Page:The Toll of the Bush.pdf/47

Kanara’s bull he hear him and say, “Golly, I tink dat cow got belly ache; I go see”; an’ when he see only tombones he very angry. Pshut! My mother’s father she clear; Kanara’s bull clear af’er him. Te ol’ man make very quick time and get on top te kumara house. Then he play tombones more’n more an’ say, “Praise Lord!” But Kanara’s bull he walk roun’ an’ roun’ an’ say, “By gorry, I get you, I break your burry neck.”’

‘And how did it all end?’

‘By’m-by,’ said Pine, ‘ol’ man do the haka,^[1] an’ while he tance the roof bust up and he fall in the kumara pit. Then when Kanara’s bull see, he say, “Aha! Goo’ jhob!” and he go away.’

After breakfast the ploughing was resumed, the brothers meanwhile going on with their own work of digging up the vegetable garden. For the next couple of hours the only sounds to be heard were the cracking of the bullock whip and the cries of the driver.

‘Cee Hernshaw! Get town, Fretchah! Come here, Mirward! Come here! (with rising inflection) Ah-h! (as the plough ran off). By clikey, Fretchah, you the bad burrock!’ Half a minute of silence; then again: ‘Cee Hernshaw! Cee Moblay! Get town, ‘Tawperry! Ah-h, Fretchah! Damn! Bloomin’ !!!’

A loud whistle from the direction of the road attracted the brothers’ attention, and shading their eyes from the sun, they saw a young man on a big bay horse drawn up at their slip-rail.

‘Sandy Milward,’ said Robert, thrusting his spade into the ground and moving off.