Charles Burchett was a humourist of the first water, and as such delighted in by his numerous friends. The district was hardly ever without the excitement of "Burchett's last." He had a serious, tentative, doubtful way of bringing out his good things, which heightened the effect.
"The Gums," like Dunmore, boasted a better library than ordinary, and there was set on foot the Mount Rouse Book Club, which, founded on a moderate subscription4, and compelling members to[Pg 143] send round the books at monthly intervals5, provided mental food for a goodly number of friends and neighbours.
Charles Burchett and his brother Fred were both somewhat deaf. Whether or not the slight infirmity concentrated the reflective powers, certain it is that they resembled each other closely in being exceptionally original and amusing in conversation.
Occasionally Mr. Charles Burchett's difficulty in hearing led to diverting cross purposes, as in the case of his celebrated6 interview with the bushrangers. He and a friend, it is related, some time in the early days, met with two men, one of whom carried a gun. They addressed themselves to his companion, who appeared to be, from the expression of his countenance7, much interested in their remarks.
Mr. Burchett looked at them with an inquiring air. "What do they want, Scott?" he said, in his resonant8, high-pitched voice, accentuating9 always the last word of the sentence. "Do they want work?"
None of them could help laughing, it is said; but the man with the gun, observing the gentleman place his hand to his ear, raised the gun sharply to a level with his breast, by way of explaining matters.
Again Mr. Burchett looked up with a grave and meditative10 expression. Then he addressed the spoiler—"I say, take away that gun, it might go off." Even the hardened old hand was not proof against this characteristic jest; he put down his gun in order to laugh in comfort. However, it was explained that business was business. So having relieved Mr. Burchett and his friend of their horses and loose[Pg 144] cash, the robbers departed. But they behaved with civility, and a ten-mile walk was the worst of the affair. The horses were afterwards found at no great distance from the spot, and returned to their owners.
Unfortunately, as it happened, the fraternal triumvirate at "The Gums" held diverse opinions as to the stock upon which to stake the fortunes of the firm. Henry Burchett was gifted with a strongly arithmetical turn, in consequence of which he was generally alluded11 to by Charles as "my brother Cocker." A calculation of the average value of the wool-clip led him doubtless to decide—with considerable accuracy, as events proved—in favour of sheep. Charles and Fred preferred cattle. In the end Charles sold his share of run and stock, and commenced a business in Melbourne. Having made a pilgrimage to Riverina, riding one wiry hackney the whole way there and back, without apparent distress12 to man or beast, Henry posed as the apostle of a new faith on his return, after beholding14, near Deniliquin, what he then decided15 to be the true home of the merino sheep, and purchasing for a small price a certain run on the Billabong, since tolerably well known to wool-buyers as "Coree." He bought sheep with which to stock it, and removed those still at "The Gums." He it was who first placed a dam across the uncertain watercourse of the Billabong, and thus aided the inception16 of the great system of water-storage now so universal. It was a primitive17 time enough on the Billabong, one may be sure. The late Mr. Sylvanus Daniel was a man in authority at Deniliquin, then known as one of "The Royal Bank" stations. Some of his good[Pg 145] stories the wayfarer18 from Port Fairy brought back with him, so that the fame of that gentleman's hospitality and genial19 temperament20 reached the colony of Victoria years before he migrated to the north-western district of New South Wales.
Henry Burchett retained his share in "The Gums" after his purchase of Coree, but, wishing to concentrate his investments, he—unfortunately for his partner and himself—decided to realise on the Port Fairy property. The sale of "The Gums" accordingly took place. It was, of course, before the gold—only one year I think. The price of a first-class, well-improved, fattening22 run, with a good herd23 of 1500 cattle thereon, was—what does any one think?—￡2 per head! Yes, at this melancholy24 price did "The Gums" pass into the hands of Mr. Henry Gottreaux, a gentleman lately arrived in the colony, formerly25 in the Austrian service. He was a brother of William Gottreaux, of Lilaree; he had, therefore, the advantage of the advice of an experienced colonist26.
Mr. Gottreaux did not look, to our eyes, the "man for Galway"; or likely to make much out of a cattle run in those hard-riding, hard-living days. Tall and soldierly-looking, with a big moustache, he had a bluff27, German-baron sort of air. He was portly withal, and, though a cavalry28 man, not up to much in the "cutting-out" or cattle-muster29 line. The first thing to which he devoted30 his energies was the building of a spacious31, wide-verandahed brick cottage, dooming32 the snug33 old slab34 homestead, where we had all spent so many pleasant hours, to do duty as barracks and out-offices. After this he inquired of one of the visitors, who, after our custom, had come[Pg 146] to help at the muster, whether it would not be easy to transmit his share of the profits to a friend in England, who had an interest—as a sleeping partner—in the station.
