IN THE KELLY COUNTRY 



food for those with me at the railway buffet, and then 

 started alone to look for apartments or a furnished 

 house. Hope soon gave way to dismay — it was 

 nothing but a glorified village. Of course an Australian 

 township gains importance by there generally being 

 two or three banks represented. It was soon obvious, 

 however, that what I was looking for in the way of 

 accommodation was quite out of the question. I 

 recollect it was my first experience of a bush town. 

 It was no good turning back, however, for surely some- 

 thing could be done in the place. Before long I had 

 fixed up. with a comfortable small hotel in the outskirts 

 of the town. It was newly built, and the landlady 

 gave us her own big sitting-room, in which there was a 

 piano. The price agreed on was " all in " and cheap. 

 We faced out on the bush across to the river, which, 

 however, barely ran : it had been a dry season. In a 

 brief space I had made friends with everyone who was 

 to be known. The races were nearly due, and there 

 was something to interest one in the preparation of 

 several local horses ; but the place was hopeless to 

 make a copper in. I held on in the hope that some- 

 thing would turn up, and even thought of starting a 

 newspaper, but there was scarcely room for the 

 weekly sheet printed there for which they charged a 

 shilling. I was soon very " broke." My brother went 

 to Melbourne to arrange certain matters whereby those 

 left behind, my family and myself, could be got out 

 of pawn. At last came the welcome return of the 

 envoy. 



I think I was the only person sorry to leave. There 

 had been a quietness and comfort about the place 

 — a lack of hurry — and intimacy with real " bush," 

 with which I had been totally unacquainted. I could 

 at last understand Adam Lindsay Gordon, also the 



92 



