calculation before
answering.

"S'pose I must be eighteen now ...Why?"

A silence.

"I've been thinking of that land at the back--if we had that I believe
we could make money."

"Yairs--if we HAD."

Another silence.

"Well, I mean to have it, and that before very long."

Dave raised his head, and looked towards Dad.

"There's four of you old enough to take up land, and where could you
get better country than that out there for cattle? Why" (turning on
his side and facing Dave) "with a thousand acres of that stocked with
cattle and this kept under cultivation we'd make money--we'd be RICH in
a very few years."

Dave raised himself on his elbow.

"Yairs--with CATTLE," he said.

"Just so" (Dad sat up with enthusiasm), "but to get the LAND is the
first thing, and that's easy enough ONLY" (lowering his voice) "it'll
have to be done QUIETLY and without letting everyone 'round know we're
going in for it." ("Oh! yairs, o' course," from Dave.) "THEN" (and Dad
lifted his voice and leaned over) "run a couple of wires round it, put
every cow we've here on it straight away; get another one or two when
the barley's sold, and let them breed."

"'Bout how many'd that be t' start 'n?"

"Well, EIGHT good cows at the least--plenty, too. It's simply
WONDERFUL how cattle breed if they're let alone. Look at Murphy, for
instance. Started on that place with two young heifers--those two old
red cows that you see knocking about now. THEY'RE the mothers of all
his cattle. Anderson just the same...Why, God bless my soul! we would
have a better start than any one of them ever had--by a long way."

Dave sat up. He began to share Dad's enthusiasm.

"Once get it STOCKED, and all that is to be done then is simply to look
after the fence, ride about among the cattle every day, see they're
right, brand the calves, and every year muster the mob, draft out the
fat bullocks, whip them into town, and get our seven and eight pounds a
head for them."

"That'd suit me down to the ground, ridin' about after cattle," Dave
said.

"Yes, get our seven and eight pounds, maybe nine or ten pounds a-piece.
And could ever we do that pottering about on the place?" Dad leaned
over further and pressed Dave's knee with his hand.

"Mind you!" (in a very confidential tone) "I'm not at all satisfied the
way we're dragging along here. It's utter nonsense, and, to speak the
truth" (lowering his voice again) "I'VE BEEN SICK OF THE WHOLE DAMN
THIN