The Convict and the Soldier

by John P F Lynch

  The drivers of the carts slid down into the cart’s foot well. However, the first driver was hit by a bullet in the shoulder and dropped his reins. The troopers alongside the carts immediately returned fire from their sheltered positions while the sergeant jumped up onto the first wagon and got the horses trotting faster. The driver of the second cart followed his example. The troopers in front of the convoy immediately entered the bush on the same side as the bushrangers and the rear troopers rode in and entered the tree line similarly. The bushrangers kept firing but only one other trooper was hit by a bullet and sustained a wrist injury.

  John’s plan had the effect of confusing and panicking the bushrangers as they had expected the troopers to go to the other side of the road. The bushrangers were now the hunted.

  John had ridden alongside with the sergeant and the gold carts and they now stopped the carts and left them a hundred yards down the road. He checked that the driver was not too seriously wounded then he and the sergeant rode back to the gunfight, leaving the two troopers to protect the carts. John left two troopers minding the road to stop the bushrangers from escaping from the front and down the road, reminding them to fire at only clear targets and not towards the rear troopers who had moved forward up the road, moving from tree to tree.

  He took four troopers with him and crept into the bush for about fifty yards. He turned towards where he could hear the bushrangers talking as they tried to decide which way to go to get away. When John and his troopers were in position, they could see that they were behind them and to their left only forty yards away and had not been noticed.

  John called, “Surrender!”

  The bushrangers turned and started to fire at them. The troopers immediately returned fire and brought down five of the bushrangers in two volleys. Three others immediately surrendered, one continued to fire and John shot him in the shoulder, stopping him from escaping on his horse. Another of his troopers was hit in the side but fortunately the bullet went through his flesh just above his hip.

  When John returned to the road he saw his other troopers had captured two more. They had captured five bushrangers, wounded one and shot five dead. After catching their horses, John sent a trooper back to Woodend for the police to come and take away the bodies. He then had the prisoners shackled and taken to Melbourne for trial. While the three wounded troopers and prisoner were driven back to the Kyneton Hospital.

  The bushrangers were swiftly judged, tried and hanged in the Melbourne Gaol within six months. The incident slowed down the number of robberies in the notorious Black Forest area and a period of peace existed for several months.

  When the news became known of the attempted robbery being foiled and a major bushranger gang captured, the 12th Regiment became in demand for all gold shipments. Both John and the sergeant were awarded medals for Devotion to Duty.

  Sir Robert was delighted and immediately promoted John to captain. John was only involved in the next three gold shipments. Junior officers were now charged with that responsibility and these officers followed John’s strategy plan in case of a similar ambush.

  That was a good week for John. He also received a welcomed letter from his father and a letter from Maeve, giving a possible departure date of July 1855 from Cork.

  It was now time for John to ask Sir Robert where he might be posted. John wanted to prepare for the Keoghs’ arrival. He explained that his fiancé was on her way and that he wished to buy a home for them. Sir Robert said he wished to keep John close to the regiment headquarters and that the closest posting would be in a town called Kyneton and was around a two day ride from Melbourne. John knew of the town as he had passed through it en route to Bendigo. Sir Robert wanted only a small garrison of around twenty troopers kept there. John would command the garrison and would be supported by Lieutenant Caly, a sergeant, a corporal and twenty troopers. They would be sited alongside the agricultural showgrounds. John agreed that his assignment would be acceptable to him and thanked Sir Robert for the posting. They had become friends. Without crossing the line, they would often sit and have a chat during his future visits to Kyneton. Sir Robert was always the commandant. John felt that he was seen as a link to Sir Robert’s family in Cumberland.

  John moved his platoon from the Melbourne Barracks within the week and they rode into Kyneton late the next day. He agreed the area adjacent the agriculture grounds was an excellent site for his camp. It was treed and on high ground. The Campaspe River was two hundred yards away and also the site was on the edge of the township. While the camp would be comprised mainly of tents John decided to build two wooden buildings. One building would be for a general multi-use office and the other for a mess and dining facility for the soldiers. This was well received by them.

