第4章
Youarebothembarrassed，butitisYOUwhofeelashamed——
youarealmostafraidtolookathimlesthe’llthinkyouarelookingathisshabbiness。Youaskhimintohaveadrink，buthedoesn’trespondsoheartilyasyouwish，ashedidintheolddays;
hedoesn’tlikedrinkingwithanybodywhenheisn’t"fixed"，ashecallsit——
whenhecan’tshout。
Itdidn’tmatterintheolddayswhoheldthemoneysolongastherewasplentyof"stuff"inthecamp。YouthinkofthedayswhenJackstucktoyouthroughthickandthin。Youwouldliketogivehimmoneynow，butheissoproud;healwayswas;hemakesyoumadwithhisbeastlypride。
Therewasn’tanyprideofthatsortonthetrackorinthecampinthosedays;
buttimeshavechanged——yourliveshavedriftedtoowidelyapart——
youhavetakendifferenttrackssincethen;andJack，withoutintendingto，makesyoufeelthatitisso。
Youhaveadrink，butitisn’tasuccess;itfallsflat，asfarasJackisconcerned;hewon’thaveanother;hedoesn’t"feelon"，andpresentlyheescapesunderpleaofanengagement，andpromisestoseeyouagain。
Andyouwishthatthetimewascomewhennoonecouldhavemoreorlesstospendthananother……
P。S。——Imetanoldmateofthatdescriptiononce，andsosuccessfullypersuadedhimoutofhisbeastlypridethatheborrowedtwopoundsoffmetillMonday。Inevergotitbacksince，andIwantitbadlyatthepresenttime。InfutureI’llleaveoldmateswiththeirprideunimpaired。
TwoLarrikins"Y’orterdosomething，Ernie。YerknowhowIam。YOUdon’tseemtocare。
Y’ortertodosomething。"
Stowsherslouchedatagreaterangletothegreasydoor-post，andscowledunderhishat-brim。Itwasalittle，low，frowsyroomopeningintoJones’Alley。Shesatatthetable，sewing——
athin，sallowgirlwithweak，colourlesseyes。Shelookedasfrowsyashersurroundings。
"Well，whydon’tyougotosomeofthemwomen，andgetfixedup？"
Sheflickedtheendofthetable-clothoversometiny，unfinishedarticlesofclothing，andbenttoherwork。
"ButyouknowverywellIhaven’tgotashilling，Ernie，"shesaid，quietly。
"WhereamItogetthemoneyfrom？"
"Whoaskedyertogetit？"
Shewassilent，withtheexasperatingsilenceofawomanwhohasdeterminedtodoathinginspiteofallreasonsandargumentsthatmaybebroughtagainstit。
"Well，wotmoredoyerwant？"demandedStowsher，impatiently。
Shebentlower。"Couldn’twekeepit，Ernie？"
"Wotnext？"askedStowsher，sulkily——hehadhalfsuspectedwhatwascoming。
Then，withanimpatientoath，"Youmustbegettin’ratty。"
Shebrushedthecorneroftheclothfurtheroverthelittleclothes。
"Itwouldn’tcostanything，Ernie。I’dtakeaprideinhim，andkeephimclean，anddresshimlikealittlelord。He’llbedifferentfromalltheotheryoungsters。Hewouldn’tbelikethosedirty，sicklylittlebratsoutthere。He’dbejustlikeyou，Ernie;Iknowhewould。
I’lllookafterhimnightandday，andbringhimupwellandstrong。
We’dtrainhislittlemusclesfromthefirst，Ernie，andhe’dbeabletoknock’emalloutwhenhegrewup。Itwouldn’tcostmuch，andI’dworkhardandbecarefulifyou’dhelpme。Andyou’dbeproudofhim，too，Ernie——Iknowyouwould。"
Stowsherscrapedthedoorstepwithhisfoot;butwhetherhewas"touched"，orfearedhystericsandwaswiselysilent，wasnotapparent。
"DoyourememberthefirstdayImetyou，Ernie？"sheasked，presently。
Stowsherregardedherwithanuneasyscowl："Well——woto’that？"
"Youcameintothebar-parlouratthe`Cricketers’Arms’
andcaughtapushof’emchyackingyouroldman。"
"Well，Ialteredthat。"
"Iknowyoudid。Youdoneforthreeofthem，oneafteranother，andtwowasbiggerthanyou。"
"Yes！andwhenthepushcomeupwedonefortherest，"saidStowsher，softeningattherecollection。
"Andthedayyoucomehomeandcaughtthelandlordbullyingyouroldmotherlikeadog————"
"Yes;Igotthreemonthsforthatjob。Butitwasworthit！"hereflected。
"Only，"headded，"theoldwomanmighthavehadtheknockertokeepawayfromthelushwhileIwasinquod……Butwot’sallthisgottodowithit？"
"HEmightbarrackandfightforyou，someday，Ernie，"shesaidsoftly，"whenyou’reoldandoutofformandain’tgotnopushtobackyou。"
ThethingwasbecomingdecidedlyembarrassingtoStowsher;
notthathefeltanydelicacyonthesubject，butbecausehehatedtobedrawnintoaconversationthatmightbeconsidered"soft"。
"Oh，stowthat！"hesaid，comfortingly。"Gitonyerhat，andI’lltakeyerforatrot。"
Sherosequickly，butrestrainedherself，recollectingthatitwasnotgoodpolicytobetrayeagernessinresponsetoaninvitationfromErnie。
"But——youknow——Idon’tliketogooutlikethis。Youcan’t——
youwouldn’tliketotakemeoutthewayIam，Ernie！"
"Whynot？Wotrot！"
"Thefellowswouldseeme，and——and————"
"And……wot？"
"Theymightnotice————"
"Well，woto’that？Iwant’emto。Areyercomin’orareyerain’t？
Flingroundnow。Ican’thangonhereallday。"
TheywalkedtowardsFlagstaffHill。
Oneortwo，slouchingroundapub。corner，salutedwith"Wotcher，Stowsher！"
"Nottoostinkin’，"repliedStowsher。"Soakyerheads。"
"Stowsher’sgoin’tostick，"saidoneprivately。
"An’soheorter，"saidanother。"WishIhadthechanst。"
Thetwoturnedupasteeplane。
"Don’twalksofastuphill，Ernie;Ican’t，youknow。"
"Allright，Liz。Iforgotthat。Whydidn’tyersaysobefore？"
Shewascontentedlysilentmostoftheway，warnedbyinstinct，afterthemannerofwomenwhentheyhavegainedtheirpointbywords。
Onceheglancedoverhisshoulderwithashortlaugh。"Gorblime！"hesaid，"Inearlythoughtthelittlebeggarwasa-follerin’alongbehind！"
Whenheleftheratthedoorhesaid："Lookhere，Liz。’Ere’shalfaquid。
Gitwhatyerwant。Lethergo。I’mgoin’tograftagaininthemornin’，andI’llcomeroundandseeyerto-morrernight。"
Stillsheseemedtroubledanduneasy。
"Ernie。"
"Well。Wotnow？"
"S’posin’it’sagirl，Ernie。"
Stowsherflunghimselfroundimpatiently。
"Oh，forGod’ssake，stowthat！Yeralwayssingin’outbeforeyerhurt……
There’ssomethin’else，ain’tthere——whilethebloomin’shop’sopen？"
"No，Ernie。Ain’tyougoingtokissme？……I’msatisfied。"
"Satisfied！Yerdon’twantthekidtobearst’oo’isfatherwas，doyer？
Yer’dbettercomealongwithmesomedaythisweekandgitspliced。
Yerdon’twanttogofrettin’oranyofthatfunnybusinesswhileit’son。"
"Oh，Ernie！doyoureallymeanit？"——andshethrewherarmsroundhisneck，andbrokedownatlast……
"So-long，Liz。Nomorefunnybusinessnow——I’vehadenoughofit。
Keepyerpeckerup，oldgirl。To-morrernight，mind。"
Thenheaddedsuddenly："YermighthaveknownIain’tthatsortofabloke"
——andleftabruptly。
Lizwasveryhappy。
Mr。SmellingscheckImethiminasixpennyrestaurant——"Allmeals，6d。——Goodbeds，1s。"
Thatwasbeforesixpennyrestaurantsrosetoathird-classposition，andbecamepossiblyrespectableplacestolivein，throughtheestablishment，beneaththem，offourpennyhash-houses（goodbeds，6d。），and，beneathTHEMagain，ofTHREE-penny"dining-rooms——CLEANbeds，4d。"
Therewerefivebedsinourapartment，theheadofoneagainstthefootofthenext，andsoonroundtheroom，withaspacewherethedoorandwashstandwere。Ichosethebedtheheadofwhichwasnearthefootofhis，becausehelookedlikeamanwhotookhisbathregularly。Ishouldlike，intheinterestsofsentiment，todescribetheplaceasamiserable，filthy，evil-smellinggarret;
