354 ALL ABOARD FOR SUNRISE LANDS.

“Go to see the bore —bore—”

“‘ Aborigines,” said the elder brother.

“No, no; we must be going home. It is past Christmas now,”
replied Uncle Nat.

Yes, Christmas was over.

“ A year ago,” said Uncle Nat to the ae “T was in old England,
and we had snow enough for a good time snow-ballmg. I saw love-
making and snow-balling going on at the same time in a park. But
Christmas here! Has any one an iceberg they can rent to me for
a cool retreat?”

All the world over, whether the Christmas-star shines on fields
of green grass or fields of white snow; on waters that run warm
and sparkling to the sea, or rivers held fast in frosty chains, it is still
Christmas, —the blessed birthday of the Saviour. The Antelope Guild
passed a happy festival in Mclbourne, and soon after the Antelope
began a race over the waves to Hong Kong. Life on board ship
was all the more agreeable for the late interruption, and.it was pleas-
ant for Ralph and Rick to see once more each day the doctor, Misses
Wayland and Percy, Jack Bobstay and Siah. The Antelope Guild, too,
resumed its meetings, and at the first one the doctor was the lecturer.

“We only have a shght idea of Australia, by seeing it as it is
on the sea-board., What was farther back, embraced within its vast
coast-lines, was a mystery. and to some extent is a mystery still, but
daring explorers have been tempted into searching the interior, and
something has been ascertained about it Some explorers were success-
ful, and others failed. Pitiful cases of ill-suceess were those of
Leichhardt, who has not been heard from, and of Wills and Burke,
dvicg of starvation in the wilderness. Stuart succeeded in traversing
the country, and in his footsteps stretches the long telegraph wire,
binding also together the north and south coast of Australia, and