We then went up to London and furnished our first home at Clapham, as narrated in the sketch of "My Artist's Life." It will be seen that this transpired before my health broke down from over study.
But to resume. With this £70 from the claim we purchased a good draught horse, new dray, etc., so that we were enabled to cart our fencing stuff, and felt quite like getting on. After erecting the fence around a good part of the allotment, we commenced clearing the land, as there was a good bit of timber on. Grubbing trees, chopping up, and burning off, occupied us during the winter. We found hut No. 1 rather cold some nights, as our fire was outside. I often took my blankets and slept outside by the large fires, where the large logs were being burned off; these, also, required "rounding up" during the night. We got about 12 acres cleared, ploughed, and sown with wheat and oats by the month of June. We started then with the orchard and garden, planted about 50 fruit trees of various sorts, and put in a few vines. This should always be done as soon as possible, but very few do it. We considered now we had got fairly started. Thus: A good deal of the fencing done, 12 acres cleared and under crop, orchard and garden dug and planted, one good horse and dray, also old puddling horse, being light, was useful for riding, etc.; three cows, with calves, from the station; out of my son's wages—2 pigs in the sty, and a few dozen fowls. Therefore we began thinking of shifting the family down. I sold our claim for a few pounds, and as our house on the diggings was still good, we shifted the materials down, and erected farm residence No. 2. This put us up till nearly our first harvest time. Thus we were all together again, except the son at the station, but he was only a few miles off. Our youngest child at this time—a boy—was 2 years old. We did not leave the digging's home, though, without some regrets. God having blessed us with many peaceful years of comfort and independence, and, although we had not saved much money, it did not interfere with our happiness; and the hills were very healthy, abounding in crystal springs, as will be supposed, for during the 10 years' residence I had no occasion to consult a medical man. It was a great blessing with 11 young children. I had, however, made it a duty to study medicine to some extent, which is necessary in a colony like this, and, particularly in those early days. Up to this time all our furniture had been home-made bush furniture, with the exception of one sofa-bedstead, and one American rocking chair, but then it matched with the bush residences. I now made a new set of furniture for our farm-house.
I have now to record a great sorrow which befell us. We had not all been together on the farm many weeks, when we lost our fifth son, by drowning. He was a fine lad of 15 years. It happened in this way. He was out with the gun, keeping the cockatoos off the crops, but seeing some ducks in a lagoon near the river, he shot one of them, and stripped and swam in to secure it. He was a fine swimmer. He, however, did not, in his hurry, take the precaution to keep his cap on, as he always did when bathing, and, it being an exceedingly hot day, I believe he got sunstruck, as his younger brother, who was with him, said he laid upon the top of the water some time. There were several parties sunstruck on that day. He was a good boy, and had that morning, as usual, with his brothers and sisters, said their prayers, and sang together their little hymn—
"Come to this happy land,
Why will you doubting stand?"
There is one there awaiting us "beyond the river."
Myself and boys kept grubbing and clearing, and got in four acres of maize by harvest time. Two of them then went to assist their uncles at harvest; they resided about six miles from us. They coming, in return, to help us. So our first harvest-home in Victoria was completed. "The wilderness was, indeed, blossoming as the rose," and we felt proud at being permitted to fulfil the Heavenly behest of "subduing and replenishing the earth." What occupation on earth can equal that of the husbandman, to raise man's mind from "Nature to Nature's God"; that is, to a properly-regulated mind. To see the beautiful order of all Creation. The unerring instinct of animals. The song and wonderful plumage of birds, so very beautiful in Australia. The sweet hum of the busy bee fructifying the beautiful flowers, and modelling their cells so wonderfully and as unerringly as in the garden of Eden. Man, in his regenerate state, standing thus amid these surroundings, and leaning upon the merits of his Saviour alone, to atone for the sin of the first Adam, and with his face and aspirations raised heavenward, must feel that Paradise is, in a measure, restored even in this world. He has, at least, a foretaste of the Paradise above.
Unregenerate man alone appears the only contradictory element and anomaly in the universe.
We selected 115 acres more land the next year, and 95 the year after. All spare time, the two eldest sons went out fencing, etc., for other settlers, but, in a few years, we had plenty of work at home, and our son from the station joined us; the other sons, as well, growing up strong and useful. My wife and daughters also busy attending to housework, dairying, etc., which now had increased considerably by natural increase and further purchases. Horse stock also increased in the same way. Thus we have gone on year after year, all working for one common object and mutual welfare, and which we have now continued to do for nearly 25 years on the farm up to this time, 1891. Two of my sons have selected other allotments, and we have purchased two "drunk out" farms from the mortgagees. We also, in 1884, purchased a very eligible block of land. We had to pay dearly for it, though. It contained about 400 acres of good tillage land—good for this district, where land is not first-class, like many parts of Victoria. For this, we gave £8 per acre, and for 636 acres of grass land adjoining, £4 per acre, costing altogether over £6000. This we had to get partly upon loan. With our own great strength, now of six grown-up sons, and plenty of horse strength besides, we have reaped in produce and stock from the same land, quite two-thirds of the amount, and expect in a few more years' crops to clear it, so that it was a good investment, but there has been very heavy labor attached to it.