[Editor: This poem by Barcroft Boake was published in Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems (1897).]
Featherstonhaugh
Brookong station lay half-asleep —
Dozed in the waning western glare.
’Twas before the run had been stocked with sheep,
And only cattle depastured there,
As the Bluecap mob reined up at the door
And loudly saluted Featherstonhaugh.
‘My saintly preacher!’ the leader cried:
I stand no nonsense, as you’re aware.
I’ve a word for you if you’ll step outside:
Just drop that pistol and have a care:
I’ll trouble you, too, for the key of the store:
For we’re short of tucker, friend Featherstonhaugh.’
The muscular Christian showed no fear,
Though he handed the key with but small delay:
He never answered the ruffian’s jeer
Except by a look which seemed to say:
‘Beware, my friend! and think twice before
You raise the devil in Featherstonhaugh.’
Two hours after he reined his horse
Up in Urana, and straightway went
To the barracks — the trooper was gone, of course!
Blindly nosing a week-old scent
Away in the scrub around Mount Galore.
‘Confound the fellow!’ quoth Featherstonhaugh.
‘Will any man of you come with me
And give this Bluecap a dressing-down?’
They all regarded him silently
As he turned his ho rse with a scornful frown.
‘You’re curs, the lot of you, to the core!
I’ll go by myself!’ said Featherstonhaugh.
The scrub was thick on Urangeline,
As he followed the tracks that twisted through
The box and dogwood and scented pine
(One of their horses had cast a shoe)
Steeped from his youth in forest lore,
He could track like a nigger, could Featherstonhaugh.
He paused as he saw the thread of smoke
From the outlaw camp, and he marked the sound
Of a hobble-check, as it sharply broke
The silence that held the scrub-land bound.
There were their horses — two, three, four!
‘It’s a risk; but I’ll chance it!’ quoth Featherstonhaugh.
He loosed the first and it walked away;
But his comrade’s silence could not be bought,
For he raised his head with a sudden neigh,
And plainly showed that he’d not be caught.
As a bullet sang from a rifle-bore,
‘It’s time to be moving!’ quoth Featherstonhaugh.
The brittle pine, as they broke away,
Crackled like ice in a winter’s ponds;
The strokes fell fast on the cones that lay
Buried beneath the withered fronds
That softly carpet the sandy floor:
Swept two on the tracks of Featherstonhaugh.
They struck the path that the stock had made —
A dustily-red, well-beaten track.
The leader opened a fusilade
Whose target was Featherston’s stooping back;
But his luck was out; not a bullet tore
As much as a shred from Featherstonhaugh.
Rattle ’em! rattle ’em fast on the pad
Where the sloping shades fell dusk and dim!
The manager’s heart beat high and glad,
For he knew the creek was a mighty swim.
Already he heard a smothered roar:
‘They’re done like a dinner!’ quoth Featherstonhaugh.
It was almost dark as they neared the dam:
He struck the crossing as true as a hair:
For the space of a second the pony swam;
Then shook himself in the chill night air.
In a pine-tree shade on the further shore,
With his pistol cocked, stood Featherstonhaugh.
A splash! an oath! and a rearing horse!
A thread snapped short in the fateful loom!
The tide, unaltered, swept on its course
Though a fellow-creature had met his doom.
Pale and trembling, and struck with awe,
Bluecap stood opposite Featherstonhaugh.
While the creek rolled muddily in between,
The eddies played with the drowned man’s hat.
The stars peeped out in their summer sheen:
A night-bird chirruped across the flat.
Quoth Bluecap, ‘I owe you a heavy score,
And I’ll live to repay it, Featherstonhaugh!’
But he never did; for he ran his race
Before he had time to fulfil his oath:
I can’t think how; but in any case,
He was hung, or drowned — or it may be both;
But whichever it was, he came no more
To trouble the peace of Featherstonhaugh.
Source:
Barcroft Boake, Where the Dead Men Lie and Other Poems, Sydney (NSW): Angus and Robertson, 1897, pp. 132-135
Also published in:
The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 11 June 1892, p. 22, columns 3-4 [by Barcroft H. Boake]
Dubbo Dispatch and Wellington Independent (Dubbo, NSW), 17 June 1892, p. 3
The Albury Banner, and Wodonga Express (Albury, NSW), 15 October 1920, pp. 12-13
The Blue Mountain Echo (Katoomba, NSW), 19 June 1925, p. 10
The Bulletin (Sydney, NSW), 23 December 1980, p. 78
Relevant notes from the “Notes to poems” section in this book:
29. FEATHERSTONHAUGH, p. 132. — Posthumously printed in The Bulletin, June 11, 1892. Signed ‘Barcroft H. Boake.’ An editor’s note was appended: ‘Verses found among the papers of the lamented writer.’
