LIFE ON A SHEEP STATION. 217 



self, another for a hanger-on of the publican, and a 

 third for the publican. He then produced a cheque 

 for £970, and told the publican to "take it out of 

 that.^' Of course there was no change on the pre- 

 mises, and the cheque had to be sent to the bank 

 and the change obtained by first mail. Whether this 

 ■was done I cannot say, but I know the rabbiter 

 stayed eighteen days at the hotel and went away 

 penniless, having transferred his right, title, and 

 interest to the publican. About £100 would have 

 bought all the grog in the house. This is only 

 one of many instances in which men are robbed by 

 unprincipled ruffians, who ought never to have been 

 allowed to keep an hotel. 



Life on a station at shearing time is not all 

 pleasure, especially in these days when most stations 

 work short handed. The low price of wool makes 

 it necessary to keep expenses down. The musterers 

 who keep the shed going with sheep are the hardest 

 worked men on the station. They are kept busy 

 day after day from early morning until sunset, and 

 sometimes even later. Sundays and week days are 

 all alike, nothing but sheep work. It is surprising 

 the amount of work station horses will do when 

 fed upon grass alone. 



Occasionally some big tallies are made during 

 shearing. One man's record for one week was 1,191, 

 and his total for eleven weeks was 7,292, For this 



