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Dad's Trip to Brisbane (from Our New Selection) - Steele Rudd · The Importance of Being Earnest

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Section one of Dad's trip to Brisbane. This is a
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Recording by Son of the Exiles, Dad's Trip to Brisbane
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: by Steel Rudd, Section one, How Dad fell out with Daily.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Daily had been to Brisbane and returned, bursting with enthusiasm
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: and information. He called at Ruddville to unburden himself to Dad.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Daily was a welcome visitor at our place and always
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: got on well with Dad. Besides Daily, Dad was the
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: only man on Saddletop acquainted with the capital. Dad posed
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: as an authority on the geography of Brisbane, knew every
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: hole and corner of it, and could tell you exactly
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: where cribs and junk aways and toppins and windship Saint
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Old Bartley's places were. It was no credit to him, though,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: because he had worked there a whole month nearly forty
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: five years ago. You wouldn't know it, man Daily said, deprecatingly,
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: you'd get lost. Dad wasn't so sure. Don't know, he said, thoughtfully,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: stroking his long gray beard. Why it's all built on
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: for miles, houses everywhere and stretch. You don't know where
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the devil ye are for em it's a fact. Turning
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: aggressively on Joe, who displayed an inclination to doubt. You
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: can smile, then to Dad and purple by Dad. Daily
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: couldn't convey any idea of the population. Language failed him.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Sarah instanced the crowd that attended old Missus Delaney's funeral
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: by way of comparison, be damned. Daily was not a
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: polite man. Pshah, nothin you've soon big mobs of sheep,
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: haven't yer all of us had? Well, there's simply nothin
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: o the crowds you'll see in the main street on
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: a Saturday night. S help me goodness, addressing mother, his mouth,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: eyes and hands all working. I never thought there were
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: so many people in the world, Missus Rudd, Dad reflected,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: must go down on the wet's end. An saw it again,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: he said, if you do. Daily went on, stay at
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Missus Ieriley's in Roma Street, best place in the whole
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: town and only thirdeen Bob a week tip top table
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: an two all right girls waits on. Yer looks after
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: you as if you're a Jipno misteake and look ere,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: turning excitedly to mother, pollish your boots every bloomin mornin,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: and Daily paused a cough unfetched tea into the bed
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: to yer. All of us laughed except Sarah. She turned
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: up her name and went out. Sarah was a Sunday
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: school teacher. Now, hey, the girls, Joe shouted above the noise.
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: Of course, go on with you, Mother said, looking on
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: the floor. She didn't believe. Daily, my colonial, Daily said,
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: there's the place for us, David, when we go down.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Joe put in, poking Dave hard in the ribs. Dave
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Grindy's long, slow grinned you go to Riley's. Daily continued,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: addressing Dad again. Ask for there were a place, Dad mused,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: interrupting Daily on the creek where I used to stay. Here, quick, Daily,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: go ford crick. There isn't any crick, damn it. I'll
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: tell you. It's all built on man, all houses, miles
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: and miles of them. The river's watch you man, and
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: he laughed cheerfully. Nonsense, Dad's said, turning red in the face.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: There's a creak as well. Marquay's place is on the bank.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Did you see Marquay's place. Tears ran down Daily's eyes.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: What part of Brisbane do you man? He asked of Dad,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: in a voice that implied ridicule. Confound it, fellow, Dad
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: broke out, Do you think I've never been there? Now?
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: Don't get angry over it? Mother imposed in her quiet
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: kind way. But Dad would never suffer a contradiction, he shouted, violently,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: displacing a portion of the tablecloth and brandishing his pocket knife.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Here's Brisbane, ain't it. He savagely scratched a tracing something
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: like a square on the table, which annoyed Mother. Daly smiled,
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: and when Dad glared round at him, nodded assent. There's
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: the river, breaking the knife through the square and making
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: mother jump. Daily, watching closely over Dad's show, chuckled acquiescence
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: on that. There's the bridge gashing the river in two correct,
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: Daily said, grinning. More is Windmill Ill is Raffity's pub
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: in South Brisbane. Dad dug a hole in the table
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: to mark the pub, and mothers shuddered. Here just behind Raffidies,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: there's a ridge on a water roll where me and
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Andrew Raffity got our water, and a lot of scrub
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: running right along this way, hacking another channel in the cedar, Bah,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Daily exclaimed in disgust, waterhole scrub. What'n the devil you're
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: talking about? Didn't I tell you the place was all houses? Houses,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: be damned, Dad roared, showing all his teeth. He only
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: has three. Now there's no houses there, prodding the knife
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: into South Brisbane. Here's where the houses is. He stabbed
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: North Brisbane hard and said, angrily, all the long ear
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: on this runnin up here more mutilations which pained Mother.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Is the crek shah crick that Daily struck the tracing
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: with his fist and didn't notice he shook Sarah's flower
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: VARs off the table. That's all shops, shops, Dad yelled,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: plunging the knife into the cedar and snapping the blade.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Are you mad? How the devil can there be shops
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: in a creek? Daily turned green with rage. You don't
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: know anything about it, he said, taking up his hat.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: You know nothing. Mother pleaded for peace, and Joe grinned
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: at Dave. Look here, Dad roared, following Daily to the verandah,
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: I was in Brisbane before you or your father or
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: any of you ever saw the country. You might Daily sneered,
