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Pat Ritter. Books


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Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:04 pm

Thank you nevis: Here is the page for today: 'The Drover' - Page 114:

plait a whip or make a rope. It depended on time available during the day how much he worked on either making a rope or a whip.
This time he decided to make a rope. After attaching one end of the ride to a tree he stretched it to its length. Using a forked piece of wood he fastened to one end of the rawhide and started a twisting action. After each twist of the hide; he stretched it until the whole rawhide was made into the length of a rope.
Tying a weight on one end of the rope he mounted his horse and dragged the rope along in soft dirt to remove the hair from the rawhide. After which he rolled the rope into a coil and fastened it to his saddle. Whilst riding behind the mob he spliced one end of the rope and trimmed the excess of hide with his pocket knife. With the opposite end he folded a flap to make a running noose into a lasso.

Chapter 14

Harry rode the black stallion he’d captured at Mount Alfred. Falcon, coloured black suited the name of the stallion, athletic and a joy to ride. It is a good sign for a drover when his horse ambled along, a bit like slow pacing, giving the rider a comfortable ride in the saddle and the strength to go long distances. Harry was overjoyed with Falcon for when his horse was right, everything else was right. No other person was allowed to ride Falcon only Harry.
Harry left Durham Downs and followed the Thompson River west heading toward Eulbertie Station, about a fortnight’s journey. By following the river there was sufficient grass and water.
It was time for a bathe. Time on the road with a lack of water often provided the drover with many days of non-bathing, especially the children.

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Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:15 pm

'The Drover' - Page 115:

One afternoon after the cattle were bedded down Harry called to the children, ‘what about you kids have a bathe.’
‘Do we have to?’ Claire sang in her childish voice.
‘Yes – you have to; all of you have to. There in the river and don’t forget to take some soap and wash behind your ears.’ Harry answered.
All of the children except the twins and Annie stripped naked and dived into the water instantly splashing and playing. The brown coloured water looked dirty but it wasn’t and shortly afterward with clean bodies they returned to the camp. Rose had dinner ready.
‘It’s good to have a bathe, Dad’, Claire told her father and sat beside him on a log near the fire. She’d dressed and waited for her dinner with the others. The camp was alive with children
--laughing and at times screeching with joy of feeling clean and happy.
After the sun passed beneath the horizon Harry and Rose left the camp and walked to the river for their bathe. The children retired to bed and all was quiet. It was so quiet Harry needed to whisper to Rose when they stripped naked and walked into the water. The moon glistened on the water and Rose couldn’t think of being in a better place with her man and what they were doing.
Since the start of the trip Rose put in many a long day caring for the twins, and Annie, only a toddler, whilst trying to keep track on the other children. She lay on her back to relax and said to Harry, ‘can we stay here for the rest of our lives.’ The water lapped her body to put her in a sense of total relaxation.
‘Wouldn’t it be great,’ Harry whispered, ‘how would the cattle get to Clifton Hills?’
‘I don’t care about the cattle Harry,’ she swung her arms around his naked body and pulled him close to her. She felt the nipples of her breasts harden and his body wrap around her as their lips met and a shuddering feeling travelled

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Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:12 pm

'The Drover' -

through to her groin. She loved Harry more than anything else in the world.
‘Why don’t you wash me,’ she asked Harry handing him a cake of sunlight soap. Harry held the soap and moved it over Rose’s strong lean body feeling each curve and muscle as the soap covered her skin. Unfortunately in the river soap doesn’t lather as in a bath. She dipped down under the water and grabbed the soap from Harry at the same time commencing to wash his body. She felt his strong muscled arms and legs and when she moved the soap to his stomach and further down to his loin, she discovered he was ready to make love to her.
With their arms wrapped around one another Rose thought this was one of the best times in their married life they’d made love. She felt his hard penis enter her vagina with ease. In no time he’d ejaculated and at a similar time she’d reached an organism. Her body shook in delight. Each nerve in her body throbbed and at that moment she honestly knew how much she loved this man.

Early the following morning Rose couldn’t wipe the smile from her face; she was deeply in love and would follow Harry to any part on earth he wanted to go. She felt wonderful and even gave the children leeway. Nothing would upset her this day.
Unfortunately this feeling couldn’t go on forever; she wished it would, but children being children there had to be a problem.
Claire and Louise were chasing budgerigars through bushes outside of the camp area.
‘Come inside for your lessons,’ she called to both girls.
There was no answer. A feeling of terror entered her mind and immediately she felt fear of danger for her two daughters. Away from the camp were dingoes, snakes and worst of all - death adders.

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Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:58 pm

'The Drover' - Page 117:

She called again and still no answer. Through the mist of the morning dew she saw the two girls hiding and giggling crouched behind a saltbush. She went and grabbed the rifle, the same .22 calibre rifle used by Les to kill the beast. She pointed the rifle in the direction of the bush and called out, ‘if you don’t come here immediately I’ll bloody shoot you both.’ With that she fired a bullet in the direction but away from the bush. They soon stood up and raced toward the camp; not giggling almost terrified thinking their own mother was going to shoot them.
‘When I tell you girls to come, I mean straight away. Do you understand me?’ Rose bellowed still holding the gun.
‘Yes Momma – we’ll never do that again.’ They said in unison.

