Part 32 (1/2)

The old man caught sight of a black bottle in the gra.s.s, close beside the corpse. This set him thinking. Presently he knelt down and examined the soles of the dead man's blucher boots, and then, rising with an air of conviction, exclaimed: ”Brummy! by gos.h.!.+--busted up at last!

”I tole yer so, Brummy,” he said impressively, addressing the corpse.

”I allers told yer as how it 'ud be--an' here y'are, you thundering jumpt-up cuss-o'-G.o.d fool. Yer cud earn more'n any man in the colony, but yer'd lush it all away. I allers sed as how it 'ud end, an' now yer kin see fur y'self.

”I spect yer was a-comin' t' me t' get fixt up an' set straight agin; then yer was a-goin' to swear off, same as yer 'allers did; an' here y'are, an' now I expect I'll have t' fix yer up for the last time an'

make yer decent, for 'twon't do t' leave yer alyin' out here like a dead sheep.”

He picked up the corked bottle and examined it. To his great surprise it was nearly full of rum.

”Well, this gits me,” exclaimed the old man; ”me luck's in, this Christmas, an' no mistake. He must 'a' got the jams early in his spree, or he wouldn't be a-making for me with near a bottleful left.

Howsomenever, here goes.”

Looking round, his eyes lit up with satisfaction as he saw some bits of bark which had been left by a party of strippers who had been getting bark there for the stations. He picked up two pieces, one about four and the other six feet long, and each about two feet wide, and brought them over to the body. He laid the longest strip by the side of the corpse, which he proceeded to lift on to it.

”Come on, Brummy,” he said, in a softer tone than usual, ”ye ain't as bad as yer might be, considerin' as it must be three good months since yer slipped yer wind. I spect it was the rum as preserved yer. It was the death of yer when yer was alive, an' now yer dead, it preserves yer like--like a mummy.”

Then he placed the other strip on top, with the hollow side downwards--thus sandwiching the defunct between the two pieces--removed the saddle-strap, which he wore for a belt, and buckled it round one end, while he tried to think of something with which to tie up the other.

”I can't take any more strips off my s.h.i.+rt,” he said, critically examining the skirts of the old blue overs.h.i.+rt he wore. ”I might get a strip or two more off, but it's short enough already. Let's see; how long have I been a-wearin' of that s.h.i.+rt; oh, I remember, I bought it jist two days afore Five Bob was pupped. I can't afford a new s.h.i.+rt jist yet; howsomenever, seein' it's Brummy, I'll jist borrow a couple more strips and sew 'em on agen when I git home.”

He up-ended Brummy, and placing his shoulder against the middle of the lower sheet of bark, lifted the corpse to a horizontal position; then, taking the bag of bones in his hand, he started for home.

”I ain't a-spendin' sech a dull Christmas arter all,” he reflected, as he plodded on; but he had not walked above a hundred yards when he saw a black goanna sidling into the gra.s.s.

”That's another of them theer dang things!” he exclaimed. ”That's two I've seed this mornin'.”

Presently he remarked: ”Yer don't smell none too sweet, Brummy. It must 'a' been jist about the middle of shearin' when yer pegged out. I wonder who got yer last cheque. Shoo! theer's another black goanner--theer must be a flock of 'em.”

He rested Brummy on the ground while he had another pull at the bottle, and, before going on, packed the bag of bones on his shoulder under the body, and he soon stopped again.

”The thunderin' jumpt-up bones is all skew-whift,” he said. ”'Ole on, Brummy, an' I'll fix 'em”--and he leaned the dead man against a tree while he settled the bones on his shoulder, and took another pull at the bottle.

About a mile further on he heard a rustling in the gra.s.s to the right, and, looking round, saw another goanna gliding off sideways, with its long snaky neck turned towards him.

This puzzled the shepherd considerably, the strangest part of it being that Five Bob wouldn't touch the reptile, but slunk off with his tail down when ordered to ”sick 'em.”

”Theer's sothin' comic about them theer goanners,” said the old man at last. ”I've seed swarms of gra.s.shoppers an' big mobs of kangaroos, but dang me if ever I seed a flock of black goanners afore!”

On reaching the hut the old man dumped the corpse against the wall, wrong end up, and stood scratching his head while he endeavoured to collect his muddled thoughts; but he had not placed Brummy at the correct angle, and, consequently, that individual fell forward and struck him a violent blow on the shoulder with the iron toes of his blucher boots.

The shock sobered him. He sprang a good yard, instinctively hitching up his moleskins in preparation for flight; but a backward glance revealed to him the true cause of this supposed attack from the rear. Then he lifted the body, stood it on its feet against the chimney, and ruminated as to where he should lodge his mate for the night, not noticing that the shorter sheet of bark had slipped down on the boots and left the face exposed.

”I spect I'll have ter put yer into the chimney-trough for the night, Brummy,” said he, turning round to confront the corpse. ”Yer can't expect me to take yer into the hut, though I did it when yer was in a worse state than--Lord!”

The shepherd was not prepared for the awful scrutiny that gleamed on him from those empty sockets; his nerves received a shock, and it was some time before he recovered himself sufficiently to speak.

”Now, look a-here, Brummy,” said he, shaking his finger severely at the delinquent, ”I don't want to pick a row with yer; I'd do as much for yer an' more than any other man, an' well yer knows it; but if yer starts playin' any of yer jumpt-up pranktical jokes on me, and a-scarin' of me after a-humpin' of yer 'ome, by the 'oly frost I'll kick yer to jim-rags, so I will.”

This admonition delivered, he hoisted Brummy into the chimney-trough, and with a last glance towards the sheep-yards, he retired to his bunk to have, as he said, a snooze.