More Than One
House Now Stands On The Margin Of This Lagoon, But Their Inhabitants Are
Still Afraid To Bathe In The Broad Sheet Of Water Spread So Invitingly
Before Them.
Having secured our game, we returned to the boat, and after plucking and
splitting open the birds, some were roasted over the fire for immediate
use, but by far the greater number were boiled in a pot, which was portion
of the boat's furniture when on an expedition.
One of the troopers had
with a tomahawk stripped off a sheet of bark, and on this was manufactured
a gigantic damper. For the information of such of my readers as may be
unacquainted with Australia, I must explain that damper is unleavened
bread, well kneaded and baked in the ashes. But simple though such a rough
form of loaf may seem from the above description, it is in reality a very
difficult thing to turn out a thoroughly good damper, and only practice
will enable the new-comer to obtain the sleight of hand necessary for the
production of a first-rate specimen. In form a damper resembles a flat
cheese of two or three inches thick, and from one to two feet in diameter.
Great care and much practice are requisite to form this shape so that no
cracks shall appear, and when this is done the work is by no means over,
for the exact heat of the fire must be judged by the cook, otherwise he
will either burn up his dough, or it will come out a crude, sodden,
uneatable mass. A good wood fire that has been burning several days, and
has gained a quantity of ashes, is the best; but wood is plentiful enough
in the bush, and if you only know the right kind to use, you find no
difficulty in soon providing yourself with a glorious heap of glowing
embers. Scraping away a hole in the centre of the fire a little larger
than the disc, you gently drop it in with your hands, strew it over with
enough powdery white ash to prevent the embers coming into actual contact
with the dough, and then cover the whole with the glowing coals. Only
practice can enable the bushman to judge the exact depth of this layer,
which, of course, differs in every case, according to the size of the
damper. It is left in this fiery bed until small cracks appear on the
covering caused by the steam forcing its way out. This is a sign that it
is nearly done, confirmation of which is sought by introducing a
knife-blade through the ashes, and sounding the crust. If this gives back
a hard sound, the damper may be considered cooked, and is then withdrawn,
stood carefully 'on its edge' - never forget this - and is ready to eat
when cool.
As there was nothing very particular to do that afternoon, we watched the
troopers spearing fish, in which they were most skilful.
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