The Bushman - Life in a New Country Part 14

Pa.s.sed over some splendid country -- wish it were peopled with white humans. How pleasant to have been able to call at a cottage, and get a draught of home-brewed! On the contrary, could not find even a pond, or a pint of water, and was nearly worried to death by sand-flies.

2d. -- Some scabby sheep having got among our flock, have played the deuce with it. The scab has regularly broke out. I had rather it were the plague or Asiatic cholera, and cleared them all off (my own sheep are fortunately at York). Dressing lambs all morning -- beastly work. In the afternoon went out with the sheep, and left James to mind the hut. Sand-flies infernal.

3d, Sunday. -- Stayed in the hut all day. Smoked sheep-tobacco,* all my Turkish being finished. Felt pious, and wrote a short sermon, choosing the text at random -- Jeremiah ii. 7: "And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof." Read it at night to the shepherds. James said it was "slap-up."

[footnote] *Coa.r.s.e pig-tail, used as a decoction for dressing the diseased sheep.

4th. -- Went out kangarooing. Killed an immense fellow: when standing on his hind legs fighting with me and the dogs, he was a foot higher than myself. He ran at me, and nearly gave me a desperate dig with his claw, which tore my only good hunting-s.h.i.+rt miserably. Smashed his skull for it.

5th and 6th. -- Dressing sheep all day. Out [band of] York natives, whom we have hitherto kept with us, are all gone home again, leaving me and my three men, with only two guns, among a suspicious and treacherous tribe that cannot understand a word we say to them. Wish my brothers would come and look after their own sheep. It would do E.'s health more good than sitting in Court, hearing a set of fools jabber. Sand-flies eat us alive here, and the mosquitoes polish our bones.

7th. -- Muston and myself dressed fifty sheep to-day. John out with part of the flock.

8th. -- Heavy rain last night. Cannot go on dressing. Did nothing all day.

9th. -- Stayed in the hut doing nothing.

10th, Sunday. -- Ditto.

11th. -- Tired of doing nothing. Dressed sheep most of the day.

Muston out kangarooing; caught three.

12th. -- Cooking. Made a "sea-pie," which was generally admired.

August 1st. -- The Doctor arrived from York, driving tandem in E.'s trap. He has brought me a parcel of books just come from England.

Blessings on my dear sister for remembering me. I thought myself forgotten by all the world. Sisters (Heaven for ever bless them!) are the only people that never forget. News from home! How many thoughts come flooding upon me!

2d. -- Last night, I confess, I cried myself to sleep, like a great big baby. I am very comfortable and contented so long as I receive no letter from home; and yet I am such a fool as to wish for them; and when they come I am made miserable for a week afterwards.

Somehow, they make me feel my loneliness more. I feel deserted, forgotten by all but ONE. She says she is constantly wis.h.i.+ng for me in her rides. They seem to enjoy themselves more at home than they used to do, now that we are gone -- always picknicking, boating, or forming riding parties. "Fairy" continues the favourite -- I always thought she was a good hack. "Light-foot," whom I lamed hunting, was obliged to be sold. It seems to be a sore subject with the Governor.

I wonder how Juno has turned out; she was a splendid-looking whelp.

I wish they'd enter more into particulars when they write. It's ridiculous my asking questions, as it will be more than a year before answers can arrive. They ought to write about EVERY THING. I cannot bear to think to-day of anything but home.

3d. -- The Doctor gone back to York -- sulky about the sheep being so bad. Why does he not send us more tobacco and turpentine? Says we smoke it all. The Doctor is an ----. Promises to send K. next week with mercurial ointment; it is therefore useless to waste any more tobacco on the sheep -- the stock is low enough as it is.

4th. -- Lay all day on my couch, reading "Rose d'Albret." Wish I had her here. One wants somebody to sympathize with so desperately in the bush.

5th. -- Ditto, ditto.

