dy Fourthiour in

Western Australia

' ' " ' 'J

mertFCamrl

ERGS

THE LIBRARY

THE UNIVERSITY

OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

MY FOURTH TOUR

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

aP^^

MY FOURTH TOUR

Western Australia

ALBERT F. CALVERT, F.R.G.S.

Illustrated by Walker Hodgson and from Photographs

LONDON

WILLIAM HEINE MANN
1897

C 1^*^

To THE MEMORY OF
MY BROTHER

LEONARD

WHO DIED ON THIS TOUR

AT ROEBOURNE

NORTH WEST AUSTRALIA

ON JANUARY nth, 1896

AND TO

CHARLES F. WELLS

AND

GEORGE L. JONES
WHO LOST THEIR I.IVES

ON TllK

CALVERT SCIENTIITC EXPLORING

EXPEDITION, 1896-7

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED

715935

PREFACE.

TT is not witliout considerable mistiivings tiiat I venture to place before the Public another
Volume upon Western Australia. By the number of the books I have made, I am inchned
to believe that Job would have found in me an enemy after his own heart. So often liave
I given my enemies the opportunity for which the Prophet longed, that my hesitation in
the present instance arises not from fear of arousing dormant hostilities, but solely out of
consideration for my friends. Hitherto, both the Public and the Press have received each of
my efforts with a cordiality that 1 should be loth to forfeit, and the conviction that the praise
bestowed has been beyond the measure of my deserts, has warned me of the possibility of
wearing out my welcome.

My e.xcuse for once again putting the patience of my readers to the test, must be
the fact that, in writing this account of "Mv FoiiRTH TOUk IN WESTbRN AUSTRALIA,"
1 have treated the subject entirely from a personal standpoint. I have set down only such
things as 1 saw and heard during my visit, and in so doing 1 have, to a large e.\tent, sacrificed
my opportunities of imparting information in order to confine myself to a narrative of
personal experiences. In previous books, my object has been to advance the niterests of
the Colony, and draw attention to her wonderful, but then little known, resources. During
m\' tliree preceding visits, much of my time was employed in collecting information for this
purpose, and the books that resulted from my researches, were of a kind that are to be found
in the Reference Department of Public Libraries. It is not for me to say whether the facts
published, and the views 1 strove to promulgate have, or ha\e not, been of use to the
Colonv that 1 have always been ambitious to serve ; but it is evident to me that the time

X. Preface.

for those labours has gone by. Since 1 first wrote about Western Australia in 1889, the Colony
has progressed by leaps and bounds, anJ whereas in that year nine out of ten Englishmen
were practically in ignorance of its very existence, the aptly named "Coming Colony" is now
as well and widely known as any of the great British possessions.

I have, therefore, in the following pages, closed my eyes to Budget speech statistics, and
turned aside from tabulated comparisons of trade growth and commercial expansion. The facts
and figures that I once made books of, are now chronicled day by day in the leading English
newspapers, and it is only left for me to relate the personal impressions of my tour, and
touch upon the details that marked its course. I claim no serious merits for my book — my
purpose is to interest and amuse.

Much as 1 am tempted to make separate mention of every person to whom my thanks are
due in connection with my tour and with tliis book, I know that to follow the promptings of
my inclinations on this point, would extend this preface by many pages of names. Throughout
the trip we met with nothing but kindness on all sides, and I have endeavoured in the following
pages to make our poor acknowledgments of the cordial welcome, and the many hospitalities
we received wherever we went. But to the members of our little party I wish to tender my
special thanks, for the success of the trip was due to the good fellowship, and the happy
knack of making the best of everything that pre\ailed throughout. I do not suppose that a
family ever worked so amicably together, day and night, for five months on end, and only those
whom practical experience has taught can realize the thousand and one little incidents and accidents
that threaten the harmony of such a trip. Through all such dangers and difficulties we steered
without mishap, it was chaffingly remarked in Roebourne, that if we all went up country
togetlier, the food supply of the North-West would be insufficient for our needs. It certainly
ran short <tn more than one occasion, while the liquor supply proved absurdly inadequate,
though only one member of our party turned teetotaler, on other grounds than those of stern
necessity. But where the rest of us resorted to whiskey or shandy-gaff as a pick-me-up, our
friend, S. H. Whittaker, indulged in a quiet doze. Smartest of special correspondents and

Preface. xi.

sleepiest of mortals, he asked more questions and made fewer notes than any other man
who ever visited Western Australia, and I am beholden to him for much of the information
contained in tliis work, and more especially for tiie chapter he has contributed upon that
portion of the tour that 1 was prevented from undertaking. My readers, in glancing through
this book, will see how largely I have depended upon Walker Hodgson. In fact, Hodgson
was, throughout, the lion of our party. Journalists, photographers, and mining engineers
were not new even in the bush, but a real artist with a sketch book and tile power of
filling it with familiar objects, was a man to make much of. Several times it was necessary
to rescue him almost by force from a crowd of demonstrative admirers, and i am con-
vinced that he could travel from Roebouriie to Marble Bar, and from Marble Bar to
Coolgardie, and never have to put his hand in his pocket for his bodily nourishment. William
Pollard Harris, who joined us in Cossack, laid the whole party under obligation by reason of a
special genius for cooking which he had acquired during his residence in the North-West,
and Frank Tooth discovered a talent for the rendering of comic songs that kept many a
thirsty camp in good iiumour. Brenton Symons, though inferior as a soloist, was invaluable
in the chorus. Most cautious and indefatigable of mining engineers, most sociable of travelling
companions, he evinced an imagination in describing the size of the inguana that attacked
him in the Whim Creek Copper Mine that filled us all with envious admiration. Graham Hill,
who physicked us all in turn from a medicine box, presented to him by a Perth chemist, but
whose only prescription for himself was drawn from a different bottle, will long remember
his Christmas Day at Woodstock Station. When I meet him now " on London stones,"
1 remember the long, long journey from Look's Pool to the coast, when he anathematized the
tired horses, drank milkless and sugarless billy tea out of empty fruit tins that we picked up on
the road, and shared his only pipe with Bill Look and his nigger boy. The recollection calls
up a smile now, but it all seemed natural enough at the time. The news that reached us
along the route acquainted us with the seriousness of my brother's condition, and we turned
day into night to avoid the scorching sun, and yet not delay our return. At every stopping

xii. Preface.

place along the road we heard fresh news of his illness. He received unremitting kindness
and attention at the hands of my friends, Mr. Augustus Roe and Dr. Hicks, tiut human skill
proved unavailing, and on the nth of January, Leonard died. His sad death cast a gloom
o\er the little party that a few weeks afterwards met to ^t-parate again at Albany. Brenton
Symons went North, to pay a second visit to the goldfields; Whittaker returned to the city
of his adoption ; Frank Tooth sailed for the Eastern Colonies, and Graham Hill, Hodgson and
myself joined the S.S. " Australia," for England ; but for e ich of us the memories of our trip
were saddened by the thought of the lonely grave we had left in the little churchyard at
Roebourne.

Albert F. Calvert,

Royston,

Eton Avenue, N.W.,

Queen's Day.

#».;^ f ' / Quartz Outaofi

CONTENTS,

CHAPTER I.

Albany Re-visited— Tin-; Plaguk of Flies — Passing tmk Customs— The journey to
Perth — Discomforts en route — Beverley — Claremont — Pi:kth, the Paradise oe
Landlords — Expansion of the Revenue

CHAPTER II.

The Gold Fi;vi;k in Pkkth— Tin-; Shamrock Hotel -Ami'skmen is in Pickih Receition
at THic City Hall — Dinner at Osborne — The Railway Station — Northam — Tiik
Water Question — Southern Cross ...

•5

CHAPTER HI.

The 20-M1LE Sand Plain — Boorabbin — The Coolgardie Road — W'ooi.gam.ie The
Traffic on the Road — The Horses and the Teams...

CH.VPTER 1\'.

The "Brumuy" — The Woolgangie Cow — The Camels and the Aeghans — The Devil's

Grip — The Teamsters — The Swampicrs — The Outskirts of Coolgakuii: ... 45

xiv. Contents.

CHAPTER V.

The Neckssary Wash— Coolgardie's Drink Bill— The Victoria Hotel— The Dining
Hai.i. and the Diners— a Few Mine Managers- "Pink Satin" — The First
Silk Hat on the Field — A Caiitious Miner — All the Delicacies of the Season
at Coolgardie — High and Low Prices — The Unemployed or Coolgardie 63

CHAPTER VI.

Fires at Coolgardie — The Bulletin makes Merry on the Subject — The American
Smartness of the Town — The Auction Sales of Stock— The Water Question —
The First Discoverer of Fresh Water in Coolgardie — Watering the Stock —
How Coolgardie was Built — The First Mayor, Mr. Jamks Shaw— The Short-
comings of the Telegraph Department — The Enormous Increase of Messages —
The Woes of the Telegraph Staff — Theatre Royal, Coolgardie — Arrival in
Coolgardie — The Missing Mine, and th£ Missing Owner — A Thunderstorm .. 77

CHAPTER Ml.

The Koaij to Hannan's (Kalgoorlie) — Laying out a Mining Township— The Employ-
ment OF LiLiPUTiANs — The Boy "Bell-Man" — Humours of the Horse Sales —
Sir John Forrest at Coolgardie — The Premier at Bay — .\ Cold Reception
AND A Warm Farewell — 'I'he Premier's Political Career — His Part in the
Building of the Coolgardie Railway — His Personal Popularity — Sir John
Forrest at Hannan's — He is Bombarded with Deputations — Thrashing Out
the Grievances — \ Bumper Banquet — The Premier's Triumphs — Homewards
Under the Stars ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 95

CHAPTER VIII.

Saturday Evening at Hannan's — The Salvation Army Meeting, the Dog Fight, and
THE "Open Exchange" — Bars and Billiards— Tidying up to Advantage — An
Aboriginal Artist— Camels on the Fields — .\n Ingenious Registrar — The
Meat Supply ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ■ 123

CHAPTER IX.
The Bicycle on the Goldfields— The Privations of tiik Pioneers— Typhoid I'kver
AND ITS Treatment at Hannan's— The Noble Hospital Nurses— A Coat of
Arms for Western Australia— The "Dead Marines" on the Track— Dry
Blowing around Hannan's— White Feather— The Future of the Colony's
Timber Trade— The Discomfort of Railway Travelling — Tach Mahomet
Murdered — Forced Marches — The Midland Railway ... ... ... 137

Contents. xv.

CHAPTER X.
Geraldton — The Fate of the "West Riding" — The Superiority of the Midland
Railway Company's Line — In Praise of Mr. Gascard — Melancholy Mullewa —
A Night at the Traveller's Rest — -An Experience of Chinese Cheap Labour —
Surveying the Railway Route to Cue ... ... ... ... ... i6i

CHAPTER XL

The Teams on the Cue Road — Sheep Farming on the Murchison — Aboriginal
Shepherds and Trackers — Bullocks and Bui. lock Drivers — At Chain Pump —
"The Brothers" — Gabyion Sheep Station — Yalgoo — Tennis in the Tropics... 171

CHAPTER Xn.

The Post and Telegraph Master at Yalgoo — The Butcher's Deputy — VVestralian
Troopers — The Gold Escort — A Reminiscence of the Australian Bush-
rangers — At Deep Well — An African Princess — Monbenia and Our Hosts
There— "Shoo Fly!" — Badger's Cross — Fitzgerald Station ... ... 181

CHAPTER XUl.

Bill-posting Extraordinary — Camel Transpori" on the Murchison — Tagh and Faiz
Mahomet — The Afghan Knot — Moonlight on the Murchison — Mount Magnet —
Mine Host of the One and All Hotel — The Prohibition List — "The
Island," and the "Mainland" — Day Dawn — .Arrival in Cue ... ... 193

CHAPTER XIV.

Cue and Coolgardie Contrasted— An Appreciation of the Afghan — Lawler's — The
Cue Public Swimming Bath — The Murchison as the Paradise of the Working
Man — A Boundless Hospitality — Recollections of the Cue Track — A
Eulogium of the Coach Service — A Mirage — The Murchison "Zoo" — A Race
against Time ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ■■■ 2og

CHAPTER XV.
The Necessity for Breaking Records— The Saucy " Ausikai.ind" — The Chinaman ai
His Best — Shark's Bay — Concerning Sandal Wood — Galvanized Iron of
Accursed Memory — The Shortcomings of an Asiatic Crew — Teaching the
Natives to be Honest — Squatting Difficulties on theGascoyne — Dirk Hartog
Island and its Story ... .. ... ... ■•■ •■• ••• 220

xvi. Contents.

CHAPTER X\I.

Sultry Carnarvon — "Tis Distance Lends Enchantment to the \iew" — Aboriginal
Isaac Waltons — A Sail on the Pier — A Damp Departure — The "Australind"
TO the Rescue— Onslow — Farewkll to the "Australind" ... ... ... 232

CHAPTER X\ II.

Cossack — A Decaying Industry — The Perils of Pearling^The Ravages of the
W'lLi.v-wiLi.Y — The Cossack-Roebourne Tramway System — A Welcome to the
North-West ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 237

CHAPTER X\ III.

Roebourne — The Public LSuildings and the Hoshital— Oriental Lu.xury — A Record

North-West Banquet ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 241

CHAPTER XIX.

The Plan of Campaign — Preliminary Preparations — The Mayor of Roebourne in
Command — Mr. Osborne's Career — The Start — Illness and Death of Leonard
Calvert — The Frail Sisters of the East— Early Impressions ... ... 245

CHAPTER XX.
Sherlock Station — A Hearty Welcome — Squatting under Difficulties — The
Blacks on the Sherlock Station — The Drawbacks to Agricultural Progress —
Life on a Run ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 252

CHAPTER XXI.

An Aboriginal Travelling Party — A Libel on Humanity — Mallina — A Blissful
Bath — Mallina as a Goldfield— A Suffocating Day — A Tropical Thunder-
storm — "Tommy "—The Pleadings of the Parched North-West — \ Story of
the Egina Well ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 264

CHAPTER XXII.

A Garden in the Desert — .\rkival at Pilbarra— .\.\ I.miromptu Supper — Failing
Health — We secure our Christmas Dinner— The Phantom River of the
North-West — .\t Vandeerara Pool— A Miserable Stage — Look's Pool —
Through the Long Night— Mr. Look to the Rescue ... ... ... 273

CHAPTER XXIII.
Back to the Coast. (By Graham Hill.) ... ... ... ... ... 283

Contend. xvii.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Into the Mountainous Districts — An Abandoned Load — Arrival at Tambourah
Creek — "A Well- Watered Country" — Vide Government Reports — At
Western Shaw — Mr. George Withnell's Hospitality — The Native Labour
Conditions. (By S. H. Whittaker.) ... ... ... ... ... 299

CHAPTER XXV.

A Dry Stage — The Inquisitive Emu — Wild Dog Camp — At Nui.i.agine — The Con-
glomerate Formation — A Stroll around its Leases — A Glance at its Morals —
A Dangerous Ride — Cub Hunting in the North-West — A Native Banquet —
Marble Bar: Its Mines and its Monumental Government Offices — "Ho! Ho!
Merry Japan!" (By S. H. Whittaker.) ... ... ... .. ... 307

CHAPTER XXVI.
A Peep at Talga Talga — The F"atal Heat — In Praise of our Teams — \ Horrible
Experience — The Inhumanity of the Public Works Department — Indications
of a Storm — Fulfilment of the Indications — On the Homeward Journey — A
Chow's Lucky Find — A Surprise Party — A Trooper's Life in the North-West.
(By S. H. Whittaker.) ... ... ... ... .. ... ... 323

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Hong Kong Lease — The Government Survey Party — Last Stages — Back at the
Sherlock — Racing the Rain — Death of Leonard Calvert — From Roebourne
TO Cossack — On Board the Tagliaferro — En Route for the South. (By S. H.
Whittaker.) ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 336

CHAPTER XXVIII.

A Little Blow-up on the Swan — A Full, Trui;, and Particular Account of the

Same. (By Walker Hodgson.) ... ... ... ... ... ... 345

CHAPTER XXIX.
A Few Notes Homeward Bound. (By Walker Hodgson.) ... ... ... ... 354

LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.

PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR ...

MAP OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

ALBANY FROM THE PIER \

ALBANY FROM THE HILL j

MR F. MONGER RISES TO SPEAK

STAMPS OF THE COLONY

BUSHED

SOME REAL AUSTRALIAN CRICKET ...

THE CALVERT PARTY EN VOYAGE TO THE NORTH-WEST

THE NORTH-WEST BANQUET

THE COLONY'S EARLIEST DAYS. I. -SEEKING PASTURAGE

II.— A BULLOCK TEAM IN THE BUSH
III.— IN FOREST DEPTHS

Frontispiece
Facing page xxi

94
148
192
232
244
272
304
330

J .V » / 'I -^'

'^^¥J'^!J^J^." COOtHAKOIt

"-:'"?^-

flE^T ^irsrn.iLi.ix ii i ,; in-

A "Noble Savage"

The Egg

To "The Great South Land"

Going East

Aboriginal and Colonial

Pier at Albany 3

Albany, from the Pier ... ... ... ... 3

"The News Stirs the Most Torpip" ... 4

Albany, from the I'ost Office 5

Albany, looking towards the Post Office 5

Going Out. A Passenger for Perth ... G

Albany, in the Suburbs 7

Albany, from the Beach 7

In the Train for Perth. (A Perth Sister) 8

A Street in Albany 9

Albany, from the Hill 9

RoBBiNS — First and Last Driver of the Party 10

Tunnel Deviation line to Albany 11

Swan River, Guildford 11

Trying before Buying 12

A Reach in the Swan River ... ... ... 13

Swan River, Perth ... ... 13

Saddles for Camels ... ... ... ... 14

The Lords of the Soil ... ... ... ... 15

A Nugget from "Horse Shoe Bend" ... 15

The Birth of a Township ... ... ... 16

A Cosy Nook on the Swan River 17

Perth 17

PACE.

SiK John Forrest 18

Hay Street, Perth ig

William Street, Perth ig

A Tasteful Menu Card 20

Ordinary Water Bag 20

The General Post Office, Perth

Barrack Street, Perth .. 21

Ringbarking ... ... ... ... ... 22

St. George's Terrace, Perth 23

S.George's Terrace. FROM Government House 23

A Whip-Well in the Desert ...

St. George's Terrace, from the Post Office 25

Forrest Avenue, Perth

Notes on the Track to Coolgardie...

Railway Station, Perth

Hawkes Bay, Perth

The Causeway, Perth

View from the Cemetery, Perth

.\ Dusty Track

The Coolgardie Track. A Donkey Teamster
1'erth Cup Day. Lawn and Stand ...

Review, Perth, May 24th, 1895

Hotel Metropole, Boorabbin

Wild Flower Show, Perth

DwvERS Lake

Typical .Afghan Camel Driver

Claremont

Jarrahdai.e Timber Station

25
26

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32
ii
ii
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XXll.

List of Illustrations.

FaTHKK iHhh. INK i ^tl-I.Nti I Klt!>T

Hauling L.nr.!<. Kakkioale Timbek Station

Felling Kakki

The Inevitable " Bill\

The Road to Coolgardie. Gnaklbine Soak

The Road to Cooloardie. Boorabbin Soak

A Bit of Coolgardie

The well-kxown Riuisc Camel "Misery"

Government Wells. Sand 1'laix

Neaking Coolgardie

"Pegged Out"

"Colour" at Last

The "Brumby"

The Woolgangie Cow

Coolgardie ...

Bavley Street, Coolgardie

Trackless

Bayley Street, Looking towards 1"ly Flat

Bayley Street, from Fly Flat

Corner of Bayley and Ford Streets

Welcome .\rrivals in Coolgardie

At a Police Camp

The Fire at Coolgardie. 1895

After the Fire, Coolgardie

Mount Bdrges

After Rain. Fly Flat. Coolgardie

A House in the Wilderness near Coolgardie 55

fAGE.
38

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39

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46

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4S

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55

Rock and Bush, Coolgardie

Coolgardie prom Mount Eva

Coolgardie from the North

A Buggy Driver

Government Buildings, Coolgardie ...

Post Office. Coolgardie

A Coolgardie Corner

Coolgardie Hospital, General View...

Coolgardie Hospital

A Family's .Arrival

Happy

Scene near Coolgardie ...

Coolgardie Cricket Team and Friends

A Prospecting Team in Bayley Street

56
57
57
5S
59
59
60
61
61
f>3
63
64
f>5
05

a i'kospector

Ravine near Coolgardie

New Years Sports. Coolgardie, 1895

Windsail at a Shaft

Bayley's Reward Claim

The Londonderry

Canvas Water Jug

Prince Imperial Camp, Coolgardie ...

Hands-Across-the-Sea

Type ofJapanese Boy in a Westralian Mote
Wealth of Nations. View from Shaft

Outcrop. Wkaltii of Nations

Australian Twilight

Coolgardie, from the Road to Hannan's ..

Hannan's

A Suburban Visitor

The Ever-welcome Bulletin

Main Street, Hannan's

The Exchange Hotel, Hannan's

Through the Dreadful Sand

The Suburbs of Hannan's

Street Scene, Hannan's

The Great Fire at Coolgardie

The Australia Hotel, Hannan's

Old Well and First, Hannan's

Evolution. A Note in Bayley Street

Post Office Staff, Hannan's

The Old Post & Telegraph Office, Hannan'

Mr. James Shaw

The Stock Exchange, Hannan's

Facing the Camera ..

Somebody's Freak ...

Effects of Wind. Hannan's ...

Land Sale. Hannan's ...

Effigy at Coolgardie of one McCawn

Hannan's, from Cassidv Hill

Hannan's, from Maritana Hill. 1S94

Mr F. C. B Vosper ...

Hannan's, from Mount Charlotte

Camp Life, Hannan's

In Much Request

page.
66
67

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93
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94

I,ist of Illustrations.

XXIll.

PAGE.

A Cheery Coachman 95

The Main Street, Kalgoorlie 96

The Bell Boy, Kalgoorlie 96

The Last Glimpse of Hannan's 97

Alluvial Diggings, near Hannan's 97

In the "Suburbs," Kalgoorlie 98

Brown Hill Camp, near Hannan's 99

The Bush, beyond Hannan's 99

"Every Woman has her Goat" ... ... 100

A Prospecting Party, Hannan's loi

A Mid-oay Halt loi

Hannan's Rewaud 102

Great Boulder Township ... ... ... 103

Lake View Battery 103

Tkmj'Ohary Premises 104

The flREAT Boulder Country 105

■ Great Boulder and Lake View Battery ... 105

First Post Office. Hannan's 106

The Great Boulder Stampers 107

Opening the Great Boulder Battery ... 107

Inspecting Specimens ... ... ... ... 108

Auriferous Country near the Great Boulder 109

Claim near the Great Boulder 109

A Promising Claim at Hannan's iii

The Mount Burgess Mine. Hannan's ... iii

Dry Blowing ... ... ... ... ... 112

Leviathan Battery, Hannan's 113

Mount Charlotte, Hannan's iij

Camel Team 115

Kalgoorlie Gold Mining Comi-any's Lease 115

A Miner Speaks 116

White Feather 117

Street in White I"eather ... ... ••• 117

Hospital and Staff, White I'eather ... iig

Hospital Committee Group, White Feather 119

Digger's Camp, White Feather 121

Prospectors and Natives, White I'eather... 121

Alluvial I)ig<;in(;s. White 1'eathek ... ... 123

White Feather Reward 123

The Hannan's Coach 125

A Dry Blower 126

I'Aor.

Sandal Wood Camp, Dunnville 127

The First Sports held in Bandoch, 1895 ... 127

An Open Call, Hannan's 128

The Necessary Spectacles 128

The Demands of Civilisation 129

Outside a Humpy at Christmas 129

A History of the Fields. By an Old Chum 130

Dry Blowing at White Feather 131

.\ Nugget in the Pan ... 131

An Aboriginal Artist 132

Aboriginal Sketches 132

"Come and Keep House " ... 134

Condensers 135

Watering Camels 135

"Where's the Next Water. Mate?" ... 136

"I Say. You'll Catch Cold, My Lord!" ... 138
.-\ Family Party ... ... ... ... ... 139

Group of Miners, White Feather 139

"On She Went as Straight as an Arrow' 140

A Hood for the Dust Flies 141

1200 in the Shade... ... ... •• ■■■ 142

Printers' Camp Company 143

A Satisfactory Meal 143

The Premier— Sir John Forrest 144

Shooting Wild Turkey 145

Over the Desert in the Moonlight ... 146

Black Flag. Great Quartz Outcrop ... 147

Camp Condenser. Black I'lag 147

Mr. F. Bissenberger 149

"Home, Sweet Home," 12,000 Miles .\wav... 150
Going Down with Fuse for Blasting ... 151

Buying Water 151

A Hat, and a Rise in the World 152

At the Bottom of a Shaft 153

Buying Camels ... ... ... ... ■•■ '55

Dandies '55

A Snake in Possession 156

Mirage— OR— Water ? 157

Billy, a Camp Favourite 15S

Cue, 1893 159

Cue. 1894 159

XXIV.

List of Illnstmlions.

l-AGE.

liAlK fKOM COOLGARIHE ifO

Wreck of the Mayhill i6i

Along the Shore in Champion Bay if>2

Cue. 1895 if-i

Ci'E. Starting Eastward 163

On the Shore, Champion Bay 164

Unloading Camels, Geraldton 165

Sketch on the Coach after Leaving Mullexva 166

The Track to Cue Note from the Coach 166

The Union Bank of Australia, Cue..

The Road from Cue

Aboriginal Boy Servant, Geraldton

A Desert Grave

In Champion Bay

Looking from Geraldton

Heads from the Murchison

At a "Well," on the Mukchison

167
167
168
169
170
171
172
173

Fifty Miles from the Homestead, Nor'-West 173

Reporting the Tour 174

Day IIaxvn, iS.jj ... 175

IJay Dawn Mine ... ... 175

The Sign for a Night's Travelling 176

Alf., the Driver from "Chain Pump" to Cue 177

Gabyion Hill. "Chain I'ump " 178

"Welkim toYalgoo!" 179

A Moment with the Map iHo

Beauty Unadorned iSi

Yalgoo. Murchison Goldfielh 1S2

Original Camp of Wilson at Day Daws ... 183

The Kinsella Mine 1S3

Fresh from California 184

HuMPiE on the Cue Track (I'inhaii) ... 184

An Kye for the Kangaroo ... 185

At Deep Well Cue Track 186

Cossack. Nortii-West Australia 187

Derby. North-West Australia 187

Sam Russell's Baby— And Hkk .Vhmiker ... 188

Sam Russell iHy

Mutton for the I'arty at r)EKP Well ... 190

Dining Saloon Mondenia. on the Cue Track igi

Joseph Badge -... 192

Page.

A Miner at Badge's Cross 194

Residence of Mr. Aug. S. Roe, Roebourne ... 195

Office and Staff of Northern Public Opimon 195

"To be, or Not to be" — Auriferous? ... 1^

A Valuable Understanding 196

The Mail Bag 197

Mount Magnet 198

The Relaxations of a West Australian Judge 199

Native Prisoners in the North-West ... 199

Housekeeper of the "One and All" Hotel 200

The Bounding Kangaroo 201

Found... ... ... ... ... ... ... 201

Notes of Character Here and There ... 202

A North-West Australian Medicine Man... 203

A Letter from Home 203

A Bolt from the Black 204

Shorthand in Passing 205

The Belle of the Township 205

Capt. Wallace and Dog " Dodger," Day 1 )awn 206

Mk 'Jimmy " Thomson ... 207

The Mayor of Cue 207

A Trooper 208

a goldfields' menu 209

Mount Hefferman, Cue 210

A Cue Belle ... ... 211

.\ "Recorder" ok "Cue " 212

A Drink at Last ... ... ... ... ... 213

Mr. Walker Hodgson 214

Mr H. G. B. Mason, Cue 214

The Town Clerk, Cue (Mr. H. S. Cramer)... 215

A Curio of Cue 215

Colonial Children Gathering Shells ... 216

Portrait of a Prospector ... ... ... 216

Surrounded 217

Mr. G. Hope, Cue 217

Chums from "Out Back" 218

Comparing Stone on a Claim 218

Note of a Miner Exemption Time 219

The Black Swan's Home 219

Note of a Scuatter .. ... 220

.\n Outrider of the Gold Escort ... 221

List of Illustrations.

Westralia>i Policeman

A West Australian Vineyard...

Leaves of the Salt Bush

Heads from the Nor'-West

The Skifi'Er of the " Australind "

Hong Jon Toon, the Skipper's Boy

Prisoner (Native) from Rottnest Island

Lain See Hing, Steward ss. ■■ Australind

Tue Sue, the Purser's Boy

Bush Fire on the Coast

"Cock-eyed Bobs," near Shark's Bay
Distressed off 'Western Australia ...
Orientals En Route to the Fields ...
The Butcher, ss. "Australind"
Ss. " Saladin " Aground off Carnarvon, W
Dirk Hartog Island. Steep Point ...
False Entrance to Shark's Bay

Page.

221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
228

22g

230
230
231

232

2J3

234
234

Bringing Home the Washing, at Carnarvon 235

A Carnarvon Beauty

Ss. "Australind" at Sea

A Voice in the Desert

Gee Seng, No. i Fore Cabin Boy

Ah Lun, "the Doctor," "Australind"

In a Cossack Hotel

Holding the Mirror to (Ahoriginal) Nature 239
Vlaming Head, North-West Cape .. 240

Mr. H. Osborne, Mayor of Roehournk, 1895 241

235
236
236

237
238
239

A Son of the Soil

"Jap Town," Roebourne .

A Long, Long Pull .

Ant Hills in the Nor'-West

Mr. Augustus S. Roe

A Mark of Civilization ...
Leonard Calvert ...

At Cossack

On Sherlock Sheep Station, Nor'-West

Crossing the Bed of a Lake

A Little Flirtation

A Dying Race

Dainty Plum Pudding

A Bed of Spinifex

242

243
244

245
246

247
248

249
250

251
253
254
254
255

Native Children

Sir John Stainer on a Sheep Farm ..

Bush Bloom

A Miner

A Teamster Resting -•

"The Gin Gasped with Expectation'

A Soak in the Desert

Whim Creek Copper Mine

X.W.

Pace.

■ 255

. 256

• 257

• 257
.. 258
. 258

• 259
260

"The Horseman was an Old Weazened Man" 260

A Miner 261

Drift of the Stray Shot, .Mallina 261

A Resident of Mallina 262

Mine at Mallina 262

A Little Native Humour 263

The "Mob" in the Dust 263

The "Growl." Mallina 264

Aboriginal Woman and Child 2O5

Mid-day Occupation 265

Aboriginal Boy 266

Aboriginal Woman in Mourning 266

The Peewah. Mallina ... 267

Hill and Bush, Nor'-West 267

Nor'-We.st Lightnivg 268

A Prophet 269

May — and Dece.mber 270

"All Aboard!" 271

Curiosity. An Abandoned Load 272

A Survey "Trig" 273

A Lonely Breakfast 273

Track for the Railway 274

A Worker on the Railway Track ... ... 274

A Miner's Pet, Pilbarra 274

Repose. Mallina 275

On a Sheep Run. Aboriginals Butchering 275

Chinese Cook. Pilbarra 275

From Piccadilly to Pilbarra 276

Mr. Richard Walsh 276

Stable Colleagues, Pilbarra 277

A Siesta 277

Public Shower Bath 27.S

Bird's Method of Drinking 278

XXVI.

f.isl of Illustrations.

Akter the '• F.Mu "

A Charcoal Burners Humpy

In a Gdllv

Mr. W. Look, of \Voodsti>ck St

Pigeons at Look's

OcR Christmas Dinner ...

Look's Boy

Ofp to the "Mob"

An Easy Shot

A Letter from Home
Two OF A Kind
Killing

Noon

"On His Own "

Grace before Tucker

A Native Tracker

Shakespeare...

A Christmas Incident

Searching for a 'Colour"

" Hold on, Jinks, here's a Parcel for I..

"Coo-ee"

"Got "im !"

Jolly!

A Miner's Dream of Home

A Mallina Belle

Another

The Well on the Road to M
Childlike and Hland

Paderewski

On the Sherlock Station

"The Sun has Set. and vkt it is not Night

A Night Camp

" The Sisters." Talga Talga

At Dead Bullock Creek. Nor'-West

The Western Shaw

"Two to One on the Player

Dollying Stone

Scene on a Working Mine

Plies and Pine Art

Soak on Talga Kiver

OiiANA Sang. Japanese Laundress

Pack.

279

280

281

282

283

284

, 284

285

. 285

. 286

287

. 287

. 288

• 289
290
291
292

• 293

• 294

• -295
. 296
. 296

• 297
. 29S
' 298

• 299
300

■ JOI

. 301

. 302

30J

304
.304
305

The White Quartz Blow. Pilharka

A National Emblem

Approaching the Ndllagine

A Bit of the Black Range. NoR'-WtsT
Possible Early Development in the Bush
Solitude in Nugget-land
A Miner, Nullagine

"Gibem Bacca"

Mr. T. Walters. Nullagine
Note of a Dinner in Camp
Mk. Withnell

Jack Reed. Cook on Mr. Withnell's Station 313

On Mr. Withnell's Sheep Station
On Mr. Brockman's Sheep Station
Wool Press on a Sheep Station
On Mk Withnell's Sheep Farm
In the Diamond Hills. Nullagine

Near the Just-in-Time

The Coongan Mine. Marble Bar
In the Diamond Hills, Nullagine
The Stray Shot. Marble Bar...
The Late Mr. Walter Marsh...
Mr Albert E. Payne
New Year's Eve in the Nor'-West
Lord of the Boomerang
A Stamp of the Colony...

1450Z Slug ...

Portrait ok a Dkv-Blowek

View from the Camp

Mr. Bechek, Who Found the (Ikkat Slug.

Ruins of a Shanty

"King of Timbuctoo" Reward Claim

Note of "Bell Bird"

A Welcome Intimation

The Coming Storm

" Brought to the Surface the Carcase'
Piece of the (Juartz found uv the Ciiina.man

All Ling

All LiN<i Tracked ...

Borrowed I'lu.mes

Watering the Horses at Ciiestagarra Pool

Pack.

305
306
307
308
308
309
3'o
3"
3>2
312

2'3

314
3J5
3>5
316

3>7
3>7
218

3'9

319

320

321 •

322

323

324

325

326

327

328

329

330

331

332

as
334

List of Illustrations.

One of the Buggies

After the Wallaby, Nor, '-West

In the Bush

Mr. Bkenton Svmons, M.ICK...
Bush Fires, from Wild Dog Camp

Mr. W. Pollard Harris

Aboriginals Dancing
A Tin of Salmon ...
A House in Roebourne ...
A Letter Home

Shy

Lost

The Launch •■ Ivy," at the Jetty
The Engineer

The Skipper

In Freshwater Bay

Bush Fires

Aboriginal Cave, Swan Kivhr...
House Boat on the Swan
A Bush Fire near Fremantle...
View near the Quarries

Page.
335
336
337
338
339
340
34'
342
342
343
344
344
345
346
346
347
347
348
348
348

349

Page.

The Boy on the Prow 349

Our Skipper 350

A Bit of the Old Convict Bridge 351

The Lugger 351

A Late Coffee Stall Keeper 351

Peter 352

The Laundress 352

The Cook 353

A Reach on the Swan River 353

The Hon. Mrs. North 354

R.MS. ■• Australia " Approaching Suez ... 354

Sir Joseph Renals. Bart. 355

From New Zealand 355

Beggars All 356

"You haf Com' from .\ustkalee! " 356

A Note at Aden 357

Mr. W. T Astley 357

A Catamaran 357

At Colombo 358

Nearing Suez 358

Finis .. 359

ALBANY FROM THE PIER

[Pl

iBm

-,.«•«: ^'C;;'

#»^*i*-<*

■■*..,

ALBANY 1 RuM THE HILL.

Chapter I.

Albany Re-visited — The Plague of Flies — Passing the Customs — The Journey to Perth —
Discomforts en route — Beverley — Clarcmont — Perth, the Paradise of Landlords —

Expansion of the Revenue.

NOULK, SAVAGE.

ini
of

ountry," said a scoffer a few years ago, referring to
West Australia, " is only in the egg ; it is not
hatched out yet." To-day the
Colony is developing marvel-
lously. Gold, like a magician's
wand, has transformed it. Lately an
obscure and sparsely-peopled convitit
settlement, it has leaped into the notice
of the world ; from a state of lethargy,
if not torpidity, it has become a throb-
bing centre of business aftivity, the
scene of discovered mineral treasure,
the goal of tens of thousands of
migrants, the gathering ground of mining skill, the treasury of millions
English and foreign capital.

The life of the place is felt as soon as the traveller steps ashore from the steamer

at Albany.
He feels it
when he has
to jostle for
awash at his
hotel; and
sees it in
shake-downs
i n c V c r y
corner, and
in the well-

TO "THE GREAT SOUTH LAND." I'ASSING THE COAST OF AFRICA. I n T (. n g L U

THE tc.G.
UNTOLD COLD.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'liSTERX AUSTRALIA.

GOING FAST.

Streets. At luncheon the guests plead as well as pay for their entertainment ; thick rows

of eager callers crowd the bars; the railway station is packed. Double length trains

and double engines are requisitioned ; the pile

of delayed telegrams loom before the gaze of

their authors; the town on the days of the

arrival of steamers — and they come nearly

ever>' day, filled with passengers and cargo —

is hot with the press of the inrush of people.

Western Australia has suddenly hatched out a

brood too large for her wings to cover.

To the new chum who arrives in tlie

Colony fresh from the bigness and bustle of

the Old Country, Albany has few attradtions.

There is a home-like apjiearance about the

wooded hill, dotted with stone-built houses,

and relieveil with dabs of purple, scentless

shrubs; but except in the hotel bars and at

the railwav station, hurry and the whirl of life

are seldom seen. The place seems dull, deadly

dull, and depressing to the crowd of gold

seekers, who halt there for a brief breathing

space on their way to the fields. They know

that the unwonted aftivity in the streets and hotels is of their own creating. Thej' surmise

corre(5tly that the little town will fall asleep again dire(5lly they leave it, and it is not til!

they have broken down under the strain of the heat and privations of the interior that

they return to find new health in the peacefulncss and quiet of little Albany. For Albany

is the sanatorium of Western Australia, and although it appears to get " no for'arder,"

and is devoid of the turmoil and excitement attendant upon progress and commercial

prosperity, the town still holds its own, and the price of town lots is ever increasing.
N'isitors to Albany who are privileged to pass a few hours as the guest of Mr. W. B.
Loftie, will be surprised to find how successfully the Government
resident and his daughter have contrived to introduce the Old
World atmosphere in their Colonial home. The house and its
appointments, the pi(iturcs and the garden, all remind one of far-
away England. For awhile one forgets the existence of the gold
f(\er, and loses the perfume of tlie iniiur's kit, to be startlingly
reminded of them again amongst the crowd at the railway station.
Here everybody is rushing about in search of luggage and a
window seat in the stuffy train, and it is curious to notice that
each person appears to be signalling wildly with small branches
cut from the green shrubs. Hut these proceedings are due to a
different cause altogether ; their sole objedt being to ward off as
much as possible the persistent attention of the myriads of flies

AiiOMK.INAL AN1> CULONIAL.
A NOTX mOH THE TRAIN.

PIER AT ALBANY.

ALBANY, I-HOM THIi PIER.

B I

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERX AUSTRALIA.

that abound everj-where. Direcftly the visitor steps on to the pier, he is attacked by
thousands of these pestiferous Httle inse(5ts, who, from sun up to sun-set, never give one a
moment's peace. They joined us at Albany, and were with us in Perth ; they accompanied
us to the Southern Goldfields, and drove us frantic in the North-West, until we became
firmly persuaded that of the seven plagues that visited the Egyptians, the plague of flies
was by far the most awful of them all.

It was at Albany that we first went through the ordeal of the Customs House, and
while gladly testifying to the unfailing courtesy of the officials of this Department, it must
be confessed that passing the Customs is one of the chief terrors of Australian travelling.
In our subsequent hasty visit to the Eastern Colonies, we seemed to live in an atmosphere
of perspiring attendants and suave officials armed with pieces of chalk, who must have been
as heartily tired of repeating the same stereotyped questions as we were of answering them.
At Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, and again at Melbourne and Adelaide, the
same performance was gone through, and it was a relief when we left King George's
Sound, to know that our luggage was safe from molestation until we reached Brindisi. At
Albany, however, our troubles on this occasion are soon over. A shot gun is examined
with suspicion, a broken box of cigars is handed round and pronounced satisfactory, sketch

books are passed without a murmur, and the few remaining
clean shirts and collars go unchallenged. Then we stroll
over to the railway station to arrange for a special train to
convey us as far as Beverley, where we should catch up the
mail train, that for some unexplained reason stops during
the night at this wretched wayside village.

The visitor hastens to leave Albany behind him. He
will live many years before he forgets his first taste of travel-
ling in Western Australia. He flees to the trains to find
surcease at Perth or Fremantle, and finds himself deeper in
the toils. After a wild scramble for a seat, the train stops
at the first refreshment station, of ignoble memory. A
wretched hut, ten feet long and eight feet broad, that might
be mistaken for the shabby shelter shed of a watchman, but for the array of cups on the
counter, and the helter-skelter rush that is made for it by hordes of travellers, who see a
forlorn h(jpe in the crockery-ware. They jump out of the carriages at the risk of their
limbs before the train stops, and gaspingly call for a chop or a steak. The girl in charge
listens in cool disdain, and points to the cold, muddy tea which has long been waiting for
the travellers, and to some ancient sandwiches as the sole resources of the menu, which
is vanishing rapidly before clutchful fingers. It is whispered that the Katanning table is
not worth waiting for.

So the tea and sandwiches are gulped; the coin rains like hail into the "cash box"
saucer ; the crush rocks and surges ; the starting bell clangs brazenly ; the travellers dash
into their seats as the train moves. Many of them have failed to get a bite ; those who
have had a bite loathe it, and as the carriages recede into the distance, the damsel in the
shed complacently counts and pockets her gains.

"THK NEWS STIRS THE MOST TORPID."

ALUANV, KKOM THE POST OFFICE.

ALBANY, LOOKING TOWAKDS THE HOST OFFICE.

6 MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

The packed passengers sit on each other's laps, or like trussed fowls, without room
to move their elbows, and find a melancholy solace in thinking over the Pullman saloon
and sleeping cars, and civilised cookery they have left behind— for a sleeping berth on
a long night journey is unknown on the rails of the Golden West, where gate-keepers
and interlocking signalling gear have yet to appear, either on the Government routes or
this Great Southern Railway, which was made on the land grant system, by a private
Company formed in England. The territory ceded to the Company has been so slowly
settled, that the train passes over leagues of country upon which there is not a sign of
stock, nor a single habitation.

At length the dreary stifling day, without rest or comfort, and the long evening
without sleep, draws to a close, and Beverley comes in sight. The news stirs the most
torpid to a keener sense of the pangs of hunger. The carriage windows are all thrown
down ; hands are on the knobs, and as the train is pulling up, the doors are flung open.
It is now or never, and a peaked-capped army presses into a building about twice the
size of the Mount Barker humpy. What is such a room among so many, what are tables

set for forty among a hundred and fifty? A third of
—=-.' ^^^ the den is taken up by a bar, the front of which is

_ heavy with rows of flabby pies, which have never

been in the same town with baking powder to stir
them from the consistency of lead, and the inevitable
plates of sandwiches, which are one of the most
familiar things to be seen on a West Australian
Railway. The chairs ought to be three-storied to
seat all those who want them; the overflow, as
"General" Booth would say, clamour in the bar for
drinks, pies, and thin streaks of salt beef between

GOING Ot'T. A PASSIINGF.R FOK PF.RTM. '

hunks of bread. There is a Babel of shouting, for
the situation is getting serious. The train will leave at five o'clock on the following morning,
lodgings have to be found and sleep snatched, and, if possible, a wash. The overcrowded
and far too "lively" hostelry cannot possibly give shelter to all, and while some secure a
corner in the railway sheds, others crawl back into the stationary carriages, or camp out
by the side of the line. The place seethes with excitement as the moments flit by. The
women who serve out the plates of watery soup and hash alone are calm, while she who
receives payment at the door might in imperturbable gravity sit as a study for a modern
Sphin.x. The outcry of complaint is loud, and yet the direcilors of the Railway arc hardly
to blame. While the Colony was in the egg there was so little traffic on the line that
travellers might fairly expecTl to have to "rough it." The invasion of gold-seekers and
those who come in their wake has been so sudden and overwhelming that there has not
been time to provide any of the luxuries of old world travelling.

Five times before had I gone through the discomforts of this unlovely jouriu y, but
in the present case we are more fortunate in our mode of travelling. Tlic train had ii ft
Albany at nine o'clock in the morning before we landed, but thanks to the peculiar
arrangements already referred to, we are able to arrive in Perth next morning at the same

ALBANY, IN THE SUKUKBS.

ALIiANY, FROM THE BEACH.

MY FOl'RTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

time as the mail. An order for a " special " is something out of the common on the
Great Southern Railway, and the station-master has his doubts as to the possibility of
executing it. However, after much telegraphing, and the issuing of many orders, we are
told that a train will be in readiness for us at five o'clock in the afternoon, and then every-
body adjourns to the Freemason's Hotel for refreshments. In common with the rest of
Albany's floating population, we are anxious to be on our way again, and the day would
have been long indeed but for the hospitality of my good friend, Mr. Loftie. The train
is ready at five o'clock according to promise ; a little crowd of idlers are assembled to see
it start, and at the last moment a thoughtful acquaintance arrives with a suspicious-looking
wooden case, that had originally been intended for the storage of condensed milk. A sound
of tinkling bottles that proceeds from it, as it is pushed under the seat, is an eloquent
proof of its aptitude for carrying other commodities.

Our supper at Katanning is neither grateful nor comforting, for throughout Western
Australia no regard is paid to comfort when travelling. Nobody seems to give it a thought.
The travellers are too busy getting somewhere else, to worry about comforts by the way,
and the natives are too busy getting money out of those who are going somewhere else to
get more, to attend to these details. The night air is cool when we leave Katanning, and
after having resource to the milk case and knocking out our pipes, we prepare to rest.
There are only three of us in our compartment, so we retire luxuriously. Collars and boots
are taken off, and coats are rolled up for pillows. The third man takes possession of the
floor, and to the chirping music of the crickets and the rattle of the train, we fall asleep.

It is a rude awakening at Beverley, for a few of the passengers
who arrived by the mail train overnight are up and waiting to
continue their journey. They form an audience around our
carriage, and study us without surprise or comment as we make
our toilet. Every room at the hotel shows traces of having been
used as a sleeping apartment. A few people are still wrapped in
their blankets, others are waiting their turn at the wash bowl, and
the bar is full. To call our efforts with the dirty water a wash is an
impertinence, and the breakfast is a diredt insult. We are glad
enough to get back to the now overcrowded train, and be once
more on our way towards the capital.

About noon we steam into Perth Central Station, only to learn
from some friends who meet us that every hotel in the city is full,
and that accommodation has been secured for us at the Osborne
Hotel, Claremont, some eight miles along the line to Fremantle. We had reason, many
times during our stay in the Colony, to bless the good fortune that quartered us on Mr.
William Astley, whose house for many weeks afterwards we regarded as " home." On
each occasion of our return from visits to Coolgardie, the Murchison and the North-West,
there was always a hearty welcome awaiting us at Claremont. Robbins, with the buggy,
would meet us at the station, and how he contrived, at the rate he drove, to traverse that
condemned road between the station and Osborne, and dodge the thousand rucks and
holes without smashing the buggy and killing the lot of us, I could never determine. But

IN THK TRAIN FOR l-ERTII.
(A PERTH SISTER).

^^ .

A STREET IN ALBANY.

ALBANY, FROM THE HILL.

.VV FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

he managed it without mishap during our stay, and I have not heard of iiis coming to
grief since. Half-a-dozen dogs of all shapes, breeds and colours would meet us at the
hotel gates and escort us, \'elping up to the house. The thought of a cold bath after these
trips fills me with recollections of a luxury that still seems to me to be without equal.

Perth is the Paradise of landlords. It should be three times its present size to give
house room to the people who are living there. In Melbourne, through hard times, it is
common for three or four families to live in one house ; in Perth, three or four families
live in one house because the times are so good. The new arrival has no option ; he cannot
get a roof of his own; a "To let" board would be a greater curiosity than the dodo. The
hotels are besieged; the boarding houses are crammed. The people who keep them are

ingenious. They began by "double-banking" the beds
in each room, and all the wire mattress makers worked
night and day to meet orders. Then, when from four
to eight beds jostle each other for standing place in an
attic, the verandah and odd corners become resting
places, and, if the people continue to pour in, it will
probably become common for them to sleep on the roof.
Weil, a roof would be as private and more savoury than
the backyards, in which some of the commoner sort of
bed-providers alreadj- put "shakedowns."

The advance advertisements of intending arrivals
from the other Colonies — "Wanted to rent premises
suitable for large boarding house" — are humorous
reading for West .'\ustralians. The advertisers might
as well ask for the top brick off the chimney of Govern-
ment House. Premises suitable for boarding houses
are a small fortune, and gold mines are not to be had
for the asking.

Tlie Iniilders are busy in Perth, but not nearly so
busy as they ought to be. The owners of property
have no wish to spoil e.xorbitant rents by keeping the
supply of houses equal to the demand. The "t'other-
siders," as tlie new arrivals are called, have mostly
suffered too much from the depreciation of real estate
in Melbourne, and to a less degree in all the other
Colonies, to make them either able or willing to deal again in bricks and mortar. Many
immigrants have slender purses; others are "looking around," and another large class
devote all their spare capital to the seducftive chance of growing rich by a lucky
investment in the mines. Moreover, material is both scarce and dear. All these causes
combine to raise the rents of Perth property to a high premium, which is rising with
the rapidity of mercury on a hot day, and in expectation of the city and suburbs expanding
greatly, allotments, on what have hitherto been grazing paddocks, are selling like ripe
cherries. Still there is no delirious land boom fever — \'irtoria presents too near and too

RonnlNS —

THE KIRST AND LAST DRIVER OF THE PARTV.

TUNNEL DEVIATION LINE TO ALBANY.

SWAN KIVEK, GUILDFORD.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

vivid a warning against reckless inflation. There is a brisk and steady business at prudent
prices. The features of the frantic gamble of the southern metropolis, with the
concomitants of free excursion trains, free lunches, with liquor galore, brass bands, gigantic
hoardings, dummy bids, and sensational reports of each Saturday afternoon's fabulous
sales, are either absent, or are in an almost invisible germ. One thing that serves to steady
dealings in land is that outside the city of Perth there is no water supplj", and, therefore,
to the price of everj- building block has to be added the cost of sinking a well, w-hich
may be roughly set down at from £2^ to £6^.

The "good times" in West Australia are refle(5ling in the great expansion of the
revenue, in trade, in the Savings' Banks deposit receipts, and above all, in the enormous
sum derived by the Government from the sale of business sites and township blocks at

Coolgardie, Menzies,
Kalgoorlie, Kanowna,
Norseman, Mount
Magnet, Cue, and other
newl}- - established min-
ing centres. In this
narrative it is not in-
tended to give many
Blue-book statistics
under the various heads
enumerated, but a few
figures may be set down
to convc}' some idea of
the rapid progress of the
Colony. The Treasurer's
income for 1893 was
;f575.828; for 1894,
£681,245; for 1895,
£"1,125,940; and for the
first nine months of 1896,
5^1,261,150. In his
Budget Speech last August, Sir John Forrest estimated that the revenue this year would be
£1,291,150, and he, at the date of writing, confidently anticipates that when the financial
year closes on the 30th of June next he will have half-a-million surplus in hand.

If there had been no gold disco\eries, the whole of the sites of the goldfiolds centres
put together would not have been worth a single sovereign. What they are worth now
may be judged from some of the accounts of sales at the Government auctions of last year.
Coolgardie alone paid £34,292 15s. for the fee-simple of some of the land on which it
is built, long after the central blocks had been parted with by the Crown for about as
many shillings. At Menzies, speculators eagerly snapped up the allotments which were
offered for £19,290, and Kalgoorlie is next on the list of these lucrative returns with
a contribution to the Lands Department of £13,446. Norseman and Kanowna run each

TRVING BI^FOKE Dl'VING.

A REACH IN THE SWAN RIVER.

SWAN RIVER, PERTH.

.VV FOURTH TOUR IX UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

other verj' close in the pracftical regard of their admirers, which was evinced by local
investments in real estate to the amounts of £"5,283 4s. and £"5,174 respe(5lively. Mount
Magnet, considering its youth, makes a creditable appearance as a rising place with the
sum of £"2,085 to its credit. The total amount received by the Department during 1895,
for land sold in goldfields towns, was £"83,290 9s., the number of lots being 619, and the
entire area 161 acres 3 roods and 5 perches. The great profit the Crown is making out
of mining country-, both from land sales and leases, has made the mining communities
very importunate for railways. They say that they are paying for the lines, and that it
is only simple justice that they should get what they pay for. The wealth derived from
the goldfields is what induced the Government to abolish the penal railway rates. It
used to be pleaded by the Railwaj- Department that it was necessarj- to make hay while
the sun shone, lest there might be decadence on the goldfields, but their rapid development
and assured prosperity made this plea too transparent and foolish for even a Government
Department to maintain, and it has been abandoned.

The buoyant state of the revenue is reflecfted in all the
channels of commerce. The heading of "New Insolvents"
in the Press is pra(ftically unknown, restridted credit being the
custom of West Australia, which in the early days of its
history had so little coin within its borders that barter was a
recognised feature of trade. The briskness of business is
manifested in the enlargement of old warehouses, the building
of new ones, and in the establishment of manufacturing in-
dustries. Competition is much keener now than it was while
Perth and Fremantle were so obscure as to be hardly worth
the attention of the commercial world. The best houses are
now eagerly seeking a share of the trade of the Colony, and
routes which not long ago were only known to the prospe(5tor,
are now traversed by commercial travellers of all classes. In Fremantle, as well as in
Perth, rows of ding}' buildings are being replaced by ornamental, commodious, architedtural
piles. Thus, the old order is quickl\- changing and giving place to the new.

The mining boom has made a very striking impress upon the metropolis. Goldfields
is the watchword written large upon the displays made by the shopkeepers. The saddlers
exhibit a wealth of pack-saddles for camels and horses ; the tent makers rival the boarding-
house keepers in the number of the calls upon them. The clothiers sell enough kahki
suits and blankets, of staring hue and pattern, to outfit an army. The druggists loudly
proclaim the virtues of balms for every ill "on the fields." But, like the banner of
Excelsior, towering above all other ensigns of the goldfields, in the fore-front of every
knot of men bound for the railway stations, garlanding every train, hung in the place of
honour at every shop-front, is the ubiquitous, the inseparable, humble friend of the miner
—the modest canvas water-bag.

SADDLES FOR CAMELS.

Chapter 2.

The Gold Fever in Perth — The Shamrock Hotel — Amusements in Perth — Reception at the

City Hall — Dinner at Osborne — The Railway Station — Northam —

The Water Question — Southern Cross.

LORDS OF THE SOIL.

HE air in Perth is full of the yellow fever. Its germs, in the shape
of talk of reefs, leases, claims, yields, trial crushings, camels, syndi-
cates, stocks and Company flotations, are as thick as a London fog.
In the smoking-room, the bar, the club, the exchange, the bank,
and even in the drawing-room, the chorus goes up in praise of
Mammon, of the bright yellow metal that is to be won at the
cost of sweat, suffering, danger, labour, money — aye, even of men's
lives in the arid interior. In the train, the cars, the mail coach, in
the halls of the legislature, the marts of commerce, and in the streets,
the refrain is heard of gold — gold in nuggets, gold in alluvial, gold

in the battery, and gold in the waist-belt of the lucky prospedlor, who has wrested from

its hiding places the metal that is " Loved by the young, hugged by the old, to the verge

of the churchyard's mould."

I almost despair of conveying a realistic impression of the absorbing interest that is

felt in Perth in the subject of gold mining. It is

impossible to speak for two minutes with anybody,

from a Cabinet Minister to a cow-minder, without

referring to the omnipotent subject that lies closest to

the hearts of all. The bar tender, as he passes a drink

towards you with one hand, produces from under the

counter a handful uf specimens from a claim in which

he is interested ; the barber pauses with the razor

poised in mid air, to offer you, at a price, his share in

some mine of which he is part proprietor, and every

railway porter and cab-driver has either been on the

fields or is on the point of starting out to inakt! his fortune there. I had a tooth drawn

by a dentist who used his forceps to trace an imaginary boundary of his property on the

arm of the operating chair ; the direction of the reefs were traced in blood. The few

men in Perth who have no properties to dispose of, are touts for those who have, and

every shop window in the town contains its complement of specimens of the coveted metal.
Everyone has a stake in prospectuses to develop ground, to equip parties to search

for new Great Boulders, to pay for options, or to fulfil labour covenants. The cable

■^

A NUGOKT FROM " Hi»K»K Mliih 1(KN1>,
GASCOIGNE FlKl.D. 7 OZS.

3/y FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

offices are gorged with messages to record, in the centres of the world, the moves
of the great game of mining enterprise, while the Press, the mirror of the day, needs
only to be printed on paper of a saffron hue, to be the " very age and body of the time,
his form and pressure."

I am not a bit exaggerating when I say that the whole of the business of Perth is in
one way or another connected with or resulting from the goldfields, and that every business
man in the city is bound, body and soul, to the new industry. In every office that one
enters, the conversation is of claims, reefs, syndicates and options, and the public offices and
exchanges — the hotel bars — are always crowded with a jabbering, noisy crew, intent upcm
the various phases of the same subject. Here the miners, fresh from the fields or on their
way thither, the touts, the representatives of syndicates, and the general floating population

of the city, meet to drink, talk big, and
transacft their business. The Shamrock
Hotel, in Hay Street, must rank first
among these public exchanges. The broad
balcony is the principal resort in the city,
but the Criterion, the Metropole, and the
Freemason's, run it close in the number of
their adherents. But nine-tenths of the
appointments of Perth are couched in the
formula — " Meet me at the Shamrock at
such-and-such a time," and every man who
does business in the town has one or more
appointments to keep at this popular
rendezvous, during every day of the week.
From morning till night the hotel bars do a
handsome trade with the single break for
the midday meal, when every other public
resort, and street, and shop in Perth is
deserted, and the various feeding rooms of
the city each absorbs its quota of hungry
clients. In Perth one cannot feed when
one likes, but only when the bell rings. At
(inc o'clock the jangle of many bells is heard
in tlu' business quarters, and every man
moves towards the dining-room. Nobody
can lunch before that hour, and the man
lunches badly who comes late. Most of the members of the Weld Club who are in Perth,
lunch at their club, and indulge the while in tlic ICnglishman's privilege of grumbling, not
without reason, at the quality and method of serving every dish that is set before them,
while the dining-room of the Legislative Assembly claims the attendance of all who are
entitled to the use of it. This institution is by far the best lunching club in Western
Australia, and the luncheon served there is correspondingly good.

THK BIRTH OF A TOWNSIIII'

A COSY NOOK ON THE SWAN lUVKK.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Tlie impression that a visitor taVces away with him of the city of Perth after business
hours, depends entirely upon the circumstances of his surroundings and the duration of his
stay. There is intellectual society here, if the casual stranger is fortunate enough to be
introduced into it ; there are billiard tables at the clubs, and there are the refreshment bars
at every street corner; but should the question arise in Perth, as it arises in London some
thousands of times every evening of the year, "What shall we do with ourselves this
evenin"?" it would be impossible to find a suitable answer. For Perth is a city without
amusements; it is as barren of places of public entertainment as the rawest mining town-
ship. .\n occasional amateur concert or theatrical show, or a reception by a wandering
phrenologist, are the only substitutes. Two theatres are in course of construction, and
already people are beginning to wonder where the companies will come from to occupy
them.

One consequence of this dearth of amusements is tiiat private entertainment is popular
all the j-ear round, and Perth dines itself publicly, frequently, and well. On this subject I
am pleased to be able to speak feelingly and with gratitude, for not in Perth alone, but
throughout the Colony I was met everywhere with the greatest hospitality. I h;ui not been
in the city half-a-do/en hours when I was invited to attend a reception which tlie worthy
Mayor, Mr. Alexander Forrest, was giving on the following morning to welcome me to

the capital. Few people who have spent any time
in Western Australia can be ignorant of Mr. h'orrest's
genius as a host and entertainer, and in the Council
chamber of the City Hall at one of those ii o'clock
receptions which have now become celebrated, I could
easily understanti why the citizens of Perth regretted
iiis legal inabilit\- to continue to grace the office of
chief magistrate of the cit}-. For four years the Mayor
may remain in office if the voters so desire, but at the
expiration of that time, a new Mayor must succeed to
the honour, and so it was that within a few weeks
Mr. H. J. Saunders was to succeed to the mayorial
chair. So spontaneous and so hearty was the welcome
1 received that morning from the councillors and
leading citizens of Perth, that I felt that I had almost
realised the stereotyped advertisement of the English
seaside hotel proprietor, and had found " a home from
home." At the last moment, when the waiters had been sunnnoned to "remove the
debris," and we were preparing to separate on our various ways. Sir John Forrest himself,
heated and hurried, appeared upon the scene. He refused to believe that the reception
was over, and the good things were gone, and insisted on holding a reception of his own
in the snug smoking room of the Legislative Assembly. More champagne, more speeches
and good wishes followed, until one o'clock struck to remind us that luncheon had yet
to be partaken of before the good-byes could be said.

This was but a foretaste of West Australian hospitality, for a dinner in the evening

THUMB-NAIL SKETCH OF SIR JOHN FORRKST.

HAV STRKET, I'KKTH.

WII-LIAM STRKET, PERTH

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

and a reception afterwards seemed to constitute an exercise canter to prepare me for the
banquet that was given me at the Osborne Hotel on the following evening, when nearly
one hundred guests drove out from Perth in the cool of the evening, and drove home
again the following morning at — but the time is a detail that does not call for publication.

Mr. W. T. Astley, who I may mention was for
many years the chief steward of the Orient
Co.'s s.s. Oruba, gave us a dinner that the
most severe connoisseur would have applauded ;
a dinner that many times during our travels in
the Colony we harked back upon with greedy
lips, and a sad, pinched feeling at the pit of
our stomachs. But it would be unwise to linger
over these hospitalities, for they lasted from the
Thursday until the following Sunday night, and
on the Monday morning we were up betimes,
and preparing for our afternoon's start to
Coolgardic.

The yellow gleams focus themselves at the
Perth Railway Station every afternoon, when
the train kaves for Coolgardie. The scene is a
picture of "Vanity Fair" that Hogarth would
have lo\ed to paint. The station is the meeting-
[ilace of Labour and Capital. Labour, with
horny hand, bronzed cheek, tense sinew,
shouldering a swag, strides sturdily to the ticket office, to rub sleeves with the broad-cloth of
Capital — to place in relief, as they throng round the pigeon-holes, the difference between the
wielders of the pick-axe and the pen. The press of passengers and their friends is so great
that no one without a ticket is allowed to pass the platform barrier, and every seat in
the train, that will have to travel through the long sultry night without a sleeping-car, is
filled. The second-class travellers doff their coats, string their brimming water-bags to
the window-sills, and stow away bundles of blankets, revealing here
and there the thick end of a beer-bottle. The brokers, mine-
managers, geologists, merchants and touring investors next door,
put flasks into the hat-rack, briskly scan their latest telegrams, or
hold a whispered consultation with a friend, punc^^uated with nods
and keen glances ; the good-byes are shouted, and the train glides
away, freighted with the devotees of Midas.

The ride is through the pretty township of Guildford, one of
the fertile spots of the Colony, situated about fifteen miles from
Perth, along the course of the pidturesque Swan River. Thence, through hill country,
to Spencer's Brook, where those who are going to Albany, or to the South-Eastern
Colonies to recruit after the enervating life of the goldfields, part company with those
who are going to pursue the race for wealth.

A TASTEFUL MENU CARD.

ORDINARV WATER BAG.

THE GENERAL POST OFFICE, PERTH.

BARRACK STREET, PERTH.

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Northam, which lies in the valley of the Avon, stands — as Sir John Forrest, the
Premier of the Colony, expresses it — at the gateway of the goldfields. It is a first-class
agricultural district, but the land is expensive to clear. An old farming province, and
a well-watered one, it finds a lucrative market for grain, hay, sheep, and neat cattle in
the mining wilderness. Just now, settlers in the valley of the Avon can get better
prices for all they can grow or raise as graziers, than any of their compeers in any other
part of the world. Northam is bordered by another rich tract of country known as
Greenhills, which is asking urgentl)- for a railway ; and it is likely to get it, for when
Sir John Forrest and several members of his Cabinet went to see Greenhills for themselves,
they found that verily the land was fruitful and fair to look upon. Greenhills carts its
produce twenty-five miles to the York Railwa\' Station, and still can make farming pay,
with chaff selling for a pennj- per pound on the goldfields. There is no doubt that

Greenhills would have had a railway years ago, had it
not been surrounded by the large estates of pastoralists,
who have done nothing to improve them, beyond
enclosing them with a ring fence. How the early
squatters missed the Greenhills fiats when they spied out
the country, puzzled the Premier and his colleagues,
and it is equally a conundrum for all who see the
goodly har\'ests reaped from this fertile valley. Sir John
is the enemj' of the land grabber, who leaves his ground
in a state of nature; and he is the friend of the culti-
\ator, who, in Western Australia, is encouraged by
liberal legislation. For example, a selector may obtain
i6o acres as a free grant, and 840 acres in addition on
payment of six-pence per acre for twenty years, and
making certain improvements. On his tour. Sir John
Forrest upbraided the land monopolist who does not
even ring-bark his land. The Premier publicly says
that, if he could have his way, he would buy back
with State funds arable areas close to a railway, and
after clearing them fit for the plough, he would
settle cultivators upon the land, and thus enable them to add to the productive resources
of the Colony. The fact that Western Australia paid last \'ear £400,000 for food pro-
ducts, which ought to have been grown in the Colony, is viewed with grave regret by
the Government. At the opening of the annual Conference, that is held under the
auspices of the Bureau of Agriculture, this year, the Premier announced that the policy
of the Ministry, to unlock the lands and to make railways to farming districts, would
be more energetically pursued than it had hitherto been.

At Northam, the sojourner quits civilisation and plunges into the desert. The town
is the border line between the new and the old — between the patrimony of the ploughman
and the miner. The chief hotel in the town is worthy of Perth ; the bill of fare would
tempt even a languid appetite, and must be luxurious to men accustomed to the diet of a

RINGBARKIN

f-xj:

'■"^^

ST. GEORGE'S TERRACE, PERTH.

ST. GEORGE'S TEKKACE, KKOM GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

W rorRTH TOl'R IX WnSTRRX ArSTRALIA.

prospedtor's camp, and who are returning from the mines. The company at dinner is full of
one theme — the water difficulty. The all-absorbing topic is how much water there is in the
"soaks," the capacity of the condensers, the chances of the mines striking water in their
workings, the urgent need of providing an artesian supply at any cost, the proposed boring
by the Government to a depth of three thousand feet in search of artesian water, the
amount of the rain-fall if it were caught and conserved, the rapid progress that could be
made in the opening up of the fields, if only the water difficulty could be subdued. The
dinmg-room echoes the cry of the debates in Parliament — "The future of Western

Australia depends upon our
goldfields ; the future of the
goldfields depends upon the
water supply." Ministers had
protested that they fully recog-
nise the importance of the
situation ; they were sparing no
effort; they were willing to
siH-nd a large sum of money;
they were sending their head
engineer to the other Colonies
to procure the best machinery ;
they were employing the best
available skill. To keep the
mines going, they were devoting
to the task the most anxious
thought, and they were resolved
to conquer every obstacle to the
winning of the precious ores.
Only one thing they wanted to
be assured of. Was it possible
to get an adequate local water
supply? If so, the country
should not be committed to an
expenditure of an enormous sum
to provide water works on a
colossal scale, or perhaps to
bring water from a distance ;
but water, and plenty of it, the
fields should have — if not in one way, then in another. It is well known to what the
Government alluded in throwing out these hints, and making these promises, but the
magnitude of the proposal may well give them pause, and the idea has never shaped itself
into definite form or detail. The exigencies of the fields have made men, casting about for
means of relief, talk even of such a mammoth project as the cutting of a canal to tap the
Murray or other fresh water coastal river, and no doubt this was in the minds of the members

A WHII'-WKLL IN THH Uf^SERT.

ST. GEORGE S TEKRACE, FROM THE POST OFFICE.

FORREST AVENUE, PERTH.

26 MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

of the Governtneiit when they ga\c their pledges. Hut the practical, cautious mind of
Sir John Forrest recoils from accepting so daring and costly a suggestion, except as a
last resource, when everything else has been tried, and failed.

It is eleven o'clock on a clear, cloudless night that we leave Northam. The train
is a few minutes late, and we stand on the station beneath the mass of twinkling stars,
and change our large, heavy water bags from one hand to the other. The last act of
every passenger on leaving a stopping place is to replenish his water bags; his first act
on arriving at the next is to call for a "long lager," and if the bottle has been kept
in a water vessel he blesses the seller, antl parts with his shilling with a feeling of perfect
thankfulness. There is a rude awakening at the supper at Hines Hill. The sujiper is
reminiscent of Katanning, only in a different wa\-. Katanning is rough and disap[iointing.

NUTKh ON THE TRACK TO COOLCARDIE.

Hines Hill has bright lights, spotless damask, and a flash of eledlro-plate. The waitresses
are young, be-capped, and nimble footed, but the disillusionment is complete when
the guest sits down to a feast of Tantalus. The ham would defy the keen edge of
a surgeon's blade; the bread is rocky, the butter rancid, the coffee thick, and the tea,
to which one flies in despair, like nothing else on sea or land. This is all, and the
guest rises supperless, and sadly bestows half-a-crown on the hostess, who smiles sweetly
enough to chase away a frown. Like the cruse of oil of the Biblical widow, or the india-
rubber chops of the smart Yankee who did not open his refreshment door until the train
was about to start, the Hines Hill stage banquet will not need replenishing until Gabriel's
trumpet sounds.

RAILWAY STATION, PERTH,

HAWKES BAY, PERTH.

28 VV FOURTH TOUR TX WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

Southern Cross is the breakfasting place at route to Coolgardie. Until Coolgardie
grew like the gourd of the Indian juggler, probably no place was so well advertised all
over the globe as Southern Cross. Not onlj- was it largely written of when the gold
discoveries of the West first came into prominence, but the town obtained a more unenviable
name as the refuge of that arch-murderer, Frederick Deeming, " the abnormal offspring of
a mother's womb," as Mr. Marshall Lylc, his solicitor, called him, when he was seeking
a reprieve of the death sentence on the alleged ground of insanity, which did not save
the most savage Blue Beard the world has ever seen from the executioner. The township
of Southern Cross lies some distance from the railway station, so that we had not time to
iiispe(5l " Deeming's cottage," which is pointed out as an objedt of detestation to nearly every
visitor. The Southern Cross mines have not proved to be sensational, but a number of
them are giving steady yields, and " hope which springs eternal in the human breast," is
always presaging better things when the reefs are further opened up. The station looks out
on a drear expanse of sandy country', but the repellent features of the landscape will soon
become familiar to the eye, as this is only the fringe of the great western desert. Onward
to Coolgardie the rails are laid, not through smiling cornfields, orchards, pasture grounds
dotted with homesteads, but over arid wastes, which would be left silent and deserted to
the end of time, but for the talismanic power of gold. In these realms of Pluto, of sand,
dust and heat, nature has hid her hoards, and locked the door with drought. But the
"Nation Builders" found them in the wild ravines, where " the searcher's gold is bought
with his own heart's blood," and " where strong men fall and lie hke sheep in the thirst
of the golden quest": —

" A handful of workers seeking the star of a strong intent —
A handful of heroes scattered to conquer a continent.
Thirst, and fever, and famine, drought, and ruin, and flood.

And the bones that bleach on the sandhill, and the spears that redden with blood,
And the pitiless night of the molten skies, at noon, on a sun-cracked plain,
And the walls of the northern jungles shall front them ever in vain.
Till the land, that lies like a giant asleep, shall wake to the vicflory won;
And the hearts of the Nation Builders shall know that the work is done."

But the work, as Essex Evans so musically writes in The Australasian, is not done.
It has only been commenced; but it is being vigorously pushed on. A railway to Coolgardie
will do a great deal to " conquer the continent." It is a mar\-el of cheapness, which the
British money lender may regard with complacency as an asset that is worth about three
times as much as it cost. The route is flat ; there are no engineering works worthy of
the name. But what brought the price to about £5S^ per mile, exclusive of the cost
of rails, which are supplied by the Government, was the profit the contradtors will
make on the goods traffic, which is of a special value. When the extension to Southern
Cross was made, the fortunate contra(5lors used the line some time before they had to hand
it over to the Government. The rush of goods to Coolgardie gave them prodigious profits,
which had never been anticipated when the tenders were sent in. Before the day came
when they had to surrender the railway, the remarkable growth of Coolgardie, Hannan's
(Kalgoorlie), Menzies', Niagara, and Lake Darlot had quite inverted the theorj' that a
new country has to make lines to encourage settlement and produdtion. and create traffic.
If there had been no line, there would not have been as large a population on the field,

THK CAUSKWAY, rF.RTll.

VIEW FROM CEMETERY, PERTH.

MY FOVRTJl TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRAfJA.

and as many requisitions for food supplies which the people of the mining centres consume,
but cannot grow. Hence, the Southern Cross line was a gold mine to its builders, but
when the prices for the Coolgardic sc(5tion were sent in, it appeared that it was no longer
possible for firms to make two profits — for them to build a line at a fair price, and also
get a profit from its earnings. In future the Colony must be the gainer — in making of
railways to mining fields it must stand "on velvet." In other words. Western Australia
can lay these lines for less than half their cost price if only she will give the builder a few
months to carry for the public. Of course, what are known as the agricultural lines, have
to be paid for at their full price, but the Colony can well afford to do so, seeing that last
year the Railway Department netted a profit of £100,000. There was so great a call
upon the Southern Cross branch, which earned by far the largest proportion of this sum,
that a premium, or a penal rate (as it is variously called by the Department and the
miners), was charged to the gold producers. The Department, of course, pleaded the law
of supply and demand in justification of this differential rate. The railway manager
pointed to the fact that even with the inducement of low charges the branches to other
parts of the Colony were not overburdened, while the goldfields' lines were rushed by the
public and by consignors, in spite of the charges that were alleged to be excessive. 1 he
plea, plausible as it may have been, could not, however, long sustain the pressure of public
opinion and the opposition of the miners' representatives in Parliament, and uniform
rates on all the railways of Western Australia have now been adopted.

Cbaptcr 3.

The 20-Mile Sand Plain — Boorabbin — The Coolganlie Road — W'oolgangie-
Thc Traffic on the Road — The Horses and the Teams.

WE were at Southern Cross, the train only ran to Boorabbin, sixty
miles from Coolgardie; now passengers are carried to the Golden
City. We left Southern Cross after breakfast in the contractors' cars, and
slowly ran through some flat timbered country, chocolate soil, intersected by
salt lakes. The chief of these is Kean's Soak, where the condensers have been
at work ever since Bayley made his sensational find. The condenser, which
for a long time was the mainstay of the water supply along the track, consists
of a niimlxT of gaKanised iron pipes, connecting two tanks or reservoirs. The

brine is boiled in the tank at one end of the pipes, and the fresh water steam travelling

along the pipes, is conveyed into the other cistern and cooled. The water — according to

the intensity of the drought and of

thirst — has been sold at from threepence

to two shillings per gallon. At first it

was the most profitable of all enterprises

to start a condenser on the road to

Coolgardie. A good stand was like a

favourite corner for a tavern, and the

goodwill was worth a round sum,

especially at the camping places. Then

the Government came to the rescue.

In response to the loud cry of suffering

and of loss that went up to Perth, haste

was made to provide a public supply of

water at reasonable rates, and, happily,

between Southern Cross and Coolgardie

the topographical features of the country

were found to be highly fa\'oural)le to

the beneficent scheme. Along the road

which had been marked out to take

advantage of the niggard gifts of the Al.^M^ .m. k

Creator, in the matter of rainfall, rise

immense hills of granite, shaped very much like a saucer turned down upon its edge,

MY FOURTH TOUR I\ UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

but taller in the dome in proportion to the circumference. These cone-shaped rocks
are natural catchment areas. Around their base, the prospe(5tors, and later on, the
pioneer carriers, used to dig for water to keep themselves and their teams from perishing
of thirst, or they would search in the rocks for holes which had caught a little water
from a shower. It was evident to the Water Supply Department, that when rain did fall,
there was a deplorable waste of water, which, running off the rocks, was lost by soakage
in the surrounding country, and plans were approved b}' the Government to remedy this.
The rocks were fenced round ; dams were cut at the lowest level in the ground around
them, and trenches were sunk in all directions leading to the reservoirs. The result was
that the road became passable without the risk, the outlay, or the martyrdom endured by
the bold, hardy men, who were the first to leave their tracks upon the route leading to the
great town, set in the midst of a brown landscape, and the mining camps beyond Coolgardie.
Now-a-days, the salt lake and the condensers are chiefly landmarks of former hardships,
which have passed onward, to be repeated "out back," as the saying goes, in the vast
Continent, where white men have never trod before.

The train runs out of the forest country on to the 20-Mile Sand Plain, which used to
be the terror of teamsters, and the death of many a horse. The snake-like line, winding

as far as the eye can reach, is in sight from the
carriage windows most of the wa}-, and the still
deeper holes with the mounds in front of them,
where the digging out spade has been at work,
tells tales of the toilsome progress of many a
caravan of heavily laden wheels, of many a sinking
to the axle. Here and there, lying whiter than
tile sand, is the skeleton of a horse that dropped
by the way, and whose bones have been picked
clean by the crows and hawks, which are the only
living things to be seen in this gloomy region.
The details of the scene when the horse suc-
cumbed in the collar, are easy to conjure up,
under the tropical sun, which shows in relief the
freight-worn road. The jaded horse, panting and
goaded by the ever-cracking whip, the dragging
limbs, the patient strain, the last convulsive effort
to drag the load through clogging drift, the fall to
rise no more. A spare set of harness, dangling on the waggon, one horse less in the
trace-chains, more cruel overtasking, more thwacking, straining, gasping, the air thicker
with blasphemy than ever, and on the load rolls again towards the goal of Coolgardie,
the marvellous mushroom city, whose name is blazoned everj-where. This is no fancy
sketch. Listen to a teamster, look at the track in the treacherous sand, and you will
readily believe that the road has a ghastly history of cruelty to animals. Happily, the
train has bridged the 20-Mile Desert, and the sand drifts are erasing the deep spongy
trenches through which no wheel has now to pass.

THE COOLGARDIE TRACK. A DOKKEV TEAMSTER.

:^'""'

PERTH CUP DAY. LAWN AND STAND.

REVIEW, PERTH, MAY 24TII, 1895.

34 .VV FOURTH TOUR IX ]yESTERX AUSTRALIA.

Boorabbin was built in a few days as the temporary terminus of the line, and it looks
like it. Such a sarcasm on a township is a night-mare. It seems to be composed of a
semi-civilised aboriginal encampment and all the marine stores in Christendom. Or,
changing the simile, it may be likened to the halting place of people fleeing with their
household goods from Etna in eruption : or a deliberate burlesque, designed by some lunatic
wight, who sought to represent confusion worse confounded. It is a thing of threads and
patches, of bags and iron thrown together in the ugliest and flimsiest guise for shops and
houses, of goods of all kinds, thrown down on to the sands like the deserted baggage of a
routed army in the most disordered retreat. There is a railway-station here, but no sidings,
no goods-sheds, nothing but tops3'-turveydom. There is one hotel, the proper name for
which is a barn. This barn is the palace of the town. For all the remainder of the real
estate of the town, an old clothes man would surely hesitate to give manj' sixpences.
There are rows of shanties, for which shanty is a term of flattery — huts made of a few
saplings and potato sacks. These are the places of business in the Broadway, or Regent
Street of Boorabbin. The main street is a camping place for scores of waggons, and
hundreds of horses. Boorabbin is one of those places that could only spring into existence
in the wilderness, and at the furthest end of an uncompleted railway line. When another
twenty miles of the line is open, the town is moved along bodily and put down again in the
same disorder. Broken tent poles, torn canvas, broken bottles, dented tins : in short, a
scattered jumble of useless odds and ends is all that will be left upon the sand to mark the
deserted base of operations. At the new resting place, the same scene of indescribable
confusion occurs over again — the strings of half-piled waggons, the sullen Afghans cursing
amongst the stubborn camels, the loafers and the workers all jumbled together in the white
glare of the scorching sun, and a solitary police trooper, booted and spurred — the only
self-possessed object amongst the crowd, strolling placidly around amidst the confusion.
Every man is a law unto himself. Everything, including the weather, is at fever heat.

The sun is prostrating, the dust is stifling; the drinks
more than luke-warm; the whole place is vile. The
most imaginative Boorabbinite, surely, could ne%'er hear
" Home, Sweet Home," sung without a shudder. It is
a place to be approached with repulsion ; to be fled
from in disgust. Of all the strange offspring of the
Golden West, Boorabbin is the most distorted.
We left the place with all speed, as soon as lunch could be eaten, and a special coach
team harnessed up. It was necessary, in order that we should keep to our time table, to
move on quickly, and never was forced travelling more acceptable. The five horses bent
to the collar to move the coach through the sand, which is ground to a fine powder bj- the
waggons, and then through the blinding red dust, which hides the horses from the driver; the
journey wound in and out through some stunted trees, between masses of granite smaller
than those which have been utilised by the Government as water catchment areas. In the
glimpses to be snatched between the whirl-winds of red flour which rose from our wheels,
we saw in front of us what appeared to be a solid dark wall. Through the wall, which was
of dust, there emerged two coaches ; they had come through from Coolgardie. Then we saw

HOTEL METROn.LK IANl> N') M JM AKK ! I, HOORARBIN.

WILD FLOWER SHOW, PERTH.

DWVEKS LAKE.

D I

^fY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

the seamy side of coaching to that city, where horses are so dear to keep, and feed so scarce
and costly, that no horse able to stand upon his legs can be given a spell. As the coaches
came up, the cracking of whips was as incessant as a fusilade of revolver shots. Creeping
through the sand at a staggering walk, with heads bent down, moved the coach team, their
nostrils dilated and blood red, the rheum clotted like gore with the ruddy powder from the
road, witli sides as wet with perspiration as if they had come out of a river, ami hide
tattooed with the driver's thong. The horses, some of them shrinking from large shoulder
galls, stood with heaving flanks, while the coachmen exchanged brief notes of the news of
the day. Up till then, I had never seen such a picture of distress, but in the Nor'-West,
as will be told in its place, there was as much room for pit)- for starved and ill-used horse
flesh on another daj-.

Before we had been twenty minutes on the road from Boorabbin, we had become
acquainted with the difficulties of the Coolgardie track. It is sometimes referred to as the
Coolgardie road, but the man who applied the name to this unique highway would include
murder, arson and rapine among the polite arts. It is merely a track cut through the sand,
decplj' scarred with ruts. In places it narrows across a tract of rocky ground, and again it

broadens out to a width of over a quarter of a mile, where successive
coach drivers and teamsters have endeavoured to leave the beaten
path and find a firmer strip of foothold for the distressed horses.
For the most part the way is straight, and both before and behind,
as far as the eye can reach, the track extends, a yellow, bumpy,
swollen and distorted clearing through the scrub. At each struggle
of the horses, and each revolution of the wheels, the sand flies up
in the form of a dull red fog, and covers coach, horses and
passengers, transforming them into representations of terra cotta
images, and filling eyes, ears and nostrils with the pungent dust.
Through the thickest part of the road the coach rolls and heaves
painfully, and at every small patch of solid ground, encouraging
words and persuasive lashes urge the horses into a faster gait.
Bump ! bump ! bump ! goes the coach. The inside passengers
clutch at the seats to avoid bringing their heads into collision with
the roof, and the passengers on the roof sei^c the rails at every
swerve and jolt, and duck their heads as the sweating driver swings
his long whip. It is impossible to retain one's position on the roof
for fifteen seconds at a time, and the thin, hard cushion which is
provided for outside passengers, is all insufficient to break the
severity of the concussion. By the time Woolgangie is reached,
we have ceased to regard a wooden chair as a comfortable resting place for our weary limbs.
Woolgangie, 36 miles from Boorabbin, and 40 from Coolgardie, is, at the time of
writing, the terminus of the line, which, when we were going through, was rapidly being
pushed on by a large gang of men at the rate of sixteen miles per month. At Woolgangie
the worst of the road has been passed. Beyond this stage there are no sand plains, and,
except within ten miles of Coolgardie, no hills ; and then only undulating country is met

h-jf^i

TYPICAL AFGHAN CAMEL DRIVER.

( This Sketch was made in the itark,
with the aid of tuci/ers).

CLAKEMONT.

JAKKAllUALE TIMBER STATION.

3^^

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERX AUSTRALIA.

with, so that, even before the Hne is completed — which will be before these lines appear in
print — the waggon and coach-horses will get some relief on the Coolgardie track. But after
the opening of the railwa)-. they will be removed to other routes within the auriferous area,
which are just as heavy as the roads I have described. If anything I could say would
help to bring about the supervision of horses employed on the goldfields, m order to
prevent shoulder-galls, or worn out animals being worked, nothing would give me more
pleasure, for there is no doubt that men have to suffer such hardships themselves in the back
country, that they often become callous to the suffering of their dumb assistants. On the
other hand, I fully admit that the rates paid for cartage have been so good, and the draught
teams, which are mostly imported, are so valuable, that, as a rule — and especially since the
rails traversed the 20-Mile Desert — the waggoners keep their horses in excellent condition,
and except for collar sores, there would not be very much to complain of. The chief evils,
against which I make strong protest, are to be found in connexion with the comparatively
few Western Australian horses employed in the carrying of goods. These teams, possessing
the endurance of a mule as hacks or in light harness, are not massive enough to be fit to

compete with the imported horses, but
they often have to do so, for if a man
cannot afford to buy imported horses,
his straitened means is prone to lead him
to be all the more exacting in what he
expecfls from the native breed. Then,
again, in the coaches are to be found
horses which, in any other part of
Australia, would be turned out in a
paddock for a rest, but as there are no
paddocks that would supply water and
feed for stock in a mining country, and
it is too far to send pensioners to town,
the coach proprietors think they have
some excuse for taking the last ounce
out of the occupants of their stables.

Woolgangie is the site of one of the
largest Government dams; 50 acres of
rock, round, rugged and bulky, like a huge wart on the plain, feed the reservoir, which
waters everj' day many hundreds of horses and camels. At nightfall, the scene is a
striking one. Teams arrive in battalions along the dusty road, the waggons, the horses,
the drivers skin deep in " one red burial blent ;" everything is coated thick with ochre, which
blinds the eyes, and stops up the nostrils. Hour after hour, from sundown till far after
dark, the long procession pours into the camping place, the drays, piled high with
merchandise, and with eight, ten, or twelve horses. The pump at the troughs is plied
incessantly. The deep-chested heavy draughts strain their eyes eagerly in the diredtion of
the water while they are being unyoked, and as soon as the last buckle is undone, break
away to the tank to lave their heads almost up to their ears in their haste to drink. These

JATHER DLKI-', THE CYCLING PRIEST, COOLCARDU:.

HAULING LOGS. KARRIDALE TIMBER STATION.

FELLING KARKL KAKKIDALE TIMBER STATION.

40 MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

rocks, one feels, have saved a world of suffering. Thanks to the liberality of the Govern-
ment, there is no measuring of the water to the thirst)' animals. The charge is so small,
that every beast is allowed to drink at will. It is only when Darky or Sultan lifts his head
with a deep drawn sigh of relief, after the long, hot stage, and can take no more, that he
is led away. The corn sacks are opened, the nose-bags filled, and when the monotonous
champing on grain and chopped hay is in full swing, the waggoner, who always serves his
horses before he serves himself, lights his camp fire, boils the inevitable "billy" of tea, to
wash down mutton and damper. The soothing pipe, the rug stretched on the bare ground,
a horse collar for a pillow, and the driver — who has spent another day in yelling, whipping,
walking, steering, getting fast and getting free, and pushing on to Coolgardie at the average
rate of a mile and-a-half an hour — is soon wrapped in the deep slumbers of fatigue. " For
weariness can snore upon the flint when rusty sloth finds the down pillow hard."

