Ihe Trotter, 173 



looks certainly were not prepossessing, for our clothes were ragged 

 and dusty, and no man looks the fresher in the early morning for 

 having been up all night, no matter how he may have spent his 

 time. In fact, our appearance was in strange contrast with that of 

 the neat, fresh-looking old man who was now approaching us. 



"Here comes old Cockatoo to ask us in to breakfast," growled 

 ne of my mates, the roughest of our lot. 



"No such luck!" I said. When the old man, after he had taken 

 good stock of us, accosted us with — 



"Are you looking out for a job, my lads?" 



"No," one of us answered, "we are looking out for some break- 

 fast." 



He did not, however, take the hint. It is one of the privileges of 

 declining years to be garrulous and inquisitive^ and this old gentleman^ 

 certainly took every advantage of his privilege. I can hardly say how 

 many questions he asked us. "Were we sheep-shearers? — were we 

 splitters? — where were we bound for? — where did we come from?" — 

 &c., &c. But when I told him we were neither one nor the other,, 

 but kangaroo-hunters living down in the Western Port district, the 

 old man became quite interested. "And what part of the old coun- 

 try do you come out of?" was one of his numerous questions. My 

 rough mate's patience was now fairly exhausted, and with, "What 



the h is that to you?" he rose up, saying, "Come, my lads, itV 



time we were in Melbourne." 



I was rather sorry he had answered the old man so roughly, for 

 his questions were harmless enough, and his grey hairs and venerable- 

 aspect warranted a certain degree of respect. He seemed hurt at it, 

 too, as I could see when he answered, " Well, mate, you need not 

 cut up so rough, I meant no harm 5" but, with a pertinacity which 

 an Old Bailey barrister could scarcely have equalled, he turned round 

 to me with^ "Well, what was your county at home?" I directly 

 told him. 



"Did you know Ashby Grange, then?" he hurriedly and ex- 

 citedly asked me. 



