A FRANTIC MOB

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1924, Page 4

A FRANTIC MOB

EFFECT QF POISON SHRUB ON CATTLE WOMAN DROVER'S QRDEAi. (FROM OUR OWN CORUESPONDENT.) SYDNEY, 11th June. The party which includes two women drovers which set out a week or two ago from Helen Springs Station with, a mob of four hundred cattle- bpund for O.dnadatta, thus traversing ' the centre of ; Australia, had a most' exciting and per^ ' iloug experience to the south of Wycliffe 'Well. This is the party which Mr. Stewart, a Federal Minister, while making an overland/ jqurney tiitdqgh the ' heart of the continent, came across one evening, and was astonished, during the njght, to hear continuous singing hi the distanpe, it being explained' to jiirn that, owing to their being no. enclosures along the long route, it was necessary for the drovers to keep watch all night, and that they sang to the cattle in order tq avoid frightening them by coming' sud^ denly upon, them in the dark and causing a stampede. The Minister' on that occasion was struck by the capacity oi the two young horsewomen who were taking their part 'as 'drovers. They woujfl not hear of any difference being made in their favour' when their turn ; cari^e rounjl for the long night vigils, and in dashing after the cattle they displayed every bit as much "skill as experienced stp.ckmen. It was during one of these nights, some days after. the Minister had loft the party, tljat they were subjected. to, a te.rrible prdeal. After a tiring day over rough country the mo.h had been camped about 400 miles north, of Odnadatta, and the cattle were left to graze on the surrounding herbage. The night set in bitterly cold, and the drovers were glad, to keep as near- as possible to the; big fire that was kept gping all night. The two, women had gone out, on their watch", when, late at night, which was pitch dark, they rode hurriedly 'into the camp and gave the alarm that many of the cattle were showing extreme restlessness, and many were plunging wildly ahmit in the darkness, but they couldn't tell the cause. All turned out, and sooji the night was fijled with an awesome mingling of songs and bello.wings. a,s the stockmen sought in vain tp quieten the growing excitement of the cattle. Before long they had all their work cut out to prevent, the infuriated animals from breaking off in all directions. Roars and. groans increased, and it was dangerous to' dismount 'amongst the animals because many had thrown themselves on the ground and were writhing and kicking in apparent agony. 'it \yas evident that • many had eaten some poison herbage^ ; but so many we're affected, and' it was so difficult to locate them with the hurrjeane lamps, and so dangerous to go near them in the darkness, that' any I treatment was out "of the question, eve'ri though, the remedies had been at hand. The turmoil continued almost j throughout the. night, and the groans and agony q£ the cattle was afterwards described by. one of the stockmen as I the most horrible nightmare that he had | ever had. " All rods round tha mob for the Teat of the night, and, by superhuman efforts kept the mob together, b,ut as dawn broke it was seen that the effects of the poison had been disastrous. I Over seventy animals lay dead, and j many others, were still writhing in agony, but apparently recovering. Some had been horribly mutilated by the fierce kicks of. other tortured beasts, j and the scene was like the aftermath lof some fearful battle. It was a mystery what herbage, had caused the trouble, but the stockmen agreed that it was most likely the fuchsia bush, .which was gro.wing in some parts ai'ound. As a test a- bullock was given some of this to eat, and it was dead within ten houi's, which fact is accept? e,d as a proof that this was the cause Qf the trouble. There are many kinds of "poison country" in different parts of Australia, and such experiences are not rare when strange country is being traversed.