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: you might, but you know damn little about it all
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: the same, and then he went away. End of section one.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Recording by Son of the Exiles, Section two of Dad's
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: Trip to Brisbane. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information, ought
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Son
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: of the Exiles, Dad's Trip to Brisbane by Steel Rudd,
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: Section two. The wheat was in and Dad decided to
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: take a trip to Brisbane. For seven or eight years,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: he'd been thinking of that trip, but something or other
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: always came to prevent his going. According to Dad himself,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: the farm would suffer if he went away for a month.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: There would be no one to look after it, no
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: one to manage. According to us, there would be no
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: one to look on while the cows were being milked,
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: no one to stand in the pattic all day while
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: the hay was being racked and carted and stacked. No
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: one to fuss around and be a nuisance to Dave
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: while he sold a draft of fats to a butcher,
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: or drove a profitable deal with the pig byes. No
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: one to yell boisterously for the whereabouts of any of
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: us when we chanced to be concealed from view for
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: a moment or two by a dray, or a haystack
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: or something. No one to annoy the men who worked hardest,
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: and to incite them to strike and seek employment elsewhere.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: No one to molest Reagan's ball when it came round
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: our way. No one to take the gun down when
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: little Billy Barrap came to see Sarah. No one to
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: sool the dogs on to traveling stock and challenge the
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: big dusty drovers to get down and be obliterated. And
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: no one to aggravate Dave and Joe to blasphemy and rebellion. Yes,
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: we would miss Dad when he went away. Still we
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: encouraged him to go. We were not selfish. We said
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: it would be a pleasant change to him. We said
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: nothing of the pleasure it would be to ourselves. We
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: thought only of Dad. Some families never think of their
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: father at all. We never forgot Dad for a day.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: He was never out of our minds. Mother was to
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: accompany Dad to the city, and Bill with the buggy,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: was waiting at the door to take them to the train.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: We admired the tall hat that Sarah had bought Dad
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: for a Christmas present. Don't forget now, Dad, a dewared
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: day for the hundredth time to start chalf cutting to morrow,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: and look out the milk. Don't be late at the factory.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: And see Reagan sends that collar back to day. And
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: if that fella comes for pigs of em all ready
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: for him, and mind if Thompson. Sarah exchanged kisses with
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: mother and hoped she would have a good time, and
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: sent a love to Norah wants the land of the Philly.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: He can't get her, damny way horse. The animal had
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: switched its tail just when Dad placed his foot on
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: the buggy step. Don't forget an oud, won't you put
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: your hat straight? Dad? From Sarah to start chaff cutting
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: first thing? Way, will you? And see the men ain't
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: laughing about all day. It'll be all right, Dave answered.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Then Bill stirred the horse up and the buggy started
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: so long, Dave said. Sarah waved her hand. Paint care yourselves.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Joe called out, remember me to Henry Norman, and watch
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: you don't get run in. Dad turned his head and
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: shouted back, don't leave the cows too long, and the
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: looser past. The cows cheerfully from Joe, don't leave the
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: cows too long, and the looser Dad yelled again. All right,
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: Dave shouted between his hands, loud enough to be heard
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: in Parliament. All right from Joe, louder even than Dave.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: Poor Dad, Sarah mused, the cows are are worried to him.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: A few turns of the wheels and the buggy stopped.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Dave wondered, changed his mind, said Joe. Sarah laughed on,
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: you'd better put him out now. Dad shouted, heavens ain't
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: get him out. Joe advised he won't go. Yes, yes,
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: Dave bawled and packed Tom off to turn the brutes out.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: Then the buggy disappeared round the corner, and Dave and
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: Joe and Sarah and the rest of us marched inside
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: and looked round. All of us rejoiced. We had never
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: had so much freedom at home before, and we felt
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: would never have again. Joe pulled on an old, faded
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: smoking cap of Dad's that lay on the parlor table
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: and declared himself king. In a voice like dad's. He
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: ordered Bill a clear out to the devil and do
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: some work. Bill disobeyed, Joe took him by the neck.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Bill resisted, and a brilliant engagement took place on the
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: new carpet. They tumbled and rolled about like bullocks, broke
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: the legs off two chairs, and shook down from the
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: wall in an enlarged picture of Dad's father that had
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: cost a lot of money. Sarah flew into her passion,
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: said she wouldn't stay another hour in the house if
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: that was the way they were going to carry on.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: And when the combatants fell under the table and rose
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: with it on their backs and tilted it with a
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: loud crash against the piano, she appealed distractedly to Dave.
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: Steady there now, you fellers. Dave said, steady, it's only
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: the pedigrery, Joe answered, puffing hard and restoring grandfather to
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: the shattered frame. Sarah was i rate, but Tom's voice,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: announcing the approach of Billy Bearrap calmed and conciliated her.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: He's not, she said, eagerly, turning to the door, then
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: changing color, she cast an eye over her attire and
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: fled to doll herself up. A new idea occurred to Joe.
