From Squire to Squatter: A Tale of the Old Land and the New
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and neatness. A huge dresser stands against thewall just under the window. The legs of it are a bit rough to be sure,but nobody here is likely to be hypercritical; and when the dinner-hourarrives, instead of the vegetables, meat, and odds-and-ends that nowstand thereon, plates, and even knives and forks, will be neatly placedin a row, and Sarah herself, her cooking apron replaced by a neater andnattier one, will take the head of the table, one of the boys will say ashy kind of grace, and the meal will go merrily on.
On a shelf, slightly raised above the floor, stand rows of cleansaucepans, stewpans, and a big, family-looking business of a frying-pan;and on the wall hang bright, shining dish-covers, and a couple of racksand shelves laden with delf.
A good fire of logs burns on the low hearth, and there, among ashespulled on one side for the purpose, a genuine "damper" is baking, whilefrom a movable "sway" depends a chain and crook, on which latter hangs apot. This contains corned beef--very well, call it _salt_ if youplease. Anyhow, when Sarah lifts the lid to stick a fork into theboiling mess an odour escapes and pervades the kitchen quite appetisingenough to make the teeth of a Bushman water, if he had done anythinglike a morning's work. There is another pot close by the fire, and inthis sweet potatoes are boiling.
It is a warm spring day, and the big window is open to admit the air,else poor Sarah would be feeling rather uncomfortable.
What is "damper"? It is simply a huge, thick cake or loaf, made fromextremely well-kneaded dough, and baked in the hot ashes of the hearth.Like making good oat cakes, before a person can manufacture a "damper"properly, he must be in a measure to the manner born. There is a dealin the mixing of the dough, and much in the method of firing, and, afterall, some people do not care for the article at all, most useful andhandy and even edible though it be. But I daresay there are individualsto be found in the world who would turn up their noses at good oat cake.Ah, well, it is really surprising what the air of the Australian Bushdoes in the way of increasing one's appetite and destroyingfastidiousness.
But it is near the dinner-hour, and right nimbly Sarah serves it up; andshe has just time to lave her face and hands, and change her apron, whenin comes Bob, followed by Archie and Harry. Before he sits down Bobcatches hold of Sarah by both hands, and looks admiringly into her face,and ends by giving her rosy cheek a kiss, which resounds through thekitchen rafters like the sound of a cattle-man's whip.
"I declare, Sarah lass," he says heartily, "you are getting prettier andprettier every day. Now at this very moment your lips and cheeks are asred as peonies, and your eyes sparkle as brightly as a young kangaroo's;and if any man a stone heavier than myself will make bold to say that Idid wrong to marry you on a week's courtship, I'll kick him over theriver and across the creek. `For what we are about to receive, the Lordmake us truly thankful. Amen.' Sit in, boys, and fire away. This beefis delightful. I like to see the red juice following the knife; and thesweet potatoes taste well, if they don't look pretty. What, Sarah, toomuch done? Not a bit o' them."
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The creek that Bob talked about kicking somebody across was a kind ofstrath or glen not very far from the steading, and lying below it, greenand luxuriant at present. It wound away up and down the country formiles, and in the centre of it was a stream or river or burn, wellclothed on its banks with bush, and opening out here and there intolittle lakes or pools. This stream was--so old Bushmen said--neverknown to run dry.
In the winter time it would at times well merit the name of river,especially when after a storm a "spate" came down, with a bore perhapsfeet high, carrying along in its dreadful rush tree trunks, rocks,pieces of bank--everything, in fact, that came in its way, or attemptedto withstand its giant power. "Spates," however, our heroes hoped wouldcome but seldom; for it is sad to see the ruin they make, and to noticeafterwards the carcases of sheep and cattle, and even horses, thatbestrew the haughs, or banks, and give food to prowling dingoes andbirds of the air, especially the ubiquitous crow.
The ordinary state of the water, however, is best described by the wordstream or rivulet, while in droughty summers it might dwindle down to amere burn meandering from pool to pool.
