hered around
the camp to distract us. The noise they made was something diabolical,
coming from both sides of the creek, and from the ranges. In reality
there were not more than five or six at the outside, but any one would
imagine that there were droves of them. Not liking to discharge our guns
on account of C------'s mustering, we could only curse our tormentors
throughout the night. On the following evening, however, knowing that
C------ had finished mustering in our vicinity, we hung a leg bone of
the heifer from the branch of a tree on the opposite side of the creek,
where we could see it plainly by daylight from our bank--about sixty
yards distant Again we had a harrowing night, but stood it without
firing a shot, though one brute came within a few yards of our camp
fire, attracted by the smell of the salted meat, but he was off before
any one of us could cover him. However, in the morning we were rewarded.

Creeping to the bank of the creek at daylight we looked across, and saw
three dogs sitting under the leg bone, which was purposely slung out
of reach. We fired together, and the biggest of the three dropped--the
other two vanished like a streak of lightning. The one we killed was
a male and had a good coat--a rather unusual thing for a dingo, as the
skin is often covered with sores. From that time, till we broke up camp,
we were not often troubled by their howling near us--a gun shot would
quickly silence their dismally infernal howls.

During July we got a little gold fifteen miles from the head of the
creek, but not enough to pay us for our time and labour. However, it was
a fine healthy occupation, and our little bark hut in the lonely ranges
was a very comfortable home, especially during wet weather, and on cold
nights. A good many birds came about towards the end of the month, and
we twice rode to the Burdekin and had a couple of days with the bream,
filling our pack bags with fish, which cured well with salt in the dry
air. Although Scarr's creek was full of "grayling" they were too small
for salting; but were delicious eating when fried. During our stay we
got enough opossum skins to make a fine eight-feet square rug. Then
early one morning we said good-bye to the pocket, and mounting our
horses set our faces towards Cleveland Bay, where, with many regrets,
I had to part with my mates who were going to try the Gulf country with
other parties of diggers. They tried hard to induce me to go with them,
but