This was practically our first halting place since we started from Perth some thirty
hours before, and it was a relief to find ourselves stationary for awhile. We left Perth
in suits of sober grey, with clean silk shirts and hats of reasonable dimensions. We
slept, or feigned to sleep, in something less than half that amount of clothing, and we
emerged from the train at Southern Cross clad in Khaki suits, and hats with brims that
in width resembled the roofs of a California verandah. We had sweated in the train,
and been baked and bruised in the coach, and we were read}- for a rest.
If four people performing their ablutions in one basin of water can be
called washing, we washed at Woolgangie for the first time since starting,
and after a hearty meal we loosened our belts and boot laces, and sprawled
about on the warm sand to enjoy a final pipe before retiring to the
delights of the wire mattresses. At this period of the day, tobacco smoke
seemed sweeter, the tinkle of the camel bells became a lullaby, and we
stretched ourselves on the fiat of our chests in order to irritate our

THE INEVITABLE "niLLV." , . i- i -i I

bruises as little as possible.
The magnitude of the road transport of goods to Coolgardie is without a parallel, for
every other equally popular centre has had time to lay a railway to its doors, long before
the carrying trade grew to such proportions. But the sudden creation, and stupendous
growth of Coolgardie, the wonderful city of a remote wilderness, came unawares. The desert,
which had been almost a trackless solitude, had hardly been invaded by Bayley ere its fame
was echoed in the four corners of the universe; it became the Mecca of tens of thousands
of pilgrims, and the destination of the cargoes of a fleet of ships. The abrupt pressure
of the times made an imperative call upon the teamsters of all the Australian Colonies.
They flocked to the new El Dorado. Everj' intercolonial steamer had its decks encumbered
with wains, from which the owners had not stayed to erase the names of hamlets all over
the backblocks of Australia. The after-decks became menageries of horses, so thicklj*
massed that the shipping authorities had at last to interfere in the interests of the health
and exercise of steerage passengers. Horses arrived at the rate of seven or eight hundred
a week, to the behoof of the revenue, which taxed them £i per head. Some vessels, like
the Nemesis, slow, but weatherly, carried horses for the Coolgardie road right up to the
saloon deck, and carried horses in preference to passengers, who did not pay such large

dl^^

THE ROAO TO COOHiAKDIE- GNAKLBINli .suAK

Tllli KOAD TO COOLGARDIE. BOORABBIN SOAK.

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

J=.Jt

profits to the owners of the steamers. There were men wlio staked
capital hberally in the horse trade, and won largely at the game until
competition reduced the profits. The livery stables were at a premium ;
the produce market, in the worst years that Vidloria had ever known,
found a new outlet in sending fodder to the west to feed the incoming
horses ; the sea sharks

must have grown fat upon the carcases

that were thrown overboard in The

Great Australian Bight, although at no

time was the rate of mortalit)' very

large, except in a few instances when

tempestuous weather was encountered.

And as fast as the equine levies poured

in, they were entrained to Southern

Cross to work in the carrying trade to

Coolgardie, and to earn the tempting

freights which could be paid, or had to

be paid by the gold seekers. Month

after month the Clydesdales arrived, and

still there was no diminution in the

demand; every shipload disappeared

from the city before the new teams had

found their land-legs. The emissaries

of the dealers travelled assiduously into

ail the breeding distri(5ts of Victoria,

New South Wales, and South Australia,

Tilt. WKLL-KNOWN KIDING CAMEL MISKKV ! HOLDING THE WORLD S
RECORD FOR TRAVELLING WITHOUT WATER.

A. D. BROPHY, PROSPECTOR.

GOVERNMENT WELLS. SAND I'LAIN.

^yrr

:^>-^

>?*^

"ib..

NEAKING COOLGARDIE.

44 .VV FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

where there had been for some time a surplus of draught stock. In Vi(5toria, the soil, the
climate, and the rich pastures of the Gouldbourn valley, the Loddon, the Western distrift,
and of Gippsland, are admirably adapted to the development of the horse. While prosperit}'
reigned in that Colony, and railways were being made in every direiftion with John Bull's
money, horse-breeding had been a favourite pursuit. The best blood had been imported, and
it was the pride of every farmer to raise high-class plough teams; and then, suddenly, a blight
fell upon the \alue of the stock. The boom period had passed. \'i(ftoria, after her conmiercial
Saturnalia, became contrite and frugal. More railways and public works — in the making of
which big horses are largely employed — had been construc^ted than stern economists could
justify. New expenditure in this diredtion was not to be thought of. The value of draught
horses in Vi(5toria fell almost as alarmingly as the value of real estate in Melbourne. The
paddock of every well established yeoman in a Colony which supports a larger rural
population for its acreage, than any other of the Australian group, were full of draught
horses. The outlook for the breeder was a gloomy one. \\'estern Australia's gold came
most opportune!)'. Coolgardie had to be fed and clothed ; new prospecting parties had to
be equipped ; mining machinery was wanted. Western Australia recjuired the horses that
were such a glut in the Eastern Colonies, and she got them in such large numbers that
Victoria became seriously depleted. Every land-holder was tempted to sell even his best
stock for more than its home value, and so the bu3ing and the shipping went on until now,
it is said, that Victoria — which, in despair, has begun to give up the breeding of heavy
horses — has scarcely enough of them to supply her own demands. " If," said a Victorian
pastoralist to me, " the Western Australian diggings had not broken out, I believe we should
have had to boil down our surplus horses for their fat. which would not have been much,
and make boots of their hides."

'PEGGED OUT.

(Ibaptcu 4.

The " Brumby " — The Woolgangie Cow — The Camels and the Afghans— The Devil's Grip —
The Teamsters — The Swampers — The Outskirts of Coolgardic.

' COLOUR AT LAST.

T is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Western Australia can-
not, or at any rate does not, raise a superior class of horses — that
is, as regards size and style. The native horse is very wiry. He
will go a longer journey on less food and water than any horse
in the world; he is like a mule in his inches and his toughness.
No prospector will knowingly take any other than a Western pony,
when he goes out to risk his life on long, almost waterless stages.
Such a pony will " cut his own hay," i.e., live on scrub or spinifex,
and come out at the end of an exploration journey, as lean as a
greyhound it is true, but still sound in wind and limb, after going
through what would kill a horse bred in any other country. The

Western horse is, however, deficient in breeding and substance. As a rule, his owner

knows as little about his parentage as Topsy knew about hers. In fact, he is often a

"warrigal" or a "brumby" — a wild son of the hills who has been "run in," as the

stockman's phrase goes, after a breakneck chase by daring riders, who ride as only an

Australian bushman would know how, or venture to do. The " brumby " is the descendant

of horses that got astray in the

early days, in the unfenced tracts

of the Colony, and in his own

class of work well repays the

trouble of his capture. As the

costermonger said of his dtinkey,

the small, western, ewe-necked

steed is "a rum 'un to look at,

but a good 'un to go." Still, he

would generally look as much

out of place in a freight waggon

as a Shetland pony in a furniture

van.

A wayside house has been

one of the minor chances of the

goldfields. A brave heart, a few

THK " BKL'MUV.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

pounds, a load of iron, have coined money in the interior of the Golden West. Three
self-reliant women " ran " the \Vool{^anp;ie Travellers' Rest. The place was homely, and
the fare not Epicurean, but the most was made of primitive resources. The one luxury
was a wire mattress, and the bill-of-fare was sauced with willing service. If the beds were
packed close together, the mutton tough, and the preserved vegetables insipid, what matter?
It is not long since even these would have been luxuries in the waste of the mining country,
where no green thing grows. Omelettes are not to be made without breaking eggs, and to
reach the goldfields you must be no carpet knight. The "tender-foot" should stay at home
until the train comes bj-.

Woolgangie has plenty of the grateful shade of brushwood. All the out-houses of the
waj'side house are of sapling with the leaves left on. The coach-horses have their stables of
this Indian kind of archite(fture ; the sad, lean sheep of the commissariat are killed in a
leafy bower. The cow — for Woolgangie has a cow — spends her miserable daj-s in an arbour.
Of all the distressful sights on the fields, or eit route to them, the cow is to me one of the
most moving. The Man in the Iron Mask was not immured more noisesomely in his
dungeon, than the wretched creature whose mission it is to wear out her life in sad repining

in the desert. The contrast
from the scene she has left is
enough to break her heart.
The luscious grass, the spring-
ing Lucerne plot of the
temperate south — the gold-
fields' cow is always an
imported animal, and of a
good strain, for no other
would keep in milk in the
Australian Sahara — must be
painful memories, ghosts of
jo\-s that are gone for ever.
Her anxious, pleading eye
looks out on scorched plains,
seen through the blinding glare, and day after day she frets out her monotonous, solitary
captivity — banished from the meadows, the running brook, the companionship of other
kine, the cheerful farm-house. The milking of the goldfields' cow must be a painful task.
The pulling at the dugs of the haggard and misplaced beast, for the starving drop of
milk, is a ghastly burlesque of the brisk, free, creamy flow which sings merrily into the
pail in the dairies of the genial and fruitful south. The Woolgangie cow is an Ayrcshire,
and for every drop of milk she gives, at least a pint is needed. New milk is what every-
body wants, milk for tea, milk for whisky, milk for soda, milk for townsmen, who declare
they don't like tinned milk, as though the goldfields' cow was a whole herd, in full profit,
in green spring grass up to their knees. The hostess wistfully tries to make the little jug
go round. A spasm crosses her face as the guests grumble for more milk. Can she get
blood out of a stone, or a plenteous lacteal fluid from such a source? But goaded by the

THK WOOLGANGIK COW.

COOLGARDIE.

BAYLEY STREET, COOLGARDIE.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

raucous voice of a burly White Feather man, "Now then, Missus, I hkes plenty of milk,"
she hurries with the empty jufj into the Ayreshire's pen to try and squeeze another drop,
and returns in despair. The dairy, like everything else on the road to Coolgardie, is stricken
with drou,i,'ht.

The coach-horses fare better at the changing stations than the Ayreshire cow, but none
too well. The}' are fairly fed, and it is not so unnatural for a horse as for a cow to be
without green food and liberty. He is in his proper place in the collar, if the collar does
not ulcerate his shoulders, and the stages are not so long as to make him groggy on his
legs, but he is liable to both these ills in the Coolgardie coach, where no substitute can be

TRACKLESS.

found for a " cronk " one at a monu-nt's notice. But " the hammer, hammer, hammer, on
the hard, high road," the want of a bite of barley in the spring, is rough on tendons, and
irritating to the blood, so that the skin is easily abraded, and all the virtue of bluestone and
embrocation often fails to heal the wound, which every trip opens afresh. The sand-hills,
the climbing of rocky rises, and the hot weather, tends to shorten the life of a Coolgardie
coach-horse. "They don't last long on this road," is what all the grooms say, " but some
of them last longer than others." The gamest of them are the most knuckle-kneed, and as
the veterans shamble along they are spared by the whip of the severest driver, who, to his
credit be it said, remembers their pace and stoutness in better days.

The horses which are fresh on the stations are easily picked out from the old timers.
The young ones get the place of honour in the lead, where, with a light heart they tling the
miles behind them, ready to do more than their share at the mere swish of the long line of

BAYLEY STREET, LOOKING TOWAKDS FLY FLAT.

BAYLEV STREET, FROM FLY FLAT.

50 MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

whipcord curling over their flanks. When they sober down the whipcord strikes as
well as frights ; then, as the jaded hoofs lose their free pace, the erstwhile colts and
fillies are taken from the place of honour and put at the near side of the pole; finally,
as the various breaking down stages are reached, they do a turn on the off side, under
the whip, before they become food for pigs, or are sold for the price of their hide, to
do the slow work of pack-horses.

The pack-horse has, however, been largely superseded by the camel. Thousands of
camels have been brought into Western Australia from South Australia, and from India,
during the last few years, to the great terror of city horses, whose cause has been espoused
in Parliament. The Legislative Assembly has listened for more than an hour to the tale
of woe of one of its members, whose horse bolted with him into the Swan River at the
sight of a train of the humped-backed brutes, who, as Rudyard Kipling writes, "smells
most awful vile." The peril of the member for York let loose a flood of eloquence on the
subject of camel nuisances, and the House supped full of horrors for a whole afternoon.
The noble horse, it appeared, could not bear to let a camel come between the wind and his
nobility. As the unsavoury scent was borne upon his nostrils he became unmanageable,
and when, turning a corner, he discovered the " ship of the desert," fortj- or fifty strong,
with their dark-skinned Afghan keepers, he resented their intrusion in a manner that kept
the coach-makers' yards full of shattered things on wheels. Ladies were unable to drive
their phaetons ; their husbands drove to the office in fear and trembling because of the camel
invasion, and one horse had actually refused to eat for days, because a long-necked foreigner,
who could go for a week without water, had been stabled within a quarter-of-a-mile of him.
The House, with one accord, agreed that the camel was a public danger, and must be
suppressed by the City Council in the interests of the safety of the citizens, like the small-
pox or the cholera germ. In future the camel must not be allowed to take his walks abroad
within certain prohibited hours, and the haughty Afghan driver must give way on the road
with his camel train at the approach of horses.

The fier)' steed of the metropolis, riotous with oats and with idleness, may amuse
himself with antics when he sees a camel, but the subdued overworked horse of the
goldfields has no energy to waste upon such e.xcitements. Like the lion and the lamb of
the Millennium, the Coolgardie camel and the Coolgardie horse lie down side by side at the
camp at the Woolgangie dam ; the horse will even drink at the same trough as the camel
without stopping to sniff the ambient air, but the racial antipathy between the teamster and
the tawny camel-driver is not so easily appeased. There is no open war between them,
only the under-current of a deep and mutual aversion, which is hardly less intense than the
fierce, undying, inextinguishable contempt and detestation of the working man, of whatever
grade, all over Australia, for the unspeakably-abhorrent Mongolian. The white man, strong
in the superiority of race, of the glory of the British Empire, regards the Afghan camel-
driver as an effete alien, who is as much inferior to him in brains as in muscle, a trespasser
against him in the labour market, and worse than all, a trespasser who is willing to work for
a low rate of wages. The Afghans, on their part, reciprocate the dislike, not in open
aggression, for they have the sullen cowed air of a subject people, but in the scowling eye
and muttered curse as they debouch from the track to allow the waggoners to pass. They

COKNER OK BAYLEY AND FORD STREETS.

WELCOME ARRIVALS IN COOLCAKDIE.

!•: I

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

are willing to wound but yet afraid to strike, and passively enduring the gibes and the
injustice, never provoke a rupture with the whites, whose wrath is to be dreaded.

The camel is one of the great features of the opening up of the goldfields. In the
waterless inland West, he finds as congenial a habitat as in the tropical Eastern countries.
At home, indeed, his powers of endurance had not so good a field to display themselves as
when he joins a prospedting party, the chief of which selects him because of the long time
he can go between drinks. The first camels are said to have been brought to Western
Australia by the Hindoo brothers, Faiz and Taigh Mahomet, and, although the camels were
looked upon with distrust by men who were accustomed to Western horses, they won their
waj- on the test of actual experience, and quickly came into favour. Then South Australia
was requisitioned for a supply from the stock which had been bred for use in the Northern
territor}', and these proved to be so good, that the trade of importing camels assumed large

proportions.
South Australia
not being able
to supply a tithe
of the orders,
steamers were
chartered to
bring camels
fr o m Indian
ports, but the
South Australian
strains always
have the call in
the market. It
is evident that
animals bred in
Australia have
an a d \- a n t a g e
over those im-
ported, which
have to become acclimatised to a new climate and diet, and suffer the strain of a long
sea voyage. According to some informants, the Indian camel after his first year here is
fully equal to the South Australian breed, but it will readily be understood that prospectors,
who are going to break new ground far from any hope of succour, except their own
resources, want the very best pack-carriers that money will bu}-, and are quite willing to
leave the seasoning of Indian camels to pack trains on the ordinary well-watered routes
of communication between the different fields. The camels, when they land from the
ship, have to undergo a month's quarantine, supervised by Government veterinary officers,
before they can get a clean bill of health, and during their detention the papers teem
with glowing advertisements, inviting inspe(5tion of the animals, extolling their virtues as
young, sound, well-grown bull camels, which have been specially selected, and are fit for

AT A POLICK CAMP.

THE FIKE AT COOI.CAKIJIH, l8y5.

mmumm^BBmsBsm

AFTER THE FIRE, CDOLGARUIE.

54 ^fy FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

any work, and adding that orders will bs filed for packs or riding — two very different types
of camels, to which further allusion will be made. Meanwhile, the new comers browse
contentedK' at Subiaco, in an enclosure of sandy heath, destitute of enough grass to feed
a bandicoot, but full of scrub, saplings, and trees, which are a good preparation for the
barren wastes of the uncxi>lored territory of the largest Colony in the world. When the
day of emancipation arrives, there is a great stir in the camp of the Afghan drivers, who
have been imported with their charges under agreements, drawn up by their employers,
that they shall be taken home after a certain term of servitude — agreements which, by-the-
way, have sometimes formed the subject of litigation soon after tlie men have disembarked,
and which, in one case at least, contained a fatal flaw. In declaring the bond null and void,
to the loss and inconvenience of the defendants, the Court expressed surprise that the firm
in question should have made the engagement in terms so loose and obscure.

The rider is as picfturesquc, tliough not so gaudy as his mount. With his blue shirt,
red turban, gold braid and wide trousers, stuck into high boots, he rides enthroned aloft
behind the hump, holding the landyard that serves as a bridle — the embodiment of the old

MofNT lirKGF.S.

cavalry sergeant's definition of a good trooper — "a man that sits his horse as if he were
part of it." The Afghan, accustomed from boyhood to the peculiar gait of a camel, which
is a cross between a springy and very rapid walk, an amble, a canter and a trot, sways
backwards and forwards as though he were an automaton set upon a very delicately-
balanced pivot. The swaying is the very poetry of motion ; he suits the poise to the aflion
and the artion to the poise so gracefullv, that the rider and the camel tnakc; up an
harmonious pi(5ture, every line and tone of wiiieii are in s\inpatln'. How fast lie goes, too!
There he is behind our coach, just as we are passing a train of pack-camels plugging along
with twenty tons of goods. Here he comes. The coach-horses walk up the steep rise ; the
gaily-dressed hack-camel comes along with his swinging movement, to which hill and plain
are all the same. The motion of the bony legs is as even as the beat of a paddle-wheel,
facile as the stroke of an eagle's wing. He is level with the coach; he has passed it in a
moment, and over the brow of the hill he paces at a rate that will carry the .Afghan, with
his blankets, food, and the sundries of a fantastic kit, nianj- leagues without a pause.

The coach has two more stages before reaching Coolgardie. It passes over the
"Devil's Grip," where even our specially chartered and lightly-laden conveyance has to
drop its passengers till it gets through the pinch. The "Devil's Grip" is a cruel tussle for

AHTKH KAIN FLY FLAT. COOLGARDIE.

A HOUSE IN THE WILDERNESS NEAR COOLGAKUIE.

A/V FOURTH TOUR I\ UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

the teams. There is half-a-mile of sand — quicksand it might almost be called, so far do the
wheels sink into its tenacious depths. The foothold, even to the wayfarer, is as false as
dicers' oaths ; for the horses it is a veritable Slough of Despond. Some of the teamsters
"double-bank," as they call it, by putting on a mate's complement of horses, and then going
back for the waggon that has been left behind. Others, who are not " mates" with anyone,
take off half their loading, and flog and swear to make one horse do the work of two. It
is in the "Grip" that the single file harnessing which is always seen on the track, explains
itself. Anywhere, except on the goldfields, horses are yoked two or three abreast for heavy
loading. There is a saving of tracftion, as the horses get nearer to their work, and, conse-
quently, have a better "purchase." No "new chum" can understand why goldfields
teamsters throw away power by stringing out their horses in a line, perhaps twelve or
fourteen long, until he finds who is to blame. It transpires that the West Australian
teamsters, who drove with small loads to Coolgardie when it was first discovered, used to
harness tandem-fashion. They "cut the track," and the track is too narrow for two horses
to walk abreast — that is to say, a pair of horses would kick the soft stuff into the wheel ruts
and make the road impassable for the waggon. Everj- waggon must have its axle only the

width of the track, and
that width is narrower
than the width of
waggons built in the
other Colonies. \\'hen
the invasion of team-
sters took place, there
were among the new
comers men who, con-
fident in their experience
and the strength of their
horses, prided them-
selves upon taking to the road with the wide axles. They would, they said, cut their own
track, and get the benefit of harnessing up two abreast. But, the "t'othersiders" had to
confess defeat ; they found that once made always made applies to the road to Coolgardie.
To cut a new track on a road so worn and treacherous was impossible, and, reluctantly, the
imported teamsters got their axles shortened to run their wheels in the deep, narrow furrows
of the route, which only allows twelve horses to do the work of nine. The tourist will
find it is an irritating question to ask a driver from " the other side " why he does not
couple his horses, and the answer will not be complimentary to his West Australian rival, who
chuckles over the narrow axles as one of the very few things in which the "t'othersider "
has to follow instead of lead. But the "t'otherside" teamster can teach his native rival
several points that he would do well to learn. He can teach him that it is better to
outspan and take the road at six o'clock or earlier in the morning than to linger abed
until the sun is well overhead before making a move, and hv. knows how to feed, water
and harness up his team, in half the time usually devoted to these operations by the
"brumby." For the Westralian teamster has yet to learn the need for haste. "Dam

ROCK AND BUSH, COOLGARDIE.

COOLGARDIE FKOM MOUNT EVA.

COOLGAKIME FKOM THE NORTH.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Sandproper," a Victorian driver, remarked to me as we watched a rival teain making
their leisurely preparations for a midday start, "S'pose the beggars have been kep'
waitin' for their dam shavin' water!" (I had better explain here that the word "Sand-
groper" without the prefix, "dam," is not a term of reproach. The native West
Australian is a "Sandgroper" just as a Victorian is a "Gumsucker," and a New South
Welshman is a " Corn-Stalk," a South Australian is a " Crow-Eater," or an Englishman
is a "John Bull ! ")

Along the wayside, with coats off, carrying walking sticks cut from saplings, without
"swags," or even a wallet, to say nothing of a "billy," are to be seen scores of pedestrians
stolidly trudging wide of the dusty road. They would look like picnicers who have left
camp to pick flowers or explore the neighbourhood, only that one cannot imagine picnic
parties in a Sahara, and the garb of the wayfarers is anything but festive, limited as it is
to a shirt, wide-a-wake hat, mole.^kin trousers, and hcav\- boots. And if they are not
picnicers, where are their tents, blankets, rations, or quart pots, for they are a long way
from a wavside-house ? Tlic coachman .=ays they are "swampers." A "swamper," it

appears, is a " swagsman " without his " swag," which
is on one of the waggons. The teamsters get from
15s. to £1 per man for the "swamper's" privilege of
tramping to the fields without the impedimenta that is
usually carried on the wallaby track. At camping time
the footmen will swarm round the waggons, like bees
about a hive, to get their "bit of tucker" and make
and finall}' they will reach the mines with
most of their coach fare in their pockets,
a little late no doubt, but all the better
for their 120 mile walk from Southern
Cross to Coolgardie. In such a climate,
and on such a road, the " swampers "
get full value for their swag-money
instead of " humping bluey," and the
" boodle," as the teamsters call the
charge they pocket, helps to pay their
heavy corn bills.
The road is b\' no means lonely. The commissariat caravans are met with every
mile. There are light traps of all sorts going and coming; the hawker's cart, the spring
dray, the four-wheeled bugg)-, the returning procession of teamsters, whose sore-shouldered
horses are tied to the tail-board or run loo.^e in its rear, to give them a chance of recovery
before loading is taken on again. Some of these empt}' waggons have a rude awning, under
which the drivers recline and doze, for the horses need no guidance where they cannot
get off the track. Now we pass a waggonette, in which there are women who have
been brave enough to get so far into the wilds, and who look as though they will be very
pleased to get back again ; there are pony carts and nondescript chaises, in one of which
an Italian harpist and his inseparable companion, a violin player, are having a ride

GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS, COOLGAUUIE.

r r

IFT!

POST OKKICE, COOLtiAKUlli.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX IVESTERX AUSTRALIA.

to the railway. Perhaps music, excepting what I heard one mine manager call the music
of the stampers, has lost its charms at Coolgardie. More "swampers," more lumbering
springless jinkers with mining machinery, mammoth boilers and engines; more mountains
of stores to feed the multitude gathered at the harvest ground of gold ; more men pushing
forward on foot and on horse-back, and driving every variety of turn-out, from the spic-
and-span American buck-board, to the sorriest of cars. Each mile is a reflex of the
surging life of Coolgardie.

Within ten miles of the Golden City, the countr)-. which iiitherto has been flat and for
the most part of reddish soil, carrying light timber, changes to undulating gravelly tracks,
which, after what we have passed through, are agreeable to the eye, although commonplace
enough in any other part of Australia. At the foot of one low hill, the spot where a
waggon was wrecked through a break giving way, is pointed out. The smash was a fearful
one. The run-away load pressing upon the horses forced them into a gallop down the
incline. At the foot of the hill, the off fore-wheel struck a tree ; the waggon was overturned,

two horses were killed, and the loading scattered
far and wide. A profusion of splinters of deal
cases, almost as small as matchwood, attests
the shock of the collision, by which the teamster
.nm • -^Jiimniiiii^-^ f^k n ~ ^^'^^ ruined. Hard by the first condenser of

III \ VI, i 1 iif^^ '^Md^ 'iA Coolgardie is seen. It is a very large one, and

'' '' ■ -J'-««™^- *- " " so excellently equipped as to suggest that it was

set up by the Government. Then the roofs of
Coolgardie come in sight, looking like a sea of
silver ; the strong afternoon sun glistens on the
houses covered with the familiar iron of the
goldfields, and makes a da/./Ain^ sheen. The
traveller scans with quickened interest the first
glimpse of the sensational city which has
amazed a universe. The outskirts of Coolgardie
are not imposing. A few struggling shanties, some attempt at sanitary work, indicated
by the piling together of cartloads of cmpt}' jam and preserved meat tins, a notice posted
on a tree pointing to the location of the Corporation "tip," catrli the eye. Presently,
just as the coach is within a (juarter of-a-mile of the city, a strange sight, which may be
regarded as a happy omen, is presented. The ground, which for the whole of the journey
from Woolgangie has been as grassless as a flagged fcxjtpath, suddenly bursts into a carpet
of cloth of gold. A kind of orange-yellow clover, growing thick and luxuriant, appropriately
ushers us into the presence of Coolgardie. The weary wanderer who, crossing the thres-
hold of the goal of all his hopes, may be forgiven if he should be superstitious enough to
regard the yellow clover as a happy augury of his future.

Our whip, like the Irish car-driver, has reserved "gallop for the avenue." It is a fetish
with all Coolgardie coachmen to enter the town in good style, no matter how tired the team
may be. Our horses, which have carried only half the usual load, are comparatively fresh ;
they respond to the brisk cracking of the whij) with something like a show of spirit, and

~" «■. — ^^^^^f^-^t' ill

A COOLGARDIE COKNEK.

COOLGAKDIK IKISITIAI., CKNHUAI. VIEW.

COOLGARDIE HOSPITAL.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

sweeping round a corner, Bayley Street — the world-renowned Bayley Street — is before us in
all its majestic breadth. The street is broad enough for a review ground. It has been laid
out with a prophetic eye. When Coolgardie becomes as colossal as its admirers' dreams,
Bajley Street will still do justice to its splendid fa9ades. The road dwarfs the buildings of
the present day into meanness. Take away the new Post and Telegraph offices, the Victoria
Hotel, and the Chamber of Commerce, and Coolgardie is a shabby, trumpery place from an
architec5tural point of view. The best buildings are of wood and galvanised iron, the worst
are cabins of hessian, which, it may be explained — as hessian is one of the next prominent
features of the West Australian Goldfields — is the flimsy stuff that bran-bags are made of.

Cbaptcr 5.

The Necessary Wash — Coolgardie's Drink Bill — The Victoria Hotel— The Dining Hall and the
Diners — A Few Mine Managers — " Pink Satin " — The First Silk Hat on the Field —
A Cautious Miner — All the Delicacies of the Season at Coolgardie — High and
^^^^-^{^ Low Prices — The Unemployed of Coolgardie.

MAILS delivered, and the passengers set down at the \'ictoria Fiotel,
the visitor seeks a room, and may esteem himself lucky if he can get
one. A mattress on the verandah, and a wash in the bath-room, are
esteemed first-class accommodation. The wash after a ride to Cool-
gardie is delicious, the sight of water ecstacy. No "burnt-cork artist"

ever disguised himself so effectually as after a ride to

Coolgardie. The fearful freaks the red dust plays with

the images of a coaching party are passing strange.

They become the presentments of double-dyed ruffians,

who would sell a dying mother's bed, or cut a throat

for hire. Nothing is more curious than the gradual

transformation. The passengers leave Woolgangie no

uglier than the Creator made them. A whirlwind

rises, and envelopes the coach, and when it has passed,

lo! you see the faces of scowling malefactors, with

deep shadows under savage eyes, noses blurred with

dissipation, and mouths cavernous and swollen. But

these are only the first touches of the brush. The

perspiration darkens the paint, the whirlwind blows

again and again, each time adding new horrors to the masquerade, until by the time the

Victoria Hotel is reached, you shrink appalled from your nearest friend. The wash should

be begun with a trowel, to save the water, which is "allow-
anced." The key of the tap is locked up by the proprietor
with his gold. The sluicing operations of the new arrivals
almost choke the vent-pipe of the bath. The stuff comes
off in layers by dint of hard scrubbing. As each coat of the
dark gelatine is removed, something of the natural man
reappears, but it is well if the last cupful of the water is
not exhausted before you are fit to have a look round the
town.

Coolgardie lives at high pressure, and its drink bill is
enough to affright the prohibitionist. Nothing can be done

A FAMILY S AKRIVAL

MY FOVKTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

without a drink, and drinks are a fhillinj; a time. The \'ictoria Hotel is always full.
There are crowds in the bars, parlours, and in the spacious billiard-rooms. The pop of
corks is heard everywhere. The throng streams in and out, the barmen work like galley-
slaves, and still the parched throats are unappeased. No wonder no barmaid need apply.
The lustiest Hebe could not stand the strain ; but there is another reason for her exclusion.
The proprietor, with a nice moral sense, is averse to the employment of the fair enslaver.
The stern precisian's rule is felt to be all the more despotic, because at Coolgardie there

is very little of the
soothing companionship
of the gentler sex.
Probably there are as
many married men there
as in any other place of
its size, but there are
verj- few wi\es. The
disproportion of the
sexes is one of the
characteristics of the
jilace, which is not a
very eligible home for a
woman. It is peopled
for the most part with
men who have gone there
to make money. Their
helpmeets are in the old
home; their children are

being reared in a more

bracing climate than

that of the northern part

of West Australia. The

money-order office is the

busiest in the Colony,

remitting funds to wives

and mothers across the

sea. And here, of all

places in the Colony, where to receive a cordial from a neat-handed Phyllis would make

it a new elixir of life, the stony-hearted proprietor of the \'ictoria Hotel decrees that the

portals are barred to the daughters of Eve.

The Victoria Hotel is, except the Chamber of Commerce, the only brick building in the
town. The hotel is of two stories, and contains about fifty rooms. The plan is admirably
adapted to a hot country. There are broad verandahs front and back. The rear part of the
building has two long wings, enclosing a court-yard. To get a bed, j'ou have to telegraph a
long time in advance. At least that is the theorj', but it has been found in practice that it is

SCENE NEAR COOLGARDIE.

COOI.GAkUIE CRICKET TEAM AM? KKIENDS.

A PROSPECTINC. TEAM IN BAYLEY STREET

^fy FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERX AUSTRALIA.

better to post a letter. The Telegraph Department is quite demoralised by the press of
mining business, as Sir John Forrest found when he wired to the Victoria from Perth, and
arrived before his message, after being two days on the road. As I have said, it is a special
favour to get more than a sleeping slice of the verandah, but there is plenty of fresh air
there, and you dream soundly enough, if you are not walked over by some fellow-lodger
who is seeking his couch in the dark.

The insignia of the dining-hall of the Victoria, its glory and its impress, is a white
flannel shirt and pants. This is full dress in the Golden City, no matter what the rank of
the diner may be. The sun sways the fashion. The black coat and the stove-pipe hat of

the city broker disappear in a temperature
^ of 105 degrees in the shade. The most

'■"')|iii-!ii"|iii|lni,;||,;ii^j,^

^<-

fastidious Beau Brummel refuses to swelter
in them where a bath costs 2s., where heat
apoplexy hovers, and where men may dress
as the}' like without being voted vulgar by
a circle of lady friends. But the white
shirt and pants must be as spotless as
snow. Tailors have a slack time at Cool-
gardie, and laundresses more than they can
do. The man who would wear his shirt a
second time to dinner would sin against
the unwritten laws of the \'i(5toria as un-
pardonably as the man who ate his peas
with a knife.

The personnel of the diners arrest
attention. It is clear that Coolgardie has
been the gathering-ground of brains as well
as muscle. The type and calibre of the
brokers, speculators, representatives of
financial Companies, Syndicates, and
visitors, show the power of gold to draw
together all the most capable elements of
the human race. Here are men who bear
the stamp of education, of men who have
evidentlj' been accustomed to the refine-
ments of life, and who have been habituated
to compete against their fellows in large
cities under the stern rule of the survival of the fittest. Such men are not usually found
in the " back-blocks " — their presence in nascent Coolgardie is unique. From all the great
capitals, to join in the race for wealth, have come shrewd business brains, geological lore.
mining engineers, and arbiters highly accredited to enter into schemes of great pith and
moment. Everyone we meet is deeply absorbed in a gold mine. In this pursuit, home
ties are severed, home comforts sacrificed, social banishment endured, and the pleasures

A PRosPEcm

KAVIXE N'EAK COOLGARDIE

^ ^-^ J.

NEW year's sports — COOLGARDIE, 1895.

1 I

MY FOURTH TOUK IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

of London, Paris, New York, or Melbourne given up ; the sultriness and strain of the life
of the desert uncomplainingly faced by men who, to judge by their appearance, never
had the shadow of a physical discomfort until Coolgardie became the mustering-place of
intellect, as well as the battle-ground of brain.

The managers of the surrounding mines form the aristocracy of Coolgardie, and miners
who are not yet in charge of a claim, live in the hope of obtaining this distindtion. Mine
managers are unlike any other class of men on the face of the earth ; they are a class of
themselves, as stockbrokers are, and as Oxford undergraduates strive to be. Hut there are
many varieties of the class, and it is of one or two of these varieties and not of the class
that I am thinking. One could sub-divide them in many ways ; as, for instance, honest
and dishonest, cautious and reckless, extravagant and the reverse, &c. ; or one could accept
the unwritten creed of every individual mine manager, which holds that all mine managers,
with the single exception of himself, are branded in a greater or lesser degree with

the curse of incom-
petence. The old-
fashioned miner, who
was born in a Cornish
tin mine, cradled at
Ballarat, educated in
C al i for n i a , and
"broken" at Charters
Towers, turns up his
sunburnt nose at the
man who went to
College and learnt
Latin before entering
the School of Mines.
A man whose lullaby
was not the sound of
the stamps, and who
knew not " tailings"
in his hours of in-
fancy, is to the veteran an abomination in a gold mine. There is still another who dates
the commencement of his practical experience in mining from the day on which the
secretary of such-and-such Company notified him that the direcftors had approved of his
appointment to the general management of the Company's property. And between these
two extremes of bashful infalliliility and arrogant ignorance, there drifts into the wide
harbour of the gold-mining industry a crowd of men who are sometimes clever, often
humorous, occasionally conceited, and seldom uninteresting. What they had been before
they became mine managers would occupy many pages to ciironicle — every calling
tabulated in the "Trades" seftion of the London Direaory, and many more that the
compilers of that useful little volume do not dream of, have been drawn upon to supply
managers of what are usually termed "valuable gold-bearing areas."

WINUSAII, AT A SHAFT.

BAVLKV S REWAKI) CLAIM,

THE LONUONDEKKV.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

There is a in;in who dirocls the fortunes of a mine situated within a hundred miles
of Hannan's, and the mine is prospering under his capable supervision. That man has
travelled over most of the civilised world— as a circus acrobat. He is generally known as
" Pink Satin," and after doing his duty in conducting a visitor over the property, he will, if
the visitor be sympathetic, take him down to his camp, and produce the pink satin boots of
his former profession, and tell yarns of his circus days. He will tell you — if the mood is
on him — how he hung on a swinging trapeze by those same heels, and went through sundry
evolutions with the manager's wife, which included raising her in mid-air till her face was
on a level with his own, and whispering sweet nothings in her ear, while he kept one eye on
the manager, who stood in the wings threatening them with a pointed revolver. He was,
as I have said, a good man for his position, but I somehow feel that he is wasted amid his
present uneventful surroundings. Driving a tunnel into the base of Vesuvius would be
more in his line.

The first man who invaded Coolgardie with a silk hat on his head is still spoken of.
He was hardly the class of prospector who could have been expecfted to make his fortune
as a gold miner, and he did not belie expeclations. He was German b}- birth, and music
was his profession. His age was between sixty and seventy. He inquired of a group of
miners the direcftion in which the gold lay. The tallest man of the crowd answered his
question. "Gold," he shouted, "why it's everywhere! Whips of it, all round you!" — a
long arm waved excitedly round the German's head — " lashings of it right where you're
standing ! But you've blooming well got to look for it ! " and the big hand came down
upon the silk hat and drove it far over the old man's ears. This rebuff did not deaden

his ambition, although it ruined his hat. When last seen alive —
as the evening papers express it — he was kneeling on a barren
patch of sand, and mumbling, as he winnowed the worthless dust
through his fingers, " Gold ! all gold ! a thousand ounces to the
ton ! enough to pave everv street in Germany." He died on his
claim soon afterwards, and when they found the body it was too
far gone to bear transporting to the little cemeterj^ that had already-
been started at Coolgardie.

In the far North-West of Australia there is a man who graduated
in crime before he adopted mining as a profession, although his
crimes had usuallj- been committed on a gold field. He had been
dismissed the Victorian Mounted Police for "going for" his sergeant
with a revolver, and he severed his connection with Queensland in
consequence of his uncivil demeanour towards Kanaka labourers.
In "Golden Australia" he had betrayed his friend, been tried twice for manslaughter, and
once for assaulting a native girl with a pick handle. When I last met him he was
managing his own claim and terrorising his neighbours, both by words and deeds. It is
not unlikcl)- that he will one day die with surprising suddenness, and, as the census is not
taken very regularly in this neighbourhood, he will probably be forgotten before he is missed.
The West .Australian-born miner is not unusually cautious. I remember well one man
who had been born in the Colony, and both his parents had been Irish. He had never

CANVAS \SATliK JUG.

^ A

I'RINCE IMPERIAL CAMP, COOLGARDIE.

HANUS-ACKOSS-THE-bEA.

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

engaged in any other pursuit than mining all his life. His instindts of cautiousness
amounted almost to suspicion, but that may have been accounted for either by his parentage
or his calling. A friend of mine bought a mine from him for cash, and the payment was a
large one. The\- met at the Vidtoria Hotel after banking hours, and my friend tendered
the Irish-Westralian miner an open cheque. This, however, was not considered satisfacftory,
and the vendor demanded cash. My friend prevailed upon the bank manager to cash the
cheque, and he returned with a parcel of Union Bank notes as large as a bonnet box. But
even this form of payment was not accepted as legal by the old chap, who regarded gold
alone as cash. The bank manager, on the second visit, said he would see my friend damned
first, and then he would not cash the notes that night. The deal was therefore not
completed until the following morning. I was present when the gold was counted out,
and the cashier left all his other duties for nearly half an hour until he got the Irish-
Westralian's word that the money was corre(5l. " You appear to be as cautious as old

Quartz Outcrop himself," I remarked to the cashier,
jerking my head towards the ex-proprietor of the claim.
"And well I may be," he responded, savagely; "I had
to make up four quid the last time the old sinner cashed
a large cheque over this counter." No wonder he was
so cautious in his dealings with everybody else.

The cuisine of the Victoria is surprisingly good.
Delicacies come from Perth, in spite of the distance and
the torrid sky. The patrons of the hotel can afford to
live on the best that money can buy, and when money
is challenged to overcome difficulties, they are generally
vanquished. The fish and game are packed in sawdust
by a cit}' firm, which makes a speciality of the business,
and are despatched to Coolgardie by the mail train to
Southern Cross, and thence by special convej-ance to the
city of the plains. There the perishable luxuries are
placed in cool stores, which are thickly walled with
charcoal. The hampers, as a rule, accomplish the trip in
good order, but sometimes a loss occurs ; which, however,
must be compensated for by the profits of the business,
or the trade would not continue to be carried on after a
fairly long trial. Fish has a large share in the consignments. West Australia, which is
not bountiful of food for man or beast until forest land is cleared with much cost and
labour, and crops are grown, has prodigal harvests of the sea. The schnapper, which is
a luxury for the members of select clubs in Melbourne, is the cheapest dish that a
labouring man can put upon his table at Fremantle, while the sea mullet, whiting, brean,
and a dozen other choice varieties (to say nothing of the so-called salmon, which is almost
given away), are too plentiful for the demand. It is no wonder, then, that in spite of the
high cost of transport, fish is almost daily served at dinner at the Victoria Hotel.

Western Australia has been called, and not without reason, the land of large prices.

TVfE OF JAPANKSE BOY IN A
WESTKALIAN HOTEL.

WEALTH OF NATIONS. VIEW FROM SHAFT.

•J

M^^&^St^

oLTCKOr. WEALTH OF NATIONS.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

but although high charges are the rule on the road to the goldfields, in the cities and in the
mining centres, the rural "brumby'" who has not yet become infefted with the gold fever
from his more advanced neighbour, is, in matters of finance, as innocent as a tent-pole.
He is rough, no doubt, and his manners lack polish, but he is guileless upon the value of
coin of the realm. In Perth a shave costs sixpence, a shampoo ditto, and a "hair-cut" one
shilling ; and in Coolgardie the prices are just double, but these rates are modified in the
agricultural districts. One of our party who had been spending a few days in a pastoral
centre, decided to pay a visit to the local barber, and have his head "shingled" before
returning to Perth. The barber was still abed when he called, and after dressing and
ascertaining the objedt of the visit, he flatly refused to comply with it. " It was before
business hours," he said, and I believe he would have returned to bed again, but for the
importunities of our friend. Grumbling continuously, and with everj- show of ill humour,
he proceeded to shave him, "shingle" and shampoo his head, and bring water and clean
towels for the wash up, that brought the proceedings to a close. The charge, inclusive,
was fourpence, and the barber indignantly refused to accept more.

After this, it is not difficult to believe the story of the traveller who, after staying two or
three days in a country hostelry, offered the landlord English sovereigns in payment of his

bill. But the innocent-
looking yokel was not to
be caught by any such
dog's trick — he would
convince the Jack-a-
Dandy from town that
he was not such a fool
as he looked. " What's
this?" he demanded,
looking contemptuously
at the gold. " What do
you take me for? You
can't play that game on me! Take your stuff back, and just sit down and write me an
order on Monger, or I'll keep your 'osses till you do." Messrs. Monger and Co. were the
merchants in Perth, who at that time supplied nearly the whole of the southern country
places, and all the payments received by the local store keepers were in the form of
orders on the source of supplies.

A host of people at Coolgardie appear to have nothing to do. The auction marts are
always full of loungers, who take no part in the bidding, and seem only to be whiling away
time ; and listless groups of miners, idly smoking and talking, cluster round all the drinking
shops and boarding-houses. It is their notion of enjoying " exemption time " — that is, the
month or six weeks at the Christmas season, during which the mines may be idle without
disobeying the " labour covenants " of the leases. The holiday is demanded by the heat and
the want of variety in the miners' diet. After he has been working for some months
in gold-land he gets " run down"; his skin becomes sallow; blotches appear upon it; he has
lost his elasticity, and, to some extent, his strength ; his thoughts run more fondly than ever

AUSTRALIAN TWILIGHT.

COOLIiAKDIE, FROM THE ROAD TO HANNAN S.

HANNAN S.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

upon the genial lands he has left, upon the milk, the cgfjs, the greens, or the boiled turnips
of "good old Vic.:" he turns in disgust from tinned salt meat and vegetables, and he
yearns for e.xemption time, when he may roll up his blankets and book a seat by the coach on
the first stage of the journe}' of the wanderer's return. The loungers we see are the men
who " haven't got the stuff" to join the exodus to the south. Perhaps they are new-comers,
or have " been down on their luck " lately at cards, or, perchance, " Mary and the kids "
have been having the dodlor in the house lately, and an honest fellow whose heart aches
to visit them, can only see his mate off at the coach office, and as he grips his hand at
parting, asks him in a husky voice to be sure to go and see them, and send him the
latest news.

But if there is some idling done at Coolgardie, there is plenty of keen business as well.
The value of the trade of the place is shown by the pocket-handkerchief pieces into which
the original allotments are sub-divided. Some of the sheds which do duty as shops are
only a few feet square, while what ought to be their yards is full of other huts used
by photographers, land agents, and others of that ilk, who have found it impossible to
get a stand on the main street. Before Coolgardie can rank, architedturally speaking,
with even a second-rate country town, it will have to be re-built. It has been thrown
together too hastily for the artificer, and still less the architect, to have had much to
do with its composition.

SI BtRiMN VISITOR.

Chapter 0.

Fires at Coolgardie — The Bulletin makes Merry on the Subject — The American Smartness of the

Town — The Auction Sales of Stock — The Water Question — The First Discoverer of Fresh

Water in Coolgardie — Watering the Stock — How Coolgardie was Built — The First

Mayor, Mr. James Shaw — The Shortcomings of the Telegraph Department —

The Enormous Increase of Messages — The Woes of the Telegraph

Staff — Theatre Royal, Coolgardie — Arrival in Coolgardie —

The Missing Mine, and the Missing Owner —

A Thunderstorm.

HAS several times made fearful havoc at Coolgardie, where there
is no water to fight the flames, and no fire brigade. Whole blocks
have been swept away, and a great deal of damage has been done
by an excited crowd desirous of acting as a salvage corps upon
threatened premises. In allusion to these misdirected efforts, the
following sarcastic inscription appears upon a gaudily-painted axe
in a jeweller's window : —

"THE TOM, DICK AND HARRV,

Guaranteed to do /500 Damage per Minute,

As SOON AS You SEE Smoke within a Mile, please take this

PATENT FIRE EXTINGUISHER,

and smash everything.

Break into the place, and throw everything out ok the window,

AND APPLY FOR A MEDAL.

COOLGARDIE FIRE DEPARTMENT.'

A disastrous conflagration, perhaps the most extensive ever known in the town, took
place a fortnight before our arrival. Acres of ground, which had been crowded with stores,
were swept bare, giving rise to very exaggerated reports in the Press as to the loss sustained.
The Sydney Bulletin, referring to these assessments, writes in a characteristic strain:— "The
Argus (Melbourne), under a big heading about Coolgardie fire, states that the loss was
jr25o,ooo. The items of this large sum were not given, but can be supplied by any local
man. It is not generally known that most of the buildings burned down were hand-painted
by old masters. Titian's picture of Moses and the Bull and Bear Rushes, was frescoed by
himself on one of the biggest corrugated iron sheds. When the galvanised iron was melted
by the heat, it flowed like a lava river, and completely spoilt two Corregios and a Reubens on

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IX UESTER.X AISTKAIJA.

an adjacent slab hut. This item alone amounts to £100,000. Then the gum-tree, with the
existing mining regulations illuminated on it with rubies and sapphires, was also destroyed.
This amounted to £50,000 gone bang. The local groceries were valued at £75 3s., and the
drapery burnt cannot be put at a penny less than £33. The balance of the loss is accounted
for by the fact that the land Coolgardie stood upon was also burnt up, and the gold contents
of the reefs within forty miles were melted, and ran away into the centre of the earth.
Further, a large quantity of valuable tj'phoid microbes were completely destroyed, and at
least two hundred and fifty-three reports by mining experts were combusted. One weather-
board office, containing the reefs of forty distinct mining leases, was consumed ; no trace of
these reefs can now be found. The total loss must be near £25,000,000."

The Bulletin, no doubt, had some grounds for its
lampoon, but, nevertheless, the destruction of property
was immense. Coolgardie, however, can rival the
mushroom in the celeritj- of its growth, and no sooner
did morning dawn after the fire than the smouldering
ashes were cleared away, an army of workmen was
employed, timber and iron were telegraphed for, and
requisitioned from the local merchants. A fortnight
afterwards, when we saw the scene of the great
burning, nearly all the devastated premises had been
re-built.

Coolgardie is not the place for the slow-going
drone. The rush there has been so great that there
is an American smartness about the town that is in
striking contrast to any other entrepot in West Australia,
which, up to a year or two ago at any rate, rivalled
Tasmania in being the land of the somnolent. There
are so man\- shopkeepers in every line, that, in spite
of the high rents, prices are cut very fine. As they are usually marked in "plain figures," it
can be seen that, allowing for the cost of carriage, the rates are rather below than above
those of Perth ; but fruit and drinks are notable exceptions to a moderate tariff. Oranges
are 5s., and bananas of shrivelled and uninviting aspect 3s. per dozen, while even ginger-beer
is IS. per bottle. At ever}' third door there is a large display of prospectors' and miners'
requisites, but, barring the shabbiness of the buildings, there is nothing that is suggestive of
the "general store" of an alluvial mining rush, whose stock consists of a waggon-load of
goods of every varietj', from a needle to a windlass. At Coolgardie, the ironmonger and the
saddler, the butcher and the draper, is each as much of a specialist as he is in an old-
established town.

The visitor can spend an hour full of novelty at the auction sales of stock. There are
two marts, where horses and camels, and all kinds of turn-outs, are sold to the highest
bidder. The auctioneers of the two yards are as unlike each other as a patter song
and a dirge. The one clatters on like a policeman's rattle ; the other's voice is as measured
as the strokes of a bell. The voluble man is an artist in words, in painting fancy pictures of

THE EVER-WELCOME " BULLETIN.'

MAfM STREET, HANNANS.

.**^^-i

ncMwt WTD. ~

Vm I r T

THE EXCHANGE HOTEL, HANNAN S.

MY FOURTH TOUR I\ ]Vr.STERX AVSTRA f.IA.

the horse. Like the air-drawn dagger of Macbeth, what he has to sell is for the moment a
creature of his imagination. The limp of an equine cripple is lost to sight in the glamour
of his tongue ; the age, leanness or spavin of a crawler become transfigured into the fanciful
form of a high-mettled colt champing on the bit, and showing fiery paces. A merrier man
within the limits of becoming mirth never mounted a rostrum ; quick at repartee to silence
a derisive interjection, while his searching eye roves over the crowd, looking for the faintest
indication of a bid as intently as a hawk preparing for a swoop into a poultry -yard. The
hesitating advance of a timid buyer is snapped up with the avidity of the bite of a shark.
The purchasers are cajoled, reproached, flattered, and exhorted with a vehement fluency
which only makes a momentary pause, when the hammer comes down with a sharp rap, and
a new candidate for exaltation is introduced.

THROrt.ll THK nRKAUFUL SAM*.

On the fields the eulogy of the horse is attuned to drought. It is not his size, his
strength, his swiftness, nor his draught power that the auctioneer or dealer extols. What
they tell fables about is the extreme sobrietj- of the animal that is under offer — in other
words, that he does not drink iiuich. Thus we hear Demosthenes in his box in one of
his flights of eloquence exclaim when an emaciated, sore-backed weed is led in — " Now,
gentlemen, I have to call your attention to a horse that has been out to Lake Darlot
(or some other extremity of drought-land) for the last six months. He can go four days
without water, and would take you through the gates of Sheol, only that none of you will
ever want to go there without looking for a drink on the road."

Coolgardie is not badly off for water for household purposes. It is the scarcity of the
supply for the batteries of the mines that causes all the outcry that is so familiar to the ears
of investors. Where the battery water is to come from is a problem that it is hoped
the new and powerful boring machines purchased by the Government, and which are to be
kept going with a large sum of public money, will be able to solve. It is a problem that the

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

ablest engineers are studying, and it is not too much to say that millions sterling are at stake
upon its satisfactorj- solution. But while the development of the mines is hindered by the
shortness of the supply, there is no household drought in the city, although it is true
that every man cannot afford the luxury of a daily bath. Yet with two shillings in his
pocket a man can get a bath at any moment, all the squibs and caricatures of the funny
papers to the contrary- notwithstanding. It may be amusing to see a hotel visitor depicted
as standing in a pan, being dry-blown with the kitchen bellows in lieu of a wash, while the

scullery-man eagerly examines the dish
for fine gold ; but, as a matter of fact,
the sketch is a clever slander on the
Golden City.

Patrick Walsh claims to have been
the first man to discover fresh water at
Coolgardie, by sinking a well. He went
to the field soon after the first rush, and
to-day he is a man with a grievance
against the Government. The history
of his trouble is very simple, and, to
a certain extent, it is corroborated by
the records of the Lands Department.
He put down a well on Crown land,
within a few hundred yards of the
centre of the town, and on reaching
water, drew it at a high profit for the
people. The Government surveyed the
site of the well, and sold it at auction.
The bidding was so high, owing to the
value of the water, that Walsh was
unable to purchase the site of his find,
and he was only paid the cost of his
improvements. More sinking was done
on adjoining blocks, and every shaft
reached a crystal spring. There were
four wells in working order when I
visited the spot, and Walsh was putting down a fifth. He claims to have performed a
great national service for West Australia, and to have been requited with gross ingratitude.
He has persistently urged what he deems to be his deserts, but in vain. According to
him, his exceptional Queensland experience guided him to the only place where there
was underground fresh water at Coolgardie, and he contends that his discover}- was
worth a bonus and the fee simple of the site of his well, or, at the least, an appointment
in the Water Works Department.

The wells are certainly an estimable boon. The buckets, or rather hogsheads, are
worked by horse power. The gear and design are of the best, in order to be adequate to the

THH GRKAT KIKE AT COOLGARDIE.

THE AUSTRALIA HOTEL, HANNAN S,

OLD WELL AND FlK.Sl', HANNAN >.

f«4

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

great demands upon the water. Money has been invested by Syndicates in the wells, which
are giving a high return upon the outlay. The water is sold at threepence per gallon, and
the horse, who walks in a circle, winding a steel rope round a large drum, gets very little
rest. The wells are favourite watering-places for stock. The drinking-troughs are divided
into measurements, like an apothecarj-'s glass, only instead of drachms and ounces, the
trough-markings indicate four, eight, twelve gallons, and so on. When a man brings his
horse or camel for a drink, he orders a certain number of gallons, which is forthwith let into
the trough bj' the turning of a tap. The four-footed customer watches the stream as
it flows as greedily as a bar-room "bummer," with his mouth watering for full measure. A
camel that has done a dry "pad" for the last few days will scream with impatience while
his drink is being run out of the tap for him. The last drop may be sucked up with such an
air of disappointment, that the owner, taking pity on his faithful hack or pack-carrier, will
sometimes re-open his purse to pay for another gallon or two. In his
first order, a driver is careful not to call for more than his animal can
"put away," for "heel-taps" are the owner's loss. All the water that
is run into the trough must be paid for. But the measure is not miserly,
and it is said that a miner " down on his luck " can get a free drink for
his thirsty beast, or, at any rate, a very liberal drink for a very little
money.

The wells are at the foot of one of the small hills which rise all
round Coolgardie. The town may be said to be encircled by low, stony
ranges, bare and brown. On one of them the shaft of the famous
Bayley's Reward Mine is pointed out as an object of special interest in
the dreary scene. The Golconda is not a place where a sense of the
beautiful can be cultivated. " We have come here to make money, and
when we have made it, ' Good-bye-Coolgardie ' " is the universal senti-
ment. It is no wonder that no one would live here except in the service
of Dives. Coolgardie is indeed the counterpart of India as a place of
profit and penance, and it sends more invalids than India to recruit in
latitudes which are more favourable to the vigour of the European. The children seen
in this Temple of Mammon are most to be pitied. They are under a most unhealthy
strain, which stunts their growth and robustness; they are weazened and drooping, like
wilted daisies plucked from their native soil. Happily, there are not many of these little
martyrs bearing the heat and burden of the day, for the house-room needful for the
setting up of homes and the rearing of families cannot be rented. Every man has to
build his own house at Coolgardie, or live in a tent. Hence few of the men of Cool-
gardie have their children with them.

Even on the outskirts the hammer and the saw are busy. Three large hotels are being
built. One of them is a huge two-storied wooden strud^ure, the erection of which has come
to a standstill half-way, as if some thought of the pyre it would make in a midnight blaze,
while some hundreds of people were asleep within it, had suddenly occurred to the architeft,
the owner, or the authorities. A more fearful death-trap cannot be imagined than that
enormous pile of fuel alight in the small hours of the morning. Strolling round Coolgardie,

EVOLUTION.
A NOTE IN DAVLEV

POST OFFICE STAFF, HANNAN's.

THE OLD POST AND TELEGRAPH OFFICE, HANNAN's.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

whole streets of canvas habitations are passed ; miles of sheltered sheds unworthy to be
dignified with the name of houses. A year ago Coolgardie was half its present size ; a year
hence, unless it receives an unexpected check, it will be twice as large as it is to-day.

Nearly all the leading Australian banks have branches at Coolgardie, and they usually
occupj- the best buildings in the place. In common with the rest of the town, the present
strud^ures sprang from small beginnings. The Bank of Western Australia was inaugurated
here by a couple of officials sent from Perth. They gave a contract for an iron stru(5\ure,
which was erecfted in a fortnight. One of the officials then went to Southern Cross, sent

his report to Perth, received in reply
a box of notes and gold, returned
to Coolgardie and opened the first
banking establishment in the town.
On the following week they sent to
headquarters more bullion than they
had received to start the business
with. The same two men afterwards
proceeded to White Feather, built
the bank themselves — it consisted
of a canvas lean-to — and took it in
turns to sit on the safe and warn
off doubtful intruders, until a more
secure structure could be erected for
housing their stock-in-trade.

The first Mayor of the City,
Mr. James Shaw, is a man of great
force of character. Mr. Shaw, who
is most courteous and hospitable to
visitors, is an excellent raconteur, and
he has seen a great deal that is worth
talking about. His experience as
the first magistrate of one of the

SHAW. URST MAYOR

"■""'" most remarkable municipalities on

the planet, has been full of stirring
incidents of progress. Among the objects of interest in his bureau is a museum of specimens
exhibiting gold in stone of the most diverse character. Mr. Shaw, or "the Chief" as he
is affe(5tionately called, is the idol of "the boys," and the most popular man in Coolgardie.
The stories that are told about him are more numerous than the stories he tells, and one
Court incident in particular is worthy of reproduction here. Plaintiff has used insulting
language towards defendant, who had promptly retaliated by knocking him down. Plaintiff
was sueing for assault, and Mr. Shaw reluctantly awarded him £i as damages. Plaintiff
applied for costs, and his request was met with — " Costs ! Certainly not ! A man who
can't fight shouldn't use insulting language!" Mr. Shaw is a leading stock-broker who
has well earned a holiday. He is about to take it, and will leave on his trip to London

TIIK STOCK EXCllANr>K, IIANNAN S

FACING THE CAMERA.

MY FOURTH TOUK IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

amid the felicitations of his fellow-citizens. London, it may be added, is the trysting-place
of a surprising number of the men one meets at the \'ictoria Hotel ; they have either come
from London, or are going there. The congested telegraph line is full of the messages from
Modern Babylon. As one of the great arteries along which capital flows to Coolgardie, the
cable is an object of intense public interest, and when it is sluggish in its action, the city
exhibits every symptom of uneasiness, and makes a loud outcry for remedial treatment.

The Telegraph Department of Western Australia is the target of public abuse. Upon
the service is heaped contumely and indignation. There is a deep-voiced demand for the
removal of the head of the Department (Mr. Sholl), whom a great many of the people
believe has not shown himself equal to the growing business of his office. The newspapers

teem with lamentations of loss which is alleged to be caused by
bungling and incompetence. The Government suffers more obloquy
in this branch of the public service than in all the others put
together. They admit the shortcomings, and ask for forbearance
while they make reforms. It is pointed out that all the fault does
not lie with mal-administration. The Ministerial plea is that the
demands on the Department have multiplied so suddenly and
enormously that it has been impossible to keep pace with such a
phenomenal pressure upon the more or less primitive resources of
the service as the prosperity of the goldfields has caused. The
rapidity of the increase has been almost unprecedented in the
records of the world. There is no doubt that the lines arc not
what is known as "up-to-date." Long stretches of the wires run
along the sea-board, and are affected by marine influences. There
are very few changing stations. Moreover, new lines have had to
bu laid, almost at a day's notice, to new mining centres hundreds
of miles apart. The Colony, nor, indeed, the whole of Australia,
had not enough wire for this emergency, and the failure to keep
sufficient wire in stock to meet all expected and unexpected
requirements was made the theme of more maledictions by a
furious public. But while the machinery of the Department has, for the time being, been
overborne and clogged, the management is strenuousl}- endeavouring to rise to the occasion.
Wire in large quantities has been ordered from England ; operators by the score have
been imported from the other Australian Colonies (particularly from Victoria), and more
engagements are being made in the United Kingdom ; the most perfect instruments,
duplex and quadruplex, will shortly be unpacked. The Government have taken counsel of
the ablest experts of their neighbours, and Sir John Forrest is never tired of assuring
the public that if the murmurcrs will only have a little patience, order will be restored
out of confusion.

There is something in the defence of the Department, that it has been inundated by a
cataract of messages. An enormous brokerage business has, ever since the commencement
of the mining boom, been conducted by telegraph alone. The gold discoveries have been too
sensational, the mines at stake too important, for only mail advices. The cable, not the

soMEnonv s freak.

DECORATIVE TREATMENT ON
THE TRACK.

EFFECTS OF WIND, HANNAN S.

LAND SALE, HANNAN S.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

post-office, has, speaking broadly, been the chief recorder of important mining movements
in West Australia during the last eighteen months. It has announced finds, made overtures,
given options, floated Companies, ordered machinery, transferred capital, and carried secrets
of great pith and moment. The echoes of the bourses of the world have vibrated along its
surcharged wires, far into the heart of a territory which but yesterday had not even been
explored. In the great game in which gold-mines have been the stakes, cable charges have
been trifles light as air, and even the double price for "urgent" messages was flung upon the
receiving counter without demur.

The first telegraph office built at Coolgardie looks as ludicrous now as a man in

swaddling clothes. It is an interesting memento of an infancy that was speedily outgrown,

and of falsified prediction. The dwarf has become a giant, and the architect who gauged

his future stature while he was in his cradle need not blush, for no one foresaw the

Coolgardie of to-day. If there are such as could have divined what was

\ to come, he would have bought for a few sovereigns the whole of the

\ [ -^1 township blocks at the Government land sales, at a trifle over the upset

^^^^ price, and thus have realised a princely fortune.

The woes of the telegraph staff have been bitterly complained of.
After suffering a long time without being able to get redress, the
operators rose in rebellion against unduly long hours of labour, semi-
savage sustenance and quarters, and a miserable dole of payment which
took no account of the high cost of living on the goldfields. Their
address of remonstrance, which threatened an early strike if concessions
were not made, asked for payment for over-time, and that the operators
should receive an allowance to compensate them for the cost of main-
tenance and the hardships incidental to so remote a station in a climate
that was inimical to health. The Minister saw the justice of their claims,
but said that he could not yield demands which were made under duress.
To do so, he pointed out, would be derogatory to himself and injurious
to the discipline of the Department, but if the menace were withdrawn
he would grant relief. The threat of a strike was, therefore, expunged, and the telegraph
operators of the mining centres got a differential rate of £40 per annum more than the
scale of pay given to the members of the staffs employed in the temperate districts of
the Colony. The over-work was reduced as far as possible. The opening of the new
Post and Telegraph Offices — a commodious and handsome pile, which we saw nearly
completed — will permit of the employment of a larger staff, and as the officers are now
more comfortably lodged, all reasonable cause of complaint is to-day a thing of the past.
Coolgardie was not long without a theatre. The home of the drama is a large iron
building, upon which little money has been spent in the way of ornament. It has tempted
a number of companies, chiefly of music-hall celebrity, to undertake the long journey
to entertain the gold-seekers, who are still more delighted to do honour to athletic heroes.
The pugilist or wrestler of note is always sure of an ovation in the Golden City. Purses
are subscribed, matches are made, and full and enthusiastic houses attend to witness and
applaud the prowess of the contending gladiators.

EFFIGV AT COOLGARDIE OF
ONE MCCAWN.

HANNAN'S, FROM CASSIDY S HILL.

HANNANS, FROM MARITANA HILL, 1894.

MY FOURTH TOUR I\ UHSTERN AUSTRALIA.

It was shortlj- after noon, on a sultry summer day, at the end of November, when we
arrived at Summers Hotel, and after a short rest for a wash and a meal, we drove out
again on a visit to some of the neighbouring mines. Our start was hastened by the
feverish anxiety of a gentleman who had accompanied us from Perth, for the purpose of
showing, and possibly selling me a mine, in which he had a large interest. All the way
up he had dilated enthusiastically upon the richness of this claim, until it seemed to me
that it would be almost like daylight robbery to purchase his El Dorado for the few beggarly

thousands of pounds he was
asking for it. He confessed
himself that it was ridiculously
cheap, but he was so desirous
of my securing at least one
first-class propert}- in the
Colony, that he did not regret
his generosity in parting with
it at the price. When we were
in the buggy, and the buggy
was well on the road across
Fly Flat, in the direction of
the Empress line of reef, the
claim owner fairly exhausted
his vocabulary in his attempts
to do justice to the mine. He
chafed at the delays caused by
our easing up to enable us to
observe the peculiarities of
some of the properties along
our route, and miscalled the
horses "damned warrigals,"
because they did not travel
quickly enough to please him.
He was by no means definite
as to the exact location of
"The Thistle," as I will call
his claim, but it was " further on." We could get nothing more satisfactory out of him, but
we went forward for another three miles without coming across it. Then we pulled the
horses up, and firnilj' refused to go another yard unless he could tell us where he wished to
get to. Vainly protesting that it was only a few hundred yards " further on," he got down,
and we saw him dodging about amongst the scrub, and enquiring of the workmen all
around for the missing mine. No one, however, had heard of "The Thistle," and he
returned to the buggy, his face blue with the heat and the language he had been indulging
in. The idiots in the vicinity could give him no information, he said, but would we drive
another half-a-milc, as he was sure it could not be further away than that. We were deaf

A PROMINENT COOLGARDIl-: JOI KNALIST.

MR. F. r, II. VOSI'l- R.

HANNAN'S, FROM MOUNT CHARLOTTE.

CAMP LIFE, HANNAN'S.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

to his entreaties. We said we would see him dead first ! There was no gas in him on the
return journey, although we endeavoured to cheer him up with the suggestion that a camel
may have got loose and eaten his claim — for camels can digest almost anything — or that
his manager had sent it to Perth to be assayed, and he would find it safe enough on his office
table when he reached home. At dinner-time it occurred to him that his mine might be
situated at Hannan's, and not at Coolgardie, and he volunteered to continue the journey
with us ne.xt morning. There was a rush to catch the early coach on the following day,
and when we alighted at Hannan's, he was neither on the outside or inside the vehicle.
We thought we had lost him for good, but the next evening he walked into our hotel —
travel-stained but cheerful. He had heard that "The Thistle" was situated some eleven
miles south of Coolgardie, near the Londonderrj', and not to the north-east as he had
believed, and would we return with him and inspect it. We thanked him for his thought-
fulness, and the trouble he had taken to give us another chance of securing, what he
described as "the pick of the field," but declined the invitation.

That evening, we were treated to the first rain-storm that had visited the distri(5l
for weeks. As the large tropical rain-drops fell, the sand arose in a cloud, filling the
air with the pungent aroma of wet earth, and striking one with an exceeding chilliness.
Mingled with the roll of the thunder came the loud boom of dynamite charges being fired
in the surrounding mines, and the rain rattled on the iron roofs like peas being shaken in a
tin box. Men stood in the wet in the middle of the broad street, to "get the feel of it
again." In less than an hour the storm had cleared up, and on the following morning not
a sign remained of the downpour of the previous night.

IN UL'CH REQUEST.

STAMl^S OF THE COLONY.

Cbaptci* 7.

The Road to Hannans (Kalgoorlie) — Laying out a Mining Township — The Employment of

Liliputians — The Boy " Bell-Man " — Humours of the Horse Sales — Sir John Forrest

at Coolgardie — The Premier at Bay — A Cold Reception and a WariJi Farewell —

The Premier's Political Career — His Part in the Building of the Coolgardie

Railway — His Personal Popularity — Sir John Forrest at Hannan's

— He is Bombarded with Deputations — Thrashing Out

the Grievances — A Bumper Banquet — The Premier's

Triumphs — Homewards Under the Stars.

A CHEERY COACHMAN.

(better known as Hannan's, by which name
I prefer to call it) is only second to Coolgardie in celebrity
among the remarkable gold discoveries of West Australia.
The ride to Hannan's is not an inspiring one. The road
runs for twenty-eight miles in nearly a straight line, through
undulating, sparsely-wooded country that is scorched and
dismal. A third of the journey consists of a gradient which
is known as the Nine-Mile Hill, and every inhabitant for
miles around who owns a buggy, can tell a personal story of
how he came to grief on that incline. The track is plentifully
sprinkled with outcrops of quartz, and tree trunks rising from one to three feet out of the
ground. Fragments of broken buggies lying by the wayside, are eloquent of the difficulties
that beset the Jehu at every turn. After nightfall the danger is increased, and even
teetotallers — if there be any east of Southern Cross — are powerless to escape the stumps
and rucks that conspire to the traveller's undoing. Hannan's is a miniature Coolgardie.
It has condensers at its entrance, a three-chain main road, a Stock Exchange, and a club,
all on the plan of Coolgardie. There are four hotels, and two local newspapers. Instead
of Bayley's Reward, the Great Boulder is the mining Goliath. The stores are large,
numerous, and neatly, if not very substantially built. In the minds of the people of
Hannan's, hope tells a flattering tale ; they are fervent in the belief of the splendid future
of the town. As some justification for their faith, they point to the startling prices paid
for business sites at the Government land sales.

The town of Hannan's was in the hands of the builders at the time of our visit, and
new stores and offices were springing up with marvellous rapidity. New streets were being
formed, running parallel and at right angles with the main thoroughfare, for the newest

.VV FOURTH TOUR I.\ ]yESTERX AUSTRALIA.

of these mining townships are laid out on the American system, in which a crooked street
has neither place nor part. In width, the main streets are as spacious as a parade ground
in India, and twice as dusty.

Hannan's is said to be more central than Coolgardie, looking at the whole of the
fields, including Niagara, Menzies, and White Feather, of which great things are expected.

THE MAIN STKKET, KALGOORLIH.

Still, Hannan's is no better off than Coolgardie for water for the batteries, and everyone
is full of schemes for triumphing over this obstacle — everj- second man in the town is a
modern Moses, ready to make the water gush from the rock. But in these sordid days
Moses' rod must be a golden one — which no one appears to possess.

Hannan's adapts itself to circumstances by employing some Liliputians. As there are
no pastures for cows, everj- woman has her goat, which astonishingly produces milk from bark
and saplings. Horse feed being scarce and dear, Hannan's is the home of the donkey, who
revels on the straw of the grocers' packing-cases. A carter of water to the saw-mill yokes
thirteen " neddies," two abreast, to his dray, and they do his work famously on the pickings
of the rubbish heaps and dry gum leaves. The donkey is so easy to keep, and so hard to
kill, that he is worth a lot of money at Hannan's. The water-carrier says he cannot
get enough of them. His turn-out brings to mind pictures of a sledge drawn by a team of
Esquimaux dogs. Some of the donkeys are very small, others are of the largest breed, but
large or small, thej' go up to the collar with the courage of a Clydesdale. The waggon and
the team are a queer sight. The harness is made up of all kinds of odds and ends, for the

saddlers have not sunk so low in their craft as to devote them-
selves to the fashioning of suits of trappings for donkeys.

Another example of the versatility of Hannan's is the boy

I h V l/y I'™ "bell-man." In a place of such dazzling possibilities, the men

1 ] ■ rt * '^'^T 7^ — *N are all busy with mines or mining speculation. The chief

auctioneer, we find, is forced to employ a crier in knicker-
bockers. The lad atones by his fierce clangour with the bell
for the shrill, piping voice in which he makes his deliverances.
And the juvenile is not only " bell-man," but also show-man,
clerk and ostler all in his own small person. He is a bright-
eyed lad, who will make his way in the world. A lad of
resource, too, though, like Zacchaeus, of short stature, and often
lost to sight in the crowd to which he has to exhibit the wares
offered for sale by the ruddy-faced man in the box. Not to

jk--.

THE DELL BOV, KALCOORLIE.

*^f

h'^^r

itih. LA.Sl OLiMP?>b, (.)K HANNAN'S.

ALLUVIAl PIGGINGS NEAR HANNAN'S.

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

be outdone, the youngster tosses up the Crimean shirt, moleskin trousers, or pocket-knife
that the people are bidding for, and by his nimble dexterity enables a watchful buyer
to inspect the article in glimpses until it is knocked down.

As in Coolgardie, the attendance at the horse and camel sales which are held nearly
every day, is always large, and the unemployed section of the inhabitants resort to them
as providing the cheapest and pleasantest afternoon's amusement. A diminutive aboriginal
of about fourteen summers, who is retained by the auctioneer for the purpose, puts the
horses through their puces, and by the aid of a stout stick, and a rough, but effectual, style
of horsemanship, he contrives to make each old crock put his or her best foot foremost.
With a loud " ger-r-r-up," and a hearty clout witii the staff, I have seen many an ancient,
broken-winded animal canter down the street like a two-year-old. For the most part,
horses go cheap in Hannan's; it is in the item of their up-keep that the luxury becomes
expensive. The man who pays five pounds for a horse expects a bit of breeding in his
purchase. One grey-haired old tippler, who had been persuaded by his friends to bid up
to 35s. for a "blood horse, warranted quiet to ride or drive — a very speedy 'os this,
gentlemen, and a sure foal getter " (to quote the auctioneer), refused to accept the lot
without a pedigree. "'Ows 'e bred, thash wiiat'r wantor know?" he demanded, and he
lurched forward and near!}- bit the dust, because he was very drunk indeed. "Quite right,

Sir ! " responded the
obliging knight of the
hammer, "bred by
Paris III. out of Sister
Mary! Here's his
pedigree!" and he
folded a printed hand-
bill and placed it in a
foolscap envelope. The
old chap paid up 35s.,
pocketed tile envelope,
and was with great
difficulty hoisted on to
the horse. Then the
crowd fell back a few

yards, and waited for him to tumble off. It was at this particular stage of the proceedings
that he disappointed his officious friends. On the ground he was as intoxicated an old
ruin as one could meet with, but directly he was mounted, he dug his heels against the
horse's ribs, and cantered merrily away along the road to the Wliitr ["eather, while the
crowd ga^ed after him in open-mouthed astonishment.

Sir John Forrest arrived at Hannan's a few hours before we did. Tiie Premier showed
his characteristic courage in bearding the enemy in his den on the Eastern goldfields. A
variety of causes had created an enemy there— in other words, had made the F"orrest
Government unpopular in the mining districts of the Colony. The very limited franchise
was one of the subjects of discontent, the water difficulty another, the disorganisation in the

ihsm

-hM,-:'^ -

IN THK "SUUURIIS.** KALGOORL1H.

BROWN HILL CAMP, NEAR llANNAN S,

. f Vt^ i-'S

.- r .-s. "inr»-iar. JL. vvu t\f

THE BUSH, BEYOND HANNAN S.

H I

lOO

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Telegraph Department a third. For a long time the ill-will felt towards the Ministry had
been actively fomented. The leading members of the Opposition — and among the
Opposition is to be found some of the best speaking power of the Legislative Assembly —
have canvassed the fields, and trenchantly attacked the Executive. In these party speeches
some real cause of complaint had been magnified, and some grievances, for which Sir John
Forrest and his colleagues were not responsible, had been laid at their door. The mining
population, smarting under evils and shortcomings which were chiefly traceable to the
conjuncture of events — to the large and sudden increase of population, the creation of new
towns, and the quadrupling of Departmental business — had made loud murmurings heard in
Perth. Sir John had been scornfully twitted, during the closing days of last session, with
the unfriendly, if not savagely hostile reception he would encounter if he dared to show
himself at Coolgardie or Hannan's. He had been tauntingly challenged to visit those
strongholds of disaffection. Those who uttered this sneering defiance did not know the man
to whom it was addressed, for with all his faults. Sir John Forrest cannot be accused of want
of courage. And he lost no time in proving this.

As soon as the Houses had been prorogued,
the Premier declared his intention of making
an extended tour through the Eastern gold-
fields. It was nothing to him that Mr.
George Leake, the leader of the Opposition ;
Mr. Illingworth, and Mr. Simpson, the Rupert
of debate, and the cleverest satirist in the
Lower House ; and other members of the
party, had been before him ; that they had
blamed the Government for negligence and
incapacity, and had e.xcited the indignation
of many thousands of men, who are all the
more sensitive of misgovernment because they
have no voices at the ballot-box. These men,
feeling their interests prejudiced, and their
pockets touched by a lack of perfection in the public service, were in an angry mood against
the Ministry, whom they regarded as the author of mis-rule. Such was the situation when
Sir John Forrest made his preparations fur the trip which his opponents had every reason
to believe would be full of mortification.

Sir John must have felt that he was at a disadvantage, but he was not dismayed. One
of the pet gibes of the Opposition, from the day the Premier took office, has been that West
Australia is ruled by a one-man Government, and there is some truth in the cry. The
Premier, in his public utterances, has half admitted his enormous preponderance of power.
It is the fact, that he is not only the leader, but the dictator of his Cabinet ; the other
Ministers are more his satellites than his colleagues — that is, that if all the other holders
of portfolios were on one side of a question and Sir Jnlin Forrest was on the other,
Sir John would win the day. The Premier, therefore, was naturallv regarded as the
head and front of the alleged misdoings of the Government. In going to the goldfields.

iSj£S^' -—-■

'EVERY WOMAN HAS HER COAT.

--d

A FROSPECTING PARTY, HANNAN'S.

A MIU-UAY HALT.

I02

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

he had to bear the brunt of the aversion of those populous centres, and he was fully
aware of the fact.

There was a large and sullen, if not activcl)- hostile crowd outside the \'ictoria Hotel
when Sir John, hot, dusty, and tired after his long ride from Boorabbin, drove up. There
were no cheers ; there were a few groans and hisses. The travel-stained Premier calmly
surve\-ed his critics without quailing. As soon as he had dined, he asked Coolgardie to state
its case, and not to refrain from accusation. His own position he stated in a few clear,
courageous words. In brief, he had come to Coolgardie to find out what the Government
should do in order that, so far as the requests were reasonable, wrongs might be redressed,
and omissions made good. He did not profess that the Government had been immaculate.
At the same time, fair allowance should be made for the exceptional circumstances of the
Colony. The wonderful turn which had taken place in the fortunes of the Colony, which
had created numberless new wants, had disarranged the old order of things. .As one
who had always sought to ser\-e his countrj- to the best of his ability, he had now, in the
height of summer, and at great personal discomfort, travelled to the headquarters of the

^-y.^ ^/,-^. J.*W»<

HASSAN s RF.WARD. IN THK GOLLY TO THF. RIGHT GOLD WAS FIRST FOUND.

mining settlements on his mission of investigation and enlightenment, with a view to
carrying out measures of reform upon his return to the city.

Such a speech, uttered with the bluff straightforwardness of the man who had been
thirty years in the public service without a shadow of p3rsonal reproach attaching to his
name, naturally had a very marked effect. It made friends and disarmed enemies. The most
virulent railer could not hiss such a frank address. From that moment the conference
between Sir John and the representatives of the various interests of Coolgardie was
conducted in a spirit of conciliation, if not of cordiality. The Premier is not the man to
promise what he cannot perform, and Coolgardie asked for a great deal. The guarded
replies he gave to some requests, the unqualified refusal he gave to one or two others, cooled
anything like an approach to enthusiasm; but the longer Sir John was at Coolgardie the
more he gained ground. There was no emotional revulsion of feeling in his favour, but
there was the steady growth of a sentiment of respedt towards him for his manly sinceritj- — •
the antithesis of a political trimmer who would win support by dissembling thoughts which

GREAT BOULDER TOWNSHIP.

LAKE VIEW UATTERY.

104

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ U'ESTERN AUSTRALIA.

it would be unpalatable to his audience for hini to utter. The result was, that when
the Premier resumed his seat on the Ministerial four-horse drag, in which it is the fashion
for members of the Cabinet to travel beyond the railway routes, the partin<:; with Cool^ardie
was, on the part of the residents, regardful, if not overflowing with manifestations of
goodwill.

While Sir John Forrest's coach is pursuing its dusty way to Hannan's, we may briefly
glance at the career of the man who has risen from post to i>ost to be the nearest approach
to an autocrat that is to be found holding office under the Constitution in any of the British
dominions. The Premier, who is cast in a sturdy mould, was born near Bunbury, a southern
port of Western Australia, nearly fifty years ago. He became a surveyor, entered the Civil
Service of the Colony, and was despatched with his brother, Alexander Forrest, on several
exploring expeditions, in which he actpiittcd himself with characteristic resolution and
success. Having done all, and more than all, that he hail been commissioned to do, his
opportunity came when, a little over five years ago, Western Australia was granted self-
government. By general consent,
Sir John (then Mr.) Forrest was
chosen to be the leader of the
first Ministry under the new
Constitution, and knighthood
soon followed. From that day to
this the Forrest Government has
never been seriously menaced by
any vote of the Assembly ; the
career of the Cabinet has been
associated with a record of pro-
gress and prosperity throughout
the country. Of course, the
Opposition say that the goldfields,
not the Government, have made
the Colony prosperous, by swelling
the revenue and attracting popu-
lation. According to these detractors, tiie Ministry has been rather more luckj' than
wise, meaning that what has appeared to be the result of the most sagacious foresight,
has been due to the auspicious trend of fortuitous circumstances. The Southern Cross
Railway is pointed to in support of this reasoning. The history of the line is interesting.
When gold was found at Southern Cross, the Government hastened to make a railway
to that field. The work was a very large undertaking for the Colony in its then struggling
position. The outlay was viewed with some concern, but by the time the contract was
completed, Coolgardie was in the mouths of all men. Nothing could have been more
fortunate than that the rails had been extended from Northam to Southern Cross, an
important link of communication with the great mining centre. But meanwhile Southern
Cross had so far failed to fulfil expectations, that but for the attractions of Coolgardie,
the Southern Cross line would have blemished instead of improved the reputation of the

TEMPORARY PRRMISES.

THE GREAT liOULDER COUNTRY.

GREAT BOULDER AND LAKE VIEW BATTERY.

io6

MY FOURTH TOUR /A' WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Government. And so it has been with Sir John's record as a Treasurer, whose estimates
have always been exceeded owing to the uninterrupted succession of good years. Had
the slightest check occurred, had gold district after gold district not been discovered,
had Bayley's Reward not been eclipsed by the Great Boulder and Niagara, securing for
West Australia world-wide renown. Sir John as a financier would have fallen, like Lucifer,
never to rise again. As it is, he enjoys the kind of reputation that belongs to a general
who has never lost a battle, and by the great majority of the people who do not analyse
cause and effect too closely. Sir John is regarded as the safest and wisest of guides. Of
course, he has his censors, as all public men have. A plebiscite, if it were taken on the
question, would show that the Premier is not only the most powerful, but that he is
also the most popular man in the country.

Sir John is popular, in spite of some faults which usually tell greatly against personal
popularity. He has none of the arts of a courtier, none of the grace of a Chesterfield, who,

FIRST rOST OrFICE, HANNAN ;

it is said, could refuse a favour \\ith such an inimitable charm of manner as to make a
suppliant feel that he had received one. The Premier's style is bluff, if not brusque. He
speaks straight to the point, and does not care to conceal a sense of boredom under a
gracious mask. He always reminds one of Othello, whose dearest action had been in the
tented field, and who had none of those " soft parts of speech that clambercrs have." Hut
his chief failing as leader of the Legislative Assembly is that he has none of the imperturbable
self-control, none of the cynical disregard of attack, which have done so much to make the
Attorney-General, Mr. Septimus Burt, a strong man in public life. Mr. Burt is always good-
humoredly cool in parrying the thrusts of an assailant. He retorts with a pungency that is
as biting as vitriol, and smiles all the time as winningly as though he were using the honeyed
language of compliment. The Opposition is chary of provoking such an adversary ; after
feeling his claws, thej' are fond of letting him alone.

r^fS^A--

THE GREAT BOULOKK STAMPERS.

OPENING THE GREAT BOULDER BATTERY.

io8

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

The Premier, on tlie otlicr hand, is, to use a vernacular phrase, "easily drawn." He has
no fortitude wlieii tlie darts fly thickly. As they strike hini he winces visibly, and as soon as
he gets an opportunity for reprisal, he goes for a close grapple with more courage sometimes
than discretion, like a wounded bear charging upon the huntsmen. When such a man
is high in public esteem, that esteem is a high tribute to his probity and his zeal for
the country's welfare. Some men win the goodwill of their fellows by subtlety, knowledge
of human nature, a veneer of elegance ; Sir John Forrest has hewn out his place in the
affections of the people solely by the strength of a character which is as rugged on the
surface as an uncut gem.

It was a field-day at Haiinan"s when the Premier arrived. The formulation of wrongs
and the setting out of rctiuirtnRiits. had been the work of weeks on the part of the

'S^

INSI-KCTING SrECIMKNs

Municipal Council, the brokers, the mine-owners, the working miners, and the merchants.
The Petition of Right had not nearly as many clauses as the list of resolutions, requisitions
and remonstrances. The whole of a Saturday afternoon was given up to fusillading the
Premier with this paper ammunition. The largest room in the town was the besieging
place. It was the "social iiall " of one of the hotels, and it was crammed to the doors. A
few seats were provided on the platform, the floor was bare, and for nearly four hours
the people stood in the thick press and the sultry air, listening with the closest attention to
the most important conference that had ever been held in the youthful settlement. For a
wonder, too, hats were doffed. In Australia, even in the cities, to say nothing of the gold-
fields where ruder manners are in vogue, it is customary for the free and independent voter
to keep his hat on while his support is being solicited, but in honour of the august meeting

■ . AC,.-

i*»t'''

U- ^^^^ "

\l^\,/;

AURIFEROUS COUNTRY NEAR THE GREAT BOULDER.

CLAIM NEAR THE C.KEAT liOULUER.

no .UV FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

at Hannan's there was a politer code. There was not even any smoking, and not a single
adjournment for drinks ; the police trooper on duty had not to eject a disturber ; the
meeting was too earnest to be on an)- but its best behaviour. Sir John, it was clear, from
the formidable pile of papers displayed by the representatives of the various bodies, had
a heavy task before him under the glowing roof of the densely-packed building, but he looked
resolute enough for any trial of his stamina. Beside him sat the youthful-looking Mayor of
Hannan's, who well deserves the confidence of the burghers. A solicitor, apparenth' not
more than twenty-eight years of age, but wearing no tell-tale beard or moustache to disclose
the number of his birthdaj-s, Mr. Wilson has done the State some service in his responsible
position. A man of quick parts, he has proved himself skilful in public business, and he has
been the frequent and successful advocate for Government expenditure in the town. Instead
of caballing against the Ministry, he had forcibly appealed to them to help the Council
to help keep Hannan's in a sanitarj' condition. The Government responded by forwarding
a grant of £2,000 to pay for the work. It is evident that Sir John and the Mayor sitting
beside him, whose slight frame throws into relief the burK- proportions of the Knight,
believe in each other. The Mayor makes an alert and diplomatic chairman, and at the close
of the long meeting the Premier takes the opportunity of congratulating Hannan's upon
having so able a president.

Mr. Moran, the most talkative member of the Legislative Assembly, had the first say.
All through the session which has just closed he had roared himself hoarse by depicting the
ruin that was staring West Australia in the face if the mines were not supplied with
abundance of water, and now that he was speaking before his constituents on the same
subject, he ran on in turgid flights of sesquipedalian sentences. As he put it, it would be not
merely mal-administration ; it would be outrageous for the Government to fail in their duty
to the goldfields. Of course, the ways and means of doing what is to the ablest of engineers
a perplexing task, is to Mr. Moran, a broker, as simple as shelling peas, for he is one of the
men who would preach at St. Paul's, perform the operation for stone, or take command
of the Channel Fleet at ten minutes notice. The solution of the problem Mr. Moran was
munificenth- willing to make a present to the Public Water Works Department. His plan
was to cut a large dam in the bed of a neighbouring lake, and catch the rainfall in it. When
the lake became full, the Department would not only be recouped for the cost of making the
dam, but, from the sale of the water, would derive a handsome revenue. Sir John saw only
two fatal objections to the ingenious scheme which Mr. Moran, who is an oracle upon every
subject under the sun, so glibly propounded. The average rainfall of the district would
never fill the dam, and even if a deluge should miraculously come, the water would be
useless, as the bed of the lake was salt, and would make brine of all the rain that was
caught in it. So, after hearing the promise of the Premier, that careful consideration
of the question of water supply should be given, the meeting passed on to deal with the
next item on the programme.

Happily, the topic found Sir John in perfect agreement with his petitioners. They
complained of the inefficiencj- of the Telegraph Department, and the Premier, in admitting
the fact, enlivened the proceedings by giving some humorous experiences of his own and of
his friends, to prove that in West Australia electricity is sometimes slower than a coach-

A PROMISING CLAIM AT HANNAN .S.

THE MOUNT Ul'KGESS MINE, HANNAN S.

