GRIT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2456, 17 April 1901, Page 68

GRIT.

(By Will M. Flfhixg, in the Australasian Pafetorahsts' Review.) The sky was dappled with the dawn, the reflection fiom the long lagoon lying 111 front of the homestead tinged the white boles of the sleepy-looking gum tree* tender pink and gold ; a red topped co<ich rocked round the bend in the read. "Fine place," said the driver to a passenger on tl c box Feat beside him. He pointed witii his whip to the homestead. "Very pretty," replied the pa-^enger, bracing himself up agam-t the bfi.k of the peat. "Who owns it" "Drayton and Doctor Monib." replied the duver. "Drayton manages it, Doctor comes up for a week or two now and then ; old chums, they say, real gentlemen, too." He fossicked out a bntteied old bugle from (he boot and blew a blast. A dog barked in reply, and a man appeared on the verandah in his pyja-.na-. "That's Diayton," saul the driver; "fine style of a man, ain't he? IWcie the other could reply the coach had pulled up. "Morning, Andrews," said DrJtyton, nodding to the diivei. "Morning, sir," he replied, and handec out a mail bag. "Pass any sheep along the road"'" "Driuan's 8000 about 18 miles back; told me to give you notice for day alter tomorrow." "Thanks." The long whip curled out and the coach lumbered off. Drayton .shook his mail out of the bag, picked up a telegram and opened it. "Back to-morrow; good enough, Morri«, old man !" he said aloud. "I'll need to make things hum to meet you." He went inside, dressed, and had breakfast. His cook was away on the spree, all the men were out mustering cattle ; ju<=t now he was his own cook and groom. Breakfast finished, Drayton went outside, and walking over to the stable led out a thoroughbred mare. "Take a good fill, Lady," he said, "it'll piobably be a few hours before I get back." Uo;r n over to the dog-kennel, he filled the vt-:r di-di. "Down, Rowdy," he said. a= lh:s do 1 ? fawned on him;" "it'll be ioo !>ct lev you to-day." He had got into the i'.ibit of talking to bis animals since ho v. ,13 Ml alon». He put tho maie back in ih^ 100- ■> box, slung a stock whip over his arm, nnd catching Happy Jack, cantered away to miioter the horce3 out of th" 2O.QC'Q-aae paddock. Shortly before midday he sighted the hor?e?. With a cla='i they made up the belah v. arramboo). He swung them out across the loygamines, raid soon held them good, heading towards home through the coolibah-. Shadow was making the pace a cracker ; the scent of the butha blossom filled the air; the strong, even pull of tho horse beneath him, tho cracking of sticks, and the rattle of hoofs, made the blood spurt in Drayton's veins. The horses, too, seemed filled with the vigour of the day, and laid themselves out for a good go. Racing up to the home paddock gate they stopped dead, turned and snorted bark at Drayton. When he went to open the gate they trotted down along the fence. Happy Jack grew mad-headed. By the time the gate was opened Shadow had the mob a quarter of a mile down the fence. Happy's ba<l beI haviour had annoyed Drayton, s»nd down across the couch-grafs flat he had let him out. Shadow headed for the scrub. As Happy Jack wheeled round the lead he made a false step, blundered over a log, and came down heavilj'. When he got up he raced away after the mob, the stirrups flogging him wildly, and ringing against the scrub as he went. Drayton lay still as the log. When ho moved he grunted with pain. His left foot was badly smashed. As yet it was only painful when he moved ; soon, he knew, the pain would be intense. With the cool grit of the men on the Outer Edge he lay and calculated his chances. Were Morris here he would be all light, but Morris was at present about 150 miles away. When he got to the end of hi 3 train journey he would, for all practical purpose^, be as far away as ever, waiting for Drayton to meet him. The sun bpgan to glow hot. Drayton dragged himself into the shade. The pain of the crushed foot was growing. The little black pismire aut3 ran pbout excitedly, the red beef ants walked inquiringly up and down ; they had begun to smell blood. Soon Drayton felt the fast bite; it made him \ingle all .over. "It's time I made a move," he thought. Taking. 'holcl of a sapling he dragged himself up and stoocl for a while to get used to the pain.. He brojee a stick, and, u-ing it as a crute'i, f-tartej.l to hobble towards a -pool- of w-ater. back .towards the fouee. When he reached it he did not know how to get a drink. He coxild not scoop up the water with his handc, and was afraid to lie down for fear of the pain when getting up again. Hopping along to a leaning tree, ho took hold of a bianch, and reaching out =cooped up a hatful of water and drank. The laste of it, lukewarm and muddy, almost made him «ick. He thought of Lady in her box and Rowdy on his chain. They, too, would soon be wanting a drink ; he could not leave them to perish. He looVed at the fer.ce be=ide him, and then up to the gate. Through the fence would shoiten the distance by about halt. He went up "and leaned on a post. The thought of his useless foot dragging over the wire made him shudder. He hobbled off for the gate. Every now and then the ground seemed to dance before him, and he rested, leaning on the fence. When he reached the gate it was almost sundown. He tat down on a log for a spell. The parson-birds twittered in the branches of the gum trees overbead, dropping down now and then for a dip in the lagoon alongside. Away down the water a flock of ducks floated. A couple of bustards came down softly through the blue-grass for a drink. The brolgas began to utter the trumpet call of camping time. The ru«hes whispered in the bieeze. The hush of evening was falling over all. Drayton looked towards the homestead, still about a ouart Q r of a mile away down the lagoon. He thought he would give it up ; getting there would not benefit him much. "But Lady and Rowdy," he thought ; "I can't let the poor brutes perish." Still he sat, nerving himself for the final effort; he would have no fence and only an odd tree here and there to lean on for a rest. He wondered could he do it. A couple of kangaroos, hopping slowly past, stopped, and looked down along the road. From their attitude they evidently heard something. Drayton listened. "Sounds like a buggy," ho muttered, and looked up at the trees. The leaves wore rustling softly. almost inaudibly. The kangaroos hopped away into the tciub. The

sound of wheel 1 ? grew louder. A four-in-hand swung out ot the timber. "Lord, what luck !" said Draylon, and got up to open tl'c gate. For the moment he forgot how badly ho was hurt, and put his foot to the ground. The pain ptaggered him acjamst the gate with a groan. In a second Morris ua- beside him. "What's up, old mianY" ho asked. "Smashed my foot," said Draytou. He looked up with a smile. "Had made up my mind to die g.une," he '■aid. Morris led him bae'e to the lop-. "Sit down, old man, and we'll see about it," he said. The liclina; boot had been split from top to bottom, the heel torn clean off. Taking out a knife, Morris soon had ihe foot clear. "A nasty sma=h." he said, "hut we'll soon fix >ou up. Lucky we came on; two days would have settled it." "What biought you?" a-ked Drayton. "Meie rl.ance," leplied Morr 1^: "Wilshire was ooming pa?!, and ga\e me a lilt out." Diayton looked up. "Kaiied to recognise you, Wilshire." lie said. "Bit ay, kvard, isn't it?" and he looked al hit. injured foot. "Wh.it the deuce were jou trying to do r '" asked Wilshhc, who had been looking at Drayton, his crutch, and the tracks along th? fence. "Trying to get home to give my horse and doa a chaucc," waa the quiet reply.