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: Seem asternal Bearrap he said, and pulling the smoker on again,
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: he slipped away, robing himself in a familiar old rag
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: of Dad's. He took down the gun and hobbled forth
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: to welcome Bearap, who at the moment was bending from
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: his horse to open the gate. Till out of this
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: Joe roared. At a range of sixty yards, Bearrop looked
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: up and saw the gun. He didn't wait for anything more.
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: He didn't wait to open the gate again either. He
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: spurred his horse and galloped down the headland. Joe fired
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: the weapon off and yelled as Dad several times had
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: yelled before. Bear Ittt made a wide circuit through the stubble,
• 14:10
  Speaker 1: doubled back on. Joe reached the gate at racing speed,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: and while we wildly rejoiced from the Verandah disappeared down
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: the lane and was lost in dust. You're nothing but
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: an ass, Sarah said, when Joe returned. You're a fool.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: I'll let dadt know your carryings on when he comes back.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: Then we went cheerfully to work. End of section two.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: Recording by Son of the Exiles. Section three of Dad's
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: trip to Brisbane. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: recordings are in the public domain. For more information aught volunteer,
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Son of the Exiles,
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: Dad's Trip to Brisbane by Steel Rudd, Section three The
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: Great Metropolis. Dad and mother arrived in Brisbane at dusk
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: and alighted at the Central Railway station. Dad took his
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: bag and with mother ladened with parcels, went to see lodgings.
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: They were welcomed to a boarding house on wickham Terrace
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: that Norah had recommended to them, A daughter of the
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: woman who kept it, taught in Kangaroo Points School with Norah.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: Twas a large house and a lively place to stay at.
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: Twelve boarders in it, twelve gentlemen, boarders of different degrees
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: and dress and dispositions. One was born with a gift
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: for music and had the patience and courage to develop it.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: He used to spend his nights thumping alice where art
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: thou out of the piano. Another constantly mortified the landlady
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: and made her miserable and unhappy. He would stay in
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: on evening she had company reading the newspaper, and when
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: the room was silent, would straighten himself up and read aloud.
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: The house advertisements dwelling on the comforts and accommodation, with
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: emphasis that made it sound like an indictment for perjury.
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: And there was a luxurious lodger who always had a
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: ball or something to go to and used to return
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: late in the night or at early mornings in a
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: cab and fly up the stairs, pursued by the cabman.
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: The others were harmless, quiet living fellows who only growled
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: about their shirts every week and gave notice to leave. Sweeney,
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: a cheerful, red haired lodger, coming from the bath, discovered
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: Dad and Mother mooching about the balcony. He didn't say
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: good morning to them or anything. He stared with all
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: his eyes and darted into a room as if they
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: alarmed him. Then he and three of the quiet, harmless
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: boarders poked their heads through a half open door and
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: grinned and grimaced at Dad and mother. But Dad didn't
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: notice them, nor did he notice that they stole into
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: the room of Doonan, the nasty member of the house. Doonan,
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: who had lost a lot of sleep, was angry. In
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: a loud voice. He abused Dad and Mother and accused
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: them of tramping about all night, and asked if they
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: were elephants. Then he took observations of them and hammered
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: on the wall of his room and called lustily for Jacobs,
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: another lodger, to come and see esau. The bell rang
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: and a host of gentlemen boarders with high collars and
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: stiff shirts and soft hands, trooped in to breakfast. The
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: lady of the house, stout and stately, sat at the
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: head of the table guarding a dish of sausages. So
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: you've got some new lodgers, missus fowlere, said one, a
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: thin set rical lawyer. The others sniggered. The lady colored
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: slightly smiled and asked mister o'rourk what he would take
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: sausages I expect, mister O'Rourke said, sadly, seeing no second
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: dish sausages for chores. The lawyer added, and there was
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: more sniggering, and fresh color came into the lady's face.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: Dunan bounced in hallo. He exclaimed, where's he saw? Sweeny
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: spluttered and lost some of his tea. A small, big
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: footed girl pouring out tea at a side table, giggled
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: into the cups and scalded herself. The lady rebuked her Mary,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: She said, Mary behave Mary bent forward to place a
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: cup of tea beside the lawyer and broke out again
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: in his ear and emptied a quantity of the boiling
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: beverage into his lap. He sprang up and said blasted,
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: and Mary was sent to the kitchen. Then came a
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: noise as if someone was leading horses down the stairs,
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: and Dad and Mother wandered in, looking as though they
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: were afraid of being turned out again. Am I gonna start?
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: Dad said, pushing Mother to the front and removing his
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: other hat, a broad leaft felt trimmed with white calico.
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: The gentlemen boarders looked up, then dropped their heads like
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: curlews hiding in the grass, and at intervals stole glances
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: at each other and at missus Foley. Mother showed signs
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: of uneasiness in the presence of so many strangers, and
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: sat on the chair as though she distrusted it. She
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: had no appetite and would take only a cup of tea.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: But Dad squared himself and breathed noisily, and took sausages.
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: Every time conversation flagged. The rattle of cutlery was the
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: only sound for a good while until Dad sturdy his
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: tea with a knife and started to drink. Then Sweeney,
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: who had no self control, lost some more of these tea.
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: Missus Foley looked distressed, but Doonan, who always knew when
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: to say something, relieved her. Was that you walkin' about
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: early this mornin', he asked of the lawyer sitting opposite.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: The lawyer smiled and reached for the jam. Where was it?
