ISEMGH-GF LDORADO

\ *¦

ALEXANDER MAGDONALDl*

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Purchased from the income
of the
FRANCIS O. MATTHIESSEN, '23
BOOK FUND

IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO

THREE BOOKS OF
TRAVEL AND DESCRIPTION
Siberia. A Record of Travel, Climbing and Exploration.
By Samuei Toeneb, F.E.G.S. With about 100 Illustrations
aud 2 Maps. Demy 8vo, cloth, 218. net.
Travels of a Naturalist in Nortliern Europe.
By J. A. Habvib-Bbown, P.R.S.E., F.Z.S., Author of " Fauna of
the Moray Basin," " A Vertebrate Fauna of Orkney," &c., Sao.
With i Ma^s and many Illustrations. 2 vols. Boyal 8vo,
cloth, £3 3B. net.
Russia Under the Great Sliadow.
ByLuiai ViliiAbi, Author of "Giovanni Segantini," "Italian
Life In Town and Coimtry," &o. With 85 Illustrations.
Demy 8vo, cloth, lOs. 6d. net.
LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN.

IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO

A WANDERER'S EXPERIENCES

ALEXANDER MACDONALD
F.R.G.S.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY ADMIRAL MORESBY

ILLUSTRATED

SECOND IMPRESSION

LONDON : T. FISHER UNWIN
I, ADELPHI TERRACE. MCMVI

First Edition . . . 1905
Second Iupression . . 1906

M 32
[All rights reserved]

TO
MY MOTHEE

Introduction

" /~^ GOD wine needs no bush," but because a
vH" man does not always himself see the full
scope of what he has written, an introduction
may have its uses for author and readers alike.
And to me — the adventure of whose own career
has reached the inexorable Finis — these true
stories of gold and gem seeking have an interest
beyond the mere record of peril and achievement,
though, in the words of Sir Philip Sidney, it
" stirs the heart like a trumpet-blast " when brave
men come to grips with dangers which (like the
treasure-guarding dragons of fairy-tales) yield not
only their hoard, but their own strength, as reward
to the conqueror.
And these are true romances — no fiction with
its Beus ex machina at the psychological moment,
but the unadorned risks, escapes, and failures of
adventurers on the quest of those strange com
modities, seemingly haunted by death and fear,
from their secrecy in the recesses of the earth till
they shine with a sinister light in the crowns of

viii INTRODUCTION
kings or make rough, for better handling, the
sword-grips of warriors.
The quest of "El Dorado " begins with the
history of man, and in pursuit of the glittering
phantom have " many souls of heroes gone down
into Hades," only that others might step into
their empty places in the ranks. For whatever is
found, always just beyond reach flits what is not
found — ^what never will be, be it the golden city of
Manoa, with its palace of the Inca, " all the vessels
of whose house and kitchen are of gold, and in
his wardrobe statues of gold which seemed giants,
and ropes, budgets, chests and troughs of gold,"
or the mysterious jewels of the wisdom of Solomon,
or the genie-guarded gems of the Arabian Nights.
The instinct of delight in this adventure which
has dazzled the mind of man from time im
memorial is universal : it is a relish of youth
which persists into the old age of the world; it
warms the coldest blood ; and our author, who has
himself followed the mirage and felt the fasci
nation so keenly, is able to transmit the magic of
the search to his readers. Whether toiling over the
Chilcoot Pass, hunger-pinched, and desperate with
cold and exhaustion, or thirst-tormented in the
burning deserts of Central Australia, the indomit
able desire that drives him forward with his
comrades, drives us also on this modern Odyssey,
where the Siren sings on beaches of dead men's
bones, and perils as terrible as any man-devouring
Cyclops lie in wait for the wanderers.

INTRODUCTION ix
The author, leaving his book to the verdict of
the public, is once more an explorer in the
Australian deserts, collecting who knows what
strange experiences for future use, so I may, in
his absence, characterise him as a born leader of
men, a very prudent Odysseus ; for what lesser
qualities could have held together so strangely
assorted a band as the rough-hewn Mac and
Stewart and the gentleman adventurer Phil Morris ?
Eeticence is perhaps unavoidable, but one would
willingly see and hear more of the central figure
than his own modesty allows him to give us.
Yet, as I said before, it is not only the adven
ture which gives a charm to these studies of wild
life. They are little epics of comradeship — impres
sions of men to whom gold and jewels are much,
but to whom loyalty is the one thing better. It is
good to see the yellow gleam in the washings, and
the milky fire of the Australian opal is worth the
perils endured, but there is also the abiding
knowledge that quite other and less elusive
treasures reward the quest — courage, endurance,
and above all — "the manly love of comrades."
And to me — to whom some of these studies
recall in keenest remembrance scenes which I shall
never behold again with my living eyes — there is
another point of view and one of wider interest.
Such men, in working out their own destiny, are
evolving also the imperial destiny of the Mother-
Country. They break the path, and other feet
follow. There is the march of an army behind

X INTRODUCTION
them, for they are the vanguard of civilisation — the
first spray of the tide that, however slowly it flows,
does not ebb. It is well, since the change must
come, that these men, of good home-spun stuff,
honest and kindly in thought and deed, should
be among the forerunners of the race that will
abide where it has set its feet. Scotland need
not be ashamed of her sons as they stand
before us in these true stories of daring and
endurance, and speak with their enemies in the
gate. The inexhaustible mineral and gem deposits of
New Guinea are only glanced at, but the description
of those marvellous tropical forests, through whose
deep ravines rush the gold-bearing torrents, from
which " Mao " was able to wash out thirty pounds
worth in one day, proves what possibilities England
possesses in that great island, and sheds light on
the policy of a time, now happily past, when I had
hoisted the Flag, in 1872, and thus taken formal
possession of Eastern New Guinea. I reported to
my chief, and his reply has a curious interest in
view of many later developments.
" Have we not enough tropical possessions, with
out requiring more ? Enough issues to sap the
strength of our Englishmen, without giving
Government patronage to the infliction of new
wounds on our body ? Enough circumstances in
which there must be a subjected race alongside
of our English proprietors, without putting the
Government stamp on a new scheme which will

INTRODUCTION xi
help to demoralise us, and weaken our moral sense
as a nation ? "
Such were the views of the Little Englanders
thirty years ago. Such seem strangely out of date
when explorers of the Alexander Macdonald type
are tapping the remotest sources of commerce in
the interests of the old country.
So I leave the little band to the reader — very
human, compound of great generosities and small
failings, travellers, like ourselves, on "the Great
Trail" that leads to the Mountains of the Moon,
and beyond, but always men, and knit together by
so strong a bond that each might well say of the
other, with Walt Whitman —
" Bold, cautious, true, and my loving comrade."
J. M0EB8BY. Admiral Btd.
Blaoebece, April 19, 1905.

Preface

IDESIEE to assure all readers of this book that the
scenes here depicted, and the events described, may
be taken as faithful representations f^om life. I would
also add that the geographical descriptions throughout
are accurate in detail; my knowledge is borne of long
and varied experience in the countries of which I write.
A friendly critic, on reviewing my MSS., said that the
book might be misunderstood because of its containing
the remarks and conversations of my companions, which
he considered could not very well have been remembered
by the writer. On this point, however, I beg to differ,
and I feel that I shall have the sympathy of my fellow-
wanderers on my side. When a man has travelled for
many years with the same companions, and has shared
danger and sorrow and gladness with them, surely it is
not too much to assume that he must ultimately know
their temperaments well, and would scarcely need to
draw upon his imagination when recalling their various
remarks on striking incidents.
At the conclusion of our Western Australian journey
the outbreak of the South African war caused a tempo
rary disbandment of my party, all of whose members
served at the Front with the Australian Contingents
xiU

xiv PREFACE
during the campaign. As a result it will be observed
that in the third part of this volume the narratives
partake somewhat of a general nature, and are also
more or less disconnected.
Finally let me say in extenuation of any brusqueness
or crudity of expression which may be noticeable^ that
I write as a traveller whose hand has more often gripped
the rifle and sextant than the pen.
ALEXANDEB MACDONALD.
Elcho Paek, Pbeth.
Ma/rch 1, 1905.

Contents

PAOB
INTEODUOTION . . . • . . vil
PBEFAOE. ...... xiii

PART I
THE FROZEN NORTH
UNDBB THE SHADOW OP THB WHITE PASS . . .3
SHOOTING THB WHITE HOESB RAPIDS ... 16
THB LAND OP THB THEON-DIUCKS . ', , .24
THB FINDING OP "GOLD BOTTOM" CBEEK . . 37
THE PBEItS OP THB TRAIL . . . .51
THE TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING ... 60
ACROSS THE OHILOOOT PASS . . . .70

THE PIVE-MILB BUSH ..... 83
SINKING FOB GOLD . . . . . .97
WE "strike" GOLD ..... 107
CAMP-FIRE RBMINISOENOBS ..... 122
THE " SACRED " NUGGET .... 133
INTO THE "NEVBB NEVEE " LAND .... 146
EL DORADO I ...... 159
WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS ITS NEST . . . 173
PART III
PROMISCUOUS WANDERINGS
IN THB AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS , . , 199
ON THE OPAL FIELDS OP WHITE 0LIPF8 i , . 220
PEOSPECTINQ IN BRITISH NEW GUINEA. . . 238
IN THE GUM-LAND OP WANGERI .... 256
WITH THE PEARLERS OP NOETH-WBSTEEN AUSTRALIA . 271

List of Illustrations

POBTEAIT OP THE AUTHOB . . . Frontispiece
A PARTY OP MINERS GOING IN BY THE SKAGWAY
OE WHITE PASS TRAIL . . . Facing p. 7
THB OHILOOOT PASS . . . . „ 16
KLONDIKE-BOUND MINERS AND THEIE OUTFITS
ON LAKE LINDEEMAN ... „ 22
AFTBE THB EAPIDS . . . . „ 22
PAN-WASHING IN SKOOKUM GULOH . . „ 37
GOLD-BOTTOM OEBEK . . . . „ 47
DAWSON CITY . . , „ 54
ON THE SAFE SIDE OP THE PASS AGAIN — ^MAO,
SELF, STEWART , , . . „ 79
STEWAET PREPARING OUR FIRST MBAL . „ 89
"DISCOVERY" SHAFT — ON GOLD . . „ 99
STEWART FINDS THE GROUND HARD . „ 106
NO. 2 CLAIM — JUST STRUCK GOLD . . „ 114
OUB SHAFT , , , ¦ . „ 122
xvii

xviii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
NUGGBTY DICK AND SILENT TED . . Facing p.
HAPPY JACK AND DBAD-BEOKE SAM . . „
READY FOE THB RUSH . . . • i>
A BEBAKDOWN IN THB RUSH . . „
OUR LAST VIEW OF THE 5-MILE WORKING . „
TAKING OUB POSITION . . . „
A NATIVE CAMP ......
EL DOEADO! ..... ,,
AN EXTINCT VOLCANO WE CAMPED ON . . „
THE ONLY CEBATUEES THAT CAN EXIST IN THE
N.W. INTEEIOE . . . . „
AN emu's NBST .... ,,
"leichaedt's tree" ... „
I'he last trace found of the great explorer who
attempted to cross the interior and was never
heard of again.
A FAMOUS MINE IN THB GULP COUNTRY . „
BOEING FOE OPAL INDICATIONS . . „
THE BELLE OP THE BUSH — A SALVATION ARMY
CONVERT IN WHITE CLIFFS . . . „
THE DINGOB OE NATIVE DOG . . ,,
CROCODILE JAWS . . . . . „
THE GUM-DIGGEES' SWIMMING-POOL . „
READY TO GO DOWN

127132139
145
150159
165
172182
195 200
213

219224230237243265275

PART I
THE FROZEN NORTH

"And, as his strength
Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow —
' Shadow,' said he,
' Where can it be
This land of El Dorado ? '
' Over the mountains
Of the moon,
Down in the valley of the Shadow,
Bide, boldly ride,'
The Shade replied
•If you seek for El Dorado.' "

UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE
WHITE PASS
I HAVE stumbled upon a few " tough " corners of the
globe during my wanderings beyond the outposta of
civilisation, but I think the most outrageously lawless
quarter I ever struck was Skagway in the days of its
early infancy. Now, I am told, Skagway is a flourishing
township, boasting of the orthodox amount of "broad"
streets and "palatial" buildings for an American "boom "
camp. This may be, though — imless the geographical
features of the district have altered — I can hardly credit
it. When I was there the embryo city balanced itself
precariously along the lower slopes of the White Pass,
and a good percentage of the population had to be
content with huts built on piles within the tidal limit of
the Lynn Canal. In short, there was no room to build
anything, and Skagway existed simply because it marked
the entry to the Yukon's frozen treasure. Its permanent
residents were, for the most part, sharpers of the worst
type ; indeed, it seemed as if the scum of the earth had
hastened here to fleece and rob, or, failing those gentle
arts, to murder the unwary voyagers to or from the
Golden North. There was no law whatsoever ; might
was right, the dead shot only was immune from danger.
It was late autumn in the year when the first news of
Klondike riches burst upon the world, when I, with my
companion Mac, arrived at the head of the Lynn inlet,

4 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
en route for the land of snows and nuggets. Our ship,
the Bosalie, carried a goodly number of passengers, but
they were mainly of the ruffian "store and saloon-keeper"
variety, and few, if any, of them ever got beyond the pass.
The true gold-miner is proverbially poor, and as yet his
kind had not been numerous on the trail. As for myself,
I was enterprising if nothing else, and my companion
made up for my deficiencies in other respects. He was a
ferocious individual without a doubt, my worthy hench
man ; without him my early journeyings would have
ended before they had well begun, but, being a hardened
traveller, he knew how to adapt himself to circumstances,
and how to come off best in a scrimmage, both of which
traits were brought fully out before we had been long in
the villainous little camp of Skagway. Our first twenty-
four hours' experiences may be worth relating.
We were the only representatives of Old England in
these uncouth parts at this period, a fact which had not
made us any more beloved by the aggressively hostile
Yankees on board the Bosalie. Times without number
they told me how the " great American nation " could
wipe the British Isles off the face of the earth at a
moment's notice, and how a "free-born American " was
equal to a dozen Britishers, and how we two would be
swallowed alive by these same men should we dare say a
word to the contrary. We bore a good deal of this sort
of thing in silence, though occasionally throughout the
protracted voyage my fiery aide-de-camp retahated angrily,
and did considerable damage among his tormentors, who
proved to be warlike only in their speech. But this is
a digression, and though I could write pages on that
momentous cruise — we ran aground five times, and were
practically wrecked twice— I must desist and continue my
narrative. The first man we saw after being dumped on the muddy

SHADOW OF THE WHITE PASS 5
shores of Skagway Bay was a short, red-headed individual,
with ruddy countenance to match, who fairly bristled
with weapons of the most bloodthirsty description. He
approached Mac and me as we stood hesitatingly by the
water's edge looking around for some habitation wherein
we might find refuge for the first night of our sojourn in
a strange land.
" Hallo, stranger ! " he saluted, affably, firing a huge
revolver unpleasantly close to my ear in a most nonchalant
manner. " Hallo ! " I said without enthusiasm, feeling cautiously
in the rear of my nether garments to make sure that my
own gun was where it ought to be.
He seemed somewhat hurt at the stiffness of my
rejoinder, and toyed suggestively vdth his revolver for
some moments vnthout speaking. Meanwhile Mac pro
ceeded unconcernedly along the beach to where a huge
hulk lay moored, whose broad beam bore the legend in
giant letters — " Skagit Hotel. Eecentlyof San Francisco.
Finest accommodation in town."
I was preparing to follow in my comrade's footsteps,
marvelling at the enterprise which had brought the old
dismasted schooner so opportunely to such a region ; but
my friend with the gun was not to be put off.
" Say, stranger," he growled, stepping before me, " you
don't know who I am, I reckon  "
"I don't," I interrupted, shortly, "and I am not over
anxious to make your acquaintance either."
He glared at me savagely for an instant, then broke out
into a hearty laugh. "For a darned BngKsher you
are mighty pert," he said, " an' I won't slaughter you—
just yet. Still, for your future benefit I may tell you that
my handle is Soapy Sam, an' I've planted considerable
men like you in my time. I'm a bad man, I is, but your
ignorance saves ye."

6 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
The conversation was being uncomfortably prolonged ;
yet I dared not make any movement. " What's the
damage. Soapy?" I asked contritely. "I suppose you
are collecting toll in your polite way?"
He lowered his weapon and grinned. " Every tender
foot as lands in this here city has to play poker with me
or fight," he acknowledged smilingly.
I realised my position at once. It was painfully clear
to me that the "fight" would be all on one side, and
could only end in one way so long as Soapy held the
" drop," and it was also clear that the alternative was to
submit to wholesale robbery. A loud shout at our back
made us both turn with alacrity, and behold there stood
Mac with his long Winchester repeater levelled fairly at
Soapy Samuel's head. The wily individual had scented
danger, and had made a ditour expressly for my
benefit. " Say when," he murmured calmly, from behind his
artillery, " and I'll blow the deevil into vulgar fractions."
I stepped out of range of fire vdthout delay. Soapy's
fingers twitched on the stock of his lowered revolver as
his ferret-like eyes blinked down the muzzle of the deadly
tube, which never wavered a hair's breadth. Then his
weapon dropped from his nerveless hand, and slowly his
arms were upraised towards the sky, and he smiled an
exceedingly sickly smile.
" You've got the pull on me this time, partner," he
said. "I caves."
At this moment a hoarse chorus of cheers rang out
from the vicinity of the Skagit Hotel. The inmates had
assembled on the upper deck to witness the discomfiture
of their common enemy.
" Shoot him ! " they roared ; " he killed old Smith."
But Mac was not disposed to make himself public
executioner. " Ye'd better vanish, Soapy," he grunted.

A Party of Miners going in by the Skagway or White Pass Trail.

SHADOW OF THE WHITE PASS 7
" Never mind the cannon ye dropped ; it'll just suit me.
Quick, fur I'm getting nervish."
Soapy fled, slipping and stumbling through the snow
in his intense haste. But when he had placed a good
hundred yards between him and his conqueror, he turned
and waved his hand cheerily.
" I bear no ill-will, boys," he shouted ; " I was clean
bested. But," and he turned towards the Skagit, " I'll
have it out with you afore long, and don't forgit it."
A yell of derision greeted him in return. Apparently
the Skagit dwellers meant to take all chances with a
light heart. Mac grounded his rifle with a grunt of
satisfaction. "This is the deevil's ain country we've struck," he
grumbled. "It's a blessed thing I got insured afore I
left auld Scotland." I agreed with him heartily, and
together we sought the hospitable shelter of the stranded
hotel, where we were welcomed effusively by the pro
prietor thereof, a merry-faced Irishman of the name of
O'Connor. " We're chock full up, but we'll gladly make room for
you, boys," he said. " It wouldn't be safe to allow you
to go up among Soapy's gang."
I expressed my gratitude for his tender solicitude, then
made sundry inquiries as to the prospects of crossing the
pass within the next day or so.
"You want to cross the pass?" he echoed, in amaze
ment. " Why, you won't be able to do that until next
spring. The snows are on, and the trail is blocked with
hundreds of dead horses anyhow."
I had heard this statement so often of late that I was
in nowise taken aback. " We certainly did not come
here for the good of our health," I said. " We'll try the
Chilcoot Pass if the Skagway route is impossible. Dyea
is not very far from here, I think ? "

8 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Only about four miles round about," he replied. " It
is at the head of the inlet you would see before your ship
branched in here. A mighty miserable place it is, for
the winds sweep right down from the sea almost con
stantly." " We didn't expect to find roses growing on the track,"
snorted Mac, impatiently. " We'll try and get round to
Dyea in the morning."
But now another difficulty arose. There were no boats
to be had stout enough to withstand the heavy gales
which, as we had just been told, blew ceaselessly up the
funnel-like entrance to the Chilcoot Valley, and even if
there had been, our outfit of flour and miscellaneous
foodstuffs was rather an unwieldy factor to be considered.
" It's a maist ungodly country," commented Mao
gloomily. " There seems to be nae room for anybody
but thieves an' murderers, and it' very funny that there's
no' an honest gold-miner among the lot."
Our fellow-passengers nearly all had found congenial
quarters further back in the city, and one or two had
erected their tents on the beach, forgetting in their haste
to found a home that the tide would wash over their
camp site about twelve o'clock that same night. Yet no
one cared to inform them on the matter, and Mac watched
their progress with undisguised joy, and howled with
delight when one of his old enemies began to haul
timber from the hillside for the purpose of building a
substantial edifice on the sinking sands.
" They might know that the old Skagit couldn't have
walked up here," laughed our host. " But they'll find
out their mistake soon enough, I reckon," and he chuckled,
long and loudly.
Having partaken of dinner, Mac and I sallied forth to
visit the scattered array of huts and tents which consti
tuted the town.

SHADOW OF THE WHITE PASS 9
" Look out for Soapy Sam," warned a swarthy-visaged
man in picturesque attire. " He's a nasty sort of skunk
to meet, even in the daytime, as you already know. If
ye get into trouble just yell on me — Black Harry is my
handle — and I'll be with you in a couple of shakes."
I thanked the dusky warrior, who indeed looked as if
he could give a very good account of himself when neces
sary, and vdth the butt of my revolver clutched tightly
in my hand, I walked citywards with Mac, who gravely
whistled selections from a hymn entitled, "There is a
Happy Land." On our arrival in Klondike Avenue, as
the main thoroughfare was elegantly styled, not a solitary
individual was to be seen. The weather was bitterly cold,
and the denizens of the camp, with commendable good
sense, avoided all danger of frostbite by keeping within
the shelter of their wigwams. The deserted avenue was
therefore a mOst dreary spectacle, and the gathering
shadows of night hanging over the grim pass in the
background did not tend to enliven the gloom of the
scene. " And to think that for the last fortnight I hae heard
nothing but stories o' American grit, American hardiness,
American — everything," soliloquised Mac, sarcastically;
" yet every deevil o' them is frichtened o' catchin' cold —
but hallo 1 what's this ? "
He directed my gaze towards a flaring poster nailed to
a tree. We approached, and read the rude notice. " In
the Skagit Hall to-night. Grand concert. Miss Caprice,
of New York, the world-famed variety actress, will hold
the camp in thrall. Leave your guns at home, and come
early to avoid the rush. N.B. — Poker tables have been
fixed up for the convenience of the audience."
The last clause gave the key to the whole concern.
Miss Caprice — whoever that might be — was merely an
extra attraction. Appended was a weird diagram purport-

10 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
ing to be a sketch of the aforesaid Miss Caprice in
the intricacies of one of her dance specialities. Mac
shuddered and looked pained.
"This is maist decidedly no place for a white man,"
he asserted, with a sigh. Then we turned and headed
back for the Skagit, where in the later hours the world-
famed artiste was billed to disport herself. As we passed
by a large log structure set back among the trees, I was
surprised to hear a husky voice call out to us, and v/hile
we hesitated the door of the hut swung open, and Soapy
Sam appeared and beckoned mysteriously. He apparently
had discarded his armoury, but I was not disposed to
trust much to appearances, at which our old enemy looked
considerably aggrieved.
" I bear no grudge, boys," he said. " No man can say
that Soapy Sam went back on his word. You downed
me fair."
" Then what is it? " I inquired suspiciously.
" Ye must admit, Soapy, ma man," added Mac drily,
" that your reputation even among yer ain folk is no' just
rosy." But Soapy v/as evidently determined not to be offended
by anything we might say. He approached with hands
extended in token of good faith, and, noting this, we
stayed our progress and waited wonderingly to hear what
he wished to speak. He did not enlighten us much,
however. " I say, boys," he whispered when he came near, " can
you both swim ? "
Mac nodded. " But it wouldna be a pleasant diversion
in this weather," he remarked, with a shudder.
" Then don't go near the Skagit to-night," said Soapy
impressively. " There's a storm rising, and I shouldn't
wonder if the old barge bursts her moorings before
morning."

SHADOW OF THE WHITE PASS 11
He was gone in an instant, and Mac and I gazed at
each other in dismay. "What can he mean?" I
said. " Heaven knows," growled Mac ; " but we'll likely find
out before very long. He's a gey slippery customer, is
Soapy, an' no' easily understood, I'm thinkin'."
We continued on our course meditating deeply, but, no
solution of the mysterious warning presenting itself, it
escaped our minds utterly in the noisy excitement that
prevailed on our return to the Skagit. O'Connor, the
proprietor, was all agog with the importance of his
position as master of ceremonies; he was busily super
intending the placing of a rickety old piano when we
made our appearance, and he immediately seized on Mac
for a song during the evening, a favour which was most
promptly refused.
" Miss Caprice an' me wouldna suit on the same
programme," was the worthy diplomatist's excuse. " Get
Black Harry an' Soapy Sam  "
" Soapy Sam is barred this circus," sternly interrupted
O'Connor. "I'm running a concert to-night, not a
funeral undertaking establishment." Assuredly Soapy
Sam's prowess was no mean factor to be considered.
At 7 p.m. prompt — as advertised — the entertainment
began. The room was crowded with truly all sorts and
conditions of men, and the air reeked with tobacco smoke.
The piano manipulator — a bewhiskered and groggy-
looking personage in top-boots — took his place with
stately grace as befitted the dignity of his office. He ran
his fingers clumsily over the keys as if seeking for some
lost chord or combination, which, however, he did not
find, and then he rattled out an ear-shattering melody
in which the audience, after a moment's pause, joined
lustily. In the midst of the uproar thus let loose a
gaudily-bedecked creature of the female persuasion.

12 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
wearing a grin that almost obliterated her features,
appeared on the raised stage at the end of the saloon,
and joined in the pandemonium, her shrill voice screaming
out the touching information that there would be " a hot
time in the old town to-night," which coincided mth. the
item on the programme.
This was Miss Caprice — a type of the "noble and
enduring " women whom recent " lOondike " novelists
have portrayed so tenderly in their " realistic " romances.
Heaven forbid that the respectable British public should
be thus deceived. There was no woman with any claim
to the name on the long trail in these days.
It would be impossible to describe the course of that
memorable " concert." It continued in spasms — or turns,
which I believe is the correct term to use — ^far into the
night, with occasional interruptions in the shape of fights
and wordy altercations among the poker players, diversions
which lent pleasurable variety to the entertainment,
though now and again it seemed as if a funeral or two
would surely result therefrom. But all smoothed off
harmoniously under the influence of Miss Caprice's
moving melodies, which always were turned on at
opportune moments. Mac said that her voice was like
unto the buzzing of a steam saw in cross-grained wood,
but perhaps he was prejudiced, or his artistic senses a
trifle too fine. Anyhow, she pleased the multitude
mightily, and they roared out their appreciation boister
ously at the conclusion of each of her vocal exercises, and
implored her to continue her soothing ditties unendingly.
The too free use of the flowing bowl was probably
accountable for the warmth of their approval ; but Miss
Caprice, having indulged in equal degree with her
admirers, was getting less and less able to trill forth
sweet sounds for their edification, and matters were fast
beginning to assume a by no means inviting aspect.

SHADOW OF THE WHITE PASS 13
Several times during the progress of events Mac and I
endeavoured to make an unobtrusive exit, but all to no
purpose. Slowly the time dragged on its weary course, then
suddenly I became aware that the old Skagit was rising
with the incoming tide. She swayed cumbrously once
or twice, and her rotten timbers creaked and groaned
dismally under the strain, but no one seemed to consider
these indications worthy of attention, and the roystering.
chorus went on without interruption. At intervals I
could hear vague voices calling excitedly without, and
I guessed that the men who had built their homes in
the sand were having a bad time.
Another half-hour passed. By this time the taste of
the audience had reached the sentimental stage, and they
loudly clamoured for a song suited to their altered
temperament. The accompanist, however, persisted in
playing the " hot time " tune to everything, so he was
discharged with ignominy by the scornful prima donna,
who announced in broken accents that she would give a
rendering of " Ashtore " without musical assistance,
which was most unwise on her part. Still, she persisted
at her task, and got to the end of the first verse without
mishap ; but as she screamed out the last wailing notes
of the chorus the old Skagit gave a sudden lurch, and
sent her reeling head foremost into the centre of the
room. "What's the matter with the darned barge? " howled
several indignant voices among the crowd, but no answer
was forthcoming. The Skagit at that moment was seized
vnth convulsions, and rolled and pitched in a most
unaccountable manner.
"Howlin' blazes ! " yelled Black Harry. " The happy
home must have broken loose."
The rush that followed is beyond description. Mac

14 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
and I, being less affected by the motion of the hulk than,
the majority, reached the deck first. Away far back to
the right the lights of Skagway shimmered out over the
smooth waters of Skagway Bay. To the left the faint
illuminations of Healy's Store at Dyea shone at the head
of the Chilcoot Inlet, along which great seas were rolling
in from the main channel. We had drifted out with the
ebbing tide, and we were now being borne onwards by
the uninterrupted ocean gales. If we escaped being
dashed to pieces against the rocky bluffs of the peninsula,
we might be driven ashore on the mud banks at Dyea ;
but it was certain that the Skagit could not return to her
wonted anchorage that night.
Loud and deep were the curses that now arose from all
on board.
" It's Soapy Sam's work," howled O'Connor. " He
must have cut the moorings. He said he would do it."
Then I remembered Soapy's warning, but held my
peace, and while the men raved, and threatened, and
prayed in turn, the old Skagit dashed on her new course,
buffeted by the great seething rollers crowding in from
the sea, and spinning like a top in the swirling waters.
Crash ! At last we had struck, and the surging waves
swept over the deck in a copious flood, and the night was
filled with the shrieks of the frenzied band, who feared
the worst ; but it was only a sand bar after all, the first
of a series of similar obstacles that bar the Dyea Channel
at high water.
" We could never have got round here ourselves,"
muttered Mac, as we stood watching the slowly-receding
waves. " It is a fact that it's a gey ill wind that blaws
naebody good."
In a short space the Skagit lay high and dry where she
had been deposited, and for the first time we learned that
the Dyea Bar stretches out three miles from the village.

SHADOW OF THE WHITE PASS 16
But I was satisfied. As Mac had implied, the Skagit had
unconsciously done us a service of no mean order in
transporting our outfit nearer the Chilcoot Pass. With
calm contentment he and I sought peaceful slumber in
the humble quarters allotted to us earlier in the day,
while the rest of the ship's company — including Miss
Caprice — started to climb the dividing mountain ridge to
Skagway on the trail of the elusive Soapy.

SHOOTING THE WHITE HORSE
RAPIDS
IT was a month later when we reached the shores of
Lake Linderman en route for the frozen North. The
Chilcoot Pass had presented an almost impassable barrier
to our advance; a light film of snow clung to the bare rocks
and filled the numberless crevices of the " Summit " —
that last grim climb, where the Dyea trail mounts all but
perpendicularly upwards to the blizzard-swept glacier cap
of the pass— and no room for foothold could be traced.
It would be impossible to describe that frightful climb.
When we reached the top and saw far below the tvdsting
line of Indian " packers," who seemed to stick Uke flies
to the white wall, we could not understand how the
ascent had been accomplished.
Crater Lake, on the " other " side, was covered with a
broad sheet of ice which was not sufficiently strong to
bear our sleighs, or weak enough to allow of a passage
being broken for our portable canvas boat. Here we
were delayed many days, laboriously dragging our outfit
to a less lofty and more congenial climate.
Long Lake, Deep Lake, and Mud Lake were success
fully negotiated in turn ; their waters glistened cold and
cheerless, surrounded by the great snowy peaks that were
rapidly opening out into the magnificent Yukon valley.
Far down in the hollow, seemingly in a sunnier and well-
timbered spot, nestled Lake Linderman, and beyond, the
Yukon channel could be traced between the ever- widening
16

The Chilcoot Pass.

'.ce page i6.

THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS 17
mountain ranges. We had packed sleighs in our outfit,
not expecting to use them until we reached the Klondike
river, and how successful they might prove should it be
necessary to force a trail across the frozen waters was a
matter for conjecture.
At this time Linderman's shores were the scene of
much bustle ; many intending voyagers were building
their boats in feverish haste, for they knew that the
elements must soon lay firm grip on the waters, and
render their work useless.
Major Walsh, the Canadian Administrator of the
Yukon Territory, had just made his appearance from
over the Skagway trail, and he was all eagerness to
proceed. He immediately bought — at fabulous prices —
the boats that were built, and, VTithout a day's delay, set
sail northwards with his staff.
Two days after the Major's departure, I succeeded in
purchasing a twenty-feet "Dorie"from a disheartened
miner who had decided to return to Dyea, and wait for
the ensuing spring.
I need not detail our journeyings for the next few
days. Linderman was sailed over within two hours, then
the half-mile porterage between it and Lake Bennet was
accompUshed after much labour. This latter lake is
twenty-eight miles in length, its northem extremity
narrowing down to a deep and swift-flowing channel,
which extends but a few hundred yards before expanding
into a broad, shallow lake or lagoon, colloquially known
as " Caribou Crossing." The current here is sluggish,
and the water abounds in shoals and sandbanks, which
at that time were a sore trial to the adventuresome
navigator with his precious freight of flour and other
necessaries. Tagash Lake forms the next link in the great lake
chain of the Yukon, and it stretches full twenty-nine
3

18 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
miles, then contracting to a fierce-flowing stream by
which the Canadian Customs Offices are now stationed.
Beyond this is Marsh Lake, and here it was that our
troubles began.
Not a breath of wind stirred the waters of the lake, and
our crudely-built dorie, containing 1,000 pounds of flour
and 1,000 pounds of miscellaneous foodstuffs, ploughed
slowly through the wide expanse to the accompaniment
of much wheezing and groaning of oars, and an endless
string of forcible expletives that burst from the lips of
my stalwart companions, who provided the motive power
of the ungainly craft. The favouring wind had died
away, and, unaided by the sails, we could make but
little headway over the still water. The weather had
become strangely cold considering the earliness of the
season, and I was almost benumbed as I sat in the steers
man's perch, directing the course by sundry sweeps of a
great-bladed Indian paddle, which I wielded with both
hands. " Keep it up, boys," I encouraged. " We are more
than half-way through the lake."
" Twa miles an 'oor," grunted Mac between his efforts.
" This is the worst boat I ever pulled."
Stewart, his companion, another brawny Scot who had
joined me at Dyea, rested his oar for a moment to breathe
a sympathetic swear word of much intensity; then
together they bent to their labours, and the rasp of
the oars, and the brief swish of the eddying pools
created, alone broke the deadly quiet.
Towards nightfall I was surprised to notice here and
there large sheets of ice on the lake surface, and
occasionally our heavily-laden boat would grind against
these obstacles, shouldering them off with much effort:
then my oarsmen's long sweeps would rend and split
them as they passed alongside.

THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS 19
It was very plain that the Yukon headwaters were fast
freezing over.
"We'll have to keep going all night, boys," I said,
" for we'll be ice jammed if we camp anywhere around
here." The fierce torrent issuing from the end of the lake and
rushing towards the dread White Horse Eapids would
in all probability be free from ice — if we could [^reach
that far.
Strenuously my companions pulled at their oars. The
gloom deepened, then the stars came out, and by their
feeble light I could distinguish far ahead a scintillating
field of ice.
The sight caused me almost to despair — we had been
sailing since early morning, and were tired and very
hungry. Before I could get the head of our boat turned in
shore, it had crashed through several flaking sheets,
and immediately after I realised that we were hopelessly
in an ice maze from which there seemed no exit.
" We'll gang straight on," said Mac, with determination,
and he levered powerfully with his oar against the frosted
masses. A quarter of an hour passed, then the up-turning stem
of the dorie went thud against an immovable barrier, and
I knew that we were indeed ice-jammed beyond the
possibility of forcing a passage with the oars. Nor
could we retum, for the ice-pack we had negotiated
for miles was now seemingly welded together in one
solid mass.
Cautiously Mac put his moccasined foot over the prow
and bore heavily on the glittering ice ; it neither strained
nor yielded.
With a fervent malediction he jumped on " shore," and
felt the edge of the sheet.

20 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"It's mair than twa inches," he said sorrowfully.
"Hoo can we get through this?"
Very sadly we got out of our boat, and, taking the
cooking utensils, the tent, and some flour and coffee,
sought a sheltered spot among the dense timber on
the lake side. Soon we had almost forgotten our woes,
and were regaling ourselves with copious draughts of
coffee and much hard damper.
From our tent door we could see our boat stuck fast
amid the ice. How we were to get it free I could not
well imagine. In the moming, however, we awoke vrith
renewed energy and more hopeful hearts.
" We cannot have far to go, boys," I said. " We'll
cut down a couple of trees and use them to break a
passage." After breakfast we lost no time in making the effort.
Armed with the heavy logs, we re-embarked, and soon
the ponderous hammers had begun their work and a
passage was slowly made towards the Yukon* With
great reluctance our boat moved ahead, leaving a trail
of glittering ice boulders. Mac leaned over the bow
and opened the channel, while Stewart and I belaboured
the masses that closed in on either side.
About midday we neared the end of the lake, and the
channel beyond appeared a rippling, crackling flood of
jagged ice-floes.
We felt the suction of the current long before we had
reached the limit of the ice-field. The sheets became
thinner and broke away readily, so that the oars came
again into play, and we crashed onward impetuously
on the bosom of an irresistible stream.
At last we were free, and our boat dashed madly into
the narrow egress, bumping, grinding, and rocking
against the detached fragments of ice that appeared
everywhere.

THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS 21
With a great effort we managed to slow our craft
before coming into contact with a sharp jutting rock that
reared high in the middle of the stream, and then we
found that it required all our energies to evade the
miniature icebergs that rushed alongside. These float
ing dangers looked harmless enough, yet they were
fully six inches deep in the water, and contact with
them would result in much damage to the planks of
our dorie. Several times, indeed, we were almost
overturned by colliding with unusually large floes.
In another hour we had nearly navigated the extent of
Miles's canyon, and only several hundred yards ahead I
noticed Major Walsh's flotilla, buffetting the seething
waters cumbrously, while the men at the oars strained
every muscle to escape the perils that abounded in their
course. " We're not far away from the White Horse, boys," I
said to my sturdy henchmen, who were working away
like galley slaves. They ceased their labours for a
moment to look round, and at once our vessel swung
about and drifted dangerously near the rocky river
steeps. " We maun keep a way on her," said Stewart.
" Let's ken when we're through," said Mac, and their
oars cleft the water like the paddle floats of a fast river
steamer. The current was flowing at the rate of ten miles an
hour, and to keep a steering way on our unvrieldy barge
was, as may be understood, no easy matter.
Frantically I swung my paddle and strove my utmost
to avert the calamity that every moment seemed to
threaten us.
We were rapidly gaining on Major Walsh's outfit. He
had four boats in all, three of them being clumsy barges
laden entirely vrith provisions. These latter were manned

22 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
by several members of the North-West Mounted Police,
who worked their oars from difficult-looking perches
among the flour sacks.
The police boats, however, steered a very erratic course,
sometimes being carried forward almost on their beam
ends. I guessed that the heavily freighted craft had
become unmanageable; certainly the steersmen seemed
to have no control. Yet I had little time to notice those
ahead, for our own " clipper " required every attention.
"Keep her going, boys," I yelled, as I worked my
steering paddl^ with a will, evading rocks, boulders, and
ice floes in turn.
Suddenly the white dashing surf of the Eapids came
into view, the river narrowed to a fraction of its former
width, and over the cataract a jagged sea of the dangerous
floes crackled and roared into the abyss beyond.
I saw the Major's first boat fly like an arrow from the
how into the heart of the boiling foam ; it careened
dangerously on taking the sweep, then righted itself and
disappeared into the flying mists.
" Steady, Mac ! " I cried, as our craft entered the race.
The dense spray almost obscured the great deflecting rock,
and we rushed seemingly to destruction.
Then, before my eyes, there appeared an awful
spectacle. Faster than I can write the words — one, two,
three— each of Major Walsh's three boats reared high in
the sleety mist and overturned one after the other as they
took the curve.
" Let her go, boys," I bellowed. " Bend to it." The
crucial moment had arrived; we were enveloped in foam,
and were dashing straight towards the torrent-deflecting
bluff. I leaned far back over the stern of our half-
submerged boat, and with a mighty stroke of the paddle
swung her head round, and we grazed death by barely
half a dozen inches.

After the Rapids.

Klondike-Bound Miners and their Outfits on Lake Lindernan.

'o face page 22.

THE WHITE HORSE RAPIDS 23
A moment more and we were floating in almost placid
waters. Beside us bobbed three smashed boats. Major
Walsh stood sorrowfully on shore assisting dripping men
from the water.
" It's all over, boys," I said to my crew ; " you can ease
off now," and I steered for the beach and lent my aid in
the work of rescue.
The half-drowned Canadians were dragged ashore
gasping and almost senseless, and while we scanned the
grim waters anxiously for a trace of one still missing, his
body was tossed at our feet by the relentless waves. Soon
after, the sand was littered with sacks of flour, and beans,
and miscellaneous foodstuffs.
Several camps were in evidence around this melancholy
spot, erected by men who had lost their all in the rapids,
and were only waiting a chance to return to civilisation.
They eagerly accepted the Major's offer to purchase their
scanty outfits, and without loss of time that intrepid old
Indian fighter had embarked again for the north. To
him it was a race with the elements, but the elements
won after all, and compelled him to make his winter
camp at Big Salmon Eiver, forty miles further north,
where we overtook him a few days later.
"It's no use my lads, you can't do it I " he said, on my
reiterating my intention of proceeding onwards. " Why,
the river's frozen solid from here to St. Michael's."
" Then we'll put skids under the old boat and make her
into a sledge," quoth Mac, drily, and I hailed the sugges
tion with encouragement.
We duly arrived at Dawson City after many days and
weeks of ceaseless struggle with the elements on that long
and terrible icy trail, and our coming was received with
rejoicings by the few half -starved miners who at that time
peopled the " City." We had proved the feasibility of an
over-ice route to Dyea.

THE LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS
THE Klondike Valley in that winter was the scene of
many stirring incidents. Owing to the non-arrival
of the Canadian Government Commissioner and his police
no law or order prevailed. To make matters worse the
utmost bitterness existed between the Canadian and
American sections of the community, each of whom
claimed the rich gold-bearing territory as being within
their country's boundary. Quarrels more or less serious
were consequently of every-day occurrence. However,
the following incident involves no harrowing description
of these fierce skirmishes — though it might have led to a
most sanguiijary encounter with the true owners of the
land. Accompanied by "Cap." Campbell and "Alf" Mackay,
two well-known miners, my party set out on a prospecting
expedition into the mountains flanking the upper reaches
of the Klondike Eiver. We had one dog, a powerful
mastiff, named Dave, which had proved an invaluable
companion to me on our earlier prospecting journeys.
Previous to this we had been very successful in our quest
for the yellow metal, having located three creeks rich in
the precious golden sand. But our eagerness seemed
likely to cost us dear, for cur store of foodstuffs had
become wonderfully small, and we were many days'
journey from our camp on Skookum Gulch, where were
our headquarters.

LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS 26
The return journey proved to be more difficult than we
had anticipated ; the weather had been very severe for the
last few days, and the snow on the hillside was hard and
dangerously slippery.
"We'll try a short cut over the mountains, boys," said
Mackay, as we strove vainly to reach the frozen river far
beneath. The Klondike takes many twists in its erratic course,
and it so happened that if we could cross a mountain
spur we should strike the trail only a few miles from
Eldorado Creek.
" We'll make the attempt," I said, and Mac and Stewart
concurred with emphatic ejaculations. One sleigh carried
the possessions of the whole party, and it was tugged along
by our combined efforts, including the assistance of Dave,
who struggled in his harness in the leader's position. At
last we surmounted the great glacier-capped ridge and
gingerly made a trail through a narrow ice-bound gulch
issuing from the crystal dome and marking a long line of
gigantic ice boulders far into the wooded slopes beyond.
We slid, and clambered, and buffeted with the snow
wreaths and intervening ice fields for over an hour, and
then the gully led us across a thickly-timbered flat well
sheltered from the elements by the surrounding moun
tains. At this stage we were, to judge by the lay of the
country, but a few miles from the main channel ; but the
afternoon was far advanced and darkness was quickly
closing over the valley, so that further progress was
rendered difficult. We were looking about for a suitable
camping ground when Mac, who had been closely
examining the landscape, gave a hovyl of delight. " In
juns ! " he roared, " I see Injun booses 1 " Sure enough
there appeared, nestling among the drooping pines, a
straggling array of Indian huts and several totem poles.
Before I could restrain them, my henchmen dropped

26 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
their sleigh ropes and mshed impetuously towards the
supposed settlement, but their moccasined feet stuck
deeply in the soft snow under the trees, and, using my
snowshoes to good effect, I succeeded in rounding up the
doughty pair before they had gone far.
''It's an Indian village," I explained, "and not a
circus." "I ken weel what it is," indignantly howled Mac.
"Hiv I no seen Injuns afore? When I wis oot oa the
pampas o' Sooth America  "
But I listened no further, and Stewart condoled with
his comrade in well chosen words of sympathy.
"This is nae country for us, Mac," said he. " A lot o'
Injun booses, wi'— wi' chunks o' caribou hangin' inside,
an' we maunna touch them ! " He almost wept at the
thought. " Howlin' blazes, boys ! " shouted the Captain, " them
Injuns 'd make ye into mince pies at oncet ; ye wur com-
mittin' sooicide ! "
But Mackay smiled broadly and winked reassuringly at
Mac, whereupon that gentleman began to chuckle audibly.
" We've nae floor, an' nae bacon, an' nae beans — nae
naething," he said meaningly. "If you have no 'jeck-
shuns,' " added Mackay, addressing me with much
deliberation, "we'll camp a leetle furrer down."
I had no objections whatever. If I had, it might not
have mattered much, for my warlike retainers seemed on
the verge of mutiny. So we proceeded on our way, cau
tiously and silently, keeping in the densest shadows, and
as far distant from the village as we could conveniently
get. Ten minutes later our tent was fixed and our camp fire
blazing brightly ; and Stewart, with a lugubrious coun
tenance, busied himself preparing tbe last of our hoarded
stores. Our fare was certainly meagre and unsatisfying,

LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS 27
and unfortunately the keen air had given us extremely
healthy appetites. I am inclined to think, when I recall
the matter, that my share, as doled out by Stewart, with
many a sigh at its diminutive proportions, was unneces
sarily meagre, and purposely served so by that wily
individual in order to destroy any conscientious scruples I
might have. If that was his purpose it succeeded admir
ably, for when my humble repast was finished I felt
himgrier than ever, and had not the ghost of a scruple
left. " Talkin' about Injun villages," began Mackay, when
the cooking utensils had been cleared away, "I've
niver seen wan yet that hadn't a winter storehouse of
dried salmon and cariboo somewheres handy."
"Ye're a man efter ma ain heart," beamingly inter
rupted Mac, and Stewart murmured; "Dried cariboo 1"
and smacked his lips.
"As I was discoursin'," continued Mackay, "them
Injuns hiv always got rations hid away' in their wigwams."
"Likewise a few tommy-hawks an' an assortment o'
clubs," grimly edged in the Captain.
No one seemed anxious to say anything in a direct sort
of way, although the general meaning was plain enough.
"To cut it short, boys," I ventured to remark, "you
are in favour of visiting the village to-night ? "
"Fur reasons which it ain't necessary to shout out
loud — precisely," answered Mackay.
After that further speech was superfluous, and we made
hurried preparations for our marauding journey. The
Indians at this time were very hostile towards the white
invaders of their country, and there was little reason to
hope that they would either barter or sell any of their
stores to us. There is a proverb which states that
" necessity knows no law," and as we were in rather a sad
plight we agreed with it to the letter ; there may have

28 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
been room for some slight condonation of our errors of
reason at such a time. About eight o'clock that night we
sallied out, leaving Mac with the dog in charge of the
sleigh, with instructions to clear out lively should he hear
a revolver shot. The worthy Mac was much disgusted
with his lot, and gave vent to his annoyance in no stinted
terms. "It wis ma idee at first," he grumbled, "an' it's gey
hard fur a man tae be sacrifeeced tae wait here a' the
time." "You've got the healthiest job, my friend," said the
Captain, " an' you ought to be durned well pleased."
The moon shone brilliantly, illuminating the open snow
patches and shooting down through the heavy foliage
myriad rays of dancing light. I remember well how we
had hoped for darkness, and how nervously we crept along
seeking the shelter of the deepest shadows. A death-like
stillness reigned ; the thermometer in camp had registered
37 degrees below zero, and we knew that the mercury
would keep falling till midnight. Our faces were quickly
framed in icicles, and a thin dazzling frost draped us from
head to foot. We presented truly ghost-like figures, but
we were too much engrossed with other matters to notice
our strange appearance. Soon we arrived within sight of
the village, and stealthily we manoeuvred from tree to
tree until we were but a few yards distant from the
largest logged structure. And still not a sound was
heard; the frosted edifices showed no sign of life within.
" Seems to me we're in luck," chuckled Mackay,
gazing on the desolate scene with evident enjoyment.
" The population has evidently gone out hun tin' bear or
moose deer, or some sich quodroo-ped, and thar shid
therefore be no- call fur any skirmish. Put up your guns,
boys," he added, "there's nary soul in the village."
We were all greatly relieved at this, yet it was vrith a

LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS 29
feeling of deep humiliation that I approached the most
imposing of the houses and began to investigate the best
and surest means of forcing an entry. I had seen a few
Indian buildings in my travels, but this one was unlike
any design I had ever witnessed. There appeared to be
two heavily-barricaded wooden windows in the usual
places, but search as we might, no door could be found.
"We'll try another," said Mackay, loath to acknow
ledge that the peculiar structure was beyond his compre
hension. We examined each one — there were six in all
— but they were alike in every particular, save that the
one which had first received our attention was larger than
the others, and had a very imposing totem pole in its
foreground. " The first was the most Ukely, boys," I said, " we'll go
back to it." And back we went.
Stewart was now working up something approaching
a righteous wrath against the "heathen sort o' buildin's."
" I'll shin mak' a door," he said, with emphasis, bracing
his shoulders; then something caught his eye on the
rough planking walls, and he beckoned to me mysteriously
before applying his energy towards their demolition.
"What is it? " asked Mackay impatiently.
" Come and hold a match," I said. He did so, while I
laboriously spelled out a series of Chinook characters
which had evidently been cut deep into the wood through
the agency of some sharp instrument, most probably a
tomahawk. The result was rather mystifying, for, trans
lating into English, I read twelve names ending with
the words, " Chief of the Thron-Diucks." Eleven of the
names were simply unpronounceable, but the last entry
had a decidedly English appearance ; it required no trans
lation, and read: "King James the First, Chief of the
Thron-Diucks." " We've struck the ffing's house," said Mackay with a

30 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
laugh. "The old skunk and I hev niver agreed, so I
hope he doesn't come along now."
" I thought he called himself ' James the Second,' "
said the Captain slowly.
But Stewart would wait no longer. " Staun clear, a'm
comin' ! " he cried, and his voice rang with shivering
distinctness through the air. With a short rush he
threw himself against the wooden barrier; the stout
timbers bent and quivered, but resisted the shock, and
from within came a harsh, tearing sound, terminating in
a muffled crash, as of something falling heavily. Again
and again Stewart acted as a battering ram, but only
vague echoes rewarded his efforts ; the logs were evidently
unusually firmly founded. The noises created by Jthese
various onslaughts — and ultimately we had simultaneously
applied all our energies vrithout avail — had a most
demoralising effect upon us, and after each attack we
waited breathlessly until the echoes had died away.
Assuredly, if the Indians were within several miles of us,
they could not fail to hear the diabolical din we were
creating. We had been over an hour at our depredating labours,
and I was beginning to wish I had never sanctioned the
expedition ; then the indefatigable Stewart made a
discovery. We had hitherto neglected to examine the
barricaded holes which seemingly served as windows,
deeming them too securely fastened for our nefarious
purpose ; they were closed from the inside, and were too
high in any case to be within reach of Stewart's impetu
ous shoulder, but now our strong man had but lightly
pressed the window-guard, and behold ! it swung open.
His hearty " hurroo " drew my attention.
"For heaven's sake shut up ! "I whispered angrily.
But Mackay made even more noise by exploding into a
loud laugh, which resounded weirdly over the tree-tops.

LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS 31
"Good fur you, Stewart! " he cried; "now we're right."
The Captain, like myself, was not very enthusiastic over
our night's exploit. "Let's get it over quickly, boys,"
he said. "Give me a lift-up, Stewart." But Stewart
had reserved to himself the honour of first entry, and was
even then dangling midway through the aperture, and
squirming his way forward vigorously. The opening was
very small, not more than two feet square, and as I
watched my companion scrambling in, I thought that if
the level of the floor was lower than the surface without,
which is usually the case with Indian huts, considerable
difficulty might be experienced in making an exit !
Stewart, however, was apparently troubled by no
unpleasant anticipations, and soon a crash, followed
by an ejaculation of much fervour, heralded his arrival
on the other side of the stoutly-timbered wall.
"Are you there? " cried Mackay, preparing to follow.
"Whaur did ye think a wis?" came the somewhat
surly reply, and the doughty warrior's voice sounded
almost sepulchral as it floated out of the darkness. Then
he added enticingly, " Come in, ma man, come in, an'
bring a licht wi' ye, fur it's pitch dark, an' an' awfu'
smelliferous." To me the insinuating tone of my
comrade's voice sounded suspicious, but neither Mackay
nor the Captain noticed anything unusual.
" I'll be with you in a jiff, Stewart, old man," said the
former gentleman, vainly striving to get his head and
shoulders through the aperture. But his body was some
what rotund and made rather a tight fit in the narrow
entrance. "Push, ye beggars!" he gasped, and the
Captain and I went to his assistance, only to see him
jerk suddenly forward and disappear with a clatter inside,
while Stewart's voice spluttered out in firm protest,
"Come awa' in, ma man, an' dinna block up the ventila
tor." For some minutes longer I waited in suspense.

