Page:Where the Dead Men Lie.djvu/186

 25. DOWN THE RIVER, p. 113. Notes by author were appended: Stanza 1. ‘the river’—the Murrumbidgee. Stanza 2. ‘where the rivers join’—the Snowy and Eucumbene rivers.

Stanza 2. ‘Buckley's crossing’—of the Snowy River, N.S.W. ‘Jindaboine,’ (properly Jindabyne) ‘Dry Plain,’ ‘Bolaro,’ are villages in the Monaro district.

Stanza 4. ‘jack-shay,’ a billycan or quart pot. ‘Mahonga,’ ‘Bluegong’ (properly Brookong), ‘Grubben,’ and ‘Pullitop’ are well- known Riverina stations.

Stanza 6. ‘old Bobby Rand.’ An eccentric Riverina squatter, not long dead, and formerly owner of Mahonga station and others.

27. ON THE RANGE, p. 122.

This poem records an actual occurrence. ‘Young Charlie Mac’ was Charles McKeahnie, son of Mr. Alex. McKeahnie, of Rosedale, previously referred to. He was killed in 1895 through a horse falling with him.

‘To the warrigal fancied by young Charlie Mac.’ ‘Warrigal’—a term drawn from an aboriginal dialect—is still applied to a wild horse in some districts of New South Wales; though ‘brumby’ seems to be superseding it.

‘muzzle-wood.’ This is eucalyptus stellulata, a tree which in the Monaro district usually grows to a height of from 12 to 20 feet. In the early days the wood was often used to make muzzles for young ca’ves—whence the name.

29. FEATHERSTONHAUGH, p. 132.

It was about 1870 that a party of four young desperadoes, consisting of ‘Bluecap,’ ‘Dick the Devil,’ and others, held the north bank of the Murrumbidgee for some time. Bluecap appeared to adopt the Claude du Val style. All the stations up and down the river were stuck up. The ladies