Page:The Toll of the Bush.pdf/50

heads down, their shoulders set hard into the yoke, but along the back stretch the ground was apparently easier and the team went forward with much greater celerity. Yet when Pine’s quick eye caught sight of one of his employers it seemed that the ground was, after all, of a varying texture, for the bullocks all but came to a standstill under the increased strain. Geoffrey probably would have regarded this fact without suspicion, but Robert, not so easily hoodwinked, strolled over and kicked up the turf. Pine brought the team to a stand.

‘How you look?’ he asked, his eyes rolling.

‘Going a bit light, aren’t you?’ Robert asked.

‘That te good proughing,’ said Pine confidently; ‘if too deep then no good.’

‘Then why are you ploughing it deeper the other side?’

‘Where about?’

‘Over the other side where we can see you.’

‘That te other side te hill,’ Pine explained.

‘Yes, but———’

‘Your prough no good dis side te hill, no good at all, Where you buy dis prough?’

‘If you can plough deep over there you can plough deep here,’ was Robert’s comment.

‘Pine looked at the plough and reflected. ‘You got some more greases down to your place?’ he asked at length.

‘Oh, gammon!’ said Robert. ‘You get along and plough it the same depth all over.’