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Updated: May 25, 2025
Then came Cheon's turn, and gradually and cleverly his triumphs were displayed. To begin with, we were served to clear soup "just to tickle your palates," the Maluka announced, as Cheon in a hoarse whisper instructed him to serve "little-fellow-helps" anxious that none of the keenness should be taken from our appetites.
Every one looked surprised, but, being of the bush-folk, accepted peaches and cream without comment, until Cheon, seeing the surprise, and feeling an explanation was due anyway to the missus bent over her and whispered in a hoarse aside. "Pussy cat been tuck-out custard."
But then supper came every night and the Fizzer once in forty-two. At the first sound of voices, Cheon bustled in. After supper, as we went for our evening stroll, we stayed for a little while where the men were lounging, and after a general interchange of news the Fizzer's turn came. News! He had said he had stacks of it, and he now bubbled over with it.
"My word, boss! Hear him sing-out sing-out. Missus plenty savey," he reiterated, and then calling a Chinese friend from the kitchen, stood over him, until he also declared that "missus BLENTY savey," with good emphasis on the BLENTY. The net was up by midday, and at ten o'clock at night the slow, dull clang of a bullock-bell crept out of the forest. Cheon was the first to hear it.
Rosy, having been brought up among white folk, proved an adept little housemaid and Cheon looked with extreme favour upon her, and held her up as a bright and shining example to Jimmy's Nellie. But the person Cheon most approved of at the homestead was Johnny; for not only had Johnny helped him in many of his wild efforts at carpentry, but was he not working in the good cause?
Cheon had his own peculiar form of welcome for his many favourites, regaling each one of them with delicacies to their particular liking, each and every time they came in. Happy Dick, also, had his own peculiar form of welcome. "Good-day! Real glad to see you!" was his usual greeting.
"Must have top-fellow Clisymus longa Elsey," he said, and even more heartily we agreed, "of course," giving Cheon carte blanche to order everything as he wished us to have it.
The soup finished with, Cheon disappeared into the kitchen regions, to reappear almost immediately at the head of a procession of lubras, each of whom carried a piece de resistance to the feast: Jimmy's Nellie leading with the six pullets on one great dish, while Bett-Bett brought up the rear with the bread sauce.
There were to be no "little-fellow helps" this time. Cheon saw to that, returning the goodly slice to the Maluka under protest, and urging all to return again and again for more. How he chuckled as we hunted for the "luck" and the "wealth," like a parcel of children, passing round bushman jokes as we hunted.
Then Cheon burst into the room in a frenzy of excitement: "Big mob traveller, missus. Two-fellow-missus, sit down," he began; but the Maluka was at his heels. "Here's two women and a mob of youngsters," he gasped. "I'm afraid you'll have to get up, little 'un, and lend a hand with them." Afraid!
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