Foot, the Man-in-Charge pointing out the
beauty spots and places of interest, and making tea for us at frequent
intervals.
It was a delightful train - just a simple-hearted, chivalrous,
weather-beaten old bush-whacker, at the service of the entire Territory.
"There's nothing the least bit officious or standoffish about it," I was
saying, when the Man-in-Charge came in with the first billy of tea.
"Of course not!" he said, unhooking cups from various crooked-up fingers.
"It's a Territorian, you see."
"And had all the false veneer of civilisation peeled off long ago," the
Maluka said, adding, with a sly look at my discarded gloves and gossamer,
"It's wonderful how quietly the Territory does its work."
The Man-in-Charge smiled openly as he poured out the tea, proving thereby
his kinship with all other Territorians; and as the train came to a
standstill, swung off and slipped some letters into a box nailed to an
old tree-trunk.
At the far end of the train, away from the engine, the passengers' car
had been placed, and as in front of it a long, long line of low-stacked
sinuous trucks slipped along in the rear of the engine, all was open view
before us; and all day long, as the engine trudged onwards - hands in
pockets, so to speak, and whistling merrily as it trudged - I stood beside
the Maluka on the little platform in front of the passengers' car,
drinking in my first deep, intoxicating draught of the glories of the
tropical bush.
There were no fences to shut us in; and as the train zig-zagged through
jungle and forest and river-valley - stopping now and then to drink deeply
at magnificent rivers ablaze with water-lilies - it almost seemed as
though it were some kindly Mammoth creature, wandering at will through
the bush.
Here and there, kangaroos and other wild creatures of the bush hopped out
of our way, and sitting up, looked curiously after us; again and again
little groups of blacks hailed us, and scrambled after water-melon and
tobacco, with shouts of delight, and, invariably, on nearing the tiny
settlements along the railway, we drove before us white fleeing flocks of
goats.
At every settlement we stopped and passed the time of day and, giving out
mail-bags, moved on again into the forest. Now and again, stockmen rode
out of the timber and received mail-bags, and once a great burly bushman,
a staunch old friend of the Maluka's, boarded the train, and greeted him
with a hearty hand-shake.
"Hullo! old chap!" he called in welcome, as he mounted the steps of the
little platform, "I've come to inspect your latest investment"; but
catching sight of the "latest investment" he broke into a deafening roar.