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: Dad joined in are beer, pointing his fork with a
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: sausage impaled on it at the ceiling. Doonan chuckled and said, yes,
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: that were me. Dad answered proudly, but it weren't early,
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: turning to mother, weren't it after four? Mother said timidly
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: she thought it must have been. I expect you are
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: used to rising early, mister Rudd, said the landlady to Dad, well,
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: stowing away the sausage he'd been pointing at the ceiling. Midland,
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: ma'am about three mostly. Davy gets up first, then Joe
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: and Bill. They gets the cans ready, and Sarah, she
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: sees to the two for the yard and the border
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: with the mania for music, suddenly left the table. A
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: minute or two. Despair, he said, addressing no one in particular,
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: and threw himself down at the piano. The others swallowed
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: their tea hurriedly and left. Dad had another sausage, some
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: more bread, and his fourth cup of tea. Encouraged by
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: the music or the absence of the borders, Mother tackled
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: some bread and butter. Dad finished and shifted his chair
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: beside the piano and stared into the face of the musician.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: The man of music became flustered and struck wrong notes.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: He wasn't used to being admired. What's that the journov
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: Dad asked, without shifting his eyes. The other shook his
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: head as though he didn't know. What are you playing?
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: No response except a violent conglomeration of sounds. Dad waited
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: till the storm was over, then put the question again, Alice,
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: where art thou? The musician hissed, striking a run of
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: discords and poking among the keys for the lost notes?
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: Can you apply the wild colonial boy on that? Dad inquired,
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: play the deuce? The musician said savagely, and jumped up
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: and ran away. In the hall, he encountered missus Foley,
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: what is it? He asked, turning his thumb in the
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: direction of Dad, then went out into the street, working
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: all his fingers in imaginary manipulation of the keyboard. Dad
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: and mother thought they would mooch about a bit and
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: strolled into Queen's Street. They stood at the courier corner
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: for half an hour, staring in wonder the people, the traffic,
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: trams going and trams coming, and the roar and rattle
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: of it all bewildered them. Dad confessed that Brisbane had
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: changed a bit since he knew it fifty years ago.
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: They strained their eyes and ears trying to absorb everything
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: and got headaches. Look here, look here, Look here, eighteen
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: lovely apples for one shilling and put em in a bag.
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: Dad felt his pocket. Twenty newsboys rushed him, pushing and scrimmaging,
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: shoving their wares into his hands and into his face,
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: and claiming his custom. Mother smiled compassionately on Dad, and
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: they both moved with the throng. A female astrider bike
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: attracted Dad. He grabbed Mother by the arm. Look at
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: that one, he exclaimed, and both of them stood staring
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: and grinning after the wheeling female until she was lost
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: to them in the traffic. Three more pedaled passed another.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: Dad gasped, tugging violently at Mother again. Two three of
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: them be danned. The excitement was too much for Dad.
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: He was compelled to rest. He leaned against a veranda
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: post and reflected on the scene around. Let us slain
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: the like, He said to mother. They're thicker and wallabies,
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: and a cheerful growl rumbled from him. They walked Queen
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: Street most of the day and went without lunch. Dad
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: was not a success on the pavement. The city people
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: claimed all the space they got in his way, pushed
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: him about, collided with him, and whenever he stood a
• 24:20
  Speaker 1: moment to stare back at anything, they carried him off
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: his feet. Dad got sick of it all and took
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: to the street. The street was wider and more in
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: Dad's line. He got on well there, could see everything,
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: and was striding along his hands locked behind his back,
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: one eye on Mother, the other on some girls hanging
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: out of a window in a top story. When a
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: bus driver yelled hey, there, hey, and cracked his whip.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: Dad felt the moist breath of a broken winded horse
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: on his neck and had just danced safely to one
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: side when A fat, perspiring female moving in the same
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: direction on a bike, spurted to pass the bus and
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: drove their front wheel fare between Dad's legs and lifted
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: him up in front of her. Then, like a woman,
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: she let the handles go and screamed, and turned the
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: bicycle over on the wood blocks and mixed Dad up
• 25:12
  Speaker 1: in her skirts. Dad was more bewildered than ever. He
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: didn't know what had attacked him until he regained his feet.
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: Then he scowled on the fallen female, struggling and kicking
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: at the machine like a horse in a fence, and
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: clutching her skirts to hide a great black stockinged calves,
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: and said on alem damned things, and returned to the footpath.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: Dad joined mother again, and together they purchased some fruit
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: and explored George Street. Several barristers, wearing wigs, their gowns
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: ballooning in the wind, issued from the Supreme Court and
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: swept by. Mother watched them till they were swallowed up
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: in Burnet Lane, then said she supposed they would be bishops.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: Dad shook his head. Might be judges, he remarked, ain't bishops,
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: or they'd be in tights assembled at the gates of
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: the courts were a number of legal lights. Among them,
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: Dad recognized the lawyer from the boarding house. Dad was delighted. Hullo,
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: he said, the sway, ye are. The law resented Dad
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: with a look, But looks were nothing to Dad. The
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: rest of the fraternity smiled and smoked. Have some of these,
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: Dad said, producing a fistful of bananas from a large
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: brown paper parcel that Mother was hugging. The lawyer frowned,
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: No thanks, he snapped, turning his back on Dad. Put
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: em in your pocket, said Dad, amiably, proceeding to lady's
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: reluctant beneficiary. With the fruit, fire flashed from the lawyer's eyes.
