The Headless Pony. . .

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 109, 2 August 1902, Page 17

The Headless Pony. . .

[By L4.ncewood.j

IT was near the close of a cold winter clay, and the cold sky gave piomise of an equally cold night, when a large mob of tia\ piling stoic bullocks drew slowly into camp for the night, m a small patch of timber, which would give them as much shelter as could be found about. Horses were being hobbled and turned out, and the tinkling bells as they moved aw ay to feed, though scaicely like vesper bells, still served much the same purpose denoting that wOl k was over for the day, and rest might now be enjoyed, except by the man on watch, but even he got his shaie later on. As the dioveis gatheied round the fire to take their supper a mob of horses were driven up to the camp by a man and a black boy, who immediately set to work to turn out" and make a file. The man, after unsaddling his horse, walked acioss to the drover's fire, and nodding 'Good evening" to them, dropped down on his heels, well within reach of the friendly warmth, and asked them where they were bound for. ''Going to Jackson's station, on the Darling. He bought them on Coopei's Creek," answered Scott,, the head diover, at the same time handing him a damper to heln himself fiom 'Thanks' Stores'"' ho asked ''Yes a thousand head." ' What brought you this way s It's not the main route." 'No but I heard there was better glass down this way, and so far it has been very food. I never drove on this road before am quite a stranger to it," said Scott. "I thought so," replied the stranger "I have been droving about here foi a long time, and know most of the drovers along this track." Supper nroceeded, and afterwards, in the usual fiie-side yarning, the stranger gave his name as Howard, and in speaking about the road, along which he was returning with his plant of horses, after delivering his last mob of cattle asked where they would camp the next night. Oh, I believe at the Duck Lagoons," said Scott. 'Paddy, the horse boy, says he was along here some years ago, and that it is a good camp " "Did he see the ghost?" asked Howard ''Not that I know of. Paddy," he said, as that individual came up to the fire, "did you ever see the ghost at the Duck Lagoons ?" Not I I heard of it, but I have niver been along here since Shure I thought it had gone " "Not a bit of it," said Howard. 'Its some years now since it was first seen and ever since it's almost' certain to appear to anyone camped there " 'What is it supposed to bp?" asked Scott. "I have heard of a ghost somewhere in this dnection but I don't believe it." It's there right enough," replied Howard. 'I saw it myself last trio and it's enough to prevent a man coming this way a^ain and there's no doubt about it, because some of the cattle saw it also, a>nd, though they did not lush, moved quickly off camp, and I never cot them again " "Why didn't you go aftei them at once?" asked Scott "No, thanks I don't pretend to be particularly nervous but I was not 20mg to follow that thing l It was a night something like this, with a little moie moon and not quite so cold. I went on watch about 10 o'clock, and, as the cattle were a little uneasy, I had to keep riding all the time and not long befoie the^moon set, perhaps about an hour I rode towards some cattle on the outside, amongst which thexe seemed to be some movement. As I came towaids them they moved away from 1 clump of bushes where they had been camped, and passing between them and the mob was a man in black, sitting up straight on a daik pony and neither the man nor the horse had a, head." He paused here, and a kind of thrill ran through his listeners, one of whom took the oppoitunitv to make the fire flare up, as if there were safety in plenty of light, while Paddy was heard to murmur excitedly "Begona' it was himself, shure ' "He was about seventy yards awa\ ipsnmed Howard wiping his forehead with his hand It was not heat which brought those drops of perspiration to it, but the horror of the recollection of the sight he described. "I had heard of him before, but I thought I would move round the cattle and turn them in again, hoping the crhost would pass on. But, instead of tins, he rode right between me and the wing of the mob and I could see him as plain as possible, and when I moved to o-ot lound him he came straight towards me. I didn't wait long then, you can bet, but went back to the fire and called one of the men to take his match I did not tell him about it until the next day, not wishing to lose

