alatial character, as it had a
front of painted wood, in which there hung a real door furnished with a
lock, though the sides of the building were formed of rough logs, taken
in their natural state from the "bush." The calico structure which bore
in large stencilled letters the name of The Kangaroo Bank, was evidently
closed during the absence of the Manager, for, pinned to the cotton of
the front wall, was a piece of paper, on which was written in pencil
the following notice:--"During the temporary absence of the Manager,
customers of the Bank are requested to leave their gold with Mr.
Figgiss, of the Imperial Dining Rooms, whose receipts will be duly
acknowledged by the Bank. Isaac Zahn, Manager." Upon reading the notice,
would-be customers of the wealthy institution had only to turn round in
order to see Mr. Figgiss himself standing in the door of his place of
business. He was a tall, red-bearded, pugnacious-looking man, with an
expansive, hairy chest, which was visible beneath the unbuttoned front
of his Crimean shirt. The Imperial Dining Rooms, if not spacious, were
yet remarkable, for upon their calico sides it was announced in letters
of rainbow tints that curries and stews were always ready, that grilled
steaks and chops were to be had on Tuesdays and Fridays, and roast pork
and "duff" on Sundays.

But further along the street, where tree-stumps still remained and the
pedestrian traversed water-worn ruts which reached to his knee, the true
glory of Canvas Town stood upon a small elevation, overlooking the
river. This was the office of the Timber Town Gold League. It was felt
by every digger on the "field" that here was a structure which should
serve as a model. Its sides were made of heavy slabs of wood, which bore
marks of the adze and axe; its floor, raised some four feet from the
ground, was of sawn planks--unheard-of luxury--and in the cellars below
were stored the goods of the affluent company. Approaching the door by a
short flight of steps, admittance was gained to a set of small offices,
beyond which lay a spacious room, which, at the time when the reader is
ushered into it, is filled with bearded men dressed in corduroy, or blue
dungaree, copper-fastened, trousers and flannel shirts; men with mud on
their boots and on their clothes, and an air of ruffianism pervading
them generally. And yet this is the Timber Town Gold League, the
aristocratic members of which are assembled for the purpose of dividing
t