第8章

`What!' said mother, turning round and looking at father with her eyes staring -- a sort of dark blue they were -- people used to say mine and Jim's were the same colour -- and her brown hair pushed back off her face, as if she was looking at a ghost.`Is it doing that again you are, after all you promised me, and you so nearly caught -- after the last one?

Didn't I go on my knees to ye to ask ye to drop it and lead a good life, and didn't ye tell me ye'd never do the like again? And the poor innocent children, too, I wonder ye've the heart to do it.'

It came into my head now to wonder why the sergeant and two policemen had come down from Bargo, very early in the morning, about three months ago, and asked father to show them the beef in his cask, and the hide belonging to it.I wondered at the time the beast was killed why father made the hide into a rope, and before he did that had cut out the brand and dropped it into a hot fire.The police saw a hide with our brand on, all right -- killed about a fortnight.

They didn't know it had been taken off a cancered bullock, and that father took the trouble to `stick' him and bleed him before he took the hide off, so as it shouldn't look dark.

Father certainly knew most things in the way of working on the cross.

I can see now he'd have made his money a deal easier, and no trouble of mind, if he'd only chosen to go straight.

When mother said this, father looked at her for a bit as if he was sorry for it; then he straightened himself up, and an ugly look came into his face as he growled out --`You mind your own business; we must live as well as other people.

There's squatters here that does as bad.They're just like the squires at home; think a poor man hasn't a right to live.

You bring the brand and look alive, Dick, or I'll sharpen ye up a bit.'

The brand was in the corner, but mother got between me and it, and stretched out her hand to father as if to stop me and him.

`In God's name,' she cried out, `aren't ye satisfied with losing your own soul and bringing disgrace upon your family, but ye must be the ruin of your innocent children?

Don't touch the brand, Dick!'

But father wasn't a man to be crossed, and what made it worse he had a couple of glasses of bad grog in him.There was an old villain of a shanty-keeper that lived on a back creek.He'd been there as he came by and had a glass or two.He had a regular savage temper, father had, though he was quiet enough and not bad to us when he was right.

But the grog always spoiled him.

He gave poor mother a shove which sent her reeling against the wall, where she fell down and hit her head against the stool, and lay there.

Aileen, sitting down in the corner, turned white, and began to cry, while father catches me a box on the ear which sends me kicking, picks up the brand out of the corner, and walks out, with me after him.

I think if I'd been another year or so older I'd have struck back --I felt that savage about poor mother that I could have gone at him myself --but we had been too long used to do everything he told us; and somehow, even if a chap's father's a bad one, he don't seem like other men to him.

So, as Jim had lighted the fire, we branded the little red heifer calf first -- a fine fat six-months-old nugget she was -- and then three bull calves, all strangers, and then Polly's calf, I suppose just for a blind.

Jim and I knew the four calves were all strangers, but we didn't know the brands of the mothers; they all seemed different.

After this all was made right to kill a beast.The gallows was ready rigged in a corner of the yard; father brought his gun and shot the yellow steer.

The calves were put into our calf-pen -- Polly's and all --and all the cows turned out to go where they liked.

We helped father to skin and hang up the beast, and pretty late it was when we finished.Mother had laid us out our tea and gone to bed with Aileen.

We had ours and then went to bed.Father sat outside and smoked in the starlight.Hours after I woke up and heard mother crying.

Before daylight we were up again, and the steer was cut up and salted and in the harness-cask soon after sunrise.His head and feet were all popped into a big pot where we used to make soup for the pigs, and by the time it had been boiling an hour or two there was no fear of any one swearing to the yellow steer by `head-mark'.

We had a hearty breakfast off the `skirt', but mother wouldn't touch a bit, nor let Aileen take any; she took nothing but a bit of bread and a cup of tea, and sat there looking miserable and downcast.Father said nothing, but sat very dark-looking, and ate his food as if nothing was the matter.

After breakfast he took his mare, the old dog followed; there was no need to whistle for him -- it's my belief he knew more than many a Christian --and away they went.Father didn't come home for a week --he had got into the habit of staying away for days and days together.

Then things went on the old way.