The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-13

[Fron The Churehuau', mse..lD..l

Roma, beyond which point there Law nothing In
the shape OF civilization but the stations Of ad-
vehiurous squatters. few and far between, and be-
gan to tire OF my solitary journey, eniyened only
By halt for the night at some roadside Qrog.
shop" bullock drivers camp. or, when particu.
larry fortunate. some station near my road. Long
marches and short commons were telling on my
horses condition and as nv ultimate destination
was still over hundred miles beyond me, | was
seriously thinking of claiming hospitality from
some one for few days till my faded hack was
better able to do bis remaining work. Thus was
lot sorry when, the tenth evening Of my Journey
on emerging from thick scrub, Isaw lights in the
distance, heard the barking Of dogs. and in 9 few
minutes road into clearing on which stood the
barracks Of detachment of the Queensland native
mounted police.
"GIad to see you; come in" said Lieutenant
Parr, the officer in command, as, reused by the
clamOr Of the dogs, he came to the door. d You
are just in time for dinner. Here, Tommy to a
black trooper, take the gentleman's horse" To
me, " Do you wish him hObbled, or shall he go
out with mine ~
why in truth" said l, +" / was going to ask
you to take me in for day or two till my horse
picks up q little"
" With the greatest pleasure. of with the sad.
die, Tommy, end let him go with the rest" Upon
which poor Bob was speedily relieved OF bridle sad
die, and sway" introduced to the troop horses,
and led OF by them TO their favorite pastures.
"Your coming is quite Godsend,n said Mr..
Parr, when, after long talk, it was bedtime. eff
you are uOt DTcbttQ LOT Tune, stay mere as long as
you Ike. patrol your way in fortnight; give
me the pleasure OF your company till then. and
we will ride together; in the meantime your horse
will regain his condition. and you can have such
sport in the way of hunting, fishing and shooting
as the country can give you."
With the return Of daylight | arose and strolled
out to view my new quarters and breathe the
morning air. Anything more delightful than the
early morn in the bush 10 Australia II Is difficult to
imagine. The air is so fresh, so bslmy, so pure,
and WftnaI dplfCafafV p VT N
sand strange and delicious aromatic odors, that
one can almost taste it, and the mere act Of res
piration becomes positive pleasure. The woods
are resonant with the songs of birds and the hum
ming of innumerable insects, and yet their small
music hardly seems to break the majestic silence
which becomes more impressive when at inter-
walls the various creatures ntermit their song, and
the only audible sound is the mHrmur of the wind
among the trees, the only visible motion the
sweeping of fleecy cloud across the blue.
My present resting place was the police
camp at Euletha, en- the BuDgil Creek, in
the district of the Msranos. The barracks
were collection Of slab huts built on grassy
bank soping gently towards the Bungil,
creek "-Anglice, small stream-howng into the
Condsmine river, which latter further on in it's
course becomes the Balonne, then the Darling and
finally merged in the Mississippi of Australia the
Murray river. The central hut was the officers
dwelling, fanked on one side by the quarters of
the non commissioned officers of the detachment
on the other by the store uts and the winter
quarters.of the native troopers, who, dsdanng all
cover until the colder weather set 10, slept during
the summer months a Ia belle etOUe in rear of the
buildings. On the left was a stock-yard tenanted
by few cows, which Mrs. Cassidy, the sergesnts
wife, was busy milking; on the right garden,
small but well stocked with both fruits and flowers;
beyond 1t again a paddock, in which the horses
waiting duty were kept. The front was the parade
ground on which at this early hour q few pet rab-
bits on the best possible terms with the kangaroo
hounds, were hopping about. On the opposite
side of the creek the ground rose somewhat alb
ruptly sixty seventy feet above our level throw
ing from its wooded height grateful shelter over
the camp as the day grew hotter. q
Strolling round TO the native quarters | made
acquaintance with the troopers, who, busy about
their Announcements, we're preparing for parade.
finer set OF fellows it would not be easy TO find.
TALL athletic, muscular, active as cats, savage up
on occasion as tigers, they were the very men for
the rough.andready duties of a border police.
Their fidelity secured by their invariably serving
out of their own districts: thus the Queensland
force is recruited from tribes the Murray river,
and the Victoria police in Queensland. All Aus.
tralian tribes are at enmity with each other these
black constables are therefore so many lshmaels
in uniform, and as a deserter would certainly be
killed and probably eaten by some tribe through
which he would have to pass, ne, as much from
prudence as from loyalty, sticks to his corps.
" Tommy" the black corporal, PARIS faetotum
and right hand man, was magnificent fellow,
strong as Hercules, and, without exception, the
more than a match for any ordinary vice in a
borse, but there was one brute IN the troop that
was too much for any of them but Tommy. On
the second day of my stay he was driven in with
other )rses, and an exhibition was got up for my
especial benefit. The "Devil''-such was his APP
propriste nsme-was "baled up In q corner Of
the yard, bTided and saddled after infinite diff.
Guilty, mounted in the bale, and then let go. As
soon as the small inclosure was opened, his sa-
tsDic majesty dsrted out into the large yard,
cleared the slp.bars, and began a series of the
most diabolical attempts to unseat his rider that
ever Witnessed. With back arched like a bow,
and head between his knees, he bucked for a min
ute at q time, screaming with rage; then throw
ing up his head so suddenly that feared for Tom
N.Y. brains, he reared upright and executed a
fandsDgo on his hind legs; resuming more natu.
raj position. he flung his heels in the air, Jumped
sideways spun round as on a pivot repeating or
varying these performances in every way that his
internal fancy could suggest, but ell to no pur.
pose; Tommy and the Devil so to speak,
we're one there was no Upsetting that admirable
balance, no getting rid of the vice.like grip of
those brawDy thighs. His eyes flashing with ex.
element, and white teeth cleaning, as II seemed
TO me, all over his black face, Tommy bore it all
unmoved. till presently, watching his opportu.
uity, be dug the spurs into Satan, who, with one
tremendous bound dashed into the woods. In
half an hour the pair returned, the horse white
with foam and sweat, and for the present con.
uuered; his rider, dismounting, took of saddle and
bride as coolly as if nothing had happened, and
quite reacy 10 repeat the performance whenever
il might be required Of him.
A week or ten days passed pleasantly enough.
Kang8roos and emus were abundant. There we're
brush turkeys and bronZe.winged pigeons in the
scrub. bustards on the plains, ducks in the la
gooDs, fat Dream and cod 10 the creek and we
had as much hunting, shooting and fishing as we
wanted. The long evenings we whiled away with
talk, and smoke and hard fights ct ecdTte and pi-
quot. The time drew near for PARIS patrol my
horse Bob, fully recovered from his fatigue, was
ss fri-ky as kitten, and orders were given for a
muster OF the horses on the following day.
But next morning broke sullenly and in gloom.
The clouds, black and ominous, were gathering
heavily il was evident we were on the eve of the
autumnsl rains. However, late that afternoon the
hoIses came pouring in, when those required for
duty we're drafted from the herd, and the re-
msinder again turned Loose.
That evening the hoodgates of heaven were
opened, and the rain came down ds it does only
in the tropics one might almost say not in iso.
lated drops but in vast sheet of falling water
a very avalanche of rain. For about a couple of
hours this lasted when the first fury Of the storm
abated but it merely subsidized into a steady
down-pour, with no slack or diminution. The
pelting on the roof had its effects on
our spirits we threw by the cards, and drew
near the fire. which, splitting and Kissing as the
big drops fell upon the fame, was brsvely sndea-
voriDg to make head against the rain.
g II this sort CT thing goes on, said Parr, Eve