he?

We began to find that towards the end of the day we all of us found the
way to father's brandy keg--that by nightfall the whole lot of us had
quite as much as we could stagger under. I don't say we regularly went
in for drinking; but we began to want it by twelve o'clock every day,
and to keep things going after that till bedtime. In the morning we felt
nervous and miserable; on the whole we weren't very gay till the sun was
over the foreyard.

Anyhow, we made it up to clear out and have the first go-in for a touch
on the southern line the next week as ever was. Father was as eager for
it as anybody. He couldn't content himself with this sort of Robinson
Crusoe life any longer, and said he must have a run and a bit of work
of some sort or he'd go mad. This was on the Saturday night. Well, on
Sunday we sent Warrigal out to meet one of our telegraphs at a place
about twenty miles off, and to bring us any information he could pick
up and a newspaper. He came back about sundown that evening, and told
us that the police had been all over the country after us, and that
Government had offered 200 Pounds reward for our apprehension--mine and
Starlight's--with 50 Pounds each for Warrigal and Jim. They had an idea
we'd all shipped for America. He sent us a newspaper. There was some
news; that is, news worth talking about. Here was what was printed in
large letters on the outside:--

WONDERFUL DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT THE TURON.

We have much pleasure in informing our numerous constituents that
gold, similar in character and value to that of San Francisco, has
been discovered on the Turon River by those energetic and experienced
practical miners, Messrs. Hargraves and party. The method of cradling
is the same, the appliances required are simple and inexpensive, and
the proportional yield of gold highly reassuring. It is impossible
to forecast the results of this most momentous discovery. It will
revolutionise the new world. It will liberate the old. It will
precipitate Australia into a nation.

Meanwhile numberless inconveniences, even privations, will arise--to be
endured unflinchingly--to be borne in silence. But courage, England, we
have hitherto achieved victory.

This news about the gold breaking out in such a place as the Turon
made a great difference in our notions. We hardly knew what to think at
first. The whole country seemed upside down. Warrigal used to sneak out
from time to time, and c