city as a Government officer, happened to be stationed in this
town some 30 years ago. He told me of a property bought by the
Postmaster of the place, upon which there was a fine orchard. This was
looked after by a German of gigantic stature, who patrolled the orchard
with a loaded shot gun. He said that an old resident of the place had
told him that the property had been bought with money drawn from the
Government Savings Bank by a man out in the Gulf country, who was
reported to have died on the road down, but who turned up some months
afterwards, and claimed his money. I did not at any time speak of the
matter, and can only conclude that the Postmaster raised the money in
the town, and gave the information to the lender. It was peculiar that
my friend, fifty years afterwards, should mention a matter in which I
was so concerned and without having any previous knowledge that I was
the reported dead man.

The late Hon. B. Fahey, M.L.C., was then second officer of Customs in
Townsville. He allowed me to see the ship's manifests of cargo arriving.
I was thus enabled to apply beforehand for loading to these merchants
who would be receiving consignments. This was a great help to my
mate--Wilson--and myself to obtain loading quickly.

When carrying became slack, Mr. Marsh, of Webster and Marsh, of Mackay,
arrived in Townsville, and being an old school-fellow of mine, said he
would send up two loads from Mackay to keep me going.

About this time (1869), I made the acquaintance of Messrs. Watson Bros.,
of Townsville, who were very kind to me, inviting me to their house to
spend the evenings when in the Bay (as Townsville was then generally
spoken of). They had two sisters, one of whom afterwards married my
friend Edward Mytton, and the other, Mr. Page, in after years of
Wandovale Station. They were a cultured family, and the time I spent
with them reminded me of home life more than anything I had then
experienced since I left England.

On my last trip to the Cape diggings, Wilson and I had returned as far
as Homestead, when Bob Watson rode up, and enquired for what we would
take loading to the Gilbert River. We knew this place to be somewhere
beyond Oak Park, and we asked for L30 per ton. This was agreed to, with
the proviso that the teams were to be loaded at night on the Lower Cape.
At the time the township was honeycombed with shafts, and we had many
misadventures driving our teams in the dark. Watson explained the reaso