Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/205

 he must either compose a new sermon or they must part company.

Loath to discard the most affecting sermon he had ever preached, the clergyman suggested that H. H. should travel on a day ahead of him. This arrangement was made in all good faith, and H. H. set off alone; but arriving at the next station, he could not resist the temptation to tell his story, and as he had an excellent memory he was able to repeat the sermon word for word, showing the exact points at which handkerchiefs were produced and where sobs invariably broke out.

This story H. H. proceeded to repeat at each stage of his journey, until a frantic telegram reached him from his ill-treated friend: "Come back at once, or cease ruining my meetings." The end of the story was that H. H., after listening to the most vehement reproaches, agreed to travel a day's journey behind the clergyman who was thus able to preach his famous sermon from one end of the district to the other.

H. H. had also many amusing experiences to relate of his early days as a Jackeroo—the Australian term for "tender-foot," or young men new to station-life. Young Englishmen fresh out from home have much to learn, and meet with much abuse in the learning. There is a convention that "in London you may do anything you like except cheat at cards." Young Englishmen are quick to learn that "in Australia you may do anything you like except leave a gate open." If we are to believe local tradition, many an Englishman's bones lie bleaching in the sun because they omitted to conform to this simple rule.

Having then learnt the law of the Gate, and