The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1896-01-28
DAPHNE.

bush carrier, and it is, believe, an
accepted fact that ladies of that sta
zion are not noted either for their
culture or their refinement.
Crawling with heavily laden bull
lock wagons across the plains and
+. mover ending scrubs would not APP
pear TO be an existence possessed of
many charms, and yet / believe
there is no case on record of a man
or woman who having once served
his or her apprenticeship to the
trade, has ever returned to civil
liked life again.
In the Queensland bush carrying
trade. you must understand, there
are three main arteries-the town.
ships of Hughenden, Longreach and
CharleVille-and from each of these
places there flows continually a
stream of enormous table topped
wagons bound for the stations in the
great west, all more or less remote
from what is generally supposed to
make life worth living.
The existence of the carrier is
rougb TO terrible degree and must
in no way be COMPOUNDED with that
of the respectable, jog trot class who
ply their trade in English rural dis
fricts. Let me picture for you
nights camp of one of these nomad
families.
Imagine a treeless plain, say,
sorne 200 or 300 miles from civiliza-
tion, extending as far as the eye can
reach on every side. In the fore
ground you will probably have a
fair sized water hole, up to the side
of which as you look numbers an
<senormous wagon, piled with loading
of every kind and description and
drawn by perhaps 20 bullocks.
Wearied after their long day
march, the team drags up to the
water and then comes to a halt with
a deep grunt of satisfaction. The
sun, which throughout the day has
caused them untold agonies, now
lies low upon the horizon, turning
the dreary plain into the likeness of
a ywayeless sea and painting the
plaGid water hole with COlorS of ever
Ohanging beauty. Once at a stand
still, the work of unyOking COM
mcnCes, and after this is accomplish
cd the off slider, or driver 5 assistant,
bells certain bullocks and conducts
The herd TO water and the best grass.
The driver meanwhile places the
yoRes in proper order upon the pole
preparatory to an early start upon
the morrow
: dhe carrier s wife by this time has
descended from her perch on the
summit of the load, and with a
crowd of nut brown children at her
hesls has set about her preparation
of the evening meal. Ere it is eaten
tho SIM has packed his pillows in
the west and dropped into his Grim
son bed.
As daylight disappears and with
ont an interval of twilight, darkness
descends upon the plain, and one
by one sundry jewels drop out of
the treasure house of night to deck
tho canopy of heaven. The stiffness
is almost remarkable, and later on
when each member of the tiny par
10y has found resting place among
the loading or beneath the wagon it
becomes even more intense till only
\ the whistle of curlew, the cry of a
nnarauding dingo or the distant
bcom of the bullock bells jars upon
the sleeping night.
BY daybreak the community is
once more astir, and when breakfast
i has been eaten the team is yoked up.
Then the woman places herself and
children upon the top of the wagon,
the carrier takes his place and cracks
his heavy whip, the bullocks sway
forward, and once more the journey
is resumed across the same inter-
xninable plain. So, week in and week
ont, from year end to years end,
the Same life goes forward, never
varying save when rain or scarcity
of grass makes the track impossible.
small wonder, therefore, that the
women grow to be hard and rough,
consorting, as they do, with none
but the sternest of the opposite sex
and daily doing work that would
test the patience and endurance of
the strongest man. These are some
Of the folk who in reality do the
bnilding up of our colonies, although
The credit goes to another noiser,
nglier and far less useful class. But
10 get back to my story.
AS have said at the beginning,
sbQ was tall, angular and particu-
Xexly plain, and in spite of the glar-