cards, and borrowing when they found themselves in low water—­and no man sinks lower than an English “gentlemen” who has gone to the bad, and no one despises him more than an Australian miner, or is more ready to help him when he shows signs of trying to help himself by honest work.  I had known Godfrey long enough to be sure that, in the bush, he was as good a man as I could get, hard as nails, and willing to work for other people, as energetically as he would for himself, so long as they treated him fairly.

My party was now complete, and included a little fox terrier, “Val” by name, whose parents belong to Tom and Gerald Browne, and come of the best stock in Australia.  I had intended to take another man, but, since I could not get one of the right sort, I had no idea of handicapping the party with one of the wrong.  At the last minute, however, Charlie Stansmore changed his mind, greatly to my delight, for I knew him to be as sterling a fellow as one could hope to find.  Charlie, too, had knocked about from Queensland to West Australia, now on a station, now a miner, and now engine-driver.  His people were amongst the earliest settlers on the Swan River, and could well remember the great massacre of whites by the blacks; subsequently they moved to Victoria, where they have farming land at the present time.  A very quiet, reserved man was Charlie, who took a great interest in mechanical work and astronomy, a strong man physically and mentally.  Thus at last we were ready to tackle whatever the “great unknown” had in store for us.

With hearty wishes for success from the few friends who knew where we were bound for, we shook the mud of Coolgardie from our feet and took the northern road to Menzies on July 9, 1896.  Breaden, Stansmore, Massie, Warri, nine heavily laden camels, and a dog made a fine show, and I confess I was near bursting from pride as I watched them.

Who could foresee that one of us was destined never to return?

Acting on the principle of making mention of matters which I have noticed excite an amount of interest in “Home” people, though to us, who are used to them, their importance hardly seems to warrant it, I subjoin a list of the articles and provisions with which we started:—­

 8 pack-camels.  Bulls.  South Australian bred.  Of ages varying from five
     to fifteen years.
 1 riding-camel.  Bull.  S.A. bred.  Age five years. 
     Average value of camels; 72 pounds 10 shillings each.
 8 pack saddles of Afghan make.
 1 riding saddle, made to order by Hardwick, Coolgardie, specially light,
     and stuffed with chaff.  A very excellent saddle.
 1 camel brand.  D.W.C.
 1 doz. nose pegs.
 6 coils of clothes line.
 3 coils of wallaby line (like window-blind cord) for nose lines.
 5 hanks of twine.
 2 long iron needles for saddle mending (also used as cleaning-rod
     for guns).
 2 iron packers for arranging stuffing of saddle.