"It's a blackfellow's word, meaning stomach," said the old lady. "He
used to be very fat, and the name stuck to him. Good day, Binjie!"
"Good day, Mrs. Gordon. Hugh at home?"
"No, he won't be back till dark," said the old lady. "Won't you
let your horse go?"
"Well, I don't know if I can," replied the new arrival thoughtfully.
"I've left Poss at home clearing the sheep out of that big paddock
at the Crossing. There's five thousand sheep, and no water there;
I'll have to go back and help him. I only came over to tell Hugh
there were some of his weaners in the river paddock. I must go
straight back, or Poss'll make a row. We've a lot of work to do."
"I think Poss is here," said Mrs. Gordon.
"Poss is here, is he? Well, if that don't beat everything! And when
we started to muster that paddock I went to the top, and he went
the other way, and he reckoned to be at it all day. He's a nice
fellow, he is! I wonder what the old man'll say?"
"Oh, I expect he won't mind very much. This is Mr. George Hunter,
Miss Grant."
Binjie extended much the same greeting as Poss had done; and by
dinner-time that evening--or, as it is always called in the bush,
tea-time--they had all made each other's acquaintance, and both
the youths were worshipping at the new shrine.
At tea the talk flowed freely, and the two bush boys, shy at first,
began to expand as Mary Grant talked to them. Put a pretty girl and
a young and impressionable bushman together, and in the twinkling
of an eye you have a Sir Galahad ready to do anything for the
service of his lady.
Lightheartedly they consented to stay the night, in the hope
of seeing Hugh, to deliver their message about the weaners--they
seemed to have satisfactorily arranged the question of mustering.
And when Miss Grant said, "Won't your sheep be dying of thirst
in that paddock, where there is no water?" both brothers replied,
"Oh, we'll be off at crack of dawn in the morning and fix 'em up
all right."
"They always say that," said the old lady, "and generally stay
three days. I expect they'll make it four, now that you're here."