UGHKAPTEN FYSLEK Yth arayis nebes yntra’n fardellow erell esa y’n koch hag omboesa erbynn an eler. Y hyllyn klywes krodhvolans heb lett dhiworth Dhavydh. Byttegyns, nyns o hemma kudynn ragov. Koch-fardellow o trosek dres eghenn ha nyns esen orth y gevrenna gans dus erell. “Ytho, ow broder ker, gwra pesya krodhvolas, mar pleg,” a brederis vy – heb leverel geryow vyth. Kemmyn o furv an tren y’n termyn na. Yn hwir, yth esa hwath nebes trenow a’n furv ma ow resek war linennow-bow yn Budhykka: margh-tan disel ow tenna plethenn kochow rudh diliwys. Nyns esa saw onan anedha verkys ‘Kynsa Renk’. (Moy y es, yth o brassa ha nebes kosella). An tren o lent, bras ha poes. Y hwayas an kochow dhiworth unn du dh’y gila hag i gyllys a-hys an linennow (na fia gwellhes – ena - a-ban oes an Kyldro Meur a’n blydhynnyow 1930. Ober ‘Susso’ (sosten) pur dha o y’n termynyow na, daswrians an linennow: ober mar dha (po ogas) dell oberi war Fordh Veur an Mor po war Rosva Ayvanhow. Byttegyns, yth esov ow kwandra! Yth esov ow tiskwedhes ow bloedh lemmyn. Kesrakkoryon yw molleth, a nyns i? (Dhe bubonan oll a-der an kesrakker!) Yn neb kas, y’m breus vy, yth esa puptra oll ow mos yn ta – bys pan dhrehedhsyn gorsav Kyneton, wosa ogas dhe’n our. “Gwra gorra ow fardellow y’n koch na – ha gwra fyski!” An re na o an kynsa geryow a glywis ow tos dhiworth an Ughkapten. Daras an koch-fardellow a slynkyas apert hag yth entras ynno souder, meur y own, ankombrys gans lies fardell – nag o, yn apert, dhodho ev. Ev a wrug y wella rag aga gorra war leur an koch mes y hesis koedha onan anedha re via synsys yn-dann y vregh. Koedhys a wrug ev gans boemm ughel. “Folwas! My a’th worr a-dherag breuslys an lu ...” An Ughkapten a besyas yn geryow a’n par na dres dew vynysenn dien – termyn ewn an powes orth an orsav na. Yth esa an souder a’y sav yn attendyans hag ev degemmerys, ownek ha didros, an kabel tynn a dheuth diworth y soedhek. “Diyskynn lemmyn, tywokki!” a armas an Ughkapten dhe’n souder. An huni diwettha a wrug yndella a-dhistowgh ha heb govynn, hag an tren dallethys gwaya. Byttegyns, re diwettha o rag an Ughkapten y honan dhe dhiyskynna dhiworth an koch-fardellow rag kemmeres y le yntra’n dremenysi erell an kynsa renkas.
AN OFFICIOUS MAJOR I arranged some of the other pieces of luggage that were in the van and propped myself up against the coffin. I could hear David’s continuous grumbling but was not particularly troubled. The baggage car was extremely noisy and we were sharing it with no-one else. “So, my dear brother, grumble away!” I thought – but didn’t say so. The train was typical of the time – some of this type are still running on Victoria’s country rail-lines. A diesel locomotive with a string of faded red passenger carriages but only one allocated to ‘First Class’ (bigger, comfier seats, a bit quieter overall). The train was slow, lumbering and the carriages swayed from side to side as they made their way along tracks that had (then) not been upgraded since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Excellent ‘Susso’ work back then, redoing the train tracks – almost as good as working on the Great Ocean Road or the Ivanhoe Boulevard. But I digress! I’m showing my age now. Confabulation is such a curse – to everyone but the confabulator! Anyway, from my personal point of view, everything was going swimmingly – until we reached Kyneton station, about an hour out of the City. “Stow my luggage in that car, Private – and be snappy about it!” These were the first words I heard come from the Major. The door of the baggage car slid open and a timorous private entered, weighed down by numerous pieces of luggage – obviously not his own. He did his best to place them inside the carriage but managed to drop one case, hitherto held under his arm. It fell to the floor with a loud thud. “You imbecile! I’ll have you court-martialled ...” And so on, in that vein, for a full two minutes – the exact time of the scheduled stop at the station. The private stood to attention and absorbed the vile invective that came from his superior officer: terrified and silent. “Get off, you fool!” he yelled at the private – who did so immediately and without question, as the train started to move. However, it was too late for the Major himself to alight from the baggage car and take his place among the other passengers (presumably, in the first-class section of the train.)langbot langbot