  Meanwhile John started to search for a house or a farm to prepare for Maeve’s arrival. He had little to do other than to parade the platoon through the town at different times, particularly on local festive occasions, such as building openings and Vice Regal occasions. Kyneton was a quiet town, en route north — the centre of an agriculture district, with many successful farmers.

  From a social point of view he was required to represent the Queen at official occasions and make speeches and cut ribbons commemorating an opening of a building or a bridge.

  A major fire occurred at the height of the summer season and he took charge of the fire fighting, as members of the local brigade were arguing with each other.

  Yes, it was a quiet town. He continued his policy of parading the platoon when outdoor functions were being conducted in the gardens, agricultural showgrounds or racecourse. The crowds would cheer them and the children would run alongside them for miles. His platoon had become part of the local scenery.

  Sir Robert arrived unannounced on his way to visit Bendigo. He only stopped for an hour and during that time he advised John that he had been promoted to the rank of major and that the role of his platoon would be increased in the immediate future.

  John’s leisure hours were now occupied with riding around the town and the district looking at houses and land sites. He would have preferred to buy a house with land but very few were available. Finally, he started to concentrate on the town area. He had also advised Mr Carroll, the Kyneton land agent, of his interest in a house or an established farm. Mr Carroll said he would put him on his list. The current house demands were higher than the supply. John pondered his next move. It might be better to buy land and build a farmhouse using itinerant labourers. He had brought a drawing of his father’s farm in Lazonby. The drawing was very detailed and John hoped the drawing was good enough for builders to use for his farmhouse.

  He continued to keep looking while checking on the availability of workers. He had made several friends in the town and had mentioned to them his interest in establishing a home in the district around Kyneton and Malmsbury.

  Informing his friends of his intentions finally paid off. John had returned from a ‘Show the Flag’ exercise in Woodend and found a note from William Eden. He was a local businessman with whom John had dined several times. The note requested John to contact him as soon as possible.

  That evening John rode to William’s home, full of curiosity. William invited him into his parlour, poured drinks for them and motioned to John to be seated. He started with, “I might have a farm for you. It has eighty acres of land and a farmhouse. A relative of mine passed away the day you left on your trip to Woodend and his wife wants to return to London where the rest of her family are living. I told her you were an interested buyer and she agreed to give you first choice.”

  John said, “Thank you. When can I see the property?”

  William laughed at his enthusiastic reply. “Is tomorrow too soon?”

  William arranged to collect John the next morning at the barracks office. They rode out of Kyneton and headed north in his gig. The country was relatively flat with scattered stands of gumtrees. Sheep and cattle grazed on the lush green grass. Wildlife was abundant with kangaroos and colourful
birds in the gumtree stands.

  As they headed north a large hill appeared. William said that it was called Black Hill and that the property was at its base.

  They drove up a small incline on the road. At the top William stopped and pointed ahead to a long wooden building. “That’s the farmhouse. The land starts here and continues for the same distance on the other side of the farmhouse.”

  John was not immediately impressed. He was looking for a farmhouse as a home. It did not compare with his father’s home in any way. The fencing consisted of a combination of dry rock walls and Hawthorn shrubs with a ditch inside the line of shrubs.

  He could see sheep and some cattle, and a dog ran down to greet them. Soon a woman appeared on the veranda. She recognised William’s gig and gave them a wave. John was introduced to Mrs Blair, who as per local custom, immediately invited them in for tea.

  The kitchen was a large room with a real farm feeling. It was combined as a dining room as well. Mrs Blair was quite affable and kept the conversation going. In particular she described the farm in total.

