Dan, however, was hopelessly roused. "Never did that before," gurgled
out of his net, just as we were dropping off once more; but a withering
request from the Dandy to "gather experience somewhere else," silenced
him till dawn, when he had the wisdom to rise without further reveille.
After breakfast we all separated again: the Dandy to his yard-building at
the Yellow Hole, and the rest of us, with the cattle boys, in various
directions, to see where the cattle were, each party with its team of
horses, and carrying in its packs a bluey, an oilskin, a mosquito net, a
plate, knife, and fork apiece, as well as a "change of duds" and a bite
of tucker for all: the bite of tucker to be replenished with a killer
when necessary, the change of duds to be washed by the boys also when
necessary, and the plate to serve for all courses, the fastidious turning
it over for the damper and jam course.
The Maluka spent one day with Dan beyond the "frontgate"--his tail
wagging along behind as a matter of course--another day passed
boundary-riding, inspecting water-holes, and doubling back to the Dandy's
camp to see his plans; then, picking up the Quiet Stockman, we struck out
across country, riding four abreast through the open forest-lands, and
were camped at sundown, in the thick of the cattle, miles from the
Dandy's camp, and thirty miles due north from the homestead.
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