# Tall Timber

First published in the Melbourne Herald 31 January 1933, p. 8
Epigraph: According to recent news, a snake which fastened on to a man's leg at Burnie, Tasmania, was much disgusted upon finding that the leg was a wooden one.
That sort o' reminds me of ole days (said Bill) In the bush at Toolangi, at Switherton's mill — A sor-mill, you know — an' the sawyer we 'ad Was ole 'Oppy McClintock, a wooden-legged lad. 'E was walkin' one day for to tighten a peg, When a tiger snake grabs at 'is ole timber leg; An' there it 'angs on, till I fetched it a crack, But ole 'Oppy jist grins as 'e starts to walk back.
An' then, somethink 'appens. We seen 'Oppy stop, As 'e stumbles a bit, an' looks down at 'is prop With a dead funny look. Then 'e lets out a yell: "'Ere, boys! Take it off me! it's startin' to swell!" Well, we unstraps 'is leg, an' it swole an' it swole. Snake pisen? Too right! 'Twas a twenty-foot pole In less than five minutes! Believe me or not. An' as thick — It's as true as I stand on this spot!
We was 'eavin it out, when the boss starts to roar: "'Ere? Why waste good wood? Shove it on to the sor!" So we sors it in two, down the middle, an' then, Them there slabs swole an' swole; so we sors 'em agen. An' we sors, an' we sors; an' it swole, an' it swole Till the end of the day, when the tally, all tole, Was two thousan' foot super. You doubt it? (said Bill) You ask any ole 'and up at Switherton's mill!
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Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1938, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 85 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse