expectation of a flying start, gave up the attempt, and the
horses were removed. After some discussion the least tired of the past
pair and the least wicked of the present were put in, and off we went,
with a jerk and a jolt, and many injunctions to stick to the road.
This was easier said than done; for when we came to the camp-fires of
the lumberers whom I had seen at work yesterday, the glare frightened
our horses, and caused them to swerve off the road, and dash into the
bush by the side. This happened more than once; but even on the road
itself the jerks and jolts were so bad that we were forced to go
slowly, so that we only reached Albany at half-past eight instead of
at six o'clock, and found everybody very anxious about us. Tom and
Baby waited on the pier until past seven, when cold and hunger drove
them back to the yacht.

_Saturday, May 14th._--When I awoke this morning the fever and ague
from which I had been suffering had all disappeared, and, though still
very tired, I felt decidedly better for the change and the bush life.
I am convinced there is nothing like a land journey to restore a
sea-sick person after a voyage. The news which greeted me on arriving
last night had not been cheering, for several of our men were ill with
feverish colds.

[Illustration: Getting under way]

CHAPTER XI.

_ALBANY TO ADELAIDE._

_Saturday, May 14th._--It was a cold showery morning when we landed,
to photograph a party of natives, and see them throw boomerangs and
spears. They were the most miserable-looking objects I ever beheld;
rather like Fuegians. The group consisted of two men, dressed partly
in tattered European clothes, and partly in dirty, greasy
kangaroo-skins heaped one on the top of another, and two women in
equally disreputable costumes. One of the latter had a piccaninny hung
behind her in an opossum-skin, the little hairy head and bright
shining eyes of the child peeping out from its shelter in the
quaintest manner. Although the poor creatures were all so ugly, we did
our best to take some photographs of them, using a pile of sandal-wood
bags as a background. Then we drove up to the cricket-ground to see
them throw their boomerangs or kylies, which they did very cleverly.
One of the kylies was broken against a tree, but most of the others
flew with unerring precision. The spears were thrown from a flat oval
piece of wood, in size and shape something like the blade of a paddle,
which sent them for