112

MY rOVRTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

horse. The demand for schools touched another sympathetic chord. It was painful, Sir
John said, for him to hear that children were growing up in any part of the Colony without
the advantages of education. The State ought to place at least a rudimentary education
within the reach of every boy and girl, and in fulfilment of this duty a school would forth-
with be eredted at Hannan's. The neglected state of the cemetery, wliii li was deplored in
another requisition, evoked a more feeling reply from the Minister than nian\- people would
have expected, for the Premier is not prone to exhibit anytliing like the melting mood. But
when he was told that the resting-place of the dead was without a fence, that, indeed, it was
a piece of waste bush-land, he touched a pathetic note in which a gentle rebuke was mingled.
It grieved him, he said, to hear that the people of Hannan's needed to apply to the Treasury

for the means of paying respect to the
remains of those pioneers who had fallen
by the way. It might have been thought
that those men who had braved the earl)'
hardships of the field, and had been
stricken down, would have been "freshly
remembered," and their graves tended
and enclosed. But since the matter had
been brought under his notice, he would
see that "God's acre" shoulil no longer
remain a desert spot. Two requests of
the working miners were encouragingly
responded to. The first concession asked
for was tiiat the fee for a miner's right
should be reduced ; the second, that the
men should be entitled to take up free
residential blocks on Crown lands near the
mines upon wiiich tiuy witc employed.
The Premier hinted that he saw some
difficulties in the latter proposal, although
he would give it his attention. For
example, supposing it were admittrd that
a miner who went to reside on a field
before a township was proclaimed, should be permitted to claim as his residential block
the site where he had originally pitched his tent, and when the town came to be surveyed
the tent should be found to be standing on a \aluable business front to the main street. Then
again, in the event of a miner's death or departure from a district, were his heirs or
himself, as the case might be, to have the right of receiving a transfer of the residential
privileges of the working miner? While a pioneer might be considered to deserve to live free
of ground rent, was it not too much to expect that he shonid be gi\in the absolute ownei-
ship of an allotment that might be very valuable? Possession was one thing; the right to
dispose of the real estate for profit might be more difficult. In the latter case, the Crown
would lose an asset, and might be charged with creating an in\idious departure from

DKV lll.OWINr..

^LEVIATHAN liATTEKY, HANNAN S.

MOUNT CHAKI.OTTE, llANNAN'S.

114 -VV FOVRTH TOUR I.\ WESTF.RX AUSTRALIA.

the ordinarj- rule. In other words, would not the people who found it necessary to purchase
residential blocks have some reason to <:;runible if f^'ifts of such property were made to any
class in the community? Yet the matter was one to which further thought would be given,
as he recognised that tiie miner was an important factor in the development of the national
wealth.

The conference had opened auspiciously. So far there had been nothing to call for the
display of Sir John's ability to tell people unpalatable things plainly to their faces. The
opportunity came upon the franchise question, which is the root of most of the miners' ill-
will towards the Government. The gist of their grievance is that they are taxed without
having votes — in a word, that the electoral evils of Western Australia are worse than those
of England prior to the passing of the Reform Bill. It is easy to prove this charge up to
the hilt. In the first place, the discovery of gold has greatly altered the distribution
of population in the Colony. Districts which used to be among the most populous, are now
insignificant hamlets compared with Coolgardie ; other districts, which never had a large
population, now more than ever resemble Old Sarum in sending representatives to the
Legislative Assembly on the votes of a few widely-scattered electors. The state of the law
almost passes belief. The spectacle is presented of large masses of English subjects having
no more voice in Parliament than if they were slaves of colour under the old regime of the
South American plantations. If this statement is regarded as an exaggeration, let the
facfts be examined. There is only one Parliamentary member for Coolgardie, meaning
only one member for Coolgardie, Hannan's, Menzies, Black Flag, Broad Arrow, White
Feather, Niagara, and Lake Darlot. In this electorate, which, territorially-speaking, is the
largest in the world, there is a population of able-bodied men one-fourth as large as the
entire population of the Colony. The injustice is luridly revealed and emphasized when it
is remembered that in other districts less than forty pastoralists or pearlers have sent
a member to the Assembly, so that in West Australia forty men have had as much political
power as twenty thousand. The serious anomalies in the representation of the Colony are,
no doubt, partly due to the sudden up-springing of populous mining centres, but a feeling
of prejudiced provincialism has, it must be confessed, still more to do with them. The old
West Australian is jealous of political power, and means to keep it as long as he can against
the encroachments of " t'othersiders." It has been made a slow and complex process for a
new-comer to get a vote. From the thought of manhood suffrage, the Government, or any
of their old West Australian supporters, would recoil with horror. The Electoral Act
requires that a man shall reside in a district for six months before being entitled to a vote,
so that a migratory class like the miners find it very difficult to qualify themselves for
registration. Moreover, after fulfilling the residence condition, a man has to apply for
registration, according to a certain form, at a certain place, within a stated time, or his
residence goes for nothing. To prospectors or miners, who were moving about looking for
reefs or employment, and who know little of red-tape formula, or the mysteries of the
Circumlocution Office, the acquisition of a vote under the recondite provisions of the statute
was, in many cases, merely an irritating possibility. As a rule, the miners were allured by
the shadow ; the substance proved as elusive as the will-o'-the-wisp. Meanwhile, the gold-
fields felt that they were being heavily taxed, while they were practically disenfranchised, for

CAMEL TEAM.

KALGOOKLIE GOLD MINING COMPANY S LEASE.

ii6 MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

they produce nothing but gold. All that they eat or wear, every luxury enjoyed or used,
with the exception of sugar, tea, and kerosene oil, has to pay large toll at the Customs House,
and even the local railway rates were raised to a penal rate. It is not surprising, therefore,
that for years before the visit of the Premier, the people should have smarted under the belief
that they were in a kind of electoral bondage. They knew that, according to the rights of
Englishmen, they ought to be able to make their voices heard in the Legislature ; they ought
to have votes, and they had not got them. As a matter of equity, no less than of birthright,
they knew that they were being harshly treated. It was natural, then, that the question of
the franchise should have become a burning one on the fields. In the mood of injured men,
the people had looked forward to confronting Sir John Forrest.

The attitude of the Premier had done much to sharpen the determination of the
residents of the goldfields to press home their demands for electoral reform. Sir John, never
an adept in finesse or diplomacy, had not, as leader of the Legislative Assembly, or as the
head of the Government, exhibited much sympathy with the sensitive feeling of the gold-
fields touching the franchise. He had been too prone to regard as sentimental the anxiety
of those districts to return a fair number of members, because, in
his opinion, additional members could not do more for the fields
than the Forrest Ministry was doing, and was willing to do. "What,"
he used to indignantly exclaim, in reply to Mr. Simpson or Mr.
Illingworth, "do the goldfields want? There is no reasonable thing
that they can ask for that the Government would not exert itself to
grant. Is not the railway being made? Is not the water supply
engaging our earnest attention, and involving an expenditure of
hundreds of thousands of pounds? Are not taxes on tea, sugar,
iron, and kerosene being remitted, in order to lighten the miner's
A MISER SPEAKS. j,Qgj. Qf liyingp What else is required? Let it be named, and the

I SAV THIS ADVISEDLV." ° '

Government will consider it." "The hon. member for Nannine " (Mr.
Illingworth), protested Sir John on one occasion, " only desires to harass the Government by
quoting statistics to show the electoral basis of the Colony. Can Coolgardie expect in a day
to get equal electoral representation with the older settled portions of the Colony? Has
Coolgardie not grown up so quickly that its population but yesterday did not belong to West
Australia?" And in one of those moments of irritation, which have done so much to make his
political path less smooth or triumphant than it might otherwise have been, the Premier
continued — " These people have come here only to make money ; when they have made it
they will go elsewhere to spend it. Let them prove that they are citizens of West .Australia,
that their interests are identified with ours, before they clamour for more privileges at the
ballot-box."

The taunt, it will be admitted, was not the way to hold out the olive-branch, not the way
to soften the resentment of men who really were fighting in a good cause. But Sir John
Forrest had no sense of chivalry ; he never was the man to recognise that for a battle cry.
For a mere sentiment of freedom, for the throwing off of a thraldom that existed in little
more than name, men have faced the carnage and the devastation of war with enthusiasm.
To him it was amazing that the fields should not rest, and be thankful. Were they

^4<^y9^j^^^Z,

rl gi'-'-i'RQ

ALUN

■P^W v«

WHITE FEATHER.

STREET IN WHITE FEATHER.

I IS MY rOURTH TOUR I\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

not beneficently ruled by the Forrest Government ? Were not life and property protected
by the laws and by the police? What, then, did the miners want with votes, or the choosing
of their own representatives? Sir John is, in fact, a thorough utilitarian. "Can honour
heal a wound?" asks Falstaff. A fig for the Briton's birthright of a vote, for the outcry that
there should be no taxation without representation, says Sir John. To him the demands of
the miners were as the murmurings of the children of Israel against Moses, their benefadtor.
In other words, the repinings partook of the nature of folly and ingratitude ; at best, the
protests were wasteful of time and force, while there was plenty of better work for energy to
expend itself upon.

On the other hand, the mining population, in noting the events of the session, attributed
to Sir John a selfish motive in so lightly dismissing their agitation that they should be able
to make their voices heard in the Councils of the State. To them his flippant disregard of
their wishes appeared like a device to stave off the defeat of his Government. Or, if he were
not concerned on his own behalf, it at least looked as though he wanted to postpone as long
as possible the overthrow of the old West Australians, who, until the infusion of new blood
took place, had nothing to stir them out of the even tenor of their way. With the eager,
active new-comers, and their up-to-date notions of how to make a country, the old stock
have little in common. On the other hand, the immigrants looked half amusedly, half
contemptuously, upon a people and a Colon}' that are what is known as behind the times.
Their feelings may be likened to that of a Londoner who is entertaining his country
cousin. The rustic and his city relative seldom coalesce in their views of men and
things. Neither did the West Australian and the gold-seekers, who were hint on taking
the lead, while the old stock were just as determined to keep the interloper in political
subjection. Under the existing electoral law, the power must belong to the native for a
time, no matter how he might be outnumbered. He was loth to surrender his advantage,
which was symbolised in the existence of the F'orrest Government. The Premier is a
native, and if all his colleagues were not born in the Colony, they are so closely associated
with it by long residence and commercial and domestic interests, as to be within the pale
"as natives by adoption." The "t'othersiders," as they grew in strength, and found their
political voices gagged, became prone to regard the Forrest Ministry as the embodiment
of class interests, and they yearned to have a day of reckoning at the polls.

From the foregoing, it will have been seen that when the meeting at Mannan's
approached the subject of the franchise. Sir John Forrest and his auditors were quite aware
tluit they were treading on dangerous ground. The niimrs, wiio were without votes, and
the Minister, who had shown no anxiety to give them votes, were at length face to face. The
hour had arrived which the Opposition had taunted the Premier with being afraid to
encounter. The proceedings at this stage were " sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought."
In the hush of an impressive silence, the first speaker rose to espouse the cause of the
franchise. On behalf of the people of Hannan's, he asked that they should be given equal
Parliamentary representation with other districts. He asked this as the right of taxpayers
and of citizens. They could not be expected to quietly submit to the present grossly unequal
allocation of scats in the Legislative Assembly, which was emphasized by some startling
figures which he would read.

HOSriTAL AND .STAFF, UMITK FliATHKR.

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•

b"^

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VHf ^^r r

fi^S

Rr^

"^filfe^

M^Sp^'^'tf 1 j jL

"LJLlli

r Msr^^^d "

ilS^A. V.

■p^^^

HOSPITAL COMMITTEE GROUP, WHITE FEATHER.

120 ^fy FOURTH TOUR r\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

The Premier rose to reply with more self-command than lie usually exhibited at a
critical time in the Legislative Assembly. He knew that more was meant than had been
expressed, but he looked his accusers in the face, and spoke in his plain, blunt fashion, with-
out seeking, by means of plausible promises, to curry favour in the hostile camp. With the
exception of saying that he did not remember having described the mining men as mere
birds of passage, he substantially repeated all that he had said in his place in the Legislative
Assembly upon the franchise question. The numerical basis, he contended, was not the
only one upon which the popular representative Chamber could be created in an enormous,
sparsely-settled country like Western Australia. On tlic numerical basis, a number of old-
established pastoral and agricultural centres would be electorally obliterated, and the fields
would be given a preponderance of members beyond all precedent, or just balance of power.
The Colony must not be ruled by the goldfields' interest, or by any other single interest.
The Legislature must hold the scales as fairly as possible between all interests. After all, it
did not much matter whether each goldfield had its own member or not ; the Government
was so anxious to do the best for the fields, with whose welfare the prosperity of the Colony
was bound up, that everj- Minister was virtually a miners" member. But granting that there
ought to be more electorates in the auriferous area, Perth and Fremantle, which had of late
largely increased their population, must also be given additional representation, so that under
a new Eledtoral Act the voting power of the Assembly would be pretty much the same as it
was now. It was possible, therefore, for the gold centres to exaggerate the importance of a
re-adjustment of seats; which, however, in view of the large revenue derived from the fields,
might be contemplated by the Government.

Sir John's replj' broke the ice. A thaw began to set in, but what threatened to be
a hard frost now took place. A spokesman of the Association of Working Miners asked
that the holder of a miner's right should be entitled to vote at any polling-booth upon
production of the right. In support of the request, he said that miners were such an
unsettled class, that to require each man to vote only in a certain district was tantamount
to saying that many of them should not vote at all. As the speaker made his meaning clear.
Sir John's face became set into an expression of strong disapproval, and when he rose
to give his answer, a more uncompromising negative could not have been uttered by a public
man. His objections to the proposal were as plentiful as blackberries, and each one as it
was stated seemed to him to be more convincing than the last. First of all, the system
would open the door to corruption. It would enable the eledtion agent to pack a district
with bogus voters. Men w'ho were not miners at all could take out miners' rights, and
be driven in van-loads to the scene of a closely-contested ele(^\ion to vote against the
interests of the local residents. But there was another reason why miners' rights ought not
to give the privilege of a vote. A right costs ten shillings; many a man who was entitled
to a vote was not prepared to pay half-a-sovereign to get one, nor should he have to do
so. As the law stood, a voter could register his name on the roll for one shilling. All
he had to do was to fill up a very simple form, if he possessed the necessary qualification,
and get the declaration witnessed. Any Justice of the Peace was competent to attest the
document ; there need not be any trouble about it. " I will fill up forms for anyone,"
added Sir John, adroitly. The offer not only disarmed ill-will, but was a good move to

digger's camp, white feathek.

I'KOSl'ECTORS ANU NATIVES, WHITE FEATHEK.

122 ^fy rouRTH tour is whstern Australia.

enrol votes that only an intrrate would use against the Forrest Government. There was
the ghost of a cheer.

The banquet, held on the evening of the same day, was very largely attended by
representatives of the Municipal Council and the mining and commercial interests. In
proposing the health of the guest of the evening, the Mayor, who presided, said that just
as Nfr. Cecil Rhodes was the strong man of the Cape, Sir John Forrest was the strong
man of West Australia. On rising to respond, the Premier was very well received.
After confessing that he had not expected to receive so cordial a welcome, he went on
to speak of the wonderful progress the town had made, and to forecast for it a splendid
future. The Government, in spite of animadversion, had been watchful of the growing
greatness of Hannan's. It could not be truthfully gainsaid, Sir John maintained, that the
Government deserved the good-will of the mining interest, especially in the matter of
railway communication. The line would be continued from Coolgardie to Hannan's
without delay. No doubt it was easy for the critics of the Ministry at this time of day to
perceive the wisdom of the progressive railway policj- of the Government. What he
claimed credit for was that the Ministry had had the foresight to make the line to
Southern Cross at a time that public opinion was hardly ripe for the carrying out of
that work. .As one who had lived for twenty years under canvas, he thoroughly sympathised
with the hardships of the miner. Hannan's might rest assured that the Government would
leave nothing undone for the encouragement of those who, so far from the capital, were
helping to la}- broad and deep the foundations of the remarkable prosperity of the Colony.
There should be no divisions, no class animosities, between the new and the old population of
the Colony ; as fellow-subjec^ts, and for the most part men of the same race — the race which
had made the British Empire — they should cordially unite their energies towards the one
obje(ft — the weal of Western .Australia, in which they were making homes for themselves
and their children. The last words of Sir John's stirring address were followed by a great
burst of cheering, the waving of handkerchiefs, and the rising of the whole company to their
feet. The speech — of which only the briefest index has been given — was, in some respects,
the speech of Sir John Forrest's life. When he is not replying to an opponent he is
generally cool in tone, and sometimes hesitating in delivery, but for once he spoke with
a warm glow, for the moment he caught something like a gleam of the inspiration of an orator.
If he could always rise to the same level in his addresses, he would be a born leader of men,
but, like Single-Speech Hamilton, he has made only one memorable effort. That he has
never manifested the same degree of power is, perhaps, due to the fact that he has never had
cause to be so deeply moved. At Hannan's he had triumphed over his adversaries who had
predicted his humiliation, and the revulsion of feeling unloosed his tongue.

Then we had the toasts of the "Mining Interest," the "Town of Coolgardie," the
"Press," the "Visitors," and some half-dozen beside; and in conclusion, the Premier
proposed the health of "my friend, the Mayor," and the Mayor thanked "my friend, the
Premier," for his condescension. Then we joined hands all round and united our voices in
"Auld Lang Syne." Our loyalty bubbled over again when "God save the Queen" was
reached, and the next hour was spent in trying to slip away before another round of drinks
was called for. One by one the diners straggled away from the bar, and disappeared along

:^hr>'::^'^:^">^

^-TP'-m ^' .v" :^

ALUUMAL LI]GGINl.S. WHITE FEATIIKK.

WHITE FEATHER REWARD.

124

A/y FOURTH TOUR I\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

the broad street. The township slept quietly under the stars, footfalls were deadened by
the thick sand, the breeze wailed dismally through the surrounding scrub, and the lightning
flashed and glinted continuously along the dark horizon, foretelling the approaching storm
that never came.

Cbaptcr S.

Saturday Evening at Hannans — The Salvation Army Meeting, the Dog Fight, and the

"Open Exchange" — Bars and Billiards — Tidying up to Advantage — An Aboriginal

Artist — Camels on the Fields — An Ingenious Registrar — The Meat Supply.

THK HANNAN S COACH.

F all nights in the week at Hannan's, Saturday is the night.
The main street is thronged with people. Every miner from
all the camps for ten miles round the town finds his way there
to spend a social hour. The hotels and the shooting-galleries
have plenty of patrons. The band of the Salvation Army is
there, too, but shrunken to a cornet, a tambourine, and a big
druiii. There are only four "soldiers," and no "lassies."
The torch-bearer is a white-haired man, whose venerable
appearance is strongly revealed under the ruddy glow of the
flaring tow in the grease-pot. The "captain" is a young man
of intense fervour. His devotion to his work l)urns to a white heat. In his pious frenzy
he is lost to a consciousness of everything except the sin of the world and the need of
perishing souls. The goldfields are to him a sink of iniquity, and he calls sinners to
repentance with terrible earnestness. He is on his knees pouring out a cry to heaven,
when suddenly two large dogs begin a savage fight close to the big drum. The crowd is
delighted; a dog-fight is the best of diversion in a mining camp, where there is seldom
any more exciting sport than a game of billiards. The animals are loudly incited to
tear each other's throats, and the yells and hisses heighten the ferocity of the animals.
They roll over and over each other, snapping and clawing for a death-hold, against the
knees of the praying "captain." Now the black dog is uppermost, now the yellow one,
growling, tearing, blood and hair flying. The dogs are flashing their teeth right under
the "captain's" nose, but his thoughts are far away. He goes on praying as devoutly as
if he were in a cloistered aisle. He knows nothing of the shouting crowd, the maddened
brutes, the gleaming teeth, which play about him like the lightning flash. He is looking
at the Celestial Throne, and when the long, desperate worry is over, and the yellow dog
takes staggeringly to his heels, the kneeling "captain" is beseeching still.

126

.)/V rOURTIl TOUR IS WFSTHRX Al'STRAfJA.

The "open exchange" is charadteristic of the free-and-easy life of the goldficlds, where
every man is a law unto himself, so long as he keeps the peace. Any man may set up his
trade on the footpath without let or hindrance. The police have neither lock-up accommo-
dation, nor the desire to be officious. They know nothing of the 'move-on clause," nor anj-
obstru<ftion of the thoroughfare short of violence. It seems to be understood that municipal
laws for the proper control of the streets will come into vogue by-and-bye, when Hannan's
gets the benefit of clergv. I'or the present, if minor trespasses and sins were to be noticed,
half the population would be before the Mayor's court on Monday. Up-to-date, you can be
"drunk and disorderly" with inipimity, so long as you do not get dangerously riotous in
j-our cups, without having a friend to call a hand-cart to take you home. As for the "open
exchange" in the middle of the crowded main street on Saturday night, it is an honoured
institution. \\'hat does it matter if the people who want to buy their Sunday's dinner are
elbowed off the footpath, and the man who is paying a high rent for his store is jostled out
of his customers? .Ml liaii to the "exchange," the disciple of the mining interest, which is

the idol of the town! The pavement stock-broker takes the
full licence of the place. He sets up a torch on the side-
walk, mars himself hoarse, collects a crowd and chokes the
" gangway." The stock-in-trade of one of these roaring
hawkers of scrip, consists of a strident voice and a good
knowledge of the ruling rates of stock. The transactions
are conducted on something of the Dutch auction principle;
a start is made bj' the operator anntiuncing that he has a
buyer for Devonshires at 49/-, a seller at 65/-. Then he
demands to know whether there is a better buyer or a lower
seller. He asks the qnestioti, perhaps, ten o: a dozen times
— each time more impatiently than before — until, perhaps,
the buyer will advance 2/6, and the seller will abate 2/6 of
the original offer. The public is given the option of claiming
the shares. If there is no response, the seller will, pirhaps,
make another abatement, and the buyer another advance,
until a bargain is closed. Sometimes, after ten minutes' chaffering, and a surprising lot
of lung power has been expended, no business is done in the line of stock submitted.
The practitioner, lamenting that ho cannot li\e on air, dcjed^edly passes the lot that
has failed to elicit a favourable bid, but inmiediately afterwards he sings the praises of
another mine on his list, with most enthusiastic vigour. The parcels of stock dealt with
by these peripatetic brokers are generally small, and the pavement man certainly works
hard for the few shillings of commission, which, to use a sporting phrase, are his end
of the purse. After the quotations of stocks have been got through, there are usually
more excited dealings in what are known as " interests." The preamble is usually
something like this: "Now, gentlemen, I have to offer \ou the chance of a lifetime, a
sixteenth share in the Royal Mint. The piopertN' adjoins the Crown Hullion Mine, and
there is no doubt that the rich lead found in the Hullion runs through the ground described
in the lease secured by my clients. The vendor holds one quarter ot the property, which

A DRV BLOWKK-

SANDAL WOOD CAM]', Dl'NNV] LI.K

THE FIRST SPORTS HELP IN HANDOCIl, iSy^.

128

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTRRX AUSTRAfJA.

f V I

^=a

-T-^; ^^

AN OPEN CALL, HANNAN S.

consists of twenty acres. He would not part w itli a fra(5tion of his interest, only that he
wants to get to Perth to arrange for the development of the reef. Now, understand me,
gentlemen, nothing has been done on the reef except knocking a bit off the cap for dollying,
and the prospec't has turned out well. But here is the lease which will show you what you
are buying. You all know the locality better than I can tell you. This sixteenth interest

that I offer you may be a
fortune ; plenty of shows
that looked no better on
the surface h;i\c been a
fortune, but I only want a
fair deal. I tell you that
the reef has not been
opened up. I only \ouch
for the lease having been
issued, and for the number
of acres contained in it,
and where the ground is
situated. The rest depends
upon the luck of mining. \'ou will use }our own judgment. For this sixteenth interest I
want £bo. Who will give me ;f6o?" After a pause the best bid is £15. The vendor drops
his demand to £50. The bidder ad\ances to £\^. I>y slow degrees the parties come to terms.
The impecunious part-proprietor of the Royal Mint gets £25 for his sixteenth share from
some one in the crowd, who, from the eagerness with which he produces his deposit, seems to
be well satisfied with his investment. It is now getting late; the thick ranks of the strollers
in the streets begin to thin. Here and there in the tents among the trees which fringe the
town, a candle is lit. There are shadows on the white walls, till the owner of the tent has
turned in upon the stretcher made of saplings and corn sacks, and then there is darkness.
If some wayfarer, overcome by the heat and by the convivial glass, camps upon the ground
before he reaches his bunk, there is not much fear of ague. Sleeping out in these semi-
tropical parts of West Australia, where it has not rained for months, ;ind will not rain for
months again, is, drunk or sober, one of the secrets of rising with a clear head in the
morning.

The people of Hannan's ha\e the greatest faitli in their
town. The pretentious club premises that are its principal
archited^ural feature, is an e\idcncc of their great expe(5tations.
The club-house, which is a commodious brick building, was
about half eredted when we were shown over it. The resources
of the establishment are to be replete with every attainable
luxury, to make the life of the social Briton worth living in
the far West. In the arid desert, baths, hilliaids, and ictd
drinks, are unspeakable blessings, which tin ill thr lianKst
heart. Hannan's, like Coolgardie, is full of pioneers, wlui lia\i'
no affinity with the bushman type. The mails bring tin 111 the tmk nkclssakv siectacles.

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

129

THE DEMANDS OF CIVILISATION.

latest English and American magazines, and letters with superscriptions in scholarly
hands. Culture is not banished where civilization is only beginning to rear her head.
There are many men there who dress in a coarse flannel shirt and trousers, but whose
bearing and speech are that of educated gentlemen.

Hannan's is noisy, with the sound of the hammer
and the saw. Many buildings are going up, but with
the exception of the club, they arc merely flimsy barns
of sheet iron and timber. The scarcity of labour, the
cost of cartage, the haste of the owners to open their
stores and hotels, are all in favour of the use of
galvanised iron. It is easily carried by the waggons ;
it covers cheaply a great deal of surface ; it is water-
proof, and it lasts a long time. Of course, galvanised
iron warms up like an oven in the sun, but it cools as
soon as the sun goes down. " There is nothing like
iron," is therefore the view of those who want to
quickly get a big rent from their business sites, but
a street lined with galvanised iron stru(5t;ures is a
horrible inflidtion to the artistic sense. By daylight
the view is as ugly as a gaol wail. The mail-clad
buildings are only tolerable at night. When the
moon's silvery beams hide their deformity, one could wish tluit the garish light of day
would never come to destroy the illusive piciture. Max O'Keil, when he was leaving
Australia, said he yearned to go back to where he could sec an olii wall with a bit of
ivy growing on it — a remark which so plaintively expresses a reverence for the beautiful,
that I am glad that the witty Frenchman was spared the infliction of seeing a goldfields'
town in Western Australia. Such a town is an archite(5tural nightmare.

There are several large hotels at Hannan's, and some of them are not large enough.
As we write, the Commercial is being
doubled in size. Every night the dining-
room is made into a large dormitory,
while the bed-rooms hold as many
sleepers as there is room to place beds.
It would be a deep purse indeed, that
could hire a single or a double bedded
room at Hannan's. All the hotels have
billiard tables, and plenty of novices
want to play on them. After seeing
matches in all the principal mining

places in Western Australia, I feel bound to say that all tlir tyros of the cue in the
universe, seemed to be turned loose in pursuit of new Eldorados. The form of the plajers
is almost uniformly so execrable that nearly as many points are scored for an opponent's
misses as for the making of a cannon, or the pocketing of a liail. When a game of

UUTSIDK A lli:MrY AT CHRISTMAS.

I30

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

" fifty up " is started, the players you may be sure have taken a lease of the table for
half the night. A break of five would be a surprising feat, and a run of ten would
probably lead to the marvellous performer being carried shoulder high in triumph to the bar.
The host of the Commercial had an agreeable experience during our short stay at his
house. On a Sunday morning, having no church to go to, he, heedful of the precept that
cleanliness is next to godliness, began to tidy up his yard as a respectful tribute to the
saniftity of the Lord's Day. Some lumps of quartz, which had been brought in by some
prospectors who had lodged at the hotel, were lying about, and he picked them up to make
cobble-stones for his stable. One of them, on being thrown down into its place, struck a
larger stone, and a fragment was chipped off, exposing a streak of the precious yellow metal,
which the innkeeper, who is an old prospector, had often sought in vain, throughout many

a weary day's march.
A heavy hammer soon
broke the quartz into
pieces the size of hen's
eggs, and every blow
revealed thick veins of
gold, and frosted pieces
of it bulging from the
fractures. The lucky
finder not being wealthy
enough to pave his
stable with gold, picked
up his cobble-stones and
transferred tiicin to his
safe. The house did a
great trade that day,
although it was Sundaj-.
As soon as the discovery
was noised abroad, there
was a general desire on
the part of the people of
Hannan's to see the
specimens, which made a display pretty enough to grace the plate-glass of a Regent
Street jeweller. Of course, every one wanted to know where the golden quartz had come
from, but no one could make reply; no one even knew which party of prospectors had
dumped down the stone as useless lumber in the Commercial's back-yard, much less the
spot whence it had come, so that possibly another Great Boulder may for ever conceal
its treasure. The specimens were taken to the bank by the escort during the week, and
doubtless long ere this the trove of the prosaic cobble-stones is passing from hand to hand
in the form of sovereigns, with nothing to distinguish them from any other samples of
Her Majesty's coinage of less historic interest. It is not to be wondered at that the
merits of cleaning up on Sunday morning impressed itself upon most of the other hotcl-

A HISTORY OP THE FIELDS. IIV AN OLD CHUM.

DRY BLOWING AT WHITE FEATHER.

A NUGGET IN THE TAN.

132

MY FOURTH TOUR IX UESTERN AUSTRALIA.

keepers of the town, and a general search was made for prospectors' leavings, but up to
the time of our departure from the town, a -jreat deal of stone-cracking; had been done
without any more golden veins coming into view.

We made another discovery at Hannan's during our visit — a treasure that our artist
must have the full credit of finding. Our artist, who has a natural aptitude for lighting
upon curiosities that are overlooked by the casual observer, was usually out of his blanket
an hour or more before the rest of us had stirred, and when he once got loose on his rambling

AN AHOKIl.INAl. AMI^l.

AHOKIGINAL SKKTCHKS.

excursions it required considerable ingenuity to fiiul him again. Whenever a halt was called
on our journeys he would tuck his sketch book under his arm and lea\e us, and I am prepared
to state on oath that he was lost at least a dozen times during our trip, and had the whole
party out scouring the surrounding country for him. One morning, while seated on a kerosene
can sketching a camel, a j-oung woman in a gigantic hood, told him that there was a native
"at the back " who could use the peiuil. She indicated "the back" with her thumb, and

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 133

following the direction indicated, he found a conglomeration of corrugated iron and wood
shanties, and squatting on the ground with a baby in her lap, was the female native delineator.
Our artist immediately proceeded to interview her.

" Would she draw something for him ?" he asked. She readily consented, and in a short
time made the two attempts here printed in fac simile. She was extremely modest about her
productions, saying apologetically, " Me try-um better nudder time." F"or this laudable
intention he presented her with a stock of paper and pencils.

If you go to Hannan's, you might call at "the back" — they will introduce you to it
at the front — and see what progress she is making. One thing you may be sure of, she
will not show you her drawings and grandly refer to them as " little things just dashed
off," as some ladies are given to refer to their puny efforts. O! no; she would say as she
said to him, " Me try-um better nudder time."

A camel is not a very pleasant mount for a lad\-, but the necessities of the fields
sometimes require that a woman shall do a journey on a hump-backed palfrey. The
wife of the proprietor of the Commercial Hotel is equal to such an emergency. The side-
seat does not come amiss to camels which have not to be specially broken to accustom them
to it, and as they lie or kneel down, to be mounted or dismounted, a rider of the gentle sex
does not need any assistance in the operation. There is a cow-camel at Hannan's that
goes daily to and from the White Feather, a distance of twenty-four miles, which is very
light work for a camel. The animal is always put up at the Commercial, and gets a
small ration of chaff in lieu of being allowed to roam in the bush at night. The camel
is of a lighter build and finer skin than those which are used for draught. The value
of such a hack is from £60 to £']^. It travels the twenty-four miles without food or
water, and makes a speed of seven or eight miles an hour. It keeps in better condition
than a horse would do upon the same amount of food, and, if necessary, can carry a
load in addition to its rider. Some of the hack camels, indeed, are at times mounted
by two men, but the foremost rider has only a makeshift seat, as the saddles are only
built to carry one man and his tent, blanket and provisions.

The glory of the Civil Service hides its diminished head at Hannan's. Never have Her
Majesty's representatives been so shabbily installed in such a sorry suite of offices. A row
of tents is all that the Warden's Court, the Lands and Survey Office, the Post Office, and
the Registrar's official quarters, can boast of. A burglar with a pen-knife could slit his way
into ail these repositories of money and records, which are curious evidences of official
perplexity to provide for the pressing wants of the hour. That the Registrar has been at
his wits' end to comply with the law, and that he is a man of many expedients, is shown by
another of his ingenious devices. Tlic law says that applications for leases shall be exhibited.
If they are not placed before the public eye for a certain number of days, they are likely to
be protested against as irregular, and to be pronounced null and void. But the Registrar
had no space, and no place upon which he could set out his notices. He could not affix
them to the walls of his office, for tacks cannot be hammered into canvas. If he had
turned bill-sticker, and pasted up the piles of applications, the documents would have
papered the little tent six deep, and a legal difficulty would have arisen. When a plaguey
lawyer in search of a flaw raised the point, could the Warden say that notices stuck on top

134

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

COMK AND KEEP HOUSE.

of one another had been "exhibited?" Neither could the
Registrar beg or borrow a black-board, for there was not
such a thing in the town, and he could not spread the
papers on the ground to be sent away by the winds of
heaven. In this dilemma a bright idea, which almost
amounted to a flash of genius, struck him. The staff was
sent into the forest to cut down young trees, the trunks of
which were conveyed home. The poles were set upright in
the ground to a height of seven or eight feet, and then,
to the admiration of the people who are proud of their
dauntless and resourceful Registrar, they saw him early and
late hanging out his notices on the saplings, like a laundress
putting clothes upon a line. The papers tied round the middle soon fluttered in the wind
like the mammoth tails of innumerable kites twined upon giant sticks. It was a master
stroke of expedient. No man could sa\- that he could not read a notice, no matter how
many weather-stained and tattered folios he might have to turn over to get at it. The
inspedtion of the record, too, was iiuuh more breezy than making searches in a stuffj'
office. The law was vindicated, and the Registrar could go on receiving in his tiny tent
applications and fat fees for a swelling public treasury, with a light heart. More leases
onl}- meant more foolscap for the gales to crackle. The edges might grow ragged with
fluttering in the wind, the ink fade, and the paper grow mouldy and yellow, but what
of that ? The notices were " exhibited " in accordance with the law, and leases had a
legal title. The scoffer might smile at the unkempt paper-clothed regiment of posts,
flanking the mining offices ; but the Government could flatter itself that it had at
Kalgoorlie an officer who was able to checkmate the wiles of legal subtlety, to quell
discontent, and to walk discreetly amid the pitfalls of a new and embarassing position.
The meat supply of the goldfields is not one of the things that a squeamish man would
pry into. It is impossible for the trade to be humanely condu(ited. What sheep and cattle
drafted to Coolgardie and Hannan's suffer before they feel the merciful knife of the butcher,
can be conjectured from the appearance of the joints in the retailers" shops. The flesh
is of a dark colour, and destitute of fat. The suet is little more than flakes of a sinewy
substance covered with parchment. The sheep look like victims of famine ; the beef shows
far too much bone. The wasting that has taken place since the animals were landed in
prime condition by rail or boat at Perth, or Freniantle, is painfully suggestive. A talk
with a butcher throws some light upon the trade, which he likes so little that he talks freely
of its miseries: " I have been thirtj'-five years in the business," said
he, "but I never saw anything like the cruelty of it here. Hut
what can we do? There is no water or feed in this part of the
country, and to pay for bringing fodder and water to the stock from
the time they leave the train at Southern Cross, until they find
their way into the slaughter-house here, would cost far too much.
Until the stock reach Coolgardie, they are driven wide of the waggon
road, so that they may get as many bites as possible, and thanks to the Government

cl3L-

CONDENSERS.

WATERING CAMELS.

136

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

dams, they so far can get enough water. Hut after that they have a bad time. Take
the Hannan's supply for example. The animals are sent some miles out of the town to
try and find them a mouthful, but all the while they are slowly dying of thirst ; water
is too dear, and is too far away for them to get any. Many a beast is turned into meat
after it has dropped from exhaustion. Do you know what kind of meat ? Look ; here
is a piece. It is very dark, you see, and the veins are purple. The beast that this came
from did not bleed well. Its blood was thick for want of water. Such food I do not think
can be wholesome, but what can be done? The goldfields, especially in the summer time,
are no place for stock. What with losses on the road, and while sheep and cattle are
waiting to be slaughtered, together with the great shrinkage in weight, butchering in these
parts is a poor game, in spite of the high prices of meat. Profits are uncertain, and the
trade sickens a man, with the way it has to be carried on." One remedy for the deplorable
evils which have been faintly outlined in the foregoing statements, would be to kill stock

at Southern Cross, and send
the meat on to Coolgardie and
Kalgoorlie, in refrigerating
cars at night. The plan will
be feasible as soon as the
railway is completed, and in
the interests of humanity, if
not in order to obtain better
food, it should be adopted.
The present system is a
scandal that only needs to
be investigated to bring
down the weight of an
indignant public against it.
So far, the wasteful, baneful
and brutal pracitices in vogue,
have been tolerated only
because of the public
necessities. People had to be fed at any cost of suffering to the brute creation, but it will
be a disgraceful reflecition upon Western Australia if the cruelty continues to be inflicted
for a day longer than it can be avoided. Even apart from the question of torture, the
gorge rises at the thought of the consumption of meat that would be condemned b)' the
health authorities of any town possessing such guardians. It is difficult to say whether
the blood-congested beef, or the emaciated, stringy, tasteless mutton, is the least appetizing
dish. Both of them are repugnant to the sight and palate of any diner who cares to
inform himself of the conditions under which the surveying of meat is carried on.

"WHERE'S THE HEXT WATER, HATE?"

Cbaptei 0.

The Bicycle on the Goldfields — The I'rivatiuns of the Pioneers — Typhoid Fever and its Treatment

at Hannaii's — The Noble Hospital Nurses — A Coat of Arms for Western Australia —

The "Dead Marines" on the Track — Dry Blowing around Hannans — White

Feather — The Future of the Colony's Timber Trade — The Discomfort of

Railway Travelling:; — Tagh Mahomet Murdered — Forced Marches —

The Midland Railway.

HE bicj'cle plays an important part on the goldfields. Myriads of the
two-wheelers are met with, mounted by men of all ages and professions.
In no part of the world is the machine more popular or valuable, for
the roads are flat, and horse feed is at an enormous premium. A
bicycle, which needs neither food nor water, and which, even with an
indifferent rider in the saddle, is faster than an average hack, is of
inestimable value. In its way it is as useful as a camel in the desert.
The machines are all of the latest pneumatic tyre patterns, which slide
over the soft sandy tracks with conipanitively easy pedalling. The
climate does not encourage the introduction of the " bone-shaker," or the narrow india-
rubber wheel. The goldfields are the market for only the most improved machines, and when
an inventor perfedls the automatic bicycle, driven by electrical power, he will have a large
sale for it in West Australia. On the fields bicycles are used strictly for business purposes.
The Saturday afternoon run, the parade in club colours, the ride for recreation, are frivolities
that there is no inducement to indulge in under the scorching sun. The commercial
traveller, the clerk, the shop-keeper, the professional man who gets about on wheels, is
quite satisfied to ride to save time and shoe leather, not on pleasure bent. On the Continent
the Romish Church forbids the priesthood to pedal their way through their parishes for fear
of lowering the dignity of the spiritual office in the public eye, but the exigencies of the
goldfields are superior to such nice scruples. One (if tiie most robust sons of the Church,
so muscular a Christian in faCt that his machine must have been specially built to sustain
his burly form, has made many journeys between Coolgardie and the outlying centres upon
his roadster, to minister to the spiritual needs of a very scattered flock. Until the telegraph
line was completed the bicycle did the work of the electric wire. Some of the best riders
in the Southern Hemisphere — men who had made a name upon the race track — travelled
regularly between Coolgardie and Southern Cross. They were equipped with the best
machines, and were trained to do the trip in the shortest possible time. These adepts

138

MY FOURTH TOUR IX UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

made a handsome income out of their skill and stamina. The fee was five shillinf:;s for
each message delivered at either terminus, and the wallets were always well filled. When
the telegraph office was opened, some of the athletic corps went further afield with their
wheels and their post-bags, but there never has been a bicycle service so well organised and
manned as that which was disbanded wiicn the space between Southern Cross and the
Golden City was crossetl by the puissant wire. The lonely bic\clist takes his life in his
hand in crossing the drought-stricken wilderness. Just after we left Coolgardie the corpse
of a rider was found on the Menzies' road. He had been overcome by exhaustion and
thirst; no help was near in that wide burning waste, and he perished in his arduous calling.
The privations of the prospedtors are refierted in their faces when they come into the
townships for a brief rest. At Hannan's we had a talk with the leader of one of these

parties, who related a thrilling incident
in his experience. On one occasion
when he had conducted his party
through some of the worst of the back
country, the water gave out. Two of
tile horses died. It was too far to go
hai k t(i the last place where water had
been found. Even if that spot could be
reached, it was likel}- that the scanty
suppl)- in a small clay-pan would be
found to be dried up, or exhausted by
other prospectors. The sun was so hot
that at the place where it had been
expetfted to find water the " soak " was
almost ilrv. A (]uart of foul thick
liiiuid. which had to be boiled before
tile thirstiest man could touch it, was
all that could be got. The horses were
in the last stage of exhaustion, and
there was no relief for them. Their
heaving hollow sides and bloi)dshot
eyes, showed their keen distress. If tluy succumbed, the party were in imminent
danger, for they could not lra\(l on fool in search of water iiuuinbencl with provisions.
In this extremity a council was held. The chance of linding water in various direiilions
was discussed, but the suggestions made were onl}- based on conjecture. None of the
party had been so far east before. A death of torture stared them in the face. It was
resolved to scour the country all round the camp, and that each man should return to
it at nightfall. As twilight was deepening into darkness, all the men except one had
reached the rendezvous. None of them had anything liopeful to report as they sat
dejedtedly on the ground. There seemed now no hope of escape. The want of water
was being painfully felt, ami the little that was said came thickly from parched tongues.
Still the missing man had not arri\eil. It was growing late. Could he ha\e lost his

"I sAv. vou'li. catch cold, mv lord!

'i^'l-.

■■^W*

<r»

SVCvfi^

A FAMILY I'AKTV.

GROUP OF MINERS, WHITE FEATHER.

140

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

way? A rifle shot was fired to attract his attention if he were within hearing. A faint
" coo-e-ee " was heard in response. Presently there was the sound of a horse approaching
at a walk. Then the comrade's voice uttering blasphemous exhortations caused all the
group at the camp to spring to their feet. In a few moments there emerged from the
thick scrub in the starlight the figures of a knocked-up pony, and the rider, dragging
something at the end of a rope, which had been used as the ridge-pole of a tent. The
prospector had captured a black girl, who wore onlj- a sash of bark fibre. He had, he
told his mates, come upon a wild tribe, who bolted as soon as they saw him, and he
gave chaise. The fugitives were too fleet for his jaded horse, but the girl had stumbled
over a boulder, enabling him to overtake her, and he had brought her into camp to make
her " show water." But the girl would not give up her precious secret. She was scared
and sullen, and while the sufferings of the party were everj- moment growing greater,

she, to all their cries of
"babba, babba" (water,
water), only shook her head.
It was clear that they must
wait till the girl, tortured
b}' her own thirst, would
reveal the hidden store.
When she found that no harm
was intended her, she did not
refuse food, and a lot of salt
was added to the tinned meat
before it was given to her.
She was hungry and ate
freely, while her captors
looked on sardonically. In
a few hours she became visibly uneas)-. Her mouth was dry, and she sought in vain
to moisten her lips with saliva. The men feverishly called " babba, babba," and this
time there was a welcome response. The girl's eyes shone wistfully, and she pointed
in a northerly dirccftion. She was allowed to leave the camp, a lasso round her waist.
On she went as straight as an arrow, for about five miles. She needed no compass ;
her step never faltered. Tin- child of the desert was as familiar with the stars in
their courses by night, as with a rock, a bush, or a tree, the landmarks of the wilderness
by day. She went dire(5tly along the bed of a drj- gully, up the side of a rocky scarp.
On the summit of the rocks she stopped, and kneeling down, thrust her right arm up to
the shoulder in a cii-ft ; she drew out Ikt hand full of water, and drank ravenousl\-. It
was a " namma " hole. One of the men eagerly plunged a quart pot through the fissure
to try the size of the hole, and pulled it out full to overflowing. Evidently there was a
goodly store in this reservoir of nature, and there was a joyous revulsion of feeling from
a sense of despair among the parched prospedlors. They even had spirits enough to raise
a cheer, as the black girl — Mulberry they called her — who had saved their lives, retreated
quickly in search of her tribe the moment she was let go. The party had, indeed, very

"on shk wknt as straight as an arrow."

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

141

narrowly escaped "doing a perish," as the expressive phrase goes out West to describe the
fate of a gold seeker, whose skeleton, picked clean by carrion birds, is found by those who
chance upon his tracks. The " namma hole" was equal to the emergency. By bailing
the water with a quart pot into a bucket, all the horses and camels were watered, and after
a two days' camp at the spot, the cistern in the rocks was not dry when my informant and
his companion left it, in order to make a successful dash across a long dry stage. The hole
widened out from its narrow neck like a demijohn, and it appeared to be replenished from
a "soak," or spring. Such reservoirs, more commonly known as "namma holes," occur
here and there all over the back country, and e.xplorers are always keenly on the look-out
for them ; but as in the case under notice, the mouth is sometimes so small as to elude
discovery without a guide. Some of the holes are filled by the rainfall, at times from the
drainage of a storm channel in the wet season, or
from a spring, and the finding of one of them is a
red-letter day in the records of an expedition.

The scourge of the fields, as the bills of
mortality show, is typhoid fever. Every year the
insidious destroyer claims many vi(5lims in the flower
of their manhood. The insanitary state of towns
which sprang rapidly into existence, is responsible
for much of the sickness which has prevailed.
While thousands of people were flocking to Cool-
gardie and Hannan's, they crowded together far
more quickly than hygienic laws could be brought
into operation for the preservation of the public
health. A civic body had to be created in each
centre, funds raised, regulations framed, and a
cleansing system organised. While this was being
done, tens of thousands of people poured in, and
the seeds of pestilence were sown. The mining
capital threatened to become the breeding ground
of a plague. Last summer Coolgardie was the
hot-bed of fever, under conditions which were very
unfavourable for checking its spread. The heat of

the climate, the absence of a well-appointed hospital, the isolated position of the field,
limiting the supply of medical comforts, conspired to make the dreaded maladj- more
than usually fatal. The dead were carried daily from the rude infirmary, and as fast
as the hearse drove away other sufferers claimed the vacant beds. The Government
exerted itself to stay the epidemic, and to do all that was possible for the relief of
the afflidted. Medical aid was enlisted, and skilful self-denying and courageous women
were found willing to brave all the dangers and discomforts of the lazar-house to
minister to the sick, and to soothe the dying. The local Corporation received aid from
the Treasury to combat the outbreak by instituting a strict purification within the
municipal bounds, and this precaution helped to reduce the death-roll. A great many

A HOOD FOR THE Dl'ST FLIKS.

142

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

invalids were sent to the sea-side sanatoriiims in the southern distri(5ts, and when cooler
weather approached typhoid fever had been mastered, hut not eradicated. Nevertheless,
the exertions of the authorities to expel the pestilence were not relaxed. A better hospital
was erected, all sources of contagion were sought out and purged, the organizations for
the better treatment of the sick was improved. Tjphoid fever, which medical science has
declared to be a preventible disease, was treated as a serious public peril, and to the credit
of the municipal bodies, it can be said that this year there has been a great diminution, both
in the number of cases treated and in the mortality. Nor was the beneficent work restricted

to Coolgardie. The Cabinet
showed the same solicitude in
giving a strong helping-hand
to Hannan's. On the appear-
ance of the fever there, the
Council were not, financially
speaking, in a position to cope
with the outbreak, but the timely
Ciovcmiiient grant of ^2,000
enabled them to put the town
in order. During his tour. Sir
John Forrest visited the local
iiospital, and showi-d iiis con-
cern for the welfare of the
patients, who, it is pleasing to
relate, did not nearl\- fill all the
wards. Tlie Premier, in passing
the beds, spoke sympathetically
to their occupants, and before
leaving, intimated to the senior
niedic.il ofticers that nothing
should be wanting on the part
of the Government to assist
him and the managers of the
iiistituticui in tlie work of
humanity.

The good Samaritans of the
hospitals are deserving of a
tribute of praise. Tlie unselfish women wlu) have hastened to tend tin- jiatieiits in the
fever-wards are as worthy of honour as those noble sisters who cheerfully responded to the
call of the wounded and the dying in the Crimea. They — Florence Nightingale and her
devoted band — serenely faced the rigours of a Russian winter, the horrors of war, in the
performance of their errand of mercy. At the goldfields the nurses — far from home and
friends, in a sultry, pestiferous atmosphere — with unwearied care, do all that the gentle
offices of women can do for stricken men who are strangers to them. Among these

120 IN THK SHADt.

PRINTERS' CAMP COMPANY.

A SATISFACTORY MEAL.

MY FOURTH TOUR /.V UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

faithful nurses none stand hif^lur in public esteem than the Sisters of the People, a
philanthropic Protestant guild of chi\alrous women who, loyal to their lofty ideal of self-
abnegation, are to be found side by side with the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy fulfilling
their mission in the slums of the cities, and on the fields labouring assiduously and tenderly
in the service of the sick.

At the present time the sanitary condition of the mining towns is as good as can
be exf)ected, considering the youth of the Hoards of Health and the scarcity of water.
The best systems for the removal and disposal of refuse, tlir inauguration of underground
drainage, and the setting up of incinerators, are obviously beyond tiie nacli of immature
settlements which are only just beginning to assume something of the shape and character
of towns and cities. \\'here drains have been made, the sewage, owing to the flatness of the

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

country, mostly soaks into the ground, and engenders the seeds of malaria. But Coolgardie
makes an effort to be cleanly. The rubbish of householders' j'ards is removed and burned by
municipal contractors, and the camping of teamsters within certain bounds of the city is
prohibited. The impartial critic will admit that, although the Maj-or and Councillors cannot
point to sanitary reforms of the kind commonly found in older centres of population, they.
have been zealous, as far as in them lay, to maintain tlu' hygienic credit of the municipality.
It has been cynically said, with quite as much truth as is usually found in a sneer, that
the Western Australian coat-of-arms should include the device of a tin-opener and a water-
bag. A corkscrew is entitled to quite as prominent a place in the insignia. The whisky
bottlers do not need to belaud the qualit\- of their brands in staring letters painted on the
trees along the Coolgardie track. A road so thickly strewn with empt\- bottles is in itself a
Leviathan advertisement. "The dead marines" are in every uniform — white, blue-green,
yellow, and emblazoned with gilt. Their graves lie thick around the ashes of the camp fires.
At stopping-places, where buggy-wheels
have diverged from the waggoners'
ruts, whisky has evidently been more
plentiful than water. On the cleared
patches where the teamsters pass the
night, we can see that beer is the
favourite tipple. A " nobbier" of spirits
would not wash down nearly so much
of the dust of a twelve hours' march
as a "long drink" of Bass or Guinness
brew. Nothing is easier, indeed, than
for the most owl-e)'ed tracker to note
from the signs of the road, from the
dumb records of the festive hours of
vanished travellers, the types of those
who have gone before. The track itself
is an open book writ large, which those who ride may read without the aid of a li\ely
imagination. Here a humble one-horse dray has passed. You can see the dragging pace of
the jaded " screw," which has been pulled out of the way time and time again to allow even
the creeping waggons to pass. Likely enough the trap carried the wife and children, and
the "duds" of the driver, to add another to the canvas homes of Coolgardie. Perhaps the
traveller was a " Cheap Jack " with a fresh load of wares, or perchance a travelling black-
smith. Anywa}-, a bottle of " Colonial " cheered his frugal way. There is the label half
buried in the sand, where he turned off and had a "spell." He must have envied that well-
appointed drag that, as the wheel-marks show, dashed past him. .-X four-horse team
evidently, with luxuriouslj-packed hampers. Those gilt-topped Krugs and Epernays must
have made going to Coolgardie almost a picnic. See! the sparkling liquor had fit accom-
paniments: potted ham and tongue and fowl, preserved fruits and plum pudding- The
sumptuous lunch has left many relics behind these Sybarites. A broken glass shows that
the beaded bubbles winked at the brim of crystal, and, glancing further, the palate was even

LfllNCt U1LL> ILKKb^.

146

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERX AUSTRALIA

titillated for the {jenerous vintage with an olive. To make a guess, these Epicureans were an
opulent S\ndicate ; or maybe they were lucky prospectors, who for j-ears had known the
hardest fare — thirst, povertN', the heart-sickness of hope deferred — till one day a lucky stroke
of the hammer or the pick had made them rich. Such men niii^ht well drive fast horses and
drink champafjne, and make jocund the riile to re-\isit the scene of their former privations.
Or the dainty excursionists are known in the Golden City as fortunate investors, or even
wealthy globe-trotters, who esteem Coolgardie as a show place that is worthy of inspection,
as it assuredly is. But high or low, rich or poor, it is Lombard Street to a tliina orange
that very few teetotallers mo\e along the great higli\va\' to Coolgardie.

.\11 around the city, except on the south side, the scratching of the aliu\iul miniT has
thrown up the ground into myriads of molehills. He has worked witli tiic assiduit_\' of the
ant, and in countless numbers. The gullies and flats below the low hills have been turned
over and put through the "dry-blower." The mounds are in too many cases the monuments

of bliglitcd hopes, of loss and unrequited
toil. The labour was heavy, the prizes com-
paratively few. Tt) get here to seize the
chance of delving into the gravelly soil, what
sacrifices were made, what hardships endured !
I'ar-off hills looked greenest to thousands
when the news of the wonderful wealth spread
like prairie fire. The tale expanded as it went
from mouth to mouth, until it infected all
wild luMiil it. The worker's wage seemed
paltry as he thought of turning up nuggets at
Coolgardie. He built castles in the air, and
suffused them with the seductive tints of
glowing fanc}'. The delirium of the gold
fever was at work. Employers were quitted ;
goods were frittered away to raise money
for the long, arduous, expensive pilgrimage ; wife and children bidden farewell, and home
deserted in quest of the shining spoil. The voyage in the steerage of a crowded steamer
reeking with the odour of horses and cattle, the long train journey, the much longer
exhausting trudge across the wilderness between Southern Cross and Coolgardie, brought
the wistful searcher at last to the goal of all his hopes — the goal where for weeks, often as
long as he had a shilling in his pocket, he dug, and rocked the (ir_\-blower early and late in
the scorching sun, on a ration of tinned meat and damper, all for naught, while the wife at
home was counting the hours for the postman to knock with news of his success. Some of
the alluvial miners have harrowing tales to tell. I had a talk with one man, who, producing
from his purse a tiny j)icce of gold, said — "That bit cost me £"70, the last money I had in
the world. I came over with hundreds of others. We thought it would be easy to till our
belts with ' slugs' after all we had heard of Coolgardie ; but Coolgardie is like every other
diggings — a few are lucky, and the many don't make tucker, especially what tucker used to
cost when I came up. Water was 2S. 6d. per gallon: I have paid 2s. for ilb. of tinned meat.

OVER THK DKSKRT IN THE MOONLIGHT.

BLACK FLAG. GREAT QVARTZ OUTCROP.

CAMP CONDENSER THE LARGE LAKE, BLACK FLAG.

i^S .\/y FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

and IS. 6d. for a loaf of bread. The few sovereigns I had melted away like fat in a frying-
pan. .•Ml the time missus, poor woman, thought I was picking up gold, as I had quite
persuaded her that my luck could not go wrong. I hadn't the heart to write without sending
her something, which she wanted badly enough, God knows, and she took ill with thinking
that I had forgotten her. I hadn't the money to go back, but a mate of mine did, and he
helped me through. I got work at one of the mines, and since then I've done better, but
allowing for the cost of living, the pay is not much better than a man would get in another
Colony."

There is no doubt that a great many miners have " gone South " — as leaving
the West is called — after giving the Northern and Eastern Goldfields a trial, but the
departures are only a percentage of the arrivals. A certain number of men change
their plans through irresoluteness, ill-health, or love of change, or through failing to
get quickly "into the swim," but these exceptional cases do not condemn Western
Australia as a goldfield for sober and capable workers. Besides, a great man}- of those
who appear in the passenger lists of outgoing steamers are merely making a trip to
visit their families or their friends, and intend to return. All the while, in spite of the
Colony being regarded by many of her immigrants as an uninviting home after the
civilised places they have left, they are putting roots down so deeply in the new soil that
there is no doubt that the bulk of the incoming population are here to stay. To sail west-
ward is now the aim of tens of thousands of people in South Australia, New South Wales,
and particularly in Victoria, while from New Zealand there is also a smaller tide of
immigration. The eagerness to reach " the Cinderella of Australia" is sharpened by the good
new'S sent to their friends by a large proportion of those who made the voyage a few years
ago, and by the depression in trade and the labour market which prevails in the neighbouring
Colonies. No parallel to the wholesale migration of people from one Colony to another
that is now taking place from East to West has ever been known in the history of the island
Continent. The influ.x of passengers from the steamers which berth at the Fremantle piers
can only be compared to the rush that took place to the goldfields of Victoria in the fifties,
but the Victorian statistics were still more phenomenal. Nevertheless, if the local rate of
increase should be maintained for a year or two longer, the native-born West Australian
will be almost obliterated as a political force. Two of every three men you meet in the
metropolis or on the fields are " t'othersiders," in which comprehensive term is included all
new arrivals from any part of the world.

The next important centre after leaving Hannan's is \N'hite Feather, or Kanowna, to
give it its official title. Kanowna is well worth a visit, especially if one goes there as the
guest of Captain Bissenberger, who is generally styled, the " King of the Feather." He
was among the first to settle in the district, and he is to-day one of the staunchest believers
in its mineral riches. There are few parts of the Coolgardie field where Captain
Bissenberger is not popular, and the mention of his name ensures a welcome to the best
that any camp has to offer. From such a host one hears many curious tales of early days
on the fields, and realises something of the privations and dangers that the early pioneers
were called upon to undergo. As one sits beneath the shade of a comparatively cool tent,
with a pipe and a white man's peg of good whisky, it is difficult to realise the hardships

"Another victim added to the long list of thosk who
have ckrished in the dreary bush. a man has been found
lying dead near coorow, and heside him w krk a swag and an
OPEN Bible." — Daily Netis.

jiBUSMED,

Australia s Horror.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

149

that these men underwent to make the wilderness habitable. The stories, as a rule, run on
much the same lines. Directly the prospector gets away from the settled districts, the
heat, the drought, and the natives, have each to be reckoned with, and even the benefits
derived from the employment of the patient and long-suffering camel, are not unmixed with
anxious moments. Many prospedtors travel by night, and spend the day resting and praying
for moon-rise, while others brave the glare of the sun for the advantage of the additional
light. Those who camp at night have often to tramp six or seven miles for their camels
before breakfast, for, as Rudyard
Kipling writes: "They'll lose them-
selves for ever, if you let 'em stray a
mile." And despite all that one hears
to the contrary, camels dislike a "dusty
throat" as cordially as any human
being. Practice teaches them to exist
on very little water, but the practice
does not improve their tempers, and
after long enforced abstinence, they
become savage. Then those who
travel by night have to haul them
along, while one man is told off to
wait behind, and pick up the stragg-
lers. Many of the known water holes
are enormous distances apart, and
the humour becomes grim, when, after
a forty or fifty miles crawl through
the scrub, the eager travellers finds
that another lot of camels have been
there before them, and consumed the
supply. This often means that another
three days hard tramping will have

to be accomplished before the next clay-pan is reached. Then the provisions run short,
and the Barcoo rot makes its appearance. Tucker is reduced to tinned fish and plum
pudding, and the man who dines daily on this diet, using the wet fish for meat and
the dried fish for bread, tightens his belt to reduce the belly pinch of hunger. The
fare sickens him; the first bad water he reaches, stretches him out with dysentery, and
the quiver of a native spear, as it rips into the sand, throws him into a cold sweat of terror.
It is at such times that the salted bushtnan whistles through his cracked lips, and bustles
around with a confident air to put courage into the new chums, and nerve them up for
another effort. The man who loses the love of life, dies where he falls, as good men
have died before him — the rest push forward to success, or retrace their steps. To the
world it matters little which they do, for other men are on the road behind them, and in
time the march of civilisation will triumph, and those who have failed in the attempt will
be forgotten.

msSENBERGKR.

150

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

There was a splendid exhibit of the celebrated jarrah timber of Western Australia at the
Southern Cross railway station when we passed there. The ground adjoining the extensive
sidings was covered with immense stacks of sleepers of the hard red wood. These had been
sawn for the Coolgardie line, which is so important a work that while trucks have been
wanted in other directions, they have always been freely available for forwarding the
material so that the contractor might make the greatest possible progress. The great call for
sleepers, building and public works material, has kept the saw-mill working all night.
If there had been double the plant it would have been profitably employed. While the
sleepers have been in hand, the builders of Perth and Fremantlc have not been able to get
their orders completed. But West Australia has always been strangely slow to make
the best of her splendid timber forests. It is not man\- years since jarrah was cut only by
hand in the Southern district, where this tree principally grew. The sites of the pit-saws of
the most primitive kind have hardly had time to become grass-grown since the first steam
plant was set up. .\t last the surpassing merits of the finest hard wood in the world, and

which grows thickly over an immense tract of countrj-,
began to be recognised. It was found, after a test of many
3ears, that for the piles and stays of piers and bridges, as
well as for decking, jarrah was unrivalled. It is imper-
vious alike to the ra\ages of the sea-worm and to decay
,^^^ in water. Since jarrah was first used in the Colony, no

|B «-*i™B one has lived long enough to know how long it will last.

'■- "' In fact, water seems to have a preservative effect upon it.

Some piles taken from the old pier at Fremantle are now as
sound as the daj- they were cut in the forest forty years ago.
This discovery suggested that a trial of jarrah should be
made in the streets of London, as they are never dry for
many months of the year, and some large shipments of the
timber have been exported for the work.

It has been estimated that jarrah grows chiefly
between Beverley and Albany. On the South-Western
line there are a number of saw-mills, but none of them
are of a very large size, or equipped with what may
be regarded as powerful plant. Some of them, indeed, are little more than portable
mills, and from time to time they are removed to new sites to save hauling the logs
from a distance. This is one of the first considerations of good management, as jarrah
is a very heavy timber, and it grows in hilly country, and has a copious sap. So far
little has been done in laj-ing down tram or railwa\- lines into the heart of the forests
to bring the trunks to the mills, which is chiefly done in the old-fashioned way on jinkers
drawn by horses or bullocks. A strong company with the capital necessary to cheapen and
expedite the haulage to a well-equipped central mill would find their work very profitable.
The supply of the raw material is practically unlimited ; timber rights are granted by
the Government on merely nominal terms, and the demand for sawn jarrah is so great that
three times within the last twelve months the mill-owners have raised their price-lists without

I2/>On MILF.S AWAV.

GOING DOWN WITH FUSE FOR BLASTING.

BUYING WATER.

152

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

checking the pressure of their orders. \\'hile Perth is being practically re-built, and new
suburbs are springing up all round the capital, to say nothing of the demands of railway
contractors and the growing requirements of the country generally, the mill-owners are
masters of the situation. The timber trade, indeed, exhibits the backward condition of
Western Australia, which strikes the new-comer so forcibly on every side. The nascent
development of the Colony is the opportunity of any new-comer who has not been reared in
a village. His business activity and broader views are regarded with a surprise and mistrust,
and often with jealousy, by natives who have been brought up in so narrow a sphere. If
West Australia is ever to become what the Premier is very fond of describing it — a great
country — it will be the new stock that will make it one.

Sir William Robinson, a former Governor of the Colony, is one of its warmest as well
as its most influential advocate. On no subject, when speaking of its resources, is he more
eloquent than when his theme is jarrah. In his able address to the Colonial Institute
on the 1 2th of June, 1895, he said he regarded this timber, the growth of which extended

over 14,000 square miles, as one
of the most important national
assets of the country. It was
one of the toughest and most
durable of woods, and he
believed that when its good
properties became known, the
old proverb, "There is nothing
like leather," would be given the
new rendering of "There is
nothing like jarrah." None of
the timbers of Western Australia
were so valuable for exportation,
and it was finding its way into
the markets of the world. " The
tree," he went on to say,
" attains to a very large size,
sufficient for all purposes of
construction, is of handsome
growth, straight and tall, but with the fault so common to the trees of Australia — it is not
umbrageous. The white blossoms are, however, very beautiful, and produced in abundance,
even when the tree is very young. The jarrah timber has been the subject of exaggerated
praise and depreciation, and in either case not without some reason, having been found in
some cases to answer fully to the claims made for it of strength and durability, while in
others it has failed. The reason for this is not far to seek. Like other timber, it requires
to be cut from trees growing on the proper soil — the ironstone gravel of the Darling Range —
at the proper season, and the proper age, and, moreover, certain parts of it are of inferior
quality ; it is also difficult to season, being liable to split in the process if care is not taken.
The great and sudden demand which at one time was made for this timber induced, as I

A HAT. AND A RISK IN TMK WORLD.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

153

fear, its exportation to fulfil contracts as to quantity without sufficient regard to quality ;
but when the necessar}' care is taken it will be found to justify the encomium of Baron von
Muller, whom we all know as a competent authority, ' that for the durability of this timber
it is unsurpassed by any kind of tree in any portion of the globe;' and under such circum-
stances it has three properties of great utility — it resists the marine teredo and the white
ant, and is not affected by the oxidation of iron bolts or nails."

The mills being over-tasked, a great deal of employment is being given to men who are
skilful with the broad axe. A railway contractor who wanted sleepers, advertised, about the
time these lines were written, for a hundred hewers, and he had
to offer good wages more than once before he got his comple-
ment. Some engineers prefer hewn to sawn sleepers, but one
would think that the world was old enough to place the broad
axe, except for occasional trimming, in the lumber-room along
with the sickle. In Western Australia, at any rate, there is
enough for every handy craftsman to do without wasting his
time and muscle in doing by hand what everywhere else is
done by machinery. And when one hundred hewers are adver-
tised for in the Golden West, the saw-miller of other lands,
who finds competition keen and markets dull, may make a note
of the fact that Western Australia will be glad to see him if he
will come along with his plant.

There is also more than one opening for builders of railway
rolling-stock, particularly trucks and vans. The passengers,
heaven knows, are badly enough off without sleeping cars,
refreshment rooms, or civilised caterers. Still, they get to
their journey's end all the same, morose and dyspeptic though
they may be after passing through the ordeal. It would be
a greater trouble to be left behind like the loading of consignors.

The business man is driven to despair by the inaptitude of the Department. His plans are
foiled, his business is checked, his customers are full of reproaches, the newspapers and the
mail-bags are bulging with indignant protests. The traffic-manager and the engineer-in-chief
blandly inform the public that "the block" is not their fault. They requisitioned for sufficient
rolling-stock when the avalanche of business was approaching, and they could not get what
they wanted. The Government cut the estimates down, and curtailed the orders. When
this came to light the people fell to blaming the Minister for Railways, the Hon. II. W.Venn.
A great public meeting was held in Perth to denounce him. Then a serious rupture occurred.
Mr. Venn said that the saddle must be put upon the right horse. He wrote a letter to the
Press explaining that Sir John Forrest, the Premier, was really the Lord of Misrule. It was
the Premier, the Minister of Railvvaj-s alleged, who vetoed the rolling-stock indents. Here
was a startling denouement ! It is not every day that the public can see Cabinet colleagues
recriminating each other in print. The plot soon thickened. The amazed Premier wanted
retraction, contrition, submission. He sent to his audacious colleague severe homilies upon
the loyalty due by one Minister to another, but Mr. W im turneii the rebuke upon his chief.

AT THK IIOTTOM OF A

154 ^^y FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

Sir John Forrest, he averred, had set the example of disloyalty. The Premier, according to
Mr. \'enn, had played a most ignoble part. He had refused to allow enough rolling-stock to
be obtained ; then he had traitorously thrown reflections upon the Railway Department for
the shortcomings for which he (Sir John Forrest) was to blame. Mr. Venn emphatically
declined to be made a scapegoat of by such a chief. The truth must prevail, he said in
effect, even though the reputation of Sir John Forrest should suffer. If Mr. Venn had
forwarded his resignation with this reply, he would, by general consent, have retired with
honour, but he made the strange mistake of supposing that he could be in serious conflict
with the head of the Government and yet continue to be a member of the Ministry. Sir
John was not slow to take advantage of his opportunity. He naturally called upon the
Minister of Railways to resign, and Mr. Venn, with a blind infatuation that most of his best
friends find inexplicable, obstinately refused to give up his office, with the result that on the
recommendation of the Premier, he was dismissed by His Exxellency the Governor, Sir
Gerard Smith. Mr. F. H. Piesse, who represents the Williams district, and who is a
successful business man, accepted the vacant portfolio.

It is recorded in Scripture that a certain king waxed fat and kicked. Bumble, the
parish beadle, gravelj- decried meat as being too stimulating a diet for the pauper Oliver
Twist. The meat of prosperity has made the Railway Department imperious. When such
primitive lines — onl\' one remove from tramways — can earn a profit clear above working
expenses of £"100,000, as they did last jear, it is, perhaps, not surprising that the Department
should not be very subservient to the needs of the public. It is the author of some curious
mandates to a community that is beseeching it to earn a larger income. " No goods
received for transmission over the Southern Cross Line until further notice," has been a
common advertisement in the newspapers. The private trader who should treat his
customers like this would soon be ruined, but the Government has no competitor as a carrier.
They flatly refuse to give Coolgardie the benefit of a short and cheap railway to Esperance
out of regard for the vested interests of Perth and I'-remantle. Hence it is no wonder that
a feeling is growing up that the goldfields have no affinity of interests with the other parts of
the Colon)-, which, while greatly profiting from the mines, do their best to bleed the mining
population. At a public meeting at York the other day a speaker declared that there must
be a distinct cleavage of political parties. The towns and the rural districts must strongl)-
combine against the goldfields in order to prevent the introduction of Free Trade, which would
make the miners' cost of living cheaper. Sir Jnhn l-'orrest, too, in a more guarded wa)',
leans to a similar conviction. He has lost no opportunitj- of advocating the organisation of
"a countrj- party," perceiving that when the day of reckoning at the polls arrives there will
probably be a disagreeable re-distribution of political power.

Coolgardie passengers have a very comfortless railway ride to and from Perth — a ride
that stirs up all that is unlovely in human nature. It makes men deceitful, if not bare-faced
Ijars. The golden rule of doing unto others as you would be done by is translated into
" Look strenuously after Number One." Every man manoeuvres pitifully to keep more than
two others out of his carriage. He dummies the seats with his wraps, rug and bag. " We're
full here," shouts many a passenger who would willingly pay twice the fare of a sleeping
berth, if such a thing were to be had, to spare himself the sin of Ananias. Often a porter is

HUYINO CAMELS.

156

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

bribed to turn down or mask a light, lock a door, or to connive at the exhibition on the
window of a piece of paper, that in the semi-darkness may be mistaken for the potent
official legend " Engaged." Meanwhile the station-master is hunted like a badger by
passengers who have paid for seats and cannot get them. They brandish their tickets, and
threaten suits for indemnification if they are not taken on. The unhappy station-master
reluctantly declares that he must find seats somewhere. With a bull's-eye lantern he pries
out the dummies. The sleep of subterfuge flees appalled at his approach. When he has
finished his inspection the train is really full. The travellers scowlingly sit stiifly in their
seats, where they will have to sit all night, with hatred in their hearts. The interloper who
got his seat at the last moment, and his neighbour who has marked it for his couch, are
mutually disgusted with each other. The one is inwardly growling at the brutal selfishness
and mendacit}- of people who want luxuries on a West Australian railway ; the other is full
of uncharitable thoughts of the boor who has spoiled his night's rest. The Railway
Department will have a great deal to answer for when the books of the Recording Angel
are opened.

While we were in Perth, after visiting Coolgardie, and were preparing to go to the
Murchison, Tagh Mahomet, one of the Afghan brothers who have been prominently
mentioned in these pages, was murdered by a countrj-man named Goulam Mahomet, under

circumstances so remarkable that a brief narrative of the tragic
j^ occurrence will not be out of place. The assassin and his victim

^Bi >^fc\ had quarrelled. Goulam Mahomet, who used to accompany

K 3^/*r ^ prospecting parties, sought a reconciliation, and was repelled

with contumely. So bitter was Tagh Mahomet's resentment
that Goulam professed to be in fear of his life, and, to use the
words of one of his intercessors, he resolved " to get his blow in
first." He made sure that the blow should be swift, and that
it should be a deadly one. Tagh Mahomet was on his knees
praj'ing in the Mosque at Coolgardie, when his enemy crept
behind him armed with a loaded revolver, hissed a curse in his
ear, and shot him through the back. Then, with the stoicism
of his race, he drew the remaining cartridges out of the weapon,
in order that no one else might risk injury in capturing him,
walked to the police-station and gave himself up. At his trial there was a slight attempt made
to show that he had unhinged his mind by smoking "herss," but the defence of his counsel,
Mr. George Leake, laid more stress upon the theorj- that the deceased had attempted to bribe
Afghans to kill Goulam. Counsel appeared to aim at inducing the jury to recommend the
prisoner to mercy, so that he should escape the gallows, but in this he was unsuccessful. On
the morning of his execution Goulam, who was a young and handsome man, behaved with
the fortitude of his race, which, as Macaulay tells us, enables them to bear inevitable evils with
the serene composure of a fatalist. He came on the scaffold attired, as also was the attendant
priest, in spotless white vestments, barefooted, and wearing a red fez; and, after praying,
made a speech for several minutes without a tremor in his voice. With his dying breath he
declared that he was innocent of the crime of murder. He was a Mussulman, and being in

'THANKS AWFULLV. l>ON TCMF.R-

KNOW !'■

(A SNAKK IN POSSESSION).

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

'3/

the last moments of his hfe he would tell the truth. Tagh Mahomet was rich, but he did not

kill him to rob him. He killed him because he (Goulam) feared that his own life would be

taken. Tagh had offered bribes for his death, and three times the doomed man said he had

narrowly escaped. His head got so bad at last that he hred the shot. He brought his

life to the hands of the English, as he thought he would get justice; but it appeared

to him that Englishmen never forgave, for since the Afghan War, and the massacre

of the English at Kyber Pass, they

had borne no good feeling towards

his countrymen. "Had I been a

white man," he exclaimed, " I should

not have been here; but I am

happy to-day, for I know in my

heart that although I killed Tagh

Mahomet, I did not murder him."

The priest passed the Koran across

the bosom of the culprit, and traced

the words La ilaha iliillah with his

finger on his forehead. Goulam then

took leave of his friends, invoked

their prayers, and begged them to

send his love to his three brothers

in Afghanistan. As the white cap

was being drawn over his face, he

fervently ejaculated the Mahommedan

prayer. La ilaha ilullah Mahaiiuiiadiii'

RasulluUah (" There is no God but

the one God, and Mahomet is His

Prophet "), and died with these words

upon his lips. Goulam's friends were

permitted to inter his body with

Mahommedan rites outside the gaol

walls, and about twenty of his

countrymen took part in the ceremonies, which included the distribution of fruit, dates and

nuts among the mourners and onlookers. The coffin was covered with flowers, and it was

borne to the grave on the shoulders of Afghans.

To get through the tour to the other goldfields in the short time at our disposal, it was
necessary to make special preparations to ensure speed. There is a well-appointed coach
service between Mullewa and Cue, the capital of the Murchison mining district, nearly three
hundred miles from Geraldton, the port of this division of the Colony, but the coach would
have been too slow for us. We had booked our berths by the P. ct O. Company's R.M.S.S.
Australia, which would leave Albany for London on I'ebruary Jnd. it being imperative that
we should be in London on the 5th of March.- Nothing but forced travelling and our own
organisation would compass the extensive journeys arranged upon our ample programme.

MIKAGK — OK — WATtK.

158

MV FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

There was not an hour to he lost if tine tiiiic was to be devoted to a full inspection of
the principal mines areiuiul Cue and Day Dawn. It was just possible to cover the ground if
we drove our own drag with a picked team of horses, and speedy relays at coinenient
changing stations. But we could not leave Perth before Saturday, and there was no train
between Geraldton and Mullewa on Sunday. To lose a start from Mullewa on Sundaj'
afternoon, at the latest, would be to hopelessly throw our clock back. Could a special train
be engaged to take us to Mullewa ? If it could the rest might be left to the fresh, upstanding
teams of Mr. Gascard, the coach proprietor, to whom we had weeks previously sent our order
to equip us for the road. The answer to a telegraphed enquiry soon told us that the train
would be ready, and we felt sure that Cue and Day Daw n would sec us " up to time."

We left Perth by the g a.m. train, and reached it in tlie small hours next morning, after
a pleasant acquaintance with the railway of the Midland Conipau}-, which starts from the
junction of the Eastern Line near Guildford. Thence the route runs northward, via Gin Gin,

to W'alkaw ay, a distance of 276 miles 56 chains, where it joins
the Government Line running to Geraldton. The Midland
Railway was laid before prospcrit}' dawned upon Western
Australia, and when the making of long lines was be\ond
her siriRier resources. An English Conipan\- wanted land, and
of land, the poorest to be found in any of the Australian group,
the Colony had plenty to satisfy the earth hunger of the most
capacious appetite. So a bargain was struck between the
impecunious Gowrnment and the capitalists. Parliament
agreed to give the Syndicate 12,000 acres for every mile of
railwav which they constructed, and the work of construction
was commenced. The Company had, however, misjudged its
resources, or the \alue of the territory it was ceded. They had
to ask for the assistance of the Government to enable them to
complete the line. The Treasury advanced ,^500, 000 upon the
security of the property and rights of the Company, and
in his Hudget Speech last .August the Premier made a com-
placent allusion to the fact that the interest then due had
been paid b}- the Company without further aid being applied for. The error which both the
Midland and the Southern Railway Companies have made was to assume that settlement
would follow as thickly upon the track of a steam-engine in W^est Australia as in other parts
of the world, and that they would readily sell their land grants at a payable price. But the
yeoman is too good a judge of the quality of a soil to be eager to acquire a holding in this
Colon)-. While the Government finds some difficulty in giving away free farms of 160 acres,
which any man can have for the asking, it is not surprising that the kuui grants of the
Railway Companies are dull of sale at from 10/- to 30/- per acre. Nearly all the territory of
the Midland Company remains in a state of nature, and unoccupied, except by a few cattle
and sheep. A better prospetit is, however, opening up in the general and rapid progress the
Colony is making. Everj- year the area of land belonging to tiie Crown, that is at all worth
seledting, is growing smaller, and, if the good prices which are now i)btainal)le for produce

t AMC J AVOL'RITK.

CUE, 1893

. . ;^JV^ ■'^Tflt'T'-"''

M-::M

^m^.

CUE, 1894.

i6o

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

should be maintained, farmers must buy blocks from the Land Grant Companies if they are
to cultivate any new areas. But the grower can see a cloud appearing — a cloud at present
no bigger than a man's hand. The shadow has been cast by Sir John Forrest, who has
hitherto posed as the staunch friend of the farmer, who, in voting power, will be thrown
into the background as soon as the miner gets the franchise. Sir John is quick to see the
trend of events, and he likes to be on the side of the biggest battalions. A great change of
front was observable in the speech which he delivered at York, in June of this year, shortly
before the opening of Parliament. In diplomatic language he broke the force of the blow-
that the farmers were shortly to be left in the Hscal lurch, by Western Australia being made
a Free Trade port. The mining interests asked that the duties on produce should be swept

away, because the Colony could not grow enough to
supply her own requirements, and that would soon be
done. He also hinted that the constituencies would
probably be appealed to on the question, and that he
fully expedled to win on an issue in which all the towns-
people would unite against the yeoman, in order to
reduce the cost of living. This no doubt is a clever
move in the game of politics, and in the interests of all
who are not producers, but it will crush the Western
•Australian farmer with sledge hammer force. With the
aid of the duties, he is as a rule hardly able to live. His
land is very costl}- to clear, and he must spend more
money to fertilise it ; he is often remote from a railway,
and rarely has more than the most primitive appliances;
the crops are scant}- as compared with outside yields,
The protet^ive duties have been his salvation ; take them
To prove that farming is not a " good thing " in this

When

llACk rr<OM COOLGAKIHE. A I'Ktl' AT THE
SEA AGAIN.

and labour is inferior and dear,
away, and he must go to the wall

Colony, it is only necessarj- to point to the backward condition of the industry
"there's money in it," plenty of suppliers go into a business, but very few people "go on
the land " in Western Australia, with all the attradtions of the present market before them.
Throw open the ports to the unrestricted competition of the neighbouring fertile Colonies,
where the plough can be put into tens of thousands of acres without the expenditure of a
shilling upon clearing, and local producers will be prone to resign in despair the struggle to
live by the plough. Last year the Colony paid nearly £500,000 for imported food, which
ought to have been grown at home, and Sir John Forrest affedted to bemoan the fart, and to
promise further encouragement to the country people. After watching the signs of the
times astutely for some time longer, the Premier's promised aid takes the form of removing
from the struggling industry its mainstay by abolishing the protecitive duties. It will for
once be instrurtive and entertaining to note the political developments of W'estern Australia,
to see what will be the outcome of the betrayal of the country party by the Government.

Cbaptcr 10.

Gcraldton — The Fate of the " West Ridinf;" — The Superiority of the Midland Railway

Company's Line — In Praise of Mr. Gascard—M elancholy Mullewa — A Night

at the Traveller's Rest — An Experience of Chinese Cheap Labour —

Surveyiuf; the Raiht'ay Route to Cue.

, ERALDTON is one of the chief coastal towns of Western
Australia. As the port of the Eastern Goldfields, and
of an extensive pastoral territor)-, it is a place of some
importance. The main streets are lined with larj^e and
substantial buildings. A palatial hotel, much superior
to any to be found in Perth, has just been erected close
to the shipping pier. The railway buildings are neat and
spacious, while the churches of the leading denominations
are striking evidences of the liberality of their adherents.
But the streets of Geraldton, which were laid out in the
old days when the Colon)' was a convict settlement, look
narrow and insignificant in comparison with those of the
capitals of the goldiields. The shipping trade would be greater than it is, if the harbour
afforded better protecftion to the mercantile marini-. Tlie port is, indeed, little better than
an open roadstead exposed to the gales of the Indian Ocean, and the sunken rocks which
lie near the approaches to the wharf are an additional cause of anxiety to the mariner.
The fate of the Mayhill, a fine new ship laden with railway rails for the Coolgardie line,
shows the perils of the haven. While endeavouring to make her anchorage, the vessel got
aground on a reef, and in spite of every effcjrt to gut lur off, hc-r hull, still hard and fast,
stands on an even keel in sight of the pier. ,\ great deal of iier cargo was recovered.

A strange fatality
has appeared to attach
itself to vessels chartered
by the Government to
bring railway inju from
England. A barque,
named the West Riding,
with one of these car-
goes, has never been

l62

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

heard of, and her disappearance delayed the progress of the Coolgardie contradl. As
long as it was thought that she was merely overdue through stress of weather, nothing
was done to replace the rails which were essential to the completion of the line at the
stipulated date. The public grew keenly interested in her fate as week after week went
by, uiid an incident that occurred at Fremantlc brought it still more mournfully home to
the minds of all. While the general feeling of suspense was at its height, a "second sight "
medium arrived to exhibit her powers at the Town Hall. Some of the examples she
gave of her gifts of divination gained her many disciples, who were sure that such singular
disclosures could not be ascribed to charlatanism. They were mjstic revelations which
must confound all doubters of supernatural vision. The seances daily grew in fame, and

Madame became the much-talked-of marvel of the hour. Even the sceptics began to

be shaken in their unbelief, and to ponder that there were more things in heaven and earth
than were dreamt of in their philosophy. The Town Hall nightly was full to the doors.
In the midst of the excitement an anxious inquirer bethought himself to learn from the seer

whether the West Riding was still afloat.

The medium was nothing loth to set the
public mind at ease. She fell into a trance,
and beheld a vision which was described
to a delighted house, and rapturously
applauded. The narrative was a graphic
and impressive one. It depicted the
barque in a fearful tempest ; the sea ran
mountains high ; the vessel was labouring
heavily ; the crew were at the pumps ;
the captain, a brave and skilful seaman,
stood by the side of the man at the wheel,
giving orders to ease the ship when a great
sea threatened to engulf her. Now, by a
dexterous mo\ement she was clear of it.
She rose out of the trough of the billows
fighting her way onward, triumphantly battling the wrath of the elements. The West
Riding, the medium declared, amid a shout of joy that shook the roof of the Town
Hall, was safe. She would make port, but in a battered condition, and after many dajs.
She would be signalled off Kottnest Island — the site of the Fremantle lighthouse — on
a certain date. The date was taken down. It was published in the newspapers, and
long before the truthfulness of the seer's vision could be tested by the look-out man at
the lighthouse, the professor of "second sight" had departed. The fateful day came and
went ; the lighthouse look-out strained his eyes scanning the sea in \ain ; the people of
Fremantle anxiously watched the flagstaff for the signal that was to announce the incoming
of the West Riditif^, but it did not appear then or ever after. The sea has not given up its
dead, and at last the barque has been added to the list of ships that never returned. When
at length the Government became satisfied that there would be no tidings of her, they
repeated their order for rails, and extended the contract time for the handing over of the

ALONG THt: SHOKt IS CIIAMl'ION BAY.

cut, iSyj.

CUE, SiAKTlNl, KASrVVAIil-'

M I

164

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

line. The only memento of the West Ridiiiij; that remains in the shipping annals of
Fremantle, is the heresy of the townspeople on the subject of the revelations of "second
sight."

The excursion to Geraldton was an agreeable contrast to the journeys we had made
over the Government railways. The country traversed was a great relief to ej'es fatigued
by the sight of hundreds of miles of desert ; the carriages were not uncomfortably crowded,
but above all, the style and appointments are modelled with some regard to the ease of
the occupants. It is not creditable to the Government that their travelling arrangements
should be very inferior to those of a private Company, but such is the case. The passenger
to Geraldton leaves barbarous catering behind him at Spencer's Brook and Hines Hill. The
Midland Company's refreshment rooms, in the style of the buildings, the bill of fare,
the attendance, and the moderate charges, are apt to make the sojourner forget for the
nonce that he is in Western Australia, that is " not hatched out yet." Although there are
no sleeping cars, the seats of the carriages, like Oliver Goldsmith's chest, " contrive a
double debt to pay." The cunning artificer who turned them out made the cushion frames

adjustable, so that five or si.x passengers
may go to bed comfortably on a couch
that occupies the whole of the floor
space of the compartment. When the
last game of cards is over, a spring is
pressed here, a flange released there, an
easy pull, and he)' presto ! — there is an
inviting e.xpanse of level mattresses
jiiincd together unto dimensions that

rival the great bed of Ware. The
traveller arrives at Geraldton ready for
a good breakfast, and guileless of the
savage yearnings excited by the night
ride to Albany or Southern Cross.
After all, it is possible to take one railway route in West Australia, and still be Christianly.
The Club Hotel opened its hospitable doors long beyond closing time, and early ne.xt
morning we went down to the pier to see some camels landed from a steamer, just in from
Indian ports. The animals were slung ashore in a broad canvas girth, hoisted by the steam
winch. They were very docile, and the aerial voyages went on quiet!}- and rapidly until the
disembarkation was complete. The camels were in good condition, hut, as might be expedted,
they were stiff through want of exercise. They were paddocked in some scrub country
near the line, for a few days rest before being loaded with packs, and taken to the mines.
The enormous demand for camels was shown by the fac't that at the date in question there
were nearly five hundred of them grazing within a few miles of Geraldton, notwithstanding
that large numbers had been daily sold, and sent away for some time previously.

Long before the church bells rang for morning service the alert stationmaster had got
our special train ready, and we were soon leaving Geraldton behind at as high a speed as
the very "light line" could safely bear, respedt for the Lord's Day having suspended all

OS THK SHORE, CHAMPION BAV.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

165

other traffic. The country between Geraldton and Miillewa, a distance of fifty-six miles, is
moderately good grazing land, according to the West Australian definition of the term, that
is carrying shrubs in lieu of grass. There are many outcrops of granite and basalt from the
reddish soil. The only habitation seen on the way is the cottage of one of the line repairers,
where we had some excellent tea and biscuits. A much-scarred warrior, in the shape of a
powerful kangaroo dog, benignly wanted to make friends. His crimson stained chaps
showed that he had just been on the war-path. The good wife, our hostess, said the hound
had been left behind by a travelling party, whereupon he became his own providore among
the game of the neighbourhood. Wu drank our tea to the musical honours of a song of
exultation from the fowl-house. A hen that had just laid an egg could not have been
prouder of the feat if she had produced the Koh-i-noor diamond. She was a perfect barn-door
nightingale. The artist of the mail-boat, who was such a master of mimicrj-, would
have been delighted to add her lofty soprano notes to his repertoire. The full-throated
cacophonous solo of this melodious fowl was enough
to make all her barren sisters in the yard turn green
with envy. It was the first egg of the season, and
eggs are eggs at Mullewa.

