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9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page vii

Contents vii

5.3 Diagonalization of Matrices 316

*5.4 Quadratic Forms, Difference Equations, and Normal Modes 329
*5.5 Linear Differential Equations (Calculus Prerequisite) 340
Chapter 5 Review Exercises 346

6 Inner Product Spaces 349

6.1 Inner Product Spaces 349
*6.2 Non-Euclidean Geometry and Special Relativity 358
*6.3 Approximation of Functions and Coding Theory 363
*6.4 Least Squares Solutions 370
Chapter 6 Review Exercises 383

Part 3 Numerical Linear Algebra 385

7 Numerical Methods 387

*7.1 Gaussian Elimination 387
*7.2 The Method of LU Decomposition 393
*7.3 Practical Difficulties in Solving Systems of Equations 400
*7.4 Iterative Methods for Solving Systems of Linear Equations 409
*7.5 Eigenvalues by Iteration and Connectivity of Networks 413
*7.6 The Singular Value Decomposition 423
Chapter 7 Review Exercises 435

8 Linear Programming 437

*8.1 A Geometrical Introduction to Linear Programming 437
*8.2 The Simplex Method 445
*8.3 Geometrical Explanation of the Simplex Method 451
Chapter 8 Review Exercises 457

Appendices 459
A Cross Product 459
B Equations of Planes and Lines in Three-Space 469
C Graphing Calculator Manual 477
C1 Reduced Echelon Form of a Matrix 477
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page viii

viii Contents

C2 Matrix Operations 478

C3 Powers of a Matrix 478
C4 Transpose of a Matrix 479
C5 Inverse of a Matrix 479
C6 Determinant of a Matrix 479
C7 Summary of Formats for Row Operations 480
D MATLAB Manual 481
D1 Entering and Displaying a Matrix (Section 1.1) 482
D2 Solving Systems of Linear Equations (Sections 1.1, 1.2,
1.7) 483
D3 Dot Product, Norm, Angle, Distance (Section 1.6) 487
D4 Matrix Operations (Sections 2.1–2.3) 488
D5 Computational Considerations (Section 2.2) 491
D6 Inverse of a Matrix (Section 2.4) 492
D7 Solving Systems of Equations Using Matrix Inverse
(Section 2.4) 493
D8 Cryptography (Section 2.4) 496
D9 Transformations Defined by Matrices
(Sections 2.5, 2.6) 497
D10 Fractals (Section 2.6) 498
D11 Leontief I/O Model (Section 2.7) 500
D12 Markov Chains (Sections 2.8, 3.5) 502
D13 Digraphs (Section 2.9) 504
D14 Determinants (Sections 3.1–3.3) 506
D15 Cramer’s Rule (Section 3.3) 507
D16 Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors (Sections 3.4, 3.5) 509
D17 Linear Combinations, Dependence, Basis, Rank
(Sections 1.3, 4.2–4.5) 511
D18 Projection, Gram-Schmidt Orthogonalization
(Section 4.6) 514
D19 QR Factorization (Section 4.6) 515
D20 Kernel and Range (Section 4.8) 518
D21 Inner Product, Non-Euclidean Geometry
(Sections 6.1, 6.2) 519
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page ix

Contents ix

D22 Space–Time Travel (Section 6.2) 522

D23 Pseudoinverse and Least Squares Curves (Section 6.4) 523
D24 LU Decomposition (Section 7.2) 527
D25 Condition Number of a Matrix (Section 7.3) 529
D26 Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel Iterative Methods
(Section7.4) 530
D27 Singular Value Decomposition (Section 7.6) 532
D28 The Simplex Method in Linear Programming
(Section 8.2) 535
D29 Cross Product (Appendix A) 536
D30 MATLAB Commands, Functions, and M-Files 537
D31 The Linear Algebra with Applications Toolbox M-Files 538

Answers to Selected Exercises 539

Index 589
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page x
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page xi

Preface

T
his text is an introduction to linear algebra suitable for a course usually offered at the
sophomore level. The material is arranged in three parts. Part 1 consists of what I
regard as basic material—discussions of systems of linear equations, vectors in Rn
(including the concepts of linear combination, basis, and dimension), matrices, linear trans-
formations, determinants, eigenvalues, and eigenspaces, as well as optional applications.
Part 2 builds on this material to discuss general vector spaces, such as spaces of matrices
and functions. It includes topics such as the rank/nullity theorem, inner products, and coor-
dinate representations. Part 3 completes the course with some of the important ideas and
methods in numerical linear algebra such as ill-conditioning, pivoting, LU decomposition,
and singular value decomposition.
This edition continues the tradition of earlier editions by being a flexible blend of the-
ory, important numerical techniques, and interesting applications. The book is arranged
around 29 core sections. These sections include topics that I think are essential to an intro-
ductory linear algebra course. There is then ample time for the instructor to select further
topics that give the course the desired flavor.

Ninth Edition The vector space Rn, subspaces, bases, and dimension are introduced early
(Chapter 1). These ideas are then used in a natural, gradual way to discuss such concepts
as linear transformations in Rn (Chapter 2) and eigenspaces (Chapter 3), leading to general
vector spaces (Chapter 4). The level of abstraction gradually increases as students progress
in the course, and the big jump that often exists for students in going from matrix algebra
to general vector spaces is no longer there. The first three chapters give the foundation of
the vector space Rn; they really form a fairly complete elementary minicourse for the vec-
tor space Rn. The rest of the course builds on this solid foundation.

Changes This edition is a refinement of the Eighth Edition. Certain sections have been
rewritten, others added, and new exercises have been included. One aim has been to improve
the clarity, flow, and selection of material. For example, Sections 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 on the vector
space Rn, subspaces, independence, bases, and the concept of dimension have been rewritten.
It is important that the students thoroughly master these concepts at this time and be able to look
at them from the algebraic and geometric viewpoints. They are used throughout the book.
In the previous edition I used the concept of a shear to help motivate matrix multipli-
cation. I have decided that this approach is too laborious at this time. I have decided that
“simple is best” here—master the algebraic ideas first: size of the product of two matrices,
associative property, partitioning of matrices, etc.
On the other hand, I have now discussed some more advanced topics in greater depth.
Whereas in previous editions I went the route of discussing some topics in example form,
xi
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page xii

xii Preface

I have tended to be more theoretical here. In the previous edition, diagonalization of quad-
ratic forms was discussed by means of an example in R2; here we discuss it in Rn. The prin-
cipal axes theorem is included here.
While some illustration of how linear algebra is used in calculus was presented in the pre-
vious edition (use of linear mappings to analyze certain differential equations, Section 4.9), it
was minimal. I have decided in this edition to illustrate more of the overlap between linear
algebra and calculus, seeing some of the concepts of differential equations through the eyes of
linear algebra. For example, systems of linear differential equations are solved using eigen-
values and eigenvectors. Another application of linear algebra in calculus is the use of a
Wronskian to confirm that a given set of functions is linearly independent. I believe that a
number of students either take a course in calculus concurrently with linear algebra or have
had a course in differential equations prior to linear algebra. These students should have the
opportunity to see how various areas of mathematics build on one another’s shoulders; how-
ever, calculus is not a prerequisite for the book—various calculus discussions can be omitted.

The Goals of This Text

• To provide a solid foundation in the mathematics of linear algebra.
• To introduce some of the important numerical aspects of the field.
• To discuss interesting applications so that students may know when and how to apply
linear algebra. Applications are taken from such areas as archaeology, coding theory,
demography, genetics, and relativity.

The Mathematics Linear algebra is a central subject in undergraduate mathematics. Many

important topics must be included in this course. For example, linear dependence, basis,
eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and linear transformations should be covered carefully. Not
only are such topics important in linear algebra, they are usually a prerequisite for other
courses, such as differential equations. A great deal of attention has been given in this book
to presenting the “standard” linear algebra topics.
This course is often the student’s first course in abstract mathematics. The student should
not be overwhelmed with proofs, but should nevertheless be taught how to prove theorems.
When considered instructive, proofs of theorems are provided or given as exercises. Other
proofs are given in outline form, and some have been omitted. Students should be introduced
carefully to the art of developing and writing proofs. This is at the heart of mathematics. The
student should be trained to think “mathematically.” For example, the idea of “if and only if”
is extremely important in mathematics. It arises very naturally in linear algebra.
One reason that linear algebra is an appropriate course in which to introduce abstract
mathematical thinking is that much of the material has geometrical interpretation. The stu-
dent can visualize results. Conversely, linear algebra helps develop the geometrical intu-
ition of the student. Geometry and algebra go hand-in-hand in this course. The process of
starting with known results and methods and generalizing also arises naturally. For exam-
ple, the properties of vectors in R2 and R3 are extended to Rn, and then generalized to vec-
tor spaces of matrices and functions. The use of the dot product to define the familiar angles,
magnitudes, and distances in R2 is extended to Rn. In turn, the same ideas are used with the
inner product to define angles, magnitudes, and distances in general vector spaces.

Computation Although linear algebra has its abstract side, it also has its numerical side.
Students should feel comfortable with the term “algorithm” by the end of the course. The
student participates in the process of determining exactly where certain algorithms are more
efficient than others.
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page xiii

Preface xiii

For those who wish to integrate the computer into the course, a MATLAB manual has
been included in Appendix D. MATLAB is the most widely used software for working with
matrices. The manual consists of 31 sections that tie into the regular course material. A brief
summary of the relevant mathematics is given at the beginning of each section. Built-in
functions of MATLAB—such as inv(A) for finding the inverse of a matrix A—are intro-
duced, and programs written in the MATLAB language also are available and can be down-
loaded from www.stetson.edu/~gwilliam/mfiles.htm. The programs include not only
computational programs such as Gauss-Jordan elimination with an all-steps option, but also
applications such as digraphs, Markov chains, and a simulated space–time voyage. Although
this manual is presented in terms of MATLAB, the ideas should be of general interest. The
exercises can be implemented on other matrix algebra software packages.
A graphing calculator also can be used in linear algebra. Calculators are available for
performing matrix computation and for computing reduced echelon forms. A calculator
manual for the course has been included in Appendix C.

