at the bottom of the whole business and
it would be well for them to let it carefully alone.

"An amusing thing happened one day when we were putting up a portion of
the line. There was a crowd of native blacks watching us, and the
principal man among them walked for an hour or two along the line,
making a critical examination of the posts and wires and pacing the
distance between the posts.

"When he had evidently made up his mind as to the situation he walked up
to the foreman of the working party and said, with an accent of
insolence:--

"'My think white fellow one big fool.'

"When the foreman tried to find out his reason for expressing contempt
in that way, he pointed to the telegraph line and said:--

"'That piece of fence never stop cattle.'

"Before the foreman could explain what the supposed thing was intended
for, he walked off with his nose very much in the air and never came
near the telegraph line again, as far as we know."

After a short laugh over the incident, one of the youths asked how far
apart the stations were.

"The distances vary considerably according to circumstances," said their
informant. "In some places they are within thirty or forty miles of each
other, and there are portions of the line where they are one hundred
miles apart. There are two operators and two repairers at each station.
These are all white men, and some of them have their families with them.
In addition to the white residents at the station, there are all the way
from two or three to eight or ten blacks. The blacks in our service are
generally faithful, and we put a great deal of dependence upon them.
Sometimes they are treacherous, but not often, as treachery is not a
part of their nature.

"I was making a tour of inspection of the line shortly after it was
completed, and happened to be at one of the stations at a time when the
blacks were threatening trouble. One of the operators, Mr. Britton, was
accompanied by his wife. Her husband wanted her to go to a place of
greater safety, but she refused, and said she would stand by his side.
She was a good shot with the revolver, and promised that in case of
trouble she would put her abilities to a practical test.

"The blacks came about the station to beg, and also to ascertain the
strength of the company, and one evening word came that they were going
to have a corroboree in a little patch of forest near the station.
Perhaps you don't know what a corroboree is."

Bo