The Dingo Boys Part 2

"No; but mind and drive those bullocks and horses down to Jennings', and the gentleman will give you sixpence."

"You give Shanter tickpence?" he cried eagerly, as he lowered his rough shock-head and peered in the captain's face.

"Yes, if you drive them carefully."

"Hoo!" shouted the black, leaping from the ground, and then bursting out with a strange noise something between a rapid repet.i.tion of the word wallah and the gobbling of a turkey-c.o.c.k; and then seeing that the boys laughed he repeated the performance, waved his clumsy spear over his head, and made a dash at the bullocks, prodding them in the ribs, administering a poke or two to the horses, and sending them off at a gallop toward the port.

"No, no, no, stop him!" cried the captain; and the three boys rushed off after the black, who stopped for them to overtake him.

"What a matter--what a matter?" he said coolly, as they caught and secured him.

"Mind he don't come off black, Tim," cried Norman.

"Black? All black," cried the Australian. "White, all white. Not white many."

"That's not the way to drive cattle," cried the young doctor, as he came up with the captain.

"Not give tickpence drive bullock.u.m?"

"Yes, if you are careful. Go slowly."

"Go slowly."

"No. Bullock.u.m 'top eat gra.s.s. Never get along."

"You'll make them too hot," said Rifle.

"No, no," shouted the black; "no can get too hot. No clothes."

"Send the fellow about his business," said the captain; "we'll drive the cattle ourselves. Good lesson for you, boys.--Here you are, Shanter."

He took out a bright little silver coin, and held it out to the black, who made a s.n.a.t.c.h at it, but suddenly altered his mind.

"No, not done drive bullock.u.m. Wait bit."

He started off after the cattle again, but evidently grasped what was meant, and moved steadily along with the three boys beside him, and he kept on turning his shiny, bearded, good-humoured face from one to the other, and displaying a perfect set of the whitest of teeth.

"Seems ruin, doesn't it?" said Tim, after they had gone steadily on for some time in silence--a silence only broken by a bellow from one of the bullocks.

"Hear um 'peak?" cried the black.

"What, the bullock?" said Rifle.

The black nodded.

"Say don't want to go along. Shanter make um go."

"No, no, don't hunt them."

"No," cried the black, volubly; "hunt wallaby--hunt ole man kangaroo."

He grinned, and holding his hands before him, began to leap along the track in a wonderfully clever imitation of that singular animal last named, with the result that the horses snorted, and the bullocks set up their tails, and increased their pace.

"Be quiet!" cried Norman, whose eyes ran tears with laughter. "Yes, you are right, Tim. He is a rum one."

"I meant it seems rum to be walking along here with a real black fellow, and only the other day at Harrow."

"Black fellow?" cried their companion. "Hi! black fellow."

He threw himself into an att.i.tude that would have delighted a sculptor, holding back his head, raising his spear till it was horizontal, and then pretending to throw it; after which he handed it quickly to Norman, and s.n.a.t.c.hed a short k.n.o.bbed stick from where it was stuck through the back of the piece of kangaroo skin he wore.

With this in his hand he rushed forward, and went through the pantomime of a fierce fight with an enemy, whom he seemed to chase and then caught and killed by repeated blows with the nulla-nulla he held in his hand, finishing off by taking a run and hurling it at another retreating enemy, the club flying through the air with such accuracy that he hit one of the horses by the tail, sending it off at a gallop.

"Norman! Rifle!" cried the captain from far behind; "don't let that fellow frighten those horses."

"I--I--can't help it, father," cried the boy, who was roaring with laughter.

"Tink Shanter funny?" cried the black; and he gave vent to the wallah-wallah noise again.

"Yes, you're a rum beggar," said Rifle, who looked upon him as if he were a big black child.

"Yes; Shanter rum beggar," said the black, with a satisfied smile, as if pleased with the new t.i.tle; but he turned round fiercely directly after, having in his way grasped the meaning of the words but incorrectly.

"No, no," he said eagerly; "Shanter no rum beggar. No drunk.u.m rum.

Bah! ugh! Bad, bad, bad!"

He went through an excited pantomime expressive of horror and disgust, and shook his head furiously. "Shanter no rum beggar."

"I meant funny," said Rifle.

"Eh? Funny? Yes, lot o' fun."

"You make me laugh," continued Rifle.

"Eh? make um laugh? No make black fellow laugh. Break um head dreffle, dreffle. No like black fellow."

In due time they were close up to the hotel, where, the boys having taken down the rails, the new purchases made no scruple about allowing themselves to be driven in to join the rest of the live-stock, after which Shanter went up to the captain.

"Get tickpence," he cried, holding out his hand.

The coin was given, and thrust into the black's cheek.

"Just like a monkey at the zoological," said Norman, as he watched the black, who now went to the wharf, squatted down, and stared at the stern, sour-looking man--the captain's old servant--who was keeping guard over the stack of chests, crates, and bales.

The next thing was the arranging for the loan of a wagon from the landlord, upon the understanding that it was to be sent back as soon as possible. After which the loading up commenced, the new arrivals performing all themselves, the inhabitants of the busy place watching, not the least interested spectator being the black, who seemed to be wondering why white men took so much trouble and made themselves so hot.

One wagon was already packed by dusk, and in the course of the next day the other and the carts were piled high, the captain, from his old sapper-and-miner experience, being full of clever expedients for moving and raising weights with rollers, levers, block and fall, very much to the gratification of the dirty-looking man, who smoked and gave it as his opinion that the squire was downright clever.

"Your father was quite right, boys," said Uncle Jack, as the sheets were tightened over the last wagon. "We could not stop anywhere near such neighbours as these."