PTER XVII

Cattle-Drafting at Yarrahappini

"To wheel the wild scrub cattle at the yard
With a running fire of stockwhip and a fiery run of hoofs."

Pip could hardly sleep one night, a month after their arrival, for
thinking of the cattle drafting that was on the programme for the
morrow. He had been casting about for some fresh occupation, far
he was a boy to whom variety was the salt of life. At first he had
been certain he could never tire of shooting rabbits. Mr. Hassal had
given him the "jolliest little stunner of a gun," and, Tettawonga
had gone out with him the first day; and had been very scornful
about his enthusiasm when he shot two.

"Ba'al good, gun do. Plenty fellow rabbit longa scrub, budgery
way north, budgery way south; budgery way eblywhere. Ba'al good
barbed wire fence do, ba'al good poison do. Bah!"

But Pip was not to be discouraged, and really thought he had done
great good to the Yarrahappini estate by shooting those two soft,
fleet brown things. He took them home and displayed them proudly
to the girls, cleaned his perfectly clean gun, and sallied forth
the next day.

Tettawonga took his pipe from between his lips when he saw him again
and laughed, a loud cackling laugh, that made Pip flush with anger.

"Kimbriki and kimbriki, too! Rabbit he catti, curri-curri now. Boy
come long with cawbawn gun, rabbit jerund drekaly, go burri, grass
grow, sheep get fat-ha, ha, he, he!"

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"To-morrow and to-morrow too! Rabbit, he go away quickly now. Boy
come along with big gun, rabbit he afraid directly, go under the
ground."

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Pip understood his mixed English enough to know he was making fun of
him, and told him wrathfully to "shut up for a Dutch idiot."

Then he shouldered the gun he was so immeasurably proud of and went
off the other side of the barbed-wire fence, where was the happy
hunting-ground of the little rodent that would not allow Mr. Hassal to
grow rich.

He shot five that day, four the next, seven the next, but after a
time he voted it slow, and went after gill birds, with more enjoyment
but less certainty of a bag.

Every day was filled to the brim with enjoyment, and but for the
intense heat that first month at Yarrahappini would have been one of
absolute content and happiness.

And now there was the cattle-drafting!

Breakfast was very early the morning of the great event; b