It was a sad
rebuff to Mattie, elated with responsibility and eager to unburden
himself of the latest domestic intelligence, to find that Mickie was not
on the spot to receive it all. And, after fondling the wooden document
for a while, he wrapped it up and carefully bestowed it within the bosom
of his shirt. The disappointment was general. The gleam faded from the
faces of the boys. For several days, first one and then another was
entrusted with the honourable custody of the missive. Whoever possessed
it for the time being was the most favoured individual. His worthiness
for the office he acknowledged with an amusing air of self-consciousness
and pride. The transmission of a letter is not an ordinary occurrence,
and though there is an entire absence of form and ceremony in its
delivery, the rarity of the event lends to it novelty and importance.
Aboriginal letters are of great variety, and some there are who profess
to interpret them. The despatches are, however, invariably, in my
experience, transmitted from hand to hand, the news of the day being
recapitulated at the same time. It is not essential that the unstudied
cuts and scratches on wood should have any significance or be capable of
intelligible rendering.
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