thrilled me, and brought a warm
gush to my eyes; but, all the same, I wished I had half the money I'd
lent them, and spent on 'em, and I wished I'd used the time I'd wasted
to be a jolly good fellow.

When I first met Bob Baker he was a boss-drover on the great
north-western route, and his wife lived at the township of Solong on
the Sydney side. He was going north to new country round by the Gulf of
Carpentaria, with a big mob of cattle, on a two years' trip; and I and
my mate, Andy M'Culloch, engaged to go with him. We wanted to have a
look at the Gulf Country.

After we had crossed the Queensland border it seemed to me that the Boss
was too fond of going into wayside shanties and town pubs. Andy had been
with him on another trip, and he told me that the Boss was only going
this way lately. Andy knew Mrs Baker well, and seemed to think a deal of
her. 'She's a good little woman,' said Andy. 'One of the right stuff. I
worked on their station for a while when I was a nipper, and I know.
She was always a damned sight too good for the Boss, but she believed in
him. When I was coming away this time she says to me, "Look here, Andy,
I'm afraid Robert is drinking again. Now I want you to look after him
for me, as much as you can--you seem to have as much influence with him
as any one. I want you to promise me that you'll never have a drink with
him."

'And I promised,' said Andy, 'and I'll keep my word.' Andy was a chap
who could keep his word, and nothing else. And, no matter how the Boss
persuaded, or sneered, or swore at him, Andy would never drink with him.

It got worse and worse: the Boss would ride on ahead and get drunk at a
shanty, and sometimes he'd be days behind us; and when he'd catch up to
us his temper would be just about as much as we could stand. At last he
went on a howling spree at Mulgatown, about a hundred and fifty miles
north of the border, and, what was worse, he got in tow with a flash
barmaid there--one of those girls who are engaged, by the publicans up
country, as baits for chequemen.

He went mad over that girl. He drew an advance cheque from the
stock-owner's agent there, and knocked that down; then he raised some
more money somehow, and spent that--mostly on the girl.

We did all we could. Andy got him along the track for a couple of
stages, and just when we thought he was all right, he slipped us in the
night and went back.

We had two other men with us, but had the devil's own bother on