Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1907 - 1954), Friday 26 January 1923, page 6


'' ON THE TRACK, (Bjr 'Bill BowTUC' THE WHITSWOOD TREE. The whltetvood tree itanaa In treat of oor humble cottace door. !t'i slender linrlw *ltll blosnonu draou darn to Uie rooky floor. (The cheeky wagtail fflea about amount III leafy boners, The liule children round It play and pluck tbe drooDlu- Ooifcri, I ThAutchtTsblrdi .will their aotci, the ' jtlveona bill »nd coo, I Thv kookaburraa' lauffb nloud aa on Iti1 I limb, to rooit Uiey to; ITht wild duckt rrom tbc lapoon tno 1 re«d bedi aweep .t.d away, 1 [The old whltrwood Ii itlll In bloom1 thli bright geptember day. ' Thr native beea thry bun about aud, ?u]- Ita boney aweet, ' I The native dos prowls alone beneath I It. bouihe to Bleep; ' I ;And when eummer montha nit rouna. and winds begin to blow. The atock beneath Ita ahade will rait aa they to water (0. BlnueaUi It In me midday sun the nolle Ing. cow. wl'J real. I often think and wonder ir tbe old whltewood la bleated, For every llvlnt thine around will draw up to ita ahade. And task beneath lla wartnr leaTCl ere they are atrsnrn o'er the ilade. Fiery Creek. PODDY DODGER.

Once ag.in 'Narwlii' dolvea Into the ua« and teli« the present cenei-uUxu alwut the men who helped to placs thta fiutf on Hie mau lu tiio dayM thtat are now but memories. He wrltoa &? fbllowa ? 'I'm «lad to aee that aome o* the old handa are letUM In touch with you Your rexzeot correapomlent. who s«M herself, as 'lilnna' made a Jmauke eDoui telihton beUuT dead. H. |7 sUll aUve and la living aome where In the cloncurry district. 1 knew ,,„ or uie mm 'Blnna' mentioned. ? wJnt up the Filna.™ wilt. Frank Smith in '«. Koche ?*»?- '™J breed some sood horsey In thoaj , days It used to be the ambition of nearly ?vpry horse owner to win the double Hueheudeo and Richmond bracelets. Sib crolhera won them ,-iib Buntaam aud Uartoli Bllnli In 'HI, but he did not in. .v^H.aff2°i£« Burke used to drive tie coach from Hughenden to Cloncurry, «nd hla rtbw Jack used to Co from Cloncurry Normanum. Jack Brodio Waa he«J atoclonan on nicbmond Downs, but 'Elnna' might mean Brodle of Lorraine on. the Lelohardt. There were Sly 'three hotel. In Richmond In '«».

and Uiey were conir*me» uv m«i. ilUddleton and Hamilton. Returning to the trio mentioned above. We mm ? ed oB at Huthenden. and paaKd down I the Landiborouiri to Muttaburrs. lloiurreaoh was Just forming Itsdf Ian la ioWshlP then, and we turned of! laitln at 6lonehenar and pa»aed Retreat. Going through Mllo we proceed'i down Beochal Cntk^^ttj^'-ll\ h;Jdsh-!aoour°th™I°E«lo'*Qu1een.roTle(t Frank Smith so as to have a look at !^^^er^eh;r..l°Mbr..-BSSrn£ K^tSu^e^Twen'ttKn th* binrtall mUJtcr. A lot or tb« band* hPirtbouti left for the Guir after Pn-ll bought Richmond DoWna. and amonrst them «'«re Parker Bro-» ?od Dan Ry»n. A««r putUnr ia o f-w iSSitbi kuswoo »hoOtlnC .bout tht Gum Hold I ma-3* a rountUbout trip for home (the Oulf). I ?truck the DUmtntln* G«tet and put lo i BMJ 6h»w vai maiiipr ^nfl Jack CM* was head itockmai.. They w«re botli p£t cattlemen. This b the only pluc Iknow of where a ball «»? uiwd for braarllnB tout it worked very wrtl indoed. From here I proceeded 10 Wawnda or Ance Ante, u it uwd t' be ailled Re 'Elnni't loaulry fli to who came with tbe Wtlnholfi -whew thev took ud Warenda, I reinst that

