BOURKE-STREET BY NIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 124, 3 June 1885, Page 4

BOURKE-STREET BY NIGHT.

AMONG THE BOYS.

The Secret Out.

[BT TBE TRAMP.]

Standino with one's back to that huge, unsightly mass of bricks, mortar, and woodwork which in years to come may, when it issues Irom its present embryo state, adorn the head of Bourke-street, and looking down, as it were, into the valley below, formed by the intersection of Elizabethstreet, some slight idea may be gained of the vast population, resources, and business of this London of the South. It is Saturday night. A clear, calm, balmy night, heralded in by one of Australia's magnificent sunsets ,-a night on which this little world of ours is all abroad with "its sisters, its cousins, and its aunts." All is life, movement, and brightness. Far us the eye can see, the broad pavements are covered with a living stream, that flows gradually on, overlapping its orthodox channels as it steadily increases in volume, until it becemes one vast sea of human faces, swaying hither and thither like the undulating waves of tho mighty ocean. Omnibuses—and they are legionpass and repass, heavily freighted, while in "the distance the varied hues of the manycoloured lamps, interspersed here and there with the most brilliant and silvery scintillations of the electric lights, lend to the scene an additional enchantment, as difficult to depict in words as in imagination to portray. Veni, vidi, scribendi. In close proximity, and evidently keenly watching the great human panorama with interest and enjoyment, stand a little group under the rerandah of a well-known hotol. They are our English cricketing friends, men who have travelled through all the principal cities in the colonies, and one of them expresses tbe opinion that he has scon "naught the like." One and all appear in good health and spirits, even to " the infant," whose sudden transition from the back of abuckjumper to mother earth recently caused his friends to opine that his hasty dissolution of partnership with tho leather had been for good. A gentlemanly, genial, frank, outspoken team are these Englishmen, with a courteous captain, and a genuine "lily white " man as manager. As old friends we come again together. Matches won, lost, drawn, and in perspective, form the theme of conversation, and rightmerrilyaremany amusing Incidents of the tour recounted. Not but what they tbey sufferedjome hard knocks in their campaign as "Knights of the Willow*," the wicket-keeper of the team more especially, as ovidenced by a damaged finger and thumb. "Never mind," said the namesake of our England's greatest statesman, "we have a capital reinody for those kinds of acheß and pains, as our follows have found out. I will say that much for St. Jacob." Leaving our visitors, I mingle in tho crowd which still moves in an endless procession up and down what has been facetiously termed the half-crown side of Bourke-street. Of every class, age, height, and appearance, truly a thoroughly representative throng, in which tho gentler ccx—bar a Bprinkling of viragos—appear to predominate.. The steady, hard-working artisan, arm in arm with tbe partner of his joys and sorrows ; tho blushing maiden and her escort; the over-dressed, ogling, profligate, would-be mashor; and the loud-mouthed,bra_ed-faced lurrikin—one and all are hero brought for tho nonco into close though not desirable proximity. The shops are all aglow, the windows tastefully and in many cases artistically dressed, and business for the hour reigns triumphant. Meditating on the progress Melbourne has mado in the past few years, and still making headway as a unit in tho densely-packed crowd, my carcor was suddenly checked by a hearty shako and a "Hullo! is that you, old fellow." Jarvis, by all that's wicket I Everyone knows Jarvis, or ought to know tho celebrated South Australian cricketer. He is all there. _We adjourn and fraternise. "I caught it in that last match," he Bays, as he discloses to viow a bruiso of Mahdi-faco colour the size of a boarding-house pancake. "It was a rogulor stinger at tho timo." Expressing an opinion that it must bo very painful, I was mot with tho roply, "Not a bit of it; I always use St. Jacob's Oil whenever l i!