by Lawson Henry Lawson

The Oracle and I were camped together. The Oracle was a bricklayer by trade, and had two or three small contracts on hand. I was 'doing a bit of house-painting'. There were a plasterer, a carpenter, and a plumber -- we were all T'othersiders, and old mates, and we worked things together. It was in Westralia -- the Land of T'othersiders -- and, therefore, we were not surprised when Mitchell turned up early one morning, with his swag and an atmosphere of salt water about him.