Two afternoons in the week, generally Monday and
Thursday, as soon as we had got through dinner, we started off for the
bush, each of us furnished with a hatchet and a long piece of rope,
and dragging the hand-cart behind us, and followed by the whole colony
of dogs, who were always ready for the bush, and were half mad
whenever they saw our preparations. We went with the hand-cart as
far as we could conveniently drag it, and leaving it in an open,
conspicuous place, separated ourselves; each taking his own course,
and looking about for some good place to begin upon. Frequently, we
had to go nearly a mile from the hand-cart before we could find any
fit place. Having lighted upon a good thicket, the next thing was to
clear away the under-brush, and have fair play at the trees. These
trees are seldom more than five or six feet high, and the highest that
I ever saw in these expeditions could not have been more than
twelve; so that, lopping off the branches and clearing away the
underwood, we had a good deal of cutting to do for a very little wood.
Having cut enough for a "back-load," the next thing was to make it
well fast with the rope, and heaving the bundle upon our backs, and
taking the hatchet in hand, to walk off, up hill and down dale, to the
handcart.
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