We had been “out bush” for a couple of weeks, riding from camp to camp, and mustering1 as we went. Bett-Bett was with us for her promised treat, and, as the head stockman said, was having “a wild and woolly time.” Perched straddle-legs on an old stock-horse, with the stirrup-irons wedged firmly between her little bare toes, she had had many a wild gallop2 after the cattle; and that, and everything else, was better than her wildest dreams of camping out.
As we rode from the yards to our camp, one of the men said:
“Isn’t this June? because, if it is, I reckon King Edward will be just about crowned.”
We all agreed it was June right enough, but nobody seemed sure of the date; we couldn’t even decide what day of the week it was. We had been “out bush” so long that we had got hopelessly mixed.
“Well,” said the Maluka, “we’re within a week of it, and that’s near enough for the Never-Never; so we’ll have a ‘play-about’ to celebrate it. Whoop3! Hallo there, boys!” he called; “come and have a bigfellow play-about.” Then remembering that some bush blacks were camped at the river, he added, “Call up your pals4, and I’ll shoot you a bullock for yourselves.”
With yells and screechings they obeyed, and were answered back by louder yells, as their bush friends— about twenty men, women and children—came screaming through the trees to accept the invitation.
Some hobbled the horses, some collected firewood, others dug a big, wide, shallow hole, and lit an enormous fire in it; lubras and piccaninnies ran to hunt for stones, which were to be made red hot in the fire; and everybody scampered6 and scuffled about, getting in each other’s way, laughing and shrieking7, as they played practical jokes on one another. When they heard the shot that killed the bullock, they rushed off in a wild stampede to the stockyard.
In about ten minutes a ghastly procession came in sight, for the bullock had simply been hacked8 in pieces, skin and all; and every one, down to the tiniest piccaninny, was carrying a red, horrible-looking joint9 of meat.
Billy Muck, who was to be King himself some day, had the bullock’s head, and was amusing himself and everybody else by bucking10 and charging around, digging the horns into any one he could catch. Bett-Bett had the tail, and was swishing about with it among the lubras and piccaninnies, greatly to their delight. In fact, the future King and Queen were quite the life of the party. As the procession dodged11 and jumped about, it reminded me of a troop of clowns at a circus.
When it reached the fire, the meat was thrown on the ground, and while the dogs were helping12 themselves to the tit-bits, the ashes and stones were scraped out, and then the oven was ready for the joints13.
A layer of hot stones was first thrown in, then some joints of meat, then more stones and more meat, layer after layer, till the hole was full and heaped up; on top of this were poured a few quarts of water, on top again was piled earth, and on top of everything else a great big fire was lit.
Then we went to our own camp to supper, and the blacks, making little fires every here and there, grilled14 small pieces of meat, to take the edge off their appetites; for it would be quite two hours before the joints were ready to eat.
As they sat, singing their strange, weird15 songs, the head stockman said it was a pity that we had no fireworks; but as his Majesty16 would not let his mail-man carry them, it was his Majesty’s own fault, not ours.
“What about a Poolooloomee Show?” suggested the Maluka.
It was the very thing.
“Poolooloomees, boys!” we shouted, and every blackfellow sprang to his feet with a yell. Snatching tomahawks, knives and hatchets17, they rushed to the tall, white gum trees, and peeled off great sheets of bark, for they dearly loved a “Poolooloomee Play-about.”
They dragged the bark to the fire, and sitting down, cut it into thick strips, which were trimmed and shaped till they looked like small-sized tennis racquets, or rather long-handled battledores. As these were cut, the lubras put the broad ends into the fires, leaving the handles sticking safely out. They did not blaze, for the bark was too full of sap, but they gradually changed colour till they were beautiful glowing rings of fire.
Of course, as soon as half-a-dozen were ready to send off, the blacks wanted to fire them, and the Maluka had hard work to make them wait till everybody was well supplied with Poolooloomees. He managed it somehow, and it was well worth the trouble, for we had a magnificent display of fireworks.
When about two hundred of these little racquets were cut and glowing, each blackfellow drove a strong, straight rod into the ground, and holding one Poolooloomee high in his right hand, and a bundle of others in his left, stood looking at the Maluka, waiting for a signal.
“Let her go, Gallagher!” he shouted, and instantly the air was full of yells, and blazing, twirling, curling hoops18 of fire—the Poolooloomee Show had begun.
At the word of command, every man had brought his right arm down with a peculiar19 short, sharp swing, and striking the Poolooloomee handles hard against the firm upright rods, had broken off the fiery20 circles, and sent them whirling and twisting and soaring high up into the air. Quick as lightning, the handles were dropped, other Poolooloomees taken from the left hand, struck off, and sent circling and sailing after the first flight, to be followed again and again by others.
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It was marvellously weird and beautiful. Up went the strange fireworks, shooting like rockets through the trees, to join the brilliant cloud of Poolooloomees that were floating away into the glorious tropical night. Backwards21 and forwards among the fires raced the lubras, looking like flitting black shadows, as they carried fresh supplies of fireworks to the men, letting no one’s left hand get quite empty. The men themselves, standing22 full in the light of the fires, looked like shining black giants, as they worked and yelled and hallooed at their posts, surprised both at themselves and their display; and we whites sat still in wonder, amazed and admiring, sorry only that so few of the civilized23 world were there to see it all.
Poolooloomees are really a Daly Water’s Play-about, but our Roper blacks had learnt it from them, and some had learnt it very well.
