On the Wallaby

ahudi - Torres Straits - Thursday

ely islands, tropical and in many cases volcanic, rise from the water, as if for the sole purpose of lending variety and interest to the voyage. At a distance they appear to be very similar, but on nearer approach we find in each some peculiar beauty the others

man, connected with some mysterious branch of commerce, tells us that his father was a French Jew, his mother a Portugee

f his birthplace, we call 'Gympie.' There is also a Yankee drummer, who has, as he expresses it, peddled his wares in every town, large or small, throughout the known world, and who can, without stopping to think, reel off the names o

able degree. He persists in monopolising the conversation at meal-times with outrageous and improbable stories, of which he himself is invariably the hero. At th

a tree and a monster log some eighty yards to its right, there was no cover of any sort to be seen. Creeping warily along, I gained the shelter of the tree, and thence proceeded to wriggle myself under cover of the log. Once there, I took careful aim, fired both barrels, and brought down eight duck, two teal, a snipe, and a woodpigeon; but imagine my astonishment, when the smoke cleared away, at seeing the log, behind which I was crouching, rise up, wheel slowly round, and look me in the face. You may stare, gentlemen, but you cannot stare away the fact that it was an alligator, thirty-five fe

e had an excellent day's sport. Pray come down

ty, the appetite the sight of my legs was occasioning him, " but at present I am too much entranced with the bea

part caused him to be

re, do pray come down." So saying, he opened his mouth and yawned till I could plainly see the undigested boo

el pit beneath me. You will ask why I did not shoot him. I reply, because my gun was on the plain, and my cartridges were in my pouch, and my pouch was with my faithful dog, and my faithful dog was in the interior of the al

knife, and cut from the tree a stout stake, some three feet long. This I sharply pointed and notched at both ends. Then, judging my distance

prevented it from slipping back; he was transfixed and harmless. Descending from the tree, I bade him an affectionate adieu, and went home to bed, reflectin

s, 'You may take it from me, that Yahudi's just no more nor less than a fair cataclysm of a liar?

civilised West, and to which comes in return all the produce of the barbarous East. Beche de mer, trepang, beeswax, nutmegs, sa

eas they must at times encounter, that more of them do not find watery graves. Now and again mysterious schooners may be seen slinking stealthily round the headlands, and, our captain observing them, becomes mysterious on t

rafura Sea, and prepare ourselves to sight no more land till we p

-a-half's steaming brings us abreast of Prince of Wales Island, the largest of the Torres Strait group, and here we pick up our pilot. We notice that the whaleboat which brings him off is manned

lands form an effective background to it, while the white roofs of pearling stations, peeping from amid dense masses of dark green foliage, the d

y town in - the group. The Government Residency stands boldly in the fore-ground, the union Jack waving on the flagstaff. S

board, built on short thick piles; and here we renew our acquaintance with galvanised

tremendous amount to say. We explain emphatically, even with threats of murder, that we have no money; that if we had, we shouldn't want to see their goods, and further still, if by any chance we did see, not

on to remain while he told the story of his uncle and the Japanese pig, we sa

s name. It is indeed Grand, and its proprietress is not the least grand part of it. Folk who know her call her the Queen of Thursday Island, and we can cordially endorse the sentimen

It was a favourite meeting place of Kennedyites, and I can conscientiously affirm that I have heard more tall yarns and seen more mixed liquors drunk inside its railings, than I've seen or heard in any o

s company some five years ago. Directly or indirectly the inhabitants are all dependent on the pearl shell, beche de mer, and tortoise-shell industries; and some idea of the importance of the place may be obtained when I say

ingly large one. He is a sort of Thursday Island 'Ko–Ko,' being an Honourable, an ex Minister of the Crown, Government Resident, police magistrate, co

ell represented, one block of stores being almost entirely their property.

New Year's festivities, during which time the island had been a place of considerable mirth. Not unfrequently, these little jollificatio

thing like 30,000l. The amount fairly staggered them, and, puzzled to know what to do with it, they erected billiard saloons all over the town. That is why at every turn one is confronted with the sign, 'Johnny Calcutta, Billiard Saloon Proprietor'; 'Rhotoma Tommy - Billiard

y Bo

. Barbering and

orns c

e time keeping a sharp lookout for opportunities of employment. Had it not been for the anxiety our

on beautiful and mysterious vessels at anchor in the harbour: men with stories so fascinating, that we cannot doubt their probability; 'Varsity' and public school men, dead to the world; vagabond heirs to great names; romantic nobodies, and the riff-raff of all humanity, working, gambling, feasting or starving, as the case may be. T

of fabulous worth, of which ignorance alone prevents his knowing the value. Thus the tourist is evidently the instrument of Providence intended to relieve him of them at less than a quarter of their marketable price. Then arises the situation, if this be a delusion and there are no pearls, where can be the trade, and why does not the delusion die out? Fo

