The homestead sped across the enclosure to slam doors
and windows in their faces, thus saving our belongings from their
whirling, dusty ravages; and when nimbler feet were absent it was no
uncommon sight to see Cheon, perspiring and dishevelled, speeding towards
the house like a huge humming-top, with speeding Willy-Willys speeding
after him, each bent on reaching the goal before the other. Oftentimes
Cheon outraced the Willy-Willys, and a very chuckling, triumphant Cheon
slammed-to doors and windows, but at other times, the Willy-Willys
outraced Cheon, and, having soundly buffeted him with dust and debris,
sped on triumphant in their turn, and then a very wrathful, spluttering,
dusty Cheon sped after them. Also after a buffeting Cheon w as generally
persuaded an evil spirit dwelt within certain Willy-Willys.
But there is even a limit to keeping things humming during a Territory
November; and things coming to a climax in a succession of dry
thunderstorms, two cows died in the yards from exhaustion, and Dan was
obliged to "chuck it."
"Not too bad, though," he said, reviewing the years work, after fixing up
a sleeping camp for the Wet.
The camp consisted of a tent-fly, extended verandah-like behind the
Quarters, open on three sides to the air and furnished completely with a
movable four-legged wooden bunk: and surveying it with satisfaction, as
the Willy-Willys danced about it, Dan reckoned it looked pretty
comfortable. "No fear of catching cold, anyway," he said, and meant it,
having got down to the root of hygiene; for among Dan's pet theories was
the theory that "houses are fine things to catch cold in," backing up the
theory by adding: "Never slept in one yet without getting a cold."
The camp fixed up, Dan found himself among the unemployed, and, finding
the Maluka had returned to station books and the building of that garden
fence, and that Jack had begun anew his horse-breaking with a small mob
of colts, he envied them their occupation.
"Doing nothing's the hardest job I ever struck," he growled, shifting
impatiently from shade to shade, and dratting the flies and dust; and
even sank so low as to envy the missus her house.
"Gives her something to do cleaning up after Willy-Willys," he growled
further, and in desperation took to outracing Willy-Willys - "so the
missus 'ull have a bit of time for pitching," and was drawn into the
wood-heap gossip, until Jack provided a little incidental entertainment
in the handling of a "kicker."
But Jack and the missus had found occupation of greater interest than
horse-breaking, gossiping, or spring cleaning - an occupation that was
also affording Dan a certain amount of entertainment, for Jack was
"wrestling with book-learning," which Dan gave us to understand was a
very different thing from "education."
"Still it takes a bit of time to get the whole mob properly broken in,"
he said, giving Jack a preliminary caution. Then, the first lesson over,
he became interested in the methods of handling the mob.
"That's the trick, is it? You just put the yearlings through the yard,
and then tackle the two-year-olds." he commented, finding that after a
run through the Alphabet we had settled down to the first pages of
Bett-Bett's discarded Primer.
Jack, having "roped all the two-year-olds" in that first lesson, spent
all evening handling them, and the Quarters looked on as he tested their
tempers, for although most proved willing, yet a few were tricky or
obstinate. All evening he sat, poring over the tiny Primer, amid a
buzzing swarm of mosquitoes, with the doggedness all gone from his face,
and in its place the light of a fair fight, and, to no one's surprise, in
the morning we heard that "all the two-year-olds came at his call."
Another lesson at the midday spell roped most of the three-year-olds, and
another evening brought them under the Quiet Stockman's will, and then in
a few more days the four-year-olds and upwards had been dealt with, and
the Primer was exhausted.
"Got through with the first draught, anyway," Dan commented, and, no
Second Book being at our service we settled down to Kipling's "Just-So
Stories." Then the billabong "petering out" altogether, and the soakage
threatening to follow suit, its yield was kept strictly for personal
needs, and Dan and the Maluka gave their attention to the elements.
"Something's got to happen soon," they declared, as we gasped in the
stifling calm that had now settled down upon the Territory; for
gradually the skirmishings had ceased, and the two great giants of the
Territory element met in the centre of the arena for their last desperate
struggle. Knee to knee they were standing, marvellously well matched
this year, each striving his utmost, and yet neither giving nor taking an
inch; and as they strove their satellites watched breathlessly.
Even the Willy-Willys had lain down to watch the silent struggle, and
Dan, finding himself left entirely without occupation, "feared he would
be taking to booklearning soon if something didn't happen!" "Never knew
the showers so late," he growled; and the homestead was inclined to agree
that it was the "dead-finish"; but remembering that even then our Fizzer
was battling through that last stage of the Dry, we were silent, and Dan
remembering also, devoted himself to the "missus," she being also a
person of leisure now the Willy-Willys were at rest.
For hours we pitched near the restful green of the melon-beds, and as we
pitched the Maluka ran fencing wires through two sides of the garden
fence, while Tiddle'ums and Bett-Bett, hovering about him, adapted
themselves to the new order of things, finding the line the goats had to
stop at no longer imaginary.
