The Argus at KellyGang 27/11/1875

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TRAVELLING IN THE BEECHWORTH DISTRICT

A correspondent of the Bairnsdale Courier, in illustration of the difficulties to be encountered by persons travelling from Omeo over the ranges to Beechworth, supplies the following description of the adventures which a tutor at one of the stations and a lady companion entrusted to his care met with when undertaking the journey in June last, as received from the lips of one of the travellers:

"We left Parslow's about 12 noon , intending to reach Louisville that night, a distance of 24 miles, the track usually taken-via Popall Plain-being blocked up with snow. We got to King's, on the Dargo, about 4 o'clock , partook of some refreshment, and proceeded. Towards evening it became bitterly cold, the wind blowing, and the sleet cutting our faces and hands like a knife. About four miles from King's the track narrows to about 18in. in width, with a steep range of rocks on one side, and a precipice descending to the river on the other. It was now almost dark, and my companion's horse began to give unmistakable signs of knocking up, when, in trying to get round a bad place in the road, a sapling caught her by her head-dress and she was dragged off, falling violently with her head on a stone. The fall rendered her insensible, and it was some time before she was able to start again.

We had not proceeded more than 200 yards before our further progress was barred by a large tree that had fallen across the track; there was just sufficient room to get under it by being very careful, and keeping well up hill. My companion, however, got too low down, became jammed between the tree and the horse, and was again pulled off, this time escaping with a sprained ankle and a severe shaking. It was now quite dark, and I began to despair of reaching Louisville that night. But the worst of our troubles were to come, for we had not gone more than half a mile when her horse stumbled over a rock and rolled down the sideling and over his rider, who, strange to say, escaped almost unhurt. Matters began to look serious. My companion could not walk, and my horse, a young one, would not carry her; however, I managed to put her on her own horse, which was nearly done up.

We travelled slowly along till we arrived within a mile of the crossing of the river, where the track branches up the hill to the right. My horse took the branch track all right but on looking round a moment afterwards I caught a glimpse of my companion, horse and all, going over the precipice. I called out, but too late, she screamed, there was a crushing of branches, a rattling of gravel, and all was still. I immediately scrambled down to where the horse was lying. He had fallen a distance of 12ft straight down. I found him all but dead and the young woman fast under him. After a deal of trouble, and by cutting off her riding skirt and raising the body of the horse with a sapling, I at length extricated her from her dangerous position. I expected to find her smashed to pieces, but she had miraculously escaped with a deep cut on her head and sundry bruises. By supporting and half carrying her we at length reached the crossing of the river, when the difficulty was how to get over. By a deal of manoeuvring I managed to lift her on to my horse, and we got across with nothing worse than a thorough soaking, which in itself was bad enough, for our clothes were soon frozen stiff. We reached Louisville about 11 o'clock . When we arrived there we were both in such a state of chill and exhaustion that we had to be lifted from the horse and supported inside."  


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