I at length succeeded in making up my mind to leave Melbourne; and,
having parted with Vane and Cannon, I proceeded alone to Geelong--on my
way to the gold fields of Ballarat. It was my first visit to Geelong;
and I made it a short one; but, short as it was, I came to the
conclusion, that if the people of Geelong had, within the two previous
years, advanced in civilisation as rapidly as those of Melbourne, they
must have been in a dreadfully degraded state before: since I found the
social, moral, and intellectual condition of the place, if possible,
still lower than that which had disgusted me on my first visit to
Melbourne--and this is saying a deal.
The principal business of the Geelongers appeared to be that of
drinking; and at this they were, to a high degree, industrious. Almost
every one, with whom I came in contact, used obscene language, and were,
or appeared to be, in every way more depraved, ignorant, and brutish,
than any people to be found out of England itself.
From Geelong I went on to Ballarat--a distance of forty-eight miles--in
a conveyance drawn by four horses; and paid for my accommodation the
smart sum of six sovereigns.
On my arrival, I once more pitched my tent on the richest gold field
known to the world.
Gold-diggers had been called "lucky vagabonds" by the then
Attorney-General of Victoria. Perhaps he was right; but, whatever name
had been given them, I was well pleased at finding myself once more in
their company; and ready to share their toils, chances, and
disappointments.
There is something in gold hunting that unsettles a man's mind, and
makes him unfit for the ordinary occupations of life; and yet the
calling itself is exactly suited to the state of mind it thus produces.
In this respect it is perhaps, unfortunately--too like the profession of
the gamester.
No other occupation could have been so well adapted to my state of mind.
I had no hopes to realise--no object to accomplish, but that of
forgetting the past, and guarding my thoughts from straying into the
future.
Such being the case, it was with much satisfaction that I again found
myself a "lucky vagabond"--amidst the ever-varying scenes of excitement,
to be witnessed on the gold fields of Ballarat.
The first acquaintance I encountered, after my arrival at the place, was
Farrell--the Californian gold-digger--whom I had last seen in San
Francisco.
As a matter of course, we stepped into the nearest hotel, to have a
glass together.
"I suppose," said Farrell, as soon as we were seated--"you have no
objection to listen to the conclusion of that little romance--the second
chapter of which I made you acquainted with in San Francisco?"
"Not the slightest," I answered. "Although I felt sorry for what had
happened to you, I confess I was very much amused at what you told me.
But the most interesting part of the romance--as you call it--had not
transpired. I shall be very glad to hear more of it."
"Well," proceeded Farrell, "you shall. As I told you they would, Foster
and my wife came out to California; and, as I expected, to San
Francisco. However, they had come ashore so very secretly and quietly,
that I did not succeed in finding them, until they had been about ten
days in the city.
"Foster took a house in Sacramento Street, furnished it with the money I
had sent home to maintain my faithless wife; and laid in a stock of
liquors. He intended to commence business in the grog-selling line; and
was about opening the establishment, when I found them out.
"As soon as I did so, I went straight to the house--prepared for some
sport.
"Foster and my wife were out shopping, and, no doubt, spending what
remained of my money. The new tavern was in charge of a young man, whom
they had engaged as a barkeeper.
"I immediately took possession of the whole concern--the house, and
everything in it.
"I then discharged the barkeeper from their employment; and, the instant
after, engaged him in my own service.
"I remained in that house for nine weeks--managing the business which
Foster had intended to profit by; and then sold out for five thousand
dollars.
"Neither Foster nor my wife, to my knowledge, ever came near the place--
at all events, they never showed their faces in the house. They had
found out, by some means, that I was in possession; and that had proved
sufficient to make them surrender their claim without a contest.
"After selling out, I found leisure to look about me; and make further
enquiries concerning the precious pair. I learnt that they had gone up
to Sacramento city--where they had both taken situations in a
public-house, managed by some other man. They had no longer any money,
to go into business for themselves.
"I was still determined to see them; and started off for Sacramento.
"They must have had some one on the watch; for, on reaching the place, I
found they had left only two hours before! As my anger had been for
some time evaporating, I had no desire to pursue them any farther. The
fact is, I felt a degree of freedom--after the loss of my wife--that
went far towards reconciling me to the man who had relieved me of her.
Besides, there was something in the idea of having turned Foster out of
his finely furnished house in San Francisco, that made me think myself
nearly square with him; and I did not care to take any more trouble,
simply for the sake of troubling them.
"I returned to San Francisco; and from that place took passage in a ship
just sailing for Melbourne.
"My anger has now entirely passed away; and yet I know I am still having
some revenge--in addition to that I have already got. Wherever they may
be, they are not living happily. They know that they have done wrong;
and I'd lay a wager, there's not an hour of the day that they're not
thinking of me, and dreading that I will make my appearance.
"I can return to my native land, and be happy. They cannot. I never
wish to see either of them again: for I have become philosophical, and
am willing that their crime should bring about its own punishment."
I congratulated Farrell on the philosophy that had enabled him so
successfully to regain his tranquillity of spirit; and, after giving
each other mutual directions for meeting again, we parted company.
Volume Two, Chapter XXX.