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Vicissitudes of Bush Life in Australia and New Zealand

Chapter XV

Chapter XV.

On entering the house, where a smoking hot supper was quickly put on the table, I was introduced by Mrs. Campbell to the two ladies unknown to me, her daughter Miss Campbell, and Miss Brydone, and then to the two young men. Mary of course, I had long since shaken cordially by the hand, and was pleased to see her sweet face looking the very picture of health. Tiny also was there; as blooming and as shy as ever. She was just treated as one of the party by the other ladies, there being no means of separate accommodation available for her here. She, however, did excellent service in waiting on them, and in looking after the baggage that had been taken up for their use. It was of course for this that she had accompanied the party on their excursion.

In appearance, Miss Campbell was a bright, intelligent girl, rather below the average height of women, but well proportioned. She was rather pale in complexion, but with an animated expression of countenance that was enhanced by the sunny light that ever and anon shone in her expressive blue eyes.

Miss Brydone was also pale, but with a milder expression and, perhaps, more lady-like demeanour. Like her companion, page 103 she had also blue eyes and dark hair, but she appeared of a more delicate constitution than Miss Campbell, who, in spite of her paleness, seemed the embodiment of health and spirits.

Although lacking the personal beauty of Miss Rolleston, and consequently seen at a disadvantage by her side, yet but few minutes would elapse before any impartial observer would become convinced that, in the eyes of the opposite sex, Jessie Campbell, with her overflow of rich humour, and her contagious laughter coming straight from the heart, and shaking her little body in its passage upward, would hold her own, even against Rachel Rolleston.

The two young gentlemen I will dismiss with the remark that they were much like the average young men found in cities; they smoked cigars, wore short moustaches and neat neck-ties, and talked much about their fellows in town. They were both connections of Miss Rolleston. Mr. Green, in addition to the natural proclivities of the genus he represented, seemed to be a devoted admirer of Miss Campbell; Mr. Brown, on the other hand, I believe, chiefly admired himself.

And now my rude bachelor establishment seemed all at once to have undergone a singular transformation. Rooms that till then had been the scene of my own sober reflections only were now made bright with the presence of ladies, with happy, smiling faces. The wonted quiet of the house was broken into by a sort of musical Babel of voices and light, ringing laughter, and, to crown all, their light, many-coloured dresses added a picturesqueness to the scene as they whisked through the doors or sailed across the apartment.

I could scarcely realise that I was at home. In this very room where I had so often mused in solitude about her who absorbed so much of my thoughts, she was now seen in all her grace and loveliness—my visitor. And on these cushionless chairs, and on that plain wooden sofa were now seated graceful, dainty figures such as I had been accustomed to think of in connection only with well furnished mansions and refined society.

At supper, however, a brighter, happier, and at the same time hungrier circle of guests I verily believe never surrounded a table of tempting though plain viands. As to etiquette, it was simply lost in a confusion of laughter and the evident determination of all to put themselves at ease amongst their novel surroundings. Never have I seen anyone so determined to dismiss any nervous embarrassment I might be possibly feeling in my position as host to such fashionable guests, as Miss Rolleston and Miss Campbell seemed to be. They actually appeared to vie with each other in merry disregard of the usual page 104 forms of table ceremony, in which they were so well versed. Mary and Miss Brydone quietly smiled, and seemed to enjoy the scene. Indeed it took all Mrs. Campbell's authority to keep the two unruly ladies in order.

“Now really, girls,” the good lady at length remonstrated, “Mr. Farquharson will be thinking you have taken leave of your senses, or that you have left all your manners behind you at the Murray if you go on so.”

“Well, mother, you know that after having come so far to spend our Christmas holidays Rachel and I have made up our minds to enjoy ourselves, and if we don't do so, why,” replied Miss Campbell very frankly, “Mr. Farquharson will be thinking that we are not appreciating his accommodation and the great pains that I know he has put himself to on our account.”

“Quite right, quite right, Miss Campbell, I am quite delighted at your spirit. You could not please me better than by the way in which both you and Miss Rolleston convince me that you feel yourselves at home in my rude quarters. These other ladies, however, appear to have a quieter mode of showing their enjoyment of the fare of my rude bachelor establishment. As to what I have done with the means I had at hand to make that a little more presentable to such fashionable visitors, why, we must all fortify ourselves with the excellent philosophy of Burns' song—

‘Contented wi' little and cantie wi' mair’.”

Here the ladies all joined in a protest against such slighting references to the accommodation I had to offer, declaring that they were perfectly delighted with it, and that they had left home prepared to be contented with far less.

“Besides,” Miss Rolleston remarked, “you must remember that we were too selfish to neglect ourselves, and the comforts that we expected that you would be unprepared to provide for us, we brought. Tiny there can tell you how many pillows, sheets, and other bedding materials we have packed away in that large box outside there, so, as Jessie said, we have come up here to thoroughly enjoy ourselves and cast starched dignity to the winds. Pray, has Lilly baked his damper yet? You know he promised to bake one for our picnic.”

