The San Francisco call., 1908-08-09
By ALBERT

Copyright By the New York Herald. All
rights reserved.l
Re was thickset and cheerful.
- with a brickred face and kindly
eye-his right one was concealed
under a flesh colored shield. He
Joined US as we tramped along the
wind swept Australian road. his swag
dangling new chum fashion from his
left shoulder.
It was the sydney-Newcastle road
much frequented by runaway sailors
and occasional deserters from the war
ships stationed at Farm cove New
castle is the port where the Valparaiso
bound ships depend upon the efforts of
-Ae crimp house Soss 20 whip a crew
together at a moments notice.
The man who Joined us was evidently
a sailor suffering from a long spell
ashore. as his ragged clothes and lace
less boots testified. Ny mate and
did not yearn for his society, sut in
Australia the tracks between port and
port are lonely, and the long dry space
between drinks salts even the comrade-
ship OF the deep sea bIatherskite.
"Australia's a red hot hole to a chap
that's been used to kings highway and
pot Of four art every two miles" he
began. There isn't enough water in
the country to wash little dogs face"
We admitted regretfully that our
legislators were denuding the country
OF the old grog lazarettes, where the
stately bushman was wont to poison
the atmosphere with his eloquence. We
made other references to the dismal
state Of the country. which fell dead
on the ears Of the red faced sailorman.
We pushed on. hugging the railway,
until the sun stared ahead Of US down
the long white road It stayed in our
eyes until each man tasted the brine
from his own sweat parched skin We
called a halt and flung ourself at the
foot of the waitara railway embank-
ment.
The one eyed man took out his pipe
and watched US fiji ours. while speech
hung dead between us. He waited so
seconds until our tobacco returned to
our pockets. Then. with a sigh. he
drew out his plug reluctantly.
We had met his kind before on the
outside tracks. where the mean man
with the silver tongue preys upon your
tobacco plug with the rapacity of a
shylock
he laughed good humoredly as the
smoke wreaths marb1ed the air above.
We decided. IN a fash. that we had mis-
judged him. for no true seaman can
ever learn the tricks of the Australian
hunger track
Never been so hard up since 1 left
the navy" he said huski1y. 'T ran
away from the old Karrakatta because
the bunker space wasn't big enough to
let you sneeze without barking your
shinz hid myself on Ine rocks for
month S'truth the naTy's hot place
for shysters, but the habits OF the Sgd
ney lsrrikins are hot enough TO melt
ak inch gum he added
Ny boarding house was back OF the
Argyle club At the table where I used
10 eat was cargo thief and govern
ment rat catcher. bottle-oh. and
landscape artist-one Of those chaps
that draws waterfalls on the footpath-
There was nghfin' every evenin'
among the 1arries' I don't like fight
in'. but I'd sooner put IN 10 minutes
With a burglar than stew IN the stoke
hole OF a gunboat Talk about heatl
why, when stoker dies. an wakes up
IN - he goes on with his graft
fast the same
"A woman named Mary Kennedy kept
the boarding house. Mary used to
throw paving stones at the boarders
who forgot to pay up. asked her not
TO throw curb ornaments at me when
she felt husky. When Jacks ashore
he doesn't want to crack blue metal
with his face. So I gave her the ONCE
20 cease nrin'
Mary was q good sort, though. She
conducted the chicken fights in the
back yard on Sundays, and weighed the
birds when there was money in the
cockpit
This bird nghtin' is a pretty game
among you colonials. an I must say
that some Of your game roosters use