The team which Mr. Gascard had in waiting for
us at the Mullewa railway station, did justice to the
reputation of his stable. The horses were all imported.
Mr. Gascard is, in Western Australia, the king of
importers of coaching stock. His operations for a long
time ruled the market, and were profitably felt in all
the leading horse breeding districts in the other
Colonies. The Shipping Companies regulated their
stock freights by the terms of his charters. The old
fashioned Nemesis, sluggish and kintily in her motion,
was his favourite boat. She came plugging across the
Bight in a leisurely fashion that other captains affedted
to deride, but she always landed her horses in show
condition, and she never left Melbourne without a hill
consignment. Mr. Gascard had buyers searching all

Australia for stock, and to be a buyer for Mr. Gascard is a diploma in horse flesh, but
he is the preceptor of them all. For " knowing a horse," indeed Mr. Gascard is almost
famous. The critical eye is with liim .111 intuition, quickened and improved by great
experience. The glance with which he sums up the points of a horse is as rapid as it
is unerring. A large dealer of many years standing, he has had an enormous number of
horses pass through his hands. At one time he had the Geraldton market entirely in his
control. Just then horses were very cheap " down south," and very dear at Geraldton,
owing to the rapid development of the Murchison Goldfields. Another shipper. Mr. John
Burns, thought that he would have " a cut in " at Geraldton. He shipped an exceptionally
good lot of waggoners' teams to that place, but only to find that Mr. Gascard's business
was regarded as so important by the local aui5tioneers, that they would not fell the horses

UNLOAPING CAMFLS, GERALDTON.

i66

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WHSTERX AUSTRAFJA.

NfGGET. NIGGER.

MINER. DIGGER.

A SKETCH ON THE COACH AFTER LEAVING Ml'LLEWA.

of a rival. The result was that in preference to
carrying his shipload of stock back to Fremantle,
Mr. lUirns accepted the price that was offered for
it by Mr. Gascard. Of late he has not been
importing so largely as he did a few years ago,
but as the mail contracflor and proprietor of the
onl\' coaches running between Mullewa and Cue,
he is for his own requirements the purchaser of
many superior roadsters. His unvarying rule is to
have a good horse, and to feed him well in return
for a fair daj's work. A bad or an idle horse is
his aversion, but in his coach service, of which we
shall have something more to say, a willing one
has plenty of oats, and not too many stages.

Mullewa, now a village, e.\pe<5ts to be a town
by the time the line connedts it with Cue. So far,
tlie main street has a few stores and houses, with
plenty of vacant land between them. By-and-bye,
if we are to believe local auguries, these building
allotments are to be filled up with something better than the iron and weatherboard
architecture of to-da\\ Mullewa has a wooded landscape, and hills, and valleys, with the
tawn\- glow of a January sun upon it. In the spring time there is a transient gleam of
verdure and gurgling brooks, ere the dry season wearily stretches out several months
bejond a fair share of summer. The rainfall even in winter is very light, and the scorching
sun, with its distressful embrowning glare, soon blurs the hill sides and the vales.

Mullewa is casting an envious eye at Geraldton, the highwa\' to Perth from the
Murchison fields. The short road to the metropolis lies between Mullewa and \\'alkaway
— a name which is vividly suggestive of the shouldering of swags, and " footing" it to the
realms of Midas. Mullewa saj's the detour to Geraldton is a public evil, and asks for
a direcft railway to save freights and fares. This would be vcrj- thoughtful and kind of
Mullewa, if its main obje(5t were not to help itself, and leave Geraldton out in the cold.
Geraldton has its back against the wall, fighting hard to defeat the short cut. Her vested
interests are furious at the thought of Mullewa becoming the principal starting place of the
Murchison line. The eloquent protests of
Mr. G.T. Simpson, the member for the district,
who is perhaps the most talented speaker in
the Legislative Assembly, are loudly echoed in
the local Press. The aspirations of Mullewa
await the approval of the Government, which
is believed to be disinclined to lower the
earnings of the Walkaway to Geraldton
Railway, and the wealth and importance of
the port. The plea of the public is, that

Y f ^". ^^ ».»»v- ^uiLyiiv- IJ, mtii. ^„^, yHACK T«> r( K. N.iTK fk<'\I THF COACH.

THE UNION DANK OF AUSTRALIA, CUE.

THE ROAD FROM CUE.

l6S

.\/V l-orRTH TOCh' I\ UliSrERN AUSTRALIA.

Murchisoii passengers and {joods ought not to be taxed in freight fares and loss of time,
by being taken forty miles out of their way for the behoof of Geraldton, or that of a
Government Department, but considerations of this kind are usually a long time in getting
a hearing in Western Australia.

The expedition of tiie Calvert party was a notable feature in MuUcwa, partly on
account of the celerity with which we were to travel in the height o( simimer. In five
days coaching over a heavy road, almost tmprovidcd with accommodation for travellers, we
had to traverse five hundred miles, a journej' that had never before been accomjilished in
the time. The horses were given their heads when we started towards evening on the first
stage of thirtv-six miles, anil tiiey went t)ft with a spirit that promised well for their

speed and stamina. We drove past the
first line of uplands and down into
valleys, and away out on the frontier
of the Northern Goldfields, which have
only been partly explored. Here and
there the road ran by the home of a
settler, then over the broad acres of
immense sheep stations, and along the
course of drj' gullies, or touching the
fringe of a waterhole. The country
was blistered and yellow ; nothing but
the coarsest herbage had survived the
drought, but there was far less dust
than on the Coolgardie road.

Late at night the driver turned
off the telegraph track, and the stars
rm-ealcd a small tent. "Are you there,
Jim?" shouted Charlie from the box-
seat. .A sleepy voice grunted in
response. "The special coach,"
rejoined our whip; "give us a hand."
Curses not loud but deep were muttered
1)\ the groom, while he was drawing
on his pants. He evidently wished
that the coach had been overturned
on the road, but his welcome was cordiality itself, compared with our reception at
the "Travellers' Rest" hard by. The place was in darkness, the occupants all in bed.
The landlord did not get up till the door had been nearly battered down. He looked
as angry as a rattlesnake when he came out. A party of brigands would have met
with more ci\ility. He had no beds, no supper — -nothing. His aspert was a stentorian
order to begone. We felt so much in the way that we said we would sleep outside if
he would give us a " nightcap." At this call for whisky the ruffian relented a shade.
After some parley he said he would find us a blanket on the table, or thj floor. On

AIIOKIGINAI. Men SKRVAXI. Al I 111. ILl U IIOTKL. liKRALHruS.

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTHRX AUSTRALIA.

i6g

these rude couches revilings ceased from troubling, and the weary were soon at rest.
An early start next morning had been intended, but there was "a lion in the path," in
the shape of the Chinese cook. When he was asked to get breakfast in the dawning he
contemptuously turned his face to the wall, and affedled to go to sleep again. The
" missus " and her daughter Maggie carried terms of capitulation to the recalcitrant
Mongolian, but he treated them with scorn. He was master of the situation. As a last
resource, one of us went to him with gold. He surlily took the bribe, and dished up some
greasy half-cooked chops and "post-rail tea," which wo jiartook of with becoming humility.
The spurned alien had for once got even with his oppressors, for in Australia the whites
aggressively draw the "colour line." The alien must not touch a pick, nor obtain a miner's
right. His master, the European, will only tolerate him as a menial servant. The Oriental
may cook, wash, or grow vegetables, for on the goldhelds the white is loth to do these
things for himself, much less for another. The European g<jes to the mines to make
money, not to be a
hewer of wood and a
drawer of water ; hence
the condemned yellow-
skin may do this drud-
gery, and in the opinion
of the pale-face who
hates him, this is all he
is fit for. On the mining
roads and at the camps
of managers, Chinese or
black kitchenmen alone
are found, and as they
are the only household
helps obtainable, it is
little short of a domestic
calamity, if in a hotel
or eating-house John
should take offence, roll

down his sleeves, and put on his coat, at a moment's notice. " L('t tlicni go away without
a bite, but don't worry the cook," was in the mind if not in the mouth of the host of the
"Traveller's Rest," when we were anxiously bidding for a breakfast with the oleaginous
almond-eyed catiff who controlled the commissariat.

On the road we met some well-known railway builders, who were checking their
tenders for the making of the line from Mullewa to Cue, a route of about two hundred and
forty miles. They had come to see the contour of the country for themselves, and to test
the calculations of their staffs. Since the low price of the Coolgardie line had taken the
public by surprise, there had been much conjecture as to what the Murchison Railway would
cost, and the day was now near when all doubt would be set at rest by the Mmister of the
Department opening the tenders in Perth. The survey pegs are for many miles within sight

170

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

of the main road and the telegraph w ire, hut on some of the digressions the contra(5tors
had a very rough time in getting through, and reached Cue with their vehicles badly
damaged. One of tliem was "stuck-up" half-way by his exhausted horses. Nothing
daunted, he got a fresh pair from a neighbouring station, but in his haste to make up
for lost time he ran against a stump, and the body of the buggy was thrown clear of the
wheels; but he was again equal to the emergency. A few miles away he found a wire
fence, which, being sawn through with a knife, supplied lashings for crude repairs. When
finally he drove into Cue, he looked as though he had been ha\ing a tussle with a torpedo,
but he had seen every inch of the survey, and was fully satisfied with his estimates. Ten
days later, on the examination of the tenders in tlie city, there was another agreeable
revelation for tlie people of the Coloin . who had been assured that the Coolgardie extension

IN IHAMI'IHN HAS

was the only one that would be construtfled at less than cost price for the sake of netting
the exceptional traffic premiums before the line was handed over. Yet it now transpired
that many firms were competing for the privilege of lajing the Miirchison line also, for
little more than the cost of the sleepers. The lowest tender was at the rate of ^^433 per
mile, exclusive of rails (which are to be supplied by the Government), and the contract is to
be completed within two years. The singularity of the tenders was the enormous disparit)'
of the totals, some of them being from 25 to 35 per cent, more than the one accepted. The
cheapness of the work is accentuated by the remoteness of the Murchison from Perth,
whence all the labour and most of the material has to be drawn, while it can hardly be
expected that the contracftors' traffic receipts can be nearly so great as those which have
been enjoyed by the firm which laid the rails to Coolgardie.

LOOKING FROM GKKALDTON.

Chaptci- U.

The Teams on the Cue Road — Sheep Fanniiif; on tlie Murehison — Aboriginal Shepherds and

Trackers — Bulloeks and Bullock Drivers — At Chain Pump — "The Brothers" —

Gabyion Sheep Station — Yalgoo — Tennis in the Tropics.

HERE is a stiikini; diffcicnre hctwcni tin- horses of the Murchison
teamsters aiui those employed on the liasteTii Goldfields. They
are as much iinUke as a heavy draj^ooii and a h,i;;ht ca\alrymaii,
the Coolgardie team being the former. The Murchison driver,
like his horses and waggon, is usually a Westerner, just as east-
ward lioth men and teams are almost in\-ariably from the "other
side," which is another proof of the truth of the homely adage
that "birds of a feather flock together." Another peculiarity of the
Murchison road is, that freights are very low. It cost as much to carry
a ton of goods from Woolgangie to Coolgardie, as from Mullewa to Cue,
three times the distance. In other words, th(> Murchison miner or store-
keeper saves the cost of fodder, which the population of the eastern
distrifts have to add to the cost of their goods. The small and hardy
native horse, employed between Mullewa and Cue, can be turned loose to
find his own living during the night. The big imported Clydesdale must be liberally corn
fed in remote places where corn is so valuable that it is sold by the pound weight, instead
of per hundred weight or per ton. The native draws a lighter load than his more
favoured rival, who would soon shrink to nothing but skin and bone if he had to pull
only an empty waggon without finding a well filled nose-bag at night. The explanation
is full of pith, but the moral of it appears to be that it is far better for a horse to have
been bred in some other Colony than Western Australia.

En route we heard a great deal about the fall in the price of wool, and the injurious
effects it had had upon the pastoral interests. The declining profits on the working of
stations is felt all the more seriously, inasmuch as Western Australia has never been able to
compete with the other Colonies as a wool-producing country. Neither her sheep nor her
pastures are equal to those of the Chirnsides, Clarkes, Wilsons, Austins, and many other
princely squatters, who, in the earl}' days of the settlement of the several Colonies of
Australia, acquired magnificent estates in the most favoured parts of the island Continent.
The succulent grasses of leagues of plain, unencumbered with a single tree, such as those of

172

.\/y ForRTH rovR rx westekx .irsTRAf.iA.

the Western districft in \'i(5toria, and of Rivcnia in New South Wales, assisted by a climate
admirably suited to the pjrowth of the sheep in perfection, g;ave eastern pastoralists a lonpj
lead. When the\' imported the strains of celebrated merino Lincoln, Leicester and South-
down blood, they drew for manj- years immense incomes from their runs. Everything
combined to aid their success. The wool grown under such favourable conditions was of
the finest and most lustrous quality, and brought fancy prices. It was produced by sheep
depastured on rich land, which, even when it was not freehold, was leased from the Crown
at a nominal rental. The day came when their prosperity appeared to receive a check. A
cry from the people arose : " Unlock the lands," and there was no resisting the demand.
The Legislatures passed laws permitting "free selection" upon the squatters' runs; seledtors
went over them, "picking the ejes out of the country;" but the station owners were in
many cases only temporarily deprived of these areas which they purchased from the
" cockatoos," out of the enormous profits of their heavy clips of wool. The prosperous
seasons lasted so long that, when at last the price of wool fell, the large growers had
established such magnificent and highl)' improved properties, that they were in a strong
position to bear the smaller returns. Their flocks, which were nearly all of the best class.

HFADS FROM THR MURCHISON.

had multiplied ; English grass and ringbarking had greatly improved the carrying capacity
of their paddocks; wild dogs, which had been a scourge among the sheep, were exterminated.
On the other hand, tlu \\'estern grazier was without any of the advantages which his
Eastern competitor turned to such good account. His land, his stock, his water supply,
were all inferior; the coarseness of the scrub herbage was reflected in the grade of the wool;
the bulls drafted for the butcher lost flesh and value, in travelling hundreds of miles to the
market. It will be gathered that a sheep station in Western Australia, and a sheep station
in any of the other Colonics, arc two very different things. Even little Tasmania puts the
vast Western Colony to the blush, for Tasmanian stud sheep are highly renowned for their
quality.

On the Murchison very little fencing has been done, the chief reliance being placed
upon aboriginal shepherds to keep the stock within bounds. The labour of the blacks is
cheap enough, as it is to be had for the cost of their rations, but when the natives are left to

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

173

AT A "well" on the MURCHISON.

themselves they are not very rehable. It is a common saying that a black has to be kept to
watch the sheep, and a white man to watch the black. The most faithful of the dusky serfs
are the boys who accompany the European stock-men, and who are virtually the owners of

the lads for the time being. Later on
I shall deal more fully with interesting
and important phases of the native
labour question in the " back-blocks,"
but in passing, it may be said that the
aboriginal does not show his best points
in the "working" of sheep. He finds
his affinity in the horse, especially
while he is young. The shepherds are
generally middle-aged or old men, or
gins (women), who can relieve the
tedium of the routine — monotonous
work of rounding up and watering a
flock of sheep — with a sleep under the
shade of a tree, which so long as he
has a full stomach, is the black's idea
of an Elysium, in his prime or senility.
But the eager blood of the stripling seeks
a more a(5tive life. As the companion —
the humble, if not spurned companion it is true — of the travelling inspeftor, the mail-coach
driver, the station manager, when he is on a journey, or the teamster, the "boy nigger" is
an invaluable ally. But to get fidelity from a native, he must be caught young and
trained like a kestrel to his master's hand ; if he is loaned to a stranger he is sullen, slow,
and restless to return. In the riding and breaking of horses he excels, doing the work with
the skill and ardour of one who loves his task. He can sit a restive colt with the tenacity
of gum on a wattle-bark tree, but it is
in the finding of strayed stock that the
Australian bushman, who is one of the
best horsemen in the world, enviously
acknowledges the condemned " nigger's"
remarkable powers, which, at first an
hereditary instinft, have been developed
ever since the naked piccaninny of the
tribe began to toddle witli liis mother,
when she went out to look for snakes
and lizards for her offspring's food.
What the spelling-book is to the white
child of civilization, tlie faint trail of
the iguana is to the swarthy imp— nay, much more — for the study of the book of Nature
is sharpened by the pangs of hunger. No wonder, then, that by the time the lad is ten

50 MII.KS H<t>\l IHK HOMKMKAli Ni>K-WKST.

174

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

or twelve years of age, the line missing stock have taken is as plain to him as the finger
post at a cross-road. He knows the hoof-mark of every beast he is looking for. A lost
nail from a shoe, a pigeon-toe, the slight limp of the old mare, and the springing stride
of the He(i^or colt, are more than enough to keep him following the errant stock as fast
as his horse can canter. If for a moment the trail is lost through the truants crossing
a granite outcrop, the fault hardly serves to put him on his mettle. He may get off his
horse to peer intently witli bent head at a speck of stone brushed away or broken, where

a hoof has struck the
boulder ; but rarely,
indeed, does he falter
for a moment, and
the rich blood would
mantle his dark cheek
wilii shame, if he had
to confess that he was
so far foiled that he
must ride round the
outcrop to pick up
the track on the far
side of it. Such is
the work that enables
the black boy to earn
a place in the estima-
tion of his keeper,
that is akin to the
feeling of a shepherd
who thinks tluit his
well broken collies,
Dan or Sandie, saves
him a let of triuibie.
The " nigger," like the
dog, gets his bit of
broken victuals, and
is thought to be well
paid at tliat. The
native is never in the
remotest d e g r e e
looked upon as "a man and a brother," much less as "God's image cut in ebon\-."

Oxen are used by some waggoners on the Murchison. l"o a stranger tiie long pro-
cessions of bullock teams, which are common enough in tiic remote parts of Australia, are
of some interest. The huge wide-spreailing horns wnuld maki' iiini shun yoking uj) the
beasts, but they are not nearly so fierce as they l(K>k. The terror of the inimeiisc wliij) of
the driver ensures their docilit\-. A very boa-constriCtor of green hide, it can, in tlie hands

KEfOKTlNG TlIK TOUK.

:-«Al-»~

i^mmmm^^mm

DAY DAWN, iSgj.

DAY DAWN MINE.

176

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WHSTERX AUSTRALIA.

of a skilful pradtitioner, make hair and blood fly at every stroke, and the bullocks cower as
it whistles and cracks over their heads. This terrible weapon must not be confused with
the stock-whip of the mounted drover, which is longer, thinner, and has a short handle.
The stock-whip, thin where it joins the stock, thickens like a carrot a little way down,
to give it balance or striking power, and then tapers off for twenty feet to a rat's-tail,
terminating in a lash of cord. The whip is wielded with the right hand of the rider, as, in
the "cutting out" or "running in" of stock, he gallops recklessly down the mountain sides,
or through the thickest scrub or timber, with the intrcpedity and the consummate horseman-
ship of the Australian mounted bushman, who may be fairly said to have grown up in the
saddle. The great length of his whip, dexterously whirled by the stockman while his horse
is spurred to its topmost speed, and brought down with a cruel cut across the eyes of an
obstinate brute that is trying to escape, rarely fails " to turn " him back into " the mob."
The bullock driver's thong, on the other hand, has a sapling for its handle. The teamster

who walks beside his cattle, holding his long, green, willowy
staff with both hands, swings it till the long lash, flying
in a circle, gains momentum, and then, if he means to
administer punishment, brings it down with terrific force
upon the flank or back of one of the tugging oxen. The
beast, fast in the bonds of a heavy neck-yoke of wood and
iron, and the hauling chain, is (juite helpless, no matter how
severely it may be flayed, and the fear of punishment is seen
in the shrinking eye and the spasmodic rush, as the green-
hide is lifted. The whip is a bunch of reins, breeching
straps, and a castigator all in one. The oxen, flecked on
the near or the off-side, swerve in to the right or the left
in obedience to the touch, and they stop abruptly when the
stock is brandished upright in their faces, something after
the motion made by a drum major with his baton when the
word to halt is given to a regimental band. The bullocks
are broken to their work when they are about three years
old. An "old stager" is used as a tutor, just as a tame
elephant is em])loyed in India to bring his }()unger brethren
into subje(ition, or a steady old break-horse is put alongside a colt to check the youngster's
impetuosity in double harness. The teamster's recruit, who has been running all his life
in the bush as free as the wind, and who, since branding time has rarely seen a human
being, finds his servitude very galling. His neck muscles, upon which he has to strain,
are soft and undeveloped ; the massive yoke, with its bands of wrought iron, is hard to
bear. He is scared and angry, and the cracking, if not the cutting of the whip, does not
soothe him. The tyro is for a time abjeCt, sullenly savage. He sulks, refuses food, loses
flesh, even though he does not pull an ounce. He is hardly expected to do much work while
he is in his noviciate, but the whip is brought smartly into play if he shows any disposition
to hang back. There is no mistaking the bovine pupil. We passed one a few miles from
the " Traveller's Rest," just after he had started on his first day's servitude. With head

THE SIGN FOR A NIGHTS TRAVELLING.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

I//

lowered and blood-shot eye, his unstead}' Rait, now a plunge forward, and then a rearward
lunge, a new chum would have known that he was " new to the game." The well-seasoned
veterans who shared his fate plodded along with the slow dogged staunchness that performs
so much on rough or boggy roads. A horse, when his waggon sinks to the axle or gets
stuck against a boulder, will often go on his knees in a high-couraged wrench to "shift the
load," and then, failing" to do so, will refuse tcj try again. liut a string of bullocks in a
tight place have the tenacity of Cornish miners in a tug-of-war. The)' bend slowly and
resolutely to the yoke, and " hang on " till the wheels move or the tackling breaks. If they
were hitched to a giant oak they would go on tugging with the same sluggish perseverance.
Another merit of oxen is, that like the camel and the native Western Australian horse, they
depend upon grazing at the camping places for their sustenance, and like the camel, they
share the reproach of being " too slow for a funeral." The bullock waggoner has, however,
the advantage over the owner of either the camel or the
grass-fed horse, inasmuch as he can fatten his worn out
animals on good pasture in the spring, and sell them to the
butcher. It is well known that "new beef" rapidly put on,
makes prime cuts for even a pampered palate, so that a
superannuated working hullnck often ends his life with
gastronomic honour.

The Chain Pump Hotel, eighty miles from Mullewa,
where we were to get our first change of horses, is a regular
stopping place for Mr. Gascard's coaches. He built the
hostelry for this purpose, and placed it in charge of a South
Australian and his wife, who are well versed in the art of
keeping a clean, comfortable inn. The hotel got its rather
singular name from a local well, which had a hoisting chain
on the bucket instead of the customary length of rope. Beyond
the hotel the sandy stretches which had interspersed the
chocolate soil disappear, and with four rare steppers fresh
from the stable, we were soon well on the way to Yalgoo, a
mining town that of late, owing tcj several rich discoveries
in its neighbourhood, has attracted a great deal of notice,
causing the coaches to make a detour of forty miles, in order to pass through it. A
few miles from the "Chain Pump" Hotel on the Mullewa side, the mulga scrub-covered
plains are agreeab'y relieved by the uprising of the hills called " The Brothers," because
they are so much alike, and stand close together. The coach has not much more than
room to pass between thim. The shape of the hills is very much like that of an inverted
cream bowl, their summits defining an almost perfetl: half circle. Some stunted trees
grow on their rocky sides, and the valley at their feet is thickly strewn with smooth
round boulders, as large as a hogshead. The best way I can describe the spot is to
imagine that in the days of giants it was a favourite diversion of the Titans to play a
mammoth game at bowls down the steep slopes of "The Brothers," till they were too
fatigued to colle(5t and carry back their playthings. Close by is also seen Gabyion sheep

ALF., THE DRIVER FROM
TO CUE.

CHAIN PUMP

178

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

station, whose fencing round the home paddocks exhibits the dearth of timber in these
parts. The straining posts are no thicker than a man's calf — mere faggots compared
with what is seen in the jarrah country — and the posts between them, wliich are eked
out with iron standards, are shght and crooked. The flimsy looking fence is not three
feet high, but it carries enough wires to make it sheep proof. In a timbered area a
substantial cattle fence would not cost so much as a dwarf like this on the Murchison.
The posts, such as they are, have had to be carted a long way, aiul the standards from
Geraldton, after having been imported from England or the Continent. To look at the
paddocks within the fence, a visitor who did not know the feeding value of Western
Australian scrub, would think that the flocks would starve on the Gabyion run, but
notwithstanding that there was not a single blade of grass, the siieep looked fairly well.
They were not so large in the frame, nor so lustrous even in the wool as might have
been wished, but they had evidently adapted themselves to the coarse diet which they must
either eat or starve, and as the weather is never very cold, there are not many deaths so long

'•:ii--'-'f^—i~<4-

-- z^-

nit

GABVION HILL. "CHAIN I'L'MT" (MURCHISON GOLDFIKLDS), 78 MILES FROM Ml'LLEWA.

as the stock can get plenty of water, 'llic salt-bush, whii li in many parts of Australia is
one of the most valuable summer feed resources of the slu-cp IniicUr, is unfortunately not
very common on the Murchison, but there is sufficient of it to help appreciabl}- in tiding
over a bad season.

The landscape improves after the " Chain Pump" Hotel is left beiiind. The chocolate
soil now seen is rich enough, if it could be watered, to grow heavy crops of grain and fruit.
Such a territory within the rainy latitudes would make it a country to be envied; but Nature
played strange freaks when she fashioned Western Australia. She parched the good land
with drought, and put the poorest soil where it gets copious showers from heaven ; her gifts
so strangely assorted, so much disparted from their proper unities, are often useless. In the
South-West Division, for example, the bountiful raiiifaii of from tiiirty-five to thirty-nine
inches, would make it one vast corn-field, were not the land either so sandy, so mountainous,
or so heavily timbered that the labour of clearing a few acres lit for tlie plough is sufficient

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

179

to discourage the stoutest heart that is not backed up b}- a full purse. Here on the
Murchison, and between Woolgangie and Coolgardie, where fodder and flour bring a price
which must seem to the English, Russian, or American grower, to be almost fabulous, the
ground for hundreds of square miles is ready for the plough, yet the plough is useless
for want of some of the water that runs to waste into the Murray, the Harvey, and the
Blackwood.

The chocolate plains out towards Yalgoo are enclosed in a circle of ranges. The
township of Yalgoo is on a small eminence. The town site is flat enough, but the
broken country of auriferous areas squeezes the level patch to a small compass. Yalgoo
has a ragged look. It was born so recently that it has not had time to shed its ugly
caul of hessian, albeit it has begun to get rid of this unsightly appendage of the offspring
of all the gold rushes of Western Australia. The hamlet aims at something better than
a garb of old corn-sacks hung round poles, and there is at hand plenty of material for a
vesture more civilized and less remindful of the waist rag of the blacks. So far, a tent
represents the suite of Government buildings, but
private enterprise has erefted hotels, and a few stores
and houses of stone, which is easily hewn from adjacent
quarries. The pupulation perspire mining at every
pore. To talk of buried treasure is their only recreation.
The man who knows nothing of mining might as well
be a foreigner hearing a strange tongue among a strange
people. It is impossible to change the topic from the
discussion of the experiences of the "Emerald" Mine,
the prospecits of " The Joker," or the richness of the
specimens brought in from some new find. Yalgoo
folks have only one thought wliicli haunts tlicni by
day, and of which they appear to dream by night —
the sedudtive vision of " making a rise." Some of
them have " made a rise." The Yalgoo mines are
undeveloped it is true, \et man}- of them are of such
promise, that very high expectations are fi)rnu'(j (if what the hath li
the near future.

Stay ! I have said that there is no pastime at Yalgoo, except to talk of gold. I
thought so when I set the words down, but what is this that is revealed by the rising sun,
while we are taking an early airing. The aviary of a poultry raiser? No, by all that is
passing strange, it is a tennis court. Surely, we must be dreaming. The mere thought
of agility in pursuit of the bounding ball in the burning sun, puzzles the will. Are
visions about? Nay, there arc the orderly white-lined sciuans, and here, palpable to the
touch, are racquets and a ball. Mar\ellous to relate, the ])eople of Yalgoo do play tennis.
At least two of them do. The names of these Salamanders— these intrepid luiglishmen,
whose manly love of sjxirt no enervating heats, no expatriation to the desert wilds
can tame — are Mr. (">ra}-, the (io\i rnnunt Registrar, antl Mr. I'oibes, accountant at the
" Emerald " Mine,

' \\ 1:1, KIM TO N'ALGOO.

disclose in

N I

i8o .VV FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

It was eveninfj when we pulled up in front of Henty's Hotel, and every miner in the
distrirt appeared to be hanging around the door to have a look at us. One very disreputable
Irishman, who had just got over an attack of delirium tremens, and was bordering on the
next attack, was particularly pleased to see us. We would willingly have avoided this
unpleasant specimen had it been possible. He was caked with dirt from his ear to his heels,
and like Kipling's camel, he "stunk most awful vile," but he planted himself in the front
rank, and as we dropped off the coach he seized each of us in turn, exclaiming in
unmistakable Irish, " Welkim' friends ! Welkim to Yelgoo ! Do ycz want to buy a mine ?"
We afterwards learned that he was as near sober as he had ever been since he arrived
on the Murchison.

On our return journey from Cue, we encountered in the same place another poor devil
very far gone in the liquor habit. He was dancing wildly under the broiling sun, flinging his
hat into the air and jumping upon it when it fell. He came very near to being run over, for
his evolutions were spread over the middle and both sides of the track, and our horses, who
were not so accustomed to such an exhibition as might have been expected of them, reared
and plunged furiously as they passed him. Having wound himself up to a tine pitch of
madness, the poor wretch left his hat, and seizing a huge piece of quartz threw it high above
his head. As it descended he struck it heavily with his bare knuckles, and the blood gushed
out as he hit the stone. Then he left the road and made for the open country, tearing off
his coat as he went.

This was but one of many instances that came under our notice on the goldhelds.
Delirium tremens under the West Australian sun spells death ! The majority of the victims
end by taking to the bush, and stripping off their clothes as they go, they run on and on
until they fall from sheer exhaustion. Some arc recovered alive ; others return as if b)- a
miracle, and then generally mad, but the majority are discovered dead — their bodies broken
and cut with the stony ground, their flesh, covered with myriad insects, rotting in the sun.

A MOMKNT WITH THE MAP.

Chapter 12.

The Post and Telegraph Master at Yalf^oo — The Butcher's Deputy — Westralian Troopers-
The Gold Escort — A Rcininiscencc of the Australian Bushrangers — At Deep Well —
An African Princess — Monbenia, and our Hosts there — "Shoo Fly!" —
Badger's Cross — Fitzgerald's Station.

ItF-AUTV UNADORNED.

T is worth the price of a message to get into the canvas telegraph
office, and see the occupant of this official St. Helena, who is lately
; from Melbourne. The young \'i(5torians who are immured in the
telegraph offices of the goldficlds, literally bearing the heat and
burden of the day, must ardently wish themselves back in the fair
land of the liastern Colony. Or rather they would, if they were
not sustained by the enthusiasm and the strength of youth, and the
hope of speedy promotion. The crude service, the irregularities of
the lines, which are laid for long distances without repeating stations,
and the rough living of the operators, weigh hea\il\- upon the recruits from " the other side,"
who have come over in large numbers since Vidtoria fell upon evil days. These juniors are
"under the harrow" in their new sphere of labour. Yet the training is a splendid one to
make them self-reliant men, and to cure them of foppery, if they ever cultivated any coeval
with the appearance of a callow moustache. There is no room for coxcombry when a young
fellow has to grill his own chop — if he is lucky enough to be able to get one — and make his
own bed on the rude stretcher placed beside his telegraph instrument. It is hard to
maintain the red-tape dignity of the dual office of post and telegraph master, in a coarse
shirt without a collar, and a pair of trousers. Little fear that the new man will be spoiled
by falling into a "lazy Government stroke" when he has to do the w-ork of two men, and
" keep on the job " till far into the night, in order to be able to do so. Any leaning towards
effeminacy on the part of a youth, who, until he got his new billet, had perhaps been wont
in his leisure hours to worship beauty on " The Block," or to display his figure in a ball-
room, is shattered while he is graduating in his hard school of experience. In spite of its
seamy side, the alert young officer at Yalgoo is glad of his place in an expanding service,
and will not admit that he ever has a sense of desolation in his weird environment, but he
has hung the walls of his tent profusely with photographs of brighter scenes, full of tender
memories. We gather from him that a Government officer on the goldfields should be
"general utility man" — to borrow a phrase from the "green-room" — he should be full of

iS_'

^fy FOURTH Tovh- i\ western austrafj a.

resource, and have the temper of a saint. He lias as many roles as there are hues in the
rainbow, and more "crosses" every day of his life than there are in a lover's letter. The
hero who sinj^s in " Bab Ballads" that he " is the crew of the Xuiicy brij:^, the cook, and
the captain too," is the protot3pe of such an officer.

The meat supply of Yalgoo has a very watchful guardian. To all appearance the
butcher leaves his business to take care of itself, and gives a tacit invitatido to every passer-
by to help himself to a joint. The weather being tropical, the door is open all night ; there
are no windows or shutters in the front. The steaks, the legs, the sirloins, are temptingly
within reach, but yet "you may look, but jou musn't touch," as the discreet young
lady said to an admirer who wanted to kiss her. A pair of sleepless eyes, and lips twitching
nervously over gleaming fangs, arc crouched behind tlic chopping block. A deep growl, as
you pause to glance at the meat, sa\-s ominously: " Boss is out; call again." A step over
the threshold, and "Get out," is savagely hissed through clenched teeth: another step
and there is a spring, and distended jaws give you a last chance to retreat from the execution
of the threat, " If \ou don't get out I'll put you out." All the gold in the Yalgoo mines
might be safely left in that butcher's shop that is left to take care of itself.

Not far from Yalgoo
we met the gold
police escort, convoy-
ing the mail coach.
A trooper with a
revolver in his hostler,
and a rcpeatitig rifle
in the " bucket " of
his saddle, rode a few
vards in advance of
the vehicle. On the
coach beside the

driver sat a senior constable, in the blue uniform of the foot police, and also fully armed.
The mounted constabulary wear a short blue jacket, white' jiants, and knee boots. They
are a good class of men, but are not like the Victorian troopers, an objecft of popular
pride. The Vidtorians bear much the same relation to the mounted policemen of an\- of
the other Colonies, that the Royal Horse Guards do to the Lancers. The Melbourne trooper
is a model of equestrian grace. A rider from his binhood, he has added to the firm seat
of the recruit from the country all the accomi)lishments of the haute ccolf. lie is a picked
man on a picked horse. His drill, his accoutrements, his military setting-up, would
please the most e.xadling martinet. He is always mounteil on a big, high-mettled charger,
that curvets foam-flecked, pirouetting its way along the thoroughfares, while his rider in
top-boots, that shine like a mirror, and in a uniform that, even to the white gloves, is the
special admiration of the Duke of ICdinburgh, and suits him like a Bucephalus. His
Western representative, who bestrides a common hack, and whose clothes are not made
by a military tailor, may do more useful work, especially on escort duty, which the close
network of Viiftorian railways has rendered obsolete in that Colony: but as an artistic

YALGOrt. ML'RrtllSON GOI.OFIKI.D.

ORIGINAL CAMP OF WILSON AT DAY DAWN.

THE KINSELLA MINE.

i84

.\/y FOURTH TOUR /.Y WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

FRESH FROM CALIFORNIA

Study he is a failure beside the dashing Eastern corps, which Captain Standish, a veteran
cavalry officer, bestowed in his time as much pains upon as did Frederick of Prussia upon
his brigade of tall soldiers.

So far, no gold escorts hoin any of the fields have met with bushrangers, as the

highwaymen of other parts of the Australian bush are called.
The exploits of desperadoes like " Starlight," John Dunn,
" Thunderbolt," and the Kelly gang, which have had much
to do with the maintenance of a superior body of troopers
"down East," would hardly have been possible in Western
Australia, on account of the nature of the country. In the
desert the bushranger could not get away with his loot, no
matter how successfully he might raid a coach, or rob a
travelling party of miners. He must make for water, and
the summer watering places are so few and so well known,
that he could be shot down or captured like a kangaroo or
wild dog, by ambushed police, while he was slaking his thirst.
To forcibly contrast the difference between the Colony of which we write and her neigh-
bours, let us suppose that, tempted by the heavy yields of the Yilgarn or North-West
goldfields, a band of ruffians determine to seize the treasure. To "take to the bush" — as
in local parlance a robbery under arms is called— would be easy enough without exciting
suspicion, if they called themselves prospedlors, and purchased stores and horses under
that disguise. They would have to buy, not steal their horses, as a Ned Kelly, a Harry
Power, or a Gardiner would have done, because around the homestead of the Western
squatters there are none of the well grassed, securely fenced "home paddocks" — in which
the best hacks can be got at a moment's notice- which are invariably to be found enclosing
the head-quarters of the Southern runs. Morgan, the miscreant, wliile he was out-
lawed with a large price
set upon his head, was
fatally shot through the
back, while he (Morgan)
was selecting a fresh
mount in the "home
paddock" of a station near
Wangarratta, \'i(5loria. So *

as to be able to pick a good
horse at his leisure, he had
first "stuck-up" the home-
stead, and placed the
inmates of the house and
all the hired men who
were in the vicinity, under lock and key. The manager, with a loaded revolver pointed
at his head, had been taken by Morgan into the paddock show, to aid in catching the best
horse on the place. A shepherd happened at the moment to be coming in for provisions.

HUMI'lE ON THR CLIF. TRACK. (I'lNOAH).

MY FOURTH TOUR /.V WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

i8=

and, seeing the manager and the niffiun musterini^ the horses, took in the situation at a
glance, for Morgan had long been the terror of the neighbourhood. He crawled under
cover to the house, got a gun, and, from behind a tree, aimed it so well, that he earned
;f 1,000 by the shot, and afterwards died insane of remorse, for having taken "blood
money" without, as he used to say, " Given Morgan a chance to fight for his life;" but the
public, it may be added, never shared in the repentant shepherd's nice scruples, concerning
methods of manly combat with the merciless scourge of the country. But in Western
Australia a Morgan would find the horses "out on the run." It would take a black trapper
to find them, and then perhaps the faitiiful Jim or Pete, divining t\u- drift of affairs, might
for once find himself strangely at fault in grttmg on a trail. When at last the horses were
got in, they would be found to be unshod, nearly all unbroken, and the quiet ones probably
in low condition, from hard riding. The half-bred blood horse, with the speed of a plater,
and the endurance of a Sioux, on which Morgan used to defy the well-mounted police to
catch him, would not be found in a Western stock-yard. Evidently, then, the only way to
get horses for a foray would be to buy
them, and in the buying, the purchasers
would become marked men. As soon
as their first cry, " Bail up," was heard
on the road, every peaceable man would
be turned into a dete(ftive ; the detailed
descriptions of the horses and their
riders, spread broadcast, would reveal
them wherever they were seen. They
would be hunted with the pertinacity
of the sleuth hound ; they could not
leave the watered tracks nor get a rest
for their hard run and ill-fed steeds.
The police would be better mounted
than their quarry, and they would have

the services of eager lynx-eyed native trackers, zestful as a high-spirited pointer in quest of
quail, while in numbers the odds of the pursuers would be twenty men to one. But the
charadter of the back-countr)- affords the bsst protertion against armed lawlessness
obtaining a foot-hold. The bushranger, even if he had his saddle bags stuffed with gold,
would be in a trap. In the dry season drought would find him out ; in the winter a mole
could see his trail in the wet ground. There is no food in the uninhabited wilderness, and
no sympathisers, tempted by his booty, to warn and nourish him, as the Kelly gang were
aided. Hunger and thirst would hem him in, to give him the choice of surrender, or
of "doing a perish" in the almost trackless wastes. The modern Dick Turpin flourished
in the other Colonies, where water was plentiful, on secret supplies; he "flew light," lived
well, made short cuts across a country which he knew thoroughly, and, doubling with
the cunning of a fox frequently, for a long time baffled his pursuers. In Western Australia,
as I think I have shown, all prospedt of successful bushranging is barred bv the hand of
Nature, and the lonely character of the country.

AN F.YK FOR THE KANGAROO,

i86

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

But although the gold escort is not likely to see aaive service, tluir ride is not a
picnic. The duty calls for a«ive, willing, hardy men, who, like their native horses, are
inured to heat, long stages, and hard fare, if not short commons. The journey from
Cue to MuUewa, a distance of nearly two hundred and fifty miles, is done by " reliefs,"
who take up the " running," as the different police distrifts are passed through. Mount
Magnet, Yalgoo, and Mullewa, each furnish a contingent of the escort. It is the practice
of the police and the driver to sleep around the coach, as the " Chain Pump" Hotel is the
only "strong-room" on the route, that is better than a hessian hut. A thief in the night
would have to be very stealthy indeed, to remove any of the heavy bullion boxes from the
" boot " of the coach without stirring the guard, no matter how deeply it might be wrapped
in slumber after the fatigues of the day. The prote«ion is ample under the circumstances.
There is little pretence that the gold could be maintained against a strong armed gang of
freebooters, but for the reasons which have been briefly glanced at, such a descent is no
more likely to make its appearance than a heavy rainfall. If the escort stood in any danger

of an attack in force, the
attempt would not be
made at a camping
place, where shots would
be exchanged, and
probably blood lost on
both sides. The modern
Robin Hood would
doubtless seize the
opportunity to ambush
ills men behind some of
the huge rocks along
the road, which at some
spots are numerous
enough to afford cover
for a hippodrome. These natural fortresses for guerilla warfare — if an invader of the Colony
ever made his way so far into the interior — would be splendid rallying places for sharpshooters.
The rifleman, himself invisible, and protected by the towering rocks, could fire through the
loopholes of the crevices with a deadly aim. A police escort could be wiped out at point-
blank range by a volley, before they had the slightest suspicion of the presence of an
enemy, just as Sergeant Kennedy and his men were slaughtered in cold blood by the Kelly
gang, when they went to arrest Ned Kelly, who, at the outset of his bloodthirsty career,
was "wanted" on a charge of horse stealing. The plan of that hideous massacre would
have disgraced an Afghan. The caretaker of a camp was captured, and compelled to decoy
his comrades close to the hidden rifle muzzles of the butchers, as he related, when, almost
miraculously, he managed to make his escape on one of the horses, which was left riderless
by the murderous fusilade. The frowning rocks which we closely pass upon the road would
be a fitting scene for such a savage deed. Behind them the assassin, white or brown, would
find the theatre of another tragedy of Majuba Hill.

M I>KKi' WELL, DEC. 3. '95. (Ct'E TKAt k).

CUjoAoK, iNoK i ll-Wfc..-< i AUr^i KAi-iA.

DKKHV, N.'KTM WKST AVSTKAI.IA.

1 88

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WliSTliRX AUSTRALIA.

The " Deep Well " is the next oasis beyond Yalj^oo. Here, an African negro named
Russell, keeps a hut that in this dreary land is called a wayside house for the accommodation
of travellers, meaning a canvas " hinnp\-," that it would be flattery to call a tent. Russell,

when we dri\c up to his cabin, is nursing his baby, as
he has no customers to attend to, and no liquor to sell
them if he had. What is used for a cellar, a hot,
rough shelf, in the so-called apology for a bar, is bare.
The sight of a tethered sheep is like corn in Egj'pt.
The starving animal has been tied up till the larder
shall want r(])lonishing, hut Riisst'll says it will only
" lose a little fat " by the time he puts the knife into it.
He is too affecflionately engrossed in his daughter to
bestow a thought upon a famishing sheep. The young
lady, a few months old, is certainly a little black

7 n -^^t^ diamond. She is chubby and bright eyed, and has

I curly hair as black as the raven's wing. If her lips are

SAM RussKLL's iiAuv- ^^o thick, auci her nose rather Hat for the lines of

beaut)-, she is healtliy, winsome, and full of glee. We
learn that her full name is Isabel Vidtoria Adelaide Maude Jane Russell. She crows joj'fully,
and is wreathed in smiles. The proud father is well pleased when one of our party takes
her in his arms; he is delighted when we all say that Bella is a nice child, but when
the artist proposes to make the little Prairie Flower the subje(5t of a sketch, the ebony
skin of the ecstatic parent shines with rapture. Our friend
referred to is fond of children. The laughing IJella touches
a chord of tenderness — he will hold her while the piiiture is
being made. At this announciinent Russell rises to the
seventh heaven of delight. The artist, with the deft stroke
of his graphic pencil, has put in the first few touches of the
outline of the portrait, while we look on. lUit Russell,
grimacing frightfully to " make Bella look pretty," is the best
study. See his gleaming white teeth, his jaws snapping like
a trapped dingo, and his tongue protruding till it shows the
root darting in and out to avoid being bitten, like the fang
of a hissing snake. He writhes his body into surprising
contortions, and makes a " Catherine wheel " of his head, his
eyes in fine frenzy rolling, his fists clawing the air. Hear his
deep growls, which he means to be the crooning accents of a
lullaby. \uy white child would be frightened into convulsions
by such grotesque agonies, but Bella only crows more gleefully
than ever. The picfturc is a triumphant success, and Russell,
satisfied that it upholds the honour of his house, heaves a deep gutteral sigh of relief
after his amazing exertions, and goes out to lap up a long drink out of the bucket of
his well. Then, in a high state of exultation and good humour, lie zealously entertained

— AND HF.R AOMIRF.R.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

189

us, and especially the artist, to the best of his scanty resources. He would have killed
the fatted calf in our honour to show his gratitude, only that there is not a calf either
fat or lean to be found in any part of the Murchison.

The changing stations of the coaches where we get our relays of horses, at Mondenia,
are the homes of some queer people. The old couple whom we see at the next stopping
place, have drifted into a strange haven, after a long voyage on the ocean of life. They are
natives of Russia, both apparently on the wrong side of seventy years of age, but the old
lady's natural force has not abated, nor her eye grown dim. Spare, aiftive, and forceful of
will, she is manager, head ostler, granary-superintendent,
cook, housemaid, housekeeper, and hostess of coach
travellers, and something more than the counsellor of her
nominal lord and master. She takes the lead in unhar-
nessing and putting in the horses ; her spouse humbly
carries out her sharply delivered orders, and is thankful
if her tongue confines itself to orders. Woe betide him,
if the off leader is led up on the near side, or if his palsied
fingers should buckle a strap into the wrong hole. That
woman could rule an army ; she is a Napoleon in petti-
coats ; her splendid talents are wasted on the desert air
in keeping the model stable on the road. She should be
wielding a sceptre instead of polishing horses' coats.

Just about the camp of the Russians the traveller
begins to feel an aching void, and takes in a reef in his
waist-belt. He is too far back, and not far enough forward
to be well fed. Mullewa, where a decent meal could be
got, is a long way behind, and Cue, which would receive
him at a well-filled board, is nearly a hundred miles in
front. The border land of semi-starvation, is about
midway between those towns. At every stage of the
long ride the dietary scale has been growing more slim.
A little way out from Mullewa, we sat down to mutton,
onions, potatoes, bread, jam, and tea. l''urther on the
onions disappeared, next the potatoes vanished ; later,
mutton became an unattainable hixury, until at last our
Russian landlady gave us as the only dinner bill of fare sam russell.

which her larder could provide for six hungry men — a

few spoonfuls of jam and a mutilated loaf of bread. It was not her fault that the cupboard
was so bare. The waggon teams ladtii with everything that the appetite could desire,
from Bologna sausages to champagne, go by her door, but they pass on like merchantmen
at sea from the sight of a ship-wrecked crew. A minnow is no good to those who are
fishing for whales, and the teamsters do not care to have to throw off a network of lashings
to hunt for a few cases addressed to the feminine dictator at the well. The hungry visitor,
who has breakfasted badly, and lunched worse, feels a ravenous desire to broach the

I go

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

travelling commissariat as it lumberingl)' goes by, and would rob an orchard with as little
compuncftion as a schoolboy, if he could find one on the way. Even the flies are hungry in
this God-forsaken place, and flock round in dense clouds to share our slender store of bread
and jam. They encompass the " humpy" like darkness, swarm inches thick on the sweets,
as the scrap of bread is being raised to the mouth, and choke the throat when the lips are
parted to bite the crust. The insedts fill the eyes, the nostrils, and afflicft every sense.
The plague of flies must have been one of the worst triiiulations of tiie iimch-suffering
Egyptians. I should think that Japan, the land of the fan, must be infested with flies like
these. The Murchison substitute for the fan is to slap the face incessantly with both hands
until every perspiring feature is as red and nearly as raw as a beef-steak. On the road we
leave most of the flies behind. Tiicre is nothing to eat away from the bread and jam, ami as
we take our seats on the coach, the clusters of winged tormentors are busy consuming the

last crumb of the meal, which even Pascal would have
deemed frugal enough for the most austere day of penance.
On our return journc}' we stayed the night at Mondenia,
and our supper and breakfast consisted again of bread and
jam. 1!) the light of the coach lanterns we ate heartily of
b(jtli the \iands provided for us, but in the morning we
cH)ntinLd our attention to the biead. \\'hat we had cheer-
fully taken over-night to be jam, we found in the morning
was about one-half flies, and on that experience we made
a rule, and zealously adhered to it, never again to eat jam
by candle-light.

The country is now getting hilly, and rocks interspersed
with five different kinds of strata, come into view. The
chocolate plains we have been driving over, merge into
sand}- stretches, which make the going very heavy for the
horses. Presently we are on a belt of territory, covered with
round white quartz stones, which makes it resemble the laying
ground of millions of ducks. Onward a few miles, the pearly quartz balls are succeeded by
a ])rospect of red ironstom- gravel, the pebbles being of all sizes, from that of a walnut to a
cricket ball. Then the kaleidescope of tlu' Murchison changes to a view far as tiie eye can
reach, of a surface whitened as though by hailstones, so dazzlingly spotless, so round,
uniform in size, and evenly spread, are the lustrous marbles upon the ground. At intervals
we drive in the grateful shade of masses of rocks, some of which are tossed inl<i the most
fantastic shapes, apparently by volcanic ai5tion. One of them is known by the name of
"The Devil's Card Table." The stone is exacitly the shajie of a giant mushroom. If it
were painted of a mushroom hue, the resemblance would be perfect. There is the roimd,
slightly convexed top, and the stein stuck undeiiuath it rigiit in the centre, exactly the
counterpart of a mammoth fungus. "The Devil's Card Table" is large enough for a whole
Pandemonium of arch fiends to sit at it, if they doft'ed their wings while re-visiting the
glimpses of the moon. The rocky camp stools against the table would be cozy for the
party, and the gloomy surroundings of this desolate spot would surely make the Satanic

Ml'TTON K»|{ THK l-ANTKY AT DKKl' Wl-LI,.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

191

guests feel quite at home, while there would be no danger of Apollyon and his friends
taking a chill during their excursion to so warm a climate.

" Badger's Cross" is one of the places where the prospector has not sought in vain for
gold. If the reef from which the camp received its name goes on carrying as much of
the precious ore as it did on the outcrop, Badger will be a made man. When we drove
by he was engaged upon a trial shaft. The camp is on the summit of an upland, and
commands one of the few picturesque outlooks that are to be seen between Mullewa and
Cue. The eye roves over a wide extent of valley and mountains, enveloped with blue haze,
which soften their outline, and etherealises the landscape. The tents of the miners are
standing within a short distance of the road, on the borders of which they have set up
a beer case on a pole, to receive the post when
their friends bear them in mind, which, if they
are returned miners, they always do. Only those
who have been through the fiery furnace of life
in the far West, can even faintly realise how
eagerly the weekly mail-bag is awaited at the
Badger's Crosses of the wilderness, how fondly
the wanderer looks forward to the day when he
may get a letter from home. Only those who,
through the slowly creeping hours has wielded a
pick or a drill, until the hand trembles and the
sweat runs into the eyes, and the heart is faint
with exhaustion and bad food, and there is not
water for a wash, can conceive the cheering effeCt
of a letter, that is opened by the liglit of the
solitary candle in the tent, to him who sits on
his wretched pallet to scan the lines of friendship
or affecition. Those lines are the one link — except
the hope of "striking it rich" — that binds him to
all that makes life worth living — comrade, home,
wife and child. The letter is read and re-read ;
it is carried in the pocket till it is wet with the
dew of toil, and the writing grows yellow in the
torrid sun. Each mail day at Badger's Cross,
as the sun is sinking low in the heavens, a crowd of dirty sun-stained miners, fresh from
the gold workings, make their way to the beer case, nailed to the pole on the road that
the coach has passed by. The lid is wistfully opened, and a cold chill of disappointment
strikes like a blow on the heart when the rude post-office is seen to be empty, and the
words are heard — "There's nothing to-night, lads; better luck next week."

F"itzgerald's station is the boundary line of the pastoralists on the Murchison. On the
northern side of that line there is plenty of unoccupied Crown land, which might be leased
for sheep raising at a very low rent, but no one seems to want so remote and barren a
grazing area. It would cost a good deal to sink wells, and without wells stock could not

DINING SALOON. MONI>tNIA L»S IHK "Cl'K' TRACK.

192

MY FOVRTH TOVR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

exist. The Government have been liberal in their expenditure to find water for keeping
the roads open. A few of the wells on the Cue road belong to Mr. Gascard, the coach
proprietor, who, of course, has had to provide water at every "changing station." The
water at the Government wells is free to all who like to draw it, there being no reservoir
and no caretaker. Every driver hauls up as many buckets of water as his team will drink,
and then he leaves the trough empty for the next comer. But new ropes and buckets are
from time to time provided by the Public Works Department, as the old ones become
useless ; they never have any losses from dastardly theft, for there is a very stridt code of
honour on the goldfields, which is maintained by the men themselves in a very summary
way. A sneak who made free with any of his neighbour's goods, would have to clear out
of camp at a minute's notice, under pain of consequences, if he did not go, which would
leave him in an unfit condition to travel.

JOSfcfH DAUGK, PROSPECTOR OF THE
lO-UILE CUE TRACK.

Cbaptcr 13.

Bill-posting Extraordinary — Camel Transport on the Murchison — Tagh and Faiz Mahomet — The

Afghan Knot — Moonlight on the Murchison — Mount Magnet — Mine Host of

the Onc-and-All Hotel— The Prohibition List—" The Island," and

"The Mainland" — Day Dawn — Arrival in Cue.

^V w^ HEREVER we pass a majestic landmark on the Murchison route, we find
^^Wi y^l that it has been turned to mercenary account. The travelhng paint slinger
^^^^^H has left his hoarding announcements on walls of granite, that will stand to
the end of time. The " artist," emulously seeking a stupendous vantage
ground, did not carry enough colour to paint, in proportion to his "canvas," for already
some of his letters, six feet long, are fading into indistinctness, which mercifully spares
the aching eye of the passing traveller, to whom the merits of "Pears' Soap" and
"Monkey Brand" are a maddening horror. The soaring dauber, judging from the dizzy
altitude of his sweeping brush, must have been a fire brigade man or a steeple climber.
Although we owe him no good-will for his desecration of the monoliths, it is only fair
to say that his acrobatic daring fully earned his fee, although the world is unhappily not
much the wiser for his work.

Camel trains do a great deal of the Murchison carrying trade, under the auspices of
the firm of Tagh and Faiz Mahomet. Cue is one of their strongholds, and they are
reputed to have prospered exceedingly through the development of the Murchison fields.
It was here that they began business in a very small wa)-, and met with a great deal of
prejudice on account of their colour. It is said that the enterprising Afghans started
with only a couple of camels — because the storekeepers refused to supply their wants. The
whirligig of time has brought its revenge, and now the firm largely supply the whites. The
original pair of camels have, by breeding and importation, multiplied into a herd of many
hundreds, and the contents of the two packs into the stock-in-trade of extensive stores. At
one time held in contempt, some of the ablest business brains to be found in the far West
are now in the service of the Afghan house, which at Geraldton is the agent of one of the
largest of the intercolonial lines of steamers. By sound management, commercial acumen,
and what is called "good luck," in taking the tide of prosperity at its Hood, the brothers
became a potent fa(il;or in opening up the Murchison district, large employers of labour, and
dicftators in determining the freight rates between Mullewa and Cue. In addition to their
business ability, it is evident that, in spite of the contumely with which their colour was at

194

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

first regarded, the Mahomets owed much of their early progress to their nationahty, for it
made them au fait with all that related to the camel, and the camel has coined money for
his owner in Western Australia. As soon as they had launched their initial venture they
saw their advantage, and made the most of it with characteristic generalship. The
Europeans knew nothing of the management of the hutnp-backed beast of burden, and
still less of Afghan drivers, thuir low wages, and more than all, their peculiar knack of
getting the best work out of a camel. There are white men on the goldfields who boast
that they can handle a camel as well as any .Afghan, but this is a delusion, as any observer
will perceive. .Are horses the same in all hands? Did not Lindsay Gordon and Fred
.-Vrcher win many a race on horses, that with another rider in the saddle had never shown
the same speed or gameness ?

Just as there is in temperament and will power something that makes a great horse-
man — for Gordon's seat was far from perfert — so the camel driver who is worthy of the

name has a persuasive gift of his own. for the camel has a
most uncertain temper. To keep him in a willing humour for
his work, to be able to quicken his flagging pace without
making him sulky, it is necessary to have been born and reared
in the East, and, above all, to be of the slow, patient, quiet,
persistent nature, that is inherited by the Afghan. For a
swarthy native of his own country the camel will make his
most faithful effort, will go the longest stages on very little
food, and lose no condition through fretting. How little he
likes a white keeper, is best shown b\- the result of the attempt
of one of the leading Murchison residents to possess himself
of a champion hack-camel. The aspirant for something choice
in hump-backed steeds, had a long journey to go to inspeft
some new areas upon which mining leases had been taken up.
The track lay through some very dry country, where a horse
would be useless. He had been in the habit of riding a camel,
but had never been able to get one to please him. Somehow
the best recommended of his mounts always fell short of the
warranty, and yet, as his time was valuable, he was willing to pay a good price for
one that would " fill the bill." .\t last he seemed to have been successful in his search.
A head man of Tagh and Faiz Mahomet was reported to have a wonderful hack, on
which he was able to get between Mullewa and Cue in record time. The Cue man
satisfied himself that the report was true. He found in a trial "go" that the paces of
this long-legged Carbine were of the easiest, and as the hack seemed well-nigh perfect
he offered a tempting figure for him. Tlie head man did not want to part with his
favourite. The price was made more teiupting, till, like that of the Duke of Portland,
when he had set his mind upon depriving .Australia of the great son of Musket and Mersey,
the gold proved irresistible. No business firm could refuse such an offer, and Tagh and
Faiz Mahomet were business men of the highest class. The cheque was accepted, and the
head man ordered to hand over his charge to the e.xultant purciiascr. who lost no time in

A MINER AT BADGER S CROSS.

.. f-

i.T

RESIDENCE OF MR. AUGUSTUS S. ROE, ROEBOURNE.

l.>KHCK AND STAFF UK tXortlurii Fitblic Oj'iiiion, ROEBOURNE.

196

MY FOURTH TOUR IX UIiSTERX AUSTRALIA.

'^J<r-0^'

setting out upon his travels. The fame of the celebrated camel had preceded him. Afore-
time when, with his old master in the saddle, the hardy adtive beast had started from
Mullewa with his sprightly amble, camel and rider could be timed to arrive at Cue with the
punctuality of a chronometer in seventy hours. The new rider's first trip was therefore
talked of in Cue, and, relying upon his well-tried mount,
he, with every confidence, promised to keep appoint-
ments to the hour with his clients at certain places.
But he did not keep to time, even on the first stage.
The celebrated camel, Sahara, was no sooner on the
road with his new rider, than he appeared to be a very
ordinary brute. He had lost his long swinging lissome
gait : and worse than all, there seemed to have gone
with it the hoofs that had never tired, the pluck that
never before had failed him. In a word, that camel,
the best one that Tagh and Faiz had ever imported,
would not carry the white man "kindly;" and the
more he Hogged to make him keep up his reputation,
the more Sahara did to lose it. Sahara was a white 4
elephant to his new owner, who, persuaded that a
camel requires a coloured rider, if not a coloured
driver, he let the head man have him back again at
a considerable redudtion upon the purchase money.
But even supposing that I should have failed to con-
vince the sceptic that a European cannot drive a camel train as far, quickly, or with
as little loss of condition as an Afghan, will anyone contend that the former is the equal
of his dark-skinned rival in loading up? The Davenport Brothers used to defy even
sailors to tie a knot that they, while bound hand and foot, could not
escape from. Luckily for these famous showmen, colour prejudice
prevented an Afghan camel driver trying his hand at any of the
seances, out of which the slippery gentlemen (in the acrobatic sense
of the word) made a fortune. An Afghan's knots are like a hang-
man's noose, tightening their hold the more they are wrenched.

Onl)' once did we see a pack in the slightest disorder, and even

the disarranged load clung to the animal it was fastened upon like

a saddle on a Queensland colt, when, having thrown his rider, he is

trying to perform the operation known as " bucking himself through

the girths." The incident is worth relating, as it goes to prove the

truth of what I said in a previous chapter, that there is no love lost

between the Britisher and the alien in Western Australia. In front

of our coach a long train of camels were striding across the plain

fully loaded. The Afghan, seeing us coming, moved the camels to one side of the road, so

that we should have plenty of room to pass on the middle of the highway. Our driver, in a

malicious freak, whipped up his horses, and drove right along the line of camels, which were

'TO BE, OR NOT TO BE "— AURIFEROl'S ?

A VALtJABLR UNDERSTANDING.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

197

'"^'1^

jammed against the telegraph poles and the scrub, almost brushing them with the wheels,
and slashing them with his whip as the coach rattled past. The galloping of the horses,
the noise of the vehicle, the cutting whip, and the screeching of the driv-er, which might
have been the war-crj' of a Mohawk, routed the camels. In terrified confusion they wildly
swerved, backed, and plunged in all directions, breaking nose-cords, doubling up the line,
while some of the animals with loud hellowings of rage and terror stampeded into the bush.
One young beast was quite uncontrollable, and the girth of the pack-saddle slipped until
one side of the load was almost on the ground. But the pack, even in this extremity, fell
as a whole ; none of the lashings slipped, none of the knots loosened. The look which the
Afghan cast after the author of the mischief as he ran to secure his camels was terribly
expressive, even at a distance. I do not think the coachman would care to meet the
driver whom he had so wantonly injured, on a dark night in a quiet place, if the Afghan
had a knife.

Our time-table gave us ninety-three miles to travel, from Yalgoo to Mount Magnet, in
the one day — a long stage in such a country
and climate. The moon was shining brightly
before "The Magnet" came into sight. It
was the first time we experienced pleasure in
travelling on the Murchison in the cool of the
evening, when the air becomes almost bracing,
and a rug is esteemed a friend. The refreshing
nights greatly help a newcomer to become
acclimatized to the enervating heats of the
noon-tide sun. He can at any rate sleep
soundly, but withal the most seasoned resident
would be glad of a more kindly temperature
in the day time. The American wIkj could eat
crow but "did not hanker after it," describes
their feelings. They "grunt and sweat under

a weary life," looking forward to the day when they will be able to li\e by cool pastures,
and hear the music of gurgling brooks.

Hut, abuse the country as we may, it looks beautiful on a moonlight night. The pale
rays mask its ugliness, and paint a lovely phantom picture. The tristful scrub looks like
bladed grass, decked with pearls. The pallid gleams open up enchanting glades on the
barren road. The coach seems under Luna's light to be gliding through a vast orchard.
The fruit trees, which by day are only stunted gums, are "tipped with silver." In the
softening radiance of the shadow pantomime, all that is gross, and realistic, and scorching
in the glower and the glare of the garish sun, is refined away. The scene powerfully
recalled Southey's lines, as, mile after mile we sped with the breeze in our faces, and the
shining panorama before us. How beautiful was night amid the "sweaty haste" of our
rush to reach Cue in record time, a rush that " made night joint labourer with the day."
The heavens were cloudless, and Nature was at rest. No other wheels broke the stillness
of the road : —

TtIK MAIL ItAG.

igS MY FOURTH TOUR I\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

A dewy freshness fills the silent air ;

No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor stain.

Breaks the serene of heaven :

In full orbed k'oO'' yonder moon divine

Rolls through the dark blue depths ;

Beneath her steady ray

The desert circle spreads

Like the round ocean girdled with the sky.

How beautiful is night !

At last a golden spangle shone in the midst of the phosphorescent glow like a ruby

in a setting of pearls. It was the lamp over the portico of the Mount Magnet Hotel, the

beacon that gave assurance of good quarters and good fare, and in a few minutes the

steaming horses were drawn up in front of the verandah of the hostelry. Over the porch

was the sign of the " One-and-All " Hotel. There is a good fellowship, a large-hearted

invitation to eat, drink, and be merry, lurking in this device, that the generous girth and

benevolent eye of the proprietor, Mr. Attwood, pleasingly sustains. He has no lean or

hungry look. Let us have guests about us that are fat appears to be the cheerful motto of

the establishment; "sleek-headed men such as sleep "o nights," for both his table and his

MOUNT MAGNET. THE WAKRAMBOO (NATIVK NAME).

beds are excellent. Our arrival, if we were to dine well, was inopportune. It was after
ten p.m. The Chinese cook had gone to bed, and the housekeeper was chasing the merry
hours with flying feet at a ball across the way, but the host was not to be baffled. We
had barely time to have a wash before he set us down to a smoking board to break,
very acceptably, a long fast, and to vary a rc^^iiiicii of bread and jam. Supper over, we
peeped into the ball-room, in which the ladies were in a most triumpliant minority. The
terpsichorean favors of the fair ones were sought with ardour by suiters who disliked the
role of masculine "wall-flowers," of whom perforce there were many each time a set was
formed, or a waltz, or a polka began. Still the dancing went on merrily, and if the pianist
who played the accompaniments had been making a fortune with liis nimble tingers, he could
not have been — to use a sporting phrase — a better "stayer." The light fantastic — or wii;it
passes for that poetic entity on a mining camp, where nothing more graceful than heavy-
boots can be got for airy motion on the roughly-timbered floor — was kept tripping with the

THE RELAXATIONS OK A WEST AUsTUALIAN JUUGE.

^^^^Ui.

NAT1\K I'KIMlMiKS IN THE NORTH-WEST.

200

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERN AUSTRALIA.

greatest spirit until "nij^ht's candles were burnt out and jocund day stood tip-toe on the
misty mountain top" of "The Magnet." In the midst of the Murchison a ball is such a
delightful rarity, that once it is started it is kept rolling a long time. But what did breaking
up at daylight matter? The men would wash the sleep out of their eyes, and as for the
girls they may go and dream of their conquests until they were quite refreshed. Lovely
woman on "the diggings" is a divinity. She is a queen, absolute, omnipotent; if she
chooses she may be imperious, and all men bow reverently at her feet.

While the strains of the piano were sounding, we were having a chat over a glass of
wine with Mr. Attwood, who knows all about the mining operations of Mount Magnet. He
saw the place in its cradle, and has helped to nurse it, until it is now able to run alone. No

man is more enthusiastic about the distri(ft. He has
seen gold in the reefs, and gold in the crushings, and
is full of the faith that is begotten of the convi(5tion
that seeing is believing. "The Magnet" is the
scene of all his investments, and they are turning
out so well that he has no wish to put any of his
monej- anywhere else than in the gold-bearing hills
in the bosom of which he has made his home, and
built his hotel. Our host has been a great traveller,
and in his time has played many parts, from pearling
and coloni/ring to reef-buj'ing and public-house
keeping. Not long ago he was in London and met
mutual friends. He desires to give us every oppor-
tunity of f(5rming a just estimate of the value of the
Murchison Goldfields, and it is arranged that next
day we shall visit several of the mines. After a very
pleasant evening, we retire to forget, in the slumbers
of Nature's sweet restorer, the long day's journey.

After breakfasting, we had a look round Mount
Magnet, and found that the "One-and-All" Hotel
overshadows every other building in the township
with its size and architecture. In the light of this
discover}', the title of the hotel to which we had
attached so much hospitable significance, may perhaps
have had another meaning equally allegorical, but less
flattering to a belated traveller. The thought strikes one that perhaps Mr. Attwood intended
the nomenclature of the inn to typify its superiorit}'. He may —in the spirit of the arrogant
Van Tromp, who, boasting that he could sweep the English from the seas, put a broom at
his masthead — have meant to symbolise that he and his hotel were "one and all" Mount
Magnet. The place, like old Weller's wife at the tea-party, is "swelling visibly before our
eyes," in the hands of a large body of artisans, but even with the addition of (ioul)lc the
original number of rooms, it is likely to be a long time, so quick is the incoming of visitors,
before the billiard tables will cease to be the repository of " shakedowns." The literary

THE HOUSEKEBPBR OF THK ** ONE-AND-ALL" HOTEL.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERX AUSTRALIA

20I

to the

all the

. It is

THE BOUNniNG KANGAROO.

taste of Mr. Attwood is exhibited in his excellent library, and it is a welcome sight

visitor from London to see, upon the table of his sitting-room, the artistic pages of

illustrated papers of the great city.

The police station is a little ugly wart on the pidturesqueness of Mount Magnet

the most ludicrous

travestie on a guard-
house that was ever

seen, for a prisoner

need only stay with

his captor as a

matter of courtesy.

The emblem of the

law and the preser-
vation of the peace

of her Majesty's

lieges has not even

risen, at Mount

Magnet, to the

modest dignity of a tent; the station-house has been built by spreading a few )ards of

ragged bagging on a
branch or two of gum
tree. When it rains
the records of offenders
will be erased for ever,
even as the oath of
T o b )• ' s uncle, in
Tristram Shandy was
effaced by the tear of
the recording angel
who wrote it down.
There is one man who
must be eagerly looking
for a shower. A soiled
fag end of a scrap of
paper, posted on the
wispofadoor.solemnlj-

sets out that P

H is on the " pro-
hibition list," which
romv means that he must not

touch, taste, nor handle

the intoxicating cup for six months. The hotel keepers are warned not to assuage his thirst

at the peril of a heavy fine. The paternal law hopes that when the six months have gone

202

MY FOURTH TOUR IX U'ESTERX AUSTRALIA.

by, the weak brother, who is thus "sent to Coventry," will not put an enemv into his
mouth to steal away his brains. The official intimation that he is not to look upon the
wine when it is red, or any other colour, appears side-bj-side with the offer of a reward
for the apprehension of a man suspected of murder. The placarding of a drunkard in

this way for the finger of scorn to point at, is, in a small community, a punishment severe
enough, one would think, to cure the most confirmed fondness for "the devil in solution,"
or to drive him to suicide of a broken heart: but, at the time of our visit, he of the village
pillory had refrained, with the stoicism of a Socrates, from adopting either alternative,
sustained bj- furtive "nips" from travellers' flasks.

On leaving Mount Magnet, the road passes over leagues of stone-speckled, undulating
countn,-, interspersed, every fifteen or twenty miles, with the bark-roofed, hessian-walled
changing stations, which are as much alike as one beggar is like another. It is not till Lake
Austin is reached that there is anything to keep the passenger, who has now been more
than two dajs on the road, from nodding. The country is so similar to that which he has
been driving over for many weary hours that, if he had less confidence in the driver, he
might imagine himself to be travelling in a circle. He is rocking in his seat, and bobbing
his head so spasmodically as to be in danger of dislocating his neck, when a cry of "There's
the lake," and a general movement to look out of the windows, arouses the sleeper to
observe a new feature of interest. Lake Austin belies its name, for it is only an expanse
of white sand. To all appearance it should be properly called a desert, but water can be
obtained anywhere within the area of its bed by shallow sinking. The lake surrounds what
is known as "The Island," a name that sets the school text-book definition of an island —
"a piece of land surrounded by water" — at defiance. Perhaps the title was bestowed by
an explorer, who, seeing the remarkable mirage for which the place is celebrated, mistook
the reflection for water. "The Island" is a large hill of very desolate aspect, cheerless
enough to give Momus himself a fit of the " blues." The sombre-looking stunted trees
upon it only add to the forlorn appearance of the landscape. The coach crosses the lake
upon an embankment which was made by the Government, and at the end of the made

NUTLS OF CHARACTER HERE AND THERE.

road we approach what, in accordance with the nautical phraseology of the neighbourhood,
is called " The Mainland." Bj- " The Mainland," is meant the territory which, if Lake
Austin was really a lake, would be opposite the eastern shore of "The Island." The situation
will be understood if the geographical position of Sicily and Italy are borne in mind, Sicily

CHEMISTiDENTISTI

«» ^

A NORTH-WEST AUSTRALIAN MEDICINE MAN.

A LtlTliK EKOM lIOMt.

204

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

being "The Island" of the Murchison, and Italy "The Mainland" — a bold, flat-topped
range of hills in which mining is profitably carried on. The place swarms with workers,

the scene being a striking contrast to the solitudes which
the visitor has passed through. The sides of the range
are as full of holes and mounds as a rabbit warren, only
the burrows and heaps are large enough to be the work
of an elephant instead of a rodent. The alluvial miners
are at work with the energy of our sappers making tht
approaches for the assault upon Sebastopol. They are
as thick as bees around a hive, garnering a golden store.
The dark-red loam, the hiding place of gold, has been
delved and sifted to a depth of four or five feet. " Drj^-
blowers " lie thick upon the surface, as though half the Vulcans of the universe had come
here to set up portable forges. As we drive up, the daj' is far advanced, but the miners
are still at work shovelling and " rocking," enveloped in a cloud of chocolate dust, which,
if they wore furs and were beardless, would disguise them as Pawnee savages. The men
work in pairs, at each machine. W'ith a swing, as regular as the momentum of move-
ment of a pendulum, the alhnial is thrown into tlie metal sieve. But the monotony of the
spade work is psrotechnic compared with the measured working of the "rocker," by the
man who, at the bellows, redeems the labour curse of Adam. Hour after hour that soul-
destroj'ing pull, pull, pull, on the handle, holds him until he must covet the excitement of a
treadmill. A dry-blower would defy detection in a compan\- of Italian marionettes, if he
could show enough animation for the role of an automaton. \ singular pair of mates drew
our attention. One of them was an old man, bent double with years and infirmity. His
silver hair and beard, and deeply furrowed face, and the skinnj^ fingers with which he
clutched the handle of the rocker, marked him out with pathetic emphasis, surrounded as
he was by stalwart manhood. " In tattered weeds, with o\erwhelming brows," he cast his
eager looks intently into the " cradle," as though he would divine its store of gold dust, if
hapl\' it contained any, and yet so feebly did he work that the
bellows blew onl\- with a slow asthmatic breath, and he might
search the box in vain for spoil. A lad, his grandson, threw in
the stuff with a weary arm and dogged air. He was not more
than twelve years of age, and the heavy miner's shovel was
pushed into the heap of loam and gravel with stronger ner\e
than muscle. He was over young for a man's work, and the
day had been long, but still the boy's heart was big with courage
to help his grandfather to get bread. We went over and had
a chat with him. It was "spec work," he said, and since —
when he was a child — his grandfather was hurt in an accident
underground, times had been a " bit hard." They could not put
through so much stuff as the "other men," but sometimes they

did not do so badh'. To judge from his worn face and ragged garb, the slices of luck were
few and far between, bwt the lioy was as cheery as a sunbeam, and full of self respect.

A WOLT tiM.M iHh BLACK.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

205

Asked whether he was goinj,' to be a miner, he quietly repHed, " I'm a miner already," and

so he was if years of toil could make him one.

I wondered if he had ever read of Charles

Dickens' Little Nell, and drew inspiration from

her courage, patience, sufferings, and fatigues,

in her wanderings with her grandfather, whom

she so nobly sustained.

There is an hotel on "The Mainland," and
several stores, which recall Booracoppin. Down
in the hollow on the other side of the hill is
the Mainland Consols Mine, which has been
equipped with a valuable plant of machinery in
full working order. But never was gold found
in a more dour retreat ; it might extort a moan
from a hermit; no bird or beast, except the
carrion vulture, haunts its dreary fastnesses.
If Alexander Selkirk had been marooned here,
he would have died of horror instead of writing
a lament. The unwholesome brown colour of
the hill, and of the rocks jutting out upon it —
grey excoriations standing out upon the scarred,
naked, desolate slopes, make "The Mainland"
one of the most hideously depressing views that
even Western Australia can exhibit. The road
at the foot of the eminence is as

SHORTHAND IN I'ASSING.

THE UtLLE of THK TOWNSIllI'.

a Valley of

Despair leading to the Gates of Death. But, if from
the ugly recesses of the Mainland Consols plenty of
gold can be torn, the mine will be beautiful in the eyes
of the shareholders, who will look elsewhere for eligible
residential sites.

Long after dark, we heard the stampers at the Day
Dawn Mine beating their noisy tattoo. The mine has
given its name to a substantial township, almost in
the centre of which the main shaft has been sunk. A
wide circle of gleaming lights cheerily illumined the
darkness, long before the coach stopped at the principal
hotel. The house, a spacious stone one, was crowded
with miners, who talked glibly of reefs and yields while
they played "sixpenny nap." The bar was crowded;
every one seemed to be flush of cash; gold and notes
were freely changed for drinks. The hotel is the club,
the music-hall, and the Parliament house of Day Dawn.
A topic of animated conversation was the recent visit

206

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

of Sir John Forrest to the Eastern Goldfielrls. Wliat the Premier had said at Coolp;ardie
and "Hannan's" had been fully reported in that day's local paper, which, to^'othcr with its
readers, watches with a jealous eye the progress of Yilf^arn. Murchison says it has been
nef;;ledted by the Government, which is too solicitous of the interests of Coolgardie. As
the older goldfield, she feels that the Cabinet is off with the old love in order to be on with
the new, and she resents their coldness with all the fierceness of a woman scorned. To
change the simile to more homely phrase, the Executive is accused of "greasing the fat
sow." Sir John's doings on his tour were very displeasing. The company at the hotel read
the paper in a carping spirit, and with many impatient interjeiftions. What did Coolgardie
and Kalgoorlie want? \\'h\' the\' must consider tiiemselves tlir hub of the universe, from

the demands the}- were making. A very
"large order" indeed. What would they
want next? The Premier must be very
pliant to lend a willing ear to so man)-
requests. But it was just like him to
pave his w-ay smoothly by making large
promises. What need was there for him
to go to the eastern distrid\s at all,
after all the water conservation, railway
making, and telegraph extension that was
being done? If he had come to the
Murchison, which had been so sadly over-
looked, it would have been seemly. But
the Government would always shout with
the biggest crowd, and add their influence
to sensational newspaper w-riting for the
aggrandizement of Coolgardie, while the
Murchison, a sounder and better, if a less
showy, goldtield, had to make its w-ay in
spite of mail)' ilrawbacks.

After a short sta\- for refreshments,
and hearing an expression of local opinion
on how the goldfields should be managed by the Ministers in Perth, we drove to Cue,
which is reached two and a iiaif miles fuitlur on. Gascard's "special," with our jKuty,
had been expedted, and so had the mining experts, Herr Schmeisser and his colleague, who
had been sent out by Continental investors to make a thorough investigation of the
auriferous areas of Western Australia. They had visited Coolgardie before us, and before
we left Perth, had made their arrangements to inspect the Day Dawn an<l Muk liison. Their
horses were in the stable at Mullewa when we were there, and Cue had been k)oking for
their coach for several days, but they preferred to travel in a far more leisurely fashion than
our engagements permitted us to do. They were devoting as many months to getting over
the ground as we had weeks to spare, and were able to move by easy stages, while we were
outdoing all the traditions of the road. We, owing to the celerity of our inuvements and

ATTAIN WALLACE, 74TH (SKAKr^MTMl M U; H LAN PKKS, AND
nOG " nODGKK." 1>AV l>AW N.

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

207

independent eq

uipment, were always takinf^ people bj' surprise; the German experts were

always too late for the dinner which had
been prepared for them. There were
cordial fjreetings for us at the Cue Hotel.
The world is so small a place that we met
several friends from some of the leading
cities there. The town is full of men in
flannel shirts, who, not long ago were to be
seen in London, Paris, or Berlin, in frock
coats and shiny stove-pipe hats, mingling
with financiers, receiving instructions from
leading corporations, exhibiting rich speci-
mens, and promoting Companies. From
a European city to Cue is an amazing
transition, a startling change of environ-
ment, which it must call for a great deal of
philosophy to bear. Mr. James Thomson,
for example, is one of those who has seen
many phases of life. He began life as
a pressman, became secretary to several
Royal Commissions in \'i(5toria, visited
India and London in ccjnnection with two
Indian and Colonial Exhibitions, and came
to Cue to start the Cue Times and Day
Dawn Gazette, one of the brightest and
best of

the pro- ^

v i n c i a 1
journals

JIMNn THOMSUN-

of the Colony. Mr. Thomson is a Justice of the Peace, a
trenchant and graphic writer, a graceful host, a witty
after-dinner speaker, and a man who has hosts of friends.
Mayor Gale is another of the social forces of Cue. His
long black beard is the centre of every knot of good fellows,
whose spirit of camaraderie drives away dull care at the
northern capital. His force of character is recognised by
every one but himself. The ratepayers are justly proud
of him. As the chief magistrate of the district, he dis-
penses justice with an even hand, an excellent knowledge
of the Police Offences Statute, and a clear mental grasp of
the merits of evidence. No one gives us a warmer welcome
than Warden Dowlej-. A successful goldfields warden
is no ordinary man. His path is full of the pitfalls

-i

)

tt^

*'-<

THE MAVOK OF Clt.

208

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

of the law, and of evil report. He has to be judge, jury, and administrator. At every
sitting he has nice legal points to weigh, grave issues affe(5ting the rights of valuable
property to decide. He must do the right with rare sagacity, and without fear, favor, or
affection. If he can discharge his onerous duty so as to stand in high repute among his
fellow men, he is to be envied. Such a warden is Warden Dowley, of Cue. On every hand,
if he were to retire to-morrow, would be heard the modern equivalent for the Scriptural
commendation — " Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

-;>,:>

A TROOPER.

Cbaptcr 14.

Ciie and Coolgardie Contrasted — An Appreciation of the Afghan — Lauiler's — The Cue Public

Swimming Bath — The Murchison as the Paradise of the Working Man — A Boundless

Hospitality — Recollection of the Cue Track — A Enlogiuni of the Coach Service —

A Mirage — The Murchison "Zoo" — A Race Against Time.

^v.un

,(^

IS a much better built town than Cool-
gardie. It has not been thrown together
in such wild haste as the Golden City.
Cue may be compared with a small, well-
trimmed cottager's garden; Coolgardie to a large
jungle. There are no hessian cabins in the main
street of Cue. The thoroughfare is broad, clean,
and lined with some buildings that would be an
acquisition to Perth. The splendid pile of public

offices should make the people of the Murchison
ashamed to accuse the Government of illiberality.
The various staffs are lodged, both officially and
privately, like princes. The buildings, which are
nearly as ornamental as the vice-regal residence,
are constructed of a white stone that is plentiful
in the neighbourhood. The stone is a first-class
building material, with a texture something between
that of granite and basaltic bluestone. There are
reddish or deep orange tints running through it,
which, when arranged in contrast on the fagade,
imparts to the front elevation an artistic appearance
similar to that which is produced by mosaic tiling.
It is as pleasing as a sight of home to see the
masonry work in this land's end of civilization,
after all the tents, the mia-mias, and the hovels
made of potato sacks, and other odds and ends,
tied together to degrade the home of Europeans to
the level of the shelter of a wandering gipsy. The
mason has found a long job at Cue at high wages.

^.^i-

©UEl

MARKS.

=3=

<S. Proprietor ;. XT

- ! DTrE^VK TA -ST ^ »

A UOLI>KlKLl>S MENU.

210

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

An English Investment Company have been large employers. Their Commercial Chambers
and a commodious hotel show what the diredtors think of the Murchison. In solid masonry,
two storeys high, they have made an enduring record of their sanguine belief that Cue will
become a great place. Those broad, high, palatial strucitures are an eloquent expression of
faith that the sowing of British gold in the centre of the Northern Goldfields will yield an
abundant harvest. Big oaks from little acorns grow. This was evidently the motto of the
Government when the public offices were designed, but the lavish expenditure of a private
Company is a far more satisfactory prediction of coming greatness, for capitalists look for
profit on their outlay, and the Public Works Department does not. Near the Commercial
Chambers in the main street are such further evidences of advanced civilization as a

stationer's warehouse, a
chemist's establishment,
replete with resplendent
colored waters encased in
crystal, and a purveyor
of iced drinks, who makes
his ice on the premises.
Cue is as fond of a brush
as a thrifty house-wife.
The town is made neat,
not gaudy, with white
paint or limcwash, which,
like charity, covers a
multitude of blemishes.
It tones down the harsh
realities of a wilderness of
galvanised iron, and is an
indication of the laudable
desire of the inhabitants
to accomplish better
things in the future. The
marplot disorder of twice-
built Coolgardie is galling to a visitor, who, in comparison, finds Cue as fresh and dainty
as a daisy in the spring. About the dingiest exception to the general neatness of the
town is the den in which the business of the Union Bank is carried on. The bank is,
evidently, determined not to repeat the mistake of some other banks in .\ustralia, which
built splendidly, and ended by being unable to pay 20s. in the £.

The chief store is that of the Afghan brothers, Tagh and I-^aiz Mahomet, whose
manager, Mr. A. R. Williams, does a very large and profitable business. In the course of
an interesting chat he tells us a great deal about camels and camel-drivers. Mr. Williams
finds that an Afghan, as well as his camel, needs to be adroitly managed to keep him from
the sulks, but when he is not brooding over a real or an imaginary grievance, he is staunch
and valuable. Honest and industrious as the Oriental is, if he is allowed to work in his

MOUNT HEFFKHMAN, CUE.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

211

own way, he is above all a total abstainer on religious grounds. "The one thing I admire
the Afghan for," Mr. Williams went on to say, "is that he does not want watching to keep
him from loafing. When he is left to himself he will get up as early and be upon the road,
with his train, as soon as when his master's eye is upon him. The loads can be counted
upon to arrive within a few hours of the allotted time, more or less, and the camels are not
bustled to do it. That is because there has been no skulking, and then a rush to make up
for lost time. Of course, the Indian native is slow, but he is not highly paid. It is,
however, a mistake to suppose that he can be underfed. I find that an Afghan has a very
sweet tooth for preserved fruit and other confections. He is as fond of them as a schoolboy,
and you have to use tact in apportioning such luxuries \\ith fairness to the firm and to the
men. As the drivers do not use meat, owing to caste
prejudices, they need something by way of dessert
to their rice. You will see from these ration bills
(producing them) that conserves of pine-apple, pears,
apples, plums, &c., appear pretty frequently in the
dietary scale, with an occasional cake or plum pudding
by way of a treat. Of course, we employ none but
Afghans on the road. We should be sorry to have to
rely upon whites for our peculiar class of work, but

even if we wanted them they would not be obtainable.

And if they were, their pay would be so high that they

would make too large a hole in our profits."

Tagh and Faiz Mahomet run the camel mail to

Lawler's, two hundred and fifty miles beyond Cue.

Lawler's is a kind of Western Australian Siberia. The

most seasoned teamster talks of going to Lawler's with

something like bated breath. To start on that track

means that he must carry water, and take risks. There

is no passenger coach to Lawler's, which is looked upon

as being outside the bounds of civilisation, the last coign

of an adventurous keeper of a wayside house. It is

related almost as a woman's deed of heroism, that

the innkeeper's wife has succeeded in reaching Lawler's, which appears to be the synonym

for all that is forbidding, and almost unendurable as a place of residence. The intrepid

constancy of the matron is locally admired as much as Grace Darling's perilous pull in the

life-boat, from Lindisfarne lighthouse, to save the shipwrecked. No one will undertake

to carry a traveller through to Lawler's. If a man wants to go there, he does so at his
own risk. He has to equip himself as though he were going upon a minor exploring
expedition, and takes his well-being if not his life in his hand. But when he returns from
this "Darkest Africa" of the West, he tells wonderful talcs of the richness of the reefs.
Perhaps the golden halo of these traxellers' tales is all the more gorgeous, because so far
there has been no opportunity of putting them into the crucible of artual test. No mining
machinery has ever gone so far ; even the Telegraph Department has not laid a line to this

A CUE BELLE.

212

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

terra iiicoi:^nita, nor has the Lands Office attempted to sell business or residence blocks. No
white man cares to compete for carrjing the mail — Tagh and Faiz Mahomet are welcome
to the contra(5t. The letters and the parcels post are carried in packs, the same as the grog
and the stores of the wayside house. The journey is made once a fortnight, the camels
alternately starting from Cue and Lawler's, so that, writing from Melbourne, a correspondent
would be two months getting a reply by return mail from this distant portion of the vast
Australian Continent. If it were not for camels, the few people who have gone to the
uttermost limits of the known West, would, during the dry season at any rate, be almost

as much cut off from any intelligence of the
/ outer world as were the mutineers of the

Bounty, when they sought a refuge to save
their necks on Pitcairn Island, and were lost
to human ken for twenty-eight years.

