MR. O B. S TRIUMPH. 355 



found favour witli every one, for lie knew the history 

 family, friends, property, and expectations of each, 

 and the latest news of the neighbourhood from 

 which they came. At a certain town on the road, a 

 number of new-found friends and admirers, with 

 whom he was spending a social evening, observing 

 the astonishing facility with which he imbibed his 

 native whisky, determined to see him under the 

 table, and plied him vigorously. But if their heads 

 were hard, Mr. O'B.'s was harder, and although he 

 had not tasted any intoxicating liquor for two years, 

 and drank glass for glass with his entertainers with- 

 out shirking, he proved invincible. One after another 

 the conspirators subsided helpless on the floor, while 

 Mr. O'B. remained sitting, smiling and triumphant, 

 and calmly continued to smoke his pipe, superior 

 and alone ! 



The town of Lilloet is situated on a grand plateau, 

 one of the terraces of the Eraser, which are here 

 more than ordinarily extensive and well-marked. 

 The place was full of miners, on their way down to 

 Victoria for the winter. Drinking and card-playing 

 went on until long after midnight, amid a constant 

 string of oaths and miners' slang. Our ears became 

 familiarised with such phrases as "bully for you," 

 "caved in," "played out," "you bet," "you bet 

 your life," "your bottom dollar" or "your gumboots 

 on it," "on the make," "on the sell," "a big 

 strike," " can't get a show," " hit a streak," and so 

 on. We slept in a double-bedded room, and towards 

 morning there was a tremendous crash, and Milton 



X 2 



