A Bite on Words

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thestoryteller
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A Bite on Words

Post by thestoryteller » Tue Jun 14, 2016 4:06 pm

A BITE ON WORDS

In September 1997, Bill Hay and myself went on a tour of outback Queensland, staying overnight at various caravan parks and hotels, initiating many southerners to bush verse and yarn spinning. Our destination was the Inaugural 1997 Droving Yesteryear Festival at Camooweal run by our good mate Kelly Dixon. [Author of 'Leave Him In The Longyard' ].

On our way home we stopped over at the Blue Heeler Hotel at Kynuna to do a show. After making acquaintances with our old mate Richard Magoffin, who runs the Waltzing Matilda Tent of Fame across the road, we went over to the pub to quench our thirst, as it was a hell of a hot afternoon.

After knocking down a couple of quick pots I noticed this young ringer sitting on a stool beside me and between us this stumpy tailed blue heeler. Fond of a good cattle dog I turned to the young ringer and said,
"Does your dog bite mate?"
Bleary eyed and with a tone of indifference he looked at me and replied,
"Naa mate," and walked off with his rum to play a game of pool. Taken in by the dog’s quiet nature I reached down to pat him on the head.

Instead of some sign of appreciation, such as a wag of the stumpy tail, I received a mouthful of teeth in one almighty snap across my fingers.
"What the hell!" I cried, pulling my hand back, blood dripping all over the floor and then the top of the bar. By this time, Hector, the publican who had been watching on, handed me a towel to stop the bleeding. Nodding my head, I said to him,
"He'd be a nice sort of a bloke! I thought he said his dog didn't bite!"
"He doesn't mate." he quietly replied, "It’s not his dog."

Merv Webster

From the book A Muster of Verse and Yarns
Some days your the pidgeon and other days the statue.

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