Chapter 2

Lamorbey Station seemed to comprise a sprawling house, a second, smaller house, a pair of barracks-like buildings, and a number of barns and sheds. At first it seemed more extensive than College, but fewer people. Richard had been introduced to the Millers and several other people at dinner, but he recalled none of them. He’d slept in his swag on the floor of Ferd’s room.

They were up at six, washed, and outside to join a group of about forty, half of whom were aborigines, to hear the day’s work orders.

“Okeh,” said an older man, “Who’s Richard?”

Richard raised his hand.

“Welcome to Lamorbey. Richard’s at the College with Ferd. He’ll be learnin’ what things are really like for the nex’ few months. Is it Richard or Rick or... ?”

“Richard, if it’s OK.”

“Fine. Anyways. I want to move that mob from the northeast toward Clermont Road in about three-four weeks. So six of you with a cookie oughta move up there and try to get strays and calves in together. Billy, you take two down towards Alpha an’ ride the southern fence. Ferd, you go with ‘em. Where’s Janey? [a woman raised her hand] Okeh. You get a horse fer Richard an’ take him to the highway and ride the fence to the northwest corner. Take a coil of wire, cutters an’ a strainer. Richard, you got a swag?”

“Yes.”

“Okeh. Janey get a billy for the kid, an’ two days tucker from cookie. The rest of you, stick around. We’re gonna work on the veg garden an’ the chooks.”

Janey was several inches shorter than Richard and maybe five or six years older. She was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a long-sleeved shirt that was buttoned, restraining what resembled a pair of cannonballs.

“Hi,” he said.

“Gotta hat?”

“Yes.”

“OK. Get yer swag, a second shirt, another pair o’socks, an’ your hat an’ meet me [she gestured] in five minutes. You et?”

“No.”

“OK. We’ll grab what’s there.”

As Richard went inside he heard a male voice say “Don’ break ‘im, Janey!”

Janey checked his saddle girths and pack before they set out.

“You’re OK,” she said.

“Thank you. I’m looking forward to this.”

“Eh?”

“I want to become a grazier. To have my own station. I’ve done first year at the Ag College, but I’m hoping to learn a lot over these next months.”

“Smart. Lookin’ ahead. I never did. I’ve been a stockman for five years an’ two on the gardenin’ afore that.”

“Didn’t you want to get married?”

“I wuz. Right past my eighteenth. Damn fool got bit by a brown snake the nex’ spring.” [The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is considered the second-most lethal venomous snake in Australia.]

“Oh.”

“This is tough country. Snakes. Bugs. Goannas. At least the natives don’t kill whites any more.”

They rode on a bit.

“OK. There’s the fence. You can see the post by that gate’s OK.”

“They look tall.”

“Perimeter fencin’ is 54 inches on five-foot posts. Holdin’ paddocks are different. First place I worked had goats. Them’s smaller but tougher to pen.”

Richard made a mental note. They turned right (northward) along the fence. Janey leaned over, picked up a branch and tossed it over.

“Part of fence-ridin’s keeping the base clear o’ litter. The less litter, the fewer rats. No rats, no snakes.”

They rode along, Janey pointed out some wire the needed replacing and they spent some time cutting and splicing. A bit later still she pointed at a post: “The white ants have got at it. They’ll bring out some replacements and an augur. We’ll bridge it for now.” And they did. Richard could see some of the termites eating at the post, the top of which Janey marked bright yellow with a grease marker.

They stopped, built a small fire, put a billy up and at some bread and cold lamb.

Janey mopped her head and neck. “Gettin’ a bit warm,” she said, unbuttoning her shirt. “D’ya mind?”

“Not at all. Want me to do your back?”

“Not just do me?”

“That, too, if you want. I wouldn’t push you.”

I let my hand run down to her neck and the top of her chest. She lifted hers to the same place on me and stroked my chest. I slid it further, then unbuttoned another button, and the last, letting the wind open her shirt as I unhooked her bra. I ran my hand over the top of her large breasts.

