he whip and ribbons. And then if one stayed the night at a stage, where
two or more drivers met, and exchanged experiences of the trip, their
horses, but more than all of their passengers, what an interesting time
might be passed.

It was remarkable how observant of passengers the drivers would be,
while the passenger all the time laboured under the impression that the
driver's time was taken up with his horses.

The idiosyncracies of passengers would be discussed by drivers, and it
more than once happened I have heard of the peculiarities of certain
passengers at places hundreds of miles from where they came under
observation.

Nearing Charleville, on a road I had not travelled before, I had a trip
I had made from Normanton towards Croydon related to me by a driver whom
I had never seen until then.

I learnt he was told the story by the driver of the Blackall coach, who
had heard it in Barcaldine from Tommy Thompson, who was told it in
Winton by Tommy Cahill, who received it at Hughenden from Martin
Warneminde.

I was quite satisfied and did not inquire further.

Judging by the way they fulfilled the requests at different mail stages,
these men must have been gifted with wonderful memories. At one stage a
driver might be asked to call at Smith's, the storekeeper, and "tell him
to give you a couple of pounds of tea and some potatoes for me;" at
another to get a pair of boots, size three, for the missus; at Jones',
to get a bottle of eye lotion, and so on. These orders would be
faithfully given on arrival, and the goods obtained before the driver
would attend to his own comfort or pleasure.

From personal knowledge of Cobb and Co.'s men, in fact to western
mailmen generally, one might lift one's hat with respect as a tribute to
honesty and faithfulness for work well done and duty honourably carried
out.

CHAPTER X.

In 1880, our young township was becoming heard of, and was honoured with
its first police magistrate in the person of Mr. Robert Johnstone. This
gentleman had been a Native Police officer, and was associated with
Dalrymple in his explorations on the coast north of Cardwell. Dalrymple
so much appreciated Johnstone's work that he named the outlet of one of
our great sugar districts--and a most beautiful stream--after him.

I believe there is only one copy of Dalrymple's narrative of his
expedition extant, and that is in our Parliamentary library. This
narrative should be re-published as a s