butIcan’t——becauseitwasn’t。Theroomwaslargeandairy;
thefloorwasscrubbedandthewindowscleanedatleastonceaweek，andthebedskeptfreshandneat，whichismore——agooddealmore——
thancanbesaidofmanygenteelprivateboarding-houses。Thelodgersweremostlyrespectableunemployed，andoneortwo——fortunatemen！——
inwork;itwasthecasualboozer，theprofessionalloafer，andtheoccasionalspieler——theone-shilling-bed-men——
whomadetheplaceobjectionable，notthehard-workingpeoplewhopaidtenpoundsaweekforthehouse;and，butfortheone-nightlodgersandthebiggiltblack-and-redborderedand"shaded""6d。"inthewindow——whichmademeglanceguiltilyupanddownthestreet，likeaburglarabouttodoajob，beforeIwentin——Iwasprettycomfortablethere。
Theycalledhim"Mr。Smellingscheck"，andtreatedhimwithapeculiarkindofdeference，thereasonforwhichtheythemselvesweredoubtlessunabletoexplainorevenunderstand。
Thehaggardwomanwhomadethebedscalledhim"Mr。Smell-’is-check"。
Poorfellow！Ididn’tthink，bythelookofhim，thathe’dsmelthischeque，oranyoneelse’s，orthatanyoneelsehadsmelthis，formanyalongday。
Hewasafatman，slowandplacid。HelookedlikeatypicalmonopolistwhohadunaccountablygotintoasuitofclothesbelongingtoaDomainunemployed，andhadn’tnoticed，orhadentirelyforgotten，thecircumstanceinhisbusinesscares——ifsuchawordascarecouldbeconnectedwithsuchacalm，self-containednature。
Heworeasuitofcheapslopsofsomekindofshoddy"tweed"。
Thecoatwastoosmallandthetrouserstooshort，andtheyweredrawnuptomeetthewaistcoat——whichtheydidwithpainfuldifficulty，nowandthenshowing，bywayofprotest，twopairsofbrassbuttonsandtheendsofthebrace-straps;andtheyseemedtoblametheirresponsivewaistcoatorthewearerforitall。Yethenevergavewaytoassistthem。Apairofburstelastic-sideswereinfullevidence，andarimofcloudysock，withaholeinit，showedateverystep。
Butheputonhisclothesandworethemlike——likeagentleman。
Hehadtwowhiteshirts，andtheywerebothdirty。He’dlaythemoutonthebed，turnthemover，regardthemthoughtfully，choosethatwhichappearedtohiscalmunderstandingtobethecleaner，andputiton，andwearituntilitwasunmistakablydirtierthantheother;
thenhe’dweartheothertillitwasdirtierthanthefirst。
Hemanagedhisthreecollarsthesameway。Hishandkerchiefswerewashedinthebathroom，anddried，withouttheslightestdisguise，inthebedroom。
Heneverhurriedinanything。Thewayhecleanedhisteeth，shaved，andmadehistoiletalmosttransformedtheplace，inmyimagination，intoagentleman’sdressing-room。
Hetalkedpoliticsandsuchthingsintheabstract——alwaysintheabstract——calmlyintheabstract。Hewasanold-fashionedConservativeoftheSirLeicesterDeadlockstyle。Whenhewasmovedbyanextrashowerofaggressivedemocraticcant——whichwasseldom——
hedefendedCapital，butonlyasifitneedednodefence，andasifitsopponentsweremerelythoughtless，ignorantchildrenwhomhecondescendedtosetrightbecauseoftheirinexperienceandfortheirowngood。Hestuckcalmlytohisownorder——theorderwhichhaddroppedhimlikeafoulthingwhenthebottomdroppedoutofhisboom，whateverthatwas。Henevertalkedofhismisfortunes。
Hetookhismealsatthelittlegreasytableinthedarkcornerdownstairs，justasifhewerediningattheExchange。Hehadachop——ratherwell-done——andasheetofthe`Herald’forbreakfast。
Hecarriedtwohandkerchiefs;heusedoneforahandkerchiefandtheotherforatable-napkin，andsometimesfoldeditabsentlyandlaiditonthetable。
Heroseslowly，puttinghischairback，tookdownhisbatteredoldgreenhat，andregardeditthoughtfully——asthoughithadjustoccurredtohiminacalm，casualwaythathe’ddropintohishatter’s，ifhehadtime，onhiswaydowntown，andgetitblocked，orelsesendthemessengerroundwithitduringbusinesshours。He’ddrawhisstickoutfrombehindthenextchair，plantit，and，ifyouhadn’tquitefinishedyoursideoftheconversation，standpolitelywaitinguntilyouweredone。
Thenhe’dlookforasuitablereplyintohishat，putiton，giveitatwitchtosettleitonhishead——asgentlemendoa"chimney-pot"——stepoutintothegangway，turnhisfacetothedoor，andwalkslowlyoutontothemiddleofthepavement——
lookingmoreplacidlywell-to-dothanever。Thesayingisthatclothesmakeaman，butHEmadehisalmostrespectablejustbywearingthem。
Thenhe’dconsulthiswatch——（hestucktothewatchallthrough，anditseemedagoodone——Ioftenwonderedwhyhedidn’tpawnit）;
thenhe’dturnslowly，rightturn，andlookdownthestreet。
Thenslowlyback，left-aboutturn，andtakeacoolsurveyinthatdirection，asifcalmlyundecidedwhethertotakeacabanddrivetotheExchange，or（asitwasaveryfinemorning，andhehadhalfanhourtospare）
walkthereanddropinathisclubontheway。He’dconcludetowalk。
Ineversawhimgoanywhereinparticular，buthewalkedandstoodasifhecould。
Comingquietlyintotheroomoneday，Isurprisedhimsittingatthetablewithhisarmslyingonitandhisfacerestingonthem。
Iheardsomethinglikeasob。Herosehastily，andgatheredupsomepaperswhichwereonthetable;thenheturnedround，rubbinghisforeheadandeyeswithhisforefingerandthumb，andtoldmethathesufferedfrom——something，Iforgetthenameofit，butitwasawell-to-doailment。
Hismannerseemedabitjoltedandhurriedforaminuteorso，andthenhewashimselfagain。HetoldmehewasleavingforMelbournenextday。HeleftwhileIwasout，andleftanenvelopedownstairsforme。
Therewasnothinginitexceptapoundnote。
IsawhiminBrisbaneafterwards，well-dressed，gettingoutofacabattheentranceofoneoftheleadinghotels。Buthismannerwasnomoreself-containedandwell-to-dothanithadbeenintheoldsixpennydays——becauseitcouldn’tbe。Wehadawell-to-dowhiskytogether，andhetalkedofthingsintheabstract。
Heseemedjustasifhe’dmetmeintheAustralia。
"ARoughShed"
Ahot，breathless，blindingsunrise——thesunhavingappearedsuddenlyabovetheraggededgeofthebarrenscrublikeagreatdiscofmoltensteel。
Nohintofamorningbreezebeforeit，nosignonearthorskytoshowthatitismorning——savethepositionofthesun。
Aclearinginthescrub——bareasthoughthesurfaceoftheearthwereploughedandharrowed，anddustyastheroad。Twooblonghuts——onefortheshearersandonefortherouseabouts——
inaboutthecentreoftheclearing（asifeventhemongrelscrubhadshrunkawayfromthem）builtend-to-end，ofweatherboards，androofedwithgalvanisediron。Littleventilation;noverandah;
noattempttocreate，artificially，abreathofairthroughthebuildings。
Unpainted，sordid——hideous。Outside，heapsofashesstillhotandsmoking。
Closeathand，"butcher’sshop"——abushandbagbreakwindinthedust，underacoupleofsheetsofiron，withoffal，greaseandclottedbloodblackeningthesurfaceofthegroundaboutit。Greasy，stinkingsheepskinshangingeverywherewithblood-blotchedsidesout。Greaseinchesdeepingreatblackpatchesaboutthefireplaceendsofthehuts，wherewash-upand"boiling"wateristhrown。
Inside，aroughtableonsupportsdrivenintotheblack，greasygroundfloor，andformedofflooringboards，runningonunevenlinesthelengthofthehutfromwithinabout6ft。ofthefire-place。