She took off her shirt and bra and put them over a top wire. She was a woman big and strong and proud, her melon-sized breasts lolling out in the sunlight. She opened her jeans, pulling them down over her belly, put her legs apart and her furry triangle became visible. Richard took off his shirt and pulled down his pants.

Now she rubbed her leg against his crotch, and again grinned, realizing she was having an effect on him. Her bountiful breasts were inviting. Richard massaged the large globes as she kissed him, jabbing her tongue into his mouth; then she pushed one up toward him and he began licking his way around the salty aureole and taking a fat, finger-sized nipple into his mouth.

“Got protection?”

“No. Didn’t think I’d need it.”

“Lemme use my mouth. You use your fingers.”

“I can use my mouth.”

“You don’t know where it’s been.”

“Nor you mine. Did you shower?”

“Yesterday.”

“I’ll take my chances.” Richard had been instructed by two of the women at the College. They were “saving it” for marriage. But hands, mouth and arse were fine.

In only a few minutes he was climaxing, but he’d been sucking, chewing and licking her lower lips and Janey was bucking and writhing.

“Oh, boy,” she said. “You know your way around!”

“I had several good teachers. But you can certainly hoover.”

“Let’s drink up the tea and put in a few hours. We’ll have another go tonight.” They found two more locations where fencing needed patching and another post that needed replacement. It was near dusk when they stopped, both of them sweated through and both ready for food and water.

“We’ll camp by those eucalypts,” Janey waved towards the northeast.

“Great! I’m ready to drop.”

“You’ve done real well,” she said. “Better’n most on their first day.”

“I wasn’t going to call time first.”

“That’s good. You can pick up some dry wood; there’s plenty of lamb; I’ll make damper an’ we’ll see if cookie gave us a tin o’ peaches. Be careful, might be a snake in the litter. You can lie down afterward an’ I’ll ride you.”

“Will you be OK?”

“I think so. Anyway, I’m the one takin’ the chance.”

Two hours later, Janey was still in the saddle, but Richard was asleep. It was just getting rosy in the east when he woke up to Janey mouthing his knob.

“Back with the living?” she mumbled.

“I think so. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”

“No, boyo. I was on you!” she went back to slurping. When she was finished, she said: “I put up a billy and there’s damper and jam.”

They did about two miles of the fence before taking a break and then another three. The sun was past noon and it was quite hot, so they sat in the shade and talked. Janey was curious about Richard’s family and “all that water.” She found the notion of Andy and Sybil steaming around the South Pacific quite incredible. Her father had worked at Coolgarra and she’d been born in Mt. Garnet, about a thousand kilometers north of Alpha. She’d stopped school at 16, gotten married and was widowed at just over 18.

“It’s coolin’ off. We’ll ride to that angle there and then back to the house. I’d guess about three-four hours at a trot. There’s a tank on the way. The horses’ll drink, but don’t let ‘em have too much.”

“No, ma’am. I know that.”

“Cut that! An’ if’n you don’ mind, no comments on the activities.”

“No, Janey. I wouldn’t.”

“The boys will be after you. But don’t believe ‘em. Most of ‘em brag more’n they do.”

“Didja nail ‘er?” was the first thing Ferd asked in the morning.

“What?”

“Janey. Didja do her?”

“Are you joking?”

“All the hands – well, mebbe half of them – talk about her.”

“But are they just wishin’?”

“I dunno. Lexie was my first. She was a half-breed workin’ in the kitchen. She went back to her band last year.”

“Have you tried Janey?”

“Nah! One o’ the hands tried to feel her tits a while back an’ she decked him.”

“Oh. I’m going to shave. I’ll see you later.”

Later, at the assignments, Richard was quite amazed.

“Well, folks, our new boy did well yesterday and the day before. Richard.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Can you use a hammer and a saw?”

“Yes, sir.”