Applications Linear algebra is a subject of great breadth. Its spectrum ranges from the
abstract through numerical techniques to applications. In this book I have attempted to give
the reader a glimpse of many interesting applications. These applications range from the-
oretical applications—such as the use of linear algebra in differential equations, difference
equations, and least squares analyses—to many practical applications in fields such as
archaeology, demography, electrical engineering, traffic analysis, fractal geometry, rela-
tivity, and history. All such discussions are self-contained. There should be something here
to interest everyone! I have tried to involve the reader in the applications by using exer-
cises that extend the discussions given. Students have to be trained in the art of applying
mathematics. Where better than in the linear algebra course, with its wealth of applications?
Time is always a challenge when teaching. It becomes important to tap that out-of-class
time as much as possible. A good way to do this is with group application projects. The
instructor can select those applications that are of most interest to the class.

The Flow of Material

This book contains mathematics with interesting applications integrated into the main body
of the text. My approach is to develop the mathematics first and then provide the application.
I believe that this makes for the clearest text presentation. However, some instructors may
prefer to look ahead with the class to an application and use it to motivate the mathematics.
Historically, mathematics has developed through interplay with applications. For example,
the analysis of the long-term behavior of a Markov chain model for analyzing population
movement between U.S. cities and suburbs can be used to motivate eigenvalues and eigen-
vectors. This type of approach can be very instructive but should not be overdone.

Chapter 1 Linear Equations and Vectors The reader is led from solving systems of two
linear equations to solving general systems. The Gauss-Jordan method of forward elimina-
tion is used—it is a clean, uncomplicated algorithm for the small systems encountered. (The
Gauss method that uses forward elimination to arrive at the echelon form, and then back sub-
stitution to get the reduced echelon form, can be easily substituted if preferred, based on the
discussion in Section 7.1. The examples then in fact become useful exercises for checking
mastery of the method.) Solutions in many variables lead to the vector space Rn. Concepts
of linear independence, basis, and dimension are discussed. They are illustrated within the
framework of subspaces of solutions to specific homogeneous systems. I have tried to make
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page xiv

xiv Preface

this an informal introduction to these ideas, which will be followed in Chapter 4 by a more
in-depth discussion. The significance of these concepts to the large picture will then be appar-
ent right from the outset. Exercises at this stage require a brief explanation involving sim-
ple vectors. The aim is to get the students to understand the ideas without having to attempt
it through a haze of arithmetic. In the following sections, the course then becomes a natural,
beautiful buildup of ideas. The dot product leads to the concepts of angle, vector magnitude,
distance, and geometry of Rn. (This section on the dot product can be deferred to just before
Section 4.6, which is on orthonormal vectors, if desired.) The chapter closes with three
optional applications. Fitting a polynomial of degree n – 1 to n data points leads to a system
of linear equations that has a unique solution. The analyses of electrical networks and traf-
fic flow give rise to systems that have unique solutions and many solutions. The model for
traffic flow is similar to that of electrical networks, but has fewer restrictions, leading to
more freedom and thus many solutions in place of a unique solution.

Chapter 2 Matrices and Linear Transformations Matrices were used in the first chapter to
handle systems of equations. This application motivates the algebraic development of the the-
ory of matrices in this chapter. A beautiful application of matrices in archaeology that illus-
trates the usefulness of matrix multiplication, transpose, and symmetric matrices, is included
in this chapter. The reader can anticipate, for physical reasons, why the product of a matrix
and its transpose has to be symmetric and can then arrive at the result mathematically. This
is mathematics at its best! A derivation of the general result that the set of solutions to a homo-
geneous system of linear equations forms a subspace builds on the discussion of specific sys-
tems in Chapter 1. A discussion of dilations, reflections, and rotations leads to matrix
transformations and an early introduction of linear transformations on Rn. Matrix represen-
tations of linear transformations with respect to standard bases of Rn are derived and applied.
A self-contained illustration of the role of linear transformations in computer graphics is pre-
sented. The chapter closes with three optional sections on applications that should have broad
appeal. The Leontief Input-Output Model in Economics is used to analyze the interdepend-
ence of industries. (Wassily Leontief received a Nobel Prize in 1973 for his work in this area.)
A Markov chain model is used in demography and genetics, and digraphs are used in com-
munication and sociology. Instructors who cannot fit these sections into their formal class
schedule should encourage readers to browse through them. All discussions are self-con-
tained. These sections can be given as out-of-class projects or as reading assignments.

Chapter 3 Determinants and Eigenvectors Determinants and their properties are intro-
duced as quickly and painlessly as possible. Some proofs are included for the sake of com-
pleteness, but can be skipped if the instructor so desires. The chapter closes with an introduction
to eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and eigenspaces. The student will see applications in demog-
raphy and weather prediction and a discussion of the Leslie Model used for predicting births
and deaths of animals. The importance of eigenvalues to the implementation of Google is dis-
cussed. Some instructors may wish to discuss diagonalization of matrices from Section 5.3
at this time.

Chapter 4 General Vector Spaces The structure of the abstract vector space is based on
that of Rn. The concepts of subspace, linear dependence, basis, and dimension are defined
rigorously and are extended to spaces of matrices and functions. The Wronskian test (optional),
which can often reveal that a set of functions is linearly independent, is introduced. The
section on rank brings together many of the earlier concepts. The reader will see that matrix
inverse, determinant, rank, and uniqueness of solutions are all related. This chapter includes
an introduction to projections—onto one and many dimensional spaces. A discussion of
linear transformations completes the earlier introduction. Topics such as kernel, range, and
the rank/nullity theorem are presented. Linear transformations, kernel, and range are used
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page xv

Preface xv

to give the reader a geometrical picture of the sets of solutions to systems of linear equa-
tions, both homogeneous and nonhomogeneous.

Chapter 5 Coordinate Representations The reader will see that every finite dimensional
vector space is isomorphic to Rn. This implies that every such vector space is, in a mathe-
matical sense, “the same as” Rn. These isomorphisms are defined by the bases of the space.
Different bases also lead to different matrix representations of linear transformation. The
central role of eigenvalues and eigenvectors in finding diagonal representations is discussed.
These techniques are used to arrive at the normal modes of oscillating systems. This chapter
ends with an optional section on linear algebra and linear differential equations. It shows
how the concepts of eigenvalues, eigenvectors, and diagonalization play a role in solving
systems of linear differential equations.

Chapter 6 Inner Product Spaces The axioms of inner products are presented and inner
products are used (as was the dot product earlier in Rn) to define norms of vectors, angles
between vectors, and distances in general vector spaces. These ideas are used to approxi-
mate functions by polynomials. The importance of such approximations to computer soft-
ware is discussed. I could not resist including a discussion of the use of vector space theory
to detect errors in codes. The Hamming code, whose elements are vectors over a finite field,
is introduced. The reader is also introduced to non-Euclidean geometry, leading to a self-
contained discussion of the special relativity model of space–time. Having developed the
general inner product space, the reader finds that the framework is not appropriate for the
mathematical description of space–time. The positive definite axiom is discarded, opening
up the door first for the pseudo inner product that is used in special relativity, and later for
one that describes gravity in general relativity. It is appropriate at this time to discuss the
importance of first mastering standard mathematical structures, such as inner product spaces,
and then to indicate that mathematical research often involves changing the axioms of such
standard structures. The chapter closes with a discussion of the use of a pseudoinverse to
determine least squares curves for given data.

Chapter 7 Numerical Methods This chapter on numerical methods is important to the

practitioner of linear algebra in today’s computing environment. I have included Gaussian
elimination, LU decomposition, and the Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel iterative methods. The
merits of the various methods for solving linear systems are discussed. In addition to dis-
cussing the standard topics of round-off error, pivoting, and scaling, I felt it important and
well within the scope of the course to introduce the concept of ill-conditioning. It is very
interesting to return to some of the systems of equations that have arisen earlier in the course
and find out how dependable the solutions are! The matrix of coefficients of a least squares
problem, for example, is very often a Vandermonde matrix, leading to an ill-conditioned
system. The chapter concludes with an iterative method for finding dominant eigenvalues
and eigenvectors. This discussion leads very naturally into a discussion of techniques used
by geographers to measure the relative accessibility of nodes in a network. The connectiv-
ity of the road network of Cuba is found. The chapter closes with a discussion of singular
value decomposition. This is more complete than the discussion usually given in intro-
ductory linear algebra books.

