They told us that there were rows of ships in Sydney Harbour without a soul to take care of them; that the soldiers were running away to the diggings just as much as the sailors; clergymen and doctors, old hands and new chums, merchants and lawyers.

They all seemed as if they couldn't keep away from the diggings that first year for their lives.
All stock went up double and treble what they were before.

Cattle and sheep we didn't mind about.

We could do without them now.

But the horse market rose wonderfully, and that made a deal of odds to us, you may be sure.
It was this way.