Saltbush Bill's Gamecock
Saltbush Bill's Gamecock by Andrew Barton Paterson is a novel set in the Australian outback during World War I. The story follows the adventures of a gamecock named Saltbush Bill and his friends, including a kangaroo named Kanga and a dingo named Dinky-Bird, as they navigate the challenges of war and friendship. With its blend of humor, adventure, and social commentary, the book has become a classic of Australian literature.
By Andrew Barton Paterson · First published 1909 · Genre: Poetry, Fiction, Bush Ballads · 1,231 words
First lines
'Twas Saltbush Bill, with his travelling sheep, was making his way to town; / He crossed them over the Hard Times Run, and he came to the Take 'Em Down; / He counted through at the boundary gate, and camped at the drafting yard: / For Stingy Smith, of the Hard Times Run, had hunted him rather hard. / He bore no malice to Stingy Smith -- 'twas simply the hand of fate / That caused his waggon to swerve aside and shatter old Stingy's gate; / And, being only the hand of fate, it follows, without a doubt, / It wasn't the fault of Saltbush Bill that Stingy's sheep got out. / So Saltbush Bill, with an easy heart, prepared for what might befall, / Commenced his stages on Take 'Em Down, the station of Rooster Hall.
What this Textopian page supports
Saltbush Bill's Gamecock is listed on Textopian as a poem by Andrew Barton Paterson, dated 1909 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Andrew Barton Paterson
- Date: 1909 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Bush Ballads, Humor
- Length: 1,231 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Saltbush Bill's Gamecock by Andrew Barton Paterson
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
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Genres
- Poetry — The book is a collection of poems by Andrew Barton ‘Banjo’ Paterson, a notable Australian bush poet.
- Fiction — Though grounded on the realities of Australian rural and outback life, the narratives of the poems are fictional.
- Bush Ballads — The book features a series of ballads that depict life in the Australian bush, a common theme in Paterson’s works.
- Humor — Paterson’s poems are renowned for their humorous tone and wit, providing light-hearted insight into colonial life in Australia.
Tags
Australian literature · bush poetry · rural life · gamecock · humor · adventure · friendship · competition · folklore · outback · narrative · character study