BUSHMEN AND THEIR WAYS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7232, 19 October 1901, Page 2

BUSHMEN AND THEIR WAYS.

Je . rl y „ of a certain Q. 1.8. contincent Avas out and away ahead of any horse " doctor " I have -known or heard of during the war (writes -An Ex-Yeoman," m *he "Pall Mall Gazette"). Bracket an 4.. R.A. with an unskilled house-painter, and you 'havo Jerrys conception, of the absurdity of any comparison that might be drawn between himself and the mere honse thief one meets on trek. He was a Queenslander ■■ every inch of his six feet, from the black top-boots and skin-tight corduroys to the tip of the tuft of emu plumes in" his hat. His gait rather suggested sheep stations and shearing than banana and sugar plantations. When ihis goodnatured face broke into a wnile, and his lips parted, you &ow two gaps in the upper row of teeth. For three half-crowns Jerry would uraieTtake to provide you Avith. a "real sound moke, good as new," money returned should it be claimed within a fortnight. l<*or half a sovereign he Avould guarantee "a bit of blood, doctored so that Ms oavtii mother would look the other Avay if she saAV him coming." Five ihalf-crQAvns and lie would find you a horse "with a Torrens title." If money 'were no object you could point out any animal -desired, and in due course it would bo handed oA^er trimmed, altered, and embelfebed beyond all recognition. Uncs I saAV the "doctor" at Avork. We Avere Avith Plumer's column, campod at Waggon Drift, in the Transvaal. No one could find Jerry to worn him for outpost duty. The orderly corporal had baAvled hia name from, end to end of tho lines, had peered into every blanket shelter, and had been cursed for. rousing the wrong man Kour of a deep slumber. Jerry Avas 'half a mile away in a dried. r p.ai!, screened from view by the depression and a dump of mimosa. His ."find"' was a sturdy chestnut water, the mount of a gentlemanly young Wilts Yeoman? Having lit ,i fire and bent certain wires to such a shape that the brand 3 N on the animal's flank might be changed <to 8 W over M, he plunged them among the coals. Meamvhile, Avith a farrier's rasp he obliterated the regimental number on the near fore-hoof, and cut other figures in substitution. Then all four hoofs were lightly rasped and co-a-led -with a black composition sd-'as'to preserve uniformity of colour all round, Avhile giving the appearance of ago to the neAv avumber. Over tie branding the "doctor" took in--1 finite pains. He explained that quacks ga\^e themseh'es away in clumsy efforts to dispose of the sun-bleached hair that surrounds old brands". To -dock i'he tail, hog the mane, .and remove 'the forelock Avas the work of but a iew minutes. An. artistic item in the transfiguration was the painting of a short white stocking on the near foreleg. Jerry denied that -the mixture used was simply enamel paint. He hinted at other mysterious essential ingredients. .A puttie carefully bandaged about the off foreleg hid a slightly enlarged fetlock, Av-hich mig'bt have given an important clue to identification. He searched the headstall for distinguishing marks and numbers as a Kaffir searches an abandoned farmhouse for hidden treasure ; he changed the knots in the !headrope— and the job was done. ' ' . ' ' An liour later wo sat chatting over- tea and biscuit. The object of Jerry's attention was tethered hard by looking ashamed of.liis own dis-figurtment. It was an anxious ■moment, for the owner of the animal had come up, and Avas examining the walev's head critically. He seemed to recognise that Roman nose. ? " Wot's the matter, chum? Lost a^ orse! Is that 'im?" inquired the "doctor" in a single breath. n "Very much like ! him. old chap. "Had yours a Avhite stockin' on his near for-8?" . ; :.. ,-_ -„^\. 7-. . "I don't quite remember. "Was that your number and brand < continued Jerry, spitting thoughtfully through his teeth. f "I'm not sure of that either. "Well, wot made you think thats ;mT " The fact is, I could almost swear blind that is my headstall. But never mind. There was not a, dry eye by the camp firo Avhen Jerry had told the joke. ' THIRSTY. At the time De-Wet-Aras being hustled out of Cape CoJemy early this year, ■Plumer's Bushmen found themselves on a train ait Colesburg. They had come hundreds of miles from the Eastern Iranwaal. On the platform stood tAVo quarter-casks of beer. A West Australian alighted stealthiI ly Am-radcd one cask, and retired to te 1 truck beaming. Tne cask was full. -The Railway Staff Officer had seen him. " What the deuce dt> you men mean leaving the train without permission ?" he- linked,approaching the truck. O'Brien answered apologetically that lie was the colonels orderly, and' had only wished to see if the cask were addre^d to thw officers' moss. He aa-<is A-ery' sorry. The R.S.O. looked I into tho tnick, saw that every mm was a-slcep reprimanded O'Brien, and Avalked back toward the guards van. The sleepers inun-Bdi.nt.ely formulated plans, and four men ■Avere told off to each ca*k. Half an hornpassed ; "Right away " Avas signalled ; the train moved oft". Eight Bushmen were up, out, and on those casks in the lav inkling of 'an eyelash. A porter ran to the rescue. He luid a, terrier's chance cf taking a bone from a hungry bulldog. Seventy gallons of precious beer Avere aboard 1 before it could be realised; the Bushmen clambered on, and then — someone found a gimlet. l> This is disgraceful Avork." said Major Vialls at tl)2 next station, "you must pay for that liquor." Major Vialls knew his men, and did not wa.«?te word?. Ten pounds was the sum asked and paid. The Bushmen would cheerfully have subscribed the amount five times over: HOME ANT) COLONIAL. BetAvfcn Riet-fontein ajid Rustenburg a Queensknskv, sickening for fever, was allowed to fall buck from the. advance guard and ride along slowly with the ccnvoy. Doing duty «s a transport officer aviir a cordially hated young subaltern vn his first trek. *He awi's fresh from England, and was, therefore, a living tangle of tape. His other special qualifications for the post were a high metallic voice, a higher collar, and a monocle. General Plurroer av;is the only other person in the column Avho Avore an eyeglass. The indisposed Uuplnr.a.n w»s sauntering along, the reins thrown o.u ths pony's neck. Ho avh-3 looking list lessly into a Avaggon when the subaltern trotted up, and, pressing the monocle to hi« eye, i asked in jrritaiti-ng tones, "Look heah. how is it yaAV.-heah and not Avith yaw squadron? What are you. I say, and Avhat the devil do you Itelnng- toT The trooper dropped hiis right foot from tlie stirrup-iron, Avliich ho lifted ami liplcl over his right oye in imitation of ;t . monoil?. Then, tvyimg his powers of mimicry, ho pip.ni : "Well, old <:h.:tppie, finrft you ask, I'm an adjectival Queensland Bushman." Then r» horsxinau galloped off to join the right flunk r.f the. advance, and the transport oflicEi", having no orders to follow hhn, r?maine:l fuming" Avith the convoy. HVSHMKX AND TITIUR OFFICERS. In nn:ny months' experience of Bushmen

