VOL. XI.
JSTEAV BLOOMFIELD, 1JA.., TUESDAY, O0TO131LR 2, 1877.
NO. 39.
THE TIMES.
An Independent Tamil; .Newspaper,
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'NEVER DESPAIR."
Never despair, U a motto tnost true,
Tho' never adopted, except by the few
Who fight bravely onward, 'midst trial and
care,
Trusting In God, they never despair.
Never dospair, In sorrow or care,
Keep a stout heart and never despair.
Though ill fortune meet yon wherever yon go,
Faint not nor falter j 'twill not always bo so,
For he who strives nobly to do and to dare
Will sometime win victory ) so never despair.
Never despair I There are laurels to wear
For him who tolls onward, so never despair.
Subjects are we of oppression and wrong,
Heed not the hindrance, fight bravely along;
There's One who will aid you In sorrow or
care,
Do the noblest you can and never despair.
Never despair I There are triumphs to share,
And glory awaits you, so never despair. '
All that we aim at In life may be done
If we strive at the task till the object be won)
l ui vi in J iv uiiu n iiu um buumgv .1 uniu
Will victory come s so never despair.
Never despair I For time will deel are
A triumph for those who never despair.
A LUCKY SHOT.
(t X 7ERY wetday,slr," said the cheery (
V host of the " Traveler's Rest," as
he assisted me to take off my heavy rid
ing coat.
" Very wet, indeed," I replied. "I've
had my share of it during my thirty
mile ride to-day 1"
Mine host conducted me to a room
with a cheery fire burning in the grate;
and having been served with a good hot
supper and my favorite glass of hot
brandy, I began to feel more comforta
ble. I drew up my chair to the fire, en
cased my feet in a pair of easy slippers,
and filled my pipe preparatory to a quiet
smoke, when I was disturbed by the en
trance of my host.
" Won't you Join the company in the
next room, sir V" We have a social club
held here twice a week, and perhaps
they may amuse you during the even
ing." "With pleasure!" I replied. Bo, tak
ing my glass and pipe, I followed my
landlord into a large room, which was
almost filled with a numerous company.
At the moment of my entrance they
were listening with evident satisfaction
to a story told by one of their number.
My host briefly introduced me, and I
took a chair close to the story .-teller, and
prepared to enjoy my smoke.
" Now, Mr. White, you must begin
your story again, inlnonor of the gentle
man." Bo Mr. White recommenced.
"You must know, gentlemen," he
began, "that the scene of my tale lies in
Australia, Just about the time of the
gold fever there."
i The tones of the speaker's voice seem
ed familiar to me, and I gave him a
searching look. What did I see V The
lobe of his left ear was missing. I half
started from my seat, upsetting my glass
of brandy by my elbow, and startling
the company generally.
" I beg pardon, gentlemen ; a sudden
spasm that is all 1" I stammered out.
" It is the same man 1" I soliloquized.
I was supplied with a fresh glass of
brandy, and Mr. White resumed :
" Well, I was only a young fellow at
the time, and I got bitten by the gold
fever, like many other people besides.
Every paper contained dazzling accounts
of the riches tb be found in that far-off
land, so at last I made up my mind to
go and try my luck. When I told Mary,
she cried, and tried to dissuade me, but
It was of no use, I was determined, and
soon after I left home for London.where
'1 entered my name on the books as a
steerage passenger on board the clipper
built liner Australasia."
" Mary was his sweetheart," interpos
ed my left-hand neighbor.
" I well remember tho day we failed.
The scenes at the docks were very affect
ing. Husbands were parting from wives
brothers from sinters, young fellows
from their sweethearts, and I was not
sorry when the tug towed us out to sea.
We were a motley company. There
were representatives of nil classes la
borers, mechanics, broken-down lawyers
and students, clerks, a goodly sprink
ling, too, of the hangers-on about town,
and even a couple of Methodist minis
ters. All were going to try their for
tunes at the new Eldorado. We had
very good weather during our voyage,
and I suffered but little from sea-slck-
68. I made many companions, but
there was one man I took au aversion
to. lie was called Wapping Bill, lie
was a tall, broad-shouldered fellow, with
a great shock of red hair, and a close
cropped beard ; a pair of small, ferret
like eyes that seemed to vanish beneath
his shaggy eyebrows when any one ad
dressed him, and an expression that
showed him to be the reverse of a quiet
and respectable fellow.
"In duo time we arrived at Ml
bourne. It was then a mere collection
of wooden houses, and hastily thrown
up shanties, and was peopled by repre
sentatives from nearly all civilized na
tions on the face of the earth. Twenty
of us formed a party, bought some tools,
and proceeded to the diggings on foot.
