Banking Under Difficulties/Chapter 12
CHAPTER XI.
On the 8th July I left Kiandra, in company with “Johnnie the Mailman”; it was a bad season for travelling, inasmuch as the snow lay thick on the ground, several feet deep in places. On his last trip up he lost his way, and had to camp out all night, notwithstanding which he determined to make the return trip, and as he was the best guide I could get, I made up my mind to accompany him. Before starting, Carmichael put a bottle of the best “battle-axe” into my valise, as he said, “There is none to be had on the road, and it might come in handy,” which sure enough it did. On reaching Adelong I received a pressing invitation from my friends Drummond and Jones, the manager and accountant there, to stay for a day or two and recruit, which I did. They had just removed into their new premises—a comfortable brick building, with every accommodation. One day during my stay we went down to an old building which had been for some years used as the bank office, the floor of which we took up, and collected several bucketsful of dirt and dust from underneath, which we took down to the creek and washed. So many thousand ounces of gold having been cleaned in the office, it was only reasonable to suppose some little must have found its way through the cracks in the floor; and it is astonishing how little, for out of five or six buckets of dirt we only got a few pennyweights, showing how carefully the gold must have been cleaned. I have known as much as 10 ozs. of gold taken from under the floor of a gold office. I had great fun in panning off, that part, as an old experienced digger, falling to my lot. In panning off the first dish, in which I could see there was very little gold, I took the opportunity, when Drummond, who was watching me closely, was turning away, of slipping a small nugget, which I had in my mouth, into the dish, which he no sooner saw than he took possession of, and said he would take it as his share of the day’s work; it was a case of the “biter bit.” Before I left I told him of the little joke I had played upon him.
On the morning of the 16th July I started for Lambing Flat, in company with a gentleman named Saunders. About midday we made Gundagai. Here we found two townships, known as North and South Gundagai, the former of which was almost washed away in a great flood in 1852. Out of eighty houses only about half-a-dozen remained; a hundred people were drowned, and cattle and sheep swept away in hundreds and thousands. Another township was formed a safe distance from high-water mark. Here we rested for a while, and then made for Dallas’s station, where we stayed for the night, starting again next morning. Mr Dallas gave us a black boy as a guide to take us a short cut to the next station, “Walleendbeen” (Mackay’s). Here we got on the main road, and the guide left us. Now the excitement commenced. We were riding quietly along, when a man who was repairing a fence hailed us. We rode up to him. “Are you going to the Flat?” he asked. “We are,” replied Saunders. “The best thing you can do,” said the man, “is to remain where you are; the bushrangers are on the road; they have ‘stuck up’ everyone who has travelled it to-day, and are sure to bail you up.” He described the men, how they were dressed, the colour of the horses they were riding, and said that two of them had rifles. “We'll chance it,” said Saunders; “I have a ‘pea-shooter,’ and if they’ll only give me a chance I’ll have a pop at them.” We wished the man “Good day,” and rode on. We had not gone more than half-a-mile from the station, when about a quarter of a mile to our right front, we saw three men on horseback riding in single file and, answering the description of the bushrangers in every particular. They were in the bush riding down a slight rise; we were riding along the road at right angles to them; had we gone on we would have met. As we caught sight of them Saunders said, “Get off your horse,” I did so just a little off the road; he followed suit. “Get your horse between you and them,” said he. He then took out his revolver, and leaned across the saddle watching their movements. I was unarmed, and did not at all relish the position we were in. The men, evidently puzzled as to whom or what we were, kept riding on at a snail’s pace, talking to one another and looking at us. We never moved, but watched. When they got to the road they seemed undecided what they should do; however, they crossed it and rode quietly away, we watching until they were out of sight, when we mounted our horses and cantered away towards the Flat at a pretty good rate, thinking perhaps they would ride round and intercept us. We had ridden about a mile when we met a young man on horseback, who told us that Lambing Flat was deserted; that there had been a great “roll up”; the bankers had fled to Yass with their treasure; the military had been telegraphed for, and had started from Sydney; that the courthouse had been burned down by the mob, and that the town was in a complete state of uproar. We were inclined to disbelieve all this, but found when we got to the Flat that it was too true. We told the young fellow about the three men we had seen, who said there was no doubt as to who they were. This was my first introduction to the bushrangers, and I can only say I did not like being in such close quarters with them; had I been alone, or in the company of almost any other man, we would have been “stuck up” beyond a doubt. Saunders was quite cool throughout, and would have stood his ground, I am sure, even against odds.