on trek, I have found them men of high iirteirrity. There were a few black sheep — a lid there are sheep of that hue in every company. A Queensland corporal suspected by his, comrades of stealing jewellery from a Boer woman near Rustsnburg, whose farmhouse was about to be burned, was, on the demamd of the men. reduced to the ranks and ostracised. He speedily cleared out, and was attached to another company. Above all else, these big, rough fellows possessed a keen^ense of justice. They refused to be put upon. Officers worthy of respect enjoj^ed their fullest confidence ; but for incapable subalterns they expressed undisguised contempt. More than one officer appointed in Australia was discreetly transferred to some staff job when at was discovered on trek that he lacked certain essential qualifications for leadership. Once a. squadron found! themselves short of horseshoe nails. They were ma cliing. through country where dead 1 horns lay dotted over the veldt like ant-hills. A lieutenant — a {own-bred man — called up the fatrtier-mnjor and ordered liim to pull; the shoes off a few carcases for the sake hi the nails. The farrier thought it was a joke, and laughed ciitright. 4> What the devil's the matter?" asked tbe> officer, reddieming with rage. "Do you take me for ai - — •'fool, sir?" replied the non. -com. quietly; "for any one but a fool knows that yoxi can't use shoenails twice." The man wias not reported for insubordination ; but m«xt day the entire company knew the story. . The iieutena/6 was sent away to arrange for remounts, or see about stores or something. Tiib Bushirtn had no use for '11301.