o walk about a mile before we reached the "Dugget mine," but our
tramp was beguiled in listening to the peculiar conversation of our
guide, who jerked out his sentences and words as though he was firing
them at a whole regiment of refractory miners, and wished to make as
short work as possible with them.

"You have been at the mines some time," I said, drawing the man into
conversation.

"Ever since they were opened--one of the first police officers
here--hard times for grub, then, let me tell you; used to eat leather,
or any thing soft; horses all died for the want of water; gold
plenty--miners died with overwork--few people here, then--civil--treated
the police well, and made us presents. Used to dig myself,
sometimes--didn't like it, though--hard work, very--by and by a lot of
d----d furreners came here--got drunk and made rows--used to fire
pistols at us when we arrested 'em--got hit once, but didn't hurt me
much--the fellow gave me ten pounds to settle the matter--he was a
Yankee, I think--had a revolver, and used to be desperate when he got
drunk--thank God, he died one day, and I saw him buried."

Although the subject was a grave one, we could not refrain from laughing
at his summary method of disposing of a sailor who used to be known at
Ballarat as "Yankee Jim," and who was a terror to all police officers
when he was drunk. He was represented as being as strong as half a dozen
ordinary men, of the courage of a lion, and perfectly reckless when
under the influence of liquor. Even his boon companions were often
obliged to flee for their lives when one of his cross fits came on him:
and if he was thwarted in the most trifling particular, his rage was
unbounded. He would bite glass and chew it with his teeth, lacerating
his gums in a dreadful manner; and it was at one time reported that
"Yankee Jim" used to diet on tumblers whenever he felt disposed to grow
fleshy.

The fellow was in the United States navy for many years, and ran away
from a ship of war that was lying at Sydney when the gold mines were
first discovered. The dissipated course that he pursued soon terminated
his life, and he died, after a residence of only three months at
Ballarat, with delirium tremens.

There were numerous stories told of the sailor, and I was at some pains
to investigate the man's history; but beyond that he was called "Yankee
Jim," and claimed Cape Cod as his birthplace, found but little to repay
me for my trouble; and perh