Lengthsofsinglesix-inchboardsorslabsoneachside，supportedbytheprojectingendsofshortpiecesoftimbernailedacrossthelegsofthetabletoserveasseats。
Oneachsideofthehutrunsaroughframework，likethepartitionsinastable;eachcompartmentbattenedofftoaboutthesizeofamanger，andcontainingfourbunks，oneabovetheother，oneachside——
theirends，ofcourse，tothetable。Scarcelybreathingspaceanywherebetween。Fireplace，thefullwidthofthehutinoneend，whereallthecookingandbakingforfortyorfiftymenisdone，andwhereflour，sugar，etc。，arekeptinopenbags。
Fire，likeaveryfurnace。Bucketsofteaandcoffeeonroastingbedsofcoalsandashesonthehearth。Pileof"brownie"onthebareblackboardsattheendofthetable。Unspeakablearomaoffortyorfiftymenwhohavelittleinclinationandlessopportunitytowashtheirskins，andwhosoaksomeofthegreaseoutoftheirclothes——inbucketsofhotwater——onSaturdayafternoonsorSundays。
Andclingingtoall，andoverall，thesmellofthedried，staleyolkofwool——thestinkoframs！……
"Iamarouseaboutoftherouseabouts。Ihavefallensofarthatitisbeneathmetotrytoclimbtotheproudpositionof`ringer’oftheshed。
Ihadthatambitiononce，whenIwasthesoftestofgreenhands;
butthenIthoughtIcouldworkoutmysalvationandgohome。
I’vegotusedtohellsincethen。Ionlygettwenty-fiveshillingsaweek（lessstationstorecharges）andtuckerhere。IhavebeensevenyearswestoftheDarlingandnevershoreasheep。Whydon’tIlearntoshear，andsomakemoney？WhatshouldIdowithmoremoney？
Getoutofthisandgohome？IwouldnevergohomeunlessIhadenoughmoneytokeepmefortherestofmylife，andI’llnevermakethatOutBack。Otherwise，whatshouldIdoathome？
AndhowshouldIaccountforthesevenyears，ifIweretogohome？
CouldIdescribeshedlifetothemandexplainhowIlived。Theythinkshearingonlytakesafewdaysoftheyear——atthebeginningofsummer。
They’dwanttoknowhowIlivedtherestoftheyear。CouldIexplainthatI`jabbedtrotters’andwasa`tea-and-sugarburglar’betweensheds。
They’dthinkI’dbeenatrampandabeggarallthetime。
CouldIexplainANYTHINGsothatthey’dunderstand？
I’dhavetobelyingallthetimeandwouldsoonbetrippedupandfoundout。
For，whateverelseIhavebeenIwasnevermuchofaliar。
No，I’llnevergohome。
"Ibecomemomentarilyconsciousaboutdaylight。Thefliesonthetrackgotmeintothathabit，Ithink;theystartatday-break——
whenthemosquitoesgiveover。
"Thecookringsabullockbell。
"Thecookisfire-proof。Heisasafiendfromthenethermostsheolandneedstobe。Nomanseeshimsleep，forhemakesbread——orworse，brownie——atnight，andheringsabullockbellloudlyathalf-pastfiveinthemorningtorouseusfromouranimaltorpors。
Others，thesheep-ho’sortheengine-driversattheshedorwool-wash，callhim，ifhedoessleep。Theymanageitinshifts，somehow，andsleepsomewhere，sometime。Wehaven’ttimetoknow。
Thecookringsthebullockbellandyellsthetime。Itwasthesametimefiveminutesago——orayearago。Notimetodecidewhich。
Idashwaterovermyheadandfaceandslaphandfulsonmyeyelids——gummedoverachingeyes——stillblightedbytheyolko’wool——
grey，greasy-feelingwaterfromacut-downkerosenetinwhichIsneakedfromthecookandhidundermybunkandhadtheforesighttorefillfromthecasklastnight，undercoverofwarm，still，suffocatingdarkness。Orwasitthenightbeforelast？Anyhow，itwillbesneakedfrommeto-day，andfromthecrawlerwhowillcollaritto-morrow，and`touched’and`lifted’and`collared’andrecoveredbythecook，andsneakedbackagain，andcausefoullanguage，andfights，maybe，tillwe`cut-out’。
"No;wedidn’thavesweetdreamsofhomeandmother，gentlepoet——
noryetofbabblingbrooksandsweethearts，andlove’syoungdream。
Wearetoodirtyanddog-tiredwhenwetumbledown，andhavetoolittletimetosleepitoff。Wedon’twanttodreamthosedreamsouthere——
they’donlybenightmaresforus，andwe’dwaketoremember。
WeMUSTN’Trememberhere。
"Attheedgeofthetimberagreatgalvanised-ironshed，nearlyallroof，comingdowntowithin6ft。6in。ofthe`board’overthe`shoots’。
Cloudofreddustinthedeadtimberbehind，goingup——noon-daydust。
Fencecoveredwithskins;carcasesbeingburned;bluesmokegoingstraightupasinnoonday。Greatglossy（greasy-glossy）blackcrows`flopping’around。
"Thefirstsyrenhasgone。Wehurryinsinglefilesfromoppositeendsofrouseabouts’andshearers’huts（asthepathshappentoruntotheshed）gulpinghotteaorcoffeefromapint-potinonehandandbitingatajunkofbrownieintheother。
"Shedoffortyhands。Shearersrushthepensandyankoutsheepandthrowthemlikedemons;gripthemwiththeirknees，takeupmachines，jerkthestrings;andwitharattlingwhirringroarthegreatmachine-shedstartsfortheday。
"`Goit，you————tigers！’yellsatar-boy。`Woolaway！’`Tar！’`SheepHo！’
Werushthroughwithawhirringroartillbreakfasttime。
"Weseizeourtinplatefromthepile，knifeandforkfromthecandle-box，andcrowdroundthecamp-oventojaboutleanchops，dryaschips，boiledinfat。Chopsorcurry-and-rice。Thereissomegrowlingandcursing。
Weslipintoourplaceswithoutremovingourhats。There’snotimetohuntformislaidhatswhenthewhistlegoes。Rowofhatbrims，level，drawnovereyes，orthrustback——accordingtocharactersortemperaments。
Thrustbackdenotesaluckyabsenceofbrains，Ifancy。Rowofforksgoingup，orjabbing，orpoised，loaded，waitingforlastmouthfultobebolted。
"Wepickup，sweep，tar，sewwounds，catchsheepthatbreakfromthepens，jumpdownandpickupthosethatcan’triseatthebottomoftheshoots，`bring-my-combs-from-the-grinder-will-yer，’laughatdirtyjokes，andswear——and，inshort，arethe`will-yer’slaves，bodyandsoul，ofseven，six，five，orfourshearers，accordingtothedistancefromtherollingtables。
"Theshearerontheboardattheshedisademon。Hegetssomuchahundred;
we，25s。aweek。Heisnotsupposed，bytherulesoftheshed，theUnion，andhumanity，totakeasheepoutofthepenAFTERthebellgoes（smoke-ho，meals，orknock-off），buthiswatchishangingonthepost，andhetimeshimselftogetsomanysheepoutofthepenBEFORE
thebellgoes，andONEMORE——the`bell-sheep’——asitisringing。
Wehavetotakethelastfleecetothetableandleaveourboardclean。
Wegothroughthedayofeighthoursinrunsofaboutanhourand20minutesbetweensmoke-ho’s——from6to6。Iftheshearersshore200insteadof100，they’dget2Poundsadayinsteadof1Pound，andwe’dhavetwiceasmuchworktodoforour25s。perweek。Buttheshearersareracingeachotherfortallies。Andit’snousekicking。ThereisnoGodhereandnoUnionism（thoughweallhavetickets）。ButwhatamIgrowlingabout？
I’veworkedfrom6to6withnosmoke-ho’sforhalfthewages，andfoodwewouldn’tgivethesheep-hodog。It’sthebushgrowl，bornofheat，flies，anddust。I’dgrowlnowifIhadathousandayear。
WeMUSTgrowl，swear，andsomeofusdrinktod。t。’s，orgomadsober。
"Pantsandshirtsstiffwithgreaseasthoughacoupleofpoundsofsoftblackputtywerespreadonwithapainter’sknife。