  John could see that she was very proud of what her husband had achieved in the few short years they had been in the district. The farm house was a long building over one hundred and fifty feet long and forty feet wide with walls made of wooden planks and a roof covered by hundreds of shingles. A twelve foot veranda surrounded the entire building and provided weather protection during both the hot and the rainy days. John was surprised to find that the building was divided. Half of the building was used as a farm house and included the kitchen. It comprised two large parlours, five bedrooms and a utilities room for laundry. The rest of the building was divided into four horse stalls, fodder storage, a tack room, farm equipment, a small shearing stand, a workshop and a two bunk labourers’ room.

  He was concerned that the property did not have a river or creek frontage. However, he was surprised to find three ten feet high water barrels that collected the rain fall that ran off from the roof and verandas. It provided the house and the feed troughs with sufficient water for all. The land had been divided into several large paddocks separated by dry rock fences; two larger paddocks had natural spoon dams.

  Mr Blair had blocked the rain water run off at the bottom of two adjoining gullies and had created two reservoirs which captured the rain water running off the higher land. This water supplied the livestock.

  John asked Mrs Blair and William if he could walk by himself and have a think about the property. He walked to the highest point on the farm and looked around the surrounding countryside. It was green for as far as the eye could see. Even Black Hill was deep green with its forest of trees. He could see the two spoon dams in the distance and the farmhouse sitting on a small rise, with smoke floating lazily from the kitchen chimney. The north east paddocks had several acres of corn growing with an adjacent ten acres still timbered. The sheep and the cattle completed the picture. John’s only concern was that the house was very basic and did not have the trimmings he had been used to. He sat on a tree stump pondering. Was this what Maeve would expect?

  In the distance he could see a mob of kangaroos grazing, bent over on their fores and strong tail, with their young joey’s climbing in their mothers’ pouches. These kangaroos were much larger than the Van Diemen’s Land animals, up to five feet tall. They had strong hind legs and jumped long distances with their tail balancing them. Their two small front legs could hold a dog and disembowel it with the toes of the two large hind legs. The big male roos were very dangerous if they were cornered.

  His thoughts drifted back to the reason why he was here. He began to consider that they could live in the current farm house and later build the bluestone home which he eventually wanted. Not having running water was now no longer of concern and he had to agree the farmhouse was suitable to be lived in. It was solid and dry and had ample accommodation. He made up his mind.

  He walked back, looking everywhere to ensure he had seen all he needed to see, both good and bad. He hoped he had not missed anything considered important.

  Mrs Blair and William were talking when he walked in and both looked up; Mrs Blair with an apprehensive look.

  John looked at her and said, “I really wanted a bluestone house but if we can reach a suitable price, I would consider buying your property.”

  Mrs Blair nodded. “I can understand your thinking. I have been advised by Mr Carroll that the land is valued at two pounds per acre and the house at around forty pounds. I believe the price of two hundred pounds is fair and I hope that is your opinion also.”

  John still had his father’s two hundred and fifty pounds in the Melbourne bank and thirty pounds in a Kyneton Bank. He could afford to buy the farm outright.

  During John’s previous property searching he had acquired a reasonable knowledge of the value of land and buildings. He could see that the price Mrs Blair suggested was fair. He took a deep breath walked over to her, offering his hand. “I agree two hundred pounds is fair and I accept.”

  Mrs Blair stood up and shook his hand. “I hope you will be as happy as my husband and I were living on this farm.” She sat down and cried.

  William went to the stove and made a pot of tea to celebrate. John and Mrs Blair discussed the method of payment and she decided on a bank draft to be cashed in England. She had other funds in the local Bank of New South Wales. John also purchased the livestock and farm equipment for forty pounds. This left him very short of ready cash but he believed with frugal living he would not have to draw on the credit he had in Melbourne. Hopefully he would make the farm profitable within six months with the corn crop, wool return and selling some young cattle.

  John and William bid Mrs Blair farewell and drove back to Kyneton. John could not thank William enough.

  William brushed off his thanks saying magnanimously, “That’s what friends are for.”

