ey can, when
once attacked, or if you chance to stand between them and their hole,
they fly at you most viciously, and their bite has generally fatal
results.

We had evening prayers on board at six, and after a quiet evening's
reading, went to bed rather early.

_Monday, August 22nd._--I sent ashore this morning, by the men who
went for the milk, a few books and Ambulance papers for Mr. Jardine,
in return for which he sent me several beautiful pearl-shells, some of
which had curious corals growing on them. Mr. Schramud paid us an
early visit. He was much interested in the Ambulance papers I had sent
him, and said he always had a good deal of amateur doctoring to do,
both for himself and others, when out in the bush. He gave me a vivid
description of how on one occasion his horse, usually a quiet animal,
first threw him against the trunk of a tree, breaking his leg in two
places, and then, instead of standing still for him to remount, bolted
off to the station, seven miles away. Mr. Schramud crawled to the
nearest tree, stripped some bark off with his knife, padded it as well
as he could with some portion of his garments, and with two straps
which he fortunately found in his pocket strapped his leg up, making
what he described as an excellent splint or cradle. He then proceeded
to drag himself on his hands and knees through the bush towards the
station, a terrible journey, for he had not a drop of water or food of
any kind with him. Some hours passed before the people at the station,
seeing his horse come home riderless and guessing an accident, set out
to trace the tracks of the horse through the bush by the light of a
lantern, and found him with much difficulty.

[Illustration: Hammer-headed Oyster]

We had great trouble in getting up our anchors this morning, for they
were fouled in every possible way, and it was nearly eleven before we
started and were fairly steaming through Albany Pass towards Cape
Yorke, on our way to the Thursday Island group. Cape Yorke has been
described as the seat of Government in these parts, but is a
melancholy looking place, and can never have been of any importance.
Tom did not quite like taking the inner and shorter channel to
Thursday Island, so we went to the north of Wednesday and Hammond
Islands, and arrived at the back of Goode Island, where there is a
signal-station and lighthouse, from which they signalled a kind
welcome and an offer of a pilot, which was declined with thank