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: He drew back fiercely and shouted, go to the devil.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: His learned brethren laughed, and they all moved away, leaving
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: Dad staring perplexedly at mother. Dad and mother got tired
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: of the streets and made their way back to the
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: boarding house. Dad took the lead and found Wickham Terrace
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: without any trouble. Dad was a good bushman. The bump
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: of locality was strong in Dad. Then he stalked into
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: a private dwelling, courageously, dragging Mother after him, wandered among
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: the furniture, looking for the stairs, and alarmed the inmates.
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: A man with a capacious stomach hanging to him like
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: a stag horn, and wearing glasses came and saw them
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: both off the premises again, and remained on the steps
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: till they closed the gate and departed. Mother remonstrated with
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: Dad in the street for being a stupid I got
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: a swarm, that were it, Dad said, staring back at
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: the place. Then, after e eyeing a house a few
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: doors up, Ah, this is the one, he placed his
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: hand on the gate and opened it eagerly. Mother hesitated,
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: she wasn't going to follow Dad any more. She wasn't
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: quite sure of him. Dad chuckled. You're bushed, he said,
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: mounting the steps heavily and striding in. At the open door. Inside,
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: Dad saw himself revealed in a large mirror and was confused.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: He stood, staring and trying to remember the surroundings well.
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: From a sonorous voice in a corner of the room,
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: Dad glanced around and saw another fat man with glasses on,
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: looking hard at him from behind a book. Ain't this
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: missus Brown's boarding house? Dad asked? Three doors up? The
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: voice said, damn it, Dad, said, and rushed out. Finally
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: Mother recognized Mary grinning from a balcony. Then Dad knew
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: the place and rejoiced. They wandered in and mounted the
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: stairs and found their room. Dad said he would have
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: a wash. He threw off his coat and shirt and
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: splashed and bubbled noisily in a basin, and made a
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: great mess of the wall on the floor. When he
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: dried himself, he pulled his boots off unlike a horse
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: that's been plowing or ridden hard all day, rolled heavily
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: on the bed and groaned. He had scarcely stretched himself
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: when Missus Foley, pale and looking as though she'd seen
• 29:16
  Speaker 1: a ghost or buried a boarder, appeared at the door
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: of the room and asked Dad if he'd thrown any
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: water over the balcony. No, Dad answered, sitting up, only wi,
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: I just washed meself in good gracious me, Missus Brown exclaimed,
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: putting her palms together. Then it went all over a
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: lady and gentleman passing in the street. It did, Dad said,
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: chumping up and going to the balcony for verification. Below,
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: he saw a tall swell holding a wet silk hat
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: in one hand while with a handkerchief in the other,
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: he mopped splashes from the skirts of a gorgeous female.
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: At intervals, the swell glared wickedly at the walls of
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: the house and made threatening remarks. What Dad called out apologetically,
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: did that go on you? The swell looked up. Wasn't
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: you who threw that water feller? Dad turned to the room,
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: snatched up the toil he had dried himself in and
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: rolled it into a lamp. Here, he shouted, hanging over
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: the balcony again, wiper with that, and he threw the
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: towel down. It opened in its flight like a fan,
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: and spread itself over the Swell's head and shoulders and
• 30:29
  Speaker 1: blindfolded him. Bla God, the swell cried, dragging the moist
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: rag from his head. Damn your insolence, and he looked
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: up fiercely. John. The lady interposed, don't get exasperated, my
• 30:45
  Speaker 1: dear down John. Then they moved away and left Dad
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: staring from the balcony. End of section three recording by
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: of the Exiles. Section four of Dad's trip to Brisbane
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: by Steel Rudd. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: Recording by Son of the Exiles, Section four seeing the city.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: Next day, Saturday, Dad and mother were out early enough
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: to gather mushrooms. They wandered through the streets again for
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: hours and finally found their way to the museum. At
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: first they saw only collections of stones and a lot
• 31:40
  Speaker 1: of bones and things, and Dad felt disappointed and was
• 31:44
  Speaker 1: loudly condemning the institution. When they happened on a family
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: of dingoes and a number of kangaroos, and an eagle
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: hawk standing tragically on the neck of a cowering old bear.
