human
Good-day,
gpt
Good-day, replied Tom Gibbon.
human
Travelling?
gpt
Yes. Cattle. How's the water down the road?
human
Yellow--dry. Sugar-Loaf--dry. Anvil Soak--dry. One Tree Well--only enough for a plant; makes very slow. Simpson's Hole--dry. In fact the whole lot are dry till you get as far as the Stevenson Bore. You're right after that. How many've you got?
gpt
A thousand.
human
Holy sailor! You'll never get through. Bob Hennesy was the last man down with cattle. He got as far as the Crown and had to leave them on a well there. They were as poor as wood. No stock passed this way for three months.
gpt
Oh, well, I'll have to go round then. I'm a good month ahead of time.
human
What'll you drink?
gpt
Got any sarsaparilla?
human
Yes, any amount of it, he answered.
gpt
I said sarsaparilla, not whisky,
human
D'you mean it?
gpt
Why, yes. What d'you think I'd ask for it for if I didn't want it?
human
Have one with me?
gpt
No, thanks, replied the other.
human
I don't care for that stuff. A man needs something with a nip to it in this country.
gpt
Does he? he asked quietly.
human
When you've been in this country as long as I have, you'll know what's good for you.