St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-06-20
ANrlPoDEAN TOURISTS.

Some OF the PeCuliarities of Our Aus"
tralian Cousins.
The British tourist is in many ways
an extraordinary creature and his Aus
tralian cousin is no whit less SO. In
fact in many particulars the gentleman
from the South Pacific island-continent
is more remarkable than the gentleman
from the fright little, tight little island,
with the German Ocean and its German
sovereigns. just as the loyalty OF the
colonist is more elusive and pronounced
in the details of show so does it happen
that the Australian is found to retain
certain peculiarities of dress and adj
dress which have long been attached to
the Britisher as part and parcel of his
insularity. More British than the Brit
Usher, he clings more pertinaciously to
his briar-root pipe, his little hat fits less
than his home cousins does, his clothes
have creases in them which nothing but
long sea voyage in tightly packed
trunk could impart, while his panta-
looms are maryels OF ungainiiness
tight where they should be loose, and
very, very baggy where they should be
the suggest. Coming from Melbourne
or Sydney, San Francisco is the first
American port which they strike and
here it is that the attrition with another
people begins. One of their great
troubles is that of mastering the bag
gage-check system. They are accus-
toned to having railroad card pasted
on their luggage with the point of
destination printed thereon and to look
inc out for the safety of each piece
whenever the journeys end is reached
or a change of cars made. They can
not understand that the numbered and
initiated metal tag affords them security
and frees them from anxiety concern
ing the whereabouts of their goods and
they may be seen staring at ',the
brAwsses" as though they formed part
of a gigantic swindle.
An Australian steamer arrived re-
Gently and for several days thereafter it
was s.as good as q play to take up
ones stand in the corner of the Palace
Hotel courtyard where the baggage is
weighed and checked. 1t was a sight
to watch the hopeless way in which
these exiles deliver themselves into the
hands of the colored porters, their hor-
rifed expression with which they saw
their .'boxes" whacked down on the
weighing machine, and their protests,
.'you know against the exorbitant
rates for overweight. They could not
seem to understand that their personal
attention was not required to superin-
tend every move and everything, and
for two hours before the departure OF
any train on which they might take
passage they lowered around the bag
gage-men like bees around crushed
balm. A large contingent from the
Australia's passenger list departed for
the Yosemite, and though the hotel
.'bus'' did not roll out of the courtyard
until after three o'clock, the swarm OF
Australians buzzed about the corner
from a little after one o'clock. Now
they would skurry out to the agents to
inquire for the fiftieth time if their
tickets were all right; then they would
trot upstairs to see what had become
of s'that portmanteau, you know"
again they would rush into the Office to
consult with the clerk on the railway
time schedule; and so on, backward
and forward, tuning, fretting, smoking
and worrying generally. In marked
contradiction to their demeanor was
that of an American who was going
overland. He came out of the Office at
2:30 o'clock, dressed as if he was go,
ing to an afternoon tea-dark-gray
pantaloons and blue frock-coat, both
fitting to perfection, silk hat on his
head, natty shoes on his feet, and an
overcoat on his arm. He gave his
ticket to the transfer delivery man, say.
ing:
s.When the things come down from
O09, check EN- all 'cept the little ALI
gay-tor bag Then, turning TO por-
ter, he added: Charley, I'm a-golng
intothe barber shop; get kerrige, will
your
IAN right" said Charley, and all
right it was. The things came down
from 009, all were checked. and five
minutes after the yellow omnibus drove
away, the American, neatly shaved, was
handed into hack by Charley, who
passed him his ticket, checks and the
''alligay-tor bag
Another popularity of these antipo-
dean globe-trotters is the religious use
which they make of the ''free coach"
The party referred to, some zen or
twelve in number, clambered up into
the outside seats at the cry of ''All
aboard!'' and crowded in one on the
other, iostling each other ike a lot Of
school-boys, and all vigorously sucking
short pipes. The short pipe is the I'M
falling Indication of the Australian
tourist, and even a clerical-looking gem
tleman held one as black as his coat be-
tween his teeth. Next to the pipe (and
the pantaloons) is the bludgeon-like stick
which he always carries The English
man never stirs without his umbrella;
thn A1,ut,.nlinn nnuer. cnnnns 10 this cnr1,n.