HIGH COUNTRY MUSTERING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22307, 22 January 1938, Page 17

HIGH COUNTRY MUSTERING

(specially wiUTTKN >\.i: my. :-:v LEy BRUCE STRON'AI 11. I

V MOUNT Binser finished, all the ewes were in. Our work now consisted mainly of taking out shorn sheep to their summer country. Lochinvar was 18 miles away, and with ewes and lambs it is a fair drive. We always took a rifle with us and quite often got a deer or two. Soon all the sheep were out. The shearers went away in a cheerful crowd, and all that was left of them were a few pairs of greasy trousers and some old sox cluttering up the huts. We searched their quarters for reading matter, but shearers do not leave much behind. Before going out for the straggle muster we put in a week round the station messing about. We built some dog-kennels and fixed a few fences and got some wild sheep off Pakati. On warm days we bathed in the lake and rowed about in the old boat which is kept there. Cattle Mustering Then came a spot of cattle mustering. This is not usually very exciting until the cattle are in the yards, which we reached on the third day. A few old bulls, missed during previous musters, came in, and we all looked forward to the excitement. The yards presented an interesting sight when branding and dehorning were in progress—brandingirons heating in an oildrum fire, men hot, sweating, and excited, cows bellowing for their calves, and the bulls

we stared at each other for five minutes. Then he snorted again, moved his fore-leg, and stood up. I said, "You black ," threw my book in his face, and ran for my life. He ran for my life also, but foolishly lost time having a go at mj shirt. It took me all of three seconds to reach the killing shed, with the bull galloping behind me. I clammed the front door and rushed out the back one—safe. My opponent did sentry-go outside, and in a series of short bursts I ran from the shed to the cook-shop, to the whare, to the homestead. When I reappeared with a rifle the bull was 200 yards away, making for Pakati. The long run and the fright I had caused my hand to shake and I missed him. He was shot some months later.

We had left a few sheep on Mount Binser, so before going out to Lochinvar we went up the Pouiter again for a straggle muster. On this occasion two of us were sent up the river from Minson's hut to see if there were any sheep there. We took hacks and had an interesting ride. About four miles up is a big flat known as the Rabbit Farm, and past it is a curious place called the Long Pakihi. This is a strip of tussock flat, surrounded by dense bush. It is about a mile long and three chains wide. No doubt there is a scientific explanation for it, but I could never understand why this long, narrow strip should be with-

Trouble With Cattle: Chased by a Bull: Deer Cullers' Tales

my gear—one blanket, a I-oa: bread, and a pound of butter. I : v.e away. It was necessary to s:ri!e up out of Anderson's creek, as it was too rough for the horse. Ti.c hillside was very boggy in places, an.': my horse, which I was leading, ie'.'. and rolled over, squashing my bread into crumbs. That was the first misfortune. Then when I reached the dividing hills a bad fog came up. There are two saddles, separated bv a small knob; I could not tell which was which, and if I started down, from the wrong place my horse would be in trouble. There v.aonly one right way. I waited for a:: hour. Then the fog rolled aside for a moment and the creek could be seen on my right. Sidling on to the spur which ran beside it. I made down hill, and soon found the hut. On opening the door my eyes saw a splendid sight—tins of tongues, o: fruit, of tobacco, cigarettes, cakes, pickles, and whisky. I knew the signs—deerstalkers—roughing it: So with a glad heart I found some chaff and fed and covered my horse: killed one of my stragglers, fed an-i tied up my dogs, lit the fire, and put a leg of mutton in the camp over.. Then I had a hearty meal of breadcrumbs! But when the stalkers came in we had a real meal—a drink and a cigarette are good things when one has not had either for some time. The hut was just an eating hut, so we slept in a tent pitched beside it. My one blanket was not much protection, and the deer-stalkers provided me with several rugs and coats.

