254 Australian Life 



lyife in Australia, and especially in the Aus- 

 tralian bush, is made attractive by the existent 

 spirit of comradeship. Staunchness is the pet 

 virtue of the man of the bush, and the deadliest 

 sin in his moral code is committed by the man 

 who ' ' turned dog ' ' upon his mates. * ' Mate ' ' is 

 the most engaging form of address in the bush, 

 just as " Mister" denotes aloofness tinged with 

 no little suspicion. Services that money could 

 not buy are rendered willingly and cheerfully by 

 neighbour to neighbour, and that without any 

 loss of the feeling of independence that is the 

 bushman's most treasured attribute. It is curious 

 to notice how completely this feeling of comrade- 

 ship has been accepted throughout the bush. The 

 solitary swagman is at considerable pains to ac- 

 count for the absence of his " mate," whose ex- 

 istence somewhere is regarded as the natural 

 complement of his own being. Two such mates 

 may work the country together, sharing good and 

 evil fortune alike. Bach may be ignorant of the 

 other's life story, and even of his very name, for 

 nicknames and contractions do much hard service 

 in the bush, yet all their interests and posses- 

 sions are in common. Not infrequently one man 

 may obtain a few days' work where the other can 

 find none, when his mate will camp close at hand, 

 and the money earned will be regarded by both as 

 a common possession. Acquaintance with a bush- 

 man's mate constitutes a strong claim upon his 

 ready and immediate friendship. The man with- 



