TALES OF THE WILDERNESS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1360, 10 February 1912, Page 7

TALES OF THE WILDERNESS.

THE RIVAL LEADERS, "~~ (All Rights Reserved.) (By Will Lawson.) A round-up of nil the station cattle was in full swing. Into every renioto (fully and river-lxittom tho dogs and horsemen liari penetrated, and now two mobs of half-wild bea-sts were travelling down converging gullies, at whose nicetins-noint tho valley widened in green flats ami river shingle. The leader of one mob was a yellow bullock j if it had been a horse, the colour would have been called a light chestnut. A low-bnilt beast, with a red eye and a stubborn, sullen aspect, he nmrehed at the head of his fellows. He knew men; on more than one occafion he had been driven in to tho station, ami afterwards sent back again to tho wild lull pastures. The whips cracked to tho terror of tho young steers ami heifers who had'never seen u man before. I'runi the heels of many a ljea.it blood ran. or dried in the hair, for the dogs "were, cruel when a bullock strayed from the line of march or a cow lagged ironi weariness. . Apparently heedless of the tumult, yet quite aware of it all, the yellow bullock tramped confidently onward, till he came to n place where he. had a view of the second mob approaching down the twin gully. The leader of this contingent was a •veteran brindlo bullock. Ho had a splendid head and neck, fine horns, and a bold, fierce eye. "When he saw the j-el-loiv bullock he paused in mid-istreain, in the crossing of tho clear-running mountainorook. An eager drover, young-and longing for excitement, rode down with a hissing, swinging lash to urge the briitdle Joadav on. The lash cracked in the beasr/s eyes, not touching but stinging by the explosive flick of the frayed cord. Without hesitation the beast swung round, and would have charged the horse and mnn, but a loose stone hindered his hoofs, and he dropped on his knees in the water. Instinctively the man had Bwerved his hor.«e, and the trouble was past ere it had scarce been meditated, shaken and n little discomfited, the brindle bullock turned away from the path that would have led him to the yellow bullock. So, for the moment, the m'ectiii£ of the rival leaders was postponed. Hut the two herds met nnd mingled, lowing and nuzzling', one another, while men dreir awayto camp for their midday meal and' smoke; nml the weary dogs found shade and delight beneath the river trees and in the cool, sweet 'fater. There were iiearly a hundred cattle, and they had to be driven over ten miles of beach, through heavy sand, over rough Tock'-slides, through narrow passes in rock promontories. Most of tho way they must travel in single file, and since the cliffs prevented any beast escaping, and no other travellers would he'.met on this most desolate of roads, the men agreed that no one need ride ahead. They would all ride behind and enjoy ,tht easy' driving... When they saddled up ngain they rounded up the cattle and headed thorn on the right road. ' Tho yellow bullock inarched away in' the lead. For a very brief period he enjoyed this honour. With' muttered'protests, the brindlo bullock trotted through the cattle in the van and was alongside tho yellow beast. Side by side they ran. Then the brindle beast turned and. those fine horns caught the yellow flank, while their owner' trotted triumphantly on, leaving, the-discomfited ..one to follow closely along the. narrow; way. Out npon the "beach the leaders, swung. Away tb-tho horizon.stretched tho ocean. Towards the sky towered tho hoary cliffs, and the cattle, strung out in a thin and many -coloured. line, looked ,like a living ribbon twining itself about their bases. The pace was fast, for the brindle bullock \nshed.;td.ik£?p.:nJ]f.ul.'of whose..wdHcingrrpait- -wns ii«it so. good as his. So for. several miles they proceeded. Presently, tho leaders reached . a short piece of beach' where tho rough ■ grass nad bound together the sand and rock in a wider belt of hard level ground and there was room for two abreast. The yellow l.iilloclc seized his opportunity and ran past the brindle one. Taken a little off his guard, through his attention being centred on the sudden openingup of a view of a deep bay where the was almost washed the cliffs, the brindle bullock was nearly outwitted. But his Eolicy through life did not fail him now. Ie rushed at tho yellow one and ripping tho yellow flank'" again, he