ADVICE. 263 



me upon one occasion will be verified — that " When he 

 tumbled down, he should go up long way and fly about, 

 all same big one eagle-hawk." 



Although, as I have before stated, a fortune is not likely 

 to be made by the gun out here, still I consider this is as 

 much owing to the habits of the shooters themselves, as 

 to anything else. If I were a second time thrown upon 

 the shores of Australia, this is the life I should again 

 follow ; and if three good men — really working sports- 

 men, none of the make-believe sort — were to start with 

 a small capital, fit themselves up with a house, tent, and 

 rations, go down into some good kangaroo country near 

 the coast, shoot and salt for the season, save the skins, 

 as I have before recommended, and when the season was 

 over, go down upon the beach and fish, — I am certain 

 they might do as well at it as anything else in the bush. 

 But the diflSculty would be in finding three men who 

 would stick well together for any length of time in this 

 country, where self-interest is the only thing that binds 

 men to each other, and where the whole decalogue 

 appears to be comprised in this single sentence, " Man 

 love thyself." Most men out here are red-hot to enter 

 into any new scheme, but they will rarely stick long 

 enough at it to give it a fair trial : as long as things go 

 on right, all is well ; but as soon as the sun becomes a 

 little clouded, half of them knock under, and leave a 

 mate without a moment's warning. It is strange, that 

 although two men can, and do often, stick, well together, 

 we rarely see three agree long. Yet for this job there 



