“‘There’s not much of that sort of shepherding over there,’ says I, ‘unless I’ve been deceived; but if Australia ain’t sufficiently uncivilised for you, what about Africa?’
“‘What’s the good of Africa?’ replies he; ‘you don’t read advertisements in the “Clerkenwell News”: “Young men wanted as explorers.” I’d drift into a barber’s shop at Cape Town more likely than anything else.’
“‘What about the gold diggings?’ I suggests. I like to see a youngster with the spirit of adventure in him. It shows grit as a rule.
“‘Played out,’ says he. ‘You are employed by a company, wages ten dollars a week, and a pension for your old age. Everything’s played out,’ he continues. ‘Men ain’t wanted nowadays. There’s only room for clerks, and intelligent artisans, and shopboys.’
“‘Go for a soldier,’ says I; ‘there’s excitement for you.’
“‘That would have been all right,’ says he, ‘in the days when there was real fighting.’
“‘There’s a good bit of it going about nowadays,’ I says. ‘We are generally at it, on and off, between shouting about the blessings of peace.’
“‘Not the sort of fighting I mean,’ replies he; ‘I want to do something myself, not be one of a row.’
“‘Well,’ I says, ‘I give you up. You’ve
dropped into the wrong world it seems to me. We don’t seem able to cater for you here.’