Chapter 8 Linear Programming This final chapter gives the student a brief introduction
to the ideas of linear programming. The field, developed by George Dantzig and his asso-
ciates at the U.S. Department of the Air Force in 1947, is now widely used in industry and
has its foundation in linear algebra. Problems are described by systems of linear inequali-
ties. The reader sees how small systems can be solved in a geometrical manner, but that
large systems are solved using row operations on matrices using the simplex algorithm.
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 26/10/17 10:39 AM Page xvi

xvi Preface

Chapter Features
• Each section begins with a motivating introduction, which ties the material to previ-
ously learned topics.
• The pace of the book gradually increases. As the student matures mathematically, the
explanations gradually become more sophisticated.
• Notation is carefully developed. It is important that notation at this level be standard,
but there is some flexibility. Good notation helps understanding; poor notation clouds
the picture.
• Much attention has been given to the layout of the text. Readability is vital.
• Many carefully explained examples illustrate the concepts.
• There is an abundance of exercises. Initial exercises are usually of a computational
nature, then become more theoretical in flavor.
• Many, but not all, exercises are based on examples given in the text. It is important
that students have the maximum opportunity to develop their creative abilities.
• Review exercises at the end of each chapter have been carefully selected to give the
student an overview of material covered in that chapter.

Supplements
• Complete Solutions Manual, with detailed solutions to all exercises.
• Student Solutions Manual, available in eBook format, with complete answers to
selected exercises.
• MATLAB programs for those who wish to integrate MATLAB into the course are
available from www.stetson.edu/~gwilliam/mfiles.htm.
• WebAssign online homework and assessment with eBook.
• Test Bank
• Slides in PowerPoint format
Designated instructor’s materials are for qualified instructors only. For more information
or to request access to these resources, please visit www.jblearning.com or contact your
account representative. Jones & Bartlett Learning reserves the right to evaluate all requests.

Acknowledgments
My deepest thanks go to my friend Dennis Kletzing for sharing his many insights into the
teaching of linear algebra. A special thanks to my colleague Lisa Coulter of Stetson University
for her conversations on linear algebra and her collaboration on software development.
Some of Lisa’s M-Files appear in the MATLAB Appendix.
I am grateful to The MathWorks for their continued support for the project—
especially to my contact, Meg Vuliez.
I would also like to thank the following reviewers for their feedback:
Hongwei Chen
Christopher Newport University
Eddie Cheng
Oakland University
9781284120097_FMxx_i_xvii 27/10/17 10:37 AM Page xvii

Preface xvii

Bill Cook
Appalachian State University
Danilo Diedrichs
Wheaton College
William Donnell
University of Texas at Dallas
Kseniya Fuhrman
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Katarina Jegdic
University of Houston, Downtown
Lew Ludwig
Denison University
Jean-Marie Magnier
Springfield Technical Community College
James E. Martin
Christopher Newport University
Betsy McCall
Anne Arundel Community College
Douglas Norton
Villanova University
Jonathan Oaks
Macomb Community College
Lesley Wiglesworth
Centre College

I am as usual grateful to my wife Donna for all her mathematical and computer sup-
port. This book would not have been possible without her involvement and encouragement.
My deep thanks go to Amy Rose, Director of Vendor Management of Jones & Bartlett
Learning, who oversaw the production of this book in such an efficient, patient, and under-
standing manner. I am especially grateful to Laura Pagluica, Product Manager, for her
enthusiastic backing and encouragement. Thanks, also, to Andrea DeFronzo, Director of
Marketing, for her support and hard work. I am most grateful to Mary Menzemer, Product
Assistant of Mathematics and Computer Science, who oversaw the development of this
work. It has been a pleasure working with her. I owe much to Juna Abrams, Vendor Manager,
for her guidance and encouragement in this writing. I am very grateful to Thais Miller,
Rights & Media Specialist of Ascend Learning, who spent much careful time selecting
appropriate pictures.
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:58 AM Page 2

© nito/ShutterStock, Inc.

The Montjuïc Communications Tower, or Torre Telefónica,

was built in the center of the Olympic Park in Barcelona,
Spain, for the 1992 Olympic Games. The tower, built by
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was designed to
carry coverage of the Olympic Games to broadcast sta-
tions around the world. The structure was designed to
represent an athlete holding up an Olympic torch.
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:58 AM Page 3

P A R T

Linear Equations,
Vectors, and Matrices 1
1 Linear Equations and Vectors
2 Matrices and Linear Transformations
3 Determinants and Eigenvectors

3
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:59 AM Page 4

© okeyphotos/Getty Images

Informally referred to as “the Gherkin,” 30 St. Mary Axe in

London, England, is located in London’s financial district.
The building employs energy-saving methods, such as
maximizing the use of natural light and ventilation, which
allow it to use half the power a similar structure would
typically consume.
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:59 AM Page 5

C H A P T E R

Linear Equations
and Vectors 1
M
athematics is, of course, a discipline in its own right. It is, however, more
than that—it is a tool used in many other fields. Linear algebra is a branch
of mathematics that plays a central role in modern mathematics, and also
is of importance to engineers and physical, social, and behavioral scientists. In this course
the reader will learn mathematics, will learn to think mathematically, and will be instructed
in the art of applying mathematics. The course is a blend of theory, numerical techniques,
and interesting applications.
When mathematics is used to solve a problem it often becomes necessary to find
a solution to a so-called system of linear equations. Historically, linear algebra developed
from studying methods for solving such equations. This chapter introduces methods for
solving systems of linear equations and looks at some of the properties of the solutions.
It is important to know not only what the solutions to a given system of equations are
but why they are the solutions. If the system describes some real-life situation, then an
understanding of the behavior of the solutions can lead to a better understanding of the
circumstances. The solutions form subsets of spaces called vector spaces. We develop
the basic algebraic structure of vector spaces. We shall discuss two applications of sys-
tems of linear equations. We shall determine currents through electrical networks and
analyze traffic flows through road networks.

1.1 Matrices and Systems of Linear Equations

An equation in the variables x and y that can be written in the form ax 1 by 5 c, where
a, b, and c are real constants (a and b not both zero), is called a linear equation. The graph
of such an equation is a straight line in the xy-plane. Consider the system of two linear
equations,
2x 1 y 5 5
2x 2 y 5 4

5
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:59 AM Page 6

6 CHAPTER 1 Linear Equations and Vectors

A pair of values of x and y that satisfies both equations is called a solution. It can be seen
by substitution that x 5 3, y 5 2 is a solution to this system. A solution to such a system
will be a point at which the graphs of the two equations intersect. The following examples,
Figures 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3, illustrate that three possibilities can arise for such systems of
equations. There can be a unique solution, no solution, or many solutions. We use the
point/slope form y 5 mx 1 b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept, to graph these
lines.

Unique solution No solution Many solutions

x+y=5 –2x + y = 3 4x – 2y = 6
2x – y = 4 – 4x + 2y = 2 6x – 3y = 9
Write as y = –x + 5 and y = 2x – 4. Write as y = 2x + 3 and y = 2x + 1. Each equation can be written as
The lines have slopes –1 and 2, and The lines have slope 2, and y-intercepts y = 2x – 3. The graph of each
y-intercepts 5 and –4. They intersect 3 and 1. They are parallel. There is no equation is a line with slope 2
at a point, the solution. There is a unique point of intersection. No solution. and y-intercept –3. Any point
solution, x = 3, y = 2. on the line is a solution.
Many solutions.
y 2x – y = 4
x+y=5 y y

4x – 2y = 6
–2x + y = 3 – 4x + 2y = 2 6x – 3y = 9
(3, 2)

x x x

Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 Figure 1.3

Our aim in this chapter is to analyze larger systems of linear equations. A linear equa-
tion in n variables x1, x2, x3, c, xn is one that can be written in the form
a1x1 1 a2x2 1 a3x3 1 c1 anxn 5 b,

where the coefficients a1, a2, c, an and b are constants. The following is an example of
a system of three linear equations.

1x1 1 1x2 1 1x3 5 22

2x1 1 3x2 1 2x3 5 23
1x1 2 1x2 2 2x3 5 26
It can be seen on substitution that x1 5 21, x2 5 1, x3 5 2 is a solution to this system.
(We arrive at this solution in Example 1 of this section.)
A linear equation in three variables corresponds to a plane in three-dimensional space.
Solutions to a system of three such equations will be points that lie on all three planes. As
for systems of two equations, there can be a unique solution, no solution, or many solu-
tions. We illustrate some of the various possibilities in Figure 1.4.
As the number of variables increases, a geometrical interpretation of such a system of
equations becomes increasingly complex. Each equation will represent a space embedded
in a larger space. Solutions will be points that lie on all the embedded spaces. While a gen-
eral geometrical way of thinking about a problem is often useful, we rely on algebraic meth-
ods for arriving at and interpreting the solution. We introduce a method for solving systems
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:59 AM Page 7

1.1 Matrices and Systems of Linear Equations 7

Unique solution

B
B

A P
P C
C
Three planes A, B, and C intersect at a single point P.
P corresponds to a unique solution.
A

No solution B
A

C C

Planes A, B, and C have no points in common.

There is no solution.
Many solutions
B ABC

A Q

P C

Three planes A, B, and C intersect Three equations represent the same

in a line PQ. Any point on the line plane. Any point on the plane is
is a solution. a solution.

Figure 1.4

of linear equations called Gauss-Jordan elimination.1 This method involves systemati-

cally eliminating variables from equations. In this section, we shall see how this method
applies to systems of equations that have a unique solution. In the following section, we
shall extend the method to more general systems of linear equations.
We shall use rectangular arrays of numbers called matrices to describe systems of lin-
ear equations. At this time we introduce the necessary terminology.
1Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) was one of the greatest mathematical scientists ever. Among his discoveries was a way

to calculate the orbits of asteroids. He taught for forty-seven years at the University of Göttingen, Germany. He made con-
tributions to many areas of mathematics, including number theory, probability, and statistics. Gauss has been described as
“not really a physicist in the sense of searching for new phenomena, but rather a mathematician who attempted to formulate
in exact mathematical terms the experimental results of others.” Gauss had a turbulent personal life, suffering financial and
political problems because of revolutions in Germany.
Wilhelm Jordan (1842–1899) taught geodesy at the Technical College of Karlsruhe, Germany. His most important work
was a handbook on geodesy that contained his research on systems of equations. Jordan was recognized as being a master
teacher and an excellent writer.
9781284120097_CH01_002_067.qxd 10/25/17 6:59 AM Page 8

8 CHAPTER 1 Linear Equations and Vectors

DEFINITION A matrix is a rectangular array of numbers. The numbers in the array are called the elements of the
matrix.

