THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 May 1920, Page 4

THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMALS

[Fuom Sydney Bulletin]

(Continued)

The frog faced man came ou to the side walk to study Vox's points, and Vox saw that his new emp1 dyer-to-be disdained Loot laces and tied his bluchers with binder twine. His trousers disdained the use of many buttons also ; and their owner dis* dained appearances on general principles. " Used to cows ?" "Often." <! All right. I want a man to start now. I got a spring cart 'ere, an' as soon as you're ready we'll go."

" I'm ready now." " Well"—the cockie paused, and struggled with himself, and was defeated. Emerging from the battle without serious casualties he capitulated, saying, " Aye a ruja ?'' Vox agreed and his new master led the way to the bar-room, and the rum being duly taken he directed his new man to " bring round the spring cart—baldy-faced 'orse in the sharves, an' grey pony on a houtrigger."

Vox brought the melancholy horses around as the weather collected itself for its daily noon effect of rain, and regarded the baldy-faced horse in the

•' sharves" with wonder. He was the most deliberate horse in the world ; and his lower lip sagged three inches, as if he were held back from weeping ouly by fear. On the way around to the hotel front he put down one foo f in the vrmd, and held up another, and waited.

"Good God!" said Vox. "He'll hold that foot up for keeps." But the cockie came to the door and said <l Garrup " ; and the horse, recognising the voice, made his lower lip sag more and more tremulously and resumed the voyage. They drove away from the tewn--Bhip ap in a hill made of moss, and slithered down another made of jujubes mixed with lard. Over the hills and into the gullies; and after 10 long miles they drew up at dusk by sliprails. The cockie had spoken only once during the journey, being mostly engaged in thrusting a stick with great nicety and precision at the root of the tail of the melancholy horse so that Vox began to understand the tremulous lower lip of the bald-faced one and to sympathise with him.

'' Me nanio's Boatty," said the cockie. " What's yours ?" <• Vox." 11 Box ?•' . "No, Vox." " Funny name Vox 'It ain't like Beatty." " No: that's why it's like Vox." The cockie looked puzzled; but forgot to pursue the subject. Vox put the hors«s away in a paddock that seemed all fallen, lire blackeued trees with a little gru&s between. Tho Beatty mansion was not pretentious—merely bush slabs for outside, and the joints imperfectly lined ; so that them wore a dozen warring draughts for any wind. There was a sitting-room with the linings covored with grocer's almanacs, farm-machinery show-cards, a

few texts and photo reproductions from newspapers ; a litho of the Battle of Magersfontein drawn by an infamous Japanese artist and apparently printed in inks made of blood

and bile; a bush bookcase with a few books of cow literature. There was a bedroom for Beatty and his wife, a woman made all skin and gnof by work aaiong the bis: troos ; and another room shared by the daughter

a .scraggy girl with fine eyes, and her five-year old brother, who w yas made of puddings and the only fat thing ou the farm. Vox's speculations as to w'.iore he should sleep were answered after supper of corned beef and pumpkin, of which there was a widow's cruse that failed not three times a day. Beatty led him outside to " the man's room,'' next the cart-houso, which was next the fowlhouse, and uigh the dairy. Vox saw a stretcher made of round bush timber and cornsacks ; there were two blankets, and two score cornsacks for additional covoring. There were also a box for a chair, a broken lipped ewer, a pile of corn on the cobs waiting to be shelled and a corn-sheller. Beatty gave him a holiday that night. "V' needn't shell any, as it's yer first night," he said. *'V' can have a good night in, au' we don't start till daylight." Vox sat down on the bunk and looKed at the corn shdler recognising it as his galley and he the slave. But lie laughed as usual and slept well. In tho darkness around about midnight it seemed he heard noisos, and awoke to fiud B6atty at the door holding a lantern. "Mot hup yet'?" asked Boatty almost grumbling. <( "Why, breakfus lis on."

Vox oxcused himself and dressed in tho dark, and followed the departed Beatty into the kitchen—a detached shuck with a lire place nine foet wide and half a ton of feathery ash staciced against the chimney bacic. So slavery began overy day with corned beef and pumpicin, as it ended with pumpicin and corned beef. Between dawn and night there were cows with sure teals, the abomination exaggerated by Vox's chilblaiu»d hiiiids : the u.eluiioh )ly horso to be (liiveii with the cow pruduut to the CTf-uimwy — the liorsis th-l became aim-(St. gay when h found that. Vox had neither tlu absence <>t" iit.-arc nor the ureseuce of s'.icic to re tisstuli the