“Goin’ now?” shouted Samson, as the man strode off angrily.
“Never you mind,” growled Brookes; and he disappeared round a barn-like structure.
“He’s got his knife into Leather,” said Samson, chuckling. “Strange, disagreeable sort o’ chap, Brookes, sir. Leather’s sour as Devon crabs; but I will say this on him: he do work, and work well. But yah! a hangel couldn’t satisfy Bill Brookes. Reg’lar curds-and-whey sort o’ fellow. But don’t you stand none o’ that, sir,” continued the old man seriously. “You’re young master: you let him have it for telling you not to be sarcy. He wouldn’t ha’ said it to me; and if you don’t check him I shall tell the master. Bill Brookes wants to play first fiddle here; but he can’t and won’t. I’m foreman; and if I’ve on’y got a little body, Master Nic, I’ve got a will as big as Bill Brookes’s, and bigger too. Now I’ll go and feed the pigs.”
This highly interesting piece of business was gone through, Samson mixing up some meal and water, pouring it into the troughs, and belabouring the greedy animals with the mealy stick.
“Take your feet out o’ the stuff, will yer?” he roared. “They do make good pork and bacon and ham, Master Nic, but they are about the savagest, fiercest things I know. Fine pigs, though, ain’t they? Come on: I want to see if that chap’s getting on with the milking.”
Sam led the way to a shed with open side, where the black whom Nic had seen on the previous day was busy milking; the thick, rich milk given by one of half a dozen beautifully clean cows descending in its double stream, quisk—whish, and frothing up in the white pail.
“Take some in to White Mary soon,” said Samson, and the man raised his shining black face and grinned.
“I say, why do you say White Mary?” asked Nic, as they left the cow-shed. “Who’s she?”
“Because you’ve got to talk to them blackfellows so’s they can understand you, sir. White Mary’s white woman to them. He’s going to take the pails as he fills ’em in to Miss Janet: she sees to the dairy. And Miss Hilda, she’s White Mary too, and so’s your mar.”
“Oh,” said Nic thoughtfully. “Now then, I want to see the horses.”