The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-02-01
OUR STORY TELLER.
AN AUSTRAL FIRE.
BY A BUSH HAND.

A bush fires terrible thing, espe-
cially when it's in heavy brush coun-
try. There's one good it does, and that
is, it clears off the snakes and such like
varmint. But it routs up the poor ban
dicoots and kangaroo rats, and sets the
paddy melons sculling, for it don't leave
q bush for 'em for many day after.
But when the first rain comes, and
there's springer young grass, the pad
dies come back again in hundreds onto
the burnt feed. 1t amt nice thing for
q man to be kort in, nor l don't know as
there's more mellankollier ride than
to go over miles and miles of country
as has just been burnt, and afore the
new springer grass comes up, and the
young leaves shoot out from the black
trunkser the trees. Everything is black
and desolate, and there amt 80 much as
q bird hooking about just to show you
as you amt the only living thing in site
and hearing.
once made close shave from bush
fire. 1t was regular ride for life two
ways, and I'll just tell you how it was.
When waser living at Black Creek,
had four men hired, and there was a
young chap, Jerry Marsh, as had been
super for Baldwin and Yeomans, stop
ping with me for bit. Well, we were
all good bush hands, and would do any
thing almost as was wanted in bush
work. Well, we wanted some sawed
stuff, and SO we cut it for ourselves,
working two and two every now and
again as one or two others got spare
hour or so: and we'd got almost as much
out as we wanted, when we see a bush
fire coming down from the Wollomb
ranges right atop OF us. We'd knowed
for two days as one was gathering up,
and now here it was. When l see this,
l Jokes up the bullocks, and off we all
goes to load up the sawed stuff as were
at the pit afore the fire got at it. There
was fitch on the pit almost all cut up,
and Tom Dickson didn't want TO leave
it behind; so he begins working away
at it to get it orr and sling it under the
dray. All of a sudden he shoves a bit
too far on one side, and over it goes,
catching the ender the transom-the
transOm catches Tom, breaks his leg.
and knocks him over, and he falls uponer
adze and cuts his other leg. He was
afeerd he was agoing to bleed to death !;
80 Just sends Jerry to get horse ready
for me, and then / OFFS with nv neck
ankicher, puts it loose round his neck
twice, then whips bitter stick into the
loose part, and twists, and twists, till I
couldn't twist no tighter without cut
ting his leg orr, binds up the cut 80 as
to stop the bleeding as much as / could,
and then leaves the men to get him on
the dray and fetch him home.
When / gets up to the hut, there /
finds Jerry with two horses ready, and
he'd tied bitser bagging round the topser
their heads, 80 as to drop down over
their heads.
Halo, Jerryw says 1, "you don't
mean to say as you're goingT'
Yes" says he, Johnny, do. It'll
be touch and 60, and two'll do it better
nor one." And he points to the fire
which was working ahead and no mis-
take in the ridges in front of us. eff
we're sharp we may pass afore the fire
reaches the road, and if we don't, why
then one may get through, if the other
knocks under, 80 and give poor Tom a
chance"
Well, l looks at him, and he looks at
me, and we both on us knows as it is a
preshus ticklish job as we've got to do !:
but there was the poor cove bleeding
the life out of him, and no time to lose.
So we jumps into the saddle.
"All right, old manp says l, "here's
Not word more, and OFF we went.
alter smart gallop-not at full stretch,
because knew, and so did Jerry, as we
might come to pinch when we'd want
everything as the poor beasts had in 'em.
When we got ON his track there was a
fire on our rite, cracking, and taring,
and splitting, and every now and then
regular roaring up like wild beast as
1t got hold OF a loter tea-tree scrub
which grew in crate big thickets, and a
working 'em OFF most as soon as it
touched 'em. The wind was ded on us
orr the fire, and it was a most like
riding in an oven; while the noise it
made was nigh enuf to stun us, and
every now and then tree or a big linn
would drop and sound like a big gun.
and send the sparks flying round In q
cloud. Well, we cleared two short
ridges and the hollers between without
much damage; but when we got to the
topper the third ridge, we finds that the
fire had hedded us, and waser crossing
the road of the ridge beyond. We were
in for it, and no mistake; for / lust
turns my head round to look behind.
and there ! see it crossing the road on
the ridge we'd just left. Mind you,
there was no stopping. l only lust
looked behind, and SO did Jerry.
Johnny" says he, "this here's the
pinch. Is your horse rite p? saws he.
He's rite" says 1. "Pve trusted
my life to him more'n once"
He go fust" says he; and he leans
forward in the saddle, and drops the
bagging in front of his horses ewes. "Tf
aver you rode in your life, ride now
Here's at it," says he, "and may Heaven
lelp usI'
Now, you see, we're ruff and reddy in
he bush, and we don't 20 in for iong |
,reachments, but whenever We do 70 AZ |
we do it honest; and If jerry had /
Preached forer hour he couldn'ter said