His Wife, A Pale Sickly Little Woman, Seemed Pleased To
See Us, For She Had Been Much Alarmed By The Natives, Who Were Rather
Numerous About The Neighbourhood.
There was only a young lad, and an
old shepherd and his wife upon the station, besides herself.
Before I
had been there six weeks she died, and her new-born little baby died
too; there was not a doctor for miles, and the shepherd's wife was
worse than useless. I believe this often happens in the bush - it's not a
place for woman-folks.
"I was here eighteen months - it was a wild sort of life, and just suited
my fancy; but when I found I had some money to receive, I thought a
spree in town would be a nice change, so off I marched. My spree lasted
as long as my money, and then I went as barman to a
public-house at Clare, some way up the country - here I got better wages
and better board, and stopped about half-a-year. Then I turned brewer's
drayman, and delivered casks of good Australian ale about Adelaide for
30s. a week. The brewer failed, and I joined in a speculation with an
apple dealer to cart a lot up to the Kapunda copper mines. That paid
well. I stopped up there as overseer over four-and-twenty
bullock-drays. Well, winter came, and I had little to do, though I drew
my 30s. a week regularly enough, when the directors wanted a contract
for putting the small copper-dust into bags, and sewing them up.
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