There is no water difficulty at Cue. A
Government well in the centre of the main
street is free to all. The water carts carry
their tanks to every door, for so low a price
that the householder does not find the water
rate oppressive, unless he is amphibious in
the matter of baths. One bath per day is
allowed to each guest at the leading hotel,
but he must apply to the landlord for the
key and the wrench of the tap before he
can enjoy a souse, unless indeed he should
get up at daylight and plunge into the dam
of the Lady Mary Mine, which it is an
unspeakable luxury to lave in. The dam is
not one that a fastidious bather would write
poetry about. It is not fed from a crj-stal
spring ; there are no pellucid depths, no
mirror sparkles on its muddy surface, but
to the traveller in the desert, a swim in it
is the very elixir of life. After the torrid
heats, the dust thickening into grime upon
the skin, the louring features of the country,
it is a blessed relief to have a wash. The
cool, deep pool in the forest glade, the brawling mountain brook, rushing silver spangled
down the hill-side, the breasting of the blue billows of the ocean, are pleasant memories,
but the brightest load-star of life is to recall the rapture of a dive into the coffee-coloured
dam of the Lad\- Mary in the dawning, after a coach ride from Mullewa to Cue.

" The Murchison would appear to be, to the wage earner, what Sir Graham Berry under-
took to make Victoria — "the Paradise of the working man." Miners are paid £4 per week,
and the demand exceeds the supply. The doors of the hotels are plastered over with

A "recorder" of "cue."

MY FOURTH TOUR IS U'ESTERX AUSTRALIA.

^13

notices calling for men to develop most of the leading mines of the district. We saw these
calls during "exemption time," namely, the annual holiday, when, for a month or six weeks,
the mines are permitted to be idle by force of law. When a mine goes on working during
exemption it is usually a good sign for its owners, for unprofitable operations are only too
glad to take advantage of a time of grace, during which outlay may cease under legal
protection from "jumpers." The chief reason, next to the climate, why labour is so scarce,
is the cost of reaching Day Dawn or Cue. A miner leaving Perth would only have a little
change out of £2^ when the coach set him down opposite the Cue Post Office. If he were
so fortunate as to be able to arrive with £25 in his pocket, he would probably join a
prospecting party and "try his luck." The hope of finding a good alluvial patch, or, still
better, a payable reef, is
alluring to a man who
has the pluck and enter-
prise to go so far afield.
As long as he has any
money he pursues the
search with the infatua-
tion of a gambler, and
with more than u
gambler's fortitude, he
endures hunger, thirst,
fatigue, disappointment.
Day after day he roams
over trackless scrub, ever
buoyed up by dreams
of quartz, thick-ribbed
with gold. It is only
when the stores give
out, when he is, to use
his expressive phrase,
"broke," that he goes
into the mines to get
some "stuff" to "have

another try." On the goldfields there are many men who, b\' hart! work and the sternest
thrift, have been chasing with stress and suffering a golden ignis fatitus that is elusive to
their grasp. Alas ! it may be so until they draw their latest breath. And on the altar of
this Moloch, what labour, health, and life are sacrificed!

Another significant sign that, at Cue at any-rate, the poor arc not always with us, is the
placard on the door of the Governnunt buildings, inviting a handy man to clean the
premises. A Government job of the most menial kind would be fiercely competed for in
some of the Colonies we could name. The right to nominate a "greaser" for the railway
service of Vieftoria was at one time, as the pages of Hansard record, a perquisite of office
that a certain Member of Parliament earnestly desired to possess — a crumb of patronage

A DKINK AT LAST.

214

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

MR. WALKtR HODGSON.

(From a drawing by hiniselO.

that would make some elector in his constituency a grateful henchman. When it was
proposed that the department should be placed upon a commercial basis (a fond delusion, as

the sequel proved), some of the representatives howled af:;ainst the Commissioners being

empowered to resist back-stair influence in the making
of appointments, no matter how lowly they might be;
but, in more prosperous Western Australia, the adver-
tisement for a cleaner grows mildewed on the door of
the public offices, and no suitor appears to ask for the
vacant post.

Hospitality on the Murchison is more than a fine
art — it is a dail\' or rather an hourly observance, that
it is difficult to escape from. We hear much of drought
in various parts of this goldfield, and yet there are very
few people who are really thirsty in Cue, while it is
well-nigh impossible to remain so for long. Men who
are familiar with short rations, and are acquainted with
drought, eat and drink generously when the opportunity
occurs, as it certainly does in the mining town where
Warden Dowley holds sway. On the day following our
arrival, the Warden entertained us at dinner at the
Cue Hotel, and the leading municipal, mining and
commercial representatives of the district were present

to meet us. The details of the speeches, and the good wishes that were expressed, must be

reserved for the Appendi.x. It is sufficient in this place to state that the entertainment was

so successful that the dinner was, at a late hour, adjourned till the next evening, when we

had the pleasure of reciprocating, in a small measure, the kindness we had received at

Cue. Mr. W'alker Hodgson was busy with his facile

pencil on both evenings, as a glance at his sketches

in this section plainly testifies.

The two following days were devoted to a further

examination of the mines within a wide radius of Cue

and Day Dawn, and then the time had come when we

had to say good-bye to our many Murchison friends.

There were many pressing invitations that we should

prolong our stay, and we would gladly have done so,

but the S S. A ustralind could not be permitted to leave

Geraldton without us, or we should miss our passage

to Cossack, the starting point of our journey through

the North-West. The coach was to leave Cue soon

after daybreak, but the hour was not too early for a large crowd of well-wishers to

assemble to see us off. At the request of Mr. Gale, a photograph was taken of the team as

a memento of our visit, and then we had begun our return to Perth. A few years ago an

emperor could not get a coach on the Murchison like the one in which we rode. The old

MR. H. G. B. MASON. Cl'E.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

2IS

time coach was a terror to passengers. It was rickety and cushionless, and was dragged by

starveling horses at such a crawling pace that it was a fortnight or three weeks on the road.

The passengers, who had paid to ride, had to walk half the way, and live on a crust. In

those days of evil recollecticjn there was not even a "changing station" on the road to give

them even bread and jam, or the scraggy end of a mutton bone to gnaw at. The so-called

mail-coach had to stop half the day to feed the miserable horses on the mulga scrub.

There were no relays. The same four wretched

brutes had to drag the lumbering vehicle the

whole of the three hundred miles from Gerald-
ton to Cue, for the Mullewa railway was not

then made. The driver flogged incessantly,

and, morning after morning, the collars were

over ulcerous sores, and raw, galled shoulders ;

the team crept into Cue at a walk, quite done

up, the scarred backs of their boney frames

showing where the lash had played. A driver,

even though he hated cruelty, had to go very

near to torture to get his mail through at all.
The growth of the Murchison lightened the

troubles of the road. As the mails enlarged,

the postal subsidy was increased, and a little

better coaches and horses were provided, but

the cattle continued to be overworked and ill-
fed. A well-equipped service was beyond the

resources of the mail contraftors. The master

mind to organise was wanting. The work

passed from one feeble hand to another, and

the result was always the same — desultor}-,

ineffective, and extremely rough on men and

horses. At last the occasion found the man —

Mr. Gascard, the equine king of Geraldton. He conceived the idea of becoming the

Cobb & Co. of the West — the great passenger carrier of the Eastern Colonies, until the

firm had been superseded by a net-work of railways. Cobb's coach was a niaster]Mece for

the work it had to do. It had the strength and elasticity of a hickory rod, and the lightness

of a large gig. Hung on springs of bullock hide, it could
dash into (juagmires and against the boulders of rugged
hills and valleys that would snap metallic springs as
easily as packthread, even though thej- had been made
of steel as finely tempered as the blade of Saladin.
Cobb's coach, full-bodied, painted a staring red, as

yielding as indiarubber, and as tight as a drum, was light of draught while carrying a
bulging load of pasengers, mails, and baggage, that would have made the Deacon's chaise

of "The Inglesby Legends'" tumble to pieces on a single trip. Cobb's coach would

TMK TOWN CLERK, CUE (MR. H. S. CRAMER).

A CUBIO OF CUE.

Piece of pearl, (greatly resembling the form of
the native Duzonz hsh ; five inches long.

2l6

MY FOURTH TOUR /.V WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

COLONIAL CHILDREN GATHERING SHELLS.
GERALDTON.

find the Cue road a track of velvet contrasted witli its acrobatic performance on the Blue

Mountains in New South Wales, or in the "glue-pot" gulches of Gipps-land. Mr. Gascard
quickly and thoroughly carried out his resolve. The coaches were built on "the other

side," and teams to match them also came from there.
On the day that the new service was started, barbarous
travelling in the Murchison became a thing of the past
for all who could afford to pay a fare.

At first Mr. Gascard had an uphill fight, and the
public were the chief gainers from his spirited innova-
tion. He did not have the mail contract, and was
running a costly corn-found stable, against his rivals
"grass-fed" horses and a State subsid\'. The com-
petition was so unequal that very few men would have
entered into it. For a long time Mr. Gascard worked
for nothing, or perhaps did not pay expenses. With
such odds in their favour, the mail contractors ought to
have been able to laugh at his efforts to supersede them.
But his tenacity and good management triumphed in
the end. The old-time coach proprietors were beaten,
and retired. The mail service fell into Mr. Gascard's

hands, and he has held undisputed possession of the road ever since. His horses are

always fit to do their stages; the mails are delivered on the due date, the passengers reach

their destination without having to alight and put their

shoulders to the wheel. The mail subsidy has made

Mr. Gascard's vantage ground complete, and although

monopoly is not generally advantageous to the public

interest, it can hardly be grudged to Mr. Gascard, who

has done so much for the public, and for the cause of

humanity.

On our return trip we went round the east side

of "The Island," and had a close surface view of the

mines there. "The Island," in addition to its other

inhospitable features, is destitute of fresh water, which

has to be obtained about five miles away. A line of

pipes is laid from a well to enable the batteries to be

worked, but unless an artesian bore can be successfully

put down, the mines will always be at a disadvantage

in their crushing operations. The coach went to "The

Island" to pick up the mail, and in re-crossing Lake

Austin to regain the hard road, the near fore wheel

suddenly sank to the axle, owing to the horses swerving about six inches out of the track

which the traffic has made hard enough to carry an ordinary load. A curmudgeon will

sometimes keep his seat in spite of any mishap of the kind, whereupon his fellow

Lr^

^^- -

■ '-^-^

r'^^i z' ai*> A

PORTRAIT OF A PROSTECTOR

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

217

passengers give "three cheers for the man in the coach," or make a penny subscription

for "the cripple," who, at the

next obstacle, is usually the most

agile of the party in relieving

the horses of his weight.

Going across Lake Austin

we saw the mirage in perfection.

It was a lovely illusion, that

would drive a thirsty man mad

with disappointment. A wide

expanse of shining water, fringed

with trees, and dotted with

islands appeared upon the land-
scape. The water mirrored the

very foliage of the trees, and

swans and ducks seemed to be

gliding hither and thither, "twixt

sunshine and shadow. On the

shores of the lake, in lines, by

distance made more soft and

enchanting, half hidden by a

lavender-tinted haze, rose

Venetian minarets, lofty spires

of splendid temples, reaching

almost to the clouds. The beauty

of the panorama was heightened

by the dismal surroundings of

" The Island." A delicious, dreamy, sensuous feeling pervaded the contemplation of the

bewitching scene. It was as though while travelling through the desert, we had suddenly

been transported to the home of the Graces, to the castle of
Apollo, or to the bower of Cupid. The "airy nothing" was
as realistic to the eye as a garden blooming with the first thisli
of Spring; the perfumed air, the zephyr-borne notes of singing
birds alone were wanting to cheat the imagination. There
was the disillusionment! In that sweltering heat "no verdure
quickens." The entrancing picture was a speiitrc. The reflec-
tion of the sun, quivering upon the salt crystals on the sand,
was the glistening water ; the castle, the umbrageous trees, the
water birds, the paterres, and the inviting arbours, nothing but
shadows of the shrubs upcjn the slopes of the gaunt "Island,"
seen through the ethcrealising glamour of the atmosphere.

Any morning, at sunrise, the Murchison "Zoo" is to be
seen in the bed of a creek near " The Caves." A singular

bL UKuLMJt-U.

MB. G. H01*E, CUli.

2l8

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

coIle(5\ion of birds and beasts assemble at the spot, as there is no other water in the

neijxhbourhood. If the driver's whip is not cracked
as the coach approaches, the passengers see, at a
glance, a specimen of nearly every living thing that
inhabits the Murchison. An "old man" kangaroo,
standing five and a half feet high upon his powerful
hind legs, listens attentiveh' as his ear catches the
sound of the wheels, and he peers inquisitively and
half alarmed in their direcftion, ready to bound
awav. Around him are hopping slowly ten or a
dozen other marsupials; a "joey," not much bigger
than a hare, at the side of its mother, completes
the family party. Myriads of gaudy-plumaged
parroquets, parrots, and red and white tailed
cockatoos, flit between the branches of the trees
overhanging the little pond. An eagle-hawk, fresh,
most likely, from a carrion-feast upon a perished
horse or sheep, is perched on a dead limb staring
stolidly at the water. On lower boughs sit a pair
of sparrow-hawks, and a flock of crows. The air
glistens with the wings of jays and tom-tits. Yonder
stalks a large bird, taller than a heron, and as thick
in the body as a swan, with long, pointed beak, grey

neck and breast, rich brown back and wings. He looks like a footman in chocolate livery,

and silver-laced vest. It is the so-called turkey of the Australian bush, one of the

American bustard family, and a table delicac}-.

Here, too, is the trail of the stealthy dingo, which

at the first streak of dawn warily sought his lair,

and beside the wild dogs' "pad," the tiny alligator,

that is known to naturalists as the iguana, has

passed to the hollow in the tree in which he lives.

A few swallows skim the surface of the water, and

a belated crane, standing in this ghost of a marsh,

seems to be dismally ruminating what will happen

to him when " the soak " dries up. As the coach

draws near, the birds and beasts prepare to leave.

The kangaroos jump away a yard or two, and then,

pausing for a moment, look fearfully in our diredtion,

as if unwilling to leave the water at a false alarm.

The sentinel crows and cockatoos fly croaking and

screaming from their watch-tower on the topmost

branch of the majestic swamp gum ; as the horses

gallop down the incline into the gully, there is a great spreading of wings, and a shril

CHt'MS FROM OUT BACK.

COMPARING STOKE ON A CLAIM.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

219

chorus of defiance. The eagle-hawk opens his broad pinions and sails away, the smaller
birds of prey flapping in his rear. The cockatoos, now in wild alarm, cleave the air with
hoarse, deafening cries, the multitude of little birds flick into the bushes. The turkey,
which has been discreetly putting a safe distance between himself and us, with his long legs
stretched to a lordly stride, casts one more backward glance, quickens his dignified retreat
to a helter skelter run, and with the momentum of his rush, is like the "shard-borne beetle
hoisted for his drowsy flight," whilst the kangaroos vanish into the scrub with a rapid
stroke of their heavy flail-like tails, which beat time to the
rhythmic thud of every giant leap of these marsupial spring-
heeled jacks.

On getting back to the "Chain Pump" Hotel, under the
pilotage of Jack Collings, one of the best drivers on the road,
we decided to travel all night if our Jehu would take us on.
A substantial douceur persuaded him to do so, so that we
might catch our special train at Mullewa, and the ordinary
one at Geraldton for Perth. When at 11 p.m. we left the
hotel, the night, as is usual on the Murchison, had grown so
raw that we should have had a very cold ride in our ka-kee
suits if we had not had plenty of rugs. The horses, having
no sun to wilt them, were hard to hold, and the road being
fairly level, we were back at the " Traveller's Rest " Hotel, of

inhospitable memory, before daylight. The inmates we again found in bed, but submitted
to be roused with a better grace than they had shown when we first made their acquaint-
ance. Even the Chinese cook was in the melting mood. He did not require to be asked
twice for breakfast. We had done the 242 miles between Cue and Mullewa in the
unusually short time of 52 hours, including all stoppages. The train at Mullewa did not
keep us waiting, and we had half an hour to spare for refreshments before booking for
Perth, which we reached next morning, after having travelled nearly 600 miles — half of the
journey being by coach — in 72 hours.

^-^

NOTE OP A MINER. EXEMPTION TIME.

^w^y

THE BLACK SWAN S HOME.

(Ibaptcr 15.

The Xcccssiiy for Breaking Records — The Saucy "Aiistralind" — The Chinaman at his Best-
Shark's Bay — Concerning Sandal Wood — Galvanised Iron of Accursed Memory —
The Shortcomings of an Asiatic Crew — Teaching the Natives to be
Honest — Squatting Difficulties on the Gascoyne — Dirk
Hartog Island and its Story.

O far we had been able to keep to our time table, but the crux of
the tour had still to come, in the shape of the expedition to the
remote interior of the North-West. We were going a week's
voyage to Cossack, and thence to Mallina, Pilbarra, \\'estern
Shaw, Tamborrah Creek, Nullagine, Marble Bar, Taiga Taiga, and
Bamboo Creek. The whole of this arduous ride, which had never
before been attempted by any party without a break, had to be
accomplished during the worst part of the year, over the worst of roads, insufficiently
supplied with water. In less than five weeks we had to be back in Albany, to sail on
February 2nd for London, bj- the mail steamer in which we had taken our berths. The
success of the undertaking might be said to hang upon a slender thread. That is to say,
if the slightest mishap occurred to disarrange the carefully mapped-out plans, and the
organization which it had taken months to build up, the scheme would fail. So narrowly
had time to be economised, that not a single day could be set aside for emergencies which,
in such an undertaking, were likely to occur. The progress of the party must be as regular
as the action of a watch if the appointment with the R.M.SS. Australia was to be kept,
and on the keeping of that appointment large issues depended. No
wonder, then, that we had hastened back from the Murchison regardless
of personal comfort or of expenditure, in record time.

After having completed our work in Perth, we left by the night train
for Geraldton. A "reserved" carriage proved to be so comfortable, that
we were only awakened next morning by the shrill whistle of the engine
as it steamed into the Geraldton station. The SS. A ustralind, which
was to carrj' us to Cossack, not being in sight from Fremantle, we
enjoyed the luxury of a leisurely and well-served breakfast, which
the high pressure pace we had been moving at for nearly four weeks
made doubly acceptable. A swim in the clear strong brine of the
Indian Ocean was another treat, for Geraldton possesses a small, but
well-appointed bathing establishment, and in the almost tropical summer the residents

NOTE OF A SQUATTER.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

221

AN OUTKIDER OF THE GOLD ESCORT.

spend a good share of their time in the water. The pier, which is being greatly lengthened
by Mr. McDowali, with timber brought from his jarrah mills, at Drakesbrook, is the
favourite promenade. It is pleasant to take the air there, away from the dust of the

sandhills which encircle the town. The Australind
arrived during the morning, discharged some cargo,
took in a large parcel of fodder, and by four o'clock in
the afternoon was sounding her whistle to inform all
within hearing of the blast that she was off to the
North-West. A few minutes later, the pier and the
town were receding from sight, and we had commenced
our voyage to a territory that is destined to have a
potential influence in building up the prosperity of
Australia, and which is now only in its infancy, as one
of the greatest goldfields in the world.

The Australind is a boat that her passengers leave
with regret. She is not a large boat, but if she were as
roomy as she is comfortable, she would be as big as a
P. and O. liner. In the hands of Captain Talboys, she is
kept as spick and span as a man-o'-war. Her lines,
speed, and appointments, are like those of Lord Brassey's steam yacht, the Sunbeam, in
command of which the Governor of Viftoria sailed into Hobson's Bay, and won the
hearts of the people of that Colony by his skill in seamanship. The Australind is par
excellence a passenger ship, interdidling evil smelling cargo and cattle. Her catering is on
a lavish scale, and the chef a culinary artist. She is the favourite boat of those genial
Bohemians, the commercial travellers who do business with the East, and whose versatile
accomplishments contribute greatly to the pleasure of their fellow passengers,
who fain would wish the voyage longer. But strange as it may seem for
me to say so, one of the most agreeable concomitants of the A ustralind, so
far as what may be called the domestic comfort, is her Chinese crew. With
a full knowledge of the malignant contempt in which Mongolian is held in
the Colonies, I have to set it down that if you want to have unalloyed
enjoyment at sea, it is well to travel by a vessel that is full of Chinese
stewards. I should be sorry to say that Europeans might not be the equal
of the yellow man as servitors if they tried, but they seldom do try, as
anyone but a millionaire can testify. The Mongolian is a born menial ; the
white steward is not, and works "against the grain." The Oriental makes
a fine art of waiting at table. Alert and unobtrusive, gliding with a quick
noiseless step, he seems to intuitively comprehend an order that is given to
him in a foreign tongue, in a tone scarcely louder than a whisper. He does everything at
precisely the right moment, and with the dexterity of a neat-handed Phyllis. Perhaps he
does so well, because he has so little to do. The Chinese work for so few dollars per month
above their rations, that the Australind carries twice or three times the usual number of
stewards. There were so many of the young, sleek, well-washed, demure, and eminently

WESTRALIAN POLICE-
MAN.

222

.VV FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

resped\ful servants, that one passenger, a regular passenger, was allotted a "boy" — as every
Chinaman, no matter how old he may be, is called all over Australia — to himself. So much
the better for the passengers, who have nothing to do with the rancorous propagandas of
Labour Unions, who draw the "colour line" with savage and implacable severity. The Unions
have perceived that the aliens would push them from their places, if the labour vote had
not been strong enough to cause the Parliaments of the Australian Colonies to make it almost
as difficult for Chinese to land on the Continent, as for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of heaven. " We're ruined by Chinese cheap labour," is the bitter cry of the European
wage-earner; of the cabinet-maker for example, when, after having spent years in learning
his craft, he finds that owing to the sweating competition of the Mongolian, he cannot earn

A WKST AUSTRALIAN VINKYAKl).

enough by his industry and skill to maintain his wife and family. The white artisan
confronted with such unfair competition has our sympathy, but the Chinese steward does
not take the bread out of the mouths of women and children, for, as a rule, English
stewards are young unmarried men, whom it is a pity to see in such a business. Many of
them, one would think, have ability for a better start in life than the handing round of
plates and the pulling of corks, and if the intrusion of the Chinese drives them into a
manlier occupation, so much the better for them, probably in nine cases out of ten. The
slavish office is only fit for a yellow skin, and we thank our stars that there are so many
of him aboard the Auslralind. He is clean, at least to outward seeming; he is always
on hand when he is wanted, and is never untidj , redolent of tobacco, or garrulous. The
full flowing lines of his Eastern garments, ])l("asingly disguises his leanness and angularity.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

223

and he cannot understand you if you tell any secrets in his hearing while talking to a
confidential friend. No matter how early you may get up to see the sun rise, or to take
an airing, the bath will be found ready, and the deck as clean as a new pin. John has the
patience of Job, the industry of the ant, and, in the presence of passengers at any rate,
the silent tongue that is said to make a wise head. The Captain says it is comforting
to him that, no matter what he is asked to do, the " heathen Chinee " can neither growl
nor swear in English. We must be excused if we confess to liking the Asiatic as a servant,
who never goes on strike, nor measures his attentions to a passenger by the length of his
patron's purse. He will, of course, accept a " tip," but he never experts one.

Sharks' Bay is the first port touched at after leaving Geraldton. The hamlet lies out
of sight of the anchorage of the steamer. A low sand-hill is all that we see of the site
of the settlement, the water being too shallow to allow vessels to approach nearer to the
land. It was dark when the Australind sounded her
fog-horn to let Sharks' Bay know of her arrival. At
daylight she was surrounded by bluff-bowed sailing cralt,
full of sandal wood, for transhipment to Singapore,
whither the steamer was going. Sandal wood is cut in
curly faggots that would make handy fuel. It hardly
looks worth the trouble of gathering, apropos of which a
true story is told. A new chum swagsman lighted his
fire at Sharks' Bay, and was enjoying his tea, when a
horseman riding up, cursed and threatened him angrily.
" Well, I never thought that there would be a row about a
stick of firewood," said the wayfarer. "Stick of firewood!
Don't you know sandal wood, when you see it? That
firewood, as you call it, cost me £16 per ton." The timber
is gnarled and yellow, inclining to an orange red. The
fragrant essential oil it contains, gives it a very pungent

odour, which is less noticeable as the timber dies. The great demand for this timber in the
East, where it is used for incense and medicine, has greatly diminished the supply in West
Australia. The Government found it necessary to adopt measures for the protertion of the
sandal wood forests of the Colony, which are mostly situated in sandy soils. The North-
western districts are a favourite habitat of the timber, but at one time it was also plentiful
at Albany. The sandal wood is hewn near Onslow, by Chinese and Malays, and it is
bought by speculators for shipment. Some years ago, when prices were very high, the
consignors made very large profits, and they were tempted to over supply the market, with
the result that quotations fell. Just now prices are rising again. Every stick of a cargo
containing, perhaps, twenty different parcels, is branded to signify the ownership. A dab
of green, red, or blue paint, a circle, stroke, cross, or square, is the sign manual of the
axeman when the tree is felled. With these distinguishing marks to guide the stevedores
at Singapore, the several shipments, which have been mixed together in the hold, can be
sorted out as accurately as if each one had been carried in a different ship.

The Australind puts out a quantity of jarrah at Sharks' Bay, and the other North-

224

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Western ports she touches at. There is some building going on even in these desolate
outposts of civilization, where Nature has been so niggard of her gifts that the stunted
trees are only good for fuel. The buildings for which the timber is being imported, are
all of the skeleton kind, with which our run through Coolgardie and the Murchison districts
have made us disagreeably familiar, namely, the very worst kind of buildings that could
be desired in a tropical climate. The Anglo-Indian who thinks life is quite hard enough
in the hot months under the shade of a bungalow, would squirm in the sweltering North-
West. He would terribly miss his host of black attendants, his siestas until the sun had
passed its zenith, and would blister under the mocking shelter of galvanised iron. The
Public Works Departnunt is one of the greatest archite(ftural sinners; it is much given to
calling an oven a post and telegraph office, much to the disgust of Mr. R. F. Sholl, the
representative in the Legislative Assembly of this district of the Gascoyne. From his
place in the House he does not hesitate to tell the Colonial Architect that there is a sad
lack of creative power in the Public Works Department, and still less study of climatic
influences. The Architect turns out his plans like a uniform hatch of bread from a baker's

». /

\ V

Mp-I\^

HKADS FROM THE NOR -WEST.

shop, no matter whether he is building at Bunbury in tlu' cool south, or iti the torrid latitude
of Broome. Why, asked Mr. Sholl indignant!)' last session, could not the Department
exercise some little ingenuity, or at least sufficient intelligence to copy the methods
employed in other places near the e(]uator, in order to make life endurable for those civil
servants whose hard fate condenmed them to live so far north. The Government had not
far to seek for a good pattern to imitate, for the Cable Company's offices at Broome had
been thoroughly adapted to local requirements. The only answer the hon. member got, was
that it would give rise to public discontent if the sultry north should be better treated in
the matter of public buildings than other portions of the Colony, which shows how easy it
is to govern a country according to the rule of thumb.

In the handling of cargo the Chinaman, however much we may admire him as a
steward in the saloon, cuts a pitiful figure on deck or below hatches. The skinny Asiatics
are not as strong as European striplings. To call them "able seamen" is to laugh at
them. It used to he the boast of the Jingo that a British inan-o'-war's man is the
equal of three Frenchmen. That was a vaunt of national pridr, but rcrtaini)- an Fnglish

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

225

sailor could crumple up three of the lithe, adtive, puny Malays or Lascars, of the crew

of the Australind. Two or three of them come forward to a lump of jarrah, eye it

apprehensively, chatter like cockatoos with excited gesticulations, as to the best way to lift

it. They coyly touch one end of the timber, as though it had teeth, and they were afraid

of a bite; then they let it go and hold another colloquy, which ends in the "serang" or

coloured boatswain whistling for reinforcements. By the time the piece of sawn stuff is

got over the side of the steamer into the sailing boat, there are half a dozen savages at it,

tugging, gasping, pushing excitedly. A diet of rice evidently does not make muscle. The

sturdy tar of the British Navy, whom Mr. Clark

Russell has so inimitably described, may growl

about his vicftuals. He may be a thorn in the

side of the captain, when, with a scrap of

ancient salt junk and a mouldy biscuit in his

hand, he goes on to the quarter deck and

demands the pound of wholesome flesh which

the law allows him ; but when it comes to a lift,

the broad-chested, big-hearted, brawny fellow,

takes the grip of a bull dog, not the furtive nip

of a wretched cur. Rice seems to distil blood

of its own pale colour, while the meat-eating

British sailor's veins are nourished with the

crimson sap of a dauntless heart.

The Australind having discharged stores
and jarrah, and taken in sandal wood, topped
up her cargo with some wool from the stations
on the Gascoyne. One of the squatters of the
neighbourhood joined us eii route for a trip
to England. He was an Englishman, who
emigrated from home with his brotiicr five
years before, and took up land for stock raising.
From the comforts of a settled life they had
to go as pioneers upon a new tract of country,
and endure many hardships. They had to
overcome trouble with the blacks, sink wells,
carry stores, wool, and timber, over a trackless
territory three hundred miles into the interior.

The first year the natives looked upon the sheep as a very desirable addition to the game of
the country, especially as the merinoes did not entail the trouble of hunting and spearing
like a kangaroo, or wild turkey. It was hard to convince the hereditary lord of the soil
that he was not monarch of all he surveyed, and the lesson was only inculcated with a
cat'o-nine-tails, wielded by an officer of the law. But the long arm of justice only reached
the offenders after they had been caught red-handed, conducted some hundreds of miles to
the nearest court of sessions, and the charge proved to the satisfatlion of a jury. The

*-.>d*^

O'^^''^'

THE SKIPPER OF THE " AISTRALISD."

226

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

native is more impressively taught with a whip to respect his white neighbour's property,
than by penal servitude. The tedium of being in gaol is almost compensated for in the
estimation of an aboriginal by the liberal diet of three meals a day, without the trouble of
having to find them for himself. The blacks who return to their haunts from " doing time "
in the prison on Rottncst Island, reappear in their camps as fat as bacon pigs, and are quite
ready to run the risk of going back to confinement whenever game is scarce, or they are too
lazy to pursue it. The flaggellator and the triangles, on the other hand, are correctors which
teach the dusky culprit that the way of transgressors is hard ; the translation of the precept
he best understands, is that which leaves him with a sore back. The penal code of Western
Australia permits of the infliction upon aboriginals of not more than twenty-five lashes for

ofifences which are not punishable with whipping in the
case of a European. It should be remembered by
those who would be prone to condemn this differential
code, on the ground that the law should be no respecter
of persons, that a native does not suffer nearly so much
from flogging as the European. The native from his
birth has been exposed naked to the weather, so that
by the time he reaches manhood, he has grown a skin
almost as thick as the hide of a porpoise. An eperdimis
that can resist the hottest sun — nay, that remains cool
to the touch in a blazing sun that would cook a steak —
is not very sensitive to the "cat." Yet anything less
impervious to feeling than the shell of a turtle, writhes
under the infliction, as anyone will readily believe who
has seen the hangman's whip with its knots as hard
as balls of lead. To have heard it hissing through the
air, to have marked the cruel stroke, the cry of agony
from the livid lips of the bound-helpless culprit, to
have seen the purple blood start from the lacerated
back, to have watched his mortal terror as the terrible
weapon is raised again, is an experience that haunts a
lifetime.

On the Gascoyne, we learn, the pastoralists have
seen a great deal of the seamy side of wool growing.
They did fairly well while wool was high in price, and the finer sorts were mostly
prized, but when the coarse staples of the cross-bred, the Lincoln, or the Leicester,
gained the ascendency, the change in the fashion was seriously felt. To make matters
worse, dry seasons followed, and killed large numbers of sheep. At the time of which
we write, some relief was being sought from the Crown in the shape of a redu(ition
of rent. The run-holders had come to the conclusion that they could not profitably pay
what the Lands Department demanded, and thej- were asking for a re-valuation of their
leases based upon the rents charged in South Australia and Queensland, where similar
country to that in the northern parts of Western Australia could be taken up at an annual

HONG JON TOON, THE SKIPI'ER S BOV.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

227

rental of five shillings per thousand acres. In this Colony, where water was scarce,
transport very costly, and the land, if drought was to be provided against, incapable of
carrying much stock, ten shillings per thousand acres had to be paid in the Gascoyne
division. A deputation, our squatter told us, was at that time on its way to Perth, to ask
the Hon. Minister of Lands to reduce the rents by one half, in order that the wool
growers might be placed on more equal terms with their competitors in the other Colonies,
where the grazing was on the whole superior to that on the Gascoyne.

The deputation, as the newspapers reported in due course, laid their case before the
Minister (Hon. A. R. Richardson), who gave them a patient hearing. Being himself largely
interested in pastoralist pursuits on
the De Grey, which is not far from
the Gascoyne, Mr. Richardson was
far more competent to weigh the
issue justly between the State and
the run-holders, than Ministers of
the Crown in Australia usually are to
handle matters outside the range of
ordinary routine. It may, perhaps,
be appropriate to call him a special
jury, and he was not likely to
flounder as some Commissioners of
Customs in Victoria have done, wlien,
without having any trade knowledge,
they have been called upon to decide
intricate technical questions affe(5ting
particular industries arising out of
the heaviest protedlive tariff that
has ever been known south of the
equator. While taking time for the
further consideration of the proposed
redu(ftion of rents, Mr. Richardson
pointed out some of the objections
which are likely to be raised against
the concessions. In the first place,

the rents were no higher now than they were when the Colony had not been so
favourably circumstanced for its profitable occupation, as was the case at the present
time. A largely increased population had created a keen demand for stock to supply
the butchers. All the meat that could be raised in Western Austraha was insufficient
to feed the people ; sheep and cattle were being imported from the other Colonies, and
surely, the prices which importers could obtain after paying all the expenses and the duty,
must be lucrative to the owners of flocks and herds within the Colony. In other words,
the home market which shippers found it profitable to enter with all the extra risk and
expense attendant upon the bringing of sheep and cattle two thousand miles by sea, ought

PBISONKR (NATIVK) KKOM ROTTNEST ISLAND.

On ihe SS." Aiislralintl." ofl Carnarvon.

228

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

to be a splendid one for those who could put the duty, the freights, and the cost of
artificially feeding the stock, while they were undergoing their long voyage, into their own

pockets. Then again, the rents which were complained of, were
really little more than nominal. If they were made any lower
the Crown might almost as well forego any rent at all. Certainly,
if the runs were not worth ten shillings per one thousand acres,
it was difficult to see how the comparatively trifling sum involved
in the reduction of the rents to half that sum would make the
difference between the profitable and the unprofitable occupation
of the land. It would be necessary to consult Parliament as to
whether it would be in the interests of the Colony for the Lands
Department to surrender a large portion of its revenue from
extensive districts, which, in survey work, the preparation of
plans, the maintenance of postal and telegraph facilities, the
administration of justice, and other expenses of Government,
absorbed a large share of the funds of the Treasury. Moreover,
the loss of revenue could not be confined within narrow bounds.
If stations were to be leased on easier terms, conditional purchasers
a similar relaxation of their contrat^
In conclusion, the Minister told the

LAIN SEE HING, CHIEF STEWARD
SS. " AUSTRALIND."

could not be refused
with the Government

deputation that he would place their retjuest before the
Cabinet, and announce at a later stage the decision that had
been arrived at.

Talking over the outlook of the station-owners of the
North-West, our Gascoyne friend admitted that there had
been too much earth-hunger among the people of his distri(ft.
Squatters had taken up more land than the}- could manage.
Their shepherds were too few, and the wild dogs too many
for them to be able to make the best use of the large tra(5ts
included in their leases. They must reduce the size of their
holdings, if they were to provide them with an adequate water
supply. Some of the wool growers had already re(5tified their
mistake, and curtailed their boundaries. That was to say,
they had ceased to pay rent for some of the ground, but as no
one else had taken it up, and it was unfenced, they had just
as much use of it now as ever they had had. Until the
squatters got a better tenure of their leaseholds than was
now granted to them, they did not care to spend money
upon the improvement of their properties. Fencing was almost
unknown. Natives were employed as shepherds, but they
were such a shiftless lot of rapscallions that it spoiled a

pleasure trip to think of them. " I'm going for a change of scene to get away from the
blacks, and from all thought of them," said our fellow-traveller; "I've suffered so much

TUE SUE. THE I'L'KSEK's BOV.

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

22g

from the rascals that I never want to see one oi liear ot one of them again. Let's go and
have a game of cards."

Sharks' Bay used to be an important rendezvous of the pearlers of the North-West,
but latterly there has been a falling off in the value of the shell obtained in the locality.
The inlet is bi-sedled by the Peron Peninsular. On the map the configuration of the
neighbourhood is something like that of the three large fingers of the human hand
outstretched. The spaces between the fingers represent Bamclin Pool, which is bounded
on the west by the mainland, and by Freycinet Estuary. The estuary lies between a
tongue of land known as Lepuch Loep and the southern end of Peron Peninsular. To
the north of Lepuch Loop is Dirk Hartog Island, to which an interesting history attaches.
Sharks' Bay was first explored in 1616 bj- Dirk Hartog, the master of a Dutch vessel
called the Endragt or Endracht (Concord). The vessel was of 360 tons, and was sailing
from Holland to the Indies. Hartog left a memento of his visit on the north end of the
island to which he gave his name. A tin plate nailed to a post (says the Year Book of
Western Australia) bore the following inscription : — ■

" Anno 1616, the 25th October. Arrived here the ship Endragt, of Amsterdam ; the

insH FIRF, <iN 1HI-: rt

first merchant, Gillis Micbais, of Laik ; Dirk Hartog, of Amsterdam, Captain. They sailed
from hence for Bantam, 27th ditto."

Below the plate, and cut indistindtly with a knife on the post were the words : —
" The under merchant, Jan Stins, chief master ; mate, Pieter Dookus, of Bill, A° 1616."
On February 3rd, 1697, William de Vlaming, a fellow-countryman of Hartog, saw the
plate, and it remained where it was set up until early in the 18th century, when Captain de
Freycinet carried it to the Museum of the Institute of Paris. The whole of this part of the
North-West coast received a great deal of attention from the mariners of Holland. The
Mauritius, a Dutch vessel, touched near the North-West Cape in July, 1618, and on the
following year, Jean Van Edel accidentally sighted the Abrolhos, while he was in charge of an
outward bound fleet. He examined the Abrolhos, and gave hi? name to the territory lying
between Sharks' Bay and Champion Bay. Cape Leeuwin (Lioness) was so called after a
Dutch vessel, which in 1622 sailed round that promontorj'. She proceeded along the coast,
sounding it as far as the present site of Albany. 1 ho next investigator of which there is any
note, was the Giil dc Zeepart (Golden Sea Horse). The date of her visit to the Great
Australian Bight of to-day, was January, 1627. She had on board Peter Nuyts, who was
afterwards ambassador to the Court of Japan. He sighted Cape Leeuwin, surveyed the

230

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

"COCK-EYED BOBS," NEAR SHARKS BAV.

southern coast line, called the distridt Nuyts' Land, a name that has fallen into disuse, in
spite of the service the Dutch representative rendered to the exploration of the Western
Australian shore-lines.

Sir Malcolm Fraser, from whose interesting work we have already quoted, goes on to
say: — " In 1628, on the 8th October, a colonising expedition of eleven vessels, in charge of
Commodore Francis Pelsart, left Holland, bound for the East Indies. Ten of these ships

appear to have foundered in a terrible
storm encountered off the south-west
coast of New Holland, as the\' were
never afterwards heard of: and the
Balavia, Pelsart's ship, driven out of
her course during the same storm,
and having lost her reckoning, struck
on the night of the 4th June, 1629,
on one of the islands of Houtmans"
Abrolhos, and became a total wreck.
The greater part of the crew and
passengers, however, safely reached the shore. After vainl\- searching for water on the
adjacent islands and the mainland opposite, Pelsart, with seven others, eventually made
his way in one of the vessel's boats to Batavia ; here he obtained the use of a frigate
called the Sardam, in which he returned to rescue the remainder of the castaways. On
his arrival he found that during his absence, a portion of the crew, under the supercargo,
Jerome Cornells, had mutinied, and massacred the greater number of the passengers,
intending to seize any vessel and turn pirates. Pelsart being forewarned of this intention
by some of those who had escaped from the mutineers, easily captured the ringleaders.
Some of them were executed, two others were marooned
on the mainland, near Champion Bay, The Sardam, having
taken silver treasure from the wrecked vessel, sailed with
the survivors for Batavia. In 1628, Captain De Witt, of
the Vianen, a vessel named after a small town in Holland,
discovered and gave his name to what are now known as
the North-West and Kimberley districts, and afterwards lost
his vessel in the neighbourhood of Dampier's Archipelago.

William Dampier was the first Englishman to land ou
the coast of Western Australia. He was supercargo of the
Cygnet, a small vessel trading to South America. The crew
seized her, and steered for New Hollaiul in search of a
retreat where they could repair the vessel and turn her into
a buccaneer. An anchorage was found in what is now known
as Cygnet Bay, an inlet in the north-western corner of King Sound in the West Kimberley
distri(fl. Dampier explored the surrounding country, and left the Cy^nd at the Nicobar
Islands, made his way to England, and published an account of his adventures and
discoveries. He was sent by \N'illiam III. in the Roebuck, under an Admiralty Commission,

DISTRESSED OFF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

231

to make further explorations on the North-West coast, and to ascertain whether New Holland
was a continent or an island. Uampier found the country very little to his liking. He had
so much difficulty in getting water that he abandoned the object of his mission and
proceeded to New Guinea. In his report he said that New Holland was too sterile to
be worth colonising, and that it was inhabited by " the miserablest people in the world."
A long interval elapsed before this reproach was removed by the landing of Captain Cook
at Botany Bay, in 1770. Nearly 60 years later (1827) Captain Gilbert, of R.M.S. Success,
sailed from Sydney to inspect West Australia, which he found to be adapted for settlement.
On the 6th June, 1827, the transport brought to the newly-founded Colony Lieutenant-
Governor Stirling, his family, and a party of sixty-nine settlers, to add another civilised
possession to the Empire of Great Britain.

THE NKW KLUOKADO. OKIKNTAI.S KN ROUTH TO THK HKLDS.

Cbaptcr 10..

Sultry Carnarvon — '"Tis Distance Lends Enchantment to the View" — Aboriginal Isaac Waltons —

A Sail on the Pier — A Damp Departure — The "Australind"' to the Rescue —

Onslow — Farewell to the "Australind."

WEATHER is getting very sultry as we approach Carnarvon, at
the mouth of the Gascoyne River. A warm breath steals over
the water even after sunset, and sleeping on deck under the
starry canopy is much to be preferred to the seclusion that the cabin grants. Everj'
day an ice drink and a lounge under the thick awnings of the Australind becomes a greater
luxury ; there being no ladies on board, pyjamas are the favourite wear. The daj'S glide
by in a dream of delightful insouciance ; it is a delecftable life on the ocean wave when
the moonlight floods the deck with her soft rays, and far over the smooth waters of the
Indian Ocean the ripples scintillate like molten silver, and the balmy
zephyrs are just warm enough to lull a Sybarite sedudtively to sleep.
Nothing could be more delightful, or a worse preparation for the
rough time we have before us in the dash we are to make through
the desert. Those who know the North-West in January grimlj-
regard the voluptuaries of our party as we lie idly basking in the
sun. Hut sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. It will be time
enough to stiffen the sinews and summon up the blood when we
reach Roebourne, about which so many dark hints of evil omen are
muttered. The skull at the Egyptian feast was not more out of place
than the plaguey portents of wliat will be our plight on the long hot
journey to Taiga Taiga and Bamboo freek, during the halcyon dajs we are rocked in the
cradle of the deep, on whose broad bosom the Angel of Djath brooding o'er the ship
casts no dark shadow.

The steamer had to lie some distance off the pier at Carnarvon. The wharf is a very
long one, but the water is very shallow at the end of it. A man who waded into the sea at
Carnarvon to drown himself would get tired of walking before he could get enough water to
cover his knees. The town is barely visible behind a mangrove swamp. The visitor who
does not wish to get a "fit of the blues" ought to be content with a st-award view of
Carnarvon. The mangrove charitably veils its desolateness with a foliage that is as

THE BUTCHER,
-S. " AUSTRALIND."

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

233

mournful as the dank hair of a drowned woman. From the deck of the steamer, Carnarvon
would pass without execration; seen closel)' it is the dreariest sand heap in the universe; it
leaves on the mind an indelible iinpress of deformity ; a painfully acute sense of being the
last abode of gloomy wretchedness that unhappy men and women ever made a place of
refuge. In a freak of idle curiosity we went ashore in the lugger that plies between the
shipping in the offing and the pier, carrying freight and passengers. On being landed at
the head of the jetty, which is about a mile long, the village could be descried at the distance
looking dismal enough, but not the hideous thing it really is. An aboriginal patriarch and five
or six gins of various ages were fishing on the pier. The old man seemed to be a kind of
swarthy Brigham Young, or else he was a BenediQ who had been abundantly blessed with
daughters. Or he might have been giving the girls of the tribe a treat, while their husbands,
cousins, or lovers were busy hunting or shepherding. All the natives wore, like Gunga Din,
a " twisty rag in front, and something
less than half of that behind." They
were having good sport. Fish of the
size of a herring were " biting well."
They took a bait of mussel greedily,
and were "struck" with much adroit-
ness, especially by the women, who
fished with the seriousness of people
who were angling for a dinner. As
each struggling trout was hauled in, it
was held by the shank of the hool on
the hardwood of the pier and despatched
with a sharp blow on the head. The
heavy stone which each gin used as a
club, came down with a crack that
gouged the eyes of the fish from their
sockets. The blow was accompanied
with a merciless gleam of the captor's
eye that was very unwomanly, and
very unpleasant to look at. lirunton
Stephens has been accused of harshh' describing the lubra in his apostrophe "To a Black
Gin," but his critics would confess the fidelity of the portrait if they had seen the gins
fishing on the Carnarvon pier. Their thick lips, flat noses, huge mouths, shrunken,
distorted figures, and pendulous paps, were a libel upon the image of woman.

The pier is so long, the west winds so continuous, and the hot weather so relaxing, that
the residents of Carnarvon have an ingenious plan for getting to their homes without any
personal exertion. The decking is laid with tramway rails on which runs a trolly. The
trolly is supposed to be driven by hand power, working a lever attached to a crank on the
wheels, but our boatman knew a trick worth two of that. He hoisted a square sail on two
poles, and gave the trolly a shove. The wind caught the sail, and away we went faster and
faster as the wheels gained momentum, until at last we acquired the velocity of an ice slide.

'SALADIN, AGROUND OFF CARNARVON, W. A.

(As seen from the " Australind.")

234

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

Then a cluster of sand hummocks " blanketed " our sail, as a yachtsman would say, and we
slowed down to the walking pace of a broken-kneed cab-horse. Passing the hummocks, the

»IRK HAKTOG ISLAND. STEKI' HOIST (THE ENTRANCE TO SHARKS BAV^

The most westerly point of Australia.

trolly shot forward with a fresh impetus, and whirled over an embankment raised above the
mangrove swamp into the main street of the ugly dust patch that is dignified b\' the name
of Carnarvon.

The township is the shipping place of the wool clip of the Gascojne River district.
The place was given telegraphic communication on the August of 1884, and was proclaimed
a municipality on May 19, 1891. There are two hotels, one store, post office, school, and a
few scattered houses. The glare of the universal iron of the building and the sand dunes is
overpowering. "Never was there such a place to pass through an hour glass." Anthony
TroUope must have seen Carnarvon through a telescope while his mail steamer was passing
down the Indian Ocean, when he made this remark about Western Australia. The wind
blows the dust about until it is difficult to breathe : lukewarm liquors are tendered to slake
an intolerable thirst. The hours before the boat will start back to the Austniliiid pass on
leaden wings. Half a gale is blowing when the landing stairs are left. The seas wash over
the lugger, but no one minds a wetting to get away from Carnarvon. The craft bobs like a
cork in the seaway. The only dry place is under the half-deck to windward. To coil up
there is snug for small people. The captain's bo\- turns in, and with his knees in his mouth
leers complacently at the drenching of the passengers. The water pours off us in cataracts,
to the great amusement of the onlookers on the Anslraliud. who lfa\e their game of poker

FALSE ENTRANCE TO SHARKS BAY, WESTERN AL'STRALIA.

to laugh at us coming in out of the wet. The boat is the sport of a cross sea; she
reels and plunges and is thumped on the bow till she quivers like a violin string on a top

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

235

BRINGING HOME THE

WASHING,

AT CARNARVON.

note. The trip is unpleasant, but it thrills us with joy to shake from our feet the dust of

forlorn Carnarvon.

The Australind soon had an opp(jrtunity of playinj,' the part of a friend in need to her

consort of the same service, the steamer Saladin, which had got aground near Carnarvon
on the previous night. We found her flying signals of distress on a
sand-bank almost as soon as we had left Carnarvon. The Australind's
timely approach was hailed with a hoarse whistle of exultation. Tow
lines were got out, and both vessels went full stram ahead, at least the
engines worked their hardest, but the Saladin remained as fast as a
rooted tree. The diredt pull was a failure. The captains decided to find
out what manoeuvring would do. The Australind took a minute or two
for breathing time, while the stokers piled on the coal : then she eased
the strain and shifted out a bit to seaward, before putting on her power
to try and bring the Saladin slant-wise. A great cheer announced that
she had done so, but only the bow had shifted. Steam was made until
the furnaces roared, and the hawsers threatened to part. The suspense
was keen. If the stranded steamer did not come soon she would not
come at all. Her screw was churning the water impotently like a wounded

whale. Our Captain eyed the Saladin keenly, and he was the first to say that she was

"coming." He felt it with the sensitiveness of a surgeon's finger upon a patient's pulse —

felt that the strain upon the hawser " was not .so dead." The tension grew easier, until

even the passengers could see the vessel receding from the sand-bank, and soon she was

fully afloat, ready to resume her voyage to Fremantle. As the vessels passed each other

on opposite courses, farewells were exchanged, with

many fraternal shouts on both sides, and the waving

of caps and handkerchiefs from stem to stern.

We pursued our voyage northward, skirting Cape

Cuvier pretty closely, and also getting a near view of

Cape Farquhar, Point Cloates, Vlaming Head, and

the North- West Cape. The latter is a bold headland,

forming the most westerly point of the Colony. The

promontory half encircles Exmouth Gulf and the Ba}'

of Rest, an almost land-locked anchorage. Passing the

Cape, whose majestic outlines are splendidly revealed

in the glories of the setting sun, as much as most

travellers ever see of Onslow comes into sight in the

shape of a low sandy shore. Onslow stands on the

banks of the Ashburton River. The hamlet, which we

were told is not so large as Carnarvon, and quite as

dreary, relies upon the pastoralists to justify its existence.

There was some wool to be taken in at Onslow, which gave rise to a dilemma, as if we

did not go on without delay, we should not be able to leave Roebourne on the appointed

date. We asked the Captain what he would take to go straight on, land us at Cossack,

A CAKNAKVtlN HK.Al

236

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

and come back for his cargo. He named the sum; it was an expensive bargain, but it
was made, as our time-table had to be adhered to at any cost. The Australind started
forthwith for Cossack, and the Singapore passengers, recognising the emergency that
prolonged their voyage, were good enough not to murmur at tra\eliing in a circle.

The navigator's course from Onslow to Cossack is studded with islands, on which
there is not a single beacon. There is scarcely room on the chart for the names of

Direction Island, Thereward Island, Kosily Island,
Shell Island, Mary Ann Island, Beagle Island, Barrow
Island, and a dozen others surrounding Dampier's
Archipelago. Sea-girt rocks can be seen on every
hand as we enter Hampton Harbour, which is close
to Cossack, one of the few lighthouse stations on the
coast. The light is on Jarman Island, and throws its
rays from an elevation of 96 feet. This mariners'
lamp was first lit on May 16, 1888. It is a fixed
white light of the third dioptric order; the tower is
51 feet high, and the light is visible for a distance of
15 miles in clear weather.

The sea view of Cossack has some attractiveness.
From Depuch and Forcstier Islands in the foreground,
the eye roves to the head of the harbour, where the River Harding flows into the sea
amidst a dense growth of mangroves. The water is dotted with small craft, and, happily,
the buildings are too far awa}- to spoil the picture; the heat thus early in the day is
not oppressive ; the shimmer of a light haze softens the landscape like the face of beauty
behind a veil, and under these mellowing influences Cossack seems to be bathed in an
atmosphere of tropical repose. But we were a mile and -a- half awaj-, and were soon to be
disenchanted. The passenger boat comes alongside, and we leave the A iistralind with regret
to sail past Depuch Island, round the site of the lighthouse, and up to the stone pier that
is close against the mangroves.

SS. " AUSTRALINO" AT SKA.

A VOU K IN THK l>K;.KKr.

Cbaptcr 17.

Cossack — A Decaying Industry — The Perils of Pearling — The Ravages of the IVilly-willy-
The Cossack-Roebunrne Tramway System — A Welcome to the North-West.

tiM OSSACK ^^ ^"''* °" ^ sandhill behind the lighthouse. The boat-
man points out the features of the town as they come
into sight. The ground behind the beacon is covered with
shanties — a patchwork collection of huts of all shapes and sizes,
known as "Jap town." Some of the Eastern women are standing
at their doors. Malay and Japanese men are seen in the alleys
of the warren. They are pearlers when the boats are at work;

now they are loafers. The Union Bank, the manager's residence, the public buildings, some

large stores, two hotels, and some cottages are all that is noteworthy of Cossack. The

Post Office, built of stone, and, wonderful to relate, possessing a basement in which a grateful

shade is found, makes some attempt to adapt itself to the climate, but the architect,

faltering in his humane intention, clapped on an iron roof instead of one of tiles. The

large Customs House and goods' sheds have been another objedl of liberal Government

expenditure. Across the road from the pier, which is built

very high — for there is an enormous rise and fall of the tide —

are the warehouses of the North-West Mercantile Company,

the Weld Hotel and The Pearler's Rest. There is not a vestige

of any green thing in Cossack except the sombre foliaged

mangroves, but a few precious drops of fresh milk are yielded

by a flock of goats, who eat bare the spinifex of a steep conical

hill, to which they have given their name.

Cossack was at one time a considerable place as the chief

rendezvous of the pearling fleet, when their industry was

fruitful of large profits, if not of fortunes. But both the yield

and the value of pearl have declined of late years. The Sheriffs

sale of a pearler's outfit, while we were at Cossack, was an

indication of the altered times. Nevertheless there is still a

great deal of capital employed in pearling, and the enterprise

is one of the chief resources of the North-West. The fleet

SENG, NO. 1 FORE CADIN BOY.

238

MY FOURTH TOUR 7.V WESTEKX AUSTRALIA.

of schooners laid up at Cossack from October till I'ebruary, in order that they may avoid
the tempestuous weather of that season, is large enough to land an army of invaders.
The boats are cunningly secreted in the mangroves to shelter tluni from tlir liurricanes.
The craft are, so to speak, docked in a bed of mud, with the tough branches of the
mangroves almost covering them with a protecting embrace. The schooners are stripped
when they are laid up. All the sails are removed, together with everything that is movable.
Nothing but an empty hull and the lower mast are left for the terrific gales of these
latitudes to wreak their \engeance upon. The sinuous course of the channel among the
mangrove is so much like that of a corkscrew that some of the boats would seem to have

been hoisted overland into their places instead
(if iKiNJng been floated into tluin at high tide.
In the early days of pearling on the
North-West coast, coloured native divers
were employed to bring up the treasure of
the deep. As long as they could hold their
breath the "boys" remained under water
casting shells into baskets, and then came
up for air. Occasionally they endangered
their lives by staying down too long. Some
of them were drowned ; others were injured
for life by hemorrhage of the lungs. Then
the introdu(5\ion of the diving dress brought
whites into competition witii tlie Malays.
The new system added to the working
expenses, but it proved more satisfactory to
the owners of the boats than the old
method. There was no longer any danger
of a schooner being rendered useless for the
season through the desertion of her native
tlivers. Neither was there so much pecula-
tion, for the Malay is an e.xpert thief, as
professional receivers of stolen pearls knew
to their profit. The native diver was useful
to an employer who was stalwart, or had
moral force to make his crew afraid to run away. The Malay did not expect high wages,
and it was easy to import him under a labour agreement, provided that he was returned to
his own country when his term of service had expired. If he were skilful, industrious, and
loyal, he put money into his Captain's purse. Hut, as a rule, the Asiatic is so untrustworthy
that he is gradually being displaced by the European.

A revival of prosperity came to Cossack a few years ago upon the discovery of gold at
Mallina and Pilbarra. The town was thronged with diggers en route to the tiifferent
" rushes," which well repaid the long journey. But when the alluvial was worked out, and
the era of reefing had not begun, there was another lull in the briskness of trade at Cossack.

AH LUN,"THE DOCTOK," " AUSTHALINO.'

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

239

Now that the richness and permanence of the goldfields of the North-West have been

proved, and large Corporations are placing machiner}' on their properties, Cossack has

become an important port. We found the town full
of miners, who were enjoying "exemption time,"
and cash was circulating freely. The town is a
rough place to live in, for it is almost wholly without
the refining influences of white women. It is true
that there are a few ladies at Cossack, the wives of
some of the leading commercial men and Govern-
ment officials, but they are seldom tempted to take
exercise over the sandhills, and except for the
occasional sight of a black nurse with a perambulator,
a stranger would be apt to suppose that bachelors
had sole possession of the town.

At Cossack we see for the first time the chaining
down of houses and stores, as though they were wild
beasts. The windows are all provided with wooden
shutters, which gives them a very gaol-like aspect.
The galvanised iron of the roofs is barred witli
broad beams of wood, in order to combat the forces
of Nature in her furious moods. The dreaded
" willy willy," or tornado of the Summer months,
would lift ordinary buildings from their foundations,

and tear off roofs as easily as sheets of paper, unless the chains,

the shutters, and the battens were on guard. At the first sign

of the glass going down during the hottest months of the year,

the householders, "with busy hammers closing rivets up, give

dreadful note of preparation." The shutters are closed, the

doors locked, the shipping at the pier lashed to the mooring-

piles with as many hawsers as there are strands in a cobweb.

The terrific force of the "willy willys" has from time to time

caused enormous damage. In March, 1872, one of these

cyclones struck the town and shattered a large number of

houses ; even more damage was caused on May 7th and 8th,

1882. Three years ago a pearler was caught in one of these

storms and sunk. The master of the craft perished, with his

wife and several of the coloured crew.

Cossack, which has also been known by the names of

Tientsin and Port Walcott, was proclaimed a municipality on

the 2gth November, 1871. It is eight miles from Koebourne,

with which it is connected by a tramway belonging to the

Government. The line has a very narrow gauge ; the cars resemble the palanquins of

China, except that they are drawn by a single horse instead of being carried on men's

IN A COSSACK HOTEL.

HOLDING THE MIRROR UP TO
(ABORIGINAL) NATURE.

240

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

shoulders. Two of the toy-like cars start daily from Cossack and Roebourne, and a special
tram maj- be chartered at any time for the sum of 38s. The line, which earns a good
income, traverses flat country between some low hills. The line crosses, on an embank-
ment, what in the rainy season is flooded land. To avoid all danj^er of a flood that has
not yet made its appearance, the route has been made one and-a-half miles longer than
a straight line, but the deluge that the far-sighted engineer feared when he plotted the
track may come at last.

As the friends who had come to meet us had brought conveyances, we drove to
Roebourne. Among the first to greet us were Mr. Augustus Roe, who presides at the
Assize Court of the district, and Mr. Harry Osborne, Mayor of Roebourne, who was to
conduct us on our tour through the Pilbarra Goldfields. A welcome was also given us on
the pier b)' an assemblage of nearlj- all the chief men of Cossack, who, while expressing
their best wishes for the success of our arduous trip, grimly added that they would be very
glad to see us safely back again. It transpired that the banquet which was to be given in
our honour at Roebourne that evening gave promise of being one of the most notable
festivities that had ever taken place in the district. In order to mark their good feeling,
long distances had been travelled by many of those who desired to attend.

The transfer of our luggage from the ketch in which we had come ashore was
accomplished by an African, who furnished an illustration of the state of the labour market
at Cossack. The negro asked 15s. for ten minutes' work. He got a third of that amount,
under a threat of not getting anything at all if he scorned to accept the crown. Starting
for Roebourne, the carriages took us over a very excellent road formed by the Public Works
Department across what had been a bog. The view was one that we were to become very
familiar with before we reached Bamboo Creek, i.e., hills of various shapes, intersected by
table-land, for great variety of scenery is not one of the characteristics of the North- West.

VLAMING IIHAl), NORTH-WEST CAPK.

Cbaptcr 18.

Roebourne — The Public Buildings and the Hospital — Oriental Luxury-
A Record Xorth-West Banquet.

OEBOURNE, which occupies a hill, should not be judged by first
impressions. Entering the town, the sight is a shabby one. The old
buildings are mean and dilapidated; the new ones are some distance
farther on. The prosperity of the North-West goldfields is strongly
refledted in the architecftural contrasts. Until gold was discovered in the
distriiit, Roebourne was evidentlj- a very primitive place, where the bush
carpenter was builder-in-chief; the opening up of the mines established
the stone age. The old quarter, which never had any good looks to
boast of, has become an eyesore beside the substantial new hotels and
public offices, which redeem the reputation of the capital of the North-
West. The Episcopal Church has a commanding site on the crest of the

hill. The Mechanics' Institute deserves a better home as an agency of light and leading,

than the squalid, squat, and slatternly den in which the

newspaper literature of the day is open to the perusal of

the public. The Institute is put to utter shame by the

superb altars of Bacchus, represented by the Jubilee and the

Viifloria. What a treat these spacious, high-class hotels

would be in Perth, where travellers are clamouring vainly

for a decent bed and board. Of massive masonry, with

dining and billiard rooms large enough for a public hall,

encircled by broad verandahs, and conducted in a style that

would please the most fastidious taste, overlooking the

Harding River, and guileless of the art of adulterating good

liquor, these hotels are the pride of the district.

So far we have not seen the Government buildings,

which do so much to redeem the barbarousncss of early

Roebourne. The design of the Post and Telegraph Office,

which, saving that it has the inevitable iron roof, pays •

more re?pe(5t to the fiery sun that beats upon it. The

'J-

MR. H. OSBORNIC.
MAYOK OF KOKBOUHNE, X895.

•24^

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

masonry is thick, and the apartments large. The private quarters of the staff are all
that could be desired, and the decorative features of the front elevation are chaste, if not
remarkable for beauty. The hospital hard by has been a good friend to scores, if not
hundreds of men, who, in the day of their affliction, had no other place of refuge. The

A SON OF THE son..

isolation of Roebourne, and the still greater isolation of the Filbarra Goldtields, should be
taken into account in estimating the value of the work done by the Infirmary. The men
who go to the fields are in every case without a home. They are scattered over a territory

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

243

of enormous extent, in which there is scarcely the vestige of a town, and not the semblance
of any provision for the sick. The conditions of life in the mining camps are hard enough
for the able-bodied ; for the sick they are intolerable — the hospital at Roebourne is their
only hope. Its doors alone are opened to the invalid smitten with the dreaded scourge of
typhoid fever, and from the great desert beyond the Harding River he makes his weary way,
perhaps for hundreds of miles from the interior, to this ark of mercy. The hospital is built
on a liberal plan, and the management is in the zealous and skilful hands of Dr. Hicks. No
institution in the Colony is doing more valuable work than the Roebourne Hospital.

At Mr. Roe's house, known as the Residenc\', we received a hearty welcome. Mr.
Roe is a man of artistic tastes. In a more genial environment he would have lived amid
beautiful surroundings. In the fierce heat of Roebourne he has done everjthing that is
possible to approach his ideal. Our host is the kind of man who, when he has the
opportunity, plants orchards and conservatories, beautified with ornamental water, and
makes the air musical with the melody of playing fountains and the notes of singing birds.

"JAP TOWN," KOKEJOURNE. DKCEMDER, 1895.

His well-ordered establishment is replete with every tropical luxurv. His commodious
stone villa has broad porticoes, screened verandahs, an extensive and well-chosen library,
punkahs, unlimited baths, and almost as many coloured servants as there are in the retinue
of an Indian nabob. As the leading judiciary, solicitor, and mining promoter of the North-
West, Mr. Roe is protean in his attainments.

After lunch, we dressed in the white costume that is en regale at Roebourne, and after a
chat found that the hour for the banquet was approaching. The Jubilee Hotel was the
scene of the festivity. The large main hall was pleasingly decorated and glowing with
illumination, a charming setting for the radiance of the spotless vesture of the brilliant
gathering. Here was "rational dress" indeed. A swallow-tail at a dinner party at
Roebourne would be as unpicturesquely out of place as a clown at a funeral oration. The
crystal, the flowers, the sparkle of the electro-plate, the flags on the walls, the variegated
shades about the lamps imparted just the tones of relief to the snowflake sheen of the white

244

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

uniforms that made the tout ensemble one that lingers lovinj^ly in the memory. If the most
typically conventional Englishman, the greatest slave of fashion — which compels its votaries
to garb themselves in a suit of woe to take part in the social amenities of life — had caught a
glimpse of that banqueting chamber, its grace and artistic harmonies, he would be ashamed
in future of the sombre livery of a hireling waiter. The dinner, which was fully described
in the Northern Public Opinion, and appears as an Appendi.x of this book, was one of our
most pleasant experiences in the North-West, and it was at a late hour that the festivities
were reluctantly brought to a close.

A LONG. LONG I'L'LL.

o
z

. a
a: >

O a]

S I
< h

O
H

a o

a: 0.
o

z tj
o

u) a:
I

Cbaptei' 10.

The Plan of Campaign — Prcliininaiy Preparations — The Mayor of Roebourne in Command —

Mr. Osborne's Career — The Start — Illness and Death of Leonard Calvert —

The Frail Sisters of the East — Early Impressions.

NEXT morning "the plan of campaign" was detailed to us by Mr
Osborne, who for six weeks had been busy perfecting the arrangements
for our long ride. An old bushman, who had often been over the
road we were going, but not in one continuous journey, nor in the
sultriest time of the year, Mr. Osborne was just the man for the
occasion. He knew what had to be done every day if we were to get through in the
appointed time, and exadtly how to do it. A better organiser it would be impossible to
find, for he has the quick eye of a martinet, and the method of an adjutant-general, in
devising camp equipment. He takes as naturally to the seleftion and command of his
servants, as a duck to water. In every respedt he is a thorough "workman;" and above
all, exadf in calculating the resources required, in order to safely, smoothly and expeditiously
accomplish a certain enterprise. He had mapped out the time-table with the accuracy of a
sum in decimal fracftions, and he knew to a mile what each of his large troop of horses
could do. Nothing is ever left to chance by Mr. Osborne.
He knew that ours was far from being a light task, but he
was resolved that it should be performed to the hour.

Mr. Osborne had been given what is known in the
vernacular as "a large order." To get over upwards of
seven hundred miles of tropical and desert country in less
than three weeks — for out of that period time had to be set
apart for the inspection of a large number of important
mines — depending entirely on our own resources for both
transport and commissariat, such special plans were neces-
sary that some of them are worth recording, particularly
when it is borne in mind that it was not possible to make
requisitions on the emporiums or the livery stables of a

1 -. T^ , ^ J _ ANT HILLS IN THE NOR'-WEST.

large city, lo carry so large a party, a second conveyance

in addition to Mi. Osborne's Abbott buggy had to be built. Thm there were all the

246

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

relays of horses to provide, for there are no coaching stations on the road where
reinforcements could be obtained. In the oppressive heat it would be dangerous to expedl
horses to travel very far at their best speed, and therefore no fewer than thirty-five of them
had been purchased by Mr. Osborne, in order that we might run no risk of a break down
en route. The animals were mostly unbroken to harness, so that they had to be put through
a careful course of preliminary- work before our arrival at Koebourne. Having got his
teams all matched, docile, and seasoned, our chief charioteer had sent many of them on
hundreds of miles " up the road "' to various sheep stations to await our coming. The
balance'were to be driven by a stockman in the rear of the coaches, so that a change might

be made whenever a horse was lagging in his paces.
The feeding of such a large draft of roadsters was
at first a perplexing problem in so remote and arid
a country, where no produce is grown or can be
purchased, but, as usual, Mr. Osborne found a way
to surmount this and every other obstacle. It came
to his knowledge that a Melbourne merchant was
prepared to send forward a consignment of com-
pressed fodder, composed of the best materials,
packed in the smallest compass, suitable for Army
service, for the expedition in which we were engaged.
This fodder proved fully equal to its reputation.
It was compounded of the right proportions of
cliopped hay, oats, bran, and wheat, to make a
perfect ration for a horse under a heavy strain of
work. The bales weigh one hundredweight each,
and are of the convenient size of a chest of tea. A
waggoner, some weeks before the A ustralind reached
Cossack, started up the track to Marble Bar with a
large quantity' of the feed, dropping portions of his
load at the points agreed upon, until we were able
to drive in his wake unencumbered with corn, yet
fully assured that our cattle would be as wt-ll fed in
the interior of the North as if they were at work in Perth. Along with the fodder the
teamster had coached, as an Indian trapper would say, some "medical comforts" of
favourite brands, which were " wanted on the voyage."

Mr. Osborne is one of the best type of Westralian natives, about forty years of age.
From the day that he arrived at Cossack, his force of character and intelligence placed
him on the up-grade. When the alluvial rushes began, Mr. Osborne was a wheelwright
and blacksmith, but he found a far more congenial sphere for his energetic temperament in
becoming the pioneer store-keeper on several of the goldfields. Wherever miners con-
gregated on a good patch, they could depend upon Osborne's teams following them, no
matter how many mountains or rivers in Hood he had to cross. At the Western Shaw and
the Marble Bar, Osborne and his partner were the first to sell a bag of flour or a bottle of

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

247

grog. When the Western Shaw lost a lot of the men, who were allured to the newer

glories of Marble Bar, there was no road between the two places. A range of hills, believed

to be impassable, had to be crossed. A waggon loaded with stores is hardly the kind of

conveyance with which to make a flying survey, but the need was imperative. The man to

make the attempt was Osborne's partner, under the guidance of a horseman, who for

some time had been trying to earn the reward of ;ir50 offered by the Government for the

discovery of a practicable road. A pack-horse route this explorer certainly had lighted

upon, but to try and steer a waggon across the mountains was looked upon even by old

bushmen as being a foolhardy enterprise. But neither Osborne nor his partner know

such a word as fail. The waggon started in the face of every obstacle. It crept up the

mountains and down the ravines, double breaked at the steepest places, and the horses

sliding on their haunches. At many

places boulders had to be removed, trees

cut down. The journey was so toilsome

that the store of water that was carried

gave out when the team were onl}' half

through to Marble Bar. The nearest

known "soak" was two days' stages awa}'.

The horses had been too much knocked

about to be able to make a special effort

to reach the water. The party were in

the gravest danger, when the black boy,

who had been reared by Mr. Osborne,

came to the rescue. The youngster, who

had been born in the district, remembered

a rock hole, at which the people of his

tribe used to get water in a dry season,

and, although he had not been in the

ranges for years, he found the spot. There

was enough water in the hole to give the

horses as much water as they could

drink, and to fill thi' tank, which enabled

the team to reach the soak. Finally,

after many hardships, the waggon got to Maiblf l^ar, long after the half starved miners

there had despaired of being able to get provisions from the loading. Mr. Osborne's

wayside houses at the Nullagine and Western Shaw proved so successful, that he opened

a large hotel and store at Marble Bar, and left their management in the hands of his

partner, while he remained in charge of the Jubilee Hotel at Roebourne.

We started at one o'clock on the day following the date of oiu' arrival at Roebourne,
to go " up the road," as travelling through Pilbarra is always called by the people of the
North-West. The night was to be spent at Meares' Station, thirty-five miles across the
plains. So far, everything had promised well, but an untoward event that was to cut short
a bright young life, prevented us from being able to take our leave of the hospitable Mr.

A MARK ni- CIVILIPTATION.

248

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

,L\. ;„„.7,

Roe in a cheerful frame of mind. M\ brother, Leonard Calvert, a collegian, aged fourteen,
who had accompanied me on the tour, partly for the benefit of his health, as he had
somewhat outgrown his strength, and also to enjoy the educational advantages of travel,
had been slightly indisposed during the voyage of the Australind from Geraldton to
Cossack, but we had attributed his languor to the enervating iniluences of the tropical
chmate, to which the English-born youth had not been accustomed. In the light of later
developments, it is evident that he was seriously ill, but being a lad of a high spirit he had
refrained from telling anybody how much he was suffering, and, as no one on board the

boat possessed medical knowledge, the boy was
daily growing worse, while we were expecting
him to rally as soon as he was able to rest from
the fatigues of the journey. While we were
breakfasting at Mr. Roe's house on the morning
of our departure, my brother — who, in answer
to our enquiries, had been protesting that he
was feeling better — suddenly swooned in his
ciuiir, and was carried into another room to
rest upon what proved to be his death bed.
But even at that stage not even Dr. Hicks,
who was at once summoned to attend him,
had reason to suspeiit that the patient had
sickened of the premonitory stages of typhoid
fever, and, although his illness threw a gloom
upon the party, we were happilj- spared a fore-
knowledge of the nu'lanchdh' trutli that most
of us were taking farewell of him for over,
when we went into the bedroom and wished
him speedy convalescence while the four-horse
drags were at the door. At the niouK-nt that
tlie horses were about to be given their heads
after we had taken our seats, the lad's courage
asserted itself. He rose from his couch, and,
clad in his pjjama suit, feebly made his way to
the \erandah, and called " gcsod-bye." As the
horses jumped off with a bound, we caught a last glimpse of our little friend overcome with
the effort he had made, supporting himself against a post of the verandah. The turn of
the road hid him fnjin our sight. \\'e dashed down the bank of the River Harding that
stands at the gateway of the great goldfields' track, and on the da)' of our return, just three
weeks later, as our tired team wearil}' moved at a walking pace up the incline and into
the town again, the church bell was solemnly tolling the requiem for an untimely death.
My brother Leonard was being laid to rest in Roebourne churchyard.

Beyond the Harding River the view was full of interest. The river runs at the base of
low hills of every saffron shade of colpur, from the lightest yellow to the deepest orange red.

(I>KA\VN AT KALUOOKLIK, 1895.)

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

249

The heights are of volcanic origin, and are mantled with masses of rock of an infinite
variety of outlines. If the crags were of greater size they would be majestic, but none of
them rise to the altitude of more than 15 feet. Near the river there is a Japanese village.
In nearly all the towns of the North-West dwell frail sisters of the East. Carnarvon alone
refuses to countenance this form of the social evil. The other centres are content to ban
the aliens from the European quarter. The Japanese courtesan is always young, sometimes
comely, and invariably partial to plenty of soap and water. She is so fond of clean clothes
that she is the chief patron of the laundries which are carried on by her countrymen. The
olive-skinned Aspasia is, too, a total abstainer, and regardful of the public peace. Jap-town
is alwajs kept closely under supervision by the police, but whenever they are called upon to
quell a disturbance, the European — not the alien — is found to have occasioned it. As we go
by, a number of the young women watch us curiously from the doors of their houses, which

.A^i

y/.,

i^^Di'i,. fr

AT COSSACK.

are constantly being recruited. Nearlj- every boat brings or takes away some girls who are
associated with these haunts of vice, which are managed with much method by older
won;en, who acft as housekeepers to the several corps. These duennas find the passage
money of new arrivals, who are kept under a kind of vassalage until they have liquidated
their liabilities, including extortionate intt.Test for their loans. It is said, although I do not
vouch for the truth of the allegation, that among the lower orders of Japan there prevails a
very lax moral law, unchastity only being regarded as reprehensible on the part of a married
woman. Whether this is a fable or not, there have been examples of women being married
out of Jap-town, who from their wedding-da}' have li\cd without incurring further reproach.
A few miles of good road have been made by the Government over a low-lying portion
of the Roebourne plains. The fresh horses carry us along over this bit of macadam so fast
that a cool breeze is blown in our faces, and travelling through Pilbarra seems almost a

250

MY FOrr^TH TOUR IX UESTERX AVSTRA fJA.

pleasant excursion. Mr. Osborne listens to these felicitations with a shade upon his face. He
knows how much reason we shall have to change our tune in a few days' time, when we get
far beyond the ken of the Public Works Department, and a tropical deluge may set our
drags swimming in a river. It is just the time of the year for a downpour that would lay
the flat country under water in a few hours, and make a roaring torrent of every creek
and billabong : we discover this in a time of rude awakening a little later on. But where
ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise, and only our charioteer and I know how
hazardous is our ride to the furthest pioneer camp of miners in the heart of the great
North-West, where drought, floods, sickness, or lame horses may bar our further progress.
Leaving the macadam behind us, we are on a great expanse of prairie of the richest
chocolate loam, on which the dry grass is eighteen inches high. A marvellous growth of
feed springs on these plains in a few weeks after rain, forming a lovely panorama, which
might be mistaken for a vast cornfield, but it is not every year that heaven's artillery
thunders the prelude of a drenching storm. The table-land is pleasingly diversified with

ON SHEKI-OCK SHF.F.I' STATION. NOK -WEST.

hills of various shapes, which rise detached and sentinel-like at broad intervals to the line
of the horizon. The colours of these stony rises is very brilliant. Some of them in the
bright afternoon sun are almost as dazzling as burnished gold, but the rich orange tint
deepens in places to the hue of bronze. The shades of the outer crust of stones vary so
much from a yellow mahogany, or almost black, as to put one whimsically in mind of
immense plum puddings, in the making of which the cook has been liberal with the eggs
and raisins. Two or three of these conical formations resemble a confection over the top
of which the juice of raspberries has been so freely poured that it has run right down into
the bottom of the dish, while others have these \'ivid purple streaks of ironstone marking an
irregular line only a little way from the summit. The most conspicuous of the hills are
Mount Roe and Mount Sholl, and the sight of tluiii adds an eternal charm to Roibomne,
for which the people of that sun-dried town should be very grateful to the Architect of the
universe. To us the varied landscape is very pleasing after the hideous deserts through
which we travelled in Yilgarn and the Murchison. For a wonder, too, it is our good

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

251

fortune to leave the dust behind us, for the wind is in front, and it agreeably tempers the
heat of the day. The visitor, on his first day out from Roebourne, under these agreeable
auspices, is prone to think that the North-West has been maligned by travellers' tales, who
have a pleasure in inventing evil fables. We shall see. In the meantime there should be
suspense of judgment.

Most of the way to Meares' Station the plains are sub-divided by fencing into large
paddocks, the pasturage being too valuable to be left open to travelling stock. About
twelve miles from Roebourne, Mount Oscar, the boldest peak we have yet seen, becomes
clearly outlined, and then a clump of river gums denotes the line of Jones' Creek. This
watercourse is modestly named in comparison with many of the so-called rivers of the
North-West, which are only storm channels. In a dry season nine rivers out of ten north

of Geraldton are gullies as parched as Hades, but
Jones' Creek has ever-running springs, and pools as
large as the ornamental lakes of a country- scat.
The water is very cool and clear, and the trees which
thickly line the margin of the creek make the spot a
favourite camping-groimd, which the sojourner leaves with regret. Onward eighteen miles to
the Sherlock River there is no new feature in the scenery — that is to say, some idea may be
formed of it by thinking of a billiard table during a game of pool, onlj- that the "skittles"
are taller and more uniform in shape than the hills upon the plains. There is not a mile of
the road over which a drag could jolt, and in a spring-hung buggy the track is like a
bowling green. After having passed through a very dry season, the sheep, cattle, and horses
of the Sherlock run were in excellent condition. The brood mares would have been able to
do more justice to their foals on a more succulent herbage than that of the coarse straw, but
this is the kind of bringing up that makes the horses of Western .Australia as tough as sole
leather. So long as the pace is not too fast, the horses of this country very seldom knock
up. They will carry you all day, bite a bit of spinifex at night, and go on again as fresh
as ever in the morning to the end of the longest journey.

Cbaptcr 20.

Sherlock Station — .-1 Hearty Welcome — Squatting under Difficulties — The Blacks
on the Sherlock Station — The Drawbacks to Agricultural Progress —

Life on a Run.

HE Sherlock Station, which we reached before sundown

is pleasantly situated on the bank of the river from which

: takes its name, near Mount Fraser, whose heights almost

vershadow the steading. The proprietor's house is com-

lodiously built of sawn timber and iron. The front verandah

)oks down upon the sloping bank of the river, which three

ears ago inundated the surrounding country, and swept away

he original homestead and the outbuildings. Mr. and Mrs.

Meares, who receive us most hospitably, describe graphically the

ruin that was wrought, and the privations they endured in that time

of trial and danger, the signs of which are still to be seen in the

slipping of the surface soil, ravines sluiced into wide gullies, and

fences carried awaj- like thistle-down. In twenty-four hours the

ri\er, which had been dry, rose fifteen feet. The family were in

bed at the time. They had retired at the usual hour, confident

^^~ '^^^^ that the stream, despite the heavy rains, would be confined between

its broad banks, but before morning they had to flee for their lives
in the midst of the pitiless storm, carrying the youngest of their children in their arms,
to the higher ground. When daylight came nothing was left of what had been their home.
The new house has been built on an elevation much above the high-water mark of the
flood, and it has been made replete with all the appurtenances required for the working of
the run. In addition to the coach-house, barns, bachelors' quarters, and stables, there
are huts for a large number of blacks, who make Sherlock their head-quarters, and employ
their time in shepherding, watering the flocks, hunting, and boundary riding.

After dinner our hospitable host and hostess entertained us in the drawing-room.
Mrs. Meares and her governess. Miss Olive, are capable musicians, and the piano and organ
had a share in a concert, in which the cultured efforts of the ladies contrasted most
favourably with the latest ditties of the music-halls, in which some of the members

-i

MY FOURTH TOUR /.V WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

253

of our party strove to do their part towards making the evening a melodious success.
Mr. Meares is an excellent raconteur, and he has seen so much that is interesting, that
it was equally entertaining and instructive to listen to his stirring experiences as a
pioneer. He is also a sportsman, and the owner of some of the best racehorses in Western
Australia. Some of his cracks were to take part in the Perth meeting, which was to be
held before we returned from Pilbarra. We cordially wished that Mr. Meares' colours would
be first past the post in every race. The next time we saw Mr. Meares he laughingly
assured us that our good wishes had brought him good luck, for in the interval his horse,
Inverary, had carried off the chief prize
of the Western Australian turf, in the
shape of the Perth Cup.

The blacks are one of the features
of the Sherlock estate. About a score
of them of all ages were within coo-e-ee
of the house, which supplies them with
rations. There were some old people
past work, and a lot of children, not
yet big enough to be useful, but they
all flock round the flour-bin and
slaughtering - pen to get a share of
meat, like bees round a hive The
young people take kindly to European
habits of life, and know something of
the English language, but the grey-
beards are irreclaimable; they are quite
willing to quarter themselves on the
station for food and blankets, but they
prefer their own camps to a hut, and
restlessly wander between the different
watering-places in search of game.
But even the younger generation often
get an uncontrollable instinct to run
wild. What is bred in the bone comes out in the flesh, and a wise employer never seeks
to restrain the vagrant impulse. Jake, the stock-man, or Mary, the nurse, may have
been on the station as long as they can remember ; to all appearance, they knew nothing,
and cared nothing, of the ways of the tribe. If they had had a fairer skin and thinner
lips, they might have been mistaken for European servants. They cooked, kept house,
washed the family linen, or rode cleverly. There was apparently nothing of the savage
about them but the colour of their skin. lUit a day comes now and then when Jake or
Mary go to the master or mistress seeking leave of absence; they get some food, and
then disappear. They have gone to join their tribe, to wear an opp(«sum or kangaroo
skin rug, and to throw off all traces of civilisation. But in a few weeks the nomadic
mood passes away, and the truants return to their service to perform their duties as

A LIlTLt. ILIKTAIIUN.

254

MY rOURTII TOUR I\ WHSTHRX Al'STRALIA.

faithfully as ever until the old yearning is felt again, and if they are not given the

opportunity to gratify it they will run away, and seek a fresh employer when the roving

tit is over. Those who have had any experience of the natives take their occasional absence

as a matter of course, and no matter how highly a
domestic or a rouseabout may be valued, or how much
either of them may be wanted at a busy season, permis-
sit)n is given to act upon the hereditary promptings
without a word of remonstrance or advice. The most
discreet managers treat the blacks in a \ery large
measure as children, and with the consideration that is
often extended towards a lad or a hoyden on account
of the inexperience of youth. Even the adults are not
expected to do the work of a white man or woman ; but
then it must be remembered that they do not receive
the wages of capable employes. They only get food,
tobacco and clothes, and, therefore, a large number of
them can be kept on the principle that many hands
make light work. The only way the men can be got
to work with spirit is for the "boss" to work with them,
unless they are tracking, when they are best left to their
own devices. If the\' are put to a job of fencing or
wood-cutting by themselves, the}- are prone soon to rest
from their labours under the nearest shade. In the
presence of strangers the natives are usually very
taciturn, and preserve an expression of apath)-, not to

say of melancholy. Among themselves, on the other hand, they are of a very merry

disposition, quick to perceive the ludicrous,

and to acknowledge the discovery with a

huge display of gleaming ivories, as long as

they think they are unobserved. But at the

approach of a stranger all their gaiety is

eclipsed so completely, that one who had

not watched them at their gambols, would

think that thej' had never been known to

smile or even to talk more than a mono-
syllable at a time. An old employer can

sometimes get them to relax a little, but even

with him they are more often as close as an

oyster. On one occasion we had to take a

black boy to show us a waterhole, and during

the whole stage of the journey we could not

get him to open his mouth. Mr. Osborne, who is familiar with the habits of the natives,

with whom he has long been in contadt, exerted all his persuasiveness in the aboriginal

.Jk^

H J"iff ~

DAINTY I'l.l'M ri ItlHSi.

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

-DD

A BED OF SPINIFEX.

tongue to dispel the timidity of the boy, but he quite failed to rouse him. He seemed
to be engrossed in a painful reverie, as though he never expedted to escape from our
clutches with his life, and was deeply meditating how he could outwit us. At the same
time he showed that he was keenly alive to all that was going on, by performing his office
as guide with the greatest watchfulness. Whenever there was a turn in the road, or the

tracks diverged, the lad would point
mechanically to the right or to the
left, like the arms of a semaphore,
without speaking a word. When we
stopped for the night the boy sat on
the ground at some distance from the
camp, and he would, to all appearance,
have gone without a bite rather than
have indicated any desire to share in
our supper. On being given some
food, which had to be taken to him, he received it as hunibl\- as a whip[)ed hound
crouching under the lash of a gamekeeper, and then he threw himself down under a tree
without expecting to get a blanket to cover him. As far as we could observe, all through
the North-West, the black has a strong, almost an overwhelming sense of the superiority
of the white race, and is servile, not to say abject, in the presence of his keeper. .\nd j'et
this does not appear to be the result of ill-treatment ; on the contrary, we had evidences
that the aboriginals are so much valued, esp:;cially by men who travel with horses, and
who look to the "nigger" to recover the animals from the unfenccd bush every morning,
that even if it were only for selfish motives, it would not be judicious to severely chastise
a servant whose natural home is in the wilds, and
who, therefore, could run away at a moment's notice.
The feeling and demeanour of humility that so
strongly characterises the dusky servitor, appears to
be attributable to the moral force which is more or less
unconsciously exerted by the European, who, as the
heir of ages of enlightenment, of intellectual growth,
and also of muscular development, makes him, in tlie
estimation of the savage, the personification of powers,
and of energy of a kind to which he feels that he can
lay no claim.

As it was necessary for us to get well on our
way before the sun was high in his power, Mrs. Meares
was kind enough to have breakfast served soon after
daylight next morning. In spite of our hurried
departure, we found time to photograph a number of
interesting views of the station, the blacks, and the river scenery, depicting the ravages
of the flood. The fierce rush of the flood swept bare a large area of grass land, which
is slowly becoming re-clothed with herbage. A sowing of grass seeds just before a fall

NATIVE CHILDRKN.

