We take the hut-keeping and shepherding in turns. The hut
is a very nice one, built of split wood, and roofed with bark. It
is close beside a pleasant creek or river, where there are plenty
of fish and ducks. I assure you we make ourselves quite snug here.
One of us rises almost as soon as it is light, gets some breakfast,
and starts off with the sheep; lets them feed about until ten
o'clock, then brings them slowly home, where they lie down until
four; after that, they go out again until sunset. The other stays
within to clean up the hut and prepare the meals. We can kill a
sheep when we like. [Footnote: Not the rams. There were a few
others kept for the purpose. I stayed a few days with them, when I
went out myself, at the end of the year.] The worst part serves for
the dogs, of which we have three--a sheep dog, and two kangaroo
dogs. [Footnote: They had a horse when I visited them, but not, I
conclude, at the time when this letter was written.] The latter are
good, and keep off the native curs at night. The sheep dog was the
only one the former owner had last year, to watch a flock of five
thousand sheep.
But you will want to hear something of Melbourne and how we came
here.
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