• 31:55
  Speaker 1: Dad opened his eyes higg afford excitedly and looked for
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: one to the other. Dad could have slept in the museum,
• 32:03
  Speaker 1: then he could have died happily there. He spoke cheerfully
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: to the kangaroos, hooted the dingo, looked down with a
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: grin on the form of the native bear, and said, well,
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: I'm damned. Dad was always glad to meet any one
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: from the bush. A man came along, a man with
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: long ragged coat, sleeves and boots with hardly any heels
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: or soles to them, A man who trembled as though
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: he were addicted to eating indigo, and stood beside Dad
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: and looked at the kangaroos too. Dad told him the
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: sort they were, and explained how high they could jump,
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: and showed him the toe they ripped dogs with. And
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: which one do they ripped men with? The man asked,
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: in a harsh, unsympathetic voice. All same one, same one,
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: Dad answered, all they do. The man shrieked, I thought
• 32:57
  Speaker 1: perhaps they stung em with their tiles. Dad laughed, merrily,
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: you'll thinkin of death adders. He broke out those stings
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: with the tile, same as bears, and the man made
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: an effort to button his coat, but there were no
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: buttons on it. Dad laughed. More bears, he yelled in
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: an amused tone. I haven't got a tile. Here's a bear,
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: turning and pointing to the one the hawk was standing
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: guard over. No tiles, see, But the man didn't pay
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: any attention to Dad. He pointed triumphantly to the dingo
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: and asked, hasn't that one got a tail? The laugh
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: Dad made went all over the museum. That's not a bear, man,
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: he cried when he got his breath. That's ah, that's
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: that's a dingo, a naded dog. An ancient official came
• 33:51
  Speaker 1: along and asked Dad to be quiet on you'll frighten
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: m kangaroos, the ragged man added, turning his back and
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: slinking away a step. Well that chap, Dad chuckled, calls this,
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: lifting his big boot and placing it against the glass
• 34:08
  Speaker 1: case and indicating the dingo a bear. The official smiled
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: and disappeared. Dad laughed some more to himself. Then the
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: man returned, and, stepping up to Dad, motioned him with
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: his head as though he wished to confide something to him.
• 34:28
  Speaker 1: Dad ceased laughing and bent down and placed his ear
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: close to the man's mouth. The man spoke in a low,
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: reverent tone, he said, have you a bob about you?
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: Dad had. Then the man glided out like a ghost
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: and disappeared too. Dad and mother struck the boarding house
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: for dinner. At the table, Dad led the conversation. He
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: spoke enthusiastically of the rus and dingoes in the museum,
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: and waving his fork with a on it, advised everyone
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: to go and see them. You'd split yourself laughin', he said,
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: addressing the boarding house keeper to see the old men
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: sittin there as if they was up in the plumin
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: push What about the young one? Mother chirped, smiling shyly ah,
• 35:19
  Speaker 1: I forgot, and Dad chewed hurriedly here, and they've got
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: a big shoe standin up there stair and at you.
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: Dad threw back his head, opened his eyes and mouth,
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: and displayed a lot of chewed meat, and made himself
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: wild looking, and a big lump of a joey hanging
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: out of her pouch and cock on its head all
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: round the place as cunning as you like. Most of
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: the boarders burst out laughing. The lady at the house smiled,
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: then got red in the face, and smiled again when
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: the lawyer asked Dad where the kangaroos were better to
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: eat than bears. But a young lady, a school teacher,
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: sitting opposite Dad, asked to be excused and bounced away
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: from the table, leaving her dinner almost untouched. A dead
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: silence followed. The lawyer grinned at o'rourk should I not much,
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: Dad said, following the teacher with his eyes. If she
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: had nothing but kangaroo for a while, she load more
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: than that. The boarders roared some more, and when they
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: left the table, they collected in Jacob's room and yelled again.
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: And the lawyer said Dad was worth a quid afternoon,
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: Mother rested herself and Dad stalked out alone. He found
• 36:34
  Speaker 1: Queen Street almost empty. The crowds of chattering, jawing females
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: flaunting their frills and furbilows were gone, thank god. And
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: the blokes with their sticks hanging to their arms and
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: their panamas pushed up behind, and the contented looking aldermen
• 36:52
  Speaker 1: with their ponderous stomachs, and the politicians arguing at corners
• 36:56
  Speaker 1: and waving umbrellas and folded newspapers about, and the long
• 37:00
  Speaker 1: coated divine tapping a book with his lean forefinger and
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: interpreting Solomon to an anxious disciple, and the wild looking,
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: unshorn man about town with the long stride and heavy boots,
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: and the rowing men flying their colors in their coats
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: and talking clean blades and dirty oars and getting your
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: hands away, and the swaggering footballers with colored handkerchiefs thrown
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: about their necks, and the tofts and the duds and
• 37:29
  Speaker 1: the Johnnies and the straw hat push all were gone.
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: Dad stood on the curving and gazed down the almost
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: deserted street. A bus drawn by four stiff, starf looking
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: horses laden with footballers, and caps and overcoats went by.
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: The footballers hung out of the bus and waved a
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: flag and clamored and called derisively to Dad. Dad smiled, Pum, Pum, pum.
• 37:58
  Speaker 1: Dad jumped around and stared up the street. A brass
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: span burst violently upon the air. It blared out men
• 38:06
  Speaker 1: of harlech. Behind it, a regiment of foot volunteers, armed
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: with rifles and water bags and hasacks and helmets, marched fearlessly.
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: They were a dashing lot of chaps, brave, formidable looking
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: fellows too, a grand galaxy. Some were tall as gum trees,
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: some just beginning to sprout, some old and hoary and humpbacked.