"No，gentlebard！——wedon’tsingatourwork。Overthewhirrandroarandhumalldaylong，andwithiterationthatischildishandirritatingtotheintelligentgreenhand，floatunthinkableadjectivesandadverbs，addressedtojumbucks，jackaroos，andmatesindiscriminately。Andworsewordsforthebossovertheboard——behindhisback。
"IcameofaGoodChristianFamily——perhapsthat’swhyIwenttotheDevil。
WhenIcameouthereI’dshrinkfromthemanwhousedfoullanguage。
InashorttimeIuseditwiththeworst。Icouldn’thelpit。
"That’sthewayofit。IfIwentbacktoawoman’scountryagainIwouldn’tswear。I’dforgetthisasIwouldanightmare。
That’sthewayofit。There’ssomethingofthelarrikinaboutus。
Wedon’texistindividually。Offtheboard，awayfromtheshed（andeachother）wearequiet——evengentle。
"Agreat-hornedram，inpoorcondition，butshornofaheavyfleece，pickshimselfupatthefootofthe`shoot’，andhesitates，asifashamedtogodowntotheotherendwheretheewesare。
ThemostridiculousobjectunderHeaven。
"Atar-boyoffifteen，ofthebush，withamouthsovilethatastreet-boy，sameage（upwithashearinguncle），kickshimbehind——
havingprovedhissuperioritywithhisfistsbeforetheshedstarted。
Ofwhichunspeakablelittlefiendtheroughestshearerofaroughshedwasheardtosay，ineffect，thatifhethoughttherewastheslightestpossibilityofhisbecomingthefatherofsuchaboyhe’d————takedrasticmeasurestopreventthepossibilityofhisbecomingaproudparentatall。
"Twiceadaythecooksandtheirfamiliarscarrybucketsofoatmeal-waterandteatotheshed，twoeachonayoke。
Wecry，`Whereareyoucomingto，myprettymaids？’
"Intenminutesthesurfacesofthebucketsareblackwithflies。
Wehavegivenovertryingtokeepthemclear。Westirthelivingcreamasidewiththebottomsofthepints，andguzzlegallons，andsweatitoutagain。
Occasionallyashearerpausesandthrowstheperspirationfromhisforeheadinarain。
"Shearersliveinsuchagreedyrushofexcitementthatoftenastrongmanwill，ataprickoftheshears，fallinadeath-likefaintontheboard。
"WehatetheBoss-of-the-Boardastheshearers’`slushy’hatestheshearers’cook。Idon’tknowwhy。He’saveryfairboss。
"Herefusedtoputonatravelleryesterday，andthetravellerknockedhimdown。Hewalkedintotheshedthismorningwithhishatbackandthumbsinwaistcoat——atributetoman’sweakness。
Hethreatenedtodismissthetraveller’smate，abiggerman，forroughshearing——atributetoman’sstrength。Theshearersaidnothing。
WehatethebossbecauseheISboss，butwerespecthimbecauseheisastrongman。Heisashardupasanyofus，Ihear，andhasasickwifeandalarge，smallfamilyinMelbourne。Godjudgeusall！
"Thereisagambling-schoolhere，headedbytheshearers’cook。
Afterteatheyhead-’em，andadvancechequesarepassedfromhandtohand，andthrowninthedustuntiltheyareblack。Whenit’stoodarktoseewithnosetotheground，theygoinsideandgamblewithcards。
SometimestheystartonSaturdayafternoon，heading’emtilldark，playcardsallnight，startagainheading’emSundayafternoon，playcardsallSundaynight，andsleepthemselvessaneonMonday，orgotoworkghastly——likedeadmen。
"Cryof`Fight’;weallrushout。Butthereisn’tmuchfighting。
Afraidofmurderingeachother。I’mbeginningtothinkthatmostbushcrimeisduetoirritationbornofdust，heat，andflies。
"Thesmotheringatmosphereshudderswhenthesungoesdown。
Wecallitthesunsetbreeze。
"SaturdaynightorSundaywe’reinvitedintotheshearers’hut。
Therearesongsthatarenothymnsandrecitationsandspeechesthatarenotprayers。
"LastSundaynight：Slushlampsatlongintervalsontable。
Menplayingcards，sewingonpatches——（nearlyallsmoking）——
somewriting，andtherestreadingDeadwoodDick。AtoneendofthetableaChristianEndeavourerendeavouring;attheotheracockneyJew，fromthehawker’sboat，tryingtosellrottenclothes。
Inresponsetocomplaints，directandnotchosengenerallyforSunday，theshearers’rep。requestsbothapostlestoshutuporleave。
"Hecouldn’tbeexpectedtotaketheChristianandleavetheJew，anymorethanhecouldtaketheJewandleavetheChristian。
Wearejustamongstourselvesinourhell……
"Fiddleattheendofrouseabouts’hut。VoiceofJackeroo，fromupperbunkwithapologeticoaths：`ForGod’ssakechuckthatup;
itmakesamanthinkofblankyoldthings！’
"Alostsoullaughs（mine）anddreadfulnightsmothersus。"
PayableGoldAmongthecrowdswholefttheVictoriansideforNewSouthWalesaboutthetimeGulgongbrokeoutwasanoldBallaratdiggernamedPeterMcKenzie。HehadmarriedandretiredfromtheminingsomeyearspreviouslyandhadmadeahomeforhimselfandfamilyatthevillageofSt。Kilda，nearMelbourne;but，aswasoftenthecasewitholddiggers，thegoldfeverneverlefthim，andwhenthefieldsofNewSouthWalesbegantoblazehemortgagedhislittlepropertyinordertoraisefundsforanothercampaign，leavingsufficientbehindhimtokeephiswifeandfamilyincomfortforayearorso。
Asheoftenremarked，hispositionwasnowverydifferentfromwhatithadbeenintheolddayswhenhefirstarrivedfromScotland，intheheightoftheexcitementfollowingonthegreatdiscovery。
Hewasayoungmanthenwithonlyhimselftolookoutfor，butnowthathewasgettingoldandhadafamilytoprovideforhehadstakedtoomuchonthisventuretolose。Hispositiondidcertainlylooklikeaforlornhope，butheneverseemedtothinkso。
Petermusthavebeenverylonelyandlow-spiritedattimes。
Ayoungorunmarriedmancanformnewties，andevenmakenewsweetheartsifnecessary，butPeter’sheartwaswithhiswifeandlittleonesathome，andtheyweremortgaged，asitwere，toDameFortune。
Peterhadtoliftthismortgageoff。
Neverthelesshewasalwayscheerful，evenattheworstoftimes，andhisstraightgreybeardandscrubbybrownhairencircledasmilewhichappearedtobeafixture。Hehadtomakeaneffortinordertolookgrave，suchassomemendowhentheywanttoforceasmile。
ItwasrumouredthatPeterhadmadeavownevertoreturnhomeuntilhecouldtakesufficientwealthtomakehisall-importantfamilycomfortable，or，atleast，toraisethemortgagefromtheproperty，forthesacrificeofwhichtohismadgoldfeverheneverforgavehimself。
ButthiswasoneofthefewthingswhichPeterkepttohimself。
ThefactthathehadawifeandchildrenatSt。Kildawaswellknowntoallthediggers。Theyhadtoknowit，andiftheydidnotknowtheage，complexion，historyandpeculiaritiesofeverychildandofthe"oldwoman"
itwasnotPeter’sfault。
Hewouldcrossovertoourplaceandtalktothemotherforhoursabouthiswifeandchildren。Andnothingpleasedhimbetterthantodiscoverpeculiaritiesinuschildrenwhereinweresembledhisown。
Itpleasedusalsoformercenaryreasons。"It’sjustthesamewithmyoldwoman，"or"It’sjustthesamewithmyyoungsters，"
Peterwouldexclaimboisterously，forhelookeduponanylittlesimilaritybetweenthetwofamiliesasaremarkablecoincidence。Helikedusall，andwasalwaysverykindtous，oftenstandingbetweenourbacksandtherodthatspoilsthechild——thatis，Imean，ifitisn’tused。
Iwasveryshort-tempered，butthisfailingwasmorethancondonedbythefactthatPeter’s"eldest"wasgiventhatwayalso。
Mother’ssecondsonwasverygood-natured;sowasPeter’sthird。
