Maids of The Mountains
(anonymous)
In the wild Weddin Mountains there live two young dames
Kate O’Meally, Bet Mayhew are their pretty names;
These maids of the mountains are bonny bush belles,
They ride out on horseback, togged out like young swells.
They dressed themselves up in their brothers’ best clothes,
And looked very rakish as you may suppose,
In the joy of their hearts they chuckled with glee –
What fun if for robbers they taken should be .
Just then the policemen by day and by night,
Were seeking Frank Gardiner, the bushranger sprite;
Bold Constable Clark wore a terrible frown,
And thought how Sir Freddy by Frank was done brown.
They sought for the ‘ranger, but of course found him not,
When suddenly Katy and Betsy they spot;
‘By Pott!’ shouted Clark, ‘that is Gardiner I see!
The wretch must be taken – come boys, follow me.’
‘Stand!’ shouted the bobbies in accents most dread,
‘Or else you will taste our infallible lead.’
But the maids of the mountains just laughed at poor Clark,
And galloped away to continue their lark.
The troopers pursued them and hot was the chase,
‘Tis only in Randwick they go at such pace;
Clark captured the pair, then to show his vexation,
He lugged them both off to the Young police station.
The maids of the mountains, the joke much enjoyed
To see their brave captors so sadly annoyed;
Next day they still smiled as they stood in the dock;
Their awful position their nerves did not shock.
But Constable Clark did not look very jolly,
He had no excuse for such absolute folly;
He admitted the girls were just out on a spree,
And hoped that His Worship would set them both free.
And so the farce ended of Belles versus Blues,
Which caused no grerat harm and did much to amuse;
But the Burrangong bobbies will place in their cells,
No more maids of the mountains, the bonny bush belles.
nb. Kate O’Meally’s brother was one of Ben Halls gang members.
THE OLD PROVERBIAL RECOVERY 