EXTRACTS FROM THE LOG OF A HUT-KEEPER.
May 10th. -- Felt rather lonely to-day, in the midst of this endless
solitude. Sat before the hut-door thinking of Zimmerman and his
Reflections. Also thought of Brasenose, Oxford, and my narrow escape
from Euclid and Greek plays. Davus sum, non Oedipus. Set to work,
and cooked a kangaroo stew for the three shepherds.
June 4th. -- We have removed the sheep from the Dale to the Avon. We
go wandering about with our flocks and baggage like the Israelites of
old, from one patch of good grass to another. I wonder how long it
will be before we make our fortunes?
28th. -- K. arrived from York with a supply of flour, pork, tea and
sugar. Brings no news from England, or anywhere else. Where the
deuce are all the ships gone to, that we get no letters? Moved the
station to Corbeding.
29th. -- K. returned to York with his bullock-cart. No chance of my
being relieved at present. Went out by myself kangarooing. The pup,
Hector, out of Jezebel, will make a splendid dog. First kangaroo
fought like a devil; Hector, fearing nothing, dashed at him, and got
a severe wound in the throat; but returned to the charge, after
looking on for a few moments. Crossed an immense grassy plain, eight
or nine miles wide, without a tree upon it. Had to carry a kangaroo
more than five miles on my back. Wished it at Hanover, and twice
abandoned it, but returned for it again, being so much in want of
fresh meat.
30th. -- Spent the day in dreary solitude in the hut. All my books
have been read, re-read, and re-re-read.
July 1st. -- Went out with the dogs, and caught three kangaroos.
Passed over some splendid country -- wish it were peopled with white
humans. How pleasant to have been able to call at a cottage, and get
a draught of home-brewed! On the contrary, could not find even a
pond, or a pint of water, and was nearly worried to death by
sand-flies.
2d. -- Some scabby sheep having got among our flock, have played the
deuce with it. The scab has regularly broke out. I had rather it
were the plague or Asiatic cholera, and cleared them all off (my own
sheep are fortunately at York). Dressing lambs all morning --
beastly work. In the afternoon went out with the sheep, and left
James to mind the hut. Sand-flies infernal.
3d, Sunday. -- Stayed in the hut all day. Smoked sheep-tobacco,* all
my Turkish being finished. Felt pious, and wrote a short sermon,
choosing the text at random -- Jeremiah ii. 7: "And I brought you
into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness
thereof." Read it at night to the shepherds. James said it was
"slap-up."
[footnote] *Coarse pig-tail, used as a decoction for dressing the
diseased sheep.
4th. -- Went out kangarooing. Killed an immense fellow: when
standing on his hind legs fighting with me and the dogs, he was a
foot higher than myself. He ran at me, and nearly gave me a
desperate dig with his claw, which tore my only good hunting-shirt
miserably. Smashed his skull for it.
5th and 6th. -- Dressing sheep all day. Out [band of] York natives,
whom we have hitherto kept with us, are all gone home again, leaving
me and my three men, with only two guns, among a suspicious and
treacherous tribe that cannot understand a word we say to them. Wish
my brothers would come and look after their own sheep. It would do
E.'s health more good than sitting in Court, hearing a set of fools
jabber. Sand-flies eat us alive here, and the mosquitoes polish our
bones.
7th. -- Muston and myself dressed fifty sheep to-day. John out with
part of the flock.
8th. -- Heavy rain last night. Cannot go on dressing. Did nothing all day.
9th. -- Stayed in the hut doing nothing.
10th, Sunday. -- Ditto.
11th. -- Tired of doing nothing. Dressed sheep most of the day.
Muston out kangarooing; caught three.
12th. -- Cooking. Made a "sea-pie," which was generally admired.
August 1st. -- The Doctor arrived from York, driving tandem in E.'s
trap. He has brought me a parcel of books just come from England.
Blessings on my dear sister for remembering me. I thought myself
forgotten by all the world. Sisters (Heaven for ever bless them!)
are the only people that never forget. News from home! How many
thoughts come flooding upon me!
2d. -- Last night, I confess, I cried myself to sleep, like a great
big baby. I am very comfortable and contented so long as I receive
no letter from home; and yet I am such a fool as to wish for them;
and when they come I am made miserable for a week afterwards.