6th. -- Reading Punch all morning. In the afternoon made a damper, baked it, and eat it in company with the others. "Pit a cake, pat a cake, baker's man!" etc.

16th. -- Dressing sheep all day with mercurial ointment. Wish this job was over. Dreadful work bending one's back all day, and rooting amongst the wool for the diseased places.

18th. -- Went out with the dogs, and killed two kangaroos. It rained tremendously all the time, and I wish the kangaroos at the ----.

The natives happened to be hunting in a large party, driving the game before them; and as I stood in the midst of a large plain which they had surrounded on three sides, mult.i.tudes of kangaroos -- I believe I might say thousands -- of all sizes, came rus.h.i.+ng past me. The dogs were quite bewildered, and remained at my side aghast; and it was several minutes before they recovered themselves enough to give chase. The natives took no notice of me. In the evening fifty of them came about the hut. We took care to show our guns, and I shot a green parrot, sixty yards off, just to show them what we could do.

They were quite peaceable, and danced a corrobery at night.

20th. -- I dressed twenty-five sheep this morning myself. In the afternoon William came from York with six hundred more sheep (mine among them), which were found to be scabby. More work! This is really too bad, thrusting all this cursed business upon me. He had been four days coming, and had not lost a single sheep.

21st. -- Went out kangarooing, quite disgusted. Wandered a long distance, and had to carry a large buck several miles. Could scarcely find my way back, but at length got home (!!) quite knocked up, and more and more disgusted with human nature and every thing.

22d. -- The Doctor is enjoying himself at York, and E. lives on the fat of the land at Perth, whilst I have never tasted anything but salt pork and kangaroo for many months, and have nothing to drink but tea. I have almost forgotten the taste of a potato. We have nothing here but kangaroo and pork, and unleavened bread, called damper. I wish I could exchange our bill of fare occasionally with that French fellow who complained of having "toujours perdrix." He would be the loser, I take it. I could eat even perdrix aux choux -- a villanous dish formerly -- but we have no more cabbages than partridges to thank G.o.d for. I have long been obliged to leave off saying "grace after meat;" it really became an impious mockery, and was also impolitic and uneconomical, as my stomach used to turn against it. I consulted John this morning about killing a sheep, as none of them seemed inclined to die naturally. John caught at the idea with great quickness. He really is an intelligent fellow; and both he and the other poor devils are so patient and unrepining, that the Doctor is little better than a beast not to order them some mutton occasionally. I consider it absolutely necessary for their health. We fixed upon one of E.'s sheep, as it looked the fattest; and he being the richest, and never coming himself to look at his flock, will not care about a few sheep more or less. I'd kill one of my own, but they are such a seedy lot. No one is answerable for the murder of this sheep but myself, as I hereby confess that I killed it with my own hand, and afterwards held a coroner's inquest on the body, directing a verdict of "Visitation of Providence" to be recorded in the accounts relating to the flock. We had the liver for supper. Excellent! never tasted anything half so good.

23d. -- Dined on sheep's head and trotters. (Tea to drink, toujours.)

24th. -- Saddle of mutton.

25th. -- Leg.

26th. -- Shoulder.

27th. -- Leg.

28th. -- Shoulder.

29th. -- Finished the sheep, and polished the bones.

[The rest of the Journal runs on much in the same way. This specimen will probably be enough for the reader.]

CHAPTER 22.

PELICAN SHOOTING. -- GALES. -- WRESTLING WITH DEATH.

The large estuary of the Swan affords ample scope for boating or sailing in small pleasure-yachts.

Perth water, on the northern bank of which the capital is built, extends from two to three miles in length, and about the same distance in its broadest part, its form being that of a half moon.

It is connected with Melville water by an opening of a quarter of a mile across. Melville water is some six miles long, and from three to four broad; a splendid bay, called Freshwater Bay, developes itself at the western extremity of this fine sheet of water; and the river, or estuary, here makes a turn at right angles, and pursues its course towards the sea between high precipitous rocks of marine limestone, which are from six to seven hundred yards apart.