Arriving there, we bought claims and
set to work to unearth the long-talked
of gold. My chum was a steady-going
fellow, called Sandy, a Scotchman. We
dug a shaft, hauled up the gold-bearing
earth, and washed it In a large box with
plates full of holes. The water washed
away the earth, leaving the gold in the
form of nugguts and dust on the plates.
For the first week or so we found little
or nothing, and my golden dreams be
gan to wane. Then, one morning, San
dy gave a shout of joy, and, hastily
ascending the shaft, I saw in the cradle
several nuggets of pure gold. I was
half mad with delight, and for the rest
of the day I worked with the energy of
two men. Before nightfall we had more
than 20 ounces of small nuggets and
dust. We stitched it up in small canvas
bags, and hid it for safety in the floor of
the tent. We went on in this way for
months, then our claim began to give
out.
" Just about this time a convoy was
going to Melbourne to take some gold
to the bank there. We therefore agreed
to send some of ours to be deposited in
the bank, and get notes In exchange
When we got to the place of starting, I
was surprised to see among the mount
ed troopers forming the escort, my
shock-headed fellow-voyager. I men
tioned my distrust of him to my chum ;
and, in consequence, we only sent half
of the intended quantity. The fellow
evidently knew I distrusted him, for
when I went up with our parcel, he gave
me a malicious look that boded me no
good. The escort numbered about ten
or fifteen well armed troopers, with a
four-horse wagon, and they left early
in the morning for their destination.
We gave them three ringing cheers at
the boundaries of the camp, and wished
them a safe return. I had a singular
foreboding that I had Been the last of
my gold, but I mentioned my fears to
none but my chum.
"Tho day following I went to Mat
Durn's drinking hut a place frequented
by the lucky finders and loafers to hear
the day's news. The saloon was full of
diggers, etc. Some were discussing the
day's finds ; others were playing poker,
the stakes being nuggets or dust; the
majority were standing at the bar
drinking and smoking. I called for a
drink, filled the short cutty, and took a
seat among the card-players.
"Well, Tom, how's your luck'r"
said a broad-shouldered Yorkshireman,
who had came over with me.
" ' Very poor at present,' I replied.
" ' Have a hand then, man ; winning
dust at poker, is better than digging."
" I joined the game, and played for a
while. At last one of the players threw
up his hand, and said he was cleaned
out; so, thinking it might be my turn
soon, I stopped. I finished my glass
and prepared to leave the room. Just as
I got to the door, a burly digger, came
rushing In, almost upsetting me, and
uttering the most frightful oaths. The
entire saloon was in an uproar In an in
stant. Revolvers and knives were
drawn, and a dozen voices shouted out,
"What is the matter V"
" ' Mattoi: enough !' replied the Invad
ing digger, with another volley of ex
pletives. ' The escort's been attacked,
and the gold's gone!'
" Words fall to describe the scene that
ensued. Men swore, tore their hair,
danced, and raved like madmen. When
the tumult had somewhat subsided, I
managed to make out that the wagon
had been attacked In the dead of night
by a party of armed rangers. A fight
had taken place, but a trooper had been
killed, and the gold had been taken.
The attack had evidently . been pre-arranged,
for half of the troopers had
been found drugged, and were conse
quently unable to fight. Three of them
were reported missing, Wapping' Bill
amongst the number. I went off to our
tent, and told Sandy. 'You're right
about the villain, but we'll be even with
him yet.'
" We went back to the saloon, where
we found nearlyv all the diggers assem
bled, listening to an account of the af
fair from one of the troopers. It appear
ed, that shortly after leaving the camp,
the axletree of the wagon broke, neces
sitating a stoppage. Night came on, and
found them still delayed by the broken
wagon. Rain fell, and some of the
troopers took a little spirits to keep out
the cold. About midnight, the troopers
who were acting as sentries were alarm
ed by the rush of half-a-dozen mounted
bush-rangers. They endeavored to wake
up the others, but they were overpower
ed, and fastened to the trees. The con
tents of the wagon were divided among
the gang, and they soon rode off, follow
ed by Wapping Bill and three troopers.
In the morning, ' the bound troopers
managed to awake the others by their
cries, and then It was found, by their
condition, that the spirits must have
been drugged, hence their inability to
offer any resistance.
