Part 53 (2/2)
”Howld your howlt, chaps,” interposed the good-natured half-caste ”I'll run up your horses for you I was on'y takin' a rise out o'
Mr Mori--(adj)--arty, Esquire; jist to learn him not to be quite so suddent”
And in anotherdown the paddock, with his bridle and stockwhip
Half an hour later,absent, four or five tribes to see ould happen Cleopatra was not without reputation
”Tell you what you better do,” said Moriarty to ht His place is fifteen mile from here, and very little out of your way Ill-natured, cranky beggar, Alf is--been on the pea--but there's no end of grass in his paddock And I say--get hi splendid I believe
He's always gettingand play, some time or other; and when old Mooney was here, just before last shearing, he sent Toby to tell Alf to co his fiddle; and Alf ca Mooney was asked into the house, on account of his dad being there; and he swears he never heard anything like Alf's style; though the stubborn devil would n't sing a word; nothing but play And he was just as good on the piano as on the fiddle, though his hand must have been badly out
Mooney thinks he jibbed on singing because the women were there
Alf's a ested
”No--mis--mis”----
”Mysterious character?”
”No, no--mis--mis”----
”Try a synonym”
”Is that it? I think it is Well Alf's a s When he coes the woooing past his place, and heard a concert going on, so he left his horse, and sneaked up to the wall; but thehad the seat out of his pants Nosey caht Nelson in to have some supper; and Nelson stayed till about twelve; but devil a squeak of the fiddle, or a line of a song, could he get out of Alf But, as the boss says, Alf's only le-hawk and a saw--foolish expression, it seems to me Best boundary man on the station, Alf is Been in the Round Swamp Paddock five years now; and he's likely a fixture for life
Boundary riding for some years in the Bland country before he came here
Now I'll show you how you'll fetch his place”--Moriarty began drawing a diagrah the Red Gate--we'll call this the gate The track branches there; and you follow this branch
It's the Nalrooka track; and it takes you along here-- due east now”----
”Wait, Moriarty,” I interrupted--”don't you see that you're reversing everything? A man would have to stand on his head to understand that map
There is the north, and here is the south”
”Don'tyou the way you've got to go We'll start afresh to please you Through here-- along here--and follow the sae, with the fence on your right all the way”----
”Hold on, hold on,” I again interrupted--”you're at right angles now
Don't you see that your line's north and south?--and did you ever see a pine-ridge running north and south? Begin again Say the Red Gate is here; and I turn along here Now go ahead”
”No, I'osh, you're all there at understanding”
”Jack,” said I, turning to the primeval t'other-sider--”can you direct me to Nosey Alf's?”
”I'll try,” replied the veteran; and he slowly drew a diagram, true to the points of the co 'ere, arf a ate--an' mind 'ow you leave 'er, f'r the wire hinclines to slip hover Then straight along 'ere, through the pine-ridge, f'm hend to hend You're hon the Nalrookar track, ate hin the fence as you're a-kerryin' hon yer right shoulder Gate's sebate; b't neb' you ate, hon a pad you'll 'ar'ly see; han jist hat the fur hend o' the pine-ridge you'll strike hanuther gate; an' you le o' fo'ty-five, with the pine-ridge hon yer back; an' hin fo' ate--'ere, hin the co'ner
Take this fence hon yer right shoulder, an' run 'er down B't you'll spot Half's place, fur ahead, w'en you git to the gate, ef it ain't night”
”Thank you, Jack, I replied, and then i pups to take a lesson from you”