While the Billy Boils

[Transcriber's note: In 'A Day on a Selection' a speech is attributed to “Tom”--in first edition as well as recent ones--which clearly belongs to “Corney” alias “neighbour”. Thi...

It was a stout, dumpy swag, with a red blanket outside, patched with blue, and the edge of a blue blanket showing in the inner rings at the end. The swag might have been newer;...

“Yes,” reflected Tom, ignoring Mitchell, “there's something in that; but then again, you see, you might be Jack the Ripper. Better let it slide, mate; let the dead past bury its...

“What the blazes do I want to have a look at the blamed country for?” snapped the stranger, who had refreshed considerably. “I've got nothing to thank Australia for--except gett...

I met him in the Full-and-Plenty Dining Rooms. It was a cheap place in the city, with good beds upstairs let at one shilling per night--“Board and residence for respectable sing...

A very sick jackaroo lies in one of the bunks. A sandy, sawney-looking Bourke native takes great interest in this wreck; watches his every movement as though he never saw a sick...

About Byrock we met the bush liar in all his glory. He was dressed like--like a bush larrikin. His name was Jim. He had been to a ball where some blank had “touched” his blanky...

There were points, of course, upon which Bill and Jim couldn't agree--subjects upon which they argued long and loud and often in the old days; and it sometimes happens that Bill...

The sun was getting low down, and its yellow rays reached far up among the saplings of Golden Gully when Bob appeared coming down by the path that ran under the western hill. He...

The scene was Circular Quay, outside the Messageries sheds. The usual number of bundles of misery--covered more or less with dirty sheets of newspaper--lay along the wall under...

“But the wife of the publican that had the saw-pit knew him; he went to her, and she recognized him at once; she'd got it into her head from the first that it wasn't Brummy that...

“Remember, they're Scotch up at that house. You understand the Scotch barrack pretty well by now--if you don't it ain't my fault. You were born in Aberdeen, but came out too you...

The mild financial boarder, with desperate courage, is telling the landlady that he'll have to shift next week--it is too far to go to work, he cannot always get down in time; h...

They spared him half a pound; but he said he didn't want it all, and cut off about an ounce, which he laid on the end of his swag. Then he took the lid off his billy and produce...

“'Then I'll give it to Jim Brown,' she said; and she did; though it wasn't Jim's fault, for he only gave it to me to mind. I didn't smoke the pipe so much because I wanted to sm...

“Yes. A black bag. A long black bag like that one I've got there in my bunk. I was staying at a boarding-house in Sydney, and one of us used to go out every night for a couple o...

Previously the agent, as soon as he had received the rent and signed the receipt, would cut short her reiterated complaints--which he privately called her “clack”--by saying tha...

During his sober days Bogg used to fossick about among the old mullock heaps, or split palings in the bush, and just managed to keep out of debt. Strange to say, in spite of his...

“I think we will be making a move, Smith,” said Steelman, later on, when they were private. “There's a little too much intellect in this camp to suit me. But we haven't done so...

Ah well! I am beginning to think it is time I emigrated too; I'll pull myself together and battle round and raise the price of a steerage ticket, and maybe a pound or two over....