Her"third"hadagreataversionforanydutythatthreatenedtoincreasehismuscles;sohadPeter’s"second"。Ourbabywasveryfatandheavyandwasgiventosuckingherownthumbvigorously，and，accordingtothelatestbulletinsfromhome，itwasjustthesamewithPeter’s"last"。
IthinkweknewmoreaboutPeter’sfamilythanwedidaboutourown。
Althoughwehadneverseenthem，wewereasfamiliarwiththeirfeaturesasthephotographer’sartcouldmakeus，andalwaysknewtheirdomestichistoryuptothedateofthelastmail。
WebecameinterestedintheMcKenziefamily。Insteadofgettingboredbythemassomepeoplewere，wewerealwaysasmuchpleasedwhenPetergotaletterfromhomeashewashimself，andifamailweremissed，whichseldomhappened——wealmostsharedhisdisappointmentandanxiety。
Shouldoneoftheyoungstersbeill，wewouldbequiteuneasy，onPeter’saccount，untilthearrivalofalaterbulletinremovedhisanxiety，andours。
ItmusthavebeenthegloriouspowerofabigtrueheartthatgainedforPeterthegoodwillandsympathyofallwhoknewhim。
Peter’ssmilehadapeculiarfascinationforuschildren。
Wewouldstandbyhispointingforgewhenhe’dbesharpeningpicksintheearlymorning，andwatchhisfaceforfiveminutesatatime，wonderingsometimeswhetherhewasalwaysSMILINGINSIDE，orwhetherthesmilewentonexternallyirrespectiveofanyvariationinPeter’sconditionofmind。
Ithinkitwasthelattercase，foroftenwhenhehadreceivedbadnewsfromhomewehaveheardhisvoicequaverwithanxiety，whiletheoldsmileplayedonhisround，brownfeaturesjustthesame。
LittleNelse（oneofthosequeerold-manchildrenwhoseemtocomeintotheworldbymistake，andwhoseldomstaylong）usedtosaythatPeter"criedinside"。
Once，onGulgong，whenheattendedthefuneralofanoldBallaratmate，astrangerwhohadbeenwatchinghisfacecuriouslyremarkedthatMcKenzieseemedaspleasedasthoughthedeaddiggerhadbequeathedhimafortune。Butthestrangerhadsoonreasontoalterhisopinion，forwhenanotheroldmatebeganinatremulousvoicetorepeatthewords"Ashestoashes，an’dusttodust，"twobigtearssuddenlyburstfromPeter’seyes，andhurrieddowntogetentrappedinhisbeard。
Peter’sgoldminingventureswerenotsuccessful。HesankthreeduffersinsuccessiononGulgong，andthefourthshaft，afterpayingexpenses，leftalittleoverahundredtoeachparty，andPeterhadtosendthebulkofhissharehome。Helivedinatent（orinahutwhenhecouldgetone）afterthemannerofdiggers，andhe"didforhimself"，eventowashinghisownclothes。
Heneverdranknor"played"，andhetooklittleenjoymentofanykind，yettherewasnotadiggeronthefieldwhowoulddreamofcallingoldPeterMcKenzie"ameanman"。Helived，asweknowfromourownobservations，inamostfrugalmanner。Healwaystriedtohidethis，andtookcaretohaveplentyofgoodthingsforuswhenheinvitedustohishut;butchildren’seyesaresharp。
SomesaidthatPeterhalf-starvedhimself，butIdon’tthinkhisfamilyeverknew，unlesshetoldthemsoafterwards。
Ah，well！theyearsgoover。Peterwasnowthreeyearsfromhome，andheandFortunewereenemiesstill。Letterscamebythemail，fulloflittlehometroublesandprayersforPeter’sreturn，andletterswentbackbythemail，alwayshopeful，alwayscheerful。
Peternevergaveup。Wheneverythingelsefailedhewouldworkbytheday（asadthingforadigger），andhewasevenknowntodoajoboffencinguntilsuchtimeashecouldgetafewpoundsandasmallpartytogethertosinkanothershaft。
Talkabouttheheroicstrugglesofearlyexplorersinahostilecountry;
butfordoggeddeterminationandcourageinthefaceofpoverty，illness，anddistance，commendmetotheold-timedigger——thetruestsoldierHopeeverhad！
InthefourthyearofhisstrugglePetermetwithaterribledisappointment。
HispartyputdownashaftcalledtheForlornHopenearHappyValley，andafterafewweeks’fruitlessdrivinghismatesjibbedonit。
Peterhadhisownopinionabouttheground——anolddigger’sopinion，andheusedeveryargumentinhispowertoinducehismatestoputafewdays’moreworkintheclaim。Invainhepointedoutthatthequalityofthewashandthedipofthebottomexactlyresembledthatofthe"BrownSnake"，arichVictorianclaim。
Invainhearguedthatinthecaseoftheabovementionedclaim，notacolourcouldbegotuntilthepayablegoldwasactuallyreached。
HomeRuleandTheCanadianandthatclusteroffieldsweregoingahead，andhispartywereeagertoshift。Theyremainedobstinate，andatlast，half-convincedagainsthisopinion，Peterleftwiththemtosinkthe"Iawatha"，inLogPaddock，whichturnedoutarankduffer——
notevenpayingitsownexpenses。
ApartyofItaliansenteredtheoldclaimand，afterdrivingitafewfeetfurther，madetheirfortune……
WeallnoticedthechangeinPeterMcKenziewhenhecameto"LogPaddock"，whitherwehadshiftedbeforehim。Theoldsmilestillflickered，buthehadlearnedto"look"graveforanhouratatimewithoutmucheffort。
HewasneverquitethesameaftertheaffairofForlornHope，andIoftenthinkhowhemusthave"cried"sometimes"inside"。
However，hestillreaduslettersfromhome，andcameandsmokedintheeveningbyourkitchen-fire。Heshowedussomenewportraitsofhisfamilywhichhehadreceivedbyalatemail，butsomethinggavemetheimpressionthattheportraitsmadehimuneasy。
Hehadtheminhispossessionfornearlyaweekbeforeshowingthemtous，andtothebestofourknowledgehenevershowedthemtoanybodyelse。
Perhapstheyremindedhimoftheflightoftime——perhapshewouldhavepreferredhischildrentoremainjustasheleftthemuntilhereturned。
Butstay！therewasoneportraitthatseemedtogivePeterinfinitepleasure。
Itwasthepictureofachubbyinfantofaboutthreeyearsormore。
Itwasafine-lookingchildtakeninasittingpositiononacushion，andarrayedinaveryshortshirt。Onitsfat，soft，whiteface，whichwasonlyafewinchesabovethetenverypodgytoes，wasasmilesomethinglikePeter’s。Peterwasnevertiredoflookingatandshowingthepictureofhischild——thechildhehadneverseen。
PerhapshecherishedawilddreamofmakinghisfortuneandreturninghomebeforeTHATchildgrewup……
McKenzieandpartyweresinkingashaftattheupperendofLogPaddock，generallycalled"Theotherend"。Wewereatthelowerend。
OnedayPetercamedownfrom"theotherend"andtoldusthathispartyexpectedto"bottom"duringthefollowingweek，andiftheygotnoencouragementfromthewashtheyintendedtogoprospectingatthe"HappyThought"，nearSpecimenFlat。
TheshaftinLogPaddockwaschristened"NilDesperandum"。
Towardstheendoftheweekweheardthatthewashinthe"Nil"
wasshowinggoodcolours。
Latercamethenewsthat"McKenzieandparty"hadbottomedonpayablegold，andtheredflagfloatedovertheshaft。Longbeforethefirstloadofdirtreachedthepuddlingmachineonthecreek，thenewswasallroundthediggings。The"NilDesperandum"wasa"GoldenHole"！……
WewillnotforgetthedaywhenPeterwenthome。HehurrieddowninthemorningtohaveanhourorsowithusbeforeCobbandCo。wentby。
HetoldusallabouthislittlecottagebythebayatSt。Kilda。
Hehadneverspokenofitbefore，probablybecauseofthemortgage。
Hetoldushowitfacedthebay——howmanyroomsithad，howmuchflowergarden，andhowonacleardayhecouldseefromthewindowalltheshipsthatcameuptotheYarra，andhowwithagoodtelescopehecouldevendistinguishthefacesofthepassengersonthebigoceanliners。
