St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1889-03-02
''How much ar 70 willin' 70 payp"
.EOr whatS'

what they kin count on"
IL don't exactly understand you." I
said.
"You don't! I took you fur an old
campaigner. This ERE land belongs
to us. We ar willin' to rent it to you
fur a fair price. If we make bargain
it will include our purtection."
This is government land. or was
until We filed our papers and made a
first payment"
WAS it? Dye see any guv'ment
round ere anywheress Any redcoats
at hand to purtect ye:"
I'VE can protect ourselves. II your
gang and the natives want to live at
peace with me ali right II you want
trouble I'll give you fighting until you
are sick of it."
''Wheww he exclaimed, in genuine
establishment. "Well. il that don't
beat me! So you don't propose to pay
us rent?"
Not cent"
"And you don't want our purtec-
tion?"
mo, sir!''
"Why. man, you must b crazy!
Thar ar q dozen or more of US bush.
boys. and we kin raise force of three
hundred natives to swOop down on We!
BY Sunday We won't have a sheep nor
a man left. and I'll have yer ears fur
keepsakesr'
Come and try it." replied. ''I.et
me alone and I'll let you alone. but il
you attack me I'll not rest until the
last Of you is under ground"
He looked n me as il he doubted
my sanity. and. after a bit. helped him
self to another glass of whisky and
went out without a word. After a
confab with his companion he returned
to the door and explained.
''Say. Kurnel, we like yer pluck. but
We must come down with the rent or
take yer chances. 1t wouldn't do. We
know! II We let up on you thar'd be
dozen fellers in ere with their
sheepses inside of a year. and we'd
hev to cut sticks or 60 to the poor
house."
Come as soon as you like" re-
piled without looking up at him, and
he muttered a curse and rode OF.
called in some of the most intelli-
gent natives. and we were soon agreed
that no attack need be looked for I'M
der three days. 1t would take the bush
rangers that long TO stir up the ma
tives and get them together. When
the natives were asked how we would
be approached they pointed to the
''thumb" and criticised my action in
erecting the sheep pen. which offered
an enemy a shield OF observation. No
native Australian will move by night
If it can be avoided. and no night at
tacks were ever made By them. We
decided that on the third night the A.
lacking force would gather on the
thumb and be ready TO attack us Mt
daylight, and our plans were laid nc
cordingly. Neither the bushrangers
noe the natives knew that we had can
non. They knew that we had mus:
kets. but they could not say how many.
We should have to depend entirely up
on ourselves, as = troop Of soldiers
could not have been sent for and
reached us inside of a week.
On the second day after the visit
from the bushranger some Of the herd
ers saw signs OF the coming attack.
The natives were moving swiftly about
in considerable numbers, and it was
further evident that spies were
watching us That night I had
the sheep herded between the Lachlan
river and q bluff, where ten men
could hold them safely. The night
passed quietly. Next day the ''signs"
were more numerous, and toward SUM-
down one Of my scouts came in with
the information that force number
ing ut least four hundred natives and
twenty white men was coming through
the scrub in the direction of the thumb.
This was good news to me. The sheep
were brought in and herded as before.
and when night had fully come l put
fifteen natives in each rife pit and
gathered all The rest of my people into
the fort We had talked matters over
until every one knew what was expect
ed Of HIM. My natives were promised
certain things in case they fought as I
directed. and they were only too anx-
ious for the day to break and the ball
to open. At midnight one Of them
crcpt down and found the big sheep
pen crowded full of men, and there
was no longer any doubt that the at
tack would be made with the dawn.
Some Of US caught little sleep as
the night wore on, but we werc all wide
enough awake when the first signs Of
daylight came. When it was light
enough for us to see the pen a mass Of
natives suddenly swarmed around each
corner o: it and made dash for the
fort. We talk about the yells Of our
Indians, but native Australian can out
yell three of them. They swarmed over
the plain in q great mob. yelling,
shrieking and brandishing their spears
and clubs. and they might have thought
us asleep until they came within pistol
shot Then they were between the
rifle pits, and q volley was fired which
took the pluck out of them in minute.
We swept them with fire in front. and
back they went for shelter. leaving
over forty dead and wounded on the
grass. Not a white man had come
with them. but soon discovered the
reason. They had divided themselves