Some Of
The Stores, However, Manage To Evade The Law Rather Cleverly - As
Spirits Are Not SOLD, "My Friend" Pays
A shilling more for his fig of
tobacco, and his wife an extra sixpence for her suet; and they smile
At
the store-man, who in return smiles knowingly at them, and then glasses
are brought out, and a bottle produced, which sends forth NOT a
fragrant perfume on the sultry air.
It is no joke to get ill at the diggings; doctors make you pay for it.
Their fees are - for a consultation, at their own tent, ten shillings;
for a visit out, from one to ten pounds, according to time and
distance. Many are regular quacks, and these seem to flourish best. The
principal illnesses are weakness of sight, from the hot winds and sandy
soil, and dysentery, which is often caused by the badly-cooked food,
bad water, and want of vegetables.
The interior of the canvas habitation of the digger is desolate enough;
a box on a block of wood forms a table, and this is the only furniture;
many dispense with that. The bedding, which is laid on the ground,
serves to sit upon. Diogenes in his tub would not have looked more
comfortless than any one else. Tin plates and pannicans, the
same as are used for camping up, compose the breakfast, dinner, and tea
service, which meals usually consist of the same dishes - mutton,
damper, and tea.
In some tents the soft influence of our sex is pleasingly apparent:
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