Andthen，whenthemother’sbackwasturned，hehustleduschildrenroundthecorner，andsurreptitiouslyslippedasovereignintoeachofourdirtyhands，makinggreatpantomimicshowforsilence，forthemotherwasveryindependent。
AndwhenwesawthelastofPeter’sfacesettinglikeagood-humouredsunonthetopofCobbandCo。’s，agreatfeelingofdiscontentandlonelinesscameoverallourhearts。LittleNelse，whohadbeenPeter’sfavourite，wentroundbehindthepig-stye，wherenonemightdisturbhim，andsatdownontheprojectingendofatroughto"haveacry"，inhisusualmethodicalmanner。Butold"AlligatorDesolation"，thedog，hadsuspicionsofwhatwasup，and，hearingthesobs，wentroundtoofferwhateverconsolationappertainedtoadampanddirtynoseandapairofludicrouslydolefulyelloweyes。
AnOversightofSteelman’sSteelmanandSmith——professionalwanderers——weremakingbackforWellington，downthroughthewideandratherdreary-lookingHuttValley。
Theywerebroke。Theycarriedtheirfewremainingbelongingsintwoskimpy，amateurish-lookingswags。Steelmanhadfourpenceleft。
Theywereverytiredandverythirsty——atleastSteelmanwas，andheansweredforboth。ItwasSmith’spolicytofeelandthinkjustexactlyasSteelmandid。SaidSteelman：
"Thelandlordofthenextpub。isnotabadsort。Iwon’tgoin——
hemightrememberme。You’dbestgoin。You’vebeentrampingroundintheWairarapadistrictforthelastsixmonths，lookingforwork。
You’regoingbacktoWellingtonnow，totryandgetonthenewcorporationworksjustbeingstartedthere——thesewageworks。
Youthinkyou’vegotashow。You’vegotsomematesinWellington，andthey’relookingoutforachanceforyou。YoudidgetajoblastweekonasawmillatSilverstream，andthebosssackedyouafterthreedaysandwouldn’tpayyouapenny。That’sjusthisway。Iknowhim——
atleastamateofminedoes。I’veheardofhimoftenenough。
Hisname’sCowman。Don’tforgetthename，whateveryoudo。
Thelandlordherehateshimlikepoison;he’llsympathizewithyou。
Tellhimyou’vegotamatewithyou;he’sgoneahead——tookashortcutacrossthepaddocks。Tellhimyou’vegotonlyfourpenceleft，andseeifhe’llgiveyouadropinabottle。Saysyou：`Well，boss，thefactiswe’veonlygotfourpence，butyoumightletushaveadropinabottle’;andverylikelyhe’llstandyouacoupleofpintsinagin-bottle。Youcanflingthecoppersonthecounter，butthechancesarehewon’ttakethem。He’snotabadsort。
Beer’sfourpenceapintouthere，same’sinWellington。Seethatgin-bottlelyingtherebythestump;getitandwe’lltakeitdowntotheriverwithusandrinseitout。"
Theyreachedtheriverbank。
"You’dbettertakemyswag——itlooksmoredecent，"saidSteelman。
"No，I’lltellyouwhatwe’lldo：we’llundobothswagsandmakethemintoone——onedecentswag，andI’llcutroundthroughthelanesandwaitforyouontheroadaheadofthepub。"
Herolleduptheswagwithmuchcareanddeliberationandconsiderablejudgment。HefastenedSmith’sbeltroundoneendofit，andthehandkerchiefsroundtheother，andmadeatowelserveasashoulder-strap。
"Iwishwehadacanvasbagtoputitin，"hesaid，"oracoverofsomesort。
Butnevermind。Thelandlord’sanoldAustralianbushman，nowIcometothinkofit;theswaglooksAustralianenough，anditmightappealtohisfeelings，youknow——bringupoldrecollections。
Butyou’dbestnotsayyoucomefromAustralia，becausehe’sbeenthere，andhe’dsoontripyouup。Hemighthavebeenwhereyou’vebeen，youknow，sodon’ttrytodotoomuch。Youalwaysdomug-upthebusinesswhenyoutrytodomorethanItellyou。YoumighttellhimyourmatecamefromAustralia——butno，hemightwantyoutobringmein。
BettersticktoMaoriland。Idon’tbelieveintoomuchornamentation。
Plainliesarethebest。"
"What’sthelandlord’sname？"askedSmith。
"Nevermindthat。Youdon’twanttoknowthat。Youarenotsupposedtoknowhimatall。Itmightlooksuspiciousifyoucalledhimbyhisname，andleadtoawkwardquestions;thenyou’dbesuretoputyourfootintoit。"
"IcouldsayIreaditoverthedoor。"
"Bosh。Travellersdon’treadthenamesoverthedoors，whentheygointopubs。You’reanentirestrangertohim。
Callhim`Boss’。Say`Good-day，Boss，’whenyougoin，andswingdownyourswagasifyou’reusedtoit。Easeitdownlikethis。
Thenstraightenyourselfup，stickyourhatback，andwipeyourforehead，andtrytolookasheartyandindependentandcheerfulasyoupossiblycan。
CursetheGovernment，andsaythecountry’sdone。Itdon’tmatterwhatGovernmentitis，forhe’salwaysagainstit。IneverknewarealAustralianthatwasn’t。Saythatyou’rethinkingabouttryingtogetovertoAustralia，andthenlistentohimtalkingaboutit——
andtrytolookinterested，too！Getthatdamnedstone-deafexpressionoffyourface！……He’llrunAustraliadownmostlikely（IneverknewanOther-siderthathadsettleddownoverherewhodidn’t）。
Butdon’tyoumakeanymistakeandagreewithhim，because，althoughsuccessfulAustraliansoverhereliketoruntheirowncountrydown，there’sveryfewofthemthatcaretohearanybodyelsedoit……
Don’tcomeawayassoonasyougetyourbeer。Stayandlistentohimforawhile，asifyou’reinterestedinhisyarning，andgivehimtimetoputyouontoajob，orofferyouone。Givehimachancetoaskhowyouandyourmateareofffortobaccoortucker。
Likeasnothe’llslingyouhalfacrownwhenyoucomeaway——thatis，ifyouworkitallright。Nowtrytothinkofsomethingtosaytohim，andmakeyourselfabitinteresting——ifyoupossiblycan。
Tellhimaboutthefightwesawbackatthepub。theotherday。
Hemightknowsomeofthechaps。Thisisasleepyhole，andthereain’tmuchnewsknockinground……IwishIcouldgoinmyself，buthe’ssuretorememberME。I’mafraidhegotleftthelasttimeIstayedthere（sodidoneortwoothers）;and，besides，Icameawaywithoutsayinggood-byetohim，andhemightfeelabitsoreaboutit。That’stheworstoftravellingontheoldroad。
Comeonnow，wakeup！"
"BetI’llgetaquart，"saidSmith，brighteningup，"andsometuckerforittowashdown。"
"Ifyoudon’t，"saidSteelman，"I’llstoushyou。Nevermindthebottle;
flingitaway。Itdoesn’tlookwellforatravellertogointoapub。
withanemptybottleinhishand。Arealswagmanneverdoes。
Itlooksmuchbettertocomeoutwithacoupleoffullones。
That’swhatyou’vegottodo。Now，comealong。"
Steelmanturnedoffintoalane，cutacrossthepaddockstotheroadagain，andwaitedforSmith。Hehadn’tlongtowait。
Smithwentontowardsthepublic-house，rehearsinghispartashewalked——
repeatinghis"lines"tohimself，soastobesureofrememberingallthatSteelmanhadtoldhimtosaytothelandlord，andadding，withwhatheconsideredappropriategestures，somefancytouchesofhisown，whichhedeterminedtothrowininspiteofSteelman’sadviceandwarning。
"I’lltellhim（this）——I’lltellhim（that）。Well，lookhere，boss，I’llsayyou’reprettyrightandIquiteagreewithyouasfarasthat’sconcerned，but，"&c。Andso，murmuringandmumblingtohimself，Smithreachedthehotel。Thedaywaslate，andthebarwassmall，andlow，anddark。Smithwalkedinwithalltheassurancehecouldmuster，easeddownhisswaginacornerinwhathenodoubtconsideredthetrueprofessionalstyle，and，swingingroundtothebar，saidinaloudvoicewhichheintendedtobecheerful，independent，andhearty：
