WITH THE MEN OUT BACK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13307, 13 October 1906, Page 1 (Supplement)

WITH THE MEN OUT BACK.

THE BEEF MUSTER. No. VI. BY E. D'ESTEKRE. " Boss wants the beef mustered ci iy after to-morrow," said the head stockman .at Castle Peaks, pausing in the act of raising his pannikin of tea to his lips. Sure, lie's pretty sudden this season, ain't he?" replies a cattleman. "Anyhow, I guess I'll whale it inter that ugly Shorthorn bull this time ; I've got a score hoisted agin him." " Whafl'or yu feelee mad; him rushee vo-i':" queried the almond-eyed station i.< -ok. ' - "All li, Chink, him no gettee me do.va; him killee my horse, an' me name's not Willyum if I don't mark his scaly hide." At daylight they were in their saddles. The rouseabout flung open the gates, eight long whips whirled round and cracked like so many rifle shots, cattle dogs barked, and the stockmen were off down tho long valley. How sweet and good the air is at , that time, and the men felt it in their lungs, and their happy-go-lucky spirits rose accordingly. Down the road they went, racing madly, and scarcely even drawing rein at the big ford. Hooray!" yelled one and "Hooray!" yelled the rest, as the pace grew hotter; but presently the track left the flats of the valley and started up the ranges. In single file they went upwards; the dew from the long grass and tussocks flicked on to their leggings and boots, occasionally a stone rolled downwards and saddles creaked or bits rattledand how plainly th© echoes came back on that still range—and the blue smoke from the pipes ascended in little clouds and hung suspended ; behind. Long shafts' of bright golden sunlight commenced to slant down over the range, tov ard them; the long, ghostly folds of mist resting on the brows of the peaks moved, and then trailed off to. vanish into th upper oceans of air; the sunbeams tinted the dewdrops opal and violet and all other colours all at once ; the rocky faces where the water from countless springs trickled .ceaselessly shone like burnished silver, and away over was the glittering river, from which came a long, deep, vibrating note. At a plateau the men dismounted to make the steeper ascent to the S"dale on foot. Tall, wiry men, every muscle as tough as whalebone, trained to hard riding from boyhood and to the hills since they could toddle, they looked what they were, cattlemen, rough and uncultured in speech, mad drinkers in the "off" seasons, reckless gamblers, daredevil fellows in th© face of danger, but as true as steel to a mate or a woman—but first of all to the mate. With them money went as soon as it came; they only saV'Xi, when they did save, for a bigger " splash" at the grog shanties of a village some thirty miles away; but, somehow, like Father O'Flynn of blessed memory, they had a way with them that won the hearts of the girls, and many a silent sigh was breathed over mind pictures of some of the Castle Peaks men when they were far away. But one of them stood out amongst the rest as an 18-pointer stag amongst 14-pointers. Tall almost; to slimness, clean-shaven always, with his slouch hat ever, drawn down to . his ' eyebrows, silent to a degree, and the hardest drinker of the lot, but never quite drunk, there was one the rest called "The Monk," whose speech and carriage gave evidence that somewhere in the pigeon-holes c\f his memory were scenes in other lauds where people of wealth and fashion had been his Everyday companions. But - lie had no other name at Castle Peaks, and no one questioned. His secrets, whatever they '•light be, were respected. The track now led 1 into a narrow gorge that became deeper as the men advanced, until at the saddle it was a mere passage into the rock; the men passed up to the last ridge, and down in front lav the cattle country. A wide natural basin it was, some two thousand "feet below, and probably ten miles long, surrounded on every hand by steep peaks. Long, rank grass flourished in the gullies, as high as a bullock's shoulders, and 1 the drainage of the hills kept the ground moist, while a little creek meandered down to find its exit through a narrow rift at the further end. In the winter time no bullock or any other living thing could find sustenance there, for the snow drifts lay deep and still, white deathtraps that they were; but in summer and " the fall" the basin was a paradise. Amongst the long, rank grass and reeds, and over the hill-slopes; up the gorges, and away up to the dark birch groves in the ravines were feeding thousands upon thousands of cattle. Anon the deep roar of a bull, ending in the peculiar whistle of the