‘Featherstonhaugh’ — so written by Boake and printed in The Bulletin — should be ‘Fetherstonhaugh’ throughout; but the sheet containing these verses had been printed when I became aware of the following facts regarding their subject:—
It was about 1870 that a party of four young desperadoes, consisting of ‘Bluecap,’ ‘Dick the Devil,’ and others, held the north bank of the Murrumbidgee for some time. Bluecap appeared to adopt the Claude du Val style. All the stations up and down the river were stuck up. The ladies were asked to play and sing, and report goes that one rather high and mighty ‘squattah’ was forced to cook mutton chops for them. The police managed to capture two of them; and later on the other two, after a stand-up fight with Mr. Waller, of Kooba station, and some police, had to leave their horses and swim the Murrumbidgee River. They made their way to Argon, an outstation of Tubbo, where they got firearms and horses. They then headed for the mountains, via Yamma and Boree Creek. On their way, a man named Hammond joined them, and the three turned up next at Claxton’s accommodation house on Brookong. Thence they made for Brookong station, then owned by Hebden and Osbornes, and managed by C. Fetherstonhaugh.
It was shearing time, but there had been some rain, and no one was at work, and the sheep-washers were all up at the head station over some ‘barney’ that had occurred. Fetherstonhaugh was away when the bushrangers appeared on the scene, and rode up quite unconcernedly to find himself covered by the rifle of a man kneeling down, who called upon him to stand. He turned his mare round sharp, and the fellow (Hammond) fired and missed him. He rode away, but turned and came back, fearing the bushrangers might burn the house or ill-treat some one. They were very civil, and he had a long talk with Bluecap. Finally they cleared out with two of the station horses and about £30, telling Fetherstonhaugh that if he followed them or attempted to go for the police they would assuredly shoot him. The last thing they were heard to say was that they thought they would go and shoot ‘Old Rand.’
As soon as they left Fetherstonhaugh started to Urana and telegraphed all round, and then returned to a station near Urana and requested the men to turn out and see if they could not come on the bushrangers at Rand’s, about 12 miles away. The proposition was not received with favour. It was by this time dark, and, having borrowed a single-barrelled pistol, Fetherstonhaugh went off to see if he could come across the fellows, the idea being to get their horses if possible. He found no tracks on the road to Rand’s station, nor had they visited his Urangeline station. He turned then for one of his own outstations, and, in riding up to an outstation of Rand’s appropriately called ‘the flash hut,’ he saw one of the stolen horses hanging up. He was at once challenged and fired on, and in making tracks was pursued, while in all seven shots were fired at him, and he could hear the bullets singing. Knowing the country well, he made for the creek and got across all right, but the bushrangers attempted to cross on a dam that was broken in the centre, which break could not be seen from the bank, and Hammond was drowned. Bluecap was arrested some time after; and Duce, the third man, was also taken, but not before he had shot a trooper.
Editor’s notes:
The poem published in The Bulletin (11 June 1892) included a note, as follows:
* Verses found among the papers of the lamented writer.
On page 132 the poem title is given as “Featherstonhaugh” (begining with the letters “Fea”); however, in the Contents list, the title is given as “Fetherstonhaugh” (begining with the letters “Fe”). When the poem was originally published in The Bulletin (11 June 1892), the title was given as “Featherstonhaugh”. However, as A. G. Stephens explains in the “Notes to poems” section, the spelling of the surname should be “Fetherstonhaugh” (unfortunately, he did not realise this until after the pages with the “Featherstonhaugh” poem had been printed).
This poem was based upon an incident involving Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh (1837-1925). His surname was often misspelt as “Featherstonhaugh” in various historical newspapers.
