"Thought they mostly sat about and sewed," he said in the quarters.
Little did the Sanguine Scot guess what he was doing when he "culled"
needlework from the "mob" at Pine Creek.
The walk-about was looked upon as a reprieve, and when a traveller,
expressing sympathy, suggested that "it might sicken her a bit of camp
life," Jack clung to that hope desperately.
Most of the nigger world turned up to see the "missus mount," that still
being something worth seeing. Apart from the mystery of the side-saddle,
and the joke of seeing her in an enormous mushroom hat, there was the
interest of the mounting itself; Jackeroo having spread a report that the
Maluka held out his hands, while the missus ran up them and sat herself
upon the horse's back.
"They reckon you have escaped from a "Wild West Show," Dan said, tickled
at the look of wonder on some of the faces as I settled myself in the
saddle. We learned later that Jackeroo had tried to run up Jimmy's hands
to illustrate the performance in camp, and, failing, had naturally blamed
Jimmy, causing report to add that the Maluka was a very Samson in
strength.
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