Matrices are usually denoted by capital letters. Examples of matrices in standard nota-
tion are
7 1 3 5 6
A5 c d, B5 £ 0 5§, C 5 £ 0 22 5§
2 3 24
7 5 21
28 3 8 9 12
Rows and Columns Matrices consist of rows and columns. Rows are labeled from the top
of the matrix, columns from the left. The following matrix has two rows and three columns.

c d
2 3 24
7 5 21
The rows are:
32 3 24 4 , 37 5 21 4
row 1 row 2

The columns are:

c d, c d, c d
2 3 24
7 5 21
column 1 column 2 column 3

Submatrix A submatrix of a given matrix is an array obtained by deleting certain rows

and columns of the matrix. For example, consider the following matrix A. The matrices P,
Q, and R are submatrices of A.
1 7 4 1 7 7
A 5 £2 0§ P 5 £2 3§ Q 5 £3§ R5 c d
1 4
3
5 22
5 1 22 5 1 1
matrix A submatrices of A

Size and Type The size of a matrix is described by specifying the number of rows and
columns in the matrix. For example, a matrix having two rows and three columns is said
to be a 2 3 3 matrix; the first number indicates the number of rows, and the second indicates
the number of columns. When the number of rows is equal to the number of columns, the
matrix is said to be a square matrix. A matrix consisting of one row is called a row matrix.
A matrix consisting of one column is a column matrix. The following matrices are of the
stated sizes and types.
2 5 7 8
c d £ 29 1§ 3 4 23 54 £3§
1 0 3
0 8
22 4 5
23 5 8 2
2 3 3 matrix 3 3 3 matrix 1 3 4 matrix 3 3 1 matrix
a square matrix a row matrix a column matrix
Location The location of an element in a matrix is described by giving the row and col-
umn in which the element lies. For example, consider the following matrix.

