Henry Lawson

Name: The Iron-Bark Chip
Author: Henry Lawson

The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

Summary

“The Iron-Bark Chip”, published in 1900, is a work by Henry Lawson. It explores elements such as inspector, Dave Regan and fencers.

Quotes from The Iron-Bark Chip (Henry Lawson)

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ The railway contractor’s foreman and inspector of sub-contractors was a practical man and a bushman, but he had been a timber-getter himself; his sympathies were bushy, and he was on winking terms with Dave Regan. Besides, extended time was expiring, and the contractors were in a hurry to complete the line. But the Government inspector was a reserved man who poked round on his independent own and appeared in lonely spots at unexpected times —with apparently no definite object in life—like a grey kangaroo bothered by a new wire fence, but unsuspicious of the presence of humans. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ Dave ventured an interrogatory “Cope, cope, cope?” The horse turned its head wearily and regarded him with a mild eye, as if he’d expected him to come, and come on all fours, and wondered what had kept him so long; then he went on thinking. Dave reached the foot of the post; the horse obligingly leaning over on the other leg. Dave reared head and shoulders cautiously behind the post, like a snake; his hand went up twice, swiftly—the first time he grabbed the inspector’s chip, and the second time he put the iron-bark one in its place. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ Now was the critical moment— there were certain prearranged signals between Dave’s party and the fencers which might have interested the inspector, but none to meet a case like this.
Jack Bentley gasped, and started forward with an idea of intercepting the inspector and holding him for a few minutes in bogus conversation. Inspirations come to one at a critical moment, and it flashed on Jack’s mind to send Andy instead. Andy looked as innocent and guileless as he was, but was uncomfortable in the vicinity of “funny business”, and must have an honest excuse. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ Now iron-bark was scarce and distant on those ridges, and another timber, similar in appearance, but much inferior in grain and “standing” quality, was plentiful and close at hand. Dave and party were “about full of” the job and place, and wanted to get their cheque and be gone to another “spec” they had in view. So they came to reckon they’d get the last girder from a handy tree, and have it squared, in place, and carefully and conscientiously tarred before the inspector happened along, if he did. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ Tell him there’s a heavy thunderstorm coming and he’d better stay in our humpy till it’s over. Run! Don’t stand staring like a blanky fool. He’ll be gone!”
Andy started. But just then, as luck would have it, one of the fencers started after the inspector, hailing him as “Hi, mister!” He wanted to be set right about the survey or something —or to pretend to want to be set right—from motives of policy which I haven’t time to explain here.
That fencer explained afterwards to Dave’s party that he “seen what you coves was up to,” and that’s why he called the inspector back. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ He wore a grey suit, rode, or mostly led, an ashen-grey horse; the grass was long and grey, so he was seldom spotted until he was well within the horizon and bearing leisurely down on a party of sub-contractors, leading his horse. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ Dave took the iron-bark chip, ran along the bed of the water-course into the scrub, raced up the siding behind the bushes, got safely, though without breathing, across the exposed space, and brought the tree into line between him and the inspector, who was talking to the fencers. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Henry Lawson, The Iron-Bark Chip (1900)

“ The longest-living author of this work died in 1922, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works. ”

Henry Lawson

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