256

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERS Al'STRALIA.

of rain, would quickly repair the mischief, but the North-West is not yet ripe for improve-
ments of this kind. The climate has a great deal to do with cranipinj^ the efforts of the
pastoralists to redeem their runs from a state of nature. The want of labour is another
heavy handicap against rapid progress. The blacks are not to be depended upon as steady
workers, and where Europeans can get £4 per week in the mines, they pass the squatters
by. Hence it is with a full appreciation of the difficulties of their position, and in no
snarling spirit, that I draw any comparison between squatting, say, in Riverina, and in the
North-West. The conditions being wholly different, it is not surprising that the results

vary so much as to be
almost startling to a
southerner, who has
been accustomed to
associate wool raising
with a palatial residence
on a noble river, with
orchards and conser-
vatories surrounding
the homestead; with
boating, fishing, duck-
shooting, and every-
thing that could make
the country holiday of
a city man enjojable.
Hut turning from lu.xury
to utility, the contrast
is still greater. In the
North-West, a run is
regarded as being
establish ed when a
house and its auxiliaries
have been built, a few
wells sunk, and in rare
cases, a few miles of
fencing put up. There
is no ring-barking,
burning of scrub, or
the sowing of pastures, which would soon be burnt up by the sun if they were less hardy
than spinifex. No irrigated vegetable garden, or shady summer house. To live on a run
in the North-West is to be banished, a stranger would think, from nearly everything that
makes life tolerable. It is to swelter for eight or nine months of the year, to exchange for
the exhilarating swim the clammy application of a tepid sponge, to see all through the long
summer a staring brown landscape, jarring and monotonous. Nothing else is possible so
near the equatorial line. Those who go to such a region, have, on the whole, a hard lot

^it; juHS .iI.viNKi- iJ.s A :>iiLhr lAi;M

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

257

BUSH BLOOM.

when the few cool months have passed. If the wife should grow languid, and the colour
fade out of the cheek of the children, who can wonder? "It is a poor thing, but mine
own," is all that the proprietor of a run in the North-West can say, as he surveys his

property. He cannot attempt to vie with the expenditure,
the system of management, or the achievements of his
eastern or southern compeer; for, if he were as rich as
Croesus, he would only be wasting his money if he were to
spend it lavishly in such an uncongenial region. He has
no careful culling of flocks, no regular importation of new
blood, no enormous clips in the shearing season. The light
rainfall would alone be sufficient to discourage enterprise.
So the wool grower of the north has perforce to be content
to occupj' a very large tract of countrj", to guard against
overstocking, to see that his swarthy henchman keep the
sheep watered from the wells, and to dispose of his produce
without expecting to make a fortune. In such an environ-
ment, it is not surprising that an easy going, philosophical,
perhaps a phlegmatic temperament, is nourished — that state
of mind in which a man is able to put up with losses with resignation, and to receive the
rare blessing of a good season without elation. It is a droning, semi-somnolent kind of a
life, and it must needs be so. The most active minded of men would soon find his super-
abundant vitality evaporating, and lassitude taking its place. Don't attempt too much; the
game is not worth the candle ; a makeshift will do — seem
to be the unwritten rules of conduct far back from the
sea-board. In setting these things down, no reproach is
intended to our friends, who were so full of kindness, and
who did so much for our welfare at every stage of the
journey. It is only desired to convey a faithful reflex of the
country, and the most approved modes of living there. The
heat is quite exhausting enough without the added strain
of the various engrossing activities of more civilised life. In
other words, the people of the far north wisely adapt them-
selves to their surroundings, and surelj^ it is not derogatory
to them to approve their discretion, and to describe some
of their disabilities. If they were not men and women of
rare hardihood, they would not be found in a place that is
so unfavourable to the development of the English race.
Hence it will readily be believed that, mentally and
physicall)-, the population is of a superior type. The north
is not a place for we-aklings or poltroons ; the inexorable

A MINKR.

local law is that of the survival of the fittest. But, as

showing the influence of climate and surroundings, in relaxing even the toughest human

fibre, in toning down the most indefatigable energy to a habit of slower impulses, and

258

MY rOl'RTH TOl'R I\ WESTERS Al'STRAIJA.

OS THE ROAD TO MAI.LINA, NOK -WEST. A TEAMSTER RESTING.

irrigation, and there is no water available for this purpose.

a desire to "take things easy," it is both interesting and instru(^^ive to make some allusion
to the charatileristics of the north and its residents. So far shalt thou come and no farther.

is the warning inscribed
on the face of the countr}',
to any innovator who
would attempt to make
this di\'ision of the
Colony blossom as the
rose, verdant with lucerne
paddocks, or dotted with
fields of ripening grain.
The wealth of the world
would not suffice to
change the aspect of the
country, because this
could only be done by
The land must be utilised
as it is with very little outlay, for a large expenditure could not be e.xpected to earn a
profitable return. The only way to avoid a loss, is to keep down working expenses, rely
upon the most hardy kinds of stock, and not overtask the carrying capacity of the area,
so that times of drought may be tided over. The run holders sensibly recognise that
it is no use beating the air by vainly aspiring to revolutionise the forces of Nature ; with
better judgment they accept things as they are, without wearing themselves out, and
courting disappointment by seeking to emulate the methods, the outlay, or the labour,
which are so wisely lavished upon less intradtable localities in more kindly climes.
Nevertheless, the contrast between a sheep run in the East, and a sheep run in the North-
West, is full of melancholy reflecS^ions to any one who is able to look on this picture and
on that — the presentment of two proper-
ties called by the same name, but which
are wholly, strikingly, and grucsomelv
different.

About twelve miles from the Sher-
lock, we came to one of the wells of the
run. The watering place was in charge
of a native and his gin, who have to
water some thousands of sheep every
day. The water, which is verj- pure, is
drawn from a depth of about thirty-five
feet ; the supply is inexhaustible in the
dryest season. A long row of tanks lead
from the well, and it is the duty of the blacks to keep these replenished, so that the thirsty
flocks may slake their thirst without delay, when they come in from the feeding grounds.
The aboriginals assisted with great alacrity to tend our horses. An ostler expecting a

' THK GIN GASI'El) WITH KXfKCTATlON.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WHSTERX AUSTRALIA.

259

liberal tip from a driving party home from the races after they had backed the Derby
winner, could not have worked with greater ardour. The driver, who was smoking
a short black pipe, at which the natives cast eager glances, took in the situation at a
glance. "The niggers are out of tobacco," was his sententious comment, "or they'd
let us water for ourselves." Ginx was right. At the sight of a plug Peter's eyes gleamed,
and the gin gasped with expectation. They had one pipe between them, and while Peter
filled it his wife watched him with rapturous yearning. The pair sat on their haunches in
their mia-mia, till the short clay had been deftly packed, silently anticipating the bliss that
was to come. Then the gin produced two matches from the recesses of a piece of bark.

A SOAK IN THE DKSERT.

They were precious vestas, for it would take a long time to get a light by rubbing two sticks
together. The lighting of the pipe was a momentous experiment; the matches were old,
and frayed. One of them ignited, sputtered, and went out. The gin, with an expression of
alarm, crept closer to Peter, holding his battered hat to shield the infant flame, muttering
words of fearful warning. Peter nervously rubbed the other match on the rough horny
skin of the sole of his foot in vain, and blank disappointment was writ large in the tawny
faces of the pair. The longed-for smoke was still so near, and yet so far. but the gloom
of the household was lifted by the proffer of a light by a bystander, who was not callous
to human suffering. To see that pipe passing from mouth to mouth, like a stick of

S I

26o

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

WHIM CRF.KK COPPRR MINE.

(The workings are on the right-hand eminence.)

confedlionery, at which two schoolboys take undluous and alternate sucks, was to realise

that sometimes at least it is more blessed to give than to receive.

At Whim Creek, which lies between Mount Nejijri and Mount Browne, eighteen miles

from the Sher-
lock, we stopped
for our first al
fresco luncheon.
A copper mine,
at present idle,
lies a little off the
main road. An
empty store near
the well was an
excellent camping
place, and here
our host, Mr.

Osborne, unpacked his store of good things. When the cloth was laid, it was evident

that we were to have a picnic if he could make one. It was, indeed, a rare menu to be

seen in that wilderness, conjuring up as it did the fertility of southern Europe, and the

game preserve of England. In the desert solitudes of Whim Creek, the sight of the

viands created visions of a dark-skinned peasantry, of cottages embosomed in fruit and

foliage, of thickly clustering tillage plots, teeming with the harvests of diligent cultivation.

While we were refreshing ourselves, a figure — as strange as that of the knight Don Oui.xote,

and riding a more meagre steed than

Rosinante — approached round a bend

in the road. The horseman was an

old weakened man, with a long white

beard. He was very short, very brown,

and his features were as rugged as the

gnarled roots of a briar tree. The

man, the trappings, the horse, were

all very much the worse for wear.

The patriarch was the image of Jeffer-
son's Rip Van Winkle. As he came

up astride the decayed fragment of a

saddle and the skeleton of a horse

with a hide hung upon it, we eyed

him with the greatest curiosity. His

bridle, saddlebags, and clothing, were

a motley patchwork of bits of leather,

moleskin, cloth, and scraps of blanket.

A mounted Egyptian mummy would scarcely have been a more remarkable apparition.

" Any luck, Peter," asked Mr. Osborne, as the ancient jade stopped at the store. " No,"

'THE HORSRMAN WAS AN OLD WRAZBNF.D MAN.'

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

261

harshly croaked the veteran, and his parchment skin seemed to crackle as he spoke; "I

never have any luck ; Iv'e been goinj,' up and down this country now for nigh on thirty-five

years, and I never do any good." " Well, come and have

some lunch," said Mr. Calvert. The old man of the woods —

with " crow's feet " about his eyes that no bird could imprint

in such deep intaglio, and lines around his nose and mouth

livid enough for brands — did not need to be asked twice.

He slipped off his ghost of a horse, and set to work with

a sharp appetite, the creases of the dried jaws opening

out like the convolutions of a concertina, as each large

mouthful was inserted. All the while his gaunt steed

watched him with an eye of famine. Peter at length being

fully satisfied, took from his wallet some lumps of damper,

as horny as remainder biscuit after a voyage, and breaking

them with his " napping " hammer, allowed the half starved

beast to eat them. Peter becoming talkative, told us that he

was a " hatter," in other words, that he never had a mate

when he was fossicking in the ranges. It was " poor game,"

he said, and times had at last got so bad that he was going into Roebourne to sell his

horse, and try to get a job on wages to fill the "tucker bag," before he could go "up the

road" again. Peter, whom we left with many condolences, must have "struck it lucky"

somewhere on the highway before he got to town, for on our return we saw him in a new

suit of clothes, after having produced at the bank
counter from the patched wallet 15 ozs. of gold,
which he converted into sovereigns. But he had not
sold his horse, as Roebourne does not yet boast a
museum of animated fossils.

The Balli River, which is about three miles from

Whim Creek, is the easterly boundary of the Roebourne

plains. The river is merely a storm channel, full of

sand and boulders. Hvic the character of the country

changes, and spinifcx, instead of grass, is seen. As

^■^'^^•^^i^^^W '^*^^'v^'^h*^"--^5!*V spinifexjs the chief herbage of the North-West, it may

%^.'^'^.«it;§& 'p^-^^^^^ be worth while to

^^>^^', >^:\.:'? -V^ • -^^^^^.^..^^^^^^ say a little about

it. Spinifex, of
which there are
three kinds, is a
shrub on which
wiry spines grow
luxuriantly. The

shrubs grow pretty closely together, so that, unless you are walking over the ground,
the bare patches between them arc not seen. As a fodder plant, the value of spinifex

DRIFT OF THE STRAV SHOT. MALLINA.

262

.\/V FOURTH TOUK I.\ WESTHKX AUSTRALIA.

A RESIDENT OF MALLINA.

varies according to the season of the year, and the variety to which it belongs. In
the spring the feed is almost succulent, and it is very fattening, but in midsummer

imported stock would find it very hard to eat. The
coarsest species is what is known as "old man
spinifex," which even the native horses turn from
in disgust, so tough and prickly is its growth. The
choicest variety of the shrub is not very nutritious
after it is dried up, but North-Western horses, cattle,
and sheep, are not accustomed to being pampered.
They vie with the donkej- in being able to eat any-
thing more digestible than horse shoe nails. Spinifex
is to them what salt junk and mouldy biscuit are to
a whaling crew, but whaling tars are very hardy on
" hard tack," and so are the stock of the spinifex
districts. They do not fatten, it is hardly necessary
to say, while drought is in the land, but it is rare
that excessive mortality takes place, and when the
rain comes, flesh is quickly put on. At such times
there is a wonderful growth of luscious feed, but spinifex is the only fodder through the
summer months. The softer and choicer grasses have been burnt off the ground, leaving
it, where there are no shrubs, as bare as flagstone. The Mitchell grass lasts the longest of
any of this class of vegetation, but it is only to be found in a few flats near what, after a
thunderstorm, becomes a watercourse. Mitchell grass is, indeed, so rare, that it can hardl}-
be taken into account in estimating the carrying capacity of the runs. The teamsters
always camp on a patch of Mitchell grass, whenever want of water does not compel
them to hurry on to the nearest well. On the other hand, spinifex is found everywhere ;
no ground is too dry or too stony, and it defies extermination in the worst seasons. In
1893 there was a very severe drought, accompanied by heavy losses of stock, but
since that year
there has been
a fair rainfall.
Spinifex seed is a
favourite article
of food among
the natives. It
resembles millet,
and on being
ground, produces
a palatable flour.
To prepare the
seed for use, a

couple of flat stones are used bj- the blacks to beat it into a powder, which is mi.\ed with
water, and toasted into cakes.

MINE AT MALLINA.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

263

It is a peculiarity of the North-West that rain falls
not during the winter months, but in December or
January. If those months should pass by without
bringing any thunderstorms, the outlook is regarded
with gloomy forebodings. The squatters foreseeing a
drought, hasten to sell as many of their cattle and
sheep as they can find a market for, and the teamsters
raise their freights. Some of them find the scarcity
of feed telling so severely upon their horses, that they
retire from the road altogether until better days, while
others struggle on carrying a bit of feed, but not nearly
enough to keep their teams in good working order.
On our route traces of the lateness of the rains were
observable in the emaciation of some of the horses,
which we saw upon the track. The feed along the road
was verging on exhaustion ; if a welcome change did
not come soon, it would be closed to waggoners, who
were not in a position to get horse feed at the port.

Unhappily, the North-West has been getting dryer of late years, marring seriously the

prospects of the pastoralists.

Up to ten or a dozen years

ago the rainfall, while never

abundant, was yet regular

and sufficient to keep the

rank herbage of the territory

in good heart, but latterly

the rains have been confined

within a narrower range.

It has occurred that while

a heavy thunderstorm has almost deluged one tract of country, another, only a few miles a

way, has had a succession of cloudless skies.

A LITTLE NATIVE HUMOUR.

MOB IN THE DUST.

Cbaptcr 21.

All Aboriginal Travelling Party — A Libel on Humanity — Mallina — A Blissful Balh-
Mallina as a Goldficld — A Suffocating Day — A Tropical Thunderstorm —
"Tommy" — The Pleadings of the Parched North-West —
.-1 Story of the Egiua Well.

IDWAY between Whim Creek and Mallina, where we
were to halt for the night, a travelling party of "wild,"
that is to say uncivilised, blacks crossed the road. It
was the remnant of a tribe who live almost nude in
their own camps, find most of their food by spearing
game, and know no language but their own. The
majest}' of the aboriginal warrior, as long "as wild
in the woods the naked savage ran," is to be seen in
the band which is approaching. The men — tall, sinewy
fellows — step out jauntily in front of the procession,
laden with nothing save a handful of spears, and very little more encumbered with clothes
than Adam at his birth. The uniforms they wear are " nothing much before, and scarcely
more than half of that behind." They make the pace very warm for the gins, who bring up
the rear, loaded like camels. There is a sight which makes the toes itch. Two or three
women stagger along, bending double. In God's name, what a libel on humanity! The
first woman to pass us carried on one shoulder a freshly-slain kangaroo, on the other, a
roll of blankets; in one hand, a bag of flour; in the other, the
entrails, lungs, and heart of one of the sheep of the Mallina
butcher; while perched on the nape of her neck, with his legs
dangling below her hanging breasts, w-as a sturdy piccaninny, six
or seven years old. The other women carry loads that would tax
the back of a Shetland pony ; and with the blurred features of
over-tasked nature, labour along in the rear of the sleek, glossy-
skinned, hulking males, to whom they yield obedience. What
martyrs to motherhood these wretched women are. Their maternal

solicitude would be ridiculous if it were not so pathetic. It makes the'orowl." mallina.

one yearn to tear those imps of darkness from their perches. Ride
pickaback, forsooth, when they could trot nimbly for many a mile! I would put in every

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

265

dusky mother's "hand a whip to lash the rascals naked, through the world." Civilization,
after all, has done a lot for women in throwing the physical burdens of life upon the

stronger sex, and still more in making woman an objed^ of
veneration, instead of abasement. These grisly harridans
whom we see in our travels, are the abjedl slaves of their
husbands or brothers. They are fed like dogs with the
leavings of the feast — if haply there should be any — after the
men — who would think it demeaning to do anything except
hunt, wander, and sleep — have gorged themselves. They are
as sleek as racehorses, while the miserable women of the
tribe are as ragged as a door mat, and as ugly as sin — the
most repulsive-looking and skeleton -legged race of females on
the face of the earth.

We are rising in the world for the remainder of our
ride to Mallina. The buggies wind in and out between the
hills, more thickly massed than those on the Roebourne
plains, but otherwise they resemble each other almost as
closely as the two Dromios. The road is not steep, but the
aneroid shows that we are getting higher above sea level.
About two miles from Mallina there is a dry creek, on the
banks of which there are the relics of some old station
buildings, and of a stock-yard fence. A well sunk in the bed
of the creek is full of spring water, and beyond is the Mallina
plain. A short drive brings us to the roomy hotel of one
story, which is sprouting additions on every side. It is
Saturday afternoon; the stampers of the Mallina Mine are
silent, and the bar is noisy with callers for drinks, for pay
The miners are all in shirt sleeves, smoking like limekilns,

ABOKIGINAI, WOMAN AND CHILD.

day has ncjt long passed.

and are in a convivial

mood ; none of them are

drunk or disorderly. The

ivories in the billiard roc mi

are clicking sharply,

denoting that there is

plenty of power in the

strokes of muscular

players. The "yard"' of

the hotel — a hill of rock —

has been honeycombed in.

search of the lead of the

Mallina lode. It being

exemption time, some of the miners are "going south," before work is

again. Just as we arrived, a party of five had started to walk seventy miles into

Min-DAV OCCUPATION.

full t)peration

266

.Vy FOrh'TH TOUR L\ WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

Roebourne, expecfting to be two days on the road. In order to avoid the heat of the
day, they had planned to walk all night. Others are waiting for
the coach, as there are not many holiday attractions in Mallina, the

treal estate of which an auftioneer might catalogue — as three houses,
an hotel, and a store. A bath is a luxury-, for which the town
has to thank the Chinese cook. He yokes up a horse, and fills a
reservoir from the well, which is as inexhaustible as the widow's cruse
of oil. The bather dips a couple of buckets of water out of the tank
to fill a keg, which runs up overhead on a pulley. The thrilling joy
of the shower is as blissful as it is transient. In five seconds the keg,
with a sputter and a gurgle, is empty. The delicious cascade is over
like a dream of rapture, to haunt us tantalisingly all through the

r*>'W'MP ^ remainder of our pilgrimage in the red swart land. The bath is free

a^m \ to all, except the Chinese cook, but the miners unkindly say that he

'^^^ ' never wants to wash himself. At ail events he draws the water

uncomplainingly. We asked the landlord whether he had ever heard
of the Scriptural injunction against muzzling the ox that treads out
the corn, but he only looked perplexed. They do not seem to know
nearly so much about Bibles as of reefs and leases in Pilbarra.
Perhaps our host would have had a quicker apprehension of the text
on gold, that has passed through the fiery furnace, being twice purified.
Mallina, as a goldfield, was discovered in January, 1892, but the
locality had been a sheep station for nearl\- fift\- years prior to that
date. The story goes that a lad named James Withnell picked up
a stone to throw at a herd, and seeing it glitter he took it home,

when it was found to be auriferous quartz. The alluvial workings, which at one time

were very profitable, are now supposed to be exhausted, but

reefing countrj- is just beginning to be developed. The Mallina,

the chief mine in the district, has put through some crushings,

of the result of which little is publicly known, but it is generally

considered in the neighbourhood that the property has not been

worked to the best advantage. At the date on which we write,

the proprietary Company, which is largely composed of Scotch

investors, is making a change in the matiagement. It is admitted

that the leasehold has produced some splendid assaj-s Close

to it some excellent reefs have been found, and as Pilbarra

is within a reasonable distance of the coast, and there is

plenty of water to be had at a depth of about fifty feet, the

outcome of the present year's work is looked forward to with

the liveliest expeftation of important and profitable yields being

obtained. The Stray Shot is within a few yards of the hotel.

It was inspected by several members of our party, who saw

gold showing freely in the face. Many owners of reefs were anxious that we should see

AUORIGINAL BOV.

AUoKlGlNAL WuMAN IN MOURNING.

(Hair matted with white earth.)

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

267

THK PKKWAH, MALLINA.

them, and I resolved to devote the next day to the work, as the horses which were to
take us to Pilbarra were very much in need of a rest.

At daylight the sun was frightfully hot, sirocco was blowing with the force of a
hurricane. It was a day that killed several people at Perth and Marble Bar, and was fraught

\\ ith disaster for us.
After breakfast a
ball of fire seemed
to glow at white
heat in the heavens,
and the west wind
blew like the blast
from a brick kiln.
There was a general

disinclination to do anything but lie and pant on the verandah, which was strewn with
mattresses, like the wards of a camp hospital after a battle. The glass showed 117 in
the shade, but the sickly lassitude, felt by everyone, showed that the wind was more
oppressive than the heat. It brought a stifling feeling with it that made even seasoned
residents of the North-West gasp for breath, like hunters at the end of a long run. To
recline at full length, was fatiguing; to move, was to run the risk of heat apoplexy. It
was a day when perspiring Europeans could do nothing but sigh for punkahs and iced
drinks, and natives were glad to crawl into the shade. Most of us were able to fervently
congratulate ourselves that we had nothing to do, but Mr. Hrcnton Symons and I were
not to be deterred from entering upon a heavy day's work. We had promised to go to
Towranna and several other mines, about twenty-five miles awa\-, and we made up our
minds to keep our engagements, no matter what the con-
sequences might be. We must go then or not at all, and
as we had come all the way from England to inspeft the
mines, we resolved with more courage than discretion to
perform our duty to those who had entrusted their business
interests to our keeping. At three o'clock, when we returned
from the first trip, we had done more than enough for one
day, but we were as immovable as before in our resolution
to finish our task. A fresh pair of horses were put in, and
out across the fiery plains we went once more. On getting
back to the hotel, I was visibly ill, fc\erisli, and unable to
eat. I ought not to have attempted to go any farther
without a rest, but as the wind had now changed and the
sun had set, I considered it imperative that we should go
on, and camp at the next well that night. We set out with
forebodings which everyone felt, and none cared to express. The night itself seemed to
presage evil. The air was almost suffocating; it was so dense and warm, and across the
sky rolled black clouds, which were riven with brilliant flashes of forked lightning, following
each other as (juickly as the strokes of sword play. A thunderstorm — a tropical storm — was

HILL AND BL'SH. NOR -WEST.

268

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERX ALSTRALIA.

about to break ; deafening peals shook the earth. A fierce squall swept masses of blinding
dust along the road, so that even the driver could not see his horses. He could only
guess the track, and find out that he had lost it by striking a tree, a rock, or overturning
the trap in a gull)-. Just as we approached the Peewah river, the storm reached its height.
The river is not a pleasant place to cross even in da\light, the banks being steep, and
the bed of the channel full of entanglements bordering the wheel marks. The intense
blackness of the night when the lightning was not flashing, was deepened at the river by
the foliage of the trees growing on its banks. We had just reached the spot when the
simoon smote us with redoubled furj-. The blast shrieked and roared like a thousand fog-
horns ; the wind became insufferably hot, as if the world had taken fire, or Satan had

NOK-WEST LIGHTNING.

opened the gates of Sheol. It was an awesome time in such a place, at such an hour.
We turned our backs to the tempest and waited, not knowing whether we should have to
wait minutes or hours for it to lull, and e.xpetting momentarily to be drenched with sheets,
not drops of rain. Whatever came it was impossible to get the slightest shelter, for a tent
would have been blown away like a wafer — made mere sport of Boreas. The situation was
a critical one, for by this time I was feeling intensely ill. There was no medical aid nearer
than Roebourne, and there was the probability of the country being made impassable by
a downpour. The failure of our expedition seemed inevitable, and that might be the least
of our misfortunes. In truth, serious trouble was only beginning, but for the time being
it passed away. The hurricane soon spent its fur\- ; the clouds travelled rapidlj- to the

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

269

eastward, and only a few drops of rain fell, and we were able to cross the river and go
on to the well. After watering the horses in the dark — the lantern candles having run into
oil with the heat of the weather — I had developed all the sj'mptoms of sunstroke, and had
severe pains in my head. I was strongly advised to at least take a rest by halting for a
day or two before taxing my strength further, but in my anxiety to accomplish my purpose,
I was deaf to all admonitions. I knew that lost time could not be made up again, and
that to lie by as they desired me to do would be tantamount to abandoning the tour bejond
Marble Bar, which, as Taiga Taiga and Bamboo Creek were new mining distridts which
had been opened up since my last visit to
the North-West, I had set my mind on
performing. I declared that I could rally
from the seizure, but my strength of will
misled me as to the seriousness of the
stroke, and I afterwards paid the penalty
of my stubbornness.

At the well next morning we found
the teamster, who nearly a month before
had left Roebourne with a load of com-
pressed fodder, for the sustenance of our
horses on the journe)'. The driver, a
portly man of about fifty years of age,
was an odd contrast to a little scrap of
black humanity scarcely bigger than a
monkey, who is his constant companion
in his long journeys into the interior.
The diminutive Tommy looked pitiful
enough as he crouched on the seat of
the cart when it was ready to start ; he
would have been an objeft of derision to
schoolboys if they had seen him in town,
but theirs would have been the laugh of
the foolish. Tommy is a man, and a
good one at that; they would be puling
infants crying for a guide, if not for a nurse and a doftor, in the bush, where they would
probably find an early grave. The black pigmy, shirtless, hatless, with the eye of a hawk,
the sinew of a weasel, living on the simplest fare, sleeping in the open, rising before daylight,
and defying the scorching sun, is his master's Mascotte. Ask the burly waggoner what he
would take for his willing little slave, and the price might be expedted to buy half the boys
in civilised Christendom. Fancy one of them going out into the wilds, to try and find
the horses !

The waggon, with the tiny native, looking like a crow on a bough, crept away at the
slow walk that a diet of summer spinifcx confers, while our horses, refreshed with corn, went
off with a bound over mile after mile of spinifex country. It was a brown landscape of

A PKOPHKT.

(Some little distance after the fact.)
' Didn't I teli ycz tlie counthry was auri-furious?

270

MY FOURTH TOVR IS WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

^•/f"'

waterless plains, interspersed with hills and

dry creeks. Churchill ini^'ht have been in

the heart of the North -West when he

wrote : —

Far as the eye could reach no grass was seen,
Karth, clad in russet, scorned the lively green ;
The plague of locusts thev secure defy.
For in three hours a grasshopper must die;
No living thing, whate'er its food, feasts there,
But the chameleon, who can feast on air.
No birds, except as birds of passage, flew.
No bee was known to hum, no dove to coo;
No stream, as amber smooth, as amber clear,
Were seen to glide, or heard to warble here.

No flowers embalmed the air.

There is a little poetic license in the
pidlure if it is to be applied to Pilbarra, but
only a little in the summer time.

The Government wells en route are an
inestimable boon, but they are much too
far apart, as the Dirertor of Public Works
would find if he travelled over the road.

He would soon learn that a water supply that
is adequate for the Murchison, is altogether
insufficient for the North-West, where, to avoid
suffering, there must be a very "short time
between drinks," for both men and horses.
The drinks, too, are as deep as they are
frequent, a quart of water being only a " nip,"
that is taken a couple of times in an hour.
The horses are to be pitied in having to travel
twenty miles from one well to another. Half
the distance would be quite enough. It is
moving to see the unfortunate beasts which
have been flogged along, getting plenty of
whip-cord in lieu of water, bury their heads
past their eyes in the troughs, when at last a
watering station is reached. They can scarcely
be made to stand while the harness is being
taken off. The dearth of water is hard enough
on the coach horses; the slower tra\(lling
waggon teams are in a more evil case. They
are watered in the cool of the morning when
they are not very thirsty, and before the day

— AND DECEMBER.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

271

has grown hot they have left the reservoir. In a few hours they are distressed, and
towards the afternoon it is cruel to drive them further without water, but they are still
a long way from the nearest well. They are fortunate if they do not have to make a "dry
camp " by sundown. A dry camp means that a teamster must go on with his waggon, or if
the horses are too exhausted to drag the load, that they must be unyoked, driven to water,
and brought back again to where the freight was left. It is surprising that the North-West
has been so patient under such exaiftions, which break up the hours of rest, and considerably
lengthen the journeys of the teamsters. A strong case can be made out to bring pressure
to bear upon the Government to improve the water supply. No work is more urgently
needed ; none has a better claim upon public funds, for water is one of the necessaries of
life; to provide it, is not only a task of necessity, but also of humanity. The Public

" ALL aboard!

Works Department, when it is asked for a well, returns the stereotyped reply that it
will be sunk as soon as the Government gang is available. The sleepy officials are far
too inert to think of letting the job by tender, although plenty of labour can be obtained,
and water could be struck at a shallow depth in soft strata. The crying needs of the
public, the drought of men and beasts, are nothing to a staff who live in the cool region
of Perth, and have water laid on to their houses. " He jests at scars who never felt
a wound." The thirst of the North-West is a skeleton in the official cupboard that can
be locked and kept out of sight. It is not allowed to intrude its blood-shot eye and
drawn visage in the Councils of the State, where noses are carefully counted before
estimates of public works are framed. A new Town Hall, or other appanage of embroidery
clamoured for with the voice of political support, is of urgent importance ; the pleadings
of the parched North-West for water, are poured into deaf ears.

A thrilling story is told by Mr. Osborne about the old Egina well, as we pass about
twenty miles from Pilbarra. Two years ago a teamster went to water his horses at the

.UV FOURTH TOUR IN UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

well, which is some distance off the road. The timbering at the edge was verj' rotten,
and in hauling up the bucket the man fell in. He was not much hurt, but he must have
thought it would ha%e been better to have been killed, so appalling was his situation, bejond
all hope of rescue. The old well was unused, the Government having sunk another near
the track, and two or three miles further on. He must lie in his living grave, and perish
slowly of starvation. It might be days before any one passed that lonely way, and if a
solitary traveller did go by, he could not hear the agonised cry for help of the dying
prisoner. In the water up to his chin, he became inspired with a gleam of courage that he
might be able to save himself by climbing up the rope before his strength gave way. It
was a desperate e.xpedient for a bruised man. The well was thirty-five feet deep ; the
ray of daylight glimmering at the top lost itself in darkness half way down the shaft.
The rope was his only chance of salvation. He grasped it, and began to battle for his life,
raising himself inch by inch, with his feet pressing for a foot-hold against one side of the
well, and gained about twenty feet, when he fell e.xhausted to the bottom. The last
resource of the doomed man had failed ; in torturing suspense nothing remained to him
but to count the lingering hours closing round his hideous fate, until death mercifully put
an end to his sufferings, and left his disappearance an impenetrable myster}-. He saw

daylight pass away, and a star appear in the little patch of sky
above him. The longest night of his life passed in sleepless
misery. The thick coming fancies of his over-wrought mind
invited him to drown himself, and end his anguish. But hark!
what is that ; he thought he heard a bell. No, there is no
sound. He must be growing delirious, and, like the wayfarer
who is dying of thirst, is beguiled in imagination by the sight
of green fields and playing fountains ; his awful plight is playing
a trick upon his senses. Stay ! there is the note of the bell
again. This time he cannot be mistaken ; it is nearer than it was before ; he hears the
sound of hoofs. The music of the brazen clangour — for it is music to his ears — grows
louder and louder. A beast approaches the well. There is a deep snort above ; the gleam
of light is hidden. Oh, joy! Looking up he sees the head of a horse, hears the crack
of a stock-whip. The wretched man makes a great cry, which is heard. The drover,
after a moment's hesitation to assure himself that it is a human being in dire distress
who calls — a man at the bottom of the well — rides up, dismounts, and shouts, "Hallo!"
The captive was quickly hoisted with the aid of the windlass, and that night high revelry
was held at the Pilbarra mining camp, over what pious people would regard as the provi-
dential straying of a horse from the mob with which it was being driven.

CURIOSITY.
AN ABANDONED LOAD.

NFAK EGINA.

nil: tUl.U.NV'!. LAKI.II.Nl llA\b. I.— SELKl.VU PASILKAOE.

Chapter 22.

A Garden in the Desert — Arrival at Pilbarra — A Hearty Welcome, and an Impromptu Supper —

Failing Health — We secure our Christmas Dingier — The Phantom River of the

North-West — At Yandccraro Pool — A Miserable Stage — Look's Pool —

Through the Lonn Nisht — Mr. Look to the Rescue.

T Miillendin, a run over whirli we were travellinj,% an alluvial rush has

been seen. A few drj'-biowers are still at work, but the store keeper of

the days of the rush has shut up shop and departed, moralising

J "^^^ ^ mayhap on the changing fortunes of those goldfields which do not
__>!^ rely upon deep, broad reefs, and crushing machinery for their
y I I permanence. A few miles from Pilbarra we pass a clay-pan, large

jr ^ enough to vie with the great reservoir of the famous Lady Mary

Mine at Cue. All round are some splendid grass plains, on which
the stock are very fat. The clay-pan looked deep, and broad
enough to last through the summer, but the scorching sun . —

had sucked up all the water before we returned, which shows !
how delusive is the plea of the Government that the clay-
pans may be counted as wells, and that therefore the road j
is sufficiently watered. I'urther on, there is a remarkably '
fertile valley, on which Mitchell grass waves luxuriantly.
The flat strikingly shows the patchy character of Western
Australia, for it is hemmed in with barrenness. Here is land
that, if it could be watered, would make the fortune of a
lucerne grower. At any season of the year it would keep a beast to the acre, and
bordering it so closely that a yardstick would touch it, is a stony desert, on which a rabbit

would starve. In no other place in Australia is it
possible to plant one foot in the wilderness, and the
other in a garden.

Just at the gateway of Pilbarra the country

~^^?^ becomes mountainous. So far, we have been driving

over plains, out nf which the hills have risen like
nodules on a tablet; for the rest of our journey we shall
be among the ranges. Pilbarra occupies a little perch
among the crags, like an egg in an eagle's nest. It is
a plare wiiere a great deal of alluvial work was done
before it settled down to reeling. The hotel and the
camps of the mining men stand at the foot of what
has been called Broken Hill, The Pilbarra Mine is the

A SURVEV " TRIG.

A LONELY UHLAKJ-AST,

274

MY FOURTH TOUR FX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

property of Messrs. Martin. Walsh and party, who have brought a battery on to the ground,
and are verj' sanguine that they have made a good investment. So far, the crushings have

been confined to the tailings of the dry-
blowers, as Mr. Browne, the manager,
is desirous of having a general clean up
before properly opening up the mine.
The battery has been erected on the
edge of a creek, where a plentiful supply
of water is obtained within a few feet
of the surface. Everyone at Pilbarra
took a holiday to welcome us, and
nothing could have been more cordial
than their greetings. Luncheon was
i..A^». 1-:. '.at ka:l.,a, laid iu Mr. Browne's green-house, the

thick boughs of which temper the rays
of the sun. We had travelled so fast, and visited so many places, that our budget of
news was verj- acceptable to our friends who are so
much isolated from the world. The state of my health
alone darkened the convivial hour. I had been growing
weaker during the day, but still strove to make light
of my illness, feeling sure that I had only a " touch of
the sun," and would be all right to-morrow. The after-
noon was devoted to inspecting Broken Hill, and the
burrowings of the pick and shovel miners, many of whom
left for the sea-board with well filled belts and pouches.
Supper over in the arbour, we went in the cool of
the evening out on to the hill-side, to enjoy a glass of
wine over a good cigar. An informal toast list was
gone through, our entertainers being loth to allow the
occasion to pass without making special reference to
the pleasure which it gave them to see us at Pilbarra.
Mr. Browne, in proposing our health, was something

more than kind, and the
genial manager was heartilj'
cheered bj- the miners who

had assembled from all the surrounding distrift. In reply, we
proposed " Success to the Goldfields of Pilbarra." The toast
was drunk amid loud cheering, and then honour was done to
some popular local men, including Mr. Browne, before " Auld
Lang Syne " was sung, and we sought our blankets under the
stars, promising Mr. Osborne that in spite of the social celebra-
tions, we should be ready to start for Western Shaw at the first
rifcBARRA streak of daylight,

A WORKER ON THE RAILWAY TRACK.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

275

UEPOSE— MALLINA.

The outlet from Pilbarra on towards Wadgina is so rugged, that we walked the first
mile. One of the change horses was known as Fireaway, which sufficiently indicates his

temper, and we wanted him to expend his first
burst of impetuosity on a smoother road. It
was too far inland for one of the coaches to go
somersaulting over the side of the rocky hill,
so two quiet old stagers were put in to take
the trap to the entrance to the defile. A mile
from the town there is a little more room for
oat-proud horse-flesh, and here Fireaway was
yoked up. On being let go he bounded like a
roebuck for the first quarter of an hour, but
the break and the steadying influence of his
companions brouf^'ht him to a more sober frame
of mind. This, with the freshness of the horses,
and the briskness of the early morning, would
have been one of the pleasantest of our stages,
had not I been gradually sinking, while medical
aid was no nearer than Marble Bar, which it
wouldjtake five days to reach. We were going further and further away from the coast,
and the latitudes of the salubrious south,
where a sick man would have a chance of
recovery. The mere thought of being sick
in such a place as the back country of the
North-West was unpleasant, and it got on
to my nerves. To be jolting a disabled
companion over ruts, stones, and stumps,
exposed to a tropical sun, was terribly
depressing to the party. They felt a heavy
sense of responsibility, which deepened as
the day advanced, and I gradually grew

worse. At the
well of Wadgina
station, where
we stopped for

lunch, I was quite prostrated. I had lost flesh
very rapidly during the last three days, and was very weak, but
I could not face the idea of turning back. To make matters
worse, the weather was now almost intolerable. One of the
horses knocked up, and we had to go slowly or leave it behind,
when it was turned loose to travel with the spare horses in
charge of the stockman.

On a high plain, the plateau of the range, we saw a number

ON A SHEEP KUN.
ABORIGINALS HUTCHERING

CHINESE COOK. I'lI.nARRA, N.W.

T t

276

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

From

of the wild turkeys which I spoke of when describing the Murchison "Zoo." The birds

are usually seen in couples, but on a favourite feeding ground two or three brace may be

close together. The turkeys are so much sought after to varj- the monotonj- of what is

vulgarly but expressively called "tinned dog," i.e., tinned preserved meat, that they are

very shy if a gunner attempts to
approach them on foot, but they
—-^ are tame almost to stupidity when
' ' danger approaches them on wheels.
The birds are mostly found in
scrubby countrj*. They live on
seeds and grasshoppers, and weigh
from 12 lbs. to 15 lbs. At table
their dark-coloured flesh is not so
attractive to the eye as the white
flesh of the turkey of the poultry
yard, but most people think it
is of a richer flavour, and more
luscious. A wild turkey stands

higher on the leg, is longer in the neck, and not nearly so full in the ear lobes as the

domesticated variety, while the cock is as plain as his consort. The plains, in well

sheltered country within a few tniles of a water-hole, and where grasshoppers and grass

seeds abound, are the favourite haunts of the bustard.

In settled districts they are rarely seen, but in the great

stretches of Pilbarra they are fairly numerous, although

their numbers have been greatly thinned during the last

few \ears. Passing over the plain, we soon had an

example of the simple way in which these birds are shot

by any one who knows their habits. A large male bird

was feeding near some saplings, about one hundred and

fifty yards from the road. Mr. Osborne, giving the

signal to his driver, handed his reins to a passenger,

and slipped from his seat to the rear of the other coach ;

slowly debouched from the track towards the bird, which

stared intently at the horses. The trap passed a sapling

within twenty yards of the gazing bird, and a charge of

BB soon gave it its quietus. It is necessary to shoot

these large birds at short range, as they can carry a lot

of shot, especially if they are potted on the ground,

when the vital parts of the body are protected by the

wings.

Speaking of the game of the North- West, there is
no better rendezvous for the sportsman than the Yandcerara Pool, on the eastern side of
the mountains approaching Pilbarra from Marble Bar. This pool, by the way, is an

■'"&

MR. RICHARD WALSH.

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ UESTERN AUSTRALIA.

277

instance of the whimsical way i
Here is a lake in the centre of

STABLE COLLEAGUES, PILBARRA.

n which the different local water courses have been named.

what in the rainy season would be a wide, deep river, but it
is only known as a pool. At another place, a gully
that is as dry as blotting paper, is dignified by the
name of a river. The one is fed by springs, which
the traveller can always be sure will satisfy his
needs ; the other gives out almost as soon as the
down-pipe of a roof ceases to run after a shower.
Yet the "River" Peewah looms large upon the
map, and Yandeerara Pool diminishes on paper
to the insignificance of a water-hole. The only
hypothesis which can reasonablj' account for this
antic nomenclature, is that the explorers of the
North-West found the various channels in different
seasons. The Yule, the Sherlock, or the Peewah
" Rivers," must have been seen during a flood,
while the Yandeerara Pool and Jones' Creek were
apparently reached in a dry season, when all save
the spring water had disappeared. I do not
contend that the pools should be called rivers ;
but the so-called rivers should be deprived of a
false distindtion, which reminds one of the old
fable of a jackdaw strutting in peacock's plumes.
As things are, the new chum in the back blocks
scans his guide book, and notes with a thrill of

pleasurable expectation
that he is within a few
miles of a river. Thirsty,
perspiring, and defiled
in body, he is inspired
with the vision of a long
drink, of the cooling
shade of umbrageous
trees, of the gliding if not
the rushing of waters, of
the delight of la\ing and
swimming in the refresh-
ing stream. He strains
his eyes across the dusty
glare of the landscape
to discern the course of
the river, with much of
the eagerness of Juliet

ijS

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

when she invoked the speedy advent of "love performing" night. Presently, the swamp

gums denoting the "river" are in sight, and the weary, sweltering traveller, cranes his

neck to catch the first glimpse of the shadows of the foliage mirrored on the silvery tide.

But, alas! there is no river — only dry
leaves, and stones, and withered hopes.

In the Yandeerara Pool you can splash
up to the waist among water lilies, and
put to flight kangaroos and C9untless birds,
that flock to this oasis in the desert. A
cloud of ibis and pelicans darken the air,
as they slowly float away, while flocks of
small birds cut the air with a zig-zag flight
like Jack snipe. The pelicans, as they go,
defiantly cry in deep guttural notes, "honk,
honk, honk," like a wild goose. The laugh-
ing jackass shifts his quarters to a safe
distance, and utters a prolonged derisive
peal ; magpies, parrots, goolahs, king-
fishers, scream a protest against our
intrusion into tlie sequestered vale. The
surroundings of the pool might be the
home of Solitude, or the haunt of a
scowling misanthrope. The low hanging

boughs of the trees along the edge of the pool, the precipitous banks, the dark recesses of

the all-abounding scrub, are all in mournful unison. No photograph is needed to remind

us of Yandeerara Pool, its melancholy shades, the uncanny im-

pressiveness of this abode of the water hen, and the mating place

of the wigeon.

The camping place that night was Look's Pool, a place of evil

augury for me, having been stricken on my tour with illness there,

and nearly lost my life. I was rescued by Mr. Look, of the Wood-
stock Hotel, who proved a good Samaritan, carried mc in a state

of unconsciousness to his place, about twelve miles further " up

the road," and nursed me tenderly through a bad attack of fever.

Nothing could have exceeded Mr. Look's kindness to the helpless

stranger within his gates. He erecfted a temporary hospital, which

was kept cool by the canvas walls being saturated with water, so

that the air could create a moist vapour round my couch, and

employed native women to fan me without intermission. As soon

as I became strong enough to travel, Mr. Look harnessed up a fast

pair of horses, and drove me in his buggy to Koebournc, inspiring,

as may naturally be supposed, the warmest sense of gratitude on my part. On my present

visit to the North-West, I had looked forward with the greatest pleasure to meeting Mr.

PUBLIC SHOWER BATH.

MKTHon OF DRINKING.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

279

Look again, and now, after I had travelled twelve thousand miles to see my benefacTtor,

and was nearing the Woodstock Hotel, an untoward fate had again prostrated me. Look's

Pool would appear indeed to be the place of my evil destiny. The long day's travel had

had a most injurious effe(fl upon me, but although it was quite dark, we had still about

eight miles to go before the exhausting stage would be over. There lay between us and

the Pool a piece of very bad road, which Mr. Osborne was reluctant to attempt after

sunset, but I could not permit of a "dry camp" being made, as the horses were in want

of water. So we pushed on. Leaving the plain and

descending a narrow gully on a stiff gradient, the

wheels of the coach Mr. Osborne was driving suddenly

dropped into a big hole. The trap was overturning

to the off-side, when Mr. Osborne prevented a capsize

by throwing himself out at the risk of his neck, but

thanks to his a(51;ivity and good fortune he escaped with

nothing worse than some bruises, and a severe shaking.

The horses were startled, but happily even Fireaway

was by this time too tired to attempt to run away,

which would have been an awkward experience for the

passengers, as the reins had gone with Mr. Osborne.

The incident in the darkness, with unknown pitfalls

still before us, was not reassuring, but there was now

no alternative but to proceed, whatever might befall.

The sky was heavily over-cast ; storm clouds were

rolling up ; the sky was so pitchy black that we could

not see a hand in front of our faces ; it was a darkness

that could " be felt." Not a star lighted the way,

and we had to grope along, expecting every moment

to be wet through by heavy rain before we got to the

Pool. After going on for another hour and-a-half at

a walking pace, and crossing a couple of gullies, the

coaches ran into a bed of sand, into wliich the wheels

sank so deeply that we got out and walked on to the

Pool — which we could not see, but knew to be near

from the hoarse chorus of croaking frogs which rose

dismally from the little marsh. By this time I was

delirious, and had to be lifted out of the coach in

which I had been riding for fourteen hours, and a

bed was made for me on the sand under a calico screen, which was the nearest approach

we had to a tent. The night was growing stormier — the prelude, as it seemed, of a severe

thunderstorm. A fire was lighted, and a pretext made of supper, but it was a ghastly

mockery; we were all too dispirited to eat, and my condition had now become the subject

of the gravest anxiety. A general consultation was held. It was evident to all that I

could not go on to the end of the journey; for none of us possessed any medical knowledge

AI-TER THE "EMU."

28o

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRA fJA.

A CHAKLOAL UtRNEKS HL'Ml'V.

or skill, and could not even tell^ how far my life mi},'ht be in danf!:er out there in the
wilderness without the commonest means of relief or even protection from the sun, which
to-morrow would rise as pitilessly as ever. All that could be done for me was to bathe
my head with vinej^ar and water, and use a fan to try and abate my feverish temperature,

and induce me to sleep.
At last I dropped into a
restless slumber. In my
waking moments I could
hear the members of the
party discussing the
sitiKitioii it) liusliLxl tones,
and the scraps of infor-
mation that reached me
gave but little comfort.
Thf subject of tlicir
whisperings included the
discussion of the best
means of conveying me
to the coast. ISut how was I to face such a long, toilsome ride. I was so feeble tliat
they feared that I might die on the road. It was five days' journey to Roebourne, and
five days in a coach, driven over even smooth, well-made roads, in a temperate climate,
might be considered to be a hazardous ordeal for a sick man, but what was such a trip
compared with traversing the bush tracks, the unbridged rivers, and the mountains of the
North-West, in the merciless heat, and not a single resting place
on the road. Moreover, supposing that I could undertake the
ride, where were the horses and conveyance to come from ?
There was only one hope — Mr. Look, my former benefactor,
might be able to help, and they unanimously determined to
seek his aid. They agreed that we should start at daybreak
for the Woodstock Hotel, and having arrived at that decision
they, one by one, fell asleep.

The dull hours of the threatening night passed slowly away.
Lightning played ; thunder roared ; rain fell. The camp fire
sputtered ; its flickering gleams fitfully revealed the dismal t)iit-
line of the Pool at tlie foot of the sandhill. The trees around
the edge of the water walled us in, encompassed us with
blackness as dark as our thoughts. In the midst of the keen
sense of desolation, the long, shrill, piercing, melancholy note
of the mopehawk, rose on the ear. Nothing could have been
more weird at such an hour, amid such experiences, in such a place. It was like the
baying of the hounds of death. The bird, which is only heard at night, has a cry that
is far more mournful than the howl of a dingo, and to me, then — worn, overwrought — the
shriek of the bird that night seemed unearthly and appalling. In the tension of the

IN A CL'LLV.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRAIJA.

281

hour it seemed to be a funeral dirge: "No hope, no hope," the mopehawk called, as
clearly as if the words had been spoken by a voice beyond the grave. To show that this

is not an overdrawn pidture, it may be as well to quote
a short extracSt which, strangely enough, was published
about the same date in the Sydney Bulletin. A corres-
pondent, " Danton," wrote: — "Re Professor Morris's
discussion of the origin of Australian words, it often
strikes me while listening to the mopoke, or mopehawk,
or whatever his name ma)' be, that a name, more than
any appropriate with reference to the
sound of its call, and the time, as
well as in association with Marcus
Clarke's interpretation of Australia's
dominant note, would he — ' No hope.'
In moments of mental depression
this bird's call has had a weird
suggesti\eness to me. If Poe had
heard the bird, ' The Raven ' would
hardl)' have been writti'U in its present
form."

The rain passed off, and the
morning was fine, when at four
o'clock we began to put the horses
in. A mounted messenger went on ahead to tell Mr. Look of mj-
illness. Mr. Look was as good as gold. It was Christmas Day, and
the festive miners and teamsters made the house too noisy for an
invalid, so Mr. Look got ready for me a shady placi; under boughs,
where there was a free current of air, and I was able to rest at last in
tolerable comfort. After a conference with Mr. Look, it was decided
that I should be taken back to Roebourne if I gained strength to
enable me to start, travelling as much as possible in the night to

avoid the distressing heat of
the sun. Mr. Look under-
took to find the buggy and

horses, anil to drive himself. .A.s a further
precaution, a young horseman named Ashton
was engaged as an orderly, so that in case of
emergency a doftor could be sent for. Mr.
C.raham Hill returned with me to the coast.
Mr. Look's black boy was also to go as servant
and tracker. The remainder of the partv were
to complete the tour.
We made some attempt at cheeriness over our Christmas dinner, at which .Mr. Osborne's

MK. W. LOOK, OK WOOOSTOCK STATION.

I'lGKONS AT LOOKS.

OUU CHKISTMAS UlNNhU.

282

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

turkey made a noble dish — brown, crisp, luscious,
and done to a turn. It was one of the largest birds
that had ever fallen to a sportsman's gun on the
plains of the North-West. A bottle of champagne
was opened in honour of the day, but, after all, there
was a kind of pall over the feast. It " was the
parting of the ways," and the knowledge had a
depressing influence upon our party. Of minor
troubles Mr. Osborne had had a full share. On
arriving at Woodstock, he was sorely tried on dis-
covering there, among the holiday makers, the man
who had been despatched at an early date to leave
our relays of horses at the various stations. He
had started from Roebourne in plenty of time to
give the teams a rest in the paddock before they
were called upon to do their share of the arduous
task of taking us through to Taiga Taiga. With
his usual foresight and generalship, Mr. Osborne
had marked out a programme for the drover, by
adhering to which the horses could have done their

long journey from the coast by easy stages, and been as

fresh as paint for us when we arrived, but the whole

of the well-concerted plan was broken up by the fond-
ness of the drover for his glass, and the attractions

of the Woodstock Hotel. The man, it transpired, had

rushed his cattle on to get to Woodstock without giving

them time to feed, and had ridden two or three of

them, which were especially good in the saddle, to skin

and bone. On getting to the hotel he had left the

horses to take care of themselves, had lost two of them,

and the remainder were in a very sorry plight. Worse

than all, they were 50 miles short of where they should

have been quietly resting in order to be fit and well

for our journey. The missing horses were, however,

soon recovered by Mr. Look's black boy, and a feed of

corn was given to the weak and weary relays, whose ill-usage told severely on the progress

of the rest of the party, and well nigh made them miss the mail steamer.

LOOK S BOY.

KK TO THK

A.N LAiV SHOT.

Cbaptcr 23.

Back to the Coast.

By Graham Hill.

VERY guest assembled at Woodstock station turned up
to see our friends depart, and the cheers were mingled
with hiccoughs as the cavalcade rolled off. The men
were reluctant to leave the shade of the humpy, and
they hung about Calvert's stretcher for some time
before we could induce them to return to the "hotel."
Meanwhile the patient turned over and over, and
muttered in delirium, and William Look, with a set,
anxious face, re-soaked the towels in the pail of water,
and applied them to the burning head and hands. " Go
with 'em', and keep 'em in order!" Look whispered to
me; "keep 'em out of earshot for Gc^d's sake, or this
man's got to die!" It was a tall order, for, in addition
to the fadl that scarcely half-a-dozen men in the whole
crowd were amenable to reason, they were so genuinely
sorry to find Calvert sick,
that they were determined

to stay with him and cheer him up a bit. Look was in despair.

" See here, boys," he called out, " it's that chap's birthday,

and he's wishful for you all to have a drink with him!" I

took the hint, and started running down the slope towards

the house. The whole "push" followed, and in a few

moments the humpy was cleared of its uninvited callers.
The " hotel," which was built of stone, consisted of

one large flag-paved room, divided into two apartments by

a hessian partition. On one side of the partition the liquor

was stored — on the other side it was consumed by the thirty-
four "born-drunks," who had foregathered from the outlying

mining claims to spend Christinas in congenial society. A

rickety wooden table and half-a-dozen empty whiskey cases, formed the whole of the

furniture, and the wall was decorated with the charcoal inscription, " May the Lord

1 WU t'l A KINL>,

284

MY FOURTH TOUK L\ UESTERN AUSTRALIA.

stiffen the Publican ! " Several of the f^uests had been there a few days, others had only
just arrived, while one little red-headed dif;ger, affet^tionately styled "Tommy," had been

boarding; there for nearly three weeks. His
premature appearance on the festive scene
had been caused by an error of calculation.
" Tommy "' had "gone wide " in his own camp
about the beginning of the month, and the
boys had persuaded him that it was Christmas
Eve. He was missing from his blanket on the
following morning, and towards sundown he
arrived at the local hostelry, where he put up
his " stuff," amounting to several ounces of
coarse gold, and demanded to be supplied with
its equivalent in liquor.
^,^L,^^ " Gentlemen," said " Tommy," solemnly,

as I was ushered into the room, " we will now
call upon 'Ginger' to oblige us with a dance, after which the ' Dook ' will insist on our
having a wine with him."

The little villain had participated in several scrapping matches during his residence at
the Woodstock Hotel, and his entire costume was reduced to a pair of dirty moleskin
breeches, a flannel shirt, which he wore outside his trousers, and a ragged pack of cards,
that he kept handj- on the chance of somebody wanting a little friendly game.

There were loud calls for " Ginger," another red-headed man, who protested in vain
that he was "used up." He was given some liquor to put "powder" into him, and then
three or four pairs of arms tossed him lightly on to the table. An asthmatic flute
commenced to gasp the ghost of the air of an Irish jig, and the red-headed man danced
with a terrific clatter of his hob-nailed boots, finishing with a breakdown that threatened
to smash the table, and roused the company to enthusiasm.

During the course of this entertainment, three more guests arrived. One of them
led a tired-looking horse, another carried a handsome Winchester rifle, and the third was
the proprietor of a saddle and bridle.
They had no money, but an arrange-
ment was speedily effecfted, by which
Look's factotum became the owner
of the strangers' effe(5\s, and the
strangers were credited with fifteen
pounds' worth of liquor. This trans-
action having been satisfactorily
completed, "Ginger" found an oppor-
tunity of forcing a fight on " Tommy,"
who, next to drinking, regarded
fighting as the leading seasonable
luxury. We adjourned to the shady

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

285

side of the house, and after two feeble rounds, " Tommy " returned with his full complement

of self-esteem, and rather less of his flannel shirt.

The fight finished, the manager produced the bottle. The drinking utensils were

varied in shape, size, and design. Tin cups predominated, but cracked china was

also in evidence, and a dissension was caused
by "Tommy," who produced an empty two-
pound fruit-tin, and insisted upon pouring out
his own libation. After this, the latest arrivals
reduced the amount of liquor standing to their
credit, by "shouting" three rounds in quick
succession.

The evening meal was an atrocity, that I do
not care to recall to memory. The old cook — a
white man — and the two gins, who acfted as his
assistants, had been drunk all day, with the result
that half the skinny chops were burnt black, and
the rest were raw. The onions and tinned potatoes
from Singapore, had not been as much as scraped.
Luckily for the cook, nobody troubled about the
food while the liquor held out, and within a few
minutes of the arrival of the dishes they were
cleared away, and we fell a-drinking again. As a
round consisted of thirty-five drinks at a shilling

apiece, and as I was expedled to shout every other round, my efforts during the course

of the evening added considerably to the cost of the trip. Every now and then I managed

to get away and bolt up to the humpy, to see how the patient was progressing. It was

no easy task to escape from the festivities, for my

entertainers harboured suspicions that I should not

return from these excursions to provide them with

more drink, so two or three men attached themselves

to my person with the intention of ensuring my safe

return. Several times during that long evening a shout

would arise of " Let's go and cheer up the Boss!" and

then I had to have recourse to the bottle again, to

divert their attentions. The improvised concert that

occupied the evening, was diversified by several fights,

in one of which I was an unwilling participator, and

but for the knowledge possessed by the crowd that a

dead man stands no drinks, that altercation would

have ended badly for me. But the singing and fighting,

and even the drinking, ended at last, and at a late hour

the crowd coinpiosed itself to rest around the house.
Next morning Calvert was so fa:r recovered that

ON HIS OWN.

GRACE BEFORE TUCKER.

286

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Look declared we would be able to start at sundown, provided always that the patient
could be kept quiet and did not have a relapse. There was a fair sprinklin{;j of black
eyes, but verj- few brif^ht ones among the boys, who came up to inquire after the
" Boss," but Look, who had instituted himself phjsician, general attendant, and head
nurse to Calvert, and had left his business to run itself in the meantime, hustled
them away from the humpy, and I, as chief herdman of this desirable flock, returned
with them.

In and out of the hotel there were motley scenes, and sharp contrasts among the
various types of men, who had congregated to enjoy the Christmas holidays. The North-
West is the gathering ground of adventurous spirits, who do not like the restraining

influences of more civilised
life, or who indulge in the
hope of making a " big
haul" on the Pilbarra
G o 1 d fi e 1 d s , where every
one, short of committing
felony or murder, can be
a law unto himself. The
groups were of different
nationalities, and of all
ages, from twenty-five to
sixty, but all alike in the
red Indian hue of their
bronzed, tanned skins.
Among them were some
who, from the nautical
lurch in their walk, had
evidently been sailors;
there were grizzled pros-
pedtors who had spent
a long, hard life without
unearthing a prize, and
hardy bushmcn who could
ride the roughest horse,
yoke up a savage bullock, or drive a waggon overland from Queensland — men who
knew as little of town life as the black boys who were hanging round until their masters
should have finished their carouse. The Bacchanals were quafling all day long, throwing
the dice for nobblcrs at a shilling a time, shouting, so that each man could be heard
by his neighbour above the din, but their liquor, at a guinea per bottle for whiskey, did
not hurt them overmuch, for they broke the seals themselves, and there was no adulteration.
The tipple was too good for them to quarrel over frequently ; it only made them
maudlin in effusive displajs of friendship. The glasses were no sooner empty than they
were filled again, but the men of the North-West, like their horses, are capable of great

NATIVK TRACKP.K.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

287

SlIAKKSrKAKK.

endurance; the fittest survive in that Vestibule of Hell, while the weaklings depart, or

quickly die. There was one exception, as conspicuous
in that uncouth mob as if he were an albino — a man
of refined features, sitting apart from the revellers on
a bag of chaff in a corner of the verandah, pensively
reading an ancient copy of The Review of Reviews,
which he held between thin, blistered fingers. He was
a new arrival, and posed as a miner, but it was a hard
part for him to play, a great change of life for him
to be delving for four hours at a time in the drive.
What his old life was no one knew ; no one cared —
for he was not disposed to be "Hail fellow, well met"
among his new associates, and I found it impossible
to draw him out. His eye was on the page, but to
judge from his abstracted air, his thoughts — and they
do not appear to be pleasant ones — were far away. It
would have been easy to make some interesting guesses
about his history, of what brought him from a profession
to " hard graft," which he was unfit to do. A modern
prodigal son, maybe, an ill-starred love affair, perhaps
a breach of trust, or love of gambling. But, musing
apart, it was certain that he was one of Rudyard

Kipling's "gentleman rankers," who could say all too sorrowfully: —

"We have done with hope and honour, we are lost to love and truth,
We are dropping down the ladder, rung by rung.
And the measure of our torment is the measure of our youth ;
God help us, for we knew the worst too young.

Our shame is clean repentance for the crime that brought the sentence;
Our pride it is to know no spur of pride.

And the curse of Reuben holds us, till an alien turf uqfolds us,
And we die, and none can tell them where we died."

Sauntering round the hotel, I saw that we were getting farther and farther away from

civilization, for the black children wore no clothes, which had been gradually disappearing.

At Cossack and Roebourne the blacks were as decentlj' clothed as Europeans. The

Sherlock saw them in attire that could not bring a blush to a maiden's cheek, although

the dresses were not a la mode, but at Woodstock, girls,

as well as boys, ran about without even a fig-leaf, or its

Australian equivalent, an apron of paper bark. The little

studies of the nude were as innocent as Eve before the

fall, and had no idea that they looked strange in the eyes

of visitors; they blithely toddled about after their mothers

— sleek young lubras, servants of the hotel — naked, but

not ashamed. If these comely gins had been running wild

with the tribe, they would have been ugly harridans,

brutally ill-treated, creatures of burden instead of shining ^ christma

288

MY FOIKTH TOL'K I.\ WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

with health and good feeding;, producing robust offspring. But there was one woeful sight
among the children, a ruthful exception to the sturdy little imps, who, nearly as round as
dumplings, were running about in every diredtion. Under the eve of the kitchen, lying on
the ground, with no softer couch than the sunburnt turf, was what would have been a half-
caste child if it had not been far more like a living corpse. The eyes of the pitiful mite were
wide open and staring at the sky with a shrinking expression of pain, in which there was a
weird suggestion of age, as though the wee thing, apparent!}- only a few months old, had
gone through three-score 3'ears, or an eternity of suffering. The little bones were so
destitute of flesh that every rib was as iil:iinly outlined as if it had been pared clean by the

dissedting knife of a surgeon ; the knee
caps, the shoulder joints, were nodules of
bone, nothing but bone. The child was
so fragile that I was afraid to lift it lest
it fell to pieces in mj- grasp. .And all
the while, in the burning sun, the teeth
champed convulsively, the lips opened
and shut with gasps of pain, and the
skin was neither black, nor brown, nor
yellow, but livid with a leaden, purple
hue, as though the work of putrefadlion
had already begun in what, but for a faint
spark of life, should have been consigned
to mother earth, thankful that the tortured
life was at last at rest. While I was
compassionately looking upon this spectre
babe, which had not strength enough to
gi\e vent to its anguish with a cry, the
mother came out of the kitchen, cast a
reproachful glance at me, took up her
dying child tenderly in her arms, and
pressed it gentl}- to her breast. Nothing
could have been more affecfting ; it brought
a choking to the throat, and a desire to
be alone so that no one could see the mist
that gathered in the eyes. Tliat puny creature had never known a moment's health since
its birth, and Look told me that, although it was two years old, it did nut weigh five pounds.
For two years it had been dying, but the watchful care of the devoted mother had, with
mistaken kindness, just kept the feeble spark of life from going out. If she had neglected it
for only a few hours it would have died, but she would leave her work, stay awake at night,
or stir at its slightest moan to give it the one or two drops of nourishment which, taken
very often, was sufficient to keep it from the grave and a merciful release.

It seemed to us that day that the sun would never set, but late in the afternoon, Bobby,
Look's black boy, came to announce that tlic horses were in the i)uggv, and to ask what

SKARCIIING FOR A "COLOUR."

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

289

we would want for the journey. The revellers applauded mightily when we appeared half
supporting, half carrying Calvert to the house, and the cheers were again mingled with
shouts and hiccoughs, for the drink was running short at Woodstock, and each man had
been trying to get his full share before the last bottle was emptied. While Look was
hunting around in the house, in the hope of finding some provision, the more energetic
spirits commenced unharnessing the horses. Bob fought valiantly to keep off the intruders,
and Look, hurrying out, saw that we must make a dash for it. Leaping into the seat, he
snatched up the reins, calling on Calvert and myself to follow. He might have saved
himself the trouble, for the next moment we were seized by capable hands, and flung
bodily into the buggy. A few lusty slashes with the whip — and a kick in the face to a man
who had repented already his share in helping us into the vehicle, and was trying to get us
out again — and our horses leapt off at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, towards the coast.
When we left Woodstock station we had no spare horses, but Ted Ashton, who was to
overtake us at Look's Pool
that night, was to bring
two more saddle horses,
and for our changes we
depended upon picking up
on the road such animals
as we could get the loan of.
Bob, with commendable
foresight, had stowed a
large loaf of bread, half a
knuckle of ham, a bottle
of pickles, and some tea
and sugar into a sack, and
except for this we had
no stores nearer than Pil-
barra, which was seventy
miles away. We started
off hopefully enough, however, and trusted to our abilit}' to push through quickly: but it was
soon evident that if we wished to get Calvert back to Koebourne alive, we should have
to travel slowly, and principally at night. He was thoroughly exhausted before we had got
two miles from Woodstock, and when we reached Look's Pool he was done up, and had
to be lifted out of the buggy. We had onl\' one rug apiece, and no cushions, so we gave
him the provision sack for a pillow, and a nip of raw whiskey for a nightcap. If we
had been better acquainted with sunstroke, we should have adled with more discretion
in the matter of the whiskey bottle, but as it was, we administered it on every sign of
failing strength and exhaustion. Of course, when we discovered our mistake, we had the
consolation of knowing that if we hadn't given the patient whiskey, he would have had
nothing, but Mr. Meares whistled when I explained to him our course of treatment; and on
our return to Roebourne, Dr. Hicks, who spotted the mistake before we told him of it, used
a quantity of language that he could not ha\e employed before the Committee of the

'• HOUIJ UN, JlNK.s; HEUh S A I'AKCEL tOK LONDON I

290

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Royal College of Physicians. However, he reached the coast alive in spite of our mistaken
attentions, although Dr. Hicks said, by way of peroration, that if he had been a rational
man, he would have died two days out of Woodstock, and got shot of the lot of us.

When we had made Calvert as comfortable as our means permitted, we withdrew
a little way so as to allow him to sleep undisturbed, taking the whiskey bottle with us.
Then we made the terrible discover}' that, in the rush of our departure, both Look and I
had left our pipes behind us. We waited in fear and trembling for the arrival of Ashton,
who rode up soon after 10 o'clock, and saluted us with, " Can either of you chaps lend me
a spare pipe ? I dropped mine coming along, and it was too dark to attempt to find it ! "
I gasped at the awfulness of the news, and Look, in dismay, groaned "Oh, Lord!"
There was a stillness for many seconds before Look rose, and said solemnly, " I'll go,
buy Bob's tube! " But Bob refused to sell, although he did not objedt to lending it to us if
we supplied tobacco for the party. As no better terms could be got we closed with it, and

for three days and nights
Look, .\shton, and I, shared
the pipe with the nigger boy.
When we reached Pilbarra
we marched in a body to
Tom Newland's store, and
invested in three pipes each.
We had made up our minds
not to repeat the experience,
if human forethought could
prevent it.

The stars were twinkling
in an indigo blue sky when
we rolled out of our blankets
between three and four

" COO-EE."

o'clock in the morning, and
commenced our preparations for an early start. Bob's pipe passed from mouth to mouth
as we watered and harnessed up the horses, and as we had omitted to bring any drinking
vessels with us, we had to postpone breakfast until we had collected upon our road
a sufficient number of empty tins to go round.

Probably no man was ever more glad to get away from Look's Pool and its surroundings
than I was, for although Calvert still remained dangerously ill, we were, at least, on the
way to medical help, and I began to see a chance of getting him back to England alive.
For the past few days I had been wondering whether, in the event of his death, I had
better wire the bad news to England, or suppress the fact until I reached home, and
when a man gets into that state of mind even whiskey fails to comfort him.

We hadn't left the Pool an hour behind us when Calvert collapsed again, and we
had eighteen miles to go for water. The drive was done in silence. Occasionally Look
loosed off a few oaths when a horse failed to go up to his collar, and the rest echoed the
sentiment under our breaths. We all kept a roving eye for likely tins, and when Bob

MY FOURTH TOUR IN U'ESTERN AUSTRALIA.

291

slipped off the back of the buggy, or Ashton brought up his horse with a round turn, we
knew that another drinking utensil was added to the store. When we reached the Govern-
ment Wells at mid-day, five two-pound meat-tins of various shapes were solemnly washed
out, filled with water, and placed upon the fire. We had no "billy" in which to prepare
the general brew, so each one boiled his own pot independently of the others. It saved a
lot of altercation as to who should have the last cup.

It was just before we reached this stage of our travels on the journey up, that the
material for illustrating this portion of the tour came very near being altogether lost in the
desert. Hodgson had placed his portfolio — nothing more elegant than an old nosebag —
in the foremost buggy, but was himself riding with Ginx in the second. Frequently the
vehicles were some distance apart — a mile or more — and it was while so travelling that the
artist sighted the nosebag, which had fallen on the track of the first drag. This was
Hodgson's most important "find" in the goldfields, but he was perfectlj- satisfied with
it. After this occurrence

he made it his footstool

by day and his pillow by
night.

The water at the
Government W'ell called
aloud for boiling — indeed
it was so bad that the
horses refused to approach
it until late in the after-
noon, when their parched
throats could hold out no
longer. The stench nearly

drove us away from the

spot, but the shade that

" GOT 'IM !"

was thrown by the built-
up bank had great attractions. We rigged up a fly-sheet with a couple of old sacks, and
laid ourselves down to wait for evening. It was too hot to sleep or to talk, and only Bob
had stomach left for the ham-bone. We brewed quarts of tea in our meat-tins, and swore
gently as each breath of blistering hot wind swept over us. It would be impossible to
describe the discomfort of those hot winds. They were unbearable even to the hands; they
skinned our nostrils and our lips, and dried up the corners of our eyes until it pained us to
close our lids. The sand was so hot that we kept in one position until our limbs were
cramped, and ached as with toothache.

We covered only ten miles that evening, but it was eleven o'clock before we reached
Wadgina, where we found Reginald Hester and a herd of cattle on their way to the coast.
Mr. Hester had a look at our patient — and a very gloomy look it was. "What have you
been giving him?" he asked. "Whiskey, until it ran out." "Not tried rum?" "No."
" Well, that's all I've got, so you'd better try it." So we tried rum, first on the patient, and
then on ourselves. Suddenly Mr. Hester remembered that among the truck in his blanket

\' I

292

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

he had got stowed away a bottle of Dr. Davis's Pain Killer. We leapt at the news, and as
Calvert had no objection to the new treatment, we dosed him with Pain Killer. This
is not an advertisement for a patent medicine, but as sure as we were tired men, the effect
was magical. The head and internal pains seemed to leave him, and he fell asleep. Fifteen
seconds later the rest of the camp were snoring in unison.

In the morning our bodies were covered with black ants as with a pall. They were
quite harmless, but the incessant itching they created was beyond endurance. We stripped
to our skin before the sun got up, and shook our clothes with the vigour of lunatics until
the air was full of black ants and bad language. For breakfast we had more rum. Mr.

Hester was as destitute of tucker as ourselves, and
Pilbarra and a square meal was twenty miles distant.
At Yandiarra, Calvert's condition demanded
another break in the journey. We were all dead
beat, and our patient had suddenly experienced a
craving for tinned pineapple that would not be
satisfied with pickled onions, and water procured
from the bed of the river. Then Ted Ashton did
a deed that should have gained for him the Vidloria
Cross. He volunteered to ride into Pilbarra and
back — a distance of sixteen miles — and bring us
provisions. \\'e nearly cheered ! Some hours later
he returned with a bottle of red wine and one of
whiskey, a tin of pineapple and some tobacco and
cigarette papers. Then we solemnly blessed him,
and vowed that his children's children should never
die of want while we had a shilling to contribute to
their support. He accepted our praises and promises
— together with his share of the whiskey and
tobacco — with noble modesty, and Bobby eyed the
pineapple as though he would willingly have suffered
sunstroke for the privilege of licking out the tin.

It was late when we reached Pilbarra, but what a
welcome was awaiting us. Messrs. Walsh and Laffer
had ridden over the Broken Ridge to meet us, and Mr.
Brown was putting the finishing touches to the table
when we arrived. A stretcher had been got ready for Calvert, who was only too thankful
to rest his weary limbs after the jolting of the bugg)-. Look, Ashton and I made
our way down to the site of the battery that is erected on Pilbarra Creek. There we
stripped, and with the assistance of an elevated cistern, and half-a-dozen yards of rubber
tubing, we treated one another to an excellent sloosh bath. We had learnt of this luxury
on the way up. The moon threw a bluish-white light on the spot as we stood dripping
wet, waiting our turn with the towel, and our bodies shone like the bodies of lepers,
only ours were not so white.

JOLLY !

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

293

Supper followed — the first square meal we had eaten for four days! That supper was
the record meal of my life.

After supper Tom Newland came over from the Pilbarra Hotel, and he was a ministering
angel to us. As soon as he had ascertained the condition of affairs he went away, returning
presently with a long bamboo chair, some cushions, and a bottle of champagne. With the
help of these we got our patient comfortablj' fixed for the night. From that time till
the following evening Newland constituted himself cook to the hospital department. In
the morning he sent over a boiled chicken, with greens from his own patch of garden ;
he produced a custard made with eggs from his own fowl-house, and milk from his own
cow, and a bottle of port on which new dust took the place of ancient crust. Nobody could
have received more kindness than was shown us at Pilbarra, and I am confident that it was
solely due to the break
we made there that we
brought Calvert safely
back to Roebourne.

We camped at
Egina the following
night, and
although
Calvert was
for pushing
on till sun-up,
wisercounsels
prevailed.
The horses
were da ily
weake n i n g
from insuffi-
cient food,
and although
we had bor-
rowed some
fresh animals

A MINERS HKEAM OF HOME.

at Pilbarra,

we still had the stale cattle with us. At Mallina we might get some compressed fodder, but
we might not, and we were still many miles from the Sherlock Station, where a supply
of this commodity was awaiting us. Calvert continued to rally, and the ne.xt morning's
stage to Millindinna was accomplished with less difficulty, but the monotony of the journey
became very trying. Each day was but a repetition of the last — up before moon-set,
travel till noon ; several hours of inaction through the hottest period of the day, and then
another long stage far into the night. To us who had our health, and could ride or
walk by turns, and find relief in the work entailed by the horses and the business
of shifting our camp, the sameness was irksome to a degree; but to Calvert, lying sick

294

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

and comfortless on the boards of the bujjgy, and having to be lifted in and out of it when
we stopped and started, the journey must have been a few shades worse than Purgatory.

The fourteen miles from Millindinna to Mallina seemed the longest stage of all. The
horses were fairly buckled up, and required all the persuasion of whip and spur to get them
out ot a walk. The shifting moonlight exaggerated the height of the withered trees, and
the depths of the empty creeks and gullies; the crj' of the mopehawk set up a jumpy
sensation in our nerves, and when on two occasions Look pointed out the little

wooden cross that marked the last
resting-place of an unfortunate pioneer,
the escort closed in around the buggy
and demanded drink. One incident of
that night's stage lives in my memory.
At the last well before Mallina was
reached we stopped to water the horses.
The high wooden palisade around the
well was black, and I thought it had
been painted to pre\ent decay, but as
I climbed the lower rails and threw
m\- leg over the top bar, the paint
peeled off as if b\' magic. The black
veneer was composed of a solid mass
of cockroaches, who scuttled into
hiding when disturbed. The feel of the
beastl)- things under my hands and
quarters, and the sound of their m\riad
feet scampering over the wood nearly
caused me to yell out and topple off my
perch. It took me the space of several
long breaths before I could jump down
inside the rails and get to work on the
windlass.

The Mallina Hotel was in darkness
when we arrived, but we soon hunted
up Mr. Glyn, who led the way to the
bar. It ma}- sound like a fairy tale,
but it is none the less true, that in the
water-boat we discovered two bottles of
champagne. How they came to be put there, or why they had been left there, I cannot
say, but we speedily loosened the corks, and I am prepared to swear that they contained
the best wine I ever drank. It is somewhat humiliating that my most vivid recollections of
the North-West are of a square meal, a tall drink, and a black boy's pipe, but I humbly
confess that these three items fill the completest part in my memory. Before we turned in
at two o'clock in the morning we learned from Mr. Glyn that Mr. W'ithnell had been there

A MALLINA KKLLE.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

295

during the previous day, and had brouf^ht very bad news of Httle Leonard, whom we now
heard for the first time was suffering from typhoid fever. We had intended, for the sake of
the horses as well as our own, to spend the following day at Mallina, but this sad intelligence
caused us to alter our arrangements, and three hours later we were again on the road.

We had borrowed a couple of fairly fresh horses at Mallina, leaving our worst pair in
their place, and with these we covered the ground in tolerable style. Two bush belles,
whom our artist had sketched on the way up, were hanging around the Mallina Hotel in the
morning to see us depart, and as they so faithfully illustrate Mr. Brunton Stephens' lines,
" To a Black Gin," I make no apology for introducing
them here : —

Thou art not beautiful, I tell thee plainly,

Oh! thou ungainliest of things ungainly;

Who thinks thee less than hideous dotes insanely.

Yet thou my sister art, the clergy tell me ;

Though, truth to state, thy brutish looks compel me

To hope these parsons merely want to sell me.

Eve's daughter ! with that skull and that complexion '

"What principle of " Natural Selection "

Gave thee with Eve the most remote connection ?

Sister of L. E. L , of Mrs. Stowe, too!

Of E. B. Browning ! Harriet Martineau, too !
Do theologians know where fibbers go to?

Of dear George Eliot, whom I worship daily !
Of Charlotte Bronte ! and Joanna Baillie ! —
Methinks that theory is rather "scaly."

We made a real discovery before we reached
Whim Creek, or rather I may claim that I alone
made the discovery, and should have the whole
credit for it. The timber of the North-West is for
the most part of a weak and unresisting nature,
which renders it dangerous to lean against, or to
tie a sheep to. I would have contended that there
was not a tree between Mallina and Whim Creek
that I could not have knocked down with a hcav\-
blow, but I discovered one stubborn customer that
was proof against this treatment. We had been

cantering leisurely along, driving the spare horses another.

before us, and one old screw finding himself

unnoticed, had strayed away in a northerl\- direction. I caught sight of him as he
was disappearing into a little clump of bushes on the extreme right, and wheeling round
and digging in my heels, I galloped off after him. But although I started tirst in pursuit,
it was Bobby who captured the straggler, for a bough of a tree, which I was not quick
enough to avoid, caught me smartly under the chin, and scraped me out of the saddle. It
was full daylight at the time, and nobody else noticed anything wrong with the firmament,
but I saw more stars in the next thirty seconds than an ordinary intoxicated man could see
on the most brilliant Australian night.

296

MY FOURTH TOUR IS W ESTERS AUSTRALIA.

THE WELL ON THE ROAD TO MALLINA.

At Brown's Mount, where we had delighted the heart of the old shepherd and his wife

with a gift of tobacco on the way up, we had to leave one of our horses— he was too far

gone to crawl. All that afternoon we
pressed on, until even Bobbie looked
as if he had had enough of it. The
perspiration flowed off us in streams,
and the horses were in a bath of lather.
Every mile or so we had to call a halt
and change them, giving each in turn
a spell in the shafts. We crossed the
sandy bed of the Little Sherlock with
difficulty, but at the Great Sherlock our
hearts nearly misgave us. We had a
rest on the bank, and then all walking
and leading the horses, we staggered
foot by foot through the deep holding

sand to the opposite bank. I don't know how wide that sham river is, but it seemed to us

about forty miles across. At every pace the sand grew deeper ; the horses, with bloodshot

eyes and quivering flanks, breathed in short gusts, and made the only sound that broke the

silence. The big, red sun was perched on the horizon, and a wraith of a moon rose on

the other side of the scene, and wooden-looking crickets, about as large as tobacco

pouches, flew to and fro across our path. Sometimes they flew into our faces, and the

blow stung like the lash of a whip.

On the far side of the Great Sherlock, our troubles culminated. The bank rises steeply

but of a bed of sand, and there we stuck. The horses strained until they were ready to drop,

but the wheels refused to move, and the metal shoes kicked sparks out of the dust, as they

slipped on the bank. Then,

dog tired, and strained to

breaking pitch, the horses

refused to struggle. Bill

Look, who had been

coaxing them with all the

endearing phrases he could

remember, then adopted

different tactics. " Swish,

swish," screamed the

heavy whip; "bang, bang,"

came the deep chested

oaths, for Look had lost all

patience. Ashton and I

went to the horses' heads

and pulled, Bobbie sweated at the near hind wheel, while Look stood on the off side

with a two-handed grasp of the whip, and rained down a profusion of cuts and oaths, such

CHILDLIKK AND BLAND.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

297

as I have never known to be equalled in point and vehemence. Under this treatment the
horses renewed their efforts, and by slow and tortuous stafjes, the buf^gy creaked, jolted,

lurched forward, and finally reached the brow of the bank.
During the whole of this operation, Look's eloquence continued,
and Bobby, from the hind wheel, looked up in open-eyed
admiration of his master's prowess. Bobby's experience of
swear words was as extensive, if not as varied as my own, and
I confidently assert that I have never listened to anything that
approached Look's effort. When at length the buggy was
safely landed on level ground. Look's anger disappeared, and
he groomed down the horses in a rough and ready fashion
with a sack.

A smell of stale smoke that follows a fire assailed us as
we neared Sherlock Station, and made us apprehensive lest
the homestead had been burnt down since our last visit.
Urging the horses forward at a brisker pace, we were relieved
when a turn in the track brought the house to view, but
some hundred yards away we saw the burnt-out carcase of
the harness house, in which the whole of our compressed fodder
had been stored. The evidence of our eyes was soon afterwards
confirmed by Mr. Mears himself, who told us that the fire had
taken place on the previous evening, and that not a single pound
of feed had been spared. We glanced miserably from our worn-
out animals — not one of which was worth a crown a leg,
unless a square meal could be put into them — to Mr. Mears, and
that most hospitable of Scotchmen was
equal to the occasion. He offered to har-
ness a pair of his cracks in the morning
and rattle us into Roebourne as quickly as
possible. It was at Sherlock Station that
Calvert obtained the first medicine since his seizure. After a bowl
of milk and a cooling potion he got a comfortable night's rest.

News of Leonard's condition was far from reassuring. Mr. Mears
had seen Dr. Hicks the day before, and learned
that the lad was seriously ill. He would not be ■
out of danger for several days. As soon as it

was light a stock rider was despatched to the further paddock
to catch and bring back the promised horses, and shortly afterwards
we set out on our last stage. We left Bobbie at the Sherlock to
follow on as soon as one of the horses was sufficiently recovered to
carry him, and Ashton and I mounted on the back of the buggy.
The run in was uneventful, and at midday we were standing in
the verandah of Mr. Roe's house, listening to the Doctor's story of Leonard's illness.

PADEREWSKI.

298

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Leonard was, indeed, in a critical condition, and he was watched day and night by
Mr. Koe, Dr. Hicks, the doctor's man from the hospital, and a female nurse- The little
chap recognised his brother at intervals, but only for brief moments before relapsing into
unconsciousness. It was pitiful to watch Calvert's agony as he realized his own inability
to relieve the lad's sufferings, and it made the situation doubly hard when Dr. Hicks
declared that he must return south immediately, and get eastward or westward out of
the Colony with all speed. There was no appeal against the decision. " If you stay here,
you'll die, as sure as the devil's in Roebourne," he said ; adding, " You will probably die
as it is, but you needn't stay here to do it !"

All that night we listened to the moans from the sick room, and heard the doctor's

ON THE SHERLOCK STATION.

footsteps as he passed to and from his house opposite. In the morning Leonard was better
— so far as a typhoid patient could be better before the crucial stage was passed — and at
eight o'clock the following day we were on board the Sultan, steaming southward. One
week later (January nth, 1896), at Albany, at eight o'clock in the morning, we received
telegrams from Mr. Roe and Dr. Hicks, bringing us the sad news that the soul of Leonard

Calvert had gone —

"To the island-valley of Avilion ;
Where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow,
Nor ever wind blows loudly "

During the following three weeks Calvert and I visited Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney,
and on February 3rd we touched again at Alban\- to pick up the rest of our party, and
re-embark on our homeward voyage.

THE SUN HAS SET, AND VET IT IS NOT NIGHT.

Chapter 24.

Into the Mountainous Districts — An Abandoned Load — Arrival at Tambourah Creek —

"A Well-watered Country" — Vide Government Reports — At Western

Shaw — Mr. George Withnell's Hospitality — The

Native Labour Conditions.

Bv S. H. Whittaker.

'T four o'clock we had to take leave of Mr. Calvert and Mr. Graham Hill,
in order that we might make Tambourah Creek that night. Mr.
Calvert, whose rest had slightly revived him, was able to give some
instrucftions to Mr. Brenton Symons, mining engineer and geologist,
in order that the best might be done in the absence of our leader,
whom, with many expressions of regret, we then left lying on his
couch under the branches. Mr. Calvert sat up to wave us "farewell,"
and Mr. Hill stood in the middle of the track, and watched us with a
wistful gaze until a bend in the road hid him from view. The road from
Woodstock to the Creek traverses very hilly country. It follows a valley
^^ wherever one is to be found, but more often the horses were climbing at a snail's
pace or hanging back on their haunches with the breast hard down on precipitous

descents that none but a Colonial driver would attempt, while the passengers held on,

with their feet jammed against the foot-board and hands clutching the backs of the seats.

Some of the cliffs we passed were very

majestic and grotesque freaks of nature.

In one place there is an exaft imitation,

carved in granite half a inii(! long, of

the back and flanks of a camel. The

hump and the hind-quarters are depidlied

in graphic and gigantic portraiture. A

few miles further on there has been

piled up by some tremendous volcanic

convulsion, as strange an example of

equilibrium as the celebrated Leaning

Tower of Pisa. Three boulders, each

about twice as large as one of the ' '"""' '^"'

boilers of an ocean-going steamer, are raised, one on the other, something in the form of a

gigantic cross or " see-saw," the plank of which is delicately balanced by an equal weight at

either end. The first coachman who drove past the impending avalanche, gave the crazy-

300

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERS AUSTRALIA.

seated stones a wide berth, and everyone else does the same; but as they have been standing
for ages they may last a little longer — say as long as the Pyramids of Egypt.

A man has to travel in the North-West to find out that a gold-spurred driver and his
native horses will take wheels and loading anywhere. The great gorge, ten miles out of
Woodstock, is almost enough to stop a pack-horse, yet the tracks show that a waggon has
got through somehow, skidding and crashing up against boulders which were luckily in the
way to check the gathering speed ; the horses slipping, rolling, now nearly on their noses,
now thrown back with a sudden jerk, as the waggon, plunging recklessly across an eight-feet
gully, strikes the opposite bank and is pulled up standing. Well, where a team has gone a
coach can follow ; the passengers get out and the brakes are tied down, and then we make a
fresh start, e.xpeCting every moment to see the waggon stuck in a ciil dc sac, or broken up in
front, as each new turn opens to the view. Mr. Osborne, who has been "at the game"

" THE SISTERS," TALGA TALGA. (Drawn from the top of Granite Rocks).

himself, says that the waggon passed out of the other side of the range all right, but it
confounds the judgment to think so. We follow the wheel marks with a sharpened zest.
There they diverge to avoid a fallen tree, here to skim the side of a yawning chasm, or to
miss a pinch where the team would have had to climb like a cat going up a topmost bough.
Some of the load was taken off, for the ground is scarred and trampled, and still the wheels
crept along the crabbed pass that an engineer would have left the crows and vultures to
cross. To drive a freight team to a new rush in the North-West, a man must be something
of a Salamander, a Conde and a Luxemberg rolled into one. Stay! Just as we are
exchanging notes of admiration about the dauntless driver, we see in the distance a waggon,
horseless, deserted, left on a little flat in a valley beyond the mountains. After all, it looks
as if the iron-hearted pilot has found his courage fail him almost in sight of his destination.
The hundreds of miles of "road," upon which not a penny has been spent, nor a pick
lifted to improve, have worn him down at last. No; the loading is too valuable to have
been deserted; he must have gone in search of water; there is no well about here. No well
within twenty miles ; no water for those wretched horses after their terrible grapple with the

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

301

'^l

AT DEAD BULLOCK CREEK, NOR -WEST.

forces of Nature, with a heavy load beliind them. Sweating, straining, nearly pulling their

hearts out to get the
waggon over the range,
the wretched animals
emerge from the struggle
to be taken out and driven
by their overtasked driver
many miles to the nearest
well. He has to start
before the last rays of
daylight have faded and
left him belated in the
desert, without even stay-
ing to boil his " billy,"
or to snatch a hasty meal.
So much for the water

conservation of the Government. We were to have some experience of these things

ourselves before the night was over.