The country all around was plain and forest and rolling hills. It wassplendidly situated for grazing of a mixed kind. But our three friendswere not to be content with this, and told off the best part of it forfuture agricultural purposes. Even this was to be but a nucleus, and atthis moment much of the land then untilled is yielding abundance ofgrain.
Not until the place was well prepared for them were cattle bought andbrought home. Sheep were not to be thought of for a year or two.
With the cattle, when they began to arrive, Winslow, who was soon to paythe new settlement a visit, sent up a few really good stockmen. And nowArchie was to see something of Bush-life in reality.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
RUNAWAY STOCK--BIVOUAC IN THE BUSH-NIGHT SCENE.
Australian cattle have one characteristic in common with some breeds ofpigeons, notably with those we call "homers." They have extremely goodmemories as to localities, and a habit of "making back," as it istermed, to the pastures from which they have been driven. This comes tobe very awkward at times, especially if a whole herd decamps or takes "amoonlight flitting."
It would be mere digression to pause to enquire what God-given instinctit is, that enables half-wild cattle to find their way back to their oldhomes in as straight a line as possible, even when they have been drivento a new station by circuitous routes. Many other animals have thissame homing power; dogs for example, and, to a greater extent, cats.Swallows and sea-birds, such as the Arctic gull, and the albatross,possess it in a very high degree; but it is still more wonderfullydisplayed in fur seals that, although dispersed to regions thousands andthousands of miles away during winter, invariably and unerringly findtheir road back to a tiny group of wave and wind-swept islands, four innumber, called the Prybilov group, in the midst of the fog-shrouded seaof Behring. The whole question wants a deal of thinking out, and lifeis far too short to do it in.
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One morning, shortly after the arrival of the first great herd of stock,word was brought to head-quarters that the cattle had escaped bystampede, and were doubtless on their way to the distant station whencethey had been bought.
It was no time to ask the question, Who was in fault? Early action wasnecessary, and was provided for without a moment's hesitation.
I rather think that Archie was glad to have an opportunity of doing abit of rough riding, and showing off his skill in horse management. Heowned what Bob termed a clipper. Not a very handsome horse to look at,perhaps, but fleet enough and strong enough for anything. Assure-footed as a mule was this steed, and as regards wisdom, a perfectequine Solomon.
At a suggestion of Bob's he had been named Tell, in memory of the Tellof other days. Tell had been ridden by Archie for many weeks, so thatmaster and horse knew each other well. Indeed Archie had received alesson or two from the animal that he was not likely to forget; for oneday he had so far forgotten himself as to dig the rowel into Tell'ssides, when there was really no occasion to do anything of the sort.This was more than the horse could stand, and, though he was not anout-and-out buck-jumper, nevertheless, a moment after the stirrupperformance, Archie found himself making a voyage of discovery, towardsthe moon apparently. He descended as quickly almost as he had gone up,and took the ground on his shoulder and cheek, which latter was wellskinned. Tell had stood quietly by looking at him, and as Archie pattedhim kindly, he forgave him on the spot, and permitted a remount.
Archie and Bob hardly permitted themselves to swallow breakfast, soanxious were they to join the stockmen and be off.
As there was no saying when they might return, they did not gounprovided for a night or two out. In front of their saddles werestrapped their opossum rugs, and they carried also a tin billy each, andprovisions
, in the shape of tea, damper, and cooked corned beef; nothingelse, save a change of socks and their arms.
Bob bade his wife a hurried adieu, Archie waved his hand, and nextminute they were over the paddocks and through the clearings and thewoods, in which the trees had been ring-barked, to permit the grass togrow. And such tall grass Archie had never before seen as that whichgrew in some parts of the open.
"Is it going to be a long job, think you, Bob?"
"I hardly know, Archie. But Craig is here."
"Oh, yes, Gentleman Craig, as Mr Winslow insists on calling him! Youhave seen him."
"Yes; I met him at Brisbane. And a handsome chap he is. Looks like aprince."
"Isn't it strange he doesn't rise from the ranks, as one might say; thathe doesn't get on?"
"I'll tell you what keeps him back," said