"Must have big poodinn, and almond, and Clisymus cake, and mince pie," he
chuckled, and then after confiding to us that he had heard of the
prospective glories of a Christmas dinner at the Pine Creek "Pub.," the
heathen among us urged us to do honour to the Christian festival.
"Must have top-fellow Clisymus longa Elsey," he said, and even more
heartily we agreed, "of course," giving Cheon carte blanche to order
everything as he wished us to have it. "We were there to command," we
assured him; and accepting our services, Cheon opened the ball by sending
the Dandy in to the Katherine on a flying visit to do a little shopping,
and, pending the Dandy's return we sat down and made plans.
The House and the Quarters should join forces that day, Cheon suggested,
and dine under the eastern verandah "No good two-fellow dinner longa
Clisymus," he said. And the blacks, too, must be regaled in their humpy.
"Must have Vealer longa black fellow Clisymus," Cheon ordered, and Jack's
services being bespoken for Christmas Eve, to "round up a Vealer," it was
decided to add a haunch of "Vealer" to our menu as a trump card - Vealers
being rarities at Pine Creek. Our only regret was that we lived too far
from civilisation to secure a ham. Pine Creek would certainly have a
ham; but we had a Vealer and faith in Cheon, and waited expectantly for
the Dandy, sure the Elsey would "come out top-fellow."
And as we waited for the Dandy, the Line Party moved on to our northern
boundary, taking with it possible Christmas guests; the Fizzer came in
and went on, to face a "merry Christmas with damper and beef served in
style on a pack-bag," also regretting empty mail-bags - the Southern mail
having been delayed en route. Tam and the Sanguine Scot accepted
invitations to the Christmas dinner; and the Wet broke in one terrific
thunderclap, as the heavens, opening, emptied a deluge over us.
In that mighty thunderclap the Wet rushed upon us with a roar of falling
waters, and with them Billy Muck appeared at the house verandah dripping
like a beaver, to claim further credit.
"Well?" he said again, "Me rainmaker, eh ?" and the Maluka shouted above
the roar and din:
"You're the boy for my money, Billy! Keep her going!" and Billy kept her
going to such purpose that by sun-up the billabong was a banker, Cheon
was moving over the face of the earth with the buoyancy of a child's
balloon, and Billy had five inches of rain to his credit.
