The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-01-23
OUR STORY TELLER.
AN AUsTRAL FIRE.
BY A BUSH HAND.

A bush tire's terrible thing, espe- |
cially when it's In heavy brush coun-
try. There's one good it does, and that
Is, IL clears off the snakes and such like |
varmint. But il routs up the poor ban
dicoots and kangaroo rats, and sets the
paddy melons sculling, for it don't leave
a 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
a man to be kort in, nor I don't know is
there's q more mellankollier ride than
TO 20 over miles and miles of country
as bas just been burnt, and afore the
new spri ger grass comes up, and the
young leaves shoot out from the black
trunkser the trees. Everything is black
and desolate, and there amt so much as
n bird nocking ab, ut Just to show you
ms you amt the only living thing in site
and hearing.
once made close shave from bush
FIRE. II was a regular ride for life two
ways, and I'll Just tell you how it was.
When waser living at Black Creek, I
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 rs We wanted, when we see bush
fire coming down from the VOL ombi
ranges right atop OF us. Wed knowed
for two days as one was gathering I'D.
and now here it was. When | see this
yokesup 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 orf and sling it un er the
dray. All of 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 !;
30 Just sends Jerrv to get ahsrse ready
for me, and then l orfs with my 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 orf, binds up the cut so 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 i gets up TO the hut, there
finds Jerry with two horses ready, and
he'd tied bitser bagging round the topsey
their heads, so as to drop down over
their heads.
Halo, Jerryp' says I, "you DOM
mean to say as you're goingT'
Yes" says he, johnny, I do. It'll
be touch and go, and two'll do it better
nor one" Aud he points to the fir,
which was working ahead and no mis-
take in the ridges in front of us. al
we're sharp we may pass afore the fir,
reaches the road, and if we don't, VIII,
then one may get through, if the otheJ
knocks under, so and give poor Tom (,
chance" 10 =
Well, / looks at him, and he looks a
me, and we both on us knows as it is ,
Preshus ticklish job as we've got to do
out 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 /, "here'
ct It."
Not word more, and orf we went
ater smart gallop--not at full stretch
because l knew, and so did Jerry, as "
might come to a pinch when we'd wan
everything as the poor beasts had in ZEN
when we got on his track there was
nre on our rite, a cracking, and tarina
and splitting, and every now and the
regular roaring up like wild beast a
1t got hold of loter tea-tree scru
which grew in CRATE big thickets, and
working 'em orf q most as soon as
touched 'em. The wind was ded on U
orf the hrc, and 1t was most Hk
riding In an oven; while the noise |
made was nigh enuf to stun us, an
every now and then tree or a big lir
would drop and sound like a big gur
ana send the sparks flying round in
cloud. Well, we cleared two shol
ridges and the hollers between withor
much damage; but when we got to tn
Dpor the third ridge, we finds that Ii
hre had hedded us, and waser crossir
the road Of the ridge beyond. We we
in for it, and no mistake; for 7 in
turns my head round to look benin
and there see it crossing the road {
the ridge we'd just left. Mind yo
there was no stopping / only ju
looked behind, and 50 did Jerry.
Johnny" says he, otis here's Il
pinch. Is your horse rite p says he.
He's rite" says I. "Tve trust,
my life to him more'n once" o..
He go fustp' says he; and he lea
forward In the saddle, and drops Il
baeging in front of his horses eyes. Z"
ever you rode in your life, ride noV
Here's At it." says he, "and may Heav
Now, You see, we're ruff and reddy
:! the bush, and we don't 90 in for lol
preachments, but whenever we do 90
u We do it honest; and il jerry h
preached forer hour he cOuljn'ter "a
moren that. IL we hadn't some 9th
help nor our own, we were cooke
Driving his spurs into his horse,
dashed down the slope on to the lie,
bitter ground between the two hills,
reglar racing spede. 1t was pret
thick there wither big cluEpser ta
growing tea trees and deal of und
growth, and the fire got in 'em as he ,
up. And, mind you. it wasn't a reg
road, but just bit ofer dray ira
Very luckily IL was good bitter us
and miter been ten or twelve feet wi
As he galloped threw 'em at top spe
1 could see the flames from the burn
bush q curling round his body, just Ii
vhip or big snake, and as IL il wa