Dan?"
although just as ready to saunter on if that invitation was not
forthcoming - a happy little arrangement born of that tact and delicacy of
the bush-folk that never intrudes on another man's privacy.
Dan being just Dan rarely had need to saunter on; and as he sewed down on
the grass in acceptance of this usual form of invitation, he wagged his
head wisely, declaring "she had got on so well with her education that it
'ud be a pity not to finish her off properly." Then dropping his
bantering tone, he reported a scatter-on among the river cattle.
"I wasn't going to say anything about it before the "boys," he said, "but
it's time some one gave a surprise party down the river;" and a
"scatter-on" meaning "niggers in," Maluka readily agreed to a surprise
patrol of the river country, that being forbidden ground for blacks'
camps.
"It's no good going unless it's going to be a surprise party," Dan
reiterated; and when the Quiet Stockman was called across from the
Quarters, he was told that "there wasn't going to be no talking before
the boys."
Further consultations being necessary, Dan feared arousing suspicion, and
to ensure his surprise party, and to guard against any word of the coming
patrol being sent out-bush by the station "boys," he indulged in a little
dust-throwing, and there was much talking in public about going "out to
the north-west for the boss to have another look round there," and much
laying of deep plans in private.
Finally, it was decided that the Quiet Stockman and his "boys" were to
patrol the country north from the river while we were to keep to the
south banks and follow the river down to the boundaries in all its
windings, each party appointed to camp at the Red Lily lagoons second
night out, each, of course, on its own side of the river. It being
necessary for Jack to cross the river beyond the Springs, he left the
homestead half a day before us - public gossip reporting that he was
"going beyond the Waterhouse horse mustering," and Dan finding
dust-throwing highly diverting, shouted after him that he "might as well
bring some fresh relays to the Yellow Hole in a day or two," and then
giving his attention to the packing of swags and pack-bags, "reckoned
things were just about fixed up for a surprise party."
CHAPTER XX
At our appointed time we left the homestead, taking the north-west track
for over a mile to continue the dust-throwing; and for the whole length
of that mile Dan reiterated the "advantages of surprise parties," and his
opinion that "things were just about properly fixed up for one"; and when
we left the track abruptly and set off across country at right angles to
it, Sambo's quick questioning, suspicious glance made it very evident
that he, for one, had gleaned no inkling of the patrol, which naturally
filled Dan with delight.
