by
an enterprising thief of ten years old. As for my two maids,--the
only human beings within reach,--they were as perfectly useless on any
emergency as if they had been wax dolls. One of them had the habit of
fainting if anything happened, and the other used to tend her until she
revived, when they both sat still and shrieked. Their nerves had once
been tested by a carpenter, who was employed about the house, and cut
his hand badly; on another occasion by the kitchen chimney which took
fire; and that was the way they behaved each time. So it was useless to
look upon their presence as any safeguard; indeed one of them speedily
detected a fancied likeness to Burgess in one of the poor swaggers, and
shrieked every time she saw him.

We were indeed three "lone, 'lorn women," all through that weary night.
I could not close my eyes; but laid awake listening to the weka's shrill
call, or the melancholy cry of the bitterns down in the swamp. With the
morning light came hope and courage; and I must say I felt ashamed of
my suspicions when my cook came to announce that the "swaggers was just
agoin' off, and wishful to say good-bye. They've been and washed up the
tin plates and pannikins and spoons as clean as clean can be; and the
one I thought favoured Burgess so much, mum, he's been and draw'd water
from the well, all that we shall want to-day; and they're very civil,
well-spoken chaps, if you please, mum!" F---- was right in his surmise,
I fancy; for there were plenty of tattooed pictures of anchors and
ships on the brawny bare arms of my departing guests. They seemed much
disappointed to find there was no work to be had on our station; but
departed, with many thanks and blessings, "over the hills and far away."

Latterly, with increasing civilization and corresponding social economy,
there have been many attempts made by new-fangled managers of runs, more
than by the run-holders themselves, to induce these swaggers to work for
their tucker,--to use pure colonial phraseology. Several devices have
been tried, such as taking away their swags (_i.e._, their red blankets
rolled tightly into a sort of pack, which they carry on their backs, and
derive their name from), and locking them up until they had chopped a
small quantity of wood, or performed some other trifling domestic duty.
But the swagger will be led, though not driven, and what he often did of
his own accord for the sake of a nod or a smile of thanks from my pretty
mai