c d
2 3 24
7 5 21
The element 7 is in row 2, column 1. We say that it is in location (2, 1).
Discovering Diverse Content Through
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But although so dark, the forest is not silent. Its great pulses throb
and murmur with the pleonastic signs of tropic life. There comes
upon the ear the thousand tiny voices of insects and of birds,
swelling and dying in a soft-toned lullaby chorus, which, like the
murmur of the coast-waves ten miles to the eastward, is never
ceasing.
It does not require a second glance at the lonely figure at the little
rocky pool to ascertain that it is that of an aboriginal. He is dressed
in the ragged remains of a coarse woollen shirt and trousers, both of
which garments are so torn with the thousand thorns of the thickets
their wearer has just traversed that the wonder is that they still cling
to his thin and emaciated body.
Presently the black raises himself from the ground, where he has
been reposing at full length upon his back, with his arms extended
at right angles to his body, after the fashion of aboriginals who have
undergone excessive fatigue, and totters towards the little water-
hole. First examining the sand upon its banks for footmarks, he next
proceeds to bathe his bruised and bleeding limbs. The man before
us is Billy, the late Dr. Dyesart’s “boy,” and he is almost in as bad a
plight as when we saw him on the eventful morning by Paree River’s
side, when the explorer saved the wounded child from the uplifted
axe of the squatter’s tracker. Billy is now a young man of twenty-four
years of age, well-built, active, and handsome for an aboriginal; but
the privations and trouble he has lately undergone have pulled him
down considerably. After refreshing himself at the pool, he sits down
on a fallen tree, and, feeling in his pockets, smiles to himself as he
finds that he still possesses a pipe, tobacco, and matches. He is too
fatigued to search for food yet awhile, and here is something to
stave off the feeling of hunger for a time. Odd as it may appear to
those of our readers who do not know Australia intimately, Billy,
although a native, and born a warragal, or wild native, was almost
as helpless as a white man in this “scrub” country, as regards finding
the means of sustenance. Take an aboriginal from the semi-desert
interior of Australia, and place him in the coastal jungles of the
north-eastern shores of the great island, and he is hardly more
capable of getting his living there than a European, who then saw
the “bush” for the first time, would be under similar circumstances.
The fauna and flora were all new to Billy; even the snakes were
different. This was bad enough, but, in addition, he had only just
escaped from remorseless enemies, who might even now be again
upon his tracks. The dependent life he had led for sixteen years with
his old master was much against him, now that he was thrown upon
his own resources. Much of his late life had of course been in the
“wilds,” but they were very different to those that now formed his
hiding-place. And, besides, there had generally been flour galore for
“damper” and “Johnnie-cake” making, and always plenty of powder
and shot as a dernier ressort with which to procure a meal.
The young man sits smoking and thinking for a while, and then
falls to digging away at the rotten wood upon which he is seated,—a
small, toothsome luncheon of fat, oily grubs rewarding his
operations. Suddenly he stops, and withdrawing the pipe from his
mouth listens intently. His marvellous powers of hearing have
detected a distant sound that, falling on the tympanum of a
European’s ear, would have become jumbled up and lost amidst the
confusing buzz of flies and other myriads of tiny noises around him.
What the sound is caused by Billy cannot tell, but it is a stationary
one, and in a different direction from that by which any of his
pursuers are likely to approach. It may be natives chopping down a
tree for honey, but it is almost too sharp in tone for that. After
listening awhile the young man rises, and, having determined to
ascertain the cause of the phenomenon, begins to crawl down the
bed of the little rocky creek nearby in the direction of the curious
sounds.
Ragged fragments of basalt, straggling tendrils of sharp-toothed
lawyer-vines, and other impediments, make his progress slow and
painful; but after creeping along the half-dried-up course of the
torrent about a quarter of a mile, where hundreds of mosquitoes
and leeches combined, in a sort of guerilla warfare, to attack the
black’s arms, legs, and face, he at last finds himself on the edge of a
cliff, above one of those curious, circular, crater-lakes that abound in
one part of the great uplands of the wild coast range.
Black walls of basalt rise more or less perpendicularly around the
dark, indigo water at their feet. Here and there the ancient lava has
crystallized into prismatic columns, or weathered into picturesque
battlements and projections, which stand up, like the ruins of some
old abbey, above the feathery palms and undergrowth that struggles
down the precipitous cliffs in places in avalanches of sunlit emerald
or shady o’erhangings of brown and purple.
The dark mountain tarn is some two hundred yards across, and
opposite to where the stream, whose bed has hitherto been Billy’s
road through the jungle, joins it, the surrounding wall of cliffs seems
to fall away, as far as one can make out in the shadows, as if the
waters of the lake there found a means of exit.
Cautiously peering through the prickly palms and brushwood, our
black friend endeavours to find an open space through which he can
proceed on his way; but so dense is the mass of vegetation on all
sides that there appears but one road to take, that offered to him by
the lake itself.
It speaks well for the superstitionless training Billy had received at
his late master’s hands that he at last determined to take water, as a
means of continuing his journey towards the sounds that still,
intermittently, make themselves heard above the various voices of
the forest. For little in nature can surpass the awful, supernatural
look of these black, silent jungle lakes, and there was something
particularly “uncanny” about the appearance of this one. And when,
in addition to this, there was the certainty of those dark waters
being the abode of more or less numerous swimming snakes, also
the grim possibility of some frightful veengnaan—the local Australian
edition of a Scotch “water-kelpie”—lurking in those gloomy depths,
we may safely say that it showed Billy to be possessed of a cool
courage of no ordinary sort when he determined on trusting his
fatigued and wounded body to its inky bosom.
 Quickly making up his mind, he wriggles through the springy mass
of steaming vegetation upon the edge of the cliff before him,—losing
quite a number of square inches of his fast-disappearing garments in
the process,—and emerges from the shadows into the fierce midday
heat of a tropical winter day.
A drop of twenty feet only has to be made to reach the silent
waters at this point, for the storm creek has cut through the brim of
the crater basin a dozen feet or more; and Billy is just about to make
the necessary dive—as the prickly vines around offer no friendly
chance of descending by their means—when he pauses to listen
once more.
There are two sounds now audible above the ordinary murmurings
of the forest. The clink! clink! of the noise he has followed now
comes clearly upon the ear, and he recognizes it as proceeding from
the pick of some prospector or miner working a creek or gully below,
and beyond the lake. There is a cheerful ring about it that strikes a
pleasant chord of remembrance in the mind of the poor, hunted
wretch who now hears it; for it reminds him of happy, hopeful days
with his old master. But the other sound that is upon the air, and
whose purport Billy recognizes as easily as that of the unseen
worker’s blows,—there is no mistaking those musical whisperings
that are just audible, and seem to come from that broken mass of
piled-up grey and purple rock that towers above the scrub a little
distance off upon his right hand. The “banked-up fires” of Billy’s
savage nature burst up into an energetic blaze as he hears the
voices of a party of natives arranging themselves into a half circle,
with the intention of surrounding and capturing some prey they have
discovered. Billy correctly guesses the purport of these signals, but
does not understand the exact meaning of the words, for he knows
little or nothing of the coastal languages. What the natives on the
rocky hill have in view is evident: it is the busy worker in the gully
beyond. Billy forgets his fatigue as he glances round and satisfies
himself that he has the start of the hunters, and then plunging into
the water, with marvellously little noise considering the height from
which he has descended, swims after the manner of a dog rapidly
round the lake, keeping close to the cliffs on the side nearest to the
approaching blacks.
The natives of most countries situated in the southern
hemisphere, ere foreign civilization has crushed them in her deadly
embrace, are good swimmers, but some of the inland tribes of
Australian aborigines are perhaps able to produce the best of these,
—men who can beat even the marvellous aquatic feats of Tongan,
Samoan, and Maoris. The blacks of some portions of the central
wilds have a fish-like proclivity for swimming and remaining for a
long time under water that is simply marvellous.
In the muddy water-holes of the great, intermittently-flowing
rivers of Northern Australia, we have seen aborigines successfully
chase the finny denizens of the deep pools, and bring them otter-like
to the shore in their white-toothed jaws. And many a hunted black
has saved himself from the cruel rifle of squatter invaders of his
native land by pretending to fall as if shot into a river or water-hole,
and remaining, apparently, at the bottom. They manage this artifice
in various ways: sometimes by swimming an incredible distance
under water to a sheltering weedy patch or bed of rushes, where
they can remain hidden; but more often by plastering their heads
and faces with mud, and remaining, sometimes for hours, with only
their nose above water, in some corner where floating leaves, grass,
or the like, afford a temporary blind to baffle their relentless foes.
Billy, although by no means as perfect a swimmer as some of his
countrymen, showed great skill in the way in which he noiselessly
moved through the water to the opposite side of the black lake, and
hardly a ripple disturbed its placid surface, above which his dark,
glistening head only thrice briefly appeared during his swim.
Arrived at the point he had started for, the young man slowly
raises his face again into the hot sunshine behind the leafy cover of
a fallen mass of enormous stagshorn ferns, and carefully
reconnoitres the summit of the opposite cliffs for any enemies who
may be watching him.
 None are in sight, so Billy leaves the water and proceeds to climb
the rough side of the old volcano crater, and as the rocks are lower
and less precipitous than at the place where he dived into the lake,
he soon reaches the shelter of the scrub once more. A kind of
rugged giants’ staircase, which the overflow from the lake has cut in
the ancient lava covering of the mountain, now leads Billy down into
a wide, wild-looking gorge, about two hundred feet below the
surface of the dark tarn above. Through the centre of this deep
gully, and flanked with a dense growth of gracefully festooned trees,
runs a clear, silver stream, with a cool, refreshing, rushing voice,
amongst the smooth, rounded bounders in its course. Taking its rise
in some limestone formation in the unknown depths of the jungles
beyond, it has painted its rocky bed of a pine white with a
calcareous deposit, that stands out in strong relief to the sombre
hues of the overhanging cliffs that here and there jut out boldly from
the verdure on either side.
Each recurring wet season sees the whitened boulders swept off
towards the sea-coast by the angry brown waters of the “flushed”
river, in company with the like that has collected during the interval
since the previous rains, and then the fierce torrent, gradually
settling down once more into the bubbling little stream as we now
have it, sets to work again to paint a fresh strip of white through the
twilight forest glades.
Kneeling by the side of one of the chain of snowy pools that
stretches into the misty vista of graceful palms and dark-leaved
trees, beneath the afternoon shadows of the gorge, is a strange-
looking figure, quite in keeping with the wild surroundings,—a thin,
elderly man, with a ragged, unkempt beard and deeply bronzed and
furrowed face, shaded by the most dilapidated of soft felt hats. The
spare figure that Billy is now watching is covered with clothes so old,
patched, and repatched that one would hesitate to pronounce an
opinion as to which of the frowsy fragments formed part of the
original garments. A certain yellow tone of colour, something
between that of a nicely browned loaf and the lighter tints of a
Cheddar cheese, pervades the “altogether” of the old man, for the
iron-rust and clay-stains of years of lonely toil amongst the
mountains have dyed both skin and rags of one common colour.
A thin but muscular left hand holds the outer rim of a brown,
circular iron pan,—called by miners a “prospecting dish,”—and
presses its other edge against the ancient’s open-bosomed shirt, so
as to keep the vessel firmly in position, as the keen old eyes
examine its contents for the cheering yellow specks with a small
pocket-lens.
Billy stands looking at the old prospector for a minute, and rightly
guesses that he is one of those mining recluses, called “hatters” in
Australia, some specimens of which class our dark friend has met
before. In fact, Billy’s curiosity as a miner himself makes him nearly
forget the approaching natives, in his eagerness to ascertain if the
dish now being “panned off” shows the presence of the precious
metal in the locality. But this hesitation on his part is not for long.
Billy has retained his European raiment at some considerable
inconvenience in his flight through the scrub, for the same reason
that chiefly prompts Australian aboriginals to put such value upon
the sartorial signs of civilization, and now he is to reap the fruits of
his forethought.
Many an Australian bushman will shoot a native at sight, without
compunction, if in puris naturalibus, and it is a fact that many make
it a rule to do so when meeting a “nigger” alone in the bush; but the
same individuals would hesitate to pay this attention to a black
sheltered in that badge of servitude, an old shirt or ragged pair of
inexpressibles whose wearer may possibly belong to a neighbouring
squatter or police inspector.
Billy trusts now implicitly to his torn clothes to serve as a flag of
truce till he can get a hearing from the man whose life he is
probably about to save; and careless of the fact that the old miner
has a revolver hanging in the open pouch at his belt, and that a
fowling-piece lies by the pick within a yard of the thin, hairy right
arm, he girds up his tatters and commences to whistle loudly as he
makes his way over the hot boulders towards the curious, propensic
figure by the stream-side.
The old prospector turns suddenly as the shrill notes of Billy’s
musical trilling echo along the rocky sides of the glen, and, dropping
his dish, snatches up the brown old “Manton” by his side.
“Hold on, boss!” shouts Billy, thinking for the instant that perhaps
