Old Melbourne Memories

r of a surprise. The story went that one day a sudden attack "was" made. While the main body was engaged, a wing of the invading force made a flank movement, and bore down upon the apparently undef

ever seen, or awestricken at the fierceness of his bearing, is not known, but they

le, with which the run was first occupied,[Pg 52] many tales are told. The former, a stalwart, iron-nerved, elderly Scot, was the envied possessor

ut of their cover immediately in front of Mr. Gorrie. Running their best, and leaping from side to sid

e, laddie, and I'll sort ye baith." Which the legend goes on to say he actually did, disposing of t

d rolled over, a tremendous cropper. He picked himself up, and, going over to the motionless steed, found that he was stone dead-he had broken both forelegs and his

without which we had no real title to call ourselves a cattle station, was imperative. "Four rails and a cap," as the description ran, of the heavy substantial fence then thought necessary for the business, were to be procured. The white-gum timber, though good enough in a splitting sense for slabs, was not the thing for stock-yard work. So, as we knew by report from the "Eumeralla

ches thick, and as straight as a board paling, we had to get from the forest. As Mr. Cunningham had gone, a

Tree (it bore the name years after)-an immense stringy bark, with a section of the outside wood split down to see if the grain was free-we[Pg 54] soon pitched upon a "good straight barrel," and set to work. Joe cut a good-sized "calf" in it first, and then we in

more after that. Them I'll do myself, and now we'll have a pot of tea. You can take the t

eam back. At sunset I saw the thatched roof of our hut. I had walked sixteen miles

well and contented, having split up the whole of the tree into fine, straight, substantial rails, thirty o

nd fight, sword or pistol, it was all one to Joe. He was afraid of nothing and nobody. And when, years after, his son returned from India with the Queen's Commission and the Victoria Cross, I knew where the bold blood had come from. Towards the end of our wood-ranging, a rumour got abroad that the blacks had "broken out" and commenced to spear cattle. They had, moreover, "i

hat Old Tom, who knew the blacks well, was getting anxious, that h

d if I would help him fell this, he would come directly it was finished. I tried to persuad

l, slued[Pg 56] round and "turned his yoke." Gentlemen who have driven teams will understand the situation. The bows were by this man?uvre placed on the tops of the bullocks' necks, the yoke underneath, and the off-side bullock became the near-side one. I was nearly in despair. I dared no

and which looked in the moonlight very dark and eerie. I began to think about the blacks, and whether or no they might a

-much more melodious, indeed, to my ears-sounded, and a flock of low-flying dark birds passed over my head. It was the cry of the wild swan! I was not sorry when I saw the hut fire, and drew up with my load near the yard. I had some trouble with my lead

his life in jeopardy for a few rails. Old Tom laughed, and said as long as Joe had a good

pipe in a leisurely way. "Once they've started killing cattle they won't leave off in a

hten 'em a bit if I'm left by myself. But sure, I hardly think they'd

good and bad among 'em, but the divil resave the blackfellow I'd tru

. I roused myself, however, out of a reverie on the curious problem afforded b

cattle yet," I said; "that shows t

to-day, and I didn't see that fat yellow cow with the white flank. Thim's a

orrow," I said, "and the sooner Jo

nt not many weeks old; "and is there any other man in the country that would risk his life for

t away Joe and a final cargo of rails, though to the last he asserted "

ur execution, by reason of their size and thickness. If the yard is still standing-and nothing less than a stampede of elephants would suffice to level it-I could pick out several of "my posts" with unerring accuracy. "God be with

, distant about twenty miles to the east. Then, as now, my old friend and his amiable family were most anxious to ameliorate his condition. They fed and clothed the lubras and children. They even were sufficiently interested to make a patient study of the language, and to acquire a knowledge of tribal rites, ceremonies, and customs, which

two brothers Aplin, the elder was a lover of scientific research, and, having a strong natural taste for geology, addressed himself to it with such perseverance that he became second only to Mr. Selwyn, the late Victorian Government geologist, a man of European reputation, and was himself enabled to fill the

uld call in the present day something very like "jumping." However, I had no better claim to the Doghole-point, which was a part of the old Eumeralla run-as indeed was Dunmore and all the country within twenty or thirty miles-if the original occupant of that station was to be believed. The commissioner-the gallant and autocratic Captain Fyans-settled the matter, as was the wont of those days, by his resistless fiat. He "gave" Messrs. Gorrie and

od manager he was. A fine horseman, shrewd, clear-headed, and energetic on occasion, he did better for that enterprising ill-fated capitalist than he ever did for himself. He and the Dunmore people were old friends and sc

er of jeux d'esprit, he was the life and soul of our small community. He once counterfeited a warrant, which he caused to be served on Mr. Cunningham for an alleged shooting

y abode and the sea was but one other run-a cattle station. Sheep[Pg 62] were in the minority in those days. It was occupied by two brothers-the Messrs. Jamieson-Scots also; they seemed to preponderate in the west. Their run rejoice