The sentence of the court was carried out by a scourger, sometimes
called flagellator, or flogger. The office of scourger was usually
held by a convict; it meant promotion in the Government service, and
although there was some danger connected with it, there was always a
sufficient number of candidates to fill vacancies. In New South
Wales the number of officers in the cat-o'-nine tails department was
about thirty. The danger attached to the office consisted in the
certainty of the scourger being murdered by the scourgee, if ever the
opportunity was given.
Joe Kermode had once been a hutkeeper on a station. The hut was
erected about forty yards from the stockyard, to which the sheep were
brought every evening, to protect them from attack by dingoes or
blackfellows. If the dingoes and blackfellows had been content with
one sheep at a time to allay the pangs of hunger, they could not have
been blamed very much; but after killing one they went on killing as
many more as they could, and thus wasted much mutton to gratify their
thirst for blood.
Joe and the shepherd were each provided with a musket and bayonet for
self-defence.
The hut was built of slabs, and was divided by a partition into two
rooms, and Joe always kept his musket ready loaded, night and day,
just inside the doorway of the inner room. Two or three blacks would
sometimes call, and ask for flour, sugar, tobacco, or a firestick.
Pages:
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276