he had been too rash after all, in leaving his shelter amongst the
rocks before holding a parley with the stranger.
“Hold on, boss; you’ll want your powder for warragal blacks
directly, and better not waste it on ‘good fellow’ like me.”
“Who the devil are you? Move a step an’ I blow your brains out,”
responds the old man, lowering the piece, however, from his
shoulder.
“I’m white fellow’s boy,” explains Billy, sitting down on a boulder in
order to show his faith in the miner’s good sense, and also to give
that dangerously excited old individual a chance to examine him and
cool down. “I’m white fellow’s boy, and I see black fellow coming
after you. They make a circle to catch you. See, I have swum the
lake to bring to you this news. I was hidden when I saw them first.
They will try to get me now as well as you; you must let me go with
you.”
“Where’s your boss?” asks the old miner, glancing round on all
sides for any signs of approaching foes.
“My boss is dead. His name was Dr. Dyesart, Dyesart the explorer.
Perhaps you’ve heard of him? But you had better clear before the
Kurra (vermin) reach us.”
The old “hatter’s” eyes gleam suspiciously at Billy as he speaks
again.
“Yer may be a good nigger. But yer too durned well spoken fur a
nigger fur my thinkin’. I knew Dyesart once, and I’ll soon find out if
ye’re trying ter fool me. But here, take the pick an’ dish, and go on
ahead of me down past the rock there.”
 Billy picks up the utensils mentioned, and, summoning up all the
remainder of his strength, totters along the bed of the stream in the
direction indicated by the skinny finger of the dirty old solitary, who
comes shuffling along after him.
The part of the ravine the two men are now entering is even
wilder than that where they first became acquainted with each other.
The ground sinks rapidly, as the increasing noisiness of the brawling
streamlet indicates, as it leaps from rock to rock on its way, as if
rejoicing upon its approach to freedom and the sea. Some way down
the gorge, the steamy haze of a cataract climbs up the cliff sides and
blots out further view in that direction, and the soft thunderings of
falling waters come up the gully at intervals, as the evening breeze
begins to stir the topmost branches of the stately trees.
Great black cliffs tower skywards on the left-hand side, and their
grim fronts yawn with numerous caves, the cold husks of what were
once enormous air-bubbles in that awful flood of molten rock that in
the far-off past poured down these mountain slopes from the
Bellenden Ker group of ancient volcanoes.
A few more words have passed between Billy and the ancient
“hatter,” which have apparently fairly satisfied the latter as to the
goodness of the dark-skinned younger man, when the clamour of
shouting voices behind them makes both turn round.
The sight that meets their eyes is by no means a pleasant one.
Halfway down a part of the cliffs that the two men had passed only
a minute or so before, a party of natives has just arrived, all of them
naked, and carrying long spears, probably with the intention of
cutting off the old digger’s escape down the gully. These sable
hunters, seeing that their quarry has, for the time, escaped them,
are shouting to their friends up the gorge to join them, for a fresh
effort to surround the object of their hatred and suspicion.
“Only just in time, boss!” exclaims Billy, his white eyeballs glowing
like coals from their dark setting of swarthy skin, as he watches the
rapid movements of the enemy, who are moving along the summit
of the cliff towards them. “Those devils got you safe enough, ’spose
they’d kept you up there till dark,” pointing to the open part of the
gorge.
“But where will you camp? I’m tired. In fact, just ’bout done. I
have walked many miles to-day, and have eaten little since three
days.”
“This is my camp,” answers the “hatter,” climbing up to one of the
aforementioned caves with an agility that a far younger man might
have envied. “We can keep out of the niggers’ way here.” And the
old man coolly began to collect some sticks and leaves that lay about
the entrance to the cavern, in order to start a fire, just as if two or
three score of howling savages, all thirsting for his destruction,
within a couple of hundred yards of him, was a matter of every-day
occurrence to him, and therefore one of no importance.
Night falls quickly, and outside the cave the darkening forest
begins its night chorus of many voices, day-choristers retiring one by
one. The mountain teal whistle and “burr” in answer to each other;
owls and night-jars scream and gurgle in the trees; boon-garies
(tree-kangeroos) squeak and bark to their mates, as they leave the
branches for a night stroll in the scrub; and every crevice of the
caves gives forth its dark legions of flitting bats, some of enormous
size, who vociferate shrilly, with ear-piercing notes, as if thousands
of ghostly slate pencils were squeaking in mid-air on an equal
number of spectre slates.
Inside the cave, which is much larger than its small, porthole-like
entrance might lead one to imagine, the two men speedily make
themselves as comfortable as they can under the circumstances.
There is ample room for the fire that soon lights up the concave
roof, of the cavern with a cheerful, ruddy glow, and the smoke
rolling out of the doorway keeps the place clear of mosquitoes, who
are getting pretty lively outside already.
The old “hatter” has used this retreat as his camping ground for
the last few days, whilst prospecting this part of the upper waters of
the unnamed creek, that can be heard in the darkness flowing past
his temporary abode, and a small but sufficient supply of flour, tea,
and sugar is to be seen carefully suspended from the stalactite-like
projections from the ceiling of the cave. This provender, with the
remains of a couple of pigeons, half a dozen wild turkeys’ eggs and
some coohooy nuts give promise of a good “square meal,” at last, to
the exhausted and half-famished Billy.
“Yer’ve done me a good turn, and though yer are a nigger, yer
welcome ter what I’ve got here,” remarks the grey-headed old gold-
seeker after a long silence, during which he has disinterred some of
the aforementioned viands from an anti-wild dog pyramid of stones
in one corner of the cave.
“Them blarmed devils outside hain’t seen a white face up here
afore I’m thinking, and I guess they’ll not bother us till morning.
What do you think, Charlie, or Jackie, or whatever yer name is?”
“My name’s Billy, boss,” replies our dark friend, who is
endeavouring to keep himself awake by frantically chewing some of
the sodden tobacco he has discovered in his pocket. “I think these
fellows throw spear into cave by-an-by, p’r’aps. I think best keep up
here,” pointing to a buttress of rock that, projecting from the walls of
the cavern, provides a substantial shield against any missiles flung in
at the cave entrance. “But I know little of these fellow-blacks. I
come from the flat country, this time, out by the Einsleigh River
way.”
“Ugh,” grunts the old man in reply, and telling Billy to “have a
‘doss’ (sleep),” whilst his namesake, the billy, is boiling, the “hatter”
proceeds to cut up a pipe-full of very foul-smelling tobacco, looking
thoughtfully at the fire meanwhile.
Billy, on his part, is not slow to avail himself of his host’s invitation,
and sinking down upon the cold rock floor goes immediately to
sleep.
If it should appear, to any of our readers to border upon the
incredible, that two men should thus calmly sleep and smoke in the
face of danger, that to one inexperienced in the wilder phases of
bush-life would appear to demand the utmost vigilance, we can only
reply by offering as our defence, firstly, the old saying that “truth is
oftentimes stranger than fiction;” and, secondly, that in this scene,
as in each of our main incidents, we have endeavoured to sketch
from memory a faithful if humble representation of an actual
occurrence, in preference to indulging what latent talents we may
possess in the walks of imaginative scene-painting.
Mais revenons à nos moutons. The old “hatter” sits silently
smoking; sometimes glancing upwards towards the roof of the cave,
where the almost obliterated representations of white and red hands
—the work of previous aboriginal occupants of the retreat—are still
discernible, and at others fixing his ferret-like, bloodshot eyes upon
the dark, hardship-lined face of the slumbering Billy, as the firelight
dances upon its swarthy surface. Nothing appears to disturb the
well-earned repose of the two men, save a small black snake that
comes wriggling in to enjoy the warmth of the blazing branches, and
meets with a warmer reception than it had anticipated. Then the
billy at last splutters out its welcome signal, and the old digger and
his companion proceed to indulge that taste that has made
Australians the greatest consumers of tea, per head, in the world.
“Them Myalls (wild natives) don’t seem to mean business to-
night,” observes Billy’s host, when the silent meal is finished, as he
hands our black friend a piece of “nailrod” with which to charge his
evening pipe.
“I think they wait, boss. Watch an hour, perhaps two or three,
then throw spears.” Billy leans forward as he speaks to heat a piece
of tobacco in the embers, in order to soften the flinty morsel, and
thereby facilitate the operation of cutting it into shreds.
“I think those beggars,” jerking his black thumb towards the
darkness outside the cave entrance, “I think those beggars come by-
and-by. Urraurruna (take care); I think they come presently.”
 Then both men relapse again into silence, each engaged with his
own unpleasant thoughts. The “hatter,” although somewhat
favourably prepossessed with Billy’s appearance, and glad of a
companion for the time being, has that instinctive distrust of a
“nigger” common to most Australian bushmen. He does not care
altogether for the presence of his new acquaintance in the cave, and
even considers, for a moment, what would be the easiest way of
getting rid of him, and making him seek another shelter for the
night. But the feeling of gratitude to Billy for the service he has
rendered that day finally prevails, and the old man determines to
hear the “boy” further explain his appearance in the gorge before he
acts.
Billy, on his part, although naturally of a sanguine turn of mind (as
indeed all his race are), and little given to ruminating upon the
sorrows of to-morrow, is trying to puzzle out a plan of future
operations, whose main object is to discover the nephew of his late
employer. He notices the half-concealed, suspicious glances of his
dirty old host, and is almost tempted to offer to seek other lodgings,
when the latter breaks the silence once more.
“’Spose you’re a runaway nigger? Station or police?”
“Yes, boss, I’m a runaway. But I’ve never worked on station.
Always with the doctor. All my time mining and cooking for the old
man.”
“Thought yer was,” grunts the old prospector, taking his pipe from
between his yellow teeth for an instant; “noticed the way yer carried
the pick, and guessed yer knew something about ‘breaking down a
face.’”
“Yes, I can do that much, anyhow,” remarks Billy quietly.
“Well, that bein’ so, lad, I ain’t the man as would turn dog on a
poor beggar, let alone a miner, be he black or white. I ain’t built that
way.” The old man stops speaking to listen to a slight noise outside
the cave for a moment, and then continues: “If yer like to camp here
longer me till I’ve done this gully, yer can. But just sling me a yarn
about how yer came to this hole in the ranges.” The speaker turns
towards the fire, that has burnt itself low, and commences to rake it
into renewed brightness. As he does so, his head and right arm
leave the shelter of the projecting rock before-mentioned, and come
between the luminous background of flames and the cave entrance.
Then Billy’s prognostications are fulfilled; for some natives, who
have been silently watching for an opportunity to attack the
occupants of the cavern, immediately take advantage of the
appearance of the old digger, and the fire embers are scattered right
and left by three spears, which, however, luckily all miss their human
target.
The two men leap to their feet, and Billy, snatching up the old
“hatter’s” shot-gun, without waiting a moment to ask the permission
of its owner, glides noiselessly into the darkness, and is lost to the
view of his startled host. Presently the latter proceeds to collect the
scattered fire-sticks, and adding to them the spears, which he
breaks up into pieces, he relights his pipe and waits for the return of
his guest. Half an hour passes in silence, and then two loud reports,
followed by the rain-like pattering of bouncing shot about the
entrance to the cave, and the screams of a number of agonized
voices, proclaim the successful accomplishment of Billy’s plucky plan
of retaliation upon the enemy outside.
“No more trouble to-night,” observes that individual, with a
complaisant grin, as he presently returns into the cavern, striking the
butt of the gun he carries, as he walks, so as to give a jangling
signal of his approach to the man by the fire, who, revolver in hand,
might otherwise mistake him for an enemy. “Shot guns better at
night than a rifle for this kind of work. The beggars have all cleared.
None killed, I think.”
“All the better, lad. All the days I’ve knocked about the bush, I’ve
never shot a black yet, though I’ve seen a many bowled over. But
they warn’t bad in the old days, as they are now. These beggars
here, though, are a bit koolie (fierce); and I don’t blame them. They
don’t like to see a white face,”—the old man’s countenance was
about the tone of colour of a new pig-skin saddle,—“they don’t like
to see a white face hereabouts, for the scrub’s the only place in this
part of Queensland where the poor beggars ain’t hunted.”
The night passes without further cause for alarm, and next day,
and the one after, and for several weeks Billy remains with the old
prospector. And the latter, being a sensible man, and finding himself
thus brought into contact with a mind in no ways inferior to his own,
—albeit housed in corporal surroundings of that dark tint that has
hitherto placed the unfortunate aborigines beyond the pale of
civilized law in Australia,—soon makes a companion and partner of
Billy, instead of treating him as a mere animal, as has hitherto been
his custom with those black “boys” he has had occasion to employ.
Moreover, in our dark friend the ancient “hatter” finds his ideal of
what a model “mate” should be,—strong, cheerful, plucky, frugal,
and, above all, lucky. And sometimes, as the strange pair smoke
their evening pipes together in the firelit cave, and the thoughts of
the “boss” go flying back into the dim vistas of memory, and the
cruel swindles perpetrated upon him by this and that white partner
of his younger days are re-enacted in his mind’s eye, he cannot help
contrasting them unfavourably with his present mate, whose coming
departure, although he is “only a nigger,” the old man begins to
dread with a fear that surprises himself.
“Swelp me,” the poor old solitary soul sometimes ejaculates to
himself, as the chilling thought of once more being a lonely “hatter”
in these awful wilds goes like an ague-shiver through his spare and
bended form, “I suppose I’m getting too old for this kind of work;
and if I had had a mate like Billy when I was young I would have
been doing the ‘toff’ in Sydney by this time, like that rascal Canoona
Bill that swindled me on the Crocodile, and not have had to work up