32 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
while Mackay struck match after match and spoke never
a word, and Stewart kept up a continual flow of mysterious
grunts and sundry forcible expletives. I had a small
piece of candle in my pocket, and this I lit ; then, with
the Captain's aid, I thrust my head through the window
and surveyed the interior. Mackay quickly seized the
piece of tallow from my hand, and held it aloft, and then
I saw what had baffled the usually fluent descriptive
powers of the worthy Stewart and his fiery companion.
The room was bare save for the presence of several shelves
roughly built up in the centre of the floor and reaching
almost to the roof, and on each of these shelves a massive
oblong box rested, the sides of which were heavily inlaid
vrith silver or some similar metal. The whole structure
presented an appearance not unlike a Chinese pagoda in
miniature; the meaning of the arrangement was more
than I could understand. The noises which we had at
first heard had evidently been occasioned by the upper
most cases falling from their resting-places, for Stewart
was examining with miich interest one of several of the
strange receptacles which were lying on the heavily-logged
floorway. As I gazed in mute wonder on the extraordi
nary scene, I was quickly made aware that a wonderfully-
powerful odour pervaded the room. It assailed my
nostrils and my eyes, causing me to choke and blink, and
finally withdraw my head into the pure air.
" It's the thickest perfume I've iver struck," groaned
Mackay, and he staggered against the weird-looking
pagoda. I heard a shuffling rattle, and looking in a second time,
saw the spidery monument sway, then fall with a dull
hollow crash, scattering its curious freight in alldirections.
At the same time a yell from Stewart all but shattered my
little remaining nerve, and he came leaping wildly across
the fallen boxes towards the narrow egress.

LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS 33
" A'm comin' oot ! " he bellowed ; then Mackay, forcing
up behind, and making strenuous endeavours to preserve
his usual sangfroid, said weakly, " I guess I need a breath
of air also, boys."
To make matters worse, the Captain, who had been
warily prospecting around, now came rushing back,
gesticulating energetically. " The whole tribe is quite
close, and comin' fur us ! " he announced in a loud
whisper when he came near. Here was a predicament.
The two eager individuals whose heads were thrust
appealingly out of the vrindow, groaned in anguish, for
they could not get out vrithout assistance, struggle as
they might.
" You had better stay right where you are, boys, and
we'll come in too," I said to them hurriedly, for the
shuffling of many snowshoes now reached my ears, and
there was no time to effect a rescue.
" Heaven knows what's goin' to be the end o' this,"
muttered the Captain as he swung his lank frame
through the opening. It took some time for him to
wriggle inside, and then I attempted the acrobatic per
formance necessary to make an entry. I was just a
Uttle late, for, looking around before making the final
duck inwards I saw a number of wild-looking figures
approaching quickly over the snow. The moon then
encountered a belt of dense, fleecy clouds, and a wel
come darkness enveloped the landscape just as Stewart,
with a grunt of satisfaction, tugged me ingloriously into
the odoriferous realms from which he had been so
desperately anxious to escape, and shut the heavy barri
cade. A few minutes passed, during which time we were
all but stifled by the pungent air ; then our miseries were
forgotten in the danger that threatened. Snowshoes
hissed and skidded around our shelter, and deep, guttural
exclamations in the Chinook tongue sounded on every
4

34 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
side. And as I pieced together the various monosyllabic
utterances, I refrained from translating them to my com
panions, although I had a dim idea that both Stewart
and Mackay had fully decided that, whatever it might be,
the strange structure in which they were was certainly no
storehouse for dried caribou or salmon.
We had been barely five minutes in the dismal room,
yet the time seemed an age. The Indians contented
themselves with circling round each house in turn,
keeping several yards distant from them, for a reason
which was now painfully apparent to me; I could stand
it no longer. " Boys," I said, "we've got to get out of
this, lively, for the Indians will probably patrol about till
sunrise, and half an hour will just about finish me."
" An' me," groaned Mackay.
The Captain, however, was not satisfied. " Look here,
boys," he said, " I don't hitch on to yer meaning a bit.
Are the Injuns afraid to go into their houses, or — I'm
hanged if I can make out thish yer circus. Is this an
Injun village, or is it not ? " he demanded.
There was no need to hide it from him further. " No,
Captain," I replied, "it's not."
"Then what place is this?" he asked slowly; and
Stewart answered him in dolorous tones —
" A graveyaird, Cap'n — an Injun graveyaird."
So it was. The cases contained but the dust of long-
deceased warriors, wrapped in blankets which were
impregnated with a sickly-smelUng scent made by the
Indians from the roots of certain plants. In the darkness
I could not see the Captain's face, and for some moments
he said nothing, then he spoke, musingly : " James the
First " said he, " yes, I might have known, for it is James
the Second who is now Chief of the Thron-Diucks."
The svrishing of snowshoes again sounded ominously
near. We waited tiU the Indians h,ad passed; then

LAND OF THE THRON-DIUCKS 35
Stewart, swinging open the barricade, Mackay scrambled
up, and was shot forward into the snow with our combined
effort. "Hurry up, boys," he cried, when he had
recovered himself ; " they are at the end, and are just
turning to come back." Breathing heavily, Stewart was
next propelled into the open ; then came my turn, the
Captain being the tallest, waiting to the last ; but tall as
he was he could only reach his head and a part of his
shoulder through the window, for the floorway was sunk
considerably. No time was to be lost. With a howl,
Stewart gripped the outstretched arm, Mackay the
exposed shoulder, and both pulled as if for dear life.
Despite the need for silence, the Captain was but human.
"Howlin' tarnation, you're twistin' my neck off! " he
yelled, as he was yanked like a sportive fish on to the
glistening snow.
" Eun, ye deevils, run ! " roared Stewart, himself setting
the example. There was inuch need. Scarcely twenty
yards away fully a score of tall, bemuffled warriors were
speeding towards us, silent and grim, like a raging
Nemesis. On the impulse of the moment I discharged
my revolver as a signal to Mac to move ahead ; then with
a wholesome fear in our hearts we set a course for the
camp, where Dave, aroused by the revolver shot, was bay
ing loud and fiercely, and skipped over the intervening
snow-wreaths at an uncommonly lively rate.
Whether the Indians followed us, or whether they
remained to make good the work of our desecrating
hands, we never learned, but I rather think they waited
to rebuild the tombs of their ancestors. They were
certainly not in evidence when we overtook Mac, and we
gave a simultaneous shout of relief.
" Whaur's the cariboo ye wis gaun tae fetch? " asked
that gentleman in an outburst of righteous indignation.
" Say nae mair, Mac. Say nae mair," eloquently

36 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
pleaded Stewart, gripping a rope and feverishly assisting
the sleigh on its onward progress. " If you had suffered
what I hae suffered this nicht  " His voice failed him,
and Mac simmered down at once.
"Was it as bad's that? " said he commiseratingly.
" We'd better keep going all night, boys," Mackay
hastily remarked, with a furtive glance behind. " And
to-morrow," he added, more cheerfully, " we'll have a
good blow-out at Skookum Gulch." And so it came to
pass.

Pan-washing in Skookum Gulch.

THE FINDING OF "GOLD BOTTOM "
CREEK
AS the season advanced the ground hardened so that
with our primitive fire-burning methods we could
barely thaw more than eighteen inches of gravel in the
short day, and even this occasioned tedious labour. The
depth of bedrock was sixteen feet, and the frost had
penetrated far beyond this level, so that our tunnelling
operations along the line of the wash proceeded very
slowly indeed. The miners around had begun to flock
into Dawson to frequent the saloons and gamble away
their hardly-earned gold, all declaring that it was too cold
to work — the thermometer registered 25 degrees below
zero — and soon Skookum Gulch was almost deserted.
"Cap." Campbell and "Alf" Mackay alone remained
to keep us company.
My knowledge of the Chinook tongue had been of con
siderable service to me, and the Indians inhabiting the
upper Thron-Diuck valley occasionally visited our camp,
bringing many presents of dried salmon and caribou, all
of which Mac and Stewart accepted with voluble thanks.
Then one day " King James," the chief of the tribe, paid
us the honour of a call.
" Why you dig, Mis'r Mac? " he interrogated, apparently
much mystified to see us excavating the ground.
" Fur GOLD, ye heathen," howled Stewart, popping his
head above the shaft. 37

38 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
King James did not understand the full significance of
the remark, but smiled indulgently when I translated it,
and solemnly inclined his head towards the speaker.
"You squaw," he said, "you squaw to Mis'r Mac."
Which meant that he considered Stewart somewhat pre
sumptuous in addressing a chief of the Thrpn-Diucks.
After much talk had been indulged in, King James
appeared to realise that we were really searching for gold,
and had no idea of carrying away or shifting the course of
his river ; and his" dry old face spread out in a broad grin
when I explained that much gold, in our country, was
equivalent to many squaws. Suddenly he turned and
strode solemnly towards his sleigh, which was guarded by
several richly-robed squaws and half a dozen youthful
warriors ; and after groping among the bearskin rugs for
some time he came back to me, displaying in his greasy palm
a beautiful specimen of alluvial gold : it was large and flat,
with smooth surface and water- wom edges ; it must have
weighed at least three ounces. I gazed in bewilderment ;
the Indians rarely looked for gold, which to them was not
even so valuable as silver, and the latter metal they used
only for making ornaments. Mac and Stewart were soon
by my side, and while we examined the specimen with
undisguised interest. King James lit his pipe— a former
present from myself — and puffed leisurely, eyeing me the
while with a half-amused expression.
" What think o' that, Mis'r Mac? " he asked at length.
"It's good stuff. King James," I strove to answer in
his language, and with a sigh I offered it back. My sur
prise was great when he waved it aside right royally, and
placing his grimy hand on my shoulder in quite a fatherly
manner, he spoke out several sentences rapidly.
"Hold hard, King James," I cried. "I cannot follow
you if you talk in that fashion. Come into my tent and
have some 'baccy."

"GOLD BOTTOM" CREEK 39
He smiled benignly, and spoke a few words to the sleigh
attendants, who immediately unhitched the dogs and pro
ceeded to build a fire near at hand ; then he followed me
to my camp and ensconced himself by the stove. I still
carried the nugget in my hand, but obeying the old chief's
directions, I now placed it in a bottle with my other
specimens and sat down beside him. Stewart meanwhile
turned his attention to culinary matters, and while the
billies boiled. King James and I conversed earnestly on
matters dear to the Indian heart.
He was no lover of the white men who had invaded his
domain and driven his people to seek the refuge of the
mountain fastnesses, and he intimated plainly enough
that he should not be sorry to see Dawson City speedily
deserted by the white intruders. As for gold, the idea
of grown men seeking for the yellow metal aroused his
keen amusement, and he was very incredulous about my
statements as to its value in the vrigwams of the white
people. After the subject of his woes had been gone into
at great length, and our hearty sympathies enlisted, he
remained silent for a time as if absorbed in thought.
Then his eyes surveyed the mining implements and fire
arms in the tent, and finally rested upon my nugget
collection with a newly-awakened sparkle of interest.
"You come wi' me, Mis'r Mac," he said thoughtfully,
after a long pause, " Heap big bear on Thron-Diuck ; you
come wi' King James  "
I shook my head vigorously ; we were not very anxious
to shoot big game at that time, but his hospitality would
not be denied.
" Me show you whar big gold come from. Me show
you Gold Bottom," he hastened to add : " too much gold
for white men in Dawson — me show you, Mis'r Mac."
Stewart was so astounded at the old chief's last words,
spoken in broken English, that he nearly chopped his

40 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
fingers with the axe instead of the solidified flour he was
preparing to bake.
"I'll gang," he bellowed.
"An' me," growled Mac, who, Uke his comrade, had
only understood the last sentence.
King James smoked stolidly for a few moments, then
patted Stewart patronisingly on the back. " You good
squaw," he said, gazing at the half-baked flour with much
approval, "you come vri' me."
The appellation " squaw " by no means pleased the fiery
Stewart, and he would have burst out angrily had I not
restrained him.
" Yes, I guess we'll go with you. King James," I replied.
" I want to see Gold Bottom Creek badly, and I don't
anticipate any evil effects from too much gold." And so
the compact was made, and old " Leatherskin," as Stewart
promptly dubbed him, smiled softly when I explained to
him the workings of my big game rifle, and went into a
transport of delight on being presented with a serviceable
Colt revolver and a box of cartridges. Suddenly his face
clouded, and he said anxiously —
" Only you come, Mis'r Mac ; only you an' squaws."
I restrained my companions with difficulty from rush
ing at him to choke back the objectionable epithet ; then
an idea struck me. I wanted " Cap " Campbell and
Mackay, my adjoining burrowers in the frozen gravel, to
accompany me; they had shared with us the plodding
uncertainty of things at Skookum Gulch, and I wanted
them to reap some of the benefits attached to the dis
covery of the mysteriously-fgmed " Gold Bottom " before
the district was rushed. I could hardly doubt that King
James's information was correct, and the specimen given
me was sufficient for even the most incredulous-minded
person. The inducement was very real- indeed, but the
chief would only aUow Mis'r Mac an' squaws.

"GOLD BOTTOM" CREEK 41
" All right. King James," I said, " but I have two more
squaws." He eyed me with a look that was fast changing
from one of mere friendliness to one of much respect.
"You great man, Mis'r Mac," he grunted. "Four
squaws ? Ugh ! ' '
When he saw the brawny giants that Mac hastily
called in, his surprise was unbounded. " Good squaws,"
he chuckled.
"What in tarnation does the old skunk mean?" said
Mackay, and Campbell's anger was rising visibly.
" Look here, boys," I said. " King James has told me
of a creek that is lined with gold, and this is a sample " —
I showed them the specimen received. "He asks me to
go and take charge of the lot, but only myself and
squaws. You had better be squaws for once in your
lives. Savez ? "
They did " savez," and made every effort to show their
cordiality to the King, who appreciated their advances
vrith tolerant grace, but grinned expansively when he saw
their well-filled cartridge-belts.
Stewart made a triumphant success of his cooking that
day, and in honour of the occasion he filled the little
"doughboys" with pieces of dried apricots and peaches,
and, indeed, everything in that line our larder afforded.
So luxurious a repast did he provide that King James
sighed regretfully when he rose to go.
"You come to-morra', Mis'r Mac ! " he cried when he
was rolled up in his sleigh blankets, like, as Mac said, an
Egyptian mummy.
" Eight ! " I answered, waving him goodbye. But he
had not finished.
" Be sure bring cook squaw," he murmured con
tentedly. The long whips cracked and the dogs bounded
forward; the shriek of tbe sleigh-runners effectually

42 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
drowned Stewart's vehement curses; and the King
departed. Next morning we started out for the Indian camp.
Mac and Stewart had the tents struck, and it vrith the
blankets packed in neat rolls on our sleigh soon after
sunrise. Our rather small store of flour and other neces
saries found ample space on the same conveyance, and to
this load Dave was harnessed. Campbell and Mackay
did not delay us ; they were up betimes and had their
dog-sleigh ready with ours. The temperature this
morning registered 30 degrees below zero, and even
while we were engaged tying the sleigh ropes, long
icicles formed at our chins and dripped from our eye
lashes. " Are you ready, boys ? " I cried to my freshly-acquired
squaws. " Eight ! " they responded with one voice.
" Gee up, Dave," said Mac, and with a bound and a
shriek our sleigh led the way towards the Klondike's
unknown source. We were not much concerned about
leaving our properties on Skookum Gulch; it was not
likely that any one would " jump " our claims ; the
weather was too cold for the tender feet of Dawson to
venture out around the creeks. Soon we left the Dome
in the distance behind, and swiftly we crashed through
the powdered snow and blown ice on the main river. No
white man, at this time, had explored the head waters of
the Klondike. In the earlier season I had attempted the
task, but was repelled by the deep gorges and grim
canons that marked the river's channel for many miles
when near an outlying spur of the " Eockies." Now we
forced a trail far beyond my furthest travel, tracing here
and there the track of the old chief's sleigh where the
runners had cut deep through the blistered ice. Our
visages were soon framed in icicles, and our cheeks

"GOLD BOTTOM" CREEK 43
rendered stiff by a thin film, as of glass, which caused
us much pain. Mac and Stewart ambled beside the
staggering dogs, occasionally helping them over obstacles
and badly-blown patches. For once they were forced to
march in silence, for their mouths were sealed as if by
iron bands.
The Grand Canon was entered soon after midday, and
the majestic powers of old King Frost had so metamor
phosed the dark gorge that we made our trail over the
frozen torrent almost nervously. The great stalactites
and dripping ice cones shut out the sky completely, and
we forged ahead in a vague eerie shadow reflected from
the translucent pillars. Here and there the roar of the
flood echoed from giant clefts in the ice, and caused the
glassy walls to quiver and crackle ; then again came the
oppressive calm, broken only by the dull rumble of the
rushing torrent full fifty feet below.
It is impossible to picture the grandeur of an Alaskan
canon when the elements hold it in thrall ; there is
nothing like it in the whole world. Nevertheless, we
were not sorry when we emerged into the comparatively
open country beyond, and picked up afresh the track of
King James's sleigh which we had been unable to trace
in the gorge. Our destination could not now be far
distant, for the frovraing peaks of the Eockies loomed
directly ahead, and the valley was rapidly becoming lost
in the minor ranges that appeared ; we were surely near
the mystic source of the golden Klondike. The dogs
never slackened their trot, though now and then they
staggered and stumbled over large ridges of bUstered ice,
which cut their paws cruelly. Our moccasins were
being quickly reduced to shreds, and our clothing gene
rally had become stiff with the frost and rent in great
holes by contact with the brittle, flaking ice. Few white
men would have dreamed of making such a journey on

44 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
such a day. I contented myself with that reflection,
though probably the miners in their snug huts at Dawson
would have dubbed us colossal fools for venturing so far
back into the Indian territory ; but gold was always an
irresistible incentive.
" I reckon," said Campbell, coming up from behind,
and grimacing frightfully as he spoke, while the ice
shivered on his face with the effort, "this is not much
of a picnic, is it? "
It was some minutes before I could reply, and while I
strove to coax the muscles of my mouth to relax without
doing serious injury to my features, Stewart's hoary
visage shook itself clear of its icy sheath with a
crackling, splintering sound, and his voice rang out —
"I see the Injun camp! Hurroo! D  !" The
last expression was given in a most sorrowful tone as he
felt the blood trickle on his cheeks and freeze into icy
appendages. "You've got to think a lot before speaking in this
country," I sympathised, but he would not open his
mouth again.
Bounding a bluff, we saw, nestling in the shadow of
a great pine-forest, an array of mud huts and tepees
covered with caribou skins. Many fires were blazing in
the vicinity, fed lavishly with logs drawn from the wooded
slope behind^ A number of King James's subjects super
intended operations with unmoved faces ; it was a routine
to which they had long become accustomed — for bear-
fires were very necessary indeed in these parts; Bruin
had not yet reconciled himself to his winter slumber, and,
as I have noted, the Klondike valley was infested with
various species of his kind.
With a sigh of thankfulness I signalled to Mac to draw
up alongside the largest fire, and he needed no second
bidding. A few moments more and we were all eagerly

"GOLD BOTTOM" CREEK 46
thawing ourselves before the blaze. Even the dogs crept
as close as the burning logs allowed, and warmed their
poor frozen bodies on all sides, turning continually, as if
on a revolving toast-rack. From the most imposing
hut now came rushing towards us King James, with
numerous squaws ; and while the King congratulated
me effusively on my safe arrival, the squaws beamed
coquettishly on my companions, who felt in no wise
complimented by their attentions.
" They tak' us fur squaws, Stewart ! " howled Mac,
more in sorrow than in anger ; then I heard them both
with much deliberation calculate out the value of the
Queen squaw's dress as she stood by them, speaking
words of welcome in a tongue they could not understand.
" It's a rale guid beaver," I heard Mac say.
" An' what a bonny silver-tip cloak," burst in Stewart.
" Arf the moccasins," continued the first speaker, " are
faur ow'r guid fur an Injun tae wear."
At this juncture I turned anxiously ; I thought it very
necessary. " For heaven's sake, Mac," I said, " leave the squaw's
beavers and moccasins alone. We'll get murdered if old
King James  "
"Wha's touchin' their belangin's?" interrupted Mac
indignantly ; but despite his righteous outburst, I knew
that he and his doughty comrade would have had little
qualms about appropriating the bonny beavers and
moccasins also. Their logic was vague, but conclusive
enough to satisfy themselves. However, with much
grumbUng they unharnessed Dave, and started to erect
the tent in a sheltered spot, Campbell and Mackay
having already got their smaller canvas home fixed up.
" It's fair disgracefu'," muttered Mac, as he pulled on
the guy-rope, " tae think o' livin' near Injuns ! We're
comin' faur doon in the world surely."

46 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Ye're richt there," spoke Stewart mournfully; "bit,
man, did ye ever see sic a bonnie beaver ? "
Next morning, when the dim grey Ught was beginning
to appear, we set out to explore the creek containing
" too much gold." King James's sleigh led the trail, for
which I was truly thankful. The dangerous nature of
the route from the Indian camp was all too apparent.
Miniature glaciers hung perilously over each mountain
ridge, and formed a sight well fitted to unnerve any man
but an Indian ; and when we crawled over their glassy
surfaces, and slid down on the "other" side, it seemed
to me that we were running risks enough for all the gold
in Klondike. We had not gone very far, however, before
King James drew up his dogs in the bed of a deep chasm
that traced directly from an enormous ice-field overhead.
I looked around and saw the frozen channel of the
Thron-Diuck about a hundred yards below; the King
had taken us by a " short cut " over the mountains
rather than follow the much easier route by way of the
main river. For a moment I thought that he had pur
posely meant us to lose our bearings, but he soon
dispelled that fear.
"Gold Bottom here, Mis'r Mac," he said. "You
dig." He measured about a four-feet length on the
snow, meaning, I suppose, that we should find bedrock at
that level. " You find much gold, Mis'r Mac, too much
gold—" "Hold hard! " I interrupted; "I guess we'll deserve
all we get. This is the devil's own part of the world
we've struck."
King James grinned incredulously, but kept silence ;
and arranging his sleigh rugs, he whipped up his long
line of dags and sped back over the trail we had just
traversed. We watched him till his sleigh, careering
dangerously, rushed down into the valley beyond. The

ww
U s o

o.
PQ H O
O

"GOLD BOTTOM" CREEK 47
mining instincts of Campbell and Mackay now over
came their disUke of our chill and uncompromising
surroundings. "It looks likely country," said Campbell, "and I
shouldn't wonder if that glacier has worn down quite
a lot of gold."
We were not long in pitching our tents and building
several fires to thaw off the icicles that clung to our
faces; then we felt much more enthusiastic over our
prospects. The timber was plentiful, and close at hand ;
we were far indeed from the madding crowd.
"We'll make a start, boys," I said ; " we'll see whether
old Leather-skin spoke correctly."
My two companions were rather disconsolately sur-
ve3dng the scene.
" Too much gold ! " muttered Mac in derision. " No
vera likely. It wad tak' hundreds o' thoosands o'
pounds tae pey me fur ma sufferin's in this God-forsaken
country." All day long we kept great logs burning over the frozen
gravel silted up on the edge of the channel. Slowly we
excavated the " dirt " in fragments, picking energetically
"at it after each fire had been cleared away. The icy
body of the creek had evidently long since been formed,
for not a drop of water flowed beneath ; and after sinking
a few feet we came to a level where the frozen mass con
tracted frbm the old river-bed, leaving a clear dry space
in which a man could almost stand upright. We at once
abandoned our shaft, and crawled into the strange cavern
formed. The gravel over which the torrent had flowed
was dry, and hard as flint. We had reached bedrock on
the true channel of the stream, and with water still
flowing overhead ! A yet unfrozen fluid gurgled in the
heart of the great ice column above ; the effect was
wonderfully beautiful.

48 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"I guess we'U stick to the shaft, boys," said Mackay ;
" this looks uncanny," and he scrambled out ; the idea
of working underneath the flowing stream was too much
for him, though he was a veteran miner. Campbell and
I soon foUowed his example, leaving Mac and Stewait,
who were not easily daunted, to survey the wonders of
Nature at their leisure. They at once commenced
picking the frozen channel, and the thud ! thud ! of
the blows came to our ears, as we stood by the fire
above, as the sonorous notes of a deep-toned beU.
Already the murky -gloom of an Alaskan night was fast
closing over, though it was yet but two o'clock in the
afternoon. Thud ! thud ! thud ! went the pickaxes
below, and I marvelled at the persistence of my com
panions, for I knew they could make little impression on
the flinty sands.
Suddenly the echoes ceased, and the sounds of a wordy
altercation rumbled up towards us ; a few minutes later
Mac popped his head out of the shaft and beckoned me
mysteriously, then disappeared again. Wonderingly I let
myself down through the narrow aperture and wriggled into
the cavern. A strange sight met my gaze. A lighted stump
of candle was stuck in the ground, and its pale light,
reflected against the glistening roof, gave the scene a some
what unearthly appearance. Stewart was kneeling on the
gravel, examining carefully a flat, pebble-shaped stone;
beside him was heaped quite a number of similar frag
ments, and these were evidently the results of my
companions' labours, for many hollows in the channel
showed where the pebbles had been extracted. When I
entered, Mac was feverishly rubbing one of the pieces
against his moccasined leg.
"What kind o' stane dae ye ca' that?" he asked
eagerly, handing his prize to me.
"I've tell't him it's ironstane," broke in Stewart in a

"GOLD BOTTOM" CREEK 49
convinced tone of voice, " but Mac aye likes tae be
contrairy." The specimen given me was a rough and rusty-looking
pebble, very much water-worn. At first glance it cer
tainly looked like ironstone, and its weight proved it to
be either of that nature or — I dared not hoped the alter
native. I took my sheath knife and endeavoured to
scrape the edges, but they were hard as flint.
" A kent it was ironstane," grumbled Stewart, yet I
was not satisfied. I held the specimen close to the
candle-flame for several minutes until it was heated
throughout, then I again tried my knife on the edges.
The effect was astounding; the rusty iron coat peeled
off as mud, and lo ! a nugget of shining gold was brought
to view.
With a howl of deUght Stewart started up, cracking his
head against the crystal ceiling in his haste. " Gold ! "
he shouted, and grabbed at the handful of stones he had
collected. " Mak' some mair," he said.
But there was no need to doubt further ; every rusty-
coloured pebble unearthed was in truth a fine alluvial
specimen of the precious metal, and when scraped each
talUed in every characteristic with King James's nugget.
The iron coating was but a frozen mud cement which
had formed over the irregularities of surface vrith vice
like tenacity. The bed of the creek was indeed gold
bottomed ; the King had not stated wrongly.
CampbeU and Mackay soon joined us ; they had become
alarmed at my prolonged absence.
"This beats Bonanza and El Dorado hollow," was the
first individual's comment.
"WeU, I'm jiggered!" feebly murmured Mackay,
gazing blinkingly around.
The light danced and shone on the yellow fragments,
and sparkled on the crystal dome. The sight was truly
5

50 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
gorgeous. Even the fabled Aladdin's cave could hardly
have surpassed the splendours of that Alaskan icy vault.
It was plain to us that the depth of " pay gravel "
could not be more than a few inches at most ; the steep
declivity of the channel was a sure proof of that fact, and
our " find" would not, therefore, take long to work out.
It promised, however, to be the richest strike in the
Klondike valley. The gold being so close to the mother
lode, which was, unfortunately, covered by the glacier, was
all of a coarse nature ; none of the pieces collected came
under the pennyweight limit, and one specimen we
computed to be at least five ounces. . . .
Such is the record of one of our prospecting trips to
the glacier streams of the Upper Klondike, and " Gold
Bottom Creek" from that time occupied an honoured
place in every miner's reference book.

THE PERILS OF THE TRAIL
ALL through that dread winter no news reached
civilisation from the frozen El Dorado, no com
munication had been estabUshed with the great mush
room city of the far Nor'-West, and only the wildest sort
of speculation could be indulged in as to the fate of the
pioneer inhabitants of the Klondike valley. Only too
late was the knowledge forced upon the almost fanatical
gold-seekers that the iron grip of an Arctic winter was
upon them, effectually barring retreat and sealing the
narrow gates of the country against all further expedi
tions from the outside. They had lived on in the
steadfast belief that the "Great American nation"
would send in supplies in good time to prevent any
likeUhood of starvation. But so ignorant was the world
regarding the nature of the northern land that many
companies continued even at that time in Seattle and
San Francisco to outline in the press their plans for
sending stores to Dawson in the " coming " winter —
this in November, when the elements had already a
vice-like grip of the country.
Several expeditions really started, but so ludicrous
were their equipments that they without exception
failed to penetrate beyond the coastal barriers — the
grim old Chilcoot and the murderous Skagway trail.
And so in the "promised land" the chill November
Sl

52 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
blasts were hushed and the deadly quiet of a December
frost reigned supreme. The majority of the miners
worked out on the creeks, but when the intense cold
forced them to cease their labours they flocked into
Dawson and idly frequented the saloons, bragging of
their riches to their less favoured comrades, and cursing
the ungodly nature of the country in forcible language.
At this time very few had more than three months'
provisions, and the majority were at their last bag of
flour. The stores would sell nothing unless at fabulous
prices. Everything commanded one dollar a pound.
Even salt, that cheap but necessary commodity, had
the same value. Baking powder was unpurchasable —
there being none. Before long one hundred dollars was
offered and refused for a sack of rolled oats. The
restaurants for a time supplied " meals " at exorbitant
charges, yet one by one they had to give out for want of
supplies. The end came when seven dollars was asked
and given freely for a meagre portion of bacon and
beans — the staple food of the Arctics. Only a few days
did this establishment — "Dawson's Last Hope" — ^hold
out, and then the familiar legend, " No supplies," was
posted on the logged doorway. It was only then that
the real state of affairs was impressed upon the unthink
ing people.
Many tragedies were enacted in that northem mining
camp during the weeks that followed. A kind of panic
prevailed. Short rations was the rule, and starvation
only too frequent. There seemed nothing but death
ahead for all. On short rations, with the thermometer
averaging forty-five below zero! who could view such
a prospect with equanimity ? Thefts of goods were often
attempted, and almost invariably death by revolver bullet
was the end of the poor hungry would-be thief's career,
for the necessaries of Ufe were more strictly guarded than

THE PERILS OF THE TRAIL 53
gold. Gold could not buy them. Many would have
given their all gladly for a sack of flour. Long before
Christmas all work was suspended. The population took
to their log-huts, and barricaded every nook and cranny
in vain endeavour to keep out the cold. Daylight
appeared at ten o'clock in the morning, and night
closed over the camp soon after three. The " city "
seemed deserted, all but for the presence of a few dog-
sleighs, which were constantly employed in carrying
timber from the mountain-side. The strong men who
had dared the elements and dragged the gold from the
unvrilUng soil now gave way utterly. The keen air
whetting their appetites rendered their' existence on
short rations a long-drawn-out agony. The weaker
element soon fell ill, and then a reign of terror began.
Fever became prevalent, and the little cemetery soon
had to be extended to accommodate the many victims
to its fury.
A " roll-up " of the miners was by unanimous consent
held to reason out the dangerous situation, and it was
decided as a last desperate resource to attempt the long
overland route to Dyea across the treacherous Chilcoot
Pass. Until the arrival of my party over the ice none
had dreamed that such a journey was practicable.
During the heart of an Arctic winter, to march seven
hundred miles over ice and unfathomed snows ! The
idea seemed absurd, yet it now became the only hope of
Ufe to all. That " roll-up " is pictured clearly before me
now, and never again do I expect to be present at a more
cruelly dramatic gathering. Starvation showed plainly
on every face ; each white frosted visage was seamed and
furrowed as if by a load of care. They were indeed a
motley crowd, comprising representatives of all nationali
ties. To me fell the questionable honour of leadership.
I was supposed to know the valley of the Yukon better

54 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
than any present, nearly all of whom had entered by way
of St. Michael's.
" All right, boys," I said, in answer to their request,
"my party will make the trail for you as far as Big
Salmon Eiver. Then Major Walsh may be able to advise
us what to do."
And so the strange company began its long and deadly
march. Half a dozen dog teams headed the column,
after Which came men pulling their own sleighs, and at
the rear wearily trudged the multitude who carried their
all in packs bound with straps to their shoulders. It was
a strange and pitiable spectacle at the start ; what would
it be at the finish ?
The Stewart Eiver was reached in four days, and here
the " blown " ice was almost insurmountable. It piled
up in great blistering sheets, the elevations in some
places exceeding a height of twenty feet. Over these
obstacles the dog-sleighs crashed, breaking a way, for the
long trailing human caravan. Moccasins were cut into
shreds, and clothing soon became tattered and torn. The
thermometer had now dropped to fifty degrees below zero,
and many became frost-bitten. Not a few lost the use of
their arms, and marble-hued noses were common indeed.
Sometimes I would get well ahead of the main party,
and from a convenient point watched them approach and
pass. A stranger sight could not be imagined. The
staggering line of dogs came first ; over their lowered
heads the long whips cracked, and the poor brutes
bounded forward with nerve and life in every motion.
Then the weary sleigh-pullers passed in solemn array,
shoulders bent and bodies leaning forward. Their sleighs
were pulled along to the accompaniment of the harsh
grinding sound emitted from the iron runners on the
frozen snow. Lastly, the " packers " straggled in Indian
file, and they were surely a sight to be viewed with

THE PERILS OF THE TRAIL 55
mingled feelings. TaU men, short men, stout men —
and they were few — and thin men followed in mis
cellaneous order. Some were lame, and Umped pain
fuUy ; some had their heads bandaged, many wore nose
coverings, and a few were minus the nose altogether.
Strange it was to see at intervals, when this almost weird
procession lagged to the rear, how strenuously they would
endeavour to recover ground, and when with one accord
they broke into a run the spectacle offered would have
been laughable had it not been so seriously, so truly a
race for life.
Salmon Eiver was reached at last. Five men had
died on the trail and two were seriously ill, though
they dragged themselves along, helped occasionaUy by
the dog-sleighs. Here I formally gave over my respon
sible charge to Campbell and Mackay, and having been
entrusted vrith maUs and despatches for the coast, with
barely a halt pushed on ahead with Mac and Stewart.
Our stores had diminished greatly beyond my calcula
tions, and it was evident that an extreme effort must be
made to increase our rate of travel. Yet despite our
utmost endeavours, when we entered upon the snowy
wastes of Marsh Lake we pulled a sleigh on which
reposed a few furs, a bag of mineral specimens, and
about as much flour as would make one good square meal.
For the last several days our progress had been severely
hampered by the increasing depth and softness of the
snow filUng the valley of the Yukon as we approached
nearer the dreaded pass. Our daily march since leaving
the northem capital had rarely fallen below twenty-
eight mUes, until the unfrozen White Horse Eapids
had stayed our advance and caused us to make a vride
detour; but now, do what we might in our semi-famished
condition, we could barely travel twenty miles in as many
hours, and fuU eighty miles yet intervened between us

56 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
and the sea. On this day we had been on the trail since
sunrise, and the darkening shadows of night were already
beginning to creep over the billowy wastes, though it was
but two hours after noon.
"We are near the end of the lake, boys," I shouted
encouragingly, as I noticed the failing efforts of my
companions. "We must try and reach Tagash Eiver
to-night."' Mac groaned dismally, and Dave emitted a plaintive
howl as he struggled in his harness. Then Stewart,
who had grown wofully cadaverous of late, stopped and
addressed his compatriot.
" I mind, Mac," said he, " that there used to be an
Injun village aboot here."
" I hae a disteenct recoUection o' the place," returned
Mac shortly, bending to his labours afresh.
"We are passing that same viUage now," I cried
cheerily. "That makes ten miles since our last halt."
The sleigh stopped with a jerk ; half a dozen log-huts
with a like amount of totem poles, were plainly observable
among the dense timber on shore.
"Them Injuns must have something for eating in
they houses," spoke Mac thoughtfully, gazing at the
rude structures intently.
"But we have nothing to barter, and we know they
won't sell," I broke in impatiently.
He made no reply to my remark, but turned to Stewart,
who was evidently in a fit of deep mental abstraction;
"What's your idea, Stewart, ma man?" he asked in
sinuatingly, and that individuzbl responded promptly.
" I am wi' ye, Mao, every time, but I hope it's no' a
graveyard Uke the last we tackled." They threw down
their sleigh-ropes simultaneously, and were half-way to
the village before I had recovered myself.
" Hold hard ! " I roared. " What  "

THE PERILS OF THE TRAIL 57
Mac's substantial figure spun round at once. " We'll
be back in a meenit," he whispered mysteriously.
I loosened Dave from his harness, and hastened after
the doughty pair, expecting every instant to hear sounds
of deadly strife, but all remained silent as a tomb, and I
shuddered with painful recollections. I found them
cavorting around the largest edifice in the group in a
manner that under different circumstances would have
seemed ludicrous.
" There's naebody in the booses," cried Stewart gleefully.
" The whole tribe must have gone out moose-hunting."
Not infrequently a village is entirely deserted in this
way, and I heaved a sigh of relief. " But they may be
back at any time," I said, glancing fearfully round.
Mac shrugged his shoulders ; " I think, Stewart," he
remarked in a most matter-of-fact tone, " I think the
door is the weakest place after all."
I swallowed my scruples at a gulp, and became
interested in the proceedings at once. Strangely enough,
for the moment we aU seemed to have forgotten how
very similarly our first escapade of the kind had opened.
Crash! Mac's broad shoulder butted the barricaded
doorway right ponderously, but though the heavy logs
quivered and bent, they resisted the shock. And now
Stewart braced himself for the attack, and together they
hurled themselves against the wavering supports. There
was a resounding echo as the entire structure gave way,
and with many chuckles of deUght the adventurous
couple disappeared vrithin, while I remained outside, my
rifle at full cock, Ustening for the tramp of moccasined
feet that would herald the Indians' return. I heard
Mac strike match after match, muttering discontentedly
the while, and Stewart's dissatisfied grunts fiUed me with
dismay. Was our depredating raid to go unrewarded ?
"There's jist the sma'est bit o' caribou ye could

58 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
imagine in the hale boose," snorted Mac indignantly.
" It wis high time the deevils went huntin', I'm thinkin'."
"Let's try the other booses," counselled Stewart.
At that moment Dave gave a long, low growl, and
immediately an indescribable chorus of yells issued from
the forest near at hand. Then, to my horror, I perceived
numerous dark forms speeding towards me. Instinctively
I levelled my rifle, then by an extreme effort of will
lowered it again. We were surely in the wrong. " Come
on, boys," I cried, " we must run for it."
" Hand on till I get that bit o' caribou," murmured
Mac desperately.
A moment more, and we made a wild burst in the
direction of the sleighs, pursued by a number of stalwart
warriors, whose vengeful shouts inspired our faiUng steps
with an unwonted activity.
" Let's stop and fecht the deevils," implored Mac, as
we grabbed the ropes of our sadly-Ught conveyance, and
even at that juncture he examined his stolen piece of
caribou with critical interest. "It's no' fit for human
use," he protested angrily. " I'm no' goin' to run for
nothing." But the yelling horde at our heels made him think
better of it, and muttering sundry maledictions he
hitched on to the rushing sleigh, and lumbered manfully
alongside his gloomy coihpatriot. Fear did certainly
lend wings to our flight, and by the time we had reached
the outlet leading to Tagash Lake, our pursuers were far
in the rear, the obscuring darkness probably being much
in our favour. And then, as we hastened over the
shelving ice on the connecting river, we beheld a sight
that drew from us ejaculations of sheer chagrin. A great
fire blazed on the shores of the frozen stream, illumi
nating in the background a solidly-built logged erection,
and showing clearly the outlines of a giant Union Jack

THE PERILS OF THE TRAIL 59
fastened to a tree close by. Not a soul was in sight, but
I could fancy the comfortable group inside the generous
dwelling whiling away the time before a glovring stove
or indulging in a luxurious dinner.
" It's a Government station," I said drearily. " It
must have been put here just before the ice closed in."
We halted for an instant, and gazed wistfully at the
snug poUce camp. Here surely we might obtain some
little stores for our urgent needs, but how dared we ask ?
The Indians were British subjects, and would indeed be
treated vrith more consideration than we might expect,
for it is the policy of the Canadian authorities to protect,
even to the outside extreme, the rights of their dusky
subjects. Then, again, we had been long on the trail,
and our clothing was rent and ragged. The police might
judge us by appearances, and then — I did not care to
think what might happen. Many thoughts flitted
through my mind as we stood there hesitatingly, and
my worthy companions, by their silence, showed that
they too were thinking deeply. The unmusical cries of
our pursuers jarred on our . meditations vrith seemingly
awsikening vigour.
" They've got our trail," I said sadly. " We'd better
get along."
" Civilisashun be d  d," fervently, if ambiguously,
muttered Mac and Stewart almost with one voice, and
we staggered out into the bleak, snowy plains of Tagash
Lake, and pursued a dogged course southward.

THE TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING
IT was midnight before we halted, and then we camped
on the middle of the frozen lake, and near the en
trance to the Big Windy Arm ; and here, after a most
miserable night, we were forced to abandon the greater
part of the stolen vension as being in itself but little
satisfying to our urgent needs. We started again before
daybreak, steering by compass in the darkness. Indeed,
it was absolutely necessary that we should keep moving
if we would prevent the blood from freezing in our veins.
Our plight was surely an unenviable one, and as we
stumbled on through the ever-deepening snow, Mac
and Stewart cursed the country endlessly in choice
vernacular; and even Dave, struggling desperately in
his harness, found opportunity to give his verdict in
hoarse, muffled growls of deep displeasure.
"We'll bile the fijst Injun we meet," said Stewart
solemnly, after several hours had passed in silence, and
he shook his head clear of its encompassing deposits of
frosted snow and ice, and gazed at our meagre sleigh-load
with pensive eyes.
" I'm no sae sure that Injun is guid for eatin' ony mair
than mummy caribou," rejoined Mac after much thought.
" I mind," he continued ruminatively, " o' eatin' snake
sausages in Sooth America, an' they were wonderfu'
paleetable, but Injun?" He shook his ice-enclustered

TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING 61
head doubtfully. The day was already drawing to a
close; the sun had risen at ten o'clock, and its short
arc in the heavens was almost completed. The time at
which one usually expects to fortify the inner man had
passed in grim silence, and the darkening shadows were
creeping over the billowy white waste.
"We must reach Caribou Crossing to-night, boys," I
said. "We dare not camp again on the open lake in
case a bUzzard gets up and wipes us out."
The blackness of night enveloped us completely, and
the tingling sensation in our cheeks warned us that the
frost intensity was far below the zero scale. Our moc
casins sunk through a powdery fleece so crisp, that it
crushed like tinder beneath us, and the steel sleigh-
runners whistled harshly over the sparkling beady surface.
The stars twinkled and shone brilliantly, and great
streaks of dazzling light shot at intervals across the
northem sky; the night effects were indeed splendid
beyond description, yet we were too much engrossed
vrith more practical matters to wax enthusiastic over
astronomical glories. Suddenly the sharp hiss-s of a
sleigh reached our ears, then out of the darkness came
the sound of laboured breathing and smothered growls,
as of dogs straining under an undue load. Obeying a
common impulse our sorely-tried caravan came to a
halt, Dave whining piteously and pawing the ground
impatiently, while my companions peered into the night
earnestly, then turned and gazed at me in silence. The
hurrying sleigh was fast approaching on a course that
would lead it but a few yards to our left. I was on the
point of stepping forward to intercept the advancing
dog-team which was now showing dimly in the star
light, when one of the two men who accompanied it
spoke, and his voice sounded distinctly in the still air.
" I thought I heard something," said he.

62 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"What could you hear?" answered his companion
gruffly. " There can't be any one nearer than the station
at Tagash, and it's far enough off yet, worse luck."
" All the same," reiterated the first speaker, " I'm sure
I heard sleigh-runners skidding over the snow. It's
mebbe some poor devils coming out from Dawson."
They were almost beside us now, and I wondered that
we had not been noticed.
"You'U remember, Corporal," came the tones of the
doubtful one in hard,' official accents, " that on no
account can I give out any supplies. I have my own
men to provide for."
For the same reason that we had hurried past the
station at Tagash Eiver, I had no desire to bring my
party to official notice now; so, inwardly cursing the
niggardly captain, I decided to let the team pass vrithout
soliciting relief. It was clearly a Government " outfit "
for the benefit of the men at Tagash. At a jerky trot
the four leading dogs swept by us, swaying wildly as
they pulled in their traces. Four more dogs followed,
then a heavily-laden sleigh came creaking and groaning
through the snow, the runners sunk deep and churning
up clouds of vapour which almost hid from view the
plump sacks of flour on board. The men came after at
an amble, their faces muffled so that tjjiey, apparently,
could neither turn to the right nor left. I could scarcely
restrain my companions at this point from breaking into
a vehement denunciation of the police captain and his
corporal. They would, indeed, have stormed the sleigh
cheerfully, and meted out no gentle treatment to the
owners thereof. With energetic pantomimic gestures
I implored them to be calm ; the team was fast being
swallowed up in the gloom, but before it had disappeared
from our penetrating gaze a broken sentence floated back
to our ears : " Pity . . . had to leave so much . . .

TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING 63
Caribou Crossing . . . back to-morrow. . . . D  d
Klondikers." For five minutes more we waited in silence, during
which time Mac and Stewart were effervescing to an
alarming climax, then we gave full vent to our joy.
"Ho! ho! ho!" laughed my companions. "Pity left
so much at Caribou ! D  d Klondikers ! Ho ! ho !
ho ! " Dave, too, seemed to understand the situation, and
promptly proceeded to bark out his appreciation ; but his
exuberance was too noisy, so it was hurriedly checked.
" Get under way, boys," I said, when my henchmen
had recovered their equanimity, "for we'll need to look
Uvely before the trail is blotted out." We had not
spoken a word about the matter, yet there existed a
perfect understanding between us. If anything edible
had been left at Caribou Crossing we were determined
to commandeer it.
The weU-weighted sleigh had made an easily-observ
able trail ; in the dim starlight the twin furrows formed
by the runners glittered and shone like the yeasty foam
from a ship's propeUer. We carefully directed the prow
of our snow-ship into these well-padded channels, and
vrith renewed energy forged ahead, thinking longingly
of what might await us at Caribou. Soon the shadows
on either side of the lake drew nearer and nearer, and
the steep, wooded shores of the dreary waterway
narrowed inwards, so that the feathery fronds of the
stately pine-trees were plainly discernible; we were
approaching the entrance to Caribou Crossing. Five
minutes later we had passed through the narrow channel
— ^it was barely twenty yards across — and were speeding
silently over the deep drifts of snow which were wreathed
in giant masses on the surface of the frozen lagoon.
The hitherto heavily-marked trail now appeared blurred
and indistinct, and the dense forests lining the "crossing"

64 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
threw a shadow on the track which effectually neutralised
the vague gUmmer of the stars, so that we had literally
to feel for the deep sleigh channels.
" If I'm spared to come oot o' this, groaned Mac, as he
crawled gingerly on all fours across the drifts, " I'U never
speak o' ma sufferin's, for naebody could believe what I
hae endured."
" I hae traivelled faur," supplemented Stewart, Ufting
up his voice in pathetic appeal, " but I've never been sae
afflicted." Having now introduced the subject of their woes they
proceeded to comfort one another in weU-chosen words of
sympathy. " You'U suffer a considerable amount more if
you don't find the trail soon," I broke in by way of getting
their attention more concentrated on the very urgent
matter on hand. But Stewart would have one word more :
" I'll mak' a fine moniment tae ye, Mac, ma man," he
said vrith a sigh, adding lugubriously, " puir, puir Mac."
"I'll hae yer life for that, ye deevil," roared that irate
gentleman, getting to his feet suddenly, and in con
sequence floundering to the waist in the chilly wreaths.
Again lessayed to interfere. " Seems to me, boys," I
said, " that you'd better reserve your energy  " A loud
bark interrupted my further speech, and Mac immediately
beUowed, "Dave has got the trail; come on, Stewart, an' we'U
hae a glorious feast o' Govemment stores very soon."
I thought he was anticipating over-much, but I took
care to say nothing to discourage the pair, who now, side
by side, were crawling rapidly over the snow, tracing a
new series of markings which led into the heart of the
thick foliage on shore. I followed after my comrades
with alacrity, but the drifts were very wide and deep, and
I sunk to the neck in their icy folds, and was almost
frozen before I managed to extricate myself.

TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING 65
" Are you following the trail, boys ? " I cried, " or is it
a bear track you are tracing up ? " They were too much
engrossed in their sleuth-hound operations to notice my
inquiry, but as I had reached the shelter of the timber
where the snow was but thinly laid, I now groped rny
way more quickly forward, and overtook the keen-eyed
couple as they stopped short and emitted a simultaneous
howl of deUght.
" Got it ! Got it ! " they yeUed in unison, and Dave
made the wooded slopes resound with his deep-mouthed
bark. " Got what ? " I interrogated, when opportunity
offered, for nothing but absolute blackness surrounded us.
"Licht a match," joyously spoke Mac.
Somewhat mystified I struck a sulphur match and held
it aloft, and by its sputtering flame I saw before me a
10 X 12 tent, on the roof of which was painted in huge
black letters, "N.W.M.P."
"We certainly have got it," I said with much
satisfaction, " and we'll see what's inside without delay."
" Scotland yet ! " roared Stewart, in an ecstasy of
deUght, performing a few steps of the Highland fling as
deUcately as his heavily-padded moccasins would permit.
Mac was more practical ; he proceeded to execute what
appeared in the gloom to be a solemn ghost dance, but in
reaUty he was searching for the " door " end of the tent.
"Hand yer noise, ye gomeril!" he said shortly,
addressing his pirouetting companion, " an' when ye've
feenished catering ye'U mebbe get a Candle off the sleigh."
The candle was quickly forthcoming, and the flap of the
tent discovered ; it was laced tightly with long strips of
caribou hide, and so was not easily located in the darkness.
We were not long in forcing an entry, the board-Uke
canvas was rooted up from the snow where it had frozen
fast, several hoary branches were pushed away from the
6

66 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
inside wall, then we boldly took possession. At first
survey our " find " seemed disappointing, the tent was
almost empty ; only a few very dilapidated-looking sacks
were piled vrithin, and the dripping icicles from the ridge
gave a most frigid aspect to a dismal enough scene.
Mac, however, was not discouraged. " There maun be
something for eatin' in they bags," he said cheerfully,
which was logic of the clearest nature; then he proceeded
to explore their contents, and while thus engaged Stewart
gathered together some branches and started a bright
blaze at the doorway,
" There's flour in this ane ! " announced Mac joyfully,
"an' beans in anither!" he supplemented; then his
delighted cries were frequent. " We've got a wee thing
o' maist everything that's guid," he summed up finaUy,
issuing out into the ruddy glow of the fire, where the
billies, fiUed vrith rapidly-melting snow, were fizzUng
away merrily.
The good news affected Stewart visibly. " A'U mak' a
gorgeous re-past the nicht, ye deevils," said he, "A'U
mak' a rale sumshus feast."
The keen edge of our appetite was dulled as a pre
liminary by copious draughts of coffee and the remnants
of the morning's damper, then operations were begun for
the "gorgeous feast." Mac obligingly acted as cook's
assistant, and chopped off from the solidified contents of
the sacks the requisite amount of flour and other ingre
dients necessary — and I fear many that were not
altogether necessary in the strict sense of the word, for
beans, and flour, and rolled oats, and rice did not seem
to me to be a correct combination. But I was a novice in
these arts and feared to speak, and the manufacture of
the "sumshus repast" went on apace.
The night was far advanced, yet for once on the long
dreary march from Dawson we were in no hurry to court

TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING 67
slumber, although we had travelled over thirty miles that
day. I think Stewart sized up my own thoughts rather
clearly when he said, during a lull in his artistic labours,
"What fur should we gang awa' early the morn' ? It
wad be a rael pity tae leave this mag-nificent camp."
"We might wait just a little too long, Stewart," I
replied, and visions of an angry captain and his stalwart
followers floated unpleasantly before my eyes.
It was near midnight when the gurgUng bUly was lifted
from its perch amid the glovring logs, and Stewart
gingerly fished from its interior a round steaming mass,
neatly enclosed in an old oatmeal sack and tied at the top.
With deft fingers its author undid the wrappings, and lo !
a rubicund pudding of cannon-ball-like aspect greeted our
expectant visions, and was hailed with loud acclamation.
" Ever see a puddin' Uke that, Mac ? " demanded
Stewart, gazing at it tenderly, and his cautious com
patriot somewhat sadly replied —
"Only aince, Stewart, an' that wis when we found
Gold Bottom Creek, an' ye nearly kUled King Jamie o'
the Thronducks vri' indegestion."
The compliment was just a trifle vague, and was
regarded with suspicion by the prime conspirator, but he
said no more, and we attacked the "puddin' " in silence, and
vrith a vigour borne of many days' travel on short rations.
Despite its heterogeneous nature, Stewart's culinary
creation proved a veritable triumph to his art ; at any rate
it quickly disappeared from view, even Dave's share being
rather grudgingly given. Never, since we had entered
the country, had we fared so well, and when coiled up in
our blankets close to the blazing fire, we felt indeed at
peace with all mankind — including the police captain.
All night long we kept the flames replenished, and
dreamily gazed at each other through the cusling smoke,
for our unusual surfeit had banished sleep from our eyes.

