rs of the _Palestine_ had said that his system of
book-keeping had driven the senior partner to drink, and they always
sent a 'Manual of Book-keeping' on board every time the ship sailed from
Sydney. At the same time Denison was touched by the allusion to passage
money and expenses, and felt that making entries about the birth of
clutches of chickens and ducklings, and the number of eggs sold,
would be simple enough--much easier than the heartbreaking work of a
supercargo, when such customers as Flash Harry of Apia or Fiji Bill of
Apamama would challenge the correctness of their grog bills, and offer
to fight him instead of paying. And then, he thought, it would be simply
delightful to sit in a room in a quiet farmhouse and hear the gentle
moaning of calves and the cheerful cackle of exultant hens, as he wrote
items in a book about eggs and things, and drink buttermilk, instead
of toiling in the ill-smelling trade-room on board the _Palestine_,
bottling off Queensland rum and opening tierces of negrohead tobacco,
while the brig was either standing on her head or rolling her soul out,
and Packenham the skipper was using shocking language to everyone on
deck.

So he sent a 'collect' telegram to his brother, and stated that he
thoroughly understood all branches of poultry and book-keeping.

On the voyage up to Cooktown he kept to himself, and studied 'Pip and
Its Remedy,' 'Warts and the Sulphur Cure,' 'Milligan on Roup in Ducks,'
and other valuable works; so that when the steamer reached the port and
he met his brother, the latter was deeply impressed with the profound
knowledge he displayed of the various kinds of poultry diseases, and
said he felt sure that Denison would 'make the thing pay.' The poultry
farm, he said, belonged to the bank, which had advanced money to the
former proprietor, who had most unjustifiably died in _delirium tremens_
at Cooktown Hospital a few months ago, leaving the farm to the care of
some aboriginals, and his estate much in debt to the good, kind bank.

On the following evening Denison was driven out to the place by his
brother, who took advantage of the occasion to point out to the youth
the beauties of a country life, away from the temptations of cities.
Also he remarked upon the folly of a young man spending the bloom of his
years among the dissolute natives of the South Seas; and then casually
inquired if the women down there were pretty. Then the younger Denison
began to talk, and the