indrawn breath, echoed and re-echoed amongst the rocks, and was answered by the longer, quieter note of a cow. One superb black Polled Angus giant standing out on a ledge caught sight of the musterers as the}'- came out on to the horizon of his view. A long, steady stare seemed to give him little satisfaction, and then he raised his powerful voice in a cry that could be heard from end to end of the basin, and followed it with a quick series of roars, each ending in a shrill note like the scream of a gull. Instantly heads were raised everywhere, and bullocks came out from the gorges at the call to stare, too, and there was a brief pause while all eyes were turned on the intruders, and then a wild rushing about; but the mustering gang were used to these signs, and quietly pursued their way in a long slant along the face of the hills, down towards the basin, striking the flat at about five miles further along. "There'll be trouble to-morrow,".said the head stockman, quietly, as he mounted his horse. " You bet your sweet life, mate," said Bill, "I'm keepin' behind that crew, an' lookin' fer that paralysed Hebrew Shorthorn bully. He'll get it nice an' tight an' warm." " Ten to one on the field, Bill; 'twill be a willing go," was " The Monk's" comment. "I'll take you a straight-out bottle at Moneghan's shebeen he comes out on top.'' "Right you are, old Sarcasm, I see you, an' you'll pay fer that selfsame grog before yer many days older." The rest listened for the expected sally from " The Monk," and it came; " Sweet William, the red hair of you is the end of you, 'twill prove the death of you, and it's sorry you'll be when he finds you alone." J Th© camp, a warm, snug hut at the other end of the cattle country, built in under a ledge of rock, where the snow drifts could do no harm, was reached soon after noon, and the horses were pegged out in the vicinity and safe from any night attack behind tho stout post and rail fence which • enclosed the hut and about five acres of land. As the sun went down that evening th© men heard the roaring of the bullocks in the gullies; the animals had been disturbed and were uneasy, and during the night the natural curiosity of the brutes led a score or two to tramp round and round the compound and roar with occasional intervals for breath, while the dogs went mad with excitement. j One man sat up in his bunk and made " remarks" till his mate overhead dropped a boot on him, with the polite invitation to. " Shut up there, Scotty; they's only singin' ye to sleep." -■ v., ' "Sleep," is it, ye cold-blooded fardowner," came from a corner; " nary ; a wink of it am I gettin'. Get up an' tell the kye ter go - home,."-

Then " The Monk" heard his liorje snort- ] ing with terror. He reached for his whip and went cnt. Presently they heard him goinc along the flat top-rail of the fence', and the tramp of hooves as the animals collected to gaze at him. "My children," he said, as he uncoiled his whip, "I give you absolution and wish you peace," and "then that stockwhip went like a Maxim gun, ana each stroke told, until the cattle fled up the valley. "'Sprised at his riv'rence," murmured Bill, sleepily, "appearin' afore all the lady cows in his night-clothes." The mists of the morning ascended like columns of smoke from a thousand camp fires, and the perfume of anise and honey- | dew came in on the faint breeze to the stockmen advancing up the valley in extended line formations. For the first mile or two there was only an occasional crack of a whip, the horses stepped out smartly and the cattle travelled well ahead ; but as more and more beasts were gathered in and the drivers closed up the cattle got mora excited. Away ahead young steers, with tails up and heads high, were rushing to and fro, pausing every few moments to survey- the advancing mob, And several bulls were rooting up the turf and bellowing angrily; cattle were coming out from the gullies and ravines, and the basin was rapidly becoming a moving sea of heads and horns. Tied first trouble took place about four kales from the camp. A big, lanky steer, with Hereford blood in him, faced about and made a break to get through the mustering lino, and his lead v. as followed by five others. Down on him rode ♦•'fa head stockman, who was keeping the c.