iking
for a change--that the partnership might end, a friendly squaring-up
would take place; each would go his own way and probably enter into
partnership with some other party. With the exception of the partner I
had in a claim on the Cape goldfield, I found all my mates or partners
to be men in every sense of the term.

I had a very good black boy, a little fellow of about 10 years of age, a
native of Cooper's Creek, whom I called Billy. On one of my trips to the
Gilbert, when passing Dalrymple, Billy Marks, the store and
hotel-keeper, presented me with a well-bred cattle pup and a gin case to
put him in. This I placed on top of the load. We had six miles to go
over very rough basalt country to our camp. That day I had yoked a
steer for the first time, and I intended to hobble him at night. When we
reached camp I told Billy to bring up a quiet bullock called Darling,
and this I coupled to the steer, instructing the boy to hold the
whip-stick in front of the steer to attract his attention whilst I
hobbled him. I had just put the hobble on the off leg, and was preparing
to put it on the other, when the steer gave a tremendous jump, and the
old bullock knocked me on my back on the yokes lying on the ground. When
I rose I looked at the boy to see if he was laughing, but he was quite
demure. I then saw the pup on the ground. He had caused my discomfiture
by jumping on the steer's back, the box having broken open coming over
the stones. When I returned from putting the bullocks on the grass, I
saw my mate laughing, and to my inquiry he replied: "When you left with
the bullocks I inquired from the boy what the trouble was?" The boy
said, "Puppy been jump down on the steer's back, and old Darling been
throw 'em a good way." My mate said, "You been laugh?" The boy answered,
"Baal! me only been laugh alonga inside." He thought I might have beaten
him if I had detected a smile on his face. While I was camped just
outside Dalrymple, I one day told the boy if anyone wanted me, to say I
was in the township. I had just finished a game of billiards at the
hotel, when a man entered laughing. He called me on one side, and said
he had asked my boy where I was. He said "That fella along public house
playing--he got 'em spear in his hand, and knock about things all a same
like it duck egg." He added the boy had followed me and watched my
actions.

CHAPTER VI.

I continued carrying to Ravenswood, Charters Towers, the Gilbert and