68 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
And but a few yards away from the burning logs the air
was filled vrith dancing frost particles that seemed, to form
a white wall around us, for our thermometer, hung on a
branch near by, registered forty-two degrees below zero.
The long hours of darkness dragged slowly on, and it was
nearly eleven o'clock in the morning before the faint Ught
of day gradually dispeUed the murky gloom, yet still we
lolled laggard-like by the fire, starvation did not force us
on this morning, and we had not rested these last six
hundred miles. About noon, however, we decided to get
up and have breakfast, and after many abortive attempts
we succeeded in unwinding our bodies from the blankets
in which they were swathed Uke Egyptian mummies.
" It vris a gorgeous banquet," rurninated Mac, as he
busied himself with the sleigh and made fast thereon
various Uttle sacks appropriated from the tent.
" There's nae man," responded Stewart with eloquence,
" kin teach me ony thing aboot cooking — especially
puddens." I now thought it advisable to examine the markings
on the snow where the trail had given us so much trouble
on the night before. I could not yet understand why a
tent and stores should have been left at Caribou Crossing,
one of the most gloomy spots throughout the whole course
of the Yukon. " Be lively with the breakfast, boys," I
said, " for I am incUned to think the climate thirty miles
further south will be healthier for us to-night." And I
made my way out to the edge of the forest.
I reached the lakeside without difficulty ; the keen frost
of the preceding hours had given a thick crust to the
deep snow-drifts intervening ; I then made a careful
scrutiny of the various sleigh-runner channels which
were plainly evident, and which united at the point
where we had to diverge into the wood. A double trail
led southward towards Lake Bennet, but a single one

TENT AT CARIBOU CROSSING 69
only continued its course to Tagash station. At once the
meaning was plain. Two sleighs had started from
Bennet station, and the drifts on Caribou proving unduly
deterrent, one sleigh load had been temporarily abandoned.
I remembered the two teams of dogs in the sleigh we had
met. Everything was clear in an instant. " Yes, we'll
certainly be healthier in a more southerly latitude to
night," I said to myself as I turned to go back to my
companions. The enticing odour of an unusually
appetising breakfast greeted my nostrils, and brought
back a feeling of serene contentment. But my happiness
was shortlived. I had barely reached the camp fire when
I became vaguely conscious of some disturbing element
in the air. I listened intently, then faintly sounded the
tinkle of sleigh beUs in the distance, and now and again
the sharp crack of a dog- whip smote the keen air. There
was no need to explain matters ; even Daye whined
knowingly, and backed voluntarily into his harness.
"Jist oor luck," grumbled Stewart, grabbing the cooked
bacon and thrusting it into one of the billies.
"It's a blessed thing," quoth Mac, philosophically,
" that we had such a magnee  "
"Are you ready, boys?" I interrupted. The bells
sounded sharply now, and I could hear the irascible
captain cursing on the dogs.
" I'm staunin' by the ingines," grunted Mac.
" There's naething left," said Stewart, "unless we tak'
the tent."
"Then full speed ahead," I cried; "we'll camp some
where near the head of Lake Bennet, to-night."
With a sharp jerk the sleigh bounded forward, keeping
the shelter of the timber for the first few hundred yards,
then sweeping into the . open at the entrance to Lake
Bennet, we forced a trail towards Lake Linderman at an
unusually rapid rate.

ACROSS THE CHILCOOT PASS
THE snow was falUng in thick, blinding sheets when
we reached Lake Linderman, and struggled up the
first precipitous climb leading to the dreaded Chilcoot.
A death-like stillness lingered in the valley ; the tower
ing mountain peaks enclosing the chain of lakes had
formed ample protection from the elements ; but soon we
ascended into a different atmosphere, where the wind
burst upon us with dire force, and dashed the snow in
clouds against our faces. In vain we laboured on ; my
comrades sank at times to their necks in the snow, even
the sleigh was half buried in the seething masses, and
rolled over continuously. I alone had snow-shoes, and
for the first time in the seven hundred miles' trail we had
traversed I strapped the long Indian " runners " to my
moccasins, and endeavoured to pad a track for the follow
ing train, but the attempt proved futile. Two hours after
leaving the lake we had barely progressed a mile, and the
air was becoming dark and heavy vrith the increasing fury
of the gale, which tossed the white clouds aloft, and
showered them over our sorely-tried caravan. Never had
we dreamed of encountering such weather. We had come
from the silent Klondike valley, where the tempests were
hushed by the Frost King, who reigned with iron hand.
At two in the afternoon we reached timber limit, and
here a few stunted trees showed their tips above the snow,
70

ACROSS THE CHILCOOT PASS 71
but beyond the bleak surfaces of Deep and Long Lakes
appeared bare and forbidding, and the loud shriek of the
gathering gale warned us to venture no further that day.
We hurriedly scooped a hole in the snow, and lined it
vrith our furs ; then the sleigh was mounted as a bulwark
against the drifts, and we lay down in our strange excava
tion, exhausted and utterly disheartened. Mac at length
broke the silence. " We might have a fire o' some sort,"
he said, looking round. Very gingerly he and his com
panion crawled towards the tree-tops, and broke off the
tough green branches. After much coaxing the unwilling
wood ignited, and we clustered joyfully round the pungent
smoke — for there was little else — and endeavoured to
infuse some warmth into our frozen bodies. The thick
blackness of night was rapidly closing over, and the
storm showed no signs of diminishing; so we obtained
what timber we could from the tree-tops, and stored it in
our shelter to feed the feeble fire through the long dreary
night. Then we thawed some snow, and boiled a "billy"
of coffee, and the warm fluid helped to sustain us greatly ;
but still the wind howled and the snow pattered down on
our faces with relentless force, and the drifts from the
edge of our pit ever and anon deluged us. How we
passed that night is beyond description. We huddled
near to each other for warmth, while our dog beside us
groaned and shivered violently despite all our efforts to
protect him from the icy blasts.
Morning at last arrived, but no welcome light appeared ;
the air continued murky and dense with flying snow.
Ten o'clock, eleven, and twelve passed, and we were
beginning to despair of getting a start that day. Then
the gloom merged into a dull grey haze, and we could
distinguish faintly through the driving mists the glacier
peaks flanking Long Lake. We had thawed snow and
made coffee for breakfast, but notwithstanding that

72 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
fortification we felt ill-prepared to renew our battle
with the elements.
" We'll make another try, boys," I said, after a brief
survey around. " We may reach the summit to-day, but
the chances are against it."
Dave was again harnessed to the sleigh, and with three
separate ropes attached we straggled forward on different
tracks, and pulled as if for dear life. Slowly we forged
ahead over Deep Lake, staggering, stumbling, and
floundering wildly. Even Dave sank in the yielding
track, and his efforts to extricate himself would have
been amusing — under different circumstances. As we
proceeded the gale increased, and almost hurled us back,
and I noted with alarm the heavy gathering clouds that
seemed to hang between us and the pass ; they spread
rapidly, and with them came fresh blasts that whistled
across the white lake surface, and tore it into heaving
swells even as we looked. I prayed for light, but the
gloom deepened and the snow fell thicker and faster.
At length we reached the canon leading to Crater Lake,
and with every nerve strained we fought our way forward
literaUy foot by foot. The snow-wreaths here were of
extraordinary depths, and several times my companions
would disappear altogether, actually swimming again to
the surface, for only such a motion would sustain the
body on the broken snow.
At three o'clock we had traveUed but two and a half
miles, and the storm was yet rising. Had we been pro
vided with food our position would not have caused us
much alarm, but coffee had been our lot for forty-eight
hours, and now raw coffee alone must be our portion, for
we were above timber limit, and so could have no fire.
Starvation from cold and hunger combined promised to
be rather a miserable finish to our labours. The deep
breathing of my companions betrayed their sufferings;

ACROSS THE CHILCOOT PASS 73
their weakened frames could ill endure such buffetings.
At every other step they would sink in the vapoury snow,
while poor Dave's muffled howls were pitiful to hear.
" We'll have to camp again, boys," I shouted. But
where could we camp, and preserve our already freezing
bodies ? As I have said, we were beyond timber limit ;
only the dull, drifting snow appeared on every side, and
the darkness was quickly hiding even that from view. I
relinquished my sleigh rope, and battled forward against
the blizzard alone. My snow-shoes skimmed rapidly over
the treacherous drifts, but the extreme exertion was too
much for me, and I had to come to a halt. The air in
such a latitude, and at a 3,500-feet altitude, is keen
enough even when there is no blizzard raging. In the
few hundred yards I had sped ahead I had left my
comrades hopelessly behind; they were blotted from my
sight as if by an impenetrable pall. Suddenly, through a
cleft in the driving sleet, I caught a glimpse of a blue
gUstening mass close before me. I remembered that I
was in the vicinity of the large glacier at " Happy Camp,"
but the glacier had evidently " calved," for it was formerly
well up the mountain side. I staggered over to it, and
felt its glassy sides with interest ; then I noticed a great
cavity between the giant mass and the mountain-ledge.
It was indeed a calved glacier, and in its fall it had
formed a truly acceptable place of shelter. I cried loudly
to my companions, but only the shriek of the blizzard was
my reply. I was afraid to leave my " find " in case I
might not discover it again, so I drew my Colt Navy and
fired rapidly into the air. The sound seemed dull and
insignificant in the howling storm, but a feeble bark near
at hand answered back, and through the mists loomed my
doughty henchmen vrith their sleigh-ropes over their
shoulders, and crawling on all fours beside the dog.
They had been forced to divide their weight over the

74 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
snow in this strange fashion, and even as it was they
sank at intervals with many a gasp and splutter into the
great white depths. " Happy Camp ! " I cried.
" This is an end o' us a' noo," Mac wearily groaned,
staggering into the ice cavern.
" Happy Camp " was the name derisively applied to the
vicinity in the summer. It was then the first halting
stage after crossing the pass, and as no timber existed
near, no fires could be made, and hence the name. But
what it was like at this time, in midwinter, is beyond
my powers to describe. Imagine a vast glittering field of
ice stretching from the peaks above to the frozen stream
below, and a small idea of its miseries as a camping-
ground is at once apparent. Yet it was a welcome
shelter to us at such a time, and we dragged the sleigh
into the dark aperture thankfully, and, wrapping our
selves in our blankets, listened to the moaning of the
storm outside. At each great rush of wind the walls of
our cave would quiver and crackle, and far overhead a
deep rumbling broke at intervals upon our ears. Our
glacier home was certainly no safe retreat, for it was
gradually, yet surely, moving downwards. My com
panions recognised their perilous position immediately
they heard the well-known grinding sound, but they
said nothing — they were evidently of opinion that we
were as safe inside as out, and, as Stewart afterwards
grimly said, "It would hae been an easier death ony-
wey." The cold was very intense, and we shivered in the
darkness for hours without a word being spoken. To
such an extremity had we been reduced that Mac and
Stewart assiduously chewed the greasy strips of caribou
hide which did duty as moccasin laces, while I en
deavoured, but with little success, to swallow some dry
coffee. If we could only have a fire, I reasoned, we might

ACROSS THE CHILCOOT PASS 76
Uve to see the morning, but without it there seemed Uttle
hope. We had all grown apathetic, and indeed were quite
resigned to a horrible fate. I was aroused from a
lethargic reverie by the piteous cries of Dave, who re
mained stiU harnessed. I patted his great shaggy head,
and pulling my sheath-knife, cut the traces that bound
him. As I did so my hand came in contact with the
sleigh, and at once a new idea flashed over me.
" Get up, boys ! " I cried. " We've forgotten that the
sleigh vrill burn."
In an instant they were on their feet. One thought
was common to us all — we must have a fire, no matter
the cost. Mac lighted a piece of candle, and stuck it on
the hard ground. Then he and Stewart attacked the
sleigh energetically, and in a few moments the snow-ship
that had borne our aU for seven hundred mUes was reduced
to splinters. Eagerly we clustered round as the match
was applied, and fanned the laggard flame with our
breaths until it burst out cheerily, crackling' and glowing,
illuminating the trembling waUs of the cavern, and
causing the crystal roof to scintillate with a hundred
varying hues. Sparingly Mac fed the flame ; if we could
only keep it alive till morning the blizzard might have
abated. Piece by piece the wood was applied, and the
feeble fire was maintained vrith anxious care. Hour after
hour passed, and stiU the blizzard howled, and the swirling
snow-drifts swept to our feet as we bent over our one frail
comfort, and protected the wavering flame from the
smothering sleet.
At various times throughout the weary hours I fancied
I could hear a faint moaning without our shelter, but the
inky blackness of the night obscured aU vision, and after
aimlessly groping in the snow for some minutes after each
alarm, I had to crawl back benumbed and helpless.

76 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" It must have been the wind," said Stewart.
"There's nae man could cross the pass last night,"
spoke Mao.
Dave lay ooUed up on my blanket apparently fast
asleep. The noble animal had had nothing to eat for
two days, and I feared he would not wake again.
Suddenly, however, he started up, growling hoarsely
The moaning sound again reached our ears, prolonged
and plaintive. Then came the sharp whistle of the
blizzard, clear, decisive. There could be no mistake.
Assuredly some unfortunate was out in the cruel storm.
Our four-footed companion struggled to his feet vrith an
effort, and swaying erratically, he rushed from the cave
whining dolefully. We gazed at each other in silence ;
we dreaded the discovery we were about to make.
" Keep the fire alight as a guide to us, Mac," I said,
and Stewart and I went out into the storm. And now
Dave's deep-mouthed barks penetrated the dense mists,
and we crawled towards the canon in the direction of the
sound ; but we had not far to go. A few yards from our
retreat I felt Dave's furry body at my knees, and then my
hand came in contact with a human form half buried in
the drifts.
"It's a man, Stewart," I said, and he answered with a
groan of sympathy. We extricated the stiff, frozen body
from the engulfing snow and dragged it tenderly towards
the light we had left ; and there, in that miserable spot,
we strove to bring back the life that had all but fled.
"We have nothing to gie him," said Mac hopelessly;
" an' the fire's gone oot."
" There should be some coffee," I answered, " and the
furs and my long boots will burn."
Soon our treasured possessions smouldered and flamed ;
boots, moccasins, silver-tipped furs — all that we had that
would simmer or burn was sacrificed, and a piece of ice

ACROSS THE CHILCOOT PASS 77
from the wall was thawed and slowly boiled. When the
hot fluid was forced between his lips the rescued man
opened his eyes and looked around. Soon he had
recovered sufficiently to speak a few words. He had
ventured across the Chilcoot, despite all warnings from
the miners at Sheep Camp. He had wandered over
Crater Lake all day, not knowing where the valley lay
owing to the dense mists prevaiUng. " The bUzzard has
been blovring on the pass for two days," said he; " your
light attracted me last night, but I could not reach it."
Such was the tale of the poor victim of the pass ; he died
before morning, despite our struggles to save him, and
we felt that we could not survive him long.
No light appeared at ten o'clock, nor was there any
promise of the bUnding storm abating. Our fire had gone
out, and we sat in darkness beside the lifeless body we
had saved from the snows.
" We'll make another try, boys," I said. " We may as
well go under trying, if it has to be."
Our load was small enough now ; the pity was we had
not Ughtened it sooner. I strapped the small maU-bag
to my shoulders ; my comrades carried all further impedi
menta, and, leaving the dead man in his icy vault we
staggered into the darkness and forced an erratic track
towards the Chilcoot Pass. Crater Lake was reached in
two hours ; I could only guess we had arrived at it by the
evenness of the surface, the air was so dense that objects
could not be distinguished even a few feet distant. I
tried to fix a bearing by compass, but the attempt was
futile, the needle swaying to all points in turn, owing to
the magnetic influences around. Then we felt for the
mountain-side on the left, and staggered over the blast-
blovra rocks and glaciers along its precipitous steeps.
As we neared the summit the howl of the bUzzard
increased to a shriU, piercing whistle, but we now were

78 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
sheltered by the pass, and the fierce blast passed over
head. All this time we forced onward through a murky
gloom with our bodies joined with ropes that we might
not lose one another. At three in the afternoon I calcu
lated that we were near the crucial point at which the
final ascent can be negotiated, and we left the white
shores of Crater Lake and clambered up into the rushing
mists where the blizzard shrieked and moaned alternately,
and hurled huge blocks of glacier ice and frozen snow
down into the Crater valley. The top was reached at
last, and no words of mine can describe the inferno that
raged on that dread summit. We lay flat on our faces
and writhed our wuy forward through a bubbling, foam
ing mass of snow and ice. Our bodies were cut and
. bruised with the flying debris, and our clothing was torn
to rags. The blizzard had now attained an extraordinary
pitch, the mountain seemed to rock and tremble with its
fury, and inch by inch we crawled towards the perpen
dicular decUvity leading to the " Scales " — full eight
hundred feet of almost sheer descent. Cautiously we
manoeuvred across the great glacier that rests in the
Devil's Cauldron — a cup-shaped hollow in the top of the
notorious pass — and at once the blaze of a fire burst
before our eyes, illuminating the apparently bottomless
depths beyond.
The ice-field on which we lay overhung the rocks to a
dangerous degree, and I reaUsed that we must make the
descent from some other part of the semicircular ridge.
We crept back hurriedly, and as we stood gasping in the
" cauldron " before making a dStou/r to find a possible
trail, a mighty mmbling shook the pass, and we clutched
at the snow around, which flew upwards in great geyser
like columns, almost smothering us in its descending
showers. The overlapping ice had plunged into the
valley, carrying vrith it hundreds of tons of accumulated

On the safe side of the Pass Again.
Mac — Self — Stewart.

ACROSS THE CHILCOOT PASS 79
snow ; we escaped the powerful suction by a few yards
only. When we approached the edge a second time a smooth,
unbroken snowsteep marked the trail of the glacier,
and to it we consigned ourselves, literally sliding down
into the black depths. We were precipitated into an
immense wreath of snow covering the scales for over a
hundred feet. The fire had been blotted out with the icy
deluge, but luckily, as we learned later, the fire-feeders
had abandoned their post long before the avalanche had
come down. Three hours later we arrived at Sheep
Camp, and entered the Mascotte saloon, where the
assembled miners were clustered round a huge stove in
the centre of the room, Ustening to the ominous shriek of
the gale outside.
No one dared venture out that night, but in the
moming the four days' blizzard had spent itself, and we
formed a party to explore the damage done. A light
railway that had been laid to the Scales was completely
demoUshed, and half dovra to Sheep Camp the channel of
the ChUcoot River was fiUed vrith enormous ice boulders.
An avalanche had also fallen on Crater Lake during the
night, and when we had painfully climbed the now bare
summit the frozen plateau beyond was rent for nearly a
mile vrith enormous gashes over ten feet in width, and
the ice cleavage showed down as far as the eye could
reach.

PART II
UNDER THE SOUTHERN CROSS

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH
IT was a very hot day in September when we arrived
at Perth, Western AustraUa, and hastened to put up
at the nearest hotel to the station, which happened to
bear the common enough title of the "Eoyal."
We had come up with the mail train from Albany,
where the P. & 0. steamers then called, and even West-
raUa's most ardent admirers would hesitate to claim
comfort as one of the features of the Colony's railway
system. So we arrived, after a long night's misery, dusty
and travel-stained. No one attempts to keep clean in the
land of " Sand, sin, and sorrow," for the simple reason
that, according to the nature of things there, such a
luxurious state of aesthetic comfort can never be attained.
The streets were sandy, and as a natural sequence the
atmosphere was not of ethereal quality. The people were
sandy and parched-looking, and we found the interior of
the hotel little better than the outside, so far as the
presence of the powdery yellow grains was concerned.
In the darkened bedrooms the hum of the festive
mosquito was heard, and my companions chuckled at the
sound. "It's a lang time since I heard they deevils," said
Mac ; then he proceeded, " Noo, oot on the Pampas  "
" D — n the Pampas ! " roared Stewart, as he clutched
vrildly at one of the pests that had been quietly resting
on his cheek for full half a minute.

84 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Ye've pushioned that onfort'nate beast," Mac re
torted, with unruffled serenity; "noo, can ye no let the
puir thing dee in peace ? "
We remained but a short time in Perth ; it is a neatly-
laid-out little city with streets running off at right angles
to each other, and containing a fair sprinkling of fine
buildings, among which may be mentioned the General
Post Office and Lands Offices, and they are palatial
edifices indeed. The Botanical Gardens are small, yet
very pretty ; and here, instead of the usual garden loafer,
may be found many weary-eyed and parchment-skinned
gold-diggers from the " fields," whose one idea of a holi
day lies in a visit to Perth or Fremantle, where they
stroll about or recUne on the artificially-forced grass plots
of these towns, and wile the weary hours away.
The Swan Eiver at Perth forms an exquisite piece of
scenery, which redeems the environs of the sandy city
from utter ugliness. Innumerable black swans swim
hither and thither on its placid waters, and by the sloping
banks, well fringed with rushes, many notable yachting
clubs have their pavilions. There is nothing in this
Capital of the Western Colony to attract. Even to the
casual observer it is plain that the bustling. Oriental-
looking town is essentially a gateway to the goldfields,
and little more. Fremantle, on the other hand, is the
Port, and chief engineering and commercial centre.
At this period I was, like most erratic travellers, with
out a definite object in view. In a certain hazy way I
thought that we should visit the mining districts at once,
as we had done in other and more impracticable coun
tries; yet I was aware that the known WestraUan gold-
fields were by no means so new as the " finds " in North-
West Canada, and in consequence the ground might be
over-pegged or long since rushed.
" The countrie is big enuff," said Mac when I mentioned

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH 85
my doubts, " an' we'll mebbe find anither Gold Bottom
Creek faurer oot than onybody has gaed."
" We're better diggin' holes, even if they are duffers,"
spoke Stewart, "than makin' oorsel's meeserable at
hame." Which argument in a sense settled the matter,
and I forthwith purchased tickets for Kalgoorlie, vrith
the intention of penetrating thence towards the far
interior. It is a weary journey eastward from Perth, and one
that cannot be too quickly passed over. The single
narrow-gauge line has been laid without any attempt at
previous levelUng, and the snorting little engine puffs
over svritchback undulations ceaselessly, at a speed that
averages nearly sixteen miles an hour. It is a fortunate
circumstance for the fresh enthusiast from "home" that
the " Kalgoorlie Mail " leaves Perth in the evening.
The discomfort experienced in the midnight ride is bad
enough, but he is mercifully spared from viewing the
"scenery" along the route, which would assuredly have
a most demoralising effect : Western Australia must be
taken gradually.
The Coolgardie " rush" may be fresh in the minds of
most people. The township now stands almost deserted,
bearing little trace of former glory ; and yet it is but a few
years since the railway was pushed out to this remote
settlement. Southem Cross, two hundred miles nearer
the coast, was formerly the terminus of all traffic, and
the hdrdy pioneers of Coolgardie daringly ventured on
foot from this point, as did also the vast numbers who
"followed the finds."
Very insidiously Kalgoorlie has risen to high eminence
as a mining centre; it accomplished the eclipse of its
sister camp some time ago, and by reason of its deep
lodes it is likely to retain its supremacy indefinitely. To
the individual miners a new strike or location is con-

86 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
sidered to be " played out " when limited liability com
panies begin to appear in their midst, as only in rare cases
can fossickers succeed in competition with machinery.
However, the flat sand formations around Kalgoorlie
have proved one of the exceptions to this mle, and the
alluvial digger may still sink his shallow shaft here with
every hope of success, and even in the proved " deep "
country surface indications are abundant.
When my little party stepped from the train at
Kalgoorlie, we saw before us a scattered array of wooden
and galvanised-iron houses, white-painted, and glisten
ing dully in the sunlight through an extremely murky
atmosphere. On closer acquaintance the heterogeneous
erections resolved themselves into a wide principal
thoroughfare, aptly named Hannan's Street, after the
honoured prospector of the Camp's main reef, and a
number of side paths that bore titles so imposing that my
memory at once reverted to the fanciful names distinguish
ing the crude log shanties of Dawson, where there were :
Yukon Avenue, Arctic Mansions, Arcadian Drive, and
Eldorado Terrace. Here, in keeping with the latitude of
the city, more salubrious, if equally fantastic, were the
various designations of the alleys and byways.
In the near distance we could see the towering tappet
heads of the widely-known Great Boulder mine, and the
din created by the revolving hammers of the ever-active
stamping machinery assailed our ears as an indescribable
uproar. But beyond the dust and smoke of these Nature-
combating engines of civilisation, the open desert, dotted
with its stunted mulga and mallee growths, shimmered
back into the horizon. Here and there a dump or mullock
heap showed where the alluvial miner had staked his
claim, but for the most part the landscape was [unbroken
by any sign of habitation.
" There's a lot of room in this country, boys," I said.

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH 87
as we stood unobserved in the middle of the street and
took in the scene.
"It's a deevil o' a funny place," Mac ventured doubt
fully. "It's a rale bonnie place," reproved Stewart, whom
the inexpressible gloom peculiar to the interior country
had not yet affected. " I'm thinkin'," he continued, with
asperity, " that ane or twa men o' pairts like oorsel's were
jist needed at this corner o' the warld."
"In ony case," Mac now agreed, "it's better than
being meeserable at hame."
Instead of seeking the hospitality of one of the
numerous hotels close by, we decided to begin our
campaign in earnest right away, and get under canvas as
a proper commencement. So we prospected around for
a good camping site, and that same night we slept in our
tent, erected about a mile distant from the township.
There was no water in our vicinity, and next morning
Stewart set out with two newly-purchased water-bags to
obtain three gallons of the very precious fluid at a con
densing establishment we had noticed on the previous
night, where, at sixpence a gallon, a tepid brackish liquid
was sparingly dispensed. It should be understood that
water, in most parts of Western Australia, is more difficult
to locate than gold, and when obtained it is usually as a
dense solution, salt as the sea, and impregnated with
multitudinous foreign elements extremely difficult to
precipitate. "There's aye something tae contend wi' in furrin
countries," Mac philosophised, as he leisurely proceeded
to build a fire for cooking operations. " In Alaska there
wis snaw, an' Chilkoots, an' mony ither trifles ; bit here
there's naething much objeckshunable let alane the sand
an' want o' watter."
I agreed with him if only for the sake of avoiding an

88 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
argument. " There may be a few— insects along with
the sand, Mac," I hazarded cheerfully, and then I
went into the tent to arrange the breakfast utensils.
" Insecks ! " cried he derisively after me. " Wha cares
fur insecks, I shid like tae ken ? What herm is there in
a wheen innocent muskitties, fur instance? Insecks!
Humph ! "
The absurdity of my remark seemed to tickle him
vastly, and as he broke the eucalyptus twigs preparatory
to setting a match to the pile he had coUected, he con
tinued to chuckle audibly. Then suddenly there was
silence, a silence so strange that I felt impelled to look
out of the tent and see what had happened ; but before I
had time to set down the tinware cups I held in my hands,
his voice broke out afresh. "Insecks!" I heard him
mutter. " Noo A wunner  ; bit no, that canna be, fur
snakes hiv'na got feet, an' this deevil's weel supplied i'
that direction. It's a bonnie beast, too, I wunner if it
bites? " I gathered from these remarks that the valiant
Mac had made the acquaintance of some unknown species
of "insect" with which he was unduly interested, "If
it's an inseck," came the voice again, " this countrie maun
be an ex-tra-ord'nar'  Hand aff! ye deevil. Hand
off! I tell ye." I hastened outside just in time to see
my companion ruthlessly slaughter a large-sized centipede,
which had evidently refused to be propitiated by his
advances. " It's a vera re-markable thing," said he, looking up
with a perfectly grave countenance, " hoo they — ^insecks
— persist in bringin' destruckshun on themsel's. I wis
just pokin' this onfort'nate beast wi' a stick — in a freen'ly
wey, ye ken — an' the deevil made a rin at me, wi'
malishus intent, I'm thinkin', an' noo he's peyed the
penalty o' his misguided ackshun."
" In future, Mac," I warned, " you'd better not attempt

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C/1

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH 89
to get on friendly terms with these — insects ; a bite from
a centipede might kiU you."
"I'll gie ye best about the insecks," he returned
thoughtfully, applying a match to the pile, " bit ye'U
admit," he added, after some moments' pause, " that it's
maist ex-tra-ord'nar' tae see insecks o' sich onnaitural
descripshun rinnin' aboot on the face o' the earth."
I fully concurred, much to his satisfaction, and just
then Stewart arrived, perspiring under his watery load,
"Dae ye mean tae teU me," howled the new-comer,
addressing no one in particular, " that ye hiv'na got the
fire ken'l'd yet?"
"Ca' canny, Stewart, ca' canny," sternly admonished
the guilty one. " There's been a narrow escape here, ma
man, a verra narrow escape."
Stewart's ruddy face blanched sUghtly, then slowly
regained its colour when the slain centipede was pointed
out. "Ye've raelly had a providenshul escape, Mac,"
said he. "Noo, staun aside an' let me get on wi' the
cookin'." Our first breakfast in camp was an unqualified success ;
it was not a very elegant repast, certainly, but the
traveUer must learn to forego all luxuries and enjoy
rough fare, and we had already served our apprenticeship
in that direction. Stewart, however, had lost none of his
art in matters culinary, and, as he himself averred, could
cook " onything frae a muskittie tae an Injun," so we had
every reason to be contented.
" If we VTur only camped aside a second Gold Bottom ! "
sighed Mac, getting his pipe into working order.
"It's a bonnie countrie," mused his companion, "wi'
a bonnie blue sky abune, an' what mair could a man
want ? "
" I think we have had no cause to complain, so far,
boys," was my addition to the conversation, " and I'll go

90 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
into the township in an hour or so and make investiga
tions as to the latest strikes. To-morrow we may make
a definite camp,"
And so the early day passed while we rested and smoked,
and recalled our grim experiences in the land of snows.
"It's mebbe wrang tae mak' compairisons," grunted
Mac, "bit gie me the sunshine an' the floo'ers  "
" An' the centipedes ! " Stewart slyly interpolated,
" D — n centipedes ! " roared Mac ; then he recovered
himself. " Mak' nae mair allushuns, ma man," said he
with dignity. " An' hoo daur ye spile ma poetic inspira-
shun?" The sun was now well overhead and shooting down
intense burning rays; the sky was cloudless, and not a
breath stirred the branches of the dwarfed eucalyptii on
the plains.
" It's a g-glorious day," murmured Stewart, mopping
his perspiring forehead.
Mac chuckled : " Wait till ye see some o' the insecks
the sun 'U bring out," said he, "ye'll be fairly ham-
foozled." At this moment I was surprised to notice a man,
armed with pick and shovel, approaching rapidly in our
direction. As he came near I saw that he bore, strapped
to his shoulders, a bundle of wooden pegs which had
evidently been hastily cut from the outlying timber.
" Some energetic individual thinks we have made a find
at this camp," I thought; but I was mistaken. The
stranger made as if to pass a good way off our tent ; then
he hesitated, looked back, apprehensively, it seemed to
me, and came quickly towards us.
"What in thunder does yer mean by campin' here,
mates ? " he demanded hurriedly, grounding his shovel
impatiently and letting his eyes roam in an unseeing
manner over the surrounding country.

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH 91
I had barely time to explain that ours was only a
temporary camp, when, without a word, he shouldered
his shovel and sped onwards into the brush.
" Maist onmainnerly behaviour," Mac snorted wrath-
fuUy. "Noo, if I meet that man again, I'll  " He
stopped suddenly. " Ho, ho ! " he chuckled, " there's
mair o' them comin' ; I begin tae smell a rat." We now
observed what had caused the sudden flight of our visitor.
Eushing from every shanty near the township, and
issuing from the main street in a chaotic mass, a perfect
sea of men bearing axes and picks and shovels came
surging down on us. As we looked the fleeter members
of the "rush" forged quickly ahead, so that the spectacle
soon appeared as a medley army advancing desperately
at the double in Indian file.
There was no need to be in ignorance as to what it
meant ; we had seen the same thing often enough in
Alaska when strikes on the Upper Klondike were frequent.
"Get the tent down, boys," I said, "and follow on
when you're ready, I'll represent this camp and see that
it is not last on the programme," Even before I had
finished speaking, my companions were tugging wildly at
the guy ropes, and loosening the waU pegs of the tent.
"We'U no be faur ahint," growled Mac from beneath
the canvas folds which in his zeal he had brought down
upon himself.
"Ye shid let me gang first," grumbled Stewart, "fur
ye ken weel that I can sprint wi' ony man."
I seized an axe and shovel and awaited the approach
of the van-leader of the struggling line of humanity, who
was fast drawing near : not knowing the destination of
the rush, it was necessary that I should follow some one
who did, I had not long to wait. A lean, lanky true
son of the bush, with nether garments held in position
by an old cartridge belt, burst through the brushwood a

92 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
few yards vride of us. His leathery face showed
not the slightest trace of emotion, and though the heat
was sweltering not a drop of perspiration beaded on his
forehead. Heaven knows how often he may have taken
part in a rash and been disappointed.
' ' Mornin' , boys, " he said genially. ' ' Fust-class exercise,
this," and he passed at a regular swinging pace, with eyes
fixed straight ahead, steering a direct course.
" He gangs Uke clockwork," said Mac admiringly,
gazing after him ; " bit baud on. What's this comin' ? "
The second runner was now coming forward at a rate
that was rapidly annihilating distance ; he had passed the
bulk of the others since he had joined the race, and I
had been much interested in watching his progress.
" Guid Lor'," ejaculated Stewart, stopping in his work
of rolling up the tent, and gazing at the approaching
runner in dismay. " Did ye ever see onything like that
in a' yer born days ? "
There was ample excuse for his astonishment. The
fleeing figure was hatless, and otherwise ludicrously
garbed — for Westralia. What Stewart called a " lang-
tailie coat" spread out behind him like streamers in a
breeze, a " biled " collar had, in the same gentleman's
terse language, " burst its moorings " and projected in
two miniature wings at the back of his ears, and a
shirt that had once been white, bosomed out expansively
through an open vest. Yet, notwithstanding his cum
brous habiliments, he had well outdistanced his nearest
" hanger-on," and it was plain that the wiry sandgroper
still in front would have to screw on more speed if he
meant to keep his lead long.
With lengthy strides the strangely-garbed runner shot
past ; in his hand he gripped a spade, which tended to
make his appearance the more wonderful, but that he
meant business was very evident.

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH 93
" Fur Heaven's sake, pit aff the coat 1 " howled Stewart,
and Mac toned down the impertinence of the remark by
adding stentoriously —
"Ye'll rin lichter withoot it, ma man,"
The individual addressed slowed up at once, " Thanks
for the idea, boys," said he good-naturedly, and he
promptly discarded the objectionable emblem of civilised
parts and threw it carelessly into a mulga bush. Then
noting that he was a good way in advance of the main
army, he mopped his streaming fa^ and gave the in
formation, " There's been a big strike at the Five Mile,
boys, wherever that may be. I am letting the first man
steer the way on purpose,"
" Ye're a daisy tae rin," admiringly spoke Mac, seizing
the tent and a packet of miscellaneous merchandise,
whUe Stewart feverishly gathered up the remainder of
our n^gre belongings. He of the " biled shirt " now
set down to work again, making a pace which I, who had
joined in the chase, found hard indeed to emulate ; and
my companions, heavily laden as they were, hung into
our rear like leeches.
Far behind we could hear the 'sand crunch under
hundreds of feet, and the mallee shrubs crackUng and
breaking, but hardly a word was spoken. Mile after
mile we crashed through the endless brush and over the
monotonous iron-shot plains. Mac puffed and blowed
Uke some huge grampus, and Stewart's deep breathing
sounded like the exhaust expirations of an overworked
steam engine.
" Keep her gaun, Mac ; keep her gaun," this personage
would splutter when his more portly comrade showed
signs of flagging, which well he might, considering
that he clutched in his arms a weight of nearly forty
pounds. " Wha's stoppin' ? ye inseegneeficant broken-winded

94 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
donkey engine ! " retorted his aggravated compatriot,
rolling along manfully.
But the race was nearly over. Half a mile further on
the land dipped ever so slightly, and in the gentle hollow
formed about a dozen men rushed madly about, pacing
off prospectors' claims, and driving rude pegs at the
boundary corners.
The sight had an exhilarating effect on Mac and
Stewart, and with vrild shouts they quickly drew up the
little distance they had lost, and would have passed my
white-shirted pacemaker and myself were we not com
pelled for very shame to keep our lead if we died for it.
" By Jove ! " panted he of the strange garments, "these
beggars behind can run."
AJnd Mac at his heels chivalrously granted between his
breaths, " I've never had a harder tussle tae keep up ma
deegnity — no never."
A few minutes more, and we reached the field of
operations. The men there were too busy marking off
their properties to give us much attention. I noticed
svriftly that our first visitor of the few words had his
claim neatly pegged, and was sitting in the middle of it,
complacently smoking. He must have received special
information of the find or he could not have got away so
much before the others. Our second passing acquaint
ance — ^he of the emotionless countenance who had steered
our quartet unknowingly — had got in a hundred yards
ahead of us, and he was now coolly cutting pegs with
which to mark his chosen area.
"It's a deep alluvial leader, mate," he said to me."
Then he added obligingly, " I guess I knows the lie of
the kintry, an' if ye hitch on at the end o' my boundaries,
ye'U likely sink on it, plumb."
The advice of an experienced miner should always be
accepted ; and while Mac and Stewart were feUing several

THE FIVE-MILE RUSH 95
small trees for use as marking-posts, I proceeded to line
off the direction of our claim as suggested by the angle
of my adviser's corner channels, I performed this work
with much care, knowing how slim are one's chances of
holding any gold-bearing area at a rush unless the holder's
title is beyond dispute according to official regulations.
The straggling body of men was now beginning to
appear on the crest of the undulation which marked the
only visible natural boundary of the valley ; in less than
three minutes the madly-striving crowd would be upon us,
and we should be assuredly swamped by its numbers so
that no pegs could be driven. Then I noticed the man
who had doffed his fashionable coat to oblige Stewart,
standing dejectedly near by ; his sleeves were rolled up,
displaying splendidly-formed muscles, and he held his
shovel loosely in his hand as if uncertain what to do
with it.
" Better get your pegs fixed quickly," I advised.
But he shook his head rather sadly. " I haven't got
an axe," he said, " and — and I'm new to this sort of
thing." Mac had by this time obtained the four blazed posts
necessary to denote our "three-men square," and Stewart
promptly began to smite them into position in their
proper places.
"If ye'U alloo me," said Mac, "I'U get the bitties o'
sticks fur ye ; I'd be vera sorry tae a bonnie rinner like
you left in the cauld."
But there was no time now,
" Shift out our posts instead, Mac," I instructed,
" we'll make a four-men lot of it and divide afterwards."
Our white-shirted associate looked at me gratefully,
and held out his hand. "My name is Philip Morris,"
he said. "I am an EngUshman, just out from the old
country."

96 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
A swaying mob of perspiring and fiery-eyed men of all
nationalities now flooded the valley as a tumultuous sea
of humanity, and scattered in twos and fours throughout
its entire length.
" You've struck a circus for a start, Morris," I said, " I
think we'll all remember the Five-Mile Eush."

SINKING FOR GOLD
NEXT morning the Five-Mile Flat was the scene
of extraordinary activity. Tents sprung up like
mushrooms in all directions, and the thud, thud of picks
sounded incessantly. It was almost pitiful to witness
the feverish eagerness vrith which most of the diggers
tried to bottom on their claims. The depth of the Lead
at Discovery shaft was given out to be only forty feet,
but the strata encountered before that level was reached
had been of a flinty impervious nature, necessitating the
use of much giant powder.
At least the original prospectors, who were camped
near to us, gave me that information in a fit of
generosity when they learned that I had some little
experience of geological formations. They even allowed
me to descend their shaft — most unheard-of thing — and
compute the angle and dip of the lode for the benefit of
the general assembly ; a privilege which was duly appre
ciated, as it enabled me to calculate the proper position
in our own claim at which to sink. The lode, so called,
proved to be an auriferous wash, or alluvial gutter, the
bed of an extremely ancient watercourse, probably silted
up long before the time of the Pharaohs.
Our newly-acquired companion, who had already won
the good graces of both Mac and Stewart, astonished me
greatly, while I was expounding my theories on these
matters for his special edification, by making several
8 S7

98 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
courteous corrections to my statements, so that I was
forced to tread more cautiously ; and when I had finished,
he capped my argument with a lucid technical discourse
and much scientific addenda,
"You certainly know a fair-sized amount for an in
experienced man," I said, with some irritation; but
he hastened to explain.
"My knowledge is purely theoretical," he repUed.
"Perhaps I should not have spoken."
His admirable good sense appealed to Mac's idea of
fairness. " I'm thinkin'," began that gentleman, gazing
at me reproachfully, " I'm thinkin' that oor freen Phil-ip
is a vera modest man, a vera modest man indeed."
" I'm o' the opeenion," cried Stewart, from the interior
of the tent, " that if he keeps awa' frae tailie coats, and
dresses rashunal, he'll be a rale orniment tae ony camp."
The young man was much moved by these expressions
of good- will ; but when I asked him to mark off his allot
ment on our too large mining territory, he stubbornly
refused, "If it had not been for your kindness I should
have no claim to any corner of the ground," he said,
I explained, however, that Mac, Stewart, and myself
would not be allowed by law to .possess a four-men
holding, and therefore there was no kindness on my part
in giving him back his own. Yet stiU he hesitated.
" I am all alone, boys," he said at last, " and I don't
think I could do much damage to the ground by myself.
Might I come in with you ? "
This was a d&noAement I had not anticipated, though
in some unaccountable manner I felt drawn to the
stranger ; still, the vision of his coat-tails fluttering in
the wind could not be dispelled.
" What do you say, Mac ? " I asked, expecting a gruff
rejoinder in the negative ; but the answer agreeably sur
prised me.

" Discovery " Shaft — on Gold.

SINKING FOR GOLD 99
" He's a man o' pairts like oorsel's, a modest man, an'
a golologist forbye," repUed Mac, grandiloquently; "it
wud be sinfu' tae refuse him oor guid company."
Then Stewart, who had been paying great attention,
rushed from the tent and added his testimony. " TaiUe
coat or no taiUe coat," he shouted, " he's a guid man, as
I kin testeefy, an' me an' Mac '11 be prood tae hae him
wi' us, Forbye," he continued, "he's a Breetisber, an'
tho' he isna Scotch, me an' Mac'U look ower that fau't
vri' muckle tolerashun."
" I vris aboot tae re-mark  " began Mac, but Stewart
had not completed his peroration,
"Haud yer tongue, Mac," said he sternly; "ye ken
weel yer nae speaker like me." Then he resumed the
flow of his eloquence : " An' noo," he said, " on behauf o'
Mac — wha is a man o' disteenction tho' he disna look
it — an' in conformeety vri' ma ain incleenations, I hae
pleesure in signifyin' oor muckle approval o' yer
quaUties," The candidate for admission to our illustrious company
looked gratified, as weU he might, and straightening his
taU form he endeavoured to make suitable reply to the
expectant couple.
" Gentlemen ! " said he, and at the word Mac hitched
up his nether garments and looked solemn, while Stewart
coughed discreetly. " Gentlemen," repeated "tailie coat"
in a voice that seemed to issue from his boots, " it is with
considerable feeling of elation that I have heard your
extemporaneous  ' '
" Haud on ! " howled Mac in horror ; " ye'U dae, ma
man, ye'll dae. Come on, Stewart," And as they walked
sorrowfully apart Stewart's voice floated back plaintively,
" Noo, Mac, hoo am I gaun tae keep up oor digneety
efter that — ex-tem-por-anee  ! He's deceived us,
Mac; he's a lamb in sheep's ooter gairments, he is,"

100 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"Well, Phil," I said, when they had disappeared
within the tent, "I think we'U get along all right."
"I feel at home already," he replied, looking towards
the tent in grim amusement, " and enthusiastic enough
to swing a pick with either .Mac or Stewart, and that
means much, I think."
"It does," I agreed with significance, and we went
off to mark the site of our prospective shaft.
It was nearly midday before we commenced to ex
cavate the ground, and by that time most of the miners
around had penetrated several feet of the top sandy
formation in their various claims. But haste is not
always advisable under such circumstances, and I pre
ferred to make as sure as possible of the lode's position
within our pegs before sinking, and so obviate any
necessity for laborious " driving " when bedrock was
reached. We were fortunately in the "shallowest"
ground, being within a hundred yards of the forty-feet
level strike, which meant, judging by the dip or in
clination of the auriferous wash, that we should probably
find bottom about fifty feet down. As for the numbers
below us, they might have to sink over a hundred feet,
and even then miss the golden leader, so elusive are
these subterranean channels.
The usual size of prospectors' shafts on any goldfield is
five feet six inches long, by two feet six inches vride, and
this just permits of sufficient room for one man to wield
a pick. The aim of every miner on an unproved field
is to get down to bedrock with the least possible labour,
which is also the speediest method. A shaft can be
widened afterwards when it has been found worth while,
but it is always well to refrain from shovelling out two or
three tons of granite-like substance, as is done by most
" new chums," merely for the sake of having more elbow-
room during the trying process of sinking.

SINKING FOR GOLD 101
After our experience with the frozen gravel at Klon
dike, it almost seemed like child's play to dig out the
comparatively loose sand conglomeration which formed
the topmost layer in the line of our descent. There was
no fire-burning necessary here, but Nature, nevertheless,
had made the balance even, for the auriferous levels
in Alaska were rarely half as deep as even the shallow
gutter we were now searching for. And again, in frozen
ground the surface formations are naturally the hardest,
whereas in most other workings that order is reversed.
" It's a pleesure tae work i' this grund," was Mac's
statement, when, after scarcely two hours' labour, he
stood nearly waist deep in the new shaft. With much
foresight, that wily individual had volunteered to sink
the first few feet alone. " I'm just burstin' wi' surplush
energy," he explained to Stewart, " an' you can dae
twa or three fit o' the easy stuff when I'm feenished."
" It's rale conseederate o' ye, Mac," said Stewart feel
ingly, with thoughts on the nature of things at Skookum
Gulch, and he went inside the tent to try if anything
edible could be gathered together for lunch, a matter
on which he said he had " graiVe doots,"
Our new comrade, whom we had already begun to
address as " Phil," quickly showed himself to be a very
worthy addition to our party. After exploring the scrub
for timber suitable for banking-up purposes, and drawing
back a goodly load, he politely insisted on Mac taking
a spell while he swung the pick. " I can see," he said
diplomatically, " that you would soon work yourself to
death out of sheer consideration for others."
" Dae ye think sae ? " grunted he in the shaft cau
tiously, pausing in his labours.
"I do, indeed," reiterated Phil with much earnestness.
Then Mac laid down his weapon, and leaning back
lazily in his excavation made further circuitous inquiry.

102 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"Ye've, never dug holes afore, PhU?" said he; and
receiving a negative answer, he supplemented, " An' ye
ken that ironstane is a wee bit— Weel, I'll say soUd?"
"Yes, I can understand that much," admitted Phil
wonderingly. "Weel," continued Mac, lowering his voice, "I've
come on a bed o' it the noo, an' I'm jist makin' the tap
o't clean an' tidy fur Stewart when he comes. He thinks
he can equal me at onything, an' I've got tae check that
fause impreshun. Daeyesavy?"
"Mac," said Phil with decision, " he'U be a smart
man that gets the better of you."
" I've traivelled a bit," returned the schemer shortly,
" an' Stewart's sometimes ill tae pit up wi'. I'll gie ye a
bonnie saft bit tae practeese on efterwards," he added
after a pause,
A little later Stewart announced that he had got some
rice and "tinned dog" cooked. "I houp ye'U excuse
the rice," said he, " it's a bit podgy, fur there wis
vera Uttle watter tae bile it in."
" Ye're looking rale worried-like, Stewart," said Mac
sympathetically, as he gulped down his portion of the
roasted grains, "It's exerceese ye're needin', I'm
thinkin'," "Mebbe it is," sighed Stewart dolorously.
" Weel," spoke Mac again, " ye can try an' wear doon
the shaft a bit in the eftemoon, an' me an' Phil '11
gang into the city an' get some tasty bits o' provisions.
I'm vera concerned aboot ye, ma man."
It was indeed very necessary that we should obtain
supplies vrithout delay, for our stores consisted only
of the remnants carried so hurriedly from our previous
camp. Already, the first flush of excitement having died
away, representatives from the different claims were
hurrying towards the township on a similar mission.

SINKING FOR GOLD 103
Enthusiasm and an empty stomach seldom agree.
But here a difficulty arose. Phil's wardrobe was pain
fully small; his once spotless shirt was now yellow
with sand, and almost torn into shreds, and the rest
of his limited apparel was in such a state of disrepair,
owing to his scramble through the brush, that, as Mac
said, he looked " hardly respeectable."
" Ye can hae ma jecket," said Stewart magnanimously,
" seein' that it vris on ma account ye pit aff the tailie
coat." Phil accepted the offer promptly. " There's a wonder
ful change in my appearance since I left the Old Country
a few short weeks ago," said he, surveying his dilapidated
garb ruefully.
" I shid think sae," grinned Mac. " It wud be a rale
treat tae see ye walk doon Peecadeely in they claes."
And they departed.
"Dae ye tell me that Mac has gaun doon five fit?"
asked Stewart, when we were alone.
" I believe he has," I replied, "but in this country it
is easy to dig near the surface where the sand has not
even solidified."
"Easy or no' easy," responded Stewart impressively,
baring his strong right arm, " what Mac can dae, I'll dae,
Wha pu'd harder than I did gaun tae Klonduk?" he
demanded, making a digression, but I waived the ques
tion. " Let me know when you have had enough of the
shaft," I said, " and I'll reUeve you."
" Umph ! " he grunted, ignoring my remark in turn,
" Five feet ! Whaur's the pick ? " AJnd he strode off to
emulate his comrade's achievement.
A few moments later a series of sharp metallic echoes
issued from the shaft mouth, intimating that Stewart
had attacked a hard unyielding substance. Then, not

104 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
wishing to be present when he desisted from his labours,
I made my way stealthily to the adjoining claim and
entered into conversation with its owner ; but still the
unsympathetic ring of steel meeting some kindred
element reached my ears, and I sorrowed for the un
fortunate Stewart right deeply.
The wiry sandgroper whom I interviewed was not
one of the bustling kind, I found him enjoying a siesta
under the scant shade of the solitary mulga bush on
his domain, and scaring the numberless flies away by his
vigorous snores. It was almost impossible to realise that
he was the valiant runner of the day before, " Mornin',
mate," said he, rubbing his eyes, after I had hustled him
gently. It was late afternoon, but that was a small
matter, and I did not trouble to correct him; and we
talked together on mining subjects for about an hour.
" I ain't wan o' them cusses," he said, " that tries
to git disappinted early. My tactics is : git thar in
the fust place — at which you'll aUow I is no slouch,
nuther?" I made the necessary allowance, and he
proceeded. " In the second place, thar ain't no call to be
desp'rit'ly excited ; thishyer Ufe won't change worse'n
a muskitter whether we does git to bottom on a spec.
three or four days sooner or later." I ventured to
remark that his reasonings did him credit. "I does
philosophise a bit, mate," he agreed languidly. Then
there followed a long silence, during which I missed the
regular thuds of Stewart's pick, and wondered where
that persistent gentleman had gone.
Suddenly a noise as of thunder startled me; it was
succeeded by an explosion that shook the ground under
our feet. "By the Great Howlin' Billy!" ejaculated
my leather-skinned companion, " somebody's fired your
shaft." I looked in time to see great boulders of
jagged ironstone, and a dense volume of sand, hurled

SINKING FOR GOLD 105
from the mouth of the narrow pit where Stewart had
been working.
Filled vrith a vague fear I rushed to the scene of the
distm-bance, where the sand-clouds were fast settling,
and just as I arrived I beheld Stewart calmly coming
out towards me from behind Phil's timber pile, where
he had been sheltered. My surprise was so great that
for the moment speech failed me, and I looked vacantly
at the shaft and at my companion in turn. Then he
took pity on me, and condescended to explain.
" It's a' richt. I'm nae pheenix," he announced cheer
fully, and he led me to the mouth of the shaft, which no
longer retained its oblong contour, but was ragged and rent
vrith the upheaval. " I wis lookin' fur ye aboot an hour
since," he continued further, " tae get yer opeenion con-
cernin' a sort o' irin furmashun what wis gi'en me sair
trouble, bit as I could'na see ye, I kent ye could rely
on ma guid jidgement tae dae what I thocht best  "
" But I was not aware that we had any gelignite or giant
powder in our possession," I interrupted,
" Nae mair we had," said he, "bit I kept ane or twa
extra speecial cartreedges what we used fur burstin'
glashiers oot in Alaskie — as samples, ye ken — an' I pit
them a' in. They've made a vera bonnie hole," he wound
up ; " that's the best o' they labour-savin' devices."
On examination it was found that the ironstone bar had
been completely shattered, and little trouble was experi
enced in removing the remaining fragments. The cavity
wherein it had rested was fully five feet deep, so that Mac's
plot for outwitting his rival had proved a signal failure.
It was six o'clock when we descried Mac and Phil
returning from Kalgoorlie, laden with stores ; darkness
was rapidly closing over the valley, so that their forms
could not be distinguished until they were quite close.
Then Stewart uttered a howl of rage. " They've brocht

106 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
back the taiUe coat," he cried feebly, and in strutted
Mac, wefiring not only that hateful garment, but also
having perched on his head at a rakish tilt a highly-
bumished silk hat.
"We fund the hat a wee bit faurer on than the
coatie," said he, doffing his glossy headgear and gazing
at it admiringly,
" If ye've ony regaird fur ma feeUn's, ye'll pit them
baith awa' at aince," Stewart implored, much affected.
His compatriot gazed at him commiseratingly,
"Ye've been workin' ow'er hard the day, ma man,"
said he, "yer nerves are in a gey bad state, I'm
thinkin'. Hoosomever," he added sternly after brief
thought, " it's ongratefu' on your pairt tae despise the
gairment, fur I promised Phil that ye shid hae it, pur-
vided ye had sunk aboot three feet the day. Which,"
he climaxed, nonchalantly, " I hae nae doot ye hae
dune?" Stewart beamed. " I apologeese, Mac," he said, " noo
gie me the coatie."
"Hoo muckle hae ye sunk?" demanded the generous
giver, much taken aback.
"Full five feet," came the smiling answer. "Mac,
ma vera dear freen, ye've made a ser'us mistak' this
time." Mac stood as if transfixed, gazing appealingly at Phil,
who seemed equally amazed; then he turned without
a word and rushed out to the shaft. When he came
back a moment later, he stripped off the coat and handed
it to Stewart, " I'm prood o' ye, ma man," he said
with an effort; " ye're an indiveedual o' muckle strategy."
Then Phil joined in with commendable tact. " You've
stiU got the hat, Mac," laughed he, " it's a fair divide."

Stewart finds the ground hard.

To face page io6.