The man whom he addressed smiled inwardly, and sardonically35 replied, "Very easy." We thought this a good joke when it was handed over to us a week after. But Mr. Gottreaux was right, and we were all wrong, proving how difficult it was to decide in such matters unless all the factors of the sum are in view. In the first place, the new proprietor36 was a man of brains and method, culture and knowledge of the world. He did not scurry37 about in the camp on the stock-horse of the period—it was not his métier; but he paid and controlled a good stock-rider who did. He lived comfortably, preferring, reasonably, to dine at ease after the business of the day was concluded. But he kept his accounts correctly, and provided that the balance should be on the right side. The seasons were favourable38; they are rarely otherwise in the pleasant west country, to the green pastures of which fate had guided the "bold Uhlan." And then—trump card of all—the Gold Magician played shortly afterwards. He threw down an ace—waved his wand. The cattle which our friend purchased at ￡2, with right of run added, became worth ￡10 per head. So he had profits to remit39 to his partner after all, by no means of small annual amount either.
Terenallum was in early days the property of Messrs. Lang and Elms, who considered it a fairly paying sheep run, though bare of timber and rather desolate40 of aspect. Disadvantageously for the firm,[Pg 147] as it turned out, Mr. Elms, the resident partner, was tempted41 by what was then thought to be a high price—12s. per head or so, with about one-third of the stock it afterwards carried—to sell to Mr. Russell of The Leigh. He invested in a presumably richer country between The Grange and the Eumeralla, and, I should think, never ceased to regret the exchange. The new runs were chiefly cattle country, being well-grassed forest, not over dry in winter, and therefore in those days looked upon as liable to foot-rot. The eastern subdivision, called "Lyne," was at no great distance from Mr. Cox's Werrongourt station. This transaction illustrates42 the errors of judgment43 so often made by pioneer squatters, men of exceeding shrewdness and energy notwithstanding. So George Wyndham Elms sold Terenallum, now proverbially one of the most valuable sheep properties west of the Barwon, and purchased a run which must have paid indifferent interest on capital for long afterwards. Yet the seller was sufficiently45 experienced, could work with both hands and head, had confronted all the regulation pioneer troubles—bad shepherds, blacks, low wool, everything—had shepherded on a pinch, and slept in a watch-box. Then, when all was well and a fortune coming to meet him, he was fated to ruin everything for the sake of change. Mais, telle est la vie.
Lyne and the other station were good enough, fairly watered, splendidly grassed, and so on; but the cautious critics said they would never make up for Terenallum. And they didn't.
The original cattle had been neglected, it would appear. Among them was a large proportion of[Pg 148] bullocks which declined with fiendish obstinacy46 to fatten21. They would do anything but go off to the butcher. They oppressed the rest of the herd, showed a bad example, and paid nothing. They were what are known by the stock-riders as "ragers" or "pig-meaters." Fierce of aspect, and active as buffaloes47, they appear with regularity48 at each muster, but are never permitted the chance of road-adventure with any buyer of fat cattle. The price offered for them is generally so small that in many instances the owner ceases to form plans for their conversion49 into cash, and, if easy-going, permits them to eat grass and demoralise the herd indefinitely. The run was now worked with fair results for a year or two, but it soon became apparent that it was not likely to return the same sort of dividends50 which were so satisfactory each year at Terenallum. This probably tended towards discussion between the partners. However that might have been, a division of the runs took place. Mr. Lang retained Lyne, with the herd of cattle depastured thereon, while Mr. Elms removed to that portion of the area which lay nearer to the town of Hamilton. Upon this he built a new homestead, and proceeded to convert it into a sheep station.
Mr. Lang had visited England more than once during the partnership51, and so loosened his hold upon matters colonial. It has generally happened, within my experience at least, that a squatter44 who permitted himself to behold13 "the kingdoms of the earth, and the glory of them," rarely settled down into a contented52 colonist upon returning to Australia. So Mr. Lang put Lyne into the market. It was[Pg 149] sold to Captain Stanley Carr, a retired53 military officer, who had passed years at a German court, and held property in Silesia. There, it seems, he had acquired a taste for high-class merinoes. He had been tempted to visit Australia, probably as a larger field for investment, bringing with him some good sheep of the type then prevailing54, and fashionable in the country of his adoption55. These were sent to Lyne, where they were only moderately praised by the sheepholders of the district, being acknowledged to be fine as to quality of fleece, but considered small and delicate of frame.