Somehow, they make me feel my loneliness more. I feel deserted,
forgotten by all but ONE. She says she is constantly wishing for me
in her rides. They seem to enjoy themselves more at home than they
used to do, now that we are gone -- always picknicking, boating, or
forming riding parties. "Fairy" continues the favourite -- I always
thought she was a good hack. "Light-foot," whom I lamed hunting, was
obliged to be sold. It seems to be a sore subject with the Governor.
I wonder how Juno has turned out; she was a splendid-looking whelp.
I wish they'd enter more into particulars when they write. It's
ridiculous my asking questions, as it will be more than a year before
answers can arrive. They ought to write about EVERY THING. I cannot
bear to think to-day of anything but home.
3d. -- The Doctor gone back to York -- sulky about the sheep being so
bad. Why does he not send us more tobacco and turpentine? Says we
smoke it all. The Doctor is an ----. Promises to send K. next week
with mercurial ointment; it is therefore useless to waste any more
tobacco on the sheep -- the stock is low enough as it is.
4th. -- Lay all day on my couch, reading "Rose d'Albret." Wish I had
her here. One wants somebody to sympathize with so desperately in
the bush.
5th. -- Ditto, ditto.
6th. -- Reading Punch all morning. In the afternoon made a damper,
baked it, and eat it in company with the others. "Pit a cake, pat a
cake, baker's man!" etc.
16th. -- Dressing sheep all day with mercurial ointment. Wish this
job was over. Dreadful work bending one's back all day, and rooting
amongst the wool for the diseased places.
18th. -- Went out with the dogs, and killed two kangaroos. It rained
tremendously all the time, and I wish the kangaroos at the ----.
The natives happened to be hunting in a large party, driving the game
before them; and as I stood in the midst of a large plain which they
had surrounded on three sides, multitudes of kangaroos -- I believe I
might say thousands -- of all sizes, came rushing past me. The dogs
were quite bewildered, and remained at my side aghast; and it was
several minutes before they recovered themselves enough to give
chase. The natives took no notice of me. In the evening fifty of
them came about the hut. We took care to show our guns, and I shot a
green parrot, sixty yards off, just to show them what we could do.
They were quite peaceable, and danced a corrobery at night.
20th. -- I dressed twenty-five sheep this morning myself. In the
afternoon William came from York with six hundred more sheep (mine
among them), which were found to be scabby. More work! This is
really too bad, thrusting all this cursed business upon me. He had
been four days coming, and had not lost a single sheep.
21st. -- Went out kangarooing, quite disgusted. Wandered a long
distance, and had to carry a large buck several miles. Could
scarcely find my way back, but at length got home (!!) quite knocked
up, and more and more disgusted with human nature and every thing.
22d. -- The Doctor is enjoying himself at York, and E. lives on the
fat of the land at Perth, whilst I have never tasted anything but
salt pork and kangaroo for many months, and have nothing to drink but
tea. I have almost forgotten the taste of a potato. We have nothing
here but kangaroo and pork, and unleavened bread, called damper. I
wish I could exchange our bill of fare occasionally with that French
fellow who complained of having "toujours perdrix." He would be the
loser, I take it. I could eat even perdrix aux choux -- a
villanous dish formerly -- but we have no more cabbages than
partridges to thank God for. I have long been obliged to leave off
saying "grace after meat;" it really became an impious mockery, and
was also impolitic and uneconomical, as my stomach used to turn
against it. I consulted John this morning about killing a sheep, as
none of them seemed inclined to die naturally. John caught at the
idea with great quickness. He really is an intelligent fellow; and
both he and the other poor devils are so patient and unrepining, that
the Doctor is little better than a beast not to order them some
mutton occasionally. I consider it absolutely necessary for their
health. We fixed upon one of E.'s sheep, as it looked the fattest;
and he being the richest, and never coming himself to look at his
flock, will not care about a few sheep more or less. I'd kill one of
my own, but they are such a seedy lot. No one is answerable for the
murder of this sheep but myself, as I hereby confess that I killed it
with my own hand, and afterwards held a coroner's inquest on the
body, directing a verdict of "Visitation of Providence" to be
recorded in the accounts relating to the flock. We had the liver for
supper. Excellent! never tasted anything half so good.
23d. -- Dined on sheep's head and trotters. (Tea to drink, toujours.)
24th. -- Saddle of mutton.
25th. -- Leg.
26th. -- Shoulder.
27th. -- Leg.
28th. -- Shoulder.
29th. -- Finished the sheep, and polished the bones.
[The rest of the Journal runs on much in the same way. This specimen
will probably be enough for the reader.]