214 ON AND OFF THE TURb\ 



soundly. The boat came at 5*30 a.m.^ landed the 

 shearers, and started on her return journey some 

 hours before the Union men were aware anything of 

 the kind had occurred. 



The men that came from Sydney were rather a 

 mixed lot. Some of them were at one time well to 

 do, but owing to various causes had suffered reverses 

 of fortune. One was a well-known Sydney trainer, 

 two others had been American cowboys at Wirth's 

 circus. Another was well connected, and his people 

 were well to do, but he had been a bit wild, and 

 had come up under an alias to try and knock a 

 cheque together. Another was a nephew of the late 

 Sir Alfred Stephens, One man had been in a pros- 

 perous business in New Zealand, but had lost it 

 through dissipation. His wife, the daughter of a 

 departed knight, is in receipt of £300 a year, and is 

 living apart from her husband. 



Most of these men had never shorn a sheep, 

 probably had never seen one shorn, but they were 

 all anxious and willing to learn, and in most cases 

 succeeded. A few got tired of trying to shear, and 

 were given employment as shed hands at weekly 

 wages, and they were really hard-working fellows. 

 The shearers have a hut built of pine slabs with iron 

 roof to themselves, and the shed hands (rouseabouts) 

 have a similar building. The wool scourers also live 

 separately. In all, there are about a hundred men 