1 cannot supply tnli Inforttunon, uui at the time I write about one of the Wrinholt's was manapr; Tom Cuih was under- manager and Anguu Rt-bliv son Woj head etockmRn. Bill Cu»h ! van UOH of Qooilwood below BoulU. Thry wf-n- nil very old hnnOn then. Warendo with the Weinhoir*.1^ 'Cockv ilBghua). xvritu as follovi '-'1 notice that In your 'On the Track' you bften have a dig at the 'cocky.' Believe me, BUI. there are wnw of these burn wandcrera you write about who deserve the flnttr of «orn to be pointed at them. Take for IbbUum a| traveller who came lo my place Hit week. Of rourae hln object in placlaK me on hli raillDg llttwa* lo cad« tucker, but 1 received an awful Hhttck when he fifOrrd to work Tor any provl1

lonn that may or lianded out to mm. At Hip lime of hit. visit 1 waa eartlii.t manure no he offered to fill the dray. I hnnded him the No. B I was ualnff nnd hurried off to the hoim. Tou «*. I didn't get over the shook of that chHp olTrrinp to work for hi* tucker until 1 found myaeir Inside the kltcHen cuitlntr up bread and cheese. When -returned lo Ihf firid IialMn-hour liter he wan mm nilloB tW drny. and told mo th»t he just left a good job in ' ballast pit down Bowen way, nnd wai Born1 that he had not ituck to It. WeU. that Ballast pit Tnusl^ have by the way the , traveller filled tnv druy. for I'll nwenr on my oath in any court In North Qucrnnland thit even1 time he holalfd that nhovel In fell fTom It could have ben, placed In m teaspoon. When I save him the bread and cheese he confessed that he had no kitchen for the ludferf. On my return he became quite friendly and said that, 'way back along the tra-k a fannor had offered him a drink of tea, tout «u

there vii no augur i' it he ?connlderM that he had been insulted. I trudged toward the kitchen once again and re- j turner] with tea and nugor. Then be.: told me that this war hla first experience at 'waltzing Matilda.' and said Old Country. As he walked away 1 noticed that he wor« luspenders tu keep his trousers irom hobbling him As I am not a navvy I don't wear 'em. When he disappeared from view I filled tbe dray myself.' Cne day last week I strolled along 1 bush track with a young lady who 1e keenly Interested In poetry and such stuff. She hod the poetic Instinct published. Besides her pre-deUctloo for venriflcaUon she had also ver| nice vyes aad pretty haJr or the SuHyUh, sort, and her age was twenty -fobr. However, vhy say more — who wouldn't enjoy walking, and the like, with h«r

aloog a bush track. We had enjoyed a tine talk, and were turning our footstdpa homeward ua evening was fait approaching. Eventually we renchetl a spot-where the track dipped suddenly swung 'round and dtscloaed a uarrow stream running parallel with the rvai. Tbe spot waa an irreBlstitolB tnvlttatloa to a little rest. We looipied the invitation. As w* ut there close to the sweet tinkle of running water over ??tones ihe ttouud of a voice came to ua from s field on thr opplslte Bide of Ifirl t»t sixteen In blue print tires* an.1 bare refet. driving home a stray coir which bad probably wandered further than it should liave done. We could not catch what she said, but she seemed to be singing u she came alarm through the long grass. How entrancing—how, poetic here waJi . a perfc :l postoral— n barefootetl country' girl sweeUy Kinging as she drove home the gentle klne at eventide natural unconscious of her audience, far. far removed tnora a coarse and prowUc world. we would sit still by the running stream and listen, we would eavesdrop on this sweet virsflna] minded songlbtrd or the bush, thla wood nymph alnglnK from the pure joy wfaMi bubbled in mr Innocent heart. (She tuJne closer will cimer. €ealcrt us we w-;re. behind a ?lopviu bwik. we ceulo no longer see 1 her. But we could hear her more and I more Plainly. Presently she was Just abort our brads. fih» tmatA to tn

hiTing & little trouble wIUi the coifProtwiDly it was uring to break away. There was a little illeuce. fft felt ?life we should soon hear her sweet voice again, soon sac would begin niiilflnjr afreth. Il wu very romantic, Uiwn by the watering stream. Huddeoly w* heard a -crsBbiug in the bushes abo'e uid a loud whack of a atick os tb« cow's back. Tt.cn oajne the girl's vole*, loudly, 'Get outa here you walleyed old crawler, *r I'll belt the darn loiuy hltfe clean off you, d ? me if I won t[ Foetry Is like prtclcly pear, it doaen I always grow In tbe places wln-re *l should.

