Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1872-01-24
The Settlers Tale.


'rYou don't believe it, then?" said the
old settler, strokiug his beard and
spreading the long, crisp curls over his
waistcoat, where they lay like tangle
Of eocoa-nut-fiber. He ficked away,
too, now and then, the powdery cigar
ash that had fallen as he smoked, as
though he petted his manly adornment,
or aimed strongly at wearing patriach-
al guise.
''Travelers see strange things" said a
thin man sitting opposite him, and he
indulged in a low sneering snigger.
"what is it?" I asked, for had at
that moment entered the room.
"Why," sniggered the thin man, "he
wants to make me believe"
mo, no, noH' chorussed several
voices. "Let him tell it himself; second
hand stories are poor. Tell it out for
the company, sir"
But the owner of the beard looked
very dignified, and kept on smoking,
till he sat like Jupiter among the
clouds.
"It's all true enough said on old Aus,
tralian captain who sat near the thin
man, and had evidently heard what had
previously been said. 'Tve often seen
them take flying leaps that looked tire,
mendous, and such as I should have
doubted ifI had not seen; while as to the
tale our friend here has just told about
kangoroos carrying their young in q
pouch, and also about their being able
to destroy dog with kick, why, they
are facts that almost any schoolboy will
indorse. Imean no insult to our skepti
cal friend, but Pm afraid that he studies
politics more than natural history"
"I wasn't talking about wallabies
gentlemen, i" said the old settler, "whicf
are only small kind of kangaroo, bu
but what we call up the, country, 'olc
men'-the great kangarOos that the set
tiers hunt. You may believe what I'm
going to tell you, gentlemen, OF you ma,
be rude enough to doubt it if you like
I shan't complain; but it is as true as m,
names James Smith, a YOrkshiremal
born, and that failed at sheep farm
ing, but made ten thousand dollars a
the diggings, and that's what no ma
in five hundred who were there man
aged to bring away, as his share of tn
spOils."
The thin man winked again, but tn
thoughts of ten thousand golden dollar
seemed to add so much weight to the re
spectabiIity and veracity of the bearde
man, that he had felt disposed to ente
into the borders not limited to veracity
he wo'd now have found plenty of be
Levers for anything he might choose t
say.
''We were having kangaroo hunt,
continued he, "some years ago now, u
at a place where I was. Kangaroo
were not so scarce then as they're grow
since, and herhaps, if our friend her
were to go over on purpose to have one
he might travel some hundreds of mile
before he could enjoy that pleasure.
"Being bit of a sporting man in
mild way, as had dropped in at qual
tiers where the squatteF was also fond G
a bit of the field work, I got staying O.
day after day; for I happened to hav
nothing to do, having been driven out {
myholding by a drought that had starve
three parts of my beasts and sheep, an
a flood that had drowned the rest. S
that was on the wander, looking on
for some fresh spot on which to locat
myself, and naturally feeling low spirit
ed; for, after wandering seven or eigh
years to get together a decent bit {
stock, it seemed rather hard for the eli
mate to turn dead against yon, and t
make you ruined man.
i'Td fallen into good quarters, my hos
being from my own country, and hay
ing had many a good gallop with th
J same pack of hounds. So we talke
over old times and fished bit, and she
little, and helped him to take stock
and we compared notes about manage
ment, he being able to give me plent
: of good hints, and perhaps gave hi1
two or three respectable little wrinkles
igThe day before 1 left him we wer
; out for kangaroo hunt, for over nigl
one of his men had come to report tracE
that he had seen near a water hole som
a few miles away.
''Perhaps my friend here will thin
that I am throwing the hatohet, when
It say that this was all on my hosts piec
for sheep farmers there think no mo
of miles than they do of acres Of Ian
and I have known gentlemen out the