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: Some all stomach and head, others all helmet and no
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: head or stomach at all. One without a uniform, one
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: with two rifles, one with an eye glass, and one
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: dead lamb. But he managed to keep up. As the
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: band approached him, belching music out of itself, Dad began
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: to prance like an old horse. Dad had been a
• 38:52
  Speaker 1: soldier himself. He nearly went to the crimea so he said,
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: he often regretted not having gone too. Sometimes we regretted too.
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: Just opposite Dad, the officer in command, a heavily meddled
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: person sitting cautiously astride a well polished horse, lifted his
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: voice and yelled sure all whom and shoulder arms was
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: yelled all along the line. Those who had been in
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: engagements before maneuvered their rifles calmly. Others dropped them in
• 39:25
  Speaker 1: the street and excitedly groped for them again and brought
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: trouble and confusion to the ranks. Dad was carried away
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: with enthusiasm. He stepped from the pavement and joined the volunteers.
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: He walked beside the band, carrying his hat in his hand.
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: The volunteers marched down George Street and entered the Botanic gardens.
• 39:48
  Speaker 1: A crowd composed mostly of girls and old women and noisy,
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: ragged youngsters of the street followed. In the gardens, there
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: was great excitement, a lot of big guns with there
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: mounted on wheels, all pointing steadily at the people on
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: Kangaroo point and talk about soldiers, talk about all the
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: shot or the handful of men Buonaparte dropped returning from Moscow.
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: The grounds were swarming with them. They were moving in
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: all directions, marching in file, in line, in groups, and
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: marching right at each other, and the generals and majors
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: and sergeant majors and adjutants and lieutenant colonels that were there.
• 40:30
  Speaker 1: You'd wonder how they all found uniforms. The general's careered
• 40:35
  Speaker 1: round on horseback, flopping and bumping about in the saddle
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: and shouting orders. They were all in authority. Some yelled
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: after the battalion at one end of the field. Another
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: company lead us at the other end. Several others second
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: division right incline florid halt dress up, several score others
• 41:01
  Speaker 1: right well, and all at the same time. Twas a
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: stirring scene, a memorable sight. Dad reckoned, he would never
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: forget it. Finally, the forces combined and formed a huge
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: square too deep. They prepared to fire a fer dejoi.
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: The majors and colonels and all the rest galloped about
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: inside the square. You'd think word had just been received
• 41:27
  Speaker 1: of an invasion. After numerous warnings and words of advice
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: from different officers, the order was given too prest Every
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: rifle in the lines was instantly pointed at the clouds,
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: except about half a dozen in the rear ranks. They
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: were unconsciously leveled at the head of the man in front,
• 41:48
  Speaker 1: several youthful warriors, when their fingers felt the triggers, trembled
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: with excitement, and one let his rifle go off before
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: it was time, and made a gorgeous officer swear, and
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: the spectators laugh. Why was the next order? And the
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: rifles went off like a lot of crackers, bank bank
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: bang all along the line. Some of the horses reared,
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: several officers fell out of their saddles. A man in
• 42:13
  Speaker 1: the front rank reeled about and fell down. The man
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: behind had shot him in the air, blowing it all
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: away and blackening his neck and jaw with powder. Two
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: others grew confused and couldn't pull the triggers at all,
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: but they persisted and got their weapons to go off.
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: When the rest had finished firing, the wounded soldier was
• 42:34
  Speaker 1: taken away by the ambulance, and Dad followed to see
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: what they were going to dir tole him. The forms
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: of Dad and Mother became familiar to residence of Wickham Terrace.
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: When they were passing, people used to stare out at
• 42:48
  Speaker 1: them and grin, and some would run out and lean
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: over the garden fence and watch them going along with
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: the boys round there too. Dad became a great favorite.
• 42:59
  Speaker 1: They used to call him Iron Bark and advise him
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: to get his hair cut, and often they would follow
• 43:04
  Speaker 1: him along and am orange peeled at him till he
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: turned and glared. Then they would pretend to be frightened
• 43:10
  Speaker 1: and skidaddle. One evening, at dusk, Dad and Mother, after
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: spending an enjoyable day in Queen Street, were mooching along
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: the terrace making for the boarding house. Dad was carrying
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: a pair of glass fars as mother had purchased for Sarah,
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: and was wondering how Dave and Joe were getting along
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: at home. Mother had a new umbrella in one hand
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: and a brown paper parcel in the other. Suddenly, a
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: snake wriggled across the footpath, almost from under their feet.
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: Dad got a great start. He jumped back, tugging Mother
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: with him. A snake, he said in a surprised tone.
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: Mother clutched Dad's arm, but Dad never allowed a snake
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: to escape him. He looked round for something to attack
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: it with. Nothing was handy. Several men and a girl
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: on a veranda near by watched interestedly. Dad placed his
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: hand on a white fence and tried to move some
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: of it, but all the palings were firmly nailed. The
• 44:12
  Speaker 1: snake glided slowly along. There was no time to lose.
• 44:16
  Speaker 1: Dad snatched mother's new umbrella from her hand and pounced
• 44:20
  Speaker 1: on the reptile. The snake didn't take any notice of
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: the blows Dad rained on it. It headed leisurely for
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: the other side of the street, where there was some
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: long grass in a park inside a fence. Dad jumped
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: after it and walloped it all the way across and
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: smashed the umbrella into a lot of pieces, and didn't
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: hear the roar that came from the men on the verandah.
