The Lonliest Life of All.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1922, Page 3

The Lonliest Life of All.

<Bv Will 11. Ogilvie, Author of “Fair Girls and Grey Horses.”) Every large sheep station in Australia lias upon its territory throe or four lonely lints in which live tho solitary men who look after the sheep in 1 lie remoter paddocks and ride round the wire fences, keeping them in repair. These men have hut slight intercourse with the outside world.- Once a month, perhaps, the boundary-rider may lock up his hut and ride to the nearest township, spending a night or two nights away ; occasionally ho rides in ' - the head station on business conlreted with his sheep; once in a way lie may he called from his rcgular'work to assist at a lamb-marking camp or to join tile musterers at a shearingtime; hilt for the most part he lives absolutely alone with his dogs and His horses, except for the rare visits ol

the station, ration-carrier, tlm sheep overseer, or some passing traveller tak- , inh a short cut from one main road to another. The boundary hut is generally placed near a creek or permanent I water-hole in the corner of the largo | sheep paddock for which lie is respoii- 1 sible. As this enclosure may be any- ! tiling from 20 to 60 miles in circnm- i ference a small paddock of 20 to 30 acres is fenced to hold his horses. I Of these ho may have three or four ; supplied by the station, and lie is gen- j orally allowed to keep one of liis own, j

so that lie has sufficient for liis needs even when tho hard conditions of flood or draught have partially reduced liis stud.

His close companions, both at liis daily work and in his long, lonely evenings, are his sheep dogs. Tljere is no doubt that in many eases these animals supply tho reliable strand in the rope which holds hack such a hermit of the hush from the blink of mental downhill which the peculiar mode of life brings near. His hut consists of hut a single room. It is built of wientherbourd or of rough slabs, like uiitriuimed railway sleepers, set on end.

At one extremity of the hut is a deep iireplace and a chimney of galvanised iron. On the ilieartli an immense log smoulders continuously. Most of the cooking is done in a camp-oven, a round pot on three short legs, .which is s:-t upon red-hot wood cinders with a generous supply of the same heaped upon its lid. In this are cooked the mutton, the br«ud and the ••brownie,” that simple but appetising cake so dear to the hiishman. At one side of the small room is the bed, which is simply a rough hunk, covered with old bagging or sheepskins and a four-inch Jayer of gum-leaves or pick.' tassels —a fragrant as well as a soft mattress.

On the other side of the room is a small table consisting of a fiat sheet of bark on four supports. On a shell oil ike wall above it stand a lew tins—containing respectively sail, sugar, nails, tobacco,' golden syrup, baking po.viler, and strychnine for poisoning dingoes (.wild dogs). Occasionally t!*c owner makes a mistake regarding the two latter tins, and Llien a vacancy occurs for a boundary rider.