"Bedad, I never thought of that," grunted the Celt.

"We came from Melbourne, sir," one of the men said, answering Mr.
Brown's question, and casting wishful eyes towards the black bottle.
"We've been four days on the road, and it's little progress we make at
all, bad luck to the horses that won't draw when we want 'em to. It's
out of whiskey we got the first day, owing to the swilling of Ned
Mulloon, who was drunk as a baste when we left town."

"Faith, it's little chance I had while yer mouth was doing its work,
Teddy," cried Ned, with a grin.

"We will make a bargain with you," Mr. Brown said to the men. "Give us a
share of your potatoes, and we'll divide the whiskey."

"Done," cried all hands, with remarkable unanimity; and the pot
containing the esculents was jerked off the fire and placed at our feet,
while we treated all hands, not even excepting the women.

"Well, what is the news at Melbourne?" asked Mr. Brown, while We were
satisfying our appetites.

"It's loud talk they have about the miners, and their dislike to pay the
tax, glory to God; and the artillerymen were getting ready to march
whenever the governor tells 'em to, bad luck to 'em."

"Did you understand at what mines the soldiers are to be stationed?" I
asked.

"Yes, I did," replied our informant. "'Tis at Ballarat."

"Then there must have been trouble since our absence," remarked Mr.
Brown; "and the sooner we are home the safer will our property be. If we
but had fresh horses we could start at once."

"And carry off the whiskey?" demanded the men, with rueful looks.

"No, we would leave it for your use."

"Then long life to yez, and it's prayers ye shall have for fresh horses
without delay"

Pat's prayers, if indeed he prayed at all, were of but little avail, for
the fresh horses did not come along, and we were compelled to remain
inactive until near midnight, when we again saddled our animals, and
bade our entertainers farewell. When we left, the company was very
patriotic, and songs of Ireland's greatness and England's outrages were
hooted loud enough to awaken every one within a radius of two miles.
They gave us three cheers when we left, and one of the party, in the
excitement, stumbled over the potato pot, and got a dose of hot water on
his person that caused him to utter the most frightful cries, which were
responded to by shouts of laughter instead of tears of condolement.

"We have accomplished one humane purpose in giving th