Part 8 (1/2)

”I've been thinking things over, boss,” he said, a.s.suming his most philosophical manner ”and I reckon any more rooms'll only interfere with getting the missus educated.”

Later on he used the servant question to hang his argument on. ”Just proves what I was saying” he said. ”If the cleaning of one room causes all this trouble and worry, where'll she be when she's got four to look after? What with white ants, and blue mould, and mildew, and wrestling with lubras, there won't be one minute to spare for education.”

He also professed disapproval of the Maluka's devices for making the homestead more habitable. ”If this goes on we'll never learn her nothing but loafin'”, he declared when he found that a couple of yards of canvas and a few sticks had become a comfortable lounge chair. ”Too much luxury!” and he sat down on his own heels to show how he scorned luxuries. A tree sawn into short lengths to provide verandah seats for all comers he pa.s.sed over as doubtful. He was slightly rea.s.sured however, when he heard that my revolver practice had not been neglected, and condescended to own that some of the devices were ”handy enough.” A neat little tray, made from the end of a packing-case and a few laths, interested him in particular. ”You'll get him dodged for ideas one of these days,” he said, alluding to the Maluka's ingenuity, and when, a day or two later, I broke the spring of my watch and asked helplessly, ”However was I going to tell the time till the waggons came with the clock?” Dan felt sure I had set an unsolvable problem.

”That 'ud get anybody dodged,” he declared; but it took more than that to ”dodge” the Maluka's resourcefulness. He spent a little while in the sun with a compa.s.s and a few wooden pegs, and a sundial lay on the ground just outside the verandah.

Dan declared it just ”licked creation,” and wondered if ”that 'ud settle 'em,” when I asked for some strong iron rings for a curtain. But the Dandy took a hobble chain to the forge, and breaking the links asunder, welded them into smooth round rings.

The need for curtain rings was very pressing, for, scanty as it was, the publicity of our wardrobe hanging in one corner of the reception room distressed me, but with the Dandy's rings and a chequered rug for curtain, a corner wardrobe was soon fixed up.

Dan looked at it askance, and harked back to the sundial and education.

”It's 'cute enough,” he said. ”But it won't do, boss. She should have been taught how to tell the time by the sun. Don't you let 'em spoil your chances of education, missus. You were in luck when you struck this place; never saw luck to equal it. And if it holds good, something'll happen to stop you from ever having a house, so as to get you properly educated.”

My luck ”held good” for the time being; for when Johnny came along in a few days he announced, in answer to a very warm welcome, that ”something had gone wrong at No. 3 Well” and that ”he'd promised to see to it at once.”

”Oh, Johnny!” I cried reproachfully, but the next moment was ”toeing the line” even to the Head Stockman's satisfaction; for with a look of surprise Johnny had added: ”I--I thought you'd reckon that travellers'

water for the Dry came before your rooms.” Out-bush we deal in hard facts.

”Thought I'd reckon!” I said, appalled to think my comfort should even be spoken of when men's lives were in question. ”Of course I do; I didn't understand, that was all.”

”We haven't finished her education yet,” Dan explained, and the Maluka added, ”But she's learning.”

Johnny looked perplexed. ”Oh, well! That's all right, then,” he said, rather ambiguously. ”I'll be back as soon as possible, and then we shan't be long.”

Two days later he left the homestead bound for the well, and as he disappeared into the Ti-Tree that bordered the south track, most of us agreed that ”luck was out.” Only Dan professed to think differently.

”It's more wonderful than ever,” he declared; ”more wonderful than ever, and if it holds good we'll never see Johnny again.”

CHAPTER VIII

Considering ourselves homeless, the Maluka decided that we should ”go bush” for awhile during Johnny's absence beginning with a short tour of inspection through some of the southern country of the run; intending, if all were well there, to prepare for a general horse-muster along the north of the Roper. Nothing could be done with the cattle until ”after the Wet.”

Only Dan and the inevitable black ”boy” were to be with us on this preliminary walk-about; but all hands were to turn out for the muster, to the Quiet Stockman's dismay.

”Thought they mostly sat about and sewed,” he said in the quarters.

Little did the Sanguine Scot guess what he was doing when he ”culled”

needlework from the ”mob” at Pine Creek.

The walk-about was looked upon as a reprieve, and when a traveller, expressing sympathy, suggested that ”it might sicken her a bit of camp life,” Jack clung to that hope desperately.

Most of the n.i.g.g.e.r world turned up to see the ”missus mount,” that still being something worth seeing. Apart from the mystery of the side-saddle, and the joke of seeing her in an enormous mushroom hat, there was the interest of the mounting itself; Jackeroo having spread a report that the Maluka held out his hands, while the missus ran up them and sat herself upon the horse's back.

”They reckon you have escaped from a ”Wild West Show,” Dan said, tickled at the look of wonder on some of the faces as I settled myself in the saddle. We learned later that Jackeroo had tried to run up Jimmy's hands to ill.u.s.trate the performance in camp, and, failing, had naturally blamed Jimmy, causing report to add that the Maluka was a very Samson in strength.

”A dress rehearsal for the cattle-musters later on,” Dan called the walk-about, looking with approval on my cartridge belt and revolver; and after a few small mobs of cattle had been rounded up and looked over, he suggested ”rehearsing that part of the performance where the missus gets lost, and catches cows and milks 'em.”

”Now's your chance, missus,” he shouted, as a scared, frightened beast broke from the mob in hand, and went cras.h.i.+ng through the undergrowth.

”There's one all by herself to practice on.” Dan's system of education, being founded on object-lessons, was mightily convincing; and for that trip, anyway, he had a very humble pupil to instruct in the ”ways of telling the signs of water at hand.”