"Good-day，boss！"
Butitwasn’ta"boss"。Itwasaboutthehardest-facedoldwomanthatSmithhadeverseen。Thepub。hadchangedhands。
"I——Ibegyourpardon，missus，"stammeredpoorSmith。
Itwasaknock-downblowforSmith。Hecouldn’tcometotime。
HeandSteelmanhadhadalandlordintheirmindsallthetime，andlaidtheirplansaccordingly;thepossibilityofhavingashe——andonelikethis——todealwithneverenteredintotheircalculations。
Smithhadnotimetoreorganise，evenifhehadhadthebrainstodoso，withouttheassistanceofhismate’sknowledgeofhumannature。
"I——Ibegyourpardon，missus，"hestammered。
Painfulpause。Shesizedhimup。
"Well，whatdoyouwant？"
"Well，missus——I——thefactis——willyougivemeabottleofbeerforfourpence？"
"Wha——what？"
"Imean————。Thefactis，we’veonlygotfourpenceleft，and——I’vegotamateoutside，andyoumightletushaveaquartorso，inabottle，forthat。Imean——anyway，youmightletushaveapint。
I’mverysorrytobotheryou，missus。"
Butshecouldn’tdoit。No。Certainlynot。Decidedlynot！
Allherdrinksweresixpence。Shehadherlicensetopay，andtherent，andafamilytokeep。Itwouldn’tpayoutthere——itwasn’tworthherwhile。
Itwouldn’tpaythecostofcartingtheliquorout，&c。，&c。
"Well，missus，"poorSmithblurtedoutatlast，insheerdesperation，"givemewhatyoucaninabottleforthis。I’ve——I’vegotamateoutside。"
Andheputthefourcoppersonthebar。
"Haveyougotabottle？"
"No——but————"
"IfIgiveyouone，willyoubringitback？Youcan’texpectmetogiveyouabottleaswellasadrink。"
"Yes，mum;I’llbringitbackdirectly。"
Shereachedoutabottlefromunderthebar，andverydeliberatelymeasuredoutalittleoverapintandpoureditintothebottle，whichshehandedtoSmithwithoutacork。
Smithwenthiswaywithoutrejoicing。ItstruckhimforciblythatheshouldhavesavedthemoneyuntiltheyreachedPetone，orthecity，whereSteelmanwouldbesuretogetadecentdrink。Buthowwashetoknow？
Hehadchancedit，andlost;Steelmanmighthavedonethesame。
WhattroubledSmithmostwasthethoughtofwhatSteelmanwouldsay;
healreadyheardhim，inimagination，saying："You’reamug，Smith——
Smith，youAREamug。"
ButSteelmandidn’tsaymuch。HewaspreparedfortheworstbyseeingSmithcomealongsosoon。Helistenedtohisstorywithanairofgentlesadness，evenasasternfathermightlistentothevoluntaryconfessionofawaywardchild;
thenheheldthebottleuptothefadinglightofdepartingday，lookedthroughit（thebottle），andsaid：
"Well——itain’tworthwhiledividingit。"
Smith’sheartshotrightdownthroughaholeinthesoleofhisleftbootintothehardroad。
"Here，Smith，"saidSteelman，handinghimthebottle，"drinkit，oldman;
youwantit。Itwasn’taltogetheryourfault;itwasanoversightofmine。
Ididn’tbargainforawomanofthatkind，and，ofcourse，YOUcouldn’tbeexpectedtothinkofit。Drinkit！Drinkitdown，Smith。
I’llmanagetoworktheoraclebeforethisnightisout。"
Smithwasforcedtobelievehisears，and，recoveringfromhissurprise，drank。
"Ipromisedtotakebackthebottle，"hesaid，withtheghostofasmile。
Steelmantookthebottlebytheneckandbrokeitonthefence。
"Comeon，Smith;I’llcarrytheswagforawhile。"
Andtheytrampedoninthegatheringstarlight。
HowSteelmantoldhisStoryItwasSteelman’shumour，insomeofhismoods，totakeSmithintohisconfidence，assomeoldbushmendotheirdogs。
"You’renearlyasgoodasanintelligentsheep-dogtotalkto，Smith——
whenamangetstiredofthinkingtohimselfandwantsarelief。
You’reabitofamugandagooddealofanidiot，andthechancesarethatyoudon’tknowwhatI’mdrivingathalfthetime——
that’sthemainreasonwhyIdon’tmindtalkingtoyou。
Yououghttoconsideryourselfhonoured;itain’teverymanItakeintomyconfidence，eventhatfar。"
Smithrubbedhishead。
"I’dsoonertalktoyou——orastump——anydaythantooneofthosesilent，suspicious，self-contained，worldly-wisechapsthatlistentoeverythingyousay——senseandrubbishalike——asifyouweretryingtogetthemtotakesharesinamine。Idropthemanwholistenstomeallthetimeanddoesn’tseemtogetbored。Heisn’tsafe。
Heisn’ttobetrusted。Hemostlywantstogrindhisaxeagainstyours，andthere’stoolittleprofitformewheretherearetwoaxestogrind，andnostone——thoughI’dmanageitonce，anyhow。"
"How’dyoudoit？"askedSmith。
"Thereareseveralways。Eitheryoujoinforces，forinstance，andfindagrindstone——ormakeoneoftheotherman’saxe。
Butthelastwayistooslow，and，asIsaid，takestoomuchbrain-work——
besides，itdoesn’tpay。Itmightsatisfyyourvanityorpride，butI’vegotnone。Ihadonce，whenIwasyounger，butit——well，itnearlykilledme，soIdroppedit。
"Youcanmostlytrustthemanwhowantstotalkmorethanyoudo;
he’llmakeasafemate——oragoodgrindstone。"
Smithscratchedthenapeofhisneckandsatblinkingatthefire，withthepuzzledexpressionofawomanponderingoveralife-questionorthetrimmingofahat。SteelmantookhischininhishandandwatchedSmiththoughtfully。
"I——Isay，Steely，"exclaimedSmith，suddenly，sittingupandscratchinghisheadandblinkingharderthanever——"wha——whatamI？"
"Howdoyoumean？"
"AmItheaxeorthegrindstone？"
"Oh！yourbrainseemsinextragoodworkingorderto-night，Smith。
Well，youturnthegrindstoneandIgrind。"Smithsettled。
"IfyoucouldgrindbetterthanI，I’dturnthestoneandletYOUgrind，I’dnevergoagainsttheinterestsofthefirm——that’sfairenough，isn’tit？"
"Ye-es，"admittedSmith;"Isupposeso。"
"SodoI。Now，Smith，we’vegotalongallrighttogetherforyears，offandon，butyouneverknowwhatmighthappen。Imightstopbreathing，forinstance——andsomightyou。"
Smithbegantolookalarmed。
"Poeticaljusticemightovertakeoneorbothofus——suchthingshavehappenedbefore，thoughnotoften。Or，say，misfortuneordeathmightmistakeusforhonest，hard-workingmugswithbigfamiliestokeep，andcutusoffinthebloomofallourwisdom。Youmightgetintotrouble，and，inthatcase，I’dbeboundtoleaveyouthere，onprinciple;
orImightgetintotrouble，andyouwouldn’thavethebrainstogetmeout——
thoughIknowyou’dbemugenoughtotry。Imightmakeariseandcutyou，oryoumightbemisledintoshowingsomespirit，andclearoutafterI’dstoushedyouforit。Youmightgettiredofmecallingyouamug，andbossingyouandmakingatoolorconvenienceofyou，youknow。
Youmightgoinforhonestgraft（youwerealwaysabitweak-minded）
andthenI’dhavetowashmyhandsofyou（unlessyouagreedtokeepme）
foranirreclaimablemug。Oritmightsuitmetobecomearespectedandworthyfellowtownsman，andthen，ifyoucamewithintenmilesofmeorhintedthatyoueverknewme，I’dhaveyouupforvagrancy，orsolicitingalms，orattemptingtolevyblackmail。
I’dhavetofixyou——soIgiveyoufairwarning。Orwemightgetintosomedesperatefix（anditneedn’tbeverydesperate，either）
whenI’dbeobligedtosacrificeyouformyownpersonalsafety，comfort，andconvenience。Hundredsofthingsmighthappen。
"Well，asIsaid，we’vebeenatlargetogetherforsomeyears，andI’vefoundyousober，trustworthy，andhonest;so，incasewedopart——aswewillsoonerorlater——andyousurvive，I’llgiveyousomeadvicefrommyownexperience。