  John would not forget his friend William Eden.

  John decided to name the farm ‘Sunny Lodge’.

  His immediate concern was to find a farmhand he could trust. He asked Mr Russell if he could keep an eye open for him and find a person who had lived and worked in the district and had a reference from his previous employer.

  Two weeks later, the corporal on the gate knocked on his office door and advised him he had a visitor. John invited the visitor into his office and, after greeting him, the visitor informed him that Mr Russell had sent him for the position as a farmhand. He was a free settler and had been working the district building dry walls but had injured ligaments in his elbow and now had trouble lifting the large rocks. He could chop wood and dig soil, heavy lifting was his only restriction.

  He had been a farmhand in Limerick in Ireland. His name was Connor Scanlon. He had a stocky build and was of medium height and he enjoyed talking with the normal soft Irish brogue. John liked what he saw and asked him for references. Connor handed over six pages. He recognised some of the names. John hired him and told him to be at the barracks the next day and he would drive him to the farm.

  ¶

  John and Connor, together with his dog, Blackie, arrived at midday and he showed Connor around the property. There was plenty of water and the paddocks were all well grassed with only four of the seven paddocks being grazed at one time. There were sixty merino sheep and twenty cattle. Rotating the paddocks would ensure the animals would maintain their quality in their meat value and wool standard.

  John allowed Connor to do the talking and he soon realised that he was an experienced farmhand. Connor suggested that he concentrate on maintaining the vegetable garden and the small orchard and that John purchase a milking cow and a few fowls. This would ensure that the farm would be virtually self-sufficient, except for bread. John knew that Mrs Blair used her kitchen oven to cook bread so John said he would obtain a recipe and the bread ingredients for Connor to try his hand at baking some bread.

  Connor would have the run of the house but he said he preferred to set up in the labourers’ quarters with Blackie.
John agreed to his suggestions. They shook hands. John advised him that he would be back at the weekend. He then returned to the barracks.

  John was confident that he had hired a reliable farmhand and was optimistic that his farm would be in profit within the year. His next project would be to build the new homestead ready for Maeve and Edmund’s arrival.

  The SS Eliza struggled into a head wind and it was getting dark. The Victorian coastline appeared out of the gloom. There was some moonlight but it was still difficult to pick out landmarks. Suddenly China Jack found the landmark he wanted. It was a hill with an unusual double peak at the western point of the Western Port Bay. He now relaxed and swung the wheel to bring the ship around and to keep the point around five hundred yards off the beam.

  When they entered the bay the choppy waves ceased and the sails were reefed. He sailed to the end of the bay and anchored. It was low tide. A light flashed from the shore and soon another pontoon appeared out of the gloom, towed by a whaler and crew. The barrels were unloaded first then the horse and finally the dismantled cart and the pontoon was ready to return to shore. Michael paid China Jack and they shook hands. Together with Seamus and the dog they climbed into the whaler and headed for shore, returning a farewell wave to China Jack.

  On a small beach they soon assembled the cart, repacked their goods and chattels and the dog and headed north-west to Melbourne. They drove for a few miles looking for somewhere to rest for the night and wondered where the ship’s cargo had gone. They never found out! After selecting a small clearing they bedded down for the night, anxious to be travelling at first light. They were glad of the dog for he was very alert and would warn them of any strangers prowling around. They were both armed with pistols and had a shotgun, but the dog was an extra comfort. It was August 1855.

  The next morning was a dismal day, mainly cloud with misty rain, although looking to the west it was possible that the weather would clear later in the day. The track they were on gradually improved. It was a pleasant drive and birds were everywhere with plenty of warbling and screeching. The kookaburra was beautiful to hear with its unique sound, just like a laugh! The flowering gumtrees and wattles were in bloom. Their reds and yellows and deep green leaves made for a scene of total tranquillity, making them feel at peace with the world and themselves.