See: “In and around Urangeline”, The Wagga Wagga Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW), 3 February 1894, p. 6
barney = argument; fight
Bluecap = Robert Cotterell (1847-?), a stockman and bushranger; his bushranging career was a short one, lasting from June to November 1867, when he was caught (after serving 6 and half years in prison, he was released in 1874); he was born in Sydney in 1847; the date if his death is unknown
See: “Bluecap (bushranger)”, Wikipedia
C. Fetherstonhaugh = [see: Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh]
Claude du Val = Claude Du Vall (also spelt: Claude Duval) (1643-1670), a Frenchman who migrated to England, and embarked on a criminal career as a highwayman; during his career of highway robbery, he gained a reputation for being a gentleman, showing courtesy to his victims and acting in a chivalrous manner to women; he was born into a poor family of the French aristocracy in Domfront (Orne, Normandy, France) in 1643, and died in 1670 (his surname has variously been spelt as: du Val, Du Val, Duval, Du Vall, and Duvall)
See: “Claude Duval”, Wikipedia
cleared out = departed, left, moved, went away; cleared off, ran away
Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh = Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh (1837-1925), a bushman, pastoralist, and preacher; he was born in County Westmeath (Ireland) in 1837, came to Australia in 1857, and died in Wellington (New South Wales) in 1925, at the age of 88 (his surname has often been misspelt as “Featherstonhaugh”)
See: 1) “All-jobs man: Career of Mr Cuthbert Featherstonhaugh”, The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.), 11 June 1925, p. 1
2) Walter G. Henderson, “Cuthbert Featherstonhaugh”, The Albury Banner, and Wodonga Express (Albury, NSW), 31 July 1925, p. 33
’em = (vernacular) a contraction of “them”
Featherstonhaugh = [see: Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh]
Fetherstonhaugh = [see: Cuthbert Fetherstonhaugh]
fusilade = (also spelt: fusillade) a number of shots fired, or things thrown, simultaneously or in a rapid and continuous succession (especially used regarding the shooting of firearms; but can also be used regarding a range of items, e.g. bottles, eggs, missiles, road metal, rockets, stones); a lot of noise, creating a similar effect to that of a firearm fusillade; a number of things occurring simultaneously or in a rapid and continuous succession (e.g. “a fusillade of interjections”, “a fusillade of questions”, “a fusillade of rallying cries”)
head station = the principal homestead and main business centre of a pastoral property, including the associated buildings
mutton = the meat of an adult sheep (as used for food)
nigger = a black person; someone of black African racial background; in an historical Australian context, “nigger” could refer to 1) an Australian Aborigine, 2) a Pacific Islander, also known as a kanaka, 3) someone of black African racial origin, also known as a negro, or 4) someone of black Central Asian racial origin, such as people from India (“nigger” is usually regarded as a derogatory term, except that it was often used as a neutral term in historical practice, and except when used by or between people of a black racial background)
Old Rand = [see: Rand]
outstation = a station in a remote or outlying area of a pastoral property (distinct from the head station); a post or station in a remote or outlying area or position; an outpost
quoth = (archaic) said
Rand = Robert Rand (1819?-1894), a pastoralist who owned the Mahonga and Urangeline stations (located south-east of Urana, in the Riverina district of New South Wales); he was born in Suffolk (England) in 1819(?), came to Australia in 1834, and died in 1894, at the age of 75
See: 1) Minoru, “Life of ‘Bobby’ Rand: A wonderful pioneer”, The Gundagai Independent and Pastoral, Agricultural, and Mining Advocate (Gundagai, NSW), 7 October 1926, p. 5
2) “Death of Mr. Robert Rand of Mahonga”, The Albury Banner, and Wodonga Express (Albury, NSW), 13 July 1894, p. 24
run = a property on which stock are grazed, such as a “cattle run” or a “sheep run”
squattah = (vernacular) squatter [see: squatter]
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)
stand = come to a halt, stand still; used in the phrase “stand and deliver”
station = a large rural holding used for raising livestock, usually sheep or cattle (a pastoral property); can also refer to the principal homestead and main business centre of a pastoral property
See: “Station (Australian agriculture)”, Wikipedia
thence = from that place or point, from there (therefrom); from that time (thereafter, thenceforth); from that circumstance, fact, reason, or source (therefore); from that source; following that
trooper = a mounted policeman, in the Australian colonies (in the modern military, it refers to a rank equivalent to private in an armoured or cavalry unit, or to a member of the Special Air Service)
trooper = a mounted policeman, in the Australian colonies (in the modern military, it refers to a rank equivalent to private in an armoured or cavalry unit, or to a member of the Special Air Service)
tucker = food
’twas = (archaic) a contraction of “it was”
Urana = a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, located to the east of Jerilderie and to the west of Wagga Wagga
See: “Urana”, Wikipedia
wane = decrease gradually in intensity, number, size, strength, or volume (e.g. “the moonlight waxed and waned”); to lose power or significance (e.g. “on the wane”); to come to a close, approach the end
waning = to wane [see: wane]
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