The leading bullock swam straight and strong, its nose and horns above water, its tail straight out behind. It was more than half-way across, when a floating log bumped against it and, to the men"s dismay, the bullock turned down stream. Something which cattlemen fear more than anything was about to happen; a ring in a flooded creek.
The bullock lifted its head and bellowed. The cattlecrowding on the bank answered it, and it headed straight back towards them. At all costs this must be stopped, for the other cattle had followed close on their leader and were also turning back, the current mixing them up in a very dangerous manner. Dick slipped from his horse, plunged into the water, swam a few strokes, and gained a tree which was standing farthest out in the flood. His lithe, athletic form was seen to full advantage as he scrambled up the tree and climbed out on an overhanging bough. He stood there, balancing himself above the sluggish water, shouting vehemently and waving branches to try to turn the cattle. In vain. The cattle were facing back and were turning in on the advancing mob. A whirlpool of swimming cattle was below him, packing tighter and tighter together and being washed down by the current into a maze of trees just below the ford. Once there, nothing could save them from being drowned.
Suddenly, the bough on which Dick stood cracked. Most trees in Central Australia are decayed at the heart, for long spells of drought will not support the growth which is urged on by infrequent floods. Stan shouted a warning. Dick was too excited to hear. At all costs he must break the ring of cattle.
Then, without a moment"s warning, the bough broke. It was as thick as a man"s waist and came down directly from the huge trunk, carrying a load of lesser branches. It crashedright in the middle of the ringing cattle. A more terrible predicament can scarcely be imagined.
Drawn by Allan T. Bernaldo
"Dick gained a tree in the flood."
He sank with the boughs and rose again, freeing himself with a huge effort from his entanglement. Self-preservation was n ow h i s on ly th ough t. S eei n g a pa i r of wi de- spreading horns dangerously near him, he seized them to protect himself from their gleaming points. The bullock sank, but Dick kept his grip. All round him was a tightly- wedged mass of swimming cattle, and he dared not let go his hold. The animal came to the surface again. It was directly under the drover. Dick found himself astride the bullock"s neck.
With a bellow, which the water turned into a bubbling roar, the terrified beast headed for the shore, trying in vain to dislodge its rider. Dick clung for his life. It was his only chance. Gleaming horns and bloodshot eyes surrounded him, and he pressed his knees into the loose hide of the bullock. Without realizing it, he pressed in his spurs also, and this added to the panic of his unwilling steed.
By a stroke of fortune, the beast headed for the shore where the horses were standing. Its struggles put it in the lead. Others followed. It gained a footing and scrambled up in the shallow water. Dick slipped off and ran for his life towards the horses. He sprang on one of them, ready for any emergency, but a tornado of whip-cracking and shouts assured him that the worst was over. His bullock had lumbered on to dry ground, too exhausted to troubleabout Dick for the time being. The rest of the mob were following, and soon the thousand cattle were stringing out across the creek. The ring had been broken and the situation was saved.
A count was taken later in the day, and it was found that only three cattle were missing. Search was made along the banks down stream; two were found drowned, but the third had evidently been caught and held by some submerged debris as the current swirled it along. The brands of the dead cattle were cut out and put in the packs to show that the animals had died and had not been sold.
Conrad Sayce, in The Valley of a Thousand DeathsAuthor.-Conrad Sayce (see "An Adventure with a Snake").
General Notes.-Where is the scene laid? List the characters and describe them. Find a map of Central Australia, and notice the chief physical features. Read an account in a good Australian geography of this little-known region. Draw on the blackboard a plan of the flooded creek, showing the position of the horses, the mob of cattle, and the tree. Now draw a line showing the course taken by the cattle in crossing the creek.
Lesson 5
THE BALLAD OF THE DROVER
Across the stony ridges, Across the rolling plain,Young Harry Dale the drover
Comes riding home again.
And well his stock-horse bears him, And light of heart is he,And stoutly his old pack-horse
Is trotting by his knee.
Up Queensland way with cattle He travelled regions vast;And many months have vanished
Since home-folk saw him last. He hums a song of some oneHe hopes to marry soon;
And hobble-chains and camp-ware Keep jingling to the tune.
Beyond the hazy dado, Against the lower skiesAnd yon blue line of ranges, The homestead station lies.
And thitherward the drover
Jogs through the lazy noon,
While hobble-chains and camp-ware Are jingling to a tune.
An hour has filled the heavens
With storm clouds inky black; At times the lightning tricklesAround the drover"s track;
But Harry pushes onward,
His horses" strength he tries,
In hope to reach the river
Before the flood shall rise.
The thunder from above him
Goes rolling o"er the plain;
And down on thirsty pastures In torrents falls the rain.
And every creek and gully
Sends forth its little flood,
Till the river runs a banker,
All stained with yellow mud.
Now Harry speaks to Rover, The best dog on the plains,And to his hardy horses,
And strokes their shaggy manes:-
"We"ve breasted bigger rivers
When floods were at their height,
Nor shall this gutter stop us From getting home to-night!"The thunder growls a warning, The ghastly lightnings gleam,As the drover turns his horses
To swim the fatal stream.
But, oh! the flood runs stronger Than e"er it ran before;The saddle-horse is failing,
And only half-way o"er!