e explained to this new chum that transportation was done away with
long ago, as far as Australia was concerned, that no more convicts were
sent out here--only men who ought to be; and he seemed surprised. He
did not call us a liar, but he looked as if he thought that we were
prevaricating. We were glad that he didn't say so, for he was a bigger
man. New chums are generally more robust than Australians.

When we got through the Heads someone pointed to the wrong part of the
cliff and said:

"That's where the _Dunbar_ was wrecked."

Shortly afterwards another man pointed to another wrong part of the
cliffs and observed incidentally:

"That's where the _Dunbar_ was wrecked."

Pretty soon a third man came along and pointed to a third wrong part of
the cliff, and remarked casually:

"That's where the _Dunbar_ was wrecked."

We moved aft and met the fourth mate, who jerked his thumb over his
shoulder at the cliffs in general, and muttered condescendingly:

"That's where the _Dunbar_ was wrecked."

It was not long before a woman turned round and asked "Was that the
place where the Dunbar was wrecked, please?"

We said "Yes," and she said "Lor," and beckoned to a friend.

We went for'ard and met an old sailor, who glared at us, jerked his
thumb at the coast and growled:

"That's where the _Dunbar_ went down."

Then we went below; but we felt a slight relief when he said "went down"
instead of "was wrecked."

It is doubtful whether a passenger boat ever cleared Sydney Heads since
the wild night of that famous wreck without someone pointing to the
wrong part of the cliffs, and remarking:

"That's where the _Dunbar_ was wrecked."

The _Dunbar_ fiend is inseparable from Australian coasting steamers.

We travelled second-class in the interests of journalism. You get more
points for copy in the steerage. It was a sacrifice; but we hope to
profit by it some day.

There were about fifty male passengers, including half a dozen New
Zealand shearers, two of whom came on board drunk--their remarks for the
first night mainly consisted of "gory." "Gory" is part of the Australian
language now--a big part.

The others were chiefly tradesmen, labourers, clerks and bagmen, driven
out of Australia by the hard times there, and glad, no doubt, to get
away. There was a jeweller on board, of course, and his name was Moses
or Cohen. If it wasn't it should have been--or Isaacs. His christian
name was probably Benjamin. We cal