WE "STRIKE" GOLD
FOE over a week sinking operations on the Five-
Mile Flat were continued with unabated vigour,
and then a hush of expectation seemed to faU over the
community, for the miners in the shallow ground at the
head of the lead were nearing bottom, and the vast
array who had pegged along the supposed course of the
auriferous wash ceased their labours and waited in
tremulous eagerness for reports from Nos. 2, 3, 4,
5, 6, and 7, below Discovery. There was good reason
for anxiety. If these claims bottomed on pipe-clay
deposits or other barren clayey formations, Uttle hope
could be entertained for those who had followed their
Une of guidance. The direction of the golden channel
certainly could not be ascertained by judging the lie of
the country on the surface, for it was almost absolutely
flat, and bore not the slightest resemblance to the
original country far beneath. Practical tracing from
claim to claim was the only method by which a miner
could safely calculate, and that meant that those a little
way off the first proved shaft, and all following claim-
holders, must either be possessed of a vast amount of
hope and energy or an equal amount of patience. It is
not unusual, also, to find a deep lead suddenly " fizzle "
out with little warning; and again, it seldom fails to
create consternation and disappointment at an anxious
IPT

108 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
time by shooting off at right angles, or diverging into
numerous infinitesimal leaderettes.
So it was that when the first flush of excitement had
died away attention was turned to those claims men
tioned, and for the time all work was suspended. We,
at No. 7, were still several feet above the level at which
we had calculated to find bottom. Since Stewart so
peremptorily burst out the ironstone bar we had en
countered nothing but a series of sand f orinations, which we
managed to crash through at the rate of five feet each day,
and now our shaft measured fully forty-one feet in depth.
My companions worked like Trojans in their efforts to
reach gold-paying gravel before their neighbours. Neither
Stewart nor Mac had the sUghtest fear of our shaft
proving a duffer, and their extreme confidence was so
infecting that Phil forswore many of his pet geological
theories in order to fall into Une with their ideas. "After
all," he said to me, " geological rules seem to be flatly
contradicted by the arrangement of the formations here,
and only the old adage holds good, that an ounce of
practice is worth a ton of theory."
"It looks that way," I answered, "yet I. do not like
the look of these enormous bodies of sandstone. If I
were to go by my experience in other countries, I should
promptly forsake this ground and look for more promising
tracts." We were standing by the windlass pulling up the
heavy buckets of conglomerate material which Mac was
picking below with much gusto. The glare of the sun
reached barely half-way down the shaft, and the soUtary
worker was beyond our gaze, but well within hearing,
nevertheless, for his voice rumbled up from the depths in
strong protest.
" I'll no hae mae idees corrupted wi' sich fulish argi-
nient, Naitur has wyes o' her ain, an' whaur golologists

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 109
think gold is, ye may be sure there's nane ; bit whaur it
raelly is, there ignorant golologists insist it insna. There's
nae pleasin' some fouk."
We kept silence, and, after waiting vainly for our com
ment, Mac again attacked the solid sandstone with suUen
ferocity. The air was close and sultry, and the dumps thrown
up from the many shafts around gUstened in the intense
light and crambled off into the heat haze as filmy clouds
of dust. The entire landscape seemed as a biographic
picture, and affected the eyes in similar degree. It was a
typical Westralian day. Thud ! thud ! went Mac's pick,
and now and then came a grunt of annoyance from that
perspiring individual as an unusually refractory substance
would temporarily defy his strength.
We leaned against the windlass barrel, awaiting his
caU of "Bucket!" which would intimate that further
material was accumulated below, and ready for discharge
into the outer air. Few men were about, unless at No, 2
shaft, where there was much activity. On the adjoining
lot our friend of the leathery skin — who rejoiced in the
title of " Emu Bill " — dozed under the shade of a rudely-
erected wigwam.
" It's a bit warm," ventured Phil. He was not quite
sure of his ground, and did not wish to exaggerate.
"It's d — d hot ! " rolled a well-knovm voice from the
depths, and Stewart within the tent sang gaily an adap
tion from " Greenland's icy mountains."
When quiet was restored I looked again towards No. 2,
and at that moment a red handkerchief fluttered to the
top of a tiny flagpole surmounting the windlass, and hung
limp. A moment later a long, hoarse cheer swept the flat
from end to end, and, as if by magic, each claim appeared
fuUy manned, and a sea of faces turned in our direction.
No. 2 had signaUed, " On Gold,"

110 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Staun by the windlass ! I'm comin' up ! " roared
Mac, who had vaguely heard the sound-waves pass over
head and was wondering what had happened.
" Gold strack on No. 2, Mac ! " I shouted, and Phil,
who had not quite understood, staggered in amazement,
loosening with his feet a quantity of sand and rabble
which descended vrith much force on Mac's upturned
face, and interrupted a second passionate appeal to
" Staun by the windlass ! "
"I'll hae yer life fur that, ye deevil! " he spluttered.
" Ye did it on purpose."
Then Stewart came upon the scene in great haste.
" I tell't ye sae ! I tell't ye sae ! " he cried, and for
the especial benefit of his isolated companion he bel
lowed down, " They've got gold at number twa, Mac !
Oceans o't ! "
Mac was then half-way to the surface, with one foot
resting in the empty bucket attached to the cable, and
both hands gripping the strong wire rope, which strained
and rasped as it slowly coiled on the wooden drum. He
was no light weight, and Phil and I felt our muscles
twitch as we held against the windlass arm at each dead
centre, for there was no ratchet arrangement attached to
prevent a quick rush back, and our heavy bucket-load
made the safety of his position somewhat doubtful by
swaying the rope impatiently, and indulging in other
restless antics.
However, when he came near the light and saw how
matters stood he became quiet as a lamb ; but the sight
of his face smeared with the grime so recently de
posited upon it, and wearing an intensely savage
expression, was too much for our gravity, and our
efforts faltered,
"Hang on, ye deevils ! " pathetically implored he, as
he felt himself tremble in the balance, Then seeing

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 111
Stewart's face peering down upon him, he besought his
aid, " Staun by the winlass, Stewart, ma man," he
entreated, " or I'll never see auld Scotland again."
But Stewart was at that moment seized with a
paroxysm of laughter. The appeal was vain, and his
comrade, being now near terra firma, and comparatively
safe, again addressed him.
" Git oot o' ma sicht, ye red-heided baboon ! " said he,
"Nae wuner they couldna work the winlass wi' you
staunin' aside them."
It is an unwritten law on most goldfields throughout
the world where the individual miner tries his luck that
a flag be at once hoisted over every shaft that bottoms
on paying gravel. It is a pretty custom, and a generous
one to the less fortunate diggers, who judge by the pro
gressing Une of flags whether their own remote claims
may have a chance of intercepting the golden channel.
As it happened in this case. No. 2 shaft could hardly
have failed to pick up the lead, which had been traced in
its direction to the boundaries of Discovery claim. Still,
there was much rejoicing when the red symbol went up,
and for the rest of the day a renewed activity was in
force to the uttermost end of the Flat. Even "Emu
Bill," as our near neighbour was picturesquely styled,
felt called upon to do a little work ; but, as he took care
to explain, he did it only to satisfy mining regulations,
which demand that a certain amount of labour must be
performed each day. " You'll notice," said he, " that 3,
4, and 5 hiv tacked on d'reckly in line — as they thought
— an' you'll furrer notice thishyer propperty. No, 6,
an' yer own. No. 7, hiv not exzactly played foller the
leader." Which was true ; for Emu Bill's claim had
taken only a diagonal guidance from its predecessor, and
ours continued the altered route, while those foUovring
varied considerably between the two angles thus given.

112 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" When you sees a flag floatin' on No. 3, boys,"
continued he meditatively, "it's time to pack up your
traps, an', as I said afore, I believe in waitin' events an'
jedgin' accordin'."
" Hoo lang hae you been diggin' holes in this countrie,
Leatherskin?" Stewart politely inquired. And he of
the weary countenance chewed his quid reflectively for
several minutes ere he made reply,
"I reckon over a dozen years," he said at length, "in
which time I perspected Coolgardie an' Kalgoorlie wi'
old Pat Hannan when there was nothin' but niggers
within' a couple of hundred miles of us."
" A'm o' the opeenion," announced Mac, " that what
Mr. Leatherskin disna ken aboot the vagaries o' his ain
playgrun' is no worth menshun."
" Seven is supposed to be a lucky number," spoke Phil,
" and I think it wUl prove so with us."
After which Emu Bill went back to slumber, and Phil
went down to labour in the shaft. "You've got tae
mind," instructed Mac, who manipulated his descent,
" when you want the bucket jist lift up yer voice tae that
effeck, and I'll drap it doon gently on the end o' the rope."
Phil promised, and was speedily lowered into the dark
ness, and Mac, neglecting his post at once, came round
into the tent, where Stewart and myself were trying hard
to find a half-hour's obUvion in the realms of dreamland,
and the myriad flies buzzing everywhere were trying
equally hard, and with greater success, to prevent our
succumbing to the soft influence. Mac's entrance at
this moment was particularly distasteful to his comrade,
who was just on the verge of sweet unconsciousness, and
whose essayed snores were beginning to alarm the flies
besieging his face.
" Go awa' o6t this meenit, Mac," said he, opening his
eyes, " and tak' yer big feet aff ma stummick at aince."

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 113
Just then a far-away cry of " Bucket " was vaguely
heard, and calmly ignored by the new-comer. " Stewart,
ma man," he began, sitting down on a portion of tbe
weary one's anatomy, " I wis wantin' tae get yer idees on
one or twa maitters o' scienteefic interest."
" Get out, Mac ! " I ordered. But he seemed not to
hear, and another hoarse call for "Bucket" passed
unobserved. " I wis wantin', for instance," he continued earnestly,
" tae speak vri' ye ser'usly on metapheesical quest-
shuns  "
" Let me alane ! " Stewart howled, writhing in
torment. But his visitor was not to be shaken off.
Five minutes later a stentorian yell from the shaft
intimated that Phil's patience was being unduly strained,
and Mac reluctantly desisted from expounding further
the intricacies of science, and rose to go. As may be
understood, the bottom of a narrow and deep pit is not
the most pleasant of places in which to idle away the
time, and Phil, after digging as much as the limited area
of operations would allow, was filled vrith wrath at the
neglect of his associate, and cursed that worthy gentle
man with fervour between his shouts. "Bucket! " he
roared, for the twentieth time, and Mac, who was then
scrambUng towards the windlass, inwardly commented
on the unusual savageness of the voice. "He's a wee bit
annoyed," he murmured. " I'll better try an' propeetiate
him." So he leaned his head over the shaft mouth and
whispered in winning tones, "Are ye vera faur doon,
Pheel-up?" " Lower away the bucket, you flounder-faced mummy ! "
came the prompt reply, which penetrated the darkness in
sharp staccato syllables,
Mac looked pained, " Noo, if that had been Stewart,"
he muttered grimly, " I wud a kent weel what tae dae,
9

114 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
bit being the golologist  " He shook his head feebly,
and reached for the hide bucket, which was lying near.
Then, forgetting in the flurry of the moment to hitch it
on to the rope, he let it descend at the fastest speed the
law of gravity would permit,
" Staun frae under ! " he yelled, realising too late what
he had done ; but in such a narrow space there was no
room for dodging, and the leathern receptacle struck
the unfortunate man below with more force than was
agreeable. " Ye brocht it on yersel'," consolingly spoke
Mac, " It's a veesitation o' Providence fur miscain' me
sae sairly."
The words that greeted his ears were eloquent and
emphatic, and he marched into the tent in high dudgeon.
" Gang an' pull the golologist oot o' the shaft," said he to
Stewart. " He's in the position o' a humourist, an' he
canna see throo't."
Perhaps there are few who could have smiled and
looked pleasant under similar circumstances; but the
" golologist " was of a forgiving nature, and his enmity
dissolved when he reached the surface.
" You'U admit, Mac," he said, after allowances had
been made on both sides, " that I had some slight cause
for grumbling, and in your magnanimity you might have
spared me your last forcible addition to the argument."
" That wis a mistak'," Mac repUed apologetically. " I
had the baggie in ma haun, meanin' tae send it doon in
orthodox manner; bit yer injudishus remarks made me
nervish, and doon it drappit, sudden-like."
After these explanations peace reigned again; but
Stewart's rest had been so rudely broken that he now
thought to work off his lassitude by an hour's graft with
the pick. We had arranged ourselves into shifts, which
went on and off alternately, or otherwise, as we thought
fit ; but it was my plan to reach bedrock vrithout delay,

No. 2 ,_^Claim — Just^Struck Gold.

To face page 114.

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 115
so the shaft was never allowed to remain long unoccupied.
Leaving Mac and Phil to attend to cuUnary matters, I
went out with Stewart, and, after lowering him into the
Stygian gloom, kept watch by the vrindlass until the
night closed over and Phil announced that tea was
ready. Two more days passed uneventfuUy. The hourly-
expected buUetin of good news from No. 3 was being
long deferred, and vague fears were beginning to be
expressed that all was not satisfactory there. It was
known that Nos. 3, 4, and 5 had put on extra shifts in
the last few nights, and the depths of their sinkings
must at this time have exceeded fifty feet. We at No. 7
awaited developments vrith keen interest. It was natural
that we should hope for the worst at No. 3, for, as Emu
BiU had said, we were on an entirely different tack, and
might cease our labours when the gaudy emblem appeared
over that claim. In these two days progress had been very
slow with us, for a hard bar of conglomerate quartz had
intervened at the 45-foot level, and we dared not use
gelignite in case the heavy discharge might bring the
upper walls inward and render our whole work useless.
It is always precarious to use blasting powder of any
description at the deep levels of an alluvial shaft, and
the more so when the upper formations have proved to
be of non-cohesive nature. So we were compelled to
laboriously pick the unyielding mass where we might,
and otherwise drill and shatter it with hammers. '
On the morning of the third day after the flag had
been raised at No. 2 the Emu seemed to awake from his
lethargy in earnest, and set to work with right good-will
to make up for lost time.
"You wasn't wrong in takin' my advice arter all,
mate," he said to me, when I appeared to inquire the
reason of his unwonted activity.

116 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"There's no flag up at No, 3 yet," I answered
tentatively. " No, nor won't be, nuther," he returned with evident
satisfaction. " I tell you what, mate," he continued
impressively, " the first flag that goes up will be at your
own shaft. No. 7, so you'd better get your flagpole
ready. The man what says I don't know this country is
a liar, every time."
Yet still the men at the shafts in question continued to
dig deeper and deeper. " We hasn't reached bottom yet,"
they said, in answer to all questions, and on that point
they appeared decided.
" I'll go up and pint out the evil o' their ways," Emu
BiU said, coming over to us after midday. "I don't
believe in no man exartin' hissel' to no good." Then he
addressed himself to Mac far below : " I say, Scottie,
you're going to strike it first, and good luck to you, you
hard-working sinner."
" Same to you, Leatherskin, an mony o' them," a voice
from the depths repUed gruffly, for the "hard-working
sinner" had but imperfectly understood.
Leaving Phil in charge of the windlass, I accompanied
Emu Bill to the shafts he now considered doomed. " Look
at the stuff they're takin' out," said he, drawing my
attention to a heap of white and yellow cement-like
substance ; " the beggars have gone clean through the
bedrock and don't know it.''
The men at the windlass eyed us savagely as we came
near, and I experienced for a moment a malicious joy
when I noticed our uncommunicative visitor among them.
" We don't want no more opinions," one of their number
cried ; " we knows we hasn't struck bottom yet."
"Mates," said Emu BiU, with dignity, "I hiv sunk
more duffers than thar be years in my life — an' I'm no
chicken — an' I tells ye straight, you've not only struck

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 117
bottom, but you've gone three or four feet past it. If
you means to tunnel through to Ole England, that's your
business, but if not, you'd better give it best."
Without further words, we retraced our steps, my com
panion fuming inwardly because of his brusque reception.
Yet his advice must have had due effect, for that evening
the unfortunately-placed shafts were being dismantled
and late in the night the all too sanguine owners struck
their camps and departed for other fields. Their disap
pointment was keen. They had missed fortune by only
a few yards.
Next morning all the Flat knew that Nos. 3, 4, and 5
had duffered out, and, as a result, there was a great
exodus of those who had been guided by these locations ;
but, on the other hand, rejoicings were the order of the
day with the miners who believed Nos. 6 and 7 to mark
the true continuation of the lead, which had last been
proved at the second workings.
Our claim was then the cynosure of all eyes, for the
Emu's shaft was yet barely six feet deep, and we were
supposed to be close on the dreaded bottom. I was
convinced that we should know our luck immediately
the ironstone bar was penetrated, and that obstruction
was not likely to hinder us much longer.
"I'll be the man that'll see gold first," Mac announced
confidently, as he shouldered his pick after breakfast and
prepared to take first shift.
"I've got a rale bonnie flag to pit up when ye're
ready," said Stewart, displaying an imposing-looking
Union Jack which had done service at Klondike, and
which he had been surreptitiously repairing for some
days past.
Phil was silent. "I sincerely hope we may not be
disappointed," he said at length. Like me, he could not
understand the presence of the refractory formation so

118 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
close upon auriferous wash — if the latter really existed
in our claim.
"Geological rules don't count in this country, Phil,"
I suggested hopefuUy; then Mac departed, grumbUng
loudly at what he was pleased to call my " Job's
comfortings." For the best part of the forenoon I listened to the
thudding of the pick with an anxious interest, for any
stroke now might penetrate to the mysterious compound
known as the cement wash ; but the blows still rung hard
and clear, and I grew weary waiting. It was not necessary
to send the bucket below often. Though Mac smote the
flinty rock with all his strength, and a vigour which few
could have sustained, the result of his labours was almost
infinitesimal. Every half-hour Stewart would receive
from his perspiring companion a blunted pick, hoisted up
on the end of the cable, while a fresh one was provided
to continue the onslaught. Mac seemed tireless, and
Stewart above, at a blazing fire, practised aU his
smithy art to keep the sorely-used tools in order ; while
ever and anon a hoarse voice would beUow from the
underground, "Mak' them' hard, Stewart, ma man. Mind
that it is no butter A'm diggin'."
"You must come up, Mac," I said, when one o'clock
drew near, but he would not hear of it. "I ken I hivna
faur tae gang noo," he cried, " I can hear the sound
gettin' hollow."
Another ten minutes passed, and now I could distinctly
note a difference in the tone of the echoes ringing up
wards. Thud ! Thud ! Thud ! went the pick, and Mac's
breath came in long deep gasps, that made Stewart rave
wildly at the severe nature of his comrade's exertions.
Then suddenly there was a crash, followed by a shout
of joy. Mac had bottomed at last.
For several moments complete sUence reigned ; then a

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 119
subdued scraping below indicated that Mac was collecting
some of the newly-exposed stratum for analysis.
" What does it look Uke ? " I whispered down. There
are few indeed who could withstand a touch of the gold
fever at such a critical time, and I was impatient to know
the best or the worst ; either report would have allayed
the indescribable feeUng that possessed me then. The
most hardened goldseeker is not immune from the thrill
created when bottom has been reached ; at that moment
he is at one with the veriest novice who eagerly expects
to view gold in its rough state for the first time.
My companion did not at once gratify my longing for
knowledge, and when he replied, Phil, Stewart, and
myself were peering down into the shaft awaiting intelli
gence vrith breathless interest.
" I think," he muttered, in tones that struck upon our
ears as a knell of doom, " I raelly think — ye micht keep
yer heids oot o' the licht."
" Mac ! " I admonished, " remember this is no time for
pleasantries." "Weel, weel," he responded apologetically, "I vris
wantin' tae gie correct infurmashun, bit the glint aff
Stewart's pow mak's a' thing coloured." Stewart
promptly drew back his head vrith a howl of rage.
" Mak' nae mair refleckshuns! " he cried indignantly.
There came a creak at the windlass rope as Mac put his
foot into the half-filled bucket and prepared to ascend ;
then his voice rolled up to us again. " Wha's makin' re
fleckshuns? I was only makin' menshun o' the bonnie
auburn  "
" Shut up, Mac," Phil interrupted, and Mac obUgingly
cut short his soliloquy and roared —
"Staun by the windlass, ye deevils, I'm comin' up vri'
specimens!" If he had had cause at one time to comment on the

120 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
slow and uncertain nature of his upward flight, he
assuredly had no room for complaint in that direction on
this occasion. All three of us went to the windlass and
yanked our comrade to the surface at a rate that caused
him much consternation. Then I seized the bucket, which
contained a few pounds of an alarmingly white-looking
deposit, and hurried with it into the tent, where the gold-
pan, freshly scrubbed, lay waiting beside a kerosene tin
half filled with muddy water. On closer examination the
samples looked decidedly more promising ; little granules
of quartz were interspersed with the white cement, and a
sprinkling of ironshot particles were also in evidence.
We had struck an alluvial wash : that was clear enough,
and now the question was — would it prove to be auri
ferous ? Without speaking we commenced to crush the
matrix into as fine a powder as possible, and when that
operation was completed, the whole was emptied into the
gold-pan. "It looks just Uke sugar," Stewart broke out, "an' no
near so dirty as Klonduk gravel."
" Get your flag ready," I said, " we'll know our luck in
a few minutes." I now filled the pan with water, and
began to give it that concentric motion so familiar to
those who search for the yellow metal. Gradually, very
graduaUy, the water was canted off, carrying with it the
bulk of the lighter sands, and finally the residue was left
in the form of some ounces of black ironstone powder,
which, because of its weight, had remained, and about an
equal amount of coarse quartz grains that had escaped
crushing. " But I don't see any gold," said Phil despondingly.
" Ye're faur too impatient," Mac reproved. " Yendidna
expec' tae see it floatin' on tap o' a' that stuff surely?"
I tilted the pan obliquely several times in order to make
the contents slide round in the circular groove provided,

WE "STRIKE" GOLD 121
and as it slowly moved under the gentle pressure of the
little water remaining, it left a glittering trail in its wake,
which caused my three companions to break out in a
whoop of delight.
Some sixty seconds later the Union Jack floated bravely
above our windlass, and was hailed with a thunder of
applause.

CAMP-FIRE REMINISCENCES
FOE many weeks work went on merrily. One after
another the various claims reached paying gravel,
and flags of all designs and colours soon marked the
course of the lead for fully half a mUe, after which dis
tance the golden vein effectually eluded discovery ; it had
apparently disappeared into the bowels of the earth. For
the first few days succeeding our location of the auriferous
wash we contented ourselves in dollying the more easily
disintegrated parts of the white conglomerate, and
collecting the solid and cumbrous blocks excavated into
sacks, each of which when filled weighed over a hundred
pounds. These I meant to send to some crushing battery
when several tons had been raised.
The water for dollying as well as for all other purposes
was obtained from a deep shaft sunk near at hand by a
speculative individual, who considered that water might
ultimately pay him as generously as gold, and as he
charged eightpence a gallon for the brackish fluid, and had
an unlimited demand for it at that, he probably found it
a less troublesome and much more lucrative commodity
than even a moderately wealthy claim on the Five-Mile
Lead. As it so happened, however, when other claims
began to copy our tactics and doUy portions of their wash, it
was made evident that the water bore was not equal to the
strain, and once or twice it ran dry at a most critical time.
After a careful computation of its capacity we saw that it

H<X
CO

CAMP-FIRE REMINISCENCES 123
could only be drawn upon for domestic purposes in future,
and even then there was every probability of the supply
giving out if a good rainfall did not soon occur to moisten
the land and percolate to the impervious basin tapped by
the bore in question.
At this time a public battery, owned by a limited
company, was doing yeoman service to the dwellers on an
alluvial field some five miles south of us ; and after much
consideration we, in common vrith the most of the
miners, arranged to despatch our golden gravel thither, as
being the only way out of a difficulty. Public batteries
exist aU over those goldfields, for, ovring to the absence of
water, a prospector can rarely do more than test samples
of his find, and thereby estimate its value; and these
public crushing plants are, therefore, a very necessary
adjunct to his success.
The time passed pleasantly enough now that the trying
uncertainty of the first fortnight was no longer vrith us,
and the auriferous channel was being slowly and surely
tunnelled and cut in every conceivable direction. Work
was pursued in matter-of-fact fashion. The glamour of
the goldseeker's life had departed with the risk.
Yet when the practical and perhaps sordid work of the
day was done, and we gathered together around one or
other of the numerous camp fires, it seemed as if a new
world had descended upon us when daylight gave place to
the mystic glimmer of the lesser stars and the steadfast
radiance of the glorious Southern Cross, Only the world-
wanderer who has slept beneath all skies can truly appre
ciate the grandeur of the southern constellations. The
bushman has grown to love them from his infancy ; they
have been his companions on many a weary journey, and
he regards them with an almost sacrilegious famUiarity.
But to the traveller from other lands these shining guide-
posts in the heavens arouse a feeling akin to reverence,

124 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
and later, when he ventures into his grim desert land and
trasts his life to their constancy, his admiration, were it
possible, increases tenfold. There is, of course, one great
reason for the stranger's attachment to the sky sentinels
of an Australian night other than their calm, clear
brilliance. In no other country is the wanderer brought
so close, as it were, to the luminaries of night. In
Canada, Alaska, America, India, or China, or, indeed, in
any portion of the globe, by reason of climatic or other
conditions, one must perforce sleep under canvas, and in
some cases where the cold is severe — as in Alaska — the
shelter of a heavily-logged hut is almost a necessity. But
in the inland parts of Australia, where rain seldom falls,
and where no pestilence taints the atmosphere, the sky
alone usuaUy forms the traveller's roof. Many times have
I gone to sleep in the great silent interior with only my
coat for a pillow, and coaxed myself into slumber while
watching for the advent of a favourite star, or tracing the
gradual course of the Southem Cross.
To me the stars of the south have a peculiar signi
ficance. When I gazed at them, even while divided from
civilisation by over a thousand miles of dreary arid sand
plains, I felt comforted, for though compass and sextant
may fail, the stars will still show the way.
I recall our evenings spent at the Five-Mile Camp vrith
deepest pleasure. There only did I meet and talk with
the typical men of the West, and the simple, true-hearted,
restless spirits of the Island Continent who have pushed
the outposts of their country far into the desert. It was
my one experience of a Western Australian mining camp,
and afterwards, during our weary wanderings in the far
interior, we often longed for the company of the generous-
minded men who used to gather round our fire and review
their early experiences with such vivid effect.
Emu Bill, I have already mentioned, but there were

CAMP-FIRE REMINISCENCES 125
several others whom we came to know during the later
days of our sojourn at the golden flat, and they had all
their own peculiar characteristics, vrith a sterling honesty
of purpose as the keynote of their lives.
" Old Tom," I remember, possessed an interest in the
claim next to ours ; not much of an interest it was, either,
for he was too old a man to have come in nearly first in
the rush. He had simply been promised a percentage of
returns in No, 8 for doing all the work thereon ; and as at
first the presence of gold there was much doubted, it was
no great generosity on the part of the owner of the lot to
promise slight reward and no wages for labour done. Yet
for once Old Tom scored in a bargain, and his labours were
not, as he cheerfully said they had ever been, wholly vain.
Old Tom must have been a splendid specimen of man
hood in his day ; now he was nearly seventy years of age,
and his bent shoulders detracted somewhat from his
great stature, while his slightly-bowed legs — whose devia
tion from the perpendicular, he insisted, had been caused
by much walking — gave to him a more frail appearance
than was justified.
His knowledge of his own country was extensive, but
he had fallen into the strange belief that the world began
at AustraUa, and that Europe, Asia, and other portions of
the globe were merely remote colonies or dependencies of
his own land. " I hiv walked all over Australia, mates,"
he used to say ; " I know the world well."
" You ought to see London, Tom," I said, one night,
after he had been recounting his travelling experiences ;
but he shook his head.
" It's too far to walk," he replied sadly; " Old Tom's
walking days are nearly over. But," and he brightened
considerably, " I've heard tell that Lunnpn is full o'
people, an' there wouldn't be no room for an old man like
me to peg his claim,"

126 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
It was one of his fixed ideas that the whole world was
but a goldfield on which all men had to try their luck.
And the sea had its terrors for him, as it has for nearly
all bushmen, although most of them get accustomed to it
sooner or later. With Old Tom it would be never. " I
went on a ship once," he admitted, " when I was a young
'un, an' the mem'ry o't will never leave me." He shud
dered at the recollection of his sufferings. " I kin walk
'bout as fast as a ship, anyway," he added with much
satisfaction, " an' a hundred miles more or less don't
make much difference when Old Tom is on the wallaby,"
At another time, when news of Kitchener's briUiant
successes in the Soudan had reached us, I read out to him
from an old home newspaper details of the capture of
Omdurman. There were many around the fire that night,
and all listened eagerly to the thriUing narrative except
Old Tom ; he gazed listlessly into the glovring fire, and
smoked his pipe unmoved.
"Have you no interest in these things, Tom?" I
asked. "It's a long time since I've been in the Eastern
Colonies," he answered slowly, "an' I hiv lost my
bearin's among them names. Soudan is in Queensland,
isn't it ? Or mebbe it is west'ard in Noo South Wales? "
Poor Old Tom ! he had fought the aborigines times with
out number, and taken his life in his hands on many a
lone trail, yet he would have been surprised had anyone said
that he was more than usually venturesome. He knew
no fear, and acted his weary part in life nobly and weU.
" Silent Ted " was another of our camp-fire comrades;
he was, as his name implied, not a talkative individual.
Long years spent in the bush had serveS to dry up the
vials of his speech. Yet he was not morose or taciturn
by nature ; he simply seemed too tired to give expression
to his thoughts. His eyes were ever fixed and emotion-

aw
f- H
W
Q
Z<;

HM
O
O
2

CAMP-FIRE REMINISCENCES 127
less as the desert sands — sure evidence of the bushman
who has lived in the dreary wilderness beyond the Darling.
He had been a long time in striking gold, and we aU
thought his shaft was Ukely to prove a duffer ; but despite
our gloomy prophecies he joined our evening circle night
after night, and smoked his pipe cheerful as usual, though
that was not saying much.
" I forgot to tell you, mates," he broke out one evening,
to our great surprise, " that I struck bottom yesterday."
He meant to say more, but his mouth closed vrith a
click in spite of himself, and in reply to our congratu
lations he handed round for examination two fine specimens
of alluvial gold which he had taken from his first day's
tests, and when they had been inspected by the com
munity and returned to him, he passed them on to his
neighbour with a sigh ; he had apparently already forgotten
their existence.
The devil-may-care fossicker, also, was well represented,
and his species rejoiced in cognomens so euphonious and
varied that I could never remember the correct titles to
bestow upon their several ovraiers, and only realised my
mistakes when greeted with reproachful glances. Among
our acquaintances were, " Dead Broke Sam," a prover
bially unfortunate miner in a perpetual state of pecuniary
embarrassment ; " Lucky Dave," who always " came out
on top ; " " Happy Jack," who seemed to find much cause
for merriment in his rather commonplace existence ; and
" Nuggety Dick," who at all times could unearth one or
two specimens from some secret place in his meagre
wardrobe, and describe minutely where they had been
obtained — usually some place comprehensively indicated
as " away out back."
These gaunt, bearded men had many strange stories to
teU, and in the ruddy firelight they would trace on the
sand intricate charts emblematic of their wanderings.

128 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
They were those whose roving natures compelled them to
foUow up every gold rush, with the firm beUef that extra
ordinary fortune would one day crown their efforts. " It's
a durned hard life, boys," Dead Broke Sam, who worked
vrith Old Tom on similar terms of remuneration, would
often say, looking round for the sympathetic choras that
was always forthcoming, " but if we doesn't peg out, we
is bound to strike it some day."
There is no blasphemy in the speech of the AustraUan
miner. The most rugged-looking fossicker is gentle as a
lamb, save when undue presumption on the part of some
new chum, or "furriner," arouses his ire, and then he
makes things hum generally ; but his forcible words are
merely forcible, and perhaps " picturesque," but nothing
more ; the inane profanity of the Yankee fortune-seeker
finds no exponent in the AustraUan back-blocker.
Many were the tales " pitched " on these long starUt
nights, and narratives of adventure in search of gold, and
hairbreadth escapes from the aborigines succeeded each
other until the evening was far spent, and the Southern
Cross had sunk beyond the horizon. Then we would
disperse with a monosyllabic "night, boys," aU round,
and seek our separate sandy couches.
My comrades, Mac and Stewart, were shining satellites
at these meetings, and weird stories from the. Pampas
plains and the Klondike valley formed at intervals a
pleasing change — from the miners' point of view — to the
accounts of gold-finds, and rushes, and hostile natives, so
fluently described by Nuggety Dick and Co. And now
and then a whaling anecdote would lend zest to the
gathering, faithfuUy told by Stewart with much dramatic
effect ; he was, indeed, a past master at the art, and never
failed to hold his audience spellbound.
Emu BiU, though recognised by all as the most ex
perienced miner present, rarely condescended to spin a

CAMP-FIRE REMINISCENCES 129
yam, and he listened to his confrires' tales with ill-con
cealed impatience, but showed a decided liking for my two
warriors' romances. One evening, however, he broke his
reserve and proceeded to give a rambling survey of his
wanderings, and as he warmed to his subject his eyes
began to glow, and his gestures became eloquent and
impassioned. "Yes, boys," said he, vrinding up a resumi of his
exploits in various parts of Australia, " I calc'late I hev
had a fair-sized experience o' gold mining in my time, an'
as ye may guess, I hevn't alius come out right end up,
nuther, else I shouldn't be here. Thank the Lord ! I've
struck something at last."
" I'm wi' ye thar, mate," grunted Old Tom in
sympathy. "I guess this is Old Tom's last rise."
Then a silence fell over the little assembly, during
which Emu BiU drew fanciful diagrams in the sand vrith
an improvised camp poker, and Silent Ted almost went
to sleep. The rest of us gazed at Emu Bill with a show
of interest, expecting him to proceed vrith his reminis
cences, and soon he started again.
" Yes, boys, I've had my disappintments, as we've all
had, I opine, but I had an un-common disappintment at
the time o' the Kalgoorlie Eush  "
" Kalgoorlie Eush, Bill ? " I exclaimed. " Were you in
that ? "
" Wur I in that?" he echoed dismally. " I wur, an' I
wum't, which is not mebbe a very plain statement, but
you kin jedge fur yourself if you care to hear my yam."
" Let her go, BUl," said Nuggety Dick.
"I'm listenin' wi' vera great interest," Mac spoke
slowly. " Ye've been a man o' pairts, Emoo."
After sundry expressions of approval had been elicited,
BUl again picked up the thread of his narrative.
"You've heard o' old Hannan, of course," he began,
10

130 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"the diskiverer o* KalgoorUe? The diskiverer o' Kal-
goorUe ! " he repeated, mimicking a general expression
often heard on the fields. " Well, boys, I kin tell you
how Kalgoorlie was diskivered. . . , Pat Hannan an' me
had been mates for a considerable time. We walked
from South'ron Cross together afore the railway, an' we
'specked around Coolgardie camp wi' fairish success.
There was no township at Coolgardie then, boys, though
that jumped up quick enough. One day we thought we'd
jine a party as was going out eastward to 'speck for gold
furrer back in the nigger country ; an' after gettin' our
water-bags fiUed an' provisions for a month rolled up in
our swags, we all cleared out. In two days we camped at
Kalgoorlie weU. You know where that is, boys ; but there
was nary a shanty within twenty-five miles of it then,
nothin' but sand an' black boys, an' hosts o' nigs. But
we never thought o' lookin' for gold there, worse luck ; at
least, none o' the rest did; but old Hannan had a skirmish
round' an' reported nary sign o't, so we struck camp at
oncet. But jest as we wur movin' off, Hannan comes to
me with a twist on his mug an' snickers, ' BiU, me bhoy,
phwat can I do ? Me water-bag's bust I * Now that wur
a ser'us matter, for we needed all the water we could
carry, not knowin' when another well might turn up, so
I voted we shid all camp again until Pat's water-bag had
been repaired, an' the rest o' the boys of course agreed,
unan'mous. But that wouldn't suit old Hannan, ' Ye'd
better go on, boys,' said he, ' an' I'U come after yez in
half an hour.' So we went on; but though we went
slow, and arterards waited fur half a day, no Hannan
turned up, an' we had to continue our journey without
him. Well, boys, we came back in less'n a fortnight,
arter trampin' about in the durnedest country on God's
earth in search o' water an' findin' none. We hadn't
time to look fur gold, so ye kin guess we wur mighty

CAMP-FIRE REMINISCENCES 131
miserable when we drew near to the place where old
Hannan's water-bag had busted ; but the appearance o'
the camp sort o' mystified ns, thar wur rows an' rows oi
tents, an' the ground was pegged fur miles, ' Howlin'
tarnation!' I yelled at the first man we came across.
'Is this a mir-adge, or what has we struck?' 'Nary
mir-adge, mate,' said he, ' this is Hannan's Find, or
Kalgoorlie if yous like that name better.' . . . An' it wur
a bitter fack, boys. Old Hannan must have notised an
outcrop somewheres around, an' being allfired af eared that
we, his mates, might get too much benefit, he had ripped
the water-bag on purpose so as to get an excoose fur
waitin' behind. Then, of course, he had gone back to
Coolgardie an' got the Government diskivery reward,
which otherwise would have been divided atween us. But
we got nothin', boys, nary cent, an' nary square inch o'
ground. The camp had been rushed when we wur
sufferin' howUn' terrors out back. . . . There's wan
favour I'd ask of you, boys, don't none of you start
* God blessin' ' old Hannan for diskivering Kalgoorlie
in my hearing. I can't stand it, boys, an' you know why."
Bill ceased, and a murmur of sympathy ran round the
Uttle group. The Kalgoorlie rush was fresh in the minds
of nearly all present, many of whom had taken part in it.
Every one knew Hannan, but who better than his one
time partner ? and if his tale showed the much-honoured
finder of Kalgoorlie in a less favourable light than that in
which he was usually regarded, no one doubted Emu
Bill's version of the story ; yet it was hard to dispel from
the mind the glamour of romance associated with the
event from the first. One more illustration of the
difference between the real and the ideal, but it seems
almost a pity to destroy the illusions, they lend so much
colour and interest to othervrise sordid episodes.
The night was unusuaUy dark, fleeting clouds con-

132 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
stantly obscured the feeble Ught of a slender crescent
moon, and the myriad stars glimmered fitfully. Our fire
was the only cheerful object in the darkness, and it blazed
and crackled, lighting up the weather-beaten faces of the
circle around it, and illuminating our tent in the back
ground. For a long time no. one spoke, every man
seemed gloomily affected by Bill's story, and with chins
resting on their hands they gazed into the vortex of the
flaming logs long and earnestly.
Then a familiar voice interrupted their reveries.
" When Stewart an' me discovered Gold Bottom
Creek  "
" Go slow, Mac," I objected wearily; " it's getting late
and we'd better turn in."
" It is wearin' on fur midnight," granted Dead Broke
Sam, surveying the heavens for the position of his
favourite reckoning star.
" What was your last battery returns, mate ? " asked
Emu Bill, turning to me with a revival of practical
interest. " Fifty tons for 160 ounces," I repUed.
" Not too bad," commented Nuggety Dick.
"I'm 20 tons fur 60 ounces," said my interrogator,
" which is the same ratio. I guess Nos. 6 and 7 are the
best properties on the Five Mile." >¦
"I'm 25 for 51," announced Happy Jack cheerfully.
" Thank the Lord, we've all got somethin'," Old Tom
muttered devoutly, as he rose to his feet. Then we
went our several ways.

Happy Jack and Dead-Broke S.'

AM.

To face page 132,

THE "SACRED" NUGGET
AT this time* much interest was aroused by the report
that an extraordinarUy large nugget had been
found within a few mUes of Kanowna, an outlying town
ship, but as the days passed and no confirmation of the
rumour was forthcoming, the miners throughout the
whole district decided to hold a court of inquiry and
elicit the facts, or at least the foundations on which the
panic-creating statement had been based. As may be
imagined, where gold is in question no rumour, however
wild, is allowed to die a natural death. The miners will
sift and probe into the matter to the bitter end — and
usually the end is bitter indeed to those who have been
too eager to join the inevitable rush, and sink the almost
equaUy inevitable duffer shafts.
In the present case, however, the sifting process was
speedily fruitful of results. Tangible evidence was
obtained that two men had been seen early one morning
carrying what seemed to be an enormous nugget in a
blanket, some little distance from the settlement.
Where the men came from vrith their find no one knew,
and it was not likely that they would have given the
information had it been asked ; but where they had gone
afterwards promised to be an equally mysterious question ;
they had vanished, leaving no trace or clue.
The warden of the district professed complete igno
rance of the entire affair, and suggested that a practical
133

134 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
loke had been played on the people; but this only served
to make the miners unite in an outburst of genuine
indignation. Already many shafts had been sunk in the
most unlikely places by men who could ill afford to
labour in vain. The mad enthusiasm created had had
dire effect. Hundreds of men were flooding into the
camp daily from every quarter ; work on all the leads had
ceased in anticipation of a rush. The joke, if joke it was,
was indeed a cruel one, and its perpetrators deserved the
wild denunciations that were heaped upon them. " We'll
lynch them ! " roared the miners, and they meant it ; but
despite the utmost searching, the nugget-carriers — whose
names were known — could not be found.
Then just as excitement was dying out, when the
people were all but convinced that they had been hoaxed,
and were preparing to return to their various labours,
confirmation of the rumour came from a most unexpected
quarter. A Eoman Catholic priest publicly stated that
he was aware of the existence of the nugget, that he had
been under a promise of secrecy to the finders not to
reveal its location for ten days, but that owing to the
extreme panic aroused he felt constrained to admit its
authenticity, so that one doubt might be set at rest. As
for the district in which the great find had been made,
he would give full particulars on the following Tuesday.
He further gave out that the nugget weighed sofnething
over a hundred pounds, and was a perfect specimen of
trae alluvial gold.
The state of affairs after that can be better imagined
than written. There promised to be a rush unequalled
in the annals of goldfields history. Men flocked into
Kanowna in their thousands ; excitefiient was raised to
' fever heat ; and the whole country seemed to await the
coming of Tuesday.
We, on the Five Mile, did not escape the prevalent

THE "SACRED" NUGGET 135
craze. Our various properties were becoming worked
out, and in any case who could resist being influenced
by the mention of such a large nugget ? The gold fever
is, indeed, a rampant, raging disease which few can
withstand. " It'll be a bonnie run," said Stewart, " bit I can haud
ma ain wi' ony man,"
"I think Phil could gie ye a sair tussle," commented
Mac, " an' as fur masel' — I alloo naebody's sooperiority."
But it was plain to all, long before the eventful day
arrived, that the rush for the Sacred Nugget, as it was
called, would be totally different from that in which we
had taken part with so much success. And little wonder.
Since Father Long's announcement, horses and bicycles
and buggies of all descriptions were being held in readi
ness. No one had a notion how near or how far the rush
might lead, but all seemed determined to have the
speediest means of locomotion at their disposal. Under
these circumstances my companions' running powers
could avail little, and I was not disposed to favour their
desire to try their luck in the stampede.
"We've had enough of gold-mining, boys," I said,
¦ " and after we have finished here I think we'll prospect
further out." And the thought of journeying into the
unknown back country pleased them mightily. It had
long been my wish to explore the central parts of the
great Western Colony, and I was seriously considering
the feasibility of my plans towards that purpose when
the Sacred Nugget excitement burst into prominence,
and for the time being served to demoralise my schemes.
"I don't think we ought to trouble with any new
strike about here," Phil said wearily. The monotony of
the gold-seeker's life in Western Australia was beginning
to affect even his usually buoyant nature.
" Don't go, boys," advised Emu BiU earnestly. " I is

136 IN SEARCH OP EL DORADO
satisfied the thing isn't straight. Father Long or no
Father Long, thar's been too much mystery about the
consarn. Thar's a ser'us hoax somewheres."
It was a surprise to hear such advice from him. I
thought of the time when I first saw him leading the
rush to Five Mile, and unconsciously I smiled. "In
spite of what you say, I believe you'll be there yourself.
Bill," I said. " I'm sure it would break your heart to be
absent from such an event."
*" I'm not deny'n' but you're right," he repUed soberly.
" Wi' me it's a sort o' madness, but that don't affeck the
honesty o' my remarks wan little bit."
" Weel," began Mac with emphasis, " if ye dinna want
tae gang, ye'll no gang. . Stewart and me '11 see efter that.
I'll dae ye a kindness fur aince, Emoo."
We decided at last that Phil and I should go and view
the " circus " — ^not to join in it by any means, but simply
that we should see, and have our curiosity gratified; and
so the matter rested. But on Tuesday morning, when
Emu BUl saw the eager throngs passing inwards in the
direction of Kanowna, his resolutions began to waver,
and when the Five-Mile Flat also began to show a
deserted appearance, he came over to our tent with a
mournful countenance.
"I is goin' with you arter all, mates," he said
simply. "Ye're gaun tae dae naething o' the sort, Emoo,"
roared Mac. "Did ye no promise tae wait wi' Stewart
an' me? No, ma man, fur yer ain guid we'll keep ye
here." And after much eloquent argument Bill resigned him
self to his fate, almost cheerful at last to find his own
views resisted so strongly. But as Phil and I were
starting out, he came to me with an eager light in his
eyes. " If you does think it's goin' to be any good," he

THE "SACRED" NUGGET 137
said, " mention my name to Tom Doyle. He'll give you
anything you want. Goodbye, boys, an' — an' good
luck," And he was led away to be regaled with stirring
stories of other lands, by the masterful pair.
The momentous announcement had been advertised to
take place on Tuesday, at 3.30 p.m., from the balcony of
the Criterion Hotel, and when we reached the township
about midday we found the main thoroughfare a jostling
mass of boisterous humanity ; while cyclists in hundreds,
lightly garbed as if for a great race, waited patiently in
the side street leading to the post-office, and in full view
of the much-advertised balcony. The cycUst element
was composed of strangers, for the most part, who had
cycled from Kalgoorlie and other settlements within a
radius of twenty miles ; hence their early arrival on the
scene ; they had timed themselves to be well ahead,
so as to be fully rested before the fateful signal was
given. As we forced our way through the crowd I could not
help remarking that the majority had been imbibing over-
freely to ensure rapidity of action later on. Indeed, it
looked as if the Criterion Hotel, which formed the centre
of interest, was to be most benefited by the rush. It
had not been by any means the most popular rendezvous
of the miners, but on this day it received a huge adver
tisement, and profited accordingly.
We walked to the end of the street, where the bustle
was considerably less, and here we noticed a large
wooden erection bearing the sign, " Tom Doyle,
Kanowna Hotel."
" That is the name Bill mentioned," said Phil ; " he
seems a fairly important individual in his own way.
Suppose we interview him, or at least have dinner in his
mansion." To the latter part of the suggestion I was agreeable.

138 IN SEARCH OP EL DORADO
and so in we went. I had met Tom Doyle on several
occasions since my arrival in the country ; that gentle
man was most ubiquitous im his habits, and had a keen
scent for gold, so that his lanky figure might be expected
anywhere where good prospects had recently been ob
tained. He was also future mayor of the camp, and so
was, as Phil had put it, quite an important individual in
his way ; but how we could benefit by giving him Emu
Bill's name and compUments was more than I could
understand. The hotel seemed to be completely empty; even the
bar was deserted, which showed an extraordinary state of
matters. "If Mac and Stewart were here," laughed
Phil, " there would be a repetition of the Indian village
raid I have heard so much about." Which I fear was
only too true. However, we determined to give fair
warning of our presence in the establishment, and
halloed out lustily ; and at last a heavy footstep sounded
in the room above.
" Doyle ! " I cried, " Sir Thomas Doyle ! "
" Lord Doyle ! " added PhU, in a voice that might have
awakened the seven sleepers.
" Phwat the thunder'n' blazes is yez yeUin' at ! " roared
the object of our inquiry, suddenly appearing on the
stairway. Then he noticed the vacant bar. " Thunder'n'
turf ! " he muttered helplessly, " has all the shop cleared
out after that d  d nugget ? "
"Looks like it, Tom," I suggested. "Have you been
asleep ? "
" Av coorse. It's me afternoon siesta I was having.
I'U be in time for the rush aU right, an' don't you
forget it."
"We didn't come to warn you about that," I said.
"Emu Bill of the Five Mile said you had a few good
horses  "

Ready for the Rush.

 To fticej^agejt_^g.

the "SACRED" NUGGET 139
" Emoo BUl ! " he howled.
" Same man," I admitted ; " do you know him ? "
"Does I know Emoo BiU? WeU, I should smile.
Why, me an' him were with Hannan when that old
skunk went back on us at the discovery ov Kalgoorlie.
Ho wly Moses! Poor owld Emoo ! Horses, boys? Surely.
I'm goin' to use ' Prince ' myself, but yez can have the
two steeplechasers, ' Satan ' an' ' Eeprieve.' I'll do that
much for the Emoo ; an' d  n the others who expect
the horses."
Events had certainly developed inuch more rapidly
than I had anticipated ; neither Phil nor myself had
entertained the idea of joining in the rush. I had men
tioned Emu Bill's message idly, never dreaming it would
produce such a prompt effect. Tom Doyle was a noted
sporting man in the district, a second Harry Lorrequer
in a small way, and provided he was not drunk, he
could break in even the most unruly horse when all
others had failed.
The noise on the street was now becoming terrific;
smaU armies of miners bearing picks and stakes were
arriving from the local diggings, and buggies and horses
were being hurriedly equipped.
"We'll have a dhrop av the crater first," said Tom,
noting the disturbance outside, "and then we'll saddle up."
Shortly afterwards we emerged from the hotel court
yard mounted on horses that were the pride of the
countryside. Tom rode "Prince," a powerful-limbed,
coal-black cob of sixteen hands ; Phil bestrode " Satan,"
a fiery AustraUan brumby ; and I clung to " Eeprieve,"
an impetuous high-stepping bay. "Keep at my heels,
boys," cried Tom, as he started off at a canter, and it
was at once evident that if we could keep at his heels we
should be in at the death without a doubt. It was
slightly after three o'clock, and when we reached the

140 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
scene of excitement we found the street absolutely
blocked. There must have been several thousand men
packed Uke sardines right across the broad passage, and
on the outskirts of this vast crowd over a hundred
cyclists stood ready ; beyond them still, a line of horse
men were drawn up, in numbers exceeding a regimental
squadron. Scores of buggies and other spidery racing contrivances
were scattered near at hand, and extended far down the
side street leading towards the post-office. It was indeed
an extraordinary sight. We formed up with the other
horsemen, Tom's approach being hailed vrith loud cheers,
for every one knew the dare-devil Irishman.
" You'll get a broken neck this time, Tom," cried one
of his acquaintances cheerfully.
" I didn't know Prince was broken in to the saddle yet,
Tom," said another.
" No more he isn't," replied Tom, "but he's broken
enough for me. Stand clear, bhoys."
And then the black charger reared and bucked and
curvetted wildly, while its rider kicked his feet out of the
stirrups and kept his seat like a Centaur. Few of the
horses present had been much used before, and they now
became restive also, and pranced dangerously. Phil and
I had a bad five minutes. We did not know the nature
or temper of our mounts; and besides, neither of us
cared to place much reliance on our stirrup leathers,
they looked frayed and wofully fragile.
" If they go with yez, bhoys," advised Tom, " give
'em their heads. They'll get tired soon enough. Thar's
lots o' room in this country."
" Oh, Lord ! " groaned PhU, " what a comfortable
prospect we have before us ! My back is about broken
with this kicking brute already."
The vast assembly was now becoming impatient. The

THE "SACRED" NUGGET 141
stated time, 3.30, had been reached, and as yet there was
no sign of the Eeverend Father who had been the cause
of the extraordinary meeting. Then just as threats and
curses were being muttered, a pale-faced young man in
clerical garb made his appearance on the balcony, and a
deathlike stillness reigned in an instant. In a few words
the priest explained his strange position, but he was
rudely interrupted many times.
"It's gettin' late. Where did the nugget come from? "
the rougher spirits roared. The young man hesitated for
a moment. " The nugget was found on the Lake Gwinne track,"
he said, " at a depth of three feet  "
With a long, indescribable roar the multitude scattered,
and the speaker's concluding words were drowned in the
din. " Hold on ! " cried Tom, as Phil and I swung
round to follow the main rush, " the d  d idiots didn't
wait to hear how far it was from Lake Gwinne." There
was scarcely a dozen of us left ; the breaking-up had
been as the melting of summer snows.
" And the position is two miles from the lake," repeated
the young man, wearily. Then Tom gave his horse a
free rein and we followed suit.
Lake Gwinne was a salt-crusted depression in the sand
surface, about five miles distant from the township, and
in a very little frequented vicinity. The so-called track
towards it was nothing more than a winding camel pad
through the bush, and had the miners stopped to think,
they would have at once reaUsed how insufficient was the
data given. With our additional information we were
slightly better off; nevertheless I was not at all inclined
to grow enthusiastic over our chances. The district
mentioned had been very thoroughly prospected many
months before, and with little success. " I think Father
Long has been hoaxed after all," I said to Phil, as we

142 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
crashed through scrub and over ironstone gullies in the
wake of the main body, which we were rapidly overtaking.
But he could not reply ; his horse was clearing the brash
n great bounds, and as it had the bit between its teeth,
my companion evidently had his work cut out for him.
A few yards ahead Tom's great charger kept up a
swinging gallop, and every now and then that jolly
roysterer would turn in the saddle and encourage us by
cheery shouts. We soon passed the men who were
hurrying on foot, but the buggies and the cycles were still in
front. The sand soil throughout was so tightly packed
that it formed an ideal cycle path, but the sparse eucalypti
dotting its surface were dangerous obstacles, and made
careful steering a necessity. The goldfield cyclist,
however, is a reckless individual, and rarely counts the
cost of his adventurousness. Soon we came near to the
cyclist army ; the spokes of their wheels scintillated in
the sunUght as they scudded over the open patches.
But one by one they dropped out, the twisted wheels
showing how they had tried conclusions with flinty
boulders, or coUided with one or other of the numberless
mallee stumps protruding above the ground.
On one occasion Tom gave a warning shout, and I saw
his horse take a flying leap over a struggUng cycUst who
had got mixed up in the parts of his machine. I had
just time to swerve my steed to avoid a calamity, and
then we crashed on again at a mad" gallop, evading the
bicycles as best we could, and sometimes clearing those
which had come to grief at a bound. It was in truth
a wild and desperate race.
When the last of the cyclists had been left behind, and
the swaying, dust-enshrouded buggies and one or two
soUtary horsemen were stiU in front, Tom tumed again.
" Let her go now, bhoys," he said, " there's a clear
field ahead. Whoop la ! Tally ho ! "

THE "SACRED" NUGGET 143
For the remainder of that gaUop I had Uttle time to
view my surroundings ; I dug my heels into " Eeprieve's "
flanks, and he stretched out his long neck and shot
forward like an arrow from the bow. Buggies and mis
cellaneous vehicles were overtaken and left in the rear.
Various horsemen would sometimes range alongside for
a trial of speed, but " Eeprieve " outdistanced them all.
" It's Doyle's ' Eeprieve,' " one of the disgusted riders
cried ; " an' there's ' Satan,' an', fire an' brimstone! here's
Doyle hissel'."
Tom's weight was beginning to tell on his noble
animal, which had given the lead to my horse who
carried the lightest load; but with scarcely a dozen
lengths between us we thundered past the foremost
racing buggy, and were quickly dashing down towards
Lake Gwinne, whose sands now shimmered in the near
distance. We were first in the rush after all.
Suddenly we came upon a recently-excavated shaft
vrith a dismantled vrindlass l}^ng near, and vrith one
accord we drew up and dismounted.
" If this is where the Sacred Nugget came out of, it
looks d  d bad that no one is about," growled Tom,
throwing the reins of his horse over a mulga sapling and
looking around doubtfuUy. It was clearly the vicinity
indicated by Father Long, and we lost no time in
marking off our lots in the direction we considered most
promising. We had barely taken these preliminary
precautions when horsemen and buggies began to arrive
in mixed order, and in a short time the ground all the
way down to the lake was swarming with excited gold-
seekers. " I'm blest if I Uke the look o' things at all, at aU,"
mused Tom, and I was inclined to take a similar view of
matters, for a more barren-looking stretch of country
would have been hard to find. Then, again, by examining

144 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the strata exposed in the abandoned shaft we could form
a fair estimate of the nature of the supposed gold-bearing
formation; and after Phil and I had made a minute
survey of all indications shown, we came to the con-
elusion that our ground, acquired after such a hard ride,
was practically worthless and not likely to repay even the
labour of sinking in it.
The hundreds of others who had pegged out beyond us
were not so quickly convinced, and they announced their
intention of sinking to bedrock if they " busted " in the
attempt. About an hour after our arrival at the Sacred
Nugget Patch, Phil and I started back for the Five-Mile
Flat, satisfied to have taken part in so strange a rush,
yet quite certain that the Sacred Nugget had been un
earthed in some other district, or that the entire concern
had been a stupendous hoax, Tom Doyle decided to
camp on the so-called " Patch " all night, without any
special reason for doing so beyond holding the ground in
case some fool might want to buy it for flotation purposes,
as had been done often before with useless properties.
When we reached home that evening we were tired
indeed, and in spite of ourselves we felt rather disap
pointed at the unsuccessful issue of the much-advertised
stampede. " Ye've had a gran' time," said Mac regretfully, when
Phil told of how he and " Satan " came in first after a
most desperate race.
"I'm glad I didn't go with you," said Bill. "I hope
I can resist temptation in the way o' rushes until I is
ready to sail back homeward."
" It would certainly be better," I allowed, " than to
give up a proved property for a miserable sham."
As it happened, the famous rash had indeed proved but
a worthless demonstration. Not a grain of gold was
discovered near the Sacred Patch ; and after much labour

A Breakdown in the Rush.