Captain Stanley Carr, by birth Scoto-Irish, was a genial and polished personage, not altogether averse56 to the privilege accorded to travellers, but most amusing and agreeable. He bought, as did Mr. Gottreaux, "before the gold." The price he paid was therefore moderate, leaving a large margin57 for profit in the rising markets which were imminent58, and of which he shortly experienced the advantage. Residing for a few months at Lyne, he made himself popular with his neighbours, who were nothing loath59 to visit and entertain a courtier, a man of the world, and a raconteur60 at once so experienced and original. He justified61 the shrewd outlook upon events which had caused him to become an investor62 in the first instance, by prophesying63 an extraordinary development of Australian prosperity which was to be rapid and astonishing. The soil, the climate, the extent of the waste lands of the Crown, all excited his admiration64. The captain's pre-auriferous predictions have since received curiously65 close fulfilment.
Our gallant66 pastoral comrade had some knowledge[Pg 150] of sheep-farming. For the management of a mixed herd of cattle, after the Australian fashion, he was as unfitted as the confidential67 German shepherd of his priceless Silesian ewes to "run" a South American saladero. Wisely, therefore, he took the neighbours into his confidence, requesting the advice which was cheerfully given. He was, in the first instance, by them adjured68 to cull69 the herd severely—to that end to eliminate without delay all the bovine70 "larrikins" (the word had not then been coined, but an analogous71 social remedy may yet in future ages be legally applicable) by boiling them down. There happened to be at Port Fairy in that brooding year just before the gold—and what embryo72 events were not then ripening73 in the womb of fate!—a regularly-appointed saladero. How much more concise74 is the expression than "a boiling-down establishment where salting beef for exportation is also carried on," and yet foolish utilitarians75 see no advantage in schoolboys learning Greek and Latin. But this savours of digression. Such an institution was then in full working order, organised for the reduction of the "dangerous classes" of the bovine neighbourhood into tallow and corned beef. It was managed by Mr. M'Cracken, and (of course) subsidised by Mr. William Rutledge. "Unto this last" the Lyne larrikins were by a consensus76 of notables forthwith relegated77.
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1
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mote
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| n.微粒；斑点 | |
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subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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resonant
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| adj.(声音)洪亮的，共鸣的 | |
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accentuating
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| v.重读( accentuate的现在分词 )；使突出；使恶化；加重音符号于 | |
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meditative
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| adj.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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13
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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beholding
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| v.看，注视( behold的现在分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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15
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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inception
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| n.开端，开始，取得学位 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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wayfarer
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| n.旅人 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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fatten
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| v.使肥，变肥 | |
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fattening
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| adj.（食物）要使人发胖的v.喂肥( fatten的现在分词 )；养肥（牲畜）；使（钱）增多；使（公司）升值 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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colonist
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| n.殖民者，移民 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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dooming
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| v.注定( doom的现在分词 )；判定；使…的失败（或灭亡、毁灭、坏结局）成为必然；宣判 | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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sardonically
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| adv.讽刺地，冷嘲地 | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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scurry
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| vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马 | |
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38
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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remit
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| v.汇款，汇寄；豁免（债务），免除（处罚等） | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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43
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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squatter
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| n.擅自占地者 | |
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45
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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47
buffaloes
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| n.水牛（分非洲水牛和亚洲水牛两种）( buffalo的名词复数 )；（南非或北美的）野牛；威胁；恐吓 | |
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48
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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49
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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50
dividends
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| 红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金 | |
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51
partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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52
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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53
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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54
prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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55
adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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56
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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57
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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58
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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raconteur
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| n.善讲故事者 | |
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61
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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investor
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| n.投资者，投资人 | |
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63
prophesying
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的现在分词 ) | |
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64
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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65
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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cull
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| v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除 | |
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bovine
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| adj.牛的；n.牛 | |
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analogous
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| adj.相似的；类似的 | |
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embryo
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| n.胚胎，萌芽的事物 | |
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ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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concise
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| adj.简洁的，简明的 | |
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utilitarians
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| 功利主义者，实用主义者( utilitarian的名词复数 ) | |
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consensus
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| n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识 | |
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relegated
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| v.使降级( relegate的过去式和过去分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类 | |
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