CHAPTER XVII Cattle-Drafting at Yarrahappini


"To wheel the wild scrub cattle at the yard
With a running fire of stockwhip and a fiery run of hoofs."


Pip could hardly sleep one night, a month after their arrival, for
thinking of the cattle drafting that was on the programme for the
morrow. He had been casting about for some fresh occupation, far
he was a boy to whom variety was the salt of life. At first he had
been certain he could never tire of shooting rabbits. Mr. Hassal had
given him the "jolliest little stunner of a gun," and, Tettawonga
had gone out with him the first day; and had been very scornful
about his enthusiasm when he shot two.

"Ba'al good, gun do. Plenty fellow rabbit longa scrub, budgery
way north, budgery way south; budgery way eblywhere. Ba'al good
barbed wire fence do, ba'al good poison do. Bah!"

But Pip was not to be discouraged, and really thought he had done
great good to the Yarrahappini estate by shooting those two soft,
fleet brown things. He took them home and displayed them proudly
to the girls, cleaned his perfectly clean gun, and sallied forth
the next day.

Tettawonga took his pipe from between his lips when he saw him again