"FRESH FIELDS AND PASTURES NEW."
"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will."
--SHAKESPEARE.
My first assignment was to Mr. Sam. Terry, on his station at Mount
Pleasant. Here I had little or nothing to do, and this man was a good
master--he would never have his men flogged. But I had the misfortune
to be stricken with the sandy blight at this place, and I was sent
to the Windsor Hospital, where I remained for 10 months. From here
I was sent to Windsor Gaol, but instead of a bed, I had to lie on a
flag-stone, which was not conducive to building up my health. From
Windsor I was transferred to Parramatta, and eventually to the Barracks
again. Shortly after this, I was sent on to that beautiful vessel known
as the "Phoenix" hulk--prison ship. This was the first occasion on
which I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Dr. ----, the man who
conspired with two others to rob a house, and when they were in the
act of doing so, he assailed them with a gun, fired and wounded one
of them as he came out of the window, and secured his freedom for
catching thieves. This was a very cunning trick, as he arranged the
plot himself, and he afterwards became prominent. I saw him shortly
after this took place, when he was assuming all sorts of things, and I
said "Hulloa! how are you getting on?" He looked at me, and said, "Why,
I never saw you before, sir." "That'll do," I said, "you forget that I
saw you on the "Phoenix" hulk, and don't try to put on side before
me." He said no more.