, and knew what military
evolutions were. Saw one squad with pikes and another
with rifles. He heard one of them say, 'Shoulder poles,'
then he said, 'Order poles,' 'Ground arms,'
'Stand at ease,' 'Pick up poles,' 'Shoulder arms,'
'Right face,' 'Quick march,' 'Right counter march,'
and they were then marched for more than two hours.
After that he saw them 'fall in three deep,' and were
then told (by Captain Hanrahan) to prepare to
'receive cavalry,' and 'charge cavalry' - Poke your pike
into the guts of the horse, and draw it out from under
their tail.
" After that, in the evening, he saw the man who was in
command again form his men around him, and he seemed to
be reading a general order for the night. After it got
night, one of them came up to him and said, 'Now,
Old Waterloo, you must come and join us,' and he threw
down a pike which he told him to take. He said, 'No;
it is such a d - - d ugly one, I'll have nothing to do
with it.' Another came, and witness asked what bounty
he gave, saying 50 pounds was little enough for an old
Waterloo man. Because he would not join them he was
taken into custody by them, and was guarded by three
men with pikes at his door. (Great works!) All this
was on Saturday. His tent was the second inside the
stockade. His tent and all his property was destroyed
by fire, it all amounted to 200 pounds. He believed it
was set fire to by the police." (And so it was, old
Waterloo-no-bolter, good-hearted old man as ever lived
in the world.
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