A Country of Paradoxes

           ITwasthe23dofDecember,1864,adull,damp,drearymonthinthenorthernhemisphere;butontheAustraliancontinentitmightbecalledJune.Thehottestseasonoftheyearhadalreadycommenced,andthesun’srayswerealmosttropical,whenLordGlenarvanstartedonhisnewexpedition.

           Mostfortunatelythe37thparalleldidnotcrosstheimmensedeserts,inaccessibleregions,whichhavecostmanymartyrstosciencealready.Glenarvancouldneverhaveencounteredthem.HehadonlytodowiththesouthernpartofAustralia—viz.,withanarrowportionoftheprovinceofAdelaide,withthewholeofVictoria,andwiththetopofthereversedtrianglewhichformsNewSouthWales.

           Itisscarcelysixty-twomilesfromCapeBernouillitothefrontiersofVictoria.Itwasnotaboveatwodays’march,andAyrtonreckonedontheirsleepingnextnightatApsley,themostwesterlytownofVictoria.

           Thecommencementofajourneyisalwaysmarkedbyardor,bothinthehorsesandthehorsemen.Thisiswellenoughinthehorsemen,butifthehorsesaretogofar,theirspeedmustbemoderatedandtheirstrengthhusbanded.Itwas,therefore,fixedthattheaveragejourneyeverydayshouldnotbemorethanfromtwenty-fivetothirtymiles.

           Besides,thepaceofthehorsesmustberegulatedbytheslowerpaceofthebullocks,trulymechanicalengineswhichloseintimewhattheygaininpower.Thewagon,withitspassengersandprovisions,wastheverycenterofthecaravan,themovingfortress.Thehorsemenmightactasscouts,butmustneverbefarawayfromit.