all the cattle, for they were a superstitious lot of fellows, and I had had some tiouble to get them to camp at the lagoon at all. Any how, I never got the cattle, and as I was droving by contract, and I had to pay for them — about 30 head — I think it w ill be as well in the future not to camp where there is any chance of the cattle being disturbed. I never believed much in ghosts, but I have changed my mind since then." He stopped speaking, and, for a moment, there was a dead silence, which w as broken suddenly bv a yell from the excitable Paddy, who spiang from the ground, and was hopping about on one lep 1 holding the calf of the other with both hands. "Hooh' ye spalpeen' Murther' Hcln' can't ye'" he yelled. "What is it?" asked the others. "It's — it's — ox\ ' — it's ould Nick himself got me' Take him down'" By this time one of the men went over to him, and discovered that he was holding something inside the leg of his trousers With difficulty he persuaded him to let co for a minute, and there dropped to the ground a lizard, known as an ' lguantisnike," which had crawled from the lo<^ on the. fire, and thought it had done well in securing a warm shelter for the night. When the laugh at poor Paddy's expense was over, one man asked Howard who was the headless man. ''He was murdered, or supposed to have been, as he was never seen since, by a half-caste that he had sacked a few days before on account of some quan el He was a stern, hard man, and was nearly always dressed in black. The horse he w as riding w as never seen again. It was done while he was on watch, somewheie about three years ago. One man heard a cry. but took no notice of it at the' time. His ghost and the hoise's' have constantly been seen since." Bv this timei Paddy's eves were nearly dropping from his head with fright, and he was afraid to move out of the firelight. "Well," said Scott, "I don't believe in ghosts . anyway I'll have to camp there to-morrow ni^ht, as I hear there is a dry stage beyond. We'll find out what he is if he interferes with our cattle." "Sorra a bit I'll go near him '" said Paddy. "Well, Howard, I think you will have to take Paddy's watch to-night, as you have frightened him so, 01 we'll be havin°" him scaring the whole mob if he gets a fright about anything." 'Oh' all rio-ht, I don't care," said Howard "but there is no fear of it about here 1 it has never been seen awa\ from the- Duck Lagoon." As he saad, nothing was seen that night, all the men but Paddy taking their watches as iisnal, though some of them were unwilling enough to go still no one would be the first to say he was afraid. The next day thei cattle went their distance*, and camped at night be side the lagoon. There were small patches of scrub about, so that the whole mob could not be seen at once, as they spread slightly in camp. After supper, Scott told the. men that tw r o would watch at a time, and if anything weie seen hewas to be called at once bv one man, while the other stood (|iiite still and watched the ghost. The first hours of the night passed quietly enough, and about 11 o'clock Scott was called, to take his watch. He and another man took the night horses, and, as he mounted, he said to Jones, his second in charge 'When I send for jou, take that horse that is tied up, and come to me, leaving Tom with the cattle." ■Right'" lesponded Jones, as he rolled himself up in his blanket. As Scott and Tom rode slowly round the sleeping mob nothing was to be hcaid or seen The moon was nearly setting. Her light had already begun to pale, when they heard seveial of the bullocks get up quickly. The-\ moved a little closei and saw that a mob of about 70 or 80 bullocks, which were camped a little apart from the others weie getting up and looking about. Watching mtentlv Scott saw somethin c dark moving between these- cattle and the mob, and then, as it came out of the shade of the tiees, he saw it was the headless man liding straight tow ai ds him . Tom's teeth were chattering with iright, and he was going to make a bolt for it, when Scott said to him m a low voice 'Go and call Jones, and I'll stay and watch the mob." Most willingly he went, and Scott drew back into the shadow , and watched the ghost. Nearer and nearer it came, till he saw it just as Howard had described. Keeping perfectly still he saw that the ghost had not perceived him, and w as slowly moving the wing of bullocks off camp/ When it was moving the ghost came towards Scott where there

was another little mob of bullocks camping. As he approached, Scott drew behind a bush, and just as he passed, Scott's stockwhip curled round the place where his head should have been. A most unghostly exclamation followed, as the ghost started off full gallop. Scott was prepared for this, and was galloping just as soon, and, as he came up w ith the ghost he made a grab at the back of his neck. His hand met with a very solid, though, in the dim light, almost invi&ible, head, and, with a muttered "Oh, T thought .so," he jerked suddenly backwards, and brought the socalled ghost to the ground Hastily pulling up, he sprang from his hors c ]ust as Jones ran up, and, between them, they secured the kicking ghost. They caught the horses, and dragged him back to the camp, where, by the fire-light, one of thei men recognised him as Sandy, the half-caste, who was supposed to have murdered the drover pi that very place some years before, but had never been caught for it He was dressed in black, but round his head was wrapped a light grey handkerchief, which rendered it almost invisible in uncertain light. The pony's head had been painted the' same colour, but he w as soon recognised as having belonged to the dead drover. Sandy proved very sulky, and nothing could be drawn from him but Scot , who had an idea, that he belonged to a gang of cattlei-stealers determined to secure him, and take him to the next township. He was tied up with saddle straps, but in the morning, he had disappeared, having managed to get one hand free, and, of course, the rest was easy. However, Scott, informed the police in the township and, although nobody was caught, there was no more cattle-stealing a.t the Duck Lagoon. — "Pastoralists' Review "

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