Gunnison Valley News | 1919-10-31 | Page 3 | Takes No Account of Time

TAKES NO ACCOUNT OF TIME Australian "Sundowner" a Carefre Wanderer Along the Dusty River Roads of Australia. And there, a lone pathetic figure on the river road of the Australian bush, is the swagman, the sundowner thus picturesquely named because of his habit of arriving at a homestead exactly ex-actly as the sun goes down, and so Insuring In-suring that he will be offered rations -and a place to camp should he desire It. There he stumbles in the crossing wheel tracks, Australia's tramp and wanderer, with an individuality of his own which marks him out from all the wayfarers of the world. The gray dust of the plains Is on his bronzed and bearded face, on his simple dress of Crimean shirt and moleskin trousers, on his rough un-blackened un-blackened boots, on his blanket bundle strapped across his shoulders, on his swinging billy can and dangling ration bags. He carries no staff or stick, but Instead a light switch, broken from a wilga tree or buddah bush, with which to brush away the myriad persistent files which follow him In a dancing cloud. At his heels is a dog which may be the veriest mongrel, or may be a champion sheep dog of purest pedigree and worth anything up to $250. His day's march may be two miles or twenty, twen-ty, according to the goal which he has set himself to reach as the sun goes down. Sometimes he will camp for a day or a week or a month in a bend of the river. Time Is of no account to the sundowner on the river road. Will, H. Ogilvie In the King's Highway.