" We held a hasty council and decided
to send to a station four miles away, fcr
fresh troopers. By means of a fleet
messenger, a search party was organized
and they left the camp two hours later,
preceeded by the black tracker to point
out the trail. Luckily, I managed to be
enrolled among the party, much to my
satisfaction. I had a score to settle with
Wapping Bil I and I intended to give a
good account of him If we met. "We
numbered twenty resolute, well armed
fellows, carrying revolvers and knives,
whilst the twelve troopers with us had
revolvers in addition.
" We proceeded first to the scene of
the encounter. We found the wagon
drawn off the track and overturned.
The black trackers soon took up the trail
and we went into the bush in Indian
file. Our progress was necessarily slow,
but we were quite certain of coming up
with the rangers at last. We followed
the blacks for a couple of hours, then
one of them suddenly set up a warning
cry, and we rushed forward. In the
centre of an open glade, we saw the body
of a man laid upon the ground. Scat
tered around were bits of canvas, and
grains of gold glittering in tho grass.
Examining the body we recognized it to
be a person some of us had seen hang
ing about the camp a few days previous
to the starting of the escort. A small
blue hole la his forehead told what had
happened. Evidently a dispute had
arisen among the rangers, and this poor
fellow had been shot for his obstinacy.
We again took up the trail and proceed
ed. The bush now became less dense,
and we made greater progress. About a
mile further on, one of the blacks, who
was some hundred yards ahead, sudden
ly dropped flat on the grass, and gave us
a warning signal. Advancing cautious
ly to his side, we peered through the
bushes. Down in a hollow were six
bush-rangers, seated around a small fire.
Their horses were tethered near them,
and various packages were scattered
about. Out plans were soon laid. We
made a detour,und completely surround
ed them. I crept quietly through the
underwood, intending to reach a tree,
which grew about twenty yards from
the fire of the bush-rangers. Suddenly
a hand was laid on my shoulder. I hasti
ly turned, and saw a tall ranger close by
my side. He grasped me by the collar,
and presented a revolver to my fore-bead.
" One sound, and I'll blow your
brains out,' he hissed.
" Resistance was useless, so I submit-
ted. lie disarmed me, flung me oil the
ground, and fastened my hands behind
me with a cord he pulled from his pock
et. He then went a few yards away, to
warn the rangers, I suppose. I heard a
ringing cheer, shots, oaths, and all the
usual noise of a hand-to-hand encounter.
Giving a short and sudden wrench, I
got loose and rushed forward to seethe
result of the fight. Just as I advanced,
I heard two shots fired almost simulta
neously, anil a bullet shaved past my
head. I clapped my hand to my left
car. Heaven I the -lobe was shot away.
Another inch, and I should have been
killed.
" ' Rather a narrow shave, that,' said
one of the troopers, coming forward. ' I
just saw the fellow drawing a bead on
you when I dropped him.'
" I went forward, and found the vic
tory had been ours. Three of the rang
ers had been shot down, one of them be
ing Wapping Bill. Two were wounded,
and lay on the ground, whilst one had
escaped. Judge Lynch soon settled the
two prisoners.
" We recovered all of our gold, and we
made preparations for our return. . We
gave the dead a hasty burial, easing
them, of course, of all valuables, etc I
found a pocket-book on the body of my
would-be slayer, and from it I gleaned a
full account of the gang. From infor
mation therein contained, Sandy and I,
some weeks later, made a little expedi
tion of our own to a place in the bush,
where we found quite a large collec
tion of nuggets and dust the result of
many mouths of a bush-ranger's life.
As it was impossible to restore the treas
ure to its lawful owners, we were obliged
to keep it. We returned to camp ; and
in consideration of our successful efforts
we received a share of the gold. Some
months later I left the diggings, and re
turned home, married Mary, and settled
down here. I ought to add that I gave
the trooper who so bravely saved my
life an old silver ring to wear for my
sake. I have never seen him since ; but
if ever I do, he shall be welcomed as a
king. Such, gentlemen, is the story of
a 'Lucky Shot.'"
The hearty thanks of the company
were voted to Mr. White, for his story,
and the company drank the trooper's
health.
You never saw him after ?" I asked
Mr. White.
"Never, sir."
" Could you recognize him If you were
to see him V" I asked.
" I can't say ; he may have altered
considerably ; but I should recognize the
ring immediately."
" Then is that it V" said I, putting out
my right hand, on the little finger of
which was the identical ring.
" It is ; and you are Jack Fox."
" I am ; and I am exceedingly glad to
meet an old friend once more."
Loud were the exclamations of Joy at
this disclosure. We had fresh bumpers,
and we caroused until the small hours,
fighting our old battles over again.
I accepted Mr. White's Invitation to
stay with him for a short time, and I
must admit that I spent some very hap
py hours in " The Traveler's Rest."
