t
installment fell due. He used to fetch a sheep's pluck every day and
make soup of it in a billy. The butcher used his own discretion in the
matter of clothes, but when Fabayne grew more than ordinarily ragged I
fancy the bar-keeper contributed towards his outfit, a thing he could,
under the circumstances, well afford to do.

A complete inventory of the belongings of this strange being would have
included a pick, a shovel, a pan, and an old sluice-box, none of which
he ever used, also a blanket, a big knife, a billy, and a Greek
Testament. The cave, although draughty, was comfortable and fairly dry.
Now and then I shared it with Fabayne; generally on those occasions
when I sold my tent. He was a charming companion, not alone was he
exceedingly well-read, but he was sympathetic and helpful to a degree.
I have many a time seasoned my mealie porridge with his pluck soup, and
found the seasoning good.

When "getting off" after one of his quarterly sprees, Fabayne's habits
were apt to be trying to one like myself, without an allowance, and who
had to work hard and constantly to keep body and soul together. For
instance, he would sometimes sit half the night through, at the mouth
of the cave, declaiming Sophocles. I could not understand a word he
uttered, but his elocution was good, his voice was well modulated, and
the sonorous periods of the choruses from the "Antigone" and the
"Elektra" were effective by virtue of their mere sound.

This sort of thing was all very well up to about nine o'clock; after
that, however, it became annoying. But it was impossible to stop him. I
used to pelt him with fairly heavy stones, and although I must
sometimes have hurt him rather severely, he took no notice. Fabayne
admitted that he was deliberately drinking himself to death; trying to
argue him out of this intention proved to be of not the slightest
avail.

I recall a wedding which had a sequel very characteristic of its
environment. A certain digger his name has escaped me, although I knew
the man well married a rather pretty girl. The ceremony took place in a
little church that had recently been built near the Middle Camp, and in
which the Rev. Mr. B used occasionally used to officiate. This church
stood on a small knoll, a straight pathway leading steeply up to it
from the creek.

By common consent every one within sight struck work and assembled
close to the church for the purpose of giving the bride and bridegroom
a cheer on