V^obba Cobba' (ToWnsvilU-). who by the way often sendi a un-t*y vangraph to Southern papers, writes *m rollowi ? Dear 'Bowyaug'-: ?Trader's' reference to Nt2bola» Minister la your 'On the TAak,' prMnpis tbe followIng: Nick the GrcrtJ;e:u'rhilet^Ji ]JJJd of eccentric e*rl)f Piipu&u nhlu- m-n. each oT whom had some promiaent individual iroiL Hard drinkers, swear»»M aad flghterf, fearing neither mini or devil, thw Papuan pioneers were horiWt ntraightforwanJ, and genero^' to t. fault. 'WhiUt ou; ahooUnt? flan. Tfldiolas on one oocuslon, threw the flrc stick at n sbual and beld tbe charge; ihe subsequent eKploiloii re suiting In the loss or his hand and forearm. A couple uf iwn later Nichwlau. with Jack Collins and T-Ufl ^J^8*^ sport id-*namltlng Ilsh) t.11 the n-efs «t Tuloua Bay. Woodlark Island. aundr-refrtshers Tiafl produced a state or caielesmess. resultinij In a lighted chaw being dropped In the Whale boat. Collins, Hteks, and the natives lost no time In getting overboard, but Nicnola*, unable to swim, cooly picked up the charge and dropped It over th* Bide. The deserters h:td barfly regained the boat when the chargt* exploded. luckily In deep water; the only hum. resulting .hi putting the niggers in 0 funk snd sobering tbe whitri. Another of Papua1, cluraetm w«. Alf tlie Trader. When Handsome Horn' ws» fatally nhot (n thi bsr of Tom MoCraii'fl hotel In Port Moresby. AH jind three others werr playing cribbane In a room adjacent to the l-ar. Abo\e the bnra qni excitement attending cu the rtiootlnc. the voice of Alf could »m- heard saylrg : 'Fifteen two, fifteen four, fifteen n\x anfl six are rwelvu Ootoe tiifl takp them pardncr and new mlDd about that poor b— -we can't lose this hand.'

'iSellgnltc' wrlttw af- follows : 'I eucldse ft Copy of a letter which was du-livdred a*, the camp of a wall-known miner In the Mount Garnet district nlbout thre or four yearn back. 'Dti.ii1 Jack.— T ben here, you whs aray. 1 a-i iioH-rdy hum, on so I tuk Einion- ledUi hinnese. I lt?ve a moat 011 table say 1 tuk It. I wanton It. I goan to pul timbr for the claim. Doive and Charlie bat'jis down, den Mme bl trulc to ehov enr out quick mutch beir dan barrer. The show is lukln gud, plenty bisraui, !an wulfan, an flutiesptr shoan In the face. Oud sine, do me. spect better when we no bind the mli&o, mitt eel Imetallk, biemlt.l orded sawn tlmbti Calrnt to mak a new hatch. 1 . Roa j 1 to pul the logs on old Robin. I atenJ briny the hannes bak Tursday yr Kridey. no matter. If I se'Joe 1 will tel him. Joe don't rare he's mv ole frind. eo gud buy Jack, I being tbe hanea bak when I like. Ture frlenJ, Jim.' ''Well it's not everybody that I drink with,'' said the hard-faced chap with the Jackie Howe flannel and faded mole-skin trousers, 'but seeing that you are this 'ere ''Bowyang,'' I don't mind if I do acept your hospitality, and while we are climbing outside of our respective pints I'll tell you a yarn which might suit ''On the Track.'' It happend in '85 when 1 was carrying the ''curse'' up the Gulf way. I had a couple of mates with me named Tom Pavey and Dick Rosier, and they had been carrying the swag for years, in fact I don't think either of them ever did anything else, for they were about as useless a pair of blokes as one could meet in the bush. If tlieae MIows had liked hard work I could have got a. «ouple of gool fpnciiiR contract!, bu,t n*henei*er 1 asked sort of blarmed psrute. Well, one day when the flour hap was dead empty w« halted in front of a seltvtorY plaoe, ani I w-nt forward to Ihtervlrw ibe owner Artar- I Imd knocked u couple of Um-l. ji E'r' -I'oiit ]' yc'if of acp cpPTicfl *h? door. As t**ir It&d u bind - In urtcd son of faro 1 didn't worry about pitching the usual yam that would have brougnl tea;* to !lv eyes of * atone lmtgi\ but I holds nut the bag and said that 1 hungry as a bundlcoot that had not had- a feed for acven years. Thn girl held out her hand to accept the bag and then withdrew it again. In a shaky kind of voice she tuked me If I or my matcn hod had the ticn^u' fever. I wild we had so fat escaped the epl