THE "SACRED" NUGGET 145
had been expended there, the disgusted miners abandoned
their shafts in a body.
The mystery connected with the alleged nugget was
never explained. Every bank in the Colony denied
having seen it, and its supposed finders did not again
appear on the fields. Father Long must have been
cruelly victimised, of that there was no doubt, for no one
could for a moment believe that he had perjured himself.
He was justly known as a thoroughly honourable man
and a conscientious teacher. Even the most suspicious
mind could not accuse him in any way. And he, the
unfortunate dupe of a pair of unscrupulous rogues, did
not long survive the severe shock given to an already
feeble system. He died some months later, and with
him went the secret, if any, of the Great Sacred Nugget.

11

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND
A FEW weeks after the Sacred Nugget rush had taken
place we lowered our flag at the Five-Mile Flat,
having come to an end of the auriferous workings within
our boundaries. I had meanwhile succeeded in pur
chasing from an Afghan trader two powerful camels and
five horses, with the intention of using them on our
projected inland expedition. The horses, I feared, would
prove of little service, but for the early part of the
journey they might reUeve the camels somewhat by
carrying the various tinned foodstuffs necessary for a long
sojourn in the desert. These " various " stores vary but
little notwithstanding their distinguishing labels, and the
bushman's vocabulary, always expressive, contains for
them a general title, namely, " tinned dog."
Tinned dog and flour are, indeed, the sum total of the
Australian explorer's needs. The traveller in the great
"Never Never" land is not an epicure by any means,
and should he be burdened by over-aesthetic tastes they
quickly vanish when " snake sausage " or " bardie pie "
has appeared on his menu for some days !
Phil had decided to accompany us, and as he had
shared our fortunes since our entry into the country, I
was by no means loath to accept of his services, knowing
him to be a highly trustworthy comrade, and an in
valuable addition to our little party he proved.
It was hard to say goodbye to our old associates of the
us

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND 147
camp fire ; I knew they would not remain much longer
at the same diggings, which were showing signs of
playing out in almost every claim, and it was not likely
we should ever meet again.
Old Tom was much affected; he had been our near
neighbour so long, and under the happiest circumstances
of his wandering life, so he said, and now we were going
back into the "Never Never " country, and would never
see him more. I was not quite certain whether Old
Tom meant that we should most probably leave our
bones in the central deserts, or whether his words were
due to an extreme sentimentalism on his part, but I
preferred to believe the latter.
"We'll call and see you at Adelaide some of these
times, Tom," I said, while Stewart and Mac were
bidding him an affectionate farewell, but he only shook
his head moumfuUy, and would not be comforted.
As for Emu Bill, he had considerable faith in our enter
prise, and would, I believe, have come vrith us had I said
the word. He was, however, a true specimen of the
independent bushman, and unwilling to demonstrate his
wishes. " Durn it all, boys," said he with vigour, " I is not an
old man yet, an' tho' I knows you aire a big enuff party
without me to get through the mallee country, I guess
I'U coast it round to Derby in time to jine you in a
Leopolds trip."
"I thought you were going home after this rise. Bill,"
I said quizzically, not surprised to find his early resolu
tions wavering.
"I'll mebbe see you 'cross the Leopolds first," he
replied gravely. " I calc'late I knows that bit o' kintry
better'n any white man."
" Goodbye, boys," roared Nuggety Dick and his satel
lites, waving their shovels from their distant claims, and

148 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the echoes were taken up from end to end of the lead, for
where I was wholly unknown Mac and Stewart had
endeared themselves by devices peculiar to that crafty
pair. It was pleasant to receive such a genial send-off,
and though I am not as a rule affected by farewell greet
ings, yet on this occasion I felt strangely moved. The
camels and horses stood ready, laden vrith the great
water-bags and unwieldy mining machinery, and Phil
was stroking the mane of one of the horses in. Ustless
fashion. " It's a fairly long trip for you to start on, Phil," I
said, noting the far-away expression on his usually bright
face. " I was thinking of other things," he answered quietly.
" Gee up. Misery ! " cried Mao, cracking his long whip.
" Gee up. Slavery ! " echoed Stewart. And we started
out, heading N.N.E., bound for the land where the
pelican buUds its nest.
For the first few miles we crossed the gridiron-like
tracks connecting the numerous camps and settlements
lying out from the main township of KalgoorUe ; but soon
these signs of civilisation vanished, and in the early after
noon our course lay over a wildering scrubland, with
iron-shot sand-patches here and there among the stunted
shrabs. The camels, which we had named "Slavery"
and "Misery," led the traU. They were, indeed, wiry
animals, and as I paced beside them, noting their almost
ludicrously leisurely tread, I could not help remarking on
the vast amount of latent power indicated in every move
ment of their rubber-like bodies. " Slavery" was apatient
and gentle animal, and marched along meekly under his
load of full seven hundred pounds, but "Misery" soon
displayed a somewhat fiery temper, and before our first
day's journey was completed we were compelled to adopt
stern measures with the recalcitrant brute.

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND 149
The horses formed a sad-looking line behind the sturdier
beasts of burden, and they would cheerfully have forced
along at a speedier rate than the progress of the camels
allowed. Among them were two high-spirited animals,
which we named " Sir John " and " Eeprieve," while the
three others we dubbed simply "Sin," "Sand," and
" Sorrow." We camped that evening just twelve miles from our
starting-point, and yet it seemed as if we were already
beyond the reach of civilisation. Not a trace of a white
man's presence was visible anywhere, and for the first
night we missed the crashing rattle of the ever-working
batteries. A deathlike stillness filled the air, broken only
by the startled scream of the carrion crow or the weird
double note of the mopoke.
" There's any amount of room for prospecting here,"
hazarded Phil, gazing around, after the horses and camels
had been safely picketed. Which was true; yet who could
have the heart to sink a proving shaft amid such inhospit
able surroundings ?
" If we locate an outcrop, boys," I said, " we may trace
it up, but otherwise we can only test the surface sands
with the dryblower."
It was but vaguely known what kind of country lay far
to eastward of us. Many thousands of square miles had
never been crossed by any traveller, and strange rumours
were often circulated among the miners of the various
outposts regarding the extraordinary riches of the vast
"Never Never" land. It was even predicted that a
great iiUand river flowed northwards towards the Gulf
of Carpentaria ; how far it flowed before sinking in the
arid sands was a matter for conjecture, but it was
confidently supposed to drain fertile valleys, and to be
flanked by noble mountain ranges rich in gold and
precious gems. It was a rosy enough picture, surely, but

150 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
one which, unfortunately, no explorer had yet succeeded
in bearing out.
"It's a gran' thing," said Mac thoughtfully, when
supper was over, and we were reclining on our blankets
gazing at the stars, and listening to the tinkling of the
camel beUs. "It's a vera gran' thing," he repeated, "tae
be alane aince mair, an' wi' the bonnie stars shinin'
brichtly abune  "
" Here's a centipede ! " roared Stewart, interrupting
his comrade's moralising.
" Then pit it in yer pocket, ma man," was the calm
reply; and he resumed where he had left off: "Ay, it's
a gran' thing, Phil, tae ken that ye're traiveUin' in new
country, breathin' the bonnie pure air. Noo if ye had
been wi' me an' Stewart oot in Alaskie  "
" Spin me a yam, Mac," said Phil, dravring his blanket
closer, while Stewart started up in sheer amazement.
Mac was visibly affected ; he took his pipe from his
mouth and gazed at the camp fire blankly for some time
vrithout speaking. "Ye're a guid an' thochtfu' man,
Phil," he said at length with great earnestness, " an' A'U
gie ye a rale bonnie story. ..."
I will pass but briefly over the early days of our march.
Our track at first led through the Murchison district, for
I vrished to make a nud-northerly latitude before steering
east; but after leaving the Gascoyne Channel the country
traversed was of the most dreary nature, and similar to
that around the more desolate southern gold camps.
Several soaks were found opportunely when the water-
bags were becoming dangerously flat, and our progress
continued uneventfully for over a week, but then the
formation of the land-surface began to change rapidly
for the worse. The dwarfed eucalypti became sparser
and sparser, and in their room appeared bushy clumps of
saltbush and tufts of spiky spinifex grass. The hard

Our Last View of the Five-Mile Working

To face page 150.

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND 151
ironsand soil, too, gave place to a white yielding gravel
which hindered our advance greatly. The camels, cer
tainly, were not seriously inconvenienced, but the
staggering horses sank over the fetlocks at each step,
and stumbled forward painfully, while we floundered
alongside, almost blinded by the rising iron dust which
filled our ears and nostrils.
For two days we crossed this disheartening waste,
fearing greatly for the safety of the horses, which showed
signs of collapse. No water had been located for three
days before entering upon this miserable tract, and
assuredly none promised on its parched expanse. The
horses — poor animals! — fared rather ill in consequence,
for we dared not give them much of our rapidly-
diminishing fluid supply. On the morning of the third
day, however, our course led across slightly-improved
country, so that better progress was made, and our
chances of finding water were decidedly more en
couraging. At noon we entered a belt of scrub, and soon were
crashing through a miniature forest of stunted mallee ;
but this state of affairs was not destined to last, for we
could see in the distance, at a slightly higher altitude, the
open plain extending back into the horizon. At this
point Phil considered the indications very favourable for
water, and we decided to make a temporary camp, and
search the district thoroughly before proceeding. We
were preparing to unload the camels, when Stewart, who
had gone a Uttle way ahead, came rushing back in great
excitement. " Niggers 1 " he hoarsely whispered. Look
ing up I saw quite an assembly of stalwart bucks directly
in our course, and scarcely two hundred yards in front.
Some bushes partially hid them from our view, and they
had evidently not yet observed us. They were well
equipped with spears and waddies ; probably they were

162 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
out on a hunting expedition, and, if so, it boded well
for the resources of the district.
While we hesitated, debating on our best plan of action,
they saw us, and gave vent to a series of shrill yells, yet
were apparently undecided whether to resent our presence
or escape while they might. Then a shower of spears
whizzed through the air, but fell short, and buried their
heads in the sand at our feet. We were just out of
range of these missiles, luckily enough. My companions
were not disposed to tolerate such tactics, and Mac dis
charged his gun, loaded with small shot, at the hostile
band. They waited no longer, but made a wild rush
into the densest part of the scrub, and were quickly lost
to sight. Then we proceeded onwards warily, whilst far
in the distance the branches crackled and broke before
the fleeing horde. The scene of their stand was littered
with fragments of brushwood, and the dying embers of a
fire smouldered in the centre of a small clearing close by.
All around, shields, spears, and boomerangs lay scattered
as they had been thrown when their owners took to flight.
The sight was curiously strange and impressive.
My usually loquacious companions had been wonder-
fuUy silent during the last day or so, owing, perhaps, to
the uninspiring nature of our environment, but now Mac
succeeded in launching into a lengthy diatribe, in which
he consigned the blacks generally to a very warm climate
indeed. " At the same time," said he, " we shidna forget that
such inceedents serve a vera usefu' purpose."
" They seemed rale dacent black buddies," reflectively
murmured Stewart.
" And they entertained the laudable desire of puncturing
us vrith ' rale dacent ' spears," Phil added shortly.
The camels stood patiently within the clearing, with
their long necks outstretched, and their heads moving up

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND 153
and down vrith the regularity of automatons ; the horses
straggled behind, gasping feebly.
" We'd better make a halt right here, boys," I said ;
"the horses seem played out completely." So while
Mac and Stewart were engaged in the work of unloading
them, Phil and I made a minute survey of our surround
ings. A huge breakvrind guarded the circular space, and
behind it a well-padded track led backwards into a richly-
foliaged dell. Creeping plants and luxurious ferns grew
in profession around the base of a single lime-tree which
found root in the hoUow, and a long wiry kind of grass
flourished abundantly under its genial shade.
" I'll investigate the cause of such unusual vegetation,"
Phil said, stepping forward.
" Look out for snakes," I warned ; then turned to
assist Mac in raising poor "Sorrow," who had rolled over
on the ground, pack-saddle and all.
" The puir beastie's feenished," Mac said sorrowfully,
" an' nae wunner."
" Here's anither ane," wailed Stewart, and I looked up
to see him vrildly endeavouring to keep " Sin " from
faUing on the top of sundry cooking utensils. It was
plain that two at least of the horses could go no further
if fortune did not speedily favour us.
"This is the deevil's ain countrie," groaned Mac help
lessly, and for the moment I felt utterly disheartened as
I watched the poor animals convulsively gasping on the
sand. A shout from Phil drew my attention. " There's a
spring here, boys," he cried gleefully from the lime-tree
hollow. It was a welcome discovery ; I had almost despaired of
finding water in the vicinity. " We'll camp for the day,"
I said, " and give our pack train a much-needed rest."
The spring was a small one and beautifully clear ; its

154 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
waters gurgled gently through a fissure in a white kaolin
formation, and the surplus flow was absorbed by the spread
ing roots of the climbing growths mentioned. It was half
hidden by an outjutting boulder, and further cunningly
screened from view by a heavy clump of overhanging
grass. Evidently the blacks were in the habit of camp
ing here frequently ; the breakvrind might have been
erected for one night's shelter, but the track towards the
well had been long in use.
" I hope our landlords do not visit us to-night," Phil
remarked, as we gazed at each other through the smoke
of our camp fire some little time later,
" It wud be a vera onfort'nate happenin'," Mac granted
placidly, drawing his gun closer.
"They're mebbe cannibals," suggested Stewart un
easily. " We'll keep a watch in case of accident," I said ; " but
I don't expect they'll give us any trouble."
But Stewart was stiU uneasy. " Their spears ha' an
ex-tra-or'-nar' bluid-thirsty look," he grumbled again,
examining the double-barbed weapons he had collected,
"an' I hae nae faith whitever in they black-skinned
heathen." However, the night passed without alarm, though we
kept a careful watch and were ready for an attack should
any have been attempted.
We continued our march next morning, and in less
than half an hour had emerged into open country, but
now the surface soil was of a hard, gravelly nature,
liberally strewn with the iron pebbles so abundant in
more southerly latitudes. Straggling growths of mallee
and mulga spread everywhere, and at their roots reptiles
and numberless nameless pests seemed to abide. Black
snakes writhed across our path, centipedes squirmed over
our boots, iguanas in myriads started before our approach.

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND 155
and flying creatures with hard, scaly vrings rose from the
shadeless branches and dashed into our faces. Flies in
dense clouds assailed us, causing indescribable torture,
and the diminutive sand insect was also extremely active,
seeking into our socks and ragged clothing despite our
most stringent precautions.
For over a week we journeyed across this dreary
wilderness, nor did we once observe a break in the
horizon's even curve ; the weather, meanwhile, being of
sweltering description. Then a dim haze towards the
north-east gradually outlined into a well-defined moun
tain range as we advanced, and the country in general
took on a more irregular appearance. We were now
nearing the line of the explorer Wells's northward
march, and I altered our course sUghtly in order to inter
sect it at a point where a good water supply was charted,
for four days had elapsed since we had last discovered any
trace of moisture.
AU that day we forced onwards wearily, the sun
beating down upon us mercilessly the while. No more
desolate tract could be imagined than that which lies in
these latitudes : the motionless mallee and mulga shrubs,
the gUstening beady surface over which we dragged our
feet, the quivering heat haze that so distorted our vision,
and the solemn stillness — the awful stillness of a tomb
— aU tended to overwhelm the mind. A broken range of
sandstone hills loomed clearly out of the haze early in
the afternoon, directly in our track, and I again shifted
the course so as to round their southern extremity.
Towards the south the sand wastes extended far as the
eye could reach, but east and north many mouldering
peaks now interrupted our view.
We found the spring vrithout difficulty; it contained
about forty gallons of muddy water, over which a thick
green scum had gathered, and it was simply moving with

156 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
animal life. Many bones of doubtful origin lay heaped
near to it ; some were probably the remains of kangaroos
killed by the natives, of whom there were numerous
signs in the neighbourhood, but Phil insisted that not a
few human bones were among the bleaching mass. At
the bottom of the spring the complete vertebrse of several
snakes and similar reptiles almost wholly covered the
chalky, impervious base, but how these came to be there
was a matter beyond my comprehension.
"Most probably," said Phil, "the natives Uke a snaky
flavour in the water."
" It mak's it extra paleetable tae them, nae doot,"
groaned Mac with a shudder, " but I hae nae parshiaUty
fur crawly bastes, even when they're deid."
Stewart had by this time acquired a philosophical turn
of mind. "What's the guid o' growlin', Mac?" he
snorted. " There's mebbe waur than that tae come yet."
That we were in a district favoured by the blacks was
very certain, although we had not yet observed any of
the dusky savages ; three or four breakwinds sheltered a
space close to the spring, and the ground was black vrith
burnt-out smokes and charred logs. The water, notwith
standing its pronounced medicinal flavour, was a great
improvement on the fetid solutions of the various soaks
we had encountered, and we decided to camp by it for
several days, so as to test the auriferous resources of the
surface sands, which looked rather promising, and also to
give us time to make some much-needed repairs in our
tattered wardrobe.
The results of our experiments with the supposed
auriferous country proved too insignificant for more than
a passing mention here. A few colours were obtained,
but nothing to give confidence to even the most unam
bitious goldseeker. Eather disconsolately we prepared
to resume our march in a more N.E. direction, and three

INTO THE "NEVER NEVER" LAND 157
days later we started on our altered course. The eternal
sameness of things in the Australian interior makes daily
records of progress unentertaining reading, and though
each day's travel comes back to my mind now as I write
vrith painful vividness, yet it but cries out in the same
strain as its predecessor and follower, " Sand, sand,
everlasting sand."
For many miserable days and weeks we struggled
eastward, sometimes deviating to the north or south in
vain endeavour to escape unusually deterrent belts of the
frightful wastes now so familiar to us all.
Sometimes we would locate a soak or claypan when
least expecting such a find, and again, we might be
reduced to almost certain disaster before the water-bags
were replenished at some providential mudhole in our
course. I do not vrish to enlarge upon the miseries of
our journeyings ; we took these vrillingly on ourselves at
the start, hoping for a compensating reward in the shape
of valuable knowledge ; and is not experience always
priceless ? Knowledge we did gain, it is true, but not of
the kind we had over-fondly anticipated ; still, we had
not yet reached the planned limit of our expedition, and
who knew what might await us in the dim, shadowy
mountain that stretched its cumbering height far on the
eastem horizon?
We had sighted this landmark nearly a week before,
but having been more than usually zealous in our search
for the precious metal among the outcropping iron forma
tions now frequently encountered, our rate of travel had
been reduced to a few mUes each day. Two of the
horses were still left us; the last of the ill-fated three
had succumbed from sheer exhaustion nearly fifty miles
back, but " Sir John " and " Eeprieve," though no longer
the high-spirited animals they once were, still carried
their jolting burdens of tinned meats, flour, and extracts.

158 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
though their steps were daily becoming weaker, and
their bright eyes clouding in a manner that foretold the
worst. The camels stubbornly paced ahead, with the
great water-bags tantalisingly lapping their tough hides,
and the miscellaneous mining implements perched on
their hollow backs ; they had already served us weU and
nobly, and I devoutly hoped their vast energies would
bear them over the worst that lay before us.

Taking our Position.

To face page 159.

EL DORADO!
WE were now close on the 125th degree of longitude,
which I had marked as the limit of our eastward
course, and my faith in more northerly latitudes was so
Uttle, indeed, that I dreaded making any change in our
direction of travel,
"If we don't strike gold within the next couple of
days," said Phil, " there isn't much UkeUhood of our
being overburdened with wealth at the end of the
trip." Mac, who was pulUng the nose rope of the leading
camel, at once lifted up his voice in protest.
" For Heaven's sake be mair pleasant wi' yer remarks,
Phil," he cried. " I was calculatin' on goin' home like a
young millionaire  "
"You'U need to calculate again, then, Mac," inter
rupted PhU, " for I don't think we'll get a red cent out
of the ground on this journey."
But the complainer was not yet satisfied.
"What's the guid o' bein' a golologist?" he demanded
wrathfully. "I thocht  "
What he thought remained unspoken, for at that
moment we heard a scramble behind, and looking round
we saw the doughty Mac and his compatriot Stewart
engaged in fierce conflict.
"I saw it first, ye red-heided baboon," roared the
former, with remarkable fluency of expression.
169

160 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" The fact o' seeing it is naething — ^naething at a',"
returned the other vrith great complacency. " It's
sufficient to say that I hae got it."
The camels, feeling the strain of guidance relaxed, had
come to a halt, and were now seemingly taking an
interest in the squabble. It was a rare thing for them to
be left to their own devices, even for a moment. Time
is precious when crossing these vast salt tracts, and mid
day stoppages in the blazing sun are dangerous.
" What are you two qnarreUing about now ? " I asked
stemly, feeling in no gentle mood with the hinderers.
Mac's face assumed an intensely aggrieved expression,
but he held his peace, and Stewart calmly displayed a
small rounded pebble between his finger and thumb,
announcing blandly that it alone was the cause of the
disturbance. "It's a bonnie stane," said he, gazing at his treasure
admiringly. " An' it's mine by richt," howled Mac.
I was about to lecture the pair strongly on their foolish
behaviour over what I supposed to be an ordinary frag
ment of white quartz, when Phil uttered an exclamation,
and, rushing back, snatched the pebble from Stewart's
hand and proceeded to examine it closely. So eager was
his scrutiny that in a moment we were clustered round
him, awaiting his verdict with extreme interest.
" What do you make of it ? " said he at length, handing
the stone to me.
"Weather-worn quartz," I replied promptly. He
shook his head.
" We'll work it out in specific gravity later," he said,
with the air of one who was sure of his ground ; " but I
will bet you this half of a shirt I am wearing that it's a
genuine ruby, and there must be more of them in the
vicinity."

EL DORADO! 161
" Hurroo ! " yelled Mac and Stewart in unison, pranc
ing around delightedly, and for the moment Phil's
delinquencies were forgotten in the tribute of praise that
my worthy henchmen generously accorded the " gololo
gist." They ended by making him a present of the
fateful gem, though Mac somewhat spoilt the effect of
the gift by soliloquising rather loudly —
"It'U be well to propeetiate the golologist, Stewart,
my man, for he's nae sae stupid as he looks, efter a'."
Soon after we renewed our march, much uplifted at
the thought of acquiring treasure even more valuable
than gold ; but though we kept a sharp look-out on the
ground surface, the early afternoon passed vrithout any
further coloured pebbles being discovered, whereat Mac
again commenced to revile the country with his
customary eloquence.
"That ruby vris a delooshun," he asserted stoutly.
" Some o' the El Dorado fairies must ha'e put it there on
purpose to deceive us, an' noo they'll be having grand
fun at oor expense."
"Hustle along old Misery, and don't moraUse," I
interjected hastily.
"Moralise?" he echoed. "Me moraUse? No vera
Ukely. I never dae such a thing. Gee up, Meesery, an'
stop winkin' at me this meenit."
But the mention of El Dorado had aroused in Stewart
a strain of recollection, and as he paced beside his cum
brous charge he made several ineffectual attempts to
recite some ancient verses as learned in the days of
his youth.
" I canna mind the poetry o' it," he broke out at last,
"but the story was real bonnie; it telt hoo a warrior
went out to seek for El Dorado, and — and  " Then
his memory came back to him, and he chanted out
dismally — 12

162 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"And as his strength
Failed him at length.
He met a pilgrim shadow.
' Shadow,' said he,
'Where can it be.
This land of El Dorado ? '
' Over the movmtaias
Of the moon,
Down the valley of the Shadow,
Bide, boldly ride,'
The Shade replied,
• If you seek for El Dorado,' "
" Which is," grunted Mac, " which is, metaphorically
speaking, preceesely what we are doing. Gee up,
Meesery, and dinna look sae weary-like."
" Our specimen must have been shed from that moun
tain," I repeated, when we lay down in our blankets
at night.
The moming dawned clear and beautifully calm. The
sky was cloudless, save where in the east a billoviry sea
of gold marked where the sun had risen. The leafless
branches of the mulga shrubs grovring near quivered in
the rising rays, and the long sand-track ahead sparkled
as the waters of a gilded ocean. But now, through the
dispelling haze the firm outline of a precipitous mountain
became clearly visible only a few miles ahead. In our
eager search on the preceding afternoon we had not
observed the nearness of the welcome sentinel, or prob
ably it was that the darkening sky in the early evening
had shut it from our view. There was certainly no doubt
about its presence now, and we hailed it right gladly as
we watched it loom out of the dissolving mists.
"It's mebbe a mirage," suggested Stewart apprehen
sively. "Nary miradge," retorted Mac; "it's El Dorado,
that's what it is. Just what we were looking for."

EL DORADO! 163
Five minutes later I was ogling the sun with my
sextant, while Phil stood by with the trasty chronometer
in his hand to note the time of my observations.
"125 degrees 17 minutes east longitude," he an
nounced, after a rough calculation, "which makes the
mountain about ten miles off."
" ' Shadow,' said he,
'Whaur can it be.
This land o' El Dorado?'"
Stewart trolled out lustily as he set about the prepara
tion of the morning meal. About eight o'clock we were
ready to start, which showed unusual alacrity in our
movements. The camels, too, seemed imbued with fresh
Ufe, and allowed themselves to be loaded without their
customary protests.
" I've never seen Meesery sae tractable," Mac said in
amazement, patting the trembling nostrils of the leading
camel. " I wonder what's gaun to happen ? "
" We're all ready," sung out Phil blithely, and I gave
the usual signal for the advance.
" Gee up, Meesery," grunted Mac.
" Aince mair. Slavery," implored Stewart, and we set
out for the mountain at an unusually lively pace. The
forenoon passed without event, and so speedy had been
our progress that our midday halt was made amongst the
straggling timber belt which feathered the base of the
mountain. We lost no time in making ready for the ascent,
and within an hour after our arrival we had hobbled the
camels and were starting out on our journey of discovery.
For the first half-hour we made fairly good headway
through the straggling belt of eucalypti covering the
lower slopes, then we emerged on a treeless, boulder-
strewn expanse, on which the sun scintillated with
burning intensity. Over this scorched area we clambered

164 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
as best we could. The sharp rubble cut through our
boots, and the gUstening rocks, hot as a fiery furnace,
bumt our clutching hands. Our mountain exploration
was surely becoming less of a picnic than we had antici
pated. Directly above, a solid mass of basalt reared its
head, gaunt and bare, but when we came to the edge of
the glass-like cap, we hesitated — we might as well have
attempted to cross a field of molten metal. From this
point various dry channels tore down the face of the hill,
radiating outwards into the plain. They were so sUted
up with rock fragments and ironsand as to be scarcely
perceptible, but PhU's trained eye at once noted their
significance, "Ages ago," said he, "those gullies were filled with
rashmg torrents, which goes to prove that a crater lake
existed on the top of the mountain."
He walked over to one of the ancient beds and scraped
among the drift of black sand conglomeration. At once
several water-worn specimens of quartzite were un
covered, and of these over fifty per cent, bore the
characteristic markings of the ruby.
" FiU your pockets with these, Mac," he said quietly,
"They should be worth considerably more than their
weight in gold."
Prolonged travelling in Western Australia does not
tend to develop enthusiasm, and the extraordinary find
so unexpectedly made was greeted by no extravagant
manifestations of delight. Belief rather than joy was
ours at that moment, for in one important sense at least
our quest seemed surely ended.
" If we can find water in the vicinity we'll camp at the
foot of the hill for a few days, boys," I announced with
much satisfaction. " Meanwhile we had better explore a
little further, and see what the country looks like from
the summit,"

EL DORADO I 165
But Mac and Stewart were already busily engaged
collecting specimens, which they stowed in every nook
and corner of their ragged garments.
" Come along, you gloating misers ! " cried Phil, as he
and I started to negotiate the last stiff climb.
"There's nae time like the present," growled Mac
oracularly, pursuing his congenial task vrith supreme
content. " I'm o' the same opeenion," spluttered Stewart, who
had turned his mouth into a receptacle for the finest
gems in his collection. So we crawled over the smooth
climaxing dome alone. Our surprise was great when on
reaching the top we found ourselves on the edge of a
small circular area that depressed ever so slightly towards
the centre, providing a space which looked remarkably
like an ordinary circus ring. This impression was much
heightened by the fact that a well-marked path seemed
to have been wom around the periphery; but through
what agency this had been done I could not well imagine.
We stood surveying the odd arena, filled with wonder.
" It is one of Nature's strange tricks," I said, after a
considerable silence.
Phil looked doubtful, but he did not speak. Then we
made a further discovery. The saucer-shaped hollow was
graven out of a soUd lava formation, but exactly over the
point of its deepest dip several crumbling branches lay
strewn. Of a certainty they had not come there of their
own accord, and at once we were overwhelmed with dire
misgivings, "It means that there are some native tribes in the
neighbourhood," said Phil, watching me kick aside the
branches with much interest. What we saw then did
not add to our bevrilderment, for we had already partly
guessed the significance of the peculiar arrangement.
Under the layer of brush, a narrow, funnel-like shaft had

166 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
been hid, which apparently descended into the heart of
the mouldering desert sentinel, but why this hole had
been covered was more than we cOlild understand.
While we stood in silent contemplation of the remarkable
state of affairs disclosed, our energetic companions, having
marvelled at our long absence, swarmed up beside us,
breathing heavily.
" Nebuchadnezzar's fumace wouldna be in the same
street wi' that biler," began Mac, patting his scantily-
covered knees vrith tender solicitude.
" I smell nigger," howled Stewart, taking in the scene
at a glance.
" That's aye what happens when A come oot withoot
my gun," sorrowfully muttered the first arrival, moving
over to the narrow crater mouth and peering into the
darkness with studied nonchalance.
It so happened, however, that the loose pockets of his
flimsy upper garment were fiUed to overflowing with
cherished specimens, and the half-kneeling attitude
which he assumed allowed them to escape in a copious
stream, so that they fell down into the depths. With a
bellow of rage he drew back, but not before the bulk of
his treasure had disappeared ; then the air was filled with
the fulness of his wrath, and sulphurous expressions loud
and deep were hurled into the Stygian gloom.
" Calm yersel', Mac — calm yersel'," adjured Stewart
soothingly, " Calm be d  d ! " roared the afflicted one. " Hoo
am I goin' to get back my rabies ? "
This was a point which seemed unanswerable.
"You'll get more to-morrow, Mac," I said, "but
we'll have to return to the camels now, in case the
natives get a hold of them before we have time to take
precautions," He remained unappeased, however.

EL DORADO! 167
" We'U mebbe hae to flee for oor lives afore morning,"
he protested gloomily. " It's no the first time we've had
to strike camp in a hurry."
As he spoke he unwound from his waist a long coil of
rope which he usually carried in case of emergency, and,
with dogged determination, proceeded to sound the depths
of the well.
" You'd better let me gang," advised Stewart, guessing
his companion's intentions before they had been uttered ;
" I'm no sae bulky as you, an'  "
He got no further.
"Mak' nae mair allooshuns," came the answer, with a
chilling dignity. " I'll engineer this funeral mysel'."
HastUy fastening a fragment of rock to the end of the
rope, he dropped it into the narrow orifice and carefully
noted the length of line ran out. All this time Phil and
I had made little comment, never expecting that any
satisfactory bottom would be found ; but great was our
STlrprise to see the rope become stationary when little
over twenty feet had been paid out.
" I'm really anxious to know what is at the bottom of
that hole, Mac," said Phil ; " but I hope you don't find a
nice fat, healthy crocodile awaiting you  "
" Haud the end o' the rope, Phil, an' dinna speechify,"
broke out the harassed Mac impatiently ; and he wriggled
his somewhat substantial form into the vertical channel
until his arms alone saved him from faUing down
'altogether, "It's a — a tight fit," he grumbled, with diminishing
enthusiasm. "Noo haud on tight, ye deevils; haud
on — haud on ! "
His voice rumbled up dolorously to our ears as we
lowered him gently into the mysterious pit, until, when
the lower depths were reached, the rocky vault seemed
to tremble with vague echoes. Suddenly the strain on

168 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the rope was relaxed, and we waited expectantly for
tidings from the adventurer,
"It's vera dark doon here," came the ghost-like voice
from the underground. "I think — I think I'll come
up  "
" What sort of bottom have you got, Mac ? " I shouted.
" Try and fetch up a specimen."
A few more inconsequent remarks issued from the pit
mouth, then we could see the dull gUmmer of a match
far below. Almost immediately after a jubilant yell of
triumph swelled up to the surface.
"I've got them! I've got them!" he cried, "An'
there's gold quartz here, foreby," Then came a crash,
a ramble, and a dull, heavy splash, and we on the surface
gazed on each other in dismay.
" Let me doon ! Let me doon ! " wailed Stewart.
" Something serious has happened to Mac. Haud on
to the rope," He let himself into the narrow aperture
with unwonted agility, and, with an unspeakable fear in
our hearts, Phil and I commenced to pay out the rope.
" Wha the— who the  Wha's blockin' the Ucht ? "
bellowed a well-known voice from the bowels of the earth,
which had the effect of ejecting Stewart into the outer air
with a celerity astonishing to behold. Then we breathed
again. Apparently some ledge had first intercepted our sound
ing-line, and also provided a precarious foothold for our
valiant associate ; but that the true bottom had now been
reached there was little room for doubt.
"I might have guessed before," said Phil, "that the
crater would have an impervious base, and so retain any
rain that might be collected."
Judging by the snorts and puffs emitted by the indi
vidual who was in a position to know, the shaft must
have held a fair amount of liquid contents.

EL DORADO! 169
" Haul on the rope, for heaven's sake ! " spluttered
he, "This water would pushion a nigger. Haul me
up quick! There's snakes an' wee crocodiles tickUng
me!" In haste we endeavoured to obey his beseeching call,
but the sodden cord was not equal to the strain, and
twice the strands snapped before our comrade's bulk was
raised from the water.
"We'd better double the line, boys," I said. "Mac
must have increased in weight during his sojourn below."
The unfortunate victim of his own prowess groaned
lugubriously from his dank and dark prison, but found
time between his grumbling to curse right heartily the
various denizens of his watery environment.
"Be patient, Mac, be patient," counselled Stewart,
rearranging the haulage system. " Scientific exploration
is not vrithout its drawbacks, as you should well ken by
this time." He continued addressing choice words of
vrisdom to his helpless compatriot while he deftly spliced
the rope. During this lull in operations I chanced to
look abroad over the sweltering plain, and at once my
eyes detected the curling " smokes " of a native camp.
We had been too busily engrossed with other matters
since our arrival on the hill-top to observe the landscape
on the east, and now the nearness of a possible hostile
band appalled me. Our rifles had been left in camp, and
I only carried a revolver.
" By Jove ! " said Phil, " we are- going to be in a fix."
Then a shout of alarm broke from him : " There's about
a dozen of the ugliest bucks I ever saw coming right up
the hill," he said feebly. I followed his gaze, and, sure
enough, I could see a number of hideously-scarred and
feather-bedecked warriors making their way through the
scraggy brushwood, scarcely a hundred yards from where
we stood. With frantic haste, we again endeavoured to

170 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
rescue our companion from his awkward predicament,
but fate was surely against us. We had with our com
bined efforts raised him only a few feet when the rope
came in contact with the broken ledge, and the strands
parted like so many straws, so that Mac was once more
precipitated back into the slimy waters. Our plans had
now to be made quickly.
" Go down to the camp, Stewart," I said, " and fetch a
camel pack-rope and my rifle. Phil and I will make the
best of things till you come back." Forgetful alike of the
burning rock and the sharp-edged rubble, he sUd dovm
the smooth declivity, and made a wild burst for the foot
of the hill. Almost immediately the many-barbed spears
of the aborigines bore into view from the opposite side of
the dome, and we laid ourselves flat on the curving wall
and breathlessly waited events. Slowly a weird proces
sion filed on to the elevated platform, and continued a
solemn march around the well-trod channel which had
flrst claimed our attention. Bound and round they
circled, clashing their spears and shields, and swaying
their lithe black bodies drunken-like. Then suddenly
they broke out into a dismal chant, and quickened their
step into a half-run, ludicrous to behold. It was soon
evident to us that the warrior band had not come to level
their spears against us ; they never once glanced in our
direction. Their gaze was apparently fixed on the
ancient crater in which Mac lay entombed. They had
come to worship the great spirit Wangul, the dreaded
"Dweller in the Waters."
The denouement of this interesting ceremonial was
rapid and unexpected. Just when the reeling warriors
had ceased their vocal exercise from sheer want of
breath, when the ensuing silence was broken only by
the pattering of many feet on the sun-baked lava, a
hoarse voice thundered up from subterranean caverns.

EL DORADO! 171
and at the sound the poor nomads halted in their mad
career, and gazed at each other terror-stricken,
" Babba, Wangul, Moori ! " they cried shrilly, " Babba,
Wangul, Moori ! " (" The Water God speaks "), Again a
sonorous echo reverberated up from the heart of the
mountain, completing their demoralisation. A moment
they hesitated, then, dashing their warlike arms to the
ground, and tearing the feathers from their hair, they
fled madly back whence they had come. Phil gave a
gasp of reUef, and I felt thankful beyond expression.
Then we quickly made our way through the litter of
discarded weapons towards the Wangul's home. The
words that floated to our ears when we gazed into
the depths were sulphurous in the extreme. Poor
Mac could not understand why he had been so ruth
lessly neglected, and his complaints were deep and
eloquent. " Stewart, ye red-heided deevil, are ye goin' to pu'
me oot, or are ye no ? " he howled in righteous indig
nation, and I was glad that the individual named, who
just then came swarming over the rocks, puffing tem
pestuously, had not heard the fervent malediction
bestowed upon his faithful person. He approached laden
vrith the whole armoury of the expedition, the perspi
ration streaming from his face, and his gaunt frame
trembling visibly.
" I thought ye had been all slauchtered," he muttered,
subsiding behind his equipment, " an' I wis goin' to hae
revenge." With the aid of the stout camel-ropes we soon raised
our dripping comrade to the surface. As he approached
the light of day I noticed that his rugged old face bore a
distinctly grim expression, as if he was of the opinion
that we had been having a huge joke at his expense ; but
when he heard of what had occurred, and the part he had

172 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
unwittingly played in the ceremonial, resentment gave
place to mirth, and he laughed uproariously.
"An' here's the rubies, Stewart, my man," he said,
extractifag the precious stones from some secret corner of
his bedraggled wardrobe ; " I got them safe efter a', and
you shall have the finest ane o' the collection for yer
maist splendifferous efforts on my behalf."
Soon after we retumed to camp, but it was many days
later when we said goodbye to the lonely mountain
which Mac persisted in misnaming El Dorado.

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WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS ITS
NEST
THEEE is little need to recount the monotonous
details of my log-book for the many weeks that
ensued. The same description applies to nearly all the
vast interior country, and we straggled over ironshot
sand-plains and through scraggy brushwood belts, with
rarely a diversion in the landscape to gladden our weary
eyes. The sun shines on no more desolate or dreary
country than this great " Never Never " land of Australia,
whose grim deserts have claimed many a victim to the
cause of knowledge. The explorer's life amid the deadly
solitudes is not one of many pleasures. Eather do
unpleasant possibilities for ever obtrude upon his jaded
brain imtil he is well-nigh distraught, or at least reduced
to a morbid state of melancholy in keeping vrith his
miserable surroundings. Little wonder, therefore, that
disaster so often attends the traveller in these lonely
lands. The strongest vrill becomes weakened by the
insidious influences of the country, and the most buoyant
spirit is quickly dulled. All Nature seems to conspire
against him. The stunted mallee and mulga shrabs
afford no welcome shade; they dot the sand-wastes in
endless even growths, and the eye is wearied by their
everlasting motionless presence. The saltbush clumps
and spinifex patches conceal hideous reptiles. Snakes
173

174 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
and centipedes crawl across the track; scaly lizards,
venomous scorpions, ungainly bungarrows, and a host
of nameless pests, are always near to torture and dis
tract. Even the birds are imbued with a solemnity
profound that adds still more to the plenteous cares
that already overwhelm the wanderer in the silent bush-
land. The pelican stands owlishly in his path as if to
guard from intrusion its undiscovered home ; the horrible
carrion crow with its demoraUsing croak is for ever cir
cling overhead ; and the mopoke's dull monotone is as a
calling from a shadowy world.
These various influences were not without their effect
upon my Uttle party, and we became strangely silent as
we kept up our dogged march of fifteen miles each day ;
and when danger threatened, as it did on more than one
occasion, we almost viewed our approaching fate with
indifference, so sodden had our mental faculties become.
Eleven days after leaving the mountain, our last horse,
" Sir John," dropped quietly to the ground, utterly ex
hausted, and at once the air was filled with screaming
crows, and flies in thousands began to settle on the dying
animal's heaving flank, and crowded into his ears and
nostrils. I ended the poor brute's agony vrith a revolver
shot, and again old " Slavery" received additional burden;
then we hastened onwards, not daring to look back.
We were now many hundreds of miles from any out
post settlement, and with only two camels between us
and — eternity. Yet these ponderous animals bore up
bravely, seldom showing signs of weakness even when
crossing the most dismally arid wastes, and their slow
but sure movement raised our drooping spirits when our
circling crow convoy became suggestively daring, I
made a course due north, determined to intersect any
promising country that might intervene in the middle
latitudes, but so far our changed route had led us fuU

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 175
three hundred miles over the most barren-looking desert
that could possibly be imagined.
Only once did we observe natives, and that was when
under the 23rd Parallel, in a scrubby country offering the
only inducement to the poor nomads vrithin a hundred
miles. At this place we located a local well containing,
seemingly, an unlimited supply of lime-flavoured fluid;
our perilously-flat water-bags were thankfully refilled,
and our hopes rose high at the unexpected find. But
when we renewed our march the scrub-land soon merged
into the blistering plain, and our dreams of a coming El
Dorado were again rudely dashed.
On one occasion we encountered a stretch of salt-
crusted country, evidently the bed of an ancient lake : it
extended for five miles in a N.N.E. direction, and towards
its latter extremity the surface was marshy and damp.
We extracted sufficient moisture from the muddy basin
for cooking our usual allowance of rice, so that we might
save what remained of our comparatively fresh supply
for more urgent needs.
Beyond this swamp we entered upon a more broken
expanse than had met our view for many weeks. Decay
ing sandstone rocks reared their heads above the gravel,
and enormous dry gullies tore up the ground in all
directions. But this state of affairs did not continue
with us long, and, as if by a grim law of compensation,
a belt of the most miserable sand country soon intervened
to retard our progress. Here the sand was loose and
deep, and unmixed with the usual iron gravel ; and the
sUghtest wind blew the fine dust into our faces, almost
blinding us. We sank over the ankles at each step,
and the camels slowed their already slow march to a
mere crawl, and staggered and floundered in the wavy
masses. GraduaUy the land-surface took on the appearance of

176 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
a great sand-sea, with biUows rolling back in a north
westerly direction. As far as the eye could reach, a
series of gentle undulations rippled into the vast distance.
I altered the course several points to eastward, and we
traversed the disheartening obstacles at a difficult angle ;
but the undulations grew more general as we advanced,
until they surrounded us in the form of seemingly endless
furrows, about a hundred and fifty yards apart, and from
ten to fifteen feet in height. A sparse vegetation of
spinifex found root in the hill-crests, giving the appear
ance — from a distance— of a huge cultivated and weU-
tended field. But on closer acquaintance the ridges
showed up miserably bare and cheerless, and their white
gleaming sand formation caused our eyes to quiver and
close, so trying was the light reflected from them. No
life of any kind was observed. Even the crows had
abandoned us. We seemed to be traversing the bed of
an ocean whose waters had long since subsided. A day's
march over these hindering obstructions, however, led
us into the familiar ironshot and scrub country, which,
desolate though it was, looked cool and inviting after our
experience with the sand elevations.
More than once after this fortune favoured us oppor
tunely by the happy location of a soak or claypan in our
course, and we grew to trust Providence in a much
greater measure than we had ever anticipated. The
weather was almost unbearably hot; a vertical sun
stared down on us in the daytime with burning intensity,
and at night the air was as the breath of Hades. We
weve surely paying the penalty of the pioneer to the
fuU. By this time our clothing had reached a state far
beyond repair, and we must have formed an extra
ordinarily dilapidated-looking quartet. Our garments,
not very lavish from the start, had been discarded in

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 177
tattered portions, and we were left with cool and scanty
apparel, the sight of which would have caused the most
abandoned tramp to turn aside in disgust. It came to
be a subject of jocularity with us as we noted the gradual
disintegration of our meagre remaining sartorial glory;
and I was glad even for such an excuse to introduce the
lighter vein into our conversation. " I'll shin be able
tae flee," Mac would say, ruefully surveying his rags.
"Ay, Mac, the vrings are sproutin' awfu' fast," his com
rade would sorrowfully reply. " Bit it's a blessin' the
weather's no cauld," he never failed to add, with
philosophical gratitude.
We were reaching an extreme northerly latitude, with
the great central deserts behind us, and though we had
been bitterly disappointed with the non-auriferous
country crossed, yet the thought of emerging safely
from the " Never Never" land for the time took the place
of vain regrets and cheered us on to fresh endeavour.
We had found no El Dorado in the bUstering salt plains ;
the Land of Promise had eluded us completely — if such
a land existed. Our time, it is true, had been more taken
up in searching for water than prospecting for gold ; still,
we took occasion to analyse samples of every probable
gold-bearing patch encountered, but always with insig
nificant result.
One moming we found ourselves in the unenviable
position of having but a few pints of water left in the
canvas bags, and as we had located no soak for over a
week, our immediate future seemed .gloomy indeed.
The camels were for the first time showing signs of
collapse ; and little wonder ; they had gone eight days
without a drink, and their load, since the last of the
horses had succumbed, had been unduly heavy.
" We've got to find water to-day, boys," I said, " or
something serious is bound to happen."
13

178 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
Mac chuckled dryly. " The deil aye tak's care o' his
ain," he announced with an effort at pleasantry; and
Stewart cackled harshly in agreement.
Soon after breakfast, Phil, in surveying the landscape
by the aid of his field-glasses — a very cherished possession
— detected in the distance a long, curling column of
smoke, sure evidence of the aborigines' presence, and at
once our hearts became lighter and our waning strength
renewed. " There must be moisture of some sort about,"
I said to Phil, as we staggered along together in the wake
of the camels. " The country is changing for the
better," he replied, " yet I can scarcely imagine a spring
to exist in any such soft sand formation." The vagaries
of the interior plains- had always mystified hini, but he
could not be brought to reason against his geological
principles. Mac's verdict was borne of a more practical kind of
observation. " Fur ony sake haud yer tongue aboot
furmashuns, Phil," he shouted back from his position by
the side of " Slavery." " A black buddie needs a drink as
weel as a white buddie, an' we'll shin be in the land o'
Goschen noo,"
" There's one thing we had best remember, boys," I said.
" The natives in these latitudes are probably very different
from those in the south. They may be cannibals, and
considerably more hostile than any tribe we have yet
met." " Niggers ! " snorted Mac and Stewart almost simul
taneously, with an indescribable inflection of contempt.
Further words failed them, but I could see that they had
completely forgotten the little episode at El Dorado,
Towards noon we arrived at the point where the smoke
had been seen, but only a few charred logs were now in
evidence, and they were scattered about in the sand as if
they had been partiaUy burnt long previously, and after-

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 179
wards half submerged in the drifts caused by many
seasons' wUlie-wilUes. Tbe natives had vanished in
some unaccountable manner, leaving not a trace of their
recent presence in the vicinity. Far off near the horizon
a thick belt of timber stretched across our track, but
beyond that again the bare desert merged into the sky
line. " Whaiu' hae the black deevils gaun to ? " Mac
demanded indignantly, as if a considerable breach of
etiquette had been committed by the rapid flight of our
prospective hosts.
Then Stewart proceeded to poke among the scattered
ashes, and soon discovered several still glowing logs well
sunk beneath the surface, "Mac," said he solemnly,
when we clustered round to examine his find, "we'll hae
tae ca' canny ; the deevils are no defeecient in strategy,
an' it's plain they dinna want oor guid company,"
Stewart was right ; the blacks must have observed our
approach, and being unwilling to meet us, had hastily
decamped, first taking care to cover up any clue that
might have aroused our curiosity. "That field-glass of
yours has done good work, Phil," I said, when we turned
away. "If you had not noticed the smoke we should
never have dreamed that there had been any one here for
at least a year, and goodness knows what might have
happened if we had gone to sleep in this district without
keeping a watch."
Mac chirruped to his patient charge. " Gee up.
Slavery," said he, " ye'll get a drink the nicht."
In spite of our most strenuous efforts, however, we
were unable to reach the timber belt that day, and
darkness closed over and compelled us to camp while we
were yet a good way out in the open. For the last
several miles the camels had literally to be dragged over
the ground by a constant pressure on their nose ropes,

180 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
and when we halted our weary caravan and unloaded the
suffering beasts, they sank upon their knees breathing
heavily, and made no attempt to search for anything to
eat. It was plain that, should another day pass without
water being discovered, our four-footed companions must
give up the struggle, which in turn would mean that we
should all be doomed to a most unenviable fate.
" Ma puir animile," said Mac, stroking " Slavery's "
quivering nostrils, "ye've been nine days withoot a
drink, but ye'll get a' ye can tak' the morn,"
" Slavery " seemed almost to understand the sympathetic
words, and grunted feebly in reply ; then I was surprised
to see him struggle to his feet and proceed to feed on the
spinifex tufts growing around.
"He kens I'm teUin' the truth ! " shouted Mac de-
Ughtedly; and there was much joy among us when
" Misery," determined not to be outdone, after several
efforts succeeded in rising shakily and joining his neigh
bour, " There's life in auld ' Misery ' yet," applauded
Stewart with hearty satisfaction; and the wonderful
endurance shown by the dumb animals made me some
what ashamed of my own collapsing resolution,
" Let's be happy, boys," counselled Phil in most
lugubrious tones. " Life is short, you know, and we'U
be a long time dead,"
" If I hear ony mair o' they on-comfortable re-marks,"
slowly spoke Mac, with a reproachful glance at the last
speaker, "I'll sing ye the Deid March. A lang time
deid, did ye say? For ony sake, Phil, think on some
thing cheery."
"AU right, Mac," retorted PhU, "I'U think of the
feast we're going to have in the Hotel Cecil when we get
back to civUisation," While he spoke he unconsciously
hitched in his belt another hole.

