llen to do it next day. The water reached above
their waists, and as my usual post was very insecure, I was obliged to
be carried over on their shoulders, which did not prevent my feet from
being thoroughly soaked before reaching the other side, where we
remained all night.

WEDNESDAY, 15.--Rainy day again, so much so, that we thought it
advisable not to shift our quarters. In the afternoon, three returning
diggers pitched their tents not far from ours. They were rather
sociable, and gave us a good account of the diggings. They had
themselves been very fortunate. On the same day that we had been idly
resting on the borders of the Black Forest, they had succeeded in
taking twenty-three pounds weight out of their claim, and two days
after, two hundred and six ounces more, making, in all, gold to the
value (in England) of about eighteen hundred pounds. They were
returning to Melbourne for a spree, (which means to fling their gains
away as quickly as possible,) and then as soon as the dry season was
regularly set in, they meant to return to Bendigo for another spell at
work. On representing to them the folly of not making better use of
their hard-earned wages, the answer invariably was, "Plenty more to be
got where this came from," an apt illustration of the proverb, "light
come, light go." Two of these diggers had with them their licences for
the current month, which they offered to sell for ten shillings each;
two of our company purchased them. This, although a common
proceeding, was quite illegal, and, of course, the two purchasers had
to assume for the rest of the month the names of the parties to whom
the licences had been issued. As evening approached, our new
acquaintances became very sociable, and amused us with their account of
the diggings; and the subject of licensing being naturally discussed,
led to our being initiated into the various means of evading it, and
the penalties incurred thereby. One story they related amused us at the
time, and as it is true I will repeat it here, though I fancy the lack
of oral communication will subtract from it what little interest it did
possess.

Before I commence, I must give my readers some little insight into the
nature of the licence tax itself. The licence, (for which thirty
shillings, or half an ounce of gold, is paid per month) is in the
following form:

VICTORIA GOLD LICENCE.
No. 1710, Sept. 3, 1852.

The Bearer, Henry Clements, having paid to me the Sum of One