d to his credit
some thirty-five years of mounted police work in South Australia. The
greater number of those years he had spent in the northern districts of
the then young colony. In those early days the duties of the mounted
police in the far-off, unsettled districts were more than serious. They
lived away from civilization, supervising huge tracts of country,
necessitating travelling hundreds of miles at a stretch across
uninhabited country, lacking in food and water. It required men of iron
constitution and iron will to perform their duties. It wanted even more;
it wanted self-confidence and a thorough knowledge of their work to deal
equitably with the many points of dispute that from time to time arose
between the settlers and the native tribes. Practically the mounted
trooper was a magistrate. It was up to the mounted trooper to make all
preliminary inquiries not only into criminal charges, but in many cases
into civil disputes. Having done so it was up to him to prepare the cases
for the justice of the peace before whose jurisdiction those cases had to
be submitted.

The justices of the peace were men selected because they happened to hold
some interest in the district. What knowledge had they of the law? What
experience had they ever had of sitting as magistrates? Generally none.
Consequently the justices of the peace leant for support on the mounted
constables. It is to the credit of the mounted police of Australia, right
throughout the whole of it, in every colony, that within my recollection,
covering many years, I do not remember a single case of any serious
complaint against the force of mis-direction in advising the magistrates
when asked to do so.

While I had made up my mind to give up all social festivities, I reserved
to myself one privilege, so that occasionally I could be reminded of my
old social days. Perhaps my choice was guided by my success in the
theatrical profession. I took a seat in the theatre in what was the best
part of the house, next to the club box, for every Friday night. I used
to treat myself to a good dinner in one of the hotels, all alone, and
then went forth to enjoy the play. Adelaide at that time possessed only
one really first-class theatre, the Theatre Royal, in Hindley Street. On
these Friday nights I used to meet my men friends, but I did not allow
myself to have the pleasure of meeting their lady friends. I was a
policeman, and a policeman I had to be. It was really quite