As the last few Poolooloomees glided24 out of sight, we gave a “Hip25, hip, hooray!” and a “Tiger” for King Edward VII, and then amused ourselves by trying to fire some more.
Most of our attempts were dismal26 failures; the Poolooloomees doing exactly what they ought not to do. All I fired tried to bury themselves in the ground, and the head stockman’s spent most of their time hitting the nearest tree, and burning everybody within reach with a shower of sparks.
Altogether we had a merry time, and the blacks cut away at bark for us, and screamed with delight at our failures; and when one of the Maluka’s rockets bounced from a tree, and dived into the head stockman’s much-cherished grass-bed, their joy knew no bounds. But when it blazed up, they rushed to the rescue and beat the fire out, looking like so many black imps27, as they danced among the flames.
After that they dug each other in the ribs28 with hot fire-sticks, and played most foolish and painful jokes till the bullock was cooked. When the earth and fire were at last scraped away, everybody helping themselves to huge junks, and began tearing at them like wild beasts, dog and master eating from the same joint. I called Bett-Bett then, and we went to our camp, leaving our guests to their feast; for this part of the entertainment was not very pretty.
Long after midnight they were still at it, singing and laughing and feasting. As I lay awake listening to them, I heard a peculiar scrunching29 going on inside Bett-Bett’s mosquito net. I went over to see what it was, and found that she had crept back to the feast for her precious ox-tail, and that she and Sue were just finishing picking the bones.
Next morning the bullock had completely disappeared, and the King’s loyal subjects looked as though they would burst, if only pricked30 with a pin!
When we reached the homestead we found we had been a few days too soon with our demonstration31; so on the proper day we called the blacks up, and gave them flour, and treacle32, and “chewbac,” for we had no bullock in the yards. Every one got an equal share, and Jimmy carried his supply in his little union Jack33 apron34, which was most loyal of him; the only unpleasant thing about it was, that when he took his apron off, he had nothing left in the way of clothes.
As the blacks turned to go to their camp, the men gave another “Hip Hooray and a Tiger” for the King, and then fired a volley of revolver shots into the air as a royal salute35. This was too much for our dusky friends; they thought we had suddenly gone mad, and dropping flour and treacle-tins in all directions, fled helter-skelter into the bush, even Bett-Bett and the piccaninnies joining in the general scamper5.
We shouted to them to stop, and said we were only having a “play-about”; but they did not wait to hear. We ran after them, but that only made matters worse. The only thing was to sit down and wait. When all was quiet, I lifted up my voice to the high sing-song pitch that the lubras had taught me would carry well, and I called Bett-Bett.
Away in the distance a thin little squeak36 answered. Then I called again and again, and at last she screwed up enough courage to come back. We sent her after the others, to tell them we were only in fun, and to say they had better come and collect their tucker.
For about five minutes we heard her shrill37 little voice piping through the forest, and then Billy Muck turned up, giggling38 nervously39. Soon after him came the station “Boys,” trying hard to look at ease, and pretending they had only run for fun. But it was nearly half-an-hour before everybody decided40 that it was really safe.
The last man in got teased unmercifully because he had been frightened of the Missus and the Boss—the good “Maluka” who was every blackfellow’s friend— and I thought it was very like “the pot calling the kettle black,” seeing how they had run themselves.
We told them that we had shouted and fired, because that is the way that white men always have a Play-about Corrobboree. They seemed able to see some sense in that idea, and were soon shouting with laughter at the way they had run, as though it were the best joke in the world.
Bett-Bett put on great airs because she had come back first, and strutted41 about with her nose in the air, saying;
“Me no more frightened fellow longa Missus; me all day savey Boss play-about. Me no more run long way,” and so on, and so on.
As nobody had waited to see, nobody could contradict her, and she had it all her own way, and “came out on top,” as the men said.
After a while everything was gathered up again, and new pipes were given out all round to make up for the fright, and very soon some most indigestible-looking dampers were cooked and eaten, and every one was happy and contented42.
The King had Coronation demonstrations43 all over his empire, and at many of them a whole ox may have been roasted in the good old English way; but I doubt if he had a stranger or a merrier one than ours, in the very heart of the Never-Never Land.
Some weeks afterwards we heard of the King’s illness, and of the postponing44 of the Coronation, and knew that after all we had missed the real Coronation Day, but we had paid our homage45 to our King, and we were satisfied.
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1
mustering
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的现在分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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2
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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3
whoop
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| n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息 | |
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4
pals
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| n.朋友( pal的名词复数 )；老兄；小子；（对男子的不友好的称呼）家伙 | |
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5
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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6
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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8
hacked
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| 生气 | |
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9
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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10
bucking
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| v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的现在分词 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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11
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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12
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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13
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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14
grilled
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| adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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15
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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16
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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17
hatchets
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| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
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18
hoops
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| n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓 | |
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19
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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20
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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21
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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22
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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23
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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24
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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25
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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26
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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27
imps
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| n.（故事中的）小恶魔( imp的名词复数 )；小魔鬼；小淘气；顽童 | |
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28
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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29
scrunching
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| v.发出喀嚓声( scrunch的现在分词 )；蜷缩；压；挤压 | |
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30
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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31
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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32
treacle
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| n.糖蜜 | |
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33
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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34
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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35
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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36
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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37
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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38
giggling
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的现在分词 ) | |
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39
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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40
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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41
strutted
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| 趾高气扬地走，高视阔步( strut的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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43
demonstrations
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| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
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44
postponing
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| v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 ) | |
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45
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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