-ntre, and the left wing closed in, stockwhips cracked along the line like a volley of musketry, and -.hat. steer suffered hot, scorching punishment for about twenty yards before he was turned back. The rest wavered, and thou -'led before the fusillade back into the press of the mob. That was only a preliminary canter. Half a mile further on a Polled Angus bull, started from up the hillside, came, charging down the line, head down, and taking any amount of punishment, and broke through near Scotty. Then followed a mad race for two hundred yards, . the bull dodging and halting, but- ever making down the valley, and Scotty laying on the whip like mad. At an angle from the right wing, and riding like a streak, came "The Monk;" lie laid out a stroke or , the left flank that made ,the bull roar with pain, and it turned to charge. Guiding their horses by pressure of the knees on the saddles the. two men dodged and let him through, then closed in with a perfect rain of blows. Three times the mad''sued brute charged, and each time the punishment grew hotter, till he gave in and trotted meekly after the rest. Then there was peace "for a little, and the pace grew slower, while the "wingers" branched off to hunt little mobs but from the network of gorges lying in below the high peaks opposite the Saddle, but when the wide, turning movement commenced far out on the left flank the cattle in the centre saw the chance and broke through. A stampede of between six and seven thousand head of cattle is an ugly thing to face, and heaven lie 1 the man who gets in front. The men kne. better than to face that rush and the line quickly divided in the centre,. and each wing • gathered oil the higher, ground. Then down they came i:gain 011 the flanks of the herd and raced with it, the whips hissing through., the air and scoring deep marks on the animals rrith each stroke, and no stroke missed. One bullock after another turned to charge, and several of the men had to fight for their lives; but still the mad chase went on. Over three miles were covered before the pace was slackened, end then : the wings closed in tighter and tighter, dodging the rushes and laying on the whip ceaselessly; the men were Tialf b'indecl by oho dust, their horses were fagged, and white "with the lather of sweat; every arm achec\ but every man knew his duty,' and knew that upon- ,the -quickness ,of his ,eye night de--pend tine whole turning movement, and probably his own life. The herd had now got into triangular form, with the men riding to turn the apex; wherever an animal showed a disposition to break out, and widen the triangle he was thrashed back' again, until the first two men were riding neck and neck with the first bullocks. Upon the others depended the keeping of, the mob in that for : mation, and the first two devoted, their attention to the leader, a young Shorthorn bull, with a magnificent head, strong as a lion, and of tremendous staying power. The first whip stung him along the ribs, , the next caught him near the ears, and then a hail •of lashes came from either side; he faced about to charge, but never got a chance the whip thongs cut like wire, taking off skelps of skin and hair, and under the torture the bull rushed back into the mob, and the fight was won. Closing up now, the musterers charged, and the dogs took the flanks. Yelling at the top of their voices and plying their whips for dear life the men followed up their advantage, and the great mob hesitated, turned, and ran. The riders dropped from their saddles'and lay on their back on the ground, for that precious rest men and horses so urgently required, and the cattle moved in one great herd up to the head of the valley, the thunder of their hooves sounding along the hillsides like the beating of a myriad. of drums. Following up slowly the musterers brought on the turning movement closer in this time, and the mob plodded steadily up toward the gap of the Saddle. Now and then there was a charge, and once the head stockman went down; but " The Monk" was along in a flash and dealing out punishment to the steer before it could turn to | the attack. Bill , had a difference of opinion with his old friend of last muster, recognised him again, and made the .whip sing as old scores were paid off; and then Scotty's horse fell over a boulder. Scotty took a surprised sort of somersault, sat down hard, and swore, but the others unfeelingly laughed. As tl;e sun declined behind the high peaks the last stragglers of the huge mob passed through the gap at the Saddle, and the leaders' took the long trail to the plains, and there bulls and steers and cows and calves could be left in peace till the time came for yarding, and the men lined up to the cook-house at dark. "You catchee much beefee?" was their greeting. .''You catchee tea welly slickee, Chinky Chink," returned Scotty; " an' a whole big lot at that." "I got that silly Shorthorn, anyhow," said Bill; " an' I'll drink that bottle with ye, 'Monk,' at the shebeen, Saturday." I