Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1895-09-22
RACE AGAINST A BUSH FIRE.

RACE AGAINST A BUSH FIRE.
Thirty years ago I was stockman
on the Ginna-gulla rum said my host,
as he slowly slipped his glass Of the ia
nous wine from his own vineyard. MY
eye glanced almost Involuntary over
the wide prospect of rolling plain and
distant wooded range which in its
variety and wealth went far TO make
the view from the broad veranda OF
Maroona home station one of the most
attractive had ever seen In Australia.
Then my eyes came back to its owner,
looking. in his stalwart middle age,
every inch the owner and master of it
all. "Stockman?" I said, interrogative-
". Mr.. Leslie smiled. Yes stock
man" he said. "Thirty-one years ago
I began in this country as many bet
ter man has done, with youth and
strength, a fair education and a deter
mination to succeed for my stock in
trade II looks a longish step from
stockman at Ginna-gulla to owner OF
Maroona, admit, and the question you
asked me five minutes ago brought it
back to my mind-the first step was
bush fire.
ct had been fully a year in Australia,
and nearly all the time at Ginna-gulla
run. 1t was known pretty nearly as
often by the name of Morrison's run as
anything else In those days, because
George Morrison, the owner, was as
we'll known a man as any In New
South Wales, and the run had got its
name for sheep and wool from him.
1T was on the Goth Of January and
the hottest day we had yet felt. was
off early to the western boundary TO
see that our next neighbours sheep were
not on our run, and both my horse and
7 had felt pretty we'll baked before we
got back. It was nearly twelve o'clock
by that time. a breeze had just begun
to come up from the northeast as I rode
up to the home station and jumped of,
glad of the chance TO get out of the sun
for bit ! was barely settled with a
pipe, a pannikin of cold tea by my side
and a month old Sydney paper in my
hand, when I heard old Saunders shout
ing to one of the stable hands asking If
any one of the hands Cat Saunders fav-
orite mount and had good times the
name of "hands'O had come in.
MY thoughts we're not very compli-
mentary as I heard the answer, and
minute after Saunders heavy tread, as
! he came around the end of our quar-
ters. looking for me. Hello, Dick he
shouted. Back early, see, as usual.
Well. IT'S lucky, for Mr.. Morrison left
a letter to go over to Radcliffe's Sta
ton to-day Miss Margaret was going
to take it, but it's too far for her on
| day like this You won't mind going.
like a good fellow? This was Just
Saunders all over. putting it like that
so that a fellow couldn't object without
| feeling like a brute
All right I replied, sulkily enough,
/ 7 dare say. 'Wallaby's pumped out
clean. though and there's not another
horse in the stable but Whalebone.
! This was satisfactory to my feelings
| for Whalebone was old Saunders fav-
orite mount and had good times and
little work, and knew he'd almost as
| soon have gone himself as let anybody
else ride him. He didn't like 1t a bit
either. but after a minute he said
We'll, Dick it can't be helped. Mind
YOU, take care of him. for mean to run
him at Bathurst in March. That let
ter's got 10 go somehow.
"In another tenminutes I had finish
| ed my tea, slowed away my newspaper
| to wait for better times. and started on
my second ride. a matter of a good
| twenty-five miles there and back. to
! Radcliffe's home station. 1t was a sat
isfactiOn to have got hold of such a
mount as Whalebone. anyhow for he
was as fresh as paint and as strong as
a lion. The first thing I noticed was
that the breeze was blowing up uncom-
/ monty fresh. 1t was from the north
east, too, and so blew nearly at right
/ angles to my track going to Rad
cliffe's.. II wasn't cool, but one didn't
expect that, and il was much better
than the stagnatiOn of the morning.
You could breathe freely in this wind.
and if it was a bit hot, why we were
used to that AS I was crossing the
first ridge I noticed. on looking back,
that Miss Morrison was going out for
her usual ride. for I saw Jackey, her
black boy, leading her horse up to the
house.
suddenly noticed a strange and
very pungent smell.
7 looked ahead and saw at the end
of the hollow what looked like a thin
film of smoke blowing across the
track. Nobody had ever been long in
Australia without hearing of bush
fire. and although I had never seen
anything Of the sort ! felt certain in q
moment that was about to see it now
was right. We hadn't been a quarter
of q mile from the end of the hollow
when first I noticed the smell Of fire
but although Whalebone had instantly
broken into a steady gallop at the first
I alarm. the wreaths Of smoke were
growing dark by the time we reached
the open ground and found ourselves