The Opelousas courier., 1902-08-02

SSN-J 'AA~A~
81 can see the shadows of the trees
reflected in the water beneath them"
replied the visitor, with the persls-
tence of a jackaroo and a growing
suspicion that he was being made a
butt Of by the mischievous stockmen.
"You see reflections, it is true, but
those are not trees, aud that is not
water" said Mcintyre. Chat decep-
ton which you are looking at has
fooled many a new settler, and led
him on from hope TO hope into drier
plains with no chance of getting water
and finally to die of thirst. Old hands
like us now know better. What you
see before you is what the books
would call a land mirage, or optical de-
fusion, and is peculiarly characteristic
of Australia"
Torn McCurdy drew the crowd back
into it's business mood by yelling:
"Coo-ee-ey!"
Hear m, TONI" asked Mcintyre.
eyes, at the corner"
The call sounded again end the echo
came louder along the bluff.
Move down a stretch, ans soon's
Fishers line roun's tn point n line
off, dash at the beggars out there with
a yell; get 'em frightened, get EN- on
tn go, an keep EN- at it 'ntil they
call a halt on us. Then, look out"
Carl Fishers squad csQtered over
the wooden mound, down"<&e rubble
slope at the gap and strung OK along
the palisade of the abrupt face OF TIE
mountain, and then swung out into tIlss
prairie facing the miraged brumbys
at a lively canter.
McCurdy's men. Hoped leisurely out
to line off from Fishers end. The
long cayalcade of horsemen then gal
Hoped abreast over the undulating
plain as quietly as the dull tnump OF
the speeding animals would permit
them to.
When the nearer beat of the gallop-
ing horses started the grazing brum-
bys and they threw up their heads,
McCurdy knew the time had come.
"Giv'm a dash, a whoop, an a roun-
I'D ford" he commanded, giving his
own steed more rein. With a terrific
yell the drivers dashed in upon the
| %affrighted wild animals; the dogs
rounding the ends, and turning the
| scattering ones to the center.
The startled horses punched, hud-
died in undecided confusion, made a
momentary stand, and then a spas
modic lunge against the Whooplng yell
lers, who beat against the circling
maze of agitated wild animals to break
the corral, and head out a leader for
a drive forward.
Burnaby never saw a livelier or a
noisier piece of work than this reck-
less charge and manipulation of an
untamed mob of bush horses by these
daring frontiersmen. Men rode around
and fought the swapping, paving
brutes, fencing hoofs and crashing
teeth with their stock butts as though
1t were athletic play. Finally, Tom
McCurdy and big Bill Lindsay wedged
into the mass, and kneaded through to
the opposite side, when a furious stall
lion gave them chase.
This made an opening. With anoth'
err showing whoop, and the furry OF
the big stations chase, and the dogs
nagging at their heels, the disconcert-
ed bunch headed out after Tom and
the pursuing steed. The riders in the
rear kept UP a fearful din of yells
which, with charges and clubbing
soon stampeded the lot toward the
creek.
1t was now a pell-mell chase-f1eet
unhampered steeds of nature, against
the hardened weight-bearing horses Of
industry.
Carl Fisher rode at the head OF the
right wing, Tom McCurdy and Bill
Lindsay in the lead, while Mcintyre
guided the left, riding wide, in a kine
of a bow, so that the extreme ends
would easily cover the TANKS Of thu
pursued mob. The drive was hell
well in hand, until the creeks wa
reached. Here they baked and mad
trouble. McCurdy took n ford whil'
Lindsay took the other. The will
horses divided also.
AS McCurdy leaped down the steel
embankment, the stallion tore a patcl
of hair from his half-breed's tail, an
slued around up the iE~3line, turned a
bay with several others, and gave bat
tie against the high banks, While tn
great bulk of the mob pushed an
crowded themselves into the rayines Q
the beaten trail and crossed.
Come on, lads" McCurdy GALE
back across the stream, there's n
time t. divide or stop. Keep tn beg
!. gars r moVin'.'
Small punches were abandoned her
and there as they broke through, an
pursuit forced after the main body.
BY good generalship, hard riding
, and with the aid Of dogs the gallopin
, brumbys were rushed Up the laps
, the muster yard, before they halle
: in their eight-mile race across tn
prairie into the friendly forest whic
they felt sure would shelter them.
' So long as this delusion lasted
lent speed TO their heels, but when
was dispelled the leaders, feeling ii
q strong panels of the narrowing wins
t of the muster yard, showed dispositio
to lib and contest the ground. IT
, forward ones being blocked by The il
D ~creasing jam, the rear ones were lie
i to battle. The stockmen pressed TO
ward and precipitated the fray by a
! lacking the stubborn ones, which we
rapidly worked into a mood for al
: sort of encounter.