"Inthefirstplace：Ifyoueverhappentogetbornagain——anditwouldn’tdoyoumuchharm——getbornwiththestrengthofabullockandthehideofoneaswell，andaswelledhead，andnobrains——
atleastnomorebrainsthanyou’vegotnow。Iwasbornwithaskinliketissue-paper，andbrains;alsoaheart。
"Getbornwithoutrelatives，ifyoucan：ifyoucan’thelpit，clearoutonyourownjustassoonafteryou’rebornasyoupossiblycan。
Ihungon。
"Ifyouhaverelations，andfeelinclinedtohelpthemanytimewhenyou’reflush（andthere’snotellingwhataweak-mindedmanlikeyoumighttakeitintohisheadtodo）——don’tdoit。They’llgetadownonyouifyoudo。Itonlycausesfamilytroublesandbitterness。There’snodislikelikethatofadependant。You’llgetneithergratitudenorcivilityintheend，andbeluckyifyouescapewithacharacter。
（You’vegotNOcharacter，Smith;I’monlyjustsupposingyouhave。）
There’snohatredtoobitterfor，andnothingtoobadtobesaidof，themugwhoturns。Theworstyarnsaboutamanaregenerallystartedbyhisowntribe，andtheworldbelievesthematonceonthatveryaccount。
Well，thefirstthingtodoinlifeistoescapefromyourfriends。
"Ifyouevergotowork——andmiracleshavehappenedbefore——
nomatterwhatyourwagesare，orhowyouaretreated，youcantakeitforgrantedthatyou’resweated;actonthattothebestofyourability，oryou’llneverriseintheworld。
Ifyougotoseeashowonthenodyou’llbefoundacomfortableseatinagoodplace;butifyoupaythechancesaretheticketclerkwilltellyoualie，andyou’llhavetohustleforstandingroom。
Themanthatdoesn’tantegetsthebestofthisworld;
anythinghe’llstandisgoodenoughforthemanthatpays。
Ifyoutrytobetoosharpyou’llgetintogaolsoonerorlater;
ifyoutrytobetoohonestthechancesarethatthebailiffwillgetintoyourhouse——ifyouhaveone——andmakeaholyshowofyoubeforetheneighbours。Thehonestsoftyismoreoftenmistakenforaswindler，andaccusedofbeingone，thantheout-and-outscamp;
andthemanthattellsthetruthtoomuchissetdownasanirreclaimableliar。Butmostofthetimecrowlowandroosthigh，forit’safunnyworld，andyouneverknowwhatmighthappen。
"Andifyougetmarried（andthere’snoaccountingforawoman’staste）
beasbadasyoulike，andthenmoderatelygood，andyourwifewillloveyou。
Ifyou’rebadallthetimeshecan’tstanditforever，andifyou’regoodallthetimeshe’llnaturallytreatyouwithcontempt。
Neverexplainwhatyou’regoingtodo，anddon’texplainafterwards，ifyoucanhelpit。Ifyoufindyourselfbetweentwostools，strikehardforyourownself，Smith——strikehard，andyou’llberespectedmorethanifyoufoughtforalltheworld。Generosityisn’tunderstoodnowadays，andwhatthepeopledon’tunderstandiseither`mad’or`cronk’。
Failurehasnocase，andyoucan’tbuildoneforit……
Istartedoutinlifeveryyoung——andverysoft。"……
"Ithoughtyouweregoingtotellmeyourstory，Steely，"remarkedSmith。
Steelmansmiledsadly。
[Endoforiginaltext。]
Abouttheauthor：
HenryLawsonwasbornnearGrenfell，NewSouthWales，Australiaon17June1867。AlthoughhehassincebecomeAustralia’smostacclaimedwriter，inhisownlifetimehiswritingwasoften"ontheside"——his"real"workbeingwhateverhecouldfind。
Hiswritingwasfrequentlytakenfrommemoriesofhischildhood，especiallyatPipeclay/Eurunderee。Inhisautobiography，hestatesthatmanyofhischaractersweretakenfromthebetterclassofdiggersandbushmenheknewthere。
Hisexperiencesatthistimedeeplyinfluencedhiswork，foritisinterestingtonoteanumberofdescriptionsandphrasesthatareidenticalinhisautobiographyandinhisstoriesandpoems。
HediedatSydney，2September1922。Heismostfamousforhisshortstories。
"OntheTrack"and"OvertheSliprails"werebothpublishedatSydneyin1900，theprefacesbeingdatedMarchandJunerespectively——andso，thoughprintedseparately，acombinededitionwasprintedthesameyear（thetwoseparate，completeworksweresimplyputtogetherinonebinding）;
hencetheyaresometimesreferredtoas"OntheTrackandOvertheSliprails"……
AnincompleteGlossaryofAustraliantermsandconceptswhichmayprovehelpfultounderstandingthisbook：
AnniversaryDay：Alludedtointhetext，isnowknownasAustraliaDay。
ItcommemoratestheestablishmentofthefirstEnglishsettlementinAustralia，atPortJackson（SydneyHarbour），on26January1788。
Billy：Akettleusedforcampcooking，especiallytoboilwaterfortea。
Cabbage-tree/Cabbage-treehat：Awide-brimmedhatmadewiththeleavesofthecabbagetreepalm（Livistonaaustralis）。Itwasacommonhatinearlycolonialdays，andlaterbecameassociatedwithpatriotism。
Gin：Anaboriginalwoman;useofthetermisanalogousto"squaw"
inN。America。Maybeconsideredderogatoryinmodernusage。
Graft：Work;hardwork。
Humpy：（Aboriginal）Aroughortemporaryhutorshelterinthebush，especiallyonebuiltfrombark，branches，andthelike。
Agunyah，wurley，ormia-mia。
Jackeroo/Jackaroo：AtthetimeLawsonwrote，aJackeroowasa"newchum"
ornewcomertoAustralia，whosoughtworkonastationtogainexperience。
Thetermnowappliestoanyyoungmanworkingasastationhand。
AfemalestationhandisaJillaroo。
Jumbuck：Asheep。
Larrikin：Ahoodlum。
Lollies：Candy，sweets。
’Possum/Possum：InAustralia，aclassofmarsupialsthatwereoriginallymistakenfortheAmericananimalofthesamename。
TheyarenotespeciallyrelatedtothepossumsofNorthandSouthAmerica，otherthanbeingmarsupials。
Public/Pub。：Thetraditionalpub。inAustraliawasahotelwitha"public"bar——hencethename。Themodernpubhasoften（notalways）dispensedwiththelodging，andconcentratedonthebar。
Push：Agroupofpeoplesharingsomethingincommon;Lawsonusesthewordinanolderandmoreparticularsense，asagangofviolentcityhoodlums。
Ratty：Shabby，dilapidated;somewhateccentric，perhapsevenslightlymad。
Selector：Afreeselector，afarmerwhoselectedandsettledlandbyleaseorlicensefromthegovernment。
Shout：Tobuyaroundofdrinks。
Sliprails/slip-rails：movablerails，formingasectionoffence，whichcanbetakendowninlieuofagate。
Slygrogshoporshanty：Anunlicensedbarorliquor-store，especiallyonesellingcheaporpoor-qualityliquor。
Squatter：Apersonwhofirstsettledonlandwithoutgovernmentpermission，andlatercontinuedbyleaseorlicense，generallytoraisestock;
awealthyrurallandowner。
Station：Afarmorranch，especiallyonedevotedtocattleorsheep。
Stoush：Violence;todoviolenceto。
Tea：Inadditiontotheregularmeaning，Teacanalsomeanalightsnackorameal（i。e。，whereTeaisserved）。
Inparticular，MorningTea（about10AM）andAfternoonTea（about3PM）
arenothingmorethanasnack，butEveningTea（about6PM）isameal。
Whenjust"Tea"isused，itusuallymeanstheeveningmeal。
Variant：Tea-time。
Tucker：Food。
Also：ahintwiththeseasons——rememberthattheseasonsarereversedfromthoseinthenorthernhemisphere，henceJunemaybehot，butDecemberisevenhotter。AustraliaisatalowerlatitudethantheUnitedStates，sothewintersarenotharshbyUSstandards，andarenotevenmildinthenorth。Infact，largepartsofAustraliaaregovernedmoreby"dry"versus"wet"thanbySpring-Summer-Fall-Winter。