a church.

When the clergyman was leaving, we decided to present him with a purse
of sovereigns in Campbell's house, and I was deputed to hand it to him.

In making a short cut to the house I had to pass the hotel stables, into
which a squatter in the orthodox breeches, boots and spurs, was riding.
He called out:--"I say, Corfield, what are you wearing a coat for?" I
replied, "There's a function on; I'm going to present these sovereigns
to a parson." He asked, "Any champagne?" I replied, "Whips of it." He
then said, "Hold on, till I put my horse in the yard, and I'll come with
you." On reaching the house, I introduced him to the parson prior to the
presentation, and we had some champagne. With a few words I presented
the purse of sovereigns, when we naturally concluded we would be
thanked, but instead the parson said, "Let us pray." We all then knelt
to our chairs. Suddenly, as if from one in great pain, I heard the word
"Ker-ist." Thinking the parson had been bitten by a snake or something,
I looked round, but he appeared quite at ease. I then saw over in the
corner the young squatter with blood oozing out of his pants. He had sat
upon his long-necked spurs. The parson went on with the prayer, but
those present were more occupied suppressing their laughter than in
listening to the parson's prayers.

CHAPTER XI.

In 1883, Judge Miller, with the present Mr. Justice Real as Crown
Prosecutor, opened the first District Court in Winton. Fred Riley and
myself had been put on the "Commission of the Peace," and appeared
before the Judge to be sworn in. We then decided that we should without
delay show that we were magistrates, and prepared to carry out our
duties. We found a good, hard-drinking man, and offered him ten
shillings to spend in drink. He gladly accepted the offer, and shortly
afterwards we were asked by the police to sit on a case of drunkenness
and disorderly conduct. Our man had kept to his agreement, and was
brought before us. We severely reprimanded him for his conduct and
discharged him. Judge Miller hearing of it, frequently recalled the joke
to my memory, and we had many a good laugh over it.

Early in this year, Mr. Griffith (afterwards Sir Samuel) and Mr. Dickson
(afterwards Sir James) made a tour of the north-west, and travelled by
coach from Hughenden to Winton. The party was detained a night at
Stack's public house, about midway between the two towns, whilst the
mailman rode over to Sesbani