[Editor: This poem by Louisa Lawson was published in “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems (1905).]
A Pound a Mile.
The tar-boy looked perplexed to see
Tom Dawson cut the skin,
And Sweeper Bill remarked that he
Had nothing in the bin.
His eyes for want of sleep were red,
And slow his shears did click,
And whispers went around the shed
That Dawson’s wife was sick.
Then kindly spoke old Daddy Tonk:
“Don’t look so glum, my lad;
Is she, your missus, very cronk?”
“Yes, mate,” said Tom, “she’s — bad.”
“Are there no women on the place?
There should be two or three.”
“There are, but in my poor wife’s case
They say they’re ‘all at sea.’”
“Then bring a doctor,” Daddy said;
“Don’t let the woman die!”
But Tommy Dawson hung his head
And made him no reply.
“Get Pile to come out if you can,
He’ll pull the missus through.
Spend all you have to save her, man,
I would if I were you.”
Then Dawson looked up from the ground,
And white his features grew:
“Look, mate! If you had not a pound,
Now tell me what you’d do?”
“What would it cost then, now, to send
And fetch out Dr. Pile?
Some of the men the cash would lend.”
Tom groaned, “A pound a mile.”
“That’s stiff, by God!” said Monty Styles,
“The doctor does it brown;
There’s sixty-five, I know, good miles
Between us and the town.”
“It is a ‘coo-ey’ with her now,”
Said Dawson, in despair.
I cannot save her anyhow —
I’m euchred everywhere.”
Then up sprang Maori, on the job —
“Here, look, see! There’s my quid.
And here, look, see! So help me bob!
There’s two from Dick and Syd.”
And in his hat the money fell
From willing hands and free.
“A quid a mile,” said Barney Bell;
“Here goes! I’ll give yer three.”
The Boss said, “Put me down for ten,
And catch the blood mare, Ted —
And put her in the sulky then —
Don’t wait till she is fed.
“Now, wire the doctor, quick, to come,
And meet me mile for mile;
And, Tommy, man, hold up, old chum.”
(Poor Tommy tried to smile.)
The squatter lit his pipe with care
And drew his chin-strap in,
Then took his seat and touched the mare
And started for the spin.
Then slow the hours of night went by
To those around the shed,
For not a man had closed an eye
Not one had gone to bed.
“She’s sinking now,” the women said,
“She can’t much longer last;
Before an hour she will be dead,
Her strength is failing fast.”
“I’ll go and let the sliprails down,”
The black boy slowly said,
For far along the road to town
He heard a horse’s tread.
Then everyone sprang up and bent
A watchful eye and ear,
And soon the boss a “coo-ey” sent
To show that he was near.
Then in the middle of the night
The blood mare, limping, came
All tucked and blown, and wet and white,
And panting hard, but game.
The doctor quick and silently
Then with the women went,
And very soon a baby’s cry
Was heard in Dawson’s tent.
“Thank God,” he said, “My work is done,”
As Tommy’s hand he pressed;
“I’ve saved your wife and little son,
Let Nature do the rest.”
And then they went into the shed —
The men and Dr. Pile —
And drank his health in Queensland red,
And paid him — pound for mile.
Source:
Louisa Lawson, “The Lonely Crossing” and Other Poems, Sydney: Dawn Office, [1905], pp. 21-25
Editor’s notes:
all at sea = not knowing what to do; unable to decide what to do; confused, perplexed, puzzled; uncertain
blood mare = a mare of good stock (“of good blood”); a purebred or thoroughbred female horse, especially one used for breeding (a bloodhorse is a thoroughbred of either gender)
brown = to “do it brown” or “doing it brown” (or any variation of the phrase) is to do something beyond normal expectations, to exceed common expectations, to overdo something (the phrase may have been derived from overcooking meat to a deep brown colour)
coo-ey = a prolonged call used by Australian Aborigines to attract attention; the call of “coo-ee” was adopted by Europeans in Australia (spelt “coo-ee”, “cooee” and “coo-ey”)
cronk = ill, sick, unwell; can also mean: bad, not good; broken down (especially regarding a horse); dishonest, illegal
euchred = exhausted; ruined; worn out (the term is derived from the card game “euchre”)
game = possessing a fighting spirit, plucky; eager, ever ready, or willing to have a go at something new or challenging (as in the phrase “game for anything”)
missus = wife
pound = a unit of British-style currency used in Australia, until it was replaced by the dollar in 1966 when decimal currency was introduced in Australia
quid = a pound or a dollar; originally “quid” referred to a pound, a unit of British-style currency used in Australia (until it was replaced by the dollar in 1966, when decimal currency was introduced); after the decimalisation of Australia’s currency, it referred to a dollar
sliprail = one of a set of several horizontal fence rails that can be moved (slipped in or out of place) so as to easily create an opening in a fence, and then close it up again (sliprails are distinct from the common sets of fence rails, which are nailed or bolted to keep them in place) (spelt as “slip-rail” or “sliprail”)
so help me bob = a euphemism for “So help me God” (an oath that one will fulfill a promise, or that one is speaking the truth); from the tradition of avoiding blasphemy and the misuse of sacred words, by substituting words which are similar in formation, nature, sound, or style (especially those which begin with the same initial letter; exclamatory oaths that use such a substitution for “God” include “by George”, “good golly”, “oh my gosh”, and “good grief”)
squatter = in the context of Australian history, a squatter was originally someone who kept their livestock (mostly cattle and sheep) upon Crown land without permission to do so (thus illegally occupying land, or “squatting”); however, the practice became so widespread that eventually the authorities decided to formalise it by granting leases or licenses to occupy or use the land; and, with the growth of the Australian economy, many of the squatters became quite rich, and the term “squatter” came to refer to someone with a large amount of farm land (they were often regarded as rich and powerful)
stiff = a high or steep charge, fee, or price; very expensive; overly expensive
sulky = a light two-wheeled open cart, designed for use by one person and drawn by one horse; however, the term was also applied to similar carts which were able to seat two people
tar-boy = in a shearing shed, this was the person who had the job of dabbing antiseptic Stockholm Tar on any sheep which had been inadvertently cut by the shears; in later years, when tar was replaced by antiseptic creams, the term “tar” was still used; the “tar boy” was often a young lad, but the role was also filled by adult men (a broad phraseology regarding age, similar to that of the position of “best boy” in the movie industry)
tucked = tuckered out, exhausted, very tired
yer = (vernacular) you
[Editor: Changed “not a pound” to “not a pound,” (comma added).]
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