United States or Guadeloupe ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Can't beat the Elsey for a good dog-fight! Can you, Peter?" the Fizzer chuckled, as Peter lay licking his wounds at Happy Dick's feet; but the Quarters, feeling the pleasantry ill-timed, delicately led the conversation to cribbage, and at sun-up next morning Happy Dick "did a get" to his work, with bulging pockets, leaving the Fizzer packing up and declaring that "half a day at the Elsey gave a man a fresh start."
Following up an eastern tributary of the Victoria, they crossed on to a creek running into the Roper, which was called the Elsey, and on this creek a camp was found, which suggested the idea that it had been occupied by whites.
The Maluka spoke from experience, having been himself an interested onlooker "down south," when it had been suggested there that the wife should be left behind while he spied out the land; for although the Maluka knew most of the Territory, he had not yet been to the Elsey Cattle Station.
Too much water, if anything, was the complaint at the Elsey, for water everywhere meant cattle everywhere. For over two hours we rode, prying into and probing all sorts of odd nooks and crannies before we found any sign of blacks, and then, Roper giving the alarm, every one sat to attention.
To begin somewhere near the beginning, the Maluka better known at that time as the new Boss for the Elsey and I, his "missus," were at Darwin, in the Northern Territory, waiting for the train that was to take us just as far as it could one hundred and fifty miles on our way to the Never-Never.
A goodly company all told as we sat among the camp fires, with our horses clanking through the timber in their hobbles: forty horses and more, pack teams and relays for the whole company and riding hacks, in addition to both stock and camp horses for active mustering; for it requires over two hundred horses to get through successfully a year's work on a "little place like the Elsey."
For that matter, a pub had little attraction for any of the Elsey men, the Quiet Stockman being a total abstainer, and Dan knowing "how to behave himself," although he owned to having "got a bit merry once or twice." The Dandy out of sight, Johnny went back to his work, which happened to be hammering the curves out of sheets of corrugated iron.
Knowing the Maluka by repute, however, every one was agreed that the "Elsey had struck it lucky," until the telegraph wire, whispering the gossip of Darwin to the Katherine, whispered that the "new Boss for the Elsey had been and gone and married a missus just before leaving the South, and was bringing her along with him."
"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.
Elsey Disappointment in the length of 'the Victoria Journey to the Westward Discovery of Sturt's Creek Its course followed south Termination in a salt lake Return to Victoria River Start homeward, overland The Albert identified The Leichhardt christened Return by the Burdekin and Suttor Visit of Babbage to Lake Torrens Expedition by Goyder Deceived by mirage Excitement in Adelaide Freeling sent out Discovers the error Hack explores the Gawler Range Discovers Lake Gairdner Warburton in the same direction Swinden and party west of Lake Torrens Babbage in the Lake District His long delay Warburton sent to supersede him Rival claims to discovery Frank Gregory explores the Gascoyne in Western Australia A. C. Gregory follows the Barcoo in search of Leichhardt Discovery of a marked tree Arrival in Adelaide The early explorations of M'Dowall Stuart Frank Gregory at Nickol Bay Discovers the Ashburton Fine pastoral country Discovers the De Grey and Oakover Rivers Turned back by the desert Narrow escape.
Word Of The Day