We entered Tambourah Creek under the light of the stars. An eledlric light like that

of the South Head, Port Jackson, would not be out of place at the mouth of such a devil's

trap. The Creek is at the bottom of a rocky, ragged, tumbled heap of crags and crevasses.

It is what even a North-West man calls " rough," which, in ordinarj- English, means as

wry and shaggy a piece of country as ever threatened the neck of a chamois. Tambourah

Creek is the Koord Cabul Pass of

Western Australia. The gold that has

tempted men to go there, was very

recently discovered by a party of pros-

pe(5lors, who named their find th(^

" World's Fair." The world must ha\e

treated them very hardly, to make them

go and look for fortune in such a pit

of perdition : —

How fearful
And dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low !
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air,
Show scarce so gross as beetles.

Far down in the bed of the Creek
to which we were descending, with the
swaying pole menacing the horses with
a lofty tumble, we could see a few dull
lights, and after scrambling and jolting
our way deviously down the lowest peak of the mountain, we heard voices and a number
of men came forward with hearty greetings. "Come and have some tea." "What
about the horses?" "There's no water here; they'll have to go to the well eight miles

THE WESTERN SHAW.

302

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

away!" This was anything but cheerful news, but there was no help for it. A well
was being sunk at the Creek, but water had not been struck. There was a little drop in
some of the rock holes, but even if our hosts had stretched the laws of hospitality by
offering it to us and going short themselves, the precious store would not have been more
than a quart apiece for all the horses we had brought along from the drunken drover at
Woodstock. It was a nice prospedt for Mr. Osborne's nephew to be scouring such a
countr)- all night with a thirsty mob of horses, looking for water, which ought to have been
provided on the road, if the Public Works Department did its duty. The lad had had a
hard time in the saddle, managing single handed nearly thirty horses in unfenced country,
and just as he wanted a cup of
tea and a blanket, he had to

go careering about the rocky

steeps with a lot of roadsters,

which might break away from

him at any moment in the dark.

The Witlinell Brothers came to the rescue by

proffering the services of their " niggers,"

who knew the road, and who would be able to

keep the stock well in hand. A yell for Jim

and Friday brought up the two black boys,

who had been coiled up asleep in the open.

They came up as alertly as a schoolboy for a

prize, and cheerfully began to round up the

scattered horses, as soon as in broken English

they were made to understand the work in

hand. A white servant would have growled,

or at all events become sullen if he had been

told to saddle up at nine o'clock at night for

a cheerless ride until the small hours, without

getting as much as a "nip" or an extra plug

of tobacco for overtime; but the black slaves

of "way back" in Australia know nothing of overtime, or "a fair day's work." To them

any day is fair, if it passes without the " boss" getting drunk, and cuffing them. In a few

minutes after the natives were told tliat twenty-eight horses were wanted, the full tale was

made up, and the thirsty animals, which had been eagerly sniffing for a drink among the

bends of the Creek, were on the road to the well. As we sat down to supper we heard the

horses, urged by the shouts of Jim and Frida}-, relu(5tantly clattering up the ravine, with

the nephew and Ginx, the second driver, bringing up the rear. If they were not cursing

the Government as they started out on their arduous and untimely errand, they deserve the

guerdon of the good. While we were at tea a horseman rode in from Marble Bar with evil

tidings. A telegraph message had come through to " The Bar," which is the only eled^ric

station in the whole of this part of the North-West, stating tiiat Leonard C"alveit had been

smitten with typhoid fever, but he was said to lie progressing favourably.

'TWO TO ONE ON THE PLAYER I

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

303

At two o'clock in the morning we were roused from our blani<ets by a great noise

of hoofs shaking the ground ; the horses were
returning from the well, and we picked our-
selves up to escape being trampled upon. Jack
and Ginx, who were thoroughly worn out, had
a dismal report. The well was in an out-of-the-
way place, over fearfully rough, hilly country,
and it was nearer twelve than eight miles awaj'.
If there had been any feed for the horses they
would have camped there till daylight, but
the patch was as bare as a sandhill. And this
is the country that, according to the boast of
the Government, is well watered, thanks to
their exertions.

Daylight revealed Tambonrah Creek to
be a cleft between high mountains ; there is
scarcely a yard of level standing room ; walls
of frowning granite rise on every side. There
were about eight tents in the place, a store,
and what would have been a hotel, if the
teamster who was to have brought a Christ-
mas supply of li(]U()r had not stayed with our
peccant drcner at Woodstock, so that there
was nothing but water in the township, and

IJOLLVING STONE.

not too much of that. We went along to
see some of the miners who have pegged
out leases for a couple of miles around the
World's Fair, whose owners — a couple of
Victorians — showed some splendid speci-
mens, quartz "clogged" with gold, in veins
as broad as a threepenny piece. They told
us that they had been remarkably lucky.
On reaching Roebourne they had hardly
enough money to buy their horses and
stores ; if they could not find gold within a
few weeks they intended to work for wages,
but almost the first stone they struck with
a hammer scintillated with the yellow
metal, and they were now on the eve of
selling the reef to a Syndicate, who had
the means to put machinery on the ground.
So far, they had only gone down on the stone a few feet, but it was all showing gold so
freely that the party were sewing it up in bags, and keeping it in their tent for safety.

>^«? jPhwH

: ■^'"^i. ^^w^y ^^^H

l'"i»L^

jr>^ J

SCKNK ON A WORKING MINE.

304

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

FLIES AND FINE ART.

Western Shaw, a reefin}^ field of some importance, derives its name from the Shaw
Kiver. It was a goldfield long before the treasure of the World's Fair was brought to
light. Mr. Osborne kept the first hotel at "The Shaw," which is only seven miles from

Tambourah Creek. From the peak overlooking Western
Shaw, which nestles in a valley surrounded by hills, like
a coot in tall sedges, there is one of the prettiest sights
of the North- West, and when we saw it soon after dawn
it was framed in the setting of an azure sky. "The
Shaw," which originally, like all other rushes, had only
a few gunyahs and tents to represent the township, has
now some of the iron buildings which distinguish the
permanent field from the alluvial rush. It was almost in
a state of famine when we arrived, but the teamster
whose waggon we had seen on the road put in an
appearance later in the day, amid general rejoicings.
The same afternoon, after having inspetfled the mines,
which were being rapidly developed, we started on a
long stage to Withnell's station, and reached it the
following night without seeing any new feature in the
mountainous country. The station lies at the foot of
what is known locallj- as the Black Range, although it
is not the range of that name which figures on the
map. The run, which is one of the oldest in the North-West, is on the Shaw River,
and it is devoted to the raising of sheep and horses. The stone homestead is built on
the edge of a large and permanent pool in the river. Mr. George Withnell, the owner,
gives us the heartiest of welcomes, and has killed the fatted calf to entertain so many
visitors. Chatting after dinner, he tells us a great deal that we are glad to know atbout
his pioneering experiences. On the whole, he says the seasons have been propitious. The
disastrous flood of the Sherlock three years ago, did not extend to the Shaw. Mr.
Withnell's distri<ft at that time enjoyed
beneficent rains, which made feed abun-
dant, without causing a deluge. This
year the summer rains were so long in
coming that Mr. Withnell was in some
suspense as to how the season would
turn out. If the thunderstorms did
not soon appear, the year would be
one of the worst on record. As last
year had been dryer than usual, the
river was unusually low, the pasturage
nearly exhausted, and the stock were
losing flesh. In answer to enquiries, Mr. Withnell went on to explain the details of what
is virtually the slave system of the North-West. The black servant, it is true, enters into

SOAK ON TALGA RIVER.

O
■J

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

305

bondage voluntarily, and affixes " his mark " to the agreement in the presence of a

magistrate, who must be satisfied that the boy or girl is not adting under coercion, but

having signed, the native is not to be distinguished

from a slave. He gets no wages, very little clothing,

and works as long as his master chooses to order.

I am referring now to the blacks who are emplojed

by the teamsters and drovers. On the stations the

aboriginals have what may be called good times,

plenty to eat and little to do ; in faft, there are

always so many of them swarming about a home-
stead, that if the stock raisers did not charitably

remember that they owe something to the original

possessors of the soil, they would not submit to so

large a call upon the rations. The police, under the

dire(5tion of the magisterial " proteftors," have a

good deal to do in chasing runaway servants, and

attempting, without much success, to estrange the

dark-skinned Desdemona from the pale face. A

trooper discovering a liaison is virtuously moved to

carry the girl to the presence of the protector, or

some other justice, but he is on a fool's errand.

She cannot be kept in gaol all her life, and the

moment she is let out of confinement she makes her

way back to the objedt of her affections. There are

far more half-caste children born every year than

full-blooded blacks.

At Withnell's station, the tribe of youngsters

are dressed according to their rank of age and usefulness. The little boys and girls wear

a loin cloth. The older lads who look after the stock are promoted to the dignity of

trousers, while the housemaids and nurses of the establishment are arrayed in the full

glory of the costume that is the pride of a swarthy dasmel's heart. The trusted Abigail

of the mistress of a pastoral property is always gorgeously conspicuous in a flaming red

petticoat, a man's grey woollen shirt, with the tails falling exposed to the knees, and a

light-coloured wideawake, or bushman's hat, ornamented with a cock's feather. This loose

attire, which allows free
play of the little supple
figure, is not at all un-
becoming to a willowy
daughter of the woods.
The combination of
colours harmonises well

THK WH.TK yUAKT. „I.OW, WLHAKUA. ^^, j j ^ ^ ^ ^ ^. ^ |. j ^ ^ ^ ^^

lustrous eyes, besides being artistically correal, if wc are to accept the uniforms of her

GHANA SANG,

Japanese Laundress. Bamboo Creek.

iart ijii t i .i . 1 i)» i u. ' »' ■ fjms m

3o6

MY FOURTH TOUR IS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Majesty's volunteers as models of ^ood taste in the choice of tones. Two damsels
accoutred in the dress of honour had the care of the son and heir of the squire of the
Black Range, and they spoiled the young autocrat with kindness.

The homestead which rejoices in the possession of both a poultrj^ yard and a vegetable
garden (tended by the blacks), is right under the beetling shadow of the Black Range.
The name of the mountain is very appropriate as applied to the ridge, which is as black as
the ace of spades; the lower half is red. The irregular intermingling of the colours has a
curious effect, as if a painter in blackening the crest had spilled an immense pot of paint.
No other simile that I can think of, will so clearly convey an impression of the fantastic
tracery of the black stains which are deeper in one place than another all along the slope,
but which never touch the bottom. This lizzarre pattern of colouring is peculiar to a great
deal of the hill country of the North-West ; it is due to the presence of ironstone of
varying shades of colour, from bronze to the hue of the raven's wing, lying upon a lighter
base of granite of quartz.

A NATIONAL KMBLFM.

Chapter 25.

A Dry Stage — The Inquisitive Emu — Wild Dog Camp — At Nidlagine — The Conglomerate

Formation — A Stroll around its Leases — A Glajice at its Morals — A Dangerous

Ride — Cub Hunting in the North-West — A Native Banquet — Marble

Bar : Its Mines and its Momwiental Government Offices —

"Ho! Ho! Merry Japan!"

By S. H. Whittaker.

ARLY in the morning — after spending the night at the station — we
left for the Nullagine, the longest and dryest stage of our journey;
that is to say, the widest gap without meeting any settlement.
About twenty horses, on whom the heat of the weather and the
hard work had told severely, were left in the paddock to recruit.
The first well on the road is at Flat Top Hill, twenty-eight miles
from Withnell's. God help the waggon horses pulling a load for
twenty-eight miles over these mountains in the blazing sun without
a drink. It is too long a stretch for our team moving at a trot.
Twenty-eight miles of drought at the slow walking pace of a
waggon ; twenty-eight miles, that is a day and-a-half's journey, when the coach passenger,
sitting idly in his seat, applies to his water-bag for a long, deep pull every ten minutes.
Twenty-eight miles, and the exhausted team stuck for an hour or two, perhaps three or
four hours on the road. When the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals becomes
an adtive force in Western Australia, they will be able to amerce the Government in
heavy penalties on evidence that will make the angels weep. In pursuit of gold the
Government are full of alertness, but they give scant attention to the claims of hutnanity.
They can put down railway lines to the Yilgarn Goldfields with the greatest celerity, but
they cannot dig a few wells to
save beasts of burden from
atrocious suffering from tortur-
ing thirst.

The maps eu()liemisticall\'
say that there is a " pool "'
between the Station and the
P'lat Top well. Perhaps this is

- ,, , AI'IKOACHING THE NlLLAuIM

why wells have not been put

down. But what is the use of a so-called pool that is dry in the summer time? We found

the " pool;" it bore ancient signs that "once upon a time," as the fairy-books have it, it had

3o8

MY FOrNTH TOUR IX U'F.STERS AUSTRALIA.

A BIT OF THE BLACK RANGE, NOR -WEST.

held water, probably on a day that every creek was running a banker after a thunderstorm.

The road in front is even worse; for sixty miles it is in a state of nature, without a single

well. The efficient Public Works Department complacently alleges that there are springs

to be found. The
Director of Public
Works ought to sup
at one of them as a
vicarious sacrifice to
impress upon him the
privations travellers have
to endure in a civilized
country under his con-
trol. There are the Emu
Springs, for instance,
which take a lot of

hunting for, and, like Falstaff's reasons, are hardly wtirth the finding. At last, a bit of

damp, foul smelling ground is declared by Mr. Osborne to be the site of the springs. He

pushes through some dank undergrowth, and points to a few pints of muddy water, befouled

with the droppings of ever)- bird and beast that is at large. The spade which the Mayor

brought, on the principle that God helps those who help themselves, is plied, and a slight

trickle of water begins to flow into the hole. The horses press forward, fighting with the

drivers for a mouthful to wet their parched tongues. Onl\' one horse can drink at a time ;

it is half a day's work to water the team.

While we were at Emu Springs, a mother emu, with nine young ones in her wake, came

stalking down the hillside whistling to her brood. She got pretty

close to us before she realised that we were in possession of

the water, whereupon, calling loudly to her chicks, she scuttled

awa)-, closely followed by her offspring. At different times we

saw emus on the road. These birds are the most inquisitive

of God's creations. If a rag is hung on a tent or a buggy pole,

to flutter in the wind, the emu, in its anxiety to find out all

about the obje(5t, will walk up to it, and fall an easy prey to

the ambushed gun. The only occasion on which we got verj'

near to a pair of the birds we were slowly climbing a steep hill.

The emus, seeing the nodding heads of the horses, became

deeply engrossed in the strange sight. They stopped in their

flight, and came towards the leading coach, presenting so

tempting a shot that Mr. Osborne got behind a tree to avail

himself of it, but he had to run back to the leaders, which were

getting into a knot. Even then the emus only walked awa)',

wistfully regarding the cavalcade like a woman examining the

. ' l'OSSIliI,K EAKLV DEVRLOI'MENT IN

new bonnet of her rival. Mr. Osborne started to follow them as the bush.

they were leaving with a tempting, lingering step, but on seeing him in pursuit with a

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

309

gun, they took in the situation at a glance, and with one more hasty look to satisfy their
curiosity, put on a spurt, and their long legs and longer stride, moving with the rapidity of
a paddle wheel, soon carried them out of sight.

After almost vainly struggling to get water at another small spring, and hearing the
doleful account of a teamster as to the drought on the road, we arrived at what is known as
the Wild Dog Camp, about ten miles from the Nullagine. Here there is a well that was
sunk by the owner of an abandoned station. The Camp is the gathering ground of all the
knocked-up horses of the teams travelling between Roebourne and the Nullagine The well
is in the bed of a creek where there is both feed and water, so that in a dry summer like
that of last year, when the teams, owing to heavy pulling and spinifex, to say nothing of an
insufficiency of water, get very low, the spot becomes the rendezvous of fully a hundred
equine wrecks which must rest or die. They are in the care of men who make it their
business to take charge of the disabled slaves, and to see that they are watered by blacks
whom they employ for the
purpose. We got to the well
just as the horses were cluster-
ing round it for their mid-day
drink. It is pleasing to relate,
as an evidence that even in the
remote interior, and among
some of the roughest diamonds
who find their way there, kindly
adtions are done, that our thirsty
team was given the first of the
water that was drawn. The
overseers have very little to do,
and spend most of their time
turkey shooting, to vary both
the monotony of their lives and
the bill of fare. While we were
lunching, a shot was fired, and
in a few minutes one of the stockmrn rode up with a turkey strapped to the pommel of
his saddle. From him we heard of the exceptional dryness of the season on the Coongan
route to Marble Bar from Port Hedland. Of the famine on the Roebourne route we were
painfully aware from our own observation. It appeared that the teamsters had decided
that they could no longer get their freight through without carrying fodder, and therefore,
they were proposing to nearly double their tariff. This had caus'^d the storekeepers to
shorten their orders, so that, if rain did not fall soon, supplies would get very scarce and
dear at the Nullagine, and the transport of machinery would be delayed.

Being anxious to reach a good camping place before nightfall, where Mitchell grass
grew plentifully, we only stayed a couple of hours at Wild Dog Camp, as the horses could
get a drink a little further on by going a bit off the road. The way out of the camp served
to show the strength of an Australian coach, which can be hauled over boulders and drop off

SOLITUDE IN NUGGET-LAND. A I'ATENT ORV-BLOWER.

3IO

MY FOURTH TOUR I\ U'RSTRRX AUSTRAIJA.

them two or three feet without straining a bolt or cracking a spring. No one except a
gold seeker would have tried to get through these mountain passes on wheels. A passenger
has to get out so often that he arrives at his journey's end in excellent pedestrian form, with
all the advantages of an athlete training in a Turkish bath, to reduce weight and improve the
wind. The Mitchell grass was so grateful to the horses that there was no need to hobble
them to keep them together. All round the little patch of grass the spinifex grew so high
on the rich fertile banks of a winding creek, that some of us were tempted to try a bed of the
wiry vegetation, which is as elastic as a spring mattress. The spinifex would have been a
great success as a couch had not some of the prickly spears, piercing the single blanket and
some flesh besides, caused sudden uprisings in the night, the striking of a light, and the

careful extratlion, with thumb and
forefinger, of the barb. In the morning,
after travelling some distance further
through the hills, we got into the
N'ullaginc, and found the battery of the
mine going, although it was Sunday.
They don't take much account of the
days of the week in the interior of the
North-West ; perhaps they did not even
know that it was Sunday. At any rate,
it is safe to predicft that it will be a
very long time before a clerical shepherd
goes there in search of the stray sheep
of the human fold. Roebourne, three
hundred miles away, is the nearest
place where the sound of the church-
going bell, or the calling of sinners to
repentance, distinguishes what ought to
be the day of rest, from the other six
days of the week. The Nullagine
Camp — it would be too grandiloquent
to call it a township — takes its name
from the storm channel that is called a river, on whose banks the ininers' tents and an
iron hotel and a store are set up. But the rich reefs and conglomerate formation of the
Nullagine, which is only in the first stage of being opened up, are sure to make it an
important centre, which it would have been years ago if machinery had been obtainable.
It is only within the last few months that Messrs. Osborne and Co. managed t<i bring from
Marble Har the five-head battery, which is the only plant on the field, although several other
leaseholders are actively endeavouring to follow suit. The teamsters are loaded up with
several engines and batteries, but the condition of the roads, added to the scarcity of feed
and water, has caused the delivery of the freight to be very slow. We were treated like
princes at this, the headquarters of our chaperone, the Mayor of Roebourne. The primitive
resources of the camp had been reinforced in every possible way, to mark the miners'

A MINER— Nl'LLAGINE.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

appreciation of Mr. Calvert's spirited enterprise in organising the trip, and our friends were
visibly disappointed when they saw from a distance, as we were driving up to the river, that
he was not in his accustomed place on the box seat. On learning that our chief had been
invalided on the way, there were many of the keenest expressions of regret, together with
anxious hopes that he would be speedily convalescent, and carry out his visit to the
Nullagine. The camp there is wonderfully neat and well devised. The tents have a
roof of boughs above the canvas, raised sufficiently high to allow a cool draught to circulate
between the two coverings. The sides, too, are laced with saplings, so that the ventilation
is very thorough and agreeable. A hospital could not have been kept more scrupulously
neat and clean. The stretchers were covered with snow-
white counterpanes, for plenty of pure soft water is to be
got by sinking a little wa\- into the river bed, and our friends
are fond of using it for washing purposes. A great deal is
thrown on the ground in and around the tent, to keep down
the temperature. The hot wind, striking the damp surfaces^
becomes a refreshing zephyr, in the same way that the
bather finds the wind blow very keenly upon his wet skin
while drying himself in the open air. The result of all this
attention being given to health and comfort is that the
camp is kept in a very sanitary condition, and sickness is
almost unknown. If the place had been looked after by the
most precise of wives, it could not have been more trimU'
garnished, but, unfortunately, every one of our friends,
without an exception, had had to leave his wife behind him
in civilization when he went to make his fortune at the
Nullagine. There is not a white woman nearer than Marble
Bar. Native women are very numerous, but the police try
to keep them at a distance. When the troopers are called
away on long rides to other mining camps, the natives
swarm into the Nullagine, but disappear before the men in
the blue uniform return home. One of the mounted police
told me that there is a kind of bush telegraphy in vogue
among the blacks, which enables them to inform all their companions, perhaps fifty miles
apart, of his movements, so that they are able to give him a wide berth.

The leasehold acquired by Messrs. Osborne and Co. is about three-quarters of a mile
from the " river," and consists of mountains of conglomerate. This kind of formation is not
found anywhere else in the North-\N'est. So far, it has proved well worth working, in spite
of the smallness of the battery and the heavy outlay involved in setting it up so far beyond
the seaboard, the cartage having cost more than the machinery, for which, of course, the
owners, who are developing the producing resources of the Colony, are very grateful to the
Government for the attention and expenditure they have bestowed on the roads, of which a
pack-horse, a goat, or a mule might not complain. So far, the conglomerate has yielded
from an ounce to two ounces to the ton, which is very payable, as the stuff can be taken out

"GIliKM BACCA.

312

.\/r FOURTH TOUR /.V WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

MR. T. WALTERS, NULLAGINE.

easily from the face in any quantity. For the benefit of non-mining readers, it may be as

well to state that conglomerate consists of gravel of various kinds of gold-bearing stone

stuck together like almonds in molasses. There is no
trouble in looking for a lead or reef in strata of this
description. The hills around the NuUagine consist of
nothing else, although it remains to be seen whether
they all carry payable gold. We went out to see the
one that Messrs. Osborne and Co. have cut into.
Nothing could be more simple than the way the work
was being done. A slice was taken off the crown of
the hill and everything that the sho%'el removed was
put through the battery. \Mien the conglomerate is
e.xhausted there will be no hills at the Nullagine, but
that will not be in our time, no matter how long we
may live. But the pith of this description, from the
point of view of the mining investor, is that the mining
of this kind is very economical. Perhaps a miner
might disdain to call it mining ; it is much like
ordinary navvies' work, such as is done in the making
of every railway. There is no timbering, no hoisting
of the stone, nor scope for the exercise of mining
skill and experience, as to the best place to put shafts

or drives. The Nullagine has every prosped^ of becoming celebrated as a diamond as well

as a goldfield, for as soon as the battery was started, precious gems, which the stampers had

not smashed fine enough to allow them to escape with the tailings, were found in the boxes.

Diamonds have also been picked out of the conglomerate, and experts have declared the

stones to be of a very superior

quality. Some of the larger stones,

which are of great lustre, have been

forwarded to Mr. Calvert.

We had a very interesting visit

to the workings, and experienced the

truth of the proverb that "seeing

is believing." On all sides, as we

strolled up the valley, we could see

that the Nullagine had been a most

popular rush. The ground, over a

wide extent of country, had been

put through the dry-blower, but only

to the two feet depth of the surface

of chocolate loam; reefing is now the

resource of the district. At the face, Mr. Osborne and his partners invited us to try a

" prospedl " for ourselves. Mr. Brenton Symons, the expert of our party, knocked out.

I'lNNfK IS CAMP.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

3^3

MK. WITHNKI.l,,

with a pick, a piece of the conglomerate from the sohd mass, choosing his own spot for

the blow. The sample was dollied, or broken up and washed, but before the water was

applied, coarse gold could be seen in the sample. When
the washing had been done there was a surprisingly
good " show " in the dish. The glistening grains made
a semi-circle of gold, full}- an eighth of an inch thick, all
round the pan. Mr. Symons seemed to have "struck it
lucky." Surely, we thought, that "prospe(5l " could not
be an average sample of the conglomerate. We were
invited to try again. Another of the visitors took a gad
and broke out a specimen from a different part of the
face. The yellow rim in the dish was as thick as it had
been before. Two more trials were made, and enough
gold was obtained to gladden the heart of a miner, but
the yield was not equal to the previous washings. But,
by this time it had been proved that there was gold
through the face, for our pickings had speckled it freely.
Mr. Osborne declared — but it hardly needed the skill of

a mining engineer to demonstrate the fadt — that if the formation

was anything like as good all over the hill, it would pay sensa-
tional dividends. Messrs. Osborne and Co. were candid enough

to say that they did not think that the same remarkable per-
centage of gold would be obtained from the entire bulk of the

conglomerate, but they added that something less than tliat

average would pay handsomely for the crushing, and no one

could gainsay that. But before we left the distri(5t, we had

other evidence of the value of the leasehold. While we were

at Marble Bar, a horseman rode over there from the NuUagine

with a bar of gold, the proceeds of the month's work of the

battery, which, as I have said before, is only a small one of

five-head of stampers. The courier produced to Mr. Osborne

82 ounces of gold, the yield of 50 tons of the conglomerate.

Mr. Osborne carried the gold with him into Roebourne and

deposited it at the Union Bank there as soon as we arrived.

The battery, insufficient in power as it is, has been doing

splendid work in showing the capabilities of the Nullagine.

The owners are so anxious to prove the resources of the distridt,

that although it would be far more profitable for them to crush

their own stone even if the battery had five-fold its power,

they undertake to put through parcels for their brother lease-
holders. These have been so well satisfied with the results

which they have obtained, that the Nullagine at the date of

our visit was on the eve of a big step forward, and by the time these lines appear

JACK BEEI>. COOK ON MR. WITHNELL S
STATION.

MY rOVRTII TOUR I.\ WESTER.X AUSTRALIA.

in print, several batteries, each of them much larger than Messrs. Osborne and Co.'s
unpretending pioneer, will be adding to the gold export of Western Australia. On returning
from inspecting the different workings, all of which were most hopefully regarded by Mr.
Brenton Symons, on account of the peculiar combination of gold-bearing ores which is
to be found in the hills of the Nullagine, we had a delicious bath at the police camp, the
officer in charge of which gave us carte blanche to use as much water as we liked, despite
the fact that everj- drop of the shower — that we could hardly forbear to let run for an
inordinately long time — had to be carried from the spring in the river, from which the
battery is fed. If the reader should reproach us with greed, or of abusing the laws of
hospitality, I shall meekly bow to the censure, if the censor will travel in the North-West
and find it in his heart to turn the tap off quickly. If he can do that, he is the stuff of
whom martyrs are made, as the late Sir Hcnr\- Parkes wrote of himself once when he indited
his book to describe what he had suffered, when he was fighting the cause of the people.

ON MK. WITHSr.l.L S SMKM' STATU^N.

The number of half-caste children to be seen at tiic Nullagine shows that the moral
law is not much respedted, although the miners do not openly live in concubinage with the
native women. The indulgence which the men of the tribe extend towards the adultery of
the- women with Europeans, is responsible to some extent for the free admixture of white
blood in the rising generation. The birth of a half-caste child seems to be regarded as
something in the light of an honour done to the family. The present of a plug of tobacco,
or a glass of ale, is, we are assured, sufficient to induce a black to connive at, if not
conspire to bring about the infidelity of his wife, if a white is the tempter, but unchastity
with one of colour is often the cause of bloodshed, and of the infliction of punishment on
both of the guilty pair, under the sanction of tribal laws. To give alcoholic liquor is a
serious offence against the statute, and there have been many convictions, but unless the
aboriginals turn Queen's evidence, it is very difficult to sheet home the charge. It is

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

315

fSwi^J^feJ/:^^-^ ^^

ON MR. nROCKMAN S SHEEP STATION.

noticeable that the half-caste children are of much stronger physique than the full-
blooded blacks, notwithstanding that consanguinity is forbidden by the tribes, who make
matches in a very methodical manner,
according to the lines of the genealogical
tree. The wayward impulse of love is
frowned out of existence under the per-
suasive influence of a club. The young
brave looking for a wife cannot choose for
himself. His fiancee was apportioned him
when he was in his cradle, the girl child
being selected from the most remote of the
four tribes with which his people intermarry.
The remote relationship of every fourth
generation is as far as the tribes can get from
the evils of degeneracy of blood, as they
would find their enemies outside this radius.
It does not appear from the observation of

such old residents as Mr. Withnell that there is any marriage ceremony, the nuptial knot
being tied by the simple act of the swain taking possession of his allotted bride, but
unchastity is treated as a heinous offence, so long as the gay Lothario is not a paleface. In
treating the man as the tempter, and awarding him the most serious punishment, the blacks
perhaps set an excellent example to the civilised races. The adulterer, Mr. Withnell saj-s,
has the whole tribe against him, and he has to submit to being speared by the aggrieved
husband, without attempting to defend himself, or making reprisals. The severity of the
wound depends upon the magnanimity of the head of the household whose domestic peace
has been wrecked. Thus the spear may be used to merely prick the skin, to inflict a trifling
puncture, or it may be driven savagely into a fleshy but not vital spot, disabling the sufferer
for a long time, and perhaps leaving iiini with a limp or stiffness for life.

After spending more than a day at the Niiliagine, we started for Marble Bar, accom-
panied by Mr. Osborne's partner and a friend, who drove their own pair. As it was reported
that the water in the next well " up the road " was putrid, owing to a kangaroo having

been drowned in

it, we borrowed a

black boy to show

usa"soak," which

could be reached

b)' striking across

country. The lad,

li luli ng li i in self

among strangers,

was visibly unhappv, and sat like an image of Silence cut in ebony, from whom no sign of

life except an occasional " chuck '" of a black finger to point the way. At supper he was as

cowed as a caged hare, wrapped in a moody reverie, and seemingly jearning to hie back to

WOOL PRESS ON A SHBEP STATION, NOR -WEST.

3i6

MY FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERX AUSTRAFJA.

his friends at the NuUagine. Taylor's well being unfit for use, owing to having been left
without the simple device of a cover to keep vermin from falling into it, we had to push on
after sundown on a most adventurous ride over the worst part of the road for a distance of
seven miles to the next well, but fortunately the moon was shining brightly. The track was
the one traversed by Mr. Thomas Withnell when, at the outbreak of the rush to Marble Bar,
he got across the ranges, which had hitherto been regarded as impenetrable by wheels. In
performing this feat he had gained renown, but he had crawled through in daylight, and
our drivers had to steer four-horse coaches, with man-traps obscured by the shadows of the
moon, and the teams rather too lively in the cool air after their rest at the Nullagine for
safe travelling down steep and rugged descents, in which the silvery rays were lost in
blackness. At one place there was a tree in the middle of the cragg>' road, with the
certaintv of the coach being pitched into a crevasse in passing it, if the leaders did not
swing sharply round at right angles, or the driver should misjudge the precise strategical

moment for his
strong sudden pull
on the off reins.
But this, and all
the other hazards
of the journey,
were passed in
safety, and we were
at the well by nine
o'clock, with the
prospect of reach-
ing Brockman's
station soon after
breakfast ne.xt

>N MK. WITHNELL

llttf JAKM.

The chief dif-
ference between Brockman's and Withnell's stations, with the exception of the absence
of the Black Range, is that the former swarms with wild native children. At Withnell's
the youngsters, clothed and tame as a pet lamb, flocked about the coaches on our arrival,
like schoolboys about a candy shop, inquisitive to know all about us, buzzing as loudly with
their chatter as a hornets' nest. But there was a great scare when we got to Brockman's.
All round the homestead boys "with noddings on" scampered away like rabbits, making
for their holes in a warren, while the girls, who wore a chemise of coloured print, went to
cover, and peeped at us timidly from behind any nook or corner of the building they could
find. After a while, perceiving that we were not thirsting for their gore, some of the
urchins stealthily crawled a little nearer to make a reconnaissance, ever on the alert to bolt
if one of us looked in their direction. A feint to catch one of them lent wings to their
heels. The sporting member of the party was open to make a wager that none of us could
run one of the imps down, and the gauntlet was taken up by a party on condition that
he was given five minutes for the job. The victim was indicated, and the speculator let

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

317

himself go, but the youngster, finding himself pursued, lost his turn of foot, and the course
proved much shorter than had been expected. The pursuer, amid a chorus of ironical
applause from his companions, and shrieks of indignation from the gins, which was

very amusing to
theonlookers, and
an outrage to the
fond mothers of
the boys, rapidly
gained ground on
his quarry, who
was almost para-
lysed with fright,
and collapsed
with a scream and
a quiver when he
was run into,
while his friends
looked out from
theirhidingplaces
at a safe distance
with as much
horror as if they

expedled that we were about to kill and eat the captive. The man who won his wager,
flushed with success, offered to catch all the niggers on the station at the same price,
and give discount on wholesale lots for prompt cash, but as the lads would not show
better sport than trapped hares, the offer found no takers.

Having watered the horses and enjoyed the hospitality of the owners of the station, we
pushed on to the next well, that is fifteen miles from the homestead, on the road to Marble
Bar, camping for lunch in the bed of a creek, near to where a party of blacks were drawing
water for a large flock of sheep. The dusky shepherds were just back from a hunting
expedition, in which a varmint looking cur, no bigger ^han an Italian greyhound, with a
coat like an Irish terrier, and a tail no longer than that of a rabbit, had been quite an hero,
having killed two large kangaroos and three wallabies with his one set of teeth. As soon as
the sheep were watered, the aboriginals prepared
for a gorge. The gins hauled on to a large fire
the two kangaroos, without stopping to skin or
disembowel them. As the game began to be
toasted the women merely scraped off the
charred hair with a stick, leaving the skin to
become as crisp as the crackling of Charles
Lamb's toothsome porker. The smartest native
boy whom we had seen was among the expecitant crowd, whose mouths were watering
for the feast, but he was not so greedy as to forget to be polite. " Come and have some,"

IN THE DIAMOND HILLS, NULLAGINE.

i^iiiJl_s;

NEAR THE JUST-IN-TI MR.

3i8

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

he cheerily said to us while we were watching the cooking. " It will be %er^' good," he
added, in the purest English, for Morgan is the pet of the station, and has been quick-
witted enough to make the best use of his opportunities. " How long will it be before it is
ready," asked one of the guests who was honoured with the invitation. " Oh ! just as long
as for people to sit down " — meaning, " There will be a piece for you at once, if you cannot
wait for the entire roast." " Thanks," was the rejoinder ; " how much of the kangaroos
will be left, Morgan?" " Onh' their bones after we are done, and Bob (the dog) has some.
The troughs are full, so we can have a sleep," replied the lad, with an air of gluttonous
relish at the thought of a distended stomach and a long snore. Here, then, was a genuine
savage, in spite of all that contadt with Europeans, and some education could do for him.
What was bred in the bone came out in the flesh at the sight of the smoking kangaroo, in
which he longed to fix his teeth and tear with the ferocity of a dingo. " You can't make a
silk purse out of a sow's ear," say the people of the North-West, " nor a Christian out of

«iY7T.T

..'iS»3t.^f%'i-'

THE COONGAN MINK, MAKULE LiAK.

an Australian black." The experiment had been tried on Morgan, the most promising
material that could be found, and Morgan was a savage still.

Marble Bar, which you will only reach if your horses are mule-like in their climbing
and staying powers, is so called from the large belt of quartzite that extends across the
Coongan River, upon which the town is situated. The Marble Bar people think the
so-called marble is equal to the best of the Carrara quarries, but the geologists to whom
samples have been sent, place the stone in no higher grade than that of an excellent building
material, for which there would be a large demand if the Bar were close to the town. The
Government offices, which are at least twenty-five years in advance of present requirements,
have been built of the stone, which certainly looks well in the " piece," as the drapers say
of a roll of cloth. The offices are quite as large as those at Perth, and are handsomely
designed. If half the cost of this official palace had been spent on the water supply, and
the improvement of the road through Pilbarra, the Government would have had some
defence to the charge that they have neglected the North-Western Goldfields. When the
plans for the offices were being drawn, the Cabinet, it can be imagined, said to the Colonial
Architecft: "There is plenty of stone at Marble Bar, and the people are proud of it. Let
us give them a large sample of it in these buildings, and we shall hear no more murmurings

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

319

IN THE niAMOND HILLS. NULLAGINE.

about want of railways, roads, and water." Marble Bar is what ma\- be called the capital of
the Nullagine distridt. Taiga Taiga and Bamboo Creek lie to the north-east, and the Just

in Time to the south and west. Port
Hedland and Condon are the outlets on
the seaboard for these goldfields, as they
are about one hundred miles nearer than
Cossack. A railway from Port Hed-
land to "The Bar" is being agitated
for in opposition to the route via Roe-
bourne. The Nullagine is so nearly
midway between Roebourne and Port
Hedland, that the people there are
neutral in the battle of the routes ; all they ask is, that whichever railway is to be made, it
shall be made quickly.

The mining man will find the Alexandria the best developed property at " The Bar."
This mine has been opened up by a new manager — who came in when things were at a
rather low ebb — so successfull\', that dividends are now being paid. The whole of the
operations are upon a most workmanlike scale, and an inspedtion leaves upon the mind of
the visitor the impression that the interests of the shareholders could not have been placed
in better hands. There are other mines in the vicinity, but none of them are in nearly
such a forward state of development as the Alexandria, for it must be remembered that
this is a very young reefing field. But sinking and driving are so far advanced that the
necessarily slow arrival of machinery is the only obstacle in the way of good returns being
made to the owners for their spirited enterprise, so far from the familiar highways of the
world. Of water there is plenty, and labour is to be had, although it is somewhat costly,
as might be expected from the high price
of food, and the difficulty of reaching such
an out-of-the-way part of the world. It is
so easy to get water by sinking, that even
the lethargic Public Works Department has
found energy enough to put down a well for
the gratuitous use of the public, including
the Japanese and Chinese laundrymen, who
had plenty to do and plenty to get when their
reckonings are paid, for in such a sweltering
climate clean clothes and deep drinks are the
two luxuries upon which every man will spend
his last shilling with a willing mind.

It is too early in the day to expert much
in the way of architectural display from even
such an important centre as Marble Bar.

The wages of masons are so high that no one has ventured to vie with the Government
in rearing stone buildings, which a long purse would gladly obtain to shut out the tropical

THE STKAV SHOT, MARHLE BAR.

3^0

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

THE LATE MR. WALTER MARSH.

sun. The majestic suite of offices which have been dedicated to the Civil servants, make

those gentlemen the envy of the townspeople, who are grilled in iron ovens, but who

would scorn to utter a grumble at the waste of the
taxpayers' money in the mammoth buildings over the
way. The Government white elephant is, indeed, the
pride of the town, and no one is so unpatriotic as to
think it is ludicrously large — a giant keeping company
with a dwarf. The slightest suggestion on the part of
a visitor that the Treasurer has been foolishly generous,
is met with such crushing looks of disdain, that the
unfriendly critic is emphatically warned that he had
better quit such dangerous ground if he does not wish to
wear out his welcome. The billiard rooms in the hotels
furnish the chief amusement. The further we travel
the more wildly unskilful the play becomes ; at Marble
Bar the balls are usually rammed with such force that
they are rarely on the table for two minutes together.
The spe(5tator is vividly reminded of the familiar
American caricature, "Two to go : got 'em both" — only

that truth proves to be stranger than ficftion, in some of the vagaries of the ivory spheres.
The Japanese women occupy one of the largest buildings in the town, by far the largest

private residence. The house, which stands on the ledge of a hill within sight of the main

street, is divided into about a dozen dormitories, and encircled with a broad verandah,

which is a favourite promenading place of the almond-
eyed Aspasias. The dormitories are protected with

wooden shutters and iron bars, not only as a precaution

against the "willy willy," but to prevent the intrusion

of unauthorised visitors. The main entrance is always

guarded by a janitor, in the person of a middle-aged

duenna, whose faded charms have relegated her to the

post of manager of the establishment. The rooms are

very simply furnished, but around the walls the naked

wood is agreeably relieved by the artistic arrangement

of bright coloured Japanese curiosities — fans, and shell

ornaments. The young women appear to be between

eighteen and twenty-five years of age. All of them, with

one exception (a Malay), are Japanese, mostly under

the medium height, and of slender figure. The Malay

is of a more buxom type, and of a much darker hue of

skin than her companions. In the daytime the girls

are rarely seen ; they are reclining on their couches,

smoking cigarettes, fanning themselves, or bathing, of

which they are very fond. In the evening, dressed in their Oriiiital robes, they take the

MK. AI.IIKK 1 K. I A^ .SK.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

321

air on the verandah, receive their friends, and entertain them with solos on an instrument
something hke a mandolin. If the stranger should prefer it they will sing, play cards,
or chat with many coquettish airs in broken English. On holidays, cigars and liquor
will be handed round in the main hall, which is gaily decorated with lanterns of various
design and colour. These daughters of Belial play the part of hostesses in a charming,
dainty way, in which there is no hint of grossness. They glide about in their flowing
and graceful vestments, with a noiseless step and girlish sprightliness, eschewing both

^i''j'J{v?'ff^ f

"I AM DR1:AMIN(;, I AM DRE-K-E-K-MING." NEW VEAR's KVH IN THE NOR'-WEST.

bad language and liquor. The house is alwajs conducted in the most orderl)' waj', as
it is an affair of honour among the miners never to make a brawl in " [ap-town." An
incident of New Year's Eve which came under our own notice, will sh<nv the decorum
that is commonly observed. An hour or two before the advent of the New Year, Marble
Bar was very noisy with holiday rejoicings. There was a great deal of health drinking,
and no thought of closing the hotels as long as the stock of grog would hold out. A
procession was roughly formed, headed by an improvised band, playing upon every kind

322

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

of Rear that would make a clatter or a brazen din. The gong of one hotel, and the
steel triangle of the other, were both fradtured by the revellers in the rivalry as to who
could make the most deafening noise. The procession called as a surprise party at the
houses of the most popular of the leading residents, who responded to an ovation by
treating the visitors. Then the thought struck the leader of the line — " Let's go and see
the Japs," and with one accord the crowd swarmed up to the place with tin kettles rattling,
and horns braying, and were hospitably entertained by the girls. Then the procession went
home in a high state of good humour, and quietly dispersed. If the affair had taken place
in a town the papers would doubtless have been full of sensational head-lines — "An Alarming
Disturbance in the City," or "Domiciliary Outrage in the Japanese Quarter;" and the
police would have put in an acftive and ill-judged appearance.

LORD OF THE BOOMERANG.

Cbaptcr 26.

A Peep at Taiga Taiga — The Fatal Heat — hi Praise of our Teams — A Horrible

Experience — The Inhumanity of the Public Works Department — Indications

of a Storm — Fulfilment of the Indications — On the Homeward

Journey — A Chow's Lucky Find — A Surprise Party —

A Trooper's Life in the North-West.

By S. H. Whittaker.

THK C;OLONY.

HE journey from Marble Bar to Taiga Taiga and Bamboo Creek
necessitated our taking a fresh team of horses and another driver,
as Mr. Osborne desired to take stock prior to handing over the hotel
and store, in which he was interested, to a purchaser. The road to
the two most distant goldfields in the Colony, whither we were now
bound, is rather more mountainous, and just as short of water as
that we had already traversed. So far, only preparatory mining
work has been done at Taiga Taiga and Bamboo Creek, where we
had a very hearty reception, although the managers and their men

expressed much regret at the enforced absence of Mr. Calvert. The reefs are situated in

very rugged countr}-, similar to that at Tanibourah ("reek, but that is a small matter, so long

as you can see the quartz so thickly encrusted with gold, that it pays to "dolly" it in the

absence of a battery. We had been prepared to see some exceedingly rich specimens after

the exhibition that was made in Perth of the cap of a Taiga

Taiga reef, fully half of which consisted of the gleaming

metal, and we were not disappointed. The pride of the

"jeweller's shop " that was placed before our admiring eyes,

was a nugget of pure gold, weighing one hundred and

forty-five ounces, which had been picked up by one of the

bosses of a shift in the course of a Sunday morning's walk.

As the owner of this great " slug " was a photographer of

no mean ability, our artist, Mr. Hodgson, was able to carry

away with him a sun picture of the treasure, in order to

convince " doubting Thomases " that he was not drawing

the " long bow," when he reproduced the welcome stranger

in the pages of this volume. This locality has produced many other tine nuggets, some

of which have been brought in by natives, and bartered to the whites for a few sticks of

145 OZ. SLUG.

Found at Talsa TalBa, Nor'-West, W.A.,
by S. J. Bccher, May, 1895.

X I

324

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

tobacco. From the indications we saw, it was evident that Taiga Taiga and the Creek
will be great mining fields within the next few years, when the difficulties attending the
setting up of powerful machinery' to work them have been overcome, .\fter having spent
nearly two days in the inspecftion of the local mines, we commenced our return trip to the
sea-board, and centred all our hopes upon being able to catch the Albany steamer at
Cossack, which port she was expected to leave on the loth January for the south.

At Marble Bar we received confirmation of the news of the illness of Leonard Calvert.
He was said to be doing well, but the weather had been so intensely hot that we were
anxious about him. Several people had died of heat apoplexy at "The Bar," causing a
great diminution in the call for whiskey, and an inordinate consumption of ginger beer and

lemonade. A spasm of temperance had

, smitten the community, but one of the

publicans, who was kept up half the night
brewing "soft tack" for his customers,
sardonically said it would not last long — not
so long as it would take the corpses to get
cold in their graves. On Sunday morning,
5th of January, we turned our backs on
Marble Bar soon after daylight, en route for
Roebourne, as it was necessary that we
should travel very hard if we were to catch
the boat. The only fear was that the horses
would not hold out after their ill-treatment
by the defaulting drover on the outward run.
So far, in spite (jf all the exactions put upon
the teams in the shape of cruel weather,
terribly heavy roads and long stages, their
endurance had been a great triumph for West
Australian blood and compressed fodder.
They had gone through a trial that would
have knocked up ordinary horses in two or
three days, and some of them had been
yoked up day after day for a fortnight. In
spite of careful sele(5tion, there were some duffers in the lot which had thrown extra strain
upon the honest pullers, but others had equalised the average by turning out superior to their
warranty. The hardy, staunch beasts, had kept us fully abreast of our time table, and had
enabled us to make up for the delay occasioned by Mr. Calvert's illness, and the breakdown
of the drover. Of the thirty-three horses employed in the expedition, only one had proved
to be an arrant jade in harness, and he had done good service as a saddle horse; but having
three hundred miles still to go, we felt the full force of the axiom which emphasises the
folly of " hallooing before you are out of the wood." It had been proved that those drivers
who insist that a horse must be well matured before he is fit to take part in such a journey,
know what they are talking about. The most courageous well-bred colt would go to pieces

KJKTKAIT or A "|>KV HLOWEK.

Drawn at the spot where the Great Nugget was found, near
Taiga Taiga.

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

325

in the performance of so unusual a task. The younger horses, who required a lot of holding
at the outset, were the first to crj- a halt, while the steady old stagers, perhaps a trifle gone
in the wind, and stiff in the legs, kept up a steady trot day after day, from daylight to dark,
with only a short feeding time at mid-daj'. A little way out of " The Bar," on a new track
to the Just-in-Time, where we wished to call, there was such a forbidding precipice to get
down, that it looked like a forlorn hope for the coaches to reach the bottom in safety. The
leading horses were taken out and the wheels strapped together, as the failure of the
ordinary breaks would have caused a catastrophe. All except the drivers left the vehicles,
which lurched and pitched down the declivity like a cockle shell in a heavy sea-way.
Winding in and out the vallc\s of the range we reached the Just-in-Time, which at that
moment was the scene of the happy termination of a tragedy, in which a miner named
Charles Norling had made a desperate fight for life, with the odds twenty to one against
him. The man lay in a tent, the pidture of exhaustion. His face was livid; deep purple
shadows framed the deeply sunken sockets of his ejes, and he was so wasted that the

VIKW FROM THE CAMP.

sinews of his arms stood in ridges on the bones, from which the llcsh had disappeared.
The sufferer, as we bent over him, roused himself a little from his stupor, passed a hot
hand over his throbbing head, and strove to speak. His utterance was slow and thick, his
swollen tongue clave to the roof of his mouth. Seeing his condition, we begged him not
to distress himself, and learned his story from those who had saved him from perishing of
thirst. It appeared that the man had started to walk from the Nullagine to Marble Bar,
a distance of ninety miles. He took the route by way of the Black Range, which he had
been over before, and therefore he relied upon getting as much water as he could drink, and
carry from the well there. Before he had reached the Black Range he had drained his
water bag to the last drop, and was parched with thirst. He pulled up a bucket of water
to have a drink, and, to his horror, he found that the water was black and putrid ; a large
kangaroo was floating at the bottom of the well. Norling was in a desperate extremity.
He must either drink the stinking water, or must go nearly twenty miles further before he
could wet his lips. He fought against the temptation, but carrying some of the filthy

326

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

MR. BECHBR, WHO FOUNU THh GKKAT liLUG AT TALGA TALGA.

liquid in his bag as a last resource, he started for the Jiist-in-Tiine camp, on reachin;,' which
his hope of life depended. As he strode along in the burning sun, he gradually weakened

in his determination not to touch the slimy,
foul water in his bag. Those who may think
it strange that he should have succumbed to
the torture, have never travelled in the tropics,
or known a thirst that is worse than death.
He must drink, if he died for it, sickening as
it is to think of such a draught. The foetid
li(]nicl, of course, made the wretched traveller
violently ill. He was seized with violent pain
and vomiting; he became more feverishly
thirsty than before ; his head swam, and he
faltered in his stride. In a dazed way he had
some recollection of having been told that there
was a rock hole in the Glenarring Gorge,
in the ranges, which he had to cross before he
reached the camp which he was making for,
and staggering with pain and weakness, he
strove with the determination of a drowning
man clutching at a straw, to get to the Gorge
before he should fall exhausted to perish in
the desert. Hour after hour he struggled on, fighting for his life, with the sun mounting
higher and more pitilessly in the heavens, until he felt himself growing delirious. Every
moment his sufferings from want of water were becoming worse, but with his tongue
swelling in his mouth with the agony of thirst, he had sufficient resolution to throw away
his bag, lest he should drink again and die. But a new calamity befell him. Night came
on, and in the darkness he missed the marked tree that pointed to the Gorge, which is half-
a-mile off the road. By the time that he realised his mistake, he was almost at his last gasp.
At sunset he had
thrown away his
swag and clothes,
in order that they
might not encum-
ber his failing
strength. And all
through the tor-
menting hours till
day dawned, he
feebly fought his

way to the Just-in-Time, which was now his only chance of succour. Wiicii dajlight
came he was (juite worn out. The sun rose, and scorched his naked flesh, and he
fell, as he thought, to rise no more. He lay roasting, raving, all that day and night. Hut

Kl INS OF A SHANTV.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

327

:-■ V c- --■)■

'''*'■■ ./ji

■-f"

"king of timbuctoo" reward claim, near bamboo creek.

help was near at hand. There were hurrying to his rescue two horsemen, who had called
at the Black Range well on the day after Norling had left it. When they found the water
putrid, and with the sagacity of bushmen noted the tracks of a swagsman who had

filled his bag at the foul cistern, they
guessed that a tragedy was near at hand,
and they galloped to the rescue. They
soon came upon Norling's water bag, and
following up his trail they saw that he
had passed the marked tree which pointed
to the water in the Glenarring Gorge. His
footmarks showed that he had gone by
without getting a drink, and now their
fears deepened that he had met with an
evil fate. Putting spurs to their almost
exhausted horses, they passed increasing signs of disaster — the wretched man's clothes
scattered by the wayside. A little further on in their headlong pursuit, they saw the
miserable wayfarer lying in the track all but dead, and snatched him from the jaws
of the grave. They carried him gently to the Just-in-Time, and the miners tended him
assiduously with such restoratives as the resources of their rude camp could provide, so
that he soon returned to consciousness, and when we saw him he had every prospedl
of recovering. Surely no comment is needed to point the moral of this painful case,
which is that it is the duty of the Government to maintain a supervision over the wells,
to prevent them becoming sources of contagion. In our short trip we came across two
wells which were reeking with abominations, through game falling into them, while in eager
quest to slake their thirst. In each case, from the advanced state of the decomposition
of the animals, it was evident that they had remained for weeks in the water that furnishes
the only supply of travellers. The pollution had been reported far and wide, but no acftion
was taken by the officers of the Public Works Department to remedy the nuisance, or to
clear out the wells and cover their mouths to prevent a repetition of the dangerous scandal.
The negleft of the authorities to do their duty in this respedt can hardly be too strongly
reprobated. Their remissness would be bad enough if the water had only to be used by
stock, but to condemn human beings to drink such filthy emanations as we found at
Taylor's and the Black Range, is an outrage upon health and decency. The way to bring
the horror of the situation home to the sleek, highly-salaried officers of the Department,
who are supposed to proteft people from perishing for want
of water in the arid trades of the vast North-Western terri-
tory, is to imagine for a moment that Perth Reservoir should
become befouled with the rotten carcases of several hundred
bullocks, and that the citizens must consume the hideous
concoction for weeks together, while it was nobody's business

to remove the impurities, and scour the tank. The execrations of an angry populace, the
outcry of indignation would rend the air ; the supine officials would be mobbed in the
streets. But it is a far cry from Pilbarra to Perth, and atrocities of dcfedUve oversight are

NOTE OF " BELL BIRD."

328

MY rOVRni TOl'R L\ WESTERN AUSTKA LIA .

infli(fled upon the Norliiifrs of the North-West with impunity. If we had not happened to
be calling at the Just-in-Time camp that Sunday morning, his suffering and peril would
never have been heard of, except as a topic of compassionate gossip among the miners of
the immediate districft. The failure of the Government nun to keep the water supply of
the wilderness in a reasonably clean condition, is the more culpable, inasmuch as the work
could be so easil)' accomplished. A few mounted men told off as inspedlors in each
distri(5\, would be able to keep the wells sweet, especiall\ if tlie shafts were provideil with
covers before the sinking party finished their work. Will it be believed that in a country
in which all kinds of marsupials and monster iguanas abound, and where in the summer
season no surface water is to be got, the gangs do not take the slightest precaution to keep
the drought-stricken animals from drowning themsei\es in their attempt to get a drink.

If Charles Norling had
died, would not a strong
moral responsibility for his
fate have rested upon the
Public Works Department?
Leaving the Just-in-
Time, our next stopping
place was at the marked
tree at the Glenarring
Gorge. In daylight the tree
is the clearest of guide
posts to the water. A
hand, cut in the bark,
points in the direcilion of
the Gorge, and the word
" water " appears abo\e it.
A Chinaman who has been
long enough in Australia
to pick up a little English,
regardful of his lu \v rlniin countrjinen who art' not such good linguists, has left a watch-
word on the tree in his own tongue, which thoughtful atl goes to show that blood is thicker
than water, even among the much contemned aliens. By the time that we had lunched
and watered the horses, thick black clouds rolled up from the westward, lightning played,
and there was every indication that we would be caught in a lu :i\y thunderstorm, for we
had no tent, and the nearest shelter was Withnell's station, which it would be impossible to
reach until the following day. The only chance — and it was a slender one — of getting a dry
camp — ^a dry camp in a very different sense from that in which we had been accustomed to
use the phrase — was that, as the thunderstorms of the North-West are often \cry local in
their range, we might, by driving on rapidly, get outside the area of the coming downpour.
The effort was worth making, and starting hurriedly, the horses were put to their best pace,
as the sun being shielded by the clouds, they could travel without distress. The next seven
miles were almost galloped over, but there was no outrunning the storm. The sk)' grew

A WKLCOMK INTIMATION.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

329

blacker, and soon with a terrific roll of thunder the heavens opened, and a delude was upon
us. In a few moments we were all as wet as seals. It was now twilight, and the prospedt,
if the rain should continue all night, was a very dispiriting one. Down the hillsides rushed
streams of water, flooding the valleys with marvellous rapidity. The horses would not face
the blinding sleet ; hail stones, as large as marbles, tiercel)' smote us, but in about half-an-
hour the worst of the storm was over, and we made an attempt to go on, but soon found
that every gully had become an almost impassable river. The one gleam of satisfaction in
our disconsolate plight was that we should be independent of the wells, and relieved of any
anxiety on the score of water for the remainder of the journej'. After fording one of the
storm channels, which nearly took the horses off their legs, camp was made, and stripping
to the " buff," we gathered round a large fire to keep ourselves warm, while our clothes
were drying. The camp, with the white naked forms gleaming in the ruddy glow of the
flames against the pitchy blackness of the surrounding scrub, would have been a grotesque

THK coMiNt; STORM. (Near "The Just-iii-Tinie ")

sight to any passer-by. The night happily passed without any more rain, and the morning
broke fine ; dust had given place to mud, and the thunder had cleared the air, so that for
once the drive was quite enjoyable. We soon struck the head of the Black Range, and
following it down, we were at the well that had so nearly cost Charles Norling his life, and
which we found to be festering with corruption. The air for some distance was poisoned
with the stench. The kangaroo, which was the cause of the trouble, could be seen floating
in the water, and Mr. Osborne determined, in the interests of the public, to face the disagree-
able duty of removing it. He caught the head of the animal in a slip-knot, and hauling on
the rope, brought to the surface the bloated carcase, that was almost hairless with decay.
The water in the well was as black as ink. We tried to bail the well, but found after taking
out a great deal of the water, that we could not spare the time to get it dry.

The Black Range, which extends almost east and west for twenty miles, is all the way
fancifully coloured red and black, in the way that I have attempted to describe on an earlier

330

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

page. On reaching Mr. Withnell's station, we found him well pleased with the improved
prospects of the season which the rain had brought, but naturally we did not share in his
aspiration that the downpour had lasted all night. In the vicinity of the station we passed
what is known as Shaw's Tinfield, where a great deal of excellent ore has been got out,
but owing to the excessive cost of carting it to the seaboard, operations have had to be
suspended. Nothing but a rich goldfield could stand the strain of the freight of £io per
ton added to the necessarily high price of labour, but the Syndicate which owns the
leasehold experts to make a new and prosperous start on the ground, when the Pilbarra
railway is made. Meanwhile, a large outlay which they have expended in opening up the
lode, and in obtaining a permanent supply of water from a deep well which is equipped
with pumping plant, is lying idle. There were
several tons of black tin, which Mr. Brenton
Symons declared to be of excellent quality, at
grass, when we passed the workings, so that
Shaw's Tinfield may yet prove to be a valuable
fartor among the mineral resources of Western
Australia.

Going back to Pilbarra bj- what is
known as the middle road, we returned to
Woodstock without anything more notable
occurring than the knocking up of some
of the horses, while all the teams

"BROUGHT TO THE Sl'RFACK TIIK ilLOATKO CARCASE.'

were beginning to be much the worse

for wear. The hotel — to

which M r. Look had not yet

returned

from his

journey to

the coast

with Mr.

Calvert — ■

was like a

banquet

hall deserted, after the departure of the Christmas revellers to the mines, for the miner

is only to be found leaning over a bar counter on the red letter days of the year ; in

such a climate he must be abstemious, if he is to be able to do his work. A few teamsters

were taking a respite at the hotel before they commenced to clamber up the cliffs on the

road to Tambourah Creek, but none of these were able to name the mean thief, who,

dishonouring the traditions of the distritfl that it is not necessary to put goods under lock

and key in order to protedl them from pillage, had broached Mr. Osborne's stock of

compressed fodder. Perhaps, however, so far from a corn store, a man will sometimes

steal for his horse when he would scorn to pilfer for himself.

The same day we were back at Look's Pool, the scene of melancholy reminiscences of

■Ji
a;
o

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

331

A PIF.CE OF THE GOLD-BEARING QUARTZ FOUND
BY THE CHINAMAN.

the most dismal night of the tour. Even with the radiance of a bright afternoon — sun

shining upon it — the ugly hole was full of repulsiveness, and the horses sniffed suspiciously

at the uninviting water. After only a few minutes stay,
we drove away, glad to be quit of the uncanny spot
where Mr. Calvert had twice lain in danger of his life.
At Mr. Ihown's camp at Pilbarrn, we began to hear news
of the return trip of the chief. He was so weak, we
were told, when he reached Pilbarra, that he had to be
lifted out of the conveyance, but he had rallied under the
careful nursing of Mr. Tom Newland, of the local hotel.
In order to get him to the coast with all possible speed,
Mr. Hill and Mr. Look had borrowed some of our horses,
to replace those which Mr. Look had brought with him.

Thus reinforced, the party had made a fresh start, with vw-vy prospect of reaching

Roebourne within two days, but as there was no telegraphic communication between

Roebourne and Pilbarra, the further experiences of the sick man and his companions

could only be left to anxious conjecture.

The great sensation at Pilbarra during our absence, had, it appeared, been the discovery

of a rich reef within five miles of the township, and only two and a half from the main

road. The story of the find was a very interesting one, and as it strikingly revives the

question of the inferior status under the law of the coloured races, as compared with the

whites, the narrative is well worth publishing. A Chinaman, named Ah Ling, who, not

being permitted to take out a miner's right, had turned

his attention to wood-cutting, came into Newland's Hotel

at Pilbarra, carrying something in his shirt, which he

evidently set much store upon. The day was very hot,

and as the Mongolian had walked about six miles from

his camp, he betook himself to the well to have a drink.

It was holiday time, and there were a large number of

miners about the hotel, who, seeing Ah Ling eyeing them

with looks of distrust, had their curiosity aroused to see

what was the prize of which he relieved himself while he

was drawing water from the well. The parcel was rushed,

and it was found to consist of (juartz from the cap of

a reef, in which gold was showing freely. The miners

hastened to get on the heathen's trail and possess

themselves of the find, upon which he had so luckily

stumbled. The holiday makers, like the guests at Mac-

beth's feast, stood not upon the order of their going, but

went at once from their revelry. They started out upon

a chase, in which each man struck his own course, relying upon his knowledge of the

country to get first to Ah Ling's camp. Some tried to track him back whence he had

come, but the ground was hard, and did not readily betray him. A couple of mates got a

332

A/y FOURTH TOUR IX UESTERX AUSTRALIA.

pair of horses into a bii}:;<;;y, ^n<i posted down tlio road as hard as the spinifox-fed steeds
could fjallop, while others made a wide cast, like a huntsman trying to help the pack to pick
up a lost scent. But the most astute harvesters to reap where they had not sown, were a
couple of miners, who, refleifting that a race of this kind is not to the swift, but to the
keenest eye, looked up their black boy. He — while the coast was clear of all the pursuers,
who thought the}' had made an early start — saw on the stony road footmarks invisible to a
European eye, and made a bee line to the broken cap of the reef, easily distancing every
rival. By the time that the other white men had got an inkling of its locality, after losing
time on false scents, the black boy's boss and his mate had pegged out eighteen acres with
the reef in the centre of the ground, and were half way on their road back to make an
application before the Warden for the leasehold. While we were at Mr. Brown's camp the
rich specimens from the reef were exhibited to us with much jubilation by the pirates, and
every miner in the township heartily- joined in their laugh against the discomfiture of the
j-ellow man, who had, it transpired, intended to sell his interest in the reef to Mr. Newland,

the proprietor of the Pilbarra store, for
the modest sum of £10, when his secret
was so unluckily discovered. A member
of our party ironicallj' suggested to the
leaseholders that as they had stolen
another's bird nest, they ought to call the
mine the Cuckoo, but thej- replied that
iti honour of China, and to celebrate the
outwitting of the Mongolian, they had
named the property the Hong Kong. The
outlawry of the coloured races from any
rights on a goldfield, is the first article of
faith in the creed of ever\- miner, who
would regard any man who proposed to
relieve the alien of this disability, as an
enemy of his countr)-, despite the strong restridtions imposed upon the iminigration of
Chinese. Only one Asiatic can be brought by a vessel to any part of Australia, for every five
hundred tons of her register, so that if the strangers were allowed to hold miners' rights,
not man}- of them would be able to avail themselves of the privilege. I do not think a
stronger example of man's inhumanity to man can readily be adduced than the refusal of
the leaseholders to give Ah Ling a single penny for his gold. It seems to me that if he had
violently revenged himself against them for w hat must have appeared to him as an art of
flagrant robbery, he would not have been outside the pale of sympathy. At any rate, such
spoliation is not calculated to give the foreigner cause for believing that his oppressors have
any sense of fair play.

The supper we had at Pilbarra was a surprise party. In the centre of the table that
sweltering evening there was a large dish covered with a napkin, containing what might
have been, from the size of it, a baron of beef, big enough to feed a regiment. Mr. Browne,
as he bade us be seated, looked as important as if he had been charged with the reading of

AH LING TRACKFD.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

333

the will of a millionaire, who had left us his estates. His eye glistened with a light of

triumph, and even the Chinese cook moved round with something of the mien of a royal

butler, about to produce some choice vintage at least fifty years old. After we had discussed

our mutton and damper, and Mr. Symons was reaching for the jam-pot by way of dessert,

Mr. Browne whipped the napkin off the large dish, and there was revealed to our entranced

gaze and watering mouths, a splendid melon. Is that all, the reader who lives within reach

of a garden may say, with a sneer. Ah! but a water melon in the North-West ! The

luscious, juicy, red-fleshed gourd, staring us in the face after all our sunburnt dusty

pilgrimage, was a delicious sight — a water melon shedding its fragrant odours, and

bursting with sweet, pure sap. In the desert it was as a " draught of vintage, that hath been

cooled a long age in the

deep delved earth, tasting

of Flora, and the country

green." The wonder was

where the generous fruit

had come from, for a

diamond of the same size

would only have taken us a

little more by surprise. It

was too fresh and speckless

to have been carried one

thousand five hundred miles

from Perth, and it could

not have grown among

the parched spinifex.

While Mr. Browne was

tantalizing our piqued

curiosity as to where that

amazing melon had come

from, the cook blurted out,

"Ah Moy, he make it

grow at Mr. Newland's."

A vegetable garden in Pilbarra at Midsummer, was (juitc as well worth seeing as a reef.

It appeared that the despised alien had laboriously watered a little patch of ground with a

bucket from the well. He had raised several melons. Each of them was as a pearl of

great price, and it was only as a special mark of generosity and of honour that one of

them had been permitted to grace the table of our last supper in the township. We left

our many friends of Pilbarra with cordial expressions of the hope that we should have the

pleasure of reciprocating their hospitality in a more genial clime than the red swart land of

the tropical North-West.

While we had been on the tour, the Government had accepted a tender for a fortnightly
mail through Pilbarra. Hitherto the miners had only had a nionthh- mail. The new
contradl afforded Mr. Osborne an opportunity of disposing of a number of his extra horses

BORKOWKl) I'Ll'MKS.

334

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

to the firm which took the work in hand. Their teams badly needed reinforcement, as
want of food and overwork had worn down a number of the mail horses to the verge of
exhaustion, and it would have been impossible for them to have kept to the time table. It
had been a painful sight for us to see the emaciated shoulder-galled weeds being cruelly
flogged, to keep them struggling on with a heavy waggonette, several passengers, and some
hundred-weight of mail bags, over the boulder-strewn river beds, and up the mountain
passes. Never have her Majesty's mails looked more shabby, and I doubt whether it has
ever been carried under greater difficulties than it was over the North-Western routes,
through the long dry summer of last year. The drivers were not to blame ; they could not
carry more compressed fodder than would give their half-starved jades the shadow of a
feed. They had neither the room in the waggonette for more, nor the haulage power for a
proper ration, for so long a journey. No excuse would be taken for the late delivery of the
letters, e.xcept that the rivers were too swollen by floods to be crossed. Needs must when

WAIKKlNt. THh Hukbh^ AT CHtSTAGAKKA I'UOL. (A tlVC IllinUtCS' sKctcb.)

the devil — or a mailman, who is quite as inexorable^ — drives. The worst of our horses, which
we had turned loose with the drover's mob, as being unfit for further service without a spell,
looked fat beside the shrunken frames of the mail teams, and it was a great relief to us
when Mr. Osborne had made the sale, which enabled some of the postman's broken down
beasts to be left behind to recruit, and their places were taken by some of the freshest
roadsters of Calvert's party.

The life of a trooper doing escort duty in the North-West, is nearly as unhappy as that
of a mail horse. He is in the saddle all the way from Marble Bar to Roebourne, by a
devious route nearly three hundred miles long. He is not relieved for an hour, excepting at
the camping times of the coach. No time is given him to become seasoned, even if he
should have just joined the service, and is on his first trip. The hardiest men and horses
suffer from such a task, in a hot, dusty, and fly-infested climate. To call upon a man to

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

335

ride three hundred miles on end through such a country, is not a fair thing for any Govern-
ment to ask him to do. The slow pace of the coach, which the horseman must never leave,
is, of course, far more fatiguing than a ride of the same distance at a canter, or a swinging
trot. Day after day, from daylight till dark, the trooper, ill-fed, and affli(5ted with the
eternal brown glare of the prostrating sun, jogs on till he must curse the gold discoveries
of the West, which have condemned him to such a fate. As tedious as a tired horse, is a
proverb that is as well known as it is true. The police horse of the North-West must
always be tired, as he has so much to do, and it is on his weary back that the insufferable
stretch of escort duty has to be done. In no other districft is so much c.xadted from a
member of the police force, but as I have said before, the North-West is too far away for
complaints of well-founded grievances to reach the public car. But that is no excuse for
departmental parsimony, that is oppressive to the last degree. But a more humane view of
the duty of the mounted escort man could be taken without any extra expense, if the

ONE OF THE UUGGIES.

senior constable who rides on the coach were to be instrudled to take turns in the saddle
with his subordinate, instead of sitting on the box-seat all the time. Only a rigid stickler
for service etiquette would insist upon the present system, by which the senior man is
deprived of healthful exercise, and the other is galled and stiff at the journey's end. In the
remote contingency of an attack being made upon the coach, it does not appear that the
rank-and-file man would not be as useful on the box-seat as his petty officer, or that the
senior would make any worse fight of it if he were on horseback. Taking the probabilities
of an attack into account, I should say that a better fight was likely to be made against
assailants by police who were alert and wide-awake. As it is, a marauding gang would
probably find the senior constable nodding to sleep on the coach, tired out by long inacftivity,
while the over-ridden trooper would have a lot of the acftivity, if not his courage, taken out
of him by the hard work he had done.

(Ibaptcr 27.

The Hong Kong Lease — The Government Survey Party — Last Stages — Back at the Sherlock-
Racing the Rain — Death of Leonard Calvert — From Roebourne to Cossack —
On Board the Tagliaferro — En Route for the South.

Bv S. H. Whittaker.

\\' AS left early on the morning after our arrival there, and we
camped for breakfast at the waterhole, which was such an
excellent reservoir when we were going up to the Nullagine,
but which was now so far exhausted that there was only a little
muddy sediment at the bottom of the cla\- pan. A Government party had
just commenced to sink a well a little nearer Pilbarra, just at the foot
of the hills, where it will give the horses of travellers and teamsters a
much-needed fillip for the last severe tug home. Near the waterhole
we saw a number of turkeys, which are very fond of feeding on the rich
grass Hat around the water, but we had not time to try to get within
shot from one of the buggies. During breakfast the owners of the Hong Kong reef rode
up. They had been visiting their ground, and they were highly pleased with it. They
pressed Mr. Brenton Symons to go and inspett it, but he was reluiftantly compelled to
decline the invitation, as it was necessary for us to hurry on if we were to catch the
steamer Albany, at Cossack, on the loth of the month. As the Hong Kong Mine has
such an unique history, it may be interest-
ing to quote from the West Australian, of
the 20th March — nearly three months
later than the date of our visit — a report
concerning the reef, and the progress that
had been made with its litwlnpnunt. Tin-
paper says : — " Encouraging reports are t(j
hand concerning the reefs of the Hong
Kong, near Pilbarra. On the Hong Kong
lease the reef has been followed down on
the underlay 20 ft. The stone at that
depth is equal to the richest of that
which was obtained on the surface, but AfTKK the wallauv. on thk ulack rangb, nor'-wkst.

much more mineralised. There are twenty-tive tons of stone at grass. As soon as fifty
tons arc stoped out, it is the intention of the owners to cart this quantity to the Koebourne

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

337

f^^l _

) |RB*ve my kind regards Jo

England, flome anSf

;<-' beaufy^ '

Gold Mining Company's battery at Pilbarra, and have it treated." Tiie following interesting
items also appear in the same issue of the West Australian : — "Under the heading of
' Encouraging Reports from the North-West Mines,' it is stated : ' A small parcel of stone
from the Eldorado Mine on the Shaw River, was treated at the Ironclad battery, and
yielded between 7 ozs. and 8 ozs. to the ton.

' Exceptionally rich stone has been struck at the 166 ft. level, in the White Angel
Mine, at Marble Bar.

' Machinery for the Western Shaw Gold Mining Company has reached the fields. The
teamsters who brought it have experienced great difficulty
in travelling, owing to the boggy state of the roads,
caused by the recent heavy rain.

' A miner named Larry Keohane, arrived from Marble
Bar on Monday night with two specimens, one weighing
six-and-a-half pounds, and the other smaller, which he
found on the Day Dawn property, at Taiga Taiga. The
specimens are estimated to contain 70 ozs. of pure gold.' "

Between Pilbarra and Mallina we came upon the
Government survey party, who have surveyed the
proposed line from Marble Bar to Roebourne, in order
that full data may be supplied as to whether the railway
should take that route, or from Port Hedland to Marble
Bar. The party was a very large one, and thoroughly
well equipped ; they were pushing on at the rate of
more than two miles per day. In all, there were about
twenty men employed by the officer in charge, and
the work they expedted to have completed in three
weeks from the date of which we speak. The line
marked out avoided the hills as much as possible, even
though there were some detours, in order to keep to
the valleys and the coach road, along which the line runs
at intervals. The surveyed route is comparatively free
from engineering difficulties, although it is sure to be a
far more costly one than either the Murchison or the
Coolgardie railway. The baggage waggon had, how-
ever, gone over every yard of the track, which shows
that it is a tolerably easy one. There is supposed to
be a great deal of rivalry as to whether the starting point of the railway shall be
Roebourne or Port Hedland, but the controversy does not appear to have waxed very
warm, if we are to judge from the following statement, which has recently appeared in a
Perth newspaper: — "All efforts to convene a public meeting at Marble Bar, to further
discuss the matter of urging the Government to accept the railway route from Port
Hedland to Marble Bar, have proved futile, owing to the want of enthusiasm on the
question shown by the townspeople."

IN THK Ml'SH.

53»

MY FOVKTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

On arriving at Mallina late on the afternoon of the gth of January, some bad news
awaited us. Leonard Calvert, we heard, was seriously, if not dangerously ill, and Mr.
Albert V. Calvert had, on his arrival at Roebourne, been found to be suffering so severely
from sunstroke, that he had, under medical advice, been taken to the south by the
SS. Sultan. How we should get there in time to meet the K.M.SS. Australia, at Albany,
on the 2nd of February, seemed to be extremely doubtful, as Mr. Roe wrote to say that the
SS. Albany had anticipated her contradt time, and had left Cossack on the 8th inst. Our
only chance of getting down the cuast without liaxint; to wait three weeks, was that Mr.

Roc would be able to get the Tagliafcrro,
which was loading cattle at Derby, to
call in at Cossack, on her way to Fre-
mantle. As the Taglia/eno could not
arrive for a few da\-s, and the horses had
been rather hardly pushed in anticipation
of our being able to catch the Albany,
Ml. Osborne resolved to go more slowly
for the remainder of the way.

The next day's stage to the Sherlock
was a very dragging one, as tiie horses
which iiatl now carried us se\cii Inuulrcd
miles into the interior, were getting done
up. Every few miles a change had to
be made of a poler or a leader, who hung
l>ark in the traces in spite of tiu' whip.
There was not much to choose between
the spare horses, which young Jack had
in charge, and it was evident that owing
to the mishaps of the road, we should
be lucky if we just managed to reach
Roebourne. Mr. Osborne would have
been even worse off, if he had not had
the ,l;ooc1 fortune to borrow from a
teamster at Roebourne, Woodstock, a
grey gelding that nobly did credit to his
dash of Arab blood. The horse was
only "grass fed," ragged, and unshod, but the teamster had promised that lu; would want
to pull all the load himself. This was high praise, but the half-bred Arab proved to be a
veritable steam engine. Day after day he pulled his driver's arms out of their sockets, and
even when his hoofs were worn down to the quick, and his bones were showing all over,
he would not hear the crack of the whip without trying to jumj) (Mit of the harness. A little
mare that Mr. Osborne picked up on the road, also did splendid work when the pmch
came. She was only a handful, and had been ridden to something a little better than
a shadow before she was hitched up to the coach, but she did more than a big horse's

MK. BKENTON SVMONS, M.I.C.E.

MY FOURTH TOUK IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

339

work. From Sherlock into Roebourne she was never out of harness. In the last couple
of miles, on a boggy road, she was nearly dropping, but on the macadam she pulled
herself together, and galloped up the main street and into the yard of the Jubilee Hotel,
with a spirit that was strong though the flesh was weak.

We just got to the Sherlock in time to escape a wetting, that had been threatening all
day. On coming in sight of the homestead, it was apparent that a disaster had occurred
there since our last visit. The coach-house, barn, and stables had been swept away by fire.
Mr. Meares told us that the fire had spread so sudden!}', while a high wind was blowing,
that nothing could be done to save anything; buggies, harness, corn, and Mr. Osborne's
compressed fodder, had all
been consumed in less
than half-an-hour. The
cause of the fire had never
been discovered.

It was worse news
that Leonard Calvert, the
bright companion, who
had been ageneral favourite
during the early part of the
tour, had grown weaker.
The message which Mr.
Roe had sent out to meet
us at the Sherlock, did not
speak of the boy's life being
in danger, but it seemed
to be an augury of death.
Heavy rain fell steadily all
that night, and in the morn-
ing the Roebourne plains
were almost under water.
A leaden sky threatened a

wet ride, which was sure to he a v('i\' slow one, owing to the miry road, and the fadl that
the tired horses had, owing to the occurrence of the fire at the Sherlock station, missed
their usual feeds of corn. The wheels of the coaches sank deeply in the chocolate soil of
the plains, and horse after horse made his last effort, and had to be taken out. The odds
would have been greatly against us getting any further than Roebourne, if that town had
not been our destination. The unlooked-for disabilities of the trip had used up all Mr.
Osborne's reserve forces ; if, with less thoughtfulness, he had not provided a good margin
for contingencies, we should never have got through to time, ^^'e just managed to outrun
the rain, in reaching Roebourne. The horses had hardly been unharnessed before the
heavens opened, and a deluge descended. In the morning the Harding was roaring like the
cataraft of Niagara ; portions of the tramway were swept away, and the drought in the
North-Wcst had effe(5t;ually broken up. If we had been a day later in getting home, the

BUSH FlKi:S, l-H(tM WII.Ii DOG CAM!'.

y I

340

.\/y FOURTH TOUR I.\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

wav would have been blocked by the floods. The rain was the heaviest that had fallen for
years, and if no more rain should fall this season, the countrj' could not become as dry again
for two years as it was when we passed through it.

On entering Roebourne, Mr. Osborne drove to Mr. Roe's house to enquire for Leonard
Calvert. The blinds were down, and the place looked very quiet and deserted. The
housekeeper came out, and we saw the worst in her face. " The little fellow died this
morning," she said in a broken voice, "and they are burying him now." At that moment
the church bell began to toll its solemn knell for the dead. The funeral service was being
read in that lonelv cemetery, far from the bo\"s home and kindred. The next day Mr. Roe
told us of the fortitude with which the lad had borne acute suffering, and of the unremitting

care of his nurses. Among the kindly
ad^s in which many of the people of
Roebourne had sought to share, the
exertions of the SS. Sultan, on behalf
cif the patient, had been conspicuous.
Captain Pitts had set an ice-making
machine in motion with his engines, in
order to try and allay the fever, and had
even delayed the departure of his boat
to the latest possible moment, in order
to leave a supply of ice for the sick boy's
use. Mr. Roe himself had been unremit-
ting in his attention, and had stayed up
night after night to watch by his bedside,
as the lad had manifested a strong in-
clination to be in the company of his
friend. Mr. Roe gave warm praise to the
orderly of the Roebourne Hospital and
his assistant, who had been engaged to
nurse the patient, as soon as his illness
took a serious turn. It was the opinion
of his medical attendant that had the
weather been a little cooler, he would have pulled through. The excessively hot day's
experience while we were at Mallina, had been his death warrant, the same day on which
Mr. Albert V. Calvert had recei%'ed the sunstroke, which had compelled him to leave us at
Woodstock.

The date of our departure from the North-West remained in suspense through two
days. Mr. Roe had obtained a promise that the Taglia/erro would call, weather permitting,
but now that the fine weather had broken up, the chances were that the steamer would
have to consult her safety, bj' giving Cossack a wide berth on the way down to Fremantle
from Derby. The captain had not only to consider the interests of his ship, but also the
charterers, who had put a valuable lot of bullocks on board for the meat supply of Perth
and Fremantle, and who were naturally anxious to land them as soon as possible, as every

MY FOURTH TOUR FN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

341

day's delay means loss of condition to the beasts, who pine in their unwonted captivity,
after having roamed from the day of their birth, as free as the air, over the unfenced tradts
of the enormous pasture grounds. The Cossack agent of the boat wired to us to go to the
port, so as to be in readiness to go on board, if the Fates should be so propitious as to
enable the steamer to put in an appearance.

Mr. Roe went with us to Cossack. The time had come for us to say good-bye to Mr.
Osborne, whom we all held in high regard, not only for his excellent generalship, but for
the spirit of camaraderie which he had uniformly exhibited, all through what had been to
him a very trying post of great responsibility. As I have indicated in a previous chapter,
Mr. Osborne was eminently fitted for the work
which he so successfully carried through, and
every member of the party will always grate-
fully remember his foresight and his capabili-
ties for command, not less than his genial
qualities in social life. On the tram-ride to
Roebourne, the stupendous force and volume
of the storm waters was strikingly exhibited
in the washways along the line. The gaps
were so numerous that the passengers had to
leave the cars half-a-dozen times, and push
them across the rails, which were suspended
in mid-air, over chasms from ten to fifteen feet
wide, where the water had made its own outlet.

The next morning at dawn the lighthouse
signalled the arrival of a steamer, and with
light hearts we hurried down to the waterside,
expecting to be taken aboard the Tagliaferro;
but just as the boat was putting off another
signal was made, indicating that the steamer
had come from Fremantle, not from Derby.
The Tagliaferro, then it seemed, had gone by,
and we were doomed to remain at Cossack
for at least three weeks. We felt almost as
miserable as shipwrecked sailors, who see a sail pass from their sight, for Cossack is a
hateful place for an idler to be in. But happily, the dismal prospedt was not realised. Just
as we had abandoned all hope of getting to the south in time to see Mr. Calvert again,
prior to his departure for London, the shipping agent sped into our hotel with the joyful
tidings that the Tagliaferro was in sight. The weather had cleared at the critical moment.
The wind was lulling and the clouds disappearing, w hile the steamer was coming abreast of
the lighthouse, and the captain, who had made up his mind to go by, was induced to make
a hasty call at the port, which to us was a place of horrible banishment. We were very
quickly aboard, and no time was lost in getting up steam for Fremantle.

The Tagliaferro was not a very sweet boat ; she had too many cattle on board to be

AltORIOINALS DANCING.

34^

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

A TIN OF SALMON.

delectable to passengers, but to us, flushed with a sense of deliverance, she was the pink of

perfection. She was as slow as she was dirty, and she was quite out of grog, but it was

delightful to travel in her, instead of
being immured for the better part of a
month at Cossack. The captain gave us
an interesting account of his experiences
on the coast in the cattle trade. The
Taglia/crro had been chartered for twelve
months to bring butchers' supplies from
the North-West, to compete against the
importers from the other Colonies, which
the large influ.x of population into Western
Australia had rendered necessary. The
steamer carried about two hundred head
on each trip, and all the time she had
been in the trade her losses had not
amounted to more than about three per
cent. The cattle, which are always very
wild, are run aboard in the cool of the
morning, in order to prevent them being

over heated. From a yard alongside the jett\-, they are driven over high-walled gang-
ways on to the different decks, and are made secure behind heavy bolts and beams, upon

the strength of which the safety of the ship depends.

The meat supply of Western Australia is one of the "burning questions" in and out

of Parliament. A joint costs more here than it does even in England : and all classes of

the community, except the pastoralists. chafe against the stock tax, which is an into'er.ibie

burden, yet the

Colony is so badlj'

off for pasture lands

that it can never

hope to raise the

flocks and herds

which are required

to feed the people.

Broadly speaking,

the only cattle dis-

tri<5ts are to be

found in the Kim-

berley district, and

even there, I have

the authority of Mr. Alexander Forrest for saying, that squatting is not a sufficiently profitable

enterprise to enable the owners of runs to stand in a strong position with the lenders of the

money, which they have spent upon the improvement of their properties. On the day that

A HOU5K IN ROEBOURNE.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

343

these lines were written, Mr. Charles Harper, hon. member for Beverley, moved for and
obtained a Select Committee, to enquire as to the best means of enabling meat to be sold at
a reasonable price, and in the course of the discussion Mr. F"orrest told a member who was
attacking the stock tax, that he (Mr. Forrest) would make over his station property in the
North-West to anyone who would relieve him of financial responsibility in regard to it.
He contended that the tax of thirty shillings per head on meat cattle ought not to be
removed, as it was the only thing that prevented the local grazier from being crushed by his
inter-colonial rival.

The captain of the Taglia/crro greatly deplores the ill-lighted state of the coast between
Geraldton and Derby, which
leaves the mariner at the mercy
of favouring chances, and his local
knowledge to steer clear of the
shoals and sunken reefs, which
have strewn these waters with
wrecks. In this, as in other
respetSts, the Colony has had too
large an area to watch over, in
proportion to its means and popu-
lation, the result being that the
coasting vessels have had to take
the "risks of the road," much in
the same way that an isolated
settler in the bush cannot expetft
to enjoy the well kept highways
of a townsman. The ship-masters
of the North-Western seaboard,
therefore, rely more upon their
own prudence and familiarity
with the intricacies of the course,
which they mark out, than on
charts and beacons. They make
up by increased watchfulness, and
long and anxious hours on duty,
for the fewness of the landmarks; and year after year, safely get in and out of the ports of
Sharks' Bay, Onslow, Carnarvon, and Derby, which would be full of pitfalls to navigators
who had not acquired a skill in this particular school of experience. Now that the Colony
is growing so rapidly in wealth and population, there is no doubt that the better lighting of
the coast will be taken in hand.

On the evening of the sixth day after we had embarked at Cossack, the Tagliaferro was
warped up to the town pier at the cattle jetty, at Fremantle, and the record trip of Calvert's
party through the goldfields of the Golden West was over. It was a record trip in the
extent of country which had been traversed in the six weeks devoted to it, m the special

A LKTTKK HOMK.

344

MY FOURTH TOUR IN U'ESTERN AUSTRALIA.

organization required to accomplish the journe}', and I fear not less unique and lavish

expenditure which the special train and coach
services entailed. Hut the objedt which Mr.
Albert F. Calvert had set before him, had been
accomplished with the completeness which has
uniformly charadterised his enterprises. In the
short time which he could spare from his many
and onerous engagements in Great Britain, he
had resolved to see for himself the develop-
ments of the Goldfields of Western Australia,
f '^^^ -» ^ which have so marvellouslj' expanded within

.^HV ( mW the last twelve months. There were, as this

fc /Lil r ^ narrative shows, manj- difficulties in the carrying

out of this arduous and self-imposed task, but
they all gave way to an indomitable will,
organising power, and a long purse. The whole
of the extensive arrangements, in spite of the
remoteness of the country to be traversed, the
midsummer heat of tropical latitudes, and the
difficuly of getting stores, fodder, and ec]uip-
ment, had been carried out with the regularity
and the punctuality of clockwork, with the
result that Mr. Calvert, Mr. Graham Hill, and
Mr. Hrcnton Symons, left for London by the
K.M.SS. Australia, on the date that had been
appointed in London months before.

Cbaptcr 28.

A Little Bluw-iip on the Swan.
Full, True, and Particular Account of the Same.

By Walker Hodgson.

HE Ivy was not by any means the most elegant steam
launch on the Swan, but what she lacked in beauty of form
she made up — with a good deal of noise — in self-assertion.
There was a slight hint of this forward characteristic
of the Ivy in the obtrusiveness of her funnel. Our
illustration will indicate this. There was, we thought,
too much funnel to allow of due appreciation regarding
her remaining proportions. However, we are not on
this account going to "blow-up" the Ivy, since, as will

shortly be seen, she was ready and willing enough to do that herself.

