trict, Pirate Tom has another mode in which he adds to his gains. At
some of the river townships and stations there is no hotel, or store,
where liquor can be obtained. The only immediate facility that settlers
and bushmen at such places have for procuring it, is such as is afforded
by the boat. The Pirate is always ready to dispense the vile compounds
he call spirits to all comers--sixpence per drink being his price, as it
is the established tariff of the colony. It is held to be manners to ask
him to partake himself, when any one desires to put away a nobbler; and
the Pirate, being an ardent disciple of Bacchus, was never yet known to
refuse any such invitation. He also sells, at seven shillings a bottle,
the most atrocious rum, brandy, or "square" gin.

To assist him in the management of his craft, the Pirate has under him
an engineer and a Dutch lad. The former of these has, of course, his
special duties; the latter is cook and steward, sailor, landing-agent,
and general utility man. He goes by the name of "The Crew." To beguile
the tedium and monotony of constant voyaging, "The Crew" is wont to
exercise his mind by conversation with such passengers as there may be.
He is of a very inquiring disposition, and asks leading questions of a
very personal nature. Seeing that I am a new-chum, he begins to ask me
my name, age, birthplace, who my parents were, where I formerly lived,
what I did, what my cousins and aunts are, their names, and all about
them, and so on, a series of interminable catechetical questions on
subjects that, one would think, could not possibly have any interest for
him. This would be gross impertinence, were it not that "The Crew" is
perfectly unconscious of giving any offence. He only asks for
information, like Rosa Dartle; and this questioning is his idea of
polite sociability.

Among the points of interest about the _Lily_, the most noticeable are
the engines with which she is supplied. These are fearfully and
wonderfully contrived. How such rusty, battered, old-fashioned,
rough-and-ready machinery can be got to work at all, it is hard to say;
but it does. Of course the engines are continually breaking down, or
bursting, or doing something or other offensive. But whatever may
happen, the Pirate and his two aids consider themselves equal to the
emergency, and make shift to tinker up the mishap somehow. Such unlooked
for examples of misapplied force are constantly occurring, the
consequence being