Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-31
AUSTRALIAN BUSH LIFE
TYPES OF HUMANITY FOUND ON
GREAT DRY FIELDS.
Monotony Of the Scenery-Eucalyptus
Trees and Sun-Baked Earth
Cockatoos and Jackala
From the Boston TRANSCRIPT.


1t is in pioneering the distant back
blocks that the peculiarities Of Australian
me are TO be found. Away in the never
never country one meets many curious
types OF character The bush tramp. or
sundowner.' as he is known, seems to lose
MS Identity after few years Of "humpins
the bluey' on the plains Of Australia No
creature on earth could be more homeless
or foriorn He may have come of good
family and have had prospects Of inheri-
lance TIL that fatal day when he was driy-
en- TO the bush to hide his face forever from
his people.
IN the lonely wayside INNS which grow
scarcer and scarcer as he threads his wav
out back" he finds the only semblance OF
nome on earth. The monotony OF the
transverse hundred miles vyithout ~.
sishtest variation In the ianscane-the
PAINE paine gum, the same eucalyptus the same
peTnat,, sqh baked, earth And overhead the
lnocking laughter OF the jackaI. No
wonder the tone of Australian literatura 40
IL since the keynote of the bush
The Prospector.
1t can readily be imagined upaar w..,
80. ss',ie conditions the hardy prospector
.reads his way. If by no other marLs
ne can be distinguished from the tr,r,n
oy MS air of self-possession and dec,s,,,,
gait From end to end of the continer, $.
va 10y ne meta sturdy. CHEEKY son of patura
ana eSeS ny iong habit bent upon the ground
..swap nope e., always in his heart In his
ISL u.s. me only tool of the alluvial prosnec.
d 5oi. ahd suf1icient food to last him To-
"a kipd n ns generally consists of "damper'
e. IA niIiu OF crude bread he bakes with tho
nour bestowed upon him at the Ia hn, rne
tbe d land tea which he makes in a billy,
of the bpsh ,aot We, companion of all denizens
rom ms meager equipment the ..hni,,
cannot be dispensed with VIC o'iiy
~, u1zen times during the day he sboi,a
~ rI niiy ana partakes OF a long drauebt
OIL black tea-milk and sugar heinz ,nausn e
uhtnought Of For many DAYS and go,
meehs. ne can exist on no other food but
ine eternal tea and damper." as If in keep
ing win the monotony of his environment
BLESSED is the wayfarer who invites hia -.
snare pug OF tobacco. His festivals ara
heid on the days when he arrives ~ son,s
tbn 9.eau ana such is the hospitality of
the Australian bush that he never need hos,
Al the squdtter's home there are accommo.
oation and food for every passerhv Ona
may rest himself and stable his horse as he
would at an inn. and it would he an mr.
pardonable breach of bush etiouette 70 ofyar
payment for the accommodation
Bushman a Romanticist.
The Australian bushman is a romanticist
strengthened his imagination and long alb
sence from society to have heightened his
powers of expression. He will tell the most
impossible stories with absolute sincerity
MS language being interlarded with ad-
Jectives of an imposing description one OF
winch he Will at every opportunity sand
wien In the middle of a word with remark
able effect. This system of syllable swear
ing is considered the acme of conversation
al perfection. Unlike the tramp he is not
lost to sentiment, and he jnherits an En-
glish love for ceremony
during a gold rush a man was found
DEAD In scrub, and steps were promptly
taken to give him decent burial. I'm
fortunately not one man in the camp pos
sessed a Bible, nor could any one remem-
Der prayer. An original prayer was out
of the question, probably by reason of the
habit 1 have indicated. Something of a
solemn character had to be ead so every
tent was searched till at length one of the
prospectors unearthed from his belongings
a copy of the Declaration of American In
dependence. And they read shat.
In striking contrast to the unruly life
of some of the remote states of America,
the Australian bush has much to commend
it. Throughout the entire country there is
freemasonry not Influenced by merce-
nary considerations. Even in the mining
the fever of discovery that same feeling
of good fellowship prevails while law and
order maintained above all things.
Crime is rare for the days of the BUSH
ranger are passed.
The aboriginal is but seldom aggressive.
and as a general rule is under strict con-
troll This old time cannibal is miserable
specimen of humanity but is, perhaps.
more sinned against than SHINING. Civfli-
cation has revealed to him the fiery costa
sizes of alcohol, and he Is 81 WY drinking
himself to death Gimme rum" stands for
his dying appeal to the usurpers of his
soil. So that while the life of the bush Is
Bohemian. 1t is never lawless. No such
horror as lynching is ever heard of. for
q
the law