_t n nasty knock, and that relievos mo instantly. In fact, I may say that I have groat faith in it, as it is a splendid thing in tho cricket field." Conversing on things in goneral.woagain rosumo surporegrinations Grossing Swanston-strcet our attention i. drawn to an enormous crowd, who, to all appearance, are intent on ono object ,as thoy sway and surge in the vain attempt to gel closor to ono of tho windows of somo busi-n(-s establishment. What is the excitoinont ? Is it n fight, or has someone fallen down in a lit? "Nothing of the kind,' says my companion, "you must havo heard of Boyle and Scott; this is their place, n reuular athletes' houso you'll find. They post all telegrams and reports of various matches; that accounts for the crowd. Come along, I'll introduce you.'.' By dint of perseverance, power and pressure, wo ultimately arrive at the desired haven, whoro tho wickets cease from troubling, and the batsmen aro at re-t Busy and all as were tho two partners, exoculing a large order for an adjacent colony thoy found timo after introduction t) do tho honours of tho establishment Every requisite nocoEßary for cricket, foot ball, tennis, la crosro, boxing, fencing, nnd a host of other athletic, manly games and oxercisos v ere to be found here ; in fact, ii was a right-of-way out tho most varied and completo stock I havo ever scon in th* colonies. You can go in, pay your mone*. and tako your choice, nnd come out in a few minutes completely equipped from crown io role either a- a crioketer, footbal'er -or any other man As an iiis.tmco of tho reputation of tho firm, I may mention tho' among other ordors I hoy were con • Dieting was one for the Klover Land—laying tho foundation, as it wen of a future Heathen Chineo Eleven. A* cending to the upper Hoor of their extensiw premises, I was shown an enormous am mapnifieent stock of bats, mado to tho o _dei of Mr Boyle by the boet makers in tin mother country. The great Canadian game la orosse, is now making rapid strides ii Australia, and to koop pace with tho demand, Messrs Boylo and Scott havo had made to their order, and selected by ono ol the best judges in Montroal.a grand eollec tion of la crosse sticks, which nro woi' worthy of inspection. Leaving the businei-. portion of the establishment, we entered » nicely-furnished billiard room, which i provided for those patrons of the proprietoi . who at evo prefer tho. green baize to tit emerald sward. The comnany, thouu' large, was seleot, comprising ne'ab oricketers and footballers. Even tho co; - venation was highly savory of the crickt i field, "Three out for a hundred," said >, redoubtable batsman, whose name is very suggestive of a cool season, as he laid down the evening paper. "What match was that?" was asked by an unsuspecting listener. "Why at Tamai, British versus Arabs!" was the rejoinder,and then his interrogator understood cricketing phraseology. Bpeaking to Mr Alexander, tho genial manager of the Australian Eleven, on his experiences of the recent tour, I casually mentioned the hard knocks and bruisos some of his team must have sustained. In so doing I struck oil with a vengeance. "For twenty years," said Mr Boylo, "I have played cricket and have received many a nasty blow, but pf lato years I can take them like my breakfast, as I have found +hat by the use of St. Jacob's Oil lam f i-ee from any pain or trouble. It's capital staff, and I never go into the field without a bottlo in case of accident." "In that respect," said Mr Alexander, "lean endorse your opinion, as while tho Australian Eleven where in England thoy used it repeatedly for bruises, and found it of the greatest service." At this stage aMr Lawler, of the Essendon Football Club, ontc-red the.room. and hearing tho subject matter of oonv rsitlon, chimed in with, " What, St Jacob's Oil? that s tho thing for bruises. 1 got some nasty blows in football matches and it gave mo instant relief. You a=k Crawford, of tho Carlton Football Club.if you have any doubts on its merits." After such testimony in its favour, of cour.e I could express no doubt on the subject; but, to clinch the matter in that respect, Mr Scott added, "I have used it for years, and can afford to laugh at knocks and bruises, and I may say that I have strongly recommended it to all my friends engaged in athletic sports." As time was ■jomg on apace, and business called away the two partners, we again turned into Bourke-street, which was still thronged, although the hour was somewhat late Bidding my South Australian companion Adieu, I wended my way homewards fully impressed with the soenes of activity business, and life I had seen on every hand! and thoroughly satisfied that St. Jacob's Oil ranks preeminently to the fore as the athletes friend generally, and the cricketer m 4 19 otballer'B J D particular,