. But father pulled himself up in
about thirty yards and started to grab up handfuls of dust and sand and
throw them into the air. My idea, in the first flash, was to get hold of
the axe, for I thought it was sun-stroke, and father might take it into
his head to start chopping up the family before I could persuade him
to put it (his head, I mean) in a bucket of water. But Joe came running
like mad, yelling:

"'Swarmer--bees! Swawmmer--bee--ee--es!
Bring--a--tin--dish--and--a--dippera--wa-a-ter!'

"I ran with a bucket of water and an old frying-pan, and pretty soon
the rest of the family were on the spot, throwing dust and water,
and banging everything, tin or iron, they could get hold of. The only
bullock bell in the district (if it was in the district) was on the old
poley cow, and she'd been lost for a fortnight. Mother brought up the
rear--but soon worked to the front--with a baking-dish and a big spoon.
The old lady--she wasn't old then--had a deep-rooted prejudice that she
could do everything better than anybody else, and that the selection
and all on it would go to the dogs if she wasn't there to look after it.
There was no jolting that idea out of her. She not only believed that
she could do anything better than anybody, and hers was the only right
or possible way, and that we'd do everything upside down if she wasn't
there to do it or show us how--but she'd try to do things herself or
insist on making us do them her way, and that led to messes and rows.
She was excited now, and took command at once. She wasn't tongue-tied,
and had no impediment in her speech.

"'Don't throw up dust!--Stop throwing up dust!--Do you want to smother
'em?--Don't throw up so much water!--Only throw up a pannikin at a
time!--D'yer want to drown 'em? Bang! Keep on banging, Joe!--Look at
that child! Run, someone!--run! you, Jack!--D'yer want the child to be
stung to death?--Take her inside!... Dy' hear me?... Stop throwing up
dust, Tom! (To father.) You're scaring 'em away! Can't you see they want
to settle?' [Father was getting mad and yelping: 'For Godsake shettup
and go inside.'] 'Throw up water, Jack! Throw up--Tom! Take that bucket
from him and don't make such a fool of yourself before the children!
Throw up water! Throw--keep on banging, children! Keep on banging!'
[Mother put her faith in banging.] 'There!--they're off! You've lost
'em! I knew you would! I told yer--keep on bang--!'

"A bee struck her in the eye, and she grab