CHAPTER IV.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1556, 24 June 1882, Page 1 (Supplement)

CHAPTER IV.

It would have been an easy matter for Bunakum to make his fortune now. Before him lay many an unturned acre of nature's domain, beneath which the glittering ore lay waiting to be unearthed. But Bunakum preferred to let it rest there, or to allow others to release it. Noble soul! why should he be condemned to grub in the bowels of the earth, when his mind soared so far above the grovelling natures that surrounded him ? These earth-grubbers had no brains, and they should esteem it ah honor to support a man of mind. Therefore, so long as enthusiastic diggers bowed down at his eloquence, liberally shouted for him, and lent half-sovereigns occasionally, why should he swelter in the sunbeams, embrown his face, and harden his hands ? Perish the thought ! He was made to command, not to work. So he became a loafer and agitator, and a mighty man of words. In these times, a public meeting was one of the principal amusements of the diggers ; and this amusement Bunakum was ever ready to provide. Did a man lose his claim, or did he think himself in any wise aggrieved, he went straight to Bunakum, and instanter the Bellman was sent round, and an indignation meeting held ; whereat, mounted on a stump or barrel, Bunakum poured forth a torrent of language which neither himself nor his hearers clearly understood, and which \vas ? therefore, looked upon as a masterly effort of elocution. The diggers wanted a spouter, as they had neither time nor ability in that line, and in Bunakum, they had the right man. A great public orator must have an enemy, therefore Bunakum conjured one up in the Commissioner, a haughty official, who was ever made the beginning and the end of his attacks. In glowing language would Bunakum depict the luxurious life that fell tyrant led, while others were slaving away their lives to keep in state a despot. Of course, Bunkum never thought of himself, except as a horny-handed son of toil. To judge by his speeches, he was the hardest working man on the diggings— a perfect slave. Janet found that unless she adopted some means of support, herself and her son would starve in this golden gully, for Bunakum never brought any money home. Indeed he very seldom visited the little tent, so-called, unless he was "stumped." He was a confirmed diner out, generally managing to make a call, on political business, at some tent which he knew to be well provided, giving in exchange for his meal some homily on patriotism, working his entertainers up to agony point at the close, about that " damned despot," who, Bunakum assured his hearers, was thirsting for his blood. " Men of Grit," he would say, " if you find my body at the bottom of a shaft one day, pierced with bullets, bury me ; I beg of you to bury me beneath the Camp, Hill (the cemetery had been fixed there), that my grave may ever be a reproach to my murderer — that it may remind you, noble miners of Grit, of the earnest man, who did so much for your cause." Then he would begin to shed tears, and would 'not be consoled -until the brandy bottle was brought forth. Janet at first tried to earn a little by cradling the tailings, with Jack's assistance ; but, finding the sun affected her head, she turned to the inevitable resource of lovely woman, the washtub. Washing was high, and soon, by means of her tub, she managed to live pretty comfortably ; in consequence of which, Bunakum stayed at home for dinner oftener. But Janet could not explain how it was that she had begun to almost hate her husband. She was a simple-hearted creature, this woman, and she strove to keep down her dislike, because she thought it her duty. Still it .grew and grew, and was added to by every insult ; and they were many which Bunakum heaped upon her. She could not keep down the .thought that this, man was a mean, low,, dirty loafer, and so she grew to hate him. There, was only one, aspect, in which she would tolerate him — as the father of her dear, dear Jack. >„ ( "Mother," Jack would say, as, they sat at the tent door of an evening, watching the moon rise in ,all her, glory over the lulls, of i 1i 1 Grit, 'VI'U work for you as soon as I'm strong];, I and you'll, not; have to slave at the washtub on these, terribly hot days." , ■ . -„ "F !•' II And mother' and son, would kiss and caress. - Ah.! *that i was the happiest time for them. v s V , Avmottier'BA v mottier'8 lovet (Unsearchable, unfathoin-) nothing, except the love , of , yGoa.'jj,^ \ ir , t'. iii !i-r ' " *("-'> '"' f, -i '<' '--•I" i rj, % A^son|s;'loveffor r lus;'niotheiil CTheimost;

