ub and firewood planted--and neglected. The country looks
just as bad for a hundred miles round Hungerford, and beyond that it
gets worse--a blasted, barren wilderness that doesn't even howl. If it
howled it would be a relief.

I believe that Bourke and Wills found Hungerford, and it's a pity they
did; but, if I ever stand by the graves of the men who first travelled
through this country, when there were neither roads nor stations, nor
tanks, nor bores, nor pubs, I'll--I'll take my hat off. There were brave
men in the land in those days.

It is said that the explorers gave the district its name chiefly because
of the hunger they found there, which has remained there ever since. I
don't know where the "ford" comes in--there's nothing to ford, except in
flood-time. Hungerthirst would have been better. The town is supposed
to be situated on the banks of a river called the Paroo, but we saw no
water there, except what passed for it in a tank. The goats and sheep
and dogs and the rest of the population drink there. It is dangerous to
take too much of that water in a raw state.

Except in flood-time you couldn't find the bed of the river without the
aid of a spirit-level and a long straight-edge. There is a Custom-house
against the fence on the northern side. A pound of tea often costs
six shillings on that side, and you can get a common lead pencil for
fourpence at the rival store across the street in the mother province.
Also, a small loaf of sour bread sells for a shilling at the humpy
aforementioned. Only about sixty per cent of the sugar will melt.

We saw one of the storekeepers give a dead-beat swagman five shillings'
worth of rations to take him on into Queensland. The storekeepers often
do this, and put it down on the loss side of their books. I hope the
recording angel listens, and puts it down on the right side of his book.

We camped on the Queensland side of the fence, and after tea had a yarn
with an old man who was minding a mixed flock of goats and sheep; and we
asked him whether he thought Queensland was better than New South Wales,
or the other way about.

He scratched the back of his head, and thought a while, and hesitated
like a stranger who is going to do you a favour at some personal
inconvenience.

At last, with the bored air of a man who has gone through the same
performance too often before, he stepped deliberately up to the fence
and spat over it into New South Wales. After which he got leisu