My pleasure-boat has enabled me to pa.s.s many agreeable hours upon this estuary.

At first, especially, it was exceedingly pleasant to make expeditions for the purpose of exploring the different bays and inlets, which abounded with ducks, swans, and pelicans.

My youngest brother and myself would frequently rise at a good hour, and having supplied our little vessel with a stock of provisions, and a few bottles of ale or other drinkables, hoist the sails, and bear away upon a cruise. The warm dry air, tempered by the sea-breeze, made boating exceedingly pleasant; and as we often touched at gardens situated at the mouth of the Canning, or on the sh.o.r.es of Melville water, and procured a basket of grapes, or peaches and melons, we managed to lunch luxuriously, having first cast anchor and bathed.

Many readers must have felt the excitement experienced by young sportsmen when they have the luck to fall in with some bird or animal not previously known to them. Every one remembers the delight with which, when a boy, he shot his first wood-pigeon, or lay in ambush behind a hedge for an old crow.

When first we beheld a group of huge tall birds, standing lazily in the suns.h.i.+ne upon a sand-spit which ran far into Melville water, we could scarcely believe our eyes that these were really live pelicans; and it was not only with intense interest, but with feelings of self-reproach, that we drew nigh with hostile intentions to birds which in the days of our boyhood, when visiting Mr. Wombwell's menagerie, had filled us with awe and reverence, as creatures that were wont to evince the depth of parental devotion by feeding their young with their own blood.

Our first overt act of hostility against the pelicans was unsuccessful. The sea-breeze was blowing strong, and we had to beat out against it close-hauled; just as we made the last board, and were bearing down upon the enemy, the huge, heavy birds, awakening from the siesta "with a start," raised their heads and looked about them.

Then the foremost began to flap his long wings, and lift himself on tip-toe, whilst the others followed his example; and soon they were all heavily skimming along the surface of the water, trying to launch themselves fairly into the upward air; and having at length succeeded, they rose higher and higher in wide gyrations. The leader seemed resolved to hide himself in the distant blue of the cloudless heavens; and upward -- up, up, up -- they continued to mount, going round, and round, and round, in lessening circles -- whilst the spectator gazed in wonder at the slowly diminis.h.i.+ng specks, that were almost lost in ether; and at length, moving slowly towards the east -- the unknown, mysterious wilderness -- they altogether faded away.

We have heard of eagles soaring into the sun, but I doubt whether even they could soar much higher, or look much grander, than the n.o.ble pelican of the desert.

The sheets were eased off, the long boom of the graceful sliding-gunter (a kind of latteen) sail, stretched far over the gun-wale of the boat, which slipped along easily and rapidly through the water, the rolling waves heaving up her stern, and sending her forward with a gentle impulse. We were opening the broad mouth of the Canning, when Meliboeus pointed out two other pelicans fis.h.i.+ng in-sh.o.r.e on the lee-bow. Gently we edged away towards them; Meliboeus standing before the mast with his double-barrel ready, and motioning to me how to steer, as the main-sail hid the birds from my view.

They perceived us, and began to swim along sh.o.r.e at a rapid rate; the water was shoaling fast, and we greatly feared they would escape, but still we held on. The majestic birds rose slowly from the water, one following the other, and made towards the Canning. "I'll let fly at them" cried Meliboeus, in an intense whisper, "luff up! -- hard-a-lee!" The helm was jammed down, and the sheet hauled in; the boat luffed into the wind, and became stationary, only bobbing upon the waves, whilst her sails s.h.i.+vered and rattled in the breeze.

Meliboeus fired -- and the hindmost bird declined gradually towards the water; its long wings became fixed and motionless at their widest stretch, and slowly it sank down upon its heaving death-bed. Loud shouted the sportsman; and momentary envy filled the heart of him who steered.