ili'iulc which wan cuusltiu o good de*l The elr| then said that her moihci imJ hern doad Three days, and that thers ?nan do one tu bury her as the father nnd brothers were all stricken down with the fever. They had sent to the nearem township for a coffin, and also had a man brought out to bury her; sick ))*? Rot dead scared nnd cleared out In thn night. Well, after I got the ? consultation. We decided to volun* Leer to carry out the burial. The sir! ivai very thankful and showed 'is where to dig the grave. We threw sin* swag* under the verandah and sii

the necessury depth, and then we wen* back to tht- hoiw, had dinner anl afler**nlt the Ctrl took us to whor* the coffin woe. My mnten growled n lot about putting the corps' Into Un-box so the gfl and 1 did clip bulk of the work After we had plumed the coffin r sold to Tom and Dick' that tbe girl was bound to offer ua payment fc.r accept It Tom Agreed that he did not want any payment but we had a Job ?nith Pick as he looked at Ii from a different point of view. He reckoned that It had been a terrible job, bat ultimately he gave way. When we came back to get our swaga the girl offered ua a pound note each. We i«fused to aocept the cash so she produced a bottle of rum and Tom and 1 had a nip. but Dick was so dlsgustuj at not retting the pound that he wouIj not join In, I believe that It was tlf first time that he had ever refuse 1 That night we had tea In the hou^ Tom and I were talking u little whllo after tea, trying to cheer the girl up. when alt of a sudden Dick said, 'Let'.* nuke a move.' Tom said, 'Plenty ot time, Dick; we caiVt. go on to-night.' But after a few minute* more Dick broke out again, and we left. When w.' had passed through ihe shpralle I fluid. ?Whuff your hurry, Dick ? We can*. ro on to-night.' He juat replied 'If we don't get awav from that darned house some more of 'em might die, and I'm not going to bury them for nothing.'

Many years hack, and before I began to contribute to the papers, I got/ a job on a sheep station which 1 will call BoorsdUla Dowm. The owner was a Welshman uanu-d Ituehet and he had a daughter natn.id Madeline, who was 24 years of uge. She was a cbarmlac yoiiQt lady but nut so charming as^he thought she was, snd she was simply dying to marry someone who cohIJ give her wealth' anil an entry Into the best society. For mnnths past she ha-V had h»r eye on Jamet Phillip Montague, the owner of Psrcoola, a nearby station. James was an ? Englishman wlio» parents wore said to be very wealtli/ In the old country, and Madeline reckoned that If she could persuade him U-marry her she could also persuade him! to sell his station, and take her to England. Eo much for Madeline's1 ambitions, and I will now proceed M' describe the iraprdy which occurred' on BonradlllA Downs. Hughes employ* ? ed a Chinese rook nnmed Ah Wonjr, and white I was employed on the station the yellow cook got an Idea that ' It was high time for him to have a short holiday lu Townsvltle where *e( would bf able to meet many of his' countrymen, play fan-tan, drink samsu.i and dine on such Celestial luxuries i\ dried phnrk*' fin, bochr-dr-mer eouftjj anrl pnefiaps birds' noil «tow. 8UII1 Ah Wong was rither nfraW to approica' ib* muftttor and «k ptnaualtm to