A Bucks County Preacher.
A STORY - of old times In Bucks
county is told that illustrates the
manner and customs of the last century,
and shows that human nature in the
preacher was about the same then as
now.
In those primitive times the surplus
produce of the farmers, especially the
lighter articles, such as butter, eggs,
poultry, dried fruits, etc., was largely
conveyed to Philadelphia market on
horseback ; not only by men, but by
women, young as well as old. For the
sake of company and protection, a large
number of these would oftentimes
travel in squads, naturally making the
Journey interesting by hilarity, song,
jest and mirth, and in telling stories and
anecdotes. This was especially the case
on coming homeward, when, having
disposed of their produce, they returned
with empty saddle-bags, which likewise
enabled them to vary the monotony of
the trip by racing their nags to the top
of their speed. The young women were
as apt and expert as the young men in
this diversion. On one occasion a party
of these had raced their horses with
such boisterous hilarity that on their
return the story of their behaviour
greatly scandalized their sober and
6teadfust elders, who thought their con
duct worthy of overhauling and reproof,
and what was the worst of all, the gay
daughter of tho reverend preacher him
self was reputed to have been the ring
leader, and the most fearless in these
sacrilegious sports, and the grave sire
was moved to call the erring maiden to
account for her unseemly behavior lu a
child of one of the pillars of orthodoxy,
of whose training better things was- to
have been expected. But the grave,
stern, Scotch divine, nevertheless, had. a
soft spot in his heart for the bonnie
lassie, as she appeared before him in her
youth and beauty, half shame-faced at
her misconduct, but half triumphing In.
her wild exploits, with the free, bold
spirit of her race illuminating her coun
tenance. "Well, Jeannet," said he, with, a
frown of censure on his brow, and with
a Scottish accent in his words which we
cannot reproduce, " is this story true
that I hear of you racing your horse in
that Godless fashion, and behaving so
badly as to bring scandal on the church
and the people of God ?"
But Jeannet knew the divine's weak
point, and after a moment's hesitation
replied, " Yes, father, I did, and I ran
old Bob up hill and down dale, and '
would not have been behind If I should
have had to run the legs off him."
Her father was a man as well as a
minister, and had not subdued his weak
ness for horsemanship, but a feeling of
pride and elation arose within him, both
in regard to his horse and the girl's bold
riding. The narrative of her success
was too much for his equanimity. "And
did you beat, Jeannet V"
" Yes, Indeed." . ' , ,
Instead of the expected reproof,, he
bestowed on her a look of triumph, and.
replied, "Well done, Jean net, well done,,
and I give you credit for it."
How the French Workman Lives.
The French laborer probably gets mora
for his wages than any other. His food,
is cheaper and more nourishing. His
bouillon is the liquid essence of beef a
penny per bowl. His bread at the res-
taurant is thrown In without extra
charge, and is the best bread In the
world. His hot coffee and nailk are
peddled about the streets in the morn
ing at a sou per cup. It is coffee, not
slops. His half bottle of claret is thrown
in at a meal costing 12 cents. For a few
cents he may enjoy an evening's amuse
ment at one of the many mltor theatres,
with his coffee free. Six-pence pays for
a nicely-cushioned seat at the theatre.
No gallery gods, no peanuts, pipe
smoke, drunkenness, yelling or howl
iDg. The Jardin des Plantes, the vast
galleries and museums of the Louvre,
Hotel Cluny, palace of the" Luxemberg
and Versailles are free for him to enter.
Art and science hold out to him their
choicest treasures at small cost or no
cost at all. French economy and fru
gality do not mean that constant re
trenchment and self-denial which de
prive life of everything which makes it
worth living for. Economy In France,
more than in any other country, means
a civilization of what America throws
away ; but it does not mean a pinching
process of reducing life to a barren ex
istence of work and bread and water.
Suggestive Fact as to Music.
Music Impresses itself almost Indeli
bly upon the memory. Two children
were once stolen by the Indians." Years
after a number of white children were
recaptured from the Indians, and'the
mother of these two were requested to
come and see if she could Identify them
from among all this number. She found
two whom she thought were her long
lost children. She talked to them about
old times, relating Incident after Inci
dent of their early childhood, but they
remembered none of these things. About
to leave in despair, she sung one of the
sweet songs that she used to eing to
them in the evening hours, and their
faces Immediately kindled with vague
remembrances of childhood's hours, and
they cried " mother." The song was
remembered when all else was forgotten.
Some of the early legislators wrote their
laws in verse and the people learned toy
slngtheui.