Among cannibals; an account of four years' travels in Australia and of camp life with the aborigines of Queensland; . e gets up before sunrise, eats, saddles hishorse and rides to his work. As a rule, he is out all dayuntil sunset. He sleeps in rainy weather under the opensky ; he eats whenever it happens to be convenient, if he hasthe time—if not he waits until he finds time ; he lives on saltbeef and damper every day ; he drinks muddy water oralcohol : such is the bushmans mode of life. Externally there is no difference between the squatter IV THE SQUATTERS LIFE 59 and his workmen. All are d
Among cannibals; an account of four years' travels in Australia and of camp life with the aborigines of Queensland; . e gets up before sunrise, eats, saddles hishorse and rides to his work. As a rule, he is out all dayuntil sunset. He sleeps in rainy weather under the opensky ; he eats whenever it happens to be convenient, if he hasthe time—if not he waits until he finds time ; he lives on saltbeef and damper every day ; he drinks muddy water oralcohol : such is the bushmans mode of life. Externally there is no difference between the squatter IV THE SQUATTERS LIFE 59 and his workmen. All are dressed alike, and do the samework ; no kind of work is dishonourable. • I have seenyoung gentlemen beneath a scorching sun do work that thecommon labourer in Norway would regard as below hisdignity. The long, short-handled whip, which the bushmanuses for horses and cattle, is his chief implement, and thishe handles with great dexterity. When the days work is done, the squatter retires in theevening to the main building, where he usually takes a bathprevious to his dinner, which is of a solid kind, frequently. A SQUATTEK S HOMESTEAD. with vegetables, but without much variety. At the sametime the working man goes to his more modest hut, wherehe drinks his tea with damper and salt beef Jams are notuncommon as articles of luxury, and are eaten with thebread. Women are but seldom seen at the stations. Thesquatter is usually a married man, at least in the mostcivilised districts, but the hands rarely have wives. Hencethe women who venture into this far west country soon findtheir fortunes, for in Queensland there are 142 men to every100 women. During my stay at Winton I had an opportunity of 6o AMONG CANNIBALS chap. observing how quickly the chains of matrimony are forgedin Western Queensland. An Irish girl who had recentlyarrived was standing over the wash-tub, and soon attractedthe attention of a bushman. He entered into conversationwith her, and after half an hour they agreed
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectethnology, booksubjectnaturalhistory
