aper. I did the same, and we kept it
to ourselves for about four weeks longer, when a penny a bag was
offered. There was competition for you! This roused my bile--I threw
it up altogether--and off to Adelaide again. Soon spent all my cash,
and went into a ship-chandler's office till they failed; then was clerk
to a butcher, and lost my situation for throwing a quarter of his own
mutton at him in a rage; and then I again turned brewer's man. Whilst
there I heard of the diggings--left the brewer and his casks to look
after themselves, and off on foot to Ballarat.

"Here I found the holes averaging some thirty feet--which was a style of
hard work I didn't quite admire; so hearing of the greater facility of
the Alexander diggings, I went through Bully Rook Forest, and tried my
luck in the Jim Crow Ranges. This paid well; and I bought a dray, and
bring up goods to the stores, which I find easier work, and twice as
profitable as digging. There's my story; and little I thought when I
went into Gregory's store to-day, that I should find my curly-pated
nephew ready to hear it."

Next day we travelled on, and halted near Saw-pit Gully; it was early
in the afternoon, and we took a walk about this most interesting
locality. The earth was torn up everywhere--a few lucky hits
had sufficed to re-collect a good many diggers there, and they were
working vigorously. At dusk the labour ceased--the men returned to
their tents, and for the last time our ears were assailed by the
diggers' usual serenade. Imagine some hundreds of revolvers almost
instantaneously fired--the sound reverberating through the mighty
forests, and echoed far and near--again and again till the last faint
echo died away in the distance. Then a hundred blazing fires burst upon
the sight--around them gathered the rough miners themselves--their
sun-burnt, hair-covered faces illumined by the ruddy glare. Wild songs,
and still wilder bursts of laughter are heard; gradually the flames
sink and disappear, and an oppressive stillness follows (sleep rarely
refuses to visit the diggers' lowly couch), broken only by some
midnight carouser, as he vainly endeavours to find his tent. No fear of
a "peeler" taking him off to a police-station, or of being brought
before a magistrate next morning, and "fined five shillings for being
drunk."

Early on Tuesday morning I gave a parting look to the diggings--our dray
went slowly onwards--a slight turn in the road, and the last
tent has