Why, Chummie, you are joking, to be sure ;
There was nothink ever near him when it came to who can ride,
And the wust of all the backers he can cure. Yes, I've seen some tidy riding on the Cooper on the Ward,
Where the Durracks and the Wilsons kept a few,
And yer had to damp yer moleskins if yer meant to keep aboard,
But Bob Brewster was the best I ever knew. He could 'andle 'em at daybreak, 'ave the tackle on at noon,
And after 'avin' given them a spell
He would clap the saddle on 'em with a bridle and biddoon,
And make the beggars buck away like h--. We was shearing at Mathoura when the Virgos had the run,
And Bob Brewster he was there amongst the rest,
And as usual where there's shearers there was lots of bloomin' fun,
And a-boasting of and skiting who was best. There was Parkins from Echuca, and Ben Robinson from Forbes,
And Jack Lysaght down from Tyson's, at Coorong,
Just as good a set of riders as you ever came, across,
And with horses very seldom in the wrong. Yes, the boasting there was awful of what each of them could do,
When says Bob, 'You're only talking through yer neck,
I'll ride anythink agin yer, sticking on till all is blue,
Or I'lll ante-up my bloomin' station cheque.' 'Well, there's something on the station,' said the super with a smile,
'That'll take you all your time to get across,
And the shearer that can sit him and can ride him for a mile
Shall be owner altogether of the horse. 'He isn't much to look at, and he isn't very big,
But he'll give you all your work to get astride,
For there's nothing in the country when it comes to buck or pig,
Add the man that's going to ride him has to ride.' So the coming competition was the talk of all the lads
From the rousers to the ringers of the sheds ;
And the picking out of saddles with the very largest pads
Was the only thing what occupied their heads. There was quite a mild sensation on the Sunday afternoon
With a rush to see the bucker in the yard,
For we'd heard his reputation, and we knew that very soon
There'd be a run on bandages and lard. His head was like a coffin, he'd a very wicked eye,
And his ears he carried flat agin his mane,
While the way he tucked his quarters when you tried to pass him by
Showed plainly he could also use the same. All were eager for the contest and to see the fun begin,
And Jack Lysaght was the first to try his hand,
But he'd barely reached the saddle, and had just turned round to smile
When a flyer sent him sprawling in the sand. As Jack Lysaght had concussion and a fracture of the skull
All the others had a go to win the prize ;
But the playful way he chucked 'em, and to keep from getting dull
He would plant 'em with his hoofs between the eyes. So the hut was filled with wounded, and the ground was soaked with gore,
And the fun got more exciting and intense,
And the bucker looked quite happy, and he seemed to ask for more
As he wildly watched the crowd upon the fence. But his victory was a short 'un, and his bucking nearly done
When Bob Brewster chucked his hat within the yard,
And the fire of his eyeballs gave a hint of coming fun,
For the struggle if a short 'un would be hard. With a cat--spring in a minute Brewster had him by the ear,
In another he was firmly on his back,
And the way the bucker trembled you could easy see that fear
Had reduced him to the level of a hack. But 'twas only for a minnit, and as if to gather strength,
For he shortly went to market with a will;
But Bob Brewster sat him firmly yet afraid to give him length,
For an inch of extra bridle meant a spill. Yes, I've seen some tall old bucking, but this beggar took the bun,
For he never seemed to touch the bloomin' ground,
And at times he bucked so high, boys, as to clean shut out the sun,
So we thought another he-clips had come round. But Bob knew to win the wager be had yet to do the mile,
So be hollered to the lads to drop the rails ;
But before the boys could do it, or had even time to smile
He was over like a bloomin' set of sails. Yes, we watched him for an hour as he bucked across the plain
With Bob Brewster sticking to him jist like glue ;
And 'twas shearing some years after when he backed 'im back again,
And just hinted that the bets he'd won were due. -OVERLANDER. Notes From the South Austrlian Newspaper The Quiz and the Lantern 7 Sep 1899 p. 16.