POETRY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2154, 20 January 1881, Page 3

POETRY.

JIM BBIEBLY A Digoeb's Yabit. [Sydney " Town and Country."] It was up in the North where it happened, it was up in the North where we met; Further up than the "Towers" that you've heard of, and the climate's just warmish, you bet; It was there that I met Jimmy Brierly, that I'm gain' to tell you about, Just ten years ago come next Christmas, when my money had well-nigh run out. As for Jemmy, he wasn't too well off—l could see that he hadn't a " pile." For we'd both of us bottomed on duffers, and had been at that game for awhile. And as each of us wanted a comrade, why we weren't very long shakin' hands And buildin' a humpy together, and to-day on that diggin's it stands. A decentish fellow to look at was Jim, and I've heard people say That he'd once been a bit of a squatter, but had melted his money away. But he never let on so to me, or to anyone else that I knew, For I never troubled to ask him, for he was a brick through and through, And he could put in such a day's shift as few of the diggers could do. We were just makin' "tucker" together, and so were the most of the men, The diggings, you see, had got poor, and not likely to look up again ; The gold had pinched out, and the washdirt was scanty and fearfully poor, And a few of the diggers, I reckon, oould just keep the wolf from the door. So one afternoon he stops " stripping," as we were a-working the claim, And laid down his pick and his shovel, and said he was tired of the game ; And thought that away on the mountains we'd strike on a decentish reef, For he'd found some good leaders already, and 'twould be a welcome relief To the duffered out ground on the open that had just paid our bread and our beef. So we chucked up our claim, and we " travelled" to a hillside some distance

away, Just below where a reef had been sunken, some 70ft. down on the 'lay. But three months before 'twas abandoned, for the water had half filled it up, And so far as it went, to its owners, the olaim had just " sold them a pup." But one of the men in the township, who bad

sunk a fair share of his tin In the claim that I'm talking about now, thought a tunnel would do to go in ; The terms were not bad, so we started, and managed to push on ahead. But precious hard labor we found it. The ground was as heavy as lead. Still the look-out was much better, for the reef was real good, so they'd tell; And if luck should anyways turn up Jim talked of a holiday spell. And one night I heard him a prayin' for his wife and his dear little child. His voice was so husky and quiverin' that I thought he'd have almost gone wild; But I never told him that I heard him, for I thought 'twas no business of mine, So we kept on a workin together, and makin' the best of our time. Till one day we'd gone quite as far as we thought it was safe straight ahead ; For we'd come upon leaders and suoh like, and was etopin' a bit overhead. I was five or six feet above Jim, and he was, of course, on the level. We were both of us lightin" our pipes, when we heard a great crash like the

devil! And we knew that the water abovo ub was

ragin' and breakin' its way Right down to the place we were working, and. we knew it was death to delay ! But just as I'd made my first move, a great piece of rock, d'ye see That was half loosened out by a shot, fell down and rolled over me ! Good Gk'd ! how I shouted and hollered with

agony fearful and grim ! But up my side in a moment, and cool and collected, was Jim ; He could have cleared out while he helped me, but he never once thought »f himself, But he tugged at that stone like a giant, and tumbled it down from the shelf ; Then the rußhin' and tearin' and crushin' increased to a terrible roar, Ab wc made for the mouth of the tunnel—and I can't recollect any more ! # # # * *

'Twas a fearful long time, bo they told me, before they got me to come round, And then when I did I was powerless—scarce

able to utter a sound. Thank Heaven, there wasn't a fracture, but my senses were dreadfully dim. But with consciousness came back my mem'ry, and all I oould say was "'Whore'a Jim?" Then an old grizzled miner that knew me, with choking voice answered and said, " 'Tis better you knew it at once, Jack; your partner, poor Jimmy, is dead ! Yes, washed by the rush of the water, down the steep yawning valley beneath, And if you'd not stuck in the bushes, you'd have met with the very same death !" They buried poor Jim in the gully, and they got me a lock of his hair, Which I thought I would send to the widow, and tell her concerning the prayer. His box and hia papers we looked at, revealed their own simple tale, And we sent off the lot to tho widow, >ith a little subscription as well. And never since then has she wanted for anything I could send down, And the child—he's a smart handsome lad now, and getting quite bearded and brown, And if all that I'm worth was five shillings, why that lad should havo juet half-a-crown. That's ten years ago as I told you ; and since then I've had decent luck, For never a reef on the diggings was as good as the one that we (truck ; I've often had dangers since that time —and perilled my life and my limb, And sometimes at night when I'm sleeping, f often get dreaming of him, For I know that again I shall meet him, my comrade, my true-hearted Jim ! Aleck.