148 SETTLING IN QUEENSLAND, ETC. 



at the unpretensious houses of accommodation and living on 

 the simple fare they provided, and at night sleeping as only the 

 joung can sleep. 



For some time I remained in Sydney, making inquiries and 

 thinking thoughts which seemed to lead to nothing definite 

 until, sauntering along George Street one morning, I met an old 

 schoolmate who told me he was going to the Clarence River for 

 some cattle which he had undertaken to drive across to Victoria. 

 Would I join my lot with his ? 1 must settle the matter at 

 once, as he had to give an answer within half-an-hour to another 

 young fellow who wanted to go with him, Half-a-minute was 

 enough for me. I heard the terms, and there and then agreed 

 to go. So I was to see the Clarence River country, of which I 

 had heard a great deal, and something of all the districts lying 

 between it and the golden city of Melbourne. I had heard of 

 the droughts which had prevailed in the earlier days. 

 I had read of the devastation caused by want of rain, even in the 

 neighbourhood of Sydney, and I was not quite uninformed as to 

 the terribly dry state which some explorers had gained experience 

 of in their travels into the interior. Perhaps I should gain some 

 personal experience in this direction, but in any case what 

 knowledge I might pick up of the southern districts would help 

 me to decide later on about those which lay near or in the 

 tropics. 



In due course I made my way by steamer to Grafton, on 

 the Clarence River. During the weeks I remained there I made 

 the acquaintance of a number of good fellows who were trying 

 to hit upon the fortune which they had been promising them- 

 selves when they went there ; and I renewed my friendship 

 with some who I had known before ; amongst the latter I 

 specially mention the name of Thomas Hawkins Smith, who 

 died last July from pneumonia ; a good man and true was " Tom " 

 Smith,, and ever rtady to do a kindly act. We got away with 

 the cattle in what is sometimes spoken of as " the fall" of the 

 year. At Tabulam station, then owned by Mrs. Chauvel, we 

 came in for a "fall" of rain which lasted for several days — 

 indeed until we all became bluemouldy. Going through the big 

 New England district we had biting frosts and plenty of them, 

 but happily no snow. Through Liverpool Plains we experienced 

 dry weather and a general shortness of water. Before we 

 reached Coolah we became acquainted with anthrax, commonly 

 called " Cumberland" disease, after the county of Cumberland, 



