[53]
]CHAPTER V
WHICH RUSHES FOURTEEN THOUSAND MILES AWAY
“If I had guessed, if I had dreamed
Its weight was meant for me,
I should have built a lighter cross
To bear up Calvary.”
To the lad swinging monotonously on the gate, the straight grey road that lay in front of his house seemed to run on to dull eternity. Far away where the horizon cut it off from further sight the red, inflamed eye of the sun was sinking down. A few spindly gum-trees showed black against the fierce-coloured surrounding sky, and nearer some of the black straggling colliery buildings lay athwart a cloud-patch of bruised purple.
A bullock-dray crept into sight; the lad had seen it on the road when it had looked like a toy procession; now it had come nearer and nearer, and the big patient beasts blinked wearily at the swinging gate as they passed.
“Hi!” called the boy to the drover. “You’re a nice one, two of your fires are out.”
[54]
]“No! are they?” said the man, drooping his whip and stepping closer to the animals.
“That one, and that one,” said the boy.