"Knockup camp," Dan
christened it in his pleasant way, and Sambo became unexpectedly curious.
"Missus knock up?" he asked, and the Maluka nodding, Sambo's question was
forgotten until the next mid-day.
By then we had passed the Red Lily lagoons, and ridden across the
salt-bush plain, and through a deep belt of tall, newly sprung green
grass, that hugged the river there just then, and having been greeted by
smug, smiling old black fellows, were saluting Jack across two or three
hundred feet of water, as we stood among our horses.
"Slewed!" Jack called in answer, through hollowed hands. "Didn't worry.
Heard - the - missus - had - knocked - up," and Dan leaned against his horse,
limp with amazement.
"Heard the missus had knocked up?" he gasped. "Well, I'm blowed! Talk of
surprise parties!" and the old black fellows looked on enjoying the
effect.
"Black fellow plenty savey," they said loftily, and Dan was almost
persuaded to a belief in debbel-debbels, until our return to the
homestead, when Jimmy's Nellie divulged the Court secret; then Dan
ejaculated another "Well, I'm blowed!" with the theory of second-sight
and thought-reading falling about his ears.
