Page:Banking Under Difficulties- Or Life On The Goldfields Of Victoria, New South Wales And New Zealand (1888).pdf/152

Rh head, and a tea tray on her lap, as being the best or about the only way to keep herself and the children from being drenched. Matters improved, however, after a time; a better habitation was erected, and a servant obtained; the latter was another trouble. One evening Mrs. B. entered the kitchen and found the servant sitting on the knee of the sergeant of police; making some remark, she walked out. Next morning the servant gave her notice to leave, and on being asked the reason, replied, “Well, ma’am, I think you were very rude to the sergeant last night.”

We had been without the sight of a beef-steak or a chop for a month, when late one morning a steamer was seen coming towards the dreaded bar. Soon she was made out as the William Misken, a small screw boat, owned by two friends of mine, now resident in Sydney. All the town went to see the Misken cross the bar, or pile up on the beach, for at that time there were twenty-nine steamers and sailing vessels piled up at the entrance of the river; some on top of others. On she came fairly well, until the cry went up 100 to 10 she goes ashore, and the odds went on to 100 to 5, amidst great excitement, without finding takers. But at this critical moment, just as she was struck by a heavy roller, and her fate seemed sealed, she shook herself free, and answering her helm like a yacht, steamed over the last danger, and into the river to the joy of all. It was seen that she had some sheep and cattle on board. We anxiously looked forward to a a “good square meal,” all hands being pretty well tired of bacon and sardines. Upon reaching the wharf a rush was made on board, and the owner was asked what he would take for his live stock. He knew how to open his mouth, for he had seen goldfield rushes before; sold his fat bullocks at £75 a-head, and sheep at £5 each, cash down before delivery, and the removal at the risk and cost of the buyer. In another hour a crowd was to be seen about the butcher’s shop, waiting in turn to secure beef at 2s. 6d. per lb. The steamboat owner did well, for he informed me he had purchased the cattle at £18 per head, and the sheep at 18s. each forty-eight hours before, in Nelson, and placed them on his already over-freighted ship-deck “for better for worse.”

We had a novelty about this time—a vessel coming over the bar bottom up. A report came one tide time that a ship was sailing in bottom up. It is needless to say the informer was an “Italian.” We, of course, rushed to see the sight, and to render assistance, when, sure enough, there was a vessel bottom up, and her crew in the rollers trying to make for the shore. They had each secured some floating object, and got safely over the break, but kept drifting with the current along the shore, and it was a considerable time before we could manage to get a line thrown far enough to reach them; at last we had the satisfaction of landing