A FRANTIC MOB.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 26 June 1924, Page 4

A FRANTIC MOB.

EFFECT OF POISON SHRUB ON CATTLE. WOMAN DROVER’S ORDEAL. SYDNEY, June 11. A party, including two women drovers, wnich set out a week or two ago from Helen Springs Station with a mob of four hundred cattle, bound for Odnadatta, thus traversing the centre of Australia, had a most exciting and perilous experience to the south of Wyeliffe Well. This is the party which Mr. Stewart, a Federal Minister, while making an overland journey through the heart of the continent, came across one evening, and was astonished during the night to hear continuous singing in tjie distance it being explained to him that, owing to there being no enclosures along the long route, it was necessary for the djrovers to keep watch all night, and that they sang to the cattle in order to avoid frightening them by coming suddenly upon them in the dark and causing a stampede. The Minister on that occasion was struck by the capacity of the two young horsewomen who were taking their part as drovers. They would not hear of any difference being made in their favour when their turn came round for the long night vigils, and in dashing after the cattle they displayed every bit as much skill as experienced stockmen. It was during one of these nights, some days after the Minister had left the party, that they were subjected to a terrible ordeal. After a tiring day over rough country the mob 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 going all night. The two women bad 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 about in the darkness, but they couldn’t tell the cause. All turned out. and soon the night was filled with an awesome mingling of songs and bellowings as the stockmen sought in vain to 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 m apparent agony. It was evident that many had eaten some poison herbage, but so many were affected, and it was so difficult to locate them with the hurricane lamps, and so dangerous to go near them in the darkness, that any treatment was out of the question, even thoush the remedies had been at hand. The turmoil continued almost throughout the night, and the groans and agony of the cattle was afterwards described by one of the stockmen as the most horrible nightmare that be had ever had. All rode round the mob for the rest ,of the night, and by superhuman efforts kept the mob together, but as dawn broke it was seen that the effeets of the poison had been disastrous. Over seventy animals lay dead, and many others were still writhing in a g° n y, but apparently recovering. Some had been horribly mutilated by the fierce kicks of other tortured beasts, and the scene was like the aftermath of 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 growing in some parts hi bund. As a. test, a bullock was given some of this tp eat, and it was dead within ten hours, which fact is accepted as a proof that this was the cause of 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.