article exists.

"How are the mines? Do they still hold out?" I inquired of one of the
crew of the custom house boat, who was leaning against the rail in a
languid manner, as though he had been overworked for the past six
months.

"Yes, I s'pose so," he answered; and he spoke as though each word cost
him an immense amount of labor.

"Then, Fred, we are in luck," I cried, turning to my partner who stood
near at hand.

"Intend going to the mines?" the man asked, with a sudden show of
interest.

"Such is our intention," I replied.

"'Mericans, I suppose," he inquired.

"Yes."

"Then don't go if you want to keep the number of your mess," the boatman
said.

"Why not?" Fred ventured to inquire.

"'Cos they kill Yankees at the mines. Jim," he continued, turning to a
comrade, "how many 'Mericans were killed week afore last at Ballarat?"

"O, I don't know," replied the individual referred to. "A dozen or
twenty, I believe. Might have been more or less. I'm not 'ticular within
a man or two."

"Thank you for your information," cried Fred. "And now one question
more. Can you tell me how many Englishmen were killed by those same
Americans, before they died?"

This question appeared to astonish the men; for they looked at each
other, and then examined Fred with scrutinizing glances.

"I guess he'll do," they said, at length; and finding that we were not
to be frightened, they turned their attention to passengers more
credulous, and actually made some of them believe what they said was
true.

The next morning we hired a boat to take our luggage to the wharf, where
the steamers, which ply between Sydney, Geelong, and Melbourne, stop.
Our traps did not amount to much, as we had no money to spare for
freighting, and when we first stepped upon the soil of Australia, our
worldly possessions consisted of four shirts, do. pants, two pairs of
boots, blankets, tents, &c., the whole weighing just one hundred and
fifty pounds--not a large amount, but sufficient for two men, whose
wants were easily supplied.

There were a dozen rough, loaferish looking men, whiling away their time
upon the wharf; but as they confined themselves to simply asking a few
questions as to what part of the world we came from, and received
satisfactory answers, they soon lost all interest in us, and began to
speculate what time the steamer would arrive.

She did not reach the dock until noon; and as we had seen enough of
Williams Town, we readil