to my knees in water, with the pan and shovel, at my time of life.”
But it is not approaching age or failing bodily strength that is the
cause of this change in the old miner’s feelings, as he tries to
persuade himself it is, for he cannot find it in his mind to confess he
feels any attachment or affection for a “nigger.” It is something very
different that begins to make him feel disgusted with the idea of a
return to his solitary mode of life.
Billy’s new friend, like most of his class of old “hatters,” became
disgusted with the world owing to having been unfortunate in his
choice of partners, and now that he at last finds one to suit him, his
view of life becomes correspondingly fairer than heretofore.
“Billy!” one evening said the old man,—who has lately informed
our black friend that he is known at Geraldtown and Herberton by
his patronymic of Weevil,—“Billy! you ain’t told me yet how you
come to clear out from the station where you left the doctor’s letter.
What station was it?”
Billy, who is shaping a new pick-handle by the light of the fire,
does not reply for a minute or two. When he does look up at the
lean figure on the other side of the flames, he betrays a little of that
sulky, spoilt-child demeanour generally exhibited by members of his
race when recounting any occurrence that has been a source of
annoyance to them.
“I ran away, boss, because they try and get me to show them the
way back to where I planted the doctor. Mister Giles, who owns the
station——”
“Who?” Old Weevil leans across the smoke towards Billy. “It warn’t
Wilson Giles, were it?” he asks in a low, hoarse voice, looking at the
black with ill-concealed anxiety.
“Yes, Wilson was his front name. D’you know him?”
The old man withdraws into the semi-obscurity of a shadowy pile
of firewood against which he is standing at the question, much like a
sea-anemone shrinks into its rock cleft before an obtrusive human
finger.
“Yes, I know him,” growls the old man in the darkness, exhibiting
an amount of hatred in the tone of his voice that makes Billy look in
the direction of the wood stack with open eyes and mouth. Weevil,
however, does not appear likely to be communicative, so Billy
presently continues: “The doctor’s last words almost were, ‘Don’t let
any one know where you left me save my nephew,’ and so it wasn’t
likely I was going to tell the first man as asked me. Was it likely?”
“Burn him! No!” ejaculated Mr. Weevil, in parenthesis.
“Giles tried me with one thing and then another. Offered me
anything I liked, at last, to take him to the grave. Thought I was
only like a station black, I suppose!” and the speaker scrapes angrily
at the wooden handle between his knees, with a black splinter of
obsidian (volcanic glass) that he is using as a ready-made draw-
knife.
“Then Giles has a talk with his niece,—she bosses it at
‘Government House’” (is mistress at the head-station),—“and she
says ‘Flog the nigger! flog him!’ And a house-gin who belongs to my
Mordu Kapara (class-family), which is Kalaru, hears all this as she
sets cloth in the parlour. She come and tells me. Then me run away.
Then me turn wild beggar again!”
Billy, who by this time is gesticulating excitedly with his hands,
curiously relapses, slightly,—as he always does when highly agitated,
—into the remarkable “station-jargon” to which we have already had
occasion to refer.
“Me run and run. An’ Giles, he borrow the big dogs with the red
eyes and thin flanks (bloodhounds) from Bulla Bulla station.”
“I know ’em,” interrupts old Weevil; “that fellow on the Mulgrave’s
made a good thing out of breeding them for the squatters.”
“Well, boss, I made for the scrub. But I get tired, and the stinging-
tree blind me, all but. The dogs come up close. I hear them howl,
and the men calling to them. But the big dogs badly trained; they go
after young cassowary, and I drown my tracks in a creek, and then
‘possum’ (hide in a tree) all the day.”
After Billy has thus graphically given his account of his marvellous
escape from the clutches of Mr. Giles, the conversation turns upon
the subject of going down the creek to the nearest township, which
we will christen Meesonton, after a well-known Australian explorer
living in the district.
“We’ll both go as far as the low scrub range, over the Beatrice
creek,” observes old Weevil, “and yer can work the old sluice there I
was telling yer of yesterday if them cursed Chinkies ain’t found it. I
won’t be more nor a week or so away. I wouldn’t advise yer,”
continues the old man, “ter show yer face near the store yet awhile.
That beggar Giles is well in with the perlice, and they’d knab yer like
enough.”
So very early next morning Billy and the old miner set out; just
about the time when that earliest of early birds, the crow, has begun
to think it time to commence his matutinal robberies, and long ere
the sun has risen to dry the fern and scrub sufficiently for any
natives to be out hunting who might notice the two men’s departure.
By midday our friends have followed for eight miles that only road
possible through the dense jungle,—the rough, white bed of the
merry little creek. Here, after a rest and a smoke, the men left the
stream and clambered up the dark, clayey banks, when they found
themselves on a broken, open piece of country, across which they
steered, Weevil leading, in a north-easterly direction, passing
numerous little trickling creeks trending eastwards on their way.
Here and there the recent footprints of aborigines were to be seen in
the rich, volcanic soil; and once Billy detected the voices of natives,
but said nothing to his companion about it. Late in the afternoon,
after crossing some level tablelands, thinly covered with scrub,
several large gunyahs (native dwellings) were discovered, and, as
the evening began to look stormy, the two men took possession of
one of the largest of them. These huts were similar to beehives in
shape, like those of the village on the Paree river that we described
in Chapter VIII., and were substantially thatched with fern fronds
and that coarse kind of grass that grows in the open spaces in the
scrub called “pockets” by northern bushmen. These “pockets” are
treeless spots circular in form, and generally half an acre in extent,
and are used by the aborigines for boorers (native tournaments) and
dances. One of these native Champs de Mars, on the upper Barron
river, covers quite fifteen acres, and is also a perfect circle.
It was still dark, the next morning, when Billy and old Weevil
started once more on their journey; and the latter, in consequence,
fell into a two-foot hole near the gunyah in which they had slept,
and found himself lying on a mass of loose, rattling objects, which
his sense of touch quickly told him were human skulls,—the remains,
doubtless, of by-gone picnics of the good people whose village the
two men had appropriated during the previous night.
Pushing onwards, our friends spent the first half of the day in
climbing rocky peaks, and crossing the dark, rugged sources of
creeks, wrapped in their primeval gloom of frizzled, intricate masses
of thorny vines and dangerous stinging-trees; and, after making only
three miles in six hours, were forced to rest awhile in a ragged gully,
walled in by grey slate cliffs, and strewn with glistening blocks of
white and “hungry” quartz.
The stinging-tree, which we have twice mentioned in this chapter,
is worthy of a few remarks, for it is perhaps the most terrible of all
vegetable growths, and is found only in the scrub-country through
which Billy and his friend are now forcing their way.
This horrible guardian of the penetralia of the Queensland jungle
stands from five to fifteen feet in height, and has a general
appearance somewhat similar to that of a small mulberry-tree; but
the heart-shaped leaves of the plant before us differ from those of
the European fruit just mentioned in that they are larger, and
because they look as if manufactured from some light-green, velvety
material, such as plush. Their peculiarly soft and inviting aspect is
caused by an almost invisible coating of microscopic cilia, and it is to
these that the dangerous characteristics of the plant are due. The
unhappy wanderer in these wilds, who allows any part of his body to
come in contact with those beautiful, inviting tongues of green, soon
finds them veritable tongues of fire, and it will be weeks, perhaps
months, ere the scorching agony occasioned by their sting is entirely
eradicated. Nor are numerous instances wanting of the deaths of
men and animals following the act of contact with this terrible lusus
naturæ.
Billy and Weevil make more progress during the afternoon, the
country being more level and the scrub less thick; but, although
both men are inured to fatigue and discomfort of all sorts, they are
forced to camp early, after doing another six miles. Ragged, weary,
and barefooted,—for even the most imaginative mind could hardly
recognize the flabby pieces of water-logged leather that still adhere
to the men’s feet as boots,—the two travellers fling themselves down
on the dry, sandy bed of a mountain torrent, and scrape the clusters
of swollen leeches from their ankles, which are covered with clotted
blood, and pick the bush-ticks and scrub-itch insects from their flesh
with the point of the long scrub-knife the old digger carries.
As our friends are engaged in this painful but necessary toilet of a
voyager through the Queensland scrub, a wild turkey comes
blundering by in all the glories of her glossy, blue-black feathers and
brilliant red and yellow head,—not the Otis Australasianus which is
known to southern settlers as a “wild turkey” and is in reality a
bustard, but a true scrub turkey (Telegallus).
Billy is not long in tracking the footprints of the bird back to its
enormous mound nest. For this ingenious feathered biped, like her
smaller contemporary the scrub hen (Megapodius tumulus), saves
herself from the monotonous duty of sitting on her eggs by
depositing them in a capital natural incubator, formed of rotting and
heated leaves, which she collects into a pile, and arranges so as to
do the hatching part of the business for her.
A meal of turkey eggs and roasted “cozzon” berries, whose red
clusters are to be seen hanging from parasitic vines upon the great
stems around in plentiful profusion, and then the men retire to rest
upon their wet blankets, beneath a great ledge of granite, upon
whose surface some aboriginal artist has delineated in different
colours the admirable representations of immense frogs in various
attitudes.
 But trouble commences with the morrow; and when old Weevil
raises his stiff and patchwork form from the hard couch upon which
he has passed the night, he finds Billy, gun in hand, watching
something on the dim summit of the cliffs opposite their camp.
“Sh!” observes that individual, without turning his head; “plenty
black fellow all about here. D’you see that beggar’s head?”
“Bust ’em!” yawns the old digger, stretching; “they won’t interfere
with us. Let’s have tucker, and ‘break camp’ as soon as we can.”
The frugal repast is soon silently completed, but half a mile down
the creek, where the aborigines have constructed an ingenious weir,
armed with conical baskets in which to catch what fish may pass
that way, Billy and his companion find a small army of copper-
coloured natives collected on the opposite side of the stream, who
wave and beckon to the two travellers to return whence they came.
Their gesticulations and fierce yells not having the desired effect, a
series of signals are given by them to other natives in ambush on
the jungle-fringed precipices that rise with lycopodium-tasselled
ledges above the heads of the intruders.
“We’re in fur it now!” grunts the older man, who has done some
prospecting in New Guinea, amongst other places. “Them yellow
niggers is Kalkadoones, and as like Papuans as may be; and they’re
devils to fight. Keep close under the cliff.”
Billy guesses the mode of attack which the old digger’s experience
teaches him to anticipate, and which prompts his advice to his mate
to seek the shelter of the rocks as much as possible. The wiseness
of this precaution is soon seen. For when our friends are fairly
started on their way past the rapids in the gloomy gorge, the natives
commence hurling down great boulders of conglomerate. These
would speedily have crushed the adventurous twain below, had they
not been sheltered by the overhanging base of the precipice, which
was worn concave by the river’s action during floods. As it was many
of the rocks bounded horribly close to the men’s heads.
 “I can’t use my gun here, that’s sartin,” presently observes the old
man, as he puts fresh caps upon his old companion of many years.
“We’ll have to clear them beggars off before we go any further.”
Then springing from his shelter with his rags and tangled grey locks
flying in the air, Weevil makes for a rocky reef that juts out into the
river, which is deep at this place, with the idea of peppering the
enemy from this point of vantage.
But the Fates are against him, and sable Sister Atropos snaps her
weird scissors on poor old Weevil’s thread of existence. A shower of
stones descends upon the wild-looking figure as it hurries towards
the river, and the old miner falls an uncouth, bleeding object upon
the strand, groaning heavily.
Happily, the gun has escaped destruction, and by its aid Billy, who
rushes forward to defend his friend, performs prodigies of valour
that on a field of civilized warfare would certainly have gained him
some such coveted distinction as the Victoria Cross.
A hurried shot at the yelling figures that are clinging to the trees
overhanging the edge of the cliff in an appalling manner, and one of
them comes spinning down with a sickening thud upon the rocks
below. A second wire cartridge sent in the same direction is equally
successful, and another of the enemy tumbles forward on to a
jagged rock that projects from the precipice; while his friends,
horrified at the sudden illness that has thus overtaken two of their
number, stop short in the middle of a diabolical yell of triumph, and
clearing off are seen no more.
Billy bathes the crushed features of the old man, whose
stentorious breathing shows how badly he is injured, and the cold
water revives him somewhat.
“I’m busted in my inside, lad,” he murmurs raspily. “Gimme me
pipe. I can’t see to——How blind I’m gettin’!”
After a pause, during which he has tried to smoke in vain, he asks
to be raised in a sitting posture.
 “Billy,” he says, when this is effected, “you’re a good boy. I’m goin’
fast. Listen ter me afore I chuck it up altogether. Me legs is dead
already.”
The dying man has a crime upon his soul, and dreads to take the
secret of it with him into the unknown which he is about to enter, so
he fights gamely against the dissolution that is fast approaching till
he has told it to Billy.
“Remember what I tell ye, lad. ’Twas I as stole Wilson Giles’s only
son. Giles had ruined my life, and (gasp) I tuck revenge. I marked
the boy blue star an’ W. G. on near shoulder. Then I cleared out an’
tuck him (gasp) ter Sydney.”
Silence for a time follows, after which the expiring flame of life
flickers up, and the last words Weevil speaks on earth are gasped
out.
“God furgive me! Intended to return boy after a bit. Lost him in
Sydney. God furgive me! (gasp). Goo’-bye, ole man. Let’s have
’nother——(gasp). Oh God! Jane! Jane! come back ter me!”
The old man stretches out his wounded hands as he wails the last
sentence in tone of wild entreaty, and Billy feels, by the suddenly-
increased weight in his arms, that he is holding a corpse.
 CHAPTER XIII.
CLAUDE’S LETTER TO DICK.

