The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1883-05-17
KANGAROO HUNT:


of work to take part in a grand kan
garoo battue, convened by some neigh
boring squatters. 1t was on the largest
scale ever attempted in Australia, with
corresponding result. The local paper
some days previously contained the fol-
lowing advertisement:
"Roll up! Roll up! Roll up! Neigh
bors, Friends and Strangers. Horse
men and footmen, with guns or with
out, to meet at the - Homestead, on
the 23d of October, for Kangaroo
Drive. A welcome for everybody.
Bring pair of blankets, if you've got
any. II you haven't, we'n find you
some. Plenty of tucker guns and am
munition. Roll up, Boys! Roll upr'
Such an invitation in New South
Wales findsready acceptance, and fortwo
days before the one appointed horse
men by twos and threes might be seen
vending their way through the bush to
S, the lessee of which run was
famed, far and wide, as a thorough
going sportsman and liberal employer.
Our contingent went all together, and
an animated scene the home paddock
presented when we arrived at our
be seen every day in the Australian bush.
More than three hundred horsemen,
armed with every conceivable variety of
gun, from the forty-year-old shooting
iron of Hollis to the last thing of Green
er's; and mounted on every conceivable
variety of animal, from an almost un-
broken colt to Suffolk punch. Besides,
there was a small army on foot to act
as beaters. 1t was glorious day, but,
of course, after twenty-mile ride we
felt like little refreshment, and there
was no lack of it. Huge rounds of beef,
cheeses like dray wheels, and great
buckets of tea, hot, strong, and sweet,
disappeared like magic amid much
laughter. fun and chatting.
Next morning, up with the first cry of
the laughing jackass, just before day
break, wash in the creek, breakfast,
and swig of Martell's palest, and the
fun commences. Stations are allotted
to all the parties by our leader along
both sides ofthe gully-the whole length
of it. Old hands at the game generally
lie down, because, in the excitement,
bullets and swan shot may fly rather
too close to be pleasant. Hooked sharp
out of my Uis-d-riS, and discovered one
of the rankest of ''new chums" it has
been my fortune to come across. One
of those gilded youths who are sent out
here, now and again, with lots of money
and no brains. Heaven alone knows
what they come here for, unless it is to
be made a alaughing-stock of through the
colonies. They haven't single idea,
except themselves, and their speech is
generally limited to "Haw! oh! yethr'
There, opposite me, stood this particu-
lar specimen-admirably got up for the
Bush. Velvet knickerbockers, nothing
less, ankle-jacks that, could see from
where / stood, where pinching him hor-
ribly as he rested himself first on one
foot then on the other, like a "native
companion" gazing meanwhile intently
up into the trees from under the scanty
shade of little stiff black billycock.
Seeing that this gentleman was hand
ling a brand-new revolving rifle, lay
down fiat behind a tolerably thick
stump. The beaters could now be
heard at work, the cracks of their whips
and wild yells and shouts making the
Bush ring again.
Soon half dozen "fying does' came
hopping down the gully, thud, thud,
thud on the hard ground; but they nev-
er reached so far as our position, but
fell victims to a dozen shots from the
other side-the rule in these cases be-
ing Gas it is well known the marsupials
on entering a gully will attempt to
make for the scrub, ON one side or the
other) for the shooters only on the side
they make for, to fire. This lessons
risks of accidents, which, however, fire.
quently occur. Thicker and faster now
rolled the living tide of kangaroos,
wallaroos, wallabies, and all their rela-
tions, large and small, encompassed
between two walls of sportsmen, rain
ing ball and shot. Of course it was a
massacre; but it was badly wanted
Remember, each kangaroo is said to
consume the grass of five sheep day.
We had not expected such drive as this,
for the wide gully was literally choked
from side to side with the jumping,
swaying masses.
The blue velvet knickerbockers could
see dimly, now and again, through the
clouds of smoke; and a continuous
crack, crack, from that quarter, accom-
panied by the whiz of bullets past my
head, warned me not to stand up VET
The heavy rush was over, and the firing
slackened considerably, but the new
chum continued to blaze away as fast as
he could put his cartridges in and dis
charge his piece. He had by this time
got from the scrub nearly out into the
middle of the gully, and there he stood
firing, but seldom hitting anything;
people all round singing out and
swearing at him-to no purpose. He
evidently meant to pot biped of some
sort, if not kangaroo. One of the
latter, very big "old man." at this
moment entered the gully, and, run
ming the gauntlet of few struggling
shots-for guns were by this time get
ting bot and ammunition scarceehe
made straight for our friend in the
knickerbockers, who valiantly stood his
ground, and discharged four shots
nearly point blank at che seven-footer,
only one grazing his cheek or jaw. The
sting of the bullet made the "old man"
so savage that the next moment he had
Blue Breeches, breach-loader and all, in
loving embrace. and. was busily en-
gagged in doing his best to disembowel