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 181
Then Stewart's voice rasped out dismally, " There's
. . . nae . . . place like . . . hame  "
" Stop that concert ! " I cried, while Phil squirmed in
agony; but Mac had already seized the throat of the
musician in a relentless grip, and the melancholy refrain
spluttered out spasmodically to a finish.
"Ye on-ceevilised backslider! " Mao roared in righteous
wrath. " Hoo daur ye whine aboot hame in sic a menner?
Fur twa peens," he concluded, with rising ferocity — " fur
twa peens, ma man, A'd shak' yer teeth oot ! "
The half-choked culprit smiled with benign expression,
" I wis makin' a joyfu' noise," he replied calmly. " Ye're
gettin' gey hard tae please, I'm thinkin'."
Phil laughed till the tears sprang to his eyes and
traced small channels down his unwashed face, but he
stopped abruptly when Mac shoved a tin pannikin under
his chin.
"What a sinfu' waste o' water," said the sphinx.
"I raelly wunner at ye, Phil."
Stewart, who had been busying himself about the fire,
now interrupted again. " Supper's ready," he howled,
" an' the menoo is tinned dug an' damper, or damper an'
tinned dug ; wi^ a puckle roasted rice fur them as wants
indee-gestion ; the hale tae be washed doon wi' twa or
three draps o' dirty watter."
" That sounds nice," I commented, at which he began

" Aye an' it's vera dirty watter. It's the last in the
bag, an' there's tadpoles an' wee crocodiles svrimmin'
in't, an  "
"Hold hard, Stewart," said Phil, while Mac was
groping about for something substantial to throw at his
comrade's head. " Hold hard, you grinning gorilla, and
let us discover the mysterious ingredients of our humble
fare for ourselves."

182 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" There's an auld saying," Mac grunted complacently,
" that what the eye disna see the hert disna grieve fur.
If ye'll tak' ma advice, ye'll dine awa' back frae the
firelicht." And we took his advice without demur.
We kept a watch that night for the first time during
many weeks. The reputation of the Northern Australian
natives was not such as inspired confidence in me. I
had a wholesome dread of being speared While asleep, and
these hostile savages were known to make their attacks
invariably after the sun had set, when their tired victims
were probably slumbering, unaware of the presence of
danger. Mac volunteered for the first spell of duty, and as a
preliminary he carefully drew the small shot charges
from his cherished elephant-gun, and replaced them with
ominous-looking buckshot cartridges.
"This shid dae mair than tickle them," he grimly
remarked, looking at us as we lay stretched upon our
sandy couches, and his face, lit up by the ruddy glare of
the fire, assumed an unusually malevolent expression.
"You've got to remember, Mac," Phil warned, " that
the beggars are probably cannibals, and as you are the
fattest of the party, the natural sequence is  "
" Say nae mair," our wary guardian interrupted with
a deprecatory wave of his hand, " Spare yer in-seen-
uashuns. There's nae nigger 'U get near while I'm daein'
sentry go, bit at the worst the black deevils wud never
bile me when they could get guid tender golologist,"
With which dark statement he shouldered his gun and
commenced to execute what looked like a solemn ghost
dance around the boundary of our camp fire's illumi
nation. The sultry hours dragged slowly on, and the Southern
Oross had set and risen again in the eastern sky, yet not
a sound reached our ears. Phil relieved Mac at mid-

An Extinct Volcano we camped on.

To face page 182.

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 183
night, and I in turn took his place two hours later, but
the night passed without alarm.
We had a very dry and unpalatable breakfast next
morning; only a few drops of chocolate- coloured sedi
ment remained in the canvas bag, and this none of us
cared to swallow for a variety of reasons. So we
munched our hard damper, and chewed refractory
portions of tinned dog, imagining it to be the most
luxurious fare extant, though, unfortunately our imagi
nation was not of a very strong order. We lost no time
in making a start, for the early hours were the coolest for
traveUing, and we wished to gain the shelter of the
brash before the sun had swung right overhead. The
camels were truly in a very bad state ; they could scarcely
bear their usual burdens, and reeled drunken -like for
several minutes after being loaded, but seemed to recover
somewhat when a few miles had been traversed. Yet,
strive as we might, we could not make speedy progress,
and it was almost noon when we drew near to the
timber. The heat was becoming very intense, and in our
semi-famished condition we suffered severely.
"We'll camp in the most shaded part of the scrub,
boys," I cried, signing to Mac to alter "Slavery's"
course more to westward, Phil now clutched my arm
excitedly, " Is that smoke or a light cloud-patch over the tips of
these trees ? " he asked, directing my gaze towards a
thick clump of lime-trees that lay well ahead in the line
of our changed route.
I surveyed the feathery shadow indicated intently.
" A native smoke, Phil," I answered, as quietly as I
could, though hope sprang up within me at the sight.
"What we must do, then," said Phil determinedly,
"is to capture one or two representatives of the tribe
and make them lead us to water,"

184 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Me an' Stewart 'U shin attend to that," growled Mac,
hearing the suggestion with iU-concealed deUght.
We were now entering the outskirts of the pigmy
forest, and Phil and I took the lead of our caravan with
firearms ready in case of attack ; while Mac and Stewart,
leading their charges warily in our tracks, peered sus
piciously into the densest shadows as they passed. The
shrubs were of much greater height than we had expected,
and soon they surrounded us in thick even growths
through which we steered an erratic course with diffi
culty. I was about to call a halt when a thick pile of withered
branches, propped against the lower heights of some half-
dozen close-growing trees, arrested my attention. "A
windbreak ! Go slow I " I cautioned those in the rear ;
but soon we found that we were in the midst of quite a
number of these rude shelters, all of which seemed to be
of very recent erection. " There is evidently a tribe in
the vicinity," I said to Phil, who was gazing at the
strange contrivances with much curiosity, and noting
how differently they were constructed from the crude
vrind-barriers met during the earlier part of our journey.
"They appear to work on some design here," he re
marked thoughtfully ; " the branches are interlaced, and
the construction might ultimately evolve into a kind of
hut or wigwam."
" I am much more concerned about the whereabouts of
the population," I said, and I glanced apprehensively
through the trees; then we resumed our march. A few
minutes more passed in silence as we proceeded with ears
alert for the slightest sound.
We were, as nearly as I could guess, about midway
through the forest when Mac suddenly gave a yell of
mingled joy and surprise.
"Haud on! Haud on!" he shouted. "I see niggers

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 185
richt forrit a wee bit. Come on, Stewart, an' we'll shin
catch ane or twa speecimens,"
Mac's information was correct, A convenient gap in
the foliage had not been overlooked by him, and his
sharp eyes had quickly taken in the view directly ahead.
His warning had scarcely been given when we crashed
through a maze of windbreaks and entered a clearing in
the thicket, and there, in the centre of the open space,
fuUy a dozen hideously scarred and painted warriors stood
vrith spears and boomerangs upraised, gazing in our
direction. Mac and Stewart were now forcing past me,
and it took Phil and me all our time to restrain their
ardour. We had instinctively retired into the shelter of
the brash, and none too soon, for a hail of spears rustled
through the vriUowy branches and stuck fast without
doing any damage.
" Their spears may be poisoned," I said to the in
dignant pair, " You've got a different sort of savage to
deal vrith in these latitudes,"
" They'U get awa' ! " Mac roared excitedly. " They'U
get awa' ! "
" Let me gang," implored Stewart. " I'm that thin
they couldna hit me, an' in ony case I'm teuch eneuch
tae staun ony pison."
"Get the camels sheltered, boys," I ordered; "we'll
try a policy of conciliation in the first place."
My aides-de-camp grumblingly led " Slavery " and
"Misery" back a few paces, and Phil examined the cham
bers of his Colt Navy with considerable impatience. We
were by no means hidden by the scraggy branches fringing
the open space, and that fact was impressed upon us most
plainly when several more well-directed spears glanced
along the sand at our feet. Mac fumed, and the hammers
of his gun came back with an ominous double click,
"You can cover them with your cannon," I said to him.

186 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" while I try the powers of persuasive language," and I
stepped as boldly as I could out towards the hostile band.
"Babba, babba," I cried, with my hands raised in token
of peace. They gave a curious gurgle of surprise and
retreated before me as if afraid. I repeated as much of
the native jargon as I knew, with, as I thought, an
exceedingly friendly inflection. Then they recovered
themselves, and came rushing towards me. I stood
irresolute for an instant, for the warriors had discarded
their spears, and I wondered for a brief space whether
they were now hurrying to tender their expressions of
good-will. When they were within a dozen yards off,
however, they united in a shrill scream, and brandished
m.n their right hands most bloodthirsty-looking clubs
which they had carried secreted at their backs. Their
intention could not now be doubted, and I turned and fled.
" Give them the small-shot barrel, Mac," I cried.
" Sma' shot be d  d ! " he howled in reply, and the
boom of his artillery filled my ears as he spoke.
When the smoke cleared away I saw that the blacks
¦had retreated to the extreme end of the clearing, where
the bulk of them stood . huddled together, groaning
horribly, and making most frightful grimaces at us.
Two feather-bedizened warriors were prancing absurdly
in the middle distance, and emitting piercing shrieks as
they slowly hopped back to rejoin their comrades.
" I aimed low," said Mac apologetically, noting their
antics with much satisfaction, "an' I dinna see what
they're makin' a' that row aboot,"
I was glad to notice that no serious injury had been
done to the poor creatures, and, judging by the activity
shown by the wounded pair, they were evidently much
more frightened than hurt,
" I don't think there is any more fight in them, boys,"
I said, and I stepped forward, foUowed by my com-

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 187
panions, who tugged at the nose-ropes of the reluctant
camels. A few belated missUes, flung in half-hearted
fashion, struck the ground at our feet; the blacks still
stood in our path, glaring at us sullenly.
"Level your cannon again, Mac," I instructed, "but
don't fire,"
He obeyed with alacrity, just in time to check a fresh
flight of spears. The natives had already acquired a
wholesome dread of the formidable-looking breechloader.
With ear-splitting yells they scattered before our advance,
and in a moment were lost to sight in the forest.
We made a brief halt by the scene of their stand in
order to search the near vicinity for water, but not a drop
of moisture could be located anywhere around. Wind
breaks were very numerous some little distance back
from the enclosure, which showed that we had practi
cally stumbled upon a native viUage. Yet it must have
been only a settlement used as a temporary camp between
two known springs, unless the water resources of the
district were very cunningly hidden.
"There must be water near at hand," said Phil.
" These trees could not grow so freshly otherwise,"
"We've missed our one chance, I fear," I answered
him sadly, "We ought to have captured one of the
natives while we had the opportunity."
"Let us go now," said he; "they cannot be very
far off yet."
" We'll gang ! we'll gang ! " Mac and Stewart cried
clamorously together. "We'll shin catch the deevils!"
But I restrained them, "You are both too reckless,"
I explained, " and we should probably never see you ag^n
if you lost your bearings in the bush," I knew that iny^v,
worthy henchmen would disdain to use any stratagem,
and in consequence would surely be speared by the
vengeful savages.

188 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"You can trust me, Mac," said PhU grimly. "I'U
fetch you a specimen or two to play with," and Mac,
noting his unusual fierceness of expression, felt comforted.
Leaving our over-eager companions in charge of the
camels, I took a hurried bearing of our position, and
dashed off with Phil in the direction taken by the fleeing
band. I could still hear the branches crackling before
their wild rush, and I hoped that the sound might guide
us in our quest. For several minutes we kept up a rapid
pace, but we quickly realised that our running powers
were not equal to those df the blacks. The blistering
sand showered in our faces, and the brittle twigs of the
mallee cut us severely. The sun had now reached his
meridian, and shot his rays so fiercely upon us that we
were soon compelled to reduce our speed. We dared not
allow ourselves to perspire, and so lose the little moisture
our bodies contained. Meanwhile the vague crackling
of the brushwood in the far distance became fainter and
fainter, intimating to us very plainly that our intended
prisoners were far from our reach. We were weary
and hopeless, yet we mechanically continued on. Our
thoughts, as may be guessed, were the reverse of
pleasant, and we did not care to give them expression.
Few would have recognised in Phil, the fresh-faced,
merry-spirited young man who had led the Five-Mile
rush. His face was now deeply bronzed, and bore the
stamp of the hardships encountered, and his firm-set
mouth showed a vastly increased force of will.
" The beggars seem to have vanished completely," he
said, when we had travelled at least half a mile in silence.
"What a tidy row of skeletons we'll make," he added
lightly. " ' A rale dacent coleckshun,' as Mac would
say." " We'll hear Mac's remarks later," I answered, " and
we're not by any means dead yet."

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 189
We had now reached a slight dip in the land sur
face, and in the depression a well-padded native track
appeared. We followed it eagerly until it broke off into
two trails, forming an acute angle.
"You take one, I'll take the other," I said. "If you
find anything signal with your revolver, and I'll do the
same, though it is more than likely they lead to the same
place." " All right ! " he replied, and we separated.
Hurriedly I sped along, now this way, now that, as the
trail twisted and twined in the manner peculiar to most
bush tracks, and I seemed to have entered a maze. Then
I came to a point where it divided and subdivided, and
I hesitated, wondering which branch to follow, I went
down on my knees and closely examined the sand at the
junction, and after a careful scrutiny I was rewarded by
distinguishing the imprint of an aboriginal's ungainly
foot at the entrance to one of the offshoots, and I
hastened along the course indicated, half stooping and
sometimes kneeUng, in my extreme anxiety to keep on
the pad, which could only be traced with the utmost
difficulty. Gaily-plumaged birds now surrounded me, chattering
noisily, and their presence imbued me with hope. There,
indeed, must be water near, if I could only find it. My
guiding path led me several hundred yards over a sand
and gravel surface, through which a stray blade of wiry
grass peeped here and there; but gradually the grasses
grew closer, and their trampled appearance showed me
that some one had only recently crossed that way. I
was brought to a halt abruptly. The track had come
to an end, and I stood at the edge of a small circular
space, in the centre of which a tall lime-tree stretched
high above the stunted shrubs adjoining.
The significance of the sight was not altogether lost on

190 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
me. I had usually found lime-trees and water in close
proximity, but here no welcome spring gladdened my
eyes, the circle was bare and parched-looking, except
on the far-away side, where a rank clump of spinifex
lined the gaunt stems of the mallee, I was bitterly
disappointed. "Looks like a circus-ring," I said to myself, " Prob
ably used for holding grand corroborees." I turned
away in disgust, and sat down in the sand, heedless
alike of snakes, scorpions, or other crawling things. I
was trying to consider what our immediate future must
be, and my deductions were not cheering. Then I
wondered where Phil had gone, and whether his quest
had been more successful than mine; but I had heard
no signal, therefore, I reasoned, he would be in a some
what similar plight to myself, or perhaps he had already
rejoined Mac and Stewart. I continued my musings in a
calmly-resigned state of mind, but was suddenly aroused
to alertness ; the faint sound of rustUng branches reached
my ears. I got up speedily and looked all round, but
nothing could be seen, and I blamed my too eager fancy
for the alarm. Glancing at the sun, and taking a rough
compass bearing, I prepared to return to my companions
by a direct route through the bush. But again the
peculiar sound attracted my attention. My fancy had
not deceived me this time, and I surveyed the open space
closely, but nothing met my anxious gaze. Then, just as
I was leaving the scene, the secret of the rustling branches
was revealed, and I smiled grimly at my lack of percep
tion. On the extreme edge of the clearing, half hidden
by the spidery tendrils of the sparse fringing bush, two
natives lay sprawling on the sand, carefully piling a heap
of twigs and spinifex grass, as if in preparation for a large
fire. They lay with their backs towards me, pursuing
th6ir work vrith dUigence, and as the colour of their

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 191
bodies was almost similar to that of their surroundings,
they were not easUy observable, as I had already proved,
I noticed with satisfaction that their weapons were strewn
in the grass some few yards out of their reach. These
comprised two evil-looking waddies and a number of
double-barbed spears — a formidable coUection, truly, I
examined my smaU S, and W. revolver with purposeful
intent, and was on the point of rushing forward when a
loud crackle came from another part of the ring. It
seemed to me as if a stout branch had given way before
some other, and more impetuous, watcher than myself.
More natives might be near. I drew back into the
shadow. The dusky pair were evidently wUdly alarmed ;
they leapt to their feet and looked about with a startled
expression, and then I recognised them as two of those
who had so stubbornly contested our advance less than
an hour back. They glared at each other terror-
stricken, and pointed to the sun and the four corners
of the earth in turn, accompanying their odd gesti
culations by a stream of monosyllabic utterances.
Apparently they were invoking various gods to their
aid. In the midst of this pantomime a well-known figure
burst into the enclosure from the still swaying scrub,
and before the natives could escape he clutched them
both in a tight embrace, and bore them back by almost
superhuman effort,
" Phil ! " I cried in amazement, jumping forward, and
reUeving him of one of his prisoners.
" We've got them ! " he shouted with fierce emotion.
"Keep still, you imp of darkness ! "
His prisoner was still struggling violently, but soon
realised the hopelessness of his efforts, and became
quiescent as mine,' who was rolling his eyes at me
beseechingly. Then we looked at each other, half in amusement

192 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
half in surprise, and I noticed that his sole upper
garment, his sand-stained shirt, was torn half across
the shoulders.
" It caught in a branch," he explained, examining the
rent ruefully, " and the noise I made in breaking loose
nearly frightened the blacks away."
" But how did you get here ? " I asked, for the tracks
we had followed seemed to lead very widely apart.
" The traUs intersect, but all find their way here," he
answered. " Anyhow, I've been watching these beggars
building a monument, or something like it, for the last
five minutes or so."
"I have had my eye on them also," I said, but I
didn't dream of your being so close. Hold my prisoner
a moment," I added; "we'U see what they have been
doing," He promptly sat on my savage's neck, while I got up
and kicked away the pile of branches. And lo ! beneath
them lay disclosed a gurgling spring of clearest water.
I could not describe the joy tbat was ours at that
moment. Phil simply gasped with relief, and was not
satisfied that his eyes did not deceive him until I lifted
some of the sparkling Uquid in the palm of my hand and
let it trickle slowly through my fingers. The blacks
remained passive enough now, only groaning dismally
at intervals. It was not difficult to understand why
they had attempted to hide the spring. As Stewart had
first surmised, they did not want our good company, and
who could blame them? There was no need to rejoin
our comrades now, so we discharged our revolvers as a
signal to them to approach, and soon their familiar voices
were heard far back raised in high debate. Mac was
apparently holding forth on some pet doctrine with which
Stewart doggedly refused to coincide. They had forced
their thoughts far away from unpleasant topics; they

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 193
knew how necessary it was to keep up a semblance of
cheerfulness in trying times, and for the rest they
trusted to my greater experience and Phil's superior
knowledge. The dwarfed trees broke before the advancing train.
Poor old " Slavery " was evidently leading the trail at a
harder pace than usual.
" Come alang, ' Slavery ' I Wad ye hae me pu' ye ? " I
heard Mac's voice raised in pathetic entreaty, as the
swaying brush about a hundred yards back betokened
their near approach. A few minutes more and " Slavery "
and " Misery " staggered into the clearing, with Mac and
Stewart pulling strenuously at their nose-ropes. The
poor beasts' eyes were gleaming strangely, and their
breath came in long wheezing groans.
"We can hang oot anither day yet," Mac shouted
encouragingly immediately he saw us, trying bravely to
look cheerful. Then when he noticed the natives on
whom we were comfortably seated his astonishment was
great. " Guid heavens ! " he ejaculated. " Stewart,
we've got them efter a'."
But Stewart had caught sight of the glistening water,
and with a fervent exclamation he buried his face in it
and drank deeply. The camels now, feeling the tension
relieved at their nose-ropes, sank upon their knees dead
beat, and their heads drooped in the sand. Phil and I
watched the scene in silence: it was as the last act
of a drama, with the proverbial happy ending. Mac's
rugged features fairly glowed when he saw the saving
spring. He strode forward, and jerked his comrade's
dripping face from the water. "Dinna mak' a beast
o' yersel'," he said shortly. " Ower muckle's bad for
ye, an' it's ma turn onywey," But they found room
for two heads, and Phil said they reduced the level of the
water by several inches. 14

194 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
The camels' wants now received attention. We allowed
them to drink sparingly only, as they would quickly have
drained the well, which refilled very slowly ; but before
the day was out they had absorbed their full supply, and
were on a fair way towards the recovery of their wonted
vigour. We camped by the spring, which we named
" Warriors' Well," for two days, during which time we
were engaged filling the great water-bags, and patching
our tattered clothing so as to make a respectable appear
ance when we arrived at the nearest settlement, now less
than a hundred miles distant. We fed our prisoners
lavishly on tinned dog and flour while they remained
in our charge, and they seemed to appreciate the diet
hugely; yet, do what we might, they retained their
sullen demeanour, and always howled plaintively when
we approached near them. They made their escape on
the moming of our departure, much to Mac's disgust.
That worthy had conceived the idea of training them to
act in the capacity of body-servants to Stewart and
himself. " They would hae been bonnie orniments tae tak' hame
tae auld Scotland," he said regretfully.
"We'll be bonnie-like orniments oorsels, Mac," re
sponded Stewart, surveying his dark-brovra skin. " We'll
be nigger enough like, I'm thinkin',"
We resumed our march with lighter hearts than we
had had for many a day. Our journey was practically
completed, for our water supply would now last until
we reached comparatively sure country. It is true we
had not benefited by the expedition as I had hoped when
starting, but we had gained a hard knowledge of the
country, and of our own powers of endurance under
extremely adverse circumstances, which would prove
invaluable to us in the further journeyings I was at
this stage planning, Phil had become indissolubly con-

The only creatures that can exist in the N.W. Interioi

WHERE THE PELICAN BUILDS 195
nected with my little party. His worth had been demon
strated over and over again, and it was with pleasure I
heard his decision, as we drew near settled latitudes, to
throw in his lot with mine in my future travels.
"Ye're a man o' pairts, PhU," was Mac's unhesitating
verdict, and Stewart added, as a fitting tribute, " I'm o'
the same opeenion,"
Twelve days after leaving the providentially-found
spring we arrived on the north-west coast of Australia,
and there disposed of our faithful old camels to ready
purchasers. Mac's eyes were moist when he said good
bye to the gentle " Slavery," and Stewart was loath to part
vrith his old charge, " Misery." As they were led away I
bestowed a benediction on the trusty servants of our
dreary journey, and elicited a promise from their new
possessor that he would treat them kindly as they
deserved. About a week later we sailed for Sydney.

PART III
PROMISCUOUS \VANDERINGS

IN THE AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS
AUSTEALIA has attracted much attention from all
quarters during the last few years, but to most
people the vast interior is still a terra incognita; and even
on the streets of Sydney or Melbourne the appearance of
a copper-skinned back-blocker excites as much comment
as might a being from another planet. The man
from " out west " cares little for the opinion of the towns
man, however ; and if his carriage be not so graceful as
that of those whom he so unceremoniously jostles on the
pavements of Bourke Street or the " Block," he gets over
the ground more quickly ; and if his speech be ungram-
matical, it is at least expressive, and only used when
absolutely necessary.
The back-blocks, generally, are the westem division of
Queensland and New South Wales; and although in some
parts of the former State the hardy squatter has estab
lished himself well out into the great desert, the country
inside the " ran " of his domain is probably unprospected,
and outside entirely unexplored. In this almost boundless
tract of country, where the bush merges into the silent
desert, the back-blocker has his home, and, indifferent to
the flight of time and the struggle and worries attending
existence in the outside world, he leads a Ufe of untram
melled independence.
Only occasionally does a stranger come among these
sons of freedom ; and if he once sees " where the peUcan
199

200 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
builds its nest," or experiences the strange fascination of
the desert camp-fire circle, he wiU not soon leave them-
The new-comer may be fresh from the old home-land, an
outcast from continental Europe, or a wanderer from the
crowded cities on the Australian coast-line; but in all
cases he is welcomed, and soon he speaks in the same
quaint dialect, forgets his past, and becomes a child of
fortune. " But how do you manage to exist ? This place would
not support a rabbit," I said to an assetnbly of those men
one evening in Queensland. I had struck their camp
while endeavouring with a companion to cycle from
Spencer Gulf to the Gulf of Carpentaria; and our surprise
may be imagined when, hundreds of miles from the
nearest settlement, as we thought, their camp-fire suddenly
appeared in front of us. There were about twelve men
in the party, and, as it was just sundown, we naturally
camped beside them, and, prompted by the somewhat
elaborate preparations being made for supper, I had put
my question,
"Oh, not too bad," a tall and gaunt Queenslander
answered. " We keeps a team of our own always on the
move with stores from the nearest township."
" But that must cost a lot of money so far out as this.
How do you earn  ? "
" We can always make tucker shootin' kangaroos and
emus for their skins ; an' if any man wants a cheque bad,
for a spell or anything, he can always go shearing inside
country. Of course we takes turns at opalling, if we
strikes a good show; an' if thar's any new gold discoveries,
we git there quick an' lively."
"But you can never make a fortune at work so un
certain?" " Lor' ! mate, but you is hard to please. Here, CharUe;
you lend a hand here ; this stranger's fresh, an' I is no

w ¦z.

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 201
good pitchin'  " Charlie stepped forward, and at
once relieved his comrade of the burden of conversation.
"Youreckons wecan'tmake no money? " he said. "Well,
I reckons ye is wrong. How about old Tyson, the
millioner? An' how about Gilgai Charlie sitting over
there? — my handle is Vic Charlie, cos' I comes from
Victoria — he made four thousan' clear outen his opal
claim only last week ; an', darn it all, mate ! there's
Shandy Bill, that Uttle fellow on yer left, he made ten
ounces yesterday jes' by dry-blovring in a pan  "
" Ten ounces ! of copper? "
"No — of gold; an' Long Tom here shot one hundred
and twenty-three kangaroos at ninepencc each  "
" Did you say that your companion found gold ? "
" I reckon I did, stranger, an' what's more, we has all
dropped on to gold."
" What ! There is no gold so far west as this."
" So we was told, mate. Them as is supposed to know,
say there can be no gold west of the ranges ; but you can
aUow that this push knows gold when they see it, an' —
but show it to him. Shandy." Shandy instantly detached
a leather pouch from his belt, and without a word put it
into my hands.
" That is gold without doubt," I said, handing it
back ; " I know by the weight." Vic Charlie seemed sur
prised at my knowledge of the metal, but he said nothing.
" Does you know much about minerals?" inquired an
elderly man who had been Ustening intently to the con
versation, " I have prospected in most countries," I answered,
" and ought to know all that is worth knowing by this
time, for the experience was about all I did get."
".Tucker ! " sang out some one. " Git table-covers for
the visitors, an' look Uvely," My own companion, whUe
I was talking, had been engaged in similar fashion in the

202 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
centre of another group, and I smiled to see how intensely
interested were his listeners. He was not seeking informa
tion, I knew, but from the unconscious ejaculations
which frequently arose from his audience, I guessed that
he was imparting some ; and his selections were invariably
strange and wonderful. The cry of " Tucker," however,
created a diversion, and during the half-hour that followed,
all apparently had but one object in view, and being
blessed with a healthy appetite, that same object was very
pleasing to me. I was placed between a gentleman called
Dead-broke Peter and one dubbed Silent Ted. I after
wards discovered that Peter had been a member of the New
Zealand Parliament, but Long Tom introduced him
simply as the best talker in camp. I suppose it was
to balance matters that the thoughtful Tom placed Ted
on my other side, for he never spoke.
"He is a first-class cook an' a most extraordinar'
thinker, though," said Tom ; and as Ted's corrugated but
wonderfully expressive face beamed at the compliment, I
saw that a tongue to him was quite unnecessary. The
night was very dark, and as the fitful fire-flashes lit up
the surrounding gloom and cast fantastic shadows of the
squatting men on the sands behind them, the scene was
indeed weird. Towards the end of the meal Dead-broke
Peter began a conversation, at first very general in
character, and which I easily sustained without inter
rupting my study of the men around; but before I realised
that Peter was a man with a past, I found myself floun
dering in the subject of astronomy hopelessly beyond my
depths. "Yes," I said, endeavouring to collect my senses, "itis
wonderful how the science has advanced, but I cannot
understand how you have made the heavens a clock."
" Oh, that is a simple matter," he replied. " Canopus
sets behind Warrego plains at half-past nine at present ;

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 203
take that fact for your unit, and then the positions of the
Cross will indicate plainly, even to minutes, the divisions
of the night. But look at that poor snake crawling out
of the hoUow stump beside you ; that means a cyclonic
disturbance is approaching  "
"Great Scot! That's a black snake. Look out, boys! "
I cried, springing to my feet. Ted, who had been drinking
in every word spoken, quietly reached over, and catching
the wriggling creature by the tail, skilfully swung it round
his shoulder and brought its head forcibly against the log.
The snake must have been killed instantly : but its long
body quivered convulsively for a moment, and then vrith
a sudden jerk shot backwards and coiled tightly round
Ted's arm. To my surprise, none of his comrades
troubled even to look at Ted during this performance : all,
vrith the exception of Peter and himself, were absorbing
the words of my very Scotch companion, who was relating
vrith powerful dramatic effect some peculiar experiences
of his in other parts of the world. But evidently Ted did
not expect any attention, for without uttering a sound he
arose, shook his encumbrance into the fire, and sat down
again, vrith a look on his face that plainly said to us, "Go
on ! What have you stopped for ? "
Peter politely directed my gaze to a nine-inch centipede
that was prospecting across my boots, and then launched
into a discourse on theological matters, which in time led
into the supernatural, and finally narrowed down to a
discussion on the mysterious rites of the aborigines' Bora.
" Little Bob, that taU man sitting next your companion,
has had much experience among the natives of the north,"
Peter said, "and if you could only get him to talk he could
teU some marvellous tales."
I looked over to the other side of the fire, and saw that
Little Bob was the individual who had asked the extent
of my mineral knowledge. " I have heard some tall

204 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
stories of their corroborrees, Ghingis, and Bunyips," I
answered ; " but no white man has ever seen anything
that could not be easily explained,"
" Think not ? Perhaps you are right, but my experience
leads me to think differently. There is a Bunyip's pool
seventeen miles from here — in fact, we get our water from
it ; but there is not a man in this camp who would go
near it at night for — well for anything. And as for the
corroborrees, there are men here who have actually gone
through a series of them, and if you stay vrith us, or travel
northwards, you will probably see some for yourself,"
Peter's words interested me greatly, so, careful not to
interrapt his flow of eloquence, I soon became as silent as
the gentleman on my left, and was rewarded by hearing a
most wonderful account of the dreaded Bunyip — that
strange mysterious creature, half fish and half fiend, the
very sight of which, it is said, means death to the un
fortunate beholder. I had often heard of this " dweUer in
the waters" from half-caste aborigines in New South
Wales, and knew that it was supposed to live in the sub
terranean pools which abound throughout the Australian
interior; but I never imagined that white men could be
so firmly convinced of its existence as were my present
companions. " It's in the Bramble's water-hole, you can bet your
life," said a strangely deformed man, who had joined our
group when the name was mentioned.
' ' How do you know ? Have yon seen it ? " I inquired.
" No, an' doesn't want to ; but Jack Ford did."
" And where is he ? "
"Ask Sam Wilkins. He's the only glory prospector
here." " What has he to do with it ? "
" Lor' ! stranger, if he doesn't know where Jack went,
no one here does. Jack was as fine a mate as iver I met ;

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 205
but whether he staked off a claim up aloft, or pegged out
in the other place, I'm darned if I knows. He saw the
Bunyip one full moon, an' croaked the next day."
I now noticed that all the men had gathered round our
little group, and before I could further question the
speaker, Long Tom broke in, " Is ye in a hurry to git
up to the Gulf country? " he said,
" Not particularly," I answered,
" Yer mate tells us you is a great mineralogist ? "
" Oh, no, — not great ; but I know a Uttle of the
science." " Does ye know what that is ? " Tom opened a sack
as he spoke and took out a greenish mass of something,
" That is copper sulphide. Where did you get it? "
" Mate, if it's any good, there's hundreds and thousands
o' tons o' it lyin' on top not mor'n fifty mile from here.
But what is this ? "
" Why, that is native silver ; and that conglomeration
in Ted's hand is an ironstone formation carrying
gold  "
" Say, mate," interrupted Little Bob, "does ye know
what this is ? " He held in the palm of his hand a
mixture resembling tea in appearance, but which after
tasting I knew could not be that substance. " Ah ! ye
is bested, mate, an' I is glad," continued Bob. " I knows
ye is honest now, an' don't skite when ye doesn't know."
" Thank you ; but what is it ? "
" Pidcherie, stranger. Money can't buy it. It comes
from the MuUagiue swamps ; an' gold nor lead wouldn't
make a black fellow part with it. Swallow that, an' you
can dance in the fire an' not feel nothin' ; cut yourself in
little bits an' you'll think it fun. Only the niggers knows
what it is, an' no white men barrin' us back boys has
iver got any  "
"Time for that again, Little Bob," cried Long Tom.

206 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"The question just now is, WiU the stranger jine us?
Yous can git two shares an' we does all the work," he
added, turning to me.
"But, Mr. — that is — Peter here knows more than I do.
He  "
" Him ! " snorted Tom, " Mate, he's the most on-
reasonable man in camp. When he starts talking we
can't stop him; an' when he is stopped, darn me if we
can start him." I turned to see how my late entertainer
took these words, but he was lying back on the sand —
asleep. Finally, after much quaint reasoning, the men
persuaded us to try our luck with them, at least for a
time. " Yous can leave us when you like, if it doesn't
pay," was Tom's summing up ; but as he had just told
me of a sand-patch in which tucker could be made by
dry-panning, and of a " darned curious country across
the Cooper" which was on fire with opal lying on the
surface, I thought that the adventure was well worth any
risk in that direction. We were still talking when the
Southem Cross dipped behind the Grey Eanges; but
before we stretched ourselves on the sand to rast it was
decided that I and three others should set out in the
moming to inspect the opal formations beyond the
Cooper, and pending our report as to its value, the others
would keep up the funds by kangaroo-shooting and dry-
blowing for gold.
Next morning vrith the first faint streaks of dawn
we were ready. Mac and I had our cycles, which we
stripped of all their previous accoutrements, and Kangaroo
George and Gilgai Charlie rode two of the finest horses
in Queensland,
"Be good boys," cried Long Tom, as we prepared to
move off after breakfast.
" There is a willy-willy coming soon, so watch where
you camp," warned Dead-broke Peter; and without

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 207
more ado we plunged into a clump of gidgyas, and in
a few minutes burst out on the ironshot plain. Neither
George nor Charlie was inclined to waste his wisdom on
the desert air, and even Mac found it advisable to keep
his mouth closed when the fine clouds of sand began to
rise. For hours we headed due west, dining at noon, in
the open, on a piece of damper and some cold mutton,
washed down with an extremely sparing amount of
muddy fluid from our water-bags, and then going on
again. Before sundown we reached a dried-up creek,
where, after scraping in the sand among the roots of a
solitary lime-tree, we found sufficient liquid for the
horses, which we then hobbled and went into camp, fully
forty miles from our starting-point. The sun was now
racing down on the westem horizon, and the desert
around seemed like a sea of gold. The day had been
oppressively hot, and consequently we expected that
night would be kept lively by the many pests. Nor were
we mistaken. Just as our surroundings became blurred
in the shadows of night a dingo's dismal howl broke the
strange stiUness, and then the blood-curdling shrieks of
some laughing-jackasses in the tree above irritated us
almost beyond endurance. The mosquitoes next joined
in, sinking their sawlike suckers deep into our sun-
blistered skin; and when the mournful "morepork"
added its depressing note, the desert orchestra was
completed. " I reckon there's a storm comin'," remarked George,
as he assisted a smaU death-adder into the fire.
" For onysake let it come, then," growled Mac. " A
dinna see what ye've got to complain aboot. Da 
darn it ! ! "
" Is ye bit, Scottie ? " inquired Charlie. " Lor' ! there's
a centipede on your neck. It feels like red-hot coal,
doesn't it?" he added sympathetically.

208 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"No," groaned Mac; "it's a rale cooling sensation;
but, here, feel for yersel'." He poised the creature on
a twig as he spoke, and skilfuUy landed it on CharUe's
back, and the yell that followed might have awakened a
Bunyip, had there been such a monster within five miles.
" Shut up ! darn ye, CharUe ! " roared George, lifting
a nicely browned damper from the ashes; "ye has set
the black fellows' ghosts off again. Lor' ! just listen to
'em." "Hurry up vrith that damper, George," I interrapted
— " that is, if there's no snakes in it,"
"There's many things worse than snakes, boss,"
innocently repUed George ; " they is prime, if ye roast
'em an' has got any salt  "
" Haud yer tongue, man, or A'U mak' a corroborree o'
ye," roared the hungry Mac, and I had to interfere
hastily to prevent bloodshed.
The memory of that night's tortures still haunts me.
The desert was alive with all sorts of reptiles and insects,
and frorn my companions, as they roUed sleeplessly in
the sand, many short but heartfelt expressions arose
which I dare not repeat. At sunrise we set out again,
and all day travelled westward over country similar to
that which we had already passed, camping at night on
an " Ana " branch or backwater of the famous Cooper,
and enduring another night of misery,
" I reckon we should be near the Ghingi's opal now,"
said G:eorge as we resumed our journey on the third day ;
"but say, boss, what's wrong with the ole sun? or is it
the vrilly-wiUy?" There certainly was reason for
George's question, for the sun as it shot up over the
edge of the plains seemed merely a duU .red baU; but
the gem-shot haze which danced between showed the
cause, and I reaUsed that a cloud formed of minute
particles of sand was partly obscuring it from view.

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 209
" We'll get across the main river and look for shelter,"
I said, " for evidently this storm has been working up
for some days." We crossed the " Ana " channel and
proceeded slowly, for the ground was now broken up
as if by volcanic agencies. I was anxious to see the
Cooper, the great inland sea of the early pioneers, but
to my astonishment no water was yet in evidence as
far as the eye could reach ; so, leading our steeds, we
picked our way over the cleft and burnt ironstone.
" These is the Ghingi's holes," said Charlie, as we
came to some unusuaUy large and deep chasms, "an'
keep your eyes open, for there should be opal here."
" Whaur has that patent river got tae, I wunner,"
muttered Mac. " I never had muckle faith in AustraUan
rivers, an' I doot the nearest water-hole in the way we're
goin' is the Indian Ocean."
" Say, boss," suddenly said George, " how far is it to
the war ? "
" Oh, South Africa is about seven thousand miles from
here. Are you thinking of going ? "
"Well, some of the boys was talking that way;, but
none o' us knew the country, nor if the track was to
sunrise or sundown."
" Africa is west from here, George."
" Is ther enuff water for horses on the trail ? "
" Why, man ! you cross the ocean."
" Well, I reckon old Joy here can cross anything; but it
beats me to know how a fellow can carry tucker, I s'pose
there is plenty stations on the road, though?" I looked
at George in amazement, and Mac grinned with delight,
" Maybe they wouldn't want us. Kangaroo," put in
Charlie ; " but I reckon we can ride anything as has
feet, an' shoot  "
" Lie down flat, mates ! " shouted George ; " here's
the willy-wiUy." 15

210 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
I turned and saw a huge black wall gjrrating wildly
towards us. A roar like that of thunder filled the air,
followed by a sound as of waves breaking upon a rocky
beach, A fierce blast of back-drawn sand struck my
face, and as I threw myself down I felt as if drovming
for a moment ; then a hail of stones, scrub, and sand
rushed over me, tearing my clothes to shreds, and pene
trating my skin like shot, while a thick blackness blotted
out everything around. I lay stiU, conscious that a
deposit of sand was fast covering me; but I also felt
that the suffocating tension was already becoming less
severe, and next minute a current of moist cool air,
delightfuUy soothing to my sand-blasted skin, swept over
the desert, and I sat up. It was still dark; but the
awful vortex had passed, and away to the west I could
stiU hear the indescribable rumbUng sound of the flying
boulders among the Ghingi holes.
" Is we all here ? " sounded Charlie's voice close beside
me, and I felt relieved when I heard the muffled responses
of my comrades, for I knew that if caught in the centre
of such a storm we had just escaped, nothing living
could withstand it. I groped for my cycle, and moistened
my throat with the damp sand that now filled the water-
bag, noticing, as some of the contents spilled dovra my
neck, that the temperature must have faUen considerably,
for the accident caused me to shiver.
"Ye talk aboot gaun into the Australian interior," spoke
Mac dolorously, as he in turn swaUowed a mouthful, "but
I'm thinkin' that a lot o' Australia has gone into mine,"
"Never mind, Mac," I replied, as we all crawled
towards each other, " here comes the first rain we have
had since leaving Adelaide, and if the horses are aU right,
so are we."
" I reckon they is O.K.," said CharUe ; " they knows
more than most people, them horses."

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 211
While he was speaking we cast off our scanty garments
and revelled in the refreshing drops ; but rain in the back-
blocks is worth more than its weight in gold, and this
shower only lasted about a minute, and passed on in the
wake of the vrilly-wiUy. Shortly afterwards the darkness
rolled away to the west like a huge receding screen, and
near us we saw the two horses rolling on the ground with
evident enjoyment. But I did not ask my companions
how it was that our four-footed friends had escaped so
lightly, for my attention was attracted by a scintillating
streak of something on the edge of a small hole, and as
my eyes became used to the now blinding glare of the
sun, I saw that the whole surface of the desert was
literally blazing vrith small points of colour,
" Lor' ! " exclaimed my AustraUan comrades simul
taneously, " we has struck the very place after all."
"Ay, mon," said Mac wrathfully; "an' hoo did ye
no' ken that afore ? "
" 'Cos the opal was dead," replied George, " an' the
rain has made it 'Uve again."
Mac looked suspiciously at the speaker; but Charlie
added that " dead" and "live" were terms used in speak
ing of dull opal that could be made to flash as if alive by
the application of water. This explained why we had not
seen the gems before, and without troubling to inquire
where the Cooper had gone, or how — if CharUe and George
were correct — we had got to the other side of it, we
attacked the ironstone boulders with our small hand-picks.
" Every gibber's got an opal heart," remarked George,
smashing a large boulder to fragments.
" Take care, then," I warned, " or you will break it
too," " Then how is we to do it, boss ? " inquired Charlie,
poising his pick in mid-air, "Does ye think it wUl come
out if we whistle on it ? "

212 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
I did not ; nor to this day have I found how to get that
opal out intact. We tried every method that could be
devised, but without success, for each time we broke the
outer casing the more brittle core was also shattered by
the blow. Patiently and laboriously we chipped the
ironstone, only to find that the gem was in powder form
when we reached it. We then tried roasting the stones,
carrying them to a small clump of stunted gidgyas for
that purpose; but found then, that although the sheU
broke with less hammering, tbe "life" of the opal was
destroyed by the heat, and a dull lump of , glass-like
substance was all our reward.
For two days we wandered among the Ghingi holes
trying specimens continually, but vrith the same results,
and at last I was convinced that further work under the
circumstances was useless. The horses were now begin
ning to suffer for want of proper food, and I saw that the
water question would also trouble us as soon as the pools
formed by the willy-willy shower had evaporated.
Cooper's creek as a flowing stream had ceased to exist.
Probably its waters, or aU that seven years' drought had
left of them, had gone to feed that strange tide which
ebbs and flows so mysteriously under the heart of the
great Lone Land ; but in its old channels we saw only
dead and dying creatures of the desert, and the banks
were simply a nursery for fever germs,
" I reckon we'll have to give it best," at length said
Gilgai CharUe, and I could see no alternative.
" If sufficient rain came, we might be able to bring a
team out," I said, " and cart a load of boulders back to
Eromango. If we could not there get the ironstone
dissolved with acid, we could at least send them to
Brisbane and get them cut.
" That's aU right, boss," spoke George, " but I reckon
we might as weU look for gold nuggets droppin' from

" Leichardt's " Tree.
The Last Trace Found of the Great Explorer who Attempted
to Cross the Interior and was Never Heard of Again.

To face page 213.

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 213
the sky as enough water for a team." And I knew he
was right.
We thought of striking across to the central ranges of
South AustraUa to prospect the ruby formations there,
but we found, when we reached the end of the broken
ground, that our course lay through a belt of soft sand
in which our, wheels sank over the rims; and having
neither sufficient water nor stores to risk walking for an
unknown distance, we were forced to abandon the
attempt. On the afternoon of the third day we started
on the back track, and that night camped on the Ana
pool. We made our old camp by the " soak " the next
night, and at noon, the day following, struck the camps
of those of our comrades who had gone dry-blowing.
" Well, mates, don't worry. It doesn't matter anyhow,
for we'll git it some day, if we doesn't peg out," was the
general comment when they had heard our story; and
then the billy was boiled.
I was much surprised to see that gold was present in
the sands of the desert ; and even although the quantity
was small, and only in patches widely apart, the fact
afforded much food for thought. The process of dry-
blowing adopted by the men was extremely simple,
consisting of dropping the sand from one pan raised
above the head to another resting on the ground, then
reversing the positions of the pans and repeating the
operation. In action, most of the sand and other light
material was carried away or diverted by the wind ; but
the gold — if any — in accordance with the law of gravita
tion, dropped straight. When the bulk was thus reduced
untii only the precious metal and the heavier ironstones
were left, the contents were put aside, and another panful
proceeded with in the same manner. Finally the col
lected matter was thrown on an improvised incUned plane
that had bars of wood fastened across its surface. In

214 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
rolling down, the ironstone pebbles cleared these
ripples and f eU to the ground ; but the gold, being too
heavy to do likewise, was caught in the angles, and after
wards carefully removed by the operator. The work was
very slow and laborious, and often attended vrith very
disappointing results. "But," said Dead-broke Peter,
while explaining this to me, " we sometimes strike a
patch that pays well,"
" Can you explain why there is any gold here ? " I
asked, " There are no auriferous reefs which could shed
it nearer than eight hundred miles, and, according to aU
geologists, the entire desert is the deposit of the ocean,"
"That may be," Peter replied, " but I have conclusive
proof that there is a gold-bearing reef not more than a
quarter of a mUe from where we stand, I have no doubt
that the rocks carrying it once reared themselves above
the surrounding sea ; but that was — well — before our
time; and now they are too deep for us to reach."
I suggested that if the men had some mechanical
appUance which could treat the sand in large quantities,
they might do well with the surface deposit. " Perhaps,"
Peter said indifferently ; " but there would be too much
worry attached," And seeing that SUent Ted had
dinner ready, we changed the subject.
Long Tom and four of the men had gone out emu- and
kangaroo-shooting, and were not expected back for a
vyeek, and knowing that neither Mac nor I could be of
any special service to the men at dry-blowing, we at
length resolved to proceed to the Gulf, as was our
original intention.
Our companions were very sorry when we announced
this ; but I told them we had come out expressly to study
the aborigines at home, and that when we had done so we
might come back.
" You'U see them before you go far," said Shandy BiU,

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 215
"An' don't go foolin' near a corroborree, Scottie,"
warned Little Bob ; " 'cos if ye does thar will be a
funeral, as sure as them currants in that damper there
is only ants,"
Dead-broke Peter was evidently qualifying for a Silent
Ted reputation, for it was only when kicked repeatedly
by that individual that he roused himself, and in effect
said, " Eemember, if you happen to get into trouble, that
the various corroborrees are only stages in the grand
Bora ; and that the signs used in their working have a
wonderful resemblance to those of a certain society to
which I see you belong." This information was startling,
to say the least of it ; but Peter had again fallen into his
Ustless attitude, and could not be induced to say more :
so, after receiving many messages, written and verbal,
to despatch from the first settlement reached, we
departed. Eight days later we crossed the north Cooper (here
caUed the Thomson river) at Jundah — it was in flood
here (!) — and in another four days we reached Winton.
From this unique tovraship we made good time north
wards through a well-watered country, which, although
in the tropics, is blessed with a pleasant climate ; and
while running down the Flinders river had our first
adventure with the natives. The Australian aboriginal
is believed to be the lowest form of humanity extant ; but
there are many things in his philosophy of which the
white man has not dreamt. He fights with nature for
his very existence, his food being the crawling creatures
of the earth and what he wrests from other animals ;
and even then he is haunted with an eternal dread of
devouring demons, who — according to his belief — are for
ever seeking his destruction. His Bora is his only
safeguard against these Ghingis and Bunyips ; and it is
in matters pertaining to the observance of its various

216 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
corroborrees that he has achieved such triumphs over
nature, and performs feats that, to the white man, are
entirely inexplicable.
An ordinary corroborree is merely a meeting that msly
be summoned by the chief or elders of any tribe ; but
those relating to the Bora are a series of religious cere
monials culminating in a weird fire-test, which aU young
warriors must undergo before attaining to the state of
manhood. This fire-test, vrith various modifications, is
also practised by the New Guineans and South Sea
Islanders ; but vrith the latter it now seems to have
degenerated into a performance for the priests alone;
and in the Fiji Isles a form of fire-walking is still
observed, chiefly for the benefit of the sensation-loving
tourist. Among the Australian aborigines, however, the
working of the Bora is the chief object of their existence,
and vrith them the tests are very real indeed. The fire-
test is worked by a procession of aspiring natives march
ing round on a path which leads through the centre of
many fires. A figure in the fanciful attire of some strange
monster apparently controls the movements of the
warriors by the motion of some object which he swings
rapidly round his head, and which produces a humming
sound not unlike that of a steam-siren. The performance
is followed by a warlike display supposed to strike terror
to the heart of the dreaded Bunyip, and if that creature
could see the grotesquely garbed warriors as we saw
them — hiding in the mulga scrub with our bicycles lying
beside us — I have no doubt that it would speedily take
itself off to some less dangerous-looking part of the globe.
It is supposed that no white men have ever witnessed
the higher corroborrees ; but that belief is erroneous, for
during our journey northwards we met several back-
blockers on the wallaby to the opal district who were
quite famiUar with the entire ceremony, and some, Uke

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 217
little Bob, had even taken part in them, of course not
willingly. The aborigines are very scarce now, and happily, per
haps for us, most of our adventures with them tended
more to be ludicrous than exciting, and in due course
we arrived at Normanton, the chief town in the Gulf
country. A month later we landed at Brisbane from the ss.
Peregrine, and in two days were completely tired out and
disgusted with the artificialities of city life. The Queens
land contingent of the Imperial Bushmen was to embark
in the afternoon for South Africa, and we joined the
cheering throng that lined Queen Street to see the men
ride past, I have seen the Scots Greys in Edinburgh,
but the men of " England's last hope " were not like
them. Their smart dresses hung loosely on their angular
frames, and their tanned faces were in vivid contrast to
those of the Brisbanites. They were all tall, and sat in
their saddles in a style that was certainly not military,
and their faces wore an absent-minded expression. I
knew, however, that fever would have no effect on these
men, that they could stand any hardship, that an earth
quake could not unhorse them, and that every time those
eyes with the far-away look glanced along the rifle-barrel
something woiUd drop somewhere. A shout from Mae
interrupted my musings, and knovring that he always had
some reason for what he did, I foUowed him through the
densely-packed crowd, and found him in the act of haul
ing a trooper from his horse.
" It's Kangaroo George ! " he yelled, " an' he's
dreamin' ! "
"Hallo, Scottie!" suddenly said the roused warrior;
"did yous see the nigs?"
"Hang the niggers ! " roared Mac ; "it's you I want
tae ken abopt, Hpo  ? "

218 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" I see you have got on to the South African trail after
all, George," I said, grasping his hand,
" Close up there, men ! " roared the sergeant.
" Darn it ! Dead-broke, doesn't ye see who is here ? "
remonstrated another familiar voice, and next instant I
was shaking hands with Sergeant Dead-broke Peter — I
never knew his other name. There was now a general con
fusion owing to the men having to lead their horses down
to the wharf where the transport Maori King was waiting
to receive them, and by adopting tactics not unknown
nearer home Mac and I got down with the troopers.
" An' has ye not a word for Shandy BUl? " suddenly
spoke another voice at my side,
" An' Sam Wilkins ? " said a quiet-looking trooper,
" An' me — Corporal Vic Charlie ? " cried the one who
had remonstrated with his sergeant,
" Is the whole camp here ? " I cried surprisedly, while
Mac muttered strange words anent the resiUts of shaving
on a person's appearance.
" No ; only five," answered Vic CharUe. " Gilgai and
Little Bob came down too ; but they were too old, an'
they is goin' out west again to-night when they see us
away." " I say, boss," whispered George to me, " you knows
the traU, doesn't ye?"
" Fairly well, George," I repUed ; " you see the
Southern Cross all the way."
" Then can you give us a notion how far out our first
camp is?"
¦ " You don't camp at all. You travel night and day—
that is, unless the propellor shaft or something else
breaks." " Lor ! " was all George's comment, but his face spoke
volumes. We stayed with our old comrades until the last moment

A Famous Mine in the Gulf Country.

To facej>age 219.

IN AUSTRALIAN BACK-BLOCKS 219
arrived ; and then, in company with Gilgai Charlie and
the giant Little Bob, who had joined us on the wharf,
went and dined. These two worthies were, as they said,
already "full up with the city," and when the westem
express left that night it had on board four men and four
cycles booked through for CunnamuUa en route to the
opal fields. Twenty-eight hours afterwards we landed at
the western terminus, and taking advantage of the full
moon and the hard camel-pads leading farther west, we
made sixty miles before morning.

