登陆注册
37801600000049

第49章 After All

The brooding ghosts of Australian night have gone from the bush and town;My spirit revives in the morning breeze,though it died when the sun went down;The river is high and the stream is strong,and the grass is green and tall,And I fain would think that this world of ours is a good world after all.

The light of passion in dreamy eyes,and a page of truth well read,The glorious thrill in a heart grown cold of the spirit I thought was dead,A song that goes to a comrade's heart,and a tear of pride let fall --And my soul is strong!and the world to me is a grand world after all!

Let our enemies go by their old dull tracks,and theirs be the fault or shame (The man is bitter against the world who has only himself to blame);Let the darkest side of the past be dark,and only the good recall;For I must believe that the world,my dear,is a kind world after all.

It well may be that I saw too plain,and it may be I was blind;But I'll keep my face to the dawning light,though the devil may stand behind!

Though the devil may stand behind my back,I'll not see his shadow fall,But read the signs in the morning stars of a good world after all.

Rest,for your eyes are weary,girl --you have driven the worst away --The ghost of the man that I might have been is gone from my heart to-day;We'll live for life and the best it brings till our twilight shadows fall;My heart grows brave,and the world,my girl,is a good world after all.

Marshall's Mate You almost heard the surface bake,and saw the gum-leaves turn --You could have watched the grass scorch brown had there been grass to burn.

In such a drought the strongest heart might well grow faint and weak --'Twould frighten Satan to his home --not far from Dingo Creek.

The tanks went dry on Ninety Mile,as tanks go dry out back,The Half-Way Spring had failed at last when Marshall missed the track;Beneath a dead tree on the plain we saw a pack-horse reel --Too blind to see there was no shade,and too done-up to feel.

And charcoaled on the canvas bag (`twas written pretty clear)We read the message Marshall wrote.It said:`I'm taken queer --I'm somewhere off of Deadman's Track,half-blind and nearly dead;Find Crowbar,get him sobered up,and follow back,'it said.

`Let Mitchell go to Bandicoot.You'll find him there,'said Mack.

`I'll start the chaps from Starving Steers,and take the dry-holes back.'

We tramped till dark,and tried to track the pack-horse on the sands,And just at daylight Crowbar came with Milroy's station hands.

His cheeks were drawn,his face was white,but he was sober then --In times of trouble,fire,and flood,'twas Crowbar led the men.

`Spread out as widely as you can each side the track,'said he;`The first to find him make a smoke that all the rest can see.'

We took the track and followed back where Crowbar followed fate,We found a dead man in the scrub --but 'twas not Crowbar's mate.

The station hands from Starving Steers were searching all the week --But never news of Marshall's fate came back to Dingo Creek.

And no one,save the spirit of the sand-waste,fierce and lone,Knew where Jack Marshall crawled to die --but Crowbar might have known.

He'd scarcely closed his quiet eyes or drawn a sleeping breath --They say that Crowbar slept no more until he slept in death.

A careless,roving scamp,that loved to laugh and drink and joke,But no man saw him smile again (and no one saw him smoke),And,when we spelled at night,he'd lie with eyes still open wide,And watch the stars as if they'd point the place where Marshall died.

The search was made as searches are (and often made in vain),And on the seventh day we saw a smoke across the plain;We left the track and followed back --'twas Crowbar still that led,And when his horse gave out at last he walked and ran ahead.

We reached the place and turned again --dragged back and no man spoke --It was a bush-fire in the scrubs that made the cursed smoke.

And when we gave it best at last,he said,`I'LL see it through,'

Although he knew we'd done as much as mortal men could do.

`I'll not --I won't give up!'he said,his hand pressed to his brow;`My God!the cursed flies and ants,they might be at him now.

I'll see it so in twenty years,'twill haunt me all my life --I could not face his sister,and I could not face his wife.

It's no use talking to me now --I'm going back,'he said,`I'm going back to find him,and I will --alive or dead!'

He packed his horse with water and provisions for a week,And then,at sunset,crossed the plain,away from Dingo Creek.

We watched him tramp beside the horse till we,as it grew late,Could not tell which was Bonypart and which was Marshall's mate.

The dam went dry at Dingo Creek,and we were driven back,And none dared face the Ninety Mile when Crowbar took the track.

