Australian Tales - Setis

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and has not attempted to flee, while I kept my eyes upon it, but the instant I have turned for the purpose of picking up a stick, it has attempted to escape at its utmost speed. I have seen a bold bushman go close up to a snake, and strike its head with the hammer head of his riding whip, but that was certainly running an unnecessary risk, and I have always preferred a tolerably long stick as my weapon in such encounters. Snakes are easily disabled, one or two smart blows are sufficient, but they are as tenacious of life as silver eels, and bushmen have a tradition, that “snakes never die till sundown.” It is best to approach them in front, as they are apt to spring backwards upon an assailant, though they cannot spring forward, and in general they cannot creep so fast but even a lazy man might easily get out of their way. I have heard of snakes attacking persons, but I never saw one do so, and those that I have seen, have seemed glad to get away from me. Vicious animals in general have a fear of man which deters them from assailing him, unless they are incited to it by provocation or in selfdefence, and the most noxious species of reptiles have generally some distinguishing characteristics by which their hurtful properties may be known, and counteracted. In that we see a mark of God's providential care for us. I repeat my declaration. I have not seen one hundred live snakes during over a quarter of a century; and I have not known of one fatal case of snake poisoning, within my own circle of friends and acquaintances. That may be rather surprising to those persons who fancy our fine continent is dangerously overrun with those loathsome reptiles. But there is, alas! a black snake, terribly prevalent, which is caressed by thousands of persons in this land; though many of them know from personal or family experience that it is far more dangerous than the deaf adder. I mean the “dram bottle.” That is the snake which has desolated hundreds of homes, and sent thousands of poor souls to ruin; that has done infinitely more mischief in this fine country than all the snakes in the bush. I have seen the serpent — intemperance — writhe its treacherous way into many happy households, and first fascinate, then crush within its powerful folds the most promising members of the family. I have seen the hope of a respectable house — a fine, broad browed youth — his father's pride, and his mother's idol; upon whose education the fond old pair had lavished their hardly earned little hoard; I have seen that beloved boy's fine intellect vitiated, his once athletic frame palsied and wasted, and with sorrow I add, that I have stood upon the graves of the suicide son and his broken-hearted parents. I have seen a sunny-hearted little child grow up to girl-hood, and fall a victim to the fascinating influence of intemperance. With aching heart I have marked her rapid decline from the paths of innocence and virtue, to
vice, poverty, disease, and an agonising death; long before she had reached life's meridian. I have seen a decrepit, grey-headed widow groping her way through life in penury and grief. I knew her in former days, when she was rich in this world's goods, and blessed with an industrious husband, who walked with her to the house of God. But, alas! in an evil hour he fell a victim to the world's great curse; and now he fills a drunkard's grave, while his poor old helpless widow is left to mourn in hopeless sorrow. I have seen — — But ah! I dare not write more on this harrowing subject; for well-remembered faces rise up from the dead before my mental gaze; and my heart sickens at the dreadful contemplation. Boys and girls! beware of snakes! beware of snakes! But especially beware of the last one I have alluded to, of which I lack words sufficiently strong to express my horror.
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Australian Tales and Sketches From
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Preface. MOST of the following tale
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Mr. Phiggs and His Christmas Breakf
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of cooking a potato, or a red herri
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shells, and a variety of other refu
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window, and being furnished with bu
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Speaking a Word in Season. SOME tim
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gooseberry. “I don't think that w
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satisfaction. As they usually had a
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A Matrimonial Juggler; OR, MR. TEDD
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his hand to his back so frequently,
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“Led go id I dell you!” he crie
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hurry with your reply.” Charity l
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niver fear — that is iv he's able
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head put in a sack, an' sarve ye ri
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luck wud have it, I wint on board t
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Joey Goosgog and Jasper Spindle's T
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tittle to me which side I sit, I ca
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say I could drive a horse. Somethin
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they had lighted a fire on a rock,
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that's all. He isn't worth much. Ug
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can't see nobody.” Mr. Spindles,
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outrage, you cowardly villain. We a
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the utter bewilderment of poor Mrs.
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you, for I know her history well. I
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willingly choose this delicate and
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called to upbraid her, as some of h
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luxury to me. Disease, delirium, ma
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gooseberry?” He is sixty-five yea
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for a lass of seventeen to be very
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iron and the marking ink. Excuse me
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“Did you though?” exclaimed Mrs
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make hair grow on a marrow-bone. Ha
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a life of misery, but you have made
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months; indeed, I was subject to pe
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Grinn's brain was rather over-taxed
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Don't Lie Down and Fret. ONE aftern
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he would probably never take the tr
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have upon the soils of some parts o
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slightest resistance. She is struck
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am not sure about that, but never m
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so than I had been six or seven yea
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monkey, or I shall kick you into th
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“Next day I went to London, with
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they often afford more ease than a
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of my life, and the prop and suppor
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Chapter IV. “As I before remarked
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way of setting him up in the world
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set me laughing; the next minute I
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dial warns us to bed. To concentrat
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and in turning over a waste-paper b
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“You have no idea how that cheere
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an opinion of her sense to believe
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have been the dernier ressort, as i
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Wife! what better friend have you i
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Widow Giles's Little Grocery Shop.