that clogs other affections; these resemble the love of the Almighty Father, who sent His only Son to die for us. Bertha and Jack saw each other very often now ; indeed, they were playfellows every day. Both of them felt a void in their existence. They had nothing to do. After all, it was a pleasure for them to herd the sheep. It was fine to open the hurdles in the morning, call the dog, and follow the sheep out over the grassy, wooded hills, where x the wild flowers grew, the birds sang, the cicadas tereed, tereed, and the winds whispered mysteriously through the branches of the gum trees, where adventures with lizards, and snakes, and 'possums, with the occasional discovery of a wild bees' nest, broke the monotony. Then the effect of the abrupt change from a quiet life to this great bustle, made the children for a while shrink into themselves, and feel utterly at a loss. As for Spot and Larry, a deep melancholy fell upon them. Spot spent fully a month trying to comprehend how he could live without herding sheep, and then gave it up. t He had nothing to do except fight with the innumerable strange curs that found their way to Grit every day ; and that in time grew monotonous. Indeed, he became a sad dog; he felt as if he were not wanted, as if he had no business in this world. The only times his face lighted up with a canine smile was when a flock of sheej> was driven past the gully, when he would erect his tail, and give emission to a few joyful barks, eying his master anxiously for the words of command — " Holl 'em," " Bound 'em up, boy," &c, and then, when they had passed without these words being uttered, he would fall into his old moping ways. When Jack at last went to work, for, young as he was, he did not want to live upon his mother, Spat would lie at the mouth of the hole, and reflect on his -own utter uselessness. Lassy had many compunctions on the point at first, but, making several acquaintances at the butcher's shop, she giadually grew accustomed to the new order of things, especially as she used to wander about with her mistress, who found a pretence for seeking the quietude of the bush, in herding two rather acute goats her father kept, animals which Lassy plainly despised. A few months after the goldfield of Grit was discovered, Hector Macinnis again appeared upon the scene. He had a very pleasant smile — when he liked to smile, which was seldom. He was not ill-made, and there was a peculiar way about him, that to some had an irresistible charm. Now, Janet was not much above Hector's own age, and she was very hand&ome then; she had no company when Jack was away, except the tubs and the flat irons — good things in, their way, but apt to become dull. Our Lord, who so thoroughly understood the weak points of our nature, put into His universal prayer the sentence, " Lead us not into temptation," and since His advent, the wonderful wisdom of that petition has been continually demonstrated, although human moths will still try the feat of flying around the flame. This was what Hector and Janet were doing. It was rather an undesirable experiment. Somehow Janet began to feel very dull when Hector was absent, and people found her to be very cross then. She was never in belter temper than when she had put by her work, tidied herself up, lit the lamp in the little "parlor" of the tent, which was quite a model of neatness, having a sofa and chairs covered with chintz — a great novelty on the diggings — set the tea table, and made everything snug for the night. Hector and Jack would then come home, and they would have tea ; and how pleasant would be the chat, how delightfully the evening would pass away; Hector reading or writing, and Janet ironing or mending the clothes of her unsophisticated customers. Of course, Jack went out after tea, 'possumhunting, or playing wilh other boys or Bertha. It was strange, how pleased Janet would be when Hector would look up, and give her that smile which was so peculiarly his, and give up reading for a while to converse with her. As for Bunakum, he was always away drinking and speechifying. Janet never thought of mentioning money matters; she was getting along pretty well, and after all, no doubt, Hector would pay her back when matters went better with him. If this pleasant intercourse were at all marred or clouded, it was by the conclusion which occasionally forced itself on her mind, that Hector was vastly superior to her ; that he was better educated, and had moved in (to her) good society; while she, poor girl, had never been in a better furnished room than her own little parlor. But then, why banish the gleam of sunshine ? She was happy, in his society, that was all, and no more would come of it. Ah ! trust not the human heart, so desperately treacherous. How did it come about at last? What need to tell? It was the slow, steady work of days, and weeks, and months — the ripple, ripple of the water undermining the roots of the great oak. Neither were to blame, except in not flying from each other when they felt the first tightening of the chain that was to drag them to perdition. Her mind gradually lost its balance, and liking, friendship, was followed by deep, passionate, irresistible, overwhelming love. She fell a willing sacrifice. He did not love her, at least in the mad way in which she loved him ; but who, at his age, can resist temptation when he sees he has brought to his feet a lovely woman ? Yet, it must be confessed, he felt qualms, strong qualms. He felt, he knew, that this must end in something dreadful, that he would have to thrust this loving woman away from him into outer darkness ; that by this act he would be degrading himself, and that it would be a stigma on his name for ever — that name which he intended" to be so brilliant. But love and beauty were before him. Youthful passions were strong, and — why write the rest ? It is an old, old story. We pass over the guilty life of the pair for some time afterwards. During the greatest part of that time