hustled tho smaller beast off the road and was once more iii-'the lead. .; ■ ~ And then the yellow bullock did a thing that made'most of. tho herd stare in amazement, and showed how fierce and milieu his nature was.. He crashed over the loo?e stones and plunged into tho Ben. The 'brindle leader looked at him once, and doubtless considered he had settled his'.rival. . TJie men said, "Look at thatiuad beggar." With his head nnd neck thrust out. and his red eyes very red;- the yellow bullock swam seaward for a time, then turned and headed across the bay. When the brindle leader was. in the centre of the curve of it, tho yellow one was swimming a Ion" way out, it seemed,' yet very strongly and stubbornly. The brindle bullock stepped out blithely. His nature was a simple straight-forward one, and ho looked a splendid animal with his well-proportion-.^■'■V!,; 1 s l ,lc "d''l horns and head, and his bold, fierce eye. Once more, he planced, as many a boast there did, at the swimmer in the distance, but there was no pile, in his heart. Not nntil w*f»r 'V 5 T 110 , ,v bo 'l st " uel 'S c fr °m the water a hundred.yards ahead of him did the brindle leader rcaliso the ruse. When HtV Promptly. But he wa s too n »;m i va> ; rai ! fov a distance throiMi a "(Id, rocky.beach, where'there was oilv a nqrrow track,, and the yellow builock was- m the earl, t,- o tti !!;r 'Mowly m. and hanmd, poked his quarters with his fine horns, and roarod withraue. The yelhv one.muttered his rage and ran on. . Soon the whole herd was on the run, and tho men were swearing b?eausc one of them had not ridden a wad to. steady tho en tie hifw? I' " TV , ? !"-i««»o bullock l«i his herd at r, trot, driving the yellow '"'l,' TMi ™ s the ton since the yellow one would not turn ThJrL C °"li not t0 MtUe "«» <>Wut" mier He swumr round, nnd thn "nirnn W heads crashed tojsthcr, while the e"tt e stowed in the n-eent, stcvid r-=tle"lv their-hoofs sendintr jncfc s'oiins elatterin" down into tlm war»r. ami there on Hcrest, outlined o-Minst the sun->f two leaders f : ->.,,ht (heir finhV for „,- •nrpmacv. All -their great «trfn«t)i wn<s nutforward, each trj-ins ™«h tho etb-r -i that in the scramble of (!«frat»(l stren"Hi the stronger mi-rh* rip the flank of ihe niul put him to tenoiniiimitc! flitrhr. To nnd fro thnv rocked in their narrow hitflp-grnund. Hin (lo<-n «<>n. sliimmfrin'r on th" one Inml. far, for dnwn enrl the. high Mlh fowe-ino- on flip n fi,^ r Once one of the hrindln'hiill< , fVs l,in-i >i"«h =lipp-'l ,-nr| r\"<\r]>- clinf over the precipice. Rut his snlendid .".trenirth cav»' him ft s'rirp rocovrry, mi'l bncV and forth, nnrl rmirrl npd romvl flir.- t.ramnf(l nnd pushed and hrpr>Hi»<i ' l!n flv ilv. nbilo the drovers Pat hclplpc« o n (■))/.; r .if the f-vit of (lir par row track. Th? cattle could not turn to retreat, even if they w.infH to. Tho brindlo bullock began to pu<h Ihn tMIow one. Xnt nincli. pnrli-ins. but l>v iiftln and by little l,n w;.c- proviii" himocf the frrnnffT, ilesni!" the fioret" jealnus nte of his rival. Hut for n lonjr time wn= n"l muoli rf'l frniii |-o either. Tho dmvei"= bwn <o hi\k of sli~>tins nnrof the lx"isH and Hi«n clnml-«riM;r un t'io mck.? find throwinc tho cwnps over the clilT. so tliat. the heril ])-,'<. for cattle do mad when death by violence comps to the h e nl. "No. let 'ern figbt it out." fin old h.ind said. "Tnu'llhavp 'ein nil iunining over the cliff if you start shootin';." Nevertheless a yoiin , ,' rider who carried a light rifle took n, sight, .it the fighters and paid:,"l roiild get. that yellow ljpggar now ri?ht. in the heart." Out he did not. fire. And then t|uite suddenly the fight was ,'endjd.V. .Th« .'brindle lender stood alone "on I he cliff crest and a glrom of yellow flashed down the. cliff-side, bounded over the rocks, and lay inert among

the tiilc-washed rocks. "Now use your gun" Hip old drover said. 'I'ho ride cracked. Hia heap of yellow ciuivrred nml lnv- still. The brindle leader k'llowcil and inarched on in the lead, his nightly muscles moving under his soft-colnuml hide, his symmctricnl neck iiiii! deep chest and shoulders carrying his j,'raml head with its line horns and fierce, -bold eye. The herd moved on up the irariw track and the men swims; their whins in lively volleys to keep them moviMit. "The bctfjrar fancied the sea," a man said, referring t» Hie dead bullock, "and it's got him now. Hut the hoss'll kick up a deuce of a row," he added. __^___^_____