Lilly, who had stepped into the men's hut to have supper, was now summoned and interrogated on this important point. His good humour was now completely restored, and he answered with a smile:—

“Well, Miss Rolleston, no, not yet; but I will start about it now if you like, and if you want to take a lesson in baking page 105 dampers you can watch how I do it. When you get husbands all of ye it might come handy sometimes, you know, when you happen to run short of hops.”

“Thank you, Lilly, for the hint,” retorted Miss Rolleston. “As I am very anxious to get a husband soon, your idea suits me charmingly.”

Miss Campbell also echoed the same sentiment most energetically, and, in view of the same contingency, seemed to be particularly eager to be initiated into the mysteries of damper baking.

Mary laughed, and Miss Brydone seemed greatly amused, whilst Mr. Green looked rather sheepish, as his companion shouted out “bravo” at Miss Campbell's pointed remarks.

So, supper being over, the whole party, with the exception of Mrs. Campbell, adjourned to the men's hut to watch Lilly begin operating with his damper. Such a merry group of visitors had never entered within the walls of that old hut before, nor in all probability ever did afterwards.

At once rolling up his shirt sleeves, Lilly began kneading the dough with such an air of concentrated determination as if the matter he had in hand was one of life and death, directing Charlie in the meanwhile to keep the fire well up in view of the plentiful supply of good embers he would require for the cooking of his damper. For fully half an hour did Lilly knead away at the dough, and that, too, with no small muscular exertion, ere it was wrought to his satisfaction; then, flattening it out into a circular shape, until it was about three inches thick with a circumference of fully four feet, he took the shovel and with it carefully opened out amongst the glowing embers and hot ashes a clear space that would admit of the great cake of dough being placed on the surface beneath. First carefully covering over all red embers on this bed that might blacken the damper's crust with a thin sprinkling of cold ashes, over this he next spread a sheet of newspaper that he had provided himself with for the occasion and then carefully taking up the dough with both hands, he deposited it gently on this paper. Over this, he then spread another sheet of newspaper, threw another sprinkling of cold ashes over that, arranged some round the damper's outer rim to guard it, and then finally turned all the red ashes and glowing embers over the whole, carefully arranging them, so as to distribute an equal degree of heat over all the immense cake beneath.

As Lilly laid the dough in the ashes and covered it thus, the astonishment, almost disgust, depicted on the faces of both of the young gentlemen and of Miss Brydone, who had but recently arrived in the colony, was most ludicrous in my eyes, page 106 as I quietly watched their features. Miss Brydone, however, made no remark. Not so Mr. Brown.

“Well, I'm blowed,” said that outspoken young gentleman, if I eat that mess; it will be all over and stuck choke full of ashes and cinders.”

“Well, young swell, we'll see about that,” replied Lilly with quiet humour, “I reckon by the time you reach the lake you'll change your tune about that. Now then, ladies, you can all go away, and if you come back in rather less than an hour, you will see me take that damper out of these ashes, and if it ain't a good one call me a duffer if you like.”

Accordingly, at about the stipulated time, we all returned to the hut: Miss Brydone and the two young gentlemen with curiosity evidently on the stretch as to what sort of appearance this damper would present when taken out of the ashes.

But when Lilly had fairly exhumed it, first tapping it all over on its surface, to assure himself by the hollowness of the sound that its soddenness had entirely evaporated, and had lifted it out, and with a dry cotton cloth smartly dusted it until not a particle of ashes could be seen on its smooth crust, he placed it carefully on its edge on the table, reclining at an angle against the wall, and then triumphantly tapping its echoing crust, he pointed to its appearance—completely baked, and without a single black or scorched mark on it—with the exclamation, “Well, young man, do you think you'll now be blowed before you eat it?” they all gave expression to their astonishment and unqualified admiration, and Miss Brydone frankly admitted that when she saw Mr. Lilly throw the dough among the ashes, she had felt convinced that he had wasted all that good flour.

By this time it was late in the night. The mirth and spirits of all seemed exuberant, yet at times I imagined I could detect symptoms of passing uneasiness in Miss Rolleston's countenance. I could have sworn on these occasions that she was listening as if in expectation of another arrival. She was flushed and beautiful, and yet, whether it was only fancy on my part or not, I do not know, but I thought that I could detect a shade of anxiety occasionally crossing her face, nay, that it frequently succeeded a merry laugh that had just rung from her lips. I also distinctly observed her on the final breaking up of the party for the night (a movement that had been by her means postponed so long) take a hurried step to the outer door, as if to assure herself of any possible chance there might yet be of this late arrival.

However, what beds we had received us all at last. I coiled up in a 'possum rug on the parlour floor, and the gentlemen page 107 beside me were provided with comfortable shake-downs, the beds having all been given up to the ladies.

I slept soundly till Tiny's tap at the door at six o'clock on the ensuing morning admonished me that she required the room to prepare it for breakfast.

I at once obeyed the summons by tossing the 'possum rug off me and getting upon my feet; but my two sleepy-headed young companions, who, in addition to their natural indolent habits induced by town life, were fatigued by their yesterday's journey in the bullock dray, were so drowsy that I had almost literally to pull them out of bed ere I could get any more sensible answer to my summons than a sleepy “all right”.

I then went out to arrange with Lilly about the horses we should be able to muster as mounts for all our party for their day's excursion.