A Dreary Jouruey Some of the stragglers were double-fleecers—sheep that have not been shorn for two seasons. They do not travel very well with the large quantity of wool on then:, so in the morning I spent some timein taking off the belly wool and eyeclippings and crutch in g them. When. this job was finished a bad fog came over, so I did not start that day. That night it snowed and we filled in the following day swapping lies. I learnt quite a lot. one of my opponents being a keen fisherman.

The snow did not amount to much, so I got an early start next morning. The sheep travelled freely, but kept* making off the spur, and it was necessary to keep a dee underneath them most of the time. On the Mount White side of the saddle the snow was less, and a> darkness came I let the sheep go «.»"- Pakati with a sigh of relief. Then I went on up to Cattle creek, where I expected to find the musterers. The camp was deserted. My horse had gone lame, so I lea him the eight weary miles to the Anna Hut. There was no one there either. s<> we walked four more miles to N;;_ger Hill. Back country miles are long—in the dark, with a lame norland an empty stomach for company they are very long indeed, so I was glad to hear the dogs barking a» I came up to tVie Vmt. And next rooming we all walked up to Cattlecreek again.

There were deer cullers campe - : there—Government ir.en. One I knew; he came from. Har.mer a:-, s had been culling on Molcsworth ard St. James. His strong—cr weak—point was the teliing of tall stor:eand he never failed at repartee. ll'.-" yarns were told in such a ravy :■*-: funny way that we always t::jo\ c I them, although we knew quite w.dl that our legs were being the:-.-._,;;:.:; pulled. This particular i told us of how he and others v.u- -.■ snowed in for a winter at the A::. St. James's out station. To ...-. - themselves from starvation ".:.■■" were forced to kih a::d • :.: ".• ■ packman. I said: "What ci:d '•:>■ •..-.-■ • like, Bill?" '"A bit strir.:.;-."' ,-.dd ! Bill, "we forgot to unarms- ;.:■.' - 'fore we cooked hkn!"' T . .■■. d j cullers lived a harder d r - "... | did. They had a c::.-e ;-... r : . . i good spot, and in;': ". :u- "... "•.. " two or three-day :;■:;.- ; deer, equipped .... :....'. I food. The i'oud v.. ■ .:.-■,:. - ; rice and some ten. Th:.: . " . ;at night was the .-.-:::: ■:.:::. j killed deer. M. s: . = "d■ . . - ■ -. ".. ; old long Lee-Er.d>_: ; '■-. ■ . v .:-.'. ; barrel sh^rl^ru. d i'■ : i inches. They w; .• : -•: ■' -■:■■_ .and we gut on ::■■.'. ...'.: '.: j although we h:>d t: .u.idv. .:: '■ .■:..-:- j ing them of a ve'-v ::.. • d:d"'.i .: j Mount White. Qn.t- . :<.:■: :.:: .- Iwe came to our i.u: t c:uup ... .* | found a piece of pap<_r p::-.r.cd : -■ the i wall, with a rough ! times written in eharcoa". say:::.;. ! "Saw 10 woollies on Ashd-v .Suddie. ' lor "Have you mustered B;„ Fior:-'* j Saw sheep there." Xow cc-ple \vi: > I are stalking or hiking "are r.evrr .'popular with musterers it" they rush ! about saying where they have seer. [ sheep. Nine times out a' I'.i the I musterers know where all the sheen ! are. Sometimes such iniormaucu. ! means a walk of three or tour cavs ■to find at last that the sheep are i wild sheep or are on another pr>->-i perty. So we used to leave another | paper pinned to the wall, savirx. ! "Saw 10 deer on Pakati—go" and ( shoot them—never mind the sheer." jAnd in the end they took the h\-". | and were admitted to our - l and allowed to join m "\v ne- . •-- lending camp-fire debate: "V.'.Ll ~•■ J man ever reach the iron!;'.' ' *•"■ 'argument lasted for , : - : jail I know, may be lasti: , -t.d. 1 (To be continued.)