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'The Drover' - Page 103:

Chapter 12

Harry owned a Bedford truck with a steel crate large enough to carry six horses, swags, food, and to use as a camper while on the track. It had a good motor and hopefully wouldn’t break down.
Rose settled the twins in the front compartment while the other children rode in the back. Each sat or lay on their swags until they reached Bulloo Downs. The dogs travelled in their dog-boxes under the rear tray of the truck.
Greg being the horse tailer drove the plant of 20 horses from Cunnamulla to Bulloo Downs accompanied by his father and five stockmen. They followed the stock route arriving at Bulloo Downs four weeks after leaving Cunnamulla. All was in readiness for the drive to South Australia.
‘Are you ready Les,’ Harry called out to his brother-in-law.
‘Sure am.’
‘Let’s move em out.’ Harry commanded.
He’d spoken to Rose before they arrived at Bulloo Downs and arranged she drive the truck, follow the stock route along the Bulloo River about ten miles. He’d meet her there with the cattle to camp the night.
Harry had never driven this many cattle before. He knew over past years, he needed to be skilled enough, to get the best out of the cattle he was responsible for. It was like he had climbed to the top of Mount Everest in droving and this epic trip would prove his worth. He felt good, no - he felt great!
He knew the basic needs of the cattle were feed; water and rest. At their rest time they needed to settle to chew their cud. If when they lay down to rest and exhaled a ‘whoosh’ sound, this was his barometer to show how the drove was progressing. If the cattle were relaxed, well fed, rested and watered he knew he could relax.
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'The Drover' - Page 104:

He felt as if he was a champion about to defend his title of one of the greatest drovers of all time. Let’s get to the water the stock tonight, went through his mind and then look toward tomorrow. One day at a time.
The bullocks spread out. They were spread across the open plain. Les near the front with each ringer on the wings to allow the animals to walk and feed at their leisure.
Steady as we go cautioned Harry to himself acknowledging so far everything was going okay. Ten miles he needed to go each day. This was checked by the stock inspector or police officer when at anytime they checked on the mob.
Early that morning he took delivery of the mob. Soon became mid-morning and during the hottest stage of the day he told his workers to rest and let the cattle lie down. They’d rest until about two-thirty and head off to water and camp the cattle down for the night.
The first day was uneventful in that everything went to clock work without a hitch. Harry moved the mob close to the night camp where Rose parked the truck.
She cooked roast meat in the Bedourie oven and used other Bedourie ovens to cook potatoes and damper. She cooked her favourite dessert of bread and butter custard taught to her by her mother.
Altogether she had twelve children; the twins were on goats’ milk serviced by a nanny goat they’d bought along. She also had six ringers and her husband to feed. The children and Greg the horse-tailer helped her with daily chores.
On the road there was no refrigeration and all meat was salted and packed away from the flies. When the men killed a beast which was normally every couple of weeks or when meat run short, it was covered with salt and placed into bags to preserve. All flour and other food was stored in tin containers to keep them safe from meat ants which somehow sought out food where ever it may be.

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'The Drover' - Page 105:

‘So far so good,’ Harry told his wife after he unsaddled his horse and walked into camp. ‘I’m on the first watch.’ He told her.
‘Harry, have a seat over there on the log and I’ll bring your meal with your mug of black tea.’ Rose went about arranging Harry’s meal while he found a stump to sit on.
Claire came up beside him, ‘can I help - Daddy?’ She pleaded with her father, ‘I’ve bought Dusty along and I’ve got him going good.’ Her blue eyes beamed brightly direct into his own, Harry’s heart pounded with glee to know his daughter wanted to help.
‘What about helping your Mum – she’ll need your help here at the camp – won’t she?’ Harry explained.
‘I sure do – there’s plenty to do and I need help to look after the young boys and Annie.’ Her mother spoke in a commanding voice. Claire moved away and let her father eat his meal in peace.
After the men finished their meals they threw their swags on the ground and slept until they were required to do their watch with the cattle. At times their watch was a couple of hours depended on how the cattle settled. While on watch they rode the Nighthorse around the bedded down cattle softly singing a country song.
Harry returned from his watch and knew because he was Boss Drover he would complete the final watch before daylight. When he came to bed in the back of the truck Rose was awake, ‘how did our first day go Love?’ She asked him in a low voice not to awaken the children.
‘Great, the men are good – it was a wonderful meal you cooked, the cattle are settled and there’s another three hundred and sixty-four days to go. I don’t expect everyday to be like this one because for the next couple of days we’ve got to cross the Grey Range and head to the Wilson River.’

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‘It’ll be alright Love; I have the utmost faith in your ability to know what you’re doing.’ She placed her arms around his neck to feel tension in the muscles. She softly rubbed the muscles and before long Harry was sound asleep in her arms.
Daylight broke through the scrub, Harry returned to the camp after his two hour watch. The night was as good as he could ever have imagined. The cattle moving off camp.
Before daylight Greg caught each horse and had them ready for the ringers. Each ringer finished their breakfast and made sufficient lunch before heading off for the day. Harry retired to bed for a couple of hours sleep before his day began.
It was another ten miles to the foot of the Grey Range before the cattle transcended the high cliffs to the top and walk to the other side.
After Harry slept for a couple of hours he awoke to find Rose moved the truck to a location ten miles from where they were, to a shady place at the foot of the Grey Range.
‘How did you know where to go?’ He asked climbing down from the back of the truck.
Rose handed him a hot mug of black tea and said, ‘I’m not silly – you know. I followed the track and found this spot. Isn’t it any good?’ She queried.
‘Yeah – no; it’s good. I’ll need to ride over the range to see where the next water hole is located for the cattle. They’ll be ready for a drink before we get over the top.’
‘I’m sure Les would have taken care to give the cattle enough water before he let them off camp. Have a yarn to him.’
‘Alright, I’ll see you when I return. It could be a bit late depends on where I find water.’ Harry finished his mug of tea, mounted his horse and rode up the high range to the top.

