The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-02
COUNTRY LIFE IN THE AUSTRIA
LIAM BUSH.
By Anthony Trollope.

LIAM BUSH.
By Anthony TrolIope.
I had already stayed at various sheep
stations in Queensland, but only for a
few days at each and these had been
generally large places, where perhaps
from one or two hundred Thousand
sheep were shorn, and into which con-
| sequently the comforts and luxuries of
civilized life had been imported. These
were hardly typical bush residences.
At that to which / now went, young
squatter beginning life owned not much
more than ten thousand sheep, and was
living quite "in the rough" The num-
ber of sheep at these stations will gen.
| orally indicate with fair accuracy the
mode of life at the head station. A
hundred thousand sheep and upward
require professed hancock and but
Ter to look after them forty thousand
sheep cannot be shorn without piano :;
| twenty thousand is the lowest number
that renders napkins at dinner impera-
tive. Ten thousand require absolute
| plenty, meat in plenty, tea in plenty,
brandy-and-water, and colonial wine in
| plenty, but do not expect champagne,
| sherry, or made dishes, and are sup
| posed to be content with continued
mutton or continued beef, as the squat
| ter may at the time be in the way of
killing sheep or oxen.
The station I visited, and which I
| Will call M, was about two hundred
and fifty miles west of Sydney, and was
| decidedly in the bush. l have already
endeavored to explain that nearly every
place beyond the influences of the big
towns is called Fbush," even though
there should not be tree to be seen
around but, in reaching this place, l
journeyed for three days after leaving
the railway through continuous wood
land, doing about forty miles day in a
buggy. The house stood on a small
creek, and was surrounded by inter-
minable forest. Close around it was
the home-paddock, rallied in, and con-
tanning about fifty acres. Such an en-
closure about a gentleman's house in
England is an appendage of great value,
and constitutes with some, who are am
bilious, almost little park. In the
bush it is little moro thought of than
as so much waste ground round the
house. Two or three COWS may run in
it, or q horse or two for immediate use.
It is generally found convenient to have
a horse near the house for the sake of
"running in" other horses. One horse
in the stable to catch two horses in the
hOme-paddock wherewith four horses,
when wanted, may be run in from the
horse-paddOck, make together a COM
bination which in the bush is consider
ed to be economical and convenient.
At M the home-paddock was par
TALLY cleared of timber, and was pretty
enough. Outside it, meeting the creek
both before and behind, was the horse
paddock, containing about two hundred
and fifty acres. This was supposed to
be the domain appropriated to the
horses of the establishment needed for
the working of it. At that time there
were about twenty, and I believe that
there was not one too many. Ny young
friend also had his rams here during a
portion oS the year, but hardly expect
ed more from so small an enclosure
than fool for the animals required for
use. A public road, such as bush-roads
are, ran through the horse-paddeck-
very inconvenient in that, it caused the
gates to be left open, and brought
travellers that way whose presence was
hardly desirable, but not without COM
pensation, as a postman with the mails
passed each way twice a week. The
postman was great blessing. If he
wanted food for himself or his horse he
got it; and in return he complied with
all requests made to him, conveying
letters, kilograms, and messages, with
wondrous accuracy. A mailman coming
by-they are mailmen and not postmen
in the bush-is a great addition to the
comforts of bush-1ife. At the back of
the horse-paddock was the wool-shed
paddock, containing about one thousand
two hundred acres, with the wool-shed
at one corner of it, distant about mile
from the house. There were three
other paddoeks on the run, one con-
tanning twelve thousand acres, and the
others seven thousand acres each.
The house was built at right angles to
the creek, to the edge of which the
little garden ran It was, of course,
only of one story. A squatter rarely
builds a two-storied house till he be
very l89gs squatter indeed, and then his
habitation loses most of the character
istics of the bush. It was of one story,
and contained but three rooms-a sit
ting-room in the middle, and a bed
room on each side; but along the front |
there ran veranda twelve feet wide, in |
which everybody lived, using the sit
ting-room simply for meals. Life in
the bush would be nothing without a
veranda. The men, of course, spend
their days mostly out-of-doors, but in |
evenings the verandas are delightful. |
Here are congregated lounging chairs,
generally very rough, but always COM |
Portable, with tables, sofas, and femin-
inc nick-nacks, if there be ladies, till |
the place has the appearance of a room
open to the heavens. A veranda, to be |
perfect, should be curtained against |
the sun, and should be sheltered also |
from the heat by creepers. Behind the |
house, about thirty yards distant from |
it, was the kitchen, with a servants |
room attached to it, and behind that |
again another edifce called the cottage,
consisting of two rooms, in which slept |
the young men who were about the |
place, for it must be remembered that |
there always are young men about |
squatter's station. Then there were |
other buildings, forming a quadrangle,
which, however, was never as neat as
such homestead quadrangle should be. |
Thsrs was rough stable, and roughsr