The Ivy had just been renovated. She had needed it for a long time, and had been

made smart at last, which condition may account for the self-assertion alluded to. We

have heard of

more intelligent
creatures than
steam launches
laying in stock
of a like nature
when the tailor
or the milliner
sends the new
things round —
in spite of the
accompanying
bill.

Well, the
Ivy was quite
smart outside,
and was fitted with a new engine inside — an American kerosene oil arrangement, which

f^l^S'mltif-iT ir'i'

THE LAUNCH ' IVV, AT THK JKTTV.

346

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

TIIK KKGINFEK.

prophec)- affirmed would cause her propeller to do great things in the \v:iy of speed. The

deck of the launch was laid with linoleum of a striking pattern, while her seating

accommodation was brave in marbled oilcloth. With all her finery, therefore, and the

new kerosene power, she was about to make a trial trip from her
mooring in F"reshwater Bay to Fremantle. The Ivy belonged to
Osborne Hotel, where we were staying for a few days — before
proceeding to Albany to join Mr. Calvert and Mr. Graham Hill
for the voyage to England — and we were invited by her engineer
aiul her skipper to step on board and "do" the trip with them.
This we agreed to readily enough, little knowing till later on
how dangerously Ivy fancied herself in her new dress. So we
descended the two hundred and seventy zig-zag stairs leading
down the side of the cliff from the rear of the hotel, and joined
our friends "the crew." There was a little fellow fishing on the
jetty, and our genial skipper invited him also to join, but he
shook his head, and smiling "No, thanks," turned his back upon
us. Perhaps ho fult a bite at that moment, and, from what

we know of piscatorial enthusiasm, it would rctiuire much more than a trip on a steam

launch to entice an angler from the feel of a bite. We

do not desire it to be understood that we got awaj'

expeditiously from the jetty and our little fishing friend.

The kerosene was not at all eager, and it was full)' two

hours before the propeller announced, by a lazy sort of

revolution, that we were mo\ing.

Freshwater Ha)- and the river thereabout is as fine a

water for boating and yachting as you need desire, while

for the eye there is much beauty in the surroundings — the

views from the high tower of Osborne, over to the

distant Darling Range, and to Fremantle and the sea, being

particularly grand. Bush fires, too, are characteristic of

the scenery, and tell, in this neighbourhood at any rate, of

the advent of the white man and his clearing operations,

and his — saying insulting things to the flies. As we

descended the stairs before-mentioned there were three

fires smoking in the middle distance. Having got fairly

away, going, that is, at perhaps a rapid walking rate, our

skipper proposed that we should make an inspiection of an

aboriginal cave "over yonder in Peppermint (irovc." This

we did, and it was just as well that we tarried there awhile,

for Ivy was sorely needing a spell in order to get steam up

again. She was not quite ready, in fact, when we thought of proceeding. The next

object of interest towards which we steered was upon the opposite side of the reach — a

mile away maybe. This was certainly a curio to us, remembering we were in Australia —

THK SKiri'KK.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

347

for it was nothinf( less novel than a ruin. True there was no moss or ivy about it, or we
would write and tell Mr. Max O'Kell i)f the find; still, it was a real grey ruin, and an

IN 1 liLhinVATKK liAV.

I AfJlrg-A

-tl#*»*^..

KUSH FIRES.

interesting,' "luinian dociinient." It is situated midway between Perth and Fremantle, and
was the only house of call for traffickers on the riser lonj,' before the present railway was

348

.\/V FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

ABORIGINAL CAVE, SWAN RIVER.

laid down. We viewed this rarity without landing, and referring to Ivy, found she had
"So lbs. on," and was prepared to steam ahead. Pretty villas here and there peep out

from the foliage on the banks of the
stream — estates purchased for the pro-
verbial song, but what worth now we
wonder, and at what rate rising in value?
Let us attend to Ivy and her crew, how-
ever. We were steaming at six knots now,
and only once had the skipper to get out
and push! This was on account of a
sandbank that took advantage of Ivy when
her friends had forgotten her helm, and
transferred their interest to sandwiches
and half a kerosene tinful of water. We
had a tumbler when the voyage began, but someone sat upon it in the course of the trip.
You can, however, take a much longer "pull" from a kerosene tin, and that is something
to appreciate in the thirsty Antipodes.

It was when we were crossing Rocky Bay, en route to the famous quarries of the Swan
River Settlement, that it took the man at the wheel, or, rather, cord, all attention to keep
clear of the numerous shoals and

sandbanks; indeed, matters would /

have gone amiss with us earlier
than they did had it not been for
the constant use of the boat-hook
and careful inspection of the river
bed.

From the quarries, in which
many of Britain's expert sinners laboured long ago, the stone is now being taken for the
new breakwater at Fremantle. From here it is perhaps a mile to the well-known bridge
designed by a convict, and altogether built by his fellows in forced exile. There was a good
deal of "full speed ahead" and "astern" before we came to a suitable mooring for the Ivy,
who, having reached the bridge, had gained her outward port, but we finally made fast
immediately beneath the great wooden structure of the convict days.

A number of chubby and much freckled Colonial children were playing about an old

overturned boat — like Mr. Peggotty's residence
(without the chimney) — and two or three lads
were stripping on the little wharf in order to
take "the cool of the evening" (it was now six
o'clock) in the water.

We all landed, and made haste to the
nearest cool drink saloon, for the kerosene tin
had been empty some time. Within an hour
we returned leisurely, and the engineer proceeded to get steam up. By this time there were

HOUSE BOAT ON THh

A Ut'SH FIRE NEAR FREMANTLE.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

349

VII-;W NKAR THE yUARKIES.

quite twenty youths diving and bathing near, and one boy had seated himself on the prow

of the launch to take detailed stock of us. And now it was that the Iiy made a to-do.

Perhaps she resented being left
alone, and so was in ill-humour.
Anyhow, when we were just about
to start, homeward bound, and were
taking in the cable, she gave a loud
report — a mixture of thud and bang
— which made the bathers — rosy
with their exertions in the water —
turn pale, and the launch's crew
and guests probably paler still. The
former scrambled out of the river
with scared faces, and the latter
very earnestly got away from the
neighbourhotid of the engine, with
greater speed than a gutter gamin
would make to outrun a policeman.
The expression on the counte-
nance of the boy on the prow was a
sight to be remembered, the skipper

told us later, and he laughed long and heartily about it many times before we reached the

home jetty again. No doubt he will have the picture still in his merry eye, and being

reminded of it by this little record, will laugh once more. But the result was much more

disastrous than the report. The most vital pipe in the engine's mechanism had burst, and

a side of the engine itself was blown clean out.

The engineer might have been seriously hurt. He

had just crouched down, and with much satis-
faction become aware that Ivy was worth 80 lbs.,

but before he had time to rise and express the

fact, the accident happened, so that when next we

looked upon him his face and hands exhibited

numerous wounds and much grime.

What was to be done? We could abandon

the self-assertive Ivy, and return to Clareniont

(the station for Osborne) by train, but this was

scarcely heroic enough for two Englishmen, one

Scotchman (the skipper), and one Colonial (the

engineer) ! The latter turned out to be the hero

of the situation (perhaps our looks appealed to

him for a sign of his mechanical genius), and

promptly indicated his line of action. One of us

was to remain in charge of the craft while lu-, with the others, would go in search of a

THK UOV ON THE PROW.

35°

MY FOURTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Fremantle plumber. The short Australian twili.E^ht had died away when we set forth with

the disabled portion of the launch's engine to find a fitting shop.

After a considerable walk we found such a place with ease, but met a difficulty at the

same time. The plumber's daughter was quite sure we might use the shop in order to heal

the wounds inflicted by the suicidally-inclined Ivy, but first we must secure the key to

the hospital, and the key was in the pocket of her father, who at this time in the evening

was taking his ease "somewhere in the town."

Unable to get anything more definite than somewhere, we went after the key. We

visited the liilliard saloons and the bars, and re- visited them. Our engineer, who was

personallj- acquainted
with this particular
tradesman, " kept his
eyes open" in the
streets, and looked into
all the shops yet open.
For two hours we
searched, and twice in
passing the plumber's
house had called there
again, hoping to find
him returned. Still, no
plumber — no key.

"Our friend in the
launch must think we're
bushed," the skipper
suggested.

" And so we are,
a way," said the

OUR SKIPPER.

engineer. "We can't get
the key to the road out;
but he'll have been dining
at Osborne long before
this I should fancy."
We found the key,

however, at our third (and it was to have been our last) call at the plumber's house, and the

tradesman very readily gave our engineer the freedom of his bench, new piping, files, vice,

and soldering irons.

Sturdily and steadily our friend worked for a couple of hours, when all was ready, and

we left for the launch, carrying the "doctored" part, without which the T.y could not help

us home.

A late coffee-stall, however, attracted us on the way to the river. Here were sausages

and mashed potatoes, and pork pies — and we were hungry. The stall-holder was doing

brisk business when we approached as customers. It was a " well-found " concern —

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

351

to us at this time of night, in another sense than that of being amply provisioned — and

we set to with appetite.

Now, all the opprobrious terms our little
party could think of had been called upon
and used so often in connection with Ivy's
blow-up, that any suggestion of an un-
applied word of reproach was likely to
"catch on" with iis, in case Ivy was still
disinclined to be good. Such a word was
freely given us while we stood at the
coffee-stall.

There came across the broad, dusty
street, out of the darkness, with a swaying
motion, indicative of recent "cups," an
old man in a hat with a very wide brim,
and a voice of thick utterance.

"Who called me a lag?" he asked,
drawing up to the Ivy trio, and casting
dazed ej-es upon each in tiu'n. "Who
called me a lag?"

A BIT til- THK OLD CONVICT BlUDGE.

This word "lag"
had not occurred to
us for applicati(jn to
the launch's treat-
ment of herself and
us, or it would have
been cast at her no
doubt with frequency.
The epithet is a relic
of the old convict
days, and is supposed
to have a good deal
of sting about it. It
means a convict, or
one who has been a
convict. We suppose
it could not be used
now with much effect,
since it could not
carry veracity with it. There are no convicts
now, and the erstwhile representatives of
the Swan River Settlement must have gone
with the years. Still, the word is commonly

THE LUGGKK.

A LATE COFFEE-STALL KEEPER.

35^

.\/V FOURTH TOUR I.\ UESTERN AUSTRALIA.

used — we have heard it used all over the Colony — and our inebriated interrogator
had made up his mind that one of us had called him a "lag." We need scarcelj- say
his surmise — expressed with whisk}- fumes — was a long way out, but so little did he
believe this, that he removed his coat in order to try conclusions in a bout of fisticuffs.

He very nearly struck the first blow. But not quite, for
our skipper got him neatly by the neck and a lower region,
and ran him back into the gloom, where he left him in a
recumbent attitude, with every opportunity to finish the night
in a survey of the southern constellations.

Having finished our coffee, we returned to the river, and
as soon as the white hull of Ivy appeared in the moonlight
over the wharf, the engineer exclaimed with meaning in his
voice, "You old lag!"

The fitting operation was quite successful, and in the
course of an hour the launch moved out into the broad channel
of the Swan to the clatter of a horseman high up on the old
convict bridge.

Of course, we had not found our friend in charge. He
had taken the last train to Claremont, and had had late — very
late — dinner, but he had left us the following note pinned on
the chain locker door: —

" Blown-up launch Ivy, lo p.m.
"Dear comrades, please observe I'm off. I cannot ' linger longer;'
Fremantle has attractions, true, but Osborne has em stronger —
While it has just occurred to me (don't tjike the thought amiss)
That you have said ' the launch be blown,' and hooked it home by this."
He told US next day that, while waiting in the launch,
lying upon the marbled seat, most heartily wishing for some-
thing to turn up, a pair of lovers turned up, and a proposal of
marriage was made just over his head.

Moderate speed now served us, on account of the
uncertain light, but for five knots good steaming was done,
though just after rounding Rocky Bay we nearly collided with
a stone-laden lugger. She was being towed over the river from
the quarries by a small boat. The "measured beat and slow"
of a pair of oars was the first indication we had of her presence.
"Hi, hi, there; look out!" sang our skipper.
"Nay, look out >'o«," replied the lugger pilot; and so we
had to do, by stopping Ivy as soon as possible, and using the
poles to keep her away from the obstruction.

But our troubles began again after five knots were completed. It was a time of
continually getting out to push. Ivy was all that could be desired now in her steam
equipment, but whenever we tried to use it we ran aground, so that for long it was very
slow going indeed, and when at last we got into deep water it was so dark that we had not

THE LALNUKESS.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

353

the least idea of the locality. We decided to wait for dawn, therefore, and we waited,
telling yarns and eating sandwiches (which we had procured at the coffee-stall), and —
keeping a respectful distance from the kerosene engine.

Most certainly we were bushed on the Swan, but when the
light came we found ourselves in luck. We were within a hundred
yards of the Osborne jetty at the foot of the zig-zag stairs.

It was about half-past four when we parted. The skipper and

the engineer branched off to their respective houses, and the

remaining guest returned to the hotel, which he found he could

not enter in the usual way at that hour. So he ascended to the

tower from the outside, and there remained until Peter, an Indian

waiter, who was generally about very early, should open one of

the doors and smile his own Bengalese smile, and ask all about

it. For by the returned guest the Ivy's little blow-up at Fremantle

had been described to the Osborne folk, while the bushed guest was

somewhat of a curio at breakfast time. Peter told the laundress,

and the laundress told the cook, who looked at us out of the corner of his eye in passing

his domain, and we found out — for one day in our lives, at any rate — what it is like to be

"noticed."

THE COOK LOOKED OUT OF
THE CORNER OF HIS EYE.

— V

^jif.saiJL—fc.

"T*

;

AtaMiiu..

A REACH ON THH SWAN RIVER.

Cbaptcr 20.

A Few Notes Homeward Bound.

Bv Walker Hodgson.

I T was at Albany that our sometime divided party met again for the

voyage to England. Mr. Calvert, who

had been in the Eastern Colonies with

Mr. Graham Hill, was now thoroughly

restored to health. The last time we

had seen him was when he lay prostrate

in the desert of the North- West. Now,

as he bade good-bye to Sir Joseph Renals

and other friends on the jetty at .A.lban3',

he appeared as well as ever. Our genial

Osborne host, Mr. W". T. Astley, had
journeyed with us — Mr. Symons, Mr. Tooth, and the writer^ —
from Perth, to transact business with our chief, and he and
Mr. S. H. W'hittaker, the correspondent, were the last familiars
to whom we recollect giving a parting salute as at mid-day,
February 3rd, the fine P. and O. ship A ustralia steamed out of
King George's Sound. At seven in the evening the last of the

land. Cape Leeuwin, had become the dimmest grey rim betwixt sky and sea, and was
soon altogether lost in the rapidly-falling shades of night.

m,- '

THE HON. MRS. NORTH.

■

„

--—

^^■^

^^H

^MM.

ip'-r-

•-

•

P^M!

•<#

R. M.S. 'AUSTRALIA AI'i>ROACHlNC SUKZ.

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERX AUSTRALIA.

.555

All the traders at Colombo and Aden, and other ports of call, who throng the

homeward-bound ship from the Great

South Land, seem to have fully made up
their minds that you have unlimited means
for the purchase of their merchandise —
jewellery (made in Birmingham, " know-
ing " voyagers tell you), photographs,
sandalwood boxes, lace, silks, cigarettes,
feathers, and so on. Perhaps you have,
but, finding it difficult to deal with so
many importunate " tambies," you get
impatient, and endeavour to make it
plain to them that you are going home
cashless. Still, they are most persevering
gentlemen. The tawny divers do their
best, too, to draw your attention to them,
advertising their performance by frequent
repetitions of that tremendous classic —
Oh! so reminiscent of home — •" Ta-ra-ra-
boom-de-ay." The very blind and mal-

■•'M$-i,

SIR JOSEPH RKNALS, liART.

formed beggars in the byways ashore, apparently
think that your feet have of late been treading
in fortune - leading tracks somewhere in Terra
Australis, and appeal vehemently for a dole from
your overflowing funds.

Ashore at Aden, a little party of the .,-1 ustralias
passengers were followed all day by a feather
merchant of, we should imagine, really fine parts
as a trader. He had a most insinuating smile,
too, and made eloquent use of it by giving it a
dash of contempt whenever it was suggested to
him that the party's exchequer was exhausted.

"You haf com' from Australee !" he was for
ever reminding us as he trotted — with the usual
mob of Arab urchins — at our heels. Our portrait
shows him just after one of these " reminders."

FROM NKW ZEALAND.

35*^

MY FULKTH TOUR IX WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

.^'

The urchins, in their appeals for backsheesh, generally state that they are orphans, so
generally indeed, that the
traveller may be excused
the fancy that they
are mostly fibbing. But
when it comes to an
ancient inhabitant (like
the conventional patriarch
in a Biblical illustration)
pointing out to you that
he is without
father and mother,
the trav'eller ma}-
be forgiven for
taking him by his
patriarchal beard,
and gazing into his
wrinkled patriar-
chal countenance,
and calling
himapatri-
archal cen-
tenarian of
a sinner.
Such an old
gentleman
informed ((i
(with out-
stretched
hand f o r

the expected backsheesh), that he had
"no father, no mother," whereupon
a member of our group took him a

■vol' HAK COM FROM AUSTRALtt."

BEGGARS ALL.

little apart, and entered into his parentless

case fully and seriously,
telling him that at his
time of life it was an
awful crime to be guilty
of, and that in the
absence of his papa and
mamma, he really ought
to be a better boy. It
was this same com-
panion of ours who, in

MY FOURTH TOUR IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

357

passing through the Suez Canal later on, thought he would take up a goodly portion

of Egypt, and start a sandpaper
factory there.

The crowds of pedlars who
over-run the vessel at the various
ports, it is asserted, have many
thieves among them. For this
reason, we suppose, it was that
one of the quartermasters stationed
himself at the head of the gang-
way to keep back most of them.
From those he did allow a "market
pitch " on deck he took toll at the
rate of a feather each ; and we
should think he collected as many
as will serve his female relations at
home, however numerous, for many
ostrich-feather fashion seasons.

Leaving Aden, you lose the
Southern Cross at night. This is

A NOT!-: AT AltKN.

not such a violent loss as some folk would have \ou fancy.
What says our friend " Ironbark" about it? Hear him —

"We have been personally and intimately acquainted
with the Southern Cross for many years, and can at least
say that he never imposed upon us ; never dazzled us —
not one solitary dazzle — nor impressed us half as much
as our first soldier-ant bite did. Most people, at least,
expect to see the Southern Cross in an upright position,
but, as a matter of fact, it is mostly seen lying on its side,
as if it were too sick or too tired to stand up. Occasionally
it stands on its head, but this is pure eccentricity, done
probably for variety, or with the deliberate intention of
looking as little like a respectable cross as it can. We
would willingly hnd extenuating circumstances if we could

for the

MR. W. T. AST1.KV.

A CATAMARAN.

short-
comings

of this afflicted constellation, but none
for its fawning sychophants, who have
deliberately dragged it from the obscurity
in which it would otherwise have
remained, and have persistently adver-
tised it as though it was the very Pears'

358

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Soap of the firmament, or a kind of luminous Cockle's Pills. No, we have no personal
grudge against it, no decided objection to the cross itself, except, perhaps, on moral
grounds. There is not the least doubt that it is responsible for almost as many impromptu

AT COLOMBO.

"The spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle."

flirtations as the moon herself, and many a weary brother bears the still heavier cross of
matrimony this day, who can trace the beginning of his trouble to somebody's amiable

HEARING SUEZ.

suggestion that he should " step out on the balcony, and point it out to her." So,
becoming aware that our leaving Aden meant leaving the Southern Cross behind us, we
took heart of grace, and a peep into " Ironbark Chips and Stockwhip Cracks."

Backsheesh again at Suez, and through the canal to Port Said, is looked upon with

MY FOURTH TOUR L\ WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

359

favour, and diminutive Arabs will keep pace with the ship — when, of course, she is going
very, very " dead slow " — to accept contributions.

The voyage home, in the main most pleasurable, was not, however, without its tragedy.
A young station owner from New South Wales went overboard in the Red Sea. How, it
was not easy to make out. He was seen on deck as late as midnight, but never after-
wards. He was, we believe, coming to England to be married, a circumstance which
gave the sad occurrence, if possible, a more regretful aspect.

INIS(

A LIST OF WORKS BY

ALBERT F. CALVERT.

Fellow Royal Geographical Society, Fellow Geological Society of Edinburgh,

Associate Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, London; Fellow Scottish

Geographical Society, Fellow Geographical Society of Australia,

Fellow Royal Society of Australia, Fellow Colonial Institute,

Fellow Imperial Institute, Member Newcastle Institute

of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, Member

British Association for the Advancement

of Science, Member Hakluyt

Society, Gyc, &'C.

Works bp Albert f. Calocrt

Che DiSCOUCrp of Australia tlUnstrnted). Popular Edition on Hand-Made Paper and
Cloth Cover PrlCC 10 6 Hitto, Library Edition in Half Vellum, £1 Is.

CbC €\pl0rali0ll of JiUSlralia. Vol. I. companion volume to "The Discovery of
Australia" Crown Quarto, Cloth. 10/6; Library Edition, on Hand-made Paper, with Illustrations on
Japanese Paper. £1 Is.

CbC exploration of Australia. \o\.\\. Crown Quarto, Cloth lO 6; Library Edition,
on Hand-made I'apcr. £1 Is.

mineral Resources of Western Australia, price 2 - Library Edition, 5/-

Cbe CoolaarUie GolUfielU: Western Australia, wuh Lar-e M.p. price 1/

Library Kilitu'ii, 2/6

Che Genesis of iRineral Eodes and Ore Deposits, with numerous illustrations.

in Popular ami Library Editions Ready Shortly.

Western Australia: Its l>istorp and Progress, lopui.ir Edition, pncei/- Library

Edition, Price 7/6

Cbe West Australian IHinina Inuestors' handbook, w itii coloured Map of

Western .\ustralia and Plans of the various GolJhelds. Price 1/-; Cloth, 2 -

Western Australia and its Welfare. .V reproduction of Articles which have appeared

in the West Australian Review, 1893-1894 Price 1/- (Out of Print).

Western Australia and its Goldfields. with Map (om of Print).

bints on Gold Prospecting. (Out oj Print).

Recent explorations in Australia, w.th Map (///»s/n<to/;. (Out of Pnm).

Cbe Forest Resources of Western Australia. (o„t of Prim).

Pearls: Cbeir Origin and Formation. (Ont v/ Print).

Cbe Aborigines of Western Australia, second Edition. Price i -

EXPLORATION OF AUSTRALIA. VoL 1.

Mr. Calvert has expended much research on his work. He has mastered the long and intricate storj- of
Australian exploration, and he tells it with care and spirit. Others have sought to do the same work before him,
but none of them on a scale so complete, or in a style more attractive. — The Scotsman, July 15th, 1895.

Mr. Calvert is a princely companion for any voyage, but in the matter of Australia— his heart's delight — he
is hospitable beyond the dreams of the most exacting guest. His latest book is a triumph of the printer's art ; noble
margin, large type, sumptuous paper, and reckless liberality of portrait and quaint engraving, combining to make
our stay with him a veritable feast of history and travel. It may be that when this fascinating tale of the opening
up of the Southern World has been finished, other books on its history will seem tame. — Morning Lender, July i8th, 1895.

The vast amount of research and observation required in compiling so comprehensive a work as Mr. Calvert
here lays before his countrymen, has borne rich fruit, as seed that falls on good ground, and must be pronounced
a valuable contribution to Australian literature. No pains have been spared by the publishers in providing a
sumptuous edition, amply furnished with portraits and map. — Lloyd's Newspaper. July 21st, 1895.

Mr. Calvert's industry in compilation concerning Australia, is enormous and unintermitting The number of
volumes he has already produced on the " Fifth Continent," and its mineral resources, exceeds a dozen, all in a
comparatively short time, and this handsome quarto is probably the most readable, and is certainly the most attradive
looking of the lot. There are few stories of adventure — as we have had occasion heretofore to remark — more creditable
to the world's pioneers than the tale of British enterprise, in opening up Australia.— Dni'/j' Chronicle, July 2gth. 1895.

The Expluration of Australia, by Mr. Albert F. Calvert, is improving in size, and luxurious in get-up,
endowed with a large open page, good paper and type, many effedlive woodcuts, and a binding exceptionally tasteful.
Mr Calvert has already produced (with other works on kindred topics) a book on The Discovery of Australia, of
which the present work may be regarded as a worthy companion. — The Globe, July 29th, 1895.

The Exploration of Australia, by Albert F. Calvert, is a notable work on an important subjefl. and must
ever rank as a leading authority. It is not needful at this date to say aught of the share Mr. Calvert has borne in
Antipodean development ; it is not necessary to refer to the bancjuet given him by many who have the interests of that
Colonial possession most at heart In this work, however, he has probably done more for the land he loves than in all
his other efforts put together, since he has produced a thoroughly popular record of its incorporation in the bounds of the
Empire. — Black and White, August loth, 1895.

In a large single volume, admirably printed, profusely illustrated, and tastefully bound, which has recently been
issued under the title Tlie Exploration of Australia, the eminent geographer, Mr. A. F Calvert, has recorded
the perilous adventures and strange experiences of the valiant and enterprising Englishmen- from William Dampier
(16S8) to Ainsworth Horrocks (1846), whose names are identified in the annals of Australia with heroic feats and
memorable achievements in connexion with the exploration of the largest island in the w-orld. The abundant
material at Mr Calvert's disposal has been so judiciously dealt with by that gentleman that his magnificent work not
only teems with instructive narrative and thrilling episodes of human intrepidity and endurance, but is invested with all
the seductive charm and fascinating glamour of romance inspired by imaginative genius. — Daily Telegraph, Aug. lOth, 1895.

Messrs. George Philip and Son, of Fleet Street, have just issued, accompanied with portraits and a map. a
very handsome volume, entitled The Exploration of Australia, by Albert F. Calvert. F.R.O S . a gentleman who

has written quite a library on the history and resources of .\ustralia The author has aimed at making

his book popular and readable, rather than statistical and scientific— T/if Morning, July fnh. 1895.

The Exploration of Australia is a new work by Mr. Albert F. Calvert, the well-known writer on all works
conneded with that Colony. This is not a boy's work of adventures, but a carefully edited series of narratives, which
will please the Koyal Geographical Society, and entertain the general reader. Not a detail is wanting, of hardship,
of strange happening, of failure, of triumph. — The Christian World, July nth, 1895

It would almost seem as if Mr Calvert's one obje<5l in life were to keep Australia before the public, by the
persistent making and publishing of books about it. Eleven volumes have not exhausted his enthusiasm, and he
duly completes the dozen with the present compilation.— fi/dsifOJi' Herald, July nth. 1895.

The story is always interesting. — Times, July 12th, 1895.

Mr. Calvert is a well-known mining expert, and a tried explorer, and it redounds greatly to his credit that,
amidst his other multifarious duties, he has found time to write, in faultless English, the history of The Exploration
of Australia. This feat is all the more surprising, as it is only eighteen months ago since he gave us a similar
work on The Discovery of Australia. As we have just said, the author has that precious gift of being able to express

himse!f in excellent English, and, in addition, he has .i bright and racy method, which makes it a pleasure to read
his writings.— Ci*i»^n, July 13th. 1895.

Mr. Albert Calvert has sent me a very splendidly bound copy of his book. The Exploration of Australia,
and a singularlv interesting volume it is at the present time. What Mr. Calvert doesn't know about Australia seems
but little worth learning, and he has put his story in excellent language and in highly interesting fashion. Mr.
Calvert is clearly an enthusiast, and his labour in compiling the two hundred and thirty-five pages, of which the
book consists, bears the seeming of having been one of aflleiflion. The volume will be found a very useful one for
reference.- The Pelican, July 13th, 1895.

Mr. Calvert has already achieved reputation as a vivid and corred historian, in his work, entitled Tlii- Discovery

of Australia, and the book under review is of even greater interest than that volume, which is saying much

The storv of the exploration of the vast island is given in slri<ft historical sequence, while the faft of Mr.
Calvert's authorship ensures the authenticity of every detail. Turning from the matter to the manner of the book,
we may charadlerise it as a veritable edition de luxe. The illustrations, consisting chiefly of portraits, are on India
paper, 'while the letterpress is on hand-made paper, with broad margins, a delight to the book lover's eye. Finally,
a thoroughly up-to-date map of .Vustralia. by Mr Calvert, specially compiled for the volume, gives the completing
touch to a deeply interesting book.— T/it- African Review, July 13th, 1895.

The Exploration of Australia, by Albert F. Calvert, is a sumptuously produced, and most exhaustive and
interesting epitome of the labours of the explorers of the great southern Continent Mr. Calvert has wisely
endeavoured to make the book readable and popular, rather than statistical and scientific, and the result is a volume
which will find a wide circle of readers. The maps and illustrations are excellent, and the printing and paper such as
one but seldom meet with nowadays We congratulate Mr. Calvert heartily on his performance, and are sure it
will materially help to keep alive the national daring and endurance which never found more noble illustration than
in the careers ot men who laid down their lives, in the endeavour to penetrate the great interior deserts of Australia. —
Weikly Times and Echo, July 14th. 1895.

Mr. Calvert, who probably knows more of Australia than any man living, has added another handsome
volume to his already extensive literary contribution to the history of Australian Exploration. In the work under
review. The Exploration if Australia. Mr. Calvert gives us an excellent account of the difficult and hazardous travels
of such brave pioneers as Grey, Sturt, Eyre, Russell, Horrocks, and others, in the first half of the present century.
He writes in an attradlive stvle, and has chosen his authorities with much discretion. Much information
is given on scientific and statistical subjects, but never to the loss of interest, and the book is eminently readable.
As a critic must always be, to a certain extent, captious, we venture to suggest to Mr. Calvert that in the next
edition of The Exploration of Australia, he should add an index to its intere.sting and varied contents. -/..i/c,
July i6th, 1895.

The present book is by far the most important Mr. Calvert has achieved, for The Exploration of Australia

was a subjeft that required to be done, and that required also a deal of work to do it adequately

It is the highest praise that can be bestowed on Mr. Calvert's volume to say, as can truly be said, that it is the
most complete yet produced, and that it must ever rank as an authority.— G/(is;fo:o Citizen, July i8th, 1895.

We have now to haid a handsomely got-up volume, from the pen of Mr. Calvert, entitled. The Exploration
of Australia. The contents show much research, and full justice has been done to the subjeift by the author. . .

Many of the chapters, dealing with the attempts of the e.irly explorers, are of a fascinating

charafter The Uii\ that Mr. Calvert is himself an explorer of repute, adds zest to his vivid

account of the work of his predecessors The value of the volume is much enhanced by the

splendid map and plates which accompany it. The work should prove of especial interest just now, in view of the
attention now being direded, mainly owing to the efforts of the author, to the enormous mineral resources of
Australia ; and we commend it most heartily to the notice of our readers, as a valuable contribution to the literature of
its class— ^rfm;'r<i//j' and Horse Guards Gazette, July iSth, 1895

Mr. Calvert has furnished another valuable contribution to Australian literature, and the description of the
experiences of the first explorers in a difficult and bewildering country, where almost everything in nature seemed
to reverse the usual order of things, cannot fail to be thoroughly interesting to nearly every class of reader. —
Devon Gazette, July 23rd, 1895

The present work is one of the handsomest volumes of its kind we remember to have seen, and the information
.it contains covers the history of exploration in Australia from the earliest date. The book is appropriately dedicated
to the Marquis of- Kipon, late Secretary of State for the Colonies. Mr Calvert has been at great pains to go
through the various records dealing with explorative enterprise at the Pacific end of the world, and he has finished
his work off in a most attraftive style One of the features of the volumes is the set of portraits of explorers, all of
which are admirably rendered.— £nro/c<i« Mail, July 24th, 1895.

Industry and patient research mark every line in the first volume of this most deeply interesting book, and, indeed,
it would be a task of almost insuperable difficulty to describe the gradual unveiling of the great .\ustralian land if to other
qualities were not added the strongest feelings of sympathy and true patriotism It will at once be recognised that it is
in this spirit that Mr Calvert has set himself to work, and has maile to live again such famous Englishmen as William
Dampier, Captain Cook. William Charles Wentworth, Captain Sturt. and many others The reader, with his interest
keenly aroused from the first, will find himself quickly absorbed in the excitement and dangers of the expedition which
followed one upon the other, and will iearn how the greatest Colonial possession under the British flag has, step by step,

developed We congratulate the author with the most earnest sincerity on the success of this great effort,

following as it does on an admirable series of works on the Colony with which he is so closely identified. — Colonies and
India, August loth, 1895.

Mr. Calvert, who is a member of numerous learned societies, has written a number of handbooks with reference
to Western Australian and its gold interests. The present volume, which is dedicated by permission to the Marquis of

Ripon, late Secretary of State for the Colonies, is a handsome quarto on the wider subjedl of Australian exploration. It
is a popular work rather than a volume of oriRinal research or the result of a great deal of special study The author
confesses that he is a busy man, without the leisure necessary for the writing of a profound and exhaustive treatise. But

in its own way the book is one of real value Though his pen is that of a ready writer, Mr. Calvert tells his

story with much power and pifturesqueness, and there can be no doubt that this volume will be widely read. It is
illustrated by an excellent map and several portraits. — AbtrcUcn Free Prt:s5, August 19th, 1895.

The Exploriition of Australia, by Albert F. Calvert, is a monumental work. Its well-known author is a
Fellow of many learned societies, a member of many more, and the writer of so portentous a list of works on
the Australasian Continent and its resources and conditions of every kind, in every order, that we cannot pretend to

summarize, much less to particularize it The author promises, on his return from his present

voyage to Australia, to devote himself to the completion of his comprehensive history of our great Colonial possession.
The work will be recei%'ed with the welcome of appetite whetted by this admirable introduflion to its theme — World.
August 8th, 1895.

There are few more thrilling stories than th.it of the exploration of that country, and never has it been more
admirably told than by Mr. Calvert As a geographer, a geologist, and a mining expert, he is fully qualified to deal with
all the aspefts of the history, progress, and development of a country possessing such vast mineral resources, but no
subjedl has he treated in a more able or interesting manner than that of exploration. — Liverpool Courier, Aug. 30th. 1895.

Mr. Calvert has been a prolific writer, fourteen works being detailed relating principally to Western Australia
and its resources. Probably the Exploration of Australia may be reckoned as Mr. Calvert's magnum opus as yet. Mr.
Calvert is a very agreeable writer, and his work is presented in a most pleasing {orm. — Capitalist, September 7th, 1895.

Englishmen are proud of the .^ustralLan Colonies, and will never weary of listening to the story of the men whose
courage and enterprise first made known the nature of the vast area of which they consist. In Mr, Albert F. Calvert's
latest volume. The Exploration of Australia, that story is once more told, largely from the journals of the explorers
themselves. — Westminster Gazette, August igth, 1895.

A more handsome volume it would be difficult for printers, binders, and paper-makers to turn out. Nor is the story
which Mr. Calvert has to tell unworthy of the splendid setting he gives it. Such is the material with which Mr.
Calvert has to deal, and we could wish that this volume, which is written in a very popular style, might enjoy the
advantage of the wide circulation which his brochures on Western Australia have attained. — Home News, Aug. 23rd, 1895.

Mr. Calvert's books on Australia represent almost a library in themselves. They deal with every aspeiS of the
Australian past, present, and future. In this volume — a handsome and beautifully produced quarto — Mr. Calvert tells
the story of Australian exploration It is a very brave story, with much in it that redounds to the credit of British pluck
and enterprise, though it has its dark side also. — Yorkshire Herald, August 26th. 1895.

The author of The Discovery of Australia, issued some eighteen months since, now presents us with a handsome
volume, in which he seeks to set forth the solid ground of undisputed faft. — Bristol Times and Mirror, August 31st. 1895.

In this handsome quarto, dedicated to the Marquis of Ripon, the late Colonial Secretary, Mr. Calvert re-tells the
well-worn story of the early Antipodean navigators, and of the more famous of the inland explorers of the continent of
Australia. — Spectator, September 7th, 1895.

The story of Australian exploration is well told in this beautiful quarto, with its excellent maps and interesting
illustrations, especially of the men who led the exploring parties, governed the budding settlements, or otherwise

distinguished themselves in the history of the great Southern land It is an important and interesting

book, which should be extensively welcome. — Asiatic Quarterly, Odlober, 1895

Mr. Calvert's book contains much useful information and materials enough for many romances. " The Wonderful
Story of William Buckley, " and many other episodes in Mr. Calvert's pages, are as marvellous as writers of 6<5iion ever
imagined. The book is large and well got up, and full of portraits of Australian heroes, and accompanied by an excellent
map. — Literary World, September 27th. 1895.

Mr. Calvert's handsome book gives a very clear and readable account, drawn in large measure from their own

diaries, of the works of several of the earlier Australian explorers Mr. Calvert's book is enriched by a

number of interesting portraits, and a very large and good map, which greatly assists the reader in following the various
explorations described. — Guardian, 0<5lober 2nd, 1895.

In a very handsomely got-up volume Mr. Calvert has ably summarized the leading discoveries and adventures of
the earlier explorers of the Australian Continent. — Morning Advertiser, October loth. 1S95.

A good many books have been written on the exploration of the Australian Continent. Mr. Calvert's handsome
volume is unquestionably one of the best ; and. had it a proper chapter of contents and any index at all. it would be a
useful work of reference. This, however, is the severest criticism that can be passed on it. The literature is very
interesting, and is full of adventure incurred with the definite object of advancing the welfare of the people.— S/. James's
Gazette, October 4th, 1895.

THE EXPLORATION OF AUSTRALIA. Vol.

Continuing the work done by him in his book. The Exploration of Australia from its first discovery till the year 1846,
Mr. Alhekt F Calvert has sought in the present volume to place before his readers in a succinifl. but at the same time
sufficientiv exhaustive form, an account of the exploratory enterprises undertaken in the great southern land from the date
of Dr Luilwig I.eichardt's disastrous journey to the present day. He is to be congratulated on a marked improvement in
the method of handling the material at his disposal, and the corresponding result as regards the readability of his work
His criticisms on the methiKls pursued by various explorers, and the results attained by them, are keen but just, and deserve
attention from the fad of his personal experiences qualifying him to write as an expert on the syxh]e&.— Morning Advertiser.
August 24. 1896.

In another h.andsome and portly volume. Mr Calvert continues the story of ihe Ejcfiloration 0/ Australia. . . .
Mr Calvert writes simply and straightforwardly, and as one who knows his subjed thoroughly. His labour of love in
putting on record the achievements of his fellow-colonists who have gained fame as explorers, lea\es nothing to be desired.
In reading the story, we are struck, not only with the heroism and tenacity of purpose which marks the career of these
explorers, but the uselessness of much of their labour— a remark which applies also to the achievements of Arctic
travellers I'erhaps the chief good accomplished is the bringing out in a prosaic age of some of the best qualities of
human nature— generous rivalry, self control, patient endurance, and steadfast determination, together with fiery zeal and
great courage A magnificent map, which marks the route of all the chief explorers, is bound up with the volume. —
St. yamcs's Gazette, August 26, i8gfi.

This is a subje<5l which Mr. Cal\ekt has made his own both by study and pradical work as an explorer. An
important expedition to explore the unknown parts of Australia, equipped by Mr. Calvert, is now at work, and the results
are looked forward to with great interest — World. August 26, 1896

Mr A. K. Calvert's work, The Exl>lorntion of Australia, 1844 to 1896, is the continuation (jf an early volume
detailing the discoveries which had been made between the date of our earliest knowledge of the country and the year in
which he now takes up the thread of his narrative. It is a period that has added to our knowledge rather by the slow
process of eflbrts partially rewarded on each occasion than by any geographical coups. — Daily Telegraph. August 28, 1896.

We have to acknowledge a copy of the second and completing \olume of Mr. A. F. Calvert's History of the
Exploration of Australia. It is a sumptuous volume Whilst not pretending to give the names of all who have contributed
to the opening up of Australia, Mr Calvert claims that he has not left out the name of any leader of distin(ifion who has
conduced exploratory expeditions throughout about three million of square miles of .\ustralian territory Even now the
exploration of Australia is far from complete, and an expedition has just been fitted out by Mr. Calvert, which has for its
object the exploration of some 280,000 square miles of territory, of which little or nothing is at present known — an area
five times greater than that of England. This expedition has been placed under the command of Mr. L. A. Wells, and it
aims at completing the work of the Elder Expedition recalled in 1893. It starts under the auspices of the South Australian
Branch of the Geographical Society of Australia, and it hopes to have completed its labours in about eighteen months.
Meantime. The Exploration of Australia may be commended to all who are interested in the early history of the great
island continent, and Mr. Calvert has done a public service in the preparation of these volumes, which necessarily
represent an outlay not to be recouped by any probable sales of the work. — To-day, August 22nd. 1896

This is a handsome volume, in which Mr. Calvert, whose name is familiar in conneiJtion with Australian exploration
and the development of the Western Australian (ioldfields. has completed his history of exploration in the Antipodean
continent from the earliest times up to the present year Space forbids us at the moment to go further into the Explora-
tion of Australia. We shall take an early occasion to return to this most interesting subjeifl ; but it may be acknowledged
at once that the publication of that book will be reckoned in time to be not by any means the least important of the many
splendid services which Mr. Calvekt has rendered to the Australian Colonies. — Colonies and India, August 15th. 1896.

The second volume of Mr. Calvert's work, which deals with the subjedl from 1844, and brings us up to the Elder
Expedition of 1892. is very welcome, and must prove of vast interest to all concerned in any way with matters .\ustralian.

In addition to forwarding the interests of .\ustralia with his pen, Mr. Calvert has. at his own expense.

fitted out a scientific exploring expedition, with Mr. L A Wells at its head ; and a glance at the map showing the unexplored
portions of the Conlinent-which has been specially prepared for this volume -convinces one that there is ample scope
for work in this direction ; and, should the portion of Western Australia to be explored prove as valuable as those already
known, there will lie. indeed, a great future for that Colony A map showing the route taken by the various explorers,
which accompanies the volume, is remarkably clear, and must prove extremely useful to students of the book, the entire
appearance of which is highly creditable to all concerned. — Australian Mail, August 20, 1896.

Mr. Calvert, the well-known author on Australia, has written a new book, which Messrs. I'hilips have this week
issued. The work, beautiiully printed and bound, and supplied with a large and excellent map of the Island Continent,

and a smaller one showing regions unexplored, is entitled the Exploration of Australia, 1844-1896 Mr.

Calvert's book is an amazing record ol^ bravery and endurance —£c//o. August 22, 1896.

The Exploration of Australia from 1844-1896. by Albert F. Calvert, is praflically a combination of a previous
book, giving similar information about the great island continent up to 1846, which has met with a deservedly favourable
reception — Weekly Times and Echo, .Xugust 23, 1896.

In a second large and handsome volume. Mr Albert F. Calvert continues and completes his compilation of the
materials of the history of The Exploration of Australia. His first volume brought the record of expeditions down to the
year 1846. In the present instalment of the work Mr Calvert deals with the explorations of the past fifty years, by which,
with the exception of certain large areas in the interior of Western and South .\ustralia, the whole of the interior of the
" Island Continent " has been visited by ardent discoverers. — Scotsman, August 2nd, 1896.

Mr. Calvert has already given us the history of Australian Exploration from the first discovery of the Great
Southern Island Continent to 1846. and now, under the title given above, the publishers have issued another grand volume
bringing the stirring narrative down to the present day, Mr. Calvert is an explorer himself, and he is an enthusiast
on the subjedt ot West Australian exploration. Nothing could be more natural than for him to desire that this great work
should be completed. He has generously devoted his means to accomplish the objeft. and we are pleased to learn
that the preparations are in a forward state. All that experience and foresight could didlate has been done to make the
exploration successful, and no more perfeftly selected and equipped party has ever set out. Mr. L. A. Wells will be the
boss, and we hope in due course to receive good news of progress. — Cafiitnliit, August 29, 1896.

Mr. Calvert is well known in connexion with the exploration of Australia, and his name has already been appended
to nearly a score of books dealing with the development and charadteristics of our Australasian Colonies. His book. The
Explorntion of Australia, from its first discovery till the year 1846, has been before the public for some time, but the
retentiveness of the subjeft has necessitated a second volume, and in the book before us Mr. Calvert has in a most complete
manner endeavoured to give a true account of the exploratory enterprises which have been undertaken from the date of
Dr. Ludwig Leichardt's disastrous journey, in 1844, till the unfortunately abandoned Elder Expedition, conduced by Mr.

David Lindsay in the early part of this decade It not only displays the enthusiasm of Mr. Calvert on the

subjecfl with which he deals, but it also includes a plethora of fadls and details in connexion with the various enterprises
which have succeeded and failed, while Mr. Calvert, in his preface, takes care to acknowledge his indebtedness in some
degree to previous writers on this subjeft. — African Review, August 29, i8g6.

Few writers have done more to give to the world a complete record of the many expeditions into Central Australia
which gallant explorers have from time to time made, than Mr. Albert F. Calvert, the gentleman whose exploring party are
at present engaged in endeavouring to map and " discover" the various large trafts of land in West and South .\ustralia

hitherto unknown in anything like detail The interested public have been greatly indebted to him for his

works on the subjefl, but none of them will be found of greater value than the latest (the produift of 1895), which is a

unique colledion of all requisite fafls attending the expedition from 1844 to the present day The book is

well written and most interesting, despite its bulk ; the print is also good, and the binding neat and strong. The maps
which accompany it are extremely valuable and easy for reference. — Western Daily Mercury, August 29, 1896.

Altogether Mr. Calvert has given us a book which is a record, and some of the most daring expeditions ever under-
taken, and which will be a valuable addition to any library. — Lloyd's Newspaper, August 30th, 1896.

With this brief introdudlion to what is really a very important volume of travel and research, we must leave Mr.
Calvert's book. That that gentleman should have decided to explore and examine the unexplored and unmapped parts of
Australia is a fad that will lend additional interest to the perusal of this volume, which is full of information and interest.
— Bristol Times, August 29th, 1896.

Mr. Calvert is doubtless an authority on the subjedt which he has made so intimately his own. Certainly he has
taken infinite pains to give his readers an account of every search for new ground that has been made on the Australian
Continent. — Yorkshire Herald, September 2nd, i8g6.

About a year ago Mr. Albert F. Calvert issued a book giving an account of the exploration of Australia from its first
discovery till the year 1S46. That work he has now followed up with The Exploration of Australia from 1844 to 1896.
Mr. Calvert is something of an enthusiast on this subjeft, and his book is certainly a monument to his industry. —
Westminster Gazette, September 2nd, i8g6.

WEST AUSTRALIAN MINING INVESTORS' HANDBOOK.

This publication .should be of much use as a reference book, affording as it does exhaustive particulars of the
mining Companies of Western Australia, supplemented by a coloured map of the country, and plans of the various
goldfields, with a direftory of the directors of those Companies, and other useful particulars. There is much information
which cannot be got in the books of reference which cover wider areas, and cannot, therefore, give so much space
to individual departments as specialist publications like that under review. — Financial Times. January i8th, 1895.

Mr, Calvert seems to have covered his ground very well. His information is concise, and what is more
important, it is up-to-date. The directory of directors at the end is valuable, too, though it may in some ca,ses be
regarded with mingled feelings by those whose names appear in it. For all those investors who have any interest
in the mines of West Australia, the Mining Investors' Handbook will be a desirable acquisition.— fi«(i«ci(i/ News,
January 17th, 1895.

The author of this Handbook, Mr Albert F. Calvert, has been the leading pioneer in dire(Sing attention to
the marvellous possibilities of the territory as a gold-producing country. Now that the chara(5ler of the region is
thoroughly appreciated, Mr. Calvert considers it his duty to direct investments in the right channels. The information
of the Handbook is intended to be a protection for persons investing money in Western .Australian mines, and it
may certainly be consulted with profit. The account of the different fields is made from personal acquaintance, and
that of the various mining enterprises, is well adapted to make the intending investor cautious. We can commend
the book most heartily. — Mining World, January 5th, 1895.

Those interested in West Australian mines will do well to secure a copy of the West Australian Mining Investors'
Handbook, for the volume is replete with interesting information admirably put.- Pelican. January 3rd, 1895.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND ITS WELFARE.

Under this title that most prolific writer. Mr. Albert F Calvert, gives us a reproducti"on of articles which
have appeared in the West Australian Rcr'uu- during the past two years. His enthusiasm for the Colony of his
adoption is too well known to require further emphasising at our hands.— S/ur, March igth. 1895.

A very interesting, useful and instructive book on West Australia The articles in it are all well worth reading.
— Money. March 20th. 1895

Mr. .\LBERT F Calvert, who is an authority on the subject, has produced a little book which conveys a good deal
of information about the Colony, which is not generally obtainable. Mr. Calvert's little book is worth reading. —
Evening Neics and Post, March 20th. 1895.

A timely handbook for investors to read is Mr. Albert F. Calvert's Western Australia and its Welfare. An
acknowledged authority on West Australian matters, Mr Calvert writes as one who has had practical experience in
that new El Dorado The series of articles reproduced in this volume from the West Australian Revietv. and directly
dealing with the most productive gold mines, may thus be pronounced most opportune and serviceable — Penny Illustrated
Paper, March 23rd, 1895.

.\11 those who have perused Mr. Calvert's remarks, with their wealth of illustration, abundance of quotation,
and vigour and aptness of style, will be glad of an opportunity of possessing them in a more convenient and permanent
{orm— Mining Journal, March 23rd, 1895.

Mr Calvert has done well in publishing this interesting collection of articles, which appeared in the columns
of the West Australian Revieir during 1893 and 1894, and which undoubtedly have contributed in no small degree
to the prominence which Australia has now secured in the mining and financial world. We may add that, in addition
to being thoroughly practical, Mr Calvert has succeeded in making his book exceedingly interesting —Co/oni« and
India, March 23rd, 1895.

The style is bright and lucid, and sometimes forcible. To any intending emigrant, and to anyone interested
in the mineral resources of the Colony, it will be a handy and valuable little volume —Conmifrirc March 27th. 1895.

It is full of interesting reflections and facts. — Home News, April 5th. 1895.

The articles are slight and sketchy, but will probably afford, in a convenient form, some information of interest
to the many persons whom the late development in West Australian Mines has led to regard West Australia as a
profitable field of investment. — Times, April 12th, 1895.

This little book contains practical information, which will be invaluable to all who are interested in West Australian
enterprises, and it comes at an opportune moment. Mr .Vlbert F. Calvert, although a young man. is possessed of
abnormal energy and talent. He has made Western .-Vustralia his speciality His present work is well worth purchasing
and perusing — England, April 13th, 1895.

THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA.

The monograph, though avowedly based, to a large extent, on the researches of previous writers, is of more than
passing interest ; and some of its extracts from the journals of the early navigators deserve to be rescued from oblivion,
and to be interwoven with tales and more exact knowledge in the pages of this scholarly historical treatise — Standard,
November 30th, 1893

Mr Albert F Calvert, who has devoted much study to the past and to the present of our Colonies in the
Antipodes, and particularly to West Australia, has investigated, in The Discovery of Australia, the curious and highly
controversial subject of the date and circumstances of the first finding of the Continent, and the personality and

nationality of its first discoverer A most valuable feature of the book is the numerous series of reprtxluctions

of media;val maps and other illustrations of what was known of .-Vustralia before it became the home of an important
branch of the English race. — Scotsman, October 2nd, 1893.

Mr. Calvert, the author of several works on the history, geography, and resources of .Australia, has here put
forward an extremely interesting volume ; one which will be especially valued by all who are attracted by the fascinating

subject of the history of geographical research There is both an archaeological and geographical interest about

this book, which has been compiled with much labour and care. — Glasgow Herald, October 5th, 1893.

Mr. Calvert has found many tracings on old charts indicating a knowledge of the existence of a great southern
Continent, and he thinks that probably some individual navigator landed on the western coast of .-Vustralia in the

fifteenth or sixteenth century, afterwards bringing the news of his discovery to Europe The volume is well

printed, and the maps are finely reproduced. — Nature, November 9th, 1893.

Is a notable addition to the Australian library - Bri</j/i Australasian, October 5th, 1893

Concerning " The Discovery of Australia." all that is known is embodied in a handsome volume by Mr Albert
Calvert. The ancient maps, reproduced in a most satisfactory style, are singularly interesting — Glasgow Evening N(ws,
October 5th, 1893.

This, the latest addition to the literature dealing with our great Australian possessions, is a cleverly compiled work,
which will add to the reputation of the talented young author. — West Middlesex Standard, September 30th, 1893.

Mr Albert "Calvert has added another valuable and interesting work to the already long list of his books on
Australian subjects, and this account of the discovery of the great Antipodean island will, beyond doubt, be taken up with

keen interest by all who have any concern with that part of the world The author has dug up many curious

things in relation to the earlv days of .\ustralia. and much new light is thrown upon the voyagings of Captain Cook in
Antipodean waters. — Colonies and India, October 7th, 1893.

We have read Mr. Calvert's latest contribution to what may be termed the Literature of the Antipodes with very
great interest indeed To his facile pen, readers on both sides of the globe have been recently indebted for a great deal of
valuable information about the great island Continent, and the exceedingly readable account of its discovery, and the
various claims which have been put forward to the honour of it, which now lies before us, will, we believe, take higher

rank than any of Mr. Calvert's previous books Altogether we can strongly recommend Mr. Calvert's

history of the discovery of Australia. From the first page to last the book is brimming over with information upon a most
important subject, pleasantly put before the reader with a modesty which is very taking. — North Western Gazette,
October 14th, 1893.

Mr. Calvert has evidently used all the means at his command to make his book as interesting and complete as
possible, and his notes on the maps are well worthy of the attention of all interested in the subject of the discovery of
Australia. — Field, November nth, 1893.

To the vast majority of the reading public the details will be entirely new. — Echo, March 8th, 1894.

Mr. Calvert h.is laid us under an obligation by his antiquarian research— Sf>caker, March loth, 1894.

Mr. Albert F. Calvert, who is the author of several monographs upon Western Australia, has issued The
Discovery of Australia. It claims to be a simple statement of such historical facts as the author could collect, with a
reproduction of certain maps illustrating the gradual progress of knowledge regarding Australia. The collation of
authorities for the letterpress has been judicious, the maps are highly interesting, and Mr Calvert has to be compli-
mented upon issuing a volume so acceptable. — Sydney Morning Herald, Nov. 25th. 1S93.

This is not everybody's book, but there are few libraries which will not be the richer for it. - Daily Chronicle,
December 25th, 1893.

Mr. Albert F. Calvert has added another valuable and interesting work to the already long list of his books on
Australian subjects, and this account of the discovery of the great Antipodean island will, beyond doubt, be taken up with
keen interest by all who have any concern with that part of the world. Not the least interesting feature of this handsome
volume is the large number of old maps which have been reproduced. The book is handsomely bound, and is in every
way a great credit both to the author and to the publishers - European Mail, October nth. 1893.

Under the title The Discovery of Australia, Mr. Calvert has compiled an interesting account, in the form of an
abstraft chronicle, of Australian voyages from the earliest times, such as offers a consecutive survey of the progress of
discovery and of geographical knowledge. — Saturday Review, March loth, 1894.

The volume is extremely curious, and it should interest others besides patriotic Australians, — National Observer,

February 3rd, 1894.

Mr. Calvert has shown in more than one volume of no mean importance how delightful and competent a student
he is of all that pertains to Australia, past or present. This handsome volume may be regarded as his chief work. As a
contribution to historical research it is invaluable, and will not, we should say. be easily shifted from its pride of place as
the most thorough investigation which has been given to the world of the earliest discoveries of Australia. The volume is
replete with ancient and curious maps, which must have been colleifted at great cost in time and money. — Home News,
February iGth, 1894.

A useful task has been undertaken, and very successfully carried out by Mr. Calvert, in arranging and discussing
the claims to the discovery of .Australia put forth by various voyagers, from Marco I'olo— who is stated tc have heard of
the great Southern Land from the Chinese — down to Captain Cook. The value of the work has been much enhanced by
the reprodu(Sion of most interesting old charts. — Scottish Geographical Magazine, January, 1894.

Mr Calvert's is a useful piece of historical compilation, and the reproduftion of the maps is clearly and

artistically accomplished. — Manchester Guardian. April 17th, 1894.

Mr. Calvert, who may be considered an authority upon Western Australia, and who is known in .\ustralian mining
circles in the city, has just published another work on his favourite Continent, The volume has been printed in an
extremely quaint style, well suited to set off the curious Portuguese and other sixteenth century maps, the prodyjlion of
which, together with that of the other plates, leaves nothing to be desired, — City Press, March 28th, 1894.

The Discovery of Australia, by Albert F. Calvert, would be an acceptable volume did it contain nothing more
than the two dozen old maps between its covers, but the letterpress is a very fair specimen of compilation, Mr. Calvert
being a judicious student of the literature of his subjed, with a shrewd instina for what will interest the general public ;
and that is not the least of its merits. — The Guardian, 28th March, 1894.

With great care and much research Mr. Calvert has traced the progress of the knowledge of Australia from the
earliest times He has added considerably to the value and interest of his work by the inclusion of many of the oldest
maps chronologically arranged, and following the letterpress extrafls from the earliest authorities.— So«</i Australian
Register, 3rd January, 1894.

THE COOLGARDIE GOLDFIELD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

It gives an interesting description of the country about Coolgardie, and shows it to be richly auriferous The
districfl apparently promises to become one of the most important of the Australian Goldfields, and the book will be
welcome to all who are interested in developing its resources.— Sco/smdH, June nth. 1X94.

The book is published at a low price, so that it comes within reach of all who desire to become acquainted with the
conditions of this most recently discovered goldfield. — Journal of Royal Colonial Institute, July i8th, 1894.

This book is dedicated to the Hon. Sir Malcolm Fraser. K.C.M.G.. Agent-General for the Colony, by the author,
who is a mining engineer, and no doubt the greatest authority upon the subjefl of West .Australian exploration and
mineral resources now before the public- Cn/'/M/Zif. 23rd June, 1894.

This publication seems to us well worth its price of one shilling, if it contained nothing but one large coloured map
of West .Kustralia, which will be useful to many who are interested in the Colony — /nt'cstorj' Guardian, June i6th, 1894.

The author's objeifl is to give plain, unvarnished fa<5is concerning the results already attained on the goldfields,
setting forth its advantages, prospers and drawbacks. — Glasgow Herald, June 7th, 1894.

.•\part from the utility of the treatise to the speculator in gold mines, its attentive perusal may well give rise
to surprise at the infatuation which allows a rational and educated age to subjecfl the prosperity of all industries to absolute
dependence on that industry which is most precarious, costly and demoralising, and involves the greatest amount of
human self-sacrifice of any. — Manchester Guardian, June 8th, 1894.

Evidence that the Coolgardie distrifl is richly auriferous. — Tht Bookman, July, 1894.

Some months ago, Mr. Albert F. Calvert, a mining engineer, who has travelled extensively in Western Australia,
published The Mineral Resources of Western Australia, which shed a flood of light upon the subjeift, and he has followed
this volume by writing The Coolgardie Goldfields, issued this week by Simpkin. Marshall and Co., of London. Like its
predecessor, it provides an immense fund of information ; but the author converges his attention upon Coolgardie. — Weekly
Citizen, June 16th, 1894.

The evidence adduced goes to show that the Coolgardie distrift is richly auriferous. — Nature, June 7th, 1894.

Mr. Calvert collates the experiences of prospeflors and explorers, and shows the Coolgardie distridt to be one of
immense richness. — Home Notes, June 15th, 1894.

The book is sure of a welcome by those interested, from any cause or motive, in the discovery of new goldfields. —
Asiatic Quarterly Review. July, 1894.

Mr. Calvert, who has some experience, if anybody has, of mining in Australia, is just the person to give trustworthy
evidence to refute mis-statements and dispel illusions. — The Colonics and India, June gth, 1894.

To describe the gold discoveries of Western Australia in general, and of Coolgardie distrifl in particular, is the
objedl of a shilling brochure recently issued by that most prolific of all writers on this subject, Mr. Albert F. Calvert. —
Mining World, June gth, 1894.

Mr. Calvert's pamphlet is exceedingly useful.— Pni/iV Opinion, June 15th, 1894.

Mr Calvert's opinion on the wealth of that gold region is very favourable.- -Morning, June 4th, 1894.

The impression conveyed by the book is that Coolgardie will be a field of great possibility. The book is illustrated
by the most complete map of the goldfields of Western Australia we have yet seen. — City Leader, June i6th, 1S94.

The author is a well-known writer upon all that concerns the .Australian Colonies, and the object of his latest work
is to give plain, unvarnished fafls concerning the results already attained on the goldfields, and setting forth its advantages,

prospe<5ls and drawbacks A mass of information is supplied, and anyone proposing to visit Western Australia

will value the little work, which is provided with an excellent map. — Western Mercury, June 29th, 1894.

A book from the pen of so distinguished an authority as Mr. Albert F Calvert on everything that appertains to
gold mining, must be perused with interest by anyone who has this question at heaxi.— Whitehall Review, July 14th, 1894.

This little work has made a timely appearance. Now that the Coolgardie Goldfield has awakened the eyes of the
world to the richness of Western Australia, and now that it is attradiing universal attention and has reached so great an

eminence as to become one of the greatest gold-producing districts Mr. Calvert's book is likely to interest

a wide circle of readers. It is written by one who thoroughly understands his subje(5l. who has not only travelled all over
Western Australia, but has made himself so intimately acquainted with every goldfield, that he has now become a

recognised authority To describe the contents of the volume would be useless labour. We cannot do better,

probably, than quote the words of the author respeding the idea he had in his mind : — " My oh)etX is to give plain,
unvarnished facfts concerning the results already attained on the goldfields, setting forth its advantages, prospers and
drawbacks." This objedt, in our opinion, Mr. Calvert has attained —A/iiiiii^' Journal, June 2nd, 1894.

In The Coolgardie Goldfield. Mr. Albert Calvert once more brings under public notice the gold-yielding
chara<5ter of Western Australia The story and the photograph of the gold itself are fitted to make men's mouths
water — North British Economist, July 2nd, 1894.

THE ABORIGINES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Mr. Calvert has written much, and much to good purpose, anent the resources of Western Australia. His
present little book is an attempt to tell what little can be told, to make known svhat little is known of the primeval
race. — Daily Chronicle, August 25th, 1894

Mr. Calvert's little book will probably reach a good many people who would never see a larger work, and
its sensible and humane and moderate tone may very possibly, as he hopes, rouse interest in these aborigines. —
Mcmchcstcr Guartliaii, September 4th, 1894.

We owe a great deal to this gentleman's persistent efforts to spread abroad the knowledge so eagerly inquired
for respefling Western Australia, and the many books he has written upon this much discussed topic, have been
wonderfully successful. His knowledge, gathered from travel in every quarter of the Colony, he his embodied in a
really interesting and readable book. — Mining jfoiirnal, .\ugust 4th, 1894.

Much that is curious about the aborigines of Western .Australia wid be found in the bound pamphlet which
Mr Albert Calvert, the well-known mining engineer, has just published. --S/>fii*iT, August 25th. 1894.

This is an attempt to set down briefly, and simply, such faifls as the author could glean concerning a race
in contaft with which he was frequently brought during his wanderings as a mining engineer. — Literary World,
August 31st, 1894

The result of Mr. Calvert's wanderings, and his many opportunities of coming into contadl with the natives,
is an instructive little book on their manners and customs. It is terse in style, and in small bulk, tells a great deal that
is well worth knowing. — Aberdeen Free Press, August 13th, 1894.

Coming as these notes do from a man who has had so much aiftual dealing with the natives, they cannot but
occupy an important position among the literature relating to a race which possesses such serious obstacles to research. —
Oxford Times, August 25th. 1894.

Mr. Calvert writes from personal experience lio has managed to collect a good deal that is of interest.

— Scotsman, August 13th, 1894.

Mr. Calvert spent several years in Western Australia as a mining engineer, and was brought into immediate
contact with various races of the natives of that country. This is one of the few books that one may put down with
regret that it is not of larger dimensions. — Dnndee Advertiser, .-\ugust 30th, 1S94.

The author has had many opportunities of coming into contact with the natives, and of gathering facts concerning
them The result is an instrudive little book on their manners and customs. — Daily Free Press, .\ugust 13th, 1894.

To have what has been ascertained and put together in a handy form by one who is familiar with the people, is

very helpful. — Liverpool Mercury, August 2gth. 1S94.

Is an extremely interesting little volume, containing what to most readers will be new information regarding the
aboriginal peoples of Australia, and their manners and customs.— ATori/i lirilisti Daily Mail, .\ugust 13th, 1894.

Mr. Calvert in his little book successfully disproves these ignorant assumptions, and testifies to the intelligence
and humour they exhibit, their fondness of music, and the kindness of their family relations. The book is brightly
written, an'd is interesting throughout —Rock, August 17th, 1894.

To a very long list of works about Western Australia. Mr. Calvert has added this short description of the
aboriginal inhabitants of the district. His sketch has the merit of originality, and the ordinary reader will be interested
to read Mr. Calvert's account of some of their strange doings. — Glasgow Herald, August i6lh, 1894.

Mr Calvert's little book on the natives of Western Australia, appears at an opportune moment The subjeift
is by no means easy to treat, but Mr. Calvert has collefled a good deal of interesting information. — Bookseller,
September, 1894.

This is a welcome addition to the numerous works which Mr. Calvert has written on Australia. Almost all the
information that is available with regard to the natives of Western Australia is presented in this work, and as much
of it is drawn from the author's personal experiences, it is all the more valuable. We have pleasure in commending the
book to the attention of those who are interested in ethnological sladies. — Wcston-snper-Mare Gazette, .\ugust 4th. 1894

During his wanderings through Western Australia the writer came across a good many of the natives, and he has
much to say of their queer ways. Lloyd's Newspaper, August 12th, 1894.

Mr. Calvert, in his wanderings .about Western Australia as a mining engineer, has mixed a good deal with the
aborigines, and has observed much —so that his book, though small, is of distinct value .After reading it. we cannot but
come to the conclusion that the native Australian is by no means so black as he is painted — Publishers' Circular,
August 8th, 1894.

Such information as the author has gleaned concerning these curious specimens of the human race are set forth
in an interesting style within the pages of this work, which must be of use and interest to all connected with Western
Australia — Southampton Times, August iSth, 1894.

THE MINERAL RESOURCES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

Mr. A. F Calvert gives a well-informed and readable account of Tlic Mitu-ral Risources of Wfstcrn Australia.
Mr Calvert writes from an intimate knowledge of his subjed, and his book will interest not only those mineralogical and
geological specialists to whom it makes its first appeal, but also everyone who is concerned in the progress of gold mining
generally, and Western Australia in particular —Sio/jmiin, November 6th. 1893.

In the present volume, Mr Calvert, who has done so much to familiarise the British public with the charafleristics
and capabilities of the Colony, has endeavoured to set forth in small compass a striking array of fafts in connexion with
the mineral resources. — Glasgow Herald. November gth. 1893.

No one has written more extensively, or with greater knowledge upon this subje<:t, than Mr. Albert F. Calvert.
On perusing this work the reader will be surprised to find how many goldfields there are. the favourable prospe<5ls they
offer, both for surface and deep mining, and their accessibility. — Mining World. March loth. 1894.

Mr. Calvert's choice of a subjeA has precluded him from elaborating round points of detail. The book is not a
whit the less useful upon that account. The graphic way in which the main outline of the narrative has been sketched in.
and the bold relief with which the more solid parts stand out. are no inconsiderable reward for the persistency with which
the author has curbed his pen from any approach to proxility. Thanks to the broad and liberal way in which Mr.
Calvert has treated his subjed, the work appeals to a much wider section of the community than the School of Mines or
the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. The general reader will take it up with pleasure, and put it down reluctantly.
There would not. however, in this case be any justification for a parallel of the accusation which Sir Robert Ball has
incurred by the most recent of his fascinating books. Mr. Calvert has not allowed the fear of narrowness to hurry him
into the opposite fault, nor his desire to address a large public body to furnish an excuse for an unscientifical or an
inaccurate language — Mining yournal, February 17th. 1894

Mr Calvert presents in his Mimral Resources oj Western Australia an array of facis of particular interest to the
capitalist and emigrant Beneath the surface of the country lie belts and reefs of gold-bearing rocks sufficient to satisfy
the most avaricious: and Mr. Calvert is desirous that the profuseness of these, and like mineral deposits, should convince
people that the country offers " mighty possibiUties " to enterprise — Nature, November i6th, 1893

This work comes very opportunely at the present moment, when the attention of pradical men is being turned to
Western Australia, on account of the marvellous mineral resources the Colony has recently been shown to possess, .^san
authority on his subject, Mr. Calvert is second to none. He is a man of science, and a man who has seen. — Financial
Observer, November :ith. 1893.

Another addition to the considerable number of works which have lately. appeared on the gold mines of the world.
It will be found useful as a descriptive catalogue of the various fields, claims, mines, and concessions in Western
Australia. — Manchester Guardian. November 30th. 1893.

The author, a mining engineer of high reputation, anticipates a great future for the " Cinderella " as it has been
called, of the great .\ustralian Colonies. Nothing particular has been known of this wealth as yet. but the objedsof the
present handbook, as it may be called, is to explain the nature and describe the vocation of these mineral deposits. The
country, we are shown, has extensive goldfields as yet little known or only partially worked, which, we are led to believe,
only require to be worked scientifically to justify the expenditure of capital in their developments— C//>' Free Press,
November 13th, 1S93

The writer of Mineral Resources of Western Australia is inspired by the creditable ambition of doing justice, in at
least his speciality, to the "Cinderella of the South." Whether Mr. Calvert, who is an enthusiastic mineralogist, will
succeed in materially diverting to the Western Colony the at present tiny stream of emigration flowing to the .Antipodes
may be doubted. The book, which is. no doubt, thoroughly reliable, will be of much interest to miners. — OuniUc
Advertiser. November 23rd. 1893.

Mr. Calvert is thoroughly experienced in the subjeifl upon which he has written in this handbook, and the work
should therefore prove of great use and interest to a large number of persons. Publishers' Circular, Nov. nth, 1893.

The book deals with a country which is as yet little known, but has probably a great future before it. The account
of Calvert's discoveries in .Vustralia is good reading. We are told that he formed the theory that gold would be found
in parallels running across .Vustralia. and that the Western parallel would be the richest. New discoveries, says our
author, are every day adding strength and confirmation to this do<5krine. It seems, however, that only in recent years
have the colonists known anything like the truth about ihe mineral resources of Western .Australia. Doubtless this book
has been written with the primary objeiil of drawing the attention of capitalists and emigrants to Western .\ustralia, but
it contains enough that is of general interest to allow us to commend it to our readers. — IIVs^tTii Mercury. Nov 20th, 1893.

Mr. Calvert, not long ago, published a small handbook on Western Australia and its Goldfields. and though in the
present treatise he has something to say of the tin, copper and coal deposits of the Colony, the work is, with the exception
of a few pages, entirely devoted to a detailed elaboration of the former work — City Leader, December 2nd, 1893.

Mr .\lbert F. Calvert tells a great deal about the resources in question, and indicates the charaifler and situation
of the various goldfields, tinfields, and coal mines. — Livcrjiool Courier, November 14th, 1893.

The writer addresses himself to the capitalist and the emigrant, and he seeks to prove that the gold deposits of
Western .■\ustralia admit of almost unlimited possibilities in the near future.— Soh//i Wales Daily Sews. Nov. 14th, 1893.

Mr Calvert is well acquainted with Western Australia, and has written several very pradical works dealing with
the different aspe<5ls of the country. — Sheffield Independent. November 30th, 1893.

It is an excellent volume by one who has made the theme peculiarly his oyxn— Glasgow Evening News,
November gth, 1893.

An array of fafls which now present themselves in connexion with the mineral resources of Western Australia.

Westminster Gazette, November 2nd. 1893.

Its mineral wealth is pra(5tically inexhaustible, and those who desire to become acquainted with the subje<5l ought

to consult this work. — Glasgow Baillie, November 22nd. 1893.

Mr Calvert's book is remarkably up-to-date, and it should prove to be much soufjht after by English investors
and speculators as a guide to the resources, and as an index to the future prospers of the '■ Coming Colony," with whose
fortunes the author has so thoroughly identified himself. — Geraltltun Murchison Telegraph, W . A., December 12th, 1893.

Mr. Albert F. Calvert has direded his attention very particularly to Western Australia He is. therefore,
competent to write with some authority on the subjeft. — Glasgow Weekly Citizen, November 25th, 1893.

The work is a useful little handbook by a man who has done much to make the world acquainted with West
Australia. — Literary World, January 26th, 1893.

A book addressed to capitalists and emigrants, whom Mr. Calvert seeks to convince of the vast mineral wealth of
the country of which he writes, and of which he is familiar. — Manchester Examiner, December 13th, 1893.

Mr Calvert writes with authority, as he has made the subjeft peculiarly his own, and it should be remembered
that if his forecast of the future of the Colony be deemed iiiflated and exaggerated, the other divisions of Australia were
at one time far less likely to yield the minerals with which their names are now associated. Gold is the author's
principal theme. A perusal of Mr. Calvert's pages may be recommended to all who are interested in Western Australia.
— Scottish Geographical Magazine, January, 1894.

Mr Calvert is a firm believer in the future of Western .Vustralia as an extensive mineral-bearing country, and is
of opinion that the difficult question of water supply will shortly be overcome by the strenuous efforts now being made by
Government in that direilion. The information embodied has been gathered from official and reliable sources, as well as
from Government reports and personal observation.— iiojn/ Colonial Institute yourual, January, 1894.

It is an agreeably disappointing volume, which appears to contain nothing but dry faifls and figures, but which, on
closer examination, proves to be crammed with fa(5ls less dry than interesting. — County Council Times, Dec. 8th. 1893.

This unpretentious little book is the outcome of a firm belief in the auriferous deposits in Western Australia.
Mr. Calvert is a praftical man. He has studied gold-mining, and has explored the country in question, both officially
and unofficially, — Bradford Observer, February i6th. 1894.

To Mr. Calvert belongs the credit of first direding attention to the enormous yields of the precious metal
in Western Australia, the New El Dorado, whither men are now flocking in great numbers. Had the facts of a
booklet he published a considerable time back been accepted at their full worth, the gol 1 rush would have begun
much earlier than it did. — Glasgow Evening News, October 5th, 1893.

WEST AUSTRALIA AND ITS GOLDFIELDS.

Gives a glowing account of the mineral wealth of the Colony, which appears to need but capital to develop its
magnificent resources. — A/or«/H;f Post, 19th .\pril, 1893.

Western Australia is now attrafting more attention than ever it has done, and this little book contains a sketch
of the history of the Colony, and notices not only its goldfields, but its forest resources and pearl fisheries, agriculture,
fruit growing, railways, and climate. — The Westminster Gazette, 15th February. 1893.

Mr. Calvert speaks from the standpoint of an expert who has examined into the fads of what he writes, and his
views are therefore entitled to be received with the greater respedl He has carefully examined the north-west portion
of the Colony, and has found indications of gold, which warrant him in speaking of this territory as one of considerable
promise in relation to the production of the precious metals. — The Mining World, 25th February. 1893.

In this little treatise Mr. Alhert Calvert gives a temperate, but nevertheless tempting account of the resources
of the Colony, and points out the attradion it offers the emigrant. — Land and Water, nth March. 1893.

Mr. Calvert is most at home in deahng with the minerals, — Bradford Observer, 26th May. 1893.

What is known and what are the present position and . prospers of the Colony are concisely stated in Mr.
Calvert's little manual, and he gives such an account of the Colony that most of those who read it will desire
more. — The North British Daily Mail, 23rd May, 1893.

It is true that Western Australia is not exiiflly an El Dorado, but notwithstanding that circumstance, Mr. Albert
Calvert finds a good deal to urge on its behalf. , Mr Calvert tells a flattering tale, but we should have liked

it none the worse if he had hinted at the drawbacks — for we suppose they must exist — of this land of promise. — The
Speaker, nth March. 1893.

Close attention is paid to the goldfields, and the chief of them described. — Lloyd's, 19th February. 1893.

An admirably conceived digest of the present conilition of the Colony, and the inducement it offers to emigrants. —
The Star, 6th April, 1893.

Mr. Calvert's description gives an account of indications of gold, and a detailed geological description on which
definite conclusions as to the richness of the fields, and the conditions of working can be based — Manehestcr Guardian,
i5th February. 1893.

Mr Calvert, who has \iritten frequently on Western Australian affairs, gives us an excellent reference book about
many other matters than goliifields associaleil with this cnantry —Gliisgnjp Herald, 23rd February. 1893.

A well-arranged manual, in which the subject is discussed in a clear and exhaustiv&manner. — Liverpool Mercury,
23rd February. 1893.

Mr. Albert F. Calvert's little book on the Colony and its goldfields ought to be welcome to many who are
thirsting for such itiformation regarding Western Australia's vast resources as it gives. — The Literary World, February
17th, 1893.

Mr. Calvert conveys in these pages much useful information with regard to a distrid which he recommends to
those of the mother country who are suftering from the "combined pressure of over population and foreign competition."
— The Bookseller. 7th March, 1893.

A useful handbook for intending emigrants. — The Bookman, March, 1893.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: ITS HISTORY AND PROGRESS.

Mr Albert Calvert is such a prolific writer upon Western .\ustralia that we are beginning to wonder when he
intends to cease. He seems to know it so thoroughly, and seems so anxious to impart his knowledge, that we can scarcely
bring ourselves to believe that he has exhausted the subje(5l. .\l the present moment there is a great demand for literature
of every kind upon this promising Colony, and in consequence Mr Calvert's books are being eagerly sought after. In
reviews of his former works we have so frequently stated our opinion that he is one of the few competent to deal with such
a subje^ — having conduced an expedition into the most remote corners of it — that it is wholly unnecessary here to
reiterate our statements. This latest book of his is the most valuable, from many points of view. What strikes us first is
the exceeding low price of it It is a volume of nearly 300 pages; the illustrations in it are artistic and numerous; the
maps are valuable and recent : the cover is strong and luxurious ; and yet it is sold at the low price of is. To the merest
outsider it will be apparent that the author must lose a great deal, and that his motive in publishing the work cannot be
that of pecuniary gain That, of course, is not for our consideration. Here is the book, and it is our duty to advise
whether it is worthy of serious perusal It purports, as the title indicates, to treat of the " History and Progress" of
Western Australia, and this, we are convinced, has been done in a readable and interesting manner Naturally it treats of
many and various phases of possession, produfl. resource. &c.. and these subje<Ss seem to have been carefully and deeply
studied. The opening chapters deal with the discovery of .\ustralia ; its early and gradual settlement, exploration, and its
geographical and physical features. Then comes a chapter on the mineral resources of Western Australia, and this, no
doubt, will to our readers be found the most interesting This sc<Sion of some 20 pages is illustrated with no less than
8 seAional plans, and three other engra\ir.gs. naturally enhancing the value of the chapter The author then deals with
the forests; pastoral and agricultural lands; vine and fruit growing ; pearling and list of native fishes, birds, quadrupeds,
and reptiles; the shipping of the Colony ; its railways, manufactures, postage, and even its education and religion. He
follows with an account of its public institutions, and after exhaustixely dealing with this subjed, he devotes three chapters
to matters of vital importance to the intending emigrant — viz.. climate, finances, immigration, wages, prices, institutions.
and recreations. There is a very interesting appendix to the work, giving/iicj/w/i/ci and accounts of some early newspapers
of the Colony. Appendix 2 recites in cxtcnso "The Homestead Ad," whilst others give equally valuable information
Altogether we are greatly pleased with the work, and, as during the first few days of its appearance there has been a
considerable demand for it. we have every confidence that the vast public to which it appeals will make an effort to secure
a copy. — The Mining Journal, Odlober 6th. 1894

The volume forms a complete guide-book of the country A series of plans showing the routes to the goldfields,
which is published in this work, will prove of great interest Keprodudions of old Colonial papers also form a special
feature, and the compaft and exhaustive nature of the book renders it of the highest value either for occasional reference
or for study — British Australasian, 06ober 4th. 1894.

This is another work from the pen of that most prolific of all writers on the subject of Western Australia. Mr
Albert F Calvert. One wonders that with his many engagements he has been able to prepare this volume of nearly
three hundred pages, with maps, and that he can offer it to the public at the ridiculously small sum of one shilling He
says himself that it does not pay him to do it. but that it is another service that he wishes to render to the Colony he
loves, with a devotion of which he has given many pnxifs The faft is. that the larger the circulation, the greater his
loss will be. for every copy is sold at less than cost price. We scarcely know, therefore, that we are doing Mr Calvert
a service in recommending the public to buy this book, and yet we do so. for the reason that they will here find in great
detail every subjeft treated upon in conntdion with Western Australia of which they can possibly desire to have a
knowledge. The maps alone are worth considerably more than the one shilling that is charged for the book, and some
of the photographs are from sketches by Mr. Cai.vert himself during his three visits to the Colony, and we learn from
this volume that he is contemplating a fourth. He has gathered his materials from all the libraries, the Government
Blue Books, and Year Books, and above all from his own experience in these matters, which is great. We have said
enough to prove that in our opinion the volume is a useful addition to the rather formidable supply of West Australian
literature, and a standing monument to the untiring industry ot its author —.AZ/H/i/g^ World. Odober 6th, 1894.

Even in these advanced days of cheap literature, this book is a marvellous shilling's worth. Well bound, filled
with maps, engravings, quaint pictures, interesting reproductions, and original photographs ; the letterpress, for quality
and quantity, is on a par with the embellishments ; written in an interesting fashion, the practical side of the story
is never overlooked. "Those concerned in the goldfield question have here a rich store of suggestion and knowledge. —
Daily Telegraph, October 20th, 1894.

Those who are thinking of settling in Western Australia could not do better than obtain a copy of Mr. Calvert's
book. It only costs one shilling, and is bound in strong boards. Full information is given relating to the climate,
railways, natural features, and mineral resources of the country, and there are a large number of plans and illustrations.

The book is marvellously cheap, and its author explains that no matter how large the circulation may be. he will have
to face a financial loss. His object, however, is to render Western Australia a service, and this he has assuredly done.
Mr Calvert has already issued several books relating to the Colony, but this is, perhaps, the most complete and most
useful of the series. Even those who have no intention of visiting Western Australia, will profit by spending a shilling
in the purchase of the volume The information it contains is decidedly cheap at the money.— Z)unrf« Courier, October
24th, 1894.

The book is lavishly illustrated with curious maps by the old cartographers, plans of the various gold distriifts,
modern maps of the country, illustrations of the towns that have risen up within the last sixty or seventy years, and even
reproductions of the early Colonial newspapers Mr. C.m.vkkt's new work, in short, embodies all that the general reader
need desire to know, respecting a territory that requires only time and capital for its development. — IVVi-*/)' Citiziii,
October 13th, 1894.

Is a singularly interesting volume, which -I recommend to the notice of those of my readers who may feel
interested in our great Colonial possession. The book is replete with valuable information, brightly and clearly put.
The illustrations, too, are excellent. — Pelican, October 13th, 1894.

How such a book of nearly three hundred octavo pages, with such a wealth of information, and bound in
cloth, can be sold for a shilling, seems a mystery. —G/(is/^o7£' Herald, October nth. 1894.

Mr. Calvert's recent book is a useful addition to the literature on this subject ; not only does it contain all the
latest ideas upon the vast resources of these western goldfields. but he has also embodied a mass of useful information.
which must be of great use to intending settlers in the country.— A/o«, v. October loth. 1894.

The work contains a great amount of information, which will be found particularly interesting just now, when so
much attention is being devoted to that Colony. The book is profusely illustrated, and will prove a very handy reference
on many subjects, especially mining, of Western Australia. — City Times. October 6th. 1894.

Much of the matter in the book was personally collected a year ago on the occasion of a third visit to the Colony.
The author is deeply impressed with the romance and the reality of his subject alike, and imparts his knowledge without
stint. There is an excellent map of the Colony showing the positions of the several goldfields. and there are plans of
the leases on the several fields, besides numerous excellent illustrations of scenery, natives, and Colonial celebrities.
The historical portion of the book is full of curious matter, ancient and modern, and altogether the two hundred and
eighty-three pages for is., make up the best and most interesting book that could be desired. — The Capitalist, October
13th, 1894.

The book is very readable, even if Mr. Calvert makes no pretence to style. Intending emigrants to Western
Australia will find it brimming over with statistics and "hard facts." while those desiring, for purposes of reference
at home, a book which lacks little but an index, will find here everything they can require. Moreover, we have plenty
of most interesting maps and illustrations. Mr. Calvert, besides being a mining engineer and a statistician, is a very
fair sketcher, and he enlivens his pages with the result of his pencillings, while his plans of the principal goldfields
are very well done indeed. And there is some interesting information about the pearl fisheries. Mr. Calvert has
produced a very interesting and useful book. — Daily Chronicle, October 24th, 1K94.

It is an " up-to-date" account of the Colony, which is doing so much to justify Mr. Calvert's high opinion. As
at the price at which it is published — one shilling— Mr. Calvert cannot hope to reap pecuniary advantage from the
volume, the work will place the Colonv under a new obligation to its author. — Hoin.- News, October 12th, 1S94

Mr. A. F. Calvert has written much and earnestly on the subject, though he is yet a comparatively young man.
and his most recent work, entitled Western Australia: Its History and Progress, from the press of Simpkin, Marshall and
Co., London, will enhance his reputation .is an explorer, an observer, a mining engineer, and an author.— G/<ij^oa'
Baillie, October loth, 1894

This book is indispensable for any one who may purpose emigrating, either with the view of settling in a
township, or of trying for the favour of fickle fortune at the goldfields. The author has the gift of writing unpre-
tentious but instructive prose, and his "plain, unvarnished tale," becomes a romantic story, because of the fascinating
nature of his subject "The volume contains quite a remarkable series of maps, dating from 1536 to the present time,
and showing the progress of discovery in a panoramic fashion. There are also numerous views of different parts of
Western Australia," including Perth, Fremantle, and Geraldton, and pictures of incidents connected with the exploration
parties, and portraits of the leading officials.- £)»«(/('<.■ Advertiser, October 25th, 1894.

The present work is probably the best guide that persons thinking of finding their fortuned in Western Australia
can get. There is a good deal of the practical information required by prospective settlers. Mr. Calvert knows the
country thoroughly, and the information he gives may be accepted as wholly reliable —D<i//i' Free Press, Oct. 15th. 1894..

Is an excellent handbook to that enterprising and popular part of the Colonial Empire. The volume is carefully
written, and is embellished by maps and numerous pictorial illustrations^^G/ds^g-ow Weekly Herald, October 13th, 1S94.

It contains a wide variety of useful information to intending emigrants, and as the price is only one shilling, even
the most hard driven can afford a copy. —Peoj^le, October 14th, 1S94. *

For the small sum of one shilling, people who wish to know something about West Australia in general, and its
new goldfields in particular, can obtain a well printed and well bound work, by Mr. Albert F. Calvert. — Statist.
October 13th, 1894

What makes it more specially interesting at this moment is the latest budget of glowing tidings from Coolgardie,
which is occupying the attention of so many people in the commercial world— S«h, October lOth, 1894.

Although a great amount of literature— hand books, guide books, and text books, dealing with Western Australia
have already appeared, the rapid change renders such works speedily antiquated; and for this reason the present
up-to-date book is issued. — Eastern Press. October 20th, 1894.

The author of this latest account of Western Australia is already well known as a writer upon the great south
land, and his name is a sufficient guarantee that there is useful pr.actical information to be found in the book, conveyed
in terse and sometimes eloquent language. Mr. Calvert has succeeded in packing an immense amount of information
into a small compass. — Commerce, October 24th. 1894.

READY SHORTLY.

Cl)c ecncsis or mineral £oac$ ana Ore Deposits*

ALBERT F. CALVERT.

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS.

A WORK is at present in preparation from the pen of Albert F. Calvert, F.R.G.S., which
will prove of intense interest and practical value, and is addressed to geologists, mineralogists,
metallurgists and scientists generally. It is entitled, " The Genesis of Mineral Lodes and Ore
Deposits," and will be a practical treatise on the Chemical Geology of Rocks and Minerals.
The work will include numerous demonstrations on the func'lions of the ancient Thermal Springs,
Geysers, and other mysterious volcanic agencies, which originated and modified some of the
elements comprising the earth's crust.

The arguments adduced and the theories propounded will be mainly founded according to
those of Elie de Beaumont and A. Daubree.

It cannot be doubted that the Genesis — that is, the beginning, formation and origin — of
Metals and Minerals in the depths of the earth is one of the most profound mysteries of Nature,
and it is only recently that an approximate solution of this mighty question has been arrived
at. Ancient historic records go to show that these subjet'ls occupied the thoughts of the
philosophers of Greece many centuries before the Christian era. Thales, chief of the Ionic
Se(ft, about 600 b.c, and after him .\ristotle, chief of the Perepatetic Schools, about 350 b.c,
held the theory that water in its action is the primary and original principle, and this has been
confirmed by modern researches.

The book is designed to be a systematic collation of the investigations in this field by the
highest scientific authorities ; and is, in short, an endeavour to frame a valid answer to the
question, " Whence do the ores originate .' "

UNlVERSITi' OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY

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