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short pause, and in a tone which pl
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upon doing something noble. “I ca
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Commercial Hobgoblins. IN the cours
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good customers display in these dis
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“I did put it in my bank yesterda
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that would certainly damage me.
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and had scarcely strength enough to
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altogether, sooner than suffer such
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How the Knipps Family Kept “Merry
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chicken and a brown loaf; a plum pu
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catching a crab, with his heels in
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“It is not all your fault, Bill,
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“The noise was stunning, and at f
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of virtue and wisdom, which he has
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Influenza Season. Scene: Sydney, Ki
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increase his surgical practice,”
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Into each life some rain must fall.
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“Is anything troubling you, my de
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him. Scarcely has the poor widow re
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contemplated taking away her father
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with pearl buttons. “I'm much obl
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Jonathan made many admiring comment
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courteous, however, thus plainly to
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extra smart, and putting (with his
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to the prejudice of his sobriety, o
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The magpies, which perched on the s
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number of genteel residents of the
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down beside the hedge, I want to sa
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fellows who ought to be ashamed of
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all vind out whether her be's a fit
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Shrugs. “OF course you know Mr. A
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stimulus, the dread of losing their
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“Joy Cometh in the Morning.” TH
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staysails, exposed all the time to
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I was glad, too, for the safety of
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The poor little tailor certainly lo
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Angry and hungry boys and girls are
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“Shove It on Board.” “LET go
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perplexed, and muttered that he “
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wonder that you did so.” “Well,
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table, when I re-entered the saloon
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fore sheet aft! Port the helm!” I
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in these days of active opposition,
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at the idea of soon seeing a living
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Goliah, taking the reins from the w
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at cousin Goodwin's, the widow made
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Mr. M'Faddle's Pic-Nic Party. THAT
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provisions, a keg of water, and sun
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from north west are usually the pre
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in the boat (which was a man-of-war
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the pleasure of your society, and t
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hope you will make a valuable use o
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oard, when Captain Gimble, glisteni
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coasting seamen are mercilessly exp
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usually as thick as tanner's refuse
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eccentricities which often interfer
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come again, that they might be look
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to see if it is sound; look at it a
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Gone to Heaven. A BELOVED friend of
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and summoning up his good-tempered
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it, that's what I mean. But cheer u
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Mrs. Lemonpip had seated herself on
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consequence than an old barrow with
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She lived upon nothing but victuals
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poor thing too.” “Well, well, m
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as sound as new saucepans. He was s
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in her right ear, and she was lying
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wife, and a respected landlady, in
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“Pooh! a great big goose!” snee
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unknown assailant, like a kangaroo
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his wife and his attic lodger, unti
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smiles of bygone days returned to h
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and went on deck to take a look at
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elieve there is no luck in sailing
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said the captain, laughing till his
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Fire! Fire! Fire! I HAVE vivid reco
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good his loss. Pooh! what next?”
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Little Strangers. LIVES there an ho
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stimulating influence on my whisker
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under my arm. But I felt as fidgety
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my meagre description of that happy
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morning, for I tartly remarked, ‘
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you should have seen the animated f
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children, by giving them everything
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Jack Tars, Ahoy! HEAVE to, my heart
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wheel, in this frightfully heavy se
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have a good ship and a good offing,
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A Crippled Ship with a Wrangling Cr
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knocked to pieces on the rocks.”
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That is a pleasing picture; but as
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I drew out my purse, but found that
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landlord or his agent, demanding a
Page 297 and 298: Micky Mahony's Mishaps. Chapter I.
Page 299 and 300: joke to be robbed of his all. “Ni
Page 301 and 302: ullet ye'd murther me wid, that's a
Page 303 and 304: fandangoes from the tea-tree scrub
Page 305 and 306: very carefully, for he was not accu
Page 307 and 308: pipe whin he blow'd me brains out,
Page 309 and 310: counthry as knows more nor I do abo
Page 311 and 312: heard, when I got back to the stati
Page 313 and 314: your sins, and give you grace to wa
Page 315 and 316: that I wasn't a sheep too. But, pra
Page 317 and 318: “THAT'S a raal jintleman, God ble
Page 319 and 320: them asked Micky what he wanted wit
Page 321 and 322: utterly disregarded, while his resi
Page 323 and 324: seed, Joe; it was a muckle thief, t
Page 325 and 326: prior to remanding it to a future d
Page 327 and 328: go to, here,” said Micky, laying
Page 329 and 330: “Light Weights” and “Short Le
Page 331 and 332: lengths, and forged marks, are as c
Page 333 and 334: “Don't Mention It.” “I WOULD
Page 335 and 336: drawing pupils of an evening. Her o
Page 337 and 338: God, and to lead a ‘sober, righte
Page 339 and 340: Down in the Pit. “I FEAR that the
Page 341 and 342: stay to examine. Turning round a ru
Page 343 and 344: Boys and Girls! Beware of Snakes!
Page 345 and 346: long shelly beach like avalanches,
Page 347: again, and forced the jagged end of
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Australian Tales - Setis

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