After they moved camp and settled for the night, Harry had the cattle camped down by late afternoon. He returned to camp and said to Rose, ‘I think there’s a dust storm coming – over there look.’ He was concerned. If a dust storm came the cattle wouldn’t settle and could rush. He hoped this wouldn’t happen.
Rose looked to the sky and saw dark shadows quickly forming, ‘come along children, into the back of the truck.’ She calculated the storm was about five minutes away.
Everything needed to be tied down tight, for the wind carried debris and branches, but mainly dust. She cautioned the children to hide in the back of the truck until the storm passed.
She moved what she could of the cooking pots and other utensils and stacked them below the truck away from the wind. She’d been in many a dust storm and this one looked a dozy. With the children safely tucked away in the back of the truck and everything tied down, she climbed into the cabin for safety.
Harry rode to his men and told them to cover their faces with a handkerchief and ring the cattle in tight to weather out

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Postby patritter » Sun Nov 11, 2012 10:58 pm

'The Drover' - Page 118:

the storm. All took notice. Harry covered his face and waited for the wind and storm to arrive.
Clouds of dust covered the horizon followed by howling wind. It was similar to a tsunami but instead of forcing its wave from the ocean, crossed the dry dirt plain. Rolls of dirt struck the men riding horses, each attempting to control their animal and keep their post to prevent the cattle from stampeding. It would only take less than a minute until it was gone.
Harry and the men rode out the storm and watched it pass without incident. Next it attacked the camp blowing its forces toward the truck and the family. Dust storms are dangerous and many a time people have been seriously injured by flying debris and other material when caught in the eye of the storm.
The storm by-passed them without incident, Rose had done everything possible to prevent any accident. Harry rode to the camp after checking he didn’t lose any stock to check on his family. Everyone was safe.
At the camp that night the children’s voices buzzed with stories of how they were scared and thought they’d never see their parents again. After a hearty meal all went to bed with visions of the dust storm almost blew them away.
The only problem with dust storms in the open they leave behind a film of dirt which imbeds into everything. With constant shaking and dusting of bed clothing and everything else finally rids the dust from its hiding place. Another problem is for the next few days afterwards eating the taste of dust is evident in everything.
Harry couldn’t complain about the trip to this point. Apart from a couple of minor hic-cups nothing untoward had happened. They were one day out from Eulbertie Station. He told Les to keep the cattle going while he went ahead to speak with the owner of Eulbertie Station about passing through his property. He’d stay overnight and return the following day and meet them near the boundary fence.

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Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:51 am

'The Drover' - Page 119:

After Eulbertie Station the stock route followed across the Beal Range. Tributaries of the major rivers flowed through Eulbertie Station and Harry knew there may be little water supply before he hit the Diamantina River. All of these rivers formed what was known as the channel country. After a good season all of the rivers flowed through this harsh country turned it into lush green pastures however; when the rain didn’t arrive it was likened to a desert, dry and hard. There hadn’t been good rain in this region for the past five years and the drought was biting deep.

Harry met the mob on the boundary of Eulbertie Station late on the afternoon of the second day. He’d been given permission by the owner to travel his stock through his property. Harry didn’t need any person to accompany him because his name was one of being honest as the day is long.
They moved the cattle through the property clear of any trouble. Their next stage was crossing the Beal Range. It was smaller than the Grey Range and Harry couldn’t envisage any problems with his aboriginal workers. They crossed through Eulbertie Station and camped at the base of the Beal Range.
After having their meal, two of the aboriginal ringers rode around the camped mob singing their ancestors song. Without notice one of them spurred his horse and galloped around the mob to his companion. In the night sky he saw bright lights just above the horizon. The cattle stood and started to move off camp.
Harry was asleep in the back of the truck; he awoke - things weren’t right, something was wrong. He dressed, saddled Falcon and stirred the others to help him with the cattle. By this time all of the cattle were standing and started to move off camp. He didn’t know what stirred the cattle and by the time he reached his two aboriginal ringers, they jabbered something and pointed at flicking lights on the horizon.

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Pat Ritter. Books

Postby patritter » Tue Nov 13, 2012 10:48 pm

'The Drover' - Page 120:

He’d seen these lights before, many years before, he thought aliens were coming after him and he hadn’t had a drink.
Five aboriginals rode toward him, ‘we aren’t going on boss – spirits are chasing us. We’re off.’
With the words hardly out of their mouth the five aboriginal stockmen galloped away from the mob and before Harry could call them back, they vanished. Les and Greg joined Harry, ‘where’re they going?’ Les wanted to know.
‘They’re gone and taken my bloody horses and saddles with them.’ Harry questioned.
‘What’d they do that for uncle?’ Greg asked in an inquisitive voice.
‘They saw those lights flicking out there on the horizon and thought they were spirits chasing them.’ Harry replied.
‘Don’t they know it’s only the min min light? Les answered.
‘What’s a min min light?’ Greg asked.
‘When I was your age I was droving with my father and holding cattle out one night. My horse spooked when I think we each saw this light flicking above the bush.’ Harry told his story.
‘I’ve never seen one before.’ Greg intervened.
‘When it happened I asked my father about it and he told me to gallop over and chase it, which I did. I rode at a gallop for a couple of miles and couldn’t get near it. I gave up and returned to camp. When I was near the camp the light flickered again, it was just above the bushes. I’d had enough; I told my father I couldn’t catch it because it kept moving.’
The light continued to flicker above the bushes on the horizon.
‘They’re gone and won’t be back, you know Harry.’ Les told his brother-in-law.
‘We’ll keep going. I can’t worry about them. We’ve still got a long way to go. I’ll stay on watch, you two go and have a sleep and relieve me before daylight.’ Harry finished and

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