She was his "right hand," he
declared; and so I interviewed Nellie and stated my objections in cold,
brutal English, only to hate myself the next moment; for poor Nellie,
with a world of longing in her eyes, professed herself more than willing
to wear "good fellow clothes" if she could get any.
"Missus got big mob," she suggested as a hint; and, although that was a
matter of opinion and comparison, in remorse I recklessly gave her my
only bath wrapper, and for weeks went to the bath in a mackintosh.
Nellie was also willing to use as much carbolic soap as the station could
afford; but as the smoking and spitting proved more difficult to cope
with, and I had discovered that I could do all the "housework" in less
time than it took to superintend it, I made Cheon a present of the entire
staff, only keeping a lien on it for the washing and scrubbing. The
lubras, however, refused to be taken off my visitor's list and Cheon
insisting on them waiting on the missus while she was attending to the
housework, no one gained or lost by the transfer.
Cheon had a scheme all his own for dealing with the servant question: the
Maluka should buy a little Chinese maiden to wait on the missus. Cheon
knew of one in Darwin, going cheap, for ten pounds, his - COUSIN's child.
"A real bargain!" he assured the Maluka, finding him lacking in
enthusiasm; "docile, sweet, and attentive," and yes, Cheon was sure of
that "devoted to the missus," and also a splendid pecuniary investment
(Cheon always had an eye on the dollars). Being only ten years of age,
for six years she could serve the missus, and would then bring at least
eighty pounds in the Chinese matrimonial market in Darwin - Chinese wives
being scarce there. If she grew up moon-faced, and thus "good-looking,"
there seemed no end to the wealth she would bring us.
It took time to convince Cheon of the abolition of slavery throughout the
Empire, and even when convinced, he was for buying the treasure and
saying nothing about it to the Governor. It was not likely he would come
in person to the Elsey, he argued, and, unless told, would know nothing
about it.
But another fat, roundabout, roly-poly of humanity was to settle the
servant question finally, within a day or two. "Larrikin" had been
visiting foreign parts at Wandin, towards the west, and returning with a
new wife, stolen from one "Jacky Big-Foot," presented her to the missus.
"Him Rosy!" he said, thus introducing his booty and without further
ceremony Rosy requested permission to "sit down" on the staff. Like Cheon
she carried her qualifications on the tip of her tongue: "Me savey scrub
'im, and sweep 'im, and wash 'im, and blue 'im, and starch 'im," she said
glibly, with a flash of white teeth against a babyish pink tongue. She
was wearing a freshly washed bright blue dress, hanging loosely from her
shoulders, and looked so prettily jolly, clean, capable, and
curly-headed, that I immediately made her housemaid and Head of the
Staff.
"Great Scott!" the Maluka groaned, "that makes four of them at it!" But
Rosy had appealed to me and I pointed out that it was a chance not to be
missed and that she was worth the other three all put together. "Life
will be a perennial picnic," I said, "with Rosy and Cheon at the head of
affairs "; and for once I prophesied correctly.
Rosy, having been brought up among white folk, proved an adept little
housemaid and Cheon looked with extreme favour upon her, and held her up
as a bright and shining example to Jimmy's Nellie. But the person Cheon
most approved of at the homestead was Johnny; for not only had Johnny
helped him in many of his wild efforts at carpentry, but was he not
working in the good cause?
"What's 'er matter, missus only got one room?" Cheon had said, angry
with circumstances, and daily and hourly he urged Johnny to work quicker.
"What's the matter indeed!" Johnny echoed, mimicking his furious
gutturals, and sawing, planing, and hammering, with untiring energy,
pointed out that he was doing his best to give her more.
Finding the progress slow with only one man at work, Cheon suggested the
Maluka might lend a hand in his spare time (station books being
considered recreation); and when Dan came in with a mob of cattle from
the Reach country, he hinted that cattle could wait, and that Dan could
employ his time better.
But Dan also was out of patience with circumstances, and growled out that
"they'd waited quite long enough as it was," for the work of the station
was at a deadlock for want of stores. They had been sadly taxed by the
needs of travellers, and we were down to our last half-bag of flour and
sugar, and a terrifyingly small quantity of tea; soap, jams, fruits,
kerosene, and all such had long been things of the past. The only food
we had in quantities was meat, vegetables, and milk. Where we would have
been without Cheon no one can tell.
To crown all, we had just heard that the Dandy was delayed in a bog with
a broken shaft, but he eventually arrived in time to save the situation,
but not before we were quite out of tea. He had little to complain of in
the way of welcome when his great piled-up waggon lumbered into the
homestead avenue and drew up in front of the store.
The horse teams were close behind, the Dandy said, but Mac was "having a
gay time" in the sandy country, and sent in a message to remind the
missus that she was still in the Land of Wait-awhile.