ON THE OPAL FIELDS OF WHITE
CLIFFS
THEEE are many strange places and peoples in this
world, and of those the opal fields and opal miners
of White Cliffs, New South Wales, are good examples.
The opal district is situated sixty miles N.N.W. of
Wilcannia, a somewhat remarkable township on the
Darling Eiver, and the men who make gem-hunting their
profession number over two thousand. Of this amount,
less than a half belong to some branch of the Anglo-
Saxon race, the remainder being a mixture of all nation
alities, of which Germans are the most numerous. The
township of White Cliffs stands in a hollow in the centre
of the " workings," but it is merely a collection of
galvanised iron drinking saloons and stores ; the popula
tion living out on their claims, some in tents, some in
their horizontal excavations or " drives " ; and others
with only the sky for a roof. When it is stated that the
town also contains a Warden's residence, a hospital, and
a good substantial prison — there is as yet no church —
that most of the stores are ran by Chinamen, and that
the Jew gem-buyers form the aristocracy, the description
of the town is complete. The fields, however, at present
extend for three miles round the town, and in all pro
bability will stretch further out on the great western
desert when some means of providing sufficient water for

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 221
the miners is devised. But the opal has been proved to
exist in such vast quantities vrithin the three miles
radius, that there is as yet no need for any one to go
further out.
The methods employed in searching for opal are
extremely simple. Briefly, this consists of sinking a
shaft, or, if the claim happens to be located on a slope,
tunnelUng into the ground until a seam of gem-carrying
matrix is encountered; from which the opal is then
separated by means of a smaU " gouging " pick or other
tool. These layers exist at various parallel levels from
the surface down to forty feet, but no " paying " opal has
yet been struck at greater depths. It is highly probable,
however, that this is because the task of further sinking
with the primitive means of pick, spade, and vrindlass,
the only appliances used, becomes at this point somewhat
difficult, and the men, knovring the value of the shallower
levels, prefer spending their energies on another shaft in
fresh country. The matrix in which the gem is found
consists of a hard silicious conglomeration, usually thickly
impregnated vrith ironstone. The opal is embedded in
this material in the form of thin sheets, which, however
large they may be while in the formation, can only be
removed in divisions of about the size of a five shilling
piece. Opal is of all colours and shades, but unfortunately for
the miner a piece of exquisitely coloured blue, green, or
red stone is considered absolutely valueless if not accom
panied vrith the vivid scintillating flash which denotes its
"lifeness." Tons upon tons of this worthless stuff,
" Potch," as it is called, are daily thrown out of the shafts
by disgusted opaUers, for in common vrith most things in
this world, the bad is very plentiful, in fact it is almost
impossible to get away from it ; but the gem or " live "
opal is correspondingly rare. Nevertheless, fortunes are

222 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
frequently made here by the merest chance, and perhaps
to a greater degree than elsewhere is a man justified by
results in believing that some day he will " send his pick
through a fortune." As said before, the miners are of
nearly all the races of mankind, and many incongruous
partnerships are formed for the holding and working of a
two, three, or four men's claim ; but on the whole, good
fellowship rules throughout the camps, and an American
negro, a half-caste Chinaman, or a Turk, stands by the
windlass of a canny Scot, a Frenchman, or a Hindu.
There are no disputes between capital and labour in
White Cliffs, every man is his own master, and foUows
out his own usually erratic inclinations, unless some
times when, after a lucky find, he imbibes too much of a
certain commodity falsely-labelled Scotch, and con
sequently the police exercise a slight control over his
movements. There are no surface indications to guide one in search
ing for opal, and as the most experienced "gouger"
knows no more where the gem may be than the latest
new chum, all work is done on chance. To such a strange
state of mind has the desert environment reduced those
men of the back-blocks, that they look upon the grim
side of circumstances with indifference, and magnify the
triviaUties of life into a proportion which to the stranger
suggests a land of Burlesque. But soon he, too, catches
the mysterious infection, unconsciously he is overwhelmed
by the influence of his surroundings, and he ceases to see
anything remarkable either in his own doings or in those
of his fellows. An observer, while he retained his own
mental equilibrium, might see instances of this strange
perversion in almost every man in White Cliffs ; but,
perhaps, my own experiences there may serve to give
some fair examples.
My claim was staked about a mUe from the town on a

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 223
small stretch of rising ground which at some time in the
Earth's history formed the banks of the lake, in the old
bed of which White CUffs now stands. For comrades I
had a powerful Scotsman and two Australians, while the
claims around us were worked by an American and a
native of Mauritius, known as Black George, a German
and an Englishman — tbe latter being termed the
"Parson," a New Zealander and a Swede, and several
other single miners, the chief being one called Satan.
We were all good friends, and nightly gathered round a
common camp-fire to discuss things in general.
Silent Ted atid Emu Bill, my two Australian comrades,
were perhaps the most experienced prospectors on the
field ; the one had a very thoughtful cast of countenance,
and never spoke, and the other was a splendid specimen
of the AustraUan pioneer, but when he spoke it was
chiefly in short, crisp words, of decided colonial origin,
which Mac said would have qualified him " Al for the
position of a Clyde stevedore." Together they had
crossed the divide between the Darling Eiver and
Cooper's Creek, and occasionally, when the moon was
full, and the Southern Cross dipping behind the Great
Barrier Eanges, Bill would tell of a land where fire-
flashing opal burst through the surface sands, and shone
in dazzling streaks of every imaginable colour from every
vrind-swept ledge. Ted would eagerly follow his com
rade's words, and his wonderful face would light up with
genuine admiration when BiU's word-pictures were
powerfuUy descriptive. But he was too sympathetic,
and frequently, alas ! got into trouble because of that.
"Shut up, Ted ! " BiU would suddenly cry, pausing in
the middle of his narrative. "Is it you that's teUin' this
yam or me ? "
At these rough words the silent one would slowly
turn a reproachful glance upon the speaker which

224 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
said as plainly as words, "Why, BiU, I did not
speak." "I knows that," Would come the unhesitating answer,
" but your face does, an' it's been q,n' got to the end of this
story afore me."
This was in a manner true, and sometimes when BiU,
as Hoskins the American said, was " long-winded in
getting to the point," we had but to look at Ted^s face
for the deno'Hement.
" But how vas it you came away unt leave aU dat opal ?
There must be milUons there," our German friend would
say when Bill's narrative was concluded.
"I reckon there is. Kaiser," the raconteur would
answer, "but the country is full o' darned crows an'
willy-willys, an' ye can't sleep no how with the sand-flies
an' snakes an' 'skeeturs. Water, did ye say ? No, there
ain't none,"
However much Ted and Bill may have ignored the
absence of the precious fluid, that was the only con
sideration with most of their listeners, and had there
been any water, some of us, at least, would have gone
out West at once and chanced everything else.
One evening Bill was unusually eloquent in his
discourse on the lavishness with which Nature had
gifted the desert, and as all our claims had been yielding
but poor returns for the last week or so, we paid more
attention to his words than we had been in the habit
of doing,
" I wouldn't mind having a try out back," said Scottie;
" if there were a railway, or if we had fleein' machines,"
" Couldn't we go as we are? " Usped the Parson, " we
may work here for ever, and not better ourselves,"
Bill gave vent to some sarcastic remarks anent the last
speaker's powers of endurance, but otherwise made no
comment.

oH

QZ
l-H <a.
O otc
O2

O

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 225
"Bill says the surface is ironshot," continued the
Parson blandly, "and, as I saw a team come into
town to-day vrith about two dozen bicycles for sale, I
thought  "
" Man, ye are a thinker. Parson," cried Scottie, " I'll
gang away wi' ye the mom if ye like — that is if the
machines are no ow'r dear."
" I think we ought to get them, no matter what they
cost," I remarked, "for if we do go out they would
enable us to cross right over to the Cooper at a pinch, if
they did not break dovra, and the ground was passable."
"Well, I guess I am one of the crowd that goes,"
announced Hoskins.
" Unt me," cried the German.
" I reckon we is all going," said BiU, looking round the
camp-fire for corroboration. " Int you, Satan ? "
" Of course I is," answered the individual addressed, a
corrugated-skinned specimen of humanity. "I is goin'
where Scottie an* the Parson goes ; but where in tarna
tion is ye goin', and what for ? "
" Cooper's Creek, for opal," roared Scottie.
" Opal," repeated Satan vacantly. Then his eyes
kindled suddenly, and he exclaimed, " Lor', I forgot to
tell ye, boys, I has been hauUn' the stuff out by the sack
ful these last two weeks."
" What ! " yeUed all in chorus, springing to their feet,
and even the stoical Ted stopped in the act of lighting
his pipe to gaze at Satan.
"It are a fact, mates," continued that gentleman
apologetically, "I reckon I has near got a waggon-load
dumped out by now. Lor', what's the racket, mates ? "
Few heard his last words, for as the full literal import
of what he had just said began to dawn on the assembly,
a stampede took place down the hill towards the shaft ;
but another surprise was in store. While some were
16

226 1^ SEARCH OF EL DORADO
rummaging in Black George's tent for candles to explore
the long drive in Satan's claim, and others were sliding
down his windlass rope, a series of sounds broke out
round our deserted fire, the fervour of which made
Hoskins say, " Hallo, boys, how is BiU not here ? "
" I is here, darn ye ! " came the muffled response from
the darkness; "that's Ted that's shouting," which
information made it clear to all that Silent Ted in his
excitement had placed the blazing mulga stump in his
mouth and thrown away his pipe.
I had known Ted for a long time, but that was only the
second occasion on which I had heard the sound of his
voice, A few seconds later we had crowded into Satan's
drive, and after crawling over a heap of mullock that
blocked the passage to vrithin one foot of the roof, we
found ourselves in the chamber where, from the presence
of his pick and other implements, we knew he had
recently been working. In a moment the candles were
lit, and then a cry of wonder burst from all. We were
standing in what might have been an Aladdin's palace,
and the walls danced and flashed in the gloom as if alive.
The roof was simply one blaze of ever-changing orange
and green, and through the whole would dart spasmodi
cally a " living " flash of fiery red. Clearly Satan had
struck it, for there must have been several thousand
pounds' worth of opal exposed, whatever amount may
have been hidden behind. Bill was the first to break the
silence of admiration, which had fallen over all, and he
only said one word. It was characteristic and expressive,
but quite unprintable ; and slowly we filed out again and
clambered up the rope to the surface. When we got
back to our camp we found Ted, Satan, and the Swede
sitting in silent meditation round the fire. Probably
Ted would have accompanied us, had it not been for the
fact that he, being cook, had to look after a mysterious

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 227
compound of flour and other substances commonly known
as damper, which every evening was prepared among the
ashes.
" Well, boy, you have struck it, an' no mistake," called
out Ford, the New Zealander, to Satan as we approached.
" You're a millionaire now."
"Get awa' frae this fire, you unceevilised heathen,"
roared Scottie, in virtuous indignation, "A man that
wouldna' tell his mates when he struck a ton of opal
is nae frien' o' mine ; get awa' before a dae ye damage,"
" Come Scottie," began the Parson, but Mac would
have none of him,
" Don't Scottie me," he bellowed, " Ye— ye  " Then
seeing the look of pain on the face of the would-be peace
maker he calmed down and said, "Weel, ye shouldna
anger me, I'll alloo ony man to judge if  "
" Lor', Scottie, what is ye sayin' ? " interrupted Satan
anxiously ; " I forgot all about the darned stuff, I has no
mate, and if you vrill come and help spend it you can
have the half."
" Mein Gott," cried Kaiser, " I vil be your mate for von
quarter," " Satan," began Mac, " A'm sorry A spoke, but A can
see ye're no fit to be left alane, among so mony Germans
and foreign heathen. Sell yer opal, lad, and bank the
money in Sydney. The coach leaves the morn's nicht."
"I'll be darned if I do, I never went and left my
mates yet, an' I ain't goin' to start now," exclaimed
Satan doggedly.
And then I explained that he had already done suffi
cient to merit our blessing by discovering the layer of opal
at tbe forty-four feet level. " It in all probabiUty extends
throughout all our claims at that depth," I said, " so you
had better go down to Sydney and dispose of yours before
the news leaks out. Othervrise there vriU be so much of

228 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the opal for sale locally when we all strike it that the
buyers may be frightened."
Ultimately we convinced Satan that he should go down
to the coast, for it was evident he needed a change, and
he could now well afford it. Shortly afterwatds the party
broke up for the night, and soon the camps were wrapt
in slumber, each man dreaming, doubtless, of the opal he
would get on the morrow four feet beneath the floor of
his lowest drive.
In the morning the Parson, Kaiser, and Mac went
over to assist Satan in working out the opal shovring in
his claim, and in the evening he departed with twenty
pounds weight of first-grade opal tied securely in sacks
so as to excite no suspicion. The news of the deep-level
find soon spread, and at noon of the day foUovring Satan's
departure our little community was the centre of a
"rush," which by evening had swelled into a great
canvas settlement stretching right across the white
glistening lake-bed towards the tovimship.
That evening our usual camp-fire circle was increased
by the addition of over a hundred hardened fortune-
seekers eager to obtain any information as to the levels,
depths, and formations of the country, which, obviously,
only we who had shafts already sunk were able to supply.
" It are the forty-four feet level seam we has struck,"
Bill answered to aU inquiries, " an' it likely spreads out
all over the flat there, though I 'spects it turns into Potch
before it goes far."
" I reckon we'll chance that," was the general response,
and next day the many heaps of upturned sand that grew
in proportion as we looked, showed that the new arrivals
were fast doing so.
Meanwhile, the buyers were greatly agitated. They
had heard exaggerated reports concerning the find of the
" forty -four," and had arranged among themselves to beat

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 229
down the prices of the opal to M an ounce. It, there
fore, surprised them to find the days passing and no one
offering to sell any opal ; and one morning two of their
fraternity repegged Satan's abandoned claim, evidently
with the intention of investigating matter for themselves.
As we had been endeavouring by various subterfuges to
keep this claim intact, some of us having even altered
our boundaries the better to do so, we were much
chagrined at this brilliant move on their part, but
marvelled how they had come to know that it was not
legally manned. However, the claim was worked out,
and as the two new holders knew as little about the
practical part of mining for opal as we knew of the value
of the gem, we consoled ourselves with the reflection
that, after all, we might be able to turn their proximity
to account.
Thus it was that every evening a well-packed sack was
carefully hoisted from each of the shafts of the sur
rounding claim-holders, and a rumour spread abroad
that a new Sydney syndicate was buying opal by the
ton. Our two Hebrew friends, by dint of persistent
effort, graduaUy insinuated themselves into our good
graces, and one day astonished us by announcing that
they were capitalists, and would purchase our claims if
the terms were reasonable. At this straightforward way
of doing business, so foreign to the nature of their
compatriots, I felt that we had greatly VTronged them,
and as they said, truly enough, that they did not know
what our claims contained, and that their offer was
merely a part of honest speculation, the Parson and I
were much worried over certain matters.
" I reckon I vote for selling," said Bill one evening as
we held a meeting to consider the proposal. "The
money vrill pay ex's for a trip West, an' darn 'em !
they're Jews anyhow."

230 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"A'm wi' ye. Bill," cried Mac, and one by one aU
signified their approval of the sentiments expressed
until only the Parson and I were left.
" Of course I will not vote against my partner. Kaiser,"
began the Parson, "but really there is nothing in our
cl  " He stopped abruptly, for, from the shadows of
our mullock-heap, stepped a stranger. There seemed
something familiar about his gait as he crossed the
fire-lit zone, and sat down on the empty kerosene tin
on which Satan used to sit, but I could not recollect
whom he resembled. For a moment no one spoke ; the
stranger's amazing coolness had taken our breath away.
He was dressed in, presumably, the latest style of Sydney
clothing, but even in the dim light I could see that his
garments hung loosely on his person. Evidently he had
just arrived in White Cliffs, and had not yet been in a
willy-willy (sand-storm).
" Look here, ma man, hae ye a ticket ? " said Mac at
length. "If ye is a new chum ye will get tucker in that tent
there," said BiU, "but  "
" Lor', mates ! What does ye mean ? Doesn't ye
not know me ? " interrapted the stranger. "I is
Satan  "
" Golly ! an' so it is, but — but where's your whiskers,"
cried Black George, holding a lighted match in the
stranger's face.
" Satan, ye deevil, gie's yer hand," roared Scottie,
" A'm rael glad to see ye."
" Oh, mates, I is glad to git back, I is," began our old
friend. "I hasn't had a proper feed since L left, an' I
has been disgraced. I went to a theatre in Sydney an'
there was a fight on the stage, an' because I jumped up
an' jined in sociaUy like, the police came in an' started
on me. I couldn't fight them aU, for there war' mor'n

The Belle of the Bush.
A Salvation Army Convert in White Cliffs,

\To face page 230.

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 231
a dozen, an' next day the judge, a very decent old gentle
man, told me to git from Sydney, for it war' full o'
sharks. I gitted to Melbourne, but, oh. Lor' ! mates,
don't none of you never go there  "
" But your opal, Satan ? What did you get for it ? "
I broke in,
"Oh, that darned stuff? Mates, it weren't worth
much after all. There war' two young fellows in the
Wilcannia coach vrith me, an' they told me that it war'
no good. They war' Jews of course ; but they went
down all the way with me an' took me round all the
buyers in Sydney, an' none o' them would look at it,
I didn't know what to do ; and I was mighty glad when
the two Jews gave me two hundred pounds for the lot.
I spent the money as quick as I could, an' here I is back
again, an'  But has ye got no tucker ? "
For fuU five minutes the air was filled vrith the most
powerful words in at least four different languages,
during which entertainment Satan unconcernedly ate
the piece of damper which Ted had handed to him.
" I suppose you do not remember the names of your
two kind friends, Satan ? " I said, passing him the tea
billy, " No, but they both wears a chain vrith a most 'culiar
pendant, something Uke what the Parson showed us one
night." " Ah ! " I cried. " Gentlemen, our business is settled.
We wiU sell our claims to-morrow : we cannot refuse the
kindly, disinterested offer of Satan's two benefactors."
" But I reckon the price has risen, hasn't it ? " inquired
BiU. "Yes," answered the Parson grimly. "Satan's opal
was worth £8,000."
Next moming the two Hebrews came out from town
a full hour earlier than usual, and without more ado the

232 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
Parson, as spokesman, informed them that having con
sidered everything and being desirous of going out West,
we were willing to sell our joint claims for three thousand
pounds in cash,
" But two tousant was the agreement," remonstrated
one. "There was no agreement," replied the Parson.
"Candidly I can't imagine why you wish to have the
claims, for opal seems to have fallen in the market, but
if you still desire them that sum is our price untU we
hear from other possible purchasers,"
While he was speaking, Mac and Hoskins were
assiduously painting the address of a famous Sydney
firm of jewellers on a well-roped candle-box, and after
eyeing them intently for a minute, Aaron  said —
"Veil den, we don't cares, we is speculative business
men. No, we do not want to see your drives. Ha, ha !
we vas not built to go through rabbit-holes. Here is de
money, sign this papers all of you, an' come and dine
with us in the Australian Thirst saloon."
The above is the history of the finding of the "forty-
four" feet level, and the seUing of "Block 91." The
money was equally divided among the men interested, after
which most of them pegged out fresh claims elsewhere,
but Bill, Ted, Satan, Black George, Scottie, the Parson,
and I, procured bicycles and water-bags, and started off
on our Western prospecting trip that same afternoon.
It is unnecessary to repeat the details of our journey.
The country was at first a hard, sandy plain dotted here
and there with sparse growths of the ubiquitous mulga
scrub, and occasionally broken by outcrops of sUver
lodes; but as we advanced, aU forms of vegetation
disappeared, and on the third day we found ourselves
on an undulating sea of ironshot sand bounded only
by the horizon. We had not as yet seen any signs of

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 233
surface opal formations, and of course had no intention
of sinking shafts to investigate, in the heart of such a
desert. On the fourth day we calculated that we had
now reached a point one hundred and forty miles west
from White Cliffs, and that night we camped on the
edge of a dry clay-pan and considered the advisability
of returning. BiU and Ted, however, persisted that we
had not yet gone far enough to see the place of which
they had spoken so often, and although I could not
understand how they had managed to travel such a
distance, nor how they knew whether we had passed
their farthest-out camp or not, I had implicit faith in
the correctness of their observations.
"I reckon we has to go 'bout thirty miles yet. We
was jest a day off here," said Bill.
"You must have been quite close to Lake Frome
then," I said,
"Never seed it, nor knowed of it, nor don't believe
there ever was any lake in this part o' the world," replied
Bill, and I wondered greatly, seeing that Lake Frome
was distinctly marked across our path on the Government
map in my possession. We had no fire that night, there
being nothing that would burn within at least a day's
journey, and consequently our supper was not of a
tempting nature.
"Well, men, I don't know that I care to be responsible
for taking you further west," I announced. " How much
water is left in the bags ? "
" There war' six gallons between them all after supper,"
answered Satan, " but Ted took a drink since then."
" Let us try another day yet," advised the Parson,
" we can go back over our tracks in two days, and the
opal might only be an hour ahead,"
All expressed their approval of these remarks, so soon
after, we scraped the top off the hard sand and went to

234 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
sleep. The pests were unusually energetic that night,
and several times we were awakened by their voracious
ness. The Parson and Black George seemed to be
affected even more so than the others, but it must have
been an exceptionally large and active centipede that
bit our dusky comrade in three places before he could
discard his garments. At any rate, bis yells aroused four
evil-eyed crows from their dreams of the gorge they
expected to have soon, and a skulking dingo also started
in affright, emitting as it retreated a blood-curdling howl,
that instantly brought us aU to our feet.
" Lor' ! nigger ! Has ye not never been bit before ? "
cried Satan in a reproving tone of voice, as he cast a
sand-snake from under him.
" Who does ye expect can sleep with you on the corro
borree. Nig ? Darn it ! An' you a black feUow too, I
reckon you oughten 'pologise," grumbled Bill.
George's answer was picturesque, but three bleeding
wounds on his back showed where the venomous creature
had got in its work on him. He was a hardy piece of
humanity, however, and after the Parson had lanced the
rapid swelling flesh and applied ammonia, he went to
sleep again. Shortly afterwards the Parson himself rose
to his feet with an exclamation of annoyance, and began
kicking up his sandy sleeping place.
" What's wrong ? " I inquired.
" I don't know. There seems to be a bonlder or
something hard under me. Hallo ! What's this — Great
Scott ! Opal ! "
Again the party sprang up, and as the glistening stone
was rolled out on the surface and examined by match-
light, many and various were the comments made on
the poor Parson's ignorance, for the boulder which had
sought out the soft corners of his body was a mass of
green copper sulphide.

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 235
"And has this material no value?" asked the object
of the unkind remarks.
"None; it's worse than potch," roared BiU. "See,
Scottie's got more. Lor' ! it's everywhere."
"It is really worth a considerable amount," I said,
" but the expense of treating it properly out here would
be too much for us. That is an outcrop, and to all
appearance it is one of the richest ever discovered."
We slept no more that night, and before sunrise started
off across the clay-pan. The surface was smooth and
hard, and with the aid of a slight breeze which arose with
the sun we skimmed along at an almost incredible pace.
" Hallo, Ted ! There's our old stakes," suddenly
yelled Bill, steering for the crest of a broken piece of
ground, and following in his tracks, we soon were standing
round a broken pick-handle standing upright in the
ground and on which was inscribed: "C.B. and S.T.
Pros. Claim. Corner Peg."
"How on earth did you manage to lead us here, Bill? "
cried the Parson wonderingly.
"Easy enough; this is the same season as when we
were out, so we jest ran the ole sun down an' at night
ye can always git the bearin's from the Cross."
The Parson's surprise might have been greater had he
known that my compass had been useless since the
second day out, and that but for a few haphazard
observations taken. Bill had been our only guide, Mean-
whUe Ted had unstrapped a pick and set to work, and
before I had fully realised that we stood on what — in
the rainy season, if such a season existed in those parts —
was an island in the centre of Lake Frome, and that it
was its salt-encrusted bed we had been crossing since
morning, he handed me a piece of some scintillating
substance, inquiring, by the shape of his face, my opinion
as to its value.

236 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Why, that's opalised wood," I exclaimed. " But
what have we struck now?"
"The opal we told ye about, of course," granted Bill.
" The sand's blovra over it, and Ted's dug it up again ;
that's aU."
Truly we had encountered a marvellous formation.
Great masses of fiery and orange opal were uncovered
on every side, and for a day we did nothing but gather
the best. It was evident that a forest had at one time
occupied the site of the lake, for most of the opal showed
the grains of wood throughout its structure, and many
opalised leaves were found embedded in a matrix which
looked uncommonly like bark. This latter fact was most
puzzling, for the trees with bark in Australia are few
indeed. We pegged out seven prospector's claims, and
after a final look round prepared to move, our intention
being to arrange for suitable transport for stores and
water, and then come back,
"Ye talk about the effeeciency o' the steam engine,"
muttered Scottie, as he examined the liquid contents of
our bags, "but it's far oot o' date now, for we've each
got to ran a hundred miles a day on a pint o' water, and
if onything can beat this  "
"No doubt your remarks are the result of much study,
Mac," I said, working out an elaborate calculation on the
sand, "but we are not more than ninety mUes from
civilisation straight ahead, and if we care to travel over
what remains of the lake by moonlight and the ground
continues passable after that, we will strike the South
Australian railway somewhere near Beltana siding to
morrow afternoon,"
And so it proved. We reached the S.A. line on the
following afternoon, and an hour after sundown stopped
the Port Augusta-bound train by kindUng a fire in the
middle of the track. Thirty-six hours later we found

The Dingoe or Native Dog.

To face page 237.

ON THE OPAL FIELDS 237
ourselves parading Bundle Street, Adelaide, in quest of
some of Scottie's friends who resided there.
A week later I was in Sydney, and while crossing
on the Kirribilli from Circular Quay to Milsons Point
I came face to face with Aaron  .
" How vas you? " he cried effusively.
"As usual," I repUed. "How are the claims turning
out ? "
" Oh, not too bad," he answered, but his flushed face
told another story; "but tell me," he continued, "who
vas it bought your opal in Sydney?"
" No one. We sent no opal to Sydney."
" But the boxes and sacks  ? "
" Were fiUed with potch."
"An' — an' the forty-four feet level is — but ah! you
make mistake; I bought five tousant pound of its opal
before I saw you."
" Yes, I know, but you bought all that ever came from
that depth. It was merely a pocket ; we discovered that
much two days after Satan, your old friend, left White
Cliffs. It was in his claim, probably because it happened
to be the lowest lying. We might not have sold our
claims to you but for the fact that Satan returned, and —
well, you know two hundred pounds is not fair value for
five thousand."
Aaron's rage was great, but he afterwards paid six
hundred sovereigns for the opal we had brought down
from Lake Frome. We did not go back there, a shower
of rain came on and flooded the lake, and after chasing
the elusive gem over the greater part of Queensland with
more or less success, our party reformed and set out on
a gold-prospecting trip to British New Guinea.

PROSPECTING IN BRITISH NEW
GUINEA
THE Ufe of the prospector in New Guinea is not
fraught with many pleasures, but in my expe
rience, oftener than elsewhere, he enjoys that exquisite
sensation which attends the unexpected finding of gold,
and here the dreary monotony of life in the AustraUan
interior is exchanged for conditions more congenial to his
wandering nature,
British New Guinea is to most people the least-known
part of our empire ; but there are few valleys in its dark
interior in which the prospector has not "chipped"
some quartz formation, or "panned" some sand from
the river's bed. The British flag was first planted in
Eastern New Guinea by Captain, now Admiral, John
Moresby, of H.M. S. Basilisk, in 1872. This officer, whilst
employed in superintending the pearl shell fisheries in
Torres Straits, learnt that adventurers, both American
and French, were contemplating expeditions and occu
pation of the then unknown shores of Eastem New
Guinea, The captain of the Basilisk, being aware of the great
strategical importance of these coasts to Australia, re
solved to forestaU any such attempt, and fortunately
succeeded in securing for England the whole of Eastern
New Guinea and its adjacent islands. Ultimately, how-

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 239
ever, a large part of his labour was lost owing to the
retrograde poUcy of the times, when Germany was
allowed to seize so considerable a part of North-Eastern
New Guinea without opposition.
Samarai has now eclipsed Port Moresby as the chief
port of the possession. It is built, or rather erected,
upon a small island at the extreme south-east of the
mainland, and is in direct communication with Cook-
town in Queensland and the Australian capitals. From
Samarai coasting-steamers run regularly to the mouths
of the Mambare, Kumusi, and Gira rivers on the north
eastern coast, and in the upper reaches and sources of
these rivers are the great gold deposits, the origin of
which has completely baffled the mineralogist and geolo
gist to explain. The men there do not trouble them
selves as to its origin, however, and while the river-beds
continue to yield a sure and steady quantity of gold to
the ordinary miner, and the mountain gorges or creeks
provide sensational " finds " for the more daring prospec
tor, no one cares whether the presence of the precious
metal is in accordance with the views of geologists or
otherwise. " It is a fact that the bottom is on top," said an old
pioneer. " But then the outcrops are aU inside the
darned mountains, so we are quits."
The township of Tamata is the most important centre
of the New Guinean goldfields, but the Yodda VaUey
camp rivals it closely, and it is expected that some of
the new camps at the base of Mount Albert Edward
wiU in time surpass them both. The fierce, unreason
ing hostUity of the natives renders prospecting at any
distance from the settlements an extremely dangerous
occupation, as the writer, who has had several expe
riences among the cannibalistic tribes of the lower
ranges, can testify. As a rule, however, the prospector

240 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
scorns all such dangers, and if he escapes the dreaded
fever, trusts to his rifle for protection and his luck for
fortune, and straightway proceeds to cut a path into some
unknown river valley.
The famous Yodda Valley, where men at first made
fifty ounces of gold (equivalent to £180 per day), was
discovered in such manner, and if the stories of some of
the prospecting parties who crossed New Guinea in aU
directions were given to the world, doubtless a " rash "
would set in towards the deadly fever-swamps, un
paralleled in the world's history both for its general
extent and the amount of victims. Bound the camp-
fires at night, enveloped in their smoke to escape the
many pests, the men of the various settlements regu
larly gather to discuss the latest news from the coast,
and to consider the many strange reports of "great
strikes " constantly circulated by the friendly natives.
Frequently a party is organised to go and prove the truth
of any such report, and when in turn word is sent back
that the chances are good, a general exodus often takes
place, aU setting out for the new fields with light hearts
and high hopes.
Miners cannot stay in New Guinea for more than one
season at a time ; they are forced by repeated attacks of
the various fevers to leave their work and take a " spell "
in the southern parts of Australia or New Zealand. In
my opinion lack of proper food is the prime cause of these
fevers, as it is only when the men are "run down" that
the kuri-kuri breaks out among them. The stores are
floated as far as possible up the rivers in oil-launches
and whale-boats, and then transported overland to the
camps by native carriers in the employment of the
diggers. The majority of the miners are Australians;
but in most prospecting parties there is usually a Scots
man and an Irishman, and not infrequently a German.

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 241
In the party with which I was associated there were
two typical Australian prospectors, one German, one
Irishman, and, including myself, two Scots. We also
had six native carriers and two dogs. My Scottish
comrade said that " the dugs were as guid as ony twa
men " ; but however that might apply to the whites, it
was at least unfair to our dusky " boys," who were Fly
Eiver natives, and only cost one shilling each for wages
per day. We all had had experience on other goldfields,
and each man was fever-proof, which in New Guinea
means impregnated with quinine. "Doc," the Irish
man, was a Dublin University man of some repute.
He had been in turn a member of a famous North
Polar expedition, and an officer in the American Philip-
pino campaign. Mac had been everywhere, but his
accent seemed to become more pronounced the farther
from home he wandered. The two Australians, Emu
Bill and Starvation Sam, were good specimens of the
wandering Anglo-Saxon. Bill was one of the pioneers
of Coolgardie, but if he were addressed by his real name,
WUUam Hambley, he would probably not recognise it.
Sam was the son of a governor of a not unknown " ' link '
in our chain of Empire" ; but as he adopted his cogno
men to hide his identity, and no one would dream of
calling him anything else, perhaps I will be excused
from going further into his family history. He was
six feet five inches in height, had been in his time
soldier, sailor, missionary, pearier, outlaw, and mail-
carrier, from which description all Queenslanders and
South Sea travellers will immediately recognise him.
Our German companion was a first-class mineralogist and
an excellent comrade — and cook ; but he deeply resented
the appellation of Kaiser, whieh Mac bestowed upon him.
" I am not Cherman," he would say, "I vas been as
mooch English as you, Scodie." 17

242 IN SEARCH 01 EL DORADO
"A ken that fine. Kaiser," Mac would answer. " A'm
Scotch frae Dundee."
We left Tamata with the intention of prospecting the
Owen Stanley ranges, and among the miners in general
were considered to be the most experienced and best-
equipped prospecting party that ever essayed that ven
ture. Our journey for the first week was, allowing for
the nature of the country — uneventful, A crocodile
gripped one of our carriers while crossing the Ope
Eiver, but making a combined attack on the huge
saurian, we forced it to relax its hold, and finally, as
Bill remarked, " Ther' war one inseck less in the darned
country." Another day we were attacked by myriads of
bees, and, despite our face-nets, they inflicted much pain
upon aU. The New Guinean bee does not sting, in the
strictest sense of the word ; it has an intense craving for
salt, and, obeying some instinct, it fastens into the skin
and raises great blisters thereon by its peculiar suction
action. At lunch-time we carefully made a pile of dry
brushwood, and shook a small packet of salt over it.
Instantly the bees left us and followed the salt down
through the loose heap, and then with a chuckle of
delight, and a grunt of satisfaction from Kaiser, Mac
applied a lighted match. Doc said that Mac chased the
only bee that escaped for over half a mile, but at any rate
we were not troubled further that day.
Continuing our journey, which at first had been
through the swampy and pestilential morass formed by
the Ope Elver's periodical overflow, we at length crossed
the " divide " between the Ope and Kumusi waters, and
travelled through a country in which briUiantly-hued
creepers blazed from the tree-tops, and luxuriant vege
tation flourished everywhere, Gaudy-plumaged parrots,
cockatoos, and birds of paradise flitted overhead, making
the forest resound with their deafening chatter. Snakes

Crocodile's Jaws.

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 243
of nearly all varieties started from the dense under-
growths as we approached, and our dogs had plenty of
exercise in chasing these undesirables. They in turn were
the hunted when near rivers, and many a narrow escape
Mac and his charges had from the enormous and impreg
nable crocodiles that infested the banks of all streams.
There were several native villages in the district which
we now traversed, but having had previous experience of
the treacherous nature and cannibalistic proclivities of
most of the tribes in that quarter, we avoided them,
and altered our course when we struck a native pad or
track. We knew that our tracks must be seen, how
ever, and nightly expected a visit from the warriors,
who, fearing only the Government police, looked upon
prospecting parties as the lawful prey allowed them by
a considerate Government, We were not disappointed.
One night, when camped near the Kumusi, and about
thirty miles from the Yodda Valley camps, the long-
expected attack came, and, to Mac's intense disgust, we
did not stay to argue the point, but departed hurriedly
and ignominlously. Two days later we reached the
Yodda, and camped for some time, to try our luck and
hear the latest reports from the mountains, A day pre
vious to our arrival a strong party had set out to prospect
Mount Scratchley, and while we were camped a famous
pioneering company arrived from the interior, and re
ported the discovery of vast gold deposits in the gullies of
the higher ranges. Several of the members showed some
peculiar stones which they had taken from the mountain
ravines, and one veteran, in whom Sam recognised an
old comrade, hinted mysteriously that the nuggets and
slugs which they had with them came from a lava deposit
at the source of the Gira, in German territory. While
Doc and I noted that significant fact for future reference.
Kaiser was more interested in the stones.

244 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Dat is vat is called zircon," he whispered to me, as he
placed a pebble on his tongue. " Gott ! it is over twenty
carats," he continued excitedly. "Ask him ver it vas
come from."
" Why not ask him yourself ? " I suggested jokingly, but
the reproachful look he gave me made me regret that I
had spoken. Kaiser's race, in most British colonies, is
always suspected of underhand dealing. On my inquiring
of the owner where he had found the stones, he placed
them in my hands.
"In some creeks in the back ranges," he answered,
"You can have them all. I ain't going to carry them
further." "But look," I said, chipping the edge of one, and dis
closing a translucent mass of pale straw colour, in which
a tinge of port vrine danced according to the manner in
which the stone was held.
" I don't care," he repUed. " I is a gold-miner, an' I
knows that every ounce of gold is worth £3 17s. 6d. ; but
that is darned stuff only Jews will buy, and I'U throw
them away if you don't want them."
I had no spare money — the prospector never has — and
as he refused to take a new Winchester rifle and my
silver-mounted revolver, I did not know what to give
him in return,
" Ye'U need all yer pop-guns where ye are goin'," he
said. " I is going dovra to South Aus, vrith my pile ;
but say, if ye has any frait-salt, or sugar, or quinine
to spare, I an' the boys would be ontarnally obUged
to ye."
I gave him a bottle of quinine tabloids, and another
of saccharine, and, as few of the miners had ever heard
of the latter substance, and of course seldom carried
sugar, their delight was a treat to see. We entertained
them to dinner, and next morning they started for the

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 245
Kumusi Eiver, en route for the coast, Samarai, and
Australia. At the same time we picked up their old
tracks and steered for the distant peak of Mount
Scratchley, Our progress was now necessarily slow, for, in ad
dition to being in a hostile country, through which Sir
William Macgregor and his native police was the only
armed force that had ever passed, we had to carry on
prospecting operations. Three days out, our first
" strike " was made. We bridged a deep river in the
usual manner, by felling a tree across from bank to
bank, and after we had crossed. Kaiser, who was an
enthusiastic botanist, descended into the channel to
examine a curious growth on an under branch.
" Come on. Kaiser," shouted Mac ; " there's nae gold
doon there."
" Bring up a sample, anyhow," Bill added, throwing
him a gold-pan ; and laughingly we all passed on,
leaving our inquisitive comrade to follow at his leisure.
Shortly afterwards Doc shot a wild pig, and, as all
prospectors adopt the rule of dining when opportunity
offers, a halt was called for that purpose. During cook
ing operations Kaiser arrived, carrying Bill's gold-pan.
Bill took the dish from his hands with the intention of
replacing it in its former position on a carrier's back;
but, to his loudly and vigorously expressed astonishment,
he found that his comrade had followed his instructions,
and actually carried about two pounds of sand from the
river's bed.
"Lor', but ye is green. Kaiser!" he remarked, pre
paring to throw the sand out.
" Haud on a wee," Mac cried, seizing his arm ; '" it's
aye whaur ye dinna expect to find gold that ye get it.
Noo, I dinna think there's ony there, so try it."
Bill looked at Mac in thoughtful silence for a minute.

246 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" I reckon it's worth trying, anyhow," cried Sam.
"Pitch it here, an' I'U pan it,"
Bill did so, and Sam walked over to a creek near.
Shortly after we were all startled by his shout. " Did
you salt " (add gold to) " this dirt, Scottie ? " he roared,
" Get oot, man, an' no mak' a fool o' yersel' ! " Mac
answered, walking over. " Hallo ! Come here lads," he
continued ; " we've struck it ! "
In a moment six excited men were round the pan, to
which Sam veas still imparting a gentle concentric
motion, and, to our unbounded amazement, every move
ment of the dish still increased the comet-like tail of
deep red gold in the ripple of the pan.
"Well, I'll be jiggered!" said the two Australians
simultaneously. " I'll be d — darned ! " remarked Mac, with great
feeling. "Mine Gott! Tree ounce stuff!" cried Kaiser.
" Better come and have dinner," suggested Doc,
I do not remember what I said ; but even our " boys "
babbled away in unintelUgible but excited language. Of
course we retumed to the nver — one of the Kumusi
head-waters — and by sundown had tested the sands at
various points for a distance of two miles "on both sides
of our bridge. Kaiser, meanwhile, had set to work with
his pan, and when we returned to our camping-ground he
had about half an ounce of coarse gold to show for his
efforts. Next day we pegged out six prospectors' claims along
both banks of the stream, including, of course, as much
of the aUuvial land on either side as our claims would
allow. For several days afterwards we devoted some
time to the most promising bars and deposits; but, as
we had neither the tools nor the material for construct
ing sluice-boxes, our methods were restricted to simply

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 247
washing the "dirt" in our pans. On the fourth day
Mac threw down his pan, ejaculating at the same time
the most-used word in his fairly-extensive vocabulary.
"What is the matter, Mac?" I cried, from the
opposite bank.
" I dinna see hoo I shood hae tae work Uke a Clyde
steevedore," he answered, "when ony man wi' the
sma'est scienteefic abeelities could get as much gold in
hauf an hoor as the lot o' us can in a day."
" Explain, Mac, Have you an idea? "
" Ay, thousands o' them. But what's tae hinder us
frae taking a wheen split bamboos an' stringing them
thegether Uke a sheet o' galvanised iron  "
" Nothing, We have our axes. But what  ? "
" Turn the affair upside down and lean it against the
bank there. Some o' us could throw the sand on tae the
thing and Kaiser could keep it goin' wi' enough water tae
wash the sand awa'."
"But the bamboo is too smooth. The gold would be
carried over the edges with the sand."
" Pit a hale bamboo in atween every twa spUt yins, an'
if the gold could rise ow'r that it wad be too licht for
savin' ony way."
" All right, Mac," I responded. " You make the affair,
and if it works we will appoint you our chief engineer."
Mac did not answer. He knew that all his appoint
ments merely meant so much additional work left to him
as a matter of course ; and even as things were, he never
had " ony time for meeditaishun," He made his corru
gated inclined plane, however, and as all his comrades,
excepting Kaiser, laughed at his idea, he worked it
himself for the first day. That evening, as we sat in
the smoke of our camp-fire. Doc remarked, " Well, boys,
I made about an ounce to-day, but I can't say that I care
much about the work,"

248 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"I reckon I is good for an ounce too," said BiU.
Sam was cook. Kaiser camp-guard, and I had been
writing up my log, so we had nothing to say. Mac
evidently — like an AustraUan bushman — believed that
silence was golden, for it was only after being asked
several times that he spoke. "Ah, weel," he said reflec
tively, " there's some folk in this weary vvorld content tae
work awa' frae morn till nicht for a paltry three pounds
seventeen an' saxpence worth " (one ounce of gold), " but
I'm no ane o' them."
" Mac is home-sick," Doc laughed.
" Has your patent turned out a duffer? " inquired Sam.
"I reckon Scottie is keeping back his gold from his
mates," said Bill aggrievedly.
"How much did you get, Mac? " I interrapted sooth
ingly, for Mac had been my companion in many a
journey, and I understood his nature well.
" I dinna ken," he answered, handing me a fair-sized
pouch; "aboot hauf a pun', I think."
"What! " roared the men, springing to their feet.
"Lor, Scottie! Does ye mean  ?"
"Eight ounces exactly," I announced. "Mac has
made £30 for one day's work."
" Scodland for ever " ! shouted Kaiser from the midst
of a cloud of native tobacco-smoke, and the others echoed
his sentiments. Next day all hands assisted at Mac's
machine, which showed in its constraction many signs of
that gentleman's ingenuity ; but it had not been designed
to bear the strain now put upon it, and after a few hours'
work the bamboo ripples fell away. However it may
apply in other circumstances, it is a recognised law
among prospectors that misfortunes never come singly,
therefore we were not surprised that afternoon when the
river suddenly came down "a banker" (in flood) and
carried away aU our preparations for a new machine,

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 249
Doc, who was of a philosophical nature, went out shoot
ing when it became apparent that no further work could
be done that day. When he returned to camp I saw from
his face that the last of our misfortunes had not yet
been reached,
" The Papangis and Babagas are out," he said quietly,
" That means  ? " I said.
" That we'd better git, quick an' lively too," interrupted
BiU. "This creek runs into a large river about three miles
down," continued Doc, " and there is a palisaded village
near the junction. I saw some canoes drawn up on the
banks, and from their design and peculiar ornamentation
I at once guessed who their owners were. There were
also some bearing the symbol of the Sizuretas ; but prob
ably they were those taken from that tribe when the
great massacre occurred, I did not see any natives, and
as I was quite close to the palisades I therefore concluded
that they did not vrish to be seen, and you can all guess
what that means."
Doc's words caused great consternation, and when our
" boys " gathered that they were in the country of the
dreaded Papangi they set up a wailing, "Papangi no
good. Hims eat poor black devils. Stick head on pouri
dubus " (sorcerer's house), cried one, on whom we had
bestowed the title of King George.
" Dinna you be frichtened, ma man," said Mac consol
ingly. " If ony o' the Papangi heathens come near
enough I'U gie them sic a feed o' lead that their ghosts 'U
hae indegeestion." King George did not understand all
that Mac said ; but he brightened up considerably at his
words, and at once began to infuse spirit into his com
panions, Mac was always delighted at the prospect of a
fight ; but as these tribes had only a month previously
murdered and eaten most pf the inhabitants of Angerita,

250 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the chief village of the Sizuretas, and afterwards success
fully given battle to the Warden of the Northern Division
and his police, who had gone to punish them, we thought
discretion the better part of valour, and prepared to move,
much to Mac's disgust.
"Are ye gaun to rin awa' again?" he bellowed
indignantly. " Let's get ma gun, an I'll gang an' fecht
them ma' sel,"
" An' your head vas lookveUon pole-top, Scottie," said
Kaiser as he struck our tent.
" We will fight if we can get a good camping-ground
where they can't get behind us," I said, and with that
Mac had to be content.
In a marvellously short space of time our carriers were
loaded and across the stream, after which we cast our
bridge adrift and started up the north bank, intending to
follow the river to its source, and then prospect for the
lode from which the gold was shed. The sun had just
disappeared as we began our march. We had not stayed
for supper, and perhaps this fact had something to do
with the depressing influence that seemed to rest upon
aU. Animal life had suddenly become very active ; and
to feel a coiUng, writhing object among the feet, or to
tread upon some nameless amphibious creature, was any
thing but a pleasant sensation.
The moon shone brightly for the first two hours, and
we travelled much faster than is usual in New Guinea.
Our dogs, however, seemed conscious of some impending
danger that was not yet apparent to us ; and it grieved
Mac sorely to see how his dumb charges hung so closely
to his person, and how spiritless they had become.
" I fancy we should have stayed and risked a fight,"
Doc said at length, as we paused at the mouth of a
narrow ravine through which the stream rushed furiously.
" Our boys will never face that."

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 251
" Can't we get over the top ? " I suggested ; but Bill
and Sam, who had been reconnoitring, said our only
possible course was to traverse the stream and trust to
there being no pools. This prospect was not very pleas
ing. We did not know the length of the ravine, nor
what animals might have their homes in its depths, and
our nerves were already at high tension.
The moon was now obscured with banks of dark clouds
that had suddenly shot up from beneath Mount Victoria,
and the birds of night, before so noisy, were now strangely
silent. The atmosphere had also become oppressively
close, and we had to throw down our loads, from sheer
physical inabiUty to longer sustain them.
"It's a 'buster' comin'," Sam gasped; "git up the
flies — quick ! " A flash of lightning lit up the valley as
he spoke, and a terrific thunder-clap reverberated through
the ravine. A minute of what felt unnatural silence
passed, during which we all struggled with our long
canvas " fly," and then the storm burst. We had got
our flour- and rice-sacks under cover, and following
Kaiser's example, crawled in under the folds beside
them. The rain was the heaviest I have ever experi
enced, and soon we were drenched to the skin, even
through the thick canvas. Suddenly one of the dogs
started up,- and instinctively fearing some new calamity,
I gripped his nostrils tightly, while Doc crawled to the
edge of our covering,
"It's them," he whispered. "They are on the
other bank ; Heaven help us if we are discovered ! "
" Let me oot ! " growled Mac ; " I'm no gaun to be
speared like a rabbit in a hole."
"Shut up, Mac," I remonstrated. "It's too dark for
them to see, and they cannot cross the water in any
case." The patter of feet could now be heard on the
opposite bank, and an occasional Che-ep (battle-cry)

252 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
showed that we were not mistaken. In this new
excitement we soon forgot our miserable condition;
and from the characteristic behaviour of the individual
members of the party, it was evident that the actual
presence of danger had dispelled the strange feeling
of depression which previously had almost unnerved us.
Mac was muttering to his dogs. Bill and Sam were —
unconsciously, I believe — pouring out a torrent of
Australian bush words which, as Kaiser afterwards said,
"sounded like poedry." Kaiser himself, I knew, was
munching a piece of damper, which with thoughtful
precaution he had carried from our last camp. Our boys
lay still, as if asleep. I was so engrossed in the study
of my comrades that events outside passed unnoticed
until Doc's voice startled us. " Come out, boys ! "
he cried; " aU is clear." We crawled from under our
soaked covering, and found Doc puffing . at his pipe
as serenely as if he had just risen from supper. The
storm had ceased, the moon was shining again, and
the dark clouds were speeding towards the Yodda Valley.
" Evidently our friends were surprised by the ' buster '
as much as we were," Doc said; "at any rate, they
have gone, home to dine on something else."
"That minds me that I'm hungry tae," cried Mac;
"come on, Kaiser; gi'e us a haun'."
By some miraculous means these two worthies got
a fire kindled, and while we dried ourselves by the
blaze of "the gum-logs, the " biUies " were boUed, and
soon some copious draughts of thick black tea made us
feel quite recovered. When morning came the .waters
in the gorge had subsided, and after a hasty breakfast
we forced a passage up the stream, and finally emerged
on the wooded slopes of the mountains.
The detaUs of our journey from thence onwards would
require too much space to enumerate. We steered for

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 253
the distant ranges, because we wished to prospect them
before the state of our stores rendered that impossible,
knovring that, if unlucky, we could always come back
to the sands of the river. We were attacked twice by
hunting tribes of what must have been the notorious
Tugeris; but we were no longer inclined to run away,
and for the benefit of the gold-seeker who might come
after us, we taught them that it was dangerous to
interfere vrith prospectors.
One day in the middle ranges we traced up a rich
gold formation, and by the primitive method of dollying
with improvised tools obtained 110 ounces from it in
three days. In this region — near the source of the
Gira — signs of gold were everywhere ; but we were not
equipped for systematic mining, and could only treat
the rich free ore or the alluvial deposits. There seemed
to be few natives here, and owing to the height above
sea-level the country was much healthier than in the
lower valleys. One day we came on a deserted village,
in the stockaded garden of which were cocoanut and
betel palms, and the usual taro and sweet-potatoes.
The sugar-cane and tobacco-plant were also much in
evidence, showing that some civilising influence —
probably that of the missionaries — had been at work
among tbe former inhabitants. We saw no sign of life,
however, and therefore concluded that the fierce Tugeris
had recently raided the place.
Another day Doc and I, while climbing up the
mountain-side from our camp, found our progress
suddenly barred by a steep guUy that cut transversely
along the slope. Descending vrith difficulty into the
vaUey, and following up the course of an old water-
channel, we found a heterogeneous deposit of zircons,
sapphires, topazes, and many other gemstones amidst
the debris of an extinct blowhole. We gathered some

254 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
of what appeared to be the best, intending to find out
their value at the earliest possible opportunity. The
valley formation itself would have gladdened the heart
of any geologist ; from any point lower down the
mountain the slope seemed continuous, and only when
at the edge of the "breakaway" was the valley evident.
We were now near the German boundary, and hesitated
between our desires and our duty as law-abiding pro
spectors. WhUe camped on doubtful territory an incident
occurred that may serve to illustrate more than one
thing. We were satisfied with our luck so far; and
therefore light-hearted, so much so that one night Mac
began to sing, and soon we all joined him. The air
was very clear on the mountains, but it struck me that
the echoes lingered strangely ; and after we had turned
in for the night, volumes, of sound stiU rose and feU
on the atmosphere, sweeter far than that produced by
our own rough voices. Next night, as we sat at supper
regarding ruefully our fast-diminishing stores, we were
startled by a loud " Hallo ! " " Hallo ! " we shouted back,
and then to our astonishment four men and six carriers
marched into our fire-lit circle,
" It's a graun' nicht," cried one. " Hae ye onything
for eatin' ? "
" WeU, I'U be— Scotched ! " remarked Doc, while Mac
sprang to his feet and stared at the new-comers.
"You are just in time," I said. " What clan do you
represent ? "
"Macpherson; A'm frae Laggan-side. Sandy here
is a Glesga man, but Bob an' Jim are EngUshmen;
they're nane the waur o' that  "
" We heard you singing last night," interrupted Bob.
" We are as hungry as hawks— but how is the war?"
The new party had just come from a protracted trip

PROSPECTING IN NEW GUINEA 255
in German territory, and they told many strange tales
of what they had seen in tbat mysterious land. Unfor
tunately their stores had given out, and on investigation
we found that ours could not last more than ten days
for both parties. However, as Mr, Eobert Elliot informed
me, they had made enough gold to warrant their going
back again; and, pending considerations as to the
advisability of our joining forces, we all resolved to have
a " speU."
We eventually reached the coast at Holnecote Bay;
a week after we landed at Samarai, and eight days more
found us in Sydney.
Here two Hebrew gentlemen offered Sam and Kaiser
a £10 note for our entire stock of gem-stones. In
consequence of this generous offer (!) and the fact that
his great height afforded an easy means of identification,
we had to send Sam rather hurriedly to Melbourne. We
eventually restored peace, however, by selling our stones
to the afore-mentioned individuals for £80; and Since
then Aaron K, has informed me that one stone alone,
when cut into four parts and polished, fetched fifty-
three sovereigns.

