Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-11-02
CHAPTER XIII.

Next morning the teams came up,
and we were kept busy unloading. We
unpacked the goods and slowed them
away in the substantial storehouse Just
built, stacking the sugar ON swinging
shelves from the roof so as to balk the
ants. | saw little or nothing of the
squatter's daughter She and Elsie Cor
don kept well to the quarters built for
them-a neat slab house with an iron
roof and another of bark over that to
keep it cooler. Under the wide veran-
da l sometimes caught a glimpse of
Norah Mackenzie swinging in a ham
mock reading or else moving about
MAKING soriro rti-5---i---eI-- it'll
house that happened to strike her fancy.
We saw no signs of the blacks, and
Gordon began to think that they had
moved to another part Of the country.
On the third day after our arrival he
explained that it would be advisable to
take a trip up the river to the south in
order to explore certain part of the
surrounding country. He found it nee
essary to split up the herd on account
of the pasturage; to take about
luOuSdllu utdAl VI COGtIC up bHC Ndlltg
some 80 or 40 miles, and, fencing off the
entrance to some good grassy pocket in
the ranges, leave them there. Keeping
the cattle in hand had begun to be very
troublesome ON account of the advanced
season of the year. Gordon therefore
said that Savile, DAILY, Jack and l
should go with him and drive the cattle
before us up the valley. Moreover, Miss
Mackenzie had been asking him for the
last few days to make a trip of the
kind, and he thought he might as well
take her and his sister also. They had
lots of pack horses, and could pack
tent for them and all they might want.
Besides, they would be safer with us
than if left at the station. On this point
had my doubts
Everything had been arranged and
we We're to start on the morrow. DAILY,
Mooney and a couple of blacks went
out and mastering the cattle, drove
them some 8 miles up the river2o that
we could conveniently pick them up
next day. Gordon, Jack and l got the
pack saddles out and made up the ra-
tions with such things as we would re-
uuire for a six days trip. In the after
noon Norah Mackenzie came over to the
store She was evidently in high spirits.
She wanted some cartridges for her
small sporting rifle and some for a
small Smith & Wesson revolver
After 1 had served her she tripped
off, and l realized how near | had been
to telling her what she had become to
me- But the time was not yet. ''All
! things come round to him who will but
wait, " said to myself
Next morning after breakfast we
made start, leaving Mooney and two
! other hands at the station. Our party
consisted of the two women, Gordon,
Savile, DAILY, Jack, myself and a couple
| of black boys With us we had eight
pack horses. Gordon and DAILY, with
the blacks, rode on ahead to drive up
| the cattle l found myself with Jack
| leading the way, Norah Mackenzie and
Elsie Gordon following close upon us
For several miles the creek was
| straight as an arrow-a succession Of
| long. deep water holes, on which the
purple and white water lilies bloomed
| and on which hundreds of wild fowl
| rested, while on the banks the pelican,
| the snow white ibis and other gaudy
and long legged birds enlivened the
| scene.
1t was significant that all along the
banks of the creek there were piles OF
! empty mussel shells, which showed that
! it was veritable mine of wealth to the
foraging black fellow. AT times we
J came to places where the blacks had
! camped. 1t was rather startling to count
! the number of their fires. In some
camps alone there must have been at
least 500 or 600 Where were those
blacks now?
| Toward evening we came to beau
tifully grassed, lightly timbered mead
ow. Here Gordon said it would be as
well to leave the cattle until we eX-
plored the country farther up the river.
We chose a little ironstone ridge, where
we could guard against surprise from
the blacks, and camped for the night.
| Next morning by daybreak we We're
all up and stirring Savile boiled the
| billy, the black boys rounded up the
| horses while Jack and l went down to
| the creek and had n swim. 1t was Cor
don's intention to push through the
! gap which we saw to the south and
explore the country which lay beyond
| and TO the west. He thought il was not
unlikely that the squatter, on his way
back from the table land might pass in
that direction In fact, he said, ii was