aulting the squatter with intent to do him grievous
bodily harm-which, indeed, he more than attempted, if a broken nose, a
fractured jaw, and the loss of most of the squatters' teeth amounted to
anything. The squatter by this time had made peace with the other local
Justice, and had become his father-in-law.

When Tom came out there was little left for him to live for; but he took
a job of fencing, got a few pounds together, and prepared to settle on
the land some more. He got a "missus" and a few cows during the next
year; the missus robbed him and ran away with the dummy, and the cows
died in the drought, or were impounded by the squatter while on their
way to water. Then Tom rented an orchard up the creek, and a hailstorm
destroyed all the fruit. Germany happened to be represented at the time,
Jacob having sought shelter at Tom's but on his way home from town. Tom
stood leaning against the door post with the hail beating on him through
it all. His eyes were very bright and very dry, and every breath was
a choking sob. Jacob let him stand there, and sat inside with a dreamy
expression on his hard face, thinking of childhood and fatherland,
perhaps. When it was over he led Tom to a stool and said, "You waits
there, Tom. I must go home for somedings. You sits there still and waits
twenty minutes;" then he got on his horse and rode off muttering to
himself; "Dot man moost gry, dot man moost gry." He was back inside of
twenty minutes with a bottle of wine and a cornet under his overcoat. He
poured the wine into two pint-pots, made Tom drink, drank himself, and
then took his cornet, stood up at the door, and played a German march
into the rain after the retreating storm. The hail had passed over his
vineyard and he was a ruined man too. Tom did "gry" and was all right.
He was a bit disheartened, but he did another job of fencing, and was
just beginning to think about "puttin' in a few vines an' fruit-trees"
when the government surveyors--whom he'd forgotten all about--had a
resurrection and came and surveyed, and found that the real selection
was located amongst some barren ridges across the creek. Tom reckoned
it was lucky he didn't plant the orchard, and he set about shifting his
home and fences to the new site. But the squatter interfered at this
point, entered into possession of the farm and all on it, and took
action against the selector for trespass--laying the damages at L2500.

Tom was admitted to the lunatic asylu