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"
Horrible
enough
,
but
curious
,
and
,
what
's
more
,
peculiar
to
Australia
.
One
might
search
for
it
in
vain
in
any
other
part
of
the
world
.
"
Naturally
enough
,
the
geographer
wished
to
preserve
this
interesting
specimen
of
monotremata
,
and
wanted
to
stow
it
away
in
the
luggage
;
but
M.
Olbinett
resented
the
idea
so
indignantly
,
that
the
SAVANT
was
obliged
to
abandon
his
project
.
About
four
o'clock
in
the
afternoon
,
John
Mangles
descried
an
enormous
column
of
smoke
about
three
miles
off
,
gradually
overspreading
the
whole
horizon
.
What
could
be
the
cause
of
this
phenomenon
?
Paganel
was
inclined
to
think
it
was
some
description
of
meteor
,
and
his
lively
imagination
was
already
in
search
of
an
explanation
,
when
Ayrton
cut
short
all
his
conjectures
summarily
,
by
announcing
that
the
cloud
of
dust
was
caused
by
a
drove
of
cattle
on
the
road
.
The
quartermaster
proved
right
,
for
as
the
cloud
came
nearer
,
quite
a
chorus
of
bleatings
and
neighings
,
and
bel-lowings
escaped
from
it
,
mingled
with
the
loud
tones
of
a
human
voice
,
in
the
shape
of
cries
,
and
whistles
,
and
vo-ciferations
.
Presently
a
man
came
out
of
the
cloud
.
This
was
the
leader-in-chief
of
the
four-footed
army
.
Glenarvan
advanced
toward
him
,
and
friendly
relations
were
speedily
established
between
them
.
The
leader
,
or
to
give
him
his
proper
designation
,
the
stock-keeper
,
was
part
owner
of
the
drove
.
His
name
was
Sam
Machell
,
and
he
was
on
his
way
from
the
eastern
provinces
to
Portland
Bay
.
The
drove
numbered
12,075
head
in
all
,
or
l
,000
bullocks
,
11,000
sheep
,
and
75
horses
.
All
these
had
been
bought
in
the
Blue
Mountains
in
a
poor
,
lean
condition
,
and
were
going
to
be
fatted
up
on
the
rich
pasture
lands
of
Southern
Australia
,
and
sold
again
at
a
great
profit
.
Sam
Machell
expected
to
get
pounds
2
on
each
bullock
,
and
10s
.
on
every
sheep
,
which
would
bring
him
in
pounds
3,750
.
This
was
doing
good
business
;
but
what
patience
and
energy
were
required
to
conduct
such
a
restive
,
stubborn
lot
to
their
destination
,
and
what
fatigues
must
have
to
be
endured
.
Truly
the
gain
was
hardly
earned
.
Sam
Machell
told
his
history
in
a
few
words
,
while
the
drove
continued
their
march
among
the
groves
of
mimosas
.
Lady
Helena
and
Mary
and
the
rest
of
the
party
seated
themselves
under
the
shade
of
a
wide-spreading
gum-tree
,
and
listened
to
his
recital
.
It
was
seven
months
since
Sam
Machell
had
started
.
He
had
gone
at
the
rate
of
ten
miles
a
day
,
and
his
interminable
journey
would
last
three
months
longer
.
His
assistants
in
the
laborious
task
comprised
twenty
dogs
and
thirty
men
,
five
of
whom
were
blacks
,
and
very
serviceable
in
tracking
up
any
strayed
beasts
.
Six
wagons
made
the
rear-guard
.
All
the
men
were
armed
with
stockwhips
,
the
handles
of
which
are
eighteen
inches
long
,
and
the
lash
nine
feet
,
and
they
move
about
among
the
ranks
,
bringing
refractory
animals
back
into
order
,
while
the
dogs
,
the
light
cavalry
of
the
regiment
,
preserved
discipline
in
the
wings
.
The
travelers
were
struck
with
the
admirable
arrangement
of
the
drove
.
The
different
stock
were
kept
apart
,
for
wild
sheep
and
bullocks
would
not
have
got
on
together
at
all
.
The
bullocks
would
never
have
grazed
where
the
sheep
had
passed
along
,
and
consequently
they
had
to
go
first
,
divided
into
two
battalions
.
Five
regiments
of
sheep
followed
,
in
charge
of
twenty
men
,
and
last
of
all
came
the
horses
.