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: The snake reached the grass, and as it disappeared, Dad
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: heaved the vases at it, which made a great crash.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: Then a lot of small boys jumped up and fled
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: with the snake on a string. Dad stared after them.
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: They looked around but kept running well on, and Dad said,
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: turning to Mother. End of section four. Recording by Son
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: of the Exiles, Section five of Dad's trip to Brisbane.
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 45:27
  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox DoD Org. Recording by son of the exiles,
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: Dad's trip to Brisbane by Steel Rudd Section five. The
• 45:42
  Speaker 1: return home. Dad and mother tramped about Brisbane for three weeks,
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: and but for meeting Old Delaney dodging through the crowd
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: one evening, they might have been strolling about there. Yet.
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: Dad and Old Delaney were enemies at home, but when
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: they met in Queen Street, they gripped hands and rejoiced,
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: as though they were never to part any more. Dad
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: laughed and said he didn't know Delaney was down, and
• 46:10
  Speaker 1: inquired where he was staying. An how are them boys
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: a mine dowin? He asked. Dawn's splendid Delaney said, Dad
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: was pleased. They gave great races in ye Paddica. Where
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: come Wednesday? Dad stared and struggled for breath. I'm there
• 46:29
  Speaker 1: to give a ball to Morrow, what, Dad shouted, opening
• 46:34
  Speaker 1: Widey's mouth and attracting much notice. What next minute Dad
• 46:40
  Speaker 1: was stumping up Edward Street in advance of Mother, who
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: was compelled to trot to keep in sight. The great
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: metropolis had no more charms for Dad. At nine o'clock
• 46:51
  Speaker 1: the following night, Dad and mother arrived at Saddle Top.
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: Gray's cart happened to be at the station, and they
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: were given a lift to the gate. Mother thanked the
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: man and gave him a banana, but Dad was thinking heavily.
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: Sounds of music floated on the peaceful air and provoked
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: Dad to profanity. He threw wide the big white gate,
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: leaving Mother to close it. Dogs barked and bounded down
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: the track, at first threatening to eat Dad, but then
• 47:22
  Speaker 1: recognizing him, jumped for joy and climbed and clawed all
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: over him. Heedless of kicks and curses, Dad expressed no
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: pleasure at seeing the house again. You would never think
• 47:33
  Speaker 1: he'd been away at all. A large area of newly
• 47:37
  Speaker 1: plowed land discernible in the moonlight, and a number of
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: fresh loosern stacks that changed the whole aspect of Ruddville
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: failed to attract his eye. He noticed nothing till he
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: came to a long line of saddle horses fastened to
• 47:51
  Speaker 1: the fence. One had its nose in a bit of hay.
• 47:55
  Speaker 1: Dad spotted that horse, and like a plain turkey taking wing,
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: threw out his arms and rushed onto the verandah inside
• 48:03
  Speaker 1: the Prince of Wales Shottish had just ended and the
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: perspiring party stood round the ballroom ablaze with candles, listening
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: attentively to the voices of Miss Todd and the schoolmaster's wife,
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: blending pathetically and song together. After the ball is over,
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: They were screeching just when Dad burst into the room.
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: What the Devil's this, he bellowed. They stopped like a clock.
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: We brought all of you into my house. Consternation. Out
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: of you, out of this, the whole damn lot of ya, Dad,
• 48:42
  Speaker 1: Sarah gasped, her voice scarcely audible. Dad's enraged eye rested
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: on the trembling form of Billy Bearrap by his side.
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: Such a howl, a brown paper parcel he held in
• 48:56
  Speaker 1: his hand, containing a pair of heavy boots, flew at
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: Barep's head and struck Big Missus mc manus on the chest.
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: Commerci screams and a wild rush to escape. In the stampede,
• 49:09
  Speaker 1: Bearrip was left behind, and while the little fellow frantically
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: fought and sparred for an opening, Dad kicked at him
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: as if he were a wallaby fast in a fence.
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: Stop it, Dave cried, angrily, don't make a fool of
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: but Dad's silence. Dave clear out, He roared, leave my house.
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: Dave was inclined to resist. Wave the place, or I'll
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: send for the place, Dad yelled in a wild, broken voice. Pshah.
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: Dave hissed and walked out. The ejected guests secured their
• 49:45
  Speaker 1: horses in haste and left in disorder. Sarah and Dave
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: and Joe, bare headed, stood in the yard and silently
• 49:53
  Speaker 1: stared after them. The last one passed out, and the
• 49:56
  Speaker 1: gate closed. Voices and hoof beats dyed away. The knaves
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: of a horse and the hoop hoop of a night
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: bird came from the iron bark ridge Rod rolled from
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: the house. The clock struck two. Ruin on me, ruin
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: on me. From the house again, mopoke, mopoke from out
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: the gully on the reserve. The clock struck three. The
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: moon ceased to shine, and Dad to shout. Sarah dried
• 50:30
  Speaker 1: her eyes and stole quietly to her room. Ah Well,
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: Dave said, let it rip, and he and Joe turned
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: to the barn and camped with the men. End of
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: Dad's trip to Brisbane by Steel Rudd Recording by Son
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: of the Exiles