Fourth day were entering into an argument by wire with Chinese
slimness. "The monotony would kill me," declared the townsfolk.
On the road in we had met the Village Settlement homeward bound - the
bonnie baby still riding on its mother's knee, and smiling out of the
depths of its sunbonnet; but every one else was longing for the bush.
Darwin had proved all unsatisfying bustle and fluster, and the trackless
sea, a wonder that inspired strange sickness when travelled over.
For four days the Maluka argued with Chinese slimness before he felt
satisfied that his cash was in safe keeping while the Wag and others did
as they wished with our spare time. Then, four days later, again Cheon
and Tiddle'ums were hailing us in welcome at the homestead.
But their joy was short-lived, for as soon as the homestead affairs had
been seen to, and a fresh swag packed, we started out-bush again to look
for Dan and his bullocks, and, coming on their tracks at our first night
camp, by following them up next morning we rode into the Dandy's camp at
the Yellow Hole well after midday, to find ourselves surrounded by the
stir and bustle of a cattle camp.
"Whatever do you do with your time?" ask the townsfolk, sure that life
out-bush is stagnation, but forgetting that life is life wherever it may
be lived.
CHAPTER XVIII
Only three weeks before, as we hunted for it through scrub and bush and
creek-bed, the Yellow Hole had been one of our Unknown Waters, tucked
snugly away in an out-of-the-way elbow of creek country, and now we found
it transformed into the life-giving heart of a bustling world of men and
cattle and commerce. Beside it stood the simple camp of the stockman - a
litter of pack-bags, mosquito-nets, and swags; here and there were
scattered the even more simple camps of the black boys; and in the
background, the cumbrous camp of the Chinese drovers reared itself up in
strong contrast to the camps of the bushfolk - two fully equipped tents
for the drovers themselves and a simpler one for their black boys. West
of the Yellow Hole boys were tailing a fine mob of bullocks, and to the
east other "boys" were "holding" a rumbling mob of mixed cattle, and
while Jack and Dan rode here and there shouting orders for the "cutting
out" of the cattle, the Dandy busied himself at the fire, making tea as a
refresher, before getting going in earnest, the only restful, placid,
unoccupied beings in the whole camp being the Chinese drovers. Not made
of the stuff that "lends a hand" in other people's affairs, they sat in
the shade of their tents and looked on, well pleased that men should
bustle for their advantage.