tore the station for 4. cbort lnternl as Mugbes had bea' In * bad humor for aereral days, owing probably to tb« prolonged dry spell- and the dolly loss of sheep. Then, while - he prodded ? piece of rout jnnttoa with a long forlE he got a great loapiratUUi. He would kill a young -fowl and 000k It, using tha choicest stuffing, and add to tt a gravr. the like of which bad never been tasted on Booradllls. Then, after the squatfr atid his family had dined on tbe poultry he would refer to tbe holiday. Even Wong believed that the best time. niter he had dined. Tbe fowl was kill* ed and cooked the following morning, and as it was . not yet dlnnerttm* Wong placed it on the mlndow-aill to coo]. It wu rather unfortunate for the cook thai Jery fiplkera, who also worked an the station, happened to Pi) pualnjr *t thr Uaie. For many weeks J«rry bfcd dined morning, noon anl night 00 mat ton, fresh and salted, nnd the smell or that fowl was too much fur him. Creeping up to the window he caught the chook In his two liandfl. add ten minutes later he waa devouring it in the hut. When Wong missed the special dinner ho Lad cooked for his boss he promptly gnessed tbat It had found Its way to the but, an'! n-hen he went there later In the d*v lie found several fowl's bones tjioff outside one of the windows. It wis then that he decided to be revenged, it, nrvt duy ho killed the o.dcat fowl on the property and with the atufflnc Included many weird things such m powdered blucitope, Cayenne pepper, mustard, Bcnna J eaves and mcthylnlti *nlriu. Wncn tbo fowl iros cooked ii' again placed It on tbe window-sill where he felt aure Jerry would fln'l It. Then, htvlijg a few hours to Bpai'*-Hlng .Sow; the Chine?? gardener. A Phillip Montague drove up to UK1 homenUad In hit) cor. and after he ba-1 PhrK-n hands wlth'Med?llne ho whlsjcred. 'My Sear Tve juet hurried over a* tbere'g eomethtag verr fmportaat 1 wlah to diacuiR ilt'r you. I'm sure Mddeilne you can ftoeat - what I am gfiliiK 10 Mi. but first or ell you must handr, m I ua faiplBliitiff.' You can bf't your Jlfe, d«ar reader, that Madeliue and thai way she' hustled round to make ihoirv sandwiches would hive turned a founjr whirlwind green with envy, Whtn her ryes rested on the fowl Wong had placed on the window-sill 'hr uttered .1 little ensp nf sheer dollf,'ht, and before you could fiy. 'fl!l 'cm up again' she wbj hurrying into iho Elitliig room with a plate piled high with poultry »andwlci;?B. James Phillip casually, selected oi.e and be van to devour It wiille Madeline hostmod it. get him a- cup of tea. She had fust placed *hi cup iu the saucer when a loud shriek tore a huge gap In. tbe Phillip jumped to /1I1 feet noldlng hU mouth wltli hlE hands. Madelin* dropped the cup which fell to the flocr ^nd omBBhM iuto a hundred fragments. blucatone, on* lentm le'nf and a drop of methylated epirits' had found Its way d'tt'n Jamett' throat he managed to splutter, 'Miss Hushes, If you thluk Bomp of humor, jfl last my^ eyes are opt'ner. and I Am dad that I have not enured lhto a rostrimonial alliance with n Teraale lunbtlc. I wish you ? very godd afternoon and I can assure :ip.i!n.' I happened- to be passing; th* front ct 'the hotnettrad when Mr. Montague raced out to his car on-V jumping' into the front seat, gent the machine rtclnft down the rosd at hurrie-ine speed. Inside I heard a woman sobbing, but It watt not until n^xt div that Ah Wong told me what hid happened. You see, I bad to drive V/onp ic the railroad, tor when Made* Hn-- rr-;overed from tbe effects of her busted romance she. with her father's assistance, fired the Chinese cook on the spot. Well yean navo passed alnct the above tragedy oa\um-\, and nowadays I roam around the country wltH a eway Instead of working on sheep stations, and James Phillip Montague has leap since cold his procrerjy and returned to the land of his ancestors. Oh. I nearly forgot Madeline— tbc married tbe bookkeeper on the statloa. aod stnce.fbe old man's ? death they hive carried on the business. I wouU not edvisi* any Chinese cooks to e© tht-re fi?ekl|]g work.

BOWYAKG'S LKTTER BOX. I would like to have an address wb*r* a letter would tta& Mr. PrtffitU who I beJleve le s drover oul CharleWUs way. Will some reader oblige ? Mis. R.D. (Ayr) : Letter received. Send me your autograph book and I'll see what I can do. I am sure yod must treasure General Blrdtnwd's autograph. Yes, I've met bun. In (act r.onee defeated him In a foot-race. It happened on Antac Beach In '16. The Turkish tjun, 'Beachy Bill' dropped s couple of shells In our rear, and amongst those who ran for their lives was 'BIrdy' and T. I won. H.W.W. (Dunluce Station) : Hav* held your verse for aome time, and hoped, with correctloni to use It. Jfaw regret to itatc that.uiac is not up to publication standard. Try again. Arthur SB. (Blenheim Station) : Bale's performance If not « suitable HUbjrtt for 'On the Track.' Sending It to Sydney ?'Bulletin.** H.B. (Mount Cuthbert) : To late to ihw New Y«?ix veries. Try again. W.C. (Tntilrrfnlll : Rave forwarded 'XarwlnV nddrsi*.