ibe
how the patent of nobility came to be conferred in this case. The thing
happened at Mac Mac, in a hostel known as "The Spotted Dog," which was
run by old Tommy Austin. Half a dozen diggers were lounging in the bar.
Quoth one "I hear a new chum's turned up today."

"So. What's his name?"

"Oh, I did hear it, but I've forgotten. It sounded like Nellapius, or
Nelampus, or something of that sort."

"I expect he's some foreigner," said old Austin; "let's call him the
Count."

Accordingly, Count he became, and Count he remained for many years. Up
to the middle eighties the papers invariably referred to this
individual as Count Nelmapius.

Many other nicknames come to mind as I think of those old days. "Yankee
Dan," "Boozer," "Texas Dan," and "Old Nelly" are specimens. The latter
was a strange character. He was seventy years of age, but was as active
as a cat and as strong as a buffalo. He was, except Sandow, probably
the strongest man I have ever seen. Bred from a navvy stock, Old Nelly
had wandered over the world for many years, from one mining camp to
another. He invariably got drunk on Saturdays, and, whenever he could
afford it, on other days as well. For some reason, which I could never
fathom, this strange being took a fancy to me, and used to inflict on
me long homilies on the dangers to which youth was exposed. He
continually urged me never to get drunk on anything but beer. When I
suggested the application of his principles to himself, he would say
"Ah! lad, but oi'm different."

Whenever he had money in hand Old Nelly would spend it in drink. I once
asked him how long he had been doing this sort of thing. His reply was
"All me loife, lad, all me loife."

I left the James Emporium with about 2 in my pocket. I was still too
weak to be able to earn wages; ague used to recur regularly every
fortnight. So I decided to go down and "fossick" among the Blyde River
terraces. Here was "a poor man's lead," out of which one could make
about a pound a week by working hard. By working easily I thought I
might be able to earn about half that sum. This would be enough to keep
body and soul together. So I spent most of my 2 in buying a
wheelbarrow, and in this I trundled down more than half a ton of wash
every day to the rapid in which my sluice box was fixed. I managed to
earn about two shillings per day.

One afternoon I saw several diggers going over to one of the terraces,
where a man I knew named Charlie Brown wa