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI
THEEE is a region away in the far north of New
Zealand, where sooner or later the wanderer who
knows the world by the track of his footsteps must surely
gravitate, there to mingle with kindred spirits and pursue
the even tenor of Ufe's way for a brief space under tranquil
circumstances, digging for the Kauri-resin deposits of
former ages along the fern swamps and uplands, amassing
wealth if fortune favours, but casually content with the
generous subsistence his peaceful labours at the least vriU
bring, until his restless nature compels him to journey
forth again on his ceaseless pilgrimage.
My acquaintance with this odd corner of the globe was
made some years ago, when chance — fataUty, the gum-
diggers would call it— led me to take a trip on a coasting
steamer trading from Auckland northwards. I had never
heard of the gum-digging industry except in the vaguest
way, and curiosity had fired my interest in inverse ratio
with the amount of information gathered. But I could
not help noticing that all my inquiries on the subject
were treated vrith scantily hidden disapproval, and in
consequence I never pressed my apparently awkward
questions, fearing that I had by accident hit on a conver
sational topic, which, like that of convict history in
Australia, had best be tabooed. So it happened that
when the S3. Bulimba moored alongside the jetty in the
beautiful harbour of Wangeri, I stepped ashore, meaning

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 257
to put in a day or so in the picturesque Uttle township
which looked so aUuring from the water, yet wholly
unaware of the fact that I had at last reached the centre
of the gum country. That was a small matter, however,
on which I was speedily enlightened,
I had just got clear of the long wharf, and was looking
about the quiet street in which I found myself, in hopes
of spying the hospitable portals of an hotel near at hand,
when four extremely ragged men emerged from the door
way of the establishment I had at that moment decided
to patronise. Their outward appearance was bad — very
bad, and though I have foregathered with aU sorts and
conditions in my time, I like to choose my company when
I can. I resolved promptly to pass on to some other
house. The disreputable quartette were now hurrying
towards me, and I moved aside to give them ample room
to go by. Three of the party were engaged in animated
discussion ; the fourth walked a Uttle way ahead, his eyes
fixed listlessly on the ground. He looked up as he
noticed the shadow across his path, and at once an
expression of relief brightened his weary countenance.
" I ask your pardon, sir," he said, with quaint courtesy.
" But will you do me a small service ? "
My hand slid into my pocket involuntarily; then I
recollected that I was not in Britain, and withdrew it
again carelessly. "Fire away," I said; "what's the
trouble?" The argumentative trio had meanwhile ceased their
wordy altercations and were staring at me eagerly. Their
poUte spokesman began again : —
" I presume you have been in the various Australian
cities ? " — ^he nodded in the direction of my portmanteau,
which I had set down in the middle of the road, whereon
were emblazoned the advertising devices of many enter
prising hotel proprietors. 18

258 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"You are certainly a lineal descendant of Sherlock
Holmes," I ventured with mild sarcasm, half wondering
if in this remote settlement I had stumbled upon an
adapted version of the old, old confidence trick.
He appeared to understand my innuendo, for he flushed
up angrily, then suddenly glancing at his dilapidated
wardrobe, he checked a fiery outburst and smiled feebly
instead. His companions too seemed powerfully affected
by my simple remark, and their wrath did not cool down
as swiftly as I would have wished. They crowded around
me threateningly, while the vials of their speech over
flowed in a tempestuous torrent of indignant reproaches,
" We is Ostralians," they beUowed with one voice, " we
is  "
" Calm yourselves, boys," I entreated, " You're over
sensitive to be abroad in this wicked world, I said
nothing  "
"An' don't say it again," interrupted the taUest and
ugliest of the group, " I is known as Long Ted in these
parts, I is ; an' I fights when my fur is raised, I does,"
It was now my turn to feel annoyed ; the aggressive
nature of the party almost confirmed me in my first
doubt, " Suppose you stand out of the way," I suggested, "I'm
not holding a levee  "
The leader at this stage endeavoured to throw oil on
the troubled waters. " I must apologise for bringing this
trouble upon you," he said, frowning severely on his
associates. "We are not tramps, though I have no
doubt our looks are against us. We are gum-diggers oat
for a spell ; at least my companions are on a hoUday ; I^
I am only going to take care of them."
"Then the gum-diggings are here?" I exclaimed in
surprise. " All round about for sixty miles or more," Long Ted

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 269
answered gruffly. " EngUsh Bob is going to Melbourne
vrith us  "
" Sydney," interjected a voice at his elbow.
"Adelaide," prompted another.
English Bob quelled the rising storm with an impatient
gesture. "You promised to let a stranger decide the
matter," he cried appealingly ; then turning to me he
continued, " WiU you be so kind as give me your opinion
on these three cities mentioned. In short, which is the
finest of the lot for a holiday ? "
A murmuring babel of sound foUowed his words, and
the three fire-eaters glared at me savagely, awaiting my
verdict. But I had once before been in a similar position
— only once, but that was enough. I realised that the
harassed Englishman had in tow a South Australian, a
citizen of New South Wales, and a Victorian. I
approached the deUcate question warily.
"Adelaide is a tidy Uttle town," I hazarded tentatively.
Long Ted's basilisk-Uke eyes peered at me dangerously,
" And Melbourne is a fine city," I continued reflectively.
Long Ted smiled, but his nearest neighbour snarled, I
could venture no further. " Not for gold or precious
stones will I commit myself," I protested. " I am a
peaceable individual  "
" Ho, ho, ho," laughed English Bob in genuine merri
ment, slapping me heartily on the shoulder, "You've
sized them up right away. I have never been in Australia
myself, and cannot understand why my companions
should have such diversified opinions on a simple subject,
I am certainly obUged to you for showing them my
difficulty, for if you cannot teU them what they ask, how
can I?"
"Toss for it, boys," I recommended; "it wiU be the
safest way, and can arouse no ill-feeling."
" Eight you are, mate," shouted Long Ted, and a twin

260 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
echo of applause intimated that aU danger of immediate
disturbance was at an end. I seized my portmanteau in
haste, and proceeded on my interrupted course ; but the
fighting trio leisurely kept pace. Long Ted gently insinua
ting the bag from my hand into his own horny palm as
we walked along.
"If you don't mind," spoke FngUsh Bob, coming
up in the rear, " I'd like to— to shout for you. We've
plenty of time to catch the old Bulimba, and for my
ovra part I'm not very anxious whether she saUs south
vrithout us or not,"
I marvelled at this strange dSno^ement, but said
nothing, and together we entered the hotel they had
BO recently vacated. Within the five minutes foUovring
our advent into the gilded " saloon bar," I had become
fairly well acquainted with th« vicissitudes of the gum-
digger's life. Long Ted was as exceedingly communi
cative as EngUsh Bob was reticent, while the remaining
pair added titbits of information now and then as occasion
demanded. " But what sort of men make it their special calUng? "
I asked at length. " No one seemed very vrilling to give
me any knowledge on the subject in Auckland."
English Bob roused himself, and looked at me curiously.
" We are a cosmopolitan lot," he answered, with just
a note of sadness in his voice; "we come from all corners
of the globe ; but no one makes it a special calUng unless,
perhaps, a few Maoris  "
" We is the dead-beats o' civilisation, that's what we
is," put in the garrulous Ted, with cheerful emphasis,
"But say, boss, what is you goin' to do here? Is you
goin' into the gum country? Is you full up o'
Sydney and Melbourne too?"
I evaded the pertinent allusion, not knowing exactly
its trae import ; I was commencing to understand Why

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 261
the gum-diggers were looked upon with suspicion by
their eminently respectable brethren of the towns.
Yet in spite of myself my sympathies went out to the
world-wanderers who seemed to be brought together
in this land through the subtle hand of an all-wise
Providence. "Give me the bearings of the camps, and I'll go
out right away," I said. " Gum-digging may suit me
as well as gold-digging, and I want to know what it's
Uke, anyhow."
At that moment the Bulimba's shrill whistle sounded
out on the still air, and Long Ted immediately grabbed
his " swag " and made a bolt for the door, a proceeding
which his two Australian comrades copied with alacrity.
" Hold on, boys," I cried ; " she won't sail for an
hour yet ; this is only a warning blast. Surely you
are acquainted with the habits of coasters by this
time," EngUsh Bob, however, had made no movement,
and missing him the excited trio came back, " I knows
the old Bulimba," howled Ted, " Captain Thompson
would hustle the blasted barge out just on purpose.
Come on. Bob."
The Englishman stretched himself lazily, and started
to follow his companions, who were again half-way
down the street. "Goodbye, sir," he said; "I'll see
you again soon if you are to remain in the country.
But one word — don't judge by appearances on the
gum-fields," I returned his greeting, and thanked him for his advice,
" Here's the Auckland Express," I said, fishing that
paper from my pocket, " It is the latest date, and will
be something to read on the boat."
He took it eagerly, and glanced casually down the open
sheet ; then his face paled, and the paper dropped

262 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
from his nerveless fingers. I tumed aside for a moment,
and when I looked again, English Bob's countenance
was stern and hard.
"You'd better go," I advised kindly; "the Bulimba
will be moving out soon."
He shook his head. "I have decided to stay and
go back with you to the fields," he answered with an
effort, " But I'U run down to the wharf and say good
bye to the boys,"
He was gone before I could speak another word, and
wonderingly I picked up the paper which had caused
such a sudden change of programme. Only one item
appeared in the page he had scanned which could
in any way be considered of remotest private interest.
But it read as follows : " Eobert Lorimer, the abscond
ing Bank Manager of a country town in England,
has at last been traced to New Zealand. Local inquiries
are being instituted, but it is regarded as tolerably certain
that the defaulter will be found in the northern gum-
land, and the police of that district have been warned
accordingly. Meanwhile the port of Auckland will be
stringently watched."
That was aU, yet viewed in the Ught of recent events
it was amply sufficient to suggest to me that EngUsh
Bob and Eobert Lorimer were one and the same person.
StiU, my late interrogator as to the attractions of
AustraUan cities did not strike me as being such a man as
the bald news paragraph implied. His face was gentle,
and contained a certain quiet dignity, which I felt
assured could belong to no criminal's countenance. His
manner, too, was distinctly in his favour. Already I had
forgotten the unprepossessing garb of the outer man.
My reflections were cut short by the dismal shriek of
the Bulimba's syren— sure signal that that persevering
vessel was at last under way.

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 263
"Yes, she's off now," volunteered the bar-tender, sur
veying the deserted arena beyond the counter ruefully,
and making a mental calculation, I have no doubt, as to
the probable "stagger juice" capacity of bis solitary
remaining customer. I disappointed him mightily by
making my way outside, and there, to my surprise, I saw
English Bob approaching with Long Ted expostulating
volubly by his side.
" Hallo, Ted ! " I cried, " have you also decided to
remain where an unfeeling civilisation sent you?"
" Of course I stays with the boss," responded that
gentleman, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, " but
my poor old swag has gone with SUm Jim and Never
Never Dan. They would have stopped too, only they
couldn't swim, an' the darned ship had moved off afore
they knew we wasn't comin'."
" We'll go back to our old camp by the coach to-night,"
said English Bob. "I'm tired of even this fringe of
civilisation already. Will you come?"
I needed no pressing. Somehow I felt that I was being
drawn into the final act of a life's drama ; the damaging
testimony of the Auckla/nd Express loomed largely before
my vision, but the pale sad face of the exile awakened in
me pity rather than repulsion, his silent exercise of a
superbly strong will aroused in me admiration.
" I shall be glad to go with you," I answered.
That night we journeyed by mail-coach out towards
Wangeri, a constantly shifting settlement forming the
headquarters of the ever-roving gum-diggers. For the
early part of the route our lumbering vehicle careered
over rocky bluffs and steeps, then down into beautiful
alluvial vaUeys and forest glades, where silvery streams
of purest water gushed onwards to meet the sea, their
winding channels, glittering in the moon's filtering beams,
showing at intervals through the wavy fronds of the

264 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
stately kauri. But soon the majestic forest lands gave
place to rolling plains of burnt soil, with occasional
stretches of fern-swamp and tea-tree dunes.
"This is the old forest country of New Zealand,"
explained English Bob. Ted had long since faUen
asleep. " And is the gum not to be found here also ? " I asked,
somewhat nonplussed to find the site of an ancient forest
so bare and desolate.
My companion gravely acquiesced. " Gum-diggers are
not as a rule a careful class," he said; "and the young
timber on these flats has all been recklessly burnt down
to suit their needs."
Long and deep channels here and there intersected the
scorched wastes, and mounds like gigantic mole-hiUs
were abundantly evident. But in the vague light only a
blurred panorama of the true aspect of things could be
seen ; which was perhaps just as well, for the New
Zealand Government has long complained about the
devastating nature of the gum-seeker's employment.
They certainly do not make the desert " blossom like
the rose," but if an opposite parallel could be drawn, it
would suit them exactly. This feature of affairs was due,
I was told, to the plodding and ceaseless excavations of
a number of Austrians who. stormed the country many
years before, and not to the more leisurely routine
pursued byHshe orthodox happy-go-lucky digger.
Once again, however, we entered a broad timber belt
which extended far along with undulating hillside forming
our southem boundary at this stage, and seemingly
feathered the land for a very considerable distance north
ward also. And now many twinkling lights began to
shine through the sparse foliage at the base of the tall
kauri, and fleeting glimpses were caught of groups of
men standing, at the doors of their "whares," watching

TheGum-Diggers' Swimming Pool.

To face page 265.

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 265
the coach rumble past with an odd Ustlessness which
seemed the more strange considering that the arrival of
the mails was but a weekly occurrence, and sometimes
not even that when the rainy season was on, and the
valleys and flats aUke were flooded to a dangerous
depth. "Their interest is in their daily occupation," said
EngUsh Bob, guessing my thoughts. " The men you
meet here for the most part know the world well. This
is a haven of rest for the wide earth's wanderers. Mail
day to them means little, for they receive few letters and
perhaps send less."
" And have you traveUed far, that you speak in such a
strain ? " I asked chidingly. " Surely the world has not
grown dim to your eyes, which have seen fewer years
than mine,"
"Years do not always bring sadness," he answered
evasively, " nor does the lack of them make one the less
Uable to suffer. As for my travels— do not ask, I
have  "
" Wangeri," yelled the driver, reining up the horses
vrith a jerk which had the effect of propelling the slum
bering Ted heavily on to the floor of the coach. The
words that issued from that valiant warrior's lips then
were sulphurous in the extreme, and the offending Jehu,-
hearing of his own premeditated doom, slid hastily from
his perch and vanished into the night. There was little
indeed to see at Wangeri. A small " store and post-
office " occupied the central position in a forest clearing,
and around it in a straggling ring about a dozen log
huts were dully discernible through the gloom.
" The whares are scattered all through the forest for
miles around," said English Bob. " Wangeri is only a
kind of station for the export of the resin collected. But
come along to my little wigwam ; it is a bit away from

266 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the others, but it's on a good patch, and you are welcome
to try your luck vrith Ted and me."
I expressed my gratitude in, I fear, rather stinted terms,
for the eerie shadow of the great pines had a somewhat
depressing influence on my spirits. I tramped on with
my new acquaintances in silence, my swag slung pictur
esquely over my shoulder as in days of yore.
" It is a bit lonesome like," grumbled Long Ted, as he
marched on ahead, separating the festooning branches for
our easier progress. " Can you blame a man for being
ragged after this? " he demanded irrelevantly a fewmoments
later, his mind apparently reverting to our first meeting.
It was clear that Long Ted's frustrated holiday was still
a rankling subject in that worthy's breast.
The air was wonderfully cool and invigorating, despite
the enclustering thicket, and the absence of the ubiquitous
mosquito made me marvel not a Uttle. It was the death
like sUence that hurt; it oppressed the senses to an
appalling degree, and tended to reduce one unaccustomed
to forest solitudes to an enervating state of melancholy.
Had the journey been made by daylight it might have
been different, but fate ordains that the traveller to this
land should first see Nature's most dreary aspect. I was
startled from my unprofitable musings by EngUsh Bob
shouting —
"Here we are at last. Now, Ted, make us some
supper; and let us be merry, for to-morrow we  "
" Go out gum-digging," I prompted, sinking down in a
corner of the aptly-named wigwam with a sigh of reUef.
It was a week later. The sun was shining brightly
over the sylvan slopes of the great gum region, and tinging
the nodding plumes of the stately forest giants with a
deep bronze effulgence; yet down below the spreading
branches a perpetual twiUght reigned, and here, piercing

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 267
and trenching the mossy sward in search of the fossilised
resin residue, the strangely assorted waifs of the world
wandered. English Bob and I had become fast friends
during our brief sojourn together. Concerning his past I
did not inquire, having already learned that the grim
gum-land swallows up many of life's tragedies ; but day
by day I expected a dread dino'Aement. The news
paper paragraph still haunted me; my mind was filled
vrith conflicting doubts and fears. The motley assembly
who formed our neighbours near and distant were a
generous and true-hearted people, among whom it was
a pleasure to abide. The same environment affected
all, and for the time we were as one huge family,
dwelling vrithin the encircling arm of grand old mother
Nature. Each day we saUied out armed with spade and spear,
the latter implement being merely a long pointed stick
provided with a handle for leverage, and rarely indeed did
we return to camp vrithout a goodly store of the amberUke
deposit. The method of working was simple. By means
of the spear the spongy soil was easily penetrated, and
the presence of any gum strata localised at once, after
which the spade came into play. The value of the crade
material thus brought to the surface was no mean figure,
ranging from £50 to £70 a ton.
This moming we had been exceptionally fortunate.
Long Ted spearing a huge block of the gelatinous
substance almost with his first effort, and we were busy
clearing away the covering earth when two woe-begone
individuals appeared before us.
" SUm Jim and Never Never Dan," gasped Long Ted,
gazing at the apparitions in undisguised wonder. " Where
— what — ^how — an' ye does have a mighty neck to come
back in them togs."
Then I noticed that the miserable-looking pair were

268 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
arrayed in fashionable ra.iment, though already consider
ably torn by contact with the entangling brush.
"We didn't git no farther than Auckland," muttered
Slim Jim shamefacedly, "We didn't calc'late on goin'
nowheres without the boss, so we has come back."
English Bob smiled, " But how have you managed to
arrive at this time?" he asked, "Surely you did not
walk from Wangeri."
"We just did," asserted Never Never Dan. "We
couldn't wait on the bally old coach, so we came right
away last night  "
"Come an' have some tucker, you heavenly twins,"
roared Ted, relinquishing his shovel, his honest face
glowing with pleasure at the return of the prodigals.
When they had departed towards the hut, English Bob
looked at me inquiringly. " Could you imagine men like
these in any other country than this ? " he said. " They
are just like children."
Slowly the sun climbed up in the heavens, and we two
persevered at our work of excavation. Then gradually I
became aware of the rhythmic hoof-beats of many horses
sounding faintly in the distance, and soon the dense forest
rang out with the unwonted echoes. And now the
rushing of the gum-diggers hither and thither came
plainly to our ears, and a chorus of warning cries swelled
out above the prevailing din — "The troopers are
coming." At once the truth flashed over me that the man whose
whare I shared was the object of their search; the
inevitable crisis had come at last. As for him, he stood
almost defiantly erect, with the blood alternately surging
to his cheeks, then leaving them deathly paUid,
I laid my hand on his shoulder, "Why do you try
to hide from me that which I already know?" I said
gently, " Sometimes it is possible to help  "

IN THE GUM-LAND OF WANGERI 269
" You know ? " he gasped.
" I saw the paper," I answered simply.
He covered his face vrith his hands, and his whole
frame shook with a strong man's emotion. " Do you —
beUeve?" he asked hoarsely, without looking at me.
" Assuredly not," I said.
He gave a sigh of thankfulness. " I have been tracked
hke a dog all over the world," he murmured brokenly,
"but I have reached the end of the tether now."
"But why did you run away?" I asked hurriedly.
" Surely an innocent man only courts disaster by flight."
The troopers were now near at hand. I could hear
their sergeant talking to some of the diggers scarcely
a hundred yards from where we stood. English Bob
recovered himself with an extreme effort of will. " I
may have been foolish," he said quietly, "but things
looked very black against me, and — and the disgrace
would have kiUed my old mother."
I did not reason further. " There may be a way of
escape yet," I said, seized with an uncontrollable
impulse. " We are both very much alike. I'U talk to
the sergeant."
" No, no ! " he cried, " I cannot allow  "
"Why, man," I interrupted impatiently, "it's your
only chance. They'U find out their mistake soon
enough." "Good moming, boys," came a jovial voice from the
timber, and its owner, a stalwart New Zealander, bear
ing the emblem of his office on his arm, rode forward
alone. We responded to this cheery salutation gloomily.
"Why," he exclaimed, "you've struck a patch here.
But I do wish you people would be more careful and
take out licences before you start to dig. The Govern
ment is getting rather riled about your free-lance way of
working."

270 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
"But we have licences," I remarked mildly.
He laughed. "I'm glad of that," he said, "for I find
very few of your neighbours have thought it necessary,
and my troopers seem to have the deuce of a job in
explaining matters to them." He wheeled his horse,
then reined up again suddenly, and came back, " Which
of you is Eobert Lorimer ? " he said directly.
His method of procedure appeared to me unnecessarily
cruel, " That's me," I answered sharply, before my com
panion could speak. " But couldn't you have asked at
first?" He stared at me wonderingly. " Great Southern Cross,
man ! " he cried. " What ! " He broke off in a long low
whistle, and held out his hand. " Let me be the first to
congratulate you, sir," he said. " Of course you could
not have heard, but you needn't be so hard on me for all
that. But let me teU my story," he continued, waving
aside my interruptions, "I was instructed from head
quarters to come for you officially seven days ago, but
though I am a poUceman I don't like the job of running
any man to earth, and I delayed until I should have to
come in any case to attend to the licence question. Only
yesterday I was informed that the warrant was off, as the
notes you were accused of stealing had been found in an
old ledger, placed there, no doubt, by some careless clerk.
That's aU. Good luck to you, my boy, and a safe journey
home." He was gone in an instant. Then EngUsh Bob and I
clasped hands in silence.

WITH THE PEARLERS OF NORTH
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
ON the north-western shores of Australia, between
Cossack tovraship and Port Darwin, lies a strip of
coastline which has not yet received much attention
from the outside world. This is the pearUng-grounds
of the Nor'-West, and the lordly pioneers who rule
there hope that their preserves may long continue to
be neglected by the check-suited globe-trotter. The
headquarters of the pearling industry is at Broome, the
landing station of one of the Australian cable systems.
Broome, when the fleet is in port, has a population of
about 1,500, which is made up of 200 white men, 800
Malays, 100 Japanese, and the same number of what
are termed Manilamen, the remainder being a hetero
geneous lot of aborigines, coolies. Kanakas, and specimens
of almost every other race on earth. When the pearlers
are out, however, the town is practically deserted.
Dampier was the first European to skirt this coast, but
it was long after his advent that it became famous for
its pearl-shell deposits, although, even before the great
explorer's time, it was probably known to the aborigines,
who until recently were in the habit of gathering for food
the bivalves that the monsoon storms threw up on the
beach. But since the days of Dampier many changes
have occurred on these desolate shores, and it is even
an

272 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
doubtful if the coast has the same configuration now as
it had then. While the eastern states of AustraUa were
still struggling for existence, the fierce Malay pirates
reigned here, and indeed it is only lately that it has been
freed from all suspicion in that respect, although the
pirates may not always have been the Malays. The
early sea-rovers were not long in finding out that it
would pay them to give some attention to the treasures
of the sea, and it is probably owing to their efforts that
Eoebuck Bay and the Ninety-Mile beach came into promi
nence as pearling-grounds. From that time up to about
twenty years ago these individuals worked the shores and
shallows by various methods peculiar to themselves, the
chief consisting of forcing the unfortunate aborigines to
dive for the shells while they merely extracted the
pearls. This system ceased suddenly so far as the power of the
Malays was concerned ; for towards the end of the 'Seven
ties some colonial adventurers sailed up the coast from
Fremantle, and although little is officially known as to
what then transpired, pearling shortly afterwards becarae
a recognised profession among our colonial cousins.
Some of those pioneers are still engaged in the trade, and
many strange stories are told of their doings before the
light of civilisation, in the shape of telegraphic communi
cation, was let in upon their coast.
At present, taken" as they stand, the pearlers of the
Nor'-West are one of the wealthiest bodies of men in the
world. They are certainly one of the most daring and
most hospitable, and do not hesitate to share their wealth
vrith any unlucky comrades. The methods in vogue now
are much different from those employed twenty years
ago. Beach-combing and enforced labour have given
place to specially-designed luggers, profit-sharing systems,
and the most modem diving-dresses, although among the

WITH THE PEARLERS 273
South Pacific Islands beach-combing is still another name
for piracy and slave-raiding. Strangely enough, the
pearls do not now form the chief support of the industry.
Nevertheless, some are frequently found worth £100 and
upwards, and many of a value of £10, while from that
sum downwards to Is. for a thousand the pearls are very
plentiful. The shell, however, is now the backbone of
the industry. It is valued at from £100 to £180 per ton,
and finds ready sale through Singapore agencies of London
firms at anything between those prices.
The pearler of the present day is a Briton in every
sense of the word, and takes great care to impress that
fact upon aU who visit his domain. He usually owns the
lugger he commands, but in some cases he has only a
share in it and its profits, the real owner being a specula
tive gentleman who resides in his schooner and pays only
occasional visits to the various luggers under his flag.
In some of these deputy-managed craft the only quaUfi-
cation necessary to obtain the position of skipper or
commander is that of being a white man and not a
German; but when the master pearler goes to the
British port of Singapore he is invariably forced to
"come down a bit," and do his business with the
prosperous and well-satisfied sons of the Fatherland.
Pearling is chiefly carried on in what are termed
" proved grounds " ; but if a good haul be made at any
time the pearler is not averse to prospecting for new
grounds (waters). As a rule the commander is the only
white man on board the lugger. The crew is composed
of Malays and coolies, but the diver is always an inteUi
gent Manilaman or Filipino, who receives a small
commission on the results of his work. The depth at
which the sheU is found is now about sixteen fathoms.
Of course shaUower ledges are still worked, but it is
considered that they are almost exhausted, and few
19

274 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
pearlers waste time over them. In working, the diver
is lowered over the gunwale by means of a winch, or
in some cases dropped over unceremoniously by two of
the Malay crew, and another two pump air down to him.
These people are always quarrelling among themselves,
and consequently the diver runs many risks he does not
at the time know of, unless he guesses what is happening
above when he experiences the sensations attending the
stoppage of his air supply. He is accustomed to such
trifles, however, and being more or less a fataUst,
probably wonders what the men at the pumps are
quarreUing about, and in a disinterested sort of way
speculates on which of his two pumpsmen will prove
the weaker, and accordingly feed the sharks with him.
Notwithstanding the uncertainty of life, he gathers aU
the shells within his limited range of vision, and when —
if not too late — the men aloft stop fighting, he is hauled
to the gunwale, where he is reUeved of his spoU and
dropped over again.
The shells are found in patches, and when one deposit
is exhausted— ^or perhaps before, for the vessel is drifting
aU the time — the diver moves on to the next, crashing
through dense forests of coral and other strange submarine
growths en route, and frequently having to cut the fearful
coiling creepers from his person. Often, too, he is precipi
tated into a deep, dark chasm of unknown extent. In
such moments the diver's sole idea is to preserve his
balance, for he is really but a feather-weight in the water
at the sixteen-fathom level, and in due time he is safely
hauled across the gulf, when, if he has not retained a
vertical position, or if his line has not been kept taut
overhead, he is dragged head-first through any vege
tation or oozy slime that may lie in his path. When he
regains his equilibrium, he once more turns his attention
to the oyster-beds.

Ready to go Down,

WITH THE PEARLERS 275
MeanwhUe the lugger drifts erratically over the surface
of the ocean. An evil-eyed Malay may be asleep by the
tiller, and the white commander vrill Ukewise be serenely
indifferent to his surroundings, unless the thought strikes
him that the quality of the last case of whisky he had
was not in accordance with the labels on the bottles or
the price he paid, in which event he will probably be
making things lively among the crew, and the profits
of the trip wUl increase in proportion. Every fifteen
minutes or so the diver comes up for a " blow." If the
shells are plentiful he may send them up in a net
between times ; but, as a rule, there are a few yards
separating the shells of any size, and it is not often that
he cannot bring them all aloft with him. A " blow " to
this individual means being suspended over the gunwale
vrith his helmet unscrewed for such time as the lugger
may take to sail to the next known patch, after which he
is allowed to drop again.
When a full cargo of shell has been obtained, the
lugger's course is shaped towards Broome, where the
molluscs are opened in sheds erected for the purpose.
In the cases of the pearlers who possess several luggers
a schooner is sent round periodically to collect the shell
from the smaller craft, thus saving the latter a journey
which they are ill able to accomplish, owing to their
peculiar design and extremely small freeboard. The
process of opening is sometimes carried on while the
schooner sails for Broome; but, as most of the pearler
kings make their homes on board these vessels now, and
do not care to suffer the attending unpleasantness, the
system is fast dying out, and the schooner, in turn,
discharges at the Broome opening-sheds.
The methods of opening are many. In the early days
the shells were torn apart with a knife or any other con
venient weapon, and if no pearls rewarded a brief search.

276 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
the carcass of the oyster was scooped out and left to rot
on the sand untU a merciful monsoon tide caused its
removal. Lately, however, the pearlers have copied the
plan of the Chinese beachcombers of the Archipelago,
and a simpler system could not well be devised. The
shells are laid on a slightly-inclined bench, at the lowest
edge of which is a carefully-constructed ledge containing
some water in the angle formed. After two days in this
position the oyster " gapes " and " spits out " the pearl —
if any — which, of course, rolls down the bench untU it is
caught in the angle, from where it is gathered by the
attendant Japanese or coolies. The number of pearls
obtained in this way is about 30 per cent, greater than
was formerly the case by the forcible method, and it is
therefore evident that the hasty pearlers must have lost
a considerable amount through their carelessness and the
incompleteness of their method of extraction. As said
before, the pearls do not now form the chief part of the
business ; nevertheless there are usually a fair number in
the shells discharged froih one schooner. When the
pearls have been collected the molluscs are cleaned out
from the shells and either buried or otherwise destroyed,
their late casings being stored to await shipment. The
chief opening establishments are owned by a London
syndicate of jewellers, who employ in their service as
many aborigines, coolies, and Japanese as may care to
offer themselves. This syndicate is always wiUing to
purchase " on chance " any shipment of shell that may
come into port, and have a large fleet of their own
luggers constantly on the waters during the season. As
might be expected, this organised company is not Uked
by the independent pearlers, who — rightly or not —
imagine that a monopoly of the trade is the real object
in view. To such an extent is this rivalry carried that,
notwithstanding the fact that Messrs. S. & Co. have

WITH THE PEARLERS 277
special facilities for shipping, and wiU pay full Singapore
prices for aU shells sold to them, the pearlers, unless
temporarily financially embarrassed, will have nothing to
do with them, and prefer to pay the expense of shipping
their own shell to Singapore by some of the Holt Line of
steamers, which call regularly in at Broome for that pur
pose while en route from Fremantle to the great Oriental
metropolis. During the monsoon season the pearling fleet shelters
in Eoebuck Bay, on the shores of which Broome stands,
and then that vricked and evil-smelling township wakens
up from its sleep. Its drinking saloons are crowded with
black, yellow, and white humanity; the joss-houses are
filled vrith maddened nondescripts; and the far-seeing
abiUties and correct judgment of the man who designed
the prison to hold the entire population becomes apparent.
Unfortunately there are some renegade whites who run
gambUng-heUs ; but, in justice to Britons at large, it
should be stated that these men are mostly mongrel
foreigners. The master pearlers, as a rule, do not fre
quent these places, preferring the narrower but healthier
confines of their ovra vessels to that of the filthy,
mosquito-infested town; but if any do go ashore, they
all meet in a saloon owned by a gentleman with a very
Highland name and dusky countenance, or in the cable-
house, where fortunes may be gambled away in a night.
These men are indifferent to this matter. Money, to
most of them, has no attractions, and if they were
denied the excitement of being alternately worth a fair
fortune and without a sixpence in their possession they
would probably die of ennui. But some of the pearlers —
indeed, the majority — are made of sterner stuff; they
stUl retain memories of lands where green vegetation
and flovring streams of crystal water take the place of
hideous mangrove swamps and parching deserts, and

278 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
their efforts are all made in the hope that some day the
results wiU enable them to return to those lands. These
men only come into Broome when in need of stores, and,
after landing their crews, spend the " off " season in
some of the numerous bays and inlets farther north,
occasionaUy finding rich patches in those sheltered
sounds capable of being worked at all seasons.
It matters Uttle on this coast what the original tem
perament of any person may have been, the influence
of his surroundings soon has its effect upon him and
makes him like his feUows. With the pearlers this
takes the form of a feeling of reckless indifference, and
a stranger suddenly thrown among them sees much to
interest and amuse him in the incongruities brought
about by this state of affairs.
When I visited this quarter I was not aware that
there was any special industry carried on ; in fact, I
did not even know that a township existed between
Eoebourne and Derby until one evening the ss. Nemesis
sailed into Eoebuck Bay, and the skipper calmly an
nounced that I would require to go ashore and await the
next steamer, as he was going no farther, I was booked
to London, vid Singapore, but I had expected to be
dumped ashore somewhere, as the Nemesis was not the
regular connecting steamer, and I had taken it chiefly
vrith the desire to get away from plague-stricken
Fremantle, to which city I had come round from
Northern Queensland.
"All right, captain," I said; "but you might give me
my bearings fiurst."
" Go straight ahead from the jetty untU you see the cable
station, then starboard hard, and you are into Eoderick's
Hotel. Drinks don't cost more than a shiUing there,"
"Thanks, But what is the name of the port? I
presume we are still in AustraUa?"

WITH THE PEARLERS 279
"We are. This is Broome, the headquarters of the
pearUng fleet, and the hottest hole on earth,"
"Oh, I think I'U survive tiU the Australind comes
along," I said, as indifferently as I could; and, after
seeing my baggage on shore, I followed out the captain's
directions, and finally entered a well-Ut saloon, in which
the strains of a gramaphone were evidently causing
much appreciation. No one seemed to notice me as
I made my way forward. All the occupants were
clustered round the gramaphone and indulging in vari
ous comments as to the correctness of the song it was
giving forth. There were about ten men in the party,
aU of whom were white. Some were garbed in the most
approved" London clubland fashion, while others were
very scantily clad indeed ; but the careless manner in
which handfuls of sovereigns were occasionally flimg
down on the counter showed that money at least was not
much of a consideration with any of them,
" Hallo, boys ! here's a stranger," suddenly cried one,
seeing me looking on interestedly, and instantly a general
move was made in my direction.
"Name it, boss," spoke the bar-tender, coming
forward; "that is, if you is not an S  's man."
"What wiU happen if I am?" I inquired, sUghtly
curious to know what an S  's man was,
"You'U get fired; that's all  "
"Shut up, Bob," reproved a taU, broad-shouldered
man, " This is the master-pearlers' club," he continued,
addressing me, " and as a stranger you are very welcome
to whatever it affords,"
" Thank you, but I understood that this was Eoderick's
Hotel?" " Same thing," laughed several of the men, " Who
sent you here ? "
" Captain Lawrence of the Nemesis."

280 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" Then it's all O.K. He is one of us," said the first
speaker. " You vriU be my guest to-night, after which
we will consider what is best to do with you."
" Gently there; I am a Britisher, and quite able to look
after myself."
" You can bet, my boy, that we're all coloured red here,
but of course if you don't vrish  "
"You are needing a spell south, Wilcox," interrapted
another gentleman. "You don't give the stranger half a
chance. We are pearlers," he continued, turning to me.
" This is the off season, and as hell is let loose in this
town when the fleet is at home, we arrange to look after
any white stranger that may be cast upon these shores.
Listen! There's the Malays' infernal racket starting
now. I shouldn't wonder but they vrill have a fight with
the aborigines before morning,"
" I see I have made a mistake, then, gentlemen," I said,
" in coming here, but I assure you that it was not from
choice I came,"
" Oh, don't let that trouble you. We are very glad to
have you. But you can now understand why we reserve
this hotel for our own use. We don't all necessarily
make beasts of ourselves, although you see us here. Some
of us, it is trae, have a failing that way, and there are
others over in the cable shanty now going it pretty stiff;
we therefore make it a point that a dozen of us come here
every night to look after any of the boys who may take
more stagger-juice than they can carry ; but allow me to
introduce the company. This is Alf Chambers. Here is
Sam Wilcox — Moore — Macpherson — Edward Wilson,
commonly known as Dandy Dick — ^WiU Biddies— Gordon,
of G,B, diving-dress fame, and, the finest gentleman on
the AustraUan coast. Gentleman James  "
" What about yourself, Cap ? " spoke the last-named,
waving his hand deprecatingly at the compliment.

WITH THE PEARLERS 281
"Me? Oh, I forgot. I am Biddies. You may have
heard of me down in Perth? "
" I beUeve I have," I answered. " You are the man
whom the American skipper mistook for a pirate, and
who, up in King Sound  "
"I see you have my history all right, lad; but there
goes the dinner-gong, so come along and sample Broome
fare." In the company of the Ught-hearted pearlers the time
passed very quickly. It transpired that I had known in
Queensland some of their comrades who had drifted down
country from the Gulf pearUng-grounds, and being weU
accustomed to meeting aU sorts of people, I readily
grasped the Uttle pecuUarities of my hosts, and soon
became on the best of terms with them all.
" I think we'U go now, boys," said Wilcox, some time
about midnight. " You fellows that are sober can see after
the other boys, and we two will get aboard the Thetis."
" Why, don't you stay here? " I cried.
"Not likely. There wouldn't be an ounce of blood left
in us by morning. The mosquitoes here are A 1 ; but can
you swim ? "
"A little. Why?"
"Because I expect you wiU have to. You see we don't
care to give the mob a chance of going aboard while we
are on shore ; so we never use our dinghys."
" Oh, how about your clothes? "
"Leave them on the jetty. I always send the cook
round for them in the morning."
I did not answer ; I recognised that I was again among
a strange people. We were now threading our way
among the coolies' huts and shanties towards the beach.
The moon was shining brightly, thus enabling us to jump
over several forms which were huddled up in various
positions across our path without disturbing them.

282 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" These people would stick a knife in a man for his
bootlaces," my companion remarked ; " but luckily they
are always too drunk to stand."
" But if you treated them fairly might there not be
better results ? "
" Look here, my lad, you've still got some of the old
country notions about you. You can't treat the Malays
as you do white men. They do not understand what
gratitude means. Great Southern Cross ! don't you
know the history of this coast ? Haven't you heard of
poor Woods? He was going to reform everything.
Gave the beggars a share of the profits, and wages
besides. First thing we knew was when his Chinese
cook rushed into Eoderick's one night and told some of
us that Woods's crew had mutinied because of their
tinned dog being off colour — as if it ever was anything
else." " And what was the result ? "
" Oh, they killed Woods and threw his body into the
sea, and then sailed for Java. The cook jumped over
board and swam ashore, and that's how we knew. The
Dutchmen chased them up and sent them back from
Surabaya in chains, and we hung them,"
" These men were Malays ? "
"Yes, but the half-castes and aborigines are just as
bad. Take the case of Dr. Vines, for instance; they
murdered him because he couldn't give them what he
hadn't got himself. And then there was Captain Skinner;
but you'U not sleep if I tell you any more. Yonder is my
craft. Get ready."
Wilcox discarded his coat as he spoke and plunged into
the inviting waters, and somewhat dubiously I foUowed ;
for although my garments were of the usual Siamese silk
variety, and therefore did not greatly impede my move
ments, I could not help wondering what would happen if

WITH THE PEARLERS 283
there were any sharks about. As I struggled after Wilcox
this thought kept recurring to me in spite of all my
attempts to convince myself that there could be no such
creatures there, and just when I had almost succeeded
in believing that such might somehow be the case, I
suddenly remembered that I had been watching these
very monsters playing around the Nemesis all that
afternoon. "What about sharks ? " I gasped, as the stern Ught of
the Thetis shone out ahead.
"They're too well fed here to trouble about white
men," came the reply, and I had to satisfy myself with
the hope that the sharks would be able to distinguish
without personal investigation that I was of the fortunate
colour. We reached the schooner withojit mishap, how
ever, and scrambled over its stem by means of a friendly
rope, and soon after I was asleep in what might have
been a comfortable berth but for the presence of some
hundreds of other occupants of divers kinds.
Next morning I found my baggage and the clothes I
had thrown off in the cabin beside me, and on going out
on deck had my first view of Broome by dayUght. It was
not much to look at. There were some tents, two or three
dozen "humpies" and "wind-breaks," and about twelve
galvanised-iron structures, of which the jail, the cable
station, Gummows' and Eoderick's Hotels, were the most
conspicuous. The Nemesis had sailed away south again
during the night, and there was no sign of life anywhere.
During the day— by way of a treat— Wilcox and some
others took me to inspect "their prison," in which they
had evidently great pride ; but I could not work up any
enthusiasm over the sight of a score of miserable wretches
chained together by the ankles.
" These are the murderers of old Smith," remarked one
of my companions. " They turned on him because he

284 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
plugged one of them with a ' 44,' one day when he was
drunk, up in King Sound."
"We're keeping them here until we can get an
executioner," added the jailer, " but it's spoiUng the trade
of the town ; every one is afraid of getting drunk, as they
might then be induced to take the job on."
I was glad when we left the place, and, eager to obtain
information of a more pleasant kind, I asked to be shown
the opening sheds.
"Well, you are a strange fellow! " was Wilcox's only
comment as he led the way thither, and as we neared the
shell-strevra benches I began to understand the meaning
of his words, and signified that, after all, I thought I
would rather not go farther.
"They do smell a bit strong," laughed my friend;
" but we're not near enough yet, and the wind is not off
the proper quarter to give a Broome appetiser. But
there's Biddies semaphoring for us to dine with him in
the club ; let's get along."
Several days passed agreeably enough to me among
these free-hearted Britons; but in time I began to cal
culate when the next steamer would be due. "I fear
there's no steamer coming into Broome for two months,
my. boy," said Captain Biddies, when I asked him, and a
visit to the cable station confirmed his fears ; for, when
the obliging officials there wired to Fremantle, they
received the reply that the ss, Australind would miss
Broome and call instead at Derby, on the head of King
Sound, " Then I will have to cross country to Derby," I said.
" I suppose that is easy enough ; the telegraph line runs
aU the way ? "
" Oh, it's about as easy as going to heaven ! " answered
Biddies. " The aborigines are very considerate between
here and Derby — they always kill you before they make

WITH THE PEARLERS 285
a dinner out of you. But are you sure you can't stay
here?"
"It is four years since I was north of the equator," I
said, " and I have a strong desire to cross it as soon as
possible." " In that case, I suppose you wUl have to go. Wish I
could myself."
" Why can't you ? You are rich enough now, surely ? "
"Ha, ha! Imagine old Biddies going back to civili
sation ! Why, man, they would  Well, weU ; never
mind. Here's the boys coming. We'll see what can
be done."
That evening I was informed that the Bessie Fraser
was to sail north to King Sound in the morning with
stores for George Hobart's schooners. I could go with
it, and Hobart would find some means of landing me
at Derby. This arrangement, the pearlers assured me,
was not made in my behalf, as the Bessie Fraser would
have to sail in any case. Thus it came about that
next morning I parted with my kindly friends, and in
company with Harry Quin, the skipper, six Malays
for a crew, a Chinese cook, and a Manilaman diver,
rounded the long, sandy point and headed northwards.
After lunch, the captain announced his intention of
having a sleep if I didn't mind, and, thinking that he
would require to be on the watch during the night, which
would certainly be stormy, I said that I could easily
pass the time looking round, and, in an endeavour to do
so, soon after entered into conversation with the cook,
" Is it going to be rough to-night, John ? " I said, by
way of introduction, watching him as he went through
some mysterious performances necessary for the prepara
tion of our next meal,
"Velly. Me no need make breakfast. Captain sick.
No want any."

286 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" What ! The captain sick ? What do you mean ? "
" Huh ! Him no sail man. Him only gole' glabber ;
no know nothing 'bout sea, D  " John disappeared
as he gave vent to his last exclamation, and, turning
round, I saw that AguiniU, the diver and sarang, was
approaching. " Good day, sir," he said, in exceUent EngUsh.
"Good day, AguiniU. You have given Ah Sing a
fright." " He gabble gabble all day when captain not weU."
"Great Scot! What is wrong? The captain was aU
right half an hour ago."
"Yes, but we are round the head now, and the
monsoon is on. I come speak with you, for to-night
I have only one man to steer with me ; the rest no
good. I come ask wUl you take helm for time to-night,
else we must go back? "
I was certainly surprised at AguinUi's words, but,
grasping their import, I at once signified that I would
vriUingly take a watch, and foUowing him aft, I was
made acquainted with the little pecuUarities of the
schooner in regards to her steering.
" Malay bad man — you no trust him," remarked
AguiniU. "No let them know captain not well?"
" Never fear ! " I answered ; "I have sailed with
their kind before. But call me when you want me,
for I cannot navigate by the stars as you do, so I must
hunt up a chart and get out my own instruments."
At that moment Ah Sing came aft and informed me
that the captain desired my presence, so, making my
way to his stuffy cabin, I soon stood beside him. He
was lying in his bunk reading, but as I entered he cast
aside the book and said, "I say, mate, ye needn't give
me away more than ye can help,"
"Why, what's the matter?"

WITH THE PEARLERS 287
" Nothing, so long as I lie on my back ; but this
darned motion doesn't agree with me in any other
position," " Do you mean to say  ? "
" That I is no sailor ? You struck the bull first shot.
I ain't. I is a gold-miner, and got stranded in Broome
after making a pile on the Marble Bar fields, an' losing
it down in Eoebourne, Lord knows how I got here,
but old Wilcox got me this billet with Hobart, 'cause
I could swear at the nigs better than any man he
knowed, I know nothing about navigation except what
a bushman knows, and here I is at sea entirely."
" But have you never had any accidents ? "
"Oh, there have been some narrow squeaks, but that
chap AguiniU is a smart fellow; he manages somehow,
and I swears at  Lor'! but I is bad. Oh!  "
"You'U be all right soon," I said sympathisingly, as
I left him. He was the best example of a bluffer I had
ever come across, but he had the true grit of the sons
of the Southem Cross, and as he knew nothing of
navigation, he got along wonderfully well by leaving
everything to fate and AguiniU.
It was a very rough night, but the Bessie Fraser
weathered it all right, thanks to the skilful handUng
of the sarang. Next evening we entered King Sound,
and by seven o'clock were safely moored alongside the
schooner Electron, George Hobart's headquarters.
This gentleman was a very superior person to those
usually met in such latitudes; he was of a scientific
turn of mind, and had designed many strange appliances
which were the wonder and admiration of the pearling
fraternity. "You have just arrived in time to witness the trial
of my new dress," were almost his first words to me;
and after dinner, in answer to my inquiry, he proceeded

288 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
to explain wherein his dress differed from others, and
to point out its anticipated advantages. "Sixteen
fathoms is the greatest depth at which we can work
with the old dress, you know," he said, "and even at
that a diver can only last out three seasons."
" Well, what's the odds ? " interrapted Quin ; " they're
cheap, ain't they? and there's any amount where they
come from."
" That may be; but this dress is designed to give the
diver a longer lease of life, and also to enable him to
stand a good two or three fathoms more pressure. I
have just got dovra a new G.B. dress from Singapore,
and I intend to try mine alongside it to-morrow."
I did not then know what a G.B. dress was, but
not wishing to display my ignorance, 1 did not inquire,
and during the evening's conversation I gathered that
it was the invention of two Glasgow engineers, who
had designed it to allow of greater depths being explored.
In the morning all hands began to prepare for the
trials, and after breakfast AguiniU, as the most
experienced diver, was lowered from the derrick in the
G.B. dress, and Jim Mackenzie, the Electron's chief
officer, was also weighted and dropped over in Hobart's.
"Isn't there a nigger handy to go down in the old
dress now?" asked Quin, kicking over a helmet. "I'U
go two to one on it yet."
"The water is too deep here," answered Hobart.
" No man could bottom in the old dress."
" I'U go," said the intrepid Quin, " and chance it."
"No. HaUo! Mackenzie is down. Great heavens!
The pumps are not working." Hobart sprang to the
pumps, and threw the two Malay operators across the
deck, then, assisted by Quin and myself, began pumping
furiously. It was useless. The pumps were not dravring
air. The perspiration burst out over my face as I

WITH THE PEARLERS 289
realised the position that poor Mackenzie was in. Quin
swore, and then rushed to the vrinch, where the crew,
in answer to Hobart's signal, were already hauling in.
In less time than it takes to tell the diver was above
the surface, and in another second his helmet was
unscrewed. "Poor old Mac," said Quin, as the limp form was
removed from its cage; "I always reckoned that he
would peg out before me."
"Wrong again, Quin," feebly murmured Mackenzie.
"You won't be mate of the Electron this trip  But
I say, there's shells down there as big as a table, and
they are packed like peas."
"Never mind them at present, Mac," spoke Hobart.
" We're glad to see you all right again ; but what
happened to the dress  ? "
" The dress is all right, but the beggars must have
stopped pumping while I was sinking, and when they
started again I fancy the check-valve would not work."
"Ah! then we burst the connection on deck when
we rushed to the pumps. That means my dress won't
do for twenty fathoms at any rate. Hallo! there's
AguinUi's signal. Haul away. Why, it is shell, and
look at the size,"
In answer to the diver's signal the men had hauled
up his sheU-net, and when it appeared above the waters
the size of the shells had drawn forth an exclamation
of surprise from aU, Soon after AguiniU himself Came
up laden with the spoil of the nineteen-fathom ledge,
and when he was brought on deck and his helmet
removed he told a wonderful story of the wealth of
the deep deposits, which hitherto no man had seen.
" SheU plenty. No need move away ; fill net all time
same place. Good shell for pearl, I know that, for
I see sea-snake feed much. I go down again quick."
20

290 IN SEARCH OF EL DORADO
" No, no, AguiniU," cried Hobart, handing him a glass
of spirits. " We have plenty of time for that. Have
the shell been moving much?"
"No. Shells grow there. No currents; no monsoons;
deep, deep coral bottom. No shell on sixteen-fathom
bottom here."
"WeU, gentlemen," finally said Hobart, "we have
seen the result of the G.B, comes out first. I will cable
to Singapore to send down some more of them, and I
vrill see that Gentleman James, Captain Biddies, and
the others get to know of its good points. Who knows
what fortunes we may now obtain from these deep
neglected sounds,"
Two hours afterwards the Electron was sailing down
King Sound towards the Indian Ocean, and on my
venturing to ask where we were bound for, Hobart
informed me that he had received word firom Derby that
the bubonic plague had broken out afresh in Fremantle,
and it was therefore obvious that the Australind would
not now call at the northern port ; for if she did so she
would assuredly be quarantined at Singapore through
not having been sufficient time at sea since leaving
Australian waters.
"We are going to put you on board now," he added,
"and Mackenzie is going up to Baffles with you to see
about the new dresses. Meanwhile the men are opening .
the shells from the deep level, and I hope that we will
find a memento to give you of your visit to this coast."
Early in the afternoon a long hanging cloud of black
smoke became visible away on the southem horizon,
and knowing that it must be issuing from the funnels
of the Australind or the Adelaide Steamship Co.'s trader
Albany, we steered out to investigate, and, if need be,
to intercept. It proved to be the former vessel, and
in due course she answered our signal and hove to.

WITH THE PEARLERS 291
"Well, goodbye then, lad. I hope you will come
back to this coast when you are tired of the old country,"
were Hobart's parting words as Mackenzie and I
clambered up the sides of the Australind.
"If you see a lugger cheap at Singapore you might
buy it for me," cried Quin, throvring me a miner's
gold-bag; "and, I say, you might send me the second
part of the book you gave me to read when we were
coming up through the monsoon on the Bessie. I am
darned curious to know the vrind-up."
"And here's a pair of the deep shells; take care of
them," cried Hobart, fastening a couple into the sling
in which my baggage was being hoisted.
Three days after landing at Singapore I bought a
small lugger for Quin, and sent back the balance of his
money, and a complete copy of the " Pilgrim's Progress "
(which was the book requested) with Mackenzie, who
also undertook to see about the lugger going south.
Four days later, while tossing in the bay of Bengal
on the ss, Ballarat, I began to rearrange my belongings
so that they might be readily transferred to the
connecting P, and 0. mail steamer Himalaya at Colombo,
In doing so I chanced to open my shells and found
therein two magnificent pearls, and a note which read :
"Please accept one of the enclosed from me. The other
is from AguiniU, who has asked me to offer it to you
in kind remembrance,"

Ube (Btesbam t>teBe,
TOfWIN BR0THEE3, LIMIIBD,
WOEmCt ANB IiONDOtt,

Siberia:
A Record of Travel, Climbing, and Exploration.
By SAMUEL TURNER, F.R.G.S.
WITH A PREFACE BY BARON HEYKING,
fVifh more than too Illustrations, and with 2 Maps.
Demy Bvo, cloth, 21/- net.
THE materials for this book were gathered during a journey in
Siberia in 1903. Helped by over 100 merchants (Siberian,
Russian, Danish and English) the writer was able to collect much
information, and observe the present social and industrial condition
of the country. The trade and country life of the mixed races of
Siberia is described, and valuable information is given about their
chief industry (dairy produce), which goes far to dissipate the
common idea that Siberia is snow-bound, and to show that it is now
one of the leading agricultural countries in the world.
The author describes his unaccompanied climbs in the mountains
which he discovered in the Kutunski Belki range in the Altai, about
800 miles oif the Great Siberian Railway line from a point about
2,500 miles beyond Moscow. He made a winter journey of 1,600
miles on sledge, drosky, and horseback, 250 miles of this journey
being through country which has never been penetrated by any
other European even in summer. He also describes 40 miles of
what was probably the most difiicult winter exploration that has
ever been undertaken, proving that even the rigour of a Siberian
winter cannot keep a true mountaineer from scaling unknown peaks.
The volume is elaborately illustrated from photographs by the
author. "To the trader and to the explorer, and to many who are neither, bnt who
love to read books of travel and to venture in imagination into wild places of the
earth, this book is heartily to be commended. It is lively, entertaining, in
structive. It throws fresh light on die Empire of the Czars. Above all, it is a
record of British pluck." — Scotsman.

LONDON: T, FISHER UNWIN,

John Chinaman at Home
By the Rev. E. J. HARDY,
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to H,M, Forces in Hong Kong,
With 36 Illustrations. Demy 8vo, cloth, 10/6 net.

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LONDON: T. FISHER UNWIN.

Demy %vo, cloth, 21/-
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By RAYMOND NEEDHAM and
ALEXANDER WEBSTER.
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Demy tvo, doth, 10/6 nO.
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Six Standard Works.
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Zbe (f^cvmnib Setfes.
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I. ADVENTURES OF A YOUNGER SON. By Edward
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2. MADAGASCAR; or, Robert Dmry's Journal during his
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3 9002 00615 5585

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