The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-03-04
RACE AGAINST BUSH FIRE

over the wide prospect Of rolling plain
aud distant wooded range which. In
iis variety aud wealth. went far 10
make the view from the broad YER
anda Of Maroona home station one III
the most attractive had ever seen in
Australia. Then NY eyes came back
toa - owner. looking la his sialwart
middleagc. every inch the owner and
MASTER Of q all. "Stockmnn. ! said
interrOgatlyely. Mr. Leslie smiled
Yes. stockman." be- said. Thirty
one years ago began In this country.
MS many better man has done. with
youth aud strength. a fair education
and a determination 10 succeed for my
stock IN trade. u looks longish step
from siockman az CHINA gulla 10 own.
az OF Maroona. admit. and the ques
ilon you asked mc five minutes ago
brought hack 10 nay mind-thc first
step was bush Ore
II bad hcrn fully a year Ia Austria
lia. and nearly 40 The time 40 CHINA
gulla run u was known pretty nearly
a. often by the name Of M0rrison's
run as anything else IN those days.
because George Morrison. the owner
was a. well known a mnn a. any in
New South Wales aud the run had got
o. name for sheep aud wool from
him.
III was on the 2Gth Of January and
the hottest day We had yet felt. was
on eahy 90 the western boundary 10
see that our next nrIghhor'a sheep
were not on our run and both my
horse and felt pretty we'll baked be-
/ fore We got back u was nearly -
O'Clock By that time. and breeze had
/ iusi begun 10 come up from the north
east as ! rode mp 10 the home station
and jumped on. glad Of the chance 90
I get ont 81 the sun Tor q hlt ! was
I barely settled with pipe a panniklu
/ ~ cold tea hy my side aud a month
I old Sydney paper In my hand. whcn ]
/ heard old Saunders shouting 20 one OF
the stable hand, asking u any one ol
/ the hands had come in,
]
mentnry as ! heard the answer. aud
minute after Saunders heavy tread.
as be- came around the end of the quar-
tors. looking for me. "llillo. Dickr De-
shouted Hack early. | see as usual
Well. MS lucky. for MIR Morrison lcfi
a letter to 90 over to Bndclln- sta
ton to-day Miss Margaret was going
% take o.. hut it'- Too far Tor her un q
day Ike this. You won't mind going
Ike good fellow This was just
Saunders an over putting d like that
so that a fellow couldn't object with.
out feeling like brute.
IAN right" I replied sulklly enough.
! dare say "Wallihys pumped out
dean. though. and there's not another
horse iu the stable bat Whalehonc.
This was satisfactory 90 my feelings.
Tor Whalclnnp was old Saunders fa.
yoriie mount and had good times and
little work. and ! knew he'd have al.
most as soon gone himself a. lrt any
liody else ride him. lie didn't like u
a bit. either. but after a minute he
said Wen. Dick d can't bc helped
Mind YOU. take care OF him. Tor ] mean
20 run him az Bathurst In March, Thai
letter has got to go somehow.
In another ten minutes ! bad nn
isltd ms tea slowed away ms news
papcr 10 wait for better times. and
3 started on my second ride. mnticl
{ | uf good twenty-five miles there ant
I back. tn Radclinr's home station. I
was a satisfaction 10 have got hnl,
~ srch mount as Whnlcbonr. ANY
how. Tor be- was a. free ~ paint AN,
1 rs strong a. a lion The first thin.
. that noticed was that the hrcczl
, was BLOWN Mp rncommonly fresh. ]
I was from the northeast. toc. and =,
blew nearly at right angles 90 m.
, tack going 10 Radcllnc's. u WASH
cool. but one didn't expect that. an
lt was much better than the stagna
Z ton of the morning You could breath
C freely Ia this wind. aud u it was
!, Bit hot why We we're used to thT. \
!, ! was crossing the first ridge | %,
ticed GA looking back that Miss Moi
nson was going out FOR her usual rid,
" for ! saw lackcy her black boy. leat
p lng her horse mp to the house.
= Il suddenly noticed a strange az
u very pungeni smell
r. Il looked ahead and saw az the on
i, ~ the hollow what looked Ike q thl
!, nlm Of smoke blowing across N
!, track Nobody had ever been hong
Australia without hearing of bus
y iirc. and although | had never see
n anything Of the sort. ! felt certain
Il moment that ! was about TO see
] 4 NaHNa NasHH A..
n quarter ~ a mile from the end Of q
!, hollow when ! inst noticed the sme
Of smoke. but although Whalebol
- had instantly broken into a stead
q gallop at the first alarm the wrcail
n Of smoke were growing dark hy q
el TIME we had reached the open grow
aud found ourselves exposed 10 u
A, full force Of the wind by this tin
= blowing an unmistakahlc gale.
1T was not Whalchonc's hrst expcl
el eng OF a bush tire. aud the nome
"a we reached the open ground hc ga
IA one short. uneasy snin To windwaI
Ity and instantly swcrved on to the d.
Il felt lustlnctlvcly that he was prot
IA hly the best judge of a course und
the unusual circumstances in which
=" found myself, and let him nave !
ru head. In a moment be- had quicken
h his pace to the long. stretching gall
al OF the race horse. and | found Oh
lr, We were dashlng across the open IN
a, with the gale whisillng shrilly Ia Q
-, ears. aud blowing rather In our iay
a. we went Away az racing spc'
lal across the plain. the smoke wreai
sef .hasIt,,r tta la wild fantaattt. nfrls A.