Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1886-02-25
The King Of the Stations
BY HENRY NEWPORT.

BY HENRY NEWPORT.
"Bossl bossG Curry, curryl Yarra-
man gonen
The stockman leaped out of bed at this
cry of his black herd-keeper, and belt
ing his trousers as he ran, made with all
haste for the corral where the horses had
been confined at dusk on the previous
evening.
I climbed into my clothes as rapidly
as possible, and joined him in time to
hear the black saying:
Suppose you give it bullock, I look
outyarraman belong you"
'Hang it all; /; I suppose I'll have to. Is
This more of Peters work9"
"Sure, boss. See, and see, and see.
The black stopped down and pointed
to a peculiar series of marks in the torn
ground about the stockade. They were
the prints of a horses hoof-small, but
clearly cut in each instance as though
the horse had deliberately pressed his
foot into the ground in such way as to
leavea perfect impression. All about
these perfect marks were torn ground
and an occasional half foot print, show
ing that the place had been overrun a
short time before by drove Of horses.
''What is it?" I asked.
'Peter, king of the stations on the
Macquarie river, and the finest horse in
all South Australia, has been here in the
night and coaxed my mares away They
have broken through the stockade, as
you see, and the other horses have fol-
lowed, SO that we haven't hoof on this
place this morning. 1t is that rascally
Cudjo's business to look after the horses,
but he has let them escape, and now has
the sublime gall to tell me that if give
him bullock he will find them for me. Z
(which, of course, you will not do9',
But just will / have no choice. 1t
is either give Cudjo his bullock, or lose
my entire string of horses. He knows
the haunts Of Peter and his drove and
can lead us direct to the place where the
beasts are at this moment; and what is
more, after the horses are found, he can
separate mine from the wild herd. Alone,
could neither find the horses, nor cap
ture them after they were found. This
is the third time that I have suffered in
this way, and propose that it shall be
the last. You and I and Cudio shall
take our rifles and stalk the drove until
Peter is killed, if it takes a week, and
when the stallion is shot Cudjo shall
have two bullocks instead of one. .
Cudjo's saturnine face broke into a
series Of grins at this welcome news. He
shook his black fist in the direction of a
clump of gum trees on the horizon and
yelled: Peter, you rascal Cudjo
make him budgery2" meaning that Peter
was doomed.
Next to the kangaroos, the droves Of
wild horses that infest plains in New
South Wales, are the settlers greatest
enemies. Originally domesticated, they
have broken away from the stations at
various times, and partly through natural
increase, partly through accessions to
their ranks from the settlers herds, that
are rapidly growing into pest Of appal-
ling proportions, enticing away the stock
mans Mares breaking down his stock
AIDES and trampling the growing grain.
"Co, boss, whispered the black, hold
ing up q warming finger after we had
been on steady trot behind him for two
hours and more; s'better you make down
your head, or yarraman gerrand (the
horses viii be frightened).
ssWhere are they, you black rascalgn
s'See, boss"
Wehad instinctively lowered our heads,
and followed the blacks example, half
crawling to the top Of gentle elevation
| grown up in acacias and gum trees, and
now at his words looked over the brow Of
the hill. On the rich couch grass which
overspread the plain below 500 horses
were feeding. Some were lying down,
lazily cropping the grass within reach OF
their lips; others were curveting among
the occasional clumps of grass-trees, and
Others were drinking at stream which
meandered like silver ribbon through