uine, they might be worth from 60l. to 80l. apiece. The simple nigger only asks 30l. for the lot, and finally allows himself to be beaten down to 10l. The deception is so perfect that it is not until they fall into professional hands that the fraud is discovered. Then the purchaser, unmindful of the fact that he himself had, to all intents and purposes, cheated the poor nigger in the sale, wishes to postpone ot

t the Chinese gardens, and up to the fortifications then in course of construction. At other times we loafed hours away on the sandy foreshore, looking across the blue water to the other islands, beyond whic

eef itself commences, with innumerable reefs and shoals, and navigation is not only highly dangerous but well-nigh impossible. The easiest approach is by way of Prince of Wales Channel, about ten miles long by one and a half wide, though another course, through Endeavour Strait, a few miles south of Thursday, is with proper precaution quite practicable. Thus it will be seen that Thursday Island, lying between these two ch

wherewith to increase our wealth. Of course we were getting used to it, but then that didn't make matters any the more pleasant. Every night we walked the jetty, then in course of construction, and discussed the matter. But th

, en route for Port Moresby, New Guinea, and as she had a vacancy for a couple of hands, and preferred white men to

, and is more like a pleasure excursion than anything else. Our cargo was for the most part tradin

s half the territory west of 141° E. longitude; Germany holds the northwest quarter, with the Islands of New Britain and New Ireland; while the

man territory, the Empress Augusta, explored for something like 400 miles; and in Dutch New Guinea, the

l treatise), East, Central, and Western, each of which is controlled by a resident m

lue water surrounds those native villages which are built on piles out at sea; others peep from among stately palm groves on land; while all are backed by the green-clad hills, which rise in some instances to a height of ne

n up, but the latter is the seat of the government offices, the boat sheds, and a strong commodious gaol. The administrator's residence is located in this part of the settlement, and in what w

ike the greater portion of Australia, the rainfall is certain and heavy. On the south-eastern coast the rainy season falls during the north-west monsoons, which o

to architectural design; they have a charm quite different from their owners, who are cowardly, lying, treacherous, and

in fact, as a race, they would rank high

r has lately organised a constabulary force which should eventually prove of much benefit to the Possession. A constabulary force and a gaol, I take it, are tw

ier denominated the Halicore australis. The dugong differs from his first cousin, the whale, from the fact of being herbivorous, not carnivorous, and is, I believe, the chief of the subdivision. In appearance he is a peculiar beast, having the body of a porpoise, combined with the head of a calf; but, unlike the porpoise again, he

ile the skin, if properly treated, makes a nourishing jelly for invalids; if tanned aright, it is said to resemble hogskin. Dugong oil is esteemed a s

geons, and kingfishers add considerably to the revenue of the natives. While we are on this subject mention migh

tons, the property of a pearling company. The diver in command was a Somersetshire man, who had been knocking about these waters with varying success for many years; the crew consisted of two M

just clearing off the water, a sea like glass, a faint blue smoke rising among the palm trees, a

After breakfast the diver donned his curious apparel, the leaden boots were put on, the weights fixed on back and chest, the life-line adjusted, and the heavy copper helmet screwed to the collar plate. Only a staysail remained on the boat, while the anchor was lowered to within a fathom or two of the bottom. This precautio

comes across any shell, he picks it up and places it in a small canvas bag, which he carries with him for that purpose. This bag, when full, is pulled up and emptied, and the shells opened and retained. The shells, not the

e began to regret our imprudence. All sorts of horrors flashed through our brain, until we were on the verge of withdrawing our request. But having asked the privilege, it would never have done to show the white feather. The L

out the least trouble or exertion; but owing to the weight of the dress, the great boots, and the leads fore and aft, I was anchored where I stood, as helpless as a baby. At a signal, and with assistance, I descended the ladder. As I entered the water, I wondered what would be my fate should the men at the pumps die of heart disease, the boat sink, or any other disasters happen. However, I reached the last step of the ladder in safety, and as I wasn't dead, began

in, out of which rose here and there ugly rocks; true there was a considerable amount of coral, but it was nothing to rave about; many fish there were, but they didn't gleam; occasionally I passed tufts of seaweed, sometimes of a brilliant colour, but more often of a muddy and sombre hue; and instead of the white sand I had expecte

Most marvellous of all, when it became necessary for me to jump on to a rock, once as much as ten feet high, the ease with which the leap was accomplished was absurd. Even a tw

es (it seemed like hours); but each successive attempt gave me co

been long engaged in the work. One particularly interesting young fellow we met in Thursday Island was about to leave for England, in order to ascertain his fate, sympt