Thamanampalli Surekha

when labour is so scarce, the grazier-squatters suffer much less than their sheep-farming brethren. One mounted herdsman, or stockman as he is termed in the colony, is sufficient to look after a thousand head of cattle; and it is good sized station which can muster five thousand head. From this "mob" our friends selected a fat bullock, to be driven to the shambles at the homestead. And as it was not an easy matter to draught him singly from the herd, they were obliged to drive two cows along with him. To Effect this cleverly, they made a dash in amongst them where he was standing, cracking their long lasso-like stockwhips round their heads and flanks, and shouting all the while, until they set the whole herd in motion. Suddenly, and with great expertness, they turned upon the devoted bullock and two cows, and checked their progress by a cut or two over their flanks with the electrifying lash, when off they set in an opposite direction towards the head station. We followed in the best manner we could, and assisted in preventing them escaping back to the herd. It was break-neck work, however; for they set off at a good round pace, crashing through the brushwood and leaping over dead trees, whither we had to follow like hunters at a steeple-chase, every now and then expecting to be unseated by the overhanging branches, or stunned by a blow from them. In this manner we made our descent helter-skelter upon the homestead, driving the condemned animal safely into the yard, and allowing the two cows to return to the herd, which they soon did by starting straight back. As it was near the close of day no time was lost in slaughtering the ox, which was speedily accomplished by shooting him in the forehead; and in half an hour afterwards he was skinned and hoisted up to the gallows, where the meat was allowed to coal during the night. So rapidly does decomposition commence in the summer season, the most of the animal would have been lost if slaughtered in the daytime, unless cut up and salted on the instant. Therefore, to enjoy a piece of fresh beef, the settlers have to butcher over night. So essential is it to have a knowledge of this rough business in the bush, that almost every settler can still and skin an ox or sheep. By the time this necessary operation had gone through, it was dark, so we had no time to survey the position of the homestead. As we crossed a tolerably garden in front of the cottage, however, we could discern sufficient of that it had some pretensions to architectural beauty. It was built in the Swiss-cottage style, and looked more like a habitation in the old country than any we had yet seen in the interior. This impression was heightened as we crossed the spacious verandah in front, and peeped through the latticed window. Inside we saw, by the light of a candle, a large and airy apartment built of some dark native wood. It was rough certainly in finish, with the rafters and shingles visible, but then it was lofty, and these gave it effect, while an ancient-looking chimney-piece and well-filled bookcase, neatly carved, threw a character into the room which reminded us of those studios represented by the old Flemish artists. The good cheer we afterwards partook of within kept up the favourable impression we had of the house; and it required a great stretch of imagination for us to consider these gentlemen to be denizens of the wilds of Australian and this their habitation, when we looked around on so many comforts, and quaffed a glass of excellent native-grown wine after supper. At the same time we brought to recollection the remarks of our friend the previous night, when discussing the advantages of the married state to the squatter. There was the absence of the fairy hand of the woman about the hut. Our entertainers were bachelors. Instead of seeing those pleasing ornaments of her industry which decorate the humblest domicile, there was a motely assemblage of spurs, whips, tobacco and pipes upon the mantel-shelf. The latter articles were brought into requisition in true bushman style. This universal practice of smoking in Australia gives a dash of the American character to the habits of the people. Although you rarely find them chewing the weed, yet they smoke the strongest Negrohead and Cavendish. Every man and boy in the bush smokes. Morning, noon, and night, you are sure to find the bushman with his pipe in his cheek after meals. He says, at breakfast it helps him to swallow his damper; at dinner it assists the digestion of the mutton; and at supper it acts as a soporific against the astringent properties of the tea; besides sundry pipefuls he smokes during the intervals, for which he has no other excuse than that it fills up the time. Herein lies the great incentive; for we are certain that it is undeniably the pleasantest mode of idling away one's time that we know of in the bush. The complacency with which a regular bushman sits down to cut his tobacco, rub it, fill his pipe, and light it with a red ember from the wood-fire, and then draw the long whiffs from his short pipe, is not surpassed by the greatest smoke-loving people in the world, -not excepting the Germans. We spent all the next day at this hospitable station, and we were much pleased with the complete arrangements on the premises for conducting all dairy operations. Here was a large underground dairy, which is indispensable for churning butter in the summer. Fortunately for them, women were more useful in these matters than men. Consequently they did not suffer so much as their neighbours by the male exodus to the Mount; for they retained the wives when the husbands left, and with them they managed to carry on the