Page:Banking Under Difficulties- Or Life On The Goldfields Of Victoria, New South Wales And New Zealand (1888).pdf/39

30 hole on the creek side, which turned out well; the ground was very soft, fully seven feet of drift sand from the bottom, this had all to be taken out, no driving being required, the sand being just shovelled into the buckets. On one occasion one of my mates called out to me to come down and hold the candle while he fossicked a nugget out of a little pocket, one of my brothers being at the windlass handle ready to lower me down. I, sitting at the edge of the hole, slid off rather suddenly, and jerked the handle out of his hands, which hit him on the breast, knocking him over. I fell twenty-four feet, and on a sharp-edged slaty bottom. Fortunately for me my mate below, hearing the row, was on the look out; and, as soon as I reached the bottom, he hauled me into the drive—not a moment too soon—for the heavy barrel of the windlass came crashing along after me. I was a good deal shaken, and was incapacitated for a fortnight. On another occasion I was driving in loose ground when some of the drift gave way and partly buried me. I had only my head and hands free, and was dug out by one of my brothers, who was at hand. We afterwards started a puddling-machine, in which we put through a lot of surface stuff, and did very well. The license paid by the diggers in those days was £2 per month, and was afterwards reduced to 30s. On the next page will be seen a fac simile of the form of Gold License of that day, 1853.

On one occasion my license had run out. I was working on Preshaw’s Flat, next to a tent which was full of hay, when, on looking round, I found the “traps” (as the policemen were called in those days) distributed all over the flat hunting for licenses. On seeing them I called out to my mate who was below, “The traps are coming, I’ll hide in the hay.” “Allright,” said he, and came out of the hole. I burrowed into the hay. I had not been there long before I heard a voice say “Come out, I see you.” I was as still as a mouse. In a minute or two I felt someone beating at the hay, saying “I see your legs; come out of that.” I was in an awful state; however, I didn't budge. I must have been there fully half an hour, when my mate called out “all right now.” Out I came bathed in perspiration, and glad to leave my prison. On going home to dinner I was talking about my imprisonment in the hay, when I noticed all hands tittering, and then found out that my mate had been playing a joke on me; that the policemen had not come near the tent, and that it was he who had almost frightened the life out of me. I would not, however, risk such another escapade, and went over to the camp and renewed my license without delay.

Close to our tent lived one Redcap, who had no license, and who said “He would never take out one; he would dodge the commissioner.” One day, when panning-off some washdirt, Commissioner G pounced upon him unexpectedly. On being asked to produce his license he said, “Mine has just run out, I