"Bullocky come on," he called, waddling to the house and waking
us from our first sleep; and as the deep-throated bell boomed out again
the Maluka said drowsily: "The homestead's only won by a head. Mac's
at the Warlochs."
At "fowl-sing-out" we were up, and found Bertie's Nellie behind the black
boys' humpy shyly peeping round a corner. With childlike impetuosity she
had scampered along the four miles from the Warlochs, only to be overcome
with unaccountable shyness.
"Allo, missus!" was all she could find to say, and the remainder of the
interview she filled in with wriggling and giggles.
Immediately after breakfast Mac splashed through the creek at a
hand-gallop and, dashing up to the house, flung himself from his horse,
the same impetuous, warmhearted "Brither Scot."
"Patience rewarded at last," he called in welcome; and when invited to
"come ben the hoose to the diningroom," was, as usual, full of
congratulations. "My! We are some!" he said, examining every detail.
But as he also said that "the Dandy could get the trunks right off if we
liked to send him across with the dray," we naturally "liked," and Johnny
and the Dandy harnessing up, went with him, and before long the verandah
and rooms were piled with trunks.
Fortunately Dan was "bush" again among the cattle, or his heart would
have broken at this new array of links for the chain.
