away from home at that time. The drought necessitated the
removal of some of his sheep, for which he had rented a place eighty
miles coastwards. There he left them under the charge of a man, but he
repaired thither frequently to inspect them. Sometimes he was away from
home a fortnight at a stretch. Peter would be away at work all day, and
the children took advantage of my defenceless position. Jimmy was the
ringleader. I could easily have managed the others had he been removed. I
would have thrashed him well at the start but for the letters I
constantly received from home warning me against offence to the parents,
and knew that to set my foot on the children's larrikinism would require
measures that would gain their mother's ill-will at once. But when M'Swat
left home for three weeks Jim got so bold that I resolved to take
decisive steps towards subjugating him. I procured a switch--a very small
one, as his mother had a great objection to corporal punishment--and when,
as usual, he commenced to cheek me during lessons, I hit him on the
coat-sleeve. The blow would not have brought tears from the eyes of a
toddler, but this great calf emitted a wild yope, and opening his mouth
let his saliva pour on to his slate. The others set up such
blood-curdling yells in concert that I was a little disconcerted, but I
determined not to give in. I delivered another tap, whereupon he squealed
and roared so that he brought his mother to his rescue like a ton of
bricks on stilts, a great fuss in her eyes which generally beamed with a
cowful calm.

Seizing my arm she shook me like a rat, broke my harmless little stick in
pieces, threw it in my face, and patting Jimmy on the shoulder, said:

"Poor man! She sharn't touch me Jimmy while I know. Sure you've got no
sense. You'd had him dead if I hadn't come in."

I walked straight to my room and shut myself in, and did not teach any
more that afternoon. The children rattled on my door-handle and jeered:

"She thought she'd hit me, but ma settled her. Old poor Melvyn's darter
won't try no more of her airs on us."

I pretended not to hear. What was I to do? There was no one to whom I
could turn for help. M'Swat would believe the story of his family, and my
mother would blame me. She would think I had been in fault because I
hated the place.

Mrs M'Swat called me to tea, but I said I would not have any. I lay awake
all night and got desperate. On the morrow I made up my mind to conquer
or