Читать книгу Old Convict Times to Gold Digging Days - William Derricourt - Страница 16

Table of Contents

If no charge was laid against a man, he was worked in a gang with no sentry over it, but a sentenced gang was always closely watched. As we were not in a sentenced gang a constable one day got an opportunity to speak to my mate, and asked him why, as we seemed always in trouble, did we not try and get shifted to another station, as the one we were on was one of the worst. The constable further said that if we were inclined to bolt he would help us by giving us five shillings each at once, and five shillings when we were taken. On our agreeing we got the ten shillings, and the constable told us that after forty-eight hours we must come to a certain quarry in a field which he described to us, and receive the other ten shillings.

On our first night of liberty we had no supper, but ate some gum from the trees and the roots of kangaroo tussocks. On the second day we were as badly off, but seeing a hut near the semaphore, or signal-station, between Sandy Bay and Hobart, we watched it, until we noticed a man with a bag come out and go in the direction of town. We then made for the hut, thinking to get some food unmolested. There was only one signaller left in charge, and he was engaged at his duties. We rummaged about but could only find a very little flour, a very small piece of beef, and three raw potatoes. All this we soon put out of sight, and, while we were searching for something more, in came the signalman. My mate being next to the door rushed out, and finding a two pronged pitchfork charged with it at the signalman, pinning him by the neck to the door. The man was not hurt as one prong went on one side of his neck and one on the other. When he was thus prisoner he asked us whether we were new hands and we told him yes, that we had come out by the Asia 5th and were making a bolt. He said it would be a pity for such young men to take to the bush, as we should certainly be taken, and ran the risk of being hanged. He told us that he was an old hand himself and did not want to hurt us, and that if we would release him he would not take us, but would give us something to eat. He advised us that, after having eaten, we should go and give ourselves up to some of the "traps," as by surrendering in time we might get shifted to an easier station. We took the fork from his neck, and he then to my surprise drew from the ashes on the hearth an immense cake of bread which he told us was called a damper, dusted it with a bullock's tail, and gave us half, five or six pounds, smoking hot. After having had a good feed we thanked him and left at once, as he was afraid that his mate would return, when they (the signalmen) would have been obliged to take us or appear to be sheltering runaways.

We went into the bush, but, being fearful of losing ourselves, kept the road in sight. Soon, when all the remains of the damper were finished, we began to think our forty-eight hours were up, and we made for the quarry, in, I think, O'Connor's field, and there we lay in hiding waiting for the constable. He soon came cautiously up, and saying, "Well, here you are to your promise," gave us our ten shillings. He then whispered, "Take no notice of me when I call, but run away. I'll fire, but I won't hit you. When I shoot fall down." When this was arranged he went back to the place where he had left his gun, and in a minute set up a tremendous shouting. We of course started running, and I soon duly fell. The men in the quarry thought I had been shot dead. The lockup keeper now joined the constable, and we were taken to Sandy Bay lockup, a quarter of a mile distant. That night we had a grand meal of bread and meat, and tea, and even butter. Next morning we were given breakfast and some food to carry with us, and were marched off to the police station at Hobart. At ten o'clock we were brought before the magistrate, Mr. John Price, that noted tyrant afterwards murdered at the hulks in Melbourne,+ where he was superintendent. Our apprehending constable stated in his charge that going along through the bush he heard something creeping close to the edge of the quarry, whereupon he peeped in and spied us and shouted "stand." We ran, he fired to frighten us, one of us fell, and he captured both. All this was planned in order to increase his chance of promotion. The magistrate told him he would be specially recommended for taking two such daring scoundrels, whereas an old woman could have done as much. Price, looking at us with an eye that seemed to pierce one through, sentenced us to 12 months each in irons at the Newtown hulks.

[ + John Price, Superintendent of Prisons at Williamstown, Victoria, was murdered by convicts, March 26, 1857. He is supposed to have been the original of Marcus Clarke's "Maurice Frere" in the novel "For His Natural Life."]

He further told the constable that he must have an eye to these probationers, who were becoming a desperate lot. Before giving me my sentence Price asked who I was. I told him that I was William Jones number two, the lifer. I had been put up to this by the old hands on the chain gang. If I passed myself off as a lifer no time could be added to my home sentence, whereas a short-sentence man had the punishment for each fresh crime added to the original penalty.

After leaving the police court we were sent to Hobart Tench to the mill, and underwent a very strict search. My mate had his five shillings tied up in the tail of his shirt. It was soon found and taken from him. Mine at the time was rolled up in my sleeve. I had it in the form of two rupees and a dump. The former I managed to swallow, to the great damage of my throat, keeping the dump in my mouth. The dump was so small that it did not interfere with my speaking.

After a time I was called out to work with some others; but my mate was not one of them, he having been sent for a chain gang at, I think, Bridgewater, while I was for the Newtown hulks.