407, The Wreck. 



had many a previous tasting-order, called at the tent one night when 

 we were all in bed and requested a dram. I did not turn out, but 

 told him where he could find a pannikin, and went to sleep. On . 

 going out the next morning, the old boy was lying on the ground 

 insensibly drunk by the side of the barrel he had upset, and, as he 

 had forgotten to put the spigot in, the liquor had all run out and 

 fairly deluged him. I wonder he was not smothered. It reminded 

 me of the lay brother in Tom Ingoldsby's admirable legend of the 

 " Lay of St. Dunstan." 



Any one who has spent a year in the bush about that time, 

 can well fancy what a scene that station presented as long 

 as the spirits lasted ; and what impressed me most of all was, 

 not a single Custom-house officer or policeman made his ap- 

 pearance during the whole time of the wreck. All work was 

 at a standstill j the men's huts were filled with brandy, which 

 was handed round in pannikins like water. There is no telling what 

 valuables are yet to be found in that scrub, so many were the 

 articles '' planted," to be called for on a future occasion, and the 

 hider entirely forgot where he had hidden them. One thing is 

 quite clear, that if the cargo had been altogether a dry one more 

 than one man would have made his fortune, for some thousand 

 pounds' worth of things must have been washed ashore. 



How long the wild revelry would have lasted it is quite 

 impossible to say, had not a circumstance happened on about the 

 sixth day which at last brought our lot to their senses, and checked, 

 if it did not entirely quell, the riot, which had now reached its 

 height. It was on the Thursday morning, and the wrecking was 

 over. Only by chance was a stray article now washed up, and the 

 beach was so fairly combed by roughs from Melbourne that we had 

 almost given up looking out. The elder of the stockmen had been 

 our constant companion during the wreck, and the busiest of the 

 busy among the wreckers, but I had never seen George during the 

 whole time. He was a very quiet man, and rather avoided than 

 sought our company. However, on the Thursday morning they 



