For the hanging of the net.
"Rope'll never hold it," he declared; "fencing wire's the thing," so
fencing wire was used, and after a hard morning's work pulling and
straining the wire and securing it to uprights, the net was in its place,
the calico roof smooth and flat against the ceiling, and its curtains
hanging to the floor, with strong, straight saplings run through the
folded hem to weigh it down. Cheon was brimming over with admiration for
it
"My word, boss! Missus plenty savey," he said. (Cheon invariably
discussed the missus in her presence.) "Chinaman woman no more savey
likee that," and bustling away, dinner was soon served inside the net.
Myriads of flies, balked in their desire, settled down on the outside,
and while we enjoyed our dinner in peace and comfort, Cheon hovered
about, like a huge bloated buzz fly himself, chuckling around the outside
among the swarms of balked flies, or coming inside to see if "any fly sit
down inside."
"My word, boss! Hear him sing-out sing-out. Missus plenty savey," he
reiterated, and then calling a Chinese friend from the kitchen, stood
over him, until he also declared that "missus BLENTY savey," with good
emphasis on the BLENTY.
The net was up by midday, and at ten o'clock at night the slow, dull
clang of a bullock-bell crept out of the forest. Cheon was the first to
hear it. "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.
