The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-16

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| business to go steamboating, and there
fore deserved to drown. It so happened
! that Mr.. Bland was himself unapte TO
swim, but that also mattered very little
as he had no inclination of making
trip up-river.
For two pins. I'd chuck the job NUT
| tered the skipper after Bland had gone,
yet later on he reflected that masters 8
| job. even a boat like the Mulga Queen,
was not to be lightly thrown up. and
so when the carbo was nearly all aboard
he set about gathering his crew to-
gether, ready for a start on The fol-
| lowing day.
River men were scarce at this time, but
| happened to be out of job, and Harris
considered himself lucky in securing my
| services. He knew that I was deep
| water sailor, and that | could drive
small steam engine, so he engaged me to
act as engineer and to do duty as mate
and right-hand man in general. As for
| the other three men who made UP the
crew they were just station roustabouts,
who had never before worked on any
craft and were giving their services in re-
turn for free passage to Wilcannia; but
such as they were Harris had to take
them, and, as his employer said, do the
| best he could.
Early next morning we made a start
from Mildurinka, and the river being
well all was plain sailing for while
The roustabouts proved useful men when
it came to chopping logs for the furnace
| and for other rough work, but here then
ability ended, because. although liarrls
and | took great pains to instruct them
| in the art of steering, the green hands
quite failed to become expert helmsmen,
and when left alone at the wheel for
few minutes they zigzagged the steamer
along In most erratic fashion.
Couldn't Steer
keep her nose in line with that clump
| of trees, can't you?' yelled Harris, as
perspiring roustabout ground the wheel
| to- and fro. You .oughter steer her
| straight as the crow flies after all I've
| told you."
The man laughed aloud
straight as the crow hies!' he re-
! peated, scornfully This boat amt no
crow, and she amt no flyer, either.
She's just a crawlin,' blunderin' old
wagon. and IL don't suit you eau put
me ashore any time"
Harris tactfully ignored these mutinous
remarks, and walked forward. The skip
per of an Australian river steamboat,
with a crew of unpaid passage workers,
doesn't expect man-o'-war discipline, un-
less he happens to be lunatic
Steamers on the Darling river mostly
tie. up alongside the bank for the night,
especially IL they happen to be under
there was good water In the river by
reason of the rains, so Harris, who was
in a hurry to get the trip over, decided
to keep going till midnight, much to the
disgust of his three bushmen, who be-
lieved in an eight-hour day and were not
at all in favor of forced marches In
deed, the man whose job it was to carry
logs to the furnace knocked off, and was
only induced to start work again by al
ternate threats and coaxing on my part.
/ felt sorry for the harassed skipper,
and / backed him up most loyalty. there
by prevailing on the unwilling crew to
carry on with their duties.
While steamng up wide, clear stretcn
of the river Harris told the hemsman
to let him know when they came to the
next bend, and then, after inviting me,
his faithful henchmen. to have a, nip of
whisky, he proceeded to his cabin, closely
followed by my willing self
What d'you say to a hand 1T crib.
Jack?" inquired the skipper when each
of us had drunk a stiff nobbler.
"Just half a minute till L look az the
fires and oil the bearings" he replied.
A few minutes later we were both en-
gagged in our game.
An hour afterward Harris rose to his
fleet He had won five shlliings and, al
though l proposed another game, he
deemed il best to let well enough alone.
NO" he said; '1'll give you a chance
to beat me tomorrow night. We aughter
be getting close to Hogans Bend by how
an the river narrers bit there, SO I'll
have to go on deck now"
Together we went on deck. 1t was a
very dark night, but all seemed to be
going well. One man was sulkily throw
ing logs into the furnace, while another
stood motionless at the wheel, Ind the
Mulga Queen was in the middle of the
river, with a stretch of clear water
ahead
"She amt doing much," gruinbled
Harris. Them trees don't seem to be
slidin past the way they ought. You
shake up them engines, Jack, an I'll
take the wheel myself"
1--WE got onto this steerin' business at
last, Cap'n," said the drowsy roustabout
as Harris took the wheel from him. i've
been keepin her straight dead easy
Kept Middle of River
Meanwhile / was at work stirring mp
the fires and bustling around my engine.
Then, as the stream rose, the paddle
wheels splashed round bit faster, but
still the Mulga Queen kept the middle
of the river, and seemed to be making
no headWay.
"Shes barely stemming the current"
said Harris, after while, as he peered
uneasily into the darkness. Il say, Jack.
Just see what water there is, will your
lHtIe Sdhu pdi SVASWhcic III ILLS
stretch"
walked 10 the side and prodded into
the river with long pole, Great Scottv'
yelled. why, she's hard and fast
aground
Harris swore long and loud-so long and
so loud that even his three bushelmen.
who had all been bullock drivers. were
astonished.
"Back them engines!" he roared. Wen
try if she'll come off stern first"
The paddles reversed but 10 minutes
backing didn't bulge the Mulga Queen
yard, so we stopped the engines and
looked helplesely at each other.
''Well have just to wait till the river
rises Bit" said Harris. Its bound to
rise before long"
The moon climbed up over the lofty
gum tree that fringed the riverside,
clearly revealing the bank not more than
| 60 yards away. and the three rousta-
| bouts, after a short consultation to-
gether. began taking off their clothes
and rolling them up in their swags.
What are you fellers doin? There
amt no danger" said Harris.
| "I don't know about that; she might
slide off an sink in deep water" said
one of the men. Anyhow" ne con-
| tinued we've had enough of this busl-
ness, so we're goin' to camp on the
bank an take the track for it in the
mornin.' Well just say so long, skip
per-, an 60"
| Then each man. stepping oversize. up
to his middle in the water, waded ashore
and out of this narrative, while Harris
and l stood watching their departure