On reaching the Flat I learnt that a lot of Chinamen had set to work on the diggings; that the diggers had risen en masse and turned them off, giving as a reason that they wasted the water, which was very scarce. They went to the Chinese encampment, pulled down their tents, which they burnt, and illtreated the poor unfortunate “Johns,” and in many cases cutting off their pig-tails. The police, of course, interfered, took up some of the ringleaders, who were taken to the lock-up, but rescued by the mob, who burnt down the court-house, &c.
The day after I arrived, finding that Russell (agent of our bank) was in Yass, I telegraphed to Sydney for instructions, and received a reply to proceed to Yass, so I made a start on the 25th, in company with Mr. C, inspector of the Oriental Bank, and a very unpleasant ride we had, it raining heavily the whole time. When about five miles from Murrumburrah (twenty miles from Burrangong), which was as far as we intended to go, we came to a slight rise, so pulled up at a walk. As I have already said, it was raining heavily; however, we were well prepared for the weather, having on long boots and waterproof cloaks.
I had on an old cabbage-tree hat. A coach appeared at the top of the hill. The passengers, six or eight in number, jumped out, some going one way, and some another. We could not understand the meaning of this strange behaviour, so rode up to the coachman, whom C knew, to inquire the reason. “All right!” called out the driver, at the same time beckoning to the passengers right and left of the coach, who came running up. “What is the meaning of all this?” inquired C. “We took you for the bushrangers,” replied the driver; “there are two men on horseback who have stuck up every person on this road to-day. When we got to the brow of the hill and saw you two gentlemen, we mistook you for them; the passengers were frightened and got out of the coach.” We were strongly advised not to go on, for as sure as we did we would be stuck up. “What say you?” said C, addressing me. “I have nothing to lose,” said I, “and think we had better push on.” By this time the passengers had taken their seats and the coach driven on. “Well,” said he, “I have a lot of cheques, amounting to some hundreds of pounds, but they are all crossed and stamped with the bank stamp, so would be of no value to them.”
He did not, however, seem to relish the idea of going on, nor to tell the truth did I, but I did not believe in turning back to be laughed at. “Look here,” said he, “I’ve a sore finger, you take my revolver and give me your riding-whip (a hammer-headed one).” We exchanged weapons and proceeded on our journey. We rode quietly to the top of the hill. “Now then,” said I, “come along,” at the same time putting spurs to my horse, and going off at a sharp canter. On our way we came to a bark-hut shanty; to my disgust C pulled up, and asked the shantykeeper if he had heard the bushrangers were about, &c. I felt annoyed at him, so put spurs to my horse and galloped into Murrumburrah, he following me; not a sign of bushrangers did we see. We put up at an excellent hotel, the name of which I forget. After tea a Mr. Barnes (who was a few months afterwards shot by the bushrangers, an account of which I will give in the proper place) came over and spent the evening with us. I retired to rest about twelve o’clock; by this time it had ceased raining, the moon shone brightly, and everything seemed favourable for our trip on the morrow. We both slept in the same room, a good-sized one, in which there were two beds, but very little bedding. It was all I could do to get to sleep, but at last I dropped off. During the night I was awoke by C shaking me. “Hush,” said he. “What is the matter?” said I. “The bushrangers are outside,” he replied (speaking in an undertone). I sat up, listened, but the only sound that I could hear was the ticking of an old-fashioned clock in an adjoining room. As I did not see the force of turning out on such a cold night, I told him it was “all right,” rolled myself up in the bed clothes, and went off to sleep again. I could not have been asleep long before I was awoke again; C persisted that there was someone prowling about; he would have me get up and go round the house with him. I put on my “inexpressibles,” armed myself with his revolver, he had my whip, and out we went. A beautiful night, as clear as day. Nothing would do but we must walk round the house, which we did and saw nothing. I was hurrying to get inside again. “Stop!” said he, “they are at the stable, the door is open; they’ll take away our horses.” “Well, let them,” said I, “I don't intend bothering myself about them; you can go to the stable if you like.” Suffice it to say he did not. I toddled off to bed, and was very soon in the arms of Morpheus. When I woke up early next morning, he told me he hadn’t slept a wink all night. When we reached Yass we found all in a state of excitement, the military having arrived. About sixty or seventy marines came up in the afternoon, bringing with them a small cannon, which they called the “Bull Pup.” Next morning they all made a start for Bowning; and there was scarcely a soul to be seen in the town by two o’clock, when both soldiers and sailors had disappeared.