Part 15 (1/2)
”No, Nic That is our Australianhis uncopies at hoh”
”Like that?” said the doctor, as a loud, hoarse chuckle arose
”No: harsher and noisier Was that thejackass”
”What! A donkey?”
”No; there he sits, on that bare li, heavy-headed, browny-grey bird, which see beak on one side
Nic examined the bird carefully
”You would not think that was a kingfisher?” said the doctor
”No,” cried Nic; ”though the shape is soer”
”But it is a kingfisher all the sah he does not fish as his ancestors s, and that sort of gaain”
For the sweet,so the notes of a chord up and doith different variations
”It's very sweet,” said Nic
”Yes The colonists call it thecrow of Australia It is one of the earliest singers, and if we'd been here at daybreak I dare say we should have heard quite a long solo”
Farther on Nic had a good look at one of the piping crows in the black-and-white jacket which had obtained for it the fa like that handsolossed withfeathers to match
Two or three times over, out in the open country, the horses startled Nic by their disposition to go off at a canter, but after being checked they calh to leave the bullock team behind; consequently Dr Braydon drew rein froe, so that his son ood view of the new land which was henceforth to be his home
Here he pointed out the peculiar features of the landscape and its reserassy land being dotted with oak, beech, eluum trees of several varieties Here and there a farmstead could be seen, but they were few and far between; still, where they did shoith the roughly built houses and their bark or shi+ngle roofs, flocks of sheep and droves of cattle could be seen scattered widely over the plain
”Did you say we should be about a week getting hoer,” said the doctor ”Everything depends on those crawling gentlemen behind They have a heavy load: you see there is no road, and if rain co, the load will seem twice as heavy to the patient beasts, and I can't afford to hurry theet them out of condition Rain falls very seldom here, Nic; but when it does come there's no nonsense about it There's a river on ahead which we shall have to cross”
”Then you have bridges,” said Nic naively, ”if you have no regular roads?”
”Bridges? No; we shall have to ford it if ere going across to-day, it would be a few inches deep; if one of our big rain storht be forty or fifty feet I have seen it sixty”
Nic glanced at his father
”Sih between two ranges of hills; and if there have been rains we ht be detained on the bank for days or weeks”
”And whereabouts does ho toward the north-east ”The air is wonderfully clear now, and perhaps you can see what I do--that faint blue ridge that looks like a layer of cloud lon on the horizon”
”Yes, I can see it,” said Nic eagerly; ”but surely it won't take us a week to ride there It looks quite close”