Read "On The Wallaby, The Diary of a Queensland Swagman" by Edward S. Sorenson online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
Joe had recommended Taroom way as worth prospecting for stray billets; but he did not mention that the road was as dry as Mount Browne.
A small place, which was planted well back from the main thoroughfare, he had particularised as one to be firmly excluded from the prospecting itinerary. The unwitting swagman who entered there did so to his disadvantage. The head of the run, who was known on the Dawson as "Daddy Pintpot," was strongly prejudiced against the unattached wanderer. One of the fraternity stuck him up for rations once in his more generous days, and gave him a surprise. Daddy was dipping the flour out of a bin with a pannikin, a few spoonfuls at a time, when the swaggy interrupted: ''Ere, you dunno how to dip up flour. Lemme show yer." Grabbing the pannikin, he dipped 20 lbs. into his bag in half a minute. "There,'' he said, "that's the way to dip up flour!" And, slinging the bag across his shoulder, he was gone before Daddy had got his breath back.