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But even Christmas days must come to an end; and as the sun slipped down to the west, Mac and Tam "reckoned it was time to be getting a move on "; and as they mounted amid further Christmas wishes, with saddle-pouches bursting with offerings from Cheon for "Clisymus supper," a strange feeling of sadness crept in among us, and we wondered where "we would all be next Christmas."
No one need expect either eggs or cream before "Clisymus" excepting, of course, the sick Mac he must be kept in condition to do justice to our "Clisymus" fare.
"Must have pullet longa Clisymus," Cheon had said, and all readily agreeing, "Of course!" he had added "must have really good Clisymus"; and another hearty "Of course" convincing him we were at one with him in the matter of Christmas, he entered into details.
To add to the general comfort, a gentle north-west breeze blew all through the day, besides being what Bett-Bett called a "shady day," cloudy and cool; and to add to the general rejoicing, before we had quite done with "Clisymus" an extra mail came in per black boy a mail sent out to us by the "courtesy of our officers" at the Katherine, "seeing some of the packages felt like Christmas."
And the blacks, too, must be regaled in their humpy. "Must have Vealer longa black fellow Clisymus," Cheon ordered, and Jack's services being bespoken for Christmas Eve, to "round up a Vealer," it was decided to add a haunch of "Vealer" to our menu as a trump card Vealers being rarities at Pine Creek. Our only regret was that we lived too far from civilisation to secure a ham.
Nothing remained but pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and Cheon's tardy watermelons, and the sight of the glaring blotches of pumpkins filled Cheon with fury. "Pumpee-kin for Clisymus!" he raved, kicking furiously at the hideous wens. Not if he knew it! and going to some stores left in our care by the Line Party, he openly stole several tins of preserved vegetables.
Cheon interrupted the decorations with a call to "Bressfass! Duck cully and lice," he sang boldly, and then followed in a doubtful, hesitating quaver: "I think sausage. Must have sausage for Clisymus bress-fass," he said emphatically, as he ushered us to seats, and we agreed with our usual "Of course!"
"Must have big poodinn, and almond, and Clisymus cake, and mince pie," he chuckled, and then after confiding to us that he had heard of the prospective glories of a Christmas dinner at the Pine Creek "Pub.," the heathen among us urged us to do honour to the Christian festival.
By some freak of chance, he said, the missus was the only person who had succeeded in growing good melons this year, and taking her to the melon beds, which the grasshoppers had also passed by, he looked longingly at three great fruits that lay like mossy green boulders among the rich foliage. "Just chance," he reiterated, and surely the missus would see that chance also favoured our "Clisymus."
"A Clisymus without dessert would be no Clisymus at all," he continued, pressing each fruit in turn between loving hands until it squeaked in response. "Him close up ripe, missus. Him sing out!" he said, translating the squeak. But the missus appeared strangely inattentive, and in desperation Cheon humbled himself and apologised handsomely for former scoffings. Not chance, he said, but genius!
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