the mighty Hector was supported by Janet. Only latterly had he been again engaged by the newspaper. Still that man had, almost immediately after his' fall, began to feel disgust, not only at Janet, but at himself. How his proud spirit gnawed his heart as he took; 'day by day, the bread necessary to^ his sustenance from the hands of her he had so Wronged. Success had resolved him to break the ties that bound him to this woman. He hated her more and more every day, and this she was not long in noticing. Women are very quick in this ; they soon find whether the fire of love burns or has died out to cold ashes. Now, there, had recently, in compliance with the increasing civilization of Grit, been established a very well got up hotel at a bustling corner; and, over the destinies of the neatly r furnished bar, there presided a lady newly arrived from the " Land o' the Leal," by name, Miss Prudence Macruath. Her charms were a trifle heightened by the adventitious aid of art; and she had come to Gritty Gully to make, her fortune in the matrimonial market. , , * , * , | She was resolvecLnot only to please her eye but also her pocket; and, although a handsome young man, well to do, would be the acme of perfection , in her own, ;opinion, yet ah,e would not be • averse to an old or ugly manVifhe nad the solid requirements that made up for such disadvantages.* Forfcunately,thowever,'ishe.very early, set her » eyes upon 'Hector, ancjf at oneef'made up her mind that/ if j' Heaven i had created a^ man to suif ; tier, he was .that f man. , Having settled, this, , 3afdBfact»ray^in f( her\ tl owiiv,iDiAdi''Sbe ai^once; , began )sa£jhi J&n|isti ack ionojt pSxxt^gtpxifs hun i i nj^bi^l^Wf'dwixers > '- that , lown to^^^^^gavehimseH.upaS;

her slave. The love that he ought to have felt for poor Janet, who had sacrificed all to him, was given to this vain woman, who, in giving him the preference, merely gratified herself. * „ Unfortunate Janet ! Quickly did she discover that she had lost all for which she had perilled her welfare here and hereafter. That he, for whom she had done so much, had ceased to love her — nay, hated her. She saw it in his looks, in his answers to her caresses, and then the woman fell lower and lower, and became what we found her at the opening. Beader, remember that we are writing of real life, of everyday mortals, and bear with us if it seem Jo you that we have wandered out of our domain. It will be asked, " What had become of Bunakum all this time?". Well, that worthy found in the infidelity of his wife a new cause for sympathy ; a new claim on the contributions of the miners. When he was turned out of Janet's house — how she loathed the man — he at once sought his friends at the bar, and shed copious floods of tears, which the diggers hastened to assuage with draughts of alcohol. He beseeched them to bury him at once, as his honor could not stand this last insult, which he felt convinced had been brought about by the commissioner, whose friend' he knew Hector to be. He clutched a brandy bottle, wildly, and cried out for a sword that he might stab to the heart this serpent which he nurtured in his bosom, only to turn and sting him. Had not this man lived upon him? had he not been kept from starvation by him (Bunakum)? Was there justice in this land ? No I the despot of the camp decreed that liberty should be bound in chains, and wrong triumph over right. He hated him (Bunakum), and this was his revenge. But they, the noble-hearted miners of Grit, would see him righted ; they would lay him in his grave, and then destroy the monster who had killed him. To all this the diggers listened, the more ignorant sympathising, the intelligent highly entertained. Indeed, all of them enjoyed the thing amazingly. It was the talk of Grit for days, although such affairs were nothing unusual then. The capital Bunakum made out of this, the half-sovereigns and sovereigns he collected, the innumerable cheap drinks he obtained, and the general sympathy fully made up for all. Indeed, so well did he thrive upon it, and so accommodating was his disposition, that, ere long, he ' became quite reconciled to Heotor, and, as we have seen, had spoken at the same meeting with him. Jack had been brought up in such a poor way that he was not able to understand the full meaning of what had occurred. He did dislike Hector, and he certainly had very little filial feeling, so the affair passed off amicably enough with him. He didn't see much difference. But latterly he had noticed, young as he was, that a great sorrow troubled his mother. It pained him to see that, in a very short space of time, she had gone astray, and from a steady, industrious woman, had become fond of drink. Then, from time to time, Hector and Janet quarrelled. Jack did not think so much of this, he was accustomed to it; but he did resolve never to marry, as he came to the conclusion that every husband and wife lived a life of internecine warfare. Bertha was a good girl, and Jack liked her, but he felt pretty sure if, when they grew big, he married her, everything would be changed. Yet, ignorant as Jack was, he was greatly troubled about his mother. He felt so sorry to see her sinking to the level of so many other women on the diggings. Poor fellow 1 He knew nothing of the deep despair that had changed her.