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‘Alright you kids, school’s in. All gather around.’ Rose summoned the children to a place under the shade of a huge box tree and there performed her daily chore of teaching the children school work.
Before she left Cunnamulla she visited the children’s school and requested from the Principal sufficient work for the children while they were on the road.
‘Do we have to do it Ma?’ questioned Claire, ‘I hate school. I’d rather be out there with Dad.’ She whined.

Harry rode all through the day to find a suitable trail for the cattle to follow. Cattle are grazing beasts and when they’ve had their fill will walk a track to seek water. Otherwise they eat, sleep and rest and a contented animal is a good animal.
The Grey Range is tough country, rough with rocks and little feed for the stock. If Harry was to push this mob over the range without feed or water for a couple of days he would have a struggle on his hands. His intentions were to find a path up through the range; walk the cattle over the top to find the Wilson River on the other side.
He walked his trusted horse steady along the side of the range; a drop of about thirty feet straight down slowed him. His calculation or risk to injuring an animal was high; if he didn’t go this way his only other trail was an extra couple of weeks by going around the range to meet the Wilson River on the other side.
His thoughts calculated the danger and how he was going to carry out the task. There were sufficient ringers to guide the cattle through and over the range. It would be a slow trek but taking care and going steady was his idea. No rushing only steady as they go.
With Les in front; line the bullocks out in one line to follow him; they should be able to complete their task with little risk to either beast or man.

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When he returned to camp Les was waiting. Before he dismounted from his horse Les bellowed, ‘are you mad, Rose told me what you’re about to do. It’s stupid Harry.’
‘Are you finished?’ Harry expressed to Les.
‘Well, it’s a bloody stupid idea Harry – I’ve never heard of anything more ridiculous. You could get us all killed and the cattle killed.’
‘Les, if I don’t do this; I’ve got to go around the range and it’ll take another couple of weeks, which is too long. Yeah, it’ll be tough but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t know we could make it.’ Harry exploded. He was the Boss Drover after all and it was his decision to make - not Les’s.
That night the camp was quiet; Les informed the other ringers of Harry’s idea. In mass the five aboriginal ringers spoke to Harry.
‘Boss, we not go tomorra over range.’ A spokesman told Harry.
‘Why bloody not?’ Harry exploded in a voice which almost shook the earth. He was furious to have his men talk to him that way and also tell him what they were doing.
‘Ancestors Boss – they buried in the range and it’s too spooky for us to go. We scared Boss. We go with missus and meet you on the other side Boss.’ The spokesman’s voice shook - the words whimpered from his mouth.
Harry thought about the spokesman’s request and in his decision he never considered any of the mystical beliefs the aboriginals may have had. If they didn’t want to cross the range because of their beliefs than it was their choice.
He needed to work around this issue. His determination caused him to believe he could still cross the range with the cattle and save at least a couple of weeks on the trip.
‘Alright then, you go with the missus, Claire, Rachael, Dorothy and Hector you come with me tomorrow and these fellows can travel in the truck. Louise you stay with your mother to help her with the twins and Annie.’ Harry commanded.
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'The Drover' - Page 109:

‘I’ll go with you – you mad bastard.’ Les told Harry, ‘you can depend on both Greg and I to help you get the mob over the range. It’s a bloody stupid idea – I only hope you know what you’re doing.’
‘What about it you kids, you want to help instead of doing school work.’ Harry asked the children. Claire was now nine years old; the elder by a month; the other three were only a year apart. Hector was a true horseman although he was only seven years old. He never learned to ride a pony only big horses which he rode bareback until his father bought him his own saddle.
In unison the children screamed they wanted to go. Claire moved close to her father, ‘I’ll be with you all of the way Dad.’ She placed her arms around his neck and lightly kissed him on the cheek. She loved every bone in her father’s body.
‘I hope you know what you’re doing?’ Rose quietly told Harry later that night after they retired to bed.
‘I do Love – I wouldn’t put the kids in danger and it’ll get Claire off my back about working with me. After they take these cattle across the range they’ll be pleased to get into their school work. I can guarantee.’ He fell off to sleep. Tomorrow would be a turning point in the trip.
Before daybreak the following morning Harry took Greg aside and said, ‘Greg, I need you to do more than being the horse tailer. Young Hector will need to be kept an eye on. I know he’ll be okay if we keep him at the tail of the mob.’
‘It’s okay uncle – I don’t mind doing extra work. I’m used to it.’ Greg admonished.
‘Would you saddle one of the horses with a packsaddle? We’ll need to take extra food and water. I want to get the cattle up on the top plateau tonight and tomorrow we should reach the Wilson River.’ Harry shared with Greg.