“We have at various times had stories told us of the treatment

the blacks are subjected to in the bush, and it behoves the
Government to make strict inquiry into the whole question. By
the way, where is the Protector of Aborigines, and what has he
got to say in the matter?

“Oh it’s only a nigger, you know;

It’s only a nigger, you know;
A nigger to wallop, a nigger to slave,
To treat with a word and a blow.
“It’s only a nigger, you know;
A nigger, whose feelings are slow;
A nigger to chain up, a nigger to treat
To a kick, and a curse, and a blow.
“It’s only a nigger, you know;
It’s only a nigger, you know;
But he’s also a brother, a man like the rest,
Though his skin may be black as a crow.”
“Bacca.”

From the “Lantern,” South Australia, 1889.

“Mount Silver,
“August 8th, 1889.

“Mr. Richard Shaw, Te Renga-renga, Drury, New Zealand.

AR DICK,—In my letter to the ‘Mater’ I have set forth all those of my
experiences, up to date, that I consider of most interest to the gentle
female mind, and have omitted certain others of a more painful
character. For you, old man, I preserve the honour of participating in
the ‘noble indignation’ which at present suffuses the soul of ‘yours
regardfully,’—the outcome of my present surroundings of many most
 un-English institutions. For my pericardiac
region is sickened and disgusted with certain
‘goings on’ in this fair colony of the British
Crown, and I would fain burst into poetry—after
the Whittier style—only that I am well aware
that my knowledge of the properties of the
hexameter is considerably less than my
acquaintance with those of the lactometer.
“But ere I launch into these matters, I will
roughly sketch out my doings since I posted my
last letter, which I wrote at the pretty, sand-
surrounded, and ‘quite too awfully’ tropical little
port of Cairns.
“Australian hospitality is proverbial, but I have to withdraw myself
as much as possible from the ‘here’s-a-hand-me-trusty-fren’ kind of
thing, as I find it means participating in an unlimited number of ‘nips’
of ‘stringy bark,’—a curious combination of fusil oil and turpentine,
labelled ‘whisky,’ or of a decoction of new and exceedingly virulent
rum, much patronised by the inhabitants of these sugar-cane districts.
However, whilst arranging the necessary preliminaries for my journey
at this little inland township, I have made several acquaintances. One,
a Mr. Feder,—the manager of a German-Lutheran mission station
about fifty miles from here,—who, it appears, knew my Uncle Dyesart
some few years back, and may prove useful to me in my search after
Billy. I have also come across an Inspector of Police, by name John
Bigger, who, although I have certainly not returned his advances with
much warmth, for I think him a silly old swiper, is everlastingly
thrusting his companionship, upon me; and, although he is apparently
doing his best to make my stay here agreeable, one can have too
much of a good thing, especially when the said good thing suffers
rather from ‘furor loquendi,’ in other words, is a confounded old bore.
“This inspector introduced himself to me as a friend of one
Inspector Puttis, whom he says was a friend of uncle’s. This Puttis
sends word that Billy has disappeared from Murdaro station; but as I
never mentioned the fact that I wanted to find Billy to any one here
till after I received this message, I am rather at a loss to understand it
altogether.
“Now my other acquaintance here—the missionary cuss I
mentioned—curiously re-echoes the last words in uncle’s letter,
namely, to distrust the police. And in faith I believe they’re a bad lot
entirely, although I suppose there are some exceptions.
“It is partly in consequence of this that I have not accepted an
invitation to go shooting with the inspector to-day, and am writing to
you instead.
“My old miner friend got bitten by a large poisonous black spider at
Cairns, and is hors de combat. So I have been obliged to leave him
behind for a time with Don, who is turning out a grand little fellow.
These two will follow me to Mount Silver next week, when I shall start
for Murdaro station immediately. I am not wasting my time in the
interim, although I itch to start, but am making myself acquainted
with the ways of station-life and mining matters in this wild part of
the world. If Billy arrives at the mission station, as Mr. Feder thinks he
probably will, I shall be communicated with at once. But ‘how do I
manage without my little henchman Don?’ you’ll be after asking. Well,
that brings me to the main subject matter of this epistle. I have a
second ‘boy Friday’ now; and what is more, he’s black as a crow, and,
moreover, I bought him. Yes, in the year of our Lord, 1889, in the
civilized street of a town in an English colony, I followed the custom of
the place, and purchased the little black specimen of humanity that is
now amusing a party of his aboriginal friends, over there by the town
well, by imitating with a piece of stick the way I brush my teeth of a
morning, which operation I noticed has amazed him muchly, and is
probably indulged in by few of the whites about here.
“I travelled alone as far as this place, being anxious to get on here;
and my obliging host—who talks broad Scotch, although he is by two
generations a colonist—advised me to get a ‘boy,’ as all black
servants, regardless of age, are called here, to look after my two
horses. Well, to cut the story short, I paid £2 for little Joe to a carrier
whom ‘mine host’ informed of my wants. Joe is a great help, and
according to the unwritten law of the place,—which appears to be