_Fetherston._ Easterley, I am afraid you are a philosopher. Come with me to Central Australia and we’ll knock the philosophy out of you and make you a practical man. _Easterley._ Are you going to Central Australia? _Fetherston._ Yes; I am to have charge of a company of surveyors who are to be engaged about the laying of the overland line to Port Darwin. _Easterley._ I’ll think of it. I rather think I should like it. I suppose we shall see no ghosts there, Fetherston? _Fetherston._ I don’t know about that. I dare say we may, for we shall often have to live on salt junk and damper. So there our talk ended. I had heard of Mr. Fetherston’s business before, and even I believe of his destination; but I had forgotten the particulars, and certainly it never had struck me that I should care to go with him. But now I thought I should like to talk it over with Jack. So I went in search of him. I found him by himself at the farthest aft part of the ship, standing just above the companion with his back against a rail. He had been chatting with two or three of the ladies, and they had just gone below. He came at once to meet me, and we both went forward and lit our pipes and smoked some time in silence. Then Jack spoke. “I see that you have something to say, Bob; what is it?” “Fetherston,” said I, “is going with a survey party to assist in laying the overland wire to Port Darwin: he proposes that we should go with him; he was only in jest, but I think I should like it.” Jack thought it would be a very good beginning: we should see much of the country, we should get experience, and have something to talk about. Poor Jack! if he had only known! We have never ventured to talk much about that journey, not much to one another, and not at all to anyone else; but I must not anticipate. We both took a fancy to the scheme. There would be much of the interest of exploring without any of the special risks. We would, no doubt, have some hardships to put up with, but there would be depôts at intervals along the way, and our communication would be kept open all through. So I spoke to Fetherston a few days later. “Fetherston,” I said, “will you take two volunteers with you on your survey party northward? We shall pay our own expenses, but we shall want your guidance and protection, and we shall have nothing to give you in return but our company.” Fetherston said that he thought it might on such terms be easily managed, and it was managed accordingly. CHAPTER IV. OVERLAND.