not see
this himself, and no one mentioned the matter to him, out of merciful
consideration for the Saint.

Then Old Colonial manufactured pomatum out of lard and beeswax, scenting
it with lemon-peel and a sweet-smelling leaf. This stuff he styled "Te
Pahi Brilliantine," and with it he plentifully bedaubed our hair and
beards.

As a customary thing we never dream of cleaning our boots. It is
altogether a waste of time, and it would be entirely useless to do it.
Moreover, our boots are of rough hide, and not adapted for blacking. We
merely scrape the mud off them with a shingle; that is quite enough.
But, on this unusual occasion, it was decreed that we should black our
boots and leggings. The tide would be full when we started in our boat,
therefore we could get on board in the creek; and, not being under the
necessity of plodging through the deep mud that is laid bare at low
tide, we should reach our destination with passably clean feet.

Blacking we had none, of course; that had to be made. We did not know
exactly how to do it, so we tried various experiments. We prepared
charcoal, and we scraped soot out of the top of the stove. We mixed
these with kerosene oil, and, as some one said there ought to be
sulphuric acid in blacking, we put in some vinegar instead of it. This
mess was held to be the most effective, and was consequently used. Our
foot and leg-gear was ridded of the mud of many weeks, and was smeared
with the newly invented blacking.

Behold us next morning ready to start! A line of nine ruffianly-looking
scarecrows, under review by Old Colonial, head-master of the ceremonies.
Our shirts are clean, though elaborately embroidered in many colours.
Our trousers ditto. Our boots, whether high ankle-jacks, or lace-ups and
leggings, are black, if not polished. Each man wears a coat. Rather
ragged, rather ancient are these coats, originally of very varied kinds.
But the etiquette of the bush does not demand much in coats. So long as
your shirt is clean and whole, your coat may be a little off colour, so
to put it. People are not so particular about the coat. It is an
excrescence, not an essential garment like the shirt and breeches.

There is one coat short, but Dandy Jack gracefully waives any claim he
might have had, and goes without. He can well do so. Such is the force
of habit, that, somehow or other, he looks more elegant than any of us.
He is even well dressed, as we estimate that condition. It is
ag