Often wondered what happened to her!"
"A year to-day, gentlemen," I added a few days later, "since you flung
that woman across the Fergusson"; and as Mac enjoyed the reminiscence,
the Maluka said: "And forgot to fling the false veneer of civilisation
after her."
A few days later again we were greeting Tam at the homestead. "Just a
year ago, Tam," we said, "you were..." but Tam's horse was young and
untutored, and, getting out of hand, carried Tam away beyond the
buildings. "A Tam-o'-Shanter fleeing," the Maluka once more murmured.
Then Dan filled in the days, until one evening just at sundown, when we
said:
"A year this sundown, Dan, since we first sampled one of your dampers,"
and, chuckling, Dan reviewed the details of that camp, and slipped thence
into reviewing education. "Somebody's learned a thing or two since
then," he chuckled: "don't notice people catching cows and milking 'em
round these parts quite so often."
In the morning came the Quiet Stockman's turn. "There's a little brown
filly in the mob I'm just beginning on, cut out for the missus," he said,
coming to the house on his way to the stockyard, and we went with him to
see the bonnie creature.
"She's the sort that'll learn anything," Jack said, his voice full of
admiration.
