tt's old cart.

A man emerged from one of the huts carrying a candle-box, which he
laid on the ground before the fire. Jack observed that the box was
full of eggs, on the top of which lay two teaspoons. The man was
Captain David, usually known as Davy. He said:

"I am going to ask you to breakfast, Jack; but you have been a long
time coming, and provisions are scarce in these parts."

"Don't you make no trouble whatsomever about me," said Jack. "Many's
the time I've hadshort rations, and I can take pot-luck with any man."

"You'll find pot-luck here is but poor luck," replied Davy. "I've
got neither grub nor grog, no meat, no flour, no tea, no sugar--
nothing but eggs; but, thank God, I've got plenty of them. There are
five more boxes full of them in my hut, so we may as well set to at
once."

Davy drew some hot ashes from the fire, and thrust the eggs into
them, one by one. When they were sufficiently cooked, he handed one
and a teaspoon to Jack and took another himself, saying, "We shall
have to eat them just as they are; there is plenty of salt water, but
I haven't even a pinch of salt."

"Why, Davy, there's plenty of salt right before your face. Did you
never try ashes? Mix a spoonful with your egg this way, and you'll
find you don't want no better salt."

"Right you are, Jack; it goes down grand," said Davy, after seasoning
and eating one egg. Then to the boys, "Here you kids, take some eggs
and roast 'em and salt 'em with ashes, and then take your sticks and
try if you can knock down a few parrots or wattle birds for dinner.
But don't you go far from the camp, and keep a sharp look-out for the
blacks; for you can never trust 'em, and they might poke their spears
through you."

"But, Davy," asked Jack, "where is the port and the shipping, and
where are all the settlers? There don't seem to be many people
stirring about here this morning."

"Port and shipping be blessed," said Davy; "and as for the settlers,
there are only about half-a-dozen left, with these two boys and my
wife, and Hannah Scutt. We don't keep no regular watch, and
meal-times is of little use unless there's something to eat. I landed
here from that whale-boat on the 30th of last May, and I have been
waiting for you ever since. In a few weeks we had about a hundred
and fifty people camped here. They came mostly in cutters from
Melbourne, looking for work or looking for runs. They said men were
working for half-a-crown a da