They saw him at Dead Camel and along the Dry Hole Creeks --There came a day when none had heard of Marshall's mate for weeks;They'd seen him at No Sunday,he called at Starving Steers --There came a time when none had heard of Marshall's mate for years.

They found old Bonypart at last,picked clean by hungry crows,But no one knew how Crowbar died --the soul of Marshall knows!

And now,way out on Dingo Creek,when winter days are late,The bushmen talk of Crowbar's ghost `what's looking for his mate';For let the fools indulge their mirth,and let the wise men doubt --The soul of Crowbar and his mate have travelled further out.

Beyond the furthest two-rail fence,Colanne and Nevertire --Beyond the furthest rabbit-proof,barbed wire and common wire --Beyond the furthest `Gov'ment'tank,and past the furthest bore --The Never-Never,No Man's Land,No More,and Nevermore --Beyond the Land o'Break-o'-Day,and Sunset and the Dawn,The soul of Marshall and the soul of Marshall's mate have gone Unto that Loving,Laughing Land where life is fresh and clean --Where the rivers flow all summer,and the grass is always green.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 我在三千年后又一次遇到了你

    我在三千年后又一次遇到了你

    一个十岁的女孩被母亲送到一个与世隔绝的地方,不停的学习、战斗,可是到头来却发现每天做这些是为了保护自己,三千年后,用异能称霸世界,可中途又再次遇到了莫人“媳妇儿”“干嘛,想找死啊”“媳妇儿凶我,嘤嘤嘤~”“哎,你要怎样”“要抱抱”一代霸道总裁就此陨落???不不不,只是在女主面前不敢咋样,没办法,就俩字宠着
  • 镜花水月的爱恋

    镜花水月的爱恋

    她喜欢他三年,没有人知道她离开他两年,却一直想着他她和他在一起了,却不想,只是镜花水月他们终究是没有缘分
  • 垃圾狂魔

    垃圾狂魔

    瞅一瞅,看一看,捡破烂也能发家致富了!真的过来看一看呗,新人作者,求点评
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 巅峰武圣少爷

    巅峰武圣少爷

    作为杀手的独孤伤重生于异世大陆的一个豪门武者家族的废柴少爷身上,资质一般,处处被人鄙视的他开始了奋发图强之路!狠狠的羞辱曾经蔑视他的人,在大比中击败对手夺得第一,最后为了家族的利益,出去闯荡历练。然而一场针对家族的阴谋正在降临,看他如何成为异世大陆的武道霸王,无人能敌!
  • 江山换红颜

    江山换红颜

    她带着怨念以和亲公主的身份闯入他的世界,她伶牙俐齿求一旨自由,他却满腔温柔事事迁就,她一步步成长终是学会了飞翔,断线的血鸢不会记得归途,谁曾想,调教她的贵人竟是当初的帝王,这笔交易是她赚了,当她知道一切时,他看着她的眼睛,许她壮丽山河,千秋万代,罢了,她嫁,这辈子终是栽在了他手上......
  • 那年美好如约而至

    那年美好如约而至

    梨子梨子,毕业在即,不常更,有空还是会更新的啦,喜欢就好!
  • 拥有一个霸总老公是什么样的体验

    拥有一个霸总老公是什么样的体验

    本书又名,当老公和纸片人争风吃醋了。沈晟怀疑自己绿了,但他没有证据。看着未婚妻抱着手机笑得开心…第二天包下整个城市的LED屏给另一个男人庆生…第三天又打扮一新的参加宴会…直到有一天他打开老婆的手机,便看到一个纸片人对着他说:“白痴,幼稚,不清醒。”穆思觉得她的未婚夫变了,在某一天被他堵在墙角说着霸总语录时,穆思反应过来,你是不是玩了我的游戏?!
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 站在我背后

    站在我背后

    很多我以为一辈子都不会忘记的事情,就在我念念不忘的日子里,被我遗忘了;那些年伴随我身边的朋友,年少轻狂,如今或是离我而去或是已成仇敌,依旧伴我前行的兄弟寥寥无几;青春是打开了就合不上的书,人生是踏上了就回不了头的路,成长让我快乐让我痛苦,就像枪与玫瑰,在火药味与花香的岁月里,越轨吧,兄弟!