THE DESIRE FOR ADVENTURE 28 



the tame ones, and then the whole mob would be got 

 into the cattle yard and the " clean-skins " branded. 



I never had an opportunity of doing any very long 

 droving trips, though I have often taken cattle down 

 from Coomooboolaroo to the market quite a short 

 trip. The really fine droving experience is the 

 " overlanding " trip from the cattle stations on the 

 Gulf of Carpentaria to the New South Wales Fat Stock 

 Market. It is called " overlanding," I suppose, 

 because there is an alternative method of sending the 

 cattle from these Gulf stations by steamer to New 

 South Wales. An " overlanding " drove will some- 

 times occupy about three months. It is usual to 

 travel the cattle about seven miles a day. They, of 

 course, graze as they travel. There are what are 

 called stock-routes along which the cattle must travel, 

 and they are permitted to wander half a mile on 

 either side of the stock-route. It is a grand sight 

 to see a full mob of cattle, say 1000 or 1100 on the 

 road, especially when they have broken into a gallop. 

 Droving, of course, is quite an organised industry in 

 Australia and can be made very comfortable. Usually 

 the head drover has a plant consisting of a dray and 

 tents and a staff of seven or eight men. Under these 

 circumstances the night camps can be made comfort- 

 able and, as it is only necessary for one or two men 

 to keep a guard at night, everybody can have a 

 decent allowance of sleep. 



A thunderstorm at night is the chief terror of the 



